The IDF carried out several more waves of strikes overnight Motzei Shabbos in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area of southern Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah drone attack that seriously wounded an IDF officer and two soldiers over Shabbos.

According to Lebanese reports, Israeli Air Force aircraft targeted various Hezbollah sites. Additionally, heavy artillery fire was directed at targets in the same villages and surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, the IDF spokesperson announced that the military struck the Deir al-Zaharani area yesterday and eliminated Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s Badr Unit.

“As part of his role, Abu Hassan Alaa took part in advancing numerous terrorist attacks against IDF forces operating in the security zone, including launching attack drones at our forces in southern Lebanon,” the statement said.

“In recent years, he commanded several combat sectors in the Hezbollah terrorist organization against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz wrote this morning on X: “No score in any arena will be left unsettled. We will forcefully defend our soldiers and citizens.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Mark Cuban told Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., that he “doesn’t understand business” during a heated clash over California’s proposed 5% billionaire wealth tax, warning it could drive startup founders and investors out of the state.

The exchange centered on California’s Proposition 40, a controversial ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on residents with more than $1 billion in assets.

The measure has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party, while some notable leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have expressed opposition.

In a video posted on X on Saturday, Khanna made the case for the tax, arguing that it would help preserve health care for working-class Californians. He said the “Sacramento establishment” and lobbyists opposing the measure were “blatantly out of touch.”

Cuban responded by arguing that founders of rapidly appreciating startups can become billionaires on paper without having hundreds of millions of dollars in liquid assets available to pay the proposed tax.

“They are the definition of cash poor, stock rich,” Cuban wrote on X.

He warned that the measure could cause startup founders and investors to leave California.

“If this passes, only idiot startup founders stay in Cali,” Cuban wrote.

Cuban went further, warning that the measure could also influence where he invests.

“I will make NOT being in California a pre requisite for an investment,” he continued.

“Ideology is not a strategy Ro,” he added.

Khanna then proposed a workaround for founders whose wealth is largely tied up in private-company stock.

“Why not a non recourse loan for pledged stock as collateral for this situation?” Khanna wrote.

Khanna proposed addressing the concerns surrounding illiquid founders by allowing them to pledge shares in their companies as collateral for a government loan that could then be used to pay the wealth tax.

The loan could remain outstanding for roughly 10 years, after which the founder would either repay the government in cash or the government would take possession of the pledged shares. Because the loan would be nonrecourse, the founder would not be personally liable if the company failed.

Cuban blasted the proposal.

“Ro, that’s insane,” he wrote.

Cuban argued that California would effectively lend founders money that would immediately be returned to the state as payment of the tax, meaning the arrangement would initially generate no additional cash revenue from those taxpayers.

“What’s the point of that?” he wrote.

Cuban also argued that California could eventually wind up owning shares in private companies if founders were unable to repay the loans.

“Cali, You make it. We take it!” Cuban wrote.

Khanna pushed back on Cuban’s criticism, arguing that the government would still collect the tax from billionaires with liquid assets.

“The government would still collect from the vast majority of billionaires who are not illiquid,” Khanna wrote.

Khanna claimed that 72% of billionaire wealth is held in public stock and said the proposed financing mechanism would be aimed at true “paper billionaires” whose fortunes are tied to illiquid assets. He argued that if a private company succeeds, California would ultimately collect on the loan, while founders would not be personally liable if the company failed.

Khanna then broadened his argument, telling Cuban that ordinary Americans support higher taxes on billionaires.

“Mark, come on a road trip with me around California, Pennsylvania and the country and ask ordinary Americans how they feel about a billionaire tax,” Khanna wrote. “Most say, I promise you, why only 5 percent?”

Cuban shot back: “You don’t understand business Ro.”

He argued that even a successful founder could spend 10 years growing a company, create thousands of jobs and pay hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state taxes without ever having $250 million in liquid assets available to repay the proposed state loan.

“Is that what you want your state to be?” Cuban wrote.

“Next tweet we can discuss who the money is going to with Prop 40,” he added.

An Israeli man in his mid-30s was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, on Shabbos while vacationing in the country.

The man, who was married and the father of a young daughter, was found lifeless in his room. ZAKA’s International Division immediately began working with Thai authorities to secure the release of the niftar and arrange for his body to be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah.

The efforts are being coordinated with Chabad shliach in Thailand Rabbi Nechemya Wilhelm, Israel’s Foreign Ministry and local officials.

Baruch Nidam, director of ZAKA’s International Division, said that immediately after receiving the report, the organization began working to ensure kavod hameis and secure the release of the niftar for transport to Eretz Yisroel.

The tragedy comes just days after a 26-year-old Israeli was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Kanchanaburi region of western Thailand. His motorcycle collided with a pickup truck, and he was found unconscious near the motorcycle. His body has since been flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah.

The incidents follow another serious accident in Thailand earlier this year in which six Israelis were injured after a minibus carrying 10 Israeli passengers crashed in the country’s north. One of the victims was critically injured.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran’s regime is facing mounting internal pressure as an escalating economic crisis, collapsing oil exports and severe shortages of water, electricity and medicine threaten to further destabilize the Islamic Republic.

An analysis published by Walla describes the Iranian regime as a “wounded animal,” arguing that Tehran’s increasingly aggressive military posture masks deep concern among the country’s leadership over the possibility of widespread domestic unrest.

Iran’s economic situation has deteriorated dramatically amid the ongoing war and U.S. pressure. According to the report, Kharg Island, which previously handled roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports, has been effectively paralyzed, pushing Iranian oil exports to what the report describes as “technical zero.”

The loss of export capacity has reportedly forced Tehran to shut down production at some inland oil fields because of a lack of storage space. Such shutdowns could create long-term problems for Iran’s aging oil infrastructure and require significant investment to reverse.

At the same time, the report claims Iran’s foreign currency reserves have been largely depleted and inflation has soared to approximately 300%, devastating the purchasing power of ordinary Iranians and making it increasingly difficult for the regime to maintain liquidity and regularly pay salaries.

The crisis extends far beyond the economy.

In Mashhad, officials have warned of a severe drought, with water levels in reservoirs reportedly falling below 3% as parts of Iran endure temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius. Planned electricity blackouts have also become increasingly common across Iranian cities.

Iranian officials have additionally acknowledged serious shortages of critical medicines, with the country struggling to obtain raw materials amid a shortage of foreign currency and disruptions to supply routes.

The mounting problems come as President Donald Trump has increasingly highlighted Iran’s economic weakness and the impact of the U.S. blockade, which has placed additional pressure on Tehran while the regime continues confronting Washington militarily.

The analysis argues that Tehran now faces a dangerous dilemma: escalating its confrontation with the United States risks worsening an already devastating economic crisis, while backing down could further weaken the regime’s standing at home.

With oil revenue drying up, inflation spiraling, basic infrastructure under growing strain and ordinary Iranians facing worsening shortages, fears inside Tehran of a renewed popular uprising may increasingly shape the regime’s decisions in the weeks ahead.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Approximately 150 Chareidi protesters gathered at the Meron Junction on Shabbos in an effort to prevent public buses from operating before the conclusion of Shabbos.

The protests began several weeks ago in Tzfas and have since spread to Meron, with demonstrators seeking to stop public transportation departing Tzfas while Shabbos is still underway.

Opposing the Chareidi protesters were approximately 70 activists from the “Derech Chofshit” organization and other Galilee residents, who attempted to prevent the demonstrators from blocking traffic.

Clashes broke out between the two groups at the junction, prompting police forces to deploy to the scene.

The demonstrations follow similar protests last month, when dozens of Chareidim blocked the main road near Tzfas’ central bus station and shouted “Shabbos” at motorists as police attempted to clear the roadway.

Those demonstrations came amid growing tensions over public transportation operating in the area on Shabbos.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Hawaii spent Saturday bracing for the Big Island’s first direct hurricane strike in 155 years. It may not come. National Hurricane Center forecasters said in their afternoon discussion that Lala was showing a possible new track, leaving it unclear whether the storm will make landfall on the island at all. The damage arrived regardless.

Everything Hawaii sells and nearly everything it buys moves by air or by ship, and this weekend both stopped. Hilo International Airport and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport shut down, and commercial ports on the Big Island and in Maui County closed. More than 200 flights across the state were canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware, and Norwegian Cruise Line said some itineraries would be changed.

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Saturday with sustained winds of 75 mph. By late evening its eyewall was brushing the southern shore, with maximum winds of 80 mph and the center about 30 miles south-southeast of South Point. The center is forecast to pass south of the smaller islands through Sunday, spreading tropical storm conditions west to Oahu and Kauai. “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” said Vanessa Almanza, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu.

The power grid proved her point. About 76,000 customers statewide — roughly 15 percent of Hawaii’s electricity users — were dark by Saturday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Hawaiian Electric said wind-toppled trees brought down poles and structures along a 42-mile stretch of transmission line on the Hamakua coast, and four independent power producers were knocked off the Big Island grid, raising the prospect of load shedding — deliberately cutting power to some customers to keep the rest of the system stable. The utility told one Big Island customer that service might not return until Monday.

Rain is the larger threat to property. Forecasters projected 10 to 20 inches across the Big Island with maximums near 25 inches, 8 to 12 inches on windward Maui and 4 to 8 inches elsewhere in the chain. Nahuku had already recorded 16.18 inches in 24 hours, with Glenwood at 11.94 and Piihonua at 10.09. The Wailuku River in Hilo rose from 3.4 feet Friday night to 16.2 feet by Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. That is water moving down steep volcanic slopes into towns built at the bottom of them.

Gov. Josh Green, citing rainfall of two inches an hour, told residents to shelter in place. He had declared a state of emergency Thursday. Shelters opened, events were canceled, and ranchers were advised to leave cattle in open pasture rather than in structures that might collapse. With outages spreading, the county Department of Water Supply asked island-wide that water be used only for drinking, cooking and bathing.

The repair work is already scoped. Hawaiian Electric has hundreds of crew members deployed and is restoring service where conditions allow, having already brought back more than 20,000 Big Island customers and several hundred in Maui County, though damage assessments must be completed before repair crews go out. Airports and harbors reopen once winds drop below operating thresholds, which for a state that imports the overwhelming majority of its food is the number that determines how fast grocery shelves refill.

JBizNews Desk | Honolulu

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

President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll on American sailors enduring nearly nine months at sea on the USS Abraham Lincoln as concerns escalated about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier supporting U.S. operations against Iran.

In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight falling violent crime rates across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the deployment — which includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days — is “not nearly long enough.”

“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment. The acting navy secretary, Hung Cao, said the Lincoln “will return home soon” in a social media post on Friday.

Trump strode into office for a second term vowing to avoid lengthy and expensive military entanglements. And after launching the Iran war, alongside Israel, Trump and his advisers said the conflict would last a matter of weeks. The war is now more than five months old.

But on Friday, during his crime address in Garden City, New York, he acknowledged that he’s used the U.S. military “a little bit more than I wanted to,” while asserting anew that the U.S. operation against Iran is going well. He even said, seemingly in jest, that “pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”

“I’ll never apologize,” Trump added about the war and its impact on oil prices. “I did the right thing.”

Democrats demand Pentagon briefing on USS Lincoln

Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ships and their equipment.

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the Lincoln, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump’s comments, saying on X that “President Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families.”

Top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested a classified briefing on the ship’s food inventory, sanitation issues and healthcare availability, as well as an assessment of how much longer it would be deployed before relief arrives.

Republicans have been less outspoken about the situation on the Lincoln. The GOP chairmen of the House and Senate armed services committees did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war. Hegseth said the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports “indefinitely.”

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.

After reports emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns, the Navy said it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” though officials have declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.

A Navy official said a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say whether it was being considered a suicide attempt.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about poor conditions.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Sandisk’s latest forecast offers one of the clearest signs yet that the artificial-intelligence infrastructure boom is moving far beyond processors and into the storage systems required to keep AI running.

The company expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-teens annual rate from fiscal 2028 through 2030, while adjusted gross margins remain around 80%.

The more important number may be how much future production is already spoken for.

Sandisk has signed multi-year agreements with eight large customers, covering roughly 50% of expected memory production in fiscal 2027 and about two-thirds in fiscal 2028. Those agreements average roughly four years, giving the company something memory manufacturers historically lacked: long-term visibility.

That matters because memory has traditionally been one of the semiconductor industry’s most cyclical businesses.

Manufacturers build capacity. Supply eventually outruns demand. Prices fall, margins contract and expansion plans are cut back.

AI is changing that equation.

Large data centers require enormous amounts of NAND flash storage alongside the GPUs doing the actual computing. As Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and other hyperscalers continue expanding AI infrastructure, storage capacity is becoming another potential bottleneck.

The AI trade is therefore broadening.

Nvidia may supply many of the processors, but those chips need servers, networking equipment, power, cooling systems and enormous amounts of storage around them.

Sandisk’s customer agreements suggest large buyers are no longer comfortable waiting until they need additional capacity.

They are reserving it years in advance.

That reduces some of the boom-and-bust risk historically associated with memory producers and gives Sandisk much greater visibility into future demand.

The company also said it intends to return excess cash to shareholders after funding necessary investment, adding another attraction if its unusually high margins prove sustainable.

The same investment cycle is showing up elsewhere in the semiconductor supply chain.

Applied Materials forecast fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of approximately $10.25 billion, above Wall Street expectations, as chipmakers continue spending heavily on equipment needed to manufacture more advanced processors.

The company is also preparing to expand manufacturing capacity enough to potentially double quarterly semiconductor-system output by 2028, with further expansion possible by 2030.

Taken together, the forecasts point to a larger shift.

AI demand is no longer benefiting only the companies designing the most advanced chips.

The spending is moving through the physical infrastructure surrounding them — semiconductor factories, servers, storage, networking, cooling, power generation and data-center construction.

For investors, that creates a much broader AI ecosystem.

For businesses building data centers, it creates a different problem.

The question is increasingly not whether they can afford the equipment.

It is whether enough of it will be available when they need it.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

Family getting up: Shacharis: 9:00 am Mincha: 8:25 pm

Harav Shmiel Chaim Halberstam
Son

Harav Boruch Avrohom Halberstam
Son

Rebbetzin Frieda Halberstam
Daughter

Mrs. Ruchie Eichenstien
Daughter

Sitting Sunday and Monday 4 PM to 8 PM

Mrs. Breindy Kopelman
Daughter

Family getting up: Shacharis: 8:00 am Mincha: 7:30 pm Maariv: 9:00 pm

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Avrohom Yitzchok “Avry” Juravel zt”l, one of the foremost experts in contemporary kashrus, whose extraordinary command of halacha, coupled with a rare mastery of the technical realities of modern food production, made him a trusted authority in the field for more than four decades.

Rav Juravel, who was a resident of Monsey, NY, had battled illness and medical challenges the last few years with tremendous strength and fortitude.

Rav Juravel was widely known through his longtime work with OU Kosher, where he served as Rabbinic Coordinator for Technical Services. But his influence extended far beyond any title or position. Over the course of a remarkable career, he became a resource for rabbonim, poskim, mashgichim, kashrus professionals, food manufacturers and countless others seeking clarity regarding some of the most complicated questions created by modern food technology.

He possessed a combination that is exceedingly difficult to find: deep yedi’ah in halacha together with an intimate, practical understanding of factories, machinery, ingredients, production systems, piping, industrial cleaning, oils, food chemistry and the countless other technical details upon which contemporary kashrus so often depends.

To those involved in the field, Rav Juravel was regarded as a leading authority. He was a baki in the relevant halachos, but he also understood that determining the kashrus status of a modern food product requires knowing precisely how that product is made. He could walk through an industrial facility, study its equipment and production process, trace its systems, and identify issues that might easily escape someone without his decades of experience.

His expertise was not acquired overnight. Rav Juravel’s connection to kashrus stretched back through generations.

He was a third-generation kashrus expert. His grandfather, Rav Shmuel Zev Juravel, and his father, Rav Yosef Eliezer Juravel, both served as shochtim, devoting themselves to providing for the kashrus needs of the Jewish communities of their respective generations.

Indeed, an intriguing piece of kashrus history was connected to his grandfather. Rav Chaim Brisker famously ruled that turkey could be accepted as a kosher bird, a ruling that helped establish the bird’s place on Jewish tables. Less well known is that the question was originally brought before Rav Chaim by Rav Shmuel Zev Juravel, Rav Avrohom Yitzchok’s grandfather.

Thus, Rav Juravel’s own life’s work represented, in many ways, a continuation of a family legacy: applying the timeless laws of the Torah to the practical realities confronting Jews in changing times.

Rav Juravel’s formal work in kashrus began more than four decades ago, when he served as a mashgiach under Rav Yaakov Posen, dayan of Khal Adas Yeshurun in Washington Heights. He remained in that position for more than a decade.

Those years proved formative. Working in close proximity to an accomplished posek, Rav Juravel was exposed not merely to the rules of kashrus, but to its nuances and complexities. At the same time, his work brought him into the world of commercial food manufacturing, where he began developing the technical knowledge that would eventually make him one of the field’s most respected experts.

Over the years, he also worked for the OK and for the Badatz of the Eidah Hachareidis before becoming a central figure on the kashrus team of the Orthodox Union.

At the OU, Rav Juravel’s expertise ultimately brought him into factories and manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and across the globe. His career took him to places few rabbonim — and perhaps few people altogether — would ever have reason to visit.

One milestone highlighted the extraordinary geographical breadth of his work. When Rav Juravel landed in North Dakota on an OU Kosher assignment, he completed visits to all 50 states in the course of his kashrus work.

Asked at the time how long he had worked in kosher supervision, Rav Juravel responded, “Most of my life, so far. 39 years is a career for anyone in any field, particularly so when your work requires extensive travel.”

North Dakota had remained the final state largely because its agricultural economy did not often require the involvement of someone with his particular level of expertise.

“North Dakota has an extensive farming community, and its agricultural bounty is something the USA would be hard up to live without. In terms of manufacturing facilities supplying kosher food products, the kosher products tend to be simple enough not to warrant a review from a senior rabbi,” he explained.

His travels extended far beyond America’s borders. Rav Juravel estimated that his kashrus responsibilities had brought him to at least 40 foreign countries as well.

The decades of travel gave him an unusual perspective not only on food manufacturing, but on people. Asked what he had learned from meeting factory personnel across so many countries and cultures, Rav Juravel offered an observation characteristic of his thoughtful approach to life.

“What unites us is clearly more significant than the things that divide us. Some take pride in their work, and some don’t put in the effort they could. It is always a privilege to meet master craftsman. And a warm smile is certainly understood in every language and culture.”

His assignments could be extraordinarily complicated.

Asked to identify one of the most memorable projects of his career, Rav Juravel recalled the challenge of kashering an oil refinery that operated separate systems for animal and vegetable products.

“Kosherizing an oil refinery that has separate systems for both animal and vegetable products was a career highlight. Kosher law doesn’t allow for cross-contamination with non-certified animal fat (and for practical purposes, animal fats found in an oil refinery are all non-kosher). Maintaining the integrity of the vegetable system, by following the entire piping system, making sure there was no cross-overs between it and the animal fat refining process, was a Herculean task indeed.”

That assignment illustrated the unique expertise Rav Juravel brought to his work. A kashrus professional could not simply examine an ingredient list and leave. Entire industrial systems had to be understood: where pipes led, what equipment they shared, what had previously passed through them, where two systems might intersect and whether supposedly separate production lines were truly separate from a halachic standpoint.

And when a proposed arrangement did not satisfy the necessary standards, Rav Juravel was prepared to say so unequivocally.

“While OU Kosher communicates the best methods to maintain the highest standards of kosher, there have been times where a plant had dual systems for kosher and non-kosher, and OU Kosher was not satisfied with the divisions proposed by the plant; it was incomplete from our perspective. I handle the situation by stating a firm and resolute, ‘Cannot be done.’”

For all the far-flung places his work took him, Rav Juravel related that he rarely felt threatened because of his identity as a rov. There were, however, adventures along the way.

“In all my years, and in all the odd situations I’ve found myself in for OU Kosher, I cannot remember a time I felt in danger. Once I was lost in China, on a train for 14 hours, without a phone. I was scared then, but it had nothing to do with being a rabbi. It had to do with being incommunicado!”

His long career also gave Rav Juravel a front-row seat to the transformation of the kosher food industry.

When he began, many of the sophisticated quality-control systems that are now standard in food manufacturing did not exist. Over time, developments in the broader food industry — particularly formal quality-control programs, ISO standards, independent audits and allergen protocols — provided additional safeguards that could also assist kashrus agencies.

“The introduction of formal quality systems, ISO systems and various third-party audits (many of which are looking for the same things as a kosher audit) have really helped smooth the way for kosher programs. Allergen cleaning has been a major help for us as well. Years ago, dairy (a primary concern for products labeled OU, which guarantees they are dairy free), was something we had to actively confirm was not being used in our products in any form. Now, due to allergen concerns, the QA staff is aware in advance of our arrival of exactly which items and lines would have contact with dairy.”

Despite the highly technical nature of much of his work, Rav Juravel did not keep his knowledge confined to the professional kashrus world.

Throughout the years, he delivered numerous shiurim on practical kashrus, sharing his accumulated expertise with broader audiences. Those presentations ultimately became the foundation for his sefer, Midi D’Achilah. The publication represented an important contribution to the field. Subjects that were often known primarily to those working inside industrial kashrus were presented to the wider public, giving readers a glimpse into the complicated halachic and technological questions behind foods that consumers encounter every day.

The shiurim that formed the backbone of the sefer were converted into written form, after which Rav Juravel devoted enormous effort to reviewing, editing and refining the material so that the final presentation would accurately convey both the facts and the relevant halachos. The result reflected his characteristic insistence on precision: technical information had to be correct, and the halachic implications had to be stated clearly.

His career also produced some less conventional distinctions.

For many years, Rav Juravel traveled to the Idaho Falls area to supervise Pesach productions of dehydrated potato products. His repeated stays eventually made the visibly Jewish visitor a familiar figure in the community.

“I’ve been stationed in the Idaho Falls area for Passover productions of dehydrated potato products for much of my career. It’s a friendly part of the world, and people notice when a rabbi is walking around town. People would say hello, ask if I’m Amish, and tell me about other Jewish people in town. I was sometimes asked to give classes on Jewish topics to the locals. This led to the Mayor appointing me as Chief Rabbi. Frankly, it wasn’t hard to pick me, I was there more often than any other rabbi.”

Thus, alongside his formidable credentials in kashrus, Rav Juravel also claimed the ceremonial distinction of serving as “Chief Rabbi of Idaho Falls.”

Behind the humor of the story was another element of his life’s work. Whether he found himself in a major Jewish population center or a remote American city, Rav Juravel carried himself as a representative of Torah and Yiddishkeit. His work placed him in sustained contact with people of virtually every background, from factory laborers to engineers, plant managers and corporate executives.

The expertise that made Rav Juravel invaluable was not merely the accumulation of facts. He placed enormous value on judgment — on understanding how to look at a situation, ask the right questions and think through the practical consequences of what one was seeing.

When asked what guidance he would give a younger Rabbinic Field Representative hoping to build a successful career, he did not point first to sophisticated technology or specialized equipment. Instead, he emphasized the most basic tool of all.

“We all possess the most valuable piece of equipment – a brain. It has the indispensable ability to produce something called common sense. You would not believe how many catastrophes have been avoided by simply using it, and yet so many neglect this priceless human asset in search for more modern equipment. I say, begin with the most useful tool you’ve been blessed with and you’ll go very far.”

That emphasis on common sense was particularly meaningful in the world in which Rav Juravel operated. Industrial kashrus presents situations that cannot always be anticipated by a textbook. A mashgiach or rov entering a plant must understand not only what he has been told, but what he is actually seeing. He must know which question to ask next, which seemingly insignificant detail may have major consequences, and when something simply does not add up.

Rav Juravel spent decades honing precisely those instincts.

His knowledge encompassed two worlds that must come together for reliable modern kashrus: the beis medrash and the factory floor. The principles were those of the Torah and halacha, unchanged across generations; the realities to which they had to be applied included sophisticated machinery, complicated supply chains and production systems spanning continents.

His life’s work was devoted to bringing the two together.

The sheer scope of that work was remarkable: all 50 states, approximately 40 foreign countries, innumerable manufacturing facilities, countless hours on airplanes and highways and inside factories, decades of shiurim, and the dissemination of his knowledge through Midi D’Achilah.

Yet the numbers tell only part of the story.

For those involved professionally in kashrus, Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Juravel represented something more: accumulated experience that could not easily be replicated. He had seen the evolution of industrial kashrus across decades and had encountered an extraordinary variety of manufacturing systems and challenges. His knowledge was built not only from seforim and shiurim, but from thousands upon thousands of hours spent seeing how food is actually produced.

He carried forward the legacy of his grandfather and father, who had served Klal Yisroel as shochtim, into an era when kashrus had become increasingly global, industrialized and technologically complex.

From Rav Shmuel Zev Juravel bringing the question of the turkey before Rav Chaim Brisker, to Rav Avrohom Yitzchok tracing industrial piping through an oil refinery generations later, the common thread was the same: ensuring that Jews could eat according to the dictates of halacha as new circumstances and new technologies emerged.

Rav Juravel’s petirah leaves a profound void in the world of kashrus. His extraordinary reservoir of technical knowledge, decades of firsthand experience, mastery of the relevant halachos, and ability to combine all three made him a singular resource to the field.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Rochel (nee Schmelczer) Juravel, and their wonderful family.

The levayah will take place Sunday morning, at 11 a.m., at Kehillas Zichron Yitzchok, located at 36 Pennington Way in Spring Valley, NY.

Yehi zichro boruch.

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{Matzav.com}

Hengli is accused by the U.S. of being a major importer of illicit Iranian crude; the Chinese petrochemical company denies trading with Iran.

On Changxing Island outside Dalian sits one of China’s largest independent refineries, a sprawling complex capable of processing about 400,000 barrels of oil a day.

Washington says some of the crude flowing into that plant came from Iran — and that the money ultimately helped finance Tehran’s military.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical’s Dalian refinery in April, accusing it of purchasing billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum and describing it as one of Iran’s largest customers.

Hengli denies the allegation.

Treasury says three sanctioned tankers alone delivered more than five million barrels of Iranian crude to the refinery since 2023. The shipments were allegedly overseen by Sepehr Energy, the oil-sales arm of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the Iranian military.

That is what makes Hengli different from a routine sanctions case.

Washington is not simply accusing a Chinese refinery of buying discounted oil. It is accusing one of China’s largest private industrial companies of helping convert Iranian crude into revenue for Tehran’s armed forces.

The oil trade is difficult to police because sanctioned cargoes can become harder to trace once they reach international waters. Tankers can switch off tracking signals, move crude through ship-to-ship transfers and rely on traders and paperwork that obscure where the petroleum originated.

Iranian crude is often sold at a discount precisely because buyers take on that risk.

China is central to the trade. Its independent refiners buy the majority of Iran’s exported crude, giving Tehran access to a huge market despite U.S. sanctions.

Hengli says Washington’s case is wrong. The company said it has never conducted oil trade with Iran and that its suppliers guaranteed the crude it purchased complied with sanctions requirements. It also said it would seek removal from the U.S. blacklist.

The sanctions nevertheless had an immediate impact.

Hengli’s Shanghai-listed shares fell 10 percent. Its Singapore trading operation was disrupted as international counterparties pulled back, and Chinese chemical giant Wanhua suspended a benzene supply agreement with the company.

Hengli also said it had enough crude inventories to operate for more than three months and could continue paying for oil in yuan.

Beijing then stepped in, using its anti-sanctions framework to shield Chinese companies from complying with the U.S. restrictions.

That put Hengli directly in the middle of a larger confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

For the U.S., the strategy is to make Iranian crude financially toxic even if the oil itself keeps moving.

Banks, shipping companies, insurers, traders and refineries all have to decide whether discounted Iranian oil is still worth the risk of losing access to Western markets and the U.S. financial system.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had already warned Chinese buyers that Washington was prepared to target them. The department also sent warning letters to Chinese banks before the Hengli sanctions were announced.

The same day Hengli was blacklisted, Treasury sanctioned roughly 40 shipping firms and vessels tied to Iran’s shadow fleet.

For Tehran, the stakes are straightforward. Oil exports provide hard currency, and Washington says some of the revenue flowing through Hengli directly benefited Iran’s military.

For American consumers, there is a second concern.

Washington wants to choke off Iran’s oil income without removing so much crude from the market that global energy prices jump. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz already under pressure, any major disruption to supply can eventually reach gasoline prices, freight costs and consumer goods.

That makes Hengli a major test of the sanctions strategy.

If a refinery this large decides Iranian crude is no longer worth the risk, other buyers may follow.

If the oil simply changes ships, paperwork and intermediaries again, Washington will have made the trade harder without stopping it.

The real measure of success is therefore not how many companies land on a blacklist.

It is whether the oil stops moving — or simply becomes harder to see.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

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

Waymo announced Friday that it is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing business across Northern and Southern California, including into two new major markets.

The Alphabet-owned company said it plans to scale up its existing services across the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles while bringing its robotaxi service to Sacramento and San Diego.

The announcement comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles authorized Waymo to operate in the additional areas last year. On Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the company’s application to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service.

“Big news for the Golden State — we have received the CPUC’s approval to expand our autonomous ride-hailing service across the SF Bay Area and LA, and bring our service to Sacramento and San Diego,” Waymo said in a post on X.

The company did not provide a timeline for launching service in the new areas but said the expansion would be “gradual and guided by our safety framework.”

Waymo called the regulatory approval an important step in its California expansion.

“This is an important milestone that will allow Waymo to bring the safety and mobility benefits millions of Californians already enjoy to more communities across the state,” the company said in a press release.

The company currently operates thousands of autonomous vehicles across the U.S., including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin.

In February, Waymo announced plans to expand into Chicago as it seeks to establish a foothold in the Midwest.

The company said it had begun “laying the early groundwork” for operations in Chicago, starting with mapping and manual vehicle testing.

Waymo has also faced several recalls this year. Most recently, the company recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis in June after more than a dozen incidents in which autonomous vehicles entered closed freeway construction zones, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA said a software issue could allow affected vehicles to enter closed freeway construction zones and continue traveling at posted speeds. Regulators said the vehicles could fail to recognize or properly respond to certain construction-zone closures.

FOX Business has reached out to Waymo for additional information, including when the expanded California services are expected to launch.

FOX Business’ Bradford Betz and Brittany Miller contributed to this report.

Inflation improved this week, but the pressure facing consumers and businesses did not disappear. It shifted.

Consumer inflation moderated, wholesale prices were flat in July, Treasury yields eased and the immediate risk of another Federal Reserve rate increase declined.

That is positive, but lower inflation does not mean lower prices.

Households are still paying from a much higher base for food, housing, insurance, utilities and borrowing. Consumers are responding by comparison-shopping, switching brands and becoming more selective about discretionary purchases.

For retailers and restaurants, that means pricing power is weakening. The advantage is shifting toward companies that can protect margins through efficiency, sourcing and customer loyalty rather than repeated price increases.

Housing remains one of the clearest pressure points.

Existing-home sales fell again in July to roughly 4.06 million annualized, while the median price remained near $434,000. Buyers are constrained by expensive monthly payments, while homeowners with older low-rate mortgages have little incentive to sell.

That slowdown reaches far beyond real estate. Fewer transactions mean less business for brokers, lenders, title companies, contractors, movers, furniture stores and appliance retailers.

Credit tells a similar story.

Banks are still lending, but financing remains expensive. Businesses buying equipment, inventory, vehicles or commercial property are paying materially more for capital, while consumers continue borrowing for homes and autos at rates that leave less room for other spending.

Softer inflation could eventually help bring those costs down, but relief will take time.

Small businesses are sending a different signal than the national jobs data.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index climbed to 99.8, while the share of owners planning to hire reached its highest level since 2022.

Many businesses still want workers. Their problem remains finding qualified ones.

Artificial intelligence is creating another major shift.

AI is no longer just a software story. The boom now reaches storage, networking, power, cooling, construction, industrial real estate and financing.

Sandisk, Super Micro, CoreWeave and Applied Materials are all showing that demand for AI infrastructure remains strong.

But the bottlenecks are changing.

Data-center developers increasingly face limits involving electricity, financing and local opposition. Chips and capital are no longer enough. In some markets, permission to build is becoming one of the most valuable assets in the AI supply chain.

Trade is adding another cost layer.

Detroit automakers have warned that proposed changes to North American content rules could add billions of dollars annually to manufacturing costs.

Those expenses do not disappear. They eventually show up in supplier margins, factory investment, employment, shareholder returns or vehicle prices.

Energy remains the wildcard.

A sustained decline in fuel costs would help inflation, transportation and manufacturing. Another geopolitical shock could reverse that quickly.

That is the business picture heading into the new week:

Inflation is cooling, but consumers remain stretched.

Housing is locked by rates.

Credit is available, but expensive.

Small businesses still want workers.

AI spending remains enormous, but infrastructure and zoning are becoming constraints.

Trade policy is raising manufacturing costs.

And energy can still change the picture overnight.

The inflation crisis may be easing.

The cost problem has not disappeared.

It has moved.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

President Donald Trump is doubling down on wielding economic pressure to squeeze Iran as his military options dwindle, and Tehran’s business community warned the naval blockade will cause far-reaching harm.

In an interview with Iran’s Khabar Online outlet, the head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce said “the consequences of the blockade far outweigh those of a direct war.”

Majidreza Hariri added that the economic crisis and shortages currently ravaging Iran under the blockade are more severe than they were during the 40-day war earlier this year.

As a result, Iran must find a way to end the blockade one way or another, whether by way of negotiations, pleading, threats or even renewing war against the U.S., he said. That’s because trying to cope with the blockade would lead to dangerous spillover effects.

“The worst thing that could happen today is believing that the naval blockade can be circumvented and attempting to govern the country despite its continuation,” Hariri said.

He pointed to Iran’s decades-long experience under Western sanctions, saying the methods that were used skirt them eventually resulted in a weak economy and rampant corruption.

The U.S. naval blockade also threatens to inflict enormous costs in the short term. For example, transporting a single container between Iran and China via ships costs about $3,000, according to Hariri. But bypassing the blockade by transporting it over land would boost the cost to $12,000.

Given that 2 million containers pass through Iran’s southern ports annually, he estimated that heavier trade burdens will translate to about $18 billion in additional transportation costs alone every year.

Relying on land routes to get around the blockade could provide enough necessities to allow for short-term survival, but the economy will eventually “grind to a halt,” Hariri predicted.

But he also suggested Iran would retaliate against continued U.S. pressure rather than simply standing by and watching the economy crumble.

“We must also eliminate the perception in the U.S. that it can resort to such an action whenever it wants, and make it understand that the consequences of such a move could be severe,” Hariri said.

His warning comes as regime moderates have grown more worried that the U.S. naval blockade that was recently reimposed is bringing Iran’s economy close to collapse, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister has also said the economy desperately needs sanctions relief that a deal with the U.S. could provide.

That tracks with earlier reports about Iran’s president and central bank chief telling Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei the initial blockade was crippling the economy.

High inflation and a currency crash triggered widespread protests that led to a brutal crackdown in January, and some officials in Tehran are concerned today’s economic woes could stir more unrest.

But experts have cautioned that Iran’s repressive regime is unlikely to be swayed by the suffering of ordinary citizens and is prepared to wait out economic hardship longer than the U.S. public can endure high gas prices.

Still, Trump is betting that the blockade can accomplish what intense bombing from the U.S. military failed to do, namely, forcing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, a significant volume of oil is sneaking out of the Persian Gulf, contradicting Iran’s claims that it has closed off the strait, while the blockade is also denying Tehran vital oil revenue.

Crude prices have come down from last month’s highs, and the oil market reprieve gives Trump more time to let his blockade play out. Meanwhile, even more pressure could be on the way.

“It will be a combination of economic isolation like ‌the world has ​never seen before, ​and ​the continued blockade in ‌the Strait of ​Hormuz that will ​keep anything from going in or out of ​the ‌Iranian ports,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Newsmax without elaborating.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

(AP) – Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday declined a request to appear voluntarily before a second Senate panel after majority Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted along partisan lines last week to hold the longtime infectious disease expert in contempt.

In a pointed letter to Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, a lawyer for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said any effort to compel him to appear before a Senate subcommittee, after a contentious July 29 hearing, would be to “impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes.”

During the July hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 100 times, prompting the Aug. 6 contempt vote and setting up a referral to the Justice Department for potential investigation over whether he had properly exercised his constitutional rights.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the committee chairman who pressed for the contempt finding, said the constitutional protection did not apply because Democratic President Joe Biden had issued a preemptive pardon to Fauci, and he did not need to be concerned about potential prosecution.

Paul has long accused Fauci of misleading the public during the pandemic and the July hearing was the latest episode in his highly publicized confrontations with him. Paul has repeatedly called for Fauci to be prosecuted and imprisoned.

Johnson, chairman of the subcommittee on investigations, had sought to open a parallel avenue of congressional investigation about Fauci’s role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Israeli police and the family of 24-year-old Nachman Keinan of Beit Shemesh are urgently asking for the public’s help in locating him after he disappeared approximately one week ago.

Keinan was last seen on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at approximately 6:00 p.m. near Gai Beach in Tiveriah. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since.

According to information provided by authorities, Keinan may still be in northern Israel, particularly in the areas of Tiveriah, Tzfas, or Meron. His family and those assisting in the search are urging anyone who has seen him, spoken with him, or has any information—no matter how minor it may seem—to come forward immediately.

Keinan is approximately 5 feet 8 inches (1.72 meters) tall, has a fair complexion, brown eyes, a black beard and mustache, and wears prescription eyeglasses.

When he was last seen, he was wearing a black suit, a white button-down shirt, and a black hat. He was also wearing a distinctive yellow Moshiach flag lapel pin, which may help identify him.

Anyone with information regarding Keinan’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Israel Police emergency hotline at 100, the Missing Persons Unit at 050-899-9884, or the family’s command center at 050-232-3201 or 052-277-0559.

NEWARK, N.J. (VINnews) — Violent crime continued to fall in many of the nation’s largest cities during the first half of 2026, according to preliminary data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, with Newark, New Jersey, posting the steepest decline in homicides among the cities surveyed.

Homicides dropped 17.2% overall across 66 major U.S. law enforcement agencies when comparing January through June 2026 with the same period in 2025, the association reported. Robberies fell 16.6%, rapes declined 6.2%, and aggravated assaults decreased 5.7%. Combined, the four categories of violent crime were down about 8.3%.

Newark recorded the largest percentage decline in homicides. The city saw six homicides in the first six months of 2026, down from 17 in the first half of 2025 — a drop of 64.7%, according to the data. Raleigh, North Carolina, posted a similarly sharp reduction.

The Council on Criminal Justice, analyzing data from a sample of large cities, reported a comparable trend, with homicides down about 18% in the first half of the year and overall crime continuing a multi-year decline that began after peaking around 2020–2022.

CBS Evening News highlighted the national trend and Newark’s results in a recent report, noting that violent crime numbers are down across many major U.S. cities and that Newark saw the largest homicide decline among those tracked.

Officials caution that the figures are preliminary and not final FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Local factors such as policing strategies, community programs, and broader national trends have been cited by city leaders and researchers as contributing to the reductions, though experts note that explanations remain complex and vary by location.

The declines build on earlier drops reported in 2025 and continue a broader pattern of falling violent crime in many urban areas since the post-pandemic spike.

Two young children were injured in separate household accidents over Shabbos, one in Bnei Brak and the other in Rechasim, prompting emergency responses by United Hatzalah volunteers.

On Shabbos afternoon, emergency responders were dispatched to a home in Bnei Brak after a 4-year-old boy swallowed a small battery and began choking. Shlomo Katzin, a United Hatzalah EMT serving as the organization’s Shabbos responder, arrived by ambulance and immediately attempted to dislodge the battery before transporting the child to Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.

The boy was suffering from mild respiratory distress but was reported to be in stable condition.

Katzin said, “I arrived quickly with a United Hatzalah ambulance, performed maneuvers and attempted to remove the battery, and then rapidly transported him to Schneider Hospital in Petach Tikvah. He was suffering from mild respiratory distress, and his condition was stable.”

Following the incident, United Hatzalah urged parents to keep small, sharp, or easily swallowed objects out of the reach of young children to help prevent choking and other serious injuries.

Earlier on Shabbos morning, another household accident occurred in Rechasim, where a 2-year-old toddler was scalded by boiling water from a hot-water urn inside his home. The child sustained burns to his upper body.

United Hatzalah Shabbos responders Arnon Alenbogen and Ariel Ben Elbaz were the first to arrive and provided emergency medical treatment before the toddler was transported to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. He was listed in moderate condition.

Alenbogen and Ben Elbaz said, “Family members told us that the toddler was burned by boiling water (from a hot-water urn) in his home and suffered burns to his upper body. We provided him with initial medical treatment, after which he was transported to Rambam Hospital for further care. At this stage, his condition is defined as moderate.”

United Hatzalah reminded the public to place hot-water urns and electric kettles in locations that are inaccessible to children and to ensure that their electrical cords are also kept safely out of children’s reach.

Beginning Sunday, thousands of public transportation passengers in Israel will be able to claim refunds for unused travel subscriptions that could not be fully utilized because of reduced public transit service during Operation Roaring Lion.

The Ministry of Transportation announced that the reimbursement program, delayed for several months, will compensate passengers who purchased prepaid transit passes but were unable to use them during the period when bus and rail services were curtailed due to the security situation.

The refunds are available to passengers who held a monthly Chofshi-Chodshi pass during the affected period, as well as students who purchased either an annual transit pass or a second-semester pass for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Passengers do not need to calculate their refund eligibility themselves. The system will automatically identify each Rav-Kav card, determine the amount of compensation based on the type of subscription and the number of days public transportation services were disrupted, and present the available redemption options. Eligible passengers may claim their refunds through Dec. 31, 2026.

Holders of monthly Chofshi-Chodshi passes will be able to choose from several compensation options. These include receiving equivalent Chofshi-Yomi daily passes based on the number of affected service days, a discount toward the purchase of a new monthly pass, or stored-value credit loaded onto their Rav-Kav card equal to 70% of the value of the eligible days.

Students will also be offered multiple reimbursement choices, including stored-value credit worth 70% of the eligible amount, a discount on a monthly pass, or a discount toward the purchase of an annual or first-semester student pass for the 2026–2027 academic year for those continuing their studies.

Passengers can redeem their benefits through the Rav-Kav Online and HopOn mobile platforms, as well as at Rav-Kav charging stations located in businesses across Israel. Users may also place an order online or by phone and complete the transaction later at a compatible charging device. Telephone orders can be made by calling 03-7207406.

The reimbursement options available to each passenger will depend on the type of transit pass previously purchased and the eligibility information recorded in the Ministry of Transportation’s system.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev said the refund initiative is intended to compensate passengers for services they paid for but were unable to use during the war.

“The passengers and their needs are always our top priority,” Regev said. “During the war, we were required to reduce public transportation services because of the security situation, and now it is our responsibility to ensure that the public receives compensation for the service it could not use. That is why we created a simple, accessible, and flexible refund mechanism that offers several alternatives. We will continue to place passenger service at the center of our efforts, both in routine times and during emergencies.”

Former congressman Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, leads Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the anti-Israel, Democratic nominee, 51% to 47%, according to a new Fox News poll.

“Mike Rogers is carrying the momentum and defying the map,” Alyssa Brouillet, spokeswoman for the Rogers campaign, told JNS. “It’s easy to see why.”

“Turns out Michiganders have an issue with Abdul raising their taxes, taking over their healthcare, emptying the prisons and killing their dogs,” she told JNS. “They know Mike Rogers will hold the line against this insanity and deliver real results for Michigan. We have a state to save.”

The survey, released Thursday, interviewed 1,006 Michigan voters via phone and online from Aug. 6-10. Fifty-four percent of state voters said that that they are extremely or very concerned that El-Sayed’s positions are too extreme, while 51% of voters said that Rogers is too close to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Though 91% of Democratic voters in the state back El-Sayed, only 69% of Democratic and independent voters that aren’t aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America support El-Sayed. Rogers holds an edge among independent voters in the state, 48%-43%, per the survey.

Fifty-five percent of Michigan voters support discontinuing military aid to Israel, while 44% favor continuing it, according to Fox. JNS

LONDON (VINnews) — Antisemitism in British schools has reached the highest level ever recorded for the first half of a year, according to figures from the Community Security Trust, as a government-commissioned review warns that Jewish pupils are enduring regular harassment and a situation unlike that faced by any other community in the country.

The CST recorded 178 antisemitic incidents in the school sector between January and June 2026, a 59% jump from 112 in the same period of 2025. The total marks the highest half-year figure for school-related incidents since records began. Of those, 51 occurred at Jewish schools, 74 involved pupils or staff at non-faith schools, and 53 targeted Jewish children away from school, often while commuting.

Sir David Bell, the former Ofsted chief inspector leading the independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England, told the BBC that Jewish children and young people “are facing a pressure — and indeed one might say even a crisis — that is not the experience of other communities in this country.”

“Pupils were subject to regular harassment and abuse,” Bell said. He described the extent of antisemitism directed at children and young people as “shocking,” adding that education at some Jewish schools “takes second place” to security concerns.

Headteachers of Jewish schools reported spending the majority of their time on safety measures rather than teaching. One principal said there had been weeks when approximately 90% of their time went to security-related matters. Another, who has led a Jewish school for 13 years, said: “I’ve never spent so much of my time and so much energy dealing with security issues… [It] prevented [me] from working on educational priorities… instead my focus and time has been spent on security, something that should be a given for every child in this country.”

Pupils aged 12 and 13 at one Jewish faith school in London told the review they regularly suffered abuse while traveling to school and on public transport. A Jewish teenager who was the only Jewish student at his school described being told he “should be in a gas chamber,” while swastikas were drawn in classrooms and Nazi salutes became widespread.

The full review, launched in March 2026 and expected in autumn, is examining experiences across faith and secular schools and colleges. It is likely to recommend dedicated teacher training, improved education about antisemitism for pupils, and a standardized system for reporting and recording incidents.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell called the review “a vital piece of work,” saying: “Antisemitism has no place in our society, let alone our education system. Jewish children and staff should never face hatred or prejudice, and every school and college must be equipped to tackle it when it happens.”

The school figures form part of a broader rise. The CST logged 1,926 antisemitic incidents across Britain in the first half of 2026, a 21% increase from the previous year and the second-highest total for any first six months on record.

Portuguese prosecutors are being urged to open a criminal investigation after an Israeli doctoral student alleged he was subjected to a sustained campaign of antisemitic harassment, death threats, and physical assault at the University of Coimbra. The move follows a finding by Portugal’s ombudsman that the university failed to adequately respond to the complaints and displayed significant inaction.

The case centers on Bar Harel, an Israeli-American-Portuguese doctoral student, who filed complaints alleging that he was targeted by severe antisemitic incitement while studying at the university. Portugal’s Ministry of Higher Education referred the matter to the country’s attorney general after receiving a request from the Prime Minister’s Office, following the ombudsman’s conclusion that the university mishandled the case.

According to Harel’s complaint, antisemitic stickers, graffiti, and posters appeared across the university campus between July 2024 and May 2026. Among the messages displayed were “Zionists should carry a certificate proving they are human,” “Zionists are worse than the Nazis,” and “We are all Yahya Sinwar.” The displays were accompanied by Hezbollah flags and public expressions of support for Hamas.

Harel said he became the target of repeated personal threats, including graffiti declaring, “Your family deserves a second Holocaust.” He also alleged that he was physically assaulted after attaching a small Israeli flag to his backpack. As a result of the incidents, he ultimately abandoned his doctoral studies in computer engineering.

According to a report by Ynet, Portugal’s Ministry of Higher Education has asked prosecutors to investigate possible offenses including discrimination, incitement to hatred and violence, public glorification of a terrorist organization, criminal threats, and assault.

Harel said the decision to pursue a criminal investigation followed a lengthy campaign in which he sought assistance from the European Parliament and received support from the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. Israel’s Embassy in Lisbon welcomed the authorities’ decision and called for additional reported incidents to be investigated as well.

The University of Coimbra, however, disputed allegations that it ignored the student’s complaints. University officials said they offered Harel counseling and psychological support immediately after he reported the incidents.

The administration also argued that his complaints lacked sufficient detail to allow investigators to identify those responsible or independently verify the allegations, adding that the posters described in the complaint could not be located on campus.

In addition, the university said it informed authorities that Harel had allegedly demanded €3 million in exchange for refraining from pursuing legal action against the institution, a demand the university said it immediately rejected.

(AP) – A potential disaster was averted Friday when a Phoenix air traffic controller recognized two American Airlines jets mistakenly were flying the same flight number and acted quickly to avoid confusion and keep them a safe distance apart.

Audio of the incident shortly after midnight Friday shows how he found a solution to ensure the planes that were both called American 2482 maintained proper separation as one plane arrived from Chicago shortly after the other had taken off in Phoenix.

Two American Airlines flights with the same flight number ended up in the same vicinity at the same time. Air traffic controllers caught the mix-up and kept the two planes safely apart as the airline investigates. pic.twitter.com/vOHr5du5Ae

— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) August 14, 2026

“I’ve been working air traffic for 25 years. I’ve never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign. That’s pretty incredible,” the controller said after the departing plane had safely cleared the area.

If both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they headed toward each other, they might have collided, so it was crucial they knew which plane he was directing.

Quick thinking ensured the controller’s instructions were clear
The audio posted by ATC.com shows how the controller quickly started referring to “American 2482 on the arrival” and “American 2482 on the departure” to keep the two planes straight.

The controller kept the arriving plane safely above the departing plane even as their flight paths converged and made sure that the pilots of both airlines saw each other when they were still miles apart. He also directed the departing plane not to climb too high, so a gap would remain between the planes.

The arriving pilot complimented the controller for his “nice work” once the two planes had passed each other safely.

“It could have been disastrous, but I’m glad it worked out,” the controller replied.

Expert says airline must have missed that the flights would overlap
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said it’s likely that someone inside the airline’s dispatch center failed to catch that both planes would be in the air at the same time with identical flight numbers when both the dispatcher and the pilots signed off on the flight plan.

“You can drop the ball and that shouldn’t happen, but it’s nice to see that the system is resilient and we have all the safeguards,” said Arroyo, who has only seen this type of issue a couple times in his four decades with United Airlines. Arroyo started his career as a dispatcher before becoming a pilot.

Flight 2482 is a round-trip route that often flies back and forth between Chicago and Phoenix. Typically the same plane goes back and forth, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by weather, so American found a second plane in Phoenix and that flight left on time. The result was that both planes briefly shared the same airspace before the arriving flight landed.

The government and airline will determine how this occurred
The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines will investigate how this happened, and they both emphasized how glad they were that everyone remained safe.

“The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident,” American Airlines said in a statement.

Thomas Willia Vance, 39, the man suspected of knocking another driver out during a road rage incident in Lakewood on Friday, has been charged with Aggravated Assault Causing Bodily Injury.

He is being held at the Ocean County Jail.

https://thelakewoodscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/wa-1786742112269-qymr2x.mp4

Frustration with President Donald Trump’s handling of the war with Iran is reportedly growing among America’s Gulf allies, with several countries now questioning whether they should continue hosting major U.S. military bases, according to a report published by The Washington Post.

Citing Arab and Western officials, the report says Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain have become increasingly dissatisfied with the continued missile and drone attacks linked to the conflict. According to the report, some of those governments have begun discussing whether it remains in their national interest to maintain a large American military presence on their soil.

“Trump started the war, and we are paying the price,” an official from one Gulf state was quoted as saying. The official added that anger toward Washington has reached its highest level since the war began in February 2026.

According to the report, regional leaders are particularly concerned by what they view as inconsistent U.S. policy toward Iran. Officials reportedly pointed to repeated threats issued by President Trump against Tehran that were later followed by restraint rather than military escalation.

Bader Al-Saif, a history professor at Kuwait University, said, “Even before all these zigzags by Trump, there was no clear strategy.”

As Gulf governments reassess their security options, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a new defense pact last week known as the “Mecca Agreement.”

A senior European official who maintains close contact with leaders in the region described the agreement as “a signal to the United States,” adding that the three countries are “trying to diversify their security and defense partnerships” because “from their perspective, the United States is not enough.”

Another Western diplomat stationed in the region said attitudes toward the U.S. military presence have shifted dramatically.

“If in the past the forces were viewed as a necessary evil, now the very necessity of deploying those forces in the region is being questioned,” the diplomat said.

The White House, however, rejected suggestions of a growing rift with Gulf allies. A senior administration official insisted that President Trump “has exceptional relationships with all of the Gulf partners.”

European officials quoted in the report said Gulf governments initially supported the military campaign against Iran, believing it would end quickly with a decisive American victory.

According to those officials, that assessment changed by April 2026 after it became clear that Iran’s regime was unlikely to collapse and that Tehran had no intention of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, prompting regional leaders to rethink their long-term security strategy.

A senior Iranian military commander declared Saturday that Iran’s months-long conflict with the United States proved the strength of Islam, even as the Trump administration continues working to secure a long-term agreement despite America’s overwhelming military advantage.

Ahmad Vahidi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), praised the country’s military and security forces, including the IRGC, the regular army, police, and Basij militia, claiming they had succeeded in confronting what he described as the world’s most powerful military.

Vahidi asserted that Iran’s campaign had shown that ”Islam can be made to rule the world” and had ”opened the gates of uprising for the oppressed of the world,” despite the fact that Iranian missile attacks have struck neighboring Muslim countries that host U.S. military forces.

His remarks stand in sharp contrast to the military realities of the conflict.

Throughout the war, the United States has maintained a dominant naval presence in and around the Strait of Hormuz while inflicting extensive damage on Iran’s naval fleet, missile capabilities, and other military assets. Iran has also faced severe economic hardship as a result of the fighting and intensified financial sanctions.

Nevertheless, Iran’s refusal to back down has highlighted Washington’s ongoing difficulty in turning military success into the comprehensive political settlement President Donald Trump has repeatedly predicted.

As early as May 23, Trump said an agreement with Iran had been ”largely negotiated” and would be announced ”shortly.”

On June 11, the President expressed confidence that a deal could be finalized within days, saying he believed Iran’s supreme leader had already approved it. That agreement, however, was never completed.

A temporary ceasefire later collapsed. In July, Trump declared the conflict ”OVER,” yet negotiations continued afterward, and the administration postponed additional U.S. military strikes in an effort to give diplomacy another opportunity.

By the end of July, Trump acknowledged that Tehran still was not prepared to reach an agreement, even while describing the negotiations as serious and holding out hope that progress remained possible.

The diplomatic deadlock has continued through August. Talks between the United States and Iran remain at an impasse, with Washington engaging additional countries in an effort to revive the negotiating process.

At the same time, Iranian officials have continued insisting on sanctions relief and compensation for wartime damage before agreeing to resolve the dispute surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the stalled negotiations, Trump continued to project confidence on Friday, suggesting that once Iran is defeated, the United States could even declare the Strait of Hormuz to be American territory. Iranian officials quickly rejected the statement.

The situation has underscored the contrast between America’s battlefield dominance and the absence, thus far, of a final political agreement.

While U.S. forces have dealt substantial blows to Iran’s military infrastructure, Tehran has neither surrendered nor agreed to the broad settlement Washington has sought.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge refused on Friday to block the Trump administration from taking steps to build 62 miles of international border wall along part of a Native American tribe’s reservation without its consent.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., denied the Tohono O’odham Nation’s request for a court-ordered halt to border wall construction on its 2.8-million-acre reservation. Leon ruled the tribe hasn’t established that a border wall will change its reservation boundaries without congressional authority.

The judge also rejected the tribe’s claim that the planned border wall would illegally trespass on its reservation.

“And in any event, I find that the Government’s interests in securing the border, enforcing immigration laws, and ensuring public safety outweigh any surviving irreparable harms at this juncture,” Leon wrote.

The tribe released a statement late Friday strongly disagreeing with the decision.

“Too many critical issues were not adequately addressed, such as inevitable impacts construction will have on the Nation’s land and the permanent destruction of sacred sites,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon M. Jose said. “The Nation will consider all possible options for moving forward, as this issue is simply too important to the O’odham.”

The O’odham reservation in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona abuts 62 miles of the Mexico border. The tribe has over 37,000 members, including thousands who live in Mexico.

Building the border wall would led to “significant devastation” on the reservation, including the destruction of mountain peaks that are sacred to the O’odham, tribe attorneys said.

“It would fray the ties between O’odham communities and families on opposite sides of the border, interfere significantly with O’odham religious rituals and practices, and destroy plant and animal resources sacred to the O’odham,” the lawyers wrote.

In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation reserving a 60-foot strip of public land along the U.S.-Mexico border for a buffer zone called the “Roosevelt Reservation,” which was formed a decade before the reservation’s establishment.

Tribe attorneys say it is “fanciful at best” to suggest that border wall construction can be confined to a 60-foot-wide corridor.

During a July 22 hearing, Leon appeared to be skeptical that U.S. laws tip in favor of the tribe’s bid for a preliminary injunction, calling it an “extraordinary” request. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said he couldn’t find a previous court ruling under comparable circumstances.

“This is a novel case with novel issues,” the judge said.

ETTRICK, VIRGINIA (AP) — Police arrested a 19-year-old found hiding in a dormitory closet at Virginia State University on Saturday in connection with an overnight shooting on campus that left five people wounded, including one with critical injuries.

Camron Harris of Henrico, Virginia, is not a student on campus nor were four of the people injured, Chesterfield County Police said in a statement. They ranged in age from 17 to 23. One of the injured, a 20 year old, is a student and has now been released from the hospital, authorities said. The victims’ names have not been released.

Authorities have given no information about a possible motive. Police obtained eight felony warrants for Harris, including for malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Efforts to reach Harris’ family by phone were unsuccessful.

The university said in an earlier statement that authorities were searching for multiple suspects, but police provided no additional information Saturday evening about the search. University officials said earlier in the day that law enforcement did not believe there was an immediate threat to the campus community, and a campus lockdown had been lifted.

The shooting, just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday, prompted a campus lockdown and came as students were getting ready for the new school year.

It happened near the university’s Quad Annexes, where campus police and Chesterfield County officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories.

According to the university’s website, residence halls opened for students a week ago, and classes resume on Monday. Many students had just completed the university’s “New Trojans Experience” for incoming students.

“We recognize the concern this incident has caused among our students, parents, alumni, friends, and the broader VSU community,” the university statement said. “The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

The campus had a large law enforcement presence on Saturday morning, and the university informed students that they should monitor their email for additional safety measures and information about support services. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office were assisting, county police said.

Virginia State University is a historically Black university located in Ettrick, Virginia, about 24 miles (39 kilometers) south of the state capital of Richmond. The public university has about 5,700 students and was the first fully state-supported four-year college for Black Americans. Most of its students are undergraduates.

he university has grown in recent years while attempting to improve safety and retain its historic charm, said Arthur Fridrich, the university’s former director of distance education, who lives near the campus and visits regularly. A shooting like this just as students return for classes is heartbreaking for the community, he said.

“To start a new year with this event is very tragic. It casts a shadow in the minds of all students, and for some it will be difficult to rid their minds of this term,” Fridrich said. “For those that were shot, my heart bleeds. I hope that they all mend and somehow do not let this event define their lives.”

The fear was straightforward. When SpaceX went public in June, only a sliver of its stock was allowed to trade — everything else was frozen. On Aug. 6, the first freeze came off nearly a billion shares, and Wall Street expected the flood of new supply to crush the price. Instead the stock went up 35%.

Over the five sessions since the expiration, shares have added roughly $500 billion in market value and climbed back above the $135 price at which the company sold stock in its record $86 billion offering on June 11. The stock closed Wednesday at $146.15 before easing on Thursday to trade around $142, within a day range of $139.80 to $145.02. Its 52-week range now runs from $104.83 to $225.64.

The mechanism behind all of it is supply. SpaceX listed with under 5% of its shares available to trade — roughly 639 million out of billions outstanding. That scarcity did what scarcity does, and the stock ran to nearly $225 in the weeks after the debut, about 67% above the offering price. When only about one share in twenty can change hands, any buyer has to bid up to get filled.

The Aug. 6 unlock released 911.5 million shares — more than the entire amount sold in the IPO itself — which more than doubled the tradable pool to roughly 12% of the company, or about one share in eight. More sellers, in theory, means a lower clearing price.

SpaceX and its bankers had anticipated the problem and structured the release in nine stages rather than the single 180-day cliff most companies use, specifically because the company is large enough to move the whole market. Spreading the supply out is the difference between opening a valve and breaking a dam.

The stock did fall hard just before the date — down 14% the session before the expiration — but the cause appears to have been the company’s first earnings report rather than the unlock, and specifically how much it is spending. Second-quarter revenue came in at $7.81 billion against roughly $6.83 billion expected, with a net loss of $541 million. The company spent $18.37 billion in the quarter building data centers and developing Starship. Elon Musk told investors he expects annual revenue to reach $100 billion by the end of this year and $1 trillion by 2030. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 191% to $3.5 billion. The stock closed as low as $108.27 in the stretch that followed.

“We’ve gotten through the big hurdle, which was the unknown,” said Andrew Plum of Loxahatchee Capital, which owns the shares, describing a market that had priced in a negative event more severely than the event warranted.

The supply tests are not finished. The next expiration falls on Aug. 20, releasing as many as 319 million shares, about 7% of the stock still under restriction, with similar 7% blocks following over the coming months. The tradable float is expected to reach roughly 40% by December. Musk’s own 6.4 billion shares stay locked until June 2027 — meaning the largest holder cannot sell for nearly another year, which removes the single biggest source of potential supply from the near-term math.

Analysts remain split on where this lands. Citi kept a buy rating and a $200 target after raising its 2026 and 2027 forecasts, noting that longer-term valuation depends heavily on Starship milestones. Morgan Stanley has held a $300 target while flagging near-term risks including the remaining lockup expirations and margin pressure from artificial-intelligence investment. Across 28 analysts recommending the stock as a buy and two as a sell, the average 12-month target sits at $232.44 — with estimates ranging from $62 to $800, a spread that says more about uncertainty than about consensus.

Before earnings and the unlocks, short interest in SpaceX in dollar terms exceeded that of Tesla, long one of the most heavily shorted names on Wall Street. Part of this month’s move is likely those positions closing out.

The lesson for anyone watching the remaining expirations is that a lockup date is a supply event, not a verdict on the business. The shares that came free on Aug. 6 are only worth selling if holders want out at the offered price, and enough of them did not. Whether that holds on Aug. 20, and through the far larger releases due by December, depends on the same thing it always does: whether buyers still believe the revenue numbers Musk has promised are coming.

JBizNews Desk | Wall Street

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

MAUMERE, Indonesia (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 47 people, collapsing buildings and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said dozens more residents were injured and warned that the death toll would almost certainly rise.

Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when Indonesia’s meteorological agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that posed a threat to coastal communities. Some smaller tsunamis were reported.

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), rescuers attempt to clear debris at building damaged by an earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit eastern Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was 68 km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The quake triggers landslides and generates small tsunamis
The meteorological agency said the quake was followed by at least 235 aftershocks, with the largest recorded at magnitude 6.2.

The agency’s sea-level monitoring stations acknowledged some small tsunamis reached coastal villages in Manggarai and East Manggarai regencies. Videos obtained by The Associated Press showed the coastal village of Riung in Ngada regency blanketed in mud and debris after what the agency described as a 1.61-meter (5.3 feet) tsunami. Fishing boats were stranded ashore, infrastructure damaged, and homes surrounded by sediment left by receding waters.

Waves measuring 0.94 meters (3.1 feet) were observed in Maurole, Ende Regency.

Tsunami waves exceeding 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) were detected in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, and Sape in Bima Regency.

A strong, land-based earthquake of 6.9 magnitude hit North Sumatra province in western Indonesia on Saturday afternoon, according to the USGS. It struck 172.5 kilometers (107 miles) beneath the earth’s surface, meaning it was too deep to cause significant damage or casualties, Indonesian authorities said.

The quake has caused buildings to collapse
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said power outages hampered the spread of information about the impact of the earthquake in cities and villages, complicating search and rescue efforts.

“We are continuing to collect reports of damage and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,” Darmoko said. He said quake-triggered landslides in Ende regency blocked the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometer (435-mile) paved mountain road spanning Flores Island, from Labuan Bajo to Larantuka.

The head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Suharyanto, said rescuers have recovered at least 47 bodies, mostly in Sikka, Manggarai and East Manggarai, and at least 50 people were taken to hospitals.

Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said the quake flattened at least 157 houses and damaged nearly 200 more, forcing about 2,000 villagers to abandon their homes and move to temporary shelters. The powerful temblor also destroyed more than 100 public facilities, including schools, medical centers and churches.

The death toll could rise because landslides triggered by the earthquake buried or cut off many remote villages across six regencies on Flores Island, said Fathur Rahman, who heads the Search and Rescue Office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka.

Some remote villages are completely buried, he said, and damaged infrastructure and a lack of heavy equipment were hindering rescue efforts.

Authorities deployed three helicopters and a rescue vessel to support logistics and emergency response operations, including potential evacuations. East Nusa Tenggara consists of numerous islands and presents significant transportation and access challenges.

Residents ran for their lives when the quake struck
The quake was felt across much of Flores island with initial reports indicating heavy damage.

Yohanna Embu, who lives in Sikka, said people ran in a panic to higher ground.

“Many buildings here were damaged … I saw that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed,” she said.

Students at St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka who were attending morning Mass fled when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, said the Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, rector of the seminary, known locally as Ritapiret Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores.

“Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof,” Tanga said. “At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the quake.”

The quake also struck Labuan Bajo, a gateway town to eastern Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, one of the country’s best-known attractions. Damage was reported in Bima, a city in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province, and in parts of southern Sulawesi island.

Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, and urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. The agency located the shallow undersea quake near Flores island.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

Most notably, a powerful earthquake caused a tsunami in 1992 that killed about 2,500 people on Flores, part of a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia, while in 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake spawned a large localized tsunami that wiped out coastal areas, killing more than 4,400 people.

In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Federal accident investigators said Thursday that they recovered bird remains from the engine of a Ryanair Boeing 737 that lost cabin pressure over Greece last month, after a chunk of that engine tore off in flight and smashed a passenger window with a man sitting next to it.

The finding came in a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the independent U.S. agency leading the investigation. Preliminary means exactly that: the agency has laid out what it found, not what caused it. But the discovery points the inquiry toward a scenario the industry has spent eight years and hundreds of millions of dollars trying to design out of the world’s most widely flown jet.

Here is what happened in plain terms. On the morning of July 10, Ryanair Flight 1879 lifted off from Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany. Minutes into the climb, one of the fan blades in the right engine broke off. The blade and the debris behind it were supposed to stay inside the engine casing. They didn’t. Fragments cut into the side of the aircraft in several places and blew out a window in row 11. The passenger in that seat, a 61-year-old Serbian man, was partially pulled through the opening and seriously injured. The cabin lost pressure and the crew turned back for an emergency landing. Of the 155 people aboard, he was the only one hurt.

The bird evidence is what makes the report notable. Investigators found remains, including feathers, on the oil cooler at the front of the engine, on one of the thrust reverser linkages, and at the bottom of the fan case. The material was sent to the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab in Washington, D.C., for analysis. Investigators cautioned that some of what they pulled out was lodged deep inside the engine, and they cannot yet say whether it came from July 10 or from an earlier strike.

That caution matters, because this particular engine had a history. Flight crews reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine in the 12 months before the accident, and remains were found in two of those cases, though maintenance turned up no damage afterward. The engine, a CFM56-7B built by the joint venture between General Electric of the United States and France’s Safran, had been inspected in May with nothing flagged.

For American readers, the business stakes run through three U.S.-linked names: Boeing, which built the aircraft; GE Aerospace, which is half of the engine venture; and the Federal Aviation Administration, which wrote the rules meant to prevent this outcome. The template is the April 2018 Southwest Airlines accident, in which a fan blade separated on a 737-700, the engine inlet came apart, and a passenger was killed after being partially pulled out a broken window. A similar but non-fatal failure hit another Southwest jet in 2016.

The regulatory response to those two accidents split into two tracks. The first was inspections: repeated ultrasonic and eddy-current checks of fan blade roots, because the fatigue cracks that cause these failures are invisible to the naked eye and can take years to grow. The second was hardware. In March 2025 the agency issued a final rule requiring operators to modify the engine housing on every Boeing 737 NG variant, the 737-800 included, so that a broken blade’s debris stays contained. Airlines were given until July 31, 2028, to finish the work.

Three years of runway on a safety fix is not unusual — the parts have to be manufactured, and jets have to come out of service to receive them. But it means a large share of the global 737 NG fleet is still flying today with the older housing, and the Greek accident is the scenario that retrofit was written to stop.

The fix now moving is on the inspection side. A draft directive published July 31 would expand the fan blade inspection program, adding improved ultrasonic procedures and widening the area of the blade that gets checked, based on updated instructions CFM issued in mid-July. The agency was careful to note that while the Ryanair failure involved this engine model, it has received no information tying that failure to the problem the new inspection rule addresses.Boeing and Ryanair declined to comment Thursday.

A CFM spokesperson said the company is assisting the investigation, and Boeing pointed to the safety board, citing the rules governing crash inquiries. Investigators are still weighing how closely this accident resembles the 2018 Southwest failure, and said that determination remains open.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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New York Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher is facing sharp criticism after suggesting that people who steal basic necessities such as soap and toothpaste should not face criminal penalties, arguing that such theft stems from “biological need” rather than criminal intent, the NY Post reports.

The Brooklyn Democrat made the remarks during a news conference outside Manhattan Criminal Court alongside fellow progressive elected officials and criminal justice advocates affiliated with Court Watch NYC. The group said it observed 360 arraignments over four days and found that more than half involved misdemeanor charges.

Gallagher, who represents Greenpoint and neighboring sections of northern Brooklyn, argued that many shoplifting cases involve individuals taking essential household items because they cannot afford them.

“Most of what we saw were crimes of poverty-people who are stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like, you know, soap. And that means if you’re stealing those things, you need them,” Gallagher said.

“And we are choosing to protect billion-dollar companies, like CVS and Walgreens, over the people who are struggling to get by. So I would say that the true crime is that there is such incredible wealth disparity in this city that there are people who can be thrown in jail simply for having a biological need.”

Gallagher, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, reiterated her support for policies emphasizing “treatment-not-jail” rather than incarceration. Her remarks came despite the fact that first-time shoplifting offenders rarely receive jail sentences and as many retailers have increasingly locked merchandise behind plastic security cases amid concerns over retail theft.

At the same event, Gallagher and several other progressive officials also urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani to fulfill his campaign pledge to eliminate so-called “broken windows policing,” a strategy that targets quality-of-life offenses such as graffiti, fare evasion, and other low-level crimes.

Many shoppers interviewed today at Food Universal supermarket in the Bronx’s Co-op City neighborhood reacted with disbelief, arguing that Gallagher’s comments would encourage theft while increasing costs for law-abiding consumers.

“It’s foolish to think one should not be punished for stealing. It is a crime,” said Rev. Susan Webb, 68.

“Mamdani can implement that in his [city-run grocery] stores, so if you don’t have the necessities, you can go there and get them for free.”

Critics also warned that weakening enforcement against shoplifting could reverse recent improvements in crime statistics. According to NYPD data through Aug. 9, retail theft has fallen 14.7% while petit larceny is down 5.4% compared with the same period last year.

Jeanette Mack, a 49-year-old academic adviser, said she believes Gallagher’s approach would only encourage additional theft rather than help those in need.

“People are going to feel entitled because they know they can walk in and walk out and nothing will happen,” she said.

“Allowing people to shoplift with no consequence is wrong. I’m a single mom and at one time I had four jobs. I would never think of stealing anything.

“They already closed a Rite Aid [drug store] around here. Now I’m worried that if they put that in place, they are definitely going to close this supermarket, and I would suffer because I’d have to drive to somewhere else instead of walking. And gas price nowadays, that’s another thing.”

Edwin Pichado, 33, who manages the supermarket, said Gallagher’s proposal ignores the economic realities facing retailers.

“Rent is high.” he said. “You have to pay workers, utilities. Goods going out, but no money coming in. We cannot run a business like that. If they see that you do nothing, they’ll keep coming back. They tell their friends, and it becomes a free for all.”

The controversy is the latest involving Gallagher, who has drawn attention since taking office in January 2021 for a series of unusual actions and public statements. Among them was a 2021 GoFundMe campaign seeking donations for emergency surgery for her cat, Roland.

Gallagher has also received numerous traffic and parking tickets despite advocating anti-automobile policies in Albany, and has been accused by critics of blocking constituents from commenting on her social media pages.

In 2024, Gallagher participated in an anti-Israel phone bank organized by the New Jersey chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, an organization whose leaders have been accused of making antisemitic statements and which is under investigation by Virginia’s attorney general over allegations of potentially funding terrorist organizations.

Gallagher’s latest comments drew swift condemnation from political opponents.

“People like Emily Gallagher try to obfuscate reality because they want to enable this very activity,” Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino wrote on X.

“They know it’s devastating to retail stores and that’s the point — they’re communists and want to use crime to force these stores to close. It’s social justice.”

“Soon enough we’ll be hearing about the need for government-run drug stores to replace the shops they drove out of business,” she added.

Former Queens Councilman Robert Holden also criticized Gallagher.

“[Gallagher] is a major dope,” wrote the moderate Democrat.

Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola said businesses throughout New York City are already under significant financial pressure and warned that encouraging theft would only worsen the situation.

“This is the kind of backwards, left-wing lunacy I would expect from someone who values the rights of criminals more than those of business owners,” Ariola said. “Policies that Gallagher is pushing are exactly what’s driving so many of them away.”

The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia was vandalized on Thursday with an antisemitic inscription, about a year after the museum was attacked twice within a single week.

The incident occurred at around 8:15 p.m. Philadelphia police said a man wrote the antisemitic message on the yellow OY/YO sculpture outside the museum, which is located near the Delaware River in Old City, Philadelphia’s historic district.

Old City includes Independence National Historical Park, home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two landmarks closely associated with the founding of the United States.

The inscription has since been removed, but police have not apprehended the suspect. Police obtained surveillance footage showing him carrying out the vandalism before boarding a train at a nearby station.

Officers asked anyone with information that could help identify the suspect to contact them. The wording of the antisemitic inscription has not been released yet.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Tarik Khan, a Democrat, spotted the vandalism and reported it to police. He told television station WPVI that “it just turned my stomach.”

“Whether you are Jewish or not, people understand that we have to stand up against hate in our community. We cannot tolerate hate, and when we see something wrong, we have to stand up and take action,” Khan said. 

A Muslim Democrat’s long-standing ties to the Jewish community

Although Khan is not Jewish, he has longstanding ties to the Jewish community. He describes himself as a “Muslim kid who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood, with a Catholic mother,” and has said that experience shaped his views on interfaith partnership.

Khan is also a member of the Pennsylvania Jewish Legislative Caucus, despite not being Jewish.

Andrew Goretsky, senior regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Philadelphia, said the incident was “deeply frustrating, but unfortunately not surprising.”

According to Goretsky, the number of recorded incidents of antisemitic vandalism in Pennsylvania rose from 29 in 2022 to 80 in 2025.

“As a Jewish community, we will not hide our identity. We will continue to survive and thrive despite these targeted attacks,” he added.

Goretsky called on public leaders to condemn such acts, urged the public to report every incident, and encouraged residents to educate themselves amid the spread of false information online.

Vandalized sculpture intertwines Jewish, Philadelphian culture

The OY/YO sculpture, created by Jewish artist Deborah Kass, is made of aluminum and stands about eight feet tall and roughly 16 feet wide.

From one side, it reads “YO,” the greeting strongly associated with Philadelphia. From the other, it reads “OY,” the Yiddish exclamation that has also become embedded in American culture.

According to Kass, the work was intended to express the American promise of equality and the shared responsibility to fight hatred and division. The museum is located on Independence Mall, near Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

In August of last year, the museum’s facade and plaza, as well as a large Israeli flag above the words “Weitzman Stands With Israel,” were twice sprayed with red paint.

Leroy Hayes, 33, later turned himself in to police and was charged with an ethnic intimidation offense, criminal mischief, and possession of an instrument of crime.

This post was originally published on here.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he believes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will eventually seek the presidency, while arguing that she and other progressive Democrats are now attempting to distance themselves from positions they once strongly embraced.

During an interview with Fox News while visiting Long Island, Trump was asked whether he believes the New York congresswoman intends to run for the White House. The question followed renewed speculation about Ocasio-Cortez’s political future after she recently disclosed in online videos that she was freezing her eggs.

“I think so,” Trump replied when asked whether he expects the 36-year-old Democratic lawmaker to launch a presidential campaign.

Trump was also asked about Ocasio-Cortez’s recent remark that “woke 1.0 was crazy,” which many viewed as an effort to separate herself from some of the progressive rhetoric that has become a political liability for several Democratic candidates, including Wisconsin state lawmaker Francesca Hong.

“But if you really look at it, they’re all saying the same thing. They’re all trying to disavow themselves from saying about crime and all, we love sanctuary cities. All of the things that they said they’re now trying to disavow,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams.

The President also criticized Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan over past comments in which he linked football to “toxic masculinity,” colonialism, and slavery.

“Well, it’s a great place when you have Michigan – it’s a great bad place to be saying it,” Trump said sarcastically. “They have a great football team, and the number of great football teams up there that the people love. I would say that that’s a big mistake.”

El-Sayed attended the University of Michigan, whose football program holds the NCAA record for the most victories in college football history. In 2021, he wrote about “the toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport.” He also captained his high school football team in suburban Detroit and later played club lacrosse while attending college.

Returning to the issue of immigration, Trump predicted that support for sanctuary city policies would become an increasing political burden for Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats.

“I think you’re going to see sanctuary cities start to end, because sanctuary cities are a disaster. And somebody like her, she was big for sanctuary cities,” he said.

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court’s order to halt the work.

Trump’s solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project.

The divided appeals court panel ruled last week Trump must stop the White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved the project. The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall.

The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump’s Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug. 21.

“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.

Friday’s court filing includes the administration’s first confirmation that a threatened missile attack on Air Force One prompted the Secret Service to secretly fly Trump out of Turkey last month on an alternate military aircraft. In arguing for the need for a secure ballroom space, the filing cites “the threat of a missile attack against Air Force One on July 8” in a list of recent assassination attempts against Trump.

The filing also asserts that the project is “on time and under budget” with approximately $400 million in private donations obviating the need for any taxpayer dollars to be spent. However, Democrats in Congress have said it appears that funds from Trump’s “ big, beautiful ” tax cuts bill appear to be paying for ballroom work. The administration also has requested additional funding from Congress for the project, but lawmakers haven’t approved it.

In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom. But the judge stressed that the White House was free to proceed with underground work, including the construction of any bunkers, military installations and medical facilities.

The D.C. Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision upheld an order to pauseaboveground construction on the project, siding with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” wrote the majority’s two judges, both appointed by Democratic presidents.

A third judge disagreed, finding that the preservationist group that challenged the project had no legal right to sue.

“The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom,” wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

The Trump administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department contends.

The administration also says the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over the ballroom, which is part of Trump’s plans to quickly remake Washington. The solicitor general said the ballroom project “should be a matter for the President and the political process, not construction-by-injunction.”

In response to the petition, the trust accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction work, pointing to the administration’s plans to install 1 million pounds of rebar and pour another 3,000 cubic yards of concrete in the next week alone.

“The Administration’s transparent efforts to evade the rule of law, frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful relief in the courts must stop here,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.

During an appeals court hearing in early June, an administration lawyer defended a broad view of presidential control over iconic public facilities. The government could bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and the White House, Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth said in response to a hypothetical question, and the descendants of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and the enslaved people who built the White House would not have standing to sue.

The D.C. Circuit panel upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. Leon concluded that a pause wouldn’t jeopardize national security. He also exempted any construction work that is necessary for the safety and security of the White House.

The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months. The administration says the work is roughly 65% finished.

“Given those developments, the injunction promises chaos in service of nothing,” Sauer wrote.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

The BBC is asking a federal judge for permission to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner as part of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster, arguing that all three possess firsthand knowledge about President Trump’s intentions before, during, and after his Jan. 6, 2021, speech.

In a court filing submitted Friday in federal court in Miami, attorneys for the BBC requested authorization to use alternative methods to serve subpoenas on the three family members. The broadcaster said repeated attempts to deliver the subpoenas in person have been unsuccessful because of Secret Service security protections.

“The Third Parties have personal knowledge and likely have possession, custody, or control of records relevant to multiple elements of Plaintiff’s claims against the BBC,” the broadcaster’s lawyers wrote.

President Trump filed the lawsuit in December after the BBC aired a 2024 documentary that edited together portions of his Jan. 6 speech that had originally been delivered nearly an hour apart.

According to the complaint, the edited version falsely suggested that Trump “incited” or “fomented” the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Although the BBC has acknowledged and apologized for the editing error, it maintains that it did not defame the President. The broadcaster argues that Trump’s intent in delivering the speech is directly relevant to determining whether the documentary materially misrepresented his remarks.

Friday’s filing also cited an earlier discovery ruling stating that the BBC is entitled to examine Trump’s “intention behind the speech and anything that bears on the impression his audience could have reasonably obtained in listening to the speech,” including “the extent of any resulting injury or harm.”

The broadcaster said Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump were present in the Oval Office while the President was still revising his speech, including around the time he unsuccessfully urged then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the 2020 election results. The filing cites testimony both previously gave to the House Jan. 6 committee.

According to the BBC, both Trump Jr. and Ivanka later accompanied the President from the White House to the Ellipse, where they “personally witnessed” him deliver the speech and observed the crowd’s reaction.

The filing further states that Ivanka Trump returned to the White House afterward and witnessed her father’s response as reports of violence at the Capitol began to emerge.

The BBC also noted that Donald Trump Jr. contacted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the riot, urging him to have the President “condemn this s**t. Asap.” The filing says Trump Jr. also later spoke directly with his father.

The broadcaster contends that Jared Kushner likewise possesses significant firsthand knowledge. According to the filing, Kushner spoke that afternoon with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who warned him “it was getting really ugly over at the Capitol” and asked for “anything [he] could do to help.”

The BBC alleges that Kushner subsequently drafted a proposed presidential statement that “would have condemned the use of violence” and later worked alongside senior administration officials on another statement as Congress prepared to resume certification of the election.

The broadcaster further argues that testimony from Trump’s family members is relevant to his claim that the documentary harmed his personal reputation.

The three have “personal knowledge of Plaintiff’s reputation before and after the Documentary,” BBC lawyers wrote, adding that their testimony could help determine whether the disputed edit “actually and proximately caused him the reputational harm he alleges.”

That issue has taken on added importance after President Trump recently received permission to amend his lawsuit, withdrawing claims that the documentary damaged his businesses and commercial brand and instead focusing solely on alleged personal reputational harm.

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman has indicated that narrowing the lawsuit could affect the amount of damages ultimately available, while leaving unresolved the extent of the financial discovery the BBC may still pursue.

Media attorney Deanna Shullman told Newsweek that the revised lawsuit does not necessarily shield Trump’s relatives from participating in discovery.

“They may be asked to produce communications with the president, and they may be deposed,” Shullman said. “I think it is fair game.”

She added that family members could possess “very relevant information” concerning Trump’s claimed damages and “other issues in the case, truth being one of them.”

Florida International University law professor Howard Wasserman expressed a similar view, saying, “There should not be anything sacrosanct about them,” while describing Trump’s relatives with relevant information as “potential non-party witnesses.”

The immediate issue before the court concerns how the subpoenas can legally be served.

According to the filing, law enforcement personnel prevented a process server from reaching Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their Florida residence and instead referred BBC attorneys to the Secret Service. The agency replied that it “is not authorized to accept service of these subpoenas for these individuals” and said it could not advise the broadcaster on how to serve them.

The BBC also stated that security personnel at Trump Tower prevented a process server from serving Donald Trump Jr. at that location.

The broadcaster said it repeatedly sought voluntary cooperation from President Trump’s legal team but was unsuccessful.

The BBC is now asking the court for what it described as the “modest relief” of permitting service through alternative means, including certified mail sent to the family members’ homes or workplaces or by serving Trump’s attorneys.

Judge Altman has scheduled the case for a two-week trial beginning in February 2027.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – A missing-person investigation that captivated Israel took an unexpected turn after police discovered that a mother and daughter had apparently planned their disappearance and used an AI chatbot while preparing to leave the country.

Mali and Liel Yahalomi were found alive Friday aboard a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, nearly a week after disappearing in Vienna, according to Israeli police and Hebrew media reports cited by The Times of Israel.

Investigators reportedly learned early in the case that the two had left voluntarily. Authorities imposed a gag order, according to reports, in an effort to prevent information from reaching the women and potentially causing them to change their plans.

The investigation reportedly uncovered a digital trail involving Google’s Gemini chatbot. According to Kan, investigators obtained access to the women’s chatbot history, which allegedly contained questions about how to relocate without being tracked.

The women had apparently been preparing their departure for weeks. Reports say Mali withdrew about 14,000 euros in cash before leaving Israel. After traveling through Europe, the two reportedly shut off their original phones and purchased new devices in an effort to avoid detection.

Investigators eventually traced their journey to a flight from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires.

Israeli police alerted an officer working in South America, Walter Kogan, who coordinated with Argentine authorities. The women were located on a bus in Buenos Aires, where Kogan approached them and spoke to them in Hebrew.

🛑New footage shows Mali and Liel Yahalomi being questioned after they were located in Argentina by Superintendent Walter Alejandro Kogan, the Israel Police representative in Latin America. pic.twitter.com/73KJiTcgWf

— Iris (@streetwize) August 15, 2026

According to Channel 12, Kogan asked whether anyone was threatening or blackmailing them or whether they were fleeing because of financial problems. The women reportedly answered no.

They said they simply wanted to disconnect from their family and Israel and begin a new life, according to the report.

Police sources later said the women had allegedly planned to obtain false passports and new identities. Authorities reportedly found no evidence that they had been abducted or were in immediate danger.

The case had generated intense speculation in Israel, including unsubstantiated theories involving terrorism, kidnapping and financial wrongdoing. Rumors also briefly sent shares of Bank of Jerusalem lower because of Mali’s employment at the bank. The bank denied finding any irregularities involving its funds or customers.

A crowdfunding campaign launched to help locate the women raised nearly 300,000 shekels, or about $100,000. Organizers said the money would be returned following the discovery that the women had left voluntarily.

The dramatic case ended not with a rescue, but with investigators locating two people who, according to police accounts, had gone to extraordinary lengths to disappear.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Friday that he does not believe Mayor Zohran Mamdani should participate in ceremonies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Speaking during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Finnerty,” Giuliani argued that the United States is facing what he described as an organized effort by some individuals to transform the country into an Islamic state. Mamdani is Muslim.

“Why are they fighting about Sharia law in Texas and in Dearborn, Michigan?” Giuliani said. “When the Germans came here, they didn’t ask for German law. The Puerto Ricans didn’t ask for Puerto Rican law. The Irish didn’t ask for Irish law.”

“They want to impose a barbaric foreign code on us, given the advances that we’ve made as an Anglo-American country,” Giuliani said. “It’s a disgrace. They’re trying to accomplish by infiltration what they couldn’t accomplish by murderous attack.”

Giuliani also criticized former New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa over comments he made regarding the families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Every once in a while says things I don’t quite understand,” Giuliani said. “If he’s attacking the victims’ families, I don’t know what’s happened to him.

“When I was the mayor, and Bloomberg following me, we just about universally respected the wishes of those families,” Giuliani added. “Because every time we would go to a service and I went to more funerals, than any mayor ever, you had to respect them.

“You can’t imagine going through what they went through, losing your child, losing your husband, losing your wife,” Giuliani continued. “It’s awful [under] any circumstances, but having them attacked by a foreign force, Islamic terrorism, sacrificed that way, you never get over that.”

The producer of the biographical film Reagan says John Hinckley Jr. recently revealed that he originally intended to shoot President Ronald Reagan as he arrived at the Washington Hilton in 1981 but hesitated after Reagan smiled and waved at him, delaying the assassination attempt until later that day.

Mark Joseph made the comments Friday during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Ed Henry: The Big Take,” where he discussed the upcoming theatrical release of an extended version of his 2024 film Reagan. The expanded edition is scheduled to return to approximately 600 theaters on Sept. 25.

Joseph said his years of research for the film included reviewing FBI and KGB documents and interviewing more than 50 people who worked closely with President Reagan. He said the revelation came during a recent podcast interview with Hinckley, who for decades had been prohibited from speaking with journalists or researchers.

“I had no idea he was planning to shoot Ronald Reagan upon arriving at the hotel that day, not on departing,” Joseph said, adding that Hinckley said Reagan “smiled and waved at him, and he just couldn’t bring the gun out in time because he was kind of disarmed by that charm.”

Hinckley ultimately carried out the attack after Reagan completed his speech before the AFL-CIO and exited the Washington Hilton. Reagan was struck by a bullet, while White House Press Secretary James Brady and two other individuals were also wounded. According to Joseph, Hinckley’s account suggests there had been an earlier opportunity to carry out the attack that was abandoned.

Joseph also discussed Soviet intelligence records concerning Reagan, saying the KGB maintained an extensive file on him dating back to his years as governor of California.

“The KGB files basically said that Reagan was superstitious, which is probably their code for religious, that he was a teetotaler — didn’t drink alcohol — and they considered him vain,” he said, adding that FBI agents interviewed the future president’s neighbors as part of a background inquiry related to Reagan and nuclear weapons.

According to Joseph, those neighbors described Reagan as a friendly individual who nevertheless held what they characterized as “extreme right-wing views.”

Joseph said there were two people he was unable to interview while producing the original film. One was former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who requested payment for an interview that Joseph declined to provide. The other was Hinckley, who at the time remained barred from speaking publicly with members of the media or researchers.

The extended edition of Reagan includes approximately 10 minutes of additional footage that was not part of the original release. New scenes feature Nancy Reagan in the Oval Office, additional material involving Reagan’s father, Jack, and footage filmed at the Reagans’ California ranch.

The wider theatrical release follows a limited run of special screenings over the July Fourth holiday held in conjunction with America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Joseph also recounted one humorous scene restored for the expanded version, describing an incident in which Reagan became frustrated by birds stealing fish from a pond at the White House.

“This brought the Secret Service agents to converge and say, ‘Mr. President, we thought you were being shot at,'” Joseph said.

The original theatrical release of Reagan earned more than $30 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $25 million, receiving sharply divided reviews from critics while drawing a much warmer response from moviegoers.

An unusual summer storm swept across parts of Eretz Yisroel on Shabbos, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning to several regions. The unexpected weather caused flooding in Yerushalayim, prompted rescue operations, and temporarily forced the closure of a major highway amid concerns over flash floods.

Rain fell in Yerushalayim, Maaleh Adumim, and the northern Golan Heights, with some areas receiving significant precipitation despite the middle of the summer season. Maaleh Adumim recorded 18.4 millimeters of rainfall, while Yerushalayim received 2 millimeters. An additional 0.4 millimeters was measured at Mount Bental in the northern Golan Heights.

The downpour led to flooding in several neighborhoods in eastern and southern Yerushalayim. Fire and Rescue Service crews responded to rescue individuals who became trapped by rising waters. Officials urged residents to avoid underground parking garages, basements, and elevators during flooding and warned people to stay away from fast-moving streams and floodwaters.

Meanwhile, Route 90 was shut down in both directions for approximately one hour because of fears that flooding could make travel hazardous along part of the roadway.

Earlier in the day, the Israel Meteorological Service issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms and lightning across wide areas of the country, including the northern mountains and valleys, the central mountain region, the Jordan Valley, the Yehudah Desert, the Dead Sea region, the northeastern Negev, and the northern Aravah.

Authorities also banned swimming at Achziv Beach in the western Galil because of dangerous sea conditions, warning that entering the water could pose a serious risk to life.

Forecasters expect additional localized showers on Sunday afternoon, mainly in eastern parts of the country, with continued concern over flash flooding in streams flowing through the Yehudah Desert, the northern Aravah, and the northeastern Negev.

The forecast also calls for a slight drop in temperatures on Monday, providing a brief respite from the summer heat before warmer conditions return to the mountainous and inland regions on Wednesday.

{Matzav.com}

Former Hamas hostage Rom Braslavski made an emotional appeal to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir during a podcast interview, asking to personally carry out the execution of convicted terrorists if Israel’s proposed death penalty law is enacted. Ben Gvir responded by pledging to do everything possible to fulfill the request.

Braslavski, who survived Hamas captivity, addressed the minister directly while interviewing him on his personal podcast. Referring to legislation promoted by Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party that would authorize capital punishment for terrorists, Braslavski made an extraordinary request.

“I have a personal request, and I’m really looking you straight in the eyes, honored Minister,” Braslavski told Ben Gvir. “Let me be the one who hangs them. I don’t want a rope; I want a button. With my own hands, I will execute every terrorist in the State of Israel.”

Ben Gvir responded by expressing strong support for the request.

“I will move heaven and earth to make that happen. I promise you that I will try and move heaven and earth so that it happens. And G-d willing, it is one of my greatest dreams to see you there.”

The minister also clarified the form of execution outlined in the proposed legislation.

“By the way, it’s hanging. The punishment we established there is to carry it out by hanging. And G-d willing, G-d willing. You are the right person in the right place for us to hang them and execute them one by one. They don’t deserve to live, and you’re right.”

During the interview, Ben Gvir also discussed what he described as sweeping changes to the treatment of security prisoners since he assumed office, contrasting current prison conditions with those that previously existed.

Recalling what he said he encountered in Israel’s prisons before the changes, Ben Gvir said, “You would visit the prisons and see the marmalades and chocolates, the television, ping-pong, and meat. Everything they had there – it was insane. I go through the Israel Prison Service facilities and you hear the stories: We took this one for cosmetic surgery, and we gave that one a prosthetic eye because he lost an eye after throwing a Molotov cocktail.”

He concluded by saying that prison conditions have changed dramatically under his leadership.

“Thank G-d, today we are in a completely different reality,” Ben Gvir concluded. “They are suffering, it’s difficult for them, they are miserable – and I’m glad they are miserable. That’s the only thing that can provide some measure of correction and relief for the tremendous pain that you and all the others carry.”

East Dover Fire Company #4, Station 28, has placed a new Assistant Chief’s vehicle into service.

The vehicle was transferred from an administrative role within the district and prepared to meet the company’s front-line operational needs, providing department leadership with a reliable vehicle for emergency response.

The new vehicle replaces a 2014 Chief’s vehicle that reached the end of its service with the department after faithfully serving five previous users.

By utilizing an existing vehicle rather than purchasing a brand-new one, the department was able to provide its leadership with the necessary tools for emergency response while saving taxpayer dollars.

The department also extended its appreciation to Elite Vehicle Solutions for their work in preparing the vehicle and bringing it into operational service.

East Dover Fire Company #4 also thanked the taxpayers of Toms River Fire District #1, whose continued support plays a critical role in ensuring firefighters have the tools, equipment, and apparatus needed to meet the demands of the fire service.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is seeking to condition continued government funding for Chareidi educational institutions on compliance with a sweeping set of requirements, including the teaching of the full core curriculum, appropriately trained teaching staffs, and cooperation with government oversight and enforcement mechanisms.

In a response submitted Friday to the High Court of Justice over a petition concerning funding for the so-called “first floor” of the Chareidi education networks, Baharav-Miara determined that institutions receiving funding under the “All Children of Israel” principle would have to meet the basic obligations imposed on the networks.

Those conditions include teaching the full core curriculum as established in the official state education program, employing properly trained teachers, fully participating in measurement and assessment programs, cooperating with supervision and enforcement mechanisms, and meeting government reporting requirements.

Significantly, the requirements would not be pushed off to a future school year. They are set to apply beginning with the current academic year, potentially placing immediate pressure on Chareidi institutions that depend on government funding.

The move represents another major confrontation between Baharav-Miara and the Chareidi sector, with the attorney general effectively tying continued public funding to compliance with state educational and oversight standards.

The development comes amid an increasingly heated battle over the relationship between the state and Chareidi education, with funding and government requirements once again becoming a central flashpoint.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul during a campaign-style appearance on Long Island Friday, accusing her and the “radical left” of driving New York into decline while confidently predicting that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman will win this year’s election.

Trump made the remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy, where he joined Blakeman, the county executive, to highlight newly released FBI statistics showing a significant nationwide decline in violent crime compared with the previous year.

Addressing an enthusiastic audience of law enforcement officers and supporters, Trump warned that progressive policies were pushing American cities toward disorder and violence.

“And then the death comes, and it becomes really a true hell hole,” he said, before adding, “It’s not going to happen to New York, New York state. That’s why we got to get Bruce into office.”

Trump argued that Blakeman should have a clear path to victory given the policies adopted by Hochul and other Democratic leaders in New York, particularly the state’s 2020 cashless bail law.

“How the hell can you lose to that? If you lose, you’ll be ashamed for the rest of your life,” he told Blakeman.

Recent polling suggests the race has tightened. A Siena College survey conducted in early August found Hochul leading Blakeman by 10 percentage points, 49% to 39% among likely voters.

The poll also indicated that Blakeman is outperforming where Republican Lee Zeldin stood at a similar point in the 2022 campaign. Zeldin ultimately lost to Hochul by six percentage points in one of the closest gubernatorial races for a Republican in New York in decades.

Trump’s Long Island visit came as Blakeman and other Republicans intensified their criticism of Democratic leadership ahead of November’s election, arguing that the party’s leftward shift could alienate suburban and swing voters.

While New York City’s Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become a central target for many Republicans, Trump mentioned him only briefly, drawing boos from the crowd.

Instead, the President repeatedly focused his criticism on Hochul, accusing her of being weak on crime because of her support for cashless bail and New York’s sanctuary-state policies, which limit cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

“Hochul and the radical left stand with the gang members, child predators, violent felons. We stand with hardworking New Yorkers,” Trump said.

“She thinks the sanctuary cities are wonderful, which are killing our country,” he added.

Although Trump and Hochul frequently criticize one another publicly, they have occasionally praised their ability to work together on specific projects, including the redevelopment of Penn Station.

Before Trump’s remarks, Blakeman touted Nassau County’s partnership with federal immigration authorities, saying it has contributed to the county’s public safety.

“Nassau County has the most comprehensive agreement with ICE in the United States of America. In one year, we removed 2,000 illegal migrants with criminal records ranging from attempted murder, rape, murder, robbery… drug dealers,” he said.

Trump was joined during the visit by Blakeman, Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel, who grew up in nearby Garden City. The group toured Nassau County’s police training facility before the rally.

Speaking to the law enforcement audience, Trump praised Blakeman for expanding the county’s police force by more than 700 officers.

The crowd also applauded loudly when Trump called for imposing the death penalty on those convicted of murdering police officers. Introducing Blakeman, the President described him as a longtime friend and added, “He’s a winner.”

Ahead of Trump’s appearance, Hochul sought to counter expected criticism by posting crime statistics on X showing significant declines in several major categories.

According to the figures she shared, shooting deaths have fallen by 62%, murders are down 57%, and overall crime has decreased by 10%.

“Here are the facts: Crime rates are continuing to drop across the state,” Hochul wrote.

The United States recorded its lowest homicide rate in roughly 70 years during 2025, according to newly released FBI crime statistics, which also show a sharp nationwide decline in violent crime. The report found that murders, property crimes, and vehicle thefts all dropped significantly, while preliminary figures indicate the downward trend has continued into 2026.

According to the FBI’s annual crime report released Friday, the national homicide rate fell to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people in 2025, matching the levels recorded in 1955 and 1956. Overall violent crime declined by 9.3% during the year.

Criminal justice experts cautioned that the reasons behind the dramatic decrease remain uncertain, noting that violent crime has been falling nationwide since 2022 across communities with widely differing policies and political leadership. The FBI’s report is based on crime data voluntarily submitted by thousands of law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

“The homicide drop is historic and crystal clear. But right now, what’s driving it is about as clear as a glass of milk,” said Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice.

“Rates are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies, economic conditions, and political leadership,” Gelb said. “The consistency across the map should make us cautious about handing credit to any one leader, party, policy, or program before the evidence catches up.”

President Donald Trump highlighted the FBI’s findings during an appearance Friday at a police academy on Long Island, where he credited his administration’s law-and-order agenda for the decline in crime.

Trump contrasted his approach with that of the previous administration and criticized sanctuary city policies while emphasizing his support for law enforcement and actions such as deploying the National Guard in Washington and other locations.

“We ended the war on police, and we declared a very strong war on crime,” Trump said during the Long Island appearance.

Criminologists who have monitored crime trends in major U.S. cities had projected that the homicide rate could fall to approximately four killings per 100,000 residents, a level that would have marked the lowest since national recordkeeping began in 1900.

Although the final figure came in slightly higher, the FBI reported a homicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people, tying the rates recorded in 1955 and 1956 as the lowest in the modern era.

The report also found that murders and non-negligent manslaughters declined by 18.1% between 2024 and 2025. Property crime also dropped substantially, falling 12.4% over the same period.

Motor vehicle theft, which surged during 2022 and 2023 following a social media trend that exploited security flaws in certain Kia and Hyundai models, declined by nearly 23%, reaching its lowest level in more than two decades.

In an unusual step, the FBI also included preliminary data showing that violent crime has continued to decrease during the first half of 2026, rather than waiting until year-end statistics become available. The update comes as Republicans have increasingly pointed to falling crime rates ahead of the midterm elections.

Separate data from the Council on Criminal Justice also suggests the trend is continuing, with homicides in the cities it tracks falling another 18% during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

The report also noted the dramatic spike in violent crime that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when homicides surged by nearly 30% in 2020—the largest single-year increase since the FBI began collecting national crime statistics. Since then, violent crime has steadily declined, approaching pre-pandemic levels by 2022.

The FBI compiles its annual report through the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which gathers standardized crime data from law enforcement agencies across the country. The 2025 report includes submissions from more than 17,000 agencies—representing over 87% of participating departments—and covers communities totaling nearly 329 million Americans.

A man accused of launching a violent antisemitic attack inside a Manhattan synagogue during Shabbos services has been charged with multiple hate crimes after allegedly assaulting a congregant, attacking a security guard, and causing damage inside the sanctuary, according to the NYPD.

Police identified the suspect as 46-year-old Larry Montes of the Bronx. Authorities said he entered Central Synagogue, located on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street, shortly before 6 p.m. Friday and began behaving erratically near the front of the sanctuary while services were underway.

According to law enforcement sources, synagogue security personnel approached Montes and attempted to escort him from the building. Before they could remove him, however, he allegedly punched a 63-year-old congregant in the face.

Investigators said Montes also headbutted and spat on one of the synagogue’s security guards. During the disturbance, he allegedly destroyed two religious candles valued at approximately $20,000.

An NYPD sergeant assigned to a paid security detail at the synagogue quickly intervened and took Montes into custody.

Video from a livestream of the service, later shared on X, captured the chaotic moments as Montes shouted uncontrollably from the front of the sanctuary.

Moments later, the sound of an object shattering could be heard off camera, prompting audible cries from members of the congregation. The footage then showed Montes being escorted down the aisle while yelling and repeatedly thrusting his fists into the air.

Prosecutors charged Montes with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she had spoken with the synagogue’s rabbi following the attack and expressed gratitude that the incident did not result in more serious injuries.

“I have spoken with the rabbi of the synagogue, and I’m relieved that no one was seriously injured,” Tisch said in a statement.

“There are no known additional threats at this time, and additional NYPD resources have been deployed to the synagogue,” she added.

Tisch later noted her personal connection to the congregation, explaining that she attended the synagogue as a child.

She said she confirmed with synagogue leadership that “those who were hurt were evaluated at the scene and are doing well.”

“I understand the sanctity of this space and its meaning for congregants. Central Synagogue is where I grew up,” the commissioner wrote.

“In joy and in sorrow, it has always been a place of comfort and peace. What happened there tonight is deeply painful. A place of worship should never be a crime scene.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also condemned the attack, describing it as “appalling” and saying she was “grateful the suspect is in custody and that no one was seriously injured.”

“Jewish New Yorkers have every right to worship openly, proudly, and without fear,” Hochul wrote on X.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani likewise denounced the incident, saying he was “horrified by the assault at Central Synagogue.”

“I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city,” Mamdani said.

“Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.”

Attorney General Letitia James also issued a statement following the attack.

“My heart is with the Central Synagogue community this evening,” James said.

“The assault during services at Central Synagogue today is appalling and unacceptable,” she added. “No one should feel threatened in their place of worship.”

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is continuing its investigation into the incident.

{Matzav.com}

A 14-year-old girl was seriously injured Friday morning in Bnei Brak after her hand became caught in a kitchen mixer while preparing Shabbos challos. Several of her fingers were severed in the accident, and she was rushed to the hospital, where doctors are attempting to save them.

The accident occurred at the family’s home on Ginot David Street as the teenager was kneading dough for Shabbos challos. According to initial reports, she accidentally placed her hand into the operating mixer, resulting in the traumatic amputation of several fingers.

United Hatzalah emergency responders arrived quickly at the scene and immediately began administering first aid, controlling the bleeding and bandaging her injuries before transporting her for emergency medical treatment.

Hili Miller and Yanky Deitch, medics with United Hatzalah’s Koach Hatzalah unit who treated the girl, said, “We were told that the girl accidentally placed her hand into the mixer while kneading dough for Shabbos challos. We provided emergency medical treatment, including stopping the bleeding and bandaging her wounds. She was then transported by United Hatzalah ambulance to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, where doctors will attempt to save her fingers.”

The teenager was taken to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, where medical teams are working in an effort to reattach and save her injured fingers.

You almost have to pinch yourself watching what is unfolding between the United States and Iran.

US President Donald Trump entered this confrontation promising American dominance: that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon, its missile-production capability would be destroyed, and its support for terrorist proxies would be severed. 

America would no longer be threatened, extorted, or played.

After the first American attack, Trump had something concrete to show for those words: the US directly struck Iran’s nuclear facilities.

After America’s second bombing campaign, the question is far more uncomfortable: What exactly did America win?

Israel reportedly wanted to participate in the latest American strikes, but Washington did not want Israel involved. This became America’s operation, America’s targets, and America’s strategy.

That distinction matters.

Trump wanted America to take the lead. America took ownership.

Now America owns the outcome.

Iran’s regime survived. Its nuclear ambitions remain unresolved. Its missile and drone capabilities are being rebuilt. Russia and China remain sources of weapons, components, and assistance.

And now Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz into leverage against the US. 

Washington is reportedly considering gradually releasing frozen Iranian funds and providing partial sanctions relief in return for Iran allowing unrestricted, toll-free commercial passage through Hormuz.

How did America get from Trump’s demands for Iranian surrender to negotiating what Tehran receives for reopening an international waterway?

Trump says America has “total control” of Hormuz. If America has total control, why is Iran setting the price?

That is what makes this so embarrassing for America – and particularly for a president whose global brand is strength.

The danger goes much further than appearances.

Trump’s own administration has argued that denying Iran revenue is essential because Tehran uses its resources for missiles, drones, the Revolutionary Guards, and terrorist proxies.

Loosening sanctions therefore doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

Money is fungible. Economic breathing room can free Iranian resources for rebuilding missiles, strengthening Hezbollah, supporting the Houthis and Hamas, restoring military infrastructure, and potentially advancing the nuclear capabilities America just went to war to stop.

America cannot spend billions destroying Iran’s military machine and then help create the financial conditions for Iran to rebuild it.

All because Iran disrupted Hormuz? That would send a catastrophic message far beyond Tehran.

And Hamas will be watching.

Trump created the Board of Peace and the International Stabilization Force for Gaza as part of his plan to end the Gaza conflict. 

The ISF is supposed to support Hamas’s disarmament, prevent terrorist infrastructure from being rebuilt, and help establish a new Palestinian police force.

What happens to the credibility of that structure if Hamas watches its patron Iran challenge America, disrupt international commerce, survive American bombing, and then potentially obtain financial concessions?

The lesson becomes dangerous:

Hold out long enough, create enough pressure, violate agreements, make the political cost painful enough, and eventually Washington may renegotiate.

That puts Israel’s immediate borders at risk – not merely from Iranian missiles hundreds of miles away, but from Hamas and other armed groups directly next door.

There is another regional development that deserves attention.

The Middle East around Israel is reorganizing

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey all sit within Trump’s Board of Peace framework. Separately, Saudi Arabia has moved into a new defense arrangement with Turkey and Pakistan and is building broader regional security coalitions.

None of that automatically makes those countries enemies of Israel. Saudi Arabia has never been formally at war with Israel in the modern era, and Egypt has maintained its peace treaty with Israel for decades.

But something important has changed.

Countries Washington hoped would become pillars of a new regional order alongside Israel are increasingly coordinating among themselves, building independent security structures and pursuing interests that do not necessarily align with Jerusalem’s.

That was always the risk.

When these new structures were celebrated, the question should never have been simply whether Arab and Muslim countries were finally uniting.

The question was: Uniting around what – and ultimately, against whom?

What was presented as a framework that could surround Israel with stability can become something very different if Israel eventually feels surrounded by the framework itself.

Those concerns no longer look theoretical.

Israel increasingly finds itself questioning arrangements involving countries that were supposed to help guarantee its security, while Iran – the country America set out to weaken decisively – is demonstrating that it can still impose enormous costs on the region.

And Tehran understands the political clock.

A senior IRGC adviser has openly discussed prolonging the confrontation until Trump is gone.

Iran may have concluded that it does not need to defeat America militarily. It only needs to outlast Trump politically.

Which brings us to the midterms. Is Washington simply trying to get through November?

Reopen Hormuz. Stabilize oil prices. Remove Iran from the daily economic conversation. Replenish American weapons inventories. Get past the elections.

Then perhaps Trump returns to Iran with overwhelming pressure.

If that is the strategy, today’s moves may eventually make sense.

But Iran gets those same months. 

It can rebuild missiles, restore air defenses, receive Russian and Chinese equipment, strengthen proxies, repair military and nuclear infrastructure, and potentially do all of it with greater economic breathing room if Washington loosens sanctions.

That is the gamble.

Trump wanted to demonstrate American dominance without Israel participating in the second campaign.

Instead, America today appears to be negotiating with the country it bombed over what that country must receive to stop disrupting global commerce.

Maybe Trump has another card. Maybe this is a tactical pause before the real endgame.

For America’s sake, one hopes so.

Because Trump’s objectives were never merely to bomb Iran; they were to prevent a nuclear Iran, cripple its missile threat, cut its terrorist proxies off from Tehran, and restore American deterrence.

Those are the standards by which victory must be measured.

Not how many bombs America dropped. Not how many buildings were destroyed. And certainly not whether Iran temporarily agrees to reopen Hormuz after being economically rewarded for closing it.

America took ownership of this second campaign. Now it must show the world what it accomplished.

Because if Iran rebuilds, Hamas learns that agreements can be tested, America’s regional partners increasingly organize around their own interests, and Washington pays Tehran to unwind a crisis Tehran helped create. 

The message then being sent across the Middle East will be exactly opposite the one Trump intended.

And that leaves a question that would have seemed unimaginable when America’s second attack began: Is Trump defeated – and is Iran victorious?

The writer is founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.

This post was originally published on here.

WASHINGTON — The United States is escalating pressure on the European Union over something businesses cannot see at the border: regulations Washington says can be just as costly as tariffs.

U.S. officials are pressing Brussels to scale back European environmental, supply-chain and corporate-reporting requirements that can reach American companies doing business in the EU. The dispute marks the next phase of the transatlantic trade fight, shifting attention from the tariff rate charged when a product enters Europe to the regulatory costs companies face once they operate there.

At the center of Washington’s objections are the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, known as CSRD, and its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, or CSDDD. The rules can require companies to disclose extensive environmental and social information and, in some cases, scrutinize risks throughout their global supply chains.

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder says those requirements place excessive burdens on American companies and extend European rules beyond Europe’s borders. Washington is arguing that such regulations function as non-tariff barriers — costs or restrictions that can make foreign goods and companies less competitive even when conventional import tariffs have been reduced.

The dispute follows the U.S.-EU trade framework reached in 2025. With much of the attention at the time focused on tariff commitments, Washington is now pushing Brussels to deliver on what it sees as the other half of the bargain: reducing regulatory barriers affecting U.S. businesses.

That distinction matters for companies because a lower tariff does not necessarily mean lower costs.

A manufacturer could receive favorable tariff treatment and still face substantial expenses tracing suppliers, documenting environmental effects, collecting emissions data, auditing contractors and preparing sustainability reports required to remain in the European market. Those obligations can then flow down from major corporations to smaller suppliers that may never have expected to fall under European regulation.

Washington has also challenged the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which places a carbon-related cost on certain imported goods based on their emissions profile. The U.S. argues that requirements of this kind can disadvantage American exporters even though they are presented as environmental policy rather than traditional trade restrictions.

Europe has already moved to soften portions of its regulatory system, including narrowing some sustainability requirements and delaying certain deadlines. It has also adjusted controversial rules involving methane emissions and deforestation.

But Washington says the changes do not go far enough.

Brussels, meanwhile, is drawing a line around what it considers its right to establish its own environmental, corporate-governance and consumer-protection standards. European officials have indicated they are willing to continue trade discussions but do not view EU regulatory autonomy as something Washington can dictate.

That sets up a much more complicated trade conflict than a fight over a tariff percentage.

Tariffs are relatively easy to identify. A company knows what rate applies to an imported product and can calculate the expense. Regulatory barriers are harder to measure because the cost can be spread across legal departments, consultants, auditing systems, supplier contracts, software, reporting requirements and operational changes.

For American companies selling into Europe, that means the most important trade number may no longer be the tariff printed on a customs schedule.

It may be the cost of complying with the rules waiting on the other side of the border.

The U.S. and EU are expected to continue negotiations over non-tariff issues stemming from their broader trade framework, making corporate regulation one of the next major tests of whether Washington and Brussels can prevent their tariff truce from turning into a wider regulatory trade war.

JBizNews Desk | Washington

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Bill Ackman’s new fund owns about $50 worth of stock for every share it has issued. Those shares change hands in the high $30s. Buy one today and you are paying roughly 80 cents for a dollar of Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and the rest of the portfolio — and on Thursday, on his firm’s first earnings call as a public company, Ackman said that gap makes no sense and that he intends to close it.

“We think the trading of PSUS is frankly absurd, and we are going to take some steps to fix that,” the chief executive told analysts, referring to Pershing Square US, the closed-end fund he listed on the New York Stock Exchange in April.

Here is the mechanism in plain terms, because the whole story turns on it. A closed-end fund sells a fixed number of shares once, invests the money, and then never issues or buys back stock in the ordinary course. Unlike an exchange-traded fund, there is no machinery forcing the share price to track the value of what the fund owns. So the price is whatever buyers and sellers agree on that day, and it can drift well below the underlying holdings. That gap is the discount, and Ackman’s is running at about one-fifth.

The fund raised $5 billion at $50 a share and stumbled out of the gate on April 29, trading as low as $40.33 within minutes and closing the day at $40.90, down 18%. It has not recovered since, even as the broader market has climbed to record levels this week.

Ackman’s own diagnosis is that he mishandled who got the stock. The firm gave retail buyers a full allocation and cut institutions back sharply, in what he described as an attempt at democratizing access. His read is that individual investors asked for more shares than they expected to be handed, then sold what they did not want. The result was a supply of sellers and almost no steady buyers, on thin volume, with each trade nudging the price a little lower.

The plan to fix it has three parts, and none of them involve the portfolio itself. The first is marketing, which Ackman said is now unrestricted in a way his older London-listed fund never was — he can promote this one on television, on podcasts, and directly to financial advisers. His pitch to those advisers is that a client who buys in the open market gets the same portfolio at 80 cents on the dollar without the adviser having to pull money out of an account earning a management fee. The second is leverage: beginning in early September, the firm will meet with rating agencies to get the fund rated, then issue investment-grade bonds, targeting debt equal to 15% to 20% of total assets. That is roughly 0.15 to 0.2 times equity, against the eight to twelve times some hedge funds run. The third is a new vehicle, Pershing Square Ventures, targeted for late 2026 and aimed at private companies ranging from a few hundred million in valuation up to the $10 billion range — a portfolio, Ackman argued, that public investors could not assemble on their own and would therefore be less likely to price at a discount.

The underlying business had a solid quarter. Pershing Square Inc., the listed management company, reported earnings of 14 cents a share on revenue of $54.18 million. Fee-paying assets under management climbed $4.6 billion in the quarter to roughly $23 billion, and the firm said its portfolio was up 20% for the year to date. The fund was 95% invested by quarter-end, having deployed its cash during a volatile spring that Ackman said handed him the buying conditions he had hoped for.

Shares of the management company closed at $38.80 and added 2.8% to $39.89 in after-hours trading, leaving them well below the 52-week high of $54.94 and well above the $22.01 low.

There is a wild card in the portfolio that Ackman raised himself. The funds hold roughly 230 million shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at about $5 each. If the administration follows through on releasing the two mortgage companies from government control and relisting them, he argued, those become $40 or $50 stocks — an overnight increase of $8 billion to $9 billion in assets, or close to a third of the firm’s fee-paying base.

That is the bet an investor is making at a 20% discount: that the holdings are worth what Ackman says, and that enough buyers eventually agree to close the gap.

JBizNews Desk | Wall Street

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The Northeast continues to command a disproportionate share of the nation’s hottest housing markets, with four of the top five metros located in New England or New York, according to the latest weekly HousingWire Data.

Rochester, N.Y.; Hartford, Conn.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Boston, Mass.; and Buffalo, N.Y., ranked as the nation’s five hottest single-family housing markets for the week ending Aug. 7.

Agents told HousingWire that buyers continue to compete for well-priced homes despite affordability pressures.

“We’re still seeing homes priced or homes selling for at or slightly over asking price, and prices increasing up slightly,” said Andrew Veneziano, broker associate at Boston-based REMAX Andrew Realty Services. “I think condos and single-families are a couple percentage points up from last year, but the inventory is down, which is interesting.”

Colleen Collier, an agent with Buffalo-based REMAX Plus, described a similar dynamic.

“There’s been multiple offers coming, selling over asking price, people relocating to the area and kind of rediscovering the Buffalo-western New York market,” she said, “They’re searching for that big city feel without the traffic and congestion of being in a big city.”

The regional strength stands out against a national market that is gradually becoming more balanced.

Nationally, active single-family inventory stands at 865,709 homes, with a median list price of $448,665 and a median of 63 days on market. Price reductions have climbed to 41.4%, while months of supply sit at 2.4.

Leading Northeast markets are operating with considerably tighter supply. Rochester has 1.0 months of supply, Hartford has 1.1 months — while Boston and Buffalo each have 1.4 months.

Robert Levine, broker-owner of Hartford-based ERA Hart Sargis Breen, said inventory seems even more scarce on the ground.

“The demand has never really gone down since the market took off over 6 years ago, it’s remained strong consistently,” he said. “We see many homes go under contract in a matter of days or a week. Many communities have a two-week supply of inventory.”

Rochester leading the pack

Rochester sits atop metro market rankings at a relatively affordable $299,900 median list price, with homes spending a median of just 21 days on the market and only 1.0 months of supply — the tightest inventory of any major market in the country.

Its price reduction rate is 20.2%, well below the national average.

Hartford follows with a median list price of $510,500, 28 days on market, and 1.1 months of supply. Its price reduction rate is 27.0%.

“Many listings last three to four days,” said Levine. “Many homes receive six and up, even in excess of ten offers, with the winning bid significantly over the asking price by tens of thousands of dollars. On an occasion we are seeing a home sell for list price or below, but I would say that is still the exception and not the rule.”

Grand Rapids, Mich., the lone Midwest market in the top five, recorded a median list price of $419,900, a median of 28 days on market and 1.2 months of supply.

Its 35.5% price reduction rate is closer to the national norm, suggesting somewhat more balance while demand remains strong.

Buffalo recorded a median list price of $264,900 — the lowest among the five hottest markets. Homes spent a median of 35 days on the market and inventory stood at 1.4 months.

Collier said the area’s affordability is helping attract buyers even as prices remain competitive.

“Yes, we’re definitely affordable,” she said. “We have a lot of older housing, so that, I think, keeps our prices a little bit lower, and yeah, we’re just affordable overall. Homeownership is still obtainable here for the average consumer.”

Buffalo’s price reduction rate was 32%, below the national rate of 41.4%.

While some sellers are adjusting prices, Collier said a reduction does not necessarily mean demand has weakened.

“I think if sellers overprice, they do end up dropping a little, but then they’ll often still sell for over asking,” she said. “Officially, we’re selling at 106.8% of asking price, so multiple offers are still coming, but yeah, if you price it too high, you don’t get the activity.

“You have to price it a little bit on the lower side to generate the activity and generate the showings because the consumer is still expecting to pay over asking in our market.”

Northeast and Midwest regions also sit atop hot statewide housing markets — with Connecticut at No. 1.

Boston defies affordability concerns

Boston represents the high-price end of the Northeast’s hot-market spectrum.

The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro posted a median list price of $899,900 — nearly $390,000 above the next-highest market in the top five and more than three times Rochester’s median.

Yet buyers continue to move quickly, with homes selling in a median of 42 days and supply at 1.4 months.

Boston’s price reduction rate of 37.8% is the highest among the top five but remains below the national rate.

Veneziano said Boston’s appeal extends beyond housing prices.

“Boston’s just, it’s a great place to live, in my opinion,” he said. “Personally, I call it home, and I see reports about reasons people are here; education, healthcare, walkability — I think there are all kinds of factors. Boston has a lot of specialties in medicine and biotech and technology education. There are a lot of people who relocate here for work or for school.

“I have a neighbor who relocated from elsewhere in the United States, and thought [Boston] was going to be a pit stop. They couldn’t believe how much they and their family have loved Boston, and now it’s really become a home for them.”

The metro is also doing a good job of building a future buyer pool as renters become more established and mortgage rates potentially improve, Veneziano added.

“I’ve been working with first-time homebuyers and empty nesters a lot as of late, and a lot of my empty nester clients are very discerning,” he said. “They know exactly what they want, and we’re seeing the demand. The demand is still here.”

Buffalo competition could persist through year’s end

Buffalo’s relisted rate of 10.7% is the highest among the five hottest markets.

Collier, however, said she has not personally seen a significant increase in homes returning to the market.

She expects demand to remain strongest for well-maintained homes.

“I still see we have pent-up demand for good, solid new listings that are well cared for, well maintained,” said Collier. “I think our housing is going to stay very stable here. We might not see as many multiple offers. Maybe we won’t be seeing six or 10 offers or down to maybe getting three or four offers on a listing, but it only takes one. I think we’re still going to continue to increase in price for the remaining parts of the year.”

As the national market gradually softens, the Northeast’s leading metros are demonstrating that tight supply can sustain competition across a wide range of price points.

From Rochester to Boston and Buffalo, the common denominator remains limited inventory — and for now, buyers are still chasing the homes that do come to market.

“We are still operating in a very low inventory market, so it’s a great time to sell,” said Levine. “I tell all our buyers to not be discouraged, though. As long as a buyer has proper representation so that they make a very clean and strong offer to a seller, we will see them be successful in locating a home that suits the buyer very well.”

This post was originally published on here.

New York City can keep collecting its new surcharge on second homes while a lawsuit over how it was rolled out works its way through the courts. An appellate court in Brooklyn ruled Thursday that implementation may continue, overriding a temporary restraining order a Staten Island judge issued earlier in the week.

The dispute is not over whether the city may tax second homes. It is over how the Department of Finance told people they might owe it.

State lawmakers created the pied-à-terre tax in this year’s state budget as a revenue source for the city. It applies to second homes worth more than $5 million, and to condominium and co-op second homes with market values above $1 million. The surcharge was rolled out as part of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s fiscal 2027 budget to help close the city’s gap.

To administer it, the Finance Department published a supplemental tax roll online listing more than 900,000 residential properties along with owners’ names, addresses and property values — including properties that owe nothing — and mailed letters to roughly 17,000 owners flagged as potentially subject to the charge. Fewer than one in fifty of the listed properties actually received a notice, which is a large part of why the list caused alarm.

Three homeowners — Simon Hedley, Rachel O’Brien and Carmine Morano — sued in state Supreme Court in Richmond County, arguing the city wrongly identified their primary residences as potentially owing the tax. Their attorney is Randy Mastro, the former first deputy mayor under Eric Adams. His argument has three parts: that the department was required to make an individualized determination for each property before mailing a notice and skipped that step; that it shifted the burden onto roughly 17,000 homeowners to prove they did not owe the tax; and that nothing in the law authorized publishing the database at all.

Judge Wayne M. Ozzi agreed on Monday, ordering the city to take the list down, halt collection based on it, and stop enforcing the deadline to contest a notice. A hearing is set for Aug. 31. From the bench, the judge said the notices caused irreparable harm because they did not explain why recipients had been flagged and warned that those who failed to file for an exemption would owe the surcharge.

The city filed a notice of appeal within hours, which triggered an automatic stay and allowed the department to continue. On Thursday the city asked the appellate court to confirm that automatic pause, arguing the lower-court ruling threatened to derail a time-sensitive implementation. The court agreed.

A spokesperson for the mayor said the city disagreed with Monday’s ruling but remains confident in the surcharge and in its ability to implement it fairly. Mamdani has said the property database was part of the city’s routine publication of its tax roll, which state law requires.

There is a second enforcement angle that has drawn less attention. A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul said the program will also help the state identify people who claim a primary address in New York City to avoid the surcharge while paying income taxes in another state. The same records that flag a second home for the city can flag a residency claim for the state.

For property owners, the practical situation as of Thursday is unchanged from before the restraining order. The exemption deadline is Sept. 18, extended from an original date of Aug. 21. Anyone who received a notice and believes the flagged property is a primary residence needs to file for the exemption by that date rather than wait for the litigation to resolve. The appellate ruling means the city’s clock is still running.

The next courtroom date is Aug. 31, when the restraining order itself is argued. The judge’s order technically remains on paper while the appeal is pending, but has no practical effect during the stay.

For the residential market, the outcome matters beyond the roughly 17,000 flagged owners. A recurring surcharge on high-value second homes changes the carrying cost of Manhattan pieds-à-terre, which is a category disproportionately owned by out-of-state and foreign buyers with the flexibility to sell. Reporting has already noted how underassessed many of the flagged properties turned out to be — meaning the assessment values underpinning the surcharge are themselves likely to be contested as the program matures.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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Thousands gathered at the Kosel on Motzei Shabbos for the first Selichos of Chodesh Elul, in accordance with the minhag of Sephardic communities.

Watch a replay of the moving tefillos at the Kosel.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Starting next month, 39,000 bus riders in the Bronx will have a faster daily commute. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) this week officially started construction on the Tremont Avenue Busway, a mile-long, car-free lane designated for the Bx36 bus from Third Avenue to Southern Boulevard. The busway, the eighth to be installed in the city, aims to speed up commutes by 60 percent for the bus route, which currently travels at less than five miles per hour.

Courtesy of DOT

The busway project was ready to go in 2025, but former Mayor Eric Adams shelved the plan, as Streetsblog reported at the time. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to build the busway last month as part of a broader plan to improve bus speeds at 50 priority corridors.

Tremont Avenue is seen as a priority because most residents in the area rely on public transit and the corridor is dangerous. According to the DOT, 72 percent of residents do not own a car. The agency said between 2020 and 2024, nearly 630 people were injured in crashes on Tremont Avenue, with four people killed.

Starting September 19, the busway will operate every day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The busways will be enforced via stationary cameras, bus-mounted cameras, and NYPD enforcement.

“Every day, 39,000 bus riders will spend less time stuck in traffic and more time where they need to be: with their families, loved ones and friends, or at work and appointments,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said. “We look forward to building off the success of this busway and working with the community to develop Tremont Avenue into a world-class rapid transit corridor.”

As part of the street redesign, an eastbound busway will be installed from Third Avenue to Southern Boulevard. A shorter westbound busway will be built from Southern Boulevard to Belmont Avenue, and an offset shared bus-bike lane will eastbound from Webster Avenue to Third Avenue.

Every block of the busway will be painted red with “Bus Truck Only” white markings. Buses, trucks with six or more wheels, emergency vehicles, and Access-a-Ride vans can travel through the entire corridor. All other vehicles may enter from side streets for local access but must take the next available right turn.

The city will also boost safety for pedestrians at eight intersections along the corridor and nearby streets with new painted sidewalk extensions that shorten crossing distances and slow drivers while turning.

Map of the 5 rapid bus corridors. Credit: NYC Mayor’s Office

Other bus corridors set to receive upgrades include Flatbush, Utica, and Church Avenues in Central Brooklyn. These corridors carry 150,000 bus riders every day across 13 routes, with buses crawling as slow as 5 mph, as 6sqft previously learned.

Of the city’s 50 priority corridors, five would be designated as “rapid bus corridors,” featuring bus-only infrastructure such as busways, fully separated lanes, or center-running lanes with transit signal priority at intersections and limited cross traffic.

RELATED:

• NYC moves forward with first busway in the Bronx, Central Brooklyn bus upgrades
• New York unveils plan to speed up NYC buses across 50 priority corridors

The post City begins construction on first busway in the Bronx first appeared on 6sqft.

Harvard University’s investment arm disclosed a $2.2 billion stake in SpaceX, revealing a massive payoff from an early investment in Elon Musk’s rocket company following its blockbuster public debut.

Harvard Management Company reported the position in a regulatory filing Friday, making SpaceX the largest individual stock holding disclosed in its $4.3 billion portfolio of U.S. equities.

The investment highlights how SpaceX’s record-setting June initial public offering delivered significant gains for university endowments that gained exposure to the company through venture capital investments, in some cases more than a decade ago.

Harvard Management oversaw about $57 billion as of June 2025, according to the latest publicly available figure.

Harvard is not the only university investor benefiting from SpaceX’s move into the public markets.

The University of California’s investment arm disclosed a position worth roughly $1 billion in a filing this week, while the University of North Carolina and Washington University in St. Louis also held investments in the company.

Harvard’s position could include both shares owned directly and stock distributed to the university through private investment funds. 

Harvard Management Company and SpaceX did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ requests for comment.

SpaceX currently carries a valuation of more than $1.8 trillion. The gains arrive as university finances face pressure from uncertainty over federal research funding, demographic changes that are reducing the pool of college-age students and weaker returns from private equity.

Large university endowments have nevertheless delivered strong recent performance. 

Endowment funds managing more than $500 million returned a median 18.9% before fees in the year ended in June, according to the Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service.

SpaceX shares have fluctuated since the company debuted at $135 per share. The stock fell 0.9% Friday to close at $140.

Investment managers overseeing more than $100 million in U.S. equities generally must submit Form 13F within 45 days after the end of each quarter, providing a snapshot of their holdings in securities traded on U.S. exchanges.

Welcome to Eye on AI. Emily Forlini here, filling in for Jeremy one last time as his vacation comes to a close. In today’s issue:

• Juicy details OpenAI doesn’t want you to see in its new report
• Anthropic reportedly plans a $2 trillion IPO in October—the largest ever
• OpenAI replaces its chief revenue officer after less than a year
• Google pronounces Sam Altman dead—for 41 minutes

It really sunk in for me this week just how much money is flowing in the AI industry.

I spoke with two former OpenAI employees who made about $10 million in a day by selling shares in an internal tender offer, which Bloomberg reports totaled $7 billion across the staff. Then, this morning, on Fortune‘s weekly AI podcast, my coworker Beatrice Nolan and I interviewed the CEO of Lovable. This week, the old Stockholm-based firm, which is only three years old, doubled its valuation to $13.3 billion.

A couple million, a hundred billion, a trillion (or two, in the case of Anthropic’s upcoming IPO)—what’s the difference at this point? There’s just one big problem looming in the background: The ROI of AI adoption is still not clear for companies.

OpenAI grapples with this existential question in a 69-page report published on August 11 on the enterprise adoption of ChatGPT. On its face, the report tells the a story of exponential AI usage growth across all seniority levels and job functions, highlighting what it calls a “frontier gap,” in which companies who are using AI are pulling ahead of those who aren’t. In other words, if you’re not using AI—especially agents you can delegate tasks to—you’re losing.

But the fine print tells a different story.

We still don’t know if AI helps you make more money

In one small table on page 35, the researchers report no statistically significant correlation between the revenue per employee, and how much those employees use AI, measured in messages sent and tokens used.

“Revenue per employee is not meaningfully associated with output tokens per employee or messages per active user once other controls are included,” the report explains.

Importantly, the revenue numbers here are from before the employees began using ChatGPT. It’s unclear if OpenAI is tracking revenue and AI usage, why they would not extend the study to include how ChatGPT has started to affect their cash flow since adoption. This massive question for the business community is left hanging.

Overall, the most lucrative companies have been most likely to be AI early adopters. However, the study doesn’t clearly establish that the more AI they use, the more money they make. Perhaps they just have the most to spend on it.

Executives are using AI the least

Executives may not be best equipped to gauge ROI because they are using it the least—another nugget buried in the report. It’s not just that companies have fewer executives than they do general employees. But what’s interesting about the graph on page 29 is that most senior employees are using it less intensely, with the least weekly messages per user.

Early career employees have by far the most usage, a point OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar highlighted in her LinkedIn post about the report: “For leaders, that’s a reminder that competitive advantage comes from the people closest to the work. Listen to them, learn from them, and help the rest of the organization catch up.”

OpenAI’s enterprise sales had a rough Q4’2025

Surprisingly, OpenAI’s overall usage within enterprises completely flatlined from about October 2025 to December 2025. In a graph (page 26) depicting output token growth, the black line representing “total” growth is almost perfectly flat for that time period. During this time, Anthropic’s Claude Code was taking the corporate world by a storm, becoming the go-to platform at many places.

To the company’s credit, in January 2026, the line thrusts upward into an exponential curve. As one VC told me yesterday, “OpenAI’s run rate in 2026 has been pretty incredible.” OpenAI attributes the growth not only to adding new clients, but also also to its current clients deepening their use. We also know CEO Sam Altman has been reorganizing the company around enterprise sales, and killing what the company called “side quests,” such as the video app Sora.

In a sprint to accelerate this line—Or, maybe to get it going again? Who knows, the graph ends at March 2026—OpenAI today announced it hired a new Chief Revenue Officer, Dali Rajic, who will replace Denise Dresser. It’s an aggressive move; Dresser held the role for less than one year. Rajic’s focus will be accelerating customer adoption and helping businesses measure impact as the company sprints towards its IPO.

OpenAI paid the academics who contributed to the report

Lastly, two of the five authors are academics that OpenAI paid to help with the report. The other three are OpenAI employees. Including academics in a paper like this typically implies greater credibility and the impartiality of an outside research institution, but the waters are a little muddier here.

On the first page, David Holtz and Prasanna Tambe are affiliated with Columbia Business School and Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. But a footnote specifies that both “contributed to this work in their capacity as paid contractors for OpenAI.”

Did the researchers find more that they didn’t publish, as they typically would for an academic paper? We’ll never know, but it’s another reminder of what has always been true: You’ll have to measure AI’s impact based on your own first-hand experience—not the hype.

With that, here’s more AI news.

Emily Forlini
[email protected]
@emilyforlini

This newsletter has been updated to clarify that the revenue per employee figure referenced in the study was taken before the employees began using ChatGPT, not after.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Kettle Cuisine LLC is recalling more than 3,000 Marketside Tomato Bisque Soup Kits sold exclusively at select Walmart stores because of possible Listeria contamination, according to a company announcement posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall covers 3,240 14-ounce Marketside Tomato Bisque Soup Kits with UPC 194346474004 and a use-by date of Aug. 22, 2026. The products were distributed from June 30 through July 7, to select Walmart stores across 29 states.

Kettle Cuisine initiated the recall after routine company testing produced a presumptive positive result for Listeria monocytogenes, according to the announcement. The company said it is continuing to investigate in coordination with the FDA.

No illnesses associated with the recalled soup have been confirmed, the company said.

FOX Business reached out to Kettle Cuisine for additional information about the testing, whether the presumptive positive result has been confirmed and whether additional products or lots are being tested.

FOX Business also reached out to Walmart for comment, including whether all affected products have been removed from store shelves and how the retailer is notifying customers who may have purchased the recalled soup.

The affected products were distributed to select Walmart stores in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Consumers should not eat, serve, sell or distribute the recalled soup, according to the announcement. They should dispose of the product or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms including fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Infection can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant women, according to the recall notice.

Consumers should not rely on the product’s smell or appearance to determine whether it is safe, the announcement said. People who handle the recalled soup should wash their hands and clean and sanitize refrigerators, freezers, containers, utensils, countertops and other surfaces that may have come into contact with it.

Anyone who ate the recalled product and develops symptoms of listeriosis should contact a healthcare provider, according to the announcement.

Consumers with questions can contact the Kettle Cuisine hotline at 617-409-1104.

The Iranian military announced on Shabbos that three Iranian pilots who have been missing since March are alive and being held captive in Qatar.

Qatar, however, denied it.

The pilots went missing after the fighter jets they were flying crashed during strike missions carried out in March.

Until now, Tehran had said it had no information about their fate. This is the first known case in the war where Iran has said a regional country is holding its fighters. Qatar on March 2 said its air force shot down two Iranian bombers as Tehran lashed out against countries hosting U.S. military bases in the opening days of the war.

Saturday’s statement alleged that Qatar had not allowed the pilots to meet or communicate with families or Iranian officials handling their cases. Iran asked the International Committee of the Red Cross president for help. The letter said a fourth pilot was killed while on the mission “targeting an enemy military base in Qatar,” state media reported.

A spokesperson with Qatar’s foreign ministry, Majed Al Ansari, later denied the claims and indicated on X that the pilots had been shot down and that Qatar’s search and rescue teams found the remains of one. He added tht Iran was invited in April to visit and be briefed on those efforts, but did not respond.

“We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots & are surprised by these misleading statements at this particular time, amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts & initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region,” Al Ansari wrote on X.

(AP & YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

The IDF spokesperson announced on Motzei Shabbos that a tank hit an explosive device during operational activity near the Yellow Line in the southern Gaza Strip on Shabbos morning.

Baruch Hashem, no IDF soldiers were wounded in the incident. Following the incident, the IDF launched a wave of strikes in the Gaza Strip.

In a separate incident, troops from the Paratroopers Brigade combat team identified two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line in an attempt to sabotage IDF weapons.

According to the IDF spokesperson, the two approached the troops in a manner that posed a threat. After identifying them, the soldiers opened fire and eliminated them.

The IDF stated: “These incidents constitute violations of the ceasefire agreement, and the IDF views them with the utmost severity. IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

On a quintessential Beverly Hills street in 1985, a restaurant that would help transform the pizza industry opened its doors.

After years of practicing law as federal prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, co-founders Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax chose to leave the courtroom behind to pursue their dream of becoming restaurateurs.

“We didn’t want to open just a restaurant. We decided to be bold. We said we want to open a national and international chain of restaurants,” Rosenfield told Fox News Digital.

With its Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and polished approach to casual dining, California Pizza Kitchen helped popularize California-style pizza among diners across the U.S. and eventually around the world. The chain became a household name while helping bring a distinctive, California-inspired approach to pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts.

California Pizza Kitchen has more than 120 restaurants in 10 countries. But at one point, CPK existed only in a single storefront on South Beverly Drive.

Rosenfield recalled the restaurant’s early days in Beverly Hills as “hectic,” with actress Shirley MacLaine becoming its first customer on opening day.

“Even before we opened, we knew we had a blockbuster on our hand. We created barbecue chicken pizza. And in the early days of CPK, it was complete craziness. Everybody was coming for barbecue chicken pizza,” said Rosenfield. His book, “The California Pizza Kitchen Story: How Two Federal Prosecutors Changed the Way America Eats Pizza,” was released July 21.

Rosenfield and Flax employed a real estate strategy that helped expand CPK’s reach, opening restaurants in and around shopping malls.

“CPK also had a hand in changing the way America eats because we were pioneers in going into upscale shopping centers around America at a time when… there was all fast food,” Rosenfield said. “We brought this polished, casual dining to the best malls in America.”

After Rosenfield and Flax grew CPK to more than 200 locations worldwide, the pizza giant was acquired for $470 million by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in 2011.

At the time of the acquisition, the  San Francisco-based firm described itself as “one of the most active acquirers of leading brands in the restaurant and retail sector.”

Nine years after Golden Gate Capital acquired the chain, CPK filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 30, 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic compounded its existing financial troubles.

Rosenfield, however, told Fox News Digital he believes CPK’s troubles began before the bankruptcy filing, arguing that Golden Gate Capital damaged the culture he and Flax had spent decades building.

“As founder, it’s hard to sit back because I had no role in it whatsoever. So, we’re armchair quarterbacks looking from the outside,” he said.

“I believe that they damaged the culture from day one. They wanted to remake it in an image different than we had remade it in. And in the meantime, it wasn’t successful,” the co-founder continued. “And it continued to decline on that basis, unfortunately. As I said, while we sat and watched it, and then it was ultimately driven into bankruptcy.”

Golden Gate Capital declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

California Pizza Kitchen emerged from bankruptcy in November 2020, and Rosenfield, who said he still dines at CPK every several weeks, is optimistic about the chain’s future under new ownership that he believes is “committed” to restoring the brand’s success.

The acquisition of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) by New York-based Consortium Brand Partners was announced in December 2025 for a deal valued just under $300 million. Rosenfield said he is “thrilled” with the direction the restaurant is headed in under the new ownership.

“I believe they want to bring the brand, not only to its former glory, but to new glory,” said Rosenfield. “I have confidence in this team. And for the first time in all these years, my partner, Larry Flax, and I are very excited about where it could go.”

Rosenfield reflected on the legacy he and Flax built from a small, leased space in Beverly Hills, telling Fox News Digital that the 41-year-old restaurant chain “accomplished” exactly what they envisioned from the beginning.

“I love that everybody has a CPK story. That’s what drove me to do the book,” the co-founder said. “It’s accomplished what we wanted. Grandparents, parents, kids all have a place that they can all go to and agree to go to.”

“While I said that I believe that they did damage to the culture in the years past, I think the food has been incredibly consistent. And I’ve always been extremely, I’m extremely proud of the brand,” Rosenfield said.

Nearly one in four American workers with employer-sponsored health insurance say they are stuck in jobs they want to leave because they fear losing coverage.

About 24% of U.S. workers with job-based insurance – roughly 23 million adults – are experiencing “job lock,” up sharply from 16% in 2021, according to a report from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.

The survey defines job lock as remaining in a job despite wanting to leave due to concerns about losing health insurance.

“Job lock is on the rise in America,” the report noted. “Nearly a quarter of U.S. employees report staying in a job they want to leave to keep their health insurance, a powerful constraint on worker mobility, productivity, entrepreneurship and wage growth.”

The surge comes as soaring healthcare costs squeeze household budgets. 

About half of Americans said they struggle to consistently pay for needed medical care or prescriptions, while 51% are worried about affording healthcare over the next year — the highest level in five years, as noted in the report.

Workers under greater financial strain were far more likely to report feeling trapped.

Among those with medical debt, 44% reported job lock, more than double the 21% rate among those without medical debt.

Nearly half of respondents who cited healthcare costs as a “major financial burden” reported job lock. The rate rose to 53% among those experiencing “a lot of stress” over medical expenses, the report noted.

Chronic health problems also made workers more likely to stay at their jobs. 

About 29% of those with at least one chronic condition reported job lock, compared with 17% of those without one.

That rate grew to 41% among people with three or more diagnoses.

Women were also more likely than men to remain in unwanted jobs for health benefits, at 30% compared with 20%, according to the report.

The findings were based on a national survey of 5,660 adults conducted from Oct. 27 to Dec. 22, 2025. The analysis focused on 2,322 employed adults with employer-sponsored insurance.

“The effects extend beyond morale – reducing labor market efficiency, upward mobility and quality of life,” as noted in the report. “With coverage tied to employment, a growing share of American workers report making career decisions based on insurance rather than opportunity.”

Weeks after a recall was issued for more than 1.5 million cartons of one dozen eggs due to the risk of salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has upgraded the recall to the highest risk level.

On Wednesday, the recall was moved up to a Class I, which signifies “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”

The upgrade comes as nearly 98 people have been sickened across 17 states, with 26 hospitalizations, according to a July 24 update from the FDA.

No deaths have been reported.

Officials said the recalled products were sold under several brands, including Kroger, Brookshire’s, Country Morning, Simple Truth, and Sunups, as well as various bulk Grade A and Grade AA eggs.

The eggs were distributed to retail and food service customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi, as well as other smaller retail outlets, according to the FDA.

The vast majority of those sickened — 73 — were in Texas. 

Customers in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York and West Virginia, each reported a handful of cases.

The FDA said that distribution of recalled eggs “has been confirmed for states listed, but product could have been distributed further, reaching additional states.”

Midwest Poultry Services initiated the voluntary recall, affecting 1,589,577 dozen cartons of white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs, in the last week of July.

The affected products were produced at two farms in Texas, according to the FDA.

Officials said the issue was discovered during routine environmental testing.

The salmonella scare comes amid a deadly outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to lettuce that causes explosive diarrhea.

Fox Business’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday granted preliminary conditional approval for a national trust bank tied to World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture partially owned by President Donald Trump‘s family.

The decision, announced in a letter posted on the OCC’s website, advances World Liberty Financial’s plans to establish a national trust bank focused in part on issuing and managing the USD1 stablecoin.

World Liberty Trust Company, National Association, would be based in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, and plans to issue and redeem USD1, maintain reserves backing the stablecoin and provide digital asset custody and related services to institutional customers.

In its letter, the OCC said it granted preliminary conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company’s application for a national trust bank charter, which was submitted in January.

The firm welcomed the decision, calling it a “milestone” in its efforts to open the bank.

“A national trust bank brings USD1 issuance, custody and reserve management together under OCC supervision, examined on the same standards that have governed banks for generations,” World Liberty Trust President and Chairman Zach Witkoff said in a statement. 

“We welcome continuous scrutiny from federal regulators for many years to come.”

Witkoff is the son of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Zach Witkoff said in an X post that the proposed national trust bank would have a clear objective.

“Our ambition is clear: to build the most trusted and widely used digital dollar in the world while strengthening the role of the U.S. dollar across the global economy.”

The bank cannot begin operating yet and must satisfy a series of requirements before opening and receiving final approval from the OCC.

A significant portion of the OCC’s letter addressed objections raised by commenters over potential Trump family conflicts, foreign investment, stablecoin regulation, FDIC insurance and regulatory favoritism.

On its website, World Liberty Financial states that it is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members.”

The OCC rejected those objections as grounds for denying the charter and said staff reviewed the application under established procedures.

“Career OCC staff reviewed the application for consistency with the statutory, regulatory, and policy requirements and factors for approval of a de novo application,” the OCC wrote.

An OCC official emphasized the importance of de novo banks in a statement to FOX Business, saying a robust pipeline of new banks is crucial to a healthy financial system.

The official said new entrants bring new ideas, products and services that increase competition, drive innovation and expand consumer choice, contributing to a strong and diverse banking system that supports a modern economy.

Reuters contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (VINnews)-The husband of a Jewish woman killed in a Queens car crash is calling for closer scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding her death after the driver was separately charged with a hate crime involving vandalism at a Jewish-owned business.

Michael Trager said this week that the recent hate crime charges against Dawood Faisal, 22, warrant a deeper look into the May 25 incident that claimed the life of his wife, Cara Trager, 71.

Cara S. Trager, of Queens, journalist who wrote for Newsday and other publications, dies at 71

Cara Trager, a journalist and longtime member of the Hollis Hills Jewish community, was fatally injured when a vehicle driven by Faisal struck two cars, sending one into a crosswalk where it hit the couple. Prosecutors said Faisal was traveling more than 75 mph in a 35-mph zone and ran two red lights before the collision. He allegedly fled on foot before bystanders detained him.

Cara Trager suffered severe head trauma and died four days later. Michael Trager sustained a shoulder injury, hand lacerations and facial bruising.

A Queens grand jury indicted Faisal in June on charges including second-degree manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of a crash and reckless driving. He pleaded not guilty. He has not been charged with a hate crime in connection with the fatal crash.

On July 31, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force arrested Faisal and charged him with multiple counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime linked to separate incidents at Bagels & Co., a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop in Queens that displayed Israeli flags and banners. The alleged vandalism occurred before the crash, according to reports. The shop is in the same general area as the collision.

The Trager family has questioned whether the fatal incident might have been prevented if authorities had addressed Faisal’s earlier alleged actions more effectively.

Michael Trager said he does not believe his wife was specifically targeted. However, he noted that the area is heavily Jewish. “If you’re going to do that kind of act in that area, at that time, you’re more than likely, if you’re going to kill somebody, to kill a Jew,” he said.

Trager described regaining consciousness after the crash and checking that he was still alive before realizing the extent of his wife’s injuries. “I couldn’t believe it happened because I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “We were crossing the street, and next thing I know, I’m on the ground with my wife.”

He also recalled seeing Faisal’s mother crying at the arraignment and wondering whether her tears were for her son or for the life that had been lost.

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-The United States is asking NATO allies to detail not only their defense spending but also their public support for President Donald Trump’s foreign policy as part of a broader review of the American military presence in Europe, according to a Bloomberg News report.

A questionnaire recently circulated to alliance members and seen by Bloomberg seeks information on whether governments have been “publicly supportive” of U.S. foreign policy, imposed restrictions on U.S. military use of their bases, purchased equipment from American defense contractors, or opposed European “preference” rules that favor local firms over U.S. ones.

The document specifically references restrictions some allies placed on U.S. operations in the Middle East, including limits on the use of bases for strikes related to the conflict with Iran, and asks whether those restrictions could be reduced or eliminated. It also inquires about alignment with the Trump administration’s approach, described by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “strong, clear, and quiet.”

The questionnaire forms part of a six-month U.S. review of its forces and wartime capabilities in Europe that is expected to conclude by December. Allies are bracing for possible significant reductions in American troops and equipment earmarked for NATO contingencies.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that some allies view the questions as an effort to link continued U.S. security guarantees to political loyalty. That approach, they said, would mark a departure from the traditional NATO model in which collective defense has been maintained despite political differences among members.

A NATO official confirmed the United States is coordinating with allies on the review but declined to comment on the questionnaire itself. The document was first shared with countries in Washington before circulating this week at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where further discussions on the review are planned later this month.

The review comes after earlier U.S. moves that included plans to withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany and reductions in certain combat units and wartime reinforcement assets in Europe. At the same time, the Trump administration has pledged additional forces to Poland following the election of a preferred candidate there.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has described regular reviews of the alliance’s force posture as “wise,” citing rising European and Canadian defense spending. Alliance defense expenditures have grown substantially in recent years, with Europe and Canada accounting for a larger share relative to the United States.

The questionnaire also probes compliance with higher defense-spending targets and whether allies are willing to speak against “made-in-Europe” procurement policies that limit contracts with American companies.

Reporting is based on a Bloomberg News account of the U.S. document circulated to NATO members.

A New Jersey man has admitted in federal court to orchestrating a massive $47 million investment fraud that victimized dozens of investors, most of them members of the chareidi community. Prosecutors said the scheme promised extraordinary returns but instead financed gambling debts, home renovations, and other personal expenses. Sentencing is scheduled for December.

The suspect pleaded guilty in federal court in Trenton to operating the multimillion-dollar investment fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2026.

According to court filings, between June 2019 and June 2023, the suspect raised approximately $47 million from 97 investors through his company, Capital Funding ASAP. Authorities said nearly all of the victims were members of the frum community. Investors were told their money would be used exclusively to finance short-term business loans and would generate annual returns ranging from 9% to 53%.

Instead, prosecutors said that the suspect operated a Ponzi scheme, using funds from new investors to pay earlier participants while diverting roughly $11 million for his own personal use. Investigators said the stolen money paid for gambling losses, home renovations, mortgage payments, and automobile loans.

U.S. Attorney Robert Fraser said that the suspect exploited the trust of the chareidi community to carry out the fraud. “The defendant turned the trust of the Orthodox Jewish community into a tool for fraud, using personal relationships to fuel a massive Ponzi scheme,” Fraser said. “Thanks to the combined efforts of our partners and federal law enforcement agencies, he has been brought to justice. Our office will continue to uncover financial fraud, protect investors, and hold accountable those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”

Stephanie Roddy, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark Field Office, said investment scams can leave victims financially devastated and permanently alter their lives.

“Investment fraud can drain people’s bank accounts and change their lives. Dozens of victims placed their trust in the promises made by [the suspect], who admitted using their money to fund his gambling habit, among other things,” Roddy said. “The FBI Newark will pursue anyone who breaks the law to exploit victims, and we will do everything in our power to bring justice to every victim harmed by fraud.”

{Matzav.com}

Family getting up: Thursday (8/20/26)AM

Mrs. Libby Berger
Wife

Mrs. Judy Berger
Mother

R’ Moishe Berger
Son

Mrs. Tziri Kohn
Daughter

Habachur Meilich Berger
Son

Habachur Avrumi Berger
Son

Hayeled Chaim Berger
Son

Hayalda Chaya Gitty Berger
Daughter

Hayalda Tzippy Berger
Daughter

Mrs. Bayla Brody
Sister

from Sunday

Mrs. Ita Grunbaum
Sister

Mr. Chaim Berger
Brother

Terry Moran says his 2021 “Nightline” report was substantially altered after a copy of the script was allegedly sent to Dr. Anthony Fauci, leaving him “absolutely livid.”

Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran is accusing his former employer of significantly changing a report he produced about the origins of COVID-19 after the network allegedly provided a copy of the script to Dr. Anthony Fauci for review.

During an interview released Friday on The Fifth Column podcast, Moran described the episode as an example of what he viewed at the time as the “heavy hand of censorship” within the Disney-owned network.

Moran said that in early 2021, he noticed “smart and serious” discussions online about the possibility that COVID-19 had originated through a laboratory leak. According to Moran, ABC’s Nightline subsequently gave him an opportunity to investigate the theory.

As part of his reporting, Moran said he interviewed scientists as well as officials from the Trump administration. He emphasized that his report did not reach a definitive conclusion about COVID’s origins but instead presented the competing evidence and arguments.

Moran said his reporting included information about funding connected to the laboratory in Wuhan. He recalled that his team reported that the facility had received funding from the Chinese military, despite statements from Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli, sometimes referred to as the “Bat Lady,” denying that connection.

“We broke a little news that that lab had been funded by the Chinese military, despite the ‘Bat Lady’ [Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli] saying no, it hadn’t… And we kind of laid it out,” Moran said. “And at the end of the day, my own personal feeling was, you know, it’s probably a little bit more likely it’s natural. But if you told me it had leaked from the lab, fine. It’s probably not cooked up. It’s probably not a ‘Frankenvirus.’”

Moran said the situation changed dramatically on the day the segment was scheduled to broadcast. After the report went through the review process, he said the version returned to him was so heavily modified that he found it difficult to understand.

“And the day that it’s supposed to air, it gets reviewed, and it comes back to me, and it is incomprehensible,” Moran continued. “And I had never been angrier. I’m in the booth–”

Podcast co-host Michael Moynihan asked Moran whether lawyers were responsible for reviewing the report.

“Are these lawyers?” podcast co-host Michael Moynihan asked.

“Lawyers, standards and, I was told, Fauci,” Moran responded. “And I said, ‘I can’t do this.’ And they’re going to air and it’s a 15-minute piece or whatever. And I’m cursing and screaming in the booth.”

Moran said the changes were made on the very day the segment was scheduled to air, intensifying his frustration with the editorial process.

“And this is day of?” co-host Matt Welch followed.

“Day of air,” Moran said. “And I am just absolutely livid, beside myself. And I’m usually — I try to be a good colleague that way. It’s important to be respectful of somebody on the other end of that mic taking it in in New York and the editor… I have never watched that story and never want to, because it wasn’t mine, I didn’t think, and most importantly because it was incomprehensible. They had put so many caveats in there, and it was so legalized.”

Moran was then asked whether ABC had provided Fauci with the report before it was broadcast.

“So they took the story that you did and either sent a copy of the transcript or a copy of the video to Anthony Fauci?” Moynihan then asked.

Moran said he understood that the script, rather than the completed video, had been provided, although he acknowledged that he could not personally verify that account.

“It would’ve been the script, that’s what I was told. I don’t know if that’s true personally, but I was told that,” Moran answered.

The two-part Nightline report ultimately aired in June 2021 and examined competing arguments concerning the origins of COVID-19. Moran interviewed Jamie Metzl, a former member of the World Health Organization’s committee on human genome editing who had publicly raised questions about a potential laboratory leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

However, Metzl was one of several experts featured in the report, and other medical specialists interviewed by Moran rejected the laboratory-leak explanation. ABC News medical unit producer Sony Salzman and investigative reporter Sasha Pezenik also appeared in the segment and expressed skepticism toward the theory.

Moran, who left ABC News in 2025, has also pushed back against what he considers excessive criticism of Fauci. Although he described his experience with the report as deeply frustrating, Moran said the “demonization” of Fauci was inappropriate and characterized him as a public servant who was trying to do his best.

Neither Moran, Fauci nor ABC News responded to requests for comment regarding Moran’s allegations. An inquiry was also sent to the White House.

Fauci has returned to the center of public attention following the release of diary material by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. The material has drawn renewed scrutiny to Fauci’s private reflections about the pandemic and how they compared with statements and guidance he issued publicly.

The diary material also highlighted Fauci’s relationships with several prominent media personalities, including CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Earlier this month, Senate Republicans on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a hearing the previous month. Fauci accused Paul of pursuing a campaign to have him imprisoned, while a criminal referral was subsequently sent to the Department of Justice.

The debate over COVID-19’s origins has continued to evolve since the early months of the pandemic. Several U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, FBI and Department of Energy, have in recent years assessed a laboratory-related origin as the most likely explanation. At the same time, numerous scientists continue to support a natural-origin explanation, leaving the question unresolved and subject to ongoing debate.

Latin Americans have had it with socialism.

Over the past decade, more than half of Latin America’s nations have voted socialists out. From large countries like Argentina to tiny ones like El Salvador, socialists have been replaced with conservative leaders who’ve made significant progress turning their economies around.

That list could grow as Cuba and Nicaragua are on the cusp of collapse after their oil lifelines from Venezuela were cut after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.

The real incentive for dumping socialism is voter recognition that it just hasn’t worked. What is working are policies based on market solutions.

In Argentina, monthly inflation has tumbled from 25% to just 2%. Massive cuts in government have led to fiscal surpluses, and Moody’s upgraded its investment outlook to positive.

“We’re here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world. Rather, they are the root cause,” Argentine President Javier Milei said in a 2024 speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

After the ouster of a socialist government in Ecuador, economic conditions there improved, with the GDP rebounding 3.7% in 2025 and the nation returning to international bond markets this year.

In Costa Rica, voters’ rejection of the ruling leftist party coincided with an estimated 20% relative decline in poverty from 2021 to 2024.

And those are just a few examples of the progress being made. Latin America has had many course changes over the years, and all this could turn around again. But probably not while memories of many socialist failures are so fresh and painful.

Latin America’s growing rejection of socialism also coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s cancellation of 83% of USAID programs, which he claims were doing more harm than good.

Family getting up: Thursday (8/20/26)AM

Dr. Martin Katzenstein
Brother

Dr. Katzenstein will be sitting motzei shabbos in Riverdale, at 5225 Arlington Avenue.

Mrs. Sandra Wachspress
Sister

Mrs. Wachspress will be sitting motzei shabbos in Riverdale, at 5225 Arlington Avenue.

Mrs. Sara Herzberg
Daughter

Dr. Michael Goldman
Son

Dr. Goldman will be sitting motsei shabbos at 431 Daub Avenue, Hewlett, NY

Mrs. Rina Schlanger
Daughter

Mrs. Yehudis/Jennifer Azrak
Daughter

Mrs. Azrak will be sitting motsei shabbos at 583 Trysting Pl, Cedarhurst, NY, from 9:30 until 11 pm.

Mr. Avi Goldman
Son

Wherever LeBron James goes this season, it will be the hottest ticket in town.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer announced last month that he will play his unprecedented 24th NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers, automatically reigniting some key Eastern Conference rivalries.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted he was holding off on announcing each team’s schedule because he had no idea where James was going. But when James’ decision was announced, Silver went to work, and it’s now paying dividends.

The Sixers will open the 2026-27 season at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks will hang their first championship banner in 53 years. And while those ticket prices likely won’t reach the five-figure average of the NBA Finals, it will still be a must-see.

StubHub said Friday that the Oct. 20 game is the site’s most in-demand NBA game of the entire season, with the current get-in price at more than $1,500.

In fact, each of the top five and seven of the top 10 highest-demand games is a Sixers contest, and the Sixers are StubHub’s most in-demand NBA team, increasing 12.5 times from last year’s schedule release and up from No. 6 overall.

Christmas Day demand is nearly 50% ahead of last year, with LeBron’s return to Los Angeles for the Sixers-Lakers among the biggest draws.

James announced his decision in a post on X, saying he thought he was done at the end of last season and that he had likely played his final game. 

However, “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”

The 76ers will be the fourth team James has played for in his illustrious career. For Philadelphia, James is the second major star to join the team this offseason after they acquired Jaylen Brown in a stunning trade with the Boston Celtics.

Last season, the 76ers were swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and they hope the additions of James and Brown can propel them to a championship. James is looking to become the first player in NBA history to win an NBA title with four teams. 

While James may not be the force he once was, he still remains a productive player entering his 24th season. In 60 games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game and was named an All-Star for the 22nd time, extending his NBA record.

Fox News’ Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said President Donald Trump helped deliver a major project for her state that she was unable to secure during the Biden administration, highlighting an unusual point of agreement between the two political rivals.

Speaking Thursday during a conversation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on his podcast, Whitmer discussed how she has approached working with Trump after Michigan backed him in the 2024 presidential election. She said she had to reconsider how she would work with the administration following the election.

Newsom pointed out that Whitmer had visited the White House, with both governors acknowledging that maintaining a functional relationship with the president is “part of the job.”

Whitmer said her cooperation with the Trump administration had already produced tangible results for Michigan, specifically citing the fighter aircraft mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

“I’ve gotten some really good stuff done. Honestly,” she told Newsom. “I got a fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and I tried to get that done under the Biden administration, couldn’t get over the finish line, but I got it done with him. So, that’s a huge deal to Michigan.”

The project Whitmer referenced appears to be Mission Next, an initiative that will replace Selfridge’s aging A-10 Warthog aircraft with 21 new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets. The modernization effort also includes infrastructure and construction improvements intended to support additional jobs and training opportunities at the Michigan National Guard installation.

Trump announced the fighter jet mission in April 2025 during remarks to Michigan National Guard personnel at Selfridge, where he marked his 100th day in office.

“Fresh off the line. That means they are brand new,” Trump said at the time. “They’ve never been anywhere. This is where they’re going to be for a long time. And I saw one of them, flew over my head, and I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ That plane has serious power. So, this is the best there is anywhere in the world, the F-15EX Eagle II. This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.”

Biden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Whitmer’s remarks.

The White House also pointed to the Selfridge decision as evidence of Trump’s approach to Michigan and national defense.

“While Joe Biden’s weak policies neglected our military, President Trump saved Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a crucial pillar of North American air defense; rebuilt our military; and restored readiness and lethality to our U.S. Armed Forces,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital Friday.

“With President Trump as commander in chief, the United States Military will continue to lead the world in power, prestige, and might,” Wales continued. “President Trump proudly won the state of Michigan in 2024, and will continue to deliver on his promises for all Michiganders.”

Whitmer told Newsom that she has experience working with people who are not necessarily close allies and said she understands the importance of doing so even when she may personally disagree with them.

Her relationship with Trump has drawn attention before. In April 2025, Whitmer attracted widespread attention after appearing to shield her face with a folder during photographs at an Oval Office meeting with Trump.

Whitmer later explained that she simply did not want her photograph taken and acknowledged that the moment had become a source of attention.

“I don’t want my picture taken, that’s all it was. I kind of wished I hadn’t put my folder up in front of my face, but whatever. You know I was there … I just wrote a book about learning to laugh at yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. We all have our moments,” Whitmer said.

Trump, for his part, praised Whitmer around that time, describing her as a “very good person,” despite the political clashes the two have had over the years.

The White House later criticized Whitmer in April after a Michigan steel manufacturer announced plans to invest $43.4 million in expanding its operations in the state.

“Democrats like Gretchen Whitmer spent decades talking about fixing broken trade deals and creating manufacturing jobs here in America for American workers,” Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, told Fox News Digital earlier this year.

Desai was referring to Whitmer, who has frequently been mentioned as a potential Democratic contender for president in 2028.

“President Trump is actually delivering, and he’s delivering with the same agenda of tariffs, deregulation.”

Thousands of travelers faced major disruptions at Ben Gurion International Airport on Friday, with passengers stuck aboard planes, families waiting hours for luggage and dozens of flights caught in an unusual backlog as roughly 90,000 people were expected to pass through the airport in a single day.

The problems intensified in the hours leading up to Shabbat, turning departure gates, baggage claim areas and aircraft into scenes of mounting frustration. Some passengers traveling overseas said they remained aboard their planes for hours after boarding because their baggage had still not been loaded. Arriving travelers encountered similar problems, with parents and children waiting long after landing for their suitcases to appear.

“The children are already impatient. We’ve been sitting on the plane for hours without knowing when we will take off,” passengers said. Other travelers described spending hours alongside baggage carousels waiting for their belongings. On several flights, crews reportedly informed passengers that congestion at Ben Gurion was also causing delays for aircraft scheduled to fly to Israel.

The Israel Airports Authority pushed back against reports that the disruption was connected to a strike by baggage handlers, insisting that no labor action was underway and that there was “no shortage of workers.” According to the authority, approximately 90 flights accumulated in a backlog during a period of just three hours, overwhelming baggage operations and placing extraordinary demands on ground services.

Airport officials said several factors converged to produce the unusual congestion, including peak summer travel and restrictions affecting European airspace, particularly in the area of Greece. The activity of American aerial refueling aircraft was also cited as contributing to the situation. Approximately 600 aircraft movements were scheduled at Ben Gurion during the day, carrying an estimated 90,000 passengers and making Friday one of the airport’s busiest days of the summer.

According to the Airports Authority, flights originally scheduled to reach Israel at different times can become compressed into a much narrower arrival window because of delays and airspace restrictions elsewhere. When large numbers of aircraft arrive almost simultaneously, available parking positions quickly become scarce while baggage crews, ground personnel and airport logistics systems are forced to handle an unusually concentrated workload.

The Airports Authority said additional personnel had been deployed and were working continuously despite the hot weather in an effort to process aircraft and luggage more quickly and shorten delays. Officials maintained that all available workers were operating at maximum capacity and asked travelers for patience as crews worked through the backlog.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev said Israel’s aviation system is dealing with particularly challenging circumstances, with the normal surge in summer travel occurring alongside security-related and aviation restrictions. She said authorities are working to preserve regular flight operations and limit inconvenience to travelers as much as possible, while noting that broader restrictions affecting regional airspace are also having consequences for flights into and out of Israel.

{Matzav.com}