The Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a significant immigration victory on Thursday, ruling that federal officials may turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border before they formally apply for asylum. The 6-3 decision upheld the legality of the “metering” policy, a border management practice that sparked a rare and pointed public exchange between members of the nation’s highest court.

The ruling allows the government to continue limiting the number of migrants permitted to seek asylum at ports of entry on any given day. The policy, known as metering, was implemented during both the Obama and Trump administrations as a way to manage overwhelming numbers of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border.

Groups representing immigrants argued that migrants should be considered to have “arrived” in the United States the moment they reach the border. They maintained that federal immigration law guarantees the right to apply for asylum upon arrival, regardless of whether an individual entered the country legally or illegally.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito rejected that interpretation.

“In ordinary speech, no one would say that a person ‘arrives in’ a place—for example, a house, a city, or a country—before the person enters that place.

“The context in which the phrase ‘arrives in the United States’ is used in the immigration statutes at issue here supports an ordinary-meaning reading.”

The Trump administration argued that the policy was a practical necessity during periods of heavy migration, noting that individuals who were turned away temporarily were free to return later and attempt to apply again.

“This is a tremendous win for the Trump Administration, the rule of law, and common sense,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “President Trump remains committed to lawfully restoring integrity to our immigration system, which includes tackling the egregious abuses to our asylum system that the prior administration encouraged. We will always put the American people first.”

Under U.S. law, asylum is available only to migrants who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

Those who receive asylum protection are allowed to remain in the United States, obtain work authorization, petition to bring immediate family members, pursue permanent residency, and eventually apply for American citizenship.

The Court’s three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the unusual step of reading her dissent aloud from the bench and added remarks criticizing the majority’s ruling.

She said the decision “regrettably and tragically extinguishes the light of the torch of the Statue of Liberty.”

In her written dissent, Sotomayor warned of what she believes will be the human cost of the Court’s decision.

“The consequences of today’s decision are predictable,” Sotomayor wrote. “More people will die. More people will attempt to cross the border illegally, and some will make it while others will not. More people will be forced to walk along the U.S.-Mexico border in dangerous conditions, trying to find a port that will inspect them. More people will turn back and be subjected to violence because of something they cannot or should not have to change about themselves … Because this is neither what Congress said nor what its words permit, I respectfully dissent.”

Alito responded afterward, noting that he would have expanded his own remarks had he known Sotomayor intended to read her dissent from the bench. He also emphasized that the challenged policy had been employed by administrations from both major political parties.

“I won’t add anything more to that,” concluded Alito, who finished his opinion by reminding: “The wisdom of the policy of metering alien arrivals at the southern border is not before us. We decide only that an alien standing in Mexico does not ‘arriv[e] in the United States.’ The [law] neither entitles such an alien to apply for asylum nor requires an immigration officer to inspect him.”

Metering first appeared in 2016 under President Barack Obama after a surge of Haitian migrants reached the San Diego port of entry from Tijuana. During President Trump’s administration, the practice was expanded across all ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The policy ended in 2020 when stricter border restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden later officially rescinded the metering policy in 2021.

That same year, a federal judge in California ruled that metering violated both federal asylum law and the rights of asylum seekers. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision, although nearly half of the court’s active judges voted in favor of rehearing the case, signaling deep disagreement that ultimately paved the way for Supreme Court review.

{Matzav.com}

The heads of Israel’s religious pre-military academies declined to attend a meeting on Tuesday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir regarding the military’s pilot program for mixed-gender armored corps service, following his decision to exclude Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, the Rosh Mechina of the Bnei Dovid Academy in Eli, from the gathering, Channel 14 reported.

According to the report, Zamir insisted that Rabbi Levinstein be removed from the list of invitees to the meeting with leaders of Dati Leumi institutions that send large numbers of students to military service.

The message was reportedly conveyed to Rabbi Levinstein through military officials, who informed him that Zamir did not want him present. The decision was said to be linked to a letter Levinstein recently sent to his students, urging them not to serve in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit due to its integration of female combat soldiers.

It should be noted that about 30 graduates of Rabbi Levinstein’s mechina in Eli have lost their lives on the battlefield since the October 7 massacre.

In response, the other Roshei Mechinos boycotted the meeting, with some saying that ostracizing a Rosh Mechina whose graduates suffered heavy losses in the recent war, and which is considered one of the flagship institutions of Religious Zionism, sends a troubling message and should not be accepted.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich slammed Zamir for his decision. “We support the heroes’ mechina in Eli,” Smotrich told Channel 14. “The academy, which leads in rates of enlistment to combat units and command positions and has lost about 30 of its graduates in the current war alone, is under attack from Yair Golan. It is unfortunate that Zamir has chosen to join this campaign and harm the academy, its leadership, and its thousands of graduates and students who are at the forefront of Israel’s security, Zionist, and social efforts.”

Smotrich added, “Boycotting the academy’s leaders because of their clear value-based position raises a deeply troubling feeling. I call on Zamir to reverse this decision and listen to the important voices of the academy’s leaders, which come from a pained heart and out of genuine concern for the resilience of the IDF and the security of Israel.”

During the meeting with the Hesder Rabbanim, Zamir reiterated his intention to continue integrating women into combat and key military positions.

“One of the cornerstones of integrating a wide range of populations into military service is the implementation of the Joint Service Order, which enables men and women to serve alongside one another—not at one another’s expense—while preserving the dignity of all service members,” he said.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

As Silicon Valley debates whether artificial intelligence will eliminate millions of office jobs, the executive who runs Amazon’s cloud business pushed back hard this week. Matt Garman, the CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), said on the Platformer podcast, released Tuesday, June 23, that predictions of mass white-collar job losses don’t hold up — and pointed to Amazon’s own hiring as proof.

The company plans to bring on roughly 11,000 interns and early-career employees globally this year, Garman said, and Amazon now employs more software developers than it did two years ago, even as AI coding tools have grown far more capable. That hiring, he argued, reflects a simple belief: AI will change jobs, not erase them.

Garman was responding directly to a widely discussed warning from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has predicted that AI could wipe out up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years. Garman said he sees the technology differently. “Wipe out” and “change” are not the same thing, he argued, comparing the moment to the spread of spreadsheet software decades ago. Programs like Microsoft Excel eliminated the work of people who calculated figures by hand, but those workers learned new tools and found new roles. New technology, he said, has historically created jobs even as it has eliminated others.

He also made a practical case for hiring young workers. Entry-level employees are a company’s least expensive hires, Garman noted, and they haven’t picked up bad habits, are eager to learn new tools, and bring fresh energy and ideas that established teams often lack. Garman has a personal stake in the argument — he joined Amazon as an intern himself before spending nearly two decades climbing to the top of its most profitable division.

The optimism comes with real complications. Amazon has cut thousands of corporate jobs over the past year, and CEO Andy Jassy has said AI-driven efficiency will eventually shrink parts of the company’s white-collar workforce. Amazon is also in the business of selling AI tools that perform office work — including software agents for coding, cybersecurity and customer service, as well as an AI system capable of conducting job interviews without human involvement. That makes its cloud chief’s confidence about the future of human workers all the more notable.

Garman isn’t alone among executives defending entry-level hiring. Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar recently said his company hired 20,000 entry-level graduates in 2025 and expects to expand that number, dismissing what he called “fearmongering” about a collapse in white-collar employment. IBM has also said it plans to significantly increase entry-level hiring after concluding that relying too heavily on AI-driven cost cutting is not a sustainable way to build a future talent pipeline.

The disagreement matters far beyond the technology sector. For millions of students and recent graduates entering a labor market being reshaped by AI, the question of whether companies will continue hiring at the bottom rung is deeply personal. If businesses stop training young workers today, they may find themselves without experienced professionals tomorrow — a point Garman and several other executives have repeatedly emphasized.

The middle ground may be that both sides are partly right. Garman himself acknowledged that the nature of office work is changing rapidly. He recently told employees that what their jobs looked like two years ago is dramatically different from what they will look like two years from now. Routine administrative work is increasingly being automated, while the most valuable employees are becoming those who can learn quickly, adapt to new technology, think critically and use AI as a productivity tool rather than view it as a replacement.

The debate also reflects a broader question facing employers worldwide. Companies are investing billions of dollars in AI to improve efficiency, reduce repetitive work and accelerate software development. At the same time, they continue competing aggressively for highly skilled engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity professionals and business leaders who know how to deploy those technologies effectively. Rather than eliminating talent, many executives believe AI is simply changing which skills command the highest value.

For employees, that means technical literacy is becoming increasingly important regardless of profession. Understanding how to work alongside AI tools is rapidly becoming as fundamental as learning email, spreadsheets and presentation software were for previous generations. Workers who embrace those tools may find themselves becoming more productive and valuable, while those who resist the transition risk falling behind as workplaces evolve.

For now, Amazon’s message to young workers was intended to be reassuring: the jobs are not disappearing, even if they are being fundamentally rewired. Whether the broader economy ultimately follows that path — or whether corporate efficiency efforts lead to a more dramatic restructuring of office work — is likely to become one of the defining labor-market questions of the AI era.

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

Camp Ruach Chaim has announced a major new policy aimed at strengthening the camp’s Torah atmosphere, introducing a comprehensive electronics ban that will take effect this summer, according to a camp letter obtained by TLS.

In the letter sent to parents and campers, camp administrators said the decision comes as part of the camp’s ongoing efforts to preserve the unique environment that has defined Camp Ruach Chaim for years.

“One of the things that makes Camp Ruach Chaim so special is the unique Torah matzav that exists throughout the summer,” the camp wrote, noting that every aspect of camp life — from learning in the Bais Medrash to sports leagues, activities, and friendships — is designed to foster growth and enjoyment in a Torah-centered setting.

The camp pointed to its history of implementing policies that were later adopted by other camps, including the elimination of Visiting Day and the introduction of a No-Package Policy.

Following consultations with Rabbonim and technology professionals, camp leadership said they identified electronic devices and technology-related distractions as one of the greatest challenges facing today’s generation.

As a result, Camp Ruach Chaim will now operate as a fully electronics-free camp.

Under the new policy, campers will not be permitted to bring personal MP3 players, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, gaming devices, recording devices, or similar electronic gadgets. The camp emphasized that any device functioning as or resembling an electronic device will be prohibited.

The only music device that will be allowed is a Camp Ruach Chaim-approved MP3 player. Through donor support, the player is being offered at a subsidized cost of $28 and comes preloaded with hundreds of songs, the complete TBMC Shishah Sidrei Mishnah shiurim, and Rabbi Dovid Grossman’s Gemara shiurim. The device becomes the camper’s personal property and may continue to be used after the summer.

The camp stressed that the policy will be strictly enforced. Any prohibited electronic device found in camp will be confiscated, and the camper will be sent home.

The camp said the goal is not punishment, but rather the preservation of a healthy, positive, and Torahdik environment where campers can focus on learning, personal growth, friendships, and wholesome recreation.

Camp Ruach Chaim expressed appreciation to parents for their cooperation and partnership in helping maintain the camp’s atmosphere and ensuring a successful summer season.

Rav Shmuel Betzalel, a member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas and rosh yeshivah of Yeshivas Porat Yosef, delivered an emotional message of chizuk to bnei yeshivah and avreichim being held in Military Prison 10, declaring that they are being treated as criminals solely because of their commitment to Torah study.

The remarks were broadcast through loudspeakers placed outside the entrance to the military prison, allowing the detained bnei Torah to hear words of support from the senior Torah leader while they remained behind bars.

Opening his address, Rav Betzalel spoke directly to the imprisoned students and described their incarceration as a consequence of their devotion to Torah.

“Dear young men, imprisoned because you are students engaged in Torah. Dear avreichim, more precious than gold, occupied with the holy Torah, whose only crime is involvement in the holy Torah,” he said. “In these days, when even Israel’s friends have turned their backs, turning their backs on our nation, we must feel the meaning of ‘a nation that dwells alone,’ and realize that the merit and very existence of the Jewish people rests upon the holy Torah.”

Rav Betzalel lamented what he described as a dramatic reversal from previous generations, saying Torah scholars are now being treated like lawbreakers despite their central role in sustaining the Jewish people.

“For eighty years in the Holy Land of Israel, everyone understood that Torah learners are the foundation of the Jewish people. And now we are being shaken and persecuted—persecuted—and today we are under arrest and regarded as criminals and offenders for sitting in detention. And the entire crime and offense is the study of the holy Torah.”

The rosh yeshivah stressed that Torah remains the source of life and continuity for the Jewish nation and accused those seeking to draft full-time Torah scholars of failing to appreciate that reality.

He declared that the Torah is “the house of our lives,” adding that it “sustains life for the Jewish people and their continued existence.” He also criticized those promoting the current policies, saying, “We know that those who are distant want to abolish the holy Torah. They do not understand what the Jewish people are.”

Turning once again to the detainees, Rav Betzalel encouraged them to take strength from their circumstances and view themselves as serving a higher purpose.

“And you, the prisoners—the prisoners of the holy Torah—who are imprisoned for the sanctification of Hashem’s Name, Hashem is with you, mighty warriors. Bear your imprisonment proudly, and may Hashem bless all those who have come to identify with the holy Torah, to sustain the Jewish people.”

He went on to emphasize that the future of the Jewish people depends entirely on Torah, warning against efforts to weaken its central place in Jewish life.

“Without the holy Torah, the Jewish people would not exist, and they want, chas v’shalom, to erase the Torah of Yisrael Saba and the Jewish people,” he said, reflecting the widely held view in the Torah world that Torah study provides the nation’s ultimate spiritual protection.

Rav Betzalel also urged the imprisoned students to preserve their spiritual strength despite their confinement.

“I also turn to the avreichim and the bochurim who are behind bars there in the prisons: Maintain the spirit of genuine yiras Shamayim, just as you conducted yourselves within the holy yeshivah. At the same time, let your spirit and your hearts be uplifted in the ways of the holy Torah.”

He reminded the detainees that they were not alone, describing them as representatives of the entire Torah world.

“Feel, feel that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is with you. That you are prisoners and emissaries of the entire Torah world and of the Torah itself,” Rav Betzalel said. His remarks came amid ongoing visits by rabbanim and public officials to Military Prison 10 to encourage the detainees.

Concluding his address, Rav Betzalel expressed solidarity with the imprisoned students and offered a prayer for the future of the Jewish people.

“We are all proud of you, we support you, and we pray, with Hashem’s help, that all our distant brothers will have the love of Torah placed into their hearts by the Holy One, Blessed be He, because that is what defines this nation.”

He ended by reiterating what he described as the central message of his remarks: “The public must know that without Torah there is no Jewish people. With Hashem’s help, the children will return to the spirit of Torah and Yisrael Saba, and the Redeemer will come, with Hashem’s help, and remove this persecution from upon us.”

{Matzav.com}

AAA expects almost 2 million New Jersey residents to travel 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday, an increase of 0.3% over 2025. Nationally, AAA projects 72.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period from Saturday, June 27 to Sunday, July 5. The number of travelers driving and flying to their destinations is relatively flat compared to last year, while travel by other modes, including cruises, is the category seeing the biggest increase both nationally and in New Jersey.

“Independence Day remains one of the most popular travel holidays of the year, and despite economic uncertainties and higher travel costs, nearly 2 million New Jersey residents are planning a getaway,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance. “Whether travelers are heading to the shore, visiting family and friends, or taking a long-awaited vacation, the desire to make memories and celebrate the holiday continues to drive strong travel demand.”

2026 Projected Independence Day Holiday Travelers – New Jersey

By Car:Across the Garden State, 1.63 million people will drive to their destination, a decrease of 0.4% over 2025, marking the first decrease in auto travel since 2019. Nationally, AAA projects 61.4 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week up 0.2% compared to last year. Despite higher gas prices, filling up the tank during a road trip is still cheaper than purchasing flights for many travelers, especially for families with kids. Driving remains the preferred mode of travel for 82% of New Jersey travelers and 85% nationally.

The second weekend of the holiday period will be the busiest on the roads, starting Thursday, July 2. Drivers looking to avoid the heaviest traffic should leave early in the day or consider traveling on Monday or Tuesday.

“With road trips accounting for more than eight out of every ten holiday journeys, travelers should expect heavier traffic, especially during the second weekend of the holiday period,” Noble said. “Before hitting the road, motorists should have their vehicles inspected, pack an emergency kit, and plan ahead for delays. A little preparation can help ensure a safer and less stressful holiday trip.”

AAA recommends getting routine vehicle maintenance ahead of your trip and packing an emergency kit**. Last year over the July 4th holiday, AAA responded to nearly 700,000 emergency roadside assistance calls nationally and over 21,000 in New Jersey with almost 11,000 cars needing to be towed.**  

By Air:

AAA projects 5.85 million people will fly to their July 4th destinations. That’s a slight increase of 0.2% compared to last year and makes up about 8% of all holiday travelers. In New Jersey, over 189,000 will fly to their holiday destination, an increase of 1.2% compared to last year.

A group of anti-Chareidi protesters says it plans to block the exits of Bnei Brak on Friday afternoon, approximately two hours before Shabbos, in what organizers describe as retaliation for the large Chareidi vehicle protests that disrupted traffic across Israel this week.

According to the organizers, hundreds of participants—including IDF soldiers, reservists, reservists’ family members, and civilians—are expected to take part in the demonstration.

One of the organizers, Yekutiel Epstein, a 19-year-old IDF soldier, said the timing was chosen deliberately.

“Just as the Chareidim take away our freedom by blocking roads, we’ll do the same to them at a time when it will be difficult for them,” Epstein said. “We want them to understand what it feels like when someone disrupts your life.”

Epstein also criticized government support for yeshiva students who do not serve in the military, saying compulsory service should apply to everyone.

Another organizer, attorney Ayelet Hashachar Seidof, head of the “Mothers on the Frontline” movement, said the protest was prompted by this week’s Chareidi demonstrations.

“After roads were blocked and soldiers returning home from Lebanon and parents trying to see their children were delayed, we decided to take to the streets as well,” she said. “Our goal is to block the exits from Bnei Brak and do to them what they have been doing to the Israeli public for months.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

– CHODESH TAAMUZ 5786 OUR GREATEST DESIRE

Two of Google’s leading artificial-intelligence researchers, Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel, are planning to leave for rival Anthropic, according to people familiar with the matter — extending a string of high-profile departures that is rattling investors and raising questions about whether the search giant can hold onto the talent behind its AI push.

Both men are viewed inside Alphabet’s Google as key contributors to Gemini, the company’s flagship AI model. Adler worked on Google’s AI coding effort, an area where the company has acknowledged it trails rivals, while Pritzel was involved in training AI systems. Their move to Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, would deepen a talent drain that has unfolded with unusual speed.

To grasp why two engineers leaving can move markets, consider what came just before. In recent days, Google lost Noam Shazeer, a vice president of engineering and co-lead of Gemini, to OpenAI, and Nobel laureate John Jumper, who led the AlphaFold protein-folding project at Google DeepMind, to Anthropic.

Shazeer is a co-author of the landmark 2017 research paper Attention Is All You Need, which introduced the architecture underpinning nearly every modern AI system. Jumper shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. When researchers of that stature walk out the door within the same week, it reads as a signal about where some of the industry’s most exciting work may be happening.

Wall Street noticed.

Alphabet shares recently suffered one of their sharpest declines in months as investors weighed the implications of Google’s growing talent-retention challenge. The concern is not simply that employees are leaving. It is who is leaving.

Artificial intelligence has become an industry where a handful of elite researchers can influence billions of dollars in corporate value. A breakthrough in reasoning, coding, scientific discovery, or model efficiency can alter the competitive landscape almost overnight.

Anthropic and OpenAI have become particularly attractive destinations because they combine cutting-edge research with the potential financial upside of future public offerings. For researchers who already have successful careers, joining a rapidly growing AI startup offers both professional influence and the possibility of significant wealth creation.

Money, however, is only part of the story.

Several reports have pointed to internal frustrations over computing resources and project priorities inside major AI organizations. Training frontier AI systems requires massive amounts of computing power, and competition for those resources has become intense.

Google remains one of the most powerful AI companies in the world. It pioneered many of the foundational technologies that underpin today’s AI revolution, operates one of the world’s largest cloud-computing infrastructures, designs custom AI chips, and continues investing billions into research and development.

Yet the company has openly acknowledged areas where rivals have moved faster.

Chief Executive Sundar Pichai recently noted that Google remains behind competitors in some AI coding applications — one of the hottest segments of the market. Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT have gained strong traction among software developers, startups, and enterprise customers seeking AI-powered coding assistants.

That reality makes Adler’s reported departure especially significant given his work in coding-focused AI systems.

The competitive landscape continues evolving rapidly.

OpenAI maintains a close partnership with Microsoft. Anthropic has established itself as a leading enterprise-focused AI provider with growing adoption among corporate customers. Google, meanwhile, is leveraging its enormous scale through Search, YouTube, Android, Workspace, and Cloud.

The question is not whether Google remains an AI leader.

The question investors increasingly ask is whether the industry’s most sought-after researchers view Google as the best place to build the future.

Every departure adds another data point.

Every high-profile move strengthens the perception that competition for AI talent may be becoming just as important as competition for customers.

For Google, retaining its brightest minds may prove to be one of the defining challenges of the next phase of the AI race.

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

Yisroel R.

A 20-year-old man was hospitalized after being slashed during an early morning incident in Boro Park.

The attack took place early Thursday morning near 4626 New Utrecht Avenue, shortly before 2:40 a.m.

The victim suffered a slash injury to his torso and was taken by EMS to Maimonides Medical Center for treatment.

Police have not yet released details on what led up to the incident or what type of weapon was used.

The suspect is being sought by police and was described as wearing black clothing and a black mask.

MK Meir Porush, chairman of the Shlomei Emunim faction, launched a scathing attack on the Religious Zionist Party, accusing it of undermining efforts to protect bnei Torah through proposed draft legislation and warning that its leaders fail to recognize where the political left will ultimately turn its attention.

Speaking in an interview with Kikar HaShabbat, Porush sharply criticized the party’s opposition to portions of legislation intended to safeguard full-time Torah learners.

“You’d think everything is perfect over there. You’d think everyone there serves 32 months and that all the girls serve,” Porush said. “They don’t understand that once the left finishes with us, they’ll come after them. The shame of the Religious Zionist Party is that it’s a party barely scraping the electoral threshold, yet it tries to dictate positions to Bibi and everyone else.”

Porush then invoked the historical position of the Brisker Rov regarding cooperation with the Religious Front, arguing that the current political tensions reflect a long-standing ideological divide.

“We all know who they are. We’ve known this story for 60 years,” he said. “The Rabbi of Brisk would not allow joining the Religious Front because he said, ‘The Mizrachi is the worst.’ They’ll tell you, ‘We’re with you,’ and in the end they hurt you.”

Continuing his criticism, Porush questioned why Religious Zionist lawmakers oppose benefits sought by the chareidi community while, he said, the chareidim do not interfere with issues important to the settlement movement.

“You see it yourself. What’s bothering them? Are we harming anyone in the settlement movement?” he asked. “They’re upset that our mothers should receive daycare assistance. At every step they hurt us—a party that’s barely scraping past the electoral threshold.”

{Matzav.com}

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A cargo ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on a United Nations-approved route was hit by a projectile Thursday, the British military said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack. It said there were no causalities or any environmental impact.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had threatened vessels traveling through the strait without Tehran’s permission.

Israel’s Health Ministry has banned the sale of food and cosmetics at two “Zol U’Begadol” supermarket branches in Jerusalem following the ongoing investigation into the Prinok baby food contamination case, in which toxic substances were found in several fruit puree products.

The restrictions apply to the chain’s stores located at 113 and 214 Jaffa Street and took effect Thursday at 4:00 p.m. The stores may continue operating only by selling products that are not food or cosmetics until they meet new requirements set by the Health Ministry.

The move follows two incidents in which five infants, ages 3, 9, and 10 months, were hospitalized after consuming Prinok fruit puree purchased at the affected stores. Laboratory testing detected unusually high levels of benzodiazepines in the products. All of the children have since been discharged from the hospital, and officials said no additional confirmed cases have been linked to the incident.

Since the investigation began, Health Ministry inspectors have carried out an extensive nationwide inspection, testing approximately 70 jars for toxic substances, conducting 110 vacuum-seal tests, and examining more than 500 products at retail locations to ensure packaging integrity.

The investigation identified five contaminated products containing the medications clonazepam and lorazepam—three supplied by affected families and two collected from store shelves in Jerusalem. Officials said all five products showed signs that they had been unlawfully opened before being purchased.

Health Ministry officials emphasized that inspections at the importer’s warehouses and retail locations elsewhere in Israel found no evidence of contamination. A comprehensive review of the manufacturing, import, storage, and distribution process also found no indication of production failures or widespread contamination.

As a condition for resuming food and cosmetic sales, the affected stores must implement a Health Ministry-approved quality control program that includes monitoring product integrity, conducting regular inspections, training employees to identify tampering, and immediately reporting any suspected product interference.

The ministry stressed that there is currently no evidence of a broader problem with Prinok products or the manufacturing process and, therefore, has not ordered a nationwide recall. Police continue to investigate the incident, while the Health Ministry is assisting law enforcement authorities.

Officials also urged consumers to purchase food only in its original, sealed packaging and to carefully inspect products before use. Anyone who suspects contamination or experiences concerning symptoms is encouraged to seek medical attention immediately.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is making a bold economic argument: America’s prosperity should be shared more broadly by getting more citizens invested directly in the stock market.

During a wide-ranging television interview, Bessent outlined what he described as one of the administration’s long-term economic goals — expanding market participation among households that currently own little or no stock.

The concern stems from a significant wealth gap in investment ownership.

According to various estimates, approximately 38% of American households have no direct exposure to the stock market. That means millions of families miss out on the long-term wealth creation generated by rising corporate profits, dividends, and capital appreciation.

Bessent argues that expanding ownership is one of the most effective ways to strengthen financial security over time.

At the center of that effort is the administration’s proposed Trump Accounts initiative, which would provide newborn children with an initial $1,000 government-funded investment account, supplemented by additional private-sector contributions.

Supporters believe such accounts could help create a generation of Americans with earlier exposure to investing and long-term wealth building.

The Treasury Secretary framed the proposal as part of a broader vision of encouraging ownership throughout society.

His argument is straightforward: when citizens own shares of American businesses, they have a direct stake in the country’s economic success.

The proposal arrives at a time when equity ownership has become increasingly important to retirement planning.

For many households, 401(k) plans, IRAs, pension funds, and brokerage accounts now represent the primary path toward long-term financial security.

Expanding access to those opportunities remains a goal shared by many economists across the political spectrum.

Bessent’s remarks also touched on broader economic policy.

He reiterated his belief that U.S. economic growth can accelerate in the coming years and expressed confidence in the resilience of the American economy despite ongoing concerns about inflation, interest rates, and labor-market conditions.

The Treasury Secretary also discussed his working relationship with Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, confirming regular meetings between the Treasury Department and the central bank.

While emphasizing the Federal Reserve’s independence, Bessent suggested that coordination and communication remain important during periods of economic uncertainty.

The investing proposal, however, generated the greatest attention.

Advocates argue that broader market participation could help reduce wealth inequality by giving more families access to the same long-term investment returns enjoyed by higher-income households.

Critics caution that stock investing carries risk and that encouraging inexperienced investors to enter the market without adequate financial education could expose them to significant losses during future downturns.

That concern is particularly relevant after several years of heightened market volatility.

Many Americans who entered markets during the pandemic-era boom experienced firsthand how quickly gains can disappear when economic conditions change.

Others point out that millions of families struggle to cover everyday expenses and may lack the disposable income needed to invest consistently regardless of government incentives.

The debate highlights a larger question facing policymakers.

Should economic policy focus primarily on increasing wages and reducing living costs, or should it also prioritize expanding ownership of financial assets?

Bessent clearly believes both goals can work together.

His vision centers on creating what he describes as a broader ownership society, one in which more Americans participate directly in the wealth generated by businesses, innovation, and economic growth.

Whether households embrace that vision remains to be seen.

The challenge is not simply opening investment accounts.

It is convincing millions of cautious families that long-term investing remains worth the risk, even during uncertain economic times.

For now, the Treasury Secretary’s message is clear: America’s future prosperity should not belong only to Wall Street.

It should belong to Main Street investors as well.

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

Two men in their mid-20s were killed Thursday in a devastating motorcycle crash on Route 65 near the Golani Junction in northern Israel.

According to Magen David Adom, the victims suffered catastrophic multi-system injuries after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a vehicle. Paramedics found both riders unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, and were forced to pronounce them dead at the scene.

“We found the motorcycle riders unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, suffering from very severe injuries,” said MDA physician Dr. Omri Gorga and volunteer EMT Shalev Ben Shabbat. “Despite medical assessments, their injuries were so severe that we had no choice but to pronounce them dead.”

Police have opened an investigation into the cause of the collision.

The fatal crash temporarily shut down Route 65 in both directions.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

I want to share something that happened to my son this summer — because I have a feeling my family is not alone.

My son just finished 8th grade. He is a good kid, a hard worker, and he wanted to do something meaningful with his summer. Like many boys his age, he wanted to earn a few dollars — not for anything extravagant, just the small things that every teenager wants to feel normal. As a mother whose budget is stretched thin, I simply cannot give him the little luxuries his friends seem to have. We scrimped and sacrificed just to scrape together enough money to send him to camp for one half of the summer. One half. That is what we could manage, and we were proud we pulled it off.

So when he was offered a position at a local day camp for the other half of the summer, we were both excited. Here was a chance for him to earn a few dollars, keep busy, and feel good about himself.

That excitement did not last long.

The job turned out to be nothing more than a shlepper — carrying equipment, hauling bags, doing the grunt work that no one else wanted to do. And the pay? Minuscule. Barely enough to just afford a Slurpee. There was no mentorship, no real role, no sense that anyone saw him as capable of something more. I have to ask openly: how is this not taking advantage of our boys? They are eager, they are willing, and they are young enough that they don’t yet know to push back. Camps are getting free labor from our sons while tossing them a few dollars and calling it a job. That is not right.

My son came home deflated. And honestly, so did I.

Here is what I know about my son: he is mature, responsible, and wonderful with younger kids. I see it every single day at home. Without being asked, he helps his younger siblings with their homework, plays with them, calms them down when they are upset, and looks out for them in a way that many adults would be proud of. Age is just an arbitrary number — what matters is character, and my son has it in abundance.

He would have made a wonderful junior counselor. He could have led activities, supported a bunk, and been a role model to younger campers the same way he is a role model to his own siblings. Instead, he was handed boxes to carry and sent home with almost nothing to show for it.

I am calling on camp directors across our community to create real, meaningful junior counselor roles for 8th graders — with fair compensation and genuine responsibility. These boys are not just extra hands. They are capable, caring young men who deserve the chance to earn something real.

For families like mine, it is not about getting rich. It is about giving our sons a fighting chance to feel proud of themselves — and maybe, just maybe, helping them earn back a little of what their parents worked so hard to give them.

A frustrated mom from Monsey.

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

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate has issued an urgent warning to WhatsApp users—especially group administrators—urging them to review their group settings and participant lists to help prevent hacking attempts and misuse.

The agency warned that while WhatsApp groups are a convenient way to share information, groups containing unknown participants can be exploited to collect information, spread malicious or alarming messages, and create panic.

Officials urged group administrators to periodically review their member lists and remove unfamiliar or irrelevant participants.

The Cyber Directorate also advised users not to share open invitation links, warning that such links can easily fall into the hands of unwanted individuals.

Users are also encouraged to limit who can add them to WhatsApp groups by changing the app’s privacy settings to “My Contacts” or “My Contacts Except…”

In addition, the agency warned against sharing sensitive information in WhatsApp groups, including live locations, schedules, sensitive photographs, military service information, or other personally identifying details.

The Cyber Directorate said following these simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access and help keep WhatsApp groups secure.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.

The agency reported the June 9 incident to U.S. Park Police, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project.

The police report indicates damage to the pool, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.

The statements mark the first time the Republican administration has offered specifics for when and how the Reflecting Pool may have been damaged after work on the project was substantially completed.

President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed, without evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint and other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week, without providing details.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (VINnews) — A massive six-alarm fire described by one witness as “the biggest fire I’ve ever seen” destroyed a former furniture factory in Allentown, damaged several nearby homes and prompted evacuations, authorities said.

The fire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at the former American Atelier furniture factory on North Front Street. Firefighters battled heavy flames as parts of the roof and interior floors collapsed.

Residents on part of North Front Street were evacuated, while others nearby were advised to shelter in place. No injuries were reported.

At the height of the blaze, more than 2,000 utility customers lost power. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to mark 850 days since the disappearance of 9-year-old Haimanot Kassau, whose whereabouts remain unknown after she vanished from an absorption center in Tzfat in February 2024. Her family used the event to urge authorities to intensify the investigation and mobilize all available security agencies in hopes of finally uncovering what happened.

Relatives, community activists, and family members of hostages joined the rally, calling on the government to broaden the probe, establish a dedicated investigative task force, and devote additional national resources to the case in an effort to achieve a long-awaited breakthrough.

Haimanot’s father, Tespai Kassau, addressed the crowd in Amharic through a translator, speaking emotionally about his family’s hopes when they immigrated to Israel and the anguish they have endured since their daughter disappeared.

“We came to the Land of Israel with great faith, with love, with the desire to build a home here,” he said. “We wanted our children to grow up in a country that knows how to protect its children. And today, after 850 days, I stand here and ask: Where is my Haimanot? Haimanot was kidnapped not across the border, not by our enemies, but inside the State of Israel, from the very place where she lived. The State of Israel, which knows how to reach faraway places, cannot tell us after 850 days that it has no answers.”

Haimanot’s older sister, Yeros Kassau, also spoke through tears, directing her remarks to her missing sister. She described the devastating impact the disappearance has had on the family, recalling that Haimanot was a Hebrew-speaking Israeli child who had been growing up in a loving home before she was suddenly taken away.

The rally also featured remarks from families who have personally experienced kidnappings and tragedy. Bat Sheva Yahalomi, whose son Eitan was abducted to Gaza and later freed during the first hostage exchange, said the fact that whoever was responsible for Haimanot’s disappearance remains at large should concern every Israeli.

Attorney Dror Matityahu, who represents the Kassau family and the campaign working to bring Haimanot home, criticized the handling of the investigation during its early years. He noted that the case was transferred to Lahav 433, Israel’s national major crimes unit, only about six months ago.

Matityahu said investigators continue to receive new leads and information that warrant examination, stressing that every tip should be pursued and no investigative avenue should be dismissed. He added that the passage of time has made it increasingly difficult to recover evidence and determine the truth.

The gathering concluded with a call to ensure that Haimanot’s disappearance does not fade from public attention. Her family emphasized that, for them, this is not merely an unresolved criminal investigation—it is the desperate search for a little girl whom they still hope will one day return home.

{Matzav.com}

Flatbush Shomrim moved quickly Wednesday afternoon to track down two suspects who had planted a card skimmer inside a kosher grocery store on Ocean Avenue, ending in an arrest – and shining a fresh light on what officially describe as a badly outdated EBT card system that leaves benefits recipients defenseless once their information is stolen.

The store reported the skimmer at roughly 2:15 p.m. Wednesday after staff noticed the device attached to the card-reading machine, Flatbush Shomrim Coordinator Tzvi Weill, who has been closely tracking the skimming wave, told Belaaz in a Thursday interview.

“We responded over there right away,” Weill said. “The skimmer was connected to the machine already.”

Shomrim volunteers pulled surveillance footage and identified the two suspects leaving the store. Cameras tracked them walking down Ocean Avenue before they turned and entered a parked car, at which point Shomrim members lost sight of them. Volunteers were posted on corners throughout the area, reviewing camera feeds and canvassing blocks in search of the vehicle.

The suspects’ car eventually reappeared near East 19th Street and Avenue O, triggering a pursuit that ended when Shomrim blocked the vehicle in near Avenue M and Ocean Avenue. Both suspects were taken into custody by police at the scene at approximately 6 p.m.
Police told Belaaz the suspects were identified as Andi Dimitriadis, 43, and Eugen Tanasoiu, 44, and were charged with possession of a forgery device.

Weill said a search concluded that the pair had also visited numerous stores in other Jewish neighborhoods, though it remains unclear how many of those attempts were successful.
“They were in many stores in Crown Heights,” Weill said. “Whether they were successful or not, hard to tell, because they put them in, and then they come back and take them out.”

The car had been spotted in the days prior across Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Boro Park, according to Weill.

Weill described a simple but effective method of distraction used to install the skimmer without drawing the attention of store staff. The store has two registers near the entrance and a third counter further inside. One suspect kept the cashier occupied – repeatedly asking him to retrieve bread from behind the counter – while the second suspect attached the skimming device to the machine undetected.

Wednesday’s arrest comes roughly a week after Shomrim arrested a separate pair of suspects involved in stealing mail to obtain EBT card information – part of what Weill describes as a broader, increasingly organized fraud operation hitting the community on multiple fronts.

Weill said the skimmer arrest is only one piece of a much larger problem rooted in the outdated technology behind EBT cards and the system that processes them – an issue raised roughly two weeks ago at a press conference held by the Brooklyn Borough President on the steps of the downtown Brooklyn courthouse specifically to address it.

“Right now the system is very weak,” Weill said. “It’s a very old system.”
Unlike modern credit and debit cards, EBT cards do not contain chips or “tap to pay” tech, relying instead on magnetic strips that are easily read by skimming devices. Compounding the problem, Weill said, the system places no limit on the number of PIN attempts allowed on a stolen card – meaning a thief armed with a stolen card number can simply run through every possible four-digit PIN combination, up to 10,000 in total, without ever being locked out.
“If I take somebody’s mail, I can try as many attempts as I want to switch a four-digit password as I want without getting locked down on this system,” Weill said.

Using basic computer setups, Weill said, thieves can run through the full range of PIN combinations in a matter of minutes, change the PIN to one of their choosing, and then wait until benefits reload on the fifth or sixth of the month to drain the account in full.

“These guys have a computer system where they can, in minutes, run through” every possible PIN, change it, “and then on the fifth or sixth of the month they wipe you out,” Weill said.

Perhaps most troubling, Weill said, victims have no path to recovering stolen benefits, even when they can demonstrate the funds were stolen.

“Even if you can prove that it was stolen, that you lost your benefits, there’s nothing going back. You will not get any refunds going back. You’re losing everything,” Weill said.

Victims must simply wait for the following month’s benefits to be loaded – at which point, Weill warned, they remain just as vulnerable to having the same scheme repeated against them, since the underlying system vulnerabilities remain unaddressed.

“The system is so easy to hack that it’s being hacked every single month for millions of dollars,” Weill said.

Weill said Flatbush Shomrim has been actively notifying grocery stores throughout the neighborhood to be on alert for the kind of behavior exhibited by Wednesday’s suspects – unfamiliar customers lingering near checkout machines, distraction tactics aimed at store staff, and any sign of tampering with card readers.

“We constantly, constantly notify store owners, Weill said, urging staff to take note “when you see customers that usually don’t come around” and to stay alert at the register.
Weill noted that the longstanding advice for customers – to tug gently on the plastic privacy guard surrounding a card reader’s keypad to check whether it has been tampered with or replaced by a skimming overlay – remains a useful precaution shoppers can take on their own.

Wednesday’s quick arrest, Weill said, sends an important message to those running these schemes throughout the community.
“The people that are doing this have to know that it’s not as easy as they think it is, or won’t be as easy as they think it is going forward,” Weill said. “The rest is the people need to know that being someone’s dealing with it.”

Weill said Shomrim continues to work with affected stores throughout Flatbush and Crown Heights to determine the full scope of the operation and is asking residents to remain vigilant against further skimming attempts in the neighborhood.

As anxiety mounts over the long-term solvency of the Social Security trust funds, a growing number of Americans are rushing to claim their benefits early out of fear that the program will run dry.

However, personal finance expert Suze Orman warns that following this viral advice will lock retirees into a permanent financial penalty that cannot be undone.

“There’s been some chatter on social media lately about Social Security that I think is bad advice,” Orman wrote earlier this month on her website. “The message is that you are better off claiming as early as possible — at age 62 — rather than waiting to collect a larger benefit by starting your checks later. That’s just not good advice.”

About two weeks ago, the Social Security Administration released its 2026 Trustees Report, which confirms that the federal retirement safety net is less than seven years away from reserve depletion, as the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund is projected to exhaust its accumulated reserves in the fourth quarter of 2032.

SOCIAL SECURITY HAS LESS THAN 10 YEARS BEFORE RESERVES ARE EXHAUSTED, NEW TRUSTEES REPORT WARNS

Once the reserves are depleted, ongoing tax revenues will cover only 78% of scheduled retirement benefits, according to the report.

According to SSA data, claiming retirement benefits at age 62 remains popular among retirees, though filing early permanently locks in lower monthly benefits.

“For anyone born in 1960 or later, your Full Retirement Age is 67. That is when you are entitled to 100% of your earned Social Security benefit. If you choose to start collecting at 62, you receive just 70% of that benefit — a 30% reduction that is locked in permanently. Claiming early is basically accepting a 30% penalty,” Orman said.

“A woman in average health who reaches age 65 has a life expectancy of 88. That means a 50% probability of still being alive at 88 — still here, still paying bills, still needing income. If she reaches her break-even age of 79, there is a very real chance she has at least another decade or more ahead of her,” Orman said. “Every month past that break-even point, the person who waited is collecting meaningfully more.”

The personal finance expert also pushed back on claims circulating online that filing early secures your benefits before the trust funds run low.

“Current projections suggest that if Congress does nothing, Social Security would pay out roughly 80% of scheduled benefits — a 20% reduction. That is the worst case. And as I have discussed before, Social Security has survived funding challenges before; in the early 1980s, Washington found solutions that did not require beneficiaries to absorb the full cost,” she said.

“If your benefit at 67 would be $2,000, claiming at 62 locks in a $1,400 monthly payment… Now apply the 20% worst-case cut to both. The person who waited until age 67 might see their benefit reduced from $2,000 to $1,600. The early claimer collects around $1,260.”

Orman said there are two exceptions to claiming Social Security early: health issues and the inability to work or draw from retirement savings.

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And the “strongest move,” according to Orman, is waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security benefits.

“If you are married, please have the higher earner wait as long as possible — ideally until 70. The surviving spouse receives the larger of the two benefits. Making that number as large as possible is one of the most important financial gifts you can leave your partner,” Orman said.

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A Jerusalem court on Thursday released to four days of house arrest the driver who was filmed pointing a handgun at Chareidi protesters during Wednesday’s vehicle protest on Highway 1.

During questioning, the suspect admitted pointing the firearm toward the protesters but claimed it remained inside its holster and was never cocked or fired.

Police argued the suspect posed a clear danger, telling the court that pointing a gun at demonstrators was “dangerous, to say the least.” They noted, however, that he has no prior criminal record and that the weapon has already been confiscated.

The judge ruled there is reasonable suspicion that the suspect committed the offense and acknowledged that threatening people with a firearm “creates significant danger.” Nevertheless, he ordered the suspect released to house arrest until June 29.

In his ruling, the judge also commented that the highway blockade itself “created a serious hazard” and occurred in a situation where “law enforcement was not providing an adequate response,” while stressing that this did not lessen the seriousness of allegedly pointing a firearm at protesters.

The suspect is also barred from contacting anyone involved in the case while the investigation continues.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Ira Rennert, the reclusive New York industrialist behind Renco Group, has agreed to pay $150 million to settle long-running claims that a lead smelter his company ran in La Oroya, Peru poisoned local children, according to court filings and plaintiffs’ counsel disclosed on Wednesday. The deal closes one of the most stubborn corporate-liability fights in recent American legal history — a case first filed in 2007 that took nearly two decades to reach a courtroom.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of more than 1,000 Peruvians, most of them children when the smelter operated, who say lead and other toxins from the La Oroya Metallurgical Complex caused brain damage, developmental delays and lifelong illness. The lead plaintiffs’ attorney, Jerry Schlichter of St. Louis firm Schlichter Bogard, had told a federal jury in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri that the operators went to an impoverished mountain town and sharply increased airborne lead. A “bellwether” trial — a test case meant to gauge how juries would treat the larger group — had been underway in front of Judge Catherine Perry when the settlement was reached.

Here is the background. Renco, Rennert’s family holding company, is the parent of St. Louis-based Doe Run Resources. Through a Peruvian subsidiary, Doe Run Peru, it bought the La Oroya smelter in 1997. The plant, which had been operating since 1922 and was run for decades by the Peruvian government, was already one of the most contaminated sites in the world. A 2005 study by Saint Louis University researchers found that roughly nine in ten children near the smelter carried blood-lead levels high enough to cause permanent injury. The plant went idle in 2009 after Doe Run Peru ran out of money during the financial crisis, and it later entered bankruptcy.

Rennert’s side has denied wrongdoing for years. His spokesman, Jim McCarthy, has argued that Doe Run Peru invested more than $300 million to modernize the facility and cut emissions in every category — more, the company says, than Peru’s government did over the previous 75 years. Rennert’s lawyers also fought for years to move the case to Peru and to have it thrown out, losing repeatedly. In 2020, the court sanctioned the defense more than $429,000 for handling discovery “willfully and in bad faith.”

The settlement matters well beyond one billionaire’s checkbook. For multinational companies, it is a reminder that liability for overseas operations can follow them home into U.S. courts, sometimes for decades. Schlichter had warned that a full loss at trial could have exposed Rennert and Renco to penalties topping $1 billion. Settling at $150 million caps that risk while still delivering a large payout to plaintiffs who have waited 18 years — many now adults.

It also lands as the La Oroya site inches back toward life. The complex passed to its worker-creditors after Doe Run Peru’s bankruptcy, and there have been repeated efforts to restart its lead, zinc and copper circuits. A restarted smelter would matter to the regional economy around La Oroya, a town of about 24,000 roughly 100 miles inland from Peru’s coast, where the plant was historically the dominant employer.

For Rennert, the deal adds to a long ledger of legal entanglements built around his leveraged buyouts of natural-resource businesses. In 2017, a federal appeals court ordered him to pay a $213.2 million judgment after a jury found he had drained his magnesium company to help fund a sprawling Hamptons estate. His Sagaponack compound, sometimes called “the house that ate the Hamptons,” has been described as worth $425 million.

Separately, Renco and the Peruvian government remain locked in international arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague over who bears responsibility for the cleanup — a dispute the Wednesday settlement does not resolve. Renco originally sought $800 million from Peru, arguing the country’s environmental demands forced the plant into bankruptcy.

The money question now turns to logistics: how the $150 million will be divided among the plaintiffs, and how quickly. For a group of young adults who spent their childhoods near one of the world’s dirtiest smelters, the settlement offers something the courts denied them for almost two decades — a resolution, and a check.

JBizNews Desk | New York
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Political analyst Amit Segal says the next Israeli election could dramatically reshape the chareidi political landscape, outlining two sharply different scenarios—one in which the chareidi parties suffer a historic decline and another in which internal realignment could ultimately strengthen their electoral standing.

Writing in his weekly column in Yisroel Hayom, Segal argues that the greatest risk facing the chareidi parties is a significant drop in voter turnout. If fewer chareidi voters head to the polls than in previous elections, he says, the parties could experience what he describes as a “historic collapse” in political representation.

According to Segal, one of the key reasons the right-wing bloc has consistently outperformed polling projections is the exceptionally high participation rate among chareidi voters. “Take a sky-high voter turnout, multiply it by the highest natural population growth in the Western world, and you’ve gained another two Knesset seats,” he wrote.

He noted that the chareidi parties won the equivalent of 17.5 seats in the last election, which ultimately became 18 seats through the Bader-Ofer surplus-vote agreement. Current polls, however, generally project the parties at around 16 seats. Under ordinary circumstances, Segal wrote, many observers would expect those numbers to rise on Election Day—”unless this time the surprise works in the opposite direction.”

Segal said politicians, journalists, and influential figures within the chareidi community have begun expressing concern that turnout could fall sharply. He attributed that possibility to widespread disappointment with the current leadership, writing that many voters are frustrated with representatives “most of whom have been around since the previous millennium.” He added that many in the community blame their elected officials for the sanctions imposed on bnei yeshivah and the arrests of draft evaders, believing they “failed badly during the outgoing term.”

He also argued that the recent legislative push by the chareidi parties has been widely misunderstood. “The legislative blitz described in the general media as chareidi greed and hubris is actually more of a frantic race by Shas and United Torah Judaism to prove to their voters that they are at least doing something,” he wrote. Segal further claimed that “this is also the reason the establishment Agudas Yisrael initiated the massive disruptions on Israel’s highways.”

At the same time, Segal presented a very different possibility. Rather than signaling political weakness, he suggested that the recent cooperation between Agudas Yisrael and the Peleg Yerushalmi could indicate that Agudas Yisrael and Degel HaTorah may ultimately contest the next election on separate tickets.

To support that theory, Segal cited Yated Ne’eman editor Aryeh Zisman, who has suggested that recent political developments may point toward a split between the Litvishe Degel HaTorah faction and the chassidic Agudas Yisrael faction.

Segal concluded that an independent Agudas Yisrael list could potentially clear the electoral threshold if it succeeds in attracting support from Peleg Yerushalmi voters, many of whom have traditionally boycotted elections. “The mutual hatred will drive everyone to the ballot boxes, recreating the 1988 election,” he wrote, noting that when Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael ran separately that year, they collectively nearly doubled their previous vote total and established the chareidi public as a major political force for the first time.

Yisroel R.

A growing number of bungalow colonies are banning electric scooters, e-bikes, and other electric-powered vehicles as concerns over safety continue to mount.

Among the latest is Mountain Woods Estates, where homeowners recently voted to prohibit the use of electric-powered vehicles throughout the colony. According to a notice sent to residents, the new rule took effect immediately after a majority of homeowners approved the measure.

The ban covers electric scooters, e-bikes, and other similar electric-powered devices as the colony seeks to improve safety on its grounds during the busy summer season.

Management said signs will be posted throughout the property reminding residents and visitors that electric-powered vehicles are no longer permitted under community rules.

Mountain Woods is one of several bungalow colonies that have recently adopted similar policies, reflecting a broader trend as communities respond to increasing concerns about speeding, pedestrian safety, and a rise in accidents involving electric scooters and e-bikes in many heimishe neighborhoods. 

BNEI BRAK, Israel (VINnews) — Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is expected to lead a large protest rally in Bnei Brak on Saturday night as tensions grow over Israel’s military draft policies affecting the haredi community.

The demonstration comes after the arrests of yeshiva students accused of evading military service and recent clashes linked to protests over the draft.

Rabbi Shabtai Levi, a senior rabbi in Bnei Brak, said the gathering is intended to protest what participants view as increasing pressure on Torah students. He said Rabbi Yosef considered the event significant enough to forgo his customary weekly Torah lesson in Jerusalem and instead attend the rally in person.

Organizers say the demonstration will be held near the Halichot Moshe institutions in Bnei Brak’s Ramat Aharon neighborhood. They described it as a peaceful event focused on prayer and public protest rather than road blockades or violence.

Speaking to Kol Barama Radio, Rabbi Levi said many in the haredi community believe recent enforcement actions against yeshiva students have crossed a line, arguing that Torah scholars should be protected from compulsory military service.

The protest follows a series of demonstrations by haredi groups as Israel’s government continues to face political pressure over legislation governing military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Electric-vehicle startup Slate Auto has officially opened public orders for what it says will be the least expensive new pickup truck available in the United States, launching a stripped-down electric vehicle priced at $24,950 and betting that affordability, not luxury, is the key to winning over American buyers.

The company began converting more than 180,000 existing reservations into paid $300 deposits, giving customers 30 days to confirm their orders. First deliveries are expected during the fourth quarter of 2026.

At a time when the average new vehicle in America costs nearly $50,000, Slate’s pricing immediately grabbed Wall Street’s attention. The truck undercuts the popular Ford Maverick by more than $2,000 and comes in at less than half the average cost of many electric vehicles currently on the market.

The launch arrives during one of the most challenging periods the EV industry has faced since electric vehicles entered the mainstream.

Demand has cooled significantly following the elimination of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit, while several high-profile electric vehicle manufacturers have struggled with profitability, production targets, and slowing sales growth.

Rather than competing with luxury EV makers, Slate is pursuing a different strategy entirely.

The company’s pickup is intentionally basic.

Buyers receive a two-seat truck with hand-crank windows, no built-in touchscreen, a single color body, rear-wheel drive, and a driving range of approximately 205 miles. Instead of offering expensive paint options, customers can personalize the vehicle using vinyl wraps, allowing the company to avoid one of the most costly parts of automobile manufacturing — a paint shop.

The truck produces approximately 181 horsepower and can tow up to 2,000 pounds.

Customers seeking additional space can convert the vehicle into a five-seat SUV configuration starting at approximately $29,950.

Chief Executive Peter Faricy, a former Amazon executive, believes simplicity is the company’s biggest advantage.

Faricy has publicly stated that every vehicle produced will generate a positive gross profit from day one, a claim few automotive startups have been able to make successfully.

The company projects positive free cash flow by 2027 and estimates it can reach breakeven production at approximately 80,000 vehicles annually, roughly half of planned manufacturing capacity.

The production facility itself represents a significant investment.

Slate is transforming a former printing facility in Warsaw, Indiana, into a manufacturing plant expected to create more than 2,000 jobs while attracting nearly $400 million in investment.

The startup enjoys backing from several high-profile investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter. Earlier this year, Slate completed a $650 million funding round, providing capital to support manufacturing and vehicle development.

The broader market environment remains difficult.

According to Cox Automotive, new EV sales fell approximately 27% during the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. Several manufacturers have reduced production plans, delayed projects, or cut jobs as demand growth slowed.

Even established automakers have struggled.

Ford halted production of the electric version of its F-150, while companies such as Rivian and Lucid have continued searching for sustainable profitability.

That backdrop makes Slate’s approach particularly intriguing.

Instead of selling technology, luxury, or performance, the company is selling affordability.

The strategy addresses a growing frustration among American consumers who have watched vehicle prices rise steadily for years. Fewer than 5% of new vehicles sold in the United States last year carried price tags below $25,000, leaving many buyers priced out of the new-car market entirely.

Still, skepticism remains warranted.

Slate originally promoted a sub-$20,000 truck price before the elimination of federal incentives made that target unrealistic. The company must still complete regulatory certifications and demonstrate it can manufacture vehicles at scale — a challenge that has defeated numerous automotive startups.

The history of the EV sector is filled with companies that promised affordable vehicles but struggled to achieve production volume.

Yet if Slate succeeds, it could challenge one of the industry’s biggest assumptions: that electric vehicles must be expensive.

The next several weeks will provide the first meaningful test.

As reservation holders decide whether to place deposits and commit real money, investors and competitors alike will gain a clearer picture of whether America’s appetite for a truly affordable pickup truck is as strong as Slate believes.

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

In March of this year, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled a major change to condominium lending, financial and insurance standards aimed at improving the way condos are bought, sold and managed. These updated rules change the criteria for prospective condo buyers to obtain conventional financing through Fannie and Freddie, which has ripple effects across condo marketability, sale timelines and property values.

The changes are significant, impacting how condominium projects are reviewed and how they are expected to fund reserves, as well as setting new minimum standards for a condo’s insurance coverage and deductibles. Anyone in a position to buy, sell or manage a condominium under these new rules needs to know how these changes will affect them.

New flexibility in condo insurance requirements

Most condo owners know that recent years have presented numerous challenges to the condo insurance marketplace. Finding affordable coverage has been a challenge, especially when balanced against the need to maintain policies that include adequate coverage to meet industry or regulatory standards. Fannie and Freddie’s strict insurance requirements have made this more difficult in the past; however, the updated rules should have a favorable impact on a condo’s ability to obtain adequate coverage and thus qualify for conventional financing. 

The revised insurance requirements grant a lot more flexibility when it comes to insuring an association’s buildings. Prior to the issuance of the new lender letter, it could be extremely challenging for certain associations to meet Fannie and Freddie requirements. In particular, older properties, those located in high-potential catastrophic weather areas, or vertical condos with a history of water damage claims, struggled under the old requirements.

Depending on the specific exposures of an association, there could be cases where the underwriting marketplace simply wasn’t willing to offer necessary products, such as replacement-cost coverage for roofs or a deductible structure that complied with regulations, at all. By allowing Actual Cash Value coverage on roofs and specifying a $50,000 per-unit deductible cap, Fannie and Freddie are granting many associations more flexibility with their insurance companies, which will be able to compete and offer terms that meet the new standards. 

The shifting burden: Unit owners and reserve funding

The new rules’ impact on unit owners is a little more nuanced. While the changes offer a better opportunity to qualify for a Fannie- or Freddie-backed loan in a condo, unit owners will have to pay closer attention to the coverage on their HO-6 (condo homeowners) insurance policy, as it serves as the primary backstop to cover against potential gaps or a master deductible assessment. Technically, the revised requirements can potentially shift some burden of risk from the association to the unit owners. 

New requirements to adequately fund reserves are working in tandem with some of the changes to the insurance requirements. For example, if an association chooses Actual Cash Value instead of Replacement Cost for its roof coverage, there is the potential for a coverage gap that will need to be funded out of reserves, or else by special assessment.

In addition, better reserve funding practices over time avoid the potential for deferred maintenance, thus providing for better-maintained properties and reducing the likelihood of an insurance claim because of aging or decaying building features. This is one of the primary reasons for Fannie and Freddie requiring greater reserve funding standards in the most recent update. 

Adapting to the new reality of condo financial planning

Taken together, the March 2026 updates represent a clear shift toward practicality. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac appear to be acknowledging the realities of today’s insurance market, particularly in higher-risk regions, and are creating a path for more associations to remain eligible for conventional financing. That said, these changes should not be viewed as a relaxation of standards as much as they are a redistribution of risk. Where associations are given flexibility on coverage structure or deductibles, there is a corresponding expectation that they are making informed decisions about reserves, maintenance and overall financial health.

For boards and property managers, the changes reinforce the importance of taking a more integrated approach to financial planning. Insurance, reserves and long-term capital planning can no longer be treated as separate conversations. Decisions in one area will directly impact the others and, ultimately, influence a community’s eligibility for financing. Associations that are proactive, whether by engaging qualified insurance advisors, updating reserve studies or stress-testing different coverage scenarios, will be better positioned to navigate these changes without introducing unintended gaps.

From a unit owner’s perspective, the takeaway is equally important. As associations adjust their insurance programs to align with the new guidelines, individual owners will need to take a more active role in understanding their own coverage. Reviewing HO-6 policies, confirming adequate loss assessment limits and coordinating with the association’s master policy are all becoming critical steps, not optional ones.

Ultimately, the communities that will benefit most from these updates are those that recognize the bigger picture. Financing eligibility, insurability and property values are more interconnected than ever. The associations that strike the right balance between flexibility and discipline will not only meet Fannie and Freddie’s requirements but will also position themselves as stronger, more resilient communities in an increasingly complex market.

Sean Kent, Senior Vice President, Insurance at FirstService Residential
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners. To contact the editor responsible for this piece: [email protected]. 

This post was originally published on here.

A group of New Yorkers injured by reckless e-bike riders is suing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, claiming his decision to stop enforcing minor e-bike violations has made city streets significantly more dangerous.

The lawsuit, expected to be filed Thursday, challenges Mamdani’s March executive order that halted enforcement of low-level e-bike offenses. Plaintiffs argue the policy has created a “lawless free-for-all” where pedestrians are increasingly being struck by speeding riders with little fear of consequences.

The suit is being brought by advocacy group NYC Common Sense, several crash victims, and Staten Island Councilman Frank Morano, who is participating in his personal capacity.

The legal challenge comes amid growing criticism of the city’s expanding bike lane network and declining enforcement of e-bike laws. Opponents say injuries involving high-speed electric bikes continue to rise while City Hall prioritizes bike infrastructure over pedestrian safety.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The race to succeed America’s top banker is on.

Sources inside JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s top bank, say the elevation of two senior executives Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh as co-presidents of the company, sets up a long-awaited horse race to succeed the voluble Jamie Dimon, its CEO for the past two-plus decades and widely regarded as the nation’s top banker.

As if to leave no doubt about his intentions, Dimon Thursday also announced that Marianne Lake, one of the highest-ranking women on Wall Street who had been seen as a frontrunner to succeed Dimon, “has decided to retire” from the bank.

Lake, a longtime executive who was head of the firm’s powerful consumer and community banking division, is said to be “not too happy” about being passed over for the top job. One indication was the absence of a statement from Lake in the press release, said people close to the bank. A JPM spokesperson had no immediate comment.

JAMIE DIMON REVEALS WHAT HE TOLD MAMDANI AFTER PRIVATE MEETING, SAYS IDEOLOGY CAN LEAD MAYORS TO FAIL

Jenn Piepszak, JPM’s chief operating officer, is also no longer considered a possible replacement for Dimon, people inside the bank say. Also out of the running is Mary Erdoes, the head of JPM’s asset management and wealth management business, On The Money has learned.

“The changes announced today mark an important step in our board’s thoughtful process around succession planning and development of our top leaders,” Dimon said in a press release. “We are fortunate to have in place an exceptional group of senior leaders, not only at our operating committee level but across our organization.”

DOJ PROBES JPMORGAN, CITIGROUP TRANSACTIONS TIED TO IRAN SUPREME LEADER’S BUSINESS NETWORK

Petno and Rohrbaugh had jointly run the firm’s powerful consumer and investment bank, and were considered top contenders to replace Dimon when he is expected to begin transitioning out of his role as CEO as early as this year, though he has always been obtuse about the timing of his decision and has left open the possibility to remain as chairman indefinitely.

That said, inside JPM headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, there was nothing obtuse about the elevation of Petno and Rohrbaugh. Dimon created the co-president position precisely to set up a horse race between the two to take over as CEO sometime soon, these people say.

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Both will have big shoes to fill. Since taking over as CEO of JPM in 2006, Dimon has emerged as the most important banker in the country and maybe its most important CEO. JPM is a sprawling “systemically important” institution that does everything from consumer lending to mergers and acquisitions to trading complex derivatives that are the plumbing of the global financial system.

He has successfully led the big bank through financial crises, small and large, such as the 2008 implosion and jostled with presidents from Barack Obama to Donald Trump over economic and banking policy. He is known for his shoot-from-the-hip public presence, and for his management acumen. JPM has been highly profitable and largely free of scandal during his reign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sided with the maker of the Roundup weedkiller Thursday in a ruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the product could cause cancer.

The case came before the justices after a tidal wave of litigation that included some multibillion-dollar verdicts against the global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer, which acquired Roundup when it bought its original manufacturer Monsanto in 2018.

The decision is a victory for the Trump administration, but one that could be tricky politically since allies in the Make America Healthy Again movement want to rein in pesticide use.

The high court, in a 7-2 ruling, found that the company can’t be sued in state courts because federal regulations have found a cancer link unlikely and do not require a warning label.

The decision “is good for science, farmers, and industries that depend on regulatory clarity for innovation,” Bayer said in a statement. “It should help significantly contain the Roundup litigation after nearly a decade of legal battles.”

Though Bayer said the ruling should result in the dismissal of pending lawsuits containing failure-to-warn allegations, the company said it plans to proceed with a proposed $7.25 billion class-action settlement intended to resolve many of the remaining claims.

Lawyers for some residents pursuing Roundup litigation criticized the court’s decision.

“This Supreme Court ruling wrongly slams the courthouse door on Americans sickened by pesticides,” said attorney Christopher Seeger, who is proposed as a claimants’ representative in the settlement. But he said a settlement still would allow some people to receive compensation.

The case before the Supreme Court was filed by Missouri resident John Durnell. He developed a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after more than 20 years of serving as the neighborhood association’s “spray guy,” using Roundup on parks in his historic St. Louis community.

A jury agreed that the company failed to warn him about possible cancer dangers and awarded him $1.25 million. It’s one of thousands of similar cases, including some multibillion-dollar damage awards.

There’s still fierce debate about cancer and Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the chemical as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that it’s not likely to cause cancer in humans when used as directed.

The agency approved a label without a cancer warning, and Bayer argues that it’s required to follow those federal standards — not the state laws that Durnell and others have sued under. The ruling still could allow other suits alleging problems with the way the product was designed, his attorney Ashley Keller has said.

Bayer disputes the cancer claims but previously set aside $16 billion to settle cases, and earlier this year proposed a $7.25 billion class-action settlement. A federal judge recently ruled that the proposed settlement will be heard in a Missouri state court, where many of the lawsuits have been filed. At the same time, the company has tried to persuade states to pass laws shielding it from liability in failure-to-warn lawsuits, and three states have agreed.

About 200,000 Roundup-related claims have been made against Bayer, mostly from home users. It has stopped using glyphosate in Roundup sold in the U.S. residential lawn and garden market.

The company has said it might have to consider pulling glyphosate from U.S. agricultural markets if it keeps getting sued. Agricultural industry group say could have a devastating effect on the food supply.

But pesticides have also created a rift between the Trump administration and members of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s MAHA movement, adding to their frustration with an executive order aimed at boosting glyphosate’s production.

Kennedy himself has said repeatedly that glyphosate causes cancer, even as he says he recognizes the executive order was necessary for food supply and national security reasons.

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase will significantly expand its national “Community Center” program, the bank said Thursday, with plans to double the number of these specialized branches the bank operates particularly in low-income neighborhoods.

Along with doubling the number of Community Center branches, the bank plans to hire an additional 150 employees, known as community managers, and provide additional programming at these locations.

The Community Center program focuses on Chase opening branches in low- and moderate-income communities, particularly in areas where residents may be underbanked or unbanked. Chase opened its first Community Center in Harlem in 2019 as an experiment and the program’s success led to 19 locations in operation across the country. Jamie Dimon, the bank’s CEO, has historically attended the grand opening of nearly all the Community Centers, and their openings are typically attended by local government officials and other dignitaries.

“We are doubling down on our efforts to expand access,” said Diedra Porché, head of Chase’s community and business development division.

These Community Centers are still Chase branches, but they include open areas where financial educators, local nonprofit organizations and other groups can provide financial workshops to neighborhood residents. The programs and workshops are free to the public. The bank says the locally-hired community managers who run the centers are directed not to sell products, and attendees are not required to be Chase customers or interested in Chase products.

The centers are focused on financial education, ranging from teaching a person how to build a household budget to workshops for small business owners. The bank estimates it has hosted 14,000 of these workshops since the first community center opened, with more than 1 million attendees. Chase has set a goal of increasing the programming to reach 5 million attendees.

Banks by law are required to provide services to low-income communities under the Community Reinvestment Act. But how banks provide these services can be in several different forms. While Chase does charitable giving through the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Dimon has said in the past that he believes the bank can have a greater impact in low-income communities by opening branches in those neighborhoods, creating jobs and providing financing in underserved areas.

“We try to meet people where they are, and then give them the tools and resources they might need to take their next step successfully,” Porché said.

The program is also generally good business for the bank. While there are no salespeople involved in the actual programming, the opening of a community center branch in an underserved neighborhood tends to result in new accounts being opened and new customers for the bank. Chase has issued reports in the past that show its community centers lead to higher account openings, often far more account openings than what other branches in the area provide.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed deep concern over the growing popularity of socialist candidates, saying it is troubling that large numbers of voters—particularly in heavily Democratic states such as New York—are embracing socialist politics following the state’s recent primary elections.

Speaking on Breitbart News Daily after allies of New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani defeated several establishment Democrats in primary contests, Paul said the trend reflects a dangerous shift in public opinion.

When asked about the increasing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Paul offered a blunt assessment, saying it was “alarming that you can get majorities – even in a … hellhole like New York.”

He said the results reminded him of themes he explored in his book criticizing socialism, arguing that many younger Americans have developed a favorable view of the ideology without understanding its historical consequences.

“…But still alarming that a majority of people are voting for socialists. I wrote a book a few years ago, The Case Against Socialism, and in it we talked about some of the polls where, you know, majority of young people are thinking, hey, socialism sounds good, why don’t we try it,” Paul said, noting that many of these young people do not actually understand socialism and the consequences of the ideology.

Paul argued that many supporters of socialism fail to recognize what he described as the economic devastation experienced by countries that have embraced the system, contending that they instead associate it with the concept of fairness.

“They don’t understand … the disaster that is Venezuela, the disaster that is Cuba, the disaster that was China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, all these places,” the senator said. “What they understand it to be is fairness, and they’re like, well, it’s just not fair that you make twice as much money as me, and we’re just going to make it fair.”

He went on to argue that modern culture increasingly emphasizes equal outcomes over individual achievement.

“And they’ve been brought up on this fairness. Now it’s not fair that you run faster than me and that you get the trophy. Everybody should get the trophy,” Paul said.

According to Paul, schools and broader cultural institutions have helped spread this view of fairness, leading many young people to equate socialism with justice while overlooking what he believes are its economic failures. He argued that pursuing equal outcomes ultimately results in shortages, declining prosperity, and the loss of the benefits associated with capitalism.

Paul concluded by suggesting that the rise of socialist candidates reflects either widespread misunderstanding or a broader ideological shift within the political left. While he questioned whether such candidates could prevail in competitive general elections nationwide, he predicted they could continue to find success in New York.

He continued, “It’s ignorance, but it is alarming, and then the other, the other possibility, though, is [the] left goes so far left that maybe they can’t win general elections, but in New York, all these people will win.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a Hawaii law that required licensed gun owners to obtain permission before carrying firearms onto private property open to the public, delivering another major victory for gun-rights advocates across the country, including in New Jersey.

In a 6-3 ruling in the case known as Wolford v. Lopez, the court held that Hawaii’s law violated the Second Amendment by effectively prohibiting concealed-carry permit holders from bringing firearms into businesses, restaurants, hotels and other privately owned locations open to the public unless property owners explicitly granted permission.

Writing for the majority, the court concluded that Hawaii’s requirement was inconsistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation, the constitutional test established by the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The ruling overturned a lower court decision that had upheld the Hawaii law.

The Supreme Court’s decision does not resolve all aspects of Hawaii’s firearms law. The justices declined to address several separate restrictions involving so-called sensitive locations, including certain public recreational areas and establishments serving alcohol.

Responding to the ruling, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Davenport sharply criticized the court’s decision.

“Today’s decision in Wolford v. Lopez is the Supreme Court’s latest dangerous blow to public safety,” Davenport said in a statement. “This badly mistaken decision will make it harder for businesses open to the public to exclude guns from their property, putting additional burdens on them to keep their patrons safe. That outcome doesn’t make anyone safer.”

Davenport said New Jersey would continue pursuing policies aimed at reducing gun violence despite the ruling.

“While the Supreme Court seems intent on making it harder for states to prevent gun violence, we won’t back down from our efforts to keep the public safe,” she said.

According to data obtained earlier by TLS, since the Bruen decision, Toms River Township has approved more concealed carry permits than any other municipality in the state, with 1,719 permits approved.

Foreign airlines are gradually resuming service to Israel, marking a major turnaround at Ben Gurion Airport following months of cancellations, reduced schedules, and uncertainty across the aviation industry.

The renewed activity comes amid a period of relative calm in the security situation, with international carriers reassessing operating conditions and risks. The return of foreign airlines is expected to expand flight options, restore major destinations, and increase competition during the summer travel season.

The comeback is set to unfold over the coming weeks. On June 25, Qanot Sharq is scheduled to resume flights to Tashkent and Samarkand. On June 29, Air Europa is expected to return to the Tel Aviv–Madrid route.

On July 1, Lufthansa is set to resume flights to Frankfurt, with its Munich route expected to restart on August 1. ITA Airways is also scheduled to return to its Rome route on July 1, while Air Baltic is expected to restart flights between Tel Aviv and Riga the same day.

On July 2, One Click is expected to resume flights to Tbilisi and Batumi. Later in July, Eurowings is scheduled to return to Hamburg on July 10 and expand service to Düsseldorf on July 18. Fly One Romania is expected to resume flights to Bucharest on July 19, while Swiss is scheduled to return to Zurich on August 1.

Aviation industry officials say the wave of returning airlines is a positive sign for Israel’s recovering travel market. The additional carriers are expected to increase seat capacity, restore more destinations, and help bring back competition on ticket prices.

Barring any significant changes in the security situation, the recovery trend is expected to continue in the coming months, with a gradual expansion of international service to and from Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

[Video below.] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that once Democratic primary contests conclude, the party must come together with a single focus: defeating President Donald Trump and what he described as the MAGA movement.

During an appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing,” the New York Democrat highlighted several House incumbents who secured renomination while expressing confidence that Democrats are positioned to flip key Republican-held districts in the general election.

“I’m proud of the fact that several other of my colleagues, of course, decisively won reelection, whether that’s Grace Manning or Ritchie Torres, Yvette Clarke, just to name a few. For whatever the reason, those races didn’t catch a lot of attention. I’m also, thankful, for the fact that we finally have some resolution. We had at least two strong candidates in New York’s 17 congressional district currently being rented by Mike Lawler, but Kate Connelly emerged. She’s a decorated, courageous patriot combat veteran. For whatever the reason, that race hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, even though Mike Lawler right now is shaking in his boots. Because Kate Connelly is going to flip that seat in November and help us deliver a majority in the House of Representatives.”

Jeffries said the Democratic Party encompasses a broad range of viewpoints, but argued that those differences should be set aside after the primary season in order to concentrate on a common political objective.

“So, listen, I think at the end of the day, you know, individual congressional districts, the beauty of it all are made up by a diverse group of people who have a diverse set of perspectives on a wide variety of issues. I think for us as House Democrats, we’re just hopeful that everybody recognizes, once we get through this primary season, that the enemy is Donald Trump and MAGA extremism in terms of trying to bring about the type of America that we all desire, where when you work hard and play by the rules, working class folks can live a comfortable life in affordable life and a good life. That shouldn’t be too much to ask for. In the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Growing tensions within Israel’s Likud Party have fueled speculation that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could consider leaving the party if his proposed changes to the party’s primary system are rejected, according to a report published by Maariv.

The dispute centers on Netanyahu’s push to expand the number of reserved slots on the party’s Knesset list. His proposal is expected to come before Likud’s Constitution Committee on Sunday, where negotiations are continuing in an effort to avoid a divisive internal showdown.

According to the report, Netanyahu himself has not publicly threatened to leave Likud. However, associates have reportedly conveyed messages to senior party officials suggesting that if his proposal is defeated in a secret ballot, he could consider forming a new political party together with most of Likud’s current Knesset faction.

While such a move would prevent Netanyahu from using the Likud name, sources said it could dramatically reshape Israel’s political landscape and raise complex questions regarding party financing and parliamentary alignment.

The standoff has highlighted growing friction between Netanyahu and senior Likud figures, including party chairman Chaim Katz and MK David Bitan, over the issue of reserved spots on the party list.

Party insiders cautioned that demands for as many as ten reserved slots could further deepen the crisis.

“Insisting on ten reserved spots could destroy the Likud,” one source warned.

At the same time, party officials believe the messages are primarily intended to increase pressure during internal negotiations rather than signal an imminent split.

Meanwhile, an internal poll of 714 Likud members found that 43.4% said they would leave Likud and support a new party led by Netanyahu if one were formed, while 20% said they would remain loyal to Likud even without Netanyahu at its head.

Negotiations are expected to continue through the weekend in hopes of reaching a compromise before Sunday’s vote, which could become a major test of Netanyahu’s influence within his own party.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

For many real estate agents, the challenge isn’t just generating leads — it’s capturing them. Buyers and sellers expect fast responses, especially when they’re ready to act on a hot listing or finally make the decision to sell. But what happens when your business misses that call or inquiry? The short answer: lost commissions that go unnoticed month after month. 

This article explores why real estate agents often lose deals simply due to slow or missed responses, and outlines practical strategies to reduce those losses and boost conversions. 

The hidden revenue leak: missed inquiries 

Most real estate agents track their marketing performance — website traffic, Zillow views, social media reach — but overlook one of the most critical parts of the client journey: how inbound inquiries are handled. 

Here’s what typically happens: 

• A prospective buyer or seller finds you online, through a referral or on a listing platform 
• They call, text or fill out a contact form 
• They don’t hear back quickly enough 
• They move on to the next agent 
• The opportunity is gone — and you never knew it happened 

Buyers touring homes on a Saturday afternoon won’t wait until Monday morning for a callback. Sellers who are ready to list will sign with whoever shows up first with confidence and a plan. 

Why this happens 

Common reasons real estate agents miss leads include: 

● You’re in a showing or with a client and can’t step away to take a new call. 

● Inquiries come in after hours when you’ve mentally checked out for the day.

● Lead notifications get buried in a busy inbox or ignored CRM.

● No system exists for following up with web or platform inquiries consistently. 

● During busy seasons, the volume of leads spikes beyond what one person can manage alone. 

The result? You spend money on marketing — paid ads, professional photography, listing promotions — but lose the value of those leads because no one responded in time. 

The real cost 

Let’s break it down with simple numbers: 

• 10 missed or slow-response leads per month 
• 20% conversion rate if properly followed up 
• $8,000 average commission per closed transaction 

That equals: 2 lost deals per month → $16,000 in lost commission → $192,000 per year 

And that doesn’t include the long-term value of repeat business or referrals those clients could have generated — which in real estate can easily double or triple the lifetime value of a single relationship. 

What real estate agents can do 

1. Track missed and slow responses weekly 

Start by understanding the scale of the problem. Review how many inquiries came in, how quickly they were responded to, and how many went cold. If you don’t measure your response rate, you can’t improve it. 

2. Improve after-hours and in-showing coverage 

Clients don’t stop browsing listings at 5 pm. If you’re missing inquiries after hours or while you’re with other clients, consider automated response tools that acknowledge new leads instantly — letting them know you’ll be in touch shortly. A fast acknowledgment keeps prospects from moving on. 

3. Build a consistent follow-up process 

Having a defined process for handling inbound leads — how quickly you respond, what you say, and how you follow up — makes a measurable difference. Even a simple CRM with reminders can prevent good leads from slipping through the cracks. 

4. Use technology to support your business 

Modern lead-handling tools can help you respond to more inquiries, capture contact details automatically, and even pre-qualify prospects without requiring you to be available around the clock. These tools level the playing field between solo agents and large teams. 

Final thoughts 

Real estate agents who take lead response seriously win more clients. It’s not enough to generate demand — you must capture every opportunity when it arrives. By tracking your response performance, improving coverage during and after business hours, and optimizing how inquiries are handled, you can close more deals and significantly increase your income without necessarily increasing your advertising spend. 

If you’re missing just a few leads each month, the financial impact could be far bigger than you think — and the solution is closer than you realize. 

S_eth Schumann is the Owner of Visionary Path AI, helping service businesses like real estate agencies capture more leads and grow revenue using AI-powered solutions._

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners.

To contact the editor responsible for this piece: [email protected]

This post was originally published on here.

A private caregiver from Jerusalem has been arrested on suspicion of abusing toddlers in her care, with a court extending her detention after investigators presented evidence that includes suspected physical injuries.

Police launched the investigation after receiving complaints alleging abusive behavior toward two toddlers who were under the care of the 49-year-old woman, a resident of the Har Homa neighborhood. The case is being handled by the Oz Police Station in Jerusalem.

According to investigators, the caregiver is suspected of yelling at the children, cursing at them, and ignoring their cries and basic needs while they were under her supervision.

During a hearing Thursday at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, police revealed that the investigation also includes suspicions of physical assault. Photographs showing injuries allegedly sustained by the toddlers were presented to the court.

The court ordered that the suspect remain in custody until Monday as the investigation continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

For a week, the chipmakers had been getting beaten up. On Thursday, June 25, one earnings report turned the whole mood around.

Micron Technology opened the day on fire, and it dragged the rest of Wall Street up with it. The memory maker’s blowout quarter, reported after Wednesday’s bell, did exactly what the market needed: it reassured nervous investors that the artificial-intelligence boom is still very much alive and spending. But the celebration came with a catch. Minutes before the open, the Commerce Department reported that its Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — the inflation gauge the Federal Reserve watches most closely — climbed at a 4.1% annual pace in May, the hottest reading since April 2023, a leftover sting from the Iran war working its way into prices.

So stocks rose, but they rose looking over their shoulder. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added about 0.65%, pushing up from Wednesday’s close of 51,848.90. The S&P 500 gained roughly 0.52% from 7,358.22, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite managed about 0.24% from 25,476.64, held back even as chips soared because investors were trimming elsewhere. The small-cap Russell 2000 tacked on 0.37%. Not a stampede — but after the bruising semiconductor sell-off of the past several days, plenty of traders would take it.

Market movers

Micron was the whole story at the open, jumping roughly 18%. The numbers explain the excitement. The company earned an adjusted $25.11 a share, blowing past the $20.78 analysts polled by LSEG had penciled in, on revenue of $41.46 billion that more than quadrupled from a year ago and sailed past the $35.85 billion Wall Street wanted. Then came the part that really moved the stock: Micron told investors to expect around $50 billion in sales this quarter, far above the $43.58 billion forecast, with cloud-memory revenue up more than 300% to $13.77 billion. Analysts at Bank of America Global Research doubled down on their bullish call, saying the results point to a sturdier, longer memory cycle built on AI demand.

The relief rippled straight through the sector. Qualcomm climbed about 10% after using its investor day to nearly double its 2029 target for non-phone revenue to roughly $40 billion, from $22 billion, as it muscles into data-center chips and servers. The rest of the group rode the wave — Sandisk, Western Digital, KLA, Lam Research and Applied Materials all rose in sympathy.

It wasn’t only chips. Bio-Techne rocketed about 19.6% after agreeing to sell itself to drug giant Merck for $73 a share. The retail crowd kept its grip on Wendy’s, sending the burger chain up another 7% and leaving it roughly 32% higher on the week — a reminder that small investors, not just earnings, are still moving stocks. SpaceX, fresh off the largest IPO ever, rose 4.3% to $160.98.

Not everyone joined the party. Hertz Global Holdings slid about 6.1%, Dollar Tree dropped 3.6%, and dialysis company DaVita fell 3.3%. Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com, summed up the turn nicely, saying Micron’s results gave the market fresh proof that the AI spending wave hasn’t crested — and that investors seem willing to look past short-term turbulence as long as the earnings keep coming.

The economic data underneath was murkier. Orders for big-ticket durable goods tumbled a steeper-than-expected 4.5% in May, to $332.1 billion, the Census Bureau said, snapping a two-month winning streak. And in a quieter headline, JPMorgan Chase named two executives to new co-president roles, the latest move in CEO Jamie Dimon’s slow-motion search for a successor.

Commodities and volatility

At the gas pump, the news kept getting better. Brent crude traded just under $74 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate sat around $70, both near pre-war lows, as oil moved freely again through the Strait of Hormuz. Gold caught its breath near $4,000 after slipping below that line on Wednesday for the first time in seven months. The Cboe Volatility Index, Wall Street’s fear gauge, which had spiked toward 19.5 during the week’s tech scare, drifted lower as nerves settled. Bonds were the one place the hot inflation print bit: after the 10-year Treasury yield tumbled below 4.5% a day earlier on cheaper oil, the stubborn price data gave traders a reason to pause.

The question now is whether the chip rally has the legs to carry through the close, with Qualcomm’s investor day, the final read on first-quarter growth, and Darden Restaurants earnings still on deck. One thing the morning made clear: Micron bought the bulls some breathing room, but that 4.1% inflation number keeps the Fed and Chair Kevin Warsh right in the middle of the story — and keeps the market honest.

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

Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, issued a direct threat against Israel on Thursday, demanding the immediate withdrawal of IDF forces from southern Lebanon and warning that if Israel does not leave voluntarily, it will eventually be forced to “flee in shame, humiliation and crushing defeat.”

Speaking in remarks widely broadcast by Iranian state media, Qaani declared that “Lebanon is a land of steadfastness and resistance, not a playground for occupiers.”

“Israel must withdraw from Lebanon immediately,” he said. “If it does not leave now of its own accord, it will eventually be forced to flee in shame, humiliation, and overwhelming defeat.”

Qaani heads the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for supporting and directing Tehran’s network of proxy terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

His remarks come amid continued fighting along Israel’s northern border and conflicting reports regarding a possible Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon.

Earlier Thursday, a senior U.S. official told Reuters that Israel had begun pulling back from some areas in southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy. However, senior Israeli security officials quickly denied the report.

“The IDF has not withdrawn from any part of the security zone,” a senior Israeli security official said. “The IDF has received no such instructions from the political leadership.”

The contradictory reports come as the United States continues to mediate negotiations aimed at reaching a long-term arrangement between Israel and Lebanon.

Qaani has kept a relatively low public profile since the start of the war, appearing only occasionally through written statements. He has repeatedly praised Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed terror groups while threatening Israel with continued attacks.

He assumed command of the Quds Force in 2020 after the U.S. eliminated his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike in Iraq.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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

Question:

I drive by this intersection almost every day.

On almost every day I see a 18 wheeler trying to make a left turn from Main St to Clifton and having an extremely hard time because of the pole from the traffic light.

This can take 10-20 minutes till he finally gets it right. This causes all the people heading north on Clifton to wait to make a left turn causing a back up. I have also read numerous times of trucks taking out the light pole completely

I was wondering if the township has the ability to either ban trucks on main street between Madison and Clifton or to move the traffic light pole to give more room.

Response from Mayor Coles:

Good morning

We are working with the state DOT to redesign that entire intersection.

Ray

Question:

Hi Mayor,

You told me 2 years ago,we last winter were on agenda.

Whats going on?.

26 years??

It seems our area has been very neglected overall.
Kennedy Bkvd. No strips for Lanes as well..

Please take care of this ASAP.

Ty.

Sincerely,

A Resident.

Response from Mayor Coles:

Good morning

You are on the agenda. You should have received a notice recently telling you that the contracts for the repaving were being issued, and you should see work in the area begin within a few weeks. Due to governmental budgeting laws, we are forced to plan well in advance. Sometimes it results in delays between agreeing to do some work and getting the job completed, but we do keep our word!

The other 2 roads you mentioned are county roads and I have forwarded your email on to the county enginner,.

Enjoy the summer

Ray

Question:

Hi Mayor Coles,

Thank you for all that you do for our town!!!

I’d like to bring up 2 things.

When walking around town, there are many areas that weeds, bushes and trees grow into the sidewalk area causing discomfort to walkers and also cause a danger to drivers at corners as they can’t see. Is there a way to bring awareness that sidewalks should be kept clear. There is no reason to have 2 foot wide sidewalks.

Regarding street lights, there are many out all around town. I’d say close to 1 in 10 are out. I know that it was brought up that when people see a light out, they should report it to jcpl. I think a better idea is to have a truck from jcpl or even public works driving through town at night a few times a year to report every street light that is burnt out. The lack of light is a safety issue.

Thanks for your help and concern!

Response from Mayor Coles:

I agree with you about the overgrown bushes blocking sidewalks. Every time an area is brought to my attention, I ask public works and inspections to respond. They will notify the property owner of their responsibility to maintain a safe passage. In the event a homeowner ignores the request, public works will clean the area and send a bill to the property owner. In areas where a clear safety hazard exists, they will clean the area right away. I didn’t see the area in question listed in your email. Please reach out to my office so we can look into it.

Again, we are on the same wavelength regarding streetlights. We have a couple of folks in town who spend a good deal of the work week collating the lists of bad lights and working with JCPL to address them. There is some good news on the horizon. JCPL is in the process of upgrading their light heads to LED bulbs. These are much more reliable and last longer than the vapor lights currently in use.

The township has also begun installing solar lights in areas where JCPL does not have wires. You can check some of these out along New Hampshire Ave between RT 88 & Ridge Ave

Thanks,

Ray

—————–

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

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

Alan Dershowitz announced that he plans to sue a Brooklyn coffee shop after it publicly declared that Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., was unwelcome because of his support for Israel, escalating a controversy that has already prompted a federal civil rights investigation.

Speaking Wednesday on Newsmax’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” the longtime legal scholar sharply criticized Poetica Coffee after the business refunded Goldman’s purchase and later announced that it would not have served him had employees recognized him during his visit with his daughter.

The dispute has also attracted the attention of the federal government.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division confirmed that it has launched an investigation into whether Poetica Coffee violated federal anti-discrimination laws by publicly stating that it would have denied service to Goldman because of his pro-Israel views.

“Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote on X in announcing the probe.

Dershowitz said the episode is part of what he sees as a growing wave of hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community.

“I think that’s the way it has to be in New York,” Dershowitz told Van Susteren. “If Dan Goldman can’t have the coffee from the shop, nobody should.

“The Justice Department should shut it down. It should be boycotted,” he added.

The controversy erupted after Poetica Coffee published a social media post ridiculing Goldman and stating that staff members would have refused him service if they had realized who he was.

In that post, the coffee shop accused the Jewish congressman of facilitating “genocide” because of his support for Israel and implied that his financial backing came from the pro-Israel advocacy organization AIPAC.

Goldman later said his interaction with the barista had been cordial and described the entire incident as “sad.” He urged Americans to focus on finding common ground instead of allowing political differences to drive further division.

Dershowitz likened the situation to an incident he experienced last year, when a food vendor on Martha’s Vineyard refused to serve him because of his political positions and his legal representation of controversial clients.

According to Dershowitz, he ultimately succeeded in persuading officials overseeing the marketplace to adopt a rule requiring all vendors to serve customers regardless of their political beliefs.

He said he now intends to pursue similar legal action against the Brooklyn coffee shop.

“The law of New York prohibits discrimination based on invidious characteristics, including religion,” Dershowitz said. “Obviously this is based in part on religion, because Zionism is part of the Jewish religion.”

The Harvard Law School professor emeritus also faulted Democratic leaders for what he believes has been an inadequate response to rising antisemitism.

“This is a horrible situation,” Dershowitz said. “If it could happen to New York, it can happen anywhere.”

The Justice Department has not announced a timetable for completing its investigation, and Poetica Coffee has not publicly commented on the federal probe.

{Matzav.com}

The fiercest competition in artificial intelligence right now is not over smarter chatbots, faster models, or bigger valuations.

It is over electricity.

As AI companies race to build the infrastructure needed to power the next generation of artificial intelligence, access to energy is emerging as one of the industry’s most important strategic advantages. What was once a technology story is increasingly becoming a power-grid story.

The challenge reached Washington this week as lawmakers debated whether technology companies should bear more of the costs associated with the massive strain AI data centers are placing on electrical infrastructure.

Behind every AI query sits a network of servers, advanced processors, cooling systems, and storage equipment consuming enormous amounts of power.

The scale is difficult to comprehend.

Modern AI data centers require vastly more electricity than traditional cloud-computing facilities. A single large AI campus can consume as much power as a small city.

That reality has created a race unlike anything the technology industry has faced before.

Among the major players, Amazon and Google increasingly appear to hold important advantages.

Amazon benefits from the enormous footprint already established through Amazon Web Services, the world’s largest cloud-computing provider. Decades of investment have given AWS access to critical data-center locations, utility relationships, and transmission infrastructure that newer competitors cannot easily replicate.

Google’s approach has focused heavily on long-term energy partnerships.

The company has secured major renewable-energy agreements, invested in next-generation technologies, and pursued innovative approaches to guaranteeing future electricity supplies. These efforts are designed not only to support sustainability goals but also to ensure adequate energy for future AI expansion.

Other competitors are making similar moves.

Microsoft has pursued nuclear-energy agreements. Meta continues investing heavily in renewable-energy projects. OpenAI and its partners are exploring large-scale energy initiatives capable of supporting future AI systems.

The urgency reflects forecasts from energy analysts.

Global electricity demand from data centers is expected to rise dramatically during the next decade, driven primarily by artificial intelligence workloads. Some projections suggest AI-related power consumption could double or even triple before 2030.

That growth creates important economic and political questions.

When utilities invest billions of dollars to expand transmission networks, build generation capacity, or upgrade infrastructure, someone ultimately pays the bill. Policymakers increasingly want to ensure residential customers and small businesses are not forced to subsidize AI expansion.

The investment numbers are staggering.

Technology companies collectively expect to spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on AI infrastructure, making this one of the largest capital-investment cycles in modern corporate history.

Yet money alone cannot solve the problem.

Building power plants takes years. Expanding transmission networks requires permits, environmental reviews, and regulatory approvals. Securing reliable energy supplies has become a long-term strategic challenge rather than a simple purchasing decision.

That reality increasingly favors companies that planned ahead.

Those that already control major data-center campuses, established utility relationships, and long-term energy contracts possess advantages that become more valuable as electricity demand rises.

The next stage of the AI race may not be determined solely by algorithms, software, or semiconductors.

It may be determined by something much simpler.

Who can keep the lights on.

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

Last night, SpaceX launched of Starlink satellites into orbit from California

(Ty: JWC)

Three judges currently serving on the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, arguing that the penalties are unlawful and exceed the administration’s legal authority, according to Reuters.

The case, filed in federal court in Manhattan, was brought by ICC judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin.

In their complaint, the judges contend that the sanctions were not a legitimate exercise of executive power but rather an effort to intimidate members of the court and pressure them into changing their judicial conduct through measures imposed outside the normal legal process.

The White House, the Treasury Department, and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the filing of the lawsuit.

The legal dispute stems from sanctions the Trump administration imposed last year after the Hague-based court approved an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The sanctions also related to the ICC’s separate investigation into allegations of war crimes involving US military personnel in Afghanistan.

According to the lawsuit, the sanctions have far-reaching financial consequences because major international banks must comply with US sanctions rules if they conduct business in US dollars or maintain operations in the United States. As a result, those targeted face severe restrictions on access to routine banking and financial services.

The judges also argue that the administration improperly relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), asserting that the ICC’s judicial decisions do not constitute the type of extraordinary national security threat required under the law to justify such sanctions.

In addition, the plaintiffs maintain that the sanctions have directly interfered with their judicial responsibilities by preventing them from receiving legal submissions and reviewing evidence in both current and future cases before the court.

{Matzav.com}

The police officer who was filmed kicking a protester on his head during the Peleg Yerushalmi protest last week was questioned on Thursday by the Police Internal Investigations Department, Channel 12 News reported.

The investigation was launched after videos circulated from the protest, showing the officer kicking a protester who was lying on the ground, among other acts of violence by officers, including throwing stun grenades directly at protestors. Other officers humiliated protestors by deliberately ripping their pants off in the middle of the street..

Shortly after the videos were published, the police announced that the officer seen kicking the protester had been immediately suspended from operational duties pending clarification of the circumstances surrounding the incident. The police also officially acknowledged that “there were officers who did not act according to procedures.”

Shas MK Yoav Ben Tzur of Shas submitted a motion to the Knesset this week on the issue of “Police Violence Against Chareidi Protesters.”

“The shocking footage reaching us in recent days should keep every citizen of the State of Israel awake at night,” Ben Tzur said. “Police officers are acting with brutal, unrestrained violence and injuring Chareidi protesters until they bleed. These disturbing scenes expose a painful truth — a flawed policy of selective, discriminatory, and outrageous enforcement has recently taken root within the Israel Police.”

“Kaplan protesters are addressed through loudspeakers and negotiations, while the batons, beatings, and stun grenades are reserved for Chareidi protesters. And I cry out from the Knesset podium: Why? Is Chareidi blood less red than that of other citizens?”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A flight operated by PAL Airlines on behalf of Air Canada was traveling Wednesday evening from Newark to Halifax when the captain suffered a sudden medical emergency, causing the aircraft to deviate from its course and perform unusual maneuvers.

The flight crew and passengers were forced to act quickly and calmly to manage the situation until the aircraft made a successful emergency landing in Boston.

Air Canada said that Flight AC7664, operated by regional partner PAL Airlines, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Wednesday when the captain experienced the medical emergency.

Rodney MacDonald, a passenger traveling with his family, described the frightening moments to ABC News: “The moment the plane veered off course, I knew something was wrong because it wasn’t turbulence. It felt like someone was moving the controls in an unnatural way.”

MacDonald recounted how a flight attendant rushed into the cockpit and then pulled the pilot into the passenger cabin. “I could see that the pilot was physically out of sorts, not violent, but it was clear that he wasn’t in control of his senses and needed to be restrained.”

MacDonald, along with four other passengers, including a registered nurse who provided guidance, spent about 40 minutes helping restrain the pilot.

“We worked to keep him under control. It was an exhausting 40 minutes during which we used every seatbelt we could find to secure his legs, arms, and chest.”

Speaking about the cabin crew, he said:”They were fantastic. They stayed calm the entire time.”

The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely. The captain was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, according to the airline.

Here is the puzzle facing the Sunshine State. Some of the most famous names in American business are moving to Florida — yet more Floridians are out of work than at almost any point in years.

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported through the spring of 2026, Florida’s unemployment rate has climbed to 4.8%, up more than a full percentage point over the past year. That increase ranks among the fastest of any state, and it leaves Florida with one of the higher jobless rates in the country — a sharp reversal for a state that posted a record-low 2.7% rate as recently as 2022, while the national rate has barely budged over the same stretch.

The strange part is that this is happening while marquee companies plant flags in Florida. Billionaire Ken Griffin moved his hedge fund Citadel to Miami. Wells Fargo & Co. and data-analytics firm Palantir Technologies have announced high-profile relocations. French bank BNP Paribas is expanding in South Florida, and Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin is fueling fast growth on the so-called Space Coast near Orlando. So why is the broader job market weakening?

The short answer: the industries that actually employ most Floridians are pulling back, and a handful of splashy corporate moves aren’t enough to offset them.

Where the Jobs Are Disappearing

For years, Florida ran on real estate, construction, retail and tourism. All four are highly sensitive to interest rates and to how freely people are spending — and all four have cooled.

Over the past year, the state lost jobs in financial activities, construction, trade and transportation, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality. Within tourism alone, restaurants and hotels cut roughly 13,700 positions. Furniture stores, a good gauge of how many people are furnishing new homes, saw employment fall about 3.7%, while real-estate jobs dropped around 3.1%.

Government cuts added to the pain. Florida lost about 12,300 federal jobs over the year.

Nearly the only bright spot was health care and education, where employment grew by roughly 31,500 as the state’s aging population continued driving demand for medical services.

Why the Boom Cooled

Florida’s growth machine has long depended on people moving into the state.

That engine is slowing.

Net domestic migration — the number of Americans moving to Florida minus those leaving — fell to just 22,517 in the year through July 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That figure represents less than one-tenth of the migration peak reached during the post-pandemic relocation boom.

Fewer newcomers mean fewer home purchases, fewer renovations, and less spending throughout the economy.

Three major forces appear to be driving the slowdown.

The first is affordability. Home prices, rents, insurance costs, and other living expenses have risen dramatically, making Florida less attractive to many of the workers and retirees who once fueled population growth.

The second is labor availability. Increased immigration enforcement has reduced the pool of workers available to industries such as construction, hospitality, and agriculture that traditionally rely on immigrant labor.

The third is tourism.

According to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism agency, visitor numbers declined approximately 1% during the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

That may sound modest, but tourism remains one of Florida’s most important economic engines.

“We’re highly dependent on tourism and retail,” said Howard Frank, a public policy professor at Florida International University. When consumers cut back on vacations, dining out, and discretionary spending, Florida often feels the impact quickly.

The Catch With the Corporate Moves

The corporate relocations dominating headlines are real.

But they are relatively small when viewed against a statewide workforce exceeding 11 million people.

A hedge fund relocation may create a few hundred jobs. A technology company expansion may add several thousand more. Those positions often pay well and help local economies, particularly in South Florida.

But they do little for workers in other parts of the state who depend on construction, tourism, retail, transportation, or manufacturing.

That helps explain why areas benefiting from financial-sector growth have generally held up better than many other regions.

Economists say transforming Florida’s economy toward higher-paying white-collar industries will likely take years.

Guy Berger, chief economist at workforce-management software company Homebase, argues that moving from a tourism-heavy economy toward one centered on finance, technology, and professional services is a gradual process that will not immediately benefit every community.

What It Means

For everyday Floridians, the picture is mixed.

The corporate announcements involving Citadel, Palantir, BNP Paribas, and Blue Origin are genuine signs that Florida continues attracting investment and new industries.

At the same time, the broader labor market is flashing warning signs.

The state’s traditional growth model — built on affordability, migration, construction, and tourism — is facing increasing pressure as costs rise and population growth slows.

That split is becoming one of the defining economic stories in Florida.

In the short term, more residents are struggling to find work as several major industries contract.

Over the longer term, the critical question is whether Florida can successfully transition toward a more diversified economy built around higher-paying, less cyclical jobs before the weaknesses in its traditional growth sectors become more pronounced.

The latest employment figures suggest that transformation remains very much a work in progress.

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

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Rescue teams raced Thursday to the areas hardest hit by a pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, killing at least 164 people, injuring nearly 1,000 and trapping many beneath collapsed buildings.

Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country’s main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Television broadcasts Thursday showed rescue workers using power tools to work their way into piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Panicked residents of the capital were sent pouring into the streets, and after the quakes many people walked among the debris searching for the missing among collapsed buildings and toppled electric poles.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who gave the latest death toll early Thursday, said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. Officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble, she said.

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.

Patients lie outside a hospital evacuated after it was damaged in an earthquake in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” Rodríguez said.

Video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira.

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.

Rodríguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to Venezuela.

Caracas residents reeling from two strong quakes
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked when they turned back to see destroyed walls that left furniture visible from the street. Columns of dust rose in two typically busy neighborhoods in the capital.

“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake just a minute later, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage structures, and many people stayed on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. In downtown Caracas, hundreds of people spent the night huddled around parks, parking lots and other open spaces. Authorities warned against returning to homes with structural damage.

“We were afraid the buildings would collapse on us,” said María Cristina Díaz, a 41-year-old janitor. “My mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn’t sleep a wink; but I didn’t want to spend the night alone at home after that terrible earthquake.”

“It was awful. We cried, we screamed. Thankfully, we’re alive,” she added.

Díaz and her family rushed to Plaza Candelaria in downtown Caracas because it’s one of the few open areas near her home.

Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone coverage, and the earthquakes damaged and closed Simón Bolívar International Airport, the country’s main airport, Rodríguez said.

In Caracas, subway services were suspended and natural gas shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.

On Thursday morning scores of people battled with lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela as they took to social media to track down missing family members.

Several governments offered assistance
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.

Offers of help poured in from countries around the world.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.”

“We will have a whole government response,” Rubio said Thursday in Bahrain. “It will be big. It will be fast. It will be effective.”

He added that one of the runways at Caracas’ international airport was cracked in the earthquake, making landing aircraft there difficult.

Rodríguez — who became acting president after an American military operation captured her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to the U.S. to stand trial — thanked U.S. President Donald Trump. She said in an X post later that she spoke with Rubio by phone without sharing details. She also expressed thanks to the leaders of various nations who have sent messages of support and offers of help.

Ecuador ordered the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Rodríguez said Qatar, Mexico and El Salvador had already sent rescue personnel.

“We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela’s government, wrote in a post on X.

President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has been permanently halted, praising recent US military operations and predicting that the region is on the verge of a historic era of peace.

Addressing supporters at a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Trump pointed to the recently announced agreement with Iran as a landmark achievement of his presidency.

“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s done.”

The president also credited the US military with dismantling Iran’s military capabilities, describing the campaign as overwhelmingly successful.

“And thanks to the power and skill of the United States Armed Forces,” he continued, “today Iran has no Navy, no Air Force, no anti-aircraft capacity, no missile launchers, no manufacturing, and their leadership has been obliterated.”

Trump said he believes the developments have fundamentally changed the future of the Middle East and predicted that a long-sought peace is finally within reach.

“And for the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East. We’re going to have peace in the Middle East.”

.@POTUS: Last week, we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplish what no President has ever been able to accomplish before — Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon! pic.twitter.com/4jEEqp16CD

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2026

He also argued that the agreement has already benefited American consumers, pointing to falling energy prices and forecasting further declines at the gas pump.

“Today it hit a new low, and the world is a much safer place. We had to make that little journey to Iran to do what we did. Very soon you’ll be at $2.50 a gallon for gasoline, and even lower than that, just like it was before we took the nuclear weapon away from Iran.”

Trump’s remarks followed comments he made a day earlier in Pennsylvania, where he warned that military action could quickly resume if Tehran failed to honor its commitments or abandoned what he described as a reasonable path forward.

“Iran has been great – IF Iran is reasonable, IF they’re smart. Otherwise, we’ll have to finish the job,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania.

He continued by emphasizing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained the central objective of the agreement.

“As you know, we just achieved a historic peace agreement with Iran to end the conflict… and most importantly, we are ensuring one thing very importantly- because this is why I did it… Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that.”

Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the administration’s position, saying the United States expects Iran to carry out every commitment it made during negotiations in Switzerland.

“We expect them to live up to the commitments they made in Switzerland,” he told reporters. “If they don’t live up to those commitments, the President has a lot of options at his disposal, including, I’m not saying he’s going to do it, I’m saying including reversing these sanctions.”

Rubio stressed that the administration would closely monitor Tehran’s compliance and noted that President Trump has made his expectations unmistakably clear.

“They’ve made very straight-up commitments in Switzerland, and the President has been very clear they need to keep those commitments.”

The secretary of state concluded by saying the United States remains willing to pursue diplomacy, but only if Iran agrees to an agreement that is both meaningful and fully enforceable.

“If we’re going to get a deal, it has to be a real deal, and it has to be a good deal,” he said. “If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that. If they’re not, then, of course, the President has options.”

{Matzav.com}

This post was originally published on this site.

https://thelakewoodscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wa-1782393135095-rqkd0p.mp4

https://thelakewoodscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/wa-1782393108732-q6dxdk.mp4

For the first time since 2023, a majority of Americans believe buying a home is a better financial move than renting, signaling a notable shift in consumer sentiment even as high prices and elevated mortgage rates continue to challenge affordability.

According to the latest Bank of America Homebuyer Insights Report, released Tuesday, 53% of Americans now prefer buying a home over renting, up from 48% a year ago and 47% in 2024. The findings suggest that many consumers are becoming more optimistic about homeownership despite persistent obstacles in the housing market.

“We are seeing meaningful changes in attitudes toward homeownership,” said Matt Vernon, Head of Consumer Lending at Bank of America.

The survey, conducted by Sparks Research between April 13 and May 10, included 2,000 adults evenly divided between homeowners and renters.

Homeownership Regains Appeal

The report found growing confidence in the long-term value of owning a home.

About 90% of respondents now view a home as a valuable investment, up from 79% a year ago. Meanwhile, 94% said homeownership provides stability, compared with 83% in last year’s survey.

Nearly one-third of respondents also reported feeling more confident about their ability to purchase a home this year.

The shift comes even as affordability remains a major concern.

Mortgage rates have eased slightly from recent peaks and currently hover near 6.5%, while home-price growth has moderated in many markets. The median U.S. listing price stood at approximately $429,500 in May, according to housing data cited in the report.

At the same time, renters have increasingly sought ways to reduce housing expenses by moving to smaller apartments, sharing living arrangements, relocating to less expensive areas, or giving up premium amenities. As a result, ownership appears more attractive to many consumers despite its higher upfront costs.

Buyers Growing Tired of Waiting

Another important trend is the declining number of consumers waiting for a perfect market.

The share of prospective buyers holding off for lower mortgage rates or home prices fell to 71%, down from 75% a year earlier.

Younger generations are leading that change.

Many buyers now appear willing to accept higher borrowing costs rather than continue delaying major life decisions. Industry analysts also point to a gradual easing of the so-called “lock-in effect,” where homeowners with ultra-low pandemic-era mortgage rates were reluctant to sell and move.

Affordability Remains the Biggest Challenge

Despite the improving sentiment, affordability concerns actually increased.

A majority of respondents—58%, up from 46% last year—identified high home prices as the biggest barrier to ownership. Another 47% cited elevated mortgage rates, compared with 40% a year ago.

The findings suggest Americans are not necessarily viewing housing as affordable. Instead, many increasingly believe that waiting for dramatically lower prices or interest rates may no longer be realistic.

Gen Z Finds Creative Ways to Buy

Younger buyers continue to adapt to challenging conditions.

Among Generation Z respondents:

• 28% reported taking on additional jobs to save for a home.
• 32% said they are considering buying with friends or family members.
• 31% plan to use down-payment assistance programs.

Bank of America noted that social and financial pressures to achieve homeownership remain particularly strong among younger adults, helping fuel the recent shift in sentiment.

AI Enters the Homebuying Process

Technology is also beginning to influence purchasing decisions.

One in five buyers and homeowners reported using artificial intelligence tools or chatbots during the past year to assist with homebuying research. Among Gen Z respondents, usage climbed to roughly one-third.

Consumers primarily used AI to estimate costs, understand the buying process, compare financing options, and research neighborhoods.

However, most respondents still preferred human professionals when making final decisions, touring homes, negotiating contracts, and handling legal matters.

Sentiment Is Improving Faster Than Sales

The report’s authors caution that improved attitudes do not necessarily translate into immediate home purchases.

The survey measures consumer sentiment rather than transaction activity, and the same challenges that have slowed housing sales remain in place: limited inventory, elevated prices, and mortgage rates that remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

Still, the change in outlook is significant.

Among current homeowners, 52% expect to purchase another home in the future, while the share planning to buy within the next year increased to 22%, up from 15% a year ago.

After three years in which renting or waiting often appeared to be the more practical option, many Americans are once again viewing homeownership as the stronger long-term path to financial security, stability, and wealth creation.

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

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)

It is summer time, and the 17th of Tammuz is one week away – next Thursday.  Many people are travelling to Yerushalayim to spend some time there.  The Gemorah (Taanis 26a to 28b) lists five tragedies that occurred on Shiva Asar B’Tamuz:

1. Foreshadowing what was to come, Moshe Rabbeinu found Klal Yisroel worshipping the golden Eigel when he came down from Har Sinai. He broke the first set of luchos on the 17th of Tammuz.
2. During Bayis Rishon, there was a three year siege where Nevuchadnezzar managed to put a stop to the Korban Tamid that was offered daily by the Kohanim. It was not restored until the 2nd Beis HaMikdash was built. [Let’s think about that loss whenever we say the Korban Tamid.]
3. On the 17th of Tammuz, the walls of Yerushalayim were broken into during the time of the 2nd Beis HaMikdash.
4. During the time before the destruction of the 2nd Beis HaMikdash, a Greek general named Apostumos publically burned a Sefer Torah. It was a Sefer Torah written by Ezra HaSofer himself, and was the most authoritative one that we had.
5. Apostumos placed a statue in the Beis HaMikdash. According to the Talmud Yerushalmi it was much earlier — and done by Menasseh Ben Chizkiyahu. We are not really sure whether Apostumos was a Greek General and he did it in the time before the Chashmonayim or if it was during the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash or not.

It is the third of those five tragedies — the breaching of the walls of Yerushalayim during the time of the 2nd Beis HaMikdash — that draws our attention to the walls themselves. What were those walls?

Where did they stand, how were they built, and where exactly were they breached? Recent archaeology has brought much of this into sharp focus, and the picture that emerges allows us to stand, in our minds, on the very ground where the events we mourn took place.

Yerushalayim at Its Largest

During the Bayis Sheini period, Yerushalayim was a busy, crowded city. According to Josephus, during the rule of Herod Agrippa the population reached about 120,000 people.

The Three Parts of the City

During Bayis Sheini Yerushalayim was made up of three main sections.

The Lower City sat on the smaller eastern hill, the same spot where the older Jebusite city had once stood. Its highest point, on the Har HaBayis, was 2,438 feet above sea level.

The Upper City was built on the western hill and was higher, reaching 2,549 feet above sea level. The city spread over this western hill during the later years of Klal Yisroel’s monarchy and during the period of the Chashmonayim.

Both the Lower City and the Upper City had a natural advantage: they had deep valleys that surrounded them. These valleys acted like natural walls and made Yerushalayim easier to defend, but they also limited how far it could grow. Together these two sections covered only about 161 acres.

The third section was called Beth-zeisa in Hebrew, meaning “olive orchard.” It was also known as the “new city.” Unlike the other two parts, it had no deep valleys to protect it. Because nothing blocked its growth, it spread north and became the largest part of the city, covering about 284 acres. Its highest point was in the northwest, at the Psephinos Tower, 2,625 feet above sea level. This was probably where the Russian Compound now stands.

At its largest, near the end of the Bayis Sheini period, the whole city covered about 445 acres. A wall surrounded it that was, on average, 33 feet tall and 13 to 16 feet thick. This made Yerushalayim the largest walled city in the country and one of the greatest in the entire Middle East. This wall marked not only defense but Kedusha. The Mishnah in Keilim (1:6–9) lists walled cities a rung of holiness above the rest of Eretz Yisrael, since metzoraim are sent outside of them. Yerushalayim, of course, is holier still.

The Three Northern Walls and the City’s Weak Point

Why the North Was Vulnerable

At the end of the Bayis Sheini period, three walls protected the northern side of the city. All three started at the same place: the Hippicus Tower, which is the Citadel near today’s Jaffa Gate.

Why did all three begin there? Because the land north of the line running from the Hippicus Tower to the Har HaBayis had no deep valleys to defend it. The Ben-Hinnom, Tyropoeon, and Kidron Valleys only became deep south of that line, so they could protect only the southern parts of the city. The north was the weakest spot — and that is where enemies chose to attack. The Gemara in Shvuos (16a) notes that the part of Yerushalayim added by those who returned from Bavel was not given the full kedushah of the city, since it was sanctified without a king and without the Urim VeTummim. Because that consecration lacked the full procedure, the Gemara observes, those less scrupulous about tumah and maaser would eat kodshim kalim there but not maaser sheni — a halachic sign that this newer, northern area stood apart from the older, fortified parts.

Building the Third Wall

The third wall was started during the reign of Agrippa, between 41 and 44 CE. It was not finished at that time, because Claudius, the Roman Emperor, suspected that Klal Yisroel was planning a rebellion and wanted the work stopped. Later, the Zealots finished the wall during the Great Revolt, in 66 CE.

The wall began at the Hippicus Tower and ran northeast, following roughly the same line as today’s wall, all the way to the Psephinos Tower. From there it followed the high ground that separated two drainage basins: the Ben-Hinnom stream basin to the southwest and the Tyropoeon Valley basin to the southeast. The wall then dropped steeply eastward along the line of today’s HaNevi’im Street, turned east toward the Kidron Valley, and ran just south of the Tomb of the Kings.

What the Diggers Found

Archaeologists have uncovered parts of this wall at several spots. In 1912, near the northwestern corner of the present city wall (close to the New Gate), L.H. Vincent discovered a fort called Kalat Jalud, or “Fort of Goliath.” This fort later played an important role in the fighting between Crusaders and Muslims in Yerushalayim, and stones from the third wall were found at its base. (Scholars today believe the standing tower itself was actually built much later, in the medieval period, even though older third-wall stones turn up around it. The Crusaders knew it as Tancred’s Tower.)

A section of the wall about 656 feet long and 15 feet thick was found in the foundations of the Italian Hospital, which is easy to spot because of its square tower. The Italian Hospital in Jerusalem is a historic Neo-Gothic building completed in 1919 by the Italian Barluzzi brothers and currently houses the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Researchers E.L. Sukenik and A.L. Mayer excavated these remains in 1924–25 and again in 1940. More of the wall can be seen on Nablus Street, about 1,476 feet north of the Damascus Gate, where one part is fenced off and another to the east is open to view. Other archaeologists later uncovered an additional 984 feet of the wall.

The bottom layers of the wall were made from a mix of small stones and mortar combined with fieldstones. On top of those sat large, finely cut stones called ashlars, shaped in the careful “Herodian” style; on average they measured about 3.94 by 3.28 feet. A few towers stood along the wall, sticking out about 26 feet and measuring 39 feet wide.

A Major Discovery: Proof of the Roman Attack (2016)

For most of the twentieth century, scholars argued about the exact path of the third wall and how far the city reached when the Romans attacked. In the winter of 2015–16, that debate took a major turn. During a dig in the Russian Compound — carried out before a new college campus was built — archaeologists Dr. Rina Avner and Kfir Arbib of the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered the base of a large tower from the wall. It measured about 43 by 22 feet.

Right next to the tower’s western side, they found about 79 ballista stones and sling stones — the heavy projectiles the Romans had fired from catapults at the Jewish guards defending the wall. There was also a clear burn layer in the ground. Together, these finds are the physical traces of the Roman bombardment led by Titus in 70 CE.

The Romans fired these stones to drive the defenders off the wall so their soldiers could move in with battering rams and break through. This discovery matched the eyewitness account written by the historian Josephus, and it gave strong evidence for where the third wall really ran in the western part of the city.

Later work supported this picture. A 2023 mapping study, which used computer tools to combine all the older excavation records into one map, traced a continuous northern wall line and confirmed that the third wall brought Yerushalayim to its largest-ever size of about 445 acres — the figure described above.

A Major Discovery: Re-Dating the Bayis Rishon Wall (2024)

In 2024, a large scientific study by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science changed how some of the earliest walls are dated. Using an improved form of radiocarbon (carbon-14) dating, the team studied about 100 carefully collected samples of ancient organic material from the City of David.

It was once thought that the Bayis Rishon–period city wall in the eastern part of the City of David was built by Chizkiyahu HaMelech, to defend Yerushalayim during the Assyrian siege. The new study suggests that this eastern wall was built earlier, during the reign of Uziyahu HaMelech, soon after a major earthquake struck the city.

The same research indicates that the city had spread westward already in the 9th century BCE — about a hundred years earlier than many had thought — and that Yerushalayim was more settled in very early times than once believed.

When the Walls Were Greatest — and When They Shrank

Yerushalayim’s walls were at their grandest during the time of Herod the Great and his successors. They were also at their longest then, enclosing about 445 acres. From Hadrian’s time until the Turkish period, the walls grew shorter and shorter, until the city reached its present size of about 232 acres.

After the Churban Bayis Sheini, the walls shrank inward toward the center — except during the Christian/Byzantine period, when they stretched out again. Titus completely destroyed the walls, and Hadrian rebuilt them, this time roughly following the line of the second wall. Chazal fixed that destruction on the calendar: the Gemara (Taanis 29a) teaches that the Beis HaMikdash caught fire toward the end of the ninth of Av and burned into the tenth — the same conflagration the archaeologists read in the burn layer by the third wall. In the north the new wall stuck out a little; in the south it ran very close to the Har HaBayis wall. The Roman city did not include the Beth-zeisa (new city) area or the southern slopes of the Lower and Upper Cities.

Meanwhile, the eastern and western walls from the Bayis Sheini period were mostly left standing after the Churban, because the deep Kidron and Ben-Hinnom Valleys protected them.

The Roman City Plan

The Roman city built by Hadrian and his successors had the typical Roman layout: two main streets crossing each other at right angles. These streets are clearly shown in the famous sixth-century Medeba map. They began at the city’s main gates, running from the Damascus Gate to the Zion Gate, and from the Jaffa Gate to the Har HaBayis and the Lions’ Gate. This design split the city into roughly four quarters — a layout that, with only small changes, still exists today.

A Major Discovery: Dating Wilson’s Arch (2020)

Scholars also argued for years about another famous structure connected to the Bayis Sheini period: Wilson’s Arch, the bridge that once carried mispallelim toward the Har HaBayis. Some thought it was built by Herod the Great around the time of the Bayis Sheini, while others believed it was much later, from the early Islamic period.

Between 2015 and 2019, an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation studied the arch in detail, and radiocarbon results published in 2020 settled the question. The first bridge to Har HaBayis was completed at roughly 20 BCE to 20 CE, placing it firmly in the Bayis Sheini period, and it was later made wider in the mid-first century CE. While digging, the team also made a surprising find: a small Roman theater-like structure hidden beneath the arch for about 1,700 years, which appears to have been left unfinished.

We began with the five tragedies of Shiva Asar B’Tamuz, and among them stood the breaching of the walls of Yerushalayim during the time of the 2nd Beis HaMikdash. The ballista stones lying beside the tower in the Russian Compound, the burn layer in the soil, and the Herodian ashlars uncovered along the third wall are the physical remains of the very breach that Chazal recorded. 

May our recalling of these events, together with tefillah and  maasim tovim, hasten the day when the walls of Yerushalayim are rebuilt and the Korban Tamid is once again offered, bimheirah b’yameinu.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

This story about the May PCE inflation report is developing and will be updated with further details.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose in May as price pressures persist in the wake of the energy shock caused by the Iran war.

The Commerce Department on Thursday reported that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index rose 0.4% on a monthly basis in May and is 4.1% higher than a year ago. The monthly figure came in slightly cooler than the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who predicted a 0.5% rise, while the annual figure was in line with the estimate.

Core PCE, which excludes volatile measurements of food and energy prices, was up 0.3% on a monthly basis and 3.4% from a year ago. Both figures were in line with expectations.

, the US business increased by 2.1 %.

The ultimate reading of the U.S. first-quarter GDP is a developing subject. Test again frequently for changes.

According to the Commerce Department’s measure, the U.S. business expanded more quickly than expected in the first quarter.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis ( BEA ) released its final reading of the first-quarter GDP on Thursday, which revealed the country’s economy increased by 2.1 % annually over the three-month period, including January, February, and March. &nbsp,

That figure exceeded the expectations of LSEG-surveyed economists, who had predicted a 1.6 % GDP growth in the first quarter. Prior to the BEA’s initial correction, the figure was originally projected at 2 % before being lowered to 1.6 %.

US ECONOMY GROUND AT 0.5 % IN THE Fourth.

Two decades after Hamas terrorists kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in an attack that stunned Israel, the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense on Thursday released the Southern Brigade’s official command post operations log from the day of the abduction. Published for the first time, the records provide a detailed, minute-by-minute reconstruction of the military’s response as commanders gradually realized an Israeli soldier had been taken into Gaza.

The newly declassified documents chronicle the progression of events from the earliest reports of explosions and heavy gunfire near the Gaza border through the activation of the “Hannibal Directive”—an IDF protocol intended to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers—and finally to the moment officials confirmed that one member of the armored unit had disappeared and had been abducted by Hamas terrorists.

The attack took place on the morning of June 25, 2006, when a Hamas terrorist squad emerged from a tunnel dug beneath the border near Kerem Shalom and launched a surprise assault on an IDF tank crew. Lieutenant Hanan Barak and Staff Sergeant Pavel Slutsker were killed during the fierce fighting, while several additional soldiers sustained injuries. Amid the confusion created by the attack, the terrorists seized Gilad Shalit from the tank and rapidly transported him across the border into the Gaza Strip.

According to the operations log, the first warning reached the command center at 5:13 a.m., when multiple explosions were reported near Kerem Shalom. Commanders initially believed the blasts were caused by incoming mortar shells or rockets. One minute later, the gravity of the situation escalated when the log recorded the words, “Casualties reported.” Soon afterward, reports flooded in describing attack helicopters being dispatched, special forces mobilizing, and terrorists observed inside Israeli military positions and trenches.

More than an hour after the attack began, at 6:40 a.m., the breakthrough realization appeared in the command log: “A soldier is missing from the tank.” Four minutes later, commanders officially activated the “Hannibal” protocol in response to the suspected kidnapping.

By 7:12 a.m., troops searching the area discovered a protective vest and helmet lying near the security fence. Despite the alarming find, soldiers noted there were no visible signs that anyone had been dragged from the scene.

The military’s fears were confirmed at exactly 8:00 a.m., when the operations log identified the captive: “Name of the abducted soldier: Gilad Shalit.” Nearly two hours later, another entry reported that “inside the area, tracks belonging to both the terrorists and the abducted soldier have been identified.” Around midday, investigators added another troubling discovery: “the abducted soldier’s vest is with the chief tracker and shows bloodstains and shrapnel damage.”

Beyond documenting the sequence of events, the records also capture the uncertainty that gripped military commanders as they struggled to assess the rapidly developing crisis. A situation assessment prepared later that afternoon reflected the growing understanding that Israel was facing a major strategic challenge: “The soldier is likely alive, location unknown, possibly outside our sector, the attack was carried out by Hamas. They have been planning this attack for about three weeks and it is unrelated to current operations or recent events in the Strip… This could escalate into a major confrontation due to the hostage… There is a possibility the hostage is no longer in our sector and has been moved further north.”

Later in the day, at 4:34 p.m., the field commander reported that Shalit’s footprints had been positively identified near what troops believed was the entrance to the Hamas tunnel used in the attack. About an hour afterward, another disturbing report was entered into the log: “A rumor is circulating that the captured soldier was moved through a tunnel into Egypt to better secure him and negotiate his return. The reliability of this information is unclear.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Trump as midterm elections near.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the largest annual increase since April 2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4% last month, matching April’s increase and down from 0.7% in March.

The increase was largely driven by more expensive gas, as well as pricier semiconductors and other computer equipment that are in high demand for the AI buildout. Rising prices have caused the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to keep their key rate unchanged this year, a reversal from January when they had penciled in two cuts. Some economists forecast the central bank could lift rates this year instead.

New Fed chair Kevin Warsh last week underscored the central bank’s determination to drive inflation back to its 2% target, but he gave no sign of what steps the Fed might take. Some economists, however, now expect the central bank to increase rates this year. Those expectations have helped drive down share prices this week.

Oil and gas prices have fallen substantially since Trump agreed to a peace deal with Iran, but the conflict lifted gas prices to nearly $4.50 a gallon on average nationwide last month. They have since fallen back to $3.92 as of Thursday, according to AAA.

Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, core prices rose 3.4% in May compared with a year earlier, up from 3.3% in April and the largest increase since October 2023. On a monthly basis, they rose 0.3% from April to May, the same as the previous month.

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Col. Simcha Applebaum, a Holocaust survivor who fought as a reservist in Israel’s wars and helped found Kibbutz Netzer Sereni, died Tuesday at the age of 99.

Applebaum served as deputy commander of the 188th “Barak” Armored Brigade during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. His life story, from the horrors of Nazi persecution to rebuilding the Jewish state, embodied the resilience of the Jewish people in the 20th century.

Born in 1927 in the village of Malch in the Pruzhany district — today in Belarus — Applebaum grew up in a traditional Jewish family. His father, Yaakov, was a prominent Zionist activist who organized agricultural training for young Jews preparing to immigrate to the Land of Israel.

During the Holocaust, Applebaum and his family were deported to the Pruzhany ghetto and later to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most of his relatives were murdered. He survived forced labor, multiple death marches, escapes, and imprisonment in Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. Liberated by U.S. forces in May 1945, he vowed during one of the marches to reach Eretz Israel, establish a settlement in memory of his family, and help build a Jewish state.

After the war, Applebaum joined the Kibbutz Buchenwald group in Germany and immigrated to pre-state Israel in March 1946 aboard the ship Tel-Hai. He fought in the 1948 War of Independence. On June 20, 1948, during a ceasefire, he and 16 fellow survivors established a settlement near Be’er Yaakov that became Kibbutz Netzer Sereni. He held senior positions there and in Israel’s Manufacturers Association.

Applebaum participated in all of Israel’s major wars through the Yom Kippur War, rising to the rank of colonel in the reserves. He helped plan and establish the Latrun Armored Corps Memorial and was known for his heroism in rallying troops during the 1973 conflict.

In later years, Applebaum dedicated himself to Holocaust education. He served as a witness on youth trips to Poland and shared his testimony in Israeli schools and with IDF soldiers. In 2011, he was chosen as one of six torch-lighters at Yad Vashem’s Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.

Applebaum is survived by his wife Naomi, children, and grandchildren, many of whom have served in IDF combat units. His passing marks the loss of a living link to pivotal chapters in Jewish history.

Twin deadly earthquakes, the strongest recorded in Venezuela in the past century, struck the country’s northern coast overnight, causing massive destruction in the capital city of Caracas and surrounding areas. There are fears of thousands of casualties.

Members of the Jewish community in Caracas described moments of absolute terror and helplessness. Elais Faraj, who was awakened by the earthquake, told Channel 12, “We felt like we were on a ship in the middle of a storm. The building shook nonstop. It lasted a very long time, then stopped for a few seconds, and then we felt another tremor. We felt like the building was about to move. It just kept going and going. You see the ceiling that could fall on you and the walls moving. Things were falling.”

Benny Mizrachi, another member of the Jewish community, described the destruction inside homes, “Inside the house, everything simply fell and broke—pictures, vases, and televisions. We saw blocks and walls collapsing in nearby buildings and large cracks opening up. The fear is intense. There’s nothing you can do. You have no control over anything.”

Footage he sent to Channel 12 shows his home shaking violently while objects crash to the floor.

According to community members, residents evacuated to open areas away from buildings because of the real concern over aftershocks. “Everyone in the Jewish community is okay,” Mizrachi said.

Chabad emissaries in Venezuela, Leibel and Chaftziva Schochet, were at home when the earthquake struck. Chafziva recounted the frightening moments in a conversation with Ynet:

“At six o’clock in the evening, I was home alone. I received an alert on my phone that an earthquake was about to happen, and within a split second, a terrible earthquake began. The entire house moved like an airplane in turbulence for fifteen minutes. There are cracks in the walls. Pictures fell off the walls. There is no electricity and no water.”

Following the severe reports and under the instructions of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem began holding urgent assessments with all relevant agencies.

The ministry is immediately examining assistance options and preparing for the possible deployment of an Israeli rescue and aid delegation to the disaster area in Venezuela.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Here is a full guide of all the local Independence Day celebrations, gathered by TLS.

Tuesday June 30th

Toms River

• The Toms River’s Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary on Tuesday, June 30th at 7 PM on Shelter Cove Beach featuring Austin City Nights, Fireworks after the concert, American themed giveaways, bounce houses, food trucks and more! Rain Date, Wednesday, July 1st.

Thursday July 2nd

Ocean County

• Ocean County will host its Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday, July 2nd at 7:30 PM at the Ocean County Parks Administration Building Bay-Front Field, 1198 Bandon Road, Toms River, NJ, featuring the “Stars and Stripes Spectacular” patriotic concert by a 25-piece orchestra, followed by a drone show, along with food trucks, games, and historical exhibits highlighting America’s 250th anniversary. The celebration continues on July 4th at 1:00 PM at the Ocean County Courthouse Lawn, Toms River, NJ, with a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and participation in the nationwide “Ringing from Sea to Shining Sea” bell-ringing ceremony.

Brick

• Brick Township’s SummerFest returns on Thursday, July 2nd at Windward Beach featuring Super Trans Am, a patriotic celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, fireworks over the Metedeconk River following the concert, food vendors, a beer & wine garden, and free shuttle service from multiple locations throughout town.

Howell

• Howell Township’s Independence Day Celebration takes place on Thursday, July 2nd from 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM at Soldier Memorial Park featuring live music by ZBTB – The Zac Brown Tribute Band, food trucks, rides and activities for kids, a beer & wine garden, cornhole, and fireworks at dusk. Free shuttle service will be available from Middle School North and South.

Friday July 3rd & Shabbos July 4th

Lakewood

• The Jersey Shore BlueClaws will host games on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th, featuring America’s 250th birthday celebrations, with each game followed by a post-game fireworks show, including the largest fireworks show of the season on July 4th.

Jackson

• Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township will have fireworks on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th, at approximately 9:30 PM each night. Exact location details have not been published at this time.
• Jackson Township’s Independence Day celebration will take place on July 4th from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Johnson Park featuring a community flea market, food vendors, face painting, cornhole tournament, and family-friendly activities.

Lakehurst

• Lakehurst Borough will host its annual 4th of July fireworks display on Friday, July 3rd at Lake Horicon featuring a community gathering at dusk and a fireworks show over the lake.

Along the Shore

• Beachwood will host its Independence Day fireworks on July 4th at 9:15 PM at Beachwood Beach, with a rain date of July 5th.
• Seaside Heights, New Jersey will host its 4th of July fireworks on Saturday, July 4th at 9:30 PM on the boardwalk near Franklin Avenue, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Sunday July 5th

Lakewood

• Lakewood Township will host its Independence Day fireworks and drone light show on Sunday, July 5th over Lake Carasaljo featuring a drone show at 8:45 PM followed by fireworks at 9:00 PM, with viewing available from North and South Lake Drives.

Along the Shore

• Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach will host its Independence Day Weekend fireworks on Sunday, July 5th at approximately 9:30 PM, featuring a beachfront fireworks display over the ocean that can be viewed from both the boardwalk and the beach.
• Lavallette will host its Independence Day fireworks and concert on Sunday, July 5th at 8:00 PM at the Lavallette Gazebo and Bayfront featuring live music followed by fireworks over the bay.

Buc-ee’s is fueling up for a larger national expansion, with 15 additional travel centers in the pipeline as the Texas-based chain pushes its empire farther beyond its home state.

The company opened its first Arizona location on Monday in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix, marking Buc-ee’s first stop in the Grand Canyon State and giving road-trippers another supersized destination for fuel, snacks and the chain’s famously clean restrooms, according to USA Today.

The 74,000-square-foot travel center features 120 fuel pumps and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The store is expected to create more than 200 jobs, and city officials said as many as 40,000 vehicles could visit during opening day and the following week, the outlet reported.

BUC-EE’S SET TO DEBUT IN 6 NEW STATES IN MAJOR EXPANSION PUSH ACROSS US

“We could not have picked a better location for our first store in the Grand Canyon State. Perfectly placed for our road-trippers headed out to California or coming in for the destination-rich Phoenix area, Goodyear will be the place to stop,” Stan Beard, director of real estate development at Buc-ee’s Ltd., said in a statement.

Buc-ee’s, founded in 1982, has grown from a Texas roadside favorite into one of the state’s most recognizable exports. The chain now has 56 locations across 13 states.

More openings are already on the calendar for 2026. A Buc-ee’s spokesperson confirmed to FOX Business upcoming locations in San Marcos, Texas, on Aug. 12; Benton, Arkansas, on Aug. 17; and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Nov. 16.

BELOVED BUC-EE’S CONVENIENCE STORE CHAIN FACES CUSTOMER SERVICE CRISIS AFTER DEVASTATING ‘F’ RATING

The company’s website also lists several planned locations but does not specify exact opening dates. 

Six are expected in 2027: Ruston, Louisiana; Kansas City, Kansas; Gallaway, Tennessee; St. Lucie, Florida; Boerne, Texas; and Monroe County, Georgia.

Two more locations are listed for 2028: Mebane, North Carolina, and Lafayette, Louisiana.

WILDLY POPULAR GAS STATION BUC-EE’S TO OPEN FIRST-EVER LOCATIONS IN NEW STATES THIS SUMMER

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Additional stores are planned for 2029 and beyond, including Ocala, Florida; West Memphis, Arkansas; Oak Grove, Kentucky; and Hardeeville, South Carolina, which is listed for 2031.

Earlier this year, the company opened its first Ohio location in Huber Heights, according to FOX 8 News.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hundreds of Border Police and special patrol unit officers, accompanied by inspectors from the Civil Administration, raided the Beit Anot hilltop outpost in the southern Hebron Hills near Kiryat Arba overnight Thursday, demolishing the homes of three families as well as the outpost’s synagogue.

The evacuation began around 2:30 a.m. Hundreds of officers approached the hill from several directions, surrounded the residents’ homes, and informed the families that they had only minutes to leave. Children were taken from their beds wrapped in blankets, while Arab laborers brought in by the Civil Administration were reportedly instructed to remove furniture and personal belongings from the homes.

During the operation, authorities allegedly did not stop at demolishing the buildings. They also confiscated vehicles belonging to two residents, along with an additional trailer. Three residents were arrested.

הילדים הוצאו מהמיטות, השופל עלה על הבית: הרס נרחב הלילה בהר חברון

מאות שוטרי מג”ב ויס”מ מלווים בפקחי המנהל האזרחי פשטו הלילה על גבעת בית ענות בהר חברון הסמוכה לקרית ארבע, והחריבו את בתיהן של 3 משפחות הגבעה ובית הכנסת במקום. מגדל המקום במקום נהרס גם הוא.

הפינוי החל סמוך לשעה… pic.twitter.com/yblCePNj4d

— אלישע ירד (@ElishaYered) June 25, 2026

“We woke up last night to a crazy and surreal event,” said resident Yaron Kilav, who was removed from his home together with his wife and eight children.

“Hundreds of police officers surrounded our house in a complex operation as if we were leaders of a crime organization. They gave us 10 minutes to get the children out of the house, and then Arab workers simply started throwing all the furniture and personal belongings outside—the baby’s crib, the beds, clothes, kitchen utensils, everything. The children were in shock.”

According to Kilav: “Before we came to Beit Anot, the entire ridge was under massive illegal Arab encroachment, including unauthorized water theft and hunting by residents of nearby villages. The security establishment slept through it for years and suddenly woke up only when Jews decided to put an end to the situation. It’s an absurdity beyond description.”

He added: “Rebuilding everything and rising from the dust with eight children is not simple at all, we know that very well. But at the same time, we know with complete certainty that we will do it. The homes will be rebuilt, the hilltop will be restored, and a permanent community will one day stand on this mountain, where Jewish boys and girls,including those who were evacuated from their homes tonight, will play in its streets.”

Beit Anot is named for a town mentioned in Yehoshua 15:59, whose name is perpetuated in the ruins of the village of Beit Anun, located northeast of Hevron.

Hertz Global Holdings is turning to investors for fresh cash as the rental-car giant works through a difficult turnaround and faces growing uncertainty in the used-car market, one of the most important drivers of its profitability.

In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, Hertz announced plans to raise approximately $400 million, consisting of $100 million in common stock and $300 million in exchangeable senior first-lien secured notes due 2030.

The move gives Hertz additional financial flexibility at a time when the company continues to rebuild following years of challenges, including its bankruptcy restructuring, heavy losses tied to electric vehicles, and ongoing pressure from fleet depreciation costs.

The larger portion of the financing comes through exchangeable notes, a type of debt that can later be converted into shares. The stock component is structured through a share-lending arrangement involving J.P. Morgan, allowing investors purchasing the notes to hedge their positions.

The capital raise comes as Hertz manages several financial pressures. During its most recent earnings call, company executives said they planned to limit fleet growth during the first half of the year while monitoring market conditions. Management also pointed to obligations including a settlement with Wells Fargo and a reduction in available revolving credit capacity.

At the center of Hertz’s turnaround remains the used-car market.

Unlike many companies, Hertz depends heavily on the resale value of its vehicles. The company purchases cars, rents them to customers, and later sells them into the used-car market. The higher those resale prices remain, the lower Hertz’s depreciation costs and the stronger its profits.

When used-car prices decline, the opposite occurs.

Hertz has warned investors that vehicle residual values can change rapidly and unexpectedly, creating significant swings in profitability. Earlier this year, stronger used-car pricing helped improve results. During the first quarter, monthly net depreciation per vehicle fell to $312, an improvement of 13% from a year earlier.

Any renewed weakness in used-car prices could reverse those gains.

The company is showing signs of recovery but remains far from a complete turnaround. First-quarter revenue increased 11% to $2.0 billion, marking Hertz’s strongest growth rate in three years. However, the company still reported an adjusted operating loss, with adjusted corporate EBITDA of negative $161 million.

Chief Executive Gil West has focused the company on what he calls a “Back-to-Basics” strategy centered on disciplined fleet purchases, stronger pricing, operational efficiency, and expanding direct vehicle sales through Hertz Car Sales.

Investors are also still watching the aftermath of Hertz’s highly publicized electric-vehicle strategy. The company purchased large numbers of EVs, including Teslas, before falling resale values forced substantial write-downs. Those losses contributed to a 2025 net loss of $747 million and damaged investor confidence.

The stock continues to trade near multiyear lows as Wall Street waits for evidence that the turnaround can produce sustainable profits.

For consumers, Hertz’s situation highlights how rental-car pricing is influenced by factors beyond travel demand. Used-car values, financing costs, and fleet availability all play major roles in determining rental rates. When costs rise or vehicle values fall, rental companies often maintain tighter fleets and firmer pricing.

For shareholders, the capital raise provides needed liquidity but also brings dilution through the issuance of additional shares.

The financing buys Hertz time, but the company’s future still depends on one critical factor: whether it can complete its turnaround while navigating an unpredictable used-car market. After bankruptcy, an EV misstep, and years of volatility, Hertz is once again asking investors for patience as it works toward a more stable future.

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

Mako military correspondent Shai Levy says that the IDF is misleading the public when it issues dramatic statements about “strategic assets” and “terror infrastructure” conquered in Lebanon.

Speaking in an interview with Kikar H’Shabbat, Levy said, “I’m not dismissing these infrastructures. They are significant terror infrastructures, with rockets, UAVs, and enormous quantities of weapons. But let’s say the truth—there are terror infrastructures like these from the Israeli border all the way to Beirut, and probably beyond.”

Levy asserted that the repeated use of dramatic language creates a distorted picture for both the public and decision-makers since exaggerating tactical achievements creates the impression that the IDF is close to defeating Hezbollah. In actuality, Hezbollah’s real center of gravity—its heavy missiles, primary command centers, and training camps—is located in the Bekaa Valley and deep inside Lebanon, areas the IDF is not approaching.

“If the goal is truly to dismantle Hezbollah, the IDF would have to push through all of Lebanon and go house to house,” he said. ” That’s what it would take—and we’re not prepared to do that, and it isn’t going to happen.”

The momentum that began with the pager operation, the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, and the elimination of much of Hezbollah’s senior leadership has stalled, and Israel now finds itself being pulled once again into the same Lebanese quagmire. Levy made a troubling comparison between the ceasefire period following the previous war in the north and the current situation. In the past, the IDF operated almost freely in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, eliminating hundreds of terrorists during the ceasefire period. Hezbollah did not dare fire a single bullet or launch even the smallest attack. The deterrence was complete.

Today, the reality is entirely different. US pressure has constrained Israeli military operations. Levy said that the IDF has made little advancement on the ground beyond the first and second lines of villages. Meanwhile, Hezbollah is killing soldiers, disrupting daily life, and continuing to launch drones and rockets toward northern yishuvim.

Levy’s conclusion is blunt: the military bears significant responsibility for this strategic decline by presenting misleading scenarios to both political leaders and the public.

The most disturbing part of Levy’s remarks concerns what he sees as a return to the same conceptual failures and lack of transparency that preceded the October 7 disaster. As someone who experienced the October 7 massacre both as a journalist and as a resident of the Gaza border region, Levy says he recognizes the same destructive patterns today. “Even now, the army is not telling residents the truth,” he stated.

He points to repeated incidents near Gaza in which terrorists have reached the Yellow Line, dangerously close to Israeli communities. Rather than raising an alarm, authorities often issue reassuring statements that minimize the seriousness of the situation.

Terms such as “routine gunfire” or “controlled explosions” are used to obscure reality. Emergency response teams are not always fully informed, ostensibly to avoid causing panic among residents.

According to Levy, this policy creates a false sense of security that can collapse in an instant when reality strikes. “If you keep telling me ‘everything is quiet, everything is quiet,’ and suddenly terrorists are inside my community, the basic contract has been broken.”

“I’m not trying to scare people. I’m saying: don’t fall asleep,” he concludes.

“You deserve to know what’s happening so you can understand what to do and what to demand. In many cases, phrases like ‘top secret’ or ‘state security’ are simply used to suppress criticism. After everything we’ve been through, nobody is going to brush us off anymore.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Colombia’s incoming president, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced Wednesday that one of his administration’s top foreign policy priorities will be rebuilding and dramatically expanding ties with Israel, signaling a sharp departure from the approach taken by the country’s outgoing government.

The conservative leader made the pledge after speaking by telephone with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, promising that relations between the two nations would reach unprecedented levels once he takes office.

“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” he wrote on social media following the call.

Sa’ar described the conversation warmly, emphasizing his optimism about the new administration in Bogotá.

“A short time ago, I held a phone conversation with my friend Abelardo de la Espriella, the President-elect of Colombia, who is also a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

Reflecting on the election outcome, Sa’ar praised the president-elect and expressed hope for the country’s future.

“I congratulated him on his important victory in the elections, a victory that creates hope and possibility for a better future for Colombia and its citizens, and I wished him great success,” added Sa’ar.

The Israeli foreign minister said both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to forging much closer cooperation between their countries in the years ahead.

“The President-elect reiterated in our conversation his commitment, which he also expressed during his election campaign, to the alliance between Israel and Colombia that will be stronger than ever. I too emphasized our strong desire to strengthen this alliance for the benefit of both our peoples. We will do this together – Colombia and Israel – and in a big way!” concluded the Foreign Minister.

De la Espriella won Sunday’s closely contested presidential runoff, narrowly defeating left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by less than one percentage point. Throughout his campaign, he repeatedly pledged to restore close strategic ties with both Israel and the United States.

His election represents a dramatic reversal from the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose administration repeatedly clashed with Israel. In May 2024, Petro cut diplomatic relations with the Jewish state over the war in Gaza and later instructed his government to open a Colombian embassy in Ramallah.

Petro also drew criticism after endorsing remarks by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who likened Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the actions of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler against the Jewish people during World War II.

More recently, Petro ignited another international firestorm by posting “Heil Hitler” on X. The controversy intensified days later when, during remarks before the UN Security Council, he again compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

De la Espriella, a prominent attorney and businessman who has never before held elected office, is set to be sworn in this August. He has vowed to dismantle many of Petro’s foreign policy decisions, including pursuing a significantly closer partnership with both Jerusalem and Washington. Among his signature proposals is the creation of a joint military alliance involving Colombia, Israel, and the United States.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian diplomats reportedly studied President Donald Trump’s negotiating style and The Art of the Deal before high-level talks with Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland, trying to understand when Trump was signaling policy and when he was using threats as pressure.

The preparation was tested at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, where Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Iran’s negotiating team, was meeting Vance. During the talks, an aide reportedly entered the room with an urgent message: Trump had just threatened Iran over Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump wrote.

Ghalibaf used the post against the talks themselves. According to Iranian and Israeli reports, he told Vance that the threat violated a reported memorandum of understanding reached days earlier, which committed the sides not to threaten or attack each other during the negotiation period.

“Today your president has issued threats. Understand that we never negotiate under threats or pressure,” Ghalibaf said. He then ended the direct face-to-face meeting. “The American side sought another meeting through the mediators, but we refused,” he added.

The episode showed how Trump’s public pressure tactics became part of the negotiations themselves. Reports said Iran had studied Trump’s 1987 book, co-written with Tony Schwartz, and consulted psychologists in an effort to separate actual U.S. policy from Trump’s threats, sudden posts and negotiating theatrics.

The direct meeting broke down, but the process did not collapse. Talks continued through Qatari and Pakistani mediators, while Vance later said the sides had made progress. “We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation,” he said.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Raed Abu Al-Qian, a civilian contractor with the IDF, was killed by a building collapse in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the military announced, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

The contractor, a resident of Hura, had been working on engineering projects in Gaza on behalf of the Defense Ministry. The IDF noted that the victim’s family has been notified.

On Tuesday, defense officials told Walla that the IDF had achieved operational control over 70% of the Gaza Strip. A security source noted that the area under Israeli control could grow over the coming months, while “Hamas is allegedly dragging its feet, entrenching itself in the field, recruiting operatives, and preparing for war with Israel.”

The defense officials told Walla that the Southern Command conducts daily assessments across the Gaza Strip, combining IDF and Shin Bet intelligence to coordinate operational responses to emerging threats.

On Tuesday night, the IDF struck four rocket launchers across the Gaza Strip that were set up by terror groups during the ceasefire, the military says.

“The launch posts that were destroyed were set up by the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip in the recent period, after the ceasefire came into effect,” the military says, adding that they were armed for attacks on IDF troops and Israel, “and therefore posed an immediate threat.”

On Wednesday, the Walla site reported that Israeli companies have begun negotiations regarding the large-scale demolition of Gaza’s structures. Sources described the negotiations as unprecedented in scope.

“The Board of Peace has a desire to advance the reconstruction process, but it is not meeting reasonable timelines or the scope they want,” a security source told Walla.

“We are talking about enormous amounts of destruction that they want to turn into recycled construction materials, to transport a large part of it, and at the same time to level the area in order to build new homes on it, and all this is happening even before Hamas has been disarmed and the Strip has been demilitarized,” the source added.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

For many people, this Shabbos marks the beginning of the “Country Season.” Tens of thousands of Yidden head for the hills, to their summer homes, to what we used to call bungalows, although, by now, most are anything but.

That got me thinking. Do you ever think about where you would go if you wanted to run away from everything?

Not a vacation. Not a weekend getaway. But a place where the noise of the world cannot reach you. A place where the pace of life is measured not by deadlines and headlines, but by the rising and setting of the sun.

I have heard people say that if they ever had to run away for some reason, chas veshalom, they would head to one of those small, picturesque towns tucked away in the hills of Vermont.

I can imagine being holed up in a modest farmhouse at the end of a winding dirt road, surrounded by acres of trees, with a stream running nearby and a porch where I could sit with a sefer and a cup of coffee as the world passes by unnoticed.

I have only been to Vermont a couple of times, but each time I was there, I thought that there was something almost mythical about the place. The rolling green mountains, the village greens, the family farms that have existed for generations, the maple trees that explode into brilliant shades of red and gold every autumn. It represents a kind of America that seems to have been frozen in time – a simpler, quieter place where neighbors know each other, children play outdoors until nightfall, and people still wave as they pass on country roads.

Of course, I am not planning on moving there anytime soon. Aside from the issue of finding kosher food and a minyan, I suspect that I would miss the noise and energy of our communities more than I realize. A Jew was never meant to live alone on a mountain, disconnected from a kehillah and the warmth of other Yidden.

In any case, the pipe dream went up in a puff of smoke when I read an article from The Free Press about an Israeli woman who moved to Bristol, Vermont, a tiny town of 3,782 residents, the kind of place where, as she described it, “you let your kids run outside barefoot and leave your doors unlocked.”

As a child of the Second Intifada, she had lived with the fear of terrorism and violence. She believed that by moving to a quiet corner of rural America, she had left those anxieties behind. Vermont was supposed to be her refuge; a place far removed from the conflicts and hatred of the Middle East.

But then she found herself sitting on a folding chair at a local gathering, hearing accusations of “land theft” and chants about the “occupied land of Palestine.” In that moment, she said, she no longer believed that she was safe.

Think about that for a moment.

If antisemitism can make its way to a tiny Vermont town hidden among forests and mountains, a place where the biggest concerns should be the coming winter or the next maple harvest, then there is no corner of the world untouched by this ancient hatred.

The Jews of Europe once thought that they had found enlightened societies where they were accepted. Jews fled from one country to another searching for peace and security. In every generation, we have searched for a place where we could finally exhale and say, “Here, we will be left alone.”

History has repeatedly shown us that our ultimate security cannot come from geography. A beautiful landscape can soothe the soul. A quiet town can offer peace of mind. A mountain retreat can provide silence. But no place on earth can guarantee safety.

The only true refuge of the Jewish people has always been our connection to Hashem, our Torah, and our communities. We can appreciate the beauty of Vermont’s mountains, but our real shelter has never been found in the shadow of any mountain. It has always been beneath the wings of the Shechinah.

When we imagine escaping, we usually imagine subtraction. Fewer people. Fewer obligations. Less noise. Less tension. A small house at the edge of a forest where the only sound in the morning is the wind rustling through the trees and birds announcing the arrival of a new day.

There is something very alluring about that image. The world has become so loud. In an era of constant connection, we yearn for some time to disconnect.

While the quiet country road may be beautiful, it cannot replace the sound of a child reciting a posuk. The solitude of a mountain sunrise is inspiring, but it cannot replace the warmth of a “Gut Shabbos” exchanged between neighbors walking home from shul. A field of maple trees changing colors in autumn is breathtaking, but it cannot replace the sight of a bais medrash filled with Yidden bent over their Gemaros.

That is why there is something almost poetic about the Vermont dream collapsing under the very reality it was trying to escape. It was not only that antisemitism followed the Jewish people there. It was that the dream itself had overlooked an essential truth: A Jew does not find safety by becoming invisible.

We have tried that throughout our long golus. We have moved from country to country, from one enlightened society to another, hoping that perhaps here we could simply be another citizen, another neighbor, another person left in peace. Yet, the story has repeated itself too many times.

And yet, we endure, not because we have found the perfect corner of the earth where trouble cannot reach us, but because wherever we have gone, we have carried our home with us. A sefer on a table. A mezuzah on a doorpost. A minyan in a shul. A mother lighting Shabbos candles. A father learning with his child.

Perhaps that is the greatest irony of all: The little Vermont farmhouse hidden among the mountains seems like a refuge because it is far away from everyone. But a Yid’s greatest refuge has never been found in isolation. It has always been found in connection – to Hashem, to Torah, and to other Yidden.

The forests of Vermont may offer silence. But the sound of Torah is what has allowed us to survive every storm.

Think about the irony of what the Israeli woman was seeking. She went to Vermont because she wanted a place where her children could run barefoot on the grass and where doors remained unlocked. She was searching for innocence, a world that felt untouched by hatred and conflict. A world that would not bother her for being Jewish.

That longing is profoundly human. After centuries of wandering, persecution, and uncertainty, who could blame a Jew for dreaming of a quiet little corner of the world where history finally leaves him alone.

But perhaps that is the great lesson of our journey through golus. We do not survive because we find a place where there are no storms. We survive because we have learned how to build homes that can withstand storms wherever they arise.

Whether it is a Jewish home in a crowded apartment building in Boro Park, a small house in Monsey, a village in Europe centuries ago, or even a remote farmhouse surrounded by Vermont mountains, the walls do not protect us. What protects us is what is behind those walls: Torah, tefillah, emunah, and the generations of mesorah that we carry with us.

Last week, I found myself in Boro Park, having gone there to be menachem avel the Rubashkin family upon the passing of their dear mother. Having grown up and lived in Monsey for most of my life, and now residing in Lakewood, walking down the streets of Boro Park felt a bit jarring.

The streets were alive with noise, traffic, and construction, with people of all ages moving in every direction, all close together, all in motion.

As I walked, I noticed a sign indicating a bais medrash and stepped inside, simply to sit for a moment and look into a sefer. The sign read “Fultichan.” I pulled the door, expecting it to be locked, but it opened immediately – no combination, no multiple locks.

Inside was a small room with two people learning.

I had never been there before, and I do not know if I will ever be there again. But I walked in and felt at home.

A Yid walks into a bais medrash and feels at home, wherever it is, whatever its size, whether it holds multitudes or just two chavrusos learning a sugya. There is a familiarity there that transcends place and circumstance.

And that reminded me that I do not need to go to Vermont or the country or anywhere else to find stillness. All I need to do is step into a bais medrash, open a sefer, and I am transported to the eternal Yiddishe place of solitude, comfort, and safety.

A person can build a house at the edge of the forest and believe that he has finally escaped the world. But a Jew has never been tasked with finding a place where he can hide from history. Our task has always been to carry eternity with us as we walk through history.

There is something about a Vermont or country summer that speaks of innocence and simplicity, where life is uncomplicated and peaceful, formed from a combination of deep green mountains, wildflowers growing along the fence lines, the old country store where everyone knows each other, the gravel road disappearing into the hills, and the old pickup truck moving slowly because there is nowhere to rush.

But even a place where time seems to move more slowly, a place that looks like it belongs in a Norman Rockwell painting, cannot promise an escape from the darker currents that run through the world.

The winds blow through the valleys of the Catskills or Vermont just as they blow through every other place on earth. The difference is not whether there is a storm outside. The difference is whether there is a flame burning inside.

And perhaps that is why, after all the centuries of exile, a small shtiebel in a noisy city can be a greater refuge than a cabin on a dusty country road.

Perhaps every person has his own Vermont.

For some, it is a bungalow in the mountains. For others, it is an apartment at the edge of Geulah, a house on a lake, or simply the dream of a different life where the burdens and anxieties of the present somehow cannot find us.

And perhaps every generation has its Vermont as well.

A time when it believes that the storms have finally passed. A moment when all the pieces appear to have fallen perfectly into place. The right people are in power. The dangerous enemies have been weakened. The future seems secure. We tell ourselves that the battles are behind us and that we can finally sit down on the porch, open a sefer, pour the coffee, and rest.

But history has a way of knocking on the door of even the quietest farmhouse.

Because no matter how far we run, we cannot run away from the world that Hashem placed us in. The purpose of a Jew is not to escape history, but to live through it with emunah. We are commanded to build homes, raise families, learn Torah, and serve Hashem not in a world free of uncertainty, but in a world where uncertainty is the stage upon which our bitachon is tested.

And that is a lesson we have been reminded of once again in recent months.

Everything was falling into place. Donald Trump won a landslide victory, doing away with Kamala Harris with historic flourish. He was Israel’s friend, the best anyone could hope for. He stood at Israel’s side during his first administration and promised to do so in his second. He was surrounded by Jewish people, conservative ones, and friends of the Jewish nation. As far as friends of Israel were concerned, he could do no wrong. He said and did all the right things. He was a welcome change and relief from the Biden and Obama years and their anti-Israel administrations.

Binyomin Netanyahu’s life mission has been to derail Iran’s push for nuclear weapons, but despite his many efforts and hard work, he found no allies in his campaign. And then Trump bought in. Following his reelection in November 2024, Netanyahu flew to the president-elect’s mansion in West Palm Beach and discussed with him how they would jointly attack Iran and its nuclear project.

Working together, last year at this time, the United States and Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump and Netanyahu were jubilant. The Iranian threat had finally been removed. After lying about their nuclear ambitions for decades, Iran would finally not be able to continue production of a bomb. Trump was proclaimed an Israeli hero, and Jews the world over were thrilled.

But by February, Iran appeared to be on the cusp of enriching its uranium to levels necessary for bomb-making, and the Trump-Netanyahu coalition went to war against Iran once again. Commencing with the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader and dozens of members of the country’s leadership, their goal was to cause regime change and spark a transition to a post-theocratic government. Trump had promised the Iranian people as much, and he was coming now to make good on that pledge.

The other goals were to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, destroy its ballistic missile capabilities, and end Iran’s ability to maintain and support its terror proxies.

Netanyahu was thrilled. He was finally achieving his life’s ambition. The American president was his best friend. They spoke every day or two and things were looking up. He was planning his reelection campaign, preparing clips of himself and Trump working together, and gathering Trump’s many complimentary quotes about his greatness, military leadership, and importance to Israel. Trump was even going to travel to Israel before the elections to campaign for his friend, Bibi.

And then, after months of bombing and achieving military victories, decimating Iran’s nuclear capability along with its navy and air force, Trump decided that he had had enough. What he thought would be a quick war was dragging on. Iran was blocking ships from transporting oil through the Strait of Hormuz, causing the price of gasoline to rise along with inflation. His threats and bravado were not cowing the Iranians, and the war was quite unpopular in the United States and elsewhere. He and his administration had done a poor job of selling it and explaining to the American people the need for the war.

The whole thing fell apart. All the words of Chazal cautioning us not to trust in governments or people came back to haunt us. All the lessons we have learned over the years once again became so real. Everything we have learned about lev melochim vesorim b’Yad Hashem is smacking us in the face. Eretz asher Hashem Elokecha doresh osah, tomid einei Hashem Elokecha bah, meireishis hashanah v’ad acharis shanah. If you follow Hashem’s directions, His chukim umishpotim, He will be there for you, protecting you, suppressing your enemies, and keeping your friends your friends.

But when you disrespect Him, when you do not follow His laws, when you mock His Torah and those who dedicate their lives to it, then things begin to crumble. And that is exactly what happened. When you take credit for military miracles, when you say, “Kochi v’otzem yodi asah li es hachayil hazeh,” then He says, “I will leave you to your own devices and see how far you will get.”

And as the world found out on October 7, that is not too far. And now that lesson has been repeated again. Your best friend, colleague, ally, and protector now mocks you, criticizes you, and curses you, and his vice president speaks with open contempt, if not outright hatred, toward you and your country.

President Trump tells you that if not for him, the State of Israel would not exist. If you do not acknowledge Hashem’s role in your state, then you leave a vacuum, and the American president is as eligible to fill that role as anyone else. He has been a good friend and dependable ally, and he deserves appreciation.

Israel is the land of the Jews, our haven in a sea of hatred, but when its leadership turns its back on Hashem, His Torah, and those faithful to Him, things begin to collapse.

Overnight, the man who fashions himself as master of the art of the deal was out-negotiated by a couple of lunatics with their backs against the wall, quickly running out of money and power. Overnight, the best friend of Israel, the commander-in-chief whose army worked shoulder to shoulder in unprecedented unity with Israel’s forces, jointly confronting the world’s pariah state, which views them as the Big Satan and the Little Satan, was convinced that Iran’s leaders wanted to turn over a new leaf and function as a rational country.

After dropping tens of thousands of bombs across Iran, and annihilating its navy and air force, most of its drones and missiles, and the capacity to manufacture more of them, and causing hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of damage, the United States gave the regime a lifeline.

What happened? What changed? Observers wondered. Israel and its supporters scratched their collective heads. Commentators commented and pontificators pontificated. Republicans bit their tongues, and Democrats gleefully wagged theirs in a fit of “I told you sos” over the president’s seeming capitulation.

It is only a memorandum, not a deal. There is much negotiating ahead and nothing is definite. But a few things are clear: We are not in charge, nothing happens by itself, and nothing can be taken for granted.

When the war began, people the world over were fearful, and everyone immediately began davening and saying Tehillim. As time went on, they got used to the situation. Besides, Trump and Netanyahu were in charge. Their armies, the two most powerful in the world, were doing what they do best and crushing Iran. What could go wrong?

We slackened off. We lost sight of the One Who really runs everything and thought that the ruination of the Iranian regime was a done deal. Israel would be granted years of peace. Iran’s days as a terror paymaster would be ended, and its proxies would collapse. The Arab Gulf states would have nothing more to fear and would line up to make peace with Israel.

Well, it is not yet over, but the war seems to be heading toward a surprise ending. Our tefillos have the ability to change the outcome. Our devotion to Torah can bring about the change. Our mesirus nefesh for Torah has the power of the parah adumah to result in taharah and kedusha.

This week, we lain, “Zos haTorah, odom ki yomus b’ohel.” The secret of our existence, the secret of our success, is to go beyond our abilities, to stretch ourselves physically and financially for Torah. By doing so, we succeed, and our people succeed along with us.

• • • • •

Perhaps, one day, I will still make my way to that little farmhouse in Vermont.

Perhaps I will still sit on that porch as the morning mist rises from the stream, a cup of coffee warming my hands, a sefer open before me, listening to the whisper of the trees as they sway in the gentle breeze.

But the peace I imagined finding there was never hidden among the hills or waiting for me at the end of some forgotten dirt road.

A Yid can sit in the middle of a city, surrounded by noise and commotion, with enemies gathering at his borders and the nations of the world changing their loyalties overnight, and he can still possess a tranquility that no mountain retreat can provide. Much the same, a person can sit in the most beautiful corner of the world and be filled with fear if he believes that his fate rests in the hands of presidents, generals, and governments.

The lesson of these days is one our people have learned and relearned throughout thousands of years of history. We appreciate those whom Hashem sends to help us. We express gratitude to friends who stand by us. We use the tools that Hashem places in our hands – diplomacy, military strength, wisdom, and strategy.

But we must never confuse the messenger with the One Who sent him.

The same Hand that directs the flow of a quiet Vermont stream directs the currents of history. The same Creator Who paints the leaves in the forests of New England decides the fate of empires, moves the hearts of kings, and determines whether a friend remains a friend and whether an enemy loses his power.

“Zos haTorah, odom ki yomus b’ohel.” The secret of Yiddishe existence is not our ability to find a place where the world cannot touch us. It is our ability to enter the ohel of Torah, to live by it, and to sacrifice for it.

After thousands of years of wandering through every kind of landscape – deserts and ghettos, palaces and prisons, prosperity and persecution – the Jewish people are still here. We never found our Vermont.

We found something far greater.

The ohel of Torah.

The nations search for their security in treaties and alliances. Empires trust in their armies and economies. We have our own refuge.

Not a farmhouse at the end of a winding road.

Not a president in Washington.

Not a military coalition or a diplomatic victory.

Our refuge has always been, and will always be, the Ribbono Shel Olam.

He is always available to us, wherever we are. We do not have to run away anywhere. We do not need to find quaint towns and cottages. “Ki karov eilecha hadovor me’od beficha uvilvovcha.” Personal tranquility is a choice that can be achieved by stepping into the ohel haTorah, the Ohel Hashem, figuratively and literally. It is always open, always available.

The light is always on.

May we all be zoche to the ultimate tranquility and peace with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu bekarov mamash.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) — U.S. President Donald Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday evening and even linked him to the conflict with Iran and his stance toward Israel.

During a meeting at the White House with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, Trump said that Erdoğan “was a natural candidate to enter the war with Iran, perhaps on Iran’s side, because he is not a big admirer of Israel, as you know.” Describing their relationship, Trump added: “I like him. He’s a friend of mine.”

According to Trump, he asked Erdoğan to stay out of the conflict with Iran, and the Turkish president agreed. “I asked him to stay out of it, and he stayed out of it.”

Trump continued: “He is a great leader, a very strong man, with a large military. He loves Turkey, and he’s doing an excellent job.”

Trump also addressed the possibility of renewing defense deals with Ankara, including the issue of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, whose sale to Turkey was previously suspended after Turkey purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system.

When asked whether he would go to Turkey “with a big gift bag for Erdoğan,” Trump replied: “I think so.” He said Turkey is “a strong member of NATO” and that he would “probably do something that will make him very happy.”

Vice President J. D. Vance clarified that the matter is still undergoing legal and policy review: “There are certain things we need to verify happened in order to comply with U.S. law. It’s really a matter for Congress to determine whether Turkey has met the requirements of U.S. law to receive the F-35.”

Regarding negotiations with Iran, Trump stressed that he would not accept any arrangement imposing fees or tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz or other international waterways.

“That would be unacceptable to me. If you do it there, you’ll have to do it in other straits as well. It would be a game changer.”

At the same time, Trump criticized a congressional vote aimed at limiting further military action against Iran. He called the vote “meaningless” and argued that it undermined America’s negotiating position with Tehran.

“We’re doing very well in negotiations with Iran. Then, in the middle of one of the key issues, which we’re going to get anyway, the Senate votes that it wants Trump to stop the war. Iran sees that and says: what does that mean?”

Trump noted that four Republican senators joined all Democrats in supporting the measure and added: “The Democrats want to lose the war because they’re stupid.”

Later, Trump commented on the Democratic primary elections in New York, where progressive candidates backed by Zohran Mamdani achieved victories. Trump said Democrats are “moving extremely far to the left” and added:”They’re really communists.” He added: “When you pass Dan Goldman on the left, you’ve entered never-never land.”

Trump also renewed his criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying he had “lost his way” and had “effectively become a Palestinian.”

“This is the greatest transformation of a political position I’ve ever seen. Chuck Schumer, who used to be a strong supporter of Israel, has become 100% Palestinian.”

Trump added that he had considered sending Schumer “a beautiful traditional Palestinian silk outfit” as a birthday gift. “Chuck Schumer is Jewish and used to be a strong supporter of Israel. He’s Palestinian now. It’s sad.”

British budget airline easyJet has turned down a takeover, and the bidder is not backing off. On Monday, June 22, U.S. investment firm Castlelake made public a £4.74 billion (about $6.3 billion) offer to buy the carrier, taking its case directly to shareholders after easyJet’s board rejected three separate proposals this month. The airline, listed in London under the ticker EZJ, called the approach “opportunistic” and said it was not in the best interests of shareholders, accusing the American firm of trying to buy the company “on the cheap.”

Castlelake’s latest proposal, made on June 20, valued easyJet at 625 pence per share in cash, up from earlier rejected bids of 560 pence and 600 pence. The Minneapolis-based firm, which manages about $38 billion and is a major aviation investor, said it went public because of the board’s “unwillingness to engage meaningfully.” It already owns about 2.14% of easyJet through funds it manages, and framed its ambition as supporting the carrier as “a stronger, more resilient European airline under European control.”

The 625-pence offer represents a premium of roughly 57% to easyJet’s share price in late May, before Castlelake’s interest became known, and tops every published analyst price target issued since the airline’s April trading update. Castlelake argued the bid offers “compelling value” and would let shareholders judge its merits before a fast-approaching deadline.

easyJet pushed back on several fronts. The board said its share price had been temporarily depressed, partly by the hit to European travel demand from the Iran war, making the timing opportunistic. It also raised “considerable reservations” about Castlelake’s proposed ownership structure, which it called “opaque.” The airline said it remained focused on its medium-term targets and on growing its higher-margin holidays business, which has become a rising share of profit.

That structure is central to the fight. European Union rules require carriers like easyJet to stay majority-owned and controlled by EU nationals. To comply, Castlelake proposed taking a 49% stake, with the remaining 51% held by EU nationals and undisclosed others, and partnered with veteran aviation executives Peter Bellew and Mark Breen. easyJet countered that the arrangement was too unclear to form any basis for assessing the bid.

The clock is now the story. Under UK takeover rules, Castlelake faces a “put up or shut up” deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, by which it must either announce a firm intention to make an offer or walk away for six months. The firm said its bid would be fully funded through a mix of committed equity and debt, with Goldman Sachs expressing confidence in arranging the money — though Castlelake cautioned there is no certainty a formal offer will follow.

Investors took notice. easyJet shares rose more than 5% in early Monday trading to around 530 pence, near their highest in years, and are up about 36% over the past month on takeover speculation. “There will be increased pressure on the board this week,” said Goodbody Stockbrokers analyst Dudley Shanley, though he noted some shareholders could be disappointed by the absence of an established European airline partner in the deal.

easyJet is one of Europe’s three largest low-cost carriers, behind Ryanair and Wizz Air. Founded in 1995 by British-Cypriot entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou and based in Luton, it employs more than 16,000 people and flew over 90 million passengers last year across 38 countries and more than 1,200 routes. Whether it stays independent now rests on a few days of pressure: Castlelake must decide by Friday whether to formalize its bid, and easyJet’s shareholders must weigh whether a board that keeps saying no is leaving money on the table.

JBizNews Desk
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President Donald Trump secured a significant political victory Wednesday evening after the Senate reversed course on legislation aimed at limiting his authority to conduct military operations against Iran. Just one day after advancing a war powers resolution, senators voted to block an identical proposal from moving forward, following intense lobbying from the White House and pressure from Republican leadership.

The dramatic shift came after Trump publicly criticized Republican senators who had supported Tuesday’s measure, as well as those who were absent from the vote. The president argued that congressional efforts to curb his military authority weakened his hand as his administration pursued negotiations with Iran.

Trump’s campaign to rally Republican lawmakers quickly produced results. Senators Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy, both of whom had supported the earlier effort to restrict the president’s military powers, changed their positions during Wednesday’s vote.

Paul declined to vote either for or against the proposal, instead voting “present,” while Cassidy switched from supporting the measure to opposing it.

Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski continued to back the legislation by voting in favor of limiting the president’s authority. Democratic Senator John Fetterman crossed party lines to support the administration by voting against the proposal. The final vote ended 47-50-1, preventing the measure from advancing.

The Senate’s reversal came just hours after a tense closed-door Republican conference meeting, where Cassidy confronted the administration over its handling of the Iran conflict. According to CNN, the Louisiana senator questioned why a military operation initially expected to last one month had stretched to four months without accomplishing its primary objectives.

“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on,” Cassidy related to members of the press following the confrontation.

Later that day, Cassidy said his concerns had been addressed after receiving a detailed intelligence briefing from Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with an invitation to the White House for additional discussions.

“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” Cassidy wrote on social media.

Paul also explained why he altered his vote, saying that although his constitutional concerns regarding executive authority remained unchanged, he believed the president should have additional flexibility as diplomatic efforts continued.

“My opinion on the debate over war and executive power has not changed and I have voted that way several times. But since hostilities seem to be over and the President asked me to give consideration to his negotiating position, I will do so. My vote of present is a way to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” the Kentucky senator stated.

Trump celebrated the outcome shortly after the vote, praising the senators who changed their positions and thanking Republican leaders for helping secure the victory.

“Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy changed. Thank you to Leader John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno, and all. This vote puts Iran on notice! President DJT”.

The latest vote marked the 11th time since January that the Senate has considered legislation related to limiting presidential war powers concerning Iran, underscoring the ongoing debate over Congress’s role in authorizing military action.

Throughout the dispute, the White House sharply criticized Republicans willing to support restrictions on the president’s authority. Earlier this month, after the House approved a similar resolution by a 215-208 vote with support from four Republicans, Trump labeled those lawmakers “GRANDSTANDERS” and called their actions “unpatriotic.”

Following Tuesday’s initial 50-48 Senate vote, Trump intensified his criticism by calling the four Republican senators who supported the measure “losers,” adding, “These Senators have just made my job more difficult.”

{Matzav.com}