A storm of controversy and fascination swept through the Jewish music world this week following claims that Yaakov Shwekey incorporated artificial intelligence into parts of his newly released EP, Happiness — a development some insiders are calling a turning point for the entire industry.

The discussion exploded after reports surfaced that the music-identification system used by the Jewish music app Jusic detected audio patterns suggesting possible AI-generated elements within some of the album’s arrangements.

Israeli radio host Menachem Toker described the revelation during his “Zman Avir” program on Kol Chai as a dramatic moment for Jewish music.

“When the biggest singer in the world today uses AI, it’s an absolutely crazy explosion,” Toker said.

The new EP contains four songs, and according to those involved in the discussion, the concerns do not relate to Shwekey’s vocals themselves, but rather to portions of the instrumentation and production.

Producer and arranger Yishai Shin, who works with the Jusic platform, explained on-air that the app’s “smart algorithm” flagged unusual characteristics in the recordings.

“We can see in the song’s characteristics that it contains content that may have been created by AI,” Shin said.

At the same time, he stressed that the album was not entirely AI-generated.

“There are AI motifs in the guitars and in the arrangement,” he explained, adding that other music professionals independently reached similar conclusions after reviewing the tracks.

Participants in the discussion emphasized that the singing itself was not generated through artificial intelligence.

Toker described the development as “an earthquake in Jewish music,” particularly because of Shwekey’s stature as one of the genre’s most influential and recognizable artists.

According to Toker, the decision was not driven by budget limitations or attempts to cut costs, but rather by an intentional embrace of new creative and technological tools.

During the broadcast, it was also reported that individuals connected to Shwekey confirmed that certain portions of the project were indeed created with the assistance of AI technology.

Composer and producer Moishy Woldar defended the move and argued that adapting to emerging technologies is both natural and necessary.

“The greatest move a person can make is knowing how to connect to the right time and the right generation,” Woldar said.

He warned that musicians who refuse to adopt artificial intelligence tools in the future may ultimately fall behind the industry.

Woldar also noted that arranger Ravid Kashti was involved in the production process and argued that AI does not eliminate the need for human professionals, but rather gives them new capabilities and creative options.

Music critic Netanel Leifer also joined the debate, explaining that experienced musicians and studio professionals are often able to identify AI-generated elements, especially in guitar sounds and instrumental textures.

Still, he acknowledged that most ordinary listeners are unlikely to notice any difference at all.

“For the ears of most listeners, they simply don’t care,” Leifer said.

Despite differing opinions over the growing role of artificial intelligence in music production, all of the participants praised Happiness itself and described the EP as a high-quality and impressive musical release.

As a yungerman who grew up in Lakewood, I write this with a heavy heart.

Like many others, I always dreamed of building my life here. But after being married for a few years now, I’m beginning to wonder whether living in Lakewood is becoming unrealistic for regular young couples trying to make ends meet.

I understand that inflation is affecting everyone, and I know costs have gone up across the board. But it feels like prices here have gone far beyond normal inflation. At this point, I’m not even talking about housing anymore – many people have already accepted that they may need to move farther out to afford a home.

I’m talking about everyday living. Clothing, basic household items, shopping, and simple necessities all seem to come with increasingly higher price tags. Everywhere you turn, there’s pressure to buy the newest, fanciest, and most expensive options.

Can we please take it down a notch?

Not every yungerman or young family needs luxury. There should still be affordable, normal options for people trying to live responsibly and within their means. A community as large and beautiful as Lakewood should make room for everyone – not just those who can afford premium prices on everything.

Many young couples are quietly struggling, and I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Yungerman

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

A pedestrian was seriously injured in an accident in Lakewood this evening.

As earlier reported on TLS Communities, the pedestrian was struck by a vehicle shortly after 9:00 PM on Monmouth Avenue.

Hatzolah transported the pedestrian with paramedics to JSUMC.

Lakewood Police Department’s Traffic Safety division is investigating.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this week for what the White House has described as a routine medical examination. However, the upcoming visit comes amid growing public scrutiny in the United States regarding the 79-year-old president’s physical and cognitive condition.

According to a report published by Maariv, this will mark Trump’s third visit to the military hospital in just 13 months — an unusually high frequency for a sitting president. Reports noted that his previous visit, which took place last October, sparked widespread speculation, and only three months later did the White House acknowledge that Trump had undergone a CT scan intended to rule out cardiovascular and vascular problems.

The White House has continued portraying Trump as being in excellent health, but independent physicians and a Washington Post investigation have raised concerns over several symptoms and incidents documented in recent months. Among the issues highlighted were recurring bruises on the president’s hands, which White House officials attributed to aspirin use and frequent handshaking.

Trump was also seen with swelling in his legs. Administration officials previously said the condition was related to chronic venous insufficiency, but senior cardiologists warned that such symptoms — particularly when combined with reports of sudden drowsiness — can in some cases point to more serious medical conditions, including heart failure.

Trump himself has continued making his physical and cognitive health part of his public image. He has repeatedly touted the results of cognitive tests he says he passed, emphasized his fitness for office, and mocked critics questioning his condition.

At the same time, however, a Washington Post poll found that only about 40% of Americans believe Trump possesses the mental sharpness necessary to serve effectively as president.

{Matzav.com}

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has quietly launched a coast-to-coast political tour and stepped up meetings with senior Democratic operatives, fresh signs that the New York congresswoman is laying groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid even as she insists no decision has been made, according to a report from Axios.

The 35-year-old progressive has appeared at rallies and high-profile events in at least five states over the past month, mixing endorsements for down-ballot candidates with appearances aimed squarely at constituencies critical to any Democratic primary run.

In May alone, Ocasio-Cortez headlined an event in Philadelphia for a left-wing congressional candidate, spoke at a voting-rights rally in Montgomery, Alabama, and addressed a church in Atlanta alongside Sen. Raphael Warnock. Allies pointed out that Warnock is selective about which visiting politicians he allows to speak from the pulpit. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the church in March, did not address the congregation.

While in Atlanta, Ocasio-Cortez also met with Bernice King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., at the King Center and visited Morehouse School of Medicine to discuss Black maternal health. This week she is scheduled to travel to Missoula, Montana, to campaign for congressional candidate Sam Forstag, a smokejumper and union organizer.

Her travel has been paired with appearances inside the Democratic establishment. In April, Ocasio-Cortez attended the Power Rising Summit in Chicago, a gathering of Black women political leaders founded by veteran Democratic operative Leah Daughtry.

A person close to the congresswoman told Axios she remains genuinely undecided about a White House bid and is also weighing a 2028 Senate campaign. “The way she will evaluate the decision is really around where she believes she can make the most change,” the source said. The same source said Ocasio-Cortez is skeptical of early primary polling that shows her leading the prospective Democratic field, including an Atlas Intel survey released this month that placed her first among possible contenders.

A Senate run would set up a generational confrontation with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the 74-year-old New York Democrat who is up for reelection in 2028. A Schumer spokesperson did not respond to inquiries from Axios, and Ocasio-Cortez’s office declined to comment.

Democratic strategists say her fundraising capacity alone makes her one of the most consequential figures in the early shadow primary. Operatives told Axios she could raise $100 million from small-dollar donors and inherit much of the activist base built by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during his two presidential campaigns. She has spent millions in recent years building her online following and donor lists across TikTok, Instagram and Bluesky, according to earlier reporting.

Ocasio-Cortez has spent the past year touring the country with Sanders on a series of rallies the pair branded “Fighting Oligarchy,” drawing tens of thousands of attendees in states including Montana, Colorado and Nevada. Her recent speeches have ventured well beyond the district lines of New York’s 14th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens. In Philadelphia, she approvingly quoted an activist who described MAGA as “the last dying breath of the confederacy,” telling the crowd the country was experiencing “this moment here of liberation, abolition, and revival of the values that make this country actually great.”

Asked directly about a presidential run during a public appearance with Democratic strategist David Axelrod in Chicago earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez sidestepped the question while suggesting she viewed her political horizon broadly. “They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat, and my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country,” she said. “Presidents come and go. Elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever.”

The Axios report notes that her current posture echoes a familiar pattern in modern presidential politics. Then-Sen. Barack Obama said in January 2006 that he would serve out his full Senate term and would not run for national office in 2008, only to reverse course ten months later. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton made a similar pledge in 1990 before launching his successful 1992 campaign after a statewide listening tour.

Democrats remain in the political wilderness after losing the White House, Senate and House in 2024, and party operatives have spent the past year searching for a generational standard-bearer. Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected to Congress at 29 in 2018, would be 39 on Election Day 2028, the same age John F. Kennedy was when he first ran for the Senate.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly told regional officials in recent discussions that he does not believe a significant diplomatic breakthrough with Israel is possible under the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to a report aired Monday night by Kan News, a regional source familiar with the matter said the Saudis have made clear that any move toward normalization or closer ties with Israel would require a firm Israeli commitment regarding the Palestinian issue.

The report also said Israeli officials were informed in advance about President Donald Trump’s initiative to connect a developing agreement with Iran to a broader expansion of the Abraham Accords that would include Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

An Israeli source told Kan News that the proposal came up during discussions between Trump and Netanyahu.

At the same time, negotiations between the United States and Iran remain unresolved, with major disagreements still lingering over key elements of the proposed agreement. Qatar has reportedly intensified its efforts to mediate between the sides, and its role in the negotiations has become increasingly central.

Earlier reports indicated that Trump is attempting to transform the Iran talks into a much larger regional arrangement by linking a potential agreement with Tehran to a dramatic expansion of the Abraham Accords involving additional Arab and Muslim nations.

In an unusual post published on Truth Social, Trump wrote that negotiations with Iran are “going very well,” while warning that only two outcomes remain possible: “a great deal for everyone,” or a return to military conflict that would be “bigger and stronger than ever before.”

According to Trump, during conversations held Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, he stressed that after the American effort to “put together the complicated puzzle,” most of those countries should sign onto the Abraham Accords simultaneously.

Trump acknowledged that one or two countries might ultimately choose not to participate, but insisted that “most should be ready, willing and able” to turn a potential Iran agreement into what he described as a far larger historic regional achievement.

{Matzav.com}

For years, liberal and Reform organizations have presumed to speak on behalf of Diaspora Jewry, including American Jews, while advancing their agenda at the Kotel.

This week, that changed.

A bill was introduced in the Knesset’s Constitution Committee that would grant the Chief Rabbinite official jurisdiction over the Kotel, designating it as a formal Makom Kodosh. The legislation would prohibit Nashot HaKotel from conducting protest activities at the site.

As expected, liberal and Reform representatives appeared at the committee –  loudly proclaiming, in the name of American Jewry, that such a move would sever the bond between the Jewish people and their holiest site.

For the first time, they were not the only voice in the room.

Our voters brought us into the WZO, and it was that representation that gave us the ability to walk into the Knesset and speak on their behalf. Standing before the Constitution Committee, we made a historic declaration: This is what American Jews actually want. This is what Diaspora Jewry wants. Stop speaking in our name.

“We are the ones who speak in our name,” said Rabbi Nechemya Malinowitz, a member of the leadership of Eretz HaKodesh, at the committee. “And what we want is a Kotel that remains kodesh.”

Also present was Esther Jacobs, who stood before the committee and spoke powerfully in the name of the women, declaring where they truly stand.

For the first time in an official capacity, the authentic voice of American Orthodox Jewry was heard in the halls of the Knesset, standing firm to protect the kedusha of the Kotel for generations to come.

[Press Release]

Thousands of children from Torah schools, together with leading rabbinic and chassidic figures, gathered this past week in Beit Shemesh for a massive public assembly ahead of Shavuos that featured a rare double Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremony, an event many residents described as something the city had not seen in years.

The gathering was organized by the city’s chassidic faction, including chairman Shimon Goldberg, Yeshaya Weissman, and Avraham Nachman Frenkel, in cooperation with Mayor Shmuel Greenberg.

Kedushas Aharon Street was closed to traffic and transformed into a large event complex to accommodate the thousands who attended. Hundreds of children from Torah schools and chadorim across the city arrived in organized groups following extensive preparations and coordination with school administrations.

The event featured stirring music and emotional songs led by singer and composer Bentzi Stein together with the “Kapella” choir and keyboardist Mendy Brandwein. The crowd joined in singing “U’vchein Tzaddikim Yir’u V’Yismachu” as one rabbinic leader after another ascended the stage.

Among those in attendance were the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, the Lelov Rebbe, the Trebishan Rebbe, the Shotz-Drohobych Rebbe, the Kasho Rebbe, the Ziditshov Rebbe, the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe, the Radoshitz Rebbe, the Amshinov Rebbe, the Lizhensk Rebbe, the Dzshikov-Vizhnitz Rebbe, and the Bergsaz Rebbe, along with dozens of rabbanim and community leaders from throughout the city.

The gathering opened with remarks from Harav Asher Schwartz, one of the city’s rabbanim and author of the sefer “Maadanei Asher,” who spoke about the importance of preparing properly for mitzvos and the holiness of the days leading up to Shavuos.

The keynote address was delivered by the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, who spoke at length about the sanctity of the three days of preparation before Matan Torah and the proper mindset needed to receive the Torah.

One of the most emotional moments of the evening came when the Lelov Rebbe cried out “Shema Yisroel,” prompting thousands of children and participants to proclaim the words together in a thunderous voice that echoed throughout the city and gave the event the atmosphere of a modern-day Sinai experience in the streets of Beit Shemesh.

Later in the evening, two separate Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremonies were conducted one after the other. The first ceremony was performed by the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe serving as the kohen, followed by a second Pidyon Peter Chamor conducted by Harav Aharon Katz, rav of Kehillas Brod in Ramat Beit Shemesh D.

The large-scale operation and coordination of the event were overseen by Tzvi Frenkel, director of the “לטובת” center, who spent weeks organizing logistics with local communities, Torah schools, safety officials, and the “Aktiver” production company.

Organizers and residents in Beit Shemesh described the gathering as “not just another event, but a historic moment of Torah, unity, and Kiddush Hashem that the city has not witnessed in many years.”

{Matzav.com}

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers finally got past the second round and face-planted in the Eastern Conference finals.

They weren’t ready for the Knicks or the big stage.

The lights were too bright again.

Cleveland’s season ended with a resounding, demoralizing and embarrassing 130-93 loss on Monday night in Game 4 to the New York Knicks, who swept the series and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Playing on tired and wobbly legs after being pushed to seven games by Toronto and Detroit in the earlier rounds, the Cavs, whose fate was sealed when they blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, had no answer for anything the Knicks threw at them.

They got out-played, out-shot, out-rebounded and out-coached.

And now, the Cavs head into what will likely be a tumultuous summer that will trigger a major roster overhaul and perhaps other moves.

This wasn’t the plan. Cleveland made a blockbuster trade at the deadline in February, sending guard Darius Garland, part of its “Core Four” to the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden, who was supposed to take pressure off Mitchell.

It never happened.

Cleveland’s top player approved the Garland swap, but other than a few games here and there, he and Harden never truly meshed as intended. The Cavs never outgrew their growing pains.

Harden has a $42.3 million player option for next season that he’s expected to decline to re-sign with the Cavs as a free agent. But the 36-year-old didn’t perform up to offensive expectations and was a virtual turnstile on defense.

Mitchell’s future is more complicated. He can be offered a five-year, $350 million super-max extension by the Cavs as early as this offseason, but the team will likely wait due to several financial factors, and still must decide if the seven-time All-Star is worth the investment.

With the Knicks up by 33 in the fourth, Mitchell and Cleveland’s other starters were mercifully replaced. The 29-year-old went to the bench and watched a team he once cheered for as a kid win its 11th straight playoff game.

Cleveland’s stunning flame-out in the conference finals is only going to fuel more speculation about coach Kenny Atkinson’s future. He guided the team to a No. 1 seed in his first season a year ago before a disappointing, second-round exit against Indiana.

Atkinson helped the Cavs take a step deeper into the postseason, but it’s not certain that will be enough to satisfy demanding owner Dan Gilbert, who has dropped over $400 million on a team that hasn’t delivered him a second title.

New York exposed all of Cleveland’s on-court flaws and may have set the stage for Gilbert to make even bolder moves. There’s little doubt that seeing his team get completely overwhelmed in Game 4 — with thousands of New York fans chanting “Knicks in 4!” — stung badly.

The Cavs will closely monitor superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s unsettled situation in Milwaukee. The Bucks have reportedly had past interest in 24-year-old Cleveland forward Evan Mobley.

And then there’s LeBron James and the possibility the NBA’s all-time scoring leader could bring his storied career full circle by coming back home a second time. He’s a free agent, currently at odds with the Los Angeles Lakers and surveying the landscape.

At the moment, Cleveland needs him again.

Dear Mothers-in-Law,

First, we want to say something important: we truly love having you for Yom Tov. Your presence brings warmth to the house, excitement for the children, family stories, traditions, and that special feeling that makes Yom Tov feel like Yom Tov. There is something beautiful about having another generation around the table and creating memories together.

We also know that you come because you want to help, spend time with your children and grandchildren, and simply be part of the family experience. We appreciate that more than you know.

With that said, we would like to gently offer one small request on behalf of daughters-in-law everywhere.

After the meal, if possible, please consider going to your room for a few hours to rest, relax, read, nap, or simply enjoy some quiet time — even if you don’t actually need the rest.

It may not seem like a big thing, but those afternoon hours can be incredibly helpful. It gives us a chance to clean up the kitchen, reset the house, organize the next meal, and handle the million little things that happen behind the scenes. There is something much easier about moving around freely and getting things done without feeling like someone is watching us work or feeling like we need to keep being “on” socially while doing it.

And if we’re being fully honest, those few hours can also give everyone a little breathing room. Not because we don’t love you, but because even people who love each other very much sometimes benefit from a little space during a long Yom Tov together.

The funny thing is that when everyone gets that break, the next seudah is usually even nicer. We come back refreshed, happier, more relaxed, and more able to enjoy being together.

So please know: disappearing for a little while in the afternoon is not abandoning the family. It may actually be one of the greatest acts of kindness you can give the family.

With love and appreciation,

The Daughters-in-Law 

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.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean retail tycoon Chung Yong-jin on Tuesday issued his second apology in two weeks as Starbucks’ local operation faces a backlash over a recent marketing campaign that was widely perceived as mocking victims of a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980.

Chung, chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, bowed three times during a televised statement as he pleaded for forgiveness from the families of democracy activists killed by the country’s former military dictatorship and from the broader public.

The coffee chain sparked public outrage when it attempted to promote a large size of tumbler it calls a “tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day.” That’s the anniversary of a democratic uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by troops, tanks and helicopters, killing or injuring hundreds.

The campaign compounded outrage by using the slogan “Thwack it on the table!,” which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Police claimed that Park died suddenly after investigators “hit the desk with a thwack.”

The promotion was met with immediate outrage and within hours Shinsegae canceled it and fired the chief executive of Starbucks Korea. Police also opened an investigation based on complaints by families of people killed at Gwangju.

“I take it very seriously the fact that many people felt deep pain and anger because of Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing campaign,” Chung said Tuesday.

He also asked people not to take out their frustration on staff at Starbucks shops, saying the responsibility lies with management. There were no immediate reports of major incidents at stores.

Chung issued his first apology on May 19, saying in a statement that the campaign caused “deep pain to the victims and bereaved families of the May 18 Democratization Movement as well as to the public.”

Jeon Sangjin, a senior Shinsegae Group executive, said the company has yet to find conclusive evidence that Starbucks Korea marketing employees intended to mock the pro-democracy movement, an accusation the employees have denied.

However, he said some employees refused management requests to hand over their smartphones during a weeklong internal review. Jeon said the company would look at results from the police inquiry and any employee found to have intended to ridicule protesters would be fired.

The anger over the campaign has triggered public calls for boycotts, amplified by government officials, including Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung, who said Starbucks products will no longer be used at government events and lamented the chain’s “anti-historical behavior.”

President Lee Jae Myung said on X last week that the campaign displayed “inhumane and disgraceful behavior by cheap profiteers who deny the values of the South Korean community, basic human rights and democracy.”

The crackdown in Gwangju came months after General Chun Doo-hwan seized power in a coup in late 1979. Government records show about 200 people died in Gwangju, but activists say the true death toll was much higher. Chun’s government also imprisoned tens of thousands, saying it was rooting out social evils.

Public anger over Chun’s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea’s transition to democracy.

President Donald Trump declared Thursday that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must either be surrendered to the United States or destroyed under international supervision as negotiations over a potential nuclear agreement continue.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the “Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!)” would either be “immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed” or destroyed elsewhere in coordination with Iran and under the observation of the International Atomic Energy Agency or a similar body.

Trump did not clarify whether he was referring specifically to Iran’s estimated 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium or the regime’s broader enriched uranium stockpile. Reports have indicated that U.S. officials are pushing for the complete removal of Iran’s enriched material as part of any final agreement.

The comments come amid continued indirect talks between Washington and Tehran. Iranian officials have reportedly insisted they will not discuss nuclear concessions until a proposed 60-day ceasefire tied to the negotiations takes effect.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

By JBizNews Desk

NEW YORK — The death of Toshifumi Suzuki, the Japanese retail pioneer who transformed 7-Eleven into the world’s dominant convenience-store chain, arrives at a defining moment for the company’s American operations — one marked by a delayed IPO, leadership uncertainty, store closures, and the lingering fallout from a failed multibillion-dollar takeover battle that nearly shifted control of one of America’s most recognizable retail brands to a Canadian rival.

Seven & i Holdings Co. confirmed Monday, May 25, 2026, that Suzuki died of heart failure on May 18 at age 93. The executive who introduced the American 7-Eleven concept to Japan in 1974 and later orchestrated the rescue of the bankrupt U.S. parent company, Southland Corp., in 1991 leaves behind a U.S. business now grappling with the same strategic challenge he spent decades solving: how to make convenience retail indispensable to daily life.

Today, 7-Eleven, Inc., headquartered in Irving, Texas, operates more than 9,000 stores across the United States and Canada and employs roughly 135,000 people. The chain remains the largest convenience retailer in North America by a wide margin. Yet the U.S. division has increasingly become the pressure point inside Suzuki’s global empire as inflation, changing consumer behavior, and declining cigarette sales reshape the economics of the sector.

The company is also navigating a major leadership transition. Longtime U.S. chief executive Joseph DePinto, who led the American business for more than two decades, retired at the end of 2025. Stan Reynolds and Douglas Rosencrans are currently serving as co-chief executives while parent-company CEO Stephen Hayes Dacus — the first foreign-born chief executive in Seven & i history — searches for a permanent successor to oversee the North American business.

That uncertainty is unfolding alongside a sweeping restructuring effort. Last year, 7-Eleven announced plans to close roughly 450 underperforming North American stores and raise approximately $750 million through sale-leaseback transactions after executives warned that “inflation-weary and pressured U.S. consumers” were reducing discretionary purchases. Since then, the company has expanded the effort to roughly 645 locations slated for closure or franchise conversion during 2026 while simultaneously investing in a major redesign of its U.S. stores modeled after the high-efficiency Japanese “konbini” concept Suzuki pioneered decades ago.

The company’s long-anticipated American IPO — expected to be one of the largest retail listings in years — has also been pushed back. Seven & i had targeted a second-half 2026 public offering for 7-Eleven Inc. on a U.S. exchange, but executives recently delayed the timeline, citing market conditions and the need to demonstrate sustained recovery in same-store sales before moving forward.

Suzuki’s influence remains embedded throughout the American business he rescued. When he engineered Ito-Yokado’s acquisition of Southland Corp. out of bankruptcy in 1991, he inherited a heavily indebted U.S. operator struggling under the weight of a failed leveraged buyout. He rebuilt it using operational systems developed in Japan: computerized point-of-sale tracking, real-time inventory analysis, rapid fresh-food rotation, and tightly monitored franchise accountability. Those systems now form the operational backbone of modern American convenience retail.

The strategic importance of Suzuki’s U.S. network became especially clear during the takeover battle that consumed the company through 2024 and 2025. Canadian retail giant Alimentation Couche-Tard, owner of Circle K, pursued Seven & i with a bid valued at roughly $47 billion before talks ultimately collapsed last year. Couche-Tard publicly accused Seven & i leadership of orchestrating a “calculated campaign of obfuscation and delay” during negotiations. A separate management-led buyout attempt spearheaded by Junro Ito also failed after financing efforts fell short.

The failed transactions forced Seven & i into a broader restructuring strategy centered around its American convenience-store business. The company installed Dacus as CEO, accelerated plans for the U.S. IPO, and agreed to sell supermarket and restaurant operations to Bain Capital in order to focus almost entirely on convenience retail — the business Suzuki built into a global powerhouse.

For U.S. consumers, the most visible manifestation of Suzuki’s legacy is the gradual transformation of American 7-Elevens into food-oriented neighborhood hubs modeled after Japanese convenience stores. The company has expanded fresh-food selections, introduced kids’ meals, catering options, and promotional “Slurpee happy hour” campaigns while redesigning stores under its “New Standard” concept in an attempt to replicate the high-frequency customer traffic that defines Japanese konbini culture.

Whether that strategy succeeds may ultimately determine the valuation of the eventual IPO — and whether the next American CEO inherits a growth platform or a difficult turnaround story.

Retail analysts say the timing of Suzuki’s death carries symbolic weight. The architect of modern convenience retail is gone just as the company he built faces a defining test of whether his operating philosophy can sustain the business into its next century without him as the guiding force.

What remains undeniable is the scale of Suzuki’s impact on American retail. The thousands of 7-Eleven stores he helped rescue from bankruptcy now represent the largest convenience-store network in the United States. Every late-night Slurpee run, every taquito warmer, every quick stop for coffee or gasoline traces back, in some measure, to the Japanese executive who was once told an American convenience-store concept could never succeed in Tokyo — and who later returned to save the American original itself.

The company he built now enters its next chapter without him.

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

For years, one of the most attractive slogans in Israeli real estate sounded almost too good to question, buy a new apartment now, pay only 10% or 20% upfront, and bring the rest when the keys are ready.

For many buyers, especially Americans watching Israeli prices rise from abroad, the pitch felt like a rare opening. You could lock in a shekel price, keep most of your capital in the U.S., avoid taking a full mortgage right away, and hope that by delivery the apartment would be worth more. For Israelis, it created a path into projects that otherwise felt financially impossible. For developers, it helped keep sales moving while interest rates were high, construction costs were rising, and unsold inventory was piling up.

But the deal was never really “cheap.” It was deferred risk.

That risk is now moving to the center of Israel’s housing story. The Bank of Israel has tightened its treatment of projects that rely heavily on deferred-payment contracts, warning that deals where buyers postpone large portions of the price until delivery can create elevated risk for banks, developers, and purchasers. Under the temporary rules, project credit is treated as higher risk when more than 25% of a project’s contracts defer 40% or more of the purchase price until delivery, while developer-subsidized bullet and balloon loans are limited to 10% of quarterly housing-loan execution. The directive is currently set to remain in effect through the end of 2026.

The 20/80 model was not just a clever payment plan. It became a pressure valve for an entire market. It allowed buyers to sign before they were fully financed. It allowed developers to report sales without collecting most of the money. And it allowed both sides to assume that the future would be easier than the present.

Israel’s housing market is carrying record supply. At the end of January, about 86,290 new apartments remained unsold, the highest level recorded, with Jerusalem holding roughly 10,340 unsold units, Tel Aviv-Yafo about 9,650, Bat Yam 5,059, and Haifa 4,246. At the current sales pace, that represented 31.4 months of supply, meaning the market would need more than two and a half years to absorb the unsold stock if no new supply were added.

Prices are no longer moving in one clean direction. Israel’s latest housing data showed apartment prices rising 0.3% in the February-March comparison after two months of declines, but still down 1.2% year-over-year. New apartment prices rose 0.4% including subsidized government transactions, but excluding those deals, new-home prices fell 0.3% for the period and 3.8% over the year. The national average apartment price stood around NIS 2.33 million in the first quarter.

For buyers, the guide begins with understanding what a 20/80 deal actually does. It does not make the apartment cheaper. It changes when the pain arrives. Instead of paying gradually through construction or taking a mortgage earlier, the buyer pays a small portion at signing and leaves the largest payment for handover. That can be useful for a buyer with strong cash flow, a verified mortgage plan, and a clear currency strategy. It can be dangerous for someone who is only able to buy because the first payment is low.

For Americans, the risk is sharper because the contract is usually in shekels while their wealth and income may be in dollars. The shekel has strengthened dramatically, and the Bank of Israel listed the representative dollar rate at NIS 2.907 on May 21. A buyer who expected to bring dollars later can find that the same shekel balance costs far more in dollar terms than it did when they first signed.

View of the southern part of the Dead Sea from Israel towards Jordan.

Take a simple example. If an American signs for a NIS 3 million apartment and leaves NIS 2.4 million for delivery, that final payment costs about $667,000 when the dollar is at 3.60 shekels. At 2.907, it costs about $826,000. The apartment did not become more expensive in shekels. But for a dollar buyer, the final bill jumped by roughly $160,000 before mortgage terms, taxes, upgrades, legal fees, or moving costs.

That is the part many buyers missed. A 20/80 deal can feel like protection against rising prices, but it can expose the buyer to interest-rate risk, currency risk, mortgage-approval risk, construction-index risk, and resale risk all at once. If the buyer cannot close, the low deposit that made the deal easy to enter may become the money they lose to escape.

For Israelis, the danger is different but just as real. The issue is not the dollar. It is affordability at delivery. A family may sign while the monthly payment is still theoretical, assuming rates will fall or income will rise. The Bank of Israel did cut the interest rate to 3.75%, but mortgages are still far more expensive than they were during the cheap-money years, and banks still examine repayment ability.

That means the first question is not “How much do I need today?” It is “What happens on the day the developer calls for the final payment?” Buyers should know the exact remaining balance, the maximum mortgage they can realistically receive, the monthly repayment under conservative assumptions, the purchase tax due, the likely linkage to the construction input index, and the cost of extras that are almost never included in the headline price.

Legal protection also needs to be understood correctly. Israel’s Sale Law gives buyers important safeguards. A developer generally may not collect more than 7% of the apartment price unless the buyer receives one of the permitted protections, such as a bank guarantee or insurance. But that protects payments from certain developer failures. It does not protect a buyer from overpaying, failing to qualify for financing, getting squeezed by currency moves, or discovering that the resale market is weaker than expected.

For foreign buyers, financing must be checked early, not imagined later. Israeli mortgage rules are very different from the U.S. market, and foreign citizens are commonly treated more conservatively. Mizrahi-Tefahot notes that a buyer eligible as an Israeli citizen or oleh can reach up to 75% loan-to-value instead of 50% as a foreign citizen, while standard Israeli mortgage financing is generally up to 75% for first-home buyers, 70% for replacement-home buyers, and 50% for those who already own a home in Israel.

MA’ALE ADUMIM, WEST BANK – OCTOBER 16: New houses are seen under construction October 16, 2003 in the Jewish settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, West Bank. The first phase of the road map requires Israel to stop confiscating Palestinian land and to freeze all settlement activity. Ma’ale Adumim has grown from 23 families and a few tents and mobile homes in 1975 to nearly 30,000 residents, most of whom commute to work in nearby Jerusalem. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)

Taxes matter too. A foreign resident is generally taxed like an Israeli investor rather than like an Israeli first-home buyer, meaning the purchase-tax burden can be much heavier. Buyitinisrael notes that foreign residents cannot use the single-residence benefit unless they become Israeli tax residents within the relevant period, while new immigrants may have separate benefits depending on their status and timing.

So what should a serious buyer do before signing?

First, price the apartment as if you had to close today, not as if the market improves in two years. Second, get serious mortgage guidance before signing, not after. Third, convert the deferred shekel balance into dollars, pounds, or euros at several worse exchange rates and see whether the deal still works. Fourth, ask exactly what part of the price is linked to the construction input index and what is not. Fifth, compare the project against actual unsold supply in that city, because a “limited opportunity” in a building with heavy nearby inventory may not be limited at all.

Mixed denomination of Israeli shekel banknotes sit in this arranged photograph in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 1, 2019. Photographer: Corinna Kern/Bloomberg

Buyers should also negotiate differently. In a high-inventory market, the headline price is only one part of the deal. Developers may resist official price cuts because they do not want to damage earlier sales or bank valuations. That is why discounts often appear as payment terms, free parking, storage rooms, upgraded kitchens, waived linkage, legal-fee help, or quiet reductions offered through sales offices. The buyer’s job is to convert every perk into shekels and compare it with the real market price.

A 20/80 deal can still make sense. It can work for a buyer with liquid capital, a strong mortgage file, a real need for the apartment, and enough cash to handle a bad exchange-rate move or a delay. It can work in a location with genuine demand and limited competing supply. It can work when the developer is strong, the bank guarantee is clean, the delivery timeline is realistic, and the buyer is not relying on flipping the apartment before closing.

Crude oil prices surged Monday, May 25, 2026, after the U.S. military destroyed two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels caught laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and struck a surface-to-air missile battery at Bandar Abbas that had targeted American warplanes, raising fresh fears that a U.S.-Iran agreement to end the three-month war could slip away just as it appeared within reach. Senior U.S. defense officials briefing reporters Monday afternoon confirmed the strikes, which arrived mid-session and forced traders to abandon what had been one of the steepest single-day collapses in crude prices since the war began.

The reversal was violent. International benchmark Brent crude had earlier plunged roughly 7% to trade near $96 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate had skidded to roughly $90 a barrel after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely” and disclosed he had pressed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as part of a wider regional settlement. The Monday slide had extended last week’s drop of more than 5% in Brent and over 8% in WTI, unwinding much of the war premium that had carried Brent above $114 just three weeks ago. The afternoon strikes erased a meaningful portion of the day’s losses and reignited the volatility that has defined the conflict.

The mine-laying operation was caught in real time. According to reporting from Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin citing a senior U.S. official, American forces tracked the two IRGC craft as they were depositing mines into the shipping lane and engaged them before the devices could be fully positioned. Both vessels were destroyed. U.S. Central Command considers them eliminated. The episode is the precise scenario American commanders have warned about for months: Tehran deploying small, fast-moving craft from its “mosquito fleet” to seed the world’s most critical oil chokepoint with naval mines, a tactic that could close the strait to commercial shipping for weeks even after a ceasefire is signed.

The second engagement followed almost immediately. A SAM site at Bandar Abbas — the southern Iranian port city that serves as the IRGC Navy’s primary operational hub and the inspection point through which Iran routes vessels transiting the strait — locked onto U.S. warplanes operating in the area. American forces struck the battery in response. Iran’s Mehr News Agency acknowledged sounds of explosions east of Bandar Abbas but said the situation in the city itself was normal. Separately, OSINT monitors and regional wire feeds reported large fires on Kharg Island, the terminal that handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports, though U.S. officials have not confirmed American responsibility for that incident.

Pentagon officials, through Griffin’s reporting, were emphatic about the framing: the strikes were defensive in nature, not offensive, and not an attempt to break the ceasefire. U.S. officials said the operation is finished for now. That language is deliberate and aimed squarely at oil traders and at the Iranian negotiating team. The White House is signaling that mine-laying in the strait crosses a hard red line — even during active peace talks — but that American forces will not expand the engagement beyond the immediate threat. Whether Tehran accepts that distinction will determine the next 48 hours in the energy market.

The diplomatic track had been gathering real momentum before the strikes. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week there were “good signs” an agreement to end the war was within reach, while warning any deal would be “unfeasible” if Iran insists on permanent control over Hormuz shipping. A Pakistani mediator separately briefed Beijing that an accord was nearing. The framework under discussion would extend the existing ceasefire for roughly two months, during which Washington would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports — in place since April 13 — and Tehran would reopen the strait to international shipping. Through that chokepoint normally moves about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas, flows that have been effectively halted since the war began February 28.

Two fault lines remain unresolved and both were on display Monday. Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile continues to be the central nuclear sticking point — Trump posted that the material will either be turned over to the United States and destroyed or handled in coordination with Tehran. The second is Iran’s demand to retain authority over maritime traffic through Hormuz and to collect tolls reported to exceed $1 million per ship. The mine-laying activity that triggered Monday’s American strikes underscores how far the two sides remain from operational normalization of the waterway, regardless of progress at the negotiating table.

Energy executives are bracing for a prolonged tail. A recent note from MUFG told clients that full normalization of Middle East oil supply may not occur until 2027 given infrastructure damage and dislocated shipping insurance markets. Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth told CNBC’s David Faber at the Milken Institute Global Conference earlier this month that fuel shortages are now a growing concern in parts of the world dependent on Gulf product flows, particularly naphtha, LPG and jet fuel. A Goldman Sachs note to clients flagged accelerating drawdowns in easily accessible refined-product buffers, while OPEC+ is weighing an output increase that analysts at Wood Mackenzie warn cannot offset Hormuz disruption in the near term.

The market is left holding two contradictory data points from the same Monday session: a president signaling diplomatic breakthrough and a U.S. military operation that destroyed Iranian warships in the strait. Traders are pricing both, and the next move belongs to Tehran.

JBizNews Desk

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Multiple people were injured moments ago in an apparent boat crash on Long Beach Island in Ocean County, officials tell TLS.

Officials say five people were on the vessel at the time of the incident, with two individuals reportedly ejected from the boat.

At least two injuries are said to be serious, officials say.

Authorities have also requested two choppers for transport.

Developing story.

By JBizNews Desk

MARANELLO, Italy — Ferrari NV officially unveiled the Luce, its first fully electric production vehicle, marking the most dramatic transformation in the company’s modern history and signaling that even the world’s most iconic combustion-engine brand is now betting heavily on the future of electric performance.

The new four-door, four-seat electric supercar carries a starting price of approximately €550,000 ($640,000), making it the most expensive regular-production Ferrari ever introduced. The vehicle was developed through a five-year collaboration with LoveFrom, the design collective founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive, the architect behind products including the iPhone, iMac, Apple Watch, and iPod.

For Ferrari, the launch represents far more than a new model.

For decades, the Italian automaker insisted it would never fully abandon the emotional identity tied to internal-combustion engines. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna reversed that philosophy last year, and the Luce now becomes the centerpiece of Ferrari’s long-term strategy to prove that luxury electric vehicles can command Ferrari-level prestige, pricing, and margins despite a broader slowdown in global EV demand.

The Luce — Italian for “light” or “illumination” — enters production immediately and sits above Ferrari’s current lineup, including the approximately $430,000 Purosangue SUV.

Under the hood — or more accurately beneath the chassis — Ferrari built one of the most technically ambitious electric drivetrains ever placed into a production vehicle.

The Luce uses:

• Four electric motors
• More than 1,000 horsepower
• A 122-kWh battery pack
• 0-to-60 mph in 2.5 seconds
• Approximately 330 miles of range
• An 800-volt electrical architecture
• Advanced independent torque vectoring on all four wheels

Ferrari engineers said the platform delivers levels of handling precision impossible to achieve through traditional mechanical differentials.

The vehicle also introduces the largest wheel setup ever used on a production Ferrari, with 23-inch front wheels and 24-inch rear wheels.

But the headline of the launch is not just electrification.

It is design.

Ferrari granted an unusually high level of creative control to Ive and LoveFrom — something virtually unprecedented in Maranello’s history. The result is a dramatically minimalist Ferrari with smooth shell-like bodywork, floating aerodynamic elements, extensive glass integration, and an interior built around physical craftsmanship rather than touchscreen dominance.

The cabin includes:

• Precision-machined aluminum controls
• Custom OLED displays developed with Samsung Display
• A steering wheel made from recycled aluminum
• A Gorilla Glass key embedded with E Ink display technology

In a direct contrast to Tesla’s touchscreen-heavy interior philosophy, Ive openly criticized the industry trend toward removing physical controls from vehicles.

“The reason we developed touch for the iPhone was to solve a specific problem,” Jony Ive said during the launch. “I never would have used touch in a car for the main controls because it requires you to look away from the road.”

The comment immediately positioned the Luce not only as Ferrari’s first EV, but also as a philosophical counterpoint to the minimalist interface approach pioneered by Tesla.

The stakes for Ferrari are enormous.

The company currently sells only around 14,000 vehicles annually, yet consistently generates some of the highest profit margins in the automotive industry. By introducing the Luce as a full production model rather than a limited-edition showcase car, Ferrari is testing whether ultra-luxury buyers will embrace electric drivetrains at the very top of the market.

Competitors including Lamborghini and Aston Martin have delayed portions of their own EV rollouts amid cooling luxury EV demand and continued buyer attachment to traditional engine sound and mechanical driving feel.

Ferrari is betting that exclusivity, design prestige, and technological sophistication can overcome those concerns.

For LoveFrom, the project also marks the largest physical product collaboration in the firm’s history since Ive left Apple in 2019. The partnership gives Ferrari access to one of the most influential consumer-product designers of the modern era — a marketing and branding advantage few competitors can replicate.

Wall Street is watching closely.

Ferrari shares (NYSE: RACE) have significantly outperformed much of the global automotive sector over the last several years, supported by the company’s strict production discipline, long customer waitlists, and ultra-premium pricing strategy.

Analysts at firms including Morgan Stanley and Bernstein have already identified the Luce as one of Ferrari’s most important long-term growth drivers heading into 2027 and beyond.

The larger question now facing Ferrari is whether it can achieve something the broader EV market has struggled with:

Making electric power feel aspirational rather than compromised.

That test begins now.

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

As hopes fade for passage of a draft law during the current Knesset term, frustration is mounting inside United Torah Judaism, where party leaders are now demanding immediate and tangible achievements for the chareidi public in exchange for continued coalition support.

According to a report published Monday, senior UTJ figures made clear during an internal faction meeting that the party no longer intends to provide automatic backing for coalition legislation without receiving concrete benefits in return.

The growing pressure follows increasing recognition within the chareidi parties that the long-discussed draft law regulating the status of yeshiva bochurim is unlikely to pass during the current government.

During the meeting, MK Meir Porush and Deputy Communications Minister Yisroel Eichler reportedly insisted that every future vote supporting coalition initiatives in the Knesset plenum must now be tied to legislation delivering immediate gains for the chareidi sector.

The strategy is aimed at allowing UTJ to present voters with meaningful accomplishments after efforts to advance the draft law effectively stalled.

As part of the negotiations, the faction reportedly agreed that in exchange for supporting legislation transferring certain Interior Ministry powers to Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, UTJ would demand advancement of the Daycare Law — legislation initiated by the party intended to benefit chareidi families.

The proposal was supposed to move forward this week with preliminary approval in the Knesset. However, according to the report, UTJ ultimately backed away and abstained during the vote on the transfer of powers without securing any concessions in return.

Party officials are also expected to push for additional legislation important to the chareidi public, including an override clause limiting judicial intervention and further measures designed to ease sanctions imposed on yeshiva students and regulate the legal status of lomdei Torah.

At the same time, tensions reportedly continue between Degel HaTorah and Shas over the question of possible election timing. Due to ongoing disagreements between the parties, UTJ lawmakers reportedly agreed that all faction members will present their positions next week regarding when elections should take place in an effort to establish a unified strategy.

Meanwhile, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri reportedly acknowledged during a separate Shas faction meeting that prospects for passing the draft law have effectively collapsed for the foreseeable future.

“Yesterday it became clear that the draft law will no longer pass during the current term,” Deri reportedly told party members.

Despite the pessimism, political insiders say Degel HaTorah’s position does not necessarily mean the party would actively oppose such legislation if Netanyahu somehow succeeds in assembling a majority independently. In that scenario, faction members could still vote in favor of the bill and allow the legislative process to move forward.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Shmuel Yosef Fishbain zt”l, longtime Chief Rabbi of White Lake, who led the community with unwavering dedication, warmth, and mesiras nefesh for more than 55 years.

Rav Fishbain was a venerated figure of old-world rabbonus, a bridge to the great gedolim of prewar Europe and postwar America, and a living symbol of steadfast devotion to authentic Torah life and hashkafah.

For decades, his presence defined White Lake and much of the surrounding Catskills region. To countless families, vacationers, and year-round residents, Rav Fishbain was not merely a rov, but a trusted guide, a compassionate counselor, and a guardian of Torah values whose influence stretched far beyond the walls of his shul.

Born in Chicago in 1927, Rav Fishbain entered a world very different from the flourishing Torah landscape America knows today. His father, Reb Nochum Dov Fishbain zt”l, was among the pioneering builders of Torah in the Midwest and founded what was then the only yeshivos in Chicago. The elder Reb Nochum Dov’s untimely passing left a profound void when Rav Shmuel Yosef was still a young child.

In those difficult years, it was his mother, Miriam Devorah a”h, whose faith and sacrifice shaped the future of her sons. With extraordinary mesiras nefesh, at a time when sending children away to learn Torah was almost unheard of in many American cities, she dispatched Rav Shmuel Yosef and his brother to New York to learn in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas.

In Chicago, Rav Fishbain was raised in a home saturated with Torah and hachnosas orchim. His mother’s home became legendary for its open doors and warmth toward wandering Torah giants who traveled across America to strengthen Yiddishkeit in its fragile early years. As a child, Rav Fishbain merited hosting and observing some of the greatest figures of the generation, including Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l Hy”d, the Rayatz of Lubavitch zt”l, the Lomza Rosh Yeshivah, and numerous other gedolim and tzaddikim.

Those encounters left an indelible impression upon him. Throughout his life, Rav Fishbain would recount memories and stories from those formative years with vivid clarity, carrying within him a living connection to a vanished era of European Torah greatness transplanted onto American soil.

As a young man, Rav Fishbain immersed himself fully in Torah learning. He learned in Torah Vodaas and later in Telz, absorbing the greatness of the American yeshivah world during its formative decades. He also became closely connected to Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman zt”l at Yeshivas Netzach Yisroel, where Rav Fishbain himself eventually served as a maggid shiur, transmitting Torah with depth, clarity, and warmth.

Over the years, Rav Fishbain forged close relationships with many of the leading Torah figures and Rebbes of the generation. He maintained strong ties with the Bobover Rebbes, the Satmar Rebbe, the Tzelemer Rov, and the Skverer Rebbe, as well as with such luminaries as Rav Avrohom Pam zt”l, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l, Rav Eliezer Silver zt”l, Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l, among many others. His life was deeply intertwined with the great personalities who shaped postwar Torah Jewry in America.

Before arriving in White Lake, Rav Fishbain served as rov in several Catskills communities, including Ellenville and Hurleyville, serving both permanent residents and the thousands of summer visitors who flocked to the region each year. In the early 1970s, he assumed the rabbonus of White Lake, a position he would hold for the remainder of his life.

For more than half a century, Rav Fishbain stood as a pillar of Torah in the Catskills. Through changing times and shifting generations, he remained steadfast and uncompromising in his devotion to Torah, halachah, and authentic hashkafah. With tremendous mesiras nefesh, he carried the burdens of the community with dignity and humility, devoting himself entirely to the needs of his flock.

He was a rov whose life revolved around Torah and avodas Hashem, yet who remained approachable and deeply caring to every individual. Whether guiding families through life’s simchos and challenges, delivering shiurim, or preserving the traditions and standards of earlier generations, Rav Fishbain embodied the nobility and responsibility of the classic American rov.

Even in his later years, he remained a revered elder statesman of Torah Jewry in the Catskills, respected across the spectrum of the Torah world for his wisdom, integrity, and unwavering principles.

Rav Fishbain is survived by his esteemed Rebbetzin, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who continue his legacy of Torah and Yiddishkeit.

The levayah will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, New Jersey. A second levayah will be held tomorrow in Monsey.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

An extraordinary photograph that surfaced this week captured a rare halachic drama unfolding thousands of feet above the Atlantic, as renowned posek Rav Ezriel Auerbach was summoned to the cockpit of a flight passing over Greenland to resolve a complex question involving Sefiras HaOmer.

The image shows the senior posek standing beside the aircraft’s captain while examining the flight’s navigation route on the cockpit display screen.

Behind the unusual scene was a complicated halachic issue that arose during Rav Auerbach’s trip to the United States. Shortly after takeoff, the Rav began investigating when passengers aboard the flight would be able to count Sefiras HaOmer.

It soon became apparent that throughout the route, the aircraft would effectively remain in continuous daylight due to the flight path and time-zone progression, seemingly “skipping” nighttime entirely.

The matter deeply concerned Rav Auerbach, who sought to analyze the issue thoroughly. In order to assist with the inquiry, the chief pilot personally invited the Rav into the cockpit and presented him with the aircraft’s precise navigation map and global flight route.

During their discussion, the pilot explained that the plane would soon cross the Greenland region. Although sunlight was still visible at the aircraft’s cruising altitude, conditions on the ground below in Greenland had already entered twilight and darkness due to the geographic positioning and angle of the sun.

After carefully reviewing the geographical and navigational details, Rav Auerbach issued a halachic ruling that has since generated considerable discussion in the Torah world.

“Since on the ground beneath the aircraft it is currently twilight and nighttime, the airplane is halachically considered to be located in a place where it is night,” Rav Auerbach ruled.

Based on that ruling, Rav Auerbach instructed the passengers waiting for guidance — and personally followed the ruling himself — that during the brief period while the aircraft passed over the darkened region, it was both permissible and necessary to count Sefiras HaOmer.

Passengers aboard the flight reportedly hurried to fulfill the mitzvah during the flight itself.

One passenger related: “All of the frum passengers on this flight were especially moved that we merited to have the posek hador himself traveling with us and determining whether and when to recite the brachah. There was tremendous amazement among all of us at the remarkable fusion of science, technology, and Torah, which guides a Jew wherever he may be. There is nothing that the gedolei Yisroel and poskim cannot determine — even in the heavens above.”

{Matzav.com}

A 74-year-old traveler heading to Greece narrowly survived a medical emergency at Ben Gurion Airport after collapsing in the duty-free section and suffering cardiac arrest, with two El Al employees rushing to his aid and reviving him before paramedics arrived.

The two workers, both volunteer emergency responders with Magen David Adom, received an alert through MDA’s emergency responder application and reached the scene within moments. Finding the man unconscious and without a pulse, they immediately began CPR.

As the resuscitation efforts got underway, they instructed a nearby passenger to retrieve a defibrillator from the airport’s public area. Within a matter of minutes, the device was used to administer two electric shocks, successfully restoring the man’s heartbeat.

An MDA intensive care ambulance crew arrived shortly afterward, continued advanced medical treatment at the scene, and transported the man to Sheba Medical Center in stable condition.

The responders, emergency medical technicians Efraim Friedman of Petah Tikva and Yosef Zaks of Modi’in Illit, described the dramatic rescue.

“We were standing near the elevator when suddenly we received an alert through the MDA responder app about an unconscious man. We went up one floor in the elevator and ran quickly to the scene. We performed resuscitation efforts, and within a short time his heart started beating again.”

They added: “He gradually regained consciousness and did not understand what had happened around him. We explained that we were taking him to the hospital, and he said he couldn’t because he was on his way to a flight. After we explained his medical condition, we evacuated him to the hospital in stable condition. It’s an emotional event – being in the right place at the right time – and thanks to the defibrillator placed in the public area at Ben Gurion Airport, we were able to save his life.”

A rare public clarification has emerged from the normally quiet Amshinov Hasidic dynasty court after social media reports falsely claimed that the Amshinov Rebbe permits ascending Har Habayis.

The controversy erupted after excerpts from the chassidus’s internal publication “Yirah V’Simcha” were circulated online and presented as though the Rebbe had issued a practical heter allowing Jews to ascend the Har Habayis.

In response, the Rebbe’s son, Rabbi Moshe Milikovsky, released an unusually sharp and public statement rejecting the reports outright.

“We were shocked by the removal of the Rebbe’s words from their context regarding Har Habayis,” Rabbi Milikovsky stated.

“The Rebbe absolutely did not permit ascending the Har contrary to the view of all the poskim.”

According to the statement, the comments in question came from an internal halachic discussion held in the Rebbe’s home over a year ago and published only for members of the chassidus familiar with the Rebbe’s style of nuanced Torah discussions.

“With a lack of honesty, they presented it as though the Rebbe permits or instructs people to ascend Har Habayis in practice — something that never entered his mind,” the statement continued.

Rabbi Milikovsky emphasized that the discussion was purely theoretical and halachic in nature, adding that the Rebbe also voiced opposition during the conversation to actions such as waving the Shtei Halechem on Har Habayis in ways not aligned with halacha.

“Certainly this was not a practical or ideological permission to ascend Har Habayis,” he stressed. “The Rebbe’s view is like that of all the poskim — that at this time one may not permit ascending Har Habayis in practice, something that could easily lead to the severe prohibition of kareis, chas v’shalom.”

The clarification quickly spread through the chareidi world amid ongoing tensions and debate surrounding Jewish visits to Har Habayis.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal is raising alarm over President Trump’s ongoing negotiations with Iran, warning that easing pressure on Tehran before major nuclear issues are resolved could create dangerous long-term consequences and weaken America’s leverage in the region.

In its coverage and commentary surrounding the negotiations, the Journal warned that sanctions relief and economic concessions could become “difficult to reverse” if Iran later fails to meet verification requirements or refuses to fully dismantle key elements of its nuclear infrastructure.

The paper also described the negotiations as unfinished and unstable, noting that critical questions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, uranium enrichment, and enforcement mechanisms remain unresolved.

One Journal report said the proposed framework would give both sides additional time to negotiate “thorny issues including Tehran’s nuclear program,” while critics quoted by the paper questioned whether the concessions under discussion would be worth the risks.

The Journal additionally highlighted growing concerns among Trump allies and foreign policy hawks that Iran could secure economic relief while maintaining significant leverage and enrichment capabilities. One report noted that “many of Trump’s political allies openly urged Trump to resume strikes on Iran instead of making diplomatic concessions.”

President Trump has continued defending the talks, insisting that any agreement would fully protect American interests and only move forward if Iran accepts strict U.S. conditions. Administration officials have acknowledged, however, that negotiations remain active and that major details are still being worked out.

Trump has also lashed out at critics attacking the negotiations before a final agreement has been completed. According to reports, he argued opponents do not yet know the actual contents of the deal and are reacting prematurely.

Republican lawmakers including Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham have continued warning that any relaxation of sanctions could strengthen Tehran economically and strategically while undermining years of American pressure efforts.

Former Trump administration officials have also expressed concern. John Bolton and other Iran hawks have repeatedly argued that partial agreements risk leaving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure largely intact while giving the regime badly needed financial breathing room.

Several analysts aligned with pro-Israel security positions have echoed those warnings, arguing that limited agreements lacking aggressive verification systems could allow Tehran to preserve uranium enrichment capabilities while still receiving economic benefits and sanctions relief.

Trump, meanwhile, has rejected accusations that he is preparing to accept weak terms, insisting that he would never agree to “a bad deal” and arguing that many of the loudest critics are reacting without full knowledge of the negotiations themselves.

{Matzav.com}

At the close of Shavuos, during the traditional Ne’ilas HaChag Tish attended by thousands of Belzer chassidim, a dramatic public announcement was delivered in the name of the Belzer Rebbe regarding what was described as the growing campaign against lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel.

The announcement was delivered by the Rebbe’s longtime mashbak, Reb Shimon Wolf Klein, who spoke emotionally about the mounting financial and legal pressures facing avreichim and bnei Torah throughout the country.

“We are now entering the third year of one of the most difficult battles faced by those who learn and toil in Torah here in Eretz Yisroel,” Klein declared.

“Unfortunately, the latest troubles make people forget the earlier ones. It began with the cancellation of funding that supported Torah learners, and when that was not enough for them, they began imposing additional decrees, intimidation, and various harsh measures — all with one objective: to pressure and make life difficult for Torah learners and, chalilah, uproot the existence of Torah.”

Klein praised Belzer chassidim for what he described as extraordinary dedication and sacrifice in supporting kollel families over the past two years.

“Baruch Hashem, over the past two years Belzer chassidim proved themselves and stood with exceptional mesirus nefesh at the side of the kollel avreichim, serving as an example for communities throughout Eretz Yisroel,” he said.

He noted that the Belzer Rebbe established and strengthened the “Keren Hatzolas HaTorah,” a special emergency fund created to sustain Torah learners facing growing economic hardship.

“We merited that the Rebbe established and built the Keren Hatzolas HaTorah, which undertook the enormous responsibility of raising the massive sums needed to support the kollel avreichim — amounts reaching 12 million shekels each year,” Klein announced.

“Now the fund is taking upon itself another year of sustaining Torah learners in partnership with chassidim from Eretz Yisroel and abroad.”

Toward the conclusion of the announcement, Klein issued a direct appeal to the assembled chassidim to personally sponsor avreichim in the Belzer community.

“The Rebbe calls upon every person to take upon himself support for an avreich at a cost of 900,” he said. “And whoever is able should take upon himself several avreichim, so that the strength of Torah should not weaken.”

Klein added a personal message from the Rebbe to those who assist the campaign.

“The Rebbe asked to add that whoever helps will have the Rebbe’s gratitude, and he and his family will be spared from pain and anguish,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

An activist who participated in the Gaza Sumud Flotilla admitted in an interview that the flotilla wasn’t primarily about bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Instead, the purpose was to engage the IDF and draw the world’s attention to Gaza.

Rosa Martinez, an anti-Israel activist from New York City and co-organizer of the vessel Adalah, said in a Palestinian Youth Movement NYC Instagram video that the mission of the flotilla had been distorted in the media as a humanitarian mission.

“I think that’s kind of flattening what it is that we’re doing,” he explained. “Yes, there is aid. The aid that we have isn’t sufficient to the structural issues in a post quote-on-quote ceasefire Gaza … I feel like directly confronting the Israeli occupation forces at sea as we try to break this 20-year genocidal siege … is a historic responsibility.”

The goals, according to Martinez, were “engaging with the IOF directly, putting the spotlight back on Gaza, because it has fallen off the headlines.”

Anti-Israel activists frequently refer to the IDF as the IOF, with the “O” standing for “occupation.”

Martinez was arrested by the IDF a week ago when his boat was intercepted. He said he was held for four days, which was a “waking nightmare” but “a fraction of a fraction” of what he said Gazans had to endure.

In a confrontation with pro-Israel activist Rachel Herman in December 2023, Martinez said that Oct. 7 was “one of the greatest days of my life” and “one of the greatest days in the history of decolonization.” At the time, he was wearing a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine pin. The PFLP is a designated terrorist organization.

U.S. forces struck missile launch sites and Iranian vessels attempting to lay naval mines in southern Iran on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said, marking a fresh military exchange despite an ongoing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran and advanced talks to end the war.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told Fox News that the strikes were carried out in self-defense to protect American personnel in the region.

“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Hawkins said. “Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

The spokesman did not disclose the number of targets struck, the platforms used or whether any Iranian personnel were killed.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that the campaign had degraded Iran’s defense industrial base by roughly 90 percent and eliminated more than 90 percent of Tehran’s stockpile of 8,000 naval mines. Cooper said Iran retained what he described as “nuisance capability,” including harassment by small boats and low-end drone and rocket attacks.

Sunday’s strikes appear to fall within that residual threat picture. Iranian fast boats and mine-laying vessels have long been a CENTCOM concern in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf, where roughly 20 percent of global oil shipments transit.
Iranian officials did not immediately respond to the reported strikes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior Likud MK David Bitan said Monday that the controversial draft law regulating the status of yeshiva students no longer has enough political support to pass, while acknowledging that even the chareidi parties themselves are no longer backing the current proposal.

Speaking in an interview on Kol Chai Radio’s main evening program, Bitan painted a picture of a political system already preparing for new elections, with coalition tensions growing over both the draft law and the timing of the next vote.

According to Bitan, the main dispute at the moment revolves around whether elections should be held in September or October.

“We prefer October, while the chareidim prefer September,” Bitan said, adding that “I don’t think elections can be held during the holidays themselves.”

The chairman of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee also addressed Israel’s ongoing military challenges, saying the country remains deeply engaged in simultaneous conflicts on several fronts, including Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran.

“As the war dragged on, things stopped depending only on us,” Bitan explained.

At the same time, he rejected criticism suggesting Israel entered the fighting unnecessarily.

“I do not accept this claim that we fought for nothing. We absolutely had to fight,” he said.

When asked about the government’s repeated promise of achieving “total victory,” Bitan conceded that Israel has not yet fully reached that objective.

“‘Total victory’ was the intention, but we still haven’t reached that point. It is still a process,” he said.

Bitan argued that the Israeli public understands the complexity of the situation and the enormous challenges facing the country during the current security crisis.

A major portion of the interview focused on the stalled draft law and the growing crisis between the coalition and the chareidi parties. Bitan insisted that responsibility for the deadlock does not rest solely on Likud.

“You can’t come only to Likud with complaints about why the draft law did not advance over these years,” he said. “It is impossible to pass a law that the chareidim themselves currently do not support at all.”

Bitan outlined the series of political and legal obstacles that ultimately derailed the legislation.

“At first there were legal problems that dragged things out,” he explained. “Afterward, some coalition members refused to support the wording, and we reached the point where the law simply no longer has a majority — and now the chareidim themselves no longer want it. Life goes on, and eventually we will arrange a fair law in the next term.”

The veteran Likud lawmaker also addressed the government’s judicial reform efforts, suggesting that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s current approach differs from his earlier position on the issue.

“Based on how he behaves today, yes. I think today he wants what he did not want in the past,” Bitan said regarding the possibility of reviving judicial reform legislation.

Still, Bitan cautioned that any renewed effort would need to move gradually rather than all at once.

The interview also touched on growing internal tensions inside Likud surrounding reserved spots on the party’s Knesset slate ahead of the next elections.

Bitan said demands that Netanyahu receive ten reserved slots on the list are unrealistic and noted that past Likud leaders rarely relied heavily on such mechanisms.

“We are a democratic party,” he said, defending the party’s primary system, which allows lesser-known candidates to rise through the ranks.

Bitan additionally rejected criticism from some right-wing figures who argue the current government failed to fulfill major ideological promises.

According to him, the war dramatically reshaped the government’s priorities, though he maintained that the coalition still achieved significant accomplishments.

“A lot of good things happened,” Bitan said, arguing that despite wartime pressures and ongoing legal battles, the government managed to preserve economic stability while also addressing social issues.

Toward the end of the interview, Bitan was asked which parties Likud would refuse to join after the next election. He responded that the party maintains a firm line regarding cooperation with Arab parties and the Democrats party.

“Likud currently will not sit with the Arab parties,” he said, adding that there are also major issues from Likud’s perspective regarding cooperation with the Democrats.

{Matzav.com}

By JBizNews Desk

New York — May 25, 2026 — Manhattan’s commercial real estate market opened 2026 with strengthening demand for premium office space, declining vacancies in top-tier buildings and rising leasing activity across finance and technology corridors, directly challenging predictions that New York City would suffer a major corporate exodus following Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election victory.

New first-quarter data compiled by JLL show leasing momentum accelerating in trophy Class A office product across Midtown Manhattan, Hudson Yards and parts of Downtown, with institutional landlords reporting tightening availability in the city’s strongest submarkets.

Separate market analysis published by Cushman & Wakefield this spring tracked similar trends, identifying rising absorption across premier Manhattan office assets while industrial demand continued strengthening throughout northern New Jersey’s logistics corridor tied to the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The data sharply undercut widespread predictions from segments of the financial press and political commentators who forecast that high-income residents, major employers and institutional capital would rapidly flee New York after Mamdani’s November election.

To date, the broad corporate retreat has not materialized in the leasing numbers, migration data or tax-revenue forecasts released so far in 2026.

The New York City Council’s December economic outlook projected fiscal-year 2026 and 2027 tax revenues above earlier Office of Management and Budget expectations, while the New York City Economic Development Corporation continues describing Manhattan as a magnet for younger educated workers and high-value employers.

The office market, however, is increasingly splitting into two entirely different realities.

Top-tier Class A buildings near major transit hubs are outperforming aggressively, with some premier towers effectively becoming waitlisted as financial firms, law firms and technology tenants compete for limited premium inventory.

Meanwhile, aging Class C office buildings continue deteriorating as viable commercial assets.

Industry executives now openly describe much of the older office inventory across Manhattan and the broader metropolitan area as functionally obsolete.

Executives surveyed earlier this year by New Jersey Business Magazine predicted large portions of the Class C market could disappear entirely within the next two years as properties migrate into residential conversion pipelines, light-industrial redevelopment projects or demolition plans.

That bifurcation is spreading across the region.

In New Jersey, Class A demand remains strongest in Newark, Jersey City, New Brunswick and the broader HELIX innovation corridor, where life-science, healthcare and institutional developments continue attracting tenants and capital.

South Jersey office inventory remains the weakest segment of the state’s office market, while Central Jersey is seeing more measured Class A expansion tied to pharmaceutical, logistics and technology employers.

Industrial real estate continues leading institutional investment flows across both sides of the Hudson River.

The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal complex, Meadowlands logistics corridor and last-mile distribution hubs in Edison, Carteret and Linden remain among the strongest-performing industrial markets on the East Coast as e-commerce growth and reshoring strategies continue supporting warehouse demand.

Major institutional investors including Blackstone, Prologis, KKR and Brookfield Asset Management remain active buyers throughout the region’s industrial and multifamily sectors.

The macroeconomic backdrop has also become more supportive for commercial real estate than many analysts anticipated late last year.

Interest rates have moderated during the first half of 2026, while major financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup have tightened return-to-office mandates, increasing demand for high-quality office space close to transportation infrastructure and corporate amenities.

Capital markets have also stabilized.

Acquisition activity, refinancing volume and development financing have all improved materially year over year for institutional-quality projects, particularly in multifamily, logistics and top-tier office product.

The political risk premium that briefly entered New York commercial real estate pricing immediately after the mayoral election has therefore compressed substantially.

That does not mean concerns have disappeared.

Investors, landlords and corporate tenants remain closely focused on how the Mamdani administration handles fiscal policy, commercial taxation, the ongoing PTET credit debate and broader business regulation heading into the city’s fiscal 2027 budget cycle.

But for now, the leasing data tell a much different story than the one many expected six months ago.

Rather than empty towers and fleeing corporations, Manhattan’s strongest buildings are seeing rising competition for space.

The exodus narrative, at least so far, has run into a stubborn obstacle: the actual market.

JBizNews Desk

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Degel HaTorah MK Yaakov Asher launched a blistering attack Monday against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Israel’s Supreme Court, accusing the legal establishment of waging what he described as a systematic ideological war against the chareidi public.

Speaking at a conference for chareidi mortgage advisers, Asher warned that growing pressure on the Torah community could eventually trigger widespread backlash across the chareidi sector.

“The chareidi public will not sit quietly,” Asher declared. “In the end, this will turn into some kind of uprising.”

At the center of his remarks was the ongoing legal and political battle surrounding the draft issue and government funding connected to the chareidi community. Asher claimed the judiciary and legal advisers are deliberately targeting chareidim not only politically, but economically and socially as well.

He described the situation as “a legal war of judicial activism by the attorney general,” arguing that the campaign is fueled by both political and ideological motives.

According to Asher, the legal system is attempting “even ultimately to starve the chareidi population, causing disproportionate harm to women, teachers, kindergarten workers, and children.”

The MK accused Israel’s legal establishment of applying double standards when it comes to human rights and civil protections.

“When they need to pass a law to deport terrorists’ families, all the legal advisers are concerned not to violate the rights of those families,” he said.

“All the sensitivity that the attorney general, her colleagues, and the Supreme Court justices have — all the sensitivity regarding human rights — take 10% of that sensitivity and apply it to this public.”

Asher went on to describe what he said are the practical consequences of government policies affecting chareidi families.

“There are children struggling in school who have tutors helping them, and now they wanted to stop funding for those tutors,” he said. “Why? Because maybe one of the tutors earns a living from it and is considered by them to be a draft dodger. So what do you want? That these children fall apart and later end up being treated by social services?”

The veteran lawmaker portrayed the situation as an organized and relentless campaign against the chareidi sector.

“Every day there’s another letter, every day another directive, every day something else,” Asher said. “This is a war against the entire chareidi public. And it’s not just political. In politics, you can maneuver and make different moves. Here, every move you make, the court comes and overturns everything.”

He also argued that government policy toward chareidim is contradictory and economically self-defeating.

“You are harming the economy while at the same time talking about legislation to encourage public transportation,” he said. “And with the other hand, you are making life harder for the very public that uses public transportation more than anyone else.”

Asher stressed that any response from the chareidi community would remain nonviolent and guided by rabbinic leadership, even as frustration intensifies.

“The chareidi public will not sit quietly. In the end, this will turn into some kind of uprising, but of course a legal one. We are not people of violence or things of that nature. Some say it’s a shame, but no — these are the instructions we receive from the Gedolei Torah, and that is how we will act.”

He concluded by saying that the mounting pressure is increasingly uniting all segments of the chareidi community, including both full-time learners and working families.

“In the end — and this is our strength — they are putting everyone into the same category,” Asher said. “Those whose Torah is their profession and those who work as well, because they are also harming their families and their sons who are learning Torah. They are dragging the entire public into this.”

Asher closed with another sharp jab at the legal establishment, accusing it of showing greater concern for Palestinians than for Israel’s chareidi citizens.

“They are causing enormous damage to the State of Israel,” he said, “but they will continue protecting the quality of life of various Palestinians in Area C.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were “proceeding nicely.”

The strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” but the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.

Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.

Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should “immediately” sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.

He wrote that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”

Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That’s also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan’s position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump’s latest proposal.

The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump’s list.

“The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda,” he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.

Still, Khan said, “the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries.”

It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.

The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump’s first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstan.

They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.

This post was originally published on this site.

Israeli Deputy Minister Yisroel Eichler launched a sharp attack Monday night against Israeli police and the judicial system over attempts to arrest yeshiva bochurim, accusing authorities of targeting Torah students whose “only crime,” he said, is learning Torah.

In a strongly worded statement, Eichler condemned what he described as efforts “to hunt down and arrest innocent yeshiva students in the streets.”

According to Eichler, “their only sin is Torah study.” He argued that the judicial system has become a “dictatorial regime of those who persecute Torah and those who learn it,” and charged that the police have been “dragged into carrying out humiliating arrests against Torah learners who committed no crime.”

Eichler also sharply criticized police conduct surrounding enforcement of military draft regulations, saying that “the police, which failed to eliminate crime, must take into account the historic consequences of a war between armed police officers and students.”

He further warned that “history will record a mark of shame upon those who persecute innocent Jews devoted to Torah.”

The deputy minister said the proper role of law enforcement is “to preserve public order and protect Jews whose entire desire is to uphold the Torah of Israel,” warning that what he called the ongoing persecution “could lead to innocent blood being spilled.”

Concluding his remarks, Eichler urged Israeli police officers “not to listen to the jurists,” claiming that they “are attempting to undermine the foundations of Jewish existence in Eretz Yisroel.”

{Matzav.com}

AGADIR, MOROCCO (VINnews) – The U.S. military is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to process battlefield intelligence in real time, a capability demonstrated during major multinational training exercises in Morocco.

CBS News correspondent Chris Livesay observed U.S. and Moroccan forces leveraging AI-powered systems as part of African Lion 2026, the U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise. The drills incorporated drones, AI-driven imagery analysis and autonomous platforms to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.

Officials at the Joint Operations Command in Agadir highlighted how AI systems sift through massive amounts of data from sensors, drones and other assets, presenting it in formats that allow commanders to act faster. The technology, already in place for the exercises, proved valuable even in a real-world search for two missing U.S. service members.

“Behind me on those screens is an incredible amount of data and imagery that is being channeled through an AI system,” Livesay reported from the command center. The setup enabled rapid processing that accelerated search and rescue efforts beyond previous capabilities.

African Lion 2026 featured a dynamic innovation center described as an open-air laboratory for testing AI, robotics and next-generation warfare technologies. Participants included U.S. forces, Moroccan troops, academic institutions and industry partners. Technologies on display included autonomous unmanned vehicles capable of operating in combat environments and AI-assisted command systems.

Military leaders emphasized the need to integrate these tools while acknowledging ethical concerns. Some officials described aspects of autonomous lethal systems as “ghoulish” but stressed that adversaries are advancing similar technologies, leaving the U.S. little choice but to keep pace.

The exercise, which concluded in May, tested multi-domain operations including AI-enabled intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, drone swarms and autonomous fire support. It aimed to shorten decision timelines and reduce risks to personnel.

U.S. officials say the integration of AI reflects a broader push to modernize forces and maintain technological superiority in an era of rapid innovation. Morocco has hosted the African Lion exercises for years under a defense cooperation agreement with the United States.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments in military AI applications and their implications for global security.

Federal agencies distributed approximately $186 billion in improper payments during fiscal year 2025, according to a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office, with Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare-related programs making up the overwhelming majority of the losses.

The total represented an increase of roughly $24 billion compared to the previous fiscal year, according to a report by the New York Post. The GAO found that 15 federal agencies reported improper payments across 64 separate government programs, with nearly 82% of the questionable payments classified as overpayments.

Among all federal programs, Medicare recorded the highest amount of improper payments, totaling $57 billion.

Medicaid ranked second, with an estimated $37 billion improperly distributed, while the Earned Income Tax Credit accounted for another $21 billion that went to recipients who were not eligible.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps, saw nearly $10 billion in improper payments.

Another $10 billion was linked to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, a pandemic-era initiative created to help theaters, museums, and entertainment venues survive the economic fallout of COVID-19 restrictions.

All other federal programs combined were responsible for an additional $51 billion in improper payments, according to the report.

The GAO noted that improper payments have plagued the federal government for decades, estimating that agencies have improperly distributed nearly $3 trillion since 2003.

The agency warned that the true number may actually be significantly larger, explaining that several programs viewed as highly vulnerable to payment errors were not included in the latest calculations.

The findings were released as a federal anti-fraud initiative spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance pressures states to tighten monitoring of federally funded assistance programs or face the possibility of losing federal dollars.

Kristen Kociolek, managing director of the GAO’s Financial Management and Assurance division, told The Washington Times that the sharpest jump in improper payments occurred during the COVID-19 years between 2020 and 2023, when emergency spending programs rapidly expanded.

The GAO said it has repeatedly called on Congress and federal agencies to strengthen oversight systems and accountability safeguards aimed at curbing fraud, payment errors, and abuse throughout the federal government.

{Matzav.com}

A joint venture between an American defense startup and a Saudi firm has begun construction on a factory outside Riyadh that will manufacture long-range strike drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed system, the weapon that has repeatedly battered Gulf cities during the current war.

The facility is being developed by SR2Vector, a new partnership between Utah-based Vector Defense and Saudi-based SR2 Defense Systems. It will produce a one-way attack drone called SKYWASP, capable of striking targets up to 1,500 kilometers, or about 930 miles, away. That range is roughly the distance from Saudi Arabia’s northeast coast to Tehran.

The plant marks one of the most consequential private-sector defense projects to take shape in the kingdom since fighting between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition broke out in late February, and it represents a sharp escalation in Saudi Arabia’s effort to manufacture its own offensive weapons rather than buy them abroad.

“SKYWASP is a program that can level the playing field and boost Saudi Arabia’s deterrence capabilities,” Lucien Zeigler, SR2’s chief strategy officer and co-founder, told Semafor, which first reported the project.

Zeigler declined to disclose the size of the investment, projected production volumes or a timeline for when the first drones will roll off the line. He said only that the factory would produce “operationally relevant volumes consistent with the kingdom’s strategic deterrence requirements.”

SR2Vector intends to supply both the Saudi armed forces and allied foreign militaries, and the venture is being backed by MASNA Ventures, a defense-technology fund Zeigler is currently raising.

The project unfolds against a backdrop of sustained Iranian drone attacks across the Persian Gulf. Tehran has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Gulf states since the war began, with strikes that slipped past air defenses hitting hotels, data centers and energy infrastructure. Fewer than 30 people have been reported killed in the Gulf, while more than 3,000 have died in Iran from US and Israeli strikes.

The cost mismatch between Iran’s weapons and the systems used to shoot them down has emerged as a central strategic problem for Gulf governments. A Shahed drone is estimated to cost about $35,000 to produce, a fraction of the price of the interceptors used to bring it down. Industry estimates place Shahed unit costs between $20,000 and $50,000, while Patriot interceptors run into the millions of dollars per shot.

That asymmetry has triggered a regional scramble for cheaper drones and counter-drone systems. Gulf governments have explored partnerships with Ukrainian firms, which have spent years fighting the Russian-built version of the Shahed on the battlefield. A Saudi arms company recently signed a deal to purchase Ukrainian-made interceptor missiles, with additional weapons agreements under negotiation.

The SR2Vector factory also fits into Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 industrial agenda. The kingdom has one of the world’s largest defense budgets but imports almost all of its military hardware, and has set a target of producing half of its defense materiel domestically by 2030. Ahmad Al-Ohali, governor of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries, said earlier this year that the country had reached roughly 25 percent localization by the end of 2024.

SR2 Defense Systems launched in November 2025 as what its founders described as the first private-sector US-Saudi defense manufacturing joint venture. The company was co-founded by Idris Al-Zakari, chief executive of Riyadh-based Science Technology for Investment and Industrial Development, and Zeigler, managing partner of US-based REDSALT Defense. Its leadership team includes Ahmed Nasrallah, chief investment officer at Science Technology, and retired US Army Colonel Brad Gandy, the former chief of the US Military Training Mission to Saudi Arabia.

Defense cooperation between Washington and Riyadh deepened in November, when President Donald Trump designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally during a White House meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The designation expanded the kingdom’s access to American military technology and streamlined defense industrial partnerships of the kind now taking shape outside Riyadh.

Vector Defense markets SKYWASP and similar platforms as “attritable” systems, meaning they are inexpensive enough to be used in large numbers and lost in combat without significant cost. The company describes its drones as cost-effective, expendable platforms designed to operate at scale, with in-kingdom production reducing the logistical burden of supplying them to regional theaters.

Saudi Arabia is not alone in the push. The United Arab Emirates announced a new defense-focused free zone in May aimed at attracting foreign arms manufacturers and localizing weapons production. Across the Gulf, governments are betting that homegrown drone manufacturing, even at modest scale, will give them tools to absorb and respond to Iran’s drone warfare in ways imported air defense systems alone cannot.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is reportedly dismissing concerns that a national election scheduled for mid-September could disrupt travel to Uman and negatively impact the chareidi tzibbur, saying the date would actually benefit the broader right-wing bloc.

According to reports from closed-door discussions, Deri argued that elections held on September 15 would not significantly interfere with the annual pilgrimage to Uman surrounding Rosh Hashanah.

“People return immediately after the Yom Tov, it won’t have an impact. It’s a date that is good for the entire right-wing bloc, not just for Shas,” Deri reportedly said.

Sources in Shas emphasized that the final decision ultimately rests with Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who is expected to discuss the issue further with Deri in the coming days.

At the same time, Netanyahu has reportedly continued telling associates in private conversations over the past 24 hours that he wants to exhaust every possible avenue to delay elections as long as possible, with his preferred target date said to be October 27.

The issue has created growing tension within the coalition, particularly with representatives from United Torah Judaism, who oppose a September 15 election date because it falls during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah and could interfere with the schedules of talmidei yeshiva.

During the party’s faction meeting Monday, officials from United Torah Judaism reportedly accused Deri of acting on Netanyahu’s behalf in an effort to undermine the possibility of September elections and push the political system toward an October vote instead.

JBizNews — Monday, May 25, 2026

A rare convergence of Jewish American religious leaders, civic organizations, business executives, and foreign diplomats gathered on Capitol Hill on May 19 during Jewish American Heritage Month to recognize Nobel laureate Dr. Harvey J. Alter — whose discovery of the hepatitis C virus and the screening protocols it spawned have saved millions of lives — underscoring the urgency of scientific preparation at a moment when the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is spreading rapidly across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, prompting major airlines to suspend or reduce service to affected regions.

The event, the annual Jewish American Heritage Month celebration organized by Ezra Friedlander’s Project Legacy, drew nine U.S. Senators, three U.S. Representatives, and ambassadors and trade ministers from Canada, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, Germany, and South Korea. The gathering was co-chaired by Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Eric J. Gertler, Executive Chairman of U.S. News & World Report. Held in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building, the event demonstrated the depth of Jewish American institutional reach across government, finance, philanthropy, religious life, and international commerce.

The timing is acute. As of May 24, the World Health Organization had recorded more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases and at least 231 deaths in the outbreak. Airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Air France have suspended or sharply reduced flights to Kinshasa and other Central African hubs, citing operational and safety concerns. The flight suspensions are already disrupting trade and threatening to isolate the region from international commerce and medical supply chains.

The honorees — Dr. Alter, entrepreneur Elliott Broidy, and Rabbi David Baron — represented the breadth of Jewish American institutional contribution. Dr. Alter, the 2020 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine for identifying the hepatitis C virus, embodied the Jewish American role in science and public health. His decades of work at the National Institutes of Health in the 1970s and 1980s proved that an unknown virus was driving post-transfusion hepatitis. The screening systems his research enabled have driven transfusion-transmitted hepatitis in the United States to near zero. His discovery spawned pharmaceutical franchises at Gilead Sciences, Merck, AbbVie, and Bristol Myers Squibb. Broidy, recipient of the Visionary Award, reflected the Jewish American entrepreneurial and philanthropic tradition. Rabbi David Baron of the Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills, honored with the Creativity in the Jewish Community Award, represented the religious and cultural institutions anchoring the community’s identity.

The religious leadership present was notably diverse and unified. Rabbi Pini Dunner of Young Israel of Beverly Hills, Chairman of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce West Coast, delivered remarks alongside Rabbi Mordechai Suchard of The Gateways Organization and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch. This constellation — Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, and Lubavitch leadership appearing together on a Capitol Hill stage — demonstrated institutional cohesion across religious movements.

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, John Fetterman, Tim Sheehy, John Hickenlooper, Elissa Slotkin, Ron Wyden, James Lankford, Jacky Rosen, and Pete Ricketts addressed the gathering, alongside Representatives Randi Fine, Ken Calvert, and Jeff Merkley. Senator Blumenthal emphasized that Dr. Alter could have monetized his hepatitis C discovery for enormous personal gain but instead released findings to the public-health system. Senator Fetterman delivered what attendees described as an unusually passionate bipartisan statement of support for the Jewish American community. Senator Sheehy framed scientific generosity as a uniquely American strength. The bipartisan presence — nine senators from both parties — signaled political consensus around the value of Jewish American institutional power.

Jewish American Heritage Month, observed each May since 2006, traces to 1980 when Congress designated April 21-28 as Jewish Heritage Week through conversations between Malcolm Hoenlein, President Ronald Reagan, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. President George W. Bush expanded it to a full month of May in 2006, recognizing over 370 years of Jewish American contribution to science, business, law, and public service since 1654. The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History now stewards the observance with more than 200 organizations.

Ezra Friedlander, organizer of the event through Project Legacy, said: “This year’s honorees reflect a deep commitment to public service, innovation, philanthropy, and the fight against hatred and intolerance.”

The commercial dimension was substantial. Duvi Honig, Founder & CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce and co-founder and secretary of the Multicultural Business Coalition, who chaired World Trade Week NYC on Wednesday, spoke to the gathering’s purpose. “Building bridges through unity is what speaks to me most,” Honig said. “Each attendee walked away with new or reinforced relationships to help build a better tomorrow.” The ambassadors and trade ministers represented nations with which the United States maintains multi-billion-dollar trade flows in life sciences, defense, semiconductors, energy, agriculture, and finance.

Elliott Broidy, in accepting the Visionary Award, reflected on lessons from his parents about the responsibility that accompanies success. He praised Dr. Alter as an embodiment of tikkun olam — the Jewish concept of repairing the world — for identifying hepatitis C. Broidy framed the luncheon as a reaffirmation of shared responsibility to confront hatred and protect the values of tolerance, democracy, and human dignity at a moment when antisemitism has risen sharply.

The Capitol Hill gathering serves a dual purpose: honoring specific achievements, but also functioning as a high-level networking forum where ambassadors, senators, business leaders, and religious figures reinforce relationships that undergird international commerce, diplomatic coordination, and policy alignment. For the Jewish American community, the event demonstrates that institutional unity across Orthodox and non-Orthodox Judaism, business and nonprofit sectors, and civic and religious leadership remains a competitive advantage.

The recognition of Dr. Alter arrives as the global health system confronts the Ebola outbreak, making his innovation as a Jewish American leader who helped save millions of lives through epidemic-related medical breakthroughs even more meaningful amid the growing health and commercial disruption now unfolding. His career — patient, federally funded basic research conducted over decades for public good — produced breakthroughs that created entire pharmaceutical industries and prevention systems now viewed as essential global infrastructure. It also reflects the very purpose of Jewish American Heritage Month: recognizing the extraordinary contributions Jewish Americans have made to science, medicine, public service, innovation, and humanity as a whole.

— JBizNews Desk

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

We regret to inform you of the Petirah of Harav Nachum Halevi Schorr Z”L, beloved father of Rav Chaim Yehoshua Shlit”a of The Woods, who was niftar suddenly.

The Rov will be sitting Shiva today, Monday only, at his home located at 11 Rockbridge Road in Lakewood.

Mincha will take place at 7:00 p.m., followed by Maariv at 9:00 p.m., with visitors welcome until 10:30 p.m. The time slot between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. is reserved for ladies only.

For the remainder of the week, the Rov will be sitting Shiva at 3502 Shelburne Road in Baltimore. Shacharis will take place at 7:30 a.m., with Mincha/Maariv at 8:10 p.m.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.

When President Trump announced Operation Epic Fury at 2 a.m. on February 28 in an eight-minute Truth Social video, the scope was vast. The United States and Israel would not just hit Iranian nuclear sites. They would destroy Iran’s missile arsenal, dismantle its proxy networks, “annihilate” its navy, and see the Islamic Republic itself replaced. “It will be yours to take,” Trump told Iranians watching the address. “This will probably be your only chance for generations.”

Three months later, the war’s stated aims have shrunk almost beyond recognition. The framework now circulating in Washington and Tehran is narrow, transactional and limited to two questions: when ships start moving again through the Strait of Hormuz, and what happens to roughly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium that Iran is being asked to dispose of “in principle.” Regime change, regional containment, dismantling proxies, ending the missile threat — none of those appear in the memorandum of understanding now being negotiated.

The collapse of ambition has come in stages.

Phase One: A War About Everything

The administration laid out four military objectives at the opening of Operation Epic Fury — preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon, destroying the missile arsenal, degrading proxy networks, eliminating the navy — along with a fifth, political objective of regime change. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu jointly called on Iranian civilians to seize control of the country once its leadership had been decapitated. Mossad chief David Barnea had designed the underlying plan, presented to senior Trump officials in mid-January. By February 13, Trump was publicly endorsing regime change as “the best thing that could happen” and telling reporters “there are people” he wanted to take over.

The opening salvo killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and much of the senior Iranian command. It also triggered the most extensive missile and drone barrage of the war, with more than 600 attacks against U.S. facilities in Iraq alone, according to a senior State Department official.

Phase Two: The Rationale Begins to Wobble

Within days, the administration’s case for war began contradicting itself. Trump had spent months insisting that Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes, had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. Now his envoy Steve Witkoff was warning that Iran was “a week away” from bomb-grade material.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the strikes as a counterproliferation operation with a “very specific mission.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured reporters the mission was “very, very clear.” Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters after a classified briefing that the goals of the operation had changed “four or five times” in a matter of weeks.

By mid-March, an Axios report indicated that Trump now viewed regime change as merely “an additional victory” — not a requirement — and intended to end the war once his stated military objectives were met.

Phase Three: The Timeline Starts to Slip

Trump initially said the war would run four to six weeks. On Day 26, the administration submitted a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries, covering sanctions relief, nuclear rollback, IAEA monitoring, missile limits and reopening the Strait. On the same day, it ordered up to 4,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne to the region. Iran responded by mocking the proposal — its military spokesman said the United States was “negotiating with itself” — and posted five counter-conditions designed to be unacceptable, including Iranian sovereignty over the Strait and war reparations. Trump extended his deadline for strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure by ten days. Then he extended it again.

Phase Four: Declare Victory, Keep Fighting

On April 8, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that the White House framed as a vindication. “Peace Through Strength: Operation Epic Fury Crushes Iranian Threat,” read the official press release. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the war had always been “a four-to-six-week military operation to dismantle the military threat posed by the radical Islamic Iranian regime.” The administration informed Congress that hostilities had ended, a move that conveniently kept the operation under the 60-day War Powers Act threshold.

The fighting did not actually stop. U.S. and Iranian forces continued exchanging fire around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran kept hitting commercial shipping. The Pentagon kept describing the conflict as ongoing under the Epic Fury name even as Rubio publicly declared on May 5 that the operation was “over.”

NBC News reported that the Pentagon was considering re-naming the conflict “Operation Sledgehammer” if the ceasefire collapsed entirely, a tacit admission that one war ended on paper and another may already be underway.

Phase Five: A Transactional Endgame

The deal Trump described Saturday as “largely negotiated” is, in substance, a sliver of what the war was launched to accomplish. The 12,000-mile missile threat that Trump warned could “soon reach the American homeland” goes unaddressed. Iran’s regional proxies, which Hegseth had vowed to defang, are not on the table. The Iranian government — which Trump told its citizens they had a generational chance to overthrow — is not only intact but party to the deal, with Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the man killed in the opening strike, having reportedly signed off on the “broad template.”

What remains is two items. Iran agrees in principle to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, with the method to be worked out. The Strait of Hormuz reopens without tolls. Everything else — sanctions, missiles, proxies, future enrichment — is pushed into a second round of talks scheduled for sometime in the next 30 to 60 days.

A senior administration official summarized the U.S. position to reporters this weekend with a three-word doctrine: “No dust, no dollars.” The phrase fits comfortably onto a press release. It would not have fit the war Trump announced in February.

The Political Math

The contraction tracks Trump’s domestic situation. His approval rating has fallen to 37 percent, the lowest of his two terms combined, in the most recent New York Times/Siena poll. Gas prices stand at $4.56 a gallon, a four-year high. Nearly 80 percent of voters blame his administration for the price spike, according to a Fox News poll. Republicans in Congress moved this past week toward a resolution forcing him to end the war without further authorization and stripped $1 billion in security spending from his reconciliation package.

Iran has its own pressures. Its missile salvos had fallen by 70 to 85 percent within days of the opening strikes, according to the Hudson Institute. The Strait blockade has redirected more than 100 commercial ships and choked off the economic recovery Tehran needs to consolidate the new leadership. A senior administration official told reporters this weekend that most people in the Iranian system “don’t love the deal, but they also don’t like the idea of going back to war.”

Both sides, in other words, have arrived at the same place by different routes — needing an exit more than they need a victory.

What’s Left

The war was launched on the premise that Iran was an imminent nuclear threat to the United States, that its missiles could soon reach American territory, and that its regime was a destabilizing force that needed to be replaced. The deal now under negotiation accepts the regime, defers the missile question, leaves the proxies in place, and addresses the nuclear issue through a process that, as Rubio acknowledged, must still figure out “what happens to this material that’s very deep somewhere.”

The administration has framed the trajectory as success — a war fought, objectives met, peace through strength. Critics, including some Republicans, see something closer to a retreat dressed up in a press release. The deal, if it holds, will end a three-month war that killed thousands and displaced millions across Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Gulf. It will not deliver most of what Trump said the war was for.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Yisrael Meir Godovitch, a well-known Israeli architect and former Tel Aviv city engineer who was a great-grandson of the Chofetz Chaim, passed away on Shavuos at the age of 92.

Godovitch was considered one of the most recognizable and colorful figures in Israel’s planning and architectural world. Over the years, he served as Tel Aviv’s city engineer and as chief architect for the Housing Ministry. Yet, many members of the broader public were unaware of his remarkable family background. He proudly carried the name Yisrael Meir after his illustrious great-grandfather, the Chofetz Chaim.

His mother, Frida Godovitch, was a granddaughter of the Chofetz Chaim’s eldest son, Rav Aryeh Leib, who served as the rov of Radin and assisted his father in preparing his monumental Torah works.

In 1932, Frida immigrated to Eretz Yisroel. The following year she married Yaakov Godovitch. Just months after their wedding, on the 24th of Elul 5693, the Chofetz Chaim passed away. Four months later, a son was born to the young couple in Tel Aviv, and they named him Yisrael Meir in memory of the revered Torah giant.

Although Godovitch’s life path led him into architecture and public planning rather than the Torah world, those close to him said he constantly spoke with pride and deep respect about his family heritage and the legacy of his great-grandfather.

Friends recalled that when rare historical footage of the Chofetz Chaim from the historic Knessiah Gedolah in Vienna was uncovered years ago, Godovitch became emotional and tearful, saying, “There must be a spiritual message from Heaven in this for all of us.”

Chareidi journalist Yisrael Cohen described him warmly.

“He was a precious and unique person. In every conversation he would proudly speak about his distinguished lineage and said that in the merit of his great grandfather he accepted upon himself to be careful not to speak lashon hara. His work as an architect was well known, and several times he told me that if he could, he would have planned Bnei Brak in a more aesthetic and beautiful way. I explained to him that high-rise buildings are impossible because of Shabbos elevators, but he still insisted that he would have designed the city in a more pleasant fashion with more greenery and gardens.”

In recent years, Godovitch suffered the loss of his wife, Arela, who had been his longtime partner. He passed away on Friday during the Yom Tov of Shavuos and is survived by two sons, grandchildren, and many descendants.

His levayah will take place Sunday afternoon in Tel Aviv.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A school vice principal who tried to break up a fight between two students was beaten and suffered a nervous breakdown. Despite this, Israel’s National Insurance Institute of Israel initially refused to recognize her as a workplace injury victim until the labor court ruled otherwise.

The incident took place about two years ago at an elementary school in southern Israel. A fight broke out between two students, and the student being attacked fled and hid in the vice principal’s office. She tried to prevent the attacking student from entering the room, and during the confrontation he assaulted her as well, kicking and punching her while cursing at her. Additional staff members who were present tried to help and calm the student, but without success.

“The student struggled with the vice principal and screamed that he wanted to kill the student hiding in her office,” one of the school’s educators recounted. “He continuously kicked the office door, and kicked and shoved her. We tried to help the vice principal, and together we managed to get the student into an adjacent room.”

While holding the office door shut and trying to block the student, she managed to call his mother and urgently ask her to come to the school. Only after the mother arrived was she able to calm her son down.

The vice principal, who had more than 20 years of experience in education, began suffering from chest pains, trembling, and crying. She was taken to the emergency room, where doctors performed a catheterization procedure. Following the incident, she also began receiving psychiatric treatment.

A short time later, she asked the National Insurance Institute to recognize the case as a workplace accident, but her request was denied. “It was not proven that an unusual traumatic event occurred during and because of work, which caused the psychological injury that developed,” the decision stated.

She was forced to file a lawsuit in labor court through attorney Elishar Feingersh of the law firm Markman Tomshin & Co.. Following the lawsuit, her condition was recognized as a workplace accident.

“Violent incidents can lead to psychological harm and even trigger illnesses such as strokes, heart attacks, and even diabetes,” attorney Feingersh explained.

The vice principal said that she had recently encountered many violent incidents, but that this case was the breaking point. “After decades in the education system, during which I viewed my work as a life mission, I never imagined that my attempt to protect a helpless student would lead to the end of my professional career,” she told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth.

“When I stepped between the two students to prevent a disaster, I found myself under a violent and brutal attack by a young student who directed unimaginable rage at me. The physical injuries passed, but the emotional trauma left deep scars that prevent me from returning to the classroom. My sense of security completely collapsed, and the realization that I had no protection in the place that was supposed to be the safest forced me, with enormous heartbreak, to leave the profession and the students I loved so much.”

A yeshiva bochur who recently enlisted in the IDF described a painful and humiliating confrontation he says he experienced at a train station in Haifa, where a woman allegedly screamed at him for not serving in the military — and then spit in his face after he showed her proof that he had just signed his enlistment papers.

The incident came to public attention after media personality and Channel 14 host Yinon Magal shared on X a WhatsApp message he received from the young man, identified only as Ariel.

In the message, Ariel wrote: “Hi Yinon, I’m a yeshiva bochur and today I signed enlistment papers for the IDF. On my way back, a leftist woman around 60 years old started screaming at me about why I’m not enlisting. When I showed her the document proving that I signed up for the army, she spit in my face. And then people say this isn’t pure hatred of chareidim.”

Magal responded in disbelief, writing: “She spit in your face?? Crazy.”

Later Sunday evening, Ariel recounted the incident in an emotional interview with Yaakov Grodka on Kol Barama Radio’s main news program, describing the ordeal in greater detail.

“I was returning from the enlistment office after signing my IDF draft papers,” Ariel said. “At the train station, a woman around 60 years old approached me and started screaming that I’m a chareidi who doesn’t enlist. When I showed her the document proving that I had literally enlisted that very day, she simply spit in my face.”

The yeshiva bochur openly described the emotional toll the encounter took on him.

“After she spit on me, the thought crossed my mind that maybe this whole thing was a mistake and why I even needed to enlist in the first place,” he shared. “I felt deeply humiliated, and it took me a long time to calm down. At the same time, I’m not looking for anyone’s appreciation — this is something between me and myself, and I’m completely at peace with it.”

Ariel also said he believes the woman’s behavior reflected deep-seated hostility toward the chareidi community rather than anger over military service itself.

“That woman didn’t want to see chareidim in the army — she simply hates chareidim,” he said. “They hate that we are in the government, and they hate our very existence. While she was publicly humiliating me and spitting at me, several of her friends were standing there laughing together with her.”

{Matzav.com}

A recall issued by Hyundai could impact more than 421,000 vehicles after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered a software bug.

The software issue in the front cameras may cause the forward collision-avoidance system to activate prematurely. This means the brakes could unexpectedly be applied, potentially causing a crash, according to the announcement.

MASSIVE HONDA RECALL IMPACTS 440K VEHICLES OVER AIRBAGS POTENTIALLY DEPLOYING ‘UNEXPECTEDLY’

Four crashes have been reported, the NHTSA said in a May 19 recall report.

The recall includes certain 2025–2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz, Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, and Tucson Plug-In Hybrid vehicles.

Between October 28, 2024, and April 27, 2026, Hyundai received 376 reports related to the operation of the Forward Collision-Avoidance (FCA) system, the report states.

TESLA RECALLS MORE THAN 218K VEHICLES OVER REARVIEW IMAGE ISSUE THAT POSES CRASH RISK

Out of the hundreds of reports received, four indicated crashes where the Hyundai vehicle was rear-ended by a closely following vehicle, resulting in four alleged injuries.

Owners of the recalled vehicles are expected to receive notification letters by July 17, the NHTSA said.

To remedy the issue, owners must bring their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer, where technicians will update the front camera software for free.

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Last week, Hyundai recalled more than 54,000 Elantra Hybrid vehicles in the U.S. due to a defect in the hybrid power system that could overheat and spark a fire.

FOX Business has reached out to Hyundai.

A tense confrontation broke out within Israel’s police leadership over whether officers should assist the military in arresting chareidi draft dodgers following a recent Supreme Court ruling, according to a report published today.

The debate reportedly unfolded during a high-level meeting of senior police commanders, where Central District Commander Amir Cohen voiced strong opposition to military requests for assistance in planned operations targeting draft evaders.

“They are not going to tell us how to prioritize missions,” Cohen reportedly said during the discussion.

The controversy comes after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that police must cooperate with the military in apprehending chareidim classified as draft evaders. Following the ruling, the IDF informed police that it intends to begin proactive enforcement operations in early June and requested security assistance from law enforcement.

During the meeting, Cohen argued that the police should avoid becoming entangled in what he viewed as a military issue.

“The army is dragging us into an event where we are dealing with deserters,” he reportedly said.

According to the report, several senior officers strongly objected to Cohen’s remarks, including representatives from the police legal advisory division and top investigative officials.

Senior officer Boaz Blatt reportedly responded sharply, telling Cohen: “There is no place for statements of this kind.”

“You are representing police officers and commanders here,” Blatt added.

Police Commissioner Dani Levy ultimately settled the dispute by making clear that the police would follow the court’s directive and cooperate with the military.

“There is a Supreme Court decision here. There is law and order — and we will do what the court said.”

{Matzav.com}

Police announced Monday that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting of a 27-year-old avreich in Bnei Brak nearly three weeks ago, in an attack that took place moments after he dropped off his young daughter at daycare near his home.

The arrests come as relatives of the victim continue insisting that the avreich was likely targeted by mistake and has no connection whatsoever to criminal activity.

According to investigators, officers from the Dan District’s anti-crime unit arrested two men Monday morning suspected of involvement in the attempted murder. The victim was seriously wounded in the shooting, which occurred shortly after he returned from taking his daughter to her maon.

Family members said the avreich later described the terrifying moments leading up to the attack after regaining consciousness following surgery. He told relatives that he noticed two helmeted men sitting on a motorcycle outside his apartment building but did not view them as suspicious at the time.

According to his account, the pair remained outside while he brought his toddler daughter into daycare. When he returned to the street moments later, the gunmen allegedly opened fire. Several bullets struck him in the abdomen, causing him to collapse on the spot.

Emergency responders evacuated the avreich to Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in moderate-to-serious condition. He underwent lengthy surgery and was later reported to be out of danger.

Police said large forces were deployed immediately after the shooting was reported. Officers conducted searches throughout the area, established roadblocks, and gathered evidence from the scene as part of the investigation, which was assigned to the Dan District anti-crime unit.

Following what police described as extensive investigative activity over recent days, authorities arrested two suspects Monday morning — a 20-year-old resident of Hadera and a 26-year-old resident of Kadima-Tzoran.

Investigators suspect the two men attempted to murder the victim under aggravated circumstances and also accuse them of obstructing the investigation.

Both suspects were taken in for questioning and later jailed. Police are expected to request an extension of their detention Tuesday at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.

Meanwhile, the avreich’s family continues to maintain that the shooting was a tragic case of mistaken identity. Relatives described him as a devoted ben Torah with no ties to the criminal world. Police have not publicly addressed that claim, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Israel is tightening public-gathering restrictions near the Lebanese border after a day of Hezbollah drone attacks pushed the northern front into a sharper and more dangerous phase. According to Ynet, the Home Front Command’s new rules will take effect at 6 a.m. Wednesday for the Confrontation Line area and the communities of Meron, Bar Yochai, Or HaGanuz and Sifsufa, cutting outdoor gatherings to 50 people and indoor gatherings to 200. The move comes after a Hezbollah UAV struck a home in Metula and another explosive drone hit the Shomera area, with no injuries reported in the incidents.

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Qasmiyeh bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon on March 22, 2026. Israel’s military struck a key bridge in south Lebanon on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, after Israel’s defence minister said the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani River. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2, when pro-Iran Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in response to US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian supreme leader on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP via Getty Images) /

The new limits mark a major rollback from the previous framework, which allowed up to 200 people outdoors and 600 indoors in those areas. Educational activity is not being broadly shut down, but the Home Front Command said activity must continue in line with local protection rules and that further changes will be issued through official IDF and Home Front Command channels.

The escalation is no longer being treated as background fire. Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo said Israel is “at war” in Lebanon and that the IDF will not normalize attacks on civilians or the home front. Speaking after the strikes on Metula and Shomera, he accused Hezbollah of deliberately worsening the security reality in the north and said the terror group had crossed a “serious and unacceptable red line.”

A photograph taken from Israel shows the border fence (L) separating northern Israel from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese village of Maroun el Ras visible in the background on November 16, 2025. Israel has recently intensified its strikes on Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed Hezbollah group of rearming, nearly a year into a ceasefire that brought an end to their most recent war. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel has already begun hitting back harder. The IDF said it struck more than 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites across Lebanon over the past day, including command centers and weapons depots in Tyre, using more than 85 munitions against sites used to advance attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. The pressure comes as Hezbollah’s drone threat has become one of the central dangers on the northern front, after Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, 19, was killed by an explosive Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon.

A senior U.S. official quoted by Ynetnews said Hezbollah has ignored repeated calls to stop firing, including a final warning, and claimed the terror group has launched 1,000 drones and 700 rockets since April 17 to disrupt Lebanon-Israel negotiations. The message from Jerusalem is now blunt: Hezbollah’s attempt to turn northern Israel into a permanent drone zone is being met with tighter home-front rules and a widening military response.

Alex Miller, a 23-year-old former IDF combat soldier originally from the United States, died in an apparent suicide after struggling with post-traumatic stress linked to his military service, according to Israeli reports and the Katzrin municipality, where his father Danny lives. Miller served in the Kfir Brigade and, as his father’s only child, required special parental approval to enter combat service. He insisted on it anyway.

In 2022, while serving in Judea & Samaria, Miller was moderately wounded in a car-ramming terror attack near the Nabi Musa training area, south of Jericho. Police and the IDF said the Palestinian attacker first rammed soldiers near Nabi Musa, then continued toward Almog Junction, where he struck a bus stop before being shot by a police officer and an armed civilian. Five IDF soldiers were wounded, two moderately and three lightly.

Miller went through rehabilitation, but according to the Katzrin municipality, he pushed himself back into uniform and returned to his unit to serve alongside the soldiers he loved. The municipality described him as “brave” and “values-driven,” a young man with a huge heart who chose combat service out of real love for the country.

But the attack was not the only blow. Miller was also deeply shaken by the death of his close friend, Sgt. First Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, 21, from Jerusalem, a squad commander in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion. Shemesh was killed by RPG fire during fighting in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

According to Walla, Miller had been in the United States, reportedly in Miami, where he worked as a security guard and had begun preparing for studies as he tried to build a new life after his discharge. Family friends said the trauma of the attack and the loss of Shemesh weighed heavily on him. His father Danny was quoted saying he had spoken with Alex many times about the attack, but believed “the attack and Noam’s fall broke him.”

The Katzrin municipality said it mourns the “terrible loss” and will stand with Danny Miller and the family. The council is also assisting with efforts to bring Alex home to Israel for burial.

Miller’s death is another reminder that Israel’s wounded do not always leave the battlefield when the shooting stops. Some carry the war quietly, after the headlines move on and after the uniform comes off. For many combat soldiers, the cost of fighting terror is measured not only in the attack itself, but in the years that follow.

For anyone in crisis: in Israel, ERAN can be reached at 1201; in the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Vice President JD Vance has been left as the lone non-interventionist voice in President Trump’s cabinet following the resignation of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and is privately weighing whether to abandon a 2028 presidential run, multiple sources told the Daily Mail.

Gabbard announced Friday that she would step down effective June 30, citing her husband Abraham Williams’s diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer. But West Wing officials told the Daily Mail her departure was inseparable from a deeper rupture inside the administration over the Iran war.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, had clashed with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and was frequently absent from Oval Office deliberations on military action in Iran and Venezuela. She was the fourth woman to leave Trump’s cabinet this term, following the firings of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi and the resignation of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Principal Deputy Aaron Lukas will serve as acting director.

Her exit leaves Vance without his most senior internal ally against the war. “Vance is a non-event in the West Wing,” a source close to the president told the Daily Mail.

The vice president privately urged Trump in February to authorize a limited, punitive strike on Iran rather than the full-scale operation that followed, warning that a wider war risked regional chaos and heavy casualties, according to The New York Times. Trump has since acknowledged the rift, saying his vice president was “maybe less enthusiastic” at the outset and “philosophically a little bit different” on the strike decision.

As Vance’s standing has slipped, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s has risen. Rubio is now helping to plan a U.S. invasion of Cuba while the vice president flounders in stalled peace talks with Tehran.

“Rubio has more mojo than Vance. The president listens to him,” a White House insider told the Daily Mail. “Vance is out of step and has been for a long time.”

Another source described the philosophical gulf between MTrump and his vice president in starker terms. “The president has made it very clear in recent months that he doesn’t abide by this strong, silent Gary Cooper style approach to foreign policy. He’s loud, he’s active. These guys prefer to speak softly and carry a big stick, but Trump speaks loudly and carries a massive cannon.”

Sources said Vance, 41, is now considering whether to sit out 2028 entirely rather than carry the political weight of the Iran war into a primary. Allies have floated alternative timelines that would let him re-emerge in 2032 or 2036.

A source close to the vice president pushed back hard on that strategy. “Anyone who wants to be a viable nominee for president has a very small window. And if you don’t go when that window is open, most likely it never opens up again.” A 2032 run would also pit Vance against a sitting incumbent — a contest only Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump have lost in the past half-century.

“Age-wise he’d be young enough,” the source said. “But momentum-wise, there’d be a shinier penny on the street.”

The White House insider cautioned that Rubio’s ascendance could prove short-lived. By championing an unpopular war, the secretary of state risks burning through political capital with both the MAGA base and the broader public, leaving open the possibility that the cabinet’s center of gravity could shift again before 2028.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In an extraordinary international rescue mission spanning thousands of miles and multiple countries, Hatzolah Air successfully airlifted a critically injured Israeli Soldier from Panama to Israel following a devastating motor vehicle accident involving several young Israelis traveling after their army service.

As YWN had previously reported, the horrific crash, which occurred last week in Panama, left one young Israeli dead, several others injured, and one victim fighting for his life on a ventilator in critical condition.

As the patient’s condition rapidly deteriorated in Panama, urgent appeals were made for an immediate transfer to Israel for advanced medical treatment. Hatzolah Air was contacted by Panama Hatzolah and additional officials to coordinate the highly complex emergency evacuation.

Given the enormous logistical and medical challenges involved, Hatzolah Air deployed two separate specialized critical-care flight teams — each consisting of a physician, respiratory therapist, and paramedic — to carry out the mission.

The first aircraft flew to Panama, where the crew coordinated closely with local Hatzolah volunteers and medical personnel before transporting the patient Friday night to Islip Airport in New York.

In a dramatic wing-to-wing transfer on the tarmac, a second medical team boarded the patient onto a Hatzolah Air Gulfstream G550 specially equipped for long-range intensive airborne care and immediately departed for Israel.

The life-saving mission required extraordinary international coordination and special governmental approvals. Critical assistance was provided by the office of Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the office of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, IMA, The Falic Family, FIDF, the FAA and others.

The aircraft landed at Ben Gurion Airport Sunday evening, where the patient was rushed directly to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer for additional emergency life-saving surgeries.

The victim remains hospitalized in serious condition as tefillos continue worldwide for his recovery.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Three young children tragically lost their lives in separate hot car incidents over the past week, underscoring the ongoing dangers families face as temperatures rise heading into Memorial Day Weekend.

According to the advocacy group Kids and Car Safety, at least five children nationwide have already died in hot cars in 2026.

The recent tragedies include:

• A 2-month-old infant in Fredericksburg on May 20 after reportedly being left in a vehicle by the child’s mother.
• A 1-year-old child in Brookwood on May 20 after reportedly being left in a vehicle by the child’s father.
• A 4-year-old child in Los Angeles on May 19 after reportedly being left in a vehicle by a carpool driver.

Data collected by Kids and Car Safety shows that at least 1,177 children have died in hot cars nationwide since 1990, while another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury. Approximately 86% of the children who die are age 3 or younger, and more than half were unknowingly left behind by otherwise loving and responsible caregivers.

Safety advocates warn that long holiday weekends often coincide with an increase in vehicle-related child tragedies due to disrupted routines and schedule changes. In many cases, children who were supposed to be dropped off at daycare were unintentionally forgotten in the back seat.

Amber Rollins, Executive Director of Kids and Car Safety, said the tragedies are entirely preventable.

“Somewhere today, a parent is kissing their baby goodbye, completely unaware that a routine day could end in tragedy,” Rollins said. “A simple reminder habit, a check of the back seat, or lifesaving technology can spare a family a lifetime of grief.”

Advocates are also renewing calls for federal action on occupant detection technology in vehicles. A provision passed as part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act required the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue regulations by November 2023 mandating technology designed to help prevent hot car deaths in new vehicles. According to Kids and Car Safety, the final rule is now more than two years overdue.

The organization says automakers do not need to wait for federal regulations and can begin implementing the technology immediately.

Parents and caregivers are urged to take extra precautions, including placing essential items such as phones, handbags, work badges, or diaper bags in the back seat as reminders to check for children before exiting the vehicle. Safety experts also recommend asking childcare providers to immediately call if a child does not arrive as scheduled.

Families are additionally reminded to keep vehicles locked at all times and ensure children cannot access parked cars unattended.

TLS readers are encouraged to share ideas, habits, products, or technology they have personally found effective in helping prevent children from being left in vehicles. Community awareness and shared safety practices may help save lives.

The Lakewood Student Transportation Authority (LSTA) has notified hundreds of local families of a major change to transportation eligibility for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year following new guidelines implemented by the Lakewood Township Board of Education under the State Monitor, TLS has learned.

Under the revised policy, only children born before October 1, 2021 will qualify for Board-funded transportation, leaving students born between October 1 and December 31, 2021 no longer eligible for either mandated or non-mandated bussing. According to the letter sent to parents today, the change impacts more than 500 Lakewood students — including families who had already submitted non-mandated transportation payments.

Parents who still wish to secure transportation for affected children may do so through an opt-in program, subject to seat availability, at a cost of $1,177 per child plus a $95 processing fee.

Here’s the letter sent to parents today:

Dear Parent of______

Please be advised that you are receiving this email because you currently have a child who falls within the affected age bracket for the updated transportation eligibility guidelines for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Lakewood Township Board of Education has updated its transportation eligibility guidelines in order to align with neighboring townships, including Howell, Jackson, and Toms River.

Under the revised guidelines, only students born before October 1, 2021 will be eligible for Board-funded transportation services.

As a result, students born between October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 will no longer qualify for mandated or non-mandated transportation for the 2026-2027 school year.
This is affecting all previously mandated students who were eligible for bussing, as well as previously non-mandated students who have already submitted the $385 non-mandated fee.

This change has impacted over 500 Lakewood students.

Families of students affected by this change do have the option to participate in transportation through the opt-in program, provided that seating is available. The cost for underage students is as follows:

• Full seat cost: $1,177 per child
• Processing fee: $95 per child

Please note that this fee structure applies to all students across all townships who are not eligible for transportation funding.

If you would like to opt-in to transportation for your child, please log on to the family portal and submit the necessary opt-in information.

Please note that the portal will remain open for opt-ins until June 8th. After that date, if payment information has not been submitted, your underage child will automatically be opted out of transportation.

The $95 processing fee will be charged as a one-time payment once routes are finalized. The remaining $1,177 seat cost will be billed monthly over a 7-month period.

We understand that this major change may have significantly impacted many families. However, please note that your township has the final authority regarding transportation eligibility and funding. The LSTA does not have the ability to change these guidelines or make adjustments for individual situations.

Your child’s information is currently listed as follows:

If any of this information is incorrect, please reach out to our office so that we can review and update the records accordingly.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

TLS spoke with the LSTA today who confirmed this change, which they say is out of their control.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Stock futures jumped sharply Monday night as oil prices plunged amid growing hopes that a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict may be near.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 441 points, or 0.9%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.9%, and Nasdaq-100 futures climbed 1.2%. U.S. stock markets were closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations with Iran to end the war were “proceeding nicely,” though he cautioned that the U.S. could take offensive action if talks collapse.

Crude oil prices dropped sharply following Trump’s remarks. West Texas Intermediate futures fell about 6%.

The positive sentiment extended last week’s gains for major indexes. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% last week, marking its longest weekly winning streak since late 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.1%, its third weekly gain in four weeks. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.5%, its seventh gain in eight weeks.

“There is no doubt that fundamentals are at least partially responsible for the market rally,” wrote Adam Parker, founder of Trivariate Research. “With earnings projected to grow 23% this year, and 16% next year, there’s a credible argument to make that despite the increasing projections for earnings, and strong earnings growth, the price-to-forward earnings has been modestly contracting.”

A decline in oil prices also supported equities last week, with U.S. crude falling 8.4% — its worst weekly performance since April 17.

However, oil prices remain well above levels seen earlier this year, and persistent inflationary pressures have cooled expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Traders are now pricing in an 8.5% chance of a rate hike in July, up from 0.9% a month ago, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool.

Elkana Bohbot, one of the producers behind the Nova Music Festival who spent 738 days held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, has revealed disturbing new details about the psychological torment he says he endured at the hands of his captors.

In a deeply emotional interview on the “Voice of Nova” podcast, Bohbot described one particularly horrifying episode in which Hamas terrorists used food and false kindness as part of a brutal act of emotional abuse.

“One day we had this meal he prepared for us,” Bohbot recounted. “They brought us lamb shank – it’s called mandi. It’s the richest meal in Gaza.”

Bohbot explained that the unusual meal arrived unexpectedly in the middle of the day, a shocking departure from the deprivation and uncertainty that defined life in captivity.

“Suddenly, in the middle of the day, he brings you a tray with lamb shank and rice. They cook it underground, and it’s delicious, rich – a very rich Arab dish – and he gives it to us.”

According to Bohbot, he and two fellow hostages, Ohad and Bar, rushed to eat the food quickly, afraid their captor might suddenly reconsider and remove it before they could finish.

After the meal, Bohbot tried expressing gratitude to the terrorist, believing the gesture reflected a rare moment of humanity.

“Listen, this is very honorable, this is food with a lot of respect,” he said.

But Bohbot said the captor immediately revealed the true reason for the lavish meal.

“Come, come, I’ll show you what respect is. I’ll show you why you ate this.”

The terrorist then showed the hostages footage of a deadly bombing attack targeting Israeli forces, informing them that Israeli combat engineers had been killed in the blast.

“Today we killed thirty of your soldiers – bon appétit.”

Bohbot said the emotional shock was overwhelming, describing the moment as one of the cruelest experiences of his captivity.

“He shows you the video, and you throw everything up. I’ve never experienced abuse like that in my life.”

{Matzav.com}

The Karlin-Stolin community was saddened this evening by the passing of Reb Aharon Menachem Eisenstein z”l, one of the elder and respected chassidim of Karlin-Stolin in Modiin Illit. He was 75 years old.

Reb Aharon Menachem was the son-in-law of the legendary composer and singer Reb Yom Tov Simcha Ehrlich zt”l, whose deeply moving and authentic Yiddishe melodies left a lasting impact on the Torah world.

The levayah is scheduled to take place tonight at 10:30 p.m., departing from the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim and continuing to Har Hamenuchos, where he will be laid to rest.

The niftar was born on the 25th of Tammuz 5710 to his father, Reb Zev Eisenstein z”l, and his mother, Rebbetzin Chaya a”h.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married the daughter of Reb Yom Tov Simcha Ehrlich zt”l.

Those who knew Reb Aharon Menachem described him as an exceptional individual, refined in both character and spirit, beloved by all who encountered him. He was known for his warm smile, gracious demeanor, and ability to greet every person with genuine kindness.

He was deeply rooted in emunah and bitachon, and spent his days and nights immersed in the depths of Torah with great diligence, while also sharing Torah with others. He was closely attached, heart and soul, to the Stoliner Rebbe.

He merited to establish generations devoted to Torah, chassidus, and Yiras Shomayim.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Congressional Republicans staged their most sustained revolt yet against President Trump last week, stripping $1 billion in security funding from a reconciliation package, moving toward a resolution to force an end to the Iran war, and abruptly shelving a vote on $72 billion in new immigration enforcement money.

The break came as a New York Times/Siena College poll put Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent, the lowest of his two terms combined. Gas prices hovering near $4.50 a gallon nationally have kept the cost of the Iran war in front of voters.

The funding Republicans stripped included $220 million earmarked for Trump’s new East Wing ballroom. Lawmakers also signaled growing support for a measure that would require the administration to end military operations against Iran without congressional authorization.The flashpoint, according to lawmakers and former administration officials, was the president’s $1.8 billion proposal to compensate allies who say they were targeted by the Biden Justice Department — a fund critics have labeled a “slush fund” because some potential recipients were prosecuted for crimes connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

“Republicans have realized they are being scammed and this is the week where they said enough,” a former Trump administration official told MS NOW. “I can’t imagine any Republican ever allowing money to be paid to anyone who harmed law enforcement.”

Lawmakers also cited what they described as erratic governance. One House Republican, speaking anonymously, criticized the president’s “flip-flopping” on Iran negotiations from one Truth Social post to the next and his treatment of Taiwan as a “bargaining chip.”

“He’s pushing it too far,” the lawmaker said. “The list goes on and on.”

A second House Republican said colleagues “feel more confident in criticizing him because the poll numbers aren’t as high as they were,” and added that the party’s “Memorial Day wish” would be to exit the Iran war entirely.

Republicans are increasingly grim about their electoral prospects. “A freaking disaster is coming,” one House Republican told MS NOW. A former Trump administration official put it more bluntly: “If the election were held today, we’d lose the Senate and the House.”

A source close to the White House described the shift as a basic recalculation of political risk. “In many ways I don’t think they fear the president anymore,” the source told MS NOW. “Many have realized you can outlive Trump, politically speaking.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A video circulating online shows a white nationalist wearing a T-shirt that says “Whites Against Replacement” harassing a Jewish man. Using obscenities, he pokes fun at the man’s appearance, calls him “Jew” using the word as an epithet, and tells him to “go to Israel.”

The exhortation to go to Israel is interesting in light of the fact that both extremes of the right and left are united on “Free Palestine” ideology.

LANGUAGE WARNING

A police officer stands in the background, watching quietly. At one point, the Jewish man engages with the police officer, but at no point does the officer attempt to stop the verbal assault.

Is this free speech? The answer is not so simple. Abusive speech directed at an individual, such as name calling, offensive and vulgar language and personal insults, is classified as “fighting words,” words that by design provoke a physical reaction and cause a fight. Fighting words are not protected under the First Amendment.

General insults directed at a crowd of people fall outside of this narrow classification, but it’s clear from the video that one person is directly targeted by “fighting words.”

If anyone knows the people in the video and a good lawyer, this is grounds for a lawsuit.

The decade-long hard seltzer boom that reshaped the American beverage aisle is losing momentum, and beverage executives, distributors and consumer-data firms increasingly believe the industry’s next major growth wave will come from still, non-carbonated drinks — from ready-to-drink teas and flat cocktails to functional waters and healthier energy beverages.

New data from Circana for the 52 weeks ended April 26 show malt-based hard seltzers — the category dominated by White Claw and Boston Beer Co.’s Truly — declining 1.1% in volume year over year, even as ready-to-drink premixed cocktails surged 46.4%, fueled by rapid growth from brands including Surfside, Sun Cruiser, BuzzBallz and Cutwater Spirits.

The shift is increasingly being driven by Generation Z consumers, whose beverage preferences are diverging sharply from the millennial-driven drinking trends that powered the seltzer explosion between 2018 and 2021.

“We’re seeing a lot of promiscuity within consumption and alcohol around new products,” Scott Scanlon, executive vice president of alcoholic beverages at Circana, said in remarks reported Sunday. “White Claw and Truly were the breakout brands eight years ago. Now you’re seeing Surfside and Sun Cruiser capturing that rotation.”

Industry consultants say the trend extends well beyond alcohol.

Randy Burt, Americas director of consumer products at AlixPartners, said consumer demand has decisively shifted toward still beverages across both alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories as younger consumers increasingly prioritize variety, tea-based drinks, lower carbonation and “better-for-you” positioning.

“Gen Z is a lot more likely to order tea-based beverages at happy hour,” Burt said. “They’re moving away from carbonated seltzers as the default healthier option.”

The growth differential is already beginning to reshape corporate strategy across the nearly $400 billion U.S. beverage industry.

According to BrewBound industry data, Stateside Brands’ Surfside and Boston Beer’s Sun Cruiser both posted triple-digit growth during the latest reporting period. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Cutwater Spirits, which sells both sparkling and still cocktails, recorded strong double-digit gains, while BuzzBallz — acquired by Sazerac in 2024 — continues rapidly expanding into grocery and convenience-store distribution.

The non-alcoholic market is moving in the same direction.

Liquid Death, the fast-growing canned-water and iced-tea company valued above $1.4 billion in its latest funding round, has aggressively expanded its still-drink portfolio while preparing to enter the better-for-you energy category in 2026. The company said its ready-to-drink tea business is now growing roughly 20 times faster than the broader tea category itself.

Even within Liquid Death’s own lineup, still beverages are increasingly outpacing sparkling offerings.

The shift reflects a broader generational change in how younger consumers approach beverages altogether.

Gen Z consumers grew up during a period when soda consumption steadily declined from its late-1990s peak, reusable water bottles became lifestyle accessories and beverage shelves fragmented into hundreds of specialized categories built around wellness, functionality, caffeine, hydration and flavor experimentation.

Rather than locking into a single category the way prior generations often did, younger consumers increasingly rotate between teas, flavored waters, mocktails, energy drinks, cocktails and functional beverages depending on the occasion.

That fragmentation is forcing beverage companies to rethink product development, marketing and shelf allocation.

PepsiCo, which acquired prebiotic soda maker Poppi for nearly $2 billion last year, has been rapidly expanding its presence across healthier soda alternatives, hydration drinks and still functional beverages. The Coca-Cola Co. continues pouring investment into brands including Fairlife, BodyArmor and its broader still-water portfolio as growth in traditional carbonated soft drinks moderates.

Industry reports from Mintel, Circana and Tastewise have consistently shown younger consumers favoring beverages positioned around wellness, lower sugar, functionality and ingredient transparency. Tastewise data cited by industry analysts pointed to roughly 42% year-over-year growth in consumer interest surrounding “healthy soda” products.

The result is an increasingly crowded battle for what beverage executives call “share of throat” — the portion of consumer consumption captured by any given category.

Hard seltzer is not disappearing. But its role inside the industry appears to be changing from explosive-growth engine to mature category.

That transition carries major implications for retailers, distributors and investors.

Boston Beer Co., which rode Truly’s meteoric growth to record valuations before suffering through the seltzer slowdown, has increasingly leaned into Twisted Tea and Sun Cruiser, both positioned more directly around tea-based consumption trends. Molson Coors, after scaling back efforts tied to Vizzy and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, is reallocating attention toward non-alcoholic and still-adult beverage categories.

Meanwhile, major spirits companies including Diageo, Brown-Forman and Constellation Brands are expanding ready-to-drink lineups centered around spirit-forward still formats rather than sparkling seltzer imitators.

For beverage executives, the message emerging from the latest sales data is increasingly difficult to ignore: the next era of category growth may belong less to bubbles and more to hydration, tea, wellness and flavor experimentation.

The bubble era is not over.

But the leadership of the bubble era increasingly appears to be changing.

JBizNews Desk

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

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

Question:

Hi,

Thank you for your efforts in maintaining our town. I would like to offer two suggestions regarding local traffic flow.

First, to ease congestion at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and Ocean Avenue, I recommend shortening the signal duration for traffic on Ocean Avenue. Currently, the light remains green for a significant amount of time despite low traffic volume from that direction. Shortening this cycle would prevent the substantial buildup of vehicles on New Hampshire Avenue.

Second, I suggest improvements for Clover Street. Expanding it to two lanes while the land remains undeveloped, or adding dedicated left turning lanes at the traffic light and the intersection of Laurel Avenue, would be very beneficial. This would prevent turning vehicles from blocking traffic for the duration of the light cycle.

I would appreciate any assistance you can provide regarding these matters.

Thank you!

Response from Mayor Coles:

Hello There

Thanks for your suggestions. I forwarded them to the county engineer and asked for them to study them.

Thanks

Ray

Question:

Thank you so much for all you do for our town. We are extremely bothered by the new no turns from route nine onto central avenue and Hurley. For those who live at the beginning of central, we are being forced to go to James and come all the way around sunset- at least a 10 minute detour! Also, the traffic on James and sunset is already bad during busy times of the day, this will make things much worse! We are hoping this is just a trial that will be reversed! Please enlighten us.

Response from Mayor Coles:

Good afternoon

We are not happy with this pattern either. We have been working with the state to change it.

Thanks

Ray

Question:

Response from Mayor Coles:

—————–

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

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

President Isaac Herzog has frozen further review of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s pardon request, Kan News reported on Sunday evening.

According to the report, Herzog’s decision came after Netanyahu failed to respond to his invitation to hold talks with the prosecution.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara agreed to hold talks but was not expected to approve a pardon without an admission of guilt, something that Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not agree to.

The cases against Netanyahu have fallen apart one by one in the courtroom, with multiple claims disproven or withdrawn. In addition, multiple incidents of police investigators acting illegally in the cases have been revealed in the courtroom.

Netanyahu’s testimony in his ongoing trial is expected to conclude in the near future, and once it does, the pardon request could become irrelevant.

In February, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Herzog over the matter, saying: “He should be ashamed that he is not granting Netanyahu a pardon.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A group of coalition lawmakers from Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and the chareidi parties submitted a request Monday for an urgent Knesset discussion over a controversial decision by the Israel Land Authority to block certain Torah learners from participating in subsidized housing programs.

The lawmakers accused the government of carrying out what they described as blatant discrimination against chareidi avreichim, arguing that the new policy unfairly targets bnei Torah while other non-serving sectors continue receiving housing benefits.

The request calls for a fast-track hearing in the Knesset Interior and Environmental Protection Committee following changes to eligibility rules for the government’s discounted housing lottery program, known as “Dira B’Hanacha” and “Mechir Lamishtaken.”

Among the MKs backing the request are Meir Porush, Simcha Rothman, Tali Gottlieb, Avi Maoz, Michel Buskila, Moshe Abutbul, and Tzvika Fogel.

The political uproar erupted after legal authorities instructed the Israel Land Authority to revise eligibility criteria in a manner linking housing benefits to military service status.

In the explanatory notes attached to the request, the lawmakers wrote that “following the Supreme Court ruling and instructions from the legal advisory authorities, changes were made to the criteria for eligibility to register for the government housing program ‘Dira B’Hanacha.’ As part of these changes, avreichim whose military status is not regulated were denied the ability to register for the program and participate in the lotteries, due to the legal linkage created between housing benefits and military service.”

The lawmakers argued that the policy creates discriminatory enforcement aimed primarily at the chareidi public.

“An examination of the reality on the ground reveals a severe picture of unequal treatment, constituting blatant and deliberate discrimination against the chareidi sector alone,” the request stated.

The MKs further claimed that while Torah learners are now excluded from the program, other sectors whose members also do not serve in the military continue to retain full eligibility for subsidized housing lotteries.

“While avreichim whose Torah study is their profession are excluded from the program and denied the basic right to housing, members of other sectors in Israeli society who also do not serve have not lost eligibility and continue enjoying full access to the lotteries and the opportunity to receive discounted housing,” the lawmakers wrote.

They warned that the new rules create an illegitimate distinction between different groups of Israeli citizens based on cultural and sectoral identity.

“This policy creates improper discrimination between one citizen and another based on sectoral and cultural affiliation,” the statement said. “Preventing housing solutions for the avreichim public, which is already suffering from a severe and unprecedented housing crisis, under the false pretext of ‘rewarding those who serve’ — while other sectors are exempted from these rules — is a shocking social and economic injustice that cannot be accepted.”

The lawmakers requested that the issue be placed urgently on the Knesset agenda and demanded that representatives from the Attorney General’s office, the Israel Land Authority, the Housing Ministry, and other relevant agencies appear before the committee to explain the decision.

The Israel Land Authority, however, rejected claims that the policy specifically targets chareidim. According to the agency, the updated directive applies equally to all Israelis classified as draft evaders, regardless of whether they are chareidi or secular.

The move followed pressure from the Attorney General’s office demanding immediate operational steps to revoke housing benefits from individuals obligated to serve in the military who failed to regularize their status.

Under the new procedures, the Housing Ministry now conducts automatic computerized synchronization with IDF manpower databases. Any citizen identified by the military system as draft-eligible without regulated status immediately loses eligibility to participate in government housing tenders.

The policy is expected to affect thousands of young chareidi families hoping to participate in upcoming housing lotteries. In some cases, even individuals who already won discounted apartment lotteries but have not yet finalized their purchases could reportedly lose their eligibility retroactively.

{Matzav.com}

Japanese researchers are moving forward with plans for a revolutionary hypersonic passenger aircraft capable of flying at speeds more than twice as fast as the retired Concorde jet, potentially shrinking flights from Tokyo to the United States to just two hours.

The project is being developed with the involvement of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA, which recently completed a major test of an experimental aircraft at its Kakuda Space Center in Miyagi Prefecture, according to Interesting Engineering.

During the test, engineers placed the prototype aircraft inside a specialized ramjet engine testing facility designed to recreate the extreme conditions associated with hypersonic flight.

Researchers simulated speeds of Mach 5 — approximately five times the speed of sound.

According to reports, the experiment successfully validated key systems required for hypersonic travel, including the aircraft’s thermal protection technology, flight control systems, and ramjet engine combustion performance under extreme temperatures and pressure.

Such testing is considered essential because aircraft traveling at those speeds can encounter external temperatures approaching 1,000 degrees Celsius.

The next stage of development could involve attaching the experimental aircraft to a sounding rocket or similar launch platform in order to conduct a real-world Mach 5 flight demonstration.

Japan’s efforts are part of an intensifying international race to develop ultra-fast next-generation transportation systems. If successful, the aircraft could dramatically transform long-distance travel by cutting a trip from Tokyo to the United States from roughly half a day to approximately two hours.

Part of the aircraft’s speed advantage would come from operating at altitudes reaching nearly 17 miles above Earth — more than twice the cruising altitude of standard commercial jets.

At Mach 5, the aircraft would travel at roughly 3,300 miles per hour, making it about six times faster than conventional passenger planes.

The famed Concorde, which remained in service until 2003, reached speeds of approximately Mach 2 and had a maximum recorded speed of about 1,400 miles per hour.

Despite the excitement surrounding the project, researchers caution that commercial hypersonic travel remains many years away.

Hideyuki Taguchi, a professor at the Tokyo University of Science, told Mainichi: “Developing a conventional aircraft typically takes about 10 years. Since the development of hypersonic passenger aircraft requires two stages of demonstration — an experimental aircraft followed by a passenger aircraft — we hope development can be completed in about 20 years.”

Tetsuya Sato, a professor at Waseda University, added: “This result is still only a first step. Our dream is to connect it to a flight demonstration.”

Japan is not alone in pursuing ultra-fast commercial aviation technology.

Among the most closely watched projects in recent years are NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft and Boom Supersonic’s XB-1, both of which have recently completed important test flights aimed at solving longstanding challenges involving speed, noise, and fuel efficiency.

{Matzav.com}

The Monsey Torah community was plunged into mourning over Shavuos with the passing of Rav Yisroel Sinai Wagshal zt”l of Lanzhut-Monsey, a revered gaon, tzaddik, and longtime mashgiach who devoted his life to Torah, avodah, and chesed. He was 66 years old.

Rav Yisroel Sinai passed away during Shavuos after enduring years of severe suffering following a devastating stroke approximately eight years ago that left him bedridden and paralyzed.

A descendant of an illustrious line of Chassidic leaders and tzaddikim, Rav Yisroel Sinai was widely respected for his warmth, humility, and deep devotion to helping others. Throughout his life, he was known for receiving every person with unusual kindness and a radiant countenance.

He was the son of Rav Yehoshua Mordechai Elazar Wagshal zt”l, Av Beis Din of Lanzhut and one of Williamsburg’s prominent rabbinic figures, who himself was the son of Rav Alter Yaakov Yitzchok Wagshal zt”l, Av Beis Din of Lanzhut.

Through his mother’s side, Rav Yisroel Sinai descended from Rav Yaakov Halberstam of Tshakava zt”l, son of Rav Sinai of Zmigrod zy”a. His lineage traced back to many of the great Chassidic dynasties and luminaries of past generations, including Lizhensk, Zlotchov, Premishlan, Belz, Ropshitz, Dzikov, Melitz, Ohel, Sighet, Sanz, Dinov, Kozhnitz, Kosov, Sassov, Apta, and many others.

After his marriage to the daughter of Rav Moshe Chaim Rubin zt”l of Dinov, son of Rav Menachem Mendel Zeida Rubin zt”l of Glogov and son-in-law of Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Rosenberger zt”l of Dieresh, the couple established a distinguished home built upon Torah and Chassidus.

For many years, Rav Yisroel Sinai served as a dedicated mashgiach in several yeshivos, including Yeshivas Nitra and Yeshivas Noam Elimelech. He profoundly influenced countless bochurim through his teachings, encouragement, and exceptional love for every student.

Those who knew him described a man who lived entirely for Torah and for the welfare of fellow Jews, constantly involved in acts of gemilus chassadim and helping others quietly and selflessly.

He is survived by a distinguished family of children and sons-in-law who continue his legacy of Torah and yiras Shomayim.

Among his sons are Rav Alter Yaakov Yitzchok Wagshal, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe in Montreal and son-in-law of the Karlsburger Rebbe of Montreal; Rav Zalman Leib Wagshal, son-in-law of the Av Beis Din of Vodkert; and Rav Menachem Mendel Wagshal, son-in-law of Rav Avrohom Rokeach, Av Beis Din of Kozlov.

His sons-in-law include Rav Yoel Labin, son of the Balchov Rebbe; Rav Chaim Yechiel Alter Segal Lowy, Av Beis Din of Tosh Monsey and son of the Tosh Rebbe; Rav Berel Rotenberg, son of the Av Beis Din of Voidislev; Rav Itamar Meislish, son of the Av Beis Din of Vitzen; Rav Berel Leifer, son of Rav Shmuel Binyomin Leifer of Voidislev; and Rav Shlomo Meislish, son of Rav Mordechai Aharon Meislish, rav of Bais Medrash Ichud Avreichim Satmar and son of the Satmar Gaavad of Boro Park.

He is also survived by prominent rabbinic siblings, including Rav Shalom Wagshal, Av Beis Din of Lanzhut-Williamsburg; Rav Naftali Elimelech Wagshal, Av Beis Din of Apta-Williamsburg; and Rav Boruch Yehuda Wagshal of Lanzhut-Beit Shemesh, son-in-law of the Mishkenos Haroim Rebbe.

Among his sisters are the Peshvorsker Rebbetzin, the Ziditchov-Chareidim Rebbetzin, the Rebbetzin of the Netzach Menachem Spinka Rebbe, the wife of Rav Yehuda Elisha Horowitz, Av Beis Din of Ohr Hachaim, and the wife of Rav Naftali Kahn of Divrei Emunah Monsey.

The levayah was held at Bais Medrash Dinov on Albert Drive in Monsey and proceeded to New Jersey, where Rav Yisroel Sinai was laid to rest near his ancestors.

Tehei nishmaso tzerurah bitzror hachaim.

{Matzav.com}

A $25,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the safe return of Esther, the missing Toronto teenage girl whose disappearance has sparked widespread concern and ongoing search efforts throughout the community.

Newly released posters distributed Sunday identify the girl as possibly going by the names “Esti” or “Sylvia” and include updated information about her last known movements. According to the latest details, Esther was last spotted in downtown Toronto on a bus at approximately 12:35 a.m. on May 16.

Authorities also released a new surveillance image showing Esther wearing gray sweatpants and a green top, believed to be the outfit she was wearing at the time she disappeared.

The updated posters prominently announce a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to her safe return and urge anyone with information to come forward immediately.

The case has drawn major attention in Toronto and beyond, with volunteers, community organizations, and law enforcement continuing intensive efforts to locate her.

Family members and organizers involved in the search continue pleading with the public to remain alert and report any possible sightings or information that could assist investigators.

Anyone with information is urged to call 647-478-2230 immediately.

{Matzav.com}

Rebbetzin Esther Liba Zaks a”h, widow of Rav Hillel Zaks zt”l, longtime rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Knesses Hagedolah, passed away on Monday at the age of 91.

The levayah is scheduled to leave this evening at 7:30 p.m. from Yeshivas Knesses Hagedolah on Meshech Chochmah Street in Modiin Illit. The procession will continue to the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim and then to Har Hazeisim, where she will be laid to rest.

Rebbetzin Zaks was born in Yerushalayim on the 17th of Iyar, 5695, to her father, Rav Avrohom Moshe Chevroni zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron and author of Masaas Moshe, and her mother, Rebbetzin Rochel a”h, daughter of the famed rosh yeshiva Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein zt”l.

In the 1950s, she married Rav Hillel Zaks zt”l, who would later serve as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron and eventually found Yeshivas Knesses Hagedolah. Rav Hillel was niftar on the 22nd of Teves 5775. The shidduch was reportedly suggested to Rav Avrohom Moshe Chevroni by Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l during one of his visits to Eretz Yisroel. Following their marriage, the couple lived for a period in the United States.

They later returned to Eretz Yisroel, where Rav Hillel joined the staff of Yeshivas Chevron as a maggid shiur. A year after the passing of his father-in-law, Rav Avrohom Moshe Chevroni, he was appointed rosh yeshiva.

When the community of Maale Amos was established, Rav Hillel became its first rov. Several of the founders of the yishuv were talmidim of Yeshivas Chevron. The family later settled on Rechov Tzefania in Yerushalayim’s Geulah neighborhood, near the yeshiva.

In 1996, Rav Hillel founded Yeshivas Knesses Hagedolah in Modiin Illit, and the rebbetzin stood steadfastly at his side throughout the years, supporting the yeshiva’s growth and his tireless dedication to Torah and delivering shiurim without interruption.

Talmidim described her as a true “mother of the yeshiva,” devoted to the wellbeing of the bochurim and always available with a listening ear and practical assistance. She was deeply involved in the yeshiva and would often personally help with kitchen duties and food preparation for the students.

Students also recalled the extraordinary respect and admiration that existed between Rav Hillel and the rebbetzin, describing their relationship as a living example for others to emulate. One talmid recounted that Rav Hillel would often say regarding his wife, “What is mine and what is yours is all hers.”

She is survived by a distinguished family, including her son, Rav Yitzchok Zev Zaks, rosh yeshiva of Knesses Hagedolah, as well as her sons Rav Yisroel Meir, Rav Aharon, Rav Tzvi Hirsch, Rav Dovid, and Rav Menachem Mendel Yosef. Her sons-in-law include Rav Chaim Mann and Rav Tzvi Wilensky.

Tehei nishmasah tzerurah bitzror hachaim.

{Matzav.com}

A powerful and emotionally charged gathering took place in Yerushalayim on the eve of Shavuos, as hundreds of avreichim from the prestigious Teshuvos V’Hanhagos network of kollelim gathered for their annual pre-Shavuos assembly led by the senior posek Rav Moshe Sternbuch.

The gathering reflected the tremendous growth of the network, which was founded by Rav Sternbuch and now includes six branches across Eretz Yisroel. Organizers noted that during the past year alone, two new branches were opened, one in Ramat Beit Shemesh Daled 3 and another in Modiin Illit.

At the same time, the number of lomdim expanded significantly, with 30 new avreichim joining the Har Nof kollel and an additional 18 joining branches throughout the network, which organizers described as centers of extraordinary Torah diligence and growth.

The dais was graced by leading Torah and Chassidic figures. The first speaker was Rav Sholom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, who passionately addressed the hundreds of avreichim about the greatness of their mission.

Rav Sorotzkin stressed that the concept of “Toraso umnaso,” which exempts bnei yeshivos from military service, is not merely a slogan but a clear and authentic halachic definition established by the Torah itself.

“Ashreichem,” Rav Sorotzkin declared emotionally. “Fortunate are you, whose Torah is your occupation, and who merit to live under the leadership of the posek hador, our guide in this orphaned generation.”

Following him, Rav Nachman Biderman stirred the crowd with emotionally charged remarks. Opening with visible reverence, he proclaimed: “We have merited to stand before the Divine Presence itself — the posek hador, the master of the Holy Land of Eretz Yisroel.”

Turning to the assembled avreichim, Rav Biderman cried out passionately: “You are the ones who uphold the world! Through your Torah and your toil, the entire world continues to exist.”

He concluded by describing Rav Sternbuch as “the Moshe Rabbeinu of this generation,” leading lomdei Torah toward Kabolas HaTorah on Shavuos.

At a later stage of the gathering, renowned Chassidic speaker Rav Yehuda Deitsch addressed the audience with fiery words and emotionally uplifting melodies that inspired the crowd in preparation for Matan Torah.

In his remarks, Rav Deitsch elaborated at length, citing proofs from the Gemara regarding the greatness of receiving one’s rebbe, emphasizing how fortunate the avreichim were to bask in the presence of the posek hador.

He electrified the hall when he declared that the chain of “Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it onward” continues even today.

“Now, in the year 5786, we still merit to receive Torah from the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation,” he proclaimed. “We are witnessing with our own eyes that the very same Torah from Har Sinai still burns like fire within those who learn and toil in Torah.”

A hush descended upon the packed hall when Rav Moshe Sternbuch rose to deliver the evening’s central address, focusing on the essence of the joy of Shavuos and the responsibility facing the Torah world amid growing governmental pressures and attempts to draft bnei yeshivos.

At the beginning of his speech, Rav Sternbuch stated: “The secularists imagine that we are miserable because for us this is forbidden and that is forbidden, and at every moment there is something else prohibited,” he said painfully.

“But the truth is exactly the opposite! We are joyful, fulfilled, and overwhelmed with happiness because we have a direct connection to our Creator and merit true eternal life. The secular world, by contrast, lives like animals — eating merely in order to live and living merely in order to eat, until they die like animals. Blessed is Hashem, Who did not make our portion like theirs and separated us from those who stray. Therefore, on Shavuos we must rejoice tremendously and show the entire world how precious the yoke of Torah and mitzvos is to us, and that the Torah of Hashem is better to us than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

Rav Sternbuch also shared personal memories from his youth in London during the final year before the outbreak of World War II, when he spent time in the presence of Rav Elchonon Wasserman Hy”d.

“I remember how Rav Elchonon, despite no longer being young, danced on Shavuos with incredible strength for more than an hour straight,” Rav Sternbuch recalled. “That unforgettable display of joy in Torah left an impression on us for the rest of our lives.”

He also spoke about the yeshiva of Rav Moshe Schneider in London, where learning on Shavuos night would periodically pause so the students could break into dancing and singing over the greatness of Torah, demonstrating that Torah Jews are not unfortunate people but the happiest of all.

Later in the speech, Rav Sternbuch addressed the current struggle surrounding the future of the Torah world in Eretz Yisroel, delivering sharp and forceful remarks regarding efforts to draft bnei yeshivos into the military.

“The secularists know very well in their hearts that we are the truly happy ones, and therefore they are intensely jealous of us,” Rav Sternbuch declared. “They fear that we will continue multiplying here in the Land and that they will no longer be able to live lives of abandonment as they wish. Therefore, their entire intention is to defile the people of Hashem and bring us into their army. Militarily, they do not need us there at all! Their only goal is to make us become like them, chas v’shalom. Our obligation is to distance ourselves entirely from them and from any contact with them, because impurity is absorbed even through contact. Only in this way can we preserve our holiness.”

Toward the conclusion of the gathering, Rav Sternbuch praised the tireless efforts of his son, Rav Chaim Ozer Sternbuch, who dedicates himself day and night to establishing and maintaining the kollelim. Rav Sternbuch blessed him that he should continue expanding Torah and witness further miracles in strengthening the boundaries of holiness.

After the address, hundreds of avreichim burst into spirited singing and joyous melodies celebrating the acceptance of the Torah.

The evening concluded with a surprise arranged personally at Rav Sternbuch’s request. Out of concern for the welfare of the lomdei Torah and their families ahead of Shavuos, each avreich received a personal envelope together with a generous package of premium dairy products for Yom Tov, distributed with substantial assistance and sponsorship from the Tara dairy company.

Filled with spiritual inspiration, renewed strength, and profound joy in Torah, the hundreds of avreichim returned home prepared for the holiness of Shavuos night and ready to continue serving as what organizers described as the true protective wall of Klal Yisroel.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday dismissed a human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, finding that the Justice Department’s pursuit of criminal charges was designed to punish him for challenging his mistaken deportation to El Salvador last year.

The ruling amounted to an extraordinary rebuke of a Justice Department that under President Donald Trump has repeatedly been accused of targeting defendants for political purposes. The Trump administration touted the charges against Abrego Garcia last year at a press conference in which then-Attorney General Pam Bondi declared, “This is what American justice looks like.”

“The evidence before this court sadly reflects an abuse of prosecuting power,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, in Nashville, Tenn., said in his ruling granting Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss for “selective or vindictive prosecution.” Without Abrego Garcia’s “successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the government would not have brought this prosecution.”

Abrego Garcia’s deportation became an embarrassment for Trump officials when they were ordered to return him to the U.S. In his motion to dismiss, Abrego Garcia claimed that both the timing of the criminal charges and inflammatory statements about him by top Trump officials demonstrated that the prosecution was vindictive.

Despite the win in criminal court, his future in the United States is uncertain. Barred from deporting him to El Salvador, administration officials have threatened to deport him to a series of African countries, most recently Liberia.

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a victim of a politicized, vindictive White House and its lawyers at what used to be an independent Justice Department,” his criminal defense attorneys said in a statement after Friday’s ruling. “We are so pleased that he is a free man.”

The Justice Department vowed to appeal, calling the judge’s order “wrong and dangerous.”

Crenshaw stopped short of finding the government acted with “actual vindictiveness,” a rarely-met standard that usually requires evidence like a prosecutor admitting that charges were filed in retaliation against someone. But the judge did find there was enough evidence of “presumptive vindictiveness” — including the timing of the indictment, statements made by then-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the sustained oversight of the case by other top Justice Department officials — that the case against Abrego Garcia was thoroughly tainted.

The government’s own explanations weren’t convincing, Crenshaw wrote.

Abrego Garcia was charged with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling, with prosecutors claiming that he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

In the Friday ruling, Crenshaw wrote that the timing of the charges was central to the presumption of vindictiveness. Homeland Security had been aware of the traffic stop for two years and had closed the case against Abrego Garcia when it deported him. Once the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he should be brought back to the U.S., they reopened the case. While the government bore the responsibility to rebut the presumption of vindictiveness, prosecutors did not call as a witness the person who reopened the case, to explain why. Instead they offered only “secondhand testimony.”

In a statement released by the group We are CASA, which has been supporting Abrego Garcia and his family, he thanked God for the dismissal of the criminal charges.

“Justice is a big word and an even bigger promise to fulfill; and I am grateful that today, justice has taken a step forward,” he said.

Abrego Garcia’s deportation violated a 2019 immigration court order granting him protection from deportation to his home country, after the judge found he faced danger there from a gang that targeted his family. Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years although he immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. The 2019 order allowed him to live and work in the U.S. under Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervision, but he was not given residency status.

A man dressed in traditional Muslim clothing was caught on video vandalizing a kosher bagel shop in Queens early Friday morning, the first day of Shavuos, in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

The incident took place around 1 a.m. at Bagels & Company, an Israeli-owned business in Jamaica Estates. Surveillance footage shared by the Bukharian Jewish community showed the suspect hurling potted plants, chairs, and tables at the storefront for nearly five minutes before fleeing.

Authorities said no injuries were reported, and the suspect remains unidentified.

“This targeted attack on a Jewish business is part of a disturbing pattern of unchecked harassment against the Queens Jewish community despite rallies and public statements,” said Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers.

“Mayor Mamdani must immediately deploy more NYPD resources to protect our synagogues, schools, and businesses. These intimidation tactics need to end now,” Spern said. “Jewish New Yorkers deserve safety in our city.”

An 18-year-old Jewish student from the area said the incident reflected growing fear among local Jews.

“Honestly I was just confused but not surprised,” she told the NY Post. “It was just like, here we go, another day basically, but also like why?”

“It looked like a really angry man throwing tables, screaming — just like bugging out I guess,” she added. “There’s just been a lot more terrorism against Jews, a lot more antisemitism. And, no, I don’t feel safe here walking by myself.”

According to NYPD statistics, antisemitic incidents jumped 182% in January compared to the same month a year earlier and made up the majority of hate crimes reported citywide.

Police said hate crimes overall declined in April, including a 30.2% drop in antisemitic incidents compared to April 2025, though Jewish New Yorkers still accounted for most hate crime victims during the first months of the year.

The full extent of the damage to the bagel shop was not immediately known.

He sat across from me with the same sharp humor and quick wit I had come to expect from him. He is the kind of person who walks into a room and instantly commands it. Intelligent. Charismatic. Funny. The type of person people naturally gravitate toward.

But beneath all of that is an anger problem that is slowly destroying the people closest to him.

It shows up most intensely at home. His patience for his wife and children is painfully thin. Small frustrations turn into explosions. Minor inconveniences become battlegrounds. And while he genuinely loves his family, his temper leaves everyone walking on eggshells.

This isn’t theoretical for him. He was already divorced once. Now he fears that if he doesn’t get his anger under control, his current marriage might suffer the same fate.

During our previous session, I had given him homework.

I asked him to create a list detailing all the ways his anger was ruining his life. We divided the paper into three columns. The first column was for the immediate damage his anger caused. The second was for the long-term consequences. The third was for the emotions he experienced as he reflected on the first two columns.

For many people, that exercise would feel overwhelming. But for him — someone who genuinely struggled to understand why anger was such a problem — this was necessary. He needed to feel the cost.

He arrived the next session with the list completed.

We began reviewing it together. At first, the conversation was productive. But before long, the session drifted into familiar territory: frustration with his family.

“I don’t understand why they can’t just move on,” he said. “I get angry, I yell, and then it’s over. Why can’t they just get over it?”

We went back and forth for a while. He explained how quickly he recovered emotionally after an outburst and couldn’t understand why everyone else remained hurt long afterward.

Then, unexpectedly, he changed the subject.

“I saw this video recently,” he said.

He described a short clip of an elderly man sitting on a park bench beside his adult son. The father looked frail and somewhat confused. The son sat next to him, engrossed in a newspaper.

A bird flew by.

“What’s that?” the father asked, pointing to the bird.

“A bird,” the son answered casually, without lifting his head to look.

A few moments later, the father asked again.

“What’s that?”

“A bird,” the son repeated.

Then another bird fluttered nearby.

“What’s that?”

This time the son exploded.

He yelled at his father to stop asking the same foolish question over and over again.

The father quietly stood up and began walking away.

The son called after him, but the father simply waved him off and continued walking. A few minutes later he returned carrying an old, worn diary.

He handed it to his son and pointed to a page.

“Read it out loud,” he said.

My client paused at this point in the story. His eyes welled up.

The diary entry described a day many years earlier when the father had taken his little boy to the park. The child saw a bird and excitedly asked, “What’s that?”

The father lovingly explained what a bird was, how it was hatched, how it lived, how it flew.

A few minutes later the child pointed again.

“What’s that?”

And again the father patiently explained it all over.

And again.

And again.

At this point, my client completely broke down. What made him cry though, was different from what you may expect.

Through tears, he said, “I started thinking about my own father.”

He paused.

“And I tried remembering a single time my father was patient with me. A single memory where he really gave me attention.”

He swallowed hard.

“The only thing I could come up with was when I was three years old and got seriously injured. I remember waking up in the hospital and seeing my father looking worried. He asked me how I felt.”

Another pause.

“That’s the last time I remember him showing patience toward me.”

We sat quietly for a while after that.

And later that evening, I kept thinking about the session.

Unfortunately for him, his father never gave him what every child desperately needs: patience, attention, and the feeling that they matter.

And unfortunately for his wife and children, he was unknowingly passing that same pain forward.

But there was also something hopeful in that room that day.

Perhaps, he was finally beginning to see and understand how deeply human beings need to feel seen, heard, tended to and patiently cared for by the people closest to them.

Yaacov Weiss, LCSW, specializes in helping men find healthier and more stable footing in marriage. He can be reached at [email protected]

The best agreement the United States and Iran could realistically reach on the nuclear file would likely resemble the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated under the Obama administration, former senior Israeli defense official and Iran nuclear expert Avner Vilan said Monday in an interview with 103FM, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

“At best, we will get an agreement like Obama’s deal,” Vilan told the Israeli radio station. “There is a period in which the Iranians do not advance toward a nuclear weapon and are under supervision, which is fine. But regarding ballistic missiles, what we hit, we hit. They were not part of the agreement, and the Iranians will be able to take the money they receive and build themselves up.”

According to Vilan, the contacts now underway between Washington and Tehran could yield only a partial agreement, one that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ease economic pressure on Iran, and defer the nuclear question to a later phase. Israel, he told 103FM, is watching the prospect of an interim arrangement closely, particularly amid reports that Iran could agree to reopen the Strait as part of a broader understanding with the United States.

“As it appears, the most urgent issue is reopening Hormuz. The Iranians need pressure relief,” Vilan said in the interview. He told the station the reported framework could include the release of Iranian funds held in the West, followed by a 60-day window for negotiations on the nuclear file. Iran would then decide whether to accept or reject a nuclear arrangement potentially involving the removal of enriched uranium in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions.

“That is the best result they could receive,” Vilan said. “If and when they reach that point, the regime will survive for a very long time because it will have a continuing economic oxygen line. Nobody is talking about the missiles or the proxies.”

Vilan warned 103FM listeners that sanctions relief could ultimately entrench the Iranian government rather than weaken it. “Regime change does not look like it is going to happen. On the contrary, we are even strengthening it. It is beginning to receive money,” he said.

Addressing Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium is necessary but not sufficient to produce a sound nuclear agreement, Vilan said. “The 60% is perhaps the most urgent issue and a necessary condition, but it is not enough for a good nuclear agreement from a professional standpoint,” he told the station. “We need to ensure Iran is far enough away from obtaining a weapon.”

That, Vilan said, requires guarantees that Iran retains no nuclear material, that its centrifuges remain under supervision, and that it does not operate fortified sites capable of industrial-scale enrichment. “We need to make sure Iran has no path to advance toward nuclear material for a bomb,” he said.

Vilan told 103FM that President Donald Trump now faces three possible courses on Iran. The first is a return to intensive military pressure. “He can go back to heavy fighting, hit them hard, but in the end, we will probably return to roughly the same point,” Vilan said.

The second, Vilan said, is a staged agreement he described as “Hormuz for Hormuz,” which could later evolve into a full nuclear deal. He cautioned the station’s listeners that such a process risks stalling and leaving the two sides locked in an open-ended interim arrangement.

The third option, he said, is simply to wait, an approach he told 103FM the US president does not appear inclined to pursue. “We understand that Trump does not want to wait right now,” Vilan said, citing pressure over oil prices, Gulf state concerns about regional instability, and the possibility that Iran could attempt to outlast the current US administration.

Vilan closed the interview by warning that the diplomatic picture could shift rapidly and that time was not necessarily on Israel’s side. “It is possible that in another 24 hours, we will have a completely different conversation about a return to fighting,” he told 103FM.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Political commentator Shabbos Kestenbaum clashed with Ana Kasparian, co-host of The Young Turks, during a panel discussion on Al Arabiya English, directly challenging her claims of pro-Israel influence in the defeat of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in last week’s Republican primary.

Kestenbaum, a PragerU commentator, accused Kasparian of promoting “deranged conspiracies” about Zionist control of U.S. media and politics. He argued that Massie’s loss stemmed from voter rejection of his positions, including criticism of President Trump.

“Thomas Massie took money from billionaires, Iranians, and PACs while implying Trump was a pedophile,” Kestenbaum said during the exchange. He highlighted Massie’s donations from groups including the National Iranian American Council and noted the congressman’s associations and policy stances that diverged from Trump and Republican priorities in his strongly pro-Trump district.

Massie lost the May 19 primary to Trump-endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Outside spending, including from pro-Israel groups like AIPAC, played a significant role in the high-cost race.0459a9

According to Kestenbaum, Kasparian responded primarily by yelling, interrupting and insulting rather than addressing his points on the substance. Following the debate, Kasparian blocked Kestenbaum on X.e488b2

The exchange, which went viral, featured tense moments, including Kasparian referencing U.S. foreign aid to Israel and broader Middle East policy, while Kestenbaum pushed back against narratives of undue foreign influence.02f72a

Kestenbaum later posted on X praising his performance: “Great debunking Anna Kasparian’s deranged conspiracies straight to her face.”

The debate highlighted ongoing divisions within progressive and conservative circles over U.S. policy toward Israel, campaign finance and the influence of lobbying groups. Massie has been a vocal critic of certain foreign aid and has pushed for greater transparency regarding Jeffrey Epstein-related files.

Israeli intelligence officials now believe that the violent demonstrations and repeated clashes along the Gaza border fence in the months leading up to October 7 were part of a deliberate Hamas operation aimed at preparing for the massive terror assault on southern Israel.

According to newly uncovered intelligence assessments, Hamas operatives exploited the protests to study Israeli military response patterns and locate vulnerable areas along the security barrier.

Israeli officials say terrorists posing as civilian demonstrators, balloon launchers, and rioters collected operational intelligence during the disturbances and even marked specific sections of the fence that would later serve as breach points during the invasion.

The findings, first reported Sunday by the Israeli news outlet Srugim, indicate that Hamas identified 114 separate locations along the Gaza border fence in advance of the attack.

Those same locations were reportedly activated simultaneously on October 7, when more than 6,000 Hamas Nukhba terrorists and armed Gazans poured into southern Israel.

According to the report, some of the breaches were narrow openings intended for individual gunmen, while others were large enough to allow motorcycles and pickup trucks to move through rapidly, transforming parts of the border into what Israeli officials described as a “terror highway” leading directly into Israeli communities.

The intelligence conclusions are reportedly supported by an internal Hamas document attributed to slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Officials involved in the assessment say the document indicates that Hamas leadership believed Israel had completely misread the purpose of the border unrest and failed to grasp the broader military operation being quietly developed behind the scenes.

Israeli intelligence sources cited in the report said Hamas determined that Israeli officials “did not take the staged protests seriously” and failed to realize that the disturbances were being used to gather intelligence and rehearse the large-scale infiltration that unfolded on October 7.

{Matzav.com}

BALTIMORE (VINnews) – Maryland Governor & potential Democrat Presidential Candidate Wes Moore accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “war crimes” in Gaza but stopped short of labeling the conflict a genocide.

“I know as a military person that you cannot use food as a negotiating tool,” Moore said in a Politico interview. “That is a war crime.”

Moore, a former Army officer, made the remarks during a wide-ranging conversation with Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin.

When asked whether he considers himself a Zionist, Moore replied: “The state of Israel has a right to exist, but I also think that so do Palestinian people.”

The Democratic governor’s comments come amid ongoing tensions in the Israel-Hamas war. Moore has previously expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself and condemned Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, while also calling for humanitarian considerations in Gaza.

As negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked, US President Donald Trump convened a high-level meeting Friday with senior US national security officials, including the CIA director, secretary of defense, and vice president, to discuss scenarios for a possible return to military confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

At the same time, Qatar and Pakistan launched last-minute, ultimately fruitless mediation efforts to prevent further escalation.

Sources close to the White House say Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled diplomacy and is now weighing the option of a “decisive final military operation” as a way to end the crisis.

Although no final decision has yet been made, the confrontation appears to be approaching a potentially dangerous turning point, raising a deeper strategic question: Does the CIA, in coordination with Mossad, now see regime change not as a distant aspiration but as an increasingly realistic objective?

If one moves beyond merely examining the “behavior of the regime” and confronts the larger question, who exactly is the United States truly dealing with in Iran’s regime?, one arrives at a dilemma that America’s intelligence community, particularly the CIA, has wrestled with for decades.

The United States still speaks to the Islamic Republic’s “diplomatic façade,” while real authority remains concentrated within the ideological-security structure of the IRGC and, outwardly, the office of Khamenei.

When the upheaval of 1979 succeeded in Iran, the CIA did not truly understand who Khomeini was, nor did it fully grasp that the ideological engine driving him, the dictatorship of the Shiite cleric and the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih, would ultimately give birth to a religious dictatorship and a Shiite Islamic caliphate in Tehran.

The CIA also failed to accurately foresee that America’s most loyal and strategically important ally in the Middle East, the late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, would ultimately lose power. Even after the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut, the CIA still appeared unable to fully comprehend the mushroom-like rise of Islamist terrorism across the region. That reality cannot simply be concealed or erased from history.

During the years 1975–1978, whenever SAVAK, one of the CIA and Mossad’s closest intelligence partners during the Cold War, warned the CIA that the KGB stood behind both Marxist terrorist movements and Islamist militant networks, those warnings were frequently dismissed or underestimated.

Khomeini’s inner circle also cultivated the illusion that the CIA had orchestrated a coup in Iran in 1953 and removed a so-called “popular prime minister.” Yet few ever asked a more fundamental question: when exactly had that prime minister been elected by the Iranian people, under what election, and through what constitutional authority?

Under Iran’s constitutional monarchy, the Shah possessed the legal authority to appoint and dismiss prime ministers. That populist prime minister had ruled under martial law, attacked and burned opposition newspapers, and effectively paralyzed the national parliament. Had he succeeded, Iran itself could very likely have fallen into the orbit of the Soviet Union in 1953.

What remains remarkable is that even figures close to Khomeini later acknowledged maintaining contacts with the United States and the CIA between 1953 and 1979. In that sense, the narrative of the so-called “CIA coup” in Iran gradually evolved into a repetitive, mythologized, and politically convenient tale. The late Shah himself later wrote in his memoirs that the CIA neither protected him nor stood by its longtime ally, and that in 1979 it ultimately “stabbed him in the back.”

Creating a ‘new Middle East’

Now, after 47 years, the CIA, in coordination with Mossad, may have assumed responsibility for a campaign against the Islamic Republic in pursuit of what many describe as a “new Middle East.”

On the first day of the attack, Tehran’s dictator, Ali Khamenei, was removed from the scene. Since 2001, following the September 11 attacks and the formal launch of the war on terror, the CIA has gradually removed a series of obstructive figures from its path: from Imad Mughniyeh (2008) and Osama bin Laden (2011) to Qassem Soleimani (2020) and Ali Khamenei (2026).

In each of these historic eliminations, cooperation with Mossad reportedly continued in various forms.

But why did the Tehran regime not collapse after the humiliating death of Ali Khamenei? Because regime change was never Washington’s primary objective. Nor has genuine political will for regime change ever truly existed within Washington’s strategic establishment. Even though, over the past 47 years, with the rise of the radical Khomeinist Shiite caliphate in Tehran, America effectively surrendered the Iranian arena to Soviet influence, while the regime itself increasingly fell under the dominance of Russophile networks and figures.

Under these circumstances, the CIA now confronts several major dilemmas. Iran’s formal government is no longer the true center of power. In practice, the presidency, the foreign ministry, and even parliament have gradually evolved into ceremonial, hollow, and largely ineffective institutions.

Strategic decisions, regarding nuclear activity, chemical and biological capabilities, regional terrorism, military structures, and security networks, are ultimately made by the regime’s core power structure.

In reality, the Trump-Netanyahu strikes accelerated the emergence of a military junta in Iran, making any future negotiations significantly more difficult because power no longer hides solely behind the façade of the Shiite clerical establishment.

To put it differently: America negotiates with the state Iran presents, not the system that actually rules it. It has not been long since Trump correctly designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Many of Khomeini’s followers, who had received military and terrorist training in Yasser Arafat’s camps in Palestine, later became founders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an institution that, notably, does not even contain the word “Iran” in its name.

Over the course of this 40-day war, America’s security establishment gradually came to realize that Iran increasingly resembled a military garrison disguised as a nation-state.

IRGC has ‘become the system’

The IRGC is no longer merely a military force; it has evolved into an ideological army, an economic empire, a vast network of intelligence organizations, an internal security apparatus, and the mafia-like engine driving regional terrorism. Even during the ceasefire period, the IRGC effectively emerged as the de facto actor shaping the succession to Khamenei.

One particularly striking detail was that individuals affiliated with the IRGC, some of whom reportedly appeared on CIA watchlists, continued to participate openly within Iran’s diplomatic delegations in Pakistan, while the CIA observed the situation without any meaningful response.

And this is the crucial point: the IRGC no longer protects the system. It has become the system.

Throughout 1,400 years of Islamic caliphates, succession crises have repeatedly shaped the destiny of regimes and ruling structures. Following Khamenei’s death, Iran entered that same historical pattern. Yet after 37 years of dictatorship, the removal of Khamenei did not lead to the collapse of the structure itself.

Although the power structure became increasingly fragmented, the IRGC steadily absorbed authority into its own hands. They raised cardboard images of Mojtaba Khamenei and claimed he remained alive, hoping to preserve the regime’s security cohesion, maintain internal control, and ensure institutional survival.

The IRGC did not merely manufacture a symbolic leader. It reconstructed command centers, intelligence networks, financial structures, and security command systems while simultaneously shaping the broader architecture of Iran’s future order.

The CIA likely understands this transformation. Washington’s politicians do not.

Certainly, elements within the American intelligence community understand that “civilian diplomacy” in Iran is deeply constrained and that the real nucleus of power prioritizes regime survival above all else. The elimination of individual commanders or officials means little to the system itself. Amid economic collapse and the broader destruction of Iran, survival remains the regime’s overriding objective.

Yet Washington still feels compelled to pretend that Iran’s foreign ministry remains the regime’s principal actor — even though its leadership itself emerges from the broader IRGC structure. This contradiction becomes increasingly visible when Iran’s foreign minister resembles little more than a puppet figure with virtually no authority over the regime’s actual strategic direction.

What exists in Washington today is an ongoing conflict between intelligence realism and diplomatic theater, a taboo contradiction that major media institutions continue to reinforce and reproduce.

One must also openly acknowledge another deeply uncomfortable reality: the United States fears the collapse of the Islamic Republic as much as it fears its survival. Washington simultaneously fears a nuclear-armed Iran and an uncontrolled Iranian collapse that could destabilize the Persian Gulf and the broader region. This dual fear has produced a state of strategic paralysis.

Many in Washington fear the collapse of the Islamic Republic more than the consequences of its continued survival. Meanwhile, the demands and aspirations of the Iranian people themselves were neither prioritized nor meaningfully represented in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

The central problem is no longer Iran’s diplomacy. The deeper problem is that America may still be negotiating with institutions that no longer truly govern Iran. Washington does not negotiate with Ahmad Vahidi or with the real nucleus of power directing events inside the country. Instead, it continues wasting time speaking to political puppets.

Washington still speaks to the façade of the Iranian state while the security apparatus quietly absorbs the state itself. For these reasons, the CIA’s dilemma in dealing with Iran’s hardline power structure has not been successful, and likely will not be.

The central challenge facing Washington is no longer Iran’s nuclear program alone. It is whether the United States is ultimately prepared to acknowledge that the institutions it negotiates with may no longer be the institutions that truly govern Iran.

The Fourth of July show on the National Mall this year is being engineered for the record books. Producers plan to send up more than 860,000 fireworks shells in roughly 40 minutes, an attempt to claim the Guinness world record for the largest pyrotechnic display in history.

The shell count, confirmed by Pyrotecnico, the Pennsylvania firm running the show, is on a scale Washington has never attempted. National Park Service shows in recent years have typically launched 17,000 to 20,000 shells over 17 to 20 minutes at a cost of around $270,000. The 2026 display would be more than 40 times larger.

It would also surpass the current Guinness benchmark — about 809,000 shells fired off at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Manila in 2016, a display that lasted just over an hour and unfolded in a driving rainstorm.

The Mall fireworks are the climactic event of Freedom 250, a public-private partnership the White House launched in December to organize the country’s semiquincentennial. The Trump-backed group, separate from the bipartisan congressional commission America 250, has anchored a year of programming on the Mall that began with a New Year’s Eve light projection on the Washington Monument and a “Rededicate 250” faith gathering on May 17. A 16-day “Great American State Fair” featuring pavilions for all 50 states and six U.S. territories is scheduled to run from June 25 to July 10 leading into the main event.

Freedom 250 chief executive Keith Krach has billed the July 4 lineup as a “who’s who” of American entertainment, though performers have not been announced. A spokesperson for the group said planning is ongoing and a final cost for the fireworks display has not been determined. Pyrotecnico did not respond to a request for the cost.

The logistics are unusual on their own. More than 50 trucks will haul the shells into the District. A crew of about 60 will run the show from multiple firing positions, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, West Potomac Park and eight barges anchored on the Potomac River. The geographic spread is designed to give spectators across the Mall sightlines onto something larger than any single launch site could handle.

Weather will be a wildcard. Air-quality concerns have shadowed past Mall fireworks shows, and the most cautionary example is recent. In 2019, a low-level inversion trapped fireworks smoke close to the ground over Washington and a calm night kept it from dispersing. Spectators reported burning eyes and coughing, and views of the finale were largely obscured. The bigger the show, the more smoke it produces, and a single bad-weather night could swallow a record-setting display in a haze of its own making.

For now, organizers are leaning into the spectacle. Pyrotecnico called the planned show “not only a once-in-a-generation patriotic spectacle but a landmark moment in fireworks history.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

By Y.M. Lowy

BoroPark24 [previously reported](http://New NYC Area Code Set to Begin Rolling Out) back in February 2025 that New York City would eventually be getting a brand-new area code when it was announced.

The New York State Public Service Commission says the new 465 area code is expected to begin rolling out by the end of 2026 as the city continues running out of available phone numbers under the current system.

That means new phone numbers issued across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island may soon begin with 465 instead of the familiar 718, 347, 917, or 929.

The new area code is being introduced because the existing number combinations are becoming exhausted due to continued population growth, cell phone usage, and increasing demand for new lines and devices.

Current phone numbers will not change, and the older area codes will remain active. However, new customers receiving numbers in the future could begin seeing the new 465 prefix appear more regularly across the city.

For many New Yorkers, it will likely take some getting used to after decades of seeing the classic NYC area codes attached to nearly every local number.

By JBizNews Desk

NEW YORK, May 24, 2026 — The late Charlie Munger’s blunt warning about the American healthcare system is aging uncomfortably well.

The longtime Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman argued years ago that if insured families still had to pay thousands of dollars just to have a baby, then they did not really have insurance at all. Today, the numbers suggest the problem has only grown worse.

According to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, using data from the Merative MarketScan Encounter Database, the average pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care bill for women covered by employer-sponsored insurance now reaches $20,416, with families paying an average of $2,743 out of pocket even after insurance.

That does not include many of the costs that come afterward.

Newborn care adds another $5,820 in average medical spending during the baby’s first months, while cumulative healthcare costs for mother and child during the first two years now approach roughly $37,000 per family, according to KFF analysis. Families directly pay more than $4,200 of that amount themselves.

Munger saw the problem years ago.

In a widely discussed 2019 Yahoo Finance interview, Munger argued that a young couple facing a $5,000 deductible to deliver a baby effectively held an insurance product that failed its most basic purpose.

“If you have a policy with a huge deductible and you still can’t afford childbirth,” Munger said at the time, “what exactly are you insured for?”

The Berkshire executive went further, describing the broader U.S. healthcare system as something that had “grown like Topsy by accident” through decades of overlapping government intervention, private-sector inefficiency and distorted incentives.

His criticism was not ideological as much as economic.

Munger repeatedly pointed to Singapore as a model, arguing the country achieved better health outcomes at a fraction of America’s cost through mandatory medical savings accounts, universal coverage and strict cost controls. In his view, America’s healthcare system had become a hidden tax on workers, businesses and manufacturers that quietly weakened U.S. competitiveness.

The gap has only widened since then.

Federal out-of-pocket maximums under Affordable Care Act-compliant plans climbed to $9,200 for individuals and $18,400 for families in 2025. In 2026, those caps rise again to $10,600 and $21,200, according to federal guidance.

For many families, childbirth alone is enough to hit those limits.

The average allowed charge for a Cesarean-section birth now reaches roughly $28,998, compared with $15,712 for a vaginal delivery, according to Health Care Cost Institute and KFF data. About 32% of U.S. births now occur by C-section.

Many parents also get caught by timing.

Pregnancies often span two insurance-plan years, meaning families can hit deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums twice during a single pregnancy and delivery cycle.

The financial pressure arrives at exactly the moment household budgets are already under strain.

One parent often takes unpaid leave or reduced work hours while childcare, housing and basic living costs continue climbing. Industry analysts note that pregnancy remains the single most common cause of hospitalization for Americans covered by employer-sponsored insurance, making maternity costs one of the clearest stress points in the modern benefits system.

The issue has started attracting bipartisan political attention.

Lawmakers introduced legislation in 2025 that would eliminate cost-sharing for maternity care under employer-sponsored insurance plans, similar to how preventive services are currently treated under the Affordable Care Act. The proposal has not advanced, but its introduction reflected growing concern that high-deductible insurance models have shifted too much financial risk onto middle-class families.

Major corporations have spent years trying to address the problem themselves.

Companies including Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, and other large employers have experimented with direct healthcare contracting, bundled maternity-payment systems and employer-run clinics in an effort to reduce healthcare spending. So far, none have meaningfully changed the broader national cost trajectory.

U.S. healthcare spending surpassed 17% of GDP in 2024 — by far the highest level in the developed world — even as American life expectancy continues to lag behind many peer nations.

For Wall Street and corporate America, Munger’s argument still resonates because healthcare costs ripple through nearly every part of the economy.

Rising medical expenses feed directly into wage pressure, consumer spending patterns, government deficits, insurance premiums and employer labor costs. Families paying thousands of dollars out of pocket to have children are not just facing a healthcare issue — they are facing a broader affordability problem affecting everything from home purchases to retirement savings.

That was the core of Munger’s warning.

The question he posed in 2019 remains unresolved in 2026:

If insurance does not meaningfully protect families from the cost of having a child, what exactly is it protecting them from?

JBizNews Desk

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

New American intelligence findings indicate that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has gone into deep hiding at a secret location and is almost entirely cut off from direct communication with the outside world, according to a CBS News report released Sunday.

US officials familiar with the intelligence said the secrecy surrounding Khamenei’s whereabouts is so extreme that messages to him are being relayed through an elaborate chain of couriers rather than through conventional communication channels.

The breakdown has reportedly crippled the Iranian regime’s internal operations. Officials tasked with handling discussions involving the Trump administration are struggling to communicate even among themselves, creating major delays in negotiations and slowing progress on both current and previous agreements with Washington.

Sources told CBS News that whenever the United States sends diplomatic proposals or revisions connected to a possible deal, the complicated process of delivering the information to Iran’s top ruler creates severe delays. Two American officials said responses from Tehran can take an unusually long time because of the bottleneck.

A White House spokesperson declined to address questions regarding intelligence connected to Khamenei’s location or the regime’s communication methods.

Even amid the chaos, officials say some headway has been made. A senior administration official said Sunday that the Supreme Leader had approved the broad outlines of the latest draft agreement. At the same time, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he expects a final decision within days.

Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded during joint American and Israeli strikes carried out as part of Operation Epic Fury, has adopted extraordinary security precautions following attacks similar to those that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until Feb. 28. The extent of the secrecy surrounding him is evident in the fact that he has neither appeared publicly nor been heard from since before the war began.

American officials believe the paranoia gripping the regime stems from repeated intelligence penetrations by the US and Israel. According to one official cited by CBS News, intelligence gathered from sources inside Iran’s own government enabled the targeting and elimination of much of the country’s senior leadership during the conflict.

As a result, senior Iranian officials are reportedly living in near-total isolation. Sources said many of the regime’s remaining leaders rarely emerge into public view, spending extended periods inside heavily protected bunkers and limiting contact with one another unless absolutely necessary.

“Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated,” one official remarked.

Officials said the strictest security measures are centered around the Supreme Leader himself. Even top-ranking members of the Iranian government reportedly do not know his exact location and have no direct means of reaching him. Instead, information is passed through a carefully designed courier network intended to conceal where he is hiding.

“This is why you see people saying things like, ‘The Supreme Leader has agreed to the framework,’ or ‘We’re waiting to hear back on the final deal points.’ Every piece of information he receives is dated and there’s a lot of latency to his responses,” an official explained.

A group of leftist New York State lawmakers on Friday reintroduced a bill that would strip nonprofit status from organizations that engage in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity,” reviving a failed legislative effort first launched in 2023 by then-Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who now serves as mayor of New York City.

The measure, known as the “Not On Our Dime! Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act,” was unveiled at a press conference in Long Island City. Assembly Member Diana Moreno, who succeeded Mamdani in the State Assembly and is one of nine Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed members of the state legislature, is carrying the bill in the Assembly. State Senator Jabari Brisport is sponsoring the legislation in the State Senate.

If passed, the bill would align New York state law with the Geneva Convention and the International Criminal Court, which define Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory as illegal. The legislation considers East Jerusalem, including the Old City, as occupied territory.

The bill would empower the New York attorney general to dissolve the nonprofit status of organizations that knowingly fund settlement activity and to impose fines of no less than one million dollars. It would also explicitly allow Palestinians who have been harmed by violence funded by New York-based charities to file lawsuits against them.

Co-sponsors in the State Senate include Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar and Robert Jackson. In the State Assembly, the bill is co-sponsored by Claire Valdez, Emily Gallagher, Marcela Mitaynes, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Sarahana Shrestha, Jessica González-Rojas, Steven Raga, and Yonkers representative Nader Sayegh.

“We have a moral responsibility to defend human rights and push back against displacement and violence,” Senator Gonzalez said. “Our tax dollars should not support violations of international law in the West Bank or anywhere, and we can make that possible by passing the Not On Our Dime Act.”

The bill was introduced over Shavuos, and there was therefore no immediate response from major Jewish organizations.

Jewish groups had opposed the original 2023 version of the bill, arguing that its broad definition of settlement activity would have stripped nonprofit status from a wide range of mainstream Jewish charities, including volunteer ambulances and other organizations that operate in settlements but do not advance settlement activity, as well as social service groups operating across the Green Line that do not support settlement expansion. The original bill was swiftly rebuked by colleagues in the State Assembly and never came to a vote.

Mamdani’s 2023 measure proposed amending the state’s nonprofit law to “prohibit not-for-profit corporations from engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity,” and Mamdani said at the time that it would stop the flow of roughly $60 million annually from New York-based nonprofits to settlement-linked entities. The 2023 bill said nonprofits that spent at least one million dollars in violation could be sued, fined by the state attorney general, and lose their tax-exempt status.

Mamdani, who took office as mayor in January, declined to reject the prospect of enacting similar legislation at the city level during the 2025 mayoral race. “Charities and nonprofits that receive a taxpayer subsidy should not support the violation of international law, and that’s what the right-wing Israeli settlement project is doing,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, calling it “an effort that goes against the stated foreign policy of our own government, going back several decades.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A video circulating on social media Monday shows the pro-Hamas group Mtl4Palestine displaying the flag of the ice hockey team Montreal Canadiens with an effigy of a man wearing a kippah hanging near the flagpole, while a keffiyeh-clad participant pounds a drum.

Not a Zionist, but a Jew.

The radical group has been criticized for its support for Hamas, aligning itself with groups that explicitly support the terror group, praising the armed actions of Hamas, promoting armed resistance and refusing to condemn the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Montreal has seen a number of controversial incidents in which effigies of Jews have been hanged or burned. In May 2024, an anti-Israel encampment at McGill University in Toronto hung a cardboard cutout of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in prison-style clothes at the gates of the campus. Jewish groups condemned the incident as antisemitic, saying it evoked violent Holocaust imagery.

Also Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he spoke to Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, about the problem of soaring antisemitism in Canada.

“I also highlighted the horrific antisemitic wave in Canada — an average of 19 incidents a day,” he posted on X. “The Canadian government must take steps against antisemitic incitement and attacks.”

Submitted by the family: “On the I-195, everyone walked out with no scratches! B”H. Family with baby on board. Wear a seatbelt, It saves lives!”

He added, “On Motzei Yom Tov, My family was going back to Lakewood from Baltimore. It was raining and the roads were slippery. At about 1245 we were on the I-195 and hydroplaned, we lost control and headed directly into a tree. We spun around landed backwards on the shoulder. Airbags went off. We were all buckled and our baby was properly strapped into her doona. We were all able to walk out safely, unscratched.”

“Buckles saves lives”

“Thank you hashem”

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)  There is an old debating trick that works only on readers who do not check. It involves 3 Steps:

1. State the conclusion with great confidence
2. Attribute panic to the other side
3. And quietly bury the one fact that would collapse the entire argument.

Sebastien Levi’s recent opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, headlined as the “panicked” outburst of an Israeli ambassador, performs this trick from its first sentence to its last.

The essay opens by psychoanalyzing Prime Minister Netanyahu—projecting onto him the very fear the author wishes to assign—and then extends the same maneuver to Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. The reader is told, before a single fact is offered, that the ambassador’s words prove the Israeli government’s “utter disdain” for American Jews.

What the reader is never told is what J Street actually did, what its president actually said, and what the ambassador actually responded to. Once those omissions are restored, the piece does not merely weaken. It reverses.

The Buried Fact: What J Street Actually Did

Levi characterizes J Street as a body that merely “criticizes” the Israeli government—a normal democratic activity, he implies, that the ambassador cannot tolerate. He frames the April legislative episode as a narrow vote “specifically targeted on bulldozers and 2,000-pound bombs.”

This is the load-bearing claim of the entire op-ed, and it is not accurate.

The actual record is a matter of public reporting. In April, J Street published a policy document calling for the phasing out of direct United States military assistance to Israel altogether—including the funding connected to defensive systems such as Iron Dome—at a moment when Israel is engaged in a multi-front war against Iranian proxies. This is not a targeted objection to a particular munition. It is a call to wind down the security relationship itself.

That is the “duplicitousness” the ambassador named.

An organization that advertises itself as “pro-Israel” while advocating the removal of the aid that keeps Israeli civilians alive under rocket fire has invited precisely the question Leiter asked: how can one be pro-Israel and simultaneously advocate an arms embargo on a state fighting for its life on seven fronts? Levi never quotes that question. He cannot, because once it is on the page, the “panic” framing dissolves. The ambassador was not panicking. He was describing a contradiction in plain words.

The Word Levi Will Not Print: Genocide

The single most important fact about J Street’s recent trajectory appears nowhere in Levi’s essay.

Nowhere.

In a public newsletter issued on Tisha B’Av—the Jewish fast day mourning the destruction of both Temples—J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, wrote that he had been “persuaded” by legal and scholarly arguments that international courts will one day find that Israel broke the international genocide convention.

Read that again, and note the date. The head of the organization that Levi presents as the authentic voice of mainstream American Jewry chose the Jewish calendar’s day of national mourning to lend his name to the blood libel of the twenty-first century: that the state founded by the survivors of genocide is itself committing one.

Whatever one thinks of any particular Israeli policy, this is the accusation that animates the campaign to isolate, boycott, and disarm the Jewish state. J Street’s president embraced it.

An honest essay defending J Street would have to reckon with this. Levi’s essay does not mention it. He asks the reader to believe that the ambassador attacked a body of reasonable critics over a vote about bulldozers, while withholding the fact that the body’s leader had publicly endorsed the genocide charge weeks earlier. This is an omission of epic proportion upon which his entire false argument depends.

The Polling Sleight of Hand

That a large majority of American Jews believe one can be pro-Israel and criticize an Israeli government is unremarkable; it is also true of most Israelis, who criticize their governments vigorously and constantly. The question the ambassador raised was never whether criticism is legitimate. It was whether advocating the termination of Israel’s defensive aid during a war, and endorsing the genocide accusation, still falls within the meaning of the word “pro-Israel.”

Levi answers a question no one asked, and treats the applause as a verdict. A favorable view of the Israeli people tells us nothing about support for an arms embargo on the Israeli state. The statistics are real; the inference is a magic trick.

The Quotation That Was Quietly Trimmed

Levi reports that the ambassador told Jewish critics to “shut up” and “make aliyah” if they want to change things—rendering Leiter as a man who tells Jews to be silent or leave. The actual words, widely reported, are less convenient for the thesis.

Leiter stated that he meets with pro-Palestinian groups and would have no objection to J Street if it presented itself honestly as pro-Palestinian. His objection was specifically to an organization branding itself “pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy” while working to defy the position of Israel’s democratically elected government and restrict its arms. His point about aliyah was not “leave and be silent.” It was the opposite: those who wish to determine the policy of the Israeli government are welcome to become citizens and vote in its elections, rather than lobby a foreign legislature to override the choices of the Israeli electorate.

One may disagree with that argument. But Levi does not answer it—he amputates it, replaces it with “shut up,” and argues against the stump.

“Words Matter as Much as Substance”

Near the end, Levi reaches for his most resonant line: “One argues or fights an opponent but cures and extirpates cancer.” He is appalled by the ambassador’s use of the word “cancer,” declaring that “words matter as much as substance.” On this, at least, he is correct. So let us hold his own words to the standard he has just announced.

The Man Being Attacked

It is worth pausing on who Yechiel Leiter actually is, because Levi reduces him to a caricature—a hardliner barking at dissenters. The reality is a figure of unusual depth, and one whose biography is a direct refutation of the very charge his critics level.

Leiter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and made aliyah as a young man to serve in the IDF. He holds a doctorate in political philosophy, and his post-doctoral work on the political thought of John Locke was published by Cambridge University Press—a serious scholarly accomplishment for any academic, let alone a working diplomat.

He served as chief of staff to Netanyahu in the Finance Ministry and as an adviser to Ariel Sharon. He is, in short, precisely the “eloquent speaker with a deep understanding of American culture and politics” that his appointment described—a man who has lived on both sides of the relationship he now represents.

And he has paid for that relationship in the most absolute currency there is. On the tenth of November, 2023, his eldest son—Major Moshe Yedidya Leiter, a physician, an officer, a husband, and a father of six whose youngest child was barely three months old—fell in battle leading his soldiers into Gaza after the October 7 murderous and rape massacre. Moshe had completed his service and chosen to return to combat. He was killed by a Hamas booby trap in a tunnel shaft.

In a televised interview, the ambassador said something that should be set beside every accusation of indiscriminate slaughter ever leveled at the Jewish state: that his own son died because the IDF does not kill civilians indiscriminately—that Moshe went in on foot, at far greater personal risk, precisely because the army takes precautions no other military in history has taken. A father who has buried a son under those circumstances does not need lectures on the cost of Israel’s wars from a commentator in a studio. When such a man calls an organization’s posture “duplicitous,” the burden is not on him to soften his words. It is on the organization to explain itself.

There is a further irony. The charge at the heart of Levi’s essay is that the ambassador holds “utter disdain” for bipartisan support. Yet on assuming his post, Leiter stated plainly that bipartisan backing is a foundational element of the U.S.-Israel relationship and that he intended to work with both Republicans and Democrats to keep Israel a unifying issue across party lines. That is the public record. Levi’s thesis requires the reader not to know it.

The Author’s Own Record

Sebastien Levi presents himself as the dispassionate diagnostician of an extreme government—a correspondent for French Jewish radio offering measured analysis. His published writing tells a different story. The author who is scandalized by intemperate language has a long and well-documented habit of it, deployed in precisely the same direction, year after year.

In a 2019 essay published under his byline, Levi described the alliance between American Evangelical Christians and Israel as “morally disgusting,” and characterized Israel’s most steadfast non-Jewish supporters in the United States as “useful idiots.”

The same piece dismissed religious Zionists as people who regard secular Israelis as “tools.” This is the writer now lecturing an Israeli ambassador on the importance of moderate language and the sanctity of bipartisan goodwill.

Elsewhere, Levi has written that Israel “is becoming…a nemesis for many liberal Jews,” has likened Israel under its current government to “illiberal democracies such as Poland or Hungary,” and has framed Israeli gun-rights legislation as a “sad symbiosis” between Trump’s America and Netanyahu’s Israel. After the Pittsburgh massacre, he attacked the Israeli government and its representatives for being, in his telling, indifferent to American Jews. His themes for nearly a decade are unmistakable: the fault is always Israel’s, the villain is always Netanyahu, and the rhetoric is always as heated as anything he now condemns in others.

Levi asks the reader to receive him as a neutral observer reporting that Israel’s standing is collapsing. He is not a neutral observer. He is a longtime, openly partisan critic who has spent years writing that Israel’s elected leadership is the disease—and who now expresses horror that someone used a medical metaphor against an organization he favors. The standard he invokes against Leiter is one he has never applied to himself.

A Word from the Nevi’im

The holy prophet Isaiah had a name for the inversion at work in this kind of writing—the practice of dressing the harmful as the principled and the principled as the harmful. Yeshayahu (5:20) pronounced: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness.” An organization whose president has lent his name to the genocide libel, and which seeks to strip the Jewish state of its defenses in the middle of a war, is not made “pro-Israel” by the label it prints on its letterhead. To insist otherwise is to call darkness light.

What the Essay Avoids

Levi accuses the ambassador of avoiding “all discussion about the substance.” The accusation is a confession. The substance is this: an organization calling itself pro-Israel has, in the space of a single year, endorsed the genocide accusation through its president and called for phasing out the defensive aid that protects Israeli civilians under fire. An Israeli ambassador said so, bluntly. One may wish he had said it more diplomatically. But the question of tone is not the question of truth, and Levi has spent two thousand words on the former precisely to avoid the latter.

Conclusion

The op-ed is built on a single rhetorical structure repeated in every paragraph: attribute fear to the other side, omit the disqualifying fact, and present a partisan’s grievance as a demographer’s report. Strip away the projection and restore the record—the genocide endorsement, the call to end defensive aid in wartime, the trimmed quotation, the author’s own decade of incendiary language—and what remains is not an analysis of Israel’s standing in America. It is a defense brief for an organization that has wandered far from the meaning of the words it still wears as a brand.

Ambassador Leiter’s metaphor was sharp. It was also, on the money, a description rather than a slander. And the man complaining loudest about its sharpness is the last person entitled to do so.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Israel Police and the military police are preparing to launch a large-scale operation next week to arrest all Bnei Torah designated as “draft dodgers” in Chareidi cities and areas in the center of the country, Kol B’Ramah reported on Monday morning.

According to the report, the operation will go far beyond random detentions announced last week by Police Chief Danny Levy, and will involve proactive enforcement operations in major Chareidi population centers across central Israel as part of a planned initiative by the Police Operations Division in close coordination with the Military Police.

A senior source in the police operations division confirmed the details in a conversation with Kol Barama and clarified the expected nature of the operation on the ground.

“We received instructions to arrest every draft evader identified in the central region and transfer him to the Military Police as part of the operations, with no exceptions,” he said.

The move marks a significant escalation in enforcement policy against Bnei Torah

The development follows Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara’s demand to significantly increase police involvement in the enforcement of her legal decrees against Chareidim.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

3-part solution for kids being forgotten in the car.

1. Awareness– yes, it can happen to anyone. Note: this is why I use the words “Forgotten in the Car” and not “Left in the car” that is often used.

It is hard to imagine but it really is possible to forget a kid in the car. I know there are arguments made:

“I am very careful.” “Is your phone more important than you baby.” “How is it possible to forget a child?”

Why then did the new mother with a 2-week-old forget her newborn in the car when she went into Rita’s with her family? Did she really not care about her newborn? Do you know anyone personally that would 1% “not mind” forgetting a kid in the car?

Did you ever forget its Shabbos and turn on a light? Is Shabbos not important to you? Why did Chazal forbid us to read by the candle on Shabbos?

Every tragic story in our community of a child forgotten in the car had nothing to do with careless parents. Why do we think that we are different?

1. Reminder– there is no way to ensure that it will not happen without a reminder.
2. Effective device A person can come to the realization that they need the reminder, but they need to realize that not every solution is actually a solution.

There are 2 main issues with common reminder ideas.

A) It reminds you too often- We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. After a few times everyone ignored him.

B) A reminder which needs to be set every time- An alarm on your phone would be a great reminder to take your child out, but we all understand that would not work.

Most people subconsciously think that it will not really happen so to rely on constantly setting an alarm each time will not be effective. Putting a pocketbook, shoe, hat or similar ideas can also fall into this category. These solutions often stop being used when we are not in worried mode and must be reminded to make the reminder!

The most effective solution is an automated system that never requires activating or deactivating. There are no decisions to be made at any point. When you hear the alert, you know to take the child out. From my research, the only device that I came across is the KIDZALERT car seat sensor alarm. It only alerts when there is a child in the car seat. It does not require you to activate it or deactivate it. When your child is placed in their car seat, it activates the sensor, when your car turns off, the alarm rings. It only rings when your child is with you, so it is not a matter of “the boy who cried wolf!” Additionally, it is well priced and installs in seconds.

I am sharing the website and phone number where you can get all the information on how it works. They also have sponsorship pricing for askanim that care.

848.999.9391 or www.Kidzsafeusa.com

As a side note- aside from the terrible tragedy of losing a child, in most cases there are costly legal battles that are involved. Even someone spotting a child in the car, and all ends well, can open a legal battle with retainers starting at $10,000.

What are we waiting for? Order yours today for yourself, for your grandchildren. V’nishmartem Meod Linfashoseichem.

Rabbi Nissan G.

NBG Consulting

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

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Ten years ago, the path of a religious girl at the end of ulpana (religious high school for girls) was clear: a year or two of national service (or military service if you were a bit rebellious), then a degree (probably in teaching), and later marriage. Only a few, the “very religious girls of the class,” would deviate from this track into a full year in a midrasha (religious women’s Torah study program).

Over the years, however, midrashot have managed to carve out their own place in the life path. Whether before national or military service, or afterward, girls from the religious sector are increasingly flocking to a year dedicated entirely to Torah study. On the occasion of Shavuot, the article asks: how did the world of midrashot become a trend that is sweeping everyone?

Tzipi Abeta, an 12th-grade teacher at Ulpanat Segula, describes very high percentages of students choosing to go to a midrasha. “I see that it is on the minds of the vast majority of girls,” she told the Kipah website, attributing the trend also to the school’s guiding approach, which holds an annual “midrasha conference” with representatives from various institutions. “This is something that didn’t exist in previous years,” she admits, “it’s a broad and very important trend.”

When asked to estimate the numbers, she guesses: “If eight years ago maybe 10% of the girls went to a midrasha, today it’s around 30% or more.” Abeta mainly knows about students who go directly after ulpana, but also hears about many who choose the path after national service. The school itself is also in the process of opening a midrasha in two tracks, one for students from France and one regular track.

When asked what caused the trend, she says: “Today the language of midrashot is very present in ulpanot. There is a midrasha in almost every school for girls who stay in the afternoon to study Torah.” She adds: “In recent years there it has become an accepted idea that there should be spiritual strengthening before going to the army, whether in a hesder yeshiva, preparatory program, or yeshiva. Girls used to go to national service or the army as they were. Today girls are already part of a very high-level academic world, so it is only natural they will also connect to Torah and faith at a high level.”

When asked whether this is part of a broader religious strengthening trend, she does not commit fully: “It’s not necessarily about being more religious. It’s a simple desire of the soul. I’ve seen girls who seemed distant and didn’t always pray, and they were thirsty for this encounter with Torah.”

Rabbanit Naama Frenkel, head of the midrasha in Lod (a branch of Midreshet Lindenbaum), sees the growth firsthand. She founded the midrasha nine years ago together with Rabbi Udi Abramovitz. In the first year, 22 students studied there. For next year, 57 girls have already registered. “Our midrasha is before service, and its growth is strongly connected to the fact that more girls are enlisting in the army,” she says, and adds: “But even girls who go to national service are looking to build their spiritual world.”

She says there is now much greater awareness of the importance of Torah study for women. “Today girls invest a lot in music, gymnastics, dance, and many other things, and there is an understanding that you also need to invest in the most important thing in our lives—our spiritual existence.” She also notes a significant increase in short introductory visits, where high school seniors experience the midrasha for a few days.

Regarding admissions, she explains: “There are admission requirements, but you won’t find dry criteria published on the website. We look for girls who love learning. We know the phenomenon of girls who struggled in high school but suddenly flourish in the midrasha and study all day, we know how to identify that. The conditions are that the girl is ready for a full day of study, able to function within a group, and that her worldview fits the midrasha.”

A student, Ayelet Yudin, a first-year national service volunteer, says it was clear to her she wanted to go to a midrasha before her service. She studied last year at Midreshet “Tachlit” in Akko, and says it was “the most accurate and best decision of my life.” She debated between military and national service but ultimately felt she needed a year of exploration first.

She says she is far from alone. In her opinion, at least 50% of girls in her class went to a midrasha. She links this to the rising rate of religious girls enlisting in the army: “Many girls who enlist go to a midrasha first.”

Like boys’ yeshivas, midrashot are also divided into different styles—different approaches, learning methods, and atmospheres. For Yudin, enthusiasm was most important: “That the girls genuinely love the place, that the staff is good, and that the learning is interesting.”

She believes there is a kind of positive social pressure to go to a midrasha: “Yes. It has become much more popular. There is some social pressure, but mainly an understanding that it is a meaningful year, time to reset your personality, gather tools, and organize your inner world.”

When asked about the challenge of sitting and studying Torah all day, she replies: “True. But there is something very flexible in midrashot, with varied classes. If a lesson doesn’t interest you, you can learn with a partner or do something else. There are no exams, the learning is very different. In a way, it becomes addictive, you don’t notice you’ve been studying all day.”

The housing market remains hot in much of the country, with rising prices creating affordability concerns for would-be buyers – though some markets are seeing sizable amounts of price cuts over the last month.

Data from Realtor.com found that nationally, the share of active listings that carry a price reduction was at 16.7% in April – a figure that is elevated compared with historical trends but is actually lower than a year ago as prices trended toward an equilibrium.

Several markets across the Sun Belt and Mountain West regions have seen price cuts more frequently than the national average, the data showed.

“Put simply, homes are not moving in these markets,” said Realtor.com senior economist Jake Krimmel. “That’s down in part due to ample supply but also anemic demand at current prices and interest rates.”

ONE TYPE OF PROPERTY IS QUIETLY SAVING AMERICANS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

Two of the metro areas also led Realtor.com’s report about major markets with price cuts in April 2025, as Phoenix and Tampa had 31.3% and 29.3% of listings with price cuts last year, respectively.

“Why are these metros continually topping this price cut list? It’s likely part unrealistic expectations and part wishful thinking, but price reductions do mean sellers are getting the message loud and clear,” Krimmel said.

Here’s a look at the five housing markets where price reductions were the most prevalent in April.

THESE 8 US HOUSING MARKETS FAVOR BUYERS

CALIFORNIA BUILT MORE HOMES THAN PEOPLE OVER SIX YEARS – SO WHY IS HOUSING STILL SO TIGHT?

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Experts trying to prevent a tank of hazardous chemicals from exploding in Southern California found a “potential crack” in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday.

Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace site.

Evacuation orders were issued on Friday for an area in Garden Grove, a suburb roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of people are covered by the evacuation orders.

TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video message posted on social media that a team of specialists on Saturday night found “a potential crack in the tank, which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there.”

Discovering the potential crack was “positive intel,” McGovern said.

Authorities are still trying to determine whether the possible crack has relieved pressure in the tank, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority told Reuters. Lowering the pressure could help avert an explosion, he said.

Officials focused on measuring pressure of tank

Although officials for now are focused on measuring pressure, the spokesperson said, the crack eventually could allow authorities to gradually drain the chemicals.

On Saturday, Craig Covey, division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said the tank’s internal temperature was increasing by about one degree an hour and had reached as high as 90 degrees. But early on Sunday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that local officials were working to stabilize the tank by keeping its temperature under 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I’m being told this morning that the most likely scenario is one of a low-volume release, where the local authorities are going to be able to monitor, neutralize, and contain the threat,” Zeldin told CNN.

Crews were preparing for a possible spill by looking for ways to dike, dam, and divert the liquid into a holding area at the commercial site, rather than allow it to reach storm drains, river channels, or the ocean, Covey said.

Health officials have said they ​were concerned that ⁠vapor from the chemical could cause severe respiratory problems with prolonged exposure. Air monitors deployed in Garden Grove were not detecting any chemicals or pollutants on Sunday, the EPA said.

No chemical leak detected

Sensors located around the tank itself have not picked up any chemical leaks in the air, the fire authority spokesperson said.

The Orange County Fire Authority and the Garden Grove mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday. On Saturday, officials said firefighters were exploring whether a heavy flow of cooling water might slow the curing process inside the tank enough to reduce pressure and prevent an explosion.

The incident began on Thursday at the GKN Aerospace facility, which specializes in the manufacturing and testing of windows and canopies for commercial and military aircraft, according to its website.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency for Orange County.

This post was originally published on here.

Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) declined to rule out a 2028 presidential bid in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, five days after losing his Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger in what became the most expensive House primary in US history.

Pressed by moderator Kristen Welker on whether he was considering a White House run after some of his supporters chanted “President, President” during his concession speech, Massie told NBC he was leaving his options open. “I will not rule out anything, and right now I’m not going to rule in anything,” he said.

Massie told Welker he had spent the days since the race on his Kentucky farm and was still decompressing from 14 years in Congress. “Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more,” he said in the interview. “It’s like coming up from the bottom of the ocean, and I’ll take some time and decide what’s next, but I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape. Maybe it’s from the outside.”

When Welker pressed him on whether any future bid would come strictly under the Republican banner, Massie again declined to commit, according to Newsweek’s account of the broadcast, and floated the possibility of seeking local office instead. He told NBC he would not rule out a run for county commissioner, noting that he previously served as Lewis County’s judge executive and calling it “probably the best job I ever had in politics.”

Massie lost the May 19 Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein by roughly 10 points. The race drew more than $32 million in ad spending, with Al Jazeera placing the figure above $34 million when all publicity expenditures are included. Outside groups supporting Gallrein included the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Republican Jewish Coalition, and billionaire donors Paul Singer, John Paulson, and Miriam Adelson contributed to political action committees opposing Massie.

President Trump recruited Gallrein to run against Massie after the congressman broke with the administration on several major issues. Those included Massie’s vote against the GOP’s signature tax and spending package, his co-authorship with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) of legislation forcing the release of files tied to the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, and his opposition to US military action against Iran. Trump signed the Epstein-related measure into law in November after initially opposing it.

In the same Meet the Press appearance, Massie criticized the president’s standing with parts of his own coalition, drawing on a phrase recently used by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another miscreant. “Some people on the left have Trump Derangement Syndrome. They call it TDS,” Massie told NBC. “But there’s a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called Trump Disappointment Syndrome.”

Massie is not currently considered a top-tier contender in a prospective 2028 Republican field expected to feature more established national figures. Khanna, appearing separately on Meet the Press, told Welker that Massie had lost his seat because of his work on the Epstein files and his opposition to the Iran war, calling him “a real friend” and “a good man.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

By JBizNews Desk

NEW YORK, May 25, 2026 — If you want to understand where Meta Platforms is spending its money, look at Alexandr Wang.

The 28-year-old founder of Scale AI is the executive Mark Zuckerberg has placed at the center of the biggest transformation in Meta’s history — and one of the most expensive bets in Silicon Valley. Wang is Meta’s first-ever Chief AI Officer, the head of a newly created division called Meta Superintelligence Labs, and the youngest Chief AI Officer at any Fortune 50 company. Nearly everything Meta is now doing in artificial intelligence runs through him.

The deal that brought him into the company stunned Wall Street.

In June 2025, Zuckerberg agreed to pay roughly $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, the data-labeling company Wang started from a Y Combinator house in 2016. The price bought Meta nearly half the company — but more importantly, it brought Wang directly into Meta’s executive ranks.

He entered as Chief AI Officer, immediately took control of a brand-new AI division built around him, and was given authority over Meta’s top AI leadership teams.

The assignment is massive.

Meta expects to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026 alone, much of it tied to AI infrastructure, chips and data centers. Zuckerberg has repeatedly told investors the company’s mission is to build what he calls “personal superintelligence for everyone.”

Wang is the executive responsible for turning that slogan into a real business.

His rise reads like a Silicon Valley movie script.

Born in New Mexico to Chinese immigrant physicists, Wang left MIT at 19 to build Scale AI alongside co-founder Lucy Guo. The pair reportedly slept on air mattresses while trying to grow the business. Within less than a decade, Scale AI became one of the most important hidden companies in the technology industry, supplying the labeled data used to train AI systems across Silicon Valley.

OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and Meta all became customers.

When Zuckerberg concluded Meta was falling behind in the AI race, he did not simply invest in Scale AI — he hired the founder running it.

Since arriving at Meta, Wang has moved aggressively.

He dismantled Meta’s older AGI Foundations structure, reorganized the company’s AI operations into four new groups under Meta Superintelligence Labs, and made one of the boldest strategic shifts in the company’s modern history: pulling back from Meta’s open-source AI identity.

For years, Meta’s Llama models had become the company’s flagship AI product and a centerpiece of Zuckerberg’s open-source strategy. Under Wang, Meta pivoted sharply. On April 8, 2026, the company released Muse Spark, its first major proprietary foundation model under the new structure.

The decision signaled a dramatic shift away from Meta’s prior philosophy and immediately sparked debate across Silicon Valley.

Not everyone inside Meta agreed with Wang’s direction.

Yann LeCun, the Turing Award-winning AI pioneer who led Meta’s FAIR research division for years, departed the company in late 2025 after publicly criticizing Wang as “young and inexperienced.” Months later, LeCun raised more than $1 billion for his own AI startup, setting up what many inside the industry now view as a philosophical rivalry over the future of artificial intelligence.

Reports have also suggested tension between Wang and Zuckerberg himself.

The Financial Times reported in late 2025 that Wang privately complained about the level of oversight Zuckerberg maintained over AI operations. Then in March 2026, new reports claimed Zuckerberg had quietly reduced Wang’s authority by creating a parallel AI engineering organization under Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth and executive Maher Saba.

Meta publicly rejected the idea.

Company spokesperson Andy Stone responded on X that Wang “still runs MSL” and continues to hold “growing, not waning influence” inside the company.

For investors, however, the internal politics matter less than the broader direction of Meta itself.

On May 20, Meta announced roughly 8,000 layoffs even as the company continued accelerating its AI spending plans. The contrast captured Zuckerberg’s current strategy clearly: reduce labor costs where possible while pouring tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence infrastructure.

To Meta’s leadership, AI is no longer a side business. It is the future of the company.

The financial stakes are enormous.

Meta’s advertising machine — powered by Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger — generated roughly $46.6 billion in quarterly ad revenue last year while serving more than 3.5 billion daily users across its platforms.

If Wang successfully uses AI to improve ad targeting, recommendation systems, creator tools and user engagement, the return on Meta’s investment could be enormous. If he fails, the company will have spent more building its AI strategy than the total value of many public corporations.

For now, Zuckerberg appears fully committed.

The Meta CEO reportedly spends between five and 10 hours a week personally coding AI-related projects and is said to be building his own internal AI assistant to help manage the company more efficiently.

The message to Meta employees and investors has become increasingly clear: artificial intelligence is no longer just another Meta initiative.

It is the company’s entire future.

And the person Zuckerberg has chosen to lead that future is Alexandr Wang.

JBizNews Desk

© 2026 JBizNews. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

A quiet meeting between former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni took place last week immediately after Rav Dov Landau’s dramatic declaration regarding the “dismantling of the right-wing bloc,” according to a report aired Sunday evening on Channel 12 News.

The reported meeting comes amid mounting political turmoil surrounding the draft law and intensifying efforts by opposition figures to reshape alliances ahead of a possible election campaign.

According to the report, the atmosphere during the meeting was positive despite the sensitive backdrop surrounding the ongoing debate over the enlistment of bochurim and members of the chareidi community.

At the same time, Eisenkot has recently come under attack from political rivals who argue that his proposed draft framework is significantly softer on chareidi enlistment than the positions advanced by Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman.

Under Eisenkot’s proposal, approximately 30 percent of bnei yeshiva would receive exemptions and would not face sanctions. Bennett and Lieberman, however, continue insisting on universal enlistment policies under the principle that “whoever does not serve receives nothing.”

Sources close to Eisenkot declined to confirm or deny that the meeting took place, saying only that “he is operating through numerous channels to advance elections and bring down the government.”

Meanwhile, representatives for Gafni’s office stated that they “do not comment on meetings held by Gafni with various public figures.”

Last week, Eisenkot made clear that the issue of military service remains a red line for him politically, even if it leads to another round of elections.

“There are profound disagreements between myself and the chareidim, and the distorted reality that has developed cannot be accepted,” Eisenkot said during a conference hosted by the Association of Corporations.

Reports published roughly two weeks ago indicated growing communication between chareidi political figures and Eisenkot. According to those reports, chareidi representatives urged him not to rush into alliances with Bennett or Yair Lapid, while expressing the view that Eisenkot’s enlistment framework is more practical and leaves room for compromise.

Shortly after those reports surfaced, Eisenkot was seen touring Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, where he also declined to rule out joining a future coalition government that includes chareidi parties.

Emergency responders and MDA medics were called overnight to Rechov HaRav Kahaneman in Bnei Brak following a traffic accident involving two vehicles, one of which was carrying a chosson and kallah.

Hatzalah volunteers provided initial medical treatment at the scene to eight injured individuals of various ages, including the chosson and kallah. All of the injuries were classified as minor.

The injured were later transported by MDA ambulances and a Hatzalah ambulance to Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak for further treatment.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF Spokesperson announced on Monday morning that Sergeant Nehorai Leizer, 19, from Eilat, a combat engineering soldier in Battalion 601 of the “Iron Tracks” Brigade (401), was killed in battle in southern Lebanon.

According to the investigation, yesterday at around 3:30 p.m., Hezbollah launched an explosive drone toward an IDF force operating near the Christian village of Dibel in southern Lebanon, about 5 kilometers from the border. The drone exploded on the upper section of a Namer armored engineering vehicle (an engineering version of the Merkava APC). As a result of the shrapnel, Sgt. Nehorai Leizer was killed.

Sgt. Nehorai Leizer is the 11th casualty since the “ceasefire” in Lebanon began. Seven of those killed died as a result of explosive drones — five in Hezbollah attacks inside Lebanese territory and two inside Israel. In the same incident in which Sgt. Nehorai Leizer was killed, another IDF soldier was seriously wounded. The soldier was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment, and his family has been notified.

Nehorai will be laid to rest today at 5:00 p.m. in the military section of the cemetery in Eilat.

Rotem David-Leizer, Nehorai’s mother, wrote on Facebook: “They ripped my heart out. Why? Why? God, why?” His sister May wrote: “My little brother. My whole world. My heart stopped beating together with yours.”

The Eilat Municipality stated: “Nehorai, of blessed memory, one of the finest sons of the city, came from a long-time Eilat family. He was the son of Rotem (a kindergarten teacher) and Lucien ‘Luchi’ (an employee of the Eilat Municipality), and the younger brother of May and Roi. He graduated from the Eilat school system, attending the ‘Harei Eilat’ elementary school and the ‘Goldwater’ high school.”

The statement continued: “As a teenager he was active in the ‘Dealer’ and youth leadership movements. He completed a year of national service and afterward enlisted in the Combat Engineering Corps, serving as a driver of an engineering Namer APC.”

The principal of Goldwater High School said that Nehorai was “a high-quality young man, a leader, yet also humble and modest. He was loved by his friends. He studied theater and also completed advanced physical education studies. He was socially active throughout his school years as a youth guide and later as a youth movement activist.”

The municipality concluded: “Nehorai, of blessed memory, was a hero of Israel, the salt of the earth, who fought bravely to defend the State of Israel. May his memory be blessed.”

A Palestinian man from Gaza who lost his wife, children, a parent and several nieces and nephews in the war has filed a submission to the International Criminal Court demanding that 14 named Hamas leaders be investigated for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian civilian population. The filing, made in December and only recently disclosed, is the first such case brought against the terror group by a Palestinian.

The 40-page submission, prepared by American attorneys Elliot Malin and Eli Rosenbaum and French attorney Sarah Scialom, lists Hamas figures including political bureau chairman Khaled Mashaal, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Khalil al-Hayya, Mousa Abu Marzook, Ghazi Hamad, Izzat al-Rishq, Fathi Hamad, Husam Badran, Basem Naim, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Mohammed Odeh, Muhannad Rajab, Nizar Awadallah and Zaher Jabarin. Rosenbaum is a former senior war crimes prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The submission catalogues what the attorneys describe as a pattern of crimes by Hamas against Palestinians in Gaza, including the use of civilians as human shields, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, the destruction and appropriation of property, the conscription of children, and sentencing or execution without due process. The filing argues that Hamas’s use of human shields was “principally responsible for the high death toll and extensive destruction experienced in Gaza.”

“The atrocity crimes perpetrated by Hamas against [redacted] family members, and against substantially all of the Palestinian civilian inhabitants of Gaza, constitute grave breaches of international criminal law,” the filing states. “Yet to this day, there has never been a disclosed OTP investigation or request for issuance of warrants for any of the Hamas leaders … complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity that they committed against the civilian Gazan population.”

The court’s Office of the Prosecutor has not responded to the filing.

“We don’t stop seeking justice because the court does not want to respond,” Malin told JNS. “We will continue kicking on the door until they deliver justice for the victims.”

Scialom, in remarks reported earlier, framed the inaction in starker terms. “OTP’s continuing failure to pursue justice on behalf of Hamas’s deceased and displaced Palestinian victims in Gaza helps incentivize the repeated commission of such crimes as an effective geopolitical strategy,” she said.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to the Gaza war. Both men deny the charges and have accused ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan of bias and conflicts of interest.

The court had also issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s armed wing, over the October 7, 2023, attacks, but rescinded it after Israel killed him. Warrant requests for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, both later killed by Israel, were withdrawn.

Khan himself has been on a leave of absence since last year amid allegations of misconduct involving a subordinate. The Office of the Prosecutor is being run by his deputies in his absence.

To date, the court has not charged a single Hamas leader with crimes committed against Palestinian civilians — a fact the lawyers behind the December filing argue undermines the ICC’s claim to impartial international justice.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA (VINnews) – A Hollywood solo practitioner turned an $84,000 real estate commission dispute into a $47.8 million jury verdict, calling the case a matter of principle rather than money.

Hollywood, Florida, solo lawyer Josef Timlichman, who represented plaintiff Miles Goldstein Real Estate LLC, said the dispute was never simply about an unpaid commission.

“This is not a case about $84,000,” Timlichman told litigation reporter Lisa Willis.10155e

A Miami-Dade County jury returned the $47.8 million verdict on May 14 against Reuben Ezekiel and related defendants in connection with the 2020 sale of a waterfront home in the exclusive Golden Beach community. The award included approximately $19.83 million in compensatory damages and $28 million in punitive damages.

The case, Miles Goldstein Real Estate LLC v. Reuben Ezekiel et al., stemmed from allegations that Ezekiel and others engaged in fraud, tortious interference with a business relationship and civil conspiracy to cut broker Alexander Goldstein out of a buyer’s commission on the $2.8 million property sale. Goldstein had worked with the buyer for more than a year and helped negotiate the price, according to court filings and reports.

Timlichman, of Josef Timlichman Law, PLLC, described the verdict as a landmark in Florida real estate commission cases due to the significant punitive damages component. He said the outcome sends a broader message about ethical conduct in society.

Defense attorney Pete Solnick called the verdict “so excessive that it shocks the conscience of the court,” according to published reports. Post-trial proceedings are pending.

The case was filed in 2020 in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to escalate operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, removing previous restraints and launching a full-scale attack on the Iran-backed terrorist group.

The directive comes amid repeated violations of a fragile ceasefire by Hezbollah, according to Israeli officials. Netanyahu ordered the military to strike Hezbollah targets with full force to restore security to Israel’s northern border.

In a public statement Saturday night, Netanyahu directed the IDF to respond vigorously to ongoing threats, including rocket and drone attacks from Lebanese territory. Israeli officials have accused Hezbollah of launching over 1,000 drones and hundreds of rockets since mid-April, in breach of the truce.

“No more restraints,” a senior official familiar with the decision told VINnews, summarizing the prime minister’s instructions. “This is a full attack to dismantle the threat.”

The escalation follows months of tit-for-tat exchanges despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Israeli strikes in recent days have already targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, with reports of significant damage to the group’s capabilities.

Hezbollah has denied violating the ceasefire and accused Israel of aggression. Lebanese media reported Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon following Netanyahu’s order.

The move risks further widening the conflict in the north, where tens of thousands of Israeli residents remain displaced from their homes near the border.

Netanyahu has emphasized that Israel will not accept a situation where Hezbollah maintains its military capabilities along the border, stating the goal is to ensure the safe return of evacuated communities.

U.S. officials have expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself while urging restraint to avoid a broader regional war.

This is a developing story. VINnews will provide updates as more details emerge.

By JBizNews Desk

Elon Musk stands to collect roughly $1.8 trillion in equity awards across Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Tesla Inc. if his companies hit the production, market-value, and operational targets attached to his stacked compensation deals — a sum larger than the annual economic output of nearly every country on Earth except the United States, China, Germany, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom. The disclosure surfaced in SpaceX’s S-1 filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission last Wednesday ahead of what is expected to become the largest initial public offering in history.

To put $1.8 trillion into perspective, it approaches the annual GDP of Spain ($1.8 trillion) and exceeds the economies of South Korea ($1.95 trillion), Mexico ($1.85 trillion), Russia ($2.1 trillion), Brazil ($2.2 trillion), and Italy ($2.4 trillion). It also rivals much of the economic output of France ($3.2 trillion). Were Musk to fully realize the payout, his personal fortune would exceed the combined GDP of every country in Central America, nearly all nations across Africa, and much of Eastern Europe outside Russia. No private executive in modern history has ever been attached to compensation opportunities at this scale.

The S-1 filing by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., led by founder and CEO Elon Musk, revealed that Musk could receive more than 1.3 billion shares if the company reaches specific market capitalization and operational milestones. The SpaceX portion alone is estimated to be worth approximately $760 billion at the highest valuation targets, according to calculations tied to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Combined with Tesla’s restored 2018 compensation package and the company’s 2025 “Mars Shot” incentive structure, Musk’s potential payout becomes the first executive compensation framework in history to cross the trillion-dollar threshold.

The Tesla package operates over a 10-year horizon. Under the structure, the first earned tranches vest around 2033 for milestones achieved during the first half of the plan, while additional tranches vest around 2035 if Tesla reaches targets during years six through ten. Full vesting would require Tesla’s market capitalization to climb from roughly $1.54 trillion today to approximately $8.5 trillion, alongside cumulative delivery of 20 million vehicles, operation of one million robotaxis, deployment of one million Optimus humanoid robots, and generation of up to $400 billion in core profits.

The SpaceX compensation package has no fixed timeline. According to the filing, Musk must remain employed at SpaceX, where he has reportedly maintained a nominal salary of $54,080 annually since 2019. One of the most ambitious requirements calls for the establishment of a permanent human colony on Mars containing at least one million inhabitants. Another tranche would vest only if SpaceX successfully operates space-based data centers capable of at least 100 terawatts of compute capacity — equivalent to roughly 100,000 one-gigawatt nuclear reactors operating simultaneously.

Scientists remain skeptical. Paul Sutter, a NASA advisor and research scientist at Johns Hopkins University, previously wrote that Musk’s Mars timeline “doesn’t correspond to a real plan.”

In practical terms, Musk is likely to begin receiving Tesla-related equity first, potentially beginning in the 2033 vesting period, while the larger open-ended SpaceX awards remain dependent on technological breakthroughs and interplanetary colonization efforts that many scientists believe remain decades away — if achievable at all.

According to reports surrounding the anticipated IPO, SpaceX is targeting a valuation near $1.75 trillion, which alone would place the company among the ten most valuable corporations in the world immediately upon listing. At that valuation, Musk’s current pre-package ownership stake in SpaceX could already exceed $700 billion before any additional performance awards vest.

“The awards are obviously unprecedented and it’s kind of hard to wrap your brain around it,” said Jason Schloetzer, associate professor of accounting at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.