By Ira – JBizNews Desk

A group of JetBlue Airways creditors has brought in financial and legal advisers as pressure on the airline’s debt deepens, according to separate reports by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. The move adds a new creditor-level development to the selloff in the carrier’s shares and bonds.

The Journal reported Friday that senior creditors are working with financial adviser PJT Partners and law firm Akin. Bloomberg separately reported that creditors holding some of JetBlue’s $2 billion in bonds due in 2031 and a $742 million first-lien loan are working with Akin, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The reports describe advisers working for creditors, not an announced bankruptcy filing by JetBlue. They also do not announce a suspension of flights.

The airline’s 2031 notes fell to about 42 cents on the dollar Thursday before recovering into the mid-40s Friday, the Journal reported, citing market participants and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority data. The notes had traded near 80 cents earlier in October, according to that report.

JetBlue shares closed Friday at $2.62, down 0.94% on the day and about 42% for the year, Reuters reported in a story published by CNBC on Sunday. The report said higher jet-fuel expenses linked to the Iran war have squeezed U.S. airline margins despite higher fares and continued travel demand.

The carrier is pursuing JetForward, its financial and operational overhaul, which includes cost reductions and expanded premium offerings. In a statement to Reuters, JetBlue said: “JetBlue remains confident in its JetForward strategy and the progress being made toward returning to sustained profitability.”

Reuters reported that JetBlue had $1.66 billion in cash and cash equivalents at June 30, alongside $8.5 billion in debt and finance-lease obligations, citing company filings. Those figures describe its midyear position, not its cash balance today.

PJT did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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The push for a new nuclear age to power the AI boom with next-generation reactors remains feasible, but it’s the U.S. military and NASA that are stepping in to expedite the development of even smaller nuclear—so-called microreactors—to power remote bases, revolutionize combat, and fuel deep-space exploration.

As the data center boom slows a bit and the nuclear hype wanes—stock valuations are down and planned IPOs are canceled—the federal government is stepping up funding to support the implementation of microreactors on domestic military bases by 2028. The tentative plans are to eventually extend their reach to remote bases in harsh weather conditions—potentially near combat zones—and eventually to lunar bases and the outer reaches of the solar system.

In June, nuclear startup Antares successfully flipped the switch on its Mark-0 microreactor, first to the finish line in the Trump administration’s pilot program race for the next generation of reactors to achieve criticality.

Next, Antares aims to install its 1-megwatt R1 reactor at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg in North Carolina by September 2028. Even more ambitious, founder and CEO Jordan Bramble aims to install an R1-S (the S is for “space”) on the moon as soon as 2030. In September, the Department of Defense awarded Antares $161 million to develop an R1-S reactor integrated with spacecraft for flight certification. Solar power and radioisotopes are seen as the shorter-term power solution on the moon with nuclear microreactors considered the permanent fix.

“We’ll need fission power on the dark side of the moon,” Bramble told Fortune. “Fission is going to be our best path to doing very high-powered things in orbit. If we’re going to send landers to Europa and Enceladus and Triton (moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune) and try to find microbial life under the ice, we’re probably going to need fission power to do that.”

The idea is to provide nimble and reliable baseload power that’s clean, meltdown-proof, and relatively agile for limited power uses. Of course, the technology still needs to be proven in the field commercially and not just in testing labs. Historically, the only comparable uses are within the Navy—for decades—for nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers to avoid constant refueling. “We’ve always believed since the beginning the [Department of Defense] would be the first adopter of advanced nuclear power,” Bramble said. “That’s obvious at this point.”

In the near term, the U.S. Army is working with Antares, Radiant, General Atomics, and more to install microreactors on its biggest Lower 48 bases to prove their reliability and to protect critical defense infrastructure from any grid failures. This is Project Janus, which announced $2.2 billion in awards in August.

The biggest recipient of the Janus awards is microreactor startup Radiant, which specializes in a transportable, 1-megawatt reactor—enough to power about 750 homes—that only takes up the space of “three parking spaces.”

But Radiant has designs for its 1-megawatt Kaleidos system extending far beyond the Lower 48 and its first projects on Fort Benningin Georgia and Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado, said chief operating officer and president Tori Shivanandan.

“The U.S. has struggled, and not just in major conflicts, in supporting troop deployments internationally,” Shivanandan told Fortune. “If you’re moving your troops around and you want defense systems to protect those troops as they’re deployed overseas, you also need to make sure that you have the power available to defend your troops.”

This year’s war in Iran has shown that U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East—and beyond—are vulnerable to drone attacks. Fuel convoys are historically exposed as well, she said. Smaller, more mobile bases that don’t require so much diesel refueling are the potential answer, she added.

“A diesel generator needs to be refueled every one to two days. In previous conflicts in the Middle East, those were our largest targets for our adversaries because fuel convoys create repeatable paths,” Shivanandan said. “Our unit doesn’t need to be refueled for three years.”

Radiant transports its 1-megawatt, Kaleidos nuclear microreactor from California to the Idaho National Laboratory for testing.
Photo credit: Radiant

The Army view

Jeff Waksman, the Army’s top energy official, likes to recite the popular military saying, “Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics.”

Waksman, a nuclear physicist by training, is leading Project Janus as well as the earlier Project Pele for a transportable nuclear reactor. “As we look to the future of warfare, it is becoming increasingly electrical,” he told Fortune, referencing drone warfare and much more.

“We have a lot of applications where being able to have a lot of power, not needing to refuel for a long period of time, and being able to do that in a fairly transportable way could be absolutely game changing,” he said, noting that Janus is the Roman god of new beginnings and transitions. “So, we are trying to lead the nation on these microreactors.”

The Army’s goal is to speed up microreactors into becoming commercially successful and, therefore, more economic and useful to the military. After all, no company wants to buy the first few that are economically prohibitive, so the Army is jumping in financially and then helping the economies of scale take over. Project Janus plans to fund 20 microreactors for Lower 48 bases through the early 2030s.

Afterwards, he said, “We are certainly thinking about what it would take to move reactors into more austere locations,” Waksman said, citing tactically strategic positions in the Arctic or Pacific islands to power missile-defense systems and more. But he’s not ready to push for microreactors near combat—yet. “We don’t have any plans at this time to take these into conflict zones. We want to be clear about that.

“You can see into the future potential game-changing capabilities,” he said. “But we need to see that this works safely and affordably within the Lower 48 states first.” And he cautioned against the Army—or the public—getting ahead of itself. “It’s one thing to turn a reactor on for five minutes at low power. It’s another thing to turn a reactor to full power, which nobody has done with these microreactors.”

What’s also clear is the military sees the potential of nuclear as the most reliable and steady power source for the future. The initial goal is not to power entire bases, but to focus instead on the critical operations that must stay online during grid outages, especially in this age of AI and rising cybersecurity threats. The microreactors would serve as permanent power sources, and not just backup generation.

“Most of the electricity is not what we would necessarily consider critical, operationally critical. If people can’t get lunch, that’s a problem, but that’s not national security critical,” Waksman said. “We’re focused on what the critical operations are on those installations.”

Competing approaches

While many of the next-gen nuclear leaders are startups, 71-year-old General Atomics also aims to trailblaze with a souped-up, commercial version of its training and research TRIGA reactor, which was initially developed in the late 1950s.

General Atomics’ GA-TES (Tactical Energy System) reactor, which would scale from 5 to 20 megawatts as needed, is first slated for at Fort Hood in Texas.

Christina Back, GA’s vice president for nuclear technologies and materials, essentially agrees with Antares’ Bramble that strong commercial demand for nuclear will be at the two ends of the spectrum: large, next-gen reactors, such as the Westinghouse, 1.1-gigawatt AP1000, and microreactors. The midsized, small modular reactors (SMRs) in development may struggle to find enough takers.

The GA-TES reactor is air-cooled, so it doesn’t even need to be positioned near water, such as with traditional light-water nuclear power plants.

“It’s good for places that are remote. It costs a lot of money to move the fuel up there. You don’t want to have to keep carting up coal or natural gas or whatever,” Back said, citing everywhere from Guam to Alaska and noting that the General Atomics system only needs to be refueled every four to six years.

In competition with each other, the microreactor companies aren’t afraid to criticize each other, even if they don’t cite them by name. Back said General Atomics didn’t need to bother competing in Trump’s criticality race because the TRIGA test reactors are proven for nearly 70 years.

Back also said a 1-megawatt reactor seems pointless because the Army needs more power for a base and the commercial demand is limited. Taking a microreactor into a combat zone is impractical because of the many days needed to set it up and break it down.

General Atomics is well positioned and doesn’t need to hype itself, she said. “As a company, we don’t need to worry about the next Series A startup money, so we are very careful about what we say.”

Radiant and others would of course disagree. After all, Radiant’s Kaleidos is focused on being the most transportable, while most microreactor systems are designed to stay in one place for prolonged periods of time—although they can be mobile. Shivanandan said she’s most “confused” by the microreactor companies that require digging holes at least 50 feet in the ground.

“Once you dig a hole in the ground and put a reactor in there, that is a nuclear site forever,” Shivanandan said. “You’ve limited the customer for those in-ground systems mostly to utilities. No [other] customer wants to be a nuclear cipher forever because business is changing incredibly quickly.”

What the rivals do agree on though is they’re excited about the Trump’s administration’s efforts to expedite permitting for nuclear projects, as well as the growing bipartisan support within Congress as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan moves away from the forefront of people’s minds.

“We tend to be very conservative because the nuclear industry can’t afford an accident,” Back said, before adding another dig. “We’re [taking] a little bit longer than the 1-megawatt startups hurrying to show it works, because we’re building something to last.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

China has put new legal muscle behind its power to decide who may leave the country, and a growing number of travelers are discovering they are on the wrong side of that decision only when they reach the airport gate.

State Council rules on exit and entry that took effect on September 15 require travelers to provide what officers consider true and lawful reasons for leaving, allow border staff to bar anyone deemed to have made a false statement, and let commerce officials halt travelers whose export control violations may endanger industrial or technological security. Analysts say the vague wording hands front-line officers wide discretion to stop people without explanation, all under the banner of national security.

Enforcement appears to have run ahead of the formal start. A public sector employee in China said border crossings and major airports began applying the checks on August 1, and a staff member at Shanghai Pudong International Airport confirmed internal screening was operating well before mid-September. In the weeks around the rollout, Chinese social media filled with accounts of travelers questioned for hours, told to unlock their phones, or turned back at the gate. Not all can be verified, but some match what people inside China described directly to reporters.

The rules land hardest on the people China can least afford to lose: entrepreneurs with savings in the bank, families with homes, investments or children abroad, and skilled staff in finance, technology, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The checks have expanded beyond state workers with security clearances to key employees at private and foreign companies in those sectors. The economic logic is not subtle. With capital flight pressure persistent and wealthy families moving money and relatives offshore, Beijing is building a legal fence around both money and the people who know where it is.

Chinese officials reject the criticism. On September 10, officials called claims that citizens would find it harder to leave a misreading, saying the rules target people heading abroad to join gambling or telecom scam rings and those carrying restricted technology. Tourists, businesspeople, students and family visitors, they said, would be unaffected.

In practice, the line between target and bystander is proving thin. Lu Tingge, a human rights lawyer from Hebei Province, handed his boarding pass to a border officer at the airport in Kunming on September 17, expecting to fly to Thailand. Instead he was filmed in a side room and shown a December 2019 exit ban issued by Hebei police under a catch-all charge often used against government critics. It was the third time the ban had stopped him. His case predates the new rules, resting on a 2013 exit-entry law that already allowed bans on criminal suspects, people in unresolved civil cases and anyone whose departure may endanger national security. What changed this fall is that the discretionary power is now written into detailed regulation, making it easier to use and easier to justify.

Frank Xie, a business professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken, said the September 15 start date mainly serves to give arbitrary enforcement a formal legal basis going forward.

For companies and investors with China exposure, the takeaway is concrete: the risk perimeter around China-based founders, executives and key technical staff has widened. Exit uncertainty now sits at the gate itself, and it can arrive without warning, which is exactly how Beijing appears to want it.

JBizNews Desk | Beijing

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By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Gulf stock markets fell sharply on Sunday as the escalating exchange of strikes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis rattled investors across the region.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index closed at 9,438.50, down 257.36 points or 2.65%, according to Saudi Exchange data reported by Arab News. The index touched 9,367.91 during the session, its lowest level in a year, with decliners outnumbering advancers 348 to 30 on turnover of 4.31 billion riyals ($1.15 billion). Egypt’s EGX30 fell 5.35% intraday as the selloff spread across the region, Forbes Middle East reported, and most other Gulf bourses traded lower from the open, according to Reuters.

The selloff followed a weekend of direct attacks on the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition said Sunday it intercepted drones and missiles over Riyadh and ten ballistic missiles fired toward the south, after the Houthis claimed responsibility for Saturday attacks on King Khalid International Airport and Saudi oil facilities, Al Jazeera and CNBC reported. A satellite image showed smoke rising from a Saudi Aramco distribution center, according to ABC News. Saudi civil defense authorities issued emergency alerts for Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait before declaring the danger passed, and the Houthis warned they could target the Riyadh airport again.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned the attacks, saying threats toward Makkah violate the sanctity of Islamic holy sites, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The fighting has become an increasingly destabilizing front in the regional war that followed the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, turning Saudi Arabia, a US ally and the world’s largest oil exporter, into a pressure point.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Wall Street heads into the heaviest week of earnings season with the Federal Reserve’s rate decision landing midweek, a combination investors say will determine whether the recent wobble in AI stocks is a buying opportunity or the start of something deeper.

The Nasdaq Composite ended Friday with a slim loss, one day after the tech-heavy index posted its biggest single-day drop since June, as quarterly reports from Meta and chip-equipment maker Lam Research disappointed investors, Reuters reported. The S&P 500 remains up about 11% in 2026.

Three of the AI hyperscalers headline the coming week: Alphabet and Microsoft report on Wednesday, and Amazon on Thursday, part of a slate covering roughly a third of the S&P 500. Intel and Sandisk also report. Third-quarter earnings are on pace to rise more than 32% from a year earlier with over 100 companies having reported, according to LSEG IBES data cited by Reuters.

The focus is spending discipline. Capital expenditures from hyperscalers are expected to total around $800 billion this year, and investors are pressing for evidence the outlays are producing returns. “The market’s just not giving the benefit of the doubt to companies that are spending a ton of money on building this all out,” Nick Giorgi, chief equity strategist at Alpine Macro, told Reuters.

The Fed announces its rate decision Wednesday. Bloomberg and Reuters both report the central bank is expected to hold rates steady after raising rates in September. The 10-year Treasury yield ended Friday at 5.00%, according to Treasury Department daily figures, near its highest levels of the year and a mounting headwind for financing costs.

The November 3 midterm elections add another layer, with investors increasingly pricing the possibility of a divided Congress. Strategists told Reuters the cluster of catalysts could lift volatility through early November.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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Ancient wildfires and erosion in the southern Levant may have helped Neolithic communities discover that fire could transform clay into pottery, a recent study found.

The study, published in early September in Geomorphology, analyzes evidence taken from ancient sediment, caves, charcoal deposits, and archaeological sites across the region in order to reconstruct how the Levant was shaped during two periods of major environmental instability.

Evidence comes from what lead researcher Prof. Amos Frumkin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Earth Sciences calls the “natural kiln hypothesis.”

According to Frumkin’s hypothesis, Neolithic communities at the time may have learned that clay could be permanently hardened by fire after witnessing such phenomena occurring naturally after intense fires.

The study compared two periods separated by more than 100,000 years.

The first period the study analyzed wass the last interglacial period, known as MIS 5e, which took place roughly 129,000 to 116,000 years ago. The second was the early Holocene, between approximately 11,000 and 7,000 years ago, when farming communities became increasingly more established across the region.

Evidence from both periods points to a series of extensive wildfires followed by severe erosion. 

Tiny charcoal particles preserved in ancient lake sediments record peaks in burning, the study noted, while chemical signatures preserved in cave formations indicate substantial losses of vegetation and soil. During the early Holocene, the most intense episode appears to have occurred around 9,500-8200 years ago.

Although Neolithic and earlier people deliberately used fire on a limited scale, Frumkin argued that the geographical extent and timing of the fires point to climatic causes for increasing use of fire.

He explained that once fires burned away the existing vegetation, the exposed soil then became vulnerable to rain and runoff. Clay-rich soil moved from the hillsides and was deposited in natural depressions, such as the Jordan and Dead Sea valleys, in large quantities.

Such change created fertile regions where farming communities could settle and flourish.

Could nature have demonstrated how to make pottery?

Pottery appeared in the region during roughly the same broad period in which fires, erosion and clay deposition reached their peak. 

Frumkin claimed that people living in the valleys may have encountered patches of clay that had been exposed to intense natural fires and noticed that the heat had transformed the softer material into something hard and durable.

That observation could have provided the basic idea behind intentionally firing clay. 

The hypothesis is supported by earlier petrographic research showing that Yarmukian pottery from the Jordan Valley was manufactured from local redeposited terra rossa clay, the same material that would have accumulated around settlements following the erosion of nearby hills.

“A wildfire is normally seen only as a catastrophe, but environmental disruption can also expose people to new materials and new possibilities,” said Frumkin. “Neolithic communities in the Jordan Valley may have watched fire transform the clay beneath and around their settlements and realized that this process could be reproduced deliberately.”

“If so, one of humanity’s most important technologies may have emerged partly from people learning to imitate what they had already seen nature do.”

A 120,000-year-old ‘natural experiment’

During the last interglacial, which predated the last glacial period, the southern Levant experienced an even more extreme combination of fires, vegetation loss, erosion and clay deposition. Despite this, the study noted, pottery did not appear.

Frumkin described the last interglacial as a natural “control experiment.”

While the environment produced and met many of the same later conditions that may have led to the creation of pottery, the people living in the region did not have the same cognitive abilities, knowledge, and social conditions that later Neolithic communities had.

Frumkin stressed that the natural kiln hypothesis is “speculative and testable,” rather than a proven account of pottery’s invention. 

The available evidence established that major fires, clay deposition and the emergence of pottery occurred within the same broad period of time, but current dating cannot yet identify the exact sequence of events.

This post was originally published on here.

By DUVI HONIG

As Americans prepare for the November 3 elections, the federal investigation into congresswoman Ilhan Omar brings to mind a warning from Shlomo Hamelech (King Solomon), “Whoever repays good with evil, evil will never depart from his house” (Proverbs 17:13).

America has offered refuge, freedom and opportunity to generations escaping war, persecution and tyranny.

Yet today, some of the fiercest debates concern political movements seeking to transform the very institutions that made those opportunities possible.

Federal investigators recently searched Omar’s Washington home and seized her phone while examining allegations involving her family’s immigration documents.

Omar arrived as a refugee from Somalia’s civil war. America offered protection, citizenship, and the opportunity to rise to Congress. Today, she is a leading voice of the Squad, whose progressive agenda challenges American economic institutions and whose positions on Israel have generated repeated controversy.

1972: Uganda’s dictator expels Mamdani

Then there is Zohran Mamdani.

His father, Mahmood Mamdani, was expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin in 1972 because of his ethnicity. 

He experienced exile before eventually establishing an academic career in America. His son grew up in New York and became mayor of the world’s financial capital.

Today, Mahmood is a prominent critic of American foreign policy, while Zohran advocates democratic socialism and greater government involvement in the economy.

Their political agendas raise questions about economic freedom, entrepreneurship, taxpayers, and the future of America’s institutions.

Now consider how Holocaust survivors responded to American freedom.

All four of my grandparents survived the Holocaust. They knew persecution, brutality, and what it meant to live without freedom.

When America welcomed them, their gratitude was beyond words.

My grandparents wouldn’t even spit on American soil.

They considered it disrespectful to the country that gave them refuge and a second chance at life.

They never forgot what they escaped. Their instinct was to build, contribute, and give back.

I was raised among Holocaust survivors who carried that appreciation throughout their lives. It continues to shape my own commitment to strengthening America.

And perhaps no one demonstrated that gratitude more remarkably than Morris Katz.

A world-famous Holocaust survivor artist known as the “Einstein of Art,” Katz held two Guinness World Records, surpassed Pablo Picasso’s record for artistic productivity, and produced more than 280,000 paintings.

In 1965, the Vatican selected him from 500 renowned artists to paint Pope Paul VI. More than three million reproductions were sold worldwide.

Yet his most meaningful undertaking began when president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

To Katz, the assassination struck at the heart of the democracy that had offered him freedom.

Within minutes, he painted Kennedy’s portrait.

When offered $50,000, he refused to sell.

The portrait represented something money couldn’t purchase: his freedom and gratitude toward America.
Instead, he undertook an extraordinary mission.

The world’s fastest painter spent six years creating his historic Presidential Collection, devoting an average of 200 hours to each portrait.

Imagine that. A man famous for completing paintings in minutes devoted hundreds of hours to honoring individual American presidents.

He treasured the originals as his private collection, refusing to treat them as commercial merchandise. Millions of postcards reproduced the portraits, carrying his message around the world.

He wanted future generations to understand what America stood for: democracy, religious liberty and freedom.

That message continues through the Morris Katz Legacy Award, whose recipients include US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and President Isaac Herzog.

Huckabee proudly displays his award beside the American flag near his office entrance, reflecting the personal meaning he attaches to it.

These leaders are not simply award recipients. Through their public service, they carry forward the principles the honor represents: patriotism, gratitude, freedom, and responsibility.

Katz’s message continues beyond his lifetime.

Holocaust survivors and their descendants never forget to show gratitude to the US for taking them in 

The broader Jewish contribution is equally extraordinary.

Jews represent approximately 0.2% of humanity, yet individuals of Jewish ancestry account for roughly 22% of Nobel laureates.

Jewish immigrants and their descendants have helped advance medicine, science, technology, commerce, and innovation, creating opportunities for generations.

My grandparents expressed gratitude through respect. Katz expressed it through his extraordinary talent. Both understood that freedom carries responsibility.

Consider US President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Trump warned that without the Israeli partner he trusts, America might have to confront Iran alone.

Think about that: the world’s most powerful nation recognizes the strategic importance of a Jewish state not yet 80 years old.

Israel is not simply a country receiving American support. It is also a country contributing to America’s security.

That partnership reflects the principle Katz understood: gratitude is demonstrated not only through words, but through meaningful contributions that strengthen the country and protect future generations.

Now look at the challenges confronting Western democracies.

France, Italy, Britain and Brussels have experienced violent unrest, while antisemitism and Islamist extremism remain serious security threats. Canada and the United States confront their own challenges involving radicalization and political division.

The causes differ, but the importance of protecting democratic institutions does not.

Compassion cannot excuse extremism. Tolerance cannot require surrendering constitutional principles.

As Americans head to the polls on November 3, we must remember what our great country stands for.

Are our leaders protecting religious freedom, safeguarding taxpayers and strengthening economic opportunity? Are their policies preserving the institutions that make America a refuge, or placing them at risk?

My grandparents understood what happened when freedom disappeared.
Katz understood what it meant to find it again.

My grandparents wouldn’t even spit on American soil. Katz refused $50,000 for a portrait and spent six years honoring America’s presidents.

Shlomo Hamelech warned against repaying good with evil.

They chose to repay good with good.

America gave them a second chance. They made giving back their legacy.

That is a lesson worth remembering as Americans head to the polls.

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

This post was originally published on here.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv on Sunday, just two days before Israel’s October 27 election, prompting criticism from opposition leaders who accused him of attempting to frighten voters ahead of the polls.

The image, posted on Netanyahu’s official Instagram account, shows a massive mushroom cloud rising over a densely populated city, with an enormous explosion engulfing the buildings beneath it.

Accompanying the image, Netanyahu warned that Israel faced an existential threat from Iran and that the country’s security depended on the outcome of Tuesday’s election.

תקראו את הדברים החשובים של יובל בלומברג: מדינת ישראל נמצאת בסכנה קיומית אמיתית ומוחשית. אם האיראנים ישיגו גרעין, שום דבר כבר לא ישנה יותר. הכל כל כך טפל אל מול הסכנה הקיומית של איראן והציר השיעי. הסערות המבוימות והמומצאות חדשות לבקרים נועדו להסיט את תשומת הלב מהדבר האחד שהוא החשוב ביותר: סיום העבודה באיראן. זה נוגע בקיום הפיזי של כל אדם ואדם כאן. יש לנו עוד שנתיים של טראמפ לסיים את העבודה באיראן, ואין לדעת מה יהיה לאחר מכן, אם זו תהיה קמאלה האריס, או תואם מאמדני כלשהו. זה חלון הזמן שנותר לנו כדי להשלים את העבודה הנדרשת כדי להבטיח את הקיום הפיזי שלנו לשנים הבאות. כל משאבי המדינה הנדרשים, צריכים להיות מושקעים במשימה הזו. קטאר, חרדים, אוריך, גיוס, התראות. הכל מסך עשן ענקי כדי להסתיר את הנושא היחיד שניצב מעל כולם בפער. אם יפלו במרכז הארץ שתי פצצות אטום, את מי יעניינו כל סערות הסרק האלה? הדורות הבאים לא יסלחו לנו אם נפספס את חלון ההזדמנויות ההיסטורי שמאפשר לנו לנסות ולהשלים את המשימה הקריטית ביותר שעומדת בפני הדור שלנו. זה לא יקרה עם ראש ממשלה שמוחזק בצווארו על ידי האחים המוסלמים וסייעני הטרור. זה לא יקרה עם ראש ממשלה שלא מסוגל להרים את הטלפון ולנהל שיחה אינטימית רציפה עם טראמפ. זה לא יקרה עם ראש ממשלה שלא מסוגל לעמוד בלחץ של ראיון טלויזיה. השינאה לנתניהו, ככל שהיא עולם ומלואו עבור מחנה שלם, לא תעזור מול הגרעין האיראני. כל אחד שדואג לקיום הפיזי שלו, של משפחתו, ושל אהוביו, ידו צריכה לרעוד לפני שהוא בוחר במישהו שלא יהיה מסוגל להשלים את המשימה, ובכך לדון את עצמו ואת משפחתו לסכנה של שואה שניה, בגלל השינאה הפוליטית שלו או בגלל סערת דמה מטופשת וחסרת חשיבות.

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 25, 2026

“The State of Israel is in existential danger that Iran and its proxies threaten us with. It is astonishing that nothing has changed, and more than that, everything has become more dangerous because of the existential danger posed by Iran and the axis of evil,” he shared.

Netanyahu added that the developments and new findings required the public to “put aside the disputes and think only about the most important issue: ending the work in Iran.”

The post did not explicitly identify the city in the image, though it appeared to show Tel Aviv.

Golan calls for Netanyahu to be kept off social media

Democrats chairman Yair Golan responded to the image on X, accusing Netanyahu and those around him of losing control as election day approached.

“The prime minister of Israel published an image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv,” Golan wrote. “I ask that he be kept away from social media. The man and those around him have lost it. The pressure is mounting.”

עדכון: ראש ממשלת ישראל פרסם תמונה של פצצת אטום על תל אביב. אני מבקש להרחיק אותו מהרשתות החברתיות. האיש וסביבתו איבדו את זה. הלחץ גובר. ביום שלישי נחליף את זורעי הפאניקה ונחזיר לישראל את הביטחון והשפיות.

— Yair Golan – יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) October 25, 2026

“On Tuesday, we will replace those spreading panic and restore security and sanity to Israel,” he added.

Golan’s response came amid a broader dispute over Netanyahu’s handling of the Iranian threat, which has become a central issue in the final days of the election campaign.

Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of using fear to win votes

Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot also condemned the publication, accusing Netanyahu of resorting to familiar election tactics.

“Another fearmongering video from Netanyahu,” Eisenkot wrote. “You are hysterical. As in every election campaign, once again the same method of lies and fearmongering.”

נתניהו אתה בהיסטריה. כמו בכל מערכת בחירות, שוב אותה שיטה של שקרים והפחדות. הפעם – איום על אזרחי ישראל בהשמדה המונית. וזה אחרי שנכשלת בהשגת מטרות המלחמה באיראן. מהבטחות לניצחון מוחלט עברת ל״לא נכנע״. זה כל הסיפור. אתה נכשלת. ובעוד יומיים, עם ישראל יראה לך את זה בקלפי. אנחנו נקים את הממשלה הבאה ונוביל את ישראל לביטחון ולשגשוג.

— Gadi Eisenkot – גדי איזנקוט (@gadi_eisenkot) October 25, 2026

Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of threatening Israelis with mass destruction after, he claimed, failing to achieve the objectives of the war against Iran.

“You have failed. In two days, the people of Israel will show you that at the ballot box,” Eisenkot wrote.

This post was originally published on here.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

An El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Newark diverted to Paris early Friday after a crew member fell ill mid-flight, stranding hundreds of passengers, many of them Shabbat-observant, in a country gripped by nationwide riots and heightened anxiety in its Jewish community.

Flight LY27, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departed Ben Gurion Airport at approximately 12:39 a.m. Israel time on Friday, Oct. 23, bound for Newark Liberty International Airport. Several hours into the flight, a crew member became ill and was unable to continue. The flight landed safely at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time, and the remainder of the trip was canceled, according to Israeli aviation outlet Passport News and Kikar HaShabbat, which first reported the diversion. Matzav reported the crew member was one of the pilots and that a physician traveling as a passenger treated him mid-flight; other outlets described the person as a crew member. The condition was not publicly disclosed, and no passenger injuries or mechanical problems were reported.

The airline’s response went beyond standard rebooking. El Al housed the stranded passengers at a hotel at the airport and arranged kosher meals, a separate kosher dining room, and a designated synagogue area where a Torah scroll was brought in for prayers with a minyan, Kikar HaShabbat reported. A local rabbi was brought in to accompany the passengers and answer religious questions through the weekend, and Chabad emissaries in Paris assisted with Shabbat arrangements, according to Chabad’s COL news service. Passengers who did not travel on Shabbat were rebooked by the airline onto other carriers departing Friday. El Al said it remained in continuous contact with the affected passengers and opened a dedicated service line to handle their needs and the logistics on the ground, the Israeli consumer outlet ICE reported.

“It is not obvious that in a complex emergency landing situation, a company cares not only about a bed and food, but goes into the details of kashrut, a Torah scroll and a dignified place of prayer,” passengers at the hotel told Kikar HaShabbat.

The unplanned stopover placed the travelers, including Haredi and other observant Jews, in France at a tense moment. Nationwide riots over the rising cost of living swept the country in mid-October, and a synagogue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement was ransacked on Oct. 17, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the Jerusalem Post, JNS and Ynet. A French Jewish community leader said there were no indications at the scene that the synagogue incident was an antisemitic attack, JNS reported, while the SPCJ, the French Jewish community’s security organization, urged caution and reliance on official updates, according to the Jerusalem Post. Fox News reported that some French Jewish institutions advised hiding visible Jewish identity and canceling prayers during the unrest.

The unrest continued while the group was in Paris. An estimated 410,000 people protested across France on Saturday against school funding cuts and rising living costs, with clashes erupting in Paris and police making nearly 1,000 arrests, the Associated Press reported. France deployed 70,000 police officers for the day, France 24 reported, and the U.S. Embassy in Paris warned on Oct. 22 that violence and rioting tied to the protests had occurred and could continue. No reporting has indicated that the stranded passengers were threatened or targeted, that the unrest reached their airport-area hotel, or that the riots had targeted the Jewish community, and eJewishPhilanthropy reported community leaders saying the same.

Questions remained about the decision to cancel rather than continue. One passenger challenged why the aircraft could not refuel and proceed to Newark, noting that alternative flights to the United States departed more than six hours after the Paris landing, Matzav reported. A medical emergency involving a pilot can create operational complications, including the need for a replacement pilot and crew duty-time limits. Beyond the arrangements described by ICE, El Al had not issued a detailed public account of the diversion as of Sunday, and no reporting has detailed how the group was transported to the hotel or whether any dedicated security was provided.

The ordeal ended Saturday night, when a replacement flight departed Paris for New York after Shabbat, Chabad’s COL reported.

JBizNews Desk | New York

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Pepsi has suffered many setbacks in recent years, but perhaps few were as symbolic as being jilted by a long-time partner it used to own, KFC. 

The fried chicken chain said last week that it would begin replacing PepsiCo’s namesake soft drinks with Coca-Cola products at its 3,700 U.S. restaurants in January. The two companies’ partnership stretches back 40 years, since the time PepsiCo bought the fast food chain. (PepsiCo spun KFC off in 1997.) KFC represents a tiny sliver of Pepsi sales, but the defection reflects the ongoing deterioration of the drink’s brand power**.**

How Coke pulled ahead

For decades, the Coke vs. Pepsi cola wars were a part of mainstream culture, with memorable ads showcasing blind “Pepsi Challenge” taste tests of the two drinks. Pepsi’s TV commercials with pop star Michael Jackson and model Cindy Crawford in the 1980s and ’90s became part of the larger zeitgeist. Back then, Coke’s U.S. market share was just a percentage point or two more than Pepsi’s. 

Supermodel Cindy Crawford her iconic ’90s Pepsi ad in 2002.

ourtesy of Pepsi/—Getty Images

It’s a very different story now. Last year, Pepsi-Cola had 8.1% of the U.S. carbonated soft drinks market by volume last year, far behind Coke’s 18.5%, according to trade publication Beverage Digest. In 2024, Pepsi fell to third place behind Dr. Pepper for the first time and remains there. What’s more, sales of Diet Coke and Coke Zero are multiple times higher than their Pepsi counterparts.

Pepsi didn’t so much collapse as get outmaneuvered. Coke has reshaped its business around brand building and innovation, shedding its capital-intensive bottling business and successfully betting on faster-growing categories like dairy-centric and protein-based drinks. PepsiCo has remained a sprawling portfolio company where soda was one priority among many, and one that got less attention than it used to. The result is a PepsiCo that generates more than twice as much revenue as Coca-Cola but whose market valuation is only about half as big.

Soda on autopilot

Wall Street analysts say that for years PepsiCo CEOs have turned their attention away from the company’s soda business in North America because of what was long seen as soda’s secular decline. And it’s true that soda sales slumped for 16 straight years. But starting in 2021, the U.S. soft drinks industry stabilized, with Americans gravitating toward healthier and more functional beverages, like those featuring protein and energy additives. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta has admitted that the still-massive business deserves more attention. 

“We do not feel good about the beverage business,” Laguarta told Wall Street analysts earlier this month. “So we are putting all the urgency of the business and focus on improving our performance in soft drinks.”

Last quarter, PepsiCo’s $28 billion North American beverage business shrank 2% by volume. That decline occurred even as its non-soda drinks business—including Gatorade, Aquafina and Ocean Spray—improved, suggesting deeper declines for its soft drinks. (PepsiCo does not break out subdivisions within its beverage segment.)

PepsiCo is a behemoth of a food and snacks and beverage company, taking in nearly $94 billion in revenue last year. Some 58% of that came from its Frito-Lay food and snacks division that includes Fritos and Doritos chips and its Quaker brand. Its beverage business generates the rest of the revenue, with a full 30% coming from North American beverages.

PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta attends the China Development Forum in Beijing March 22, 2026.

Qilai Shen—Bloomberg via Getty Images

The company’s North American Frito-Lay unit has regularly reported operating profit margins twice as large as the domestic beverage business. As a result, the snack business has earned the parent company’s investments at the expense of soft drinks, which PepsiCo has left to run on autopilot, Beverage Digest editor and publisher Duane Stanford told Fortune.

“It worked so long as the Frito-Lay continued to be a powerful engine,” said Stanford. The problem now is that PepsiCo’s North American snacks business is under pressure as inflation-wary consumers balk at high prices. Sales are flat so far this year. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that prices for some of PepsiCo’s chips had risen 50% since 2021. At one point, a party-size bag of Tostitos cost $7.29. Consumers have pushed back, and PepsiCo cut snack some prices this spring.

No one should expect any quick relief for PepsiCo’s snacks business, which has a 38% share of the $80 billion U.S. savory snacks industry. “It’s tough to forecast much sequential improvement absent a material change in the consumer macro environment,” JPMorgan analyst Andrea Teixeira said. That puts even more pressure on PepsiCo’s beverage business to shape up.  

Laguarta’s earnings call comments suggest the company will try to lift soft drink sales by building the brands of its soda lineup that include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Poppi, a prebiotic soda it bought last year for $2 billion. That investment will likely mean pouring more money into marketing and advertising, paying retailers for more shelf space and presentation, and lowering prices as needed.

Is a breakup the answer?

Over the years, activist investors have proposed a far more radical solution to PepsiCo’s woes: split up the sprawling portfolio company.

In the 2010s, investor Nelson Peltz spent two years trying—ultimately unsuccessfully—to convince PepsiCo to separate its food and beverage businesses into two companies to better “unlock” the value of each.

More recently, investors have pushed PepsiCo to follow some of the moves employed by Coca-Cola, which has no food business and relies on franchisees—rather than its own facilities—for its bottling and manufacturing needs.

A year ago, Elliott Management called PepsiCo a “dramatic underperformer” and urged it to consider, among other things, re-franchising its company-owned bottlers. In 2010, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo acquired their bottlers believing that a vertically integrated approach to production and distribution was essential. Coke quickly reversed the decision, which has reduced the cost pressures stemming from the capital-intensive activity. It also freed Coke to invest in brand building and innovation, two strengths that helped sway KFC to switch to Coke.

“A new partner in Coca-Cola gives us a platform to innovate, meet changing tastes and give customers more reasons to choose us,” KFC U.S. president Catherine Tan-Gillespie wrote in a memo to staff. (Since KFC dropped Pepsi, fast food rival Taco Bell has extended its contract with Pepsi for another 10 years.)

Laguarta surprised analysts earlier this month with the mere mention of re-franchising; he said it could lead to “better execution and potentially better margins.” At the same time, re-franchising shouldn’t be seen as a panacea, analysts warned. “If ‘accelerated’ re-franchising is indeed the right path, [but] this would not be without significant disruption,” Barclays’s Lauren Lieberman wrote in a note. Analysts say it could take a decade or more to re-franchise entirely: Coca-Cola’s re-franchising took a decade or so to pay off. 

“We’re open to revisiting every option,” the CEO of eight years said on the earnings call. A PepsiCo spokesman declined to comment on re-franchising beyond the CEO’s remarks.

PepsiCo does have one beverage bright spot that could serve as a model going forward: Gatorade. The drink’s sales have risen this year (the company does not quantify those gains) thanks to updates such as the March launch of its lower sugar variation. Beverage Digest’s Stanford thinks PepsiCo can indeed rebuild its soda drinks empire, but doing so will require a shift in mindset after years of the board and CEOs seeing soft drinks as products with dim growth prospects. 

“Everyone counted carbonated soft drinks out and now we see that was a mistake,” he said of PepsiCo leadership. “This is a conglomerate that knows how to execute. They just have to make the decision to do it.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Saudi Arabia intercepted drones and missiles over its capital, Riyadh, and southern areas on Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said, as fighting with the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists persisted.

The conflict has become an increasingly destabilizing front following the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in the wider war.

On Sunday, Saudi civil defense authorities issued emergency alerts for Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait, before announcing minutes later that the danger had passed.

The coalition said two drones and a ballistic missile were launched towards Riyadh, and a cruise missile towards the southern city of Khamis Mushait. It later said it intercepted ten ballistic missiles fired towards southern Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis warned they could again target Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which resumed operations at two terminals on Sunday after a deadly attack earlier this month.

Houthis claim responsibility for attacks on Saudi airport, oil facilities

The Houthis said they attacked the airport and Saudi oil facilities on Saturday. Saudi authorities did not comment directly on the Houthi statements.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the airport remained a “military target” and warned all airlines, airport staffers and travelers against using it.

Late on Saturday, the airport said Terminal 1 would be designated for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by national carriers starting Sunday.

The airport halted operations on October 10 following an attack – claimed by the Houthis – that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its strikes against the Houthis after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month, closing in on Bab el-Mandeb Strait – a global maritime chokepoint and shipping route for Gulf oil producers on the opposite side of ​the Arabian Peninsula to the Strait of Hormuz.

The renewed fighting in Yemen has shattered a UN-brokered truce that had largely held since 2022. Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, a year earlier.

This post was originally published on here.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defense focused Sunday on a wiretap of his confidant Natan Eshel that former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit said he had ordered stopped, pressing its argument that investigators pursued Netanyahu beyond the limits of the permission they received.

Testifying for a sixth day at the Jerusalem District Court, Mandelblit said investigators should have sought his approval before tapping someone involved in Netanyahu’s personal and political affairs. Police had obtained a court warrant, but Mandelblit said the operation had not been brought to him beforehand.

Defense lawyer Amit Hadad argued that Netanyahu was the real target of the surveillance. Prosecutor Keren Tzviran countered that the warrant concerned suspicions against Eshel himself, and that references to Netanyahu did not make every suspected offense listed in it an allegation against the prime minister.

The exchanges continued Hadad’s effort to establish where Mandelblit’s permission began and ended, and whether investigators gathered evidence outside those boundaries. Under Basic Law: The Government, opening a criminal investigation into a sitting prime minister requires the attorney-general’s consent.

Mandelblit, who authorized the investigations and later approved the indictment, was called to testify by the defense. His account has distinguished between approving subjects for investigation and supervising individual police actions: he said he expected major steps to come before him, but did not require investigators to seek permission for everything they did.

The Eshel wiretap, he maintained, was precisely the kind of sensitive operation that required his attention.

Mandelblit angry about Eshel wiretap

“It angered me very much,” Mandelblit said of learning about it. He said he had expected the proposal to be presented in advance and had instructed investigators to stop the surveillance once it came to his attention.

He explained that listening to someone handling political and diplomatic matters for Netanyahu risked capturing sensitive conversations. He did not recall specific political material emerging from the intercepted calls.

Hadad sought to show that the connection to Netanyahu was central to the operation. Citing the warrant, he pointed to its description of Eshel’s contact with the principal suspect, identified as a senior elected official, and argued that Eshel provided investigators with a way to listen to Netanyahu.

Tzviran disputed that reading. She said Eshel was himself a suspect and that, for example, the suspicion of obstruction concerned him rather than Netanyahu.

The questioning also exposed a broader disagreement over how precisely Mandelblit’s authorizations defined the investigation. Hadad asked whether he had approved inquiries into particular offenses. Mandelblit replied that he authorized subjects for investigation, distinguishing that decision from the specific offenses investigators identify when warning someone before questioning them as a suspect.

Investigations into alleged gifts may have gone beyond A-G orders

Later, Hadad returned to the early development of Case 1000, which concerns expensive gifts Netanyahu allegedly received from wealthy businessmen. Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust in that case and denies wrongdoing.

Hadad questioned whether permission to examine an apartment associated with businessman James Packer extended to investigating gifts from Arnon Milchan. He suggested investigators had gathered evidence beyond what Mandelblit allowed. Mandelblit repeatedly said he did not remember the detailed instructions Hadad described and did not recall investigators acting against such a restriction.

That exchange followed questioning last week about how the gifts inquiry developed. Mandelblit maintained then that testimony from Milchan’s assistant, Hadas Klein, describing a regular supply of gifts had changed his assessment of the evidence and justified moving to a full criminal investigation.

Hadad’s questioning has sought to reconstruct what investigators had already done before that point, testing the timing and scope of Mandelblit’s consent against their accounts and the records of his instructions.

This post was originally published on here.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

More than 100 Orthodox Jewish families are preparing to join roughly 60 who have already left New York for Lakefront Estates, a $300 million, 550-acre development that opened this month in Glades County, Florida, the New York Post reported Sunday. Families interviewed pointed to rising antisemitism in New York alongside the state’s housing costs and taxes as the forces behind the move.

The development, on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee, is built around the needs of observant families: a kosher supermarket, a synagogue and a yeshiva are already operating, with plans for 1,000 single-family homes and 389 rental units. Four-bedroom homes of about 2,500 square feet start at $460,000, and seven-bedroom homes of about 3,700 square feet are offered at $585,000, according to Lakefront Estates CEO Yidel Perlstein. Glades County approved a community development district for the project that allows up to $132 million in bonds for infrastructure, county records show.

The antisemitism families describe is backed by official numbers. Jewish New Yorkers were the targets of 245 of 463 confirmed hate crimes in New York City in the first nine months of 2026, or 53%, even though Jews make up roughly 10% of the city’s population, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said this month, calling the figures deeply concerning. New York State Assemblyman Aron Wieder, whose heavily Orthodox Rockland County district has already seen about 20 families move to Lakefront, said the rise in antisemitism has pushed many in his community to look outside the state.

The economics push in the same direction. New York carries the highest state and local tax burden in the nation at roughly $13,000 per capita, according to the Citizens Budget Commission, and ranked last in housing affordability and homebuilding in the 2026 Realtor Housing Report Card. Orthodox families, who tend to have more children, need larger homes that are increasingly out of reach in New York. Florida’s private school tuition vouchers were also cited by families as a factor.

For Glades County, population 13,270, the arrival is an economic event. Perlstein said his investment has been a boon for the local economy and that Orthodox buyers represent the first wave of sales, though homes are open to anyone. Developer Yona Lunger has said 900 families paid $5,000 refundable deposits to reserve lots, and he has acquired more land nearby. Lunger has said the project is likely the first of several similar communities in the region.

JBizNews Desk | New York

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

The Bank of Israel delivered an extraordinary public rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, flatly rejecting his suggestion that cryptocurrency could carry Israel’s economy through potential international banking sanctions, and declaring that preventing sanctions, not working around them, is the job of the country’s political leadership.

“Cryptocurrencies cannot serve as a means to circumvent sanctions,” the central bank said in a statement. “The right course for the Israeli economy is to maintain economic relations with our primary trading partners and to focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy. This is the responsibility of the political leadership, and it should act upon it.”

The statement answered comments Netanyahu made Friday on the Channel 10 economic network, where he warned that “there could be banking sanctions” imposed on Israel by the international community and said blockchain technology was “one of” the alternatives being readied, adding that he had already asked his advisers to prepare a plan. His remarks landed days after Britain and 11 other Western countries announced sanctions targeting goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a response to a wave of settler attacks on Palestinians and a massive settlement construction approval. Those measures aim at the settlements, but economists and industry figures have warned the effects could seep into Israel proper.

Pressed Saturday night on Channel 14, Netanyahu did not retreat. “We have other means; crypto is one of them, it is not the sole method, and it is not certain that it will actually be used,” he said. “I hear the objections and I take them into account. And, by the way, I have consistently received advice from all kinds of sources, including the Bank of Israel. I thank the Bank of Israel for their advice, but I do what I think is right, and my long-term track record shows that I have led the State of Israel to unprecedented economic prosperity.”

With Israelis voting Tuesday, opposition leaders seized on the plan. Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, the election frontrunner, called “the BibiCoin vision” a threat to national security and accused Netanyahu of “dismantling the Israeli economy for generations ahead,” asking how an Israeli tech firm would get paid by overseas customers in a crypto economy. B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett said he was “horrified” by what he called a “defeatist and gloomy vision” of a withdrawn, outcast Israel. Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman noted that blockchain transactions are traceable and that authorities already know how to block sanctioned wallets, adding that Netanyahu himself had blocked efforts to regulate and promote the crypto industry in Israel.

The practical concern behind the pushback is real. Crypto can blunt sanctions by opening alternative payment channels, but most blockchain networks leave a public trail, and Iran and Russia’s years of experimentation have shown digital assets can supplement, not replace, access to the banking system. Israel’s economy runs on its tech trade with the United States and Europe, the very partners whose sanctions Netanyahu’s plan is meant to outlast.

For investors, the clash itself is the signal: an open rift between the prime minister and his central bank, three days before an election, over how Israel would function under financial isolation. The shekel and Israel’s risk premium have both been sensitive to sanctions talk this fall, and traders will be listening Tuesday night for whether the next government treats the Bank of Israel’s warning as policy or as noise.

JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Canada is the world’s top producer of maple syrup, and the vast majority of it comes from Quebec, but the province is nearly tapped out of reserves.

The Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, which oversees the strategic syrup reserve, predicted the stockpile will be completely empty by February.

While new supplies will continue to be produced, the reserve will not be able to help ease any wobbles in output, which depends heavily on the weather and can be volatile. The strategic reserve consists of three warehouses in Quebec that can hold about 218,000 barrels.

Canadian maple syrup has seen demand increase in recent years as producers have diversified to more market beyond the U.S. About 65% of Canada’s syrup exports go to its southern neighbor, down from 80% two decades ago.

But last year saw an especially big spike in demand after President Donald Trump launched his global trade war. To get ahead of anticipated tariffs, Americans rushed to buy up Canadian syrup supplies. As a result, total syrup exports jumped nearly 16% last year, up from 9% growth in 2024.

While exports through the first eight months of 2026 slowed sharply, up just 2.5% annually, production has lagged, falling 5% last year, according to Canada’s statistics agency.

Still, Canada retains control of the commanding heights of maple syrup. In 2025, the Canada accounted for more than 75% of global production, with 90% of its output coming from Quebec.

Unfavorable weather could disrupt the production season, but Simon Doré-Ouellet, the deputy general manager at the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, told the Toronto Star that the market’s supply of syrup is secure for the coming year.

“It is clear, however, that the strategic reserve will need to be replenished over the next few years,” he added. “And a good production year in 2027 would be welcome even though we have little control over that.”

A good season could go a long way. Quebec has boosted its production capacity by 50% over the past six years, Doré-Ouellet told the Star. That means there are more than 21 million new taps where sap can be collected from maple trees.

Of course, Canada isn’t the only country that’s seen reserves of a key commodity dwindle. The Iran war has forced oil-consuming countries around the world to tap crude stockpiles. In the U.S., the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen to the lowest level since 1982.

Meanwhile, Japan has a rice reserve that had to be drawn down last year as prices soared amid bad weather and looming threats from natural disasters that sparked panic buying. But this year, Japan has already swung to a record surplus.

And China has a strategic pork reserve. In 2019, an outbreak of swine fever sent prices higher, prompting Beijing to release supplies from the reserve.

But today, prices have slumped as the anemic consumer economy has weighed on demand while the government’s prior encouragement to boost production has now resulted in oversupply.

Pork prices have plunged 39% over the last four years, raising alarms about deflation across the broader economy. To help prop up the market, China has repeatedly purchased pork for the strategic reserve, but that has its limits.

“There is little to do from the demand side,” Hannah Liu, a China economist at Nomura, told the New York Times in May. “You cannot order other enterprises to purchase more pork.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

An apparent explosion sparked a fire at a massive Quaker Oats plant in Iowa on Saturday, sending thick black smoke billowing over downtown Cedar Rapids as firefighters rushed to the facility billed as the world’s largest oat mill.

No injuries were reported, and all workers were safely accounted for, according to local officials.

The Quaker Oats plant is the world’s largest milling facility, processing more than 2 million pounds of oats each day, according to the company’s website.

Firefighters were called to the plant at around 4:44 p.m. local time after reports of an explosion and fire, according to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department. When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the north side of the building.

Additional firefighters from Marion, Hiawatha and Linn County were called in to help battle the blaze.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a Facebook video that all workers were safe and accounted for. She said the fire broke out in an area of the plant where relatively few employees were working.

“It’s not heavily populated with employees and team members. Which, of course, in this case was a blessing,” O’Donnell said.

Most of the fire had been put out by 6:25 p.m., though firefighters were still working inside the building, the fire department said.

No firefighters were injured.

Authorities have not said what caused the explosion or how much damage the fire caused.

PepsiCo Foods US, which owns Quaker Oats, said the cause of the fire would be investigated.

Police arrested four women in northern Israel on Sunday on suspicion of defrauding some 500 people who had sought help claiming tax refunds, in a scheme that allegedly netted hundreds of thousands of shekels.

Northern District police officers and Border Police troops raided the suspects’ homes early Sunday, took the four into custody and seized items linking them to the alleged offenses, police said. The suspects are a mother and her two daughters from Kafr Kanna and a woman from Ilut, both localities near Nazareth.

According to the Northern District’s fraud unit, three of the suspects, the mother, one of her daughters, and the woman from Ilut, worked together at a legitimate tax-refund company.

They approached clients who wanted to check whether they were eligible for a refund and had them pay a fee to open a file into the suspects’ private bank account, then later into a fictitious account the suspects had set up.

Many of the roughly 500 victims never filed a complaint, and investigators contacted them on their own initiative, police said.

In recent months, the suspects also contacted the clients’ pension funds and had them cashed out, police said, costing the victims both money and accrued benefits.

Fraud from the inside

In July, a major corruption investigation led to the arrest and questioning of several current and former Israel Tax Authority employees suspected of accepting bribes over an extended period in exchange for facilitating the submission and approval of fraudulent tax reports and refunds worth an estimated 80 million shekels.

The affair is believed to have continued for more than 20 years at tax assessor offices in the central region, including the Petah Tikva and Netanya branches, with the suspects alleged to have collected between 10 million and 15 million shekels in bribes.

This post was originally published on here.

Gen Z investors are scrambling to protect their portfolios from political uncertainty as the midterms approach, but their anxiety could end up costing them.

A whopping 72% of Gen Z investors said they had already made changes to their retirement savings or investment portfolios in anticipation of the November elections, according to a survey from the Nationwide Retirement Institute. That’s far more than the 17% of Baby Boomers who reported doing the same.

But the gap isn’t a stampede for the exits. About as many Gen Z investors added money to take advantage of current conditions as moved into safer investments, according to the survey. The first generation to grow up with free trades on their phones is treating the election as a market event. 

Boomers’ decision to wait it out may be less about hard-won wisdom than about where they are in life. Most boomers are drawing down their savings or close to it, so a portfolio “change” for them usually means selling. They’re also more likely to already have an adviser — 43% do, according to Northwestern Mutual — and for shares held in taxable accounts, holding until death lets heirs skip the capital-gains bill entirely.

Across all generations, 40% of investors have made changes ahead of the election on Nov. 3, which will determine which party controls either chamber of Congress. 

Mark Hackett, the chief market strategist for Nationwide’s Investment Management Group, told Fortune that younger investors aren’t necessarily more fearful than older generations. Instead, they are changing the way they interact with financial markets as well as how they react to the massive amounts of financial information and trading tools at their fingertips.

“Younger investors came of age in an environment where investing is highly mobile, social and increasingly real-time, so adjusting a portfolio can feel less like a major decision and more like an ongoing process with almost no friction between a headline, an investing app and a potential portfolio adjustment,” Hackett said.

That accessibility can be both good and bad. While younger investors have unprecedented access to financial information, it also means they have more opportunities to make impulsive decisions based on breaking news instead of a company’s financials or an analysis of economic conditions.

“The question, therefore, is less about risk tolerance or volatility, and more about whether greater access to information is improving decision-making or simply increasing the temptation to trade,” Hackett said. “The latter can be fatal for portfolio longevity.”

“For younger investors, frequent portfolio changes can interrupt the power of compounding over decades,” he said.

Staying invested

The survey, conducted between late August and early September, included 2,029 American investors with at least $10,000 in investable assets and 538 financial advisers and financial professionals.

Despite the potential for turbulence caused by the midterms, the financial advisers surveyed recommend staying the course. More than half said maintaining an existing investment strategy is generally the best approach during an election year. 

The market’s previous performance helps explain their advice.

Since 1950 the S&P 500 has consistently risen in the 12 months following midterm elections and has returned gains of 15% on average, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management. While the past doesn’t predict future performance, selling in times of uncertainty can be a gamble.

Hackett said he recommends investors maintain a diversified portfolio and rebalance their investments only periodically depending on their desired risk exposure.

That doesn’t mean investors should never make changes. Hackett said adjusting investments to reflect personal financial goals, changes in risk tolerance, or shifting income needs are good reasons to make changes. Still, they should exercise caution, he added.

“Investors should be careful not to mistake a source of uncertainty for a source of lasting impairment to long-term returns,” he said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

A group of 109 economists, business leaders, high-tech entrepreneurs, and former senior public officials issued a strongly worded statement expressing “deep anxiety and concern” over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct, warning of irreversible damage to Israel’s economy if international sanctions are imposed.

The letter followed an interview in which Netanyahu made clear that he was not concerned about sanctions, said that US military aid “is not something that will last forever and will eventually end,” and revealed that he had requested a plan to circumvent banking sanctions using cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

“The prime minister’s remarks demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding and ignorance in the face of Israel’s collapsing standing in the international arena,” the 109 signatories charged in their letter. “Netanyahu is knowingly leading the State of Israel toward an international economic boycott and isolation, and all he has to offer is a bizarre solution commonly used by criminal organizations that will be of no help whatsoever.”

The economists warned that restrictions on Israel’s banking system would lead to soaring unemployment, the complete disappearance of foreign investment, and the paralysis of the economy’s primary growth engine, the high-tech sector.

They also warned of severe consequences for Israelis’ daily lives, including the inability to use credit cards, the loss of access to online shopping platforms such as Amazon and AliExpress, the departure of foreign workers, and serious difficulties for the healthcare system in purchasing medicines and medical equipment.

The signatories compared the potential scenario to countries that have faced severe sanctions, including South Africa, Iran, and Russia, warning of a dramatic decline in living standards and devastating damage to Israel’s ability to finance its defense needs.

The statement was signed by a long list of prominent figures, including two Nobel Prize laureates, Prof. Joel Mokyr (Economics) and Prof. Aaron Ciechanover (Chemistry).

Other signatories include Israel Prize laureate and former Bank of Israel governor Prof. Jacob Frenkel; former deputy governors Prof. Zvi Eckstein and Dr. Nadine Baudot-Trajtenberg; and former supervisors of banks Yair Avidan and Rony Hizkiyahu.

The list also includes many former senior Finance Ministry officials, including former directors-general Yarom Ariav, Prof. Avi Ben-Bassat, David Brodet, Haim Shani, and Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, who also previously chaired the National Economic Council.

Also signing were former chief economist Shira Greenberg and former budget director Udi Nisan.

Prominent figures from the high-tech industry and business community include CyberArk founder Alon Cohen, Check Point co-founder Marius Nacht, G City founder Chaim Katzman, BIG Shopping Centers CEO Hai Galis and chairman Eitan Bar Zeev, high-tech entrepreneur Gigi Levy-Weiss, Fireblocks co-founders Idan Ofrat, Dov Moran, and Roy Vermus, and many others.

Bank of Israel emphasizes importance of maintaining economic relations

The wave of economic criticism followed an unusual response from the Bank of Israel, which clarified over the weekend that “cryptocurrencies cannot serve as a means of circumventing sanctions on Israel.”

The central bank emphasized that “the right thing for Israel’s economy is to preserve our economic relations with our main trading partners and focus on preventing sanctions.”

Netanyahu responded to the remarks in an interview with Channel 14, saying, “I thank the Bank of Israel for its advice, but I do what I think is right.”

The business sector also strongly rejected the proposal.

Galit Miran, CEO of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, warned against “adopting financial models characteristic of isolated and excluded countries,” noting that such mechanisms could undermine investor confidence and Israel’s credit rating.

The Manufacturers Association of Israel emphasized that the Israeli economy is built on free trade and the free movement of capital, and that maintaining these conditions is the only way to ensure economic resilience.

Netanyahu’s election opponents condemn economic plan

The economic controversy quickly became a central issue in the election campaign, which will culminate on Tuesday.

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot issued his own stark warning: “If Netanyahu continues, there will be no savings, no international investments, and you will not be able to pay by credit card online or abroad. For Netanyahu, the conversation has shifted from prosperity to survival. After another term under him, we will long for the days of austerity.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also attacked Netanyahu, saying, “Netanyahu admits in his own words that if his government is reelected, military aid will be finished and sanctions will be imposed, leading to insane price increases and irreparable damage.”

B’Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett said he was appalled by Netanyahu’s vision. “This means the destruction of Israeli high-tech, the loss of livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of families, poverty for millions of Israelis, and a threat to security. Netanyahu is placing Israel in the same category as Iran, North Korea, and Russia.”

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Miri Regev returned to the Transportation and Road Safety Ministry on December 29, 2022, and her second term has so far failed to reduce road-accident fatalities.

In 2024 and 2025, road deaths hit a two-decade high, and 2026 shows no sign of change except a slight decline, driven only by a sharp drop in March, when the country was in shelters and safe rooms during Operation Roaring Lion.

Evidence of the minister’s major failure came from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). At the end of 2025, the council announced it was suspending Israel over government measures that, the organization said, were incompatible with its basic commitment to saving lives. The organization formally ended Israel’s participation in its Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) program, with no clear path back.

The ETSC decided to suspend Israel’s National Road Safety Authority (RSA) from the program until further notice: “The recent actions of the current Israeli government are not consistent with the fundamental commitment of ETSC and the PIN program to protecting human life.” 

Israel’s Transportation Ministry claimed the move was political, but the surge in the number of people killed and injured on Israel’s roads, in contrast to most European countries, Regev’s lack of interest in road safety, and the departure of key figures in the field, such as Avi Naor, who served as chairman of the RSA, and Erez Kita, who served as the authority’s director general, suggest otherwise.

Despite the poor results and scant action, the transportation and road safety minister delivered a stream of media statements meant to benefit Israel’s citizens and the road safety community. A comprehensive check by Walla Cars and the Or Yarok road safety association reveals the minister’s main statements and promises during her term, and how much of them were carried out.

Ride-sharing in Israel: Didn’t happen

“Uber will be in Israel. Period.” 

That was Regev’s reply on October 22, 2025, to a parliamentary question from MK Eitan Ginzburg on advancing shared transportation.

The approval was meant to allow private drivers to carry paying passengers in their own cars, aiming to increase competition in the passenger transport market and lower prices for consumers. The bill initiated by Ginzburg (Blue and White, Beyachad) passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset and even a first reading, but went no further.

As of October 2026, ride-sharing is not legal in Israel, but the Transportation Ministry rarely acts against private drivers who pick up paying passengers, mainly in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community, where they are known as “drivers.”

They are not subject to the high insurance costs and licensing fees charged to legal cab drivers, or to the other regulatory requirements the state imposes on official taxis, such as buying a “green number” taxi license for more than 200,000 shekels, or leasing one.

Higher fines for a range of offenses, especially cellphone use: Didn’t happen

Regev supplied the quote and announced the move at the Yedioth Ahronoth transportation conference: “Police will catch someone texting, and they’ll immediately give him a 10,000-shekel fine the first time. He won’t go to court. The second time, it will be confiscation of the vehicle.” 

On December 2, 2025, the minister declared on her Facebook account and on X that she would raise the fines.

As of October 2026, the stiffer fines have not yet materialized.

Scrapping the internal driving test: Didn’t happen

In another attempt to present itself as fighting the cost of living, the Transportation Ministry promoted abolishing the internal test, which pre-test driving instructors administer before the official exam and costs learners and their parents between 150 and 400 shekels. The move was even formally included in the 2026 state budget agreements, and an official circular stated that the abolition would take effect on June 18, 2026.

The move was never completed because of protests by driving instructors and technical problems and failures, leading the ministry to announce, just one day before implementation, that it had decided to postpone the amendment’s entry into force for an in-depth reexamination.

No new date was set.

Approval for Tesla full self-driving: Didn’t happen

Regev addressed the issue after Tesla drivers in Israel submitted a petition, posting the following on her official accounts. On October 29, 2025, she wrote on her Facebook page and on X: “I’ve received the many appeals from Tesla drivers in Israel! Tesla drivers? Soon you won’t have to hold the wheel.”

In a conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the Smart Mobility conference, Regev also promised to speed up approval in Israel for FSD and equivalent systems from other carmakers.

Since then, a long list of European countries, from the Netherlands to Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic, have approved its use. But in Israel, the Transportation Ministry has not yet updated the regulation requiring drivers to keep their hands on the wheel throughout the drive, nor has it worked with the Commissioner of Insurance to settle liability for an accident that occurs while the vehicle is in autonomous mode.

Multi-year national road safety plan for 2026–2030: Didn’t happen

Government Resolution 3491 of November 16, 2025, states that “with the aim of reducing the rate of road accident casualties, reducing the economic damage caused by road accidents and strengthening the government’s commitment to improving road safety,” the government approved a multi-year national road safety plan for 2026–2030.

Under the plan, the rate of road accident casualties is to be cut by 25% within five years of the resolution’s approval and funding, compared with the 2021–2025 average, a lower target than had been set in the past. The ministry also set a goal for Israel to rank among the seven leading countries in road safety, measured by casualties relative to population size.

On December 14, 2025, the ministry declared: “Stopping the carnage on the roads: 350 million shekels a year have been budgeted for saving lives and restoring road safety in Israel. The most dramatic road safety move in a decade: a comprehensive, budgeted and measurable national plan will get underway as early as 2026.”

“We are launching a dramatic national move to save lives. This is a significant moment of taking national responsibility, in which the State of Israel is changing direction and putting the safety of road users at the top of its priorities,” Regev boasted in a press release at the time. “After years in which road safety received no systemic, comprehensive response, we are bringing a comprehensive, budgeted and focused plan to save lives, which means fewer families receiving the terrible news at the door. The state is taking responsibility.”

As of October 2026, the money has not been transferred to fund the plan.

Fewer required driving lessons: Didn’t happen

In August 2024, Regev proposed a new procedure that would dramatically reduce the minimum number of driving lessons required before taking the road test, from 28 lessons to just 22 for automatic vehicles, to lower the cost of getting a driver’s license. 

Or Yarok opposed it, as did the ETSC, which issued a formal warning that cutting initial training would harm the safety of young drivers, who are defined as a high-risk group. Professionals at the RSA, to whom the initiative was referred to assess its implications, also objected. 

The move never went ahead.

Annual vehicle inspections at garages: Didn’t happen

On June 6, 2023, the minister posted on her page on X (formerly Twitter): “ONE STOP SHOP – who doesn’t know the hassle when it’s time for the annual vehicle inspection. You clear half a day, if not more, going to a licensed testing center; if the car fails, you drive to a garage to fix the faults, then back to the center, and so on. Wasting time, fuel, workdays, and more. 

“I have instructed the relevant parties in my ministry to put an end to this, and they are now working on it, setting professional standards, with supervision and oversight and preserving the safety and consumer aspects, so that licensed garages will be qualified to carry out the annual vehicle inspection. Quickly and efficiently, and all this as part of my plan to fight the cost of living in Israel.”

The following day, the ministry released a statement reading: “This is a historic move that will significantly shorten the long lines and reduce the load on testing centers, encourage inspections to be carried out on time, accessibly and close to drivers’ homes or workplaces, alongside lower costs as part of the fight against the cost of living in Israel.”

Regev claimed the move was based on a professional opinion that she refused to disclose, and ignored the fact that the law had once allowed inspections at garages but was changed because of the garages’ conflict of interest: a single body that looks for faults in a vehicle on behalf of the state and can immediately offer to fix them for the customer on the premises.

Such an arrangement could also lead to vehicles that are not fully roadworthy being approved in return for the customer having other, non-safety maintenance work done there.

As of October 2026, the plan is stuck in the legislative process and under review by professional staff. Drivers in Israel must still go in person to official licensed testing centers for the annual inspection.

Shorter waits for medical exams: Didn’t happen

Regev pledged to shorten long waiting times at the Medical Institute for Road Safety (MIRS) by outsourcing the institute’s services and decentralizing its powers to private bodies.

As of October 2026, the move has not been completed, and the institute still operates at a sluggish pace, to the detriment of tens of thousands of drivers a year whose licenses are revoked on medical grounds and who are forced to wait months for an examination at the only institute authorized to restore their licenses.

Ministerial committee on road safety: Met three times in two years

On November 24, 2024, Regev announced the formation of a ministerial committee on road safety. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was appointed chairman, and the committee includes the government’s most senior ministers.

The committee held its first meeting on May 4, 2025, about six months after the government announced its establishment. The second was held on October 26, 2025, and the third on February 8, 2026.

Netanyahu did not attend a single session.

The committee’s deliberations led to no significant road-safety decisions.

Attorney Yaniv Yaakov, CEO of Or Yarok: “The Israeli public deserves a road safety minister who understands the weight of the responsibility and the purpose for which he works every day — to save lives. Minister Regev made many promises, but at the end of her term, only a small portion of them served road safety, as the grim figures also show. The minister’s biggest failure is her refusal to approve a multi-year national plan, even though she requested it and it already exists.

“The wrong priorities have led us to the worst figures in two decades and to our removal from the European Transport Safety Council’s annual performance report. Inaction costs human lives. The next transportation and road safety minister will have to change the priorities and put saving lives first. That is his duty and his privilege.”

This post was originally published on here.

Atomic Wings CEO Zak Omar says there is one habit that has helped him become a better leader: looking back at what went right, confronting what went wrong and identifying ways to improve.

“At the end of every week, I look at what we’ve done well and what we failed at, or, what mistakes we made,” Omar said. “Learning from your failures leads to greater success in the future.”

But Omar doesn’t spend too much time celebrating wins. Instead, he focuses on what the company can do better.

That approach has helped him grow Atomic Wings – a fast-casual restaurant chain known for its chicken wings and tenders – to 35 locations across multiple states, with plans to reach 40 by the end of the year.

Omar’s connection to the restaurant industry began when he was a child. His father, an Afghan refugee, operated a chicken truck in New York City, where Omar would help out. He recalls experimenting with flavors as a child, mixing barbecue sauce, ketchup and mayonnaise with food left over from his father’s truck.

Today, Omar says that running a restaurant is about more than the food.

“We’re not in the food business here – we’re in the customer service business,” he said. “You’re not selling chicken, you’re putting a smile on people’s faces.”

Omar initially took a different path after college, working on Wall Street in an IT capacity. But his life changed after he was diagnosed with leukemia at the same time that his father was hospitalized with a brain tumor.

After undergoing treatment, Omar decided not to return to his corporate job.

“I figured… let’s do something that my dad would be happy about,” he said.

Omar eventually acquired Atomic Wings and began growing the brand beyond New York.

As CEO, Omar said one thing he does not want to give up is his direct connection with customers.

He recently received a message from a longtime customer after a popular reward disappeared during an overhaul of the Atomic Wings app. Omar said he immediately asked the company’s technology team to restore it.

“Once you lose connection with that front line, you lose a connection with reality,” he said.

Omar said the best career advice he has received is to focus on helping other people succeed.

“When you focus on your team, and you focus on the people around you, your success is a natural byproduct of their success,” he said.

That is especially important in a franchise business, Omar said, because the company’s success depends on its franchisees succeeding.

And while being a CEO may sound appealing, Omar said one big misconception about the job is that it’s “fun.”

Omar said that CEOs have to wear many hats and make decisions that affect employees, franchisees and the broader business.

“It’s a lot of hard work, and you need to be selfless in a way because you have to commit yourself to the job,” he said.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ordered local authorities on Saturday night to remove Likud campaign signs after the party failed to comply with an order issued following a petition by the Yashar party. The signs show photos of Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad’s Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman, and Democrats head Yair Golan, alongside Arab party leaders Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi, in Arabic text and using Yashar’s party colors.

According to Yashar, the signs identify the campaign as Likud’s only in Arabic. Without clear party identification, the party argued, the public could attribute the ads to Yashar or think they were published with its consent.

Sohlberg accepted Yashar’s petition, ruling that the signs could mislead the public about the party’s political ties. He added that the Arabic text neither removes the deception nor fulfills the duty of transparency.

However, after Likud failed to comply with the order, Sohlberg ruled in an unusual decision that the local authorities would be required to remove the signs themselves. Sohlberg orders Likud to report on steps taken to carry out decisionHe also ordered Likud to report by Sunday morning on the steps it had taken to carry out the decision, and made clear that he would consider awarding additional costs.

“The Likud and Netanyahu think they are above the law, flout judicial decisions and continue their propaganda of lies. In three days, the era of lies, incitement and contempt for the law of Netanyahu and the Likud will end.

The State of Israel will set out on a new path,” Yashar said in a statement. In response, Likud said it intends to act in accordance with the judge’s decision.

“This is an illegitimate attempt by the petitioners to hide the fact that Eisenkot intends to form a left-wing government together with Ahmad Tibi, Mansour Abbas, Yair Golan, Liberman and Bennett, which will surrender on all fronts and will not defeat Iran,” Likud said.

This post was originally published on here.

Catherine Tan-Gillespie took the helm of KFC U.S. last year—but she didn’t get there by playing it safe.

Rather than chasing fancy titles or splashy paychecks throughout her career, she’s gravitated toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to take risks, and taught her to embrace a little chaos.

“I wasn’t chasing money, I wasn’t chasing title,” Tan-Gillespie, 52, told Fortune. “I was chasing opportunities that put me in the learning zone as opposed to in the comfort zone—and tried to keep me out of the panic zone.”

Tan-Gillespie grew up in a middle-class household in the U.K., with her mom working as a nurse and her dad a lighting director for the BBC, and her experience in the restaurant industry began early. At 13, Tan-Gillespie landed a job washing dishes at Beefeater, a now-defunct British restaurant chain, for just £1.20 an hour (about £3.62 or $4.84 today, adjusted for inflation).

She eventually was promoted over to the ice cream machine—and began to grow fond of the adrenaline-like rush that can come with working in a restaurant. Tan-Gillespie ultimately stayed with the chain throughout secondary school, later rising to assistant general manager.

“I can say from firsthand experience, restaurant jobs are incredible in terms of the pressure, the pace, the teamwork, the accountability, the discipline of following standard operating procedures—but then having your own personality to delight customers,” she said.

“I think that was probably formative in my career, certainly in terms of interacting with the customer part of it and building strong teams.”

Tan-Gillespie eventually became the first in her family to attend college, studying business at the University of Plymouth and graduating in 1996. From there, she built a career in marketing—starting with an internship at HP to various roles at companies like Frito-Lay and Sony Pictures.

How Richard Branson inspired Tan-Gillespie’s career ethos

As Tan-Gillespie’s career developed, so did her aspirations. She eventually developed a role model in Richard Branson, the British billionaire who founded Virgin Group—so much so that she wanted to become the “female Richard Branson.”

“I love that he’s being innovative and creative, but he’s doing the right thing by the customers and by people,” Tan-Gillespie said. “I had this thesis that I want to see if I can be the female version of him, and that was really the genesis of everything I’ve done since.”

That ambition has also meant more than climbing the ladder, she’s also been willing to walk away from companies where she felt the culture wouldn’t let her thrive.

“I did exit companies if I didn’t feel that the culture would allow my personality to give the behaviors that would make me successful,” she added. “And I joined companies that I didn’t think I would, such as KFC and [parent company] Yum, because I fell in love with their culture.”

In 2015, Tan-Gillespie joined KFC South Pacific, overseeing marketing in Australia and New Zealand. Two years later, she became the chain’s global chief marketing officer. She went on to lead KFC Canada in 2024 before taking over its U.S. business in April 2025.

Now, Tan-Gillespie is tasked with getting KFC’s American business back on track as the brand faces growing competition paired with more health-conscious and cash-strapped consumers. The chain’s U.S. sales fell 3% year over year in 2025 and were down another 2% in its most recent reported quarter.

Part of that strategy is to connect with younger consumers, hence a recent partnership with 21-year-old livestreamer iShowSpeed along with innovating with menu items, branding, and store layout. This month, it was reported that KFC ended its roughly four-decade-long partnership with Pepsi in favor of rival Coca-Cola.

Tan-Gillespie’s advice for Gen Z: Embrace fear and speak up for what you want

In her role, Tan-Gillespie interacts with Gen Z daily, whether at KFC’s corporate office or one of its more than 3,400 U.S. locations. And while she recognized the anxieties young people face entering the workforce, she sees plenty to admire in the generation.

In particular, she said she respects their willingness to speak their minds, be themselves, and push for the opportunities they want.

“So much is on their terms, which I really respect. They know who they are and what they want, which I love,” Tan-Gillespie said.

She encourages young people to keep advocating for themselves and others, even when doing so feels uncomfortable. One piece of advice she often returns to comes from the 1987 self-help book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway: Don’t let fear keep you from taking a chance.

“Courage is not the absence of fear,” Tan-Gillespie said. “Courage is actually feeling fearful about the future or jobs—but actually just saying, ‘Okay, what would I do if I wasn’t scared?’”

The answer, she added, can be revealing. When facing a difficult decision, whether at work or in life, she recommends asking one final question: “What’s the worst that can happen?”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Over 50,000 people were killed this past summer in Europe due to a brutal heat wave, marking it as the deadliest the continent has ever faced, CNN reported on Friday.

The report cited a new analysis published in two peer-reviewed papers in the journal Nature Health that attributed over half of the deaths to climate change driven by fossil fuel pollution.

According to the journal, temperatures reached levels 2.9 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, with some areas seeing periodic temperatures over 12 degrees Celsius above the average.

The findings come as world leaders are set to attend annual United Nations climate talks in Turkey, according to CNN, with a UN report earlier last week warning that the planet has missed its chance to limit the effect of global warming to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The Nature Health report concluded that the 2026 summer season was “likely to have been the most dangerously hot summer that Europe has experienced to date,” with southern and western Europe being worst affected.

UK, other generally cooler European regions experienced record heat, CNN reports 

CNN noted that the United Kingdom and other European regions known for cooler climates also suffered from thousands of heat-related deaths.

Nature Health evaluated 854 European cities in 30 countries, comparing recorded temperatures with those estimated after removing climate change from the equation. Scientists then used the relationship between high temperatures and daily deaths to model the likely number of heat-related deaths between June and August through peer-reviewed research.

According to the report, over 800 people between the ages of 20 and 44 were killed by the heat wave, though the highest rates were among those 85 and older.

An estimated total of 50,391 people died over the summer, with the analysis noting the death toll as being substantially higher than the 2022 and 2003 summer heat waves in Europe, as well as the highest in 26 years.

The journal also found that fossil fuel pollution-driven climate change accounts for about two-thirds of modern heat-related deaths, compared with around 40% earlier this century.

“I think we can be quite confident in stating that the summer of 2026 is likely to have been the worst on record for heat-related mortality across much of Europe,” Clair Barnes, an author on the reports and an extreme weather and climate change researcher at Imperial College London, told CNN. “We’re well off-track to limit the worst consequences of climate change, and governments need to realize that without faster action and coordination, things will only get worse.”

“Until we kick the fossil fuel habit, we will continue to see increasingly hot and dangerous summers,” she added. “These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health. Behind these statistics are real people whose lives were lost and real families who grieve for them.”

Extreme heat a ‘silent killer,’ Warwick University associate professor says

Warwick University health and environment associate professor Raquel Nunes told CNN the findings are “growing evidence of how deadly extreme heat can be, despite being described as a ‘silent killer’ due to its impacts not always being immediately visible.”

Nunes, who CNN noted was not involved in the research, added that the high death toll amongst those under 65, numbering in the thousands, was particularly alarming.

European Mortality Monitoring Network (EuroMOMO) chief physician Lasse Vestergaard acknowledged that the Nature Health findings largely matched the network’s, but advised CNN that the results must be treated with caution “as they involve several uncertainties and assumptions.”

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Three Hebron residents were arrested overnight on Sunday on suspicion of expressing support on social media for the terrorist attack in the West Bank on Friday, in which St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem were killed, as well as for Hamas.

According to police, the suspects posted photographs of the terrorists alongside messages of praise and songs glorifying them. One of the suspects referred to the attack as “Operation Hebron.” Their online activity was monitored by the IDF’s Central Command, and security forces raided their homes overnight.

The investigation centers on posts the three suspects published after the attack. According to police, one suspect shared photographs of the terrorists and wrote: “The right is mine and the land is mine. You have no place on our land. This morning, they are alive with their Lord, receiving their sustenance.”

A song playing in the background included the lyrics, as quoted in the police statement: “In paradise, they will not accept a life of humiliation. Indeed, they are the finest of men.”

In addition to that post and another suspect’s description of the attack as “Operation Hebron,” investigators identified content calling for armed conflict against Israel.

Suspect shares posts calling for armed combat against ‘occupying Zionists’

According to police, the third suspect shared statements by religious figures and others calling for Arab and Islamic armies to mobilize for war and armed combat against the “occupying Zionists.”

The suspect added his own message: “O mighty Allah, victory is near, O Lord of the oppressed.”

A song playing in the background included the lyrics: “Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and humiliate them, grant you victory over them, and heal the hearts of the believing people.”

Police said the posts were among numerous publications containing incitement and expressions of support for and identification with the enemy, including Hamas.

Following the discovery of the posts, officers from the Special Patrol Unit (YASAM) and detectives from Israel Police’s Judea and Samaria District raided the suspects’ homes in Hebron overnight.

During searches of the properties, officers seized the suspects’ mobile phones and computers as evidence for the investigation. The three suspects, including individuals aged 17 and 50, were taken to the Hebron police station in the Judea region, where they remain under investigation on suspicion of incitement and support for terrorism.

IDF, police conduct Hebron operation following terror attack

The arrests were carried out as part of an operation by Judea and Samaria District police officers and IDF troops from the Judea Brigade in Hebron following Friday’s terrorist attack.

As part of the operation, security agencies are working together to monitor social media and identify individuals who incite against Israel, support terrorism and its perpetrators, or glorify terrorists.

Police said they would continue taking action against incitement and support for terrorism in public spaces and on social media, particularly expressions of support for attacks against security forces.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the terrorist attack itself is being conducted by the counterterrorism unit of the Judea and Samaria District’s Central Investigations Unit. Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of individuals who helped carry out the attack.

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Israel is concerned that operatives acting on behalf of the Syrian regime intend to renew attacks against the Druze population in the Sweida province of southern Syria, a security source told Walla on Sunday morning.

As a result, the IAF has increased activity in the area, sending a warning to Damascus that Jerusalem will not tolerate attempts to harm its Druze allies.

The security source told Walla that Israel is monitoring developments in Syria around the clock and has no intention of easing the Israeli government’s policy of assisting the Druze against any attempts to carry out massacres or abductions by operatives acting on behalf of the Syrian regime, including Bedouin factions coordinated with Syrian security agencies, or by regime personnel directly.

According to the source, the issue has received extensive coverage in media outlets affiliated with the Syrian regime. These outlets have accused Israel of supplying weapons, ammunition, money, and intelligence to Druze factions in Sweida province operating under the name “National Guard,” allegedly to enable them to attack Bedouin tribes or Syrian military positions in the area.

According to reports published in Syria, some of the equipment is being airdropped.

Syria insists actions intended to establish sovereignty, not target civilians

Damascus has conveyed messages to Jerusalem asserting that its actions are intended to establish sovereignty over all Syrian territory rather than target civilians. However, Druze members of the National Guard oppose these efforts and refuse to place their forces under the command of the Syrian military.

The Syrian regime views this refusal as a direct threat to the country’s territorial integrity. In addition, the regime has been using Bedouin groups that are engaged in longstanding historical land disputes with the Druze.

The security source said that in some cases, Bedouin groups operate independently, without coordinating with the regime’s security agencies.

In other cases, Bedouin groups have attempted to attack Druze communities, block supply routes, and damage water and electricity infrastructure.

According to reports from Syria, including Al Jazeera, the IAF has maintained an increased presence over the Daraa and Sweida areas, particularly over the past week, deploying attack helicopters, fighter jets, and remotely piloted aircraft.

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Former supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the once Likud party hub of Dimona are campaigning for rival candidate Gadi Eisenkot in the days leading up to Tuesday’s election.

The ballot is Israel’s first since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that shook the country and plunged the region into turmoil, as Israel went to war on the terrorist group in Gaza and its allies in Lebanon and Iran.

The October 7 security breach saw Likud’s popularity plummet. Opinion polls have predicted for months that Netanyahu’s coalition will lose its majority. But his top rival, Yashar’s Eisenkot, has no clear path to power either, and the race has become tighter as the election nears.

Dimona, where an Iranian missile wounded dozens in March, has become a political battleground.

“We must have change. Bibi has to go,” said Yossi Assayag, 74, who says he has supported Likud most of his life. “Bibi has brought disaster to Israel.”

Eisenkot’s Yashar party targets Likud Loyalists

Assayag is part of a group of town residents trying to convince their community to vote for Eisenkot’s party, which is neck and neck with Likud in the polls.

It’s a tough task in Dimona, where half the voters in the 2022 election voted for Likud.

“I will never betray Likud,” said Ruti Ohana, a pensioner, who says she has voted Likud ever since immigrating to Israel from North Africa more than 60 years ago. She said Netanyahu was a cut above his rivals, and that detractors unfairly blamed him for October 7.

Likud long ago formed a core voter base among Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent, known as Mizrahis, who felt neglected by the European-influenced Labor Party that dominated Israel for generations.

Labor has since dwindled to a rump as Israeli politics have shifted rightward, and around half a dozen other parties now court Likud voters, from the center to the far right. But the link to the party among its past supporters remains strong.

“Most people here vote for Likud just because that’s how they were raised,” said Oria Asaf, 25, a past Likud voter now backing Yashar. “The change will come when people start to think about their children’s future rather than their parents’ past.”

The Dimona battle for wavering ‘Likudniks’

While Netanyahu has a substantial base of supporters that can’t be won over, the prize is undecided voters who “understand that we are in a state of crisis” and are open to persuasion, said Michal Elmalem Abu, elected as a member of the city council from Likud and now leading Eisenkot’s Dimona campaign.

Some 13% of Israeli voters still haven’t decided how they will vote, according to data collected by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Of those who voted for Likud in 2022, just 55% now say they will vote for the party again on Tuesday. Fifteen percent will support parties aligned against Netanyahu, including 8% for Yashar. Another 14% will vote for alternative right-wing parties, and 9% are undecided.

In places like Dimona, Eisenkot could take a chunk out of Likud’s base, said Amotz Asa-El, a columnist for The Jerusalem Post and political scientist at the Hartman Institute.

A child of Moroccan immigrants who rose through the ranks to become military chief of staff, Eisenkot, 66, has a personal story of humble origins in the Mizrahi community that “appeals to a big swath of the Israeli electorate, particularly Likud’s traditional electorate,” Asa-El said.

In an electoral field crowded with ex-soldiers, his peerless security credentials are an asset. The loss of his son, killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023, resonates with voters.

At a town hall in Dimona in July, residents said they were excited about the prospect of a Mizrahi leader. Others approached him with hugs and tearful condolences for the loss of his son.

But a week later Netanyahu held his own event, demonstrating his powerful appeal in the hardscrabble Negev, where Likud governments have long boasted of bringing development funds.

“Look around you, look at your community, look at what was here then and what is here now, and ask yourselves which governments invested in this monumental effort. And I do this out of immense love,” he said.

Lior Katzav, a Likud former mayor of Kiryat Malachi, another small-town stronghold, said party surveys show voters who had abandoned Likud are returning as the election nears.

But even some who sympathize with Netanyahu say it may be time for a change. Israel’s youngest prime minister when he was first elected 30 years ago, he has since become its longest-serving, now 77, having governed for 18 years over six terms.

“It’s time for him to go,” said Dimona software engineer David Iskali. “He’s done a lot for Israel, but it can’t go on. I won’t give my vote to someone almost 80 years old.”

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“The rich aren’t particularly happy either,” Menlo Ventures partner and prolific poster Deedy Das wrote on X in May. By his own “back of the envelope” estimate, roughly 10,000 people—employees at Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Nvidia and Meta, plus founders—have built fortunes well above $20 million in the past five years. Many of those who have “made it,” he added, feel “a profound lack of purpose.” (Menlo Ventures is an investor in Anthropic.)

Bay Area therapists coined a term for that feeling during the dot-com boom of the 1990s—“sudden wealth syndrome”—and they say the syndrome is back in the wake of the AI windfall.

Joan DiFuria and Stephen Goldbart founded the Money, Meaning & Choices Institute in the 1990s to treat people struggling with a sudden influx of wealth from the first internet gold rush. They recently spoke to The Cut about the syndrome’s AI-fueled resurgence.

‘Sudden wealth syndrome 2.0’

“It’s sudden wealth syndrome 2.0,” DiFuria said. “All these people coming out of the AI boom are experiencing wealth on a different level, and having more complex emotions about it, too.”

Fortunately for the afflicted, there’s an industry for that. TIGER 21, a peer group whose members meet for a full day each month, requires at least $20 million in investable assets or qualifying net worth to join. Paracelsus Recovery, a residential clinic in Zurich that provides a private chef, a driver and a live-in therapist, charges about £100,000—roughly $131,000—a week. And one health care consultancy that finds doctors and mental health care for wealthy families charges retainers starting at $30,000 for 50 hours.

What differentiates this wave of sudden wealth syndrome from the dot-com era, DiFuria said, is that people are making money from a technology many consider destructive—including some of the people building it. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.

“If you’re already feeling anxious about your wealth and the whole world is saying, ‘What you’re doing is going to kill me or take my job,’ how do you speak to your friends?” she said. “It’s really next level from what we’ve seen before.”

A windfall measured in trillions

Fortune reported in August 2025 that there were 498 AI unicorns—private AI companies valued at $1 billion or more—with a combined value of $2.7 trillion, according to CB Insights. The Wall Street Journal reported in May that more than 600 current and former OpenAI employees sold a collective $6.6 billion in shares in an October 2025 tender offer; about 75 of them sold the maximum allowed and walked away with $30 million each. And Forbes counted at least 86 AI billionaires worth a combined $2.9 trillion on its 2026 list in March, 45 of whom were newcomers.

The ultra-wealthy may have more peers than ever before, but DiFuria and Goldbart said many of them feel cut off.

“It creates social isolation. People who have derived wealth from AI, they very much have their own subculture,” Goldbart said.

‘The rich people up on the hill’

Billionaires today have enclaves in places like Lake Tahoe and Hawaii, compounds where each relative gets a separate house and pool.

The world’s highest-profile tech billionaires offer the most conspicuous examples. Mark Zuckerberg’s Kauai compound, which Wired estimated would cost about $270 million including the land, includes a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter that he has described as “just like a little shelter.” Jeff Bezos has spent about $237 million on three properties on Indian Creek, a man-made island in Miami-Dade County nicknamed “Billionaire Bunker,” with its own police department and a gated bridge.

Goldbart called the trend a “major social problem” and said that society is “drifting toward a great imbalance between the haves and have-nots, with the rich people up on the hill, cut off from everybody else below them.”

The effects are intergenerational. “People are raising children who have barely ever left the house,” DiFuria said. “They don’t know what a poor person looks like.” Fortune recently reported on wealthy parents’ growing fear that their fortunes will sap their children’s drive.

‘We found our people’

Goldbart and DiFuria said they try to push clients the other way. In a first meeting that often runs about six hours, they ask clients to craft a “set of operational values” and set concrete goals, such as volunteering or donating some of their money—a path some AI leaders have publicly pledged to take.

But they acknowledged that the people who are most cut off are unlikely to seek them out.

“Our clients are self-selecting,” Goldbart said.

“Most people with narcissism are not going to come to ask us questions about values or purpose,” DiFuria said.

Some clients also choose to self-isolate regardless. DiFuria described a billionaire family that went from feeling guilty about their spending to owning yachts and planes and moving to an area where other billionaires live.

“We found our people,” she said the family told her. “We don’t have to be embarrassed or hide the fact that we have a plane and a yacht and five homes. We can finally be open about it.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

In the 2021 Senate runoff elections in Georgia, this writer did a number of stories following forecasts by Thomas Miller, a prominent data scientist who’s a professor at Northwestern University. Miller crunched the numbers and made the contrarian call that Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock would win. In the 2024 presidential race, I tracked Miller’s numbers once again, and he scored by positing a Trump triumph.

I found Miller’s methods so convincing because he takes the novel approach of starting not with polls, but with the biggest prediction markets at the time, then making adjustments using proprietary algorithms that adjust for the sites’ inherent biases. For the 2024 contest, Miller broke new ground by updating his odds of a Trump or Harris victory every 10 minutes, so you could see the latest numbers posted on a continuously moving band resembling a stock ticker. 

Now, Miller’s updated his methodology to handicap the Senate elections. (The current ticker is on his site, called The Virtual Tout.) Miller’s calculated the percentage chance that all 35 seats in play will go blue or red virtually in real time. 

Once again, Miller started by using the betting odds. “I chose Kalshi and Polymarket because they have the biggest volumes,” he told me. The betting sites post “prices” that don’t translate directly into probabilities. Miller makes the statistical adjustments required to nail the probabilities inherent in the prices. Then, as Miller puts it, “the magic happens.” He runs the probabilities taken from the two betting sites through multiple time series analysis, identifying “underlying factors” that explain 80% to 90% of the changes in the probabilities. 

Miller thinks that the underlying factors are likely affected by what Donald Trump does. What POTUS says and does doesn’t move just one race, but all of them. “The states don’t move independently of one another,” he says. “If one moves up for Republicans, chances are they all move up for Republicans and vice versa. The entire market’s driven by what Trump does hour by hour. If voters like what Trump says, the Republican odds rise almost everywhere, when they dislike what he says, the Republican odds drop across the board.” 

Miller began posting what he calls “NowCasts” on October 22, but he started applying his methodology on September 19. And since then, the trend toward a Democrat sweep has intensified. On September 19, Miller’s forecast gave the Republicans an almost 36% chance of retaining control of the upper chamber. But as of 11:30 pm on October 23, that probability had fallen over 10 points to just 22.5%. Look at the ticker now and you’ll see that Democrats lead the odds in 18 of the 35 races to 17 for the Republicans. The Dems are looking strong in North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Alaska, and Maine, while holding firm seats in Michigan (68.6%), Georgia (94.9%).

If the current odds in all those states hold, the Democrats would win 18 out of 35 races and shift the majority from 53-47 for the Republicans to 52-48 for the Democrats.

Miller points out that the numbers are extremely volatile, and could shift big time by election day. Still, the momentum, by his forecast, strongly favors the Democrats. Since October 14 alone, the Dems odds of taking the majority has jumped from 71.5% to 77.6%.

None of this means that Miller’s forecast will prove the most accurate in the days to come. But it provides a highly interesting perspective, positing that as of now, the races aren’t nearly as close as shown by the polls. It also shows statically that it’s all about the POTUS, and that the Trump effect could be proving counterproductive for the GOP.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Israel and Greece conducted a joint naval exercise in the Mediterranean Sea this week, practicing a series of operational scenarios, including sinking an enemy vessel with missile fire, Walla learned on Saturday.

The exercise, attended by the commanders of both countries’ navies, highlights the growing military cooperation between Jerusalem and Athens and could also be interpreted as a signal to Ankara of their ability to operate together at sea.

Israeli Navy missile boats and vessels from several units of the Greek Navy participated in the exercise.

The drill was led by Israeli Navy Commander Vice Adm. Eyal Harel and his Greek counterpart, Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, with the participation of the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Gen. Dimitrios Choupis.

During the exercise, the naval units practiced a range of operational scenarios, including identifying and neutralizing maritime threats, sailing as a combined force, and sinking a hostile vessel using missile fire.

The two navies also practiced developing a shared maritime operational picture and improving coordination in defensive and offensive scenarios.

Greece, Turkey struggle in longstanding Mediterranean rivalry

The exercise comes amid the longstanding rivalry between Greece and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean, including disputes over maritime boundaries and territorial rights.

Although the IDF did not present the exercise as a message directed at Turkey, the joint offensive drill between Israel and Greece underscores their military capabilities and growing defense ties.

In December 2025, Israel, Greece, and Cyprus signed a trilateral military cooperation plan for 2026, covering joint exercises, training programs, working groups, and strategic military dialogue. The agreement was intended to deepen defense cooperation and strengthen regional security and stability.

The IDF described the exercise as a significant leap forward in military and naval cooperation between the two countries, aimed at strengthening joint readiness, addressing emerging threats, and preserving freedom of action and navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel, Greece, Cyprus discuss establishing joint rapid-response force

The growing partnership also follows discussions between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus about establishing a joint rapid-response force capable of operating on land, at sea, or in the air. The initiative, which was under preliminary consideration in December 2025, was intended to strengthen regional deterrence amid concerns about Turkey’s expanding military and strategic presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

“The joint exercise with the Greek Navy represents a significant component in deepening operational cooperation between the two navies. We are constantly working to strengthen the readiness of our forces and expand our capabilities to address emerging threats in the maritime domain,” Harel said.

“The strategic partnership with Greece is a significant force multiplier, strengthening our ability to operate together, both defensively and offensively, to safeguard security and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.”

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People of Israel chairman Ofer Winter said that he would not rule out joining a coalition with both Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that what mattered to him was bringing in the policies of the right wing, during an interview with N12 News on Saturday.

“I believe a broad government is needed here,” Winter explained. “I don’t rule anything out – working with Netanyahu, or with right-wing figures whom I respect – in order to steer policy. But for this to happen, there must be a broad right-wing government.”

Winter also claimed that 13% of voters wanted to vote for People of Israel, despite recent polling showing his party not crossing the electoral threshold.

“They’re afraid because a scare campaign has been enacted on them – ‘They won’t pass,'” Winter claimed. “There are hundreds of thousands of us here, hundreds of thousands who want to vote – don’t be afraid.”

Support for Netanyahu not unconditional, Winter says

Earlier this month, Winter said his support for Netanyahu was not unconditional in an interview with Channel 12’s “Meet the Press,” emphasizing that Netanyahu must abide by his party’s demands to keep that support.

“If not, then I’m telling you, Bibi can kiss my ass,” he said when asked how he would respond if Netanyahu did not do so. “I mean this seriously; I don’t work for a person.”

The demands listed by Winter include a decisive military outcome in Gaza, emigration from Gaza, the passing of a law requiring haredi (ultra-Orthodox) citizens to draft to the IDF, and a right-wing coalition that does not depend on United Torah Judaism’s Yitzhak Goldknopf for its 61st Knesset seat.

Aaron Glick contributed to this report.

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Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg on Sunday rejected a petition to block a discussion between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Commissioner Danny Levy, while stressing that Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have no authority to direct police on election integrity or preparations. The decision came two days before Tuesday’s Knesset election, after Netanyahu told Sohlberg that the planned discussion was a telephone briefing on security threats, rather than election integrity as earlier reports had described it.

Levy subsequently met with Netanyahu, with the heads of the police’s Operations Directorate and Intelligence Division also attending. “The police will do everything in their power to safeguard Israeli democracy,” Levy told Netanyahu, adding that officers were prepared to respond to terrorist incidents and maintain public order.

Bochrim BeYisrael subsequently asked Sohlberg to reconsider, citing a clarification submitted on Netanyahu’s behalf that the meeting would take place in person, rather than by telephone. The organization argued that this changed a premise underlying the decision and heightened concerns about election campaigning.

It sought an immediate order blocking the meeting or, alternatively, a requirement that it take place under Sohlberg’s oversight with all party leaders invited. The request also sought a full account from Levy of the meeting’s contents if it had already taken place.

Sohlberg said the prime minister and national security minister could meet with the commissioner about general public-order issues and ask him to present police preparations. But responsibility for administering the election and safeguarding its integrity rests with the Central Elections Committee and its chairman, he emphasized.

The petition was brought by the organization Bochrim BeYisrael, separately from Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party’s appeal earlier Sunday to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and Sohlberg to stop the meeting. Filed at 9:30 a.m., ahead of a discussion scheduled for 11 a.m., the petition argued that the meeting would violate prohibitions on interfering with elections and using public resources for election campaigning.

Sohlberg found insufficient evidence that holding a discussion between Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Levy would itself constitute interference with the election. He also explained that challenges to how public authorities exercise their official responsibilities generally do not provide grounds for a petition under the prohibition on using public resources for campaigning.

He nevertheless recorded Netanyahu’s assurance that the call would not address election preparations or election integrity, and said all those involved were expected to take particular care not to exceed their authority on election matters. Netanyahu argues call concerns ‘routine security preparations’In the response submitted on Netanyahu’s behalf by attorney Ilan Bombach, the prime minister argued that the call concerned routine security preparations against what the filing described as serious warnings of terrorist attempts to disrupt the election or influence its conduct.

The response said Netanyahu had held a security assessment on Thursday with the IDF chief of staff and the heads of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Mossad. Levy had not attended, it said, and the telephone briefing was intended to complete that discussion by obtaining an update on police preparations.

Netanyahu’s responsibility for national security did not diminish because an election was approaching, the filing argued. It also invited Sohlberg to send a committee representative to the discussion to observe its security focus.

Baharav-Miara, whose position was summarized in the decision, said police act in coordination with and under the direction of the elections committee chairman on election administration and public order during voting. Political leaders and candidates should not intervene in those matters, she said.

Sohlberg noted that he and the committee’s acting director-general were due to meet Levy that evening to discuss police preparations for the election and issue decisions and instructions as needed. The ruling followed criticism from Yashar, who warned that the planned meeting could undermine public confidence in the results.

The party argued that Netanyahu was himself a candidate and had no authority over the commissioner on election integrity. “The unusual meeting raises concern about an attempt to create a false impression that election integrity has been compromised, without any basis, in order to undermine public confidence in the results in advance,” the party said.

Ben-Gvir’s office defends Netanyahu-Levy meetingBen-Gvir’s office also defended the meeting, saying briefings on police election preparations were routine practice followed by previous ministers. Citing the state commission of inquiry into the Meron disaster, it argued that the minister had a duty to question police preparations, identify gaps and prevent loss of life.

A meeting between the prime minister, national security minister and police commissioner was “entirely routine and legitimate,” his office said.

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The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) informed the office of Democrats party chairman Yair Golan that, as of Sunday morning, two days before the election, his security will be provided under the responsibility of the Shin Bet and funded by the state.

The Democrats previously petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that Shin Bet Director David Zini assume responsibility for Golan’s security as part of the agency’s legal obligation to safeguard the democratic system of government and its institutions.

State representatives presented a security plan for Golan and pledged to update it in accordance with the latest threat assessments.

People of Israel chairman Ofer Winter will also receive security from the Shin Bet.

The decision follows a months-long battle to secure Shin Bet protection for political party leaders.

Eisenkot receives Shin Bet protection despite Zini’s initial rejection

On Saturday, Gadi Eisenkot’s party, Yashar, announced that he would also receive Shin Bet protection starting Sunday.

In August, Zini initially ruled that Eisenkot did not meet the requirements needed to qualify for the elite Unit 730 protection.

After reviewing updated intelligence and threat assessments on the Yashar party chairman in September, the Advisory Committee for Personal Security recommended that the Shin Bet oversee Eisenkot’s protection.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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Just two days before Israelis head to the polls, the four latest election surveys show a similar picture: Gadi Eisenkot‘s Yashar party leads Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, but neither of the two major political blocs has enough seats to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

With the election campaign entering its final stretch, the battle to cross Israel’s 3.25% electoral threshold could significantly affect the distribution of seats and the balance of power in the next Knesset.

A comparison of the four polls published over the weekend, along with their average results, shows that neither Netanyahu nor his political rivals currently has a clear path to forming a government.

Maariv poll: Ofer Winter fails to cross electoral threshold as Netanyahu bloc loses ground

According to the final Maariv poll before the election, the opposition’s change bloc has strengthened to 54 seats, compared with 48 for Netanyahu‘s bloc.

The shift comes as Ofer Winter’s People of Israel party fails to cross the electoral threshold, receiving 3% of the vote, just below the required 3.25%.

The poll also shows United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit losing one seat each, while Likud, Shas, and the Religious Zionist Party (RZP) each gain a seat. Overall, Netanyahu’s coalition bloc has lost three seats compared with the previous week’s poll.

Among the opposition parties, the most significant change is the rise of former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad party, which gains two seats to reach 15. The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, also gain one seat, bringing their total to 10.

Meanwhile, Eisenkot’s Yashar remains unchanged at 21 seats, and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu remains at eight.

The poll also finds that the joint Reservists Party and Economic Party led by former communications minister Yoaz Hendel and economist Yaron Zelekha narrowly crosses the electoral threshold, securing four seats.

Channel 13 poll: Eisenkot leads but lacks majority to form government

The Channel 13 election poll gives Netanyahu’s bloc 50 seats, compared with 54 for the opposition’s change bloc.

Eisenkot’s Yashar leads with 22 seats, followed by Netanyahu’s Likud with 19. Bennett‘s B’Yachad ranks third with 14 seats.

Ofer Winter’s People of Israel receives 3.1% of the vote, falling short of the electoral threshold. The joint Reservists Party and Economic Party receives 3%, while Moti Leitner’s Haredi Public Party receives 1.3%.

All three fall below the 3.25% threshold required to enter the Knesset.

KAN 11 poll: Winter fails to cross threshold as neither bloc secures majority

A poll published by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN 11 shows Eisenkot’s Yashar losing one seat but maintaining its lead with 22.

Netanyahu’s Likud also loses one seat, falling to 20, while Bennett’s B’Yachad gains two seats to reach 14.

The joint Reservists Party and Economic Party secures four seats.

Meanwhile, Winter’s People of Israel fails to cross the electoral threshold, along with the Haredi Public Party and the Noam Party.

The poll points to a further decline for Netanyahu’s bloc, which falls to 50 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc stands at 52.

The Arab parties gain one seat, bringing their combined total to 14, while the Hendel and Zelekha list holds four seats.

Under this distribution, neither of the two major blocs reaches the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority without additional support.

Channel 12 poll: Eisenkot narrowly leads Netanyahu as Hendel and Zelekha fail to enter Knesset

The Channel 12 poll puts Eisenkot’s Yashar first with 23 seats, followed by Netanyahu’s Likud with 21.

Bennett’s B’Yachad ranks third with 15 seats.

Three parties fail to cross the electoral threshold, according to the poll. The joint Hendel-Zelekha list gets 2.4% of the vote, while the Haredi Public Party gets just 0.5%.

Winter’s People of Israel drops to 2.5%, keeping it out of the Knesset.

The seat distribution among the political blocs highlights the difficulty Netanyahu faces in securing enough parliamentary support to form a government.

The coalition bloc holds 50 seats, compared with 56 for the opposition bloc, while the Arab parties win a combined 14 seats.

Neither bloc, therefore, reaches the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority without additional support.

Poll averages: Opposition bloc leads Netanyahu bloc by 4.5 seats

Ahead of the election for Israel’s 26th Knesset, the average of the four latest polls published by Channel 12, Channel 13, Channel 14, and Maariv shows Eisenkot’s Yashar holding a lead of just over two seats over Netanyahu’s Likud.

Across the four polls, Yashar averages 22 seats, compared with 19.75 for Likud.

Bennett’s B’Yachad follows with an average of 14.5 seats, ahead of Golan’s Democrats with 9.5 and Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu with eight.

The joint Reservists and Economic Party list crosses the electoral threshold in two of the four polls, securing four seats in each. Its estimated average support stands at 3.10%, just 0.15 percentage points below the 3.25% electoral threshold.

By contrast, Winter’s People of Israel fails to cross the threshold in all four polls, averaging 2.88% support.

Among the parties in Netanyahu’s coalition bloc, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit averages 7.75 seats, while Shas and United Torah Judaism each average 7.5. The joint RZP and Zehut list averages seven seats.

The Arab Joint List averages 9 seats, while the Ra’am party averages 5.5.

Across the four polls, the opposition parties average 54 seats, compared with 49.5 for Netanyahu’s bloc. The Arab parties average 14.5 seats combined.

The average gap between the two major blocs is 4.5 seats, and neither has reached the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.

This post was originally published on here.

Tesla’s newly unveiled Roadster is a reminder that America can still produce breakthroughs that capture the world’s imagination. The car can accelerate from zero-60 in less than a second and perform feats that once belonged in science fiction. 

The engineering is thrilling. Give Tesla an A for design innovation. The harder question is whether it can commercialize even the base Performance model. It includes the fan-powered suction system but none of the thrusters behind the Roadster’s headline-grabbing acceleration or airborne maneuvers. Or will Chinese manufacturers use their state-supported supply chains and generous R&D incentives to make comparable technology affordable first?

Chinese automakers are already gaining ground in Britain with vehicles that combine advanced technology and aggressive pricing. The Jaecoo 7, a Chinese-built SUV nicknamed the “Temu Range Rover,” became Britain’s best-selling new vehicle in September. Chinese brands captured nearly a quarter of the country’s new-car market that month. 

American ingenuity is not the problem. The challenge is converting it into affordable products at scale, something China has become remarkably effective at doing. The next auto race will be decided by which country can excel at both.  

Americans have been largely shielded from direct competition with Chinese automakers. The United States imposed a 100% Section 301 tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, effectively closing the market to them. The policy sought to prevent the heavily subsidized vehicles from undercutting domestic production. 

The rationale is understandable. American companies operating in a market economy cannot compete on equal terms with a state-directed industrial system. China spent years supporting battery production and vehicle manufacturing, giving its automakers advantages that tariffs are meant to counter.

Tariffs cannot build a better car

The problem is, protection alone cannot make an American factory more productive, lower the cost of a battery, or bring a better vehicle to market.

American automakers have learned this lesson once already.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese competitors won over American consumers with better fuel economy and higher quality. They also found more efficient ways to build cars. But American companies were slow to respond. One recent analysis estimates that the Big Three took between 10 and 15 years to catch up with Japanese advances in production efficiency. 

Policymakers recognized that American companies needed a stronger reason to invest in innovation. Congress responded in 1981 by creating the federal research and development tax credit amid concern about declining private-sector R&D spending and U.S. competitiveness. The same principle applies today. New discoveries matter only if companies have the incentive and capital to bring them to market. 

China enters this race with advantages spanning the battery supply chain and the factory floor. The International Energy Agency reports that China remains the world’s largest EV manufacturing hub. Vehicles shipped from China accounted for 40% of global electric-car exports in 2024. China also has a cost advantage. Battery pack prices fell globally in 2024, but the decline was steeper in China. The average Chinese battery pack price dropped by about 30%, compared with a 15% decline in the United States. 

Tariffs have kept much of that cost advantage from reaching American showrooms. But they haven’t closed the underlying price gap. 

That leaves the United States with a commercialization problem. Our research and engineering remain world-class, but our record of getting ideas to market and improving how products are made has been less stellar.

I saw the consequences of that gap while serving on the board of Polaroid, one of the most brilliant technology companies of its era. Its scientists understood the future of digital photography, but the company could not bring the right product to market. Others, including Japanese manufacturers, jumped in with both feet. Polaroid ended in bankruptcy. 

Brilliant technology does not guarantee commercial success. 

Back the companies willing to take risks

The United States needs an advanced manufacturing ecosystem that includes more than behemoths with access to capital markets and giant lines of credit. It must also include smaller, nimbler companies that take risks, develop intellectual property, and solve productions problems that larger manufacturers can then scale. 

Those smaller companies need better access to capital. Federal policy now allows businesses to deduct domestic research costs immediately, leaving more capital available for engineers, prototypes, and equipment. Some states, however, have chosen not to adopt the federal rule because of concerns about near-term revenue losses. That protects state budgets but leaves businesses within their borders with less money to invest.  

Policymakers should acknowledge that trade-off. Federal and state taxes can eat the seeds of innovation. I’m not arguing for no taxes, of course. But a dollar paid in tax cannot also finance an engineer’s salary or a new production line. 

China has deliberately used tax policy to encourage sustained research. Its R&D super-deduction differs from the American credit, so the headline percentages cannot be compared dollar for dollar. The broader lesson is clear: countries that reward research give manufacturers more reason to invest.

Research incentives are only part of the answer. New technology will not help if American factories cannot produce it efficiently. Automakers and their suppliers need incentives to invest in robotics and advanced equipment. Smaller suppliers deserve particular attention since they often lack the capital available to their largest customers. 

Companies also need dependable rules, because they cannot plan a battery plant or major factory upgrade around policies that may disappear. Government should set a clear course and let businesses decide which technologies make commercial sense.

Tesla’s new Roadster shows why that investment environment is essential. Making technology like this affordable will require advances across the automotive supply chain, including contributions from smaller manufacturers willing to take risks that larger companies may avoid.

Chinese automakers’ gains in Britain show how quickly consumers will consider a new competitor when the product delivers. American buyers will make the same judgment based on quality and value.

Protection may delay the competition, but it cannot determine the winner. America must become better at turning breakthrough ideas into products the world can afford.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune_._

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

The IDF was dispatched to an area near the village of Jalud in Area B of the West Bank on Saturday to evacuate Israeli citizens when a fire broke out at the scene, the military stated on Sunday. The circumstances of the fire are still under investigation, according to the military.

West Bank crossings closed during electionsEarly on Sunday, the IDF announced a “ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, as well as the closure of all land crossings” during Israel’s general elections on Tuesday. This comes amid a multi-day West Bank counterterrorism operation following a Hamas attack that killed two soldiers and left three others lightly wounded.

The military has said that the terrorists who carried out the attack have been killed. The IDF and the Shin Bet are investigating whether the two terrorists were part of a small self-contained cell or whether their vast ammunition shows that they were connected to a larger terror cell.

According to the IDF, some 40 suspects were apprehended over the weekend, including people affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and suspects involved in “incitement, public disorder, and rock-hurling. “Scheduled IDF training in West BankMeanwhile, the IDF engaged in planned training exercises in the West Bank for the Judea and Samaria Division to test operational readiness and alertness, the military announced on Sunday.

It also said it would increase the movement of security forces, aircraft, and vehicles.

This post was originally published on here.

Iran is planning to target United States diplomats and other officials in new assassination plots, according to two Iranian officials, including a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The officials told NYT that Americans were “fair game” due to Israel and the US having attacked and killed many Iranian officials, as well as some family members.

The Iranian officials also confirmed US intelligence reports that Iran was working to increase its ability to actually execute assassination plots against US officials and civilians.

US officials expressed concern Iran was in the “advanced stages” of planning these attacks, while Iran is also preparing for the possibility of an Israeli or US strike against it, kickstarting a new phase in the ongoing war between them.

One US official warned that evidence existed suggesting that Iranian operatives who are “not just simply Iranian nationals” were present in the US, but that these operatives often exaggerate their actual ability to conduct attacks when communicating with Iran.

US intelligence reveals Iran increasing efforts to target Americans

A US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday that US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio received an intelligence memorandum warning that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target American officials and citizens, with plots to carry out lethal attacks reaching advanced stages.

The confirmation came after Axios obtained an October 23 memorandum that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent to Rubio, with a copy to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

The intelligence chief warned that information concerning Iranian plots to target American government personnel was relevant to a wider group of individuals than those currently authorized to receive it.

Idan Kweller contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on here.

An indictment was filed on Thursday against Lior Saraf, 50, from Kfar Saba, for a severe assault on a female friend and the killing of her dog.

Saraf, who walked out into the street carrying a samurai sword while covered in blood, is accused of punching his friend repeatedly until she lost consciousness. Upon returning home and finding the dog licking her wounds, he threw a hammer at the dog and subsequently stabbed it to death with a kitchen knife.

The prosecution submitted the indictment to the Central District Court in Lod, requesting that Saraf be remanded in custody until the end of legal proceedings. Court documents indicate that after the assault and the killing of the dog, he washed the knife. During the course of events, he also showered to remove bloodstains from his body. His friend was left bleeding in the home without him calling for medical assistance.

The incident took place during the night between October 8 and October 9. According to the indictment, the friendship between Saraf and the complainant had been severed after a dispute and was renewed about a month earlier. That evening, around 10:00 PM, he arrived at her home, where he met her and another guest. About an hour later, the three traveled to his home in Kfar Saba, where Saraf and his friend used drugs and drank alcohol. The guest left after midnight, leaving the two alone.

Later, they entered the shower together. Afterward, the went to the bedroom and called for Saraf to join her. He initially refused, but after she called him again, he entered the room, approached her, and kissed her at her request. At that point, according to the indictment, he began punching her in the face repeatedly until she lost consciousness.

Saraf escapes from hospital, returns home to kill his own dog

Saraf then went to a storage room, retrieved a samurai sword, and walked out into the street. He went to another home in the neighborhood, placed the sword near the gate, and entered the yard, where three people were sitting and talking. They noticed the bloodstains on his body, face, and hands and offered to escort him to Meir Medical Center. Saraf agreed. However, upon arriving at the hospital entrance, he asked them to wait and said he would return immediately. Instead of entering, he fled. The three individuals alerted the police.

Around 3:45 AM, Saraf returned home. According to the indictment, his friend was bleeding and severely bruised, while his dog, a Siberian Husky, was licking her wounds. Saraf pulled a hammer from a drawer and threw it at the dog. The dog fled to another room. He then took a large kitchen knife, followed it, and stabbed the dog in the abdomen, killing it.

He then pulled the knife from her body and washed it in the kitchen sink. Documents describe how, during the events, he also showered to remove bloodstains from his body. He did not provide medical aid to his friend or call for help.

Around 4:00 AM, police officers arrived at the home following a call to the 100 emergency hotline. They found the injured woman and summoned Magen David Adom paramedics. She was evacuated to Meir Medical Center, suffering from multiple facial fractures, including a comminuted nasal fracture with a damaged septum, a fractured cheekbone, and additional fractures in the sinus area. She also suffered eye trauma and contusions across her face, neck, and arm. She required stitches and was hospitalized for three days.

The detention request details the various accounts Saraf provided during interrogations. Initially, he claimed his friend fell in the shower and that the dog attacked her. He later confessed to beating her and killing the dog. In one of his versions, he claimed God had revealed Himself to him and that he saw the complainant as a devil that he had to kill. Later, he claimed God instructed him not to kill her, but rather to offer a sacrifice like the binding of Isaac, which led him to stab the dog. In his third interrogation, he claimed he believed another person was present in the apartment and that his friend was planning to harm him.

Alongside the testimony of the complainant, the prosecution presented body camera footage from the responding officers, photographs of bloodstains in the home and of the dog’s body, and medical records documenting the woman’s injuries. Security camera footage from a neighboring home captured Saraf carrying the sword on his back. Neighbors reported seeing him stained with blood and later hearing screams and barking that ceased before police arrived. The municipal veterinary report confirmed that the dog died from an abdominal stab wound inflicted by a sharp object.

Police also seized 48.08 grams of cannabis and under two grams of hashish from the living room table. According to the indictment, Saraf possessed the drugs not for personal consumption.

The indictment, filed by attorney Neta Fonis-Elharar of the Central District Attorney’s Office, charges Saraf with aggravated assault, animal cruelty, obstruction of justice, possession of a knife, and drug possession not for personal consumption. He has been in custody since October 9.

In the request to detain him until the end of the proceedings, the prosecution cited the severe assault of his friend and the killing of the dog as evidence of his dangerousness. The prosecution added that it would not oppose referring him for a psychiatric evaluation.

Hammer, gasoline, a break-in and arson

In a separate incident, Daniel Azaria arrived at the business where his ex-girlfriend used to work, his face covered and carrying a hammer and a gallon of gasoline.

According to the indictment filed against him, he attempted to break the glass doors, poured gasoline near the entrance, and set the fire. As the flames caught, he fled to his home. Azaria, 35, from Rehovot, was arrested on October 7 and is charged with arson.

The incident occurred on September 3, 2026, at the offices of the Pandoor Doors company in Rishon LeZion. Azaria’s ex-girlfriend worked at the location between 2017 and 2022, but the reason why he chose to set fire to the business remains unknown to the prosecution, as noted in the indictment.

According to the charges, Azaria prepared in advance by equipping himself with a hammer and a gallon of gasoline. Around 1:00 AM, he left his parents’ home in Rehovot, where he was living at the time, and got into his vehicle. He drove to the business, parked nearby, and walked toward the entrance wearing a mask.

Footage obtained by Walla shows the events at the entrance to the business: Azaria striking the glass doors with a hammer and subsequently pouring fuel. According to the indictment, after attempting to break the doors, he set fire to the area where he had poured the gasoline. As the fire broke out, he left the scene and fled home.

A passerby who noticed the flames called the police. He alerted emergency crews, who arrived and helped extinguish the fire. Other businesses operate adjacent to the site. The fire activated the venue’s sprinkler system. According to the indictment, the fire caused minor damage to equipment and the business’s door. Additionally, the sprinklers that were activated following the arson required replacement.

This post was originally published on here.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Governor Ron DeSantis was waiting on the tarmac when Air Force One touched down at Southwest Florida International Airport on Friday, and he greeted President Trump with a gift built to go viral: a gold challenge coin engraved with an image of Trump raising a middle finger, stamped with an expletive-laced message to the president’s would-be assassins: “You missed.”

Trump showed the coin to reporters after receiving it, ahead of his Friday afternoon rally in Fort Myers. The full inscription renders the taunt with a profanity, widely read as addressed to the gunmen behind the attempts on Trump’s life, most notably the near-miss at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 campaign.

The gesture lands on top of one of the more layered relationships in Republican politics. Trump endorsed DeSantis’s first run for governor in 2018, then turned him into “Ron DeSanctimonious” when DeSantis challenged him for the 2024 nomination, a race that ended early with DeSantis dropping out and endorsing Trump. The two have since repaired ties in public, though DeSantis has broken with the White House on issues including AI regulation, and Trump moved quickly this year to endorse Rep. Byron Donalds to succeed the term-limited governor, a blow to chatter that DeSantis and his wife Casey had weighed a run for her.

Friday’s coin cuts the other way: a very public display of camaraderie, in Trump’s own style of humor, from a governor who needs the president’s voters more than the president needs him. For Donalds, the frontrunner in the Republican primary, the images of a smiling Trump and DeSantis on the tarmac are a reminder that in Florida politics, relationships with this president are never quite settled.

The moment also gives the president a rally-ready prop at a useful time, projecting defiance and survival to a friendly crowd as the midterm season heats up. Expect the coin to show up again.

JBizNews Desk | Fort Myers, Fla.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Russia has agreed to extend the humanitarian ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump in the occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky by two days and to widen it across a broader area of the Kherson region, her senior advisor revealed, giving the first inside account of how she brought Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the same table.

Marc Beckman, an exclusive senior advisor to the first lady, said in a weekend television interview that the agreement followed weeks of quiet mediation with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. “Yesterday, she brokered, single-handedly brokered, a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine within the area of Oleshky,” Beckman said. “We have to look, as Americans, at our first lady with immense pride. She is completely revamping the role of first lady from somebody building policy awareness into action-oriented. She’s saving lives.”

Under the agreement, both nations will halt all military action in Oleshky starting October 29 so emergency food, water and medical supplies can enter the city and elderly residents can leave through a designated safe passageway. Non-military civilian teams from both countries will visit residents in their homes to assess what help they need, and those who choose to evacuate will receive coordinated transportation to their preferred destination, whether in Russia or Ukraine. An impartial American media organization will accompany and document the teams on the ground so that each family’s wishes are respected, according to the White House.

The channel that made the deal possible was built through an earlier mission. Since August 2025, the first lady has helped negotiate six separate exchanges that returned 34 Ukrainian and Russian children to their families. “She was smart enough to realize that by leveraging the relationships, the strong relationships that she fostered over six unique moments in time for the reunification of Ukrainian and Russian children, by leveraging those relationships, she was able to bring everybody to the table and negotiate this ceasefire,” Beckman said.

Oleshky sits on the front line directly across the Dnipro River from Kherson. Roughly 24,000 people lived there before the war; an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 remain, mostly older residents unable to leave, along with about 50 children. Some 90 percent of the city’s territory flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. “The situation in Oleshky is dire,” the first lady said. “The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”

The city’s plight first reached her during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future Together event in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. She and her representative immediately opened the communication channel built through the child reunifications, and both nations assigned teams that have worked around the clock since, including on demining the corridors. Pope Leo XIV also spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy by phone to press for the humanitarian truce.

President Donald Trump praised his wife’s work. “I think she’s done a great job,” he said. “I mean, she’s into saving babies and bringing babies back home to their parents, and she’s been able to do something that’s great.”

The Oleshky pause is one of the few functioning points of contact between Moscow and Kyiv in a war now stretching toward its fifth year. If the corridor holds and the expansion across Kherson takes effect, it becomes a working template for localized humanitarian truces elsewhere along the front, and it leaves Washington with a proven back channel to both capitals that formal diplomacy has struggled to build.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Even as automated vehicles such as robotaxis grow more prevalent in the U.S., almost every mass transit system still requires a driver or operator on board. Two major cities are seeking to change that.

Officials in Washington, D.C., recently advanced a plan that could let computers fully control one of its subways, and Los Angeles is seeking to build a new, completely automated line. Honolulu already has one.

The Washington and LA projects, which would take years to implement and still face financial and technical hurdles, come amid an already fierce debate over the safety risks and benefits of automated trains and whether the substantial upfront expense is worth the long-term savings in labor costs.

Supporters call the push long overdue, pointing out that American cities lag far behind numerous places across the world that run unattended subways, metros or buses, including several cities in Europe and Asia, as well as major systems in Canada, Australia, South America and the Middle East.

“It should be much harder to automate something that’s on-road, that has all of these various obstacles coming at it, compared to a fixed-rail system,” said Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank that has advocated for transit automation. “I don’t know a nice way to say this, but basically the transit world is where innovation goes to die.”

Wide-scale transit automation has been slow to develop in the US

Only in recent years have on-road vehicles from such companies as Waymo,Tesla and Zoox taken the automation lead in the U.S. ahead of transit systems using a track. In fact, although operators have always been part of the Metro subway system in Washington, D.C., trains ran with some automated features when it opened 50 years ago. After a 2009 fatal crash, those were turned off, then restored over the past two years.

Now, officials in the nation’s capital have renewed their push for automation on Metro’s Red Line. And an environmental review is underway in Los Angeles for an automated track for a new underground line of its heavy-rail system that would cut through the rough terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Honolulu is already running an elevated driverless line — the most expansive automated transit system in the U.S. It’ll stretch 19 miles when completed, surpassing the elevated driverless trains Detroit and Miami opened as pilot projects in the 1980s, a monorail connecting hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, and smaller systems that carry passengers between airport terminals.

An automated monorail that once ran in Memphis, Tennessee, closed down years ago. And the driverless Jacksonville Skyway will indefinitely halt operations soon due to budget cuts, despite initial plans for an even larger automated system.

Crash slams the brakes on automation efforts

After nine people were killed and many others injured in the 2009 train collision near the Fort Totten station on the D.C. Red Line, the National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on a maintenance problem in the automated signaling system that separates trains from one another.

Randy Clarke, CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, pointed out in an interview with The Associated Press that the issue in Fort Totten had nothing to do with the cruise control-like system that was restored on the Red Line in 2024 and the other Metro lines last year. Still, he acknowledged that for many years the crash “paralyzed” Metro’s plans for further automation.

“That was a big failure, there’s no question. We do not do anything like that now,” said Clarke, who called the current system “highly regulated, highly documented, very proficient.”

Trains could conceivably run without a human worker inside the cab as early as 2033 under the nearly $1 billion plan Metro’s Board of Directors backed in April to upgrade the Red Line with safety features including protective barriers that prevent passengers from getting onto the tracks.

Clarke said that even if workers aren’t needed to physically run the trains, they will be needed to maintain the tracks and respond to emergencies.

Unions have been critics of automation. John Samuelsen, a former worker in the New York subway system who now serves as international president of the Transport Workers Union, said unions have fought off automation efforts in New York and elsewhere, calling them “a catastrophe waiting to happen.”

“Passengers will be left dealing with a self-evacuation, which is a disaster in a system which runs on a third rail,” Samuelsen said.

Honolulu touts unblemished record with its automated Skyline

To alleviate massive traffic bottlenecks for commuters, Honolulu opened its Skyline automated light metro transit system three years ago and expanded it last year.

Vance Tsuda, the system’s project director, said there hasn’t been a single crash or injury associated with automation. Even hybrid systems are less safe than a completely automated one, he said, arguing that a human is far more likely to overlook something like an open door and prematurely clear a train for departure.

“If you have somebody making that decision, they could make a wrong decision,” Tsuda said.

But David King, an associate professor of urban planning at Arizona State University who has researched automated transportation, said the success rate has to remain perfect to keep the public trust. That’s why the Fort Totten crash and others involving automation put the technology so far behind, he said.

“We allow a certain amount of failure with private industry that we don’t tolerate when the state does it,” said King, citing the several rockets blown up by Elon Musk’s SpaceX — a record he argues would cripple NASA’s budget if it happened in the public sector.

LA rolls out safety plans for a subway beneath the mountains

Perhaps the most ambitious transit automation effort being pursued in the U.S. is the subway line Los Angeles officials voted to recommend beneath the Santa Monica Mountains. The area is one of the most notorious traffic headaches in the country, with the mountains dividing the bustling Westside employment hub from the San Fernando Valley.

There’s already a subway system under the same mountain range near Hollywood, but that one has a driver onboard. The new proposal, which is undergoing an environmental review, would use shorter, more frequent trains, said Cecily Way, who oversees planning for the Sepulveda Project for LA Metro.

Like the project in Washington, the new line in Los Angeles would feature station doors to protect passengers on the platform from oncoming trains.

Feigenbaum with the Reason Foundation said that automation of a major transit line such as in Los Angeles or Washington could open the floodgates for other cities to follow.

“It sends a signal that this is technologically doable and this is something that maybe other systems are going to want to strive for,” he said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Raising a child has long been called priceless. The bill, though, is getting harder to ignore.

The cost of raising a child through age 18 in the U.S. now stands at $303,418, according to LendingTree’s latest annual analysis—the first time the estimate has topped $300,000 since the company began tracking it in 2023. That works out to about $16,857 a year, up 1.9% from $297,674 in the prior year’s report. Over a longer stretch, the climb is steeper: The 18-year total is up 27.8% from LendingTree’s first report.

The latest figures, released in April and based mostly on 2024 data, actually reflect a slowdown from earlier jumps. Housing was the biggest driver this time: The extra rent households with children pay compared with households without them rose 48.9%, to $1,680 a year. Infant day care, meanwhile, fell 3.2%, to $17,264 a year—the only category to drop by more than a fraction of a percentage point. Still, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz told Fortune that inflation is “just taking a toll, clearly, on people.”

The estimate models a married, two-earner couple with one child earning the national median family income of $99,999. It counts rent, food, infant day care, clothing, transportation, and health insurance premiums, minus tax exemptions and credits. It doesn’t include college, extracurriculars, or other extras, and the figures aren’t adjusted for inflation.

Where you live can swing the bill by $210,000

Hawaii is the most expensive state to raise a child by a wide margin, with a projected 18-year cost of $412,661—nearly $50,000 more than second-place Alaska ($365,047). Families in six states face totals above $300,000: Hawaii, Alaska, Maryland, California, New Jersey, and Kansas.

At the other end, projected costs in New Hampshire ($201,963), the District of Columbia ($202,115), and South Carolina ($204,213) are less than half of Hawaii’s.

Some states moved sharply in a single year. Projected 18-year costs in Kansas and Alaska each rose 23.5%, and Montana’s climbed 21.7%. New Hampshire saw the steepest drop, down 29.3%, followed by North Dakota, down 20.3%.

The first five years cost the most

The early years are by far the priciest, largely because LendingTree counts day care only for a child’s first five years. Families spend an estimated $29,325 a year during that stretch, compared with $12,061 a year for the following 13. The early-years figure dipped 0.3% from last year’s report but is up 35.3% from LendingTree’s 2023 analysis.

On average, those early-years costs eat up 21.9% of family income, ranging from 13.9% in D.C. to 27.4% in Hawaii. In 22 states, parents should expect to spend at least 20% of their income raising a small child.

The annual cost of raising a young child rose in 39 states and D.C. from last year’s report, including 14 states where it climbed at least 10%. The biggest increases came in Nebraska (27.4%), Montana (24.5%), Maine (24.4%), and Wisconsin (23.3%), mostly sparsely populated states. Costs fell in 11 states, led by New Hampshire, down 19.5%.

The squeeze is shaping family decisions. In a separate LendingTree survey, 4 in 5 parents said child-rearing costs are rising, and 2 in 5 said finances are limiting how many kids they have.

Why Massachusetts and D.C. look cheap over 18 years

The rankings hold some surprises. Massachusetts ranks third for the annual cost of raising a small child but 18th over 18 years. D.C. ranks ninth for a small child but 50th over 18 years.

In both places, LendingTree’s data show that households with children actually pay less in rent than those without—about $684 less a year in Massachusetts and $4,140 less in D.C. Day care in both is among the most expensive in the country. But once those bills stop after age 5, the lower rent pulls the long-run totals down sharply.

The South is cheapest for young kids

For families with young children, annual costs are lowest across much of the South. Mississippi ($17,148) and Alabama ($18,019) rank as the least expensive states, followed by South Dakota ($18,622)—the only non-Southern state among the seven cheapest. All three have infant day care costs below $10,000 a year.

New Mexico ranks 45th over 18 years at $218,588. Those figures largely predate the state’s move to universal free child care, which began in November 2025 and is funded by an oil and gas windfall.

Among the four most populous states, California is fourth-most expensive over 18 years at $312,300. Florida ($280,280) and New York ($278,051) rank 14th and 15th, while Texas comes in 39th at $229,891. Florida saw the biggest jump of the four, at 10.3%.

The full state-by-state breakdown

States are ranked by estimated 18-year cost, with the annual cost for a child’s first five years alongside.

Rank

State

18-year cost

Annual cost, first 5 years

1

Hawaii

$412,661

$40,342

2

Alaska

$365,047

$29,024

3

Maryland

$326,360

$36,419

4

California

$312,300

$33,692

5

New Jersey

$312,295

$31,948

6

Kansas

$303,250

$27,793

7

Washington

$297,341

$31,937

8

Arizona

$294,982

$27,917

9

Nebraska

$294,926

$29,491

10

Montana

$293,926

$27,220

11

Connecticut

$293,728

$29,674

12

Maine

$289,573

$27,448

13

Colorado

$285,293

$31,000

14

Florida

$280,280

$24,968

15

New York

$278,051

$30,209

16

Idaho

$278,023

$23,107

17

Utah

$276,509

$25,588

18

Massachusetts

$273,981

$34,247

19

Virginia

$266,117

$26,915

20

Indiana

$264,147

$26,576

21

Minnesota

$262,330

$29,322

22

Wyoming

$262,014

$23,789

23

Missouri

$261,380

$24,473

24

North Dakota

$259,123

$23,278

25

Oregon

$257,569

$28,393

26

West Virginia

$254,005

$21,651

27

Wisconsin

$253,332

$27,047

28

Pennsylvania

$249,441

$24,626

29

North Carolina

$247,998

$22,712

30

Rhode Island

$245,738

$27,003

31

Nevada

$244,944

$22,751

32

Illinois

$244,826

$27,906

33

Louisiana

$242,450

$21,303

34

Oklahoma

$241,405

$21,218

35

Delaware

$235,920

$25,108

36

Tennessee

$235,164

$22,545

37

Michigan

$233,218

$22,673

38

Kentucky

$232,131

$22,097

39

Texas

$229,891

$20,968

40

Vermont

$229,428

$26,259

41

Arkansas

$226,354

$19,204

42

Ohio

$224,228

$22,409

43

South Dakota

$222,976

$18,622

44

Georgia

$222,713

$20,365

45

New Mexico

$218,588

$21,909

46

Iowa

$215,443

$21,137

47

Alabama

$212,121

$18,019

48

Mississippi

$208,621

$17,148

49

South Carolina

$204,213

$18,910

50

District of Columbia

$202,115

$30,146

51

New Hampshire

$201,963

$22,805

Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, MIT Living Wage Calculator, Child Care Aware of America, Care.com, KFF, Tax Foundation, and IRS data. Figures assume a married, two-earner couple with one child earning $99,999 and are not adjusted for inflation.

How parents can prepare

LendingTree advises would-be parents to start a dedicated savings fund early, even years before a child arrives, and to park it in a high-yield savings account so interest can compound. Once a baby is on the way, it recommends asking HR about parental benefits and using a dependent care flexible spending account to pay for child care with pretax dollars. Parents should also make sure they claim every tax credit they qualify for. LendingTree’s model values the federal child tax credit at $2,200 per child, up from $2,000.

Paying down high-interest debt frees up more room in the budget. For everyday items, consignment shops, clearance racks, and hand-me-downs from friends and relatives can cut costs. Some families are going further: Multigenerational setups like backyard “granny pods” are gaining ground as grandparents step in to help with child care.

For more, read Fortune’s coverage of child care costs.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Thousands of mostly young demonstrators marched through Milan, Rome, Turin and a string of other Italian cities on Saturday in a new wave of protests over the rising cost of living, low wages and government military spending, one week after clashes and looting shook the country. Authorities answered with an exceptional security deployment, sending 500 additional soldiers into Milan and locking down luxury shopping districts in the capital.

The day stayed largely peaceful in Milan, where a march of more than 10,000 people, joined along the way by a separate pro-Palestinian procession, ended outside the Polytechnic University in the evening. But there were brief clashes in Rome, Turin, Bologna and Florence. In Rome, demonstrators confronted a police cordon near Largo di Santa Susanna, throwing bottles and setting off firecrackers; police answered with water cannons and tear gas, and a small group briefly entered the Colosseum before being removed. In Turin, marchers threw stones, bottles and smoke bombs at officers who blocked routes toward the city center. Barricades went up and garbage bins were set alight in Bologna, while in Padua police used water cannons to stop about 40 protesters from occupying the train station.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had warned there would be “no safe havens” for rioters hiding behind balaclavas. By Saturday night, the national public security department said 9 people had been arrested, 87 formally reported to prosecutors, 371 taken to police stations, 110 of them minors and 69 foreign nationals, and 4,292 identified nationwide. Milan alone accounted for 2,885 identifications and 167 preventive detentions.

Police also carried out more than 150 searches in Milan, Monza and around 20 other cities on Saturday morning as part of investigations into last weekend’s violence. Youssef Siher, a 30-year-old freelance journalist identified as one of the organizers of the self-styled “October 17 Movement” that has driven the protests, was taken in for questioning and later detained on suspicion of incitement to commit crimes. The movement had called for “surprise squares” in eight cities, saying locations would be revealed only half an hour before the start; the arrest appeared to disrupt that plan.

The economic anger behind the marches was on display in Milan’s fashion district, where luxury boutiques including Omega, Tiffany and Gucci boarded up their windows and the Apple store stayed closed all day, a week after rioters smashed into shops selling sneakers, athletic wear and sporting goods near the Duomo. Protesters dumped manure outside Italy’s energy regulator and burned a symbolic oversized electricity bill. Most shops reopened by late afternoon, and Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, had urged businesses to keep their doors open, saying that if panic spreads, everything stops.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government announced tougher penalties for minors, who police said made up a large share of last week’s violent protesters. About 2,000 very young demonstrators were involved in the Oct. 17-18 unrest in Milan, where police arrested 45 people, 34 of them minors, and investigators say this week’s mobilization was coordinated in online groups.

The Italian demonstrations were part of a broader day of protest across Europe, with large marches also reported in Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana. In the Albanian capital, riot police used water cannons on crowds that set government buildings on fire, with some 2,500 officers on the streets. Students there are demanding lower tuition fees and protesting corruption in education, and some have joined calls for Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.

For retailers heading into the crucial pre-Christmas season, a second straight Saturday of boarded storefronts and precautionary closures in one of Europe’s premier shopping districts shows how quickly cost-of-living anger is turning into lost business across the continent. All eyes now turn to whether the October 17 Movement can regroup after the detention of its alleged organizer, and whether Meloni’s tougher penalties calm the streets or fuel the next round of marches.

JBizNews Desk | Milan

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

US President Donald Trump has been telling voters to view the midterm elections as if he were on the ballot, and on Saturday one of his Democratic predecessors did just that.

Ten days out from the elections that will determine control of the closely divided Congress, Barack Obama took to the campaign trail to accuse the Republican president of corruption, deride his strategy for Iran and skewer the gilded esthetic he has applied to White House renovations.

Obama stumped for Democratic candidates at rallies in Cleveland and Detroit, lampooning the Trump administration. Campaigning in Michigan for US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Obama framed the November 3 vote as a “circuit breaker” to “at least rein in some of the foolishness” of Trump’s presidency.

“We got to flip that circuit breaker, bring some accountability to this government,” Obama said.

Obama, president from 2009 until Trump began his first term in 2017, remains one of the most popular figures among Democrats. They hope that bringing him into the race can fire up their supporters for a tight US Senate race in which El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former US representative.

Obama plays to common Democrat gripes with Trump, Republicans

The former president obliged the Michigan crowd by playing to Democrats’ frequently repeated criticisms of Trump and of Republicans’ willingness to go along with him.

“We have never seen a president excel in straight-up grifting, on your dime, like this,” Obama said. “Never seen a president so intent on selling favors like this… Now the party seems to stand for corrupt government, or inept government, or no government.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in August found that 63% of Americans think the president and his family have inappropriately profited from cryptocurrency since he returned to the White House last year and that 69% believe his policy decisions are influenced by his private business dealings.

Obama ridicules administration on Iran

Obama also ridiculed the administration’s claims of victory against Iran. He argued that the war has given Iran more economic leverage because its threats to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have unsettled oil exporters.

“Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to get to the world,” Obama said.

The former president also accused the Trump administration of emphasizing unimportant matters, sarcastically calling Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth someone “laser-focused on important matters like the jawline and testosterone levels of our troops” and ridiculing White House renovations as tacky.

“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama said.

This post was originally published on here.

Artificial intelligence needs as little as three seconds of you speaking to produce a convincing clone of your voice. In tests by cybersecurity firm McAfee, a three-second clip was enough to generate a clone with an 85% match to the original speaker.

That technology is increasingly showing up in scams. An estimated 15 million American adults were scammed out of money in 2025, losing roughly $68 billion, according to a survey by Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance. The full report says 12% of the scams reported in the survey involved AI or a deepfake. That figure may undercount the problem, since victims don’t always realize AI was used.

Scammers can lift voice samples from videos people casually post on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They then use the clones to convince family members that a loved one is in danger, and talk them out of thousands of dollars in the process.

And it’s easy to fall for it.

Five hours on the phone

Deborah Del Mastro, a mother in Martinez, Calif., received a call from an unknown number one morning in May. The man on the line claimed a Mexican drug cartel had kidnapped her 37-year-old daughter. Then he played what sounded like her daughter crying for help.

“It was my daughter’s voice having an absolute panic attack, scared, telling me ‘I love you, mom, I’m so sorry, I’m so scared’ and then they just cut it off,” Del Mastro told ABC7 News.

“The guy is barking orders, ‘don’t speak,’ ‘is there someone there with you?’ ‘Don’t speak,’ ‘go and get dressed and get out’ ‘do this now, it has to happen now,’” she said.

Believing her daughter’s life was on the line, Del Mastro followed the caller’s instructions for five hours. She wired $5,400 to Mexico from multiple locations and was eventually told her daughter would be released at a grocery store. When she got there and couldn’t find her, she called her daughter directly. Her daughter had been at work the entire time.

Martinez police are investigating, but Del Mastro told ABC7 she doesn’t expect to get the money back.

Why a familiar voice lowers your guard

Kimberly Hyun is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business who studies how a person’s voice shapes persuasion and consumer choice. She tells Fortune these scams work because of how the brain processes sound.

Her research finds that when a voice’s timbre resembles someone we know, we tend to drop our defenses and become more inclined to believe what we’re hearing.

A family member’s voice “can actually trick you through trust,” Hyun explains.

Professionals get fooled, too

It’s not just older people falling for these scams. Gallup found no difference in scam victimization rates by age, and experienced professionals have been duped as well.

In 2024, a finance worker at a multinational firm in Hong Kong was tricked into paying out HK$200 million, or about $25.6 million, according to Hong Kong police. The fraudsters used deepfakes to pose as the company’s chief financial officer on a video call. The worker had initially suspected a phishing attempt, but put his doubts aside because the other people on the call looked and sounded like colleagues he recognized. All of them were fakes. The company was later identified as British engineering firm Arup.

Cloning tools are often just a checkbox away

The tools behind these scams aren’t hard to find. In March 2025, Consumer Reports published an assessment of six popular AI voice cloning products. It found that four of them, ElevenLabs, Speechify, PlayHT and Lovo, let researchers easily clone a voice from publicly available audio.

Those four companies used no technical mechanism to confirm the speaker’s consent. Users only had to check a box attesting they had the legal right to clone the voice. The other two, Descript and Resemble AI, had taken steps to make nonconsensual cloning harder.

“Our assessment shows that there are basic steps companies can take to make it harder to clone someone’s voice without their knowledge—but some companies aren’t taking them,” said Grace Gedye, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports.

Fortune has reported on scammers using voice-cloning tools to impersonate relatives since 2023. Researchers warn the fakes are only getting harder to spot: one deepfake researcher wrote that voice cloning has now crossed the “indistinguishable threshold.”

How to protect yourself and your family

Because a familiar voice is no longer proof of identity, you need a second way to confirm it’s really your loved one. Hyun’s solution is to agree on a code word that only the two of you know.

“You really need to create a safe code with your loved ones. Make sure that they’re real,” Hyun said.

Otherwise, stick to the usual rules. Be wary of calls from unknown numbers. If someone calls claiming a family member is in trouble, don’t stay on the line. “You just need to hang up and just call your family member again,” Hyun advises.

If you’re targeted, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Only 13% of scams in the Gallup survey were reported to the FTC or federal law enforcement.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

President Donald Trump announced a massive $4.2 billion investment by German automaker Audi during a campaign rally in Georgia on Saturday, touting plans for a new manufacturing plant that he said would produce 200,000 vehicles annually.

Speaking during a campaign event in Perry, Trump said construction on the new plant could begin as early as next month.

“Today I’m thrilled to announce a massive auto manufacturing investment in the great state of Georgia by a fantastic company,” Trump said. “Audi has just committed to invest $4.2 billion in nearby Macon, Georgia to begin the construction next month on a massive plant that will produce 200,000 cars a year.”

“That’s incredible,” Trump continued, before describing the investment as a historic milestone for the American auto industry.

“This will be the single largest investment in U.S. auto industry history, modern history,” he said.

The facility, Audi’s first U.S. manufacturing plant, is expected to create approximately 4,500 jobs and produce premium SUVs for the North American market, according to Georgia officials.

The president also touted what he described as $40 billion in broader auto industry investments that he said would create 30,000 jobs.

Trump credited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with helping secure the deal and invited Audi executives to join him onstage, including Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and Audi North America President Vito Paladino.

Döllner thanked the president for his support, saying the investment would have a significant impact.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Audi, for the Audi team and for America,” Döllner said.

“We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs and produce them here in Macon, Georgia,” he continued. “This is a long-term investment because we believe in the American market.”

The automaker’s investment was the latest initiative Trump unveiled during a series of recent campaign appearances.

On Friday, Trump announced a new $275 million initiative during a rally in Florida to recruit and retain nurses in nursing homes.

FOX Business’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States could launch another military strike against Iran as soon as Sunday, or instead reach what he called a “big, beautiful” agreement with Tehran, leaving two sharply different outcomes on the table in a standoff that has kept global energy markets on edge.

“We’re thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow,” Trump told reporters when asked how close Washington was to a decision. He framed the choice as Iran’s to make, saying the United States wins either way, and brushed off a question about timing: “Do you really think I’m going to tell you?”

The remarks came only days after Trump said on social media that he would not strike Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections, and they land as Tehran issues its own threats. Iranian officials have warned that any new attack would bring retaliation against energy and civilian targets across the region and a further escalation of the country’s nuclear program.

Iran sent conflicting signals of its own on Saturday. Tehran’s envoy to Pakistan said Iran had offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, but a source quoted by media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards rejected any such offer within hours.

The economic stakes run through a narrow channel of water between Iran and Oman. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and traders have treated every exchange between Washington and Tehran as a live pricing event. A strike, or any disruption to shipping through the strait, would be expected to move energy prices as soon as Asian markets open Monday morning local time.

For now, both doors remain open: a deal Trump says could be reached quickly, or a renewed strike on Iran, possibly within hours.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Tehran is threatening to respond to a renewed US and Israeli air campaign with strikes on an expanded list of targets, including civilian infrastructure, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The warnings, issued publicly and over diplomatic communications, said that Iran would attack not only American bases and warships, but also natural energy infrastructure, natural gas pipelines, airports, and other civilian targets in the Persian Gulf region.

Tehran has also threatened to utilize a new array of weapons, including nuclear bombs.

According to Iran International, a media outlet opposed to the regime, the head of the Iranian parliament’s International Affairs Committee, Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, asked “The Islamic Republic’s authorities, in defense of the country and for the purpose of deterrence, to permit the use of deterrent weapons, including nuclear weapons, in the event of a US attack on Iran.” 

Jokar called for the suspension of Iran’s cooperation with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the event of an attack by the United States, according to Iran International. 

He said that countries hosting the US in their territories or airspace would face a “harsh response” and “pay a heavy price.”

Iran maintains stockpile of hundreds of thousands of missiles, drones

Analysts, according to the WSJ, estimate Iran to hold hundreds of thousands of ballistic missiles, having resumed production in underground facilities.

Iran is apparently leveraging its stockpile of missiles and drones – which remains at significant levels even after Operation Roaring Lion, Operation Epic Fury, and the succeeding blockade on the country – in an effort to deter an attack.

In the most recent bout with Iran, significant damage was inflicted on US air bases, embassies, and fleets throughout the region. Energy and industrial facilities in the UAE, as well as gas plants and airports in Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, and Bahrain were also hit.

Tehran aims to cause even more pain in the case of a renewed campaign, especially at a time when interceptor missile stockpiles are under pressure in Israel and in US-aligned nations in the Gulf, following a suspended period of hostilities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote an op-ed in the Financial Times, warning that new attacks “will put civilian lives and the well-being of all regional states and the global economy at great risk.”

Despite the fact that a major portion of Iran’s weapons stockpiles and defensive capabilities were degraded in the recent operations (the Pentagon said that up to 90% of drones, missiles, and naval industry was destroyed), analysts told the WSJ that Iran is more than willing to expand its retaliatory efforts.

IRGC runs risk of overextending in retaliatory efforts

“The consensus in Tehran now believes that deterrence requires imposing immediate, sustained and substantial costs on its adversaries,” said Sina Toossi, an Iran expert at the Center for International Policy.

“Iran runs the risk of overreaching if it tries to make good on all its threats,” an expert on the Revolutionary Guard, Saeid Golkarat, told the WSJ. The country needs to carefully manage its shrinking stockpile of missiles, he assessed.

“They certainly have the capability to inflict major damage to the region’s energy and internet infrastructure,” said Washington Institute senior fellow Farzin Nadimi. “But if Iranians do that, they’ll most likely lose their own in reciprocal attacks.”

Negotiations have been deadlocked for months, and US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Iran that failure to come to an agreement could result in the US attacking Iran after midterm elections in early November.

Israel, too, has stepped up its preparations for potential strikes against the Islamic regime in recent weeks, with conflicting reports saying that the IDF was planning to strike Iran on October 10 before being reeled in by US President Donald Trump.

This post was originally published on here.

Israeli-Arab social media entrepreneur Nuseir Yassin, of the viral vlog “Nas Daily,” said he believes “anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism” and stressed his commitment to overturning “misguided hate” against Jews, at a conference devoted to the subject this week. 

Yassin, 34, was speaking with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on the sidelines of the conference, hosted by the David Merage Foundation for Confronting Antisemitism. A self-described “village boy” from the Lower Galilee town of Arraba in Israel, he achieved massive success through viral short-form videos that attracted viewers from all over the world. Today he boasts more than 68 million followers across numerous social networks. 

Yassin is a Muslim of Palestinian origin, although he said he is not religious. Asked why it was important for a non-Jewish person to participate in a conference about combatting antisemitism, Yassin equated this battle to fighting for his family, noting that “the success of Israel and the Jewish people is also my success as an Israeli citizen.”

‘I’m not a fan of many governments’

“I’m not a fan of the Israeli government, and I’m not here to defend it, just like I’m not a fan of many governments,” Yassin noted, but he asserted that the reaction to the government “is absolutely fueled by antisemitism.” 

“I do believe anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism,” he added. 

He said he views Zionism as “the most vanilla thing in the world – a group of people wanting a place to live,” and has therefore concluded that Israel’s detractors “just really don’t like Jews.”

Yassin, who first broke through in 2016, has become increasingly outspoken in recent years about his combined Israeli and Palestinian identity. During the conference, he recalled that he grew up labeling himself Arab-Israeli. After the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, he started listing Israeli first and Palestinian second.   

‘A lot of Israeli culture is inside me’

“I could not relate to the extremism that I saw, and I wanted to distance myself from it without erasing my identity connected to it,” Yassin said. “I’m not just Israeli because I think it removes a little bit of spice, but I’m also not just Palestinian anymore.”

“A lot of Israeli culture is inside me,” he continued. “I never agree with people. I’m always disagreeable. That’s Israeli. I speak up.”

Yassin noted that he was “the first guy to go study in the United States out of my entire lineage,” graduating from Harvard University in 2014 with a degree in economics and a minor in computer science. Despite having grown up in Israel, Yassin said that Harvard was the place where he made his first Jewish friend. 

After working as a software developer for Venmo in New York, Yassin left his job in 2016 to travel and document his journeys. Ultimately, he launched a Facebook page called Nas Daily – using the word for “people” in Arabic – where he posted one-minute videos for 1,000 days, telling the stories of communities around the world. 

What was once a personal brand has since expanded into the parent Nas Company, which offers platforms for solo entrepreneurs to build and monetize their online businesses. 

Yassin earned an honorary degree from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2025 in recognition of his advocacy work for Israeli and Palestinian coexistence. This past August, he also joined the advisory board for the Genesis Prize Foundation, which each year celebrates inspiring Jewish individuals for their achievements. 

“I do not relate to hundreds of men on the street shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’” Yassin told JTA, adding that there needed to be more women and fewer religious fanatics participating in the Israeli-Palestinian conversation. 

Yassin argued that he’s “not a weird Arab for saying this” and that “the entire country of the UAE says the same thing,” referring to one of the Gulf countries that signed onto the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel. He also challenged “Free Palestine” activists to envision a concrete future for Palestinians rather than fixating on Israel’s transgressions. 

“We should all be ‘Free Palestine’ – but from what?” Yassin asked. “We disagree on the solution, not on the problem. We don’t want suffering. Nobody wants suffering.”

“I’m a free-Palestine-from-Hamas guy,” he continued. “Just free Palestine,” he said, ”is not an answer. I’m free-Palestine-from-extremism.”

Yassin affirmed that there is room for criticism of Israel’s government, noting, for example, that he would like to see an Israeli-Arab presence in the government. 

But he marveled at the notion that an alien visiting Earth would likely guess that the most hated country in the United Nations is North Korea, when in fact “It’s not – It’s Israel.”

That struck him as absurd because “the Israel-Palestine conflict is not a big deal when you compare it to everything else that’s happening on planet Earth. The only thing that makes it a big deal is that we, as Palestinians, have the perfect enemy.”

That enemy, he continued, is “the most hated type of enemy, which is the Jews.”

Social media entrepreneur Nuseir Yassin, left, stands with fellows Raihaana Adira and Grace (right) at a conference hosted by the David Merage Foundation for Confronting Antisemitism, in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 20, 2026. (Sharon Udasin/JTA).

As part of his appearance at the conference, Yassin presented a recap of a fellowship he launched this past spring in partnership with the David Merage Foundation to help 50 content creators – 25 Jewish and 25 Muslim – produce meaningful material. 

Participants received $1,000 and spent a month learning from the Nas Daily team about viral and impactful storytelling during the fellowship, named for Yassin’s first Jewish friend, Zaki Djemal, who recently died of a sudden heart attack. 

To Laura Merage, the Iranian-born Jewish co-founder of the foundation, Yassin was a natural partner for this bridge-building effort. Given his social media following and “infectious personality,” Merage said she felt “that’s what we need more of in the world.”

At the conference on Tuesday, Yassin announced two winners of the fellowship’s influencer competition: recent McGill University graduate Raihaana Adira, a Canadian Muslim, and Grace, a Jewish-American digital content creator who preferred to use only her first name for privacy reasons. Grace tells stories about unique public figures, such as the first Arab “Miss Israel.” Adira, meanwhile, began posting about antisemitism and Muslim-Jewish relations after witnessing anti-Zionist protests at McGill. 

“When I see a Jewish person being attacked on campus or online, it feels like I’m watching someone from my own community hurt,” Adira told JTA, noting that she started posting because no one believed her when she talked about incidents on campus. 

“I wanted the protests and the graffiti on the walls that said ‘Death to the IDF’ to be seen,” she continued. “I am a Canadian, I am a Muslim, and when people at school on the streets say, ‘Death to Canada, We are Hamas, Hamas is heroic’ – that is not me.”

Adira said she received many death threats when she first started posting. While acknowledging how difficult that was, she also emphasized an influx of support that has helped “drown out the hate.”

Yassin offered a similar perspective, noting that at the beginning of his career, he “used to amplify the blowback and talk a lot about it,” referring to the criticisms he’d receive for promoting coexistence and calling out antisemitism. But after realizing that this deterred others from speaking out, he deemed the threats insignificant, calling them “the smallest price to pay for the largest outcome you can possibly imagine.”

During his travels around the world, Yassin said he has witnessed how flawed people’s perceptions of Jews can be and that he feels “a responsibility to set the record straight.” He also noted that he is dating a Jewish woman, author and influencer Aija Mayrock, whom he is marrying next year and with whom he expects to have children.

“They’re going to be Jewish, so that’s my family – literally, my family,” Yassin said.

This post was originally published on here.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

Brazil heads to the polls on Sunday to settle the tightest presidential race in its modern history, and the outcome will reach far beyond Brasília: it will shape the direction of Latin America’s largest economy and define how one of the world’s biggest democracies deals with Washington.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, is fighting for a fourth term. His challenger is Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, the eldest son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, running in his first national race. Three weeks ago, in the first round, Bolsonaro finished ahead with 47% of valid votes to Lula’s 45% – a gap of roughly 2.2 million votes, the narrowest first-round margin Brazil has ever recorded. A record 21% of voters stayed home.

Final polling released on Saturday shows the runoff effectively tied. Two separate surveys gave Bolsonaro a two-point edge; the closely watched Datafolha institute put the race at 51% to 49% for Bolsonaro among valid votes, within its margin of error, and found the two men almost equally unpopular – 46% of voters say they would not vote for Lula under any circumstances, 45% say the same of Bolsonaro. Pollsters describe Sunday as a coin flip decided by turnout.

What it means for the economy

Markets have already shown their preference. When Bolsonaro unexpectedly topped the first round on October 4, Brazil’s stock index jumped more than 8% in a day, the real gained 4% against the dollar, and foreign investors poured a record 10.6 billion reais into Brazilian stocks in a single session, pushing the benchmark index above 200,000 points for the first time. Investors expect a Bolsonaro government to pursue spending cuts and fiscal reform.

That early euphoria has cooled into caution as the race tightened, and economists note the fiscal math is punishing under either winner. Projections compiled before the vote see Brazil’s public debt peaking near 90% of GDP around 2032 under a Bolsonaro administration, versus roughly 95% by 2034 under current policy. Stabilizing the debt under any scenario requires a fiscal effort of at least 2.5% of GDP – meaning budget restraint is coming no matter who takes the oath in January.

Lula has campaigned on protecting social programs and raising taxes on the wealthy, arguing that growth and jobs will repair the public finances. Bolsonaro has promised to shrink the state, privatize state assets and reopen Brazil to foreign capital.

The Washington factor

The election also lands in the middle of an open trade fight with the United States. In July, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of up to 37.5% on hundreds of Brazilian exports. Lula answered in August by triggering a formal reciprocity process that could lead to counter-tariffs, while also picking up the phone: he and Trump spoke for over an hour on August 21, and the two governments agreed to restart trade negotiations between Brazil’s industry minister, Márcio Elias Rosa, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

A Lula victory would likely mean more of the same: a left-wing government that negotiates with Washington but guards its independence, keeps close ties to China – Brazil’s largest trading partner – and resists US pressure on domestic affairs. A Bolsonaro victory would be expected to warm the relationship considerably. His father cultivated a close alliance with Trump during his presidency, and the younger Bolsonaro has signaled he would seek rapid alignment with Washington on trade and diplomacy, potentially easing the tariff standoff faster.

For Brazilian businesses, the stakes are concrete: the United States is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner and its top buyer of manufactured goods, and the tariff fight has already hit exporters of coffee, beef, steel and aircraft parts.

What happens Sunday

Some 156 million Brazilians are registered to vote. Polls open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. local time, and because Brazil votes electronically, results are expected within hours on Sunday night. Voting is mandatory, which is why both campaigns spent the final days chasing the one in five voters who skipped the first round – Lula with a rally framing the election as a last stand for his legacy, Bolsonaro urging supporters to finish the job his first-round lead started.

Whoever wins faces a divided Congress, a heavy debt load, and a trade negotiation with Washington that is only beginning.

JBizNews Desk | Brasília, Brazil

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

It survived the Second World War and nearly nine decades of history. In a single night, fire nearly wiped it out.

The Eagle’s Nest, the mountaintop retreat built for Adolf Hitler above the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, was almost completely destroyed by a blaze that broke out Friday night, German authorities said. No injuries have been reported.

Dispatchers received the first fire alarm from the building at 9:15 p.m. local time. When firefighters arrived, the structure – known in German as the Kehlsteinhaus – was already engulfed in flames. Around 200 emergency personnel were sent to the scene, but the remote terrain, some 6,000 feet up in the Alps, made the fire hard to reach and slow to bring under control. Crews were still working to fully extinguish it on Saturday, and the public was asked to stay away from the area.

A suspect, and an open question of motive

Police detained a 33-year-old German man near the scene, apprehended while riding a motorcycle, and he is being held on suspicion of arson. A psychiatric evaluation concluded the man shows signs of possible mental illness, and prosecutor Rainer Vietze said diminished responsibility may be assumed. He has been placed in a psychiatric hospital.

Vietze said investigators are also examining a possible political motive, while stressing the probe is in its early stages. Police official Gerhart Holzinger told reporters there is currently nothing to suggest any other suspects were involved.

What was lost

The Eagle’s Nest was completed by the Nazis in 1938 as a showpiece retreat for Hitler and his inner circle. The wider Obersalzberg complex, including Hitler’s nearby Berghof residence, served as one of his headquarters – the place where the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union was planned. The stone lodge itself escaped destruction in 1945 and went on to become one of Germany’s most visited historical sites, housing a mountain inn and drawing tourists from around the world. Its own operators describe it as “a cautionary reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship.”

Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said the site will “under no circumstances remain a ruin,” adding: “It is important that we continue our work of remembrance.”

The fire lands in the middle of a long-running German debate over what to do with buildings tied to Hitler – preserve them as warnings, or tear them down so they cannot become pilgrimage sites for extremists. Whatever investigators conclude about how the fire started, Germany has already decided the Eagle’s Nest will be rebuilt.

JBizNews Desk | Berchtesgaden, Germany

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said on Saturday it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis toward the Mecca and Medina regions, with debris falling in several locations, including Jeddah, Taif, and Rabigh.

This follows a Houthi announcement about attacks on Saudi oil facilities and airports on Saturday, including a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh oil refinery, and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

The terror group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said it also targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, as well as Najran airport and an air base in Khamis Mushait.

Houthi media reports strikes on Sanaa

Earlier on Saturday, Houthi-linked Saba News Agency reported that Yemen’s National Commission for Human Rights had condemned Saudi Arabia over strikes in the capital.

The group described a “massacre” in the Asr neighborhood of Sanaa and an attack on a cement factory in the Hamdan district of Sanaa Governorate.

US warns Americans about possible escalation in Middle East

The latest round of strikes came amid warnings by the US State Department, which updated its travel advisory notice for Israel on Friday, warning of an increased threat of armed attacks by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and the potential for a rapid escalation of regional hostilities.

The update did not change Israel’s overall travel advisory classification, which remains at Level 3, urging American citizens to reconsider travel due to terrorism and unrest. The existing risk indicators and restrictions on travel to certain areas of the country also remain unchanged.

In its warning on armed conflict, the State Department cited previous Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and critical infrastructure that resulted in civilian casualties and major travel disruptions.

 Idan Kweller contributed to this report.

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Thousands of people rallied on Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Saturday to demand the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the failures committed during the October 7 massacre in 2023, with most of the opposition’s leaders present at the event. The rally was organized by the October Council, an aggregation of families and friends of victims and survivors of the Hamas massacre, while Gadi Eisenot (head of Yashar), Naftali Bennet (B’Yachad), and Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) were present at the site.

Protest opens with addresses from families of victimsYossi Marshak and Titi Aynaw opened the rally with an address to the bereaved families, the survivors of the massacre and captivity, the families of the hostages, the fighters, and those wounded in body and soul, saying, “To all of you, we want to say: our hearts are with you. We are with you; you are not alone. ”Marshak addressed the crowd in the square and said, “Look around you.

Look how many people are here. After three years of pain.

After three years of struggle. After three years during which they tried to deny what happened to all of us, tried to normalize, exhaust, despair, and tell us that we should give up and get used to it, we are here to say: we will not give up on the truth. ”At the opening of the rally, Titi Aynaw addressed the families in the square, also mentioning the families who joined the circle of bereavement in recent days.

“All of us here tonight share pain. With a broken heart, yesterday we heard the crushing words ‘cleared for publication.

‘ Our hearts are with the family of Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roitman and with the family of Sergeant Yuval Shai Swilam, who were murdered in a terrorist attack,” Aynaw said. “We share in the grief of the families whose loved ones took their own lives because they could no longer bear the psychological pain.

May their memory be blessed,” Aynaw continued”This evening is called ‘For Them. For Us.

‘ For those we lost. For those who returned.

For those who fought and are still fighting. And for the country we want to leave for our children,” she said.

Government’s refusal to pursue ‘truth’Rabbi Elhanan Danino, the father of Ori Danino, who was abducted from the Nova festival and murdered in Hamas captivity, delivered his remarks demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. Shouts of “Shame” erupted from the crowd, amplifying his criticism of the leadership and its evasion of investigating the massacre.

“Three years and a bit after that bitter and hasty day on which our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters were abducted, slaughtered, burned, raped, and murdered. And still, the leadership has not made the decision to carry out the most important and essential thing, the pursuit of truth,” Danino told the crowd.

“A state commission of inquiry that will investigate everyone. A commission of inquiry will not bring our sons back to us, but it is the duty of all of us.

It is an obligation for your future and our future, an obligation for the future of your children and our children, and an obligation for our soldiers who continue to risk their lives for our very existence here, and for that, a huge thank you to you, IDF soldiers and members of the security forces,” he added. Captivity survivor Danielle Aloni, who was abducted and taken to Gaza with her daughter Emilia and held hostage for 49 days, described the helplessness she felt when she could not promise her daughter that she would be able to protect her.

“Do you know what the most terrible thing that can happen to a mother is? Not the fear of dying.

The fear that your child will die, and you will not be able to do anything to save her,” she said. Aloni demanded the establishment of a state commission of inquiry and made clear that even after returning from captivity, she cannot promise her daughter that the disaster will not happen again.

“How can I promise her that this will never happen again, when three years after the most terrible disaster in our history a state commission of inquiry has still not been established? ” she asked.

Ahead of the elections, she called on the public to go out and vote: “Do not give up on your vote. Do not give up on the opportunity to influence our future.

“‘Our children deserve a safer future’Zoli Mor, who, along with his wife Leron, adopted Avigail Idan and her siblings Michael and Amalia after their parents were murdered on October 7, recounted the phone call he received from nine-year-old Michael on the morning of the massacre. “Mom and Dad are dead.

They were shot,” he said, adding that an IDF force only arrived at their home at 11:30 p.m., and that the officer who met them burst into tears and asked for forgiveness for the delay. “He was not to blame, but he felt responsibility.

I wish I could say that about those who were truly responsible,” he said. Mor criticized the fact that three years after the massacre, answers have still not been given to the families, and described how he met with then-US President Joe Biden at the White House, while claiming that the Israeli government did not contact him.

“We deserve answers. We deserve taking responsibility.

And our children deserve a safer future,” he added. Mor concluded his remarks with the memory of his son’s words that day: “Dad, I don’t want to die today.

“The mother of Noa, who was murdered at the age of 22 and a half at the Nova festival, spoke about her daughter, who hid in a roadside bomb shelter at the entrance to Kibbutz Re’im along with dozens of young people. Out of 41 people who were there, 28 were murdered, including Noa.

She described her daughter as a young woman full of joy for life, a social activist who always cared for others. “On October 7, I lost the dearest thing to me in the world.

I lost my little girl, her hug, her voice, her laughter,” she said. “In every such moment, there was also a sharp, deep, and personal pain with the realization that my Noa did not get to return,” she said.

Threats to disrupt the rallyAhead of the rally tonight at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the October Council appealed to the Police Commissioner, Inspector General Danny Levy, warning against planned attempts to disrupt the event. According to the organizers, information they received points to preparations by elements directly or indirectly connected to figures within coalition parties to incite provocations and harm the rally’s message.

The concern presented by the families did not stop at disrupting speeches. They warned of an effort to create scenes of clashes, signs, and flags that would be perceived as part of the rally, even though they have no connection to its organizers.

Instead of public discourse focusing on the demand for a state commission of inquiry, they fear it will be diverted to riots and the messaging of others. “In recent days, it has been brought to our attention, by several sources whom we consider authoritative and well-informed, and by leaders of parties running for the Knesset, concerning information according to which there are preparations by elements identified or connected, directly or indirectly, with figures in coalition parties, to arrive at the rally area and act to disrupt it,” the appeal to the commissioner stated.

According to the families who signed the letter, these actions “may be perceived by the public or media as though they are part of the rally, even though they have no connection whatsoever to it or to its organizers. “The identity of the entities to which the warning refers is not specified in the letter.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

This post was originally published on here.

Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as U.S. consumers grapple with high living costs and eye-popping chocolate prices.

Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared to the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ, a market research firm. Nielsen also noted an 11.7% decline in candy sales in mid-September, erasing the preseason gains that Halloween candy enjoyed the previous two years.

Chris Costagli, a vice president and food thought leader at NielsenIQ, said high gas prices have worsened Americans’ concerns about affordability, and that’s dampening demand for Halloween treats. As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. was $4.29, up nearly 40% from the prior year.

“I think what you’re seeing now is a consumer that’s spending so much additional money on fuel and housing and clothing and food,” Costagli said. “Some of the decisions they’re making about Halloween candy, it’s not necessarily because, ‘I notice it’s more expensive than last year,’ it’s, ‘I can’t afford it this year because I’ve paid so much more for so many other things. I just don’t have the financial means to buy it this year.’”

Small bags of candy were the only sizes seeing sales growth through mid-October, Costagli noted. Large and extra-large bags were seeing the biggest declines.

U.S. candy prices have been climbing faster than the rate of inflation for several years. As of September, candy and gum prices were up 44% over a five-year period, according to government data. Prices for all food eaten at home rose 22.5% in the same period.

This week, discount grocer Aldi was advertising a 135-piece variety pack of Mars Inc. chocolate bars – including Milky Way, Trix and Snickers – for $19.87. That’s almost the same price consumers paid for a 250-piece variety pack five years ago.

Cocoa prices are the main culprit. Global cocoa prices reached a record high of $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025 because of poor weather in West Africa – which supplies 70% of the world’s chocolate — and speculative trading in the cocoa futures market, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cocoa prices had been falling steadily since then, and hit $3,241 per metric ton in March. But they began climbing again in the spring as the Iran war disrupted Africa’s fertilizer supplies. The El Niño weather pattern is also expected to hurt production, with hot, dry conditions expected through February.

But Costagli noted that even in cases where prices are lower than last year, consumer demand is muted. The average price of non-chocolate Halloween candies, like gummies and lollipops, was $6.08 per pound in the nine weeks ending Oct. 17, which was about 3% lower than last year, according to Nielsen data. But that didn’t lead to a bump in sales.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, a global executive vice president and food industry adviser for the market research company Circana, said one way U.S. consumers have been handling higher grocery prices is by making smaller and more frequent trips to the supermarket and buying products right before they intend to use them. That makes her wonder if shoppers are waiting until closer to Halloween to buy candy this year.

“People are very intentional and thoughtful about what they want to consume, not just for holidays, but in general,” she said. “I do believe we will still see softness overall with candy, but I don’t think Halloween is doomed.”

The National Confectioners Association, a trade group that represents candy makers like Mars, Smarties Candy Co. and Ferrara Candy Co., said it remains optimistic about Halloween sales.

“We are just now entering the peak period for Halloween and consumer enthusiasm remains incredibly strong,” the group said Friday in a statement.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Jamie Dimon poached a senior figure from Warren Buffett’s inner circle, and the legendary investor was surprisingly OK with it.

The longtime JPMorgan Chase CEO hired former Geico CEO Todd Combs away from Berkshire Hathaway in December 2025, hand-picking him to lead a $10 billion investment group as part of JPMorgan’s Security and Resiliency Initiative aimed at helping companies accelerate manufacturing. 

During a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event this January, Dimon said he had called Buffett personally to tell him the unwelcome news. He claimed Buffett accepted the outcome, preferring his former executive land at JPMorgan than elsewhere.

“It’s a free country, and people make their own decisions,” Dimon said. “I did call Warren. He probably wouldn’t have preferred it, but he said, ‘if he’s going anywhere, at least he’s going to you.’”

Buffett’s assistant confirmed the accuracy of the account.

In a market saturated with executive moves, Dimon’s Combs hire matters because Berkshire Hathaway is a decentralized empire that draws its strength from the long tenures of its leaders with minimal churn at the top. Its executives are often seen as stewards of a culture, built over Buffett’s own six-decade tenure, that prizes patience and discipline.

Combs, a former hedge fund manager, had been at Berkshire since 2010 and was brought on by Buffett to serve as one of two investment managers tasked with picking stocks for Berkshire. During the succession race to replace Buffett, Combs was positioned as a key leader to assist Greg Abel, who took over as CEO from Buffett in January. Yet, he also served nine years on JPMorgan’s board, according to his hiring announcement.

Since joining JPMorgan in January, Combs quickly put his investment experience to work. His investment group has already committed $5 billion of the $10 billion initially allocated to it, according to a recent announcement.

Meanwhile, Berkshire has also entered a new era with new leadership after Buffett was replaced as CEO by Abel in January after 55 years with the legendary investor at the helm.

The 96-year-old also officially stepped down as chairman last month, handing the role to his son Howard. Buffett remains on Berkshire’s board.

In announcing the hiring, Dimon specifically called out Combs’s investment prowess and his work with Buffett.

“Todd Combs is one of the greatest investors and leaders I’ve known, having successfully managed investments alongside the most respected and successful long-term investor of our time, Warren Buffett,” Dimon said in a statement. 

Combs’ hiring may have been directly influenced by his respect for Buffett, said University of Maryland finance professor David Kass, who runs a Warren Buffett blog, in an interview earlier this year with Business Insider.

“Dimon may very well have viewed Combs as a close proxy for Buffett himself,” Kass told the outlet. “Although Dimon could not hire Buffett, he could hire one of his protégés.”

Dimon has long admired Buffett. In May 2025, as Buffett announced he was stepping down from the CEO role, Dimon praised him as a friend and said he had learned from him.

“Warren Buffett represents everything that is good about American capitalism and America itself — investing in the growth of our nation and its businesses with integrity, optimism, and common sense,” Dimon said at the time, according to Reuters.

Though a couple decades younger than Buffett, Dimon, 70, has also faced questions about when he will step aside.

Dimon, who has served as CEO of JPMorgan since 2006, has been reluctant to put a clean end date on his tenure. He spent years responding to retirement questions with a rolling horizon, and only changed his tone in 2024 saying the timeframe had shortened and succession plans were “well on the way.”

This year, Dimon again suggested he was in no hurry to retire, telling an audience in January he wanted to remain CEO for “at least” five more years.

In June, JPMorgan elevated two executives, Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh, to co-presidents, and in July Dimon said the timetable for his retirement was essentially unchanged and ultimately up to the bank’s board.

A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on Jan. 16, 2026.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

A wave of public anger over the rising cost of living swept across Europe on Saturday, drawing more than 400,000 people into the streets of France and spreading to Italy, Spain and Albania, in the continent’s largest show of unrest in years.

In France, the epicenter of the movement, crowds marched in Paris and cities nationwide to demand more funding for schools and relief from soaring prices. France’s Interior Ministry counted about 410,000 demonstrators across the country, including 110,000 in the capital. The CGT labor union, one of the organizers, put the national figure closer to 800,000.

The Paris march began peacefully. But near its endpoint in the east of the city, masked protesters hurled objects and fireworks at police, who answered with tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons. Authorities said nearly 1,000 people were arrested nationwide. Armored vehicles rolled into position in Paris and Marseille, and in Lyon police fired tear gas to break up a gathering in an area where demonstrations had been banned.

Saturday’s turnout was smaller than the 550,000 the government counted a week earlier, when protests tipped into rioting and looting. That violence left the historic town hall in Limoges, built in 1883, largely destroyed by fire.

The unrest is no longer contained to France. In Italy, thousands clashed with police in Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna and Florence over wages, living costs and public services, and soldiers were deployed to patrol Milan’s streets. In Madrid, pensioners marched for better retirement pay. In Albania’s capital, Tirana, riot police used tear gas and water cannons against opposition supporters and students, with 2,500 officers on the streets. In Brussels, shop owners boarded up their windows, fearing a repeat of last week’s looting.

Why it matters for your money

The streets are now moving markets. This week, the interest rate France pays to borrow for 10 years rose above 5% for the first time since 2002. The gap between French and German borrowing costs – a key measure of how risky investors think France has become – widened to its largest since 2011.

On Friday, the credit rating agency Moody’s decided to keep France’s current rating in place, giving the government some breathing room. But it held onto its negative outlook, warning that “the fragmentation of France’s political landscape will continue to impair the functioning of the country’s legislative institutions.”

The pressure is showing up in company results, too. The French stock market has fallen 4.5% over the past month. Supermarket giant Carrefour cut its profit forecast this week, blaming the unrest along with rising energy costs for weak shopper confidence, and its shares plunged more than 14% in a day. Chief executive Alexandre Bompard called it an “unprecedented situation.” Economists expect the French economy to grow just 0.3% this year.

The political stakes are just as high. The protests, now in their second month, began with high school students demanding more teachers and funding, and have grown into a direct challenge to President Emmanuel Macron in the final stretch of his presidency. France holds a presidential election in May. The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed party and its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon of stoking the violence – an accusation the party denies.

What to watch

Two dates now matter most. On Tuesday, France’s parliament resumes debate over a budget meant to shrink the country’s deficit, and the outcome will tell investors whether the government can still govern. Then on November 5, unions have called a national day of strikes and protests that will test whether this movement is fading or just getting started.

JBizNews Desk | Paris, France

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By Ira – JBizNews Desk

**

JERUSALEM – Hamas has told Israel, in terms Israeli officials describe as unprecedented in their bluntness, that it is prepared to carry out another attack in the style of October 7, 2023, and that it could strike wherever the opportunity exists: inside Israel, in the West Bank, or abroad.

The warning did not come through a speech or a video. Senior Hamas officials delivered it face to face last week to the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, in his Gaza office, and asked him to pass it to Israel. Alakbarov carried the message to Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy, the Israeli officer in charge of coordination with the territories, who put it in an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Halevy’s assessment of the message was stark. “This is an unusual threat message, which hasn’t been previously conveyed in this level of bluntness and directness,” he wrote.

According to the document, the Hamas officials said Israel’s military operations in Gaza, the steady westward movement of the Yellow Line separating Israeli-held ground from the rest of the Strip, and the Palestinian Authority’s cancellation of elections that had been set for November 28 are costing Hamas its grip on the ground, and that the group is unwilling to let that continue.

Intelligence Sees Preparation, Not Just Words

Israel’s security cabinet has separately been briefed that Hamas is making practical preparations for the option of renewed fighting: stockpiling weapons and moving them into civilian areas. Israeli officials believe the group is counting on Israel’s hands being tied against major new operations until after the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.

Israel’s security establishment is now examining whether Hamas could actually execute such an attack given the heavy Israeli military presence in and around Gaza. One possibility under consideration is that the threat is aimed at the more distant future rather than the coming days.

The group is also under severe financial strain. Israeli security estimates put its payroll at roughly 30,000 people across Gaza, costing about 90 million shekels ($29 million) a month, money it is struggling to raise. Hamas blames Israel for the shortfall.

Why It Matters Beyond Israel’s Borders

For readers watching from outside the region, this is not only a security story. It lands on an already strained economic backdrop, and the effects travel.

The Middle East is simultaneously managing a U.S.-Iran standoff that has driven oil above $117 a barrel, its highest price since March, and renewed attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia that shut Riyadh’s airport for two weeks. A return to full-scale war in Gaza would add a third active front of instability in the region that produces much of the world’s energy and sits astride its busiest shipping lanes.

The practical chain works like this: escalation raises the risk premium on oil and on insuring cargo ships, and those costs flow into gasoline, airfare and the price of imported goods everywhere, including in the United States. It also weighs on investment and tourism across the region’s economies, from Israel’s technology sector to the Gulf’s financial hubs.

The diplomatic track that was supposed to prevent exactly this scenario is stalled. President Trump’s Gaza peace plan requires Hamas to disarm, which the group refuses to do, while Israel refuses to withdraw from any part of the Strip until that condition is met. Until one side moves, the threat delivered through that UN office in Gaza hangs over both the region’s security and its economy.

JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem

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**

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

**

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Rescue crews spent Friday night pulling people off rooftops and out of flooded homes across the Four Corners region, where a storm that one police chief called a “once in a generation” event has forced mass evacuations, knocked out power and left entire neighborhoods underwater in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

The flooding is the result of a brutal combination: two months of heavy rain that ended a summer drought, followed by another 4 inches since Wednesday falling on ground already too saturated to absorb it. More rain is forecast through the weekend.

The hardest-hit area so far is around Farmington, New Mexico, the largest city in the region, where roughly 600 households along the San Juan River were ordered to evacuate. New Mexico National Guard boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles worked through the night to reach stranded residents.

“We’re picking people off of roofs and pulling people out of houses that have 3 or 4 feet of water in them, and there’s more water coming,” San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said.

Downstream, the Navajo Nation braced for floodwaters expected to peak late Friday or early Saturday. “Do not wait to make your evacuations,” Deputy Police Chief Donnie Kee urged residents. In Colorado, pickup trucks sat submerged along Highway 160 in South Fork, and floodwaters surrounded trailers at a campground and RV park. In Utah, the city of Hurricane spent Friday clearing mud and debris, including a shipping container that had floated down a street. Tornadoes earlier in the week tore roofs off homes and downed power lines in Arizona.

Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe did not mince words at a news conference: “People are not believing that it’s going to be as bad as it is. But you can see the water flow coming, you can see the surge coming.”

What This Means for Homeowners and Insurance

Here is the part of the story that will matter long after the water recedes, and it surprises people every time: standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Not in New Mexico, not anywhere. Flood coverage is a separate policy, most often bought through the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program, and most people who don’t live in officially designated flood zones never buy it.

That gap is exactly why floods are the costliest natural disaster for ordinary families. A homeowner with a few feet of water in the living room can face tens of thousands of dollars in damage with no insurance payout to cover it. Federal disaster assistance, when it is eventually declared, typically comes as modest grants or low-interest loans, not full reimbursement.

There is also a longer-term cost that reaches every homeowner, even those far from the Four Corners. Each disaster of this scale adds to the strain on the insurance system. Insurers have been raising premiums and pulling back from disaster-prone regions across the country, and events like this one accelerate both trends. If your renewal notice has been climbing lately, storms like this are part of the reason.

What to Do If You’re Affected

For residents in the flood zone, officials’ advice is consistent: obey evacuation orders immediately rather than waiting, move valuables and documents upstairs if time allows, and never drive through standing water, which is the leading cause of flood deaths. Once it is safe, photograph all damage before cleaning up, and contact both your insurer and FEMA, since separate programs may apply.

With more rain forecast this weekend and rivers still rising, emergency officials say the danger is not over.

The Bottom Line

A “once in a generation” flood is exactly the kind of event that exposes how thin most families’ protection really is. If you live anywhere near a flood-prone area, tonight is a good night to check whether your insurance actually covers flooding. For most homeowners, the answer is no, and finding out after the water rises is too late.

JBizNews Desk | Farmington, N.M.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

**

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

**

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – An explosion and fire tore through the Quaker Oats plant in downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday evening, shaking buildings across the city and sending black smoke into the sky. No one was hurt, but the cause is unknown and the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department said it received the call at 4:44 p.m. local time for a fire on the back side of the facility, the side facing away from Interstate 380. Firefighters arriving at the scene found signs of an explosion while they worked to knock down the flames.

Residents reported hearing and feeling the blast before smoke became visible. The fire was considered under control by 6:15 p.m., about an hour and a half after the first call, though crews remained inside the building into the evening to make sure no hot spots remained. The department said no one was hurt or killed. The cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation.

A Plant That Feeds Millions

For readers outside Iowa, it helps to understand what this facility is. The Cedar Rapids plant is one of the best-known food factories in America. It is operated by Quaker Oats, the company behind the familiar oatmeal canister and a long list of breakfast cereals and snacks, which is owned by PepsiCo, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world.

The plant has been a fixture of downtown Cedar Rapids for generations and is one of the city’s signature employers. Oats milled there end up in breakfast bowls across the country, which is why an explosion at this address is national news rather than a local fire story.

Should Shoppers Worry About Supply?

The honest answer, based on what is known tonight: not yet. PepsiCo operates a network of production facilities, and the fire was brought under control relatively quickly. There has been no indication from the company of any disruption to production or distribution.

The bigger questions will be answered in the coming days. Investigators will determine what caused the explosion, and the company will assess how much of the facility was damaged and how long repairs take. A serious, prolonged shutdown at a plant of this scale could eventually ripple into prices and availability for certain products, but there is no evidence of that tonight.

The Bottom Line

A fire at one of America’s signature food plants made for a frightening Saturday night in Cedar Rapids, but the essentials are reassuring: no injuries, a fast response, and no sign tonight of any impact on the products in your pantry. For the workers and families of Cedar Rapids, the relief is simpler still: everyone got out safe.

JBizNews Desk | Cedar Rapids

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**

By Ira – JBizNews Desk

**

WASHINGTON – President Trump said Saturday that the United States could launch a military strike against Iran as soon as Sunday, or instead reach what he called a “big, beautiful” deal with Tehran, leaving Americans facing the possibility that a decision made in Washington this weekend shows up within days in the price of gasoline.

“We’re thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow,” Trump told reporters when asked how close he was to ordering an attack. He added that Iran could still avoid further military action by agreeing to a deal, saying “they want to make a deal, but the problem is, will they hold the deal?”

The comments are the latest escalation in a conflict that has been running since February, when the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran. A ceasefire and an interim agreement brokered by Pakistan and Qatar in June stopped the heaviest fighting, but the underlying dispute, over Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz, remains unresolved.

Iran pushed back hard on Saturday. The country’s armed forces chief of staff, Ali Abdollahi, said U.S. military ships would never be allowed into the Persian Gulf “under any circumstances and at any time.” A spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard called American threats “largely for media consumption” and said Iran’s response to any strike would be “several times greater.”

Oil markets are already reacting. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, rose 3.5% on Friday to more than $117 a barrel, its highest level since March. Oil has climbed from under $97 at the start of October, a jump of more than 20% in three weeks, as the standoff disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carried about 20% of the world’s oil supply before the war.

The shipping danger is real, not theoretical. Iran claimed Thursday that it struck four commercial vessels in Gulf waters and said three others hit sea mines. Earlier this month, a tanker called the Gem No. 2 was hit by a projectile off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing an oil spill that closed beaches and left residents of Dubai reporting the smell of gasoline in the air.

What It Means at the Gas Pump

For everyday drivers, this is where a faraway conflict becomes personal. The national average price of regular gasoline is $4.27 a gallon. That figure actually fell 6 cents over the past week, but the drop came from refineries switching to a cheaper winter blend of fuel, not from any relief in the underlying cost of oil.

Here is the uncomfortable math: October is on track to be the most expensive October ever recorded for gas prices, following records already set in August and September. High crude prices are the reason the seasonal discount at the pump has been so small. And if a U.S. strike pushes oil even higher, or closes the Strait of Hormuz completely, analysts say drivers should expect prices to climb again, not fall. Gas stations typically raise prices within days of a jump in crude costs.

The timing carries political weight. The midterm elections are less than two weeks away, on November 3, and Trump had previously said there would be no strikes before then. His ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, told a podcast on Friday that a strike this weekend was “absolutely” possible.

What to Watch

Trump framed the choice simply: “I may have to finish it off, or maybe they’ll make a deal. But I’m not sure. Either way, we win.”

Iran, for its part, says it remains open to talks under the Pakistan-brokered framework, provided the U.S. lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, admitted Saturday that many Iranians are struggling to afford food under wartime conditions, and he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week.

European governments are urging restraint. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, warned Friday that further escalation “would leave no winners” and would have “very serious consequences” for energy prices worldwide.

The Bottom Line

A decision could come as early as Sunday. If a strike happens, expect oil and gas prices to move higher fast. If a deal is reached instead, prices could finally ease. For households, the practical advice is simple: if your tank is near empty, filling it this weekend may be cheaper than waiting to see what Sunday brings.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

**

Anthropic is joining Meta and OpenAI in the race to build AI assistants that keep working when their users step away, with a new app aimed at professionals and small-business owners.

Called Claude Duet, the app can check emails and calendars, draft replies and follow up on unfinished work. Anthropic announced it Wednesday as a research preview. The idea is to let an assistant check connected accounts for tasks such as unpaid invoices and draft reminders without waiting for a prompt, so users spend less time figuring out what to ask for. 

Personal assistants bring together information from users’ email, calendars and other apps, remember their preferences and act across those services. That could make them the first place users turn when they need something done. Without its own personal assistant, Anthropic might lose those daily interactions to competing products from Meta and OpenAI—even if users might prefer Anthropic’s Claude.

Anthropic says it built Duet for professionals and small-business owners, including those managing invoices, payroll and customer follow-ups. That audience extends the company’s emphasis on work: in April, Anthropic said more than 1,000 business customers were each spending over $1 million on an annualized basis, double the number two months earlier. Duet puts more of those administrative tasks within reach of an individual subscriber, though Anthropic hasn’t disclosed what it will charge for the assistant after the preview period.

Duet draws on the memories, skills and application connections users have already set up in Claude. It sends a morning briefing, checks connected accounts throughout the day, and messages the user when it has finished a task or needs a decision. 

Muse, Dots—and now Duet

OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta are now locked in a race to get agentic AI assistants in front of users. 

Anthropic has been building towards integrating Claude with enterprise tools for months. Its Claude Tag tool, introduced in June, can follow Slack discussions and check back on unresolved tasks. In September, Anthropic updated Claude to combine chat with Cowork and keep working on assignments after users closed their laptops.

Still, Duet arrives in a market where Meta’s Muse, launched Sept. 8, has already attracted millions of downloads. On Meta’s Oct. 21 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said more than 10 million people in the U.S. and Canada had set up a Muse agent in about six weeks. About a quarter use the service on any given day, he said. 

OpenAI followed on Sept. 29 with Dots, which can also work in the background without requiring a user to be present. 

Anthropic’s launch of Duet may be partly defensive, giving Claude Pro and Max users a way to hand off more of their daily tasks without switching to a rival’s assistant. 

Still, Duet shares its usage limits with ordinary Claude chats. Even when users aren’t sending messages, Duet’s background checks eat into their quota. Anthropic says it’ll check connected accounts every few hours, as continual checking would reach usage limits much faster. 

Anthropic acknowledged in April that rapid growth had strained its infrastructure and impacted reliability and performance. Compute capacity could also affect how quickly it admits Duet users, though Anthropic hasn’t linked the waitlist to a shortage. Team and Enterprise customers will also have to wait for access.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel could face banking sanctions and said he had ordered preparations for alternative financial mechanisms, including blockchain technology, in an interview with Channel 10, amid growing concerns about international economic pressure on Israel. “We need to understand that there could be banking sanctions.

You need to prepare an alternative economic system, and you know what that is, and you know which currencies can bypass this, and I’m working on that as well,” Netanyahu said. Asked whether blockchain technology could provide a means of dealing with economic sanctions against Israel, he replied: “One of them, certainly.

And I’ve already asked for a plan to be prepared for that. ”He also addressed the future of US military assistance to Israel. “If you think we’re going to continue receiving what I secured twice, and that’s tens of billions of dollars in American aid for the defense budget, prepare yourselves and get used to the fact that it won’t happen because America has changed,” he said.

Additionally, he rejected warnings by Bank of Israel governor Prof. Amir Yaron concerning the expansion of the defense budget and the burden of defense spending on the Israeli economy. “I disagree with him.

Unequivocally, I disagree with him,” Netanyahu said when asked about Yaron’s warnings. Crypto not a platform for hiding money, forum president saysNir Hirschman, CEO of the Crypto Companies Forum, said on Friday, in response to Netanyahu’s remarks, that he welcomed developments in crypto and blockchain technologies but warned they are not a means of hiding money transactions.

“Crypto has the potential to strengthen Israel’s connection to global financial markets and streamline capital transfers. At the same time, the technology is not a haven for hiding money: Public blockchain networks allow for transparency and tracking of transactions,” he said in an X/Twitter post.

“The Crypto Companies Forum is ready to work with the government and regulators to promote appropriate reform in the field, to strengthen the economy and its ties with the world,” he added.תעשיית הקריפטו בישראלית היא אחת המובילות בעולם ולמרות קשיים רגולטוריים עצומים, הצליחה להעמיד סדרה ארוכה של חברות ויוניקורנים, שהפכו לגאווה בעולם. לקריפטו יש את הפוטנציאל לחבר את ישראל לשווקים הפיננסיים העולמיים, אבל הוא לא מקלט או מסתור להעברות כספים. אם כבר, מדובר במערכת השקופה, הבטוחה והמהירה ביותר בעולם להעברות כספים. ישראל אכן זקוקה לרפורמת קריפטו באופן מיידי. צריך לתקן את מנגנוני המס, ליצור רזרבת ביטקוין לישראל, וראוי שזה יקרה בממשלה הבאה ואנחנו בפורם חברות הקריפטו, נכונים לעשות זאת, בשיתוף הרגולטורים וגורמי המקצוע, על מנת לחזק את כלכלת ישראל ואת קשריה עם העולם— Nir Hirshman (@NirHirshman) October 23, 2026US leads JPPI database of measures against IsraelAccording to a survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), the country with the highest number of recorded measures against Israel is its close ally, the United States. According to JPPI’s new database, which tracks sanctions, restrictions, and diplomatic measures against Israel worldwide, 15 measures were recorded in the US.

Spain follows with 10 measures, the UK with eight, Turkey with seven, and Belgium with five. Ireland, with just three recorded sanctions, does not even make the top 10.

This finding does not, of course, mean that the US is more hostile toward Israel than Turkey or Ireland. On the contrary, it also reflects the depth of relations between the two countries.

Israel and the US maintain security, trade, investment, academic, and political ties on a far greater scale than the Jewish state has with most other countries. As a result, there are also more areas in which sanctions, boycotts, or restrictions can be pursued.

The measures documented in the US illustrate this complexity. Some are not sweeping government decisions but rather legislative initiatives or resolutions proposed in Congress, including efforts to restrict the sale of weapons, ammunition, and defense equipment to Israel.

The database also includes academic measures, such as calls by student associations, faculty organizations, and academic institutions to boycott Israel, divest from Israeli investments, or restrict ties with the country.

This post was originally published on here. 

This post was originally published on here.

AIPAC’s critics gloated on Thursday after the pro-Israel lobby announced that it was ending direct contributions and candidate endorsements. But defenders of the storied Washington institution pushed back at that characterization, saying instead that the organization had made a smart course correction amid strong political headwinds stoked at least in part by antisemitism.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee announced the decision in a letter to its members on Wednesday, explaining that the lobby would now shift its focus to mobilizing individual donors. The abandonment of direct PAC contributions and candidate endorsements marks a significant reversal in a strategy that AIPAC launched in 2021, ahead of the 2022 election cycle. The letter informed donors that AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, also launched in 2021, would continue to operate. 

The move came in an increasingly tense political cycle for AIPAC, which it called “one of the most challenging environments in recent memory.” The lobby has become a target for progressive candidates, particularly Democratic Socialists of America members, who have sharply criticized candidates who receive donations from AIPAC. In turn, the organization has become a symbol of undue political influence among some voters.

The DSA responded to the lobby’s policy shift by saying that “AIPAC has realized what we all already knew: working people do not want their tax dollars to fund apartheid and genocide.”

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and a staunch Israel critic, wrote that AIPAC’s decision shows that “candidates don’t want its backing,” while the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace posted that AIPAC was now deeming itself “too toxic.” 

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal pro-Israel lobbying group J Street, which has frequently tangled with AIPAC on social media, argued in a statement that “AIPAC can’t save its brand by folding its PAC.” Describing AIPAC as “a once-revered organization,” he said the lobby became toxic not due to its support of candidates but “because of the policies it asks those candidates to defend.”

But those with ties to AIPAC defended the move as one that will actually help the lobby fortify its impact. “It’s a marker of institutional health when they can look around at the reality, see it for what it is and change themselves accordingly,” Jonathan Greenberg, director for combatting antisemitism at Defending Education and a former AIPAC staffer, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 

“They recognized that their political ground had shifted and that they needed to change with that shift,” added Greenberg, who served as AIPAC’s Midwest political director until 2011 and ran for state office in Illinois as a Republican a year later.

Calling out what he described as a “horrifying demonization campaign” against AIPAC in Washington, he said he believes that the lobbying group made this strategic decision in an effort to continue operating amid widespread antisemitism. 

“The pro-Israel community is still going to be deeply involved in campaigns,” added Greenberg, who identifies as a political conservative but no longer a Republican. “AIPAC is just wisely understanding that the way the organization operates can change, so that it can still be the voice that it’s always been on Capitol Hill.”

Recognizing that the U.S. political landscape is undergoing profound changes amid deep dissatisfaction across party lines, a former AIPAC spokesperson who requested anonymity to speak freely pointed out that institutions must evolve to stay effective. Other major interest groups, such as the pharmaceutical, hospital and real estate industries, are advancing their priorities with a variety of tactics, including lobbying, direct contributions, super PACs and networks of donors, the person noted.

In fact, one point of agreement on Thursday between AIPAC’s supporters and detractors was that the 72-year-old institution wasn’t going anywhere. “Mobilizing greater resources for AIPAC, pro-Israel candidates, and our super PAC is critical,” the AIPAC letter stressed, as it pledged to reinvest in its long-standing network of members nationwide. 

“AIPAC staff and local leaders will continue working with you on political fundraising efforts, recommending contributions to candidates who are worthy of your support, and ensuring your resources are deployed in the most effective ways possible,” the letter added.

Indeed, opponents of the lobby indicated that the change in approach did little to satisfy them – and potentially opened up new lines of attack. DSA charged that AIPAC would “try to bankroll the same candidates under a different name.” 

‘Can’t hide AIPAC,’ DSA says

“You can’t hide AIPAC,” the DSA added. “The world has woken up.”

J Street’s Ben-Ami maintained that AIPAC’s decision to keep its super PAC even as it dropped its PAC “only doubles down on the dark money politics that helped create its problem in the first place.” Traditional PACs can contribute a maximum of $5,000 to individual candidates in each race, while super PACs can spend unlimited funds to independent political communications that serve to support or oppose candidates. Both have to disclose their donors, but super PAC donors aren’t always transparent about the origins of their money.

Tali deGroot, J Street’s vice president of political and digital strategy, likewise assessed that AIPAC’s influence wouldn’t disappear in the next election cycle. 

“Instead, AIPAC’s donors and its super PAC will keep spending heavily in our elections, only now voters will have a harder time seeing where that money comes from,” deGroot said.

Defending Education’s Greenberg acknowledged that AIPAC’s choice to increase its reliance on its super PAC could fuel even more opposition to the lobby. 

“But I don’t think fashioning ourselves to placate antisemites gets us anywhere,” he continued. “What we know about antisemites, from thousands of years of dealing with them, is that if we don’t give them this reason, they’ll find another reason.”

The former AIPAC spokesperson said the jury was out on whether the AIPAC pivot would improve its public image. “The question is whether AIPAC’s shift reflects a broader evolution in how organizations and interest groups engage politically, and whether changing its approach will change how the public perceives its influence,” the former spokesperson noted.

This post was originally published on here.

Israelis held a final large rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of what has been described as the most consequential election in the country’s history.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose from Friday’s attack on a church in Jordan. And an Iranian military commander said his country will not allow U.S. warships to enter the Persian Gulf as concerns grow of a return to all-out war.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Read our full coverage here.

Thousands rally in Tel Aviv days ahead of Israel’s election

A large crowd gathered in a final protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government ahead of Tuesday’s close election.

The crowd heard calls for a commission of inquiry into the security failures that led to the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has refused such an inquiry.

Netanyahu’s chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, attended the rally that was an echo of the weekly ones once held to call for the release of hostages taken into Gaza. All hostages or their remains were eventually released, but Netanyahu has been accused of delaying deals to free them sooner.

Trump weighs more strikes or a deal with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump bristled when asked how far he was from a possible attack on Iran. He recently said on social media he would not hit Iran again before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“Do you really think I’m going to tell you if I’m going to do it?” Trump responded. “And there’s a possibility I will. There’s also a possibility we’ll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement.”

Trump repeated his assertion that Iran wants to make a deal, “but the problem is, will they hold the deal?”

Iran’s president accuses the US of disrupting negotiations

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of disrupting negotiations to end the war but said he still believes “we have to go and finish it.”

In comments aired on state television, he said Iran’s supreme leader had instructed Iranian officials to “go and finish it (the deal),” but “these scoundrels broke the rules of the game. We were holding talks, and they disrupted them.”

Anxiety has been growing in Iran and elsewhere that the U.S. or Israel will resume attacks before or just after Tuesday’s elections in Israel or the U.S. midterm elections.

Israel carries out arrests across Hebron after attack

Israeli forces carried out arrests and demolitions in Hebron in the occupied West Bank a day after two Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded three others.

Up to 300 families left Deir Baha and two adjacent neighborhoods, according to a tally from Hebron’s municipality. Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about the operation. On Friday, it said its forces had begun “conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches” in the area from where the gunmen operated.

Death toll from church attack in Jordan rises to 9

An ninth person died after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan, state television reported. More than two dozen people were receiving treatment in hospitals.

Gunmen on Friday opened fire at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, south of Jordan’s capital, Amman. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

Airstrikes kill 15 people in Yemen, including a child

Strikes killed 11 people, including four children, in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, according to the Health Ministry run by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. And an airstrike hit homes in Hodeida province, killing at least four people, health authorities said.

The Houthis blamed neighboring Saudi Arabia, which backs forces fighting the rebels. Saudi Arabia did not respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claims.

At least two explosions were later heard near the international airport in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized government. The Houthi military spokesperson said a military camp and a naval base were targeted. The government’s interior ministry said the Houthis attacked the coast guard headquarters at its complex with two ballistic missiles.

The Saudi-led coalition earlier said it intercepted three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and Taif and Yanbu cities.

The UAE closes beaches after oil spill from tanker

The United Arab Emirates closed beaches after an oil spill from a tanker. The spill impacted beaches of Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates making up the federation, and cleanup efforts were underway, the Climate Change and Environment Ministry said.

The ministry said the spill poses no health risks but did not provide details about its scale. It came two weeks after Iran’s state-run broadcaster reported an oil tanker had struck a naval mine and caught fire while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with Tehran.

Iran says it will not allow US warships to enter Persian Gulf

An Iranian military commander said Iran will not allow U.S. warships to enter the Persian Gulf or approach Iran’s territorial waters, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Gen. Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and commander of its joint military command, also warned Trump that U.S. forces would never return to the Strait of Hormuz.

US reissues Mideast travel warnings over Houthi threats

The State Department reissued travel advisories for Americans in or traveling to the Middle East, citing threats posed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are covered by the warnings and have appeared in previous travel alerts since the start of the Iran war.

The department has reduced staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped-up efforts to target American personnel.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Clashes erupted in Paris as a mass march drew to a close Saturday, with more than 400,000 people rallying across France over school funding and soaring living costs in a fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. Police made nearly 1,000 arrests, the government said.

The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country. But near the demonstration’s endpoint in eastern Paris, masked protesters hurled objects and fireworks at police, who answered with clouds of tear gas, deafening sound grenades and jets of water cannons.

Officers with megaphones urged protesters to disperse. Some demonstrators panicked as tear-gas canisters landed in their midst, scattering with screams. Veteran protesters shouted after them: “Don’t run!”

The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 410,000 — fewer than the 550,000 it said protested last weekend — while the CGT union that helped organize some of Saturday’s protests estimated nearly 800,000. The ministry’s estimate included 110,000 in Paris, where authorities confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the center. The CGT put the number of protesters in Paris at 250,000.

Unrest is challenging Macron’s final months in power

More than a month of unrest that started with protests in high schools for more funding and teachers is testing Macron’s authority in the final months of his presidency before voters choose his successor in May.

The stakes are high: The far-right National Rally party has accused his government of failing to protect the public and urged people to channel their anger into votes for its candidate Marine Le Pen. On the far left, presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has backed demonstrators and criticized policing that has left some teenage protesters with life-changing injuries.

As dusk fell Saturday, violence erupted at the end of some of the 289 protests counted by the Interior Ministry nationwide. Street fires burned in the cities of Marseille and Lyon. Police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Bordeaux and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Nice, far-right extremists fought with demonstrators downtown and 11 people were arrested, regional authorities said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police made nearly 1,000 arrests but added that the number is expected to increase significantly as more are counted.

Nuñez said beefed-up policing, with 70,000 officers backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and other support, helped prevent a repeat of widespread looting and damage to shops the previous weekend.

A small protest became a national movement

What began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris spread nationwide, drawing students demanding more funding for education and workers seeking help with soaring costs for fuel and other necessities.

In Paris, Bénédicte Pittion, a 46-year-old teacher, marched with her 16-year-old daughter, Garance, a high school student — in their first protest together.

“The young people who have been demonstrating have not been heard, and as a parent and as a teacher, I stand with them,” Pittion said.

Garance said she’d been “really scared” after seeing the previous weekend’s violence, but felt that staying away would hand the government a victory.

Macron met high school representatives Friday. They said he had promised to overhaul university admissions, but they called for protests to continue until concrete measures are announced.

Some protests were banned

Soumaya Abed, a 58-year-old nurse wearing a red CGT union vest, complained that authorities in Paris wanted to stifle protesters by making them march on the capital’s outskirts, keeping them away from the center where the Louvre and other major museums closed exceptionally.

“But it won’t stop the movement. It won’t stop students from demanding better conditions in schools,” she said.

Other protesters expressed anger about record poverty and wealth inequality under Macron. Camille Chesnier, 27, said she hasn’t found work despite having an engineering degree and a master’s degree.

“There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me but who aren’t privileged and who find themselves living on the streets and in squats and, frankly, it’s very tough,” she said..”

In Marseille, police put attendance at 17,000, while the CGT union estimated 100,000. In the southwestern city of Toulouse, 26,500 people joined the protests, according to authorities. Authorities had banned rallies in cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier.

Trade unions criticized the bans, calling them violations of freedom of expression, which is protected by the constitution.

Thousands also marched Saturday in Orléans, south of Paris, in a separate peaceful protest against the far right as Le Pen’s National Rally held a two-day congress in the city.

Shops board up and museums close

Gendarmes stood guard Saturday beneath the Arc de Triomphe and shopkeepers boarded up storefronts across Paris. Near the Saint-Lazare train station Saturday, Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, was boarding up an optician’s shop.

“I got the call last night,” he said. “The owner seemed desperate. He said I was saving his life.”

Art Basel, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program.

Students and workers are angry

Student groups want 250,000 more places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, the national admissions system.

Their joint 10-point plan also calls for more teachers and repairs to schools and universities.

They are also seeking help with everyday costs: an extra 200 euros ($224) a month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.

Energy prices in France were 21.3% higher in September than a year earlier, helping drive overall inflation to 3.1%, according to the national statistics agency, INSEE.

Paris protester Louis Ledoux–Xatard voiced frustration over inequality.

“Looking at countries like the United States, we don’t want to end up like them, where part of the population has everything and the others have nothing,” he said.

“I never imagined that I’d be taking to the streets so much before my thirties.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Disappointed tourists poked their heads through the Louvre’s locked gates on Saturday, shut off from the Mona Lisa as galleries and museums across Paris closed as a precaution ahead of fresh demonstrations.

“When we came, we thought there could be a problem but not that the museum would be closed,” Italian social educator Selena Bertoni, 31, said in front of the Musée d’Orsay.

On a four-day trip to Paris, she had paid €50 ($56) for two tickets to see its Impressionist paintings and other masterpieces. “Bad timing,” she said, with a shrug.

The closures came one week after nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and deteriorating public services descended into some of the worst street violence that France has seen in years.

The violence and damage prompted the government to impose localized curfews and close many public venues ahead of demonstrations planned on Saturday.

Top tourist destination

The shutdown extended across much of the capital’s cultural sector, including the Orangerie, Jeu de Paume and Picasso museums, while the entire Tuileries Gardens complex that leads out of the Louvre was sealed off.

“This is the third museum we have come to that is closed. They should’ve warned us,” French visitor Heidi Rosar, 21, said.

At the Louvre, the locked black iron gates blocked access to the entire site and the garden.

“We wanted to at least see the pyramid,” 67-year-old Canadian Don Nowschuk said, referring to the museum’s landmark glass entrance.

On a two-night stay in the City of Light, Nowschuk suggested the local authorities might be overreacting.

“There is so much security that you would think it would be enough to secure the museum,” he said. “It’s a bit weird to see so many cops with guns around Paris. We are used to guns but not like this.”

The disruption extended to the performing arts sector. The Paris Opera shuttered both the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, citing safety concerns for staff and audiences.

Organizers of the prestigious Art Basel Paris fair also canceled its weekend program.

The cultural centers posted warnings about the closures on Friday, but some people never thought to check.

“How could we have known? We didn’t think a museum could be closed. We are a bit naive,” 59-year-old French woman Catherine Sebbagh said.

This post was originally published on here.

A US official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday that US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio received an intelligence memorandum warning that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target American officials and citizens, with plots to carry out lethal attacks reaching advanced stages.

The confirmation follows a report by Axios, which obtained the October 23 memorandum sent to Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, with a copy to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

According to the document, US intelligence agencies have received information through multiple channels indicating that Iran has substantially intensified its efforts to target American personnel.

🚨Scoop: U.S. intelligence finds Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target American diplomats & officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching “advanced stages,” per memo to Secretary of State Rubio. My story on @axios https://t.co/JpDxTvWdpT https://t.co/OHJRSIOnJd

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 24, 2026

“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against US citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” Clayton wrote.

The intelligence chief warned that information concerning Iranian plots to target American government personnel was relevant to a wider group of individuals than those currently authorized to receive it.

Clayton said the underlying intelligence had already been shared with appropriately cleared senior members of Rubio’s team and offered to provide the secretary with an additional briefing.

He also pledged to make every effort to downgrade the classification of as much intelligence as possible, allowing Rubio to share the information more broadly with State Department personnel who could potentially be at risk.

The memorandum, marked unclassified, did not identify specific targets, attack methods, or countries outside the Middle East where the alleged plots were being developed.

US reduces diplomatic presence amid regional tensions

The warning comes as the State Department moves to reduce its diplomatic presence across several Middle Eastern countries, amid concerns about Iranian retaliation and the possibility of renewed US military operations against Tehran.

Earlier this week, Washington ordered nonessential government employees and family members to depart Saudi Arabia following an escalation in attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

According to Axios, additional reductions in US diplomatic personnel were ordered at embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan.

CNN also reported on Friday that the United States was accelerating the departure of diplomats and their families from several regional posts, with some personnel having only recently returned following evacuations earlier in the Iran war.

The network further reported that Israel had pressed Washington to launch renewed strikes against Iran sooner, but those efforts had so far been unsuccessful.

Washington weighing renewed military action

The intelligence warning emerged as US President Donald Trump continued to leave open the possibility of additional military action against Iran.

Speaking on Friday, Trump said the United States could launch another operation similar to Operation Epic Fury if Tehran failed to reach an agreement.

“We may do another little Epic Fury. Or they’ll agree,” Trump said.

The latest warning underscores mounting US concerns about the security of American diplomatic personnel as Washington weighs further military action and continues diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with Iran.

This post was originally published on here.

Anti-Israel demonstrations were reported across several parts of Syria following the death of a young man with a disability who was shot by Israeli forces during a military incursion into the village of Jamla in western Daraa countryside on Thursday. 

Protests took place in Idlib, Homs, Damascus, Daraa, Quneitra and along the Syrian coast, with demonstrators protesting Israeli military incursions on Syrian territory, particularly in southern Syria. 

Israel says its military operations in Syria, which intensified after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, are defensive measures necessary to safeguard its national security. 

Protests spread across country

The demonstrations drew significant participation and extended well beyond areas along the border. Confirmed estimates of the number of people taking part were not immediately available. 

The protests followed an Israeli military operation in Jamla in western Daraa countryside. During the incursion, Israeli forces reportedly searched civilian homes and deployed snipers on residential rooftops. 

A young man with a disability was shot dead by Israeli forces during the operation. 

The incident prompted demonstrations in Daraa and other parts of the country, including areas far from the locations of Israeli military activity.  

This post was originally published on here.

The US State Department issued an updated travel advisory notice for Israel on Friday, warning of an increased threat of armed attacks by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and the potential for a rapid escalation of regional hostilities.

The update did not change Israel’s overall travel advisory classification, which remains at Level 3, urging American citizens to reconsider travel due to terrorism and unrest. The existing risk indicators and restrictions on travel to certain areas of the country also remain unchanged.

In its warning on armed conflict, the State Department cited previous Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and critical infrastructure that resulted in civilian casualties and major travel disruptions.

The department warned that hostilities involving the Houthis could escalate rapidly beyond the areas immediately affected, potentially posing additional risks to travelers across the region.

The updated warning comes against the backdrop of previous missile threats originating from Yemen, which have required Israel to activate air defense systems and issue civilian alerts.

US maintains restrictions on travel to Israeli border areas

Despite the updated regional threat assessment, Washington has not raised its overall warning level for Israel. The State Department continues to advise Americans to reconsider travel because of terrorism and unrest, while maintaining stricter Level 4 restrictions in several designated areas.

These restrictions cover areas north of the Route 85, Route 90, and Route 87 boundaries in northern Israel; locations within 11.3 kilometers of the Gaza Strip; and areas within 2.4 kilometers of the Israel-Egypt border, except near the Taba crossing, also known as the Menachem Begin crossing.

The State Department said Israeli authorities restrict travel in the designated northern areas because of IDF activity and presence, and instructed Americans not to travel there for any reason.

US government employees working in Israel face the same geographical restrictions. Official travel to these areas requires approval from the US Embassy’s security office.

The advisory also reiterated that, as of August 26, family members are permitted to accompany US government employees stationed in Israel. However, Washington warned that additional security measures affecting US personnel could be introduced as conditions evolve.

The State Department emphasized that Israel’s security environment remains complex and can change rapidly, warning that violence could occur without advance notice.

Regional tensions could also prompt airlines to cancel flights or reduce services to and from Israel, potentially disrupting travel plans even in areas not subject to the highest-level restrictions.

Americans urged to prepare for missile and drone threats

The advisory urged American citizens planning to visit Israel to remain vigilant, avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, and familiarize themselves with emergency procedures.

Travelers were advised to identify nearby bomb shelters and download the Home Front Command’s Red Alert application, or similar services, to receive real-time warnings about incoming rockets, missiles and armed drones.

Israel’s Home Front Command emergency warning systems have been used during previous missile attacks, providing residents with alerts intended to help them reach protected areas.

The military has also updated its advance-warning capabilities to give civilians more time to prepare for certain missile threats.

The State Department encouraged American travelers to enroll in its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which enables the US Embassy to distribute security updates and contact citizens or their emergency contacts during a crisis.

Americans were also urged to develop independent evacuation plans that do not rely on US government assistance, follow instructions from local security officials, and exercise particular caution near checkpoints and areas with a significant security presence.

The advisory further recommended purchasing comprehensive travel insurance that covers emergency medical treatment, evacuation assistance, and trip cancellations.

The warnings underscore the continued importance of civilian preparedness amid regional missile and drone threats, with Israeli authorities having previously reviewed the timing and operation of emergency alerts during periods of heightened tensions.

Although the October 23 notice highlighted the increased potential for Houthi aggression, it did not announce additional restrictions on travel to Israel or a change in the State Department’s assessment of the country’s overall travel risk.

This post was originally published on here.

NASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years.

Administrator Jared Isaacman said Friday that the space agency is still on track to launch Artemis III next summer on a docking exercise with Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ lunar landers. The two-week mission featuring four astronauts will be confined to orbit around Earth — no moon trip this time.

The all-important Artemis IV — NASA’s first moon landing by astronauts since Apollo — remains scheduled for 2028, Isaacman said. His update came six months after the successful Artemis II flight around the moon by four astronauts, humanity’s first lunar trip in more than half a century.

NASA will keep its options open as long as possible before choosing between SpaceX and Blue Origin for the Artemis IV lunar lander, according to officials.

Isaacman said the “new space race” to land astronauts on the moon — racing against China now versus the Soviet Union during the Apollo era — will be “much closer than it ever needed to be” because of slow going in past years.

But the space agency is now accelerating its pace, he noted, eliminating endless meetings and bureaucratic inertia, as SpaceX, Blue Origin and other companies scramble around the clock to meet the deadlines and NASA bolsters its workforce.

Adopting Apollo’s urgent and intense approach from 1968 through 1972, a period which saw 24 astronauts fly to the moon and 12 land on it, is not “tech industry pixie dust or some new management philosophy,” Isaacman said.

“It’s about our own history. It’s a playbook this agency knows really well, the same playbook that went from Apollo 7 splashdown to Apollo 11 in just nine months,” he said during a news conference at Kennedy Space Center.

Both landers will be launched next summer for docking practice by the three NASA astronauts and one Italian who will blast into orbit aboard NASA’s Orion capsule. The mission will require three launches in quick succession from Cape Canaveral. Orion will dock first with Blue Origin’s Blue Ghost about 270 miles (435 kilometers) above Earth, then with SpaceX’s Starship in a slightly lower orbit.

“As a rocket nerd, it’s going to be pretty awesome,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator.

NASA’s planned moon base near the moon’s south pole — nowhere near Apollo’s more equatorial locales — should see its first launch by year’s end. The Pittsburgh company whose first lunar landing mission fizzled in 2024 will attempt a “take two,” this time aiming for the moon’s south polar region with a rover and other experiments. More landers, rovers and orbiters will follow, so many that by the time the first Artemis moonwalkers arrive, their moon car will already be there waiting for them, according to officials.

To speed up and reduce risk, the initial moonwalkers will wear a lighter, less complex spacesuit than the one still under development by Axiom Space for longer, later excursions. Axiom will test these new so-called “sortie suits” on the International Space Station next year.

Setting up a long-term presence is what makes this so much more challenging than the Apollo-style commuter flights, said NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who is part of the Artemis III crew.

“It is incredibly ambitious,” Rubio told The Associated Press earlier this month. “One thing I’ve always believed and learned is don’t bet against America.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

US President Donald Trump’s advisers are reportedly optimistic about opportunities to work with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition if he loses in the upcoming election, according to US officials cited by Axios.

Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Tuesday after weeks of hesitation, with Axios noting that the US president has never worked with an Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu and does not personally know any of the other candidates.

“[Netanyahu] is the devil [Trump] knows,” one Trump adviser told Axios.

The report also said that many of Trump’s closest advisers opposed his decision to endorse Netanyahu, believing the president should stay out of the Israeli election.

In contrast, Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu when asked about the election this week. “I’m not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu… I think the president’s endorsement is ultimately what matters,” Vance told reporters.

The US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, raised concerns about the Netanyahu government’s approach to Syria and continued Israeli military operations in Syria.

Following Israeli strikes on a base in Syria’s northern Idlib province, Barrack denounced the attack as an “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability. The Al-Sharra government has neither adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces. It has, in fact, repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel. The United States has in the past, and will continue in the future, to host discussions to encourage diplomatic cadence over kinetic frustration for both nations. Enduring deescalation agreements are built through sustained dialogues with all concerned nations and principals. The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents.

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) August 18, 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team have maintained a better relationship with the Prime Minister, but believe Israel could do more to strengthen Lebanon’s government. They have also expressed frustration with Netanyahu’s failure to do more to curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, Axios reported.

Final poll finds opposition increasing their lead

The report comes as Netanyahu’s polling result worsens ahead of the election, with the latest Maariv poll showing the opposition bloc widening its lead to 54 seats while Netanyahu’s bloc dropped to 48.

The poll also found that 60% of respondents preferred a unity government if the October 27 election failed to produce a clear governing majority, while 23% preferred holding another election. Another 17% said they were undecided.

Of those who favored a unity government, 33% wanted a candidate from the opposition bloc to lead it, while 19% preferred Netanyahu to lead it. Another 8% favored a unity government regardless of who led it.

According to the polling results, Eisenkot led Netanyahu in a head-to-head matchup for prime minister, with 49% support compared with 41% for the incumbent.

Moshe Cohen contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on here.

President Donald Trump on Friday told a rally for candidates in South Florida that U.S. warships returning from the Middle East could stop over in Cuba on their way back from the Iran war, his latest suggestion of taking an interventionist approach to the nearby country.

Trump first floated this idea earlier this year, but has not mentioned it in recent months. But he revived it in response to a shouted question from the crowd about the island nation. He was campaigning just days ahead of midterm elections in which voters have expressed concern about the impact the U.S. war on Iran has had on prices of goods from gas to groceries.

“We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.”

Both Rubio and Trump have been bullish on action in Cuba, with Trump previously suggesting the country would “be next” in terms of intervention abroad, following the winding down of the Iran war he has long forecast but which has not yet happened.

In May, he and Rubio raised the specter of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that took on greater weight after the administration announced criminal charges against the island’s former leader, Raúl Castro. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that previous U.S. presidents had considered intervening in Cuba for decades but that “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it.”

Rubio told reporters separately that Cuba has been a national security threat for years because of its ties to U.S. adversaries and that Trump is intent on addressing it. While saying the Trump administration wants to resolve differences with Cuba peacefully, Rubio voiced doubts that the U.S. could reach a diplomatic resolution with the island’s current government.

Moments after Trump spoke at the rally, Rubio posted on social media that “now is the time” for action on Cuba, addressing his post “to those who seek to create positive change” and urging them “to seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.”

Rubio has not addressed Cuba in depth in public for several weeks, with his last comments coming in a Sept. 29 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“The truth is Cuba has already fallen. It doesn’t have a functional economy and it’s governed by people who continue to preach about some revolution that has been dead for 20 years that’s never worked,” Rubio said, without alluding to any CIA operation.

“We are hopeful that Cuba will choose a different path. We are hopeful … that there will be some people in there that open their eyes to the reality of what they’re facing,” he said. “We’re never going to allow Cuba to become a base of operation against American interests or pose a threat to our national security. On that we are abundantly clear.”

Rubio and other top Trump aides have met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore possible improvements in relations. But the U.S. side has come away unimpressed from those talks, leading to even more sanctions imposed on the Cuban government.

During his address to the United Nations General Assembly last month, Trump said Rubio — son of Cuban immigrants, who has long taken a hard line against Cuba’s socialist leadership — was “deep into negotiations with Cuba,” saying he would “not allow a haven for foreign adversaries to threaten America on our own doorstep.”

Days later, Trump told reporters that he anticipated that the two countries “will make a deal,” adding, “I don’t think we’ll need the military. Cuba is failing very badly.”

Earlier this week, the two countries clashed at the United Nations as the Trump administration sought once again to build opposition for an upcoming annual vote condemning Washington’s decades-long economic embargo against Havana.

Cuba has struggled since 2020 with an economic and energy crisis. Its gross domestic product has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have endured blackouts, food shortages and inflation. There have been waves of protests, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans have migrated, many to the United States.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Hezbollah may face growing criticism from within Lebanon‘s Shi’ite community, which has formed the backbone of its support for decades, according to a report from KAN on Saturday.

A recent survey of Shi’ites got attention in regional media. As reported by Israel’s KAN public broadcaster and the Lebanese Kataeb.org website, the survey, whose results emerged in mid-October, suggested that many Shi’ites are increasingly questioning the terrorist group.

The main question is whether Hezbollah should keep its arsenal. People also questioned Hezbollah’s conduct in the wars with Israel. However, this did not necessarily mean that Hezbollah is losing its influence over the community.

Respondents said decisions regarding war and peace should be left to the Lebanese state

The survey, conducted by Statistics Lebanon in September among 800 Lebanese Shi’ites, found that 66.4% supported transferring Hezbollah’s weapons to the Lebanese state. Another 29.6% preferred that the terrorist organization retain its weapons. The results were significant because Hezbollah has argued that its arsenal is essential for defending Lebanon against Israel.

Roi Kais at Israel’s KAN noted, “A new survey has revealed that about 66 percent of Lebanese Shi’ites support Hezbollah’s transfer of weapons to the state, and more than 40 percent express anger and disappointment with its leadership. Amid growing criticism, the support networks and status the terrorist organization has given the sect still maintain its power – as long as no other entity fills the vacuum.”

Notably, Kataeb.org, the website of the Phalange Party (Kataeb Party), a political party in Lebanon, published details on the survey. The Christian Kataeb Party opposes Hezbollah. The website noted that 71.1% of respondents believed that decisions about war and peace should rest exclusively with the Lebanese state. Only 5.9% believed Hezbollah’s leadership should have a greater role in determining Lebanon’s future.

Only 16.5% of respondents had confidence in Hezbollah’s ability to guarantee security

The survey also revealed considerable confidence in the Lebanese Armed Forces. Some 78.5% expressed trust in the army, while 51.1% identified it as the institution best suited to guarantee long-term security. Only 16.5% selected Hezbollah.

These findings raised questions about Hezbollah’s traditional claim to represent the security interests of Lebanon’s Shi’ites. They suggested that many within the community may prefer stronger state institutions, even if they continue to identify politically or socially with Hezbollah.

The survey also found that 67.4% believed Hezbollah had either failed to achieve its objectives in the war with Israel or had achieved only some of them. Another 42.1% expressed disappointment, anger or concern about Hezbollah’s leadership and the consequences of the conflict. Nevertheless, 59.5% continued to express varying degrees of trust in Hezbollah, including 37.1% who reported a great deal of trust.

An earlier survey presented a very different picture. In a June 10 analysis published by Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), researchers Orna Mizrahi and Moran Levanoni cited a May 2026 survey by Lebanon’s Information International in which 87.5% of Shiite respondents opposed disarming Hezbollah, while only 7.9% supported surrendering its weapons. More than 90% opposed ties with Israel.

The contrast with the September findings led to many questions. How can people hold such different views? Is it possible that some of the surveys are biased in their questions or agendas?

Mizrahi and Levanoni argued that Hezbollah’s influence rests on its social and economic networks, political power, and the historical marginalization of Lebanon’s Shi’ites.

They also noted that intimidation has discouraged opposition within the Shi’ite community. The researchers suggested that weakening Hezbollah’s influence would require a stronger Lebanese army and Western and Gulf financial assistance to enable the state to replace Hezbollah’s services.

This illustrated the complex relationship between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s Shi’ites. Hezbollah is not just a terrorist group. It built networks of social services, financial institutions, and political influence to hedge its bets and take over the Lebanese state.

Now that it is so powerful, it is hard to uproot. Many people in Lebanon feared opposing Hezbollah over the years. For some Shi’ite families, it remains an important source of employment and assistance, even if they have to sacrifice their security due to the wars that Hezbollah has caused.

Lebanese fear Hezbollah-linked facilities could become Israeli targets

KAN highlighted an example from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, where property owners reportedly opposed opening a branch of Hezbollah-linked financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan in their building. They feared the branch could become a target for Israeli strikes. The branches have been targeted in the past.

Hezbollah is attempting to regain support through reconstruction assistance. According to KAN, Hezbollah recently announced aid of up to $14,000 for eligible families in Beirut and its southern suburbs whose primary homes were destroyed, and up to $12,000 elsewhere.

The broader question is whether dissatisfaction will translate into political change. Hezbollah has suffered significant military and leadership losses since the war began, including the killing of Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024.

Yet its influence is rooted in decades of political and social organization. Lebanon did not jump at the opportunity to uproot the group in 2025. In March 2026, a new war broke out, leading to massive destruction of villages in southern Lebanon. Even today, Beirut moves at a snail’s pace.

The survey suggests that support for Hezbollah’s terrorist role may be weakening even among its traditional constituency. However, unless the Lebanese state can provide security, reconstruction, and economic opportunities, the criticism won’t lead to major change. 

This post was originally published on here.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq accused the United States of violating Iraqi airspace. The statement comes amid tensions between the Iraqi government and Iran-backed militias over efforts to bring weapons under state control, according to a report by Rudaw.

“Standing with the forces of righteousness against the forces of evil is a duty dictated by sound human nature,” the IRI said, according to Rudaw. The group sees the conflict involving Iran as a struggle against the US and Israel. The IRI has attacked Israel in the past during the conflict in Gaza.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, continues to support Iran. The group issued a statement amid speculation about a possible new war with Iran.

The militias also accused Baghdad of appeasing the US due to Washington’s pressure on Iraq. The IRI is unhappy that Baghdad has been reducing commercial flights and closing border crossings with Iran. The IRI claimed to have documented 171 violations of Iraqi airspace by US fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft between September 30 and Friday. The allegations were not independently verified.

The accusations come after the US-led anti-ISIS coalition formally ended its military mission in Iraq on September 30. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has sought to use the transition to bring militia weapons under government control. However, several powerful factions have rejected the initiative. The plan is set to take effect by June 2027. Some militias have agreed, while others have rejected the policy.

Some militias opposed to disarmament, others willing to cooperate

According to Rudaw, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba remain opposed to disarmament, while Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have expressed willingness to cooperate with government measures.

Zaidi has extended the disarmament deadline to June 30, 2027, by which time “no weapons will remain outside the framework of the state,” he said in an interview with Iraqi state media, quoted by Rudaw.

The dispute illustrates a central challenge facing Iraq. Even after the US-led coalition’s withdrawal, Iran-backed factions continue to portray their weapons as necessary for confronting Washington and Israel. This puts them increasingly at odds with Baghdad’s efforts to assert state authority over armed groups.

The tensions come as the US State Department has warned of increasing regional threats that could affect security in Iraq. On Saturday, the US Embassy in Iraq published an update to the State Department’s travel advisory, citing the threat of increased attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis. The warnings also cite terrorist threats in Iraq, including those posed by Iran-backed militias.

The advisory maintained the existing warning against all travel to Iraq. It noted that Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and critical infrastructure, could lead to wider regional escalation.

“The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area,” the State Department warned. It also noted that “the Iraqi government cannot guarantee the safety of US citizens against sudden outbreaks of violence and armed conflict.”

The advisory specifically highlighted threats from armed groups inside Iraq. “Terrorists, including ISIS and Iran-aligned militias, encourage and conduct attacks against US persons and interests in Iraq,” the State Department said.

State Department warns of threats to US citizens, companies

It also warned that militias threaten American citizens and international companies, citing attacks involving drones, indirect fire, and improvised explosive devices. Potential targets include airports, energy infrastructure, hotels, and diplomatic facilities.

The warning illustrates the broader security challenges facing Baghdad. While the Iraqi government seeks to consolidate control over armed factions, Washington continues to view Iran-aligned militias as a threat. The escalation involving the Houthis also highlights how regional conflicts could further complicate Iraq’s efforts to maintain stability and avoid being drawn into new confrontations.

The tensions in Iraq come amid other developments involving Iran and Iranian-backed groups across the region. On Saturday, Rudaw reported that US intelligence had warned of increased Iranian efforts to assassinate American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and elsewhere. Citing an Axios report, Rudaw said a memorandum dated Friday from US National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that some alleged Iranian plots had reached advanced stages. The report comes as Washington reduces staffing at several embassies amid concerns about regional escalation.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that it had targeted a gathering center belonging to the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group. The attack took place in Iran but could have implications for Iraq, where Tehran has previously targeted Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. According to Rudaw, clashes between the IRGC and PJAK’s armed wing, the Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK), have intensified over the last week. Iran has used drones and artillery against mountainous areas where the Kurdish fighters operate. Iran’s Mehr News Agency described the latest operation as a preemptive strike against PJAK members allegedly preparing attacks.

These developments also come as Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi continues to insist that his government will end the presence of armed factions operating outside state control. In an interview quoted by Rudaw on Friday, Zaidi said that “Iraq will soon, God willing, be a state free of factions, like other countries in the world, and weapons will be exclusively in the hands of the Iraqi security forces.”

The developments illustrate the competing pressures facing Iraq. Baghdad wants to consolidate state authority over armed groups, but Iran-backed militias continue to see themselves as part of a wider regional confrontation with the US and Israel. At the same time, Iran’s operations against Kurdish opposition groups and reports of threats to American officials suggest that tensions could spread across several fronts.

One example of Baghdad’s progress is a new agreement with a Yazidi armed group called YBS in Sinjar in northern Iraq. Baghdad also says it has reached a deal with Turkey for Ankara to leave a base near Bashiqa. However, these may be low-hanging fruit because Iran-backed militias are, in some ways, more powerful. Iran shares a long border with Iraq. It views Iraq as a “near abroad,” basically meaning it feels it should control Iraq. It has carried out 1,000 attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, but also 600 on the rest of Iraq, using militias in some attacks.

For Iraq, the challenge is not only disarming militias. It is also preventing the country from becoming a battleground in a wider regional conflict. The coming months will test whether Zaidi can turn his government’s commitments into reality, particularly as the June 2027 deadline approaches.

This post was originally published on here.

Italy deployed soldiers to Milan as the nation’s fashion and finance capital braced for fresh protests on Saturday, one week after looting and clashes with police.

Premier Giorgia Meloni announced a raft of measures, including sending an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, and tougher penalties for minors, who police said made up a large part of the violent protesters.

While protests in France have claimed most international attention, Milan is among the many other European cities, from Tirana in Albania to Madrid in Spain, that are rocked by protests Saturday.

The protests encompass a broad range of issues from pensions and housing to anti-war movements, education and corruption.

Army vehicles and boarded-up luxury stores in Milan

The 500 soldiers deployed to Milan come in addition to hundreds already stationed there, and will support about 5,000 police and other law enforcement personnel. Authorities are conducting drone surveillance, checks at railway stations, rapid-response units and online monitoring for potential calls to violence. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said he is concerned about a repeat of violence this weekend and expressed support for the deployment of more soldiers.

Many stores, particularly luxury boutiques within Milan’s fashion district including Omega, Tiffany and Gucci, boarded up their front windows with wooden planks.

Rioters last weekend smashed their way into stores, targeting sneakers, athletic wear and sporting goods on streets that run off the city’s central Duomo square.

Officials said security measures on Saturday would extend beyond the city center amid concerns protesters could move into other neighborhoods to evade heavily policed areas.

Valter Mazzetti, secretary-general of the Fsp police union, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate reinforcements but not resolve police staffing shortages.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a social media post that the troops lacked key tools available for public-order operations, and that soldiers were only recently allowed to use plastic restraint ties and only in areas around train stations, not throughout the city. They are not authorized to carry pepper spray or tasers, he said.

Milan police say last week’s violence and looting involved about 2,000 very young protesters, a large number of whom were “naturalized, second-generation Italians,” alongside foreign nationals. Over two days, police arrested 45 people, including 34 minors.

Milan’s welfare councilor Lamberto Bertolé told the AP that more investigation is needed to understand the backgrounds and motives of the young people who joined the looting.

“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future. Part of our society feels excluded, amid social and economic inequalities,” said Bertolé, a member of the center-left Democratic Party.

Shopping streets locked down in Rome

Security was also heightened in Rome, where authorities locked down luxury shopping streets and stepped up controls around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo.

Several hundred students demonstrated peacefully to stress they were not rioters.

“I think the images from last week were truly something terrible, especially for the young people, for the students, for the vast majority of the younger generations who want to study, want to make proposals, and do not accept being represented by those who use issues and needs to devastate entire cities,” said Riccardo Ponzio, national president of an Italian far-right student association.

A separate anti-war march took off in central Rome, and there are concerns over possible infiltration by violent groups.

Organizers sought to distance themselves from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and hands visible.

Aside from Rome and Milan, demonstrations have been called in at least seven other cities. The newly formed “Oct. 17 Movement” has been the main driver alongside student federations, grassroots trade unions, and anti-war coalitions.

Students and opposition gather in Albania

In Albania’s capital Tirana, riot police used water cannons on large groups of protesters, some of whom threw projectiles at police. Authorities said 2,500 police officers are patrolling the streets Saturday.

For over a week, protesters have hurled rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police who have used batons and tear gas in clashes in the city center.

High school and university students are demanding lower tuition fees, greater state investment in education and protesting corruption in the education system. Some have joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

A separate protest organized by the opposition outside the prime minister’s office turned violent earlier, with some activists lighting fires on the street.

Rama said Saturday his government was preparing a response to the students’ demands and called them to a dialogue. He warned that violent protesters will face penalties.

Retirees march in Madrid over pensions

Thousands of retirees and others marched in Spain’s capital Saturday to demand public pensions aren’t meddled with.

Large crowds marched peacefully down streets in central Madrid, waving colorful flags and banners reading “protect pensions” and “decent pensions for today and the future.”

The protests came ahead of next month’s snap election as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party criticized the conservative opposition Popular Party for making overtures about privatizing public pensions.

Spain has been roiled by protests this fall around the issue of housing, as rental and home costs have risen in recent years beyond what many Spaniards can afford.

In Spanish cities, a housing supply shortage has worsened thanks to population growth driven by immigration and a proliferation of short-term rentals. The September eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her rented apartment in Madrid triggered huge street protests.

The movement is centered at a tent camp protest that has remained in the capital’s Puerta del Sol square for almost a month.

Affordable housing is main theme in Lisbon protests

Taking their cue from Spaniards, protesters in Lisbon who have been gathering to demand affordable housing are expected to march across the city on Saturday.

They have also targeted recent measures announced by the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro that include easing the cap on yearly rent increases and facilitating the eviction of tenants who fail to pay rent.

Montenegro defends the measures saying that it aims at reinforcing trust between tenants and landlords and boosting the rentals market. Protesters claim that the measures are not balanced and put tenants in a more vulnerable position.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

France avoided a credit downgrade from Moody’s, but the ratings agency painted a bleak picture of the eurozone’s second-largest economy that highlighted the risks from its intractable politics.

In an announcement late Friday, Moody’s kept France at Aa3—two grades below the U.S. and three below Germany—with a negative outlook, while ratings from peers Fitch and S&P Global are one notch lower.

France still boasts a wealthy economy and competent public institutions, according to Moody’s, but the political landscape threatens to paralyze the government and prevent it from making painful deficit-reduction steps.

The report flagged France’s divided parliament, which is often at odds with the government, as well as political and social instability. For over a month, the country has been consumed by protests that erupted into widespread riots last weekend.

At first, students decried the lack of investment in public education, then others joined in to speak out against the high cost of living as fuel prices soar due to the U.S. war on Iran. Other European countries have seen similar protests in what’s been dubbed the “Oct. 17 Movement.”

At the same time, France’s looming debt has sent bond yields to the highest levels in 24 years, flashing warning signs not seen since the eurozone debt crisis in 2011. France’s public debt is now a record $4 trillion, or 119% of GDP—the highest ratio since the immediate aftermath of World War II.

With far-right and far-left candidates in the lead to become France’s next president in the spring, markets are losing confidence that either side will take the difficult steps necessary to restore fiscal order.

A 2027 budget proposal that would modestly bring the deficit down to 5% of GDP from 5.4% is now on the table but has yet to pass amid political gridlock, and Moody’s warned recent unrest could constrain fiscal consolidation efforts.

“The 2027 budget process coincides with some of the most extensive social protests France has experienced in many years,” it said.

Moody’s expects the budget will eventually be adopted, but possibly by decree as the National Assembly dithers. And even then, the budget will likely do less than hoped, reducing the deficit to 5.2% of GDP due to weaker GDP growth than projected by the government and the political challenges of implementing real spending cuts.

This too-little, too-late budget will not be the end of France’s debt woes. Moody’s said a “significant and sustained fiscal effort” is required beyond the presidential elections to stabilize the debt burden, which is on track to hit 122% next year. The ratings agency isn’t confident France’s leaders will meet the challenge.

“While we expect that the next president and government will seek to continue to narrow France’s deficit, our baseline expectation is that they are unlikely to be able to implement rapid fiscal consolidation in light of social tensions, a political environment that is likely to remain fragmented and muted GDP growth,” it predicted. “As a result, the debt burden will continue to rise through the remainder of the decade.”

There is still some time, as Moody’s pointed out that the average maturity of France’s debt is around 8.5 years. That means the recent surge in borrowing costs must be sustained over an extended period to meaningfully worsen debt affordability.

But France is especially vulnerable to “event risk” driven by geopolitics as well as domestic politics and instability, Moody’s added, describing a situation where lawmakers will have trouble tacking the most pressing problems.

“The negative outlook reflects the increased risk that the fragmentation of France’s political landscape will continue to impair the functioning of the country’s legislative institutions,” the report said.

“This political instability, also visible in the current social tensions, risks hampering the French government’s ability to address key policy challenges such as an elevated fiscal deficit, rising debt burden, and durable increase in borrowing costs, thus leading to a more rapid weakening in the sovereign’s key credit metrics than we currently expect.”

Thierry Wizman and Gareth Berry, global strategists at Macquarie, also drew a connection between the French debt crisis and the protests.

In a note earlier this month, they warned that the longer the protest go on, the more likely it is that the government will cave and approve more spending, which would make the debt situation worse.

That would drive up yields on French bonds, making borrowing to fund that spending even more expensive—and thus worsen the problem that the rioters are complaining about.

“France is veering toward a full-blown civil crisis because of its political polarization, which heretofore had been manifested mainly in the political realm itself, and at the ballot box only,” they wrote. “And rather than being isolated events, we think a direct and self-reinforcing causal connection can be drawn between the rise in France’s debt yields and the street riots of the past few days.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Anthropic revealed on Friday that one of its artificial intelligence models passed itself off as human during a cybersecurity exercise to fool a human outside the exercise.

According to Anthropic, the model, which used Mythos 5, performed unsanctioned actions in nine out of 43 runs that impacted humans not participating in the exercise, with one of the cases even involving the AI pretending to be human.

The attack, which was described by the AI Security Institute (AISI) as a “supply chain attack,” attempted to disrupt a public code repository on the GitHub platform by creating fake inquiries, introducing corrupted data, and even demanding changes by creating false accounts on the platform.

AISI noted that even if the attack did not cause real-world harm, it was still a serious incident worth understanding and responding to thoroughly. “

The report also warned that the models made decisions even when their reasoning was not justified, with some cases acknowledging that the attack could harm humans before proceeding to attack the target.

What was the exercise that led to the attack?

According to Anthropic, the model was asked to perform a “Capture the flag” (CTF) exercise, which involves retrieving data from a simulated network.

The models were given Internet access, and the safeguards used for models such as Fable, which is Anthropic’s most powerful model, were not established.

In one of the cases, the AI agent found evidence that one of the computers periodically contacted GitHub and attempted to discover which repository was being downloaded.

It then decided the computer contacting GitHub was downloading a repository belonging to a real-world human unrelated to the exercise, and created a new version of that repository that included malicious code.

The goal was that, once the computer on the network downloaded it, it would infect the system and allow retrieval of the flag.

Additionally, it created a fake user on GitHub in order to contact the owner of the compromised repository and convince them to allow the change, something that was denied. The model eventually ran out of time and failed the task.

The two main concerns by Anthropic were the overreach seen during the exercise, with the model going beyond the intended scope of the task, and dishonesty, or the extent to which the model misrepresented its actions or intentions.

Anthropic also said it ran the same experiment with more advanced models, which showed less intent to carry out attacks of this scope, and all stopped their attacks once they were notified that the actions had real-world impact.

This post was originally published on here.

IDF troops, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Border Police officers, and the Judea Regional Brigade forcibly evacuated 2,000 Hebron-area Palestinians and destroyed an unspecified number of structures in the area over the weekend in response to Friday morning’s deadly Hamas terrorist attack.

Although in early 2025, Israel cleared areas of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams in the West Bank, evacuating close to 40,000 Palestinians, those areas had experienced well-documented mass terror incidents dating back to early 2022.

In fact, in those areas the IDF had carried out multiple temporary evacuations and even sent in the Palestinian Authority to fight large and organized terror groups before it took the measure of a mass evacuation and destroyed a number of those areas’ structures.

In contrast, the IDF provided little information about the offenses of the 2,000 evacuated Palestinians, other than to say that they were familially linked to the Hamas-linked Gaza clan.

While during the Knife Intifada and earlier years, Hebron was one of the most violent and unstable areas, and there have been some past terror incidents from Hebron over the last three years of war, generally it has not been one of the leading problem spots.

IDF demolishes structures during Hebron operations

In addition, the IDF said it destroyed structures which were illegally built and could make security operations harder to carry out, but it kept extremely vague about what those operations were and why whole buildings would need to be destroyed to carry them out.

Pressed about how many of the 2,000 Hamula members actually have records linking them to terror, or at least low-grade rock throwing, multiple IDF sources did not appear to have any specific information on the topic.

Rather, the operation seemed to be motivated by public statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz about clearing or destroying the neighborhood of the two men involved in the terror incident on Friday – seemingly a collective punishment measure.

First operation of its kind in West Bank

While Israel has placed closures on areas where terror emanated from in the past, it has not carried out such mass evacuations and building demolitions without a more specific basis to connect those being impacted,

It was unclear what the legal basis for the actions was, and global criticism was starting to stream in, but in Israel’s current atmosphere leading into Tuesday’s elections, it seemed unlikely that any immediate criticism would have an impact.  

In its vague Friday night statement, the IDF said that it launched a counterterrorism operation in the Hebron area following Friday morning’s deadly Hamas terrorist attack.

Security forces are conducting systematic searches for terrorist infrastructure and weapons in the area and questioning dozens of suspects, according to the joint statement.

This post was originally published on here.

Iraq believes that Israel was behind recent strikes on two sites where Iran-backed militias had stockpiled “Chinese-made shoulder-fired air defense systems” sourced from Tehran, sources told London-based Arabic international newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

It was unclear which specific type of system the report referred to. One source told the newspaper that “the armed group that identified this location for storing air defense systems believed it was extremely difficult to access or detect…the suspected attack occurred shortly after the shipments arrived at the two storage sites.”

The report, which said the strikes occurred last week, did not provide evidence for the claims and noted that parts of the claims could not be confirmed.

Asharq Al-Awsat added that the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group that contains numerous Iranian-backed militias and is also an Iraqi government paramilitary force, had said one of their bases suffered an explosion on October 17.

However, the PMF claimed at the time that this was an accident, and Iraq’s government vowed to investigate. The explosion had affected a stockpile of obsolete ammunition inside one of their headquarters in Baghdad’s East Canal, injuring five people, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Not first time Iraq has blamed Israel for strikes

This is not the first time that Iraqis have sought to blame Israel for strikes in the country. Iranian-backed militias also blamed Israel for strikes in 2019 and a strike in Albukamal in Syria on the Iraqi border. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel set up a secret airstrip in Iraq in the midst of the Iran campaign.

Iran has been supplying Iraqi militias with weapons for many years. This has included missiles and drones capable of threatening Israel. The militias also carried out numerous attacks on Israel, especially after Hamas began its war on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Asharq Al-Awsat report further cited an anonymous Iraqi government official who said that relevant authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, with the report noting that over a week had passed since the incident without any update.

Other sources said that the explosion in mid-October followed another incident on October 1. In that incident, warehouses belonging to Iran-backed groups in and around Baghdad had apparently been affected, “including warehouses containing drones intended for suicide attacks and reconnaissance.”

The report also reveals that the Iran-backed militias appear to be preparing for escalation. Iran has sought to make Iraq a frontline of the war since the US and Israel began airstrikes in February. For instance, Iran has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq since February. It has used drones and missiles.

In addition, Iran and the Iranian-backed militias carried out 600 attacks throughout Iraq, some targeting US diplomatic sites. The US withdrew forces from Iraq on September 30, a deadline that had been agreed to with Baghdad over the last years. Also, the US has warned Americans not to travel to Baghdad and noted the terror threats from the militias.

Asharq Al-Awsat appears to try to connect earlier reports about China supplying Iran with weapons to the movement of the same systems to Iraq. However, the report admits that this is “unconfirmed.” It further notes that on July 28, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied these reports.

At the time, Iran was expected to receive, within weeks, its first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers as it rebuilt its defenses after its war with the United States, three sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.

The militias may be preparing for what comes next. It should be noted that an Iran-backed militia targeted Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline in a drone attack. It is believed, according to a report at Al-Hurra and other reports, that the attack was carried out from Iraq’s Maysan province near the Iranian border. That border crossing has now been closed amid US pressure and Iraq’s concerns apparently over trafficking.

Asharq Al-Awsat further noted conflicting reports describing sorties by Israeli fighter jets through Iraqi airspace near the Iranian border, supported by midair refuelers, an operation it said had not been independently confirmed.

A security official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraqi authorities have not yet determined the nature of the strikes, but have seen sufficient evidence to believe Israel was behind them.

Strikes suggest the start of a new round of conflict, Asharq Al-Awsat reports

The report concluded that the strikes suggest the start of a new round of conflict. This seems sensational because the alleged incident took place in mid-to-early October. On the other hand, a source within the Shi’ite Coordination Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that “leaders of ruling parties had been predicting for weeks that the resumption of war between Washington and Tehran would begin with the complete destruction of the capabilities of the Iraqi factions.”

The Shi’ite Coordination Framework includes the Shi’ite parties in Iraq. Many of the parties have armed wings that are part of the PMF. For instance, the Badr Organization has numerous brigades within the PMF. Other groups include Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al Haq and Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba. Most of these groups, except Badr, have been sanctioned by the US as terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes many of the militias and has been responsible for attacks on Israel and the US in the past, published a report claiming Iraq’s airspace was being violated.

This post was originally published on here.

Almost half (48%) of frontline retail workers have experienced some form of customer abuse over the last 12 months, and 27% have avoided particular shifts out of safety concerns, according to a new survey of US and UK workers commissioned by Halos, a workplace-safety technology company.

The most common type was verbal abuse, including shouting or swearing, which 34% of retail respondents experienced. Threats or intimidation followed at 17%. Another 16% experienced discriminatory comments or abuse, while 10% experienced physical aggression.

The company’s findings are in a new worker safety report; much of the retail-specific data in this article comes from the full questionnaire and detailed results tables the company shared with Retail Brew.

Asked what measures would help improve their safety, the top choice among retail workers was clear consequences such as removing or banning customers (52%), followed by clear backing from management when associates enforce policies or refuse service (44%).

As is often the case with company-funded surveys, the report underscores a problem that Halos has a commercial interest in addressing: The company sells body-worn cameras for frontline workers.

Its findings jibe with those of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which reported that 57% of respondents to a member survey had experienced verbal harassment or intimidating conduct from a customer, coworker, or manager in the previous year.

Thirty-five percent of retail workers said they had felt unsafe at work, up from 27% in 2024, according to a 2025 Harris Poll survey for security-equipment company Verkada and the Loss Prevention Research Council.

The survey also found that 61% of retail workers believed their employers placed a higher priority on inventory safety than worker safety.

This report was originally published by Retail Brew.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

The first tanker with 40,000 tons of diesel left for New York from Russia earlier this week following President Donald Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release millions of tons of diesel into the global supply, Fox News has reported.

This comes as diesel has shot to more than $6 per gallon in the U.S.

“The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Following the deal earlier this month, Trump also waived most of the sanctions on Russia and those who bought fuel from the country under the Graham Act, which was backed by late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

However, retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro told Fox News that the 40,000 tons would only supply a “couple of hours” worth of diesel.

“Look, reducing fuel prices is a very legitimate and necessary policy goal,” he told John Roberts on “America Reports.” “The president has a number of positive initiatives in that regard. However, I don’t think lifting sanctions on Russia and buying diesel fuel from Russia and fueling their war machine, which yesterday just had another massive ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, killing women and children, knocking out their energy grid, so the Ukrainians will freeze, so my hope would be they kind of change their mind, beef up the other initiatives they have, turn that tanker around and go in a different direction.”

Punaro said that Putin’s goal is to regain the territory from the Soviet Union.

“He was never going to stop with Ukraine. That’s why we’ve got to stop him in Ukraine,” he said.

Under the Oct. 9 deal between the U.S. and the Kremlin, Putin agreed to “immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter,” Trump said.

Trump said the agreement came after the two had a “highly successful discussion.”

He added on Truth Social, “Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel. Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.”

The president had been under pressure from Republicans to lower diesel prices before the midterms.

The Russian diesel is the first delivered to the U.S. from the Kremlin since 2023.

The UK has grappled with a worsening employment situation, as young workers experience joblessness at a higher rate than older workers. The government has encouraged employers to do their part to reduce the youth unemployment rate, and Amazon is the latest company to pick up the baton.

On Oct. 20, the e-commerce giant announced a new program called the Amazon Youth Promise, through which it aims to create 30,000 new entry-level jobs in the UK by 2030, the Independent reported. The initiative is geared toward young workers, but will also provide job training to people “not in education, employment or training” (also known as Neets). Salaries will start at 31,000 British pounds (roughly $41,500).

“When I visit our sites, I meet young people who had no idea where to start six months ago,” John Boumphrey, UK country manager for Amazon, said in the company’s press release. “They didn’t have a CV. They didn’t have experience. What they had was a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.”

Despite this and other recent recruitment announcements, including plans to hire 300,000 seasonal workers for the holidays, Amazon has also cut white-collar jobs, letting go of roughly 1,000 workers in India, the UK, and its retail business in early October, Business Insider reported. That’s on top of the 30,000 jobs it cut over the past year to restructure its business and focus more on AI.

With roughly one million Neets in the UK right now, mainly concentrated in the country’s largest cities, entry-level jobs are in-demand. Amazon is just one of several employers, including tech firms Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM, that have pledged through the government’s Youth Guarantee initiative to create more jobs for young Britons.

“This government’s mission is to get Britain working, which is why we are backing employers who share our ambition to create opportunity in every part of the country,” Pat McFadden, UK work and pensions secretary, said in a statement announcing Amazon’s Youth Promise. “This is exactly the kind of employer leadership that will reach young people in the communities that need it the most and drive our economy forward.”

This report was originally published by HR Brew.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that it had regained broader access to Starlink, a critical service for military drones, battlefield communications and other fast-moving equipment.

The restoration comes after more than a week of speed restrictions on SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield services that disrupted Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.

It remains unclear what led to the slowdown in service, with Ukraine having accused both President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of being behind it. 

Both men have denied involvement, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk on Wednesday and asked him to address the slowdown.

Vice President JD Vance appeared to leave open a role for the U.S. government going forward, saying Musk should not be expected to navigate the war without Washington “effectively directing him on what to do.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, have denied that the U.S. government was responsible for slowing Ukraine’s Starlink service.

The restrictions disrupted Starlink connections on Ukrainian drones traveling faster than roughly 100 mph, limiting their ability to maintain satellite communications at higher speeds.

As of Saturday, Starlink connections are remaining stable at speeds of 250 mph, Ukrainian officials said.

This comes as both sides appear more eager to reach a resolution in the war, which has now dragged on for more than four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox & Friends this week that he would be open to ending the war by freezing the fighting along the current front lines. 

Zelenskyy described it as a ceasefire, something Moscow has been routinely opposed to. However, on Friday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-torn Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

The White House said First Lady Melania Trump had a major role in negotiating the localized ceasefire, which will begin on Oct. 29 and allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky.

Fighting has continued elsewhere. A missile strike on the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed one man and injured two others, local officials said Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that its forces struck a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti that manufactures materials used in rocket fuel. Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight attack caused damage to industrial facilities across the city, the AP reported.

Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed Saturday that its forces struck an electronics plant in the Russian city of Oryol, that it said produces components for cruise and ballistic missiles used against Ukraine. 

Local officials said three people were killed in that attack, according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

I have a soft spot for hard rock. So I find myself in one of Austin’s live music clubs listening to a band on the tail end of their world tour.

A guitarist is under the stage lights at Come and Take It Live, swaying and concentrating, the strains of a Stevie Ray Vaughan classic floating from the amps. The night air crackles. The rapt audience takes it in, applauding as the guitarist moves gracefully through the soulful notes. If you’ve played a musical instrument of any kind at any skill level, the live show reveals the human effort at the foundation of every good performer, performance and song. As a mediocre drummer, I tend to watch that part of most shows, whoever the band is. The drummer in this show is effortlessly throwing out some amazing double-bass rolls.

Rock and roll is an American invention that’s gone global. Nights like this have been happening across Austin, and across the country and the world, for generations, long before and after we sadly lost the great Texas firebrand.

SRV was such a phenomenon there’s a statue of him downtown. It’s appeared in thousands of Instagram Reels and photos by now, especially during SXSW and ACL fests. Music is the heartbeat of the city. The guitar legend was the king of live music, and live music is still big. In fact, according to Pollstar, while we stream our favorite movies and songs into our homes, going out to watch live music has never been bigger.

Pollstar’s numbers reveal something in the age of AI, digital everything, on-demand and streaming: We still want real moments we can experience with others. In a world that increasingly feels all the same, we want to feel a beat. When a band we like hits the chorus of that song we love and everyone around us is singing along – that’s it.

Live music shows topped $6 billion for the first time, and “The Worldwide Top 100 Touring Artists for 2026 are on track to have a record-setting year based on reported third-quarter tour revenues and ticket sales between Nov. 13, 2025 and Aug. 12, 2026.” Three quarters, $6 billion – that’s a lot of us going to live shows.

Topping the worldwide live show chart is South Korea’s K-pop monsters, BTS, with the “Dynamite” boy group racking up over $465 million on their Arirang World Tour. Back from compulsory military service, they are selling out NFL stadiums in major cities. That’s no great surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to music, but perhaps more surprising is that another K-pop act, TWICE, has joined them in the top 10 at No. 6.

Those talented bands also benefit from South Korea’s “soft power” strategy of using government funds and might to export Korean idol music to the world. It’s clearly working. “The Feels” and “Butter” are two of K-pop’s biggest English-language hits over the last few years – both products of South Korea’s idol pipeline.

More surprising may be the resurgence of rock. Aussie titans AC/DC returned to the road and landed in the top 10 live acts, hauling in over $136 million. They’re very much “Back in Black” at No. 9.

Right behind them? Ed Sheeran. We’ll see where he lands in the next few months.

Others making the top 10 include Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga and Luke Combs. Taylor Swift didn’t make the list because she didn’t tour.

In a time in which the lords of AI keep saying their tech may take our jobs, it’s heartening to see something tech can’t take away. At least, not yet.

KISS revealed digital avatars in their “final” show in a riff on “God Gave Rock and Roll To You” in 2023. Sia has sold off a 50% stake in her catalog and the buyer is aiming at some kind of digital show, and ABBA has already done its hybrid human-digital show in London, called “ABBA Voyage.” Digital presentation is coming for live music, as it has already started impacting digital music via AI-powered platforms on both the streaming and production ends. Will we someday see a triple bill of Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Johnny Cash? Maybe! It will be weird, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be tried.

Whatever the future of music is, big business is still betting on live music at all scales being here to stay. Apple just built a 600-seat venue loaded with tech. It can pull in millions. AEG is making a play for clubs like Emo’s in Austin, reopening it with a new name next year. It makes a nice bookend to the other local club AEG is investing in, a larger one with 4,000 capacity. The Emo’s name itself will live on after moving elsewhere.

Whether it’s catching your friend’s band in a local bar, which I’ve done, or catching a global act like British Muse on tour with Tokyo-based One OK Rock in a major Texas arena, or an up-and-coming band trying to break out, seeing and hearing the result of thousands of hours of toil and effort become a groove you love is rewarding for the artists and the audience. In the small venues, you may be within a few yards of the stage. You feel it.

But whether it’s digital or with a living, breathing act on the stage, we still want to be with others who like the same things we do. We want to sing that chorus together.

And from the local music spot to the strangely authentic country bar in Tokyo, to the massive, highly-produced stadium shows helmed by the major acts in the Top 100, the love of music, and especially live music, is global. The sales numbers don’t lie and neither do the numbers bands play. The amazing guitarist playing those shimmering blue SRV notes in that Austin club is called Iree. She’s one of a pair of brilliant guitarists in a quintet of fiery South Korean rockers called Rolling Quartz, blazing their way around the world one face-melting show at a time. Many of their songs are in English.

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., jointly introduced a bill which would ban companies from imposing non-compete agreements on employees who make less than $100,000 a year, according to the bill text which Fox News Digital has obtained exclusively.

“This is something that people should easily be able to get behind,” Khanna told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

Khanna highlighted the bipartisan nature of the bill, claiming that Vice President JD Vance has previously referred to non-compete agreements as unenforceable. 

“It’s something that, after this election, may actually be able to bring the country together. I mean what other issue do you have JD Vance, Rep. Luna, Ro Khanna all in alignment on?” he asked.

If passed, the Workers’ Right To Compete Act would ban future as well as pre-existing non-compete agreements within 30 days of its passing, allowing workers who were previously beholden to such contracts to seek out new employment. 

Khanna and Luna both argued that non-compete agreements limit American employees from pursuing opportunity and that the contracts hinder economic growth. 

“Independent contractors and hardworking Americans deserve the freedom to continue advancing their careers and earn the money they deserve without unnecessary legal red tape standing in their way,” Luna told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“This legislation protects that freedom and puts Americans in charge of their opportunities and earning potential,” Luna concluded.

Khanna also pointed to the success of companies who have already done away with non-competes, such as KKR & Co., a private equity firm which prohibited companies it acquired from enacting a similar non-compete ban for employees making under $100,000 a year.

“They found that it actually improved the economic performance of the companies. It had no negative impact by not enforcing those non-competes,” Khanna said.

In an interview with Bloomberg, KKR’s co-head of global private equity Pete Stavros claimed economists say non-competes suppress wages. 

A 2021 article from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis supports that claim, with the authors writing that “When Oregon ended the enforcement of non-competes for hourly paid workers, wages for those workers rose by 2–3%.”

Khanna said that he’d ideally like to push for an even higher floor for those exempted from the non-competes than the $100,000 threshold proposed in the bill, but wanted to start somewhere that could get meaningful legislation passed. 

Khanna also pointed out that, thanks to California’s broad ban on non-competes, innovation flourishes, noting that Anthropic founder Dario Amodei would not have been able to start his business had his previous employer, OpenAI, contracted him under a non-compete clause. 

“Something I’ve heard from the day I’ve been in Congress, one of California’s successes in innovation has been that we ban the enforcement of non-competes. So you can have someone leave a technology company and go to another technology company that allows for new startups, new innovation, and more competition,” he told Fox News Digital.

“So many people from Google left to OpenAI,” Khanna continued. “So many from OpenAI left to Anthropic. People leave from NVIDIA all the time to go to Anthropic to start AI companies, to start technology companies. Now, my view is these tech companies already have too much power. We need more competition, not less competition. 

“But imagine if they were non-compete, you basically would have one monopolist in doing search, in doing AI, in building chips. I’m glad that at least you have AMD and NVIDIA competing,” Khanna said.

“It’s bipartisan. It’s something that can bring the political spectrum together. It’s pro-innovation. It’s pro-growth. It’s pro wages. It is something that has worked in California and Silicon Valley,” he told Fox News Digital. “Anyone who knows the Silicon Valley ecosystem will say the non-enforcement of non-compete is one of the reasons for the Valley’s success.”

The Federal Trade Commission voted in 2024 on a rule to ban non-competes, but abandoned the rule after a federal district court struck it down. 

Fox News Digital contacted Vance for comment.

An American company says it’s positioned to tap into a potentially massive oil prospect in Greenland next year, following President Donald Trump’s announcement that resource exploration “is getting ready to begin” on the Arctic island.

Greenland Energy Company is in the permitting process to drill its first well in 2027 in eastern Greenland, according to CEO Robert Price. The company claims that its project, in partnership with British company 80 Mile, holds the sole oil permits for exploratory drilling in Greenland, which makes it a potential key player in Trump’s interest in Greenland’s resources.

Trump announced on Truth Social last week that “massive” resource exploration was expected to start in Greenland.

“Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“There are Experts that are saying that the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the World and, even more importantly, from a Security Purpose in the Defense and Offense of both the United States of America, and Europe, is second to none,” he continued.

Trump’s announcement did not specify details about how or when resource exploration would begin in Greenland.

Greenland’s government stopped granting new oil and gas permits in 2021 over concerns about the environmental impact of oil extraction. However, existing permits granted before 2021 remain valid, pending additional government approval for extraction.

According to Greenland’s Ministry of Business and Mineral Resources, White Flame Energy, which is owned by 80 Mile, obtained two permits in 2015 and a third in 2018 for exploratory drilling and possible extraction of oil in Jameson Land in eastern Greenland. Price’s company, Greenland Energy has partnered with the British company as an investor in the endeavor and will act as the operator of the project.

Price says the project has drawn the attention of governments and investors due to the potential significance the oil might have to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil supplies. According to Price, an independent engineering report found that the planned drilling site could contain up to 13 billion barrels of crude oil.

The exact quantity of oil present in the Jameson Land Basin and whether the oil can be economically extracted will not be known until exploratory drilling occurs.

Price has positioned his company’s project as a long-term solution to slow down chokepoints in the global supply chain caused by conflicts like the war in Iran.

“If we’re successful, or even partially successful, this could really help some of the chokepoints in the Middle East. So of course the U.S. government has been acknowledging what our project is and monitoring it,” Price told Fox Business.

According to Price, measurements taken at the surface of the proposed drilling site show that the crude oil Greenland Energy Company intends to extract genetically matches oil found in the North Sea, which means European refineries may have existing capabilities to process it.

Finding new oil supplies in “friendly jurisdictions” is essential to the United States maintaining its independence from foreign oil supplies, Price says.

“It’s incumbent upon the United States to look beyond the shale plays for a supply of energy moving forward,” said Price.

“That supply is dwindling, and that’s why we need to look to friendly jurisdictions like Greenland to bring on new supplies of oil for the people of the United States and the European community,” he continued.

Greenland’s government said that the Jameson Land project remains in the exploration phase, and exploratory drilling cannot start until environmental social impact assessments are approved. The government previously objected to the project’s proposed timeline to drill in the winter of 2026/2027, according to a statement on its website.

Price told Fox Business that his company has filed all environmental reports and plans to drill its first well at some point in 2027.

Price is also president of USFM Corporation, a private company that is drilling for minerals, including cobalt, nickel and platinum, in western Greenland.

Price said that the security of Greenland is essential to both the future of both USFM’s mineral exploration and Greenland Energy’s potential oil drilling. He pointed to a recent security agreement between the U.S., Greenland and Denmark as important part of continuing resource exploration on the island.

The three nations signed a trilateral agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The security agreement permanently cements U.S. military rights in Greenland while affirming Greenland’s right to self-determination.

“Now we have clarity. Part of that clarity is Greenland Energy and USFM. We’re going to be in Green Land a very long time,” Price said. “We embrace the trilateral agreement because for a company like ours, having certainty in the security of Greenland for our long-term investment is very important.”

The security agreement does not affect existing oil permits or guarantee American resource exploration in Greenland.

Greenland’s government declined to comment on Trump’s Truth Social announcement.

President Donald Trump defended Elon Musk on Friday when asked whether he was concerned Democrats could target the billionaire if they gain control of Congress, saying there was an obligation to “protect our brilliant people.”

When asked by FOX Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence if he was worried that Democrats could go after Musk, Trump said Americans had a responsibility to protect the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.

“Elon’s a brilliant guy and I have an expression: we have to protect our brilliant people because we don’t have too many of them,” Trump said. “There aren’t too many of them in the world.”

Trump continued to defend Musk, whom he described as a “genius.”

“Elon has done nothing wrong,” he said. “Elon is a very good guy. He’s a very different kind of a guy, but I think people have an obligation to protect our geniuses. You know, there aren’t that many of them.”

Trump’s comments come after reports that Democratic lawmakers have been considering potential investigations involving Musk and his businesses if they gain control of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

Earlier this week, Musk responded to a story by Politico detailing how Democrats have considered ways to investigate the entrepreneur and his businesses.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Musk wrote on X. “Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets.”

FOX Business previously reported that Musk has been a major donor to GOP candidates ahead of the election.

He also worked with the Trump administration through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he helped launch at the beginning of Trump’s presidency last year.

Musk’s business dealings with the federal government through his various ventures could also face scrutiny if Democrats gain control of Congress.

After defending Musk, Trump turned to America’s technological leadership.

“We’re leading in everything right now,” Trump said, referencing superintelligence and what he described as an unprecedented amount of development happening in the U.S.

FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump announced on Friday a new $275 million initiative to recruit and retain nurses in nursing homes during a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, calling the effort “breaking news for the benefit of American seniors.”

The Nurses for Nursing Homes program is expected to support more than 4,000 nurses nationwide, according to a formal announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Today I have breaking news for the benefit of American seniors,” Trump said. “I’m pleased to announce that the Trump administration is investing in nurses and elder-care facilities all across America, including in the great state of Florida. You need them.”

Eligible participants may receive up to $40,000 in student-loan repayment and/or a $10,000 stipend in exchange for a three-year commitment to work an average of at least 30 hours per week at a qualifying nursing home.

CMS has committed $100 million to the program, while states are committing at least another $175 million. The initiative is funded through civil monetary penalties collected by CMS and states from nursing homes.

The program will focus on rural communities and areas experiencing higher labor shortages. 

CMS said all 50 states and the District of Columbia are participating. All rural nursing facilities are eligible, along with additional facilities in higher-need areas.

“This initiative will recruit and retain thousands of nurses, expand care in rural and high-need communities, and create new pathways into long-term care careers,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.

“When we offer student loan repayment through Nurses for Nursing Homes, we’re not just giving nurses and nursing students future financial relief; we’re supporting families who want their loved ones to receive quality care in nursing homes,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Without taking a dime from taxpayers, CMS is empowering the next generation of nurses to pursue their dreams and helping residents form deep bonds with caregivers so they can live happier, healthier lives.”

Applicants must hold an active registered nurse or licensed practical or vocational nurse license and work at a qualifying Medicare or Medicaid-certified long-term-care facility. Nursing students may begin an application before graduation but must graduate, obtain a license and secure qualifying employment before receiving benefits.

Applicants can apply starting on Oct. 26 at NursesforNursingHomes.cms.gov.

The initiative comes as nursing homes continue to face staffing challenges, particularly in rural and labor-shortage areas. CMS said the program is designed to direct incentives toward communities where recruiting nurses has been most difficult.

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin issued a warning that the riots that have occurred in Paris and other cities in France should serve as an example to young Americans that socialist policies aren’t the utopia that some describe.

The billionaire hedge fund manager spoke during a panel discussion at Citadel Securities’ recent Future of Global Markets Conference and said that the chaos on the streets in France exemplifies where the road to socialism leads.

“If you want to look at where socialism leads you to, look at France this last weekend. It’s the socialist dream. The country spends 60% of its GDP at the government level. And yet their streets are awash in turmoil,” Griffin said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Griffin said that “Paris looked pretty damn similar to Chicago in 2021 and 2022″ and added that young Americans who may be supportive of socialist policies should view the disorder in those cities as a wake-up call for the failings of socialism.

“I think Paris should be a real wake-up call to every single young American. France is the dream that the left talks about – the liberal, safety net-rich, socialist Europe. And here’s France,” he said.

“That dream, that dream is the nightmare I left from Chicago. That dream doesn’t belong in our country. A society where it comes down to how much you can take from others. And they’ll first take your property, and then they’ll take your personal rights. That’s not a society that we want to create in our country,” Griffin explained.

The Citadel founder was asked if he has seen U.S. political candidates who he is concerned want to take the country down that path.

“I mean, JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois. Yes, 100%,” Griffin said.

Griffin moved Citadel’s headquarters from Chicago to Miami in 2022 after the firm had operated in the Windy City for nearly three decades.

Last November, Griffin told Fox News’ Bret Baier at the America Business Forum that Chicago is a “failed city-state” and noted that two of his colleagues had bullets fly through their cars.

“I had 25 bullet holes in the front of my building where I lived. You can’t live in a city awash [with] violent crime,” he said at the time.

FOX Business’ Kristen Altus contributed to this report.

Despite Iran stepping up attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the flow of oil from the region is actually above prewar levels as Persian Gulf states hold off on crossing certain red lines—for now.

According to tracking firm Kpler, shipments via the strait and alternate routes averaged more than 24 million barrels a day last week, topping the average of 23.3 million before the U.S. and Israel launched the war in late February.

To be sure, Hormuz traffic hasn’t returned to normal as the threat of Iranian attacks continues to scare off some tankers. But because of the lucrative payouts that transiting the strait can provide, enough ships are taking on the risk.

At the same time, pipelines that bypass the strait are picking up the slack, and top oil consumers have also reduced demand. In fact, prices for some Middle East oil supplies in Asia are now selling for less than they were a month ago, sources told Bloomberg.

So while the war has dragged on for eight months with no end in sight, oil markets have yet to go off a cliff. Brent crude prices have surged in recent days on reports that the U.S. and Israel are preparing to attack Iran again, but they remain below peak levels seen at the height of the war as the new normal sets in.

“Energy security shocks are persistent, not episodic, and supply-chain and shipping disruptions remain material risks,” analysts at JPMorgan wrote in a note on Wednesday. “Energy markets are converging on a forever conflict in the Middle East, but supply has been resilient and demand destruction in China has been key.”

A survey of investors showed that more than half of respondents expect Middle East disruptions to keep energy prices “structurally elevated” over the next 12 months, the bank added.

But even if supplies remain constrained for another year, JPMorgan said demand destruction could keep oil prices at $90 per barrel and prevent them from soaring to the $120-$140 level that some forecasters fear. 

“Repeated supply shocks are driving a lasting reconfiguration of trade routes and energy corridors, and tail risks remain elevated,” analysts added. “Building resilience in supply chains has become a priority.”

Over the longer term, the expansion of pipelines and port infrastructure will help improve the resilience of oil flows, Hamad Hussain, a senior commodities economist at Capital Economics, said in a note last week.

But some short-term measures could also move the needle. Saudi Arabia plans to convert an existing natural gas pipeline to carry 1.2 million barrels per day of oil, boosting the kingdom’s ability to send oil to its west coast within six to eight weeks, he estimated.

And next year, the United Arab Emirates should complete a second pipeline to its port at Fujairah, allowing even more oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

“Energy markets are learning to live with conflict,” Hussain wrote.

But energy markets can’t live with too much conflict. Iran has warned that any fresh U.S.-Israeli attacks would not only target energy infrastructure, but also the region’s data centers and internet cables.

Such attacks would likely be met with similar retaliation on Iran’s infrastructure, prompting further tit-for-tat strikes that would threaten the region’s ability to ship and pump oil over the long term, catalyzing an even worse energy crisis.

“Wiping out an oil terminal opposite of Iran is equivalent to Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD),” TankerTrackers posted on X last week. “How eager is Iran to see its (albeit now-sleepy) Kharg Island oil terminal finally go up in flames? There are lines one simply doesn’t cross even during conflict.”

Indeed, even the U.S. has shown signs of restraint. Despite President Donald Trump’s earlier threats to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Tehran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, he hasn’t followed through.

Trump has favored waging economic warfare instead, with the U.S. naval blockade choking off Iran’s oil exports and financial sanctions preventing the regime from repatriating revenue generated abroad.

Renewed fighting could still plunge the Middle East into a cycle of destruction, with another aircraft carrier and Marine expeditionary unit headed to the region. But Trump has backed off from earlier vows to restart all-out war against Iran.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s ambassador to the United Nation, also admitted to the Financial Times that the U.S. could remain locked in a stalemate with Iran a year from now, without a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, “the president and the U.S. Navy can maintain this blockade for the foreseeable future,” he added, and the administration is “tightening” its economic pressure on Iran.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

A gunman killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in a shooting in a Paris suburb that French President Emmanuel Macron described as a “terrorist and racist” attack.

“What happened today is, I am telling you, a turning point, because it is the first time we have had a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the color of their skin or their religion,” Macron told reporters.

The shooting happened earlier on Friday when the gunman fired an automatic weapon at a petrol station, a medical center and a children’s playground in Trappes, on the Paris outskirts.

Officials said a 39-year-old suspect, whom they named as Kevin T, had been arrested. His family surname was not given, as is common practice in such criminal inquiries in France.

The shooting comes at a moment of particular tension in France, after nationwide protests turned violent last Saturday and before further demonstrations this coming weekend.

Some far-right politicians have blamed immigration for looting and vandalism in a number of French cities on October 17.

Macron said the gunman had deliberately chosen not to fire upon some people due to their skin color and appearance.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, known as PNAT, formally opened an investigation into the shooting.

PNAT can take over any criminal investigation it believes meets the criteria for terrorism, including violence inspired by far-right ideas. Terrorism sentences are tougher, and counter-terrorism forces have greater investigative powers.

Broadcaster BFM said the wounded girl had been hit eight times and was in serious condition.

Mayor calls for collective condemnation

Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh, whose parents came from Morocco, said the shooting was “racist” and “Islamophobic.”

“The people targeted today could just as easily have been my mother, my brothers or my sisters-in-law,” said Rabeh.

Rabeh called for a collective condemnation of rhetoric that “ideologically arms those capable of carrying out such acts.”

Nicolas Dainville, the mayor of nearby La Verriere, said the suspect was “of a European type.” Rabeh said two of the victims were of African and North African origin, respectively, and did not provide details about the backgrounds of the other victims.

Video images showed the suspect’s car riddled with bullets.

This post was originally published on here.

Microsoft researchers said in a study that a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can diagnose patients step by step, like how a doctor would do, was more than twice as accurate as general physicians at solving complex medical cases.

The study, which was published on Thursday in Science, said that the AI model takes a different approach to diagnosing medical issues than most other models that seek to address those issues.

Microsoft said the AI model identifies and coordinates the questions that should be asked of a patient, as well as the exams and tests that should be ordered, using an “orchestrator” that organizes how AI will tackle a problem by employing a simulated panel of clinical experts collaborating to solve diagnostic cases, the report said.

By contrast, existing AI models typically take an all-at-once approach that examines all of a patient’s symptoms, lab results, and imaging studies to generate a diagnosis.

While the orchestrator coordinates the steps to reach a diagnosis, the AI model first decides what questions to ask about the patient’s medical history and identifies significant findings in the physical exam.

Based on what it learns from that process, it decides which tests to order, considers the results and orders further testing as appropriate. While those tasks are occurring, the AI model is updating its working hypotheses and plans.

The tool also outperformed human physicians when it was presented with scenarios drawn from a major database of emergency room admissions. Researchers said that assessments comparing these types of older systems to human doctors usually use multiple choice questions.

“AI has become very good at getting a 100% pass rate on those,” said Dr. Dominic King, the corporate VP of the health unit at Microsoft AI, which is developing the new technology. “But of course, that’s not real-world. No patient ever came to see me with a nice summary.”

The researchers tasked the model with diagnosing over 300 highly unusual and confusing medical dilemmas and found that the model using the diagnostic orchestrator was over twice as accurate at “working up” the patient and determining the diagnosis as general physicians using textbooks and the internet.

Researchers also found that diagnostic processes cost less when the orchestrator designs the work-ups than when human doctors do.

“We’re not just measuring the accuracy of the systems. We’re also measuring how judiciously and carefully it goes through a diagnostic work-up,” said Harsha Nori, head of AI at Microsoft AI Health.

The Microsoft research team’s next test will occur through a collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where they will evaluate the tool’s ability to triage patients in emergency department waiting rooms.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan cautioned on Friday against any renewed attack on Iran, saying such a move would exacerbate tensions and further expand the conflict there, adding that diplomacy and dialogue were the only way to end the war.

Fidan met his counterparts from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Britain, and Italy in Istanbul to discuss developments in the Iran war, attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-backed Houthis, and Russia‘s war in Ukraine.

It was the first collective meeting between the countries, comprising the Regional Four (R4) and EU 3 (E3), alongside Italy.

“We are all in agreement that a new attack on Iran would expand the war in the region,” Fidan told a press conference after the meeting. “A military intervention on Iran is not in any way a solution. Nobody approves this at the moment,” he added.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said after Friday’s meetings that renewed escalation between Iran and the United States would only have losers and raise oil prices.

The comments followed a New York Times report on Wednesday that the US and Israeli militaries had drawn up specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the US midterm congressional election next month. Citing US officials, it said likely targets would include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and its missile and drone arsenal.

Trump says US would not launch attack before midterms

US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the US would not launch an attack on Iran before the midterms, as Washington and Tehran were having “productive” talks about ending their six-month-old war. On Friday, he said the US could end the war quickly but questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or allow the conflict to gradually wind down.

NATO member Turkey has been in close contact with Washington, Tehran and regional mediators to seek an end to the war. It has repeatedly called for attacks to stop and warned against the regional expansion of the conflict.

Fidan also said the countries meeting on Friday had discussed possible parameters to ensure the war in Iran does not expand further, but did not elaborate.

Following Friday’s meetings, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany, France, and Britain were ready to negotiate with Iran to rule out its acquisition of nuclear weapons, while calling for support for Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

This post was originally published on here.