(VINnews) – Hatzibur HaHaredi challenges Shas and United Torah Judaism over military service, education and political representation, triggering a fierce debate over Torah study and the future of Israel’s Haredi community.

A new political movement within Israel’s Haredi community has ignited a firestorm in the run-up to the October 27 Knesset election, drawing fierce condemnation from prominent rabbinic leaders and prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally intervene in an effort to persuade its leader to abandon the race.

Hatzibur HaHaredi, meaning “The Haredi Public,” is challenging the longstanding dominance of Shas and United Torah Judaism, the two parties that have traditionally represented Israel’s ultra-Orthodox population. Led by Moti Leitner, the deputy mayor of Beit Shemesh, the movement is seeking to give a political voice to Haredim who remain committed to Torah and mitzvos but believe the established leadership has failed to address the changing needs of significant parts of their community.

The confrontation has become particularly intense in recent days. Rabbi Dov Landau, one of the most influential rabbinic authorities in the Lithuanian Haredi world, sent a handwritten letter to a rabbi supporting the new party, warning that he would fight the movement with all his strength and accusing its supporters of causing serious harm to Haredi Judaism. He compared their actions to grave Torah prohibitions and urged them to withdraw their support.

The rabbi who received the letter, however, reportedly did not change his position. The exchange has highlighted the depth of opposition within the established rabbinic leadership and the determination of the new movement’s supporters to continue despite mounting pressure.

The dispute has also reached the highest levels of Israeli politics. Netanyahu personally contacted Leitner as part of efforts to convince smaller right-wing parties to withdraw before the election. Likud representatives reportedly discussed offering Leitner a senior government role overseeing programs for the Haredi community, including initiatives related to education and workforce participation, in exchange for ending his independent campaign.

Leitner rejected the pressure and announced that his party would remain in the race. He argued that the established parties had failed to reach an agreement with him before their candidate lists were finalized and that the community deserved an alternative.

At the heart of the confrontation is a fundamental question about the future of Haredi society: Can the community preserve its commitment to Torah study and its religious traditions while adopting a different approach to military service, education, employment and participation in Israeli public life?

The controversy is not simply about a new party seeking Knesset seats. It is a challenge to the political arrangements and leadership structures that have shaped Haredi representation for generations.

From a local movement in Beit Shemesh to a national political challenge

Leitner’s political career began at the municipal level. In 2024, he established and led the Derech faction in Beit Shemesh, which won two seats on the city council. He subsequently became a deputy mayor, taking responsibility for municipal portfolios that included security and emergency preparedness.

A resident of Beit Shemesh who grew up in the Rachmastrivka Hasidic community in Jerusalem, Leitner also developed a professional career in technology, including software and DevOps. His experience in the Haredi education system and his involvement in efforts to establish state-Haredi educational institutions helped shape his views on the challenges facing religious families.

Those challenges, according to the party, include rising housing costs, limited employment opportunities, educational shortcomings, school dropout rates and the difficulties faced by Haredi families trying to make ends meet.

The movement’s founders initially sought to secure greater representation within the existing Haredi political framework. When those efforts failed to produce an agreement, they decided to establish an independent party.

The national campaign was launched in August under the slogan “This time, we take responsibility.”

The party says it wants to represent the full range of Haredi society, including working families, Hasidic communities, Sephardi and Ashkenazi Haredim, immigrants, baalei teshuvah and people who seek to combine Torah observance with employment and broader educational opportunities.

Its argument is that the existing parties no longer adequately represent all these constituencies, particularly those whose lives do not fit neatly into the traditional political model centered on full-time yeshiva study and communal institutions.

The party’s emergence is therefore an attempt to translate years of debate within Haredi society into an independent national political force.

Why the established rabbinic leadership is fighting back

The opposition to Hatzibur HaHaredi goes beyond ordinary political competition.

For decades, Shas and United Torah Judaism have operated within a system in which political representation is closely tied to rabbinic authority. Their leaders negotiate with successive Israeli governments over religious affairs, educational funding, yeshiva budgets, military exemptions and legislation affecting Haredi life.

Supporters of the established parties view this framework as a means of protecting Torah study and preserving the community’s religious independence in a predominantly secular state.

Hatzibur HaHaredi argues that the framework has failed to deliver adequately for many of the people it claims to represent. Its leaders say the community faces serious problems that cannot be resolved through political confrontation alone or by repeatedly postponing difficult decisions.

That position threatens the established parties in two ways.

First, it questions their effectiveness. If Haredi families continue to struggle with housing, employment and educational opportunities, the new movement argues, the traditional leadership must be held accountable for its record.

Second, it challenges their authority to determine the community’s political direction. An independent Haredi party advocating changes that differ from the positions of established rabbinic leadership creates a direct test of whether political loyalty must follow the traditional party structure.

Rabbi Landau’s forceful letter illustrates how seriously some prominent rabbinic figures view the challenge. His intervention was not merely a criticism of a competing political list; it was a warning to religious supporters that their participation could damage the broader Haredi community.

The disagreement also reveals an important distinction. Hatzibur HaHaredi presents itself as a movement seeking to protect the Torah world by addressing practical problems. Its opponents fear that its approach could weaken the communal consensus and political leverage through which the Torah world has traditionally been protected.

The two sides are therefore arguing over both policy and who has the authority to determine what protecting Haredi Judaism requires.

The draft crisis at the center of the controversy

The most consequential policy dispute concerns military service.

For generations, arrangements allowing many yeshiva students to defer military service have been a central issue in the relationship between Israel’s Haredi community and the state. Traditional Haredi leaders argue that full-time Torah study is a vital contribution to the Jewish people and that students who dedicate themselves to learning must be protected from compulsory enlistment.

The legal and political framework governing those exemptions has come under mounting pressure, particularly as the Israeli military faces personnel demands following the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war.

The Supreme Court’s ruling against the longstanding blanket exemption framework and the resulting demands for enforcement have intensified tensions between the government, the military and Haredi leadership.

Hatzibur HaHaredi proposes drawing a clearer distinction between men who genuinely devote themselves to full-time Torah study and those for whom Torah is not their primary occupation.

Under its platform, full-time Torah learners would be protected through a comprehensive arrangement, while Haredi men who are not dedicated to full-time study would be required to undertake military, civilian or other national service through frameworks adapted to their religious needs.

The party says this approach would protect serious Torah scholars while addressing the state’s need for broader participation in security and national service.

Its position is neither a call to conscript every yeshiva student nor a defense of an unlimited exemption for every Haredi man regardless of his circumstances. Instead, it seeks to distinguish between full-time learners and those who are not engaged in sustained Torah study.

That distinction puts the movement at odds with established Haredi political positions on the scope and enforcement of military exemptions, while also separating it from secular parties that advocate broader conscription.

Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer and the question of law enforcement

Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, who chairs the party’s rabbinic committee, has become an important voice in explaining its approach.

Pfeffer has criticized the use of arrests as a tool for enforcing enlistment, arguing that such tactics create friction and can strengthen extremist elements. At the same time, he has condemned organized efforts to obstruct military police from carrying out arrests.

Following an incident in which Haredi protesters gathered in Modi’in to prevent the arrest of a draft evader, Pfeffer described the situation as more than opposition to military service, characterizing the obstruction as lawlessness.

His position reflects the party’s attempt to distinguish its approach from both uncompromising opposition to enlistment and enforcement measures that it believes unnecessarily provoke the Haredi public.

The party argues that a workable arrangement must protect genuine Torah learners, provide suitable service frameworks for others and prevent the issue from becoming a perpetual confrontation between the Haredi community and the state.

That approach is controversial precisely because it challenges the assumption that the existing political arrangements can continue unchanged.

Education: The battle over English, mathematics and Haredi independence

Another major component of the party’s platform is education.

Many Haredi families prioritize Torah study and want their children educated in environments that preserve their religious identity. The established Haredi school systems have historically placed a strong emphasis on religious learning, while the extent of instruction in subjects such as English and mathematics varies across institutions.

Hatzibur HaHaredi argues that students should have access to the basic educational tools needed to pursue further education, enter the workforce and support their families without sacrificing their religious commitments.

The party supports expanding educational frameworks that combine Haredi religious identity with core academic subjects. It also advocates greater funding and resources for state-Haredi schools, which provide a religious environment while incorporating broader academic instruction.

Its platform calls for strengthening these institutions in cities across Israel while preserving the independence of Haredi education and the ability of communities to choose how their children are educated.

This is a sensitive issue because some traditional Haredi leaders fear that greater state involvement or expanded secular curricula could undermine the autonomy of religious schools.

Hatzibur HaHaredi counters that better educational preparation can strengthen the community economically and reduce the difficulties faced by families whose children later struggle to find suitable employment.

The dispute is therefore not simply about which subjects children should study. It concerns the balance between religious independence, economic opportunity and the state’s role in supporting educational institutions.

The party presents educational reform as a means of preparing the next generation for financial stability while maintaining Torah observance. Its critics may see the proposed changes as a departure from established norms that have helped preserve Haredi life for generations.

Employment, housing and the cost of raising a Haredi family

The party’s economic agenda is rooted in the financial pressures facing many Haredi households.

Large families, expensive housing and the costs of religious education can place a substantial burden on household budgets. For families seeking to combine Torah study with employment, access to professional training and suitable jobs can be especially important.

Leitner argues that Haredi political representation must do more to address these practical concerns.

The party advocates expanding employment opportunities, encouraging professional development, lowering the cost of living and making government programs more responsive to the needs of working families and small businesses.

It also highlights the need for attainable housing and greater attention to school dropout rates, which can have long-term consequences for young people and their families.

The party’s broader argument is that economic hardship cannot be addressed solely through benefits and subsidies. It says Haredi communities also need stronger pathways to earning a dignified livelihood.

This position does not mean that the movement wants to abandon the traditional Torah-centered way of life. Rather, it argues that people who want to work should be able to do so without feeling that employment places them outside the community’s accepted framework.

The party also says that Haredi families should not have to choose between maintaining their religious identity and acquiring the tools needed to become financially secure.

For the established parties, the challenge is whether these goals can be pursued without undermining existing communal institutions. For Hatzibur HaHaredi, the question is whether those institutions can remain strong if the economic problems facing many families are not addressed more effectively.

An unprecedented break with tradition: Women on the party list

Perhaps the most visible departure from established Haredi political conventions is the inclusion of women among the party’s leading candidates.

Dr. Nechumi Yaffe, a researcher specializing in Haredi society and a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University, is ranked third on the list. Ziva Glantz, a professional with experience in housing, infrastructure, economic development and immigrant absorption, is ranked fourth.

Their inclusion marks a significant departure from the candidate lists of Shas and United Torah Judaism, which have traditionally not placed women among their Knesset candidates.

Yaffe’s academic work has focused on Haredi society and the challenges it faces. Glantz has argued that many Haredi women and men already participate in the wider economy and want political representatives who understand their practical needs.

Their presence reflects the movement’s claim that Haredi society is more diverse than its traditional political representation suggests.

For supporters, including women on the list is a way to give a broader range of voices a role in public decision-making. For critics who adhere to traditional conventions governing Haredi political representation, it raises questions about communal norms and the role women should play in national politics.

The move is especially significant because Hatzibur HaHaredi is not presenting itself as a secular party. It seeks to operate within a religious framework while departing from some of the political conventions maintained by the established Haredi parties.

That combination makes the movement difficult to categorize. It is challenging traditional political practices while insisting that its purpose is to preserve and strengthen the Haredi community.

Why Netanyahu became involved

The controversy has significant implications for Israeli coalition politics.

Leitner has described his movement as right-wing, national and conservative on economic, diplomatic and security issues. He has said he would be comfortable serving in a government led by Netanyahu and has expressed support for a broader national coalition.

Yet his independent candidacy creates a problem for the prime minister’s political bloc.

Israel’s electoral system requires a party to receive at least 3.25% of the national vote to enter the Knesset. If a small party draws votes from the right-wing electorate but fails to cross that threshold, those votes do not translate into parliamentary seats.

That possibility has made Hatzibur HaHaredi a concern for Netanyahu’s allies, who are seeking to prevent the fragmentation of their electoral base.

According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu personally spoke with Leitner and sought to persuade him to withdraw. Likud representatives also reportedly discussed a government role overseeing programs for the Haredi community, with a budget of hundreds of millions of shekels, if the party abandoned its campaign and the right-wing bloc formed the next government.

The proposed responsibilities reportedly included initiatives involving state-Haredi schools and workforce integration, areas that overlap with Leitner’s own policy priorities.

The discussions illustrate the tension between the party’s political independence and the possibility of pursuing some of its goals through government appointments and negotiated agreements.

Leitner has argued that the established parties had their opportunity to reach an agreement before the candidate lists closed. He has also expressed distrust of promises that might later be blocked by Shas or United Torah Judaism.

On October 21, he publicly announced that his party would continue campaigning despite the pressure.

The confrontation is a reminder that the dispute over Haredi representation is not confined to religious institutions. It has become part of the broader battle over the composition and future of Israel’s next government.

The electoral gamble

For all the attention the party has attracted, translating public interest into Knesset representation remains a formidable challenge.

Haredi voters have longstanding relationships with established parties, community institutions and rabbinic authorities. Choosing an independent list can therefore involve more than a calculation about policy; it may also mean breaking with familiar communal voting patterns.

The electoral threshold adds another layer of risk. A party that falls short of 3.25% will not receive seats, even if it attracts a meaningful number of votes.

Published polling has not consistently shown Hatzibur HaHaredi reaching that threshold. That uncertainty helps explain why the established parties have been pressing Leitner to withdraw and why the prime minister has reportedly become personally involved.

For supporters, however, the argument is that continuing to vote for the same parties without meaningful change risks perpetuating the problems the new movement seeks to address.

Even without entering the Knesset, the party’s campaign could expose dissatisfaction within the Haredi electorate and put pressure on established representatives to address questions of employment, education and military service more directly.

The ultimate test is whether enough voters are prepared to turn that dissatisfaction into support for an independent party.

A wider debate over the future of Haredi society

Hatzibur HaHaredi has emerged at a moment when Israel’s Haredi community faces several interconnected challenges: the legal and political crisis surrounding military exemptions, economic pressures on families, questions about educational preparation and debates about who should represent the community.

Its leaders argue that the goal is not to weaken Torah study or abandon religious tradition. They say that genuine Torah learners must be protected, while those who do not study full-time should have appropriate avenues for service, and families should have better access to education, employment and housing.

The established rabbinic leadership sees the movement as a challenge to a political framework built around preserving the community’s religious independence. Its opposition reflects concern not only about the potential division of votes but also about the authority and unity of the traditional Haredi leadership.

The inclusion of women on the party list, its proposals for education reform and its approach to military service have made the dispute especially consequential.

Netanyahu’s reported intervention has added a national political dimension, turning the campaign into a test of whether a new Haredi movement can maintain its independence in the face of pressure from both established religious leaders and the wider right-wing political bloc.

Whether Hatzibur HaHaredi secures representation in the Knesset or falls short of the electoral threshold, it has already forced difficult questions into public debate.

Who should speak for Haredi families? How can Torah study be protected while the state addresses its military needs? What educational opportunities should be available to Haredi children? And can the community adapt its political institutions without abandoning the traditions that have sustained it?

Those questions lie at the center of the movement’s challenge to Israel’s established Haredi leadership—and explain why a new party, founded only months ago, has become one of the most contentious stories in the country’s election campaign.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – The growing Orthodox Jewish community near Okeechobee, Florida, is drawing national attention, with the New York Post publishing a prominent report Sunday highlighting families who left New York amid concerns about rising antisemitism, political tensions and the high cost of living.

The report, published by David Spector, focuses on Lakefront Estates, a 550-acre development in Glades County that is attracting Orthodox Jewish families seeking to build a new community outside New York.

As previously reported, dozens of families have already relocated to the area, with more than 100 additional families reportedly planning to follow. The development includes a kosher supermarket, synagogue and yeshiva, providing the foundations for an Orthodox Jewish community.

The Post spoke with several families who said growing concerns about antisemitism, which they associate in part with the political climate under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, helped push them to leave.

One former Brooklyn resident told the newspaper that he had noticed a change in the atmosphere in Borough Park since Mamdani took office.

New York State Assemblyman Aron Wieder, who represents a heavily Orthodox district in Rockland County, also told the Post that approximately 20 families from his district had moved to Lakefront Estates. He cited antisemitism, high taxes and housing costs as factors driving families to consider leaving New York.

The article also highlights the challenges facing the new community in Florida. While many local residents have welcomed their new neighbors, far-right online personalities have targeted the Orthodox Jewish residents with hostile rhetoric, raising concerns about the consequences of inflammatory social media campaigns.

According to NYPD figures cited in the report, hate crimes in New York City had risen nearly 16% compared with the previous year, with attacks against Jews accounting for approximately half of reported incidents.

The New York Post coverage brings broader attention to a migration that has already begun, documenting how some Orthodox Jewish families are weighing safety, religious community, housing affordability and the political environment as they decide where to raise their children.

For Lakefront Estates, the influx represents the beginning of a growing community. For the families making the move, the decision reflects their search for a place where they can maintain their religious way of life while building a future outside New York.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the postponement of training for thousands of Palestinian police recruits in Egypt until after Israel’s upcoming elections, according to a report published Sunday by Israel Hayom. The delay reportedly forms part of a broader suspension of plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and the establishment of new security and administrative structures in the Strip.

According to the report by journalist Lilach Shoval, Israel’s Shin Bet security agency recently cleared between 5,000 and 7,000 Palestinian candidates to travel to Egypt for training as members of a new police force intended to operate in Gaza. However, Netanyahu instructed officials in recent days to postpone their departure.

The Shin Bet’s role was limited to conducting security checks on names submitted by the Board of Peace, the international body overseeing implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan.

Sources familiar with the discussions told Israel Hayom that the decision was part of a series of measures postponed by Israel’s political leadership in recent weeks. These reportedly include preparations for rebuilding Rafah, the deployment of a multinational force to Gaza, and the entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established in January under the leadership of Dr. Ali Shaath.

A source familiar with the matter told the newspaper that Netanyahu had delayed numerous initiatives concerning Gaza until after the elections, despite the fact that Hamas had not disarmed and Israel would still need to approve the proposed measures. The source suggested that the delays reflected political considerations rather than progress toward the security objectives required under the Gaza agreement.

Netanyahu’s office, however, rejected the claim that the postponements were connected to the elections. “Since the release of all the hostages, Hamas has systematically violated President Trump’s 20-point plan,” a statement by the Prime Minister’s office stressed. Netanyahu had therefore made clear that there would be no reconstruction and no police force in Gaza until Hamas was fully disarmed and the entire Strip demilitarized.

The postponement could have significant implications for the future of Gaza’s security arrangements. Without an alternative police force, armed Hamas members are expected to continue exercising control on the ground while the organization rebuilds its capabilities and collects money from humanitarian aid trucks entering the Strip, according to sources cited by Israel Hayom.

Israeli officials also fear that Hamas could resume terrorist attacks against Israel, prompting the IDF’s Southern Command to prepare for the possibility of further attacks.

The reported delay comes amid broader international efforts to establish an alternative administration and security structure in Gaza. In September, The Times of Israel reported that approximately 16,500 Palestinians had passed Israeli security screening for the proposed new police force, but were still awaiting permission to leave Gaza for training in Egypt. The report cited officials associated with the Board of Peace.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is intended to oversee civilian governance during a transitional period, while the proposed police force would help maintain public order and replace armed factional control. The broader plan also envisages an international stabilization force supporting security arrangements and reconstruction.

LONDON (VINnews) —  British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that Britain has just over 1,000 days to prepare for a potential war, cautioning that the country’s adversaries could be capable of attacking by 2030 as they expand their armed forces and strengthen their wartime economies.

In an opinion article published Saturday in The Telegraph, Streeting placed military readiness and the ability to fight alongside Britain’s allies at the top of his priorities, arguing that the United Kingdom must be prepared not only to deter its adversaries but also to fight and win if deterrence fails.

The central objective of Britain’s military buildup is to deter potential aggressors. However, the warning emphasized that deterrence alone cannot guarantee peace and that Britain must be prepared to fight if diplomatic and military pressure fails. The warning reflects a broader effort to transform Britain’s armed forces and defense industry in response to the changing security environment in Europe.

In a speech in Washington on October 15, Streeting warned that security threats were moving closer to Britain and said Russia’s war against Ukraine had demonstrated the urgent need to develop, manufacture, and deploy weapons more quickly.

He argued that modern military superiority increasingly depends on the ability to innovate rapidly and produce weapons at scale, alongside the effective use of drones, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, and electronic warfare.

Streeting has called for reforms to Britain’s defense procurement system, proposing to reduce the time between developing a concept for a new military system and signing a contract from six years to two. The process of adapting existing systems would be shortened from three years to one. He argued that lengthy procurement procedures are incompatible with the speed of change on modern battlefields and that lessons from Ukraine should help Britain accelerate the development and deployment of new military technologies.

The Ministry of Defence announced on October 22 that production of gun barrels and breech assemblies for artillery and tanks was beginning at Rheinmetall’s facility in Telford. The development marks the return of large-caliber weapons manufacturing to Britain after approximately two decades. The facility is expected to strengthen domestic defense production, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers, and improve Britain’s ability to sustain military operations during a prolonged conflict.

The government has also committed to meeting NATO’s increased defense spending targets, although expanding military expenditure will require difficult decisions about other public spending priorities.

The warning criticized previous Conservative governments for weakening the armed forces, failing to meet recruitment targets, and damaging military morale.

Military preparations are being accompanied by efforts to improve civilian resilience. A government preparedness campaign encourages households to maintain sufficient emergency supplies to withstand at least 72 hours of disruption. Recommended supplies include drinking water, nonperishable food, essential medications, cash, flashlights, and battery-powered radios. The guidance covers a range of emergencies, including severe weather, power failures, cyberattacks, and other disruptions to essential services. It does not necessarily indicate that the government expects an imminent military attack.

In parliamentary remarks on October 19, the British government emphasized that the UK was neither at war with Russia nor seeking a direct military confrontation. Nevertheless, officials warned that Moscow would continue testing Britain’s defenses and those of its NATO allies. Russian activities across Europe, including suspected sabotage and other hostile operations, were described as forms of state-sponsored terrorism.

The government’s message is that Britain must rebuild its military strength while there is still time, ensuring that any potential adversary understands that an attack would face a credible and coordinated NATO response.

Additional reporting by The Telegraph and The Independent confirms Streeting’s warning and provides further context. Former British Army chief General Sir Patrick Sanders has also urged the government to strengthen air defenses, civilian protection, and national resilience, warning that Britain has only a limited window to prepare for a possible confrontation with Russia.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli police and Shin Bet security officials are investigating two German nationals who were arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly photographing the entrance to Damon Prison on Mount Carmel, a facility housing security prisoners and individuals accused of spying for Iran. The two suspects were detained after being spotted filming or photographing the entrance to the prison, located in northern Israel near Haifa.

According to initial reports, a subsequent examination of their mobile phones revealed photographs of security installations and security-related activities, raising concerns about the purpose of their presence near the sensitive facility.

The suspects were taken into custody for questioning by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency. They are expected to appear before a judge for a hearing on extending their detention.

Authorities have not disclosed the suspects’ identities, their reasons for visiting the prison, or whether they have any connections to foreign intelligence organizations.

Damon Prison, situated on Mount Carmel, is used to hold security prisoners, including individuals suspected of offenses against Israel’s national security. In recent years, a  wing has reportedly been established at the prison to accommodate dozens of defendants accused of espionage on behalf of Iran. According to Israeli media reports, prisoners held in this section are subject to particularly stringent security arrangements, including continuous camera surveillance inside their cells and restrictions on visits and communication.

The detention of the two German nationals comes against the backdrop of heightened Israeli concerns over Iranian intelligence activities, following a series of investigations into alleged espionage networks operating inside the country. However, there is currently no confirmed evidence linking the two suspects to Iran or any other foreign intelligence service.

Investigators are examining the photographs recovered from their phones and attempting to determine whether the images were taken for an innocent purpose or as part of an effort to gather sensitive security information. The circumstances surrounding the arrests remain unclear, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to additional reports by The Jerusalem Post, prison officers initially approached the men after noticing them photographing the entrance. Officers from the Nesher police station were subsequently called to the scene and arrested the suspects. The two were questioned at the station before being placed in custody.

Police are expected to request an extension of the suspects’ detention on Sunday as investigators continue examining the evidence and determining the circumstances surrounding the incident.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Dov Landau, the leading rabbinic authority of the Lithuanian Haredi community, has issued a blistering warning against the newly established Hatzibur Haharedi party, declaring that he will fight its supporters with all his strength and accusing them of causing serious harm to charedi Judaism.

In a handwritten letter revealed by the L’Chatchila news website, Rabbi Landau condemned the party’s activities in unusually harsh terms, comparing its supporters’ actions to some of the gravest prohibitions in Jewish law. The letter was reportedly sent to Rabbi Yossi Ben Arza, a rabbi who supports the new political movement, after he visited Rabbi Landau’s home and discussed the party with his son.

“My son told me what you said, which is great foolishness, if not great wickedness,” Rabbi Landau wrote. “And I will fight against you with all the strength I have and do not have, because you are causing great harm to charedi Judaism.”

Emphasizing the severity of his opposition, Rabbi Landau compared the party’s activities to eating forbidden food on Yom Kippur or consuming chametz on the first night of Pesach. “I wrote this comparison to emphasize the seriousness of the matter,” he explained, concluding with an emphatic appeal: “Retract your position, retract it, and do not cause harm.” Despite the warning,Rabbi Ben Arza has reportedly refused to withdraw his support for the party.

Sources familiar with the exchange told L’Chatchila that Rabbi Ben Arza, the author of the Yosef Da’at series on Shas and a teacher at the Mishmar HaTorah charedi hesder yeshiva, had raised questions about political representation for charedi soldiers and working families. He reportedly asked who would address their needs but received no satisfactory answers.

The confrontation comes amid growing tensions ahead of Israel’s 26th Knesset elections. Hatzibur Haharedi, headed by Motty Leitner, deputy mayor of Beit Shemesh, is seeking to challenge the longstanding political dominance of United Torah Judaism and Shas. The party presents itself as an alternative for working Haredim and communities that its leaders believe have been inadequately represented by the established parties.

Its platform supports military service for charedi men who are not engaged in full-time Torah study, while opposing arrests and punitive sanctions against draft evaders. It also advocates greater opportunities for employment, education and economic integration.

The initiative has encountered fierce resistance from the traditional charedi leadership, which fears that a competing party could divide the Haredi vote and undermine rabbinic authority.

At a United Torah Judaism election gathering in Ashdod this week, Rabbi Landau urged voters to support the established party and warned against backing new political lists without the endorsement of senior rabbinic leaders. He nevertheless emphasized that working charedim remain an integral part of the Torah community.

According to a separate report by Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently met with Leitner and urged him to withdraw from the election race amid concerns over a potential split in the Haredi vote. Leitner reportedly did not rule out withdrawing but made no commitment to abandon his campaign. Ynet later reported that Leitner has publicly rejected calls to withdraw, declaring that his party would remain in the race despite pressure from Netanyahu and the established charedi parties.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency said Sunday that forces eliminated two terrorists last week who were involved in transferring millions of shekels to Hamas and dismantled a weapons storage facility in the Gaza Strip.

In a strike in the Gaza City area on Wednesday, the IDF eliminated Alaa Ibrahim Nimer Arshi, a terrorist cell commander in the military wing of Hamas, according to the joint announcement.

In a separate strike in the Nuseirat area on Tuesday, forces eliminated Karam Riyad Hassan Abu Butaihan, a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad organization who was involved in transferring funds to the military wing of Hamas.

Both men were involved throughout the war in facilitating the transfer of millions of shekels from the Iranian regime and Turkey to Hamas’ military wing, the security agencies said. The funds were recently used to support Hamas’ efforts to rebuild its military capabilities and plan terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, which the announcement described as a systematic violation of the ceasefire. The terrorists were eliminated to remove the threat.

On Thursday, the IDF and ISA struck and dismantled a weapons storage facility in the central Gaza Strip in an aerial strike. The facility was used by Hamas’ military wing to store various types of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, a launcher and rockets.

Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including advance warnings to the population before striking the weapons storage facility, the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

The security forces said they will continue to operate to degrade the funding and force-buildup capabilities of terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, diminish their military capabilities and thwart any attempts to restore them or possess weapons intended to harm IDF troops. Forces under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A 21-year-old American yeshiva student who spent four months in an Israeli prison on suspicion of spying for Iran has been released to house arrest following a prolonged legal battle, just days before his scheduled wedding in the United States.

Eli Levin, who had been studying in Jerusalem, was released from Gilboa Prison on Friday, just hours before Shabbos, following a Supreme Court decision permitting his transfer to house arrest.

Levin was arrested on suspicion of maintaining contact with an Iranian foreign agent and photographing locations in Israel. He has reportedly maintained that the photographs were ordinary tourist pictures, similar to those taken by countless visitors to the country. His release followed a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on Friday, which addressed the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court.

The development represents a significant breakthrough for Levin and his family after months of legal proceedings, although the criminal case against him remains unresolved.

According to Kikar HaShabbat, the release followed extensive efforts by the Tzedek organization, headed by Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, a prominent American askan known for his involvement in securing the release of Jewish prisoners. The organization retained senior attorneys Uri Korb and Menachem Stauber to represent Levin and pursue his release from custody.

Throughout the proceedings, Tzedek officials reportedly maintained close contact with Rabbi Shimon Shisha, an activist involved in assisting prisoners, to explore legal avenues for securing Lewen’s freedom. The release arrangements included financial guarantees totaling NIS 750,000, arranged by Tzedek, as well as a property valued at approximately NIS 3 million pledged as additional security by a Jerusalem benefactor.

Levin will remain under house arrest at the home of Rabbi Chaim Meir Hirsch, who agreed to accommodate him as part of the court-approved arrangements.

The timing of the release was particularly emotional because Levin had been scheduled to celebrate his aufruf that very weekend. His wedding was originally scheduled to take place in the United States on Sunday, but the ceremony has been postponed indefinitely because of his legal situation. Instead of celebrating with his family and preparing to stand beneath the chuppah, Levin spent the months leading up to his wedding incarcerated in Gilboa Prison, including the Jewish High Holiday period.

Following his release, he received a visit from his former rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Shalom Landa, the Ribnitz rabbinical leader in Williamsburg and head of the Talmudi Degirsa yeshiva. The visit added to the emotional atmosphere surrounding Levin’s first Shabbos outside prison. During a Shabbos gathering, one rabbi reportedly told him that although his planned aufruf had not taken place, he had instead experienced an extraordinary Shabbos marking his transition from imprisonment to freedom.

Levin now hopes to resolve the legal proceedings and reschedule his wedding, although no new date has been announced. His release to house arrest does not constitute an acquittal, and the allegations against him have not been resolved by the court.

According to an indictment filed on July 3, Levin allegedly communicated through Telegram with individuals identifying themselves as “Sina” and “Alexander,” whom Israeli prosecutors say were working for Iranian intelligence.

Prosecutors allege that between late 2025 and early 2026, Levin photographed locations in Jerusalem, including the city’s Central Bus Station, and carried out other assignments, such as leaving a cigarette package containing a note at Hadar Mall and concealing a USB device at a Jerusalem restaurant.

The indictment alleges that he received approximately $1,379 in cryptocurrency for the assignments. Levin was charged with contact with a foreign agent and providing information that could benefit an enemy.

According to a person close to Levin quoted by Mako, he lost approximately 20 kilograms during his imprisonment, while his father traveled from the United States twice but was unable to visit him. On October 12, Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit authorized his release to house arrest under restrictive conditions, including electronic monitoring. However, final arrangements delayed his actual release until October 23.

The case comes amid growing concerns in Israel over Iranian intelligence efforts to recruit individuals through social media, often beginning with relatively simple assignments in exchange for modest payments.

Family getting up:

AVENTURA (VINnews) — The contest between Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Republican challenger and former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer for Florida’s newly drawn 25th Congressional District has turned into one of the costliest House races of the 2026 cycle, fueled by heavy outside spending, party tensions and local disputes that both campaigns are highlighting.​

Moskowitz, seeking reelection in the redrawn district that includes parts of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, has positioned himself as a moderate with a strong pro-Israel record. That stance has drawn support from many suburban voters but also criticism from the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. He faced a primary challenge from Oliver Larkin, who emphasized dissatisfaction with Moskowitz’s foreign policy positions and willingness to break with party lines. Moskowitz defeated Larkin in the August primary, according to election results.​

Republican-aligned groups have spent heavily on ads attempting to link Moskowitz to progressive members of Congress. Whether those efforts will resonate with voters remains unclear. Maintaining support among moderate and independent voters while addressing progressive concerns has been a central task for his campaign.​

On the Republican side, Singer has faced questions about a May 2024 trip to Qatar as part of a delegation of U.S. mayors. During the visit, which coincided with the Qatar Economic Forum, he was photographed with Qatari municipal officials. The trip has drawn criticism from pro-Israel advocates because Qatar has hosted political leaders of Hamas. Singer’s campaign has described the visit as routine municipal diplomacy and noted that he also met with U.S. military personnel. Opponents have used the travel and related images to question his judgment in a district with a large and active Jewish population.​

Singer has emphasized his record as Boca Raton mayor, including reductions in the city’s millage rate and efforts to manage municipal operations. Critics, including opposition groups, counter that rising property values meant many homeowners still saw higher overall tax bills. They have also pointed to commercial expansion and high-density residential development during his tenure, including the unsuccessful “One Boca” redevelopment proposal, arguing that rapid growth contributed to increased traffic and changed the area’s residential character.​

The race has drawn significant outside spending and attention from both national parties. Recent independent ratings have shifted the contest toward lean Democratic, though both sides continue to invest heavily ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Both candidates, who are Jewish, have emphasized support for Israel and efforts to combat antisemitism in forums attended by local voters.​

The contest reflects broader dynamics in suburban districts where foreign policy, local governance and party identity have become central flashpoints.

(AP) – A small city in southern Ukraine, cut off for months by fighting, is set to get a brief pause in the 4 1/2-year-old war so that aid can get in and residents can get out.

U.S. first lady Melania Trump brokered the localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine around Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city she said is “on the brink of disaster.”

Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators reached the deal Friday. Officials on all sides have confirmed it, but many details have not been released.

Melania Trump says the ceasefire will start next Tuesday
The first lady, voting alongside her husband Saturday afternoon, was asked about her work brokering a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky so that humanitarian aid can be delivered and civilians evacuated.

“It is great to have (the) Pope’s support,” she said, adding that the ceasefire is expected to start on Oct. 27. “I hope everything goes as it’s planned.”

Asked if she had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Russian President Vladimir Putin, she and President Donald Trump said both.

“I think she’s doing better than the professionals right now,” the president added.

Asked if she will visit Ukraine, Melania Trump responded: “We will see.”

Oleshky has been without power, heat or water
Oleshky is located in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region. It sits on the Dnipro River, which separates Ukrainian forces from the city’s Russian occupiers. Moscow’s forces captured it on the first day of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Its buildings were shelled and burned.

In June 2023, floodwaters swamped the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed in an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.

Once home to about 24,000 people, the city has had scarce food and medical supplies for months. There is no electricity, heat or running water. Roads out of town are mined and lined with burned-out cars, and drones buzz overhead. With another harsh winter approaching, those still there face death from hunger or disease.

Ukraine has repeatedly appealed for a local ceasefire to organize evacuations. As the occupying power, Russia is obligated under international law to make sure civilians under its control have what they need to survive.

Ceasefire, aid, then evacuations
The deal sets out three stages: a ceasefire, then delivery of humanitarian aid, then evacuation of civilians who want to leave Oleshky, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman and its chief negotiator in the talks.

Before any aid moves, mines will be cleared on the routes into the city, Lubinets said.

Russia’s human rights ombudswoman, Yana Lantratova, who took part in the negotiations, said firstly they plan to establish what residents need and then deliver food, medicine, hygiene products and other essentials. She said anyone who wants to leave the combat zone will be guaranteed safe passage.

The pause begins Tuesday and will last several days
Lubinets told the AP that the ceasefire will begin Tuesday, two days before the humanitarian mission starts, and will last several days.

Russia’s chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces “will cease fire on the Kherson axis” from 4 a.m. Tuesday Moscow time, which is late Monday in the United States. He said Russian forces would also carry out “engineering reconnaissance” and ensure the “humanitarian convoy” can move safely into the city.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the ceasefire will begin at 3 a.m. Tuesday Kyiv time, since Ukraine moves its clocks back an hour on Sunday while Russia does not.

Lubinets said the pause would apply across the Kherson region and neighboring areas essential to the operation.

Key details have not been released
Lubinets gave no details on how the ceasefire or the aid mission would be monitored or carried out, citing the sensitivity of the negotiations. He declined to say whether Melania Trump would travel to Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said people who want to leave Oleshky will be able to. He would not say whether they would be taken to Russian- or Ukrainian-held territory. Asked how long the evacuation would last, he said only that it would most likely take several days.

“The operation will be carried out gradually and is extremely challenging to implement,” Lubinets said.

The first lady took up the issue at the UN
The first lady began talks on Oleshky after she heard about the situation at one of her events during the U.N. General Assembly session in September, the White House said. She and a representative then worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to set the terms. She had already been working with officials from both countries on a separate matter.

“When Melania Trump learned about the situation in Oleshky, the negotiation process began under her coordination,” Lubinets said. He said the sides spent several weeks discussing ideas and developing “new approaches, mechanisms and tools” to help civilians there survive.

Helping children in conflict zones has become one of her signature issues during her husband’s second term. She hosted a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year. Last year she wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin about efforts to reunite families with children she described as “displaced by the war.” Her senior adviser, Marc Beckman, says she has helped reunite nearly three dozen children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has lobbied various world leaders for help reuniting children he says were taken by Russia after the invasion began in 2022. The International Criminal Court in 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv are rising
The development comes as tensions have increased to new highs between the Trump administration and Ukraine’s government. Kyiv has faced restrictions on the satellite internet system it relies on to knock down Russian attacks, with President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials sending mixed messages about who was responsible for throttling the Elon Musk-made Starshield system.

Trump also recently waived new Russia sanctions, reached an agreement with Russia to import diesel fuel and pushed Zelenskyy to make a deal to end the war. In renewed efforts to revive the peace process, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Norway this week for talks with Zelenskyy before meeting Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Zelenskyy did not mention the ceasefire in Oleshky during a remote appearance at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank, on Friday. He did note that American Patriot missile interceptors were still on hold.

He also spoke of the importance of the United States to renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war, including a possible joint meeting with Trump and Putin.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A retired NYPD detective charged with fatally shooting a Con Edison worker during an alleged road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge has posted $1 million bail and been released, court records show.

Victor Romero, 62, of Haverstraw, was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court on a first-degree manslaughter charge. Prosecutors had initially sought a murder charge, but it was reduced. He pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $1 million; he posted it Friday and was freed, according to New York City Department of Correction records.​

The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Tuesday on the New Jersey-bound upper level of the bridge. Prosecutors said surveillance video captured a near-collision between Romero’s black Range Rover and a dark blue Volkswagen hatchback driven by Koran Irvine, 46, of Valley Cottage, as the vehicles approached the span from the Manhattan side near West 179th Street.

According to Assistant District Attorney Max Sears, Romero then aggressively tailgated Irvine, pulled alongside him while both cars were still moving with traffic, and fired a single shot from the driver’s seat. The bullet entered through the rear passenger-side window of Irvine’s vehicle, striking him in the right shoulder. Irvine’s car stopped abruptly; he was taken to Englewood Hospital in New Jersey, where he was pronounced dead. Romero continued across the bridge and into New Jersey without stopping, prosecutors said.​

Irvine, a married father of two and longtime Con Edison technician who had worked overtime that day, was heading home after his shift. His family had recently moved from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to Rockland County. Con Edison described the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.”

Irvine’s relatives expressed outrage at the reduced charge. Aunt Gale Forde told reporters, “This man was an ex-police officer, so he should know better. And he didn’t. He purposely pointed his weapon, shot into a car, killing my nephew. And his charge was manslaughter, not murder.” She added that if the roles were reversed, “it would be murder.” Family members questioned whether Romero received preferential treatment because of his law enforcement background.​

Romero joined the NYPD in 1994 and retired in 2001 after roughly seven years, having served as a narcotics detective. In 2000, while off duty, he was wounded in a shootout at a family laundromat in Brooklyn after confronting men attempting a robbery; he used his service weapon and shot two of the suspects. At the time of the bridge incident, he was working as a driver and in private security. His attorney, Alan Abramson, has described him as a “hero police officer” with a strong record and noted that he has a wife and four children.​

Investigators recovered a revolver Romero admitted carrying daily, along with additional firearms from his home; testing continues. Romero was arrested the day after the shooting at his workplace in Manhattan. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty; a grand jury has not yet voted on an indictment.

The Port Authority and NYPD continue investigating the incident, which temporarily disrupted traffic on the bridge.

(AP) – The chief executive of Six Flags says the company will install seat belts on the Georgia roller coaster from which a rider fell to his death earlier this month. The company’s rides with similar restraints will also get the safety upgrade.

The theme park operator announced the extra safeguard less than two weeks after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta died after being ejected from his seat on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

“We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint,” John Reilly, president and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, said in a statement Friday.

Goliath remains shut down while state and local officials investigate the Oct. 12 death.

Reilly didn’t specify which other Six Flags coasters will get seat belts. But it has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five other parks in the U.S. and Canada. Those rides all share the same manufacturer and a similar restraint system.

Six Flags hasn’t said when those coasters are expected to reopen. Reilly’s statement said Six Flags has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to review safety procedures for all rides at its theme parks.

Investigators haven’t said what went wrong on the Georgia coaster. Witnesses said they saw Kariem rise up out of his seat and fall headfirst back into the cart before being ejected. Some people who rode Goliath before him that day said they had concerns about its restraints.

All nine of the Six Flags coasters taken offline were manufactured by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard. They also feature similar clamshell restraints that sit at the top of a vertical bar between each rider’s knees. The bar locks a padded restraint into place over the rider’s lap and upper legs.

The U.S. patent granted to Bolliger & Mabillard for the restraint system in 2001 says it’s designed to make each rider feel “that he is seated on a flying carpet or that he is at the controls of a kind of flying scooter, while still guaranteeing optimum security.”

Following the death in Georgia, non-Six Flags theme parks SeaWorld Orlando in Florida and La Ronde in Montreal, Canada, also temporarily closed one roller coaster apiece that use clamshell restraints.

SeaWorld reopened its Mako coaster Tuesday after it had been offline for a week. The Associated Press emailed the company Saturday asking if seat belts or other safety upgrades were planned for the coaster.

The AP also emailed a spokesperson for La Ronde seeking an update on its shuttered coaster.

In addition to Goliath in Georgia, eight coasters remain closed at Six Flags parks in Gurnee, Illinois; Jackson Township, New Jersey; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mason, Ohio; and Vaughan, Ontario.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Strapped into a harness, Josh Law was lowered from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter into the rough Pacific Ocean in the pitch black night, far off the Mexican coast.

The force of the helicopter blades pummeled the water, whipping up spray and turbulence. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer couldn’t hear anything over the noise or see anything in the darkness. Waves of 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) hit him.

All he could do was follow the searchlight from the helicopter with the hope it would lead him to the more than two dozen people flung into the cold waters some 140 miles (225 kilometers) off the coast of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. He would personally rescue 16 of them.

“I was experiencing exhaustion at that point,” Law, 24, told The Associated Press in his first interview since the rescue. “We had very little sleep. But what I was experiencing was nothing compared to what they were at that point … I just had to keep that in mind.”

Over the next two hours in the predawn hours of Oct. 16, Law was the sole person in the water who would get the people whose boat had capsized to safety. Eleven others were never found. The Coast Guard called off its search late Sunday.

Law described the dramatic operation to save lives along a remote route frequented by migrant smuggling boats. What the boat was doing out there and where it originated from are part of a federal investigation. It was unclear if the vessel got lost, had engine failure, was swept out to sea or meant to go that far. Only pieces of the boat were found. All who were rescued are Mexican, the Mexican consulate said.

The Coast Guard said U.S. Customs and Border Protection was investigating and interviewing the survivors, but the agency did not respond to multiple inquiries on whether the vessel was a migrant smuggling boat.

The alarm sounded, awakening the Coast Guard crew
The mayday call came in around 1 a.m.

Someone said their boat was sinking in the middle of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico.

Within minutes, the alarm sounded at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Ventura, northwest of Los Angeles, rousing Law and his colleagues from their sleep.

Helicopter pilot Lt. Miyako Miller checked flying conditions and planned the flight route that would take the crew of four over the vast ocean south of the U.S. border.

Law prepared his dry suit, fins and medical items, then put on a harness that would be hooked onto a cable to lower him down from the aircraft into the ocean.

By 2 a.m., they were taking off from the Coast Guard station in Ventura.

Pilot says she was guided by the stars
Miller wore night vision goggles to help her fly in the dark. She said she relied on the stars, with no moonlight that night.

As the crew approached the reported location of the sinking, Miller spotted a tiny flicker of light in the distance.

Then she spotted what looked like debris floating in the water, but it was difficult to distinguish what it was. Miller carefully navigated the helicopter over the area, lowering the aircraft until it was hovering about 40 feet (12 meters) above the water.

“I’m doing my best to maintain my references externally by looking outside through the night vision goggles,” Miller said, adding that meanwhile “the flight mechanic is telling me where to position the helicopter.”

Some 250 miles (400 kilometers) southwest of Ensenada, Mexico, is Guadalupe Island, a biosphere reserve that is well known as a place brimming with great white sharks.

Law said he didn’t think about what was in the water as he hooked himself to a cable and zipped into the ocean, strapped in a harness.

There was no time to waste. While Law’s dry suit provided some warmth, he knew the others had already spent hours in hypothermic temperature waters.

Law said he was guided by a searchlight from the crew, which allowed him to catch a glimpse of the people in the water.

They were scattered across a wide area. Some were wearing life vests that had tiny lights that produced the flicker first spotted by Miller. Others clung onto one another, buoys and pieces of wreckage, shivering and treading water to stay afloat.

Law said he swam to them, flipped them on their backs, put his arm over them and pulled them up using the “buddy tow” technique. Kicking his legs to swim, he carried them to the spot where he could signal the flight mechanic to lower a basket for them to be picked up.

“With one hand, I’m holding the survivor. With the other, I am signaling to the helicopter and working with the device,” he said.

He placed them into the basket, one by one. Then it was hoisted up repeatedly to the helicopter where the crew got each person into the aircraft before lowering the basket again.

Law’s dry suit slowly filled up to his knees with water, feeling like weights pulling on him as he battled heavy waves while swimming back and forth.

With little fuel, the crew flew to San Diego where ambulances waited
With a packed helicopter and dwindling fuel, the crew decided to head to the Coast Guard station in San Diego where ambulances were waiting.

On the flight, Law treated three people with what he described as “bad” wounds, staunching the bleeding. Several of the injuries were “consistent with shark bites” and the Coast Guard provided life-saving first aid, the agency said in a statement Saturday.

Customs and Border Protection officers went to a hospital and said they would process the survivors according to immigration laws after they were medically cleared. Nearly half of those rescued have since been returned to Mexico, U.S. officials said.

Law and his crew returned to Ventura that morning — it was by far the longest rescue operation he had ever done, he said.

The search for the 11 others continued for another two days to no avail. The Coast Guard, alongside Mexico and the U.S. Navy, searched more than 2,441 square miles (6,322 square kilometers) for a combined 89 hours.

Migrants are increasingly turning to the risky alternative offered by smugglers to travel by sea to avoid heavily guarded land borders. Small boats called pangas leave Baja at night and sometimes travel hundreds of miles (kilometers) north.

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that Iranian preparations to attack American personnel in the Middle East have reached advanced stages, prompting reductions in staffing at embassies and bases across the region, according to officials and reporting by The Wall Street Journal.​

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton summarized the findings in a Friday memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The assessment states that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel, with lethal plotting at advanced stages in the Middle East and certain other countries, officials told the Journal.​

U.S. personnel have departed embassies and military facilities, including an ordered departure from the embassy in Saudi Arabia and other countries. A U.S. official said suspected Iranian plots contributed to those decisions. Earlier accounts varied: NBC News reported Oct. 21 that the United States had quietly reduced troops at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait and cut staffing at multiple diplomatic posts. Journalist Timour Azhari cited U.S. officials saying the State Department was preparing ordered departures at embassies across the Gulf. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott called that inaccurate, stating the ordered departure applied only to Saudi Arabia and pointing to Houthi attacks.​

Officials told the Journal that President Donald J. Trump is leaning toward resuming major combat operations against Iran, though no decision has been made. The intelligence warning arrives amid ongoing regional tensions involving Iran-aligned groups and prior U.S. force posture adjustments in the Middle East.​

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — In 2022, Democrat Wiley Nickel ran as a moderate and narrowly won North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District by about 9,000 votes. Two years later, the current congressman, Republican Brad Knott, ran as a conservative and coasted into the U.S. House by more than 70,000 votes.

Voters didn’t change their minds. Politicians changed their voters.

North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature redrew its congressional map to transform what was one of the last remaining swing districts in the South to a safe GOP seat. Lawmakers split the rectangular district into an hourglass shape that carved out Democratic voters in Raleigh and replaced them with a swath of rural counties reaching to the Virginia border.

Swing seats, meaning districts a presidential candidate won by 5 percentage points or fewer in the previous election, are disappearing from the national map. For decades after World War II, the number of competitive seats in the House slowly eroded as the nation grew more polarized, voters were less likely to split their ticket and people moved closer to like-minded neighbors, creating Democratic strongholds in urban areas and Republican ones across rural America.

That decline accelerated the past year since President Donald Trump sparked a partisan redistricting battle. The number of swing districts fell from 45 to 37. There were 96 House seats that fit the modern definition of a swing seat in 1964, according to one count from the 1970s, when the shrinking number of such districts was first noted.

That means the overwhelming majority of House seats are effectively won in primaries, with the support of only a fraction of highly ideological voters. Nickel saw the impact during his term.

“The biggest divide I found in Congress wasn’t Democrat versus Republican, it was safe seats versus competitive seats,” Nickel said. “When your focus is on running a campaign where you talk to every single voter, you look at things differently and your focus is on solving problems.”

Unite America, an organization pushing alternatives to party primaries, calculated that 87% of representatives elected to the House in 2024 were chosen by 7% of the country’s voters.

“Voters don’t have any way of holding Congress responsible, except for a narrow window of swing districts,” Nick Troiano, the group’s executive director, said in an interview. “The least competitive election of our lifetimes will lead to the least accountable and least representative Congress of our lifetimes.”

A narrow battlefield expands slightly in unpredictable midterm year
Republicans are hoping the narrow range of competitive seats limits what Democrats can win on Nov. 3.

“Both sides are fighting over a narrow House battlefield,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Campaign. “It’s a knife fight in a dark alley.”

The alley may be widening this year, but it still is an alley. Democrats have expanded their political targets, with the unpopular Iran war and voters angry about high prices.

There is a long-standing debate among academics as to how much of the decline can be blamed on partisan-motivated redistricting, known as gerrymandering, and how much on Americans’ increasing proclivity to live among like-minded people who vote the same way.

Multiple studieshave found that without partisan gerrymandering, the House would have about double the number of competitive seats it has now.

Studying the math and making a decision
Nickel decided not to run for reelection after studying election returns dating to 2016 and finding that no Democratic incumbent had held on in a seat where Trump took 55% or more of the vote. Trump received 58% of the vote in the new district. Nickel eventually ran for district attorney of Wake County, the deeply Democratic county that was largely cut out of the 13th District.

He won his primary and will take office in January. No Republican ran.

That highlights how North Carolina, and the country, have effectively become segregated by political party.

Only 15% of North Carolina’s voting precincts could be classified as politically competitive, according to Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College.

“For the average North Carolinian, depending on where they live, if they drive an hour in any direction they will be in a very different North Carolina,” he said.

That certainly is the case traversing from the old 13th District to the new one, anchored in subdivisions and soybean and tobacco farms that stretch away from Raleigh.

Here, few are talking about the congressional race. They see no reason to vote for anyone other than a Republican.

“It’s just what I’ve always been,” said Linda Long, 62, a Republican in the town of Roxboro who works at the local Walmart.

Democrats make a play in a long-shot district
This is what Paul Barringer is up against.

The Democratic nominee against Knott hopes for an upset in a year when even GOP members in safe seats like the 13th District are running scared. Neither Knott’s office nor his campaign responded to a request for an interview.

Barringer, a former healthcare lawyer who returned to the tree farm in the district where he grew up, said he was previously a Republican but switched parties to run, hoping he could attract voters of all stripes.

“I think people are disgruntled about things that are happening,” Barringer said. “They want people who will find ways to work together.”

National Democrats added the seat to a list that could flip in such a favorable environment. But many doubt it.

“They’re blowing smoke,” Linwood Parker, the 78-year-old mayor of Four Oaks, said of Democrats’ hopes they could win the district.

Parker is a lifelong Republican who knows that gerrymandering is a decades-old tradition in North Carolina. Democrats used to do it until they lost power in the 2010 wave. Now Republicans do it.

“Redistricting is just one of the levers that when Republicans, when they are in control, have to touch,” Parker said. “Otherwise it’s like saying, when we play this baseball game, we’re going to have three outs, we’ll give you two.”

PERRY, GEORGIA (VINnews) — Audi CEO Gernot Döllner joined President Donald Trump on stage Saturday at a rally in Perry to announce the German automaker’s first U.S. manufacturing facility, an investment of approximately $4 billion expected to bring thousands of jobs to Middle Georgia.

The plant will be built at the 1,474-acre Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, along Georgia Highway 96 near Interstate 75, a short drive from Macon. Officials said it will produce premium SUVs, including the Q7, Q8 and Q9 models, with annual capacity of about 200,000 vehicles. The project is projected to create roughly 4,500 jobs.

Trump described the commitment as a major auto manufacturing investment in Georgia and said construction would begin next month. State and local officials outlined a longer timeline, with grading of the site expected in 2027, construction in 2028 and full production around 2031.

Döllner thanked Trump for his support and called the project “a fantastic opportunity for Audi, for the Audi team, and for America.” He added that the company plans to produce its biggest and most premium SUVs in Macon and described the investment as long-term “because we believe in the American market.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp welcomed the decision in a statement, saying Audi had selected the state for its first U.S. plant and that the investment would deliver historic jobs to Middle Georgia. Local leaders from Peach, Macon-Bibb and Houston counties, which formed a joint development authority earlier this year to market the megasite, also praised the project for strengthening the region’s automotive sector.

The announcement comes as Georgia already hosts major auto operations, including a Kia plant in West Georgia and a large Hyundai facility near Savannah. Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company, is also expanding capacity at a Scout Motors plant under construction in South Carolina.

The Perry event was part of a broader political rally as midterm races approach. The plant itself was presented as an economic development project coordinated with state and regional partners.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli Navy carried out a joint exercise with the Hellenic Navy in the Mediterranean this week, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday, in what appears to be a signal to Turkey.

Israeli missile boats joined vessels from several Greek naval units for the drill, which was directed by Israeli Navy chief Vice Adm. Eyal Harel and his Greek counterpart, Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras. Hellenic National Defence General Staff chief Gen. Dimitrios Choupis also took part.

The IDF said the forces trained in multiple operational scenarios, among them detecting and countering threats at sea, sailing together as a combined force, and destroying an enemy vessel with missile fire.

Israeli Navy chief Vice Adm. Eyal Harel (center) with Greek counterparts during the joint Mediterranean exercise. (Photo: Hellenic Navy / IDF)

“The exercise constitutes another step in deepening operational cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the Hellenic Navy, with the aim of strengthening joint readiness and preserving freedom of action in the Mediterranean,” the military said. It added that the drill “marks a significant leap forward in naval military cooperation between the two countries.”

In remarks released by the IDF, Harel called the strategic partnership with Greece “a significant force multiplier,” saying it enhances the ability of both navies “to operate together, defensively and offensively, to safeguard security and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean.”

Israeli and Greek warships operate together during the joint exercise in the Mediterranean. (Photo: IDF)

The exercise took place in the northern Cretan Sea and included live missile firings by Greek vessels using newly acquired systems, as well as strikes by Israeli missile boats. A decommissioned Greek frigate served as a target and was later sunk by a torpedo from a Greek submarine, according to Hellenic Navy accounts. The drill followed eastern Libya’s ratification of a maritime memorandum with Turkey that both Greece and Israel have opposed.

MILAN (AP) — Thousands of young people marched Saturday through the streets of several Italian cities, including Milan, Rome and Turin as authorities deployed large numbers of police and soldiers in a largely successful bid to stave off a repeat of the violent clashes and looting that marred similar protests last week.

The demonstration in Milan remained peaceful, but there were brief clashes with police in both Rome and Turin.

In Milan, thousands of young people marched the streets as soldiers were deployed and luxury boutiques were boarded up, but by late afternoon, most shops had opened, Italian media reported.

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 last week. In Milan, police detained several minors as a preventive measure, media reported.

While protests in France have claimed most international attention, large demonstrations also rocked many European cities Saturday from Milan to Rome to Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana.

The protests encompass a broad range of issues from education and corruption to anti-war movements, pensions and housing.

Army vehicles and boarded-up luxury stores in Milan
In Milan, huge crowds of mostly young people gathered as night fell, chanting insults to Meloni and holding aloft banners such as “No to lies of the state.”

A group of protesters dumped manure outside Italy’s energy regulator and burned a symbolic, oversized electricity bill, images broadcast on local television showed.

The 500 soldiers deployed to Milan came in addition to hundreds already stationed there, supporting about 5,000 police and other security personnel. Authorities used drone surveillance, checks at railway stations, rapid-response units and online monitoring for potential calls to violence.

A mayoral hopeful, Pierfrancesco Majorino, who announced his candidacy Thursday, joined the marchers and remarked how peaceful the day was, according to Italian media. He will contest a center-left primary in early 2027. Milan’s center-left Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who has held the role since 2016, is not running again.

Many stores, particularly luxury boutiques within Milan’s fashion district including Omega, Tiffany and Gucci, boarded up their front windows. The Apple store also shut down and remained shut even as others reopened.

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.

Security measures extended beyond the city center over concerns protesters could move into other neighborhoods.

The protesters ended their march peacefully Saturday evening outside the Milan Polytechnic, more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the city center.

Officials said Saturday they were investigating a 30-year-old freelance journalist said to be the “mastermind” of the newly formed Oct. 17 movement, which has been the main driver of the recent protests in Italy.

Milan police say last week’s violence and looting involved about 2,000 very young protesters, many of them “naturalized, second-generation Italians,” alongside foreign nationals. Over two days, police arrested 45 people, including 34 minors.

A group of about 30 far-right activists, described as hooligans linked to Inter Milan soccer club, made a brief appearance chanting anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim slogans but were isolated by police.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the soldiers deployed Saturday 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.

Protesters try to force entry into Colosseum 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.

A small number of protesters tried to force their way into the Colosseum, but were ushered out by guards. Elsewhere, 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 … 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 place in central Rome. Organizers sought to distance themselves from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and hands visible.

But it was these marchers who briefly clashed with police near the Piazza della Repubblica, even as organizers were trying to hold the crowd back using batons and tear gas. In the end, the protesters pulled back when a water cannon was turned on. They retreated to a location about half a kilometer (mile) away.

Clashes and buildings set on fire in Albania
In Albania’s capital Tirana, riot police used water cannons on large groups of protesters, some of whom set government buildings on fire and threw projectiles at police. Authorities said 2,500 officers patrolled 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.

Pensions and housing spark Madrid and Lisbon protests
Thousands of retirees and others marched peacefully in Spain’s capital Saturday to demand public pensions aren’t meddled with.

“They are threatening us with privatizing pensions. It’s just another thing they want to profit from,” said Maria José Benito, 68.

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 also 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.

Taking their cue from Spaniards, protesters in Lisbon demanding affordable housing marched 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.

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MANHATTAN (VINnews) – A suspect wanted in connection with two reported hate crime assaults in Midtown Manhattan, including a suspected syringe attack on an Orthodox Jewish man, has been taken into custody, according to Manhattan Shomrim, which announced the arrest Saturday night.

The attack occurred shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday near West 47th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Diamond District, an area frequented by workers, shoppers and visitors.

The victim, identified only as Yosef at his request, has since been released from the hospital and returned to the scene of the attack. He has also spoken publicly about the incident but asked that his full name not be published.

Police said the 26-year-old victim was approached from behind and stabbed with an unknown sharp object. He told investigators he believed the object was a needle or syringe.

Shomrim credits public tips in arrest

In its Saturday night announcement, Manhattan Shomrim credited the efforts of its members working alongside the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, as well as its partners at Crown Heights Shomrim and Queens Shomrim. The organization also thanked members of the public whose tips to its hotline helped authorities locate the suspect.

The arrest followed a coordinated effort to identify and locate the individual wanted in connection with Wednesday’s two reported assaults.

Manhattan Shomrim did not release further details about the suspect in its announcement.

The case has raised concern among Jewish community members in New York City, underscoring ongoing worries about antisemitic incidents and the safety of visibly Jewish residents in public spaces.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed additional details about the suspect, potential charges or the circumstances of the arrest.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia.

Musk’s admission on social media came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week.

Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Musk-made satellite internet system that Kyiv has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.

“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Musk admits he was behind Starlink’s speed restriction
After Ukraine said the services had been restored, Elon Musk spoke out on the speed restrictions that began last week. In a post Saturday on X, Musk acknowledged that his company SpaceX throttled the Starlink satellite internet service.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote. “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”

But he maintained that the U.S. government controlled whatever changes happened with Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that is the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication. He also defended the role of SpaceX in bolstering Ukraine’s defenses since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Restrictions imposed last week on Starshield alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.

The restoration follows a new U.S. diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

Restriction led to tensions between Ukraine and the US
The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by President Donald Trump’s reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited “direct dialogue” and Zelenskyy’s diplomacy with Washington, adding that the outcome mattered most “for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications.”

Trump has maintained that he didn’t make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.

Russia and Ukraine have continued to target each other
Meanwhile, a man was killed and two others wounded in a missile attack on the city of Lozova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, local officials said Saturday.

Moscow-installed authorities in cities across Russia-occupied Crimea reported power blackouts Saturday following overnight Ukrainian attacks.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that its forces hit a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti, which produces materials used in rocket fuel. Tolyatti Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight attack damaged industrial facilities in the city.

Ukrainian forces also hit an electronics plant in the city of Oryol, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Saturday. Local officials in Oryol said Saturday that three people were killed in Friday’s attack. The General Staff said the plant makes components for the cruise and ballistic missiles Russia fires at Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian drones also reached Russia’s Omsk region in western Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Omsk regional Gov. Vitaly Khotsenko said drones “reached a northern industrial hub.”

Online retailer Ozon said Saturday that its logistics center in Omsk has been attacked by a drone, but there were no casualties. Ozon is a competitor to Wildberries, whose facilities Ukraine has also targeted.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand a state commission of inquiry into the security and leadership failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

The rally at Hostage Square was organized by the October Council, which represents families and friends of victims and survivors. Opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman attended the event.

Families of victims, survivors of Hamas captivity and relatives of those killed called for accountability and answers about how the attack unfolded and why authorities failed to prevent the massacre.

Drone footage shows thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv for an anti-government protest, three days before a general election widely viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Protesters demanded an independent commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures

— TRT World (@trtworld) October 24, 2026

Rabbi Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori was abducted from the Nova music festival and murdered in Hamas captivity, urged the government to establish an independent state commission of inquiry, saying the country had a duty to pursue the truth.

Other speakers described the lasting trauma suffered by survivors and bereaved families and called for steps to prevent a similar tragedy.

The rally came amid continued public debate over the government’s handling of the Oct. 7 disaster and demands for a comprehensive investigation into the failures that preceded the attack.

(AP) – Former President Barack Obama on Saturday seized on what he described as cruelty and indecency coming from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, stepping into one of the nation’s ugliest midterm fights as he worked to rally Democratic voters in battleground Ohio.

Obama took specific aim at Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has doubled down on an advertising campaign featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have also defended the ad, even as Republican leaders across Ohio, including Gov. Mike DeWine, have called for its removal.

“In recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to,” Obama said of Ramaswamy, noting that Acton has “spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she’s experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness.”

“There’s a decency we should expect out of our public officials,” Obama continued. “And I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”

Obama, 65, remains the Democratic Party’s best motivator nearly a decade after leaving the White House. He was set to campaign in Michigan later Saturday night, lending the Democratic Party his star power in midwestern battlegrounds that will help determine the balance of power in American politics next week.

Obama shared the stage with Acton and former three-term Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is looking to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

Although Ohio has become more reliably Republican, it’s been a hotly contested battleground this year. Trump and Vance have both visited the state in recent weeks to drum up support for Husted and Ramaswamy. And the controversy over Ramaswamy’s ad has ratcheted up the already high temperature.

Ramaswamy has defended his decision to press ahead with the ad as fair game. Trump aggressively defended the ad, which has emerged as a national flashpoint in the midterms’ final days, as he voted in West Palm Beach on Saturday.

“This is a disgrace,” Trump said. “The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar and she’s no good. And you know what? I don’t think you can get a better reference on that.” He added that if his own mother had said anything bad about him, it would be front and center.

The Ramaswamy campaign video features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues.

Acton, Ohio’s COVID-19-era health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather, Arthur’s husband, was indicted on a charge of rape involving Acton.

The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978. Cledith Arthur failed to show for a court appearance and became a fugitive. Donna Arthur remained married to him until his death in 2004.

Appearing before Obama, Acton spoke as if addressing Ramaswamy directly.

“My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it’s not going to work,” she said. “Decency still matters.” She added: “Mr. Ramaswamy, you are not just out of touch, you are out for yourself and you are a danger to my state. Apparently there is no low to which you won’t stoop.”

After wrapping up in Ohio, Obama was heading to a rally in Detroit for Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who is working to unite the Democratic base in Michigan after winning a divisive primary by less than a percentage point. El-Sayed is running against former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican.

Obama’s appearance in the city, which is three-quarters Black, could bolster support for El-Sayed among Black voters. In the primary, his opponent Haley Stevens won Wayne County, which includes Detroit, by about 6 percentage points. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian vice president, campaigned for El-Sayed in September.

El-Sayed criticized Obama after his 2012 reelection for not following through on all of his progressive campaign promises, writing that Obama “was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one.”

El-Sayed told reporters earlier this month he appreciated the former president, calling him “foundational” to his ability to run for office, but there were still elements of Obama’s presidency he disagreed with.

Michigan also has open races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor, is slated to appear along with others down the ballot. Benson is running against Republican Rep. John James.

Obama will headline a rally in Georgia next week with Sen. Jon Ossoff and candidate for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Trump is slated to speak in Georgia Saturday.

In Ohio, Obama also called out Trump’s inability to lower costs, a key campaign promise, noting that the president has instead focused on building a new White House ballroom and helipad on the South Lawn.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation,” he quipped. “He should be on HGTV.” He went on: “There’s gold everywhere. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

The former Democratic president acknowledged that the nation has Trump for another two years, until his term ends. But voters are not stuck with Trump’s allies, he said.

“We’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are handling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty and indifference for working people,” Obama said. “After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence … you get a chance to say enough is enough.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections Saturday, saying he voted for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at their West Palm Beach polling location at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office together after the president spent the morning at his nearby golf course. Trump has been criticized in the past for voting by mail despite his long history of railing against that method of submitting ballots.

Asked if he voted the party line, Trump, who was wearing an “I Voted” sticker, said, “Very much so.”

Speaking to reporters at the poll site, Trump again defended an ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad has faced intense blowback for featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, who lost custody of her children after her husband, the children’s stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12.

Trump also defended his decision to instruct his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses over the inclusion of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

As for the war in Iran, he said, “I may have to finish it off. Or maybe they’ll make a deal, but I’m not sure. Either way, we win.”

Melania Trump, who this week brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky so that humanitarian aid could be delivered and civilians evacuated, was asked whether she might travel to Ukraine.

“We will see,” she told reporters.

In Florida, Trump has endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running against David Jolly, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He has also campaigned for Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is running to fill the last two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former Senate term against progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China on Saturday, inaugurating a new bridge that connects the two countries and saying he hoped to expand cooperation with his powerful neighbor.

Kim’s visit to China is his latest move in an increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War.” It’s his first visit in a year.

Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong Saturday after crossing the newly opened bridge, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, and China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

Both sides promised to strengthen cooperation
He met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China’s Communist Party. The two toured a car factory, and promised to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Kim said his country “stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation, thereby delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries,” Xinhua said.

Wang then accompanied Kim to the bridge to send him off, according to Xinhua. North Korean state media did not immediately report on Kim’s visit.

New bridge was built to help expand trade between the countries
Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge this month was a key symbol of strengthening ties between North Korea and China and reflected their intent to expand trade, as it is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.

Kim has recently sought to strengthen ties with China, the North’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline, after years of prioritizing ties with Russia. He sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for military and economic assistance.

Kim’s visit timed to key battle anniversary in Korean War with China
Kim’s latest visit to China is his sixth since taking power in late 2011 following the death of his father. The visit appears to be timed to underscore the strength of his ties with Beijing ahead of the Oct. 25 anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, which was days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950.

The war began with North Korea’s surprise attack on the South in June 1950, prompting a U.N.-led coalition headed by the United States to intervene and push back the offensive. North Korea was backed primarily by Chinese forces, with assistance from the then-Soviet Union’s air force, before fighting ended with a 1953 armistice that left the peninsula technically at war.

Kim said his visit on Saturday was also to memorialize those killed in the war, according to Xinhua.

Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Pyongyang in June for a meeting with Kim. During their summit, Xi expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.

Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met with Xi and watched a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders.

Kim has maintained a hard line toward Seoul and has so far rebuffed a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump to revive their diplomacy, which broke down in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Kim’s government has called for Washington to abandon its “hostile policy” and drop demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for renewed talks.

South Korea’s liberal government, which favors engagement with the North, hopes renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang will thaw inter-Korean relations, and has also urged China to play a “constructive” role in resolving the standoff. Seoul’s spy agency told lawmakers last month that it saw a 50% possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit in Shenzhen, China.

“From Seoul’s perspective, if North Korea focuses more on economic development than military buildup and threats, that would be positive for diplomacy and security,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“But if Kim can extract ever more benefits from China and Russia, it is unclear what Seoul could offer that would be worth the political risks Pyongyang attaches to exchanges with a more prosperous, globalized, and free Korea.”

PARIS (AP) — 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.

A protester holds a French flag during a demonstration against rising living costs in Strasbourg, France, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

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.”

(AP) – 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.

(AP) – 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.

CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA (VINnews) – Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI’s Miami Field Office delivered opening remarks Monday at a Secure Community Network conference, focusing on hate crimes directed at the Jewish community and the bureau’s efforts to counter them.

Skiles spoke at a panel that also included Michael Masters, national director and CEO of the Secure Community Network, the official safety and security organization for the North American Jewish community, and Rebecca Kagan Sternhell, SCN’s chief of external affairs and engagement. Other participants included representatives from Israeli and German security entities.

According to the FBI Miami Field Office, Skiles addressed the ongoing threat of hate-motivated violence against Jews and the importance of partnerships between the FBI, local law enforcement, and community organizations in preventing attacks and holding offenders accountable.

The Secure Community Network, founded in 2004 under the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, works with Jewish institutions nationwide to monitor threats, provide training, and coordinate with law enforcement. Masters has frequently highlighted elevated risks to Jewish communities since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, including surges in reported incidents and the need for coordinated preparedness.

FBI data have repeatedly shown Jews as the most targeted religious group in U.S. hate crime statistics, accounting for the large majority of religion-based incidents despite comprising roughly 2 percent of the population. Recent reports indicated Jews were the victims of about 63-64 percent of such crimes in 2025.

The FBI Miami post on the remarks emphasized that “through strong partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement, the FBI remains committed to protecting our communities, preventing hate motivated violence, and holding offenders accountable.”

Skiles, who has led the Miami Field Office as special agent in charge after previously serving in an acting capacity, has overseen a range of local efforts including counterterrorism coordination, partnerships with South Florida law enforcement, and major event security planning.

No specific details of the remarks beyond the focus on Jewish community threats and partnerships were released by the FBI.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Billionaire investor Ken Griffin said the riots and looting that swept parts of Paris last weekend should serve as a clear warning to young Americans about the long-term results of high-spending government policies.

In a video clip posted on X, the Citadel founder described France as “the dream the left talks about” and said that vision mirrored the conditions he left behind in Chicago. When asked which U.S. politicians he believes are moving in a similar direction, Griffin answered without hesitation: “J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois. Yes, 100%.”

“I think Paris should be a real wake-up call to every single young American,” Griffin said. “That dream is the nightmare I left from Chicago. That dream doesn’t belong in our country. A society that comes down to how much you can take from others.”

Griffin, who moved the bulk of Citadel’s operations and his own residence from Chicago to Miami, has previously cited crime, looting and public-safety failures as major factors in the decision. In the same remarks he noted that scenes of disorder in Paris reminded him of what he witnessed from his windows overlooking Michigan Avenue in 2021 and 2022.

French authorities reported more than 2,000 arrests after protests over the cost of living, fuel prices and school conditions turned violent. Rioters looted shops, set vehicles and buildings on fire, and damaged public property, including a historic town hall in Limoges. Overnight curfews were later imposed in central Paris and other cities.

Griffin also pointed to France’s high level of public spending relative to GDP as part of the backdrop for the unrest. The clip of his comments has drawn significant attention online since it was shared Friday.

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – The co-founder of the anti-Israel activist group Code Pink met with two men later sanctioned by the United States for serving as facilitators for Iran’s foreign intelligence apparatus, The Telegraph reported Friday.

In 2014, Medea Benjamin attended a conference in Tehran organized by the New Horizon Organisation, also known as the International Institute of Independent Thinkers and Artists. She was photographed alongside Nader Talebzadeh and Hamed Ghashghavi, who held leadership roles in the group. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned New Horizon in 2019, describing it as a platform used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to recruit and collect intelligence on Western attendees. U.S. officials later identified the two men as go-betweens and spotters for the IRGC’s Quds Force, the regime’s foreign operations arm.​

An intelligence source told The Telegraph that Iranian officials had viewed Benjamin as an “asset” for amplifying the regime’s narratives in the United States and the United Kingdom. Code Pink’s British operations have helped organize pro-Palestine and anti-Israel demonstrations, including outside Whitehall and at U.K. military bases. Benjamin has also publicly supported Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organization in Britain.​

Benjamin, who was born Susan Benjamin to a Jewish family on Long Island, has spent years positioning herself as an anti-war voice while repeatedly aligning with regimes and groups hostile to Israel. She has led Code Pink delegations to Iran, including a 2019 trip that included a meeting with then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and has visited Hamas-controlled Gaza. The group campaigns against sanctions on Tehran, calls for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, and has amplified claims of Israeli “genocide” and “apartheid.” Critics note that Benjamin has equated Israel with Nazi Germany in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and the taking of hostages.​

The revelations come as Iran and its proxies continue to threaten Israel’s existence. Tehran funds and arms Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups that have launched thousands of rockets and attacks against Israeli civilians. Code Pink’s long-standing opposition to measures targeting the Iranian regime, combined with its focus on disrupting Western support for Israel, has drawn scrutiny over whether its activism advances the interests of governments that openly call for Israel’s destruction.

Benjamin has previously deflected questions about her Iran contacts, insisting her group supports “people, not governments.” The Telegraph’s reporting, however, documents sustained engagement with figures and organizations later designated for facilitating IRGC intelligence activities. For Israel’s supporters, the pattern reinforces concerns that some Western “peace” activists function as amplifiers for regimes that reject Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday that the actions of Israeli troops during a deadly shooting attack near Hebron in southern Judea-Samaria prevented a more severe assault on civilians.

“The outcome of the encounter with the terrorist cell is painful, but the initial inquiry indicates that the force’s actions prevented a more serious attack against Israeli civilians,” Zamir said while visiting the scene at Yehuda Junction on Route 35.

The attack unfolded early Friday when two terrorists, identified as 27-year-old Hebron residents and relatives Hamouda Wael Mohammed Jaaba and Firas Samir Mohammed Jaaba, both affiliated with Hamas, arrived in a vehicle with yellow Israeli license plates. They opened fire at a temporary IDF checkpoint with an assault rifle and a handgun.

Soldiers from the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion engaged the attackers in a gunbattle that lasted more than 20 minutes. The two terrorists were eliminated by a deputy battalion commander and a company commander. A large quantity of ammunition was later found in their vehicle, which military officials said indicated plans for a larger-scale attack against civilians on Route 35.

Two soldiers were killed in the fighting: Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon. Three other soldiers were wounded, with the injured taken to hospitals in Jerusalem.

Zamir said the IDF “will act forcefully, pursue and reach all those involved in the attack.”

“We are at the highest level of readiness and alert across all fronts. Our top mission is to thwart terrorism and ensure security and stability for Israeli civilians,” he said.

He added that the military “will not be drawn in or allow our enemies to influence us, particularly given the sensitive week we are entering,” referring to Israel’s upcoming elections on Tuesday.

Zamir approved plans for a full cordon on Hebron and nearby villages, intensified arrest operations, stronger intelligence efforts, and preparations for additional reinforcements to Central Command as needed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the sealing of Hebron and directed preparations for broader operations in Judea-Samaria, including house-to-house searches and the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure in the neighborhood from which the attackers came.

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — Jared Kushner strongly rejected allegations in a newly published Vanity Fair excerpt that Dutch intelligence monitored his phone and observed him accessing secret foreign bank accounts during the first Trump administration, calling the claims “completely insane” and “categorically false.”

The excerpt, drawn from investigative journalist Matthew Cole’s forthcoming book “Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East,” alleges that Russian military intelligence first compromised Kushner’s iPhone. Dutch intelligence officials later gained access through the same vulnerability, according to the reporting, and monitored activity on the device beginning in early 2018.

Cole writes that the surveillance showed Kushner logging into a United Arab Emirates-linked account at First Abu Dhabi Bank that had received roughly $750 million, with funds reportedly routed through a bank in Azerbaijan. The book further claims that rulers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE placed at least $2 billion into accounts connected to Kushner, including a separate arrangement of about $1 billion linked to Israel’s central bank. A source told the author that money from the Dubai account was transferred to individuals described as a warlord, a mercenary and a former hit man.

In a statement posted on X, Kushner said the author “failed to provide a single shred of evidence” and noted the absence of bank statements, wire-transfer records, account numbers or transaction dates. He pointed out that he faced extensive media scrutiny, multiple congressional investigations and a special counsel investigation during the period in question, and that he provided more than 30 hours of testimony.

“None of these allegations ever surfaced, because none of these events ever happened,” Kushner wrote. “These are outrageous fabrications being presented as investigative journalism. This is not journalism. It is a mixture of fantasy, fiction, and advocacy.”

His attorney, Chad Mizelle, previously sent a letter to the book’s publisher denying the existence of the accounts and describing the claims as defamatory. The allegations have not been independently verified by other news organizations.

Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, served as a senior adviser in the first Trump administration and has continued to play a role in Middle East diplomacy. The claims, if accurate, would raise questions about potential conflicts of interest and disclosure requirements, though Kushner and his legal team maintain that the reported accounts do not exist and that no such activity took place.

BROOKLYN (VINnews) — Yad Ephraim, a Brooklyn-based charity founded by Borough Park resident Rabbi Shalom Pesach Greenberg, has secured $600,000 in state funding through New York State Sen. Sam Sutton.

For years, Yad Ephraim has been a household name in Brooklyn, providing warm meals and support to countless patients and family members who unfortunately find themselves spending Shabbos at Maimonides Medical Center.

The organization provides freshly prepared food to hospitalized patients and their loved ones, helping ease the burden of medical emergencies and extended hospital stays. Its volunteers ensure that families can focus on their loved ones without having to worry about obtaining meals during an already stressful time.

What began as a volunteer effort to bring food and refreshments to hospital patients has grown into a community-wide operation. Yad Ephraim provides meals throughout the day and maintains a Bikur Cholim hospitality room stocked with food, drinks and other necessities.

The organization also distributes Shabbos packages directly to hospital rooms, helping patients and their families observe Shabbos while remaining at the hospital. Its volunteers offer additional assistance during Jewish holidays and provide support to families navigating difficult medical situations.

Beyond its hospital services, Yad Ephraim assists elderly and homebound individuals with meals and other essential needs.

The organization’s work reflects the Jewish tradition of bikur cholim, caring for the sick, providing practical assistance and bringing comfort to patients and their families during challenging times.

The $600,000 in state funding announced by Sutton will support Yad Ephraim’s ongoing work serving patients and families throughout the community.

Proud to secure $600,000 in funding for Yad Ephraim, which provides free hot meals, emotional support, accommodations to hospitalized patients in Borough Park and more. Looking forward to seeing all the families and patients that will benefit from this additional funding https://t.co/jL28H53GWL

— Senator Sam Sutton (@SenatorSutton) October 23, 2026

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) hit back at President Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of promoting conspiracy theories and challenging him to focus on Vice President JD Vance’s name.

“The pedophile protection party’s president is laundering right-wing conspiracy theories through the most corrupt DOJ in American history. Whenever the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine,” Omar wrote on X.

“So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar. Maybe you should focus on what your VP’s real name is,” she added.

Omar’s remark appeared to reference Vance’s name changes. Born James Donald Bowman, he later used the surname Hamel before legally changing his name to James David Vance in 2013.

Her response followed Trump’s renewed attacks over allegations concerning her immigration history and identity. Omar has rejected accusations of wrongdoing and characterized the scrutiny as politically motivated.

The dispute has brought renewed attention to allegations surrounding Omar’s immigration records, which have circulated for years. Allegations, however, do not establish criminal wrongdoing.

The pedophile protection party’s president is laundering right-wing conspiracy theories through the most corrupt DOJ in American history.

Whenever the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine. So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar.

Maybe you should focus on what your VP’s real name is.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 23, 2026

LOS ANGELES (VINnews) – Erin Foster, creator of the Netflix romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This,” said she disagrees with star Adam Brody’s recent description of Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide, while stressing that her series was made as a “love letter to Judaism.”

Foster, who converted to Judaism before marrying music executive Simon Tikhman, addressed Brody’s remarks during an appearance on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. Brody, who plays Rabbi Noah Roklov opposite Kristen Bell, told GQ in September that he views the conflict as a genocide and supports “a free Palestine.” He said it was “awful that it’s taken so much death and misery” and expressed hope that another U.S. administration would change related policies.​

Foster described their differences as similar to debates at dinner tables and on sets worldwide. “While I love Adam, I also disagree with him, and that’s okay,” she said. She added that she wants Jewish viewers to know “I see you and I hear you, and I understand how you feel.” The show, she said, “has always been and always will be a love letter to Judaism. That is why I made this show,” citing her positive experience becoming Jewish and the need for positive Jewish representation at a time when she said there is “almost zero” of it.​

Foster has previously said the series intentionally avoids geopolitics. In earlier interviews she noted that the show does not address Israel or the broader conflict because it would be a distraction from its focus on Jewish life and interfaith relationships.​

Brody’s comments drew sharp criticism last month from Rabbi Steve Leder, who served as a consultant on the first season and is the former senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, where Foster converted. Leder called the remarks “ignorant” and “flippant,” arguing that Brody misused the term genocide and presented opinion as fact. Leder has defended Foster’s approach to the show.​

“Nobody Wants This,” which is loosely inspired by Foster’s own conversion and relationship, stars Brody as a rabbi who falls for an agnostic podcast host played by Bell. Season 3 of the series recently premiered on Netflix. The Fosters have previously expressed public support for Israel and Jewish communities following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.​

Foster said people are entitled to different opinions and that her role as creator is to convey the show’s original intention of offering positive Jewish stories.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A New York rabbi who has emerged as an increasingly vocal force in American politics appeared on Newsmax to warn about Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, raising questions about his past writings, political associations and positions on issues concerning Israel and national security.

Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch, a psychotherapist, author and host of the Rabbi for America podcast, used the interview to call for greater scrutiny of El-Sayed’s political record, including past writings concerning Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and his association with controversial political figures.

“He’s one of the most dangerous politicians in America today,” Schonbuch told Newsmax, arguing that El-Sayed’s record deserves closer examination.

Schonbuch pointed to a 2011 opinion article and a 2012 letter written by El-Sayed that he characterized as supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood. He also raised questions about the political activities of members of El-Sayed’s family.

El-Sayed has denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and has dismissed questions about his background as an attempt to cast suspicion on him because of his Muslim faith.

During a recent debate, El-Sayed compared the scrutiny he faces to questions about religion directed at John F. Kennedy during his 1960 presidential campaign. Schonbuch rejected the comparison, arguing that examining a candidate’s political positions and associations is different from questioning someone’s loyalty because of their religion.

The interview also addressed El-Sayed’s association with political streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced criticism over controversial remarks about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Schonbuch argued that the association has heightened concerns among some Jewish voters already troubled by antisemitism and rhetoric about Israel within parts of the progressive movement.

Schonbuch said the controversy could prompt some Jewish Democrats to reconsider their traditional party loyalties. He pointed to grassroots efforts identifying themselves as “Jews for Rogers,” referring to Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent.

Asked how Republicans could attract more Jewish voters, Schonbuch emphasized public safety, constitutional protections and a clear commitment to confronting antisemitism.

“They have to say, ‘We’re the party of safety and security. We’re going to defend your rights in America. Uphold the Constitution,’” he said.

Schonbuch also announced plans to travel to Michigan to campaign for Rogers, whom he praised as an experienced public servant.

The Newsmax appearance reflects Schonbuch’s expanding role in political commentary, where he has increasingly focused on antisemitism, Israel and the direction of American politics. Through his Rabbi for America podcast and media appearances, he has urged voters to examine candidates’ records and associations when assessing issues of national security and the protection of Jewish communities.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Many people were feared trapped as a tall building collapsed Friday in Kenya’s capital, leaving a huge mound of concrete and more than a dozen floors stacked like pancakes, with little space between them.

The building was under construction when it collapsed at about 1 p.m. along a busy commercial street in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, which is often crowded with thousands of traders and residents.

Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud said the building had more than 10 upper floors under construction. Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.

Joseph Kaula made it out just in time. A plasterer working on the fifth floor, he said he heard screams and spotted other workers rushing outside, shouting that the building was collapsing.

“I was the last person to walk out before it collapsed and the whole area was filled with dust,” Kaula said.
IMG_3710
Kaula suspects a few of his colleagues were trapped in the basement.

One injured woman was rescued and hospitalized, and another person who was crying for help had gone silent, the police chief said.

Mohamud also warned of a possible secondary collapse, as the collapsed building was leaning on its neighbor.

There was little in the way of heavy equipment immediately available. Hours later, a group of rescuers in hard hats were using poles stripped from trees to poke at the huge pile of rubble. One excavator began to move concrete bound with steel away. By evening, at least two more back shovels arrived.

Rescuers were hoping to reach into any spaces left in the basement and the ground level, which had been rented out for an electronics shop, a butchery and a grocery while construction continued on the upper floors.

People watch from behind a security cordon after a multi-story building collapsed in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Residents said some of their loved ones who were trapped had made phone calls calling for help immediately after the collapse, but that their phones later became unreachable. A tent was set up where people could report the missing. How many might be inside the wreckage wasn’t known.

Building collapses are a recurring problem in Nairobi. County officials responsible for issuing building permits have been accused of failing to conduct adequate inspections to ensure developers comply with safety guidelines and construction standards.

“Investigations will be carried out,” Mohamud said. “We’ll make sure people face the law for any negligence.”

Nairobi Gov. Johnson Sakaja said the building had been approved for construction, but did not have a certificate of occupation, so opening shops on the ground floor was against the law. Kenya’s county governments need stronger enforcement powers, he said, arguing that lenient penalties for non-compliance are just a “slap on the wrist” for developers that violate regulations.

PINECREST, Fla. (VINnews) – A Cuban-American-owned bakery in South Florida has faced a wave of online criticism after hosting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez, sparking a political dispute over socialism, Cuban-American identity and the role of small businesses in election campaigns.

Cao Bakery & Cafe in Pinecrest became the target of angry social media comments and negative online reviews after conservative influencer Josue Alvarez posted a video criticizing the business for welcoming the Democratic politicians during a campaign stop on Friday, Oct. 16.

Alvarez questioned whether the bakery’s owners, descendants of Cuban immigrants who fled communism, should host Democratic politicians whose party includes democratic socialists. His video attracted more than 180,000 views and thousands of comments, according to the Miami Herald.

Yvette Cao, the bakery’s partner and chief marketing officer, said Rodriguez’s campaign contacted her before the visit to ask whether the politicians could stop by with members of the press. She agreed, explaining that the business supports a free and democratic Cuba and opposes communism.

Cao stressed that hosting the politicians did not constitute an endorsement of Rodriguez. She said the business was nonpartisan and believed both Rodriguez and Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar were concerned about the rising cost of living in Miami.

Following the backlash, Cao issued a public statement reaffirming the business’s opposition to socialism and support for a free Cuba. The statement also drew substantial support from social media users who defended the bakery.

Rodriguez, who is challenging Salazar in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, accused his Republican opponent of contributing to the backlash against the business.

He described the online campaign as an attempt to damage a small business and compared it to political intimidation tactics used in communist Cuba. Rodriguez said he would support small businesses and workers regardless of their political affiliation if elected to Congress.

Salazar rejected that characterization and criticized Rodriguez for bringing Jeffries to the bakery, arguing that the visit demonstrated a lack of understanding of the Cuban-American community’s experiences with socialism.

She also accused Rodriguez of using the business as a political prop, leaving its owners to deal with the resulting controversy.

A spokesperson for Jeffries defended the visit, saying the House Democratic leader attended because Rodriguez was a trusted voice in the community. The spokesperson accused Salazar and her supporters of targeting a small business rather than addressing affordability concerns.

The controversy expanded after Salazar visited Vicky Bakery, another Miami-area bakery chain with ties to the same founding family as Cao Bakery but separate ownership. Vicky Bakery also issued a statement opposing socialism after Alvarez linked the two businesses.

Kevin Cooper, chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, said the controversy demonstrated the effectiveness of his party’s messaging linking Democrats to socialism.

The dispute highlights the political sensitivities surrounding Cuban-American identity in South Florida, where opposition to communism remains a significant issue in local and national elections.

MIAMI (AP) — Vance became a hurricane Friday and the National Hurricane Center said it would strengthen rapidly as it nears Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Vance was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) as it churned about 455 miles (730 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco, and could become a major Category 3 hurricane before the end of Friday, the center said.

It was moving toward the north-northwest near 5 mph (8 kph), and this motion is expected to continue through the weekend, approaching the Puerto Vallarta area by Monday. The hurricane’s outer bands were already funneling gale-force winds and rough seas into Mexico’s Gulf of Tehuantepec, the center said.

It’s been an intense hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean, with storms spawning in assembly-line fashion near Hawaii and Mexico as El Niño conditions worsened by global warming create unusual weather, like this week’s severe flooding and tornadoes hitting the southwestern United States and the prolonged drought in Central America’s Dry Corridor.

Vance would be the seventh major hurricane in a row this year in the Pacific, following Nolo, Odalys, Polo, Rachel, Simon and Trudy. The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee doesn’t use less common names beginning with Q, U, X, Y and Z.

WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (VINnews) — Lakeview man was arrested after allegedly trying to set fire to a Long Island synagogue late Wednesday night, attempting to push a burning lawn sign beneath its door before setting a nearby bush ablaze, Nassau County police said.

Azzm Khan, 29, was arrested after the incident at Young Israel of West Hempstead, located at 630 Hempstead Ave., at approximately 11:30 p.m. Oct. 21, according to a police department news release.

The incident began at nearby Hall’s Pond Park, at 831 Hempstead Ave., where a witness reported seeing a man breaking the side mirror of a Nassau County Police Department Auxiliary vehicle and called 911.

While officers searched for the suspect, another man approached them and reported seeing someone lighting a fire nearby, police said. Officers then responded to the synagogue, where they found Khan and a bush actively burning.

According to detectives, Khan had taken a lawn sign from the area and set it on fire. He allegedly attempted to shove the burning sign beneath the synagogue’s door before placing it in a bush, causing the bush to catch fire. He then returned to the synagogue entrance and repeatedly kicked the door, causing damage, police said.

Investigators also determined that Khan was responsible for damaging the auxiliary police vehicle, according to the department. He was arrested without further incident.

Khan was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree arson and fifth-degree arson. He was arraigned Thursday, Oct. 22, at First District Court in Hempstead.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said, adding that there were no known active threats to the community at the time of the announcement.

Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks, a Democrat representing Uniondale, condemned the incident and expressed support for the congregation.

“An attack on any place where our neighbors gather to pray is an attack on the whole of our community, and I condemn it without reservation,” Nicks said.

She said Nassau County police were working alongside other law enforcement agencies to protect the congregation and surrounding neighborhood, and thanked officers for their response.

“To the rabbi, the leadership, and every member of Young Israel: You are not alone,” Nicks said. “West Hempstead is a community that looks out for one another, and the people of the Fifth District stand with you.”

Nicks urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the Nassau County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct at 516-849-0266 or the department’s Hate and Bias Hotline at 516-500-0657.

The congregation’s security committee was also reported to be coordinating with law enforcement and reviewing security procedures following the incident.

Police have not publicly identified a motive for the alleged attack or announced a hate-crime charge. The allegations against Khan have not been proven in court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.

The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a news release that the situation there is “on the brink of disaster.”

The White House said Melania Trump had initiated the discussions and that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. There was no immediate confirmation of the ceasefire from the Ukrainian or the Russian governments.

“What she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus,” President Donald Trump said of the first lady during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists.

Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict one of her signature issues and hosted a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year. She has written Russian President Vladimir Putin to work on efforts to reunite families with children who have been displaced by the war.

Food and medical supplies have been scarce for months in Oleshky, which sits on the Dnipro River that separates Ukrainian forces from the city’s Russian occupiers. There is no electricity, heat or running water. Roads leading from town are mined and dotted with burned-out cars. Drones buzz overhead.

Once a city of about 24,000 residents, Oleshky was captured by Moscow’s forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its buildings were shelled and burned, and its infrastructure damaged. In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.

Those left in the city along Ukraine’s southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms. Ukraine has appealed repeatedly for a local ceasefire to organize evacuations. Russia, which as the occupying power is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive, had made no commitment.

Melania Trump said in the White House news release that civilian leaders from Ukraine and Russia will visit Oleshky residents to determine the level of assistance they require.

“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” she said. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”

Melania Trump also said “an impartial American media organization” will accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process.

“This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she said.

The statement did not identify the media organization.

The Russian state news agency Tass quoted Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Yana Lantratova as saying she has discussed the situation in Oleshky with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets. Lantratova did not elaborate, saying only that more information “will be released later.”

Earlier this month, the Kremlin said Lantratova would be in touch with Melania Trump’s office on the situation in Oleshky. Lantratova confirmed that she was in contact with the first lady’s team.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged on Friday with making false statements to Congress about their roles in investigating Hunter Biden’s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday and made their first appearance in federal court in Washington, where their lawyers pressed for a speedy hearing at which they could contest the allegations against them.

The Department of Justice says Floris and Benavides lied to Congress in 2023 about the involvement of a specialized foreign-influence task force in investigations into Biden as well as their knowledge of the laptop.

Floris’ attorneys called her “a patriot” and said she has “served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years.”

“Yet today, the DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts,” her attorneys said in a statement. “It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election.”

The case was filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 elections and marks the latest in a series of splashy and politically charged investigative actions the Department of Justice has undertaken in the run-up to the midterm contests.

The prosecution, a rare Department of Justice criminal case against a former employee, revisits a tangled and peculiar saga that roiled the final weeks of the 2020 race. It also comes amid a broader, backward-looking effort by FBI Director Kash Patel, who before taking over the nation’s premier law enforcement agency was a harsh critic of it, to scrutinize high-profile episodes from the bureau’s recent past that for years have animated President Donald Trump’s conservative base.

“Lying to Congress by senior FBI officials strikes at the heart of our system. No one is above the law,” Patel said in a statement posted on X.

The revelation of the laptop’s existence in October 2020 injected a thorny storyline in the race between Trump, the Republican incumbent, and Hunter Biden’s father, Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic challenger, who went on to win the race.

The laptop’s contents were publicized by the New York Post, which said it had obtained from Trump ally Rudy Giuliani a hard drive of a computer dropped off by Hunter Biden at a Wilmington, Delaware, repair shop. The laptop contained emails that appeared to show discussions of the younger Biden’s foreign business dealings.

The peculiar circumstances of the laptop’s discovery raised concerns among Democrats and former intelligence officials about the possibility of Russian disinformation, particularly when the Trump administration’s own intelligence community was assessing that Russia was attempting to interfere on Trump’s behalf in the election and as Giuliani had traveled abroad looking for dirt on the Bidens.

Hunter Biden was subsequently charged with, and convicted of, gun and tax offenses during his father’s administration. Joe Biden pardoned him in his final weeks in office.

The Justice Department historically looks to avoid public and overt investigative acts in the direct lead-up to an election that involve candidates or that risk influencing an outcome. But officials in the last two weeks have made a series of bold moves in cases with political undertones, including a search of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s house in an immigration fraud investigation and a corruption indictment unsealed Thursday against powerful Democratic Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas.

Floris and Benavides, two experienced intelligence officials, led the FBI’s since-disbanded Foreign Intelligence Task Force, or FITF, when the laptop was discovered. They are accused by the Justice Department of making false statements in Congress in 2023 by saying that the FITF was not involved in investigations related to Hunter Biden when contemporaneous messages proved otherwise, according to a criminal complaint filed against them.

The case brings renewed attention to the work of the task force, which was established in the first Trump administration to police influence campaigns staged by Russia and other nations aimed at sowing discord, undermining democracy and spreading disinformation. The task force became a magnet of congressional Republican criticism during the Biden investigation and was disbanded in February 2025 by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi in one of her first acts on the job.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – New York attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy delivered a forceful pledge Friday to confront antisemitism and serious crime, saying she would personally prosecute cases if necessary and declare a state of emergency on antisemitism on her first day in office if elected.

“I’ll do it myself if I have to,” Komatireddy said during a news conference in Manhattan’s Diamond District, at the site where Chabad Rabbi Yossi was reportedly pricked with needles earlier this week.

Komatireddy criticized what she described as a revolving-door approach to crime under current Attorney General Letitia James, arguing that serious offenses across New York are not being met with sufficient accountability. She said the state needs a more aggressive approach to prosecuting hate crimes and other serious offenses.

Komatireddy pledged to use the full authority of the attorney general’s office to protect Jewish communities and all communities across New York. She also said she would ensure that hate-crime enforcement efforts are properly staffed and that perpetrators are held accountable.

By choosing the site of the reported attack for her news conference, Komatireddy sought to underscore her message that antisemitism and public safety require decisive action.

Author and Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch of Crown Heights also spoke at the event, condemning the attack and expressing concern about the safety of Jewish New Yorkers.

“Whose only crime is being Jewish,” Schonbuch said, describing the targeting of Jewish residents. He also referred to an earlier stabbing of a Jewish man uptown, alleging that the assailants shouted “Allahu Akbar.”

Schonbuch described the rabbi targeted in the Diamond District as an innocent man who was performing religious duties and a grandson of Holocaust survivors.

Comparing the current climate to Germany in 1935, Schonbuch warned that antisemitism was escalating in New York City. He cited figures indicating that Jewish people account for more than half of reported hate crimes despite representing approximately 12% of the population.

Schonbuch voiced strong support for Komatireddy, saying he believed her approach would help make New York safer for all residents, particularly the Jewish community.

PARIS (VINnews) — An El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Newark was diverted to Paris on Friday after a crew member became ill and was no longer fit to continue the flight, airline and passenger accounts indicated.

Flight LY27, which departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport bound for Newark Liberty International Airport, landed in Paris so the affected crew member could receive medical attention. Multiple passengers were subsequently rebooked onto alternative flights operated by other airlines.

The remaining passengers are expected to stay at an airport hotel in Paris over Shabbat. A rabbi is scheduled to join the group at the hotel, where kosher food and a dedicated prayer room have been arranged.

A replacement flight is planned to depart Saturday night, according to updates shared with passengers.

El Al has not issued a detailed public statement on the diversion as of Friday morning. The airline routinely makes unscheduled landings for medical reasons involving crew or passengers.

This article is based on passenger reports and available operational details. Further updates from El Al may follow.

Family getting up: Shacharis: 8:30 am Mincha: 6:30 pm Maariv: 6:50 pm

Family getting up: Thursday (10/29/26)Morning

R’ Yossi Weiss
Son

R’ Eliezer Weiss
Son

R’ Moshe Weiss
Son

R’ Binyamin Weiss
Son

Mrs Devorah Steinberger
Sister

sitting at 705 E 7th in lakewood untill 10/28

R’ Luzer Hirsch Weiss
Brother

sitting at 705 E 7th Lakewood until 10/28

Family getting up: Shacharis: 8:00 am Mincha: 5:00 pm Maariv: 5:30 pm

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli forces thwarted a planned terrorist attack targeting civilians near Hebron on Friday morning, but two combat soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire, the Israel Defense Forces said.​

Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, speaking at the scene, credited the soldiers’ actions with stopping what he described as a grave attack. “This morning, a grave terror attack against Israeli civilians was thwarted, thanks to the bravery of IDF soldiers,” Bluth said. “Unfortunately, we paid a heavy price during the encounter, and two combat soldiers fell in battle.” He offered condolences to the families of the fallen.​

The IDF identified the slain soldiers as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon. Both served in the Home Front Command’s 775th “Ari” Search and Rescue Battalion. Three other soldiers from the unit were lightly wounded. Israeli forces killed the two Palestinian gunmen during a firefight lasting more than 20 minutes.​

Bluth emphasized the military’s role as “the protective shield of Israeli civilians,” noting that troops put their lives on the line to prevent the attack. He said the IDF was launching a significant counterterrorism operation and imposing a cordon on the areas of Hebron and Halhul. “We will bring all terrorists to justice and dismantle terrorist infrastructure of all kinds,” he said.​

Military assessments indicated the attackers, both from Hebron, arrived in a vehicle with Israeli license plates and were armed with an assault rifle and a handgun. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle, which officials said suggested the gunmen had intended a larger-scale attack on civilians along Route 35. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered broader closures across the Judea-Samaria in response.

The incident occurred days before Israel’s national elections. Security forces continued operations in the area following the attack.​

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Our great Roshei Yeshiva have always taught us to see the world through “Torah eyes.”  What does halacha, what does the Gemorah say about this topic.  A story now in the headlines which involves a sitting member of the United States Congress, and a marriage certificate from 2009 – brings this concept head on: Did a congresswoman marry her own brother and what do the Rishonim say about it?

The Story in the Headlines

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia in 1995. In 2009 she legally married a man named Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom she described as a British citizen. They divorced in 2017. For years, critics have claimed that Elmi is really her brother, and that the marriage was a way to help him get immigration status in America.  If true – it was a gross violation of American law. 

Rep. Omar has always denied it. In 2020 she released a statement calling the allegations “absolutely false and ridiculous,” and said that insinuations that Elmi is her brother are “absurd and offensive.”

The story has not gone away. The Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, publicly stated at a Republican convention that Omar married her brother and that consequences are coming. This week it was reported that federal investigators have DNA evidence that could settle the question.

When Rep. Omar was asked directly whether she and Elmi are related, her answer was a careful “not to my knowledge.”

Other details add to the questions. In 2018 a conservative outlet found archived Instagram posts from 2012 that appear to show Elmi calling Omar’s daughter his “niece.” A Minnesota campaign finance investigation also found that Omar filed joint tax returns with Ahmed Hirsi for 2014 and 2015, while she was still legally married to Elmi. Omar’s family history is hard to trace. Somali records were lost or destroyed in that country’s civil war. Her mother reportedly died when she was young. Elmi’s parents are not publicly known, though he lived in London with a woman named Leila Nur Said, who is thought to be Omar’s sister and who may have raised him.

None of this has been proven in any court, and Rep. Omar has not yet been charged with a crime. What follows is a Torah analysis of what the halacha would say if the allegations turned out to be true.

Which Relatives Are Forbidden to a Non-Jew?

Ilhan Omar is not Jewish, so the relevant question is what the Torah forbids to Bnei Noach, the non-Jewish nations of the world. Every person on earth is bound by the Seven Noahide Laws, and one of them is the prohibition of forbidden relationships, called gilui arayos.

The Gemara in Sanhedrin (57b–58b) discusses exactly which relatives are forbidden to a non-Jew. The source is a pasuk in Bereishis (2:24): “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Two great Tanna’im read this pasuk differently. Rabbi Eliezer says that “his father” refers to his father’s sister, and “his mother” refers to his mother’s sister. In his view, the pasuk forbids blood relatives. Rabbi Akiva says that “his father” refers to his father’s wife, and “his mother” means his actual mother. Both agree that “cling to his wife” excludes another man’s wife and a male, and that “one flesh” excludes animals.

Rabbi Meir adds a general rule. Any relationship for which a Jewish beis din would impose the death penalty is also forbidden to a non-Jew. The Chachamim disagree and hold that even some relationships that are not capital crimes for Jews are forbidden to non-Jews.

The Sister Question: Mother’s Side or Father’s Side?

The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 9:5) gives the final ruling. He lists six forbidden relationships for Bnei Noach: one’s mother, one’s father’s wife, another man’s wife, one’s sister from the same mother, a male, and an animal.

The Rambam forbids a sister from the same mother, but not a sister from the same father. His proof comes from Avraham Avinu. When Avimelech asked why Avraham had called Sarah his sister, Avraham answered (Bereishis 20:12), “She is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.” Before Matan Torah, Avraham Avinu lived under the rules of Bnei Noach. A sister from his father’s side would have been permitted to him. A sister from his mother’s side would not have been.

This means that, according to the Rambam, the answer to the Omar question depends on a detail not yet known.  If Elmi were her brother through the same mother, the marriage would be a forbidden relationship under the Noahide laws. If he were only her brother through the father, the Rambam’s view would not count the marriage as a forbidden relationship for a non-Jew, however strange or wrong it might seem by Jewish standards.

Rashi’s reading of the sugya is far stricter. According to Rashi’s explanation of Rabbi Eliezer, a non-Jew is forbidden in all relationships of blood kinship, on both the father’s and the mother’s side. By that view, any brother would be forbidden.

What If He Is a Nephew?

The reports raise one more possibility. If Elmi was raised by Leila Nur Said, who may be Omar’s sister, some have wondered whether he might be her sister’s son rather than her brother. That would make Omar his aunt, his mother’s sister.

Here Rabbi Eliezer’s words fit remarkably well. He reads the pasuk itself, “his mother,” as referring to the mother’s sister. In his view, a man’s maternal aunt is one of the very first relatives the Torah forbids to all of mankind. The Rambam, however, follows Rabbi Akiva and does not include the aunt among the six forbidden relationships for Bnei Noach.

This is only a theory, and no evidence has established it. It shows, though, how a single fact in a family tree can change the halachic answer completely.

Was It Even a Marriage?

There is a deeper question, and it is one that few commentators have considered. For a non-Jew, the Torah does not define marriage by a government certificate. The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 9:8) explains that a non-Jewish woman becomes a man’s wife when they live together as husband and wife. The marriage ends when they separate and she leaves his home. Bnei Noach have no kiddushin and no get.

The Ramban’s View

The Ramban goes even further. He holds that relationships created through marriage, such as a mother-in-law or a daughter-in-law, were never forbidden to Bnei Noach at all, because they have no legal marriage bond in the Torah’s sense. The single exception is the father’s wife, which the Torah singles out specifically. A brother or a nephew, though, is a blood relative, not a relative through marriage. So even according to the Ramban, the question in the Omar case remains a question of blood relationships, which is where the disagreement among the Rishonim is sharpest.

Truth Matters Too

Her response that she may not have been aware that it was her brother, would seem to show that she is saying that it was not a sham marriage – but if it was – then this is a further lie. Whatever the DNA shows, one more value stands at the center of this story: truth. A marriage arranged to deceive the government would be a lie built into the most basic institution of human society. The Noahide laws also include dinim, the obligation to establish justice and to live by just laws. A society cannot function if its records, oaths, and marriages are fiction.

On the other hand, Rep. Omar may be telling the full truth, and the investigation may clear her completely. The author has recently updated his sefer analyzing 139 different questions about lying and is about to go to print. His sefer on the parsha and Emes is available here.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army says two soldiers were killed in an attack in Judea-Samaria on Friday that also left two suspected gunmen dead.

The army said two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, were killed and three others were lightly wounded during an attack by Palestinian gunmen.

The army said it had prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the two suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.

It said the men arrived at an Israeli military position in the morning, triggering an exchange of fire lasting approximately 20 minutes, after which the terrorists were killed by Israeli troops. The army said its forces prevented the men from advancing further where the attack could have resulted in civilian casualties.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The New York Post editorial board issued endorsements Friday for three high-profile New York races, backing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for governor, Saritha Komatireddy for attorney general and Rep. Mike Lawler for re-election in the 17th Congressional District.

The board argued that voters seeking improved public safety, lower costs and a check on progressive priorities should support the three candidates over their Democratic opponents. Early voting begins this weekend ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Governor: Bruce Blakeman Over Kathy Hochul

The Post endorsed Blakeman, citing his record on public safety and fiscal restraint as Nassau County executive. It noted that only about 40% of voters approve of Hochul’s performance in a recent Emerson poll, with 46% disapproving.

Hochul became governor after Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. The editorial described her tenure as marked by rising taxes and energy costs from green mandates, congestion pricing, housing constraints and limited changes to criminal-justice policies. It also criticized her sanctuary policies and alignment with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose anti-Israel statements have drawn strong criticism in Jewish communities.

Blakeman, the first Jewish county executive in Nassau history, has expanded police hiring, cooperated with federal immigration authorities and opposed sanctuary measures. He has proposed broad income-tax cuts for many households, an end to congestion pricing and the return of unspent green-energy funds to ratepayers. The Post highlighted his willingness to challenge Mamdani on crime, spending and anti-Israel rhetoric. Blakeman keeps a kosher home and attends an Orthodox synagogue in Atlantic Beach.

For real change and a better standard of living, vote Bruce Blakeman over hopeless incumbent Kathy Hochul. Read today’s cover here: https://t.co/fy5Elx6leJ https://t.co/uaTBWPrsy0

— New York Post (@nypost) October 23, 2026

Attorney General: Saritha Komatireddy Over Letitia James

The Post endorsed Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, over incumbent Letitia James. Komatireddy has prosecuted terrorists, cartel members and cybercriminals and has served in senior nonpartisan roles. She has said she would prioritize cracking down on crime, fraud and corruption while using the attorney general’s full powers to improve public safety.

James has focused heavily on national political battles and progressive causes, according to the editorial, while felony assaults in New York City have risen substantially since she took office in 2019. The board noted her support for cashless bail, Raise the Age and other reforms, as well as criticism of her office’s handling of Medicaid fraud and police cases. Komatireddy, a mother of young twins, has cited personal experiences with crime affecting her family and community.

Congress (NY-17): Mike Lawler Over Cait Conley

In the Hudson Valley’s 17th District, the Post endorsed Lawler for re-election, describing him as a centrist with deep local roots who ranks among the more bipartisan members of Congress. He has worked to raise the SALT deduction cap and has pushed for permitting reform, opposition to top-down energy mandates and local control over data centers. He has also supported balanced immigration enforcement that prioritizes removing criminal noncitizens while addressing practical needs.

Challenger Cait Conley, an Army veteran, has been portrayed as more closely aligned with progressive positions on sanctuary policies and has faced questions about her ties to the district after time spent outside New York. The Post noted that Lawler pressed the antisemitism issue involving Mamdani during debates before Conley more clearly distanced herself. The board said Lawler’s independent record makes him the stronger choice for the district and the state.

HEBRON (VINnews) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that the Israel Defense Forces will implement a new operational approach in a Hebron neighborhood, including the evacuation of residents, house-to-house searches, the removal of weapons, and the demolition of terrorist infrastructure.

Speaking while visiting the area near the site of a shooting attack earlier in the day, Netanyahu said the IDF would apply the model previously used in refugee camps in Judea and Samaria, which he described as terrorist strongholds. “We are going to implement the successful and aggressive model we used in the refugee camps,” he said. “That is exactly what we will do here, in a neighborhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged. We will evacuate the residents, go from house to house, remove the weapons there, and address and demolish all terrorist infrastructure.”

The announcement followed a shooting incident near Hebron in which two terrorists opened fire at an Israeli checkpoint, wounding five Israelis, two of them critically. Israeli forces killed both attackers. Authorities said the men, identified in reports as Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27 and from Hebron, were found with an automatic rifle, a handgun, and a large quantity of additional ammunition, indicating plans for a larger-scale attack on civilians.

Netanyahu also ordered a siege on the cities of Hebron and Halhul and said the government would consider expanding the new model to other locations. He directed the accelerated clearance of illegal structures along roads, which he said pose a threat to security forces.

In addition, the prime minister said he and the defense minister have reviewed plans for a broad-scale IDF operation in Judea and Samaria “unlike anything carried out since the Six-Day War.” He stated that the military is prepared and that the timing would be determined later, adding that “it is coming.”

Netanyahu linked the attack to earlier warnings about efforts to harm Israelis ahead of elections. He praised the soldiers who confronted the gunmen, saying they “stopped them with their own bodies and were also wounded” before eliminating the attackers.

Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the Hebron neighborhood would see the evacuation of residents and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure, following the approach used in the Jenin refugee camp. Katz said those involved in terrorism or providing support “will pay a very heavy price.”

The measures come amid ongoing security operations in the area, including arrests and efforts to prevent further attacks originating from Judea and Samaria.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli security forces launched offensive counterterrorism operations Friday in the Hebron area and elsewhere in Judea and Samaria after a shooting attack earlier in the day in the Judea Regional Brigade’s area of responsibility, the military said.

Soldiers and Israel Border Police officers are operating under a cordon imposed on Hebron. Forces are currently searching residences linked to the terrorists involved in the attack and additional suspects, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The shooting, which occurred near Yehuda Junction on Route 35 outside Hebron, left five Israelis wounded, two of them critically. IDF troops killed the two attackers, both Hebron residents, after an exchange of fire that lasted more than 20 minutes. Military officials said a large quantity of ammunition was found in the attackers’ vehicle and that the checkpoint encounter appears to have disrupted plans for a larger assault aimed at civilians.​

Over the past week, IDF soldiers, Border Police officers and Israel Police personnel, acting on intelligence from the Israel Security Agency, carried out dozens of offensive counterterrorism operations across Judea and Samaria. Approximately 70 wanted individuals were apprehended, including people affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations as well as individuals accused of incitement against the State of Israel and IDF soldiers, the military said.

Security forces also located dozens of weapons during the operations, among them M16 rifles, Carlo submachine guns and four explosive devices.​

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate cordoning of Hebron and additional measures to block travel through the Judea-Samaria region following the attack. He said forces would pursue those responsible and continue arrest operations.​

The IDF said it would continue offensive counterterrorism operations to protect Israeli civilians.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Five Israelis were wounded, two critically, in a terrorist shooting attack near Hebron in Judea and Samaria on Friday morning. IDF soldiers eliminated the two terrorists following a prolonged gun battle that lasted more than 20 minutes.

According to an initial investigation, the terrorists arrived at Yehuda Junction on Route 35 near Hevron in a vehicle bearing Israeli license plates and opened fire near an IDF position. Soldiers from the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion engaged the terrorists and eliminated them following a brief pursuit, preventing further casualties.

Large numbers of troops were deployed to the area, with roadblocks established and military closures imposed on several Palestinian villages and the city of Hebron.

Emergency responder Ofer Ohana documented the continuing gunfire as medical teams struggled to reach the wounded. “The terrorist keeps shooting. There are ongoing exchanges of fire between the terrorist and our forces. We can’t get the wounded out!” he shouted. “There’s been active gunfire for more than 20 minutes!”

Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medic Tzuriel Edri described arriving while the shooting was still underway. “We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still taking place,” Edri said. “We entered with a bulletproof ambulance and immediately began helping evacuate the wounded.”

He described treating an unconscious man in his twenties suffering from severe gunshot wounds. Another critically wounded victim received treatment from IDF medical personnel.

The wounded were transported to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals. Shaare Zedek reported receiving two conscious, stable patients in moderate condition, while Hadassah confirmed receiving a lightly wounded patient.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an immediate closure of Hebron and preparations for broader restrictions across Judea and Samaria until after the elections, according to the Associated Press. Netanyahu also convened an emergency security meeting amid concerns about further terrorist attacks ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary elections. 

During the security assessment, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir revealed alarming details about the terrorists’ planned attack. “This was a serious terrorist attack. The soldiers’ swift response prevented an even more devastating attack and additional casualties among civilians and security forces,” Zamir said.

The chief of staff emphasized that “a large quantity of ammunition was discovered in the vehicle used by the terrorists to reach the scene, indicating that they had intended to carry out an attack on a much larger scale.”

According to assessments presented during the meeting, the two terrorists had departed Hebron carrying substantial quantities of ammunition, intending to carry out a major terrorist attack. The terrorists were armed with an M4 automatic rifle and a handgun. Security forces also discovered a large ammunition container inside their vehicle, containing numerous additional rounds of ammunition.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that the attack demonstrated the growing danger of terrorism in Judea and Samaria. “We must not wait for an October 7 in Judea and Samaria,” Ben-Gvir declared, calling for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled and disarmed.

Israel Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, similarly warned of a worsening security situation.

According to figures cited by Gantz, 197 terrorist incidents and attacks have occurred in Judea and Samaria over the past 30 days, including stone-throwing, vehicle-ramming attacks and assaults on Jewish shepherds. “This is not a lone terrorist or an isolated attack, but a growing, widespread threat that could end in a major disaster,” Gantz warned.

The attack comes amid heightened security tensions in Judea and Samaria, just days before Israelis head to the polls in a closely watched national election.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – A young Chabad rabbinical student returned to Manhattan’s Diamond District on Thursday, less than 24 hours after a woman allegedly followed him and pricked him in the back with a needle in an incident being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Yosef, 26, a Brooklyn resident who recently received rabbinic ordination, asked that his full name not be published. He was walking along West 47th Street shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday when he noticed a woman following him, according to Chabad.org.

I spoke to the victim’s family today.

They’re longtime Crown Heights residents with deep roots in NYC and are shaken by what happened.

It appears he was pricked with a syringe. There are cameras all around the area, and they’re confident police will find the attacker. https://t.co/OEfHiYoWAs

— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) October 22, 2026

Surveillance footage reportedly shows the woman staying close behind him as he tried to put a parked car between them. As he stepped into the street, Yosef felt a sharp pain in his lower right back.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. Police are searching for the suspect, who was also reportedly seen following another visibly Jewish man before the attack.

Despite the frightening experience, Yosef returned to the neighborhood Thursday to continue visiting Jewish-owned businesses, helping Jewish men put on tefillin and sharing Torah teachings.

“I never imagined I’d be stabbed simply for being Jewish, right here in New York City,” Yosef told Chabad.org.

He said the experience brought to mind his grandparents, who survived the Holocaust and went on to build a proud Jewish family.

“Their answer to hatred was more Jewish life. Mine will be too,” he said. “We’ll never back down. We’ll just keep spreading more light.”

Police continue to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime and are searching for the woman.

TEL AVIV (VINnews) — Billionaire investor Bill Ackman said Thursday that Israel has one of the most innovative and best economies in the world, pointing to strong growth prospects, low inflation, a resilient currency and long-term opportunity despite geopolitical challenges.

Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, made the remarks in an exclusive interview from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” with host Sara Eisen. He has been in Israel this week for a healthcare innovation conference and is a partial owner of the exchange.

“I think it’s one of the most innovative economies in the world – it’s also one of the best economies in the world,” Ackman said. He cited expected economic growth of about 7.5 percent, very low inflation, a strong currency and relatively low sovereign debt, describing the country as well-run.

Ackman and his wife, Neri Oxman, bought an approximately 5 percent stake in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange a few months after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The investment has returned roughly ninefold, according to the interview. He described the period as an opportunistic time to invest, saying he is a long-term believer in the country and that “when they say there’s blood in the streets” it is often a moment for capital.

Foreign direct investment into Israel rose 78 percent in 2025 to $26.2 billion from nearly $15 billion the year before. The Tel Aviv exchange has roughly tripled over three years, and Ackman said further gains could come from potential inclusion in global indices, more local startup listings and dual listings with U.S. exchanges.

He likened Israel to “Silicon Valley as a country,” noting its high concentration of intellectual property and talent per capita. Once viewed as a disadvantage, the country’s relatively small population could become an asset in the artificial intelligence era, he said, because larger economies often carry heavier fiscal burdens. Israeli entrepreneurs are also increasingly choosing to scale companies rather than sell them early, which Ackman said positions the country to produce a $1 trillion market-cap company within five to 10 years.

Global venture firms have opened offices in Israel, and Ackman said the technology ecosystem, military-driven training and post-conflict resilience continue to attract capital. Most investors, he added, are focused on returns rather than politics and see the country as resilient.

Ackman also addressed regional security, saying recent conflicts have diminished certain threats and improved prospects for a broader peace dividend, including potential expansion of the Abraham Accords. He said the country should do well regardless of the outcome of upcoming elections, though he prefers reduced political divisiveness.

Separately, at Sheba Medical Center’s ARC Summit this week, Ackman reiterated that he believes Israel will become one of the best economies in the world and highlighted its intellectual capital as a core strength.

Family getting up:

Mrs. Emilie Fetik Rabinowitz
Wife

BALTIMORE (VINnews) — A federal jury convicted an Annapolis laboratory owner of health care fraud and money laundering for billing Medicare more than $18 million for respiratory tests that physicians did not order, patients did not need and, in many cases, were never performed, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Patrick Britton-Harr, 42, of Annapolis, was found guilty Monday of five counts of health care fraud and one count of transactional money laundering. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on each count. A sentencing date has not been set.

Prosecutors said Britton-Harr, owner of Provista Health, offered COVID-19 testing to nursing homes across the country in 2020, when the facilities urgently needed screening services. After specimens were collected and other laboratories performed the COVID-19 tests, he billed Medicare for separate, high-cost respiratory pathogen panel tests that screen for more than 30 pathogens.

Treating physicians never ordered the panel tests, according to trial evidence. Several doctors testified they had never ordered such a test for any patient during their careers. Britton-Harr directed inexperienced staff — including high school and college-aged interns and a family member — to submit a panel claim whenever a COVID-19 test was performed.

He continued billing after closing his Arizona laboratory, barring employees from the facility and removing the equipment required to run the tests. Some claims were submitted for nursing home residents who had already died.

Provista Health billed Medicare $18.7 million for the panel tests over six months. Medicare paid more than $7.2 million on those claims.

Britton-Harr used the proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle, purchasing a Porsche 911 for $112,500 in December 2020 and making $25,000 monthly mortgage payments on a waterfront mansion in Annapolis, prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland said Britton-Harr’s exploitation of elderly nursing home residents and inexperienced interns during a global pandemic was “unconscionable.”

FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul said the verdict shows the agency will pursue those who steal from taxpayers.

This is Britton-Harr’s second federal fraud conviction in 2026. In June, a separate jury found him guilty of six counts of wire fraud in a $15 million private-jet charter scheme.

The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City will expand technology designed to prevent speeding in municipal vehicles, installing intelligent speed assistance systems in 2,000 additional vehicles over the next three years, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and city officials announced Thursday.

The expansion will increase the number of city vehicles committed to the program from 1,000 to 3,000, according to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).

Intelligent speed assistance, or ISA, limits a vehicle’s acceleration when it exceeds the posted speed limit or a threshold established by the city. Officials said the technology is intended to reduce speeding and improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

The announcement was made at the city’s 11th annual Vision Zero Fleet Safety Forum. Mamdani said the city was expanding its investment in technology to help prevent speeding and make streets safer.

DCAS launched the initiative in 2022 with 50 vehicles. More than 1,000 city vehicles are now equipped with the technology and have logged more than 10 million miles, officials said.

A report by DCAS and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center found that ISA reduced speeding among equipped vehicles by 64%. On high-speed roads, including highways, speeding declined by 82%, according to the report.

The expansion builds on Executive Order 19, signed by Mamdani in July, which directs the city to retrofit nonemergency municipal trucks with pedestrian alerts and require pedestrian alerts and ISA in new nonemergency vehicle and truck purchases.

The city also announced a partnership with New York City School Bus Umbrella Services to test pedestrian-alert technology on 100 school buses. The pilot will evaluate different configurations of alerts designed to warn pedestrians when buses turn.

DCAS monitors the movements and speeds of more than 30,000 municipal vehicles and school buses through its Fleet Office of Real Time Tracking.

The initiatives are part of the city’s broader Vision Zero strategy to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. The city’s 2025 Safe Fleet Transition Plan classifies intelligent speed assistance as a required safety technology.

TEL AVIV (VINnews) – An estimated 67,000 Israelis living abroad plan to travel to Israel to vote in the Oct. 27 elections for the 26th Knesset, according to a survey released Thursday by the Fly&Vote initiative.

The figure marks an increase from an earlier estimate of about 53,000 published at the start of October. The initiative is operated by the AID Coalition.

The voluntary survey, conducted Oct. 12-21 among roughly 23,000 Israelis living overseas, found that 79.6% of respondents said they intend to travel to Israel to cast ballots. By comparison, only 14% said they had done so in the 2022 elections.

Fly&Vote noted that the survey does not constitute a representative sample of all Israelis living abroad. Organizers said the 67,000 estimate is based on an analysis of registration data with the initiative rather than a count of people who have already arrived in the country.

According to the results, 48% of respondents are coming from the United States, 37% from European countries, 5% from Canada and 2% from Australia and New Zealand. Smaller numbers reported traveling from South America, Asia and South Africa.

About 70% of those surveyed said the initiative’s activities influenced their decision to travel and vote, while roughly one-quarter said it helped them obtain information and prepare for the trip.

The initiative has drawn scrutiny from Likud, which filed a petition seeking to restrict its activities.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – A former NYPD detective accused of fatally shooting a Con Edison worker during a road-rage confrontation on the George Washington Bridge had been working as a chauffeur for a billionaire hedge fund executive, according to a report by the NY Post Thursday.

Victor Romero, 62, was reportedly driving a company-owned Range Rover while working for Dan Gold, chief executive of QVT Financial, an investment firm managing more than $2 billion in assets, the New York Post reported.

Romero is accused of shooting Koran Irvine, 46, a longtime Con Edison employee and father of two, during a confrontation on the bridge Tuesday evening. Investigators allege Romero shot Irvine before fleeing the scene.

Romero, a former Brooklyn narcotics detective who left the NYPD in 2001, was arrested Wednesday and charged with manslaughter. He was ordered held on $1 million bail.

QVT Financial acknowledged the reports involving Romero and said it was cooperating with authorities. The firm did not provide further public comment in the report.

Irvine, a Valley Cottage resident who had worked for Con Edison for about 20 years, is being mourned by his family and colleagues.

BEIJING (AP) — A magnitude 7 earthquake hit China’s Tibet region on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people, injuring 32 and collapsing hundreds of homes in the northern regional city of Nagqu, official media said.

More than a dozen people were killed when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit China’s Tibet on Thursday evening local time, according to local officials. Security cameras captured crowds running out of buildings as the tremors began. https://t.co/9prKSArbqB

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 22, 2026

Search and rescue efforts continued following the collapse of at least 339 homes, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials. Among the injured, 11 people were in serious condition and the other 21 sustained minor injuries, the media office said.

Rescue teams from police and fire departments were building tents to house people displaced by the quake.

It was the biggest earthquake in the region in the last five years, China’s national broadcaster CCTV said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 10:33 p.m. local time, with its epicenter 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of Nagqu, in a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet. It put the earthquake’s depth at 18 kilometers (11 miles).

UPDATE: Footage captures shaking from a reported M7.0 earthquake in Baqing County, Nagqu, Tibet.

China – Sismo – Terremoto – Temblor https://t.co/tyNYJmUjwx

— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) October 22, 2026

China’s official Xinhua News Agency cited the China Earthquake Networks Center as putting the depth at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Nagqu is more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest shudder for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry pulled markets lower worldwide on Thursday, while oil prices hit their highest levels since May on worries about the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 fell 1.2% for its worst day since July, while the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.6%. The weakness for tech stocks was so overwhelming that it masked strength for the rest of the U.S. market, where the majority of stocks actually rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 11 points, or less than 0.1%.

AI-related stocks have been swinging on worries that their boom may be under threat because of how expensive it’s become to borrow money to build data centers and buy more AI chips. Concerns also remain that their prices shot too high following a yearslong frenzy, even though companies in the industry continue to report growth.

Lam Research, whose equipment and services help make semiconductors, reported gains in profit and revenue for the summer that were slightly stronger than analysts expected, for example. Usually, that helps boost a stock’s price, but Lam Research’s tumbled 11.8%.

It gave a range for its forecast for profit this quarter whose midpoint was slightly below analysts’ expectations. Its stock also came into the day with a 52.4% surge for the year so far, nearly quadruple the gain for the overall S&P 500, leaving plenty of room for potential disappointment.

Other big tech stocks likewise fell following quarterly reports that included at least some encouraging nuggets.

Meta Platforms, which is pushing its Muse AI agent, lost 7% after reporting stronger revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit fell short. The company behind Facebook and Instagram also said it’s creating a new class of stock to raise money to pay for AI investments and other expenses.

Tesla fell 3.1% after reporting a stronger profit for the summer than analysts expected, though its revenue was weaker than forecast.

The global tide against AI stocks knocked Nvidia down 4.4%. Because the chip giant is the largest company on Wall Street by total value, movements for its stock carry more weight on the S&P 500 than any other, and it was the single strongest force pulling the index lower.

CoreWeave, which has borrowed money to buy Nvidia’s AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud, has been particularly shaky in recent weeks because of worries about its debt. It dropped 10.1%.

The weakness for AI and other tech stocks began in Asia, where indexes are full of players in the industry. South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 3.5%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 3% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 2.7%.

Also weighing on global stock markets was a jump in oil prices.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil leaped 4% to $113.17 after touching its highest level in five months. It’s shot up from less than $97 at the start of the month on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.

In Europe, France’s CAC 40 stock index fell to one of the continent’s sharpest losses with a drop of 1.4%. It has fewer tech stocks than Asian or U.S. indexes, but it was hurt by another jump in yields for French government bonds.

Yields have been generally climbing there because of worries about the government’s big debt load and strained budget. Violent protests across France have raised pressure on the government to increase spending, which could add further to its debt.

Worries about big government debt are weighing on almost every developed economy in the world, including the United States. Such concerns, along with high inflation, signals of a still-strong U.S. economy and other factors, have pushed yields in the U.S. bond market recently to their highest levels in decades.

But U.S. yields nevertheless fell sharply Thursday in a signal that investors were buying U.S. government bonds in search of something safer to own as AI stocks tumbled.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury tumbled to 4.97% from 5.13% late Wednesday and from more than 5.30% earlier this month. That’s a major move for the bond market.

Thursday’s drop in yields came even as another report suggested the U.S. economy may be doing better than economists expected. It said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, which could signal that layoffs remain low across the country.

That solid economy has helped U.S. companies broadly to make bigger profits, which is what propelled the U.S. stock market to a record high earlier this month despite the many worries tugging at it. Two out of every three stocks within the S&P 500 rose Thursday, only to get drowned out by the drops for more influential tech stocks.

Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin and CSX were among the latest companies to join the list of those topping profit expectations for the summer, and gains for their stocks helped limit the market’s losses Thursday.

CEO Shailesh Jejurikar said Procter & Gamble expects “geopolitical and economic challenges” to continue, but it stood by its forecasts for growth in revenue, profit and other measures for the full year. The stock price for the company behind the Crest, Olay and Oral-B brands rose 5.6%.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 93.74 points to 7,663.43. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 11.89 to 52,867.98, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 694.00 to 26,008.86.

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11.

The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett came as lawyers for the British broadcaster complained that Trump had delayed his appearance in his own lawsuit. Charles Tobin, attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.”

Meanwhile, it remained uncertain whether former special counsel Jack Smith would be allowed to sit for a deposition. Federal rules require current and former employees to receive permission from agency heads before testifying in court cases. Smith has requested permission but has not received an answer, and the judge ruled that the department must respond to him by Nov. 2.

In arguments about Trump’s deposition, Tobin noted there had been an agreed-upon date of Oct. 16, but Trump had canceled it for a “matter of national importance.” He said the Republican president was in fact campaigning in Georgia that day. “He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,” Tobin said.

Lett said Trump must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11, or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit — unless the discovery period is extended by the presiding judge.

Discovery, where lawyers for both sides exchange documents and other evidence, is scheduled to end Dec. 18, and the BBC’s attorneys want to make sure they have Trump’s deposition before that deadline. Lett said only the presiding judge assigned to the case can alter the trial schedule, and the defense said it would be open to scheduling the deposition at a later time if the trial schedule was also changed.

Trump, who has often avoided depositions, filed his lawsuit against the BBC last December. He accused the publicly funded broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance.”

The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem he was directly urging violence. The broadcaster apologized over the editing, and the head of the BBC and its top news executive both resigned. But the BBC has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.

Trump’s attorneys also argued against recording his deposition on video, asking for only a court reporter. The judge ruled that the deposition could be recorded on video but only for attorneys, meaning it wouldn’t be released to the public.

It remained unclear whether Jack Smith would be allowed to sit for deposition
To bolster its defense, the broadcaster subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith earlier this month. Trump’s lawyers have argued that there is no good reason for Smith, who is not a party to the case, to appear. The BBC has said Smith has extensive knowledge of what happened that day.

At issue in Thursday’s hearing, though, was whether Smith had received the legally required permission from the Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feeley told the judge that Smith had sent a letter to the department saying he would not testify without permission, and the agency had not yet responded. Lett ordered the department to respond to Smith by Nov. 2.

It seems unlikely that the department would grant Smith permission, or that he would move forward without it.

Earlier in the hearing, Tobin, the BBC lawyer, argued that Smith has not objected to being deposed for this case, meaning the only objection is coming from Trump. Tobin said the BBC is not trying to relitigate the events of Jan. 6, but Smith is one of the leading experts in what happened that day, and his deposition could lead the BBC to evidence that could help their case.

“We can argue later on whether his testimony is admissible,” Tobin said, “but we are entitled to that deposition.”

Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, said Smith has no personal knowledge of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech or Trump’s state of mind when he gave it. All of Smith’s knowledge about the case is secondhand, Brito argued, and the special counsel’s report, along with Smith’s testimony before Congress, is all public and available to the BBC’s attorneys.

Judge says the BBC can see membership records for Mar-a-Lago
The judge agreed that the BBC should be allowed to see records for the total number of applications for membership at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida from Jan. 6, 2020, through Jan. 6, 2026, as well as the total cost of membership and initiation fees for new applicants.

Tobin said one aspect of any defamation case is showing actual damages, and the popularity of Mar-a-Lago is a significant indicator of Trump’s reputation. The BBC’s lawyer described the private club as “a place where he exhibits his reputation in front of people who are important to him.”

Brito argued that Trump does not actually run Mar-a-Lago, and that his reputation is not associated with the club.

BAT YAM (VINnews) — Officers from Israel’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit rescued a woman Thursday evening after she barricaded herself inside an 11th-floor apartment and threatened to jump from a window.

Police said Yamam fighters, members of the negotiation unit, and additional officers were sent to the residential building along the coast after receiving the report. Upon arrival, the specialized “Monkeys” team of Yamam prepared a high-angle rescue. The officers rappelled from the roof directly to the apartment window, took control of the situation within seconds, and brought the woman to safety.​

The operation ended without injuries. Police said the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.​

Yamam, the Israel Police National Counter-Terrorism Unit, is trained for hostage rescues, high-risk takedowns, and operations at height. Its “Monkeys” team specializes in climbing, rappelling, and building entry.​

The rescue took place Thursday evening in Bat Yam.​

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday accused LeBron James of disrespecting the United States after the NBA star appeared to continue his warmups while the national anthem was performed before Philadelphia’s season opener on Tuesday.

“I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump said of James in a social media post sharing the video. “LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!”

James appeared to practice a golf swing and jump shot as The Star-Spangled Banner was performed at Tuesday’s game in New York. James, starting his first season with Philadelphia, was lined up alongside teammates who mostly stood still during the anthem.

Trump and James have been critical of each another for years, occasionally trading public swipes.

James had not made a public comment or a social media post as of Thursday afternoon about Trump’s gripe.

The 41-year-old James, in his record 24th NBA season, was set to make his home debut for the Sixers Thursday night against Cleveland.

Among some of the more notable times James became entangled with the president or politics:

LeBron wears 1 black shoe, 1 white shoe
James was with Cleveland in 2017 when he made a statement during an NBA game with his shoes — one black, one white, with the word “equality” in capital gold letters on the back of each.

Then, after the game, James made a statement about Trump, saying: “This is a beautiful country and we’re never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are.”

James had called Trump “ a bum ” on Twitter and also said earlier that season of the president: “He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United State for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement. He doesn’t understand that, and that’s what makes me more sick than anything.”

Shut up and dribble
James showed determination to speak out on social issues and the nation’s political climate after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized the four-time NBA champion for his 2018 comments about social issues.

“We will definitely not shut up and dribble,” James said. “I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don’t have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they’re in.”

James referenced Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Jackie Robinson as athletes who previously spoke up for equality and change with no concerns about the consequences or any rewards.

“We know it’s bigger than us,” James said.

Get people to the polls
James was named The Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 in large part for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship and helped convince many — at the peak of Black Lives Matter — who had never voted to finally head to the polls.

“I still know what I do on the floor and obviously, I give everything to the game,” James said. “But I can make a greater impact off the floor right now, more than I can on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people with the way I play the game of basketball. But there’s so many more things that I can do off the floor to help cultivate people, inspire people, bring people together, empower them.”

James rejects Zlatan’s criticism of activist athletes
AC Milan striker and former LA Galaxy star Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted socially conscious athletes in a 2021 interview. Ibrahimovic called it “a mistake” for James and other athletes to get involved in political causes, saying they should “just do what you do best, because it doesn’t look good.”

James, naturally, rejected the criticism.

“I would never shut up about things that are wrong,” James said.

NORTHERN ISRAEL — Teenagers who survived a deadly explosion during a school hike in northern Israel have described treating wounded classmates, improvising medical equipment and trying to save lives after a munition detonated, killing one of their friends.

The students, all around 15 years old, recounted the ordeal in a report broadcast by Israel’s Channel 14.

The explosion occurred Oct. 12 during an annual outing by students and teachers from ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School in the Ramim Ridge area near the Lebanese border. Thirteen-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky, a ninth-grade student, was killed, and 24 others were injured, according to Israeli media reports.

The students said they had encountered military debris during the hike and were accustomed to finding remnants of rockets and other munitions in the area following the war. One student recalled that Elazar had picked up an object earlier in the outing, but they did not recognize the danger it posed.

The blast struck as the group prepared for afternoon prayers, the students told Channel 14. They described an enormous explosion followed by confusion, with some students fleeing while others lay wounded on the ground.

One teenager said he initially thought a terrorist attack had occurred. Another recalled ringing in his ears for about two minutes after the blast.

With emergency responders still on their way, the students said they began assisting the injured using whatever supplies they could find. One teenager called his father, a combat medic, who instructed him to focus on controlling bleeding.

The student then moved among the casualties, including a teacher who had suffered serious injuries and was struggling to communicate. He asked the teacher to give him a thumbs-up and squeeze his hand to confirm he was conscious.

When another classmate needed urgent help to control bleeding, the student used a belt as an improvised tourniquet. Other teenagers also removed their belts to help treat the wounded, according to the report.

Several of the students who assisted their classmates were injured themselves. One described shrapnel wounds near his neck and shoulder, while others reported injuries to their legs, hands, chest and head.

“Everyone was a hero,” one student said, reflecting on how his classmates responded despite their injuries and shock.

The teenagers also spoke about the loss of Elazar, whom they remembered as cheerful, funny and curious. One classmate said he was the friend everyone wanted around when they planned activities or gathered for fun.

An initial Israeli military investigation indicated that the explosive was likely a cluster-bomb submunition from a Hezbollah rocket that had failed to detonate during the fighting, according to The Times of Israel. Investigators said the device exploded after a student picked it up.

The tragedy prompted authorities to temporarily halt school hikes along the northern border while safety concerns were reviewed. The Education Ministry subsequently lifted the suspension on Oct. 15, allowing trips to resume with renewed instructions prohibiting students from touching suspicious objects or unexploded ammunition.

The incident has also raised questions about the safety of hiking routes in an area affected by the war and the handling of unexploded military debris.

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — The Justice Department is investigating Republican operative Corey Lewandowski over allegations that he misused his government position for personal financial gain while serving as a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, according to CNN and The Wall Street Journal.

The investigation follows a criminal referral from the DHS inspector general, who examined contracting practices during the tenure of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Journal reported Thursday.

Investigators are examining allegations that Lewandowski sought financial arrangements with Middle Eastern countries involving visa-related matters and solicited kickbacks from government contractors seeking federal business, according to the Journal’s reporting.

Lewandowski served as an unpaid adviser to Noem and held a special government employee designation. Despite not serving as a full-time department employee, he reportedly exercised considerable influence over DHS operations and contracting decisions.

During Noem’s tenure, the department adopted a policy requiring her approval for contracts and grants exceeding $100,000. The arrangement drew scrutiny over the role of senior advisers in spending decisions and the handling of government contracts.

The DHS inspector general had previously launched a broader investigation into the department’s contracting practices, including the involvement of Noem and Lewandowski, CNN reported in March.

Lewandowski has denied wrongdoing. His attorney told the Journal that Lewandowski had not been contacted about the investigation and rejected allegations of improper conduct.

The Justice Department declined to comment publicly on the reported investigation, according to media reports.

The inquiry adds to scrutiny of contracting and spending decisions made during Noem’s leadership of DHS. Noem was removed from the position by President Donald Trump in March and subsequently took on a role at the State Department.

Neither the existence of a criminal investigation nor the allegations against Lewandowski establish that a crime occurred. No charges have been announced in connection with the reported inquiry.

(AP) – A Florida police officer who found a man dead during a welfare check in 2022 is accused of taking possession of the man’s home and impersonating him for years while fixing up the place, authorities said.

The officer said he took possession of the property weeks after discovering the homeowner’s body to “prevent squatters from taking control of it,” according to a court document he filed.

Investigators in South Florida have accused Lauderhill police officer Brian Sguros of carrying out a “complex scheme” to take control of the $400,000 home. They say he made it appear the man was still alive by using his identification to pay taxes on the property and obtain permits to make repairs.

Sguros was arrested this week and charged with five felonies, including official misconduct and criminal use of deceased personal identification. He appeared in court at a brief hearing on Wednesday and then dashed away from reporters outside.

Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with one of his attorneys and Sguros, who has been suspended from his job.

Court documents in a related civil case show that the officer’s attempt to take possession of the two-story house in a tidy neighborhood just outside Fort Lauderdale became known after a real estate group bought the house from the man’s relatives in 2025.

Sguros said in an affidavit that in August 2022 — less than a month after he found Dennis West dead inside the Lauderhill home — he took possession of the property and spent the next 2 1/2 years making repairs, spending more than $200,000 of his own money.

He said the house had been filled with trash, that its roof was partially collapsed and that the structure was unstable.

Sguros said in another court document that he took over the property “believing that by cleaning, securing, and restoring a dangerous and abandoned residence he was acting lawfully and responsibly to protect the surrounding community.”

He argued that he made no attempts to hide what he was doing.

But investigators with Broward County Sheriff’s Office said the deception began when the officer told the county medical examiner that he was friends with West, who had died of natural causes, and that the man had no family, which was not true.

Sguros paid taxes and utilities at the home in West’s name, and forged his signature to get permits for work at the home, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators said Sguros also used his access to law enforcement databases to find information about West.

The officer in February 2025 filed paperwork with the county appraiser stating his possession of the home. But after the real estate group later acquired deeds to the property, he filed a civil case against the company seeking to be reimbursed for the money he spent on repairs.

(AP) – The language that’s known as the backbone of the internet is now subject to what experts describe as one of the most notable vulnerabilities in recent memory.

PHP is a widely used general-purpose scripting language that is geared towards web development, and thus, it powers the vast majority of websites across the world. When the organization behind the language and the FBI’s cyber division warned on Wednesday of significant vulnerabilities in the language, government agencies, corporations and other organizations were sent into a flurry.

The episode also highlights how artificial intelligence is changing the game when it comes to web security.

Here’s what to make of the discovery of the vulnerabilities and the fallout.

The vulnerabilities opened sites to a host of potential security concerns
The official website for PHP and several other organizations and agencies released security advisories Wednesday urging PHP users to patch two critical vulnerabilities or shut down their sites if they couldn’t update them immediately.

The PHP Foundation, which works to provide transparency and accountability with the language, said the vulnerabilities could be exploited and allow bad actors to get unauthenticated access to sites running PHP.

This would mean attackers could control a web server remotely without needing a password, said James Sullivan, director of cyber and tech at the Royal United Services Institute in London. That could allow a hacker to steal data, alter data or use the system as a platform from which to launch other attacks, he said.

Exposure is vast, and some sites are still down
PHP powers about 70% of websites globally, so the possible exposure to vulnerability was immense.

The language is free and open-source, which contributes to its prevalence online. PHP is behind the content management systems WordPress and Drupal, which are commonly used by governments for their sites, and MediaWiki, the software that runs Wikipedia.

In accordance with the security advisories issued this week, several websites were taken offline to prevent exposure while they fixed the problem. There has been disruption to some government services and websites, including in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan.

Some websites may still be down because there are multiple patches available for different types of software, and some organizations may still be waiting to receive them. They also need to be tested to make sure they work.

The issues may have been lying dormant
The vulnerabilities have been known about since at least 2024, according to the PHP Foundation. A security team developed several competing approaches to solutions, but they each had downsides, and it seemed that there wasn’t a practical or concrete way attackers could exploit the vulnerabilities, so progress on a fix stalled, the foundation said.

The group took responsibility for not coming up with a fix sooner, saying: “We won’t pretend otherwise: the delay was a structural failure, caused by both the security team’s decision process and its lack of resources.”

Some experts say the discovery of the vulnerability could have been even earlier than 2024.

The AI cat-and-mouse game between attackers and defenders persists
Artificial intelligence agents helped uncover the vulnerabilities. In a blog post, OpenAI said it had led a coalition of researchers, security providers and others to address vulnerabilities in PHP over the past two months. Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security platform, also said they independently used AI to identify the vulnerabilities.

The accessibility of AI means that many organizations big and small now have more advanced ways to proactively and reactively respond to security threats. But it also means bad actors have more advanced ways to exploit digital weak points, and at great scale.

James Sullivan, of the Royal United Services Institute in London, said the push-and-pull can be worrisome, but he’s focused on the positive side.

“We’ve actually seen quite a decent use case here where AI can discover some critical vulnerabilities and then the community can come together to remediate them,” he said.

(AP) – U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar will move out of her Washington, D.C., home that federal agents searched last week, she said Wednesday, noting that attention brought on by the raid has made her feel unsafe there.

Federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family’s immigration paperwork and have issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, said Wednesday in her first interview since the search that she is “confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The progressive Minnesota Democrat has been a frequent critic and target of President Donald Trump, who has on multiple occasions pushed for the prosecution of his perceived political enemies.

In the interview with MS NOW, Omar said she was rattled by the search weeks out from the Nov. 3 midterms, which will decide control of the House and Senate. She is running for reelection in a deep blue district centered in Minneapolis and is expected to retain her seat.

Omar recalled waking around 6 a.m. to Homeland Security investigators banging on her door with a warrant. They searched for four or five hours and seized 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a Somali language children’s book and a vintage camera that her husband had received as a gift, she said.

The Justice Department has shared few details about the case other than saying it was a criminal investigation.

Omar came with her family to the U.S. at age 12, after they obtained asylum. She became a U.S. citizen five years later, in 2000.

“It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States. I’m sure there are a lot of smart 12-year-olds, but that seems like a leap,” she said in the interview.

The search drew sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats, who also questioned the timing. The Justice Department has historically avoided overt investigative actions involving candidates in the immediate run-up to an election.

Omar said the agents were “intrusive but polite,” logging the items they took and putting back everything else in its place.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, should keep running a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton, posting on social media that it was “hitting pay dirt.”

Trump also denounced Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who criticized the ad as “deeply, deeply troubling” earlier in the day. Acton previously served in DeWine’s administration as a health official. Her mother lost custody of Acton and her brother after her husband — the children’s stepfather — was indicted for raping Acton.

“He strongly suggested that Vivek should, ‘take down the Ad,’” Trump wrote. “He probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing. I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals!”

At a gathering with reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, DeWine recalled the painful experiences of rape victims he dealt with as a county prosecutor and state attorney general.

“It’s wrong to run this ad,” he said. “And, even at this late time — my wife, Fran, saw the ad just run this morning on TV — I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down.”

The term-limited DeWine’s remarks place him at odds with Ramaswamy, whom he has endorsed. The biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate plans to spend $4 million to broadcast it online and on television.

DeWine stops short of pulling his endorsement
But the governor stopped short of pulling his backing of the Republican for now. DeWine recalled a previous line of attack by the Acton campaign had mentioned Ramaswamy’s mother and said that also was wrong — “family members have always historically been off limits” — though he noted it was never used in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign.

That critique from the summer cited an investigative report into Geetha Ramaswamy’s role at a pharmaceutical company run by her son, who Acton and Democrats described as “hiring his own mother to manipulate clinical trial data.”

The Ramaswamy campaign called those claims “slanderous” and said he’s being held to a different standard than Acton and other Democrats who have attacked Republicans’ families.

“Governor DeWine is correct that the first and only candidate to attack the mother of her opponent in this race was Amy Acton,” spokesperson Connie Luck said in a statement, adding, “We refuse to accept the media’s double standards.”

Ohio Republicans divided over the ad
By chiming in, DeWine has entered the fray of a growing rift among Ohio Republicans over the advertisement — as both the governor’s race and a race for U.S. Senate appear far tighter than expected in a state Donald Trump won handily three times. The video features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues.

Acton, Ohio’s COVID-19-era health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather, Arthur’s husband, was indicted on a charge of rape involving Acton. Acton’s campaign on Tuesday posted a video of her brother, who supported her backstory about living in a tent and being abused.

Republican Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio native son, expressed disgust during an Ohio campaign swing Wednesday with Republicans “whining” about the ad as low and in poor taste. But Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, DeWine’s former lieutenant governor — running in a tight retention race against Democrat Sherrod Brown — has said he would not have run the ad, as has Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is running for state auditor.

Another influential Ohio Republican, former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, posted a lengthy essay on X overnight, suggesting that “the floor may have just fallen out from under the Republican campaign for Ohio Governor” and urging every Republican to distance themselves from it.

Amid the turmoil, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou posted what sounded like a warning, or a threat.

“The final days of a tough campaign are always the best time to find out who is really with you and who just posts and pretends,” he wrote. “Yes—we are keeping score.” The quote was followed by a winking-eye emoji.

Ad has faced bipartisan rebukes, support in conservative media
The ad is also dividing Republicans nationally.

Nikki Haley, who sparred with Ramaswamy during the 2024 Republican presidential primary over the personal nature of his attacks, called him “a bad guy” in a social media post Tuesday. “It’s a shame he continues to get away with it,” she wrote.

At the same time, Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog group, has reported that many within the national conservative media are promoting and praising the ad. Ramaswamy’s campaign manager, Jonathan Ewing, characterized it as “a campaign-ending moment for Amy Acton.”

Wayne Allyn Root, of Gateway Pundit, called it “absolutely hilarious” and Daily Wire host Michael Knowles described it as “brilliant.”

Police and court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of Acton in July 1978, when she was 12, after her biological father lodged a formal complaint against him. The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978. Cledith Arthur failed to show for a court appearance and became a fugitive.

Donna Arthur remained married to him until his death in 2004.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a dozen people in Southern California were charged with allegedly siphoning nearly $2 billion in fraudulent healthcare costs, the Department of Justice and state prosecutors announced Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up efforts to end the abuse of federal aid programs.

Fifteen people were charged and so far at least eight were arrested in connection with fraud at substance abuse treatment centers, hospice services and surgeons in California, prosecutors said. At least six of those charged were doctors — including one who is accused of performing unnecessary and invasive surgeries to bill Medicaid for over $130 million.

“If you treat healthcare patients as dollar bills, the Department of Justice is coming for you,” said Colin M. McDonald, assistant attorney general for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. He was flanked by FBI officials and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

The operation is the latest in a recent wave of arrests related to alleged public benefits fraud, an issue that has emerged as a cornerstone of the president’s agenda throughout his second term. Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage whistleblowers to report suspected fraud in the U.S. government.

High-ranking federal officials in recent days have touted the crackdowns across the country ahead of a competitive midterm election that will decide the balance of power in the U.S. Congress for the final two years of Trump’s second term.

Vance and Attorney General Todd Blanche announced in Cincinnati on Wednesday that the administration had uncovered over $40 million in fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits nationwide since September. Thirteen people in Ohio were indicted as part of that crackdown.

In Missouri, meanwhile, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday announced a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Justice to “aggressively identify, investigate and prosecute fraud” in Medicaid, SNAP and other federally funded benefits administered by the state.

“Missouri is all-in in the Trump administration’s unprecedented war on fraud,” Kehoe said while flanked by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and two U.S. attorneys.

Hanaway said the endeavor is a continuation of existing antifraud efforts, with improved federal-state cooperation.

In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, federal authorities descended on a massive gated house in the upscale residential neighborhood of Tarzana in Los Angeles. There, they arrested Hany Malek, 61, a chiropractor indicted on charges that he posed as a doctor in order to refer patients for medically unnecessary atherectomies — an invasive procedure in which a catheter is used to clear plaque from arteries.

Prosecutors say Malek referred the patients to his business partner and surgeon, Dr. Harold Tabaie, 78, of Anaheim, who sometimes falsely told patients that the initial surgery was unsuccessful in order to justify another. The duo allegedly made roughly $134 million through these unnecessary procedures, prosecutors said.

Both men are charged with four counts of healthcare fraud, and the chiropractor is charged with an additional two counts of bank fraud. No attorneys were listed for either Malek or Tabaie. Efforts to reach both men through phones listed on public records were unsuccessful on Thursday morning.

A network of dozens of fake substance abuse treatment centers raked more than $1.5 billion — the bulk of the roughly $2 billion — for addiction treatment that was never provided.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday released a video in which spokesman Doron Spielman questions the accuracy of statistics and media coverage that cast Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria as the greatest obstacle to peace.

In the video, Spielman examines claims advanced by United Nations agencies, advocacy groups and international news outlets. He argues that some widely circulated figures on violence fail to account for the full context of attacks targeting Jewish communities and individuals living in the region.

The presentation includes accounts of specific incidents involving Jewish families who were targeted in shootings and other assaults. Spielman also raises questions about the role of the Palestinian Authority in funding campaigns that he describes as aimed at undermining Jewish presence in areas with deep historical ties to the Jewish people, including Hebron and the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

Critics of Israeli policy have long cited data from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other sources to document what they term settler violence. Spielman contends that such reporting often amplifies certain incidents while giving less attention to the broader pattern of attacks against Israelis.

The video comes amid ongoing international scrutiny of events in the Judea and Samaria Region, where both Palestinian attacks on Israelis and isolated incidents involving Jewish residents have drawn attention. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that the government investigates and prosecutes criminal acts by any party.

Spielman, who serves as an international spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, has previously addressed media coverage of violence in the area in interviews, arguing that the overall security picture is frequently distorted.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency said Thursday that they killed the leader of the Popular Resistance Committees in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip in an airstrike the previous day.

Ramadan Muhammad Ashahada Diab headed the group in Khan Yunis, the military and security agency said in a joint statement. The strike used precision munitions after aerial surveillance to reduce the risk of civilian casualties, according to the announcement.

The Popular Resistance Committees was established in 2000 and was formerly affiliated with Fatah. It is now linked to Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the statement said. Members of the group took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, infiltrating Israeli territory, killing civilians and soldiers, and abducting people into Gaza.

Throughout the war, the organization carried out numerous attacks against Israeli troops in cooperation with Hamas, according to the IDF and Israel Security Agency. Diab advanced plans for attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians and worked to restore Hamas’s military capabilities, which Israeli forces described as a systematic violation of the ceasefire. He was targeted to remove the threat he posed.

Israeli forces under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area under the existing agreement and will continue operations to address threats, the statement said.

Family getting up:

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A retired New York City police detective appeared in court Thursday to face a manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a Con Edison worker during an apparent road-rage confrontation on the George Washington Bridge, according to CBS New York.

Victor Romero, 62, was arraigned in connection with the death of Koran Irvine, 46, of Valley Cottage, New York. A judge set bail at $1 million, CBS New York reported. Romero initially faced a murder charge following his arrest Wednesday.

Prosecutors said the confrontation began with a near-collision as the two drivers approached the bridge. According to their account in court, surveillance video allegedly shows Romero closely tailgating Irvine before pulling alongside his vehicle and firing a shot.

Koran Irvine’s family spoke outside the courthouse on Thursday after Victor Romero’s arraignment. Despite being arrested on a charge of murder, Romero was charged with a lesser first-degree manslaughter charge at the arraignment. More: https://t.co/zHQJc3h2F6 https://t.co/LmBNmCpIrc

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 22, 2026

The bullet struck Irvine as he drove across the bridge’s upper level toward New Jersey shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday. Irvine’s Volkswagen Golf came to an abrupt stop, while Romero allegedly continued driving toward his home, prosecutors said.

Irvine was found unconscious with a gunshot wound and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to CBS New York.

Prosecutors described the killing as senseless and requested $1 million bail. They also told the court that investigators recovered three guns from Romero.

Romero’s defense attorney, Alan Abramson, expressed sympathy for Irvine’s family and described the incident as a tragedy. He also cited Romero’s previous police service, including his involvement in a 2000 shootout with would-be robbers at his family’s Brooklyn laundromat, according to CBS New York.

Romero did not speak during Thursday’s court appearance.

Irvine’s relatives expressed anger over the manslaughter charge and the bail decision. His aunt, Gale Ford, described him as a devoted husband and father, saying his death had left a devastating void in the family.

The family’s attorney, Keith White, argued that Romero should remain in custody.

The district attorney’s office was scheduled to present the case to a grand jury on Oct. 26, CBS New York reported.

Romero retired from the NYPD in 2001 after being wounded in the off-duty shootout at his family’s laundromat in Brooklyn. He had worked as a narcotics detective.

The shooting shut down portions of the heavily traveled bridge for hours, causing major traffic delays during the evening commute.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has ordered its EAGLE bus fare enforcement teams to stand down while officials investigate allegations of excessive force against a Brooklyn man.

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber announced the temporary suspension Thursday, citing concerns about a pattern of incidents involving fare inspectors.

The investigation follows an Oct. 6 confrontation involving Kyle Taylor, 53, after he exited a B14 bus in Brownsville. Video of the encounter shows inspectors appearing to grab Taylor and pin him against a bus stop after demanding proof that he had paid his fare.

According to a notice of claim filed by his attorneys, Taylor alleges that inspectors punched him in the face and threw him to the ground, leaving him with a concussion and injuries to his head, neck, back and left shoulder.

Lieber said the agency had also learned of another incident from several months earlier, raising additional concerns. Further details about that case were not immediately available.

“Riders deserve complete confidence that our fare enforcement is fair and courteous,” Lieber said, adding that the teams would not return to the field until he was satisfied with their training and investigative reporting procedures.

The four inspectors involved in Taylor’s case have been reassigned pending the review.

The suspension will remain in effect while the MTA conducts a comprehensive safety review of the teams’ operations.

EAGLE teams were expanded in 2023 to enforce fare payment on MTA buses. The groups typically consist of six members, many of whom are retired law enforcement officers or civilian volunteers.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – EL AL is preparing a series of upgrades to its passenger experience, including new bedding, luxury amenity kits, personalized entertainment, updated menus and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi.

The Israeli airline said the enhancements will begin rolling out across its aircraft in November, with availability varying by aircraft and destination.

The upgrades are intended to make travel more comfortable and personalized, with changes covering both onboard services and digital tools passengers use before departure.

New bedding and luxury amenities

EL AL is partnering with Israeli sleep-products brand TAKEANAP to replace existing blankets and pillows in economy, premium and business class with products designed specifically for the airline.

Business class passengers will receive memory foam pillows with cooling technology. The airline will also introduce mattress toppers on flights to North America, along with pajamas, slippers and a soothing fragrance.

The airline is also launching a collaboration with Jo Malone London. Passengers in its premium cabins will receive amenity kits in about 10 colors, containing items such as socks, eye masks and personal care products. Business class passengers on long-haul flights will also receive hand and body creams and perfume.

Personalized entertainment and upgraded dining

A new in-flight entertainment system will recommend content based on passengers’ viewing preferences and allow them to resume programs where they left off on a previous flight.

Passengers will also be able to access their Matmid frequent flyer accounts through the seatback system, view personal information and use a new interface designed for children.

The airline is updating its food offerings as well. Economy passengers on short-haul flights to Europe will be able to choose between a sandwich and a poke bowl.

In the premium cabins, new menus and tableware are being introduced under the direction of Israeli chef Assaf Granit. The menus will emphasize a wider selection of dishes, including protein-rich options, alongside a curated dessert cart.

Nutritional information will appear alongside each dish to help passengers make informed choices. On long-haul flights, passengers will also receive Israeli chocolates created for EL AL by De Karina, a chocolatier based in Ein Zivan in northern Israel.

Starlink Wi-Fi planned for 2027

EL AL plans to begin introducing Starlink satellite internet service across its fleet in 2027. The airline said Wi-Fi will be complimentary on flights where the service is available, subject to terms and conditions.

The high-speed connection is expected to allow passengers to stream content, work remotely and stay connected during flights.

New digital tools and AI customer service

EL AL is also updating its mobile app with a feature called Travel Mode, which will become available 48 hours before departure and consolidate key flight information.

A Live Activities feature will provide real-time updates directly on passengers’ phone screens without requiring them to open the app.

The airline is introducing Ella, an artificial intelligence-powered service representative designed to respond to initial customer inquiries, display relevant booking information and help passengers complete tasks or connect with the appropriate service representative.

EL AL CEO Levy Halevy said the airline remains focused on safety and security while investing in its aircraft, routes, products and services.

The expanded premium offering is intended to provide greater value to passengers, strengthen customer loyalty and encourage travelers to choose EL AL for future trips, he said.

Frequently asked questions about EL AL’s new passenger services

General information

What new features and products is EL AL introducing?

EL AL is introducing upgrades to its sleep products, amenity kits, in-flight entertainment systems, food offerings, Wi-Fi service and digital services.

When will the new features be available?

Some features are already available, while others will be introduced gradually across the fleet. Availability will depend on flight destination and service class.

Sleep experience: TAKEANAP

What is changing with the onboard sleep products?

Through its partnership with TAKEANAP, EL AL will replace existing blankets and pillows across all service classes with products developed specifically for its passengers. The new collection includes class-specific blankets and soft, down-like pillows.

What new sleep products will be available in business class?

Business class passengers will receive memory foam pillows designed to adapt to the contours of the head and neck, with cooling technology. Pajamas, slippers and a soothing fragrance will also be offered.

What is a mattress topper, and where will it be available?

A mattress topper is a soft layer placed over a seat to create a more comfortable sleeping surface. It will be offered in business class on flights to North America.

Amenity kits: Jo Malone London

What is new about EL AL’s amenity kits?

Through its partnership with Jo Malone London, passengers in the airline’s premium cabins will receive new amenity kits available in about 10 colors. The kits will include socks, an eye mask and personal care essentials, along with a velvet pouch containing the brand’s fragrance and body care products.

Will the new kits include fragrance products?

Business class passengers on long-haul flights will also receive hand and body creams and perfume.

In-flight entertainment

What is new about the onboard entertainment systems?

The upgraded systems will recommend content based on passengers’ viewing preferences and allow them to resume watching programs where they left off on a previous flight.

Can passengers continue watching content from a previous flight?

Yes. The system will allow passengers to resume content at the point where they stopped watching on their previous flight.

Can passengers access their Matmid frequent flyer accounts through the entertainment system?

Yes. Passengers will be able to log in to their Matmid accounts from their seats, view personal information and complete travel-related actions.

Will there be new entertainment features for children?

Yes. The new entertainment system will include a dedicated interface for children.

Culinary experience

What is changing about economy class meals on flights to Europe?

Passengers on short-haul flights to Europe will be able to choose between a sandwich and a poke bowl.

What changes are coming to premium-cabin menus?

Under the culinary direction of chef Assaf Granit, EL AL is introducing new menus and tableware in its premium cabins. The menus will offer a broad selection of dishes, emphasizing healthy, protein-rich meals, alongside a curated dessert cart.

Will nutritional information be available?

Yes. Developed in collaboration with a nutritionist, the new menus will display nutritional information alongside each dish to help passengers choose meals that suit their preferences.

What is new about the welcome service on long-haul flights?

Passengers on long-haul flights will be welcomed with a collection of Israeli chocolates developed exclusively for EL AL by De Karina Chocolatier, based in Ein Zivan in northern Israel.

In-flight Wi-Fi: Starlink

When will Starlink Wi-Fi be introduced?

EL AL plans to begin introducing Starlink satellite internet service across its fleet in 2027.

Will Starlink Wi-Fi be free?

Wi-Fi will be complimentary on flights where the service is available, subject to terms and conditions.

What will the new Wi-Fi service allow passengers to do?

The high-speed broadband connection will enable passengers to stream content, work remotely and access online services during their flights.

Digital experience

What is Travel Mode in the EL AL app?

Travel Mode is a feature that becomes available 48 hours before departure and brings together essential information passengers need to prepare for their flights.

Can passengers receive flight updates without opening the app?

Yes. The Live Activities feature will provide real-time updates directly on passengers’ phone screens without requiring them to open the app.

Digital service representative: Ella

Who is Ella, and how can she help passengers?

Ella is an artificial intelligence-powered service representative that provides initial responses to customer inquiries, displays relevant information from a passenger’s booking and helps complete tasks or directs customers to the appropriate service representative.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – New York City will expand real-time bus arrival information to thousands of additional stops across the five boroughs, with installations beginning this year under Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration.

NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced that the city plans to double the number of bus stops with real-time arrival information from about 700 to 1,400 as an initial phase of the expansion.

The city plans to bring the technology to 2,900 bus stops by 2030 through the joint city and state Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service action plan.

The initial expansion will include 1,452 additional digital arrival screens installed at eligible bus shelters operated by JCDecaux. The city will prioritize locations based on ridership while working to ensure the upgrades reach neighborhoods across all five boroughs.

NYC DOT will also solicit bids to install additional arrival displays on bus stop poles, extending the technology to locations without suitable shelters.

“Every New Yorker deserves to know when their bus is coming,” Mamdani said, adding that real-time information would help riders plan trips to work, school and medical appointments.

Flynn said the displays would reduce uncertainty for passengers and complement street infrastructure improvements intended to make bus service faster and more reliable.

The broader Next Stop plan, developed by Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, aims to improve bus speeds, comfort and reliability. City officials say the plan could reduce average travel times by up to six minutes across 175 bus routes, including Fordham Road.

City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, who chairs the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the displays would help riders plan trips with greater confidence.

The expansion is intended to make it easier for passengers to see when their next bus will arrive rather than relying on estimates or watching the road for approaching buses.

(AP) – A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations in nine states into whether noncitizens are registered to vote.

U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in Oakland found the government’s effort is relying on data that is full of errors and that it’s leading to intimidation of groups performing voter assistance efforts. She said it should be halted until polls close on Election Day, Nov. 3.

She put her ruling, which was made Wednesday, on hold until Friday to give the administration a chance to appeal.

The ruling applies to investigations in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

It comes as the Trump administration has been hunting for noncitizen voters throughout the country in the months leading into the midterm elections. The administration has signaled that it’s a major problem, when in fact it’s quite rare, as even its own investigations have shown.

The lawsuit was filed by the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United, along with the Voto Latino Foundation, San Francisco and Santa Clara County.

In response to the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security issued an email statement Thursday saying it’s focused on “removing aliens who vote and dilute the votes of U.S. citizens,” while adding, “We have no plans to question or investigate people we believe to be U.S. citizens.”

According to legal filings in the case, investigators were told to target naturalized citizens to see whether they had voted before they became U.S. citizens. The lists of voters to check came from sources that included state and local governments and publicly available information. Martinez-Olguin called them “voluminous and unreliable.”

“Even under the best conditions, there is a high likelihood of error in review because there is no federal database containing citizenship status of U.S. residents,” Martinez-Olguin wrote in her ruling. “The time limitations implemented during the Surge further exacerbate the risk of error.”

The Department of Justice has been demanding detailed and unredacted voter roll data from the states and has sued the 30 states that have refused to turn it over, losing each of those cases so far. The judge noted that for states that refused to share their records, the administration was trying to obtain them through “unreliable commercial versions of voter roll data.”

She said during a “surge” phase of the investigation starting in late August, agents were ordered to complete reviews of flagged individuals taking no more than 12 minutes per person to assess whether they were legally qualified to vote.

In their challenge, the plaintiffs said some U.S. citizens felt they were wrongly identified and investigated as part of the probe. Martinez-Olguin said those fears “are well understood as intimidation” that has chilled people from attending campaign events and working as poll monitors during the election.

Beau Tremitiere, a lawyer representing the unions and voter group, said in a statement that the ruling affirms the groups’ position.

“It was clear from the start that DHS built its lists on bad data, never checked how often it was wrong, and recklessly sent agents to people’s homes weeks before an election,” Tremitiere said.

Details of the investigation, known as the “Unlawful Voter Initiative,” came to light last month after Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California released a whistleblower report about it.

CHICAGO (AP) — Medical laboratory operator Quest Diagnostics said it learned of a cyber breach of one of its systems this week, likely compromising some records for patients.

In a Thursday regulatory filing, Quest Diagnostics reported “unauthorized access” to its Quanum Lab Services Manager, a platform where certain clients can place test orders and receive or look up their results. The company said it discovered the hack on Wednesday and notified federal law enforcement.

How many patients and which particular records have been affected is still unknown. Quest Diagnostics said it believes “certain patient records” were accessed in the breach, but that the full scope remains under investigation.

The New Jersey-based company said it’s also working with external cybersecurity experts to assist in its response.

Quest Diagnostics has seen hacks impacting patient records before. In 2016, for example, the company said data including lab results and contact information of about 34,000 people was exposed in another online breach. And in 2019, other personal information belonging to about 11.9 million Quest patients was affected after a separate hack at American Medical Collection Agency, a billing collections service provider.

Cyberattacks are on the rise across industries. Beyond healthcare, other breaches have recently disrupted anything from supermarket chains to core education applications.

Governments and companies worldwide are working more broadly on online security updates. Urgency erupted this week, after an AI-assisted discovery of vulnerabilities in a programming language called PHP, which is vital to 70% of websites globally.

Outages and limited service have continued for many as firms rush to patch those risks. But based on the company’s investigation, Quest Diagnostics confirmed to The Associated Press Thursday that its cyber breach was not related to the PHP issue.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Dr. Amy Acton, taking sides with the Democratic candidate for governor and former member of his Cabinet over her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy.

At a gathering with reporters at the Statehouse in Columbus, DeWine called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling.”

“It’s wrong to run this ad,” he said. “I would urge Ramaswamy’s campaign to take this down.”

DeWine’s remarks place him at odds with Ramaswamy, whom he has endorsed. The biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate has taken responsibility for the 60-second video, which has drawn bipartisan rebukes, and is spending $4 million to broadcast it online and on TV.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a two-day visit seeking to forge a new partnership as Canada looks to reduce its dependence on the United States.

Carney is making the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey, although he traveled to Ankara in July to attend the NATO summit. He is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials before traveling to Istanbul for talks with Turkish business groups as the two countries seek to deepen trade ties.

The Canadian prime minister has sought to diversify partnerships and reduce reliance on the United States amid an escalating trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, marked by U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, retaliatory measures by Canada and statements questioning Canadian sovereignty.

In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Canada’s Ambassador to Turkey, Marcel Lebleu, said this week that the visit’s main purpose was to “launch a strategic partnership through a joint declaration by the two leaders.”

Talks would focus on cooperation in energy, nuclear plants, sustainable mining and the defense industry.

The two countries would also hold negotiations on a free-trade agreement, he said.

Turkey is looking to build a second nuclear power plant on the Black Sea coast, in addition to one currently being built by Russia’s Rusatom on the Mediterranean coast.

Mounted cavalry units escorted Carney’s vehicle to the sprawling Turkish presidential compound, where a welcoming ceremony was held. Erdogan and Carney then proceeded to a palace building for bilateral talks.

On Thursday, Amnesty International called on Carney to raise human rights concerns during his trip.

Carney’s visit comes as Turkish authorities intensified a crackdown on the opposition, arrested journalists and activists including LGBTQ rights defenders, and installed a government-appointed administrator to run a popular television station aligned with the opposition.

The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, considered a main rival to Erdogan, has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges he denies. Hundreds of party members and elected officials have also been detained in a crackdown critics say is designed to cripple Turkey’s largest opposition group. Erdogan’s government insists Turkish courts operate independently.

“As the judiciary is increasingly used to silence dissent and suppress critical voices, a clear message emerges: speaking out can come at a heavy price,” Amnesty’s Turkey director, Ruhat Sena Aksenir, said in a statement.

“Canada must not treat human rights as secondary in the negotiations. Sustainable partnerships depend on accountability and respect for the rule of law,” she added.

In a sign of improving ties, Canada lifted its ban on the export of weapons to Turkey in 2024. It had imposed the restrictions following Turkey’s military incursions into Syria and over Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan in its conflict against Armenia, including providing equipment that used Canadian-made parts.

A statement from Carney’s office said two-way trade between Turkey and Canada increased by 50% in the past five years.

It said that during the visit, Carney will emphasize opportunities “to expand that growing trade relationship in priority sectors, including energy, aerospace, advanced technologies, and mining and critical minerals.”

MANHATTAN (VINnews) – A 26-year-old Jewish man was injured in a suspected syringe attack on a busy Midtown Manhattan street Wednesday evening, prompting an investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force.

The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. near Fifth Avenue and West 47th Street in the Diamond District. Police sources said a woman speaking Russian began following the man as he walked along the street.

Video released by Manhattan Shomrim appears to show the woman following the victim around a parked car as he tries to avoid her.

HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION: Manhattan Shomrim and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force are actively investigating a stabbing that occurred today around 5:45 PM at 47th St. and 5th Ave.

​We are asking for the public’s assistance. If you were in the Diamond District/Midtown area around that time and witnessed the incident, or if you have access to storefront security cameras, dashcam video, or cell phone footage, please reach out immediately.

​ Manhattan Shomrim Hotline: (212) 430-2024

— Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol (@msspshomrim) October 22, 2026

The victim reported feeling a sharp, needle-like prick in his lower right back as he approached a nearby grocery store. He told police he believed he had been stabbed with a syringe.

It remains unknown whether the syringe contained any dangerous substance or whether the victim was exposed to any harmful material. Authorities had not confirmed what, if anything, was inside the syringe.

The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident, and police are seeking the woman seen in surveillance footage.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, was charged on Thursday in connection with what federal authorities alleged was a role leading a criminal enterprise that acquired and distributed large quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.

An indictment unsealed on Thursday charged Lucas and six other defendants, including several of her relatives, the Department of Justice said in a statement ahead of a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. Lucas surrendered on Thursday, a Justice Department spokesperson said.

The charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, came after the FBI searched Lucas’ hometown office and a cannabis shop in which she has a stake in May. At the time of the search, Lucas — who has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump’s administration — characterized it as an attempt to intimidate her.

“This is the circus we always expected it to be, and we will wait for further details to have a more specific response,” Brian Woolfolk, chief counsel for the L. Louise Lucas Legal Defense Fund, told the AP on Thursday.

The brash 82-year-old lawmaker has spent decades ascending the ranks of Virginia politics and has served since 1992 in the state Senate, where she is the president pro tempore, overseeing the chamber in the lieutenant governor’s absence. More significantly, she leads the powerful Senate finance committee, through which all legislation with any budget impact must flow. She’s used the position to stop and ultimately kill legislation she opposes.

The FBI alleges a ‘criminal marijuana enterprise’
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the charges allege “Lucas and a close-knit group of family members and associates orchestrated a multi-year scheme to enrich their own criminal marijuana enterprise, ‘the Lucas Enterprise’ — using Lucas’ position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to insulate the enterprise from criminal scrutiny and influencing legislation to financially benefit themselves.”

“No one is above the law,” the statement said, “and this FBI will continue to follow the facts with our Justice Department and ensure those responsible for criminal conduct are held accountable.”

Lucas has been a leading voice in Democrats’ ultimately failed attempt to redistrict the state’s congressional map this year, a bid to hedge against Republican efforts in other states to redraw maps for their advantage in midterm elections.

Lucas has long supported legalizing marijuana
A forceful advocate of legalizing marijuana, Lucas partnered in opening the shop, The Cannabis Outlet, in 2021, selling hemp and CBD products. While marijuana is legal to possess in Virginia, recreational retail sales of the drug are not yet underway, though shops across the state do sell other cannabis-derived products.

Lucas also runs a network of companies that provide residential, transportation and other services to adults with intellectual disabilities.

Court records related to the case for months have been sealed, though earlier this year the Department of Justice sent at least two rounds of letters notifying journalists, politicians and others in Lucas’ orbit that their communications with Lucas had been intercepted as part of a court-approved wiretap that ran for two one-month time spans.

At the time of the search, many Democrats spoke up to defend Lucas, expressing skepticism about the basis for the search, given the Department of Justice’s efforts to establish criminal conduct by perceived Trump opponents.

A person familiar with the matter told the AP at the time that the probe was opened during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Lucas has publicly spoken about her ownership stake in the cannabis shop as recently as June, though her most recent financial disclosure forms do not list the business by name.

The senator draws comparisons to Trump
Lucas, who represents a state Senate district that includes her hometown of coastal Portsmouth, operates with a sometimes-profane, unapologetic style that’s drawn comparisons with Trump.

She amassed a six-figure following on X and national attention, using the social media platform to advocate forcefully for her priorities and to bash her critics, including former GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. She’s also occasionally blasted members of her own party, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger, with whom she’s had disagreements.

Earlier this year, Lucas helped lead Democrats’ ultimately unsuccessful plan to gerrymander the blue-leaning state’s congressional districts into a map intended to elect 10 Democrats and only one Republican. Along the way, she posted quips about four GOP members the intended map sought to oust, joking that they soon would be working at McDonald’s. She and other Democrats defended the maps as a reasonable response to Trump-backed efforts to boost the GOP’s midterm advantage in other states.

The AP was seeking comment Thursday from Spanberger and Democratic legislative leaders.

Lucas has been in politics for decades
Lucas has notched several historic firsts in her career. According to a biography from the state library, in 1971 she became the Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s first female shipfitter, a physically demanding job that involves working on metal assemblies for vessels.

She launched her political career in 1984, when, the biography said, she became the first Black woman elected to the Portsmouth city council.

In her decades in the state Senate, Lucas has been a staunch advocate for abortion rights and increased public school funding and a leading voice on issues of racial justice and civil rights.

In 2019, after Democrats flipped control of the chamber, her peers elected her to serve as president pro tempore. And in 2024, she was tapped to lead the chamber’s budget committee, gaining enormous sway over any legislation tied to the state budget. In that post, she played a leading role in killing Youngkin’s proposal to bring Washington’s NBA and NHL teams to a proposed $2 billion development in Virginia.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced on Thursday the launch of passenger-to-cargo aircraft conversion operations in the United States, with the arrival of the first Boeing 777-300ER at a new conversion facility in Arizona.

The project, developed in partnership with Ascent Aviation Services and World Star Aviation, marks another step in IAI’s international expansion in the commercial aviation market and is intended to increase its capacity to meet growing demand for long-range air cargo transportation, according to an Arutz Sheva report.

Under the partnership, IAI will provide the engineering solutions, conversion technology and technical processes, while Ascent Aviation Services will supply the infrastructure and operational capabilities at the Arizona facility. World Star Aviation, which specializes in aircraft and engine leasing, is coordinating activities related to the first aircraft entering the conversion program.

Two conversion lines have been established at the site for the Boeing 777-300ERSF, the freighter version of the Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft. The additional capacity will enable more aircraft to undergo conversion and allow North American customers to access the service closer to their operations.

IAI is the first and only company to have received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for converting Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft into freighters. The certification confirms that the aircraft design has been approved for the relevant modifications and operational requirements.

The conversion process allows airlines and aircraft operators to extend the service life of existing passenger aircraft by adapting them to carry cargo over long distances. The Boeing 777 platform is particularly suited to long-haul freight operations, offering substantial cargo capacity and range.

According to IAI, its converted Boeing 777 fleet has accumulated more than 35,000 flight hours to date, demonstrating the aircraft’s operational experience in cargo service.

The company currently supports its conversion programs through facilities in the United States, the Middle East and Asia, in addition to its own conversion site at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. The new Arizona operation is expected to strengthen this international network and expand access to IAI’s conversion capabilities in North America. The facility is also expected to create hundreds of skilled jobs in the aviation sector, contributing to the regional aerospace industry.

Alongside its Boeing 777 program, IAI is advancing a separate initiative to convert Airbus A330-300 passenger aircraft into freighters. The program is progressing toward certification and entry into service. If successful, it will enable IAI to offer conversion solutions for two major widebody aircraft platforms, broadening its reach across the commercial cargo market.

The expansion comes as airlines and cargo operators seek ways to increase freight capacity while managing fleet costs. Converting existing passenger aircraft can provide an alternative to purchasing newly built freighters, allowing operators to make use of aircraft already in service and extend their commercial lifespan.

IAI CEO Guy Bar Lev said the expansion reflected the company’s combination of engineering expertise and its ability to respond to changing requirements in the civil aviation market. “At IAI, we combine decades of experience and engineering expertise with the ability to identify the needs of the civil aviation market and develop advanced solutions,” Bar Lev said.

He added that passenger-to-freighter conversions were a central part of the company’s commercial aviation activities, helping operators extend aircraft service lives and adapt their fleets to changing market conditions.

Bar Lev described the launch of US operations as part of IAI’s long-term strategy to strengthen its position in the global civil aviation market.

Yaakov Berkovich, IAI’s vice president and head of its Aviation Group, also welcomed the start of operations in Arizona. “The commencement of Boeing 777-300ERSF conversions in the United States is an important milestone in IAI’s global conversion program,” Berkovich said. He added that the partnership with international companies would expand production capacity and make IAI’s conversion services more accessible to customers across North America.

IAI expects continued demand for long-range air freight and efforts by airlines to maximize the value of existing aircraft to support further growth in the passenger-to-freighter conversion market in the coming years.

NEW YORK (VINnews Editorial Staff) – With crime, antisemitism and public safety continuing to concern New Yorkers, the state needs an attorney general prepared to challenge the status quo. Republican candidate Saritha Komatireddy is offering an alternative to incumbent Letitia James, with a campaign focused on criminal prosecution, accountability and stronger law enforcement.

Komatireddy’s campaign slogan captures the urgency of the moment: “If New York isn’t safe, nothing else matters.” Public safety is a fundamental responsibility of government, and New Yorkers deserve leadership that treats it as a priority.

Komatireddy caught our attention with her impressive debate performance against James. She spoke directly, challenged the incumbent and presented a different vision for the office. Until a few weeks ago, many New Yorkers had barely heard of her. The debate changed that, giving voters a chance to see a candidate with substantial law enforcement experience and a clear message.

A prosecutor with a plan

Komatireddy spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor handling cases involving terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics, money laundering and public corruption. She also served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration.

One of her most specific proposals is to increase the number of attorneys in the attorney general’s office assigned to criminal prosecution from fewer than 100 to 350, out of a staff of roughly 700 attorneys. She argues that expanding the criminal prosecution team would allow her office to provide more support to local district attorneys investigating and prosecuting crime.

That proposal gives voters something concrete to evaluate. Rather than simply promising to fight crime, Komatireddy is outlining a structural change intended to make criminal prosecution a greater priority.

New York needs a different approach to crime

Left-leaning politicians hold many influential positions in New York City, shaping policies that affect public safety throughout the region. New York needs state leadership willing to challenge prevailing approaches when they fail to protect residents.

Komatireddy has criticized the state’s bail laws and argued that judges should have greater latitude to consider dangerousness when making pretrial release decisions. While the attorney general cannot rewrite bail laws unilaterally, the office can pursue criminal cases within its authority, support local prosecutors and advocate for policy changes.

This is not about abandoning civil rights or due process. It is about ensuring that the rights of defendants are balanced with the safety of the public. Residents and business owners deserve to feel secure in their neighborhoods, and policies should be judged by their results rather than political ideology.

Fighting antisemitism requires action

For Jewish New Yorkers, the fight against antisemitism is a central concern. Threats against Jewish institutions, intimidation on campuses and attacks on Jewish residents demand sustained attention.

James deserves credit for steps her office has taken to address discrimination affecting the Jewish community. She has also repeatedly appeared at Jewish community events and publicly voiced her support for Jewish New Yorkers. Those actions matter and should be acknowledged.

But public expressions of solidarity, while important, must be matched by continued, effective action to confront antisemitism and protect Jewish residents. The question is not whether James has shown support for the Jewish community, but whether a different approach could deliver stronger results.

Komatireddy has proposed staffing the attorney general’s Hate Crimes Bureau from her first day in office and pursuing cases involving discrimination against Jewish students under civil rights law when the evidence supports action. She has also proposed declaring a state of emergency over antisemitism in New York City.

Her emphasis on prosecution has drawn support from Elisha Wiesel, chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation and son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. Sharing a photo with Komatireddy on social media, Wiesel stressed the importance of holding perpetrators accountable.

“The only way to stamp down on antisemitism in NYC is to prosecute it,” Wiesel wrote. “I stand with @sarithaforny as she campaigns for the critical post of NY Attorney General!”

The only way to stamp down on antisemitism in NYC is to prosecute it. I stand with @sarithaforny as she campaigns for the critical post of NY Attorney General! Please read her statement below.

https://t.co/K169fpOn6J https://t.co/ssZ6Th0EEi

— Elisha Wiesel (@ElishaWiesel) September 30, 2026

Wiesel’s statement underscores a central question in this race: whether New York can do more to ensure that antisemitic offenses are pursued through the legal system when the evidence warrants prosecution.

Komatireddy’s proposals give voters specific commitments to examine. Jewish New Yorkers deserve an attorney general who will use the legal tools available to protect their rights and pursue cases when the evidence warrants it.

The priorities of the attorney general’s office

Komatireddy has criticized James for devoting substantial attention to high-profile legal battles against the Trump administration, arguing that New York needs greater focus on crime and problems affecting residents. James maintains that challenging federal actions is part of her responsibility to defend the state’s laws and interests.

An attorney general can defend New York in court while also prioritizing criminal prosecution, consumer protection and civil rights. Voters should consider whether the office has struck the right balance and which candidate offers the approach they want going forward.

Komatireddy’s prosecutorial background, direct communication style and specific proposals present a serious alternative. She is making the case for an office with greater emphasis on criminal enforcement and public safety.

Our endorsement

VINnews proudly and fully endorses Saritha Komatireddy for New York attorney general.

We believe New York would benefit from leadership willing to question established policies, pursue practical solutions and put the responsibilities of the office first.

We urge our readers to follow Komatireddy’s campaign and watch her debate with James. Her performance introduced her to a wider audience and showed why she deserves serious consideration.

Take the time to hear her out and examine her proposals. We believe you will be impressed by what she brings to this race. When you step into the voting booth, pull that lever for Saritha Komatireddy.

Follow her on social media and see for yourself.

https://x.com/sarithaforny
https://www.facebook.com/sarithaforny
https://sarithafornewyork.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sarithaforny/

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rejected a Financial Times report claiming that US President Donald Trump had prevented Israel from launching a major military offensive against Iran earlier this month, dismissing the account as inaccurate and biased.“This report is not true. I’m not going to get into correcting this biased report,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 7 on Thursday.

The prime minister was responding to a report published Wednesday by the British newspaper, which claimed that Israel had prepared an extensive aerial assault against Iranian targets for the weekend of October 10, but abandoned the operation after Trump opposed renewed hostilities ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

Asked directly whether he had intended to launch the offensive and Trump had intervened to stop it, Netanyahu rejected the premise without explaining which specific details he disputed.

According to the Financial Times, which cited three individuals familiar with the preparations, the Israel Defense Forces had developed plans for several days of intensive airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, power plants, civilian infrastructure and facilities associated with the Iranian regime.

The proposed campaign would reportedly have been more extensive than Operation Roaring Lion, the earlier Israeli military offensive against Iran. The newspaper reported that Netanyahu had instructed the military to prepare for the operation, but that Washington’s opposition prevented it from proceeding as scheduled.

The reported disagreement comes amid uncertainty over Washington’s next steps toward Tehran, as Trump attempts to balance military pressure against Iran with the possibility of a negotiated agreement. Ahead of the weekend when the Israeli operation was reportedly scheduled, Trump publicly indicated that he did not intend to authorize further attacks before the American midterm elections.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said Washington was engaged in productive discussions with Tehran, while emphasizing that Iran remained under severe economic and military pressure. He also said the US naval blockade would remain in effect and reiterated his administration’s commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,” Trump declared.

The statement was consistent with the Financial Times’ account of Trump’s opposition to renewed fighting before November 3, although it did not independently establish that the president had intervened to cancel a specific Israeli operation.

Despite Netanyahu’s denial, additional reporting suggests that Israel and the United States have continued discussing possible military action against Iran. According to a New York Times report cited Thursday by the Jerusalem Post, American and Israeli military planners have developed proposals for a short but intensive campaign lasting approximately three days after the US midterm elections. Potential targets reportedly include Iranian nuclear installations, energy infrastructure, ballistic missile facilities and drone capabilities.

Earlier, Axios reported that Netanyahu and Trump had discussed the possibility of renewed strikes before their respective national elections, citing American and Israeli officials familiar with the conversations. However, the White House disputed that account, saying the two leaders had not discussed restarting the war.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Israel is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on October 27, just one week before American voters head to the polls.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have warned Israel against launching another offensive. Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, threatened severe retaliation, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained open to diplomacy but was prepared to defend itself.

The Financial Times also quoted a source familiar with Israeli planning who suggested that renewed military action remained possible in the coming weeks. “There will either be a deal or an attack,” the source said. Another person familiar with the discussions insisted that “everything is on the table.”

Netanyahu’s categorical rejection of the Financial Times report leaves significant uncertainty surrounding the military preparations and the extent of Washington’s involvement. While the prime minister denies the newspaper’s account, multiple reports indicate that preparations for a possible renewed confrontation with Iran remain under discussion, with the period following the American midterm elections emerging as a potential turning point.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missiles in an hourslong nighttime barrage, while the Russian military said Thursday that its air defenses intercepted over 800 drones fired by Ukraine at Moscow and other cities.

Three waves of ballistic missiles have been launched at Kyiv by Russian “humanitarians” since yesterday evening. They used 21 missiles. Unfortunately, numerous sites across the city have been hit and damaged: ordinary residential buildings, energy facilities, infrastructure at one of the railway stations and the metro, shopping malls, and businesses. Even a monastery is among the damaged sites. Our emergency services are working at all the affected locations. Twelve of our regions came under Russian attack overnight. In Kyiv and across the regions, 34 people were injured, including five children. As of now, two people have been confirmed killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones.

Almost immediately after another round of talks, Russia launched a pointed attack. This means there has been no real change in its attitude toward everything that is happening. It is important to keep trying to find the right solutions to end this war. But when Russia responds to negotiations with ballistic missiles, real pressure on Russia is needed to bring about different steps – steps toward ending the killing. Stronger air defenses and the rapid delivery of missiles, the ability to destroy ballistic missile launchers, sanctions over the war – all of this must be in place. I am grateful to everyone who sees the situation for what it is and acknowledges the reality. The aggressor deserves to be treated accordingly. Ukraine deserves support. People’s lives deserve protection. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 22, 2026

At least four people were killed in Ukraine and dozens of others were wounded, officials said, in the large-scale attacks that began only hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

Putin’s consent came in talks in St. Petersburg with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who had spoken of a “new momentum” toward peace after meeting Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway. No date was set for the tripartite talks.

Representatives of the three countries held rounds of “technical” talks in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland in January and February, seeking to lay the groundwork for detailed negotiations. But they reported little progress beyond exchanges of prisoners of war. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their terms for stopping the fighting despite U.S. efforts.

Zelenskyy says only a meeting of leaders can end the deadlock. As for the prospect of more “technical talks” between delegations: “We’ll see what happens this time.”

Zelenskyy sees ‘no change’ in Moscow’s attitude
Russia’s aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said on social media Thursday.

Two women aged 50 and 60 were killed and dozens of others wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration. Another person was killed in other strikes on Kharkiv, the State Emergency Service said.

The Ukrainian capital endured a noisy night as 21 ballistic missiles came in three waves, Zelenskyy said, smashing apartment buildings, energy facilities, a railway station and the Kyiv subway system, shopping malls and businesses. One person was killed in Kyiv.

A Russian ballistic missile carrying cluster munitions — bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets — targeted downtown Kyiv, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy.

Ukrainians are bracing for the bitterly cold months ahead as the recent escalation in Russian attacks targets the power grid to deny civilians heat, light and running water. Ukraine says Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for an annual campaign Ukrainians describe as “ weaponizing winter. ”

The Russian bombardment showed “there has been no real change in (Moscow’s) attitude toward everything that is happening,” Zelenskyy said.

Putin mulls attending G20 in Miami, Kremlin says
The Ukrainian leader has pleaded with Washington to supply more Patriot air defense ammunition to stop the ballistic missiles, and to heap more sanctions on Russia to pressure Moscow to pursue peace.

Instead, Trump has agreed with Putin to import diesel from Russia and waived heavy sanctions on Moscow, while U.S. officials say Patriot ammunition is in short supply.

Western analysts say Putin wants to cut out Europe and Kyiv and negotiate Ukraine’s future directly with Washington. The Trump administration has also disparaged Europe.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Putin had received an invitation to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December but hasn’t yet decided whether to go.

“The American administration is doing a lot to help a peaceful settlement,” Peskov told reporters. “European capitals are doing nothing to promote a peaceful resolution, and they are doing a great deal to provoke the further escalation of fighting.”

Ukrainians chide Trump envoy for flattering Putin
Witkoff, the Trump envoy who met with Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, was harshly criticized in Ukraine and in the U.S. for praising the Russian leader as a “humanitarian” for ordering the release of a retired American teacher who was imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Assassination attempts against Putin’s foes — routinely denied by the Kremlin — have been common during his decades in power. And as the five-year anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor approaches, aerial strikes have killed thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

The latest “brutal” Russian attacks demonstrate “what Russian ‘humanism’ truly sounds like,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media. “Appeasement, servility, and flattery will not stop this war. Only strength will.”

Russia says it intercepted more than 800 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses overnight downed 808 Ukrainian drones, with two people reported wounded.

Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 630 of the drones were fired toward the Russian capital between late Wednesday and early Thursday. Moscow airports temporarily restricted air traffic overnight.

The Russian military hit the facilities involved in making and storing drones and cruise missiles and transport infrastructure in Kyiv in overnight strikes, the Defense Ministry said. Infrastructure in the southern port of Odesa and vessels used for the Ukrainian armed forces were also hit, it said.

In other developments, the bodies of 252 people, said by Russia to be Ukrainian soldiers, were returned to Ukraine in an exchange, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Thursday.

Russia received 25 bodies of Russian soldiers, Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev, a member of a parliamentary coordination group overseeing the exchanges, told RBC news outlet.

PARIS (AP) — A first known human case of Shamonda virus infection has been detected in France, the country’s health authorities said on Thursday.

The virus was detected in a severely immunocompromised patient who was being treated for a serious illness in Lyon and died in early October.

France’s health ministry said that based on current knowledge of the virus, no public health risk to the general population has been identified to date. Until now, the Shamonda virus was considered incapable of infecting humans.

“This is therefore an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient,” according to the ministry.

Shamonda virus is transmitted to animals by biting midges. First detected in Nigeria in the mid-1960s, it has been reported sporadically in cattle in West, East and Southern Africa, as well as in Japan. It was identified for the first time in Europe this summer on cattle farms.

The patient was likely infected through a midge bite in eastern France, where the virus was reported to be circulating among animals during spring and summer, the ministry said.

French health authorities have notified international health bodies, including the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. unemployment claims fell to 194,000 last week, the fewest in three months and another sign that layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy extraordinary job security.

The Labor Department reported that claims were down from 200,000 the week before.

Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at historically low levels, never topping 230,000 in a single week.

The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week ups and downs, dipped to 197,750.

The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher energy prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28. Most companies are confident enough in the economy and their sales to hold onto workers. At the same time, hiring has been sluggish, resulting in a “low-hire, low-fire” job market. Last month, the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.

So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month. That is an improvement on a lackluster 2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.

Hiring remains well below the 166,000 monthly jobs created, on average, in 2023 and 2024, and the 491,000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.

DETROIT (VINnews) — Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers accused Democratic rival Abdul El-Sayed of frightening Jewish voters with his rhetoric on Israel and antisemitism during their final televised debate Wednesday, as the increasingly contentious Michigan race entered its closing weeks.

Speaking at the October 21 debate hosted by Detroit television station WXYZ, Rogers, a former congressman, claimed that traditionally Democratic Jewish voters were turning toward his campaign because of concerns about El-Sayed’s positions. “We’re doing exceptionally well with Jewish Democrats who are literally afraid,” Rogers said. “I’ve talked to ones with tears in their eyes about the future of their kids and grandkids, because [of] the anger and division that he is laying out on the street.”

Rogers repeated the accusation in his closing remarks, arguing that El-Sayed’s rhetoric had contributed to an atmosphere in which Jewish students feared openly displaying their religious identity. “Jewish Democrats who are afraid for their children when their daughters can’t wear their Star of David walking across Michigan’s campus, these are real,” he declared. “My opponent’s rhetoric, his vitriol, is having consequences.”

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director and outspoken critic of Israel, did not directly address those accusations during the debate. However, his positions on Israel, Iran and the influence of pro-Israel political organizations remained points of contention.

The debate followed a New York Times report that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) planned to direct as much as $9 million toward a super PAC supporting Rogers.

El-Sayed seized on the report while criticizing Rogers’ support for US military action against Iran. “But that’s what you get when you have an AIPAC-backed politician,” he said.

AIPAC had previously spent heavily against El-Sayed during the Democratic primary, supporting his opponent, Representative Haley Stevens. On Wednesday, the organization announced changes to its political activities, ending direct candidate endorsements and contributions through its PAC while continuing independent spending through its affiliated super PAC.

Asked whether Iran represented a significant threat to the United States, El-Sayed acknowledged that “there’s no doubt that Iran has posed a threat,” but argued that the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under President Barack Obama had contained the danger before President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. He accused Rogers of “having cheered this war all along.”

Rogers countered by accusing his opponent of refusing to condemn Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designates as a terrorist organization.

“My opponent can’t even condemn the IRGC, which is the terrorist enforcement arm of Iran, and doesn’t believe Iran is any more dangerous than Israel,” Rogers said, referring to previous remarks by El-Sayed.

Another confrontation centered on Republican allegations concerning El-Sayed’s family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Rogers raised questions about the candidate’s family background and his past political statements, while El-Sayed categorically denied membership in the Islamist organization. He described the Muslim Brotherhood as “an organization I’ve never been a part of,” dismissing Rogers’ allegations as personal attacks. “It’s really quite beneath you,” El-Sayed told his opponent.

A New York Times investigation published Wednesday examined El-Sayed’s family history, reporting that his mother had worked as a nurse in Missouri for a Muslim aid organization subsequently designated by the US government as a supporter of terrorist groups.

According to people interviewed by the newspaper, she held a low-level position and was not accused of wrongdoing. El-Sayed has said he had limited contact with his mother while growing up.

The investigation also uncovered a 2012 open letter signed by El-Sayed urging Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi, who was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, to remove supporters of the former Egyptian dictatorship from the media and police. Rogers cited the letter as evidence of troubling political sympathies, accusing El-Sayed of urging Morsi to “defund the police.”

The controversy has exposed divisions among Michigan’s Jewish Democrats, many of whom oppose the Trump administration but remain concerned about El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and antisemitism.

Prominent Jewish Democrats, including Senator Elissa Slotkin, have endorsed El-Sayed and campaigned alongside him. However, a coalition of Michigan rabbis and Jewish political figures known as Nonnegotiable has continued pressing the Democratic candidate to express stronger support for Jewish communities and Israel.

In a statement issued ahead of the debate, the group acknowledged the importance of the Senate race in opposing the Trump administration but warned El-Sayed that his positions were alienating potential supporters. “We know what this Senate seat means for our country, and we want a check on the dangerous excesses of the Trump-Vance administration,” the statement said. “Yet you are making it painfully difficult for our community to vote for you.”

With Election Day approaching, the competing appeals to Jewish voters highlight how disagreements over Israel, antisemitism and American foreign policy have become significant issues in one of the country’s closely watched Senate contests.

NEW MEXICO (AP) — A judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant.

Facebook’s deception was intentional and executives consistently misled users about how the platform worked, state District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew wrote in his ruling.

“Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false,” he said.

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws for making misleading public statements about how it handled users’ personal data. The case was brought after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook data to generate targeted political ads during the 2016 election season.

The award will serve as a warning to tech companies that New Mexico will hold them accountable, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez said at a news conference.

“This judgment should be a signal, an unambiguous message, to Silicon Valley,” he said.

Meta said the ruling and Torrez’s office’s approach to enforcement “makes it all but impossible to do business in the state of New Mexico.”

“At its core, this lawsuit seeks to impose a tax on speech to enforce new rules for what people can say online. We are confident we will prevail on appeal,” C.J. Mahoney, the company’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

The Menlo Park, California, company has a market value of $1.8 trillion and brought in more than $200 billion in revenue last year. Company shares traded 2% higher after Wednesday’s announcement, and it was scheduled to report its quarterly earnings later in the day.

New Mexico goes it alone
In August, Meta reached a settlement with nearly all states and territories — except New Mexico and Florida — to pay $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

The settlement ended a trial over teen social media addiction and resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to grab young people’s attention.

New Mexico didn’t join the multistate settlement, choosing to go after the company on its own.

The director of a nonprofit that supports stronger policies toward corporations said $25 billion is “a drop in the bucket for Meta,” but demonstrates people want accountability.

“Right now, they are rolling out Muse, an AI assistant encouraging people to trust it with everything from their bank accounts to their medical information,” added Nidhi Hegde, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project. “Which is why we need more enforcers with courage and laws with actual teeth to rein them in.”

At the trial, attorneys for the state cited a 2010 Washington Post op-ed in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the company didn’t sell user data.

“You have control over how your information is shared,” Zuckerberg said. “We do not and never will sell any of your information to anyone.”

New Mexico officials sought fines of $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing the company would only change if its stock price were impacted.

Meta’s lawyers, meanwhile, asserted that the state failed to prove the company made misleading statements and that content moderation actually harmed people in New Mexico. They wanted the company to pay $3.4 billion at most and said an award many times larger would be unconstitutional.

Although interest would accrue on the penalty during the appeal process, Meta could succeed in reducing the number of violations for which it is found liable.

The $25 billion award far exceeds a $5 billion fine the Federal Trade Commission levied against Facebook in 2019.

Peter Ormerod, an associate law professor at Villanova University, was surprised by the size of the New Mexico judgment because previous legal settlements over Cambridge Analytica were much lower.

“It comes out to about $12,000 per person in New Mexico,” he said. “It’s quite unlike anything else we’ve seen.”

Under the New Mexico Constitution, fines for violating consumer protection laws go toward education spending. It could take years for the state to get the money while the company appeals.

Company argues that the state failed to prove harm
The trial focused on accusations Facebook deceived users about a breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to Cambridge Analytica. The now-defunct firm’s clients included Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Attorneys for New Mexico argued that the state’s entire population was deceived, and that Facebook allowed misinformation or violent content to proliferate.

Meta’s lawyers argued the state failed to prove people were harmed by deceptive statements. Zuckerberg in a video deposition denied that Facebook profited off harmful content and said the company had to balance free speech with content moderation.

In a partial win for the company, jurors rejected assertions that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meta lawyers said it has changed policies since the lawsuit was filed in 2021 and catches and removes an estimated 99% of content violating its standards.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Shas chairman Aryeh Deri announced Thursday a new initiative aimed at strengthening Jewish identity in Israel, pledging to provide free tefillin and prayer shawls to boys reaching bar mitzvah age and ensure that schools accommodate students wishing to pray during the school day.

The program, called “Tefillin for Every Child,” would provide every boy turning 13 with a complimentary bar mitzvah kit containing a pair of tefillin and a tallit distributed through the education system. Deri said Shas would seek to implement the initiative as part of the next government, presenting it as a response to what he described as growing efforts to undermine Israel’s Jewish character.

“Recently, we have been hearing disturbing statements threatening the Jewish identity of the State of Israel,” Deri declared. “They want to turn it into a country like all other nations. That will never happen.”

Deri specifically criticized statements attributed to Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan and a Tel Aviv municipal council member, accusing them of promoting an agenda that would weaken the presence of Judaism in Israeli public life. “These are deeply disturbing and shocking statements,” Deri said. “Therefore, the Shas movement is committing to passing a new program in the next government: ‘Tefillin for Every Child.’”

He emphasized the historical and religious significance of tefillin, which observant Jewish men traditionally wear during weekday morning prayers. “Tefillin have been a symbol of the Jewish people throughout the generations,” Deri said, adding that the initiative would express the nation’s enduring connection to its religious heritage.

Beyond distributing religious items, Shas intends to introduce measures requiring schools to designate suitable prayer spaces for students who wish to put on tefillin and pray during school hours. According to the party, the requirement would ensure that students interested in observing Jewish religious practices have appropriate facilities available to them.

The proposal comes amid continuing political and cultural disagreements over the role of religion in Israel’s public institutions, particularly within the state education system.
While religious schools already incorporate prayer and religious observance into their daily schedules, secular public schools generally do not require students to participate in religious activities. The proposed measures could therefore raise questions about how schools would accommodate voluntary religious observance while respecting the preferences of students from different backgrounds.

The initiative would also carry financial implications. Tefillin are traditionally handmade from leather and contain handwritten parchment scrolls bearing passages from the Torah. Kosher sets cost thousands of shekels, depending on their quality and craftsmanship. Providing them nationwide would therefore require substantial government funding, although Deri did not announce an estimated budget, eligibility criteria, or details about how the program would be administered.

Family getting up: Shacharis: 8:00 am Mincha: 1:45 pm Maariv: 7:30 pm

Mrs. Rochel Grunwald
Wife

Rabbi Elchonon Grunwald
Son

Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Grunwald
Son

Will be sitting in EY until after Shabbos.

Mrs. Malky Gerber
Daughter

Mrs. Nechama Shain
Daughter

Mrs. Leah Flagler
Daughter

Rabbi Yehoshua Grunwald
Son

Mrs. Bracha Dina Bernstein
Daughter

Mrs. Esti Friedman
Daughter

Rabbi Yitzi Grunwald
Son

Will be sitting in EY until after Shabbos.

Mrs. Sarala Goldberger
Daughter

Mrs. Chani Kleinbart
Daughter

Will be sitting in Cleveland starting Friday afternoon.

Mrs. Miriam Kotler
Daughter

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Republican Bruce Blakeman has narrowed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s advantage in New York’s gubernatorial contest, although the Democratic incumbent continues to lead by double digits, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

The survey found Hochul receiving support from 55% of likely voters, compared with 41% for Blakeman, the Nassau County executive. In September, Quinnipiac measured Hochul’s lead at 19 percentage points.

The current margin is also wider than the one recorded at a similar point in the 2022 campaign, when Hochul led Republican Lee Zeldin by four points in a Quinnipiac survey.

“Hochul is in a better position than she was four years ago when she faced Lee Zeldin,” said Quinnipiac pollster Mary Snow.

The results reveal sharply different regional dynamics. Hochul commands a substantial advantage in New York City, where she leads Blakeman 70% to 24%. Four years ago, her lead over Zeldin among city voters was considerably narrower, at 59% to 37%.

Blakeman, meanwhile, leads 52% to 46% in upstate New York. The downstate suburbs remain closely divided, with 48% supporting Blakeman and 47% backing Hochul.

Party affiliation remains a powerful factor. Hochul attracts 94% of Democratic voters, while Blakeman receives support from 95% of Republicans. Among independents, however, Blakeman leads 51% to 44%.

The gender breakdown also favors Hochul. Women support the governor by a 60% to 35% margin, while male voters are nearly evenly split, with 49% for Hochul and 48% for Blakeman.

Neither candidate has established a broadly favorable public image. Hochul’s favorable rating stands at 45%, while 46% view her unfavorably. Blakeman has a 36% favorable rating and a 40% unfavorable rating; another 23% said they had not heard enough about him to offer an opinion.

Campaign resources present another contrast. Hochul and the state Democratic Party together reported $22 million in available cash, giving the incumbent a substantial financial advantage over Blakeman and the state Republican Party.

Economic concerns dominate voters’ priorities. The cost of living was named by 22% as their top issue, followed by the broader economy at 19%. Immigration ranked third at 13%. Hochul held support from more than 70% of voters who prioritized economic issues, while Blakeman received more than 70% among those who identified immigration as their principal concern.

The survey also measured opinions of other political figures. President Donald Trump received a favorable rating from 34% of voters, while 60% viewed his job performance unfavorably. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 42%.

Early voting is scheduled to begin Saturday and run through Nov. 1, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Quinnipiac interviewed 1,167 likely voters from Oct. 15-19. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Family getting up: Shacharis: 7:30 am Mincha: 1:00 pm Maariv: 20 minutes after Shekiah

Dr. Alan Brickman
Son

Mrs. Norma Fuchs
Daughter