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The Justice Department is pushing back against James Comey’s attempt to have a criminal case against him dismissed, arguing that “there is no serious dispute” that the onetime FBI director’s controversial “86 47” seashell post could reasonably have been interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.

Federal prosecutors are also challenging Comey’s claim that he simply stumbled across seashells arranged to display “86 47” during a walk on a North Carolina beach. In court filings Tuesday, the government suggested that the May 2025 Instagram post may also have been connected to efforts to generate attention for Comey’s then-upcoming novel, which centers on a social media figure whose rhetoric inspires followers to attack his enemies.

The filings offer the government’s most extensive explanation to date of the allegations underlying Comey’s indictment. They came in response to multiple defense motions seeking dismissal of the charges, including arguments that Comey is the target of a vindictive prosecution and that his social media post did not constitute a legally actionable threat.

Comey’s attorneys have accused investigators of misleading judges, including false information in documents, omitting important facts and repeatedly failing to uncover evidence establishing that Comey intended to threaten Trump physically or understood the number 86 as a reference to violence.

Merriam-Webster defines “86” as meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” Trump is the 47th president of the United States.

Prosecutors, however, contend that the image of seashells displaying “86 47” amounted to a threat against Trump. Comey removed the Instagram post shortly after publishing it and said he had been unaware that the numbers could be viewed as encouraging violence. His attorneys maintain that the expression has long been used to mean to “get rid of” or “eject” someone and has appeared widely on merchandise and signs at political demonstrations.

The Justice Department argued that the post should also be considered in the context of assassination attempts and alleged plots targeting Trump during the period surrounding Comey’s post. According to prosecutors, just two minutes before Comey published the image, his wife sent him a screenshot containing a definition of “86” that said “to get rid of or refuse service.”

“There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey’s post could read it to mean ‘Kill President Trump,’” prosecutors wrote.

The government also highlighted the timing of the controversy, noting that Comey was only days away from releasing his novel “FDR Drive.” The book features a prosecutor pursuing a far-right social media personality who publicly identifies his enemies and whose followers are inspired to commit acts of violence against them.

According to the government’s filings, Comey’s publishing agent texted him after the Instagram controversy erupted and observed that he had “gone viral.” Comey replied that that was “not my intention, but I’ll be OK if it sells books.” The agent responded, ”Music to an agent’s ears.”

Prosecutors further questioned whether Comey actually discovered the seashell arrangement by chance. They said there was “reason to doubt” his account because the shells were found roughly 4 miles from the beachfront property where he was staying and in a location separated from the ocean by a sand dune. Investigators also said there was “no evidence that anyone else arranged, photographed, or even saw the shells.”

Comey’s attorneys have characterized the prosecution — his second indictment within a year — as part of a campaign of retaliation by Trump against a prominent critic. Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017 while the bureau was investigating possible connections between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, and the two have remained bitter adversaries in the years since.

The Justice Department rejected the claim that Comey was prosecuted out of political revenge, maintaining that the decision to bring charges was made by the local U.S. attorney and was not the result of instructions from either President Trump or the attorney general.

The sweltering Middle East summer commute got a bit cooler for some public transportation riders this week after the first air-conditioned bus stop was launched in Israel.

The innovative pilot project saw a water-based air-cooling system installed at a city bus stop located in the central Israeli city of Holon.

The pilot is slated to run all week at the bus stop opposite the city’s mall, and if successful, will be expanded to additional bus stops throughout the city.

The system installed on the roof of the station disperses tiny droplets into the air, absorbing heat through evaporation.

“Waiting for the bus in the sweltering heat is part of daily life for thousands of residents, and we want to change even these seemingly small things that have a significant impact on the quality of life in the city,” said Holon Mayor Shai Kenan. JNS

WATCH:

Israel’s policy for Gaza is to “remove threats, eliminate terrorists, and exact retribution from anyone who took part in the [Oct. 7, 2023,] massacre,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces eliminated Hamas terrorists in Gaza earlier in the day and will “continue to act with force to protect our soldiers and ensure the peace for the southern communities—from within the security zone,” Katz added in Hebrew.

The IDF presently controls roughly half of the Gaza Strip, a territory referred to as the security zone.

Katz’s statement comes on the backdrop of increased IDF activity in the Gaza Strip over the past week, as well as the arrival in Israel of U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner, who is leading international efforts to demilitarize the Palestinian territory.

The IDF targeted a gathering of Hamas Nukhba Force commanders in an airstrike in the Shati area in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including a terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

According to the military, the strike killed a company commander, three platoon commanders and several other terrorists who were planning attacks against Israeli troops operating in the enclave. One of the terrorists had infiltrated Israeli territory during the Oct. 7 invasion, the IDF said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF said it had killed on Aug. 16 a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander who infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri and participated in the abduction of an Israeli civilian during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Tareq Anwar Khamis Ra’i, a company commander in PIJ’s supply unit, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Khan Yunis area, according to the military. The IDF said he had recently been advancing terrorist attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

The army said it used precise munitions and aerial surveillance to mitigate harm to civilians.

In addition, IDF troops sealed two Hamas underground tunnel routes east of the Yellow Line, totaling more than two kilometers in central and southern Gaza, the military said on Wednesday.

Soldiers under the command of the Gaza Division’s Engineering Unit completed the operation as part of the effort to neutralize the Palestinian terrorist organizations’ tunnel network across the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.

Kushner: Washington addressed Jerusalem concerns over Gaza roadmap

Meanwhile on Monday, Kushner said that progress toward Gaza’s demilitarization could begin within 30 days, following a nearly four-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kushner told Fox News that Washington would not support rebuilding Gaza before demilitarization, adding that the administration had addressed Israeli concerns about the Board of Peace roadmap and clarified that Israel’s right to act against imminent threats would not be restricted.

Top Israeli officials, including the prime minister, have repeatedly stated that the IDF will not leave Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.

Netanyahu on Aug. 9 said publicly that “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” referring to the disarmament roadmap announced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on July 30.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that there was no disagreement between Israel and the United States over disarming Hamas and ensuring the terrorist group has no future in the Gaza Strip.

Huckabee, who attended meetings on Monday with Netanyahu, described the talks as “intense and thoughtful, but respectful.”

He rejected reports of a rift, saying some accounts of the discussions were “simply fake news” and “invented out of thin air.”

A Hamas delegation arrived earlier in the week in Egypt to probe alternative ways of advancing the 15-point roadmap, a Hamas official told AFP.

The source was quoted as saying that talks would cover “the latest developments in the negotiations and the efforts being made to compel Israel to abide by the agreement,” apparently referring to previous Hamas statements that it would start handing its arms to a technocratic Palestinian body only after the IDF withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Leaders of the terrorist group also reportedly met with Kushner. JNS

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday visited a facility where terrorists found guilty of murder will be hanged. The site, currently under construction, is located in central Israel. Its exact location has not been revealed.

The facility will include a “dedicated wing” where terrorists sentenced to death will be transferred and await hanging. It will also include the gallows, which will be located in the center of that wing. Viewing booths will allow surviving victims and their families to watch the proceedings. Of the viewing booths, Ben-Gvir said that this is customary in other countries, including the United States.

While many, but not all, terrorists who carry out attacks in Israel are killed in the act by security forces, Ben-Gvir said that those that do survive will meet their fate at the facility behind him.

“We are making history,” he declared. “Terrorists deserve only one thing: death by hanging.”

With national elections scheduled for Oct. 27, the National Security Minister appealed to his base in a video post, stressing that he has kept his electoral promises.

“I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prisons. It was fully carried out. I promised to pass the death penalty law for terrorists. That’s done. I promised to establish a [hanging] facility. And that’s carried out,” he said, pointing to the construction site behind him.

The death penalty law the minister referred to was passed by the Knesset on March 30 by a vote of 62-48. The law was sponsored by a member of his Otzma Yehudit Party, whose husband was killed in a terrorist attack.

“From now on, every mother in Judea and Samaria will know that if her son goes out to murder, his sentence is the gallows,” Ben Gvir said at the time.

In 2023, Ben Gvir also tightened restrictions on security prisoners, those held for nationalistically motivated attacks or membership in terrorist groups.

He reduced shower times, closed prison bakeries and banned family visits. His separate ban on visits by Knesset members to prisoners was overturned by Israel’s Supreme Court in April 2026. JNS

A new Channel 14 poll released Tuesday night shows a dramatic shift in Israel’s political landscape, with the right-wing bloc climbing to a solid 63-seat majority while the parties led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid suffer major losses.

The survey, published immediately following the Likud primaries, gives Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud 32 seats, keeping it comfortably in first place despite slipping by one seat from the previous poll. The opposition bloc falls by two seats to 46, while the Arab parties collectively receive 11 seats.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party finishes a strong second with 24 seats, gaining one seat from last week. Shas follows with 10 seats, while the Democrats receive nine.

Otzma Yehudit records one of the more significant gains in the poll, rising by two seats to eight. Yisrael Beytenu falls to seven seats, while United Torah Judaism also receives seven. Religious Zionism remains unchanged from the previous week with six seats.

Bennett’s Beyachad party suffers a particularly steep decline, falling to just six seats and moving considerably closer to the electoral threshold.

Among the Arab parties, Ra’am receives six seats, an increase of one from last week, while Hadash-Ta’al wins five.

Several parties fail to cross the electoral threshold. Balad polls at 2.1%, Zionist Home Reservists at 1.2%, Zehut at 1.1%, Ofer Winter at 0.9%, Blue and White at 0.4%, and a potential party led by Gilad Erdan receives just 0.1%.

The poll paints an even more decisive picture when respondents were asked which political leader is best suited to serve as prime minister.

Netanyahu leads the field by a wide margin with 55% support. Eisenkot finishes a distant second with 35%, while Bennett receives just 6%, Avigdor Liberman 3%, and Benny Gantz 1%.

In a direct head-to-head question between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, Netanyahu maintains a clear advantage, with 55% saying they prefer him as prime minister compared to 45% who choose Eisenkot.

{Matzav.com}

Shas spokesman Asher Medina has rejected accusations from the Noam party that Shas copied its election slogan, “Derech Emunah Bacharti” — “I have chosen the path of faith” — insisting that the phrase was never the centerpiece of Noam’s campaign.

Speaking Tuesday evening on Kol Chai’s “Central Edition,” hosted by Shneur Weber, Medina responded to a warning letter sent by Noam after Shas began using the phrase, which had previously appeared in Noam campaign material.

Medina said Shas had been developing its campaign for weeks and that the slogan was not hastily adopted from another party.

“This campaign, we have been working on it for two weeks in the final polishing stages,” Medina said, explaining that Shas deliberately waited until after the Likud primaries before formally unveiling its new election message.

Addressing Noam’s argument that it had used the phrase first, Medina said the party itself had publicly presented a different slogan as the central theme of its campaign.

“The Noam party came out with great fanfare and loudly announced that they launched the campaign with their slogan ‘To be a Jew in our land.’ That is how it was published on all the websites and in all the press releases,” Medina said.

Medina acknowledged that Noam had previously used “Derech Emunah Bacharti,” but maintained that its use had been limited rather than part of the party’s primary campaign.

“It is true that there is some one sign where they did use the words ‘Derech Emunah Bacharti.’ Very nice that they thought of it,” he said.

“I don’t think we took a campaign from them. It is not their campaign, it is not what they have invested in until now, nor is it what they publicized everywhere. Therefore, I don’t see this as any copying or anything that we would not be able to use,” Medina added.

Medina said Shas was also drawn to the phrase because of the broader public significance it acquired surrounding the return of hostage Agam Berger from captivity.

“When we sat down now to work on the elections, these words grabbed us,” Medina said. “When you want to choose which path and what character the country will have — what could be more fitting than this slogan?”

{Matzav.com}

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A new price comparison of Israeli supermarket chains has revealed dramatic differences in the cost of basic household purchases, with shoppers potentially paying nearly NIS 3,000 more for the same full basket depending on where they shop.

The weekly comparison, presented by Tzvi Tessler on Kol Chai’s “Hamoked Hatziburi,” examined two categories: a smaller basket of laundry products and a comprehensive household basket containing hundreds of items.

The results showed especially large disparities in laundry products, where the difference between the least and most expensive retailers reached 31.04%. In the full household basket, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive chains amounted to NIS 2,860.24.

For laundry products, Rami Levy Mehadrin ranked as the least expensive retailer overall, with the basket costing NIS 369.50. Yesh Bashchuna was the most expensive, at NIS 484.20 — a difference of NIS 114.70.

Among the major supermarket chains, the laundry basket prices were:

Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 369.50
Netto Chisachon — NIS 375.50
Yesh Chesed — NIS 381.40
Osher Ad — NIS 397.40
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 419.80
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 447.90

Among smaller and neighborhood-oriented retailers, the results were:

Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 375.50
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 387.20
Machסanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 413.40
Maayan 2000 — NIS 418.00
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 436.20
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 461.60
Good Market — NIS 469.70
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 479.80
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 484.20

Overall, the laundry basket was cheapest at Rami Levy Mehadrin, at NIS 369.50, and most expensive at Yesh Bashchuna, at NIS 484.20. That represents a difference of NIS 114.70, or 31.04%.

The rankings changed when the comparison was expanded to the complete household basket. Osher Ad emerged as the least expensive, at NIS 11,057.90, while Rami Levy Mehadrin finished a close second, just NIS 162.40 higher. Good Market ranked as the most expensive, with the same basket costing NIS 13,918.14.

Among the major chains, the full-basket rankings were:

Osher Ad — NIS 11,057.90
Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 11,220.30
Netto Chisachon — NIS 11,846.48
Yesh Chesed — NIS 12,046.36
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 12,563.25
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 13,374.73

Among neighborhood and smaller retailers, the full-basket prices were:

Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 12,170.10
Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 12,284.97
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 12,879.11
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 13,015.17
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 13,173.37
Maayan 2000 — NIS 13,347.53
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 13,497.73
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 13,742.61
Good Market — NIS 13,918.14

The full-basket comparison therefore showed Osher Ad as the cheapest retailer, at NIS 11,057.90, compared with Good Market at NIS 13,918.14. The NIS 2,860.24 difference amounts to 25.87% of the cheaper basket’s price.

The most striking percentage gap in this week’s survey was found in laundry products. A shopper purchasing the basket at Rami Levy Mehadrin instead of Yesh Bashchuna would save NIS 114.70 on a single purchase. Even among the major chains alone, the difference was substantial, ranging from NIS 369.50 at Rami Levy Mehadrin to NIS 447.90 at Shuk Ha’ir.

The difference becomes considerably larger when looking at a complete household shopping basket. Osher Ad’s NIS 11,057.90 total was NIS 2,860.24 below Good Market’s NIS 13,918.14 price. For families making large purchases repeatedly throughout the year, differences of that size could translate into substantial accumulated savings.

The comparison also found that the major supermarket chains generally continue to offer lower prices for a complete shopping basket. Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin, the cheapest retailer in the neighborhood-store category at NIS 12,170.10, was still NIS 1,112.20 more expensive than Osher Ad. One exception appeared in the laundry category, where Netto Chisachon Bashchuna charged NIS 375.50 — exactly the same as the larger Netto Chisachon chain and the second-lowest price in the entire comparison.

The findings underscore how significantly a family’s choice of supermarket can affect its expenses. For frequently purchased products such as laundry detergent, fabric softener and cleaning supplies, even relatively modest differences can add up over the course of a year. When a complete household basket is considered, the price gap can already reach thousands of shekels in a single broad comparison.

{Matzav.com}

Shas spokesman Asher Medina acknowledged that his party and the broader Chareidi political leadership failed during the past four years to secure the status of yeshiva bochurim, but pushed back strongly against claims that the failure has caused a widespread loss of confidence in Chareidi elected officials.

Speaking in an interview with Kol Chai’s “Central Edition,” hosted by Shneur Weber, Medina was asked how Shas intends to approach Chareidi voters who are deeply troubled by the arrests of yeshiva bochurim and the ongoing military draft crisis.

“There is no doubt, we did not succeed in bringing about an arrangement for the status of yeshiva students, which we wanted so badly and worked so hard and devoted ourselves for four years to make happen,” Medina acknowledged.

At the same time, Medina rejected the characterization that yeshiva families now look at their political representatives and say, “We sent you and you did not deliver results.”

“Yes, there is pain. Yes, there is great pain, and we share in it,” Medina said. “We are all in the same boat. We all have children, we all have grandchildren, we are all facing the same concerns.”

Medina insisted that throughout the past four years, Shas and the Chareidi representatives acted in accordance with the instructions they received from the Gedolei Yisroel.

“Everything they did for four years was according to the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel, step by step. Whatever the Gedolei Yisroel instructed us to do – we did, and we carried out their mission.”

Weber pressed Medina on why Chareidi voters should believe that Shas will succeed in the next government after failing to resolve the issue during the past four years. Medina responded that one of the central lessons is that the Chareidi community must emerge from the coming elections with greater political strength.

Medina specifically pointed to Israel’s judicial and legal establishment, saying Shas will demand more far-reaching changes in the next government.

“Everyone knows and understands who the greatest persecutors of Judaism and the Torah world are,” Medina said, arguing that significant changes are needed regarding the appointment of judges and the authority wielded by government legal advisers.

Addressing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s latest demand that enforcement measures against those who have not reported for military service be intensified, Medina warned that “what we have seen until now is only the promo.”

He concluded by urging Chareidi voters not to remain at home on Election Day, arguing that a stronger showing at the polls will be essential if the community hopes to secure greater political power to address the draft crisis.

{Matzav.com}

An attempt by Israeli military police to arrest a yeshiva bochur in Bat Yam ended without an arrest overnight after dozens of protesters rushed to the scene, prompting the officers to withdraw.

Organizations that assist detained yeshiva bochurim reported Wednesday morning that military police arrived after midnight at a residence at 15 HaMa’apilim Street in Bat Yam, intending to arrest a yeshiva bochur classified by the military as a draft evader.

Word of the attempted arrest quickly spread after a “Black Alert” emergency notification was circulated among activists affiliated with the Peleg Yerushalmi. Protesters began streaming to the address as the military police remained at the home.

As the number of demonstrators outside continued to grow, the military police ultimately abandoned the arrest attempt and left the family’s home without taking the bochur into custody.

After the officers departed, protesters who had gathered at the scene broke into celebratory dancing in the area where the military police had been standing just minutes earlier. The dancing continued for an extended period as participants celebrated the unsuccessful arrest attempt.

The incident was particularly significant because it was reportedly the first proactive arrest attempt by military police targeting a yeshiva bochur in some time. Enforcement activity against draft-age yeshiva bochurim had declined substantially in recent months, with authorities largely refraining from carrying out initiated arrests.

The attempted arrest in Bat Yam came just one day after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called for authorities to resume proactive arrests of Chareidi men who have not complied with military draft requirements.

In her letter, Baharav-Miara called for increased enforcement and additional sanctions against those who remain obligated to report for military service, including yeshiva bochurim engaged in full-time Torah study.

The letter, which was sent to military and police officials, argued that the current level of enforcement against draft-eligible Chareidim is insufficient and falls short of the government’s required targets.

Baharav-Miara called on the government and law enforcement authorities to develop a systematic, proactive enforcement plan aimed at implementing military conscription requirements among yeshiva bochurim.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he intends to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, setting the stage for their third face-to-face meeting as Trump seeks to renew direct diplomacy with the nuclear-armed regime.

Trump did not reveal when or where the meeting would take place. Reports have suggested that the summit could be held in November, when the president is expected to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump defended his relationship with Kim and argued that maintaining a personal rapport with the North Korean leader benefits the United States.

“I get along with him, and you know what? The fact that I get along with him-that’s a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that Kim has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”

Trump then criticized previous U.S. administrations for allowing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal to reach its current size, arguing that the buildup would not have occurred under his leadership.

“Should have never allowed it to happen,” the president added. “They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he’s got them.”

Trump’s statement about the size of Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal was particularly notable because U.S. officials have generally avoided publicly providing an exact number of operational North Korean nuclear weapons.

Previous intelligence assessments have estimated that North Korea possesses between 50 and 60 active nuclear warheads. Trump’s assertion that Kim controls precisely 57 marked the first time a U.S. official has publicly provided a specific figure for the country’s nuclear arsenal.

The IDF on Wednesday identified four senior Hamas Nukhba terrorists eliminated in an airstrike in northern Gaza, including a commander who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre and three others involved in planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli troops.

The four terrorists, all commanders in the Nukhba force of Hamas’s Beit Lahia Battalion, were targeted Tuesday in the Al-Shati area of the northern Gaza Strip.

The IDF identified the first terrorist as Muhammad Hamdi Ahmad Al-Masri, a Nukhba company commander who was involved in advancing terror attacks against IDF forces operating in Gaza.

Samed Samir Harb Abu Habal, a Nukhba platoon commander, was also eliminated in the strike. According to the IDF, Abu Habal infiltrated Israeli territory during the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.

A third terrorist killed in the attack was Muhammad Attar, a Nukhba platoon commander who was involved in both planning and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting IDF troops.

The fourth was Muhammad Fathi Hussein Nasser, another Nukhba platoon commander who the military said played a role in advancing and executing attacks against Israeli forces.

According to the IDF, the activities of the four Hamas commanders represented an ongoing threat to troops operating in Gaza, prompting the military to target them in an aerial strike aimed at eliminating that threat.

The IDF said precautions were taken before the attack to reduce the danger to civilians in the surrounding area. Those measures included the use of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance.

The military said it will continue conducting its operations in accordance with international law while taking measures ahead of strikes to minimize harm to civilians.

Israel is demanding that the process of disarming the Gaza Strip begin on Oct. 7, a highly symbolic date marking the anniversary of the Hamas massacre that triggered the war in 2023, according to a report by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network.

Sources told Al Arabiya that Israel specifically requested the Oct. 7 start date for the disarmament process. According to the report, recent statements by President Donald Trump on the issue came after he was presented with Israeli polling showing significant public opposition to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Board of Peace, meanwhile, has reportedly made clear that the political future of Hamas leaders in any future Palestinian government will depend on the terror group surrendering its weapons. Board envoy Nickolay Mladenov told Hamas that meaningful negotiations cannot take place while weapons remain widespread throughout Gaza.

The Board of Peace has also informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will not be required to begin withdrawing its forces from Gaza before Hamas has been completely disarmed. The provision is part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem, however, told AFP that the terror organization remains committed to the agreed-upon process, while claiming that Israel has yet to provide mediators with a clear approval of the proposed roadmap.

The developments follow a series of meetings held by U.S. envoy Jared Kushner in Egypt and Israel aimed at advancing the next stage of the Gaza agreement. As part of the emerging arrangements, an American military officer is expected to oversee the process by which Hamas hands over its weapons.

President Donald Trump is pressing his advisers to arrange a face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as early as this fall, seeking to revive the nuclear diplomacy that the two leaders pursued during Trump’s first term.

According to U.S. officials, Trump has privately discussed the possibility of meeting Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia. One potential opportunity could come in November, when Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ gathering.

Trump’s push comes as diplomatic efforts involving Iran have encountered delays and as some U.S. officials and experts warn that renewed negotiations with Pyongyang could result in an unfavorable agreement that effectively legitimizes a nuclear-armed dictator.

Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer, criticized the approach, saying it amounts to “appeasing a dictator based on the mistaken perception that a personal relationship will achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

Independent assessments by arms-control experts indicate that North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have expanded considerably since Trump and Kim last engaged in direct diplomacy. The country is now believed to possess more than 100 nuclear warheads, aided by increases in its supplies of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump also sought to arrange a meeting with Kim during his trip to Asia last year, but logistical difficulties ultimately prevented the encounter from taking place.

More recently, Trump announced on social media that a joint U.S.-South Korean military exercise would be scaled back, saying the decision was made “based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un.” Trump later said the move was connected to South Korea’s failure to assist with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea’s embassy in the United States said it hopes the “friendly relations” between Trump and Kim will help produce meaningful dialogue and greater stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Those developments come as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called for his country to achieve complete military independence from the United States.

Experts caution, however, that Kim would enter any new negotiations in a substantially stronger position than he held during his previous meetings with Trump. The North Korean leader has strengthened ties with China, expanded cooperation with Iran and Russia, and dispatched thousands of North Korean troops to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions Tuesday against the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its senior trial lawyers, intensifying the Trump administration’s confrontation with the Hague-based tribunal over its efforts to prosecute officials from countries that do not recognize its jurisdiction.

The latest sanctions target ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. Rubio described the move as part of “our unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court.”

The United States is not a member of the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC and defines its authority. Rubio has also urged other nations to cut their ties with the court.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said in a statement.

Under the sanctions, Americans are generally prohibited from conducting transactions with Akane and Seye and could face penalties for doing so. The measures also effectively cut the two ICC officials off from the American financial system.

The ICC responded by criticizing the administration’s action, telling The Hill that “measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff who work towards the fulfilment of the mandate that was conferred to the ICC by States undermine the rule of law.”

“When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the statement continued.

The court vowed that it remains “undeterred and stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities.”

“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes,” the court added.

The ICC is expected to issue a more extensive official response to the sanctions early Wednesday.

Rubio had signaled last month that the administration intended to dramatically increase pressure on the court, promising to use American diplomatic and governmental power to dismantle the institution “brick by brick.” Among the measures he outlined were additional sanctions, travel restrictions, visa cancellations, penalties targeting organizations affiliated with the ICC and diplomatic efforts encouraging other countries to leave the court.

The Trump administration has already sanctioned several ICC judges and prosecutors following the tribunal’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, who previously served as Israel’s defense minister, in connection with the Gaza war.

Washington’s dispute with the ICC predates the Gaza case. The United States has also strongly objected to the court’s previous investigation into the conduct of American military personnel in Afghanistan.

The administration’s sanctions campaign has triggered a series of legal challenges in American courts. Three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in New York in June arguing that sanctions imposed against them by the Trump administration violate U.S. law.

Two human rights organizations filed a separate lawsuit in July seeking to block sanctions against ICC officials. The groups argued that the administration’s actions had produced a “chilling effect” on their efforts to document alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

Four additional human rights organizations filed another lawsuit against the Trump administration last week, contending that the sanctions imposed on ICC personnel are unlawfully obstructing their work involving international criminal justice.

COVID-19 infections are climbing across virtually the entire United States, according to new federal estimates, although serious illness and COVID-related emergency room visits remain at very low levels.

Modeling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that “COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 50 states.” As of mid-August, the agency was not estimating declining infections in any state, while no estimate was provided for Iowa.

The widespread increase does not appear, at least so far, to be producing a corresponding surge in severe disease. The CDC continues to classify COVID-related visits to hospital emergency departments as “very low.”

Wastewater surveillance is providing another window into the summer increase. Because people infected with COVID can shed the virus regardless of whether they have symptoms or seek medical care, sewage monitoring can detect community spread that might otherwise go unnoticed. Wastewater surveillance “can pick up signs of infection even from people who feel perfectly healthy,” according to the CDC.

Hawaii and Mississippi currently stand out as the two states with “moderate” levels of COVID activity detected in wastewater, although the available wastewater information for Mississippi is limited.

The West and South are showing somewhat greater viral activity than much of the rest of the country. Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington are currently classified as having “low” wastewater levels, while the remaining states are listed as “very low.”

The increase comes as the XFG lineage remains a major focus of federal health officials. The CDC continues to use genomic surveillance to track the proportions of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants around the country.

Despite COVID’s current upward trajectory, two other major respiratory illnesses are less prevalent. CDC wastewater monitoring shows influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, appearing at lower levels than COVID.

Meanwhile, a newly formulated COVID vaccine designed for the 2026-2027 season is expected to become available beginning this fall. The Food and Drug Administration has advised vaccine manufacturers that the updated shots should use the JN.1-lineage XFG variant in a monovalent vaccine to more closely match viruses now circulating.

The decision followed a May 28 meeting of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which reviewed variant circulation, vaccine effectiveness, immune-response data and other evidence before recommending XFG for the new formula.

Manufacturers had indicated to the FDA that they were prepared to produce XFG-targeted vaccines for the upcoming season, and Moderna said in materials submitted to the agency that it was prepared to supply its updated formulation by mid-August.

The latest numbers suggest that the United States is experiencing another period of increased COVID transmission heading toward the end of summer. For now, however, federal data indicate a significant distinction from earlier waves: infections may be increasing broadly, but severe cases remain comparatively uncommon.

Google is preparing to launch a new Gmail program that will allow qualifying political campaigns and organizations to bypass the platform’s standard spam filters, potentially sending more campaign and fundraising emails directly into users’ inboxes ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Gmail Verified Sender Program is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, according to eligibility requirements published by Google in its Help Center. Political senders that qualify will be able to avoid Gmail’s usual spam filtering as long as they comply with the program’s rules, including keeping their spam-complaint rate below 0.3% over a rolling 14-day period.

Mike Hahn, president of digital at Republican fundraising firm Frontline Strategies, welcomed Google’s decision, telling Campaigns & Elections that the change should have come sooner.

“Republicans have faced censorship from Big Tech for the better part of a decade and we finally have an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is,” Hahn said. “I hope all good actors take advantage of this program.”

Google, meanwhile, said the initiative is intended to provide greater predictability for political senders while preserving Gmail users’ ability to determine what appears in their inboxes.

“Following our previous pilot, this program is designed to connect people with the emails they want to receive while keeping them fully in control of their inboxes,” the spokesperson said. “To participate, bulk senders must meet strict security and compliance requirements, ensuring that messages people receive are relevant, useful, and verified.”

The new policy comes after years of complaints from Republicans who have accused Gmail’s spam-filtering system of disproportionately diverting conservative fundraising messages away from recipients’ primary inboxes. The dispute ultimately contributed to a lawsuit filed against Google by the Republican National Committee in 2022, though the case was later dismissed.

Eric Wilson, executive director of the Republican-aligned Center for Campaign Innovation, also applauded Google’s decision in a post on X.

“Glad to see Google’s action on this front,” Wilson wrote. “Democrats’ email marketing infrastructure gave them a leg up in the fundraising battle that had nothing to do with their message or candidates.”

The announcement, however, has also drawn criticism from those who argue that political organizations should remain subject to the same restrictions governing other large-scale email senders.

Josh Nelson, CEO of the progressive digital advertising platform Civic Shout, pointed to Google’s longstanding recommendations regarding bulk email practices.

“Google’s own long-standing advice to bulk email senders has been simple: Don’t send email to people who didn’t sign up to receive it,” Nelson said. “Political campaigns should have to play by those same rules.”

Nelson acknowledged that both major political parties are “guilty of sending unwanted email” but maintained that Republicans have “historically been far worse offenders.”

Political campaigns seeking admission to the program will be required to authenticate their sending domains through Campaign Verify, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. They must also register with Google’s Postmaster Tools and satisfy the other eligibility and compliance standards established by Google.

For Gmail users, the practical effect could become increasingly noticeable as the midterm elections approach. Political messages that Gmail’s existing system might otherwise have directed into spam folders could instead appear directly in recipients’ inboxes once the new program takes effect.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Nineteen years ago, tragedy struck the Eckstein family when R’ Shlomo Tzvi Eckstein זצ״ל passed away, leaving behind eleven young children. Among them were his twin sons, Asher Anshel and Aharon Yosef, who were just six months old.

Their mother was left to raise eleven children on her own. Baruch Hashem, nine of the children have since married—and now, after nearly two decades, it is the twins’ turn to begin their own families.

Asher Anshel’s wedding will take place NEXT WEEK on August 24, 2026.

Aharon Yosef’s wedding will take place on October 26, 2026.

Two weddings. Just weeks apart.

As these two chashuve yesomim prepare to build their homes, the family and community are coming together to help make these simchos possible and allow both young men to begin married life with dignity and simcha.

We invite you to take part.

Every contribution, large or small, can make a real difference and help bring these two weddings to fruition.

Please donate today and help give these two yesomim the opportunity to enter their new lives with joy and dignity.

Donations can be made through the campaign. Donors’ Fund Tax ID: 11-3235771. Please make sure to designate the donation to the Eckstein account and write “Twin Weddings” in the memo.

May every person who helps bring simcha to these two yesomim be blessed with the fulfillment of the words:

אם אתה משמח את שלי אני משמח את שלך

Thank you for your generosity and support.

Tizku L’Mitzvos.

Please Donate today.

For the first time, a panel of experts has released clinical guidelines outlining how e-cigarettes can be used as a tool to help adult cigarette smokers quit.

The recommendations from a Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco panel say e-cigarettes should be considered alongside established smoking-cessation options, including nicotine replacement products and medications such as varenicline and bupropion. The guidance was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While emphasizing that e-cigarettes carry health risks of their own, the authors concluded that vaping is less harmful than cigarette smoking and may be more effective at helping smokers quit than conventional nicotine replacement treatments.

“This work is about correcting misperceptions that act as barriers to evidence-based care for smokers and expanding the tools clinicians can use to support smoking cessation among their patients,” lead researcher Eleanor Leavens said in a news release. She is an assistant professor of population health at the University of Kansas.

“There is no single approach that will help all smokers quit, but by providing patients with a menu of options and engaging in a risk-benefit conversation, they have a better chance of quitting for good and improving their overall health,” Leavens said.

In their review of the available evidence, the researchers said smokers who switch to vaping can substantially reduce their exposure to dangerous chemicals and cancer-causing substances, with reductions reaching as high as 90% in some cases.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigarettes as a smoking-cessation treatment, the researchers said there is high-certainty evidence linking their use with higher quit rates than nicotine replacement options such as patches, gum and nasal sprays.

“Unlike NRT (nicotine replacement therapy), e-cigarettes typically deliver nicotine rapidly and similarly to cigarettes,” the panel wrote in its paper. “Although such delivery poses a risk of greater dependence and long-term use relative to NRT, it may also contribute to e-cigarettes’ being more satisfying and a more effective substitute for cigarettes relative to NRT and contribute to a reduced risk of relapse.”

The panel said physicians counseling smokers should work with their patients to weigh the benefits and risks of the available approaches and determine which cessation method is most appropriate for each individual.

For patients who choose e-cigarettes as their method for quitting, the guidelines advise doctors to steer them toward FDA-authorized vaping products whose benefits have been determined to outweigh their risks. Patients should be encouraged to vape whenever they ordinarily would have smoked, transition completely away from cigarettes as rapidly as possible, and combine the effort with behavioral counseling to increase the likelihood of success.

“Behavioral support should focus on complete cessation of cigarettes and should include setting a quit date for cigarette use,” researchers wrote.

Once a smoker has completely stopped using cigarettes, the guidelines say physicians can consider advising the patient to gradually reduce nicotine exposure from vaping.

“The most important goal to keep in mind is maintaining complete abstinence from cigarettes,” the team wrote.

The recommendations were developed by the Harm Reduction Workgroup of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, an international nonprofit organization that does not accept tobacco-industry funding.

“Cigarette smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States and most people want to quit but struggle to do so,” Leavens said. “Adding clear guidance on e-cigarettes gives clinicians a practical tool that can help people move away from combustible tobacco and toward better health.”