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More than 22,000 New York City families will no longer have to pay anything out of pocket for subsidized childcare under a new initiative announced Thursday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, marking another step in his push toward universal free childcare across the five boroughs.

Beginning next month, the city will pick up the weekly fees currently charged to families participating in the Child Care Assistance Program, eliminating the sliding-scale payments they make directly to childcare providers. City officials estimate the initiative will cost $5.2 million during its first year.

“For thousands of families, a weekly childcare fee means another bill they simply can’t afford. Making that care truly free can make all the difference,” Mamdani said in a statement.

“As part of our promise to deliver universal child care, we are eliminating these fees for families receiving childcare assistance across the city. No family should have to choose between staying in the city they love and affording care for their child. This is another step toward making affordable childcare something every New York family can count on.”

The move is part of Mamdani’s broader effort to establish free childcare throughout New York City. It also comes as the administration prepares to launch its first preschool initiative for 2-year-olds, which will provide participating families with free, year-round care for eight to 10 hours per day beginning this fall.

The Child Care Assistance Program, which receives most of its funding from the state, helps eligible families cover the cost of childcare and afterschool programs for children ranging in age from 6 weeks through 13 years.

Families generally qualify if their income is no more than 85% of New York’s median income. For a family of four, that translates to approximately $114,000 annually. Depending on household income, participating parents currently pay as much as $15 per week toward the cost of care.

“As we prepare to launch free 2-K this fall, we are making all publicly-funded care free for families,” said Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.

More than 100,000 families currently participate in the voucher program. Families at the lowest income levels who receive public assistance already pay nothing themselves, leaving approximately 22,000 households that are currently responsible for weekly co-payments. Those are the families that will benefit directly from the new city funding.

The announcement comes even as the subsidized childcare system continues to face significant demand. More than 16,000 families remain on a waiting list for assistance because demand for vouchers has exceeded available state funding, despite increased investments in childcare by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Supporters of universal childcare praised the city’s decision to eliminate the remaining fees, arguing that families receiving publicly subsidized care should not face different financial requirements depending on their circumstances.

“This move by the city brings us one step closer to treating childcare and early education like the public good that it should be,” said Ben Parisi, director of strategic campaign initiatives at The Action Lab, which organizes childcare providers advocating for universal childcare.

“We are glad to see a more equitable city that doesn’t charge some parents fees for public goods and not others.”

City officials said the administration is also planning for the policy to continue beyond its first year. An additional $6 million to cover families’ out-of-pocket childcare voucher expenses has already been incorporated into the baseline for the next fiscal year’s budget.

New York’s top judge has acknowledged that he crossed a line when he encouraged voters to remove judges who impose lengthy prison sentences, telling the state’s judicial watchdog that he should have chosen his words more carefully.

Chief Judge Rowan Wilson addressed the controversy while responding to an ethics complaint filed by Republican state lawmakers over remarks he made earlier this year at a CUNY Law School forum. During the event, Wilson criticized judges who hand down what he characterized as “stupid” long sentences and told attendees that voting such judges out of office was “something you can do for me.”

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct ultimately dismissed the complaint, but Wilson conceded in his response that his comments had been poorly framed.

“I wish I had been clearer,” Wilson wrote to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, according to the commission’s dismissal letter.

Wilson explained that his remarks came after he heard about an unidentified judge who allegedly referred to a defendant as an “animal” and said the person should be “locked up” for the rest of his life before imposing sentence.

According to Wilson, his reaction was driven by his “extreme disgust of the comparison of human beings to caged animals.”

Wilson said that rather than personally encouraging the audience to vote against particular types of judges, he should have discussed more generally the authority voters possess to make those decisions.

“I should have said that the voters have that ability and should become informed and express their preferences through the electoral process,” Wilson wrote.

The controversy raised questions because judges are subject to stringent ethical restrictions concerning political activity and public political statements. Wilson’s comments about voting judges out of office formed part of the basis for the Republican lawmakers’ March complaint.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct, however, found no ethical problem with separate comments Wilson made at the same event advocating passage of the Second Look Act. The proposed legislation would allow certain convicted felons to seek a new sentencing hearing after serving 10 years.

“It is permissible for a Chief Judge, as leader of the Unified Court System, not only to advocate for but also to propose legislation concerning the law, the legal system and the administration of justice,” the CJC wrote.

Wilson has served as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, since 2022. His office did not respond Wednesday to a request for additional comment.

Republican lawmakers who brought the complaint said they welcomed Wilson’s acknowledgment, even though the judicial commission declined to impose discipline.

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-Suffolk), a former prosecutor who serves as the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the episode should serve as a warning about the importance of the chief judge’s public statements.

“I’m glad to see that Judge Wilson’s conduct was addressed, and that he will choose his words more carefully in the future. It’s unfortunate that those comments were made in the first place,” Palumbo said.

Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-Staten Island), another lawmaker behind the complaint, maintained that Wilson’s original remarks were improper.

“The Chief Judge’s comments were wholly inappropriate, seeking to galvanize opposition against judges with whom he does not agree,” Tannousis wrote in a statement.

Tannousis also questioned whether Wilson received more lenient treatment from the commission than another judge expressing different views might have received.

“Although I appreciate the Commission’s investigation into the matter, I question whether a deferential standard was applied here that would not have been applied to judges with an alternative point of view,” he said.

The dispute is not Wilson’s first high-profile controversy stemming from his judicial philosophy. Before becoming chief judge, Wilson drew attention for a dissent in the closely watched legal battle involving Happy, an elephant housed at the Bronx Zoo.

An animal-rights organization sought to use habeas corpus — a legal mechanism traditionally employed to challenge unlawful human detention — to obtain Happy’s release. Wilson sided with the group in dissent when New York’s highest court rejected the effort.

“We should recognize Happy’s right to petition for her liberty not just because she is a wild animal who is not meant to be caged and displayed, but because the rights we confer on others define who we are as a society,” he wrote at the time.

Since taking over New York’s judiciary, Wilson has participated in several major and politically charged cases. Among the most prominent was the Court of Appeals’ 2024 decision overturning Harvey Weinstein’s Manhattan sex-crimes conviction, with the court concluding that the trial judge had improperly allowed testimony concerning allegations that were not part of the charges being tried.

Podcaster Joe Rogan has leveled explosive accusations against Dr. Anthony Fauci over the government’s handling of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, saying he personally knows five women who suffered miscarriages after being vaccinated and accusing Fauci of publicly promoting the shots despite privately discussing a potential risk.

Rogan’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of Fauci following the release of previously undisclosed text messages from his government-issued phone. The messages show that Fauci and other senior health officials discussed a theoretical concern in early 2021 about whether immune responses following COVID vaccination could pose a risk during early pregnancy.

Rogan, one of the country’s most influential podcasters and a longtime critic of the government’s pandemic response, went considerably further, accusing Fauci of knowingly misleading the public.

“He knew that women were getting miscarriages and he lied about it.”

Rogan pointed to the newly released communications as evidence for his accusation.

“He said privately in a text message it seems there’s a cytokine storm causing miscarriages after the second dose and was publicly out there promoting the idea of pregnant women getting vaccinated.”

The actual messages released this week are more tentative than Rogan’s characterization. In a January 2021 exchange involving Fauci, then-CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Fauci raised the possibility that fever and a cytokine response after a second vaccine dose could potentially present a concern during the first trimester. At the same time, the officials discussed the absence of observed safety problems among more than 10,000 pregnant women who had already been vaccinated.

The messages were released by Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin as part of their continuing examination of Fauci’s conduct and the federal government’s response to the pandemic. The senators obtained more than 34,000 text messages and hundreds of voicemails from Fauci’s government phone.

Rogan said his own suspicions were also shaped by the experiences of women he personally knows.

“I personally know 5 different people who got pregnant during the pandemic, got vaccinated, and had miscarriages.”

Rogan argued that Fauci’s private communications were fundamentally at odds with the confidence he expressed publicly about vaccination during pregnancy.

“That guy’s a sociopath,” he said.

Rogan also broadened his attack beyond COVID-19, urging listeners to examine Fauci’s role during the AIDS epidemic decades earlier.

“You need to go and objectively read up on what that guy did with AZT and AIDS in the ’80s.”

He then returned to his central accusation concerning pregnant women and COVID vaccination.

“He knew there was an issue with women having miscarriages and that [person] still openly promoted it on television.”

The newly disclosed messages have revived arguments over how federal health officials communicated uncertainty during the early stages of the vaccine rollout. They show that Fauci privately considered a possible biological mechanism involving fever and cytokine responses in early pregnancy at a time when comprehensive pregnancy-specific vaccine data were not yet available.

The alliance between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City’s powerful teachers union is showing signs of strain, with United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew publicly criticizing the administration’s literacy program after city students posted a sharp decline in reading scores.

Mulgrew took aim at NYC Reads following the release of state English Language Arts exam results showing troubling performance among public school students, including more than half of children in grades 3 through 5 failing to demonstrate reading proficiency. The criticism marks a notable break between the UFT and Mamdani just eight months into his mayoralty.

The dispute comes at an especially sensitive time for the relationship between City Hall and the union. Mamdani is separately deciding whether to sign or veto legislation granting thousands of school paraprofessionals a $10,000 pay increase — a measure he explicitly pledged to support last year when the UFT endorsed his mayoral campaign.

“The DOE [Department of Education] needs to make sure each school has a clear instructional plan,” Mulgrew said of the NYC Reads phase-in.

Mulgrew argued that the city needs to simplify its approach and reduce burdens on educators rather than continue implementing the initiative in the same manner.

“That means streamlining what schools are doing, making sure programs align, and eliminating unnecessary paperwork and assessments,” Mulgrew said. “We’re not going to support it if they want to implement it the way they did this past school year.”

The latest state testing results showed a 6% year-over-year decline in English Language Arts performance among New York City public school students in grades 3 through 8, leaving only about half of students rated proficient.

NYC Reads was originally launched during the administration of Mayor Eric Adams as an effort to overhaul literacy instruction throughout the public school system. Mamdani continued and expanded the initiative this year alongside Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.

Mulgrew, speaking separately to the Daily News, criticized supplemental programs that had been layered onto the city’s primary literacy curriculum, arguing that they had failed to produce the intended results. The Department of Education disputed that assessment.

Mamdani defended NYC Reads during a press conference Thursday, insisting that he remained confident in the program despite the disappointing test scores.

“I continue to be confident in NYC Reads. And it is developed with the real findings of what’s been effective across the country in mind,” Mamdani said.

“And we know that it is a critical thing that we equip our public school students with,” the mayor added. “We look forward to being in conversation with the UFT as we look to not only build upon the successes of the last few years, but to go beyond that.”

Sources suggested that Mulgrew’s public criticism was partly intended to distance teachers from responsibility for the declining scores and shift scrutiny toward the Department of Education’s instructional policies.

Education insiders also said the UFT president’s willingness to openly challenge Mamdani may have been influenced by another increasingly contentious disagreement between the union and City Hall — the battle over salaries for paraprofessionals.

The issue became a major political fight last year because of the roughly $32,000 starting salary earned by paraprofessionals. Mulgrew rallied outside City Hall in support of legislation that would provide a $10,000 increase separate from the traditional collective bargaining process.

Mamdani joined Mulgrew during the mayoral campaign when he accepted the UFT’s endorsement and publicly committed himself to supporting the proposed increase.

“I will be proud to continue to support the passage of Intro Bill 1261 …. that addresses the fact that there are too many open positions right now for paraprofessionals across the city because that job simply doesn’t pay enough,” Mamdani said then, with Mulgrew standing behind him.

The City Council approved the controversial $10,000 increase last month, putting the decision squarely before Mamdani.

Government watchdogs have warned that signing the measure could establish a significant precedent by allowing municipal unions to pursue compensation increases through the City Council rather than negotiating them at the bargaining table. Critics contend that other unions could attempt to use the same strategy to obtain concessions they were unable to secure through collective bargaining.

Following the council vote, however, a City Hall spokesperson said Mamdani now believes salary increases should generally be handled through collective bargaining rather than legislation — a position that represented a departure from the commitment he made while campaigning for mayor.

The administration also argued that the council-approved legislation directly conflicts with New York state collective bargaining law.

Mulgrew has rejected the change in position and is pressing Mamdani to follow through on his campaign commitment, arguing that the shortage of paraprofessionals is already having serious consequences for students and taxpayers.

“The school system can’t hire enough paraprofessionals; so our special needs students are not getting the services they are legally entitled to,” Mulgrew said.

“This is costing city taxpayers more than a billion dollars a year in lawsuits. We need to fix this, and we can.”

The two disputes — falling reading scores and the unresolved fight over paraprofessional salaries — have now placed visible pressure on a political relationship that was a significant part of Mamdani’s successful campaign coalition just months ago.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s viral internet alter ego has officially made its way onto the walls of Washington, with the White House presenting him with a framed collection of 68 variations of the famous “Rubio realizing” meme for his 55th birthday.

The humorous gift, given to Rubio in May, remained largely out of public view until Wednesday, when Axios reporter Marc Caputo posted an image of it on X, quickly drawing widespread attention online.

At the center of the gold-framed collage is the original photograph that launched the meme, surrounded by dozens of edited versions placing Rubio in an assortment of real and imaginary jobs. Among them, the secretary of state appears as an Iranian ayatollah, a “Star Wars” rebel on the frozen planet Hoth, Robocop, an astronaut and even the White House Easter Bunny.

The gift was also signed by members of the Trump administration. President Trump added a personal inscription in gold ink above his signature: “You are great”.

The joke has particular resonance because Rubio has actually accumulated an unusually large portfolio of responsibilities in the Trump administration. In addition to serving as secretary of state, he is acting national security advisor, and at various points has also served as acting archivist and acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The original photograph behind the seemingly endless stream of memes was taken on Feb. 28, 2025, during a tense Oval Office meeting involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance, senior administration officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The meeting centered on a proposed agreement involving Ukraine’s mineral resources and efforts to offset the enormous U.S. investment in Ukraine during its war with Russia.

But it was Rubio’s appearance in the photograph that took on a life of its own. Seated awkwardly on an Oval Office couch with his fingers interlocked and a weary expression on his face, Rubio looked to internet users as though he had suddenly realized that yet another enormous responsibility had landed on his desk.

The image rapidly became a template for countless online jokes. In virtually every version, Rubio’s hands, posture and expression remain unchanged while his clothing and surroundings are altered to suggest that he has just discovered he has been assigned another job.

The phenomenon grew so large that an online “museum” was eventually created to preserve the various iterations.

As major news stories unfolded, new versions repeatedly appeared. Rubio has been transformed into the governor of Greenland, the shah of Iran, the pope and numerous other political and cultural figures.

One version portrayed Rubio as Iran’s new supreme leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by the Trump administration during Operation Epic Fury.

Another showed the Cuban-American secretary of state smoking a cigar as the new president of Cuba, the country where both of his parents were born.

When a papal conclave was approaching, “Cardinal Rubio” appeared ready to participate. After Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by the United States, another version depicted Rubio as Venezuela’s new president.

The meme has also ventured far outside international politics.

When toilets aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier malfunctioned in March, the internet responded by putting Rubio on the familiar couch dressed as a plumber and holding a plunger.

After Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not seek another term, Rubio was transformed into a prospective Minnesota governor, decked out in bright-orange hunting clothing and carrying a shotgun.

The image parodied Walz’s widely mocked 2024 presidential campaign hunting appearance, during which the Democrat appeared to have difficulty loading a shotgun while seeking to emphasize his outdoorsman credentials.

The meme returned to international affairs following the U.S. capture of Maduro. Rubio was depicted wearing a Venezuelan-colored sash and an elaborate military-style uniform, complete with gold accents and a gold-handled saber.

Through it all, the basic joke remained unchanged: some new position or responsibility had suddenly opened up, and Rubio, still slumped on that Oval Office couch, was supposedly realizing that the job was now his.

Rubio recently acknowledged that he was initially less than thrilled about becoming one of the internet’s most enduring political memes.

In an interview with Lara Trump on Fox News, Rubio said he originally “hated” the image but eventually came to appreciate the humor.

He also offered a mundane explanation for the posture that inspired the entire phenomenon. According to Rubio, there was no pillow supporting his back on the Oval Office couch, causing him to sink awkwardly into the cushions.

More than a year later, the photograph has spawned enough variations to fill a 68-panel birthday collage — and the Trump White House made sure Rubio now has a permanent reminder that the internet is unlikely to let him forget it.

{Matzav.com}

A Kentucky woman is facing two federal felony charges after allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., by pouring bubble soap into its fountain and spray-painting graffiti on the monument, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday.

Pirro said prosecutors charged Melissa L. Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans’ memorials. Farris was in federal custody Friday morning, though an initial court appearance had not yet been scheduled.

Each of the two charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if Farris is convicted.

The criminal complaint also states that Farris had been arrested Monday, just days before the alleged vandalism, for illegally camping several blocks from the memorial.

“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro wrote.

The vandalism was discovered Thursday afternoon at the landmark memorial, where the words “Clean Hands Dirty $” had been spray-painted in red. Bubble soap was also poured into the memorial’s fountain.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators obtained additional evidence from Farris’ own social media activity. Authorities allege that she posted several videos filmed near the memorial Thursday on a Facebook account using the name Melissa Lovewell, including footage in which she acknowledged “damaging” the fountain.

“I am cognitively aware and executively (sic) of the choices I am making and I am doing so to push my whistleblower case into the courtroom,” she said in one of the videos.

In another recording, which carried the slogan “TEA PARTY,” Farris allegedly stood near an area where red and yellow graffiti had been painted and claimed responsibility for the damage.

“It was me,” she says in another video that bears the slogan “TEA PARTY” while standing next to the section where red and yellow graffiti had been painted. “I’m here I done did it. Thought I was joking? … I did try and [indecipherable] my spray paint.”

A third video cited by authorities allegedly showed Farris expressing surprise that she had been able to carry out the vandalism without being immediately stopped.

“I was just allowed to deface Federal f—ing property, and nobody batted an eye, and that is very strange,” she said in a third clip.

Federal authorities allege that the damage to the World War II Memorial exceeded $1,000.

President Trump reacted angrily to the vandalism Friday, denouncing the damage to a memorial dedicated to Americans who served and died during World War II.

“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The Interior Department had similarly vowed to pursue those responsible shortly after images of the vandalized memorial began circulating.

An Interior Department spokesperson said U.S. Park Police would “find the person responsible for this disgusting act.”

“The World War II Memorial is a sacred place to honor the service of our members of the Armed Forces and the over 400,000 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII,” the rep added. “The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated.”

The scene drew attention from visitors and Washington residents as authorities cordoned off portions of the memorial, located at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with crime-scene tape.

The case comes less than two weeks after Pirro’s office moved to dismiss a separate felony property-destruction charge against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the liner at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool.

Hearn, 67, had been charged with a felony after authorities initially accused him of “violently” pulling on a loose section of the pool liner on June 19.

Subsequent evidence supplied by the Interior Department, however, indicated that the liner had already suffered damage because of “flawed installation by the contractor,” leading prosecutors to seek dismissal of the case.

President Trump later publicly criticized Pirro over the decision to abandon the prosecution.

“The judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked,” he told reporters in the Oval Office earlier this month.

“I was disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed in Jeanine Pirro,” Trump added. “She folded like an umbrella.”

Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based contractor, received more than $14 million from the Interior Department for work that included painting the 68,000-square-foot bottom of the Reflecting Pool, according to federal spending records. The project began in early May.

The National Mall has been the site of other recent vandalism as well. In June, individuals allegedly used chemicals to burn the numbers “86 47” into the lawn near the Washington Monument, an apparent reference to slang for “get rid of” and Trump’s status as the 47th president.

No charges have been filed in connection with that incident.

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday that he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, pleading guilty to federal stalking charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life, as members of Thompson’s family watched from the courtroom gallery.

“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione, 28, told U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan federal court, reading from a prepared written statement.

Thompson’s widow and several other relatives were seated in the second row as Mangione entered the courtroom wearing a beige prison jumpsuit over a long-sleeved white shirt, with his hands uncuffed behind his back and shackles around his ankles. Members of the family stared at him as he took his seat and reviewed and signed documents alongside his attorneys.

“Mr. Mangione is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time,” defense attorney Karen Agnifilo told the judge.

Mangione appeared somber during the proceeding and at times seemed close to becoming emotional as he answered “yes” to a series of questions concerning the plea and the rights he was surrendering by entering it.

When Garnett informed him that the federal charges could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, Mangione responded by slightly nodding his head.

Thompson’s widow, Paulette Thompson, sat silently in the gallery and cried during the proceeding as Mangione publicly acknowledged responsibility for her husband’s death.

Mangione’s courtroom demeanor marked a stark contrast to the defiant tone prosecutors have attributed to writings recovered during the investigation. In his statement Friday, Mangione described years of severe back pain and laid out details of the steps he took before targeting Thompson.

Mangione said he had posed as an investor associated with a firm overseeing $150 million in assets and contacted UnitedHealthcare executives by email in an effort to obtain information about the company’s 2024 conference in New York City.

“Before traveling to New York, I used a 3-D printer to make a gun,” he said. “I equipped the gun with a silencer and a magazine.”

Mangione had been scheduled to stand trial in federal court in January on two counts: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. His guilty plea eliminates the need for that trial.

His sentencing hearing is now scheduled for Dec. 18. Federal prosecutors are expected to seek the maximum punishment, leaving Mangione facing the possibility of spending the remainder of his life behind bars.

The federal plea, however, does not end Mangione’s legal troubles. He continues to face a separate prosecution in New York state court, where he is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and multiple weapons-possession offenses.

Jury selection in the state case is scheduled to begin Sept. 8.

Mangione’s attorneys said following Friday’s hearing that they intend to ask the state court to dismiss that prosecution on double-jeopardy grounds, arguing that proceeding with the state case after his federal guilty plea would improperly subject him to prosecution twice for the same conduct.

Garnett warned Mangione during the hearing that any sentence imposed in the state case could potentially be ordered to run consecutively to his federal sentence.

Thompson, 50, a married father of two, was shot to death outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December 2024 as he headed to UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference. The killing, carried out in public and followed by the gunman’s escape, immediately triggered a massive law-enforcement search.

Mangione was not federally charged with murder itself. Instead, federal prosecutors charged him with stalking Thompson across state lines and through interstate facilities in conduct that resulted in Thompson’s death.

Authorities searched for Mangione for five days before police arrested him at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was spotted while eating breakfast.

Prosecutors have alleged that the killing was not an impulsive act but the culmination of a carefully planned attack motivated by Mangione’s hostility toward the health insurance industry.

According to prosecutors, Mangione wrote a “manifesto” portraying Thompson’s killing as an act of rebellion against what he described as the “rebel against the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel.”

Investigators have also said that shell casings recovered from the scene bore the words “delay” and “deny,” an apparent reference to accusations that health insurers use such practices to avoid paying customers’ claims.

Prosecutors further allege that Mangione wrote that other senior insurance executives could be legitimate targets because the industry “literally extracts human life force for money.”

The killing and Mangione’s subsequent arrest produced an extraordinary public reaction, with some supporters portraying him as a symbol of anger toward health insurers. That support has persisted throughout the criminal proceedings, despite the allegations surrounding Thompson’s killing.

Outside the courthouse following Friday’s guilty plea, that phenomenon was again on display when a passing man shouted his support for Mangione.

“America loves Luigi!” the man yelled.

{Matzav.com}

White House border czar Tom Homan on Thursday defended plans to equip Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks, saying the devices could provide agents with another non-lethal option before resorting to deadly force.

“It’s another device to help someone get compliant when they are not,” Homan said during an appearance Thursday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

“You can’t just go from 0 to 100, right, and the first thing you go for is lethal force,” he added.

Homan’s comments came after the Department of Homeland Security published a notice Monday outlining plans to spend as much as $20 million to purchase the devices for ICE personnel conducting immigration enforcement operations. The devices are formally known as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, or G.L.O.V.E.s.

Manufactured by Compliant Technologies, the gloves can administer an electrical charge of up to 380 volts when they make direct contact with exposed skin. Unlike conventional tasers, however, the gloves are not intended to incapacitate an individual, and the electrical charge cannot pass through clothing.

Similar devices have previously been deployed by some law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. According to a report by Oklahoma News 4 about their use at a local jail, the gloves do not deliver the same voltage as a conventional taser.

Justin Hall, a Kentucky jailer, told the Associated Press on Thursday that his agency began using the gloves four years ago as another means of dealing with inmates who were particularly difficult to control.

Hall said he was personally shocked more than 10 times while officers were being trained to use the equipment. He described the sensation as intensely painful but said the pain stopped once the person wearing the glove was no longer touching him.

According to Hall, his facility has rarely needed to actually use the gloves on inmates. Their presence, he said, can itself serve as an effective deterrent when other efforts to de-escalate a confrontation fail.

“It’s just a safer way. It’s safer on the inmate. It’s safer on the staff. And most of the time, most of the time we get compliance,” he told the AP. “It’s been a great tool for our facility.”

Homan’s remarks represented the Trump administration’s first public defense of the planned ICE use of the devices. He compared the gloves to other non-lethal tools already available to law enforcement officers, including tasers and pepper spray.

The border czar cautioned, however, that ICE agents will not begin carrying the gloves immediately. He said it would “be awhile” before the equipment is deployed because the agency is still developing the training procedures and protocols that will govern its use.

According to a DHS contracting notice, the electric-shock gloves could begin being distributed to ICE personnel as early as March 2027.

{Matzav.com}

Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter sharply criticized the escalating political rhetoric surrounding the drafting of Chareidim into the IDF, accusing politicians of exploiting the deeply contentious issue for political gain while failing to produce meaningful results.

Winter directed his criticism particularly at the debate taking place among parties opposed to the current government, arguing that politicians are competing to make increasingly sweeping promises about how many Chareidim they would bring into the military.

“Almost all the politicians have been arguing in recent days. One says he will draft all the Chareidim, one says he will draft 99% of the Chareidim, one says 70%, and on the other side they say that not a single Chareidi will enlist,” Winter said in a video he released.

Winter then challenged politicians and senior figures who have dealt with the Chareidi draft issue over the past two decades to explain what they have actually accomplished.

“All those who were in politics over the past 20 years and those who were politicians in uniform over the past decade – how many Chareidim did you bring into the IDF during all the years that you are arguing over who will bring in more? What did you do, other than trying to gain political capital on the back of the people of Israel and bringing zero results and zero solutions?”

Winter argued that successfully bringing Chareidim into the military cannot be accomplished through political slogans or public confrontations. Instead, he said, any meaningful progress will require sustained effort and the development of trust with the Chareidi community itself.

“Drafting Chareidim and integrating them into the IDF will not be accomplished through populism, but through hard work and building trust. Through working with the Chareidi public itself.”

Winter concluded his message with a blunt demand that politicians stop using the issue as a vehicle for political posturing.

“So come on, enough with all this false populism,” Winter said.

{Matzav.com}

Nearly a year after an Iranian missile slammed into a residential building in Bnei Brak during Operation Rising Lion, plans are moving forward to demolish the heavily damaged structure and replace it with a new residential development containing 84 apartments.

The building, located at 68 Hamaccabim Street, is a four-story structure containing 24 residential units. It will be demolished and replaced as part of a Tama 38/2 urban renewal project.

The project, initiated by Urbanitop, led by Rav Pinchas Zaltzman, calls for the construction of three residential buildings containing a total of 84 new apartments, along with approximately 422 square meters of commercial space.

The original building was struck by an Iranian missile on June 16, 2025, several days after the launch of Operation Rising Lion. The impact caused extensive damage, leaving the structure completely uninhabitable.

Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the project, the necessary building permit was secured less than a year after the missile strike.

Following the attack, Urbanitop assisted residents who had suddenly lost their homes. The company worked with families according to their individual circumstances, helping some locate temporary housing and assisting others with financial arrangements necessitated by their displacement.

Urbanitop specializes in urban renewal and complex redevelopment projects, including evacuation-and-reconstruction developments and Tama 38 projects. The company is particularly active within the Chareidi community and is advancing several residential projects in Bnei Brak. The new development on Hamaccabim Street is being designed as housing for the city’s Chareidi population.

The real estate financing company Barakate has been involved with the project since the difficult period immediately following the missile strike. Together with an insurance company, Barakate signed an agreement to provide financing and guarantees totaling approximately NIS 247 million for the development.

Attorney Carmel Nodler of the Keren Belcharsky law firm is representing Barakate and the insurance company in the transaction.

Adi Gazit, CEO of Barakate, said the missile strike required the parties involved to react quickly and restructure the financing arrangement around circumstances that could not have been anticipated.

“The damage to the project required a rapid response and an adjustment of the financing structure to the new reality and to the developer’s timetable. Within a short period of time, we formulated a framework that allowed the project to move forward toward receiving a permit and beginning construction. From Barakate’s perspective, which serves as a home for developers throughout the country, this is a significant transaction in Bnei Brak and in the haredi sector, demonstrating the importance of flexibility, creativity and the ability to respond quickly even in exceptional circumstances,” Gazit said.

Rav Pinchas Zaltzman, CEO and owner of Urbanitop, credited Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert and Deputy Mayor and Planning and Building Committee Chairman Menachem Shapiro with helping move the complicated approval process forward rapidly.

“I would like to thank Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert and his deputy, Planning and Building Committee Chairman Menachem Shapiro, for the speed and efficiency with which all the processes were advanced. Special thanks also go to the Reisman Deutsch law offices and all the parties who took part in the project. When necessary, everyone stepped up and went above and beyond to enable the project to move forward and achieve a significant result in record time. About a year after the Iranian missile strike, we are moving forward with a new building with 84 apartments for the families of the city and the community,” Zaltzman said.

Barakate is a publicly traded real estate financing company controlled by chairman Roni Biram, Gil Deutsch and Gazit. The company specializes in financing real estate projects and transactions, structuring customized financing packages based on the requirements and characteristics of individual developments.

Company officials say its approach combines financial experience with an understanding of the needs of developers, allowing it to provide financing and flexibility for complex projects.

The Bnei Brak development will now transform the site of a devastating Iranian missile strike into a significantly larger residential complex, increasing the number of apartments on the property from 24 to 84.

{Matzav.com}

Artificial intelligence is increasingly taking control of traffic lights on Israel’s intercity roads, with approximately 170 adaptive systems already installed and initial data indicating that the technology can significantly reduce congestion and travel times.

Israel’s Transportation Ministry and Netivei Israel have been expanding the use of AI-powered adaptive traffic signals in recent years. Unlike conventional traffic lights, which generally operate according to schedules programmed in advance, the new systems analyze traffic conditions in real time and adjust the length of red and green lights according to actual demand.

Early results from approximately 25 intersections where the technology was analyzed have shown substantial savings. On average, an estimated 400 vehicle-hours are saved each day at every intersection equipped with the system.

At the Fureidis Junction, the estimated savings reached approximately 800 vehicle-hours per day. At the entrance to Kiryat Tivon, meanwhile, travel time through the intersection was reduced by as much as 56 seconds per vehicle.

Across the intersections studied, the average reduction amounted to approximately 25 seconds for each vehicle. While that may appear modest for an individual driver, intersections handling thousands or tens of thousands of vehicles each day can collectively save hundreds of hours of travel time.

The impact can become considerably greater for motorists traveling along routes containing several adaptive traffic lights. Netivei Israel estimates that when the systems operate across multiple intersections along a driver’s route, the cumulative savings could reach approximately 10 minutes per trip.

Over the course of a year, officials estimate that those savings could add up to the equivalent of approximately two weeks of working days. The goal, therefore, is not simply to shave several seconds off the wait at an individual red light, but to create meaningful reductions in travel times across entire routes.

The primary advantage of adaptive traffic signals is their ability to react immediately to changing conditions rather than relying primarily on historical traffic patterns.

Traditional signals often operate according to predetermined programs based on traffic measurements taken previously. Actual road conditions, however, can change from minute to minute. Traffic jams form and dissipate, the dominant direction of traffic can shift, and accidents, construction or even relatively minor disruptions at one intersection can quickly produce backups elsewhere.

The AI-powered system uses cameras and computer-vision technology to detect vehicles, measure the length of traffic lines and determine the level of demand from different directions.

Algorithms then analyze that information and continuously adjust the traffic signal, allocating additional green-light time to the directions where it is most needed.

The technology was developed in recent years by ITC in cooperation with Netivei Israel’s Operations and Maintenance Division, Traffic Management Division and Engineering Research and Development Division.

With approximately 170 systems now deployed, officials say the project has progressed beyond the experimental stage and is being used routinely at a variety of intersections under differing traffic conditions.

The broader objective is to determine not merely whether AI traffic management can improve conditions at one particular intersection, but how the technology can eventually be incorporated throughout the country’s transportation network.

Officials say the project could also deliver substantial economic benefits.

According to current estimates, installing the technology at 100 intersections could generate more than half a billion shekels in annual economic benefits to the Israeli economy through the value of time saved alone.

That calculation is based on the methodology used by the Transportation Ministry and Finance Ministry to assess the economic viability of transportation projects.

The estimate does not include other potential benefits associated with shorter waits and reduced congestion, including lower fuel consumption, decreased wear and tear on vehicles, reduced air pollution and possible improvements in road safety.

{Matzav.com}

Jared Kushner marked the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords on Thursday with an expansive message touting the agreements’ achievements and suggesting that the Middle East may be on the verge of another potentially historic diplomatic breakthrough.

Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key architect of the Abraham Accords, did not identify any specific country or disclose details of possible negotiations. But his repeated references to new “breakthrough opportunities,” an opportunity to create an “even broader movement” and the possibility of once again surprising the world immediately fueled speculation over what additional agreements could be under consideration.

“Six years ago, President Trump launched the Abraham Accords and opened a new chapter of peace, partnership, and prosperity in the Middle East,” Kushner wrote in a lengthy post on X Thursday morning.

“Many said it was impossible. But with courageous leadership, persistence, and a small group of people willing to challenge old assumptions, we proved that the impossible could be achieved.”

The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term, dramatically altered the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established formal relations with Israel in 2020, with Morocco subsequently normalizing relations with Israel and Sudan agreeing to move toward normalization.

In his anniversary message, Kushner argued that the agreements represented more than the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries. He portrayed them as a rejection of decades of Middle East diplomacy that he said had focused on containing conflicts instead of fundamentally changing the relationships that produced them.

“For too long, the region was trapped by old ideas and failed frameworks that managed conflict rather than solved it, and too often created incentives that perpetuated division and instability,” Kushner wrote.

He said the philosophy behind the Abraham Accords was instead to create practical relationships and mutual interests that would make peace beneficial to the countries and populations involved.

“The idea behind the Abraham Accords was simple: instead of reinforcing the things that divide people, build bonds that bring them together. Increase understanding. Expand trade and investment. Deepen security cooperation. Create tangible benefits that make people’s lives better and give everyone a stake in peace.”

Kushner pointed to the economic and diplomatic relationships that have developed since the accords were signed as evidence that the approach succeeded.

“What began as a bold vision has delivered billions in trade, joint innovation, new friendships and partnerships, and a powerful alternative to the failed approaches of the past,” he wrote.

But Kushner then shifted from looking back at the achievements of the past six years to discussing the current geopolitical landscape — and it was that portion of his message that raised the strongest possibility that additional diplomatic developments could be ahead.

“The Middle East is once again at an inflection point. There are breakthrough opportunities today that many will say are impossible,” Kushner wrote. “But we have seen what can happen when leaders reject conventional thinking, focus on common interests, and have the courage to pursue a better future.”

Kushner did not elaborate on what those “breakthrough opportunities” might entail. His use of the plural also left open the possibility that the Trump administration is looking beyond a single normalization agreement toward a broader restructuring of regional relationships.

“The Abraham Accords showed that a different path is possible,” Kushner continued. “Now we have an opportunity to build an even broader movement around cooperation, shared prosperity and security—and replace the failed ideas of the past with a new model that gives people across the region something better to believe in and build toward.”

The comments are particularly notable because of Kushner’s central role in the negotiations that produced the original Abraham Accords. Working alongside Trump administration officials during Trump’s first term, Kushner helped conduct the diplomatic effort that resulted in the normalization agreements.

Although Kushner’s post contained no explicit announcement that another country is preparing to establish relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia is certain to be at the center of speculation surrounding his remarks.

For years, normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia has been viewed as the most consequential potential expansion of the Abraham Accords. An agreement involving Riyadh would carry significance far beyond bilateral relations because of Saudi Arabia’s political, economic and religious influence across the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Kushner, who developed close relationships with Saudi leaders during Trump’s first term, has also remained closely associated with efforts to reshape relations between Israel and the Arab world.

The prospect of Saudi normalization has repeatedly surfaced in diplomatic discussions in recent years, although negotiations have faced significant political and regional obstacles. The possibility has taken on renewed significance amid dramatic changes across the Middle East and the Trump administration’s efforts to capitalize on the new regional balance.

Kushner, however, carefully avoided naming Saudi Arabia or any other country Thursday, making it unclear whether his remarks were intended to signal a specific diplomatic initiative or to articulate a broader vision for the next phase of the Abraham Accords.

The language of his post nevertheless suggested that Kushner believes circumstances now exist for developments that could once again defy prevailing expectations.

His closing words were the clearest indication that he sees the original accords not as a completed diplomatic achievement, but as a model that could be expanded significantly.

“We surprised the world once. With the right leadership, focus, patience and courage, I believe we can do it again.”

The post offered no timetable for such a breakthrough and did not say whether negotiations with any additional countries have reached an advanced stage.

But coming from one of the principal architects of the original agreements, Kushner’s declaration that the region has reached another “inflection point” — coupled with his reference to multiple “breakthrough opportunities” — is likely to intensify attention on the Trump administration’s next moves in the Middle East and, in particular, whether the Abraham Accords may soon be poised for a major expansion.

{Matzav.com}

A routine bus ride turned into a frightening emergency Thursday evening when a driver in his 50s suddenly collapsed behind the wheel on Route 651 near the Pal Yam Junction, causing the bus to collide with a private vehicle.

The driver apparently suffered a serious medical emergency while driving and lost consciousness. Magen David Adom emergency personnel were quickly dispatched to the scene, where they found the driver unresponsive inside the driver’s compartment.

Paramedics and EMTs removed the driver and immediately began intensive resuscitation efforts. The treatment included chest compressions, assisted breathing and eight electric shocks administered with a defibrillator.

After extensive treatment at the scene, the driver was transported urgently to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in critical condition, with resuscitation efforts continuing during the evacuation.

MDA EMTs Yonatan Yankelowitz, Yosef Friedman and Elimelech Michalowitz described the chaotic scene when they arrived.

“When we arrived at the bus, we saw several frightened and distressed passengers, and the driver lying unconscious. A quick examination revealed that he had no pulse and was not breathing, and we immediately began advanced resuscitation efforts,” they said.

While emergency personnel worked to save the driver, additional MDA teams examined the passengers aboard the bus as well as the woman driving the private vehicle involved in the collision.

None of the bus passengers was found to have suffered physical injuries, and none required evacuation to a hospital. The driver of the private vehicle sustained minor injuries and was transported to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center for further treatment.

The frightening incident follows several other serious episodes involving buses on Israeli roads in recent months.

In one incident several months ago, a driver operating Jerusalem’s No. 2 bus route was violently assaulted by several youths while stopped at a red light. The attack reportedly caused him to lose consciousness and several teeth, though he was forced to continue driving despite his condition.

In another incident in Bnei Brak, an elderly passenger was injured aboard a bus after the driver was forced to brake suddenly when a private vehicle cut into his lane at the Chazon Ish intersection. The woman was thrown forcefully toward the front of the bus and sustained injuries.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, wiping out roughly one-quarter of a fleet that numbered approximately 185 aircraft and inflicting losses valued at more than $1.3 billion, according to officials.

Each MQ-9 is estimated to cost between $30 million and $50 million, depending on the weapons, sensors and other equipment installed aboard the aircraft.

The drones have been deployed extensively for surveillance and precision-strike missions around the Strait of Hormuz. Their relatively slow speed and operations at lower altitudes, however, have reportedly left them vulnerable to attacks by Iran and its proxies in Yemen and Iraq.

Not all of the aircraft were lost to enemy fire. Some Reapers reportedly crashed after their operators lost communications with the unmanned aircraft.

Lt. Gen. David Tabor told the Senate in May that the number of MQ-9s remaining in the American fleet had fallen to approximately 135. The Air Force is now examining ways to rapidly rebuild its inventory following the substantial wartime losses.

The depletion of the Reaper fleet comes amid broader concerns over American weapons stockpiles following years of extensive military assistance to Ukraine and heavy expenditures of sophisticated munitions during the war with Iran.

An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute warned that replenishing some of the most critical weapons could take years because of limitations in U.S. defense manufacturing capacity.

One particularly significant constraint involves THAAD missile interceptors. Current production capacity is limited to approximately 96 interceptors annually, while the Pentagon is seeking nearly 2,600 over the next five years. At the present production rate, manufacturing that quantity would take an estimated 27 years.

Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that producing a single THAAD interceptor takes nearly three years. As a result, even orders placed immediately would not begin producing significant quantities of additional interceptors until late in President Trump’s current term.

President Trump has sought tens of billions of dollars to replenish U.S. weapons inventories and expand production capacity.

The Pentagon, however, has pushed back against claims that American weapons stockpiles are becoming dangerously depleted.

{Matzav.com}

Ahead of the opening of Zman Elul in kollelim, Rav Yisroel Zicherman presented a series of practical and timely questions to his rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, addressing issues ranging from computers and cellphones in kollelim to struggling avreichim, family responsibilities and the importance of learning sugyos through practical halachah.

Rav Zicherman, Rav of Achuzas Brachfeld in Modiin Illit and the nasi of several kollelim, visited Rav Zilberstein at his home as the Torah world prepares for the beginning of Zman Elul in yeshivos and kollelim.

Rav Zicherman himself spent many years learning in Kollel Bais Dovid in Cholon under Rav Zilberstein. Drawing upon contemporary questions facing roshei kollel and avreichim, he presented his rebbi with a wide-ranging series of educational and halachic dilemmas.

The following is the full Q&A as transcribed by Matzav.com staff:

The Importance of Learning a Sugya Through Practical Halachah

Rav Zicherman: In our network of kollelim, we are currently learning the melachos of Shabbos. As we were privileged to learn in Kollel Bais Dovid, we study the sugyos all the way through to practical halachah. There are avreichim, including young men who have just come from yeshivos and are accustomed to the analytical style of yeshivah learning, who are now transitioning to learning asukei shemaitsa aliba dehilchasa — from the sugyos and Rishonim through the Tur, Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries. What is the proper way to instill in them an appreciation for learning halachah so that they become fully immersed in it?

Rav Zilberstein: One must know that an avreich who merits reaching asukei shemaitsa aliba dehilchasa is among the greatest that our nation possesses, because the highest level among Klal Yisroel is attained by one who merits issuing halachic rulings for the public. As explained in Maseches Gittin regarding the child who was imprisoned: “I am certain that he will become one who renders halachic rulings in Yisroel.”

Any talmid who is capable of reaching this level — if he is not lacking in understanding — will jump at the opportunity. He knows that his learning is taking him all the way to a conclusion and to practical application, and there is no greater satisfaction than that. Already while learning Abaye and Rava, one should be thinking about how the discussion emerges in practical halachah and looking into the poskim.

In addition, it is appropriate for the rosh kollel to present a fascinating question connected to the sugya each day, with the avreichim required to derive the answer through their learning.

How to Deal With an Avreich Who Arrives Late or Talks During Seder

Rav Zicherman: Is it appropriate for a rosh kollel to reprimand an avreich regarding keeping the sedorim and talking — only when it disturbs the other members of the chaburah, or also in order to help the avreich himself advance? Similarly, if an avreich sometimes arrives late and disrupts the schedule of the kollel, is it appropriate to remove him after he has been warned?

Rav Zilberstein: Removing him is out of the question. We are speaking about bnei Torah. What must be done is to investigate what lies behind his lateness, determine what is troubling him, and try to resolve the problem and help him.

Primarily, that avreich should be taught that he can merit reaching the King — Hakadosh Boruch Hu — and this is accomplished through studying practical halachah. If a person understands this, his heart opens much more and he will flourish.

Rav Zicherman: I remember when I was privileged to learn under the Rav in the kollel. We would travel by van from Bnei Brak. The moment the van picked up the avreichim, the Rav would immediately raise a question while we were traveling. In effect, the seder had already begun on the way, and there was no possibility of anything else.

Who Should Stay Home With a Sick Child — the Husband or the Wife?

Rav Zicherman: When there is a sick child at home, is the responsibility to care for the child incumbent upon the mother, or should the avreich also share the burden at the expense of his sedorim in kollel? If the burden falls solely on the avreich, it can lead to a weakening in his learning, while if it falls exclusively on the mother, who works to support the family, it can create problems with her employment. Should the kollel take such circumstances into consideration?

Rav Zilberstein: Certainly, when something like this happens, the kollel administration must take it into consideration. However, the family itself should make an effort to seek help from others, such as the grandmothers, so that the husband will not have to interrupt his learning.

An atmosphere should be established in the home that the husband is not a babysitter. A home of yirei Hashem is not built on the premise that the mother works under all circumstances while the husband is absent from kollel. If the wife understands the tremendous power of a Jewish mother and the importance of her husband’s consistency in learning, the family will know how to find solutions without causing him to interrupt his learning.

If a Chavrusa Is Sick, Should His Partner Go Learn With Him?

Rav Zicherman: If one of the avreichim is ill and is at home, should his chavrusa go to his house to learn with him, or should he refrain from leaving the bais medrash?

Rav Zilberstein: There is something very great, and that is chesed. Going to learn with an avreich in his home when he is weak is an unparalleled act of chesed. The Torah must be a Toras chesed.

Rav Zicherman: Even though it may cause somewhat of a weakening in the bais medrash?

Rav Zilberstein: If the chavrusa’s absence will cause a weakening in the kollel, he should remain in the kollel, but he should learn with him over the telephone. He should call him and discuss the learning with him.

Computers and Cellphones in the Kollel

Rav Zicherman: How should we conduct ourselves regarding computers? Should the use of Torah databases be permitted inside the kollel? For some people, it helps them organize the sugya, but on the other hand, there is a need for amal haTorah. Until now, our practice has been not to have computers. What is the Rav’s opinion?

Rav Zilberstein: From the day of Matan Torah, Torah was learned without computers. Because of the weakness of the generation, these things have come along to make matters easier, but the true path is amal haTorah.

Rav Zicherman: Regarding cellphones, in our network of kollelim they are bal yeira’eh u’bal yimatzei — they are not to be seen or found — and there is one public telephone. However, there are avreichim whose wives are approaching childbirth and they are not at ease. Should an exception be permitted?

Rav Zilberstein: Absolutely not. From the day of Matan Torah, there were no telephones.

(In extremely exceptional circumstances and in a situation of great necessity, the rosh kollel may permit an avreich to discreetly keep a cellphone in his pocket, set only to vibrate.)

Learning With a Struggling Avreich and Staying Up Late to Learn

Rav Zicherman: When there is a weaker avreich, is it appropriate for the rosh kollel to learn with him for part of the time, even though doing so will detract from the rosh kollel’s own personal progress?

Rav Zilberstein: Certainly. It is the greatest thing there is. When a rosh kollel sits beside a struggling avreich and learns with him instead of shouting at him, that is a wonderful level to attain.

Rav Zicherman: What about an avreich who remains learning until 3 a.m. because he is immersed in a sugya, and as a result arrives late to kollel in the morning?

Rav Zilberstein: That is literally the counsel of the yetzer hara. When the time comes to sleep, one must sleep, and someone who does not go to sleep at the proper time is acting improperly.

The Obligation of Roshei Kollel to Sacrifice for Others

Rav Zicherman: Roshei kollel are heavily occupied with preparing shiurim and mareh mekomos. To what extent should they sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the broader group?

Rav Zilberstein: That sacrifice is the greatest gain. When Hakadosh Boruch Hu sees an avreich sacrificing his own interests for the sake of another person, He takes him under His protection, because Torah is acquired through chesed.

{Matzav.com}

United Torah Judaism may run together in the upcoming elections only as a technical arrangement before splitting back into its two component factions and conducting separate coalition negotiations, according to veteran Chareidi political analyst Yaakov Rivlin.

Rivlin said Thursday that the growing divisions within the Chareidi political camp could result in UTJ contesting the election on a joint ticket while effectively functioning as two separate parties once the votes are counted.

Under that scenario, Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel would separate following the election, with each faction independently negotiating its terms for joining a future governing coalition.

MK Yitzchok Pindrus of Degel HaTorah, however, strongly rejected the report, dismissing the speculation during an interview with Kol Chai Radio.

“These reports are meaningless,” he said.

“There is an entire industry today, including within the Chareidi media, that needs to make a living, so it constantly has to come up with some exciting new angle… I suggest everyone calm down,” he added.

Pindrus similarly brushed aside reports of possible primaries or significant changes to the party’s electoral slate, stressing that the Chareidi parties operate under the direction of the Gedolei Yisroel rather than through conventional party politics.

“Perhaps some are envious of Likud – which has primaries and internal tribunals – and want that for us too, thinking, ‘Why not make things interesting?’ But we are led by the Torah luminaries, and nothing is going to change.”

Turning to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his handling of the political crisis surrounding the Chareidi community, Pindrus was asked whether Netanyahu bears responsibility for the current situation.

“Clearly, he failed to deliver,” he said.

Despite that criticism, Pindrus said no conclusions should yet be drawn about whether the Chareidi parties will support Netanyahu or another candidate following the elections. Such decisions, he stressed, will be made only after the election results are known and in accordance with the directives of the Gedolei Yisroel.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for major changes to the childhood vaccination system could face formidable practical and financial barriers, with experts saying drugmakers would potentially need years to develop separate vaccines while families could be forced to make substantially more visits to pediatricians.

The order announced Monday directs federal officials to pursue the separation of combination vaccines, including the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine, into individual injections. It also calls for appointments involving other childhood vaccinations to be spaced apart whenever possible.

Putting those directives into practice would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring back individual vaccines that have largely disappeared from the American market over the past several decades. Companies could also need new production facilities capable of manufacturing millions of additional doses.

Families would face their own logistical challenges. Separating the three components of the MMR vaccine and spreading out other immunizations could require parents to make numerous additional trips to doctors’ offices. Pediatric practices could face increased workloads, while the greater number of injections would increase spending on syringes and other medical supplies.

Research conducted in the United States and abroad has found that combination vaccines make it more likely that children will receive full protection against infectious diseases before reaching school age.

Public health experts opposed to Trump’s plan argue that there is no scientific justification for abandoning the current approach.

“We do things that are less convenient and more expensive if there’s a good reason to do it,” said Dr. Anna Durbin, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“There is no good justification for this. I think it’s very bad public health policy.”

Trump’s order gives federal officials 90 days to formulate plans for separating the MMR vaccine and increasing the intervals between other vaccinations.

Scientists in the pharmaceutical industry and individuals who previously served as federal regulators say implementing those changes could take years rather than months, potentially requiring manufacturers to spend tens of millions of dollars on research and new production infrastructure.

There are currently no individual measles, mumps or rubella vaccines available in the United States.

Every vaccine for those three diseases currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration is administered as a combination product. The three-in-one MMR vaccine has been standard practice in the United States since the 1970s.

Dr. Jesse Goodman, who previously headed the FDA’s vaccine division, said manufacturers could be required to undertake extensive studies demonstrating that newly produced standalone vaccines generate immune responses in children comparable to those produced by existing products. How much additional research would be necessary could depend on the quality of historical data involving the older standalone vaccines and how FDA officials assess that evidence.

“The question is how much has changed since then and how comfortable will the FDA and the companies be relying on those comparisons,” said Goodman, who is now a professor at Georgetown University.

Manufacturers could also be required to establish that new production facilities and manufacturing methods are safe, particularly because individual measles vaccines have not been produced on a large scale in the United States for decades.

Industry experts say designing and building a vaccine manufacturing facility and securing the necessary federal approvals generally takes approximately five years.

Goodman said another challenge would involve the FDA individually reviewing and licensing each vaccine separated from an existing combination product, something regulators have not previously been called upon to do on this scale.

“I don’t think there’s any comparable example of removing hugely effective public health measures that protect babies for no documented scientific reason,” he said.

Standalone vaccines for measles and similar illnesses are more commonly used in lower-income countries where combination MMR vaccines can be less affordable. Merck, GSK and the small group of other manufacturers supplying childhood vaccines in the United States currently produce only combination versions for the American market.

Merck and GSK each issued statements defending the safety and effectiveness of their existing vaccines. Neither company indicated that it intended to begin producing separate versions.

“To date, there has been no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots,” Merck said in an emailed statement.

Under the current vaccination schedule, children receive two MMR injections, with the first generally administered at age 1 and the second after age 4. Administering measles, mumps and rubella vaccines separately could turn those two injections into six separate office visits.

If vaccines protecting against pertussis and other infectious illnesses were similarly separated and spaced apart, the number of appointments required for a fully vaccinated child could increase substantially further.

Durbin said requiring additional appointments would make it more likely that families miss scheduled visits or eventually stop returning for subsequent vaccinations.

“It’s going to be less convenient, more expensive, and you’re going to have fewer people getting vaccinated,” she said.

Trump has argued for more than a decade that American children receive too many vaccines and that immunizations should instead be administered in smaller numbers over a longer period, a position that has conflicted with recommendations from major medical organizations.

Last year, Trump asked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to examine whether the number of recommended childhood vaccinations could be reduced. Kennedy and other administration officials have cited countries such as Denmark, whose recommended vaccination schedules include somewhat fewer immunizations than those in the United States.

Durbin noted, however, that separating combination vaccines could ultimately produce the opposite result in terms of individual injections, leaving American children receiving considerably more shots than children in comparable countries.

White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the administration’s approach, saying its work regarding the MMR vaccine “will give parents more options on timing and frequency for their children, which ultimately will increase vaccination rates for all three diseases.”

Despite the sweeping nature of the executive order, some specialists question whether it will ultimately produce significant changes to the vaccines available to American families.

Neither the White House nor the FDA has the power to force pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop new standalone vaccines and submit them for regulatory approval. Companies could also have little commercial reason to invest heavily in separate versions of vaccines that they already successfully market as combination products.

“They’d be competing against themselves, and there’s no reason to do that,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser.

The executive order also calls for additional federal research and recommendations, but decisions requiring vaccinations for children attending school are made by state governments rather than the federal government. The administration’s directive therefore recommends that states consider revising their laws to conform with its proposed approach rather than requiring them to do so.

“I think states will ignore this,” Offit said. “I think that bottom line is that we don’t need to look to Donald Trump for our medical advice.”

{Matzav.com}

Speculation that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could seek the White House in 2028 is intensifying, with the New York Democrat climbing into second place in a major online prediction market and polling competitively among potential Democrat primary contenders.

Polymarket announced Thursday that Ocasio-Cortez had moved ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in its 2028 presidential election market for the first time this year, leaving her trailing only Vice President JD Vance.

Vance held the top position with a 23% chance of winning the presidency, according to the market, while Ocasio-Cortez stood at 13% and Rubio at 12%. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and California Gov. Gavin Newsom were each at 9%, while Kamala Harris registered 4%.

Ocasio-Cortez’s rise comes as questions mount over whether she will attempt to move from the House to the White House. While she has not closed the door on a presidential campaign, she has publicly maintained that her immediate attention is on this year’s midterm elections.

“I’m focused on winning the midterms. I’m running for Congress right now,” Ocasio-Cortez told ABC News’ “This Week” on Aug. 2 when asked whether she plans to run for president in two years.

“I haven’t ruled out the possibility. And I’m very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there,” she added.

Ocasio-Cortez has also shown strength in the crucial early-primary state of New Hampshire. A University of New Hampshire survey conducted last month among likely Democrat presidential primary voters found her narrowly leading a hypothetical field, with 22% support compared to 21% for Pete Buttigieg.

Vance himself has predicted that Ocasio-Cortez could emerge as the Democrats’ standard-bearer in 2028. Appearing on “The Michael Knowles Show” on June 30, the vice president said he views her as the most likely candidate to lead the Democrat ticket.

“I think it’s got to be AOC. I know that’s probably conventional wisdom,” Vance said.

Knowles questioned whether Vance really believed Ocasio-Cortez had a better chance than Ossoff or other potential contenders.

“AOC more than Ossoff, more than any of these other guys?”

Vance responded that the answer depends largely on where the real center of influence within the Democrat Party now lies.

“It’s funny. The AOC versus Ossoff thing, the question would be who do you think really has the power in the Democratic Party,” Vance said.

“And if you think the answer is like Wall Street and the left-of-center business community, then it would be Ossoff. If you think it’s the universities, it would be AOC,” he continued.

Vance then pointed to an observation by author and political commentator David Brooks that he said offered an important explanation for the transformation of the Democrat Party’s political base.

“So [author] David Brooks made an observation. I think David Brooks probably hates my guts; but he, like, occasionally, will say something that I think is genuinely brilliant, and this was one of them,” Vance said.

“He said the fundamental problem with today’s Democratic Party is that the power center has shifted from unions to universities. If that’s right, AOC will be the nominee.”

National polling, however, currently paints a different picture from the New Hampshire survey and prediction markets. The RealClearPolitics average of hypothetical Democrat primary polling has Harris in first place at 28.9%, followed by Newsom at 16.4%. Buttigieg stands at 10.5%, while Ocasio-Cortez is fourth at 8.8%.

On the Republican side, Vance holds a commanding advantage in the RealClearPolitics polling average, receiving 39.8% support compared with Rubio’s 21.6%, an 18.2-point margin.

Rubio has sought to minimize speculation surrounding his own potential 2028 candidacy, saying his attention remains on his responsibilities as secretary of state in the Trump administration.

Still, Rubio recently demonstrated significant support among conservative activists. At the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado, he won a 2028 Republican presidential straw poll by a decisive margin, defeating Vance by 36 points.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran said overnight that the terror group intends to participate in elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council scheduled for Nov. 28, 2026, despite opposition from several Western countries.

Badran stressed that Hamas has no intention of withdrawing from any election and said the group’s decision to participate is based on what he described as the right of every Palestinian to take part in the political process.

Speaking in an interview with Al Arabiya, Badran said Hamas also wants to prevent any single faction from maintaining a monopoly over Palestinian decision-making. He insisted that the group’s participation in elections should not be interpreted as an effort to seize control of the Palestinian government.

Badran claimed that Hamas has “given up ruling Gaza,” saying that while the terror organization wants representation in the Palestinian Legislative Council, it “does not want to rule.”

He further said that Hamas would accept the choice of the Palestinian people and honor the results of the elections. According to Badran, the group is also seeking additional discussions with other factions with the goal of forming electoral alliances.

The Hamas official called for a system of collective leadership within the Palestinian Legislative Council, arguing that Hamas’ participation in the body would not mean that the terror group intends to take control of the government. Instead, he said, Hamas is seeking a role in jointly shaping Palestinian political decisions.

This would not be the first time Hamas has participated in Palestinian elections. The terror group contested the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, winning a majority of seats. The following year, Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, ousting forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority.

{Matzav.com}

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