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​House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that China is helping fuel the growing American backlash against artificial intelligence data centers, describing the campaign against the massive facilities as a “Chinese psyop” as the issue becomes increasingly prominent ahead of the midterm elections.
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Johnson made the remarks during an appearance on Fox Business after host Cheryl Casone said she had heard from technology executives and lawmakers who believe China is encouraging American opposition to data centers.
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“This is what Democrats do. Every election cycle they find something to glom onto and say that this is doom and gloom and everyone will die if we don’t win,” Johnson said. “Don’t buy it. This is a Chinese psyop. I really believe that. That’s not a conspiracy theory.”
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The controversy comes as artificial intelligence data centers have emerged as a significant political and local issue across the United States. The enormous facilities require vast amounts of electricity, considerable amounts of water for cooling in some configurations, and large tracts of land, prompting opposition in communities considering proposed projects.
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There is evidence that China-linked actors have sought to amplify American concerns about data centers and artificial intelligence. Researchers and technology companies have identified foreign influence efforts involving online messaging about the environmental, economic and energy consequences of America’s AI expansion.
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President Trump has also raised the possibility of Chinese involvement in the backlash, saying earlier this month that he had heard claims that Beijing was attempting to encourage American resistance to data center construction.
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Other administration officials and Republican lawmakers have raised similar concerns, arguing that China has a strategic interest in slowing the expansion of American artificial intelligence infrastructure while aggressively developing its own AI capabilities.
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At the same time, researchers who have studied foreign influence operations say the evidence does not establish that China created the opposition to data centers. Instead, they say foreign actors appear to be attempting to exploit and magnify concerns that already exist among Americans.
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Jessica Brandt, who previously served in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, has drawn that distinction.
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“Foreign actors aren’t manufacturing American debates over the future of A.I., they are exploiting them,” said Brandt, adding that the goal was to “deepen our divisions in order to dent our appeal and weaken us from within.”
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Brandt has also cautioned against assuming that the existence of a foreign influence operation proves that it has successfully shaped American public opinion.
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“That’s what they do — work to amplify splits that already exist in our society. Evidence of an attempt is not evidence of success,” she said. “Their goal is to divide us, distract us, and prevent us from playing a forward-leaning role in the world that might constrain their interests.”
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Polling has shown substantial domestic opposition to having data centers constructed in local communities.
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A Gallup survey conducted earlier this year found that 71 percent of Americans somewhat or strongly opposed construction of an AI data center in their area, including 48 percent who were strongly opposed. By comparison, 53 percent opposed construction of a nuclear power plant nearby.
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“A Gallup poll in May found that 71 percent of Americans were somewhat or strongly opposed to having a data center built near them, almost 20 percentage points higher than those who opposed construction of a nearby nuclear power plant,” reported the Times.
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“Many have broad concerns about the effects of A.I. on jobs and the climate, while people who live near data centers complain they are eyesores and emit annoying sounds. Some cities and counties have enacted temporary or permanent moratoriums on new construction,” it added.
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More recent polling has found similarly widespread resistance. An August survey from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 61 percent of Americans opposed construction of new data centers in their area, an increase of 12 percentage points from earlier in the year.
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That opposition crossed party lines, with 69 percent of Democrats, 54 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of independents saying they opposed new data centers in their communities.
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A separate Economist/YouGov survey found nearly two-thirds of Americans opposed construction of data centers in their own communities.
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The reasons cited by opponents extend well beyond broader concerns about artificial intelligence itself. Gallup found that Americans worried about water and electricity consumption, environmental consequences, noise, increased utility bills, traffic, land use and changes to local quality of life.
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The opposition has already affected proposed projects around the country. Data Center Watch reported that nearly 120 data center developments were blocked or delayed across the United States during a six-month period.
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Local governments in numerous communities have imposed moratoriums or additional restrictions while officials consider the impact that enormous data centers could have on electrical grids, water supplies, property values and infrastructure.
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The controversy is particularly consequential because the United States and China are locked in an intensifying competition over artificial intelligence.
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Supporters of rapid data center construction argue that the facilities are essential infrastructure for training and operating increasingly powerful AI systems, and that restricting their development could weaken America’s ability to compete technologically with Beijing.
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Opponents counter that the strategic importance of artificial intelligence does not eliminate legitimate concerns about what enormous computing facilities could mean for communities required to host them.
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Darren Linvill, a Clemson University professor and co-director of its media forensics hub, has said China maintains an extensive propaganda apparatus but that researchers have not found evidence of an unusual concentration of Chinese state-media activity specifically targeting American data centers.
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“China has an extensive state media apparatus that they use for a range of propaganda and influence operations, but we don’t see a particular focus on this issue from Chinese state media,” Linvill said. “Chinese state media mostly wants to talk about how great Chinese AI technology is, which is typical of their purpose.”

{Matzav.com}

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​The USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego on Sunday for an extended deployment expected to take the aircraft carrier to the Middle East, where it will reinforce a major U.S. naval buildup as the war with Iran enters its eighth month and American forces continue enforcing a blockade against Iranian ports.
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The nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 9, left Naval Air Station North Island and began moving west across the Pacific. A U.S. defense official confirmed that the Theodore Roosevelt had begun its planned deployment.
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The carrier is expected eventually to enter the U.S. Central Command area and relieve the Japan-based USS George Washington, which was dispatched to the Middle East in August.
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The Theodore Roosevelt is deploying with Carrier Air Wing 11 and a strike group that includes Destroyer Squadron 23, Information Warfare Squadron 9 and the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin.
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Its air wing includes F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic-warfare aircraft, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command-and-control aircraft and Navy helicopters.
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The deployment comes as the United States maintains an unusually large concentration of naval power across the Middle East and surrounding waters. The USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike groups are currently operating in the region, while the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is also deployed there.
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The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Arabian Sea in support of U.S. operations in the Middle East. Additional American destroyers and a cruiser are positioned in the Indian Ocean, while other U.S. warships are operating in the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean.
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The Theodore Roosevelt is expected to replace the George Washington rather than permanently add a third carrier strike group to the region, but its arrival will allow the Navy to maintain its two-carrier presence as the conflict continues.
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The buildup reflects the enormous demands that the Iran war has placed on the Navy since President Donald Trump launched U.S. military operations against Iran on Feb. 28. American aircraft carriers have since played a central role in strikes, air-defense missions and maritime operations throughout the region.
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The Theodore Roosevelt’s deployment also comes as Washington continues enforcing its renewed maritime blockade of Iran.
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U.S. Central Command said Friday that American forces had redirected 122 commercial vessels since the current phase of the blockade began in July. Ships seeking to enter or depart Iranian ports are subject to the restrictions.
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CENTCOM has emphasized that the blockade is directed at Iranian ports and does not prohibit commercial vessels from traveling through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations.
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American officials have pushed back against Iranian claims that Tehran exercises complete control over the strategic waterway, arguing that thousands of vessels have successfully transited the strait in recent months.
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The first phase of the American blockade ran from April 13 until June 18. During that period, more than 140 commercial vessels were redirected, according to CENTCOM. The blockade was subsequently resumed in mid-July, with Friday’s figure of 122 applying to the renewed operation.
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The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most consequential flashpoints in the conflict because of its enormous importance to the global energy market. Before the war, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that petroleum flows through the strait averaged approximately 21.6 million barrels per day during the final quarter of 2025. By the second quarter of 2026, amid the fighting and disruption to shipping, that figure had fallen to approximately 4.9 million barrels per day.
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The agency has cautioned, however, that tracking commercial vessels in the region has become considerably more difficult since hostilities began in February, making current shipping estimates less certain.
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The Roosevelt’s departure comes as another carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, finally makes its way home following an extraordinarily long Middle East deployment.
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The Abraham Lincoln was sailing near Hawaii on Sunday as it headed toward California following more than eight months in the region without a port call. As of Monday, the carrier had been deployed for 311 days.
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The Lincoln and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 9 spent months supporting U.S. military operations connected to the Iran conflict before beginning the long voyage back to the West Coast.
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The extended deployment has highlighted the growing strain that sustained Middle East operations are placing on Navy personnel and their families.
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“We’ve been in conflict pretty much the whole time I’ve been in the seat, and that’s certainly stressed the force. If we know we’re going into harm’s way, we should be able to project with a little bit more fidelity how long the carrier and the strike group is going to stay on station,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said in August.
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Caudle said that repeatedly extending deployments for short periods creates particular difficulties for sailors and their families because they cannot reliably determine when service members will return home.
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“We do these extensions in little chunks, and the families don’t see any end point so they can plan their own lives. That creates a lot of stress for sailors.”
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Navy leadership has already been preparing Theodore Roosevelt families for the possibility that the carrier will remain away from home for an extended period.
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Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said in August that families connected to the Theodore Roosevelt were preparing for a deployment exceeding seven months. The carrier’s commanding officer had provided families with an eight-month estimate for planning purposes.
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The new deployment comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the conflict. Washington and Tehran are again communicating indirectly through mediators in an attempt to find a formula for ending hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Iran’s nuclear program.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has presented a proposal under which the United States would end the blockade and ease economic pressure while Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations. Trump said Saturday that he rejected Iran’s latest proposal, although both sides have indicated that further negotiations remain possible.
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The continued movement of American naval forces demonstrates that Washington is simultaneously maintaining military pressure while diplomatic efforts continue.
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With the Theodore Roosevelt now crossing the Pacific, the George Washington and George H.W. Bush operating in the Middle East, the Abraham Lincoln finally returning home after 311 days, and additional American surface warships positioned across surrounding waters, the Navy is continuing one of its most demanding sustained carrier operations in recent years.

Sunkist Fruit Gems are coming back.
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Just days after reports that the iconic kosher candy had been discontinued — prompting dismay, stockpiling and a frantic search for alternatives across the Jewish community — Sunkist announced that Fruit Gems will return to store shelves under a new manufacturer, with the company promising to preserve the familiar taste, quality and kosher certification.
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“We hear you, Sunkist Fruit Gems fans!” the company announced. “The good news: Sunkist Fruit Gems are not going anywhere. ”
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Sunkist said it has been working with a new family-owned candy manufacturer to resume production of the longtime favorite.
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“We’ve been working with a new trusted family owned candy maker to help us bring back the same great flavor, quality, kosher certification, and fruit-forward goodness you know and love.”
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The company cautioned that Fruit Gems will remain unavailable temporarily as the transition takes place, but indicated that the disappearance from shelves is expected to be short-lived.
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“While they’re temporarily unavailable, we’re aiming to have them back on shelves very soon.”
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“Thank you for your patience and continued support. We can’t wait to share more updates soon! ”
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The announcement brought an abrupt reversal to what had appeared only days earlier to be the end of a candy that has become deeply embedded in Jewish simchos across the United States.
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Fruit Gems had been discontinued earlier this year after Ferrara Candy Company, which owns Jelly Belly, determined that nationwide consumer demand was insufficient to continue producing them. News of the decision only became widely known last week, setting off a wave of reaction in Jewish communities where the individually wrapped, sugar-coated fruit candies have been a fixture for decades.
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The candies have achieved an unusual status in American Jewish life, particularly at aufrufs, bar mitzvahs and other simchos. Their combination of kosher certification, individual wrapping and relatively soft texture made them particularly suited to the longstanding custom of showering a chosson or bar mitzvah bochur with candy.
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For many shuls, Fruit Gems had effectively become the standard candy for the job.
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“There’s a lot of nostalgia with this product,” Dani Klein, founder of YeahThatsKosher, said as news of the discontinuation spread. “It’s a staple for the Jewish community. I can’t think of many bar or bat mitzvahs that I’ve attended where these candies were not thrown and given out.”
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Candy wholesaler Jon Prince, owner of CandyFavorites.com and McKeesport Candy Co., said remaining supplies had dwindled rapidly once word got out.
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“They’re an iconic American candy brand,” Prince said. As inventories disappeared, he observed, “They’ve gone from being a classic candy to being a collectible.”
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Some shuls and individuals began purchasing large quantities of the remaining Fruit Gems, fearing that once existing inventory was exhausted, the candy would disappear permanently.
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The shortage also sparked an immediate hunt for replacements, with other manufacturers and retailers promoting similar individually wrapped kosher fruit jellies as substitutes. Among the alternatives that surfaced were Sunsations Assorted Fruit Jel Candies, Lieber’s Fruit Jewels and newly introduced Fruit Gem-style products.
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But the reaction also demonstrated something the company may not have fully appreciated: Fruit Gems occupied a far more significant place within the Jewish community than their overall national sales figures suggested.
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Dani Klein said after the reversal that Sunkist “did not realize how integral” Fruit Gems were to Jewish communal life.
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“As long as they were able to find a way to make it work financially, which it looks like they did, they’re able to bring it back,” he said.
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Fruit Gems have a history stretching back more than seven decades. The candy was introduced in 1955 by the Los Angeles-based Ben Myerson Candy Company, which later entered into a licensing arrangement with Sunkist. The family-owned candy business eventually became part of Jelly Belly Candy Company in 2006.
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Jelly Belly itself was acquired by Ferrara in 2023. Ferrara is owned by the Ferrero Group, the international confectionery company behind numerous major candy brands.
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When the discontinuation became public, Ferrara attributed the decision to insufficient nationwide demand.
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“Believe it or not, it’s due to lack of consumer demands across the country,” a company representative said. “If something doesn’t perform, [the company] move[s] onto something else.”
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That explanation did little to console Jewish consumers, for whom Fruit Gems were hardly an obscure candy. In many American shuls, they had become almost synonymous with the custom of throwing sweets during a simcha.
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The tradition itself long predates Fruit Gems. The practice of throwing sweets at a chosson during an aufruf developed from older customs of showering a bride and groom with foods symbolizing sweetness, prosperity and blessing. Over time, candy became the preferred projectile, and Fruit Gems emerged as an especially practical choice because they were kosher, individually wrapped and soft.
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“We want the Torah to be sweet,” Rabbi Gershon Albert of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland explained while discussing the tradition. “So we throw it at our kids after they read from the Torah or share words of Torah with our community. We want them to feel that the Torah is sweet — but not painful, so we use something soft like the Sunkist.”
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The initial news of the candy’s demise prompted some amusing panic buying. Shuls and families placed bulk orders for whatever supplies remained, while consumers joked online about hoarding enough Fruit Gems to get through upcoming weddings and bar mitzvahs.
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One social-media user reacted to the announcement of the comeback by writing, “Thank you. It’s not an official simcha without Sunkist gummies being pelted at you full force by overenthusiastic 12-year-olds.”
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Another summed up the reversal somewhat differently: “Turns out, you can have your candy and chuck it too.”
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For those who rushed to stockpile the supposedly extinct candy, the announcement came with a little buyer’s remorse.
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“I may have bought 10 pounds last week,” one person acknowledged. “Anyone need a bridge stash?”
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Another wrote, “I panic-bought in bulk for my wedding next year. Now I feel foolish. But enjoying a bunch of very yummy gummies.”
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Sunkist has not yet announced the identity of its new family-owned manufacturing partner or provided a firm date for Fruit Gems to return to stores. The company’s statement also did not specify which kosher certification the relaunched product will carry, though it explicitly promised that kosher certification will be maintained.
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For now, the candies may remain difficult to find as old inventories disappear and the new manufacturer prepares to take over production.
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But after several days in which generations of Jewish simcha-goers contemplated a future without the familiar sugar-coated ammunition flying across the shul, Sunkist’s message was unequivocal: Fruit Gems are not finished.
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They are merely between manufacturers.

{Matzav.com}

More than 100 Israeli rioters descended on the Palestinian village of Jalud in the Shomron overnight Monday, setting fire to buildings and vehicles, blocking roads and hurling stones at Israeli security forces, leaving three Border Police officers lightly injured and preventing a Palestinian family from returning to its home.
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IDF and Border Police forces were dispatched to Jalud, near Shechem, as part of a coordinated operation intended to return the Palestinian family to a home it had previously left following repeated incidents of nationalist violence directed against the family.
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The operation could not be completed because of the violence that erupted as the security forces arrived.
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According to the IDF and Border Police, more than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village during the confrontation. Some blocked roads and set tires ablaze, while stones were thrown at the Israeli forces attempting to disperse the gathering.
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The violence then spread to Palestinian property, with rioters setting fire to buildings, vehicles and other possessions in the village.
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Three Border Police officers suffered light injuries during the clashes, and a security vehicle was damaged.
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Security forces used riot-dispersal measures to break up the gathering and restore order. Two suspects were arrested at the scene and transferred to the Judea and Samaria District Police for questioning.
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Police investigators and forensic teams were expected to enter the area under IDF protection to collect evidence, document the damage and take testimony as the investigation continued.
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The Palestinian family at the center of the incident had reportedly left its Jalud home in July following repeated harassment and violent incidents. Monday night’s operation had been coordinated by Israeli authorities to facilitate the family’s return.
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The area surrounding Jalud and nearby Qusra has been the scene of repeated violent incidents in recent weeks. In late August, IDF and Border Police forces were dispatched to Qusra after dozens of Israeli rioters entered the village and some barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while its residents were still inside.
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During that incident, a Palestinian woman was injured and evacuated for treatment by the Palestinian Red Crescent. Israeli security forces confiscated vehicles suspected of having been used by the rioters to reach the village and transferred evidence to police investigators.
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A day later, an NBC News crew reporting in Jalud was attacked along with a Palestinian woman whom the journalists were interviewing. According to video and accounts of the incident, masked Israelis armed with sticks assaulted the woman and three members of the television crew and damaged equipment and a vehicle.
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Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu condemned that attack at the time, referring to those responsible as “a handful of rioters.”
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Following Monday night’s violence, Israeli security officials issued another forceful condemnation, emphasizing that attacks on soldiers and police officers interfere directly with their ability to carry out security operations in the Shomron.
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The security establishment said that violence against security personnel, vandalism and attacks on property divert forces from their primary missions, undermine stability in the area and interfere with ongoing defensive and counterterrorism operations.

Five chareidi men were arrested in Yerushalayim early Tuesday morning after violent disturbances erupted near a large Sukkos gathering associated with Rav Shalom Arush, with police deploying stun grenades and a water cannon as dozens of people blocked the light rail tracks and surrounding roads.
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The unrest began at approximately 3 a.m. in the area of Chaim Bar-Lev Boulevard and Zaks Street, where a crowd gathered following turmoil at the nearby Sukkos event.
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According to police, dozens of people moved into the roadway, blocking both the light rail route and private vehicles and disrupting traffic through the area.
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Police alleged that members of the crowd then began throwing stones and other objects at officers who arrived at the scene.
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Yerushalayim District Police were joined by Border Police and riot-control units as the confrontations continued and spread into nearby streets.
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Police said officers attempted to disperse what they described as an unlawful gathering, but the disturbances continued.
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“Yerushalayim District Police officers, Border Police forces and riot-control units acted to disperse the unlawful gathering using a water cannon and stun grenades, after the rioters continued confronting police in the surrounding streets.”
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Footage from the scene showed stun grenades being used amid the crowd as security forces worked to clear the area.
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At the same time, police said they received a report of a separate serious violent incident inside the Sukkos gathering itself that endangered participants.
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Authorities did not immediately provide additional details about what allegedly occurred inside the compound or whether anyone was injured in that incident.
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{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump on Monday forcefully denied a report claiming that his administration had offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen assets in exchange for concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program, demanding that Axios withdraw what he called a “HOAX” story.
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Trump issued the denial on Truth Social shortly after Axios reported, based on unnamed U.S. officials, that Washington was prepared to consider economic incentives if Iran took concrete steps to curb its nuclear activities.
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“Axios just released a story that ‘Trump’ offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!” Trump wrote.
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Trump followed with an unusually direct demand that the news organization retract its report.
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“Axios’ story, like most others, is a HOAX, used only for purposes of satisfying their Trump Derangement Syndrome,” he added. “They should withdraw this fake story, IMMEDIATELY!”
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Axios subsequently updated its report to include Trump’s denial but did not withdraw the article. The outlet continued to report that U.S. officials had described potential sanctions relief and access to frozen Iranian funds as possible incentives if Tehran agreed to concrete nuclear concessions.
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The dispute emerged as Qatar and other mediators were conducting a new round of indirect diplomacy between Washington and Tehran in an effort to find a way out of the months-long war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi remained in New York following the United Nations General Assembly and held discussions with Qatari intermediaries. U.S. officials were separately communicating with the mediators as they considered an amended version of Iran’s latest proposal.
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One U.S. official characterized the indirect discussions as “positive and constructive,” while acknowledging that significant disagreements remained between Washington and Tehran.
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At the center of the dispute was the fundamental difference between the two sides over what should come first in any agreement. The Trump administration was pressing Iran for concrete steps involving its nuclear program, while Tehran was demanding relief from U.S. economic and military pressure and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran’s latest proposal called for a phased process under which hostilities would cease, billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets would be released, restrictions on Iranian oil exports would be lifted and the U.S. blockade would end. Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations over its nuclear program.
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Trump said that he had rejected the Iranian proposal, arguing that Tehran was seeking terms Washington was unwilling to accept.
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“We’re winning tremendously,” Trump said. “We have total control of the Hormuz Strait.”

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Israel’s Health Ministry ordered the immediate shutdown of all medical activity at the private Medica Tel Aviv medical center Monday evening after a surprise inspection uncovered serious violations in its operating rooms, including medical procedures allegedly performed by personnel who were not professionally authorized to carry them out.
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The sweeping closure order applied to the entire medical facility at 28 HaBarzel Street in Tel Aviv’s Ramat Hahayal neighborhood and was to remain in effect until further notice.
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The decision followed an unannounced inspection carried out by Health Ministry representatives last Thursday. According to the ministry, inspectors discovered multiple serious problems involving medical practices, operating-room procedures and patient safety.
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Among the most troubling findings were instances in which members of the medical staff allegedly performed procedures and treatments that exceeded the authority granted to them under their professional licenses and violated mandatory medical regulations.
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Israeli reports said that some of the findings involved nursing personnel performing surgical functions that were required to be carried out by qualified physicians.
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The Health Ministry said the violations could not be viewed as isolated problems, but rather reflected broader failures in the way the facility was being operated.
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“The totality of the findings indicates a profound systemic failure in the hospital’s operations, posing a serious and immediate danger to the well-being, health, and safety of patients.”
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In response to the inspection, the district physician issued an administrative closure order prohibiting all medical activity at Medica Tel Aviv until further notice.
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The breadth of the order was significant. Rather than restricting specific operating rooms or particular procedures, the ministry halted medical activity throughout the facility because of the seriousness of the findings.
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The Health Ministry also announced that senior figures connected with the institution would be summoned for an urgent hearing. Those expected to be called include Medica network management, the network’s owners and members of its board of directors.
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Authorities were also considering action against individual medical professionals and other officials believed to have exceeded the limits of their professional authority or participated in procedures conducted contrary to regulations.
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The Health Ministry said it “views with severity any deviation from the rules and authorities designed to ensure safe medical treatment” and indicated that it would use the enforcement tools available to it to protect patients.
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The shutdown represented the second major intervention by the Health Ministry involving the Medica network in a little more than two months.
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In July, inspectors conducted a separate surprise inspection at Medica Raphael, another private medical facility in northern Tel Aviv, and discovered serious problems involving its operating rooms.
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That inspection found improper procedures in the operating-room system and central sterile supply operations, as well as a significant shortage of personnel that the Health Ministry said had reached the point of endangering patient safety. Problems were also identified involving the handling of sterile medical instruments intended for surgery.
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The ministry responded at the time by ordering the immediate suspension of all activity in Medica Raphael’s operating rooms.
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Medica Raphael described the matter at the time as “an isolated incident that is being handled immediately and in full cooperation with the Ministry of Health” and said that the rest of the hospital continued functioning normally.
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Several weeks later, after the facility took corrective measures, the Health Ministry partially lifted the closure order and permitted Medica Raphael to gradually resume surgical activity.
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Initially, four of the hospital’s nine operating rooms were permitted to reopen for major surgery after ministry officials determined that the required deficiencies had been addressed. Management also committed to complying fully with licensing conditions and remaining within the scope of its authorized medical activity.
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The latest case involving Medica Tel Aviv, however, resulted in a broader response. While July’s order at Medica Raphael was directed at the operating rooms, Monday’s order halted all medical activity at the HaBarzel Street facility.
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The nature of the latest findings was also different, with the Health Ministry specifically identifying medical procedures allegedly performed outside the professional authority of those carrying them out.
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The ministry’s decision to summon the network’s management, owners and board members for a hearing, while simultaneously considering disciplinary and individual action against medical personnel, indicated that the investigation would extend beyond correcting physical or procedural deficiencies at the facility.
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For the Medica network, the closure marked another serious regulatory setback only weeks after surgical operations at Medica Raphael had been permitted to resume following its own surprise inspection.
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Medica Tel Aviv was ordered to remain closed to medical activity until further notice, with any resumption of operations dependent upon further action and approval by the Health Ministry.

Israel summoned Spain’s top diplomat in the country for a formal reprimand Monday after Spanish Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego declared that Spanish society supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” triggering another sharp escalation in the already badly strained relationship between Yerushalayim and Madrid.
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Spanish chargé d’affaires Francisca Pedrós was called to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, where Israeli officials lodged a formal protest over Rego’s remarks. Israel and Spain have been represented at the chargé d’affaires level amid the deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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Rego made the remarks at an event in Madrid attended by Palestinian Ambassador to Spain Fadi Elhusseini. During her address, she defended Spain’s approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pointed to steps Madrid has taken against Israel, including its recognition of a Palestinian state and measures involving arms sales.
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Rego had asserted that the Spanish public supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea,” a slogan referring to the territory stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel and many Jewish organizations have long condemned the slogan as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state, while some pro-Palestinian activists maintain that they use it as a call for Palestinian freedom.
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The Foreign Ministry said Rego’s latest comments were part of what it described as a broader pattern by the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, accusing Madrid of pursuing a “systematic anti-Israel policy”.
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Israeli officials also pointed to Rego’s reaction following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, noting that she refused to condemn the attack and made statements defending what she characterized as Palestinian resistance.
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Israel subsequently barred Rego from entering the country in September 2025. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz was also barred from entering Israel as relations between the two governments deteriorated further.
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“The Spanish government has lost its moral compass,” the Foreign Ministry said, accusing Madrid of turning Israel into “a punching bag for its foreign policy.”
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The ministry further accused the Spanish government of embracing a position that “entails the destruction of the State of Israel” while simultaneously condemning Israel for defending itself against Iran and Hamas.
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The latest confrontation was another chapter in a diplomatic dispute that has intensified steadily since the October 7 massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza.
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In November 2023, Israel summoned Spain’s ambassador after Sánchez accused Israel of violating international law and carrying out indiscriminate attacks in Gaza.
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“Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza.”
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Several months later, in April 2024, Sánchez again sharply criticized Israel’s military campaign, describing its response to the Hamas attack as “disproportionate” and warning that it could “destabilize the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world”.
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Tensions increased further the following month when Spain formally recognized a Palestinian state. Sánchez’s government maintained that the move was intended to advance a two-state solution and was not directed against Israel.
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Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares subsequently called for international sanctions against Israel over its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, further straining ties between Madrid and Yerushalayim.
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Relations reached another low point in 2025 when Sánchez announced additional measures against Israel, including steps to strengthen Spain’s arms embargo. Israel responded by banning Rego and Díaz from entering the country.
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The dispute has extended beyond traditional diplomacy. Spain boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest because Israel was participating, a decision Sánchez defended by saying that Spain was on “the right side of history”.
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Sánchez also publicly supported FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal after the soccer star displayed a Palestine Liberation Organization flag during celebrations following the club’s La Liga championship.
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Monday’s reprimand of Spain’s chargé d’affaires underscored the extent of the diplomatic rupture between the two countries. With relations already severely strained and both governments having taken retaliatory measures against the other, Rego’s “from the river to the sea” remarks opened yet another front in the increasingly bitter dispute between Israel and Spain.

Health officials in the Tampa Bay area have declared local states of emergency amid a major outbreak of dengue fever, with Florida reporting 190 cases this year and confirming the death of an elderly woman from the mosquito-borne disease.
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The declarations were issued in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties as officials intensified efforts to control mosquitoes and urged residents to eliminate standing water around their homes.
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Dengue is a viral infection transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The illness is sometimes known as “breakbone fever” because of the severe muscle, bone and joint pain that can accompany an infection.
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While dengue has traditionally been far more prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions outside the continental United States, Florida has experienced a sharp increase in cases this year.
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The Florida Department of Health has recorded 190 cases in 2026, making it the state’s second-highest annual total on record. Only 2023, when 199 cases were reported, had a higher number.
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The increase has been particularly pronounced compared with 2025, when Florida recorded 62 dengue cases. The current total is therefore more than three times the number reported during all of last year.
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“This is wildly unusual for us,” a Hillsborough County spokesperson told ABC News.
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The outbreak has also resulted in at least one confirmed death. An elderly woman died after contracting dengue, according to health officials.
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Dengue infections can range from mild or even asymptomatic cases to severe illness. Typical symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rash. A smaller percentage of patients develop severe dengue, which can cause internal bleeding, shock and, in rare cases, death.
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Officials have been particularly concerned about the conditions that have allowed mosquito populations to thrive. Florida’s persistent heat, periods of heavy rainfall and humid climate create favorable breeding conditions, while the state’s extensive travel connections with areas where dengue is endemic can provide opportunities for the virus to be introduced into local mosquito populations.
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Florida’s proximity and extensive travel links to Puerto Rico have also been cited as factors contributing to the risk. Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean have experienced substantial dengue activity, while the virus also circulates widely across Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Pacific island nations.
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Most dengue cases diagnosed in the United States have historically involved people who became infected while traveling abroad. Local transmission occurs when a mosquito in the United States bites an infected person and subsequently transmits the virus to another person.
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Health authorities in the affected Tampa Bay counties urged residents to take immediate steps to reduce mosquito breeding around their properties. Residents were advised to empty standing water from buckets, garbage cans, gutters, flowerpots and other outdoor containers where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
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Officials also advised homeowners to keep swimming pools properly maintained and chlorinated and to report significant mosquito activity to local mosquito-control agencies.
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Residents were encouraged to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing clothing that covers exposed skin when practical and ensuring that doors and windows have intact screens.
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The outbreak comes amid broader concern about the expanding geographic reach of mosquito-borne diseases. Health experts have warned that warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can lengthen mosquito seasons and create conditions in which mosquito populations capable of transmitting dengue can flourish.
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The current outbreak is especially notable because large dengue outbreaks have historically been uncommon in the continental United States. The last major U.S. outbreak outside the Texas-Mexico border region occurred in 2009.
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Florida, however, has experienced sporadic locally acquired dengue cases and outbreaks over the years, particularly in areas where the mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus are established.
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With 190 infections already recorded this year, officials continued mosquito-control operations across the affected counties while urging residents to take precautions and eliminate potential breeding sites around their homes.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States was closing in on victory in its war with Iran, declaring that his decision to confront Tehran prevented what he described as the potentially catastrophic consequences of a nuclear-armed Iranian regime.
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he expected the conflict to be resolved quickly, even as U.S. and Iranian officials continued communicating separately with mediators in an effort to find a path toward ending the war.
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“We’re going to win, as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to ‌be ⁠one way or the other,” Trump said, adding, “It’s going ⁠to go pretty quickly.”
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Trump also predicted that energy prices, which have risen sharply amid the conflict and disruptions to shipping in the region, would fall significantly once the war ended, saying gasoline prices would “come tumbling down” following an American victory.
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The president used his remarks Monday to again defend his decision to enter the war, arguing that the overriding objective was preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
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“If you want to see turmoil, let them take out a city with a nuclear weapon. I’m not only talking about Israel and big parts of the Middle East. Let them hit us with a nuclear weapon, for all those stupid people that think it’s okay,” said Trump.

Trump described Iran’s leadership in particularly stark terms as he insisted that allowing Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons was never an acceptable option.
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“They are crazy. There’s no question about it. They are very crazy people. I tell them all the time. I say, ‘You are crazy, man.’ But they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
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Trump said that concern was at the heart of his decision to commit the United States to military action against Iran.
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“I went to war to stop what could be one of the worst things that could ever happen to the world – to us, but to the world,” Trump continued. “Israel would be wiped out right now. There would be no Israel, there’d be no Middle East, and then the rockets and the bombs would start coming our way and Europe’s way. And I stopped it.”
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Trump’s comments came as diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes despite a wide gap between Washington and Tehran over the terms of any agreement.
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U.S. and Iranian officials held separate discussions with mediators Monday in the latest attempt to end the seven-month conflict. Qatar has played a central role in carrying messages between the two governments, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meeting with Qatari mediators in New York.
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The discussions centered on an amended version of a seven-day proposal Iran presented during the United Nations General Assembly. Under Tehran’s proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and nuclear negotiations would resume within a week if Washington agreed to a series of Iranian demands.
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Those demands included ending the U.S. naval blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports, unfreezing Iranian assets and restoring a ceasefire. Washington, however, has insisted that Iran’s nuclear program and uranium stockpile must be addressed as part of any broader agreement rather than left for later negotiations.
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Trump rejected Iran’s initial proposal Saturday, with U.S. officials arguing that Tehran was seeking major concessions up front while offering only a commitment to negotiate afterward.
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Iranian officials, meanwhile, sent mixed signals Monday about the status of the diplomatic effort. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s delegation in New York had no plans for direct negotiations with the United States, while Araghchi continued discussions with Qatari intermediaries.
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The disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the principal obstacles to an agreement. Washington has sought guarantees preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and has pressed for inspections and restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. Iranian leaders have maintained that the country is entitled to a civilian nuclear program and have resisted American demands they regard as infringing on that right.
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Trump had delivered a similar assessment of the war Sunday, saying that the military and economic pressure being applied to Tehran had already dramatically weakened the regime.
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“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon,” he said, adding that stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was “key to the whole thing.”
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“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” the President added, while making clear that U.S. military operations were not necessarily over.
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In additional remarks Sunday, Trump said the United States was succeeding both militarily and economically against Iran, pointing to the severe deterioration of the Iranian economy and currency as evidence of the pressure facing Tehran.
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At the same time, Trump refused to guarantee that the United States would refrain from carrying out additional military strikes before the November midterm elections.
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“I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that,” he said.
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Iran, for its part, has publicly warned that it remains prepared for a prolonged confrontation if negotiations fail. Araghchi said over the weekend that Tehran was prepared for a “doomsday war,” even while maintaining that Iran remained open to a diplomatic resolution.
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The current negotiations follow contacts last week in New York involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Araghchi, with Qatar serving as an intermediary. Those exchanges produced Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations within seven days if its conditions were accepted.
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The Strait of Hormuz has become a central focus of efforts to end the conflict because disruptions to shipping through the strategic waterway have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. The narrow passage is one of the world’s most important routes for oil and natural gas shipments, making the dispute a concern extending far beyond the United States, Iran and Israel.
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Trump has repeatedly argued that the combination of American military pressure and Iran’s deteriorating economic position will ultimately force Tehran to accept terms that permanently prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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For the president, however, Monday’s message was that whatever diplomatic negotiations ultimately produce, the fundamental objective of the war remains unchanged: Iran cannot be permitted to possess a nuclear weapon, and Trump maintains that his decision to go to war prevented precisely that outcome.

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher sought Monday to shut down speculation over the party’s willingness to help establish a government headed by Gadi Eisenkot, declaring that UTJ’s position will be determined by one overriding issue: securing the status of bnei yeshivos.
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“United Torah Judaism has no desire to bring down or crown anyone, and we do not act out of revenge or other interests,” Asher said.
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According to Asher, the party’s position is dictated by the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel, rather than by loyalty to or opposition toward any particular candidate for prime minister.
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“The only thing that guides us is the instruction of the Gedolei Yisrael, according to which United Torah Judaism, with all its components, will not support or enter any government without regulating the status of Torah learners,” Asher said.
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The statement followed reports that senior figures in Ger believe Agudas Yisroel chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf could abstain rather than vote against a minority government headed by Eisenkot.
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Those reports fueled intense political speculation that Agudas Yisroel could be preparing to break from the political alignment it has maintained with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in recent years, particularly following the bitter dispute over the failure to pass legislation protecting bnei yeshivos from the draft.
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Goldknopf responded to the reports by emphasizing that Agudas Yisroel would not assist any future government unless its demands on the draft issue are met.
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“Agudat Yisrael will not support the establishment of a government and will not provide outside support to any government without resolving the status of yeshiva students and passing a draft law without sanctions and without quotas,” Goldknopf said.
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The wording of the statement did not specifically rule out Eisenkot or any other candidate for prime minister. Instead, Goldknopf placed the focus squarely on the draft law and the status of bnei yeshivos.
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That distinction has become particularly significant because Eisenkot has taken a sharply different position on the draft issue. He has repeatedly said that broadening military service will be a fundamental condition for a government he heads and has said that he would prefer another election rather than compromise on the issue.
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The two positions therefore leave a substantial gap between Eisenkot and the chareidi parties even as reports continue to raise the possibility of new political alignments after the election.
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The controversy erupted after reports attributed to senior figures in Ger suggested that Goldknopf would not necessarily vote against an Eisenkot minority government. According to those reports, he could instead abstain, potentially making it easier for such a government to receive the confidence of the Knesset.
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An abstention would be politically significant because an incoming Israeli government does not necessarily require 61 affirmative votes if fewer than 120 MKs vote for or against it. Abstentions can therefore affect the balance between supporters and opponents during a confidence vote.
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At the same time, neither Goldknopf nor Asher has announced that UTJ would facilitate an Eisenkot government. Their public statements instead establish the draft issue as the condition that would have to be resolved before the party would support or enter any future coalition.
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Asher’s statement is also significant because it was issued in the name of United Torah Judaism as a whole, amid deep internal divisions within the chareidi political establishment and the widening dispute inside Agudas Yisroel itself.
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The message from Asher was that personalities and longstanding political alliances will not determine the party’s position following the election. According to his statement, the decisive issue will be whether a prospective government agrees to protect the status of those learning Torah in accordance with the directives of the Gedolei Yisroel.
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With coalition calculations already dominating Israel’s political campaign, the declaration adds another major condition to the formation of the next government: for United Torah Judaism, Asher says, there will be no coalition support without first resolving the status of bnei yeshivos.

{Matzav.com}

Light rail service in Yerushalayim was partially suspended Monday after an electrical cable was damaged near the Monster Park area, disrupting service during a busy travel period and forcing passengers to rely on replacement bus routes.
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Maintenance crews were dispatched to repair the damaged cable and worked at the site in accordance with the required safety procedures. During the disruption, light rail trains operated only between Neve Yaakov North and Denya Square.
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Passengers traveling toward Hadassah Ein Kerem, or heading from the hospital toward central Yerushalayim, were directed to alternative bus services.
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For passengers traveling toward Hadassah Ein Kerem, several replacement options were made available from the Hechalutz stop on Ish Shalom Road at the corner of Farbstein Street. Routes 27 and 27A served stops from Yefeh Nof through Hadassah Ein Kerem, Route 33 operated to Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl, Route 35 served stops between Yefeh Nof and Monster Park, Routes 91 and 505 traveled to Yefeh Nof, and Route 16 was available for passengers heading to Har Herzl.
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For those traveling in the opposite direction, Route 27 operated from Hadassah Ein Kerem to Denya Square. Route 19 served the route from Hadassah Ein Kerem through Monster Park and continued toward the downtown area at Davidka. Route 35 operated from Monster Park to Denya Square, while Route 16 ran from Har Herzl on Hapisgah Street and Yefeh Nof to Denya Square. Route 91 also operated between Yefeh Nof and Denya Square.
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Additional replacement service was made available from the Central Bus Station. Routes 27 and 27A traveled from the station through Kiryat Moshe, Hechalutz, Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl before continuing to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Route 39 served Kiryat Moshe, Yefeh Nof and Har Herzl.
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In the direction from Hadassah Ein Kerem, Route 27 operated to the Central Bus Station, while Route 19 ran through Monster Park and continued to Davidka in the city center. Route 35 operated from Monster Park to Hechalutz, Route 39 from Yefeh Nof to the Central Bus Station, Route 16 from Har Herzl through Yefeh Nof and Denya Square to Hechalutz, and Route 91 from Yefeh Nof through Denya Square to Hechalutz.
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Officials said at the time that full light rail service would resume once repairs to the damaged electrical infrastructure were completed.

The escalating internal battle within Agudas Yisroel spilled into the streets Sunday night when MK Meir Porush was physically attacked by a group of individuals following a Simchas Bais Hashoeivah in Kiryat Gat.

Porush had attended the Simchas Bais Hashoeivah of the Kretschnif chassidus, where he was seated prominently at the mizrach alongside the Kretschnifer Rebbe. According to reports, shortly after the event concluded and Porush left the gathering, a group that had been waiting outside confronted and attacked him.

The incident reportedly was not spontaneous. According to Kikar HaShabbat, messages had circulated beforehand on internal communication lines identified with the Ger chassidus calling on people to come to the location because Porush would be attending the event.

The confrontation comes amid an extraordinary rupture within Agudas Yisroel following the establishment of Chomas Toras Yisroel, the new political faction formed by Porush, representing Shlomei Emunim, together with Belzer representative Eliakim Stark.

Earlier Sunday, Porush participated in a founding gathering for the new faction in Bnei Brak, where representatives of the participating communities gathered as the new political framework moves forward ahead of the elections.

Stark addressed the gathering and spoke sharply about what he described as the failures of the existing political leadership in protecting the Torah world.

“We did not succeed in the most basic mission, of protecting yeshiva students and kollel avreichim,” Stark said, calling for renewed unity around a political approach aimed at protecting the Olam HaTorah.

The creation of Chomas Toras Yisroel represents one of the most significant internal changes within United Torah Judaism in decades. Under the new arrangement, Porush and Stark are operating through a separate political framework while remaining part of the broader United Torah Judaism list.

The move followed months of mounting friction within Agudas Yisroel, particularly between Porush and figures associated with Ger, over control of party finances, representation and the allocation of political resources.

In an interview ahead of Sukkos, Porush publicly explained why he believed the split had become necessary.

“What happened with the handling of the funds in Agudat Yisrael, public funds that belong to the public, is something that is forbidden to do and that I could no longer remain silent about,” Porush said.

According to Porush, the dispute stretches back years.

“For years, and essentially since the changing of the guard, when my late father resigned from his activities in the leadership of Agudat Yisrael, all the funds were controlled by one individual, who was appointed by the Central Faction,” he said.

Porush alleged that the arrangement resulted in “a completely illogical allocation of party resources, an unfair distribution of positions, and more.”

The bitter dispute over the new faction has unfolded alongside another controversy involving the future political direction of Agudas Yisroel.

Recent reports have claimed that figures within Ger have been considering how the faction would respond to the possible formation of a government headed by Gadi Eisenkot. One report claimed that Yitzchok Goldknopf might abstain rather than vote against an Eisenkot-led minority government, fueling speculation that elements within Agudas Yisroel could move away from their longstanding political alignment with Netanyahu.

Goldknopf subsequently responded by setting out conditions for Agudas Yisroel’s participation in or support for any government.

“Agudat Yisrael will not support the establishment of a government and will not provide outside support to any government without resolving the status of yeshiva students and passing a draft law without sanctions and without quotas,” Goldknopf said.

UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher similarly sought to distance the party from speculation that its decisions would be driven by personalities or political retaliation.

“United Torah Judaism has no desire to bring down or crown anyone, and we do not act out of revenge or other interests,” Asher said.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu holds an overwhelming advantage over his political rivals among Israel’s chareidi population, with 84% of respondents in a new poll naming him as the person best suited to serve as prime minister.
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The survey, conducted among the chareidi public and analyzed by veteran pollster Shlomo Filber, found that Netanyahu towers over every other potential candidate for the premiership, with none of his rivals reaching even 5%.
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Gadi Eisenkot finished a distant second with 4% support. Benny Gantz received just 1%, Naftali Bennett registered 0.8%, and Avigdor Lieberman received only 0.2%.
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The results are particularly striking in light of the severe political tensions that have developed between the chareidi parties and Netanyahu’s government over the status of bnei yeshivos and the ongoing battle surrounding a new draft law.
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Despite those disputes, the survey suggests that anger over the draft issue has not translated into significant support among chareidim for any of Netanyahu’s leading political opponents.
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The findings also demonstrate the enormous gap between Netanyahu’s standing among chareidim and that of the politicians seeking to replace him. Eisenkot, who has emerged as a significant challenger to Netanyahu in national polling, managed just 4% among the chareidi respondents surveyed.
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Bennett fared even worse, receiving less than 1%, while Gantz registered only 1%.
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Lieberman, whose longstanding battles with the chareidi parties and positions on religion-and-state issues have made him deeply unpopular within the community, finished at the bottom with just 0.2%.
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The survey comes at a particularly sensitive moment in chareidi politics. The crisis surrounding the draft of bnei yeshivos has strained the longstanding alliance between Netanyahu and the chareidi parties and has prompted increasing discussion about whether that political partnership will continue in its traditional form following the next election.
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Recent reports have even raised the possibility that elements within Agudas Yisroel could take a different approach to the formation of a future government if the issue of bnei yeshivos remains unresolved.
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The new numbers, however, indicate that whatever disagreements may exist between chareidi political leaders and Netanyahu, the prime minister personally remains far more acceptable to chareidi respondents than any of the alternatives presented in the survey.
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The poll should not be confused with a Knesset voting survey. Chareidi voters traditionally cast their ballots overwhelmingly for the sector’s own parties, primarily Shas and United Torah Judaism. The question here concerned whom respondents believe is best suited to serve as prime minister, rather than which party they intend to support.
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That distinction makes the findings especially revealing about attitudes toward Israel’s political leadership. Even chareidi voters who intend to support their traditional parties appear, according to the survey, to overwhelmingly prefer Netanyahu to the other candidates when it comes to who should lead the country.
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The extraordinarily low numbers recorded by Netanyahu’s rivals also indicate that none has thus far succeeded in establishing himself as a serious alternative within the chareidi community.
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The survey therefore presents a striking political picture: despite the upheaval surrounding the draft law, the tensions between the government and the chareidi parties, and continuing uncertainty over future political alliances, Netanyahu retains an enormous advantage among chareidi respondents, with 84% choosing him over every other contender for the premiership.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Iran is approaching a critical economic breaking point, predicting that within approximately two weeks the Islamic Republic will complete its remaining oil deliveries to China and be left with virtually nothing to trade as the Trump administration intensifies its economic blockade and sanctions campaign against Tehran.
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Bessent said Sunday that only about 15 million barrels of Iranian oil remain aboard ships awaiting delivery, arguing that once those shipments reach China, Tehran will lose one of its final major sources of international trade and revenue.
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“I am confident, given that there’s only 15 million more barrels of Iranian oil on the water, that Iran will have nothing left to trade for anything,” Bessent told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
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“Probably within the next two weeks, they are going to make their final deliveries of oil to China, and then they will have nothing,” Bessent added. “It is an empty set. And I believe that they are feeling the pressure here, and that’s why they want a deal.”
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Bessent attributed Iran’s worsening economic position to the administration’s broader maximum-pressure campaign, including what the Treasury Department has dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, an effort aimed at isolating Tehran from international banking, trade, transportation and other economic channels.
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The campaign intensified after the collapse of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year. The United States subsequently imposed a sweeping maritime blockade aimed at preventing goods and oil from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
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In his Sunday interview, Bessent offered a broader account of the pressure campaign than he had previously provided, saying it began with the Trump administration’s renewed maximum-pressure policy in the spring of 2025.
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He pointed to the collapse of Iran’s currency as one measure of the economic damage, saying the rial had been trading at approximately 800,000 to the dollar when the campaign began and had since fallen to roughly 2.4 million.
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Bessent also said the economic campaign followed six weeks of U.S. military action that inflicted extensive damage on Iran’s armed forces and industrial infrastructure. He claimed Iran had lost its air force and navy, suffered major damage to its missile and drone capabilities, and seen 85% to 90% of its factories destroyed. Those figures were presented by Bessent during the interview and have not been independently confirmed.
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The Treasury secretary said the military campaign was followed by what President Trump has described as a “wall of steel” — a blockade intended to prevent both exports and imports from reaching Iran.
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Bessent emphasized that Iran’s dependence on imported gasoline has become particularly damaging despite the country possessing some of the world’s largest energy reserves. He said fuel shortages and gasoline lines are now adding to the economic pressure on the Iranian population and government.
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The Treasury Department has simultaneously targeted the financial networks that Washington says allow Iran to circumvent sanctions. Bessent said three banks have already been shut down through the campaign and warned foreign institutions that the United States is identifying entities continuing to assist Tehran.
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He said Washington now has expanded authorities targeting cryptocurrency transactions, airlines, maritime activity and other mechanisms that Iran could use to conduct business outside the traditional banking system.
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Bessent further claimed that Chinese assistance to Iran has been substantially reduced, disputing suggestions that Beijing continues to provide Tehran with significant military and economic support.
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The economic pressure comes as Iranian officials seek a new agreement with Washington. Tehran recently proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as part of a broader arrangement that would require U.S. concessions, including easing the blockade, lifting oil sanctions and releasing approximately $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Iran has also sought a halt to hostilities as part of the proposal.
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President Trump rejected the proposal as presented, although both Washington and Tehran have continued to signal that diplomatic negotiations remain possible. Mediators, including Qatar, have been working to facilitate indirect discussions between the two governments.
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Bessent rejected Iran’s portrayal of reopening the Strait of Hormuz as a major concession, arguing that commercial shipping is already moving through the strategic waterway.
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“The straits are open,” Bessent insisted. “We’re averaging now 15 to 22 million barrels a day… It was at about 20 [million] pre-conflict.”
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According to Bessent, the United States has succeeded in preventing Iranian oil exports while allowing substantial quantities of oil from other producers to continue moving through the waterway.
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The Strait of Hormuz has nevertheless remained a major source of global economic uncertainty throughout the conflict. In peacetime, roughly one-fifth of internationally traded oil and natural gas passes through the narrow waterway, making disruptions there capable of producing significant movements in global energy markets.
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Shipping through the strait has faced disruptions since early March amid Iranian attacks on vessels and the wider military confrontation. The Trump administration says U.S. forces have maintained a protected shipping route near Oman to allow commercial traffic to continue.
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Washington is also looking beyond the immediate confrontation with Iran. The United States has reportedly proposed a multibillion-dollar initiative with Arab allies to strengthen alternative energy transportation infrastructure and reduce the region’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, including new pipeline capacity that could lessen Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil supplies.
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Despite President Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s latest proposal, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have maintained that Iran remains prepared to negotiate under acceptable conditions. Tehran says it will not negotiate under coercion and wants Washington to fulfill commitments Iran says were included in the failed earlier agreement.
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Bessent, however, argued that Iran’s renewed interest in negotiations is itself evidence that the economic campaign is succeeding.
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“They are isolated from the world,” Bessent said. “They are a pariah state. And my job is to make sure that, when they come with a deal, that they want to stick to it. They did not stick to the MOU.”
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The Treasury secretary said any future agreement would ultimately be President Trump’s decision, while predicting that Iran’s worsening economic condition would make Tehran less able to walk away from another accord.
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“Next time, if there is a deal, and that’s at President Trump’s discretion, they will stick to it, because they are on their knees.”

President Donald Trump is urging his MAGA supporters to turn out for Republican candidates in the November midterm elections as though his own name were on the ballot, while pledging to personally use his political influence and financial resources to help GOP candidates during the campaign’s final five weeks.
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Trump issued the appeal Monday morning on Truth Social as Republicans fight to preserve their narrow majority in the House and their control of the Senate.
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“MAGA, pretend I am on the ballot,” Trump wrote. “Don’t let them open your Borders, and allow crime to again flourish. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!!!”
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The message came as Trump praised Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, following Roberts’ television appearance Monday morning, during which he pushed back against recent assessments suggesting that Republicans are facing increasingly difficult political conditions heading into Election Day.
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“The topic was Fake Polls and how well the Republicans are going to do in the upcoming Midterms,” Trump wrote.
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Trump also made clear that he plans to become personally involved in helping Republican candidates across the country during the final stretch of the campaign.
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“I’ll be out there spending money, and helping every one of them get elected,” Trump said. “I won most of these places, often by a landslide.”
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Roberts challenged increasingly pessimistic assessments of Republican prospects, arguing that Washington political analysts have repeatedly been wrong and that individual congressional races remain highly competitive.
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He described control of the House as a “jump ball” and argued that analysts could be underestimating conservative turnout. Roberts also disputed predictions of major Republican difficulties in Senate contests, pointing to several races where he believes GOP candidates can remain competitive.
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Trump’s push comes just days after the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted its ratings in 15 House races toward Democrats, reflecting what its analysts described as an increasingly favorable political environment for Democrats.
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Two Republican-held districts — Arizona’s 1st Congressional District and New Jersey’s 7th — were moved from Toss Up to Lean Democrat.
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Three additional GOP-held seats, including the Texas district represented by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, moved into the Toss Up category.
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Following the changes, Cook currently places 208 House races in the Democratic column and 205 in the Republican column, with 22 contests rated Toss Ups. Of those 22 Toss Ups, 17 are Republican-held seats and five are Democratic-held seats.
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Republicans, however, enter the final stretch with a substantial financial advantage at the congressional campaign committee level.
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The National Republican Congressional Committee finished August with $89 million in cash on hand, compared with $76 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, giving Republicans a roughly $13 million advantage.
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The $13 million edge is the largest the NRCC has held over its Democratic counterpart at this stage of an election cycle.
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Republicans have also begun putting that money to work across the House battlefield. As of Sept. 18, the NRCC had spent approximately $16.9 million on advertising across 39 districts, compared with roughly $3.7 million spent by the DCCC across 13 districts.
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Cook House analyst Erin Covey has said the current environment points to a Democratic gain of between five and 15 seats, although that assessment could change substantially during the remaining weeks of the campaign.
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Trump, however, is signaling that he intends to make himself a central part of the GOP’s closing argument.
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His request that supporters behave as though he personally were on the ballot reflects one of the Republican Party’s major challenges in a midterm election: motivating voters who strongly support Trump to participate even though the president himself is not standing for election.
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With Election Day approaching and control of Congress hinging on a relatively small number of competitive districts, Trump indicated Monday that he plans to put his money, political organization and personal appeal behind Republican candidates.
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“I’ll be out there spending money, and helping every one of them get elected,” Trump said.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki is blasting the state’s decision to end the requirement that students pass Regents exams to receive a high school diploma, accusing education officials of lowering academic standards rather than confronting failing schools.
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The New York Board of Regents voted earlier this month to move forward with a sweeping overhaul of the state’s graduation system. Beginning with students graduating in 2028, passing a prescribed set of Regents exams will no longer be required for a diploma. The exams themselves are not being abolished and will continue to be administered, including where required under federal law, but they will no longer serve as a separate graduation hurdle.
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Pataki, the three-term Republican governor who served from 1995 through 2006 and whose administration helped make Regents exams a statewide graduation requirement, condemned the change in unusually sharp terms.
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“Getting rid of the Regents is incredibly stupid,” said George Pataki, the Republican three-term New York governor from 1995 through 2006, to The Post.
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“It seems like the Education Department’s main function right now is to disguise the fact that too many New York State schools are failing to educate our kids,” Pataki said.
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“So instead of doing the appropriate testing so that corrective measures could be taken to improve [performance], they simply get rid of the tests to hide their failure.”
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“This is really a sad day for New York.”
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The change is part of the State Education Department’s “NY Inspires” initiative, a multiyear restructuring of New York’s high school graduation system. State officials say the goal is to measure student achievement through a broader range of academic work and demonstrated skills instead of making passage of a specific series of standardized exams a prerequisite for receiving a diploma.
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The state’s plan calls for moving away from the existing system of local, Regents and Regents with Advanced Designation diplomas and eventually replacing them with a single New York State high school diploma. Students will still be able to distinguish themselves through seals and endorsements, including a replacement for the current Advanced Designation.
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Under the current system, students generally must earn the required credits and satisfy assessment requirements that include English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, along with an additional pathway requirement.
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Those assessment requirements became a central part of New York’s graduation system during Pataki’s administration, when Richard Mills served as state education commissioner. Current 12th graders are expected to be the final graduating class required to satisfy the existing Regents testing requirements.
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Students graduating beginning in 2028 will no longer have to pass Regents exams to earn their diplomas, although the tests will remain available and will continue to play a role in measuring academic performance.
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The Education Department says districts will instead use broader local assessment strategies incorporating multiple forms of evidence, potentially including classroom assessments, student work, performance-based learning, teacher observations and state examinations.
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The overhaul does not mean that students will simply receive diplomas without academic requirements. The state says existing credit requirements will initially remain, while later phases of the initiative will introduce additional requirements and eventually move toward a competency-based graduation system.
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Full implementation of the new competency-based model is scheduled to begin with students entering ninth grade in the fall of 2029. Under that framework, students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in state learning standards as well as a broader set of competencies.
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Pataki, however, argues that eliminating the requirement to pass Regents exams removes an important statewide benchmark and makes it more difficult to identify schools that are failing to properly educate their students.
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He also invoked the recent controversy surrounding New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones and the Brooklyn public school her daughter attended, arguing that struggling schools demonstrate why New York should be strengthening rather than weakening objective measures of student achievement.
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“This is a disgrace,” Pataki said.
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“The next time Democrats talk about income inequality, ask them how their subservience to the teachers union is helping low income minority kids get a step up in life,” he said.
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The issue is also spilling into the 2026 gubernatorial campaign, where education policy has become another dividing line between Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
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“We pay the highest taxes in the nation under Kathy Hochul, yet too many of our children are still not getting the results they deserve,” Blakeman said in a statement. “Taxpayers and students deserve higher standards, stronger schools and real accountability for the enormous amount of money New York spends on education.
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The Board of Regents, rather than the governor, has direct authority over state education policy and graduation requirements. Its 17 members are elected by the state Legislature, where Democrats hold majorities. Hochul therefore does not appoint the Regents or directly control their decisions, although the governor wields substantial influence over education policy through the state budget and legislation.
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Hochul has nevertheless expressed reservations about the decision and particularly about the uncertainty surrounding what will replace the current graduation standards.
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“Governor Hochul shares the concerns many New Yorkers have raised about the decision to eliminate the current standards for earning a high school diploma and the lack of clarity about what will replace them,” a Hochul rep said Sunday.
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“While this decision rests with the independent State Education Department, she believes strongly that a New York diploma must remain a meaningful credential that students, families, colleges and employers can trust. The Board of Regents have a responsibility to preserve academic rigor and ensure clear, consistent graduation standards across the state.”
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State education officials fired back forcefully at Pataki, accusing him of attacking an education system in which he has not been closely involved for decades.
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“We understand former Governor George Pataki has not been engaged in the education landscape since 1998 when he signed the law creating charter schools,” the state DOE said. “While he’s entitled to his political opinion, it is not reflective of the current climate and support educators statewide are providing the Department through ongoing stakeholder engagement.”
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“We are committed to ensuring every New York student, not simply students fortunate enough to attend a particular school, has access to rigorous teaching and meaningful ways to demonstrate what they know and can do.”
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The Education Department says its new approach could incorporate portfolios, long-term projects, problem-solving exercises and other methods of demonstrating academic competency rather than relying predominantly on standardized testing.
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The state also says students under the new system will be expected to develop information-literacy skills and learn to “recognize misinformation, distinguish fact from opinion, evaluate sources, and identify claims that are presented without important context.”
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“We are far more interested in equity, academic rigor, and preparing New York’s students for the future than in preserving the education politics of the 1990s,” the SED said.
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Education officials also took a personal swipe at Pataki, pointing out that the statewide Regents graduation mandate he is defending did not exist when he attended high school.
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“It’s also worth noting that when Pataki graduated from high school, New York students could graduate without satisfying a Regents exam requirement, and yet somehow, that era still produced a public high school graduate from Peekskill who went to Yale and later became Governor of New York,” the SED said.
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The State Education Department is now responsible for developing the detailed regulations, guidance and assessment structure that will accompany the transition. State officials say Regents exams will remain part of New York education, but their purpose will shift toward measuring mastery of state learning standards rather than determining whether an individual student receives a diploma.
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Critics say that still leaves a major question unanswered: What statewide accountability mechanism will replace the requirement being removed?
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Stan Litow, a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, former New York City deputy schools chancellor and one of the architects of the P-TECH school model, said changing the system before a fully developed replacement is ready is problematic.
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“You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” said Stan Litow, a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, former New York City deputy schools chancellor and architect in designing Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools or P-TECH schools.
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“Removing an accountability system without a replacement in place is a flawed way of proceeding,” he said.
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The Regents exams themselves have long attracted criticism from both sides of the education debate. Even supporters of statewide testing have argued that the exams have sometimes been weakened over the years, while past controversies have included allegations of manipulated scoring and pressure to maintain graduation rates.
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The debate, therefore, is increasingly centered not simply on whether the Regents exams are an ideal measurement tool, but on what should replace their role as a uniform statewide graduation benchmark — and whether New York can move toward a more flexible system without reducing the meaning of a high school diploma.

{Matzav.com}

​Republican political committees may have lost an estimated $117 million in potential donations after fundraising emails containing WinRed links were disproportionately routed to spam by Gmail, Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo during two periods in 2025, according to a newly published academic study, the NY Post reports.
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The research, conducted by University of Iowa finance professor Cameron Ellis and University of Alabama professor Lars Powell, examined Federal Election Commission contribution records alongside email inbox-placement data and paired-email tests. The researchers concluded that approximately 142,126 expected first-time WinRed donations disappeared during periods when Republican fundraising messages experienced unusually severe filtering.
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The study itself does not conclude that political bias caused the filtering. Rather, Ellis and Powell say their data demonstrate that specific link-based filtering decisions by major email providers coincided with a dramatic and measurable decline in Republican fundraising while comparable ActBlue-linked messages did not experience the same decline.
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One of the episodes began June 30, 2025, when Republican consulting firm Targeted Victory alerted Google that messages containing links to WinRed, the GOP’s principal online fundraising platform, were being diverted to spam. That period continued until September 15, when Google stopped relying on SURBL, an outside service whose blocklist had been identifying WinRed-linked messages as potentially problematic.
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During that period, according to the researchers, first-time WinRed donations fell approximately 75% relative to expected levels as messages were filtered by Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo.
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A separate episode occurred between February and April 2025 and involved Microsoft Outlook. During that period, first-time WinRed donations dropped 83% compared with normal levels as Republican fundraising emails experienced sharply reduced inbox placement.
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Together, the researchers calculated, the two filtering episodes resulted in approximately 142,126 missing first-time donations.
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The researchers did not simply multiply the number of missing donations by an average initial contribution. Their $117 million estimate incorporates the projected value of newly acquired donors over time. That distinction is important: the $117 million is an economic estimate of donations researchers believe Republicans would have received from those missing donors, rather than $117 million in individual transactions that were directly blocked by spam filters.
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The scale of the estimated loss is particularly striking when compared with overall Republican fundraising. The Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee together reported approximately $377 million in fundraising during 2025.
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“It’s a pretty big number,” Powell said in an interview with The Post. “You can really think of that as an in-kind gift to ActBlue recipients.”
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The researchers were careful, however, not to conclude that Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo deliberately discriminated against Republicans for political reasons.
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Instead, the paper concluded that “a narrow, link-level placement decision by a small number of mailbox providers produced a measurable and economically meaningful drop in political fundraising, and that the mechanism was observable only because private paired-test evidence leaked into public reporting.”
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The researchers said a central problem is the lack of transparency surrounding the algorithms used by major email providers to decide which messages reach inboxes and which are routed into spam.
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In explaining the difficulty of determining why particular filtering decisions were made, Powell said “we can’t read their minds.”
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Google strongly disputed the study’s conclusions and methodology.
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A Google spokesperson said the research “relies on deeply flawed methodology that fundamentally misunderstands how Gmail works.”
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“Our spam protections apply equally to everyone, regardless of political affiliation and we encourage bulk senders to follow best practices to reach inboxes,” the spokesperson added. “Ultimately, people are in full control of their inboxes, with the power to mark messages as spam, block senders, or unsubscribe at any time.”
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Google also challenged the $117 million estimate, arguing that the figure represents a theoretical calculation of the value of donors who researchers believe were lost rather than an accounting of specific contributions that unquestionably would have occurred.
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Microsoft declined to comment on the findings, while Yahoo did not respond to a request for comment.
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To conduct the analysis, Ellis and Powell examined itemized Federal Election Commission contribution records and separated first-time donors from repeat donors using WinRed and ActBlue.
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They then compared donation patterns with inbox-placement data covering periods in which Republican messages were being filtered. This allowed them to estimate how many new contributions would normally have been expected during those periods.
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“Inbox placement data and paired email tests showed when the filtering happened and supported that WinRed links were the trigger,” Powell said.
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The findings add new data to a controversy that has simmered for years over whether email providers treat political messages from Republicans and Democrats differently.
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Republicans have repeatedly accused Google in particular of disproportionately filtering conservative political emails. Google has consistently denied intentionally favoring one political party and has said its automated systems evaluate messages according to factors designed to protect users from spam and unwanted email.
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Previous legal and regulatory challenges did not establish unlawful political discrimination by Google. In 2023, the Federal Election Commission dismissed an RNC complaint involving Gmail, finding “no reason to believe” Google had violated federal election law. A federal judge also dismissed a separate Republican National Committee lawsuit against Google in 2024.
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The 2025 controversy took another turn when Targeted Victory conducted paired-email testing. According to the Republican consulting firm, messages containing WinRed links were flagged while otherwise identical messages containing ActBlue links were successfully delivered.
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Targeted Victory said some Republican fundraising messages were not merely sent to spam but were marked by Gmail as “dangerous.”
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The complaints attracted the attention of Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who wrote Google CEO Sundar Pichai warning that politically discriminatory email filtering could potentially raise consumer-protection concerns.
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Google subsequently stopped using SURBL in Gmail’s filtering system on September 15, 2025. Ellis and Powell reported that Republican email inbox placement “normalized” after that change.
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Republican officials say the new academic findings bolster their longstanding contention that the filtering had significant real-world consequences.
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“Google’s biased algorithms sidelined Republican fundraising emails for years while boosting Democrats’ donor outreach,” Bernadette Breslin, press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told The Post.
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“The NRSC has helped lead the investigation into Google’s suppression of mail to conservative subscribers, and this long-overdue update is a chance to level the playing field for online fundraising,” Breslin added.
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A Republican adviser familiar with the dispute similarly described the findings as a “massive proof point in what we already knew to be true.”
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“Smoking gun that conservatives are being systematically disenfranchised,” the adviser added.
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Meanwhile, Gmail has changed the way qualifying political email can be handled. Google launched a Verified Sender Program for eligible American political committees, including candidates, political parties and PACs.
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Under the program, participating organizations must verify their identities and sending domains and satisfy Gmail’s technical and security requirements. They must also maintain compliance with the program’s policies.
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The program is intended to improve deliverability for authenticated political senders while leaving individual Gmail users with the ability to mark messages as spam, block senders or unsubscribe.
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Powell said he had not discussed his study with Google and could not say whether the new policy resulted from the controversy. He suggested, however, that business considerations could ultimately influence how Google responds to complaints from political email senders.
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“They make money by having people send more emails. If people start changing, that’s bad for their business model,” Powell said. “I think that’s when we find out whether they’re more blue or green.”
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The researchers’ central finding remains narrower than the partisan accusations surrounding it: during two identifiable periods when WinRed-linked messages suffered sharp drops in inbox placement, Republican first-time donations fell dramatically, while comparable Democratic fundraising did not show the same pattern.
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Whether those filtering decisions resulted from political bias, technical spam-detection rules or other factors remains disputed. What Ellis and Powell say their data establish is the financial consequence: an estimated 142,126 lost first-time Republican donors with a projected value of approximately $117 million.