HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef arrived at the Ohr Chaviv shul on Sunday afternoon and witnessed the damage caused by a deliberate act of arson overnight. The sight caused tears to roll down his face. HaRav Yosef arrived at Ohr Chaviv together with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, who met earlier with senior police officials at his home. Deri also spoke with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who informed him that the Shin Bet is treating the incident with the highest level of severity, as a nationalistic terror attack, and that an accelerated investigation is underway. According to a Kikar H’Shabbat report, the Shas party is paying for a personal security guard for HaRav Yosef until the end of the investigation. Deri and HaRav Yosef were accompanied on the visit to the site by senior police and Shin Bet officials. Deri, with HaRav Yosef at his side, spoke to the press: “There is no greater hate crime than this. To come and burn a shul – this is an unforgivable act. We saw the burned sefarim kedoshim, and it is a great neis that the Aron Kodesh and Sifrei Torah were saved. The sight is heartbreaking. We have just heard from the police and Shin Bet officers, and they hope that they will be able to solve the case in the coming hours.” Deri emphasized: “Enough with the hatred! Enough with the incitement! See where this discourse leads. It’s not just about debates on the air – ultimately, there are people on the fringes who take things seriously and do terrible things. We could have come today and discovered that there is no shul and no sifrei Torah, chalilah. It is a great neis that the firefighters arrived immediately and extinguished the fire.” “I call on everyone to stop. Words can kill. Imagine if such an event had occurred in France or any other country – we would be shocked. We must not accept such a reality in the State of Israel.” Earlier on Sunday morning, Shin Bet investigators arrived to examine the scene after it was decided that the Shin Bet would manage the arson investigation alongside investigators from the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police. A preliminary investigation suggests that the arsonist sought to personally harm HaRav Yosef. The security camera footage shows him entering the shul, approaching the Rishon LeZion’s chair, pouring flammable material on it, setting it on fire, and fleeing the scene. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
U.S.-China trade talks in London this week are expected to take up a series of fresh disputes that have buffeted relations, threatening a fragile truce over tariffs. Both sides agreed in Geneva last month to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession. Since then, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, “rare earths” that are vital to carmakers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities. President Donald Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. Trump announced on social media the next day that trade talks would be held on Monday in London. Technology is a major sticking point The latest frictions began just a day after the May 12 announcement of the Geneva agreement to “pause” tariffs for 90 days. The U.S. Commerce Department issued guidance saying the use of Ascend AI chips from Huawei, a leading Chinese tech company, could violate U.S. export controls. That’s because the chips were likely developed with American technology despite restrictions on its export to China, the guidance said. The Chinese government wasn’t pleased. One of its biggest beefs in recent years has been over U.S. moves to limit the access of Chinese companies to technology, and in particular to equipment and processes needed to produce the most advanced semiconductors. “The Chinese side urges the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous practices,” a Commerce Ministry spokesperson said. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wasn’t in Geneva but will join the talks in London. Analysts say that suggests at least a willingness on the U.S. side to hear out China’s concerns on export controls. China shows signs of easing up on rare earths One area where China holds the upper hand is in the mining and processing of rare earths. They are crucial for not only autos but also a range of other products from robots to military equipment. The Chinese government started requiring producers to obtain a license to export seven rare earth elements in April. Resulting shortages sent automakers worldwide into a tizzy. As stockpiles ran down, some worried they would have to halt production. Trump, without mentioning rare earths specifically, took to social media to attack China. “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted on May 30. The Chinese government indicated Saturday that it is addressing the concerns, which have come from European companies as well. A Commerce Ministry statement said it had granted some approvals and “will continue to strengthen the approval of applications that comply with regulations.” The scramble to resolve the rare earth issue shows that China has a strong card to play if it wants to strike back against tariffs or other measures. Plan to revoke student visas adds to tensions Student visas don’t normally figure in trade talks, but a U.S. announcement that it would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students has emerged as another thorn in the relationship. China’s Commerce Ministry raised the issue when asked last week about the accusation that it had violated the consensus reached in Geneva. It replied that the U.S. had undermined the agreement by issuing export control guidelines […]
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FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed that his home was the target of a swatting attempt, a malicious tactic that endangers both the intended victim and responding officers.
During a conversation with Joe Rogan, Patel made the revelation about the recent incident, according to a Fox 5 report published Friday.
“As director of the FBI I have a responsibility. I’m not just gonna bring a case because somebody hurt me. They did, and they continue to do it. Shit, my house just got swatted yesterday,” he told Rogan, who reacted with disbelief.
“You got swatted?” Rogan asked. Patel confirmed. “The head of the FBI gets swatted?” Rogan pressed again.
“Yeah, these people play… it’s the ultimate height of hypocrisy. They have two sets of rules, one against you and one for them,” Patel stated.
Earlier this year, Breitbart News reported that multiple prominent conservative figures were targeted in a spate of swatting incidents within a short period in March.
Swatting is a dangerous hoax in which someone places a false emergency call — often masked by VPNs or spoofed phone numbers — reporting a violent crime such as a shooting or hostage situation. The aim is to provoke a heavily armed police response to an unsuspecting person’s home, sometimes with fatal consequences.
In response to the increasing number of these incidents, Patel took to X to condemn the practice, stating: “The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
“This isn’t about politics,” Patel wrote. “Weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated.”
He added that the bureau is “fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes,” and assured the public that “more updates” would follow.
According to Fox, the swatting attempt at Patel’s home occurred around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Fortunately, police contacted the residence and determined the report was false before deploying emergency units.
Patel was confirmed to his position as head of the FBI in February, despite opposition from Democrats attempting to derail his appointment.
{Matzav.com}
The Gerrer Rebbe landed in NY on Sunday morning for a major fundraising mission for his Mosdos. The Rebbe was flown from Israel on the private jet belonging to Satmar Philanthropist Yoily Landau.
Senator Cory Booker thinks the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, in which criminal illegals and violent mobs are hurling concrete projectiles at vehicles, lighting fires, and attacking federal law enforcement, are “peaceful.”
A fire broke out on Sunday on the roof of a building on Or Elchanan Street in Jerusalem’s Romema neighborhood, near the Or Elchanan Yeshiva. A worker, who was repairing an air conditioner at the site, was moderately injured with burns. MDA paramedics and EMTs provided medical treatment and evacuating a man, approximately 40 years old, in moderate condition with burns to his upper body, to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
Border Czar Tom Homan: “Gov. Newsom is an embarrassment to this state… If he cared about public safety in the state of California, he would not have a sanctuary for criminals — where criminals get released to the streets of this state every day because of his policies.”
Huge train cars filled with military equipment are headed to Washington DC for the army’s 250th anniversary parade.
Yasmine Assar, one of the passengers on board the ship Madeline stated: “We are 160 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip… We don’t know exactly when we will arrive… In the next 24 hours we will know what the situation is better… The closer we get to Gaza, the closer we get to the Israeli forces.
The Chashmonaim Brigade has officially entered the Gaza Strip. This is the first Charedi IDF unit to enter Gaza.
The IDF publishes intelligence documents captured during operations in Gaza which it says prove that the spokesperson for the Civil Defense Agency in the Strip is an “active terrorist” in Hamas.
A fire broke out Sunday morning on the roof of a building near Yeshivas Or Elchonon on Or Elchonon Street in the Romema neighborhood of Yerushalayim. Video footage from the scene shows girls from the nearby Bnos Hadassah elementary school fleeing in panic as large flames shot from the building. Firefighters responded quickly and extinguished the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to other parts of the building. Nearby residents were evacuated, and nearby gas canisters removed to avert further danger, according to fire officials. During the operation, firefighters rescued a worker trapped on the roof who had sustained injuries while performing maintenance work. According to medics at the scene, the worker — a man in his 40s — was repairing an air conditioner when an explosion occurred. He suffered burns to his upper body and was in moderate condition when he was transported by Magen David Adom to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. Emergency personnel from both Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah provided initial treatment at the scene. Fire crews remained on-site to fully contain the blaze and ensure the structural safety of the building and its occupants. Jerusalem District Police have opened an investigation into the incident as a workplace accident. According to initial findings, the injured man was an air conditioning technician who may have been injured by an exploding compressor during maintenance work. The incident has been reported to the Ministry of Labor for further investigation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities announced Saturday. After a nearly two-week search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities — and also those of the searchers — to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said. “The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain the last few weeks, which more than likely limited his options to get around the area,” Champion said. “Search teams had looked through this area before, but the high water previously limited their ability to fully investigate.” Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock, like Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison. “None of us really thought he was still in the area,” said Simons, a local bartender. “We thought he was long gone — that’s what I would have bet my money on.” Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections officer “in dress and manner,” according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility. Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin’s identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave. Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin’s convictions for murder and rape, said he had been in close contact with law enforcement officials who were “consistent” with their belief that Hardin remained in the northern Arkansas region. Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called “Devil in the Ozarks.” Sexton said his escape had significantly disrupted the lives of trial witnesses and Hardin’s victims, whom he kept updated on the pursuit for the fugitive. “Every one of them to a person informed me that they had to make changes in their lives because they had had concerns for their safety,” Sexton said. After Hardin’s recapture, “they could get closure in their lives and secondly go back to their normal lives, which had been disrupted the whole time he was out,” Sexton said. Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin’s capture was a “big sigh of relief” for her whole family. “We don’t have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody’s on our back,” Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin. Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a […]
In a deeply disturbing incident overnight, the beis medrash of the former Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, nosi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, was set on fire in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Yerushalayim.
The blaze, which authorities have described as an act of arson, destroyed the rav‘s chair and some sefarim.
Security footage from the scene revealed harrowing images of the fire tearing through the beis medrash, while walls nearby were found vandalized with swastikas and Christian symbols, evidence pointing to an antisemitic hate crime.
The shul that was targeted is Or Chaviv, where Rav Yitzchak Yosef regularly davens and delivers shiurim. The perpetrators apparently gained access overnight and deliberately set fire to the shul.
Surveillance cameras documented the attack, and images from the scene show the devastating aftermath of the blaze.
Israeli police launched an immediate investigation and are treating the incident with utmost seriousness. Graffiti discovered on an adjacent building include crosses and other markings.
Volunteers from the Mishmar security team were among the first to notice heavy smoke emerging from the building in the early hours of the morning. They quickly assisted fire and rescue services in containing the blaze and joined police in combing the area for suspects.
“We arrived at the shul and saw the flames. We rushed to help the emergency teams,” recounted Moshe Mishali, Yona Diamond, and Shlomo Richmond, three volunteers with Mishmar. “But nothing could have prepared us for the horrifying sights we saw—the burned-out shul, the desecration, and hateful symbols scrawled nearby.”
Minister of Religious Affairs Michael Malchieli issued a forceful condemnation: “These shocking images, with clear antisemitic symbols in the Or Chaviv shul where Maran Rishon LeTzion Harav Yitzchak Yosef shlita davens, are deeply disturbing. All religious leaders—of all faiths—must denounce such vile acts. I call upon the Israeli Police to act swiftly and with full force against the perpetrators of this disgraceful crime.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a possible candidate in the country’s presidential election next year, was shot and wounded at a campaign rally in Bogota on Saturday, authorities said. His conservative Democratic Center party released a statement calling it “an unacceptable act of violence.” The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighborhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Center, which was the party of former President Alvaro Uribe. The men are not related. Images circulating on social media showed Uribe Turbay, 39, covered in blood being held by several people. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure.” “Miguel is fighting for his life,” his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote on the senator’s X account, urging Colombians to pray for him. The Attorney General’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which wounded two others. The statement from the office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. Colombia’s government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible. “Respect life, that’s the red line,” President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro canceled a planned trip to France “due to the seriousness of the events,” according to a presidential statement. Late Saturday night, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Colombia’s first leftist president promised “complete transparency” in the investigation and to find the intellectual authors of the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator’s bodyguards. Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country’s most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of Petro’s term. The senator announced his presidential bid in March. Colombian police chief Gen. Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Councilman Andrés Barrios and 20 other people. A minor who allegedly participated in the attack was apprehended at the scene and was being treated for a leg injury, he said. “I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts,” said Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the “United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe.” and he urged President Petro “to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials.” “This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” Rubio said. Reactions poured in from around Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying “there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy,” and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa saying “we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.” Both presidents offered solidarity to the senator’s family. In Colombia, former President Uribe said “they attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, father, son, brother, a great colleague.” (AP)
As decided last week, the government held a meeting on Sunday and approved the initiation of proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The cabinet also approved the proposal of Justice Minister Yariv Levin regarding a change in the procedure for dismissing Baharav-Miara. The change allows the Attorney-General to be dismissed by a special ministerial committee without the requirement to consult the selection committee that appointed her. Immediately upon approval, Levin sent a letter to the ministerial committee asking it to hold a hearing for Baharav-Miara and then issue a decision on dismissing her. The committee is comprised of representatives of the coalition parties, including its chairman, Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud), Minister Betzalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist party), Itamar Ben Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), Gila Gamliel (Likud), and Michael Malchieli (Shas). Since the UTJ party announced its intention to dissolve the Knesset, it will not have a representative on the committee. Earlier on Sunday, the Attorney General’s Office issued an angry legal opinion on the change, claiming that “the government’s hasty decision to change the method of termination of the Attorney General’s tenure is illegal and contradicts the Supreme Court’s ruling.” She also claimed that the new procedure “politicizes” the position. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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