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President Donald Trump says he has finally found a way to achieve his goal of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, accusing him of mismanaging the U.S. central bank’s $2.5 billion renovation project. The push comes after a monthslong campaign by Trump to try to rid himself of the politically independent central banker, who has resisted the Republican president’s calls to slash interest rates out of concerns about the administration’s tariffs sparking higher levels of inflation. Trump indicated Tuesday that Powell’s handling of an extensive renovation project on two Fed buildings in Washington could be grounds to take the unprecedented and possibly legally dubious step of firing him. “I think it sort of is,” Trump said. “When you spend $2.5 billion on, really, a renovation, I think it’s really disgraceful,” Trump said, adding that he never saw the Fed chair as someone who needed a “palace.” The project has been underway for years, going back to Trump’s first term. But it only recently caught the White House’s attention. Trump maintains Fed rate cuts would lower the costs of government borrowing, while Powell has warned a premature rate cut could worsen inflation and ultimately raise those borrowing costs. The risk of the Fed losing its political independence could undermine America’s financial markets, possibly leading to a meltdown in stocks and investors charging a premium to lend to the U.S. economy. Here’s what to know: Ousting Powell risks setting off market panic The Fed chair has been an obstacle in Trump’s efforts to gain total control over the executive branch. Powell and his board have the dual mandate of maximizing employment and keeping prices stable, a task that can require them to make politically unpopular moves such as raising interest rates to hold inflation in check. The general theory is that keeping the Fed free from the influence of the White House — other than for nominations of Fed officials — allows it to fulfill its mission based on what the economy needs, instead of what a politician wants. An attempt to remove Powell from his job before his term ends in May 2026 would undercut the Fed’s long-standing independence from day-to-day politics and could lead to higher inflation, higher interest rates and a weaker economy. The Supreme Court recently signaled that Trump can’t fire Powell simply because the president disagrees with him on interest rates. But legally he could do so “for cause,” such as misconduct or dereliction of duty. Trump’s workaround appears to be that Powell misrepresented the renovation project in congressional testimony and that the cost is excessive, thus meriting his dismissal. The Fed’s main headquarters is over 90 years old The Fed says its main headquarters, known as the Marriner S. Eccles building, was in dire need of an upgrade because its electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, among others, are nearly obsolete and some date back to the building’s construction in the 1930s. The renovation will also remove asbestos, lead and other hazardous elements and update the building with modern electrical and communications systems. The H-shaped building, named after a former Fed chair in the 1930s and ’40s, is located near some of Washington’s highest-profile monuments and has references to classical architecture and marble in the facades and stonework. The central bank is also renovating a building next door that it acquired in 2018. The Fed says there […]

The clashes in the Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria resumed on Wednesday despite the so-called “ceasefire” announced by the Syrian government, with Syrian regime forces continuing to humiliate, abduct, and execute Druze. IDF forces early Wednesday afternoon carried out a drone strike on the entrance to the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus. Shortly before the strike in Damascus, the IDF carried out drone strikes against Syrian regime forces in Sweida, injuring a number of Syrian security forces. Earlier on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 248 people have been killed in the clashes. Dozens of Druze civilians were publicly humiliated and then executed by Syrian regime forces, including an 80-year-old sheikh. According to a report on Channel 14, a shocking video that was published shows two armed men surrounding the 80-year-old sheikh while one of them shaves his mustache in order to humiliate him. On Tuesday, after it was reported that an agreement had been reached between the Bedouins and the Druze, Syrian regime forces entered the Druze Mountain of Sweida and began to humiliate the Druze, sadistically shaving the mustaches of the Druze they captured, as seen in videos, alongside acts of murder, abuse, and looting. They also forced the Druze to bark like dogs. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Wednesday, “The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces. As we have made clear and warned, Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria and will impose the policy of demilitarization that we have decided upon.” “The IDF will continue to attack regime forces until their withdrawal from the area and will also soon raise the level of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.” Meanwhile, leaders of Israel’s Druze community on Wednesday called a general strike and “days of rage” and urged members to cross the border into Syria to aid their brethren. Dozens of Israeli Druze crossed the border into Syria on Tuesday evening before being brought back by the IDF. The IDF is preparing for an escalation in Syria and has deployed additional forces along the Syrian border. Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who on Tuesday called for the elimination of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, published harrowing videos of atrocities on Wednesday and commented, “The Islamo-Nazis of Al-Sharaa are forcing their victims to bark like dogs before murdering them. This is the October 7th of the Druze minority in Syria, and it’s simply astonishing to witness the total silence of Western leadership.” “Where is Emmanuel Macron? Where are the TV anchors who spend 24/7 obsessing over the Palestinians? Where are António Guterres and Francesca Albanese, those tireless champions of human rights—suddenly nowhere to be found? (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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In an unprecedented step, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Wednesday appeared at the Tel Aviv District Court to show support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was testifying in his ongoing trial. According to media reports, in response to reporters’ queries about his appearance at the court, Huckabee said, “President Trump understands that it’s tough when, in the middle of such a tense term, you spend so much time in a courtroom and before judges who act unfairly.” Last month, Trump twice excoriated the judicial system’s “witch hunt” against Netanyahu, saying that the US was not going to stand for the continued persecution of Netanyahu. “It is terrible what they are doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu,” he wrote on Truth Social. Huckabee’s appearance was not the only interruption to the trial on Wednesday. Earlier, Netanyahu’s testimony was suspended after his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, arrived at the court and transferred a note to the prime minister. Immediately afterward, Netanyahu asked the judge for a break to discuss an urgent security issue. The judges granted his request, and Netanyahu left the court for about 20 minutes. According to sources knowledgeable about the matter, the security discussion was about the continued attacks by Syrian regime forces on Druze in the city of Sweida in southern Syria. Druze leaders in Israel held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning, and there are fears that masses of Israeli Druze may cross the border into Syria to intervene in the clashes. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Iran managed to improve its performance and penetrate Israeli air defenses during Operation Rising Lion by refining its missile launch tactics and identifying vulnerabilities through a process of trial and error, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing missile defense analysts who examined missile debris and open-source intelligence data. Experts say Tehran began launching more advanced, longer-range missiles from a broader array of locations deep inside Iran. “As the war went on, Iran fired fewer missiles, but its success rate rose,” the report stated, citing data from think tanks based in Israel and Washington. In the first six days of the war, only about 8% of Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli defenses. By the second half of the war, that number had doubled to 16%, according to the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), a Washington-based defense think tank. JINSA’s analysis identified June 22—just two days before the ceasefire—as the most successful Iranian strike, when 10 of the 27 missiles launched by Iran struck targets inside Israel. “The data suggests Iran successfully adapted ‘how, when, and what’ to fire,” said Ari Cicurel, JINSA’s associate director of foreign policy. While Israel’s air defense systems—such as the U.S.-developed Iron Dome—are among the most advanced in the world, they are not infallible. “Any missile system, even a sophisticated one like Israel’s, will leak eventually,” Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, which serves as a Pentagon think tank, told WSJ. “The key for any air-defense system is less that you build a perfect system with any one layer and more the cumulative effect.” The IDF initially reported interception success rates between 90% and 95%, but post-war assessments revealed an overall interception rate of 86%. Israel’s targeted strikes on Iranian missile launchers prevented Iran from using older, less accurate, short-range missiles. However, this strategy pushed Iran to employ more sophisticated, longer-range weapons earlier in the conflict. Debris from missile sites confirms Iran used its hypersonic Fattah-1 missile at least twice. The Fattah-1, which descends sharply from outside the atmosphere at 10 times the speed of sound and carries a warhead that splits in mid-air, poses an extreme challenge for interception. Only Israel’s most advanced systems, such as Arrow 3 and David’s Sling, are capable of adjusting mid-flight to counter such threats. Iran also changed its operational patterns—shifting from large-scale nighttime barrages of 30 or more missiles to smaller, daytime launches from a wide range of launch sites. These adjustments included varying firing intervals and targeting cities farther from the front lines. Ari Cicurel, associate director of foreign policy at the institute, concluded that Iran successfully adapted “how, when, and what” it was firing, demonstrating systematic learning and tactical evolution. As the conflict wore on, and with interceptor supplies strained and operational costs mounting, Israel began prioritizing interceptions of only the most dangerous threats. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Vice President JD Vance cast two decisive tie-breaking votes in the Senate on Tuesday to push forward a $9.4 billion rescissions package, which includes steep funding cuts to public broadcasters NPR and PBS.

The Senate split evenly, 50-50, on a pair of procedural votes that would open debate on the sweeping rollback of previously allocated federal funds. Vance’s intervention tipped the scales, advancing the measure — originally requested by the White House — for full consideration in the upper chamber.

Three Republican senators — Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine — crossed the aisle to vote with all Democrats in opposing the bill.

The package, which passed the House last month in a narrow 214-212 vote, proposes slashing around $8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and another $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the umbrella organization that partially funds NPR and PBS.

A proposed $400 million cut to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is likely to be removed from the bill through an amendment before it comes up for a final vote.

“There was a lot of interest from our members on doing something on PEPFAR,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), following a closed-door meeting with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. “That’s reflected in the substitute.”

Thune added, “We hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate, that the House will accept that one small modification that ends up making the package about a $9 billion rescissions package.”

Senator Collins explained her opposition by criticizing the lack of transparency from OMB, saying lawmakers weren’t provided with the specifics of what programs would be affected by the sweeping clawbacks.

“The rescissions package has a big problem – nobody really knows what program reductions are in it,” Collins said in a statement. “That isn’t because we haven’t had time to review the bill. Instead, the problem is that OMB has never provided the details that would normally be part of this process.”

She pointed to $2.5 billion in proposed cuts from the “Development Assistance account,” which she said includes funding for essential services such as education, water and sanitation, and food security. “We don’t know how those programs will be affected,” she warned.

Collins also criticized the scale of cuts to public broadcasting, calling them “excessive” and warning they could jeopardize access to beloved programming.

“I share the frustration with the biased reporting by NPR, and I would support defunding it,” she acknowledged. “Nevertheless, local TV and radio stations continue to provide important coverage.”

She highlighted that CPB funding helps maintain Maine’s emergency alert system and enables the broadcast of local events like high school basketball games. “We should know exactly what programs are affected and the consequences of rescissions,” she emphasized.

With the procedural hurdle cleared, the Senate now has at least 10 hours of debate before any amendments can be voted on, leading up to a final decision. Once the Senate finalizes its version of the bill, the House will need to revisit it to approve any modifications.

{Matzav.com}

The annual hilulah marking the yahrtzeit of the tzaddik Rav Yitzchok Gavra zt”l, which was scheduled to take place this Thursday in Moshav Agur near Beit Shemesh, has been officially canceled by the Israel Police due to severe safety violations.

According to a statement released by police officials, the event cannot proceed as planned because the site lacks essential safety infrastructure required by law. Additionally, there has been local opposition within the moshav to the mass arrival of thousands of visitors.

“The Israel Police urges the public not to travel to the area and risk their lives,” the statement read. “The people of Israel vividly remember past safety failures that resulted in devastating tragedies. With G-d’s help, once all safety deficiencies are corrected and official permits secured, we can revisit the discussion about holding the event.”

A formal notice of assembly cancellation was also issued by police authorities.

In recent years, the kever of Rav Yitzchok Gavra, a Yemenite rov who immigrated to Eretz Yisroel and passed away over seventy years ago, has become a major destination for those seeking yeshuos. Countless stories of miracles attributed to tefillos at his kever have circulated widely, especially around his yahrtzeit on the 21st of Tammuz.

Last year, the hilulah fell on Shabbos, prompting thousands to arrive at the site from Erev Shabbos and remain until Sunday. Many volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure the visitors’ needs were met.

This year, an attempt was made by two dedicated individuals, Rabbi Moshe Fishman and Rabbi Shmaryahu Greineman, to organize the hilulah in a proper and structured manner. However, they shared that their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

As of now, with no official body or organization willing to assume responsibility for the event, and in light of the police’s firm opposition, the gathering will not take place unless and until all necessary security arrangements are properly addressed.

{Matzav.com Israel}

A troubling report from Kremlin insiders suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unfazed by President Trump’s recent threats, including the possibility of sharply increasing tariffs on Russian goods and supplying Ukraine with long-range missile systems. The report, shared with Reuters, portrays a Kremlin leadership that is prepared for an extended war and willing to expand its military operations if pressed by the West.

According to three sources close to the Kremlin, Putin remains committed to continuing the war in Ukraine until the West, particularly the United States, agrees to negotiate peace on Russia’s terms. This includes the possibility of further territorial expansion, which Putin would demand to be recognized in any future agreement.

The sources downplayed Trump’s shift in posture since July 4, when he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky whether he could strike Moscow with long-range missiles. Even Trump’s threats to impose 100% tariffs on Russian imports if no agreement is reached within fifty days have reportedly done little to change Putin’s calculus.

“Putin believes that his army and economy are resilient enough to withstand additional Western pressure,” one insider explained, noting that Russia has already endured the harshest sanctions ever imposed on the country.

As previously reported by Matzav.com, Trump has recently expressed frustration over Putin’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire and announced a new weapons package for Ukraine, including advanced Patriot missile systems and offensive weaponry. “We have the best weapons in the world, and the Europeans know it,” Trump declared.

Despite multiple conversations between Trump and Putin, and visits to Moscow by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Kremlin officials insist there has been no serious diplomatic dialogue regarding the terms of a peace deal. One official noted that while Putin values his relationship with Trump and the talks with Witkoff, Russian national interests remain paramount. The White House declined to comment on the report.

Putin’s demands include a formal guarantee that NATO will not expand eastward, Ukrainian neutrality, limitations on Ukraine’s military, protection for Russian speakers, and international recognition of Russia’s current territorial holdings. He is also reportedly open to a plan in which global powers offer security guarantees to Ukraine, though how that might work in practice remains unclear.

On the other side, Ukrainian President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine will never recognize Russian sovereignty over the territories it has captured and maintains Kyiv’s right to join NATO.

Another Kremlin insider stated that Putin is prepared to suffer further economic setbacks so long as he continues to advance his strategic goals. Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on countries like China and India for purchasing Russian oil, the source said, has not alarmed the Kremlin. In fact, two sources claimed that Russia currently has the upper hand militarily and that its wartime economy is producing munitions, including artillery shells, at a pace exceeding that of NATO countries.

Russia now controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, having gained over 1,400 square kilometers in the last three months alone, according to data from the open-source intelligence site DeepStateMap. “Appetite comes with eating,” one official remarked, hinting that Putin may expand operations even further. Two additional sources confirmed this assessment.

To date, Russia has taken full control of Crimea (since 2014), all of Luhansk, most of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, and parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Putin’s official position is that these five eastern regions, along with Crimea, are now part of Russia. Any future agreement, he insists, must begin with Ukraine’s withdrawal from those territories.

According to the Kremlin, Putin may push forward until Ukrainian defenses collapse, potentially adding the entire Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions to his objectives. However, if Russian forces encounter heavy resistance, he may halt operations at the current front lines. “Russia will act based on Ukraine’s weakness,” one source said. “If Ukraine falls, the occupation will expand.”

President Zelensky has pushed back against these predictions, saying the summer offensive has not gone as Putin had hoped. Ukrainian commanders admit Russia has a numerical advantage but say their forces are holding the line and exacting a steep price from Moscow for every advance.

U.S. intelligence estimates around 1.2 million people have been killed or wounded in the conflict, making it the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Russia rejects these figures as Western propaganda, and neither side has released full casualty statistics.

Trump’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, which Ukraine quickly accepted, has yet to be acknowledged by Putin. Meanwhile, Russia continues to launch waves of drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. Still, in an interview published Tuesday, Trump said he has not given up on reaching an agreement with the Russian leader.

One Kremlin official rejected Trump’s claim that Putin was “throwing nonsense in the air,” saying the real issue has been the inability to move past initial positive conversations with Witkoff toward a substantive peace framework.

Despite sanctions and mounting war costs, Russia’s $2 trillion economy is performing better than expected. The Russian Ministry of Economy projects 2.5% growth in 2025, following 4.3% growth this past year.

According to one of the sources, Trump has limited leverage over Putin. Even if the U.S. were to sanction buyers of Russian oil, the Kremlin is confident it could bypass restrictions and continue accessing global markets. “Putin understands that Trump is unpredictable and may act in unpleasant ways, but he’s trying to maneuver carefully not to provoke him further,” the source said.

Kremlin officials anticipate the crisis could escalate further in the coming months, heightening the risk of a direct confrontation between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. As one insider concluded: “The war is not ending anytime soon.”

{Matzav.com}

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How can one choose his shirt from a pile of different types of clothing and not transgress borer on Shabbos?

What does one do if there is a power outage on Shabbos?

Can someone put food in the oven on Shabbos?

These and numerous other questions are impossible to answer unless one has a thorough knowledge of the laws of Shabbos.  Shabbos comes about once a week, so if a person is not well-versed in its intricacies, then it is inevitable that transgressions will take place.  It is wonderful to read one of the many books that give basic laws, but to really understand the halachos and know how to apply them, it is essential to learn Hilchos Shabbos with the background discussion of the Gemara and commentators.  

What is the challenge we face? It takes several years for a full-time advanced Torah learner to cover the laws of Shabbos in depth, so how can a working man, or one with less advanced skills, begin this seemingly daunting task?

Now there is a solution.  World famous Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlit’a used his vast knowledge to arrange all the Gemaras with the commentators on each area of Hilchos Shabbos and presented it in the form of source sheets that cover material from the Gemara until practical halacha.  This enables one to cover main opinions in each topic and gain a deep understanding of the halacha.  

According to Rabbi Berkovits: “Learning Hilchos Shabbos from the traditional sources could be quite confusing or complicated. Studying them in a very organized way gives you the clarity, the clarity to understand them in the first place and the clarity to retain the information.”

This was done for full-time Torah learners who have advanced Hebrew skills and can devote many hours each day to learn.  What about busy working Bnei Torah who have limited time to learn but want to properly master Hilchos Shabbos? Or people who are still building up their Gemara skills but want to learn the Gemara sugyas and Halacha?  

Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen, a close talmid of Rav Berkovits who spent eight years as a Rosh Chaburah in Rav Berkovits’s famous Jerusalem Kollel, with the Rav’s haskama, took on the monumental task of adapting the Hebrew sheets into English. The material is written with care and with great clarity, as well as including the various opinions in the contemporary practical halacha.

For the past several years, Rabbi Gefen has been teaching this material to Torah learners throughout the world, on all levels of learning, and of all ages now as the founder of KinyanHilchosShabbos.com. Participants in each online chabura receive source sheets with explanations both in Hebrew and English, participate in a weekly Zoom shiur and ask questions by phone and email. Many have also successfully gained Smicha through thoroughly learning the material.

“I would love to sit in Yeshiva half a day, but I have different hours.” Says Dr. Eric Leibowitz who is a dentist in Brooklyn. “Learning Hilchos Shabbos in Rabbi Gefen’s online chabura allowed for the flexibility I needed. I was looking for something with some structure and with an end goal. This program enabled me to not only learn, but to retain what I learned in a structured way and the tests were very helpful. I felt like I accomplished something, I made a kinyan on something.”

“Over one thousand past and present participants in our online programs come from five continents and range from working Bnei Torah to full-time Kollel avreichim from Yerushalayim and Lakewood, as well as people who are still developing their Gemara skills,” says Rabbi Dr. Yakov Pesah, director of the program and also a musmach of Rabbi Berkovits. “Our vision is to enable Bnei Torah to learn halacha in a structured way and make it doable for any motivated person.”

The program includes a weekly Zoom shiur which is recorded and can be reviewed later, tests on the material covered to enable the individual to evaluate their understanding of the material, and availability by email or phone for questions, clarifications, or further discussions.

“Rabbi Gefen ran the Hilchos Shabbos program for our Kollel in Johannesburg. We achieved tremendous clarity on Hilchos Shabbos both in sugyas and in psak which is what you want when you learn Halacha.” Says Rabbi Micha Kaplan who is an avrech in the Maharsha Community Kollel in Johannesburg and the Menahel of the Maharsha Boys High School.

The program includes the option of Smicha which is a wonderful source of pride for the individual’s family.  But its greatest benefit is that it will ensure that a person can lead his family to observing the laws of Shabbos with all their details. 

Shlomo Gross who is originally from London and is a lawyer in Yerushalayim shares his experience: “For people like me who are working full-time, this program was ideal. I benchmarked the Hilchos Shabbat coourse against the syllabus required for the Smicha exams of the Rabbanut and found that it was at least as comprehensive… The Hilchos Shabbat Smicha course transported my learning to a completely different level.”

Rabbi Berkovits adds: “There’s a mitzva of ‘Zachor es yom HaShabbos l’kadsho’ – that mitzva is to remember Shabbos all the time. There is nothing like being involved in Hilchos Shabbos the whole week – your whole week is different and your Shabbos is different.”

The program begins on July 20th. For more information, tuition, and to receive an application visit KinyanHilchosShabbos.com.

President Trump on Tuesday expressed confusion over the persistent interest many of his supporters have shown in the Jeffrey Epstein case, saying he didn’t understand the continued fascination surrounding the late financier. His remarks come amid renewed outrage within the MAGA movement over documents connected to Epstein.

“I don’t understand it, why they would be so interested. He’s been dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don’t understand what the interest and what the fascination is. I really don’t. And the credible information has been given,” Trump told reporters while departing a Pennsylvania event.

“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring,” he continued. “And I don’t understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”

The comments came just days after the Justice Department and FBI released a joint statement confirming that Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 and asserting that no “client list” had ever existed. The announcement further angered Trump loyalists, many of whom have for years circulated theories suggesting Epstein’s death was suspicious and that influential Democrats would be exposed through a hidden list of names.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, a key member of Trump’s team, has come under fire from some of the president’s supporters for what they see as inadequate transparency in releasing Epstein-related records. The pressure has intensified in recent weeks, with some even calling for her removal.

Critics have pointed to Bondi’s earlier statements pledging openness, including a February interview in which she said an Epstein client list was “sitting on” her “desk” awaiting review. She has since clarified that she was referring more broadly to documents connected to the Epstein case.

Trump on Tuesday defended Bondi and supported her discretion in releasing material, saying she should make public anything she believes meets the standard for release. “But she’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,” he said.

He also took aim at former political adversaries and current government leaders, accusing them of manufacturing aspects of the Epstein case for political purposes. Trump alleged that documents tied to Epstein had been “made up” by former President Barack Obama, ex-FBI Director James Comey, and the Biden administration.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

The White House has launched a detailed interactive tool showcasing how Americans in each state stand to benefit financially from President Donald Trump’s recently enacted One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, Fox News Digital reported on Tuesday.

President Trump signed the sweeping legislation into law on Independence Day, celebrating it as a transformative tax overhaul that will supercharge the American economy. He predicted the changes would send the nation’s economic momentum soaring.

Now, Americans can see for themselves the estimated savings through a newly released state-by-state digital map. The interactive platform outlines how residents across all 50 states will gain under the law compared to if it had never passed.

The map provides a wide range of financial metrics, including inflation-adjusted wage gains, projected increases in family take-home pay, the number of senior citizens benefiting from the elimination of taxes on Social Security, the percentage of the workforce expected to benefit from the new no-tax-on-tips provision, and job protection figures by state.

For example, Californians—residing in the most populous state in the country—can expect significant benefits. The map estimates that workers will see inflation-adjusted wage gains between $4,900 and $8,800, and that families with two children could experience a rise in real take-home income ranging from $8,500 to $12,500.

“A typical family with two children in California can expect to see higher take-home pay of about $8500 to $12500 with OBBB compared to if it was not passed,” reads the map. “Around 4% of the labor force is employed in occupations that would likely benefit from the no taxes on tips provision of the OBBB. Around 6.0 million seniors in California could benefit from the no taxes on Social Security provision of the OBBB.”

In Nebraska, the projections are similarly optimistic, with real wage increases between $3,700 and $6,600 and family take-home pay boosts of $7,300 to $10,300. The state is also expected to see 300,000 seniors gaining from the Social Security tax repeal and nearly a third of the workforce benefiting from the elimination of taxes on overtime.

On the East Coast, New Jersey residents are projected to receive wage increases of $5,000 to $9,000, while families with children may see take-home gains between $8,600 and $12,700. Meanwhile, in New York, workers could see their real wages rise by $4,400 to $8,000, with household take-home pay rising between $8,000 and $11,700.

Trump had been advocating for the bill since the start of his administration, framing it as central to his broader agenda on economic reform, immigration, energy independence, national security, and fiscal policy.

After months of heated debate, the legislation made it through both chambers of Congress and landed on Trump’s desk in July. The path to passage was not without resistance—even from within the GOP—due to concerns about the bill’s impact on the national debt ceiling.

Notably, Representative Thomas Massie and Senator Rand Paul, both from Kentucky, opposed the legislation due to its $5 trillion increase in borrowing authority. Entrepreneur Elon Musk, once a close Trump ally, also publicly criticized the bill, urging lawmakers to “kill the bill” because of its debt implications.

Despite the controversy, the bill passed and enacts significant changes, including making permanent the individual and corporate tax reductions from Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It also introduces fresh deductions that eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, rolls back certain environmental tax credits implemented during the Biden administration, allocates $350 billion toward military and deportation efforts, and reforms Medicaid programs.

“We have officially made the Trump tax cuts permanent,” Trump declared during the signing ceremony. “That’s the largest tax cut in the history of our country.… After this kicks in, our country is going to be a rocket ship economically. We’ve delivered no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors.… It makes the child tax credit permanent for 40 million American families.… The Golden Age of America is upon us.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent penned a favorable op-ed in Fox News Digital praising the legislation, noting that American workers will now retain thousands more in annual wages.

“The bill prevents a $4.5 trillion tax hike on the American people,” Bessent wrote. “This will allow the average worker to keep an additional $4,000 to $7,200 in annual real wages and allow the average family of four to keep an additional $7,600 to $10,900 in take-home pay. Add to this the president’s ambitious deregulation agenda, which could save the average family of four an additional $10,000. For millions of Americans, these savings are the difference between being able to make a mortgage payment, buy a car, or send a child to college.”

Bessent also emphasized the bill’s focus on working-class Americans: “The One Big Beautiful Bill also codifies no tax on tips and no tax on overtime pay — both policies designed to provide financial relief to America’s working class,” he wrote. “These tax breaks will ensure Main Street workers keep more of their hard-earned income. And they will bolster productivity by rewarding Americans who work extra hours. All Americans can learn how President Trump’s tax cuts will impact their lives for the better with a new White House calculator.”

{Matzav.com}

All are asked to daven for the refuah of the mekubal and rosh yeshiva, Rav Yaakov Hillel, who has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Yerushalayim.

Rav Hillel, who serves as rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ahavas Shalom in Yerushalayim and is widely regarded as a leading figure in the world of Kabbalah and mussar, has been battling a serious illness in recent years. Due to a recent deterioration in his condition, doctors were forced to hospitalize him in the ICU.

His talmidim are calling on the public to storm the heavens with tefillos on his behalf. His name is Rav Yaakov Moshe ben Gladiyos Kiton.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Shas and UTJ parties on Tuesday published a harsh and unusual statement against the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, accusing him publicly of lying, misleading the public, and leading moves designed to sabotage the compromise outline on the conscription law. The statement was issued hours after Edelstein made statements to the press blaming the Chareidim for the lack of a draft bill, claiming that he did everything he could to find a solution to the crisis. “Edelstein stood in front of the cameras today and brazenly lied to the public,” the official statement said. “For a year and a half, he has been misleading the negotiation teams, the Rabbanim, the reservists, the military and security officials, and everyone who acted sincerely to bring about a balanced and respectable arrangement.” The Chareidi MKs said Edelstein continues to spread false claims about a compromise outline he formulated, while in practice, he consistently worked to thwart every proposal that came up. “Just this week, in a serious and unprecedented move, Edelstein changed the main agreements that were reached and introduced a series of new restrictions and humiliations, while harming lomdei Torah and the trust between the coalition partners.” The statement added that Edelstein refrained from publishing the version on which he claims an agreement was reached because he fears “that the truth will be revealed, and the public will see the violations and deceptions he led.” “The Israeli public needs to know the truth: Yuli Edelstein is managing a political game on the backs of those who serve, cynically exploiting the pain of the families, causing a serious rift in the national camp, and bringing down the right-wing government. Likud representatives must denounce him.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

An IDF soldier was seriously wounded earlier today in what the military is describing as an apparent suicide attempt. According to the IDF, the soldier—identified as a paratrooper in training—was found with a gunshot wound believed to be self-inflicted at a training base in southern Israel. He was transported to a hospital in serious condition, and his family has been notified. The IDF has opened a Military Police investigation into the incident. Findings from the probe will be forwarded to the Military Advocate General for further review. The incident comes amid growing concerns over mental health among active-duty soldiers, particularly in the context of Israel’s ongoing war. Just this week, the military reported two separate cases—on Wednesday and Thursday—in which soldiers died by suspected suicide. Military officials have acknowledged a rise in suicides during the current conflict, prompting renewed scrutiny of support systems and mental health resources available to soldiers under operational stress. The IDF has not released further details about the soldier’s condition or the circumstances surrounding the incident, citing the ongoing investigation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

TEHILLIM: The Rosh Yeshivah of Ahavas Shalom in Jerusalem, HaGaon HaMekubal HaRav Yaakov Hillel, is in great need of Rachamei Shamayim. He has been ill in recent years, and following a deterioration in his condition this week, he was hospitalized in the ICU at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. The public is asked to daven for a refuah sheleimah for יעקב משה בן גלדיס כתון b’toch sha’ar cholei Yisrael.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched an unusually detailed and pointed accusation against longtime adversary Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), alleging in a Truth Social post that the senator engaged in a years-long “pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud” tied to a property in Maryland. “I have always suspected Shifty Adam Shiff [sic] was a scam artist,” Trump wrote, before claiming that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division determined Schiff improperly declared a Maryland home as his primary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms—despite his role as a California congressman. Trump outlined what he described as a fraudulent timeline spanning more than a decade, from a refinancing deal in 2009 to the home’s eventual reclassification in 2020. “Crooked Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice,” Trump wrote. No public evidence has been presented to support the allegations, and as of Tuesday evening, neither Fannie Mae nor any federal agency has confirmed an investigation. Schiff has since responded, calling the attack “baseless” and politically motivated. “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason,” he wrote on X. “So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown.” The back-and-forth marks a major escalation in the Trump-Schiff feud, which began during the House Intelligence Committee’s probe into Russian election interference and intensified during Trump’s first impeachment trial, where Schiff served as lead manager. Schiff characterized Trump’s latest attack as “political retribution” and accused the president of attempting to deflect attention from ongoing controversies—including growing backlash over the Epstein files controversy. Direct accusations of criminal conduct by one sitting official against another remain rare in U.S. politics, particularly without corroborating evidence. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A special memorial event was held in the Knesset last night marking 31 years since the deadly terrorist attack at the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which claimed the lives of 85 people. The ceremony featured a keynote address by Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Kalman Ber.

In his remarks, Rav Ber addressed the enduring scourge of antisemitism and how it continues to take on new forms, even as the Jewish people experience miraculous survival and flourishing in Eretz Yisroel. “People around the world find many strange and varied reasons to justify their hatred of Israel—only because they are afraid of facing the simple truth,” he said.

Rav Ber referenced a recent op-ed in the Daily Telegraph by British columnist Allister Heath, who sharply criticized the antisemitic discourse prevailing in global society.

“If you scratch beneath the fury,” wrote Heath, “you’ll find something deeper. Discomfort not with what Israel does, but with what Israel is. A nation so small shouldn’t be so strong. Period. Israel has no oil. No major natural resources. A population barely the size of a mid-sized American city. Surrounded by enemies. Hated at the UN. Targets of terror. Condemned by celebrities. Boycotted, slandered, and attacked. And still, they thrive like there’s no tomorrow—in the military, medicine, security, technology, agriculture, intelligence, ethics, and sheer, unbreakable will. They turn deserts into farmland. They make water from air. They intercept rockets in the sky.”

Heath went on to list more of Israel’s extraordinary accomplishments and mocked those who try to explain them away with cynical theories. “The world watches this and can’t comprehend it. So they do what people always do when faced with a power they can’t understand: they assume it must be cheating. It must be American aid. It must be foreign lobbying. It must be oppression. It must be theft. It must be some dark trick that gave Jews this kind of power. It must be extortion. Because Heaven forbid it’s something else. Heaven forbid it’s real.”

Heath argued that the true root of the issue is spiritual, not political. “It’s not political. It’s biblical. There’s no cheat code that explains how a people returns to its homeland after 2,000 years. There’s no rational path from gas chambers to global influence.

“Because the moment you admit that Israel’s survival is not just impressive, but divine, everything changes. Your moral compass has to reset. Your assumptions about history, power, and justice collapse. You realize you’re not witnessing the end of an empire—but the beginning of something eternal. So they deny it. They slander it. And they rage against it. Because it’s easier to call a miracle a ‘scam’ than to confront the possibility that G-d keeps His promises. One by one.”

Concluding his speech, Rav Ber emphasized the need to remain true to our values and mission at all times. “In every moment and at every event—even in difficult times and in the face of painful realities—we must continue to remember who we are. To cling to our mission and to our morality.”

“We are in the Three Weeks, and the area we must most strengthen now is bein adam l’chaveiro, especially at this moment when dozens of our brothers are in distress and captivity. We say in our prayers, ‘Acheinu kol beis Yisroel hanesunim b’tzarah u’vashivyah.’ At first glance, this wording seems exaggerated. Was the entire House of Israel ever in trouble and captivity at once? The answer is: yes. Because if even one Jew is in captivity, we must all feel as if we are as well. That is the meaning of that phrase.”

“May Hakadosh Baruch Hu help us merit the return of all captives to their homes safe and sound, and may we soon witness the geulah shleimah in our days.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

TEHILLIM: Please daven for Rav Shmuel Yissachar ben Leah, a leading Lakewood rav who was seriously injured in the accident at Route 9 and 7th Street a short time ago. He was transported by Hatzolah medics to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

The pace and scale of Afghans returning from Iran are overwhelming already fragile support systems, a senior U.N. official warned Tuesday, with tens of thousands of people crossing the border daily exhausted and traumatized, relying on humanitarian aid. So far this year, more than 1.4 million people have returned or been forced to return to Afghanistan, including over 1 million from Iran. Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they didn’t leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland over the decades to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule. The U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, called for immediate international support for Afghanistan following a visit to the Islam Qala border crossing in western Herat province near Iran. The “sheer volume of returns —many abrupt, many involuntary,” should be setting off alarm bells across the global community, Otunbayeva said. “Without swift interventions, remittance losses, labor market pressures and cyclical migration will lead to devastating consequences such as the further destabilization of both returnee and host populations, renewed displacement, mass onward movement, and risks to regional stability,” she said. Returns from Iran peaked in June following a 20 March government deadline requiring all “undocumented” Afghans to leave. The U.N. migration agency recorded more than 28,000 people crossing back into Afghanistan on June 25. Afghanistan is a ‘forgotten crisis’ Most Afghans depend on humanitarian assistance to survive. But deep funding cuts are worsening the situation, with aid agencies and nongovernmental organizations forced to cut education and health care programs. Nicole van Batenburg, from the International Federation of the Red Cross, said Afghan children returning from Iran are developing scabies, fever and other illnesses because of deteriorating conditions at the border and the hot weather. Her colleagues were reuniting hundreds of children daily who got separated from their parents. People lost their belongings and documents in the chaos of hasty exits. Most were only able to take a few suitcases with them, and some were now using their luggage as makeshift furniture. “Afghanistan is an unseen crisis, and there are so many crises going on at this moment in the world that it seems to be forgotten,” van Batenburg told The Associated Press by phone from the border. “The problems and the challenges are immense. We’re only talking about the situation here at the border, but these people have to return to some areas where they can live longer and where they can rebuild their lives.” Last week, the Norwegian Refugee Council said many of its staff were hosting returning families in their homes. Authorities were doing their best to mobilize the few resources they had, but local systems were not equipped to cope with “such tremendous” needs. (AP)