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More than a dozen states filed suit Tuesday against the Trump administration, contesting its decision to scale back federal vaccine recommendations for children and arguing that the move unlawfully endangers public health.

In their complaint, the states contend that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention jeopardized children’s safety when it revealed last month that it would no longer advise universal immunization for all children against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, certain strains of meningitis, and RSV.

The updated policy, which drew objections from segments of the medical community, now limits recommendations for those vaccines to specific high-risk populations or situations in which physicians and families engage in what is termed “shared decision-making.”

According to the states — among them Arizona and California — the revised guidance disregards decades of established medical standards and will force state governments to allocate additional resources to guard against potential disease outbreaks.

“The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue,” said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, at a news conference. “It is not a culture war talking point.”

Neither the CDC nor the Department of Health and Human Services immediately issued a response to inquiries regarding the legal challenge.

The lawsuit intensifies a broader dispute between Democrat-led states and President Donald Trump’s administration concerning shifts in federal public health policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has reduced staffing levels across federal public health agencies, decreased financial support for scientific research, and revised federal recommendations on matters including fluoride and other health-related issues.

Last year, Kennedy removed all members of a federal vaccine advisory panel and appointed new members of his choosing, a move that Tuesday’s filing claims violated the law.

The legal action follows an initiative launched months earlier by the Democrat governors of California, Washington state, and Oregon to coordinate their own vaccine guidelines. Those governors argued that the Trump administration was putting public health at risk by injecting politics into the CDC’s work.

While states possess the legal authority to mandate vaccinations for students attending public schools, federal guidance from the CDC has traditionally played a significant role in shaping state-level vaccination requirements.

{Matzav.com}

Ghazi Hamad, a senior figure in the political bureau of the Hamas terrorist organization, has dismissed demands from Israel and the United States that the group relinquish its weapons.

Speaking in an interview with the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Hamad indicated that the question of disarmament cannot be easily settled, citing what he called “many sensitivities.” He further stated that attempts to pressure the organization into surrendering its weapons are “disrespectful to the efforts of the mediators.”

A Palestinian Arab source told the newspaper that the disagreement over the issue remains at a standstill. The source argued that objectives Israel did not accomplish during more than two years of fighting will not be achieved now, and said the immediate focus should be ending the “aggression and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation.”

An Egyptian source also addressed the matter, saying Hamas’s disarmament has come up in discussions that include Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and the “technocrat committee.” The source expressed optimism that understandings could still be reached, particularly in light of US President Donald Trump’s determination to see his political initiative succeed.

According to the newspaper, analysts believe that Israeli warnings about potential military steps to strip Hamas of its weapons are intended as psychological pressure ahead of upcoming Knesset elections.

Hamas has consistently rejected calls to disarm, despite Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza requiring the organization to give up its arms. The group maintains that its arsenal serves as “self-defense against the occupation.”

Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal recently reiterated the organization’s position in response to Trump’s appeal for disarmament, declaring, “As long as our people are under occupation, talk of disarmament is an attempt to turn our people into victims, to make their elimination easier and to facilitate their destruction at the hands of the Israeli side, which is armed with every international means of warfare.”

{Matzav.com}

TRUMP: “Our country is back, Bigger and better than ever before!”

An El Al plane traveling from Tel Aviv to New York was compelled to head back to Israel over the past day after running into dangerous weather conditions while crossing the Atlantic.

Roughly eight hours after departure, the flight crew chose to return when officials at Newark Airport temporarily shut down operations because of extreme weather, resulting in altered landing directives. Under the updated conditions, the aircraft could not complete a safe landing.

With reports pointing to a strengthening storm system battering the U.S. East Coast, the pilots decided to fly back to Ben Gurion Airport, placing passenger safety above all other considerations.

Following the disruption, a spokesperson for Arkia said the airline’s flights were also experiencing delays as crews awaited an improvement in weather conditions. The company said it is closely monitoring the situation in New York and remains in constant contact with airport authorities to ensure passenger safety.

At the same time, hundreds of Israeli travelers have been stranded in hotels amid significant snowfall in New York, and there is still no definite schedule for when departures and arrivals will return to normal.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump just walked into the House chamber to deliver the State of the Union address.

Vice President JD Vance enters the House Chamber ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

President Trump has departed the White House en route to Capitol Hill where Trump will deliver his State of the Union address.

Rav Yitzchok Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, ruled this week that residents of the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim should once again read the Megillah on the 15th of Adar, in accordance with the custom observed throughout Yerushalayim.

During his weekly shiur, Rav Yosef addressed the annual halachic questions that arise ahead of Purim regarding the city’s boundaries and the proper date for Megillah reading in outlying neighborhoods. He clarified that areas such as Ramot are considered fully part of Yerushalayim for this purpose.

In his remarks, Rav Yosef highlighted the efforts of Yerushalayim Deputy and Acting Mayor Tzvika Cohen, who arranged for several caravans to be placed in open areas in order to create a continuous residential link between Ramot and the main urban expanse of the walled city.

According to halachah, for a distant neighborhood to be regarded as part of a walled city with respect to reading the Megillah on the 15th of Adar, there must be an unbroken residential continuity. The placement of the caravans establishes that continuity, thereby ensuring that residents of Ramot can celebrate Purim and fulfill the mitzvah of Megillah reading on the fifteenth, in line with the ruling of Rav Ovadia Yosef.

In previous years, Cohen worked together with Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Lion to resolve the issue of residential continuity. The solution, approved by professional authorities, involved positioning caravans in the open spaces between Ramot and neighborhoods already contiguous with Yerushalayim, thereby formally establishing Ramot’s status as one of the city’s neighborhoods.

The continued placement of the caravans at the initiative of the deputy mayor ensures that this year as well, thousands of Yerushalayimresidents will be able to observe the mitzvos of Purim properly, with Ramot residents celebrating on the 15th of Adar together with the rest of Yerushalayim.

{Matzav.com}

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday in the Arab town of Rameh, once again highlighting Israel’s struggle to curb violent crime in minority communities and renewing political pressure on the government to deliver results. First responders from Magen David Adom found the victim lying unconscious on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. “We […]

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has directed retailers to pull several imported food products from store shelves after uncovering significant irregularities in their kashrus representations. The Rabbinate’s Kashrus Fraud Division released an update detailing what it described as serious deficiencies and misleading labeling involving dairy, fish and meat items sold in major food chains.

One case involves long-life whole milk containing 3.7% fat, sold in one-liter cartons and manufactured in Belgium by Solarec. The product is imported by Euro Dairies Europe (Gold Frost) Ltd. of Yavne. The packaging carries a claim that the milk is Chalav Yisrael under the supervision of Badatz Beit Yosef and with the approval of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. However, a review conducted by the Rabbinate’s Import Department determined that the product never received such approval. Authorities have therefore ordered that the milk be immediately removed from shelves and returned to the importer.

In a separate matter, officials identified a significant concern with “100% smoked cod liver in fish oil,” packaged in 115-gram containers. The item is produced in Iceland and brought into Israel by G. Willifood International Ltd. Although the packaging indicates that the product is kosher with the approval of the Rabbinate and under the supervision of the private kashrus organization OU, the Import Department had denied authorization for production batches beginning in January 2025.

Addressing the issue, the Rabbinate stated that “the refusal to approve the fish product stems from a lack of essential details regarding parasite treatment, as well as the absence of clarification as to whether the required close supervision was maintained concerning bishul Yisrael.”

Concerns were also raised in the meat sector. Inspectors discovered a labeling discrepancy involving frozen beef shank No. 8 produced by Marcovif in Argentina and imported and distributed by Tnuva. During an on-site review, officials found that the outer red weighing label described the meat as kosher-chalak, while the stamp directly on the meat indicated only kosher, without the chalak designation.

“In light of this discrepancy, which constitutes misleading a consumer who is careful about a specific level of kashrus, the Rabbinate has instructed that these products be returned to Tnuva in order to prevent the continued halachic stumbling block of marketing meat that does not correspond to its external kashrus declaration,” the Rabbinate said.

Following the announcement, the Kosharot organization issued its own response urging heightened awareness. “We call upon the general public and kashrut supervisors to pay attention to the details of the kashrut update and to remain vigilant when purchasing imported products marketed contrary to the kashrut procedures of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, in order to avoid, G-d forbid, any halachic mishap.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress, in what is shaping up to be a pivotal political moment. The speech comes just days after the Supreme Court struck down the bulk of his sweeping tariff program, […]

The number of Democrats boycotting President Trump’s State of the Union Address has now surged to 72.

This is not just another story; it is a real case of פיקוח נפש! The Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Binyamin Finkel, Rav Yitzchak Ezrachi, and the “Chafetz Chaim of the Generation,” Rav Yitzchak Kolodetzky, issue a bone-shaking call: “The home is disintegrating. The medical crisis and distress have reached the level of פיקוח נפש. It is […]

CROWN HEIGHTS: Emergency personnel on scene at Crown Street and Troy Avenue with what appears to be an exploding manhole.

Rav Dov Landau voiced sharp criticism over the practice of screening girls during seminary (high school) admissions based on aptitude and “suitability,” even when they and their families are regarded as spiritually exemplary.

During a conversation that was recorded and later circulated, a questioner described the situation: “Girls who are outstanding in spirituality, their families are outstanding in spirituality, but the girls are not the most brilliant.”

Rav Landau responded pointedly: “What is this? Yeshivos?”

The questioner continued, noting that “the major seminaries don’t want them.”

Rav Landau reiterated: “What is this, yeshivos?!”

At that point, a grandson present added, “Yes! It’s terrible and awful. He is right.”

Rav Landau concluded emphatically: “It will not be kli gever al isha,” invoking the Torah prohibition of adopting inappropriate models from the opposite gender, in a clear rejection of applying yeshiva-style academic selectivity to girls’ seminaries.

The remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing tensions surrounding seminary admissions in Yerushalayim. At the beginning of the current academic year, a major dispute erupted when the municipality imposed student placements on several seminaries. In response, a number of institutions delayed opening the school year for days.

Subsequently, at Rav Landau’s personal request, an agreement was reached to open two additional ninth-grade classes at the Beis Yaakov Teachers Seminary (“the old seminary”) in Yerushalayim. The move ensured placements satisfactory to all girls who had remained at home without assignments.

In a personal letter to the seminary’s director, Rabbi Yisrael Levin, Rav Landau wrote that “the cry of the students is piercing and it is impossible to stand aside,” instructing him to open the additional classes. Following that intervention, Rav Landau directed that the school year begin in all ninth-grade classes throughout the city’s seminaries once the arrangements were finalized.

{Matzav.com}

When Delta Flight 235 from Tel Aviv to New York was forced to divert to Michigan on Monday because of severe blizzard conditions in the New York area, hundreds of passengers suddenly found themselves stranded far from home. But what could have been a difficult and stressful experience quickly turned into a powerful display of […]

Chaverim of Rockland needs no introduction. The dedicated volunteers are on call 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, ensuring the safety and well-being of tens of thousands of residents across Rockland County. From major winter storms to late-night emergencies, Chaverim is always just a phone call away. This year alone, Chaverim of Rockland has […]

New York City police are searching for two suspects accused of attacking on-duty officers with snow and ice during a violent confrontation in Washington Square Park, as outrage grows over the blatant assault on public servants during a historic blizzard. The New York City Police Department released new photos Tuesday showing two young men allegedly […]

The shidduch crisis is not news to anyone in our community. For years, askanim, rabbanim, and concerned parents have been sounding the alarm. Dating pools are unbalanced. Young men and women are waiting longer. Shadchanim are overwhelmed. And countless sincere daters are falling through the cracks. A new chesed organization called Canopy Shidduchim is trying […]

Machnovka Belzer chassidim in Eretz Yisroel and around the world are still basking in the elevated joy following a historic Hachnasas Sefer Torah held this past Thursday. The beautifully written Sefer Torah was commissioned and funded collectively by the entire kehillah — elders and youth alike — as a spiritual gift in honor and merit […]