Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two missiles targeting a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden, though the projectiles splashed down nearby without causing any damage, authorities said Saturday. The attack comes after the Houthis repeatedly assaulted and then boarded a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the nearby Red Sea, planting explosives on it they later detonated. That attack, the worst in weeks, risked a major oil spill as the rebels’ campaign disrupts the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red Sea each year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen. In the attack Friday night, two missiles exploded in close proximity to the vessel some 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship “reports all crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call,” the UKMTO said. “Investigations are ongoing.” The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy, on Saturday identified the vessel targeted as the Liberian-flagged container ship Groton. The Groton came under attack Aug. 3 as well in a similar Houthi assault off Aden that included two missiles fired at the vessel, with one causing minor damage. The ship “was targeted due to other vessels within its company structure making recent port calls in Israel,” the center said. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded video address aired Saturday night. He claimed, without offering evidence, the missiles hit the Groton. Saree and other Houthi officials have exaggerated details about attacks in the past. The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a United States-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s Central Command said Saturday it destroyed two drones over Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. (AP)
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and three others were wounded on Shabbos during clashes with Hamas terrorists in Jenin in northern Shomron.
The slain man was named as St. Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 906th Training Battalion, from Petach Tikvah.
Bislamach is an acronym for the School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders—the IDF body responsible for training all infantry squad commanders and platoon sergeants.
Israel launched the large-scale operation in the Jenin and Tulkarem areas overnight Tuesday, involving hundreds of soldiers and air support. Troops were also active in the Far’a camp in Tubas.
According to an IDF investigation, troops conducting a counterterror raid in Jenin engaged in a firefight with two high-ranking Hamas members, killing both of them. Four soldiers were struck by the gunfire, including Navon.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment in Jenin with senior officers earlier on Shabbos.
The goal of the ongoing operation is to hit as much terrorist infrastructure as possible in northern Shomron and the Jordan Valley, with an emphasis on neutralizing explosives and locating terrorist operatives.
Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon on Thursday morning responded to Secretary-General António Guterres’s call for a halt to IDF activity in Yehuda and Shomron.
“Since Oct. 7, Iran has been working vigorously to introduce into Yehuda and Shomron sophisticated explosive devices that are intended to detonate in the centers of Israeli cities,” Danon tweeted.
“The State of Israel cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centers. The activity of the IDF forces in Yehuda and Shomron is intended for the clear purpose of thwarting terrorist attacks and acts before they are carried out under Iranian direction.”
The death toll among Israeli troops on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre now stands at 705, according to official military data.
Additionally, Ch. Insp. Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage-rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.
(JNS)
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Atica, known for its non-iron luxury dress shirts, has opened a new showroom in Lakewood, expanding its offerings to include high-end canvassed suits, coats, ties, shoes, and accessories. To celebrate, the store is offering a 20% discount on all items during its grand opening from August 25th to September 3rd. Atica began as an online retailer before opening its first physical store in Crown Heights, where it quickly became a favorite for its quality, durability, and affordability. The new 4,000 square foot showroom in Lakewood, located at Brewers Bridge Plaza, features state-of-the-art design and offers a top-tier made-to-measure service. “We’re proud to bring a new level of luxury shopping to Lakewood,” said store manager Yosef Kassover. “We offer an elevated selection of luxury products, which will look and feel great for a long time.” Shoppers can visit in-store or use the code GRAND20 at aticaman.com to enjoy the discount. Visit Atica at: 2080 County Line Rd, Jackson, NJ (Adjacent to Borsalino) Phone: (814) 962-6354
AAA says holiday travel for Labor Day weekend is expected to be up 9% compared to 2023, with most people driving to their destinations. The national average for gas prices is $3.36 per gallon, nearly 50 cents lower than last year.
The Northern Lights danced over Seattle late Friday night!
During combat in the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces troops located several corpses that may belong to abducted Israelis, the military said on Motzei Shabbos.
“Forces are still operating in the area and working to extract and identify the bodies, which will last several hours,” the IDF said.
The military called on the public not to spread rumors.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces rescued a hostage alive from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, a father of 11 from the Bedouin city of Rahat in the Negev, was rescued from a tunnel in southern Gaza in a “complex operation.”
Upon leaving Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva on Wednesday, Alkadi expressed the desire to see his mother and daughters, adding, “Whether you’re Arab or Jewish, everyone has a family waiting for them. They all want to celebrate. I hope and pray this will end.”
“I wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone,” said Alkadi, who spent nearly 11 months in captivity. “I even told the Prime Minister [Bibi Netanyahu] to put an end to this. It’s hard for everyone, Jewish and Arab alike.”
Also on Wednesday, the IDF recovered the body of a soldier in the Gaza Strip who was killed fighting Hamas operatives during the terrorist invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7.
At the request of the soldier’s family, his name has not yet been made public.
(JNS)
Recent assessments have revealed that the number of Gazans who breached the Israeli border on October 7 was double what was initially believed, according to a report by Channel 12 on Saturday. Data from the Israel Defense Forces’ Gaza Division shows that around 3,800 members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba forces were among the estimated 6,000 Gazans who crossed into Israel that day. This significant increase highlights the scale of the infiltration during the attack.
The United States military and Iraq launched a joint raid targeting suspected Islamic State group militants in the country’s western desert that killed at least 15 people and left seven American troops hurt, officials said Saturday. For years after dislodging the militants from their self-declared caliphate across Iraq and Syria, U.S. forces have fought the Islamic State group, though the casualties from this raid were higher than in previous ones. The U.S. military’s Central Command said the militants were armed with “numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts” during the raid Thursday, which Iraqi forces said happened in the Anbar Desert. “This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond,” Central Command said, using an acronym for the militant group. “Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided.” It added: “There is no indication of civilian casualties.” An Iraqi military statement said “airstrikes targeted the hideouts, followed by an airborne operation.” “Among the dead were key ISIS leaders,” Iraq’s military said, without identifying them. “All hideouts, weapons and logistical support were destroyed, explosive belts were safely detonated and important documents, identification papers and communication devices were seized.” A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation yet to be made public, told The Associated Press that five American troops were wounded in the raid, while two others suffered injuries from falls during the operation. One who suffered a fall was transported out of the region, while one of the wounded was evacuated for further treatment, the official said. “All personnel are in stable condition,” the official said. It wasn’t immediately clear why it took two days for the U.S. to acknowledge it took part in the raid. Iraq did not say the U.S. took part in the operation when initially announcing it, as politicians debate the future of having American troops in the country. There are approximately 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq. Since the U.S. toppled dictator Saddam Hussein with its 2003 invasion of Iraq, the country has struggled to balance relations between America and neighboring Iran. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Iraqi militias allied to Iran have targeted U.S. forces there, leading to American airstrikes targeting them. At its peak, the Islamic State group ruled an area half the size of the U.K. It attempted to enforce its extreme interpretation of Islam, which included attacks on religious minority groups and harsh punishment of Muslims deemed to be apostates. A coalition of more than 80 countries led by the United States was formed to fight the group, which lost its hold on the territory it controlled in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. However, the militants have continued to operate in the Anbar Desert in Iraq and Syria, while claiming attacks carried out by others elsewhere in the world inspired by the group. That includes the two suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna. Meanwhile, the IS branch in Afghanistan is known to carry out intensely bloody assaults. Last month, the U.S. military said the number of attacks claimed by IS in Syria and Iraq was on track to double […]
A small plane carrying two people crashed into a row of townhouses Saturday morning in a neighborhood east of Portland, setting the homes ablaze and leaving at least one resident unaccounted for, authorities said. Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis told reporters at an afternoon briefing that he couldn’t yet say if there were any fatalities, noting that fire crews were working around major structural damage to the townhomes as a result of the crash. Photos and videos published by KGW-TV in Portland show one of the townhomes engulfed in flames while black smoke poured out of the adjoining houses. Lewis said the fire spread to at least four of the homes, displacing up to six families. He said two people were treated at the scene, but he didn’t describe the type or severity of injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a twin-engine Cessna 421C, which it says went down around 10:30 a.m. near Troutdale Airport, about a 30-minute drive east of Portland. As the plane went down, it knocked over a pole and power lines, causing a separate brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The plane was split into multiple parts as it crashed in the residential area in the city of Fairview, which is home to about 10,000 people. Lewis said the first call about the fire came from staff at the Troutdale Airport’s control tower, who saw a thick plume of smoke rising in the air. But Lewis said that initial reports indicated “there was no mayday, no call for emergency” from the aircraft itself before it crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. The agency has sent two investigators to the site of the crash who will document the wreckage, spokesperson Peter Knudson said. He did not release further details about the crash. The website for the Port of Portland, which oversees general aviation and marine operations in the Portland area, describes Troutdale Airport as a “flight training and recreational airport.” (AP)
A man was charged with felony aggravated assault after an alleged glass bottle attack on two Jewish students on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, a city newspaper reported Saturday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 52-year-old suspect was also charged with simple assault, reckless endangering, resisting arrest and harassment. The Post-Gazette, citing a criminal complaint, said the man was seen on surveillance video sitting at a table across the street from the students as they walked near Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning on Friday evening. Police say he ran across the street and hit them from behind with the bottle. The students, who were wearing traditional Jewish yarmulke head coverings, were treated at the scene, the university said. One had cuts on his face, and the other had cuts on his neck, the Post-Gazette said, citing the criminal complaint. The suspect, who has no known affiliation with the school, was wearing a kaffiyeh, a traditional checkered scarf worn in the Middle East and increasingly displayed as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people. University leaders were in contact with the Hillel University Center as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Agents from the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office were also sent to the scene to investigate the possibility of a hate crime, the newspaper said. The university called it an “appalling incident” but said there was no ongoing threat to the public. Counseling was being made available. “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the university said in a statement. Court documents did not list an attorney for the suspect, and a listed number for him couldn’t be found Saturday. The incident came at the end of the first full week of fall semester classes and a few months after spring protests on the campus over the war in Gaza, one of which took place in front of the Cathedral of Learning. (AP)
Late Motzei Shabbos, the IDF announced the discovery of more bodies underground in Gaza, which are likely those of Israeli hostages previously held by Hamas. Amid social media speculation regarding the identities of the potential hostages, the IDF stated that confirmation would only be possible once the bodies have been returned to Israel and examined by professional experts, likely on Sunday. IDF sources clarified that if the bodies are indeed those of hostages, they were not killed in any recent skirmish with Hamas in the area, as no military force was used nearby. In Rehoboth, Delaware, US President Joe Biden, after leaving a church service, commented on the IDF’s statement about finding bodies in Gaza that could be hostages. He remarked on the uncertainty surrounding the exact number and identities, stating there is “a lot of speculation who they are,” and emphasized the need to wait until the bodies are identified and “their families are notified.” “It’s time this war ended. We should end this war. I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement,” Biden added. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Russian shelling in the town of Chasiv Yar on Saturday killed five people, as Moscow’s troops pushed ahead in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The attack struck a high-rise building and a private home, said regional Gov. Vadym Filaskhin, who said the victims were men aged 24 to 38. He urged the last remaining residents to leave the front-line town, which had a pre-war population of 12,000. “Normal life has been impossible in Chasiv Yar for more than two years,” Filaskhin wrote on social media. “Do not become a Russian target — evacuate.” A further two people were killed by Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region. One victim was pulled from the rubble of a house in the village of Cherkaska Lozova, said Gov. Oleh Syniehubov, while a second woman died of her wounds while being transported to a hospital. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it captured the town of Pivnichne, also in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. Russian forces have been driving deeper into the partly occupied eastern region, the total capture of which is one of the Kremlin’s primary ambitions. Russia’s army is closing in on Pokrovsk, a critical logistics hub for the Ukrainian defense in the area. At the same time, Ukraine has sent its forces into Russia’s Kursk region in recent weeks in the largest incursion onto Russian soil since World War II. The move is partly an effort to force Russia to draw troops away from the Donetsk front. Elsewhere, the number of wounded following a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday continued to rise. Six people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, when glide bombs struck five locations across the city, said regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. Writing on social media Saturday, he said that the number of injured had risen from 47 to 96. Syniehubov also confirmed that the 12-story apartment block that was hit by one bomb strike, setting the building ablaze and trapping at least one person on an upper floor, would be partly demolished. Ukrainian officials have previously pointed to the Kharkiv strikes as further evidence that Western partners should scrap restrictions on what the Ukrainian military can target with donated weapons. In an interview with CNN on Friday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv had presented Washington with a list of potential long-range targets within Russia for its approval. “I hope we were heard,” he said. He also denied speculation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s decision to dismiss the commander of the country’s air force Friday was directly linked to the destruction of an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners four days earlier. The order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website minutes before an address which saw Zelenskyy stress the need to “take care of all our soldiers.” “This is two separate issues,” said Umerov. “At this stage, I would not connect them.” The number of injured also continued to rise in the Russian border region of Belgorod, where five people were killed Friday by Ukrainian shelling, said Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. He said Sunday that 46 people had been injured, of whom 37 were in the hospital, including seven children. Writing on social media, Gladkov also said […]
Lawyers for Donald Trump intend to urge a judge to dismiss the federal election subversion case against the former president after a Supreme Court opinion that narrowed the scope of the landmark prosecution, according to a court filing. The defense team, in a joint filing late Friday with prosecutors that lays out dueling proposals for the next steps, foreshadowed a series of anticipated challenges that would draw out until deep into next year the criminal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Those include arguments that a new and more limited indictment issued by prosecutors this past week still contains allegations for which Trump, as a former president, is entitled to immunity, such as his conversations with his then-vice president, Mike Pence. Defense lawyers also intend “as a threshold matter” to seek the dismissal of the case on the same grounds that a federal judge in Florida cited last month in tossing out a separate prosecution charging Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The judge in that case, Aileen Cannon, held that special counsel Jack Smith, whose team brought the case, was unlawfully appointed and that his office was improperly funded. The federal court filing in Washington offers competing visions for how the case should proceed and comes before a status conference set for the coming week — the first court appearance in the case in months. The Supreme Court opinion made it all but certain that no trial can be held before the election, and it now falls to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which of the acts in the indictment can be included in the case and which must be stripped out. The timetable proposed by the Trump team envisions the case remaining snarled in pretrial arguments up until potentially fall 2025, or well after this November’s presidential election. Smith’s team did not propose specific dates but said it would be prepared to file an opening legal brief on the central issue of Trump’s immunity “promptly at any time the Court deems appropriate.” The filing is an acknowledgment of the radically altered legal landscape since Smith filed the indictment in June 2023 and the challenges prosecutors have encountered in trying to hold Trump accountable this year. Though prosecutors initially accused Trump of wide-ranging schemes to cling to power and to block the peaceful transfer of power, they must now contend with the aftermath of a Supreme Court opinion that said former presidents enjoy absolute immunity for exercising core constitutional powers and are presumptively immune for other official acts they take as president. Smith’s team responded to the ruling with a new indictment this past week that removed allegations related to Trump’s dealings with the Justice Department, an area of conduct for which the court said Trump was immune from prosecution, and made other changes. But Trump’s lawyers, according to Friday’s filing, don’t think prosecutors went far enough and say they “strongly maintain that many classes of conduct alleged in the Superseding Indictment are immune — including, but not limited to, Tweets and public statements about the federal 2020 Presidential election, communications with state officials about the federal election, and allegations relating to alternate slates of electors.” They said they particularly objected to the continued inclusion […]
Rescuers are searching for a helicopter that went missing in Russia’s far east on Saturday with 22 people on board. The Mi-8 helicopter took off close to the Vachkazhets volcano in the Kamchatka region, but did not arrive at its destination as scheduled, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement. It said it believed that 19 passengers and three crew members were on board. The Mi-8 is a two-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s. It is widely used in Russia, where crashes have been frequent, as well as in neighboring countries and many other nations. (AP)
The IDF on Motzei Shabbos announced that an IDF soldier was killed in a shootout with two Hamas terrorists in Jenin on Shabbos morning in a counterterrorism raid carried out as part of the ongoing Operation Summer Camps in Yehudah and Shomron and the Jordan Valley. The soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, H”yd, 20, from Petach Tikvah. He served as a squad commander in the 906th Battalion of the Bislamach Brigade. He was the fourth talmid of the Hesder Yeshivah in Kiryat Shmona to fall in battle since October 7. At about 6 a.m., IDF forces approached a building in Jenin that housed terrorists. Two senior Hamas terrorists who were both responsible for numerous terror attacks, managed to surprise them, opening fire from close range. A gun battle ensued during which both both terrorists were killed. Navon, z’l, was hit by gunfire and killed and three others were injured, including an IDF officer who was seriously injured. They were evacuated to Emek Medical Center in Afula and Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, as can be seen in the video below: (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
A potentially deadly coordinated double terror attack in two areas of Gush Etzion on Friday night miraculously ended with only three people injured. The first incident occurred close to midnight when a car exploded at a gas station at the Gush Etzion Junction. A car had pulled up to the station against the flow of traffic and as it pulled up, the hood caught on fire. The terrorist then emerged from the car, completely burned. A gas station employee told Ynet that at first, an employee tried to douse the terrorist with a water hose, thinking it was an accidental car fire. But then the terrorist began running and trying to attack the security forces who had arrived at the scene. IDF soldiers opened fire, killing him. Two IDF officers were injured by friendly fire, one moderately and one lightly, and were evacuated to Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Only moments later, another terror attack occurred at the entrance to the yishuv of Karmei Tzur. A terrorist rammed his car through the barrier at the entrance of the yishuv and tried to run over the security guard, lightly injuring him. Nearby IDF soldiers opened fire at the driver but he continued driving into the yishuv. A member of the yishuv’s security patrol rushed to the area in his own car and deliberately collided with the terrorist’s car and then got out of the car and opened fire, killing the terrorist. Shortly later, the car exploded. The patrol member was lightly injured in the collision and was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital where he received treatment and was released shortly later. Security forces called to the scene launched a search of the yishuv to rule out the presence of additional terrorists on the yishuv. Meanwhile, residents of the yishuv were ordered to stay inside their homes and were only given an all-clear seven hours later. As of Motzei Shabbos, an investigation of the incidents is still ongoing but it is believed that the two terrorists, both residents of Chevron, drove together from Chevron in two booby-trapped cars on Route 60 to carry out a coordinated terror attack, one at the gas station and one in Karmei Tzur. Security officials believe that the car bombs, both of which were packed with nails and screws, were manufactured in the same explosive lab in Chevron. Following the attack, IDF forces entered Chevron and arrested six suspects. They also imposed a military closure on the city. Israeli security forces suspect that a third suicide bomber, who has not yet been located, may have driven along Route 60 with the other two terrorists. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
At least three people sustained injuries following a dual terrorist assault in Gush Etzion on Friday night.
The first incident took place around 11:35 p.m., when a vehicle detonated at a gas station located at the Gush Etzion Junction. Following the blast, a terrorist emerged from the vehicle and attempted to attack the security personnel who responded to the scene. The assailant was neutralized, and two individuals were injured.
Just moments later, a second terrorist arrived at the entrance of Carmei Tzur in another vehicle, where he attempted to run over the security guard stationed at the community’s entrance, inflicting minor injuries. Security forces who were summoned to the scene managed to eliminate the terrorist. Extensive searches are now underway in Carmei Tzur due to fears that another terrorist might still be in the area. Residents of the community have been instructed to remain indoors.
The vehicle used by the terrorist in Carmei Tzur was also equipped with an explosive device, which detonated and set the car ablaze.
In a statement, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that “over the past hour, two security incidents occurred in the area of the Etzion Regional Brigade.”
“Approximately an hour ago, a vehicle caught fire and exploded in a gas station at the Gush Etzion Junction. IDF soldiers who were dispatched to the scene opened fire and eliminated the terrorist who exited the vehicle and attempted to attack them. Security forces are conducting scans in the area to rule out the possibility of additional terrorists.”
“In an additional incident, terrorists attempted to ram a security guard at the entrance to the Carmei Tzur community a short while ago and infiltrated the community. IDF soldiers were dispatched to the scene and a terrorist was neutralized. Security forces are conducting scans to rule out the possibility of additional terrorists in the area. The incident is still developing.”
The statement further mentioned that IDF, Israel Police, and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) forces have been deployed to the area, conducting wide-scale searches and blocking off routes.
“At this moment, it cannot be determined if the incidents are related. A number of injuries have been reported. The details are still under review,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated.
According to Magen David Adom, two individuals were injured in the attack near the gas station at the Gush Etzion Junction. One, a 24-year-old man, is in moderate condition, while the other, a 34-year-old man, sustained light injuries. Both were transported by paramedics to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Yerushalayim.
In the second attack in Carmei Tzur, MDA reported that a 28-year-old man was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim with light injuries after being struck by the terrorist’s vehicle. Both terrorists were neutralized.
An inflation measure closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained low last month, extending a trend of cooling price increases that clears the way for the Fed to start cutting its key interest rate next month for the first time in 4 1/2 years. Prices rose just 0.2% from June to July, the Commerce Department said Friday, up a tick from the previous month’s 0.1% increase. Compared with a year earlier, inflation was unchanged at 2.5%. That’s just modestly above the Fed’s 2% target level. The slowdown in inflation could upend former President Donald Trump’s efforts to saddle Vice President Kamala Harris with blame for rising prices. Still, despite the near-end of high inflation, many Americans remain unhappy with today’s sharply higher average prices for such necessities as gas, food and housing compared with their pre-pandemic levels. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core inflation rose 0.2% from June to July, the same as in the previous month. Measured from a year earlier, core prices increased 2.6%, also unchanged from the previous year. Economists closely watch core prices, which typically provide a better read of future inflation trends. Friday’s figures underscore that inflation is steadily fading in the United States after three painful years of surging prices hammered many families’ finances. According to the measure reported Friday, inflation peaked at 7.1% in June 2022, the highest in four decades, before steadily dropping. In a high-profile speech last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell attributed the inflation surge that erupted in 2021 to a “collision” of reduced supply stemming from the pandemic’s disruptions with a jump in demand as consumers ramped up spending, drawing on savings juiced by federal stimulus checks. With price increases now cooling, Powell also said last week that “the time has come” to begin lowering the Fed’s key interest rate. Economists expect a cut of at least a quarter-point cut in the rate, now at 5.3%, at the Fed’s next meeting Sept. 17-18. With inflation coming under control, Powell indicated that the central bank is now increasingly focused on preventing any worsening of the job market. The unemployment rate has risen for four straight months. Reductions in the Fed’s benchmark interest rate should, over time, reduce borrowing costs for a range of consumer and business loans, including mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. “The end of the Fed’s inflation fight is coming into view,” Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide, an insurance and financial services provider, wrote in a research note. “The further cooling of inflation could give the Fed leeway to be more aggressive with rate declines at coming meetings.” Friday’s report also showed that healthy consumer spending continues to power the U.S. economy. Americans stepped up their spending by a vigorous 0.5% from June to July, up from 0.3% the previous month. And incomes rose 0.3%, faster than in the previous month. Yet with spending up more than income, consumers’ savings fell, the report said. The savings rate dropped to just 2.9%, the lowest level since the early months of the pandemic. Ayers said the decline in savings suggests that consumers will have to pull back on spending soon, potentially slowing economic growth in the coming months. The Fed tends to favor the inflation gauge that the government issued Friday — the personal consumption expenditures […]
Following the first interview Kamala Harris has done since becoming the Democrat nominee, Fox News host Jesse Watters calls out Harris.
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