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SpaceX is set to launch a crew of four private astronauts to space early Tuesday morning, part of a groundbreaking mission aimed at performing the world’s first commercial spacewalk.

On board the mission, called Polaris Dawn, is billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously flew to orbit with SpaceX in 2021 and provided funding for the flight and its development. Flying with him are two lead SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as Isaacman’s friend and former Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet.

The crew, who will ride inside a modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, are slated to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:38 a.m. local time on August 27. SpaceX also has launch opportunities at 5:23 a.m. or 7:09 a.m. If the mission is delayed, the company can also launch on Aug. 28 during those same times.

The signature moment of the mission is set to occur on the third day of flight, when Isaacman and Gillis plan to step outside of an open hatch on their Crew Dragon spacecraft and each perform a spacewalk. The two will go out one at a time for about 15 to 20 minutes each while tethered to the vehicle.

It’s unclear how SpaceX plans to incorporate spacewalking into future missions, but the company is eager to test out the new capability.

“I think we’ll be really interested to see where the company does take it,” Gillis said in an interview prior to launch. “Obviously, this is the first step, and this is a really important step.”

While only Gillis and Isaacman will be leaving the spacecraft, the entire crew will be wearing SpaceX’s new space suits, as the full interior of the Crew Dragon will be exposed to the vacuum of space for the maneuver. The entire procedure, from venting out the atmosphere of the spacecraft to re-sealing the vehicle, should take about two hours.

Though the main focus of the mission will be on the spacewalk, Polaris Dawn plans to perform a number of secondary objectives, as well as break some spaceflight records. The first phase of flight will see the Crew Dragon spacecraft reach a height of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth, making it the farthest humans have flown into space since the Apollo astronauts reached the moon. If the mission is successful, both Menon and Gillis will hold the record for women who have traveled the farthest from Earth.

Because of the distance the crew is traveling, they’ll be exposed to a much higher radiation environment than what most astronauts experience while traveling to the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit. That will allow SpaceX to collect critical research about how the space environment affects the human body.

Additionally, SpaceX also plans to perform an in-flight demonstration of its Starlink service. A mounted “plaser” inside the spacecraft will attempt to connect with Starlink internet satellites, to test out connectivity that future missions might use.

The entire Polaris Dawn mission should last roughly five days before the crew returns back to Earth, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

(c) Washington Post

An Army private who fled to North Korea just over a year ago will plead guilty to desertion and four other charges and take responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said Monday. Travis King’s attorney, Franklin D. Rosenblatt, told The Associated Press, that King intends to admit his guilt to military offenses, including desertion and assaulting an officer. Nine other offenses, including possession of sexual images of a child, will be dismissed under the terms of the deal. King will be given an opportunity at a Sept. 20 plea hearing at Fort Bliss, Texas, to discuss his actions. “He wants to take responsibility for the things that he did,” Rosenblatt said. He declined to comment on a possible sentence that his client might face. Desertion is a serious charge and can result in imprisonment for as much as three years. The AP reported last month that the two sides were in plea talks. King bolted across the heavily fortified border from South Korea in July 2023, and became the first American detained in North Korea in nearly five years. His run into North Korea came soon after he was released from a South Korean prison where he had served nearly two months on assault charges. About a week after his release from the prison, military officers took him to the airport so he could return to Fort Bliss to face disciplinary action. He was escorted as far as customs, but instead of getting on the plane, he joined a civilian tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He then ran across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists. He was detained by North Korea, but after about two months, Pyongyang abruptly announced that it would expel him. On Sept. 28, he was flown to back to Texas, and has been in custody there. The U.S. military in October filed a series of charges against King under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, as well as kicking and punching other officers, unlawfully possessing alcohol, making a false statement and possessing a video of a child engaged in sexual activity. Those allegations date back to July 10, the same day he was released from the prison. (AP)

The Associated Press was roasted on X on Monday after sharing a story with the title She’s the sitting vice president. She’s the candidate of change. How Harris is having it both ways.

 

“Vote for change… by voting for the person who’s currently in office,” one X user wrote.

 

“Are you guys nuts?” another wrote, before blasting the outlet as a propaganda arm of the Harris campaign.

 

“AP isn’t biased at all,” another wrote.

 

“Probably because you hacks write headlines like this,” another tacked on.

 

“Change? Yeah, changing the US into Venezuela,” another quipped.

 

ABC News is also running cover for Kamala’s conflicting messages, saying “In every presidential cycle candidates run on experience or freshness, but Harris so far appears to be successfully harmonizing two seemingly competing messages, much to the frustration of former President Donald Trump and his allies.”

From ABC News:

‘She has this powerful and unique and interesting advantage that we have never seen before in our politics,’ said Patrick Gaspard, CEO of the Democratic-leaning think tank Center for American Progress Action Fund and a former executive director of the Democratic National Committee under President Barack Obama.

‘She is both an incumbent,’ he said, and ‘she’s been able to seize the ‘change’ banner away from Donald Trump.

Kamala can be both an incumbent and a candidate for change as long as the media refuses to do its job.

{Matzav.com}

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation. Durov was detained Saturday at Le Bourget airport in a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Monday. It said in a statement that the suspected violations include complicity in selling child sexual abuse material and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law. In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.” Denouncing what he called false information, Macron said the arrest “is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.” Durov’s detention was extended until Monday night and can be prolonged until Wednesday evening before authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said. Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Russian government officials have expressed outrage at his detention, with some calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech. The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics: in 2018 Russian authorities themselves tried to block Telegram but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020. Telegram, which says it has nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from the Russian authorities. In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site which he launched in 2006. The company came under pressure amid Russian government’s crackdown after mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012. Durov said the authorities demanded that the site take down online communities of Russian opposition activists, and later that it hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013 popular uprising in Ukraine, which eventually ousted a pro-Kremlin president. Durov said in a recent interview that he had turned down these demands and left the country. The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news. Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts. In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.” “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.” A French investigative judge extended Durov’s detention order on Sunday night, […]

Negotiations are ongoing in Cairo to reach a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, despite the hundreds of rockets that Hezbollah launched at Israel on Sunday after the Jewish state thwarted a major attack, the White House said.

John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, told reporters at a briefing on Monday that the Biden administration believes talks in Cairo are still moving forward.

“There continues to be progress, and our team on the ground continues to describe the talks as constructive,” Kirby said. “Despite the rocket and drone attack by Hezbollah over the course of the weekend, which Israel did a terrific job defending against, it has not affected the actual work on the ground by the teams trying to get this ceasefire deal in place.”

A reporter asked why negotiations had appeared to break down. Kirby said leaders and high-level mediators had departed from the talks to make way for more practical conversations.

“The talks actually progressed to a point where they felt like the next logical step was to have working groups at lower levels sit down to hammer out these finer details,” he said.

One unresolved element the working groups are grappling with is how the mechanics would work for Hamas to release hostages and for Israel to exchange Palestinian prisoners held in jail. The negotiations also addressed who would be released and on what kind of timetable.

Kirby rejected the idea that talks had broken down, insisting that the Biden administration continues to believe that a deal is just as urgently needed as when U.S. President Joe Biden outlined the proposal in May.

“We want to get it done as soon as possible,” he said. “I think we’re all watching what’s going on in the region writ large very, very closely and monitoring the situation. We don’t want to see an all-out war, and we’re doing everything we can to try to prevent that.”

“We’re maintaining a pretty robust force posture there to be able to defend ourselves and defend Israel should it come to that. Hopefully it won’t,” he added. “We want to get this ceasefire deal as soon as possible. We haven’t let our interest in doing that wane.”

“We haven’t taken our foot off the gas,” he said.

After Hezbollah claimed that its attack was a “success” and completed, Kirby said that Iran continues to be “postured and prepared” to strike the Jewish state.

“It’s not something we take lightly. We look at it every day,” Kirby said. “It’s a dynamic situation. We have to treat it like that.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Kamala Harris is the most far-left, radical Democratic candidate for president in the history of the United States. Once ranked the most liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate, Harris has staked out extremely progressive positions on border security (or lack thereof), immigration, healthcare, fracking, education, energy, and more. And, because she’s an opportunist, she’s flip-flopped on nearly every issue.

But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to Kamala Harris, in her own words. These are the soundbites the media mob doesn’t want you to hear.

 

CLICK HERE for a PDF of Kamala’s most radical policy positions —>

CLICK HERE to listen to Kamala’s most radical (and ridiculous) soundbites, including:

• KAMALA HARRIS PROMISES TO SCRAP THE FILIBUSTER TO PASS GREEN NEW DEAL
• KAMALA HARRIS DEFENDS HER RECORD AS A PROSECUTOR REGARDING NOT INVESTIGATING FATAL SHOOTINGS INVOLVING POLICE
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS WE SHOULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT FELONS LIKE BOSTON BOMBER BEING ALLOWED TO VOTE
• KAMALA HARRIS’ RADICAL PROMISES IN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SPEECH
• KAMALA HARRIS: WE NEED TO RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS I WOULD CHANGE DIETARY GUIDELINES TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF RED MEAT YOU CAN EAT
• KAMALA HARRIS’ SUPPORT FOR PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS YOU DON’T GET TO KEEP YOUR INSURANCE — SUPPORTS MEDICARE FOR ALL
• KAMALA HARRIS TELLS A DEATH JOKE ABOUT TRUMP
• KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTS MAYOR’S MOVE TO SLASH POLICE FUNDING.
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS PROTESTS SHOULDN’T STOP
• KAMALA HARRIS VOICING SUPPORT FOR PROTESTS
• KAMALA HARRIS ENDORSES GREEN NEW DEAL
• KAMALA HARRIS CALLS FOR BANNING PLASTIC STRAWS
• KAMALA HARRIS: I WOULD BAN FRACKING ON PUBLIC LANDS.
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS WORKERS IN FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY NEED TO TRANSITION
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS GREEN NEW DEAL PRINCIPLES ARE SOUND AND IMPORTANT
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS SHE WILL NOT VOTE FOR A BORDER WALL
• KAMALA HARRIS: MY MEDICARE FOR ALL PLAN WILL COVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
• KAMALA HARRIS ASKS ACTING ICE DIRECTOR IF HE’S AWARE THAT SOME PERCEIVE ICE TO BE LIKE THE KKK
• KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTS DECRIMINALIZING ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS
• KAMALA HARRIS SAYS WE NEED MEDICARE FOR ALL
• KAMALA HARRIS: ASSAULT WEAPONS SHOULD NOT BE ACCESSIBLE
• KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTS MEDICARE FOR ALL, END TO EMPLOYER INSURANCE
• KAMALA HARRIS: MANDATORY BUYBACK OF ASSAULT WEAPONS IS A GOOD IDEA
• KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTS THE CONFISCATION OF UP TO 10 MILLION GUNS
• KAMALA HARRIS THREATENS EXECUTIVE ACTION ON GUN CONTROL IF ELECTED
• …and many, many more.

CLICK HERE to listen to Kamala’s most radical (and ridiculous) soundbites, —>

CLICK HERE for a PDF of Kamala’s most radical policy positions —>

{Matzav.com}

Special counsel Jack Smith urged a federal appeals court Monday to reinstate the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, saying a judge’s decision that dismissed the prosecution was at odds with longstanding Justice Department practice and must be reversed. Smith’s team said U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon made a grievous mistake by ruling that Smith was unlawfully appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. That position, prosecutors wrote in a brief filed with the Atlanta-based appeals court, runs counter to rulings by judges across the country as well as “widespread and longstanding appointment practices in the Department of Justice and across the government.” If allowed to stand, they warned, it could ”jeopardize the longstanding operation of the Justice Department and call into question hundreds of appointments throughout the Executive Branch.” “The Attorney General validly appointed the Special Counsel, who is also properly funded,” prosecutors wrote. “In ruling otherwise, the district court deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent, misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment, and took inadequate account of the longstanding history of Attorney General appointments of special counsels.” The appeal is the latest development in a prosecution that many legal experts have long considered a straightforward criminal case given the breadth of evidence, including surveillance video and an audio recording of Trump’s own words, that Justice Department investigators accumulated during the course of the investigation. But over the last year, the case has been snarled by delays as Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, entertained assorted Trump team motions before ultimately dismissing the prosecution in a stunning decision that brought the proceedings to at least a temporary halt. It’s unclear how long it will take for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide the matter, but even if it overturns Cannon’s dismissal and revives the prosecution, there’s no chance of a trial before the November presidential election. Trump, if elected, could appoint an attorney general who would dismiss the case. In a statement Monday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said “not only should the dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida be affirmed, but be immediately joined by a dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts.” The case, one of four federal and state prosecutions brought against Trump, includes dozens of felony charges that Trump illegally retained classified documents from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida and obstructed the government’s efforts to get them back. Trump has pleaded not guilty. At issue in the appeal is a provision of the Constitution known as the Appointments Clause, which requires presidential approval and Senate confirmation for certain public figures, including judges, ambassadors and “all other officers of the United States.” But the clause also includes an exception for what it says are “inferior officers” who can be appointed directly by the head of an agency. Smith, according to the Justice Department, fits that category and Garland was empowered to name him directly to the role of special counsel. Smith was appointed special counsel in November 2022 by Garland to investigate Trump’s handling of the documents as well as his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Both investigations resulted in criminal charges, though the election subversion prosecution also faces an uncertain future following a […]

In a new campaign advertisement, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, seems to hold US President Joe Biden responsible for the October 7 Hamas invasion and massacre in Israel due to his handling of Iran.

The video, which Trump shared on X on Monday, begins with reversed footage of Gaza being bombarded, while a voiceover mentions that “thousands,” including Americans, “were brutally killed” in the attack (approximately 1,200 people lost their lives).

“Before Iran assisted Hamas in planning the attack, before Biden handed billions of taxpayer dollars to Iran — Trump was tough on Iran,” the ad states, with an image of the former US president meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed.

At the conclusion of the video, Trump speaks directly, emphasizing that “unyielding strength” is the only practical strategy in foreign policy.

“When I’m back in the White House, our enemies will know, if you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours,” he asserts.

The accusations against Biden are supported by New York Post headlines from October 8 — a day after the Hamas attack — reading: “Iran helped plan Hamas attack” and “Biden $6 billion ransom to Iran.”

In August, Biden consented to the unfreezing of Iranian assets that were under sanctions — not American taxpayers’ money — as part of a Qatari-mediated deal to secure the release of five Americans held in Iran. After the October 7 attack, the US House of Representatives moved to block the transfer.

Iran has denied foreknowledge of the attack, and Israel has not accused it of direct involvement, although Tehran has provided support to Hamas through training and funding and shares Hamas’s explicit goal of Israel’s destruction. Reports indicate that the attack was a well-kept secret among Hamas’s leadership.

In 2018, following Netanyahu’s urging, then-President Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, reinstating US sanctions designed to prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons. In response, Iran increased its uranium enrichment to unprecedented levels.

On Thursday, Trump posted on social media, claiming that “Iran was BROKE” when he left office and blaming his 2024 election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, for the October 7 attack.

Trump, who has often called himself the most pro-Israel US president in history, has reportedly criticized Netanyahu for failing to prevent the attacks.

The two did not communicate for about three years after Netanyahu did not endorse Trump’s unfounded assertion that he won the 2020 election. However, the two leaders appear to have mended their relationship. Netanyahu visited Trump’s home in Florida on July 26 during a trip to the US. The day before their meeting, Trump urged Israel to “finish up [the war] and get it done quickly,” adding that Israel was “getting decimated with this publicity.”

{Matzav.com}

During his meeting today with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Brown, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant addressed several key strategic issues as part of General Brown’s official visit to Israel.

Minister Gallant outlined the critical crossroads Israel currently faces as it continues its efforts to achieve the objectives of its ongoing conflict. These objectives include the dismantling of the Hamas terrorist organization, securing the release of hostages held by Hamas, and altering the security dynamics along Israel’s northern border to ensure that residents can safely return to their communities.

Touching on the topic of Iran, Minister Gallant pointed to an unprecedented level of aggressive behavior and the nation’s persistent drive to develop nuclear capabilities. He stressed the importance of Israel and the United States being ready at all times to uphold their shared commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“Iran’s aggression has reached an all-time high – to counter this, we must work together to achieve and project groundbreaking capabilities in all arenas,” Gallant remarked.

Minister Gallant also took the opportunity to commend General Brown for his leadership, his unwavering support for Israel, and his clear dedication to Israel’s security, as evidenced by the deployment of US forces to the Middle East and his public backing of Israel’s right to defend itself.

The discussion was led by IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, with attendance from several high-ranking officials, including Head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, Head of the Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, Commander of the Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Commander of the Navy Maj. Gen. David Sa’ar Salama, and other key security personnel.

{Matzav.com}

Canada’s government on Monday announced it is imposing a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles that matches U.S. tariffs and follows similar plans announced by the European Commission. The announcement followed encouragement by U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet ministers on Sunday. Sullivan is set to make his first visit to Beijing on Tuesday. Trudeau said Canada also will impose a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace,” he said. There was no immediate response from China. Chinese officials are likely to raise concerns about American tariffs with Sullivan as Beijing continues to repair its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Joe Biden in May slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment. “The U.S. does believe that a united front, a coordinated approach on these issues benefits all of us,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday. Biden has said Chinese government subsidies for EVs and other consumer goods ensure that Chinese companies don’t have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade. Chinese firms can sell EVs for as little as $12,000. China’s solar cell plants and steel and aluminum mills have enough capacity to meet much of the world’s demand. Chinese officials argue their production keeps prices low and would aid a transition to the green economy. “We’re doing it in alignment, in parallel, with other economies around the world that recognize that this is a challenge that we are all facing,” Trudeau said of the new tariffs. “Unless we all want to get to a race to the bottom, we have to stand up.” The only Chinese-made EVs currently imported into Canada are from Tesla, made at the company’s Shanghai factory. Canada “had to go with the U.S. position, when you think about the economic integration that we have with the U.S. More than 75% of our exports go to the U.S.,” said a former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques. “This reflects the fear that the next president of the United States might be Donald Trump, and so they know we have to be pretty much aligned in all of this.” Saint-Jacques said Canada can expect retaliation from China in other industries, adding that barley and pork are candidates because the Chinese can get it from other countries. “China will want to send a message,” he said. (AP)

It is with profound sorrow that Matzav.com reports the tragic petirah of R’ Boruch Ber Ziemba z”l. He was 39.

R’ Boruch Ber was swimming with his children in the Delaware River when one of his children drifted out and was struggling to stay afloat. R’ Boruch Ber went to rescue the child but was drawn into the river’s strong current.

After more than 40 minutes, he was extricated from the water, but paramedics were unable to revive him.

R’ Boruch Ber was a rosh chaburah at Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, NJ, where he was recognized as a budding talmid chochom and was beloved by all who knew him.

He lived on Nature’s Way in the Ocean Pointe development in Lakewood, where he was an admired member of the kehillah.

R’ Boruch Ber was a son of R’ and Rebbetzin Moshe Avigdor and Sori Ziemba of the Parkville neighborhood in Flatbush. Rebbetzin Ziemba is the longtime menaheles of Bais Yaakov of 18th Avenue in Boro Park and founder of Chein Bais Yaakov in Lakewood, NJ.

His wife, Temmi, is a daughter of Rav and Rebbetzin Moshe Shimon and Chaya Luria, rov of Khal Ohr Yechezkel on Ridge Avenue in Lakewood.

R’ Boruch Ber’s maternal grandfather was Rav Yisroel Garber zt”l, a renowned talmid chochom and the author of sefer Tal L’Yisroel, seven volumes on Shas. Rav Garber was a talmid in the yeshiva of Kamenitz in Europe, where he learned under his uncle, the rosh yeshiva, Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz zt”l. Rav Garber’s mother was Rav Boruch Ber’s sister. The niftar, R’ Boruch Ber, was named after Rav Boruch Ber.

R’ Boruch Ber is survived by his wife and their seven children, his parents, in-laws, siblings, and a large extended family and circle of friends who are devastated by this tragic loss.

Levayah details will be posted as soon as they are finalized.

Umacha Hashem dimah me’al kol ponim.

Out of respect for family members who did not know of the drowning or the petirah, Matzav.com withheld reporting until the proper parties were notified.  

{Matzav.com}

The Lakewood kehilla has been plunged into mourning as news spreads of the tragic petirah of R’ Boruch Ber Ziemba Zt”l, a 39 year old Lakewood father of seven. R’ Baruch Ber, a Rosh Chaburah in BMG, z”l was swimming with his children in the Delaware River when catastrophe struck, as one of his children went out too far and began struggling. He swam out to rescue the child and managed to get the child back to shore. Unfortunately, he was pulled underneath the water by the waves. Rescue personnel located and pulled him from the water approximately 45 minutes later, and CPR was valiantly attempted before his petirah was sadly confirmed. A Chaveirim of Rockland member was at the scene within minutes of the call coming in and has been assisting and accompanying the family throughout this horrific ordeal. Multiple Hatzolah volunteers from the Catskills and Lakewood responded as well. Misaskim and Chesed Shel Emes were working working with the local Medical Examiner’s Office to ensure kavod hameis. The niftar, originally from Flatbush, is married to Temmi yb”l, the daughter of Rav Moshe Shimon Luria, one of Lakewood’s foremost Rabbanim located in the Ridge area. Levaya details will be published when they become available.

The growing assessment is that the reports of a kidnapping of an Israeli girl in the Shomron may have been a false alarm.

IDF soldiers rushed to the area of the Tapuach junction Monday night after a soldier and civilian heard a girl screaming for help in Hebrew as it passed by the area. The car reportedly had a Palestinian license plate and was driven by an Arab.

However Channel 12 News is reporting that IDF soldiers spotted a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle suspected in this incident. Soldiers reportedly fired at the car, and arrested 2 Palestinians. A preliminary investigation found the two men were not related to any kidnapping incident.

The IDF is still blocking roads and searching the area.

The IDF said: “A short while ago, a report was received regarding an incident of an abduction in the Samaria area. Upon receiving the report, forces were dispatched to the scene, and are blocking routes and conducting searches in the area. The details are under review.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

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Holders of $287 million of municipal bonds sold to help finance the construction of the American Dream mega-mall in New Jersey’s Meadowlands are poised to receive overdue interest next week after two years of missed payments.

The unrated bonds, which are backed by New Jersey economic development grants, skipped payments after documentation necessary to appropriate the funds ran into hurdles. New Jersey officials needed to certify a project cost statement and the state Treasury had to calculate the grant amount. The grant funds are tied to tax revenue derived from sales at the mall, which saw double-digit year-over-year increases the past two quarters.

US Bank – the trustee on the debt – has been unable to make semi-annual interest or redemption payments since August 2022. As of Aug. 1, the past-due interest totaled $46.4 million, and it must complete those payments before paying down principal, according to a securities filing dated Friday.

On Sept. 3, US Bank will deliver about $25.7 million to holders for past-due interest, the filing said. However, after the distribution “no excess amounts thereafter remained to make any deposit of monies into the Mandatory Redemption Account for the redemption of principal.”

A missed payment doesn’t constitute an event of default, according to bond documents.

US Bank declined to comment. A spokesperson for American Dream didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment. A representative for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority didn’t provide a comment.

All together, Triple Five Group, the mall’s owner, borrowed about $1.1 billion in the municipal bond market to help finance the $5 billion project. A Triple Five representative didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.

American Dream opened in October 2019, months before the outbreak of the pandemic spurred lockdowns. Its attractions include an indoor ski slope, theme park and water park. Luxury retailers Balenciaga and Gucci opened stores in the mall this year and Hasbro launched a 41,500 square-foot arcade. The mall also features a Kosher food court, and has had separate events at the water park for the Frum community.

In the second quarter, sales at the facility jumped about 12% from the year-earlier period, to around $149 million, according to a bond filing. That followed an increase of almost 30% from a year earlier in the first quarter.

While sales are picking up, they remain off the pace of the nearly $2 billion that a 2017 study projected the mall would bring in during its first year of operations.

(c) Washington Post

The IDF is investigating a suspected kidnapping of an Israeli girl in the Shomron.

On Monday night, a girl was seen screaming for help from inside a vehicle as it passed through the Tapoach junction. According to N12, the vehicle was a dark silver car.

A spokesperson for the Shomron regional council said that a civilian and soldier had witnessed the girl screaming for help.

The IDF has announced it is investigating the incident, but could not verify any circumstances surrounding the incident.

IDF soldiers are currently searching the area. Checkpoints have been set up between Ma’ale Efraim and Migdalim, and roads have been blocked.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF is investigating reports of a possible kidnapping in Samaria. Troops have been deployed to the area, and several roads have been blocked as part of the ongoing investigation. According to initial reports, a civilian at the Tapuach Junction heard a woman shouting “help!” in Hebrew from the back of a vehicle with Palestinian license plates. The vehicle quickly drove away, prompting the IDF to launch a search operation. Although the military has not yet confirmed the kidnapping, it is treating the incident with seriousness. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The official nonprofit organization of the National Park Service is set to receive the largest grant in its history, a $100 million gift the fundraising group described as transformative for the country’s national parks. The National Park Foundation, which Congress created in the 1960s to support national parks, will receive the donation from Indianapolis-based foundation Lilly Endowment Inc. The park foundation described the gift on Monday as the largest grant in history benefiting U.S. national parks. The money will be used to address the needs of the country’s more than 400 national park sites, said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. The foundation hopes to announce the first round of grants stemming from the donation later this year, Shafroth said. Exactly how the money will be utilized remains to be seen, but one of the foundation’s priorities is restoring coral reefs at Biscayne National Park in Florida, Shafroth said, while another priority is the restoration of trout species in western national parks. Those are among the foundation’s recent investments. In addition to funding initiatives that protect fragile ecosystems and species, Shafroth said the money will also be used to create opportunities for young people to visit national parks. “This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come,” he said. The system’s hundreds of units include national parks, memorials, monuments, historic sites and other locations. It includes iconic national parks such as Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Yosemite National Park in California, as well as beloved sites such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It also includes preserved areas that are less accessible to many people, such as Buck Island Reef National Monument in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The National Park Foundation is in the midst of its “Campaign for National Parks,” a $1 billion fundraising effort to support parks. Lilly Endowment made the gift to support that effort, said N. Clay Robbins, chair and CEO of Lilly Endowment. “We believe the National Park Foundation’s campaign will enhance the programming in and promote the future vibrancy of our country’s marvelous system of parks, monuments and historic sites,” Robbins said. (AP)

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir again insisted on Monday that the government’s policy is to allow Jewish prayer atop the Har Habayis, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to reiterate in a short statement that “there is no change to the status quo” barring Jews from worshiping at their holiest site.

“The policies on the Har Habayis allow prayer, period,” Ben-Gvir told Army Radio earlier Monday. “The premier knows that when I joined the government, I said in the simplest way that there will be no discrimination at the Har Habayis, just like Muslims can pray at the Kosel,” he added.

Earlier this month, the minister visited the holy place in Yerushalayim, where he said his policy was to allow Jewish prayer at the site.

“We are here on Tisha B’Av, at the Har Habayis, to commemorate the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh. As I said—our policy is to allow prayer,” he said.

He added that he had visited the Har Habayis to pray for “the return of the hostages, the peace of the soldiers and victory in the war.”

Following the remarks, Netanyahu’s office released a statement emphasizing that “it is the government and the prime minister who determine policy on the Har Habayis. There is no private policy of any minister—not the national security minister or any other minister—on the Har Habayis. Thus it has been under all governments of Israel.”

The statement continued: “This morning’s incident on the Har Habayis deviated from the status quo. Israel’s policy on the Har Habayis has not changed; this is how it has been and this is how it will be.”

Police detained 40 Israelis who visited the site after waving Israeli flags, kneeling or prostrating themselves.

“The whole region sees Netanyahu’s weakness against Ben-Gvir,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said on Monday. “He can’t control the government even when it comes to a clear attempt to destabilize our national security.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant joined the chorus of condemnation, describing ascending the Har Habayis as a “dangerous, unnecessary and irresponsible act,” and accusing Ben-Gvir of “endanger[ing] Israel’s national security and its international standing.

“The action the IDF took yesterday to thwart a Hezbollah attack strengthened Israel, Ben-Gvir’s statements weaken it,” added Gallant.

In June, Ben-Gvir said he intends to allow all Jews to openly pray at Judaism’s holiest site, changing the status quo that has existed there since 1967.

The status quo against Jewish prayer at the Har Habayis was never ratified in legislation. There have been various references to it over the years by all branches of government, but not in a way that grants it an independent legal status. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

An attempted assassination against a senior Hamas official took place in Sidon, Lebanon, early Monday afternoon, but failed. Despite a missile being fired at him during the attack, the Hamas official survived, sustaining only minor injuries, according to Lebanon’s LBC International. The vehicle involved in the attack caught fire. Lebanon’s National News Agency, which is affiliated with the government, reported that Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier twice over Sidon and areas north of the Litani River earlier in the day. This follows recent airstrikes in the Sidon area by the Israel Air Force (IAF), which resulted in the elimination of Samer Mahmoud al-Haj, a senior Hamas commander in Lebanon. Al-Haj had been involved in orchestrating terrorist activities and missile launches against Israel. The targeted official in Monday’s attempted assassination, though not publicly named, is believed to be connected to Hamas operations in the region. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)