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Elon Musk’s recent apology for his sharp criticism of President Trump appears to have landed well with the commander-in-chief. In a short phone call Wednesday morning, Trump told The Post, “I thought it was very nice that he did that,” though he declined to say whether he was ready to reconcile with the tech mogul.

Musk, 53, had launched into a string of posts last Thursday, taking credit for helping Trump win the 2024 race and insinuating that Trump had blocked the publication of information related to Jeffrey Epstein due to his prior ties with the disgraced financier. Late Tuesday night, Musk backtracked, writing, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” after scrubbing his earlier Epstein-related post.

Though Trump had previously accused Musk of being afflicted with “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and being resentful over his exit from a special government advisory role, he now seems open to patching things up. He had also slammed Musk for objecting to the Big Beautiful Bill — legislation that lost certain EV tax perks after Republican lawmakers intervened — and even warned he might investigate Musk’s federal contracts.

During a Friday appearance on CNN, Trump referred to Musk as “crazy” and echoed that warning again on Truth Social, threatening to scrutinize Musk’s businesses’ ties to the government.

Despite the acrimony, Trump indicated to The Post that none of it came as a shock. “Nothing surprises him,” the president said about the recent fallout with Musk.

On Monday, in a conversation with columnist Miranda Devine, Trump shared that he didn’t “blame” Musk for his criticism, though he admitted being “a little disappointed.” Speaking of Musk’s attack on the bill, Trump noted, “Look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that’s phenomenal. … He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.”

In an appearance on Devine’s “Pod Force One” podcast, Trump was asked whether he’d ever resume a normal relationship with Musk. His reply: “I guess I could, but we have to straighten out the country.”

“And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it’s ever been. And I think we can do that.”

{Matzav.com}

A convoy carrying hundreds of pro-Hamas activists has arrived in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing through Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to violate Israel’s military blockade on the terror-ruled Gaza Strip. The convoy is made up of at least 1,500 people, including pro-Hamas activists and supporters from Algeria and Tunisia, with more expected to join from Libya. AFP quoted organizers as saying that the convoy is not carrying aid to Gaza but plans to violate the blockade as a “symbolic act.” The group arrived in Zawiya city in Libya Tuesday and plans to reach Gaza via Egypt’s Rafah Crossing, traveling by cars and buses. It drove through the Libyan cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Sirte, and Benghazi to reach the Saloum Crossing which borders Egypt. It is expected to soon reach Cairo before heading to the Rafah Crossing. Jamila Sharitah, an Algerian participant, said Tuesday that authorities in Tunisia and Libya have been cooperative with the convoy, helping facilitate their smooth journey. Zayed al-Hamami, another participant, said the convoy aims to push for reopening crossings and allowing aid into the Gaza Strip. “There are land, sea and air convoys that will arrive in Gaza despite the restrictions,” said convoy organizer Terkiya Shayibi. The convoy is not expected to reach Gaza as there is little chance Egypt will allow it to approach the Rafah crossing, which is considered a closed military zone. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem & AP)

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration is facing tough questions about safety during a hearing Wednesday in the wake of January’s deadly midair collision and a string of other crashes and near misses since then. Much of the industry, including the major airlines and their trade groups, supports Bryan Bedford’s nomination. But pilots unions and Democrats have raised concerns that he might weaken pilot training standards. Bedford has been CEO of regional airline Republic Airways since 1999 and has more than three decades of experience in the industry. He has pledged to make safety the FAA’s top priority and work to restore public confidence in flying. Bedford also said he’ll work with Congress on Trump’s multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system. The National Transportation Safety Board has said the FAA should have acted before the crash in Washington, D.C., because there had been 85 near misses reported around Ronald Reagan National Airport in the years before the disaster. The FAA has since banned some helicopter routes to make sure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace, but there have still been additional near misses in recent months. FAA’s acting administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have acknowledged the FAA’s shortcomings in not recognizing the risk and pledged to review all the agency’s data to identify any similar concerns nationwide about helicopter traffic near airports. That review prompted the agency to put new limits on helicopter flights around Las Vegas’ airport. Even the air traffic controllers union backed Bedford’s nomination because of his support for the effort to modernize the outdated system and bolster controller hiring. Two different radar outages this spring in a facility that directs planes in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport highlighted the problems because the FAA had to limit flights at the airport after five controllers took trauma leave after the problems. “We shouldn’t have to lean into the second or third or fourth level of redundancy to keep the system moving. The system is old. It needs upgraded, massive upgrading. So we have to do better,” Bedford said. But he said the $12.5 billion that Republicans have included in Trump’s massive bill is only a down payment on the upgrades. Pilots’ unions and Democrats have raised concerns that Bedford may support weakening the 1,500-hour experience standard for airline pilots that was adopted after a 2009 crash or even might consider allowing some airlines to operate with only one pilot. Republic previously asked for permission to hire pilots with less experience because the standard was making it hard to find enough pilots. Families of the victims of that 2009 Colgan air crash and the D.C. crash attended the hearing. “People are going to want to know … whether you’re going to lead any effort to change that rule,” Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell said. She asked for a firm written answer because “you helped fund and lobbied for a change for it.” Bedford refused to commit to maintaining the 1,500-hour rule during under questioning from Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. “What I’m saying is I don’t believe safety is static,” Bedford said as he talked about how the military has changed pilot training to use more technology. But later he said, “I can commit to […]

Few people in recent history have had as profound an impact on the entirety of Klal Yisrael as has Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz z”l. Through ArtScroll, he has touched unaffiliated Jews starting to learn about Yiddishkeit and great Rabbanim. The works he initiated can be found throughout five continents, on school desks and the tables of gedolei Yisrael, in five continents and numerous languages. Indeed, many Gedolim have referred to him as “the Greatest Marbitz Torah in Klal Yisrael.” Anyone who reads the acknowledgements of an ArtScroll sefer will quickly see that the gadol who Reb Meir was closest to, and who truly guided and encouraged ArtScroll was Hagaon Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l, with whom R’ Meir spoke virtually every day. In fact, at a critical juncture, Rav Dovid loaned ArtScroll his life savings so they could continue their work. When Reb Meir was tragically niftar, Rav Dovid felt that the most meaningful tribute to him was for every member of Klal Yisrael to express his or her gratitude to his work by taking a letter in a Sefer Torah, l’zecher nishmaso. Rav Dovid spearheaded the projects, having meetings, delegating responsibilities, and participating in an event where letters were sold. But then came Covid. The world – and the project – came to a standstill. But even when Rav Dovid fell ill, he charged his talmidim with bringing the project to fruition. And, now, after several fits and starts, they are finally bringing the project to the finish line. The Hachnosas Sefer Torah is only days away, and the final drive to have every Jew take a letter is underway. You and your family don’t want to miss being part of this historic project! Just visit GetALetter.org or call (718) 550-7599 (Campaign ID: 60467) today! JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION THIS SUNDAY! 11:30 Ksivas Osios   |   1:00 Dancing   |    2:00 Mincha At Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ), 145 East Broadway, New York, NY A project of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ). All proceeds going to a special fund in MTJ overseen by the Roshei HaYeshiva shit”a

A 13-year-old Tel Aviv boy has been arrested for allegedly carrying out acts of vandalism at the behest of an Iranian agent in exchange for cryptocurrency. Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed Tuesday that the minor was recruited via the Telegram messaging app and instructed to deface bus stops across the Tel Aviv area. While authorities declined to reveal the specific content of the graffiti, security sources said it follows a disturbing pattern of pro-Iran messaging and anti-Israel slogans observed in similar cases in recent months. According to the Kan public broadcaster, the youth — the youngest Israeli ever linked to an Iranian intelligence plot — was also allegedly tasked with photographing sensitive targets, including the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and even the Iron Dome missile defense system. Although he ultimately refused to photograph the Iron Dome, he is believed to have sent the Iranian operative social media images of Sa’ar’s home in return for several hundred shekels in cryptocurrency. The boy was placed under house arrest, and his shocked parents, who had no knowledge of his contact with the foreign agent, were only informed when police arrived with an arrest warrant. “This is a young child who had no intention of harming the country,” said Hagit Rachmani-Weiss, the public defender representing the boy. “He cut ties and blocked the contact as soon as he became concerned.” The case is the latest in a string of attempted Iranian influence operations involving Israeli civilians — including efforts to recruit individuals to hang propaganda posters and spray anti-government slogans. Israeli security officials have long warned of Iran’s attempts to exploit social media to target vulnerable youth for espionage and influence campaigns. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In the wake of the shocking desecration and arson attack at his shul, former Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef has departed for Canada as part of an emergency chizuk mission on behalf of Eretz Yisroel and the Olam HaTorah.

The rov traveled on a private plane discreetly donated by one of the leading philanthropists who regularly supports Torah institutions.

The mission comes just days after the deliberate burning of the beis medrash where Rav Yosef delivers shiurim. Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly showed the suspect targeting the rov‘s seat, pouring flammable liquid, igniting it, and fleeing.

Israeli security forces arrested a suspect in his twenties, a resident of Yerushalayim, in connection with the attack. He is currently being interrogated, though details of the investigation have been placed under a gag order at the request of police.

The Canada trip for Rav Yosef is expected to include visits with rabbonim and communal leaders, and gatherings focused on strengthening emunah and achdus in light of recent events.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Families of kidnapped Argentine citizens met with Argentine President Javier Millay today. The meeting was attended by captive survivors Yarden Bibas and Karina Engel-Bart.

One terrorist was eliminated, and 3 more were injured in an Israeli drone attack on a vehicle in the village of Beit Leaf in southern Lebanon a short time ago.

The Department of Homeland Security is now encouraging people to report illegal aliens by calling ICE.

Sen. Chuck Schumer stated that that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill “surrenders American energy independence to the Chinese…”

I want to thank Yeshiva World News for its outstanding and respectful coverage of this year’s Adirei HaTorah event. The reporting captured not only the grandeur of the production but also the deep ruchniyusdik power and communal pride that defines this monumental evening. Adirei HaTorah has become more than just an annual gathering — it is a movement, a statement, and a declaration of priorities: that Torah and those who toil in it are the crown jewels of Klal Yisroel. Having attended each year, I can personally attest to the incredible energy in the room — the kavod haTorah, the achdus, and the powerful message that resonates beyond the walls of the arena. Every seat in the crowd speaks of reverence. Every face reflects admiration. It is an experience that leaves you uplifted for weeks. But this year, amid the music, the speeches, the celebration — something was noticeably missing. The dais. Once filled with a long line of prominent roshei yeshiva and rabbanim, it appeared far more sparse this time. While many distinguished leaders were still in attendance, the overall presence of rabbinic leadership had, for some reason, dwindled. And that made me stop and ask: Why? This isn’t a random community dinner. This isn’t a parlor meeting or a fundraiser for a single institution. Adirei HaTorah is a movement — one that provides real, tangible support to thousands of your yungeleit. It is a campaign that sustains kollelim across the country and strengthens the foundations of limud haTorah. For so many families — including those of rabbanim and roshei yeshiva themselves — the financial lifeline provided by the Adirei initiative is not an abstract cause; it is deeply personal and deeply needed. I am not a kollel yungerman. I don’t receive a check from the Adirei HaTorah fund. But I attend every year out of a sense of obligation and gratitude. My brothers, cousins, and neighbors do receive those checks. And as someone who believes in the primacy of Torah, I cannot imagine not showing up to support those who make it their life’s work. So the question is: if I feel that way, why doesn’t every single Rosh Yeshiva? We all know what happens when a wealthy baalebos makes a simcha. The Rosh Yeshiva clears his schedule. He shows up. He makes sure to be seen — because it’s a statement of appreciation, of loyalty, of relationship. And rightly so. So why should it be any different here? Adirei HaTorah is not just “a donor.” It is the donor. It is the lifeblood of countless kollelim. Without it, many roshei yeshiva would be struggling to pay their staff, their avreichim — their own talmidim. This event isn’t simply about honoring Torah in the abstract. It’s about honoring the very people who make sure Torah can continue to flourish on the most basic level. Shouldn’t that matter enough to clear your calendar? Shouldn’t that matter enough to take your place on the dais, even if it’s year after year? Shouldn’t the thousands in attendance — balebatim, yungeleit, teenagers, children — see the full force of our rabbinic leadership standing behind and with them, showing that kavod haTorah isn’t just a slogan, but a lived value? Let me be clear: this is not meant as criticism. It’s a plea. Adirei […]

Dear Matzav Inbox,

We hear it all the time, and we’ve repeated it to our children as if it were a goal to strive for, an ideal to pursue: Torah ugedulah, or as it’s often called, Torah ugedulah b’makom echad.

The image is powerful: a person immersed in the depths of Torah, while also commanding influence, wealth, status, and worldly success.

It sounds noble. It sounds inspiring. It also happens to be, for the most part, a fantasy.

Rav Uren Reich, in his unforgettable drasha at the Adirei HaTorah maamad on Sunday, cut through the fog with refreshing—and uncomfortable—honesty. Perhaps as a total aside to his drasha (but to me, it really stood out), He reminded us of a truth that many of us know deep down but are often too polite, too afraid, or too invested to say aloud: The instances in Jewish history where authentic Torah greatness and gedulah resided in the same person are vanishingly rare. Rav Reich said it outright.

You can count them on one hand. And he’s right.

Let’s stop pretending otherwise.

Real Torah doesn’t coexist easily with gedulah. Gedulah—in the sense of financial might—rarely leaves room for unfiltered, true, authentic greatness in Torah. We like to romanticize the notion that one can spend years in the beis medrash and simultaneously rise through the ranks of corporate, political, or social achievement. But for most, it’s one or the other.

The demands of Torah are relentless. They don’t stop at 6 p.m. They don’t fit into neatly packaged schedules. Torah should consume the mind and reshape the heart, and doesn’t leave much room for financial ambition.

When Chazal tell us that Torah ugedulah b’makom echad is a rarity, they mean it. When the Gemara marvels that both spiritual and worldly greatness could reside in the same individual, it does so precisely because it’s so unusual. And yet today, we’ve flattened the concept. We’ve plastered it on fundraising brochures and promotional videos. We hold up businessmen, askanim, influencers—even politicians—and call them modern examples of Torah ugedulah, sometimes simply because…well, we won’t even say why. It’s a busha.

This isn’t cynicism. It’s clarity.

There is no shortage of good people who support Torah, who revere talmidei chachamim, and who do their utmost to help mosdos hachinuch and gedolei Torah. That support is critical and cherished. But let’s not conflate admiration for Torah with actual Torah. And let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that being a donor or a public figure somehow places someone into the same category as the ameil baTorah, the one whose greatness is measured not in dollars or headlines, but in the sacred sweat of unending diligence.

The Torah world today is strong. It’s vibrant. Baruch Hashem, we are blessed with thousands of lomdei Torah, and the Adirei HaTorah maamad gave powerful public recognition to their daily sacrifice and greatness. But if we start redefining terms—if we begin calling every respectable person in a suit “Torah ugedulah” because they once gave a shiur or have a chavrusashaft with a rosh yeshiva or even wrote a sefer—we dilute the very idea we claim to be honoring.

This is not to say that wealth or influence are inherently bad. They’re tools. They can be used to elevate, to support, to protect Torah. But to be Torah ugedulah b’makom echad in the truest, Chazal-intended sense? That’s a level of integration, of mastery, of purity, that very few achieve.

Rav Uren Reich told us the truth, and we should listen: It’s not the standard. It’s the exception. It barely exists.

We owe it to the next generation to be honest. Don’t teach your son that the goal is to become a CEO who also says a Daf Yomi shiur. Teach him that the ameilus is the goal. The geshmak of a Tosfos, the clarity of a Rav Chaim, the depth of a Ketzos—that’s the greatness we cherish. If along the way Hashem grants a person wealth or influence, yasher kochacha. Use it wisely. But don’t confuse the gift with the goal.

Torah doesn’t need PR spin. It needs truth. And sometimes that means admitting that what sounds good on paper—“Torah ugedulah!”—is, in practice, a contradiction more often than a combination.

With respect and clarity,

A Grateful Listener to Rav Reich’s Voice of Truth

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Senator Josh Hawley has launched a full investigation into who’s funding the LA riots.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish career protestor and climate agitator, returned to Europe on Tuesday evening following her deportation from Israel. Thunberg had been part of a flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. After arriving in Paris, she spoke to journalists and reiterated her condemnation of Israel’s actions toward Palestinian Arabs while urging broader efforts to support humanitarian relief for Gaza.

In comments published by The Associated Press, Thunberg demanded that the remaining detained participants of the Madleen flotilla be released. She noted that the conditions they encountered during their maritime protest were “absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now.”

“The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid,” Thunberg said, stressing that the participants were fully aware of the dangers associated with the voyage. She insisted their efforts to deliver assistance to Gaza would persist.

Now en route to Sweden, Thunberg explained she hadn’t had access to a phone in several days and looked forward to a shower. She also pointed out that the activists had been separated after their arrest, with some struggling to connect with legal counsel.

Thunberg was part of a group of 12 leftist demonstrators who joined the flotilla. Out of the group, four—including Thunberg—accepted deportation and were flown out of Israel. Thunberg was escorted to an El Al flight bound for Paris.

Those who rejected the deportation orders were taken to a holding facility and will remain there until the legal procedures surrounding their removal are completed.

When asked about her decision to accept deportation, Thunberg responded candidly: “Why would I want to stay in an Israeli prison more than necessary?”

Thunberg urged her supporters to pressure their home governments “to demand not only humanitarian aid being let into Gaza but most importantly an end to the occupation and an end to the systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians are facing on an everyday basis.”

She further argued that government recognition of “Palestine” is “the very, very, very minimum” that should be expected in the name of justice.

The IDF reported that the vessel was intercepted peacefully by Shayetet 13, Israel’s elite naval commando unit. Despite claims by some activists in prerecorded messages alleging they had been “kidnapped,” footage released by the Israeli government showed troops offering the passengers food and bottled water.

The vessel used in the operation was later taken to Ashdod Port. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the cargo of aid onboard amounted to less than one truck’s worth of supplies, which would now be routed to Gaza via recognized humanitarian delivery systems.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH: A Ukrainian drone is intercepted in the skies above St. Petersburg, Russia.

McCONNELL: Do you want Ukraine or Russia to win? HEGSETH: As we’ve said time and time again, this president is committed to peace in that conflict.

CNN: “We got ANOTHER month of positive inflation news… the latest numbers do show that inflation remained relatively tame in May… this was better than expected.” “Economists like to look at core inflation… that ALSO came in better than expected.”

The worldwide Jewish population grew by 870,000 in the decade from 2010 to 2020, according to the Pew Research Center’s global religion survey released this week.

The analysis of worldwide religious trends looked at self-reported religious belief, except in Israel, where the surveyors used the government’s population register.

“The number of Jews around the world grew by 6%, from an estimated 14 million in 2010 to nearly 15 million in 2020,” the researchers wrote. “That’s fewer than the estimated 16.6 million Jews who were alive in 1939 prior to the Holocaust.”

Those numbers notably exclude those who might identify ethnically as Jewish but who report being religiously unaffiliated, agnostic or atheist.

A Pew survey that used a broader definition of Jewish identity, which included both religion and ethnicity, found about 1.8 million more Jews in the United States than Monday’s report did.

Much of the increase in the Jewish population from 2010 to 2020 came in Israel, where the number of Jews grew from 5.76 million to 6.78 million. The number of Jews in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean declined during that decade by about 200,000.

The Jewish populations of North America and Asia grew by a small number.

The Pew researchers combined data from more than 2,700 censuses, surveys and population registers, covering about 99.98% of the world’s population in 201 countries and territories.

Globally, they found that Islam was the fastest-growing religion from 2010 to 2020, gaining more than 300 million adherents to reach a global population of more than 2 billion.

Christianity remains the largest worldwide religion for now, with just under 2.3 billion believers, but Pew found 40 countries where the Christian population declined by more than 5% and only one, Mozambique, where it increased by that much.

“Countries where the share of Christians fell are scattered throughout every region of the world, but many are in Europe and other Western or English-speaking places where Christian majorities have been shrinking for decades,” the researchers wrote.

“This change is largely driven by high rates of Christian disaffiliation,” they said, including “by people becoming religiously unaffiliated as adults after having been raised as Christians in childhood.”

As a result, religious Christians are no longer a majority in the United Kingdom, Australia and France, with religiously unaffiliated people accounting for more than 40% of the population in each of the three. The religiously unaffiliated are now a majority of the population in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

‘Change not evenly distributed’

Despite concerns from some right-wing parties in Europe about mass migration from Muslim countries, the Pew researchers found modest growth of Islam on the continent over the past decade, though it was concentrated in some countries more than others.

“Overall, the share of Europe’s population that is Muslim grew by less than 1 percentage point, to 6% in 2020,” they wrote, “but the change was not evenly distributed.”

“In Sweden, where government policies toward Syrian refugees were generous, Muslims grew to make up 8% of the country’s inhabitants,” they wrote, which was “up 4 percentage points, or roughly double the share of Sweden’s population that Muslims had been in 2010.”

“The Muslim share was more stable in other European countries,” they wrote. “For example, in Germany, where then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming stance toward Muslim refugees in 2015 was highly controversial, Muslims grew by about 1 percentage point as a share of the country’s population, making up 7% of the country’s residents in 2020.”

Islam is growing faster in North America than any other part of the world, according to Pew, with a 52.3% population increase from 2010 to 2020, though the total population numbers remain small.

Some 4.05 million Muslims lived in the United States in 2020, up from 2.77 million in 2010, fewer than the number of Buddhists and Jews. JNS

{Matzav.com}

In the heart of Spain’s capital, Sobrino de Botín holds a coveted Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest restaurant. Exactly three hundred years after it opened its doors, Botín welcomes droves of daily visitors hungry for Castilian fare with a side of history. But on the outskirts of Madrid, far from the souvenir shops and tourist sites, a rustic tavern named Casa Pedro makes a bold claim. Its owners assert the establishment endured not just the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the Napoleonic invasion in the early 1800s, but even the War of Spanish Succession at the start of the 18th century — a lineage that would make Casa Pedro older than Botín and a strong contender for the title. “It’s really frustrating when you say, ‘Yes, we’ve been around since 1702,’ but … you can’t prove it,” said manager and eighth-generation proprietor Irene Guiñales. “If you look at the restaurant’s logo, it says ‘Casa Pedro, since 1702,’ so we said, ‘Damn it, let’s try to prove it.’” Guiñales, 51, remembers her grandfather swearing by Casa Pedro’s age, but she was aware that decades-old hearsay from a proud old-timer wouldn’t be enough to prove it. Her family hired a historian and has so far turned up documents dating the restaurant’s operations to at least 1750. That puts them within striking distance of Botín’s record. Clients and rivals Both taverns are family-owned. Both offer Castilian classics like stewed tripe and roast suckling pig. They are decorated with charming Spanish tiles, feature ceilings with exposed wooden beams and underground wine cellars. And both enjoy a rich, star-studded history. Botín’s celebrated past includes a roster of literary patrons like Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Graham Greene. In his book “The Sun Also Rises,” Ernest Hemingway described it as “one of the best restaurants in the world.” While Casa Pedro may not have boasted the same artistic pedigree, it boasts its own VIPs. Its walls are adorned with decades-old photographs of former Spanish King Juan Carlos I dining in one of its many rooms. The current Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI dines there, too, albeit more inconspicuously than his father. But the similarities between the two hotspots end there. Casa Pedro was once a stop on the only road heading north from the Spanish capital toward France. Its clientele is largely local regulars, like David González and Mayte Villena, who for years have spent every Friday lunching at the tavern. “It wouldn’t change a thing for us,” Villena said about the restaurant someday securing the Guinness title. Botín, on the other hand, is a stone’s throw from Madrid’s famed Plaza Mayor, where any day of the week tour guides are herding groups around town — and often straight through the restaurant’s front door. Antonio González, a third-generation proprietor of Botín, concedes that the Guinness accolade awarded in 1987 has helped business, but said the restaurant had enough history to draw visitors even before. “It has a certain magic,” he said. Pretenders to the crown The question then becomes: How can either restaurant definitively claim the title? Guinness provides its specific guidelines for the superlative only to applicants, according to spokesperson Kylie Galloway, noting that it entails “substantial evidence and documentation of the restaurant’s operation over the years.” González said that Guinness required Botín show that it […]

President Trump announced early Wednesday that the United States had finalized a trade arrangement with China following a stretch of intense negotiations held in London.

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,” Trump declared on Truth Social, using all capital letters. “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China.”

“Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. The relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

“President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made a statement Tuesday night revealing that Washington and Beijing had established a new framework to advance the Geneva consensus, an earlier agreement from May that significantly lowered US tariffs on imports from China—from 145% down to 30%.

On China’s side, officials agreed to reduce tariffs on American goods from 125% to 10% as part of that same May understanding.

That initial agreement was intended to provide both governments until August 10 to hammer out a broader and more detailed trade pact.

According to a White House official, the 55% tariff figure referenced by Trump on Wednesday includes multiple components: a 10% universal tariff, an added 20% specifically aimed at China over the fentanyl issue, and another 25% from earlier duties such as those under Section 301 and most-favored-nation rules.

Essentially, the 55% total isn’t a sharp shift from what had already been established under the Geneva consensus—it’s more of a comprehensive tally of the multiple tariff measures in place.

However, the implementation of that May truce was put on hold temporarily as both parties accused the other of backtracking on commitments.

American officials were frustrated with China’s delayed action on allowing exports of rare earth elements, which led the Trump administration to impose stricter measures on chemical imports, clamp down on the export of advanced chip design software, and revoke student visas for Chinese nationals.

Lutnick said the latest framework crafted in London added clarity and enforceability to the Geneva understanding, which had originally aimed to ease the heavy tariffs both nations had set during the height of trade tensions.

He noted that the new terms would require China to reduce restrictions on rare earth exports “in a balanced way,” though he didn’t disclose precise details.

Li Chenggang, China’s Vice Commerce Minister, also acknowledged that an agreement had been reached in London, pending final sign-off from Trump and Xi.

The two delegations spent roughly 48 hours in London working through points of contention tied to the stalled Geneva framework, finally closing the talks late Tuesday evening.

Trump shared that he’d had a “very good” phone call with Xi the previous week, even after expressing frustration by saying that Xi is “very tough, and extremely hard to make a deal with.”

Though the agreement reached in London signals progress and a potential return to stability in trade relations, it doesn’t resolve the core policy disagreements that remain between the US and China.

{Matzav.com}