Feed aggregator

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “We are truly coming off a historic week of President Trump racking up win after win on behalf of the American people.” Obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities— and brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Traveled to the Netherlands and got our NATO allies to commit 5% of their GDPs to military spending.

WH Press Secretary previews The Presidents upcoming trip to “Alligator Alcatraz”: “The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”

Finance Minister and member of the Security Cabinet Bezalel Smotrich opened the Religious Zionist Party’s weekly gathering with a dramatic declaration, describing the current period as a defining moment in Israel’s history.

“In 12 days, we eliminated the Iranian nuclear program. In a few weeks, [we eliminated] Nasrallah and Hezbollah’s 200 thousand missiles. In a week, the entire Syrian military. The region is undergoing a strategic upheaval in our favor,” Smotrich stressed.

Turning to critics of the ongoing war effort, Smotrich condemned those urging compromise with Hamas. “We are in the midst of a campaign against a crushed terror organization. It has one bargaining chip – our brothers in captivity. In the face of this bargaining chip, there are those who call for concessions, agreements, and a ceasefire.”

He issued a sharp warning about the dangers of giving in. “If we surrender now, the message to the world will be clear: the way to bring Israel to its knees is the abduction of Jews. There will not be a bigger danger. Every Jewish child will become a target. That’s how you miss a historic victory, and that’s what it looks like when you’re weak in the face of enemies who only understand strength.”

Smotrich emphasized that the operation in Gaza must end decisively, without compromise. “This is not just a military campaign, it’s conscious decisiveness. This war must end only in victory, without agreements, without mediators. Only decisiveness. The destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages from a position of strength.”

He rejected any future prisoner swaps or negotiations with terrorist groups. “No more dialogue with murderers, no more deals with the devil, no more releasing murderous terrorists. It’s time to continue the momentum of victory over the Iranians to an intense war that will destroy the enemy in Gaza and remove the threat for decades in the future.”

Smotrich concluded with a message meant to rally the nation: “We will not surrender. Not now, not in the face of weakness. Not in the face of brutality. We will win and restore security to Gaza, the Galilee, the home front, and the entire Jewish world.”

{Matzav.com}

For reporters, it’s hardly unusual to call sources on the phone to learn details or get quotes that will enliven their stories. Sometimes people will talk, sometimes they won’t. But the president of the United States? In an almost unfathomable level of access, reporters who call President Donald Trump on his personal cell phone often get an answer — and an interview — from the leader of the free world on the spot. There’s evidence that this is happening more frequently. Paradoxically, it’s the same president who popularized the term “fake news” and has battled against the press for years on multiple fronts. Just this week, Trump’s lawyers threatened to sue CNN and The New York Times over their reporting on an initial government assessment of damage caused by bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. On the day of the June 21 bombing, Trump gave phone interviews to Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Kristen Welker at NBC News, Reuters’ Steve Holland, Axios’ Barak Ravid and both Bret Baier and Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel, according to an independent database of the president’s media appearances. The next day, Trump spoke with Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal — for all of 38 seconds, Dawsey noted — enabling the reporter to include a fresh presidential quote in the newspaper’s story about the bombing. “I find it utterly remarkable,” said Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush. “It’s classic Trump. It defies tradition.” Who’s calling? This spring, when he was denied an interview with Trump for an Atlantic magazine cover story, Michael Scherer dialed Trump’s number on a Saturday morning. “Who’s calling?” Trump answered. When the reporter identified himself, Trump berated him for past stories he’d written. But he didn’t hang up. Scherer explained the story he was doing. Trump answered his questions, and was gracious about it, he said. “The president likes speaking,” he said. “He wants to share his story. I think he feels that the more he shares his story, the better off he is. He just has a totally different approach to the press than any president I’ve covered.” In a subsequent story, Scherer and colleague Ashley Parker explored how the telephone is like a lifeline to the president. Many other people besides reporters know the number. Trump has kept using it even after being told around Election Day of the likelihood that Chinese spies had the ability to listen in on his conversations, The Atlantic reported. Dealing with the press — and by extension, the American public — is a significant part of a president’s job. But the interactions are generally much more formal and structured. That was the case with Trump in his first term, too; Scherer said the times he talked with Trump then, it was mediated by the White House communications office. That wasn’t the case when they talked this spring, nor when Scherer called Trump’s phone for an interview the day of the military parade in Washington. “There have been multiple times that people who work for the president have made clear that they weren’t happy he was talking to me,” Scherer said. “But they don’t get to make the decisions. It’s his decision.” The president’s most frequent callers Asked about the calls, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump “is the most transparent president in history, […]

The Knesset Finance Committee gave the green light on Monday to Amendment No. 9 to the Customs and Exemptions Tariff Order, initiating a plan to systematically eliminate the current tax exemption on imported tobacco. The phase-out will unfold over several years, with the exemption completely canceled by June 2028.

Previously, individuals could bring tobacco, cigarettes, and e-cigarette liquids into Israel from abroad without paying import tax. That benefit will now be progressively reduced until it is entirely removed.

The Israel Tax Authority projects that this policy shift will increase revenue significantly, with an estimated NIS 50 million expected in 2027, NIS 70 million the following year, and roughly NIS 100 million annually once the new tax structure is fully in effect.

The decision follows the release of the Ministry of Health’s most recent annual report on smoking, which shows that 20% of Israeli adults smoke — a figure 30% higher than the worldwide average. The report also highlights poor cessation outcomes, with Israel’s quit rate trailing 50% behind the OECD average.

In a related study, the Ministry of Health reported that over half of adolescents who experiment with tobacco begin with e-cigarettes. Use of flavored tobacco products among youth is especially prevalent: 88% have tried flavored shisha, 82% flavored e-cigarettes, and 45% have smoked flavored cigarettes or used flavored rolling tobacco.

In the chareidi community, the numbers are troubling. A new survey showed that 54% of students in ultra-Orthodox high schools and 80% of teens in dropout programs between the ages of 12 and 17 have used some type of smoking product.

Although current law mandates that local governments enforce public smoking bans, oversight remains weak. While 82 municipalities reported enforcement actions in 2024 under the smoking prevention law, over 65% failed to submit the legally required reports, and even those that did showed uneven follow-through.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Two Jewish students have launched a blistering lawsuit against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accusing the prestigious university — and a tenured professor — of enabling a climate of antisemitic harassment so severe it forced one student to abandon his PhD. Filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the 71-page complaint outlines how linguistics professor Michel DeGraff allegedly waged a public campaign of intimidation and defamation against the students, while MIT administrators stood by in silence. One plaintiff, IDF veteran and postdoctoral student Lior Alon, claims DeGraff doxxed him twice — publicly posting his name and photograph on social media and tagging Al Jazeera — after describing Alon as part of “Zionist propaganda.” DeGraff further singled out Alon in a Le Monde article, accusing him of working to erase “anti-Zionist Jewish students.” Alon says he was later harassed by strangers in public, including at his child’s daycare. Alon emailed MIT President Sally Kornbluth pleading for help, warning that the doxxing had left him and his family fearing for their safety. Kornbluth never responded, the lawsuit states. “Not only did President Kornbluth’s silence and MIT’s inaction cause harm to Alon, but MIT’s failure to act also emboldened Prof. DeGraff, and his harassment of Jews escalated as a result,” the suit claims. DeGraff, a tenured faculty member, later launched a seminar titled “Language and Linguistics, from the River to the Sea in Palestine,” and circulated posts referring to Jewish “mind infection.” The second plaintiff, PhD student William Sussman, says he raised concerns about the hateful rhetoric, only to be subjected to even more abuse. According to the lawsuit, DeGraff sent department-wide emails — copying in MIT’s president — describing Sussman as a living example of a “Jewish mind infection.” On the same day, flyers using Hamas-inspired color schemes and directly targeting Sussman were slipped under dorm doors. Unable to endure the threats and bigotry, Sussman ultimately left MIT before completing his PhD. When Sussman filed a formal complaint, MIT’s investigations manager responded that the school would not pursue a discrimination case. The official concluded that DeGraff’s references to “mind infection” were not about Sussman being Jewish, but rather about his supposed views on Israeli propaganda. Sussman was told there would be no appeal. The Brandeis Center said MIT’s failure to protect Jewish students amounted to a wholesale betrayal of its legal and moral responsibilities. “Jews and Israelis on campus were prevented from fully engaging in their studies, their research, and the full spectrum of campus life,” the organization argued in a statement. “They have been forced out of their programs, off campus, and even out of the university entirely.” Sussman, whose academic dreams were shattered, described Kornbluth’s leadership as part of a broader failure that echoes last year’s congressional hearings, where Kornbluth infamously testified that calls to eliminate the Jewish people could be antisemitic “depending on context.” Unlike her counterparts at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who resigned, Kornbluth kept her position. “That tells you everything you need to know,” Sussman said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pressing Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed socialist and presumed Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, to explain his stance on the controversial slogan “Globalize the intifada.”

Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of Israel, sparked backlash earlier this month when he told The Bulwark that “Globalize the intifada” is a phrase that encapsulates a “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”

Jeffries, one of the top Democrats in Congress, is now demanding that Mamdani clarify why he refuses to disavow a slogan many view as inciting violence against Jews.

“Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries (D-NY) said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. He reminded viewers that “intifada” literally means uprising.

Jeffries went on to emphasize that Mamdani owes voters a clear explanation.

“He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward,” said the Brooklyn lawmaker.

Jeffries also pointed out that Mamdani needs to convince Jewish constituents that he is serious about tackling antisemitism in the city.

“With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”

When questioned by The Bulwark on June 17 about whether the slogan made him uncomfortable, Mamdani would not criticize it.

And during a follow-up interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani again refused to denounce the phrase — even as many have warned it carries threatening and violent implications.

“That’s not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” Mamdani told host Kristen Welker.

“I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech in the manner.”

Welker pressed Mamdani three separate times to address the phrase directly.

If Mamdani secures the office, he will become New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor. His surprise primary win, in which he edged out former Governor Andrew Cuomo, shook up the Democratic establishment.

He is widely expected to clinch the Democratic nomination officially when the results are certified next month.

Jeffries, who has yet to throw his support behind Mamdani, underscored the importance of any mayor taking antisemitism seriously.

“Any mayor, whether you’re a Democratic mayor, a Republican mayor, an independent mayor, has got to commit to the safety and well-being of all of the people of the city of New York,” Jeffries said.

“And when there are moments of crisis and a rise in anti-Jewish hate, that’s a threshold, of course, that needs to be crossed.”

Jeffries also defended his current decision to withhold an endorsement of Mamdani.

“I have not,” Jeffries said when asked if he had endorsed the candidate. “We had a conversation on Wednesday morning where I congratulated him on the campaign that he ran, a campaign that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City.”

He noted that he and Mamdani have not previously had much interaction.

“We don’t really know each other well. Our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him,” Jeffries explained. “That’s the next step in terms of this process, to be able to sit down.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who holds the distinction of being the most senior elected Jewish official in the United States, has also held off on endorsing Mamdani.

Several Democrats, including Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, have voiced strong opposition to many of Mamdani’s far-left stances.

{Matzav.com}

GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan had some complications while fundraising on his own website last fall. Several friends wanted to help Cadogan reach his $28,000 goal as he crowdfunded for a Los Angeles area wilderness rescue team. But they tried to donate through a lesser-known wealth management tool called a donor-advised fund, or a DAF, a no-frills investing vehicle for money earmarked as eventual charitable gifts. After cutting checks and waiting three weeks, Cadogan said, the money finally arrived. “It was just a bit of a thing,” he added. “If they were using a Giving Fund, it would take ten seconds.” Giving Funds are GoFundMe’s latest in a flurry of product rollouts with the purported goal of moving stagnant U.S. charitable contributions beyond the 2% GDP mark where totals have long hovered. But the for-profit company’s DAF, announced Monday, enters a crowded market of more than a thousand providers — products often with older, wealthier clienteles that are often criticized for warehousing gifts. To transform the way that everyday users plan their donations, Cadogan will have to widen the appeal of DAFs beyond the likes of the technology entrepreneur’s circles. And he wants to change public perceptions of his company as just a crowdfunding site. “We’re also hopeful that more people will start using GoFundMe for a broader set of things in their lives: not just that one fundraiser they’re supporting, not just that one nonprofit. But they’re coming in and they’re managing their giving portfolio with us and through us,” Cadogan said. “That connects directly to our mission, which is we want to help people help each other.” A DAF boom — but for whom? Donor-advised funds grew popular over the last decade among ultra-high net worth individuals as a tax-efficient instrument for grantmaking without the hassle of a more sophisticated charitable foundation. Donors can immediately write the contribution off on their taxes but face no deadline for giving the money to a nonprofit. The idea: account holders could invest money they wanted to ultimately donate, let the funds grow tax-free while they sit and give themselves time to identify the recipients best aligned with their giving goals. There’s since been a rush to court average givers. Legacy financial services firms such as Fidelity Charitable lowered the minimums to open accounts. Fintech startups such as Daffy contrast their flat fees with the hidden expenses they allege their competitors charge. All that traction brought IRS proposals last year to impose penalties on those who abuse DAFs and Congress has considered legislation that would require some deadlines for disbursements. GoFundMe’s Giving Funds will have no minimum balances, zero management fees and donations starting at $5. Users can load their DAF through their bank accounts or direct deposits for free. Credit card payments will be covered through the end of the year and then face the company’s standard transaction fee of 2.2% plus 30 cents. Contributions can then be invested in a choice of exchange traded funds from managers including Vanguard, Blackrock and State Street Global Advisors. Cadogan pitches Giving Funds as a way to be more intentional about giving — something he said user feedback suggests more people want. As he sees it, widespread adoption hasn’t occurred because DAFs have been framed as “wealth management products.” “This is a giving product,” Cadogan said. “It’s something […]

CNN is now promoting an app that helps criminal aliens dodge ICE in real time.

IDF armored and combat engineering units destroyed a two-kilometer Hamas tunnel concealed under a school in southern Gaza, continuing efforts to dismantle the group’s terrorist infrastructure.

A Trump administration probe has found that Harvard failed to protect Jewish students and at times was a “willful participant” in antisemitic harassment since the Oct. 7 massacre. A federal task force has warned the school it could lose all federal funding – worth billions of dollars – if it doesn’t act immediately.

The IDF’s 188th Brigade combat team, in collaboration with Yahalom forces, demolished another underground Hamas tunnel.

HASSETT: “The bottom is line is that we’re not taking away anybody’s Medicaid. We’re definitely not taking away anybody’s Medicare. What we’re doing is we’re going after waste, fraud, and abuse… We’re, in the end, going to balance this budget.”

INSANE: Chareidi extremists torch construction equipment at a site being developed in Yehud that they claim has Kevarim under it.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a 2nd Amendment Tax Holiday from September 8 to December 31, making firearms, ammunition, and related outdoor equipment tax-exempt.

NYC is about to have a mayor who eats like a slob on camera with his bare hands. (This is a real video)

The Trump administration has formally charged Harvard University with breaching civil rights laws by failing to adequately address antisemitism on its campus — a move that could see the elite institution stripped of federal funding.

In a sharply worded letter, the federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism accused Harvard of either turning a blind eye to or actively participating in the harassment of Jewish members of its community following Hamas’ brutal assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.

“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” officials warned Harvard President Alan Garber in the communication sent Monday.

The allegation stems from an inquiry led by the Department of Health and Human Services, which, according to the administration, has funneled nearly $800 million to Harvard in federal funding since the 2023 fiscal year.

In addition to the letter, the HHS Office for Civil Rights delivered a comprehensive 57-page report to Garber, compiled after holding 50 “listening sessions” that included over 500 Jewish students.

That report found that nearly 60% of the Jewish students who participated said they had been subjected to “discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias on campus due to [their] views on current events.”

Other data highlighted in the findings included that 26% of Jewish students said they feared for their physical safety, while 44% reported feeling unsafe mentally.

The survey also showed that 67% of Jewish students did not feel comfortable voicing their opinions at all, and that number increased to 73% when it came to sharing political views.

The HHS report cited a range of incidents it says amount to a “pattern of unlawful and unchecked discrimination” on the part of the university.

Alleged behaviors included direct harassment between students, organized targeting by student groups, exclusion from campus programs, and what was described as institutional tolerance of antisemitism.

Specific examples in the report included Jewish and Israeli students being spat on for wearing yarmulkes, followed around campus, and subjected to chants of “heil Hitler” while waiting for university shuttles.

According to the investigators, Harvard failed to properly address or respond to these troubling incidents.

This latest notice of violation comes on the heels of a prior letter from the same task force, which listed a set of requirements Harvard must fulfill to avoid forfeiting $256 million in federal contracts and risking an additional $8.7 billion in long-term grants.

Harvard and the Trump administration have been in conflict for months. Earlier in June, Trump signed a sweeping order blocking international students from coming to the U.S. to study at the university.

“When a university refuses to uphold its legal obligations, including its recordkeeping and reporting obligations, the consequences ripple far beyond the campus,” read the proclamation. It added that allowing foreign nationals into Harvard was no longer considered in the “national interest.”

A federal judge has since issued a temporary injunction preventing the administration from terminating Harvard’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

After the court ruling, Trump suggested that negotiations were underway and signaled that a resolution might be near.

“We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so. They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 20.

Harvard responded to the government’s accusations by highlighting the actions it has taken to combat antisemitism on campus.

“Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community,” the university said in a statement.

“In responding to the government’s investigation, Harvard not only shared its comprehensive and retrospective Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report but also outlined the ways that it has strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue,” the statement added.

“Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government’s findings.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Monday denied widespread speculation that Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, had been recruited as an Israeli asset. In a terse six-word statement posted in Farsi on X, Mossad’s official account wrote, “قاآنی جاسوس ما نیست” — translated as “Qaani is not our spy.” The post appeared under the handle @MossadSpokesman, which has amassed more than 140,000 followers since Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on June 24. The statement follows months of rumors in fringe and tabloid outlets suggesting Qaani may have been turned by Israeli operatives. The speculation gained traction after Qaani, 62, disappeared from public view during a series of covert Israeli airstrikes in late 2024 that targeted Iranian assets and Hezbollah leaders in Beirut. Some reports claimed Qaani had been detained or tortured by Iranian security services over suspicions he leaked sensitive targeting data to Israel. Other rumors suggested he had died of a heart attack “during questioning” or was under house arrest. Speculation intensified again this month after Israeli precision strikes hit Iranian missile depots, prompting renewed chatter about a possible inside source within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iranian authorities repeatedly denied those allegations, dismissing them as “psychological warfare.” Qaani made a surprise public appearance on June 25 at a rally in central Tehran celebrating the ceasefire, smiling and mingling with civilians in what appeared to be a deliberate move to counter claims he was missing or dead. Iranian state media emphasized that the general looked “in good health.” Qaani has led the IRGC’s powerful Quds Force since 2020, after his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. He is responsible for managing Iran’s network of proxy militias across the region and remains under U.S. and European Union terrorism sanctions. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NYC mayoral candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa on frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s policies, his outlook on crime and the current state of the city following Democrat-led leadership.

WATCH:

A trade war. A real war with bombs dropped in the Middle East. A barrage of insults hurled by the president of the United States at the head of the Federal Reserve. The stock market has powered through all of that in the past few months to set a new record Friday and reward investors who stayed their ground through a volatile stretch. The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high of 6,173. While Wall Street can take a bow — and breath a sigh of relief — there’s no let-up ahead. The pause President Donald Trump put in effect for many tariffs expires in early July. Second-quarter profit reports and upcoming economic indicators could reveal more about the impact of the tariffs that did go into effect. The Fed could face a tricky decision on interest rates. Here’s a look at what’s happened in markets and what could lie ahead. Tariff shock Trump appeared in the Rose Garden on April 2 and announced steeper-than-expected tariffs on almost all U.S. trade partners. He especially targeted China, eventually raising the duties on imports from China to 145%. Beijing retaliated by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%. Within just four days, the S&P 500 fell about 12%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 4,600 points, or about 11%. Trump shrugged off the stock market drop but he couldn’t ignore the signs of trouble in the bond and foreign exchange markets. Tumbling prices for U.S. government bonds raised worries that the U.S. Treasury market was losing its status as the world’s safest place to keep cash. The value of the U.S. dollar also sank in another signal of diminishing faith in the United States as a safe haven for investors. Time to pause On April 9, Trump announced on social media a “90-day PAUSE” for most of the tariffs he’d announced, except those against China. The S&P 500 soared 9.5% for one of its best days ever. In May, the administration struck a trade deal with the United Kingdom. Then came the biggest news: The U.S. and China said that they were temporarily rolling back most of the tariffs they’d imposed on one another. The countries have indicated they’ve reached a deal, but details are scarce. Markets briefly got spooked when Trump threatened tariffs against the European Union, but he decided to hold off — until July 9 — as the countries negotiate. War and oil The trade war was pushed out of the headline by a real war this month as Israel and Iran attacked each other. The price of oil spiked, threatening to boost inflation and slow the global economy. A U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities was followed by a cease-fire and oil prices dropped sharply. Relieved, Wall Street resumed its climb toward a new record. Trump and the Fed Trump wants the Fed to lower interest rates. The Fed says it needs to see the impact of Trump’s tariffs before it can act. The president has taken to regularly bashing Jerome Powell, whose term as Fed chair expires next year. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump could name his nominee to replace Powell unusually early, in an attempt to undermine him. The drama could influence trading in the bond and foreign exchange markets, and by extension on Wall Street. The bottom line Strong profit reports for the first quarter helped offset the pressure from […]