Feed aggregator

Watch former President Trump’s full remarks at his North Carolina rally, ahead of election day on Tuesday.

Authorities have charged two Pittsburgh-area residents with hate crimes following a string of anti-Semitic vandalism at Jewish buildings in July. One suspect, Mohamad Hamad, allegedly self-identified as a “Hamas operative,” acquired explosive materials, and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, according to court documents. Hamad, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen, reportedly communicated his willingness to martyr himself for his cause, as shown in encrypted Signal messages reviewed by the FBI. The other individual, Talya Lubit, who is Jewish, faces charges as Hamad’s accomplice in spray-painting pro-Hamas graffiti on local Jewish institutions, including a Chabad in Squirrel Hill and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Lubit’s messages with Hamad reveal conflicted sentiments about her Jewish identity, influenced by her strong anti-Israel views, the criminal complaint alleges. Lubit, a recent graduate of Dickinson College, expressed growing resentment toward Jewish identity in private messages with Hamad, sharing an image that depicted the Israeli flag with a swastika. The suspects allegedly spray-painted “Jews 4 Palestine” and “Funds Genocide Jews” on Jewish community buildings. The court documents indicate Hamad’s support for Squad-aligned Democrats, including donations to Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who have publicly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza. Lubit was also part of a group defending Rep. Summer Lee, a freshman Pittsburgh congresswoman, after her calls for a ceasefire following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and her declaration that Israel is committing genocide. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

With the US Presidential Election coming up on Tuesday, the rosh yeshiva of the Kissei Rachamim Yeshiva, Rav Meir Mazuz, called for Tefillos for a victory for former President Trump.

During his weekly shiur, Rav Mazuz said: “We must daven that Trump wins these elections. Even though Trump is from Germany, he has good attributes and he loves Israel.”

Rav Mazuz mentioned Trump’s Jewish family members, saying: “He has a grandson or granddaughter who’s Jewish. And there’s a picture of him taking his grandson on Shabbat to the Beit Knesset before Mincha, and he encourages and blesses him.”

{Matzav.com} 

A remote-controlled robot has safely returned with a tiny piece of melted fuel it collected from inside one of three damaged reactors at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since the 2011 meltdown. The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which manages the plant, said Saturday that the extendable fishing rod-like robot successfully clipped a gravel as big as 5 millimeters (2 inches), the size of a tiny granola bit, from the top surface of a mound of molten fuel debris that sits on the bottom of the No. 2 reactor’s primary containment vessel. The “telesco” robot, with its frontal tongs still holding the melted fuel bit, returned to the enclosed container for safe storage after workers in full hazmat gear pulled it out of the containment vessel earlier Saturday. The sample return marks the first time the melted fuel is retrieved out of the containment vessel. But the mission is not over until it’s certain that the sample’s radioactivity is below a set standard and safely placed into a container. If the radioactivity exceeds the limit, the robot must go back inside the reactor to find another piece. TEPCO officials said they expect the piece is small enough to meet the requirement. The mission initially started in August for what was supposed to be a two-week round trip but had been suspended twice due to mishaps. First one was the procedural mistake at the beginning that held up the work for nearly three weeks, then the robot’s two cameras designed to transmit views of the target areas for its operators in the remote control room failed. The camera problem required the robot to be pulled out all the way for replacement before the mission resumed Monday. Fukushima Daiichi lost its key cooling systems during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, causing meltdowns in its three reactors. An estimated 880 tons of fatally radioactive molten fuel remains in them, and TEPCO has carried out a number of robotic probes to figure out how to decommission the plant. Telesco on Wednesday successfully clipped a piece presumably measuring less than 3 grams (0.1 ounce) from the planned area right underneath the Unit 2 reactor core, from which large amounts of melted fuel fell during the meltdown 13 years ago, TEPCO said. Plant chief Akira Ono said only the tiny spec can provide key data to plan decommissioning strategy, develop necessary technology and robots and retroactively learn how the accident had developed. The government and TEPCO have set a 30-to-40-year target for the cleanup, which experts say is overly optimistic and should be updated. No specific plans for the full removal of the fuel debris or its final disposal have been decided. (AP)

A Lebanese terrorist with Canadian citizenship, Dr. Hassan Diab, who was convicted for his role in a bombing attack on a French synagogue which killed 4, accepted a lecture position at a prestigious Canadian university.

Diab was sentenced to life in prison by a French court over his role in the terrorist attack. In the attack, a bomb exploded outside the Rue Copernic synagogue in Paris. Four people were murdered in the attack, including Israeli TV presenter Aliza Shagrir. Twenty others were injured.

Diab fled to Canada following the attack, after being considered the main suspect. In 2008, Diab was arrested in Canada at France’s request. In 2014, following a lengthy legal battle, Diab was extradited to France, but was released to house arrest by the investigating judge. Diab used the opportunity to immediately flee back to Canada.

The trial was then held in absentia, and a court of six judges unanimously found Diab guilty, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.  While an international arrest warrant was issued against him, Diab has not been extradited back to France for a second time.

Despite all of this, Carleton University in Ottawa has invited the terrorist to teach this year, as a lecturer in sociology.

Chagai and Oron Shagrir, the sons of one of Diab’s victims, Aliza Shagrir, called the university’s decision “outrageous.” In a statement, Shagrir’s sons said: “It is outrageous that an academic institution that is supposed to promote values ​​of equality and justice decided to employ a cold-blooded murderer, who was unanimously convicted in a court in France. Apparently carrying out a murderous terrorist act against a Jewish target does not go against the values ​​of Carleton University.”

Israel’s consulate general in Toronto, Canada, Idit Shamir, called the hiring “unconscionable,” writing on X: “Hassan Diab, the terrorist who murdered my friend’s mother, Aliza Shagrir, before his eyes in the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing still lectures at Canada’s @Carleton_U. A French court gave him LIFE for murdering 4 souls & maiming 46. Yet Carlton University rewards him with a teaching position? Every class this convicted terrorist teaches dishonors the lives he destroyed. This isn’t just a failure of justice – it’s spitting on the graves of Jewish victims. Shame on those who enable this.”

{Matzav.com}

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly feeling the pressure as Election Day approaches, grappling with anxiety and sleepless nights as he monitors polling numbers in his bid to reclaim the White House. According to a campaign official who spoke with Axios, Trump has been more hands-on than ever, frequently questioning his staff and urging them to ramp up efforts to secure victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. “Trump’s anxiety is evident in his late-night and early morning calls to aides, peppering them with questions on how things are going—and whether they think he’ll win,” reported Axios. The former president’s concerns were slightly eased after his chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, circulated a memo suggesting that Trump is in a stronger position to win than in his past three campaigns. However, some political analysts caution against overreliance on polling data. Polling expert Nate Silver recently warned that bias can affect poll interpretations, depending on who conducts them, and that “someone could be putting their finger on the scale.” Trump isn’t the only one voicing concern. Key conservative figures are emphasizing the need for strong voter turnout, particularly among male voters. “If men don’t show up to vote, ‘Kamala is president,’” tweeted Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk. Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republican Club, echoed this sentiment, telling Axios, “Men need to swamp the polls on Election Day and prior to help Trump win.” Meanwhile, Harris’s campaign team is also preparing for a close race, with her advisors predicting a narrow win on Tuesday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A large group of technology employees at the troubled New York Times may opt to stage a walkout on Tuesday if their employment demands are not met by the company.

The potential strike on Election Day could severely disrupt the newspaper’s reporting on the presidential election, following stalled discussions between the involved parties, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The union’s negotiating team communicated to the Times’ board of directors, urging them to step in, stating, “We have made it clear that we need to reach an agreement before the election in order to avert a strike.”

This action by the Guild, which represents software developers, data scientists, and design professionals at the renowned newspaper, represents a significant test of the union’s strength since its establishment in 2022, according to the report.

As per the union’s information, its members indicated a 95% support for a walkout in September if their demands are not addressed. These demands include job security amidst advancements in AI technology and equitable pay for female and minority union members.

Election Day, especially during a presidential election cycle, typically sees a dramatic increase in readership for news organizations, and a similar trend is anticipated on Tuesday due to the competitive race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A representative for the Times expressed dissatisfaction to the Journal, criticizing the union’s deadline as “arbitrary” and suggesting that choosing Election Day “feels both unnecessary and at odds with our mission.”

Nevertheless, the spokesperson assured that the newspaper has “robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers.”

Since its inception, the Guild has yet to secure a contract, though newspaper officials point out that its members are among the highest earners within the organization, with most enjoying six-figure incomes—averaging about $190,000 in compensation and stock options.

A spokesperson for the Times stated in an email on Sunday, “We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract, that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority.”

They added, “We’re in one of the most consequential periods of coverage for our readers.”

{Matzav.com}

The remains of two aviators who died when their jet crashed during a training flight in Washington state last month will return home from Dover Air Force base in the coming days, the Navy said. The remains of Lt. Serena Wileman, a California native, were due to return on Monday, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station said. Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay Evans’ remains will return later during the week in a private affair in accordance with her family’s wishes. The two died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as “Zappers,” crashed east of Mount Rainier on Oct. 15. The crash occurred at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Evans, a naval flight officer from Palmdale, California, made history as part of a team of female pilots who conducted the first-ever all-female flyover of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, to celebrate 50 years of women flying in the Navy. The first female candidates entered the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973. Wileman, a naval aviator, was commissioned in 2018 and joined the Zapper squadron on Washington state’s Whidbey Island in 2021. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon. The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet and provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to U.S. forces and allies, according to Boeing, its manufacturer. The first Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. (AP)

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin is seeking to advance a bill that would criminalize calls by Israeli citizens for international sanctions against the Jewish state, the country’s Ynet news outlet reported over the weekend.

Under the proposed law, which is currently being considered by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara prior to being tabled in the Knesset, offenders could face up to 20 years in prison for public calls for sanctions against “Israel, its leaders, members of the security forces and Israeli citizens.”

The move came after Amos Schocken, the publisher of the Haaretz daily, called Hamas terrorists “freedom fighters” and called for a boycott as a pressure tactic to force the creation of a Palestinian state, in what Levin said was “not the first time that Israeli citizens have acted in this way.”

Several Israeli government ministries and agencies cut their ties with Haaretz following the remarks, vowing not to publish ads in the paper.

Currently, Israeli law allows for the deportation of foreigners who support boycotting the country and denying their entry, while calls for sanctions by citizens of the Jewish state are merely considered a civil offense.

Requesting a memo on the draft law from Baharav-Miara in a letter on Thursday, Levin noted that the Israel Defense Forces “has been at war on several fronts for more than a year, against murderous terrorism, including against the Hamas organization.

“A call to impose sanctions on Israel, its leaders, members of the security forces and Israeli citizens is a blatant violation of a citizen’s most basic duty of loyalty towards his country,” he wrote.

According to the justice minister, calls for boycotts are “tantamount to encouraging and promoting a move whose actual purpose is the denial of Israel’s right to self-defense. This act is all the more serious when committed during an existential war, and while our daughters and sons are being held in inhumane conditions by a murderous terrorist group.”

Levin said he seeks to punish those who “promote or encourage” the imposition of sanctions with ten years in jail, with the possibility of doubling the sentence if the offense was committed during wartime.

Last year, Levin vowed to criminalize the denial of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 atrocities amid claims by an Arab Israeli lawmaker that the Palestinian terrorist organization didn’t murder Israeli children or rape women.

“I directed officials at the Justice Ministry to formulate a bill that would ban the denial of the massacre and institute severe punishment for those who do so,” the ruling Likud Party minister told local media at the time.

Thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 Israelis and wounding thousands more. Terrorists abducted 251 Israelis and foreigners to the Strip as hostages.

(JNS)

The IDF’s operation to dismantle Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza could take at least six more months, IDF officials told Ynet on Sunday, as they work to clear the area of terrorists and secure the region. Key progress has been made in Jabaliya, a major Hamas stronghold just 2.5 miles from Gaza City, where Israeli forces have taken control, allowing civilians to evacuate and cutting off the area from further infiltration. To prevent terrorists from escaping among civilians, Israeli forces have employed facial recognition technology at checkpoints, identifying and detaining around 600 suspected Hamas operatives to date. Tens of thousands of civilians have left Jabaliya, but some still remain, prompting the IDF to increase artillery use as it moves to eliminate hundreds of remaining terrorists in the area. The operation forms part of a strategic military plan, initially aimed at restricting humanitarian aid to weaken Hamas’s control. “In the first week of the assault, Jabaliya was surrounded while the military urged civilians to leave,” wrote Ynet military correspondent Yoav Zitun, explaining that international pressure later led to aid being allowed back in. Despite these challenges, the IDF has continued efforts to capture or eliminate Hamas operatives in the city. “We found an exhausted population, hungry and weak, arriving at our gates of passage, and without civilians, Hamas cannot exist,” IDF officials said. Interrogations of captured terrorists have reportedly yielded useful intelligence on Hamas’s weapon storage and explosive placements. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Israel Defense Forces will push the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group north of Lebanon’s Litani River even without a ceasefire deal, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu vowed on Sunday night.

“With or without an agreement, the key to restoring peace and security in the north, to return our northern residents to their homes in safety, is to distance Hezbollah beyond the Litani, to strike any attempt to rearm it, and to respond firmly against any action against us,” the prime minister said during a visit to IDF soldiers serving on the Lebanese border.

“Simply put: Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement,” Netanyahu said following a meeting with reservists of the IDF’s 228th Brigade, known as the Northern Nahal. “And cutting off Hezbollah’s oxygen pipeline from Iran through Syria. We are committed to all of this,” the premier added.

On the Jewish state’s northern border, “you see and hear the change in reality—planes in the sky and our heroic fighters on the ground, across the border, eliminating the entire underground terror array that Hezbollah prepared for the invasion of the Galilee and an even larger massacre” than the one in southern communities on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Netanyahu.

“It won’t happen anymore,” Netanyahu vowed.

Israel’s war with Hezbollah could continue for months, Reuters news agency reported on Friday, citing a Lebanese political source linked to the terror group, as well as diplomats familiar with ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

A truce proposal drafted by the Biden administration in Washington was shelved due to being “unrealistic,” according to Reuters’ sources. Last week, two U.S. officials were cited as saying on two separate occasions that recent diplomatic talks had yielded “substantive” and “constructive” results.

A leaked draft deal published by Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster on Oct. 30 called for a pullout of all IDF forces from southern Lebanon within seven days, while Hezbollah and other local terrorist organizations are to withdraw from the border area within 60 days after signing.

The leaked draft agreement stated that “Israel and Lebanon recognize the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 to achieving lasting peace and security and commit to taking steps toward its full implementation.”

(JNS)

Warren Buffett is now sitting on more than $325 billion cash after continuing to unload billions of dollars worth of Apple and Bank of America shares this year and continuing to collect a steady stream of profits from all of Berkshire Hathaway’s assorted businesses without finding any major acquisitions. Berkshire said it sold off about 100 million more Apple shares in the third quarter after halving its massive investment in the iPhone maker last quarter. The remaining stake of roughly 300 million shares was valued at $69.9 billion at the end of September remains Berkshire’s biggest single investment, but it has been cut drastically since the end of last year when it was worth $174.3 billion. Investors will also be disappointed to learn that Berkshire didn’t repurchase any of its own shares in the quarter. CFRA Research analyst Cathy Seifert said shareholders will wonder why Buffett is continuing to accumulate so much cash. “Are they more pessimistic about the future economic and market picture than perhaps others are?” she said. Buffett said at the annual meeting in May that part of why he started selling some of his Apple shares is that he expects tax rates to go higher in the future. But Edward Jones analyst Jim Shanahan said he wonders if part of the reason Buffett started selling Apple is tied to last year’s death of Vice Chairman Charlie Munger because the sales started shortly after Munger’s death. Shanahan said Buffett has never been as comfortable with technology businesses as his longtime partner was. “If Charlie Munger were still alive, perhaps he wouldn’t have sold down the position quite as aggressively — maybe at all,” Shanahan said. Berkshire said Saturday that investment gains again drove its third quarter profits skyward to $26.25 billion, or $18,272 per Class A share. A year ago, unrealized paper investment losses dragged the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate’s earnings down to a loss of $12.77 billion, or $8,824 per Class A share. Buffett has long recommended that investors pay more attention to Berkshire’s operating earnings if they want to get a good sense of how the businesses it owns are doing because those numbers exclude investments. Berkshire’s bottom-line profit figures can vary widely from quarter to quarter along with the value of its investments regardless of whether the company bought or sold anything. By that measure, Berkshire said its operating earnings were only down about 6% at $10.09 billion, or $7,023.01 per Class A share. That compares to last year’s $10.8 billion, or $7,437.15 per Class A share. The four analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted that Berkshire would report operating earnings of $7,335.11 per Class A share. Berkshire’s revenue didn’t change much at $92.995 billion. A year ago, it reported $93.21 billion revenue. That number was ahead of the $92.231 billion revenue that three analysts surveyed by FactSet predicted. Berkshire owns an assortment of insurance businesses, including Geico, along with BNSF railroad, several major utilities and a varied collection of retail and manufacturing businesses, including brands like Dairy Queen and See’s Candy. One of Berkshire’s insurers, Guard, reported some additional losses on previous years after managers reassessed its policies. Berkshire did resolve one mystery from the quarter by spelling out how much it paid to acquire the rest of the shares in its utility business […]

Welcome to your personal beauty revolution. Lakewood’s newest addition to self-care invites you to immerse yourself in opulence and beauty and emerge with flawless skin perfection. CLICK HERE Our brand-new spa, located in the heart of Lakewood, is beautifully styled for utmost privacy and relaxation. The most luxurious amenities allow you to step out of your hectic daily routine and will envelop you in comfort, bliss, and style. A team of expert techs treats you to high-tech laser hair removal using the most advanced Candela laser technology machines. How It Works: Laser hair removal uses concentrated light to target and destroy hair follicles without damaging the surrounding skin, making it ideal for lasting results. Candela Laser Technology: Candela lasers provide a more comfortable experience by cooling the skin immediately before the laser pulses, making the procedure virtually pain-free for most clients. Effectiveness: Studies show that laser hair removal can reduce hair growth by 70-90% after a series of treatments. Candela delivers a more consistent, long-lasting result compared to other models. CLICK HERE A Self-Care Winter Means a Smooth Summer The weather is getting colder and the days are growing shorter. What better way to treat yourself than with a smoother you? Take advantage of our winter special: Start your laser sessions today and look forward to seasons of lasting, flawless results. For a limited time only, get a trial session for just 99 cents. Because you deserve it. Your journey to flawless skin starts here. 1303 River Ave | 732.347.7770 info@whisperlaserspa.com CLICK HERE

PRESIDENT TRUMP: The day I take the oath of office, the migrant invasion ENDS, and the restoration of our country BEGINS. When you vote on Tuesday, vote in honor of Jocelyn, and Laken Riley, and Rachel Morin, and every American who has been stolen from us.

New York has declared a citywide drought watch as it experiences one of the longest dry streaks on record.

Last month was the driest October since recordkeeping began in 1869, with minimal rain to replenish reservoirs, according to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Mayor Eric Adams is urging New Yorkers to fix leaks, take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing teeth and only flush the toilet when necessary amid the historic lack of rain.

“Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust based on the lack of water and rain we have received,” Adams said in a video message posted on social media Saturday.

A watch is the first of three levels of New York City drought advisories, followed by warning, and emergency. It’s declared when a drought is first developing.

Other water-saving tips called for by city officials include sweeping sidewalks and driveways rather than using a hose; reporting leaky fire hydrants and street leaks; and installing low-flow toilets and shower heads.

An open hydrant can release more than 1,000 gallons per minute, wasting around 1.4 million gallons of drinking water in 24 hours, Adams said. Older-model toilets can use as much as 6 gallons of water per flush.

Many locations in the eastern United States are experiencing dry weather, which is causing drought warnings to expand and creating conditions favorable for wildfires. Washington’s dry streak – among the four longest on record – has reached four weeks. Parts of New York state are in a drought watch, according to the state’s department of environmental conservation.

The need to reduce water usage in New York City is made even more important because of repair work being undertaken on the Delaware Aqueduct to prevent a decades-old, 35-million-gallon-per-day leak under the Hudson River, city officials said Saturday.

During the final phase of construction, increasing amounts of drinking water are being drawn from the Croton Watershed, the city’s oldest upstate water supply.

Just 0.81 inches of rain fell in the watershed area in October, compared with historical averages of 3.81 inches of rain for the month.

New York, America’s most populous city, uses about 1.1 billion gallons of water a day on average, and slightly less during the winter months.

“When every New Yorker makes even small changes, like turning off the tap when washing hands, brushing teeth, and doing dishes, we save millions of gallons by the minute,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a Saturday statement.

(c) Washington Post

JD VANCE: “So here’s my message to Kamala Harris: We are not garbage for thinking that you’ve done a bad job. But in two days, we’re going to take out the trash in Washington, DC.”

With two days left until the U.S. election, Rosh Yeshiva Kisei Rchamaim, Hagaon HaRav Meeir Mazuz called during his weekly Shiur for Tefillos that former President Donald Trump would win another term. “He has good Midos, and he loves Israel,” Rav Mazuz said. “This Tuesday, there’s an election in America….. We should pray that Trump wins this election. Even though Trump is originally from Germany, he has good qualities, and he loves Israel.” “He has a grandson and granddaughter who is Jewish. There’s a picture of him taking his grandson to Shul on Shabbos before Mincha, encouraging him and blessing him. This is good! Even from the Germans, who were enemies of Israel, something good can come.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged yesterday that a future Trump administration would seek to remove fluoride from drinking water as a Day 1 goal, reversing a decades-old intervention widely credited for boosting public health.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote Saturday on social media, adding a list of medical conditions that he said were associated with fluoride consumption, such as bone fractures and neurodevelopmental disorders. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has pledged that Kennedy will be empowered to play a major role overseeing health policy if he is elected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long recommended putting fluoride in Americans’ drinking water, hailing it as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century and citing data that the practice reduces cavities by about 25 percent in children and adults.

“Decades of research and practical experience indicate that fluoride is safe and beneficial to oral health,” Linda Edgar, president of the American Dental Association, said in a statement in August.

The Trump campaign declined to comment on Kennedy’s pledge on fluoride.

“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election,” spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The practice of putting fluoride in Americans’ water began in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. More than 200 million Americans are on fluoridated water systems, according to a 2022 CDC summary.

In 1962, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended adding small amounts of fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, to drinking water to strengthen teeth and replace minerals lost to routine wear and tear – a decision that helped fuel wild, often baseless allegations about public health officials’ motivations. That resistance was lampooned in the 1964 satirical film, “Dr. Strangelove,” in which the film’s antagonist – a paranoid general – justifies his decision to spark nuclear war by blaming fluoridation, saying it is “the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face.”

But it has long been a bipartisan priority on Capitol Hill and around the country.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) introduced legislation in January to further fund the CDC’s oral health agenda, including state fluoridation efforts.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) endorsed fluoride in April as part of her declaration of a statewide “drinking water week.”

“When communities invest in community water fluoridation, there is an average estimated return on investment of $20 in dental treatment costs for every one dollar in most cities,” Ivey wrote in a proclamation.

Some researchers have raised concerns about fluoride’s effects, such as whether the mineral has a harmful effect on developing brains. A study led by researchers at the University of Southern California and published in JAMA Network Open in May suggested that fluoride exposure during pregnancy was linked to an increased risk of childhood neurobehavioral problems.

“[M]ore studies are urgently needed to understand and mitigate the impacts in the entire U.S. population,” Tracy Bastain, a USC associate professor and author of the study, said in a statement in May. Bastain did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Kennedy’s comments.

Other researchers have dismissed the USC study, and public health officials have frequently played down worries about fluoridation of water, saying that some Americans wrongly believe in myths and conspiracy theories about its risks.

Some local lawmakers and communities around the country continue to push back against the practice of putting fluoride in water, and anti-fluoride activists have turned to the courts. In September, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water, saying there was potential risk to children’s developing brains. The judge noted that his finding “does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health.”

Kennedy, who is skeptical of vaccines, pledged to remove fluoride from drinking water as part of his long-shot independent campaign for president. Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Trump, becoming one of his top surrogates on the campaign trail.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Kennedy is poised to take a major role overseeing food and health agencies in a possible Trump administration, potentially as a White House czar.

Trump has said he is committed to including Kennedy in his administration and will empower him on public health.

“I said focus on health, you can do whatever you want,” Trump told podcaster Joe Rogan last month, reiterating his pledge when speaking to supporters in New York City two days later.

“I’m gonna let him go wild on health. I’m gonna let him go wild on the food. I’m gonna let him go wild on medicines,” Trump said.

(c) Washington Post

A shark bit a Maui surfer Friday and severed his leg, authorities said. The man, 61, was surfing off Waiehu Beach Park Friday morning when a shark bit him. Police officers who arrived to the scene first tried to control the bleeding with tourniquets. His right leg was “completely severed just below the knee,” Maui County said in a news release. The man was alert while being treated on shore and then taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition. The man said he did not see the shark approach, authorities reported. The incident prompted officials to close the beach park. Officials warned people to stay out of the water in the area. The public warning to stay out of the water for a mile in each direction of the incident will be in effect until at least noon Saturday. The warning will be extended if there is a shark sighting in the area. Maui fire and ocean safety officials were patrolling the waters using rescue watercraft and a drone. State officials provided shark warning signs and helped with cordoning off the area. There were no details provided on what kind of shark was involved. In June, well-known surfer Tamayo Perry was killed in a shark attack while surfing off Oahu’s North Shore. (AP)

Iran has the technical capability to produce nuclear weapons if it chooses, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei revealed on Friday. In an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen outlet, Kamal Kharrazi said Iran is ready to develop nuclear arms, but is currently restrained by a religious decree. “We now have the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons,” Kharrazi said. “Only the supreme leader’s fatwa currently prohibits it,” he added, referencing a religious ruling issued by Khamenei in the mid-1990s against the use of nuclear arms. However, Kharrazi hinted that the policy might shift if Iran’s security were significantly threatened. “If the survival of Iran comes under serious threat, we reserve the right to reconsider,” he warned. Kharrazi’s comments follow a statement he made in May, where he cautioned that any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel would result in a shift in Iran’s deterrence strategy. “If the Zionist regime dares to damage Iran’s nuclear facilities, our level of deterrence will be different,” he told ISNA news agency. He clarified that while Iran has no current intention to produce a nuclear bomb, “if the existence of Iran is threatened, we will have to change our nuclear doctrine.” Concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions have escalated amid reports that the Islamic Republic has made advances in its secret nuclear program. In August, Iran International, a London-based opposition media outlet, reported that Iran was progressing toward a nuclear weapon by reorganizing its Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), retaining Mohammad Eslami as head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and resuming tests on nuclear bomb detonators. The Biden administration reportedly issued a private warning to Tehran in June over its research and development activities, Axios reported in July, citing Israeli and U.S. officials. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)