Kentucky authorities intensified the search for a man accused of opening fire on Interstate 75, naming him as an official suspect Sunday in a shooting that injured five people from gunshots, three from car crashes and shut down a major highway the day before.
The search for Joseph Couch, 32, has continued for 24 hours in southeastern Kentucky after authorities came upon a chaotic scene Saturday, where they found cars riddled with bullet holes and sheriff’s deputies taking some injured to the hospital. The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office warned Sunday that Couch is considered “armed and dangerous,” as they continued a difficult backwoods search with the help of federal agencies.
The search has been grueling, said Laurel County Sheriff John Root (R). Officials say they are focused on an area off Exit 49 of I-75, where Couch’s vehicle was found.
“That’s probably one of the most remote exits along I-75,” Root said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. “It’s a big task.”
The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. Saturday on I-75, according to Root. At least five people and nine vehicles were shot near Exit 49 of the highway, about eight miles north of the city of London, Root said. London, a city of about 7,600 people, is roughly a 75-mile drive south of Lexington.
An additional three people were injured in crashes around the shooting, Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s office, said in a news conference Sunday afternoon. All injured victims are expected to survive. The exact reason for the shooting is yet to be determined, Acciardo said, adding that it was not a road rage incident.
Authorities found “an AR-15” rifle and several loaded magazines in a wooded area near the interstate, Acciardo said. Authorities believe this is the weapon used Saturday evening.
Authorities also found a compact SUV off a service road. The car is registered to Couch, officials said.
Authorities are focusing the search on top of the hill in the remote wooded area overlooking Exit 49 of I-75.
“We are still going on the premise that he is up there in the woods,” Acciardo said. “The woods are so thick there, and it’s such a remote area – it’s slow-going.”
Authorities paused the search Saturday night and resumed Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.
The interstate was shut down in the early hours of the search but was reopened late Saturday night, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said on X.
In a video update Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle thanked the sheriff’s office, state police and FBI for their assistance in the search. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also involved, the agency said on X.
“There is no immediate danger here in the city,” Weddle said. But “if you’re out and about, be vigilant.”
(c) Washington Post
Former President Donald Trump made a bold declaration over the weekend, pledging to pursue criminal prosecutions against those he claims were involved in “cheating” during the 2020 presidential election. In a post on social media, Trump promised to scrutinize the upcoming 2024 election closely and take action if he returns to the White House. “I know, better than most, the rampant Cheating and Skullduggery that has taken place by the Democrats in the 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote on Saturday. “It was a Disgrace to our Nation! Therefore, the 2024 Election… will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long-term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again.” Trump, who has long maintained that the 2020 election was marred by fraud despite a lack of substantial evidence, went further in his post by listing the groups of individuals he would target if re-elected. He warned that legal action could be pursued against “Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials” involved in what he describes as “unscrupulous behavior.” “Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country,” Trump added. Despite numerous fact checks and legal rulings that found no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, Trump and his allies continue to claim that the election was stolen. Out of 62 legal cases brought by Trump and his supporters alleging fraud or improprieties, all but one minor case were dismissed by the courts, including a Pennsylvania ruling that was later overturned. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has vowed that Israel will eliminate Yahya and Muhammad Sinwar, during his visit to the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip. “We will reach Muhammad Sinwar and also Yahya Sinwar. Anyone who thinks otherwise should look at Marwan Issa [and] Muhammad Deif: They also thought they were immune. They are not with us today, they made their mistake. [Sinwar] will also make his mistake, [and] we will carry out our mission,” Gallant declared. Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, recently became the head of the terror group following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. His brother, Muhammad Sinwar, holds a senior position within Hamas’s military wing. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Thousands turned out in Boro Park for the Levaya of the Skulener Rebbe, HaRav Yeshaya Yaakov Portugal ZT”L. Thousands more gathered in Monsey for the Kevura. PHOTOS & VIDEOS BELOW VIA BORO PARK SCOOP AND MONSEY SCOOP: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Israel Defense Forces has launched an internal inquiry this past weekend after discovering that documents seized as part of the conflict in Gaza had been altered and leaked to international media. These documents were reportedly manipulated to shape a particular narrative about ongoing negotiations for the release of hostages, seemingly with the intent of swaying public perception.
The initial report on the documents appeared in the Jewish Chronicle, a British publication, while additional information was released on Friday by Bild, Germany’s most widely-read newspaper. Both sources claimed to disclose confidential Hamas documents, allegedly obtained from Yahya Sinwar’s computer. These documents purportedly outlined Sinwar’s plans, which, as Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned in speeches and interviews last week, aim to create discord within Israeli society. The reports further suggested that Sinwar had no interest in striking a deal and was plotting to transport hostages out of Gaza through the Philadelphi Corridor, first to Egypt, then ultimately to Iran.
However, upon closer inspection, it was determined that the document Bild had published neither belonged to Sinwar nor originated from his computer. Instead, it was found to be part of a lecture delivered by a mid-level operative within the Hamas organization.
An IDF spokesperson explained: “An examination over the weekend found that the document published by the Bild newspaper was found about five months ago. The document is an old document written as a suggestion by mid-ranking officials in Hamas and not by Sinwar. The information from the document joined similar documents that we had in the past, does not constitute new information, and after inquiry, its publication was not a mistake. The information on the matter was presented to the decision-makers several times, even before the above-mentioned document was found. The leak of the document is a severe infringement and it will be investigated by the authorized bodies.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that Harris isn’t abandoning her progressive ideals — she’s just being “pragmatic” by changing her stance on key issues like Medicare for all and fracking. Sanders seemed to brush off the fact that Harris has pivoted away from positions she once strongly supported during her time in the Senate and her 2020 presidential run. During the interview, host Kristen Welker confronted Sanders about Harris’ sudden policy reversals. “You have described Kamala Harris as a progressive,” Welker said. “She has previously supported Medicare for all, now she does not. She has previously supported a ban on fracking, now she does not. Senator, these are ideas that you have campaigned on. Do you think she is abandoning her progressive ideals?” Incredibly, Sanders responded: “No, I don’t think she’s abandoning her ideals. I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.” So, Harris isn’t standing by her principles — she’s simply adjusting them to whatever will help her win votes? Sanders, who has built his political career on a platform of unwavering commitment to progressive ideals, seems to be giving Harris a free pass for what looks like blatant flip-flopping. Sanders continued by reiterating his own stance: “I think that in America today there are a lot of people, rural people, working-class people who no longer believe that the United States Congress and government represents their interests, who are dominated by big-money interests. So I think that there is something wrong personally when we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all of our people, despite spending twice as much per capita. That is why I support Medicare for all.” Yet, when asked point-blank if Harris still qualifies as a progressive, Sanders didn’t hesitate. “I do,” he said. It’s a baffling defense. Sanders acknowledges that Harris has completely walked back major policy positions that she once championed, but insists she remains a progressive at heart. Apparently, for Sanders, it’s acceptable for Harris to tell voters one thing in the past and do another now, as long as it helps her win the election. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Boeing and its largest union said Sunday they reached agreement on a new contract that, if ratified, will avoid a strike that threatened to shut down aircraft production by the end of the coming week. Boeing said 33,000 workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers would get pay raises of 25% over the four-year contract, with average wages rising 33% due to seniority step increases. That is less than the 40% the union had demanded during negotiations. But the company agreed with a key union demand to build its next plane in Washington state, presumably by union members. Workers also would get $3,000 lump sum payments and a lower share of health care costs, Boeing said. The company would make new 401(k) contributions of up to $4,160 per employee, but the union would not achieve its demand to restore a defined-benefit pension plan that was eliminated in 2014. “Negotiations are a give and take, and although there was no way to achieve success on every single item, we can honestly say that this proposal is the best contract we’ve negotiated in our history,” Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, the machinists’ union outpost at Boeing, said in a statement posted on the union website. The union’s bargaining committee is recommending that members ratify the contract, Holden said. The president of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, Stephanie Pope, said Sunday in a video for employees that the proposed contract includes the company’s largest-ever general wage increase. She said the promise to build Boeing’s next new airliner in the Puget Sound area means job security for generations to come. The proposed contract is contingent on union members ratifying before midnight Thursday Pacific time, after which the union was threatening to strike. The union has scheduled a two-part election for Thursday, with workers voting whether to accept the contract, and whether to authorize a strike if they reject the offer. Voting will occur at about a half-dozen locations in Washington state and one in California. A strike would have added to the headwinds facing Boeing, which is hurtling toward a sixth straight money-losing year and just hired a new CEO to turn things around. The new chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, will try to reverse $27 billion in losses since the start of 2019. His assignment includes fixing problems in Boeing’s aircraft-manufacturing process, gaining regulatory approval for the long-delayed 777X jumbo jet, limiting damage from over-budget government contracts, paying down $45 billion in net debt, and absorbing Spirit AeroSystems, the money-losing key supplier that Boeing just bought for $4.7 billion. Ortberg has sounded conciliatory toward the machinists’ union. “He understands that they are basically contentious relationships with the union, and he wants to make those relationships better,” TD Cowen aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr said. A walkout at Boeing would not affect consumers, but it would shut down Boeing’s airplane production cut off needed cash. Von Rumohr said aircraft makers typically get about 60% of the purchase price on delivery, “so not delivering planes has a massive impact on your cash in-flow, and your costs probably continue on.” An eight-week strike in 2008, the longest at Boeing since a 10-week walkout in 1995, cost the company about $100 million a day in deferred revenue. Before the tentative agreement was announced, […]
A preliminary IDF investigation reported by Channel 12 News reveals the shocking conditions in which Hamas kept six Israelis hostage in a tunnel before executing.
The IDF spokesman presented the findings to the hostage families, describing inhuman conditions.
According to the report, there is some evidence that the hostages attempted to fight back against the terrorists before being brutally murdered.
The 6 hostages were kept in a narrow, dark tunnel, with no air ventilation, causing difficulty breathing. The tunnel was barely tall enough for them to stand up. The narrow tunnel was only wide enough for two of the hostages to lie down to sleep at the same time.
The tunnel did not contain any bathroom or shower, forcing the hostages to use the same water bottle they used for drinking to shower. The hostages suffered from hunger and weight loss, with it being reported that Eden Yerushalmi weighted only 79 pounds when the IDF recovered her body.
In the tunnel the IDF discovered a small flashlight and a ventilator. They alo found a chess board, writing utensils and notebooks, which will be given to the families.
{Matzav.com}
Speaking via satellite at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas on Thursday, former President Donald Trump emphasized the importance of American Jewish voters supporting him in the upcoming 2024 election. Trump recalled that during his administration, American Jews felt “safe on our streets and college campuses,” and radical Islamist terrorists were kept out of the U.S. “I will keep America safe, and I will work with you to make sure that Israel is with us for thousands of years,” Trump vowed. He warned that if a Democratic ticket led by Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wins, “Israel is gone. You can forget about Israel.” Trump added, “We’re going to make America great again. And we’re going to, frankly, help Israel become great again,” while criticizing the current state of affairs under the Biden administration. “Right now, what you’re going through is horrible, with all the death, destruction, and waste, and ruining a civilization. You have to win but you need a partner.” The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) highlighted Trump’s growing support among Jewish voters, noting that he secured 30.5% of the Jewish vote in the 2020 election, an increase from 24% in 2016, making him the most successful Republican candidate in this demographic since 1988. RJC CEO Matt Brooks noted the stark contrast between Trump and Harris on policy regarding Israel, saying, “With President Trump, we had historic peace and security in the Middle East. With Kamala Harris, we have chaos and war.” Brooks added that under Trump, Jews felt safe wearing religious symbols in public, while Harris has overseen a rise in antisemitism. He further criticized Harris for aligning with “pro-Hamas mobs” and far-left Democratic representatives, known as “the Squad.” “This is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Brooks stressed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Palestinian Authority is circulating a draft resolution asking the United Nations General Assembly to urge Israel to withdraw from Yehuda and Shomron and remove some 500,000 Israeli citizens living in the territory within six months.
According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday, the resolution, which cites a July 19 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, is expected to be brought to a vote next week.
The 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to open on Sept. 10.
In addition to demanding an end to Israel’s civilian and military presence, the draft text urges U.N. member states to impose sanctions on officials in Yerushalayim, banning trade with Jewish businesses in Yehuda and Shomron and blocking weapons sales to Israel if they might be used in the area.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, attacked the P.A.’s move and called on the 193 members of the General Assembly to “outright reject this shameful resolution and instead adopt a resolution condemning Hamas, calling on it to release all the hostages immediately.
“Let it be clear: Nothing will stop nor deter Israel in its mission to bring back all the hostages and defeat Hamas,” the Israeli diplomat stated.
“If this resolution passes in the General Assembly, exactly one year after the Oct. 7 massacre, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, it would be a reward for terrorism and a message to the world that the barbaric massacre of children, the rape of women and the kidnapping of innocent civilians is a profitable move,” added Danon.
While the Palestinians have a near-automatic majority in the General Assembly—including the overwhelming portion of nearly 60 Arab and Muslim governments—resolutions passed by the body are not binding.
On July 19, the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial arm of the U.N., issued a non-binding, 83-page opinion declaring Israel’s 57-year “occupation” of Yehuda and Shomron to be “unlawful.”
The non-binding ruling claimed that “Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law.”
Jerusalem is “obliged to bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible,” the U.N. court added.
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu denounced the ruling, saying that no “absurd” ICJ opinion can “deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home.”
Despite the P.A.’s continued efforts to undermine Israel through lawfare, the U.S. administration insists that Ramallah be given control of the Gaza Strip following the cessation of hostilities there.
(JNS)
House Speaker Mike Johnson is heeding the demands of the more conservative wing of his Republican conference and has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months and require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote. Congress needs to approve a stop-gap spending bill before the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown just a few weeks before voters go the polls and elect the next president. Johnson’s decision to combine the proof of citizenship mandate with government funding complicates prospects for getting that task done. The bill is not expected to go anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, if it even makes it that far. But the effort could help Johnson, R-La., next year should House Republicans retain their majority and he seeks to become speaker again. The vote also could give Republicans an issue to go after Democrats in competitive swing districts as Republicans make immigration-related matters a campaign cornerstone. “Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” Johnson said Friday. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.” Democrats will oppose the GOP effort overwhelmingly and warn that any continuing resolution must have buy-in from both political parties. They said Johnson was making the same mistake then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., did a year ago as he tried to placate conservatives. In the end, they rejected his efforts, forcing him to rely on Democrats to get a temporary spending bill passed. That fight led just a few days later to eight Republicans joining with Democrats in removing McCarthy from the speaker’s job. “As we have said repeatedly, avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party. Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake as former Speaker McCarthy did a year ago, by wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right, Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington state said in a statement, referring to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. “This tactic didn’t work last September and it will not work this year either.” They said that if Johnson “drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the House Republicans’ hands.” Schumer is the Senate’s majority leader. Murray leads the Senate Appropriations Committee. The voter registration measure is popular with House Republicans. The House Freedom Caucus, which generally includes the chamber’s most conservative members, called for it to be attached to a stop-gap bill that would keep the government funded into early 2025. Republicans say that requiring proof of citizenship would ensure U.S. elections are only for American citizens, improving confidence in the nation’s federal election system, something that Trump has sought to undermine over the years. Opponents say it is already against the law for noncitizens to vote in federal elections and that the document requirements would disenfranchise millions of people who do not have the necessary documents readily available […]
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After years of Democrats suggesting the use of the 25th Amendment against him, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is now proposing a change to use it as a potential countermeasure against Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly “covering” up President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
“I will support modifying the 25th Amendment to make clear that if a vice president lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States, if you do that with a cover-up of the president of the United States, it’s grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office,” Trump declared during a campaign rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin. “Because that’s what they did. That’s what they did.”
Along with hinting at the upcoming Tuesday debate against Harris, Trump reminded his followers that Biden would still be the Democratic nominee if Harris and other Democrats had continued to conceal Biden’s cognitive issues, which became apparent during the June debate—the earliest in presidential campaign history.
“You know, think of it: if he didn’t go to that debate, he’d still be running,” Trump said. “To every citizen who is sick and tired of the parasitic political class in Washington that sucks our country of its blood and treasure, Nov. 5 will be your liberation day. Nov. 5 this year will be the most important day in the history of our country, because we’re not going to have a country anymore if we don’t win. It will be the most important day in the history of our country.”
Earlier in the day, presidential adviser Dick Morris suggested that Harris, too, was attempting to back out of the single debate she had agreed to, fearing the stark contrast with Trump.
According to Morris, Harris’ concerns over the use of muted microphones were merely an excuse to avoid being held accountable to the public. “I think she was trying to get out of the debate,” Morris said on “Saturday Report.” “This debate will be make or break for her. And she can do all the fluffy appearances with no mics she wants. But when they actually ask her a question, she’s got to answer. And the debate is an hour and a half of those. So I think she was trying to get out of it any way she could.”
{Matzav.com}
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged Islamic nations to unite against what he described as “the growing threat of expansionism” from Israel during a speech on Saturday. His comments followed the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a dual U.S.-Turkish citizen and activist with the International Solidarity Movement, during a protest near Nablus (Shechem). The IDF is investigating allegations that Eygi was shot by Israeli forces. Speaking at an event organized by an Islamic schools’ association near Istanbul, Erdoğan declared, “The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries.” He further claimed that Israel seeks to conquer Muslim lands beyond Gaza, including territories in Syria, Lebanon, and even Turkey. Erdoğan’s rhetoric has grown increasingly hostile toward Israel, especially since the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7. Turkey, along with Qatar, is a state supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is a Palestinian branch. In his speech, Erdoğan claimed that Israel’s ambitions extend beyond Gaza and that Hamas is defending not only Palestinian territory but also other Islamic lands, including Turkey. “Hamas does not only defend Gaza, it defends the Islamic lands, including Turkey,” Erdoğan insisted. The Turkish president also highlighted recent efforts by Ankara to improve relations with Egypt and Syria, describing them as part of a broader strategy to create a united front against Israel’s alleged expansionism. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit to Turkey last week marked a significant step in warming relations between the two nations, while Erdoğan has expressed willingness to engage in talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad to restore ties severed during the Syrian Civil War. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded sharply to Erdoğan’s remarks, accusing him of incitement and spreading dangerous falsehoods. “Today, he calls on Islamic nations to form an alliance against Israel, claiming ‘Israel wants to conquer countries in the region, including Turkey.’ This is a dangerous lie and incitement,” Katz said. “Israel is defending its borders and citizens from the murderers and rapists of Hamas, and from the Shi’ite axis of evil led by Iran. Erdogan and the Muslim Brotherhood alliance have been working for years alongside Iran to undermine moderate Arab regimes in the Middle East. Erdogan should be silent and ashamed.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Former President George W. Bush finally revealed how he’d vote in the 2024 election—by choosing not to say who.
“He retired from presidential politics many years ago,” a Bush spokesman told the Daily Mail when asked who Bush and his wife Laura Bush would be voting for, refusing to name a specific presidential candidate.
Bush’s last presidential endorsement was for Mitt Romney in 2012. He didn’t vote for either 2016 candidate and wrote in his former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2020. Bush’s stance is a break from his vice president Dick Cheney, who made a surprise endorsement of Kamala Harris last week.
Cheney said Donald Trump could “never be trusted with power again” after his attempts to overturn the 2020 election culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney, 83, said in a statement on Friday. Read more at the Daily Mail.
{Matzav.com}
The secret to avoiding red lights during rush hour in Utah’s largest city might be as simple as following a bus. Transportation officials have spent the past few years refining a system in which radio transmitters inside commuter buses talk directly to the traffic signals in the Salt Lake City area, requesting a few extra seconds of green when they approach. Congestion on these so-called smart streets is already noticeably smoother, but it’s just a small preview of the high-tech upgrades that could be coming soon to roads across Utah and ultimately across the U.S. Buoyed by a $20 million federal grant and an ambitious calling to “Connect the West,” the goal is to ensure every vehicle in Utah, as well as neighboring Colorado and Wyoming, can eventually communicate with one another and the roadside infrastructure about congestion, accidents, road hazards and weather conditions. With that knowledge, drivers can instantly know they should take another route, bypassing the need for a human to manually send an alert to an electronic street sign or the mapping apps found on cellphones. “A vehicle can tell us a lot about what’s going on in the roadway,” said Blaine Leonard, a transportation technology engineer at the Utah Department of Transportation. “Maybe it braked really hard, or the windshield wipers are on, or the wheels are slipping. The car anonymously broadcasts to us that blip of data 10 times a second, giving us a constant stream of information.” When cars transmit information in real time to other cars and the various sensors posted along and above the road, the technology is known broadly as vehicle-to-everything, or V2X. Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled a national blueprint for how state and local governments and private companies should deploy the various V2X projects already in the works to make sure everyone is on the same page. The overarching objective is universal: dramatically curb roadway deaths and serious injuries, which have recently spiked to historic levels. A 2016 analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded V2X could help. Implementing just two of the earliest vehicle-to-everything applications nationwide would prevent 439,000 to 615,000 crashes and save 987 to 1,366 lives, its research found. Dan Langenkamp has been lobbying for road safety improvements since his wife Sarah Langenkamp, a U.S. diplomat, was killed by a truck while biking in Maryland in 2022. Joining officials at the news conference announcing the vehicle-to-everything blueprint, Langenkamp urged governments across the U.S. to roll out the technology as widely and quickly as possible. “How can we as government officials, as manufacturers, and just as Americans not push this technology forward as fast as we possibly can, knowing that we have the power to rescue ourselves from this disaster, this crisis on our roads,” he said. Most of the public resistance has been about privacy. Although the V2X rollout plan commits to safeguarding personal information, some privacy advocates remain skeptical. Critics say that while the system may not track specific vehicles, it can compile enough identifying characteristics — even something as seemingly innocuous as tire pressure levels — that it wouldn’t take too much work to figure out who is behind the wheel and where they are going. “Once you get enough unique information, you can reasonably say the car that […]
The IDF continues to ramp up military activity in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, where troops have eliminated several terrorists, carried out targeted raids on militant infrastructure, and uncovered large stockpiles of weapons. On Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) successfully eliminated Raef Omar Salman Abu Shab, the commander of the rocket-launching unit within Hamas’ eastern Khan Yunis battalion. Abu Shab had been orchestrating rocket attacks from Khan Yunis, targeting southern and central Israel since the onset of the conflict. In addition, IDF troops remain active in the central Gaza Strip, where several terrorists posing an immediate threat to Israeli forces were neutralized in the past day. Meanwhile, the IAF launched strikes on around 25 Hamas targets across Gaza, including militant groups, military installations, and terror infrastructure. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu discussed the tragic attack that claimed the lives of three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Crossing during Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting.
“This is a difficult day. A barbaric terrorist murdered three of our citizens in cold blood at the Allenby Bridge. On behalf of the Government and myself, I send condolences to the families of those who were murdered,” Netanyahu stated. “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology led by Iran’s axis of evil.”
Referring to recent violence, he added, “In recent days, abominable terrorists murdered six of our hostages and three Israel Police officers in cold blood. The murderers do not differentiate between us. They want to murder us all, right and left, secular and religious, Jews and non-Jews, down to the last one.”
Netanyahu emphasized that the survival of the Jewish people today is a direct result of Israel’s strength and the bravery of its defense forces. “What prevents the destruction of our people, as in previous times, is the strength of the State of Israel and the power of the IDF: Our soldiers’ spirit of heroism, the police officers, the men and women of our security forces, the supreme sacrifice of our fallen heroes and the stamina of our people – these make all the difference. When we stand together, our enemies cannot overcome us; therefore, their main objective is to divide us and to sow discord among us.”
He then addressed Hamas’ psychological tactics aimed at Israel. “Last weekend, the German newspaper Bild published an official Hamas document that revealed its action plan: To sow discord among us, to use psychological warfare on the hostages’ families, to apply internal and external political pressure on the Government of Israel, to tear us part from within, and to continue the war until further notice, until Israel is defeated.”
Despite these efforts, Netanyahu expressed confidence in the unity and determination of the Israeli people. “The great majority of Israel’s citizens are not falling into this Hamas trap. They know that we are fully committed to achieving the objectives of the war: To eliminate Hamas, to return all of our hostages, to ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel and to return our residents in the north and south securely to their homes,” he said. “We will stand together. We will wield the sword of David together and with G-d’s help, we will win.”
In conclusion, Netanyahu addressed those questioning whether the conflict would ever end, remarking, “One more word. There are those who ask – ‘Shall the sword devour forever?’ In the Middle East, without the sword, there is no ‘forever.'”
{Matzav.com}
A newly uncovered Hamas document suggests the terror group’s primary objective in ceasefire negotiations with Israel is to rebuild its military strength, rather than alleviate the hardships faced by Gaza’s civilian population, according to a report published by German newspaper Bild on Friday. The document, dated from the spring of 2024 and reportedly found on a computer belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, details Hamas’s strategy in negotiations with Israel. It focuses on using ceasefire talks to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners and regain military capabilities, with little regard for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Hamas reportedly shows indifference to whether the ongoing conflict, now in its 12th month, ends swiftly. Instead, the group prioritizes “exhausting” Israel’s military and political apparatus while increasing international pressure. Despite acknowledging that its military strength has been diminished, Hamas expresses interest in prolonging negotiations to secure more favorable terms. Notably absent from the document is any mention of the suffering or casualties of Palestinian civilians. The document also outlines a psychological warfare strategy, calling for Hamas to maintain pressure on the families of hostages to increase public pressure on Israel’s government. In recent weeks, the terror group has released videos of hostages pleading for their freedom, and even of individuals who were executed, with their bodies recently recovered from Gaza. One of Hamas’s central goals in the proposed ceasefire deal is to secure the release of 100 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences for crimes including murder. Another key objective is the deployment of Arab forces along the Israel-Gaza border as part of a permanent ceasefire. This would allow Hamas to reorganize and rebuild its military under the protection of these forces. Israel has reportedly also considered the idea of an Arab coalition managing Gaza in the future but aims to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities under such an arrangement. The document notably omits mention of the Philadelphi Corridor, a crucial area along the Gaza-Egypt border that has become a point of contention in ongoing negotiations. Israel only took control of the corridor in May, which may explain its absence from the earlier Hamas strategy document. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Chief Rabbi of Tehran HaRav Yehudah Gerami traveled to Shiraz last week to recite Selichos with the children of the kehilla. Following the recital of Selichos, HaRav Gerami blew the shofar for the children. [It should be noted that the event required much dedication from Rav Gerami as Shiraz is quite far from Tehran (over 9 hours by car). The majority of the Jews in Iran live in Tehran, the capital and largest city in the Tehran Province. About 2,000 Jews live in the southwestern city of Shiraz, the fourth-most populous city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Apart from Shiraz, there are about 1,200 Jews in Isfahan, a kehilla in Kermanshah, and smaller kehillos in Yazd and other cities. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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