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The Woodmere community is in mourning and shock upon learning of the tragic petirah of 49-year-old Mordechai Boehm, who was niftar in a water-related accident in the Poconos on Tuesday. Sources tell YWN that R’ Mordechai z”l, a member of the Island Avenue Shul (Rabbi Ralbag), was vacationing in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, when he was involved in a tragic accident on the Delaware River that claimed his life. Numerous organization sprang into action in the wake of the tragedy to ensure kavod hameis. Achiezer, under the leadership of Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, alongside Rabbi Shloime Feldman of Chesed Shel Emes worked with the various agencies involved in the incident and its aftermath. Other individuals and organizations also involved include US Parks Police Chaplain Matis Melnick, Chesed Shel Emes, Misaskim, and Agudath Israel of America. The office of Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an ardent friend of Jews in the US and around the world, was involved in preventing an autopsy from taking place. This tragedy comes just a day after another on on the Delaware River, when Rav Boruch Ber Ziemba, a rosh chaburah in BMG, was niftar from drowning after saving his child. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Among the large differences between supporters of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden are gulfs in religious and foreign policy values, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.

Asked whether Washington should take the interests of allies into account “even if it means making compromises with them,” 79% of Harris supporters and 40% of Trump supporters said it ought to do so.

A much larger percentage of Trump supporters (76%) than Harris supporters (55%) said that “U.S. policies should try to keep it so America is the only military superpower,” with 42% of Harris supporters, and just 22% of Trump supporters, saying that “it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the U.S.”

The Pew analysis was based on two surveys—held between April 8 and Aug. 14, and Aug. 5 and Aug. 11—of 4,527 registered voters.

An overwhelming majority (83%) of Trump supporters and 68% of Harris supporters said that a strong U.S. military makes the world safer. A quarter of Harris supporters said that a strong U.S. military has no impact on how safe the world is.

There was also a wide divide on the degree to which the United States ought to engage actively in world affairs. One in five Trump supporters and 33% of Harris supporters said that was “extremely important.” Some 53% of Trump supporters and 71% of Harris supporters said it was at least “very important” for Washington to engage actively on a global scale.

Just 7% of Trump supporters and 4% of Harris supporters said doing so wasn’t too important, or important at all.

Trump supporters favored smaller government by a wide margin (84%) over Harris supporters (22%). Harris supporters were much likelier (87%) than Trump supporters (55%) to say that “religion should be kept separate from government policies.” Nearly half (45%) of Trump supporters and just 13% of Harris supporters agreed that “government policies should support religious values and beliefs.”

More Trump supporters (46%) than Harris supporters (22%) said that belief in God is a prerequisite “to be moral and have good values,” per the Pew analysis.

Trump and Harris supporters also have very different family values.

Some 60% of Trump supporters and just 17% of Harris supporters said that “society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority,” while 81% of Harris supporters and 39% of Trump supporters said that “society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children.”

(JNS)

A freed Israeli hostage has spoken out about her harrowing experience under Hamas captivity, revealing that the terrorists tried to force her to convert to Islam while also extorting her family for ransom. Moran Stella Yanai, 41, who was abducted during the brutal attack on the Nova Music Festival on October 7, shared her ordeal in an interview with the Israeli N12 network. Yanai described how her captors tried to pressure her into conversion, promising she would be freed sooner if she accepted Islam. “Almost daily, one of them would enter the room, saying, ‘It would be better for you to be a Muslim woman,’” Yanai recounted. “At one point, they even sent a comrade to bring a head covering and show me what it means to be a Muslim woman.” Yanai, a jewelry designer, was held hostage in Gaza for 44 days. She spoke of her deepest fear during captivity: being sold into forced marriage and having to convert to Islam. “As a woman, my biggest fear is being sold, that someone would forcefully marry me and that I will have to convert,” she explained. In addition to the psychological torture she endured, Yanai revealed that her captors targeted her family with emotional and financial abuse. They demanded a ransom for her release, intensifying the trauma by sending her father a photo of her, along with threats to kill her if the money was not paid. “My father received a picture of his daughter and was told that if he didn’t pay money within an hour, they would start killing us one by one,” Yanai said, describing the deep shock her father went into upon receiving the threat. “My parents experienced trauma no less than I did,” she added. Yanai was one of the first hostages freed by Hamas in November as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Under the deal, Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Mexico’s president told reporters Tuesday he has put relations with the United States and Canadian embassies “on pause” after the two countries voiced concerns over a proposed controversial judicial overhaul. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador didn’t elaborate on what a pause would mean. It’s not a term used in formal diplomatic codes, and Mexico’s foreign ministry did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment about what it would entail. The judicial overhaul proposal, suggested by the Mexican president during his final weeks in office, has spurred major protests and strikes and wide criticism from investors and financial institutions. Last week, American ambassador Ken Salazar called the proposal a “risk” to democracy that would endanger Mexico’s commercial relationship with the United States. López Obrador lambasted the ambassador, saying he violated Mexican sovereignty. Salazar has since dialed back his tone, writing on X that he was open to a dialogue. López Obrador said during his morning press briefing Tuesday he believed the sharp comments were not from Salazar, but rather from the U.S. State Department. “We’re not going to tell him (Salazar) to leave the country,” he said, “I hope that they promise to be respectful of Mexican’s independence, of our country’s sovereignty. But until that happens, and they continue these policies, it’s on pause.” He added cheekily, “we are going to take our time,” garnering laughs from some reporters. López Obrador also accused Canada of interfering with an internal matter for expressing apprehension about the proposal. The three countries share a crucial commercial relationship that reached an estimated $1.8 trillion in trade in 2022. So far, the tensions show no clear signs of how they can affect the longstanding economic and diplomatic relationship between them. It’s not the first time the Mexican state head has thrown around the phrase. In 2022, he announced a diplomatic pause with Spain over a dispute with energy companies. At the time, López Obrador said the pause “is not a break in relations” with Spain, but “nothing more than a respectful and fraternal protest against the abuses and grievances committed against the people of Mexico and our country.” However, the latest comments aimed at the U.S. ambassador come amid heightened tensions between the two governments in recent months, after the U.S. nailed Mexican drug lord Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in a peculiar set of events. As more information has been revealed about the case, López Obrador has taken on an increasingly belligerent tone, said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Teaching. “In other circumstances, in another context, he might have just listened, not escalated the conflict,” Pérez Ricart said. “In the past months, we’ve seen a lot more radical statements towards the United States.” López Obrador is set to pass the baton to his political ally and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office Oct. 1. Pérez Ricart said while the recent tensions may burden Mexico’s first woman president, it can also help her set herself apart as a more moderate head of state. (AP)

Anthony S. Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious-disease expert, was hospitalized last month with the mosquito-borne West Nile virus. On Monday, Maryland announced its first confirmed case of the disease this year. And the biting insects seem to be everywhere in the Washington region.

Attention on West Nile, the most common disease spread by mosquitoes, is high with more than three weeks of hot, humid D.C. summer still ahead of us.

Mosquitoes carry other diseases, such as eastern equine encephalitis, which killed an adult in New Hampshire this month and is seen rarely in our region – typically once every five to eight years. Locally, experts say, cases of mosquito-borne illness such as Zika, malaria and dengue fever are isolated and usually imported by people who traveled internationally.

The good news, experts say, is most people infected with West Nile never know it and there are ways to prevent bites besides hiding indoors until fall.

“We’re not telling people not to go out,” said Joy McFarlane Mills, a supervisory biologist at the D.C. Department of Health. “Go out and enjoy yourself, but use … prevention mechanisms as needed.”

– – –

What is West Nile virus?

West Nile is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bites of mosquitoes infected after feeding on birds that have the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was first detected in the United States in 1999.

Eighty percent of people who are infected with West Nile show no symptoms at all, public health experts say. The other 20 percent will show symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.

A small number, less than 1 percent, develop severe disease including neurological symptoms such as encephalitis.

Those with cancer or diabetes or are otherwise immunosuppressed may be at increased risk for severe disease, as are older adults because the risk begins to increase at age 50.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat West Nile virus disease in people.

– – –

How common is it in the Washington, D.C., region?

West Nile is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the D.C. region and across the United States, but serious cases are rare.

Maryland reported its first confirmed case of the disease Monday in the Baltimore area, said David Crum, the state public health veterinarian. There are an additional three confirmed or probable cases, according to CDC data from Tuesday afternoon. Last year, Maryland reported a total of seven cases, meaning more are likely.

Virginia has had an annual average of six or seven cases for the past five years. The state has three cases so far this summer, with the initial case occurring in June, which is unusually early, said Julia Murphy, the state public health veterinarian and head of the mosquito team.

District officials are currently investigating two presumptive cases, said McFarlane Mills, supervisory biologist at D.C. Health’s Division of Animal Services. There was one case each in 2023 and 2022 and six in 2021, she said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Texas had reported the most cases so far this year, with more than 40 confirmed or probable cases, followed by Nevada, Nebraska, Louisiana and Mississippi, each of which had more than 20, according to a CDC tracker.

– – –

Is it worse than usual?

Time will tell. The typical season runs from July through September, and officials are tracking cases carefully.

Environmental factors impacting the life of mosquitoes can be complicated depending on the landscape and conditions, but weather is thought to be a key factor that can affect transmission of West Nile virus, Murphy said.

A mild winter followed by a hotter-than-average summer, like the one we’ve had this year, tends to increase the risk of West Nile, she said.

Studies show dryer-than-normal conditions could also mean more West Nile.

– – –

How can I protect myself?

Public health officials think of two fronts in the war against West Nile: preventing mosquito bites and eliminating breeding areas.

“If you’re feeding them, you’re breeding them,” Crum of Maryland said.

Culex pipiens, the common house mosquito, is the main driver of West Nile in the D.C. region, and the insects often breed in containers of water found in urban, suburban and rural settings, Murphy said.

That’s why public health officials advise residents to “tip and toss” potted plant trays, buckets, toys, birdbaths and other receptacles that collect water at least once a week to interrupt the breeding cycle. Rain gutters, drain pipes and tires could also be culprits.

If standing water can’t be removed, it can be treated with larvicide, such as Dunks, Murphy said.

Those strategies will prevent mosquito larvae from maturing into adult bloodsuckers. But to prevent bites, experts advise residents to stay indoors at dusk if possible, wear long sleeves and pants when outside and treat bare skin and clothing with an EPA-registered repellent as directed, such as DEET. The CDC maintains a list of products that will do the trick.

“It’s about staying conscientious,” McFarlane Mills of DC Health said. “The way we carry hand sanitizer, carry your spray, especially if you’re an outdoorsy person. Make sure you’re preventing any potential exposure.”

(c) Washington Post

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are expressing concern over two unrelated terror attacks in Europe last weekend and their implications for the threat environment in the U.S., according to a New York Police Department briefing obtained by ABC News. “There is no initial indication that the two attacks are linked,” the NYPD briefing stated. “However, both incidents underscore the current complex and elevated terrorism/targeted violence threat environment as well as the persistent challenge of low-tech tactics being used against vulnerable targets, including public gatherings and houses of worship.” The attacks referenced in the report include a fatal stabbing in Germany and an arson attack on a synagogue in France. In Germany, a lone attacker armed with a knife targeted civilians at a music festival last Friday, killing three people and injuring eight others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was “to avenge Palestine,” though the extent of the perpetrator’s direct connection to the terror group remains unclear. A 15-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the incident. A day later, an arsonist in France set fire to two vehicles near a shul, one of which contained a gas bottle, leading to an explosion. The attacker then attempted to target the shul itself. A police officer was injured in the ensuing confrontation, and a suspect was arrested following a firefight with law enforcement. “While there are no early indications that these two attacks — which occurred in different countries, focused on separate targets, and leveraged distinct low-tech tactics — are related, they nevertheless underscore the complex and dynamic threat landscape,” the NYPD briefing noted. It added that the threat is “exacerbated by tense global flashpoints, including the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.” The NYPD expressed concern that these attacks may inspire copycat acts of terrorism in the U.S., noting that they could serve as “tactical/targeting inspiration for follow-on acts of terrorism and targeted violence.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

More than 200 staffers for four previous Republican presidential nominees have endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris’ White House bid, cautioning that the notion of a second term for GOP nominee Donald Trump is “simply untenable” and “will hurt real, everyday people.” In an open letter, first written about on Monday by USA Today, 238 people who worked for former President George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, former Arizona Sen. John McCain and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney call on their fellow “moderate Republicans and conservative independents” to join them in backing Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, over Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. “Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz,” the Republicans wrote, noting the significance of a handful of battleground states that proved crucial to Democrat Joe Biden’s slim margin of victory in 2020. “That’s to be expected. The alternative, however, is simply untenable.” Signatories include Reed Galen, a George W. Bush and McCain campaign alum who co-founded the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, and Olivia Troye, a former George W. Bush staffer and homeland security adviser to Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence. The range of jobs represented runs the gamut from chief of staff to intern. “Another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership,” the signatories warn, “this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions.” The letter goes on to warn that “broad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies.” In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the letter “hilarious because nobody knows who these people are.” “They would rather see the country burn down than to see President Trump successfully return to the White House to Make America Great Again,” Cheung added. Many of the same signatories also issued a letter in 2020 supporting Biden’s candidacy over Trump. Attracting backing from the other side of the political aisle has become a tactic for both Trump and Harris as Election Day draws near. Several Republicans, including Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, spoke in favor of Harris at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In recent days, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently suspended his independent presidential bid, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, both of whom had been considered fringe members of the Democratic Party before they left, have endorsed Trump. On Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes said Kennedy and Gabbard had been added to the Trump-Vance transition team. (AP)

The Israeli government will finance Jewish educational tours of the Har Habayis for the first time, in an effort “to strengthen and stabilize the Old City,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Monday night. According to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the National Security Council (NSC) have approved the Heritage Ministry’s plan to offer state-funded guided tours of the Har Habayis. A total of 2 million shekels ($543,338) has been allocated from the budget of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyah, a member of the Otzma Yehudit Party, to fund the program. However, the NSC quickly issued a statement denying any involvement in the plan. “The National Security Agency did not approve and was not asked to approve the Heritage Ministry’s tours of the Temple Mount. Any publication regarding the involvement of the NSC in the matter is devoid of any foundation,” the statement read. The Prime Minister’s Office also sought to clarify concerns over potential policy changes at the site, saying, “There is no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount.” Despite the reassurances, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah condemned the plan, warning that it could lead to increased tensions. “This is an official policy aimed at Judaizing the Al-Aqsa mosque and changing the existing legal status. The decision could lead to an explosion in the West Bank and chaos,” the Palestinian Authority said in a statement. The educational tours are expected to begin after Sukkos. The Heritage Ministry said that the tours will provide an accurate historical perspective of the Jewish heritage of the Har Habayis, countering narratives that it says are aimed at promoting an anti-Israel agenda. “The operation of the guided tours will take place with permission and authority, [having] received the approval of all the relevant parties [and] passed a legal tender committee, and will be done in coordination with the Israel Police,” the ministry wrote. Tensions surrounding the Har Habayis have been high, particularly following recent statements by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has openly advocated for Jewish prayer at the site, a move seen as a challenge to the status quo. “The policies on the Har Habayis allow prayer, period,” Ben-Gvir told Army Radio on Monday. He has consistently argued that his goal is to eliminate discrimination against Jews at the site. Ben-Gvir’s comments prompted Prime Minister Netanyahu to release a statement reiterating that “there is no change to the status quo” barring davening at the Har Habayis. “It is the government and the prime minister who determine policy on the Har Habayis,” Netanyahu’s office stressed. The controversy surrounding Jewish prayer on the Har Habayis has been ongoing for years. Although the status quo barring Jewish prayer at the site has not been formally enshrined in law, it has been upheld by successive Israeli governments since 1967. Earlier this month, Ben-Gvir visited the Har Habayis on Tisha B’Av. Despite the ongoing debate, Jewish visits to the Har Habayis have surged. According to data compiled by the Israeli NGO Beyadenu, over 50,000 Jews have visited the site since last Rosh Hashana. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In his first major speech since becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer told the British people on Tuesday that their country was in a societal and economic “black hole” and that “things will get worse before they get better.”

The speech was remarkable for its woeful description of modern Britain. Starmer repeatedly deployed the word “rot” to describe condition of the country he now leads, as in a house with a rotting foundation that needs more than a cosmetic coat of paint.

Afterward, even supporters wondered aloud whether he was painting too gloomy a picture.

But Starmer maintained that he wanted to be honest – in contrast, he said, to his predecessors, whom he blamed for the current state of affairs and for selling the British people “the snake oil of populism.”

Starmer suggested that taxes will go up and that cuts will be made, even for those most reliant on public assistance – like the 10 million elderly who await help with winter heating bills.

In a July 4 election, British voters went big time for Starmer and the center-left Labour Party, ending 14 years of Conservative rule and bucking a rightward trend on the continent.

But there has been no honeymoon.

The nation was stunned by a July 29 stabbing attack that killed three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. Online misinformation about the assailant – wrongly identifying him as an illegal immigrant with an Arabic name – spurred a week of riots across the country.

It took a heavy police presence, mass arrests and stiff prison sentences, along with public condemnation, to put an end to the violence.

British prosecutors have charged more than 600 people with violent disruption and attacking police and property with bricks and gasoline bombs. Prosecutors have also pursued cases against what one judge called “keyboard warriors” alleged to have stirred up rage with social media posts, many of them false.

One British woman, 53, was sentenced to 15 months for a Facebook post calling for a mosque to be blown up “with the adults inside.” An English man, 45, was sentenced to 20 months telling his followers to set fire to a hotel that housed refugees.

Starmer has vowed that those instigating violence cannot hide behind social media anonymity. Some critics are worried that such arrests could undermine free speech.

On Tuesday, Starmer said the riots had exposed “a deeply unhealthy society” that had been “weakened by a decade of division and decline” and “infected by a spiral of populism.” The effort to respond to the riots also highlighted the failures of previous governments, he said.

He recounted that his team had to “check the precise number of prison places we had and where those places were, to make sure we could arrest, charge and prosecute people quickly.”

“Not having enough prison places is about as fundamental a failure as you can get,” said Starmer, a former top prosecutor.

He went further, saying that the rioters had been “gaming” the system.

“They didn’t just know the system was broken. They were betting on it,” he said. “They thought: ‘Oh, they’ll never arrest me. And if they do, I won’t be prosecuted. And if I am, I won’t get much of a sentence.’ They saw the cracks in our society after 14 years of failure – and they exploited it.”

Starmer invited 50 citizens to the speech: firefighters, nurses, teachers, cops. Even as he delivered his glum news, he said his government was devoted to them.

He also pointedly chose to deliver his remarks in the 10 Downing Street rose garden, where during the pandemic, staffers for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson held one of their gatherings that flew in the face of lockdown rules.

“Remember the pictures, just over there, of the wine and the food?” Starmer said. “Well, this garden, and this building, are now back in your service.”

He blamed the current state of “rubble and ruin” on 14 years of Conservative Party rule, saying that the previous government had racked up 22 billion pounds – more than $29 billion – in debt, and had hidden it from the Office of Budget Responsibility, an independent and authoritative overseer of public finances, funded by the Treasury.

Starmer offered some hope for brighter future, but warned that tough times are ahead.

“There’s a budget coming in October and it’s going to be painful,” he said.

Britain’s Labour Party is closely allied with Britain’s labor unions. But after Starmer’s speech, Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, worried that “a bleak vision of Britain is not what we need now.”

The Green Party issued a statement saying that “more economic pain and hardship isn’t what people voted for.”

Starmer’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, posting on X, said Tuesday’s speech revealed a hidden agenda, “what Labour has been planning to do all along – raise your taxes.”

(c) Washington Post

The IDF reports that nearly all of the hundreds of rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah into Israel early Sunday had been launched from civilian areas in Lebanon. Hezbollah positioned its rocket launchers and drones near mosques, schools, gas stations, and United Nations sites, the IDF said. Of the 230 rockets and 20 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that crossed into Israeli territory, 90% were launched from “the heart of a civilian area,” according to the IDF. An infographic released by the military highlighted launch sites in southern Lebanon, including one located just 150 meters (492 feet) from a school and another 160 meters (525 feet) from a mosque in the village of Tallouseh. Another launcher was placed just 525 feet from a U.N. building in the Hanniyeh area, with many other launchers positioned nearby. “The Hezbollah terrorist organization places its terrorist infrastructure in the middle of the civilian population while using Lebanese civilians as human shields,” the IDF said. The Israeli Air Force preemptively responded with a large-scale strike, destroying thousands of launchers and more than 6,000 missiles and drones, according to the IDF. The strike aimed to prevent a larger attack from Hezbollah. Separately, on Monday night, Hezbollah launched what it called a “swarm of UAVs” targeting the Western Galilee and Hula Valley in northern Israel. The IDF confirmed that several “suspicious aerial targets” crossed into Israeli airspace after sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee and Western Galilee regions. The IDF’s aerial defense systems intercepted most of the UAVs, with the remaining debris falling in Israeli territory. No injuries were reported in the attack. The drone assault followed a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier on Monday targeting southern Lebanon, including one that hit a Hamas commander in the Sidon area. Lebanese media reported that Nidal Hleihel, the intended target, was seriously injured when two missiles struck his vehicle as he was leaving his house. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser on Tuesday held talks in Doha with senior Qatari leaders on the efforts to complete a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas as well as Qatar’s prime minister meeting this week with Iran’s president, according to a U.S. official. White House senior adviser Brett McGurk’s talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani come after the prime minister’s Monday visit to Tehran to meet with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. The talks also come as cease-fire talks aimed at winning at least a pause in the war between Israel and Hamas are shifting to Doha this week after several days of intense negotiations in Cairo. A round of high-level talks ended Sunday without a final agreement. But talks continued at lower levels Monday in an effort to bridge remaining gaps. Those working-group level talks are now expected to resume Wednesday in Doha. It was not clear why the location of the talks shifted from Cairo or whether this will have an impact on negotiations. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing sensitive cease-fire talks, confirmed an Israeli delegation will head to Doha on Wednesday. The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that McGurk met with the Qatari officials and the focus of their conversation. Tensions have been escalating between Israel and Iran, and with terrorist groups — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — that are backed by Tehran. Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for last month’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month in Iran. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday expressed openness to renewing negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.” The timing of Khamenei’s remarks came just one day after the newly minted Iranian president’ visit. There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of the United States’ Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Biden earlier in his presidency had pressed Iran to return to compliance with the nuclear deal that was brokered by the Obama administration in 2015 but scrapped in 2018 by former President Donald Trump. Since the deal’s collapse, Iran has abandoned limits that the agreement put on its program, and is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90%. After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Iran-backed Hamas, the U.S. administration has put efforts to revive the nuclear agreement on the shelf. Pezeshkian, 69, who ran as a reformist politician within Iran’s Shiite theocracy, was elected last month to replaced he late President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of Khamenei, killed in a helicopter crash in May. The new president is closely aligned with former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reached Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that saw sanctions lifted in exchange for the atomic program being drastically curtailed. (AP)

Vice President Kamala Harris is sitting down with CNN this week for her first interview since President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid. She will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a joint interview with CNN anchor Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia. The interview will air at 9 p.m. Thursday Eastern time. Harris has been criticized for not holding news conferences or granting interviews with news outlets since Biden stepped aside on July 21. Donald Trump’s campaign has kept a tally of the days she has gone by as a candidate without giving an interview. On Tuesday, the campaign reacted to the news by noting the interview was joint, saying “she’s not competent enough to do it on her own.” Earlier this month, Harris had told reporters that she wanted to do her first formal interview before the end of August. (AP)

A statement by Brown University’s president, Christina H. Paxson, considering a proposal for the school to divest from Israel drew pushback from top legal officials around the country.

On Monday, 24 state attorney generals sent a letter to the university’s trustees and fellows, calling the plan “only the latest part of an antisemitic pressure campaign spearheaded by a group calling itself ‘Students for Justice in Palestine.’”

The officials pointed out that in most U.S. states, governments cannot work with entities that boycott Israel and that “if adopted, the Brown Divest Now proposal will have immediate and profound legal consequences for Brown.”

The proposal advocates divesting from companies such as Textron, Safariland, Volvo Group, Airbus, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Electric, Motorola and RTX Corporation that conduct business with the Jewish state.

The attorneys general warned that the consequences of adopting the measure could “require our states—and others—to terminate any existing relationships with Brown and those associated with it, divest from any university debt held by state pension plans and other investment vehicles, and otherwise refrain from engaging with Brown and those associated with it.”

(JNS)

Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine for a second day on Tuesday, including some that Ukraine’s president said were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets before they reached their targets. The onslaught killed at least five people, destroying a hotel, homes and residential buildings as well as critical infrastructure in multiple Ukrainian regions. Kyiv and other cities had power outages in sweltering heat. As it often does in statements after Russian bombing raids, Ukraine’s military listed the Russian regions and occupied territories where the weapons were launched. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials have called repeatedly for the U.S. to lift restrictions and let Ukraine strike deep inside Russia to hit military infrastructure responsible for the war. ″(The allies) try not to speak with me about it. But I keep raising this topic. Generally, that’s it. The Olympics are over, but the ping-pong continues,” Zelenskyy said. In comments addressing the apparent first use by Ukraine of the F-16s to shoot down a missile, Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine’s supporters for them but said there were too few, and too few pilots trained to fly them. Among the Russian regions listed as a source of Tuesday’s attack was Kursk, where the head of the Ukrainian army said his troops have gained control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) since their surprise incursion three weeks ago. That’s roughly the size of Los Angeles. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi also said Ukraine has captured 594 Russian prisoners in the operation, which he said was intended to draw Russia’s military away from the fighting in Ukraine. His claims could not be independently confirmed. The Kursk operation, the largest incursion into Russia since World War II, has forced some 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Russia has sent reinforcements into the region, but it was not clear to what extent the movements might be weakening Russia’s positions in Ukrainian territory. Fighting in the region has raised concerns about dangers to the Kursk nuclear power plant, said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who visited it Tuesday. He said in a post on X the situation was “serious” and called any attack on a nuclear plant unacceptable. “There is now a danger of a nuclear incident here,” Grossi said. “Today I was told about several cases of drone attacks on the territory, on the plant’s facilities. At the plant I saw traces of these attacks.” But the plant now is operating “in a mode very close to normal,” he said. The Russian Defense Ministry asserted Tuesday that Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in Kursk — some 6,600 troops killed or injured — and that more than 70 tanks have been destroyed along with scores of armored vehicles. Those figures could not be independently confirmed. The head of the Ukrainian army’s claim of territorial control came hours after the second consecutive barrage of nighttime air and missile attacks from Russia. Five people were reported killed and 16 injured in the attacks, which Zelenskyy said included 81 drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles. In the Kyiv region, which struggled with blackouts after Monday’s onslaught that targeted energy facilities throughout the country, five air alerts were called during the night. The regional administration said air defenses destroyed all the drones and missiles but […]

The following is the transcript, translated from Hebrew, of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s conversation on Aug. 27 with Farhan al-Qadi, who was rescued after being held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “Farhan, hello to you my friend. Welcome back!”

Farhan al-Qadi: “Hello, welcome. Hello Bibi, Abu [father of] Yair!”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “Farhan, I am so happy to speak with you.”

Farhan al-Qadi: “I am also happy. I have been waiting for this moment. I swear to you, Abu Yair.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “Tell me, have you already met with your family?”

Farhan Qadi: “Yes, two of my children are here.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “I want you to know that we are truly moved from the depth of our hearts, for both you and your family.”

Farhan al-Qadi: “I thank you for this work, that you have reached a situation in which I see my family and am here. You truly did sacred work. There are other people who are waiting.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “I want you to know that are not forgetting anyone, just like we did not forget you. We are committed to returning everyone, without exception.”

Farhan al-Qadi: “I thank you very much. I invite you, Abu Yair.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu: “Thank you. I would like you to embrace your family, and I want you to know that the entire people of Israel embraces you and the others. We will bring them.”

Farhan al-Qadi: “Thank you. May it be G-d’s will. Thank you very much.”

(JNS)

A Kentucky man who was the first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol during a mob’s attack on the building was sentenced on Tuesday to more than four years in prison. A police officer who tried to subdue Michael Sparks with pepper spray described him as a catalyst for the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Senate that day recessed less than one minute after Sparks jumped into the building through a broken window. Sparks then joined other rioters in chasing a police officer up flights of stairs. Before learning his sentencing, Sparks told the judge that he still believes the 2020 presidential election was marred by fraud and “completely taken from the American public.” “I am remorseful that what transpired that day didn’t help anybody,” Sparks said. “I am remorseful that our country is in the state it’s in.” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who sentenced Sparks to four years and five months, told him that there was nothing patriotic about his prominent role in what was a “national disgrace.” “I don’t really think you appreciate the full gravity of what happened that day and, quite frankly, the full seriousness of what you did,” the judge said. Federal prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Sparks, a 47-year-old former factory worker from Cecilia, Kentucky. Defense attorney Scott Wendelsdorf asked the judge to sentence Sparks to one year of home detention instead of prison. A jury convicted Sparks of all six charges that he faced, including a felony count of interfering with police during a civil disorder. Sparks didn’t testify at his trial in Washington, D.C. In the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, Sparks used social media to promote conspiracy theories about election fraud and advocate for a civil war. “It’s time to drag them out of Congress. It’s tyranny,” he posted on Facebook three days before the riot. Sparks traveled to Washington, D.C, with co-workers from an electronics and components plant in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. They attended then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6. After the rally, Sparks and a friend, Joseph Howe, joined a crowd in marching to the Capitol. Both of them wore tactical vests. Howe was captured on video repeatedly saying, “we’re getting in that building.” Off camera, Sparks added: “All it’s going to take is one person to go. The rest is following,” according to prosecutors. Sparks’ attorney argued that the evidence doesn’t prove that Sparks made that statement. “Of course, both Sparks and Howe were more right than perhaps anyone else knew at the time — it was just a short time later that Sparks made history as the very first person to go inside, and the rest indeed followed,” prosecutors wrote. Dominic Pezzola, a member of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, used a police shield to break a window next to the Senate Wing Door. Capitol Police Sgt. Victor Nichols sprayed Sparks in the face as he hopped through the shattered glass. Nichols testified that Sparks acted “like a green light for everybody behind him, and everyone followed right behind him because it was like it was okay to go into the building.” Nichols also said Sparks’ actions were “the catalyst for the building being completely breached.” Undeterred by pepper […]

CNN has secured the initial interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after they were selected as the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President, Deadline reports.

Dana Bash is set to lead the interview, which will take place in Georgia this Thursday.

The network has revealed that the conversation will be featured in a primetime special later that evening.

The interview will air at 9 p.m. ET.

{Matzav.com}

Special Council Jack Smith secured a new, ‘more focused’ indictment of former President Donald Trump. Fox News correspondent David Spunt explains the latest details.

A San Diego police officer was killed and another was critically injured when a speeding vehicle crashed into their patrol car, the police chief said Tuesday. The speeding driver also was killed. The crash occurred late Monday after a vehicle was spotted traveling at high speed on a boulevard. An officer tried to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle failed to stop, and a brief pursuit began, Chief Scott Wahl told reporters, noting the information was preliminary. “Due to a high rate of speed, a supervisor terminated that pursuit,” he said. “Two officers working together in one vehicle were responding to that fleeing suspect, and ultimately the suspect vehicle collided at a high rate of speed into the side of their vehicle.” The officer driving the police car died at the scene, and the other officer was hospitalized in intensive care, where he was “fighting for his life,” the chief said. Neither the officers nor the speeding driver were publicly identified. A couple of other cars were involved in the crash, but those drivers had no significant injuries, he said. The California Highway Patrol has been asked to investigate independently, with a full reconstruction of exactly what happened, Wahl said. “There’s a lot of information that’s going to be coming forward, and there’s a lot of questions that we all have,” he said. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported this month that a city oversight commission that reviewed data from more than 1,000 San Diego police pursuits recommended a dozen changes to policy, including engaging only in pursuits related to violent crimes. (AP)

Special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a new indictment against Donald Trump over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election that keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against him following a Supreme Court opinion conferring broad immunity on former presidents. The new indictment removes a section of the indictment that dealt with Trump’s interactions with the Justice Department, an area of conduct for which the Supreme Court in a 6-3 opinion last month said Trump was entitled to immunity from prosecution. The updated criminal case no longer lists as a co-conspirator Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department official who championed Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Trump’s co-conspirators were not named in either indictment, but they have been identified through public records and other means. The special counsel’s office said the updated indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, was issued by a grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case. The indictment retained the allegations that Trump attempted to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the electoral vote count. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that the interactions between Trump and Pence amounted to official conduct for which “Trump is at least presumptively immune from prosecution.” The question, Roberts wrote, is whether the government can rebut “that presumption of immunity.” (AP)