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California is in the midst of another COVID uptick, with cases and hospitalizations climbing steadily, leading some health officials to urge residents to be more cautious.

The sharp increases have pushed several county agencies to advise people to return to wearing masks in indoor public spaces until transmission slows.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that California currently shows “high” coronavirus concentrations in its sewage systems, with widespread increases stretching from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and up through the Sacramento region.

Nationally, the CDC says infections are “growing” or “likely growing” in 30 states, including California. Wastewater analysis shows 21 states at “high” or “very high” levels, with the West leading the nation, followed by the South.

“California is experiencing a summer COVID wave,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County’s health officer.

Testing data backs this up. For the week ending Aug. 23, 12.07% of tests statewide were positive, compared to 6.03% for the week ending July 26.

In Los Angeles County, the positivity rate rose to 13.44%, up from 8.11% four weeks prior. Orange County jumped from 9.4% to 18.1% in the same span, while San Francisco moved from 7.1% to 8.7%.

Dr. Elizabeth Hudson of Kaiser Permanente Southern California said the increase is visible on the ground. “We are definitely seeing an upswing in patients with COVID,” Hudson said. “Thankfully, inpatient cases are few and far between. Wastewater levels, however, are still rising in Los Angeles, so we have not reached the top of this current wave.”

Unlike last year, when the state endured its most severe summer surge since 2022, this summer’s rise has been less intense so far.

“We will have to see what direction things go over the next one to two weeks to have a better idea” of where we end up, Hudson said. She added that back-to-school season and holiday travel could push infections even higher.

Hospital admissions tied to COVID remain categorized as “low” statewide but are heading upward.

As of Aug. 23, California logged 3.62 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, compared with 1.9 per 100,000 four weeks earlier. That’s also higher than the winter peak of 2.61 per 100,000.

Emergency departments are also reporting more COVID-like illnesses in Los Angeles, Orange, and Santa Clara counties. L.A. County saw 2.8% of ER visits linked to symptoms such as fever and cough, up from 2.2%. Orange County rose from 1.5% to 2.6%.

“The current percent of COVID-19 positivity is higher than at any point last winter,” said Dr. Christopher Zimmerman and Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong of the Orange County Health Care Agency.

As of late August, 1.9% of hospital patients in Orange County had COVID, surpassing the winter peak but still less than half of last summer’s 4%.

Zimmerman and Chinsio-Kwong cautioned that it’s not clear “how high or how severe this summer’s COVID wave may be,” noting the current spike began later than last year’s.

In Los Angeles County, hospitalizations now match last winter’s peak but remain below the surges of the last two summers, according to local health officials.

Dr. Sisson said wastewater samples show “high” coronavirus activity in Sacramento and West Sacramento. She urged everyone age 2 and older in West Sacramento to “wear a mask when they are around others in indoor public spaces.”

In other Yolo County cities such as UC Davis and Woodland, where levels are “medium,” Sisson advised masking indoors for those over 65, immunocompromised, with serious health conditions, or around high-risk individuals. “Wearing a high-quality mask such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 that fits well continues to provide strong protection,” she said.

Sacramento County’s wastewater data also indicates “high” virus levels, spokesperson Casey Camacho confirmed.

San Francisco health authorities likewise urged residents “to consider wearing a well-fitted mask in crowded indoor spaces, including when traveling, and to stay at home if they feel sick.” City officials reported wastewater levels and hospitalizations have climbed but are still lower than last summer’s.

Santa Clara County, the largest in Northern California, is also seeing higher hospitalizations and “high” sewage readings in San José and Palo Alto. Current measurements match summer 2023 levels but haven’t hit last year’s peak, and hospitalization rates remain below previous summers.

The updated 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine should be available in the coming days at large pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS. But new rules from the Trump administration require adults under 65 who don’t report a medical condition to consult a doctor before getting the shot this fall.

“Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to prevent severe disease and death from COVID-19,” Sisson said.

That restriction drew criticism from Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general during Trump’s first administration. On social media, Adams said requiring provider approval for vaccines creates “real access barriers.”

“Even if you have insurance and can get in to see a doctor (which is no small feat in the U.S.), many doctors are going to be reticent to prescribe a medication ‘off label,’ given the (in many cases unfounded) recent rhetoric from HHS leaders,” Adams wrote, referencing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic.

Kennedy has called for more testing on COVID vaccines, though experts say the shots have already undergone extensive studies and proved effective.

“The bottom line? It is both statistically (according to HHS’s own data) and pragmatically untrue that ‘100% of those who choose a Covid vaccine can get one.’ Continuing to repeat this reflects a lack of knowledge, empathy, or honesty,” Adams wrote.

{Matzav.com}

Hamas issued a statement on Wednesday night declaring that it is open to negotiating a sweeping agreement that would see all hostages freed and the war brought to a close, just as Israel continues preparing for Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2.

“The Hamas Movement is still awaiting the response of the zionist enemy to the proposal presented by the mediators to the Movement on August 18th, which the Movement and Palestinian factions have agreed to,” the terror organization said.

“In this context, the Movement reiterates its readiness to proceed with a comprehensive deal, under which all of the enemy’s captives held by the resistance would be released, in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation, as part of an agreement that ends the war on the Gaza Strip, withdraws all occupation forces from the entire Strip, opens the crossings for the entry of all the Strip’s needs, and begins the reconstruction process,” the statement continued.

“The Movement also reiterates its approval for the formation of an independent national administration of technocrats to manage all affairs of the Gaza Strip and immediately assume its responsibilities in all fields,” it concluded.

The announcement comes as Israeli troops mass around Gaza City, with Hamas anxious about the possibility that the city could soon fall under Israeli control.

Both Israeli leaders and US President Donald Trump have been adamant that no partial arrangement is acceptable. They insist that any deal must ensure the freedom of all 48 remaining hostages, rejecting proposals that would allow Hamas to keep some captives in its hands.

Defense Minister Israel Katz dismissed the declaration as meaningless. “Hamas continues to close its eyes and utter empty words, but it will soon realize that it must choose between two options: accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and disarmament, or Gaza will become equivalent to Rafah and Beit Hanoun.”

“The IDF is preparing at full strength,” Katz added.

The Prime Minister’s Office also rejected Hamas’s statement, saying, “Unfortunately, this is more spin by Hamas that has nothing new. The war could end immediately on the conditions set by the Security Cabinet:

1. All hostages are released.

2. Hamas is disarmed.

3. The Strip is demilitarized.

4. Israel has security control in the Strip.

5. An alternative civil administration is established that does not educate for terrorism, dispatch terrorists or threaten Israel.
   Only these conditions will prevent Hamas from rearming and returning to the massacre of October 7 again and again as it has promised.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued an even harsher response. “To ensure we no longer have to respond to Hamas’s empty statements, Hamas must cease to exist. This should be the only response to these Nazi terrorists: choose between complete surrender, including total disarmament, voluntary departure from the Gaza Strip, and the immediate return of all hostages – without any exchange involving the release of thousands of Sinwars from prisons – or face total destruction.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

The House rejected a resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and remove her from a committee that oversees immigration and national security as she faces federal charges stemming from a visit to an immigration detention facility. The House voted 215-207 to table the measure, a sign that some were uncomfortable moving forward with censure while McIver’s case is still pending in the courts. A trial in her case has been scheduled for November. Democratic lawmakers unanimously voted to table the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. Five Republicans joined them and two others voted present. As the resolution was being read, some Democrats were incensed. “Liar,” some shouted. “Shame,” yelled one Democratic lawmaker. Many Republicans streamed out of the chamber before the vote concluded. Democrats cheered and hugged at the final tally’s reading. “The censure attempt against me has failed. Rightfully so. It was a baseless, partisan effort to shut me up,” McIver wrote on social media after the vote. “I was not elected to play political games — I was elected to serve. I won’t back down. Not now. Not ever.” Republicans sought to punish McIver for a confrontation with federal law enforcement during a congressional visit to a new immigration detention facility in Newark, N.J. McIver has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside the facility. The censure resolution recounted how McIver is alleged to have interfered with Homeland Security Investigations officials’ ability to arrest an unauthorized visitor. It said she is alleged to have slammed her forearm into the body and forcibly grabbed an HSI officer. The resolution also said body camera and other video evidence supported the allegations made in the federal indictment. The measure said such actions did not reflect credibly on the House and that her continued service on the House Homeland Security Committee was a significant conflict of interest. The committee’s portfolio includes oversight of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which operates the detention center that McIver tried to enter. The effort had the backing of GOP leadership. Some Republicans expressed dismay with the outcome. “We have a member of Congress who assaulted an ICE officer. I don’t even know what we’re doing anymore,” said Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. Donalds said he did not know why some Republicans broke ranks to back the motion to table the censure resolution. Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the McIver vote was “a breath of fresh air in such a toxic environment.” McIver won a special election last year after Democratic Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died in office. She won a full two-year term in November. McIver was joined by two other New Jersey Democrats, Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, during a visit to a privately owned 1,000-bed facility that ICE is using as a detention center. Newark’s mayor, Democrat Ras Baraka, was arrested after officials determined he was not authorized to enter. That charge was later dropped. Baraka is suing over what he said was a malicious prosecution. Parts of the confrontation can be seen on a nearly two-minute video clip from the visit released by the Department of Homeland Security. The video shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link […]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin ended his visit to Beijing with a mix of conciliatory and threatening messages, offering both the possibility of negotiations and a warning of continued military force.

At a press conference, Putin remarked, “It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to reach an acceptable solution that will end the conflict. If not, we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms.”

Among his comments, one line drew particular attention: Putin’s suggestion of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—specifically in Moscow. “Any such meeting must be well prepared and lead to tangible results,” he stressed.

While the invitation might sound diplomatic on the surface, officials in Kyiv and Western capitals interpreted it as cynical. For Zelensky to travel to Moscow, while Russian forces continue to fight in Ukraine, would be seen less as a step toward peace and more as a symbolic act of surrender. It would also pose obvious personal danger to the Ukrainian leader.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry immediately rejected the idea. The country’s foreign minister dismissed the suggestion outright, calling it “unacceptable.”

Zelensky has continued to call for talks with Putin, but only under fair conditions. At the same time, he has urged the United States to tighten sanctions on Russia should Moscow refuse to engage in genuine dialogue.

Putin, however, has maintained his core demands: blocking Ukraine from joining NATO and halting what he claims is “discrimination against Russian speakers.” In Beijing, he added that he sees “light at the end of the tunnel,” pointing in part to what he described as “the sincere willingness of President Donald Trump’s administration to find a solution—not just in words but in deeds.”

The Russian leader concluded with his characteristic blend of pressure and persuasion: “I prefer to end the war by peaceful means,” Putin said. “But if not, Russia is prepared for a military solution as well.”

{Matzav.com}

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has pulled veteran presenter Juliet Newell off the air after she pressed a prominent guest on whether comparing Israel’s war in Gaza to the Holocaust was “provocative.” The controversy erupted during a live interview this past Friday with Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, chair of the Desmond Tutu IP Trust, which had issued a statement likening famine in Gaza to Nazi extermination policies. When Ramphele repeated the claim, Newell interjected: “But how can you compare them? I’m not saying Gaza isn’t horrific. It is horrific. But comparing them, it almost undermines what the Holocaust was all about.” Ramphele pushed back: “It is a holocaust by any definition… What happened in the Holocaust was a people, the Nazis, who decided that the Jews have to be exterminated. It’s the same thing.” The exchange ended with the two agreeing to disagree, but the fallout was immediate. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign accused SABC of “whitewashing” Israel’s military campaign, while South Africa’s Sunday Times mocked Newell as a “Mampara,” local slang for fool. Hours later, SABC announced she would be taken off the schedule, citing its mandate to ensure “diverse viewpoints.” The firing drew a sharp rebuke from Jerusalem. “Instead of standing by journalist @julietnewell for rejecting a grotesque Holocaust distortion, @SABCNews removed her from the air. Punishing integrity while tolerating falsehood is a moral failure,” Dani Dayan, chairman of Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, wrote on X. The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) called SABC’s move “an attack on editorial independence,” arguing Newell was fulfilling her duty to test extraordinary claims. “Drawing comparisons between contemporary Israeli policy and that of the Nazis is antisemitic under the IHRA definition,” the group said. “Newell signposted opposing views and sought to inform viewers rather than inflame them. Punishing her is censorship by proxy.” The federation demanded SABC review the decision, issue an apology, and reaffirm editorial independence. The uproar comes as South Africa intensifies its campaign against Israel, including a high-profile genocide case at the International Court of Justice. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A senior diplomat from the United Arab Emirates cautioned Israel this week that moving ahead with annexation of the West Bank would cross a “red line” and dismantle any hopes for regional cooperation, issuing the warning just days before Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was set to meet with his ministers on whether to pursue the controversial step.

“Annexation would be a red line for my government, and that means there can be no lasting peace. It would foreclose the idea of regional integration and be the death knell of the two-state solution,” said Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh in an interview with The Times of Israel at the UAE Foreign Ministry in Abu Dhabi.

The warning from the Gulf state was particularly striking as it came just before the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords. The UAE was the first Arab nation in more than 25 years to formalize relations with Israel, opening the door for a wave of regional ties.

Until now, Emirati leaders have stressed that normalization was a carefully considered and essentially permanent strategic choice. Against that backdrop, Nusseibeh’s comments underscored how deeply the UAE opposes Israel reconsidering annexation.

For the first time since the Abraham Accords were signed, the UAE delivered a direct and on-the-record statement that annexation would amount to a “strategic loss.” Netanyahu was preparing to deliberate the issue with a small circle of ministers on Thursday, as several leading Western nations prepare to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

The approach recalled an earlier intervention by Emirati officials. In 2020, just weeks before normalization was signed, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Otaiba took the unusual step of publishing an op-ed in a leading Israeli newspaper to send a clear message to the Israeli public.

At that time, too, the Netanyahu government was threatening to apply sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank. Abu Dhabi put forward a stark choice: annexation or normalization.

“Recently, Israeli leaders have promoted excited talk about normalization of relations with the UAE and other Arab states. But Israeli plans for annexation and talk of normalization are a contradiction,” Otaiba wrote in June 2020.

That message resonated with Israelis, with polling showing broad support — around 80 percent — for shelving annexation in favor of diplomatic ties. The piece helped pave the way for the Abraham Accords.

Netanyahu ultimately dropped annexation plans in exchange for normalized relations with Abu Dhabi, in a deal brokered by President Donald Trump’s first administration.

However, The Times of Israel later reported that the UAE had only secured a temporary pledge from Washington not to back annexation until the end of Trump’s term. Without American support, Netanyahu did not move forward.

That U.S. commitment lapsed when the Biden administration came to power. Biden returned Washington’s policy to firm opposition to annexation and support for a two-state outcome.

With Trump back in the White House, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners argue that now may be the ideal time to move. They believe the administration is at best neutral and perhaps supportive of annexation.

Some of those figures point to recent announcements from France, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Belgium about recognizing a Palestinian state as a moment to act. Viewing those moves as a “reward” for Hamas’s October 7 assault, Israel is considering its response. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday called for annexing 82 percent of the West Bank and pressed Netanyahu to move ahead.

Nusseibeh’s warning also seemed to carry an indirect message for Washington, with which the UAE has cultivated especially warm ties.

“We believe that President Trump and his administration have many of the levers to lead the initiative for a wider integration of Israel into the region,” said Nusseibeh, who serves as assistant minister for political affairs and special envoy for UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.

Nusseibeh, who until recently was the UAE’s ambassador to the UN, is a seasoned diplomat with close links to the ruling family.

“We trust that President Trump will not allow the Abraham Accords tenet of his legacy to be tarnished, threatened or derailed by extremists and radicals,” she added.

Like Otaiba before her, Nusseibeh seemed to be aiming her remarks at ordinary Israelis, not just the government, noting that the current coalition represents only a minority of public opinion.

She argued that pushing annexation would be tantamount to tearing up the Accords, and “that choice should be put directly to the Israeli people.”

At the same time, Nusseibeh emphasized that Israel stands to gain if it steps back from annexation. She noted that Arab states — including Saudi Arabia — still hold the door open to normalization.

But those opportunities hinge on Israel not only shelving annexation but also laying out a serious and irreversible plan toward Palestinian statehood. She stressed that Arab capitals had not entirely closed the door, even amid fierce opposition to Israel’s nearly two-year war against Hamas.

“For every Arab capital you talk to, the idea of regional integration is still a possibility, but annexation to satisfy some of the radical extremist elements in Israel is going to take that off the table,” Nusseibeh said.

She added that this position was not reached hastily.

“When Hamas tried to derail the Abraham Accords vision of regional integration with the October 7 terror attacks, we were firm in our response,” Nusseibeh said, pointing out the UAE’s swift condemnation of the assault, acknowledgment of Israel’s security needs, and simultaneous coordination to provide Gaza with more aid than any other nation.

“Over the last two years… our view was that the vision of the Abraham Accords remains pertinent — that you can’t let extremists set the trajectory of the region,” she said.

But now, with Israel entrenching its presence deeper in both the West Bank and Gaza, she warned, “we are worried that all of us in the Middle East are moving toward a point of no return” and stressed the urgency of speaking directly to Israelis before relations are “irreparably damaged.”

“The Abraham Accords’ tenets of prosperity, coexistence, tolerance, integration and stability” have “never looked more under threat than [they are] today,” she said.

Even so, Nusseibeh concluded with a note of hope. “There is an outstretched hand, despite all of this misery, in the region to Israel. But, annexation would withdraw that hand,” she said.

{Matzav.com}

Federal officials have agreed to restore health- and science-related webpages and data under to a lawsuit settlement with doctors groups and other organizations who sued. The settlement was announced this week by the lead plaintiffs in the case, the Washington State Medical Association. Soon after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, federal health officials deleted or removed information on a range of topics including pregnancy risks, opioid-use disorder and the AIDS epidemic. The move was made in reaction to a Trump executive order that told agencies to stop using the term “gender” in federal policies and documents. The administration saw it as a move to end the promotion of “gender ideology.” Doctors, scientists and public health advocates saw it as an “egregious example of government overreach,” says Dr. John Bramhall, the organization’s president, said in a statement. “This was trusted health information that vanished in a blink of an eye — resources that, among other things, physicians rely on to manage patients’ health conditions and overall care,” Bramhall said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to restore more than 100 websites and resources to the state they were in, said Graham Short, a spokesperson for the Washington State doctors’ group. “We expect the sites will be restored in the coming weeks,” Short said in an email. The case was filed in federal court in Seattle. The plaintiffs include, among others, the Vermont Medical Society, the Washington State Nurses Association and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care. The defendants included U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and federal health agencies and officials who work under him. Federal officials responded to questions about the settlement with this statement: “HHS remains committed to its mission of removing radical gender and DEI ideology from federal programs, subject to applicable law, to ensure taxpayer dollars deliver meaningful results for the American people.” The case is similar to one filed in Washington, D.C., by Doctors for America and others against the government. That lawsuit also sought to force the government to restore health information to the public, and the two cases overlapped somewhat in the websites they targeted, Short said. In July, a judge in the Doctors for America case ordered restoration of websites. As of last week, 167 of the websites at issue had been restored and 33 were still under review, according to a court filing. (AP)

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Greg Steube of Florida rolled out new legislation on September 2, 2025, that would revert the name of the Department of Defense to its original title, the “Department of War.” The initiative, officially called the Department of War Restoration Act of 2025, is backed in the Senate by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, while Steube introduced a matching bill in the House.

“For the first 150 years of our military’s history, Americans defeated their enemies and protected their homeland under the War Department,” Lee said in a statement. “I’m proud to introduce the Department of War Restoration Act to make President Trump’s return to tradition permanent in federal law. It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense.”

Steube highlighted the historical record, saying, “from 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War. Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, the standard of excellence was established for all servicemembers who followed in their footsteps.”

Scott argued that the shift back to the original name better conveys the military’s real function. “The United States military is not a purely defensive force. We are the most lethal fighting force on the face of the planet — and a restoration of the name Department of War reflects their true capabilities to win wars, not just respond when prodded.”

If passed, the measure would formally rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War and change the title of the Secretary of Defense to Secretary of War. All legal references in federal law and regulations would be updated to reflect the new terminology.

The proposal comes after President Donald Trump recently signaled his intent to restore the department’s original title, saying it provided a truer and tougher representation of America’s military posture. During an August 25 meeting at the White House with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Trump remarked, “It used to be called the Department of War and it had a stronger sound… We won World War I. We won World War II. We won everything.”

The Department of War was created in 1789 and retained that name until 1947, when the National Security Act reorganized the armed forces in the aftermath of World War II. That law consolidated the different military branches under the newly formed Department of Defense.

{Matzav.com}

A leading cardiologist is urging Americans not to trust federal health guidance under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose leadership has already sparked turmoil inside the nation’s top public health agencies. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, appearing on CNN, told anchor Boris Sanchez that Kennedy’s actions — including the firing of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez last week — have undermined confidence in the federal government’s health recommendations. His remarks came as nine former CDC directors published a blistering New York Times op-ed accusing Kennedy of “endangering every American’s health” by advancing vaccine skepticism. “Americans need to rely on their physicians,” Reiner said. “Professional groups like the American Association of Pediatrics and the American College of Gynecology — these are the voices Americans should turn to. Ultimately, the nation’s doctors and health care providers are really the boots on the ground.” Reiner added that patients should seek guidance directly from their doctors on issues such as COVID-19 and flu vaccinations or pregnancy-related care — not from the HHS secretary. “Do not trust, in my opinion, the leadership of HHS,” he said. Sanchez responded to the blunt assessment with a single word: “Wow.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the reversal of the Trump administration’s cuts to more than $2.6 billion in funding research grants for Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs sided with the Ivy League school, ruling the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands for changes to its governance and policies. The ruling delivers a significant victory to Harvard in its battle with the Trump administration, which also has sought to prevent the school from hosting foreign students and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. The ruling reverses a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its fight with the nation’s wealthiest university. If it stands, it promises to revive Harvard’s sprawling research operation and hundreds of projects that lost federal money. Beyond the courthouse, the Trump administration and Harvard officials have been discussing a potential agreement that would end investigations and allow the university to regain access to federal funding. President Donald Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, but no deal has materialized even as the administration has struck agreements with Columbia and Brown. Harvard’s lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force. The letter demanded sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. It was meant to address government accusations that the university had become a hotbed of liberalism and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment on campus. Harvard President Alan Garber pledged to fight antisemitism but said no government “should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” (AP)

A new analysis shows that only about half of Congress votes consistently with what are described as biblical values, with Republicans dominating the higher rankings.

According to the Biblical Business Index, five GOP lawmakers backed biblical principles on every single vote, while 16 Democrats scored a perfect zero, never siding with biblical positions.

The index, developed for the Christian Employers Alliance, is meant to “equip Christian business leaders with a tool built on the ultimate truth — the Word of God,” said the group’s president, Margaret Iuculano, in comments to the Washington Examiner.

“Our faith is the foundation of how we live and lead, and lawmakers need that same compass as they face complex policies. That’s why we launched the Biblical Business Index — a first-of-its-kind tool bringing together theologians and policy experts to connect Scripture with today’s legislation,” Iuculano explained.

Those who received a 100% score included Rep. Elijah Crane, R-Ariz.; Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; former Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana; former Rep. Robert Good of Virginia; and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Republicans filled the first 269 positions on the list before the first Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, appeared at No. 270. Just above him at No. 269 was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who registered 49.25% — the first Republican to dip below the halfway mark in biblical alignment.

Beyond the 16 Democrats who scored zero, numerous others logged results barely above that, with voting percentages between 0.5% and 0.53%, the index reported.

“Even when the issue is something like regulations, biblical truth provides guidance to discern what upholds justice, freedom, and human dignity,” Iuculano emphasized.

{Matzav.com}

Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates, a move that critics called “reckless and dangerous.” State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as an “immoral” intrusion on people’s rights that hampers parents’ ability to make health decisions for their children. “People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” said Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establishment, at a news conference in Valrico. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.” Physician groups and other health organizations have long considered vaccines to be safe and the most effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases, especially among schoolchildren. Dr. Rana Alissa, chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said removing vaccines puts students and school staff at greater risk. “When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and having fun,” Alissa said in an email. “When children are sick and miss school caregivers also miss work, which not only impacts those families but also the local economy.” Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who is running for Orlando mayor, said in a social media post that scrapping vaccines “is reckless and dangerous” and could cause outbreaks of preventable disease. “This is a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State,” she said on the social platform X. Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California announced Wednesday that they created an alliance to safeguard health policies, contending that the administration of President Donald Trump is politicizing public health decisions. The partnership plans to coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization plans based on recommendations from respected national medical organizations, according to a joint statement from Gov. Bob Ferguson of Washington, Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. In Florida, vaccine mandates for child day care facilities and public schools include shots for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, polio and other diseases, according to the state Health Department’s website. The state Health Department, Ladapo said, can scrap its own rules for some vaccine mandates, but others would require action by the Florida Legislature. He did not specify any particular vaccines but repeated several times the effort would end “all of them. Every last one of them.” Under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida resisted imposing COVID vaccines on schoolchildren during the pandemic, requiring “passports” for places that draw crowds, school closures and mandates that workers get the shots to keep their jobs. “I don’t think there’s another state that’s done as much as Florida. We want to stay ahead of the curve,” the governor said. DeSantis also announced the creation of a state-level “Make America Healthy Again” commission Wednesday modeled after similar initiatives pushed at the federal level by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The commission would look into such things as allowing informed consent in medical matters, promoting safe and nutritious food, boosting parental rights regarding medical decisions about their children, and eliminating “medical orthodoxy that is not supported by the data,” DeSantis said. The commission will be chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida […]

The Pentagon has put back on display a towering portrait of Robert E. Lee at the West Point library, according to a report from CBS News.

The 20-foot-high painting, which shows Lee in his Confederate military attire, had previously been taken down in 2022 after the Department of Defense issued an order requiring the U.S. Military Academy to address issues tied to racial injustice and remove items that “commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy.”

In the artwork, Lee is portrayed alongside an enslaved man who is seen leading the Confederate general’s horse in the background.

“At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place,” Army communications director Rebecca Hodson told The New York Times earlier this week.

“Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it — we don’t erase it.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has consistently emphasized his support for bringing back Confederate monuments and names that were removed during the last five years.

{Matzav.com}

An electric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s landmarks and a big draw for tourists derailed Wednesday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services said. Five of the injured were in serious condition and a child was among the injured, the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. An unknown number of foreigners were among the injured, it said. Authorities called it an accident, the worst in the city’s recent history, and it cast a pall over Lisbon’s charm for the millions of foreign tourists who arrive every year. The yellow-and-white streetcar, which is known as Elevador da Gloria and which goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along. Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Parts of the vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed. Several dozen emergency workers were at the scene but most stood down after about two hours. Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill, apparently out of control. One witness said the streetcar toppled onto a man on a sidewalk. Carris, the company that operates the streetcar, said scheduled maintenance had been carried out. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolences to affected families, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said the city was in mourning. “It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen,” Moedas said. Portugal’s government announced that a day of national mourning would be observed on Thursday. “A tragic accident … caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country,” it said in a statement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences. “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria,” she wrote in Portuguese on X. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. It reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 p.m. Emergency officials said all victims were pulled out of the wreckage in just over two hours. An investigation into the causes will begin once the rescue operation is over, the government said. The streetcar, technically called a funicular, is harnessed by steel cables and can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is also commonly used by Lisbon residents. The service up and down a few hundred meters (yards) of a hill on a curved, traffic-free road was inaugurated in 1885. It is classified as a national monument. Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and long lines of tourists typically form for the brief rides on the popular streetcar. (AP)

Florida’s top health official announced on Wednesday that the state will eliminate all vaccine requirements, declaring that the mandates are finished “every last one of them.”

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo revealed the move alongside the launch of the Florida Make America Healthy Again commission, a new panel that will be led by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.

Speaking at a press event in Valrico, a community outside Tampa, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the panel would focus on principles such as “individual medical freedom, informed consent, parent rights and also market innovation.”

The plan includes removing vaccine requirements for schools across the state, covering shots such as hepatitis B, polio, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), and chickenpox.

“Every last one is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. Who am I, or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God,” Ladapo said. “Government does not have that right.”

Ladapo, who did not specify when the mandates would be repealed, will also serve as a member of the Florida MAHA commission.

Gov. DeSantis explained that the commission’s broader mission will include “promoting clean, safe and nutritious food, improving transparency and accountability in healthcare, working on the causes of chronic diseases to identify and prevent future occurrences, and restoring trust in the medical profession and in public health.”

{Matzav.com}

On Wednesday, victims and a coalition of lawmakers from both parties pressed the House GOP to release Jeffrey Epstein-related records, even though the Speaker has already been taking steps to make them public. President Donald Trump, however, dismissed the entire push as nothing more than a continuation of what he called the “Democrat hoax.”

“This is a Democrat hoax that never ends,” Trump remarked during a press conference in the Oval Office alongside Polish President Karol Nawrocki. He argued that the current demand for openness was unnecessary since Republicans are already moving ahead with it, calling the whole effort a political sideshow.

“I think it’s enough because I think we should talk about the greatness of our country and the success that we’re having,” he continued, pivoting away from the controversy to highlight achievements during his presidency.

Trump accused Democrats of fixating on obstruction as a strategy to derail his administration’s goals and criticized the media for giving attention to the Epstein matter instead of what he sees as America’s resurgence.

“We’re having the most successful eight months of any president ever and that’s what I want to talk about and should be talking about — not the Epstein hoax,” he declared.

The president also questioned why the story of the disgraced financier continues to linger in the news cycle.

“We gave them everything over and over again, more and more and more and nobody is ever satisfied,” Trump said. “From what I understand, I could check, thousands of pages of documents have been given, but it is really a Democrat hoax because they are trying to get people to talk about something that is totally irrelevant to the success that we’ve had as a nation since I’ve been president.”

Pointing to the nation’s capital as proof of his administration’s progress, Trump emphasized improvements in public safety.

“Even if you look at D.C. right now. D.C. is a totally safe zone. It is called the safe zone. That’s a term. It is a term of art. It is a safe zone because it is very safe. You can walk down the street now and nothing will happen. No crime, no murders, no nothing because we had a lot of problem with certain places.”

{Matzav.com}

WATCH: After deadly strike on Venezuelan drug boat, Sec. Rubio says US military will continue targeting cartels. “What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them.”

DEVELOPING: Emergency alert issued for ‘reported weapons incident’ at University of Massachusetts – Lowell campus.

Renewed Israeli airstrikes targeting areas along the southern Lebanese coast between Tyre and Sidon.