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Flagstaff, AZ – A massive search operation is currently underway in Flagstaff, Arizona, after a nine-year-old boy was reported missing in the dense forests surrounding the area.

The boy was last seen on Wednesday afternoon.

As soon as it was realized that the boy was missing, local askanim and various chesed organizations swiftly mobilized, launching an extensive search effort.

Volunteers from nearby communities and well beyond, as well as trained search and rescue teams, have joined forces, scouring the vast and rugged terrain in hopes of locating the missing child.

Flagstaff, known for its striking natural beauty, is a region surrounded by mountains, deserts, and pine forests. It serves as a gateway to the San Francisco Peaks, home to Arizona’s tallest mountain, Humphreys Peak, and the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort. The area is part of the world’s largest Ponderosa Pine Forest, making the search effort particularly challenging due to the dense woodland and expansive geography.

All are asked to daven for the safe return of Tzion ben Chayah Rivkah.

{Matzav.com}

A 9-year-old Jewish boy went missing in a forest in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a large-scale search effort. The boy was last seen around 12 PM walking with his family towards a parking lot near the forested area when he suddenly disappeared. Local authorities have mobilized search teams, and they are being assisted by Chaveirim of Rockland and Rabbi Dovi Shapiro of the Chabad of Flagstaff in coordinating a search effort. As of Wednesday evening, efforts to locate the child are ongoing, with volunteers and searchers combing the area. Please daven for the safe return of Tzion ben Chaya Rivka. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A gold rush is here. The precious metal hit an all time high this week. The spot price for gold closed Tuesday above $2,514, according to data from FactSet. That’s the highest closing price recorded for the commodity to date. Here’s what you need to know. What is the price of gold today? The spot price of gold closed Tuesday at just over $2,514 per Troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals, which is equivalent to 31 grams. That would make a gold bar or brick weighing 400 Troy ounces worth more than $1 million today. This week’s record high means that the price of gold has climbed hundreds of dollars per Troy ounce over the last year. Tuesday’s price is up nearly $620 from this time in 2023. Why is the price of gold going up? There are a few factors behind the recent gains. Interest in buying gold often comes at times of uncertainty — with potential concerns around inflation and the strength of the U.S. dollar, for example, causing some to look for alternative places to park their money. Gold also saw a surge in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Cavatoni, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, noted current demand from central banks is well above the five-year average — reflecting heightened concern with inflation and economic stability. He also pointed to ongoing geopolitical tensions, among other factors, that have caused some to buy gold. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have notably fueled uncertainty around the world. And countries, including the United States, are also in the midst of a tumultuous election year — which could prove crucial to future economic policy. All eyes are also on coming economic news that could impact financial markets. In the U.S., the Fed is poised to cut its benchmark interest rate from a 23-year high next month, as inflation cools toward its 2% target. The health of the job market, however, continues to draw concern — and how fast the Fed may cut rates will largely be determined by future hiring. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will likely provide hints in a Friday speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Is gold worth the investment? Advocates of investing in gold call it a “safe haven,” arguing the commodity can serve to diversify and balance your investment portfolio, as well as mitigate possible risks down the road. Some also take comfort in buying something tangible that has the potential to increase in value over time. But future gains are never promised and not everyone agrees gold is a good investment. Critics say gold isn’t always the inflation hedge many say it is — and that there are more efficient ways to protect against potential loss of capital, such as through derivative-based investments. The Commodity Futures Trade Commission has also previously warned people to be wary of investing in gold. Precious metals can be highly volatile, the commission said, and prices rise as demand goes up — meaning “when economic anxiety or instability is high, the people who typically profit from precious metals are the sellers.” If you do choose to invest in gold, the commission and others add, it’s important to educate yourself on safe trading practices and be cautious of potential scams and counterfeits on the market. (AP)

The Trump campaign has launched Kamala2024policies.com…

Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, but she has yet to reveal any policy positions on her official website. Team Trump decided to lend her a hand.

 

“Kamala Harris has yet to tell voters what her policies are, so we thought we’d help them out. Kamala Harris wants to open the borders, raise taxes, and free criminals,” a Trump campaign national press secretary told Fox News Digital about the website.

From Fox News:

The site, Kamala2024policies.com, launched Wednesday morning on the third day of the DNC and takes viewers to a website declaring, “Kamala Harris’ dangerous policies are nothing to laugh about.” The site details nine policy platforms for the Harris campaign, including declaring Harris fought “to set murderers free,” wants to “abolish the border,” seeks to “eliminate private health insurance” and wants to give illegal immigrants Social Security and Medicare.

“Border Czar Kamala Harris opened the southern border to illegal alien criminals and deadly fentanyl, and as vice president, was the tie-breaking vote for far-left spending bills that raised taxes and sent prices skyrocketing for families across the country. While Harris has tried to rewrite history on her extreme record, she can’t hide from her promises to set murderers free, dismantle America’s border security, raise costs with massive spending bills, bring back the Green New Deal Scam, eliminate private health insurance, and more,” the website states.

The platform website notably hits the Harris camp on some of the most important issues this election cycle: the economy, spiraling inflation and taxes.

“Record high gas prices under the Harris-Biden administration is the ‘price to pay for democracy.’ Remember, Kamala proudly delivered the deciding vote that allowed the $1.9 trillion ‘stimulus’ to be passed. Don’t listen to former Obama economist Jason Furman, who said the spending bill is ‘too big,’ or former Obama and Clinton economist Larry Summers, who said the ‘tremendous wall of money’ led to inflation, or former Obama economic advisor Steven Rattner, who called Kamala’s $1.9 trillion stimulus ‘the original sin’ of inflation,” the website says.

More over at Fox News:

The latest job numbers have been dramatically revised…

According to a Fox News report, monthly payroll statistics overstated new jobs by roughly 818,000 during the 12-month period that ended in March; these are Labor Department numbers.

That’s a downward revision of nearly 30%.

Former President Donald Trump blasted the Biden-Harris Administration on TRUTH Social and accused them of padding the numbers to make the economy appear stronger.

“MASSIVE SCANDAL! The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics to hide the true extent of the Economic Ruin they have inflicted upon America,” Trump charged in a statement on his Truth Social platform.

And he argued, “New Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Administration PADDED THE NUMBERS with an extra 818,000 Jobs that DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID.”

From Fox News:

Economists see the updated figures as further signs of a weakening labor market, which had remained strong the past couple of years as the nation’s economy soared following a massive recession during the coronavirus pandemic. The jobs surge had continued despite high interest rates and increased concerns of a pending recession.

Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, has long slammed both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – who last month replaced her boss at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket – over high inflation that Americans have been coping with during the three-year economic rebound.

Now he’s arguing, without providing proof, that the Biden administration deliberately padded the jobs numbers.

More over at Fox News:

Most Federal Reserve officials agreed last month that they would likely cut their benchmark interest rate at their next meeting in September as long as inflation continued to cool. The minutes of the Fed’s July 30-31 meeting, released Wednesday, said the “vast majority” of policymakers “observed that, if the data continued to come in about as expected, it would likely be appropriate to ease policy at the next meeting.” At the July meeting, the policymakers kept their benchmark rate at 5.3%, a near-quarter-century high, where it’s stood since July 2023. Wall Street traders had already considered it a certainty that the Fed will announce its first interest rate cut in four years when it meets in mid-September, according to futures prices. A lower Fed benchmark rate would lead eventually to lower rates for auto loans, mortgages and other forms of consumer borrowing and could also boost stock prices. The minutes of the Fed’s meetings sometimes reveal key details behind the policymakers’ thinking, especially about how their views on interest rates might be evolving. Further guidance on the Fed’s next steps is expected when Chair Jerome Powell gives a highly anticipated speech Friday morning at the annual symposium of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Most analysts think Powell will signal in his speech that the Fed has become confident that inflation is headed back to its 2% target and might even give some hint about how many rate cuts could happen this year. When he held a news conference after last month’s Fed meeting, Powell had suggested that a broad range of policy moves were possible, from “zero cuts to several cuts,” by year’s end. Two days after the Fed met late last month, the government released a jobs report for July that showed that hiring was far weaker than expected and that the unemployment rate rose for a fourth straight month, to a still-low 4.3%. The sluggish hiring data triggered a sharp two-day drop in the stock market, with traders suddenly fearing that a recession might be nearing. But last week, the government reported that sales at retail stores and restaurants rose at a healthy pace in July, evidence that consumers were still willing to spend and help power the economy. And a separate report showed that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs — slipped during the previous week, a sign that most businesses are still holding on to their workers. (AP)

Our brothers and sisters are in grave danger. This is real.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR Our loved ones in Israel are targets, and we need to do our part to protect them. The war is getting closer to each and every one of us, and we must act now. Their lives are in immediate danger, and they desperately need our assistance. They live each minute in fear, not knowing if every moment might be their last or if they will see their children or loved ones again when they go to work in the fields to provide food for Israel.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR This is the harsh reality they are enduring right now. The threat of violence is ever-present, and the basic necessities of life are becoming increasingly scarce. The civilians in Moshav Tzofar are doing what they can to protect themselves, as the army has their hands full.  They have created an emergency response team and have volunteers ready at a moment’s notice to defend their Moshav. What they desperately need is the equipment to do so. This is where we, Am Yisrael, must help them in their time of need. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR We cannot stand by and watch our family suffer. We must act now to provide the critical support they need to survive this perilous time. Your donation can make a profound difference. It can mean the difference between hope and despair, between life and death. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR Your donation will go directly towards purchasing much-needed equipment for the emergency response team. They are pleading for helmets, ceramic vests, flashlights, thermal drones, reflex sights, and critical tactical gear that will give them the ability to defend our children. Our mission is to raise $200,000 to ensure they have a fighting chance to protect themselves. Please contribute—you will be directly saving lives and offering hope to all of Am Yisrael. Funds raised will go directly to the Moshav emergency team and will be used to purchase the necessary equipment as funds are raised. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR Please join us in this urgent mission. Share this plea with your friends, family, and social networks. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can save lives. From the bottom of their hearts, they thank you for your compassion and generosity.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO MOSHAV TZOFAR

Canadian law-enforcement officials are investigating some 100 bomb threats on Wednesday at synagogues, and other Jewish community centers and organizations across the country.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said it is “deeply concerned” about the development, which Michael Levitt, its president and CEO, called “absolutely chilling.”

“For many, many months, Canada’s Jewish community has raised alarm bells about the escalation of rampant Jew-hatred, as incitement and hateful rhetoric have become normalized online, on our city streets, and on our university and college campuses,” he stated.

“Repeated calls for violence against Jews and Jewish institutions are a stark reminder that extremism and radicalization are thriving in Canada, and must be confronted before it’s too late. The time for our leaders to step up is now,” he added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the threats “blatant antisemitism” and wrote that he is “disgusted” about the news.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police “is in contact with local law enforcement to investigate, and we’re working with them to keep Jewish Canadians safe,” he added.

“Those who make threats to any religious institution in Canada, whether churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, gurdwaras, etc. should be charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Anthony Housefather, a Jewish Canadian parliamentarian. “Nobody should be intimidated from entering community buildings.”

Melissa Lantsman, a Jewish Canadian parliamentarian, wrote that it was “another week, another openly brazen threat to the Jewish community. “

“How on earth is this tolerated in Canada? Antisemitic hatred is spreading like a plague across our country and Trudeau is silent. We must act now to protect our people,” she wrote. (Her tweet was sent some six hours before Trudeau posted his.)

“It should never become normal for any worship services to be disrupted and evacuated from threats,” she added. “Canada is not the free country we know and love if the right to worship freely and safely needs to be protected. Immediately. Now. Today.”

B’nai Brith Canada stated that it, too, received a bomb threat.

“This is not just an attack on our safety—it’s an attack on the fabric of Canadian society,” it stated. “Authorities are treating this as a hate crime and are taking immediate, decisive action to protect our people.”

(JNS)

The parents of a 23-year-old American taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel gave a moving speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, pleading for the release of the dozens of people who continue to be held captive in Gaza. “This is a political convention. But needing our only son — and all of the cherished hostages — home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin lost his part of his left arm and was kidnapped from Israel by terrorists who attacked the Nova music festival he was attending. Polin and his wife, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, were greeted with an extended ovation and chants of “bring him home” by the thousands of Democratic delegates in Chicago. They steered clear of politics in their 10-minute speech, but Jon Polin said the families of the American hostages meet regularly in Washington and are heartened to see bipartisan support for securing the release of their loved ones. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, he said, are “both working tirelessly” for a deal between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stray strong, survive,” Rachel Polin-Goldberg said. She and her husband wore stickers with the number 320, drawing attention to the number of days their son has been held. The speech put an emotional and human face on the Israel-Hamas conflict, a sensitive issue for Democrats, who face pressure from pro-Palestinian protesters to more forcefully press Israel to end the war that has leveled much of the Gaza Strip. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza, though some are believed to have died. Family members of six of the eight American hostages still held by Hamas were in Chicago to raise awareness about their loved ones’ plight. Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of hostage Omer Neutra, were given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month. “Time is running out,” Ronen Neutra told The Associated Press at the Democratic convention. “And all leaders must work together in a bipartisan fashion to put pressure on both Hamas and the Israeli government and reach a deal that is so much overdue, so much overdue.” On Tuesday, multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested after clashing with police during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate and spilled out onto the surrounding streets. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as the United States presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bridging proposal” that could lead to a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. (AP)

At his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination, Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass Wednesday in North Carolina at an event focused on national security. On politics, he called his predecessor Barack Obama “nasty” for his comments the night before at the Democratic National Convention. Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and for wars in Ukraine and the Middle East while returning repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speaker after speaker has assailed Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House. The former president, now the GOP nominee, asked the crowd gathered at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches given Tuesday by former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. “He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal.’ And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people,” he said, asking: “Do I still have to stick to policy?” Trump, who is facing Harris in the November election after Biden stepped aside, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage — part of ramped-up security measures aimed at keeping him safe after the attack by a Pennsylvania gunman on July 13. Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes. Despite the concerns about his security, Trump briefly left the bulletproof glass-protected stage to check on a rally attendee who briefly fainted. The event, billed as focused on national security issues, was part of Trump’s weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks against Harris as he struggles to adjust to Biden’s departure from the race. The second night of the Democrats’ convention Tuesday was a highly energized affair that featured speeches from both Obamas, who went after Trump in particularly biting terms. “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” Michelle Obama said. Barack Obama mocked Trump’s obsession with his crowd sizes and called Trump “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.” “It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala,” the former president said. After mentioning the Obamas early on in his speech, Trump came back around to the former president’s comments. “He was very nasty last night,” Trump said. “I try and be nice to people, you know. But it’s a little tough when they get personal.” He then polled the crowd on whether he should listen to advisers who he said have told him, “Please, sir, don’t get personal. Talk about policy.” “Should I get personal or should I not get personal?” […]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he will address the nation about the path forward for his campaign Friday in Arizona, amid advanced discussions with Donald Trump and his campaign team about dropping out of the race and endorsing the Republican nominee, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations.

Kennedy has continued to talk privately with former president Donald Trump since the Republican convention, with multiple phone conversations and at least one in-person meeting, according to a person close to Trump. Kennedy has expressed that he has talked to his immediate family about the prospect of an endorsement. Another person familiar with the conversations says Kennedy has indicated to the Trump team that he plans to endorse Trump.

The private conversations were described by people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the exchanges. The Trump campaign pointed to comments their candidate made Tuesday about being “open” to Kennedy playing a role in his administration. The Kennedy campaign responded to a request for comment by sharing an email from campaign manager Amaryllis Fox Kennedy to staff Wednesday.

Fox Kennedy asked her staff to “hold tight” until they hear directly from the candidate about the path forward. She cautioned that there were multiple options still under consideration, suggesting that Kennedy could choose something other than endorsing Trump or continuing his campaign. She suggested the candidate’s deliberations were still fluid.

“What I can tell you is this. Bobby has been in a period of deep discernment,” she wrote. “I ask you to keep an open mind. Do not believe everything you hear. There are several paths forward – not only two. And I can bear witness to the care and examination that Bobby is investing in consideration of each.”

The latest moves follow a clear shift in the public posture of the Kennedy campaign following a last-ditch attempt, through intermediaries, to reach out to the Democratic campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris in early August. The Kennedy campaign commissioned polling to show how Harris could improve her standing in the race if she announced that Kennedy would have a Cabinet-level position, and then attempted to share those results with the Harris team, according to campaign officials and a copy of the polling results obtained by The Washington Post.

Harris allies have rebuffed requests for meeting, and dismissed Kennedy as a “MAGA-funded fringe candidate.” Following that statement, Kennedy and his allies have grown increasingly fierce in their denunciations of the Democratic Party.

Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested in a podcast interview this week that the campaign has two primary options: to endorse Trump or to try to get 5 percent of the vote to qualify for matching funds in the 2028 election. She did not entirely rule out circumstances changing to allow the third-party ticket a competitive chance, but also said she plans to focus her political energy on electoral politics in California, including a possible candidacy for governor.

Once a major Democratic donor, Shanahan made clear that she now sees the Democratic Party as a threat to the future of the country that could make continuing with the Kennedy campaign unwise. Kennedy campaign advisers have said they believe he now draws more votes away from Trump than Harris in key states.

“The question is is the risk of Harris-Walz presidency worth us staying in,” Shanahan said on the Impact Theory podcast posted Tuesday. “Do we trust Trump in his personal sincerity to do the right thing for our country, to end chronic disease, balance the budget, end these forever wars? Is he somebody that is going to continue to invite people like Bobby and me into the conversation? We are weighing it all. It is not an easy calculation. We want what is best for this country first and foremost.”

Kennedy’s national polling standing has fallen sharply since Harris entered the race, after falling previously through the spring and summer. Kennedy had 5 percent of the national vote in the latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. Link Lauren, a former Kennedy adviser, said Tuesday in a text message that he supported Kennedy’s efforts to reach out to Trump.

“I’m a realist. I think it’s great,” Lauren said. “I’ve been pretty open about how I pushed for Bobby to go and speak to Trump months ago. It’s better to have a seat at the table to influence policy than to go home empty-handed.”

When asked about Kennedy on Tuesday, Trump told a CNN interviewer that he “didn’t know he was thinking about getting out” despite their communications about the possibility. Asked about giving Kennedy a role in his next administration, Trump said, “Certainly I would be open to it.”

Kennedy and Trump began speaking by phone hours after the attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Their discussions, including an in-person meeting in Milwaukee, included possible jobs that Kennedy could be given in a second Trump administration, either at the Cabinet level or posts that do not require Senate confirmation. The discussion also included the prospect of Kennedy leaving the race and endorsing Trump, according to people familiar with the talks.

Those conversations reached no conclusion at the time, in part because of concern from the Trump campaign about the legal propriety of exchanging a government job for an endorsement. Days later, Kennedy blasted Trump during a news conference in Massachusetts, calling Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate “a salute to the CIA and the intelligence community and to the military industrial complex.”

“Trump has a connection to the American people, a populist connection, but in many ways it is the same populist connection that we saw with the DNC over the last year, concealing the real purpose of their objectives,” Kennedy said, in reference to his criticism of the Democratic National Committee’s handling of the Democratic nominating contest.

Days later, Kennedy went on News Nation and suggested the reporting about his talks with Trump was not accurate. “Is it true that you offered, in a phone call with Trump, to get out of the race in exchange for a job in the administration?” Host Chris Cuomo asked.

“No, that is not true,” Kennedy replied.

Shanahan said Tuesday that she thinks Kennedy would make an excellent secretary of Health and Human Services under Trump. Both Kennedy and Shanahan have denied any conversations with Harris about a similar arrangement, after she rebuffed Kennedy’s attempts to set up a meeting.

As talks have continued between Kennedy and Trump, the Kennedy campaign has continued to push forward with efforts to secure ballot access. In Arizona, the campaign filed 110,000 signatures to make the ballot. Internal emails from the Kennedy campaign, obtained by The Post, show that the campaign planned to use signatures previously gathered for ballot access by American Values 2024, an independent super PAC supporting Kennedy. The New York Times was the first to report the use of super PAC signatures by the campaign in Arizona.

Robyn Ross, a commercial counsel for the Kennedy campaign, wrote in one email that the campaign only had 6,000 signatures in the state that had been collected by campaign volunteers. She advised that the campaign would have to “buy” other signatures, presumably from the PAC, at a cost of $7.50 per signature.

“Amaryllis and I are discussing buying the signatures with the PAC,” responded Nick Brana, a ballot access adviser on the campaign, in an Aug. 6 email, referring to Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, the campaign manager.

Super PACs cannot coordinate on many types of strategy and spending with the campaigns they support, but they can in some cases act as vendors for the campaigns, if the goods and services exchanged are paid for at fair market value.

Stefanie Spear, a spokesperson for the Kennedy campaign, said the Arizona signatures had been gathered by “Team Kennedy supporters,” but did not specify who they were or whether the campaign would pay for them.

Tony Lyons, who heads American Values 2024, said the PAC did not sell signatures to the campaign. Lyons said Kennedy found himself in a strong position at this point in the campaign.

“Bobby is still front and center as a potential spoiler, a potential kingmaker, as the candidate who might force a contingent election or a wild card candidate who might just emerge as a centrist, common sense alternative candidate who comes out of nowhere and wins the whole thing,” Lyons said in a statement. “All around the world there are coalition governments, people make concessions, they learn to give a little in order to get.”

Kennedy himself as also been traveling the country to appear at court hearings defending the legality of his ballot petitions in other states. Because of flight cancellations due to weather, he missed a planned court hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, but said he would continue to fight against Democratic efforts to keep him off the ballot.

“I am a little disillusioned with the Democratic Party today,” said Kennedy, one of the most well-known living members of the most famous Democratic political dynasty.

(C) Washington Post

Online fast-fashion giant Shein has filed another lawsuit against competitor Temu, accusing the China-founded shopping platform of stealing its designs, copying its product images and engaging in other types of fraud. The complaint filed in a Washington federal court this week alleges that Temu, which has grown in popularity in the U.S, has subsidized its low prices by encouraging sellers to offer counterfeited items, stolen designs and sub-standard products. The allegations come as Shein itself is the target of lawsuits from brands and designers that have accused the company of stealing their designs and selling copycat items on its e-commerce site. Asked for comment about the new lawsuit, a Temu spokesperson said in a prepared statement that Shein’s “audacity is unbelievable.” “Shein, buried under its own mountain of IP lawsuits, has the nerve to fabricate accusations against others for the very misconduct they’re repeatedly sued for,” the spokesperson said. The new lawsuit against Temu represents an escalation of the ongoing feud between the two companies, which have sued each other in U.S. courts before. Temu, a platform owned by Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, alleged in a previous lawsuit that Shein compelled clothing manufacturers to submit to unfair supply chain arrangements in order to prevent them from working with Temu. Shein, which was founded in China but is now based in Singapore, accused Temu in court of engaging in deceptive business practices and misleading consumers by creating impostor accounts on social media that used Shein’s name but directed people to Temu’s platform. The companies dropped those lawsuits in October. Temu sued Shein again in December, accusing its rival of employing “mafia-style intimidation” of suppliers to hamper its growth in the U.S. Attorneys for Shein wrote in the new complaint that at least one Temu employee stole “valuable trade secrets” from Shein that identify best-selling products and internal pricing information. They also claimed again that Temu falsely presented itself as Shein through impostor X accounts that directed customers to Temu’s site. They further alleged Temu has engaged in similar practices through sponsored Google ads. (AP)

Job growth in the United States in the year ending in March was far less robust than previously reported by the federal government, giving ammunition to critics who suggest the Federal Reserve may be late to cutting interest rates.

The government reported Wednesday that the economy created 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March 2024, in the biggest revision to federal jobs data in 15 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The revisions could add to arguments that the Fed has been overly focused on curbing inflation, to the detriment of the labor market. The data offers a more dour snapshot of a labor market that had appeared incredibly strong, especially last summer and earlier this year, underscoring the case for rate cuts at the Fed’s next board meeting, in September. The Fed was already signaling such a move, but now officials will face calls to trim rates more aggressively.

“We already knew we had been living the best of consumers being discerning but not defeated. That narrative is contingent on the labor market holding up and layoffs remaining in check,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. “The Fed needs to cut if they want to sustain the Goldilocks scenario.”

To be sure, other labor market benchmarks for April 2023 through March 2024 still looked pretty strong. For example, the unemployment rate during this period was still at historic lows, under 4 percent. And weekly requests for unemployment benefits also remained near longtime lows.

The Biden administration was quick to point that out. Democrats emphasize the labor market’s strength as a pillar of economic resilience since the pandemic. Meanwhile, Republicans have been critical of the White House and Fed’s handling of the economy as inflation rose to the highest level in 40 years.

“This preliminary estimate doesn’t change the fact that the jobs recovery has been and remains historically strong, delivering solid job and wage gains, strong consumer spending, and record small business creation,” Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement.

Former president Donald Trump railed against the revisions data speaking at a campaign rally Wednesday in North Carolina. Telling his supporters there was a “massive scandal,” Trump falsely said the figures weren’t so much a “revision” as they were a “lie.” He also accused Harris and Biden of “fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin that they’ve inflicted on America.”

“They said they existed and they never did exist,” Trump told the crowd. “They built them up so that they could say what a wonderful job they’re doing.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases revisions to data all the time, including during the Trump administration. But it’s unusual for revisions to be this large.

Economists say the shock of the pandemic that introduced new forces into the labor market from mass retirements to immigration pattern changes have made it difficult to assess labor market growth. This revision marks the largest adjustment to employment data since 2009, when the economy was in the throes of the worst recession in decades.

“What you’re seeing is an echo of the large shocks that we’re just working our way through,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM. “We’re trying to ascertain the size of the labor force and its flows.”

Investors shrugged off the revisions, and markets were mostly flat after the release.

But the revisions drew criticism, especially among those who have been calling for interest rate cuts.

Skanda Amarnath, executive director of the left-leaning think tank Employ America, said slower job growth ought to be reflected in lower rates moving forward. He said Fed officials have pointed to strong hiring as reason to hold off on rate cuts and stay focused on inflation.

“If these [Fed] members are actually going to maintain some intellectual consistency here, they should be ready to mark down both their labor market and their policy rate assessments accordingly,” Amarnath said. “Remains to be seen whether we’ll see any of that.”

Professional and business services – or white-collar jobs – was the industry with the biggest downward revisions, accounting for more than 40 percent of the lost jobs. Leisure and hospitality also lost jobs. Overall, the revisions translate into roughly 174,000 jobs created per month on average during that period, a decrease from the previously reported rate of 243,000 jobs per month. The revisions are considered preliminary and will be finalized in February.

More recent signs of a cooling labor market have appeared this year. The unemployment rate has gradually ticked up this year, hitting 4.3 percent in July, the highest rate since 2021. The number of job openings has also fallen over the year, and the rate at which people are quitting jobs has also fallen.

The new revision data comes as Federal Reserve officials are headed to Wyoming for the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, a “who’s who” of global policymakers and economists. The financial markets were already eager for Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell’s speech there on Friday, anxious for hints about a September rate cut. But now, Fed officials will be pressed to explain how the pared-back jobs figures shape their understanding of an economy that continues to surprise.

It is unclear whether Powell will directly address the new jobs figures in his remarks, which are carefully calibrated and rarely fixate on an individual data point. But he has already acknowledged that jobs data may not be perfect.

Minutes released Wednesday from the Fed’s July meeting showed “several” Fed officials saw a path to a quarter-point cut last month, indicating that they could have supported such a move given easing inflation and an uptick of the unemployment rate.

That is notable because officials convened before the release of the disappointing July jobs report and the latest BLS revisions, suggesting some central bankers already thought the job market was slowing enough to justify a cut. Now, the consensus is for a move in September.

“The vast majority observed that, if the data continued to come in about as expected, it would likely be appropriate to ease policy at the next meeting,” the minutes read.

(c) Washington Post

Volunteers searched for hours into the night on Monday evening after the external device of a toddler’s costly cochlear implant got lost during her family’s visit to the Magic Kass amusement park in Ma’ale Adumim. The toddler has no hearing without the implant, which is worth about NIS 40,000 [almost $11,000]. The family posted a desperate plea for help to the public via Whatsapp. “We turned the place over and couldn’t find it,” the parents wrote.  “Maybe someone found it, and it didn’t bring it to the lost and found. Pass it on, maybe we’ll have a neis.” Others spread the request on social media and many residents of Ma’ale Adumim along with Yedidim volunteers streamed to the area, despite the hot weather. Volunteers began searching the area on Monday evening, continuing until 3 a.m. and then resumed the search on Tuesday morning until the implant was found in the late afternoon. After volunteers viewed hours of footage from security cameras, it was discovered that the device had fallen off and was accidentally thrown into a large garbage compactor by the cleaning crew. The volunteers helped carry out the complex process of emptying the compactor and then searching its contents. The device was finally found by Yishai Attia, a Yedidim motorcycle unit volunteer and manager of the Jerusalem hotline. In the video below, the father thanks the volunteers:   (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Yosef Hersh Berzesky, a former Camp Simcha camper and now a dedicated staff member, has just completed Shaas for the third time. Despite facing significant medical challenges, Yosef Hersh embodies the spirit of living b’simcha, drawing strength from his summers at Camp Simcha. Each year, he finds immense joy in celebrating his Siyum with the campers, a moment filled with food, dancing, and shared happiness. Yosef Hersh is determined to continue this tradition, aiming to complete Shaas again next year—and for many years to come. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Houston, the epicenter of the oil and gas industry was ready to shed its reputation of being a car-centric city. Bicycle infrastructure projects were underway and the city had secured federal funding to expand public transit. Voters in Harris County, home to Houston, had approved billions of dollars to improve public transportation.

But after Democrat Mayor John Whitmire took office in January, everything changed. The city’s chief transportation planner left, bike infrastructure projects were stalled, and the region’s transit authority – largely appointed by the mayor – delayed parts of a $7.5 billion public transit expansion.

Advocates for transit and “safer streets” in Houston say they now suffer from whiplash, and fear the city is turning the clock back on transportation alternatives. It comes at a critical time for many U.S. cities that want to make a meaningful shift away from reliance on the automobile. Whether America can make this shift could depend on the outcome of city-by-city battles.

“Some people think it’s controversial to take away a lane from cars and to put in a bike lane. I think it’s controversial to only have one way of getting around,” said Joe Cutrufo, a cycling advocate in Houston. “We have choices in all other parts of our lives, but when it comes to transportation, we only have one option.”

Along with other cities nationwide, Houston faces a historic opportunity to diversify its transportation network, and in turn reduce air pollution. Billions of dollars of federal grants are available for cities to invest in transit, bicycle lanes and pedestrian safety projects, largely through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Rhode Island is receiving over $55 million in federal dollars to modernize and upgrade its public transportation fleet. Roughly $3 billion has been allocated to California and Nevada to build out high speed rail. Another $3 billion has gone to New York City for a subway expansion. Los Angeles has pledged to make the 2028 Olympics car-free, with the help of federal money.

Some cities, however, have been reluctant to shift away from cars and trucks. In addition, the competition for grant money is highly competitive, with four applications submitted for each one that gets accepted.

Ever since the 1950s, American metropolises have been designed around cars. Houston is no exception: The nation’s fourth-largest city has grown synonymous with roads, boasting the widest freeway in the country, with concrete overpasses overlapping in the sky. The downtown itself is enclosed by loops of highways, with more in the works.

Whitmire, an attorney and former Democratic Party state lawmaker, did not respond to several requests for comment. But in past speeches and statements, Whitmire has dismissed bicycle lanes as “recreation projects” and said he wants to prioritize spending on road repairs. In the 2023 election, he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from energy companies, construction firms, real estate and big-ticket donors, and he vastly outspent his opponent, the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.).

Leaders of the mayor-controlled regional transit board, known as Metro, say they want to focus on bolstering the current rail and bus system, rather than expanding it.

“Our number one priority is ridership,” said Metro Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock. “We are not operating by the model of ‘Let’s build it and hope they come.’ We’re really focused on our core services and creating that transit culture in order to increase ridership.”

Whether Whitmire’s policies reflect a permanent shift in Houston remains to be seen. Some advocates for multimodal transportation believe the transition away from cars is already baked in, and will outlive his administration.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who helped secure money for bike lanes and other alternatives to driving in the infrastructure law, said what Houston has achieved is “really remarkable” given its reputation for being a sprawling, car-dominated city with no zoning.

“They’ve actually done a pretty good job,” said Blumenauer, who co-founded the Congressional Bike Caucus. But, he added, Houston leaders “were on a path to do better.”

– – –

Reimagining the car city

Everything in Texas is big, and at 665 square miles, Houston is its biggest city, both by population and land area. Development is spread out and unzoned, making driving a necessity for those who can afford an automobile. Roughly 90 percent of Houstonians own a car, according to the 2022 U.S. Census American Community Survey.

Five years ago, Houston area residents made their priorities clear. Nearly 70 percent of those voting approved a bond referendum to spend $3.5 billion for the Metro to improve public transit. Over 60 percent of Houstonians would rather spend taxpayer money on public transit than highways, according to the 2020 Kinder Houston Area Survey.

While other cities are moving away from cars, that’s not the case in Houston. Here, advocates say their work is largely focused on improving road safety, affordability, air quality and access to transportation options.

In the largely immigrant neighborhood of Gulfton, many households have only one car, if any at all. That’s one reason Gulfton has Houston’s highest transit ridership, according to multimodal advocate Sandra Rodriguez, but workers still must spend up to two hours to on their transit commute. For those with disabilities, driving may not be an option and pedestrians in mobility chairs are more vulnerable to traffic accidents.

Rufus Cotton, 19, is one of those who would welcome options. He lives in a neighborhood where the nearest rail stop is more than a mile away, and the bus runs infrequently.

“There are places the bus won’t even take you,” he said.

The need for multimodal transit is also an environmental health issue, advocates say. The Houston region has the worst air quality in the country after Los Angeles, and cars and trucks on the road are bigger emitters of air pollutants than the fossil fuel and concrete industries.

Poor air quality can result in chronic health issues, and it tends to be worse in lower-income communities because of their proximity to highways and manufacturing facilities, said Molly Cook, a registered nurse at the Medical Center and state senator for the 15th district.

“People are exposed to toxins because somebody is not willing to invest,” Cook said, referring to policymakers who falter on transportation improvements. This lack of investment, she said, is “partly because of inertia, partly because of vested interests.”

Leaders of Metro say they are investing, but in a way that enhances how people want to travel now. Instead of spending money to expand the bus and rail system, Metro is using federal money from the infrastructure law to purchase electric buses, and regional grant money to upgrade bus shelters, fix sidewalks and improve accessibility. The city has also invested in “micro-transit” – providing free van rides in select neighborhoods to those who need help with short trips.

“After covid, we’ve seen interest rates, construction costs increase,” said Brock, the Metro board chair. “We would be looking at compromising our day to day operations … We just simply could not do that at this time.”

Gabe Cazares, executive director of the advocacy group Link Houston, said he remains hopeful the city can renew its focus on moving people, not just vehicles.

“We have a mayor who has been around Texas politics a really long time … who has a decidedly different approach to transportation policy,” said Cazares. But, he added, “We have seen that progress in mobility options are possible in the city of Houston.”

– – –

Unsafe at many speeds

In December 2021, Juan Flores, 46, was crossing a crosswalk on his bike with his daughter when a car ran a stop sign and collided with him. He escaped with stitches on his arm. His daughter had a bump on her head.

Less than a year later, a car turned into Flores while he was riding his bike in a parking lot. He emerged unscathed again, though his bike was reduced to a mangled piece of metal.

“It’s dangerous out there,” he said. “The problem is, with the people in Houston, they’re just not used to having that many bike riders around and people just don’t look for them. By the time they see, well, this is how accidents happen.”

Texas has recorded a death on its roadways – motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists – every day since Nov. 7, 2000, with an average of 12 deaths per day, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. In Houston, a lack of protected bike lanes and the crumbling sidewalks make cyclists and pedestrians more vulnerable. Some say road rage and fast driving has also contributed.

The safety of cyclists has been a core issue for Cutrufo, 41, who made a big shift in his life when he and his wife left New York City in 2020 to move south to Houston.

Since then, he’s become one of the best-known advocates for cycling infrastructure, through the nonprofit BikeHouston. The push for safer cycling has been at the forefront of conversations in the city despite opposition from some drivers who argue it will worsen traffic.

Houston is well-suited for cyclists, said Cutrufo, given its flat topography and agreeable weather for nine months of the year. Even so, bicycle infrastructure in the city remains limited to downtown, the bayous and a few neighborhoods.

Under then-mayor Sylvester Turner, the city received $100 million in federal funding to meet its 2020 commitment to Vision Zero, a pledge to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2030. The city unveiled a plan to construct 1,800 miles of bike lanes through the city, and already has over 300 miles of infrastructure.

When Whitmire took the mayor’s office in January, those projects lost some of their earlier support. The bike lane on Houston Avenue was slated for removal; another project was paused but then resumed after facing enormous pressure.

– – –

Ever-expanding roads

Even as advocacy mounts for alternatives, Texas is making plans to build even more highway lanes. For over a decade, TxDOT has planned to expand the Interstate 45 cutting through the center of Houston to improve congestion. When some Houstonians learned the highway would destroy more than a thousand homes, businesses and places of worship – largely in communities of color – they mobilized to oppose the project.

According to Michael Moritz, organizer with advocacy group Stop TxDOT I-45, transportation planners in Texas don’t analyze how more freeway lanes induce demand for more driving, adding to congestion. “The state just has billions and billions of dollars with which to build roads and highways for cars,” he said.

The Texas constitution requires 97 percent of TxDOT’s $15 billion annual budget to go toward roads, a law similar to those in other states. Little is left over in TxDOT’s funding to spend on multimodal transit, meaning that Houston seeks most of its funding for multimodal projects from the city, which is strapped for cash, or Harris County, which has a little more wiggle room.

Reception of multimodal projects varies by neighborhood. County Commissioner Rodney Ellis represents a precinct that includes Houston’s Third Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood that has been home to Beyoncé and other artists. In recent years, he’s pushed the county to invest millions of dollars into bike lanes in the Third Ward and other neighborhoods.

For Houston, investments in new transportation options have become a chicken-or-the-egg problem: Should the city wait for higher ridership before it expands transit and bicycle facilities, or should it invest now, banking on the future?

Cutrufo said he knows where he stands.

“If you want to change the transportation culture in a place, you have to change the infrastructure,” he said. “The infrastructure tells people how to behave.”

(c) Washington Post

American Airlines has extended its suspension of flights to Israel until late March, continuing a halt in operations that began at the onset of the Gaza conflict.

A representative for the airline announced on Wednesday that passengers with bookings for Tel Aviv flights can either rebook without incurring additional fees or cancel their plans and receive a full refund.

Over the weekend, the airline updated its travel advisory, confirming that flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport would remain on hold until March 29.

“We will continue to work closely with our partner airlines to assist customers traveling between Israel and European cities with service to the US,” the spokesperson stated.

However, as of Wednesday, the American Airlines website still listed flights to Israel starting in November, raising questions about whether these tickets were actually available for purchase.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has also prolonged its suspension of Tel Aviv flights, now through September 30 instead of the previous date of August 31. United Airlines has halted its service to Israel indefinitely.

On Monday, Germany’s Lufthansa announced that, following a “current security analysis,” it would suspend all flights to Tel Aviv, as well as Amman, Beirut, Tehran, and Erbil in Iraq, until Monday.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza and rising tensions in the region have repeatedly disrupted air travel. When Hamas launched a significant attack on Israel last October, most international airlines quickly suspended their flights.

Although some services resumed in the following months, the situation became unstable again in April when Iran launched a large-scale drone and missile assault on Israel. This prompted several airlines to cancel their routes once more, while others tentatively resumed operations, only to face renewed concerns of another Iranian strike.

The most recent round of cancellations comes as Israel prepares for potential retaliatory actions from Iran and Hezbollah. This follows Israel’s July assassination of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, after a deadly rocket attack by the group, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, for which Israel has not officially taken responsibility.

{Matzav.com}

At a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Senator JD Vance took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her of weak foreign policy and arguing that she will lead America “into a nuclear war” if given the chance. Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Asheboro, Vance framed Harris as a key reason for the current global instability. “Under Kamala Harris, Putin invaded Ukraine. But under Donald Trump, Putin didn’t do a… thing. And that’s because of strong leadership,” Vance said. He argued that respect for Trump’s leadership kept potential conflicts at bay and allowed the U.S. to focus on its own issues, particularly border security. “That is the Donald Trump principle,” Vance added. “And that’s what we’re going to bring back to the White House.” Vance also dismissed the idea that Trump was a nuclear threat, instead positioning him as a president who preserved peace through diplomacy. He praised Trump’s historic diplomatic efforts with North Korea, recalling the former president’s 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Vance highlighted Trump’s approach, which combined humor and boldness. “You remember when he went to North Korea… he brings the media in and he says, all right, everybody take some photos of us, make us look nice and make us look skinny. And Kim Jong Un sat up like that,” Vance recounted. “It means something to have a president who’s not afraid to go into hostile territories, tell a few jokes, and actually engage in diplomacy.” Vance accused Democrats of falsely portraying Trump as a nuclear threat while asserting that Trump was the one who “prevented nuclear war.” He then warned that Harris could do the opposite. “If we’re not careful, Kamala Harris is going to walk us right into nuclear war,” he claimed. “We got to kick her out and not give her a promotion to the president of the United States.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)