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New York City officials have discovered a sixth death linked to a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Central Harlem, where more than 100 people have been diagnosed with the ailment, health authorities said Thursday. The person died earlier this month outside of New York City. Their death was recently discovered during the city health department’s ongoing investigation of the outbreak that began in late July, the agency said. The department reported a fifth death on Monday. Officials said 111 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease as of Thursday, two more than on Wednesday. Seven people are hospitalized, two fewer than the previous day, the department said. Fourteen people had been hospitalized on Monday. The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic, health officials said. Remediation efforts have since been completed on all of the cooling towers. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread through building water systems. The city’s outbreak has been linked to cooling towers, which use water and a fan to cool buildings. People usually develop symptoms — a cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath — between two days to two weeks after exposure to the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. City health officials say people who live or work in the area should contact a health care provider if they develop flu-like symptoms. (AP)

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One of the most important Sifrei Yesod on the rules and structure of the Mishnah and Talmud study, as well as the principles of halachic rulings, authored by Rabbi Yehoshua HaLevi of Tlemcen.

Bnei Brak came to a standstill on Friday afternoon as thousands gathered to celebrate the release of Rafael Yitzchakov, a yeshiva bochur who was imprisoned for 17 days in Military Prison 10 for avoiding the IDF draft.

His arrival was met with singing, dancing, and overwhelming joy, as crowds filled the streets of the city ahead of Shabbos.

Rafael, a talmid of Yeshivas Maor HaTorah in Telz Stone, was greeted with royal honor upon his return. The streets of Bnei Brak resounded with heartfelt singing, including the words of “Tzion, halo tish’ali l’shlom asirayich,” as his fellow bnei Torah surrounded him with spirited dancing and songs of celebration.

An impressive procession led by members of the Peleg Yerushalmi escorted him through the city, joined by rabbonim and admorim who came out to welcome him. Chants of “B’shalon hakofrim u’b’lishkoseihem ein anu misyatzvim” (“We do not take counsel with heretics and their institutions”) echoed through the streets alongside the singing for the release of Rafael.

Rafael was arrested at his home in Tel Aviv and incarcerated in Military Prison 10 near Beit Lid in Kfar Yona.

Since his detention, ongoing demonstrations and gatherings of support were organized by various communities, calling for his immediate release. Gedolei Yisroel personally visited him in prison, offering chizuk. His brother, Baruch Yitzchakov, who was also detained, was released earlier this week.

PHOTOS:

{Matzav.com}

Jojo Rabia, the grieving father whose two sons, Noam and Yuval, were killed during the Nova party massacre on October 7, revealed on Friday that his stolen phone — which held precious memories of his children — has finally been returned to him.

“Everyone who could helped. We have an amazing country. Thank you, thank you,” he wrote, expressing his gratitude. Police later confirmed that they had arrested a suspect connected to the theft.

In a heartfelt message posted on his Facebook page, Rabia shared: “An hour ago, a nice policeman called and said that they found my phone. So I want to praise the police for their great efforts. Well done. And also thank you to all the television and radio channels for the national publicity. To all the friends on Facebook who shared – in the end, everything helped.”

According to police, the suspect — a Sudanese national in his 30s — was apprehended Thursday night in Holon. Officers recovered the stolen phone, which had been taken from Rabia while he was on the Tel Aviv promenade. The suspect has been taken to the Tel Aviv Lev Police Department for questioning.

{Matzav.com}

At the end of work trips, Nathan Miller goes home to a makeshift bedroom in his parents’ house in Virginia. The 29-year-old flight attendant is part of a PSA Airlines crew based in Philadelphia, but he can’t afford to live there. Miller says he makes about $24,000 a year staffing multiple flights a day as a full-time attendant for the American Airlines subsidiary. To get to work, he commutes by plane between Virginia Beach and Philadelphia International Airport, a distance of about 215 miles. “I’ve considered finding a whole new job. It’s not something that I want to do,” Miller, who joined PSA two years ago, said. “But it’s not sustainable.” His situation isn’t unique. Frustrations among flight attendants at both regional and legacy airlines have been building for years over paychecks that many of them say don’t match the weight of what their jobs demand. Compounding the discontent over hourly wages is a long-standing airline practice of not paying attendants for the work they perform on the ground, like getting passengers on and off planes. Air Canada’s flight attendants put a public spotlight on these simmering issues when about 10,000 of them walked off the job last weekend, leading the airline to cancel more than 3,100 flights. The strike ended Tuesday with a tentative deal that includes wage increases and, for the first time, pay for boarding passengers. In the United States, however, the nearly century-old Railway Labor Act makes it far more difficult for union flight attendants like Miller, a member of the Association of Flight Attendants, to strike than most other American workers. Unlike the Boeing factory workers and Hollywood writers and actors who collectively stopped work in recent years, U.S. airline workers can only strike if federal mediators declare an impasse — and even then, the president or Congress can intervene. For that reason, airline strikes are exceedingly rare. The last major one in the U.S. was over a decade ago by Spirit Airlines pilots, and most attempts since then have failed. American Airlines flight attendants tried in 2023 but were blocked by mediators. Without the ultimate bargaining chip, airline labor unions have seen their power eroded in contract talks that now stretch far beyond historical norms, according to Sara Nelson, the international president of the AFA. Negotiations that once took between a year and 18 months now drag on for three years, sometimes more. “The right to strike is fundamental to collective bargaining, but it has been chipped away,” Nelson said. Her union represents 50,000 attendants, including the ones at United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and PSA Airlines. On Monday, she joined PSA flight attendants in protest outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, near where an airliner operated by PSA crashed into the Potomac River in January after colliding with an Army helicopter. All 67 people on the two aircraft were killed, including the plane’s pilot, co-pilot and two flight attendants. The airline’s flight attendants also demonstrated outside airports in Philadelphia, Dallas, Charlotte and Dayton, Ohio. In a statement, PSA called the demonstrations “one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done — and we share the same goal.” Flight attendants say their jobs have become more demanding in recent years. Planes are fuller, and faster turnaround times between flights […]

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz announced on Friday morning that he has authorized the Israel Defense Forces’ operational strategy aimed at defeating Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Katz explained that the approved plan involves a combination of heavy military strikes, the evacuation of civilians, and coordinated ground operations.

“Yesterday, we approved the IDF’s plans for the defeat of Hamas in Gaza — through intense fire, evacuation of residents, and ground maneuvers,” Gallant wrote.

Katz stressed that if Hamas refuses to comply with Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, particularly the release of all hostages and the dismantling of its armed capabilities, “the gates of h— will soon open above the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s terms for ending the war, foremost among them the release of all hostages and disarmament.”

He further warned, “If they don’t agree — Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun. Just as I promised — that is how it will be.”

{Matzav.com}

Waymo has received authorization to start testing its autonomous vehicles in specific areas of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, under what Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Department of Transportation described as “the nation’s strictest [autonomous vehicle] safety rules.”

“We’re a tech-friendly administration and we’re always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward,” Adams said. “Testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century. As we continue to implement responsible innovation, we will always prioritize street safety.”

According to City Hall, the permit conditions mandate that a qualified AV specialist must remain in the driver’s seat at all times during testing. Additionally, Waymo will need to work closely with the Department of Transportation, holding regular check-ins and sharing performance data.

The company has approval to operate up to eight self-driving vehicles through the end of September 2025. Once that period ends, Waymo will have the option to request an extension for its pilot program.

“With over 10 million rides completed in five major U.S. cities and a strong safety record, we’re proud to be working with leaders to lay the groundwork to bring this life saving technology to New Yorkers one day, beginning with receiving the first-ever permit issued in the city to drive autonomously,” said Annabel Chang, head of U.S. state and local public policy at Waymo.

However, this authorization applies strictly to testing. Current rules from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission still prohibit autonomous vehicles from being used for for-hire passenger services.

{Matzav.com}

Heavy rains caused a landslide that struck homes in a rural community in Guinea, killing at least 11 people, authorities said Thursday. Another 10 people were seriously injured and the death toll was expected to rise. The landslide occurred Wednesday night in Maneah, a rural commune in Coyah prefecture 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital Conakry, according to a statement by the National Agency for Emergency Management. “Last night, it was around 7 p.m. It was raining, and suddenly I saw the mountain come off. It fell on the houses at the foot of the mountain. The mud buried the houses. No survivors came out alive,” said Kone Pepe, a local resident. Search and rescue operations were continuing late Thursday. “It’s a part of the mountain that gave way under the effect of the rain and spilled onto the buildings,” Mory Condé, minister of urban planning and housing, said during a visit to the site. The collapse followed heavy rains in the area and comes after West Africa experienced record flooding last year that killed over 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. (AP)

President Donald Trump said on Friday in Washington, D.C., that his ambitions for the nation’s capital go far beyond crime reduction, outlining plans for a massive transformation of the city.

During a speech at the Kennedy Center, Trump revealed that he and his White House team are finalizing a $2 billion initiative designed to make the capital “beautiful” again.

“Now it’s going to be clean,” he said. “I’m giving out a contract real soon.”

Trump brought up Chief of Staff Susie Wiles while explaining how the effort is being coordinated.

“Susie’s with me — we’re going to be raising about $2 billion from Congress. And Congress is happy to do it. And we’re going to wisely spend the money.”

The beautification effort aligns with Trump’s move to expand federal oversight of public safety in Washington, including his deployment of the National Guard to help lower crime rates. He told reporters he was pleased with recent progress, noting an unusual milestone.

“That’s the first time in anybody’s memory that you haven’t had a murder in a week.”

Earlier in the day, Trump posted that if D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser fails to improve city management, he is prepared to assume full federal control over the District’s operations.

According to Trump, the plan to revitalize the capital covers a significant section around the Capitol itself.

“We’re going to head out right from the Capitol and the White House. And if you look at a circle, and go about three miles out, it’s going to be beautiful.”

As part of the proposal, the president highlighted upgrades such as newly paved streets, fresh asphalt, and modernized lighting. He assured residents that the quality of work would be top-notch.

“I know all the good contractors. So this place will be beautified within a period of months. So it’ll be safe and beautified.”

Trump praised what has already been achieved under his leadership and said that adding a comprehensive beautification program will elevate the capital even further.

“D.C. is a miracle,” he proclaimed.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had no prior knowledge of the FBI raid on the home of his former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, explaining that he learned about it through media coverage.

“No, I don’t know about it. I saw it on television this morning,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he was briefed about the operation beforehand.

A source confirmed to Newsmax that the raid is part of an investigation into how classified materials and sensitive national security information were handled.

The president did not hold back in his criticism of Bolton, who served as his national security adviser from 2018 until 2019.

“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a low-life,” Trump said.

He went on to describe Bolton as someone who “wants to always kill people” and “is very bad at what he does,” though Trump noted that Bolton’s reputation occasionally worked to the administration’s advantage during diplomatic negotiations.

According to Trump, other world leaders sometimes assumed the U.S. was prepared to take a more forceful stance simply because Bolton was in the room.

When asked if he anticipated receiving an update from the Department of Justice about the raid, Trump replied, “Yeah, they’ll be probably [briefing me] today sometime.”

Bolton joined the Trump administration in 2018 but was removed from his post the following year after disagreements with the president on policies involving countries such as Iran and North Korea. Since then, the two have publicly feuded, with Bolton releasing a memoir critical of Trump’s foreign policy and Trump repeatedly portraying Bolton as ineffective and disloyal.

Just last week, Trump blasted Bolton for remarks made about the planned summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Before the meeting, Bolton cautioned that the discussions could weaken Ukraine and strain the Western alliance while giving Putin an upper hand.

Trump fired back on his Truth Social platform, writing: “Very unfair media is at work on my meeting with Putin. Constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton, who just said that, even though the meeting is on American soil, ‘Putin has already won.’”

{Matzav.com}

Wall Street’s major indexes surged by as much as 2% on Friday after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested the possibility of an upcoming interest rate cut during his address at the Jackson Hole Symposium.

Powell’s remarks signaled that a potential rate reduction could come at the Fed’s next policy meeting scheduled for September 16-17, though he emphasized that the decision would depend heavily on incoming reports on employment and inflation.

“Chair Powell was able to talk about the balance of risk shifting and therefore the potential… shifting of policy would be appropriate,” explained Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth.

“Leaning into the fact that the labor market weakness is clearly the driver, as opposed to concern over the core goods price increases that we’ve seen because of tariffs… the clear message to the market is September is now very live.”

Following Powell’s speech, traders increased their bets on a September rate cut, assigning nearly a 90% chance of a reduction, up from roughly 75% before his comments.

By 11:46 a.m. EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had jumped 933.69 points, or 2.08%, reaching 45,719.19 — a new record high.

The S&P 500 advanced 106.45 points, or 1.67%, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 424.12 points, a gain of 2.01%.

All 11 sectors within the S&P 500 traded in positive territory, with real estate — which is particularly sensitive to interest rates — up 1.8%, and consumer discretionary stocks rising nearly 2%.

A key semiconductor index surged 3.7%, while several major growth stocks posted strong gains. Tesla led the pack with a 5.2% jump.

If the market holds these gains, the S&P 500 is on pace to end a five-day losing streak triggered by a widespread selloff in large-cap tech names earlier in the week.

The Dow and S&P 500 are positioned to notch modest weekly advances, while the Nasdaq appears set for a slight weekly dip.

U.S. equities have staged a strong comeback since their April lows, when markets tumbled following President Donald Trump’s announcement of new trade tariffs. Recently, the indexes have been edging back toward record territory.

Strong corporate earnings, optimism surrounding trade negotiations between the U.S. and its partners, and the growing likelihood of rate cuts have all contributed to the recent rally.

Earlier Friday, UBS Global Wealth Management raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 for the second time in two months, citing robust earnings, easing trade tensions, and expectations of monetary policy easing.

Among notable individual movers, Intuit’s stock slid 6.2% after the TurboTax-maker projected first-quarter revenue growth below Wall Street’s forecasts due to weaker results from its Mailchimp marketing unit.

Workday fell 4.4% after the HR software company provided an outlook that aligned with analysts’ expectations but failed to impress investors.

On the NYSE, advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by a ratio of 12.14 to 1, while on the Nasdaq, gainers led losers by 6.3 to 1.

The S&P 500 recorded 21 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq posted 101 new highs and 30 new lows.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, rov of Ramat Elchonon and a member of Degel Hatorah’s Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, released a letter addressing yeshiva bochurim in advance of Elul, delivering sharp criticism of the Israeli government’s draft policies.

In the letter, he expressed grave concern, alleging that the Israeli government is attempting to dismantle the framework of Torah study for yeshiva students.

“We are currently in great distress, as they want to remove the yeshiva students from their Torah study, and even take some of the yeshiva students to imprisonment.”

Citing the words of Rav Dov Landau, he continued: “The golus is increasing its burden on us, and it is a great trouble that Jews are persecuting Jews because of Torah study.”

Rav Zilberstein encouraged the yeshiva bochurim to fortify themselves during this period of challenge, urging them: “Be strong and courageous, do not let your hearts soften, and begin this term with all your strength and desire. Engage in Torah at all times and hours, without idle talk, and through this, you will merit to be the true protectors of the entire Jewish nation.”

He concluded the letter with a heartfelt bracha: “And may we soon merit to be saved with eternal salvation, and may all the evil decrees be nullified for all of Yisroel.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

A group of 16 Democratic senators, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who votes with the Democrats, wrote to Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, questioning Israel’s claim that Anas al-Sharif was a Hamas member posing as a journalist.

“The recent targeted Israeli strike on a group of journalists and media workers, which killed six journalists, including well-known Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, is just one example of attacks on reporters in Gaza and part of a pattern of violence that has silenced the voices of far too many Gazan journalists,” wrote the senators, led by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who is Jewish.

“Israel has not provided convincing evidence for its claim that al-Sharif was a Hamas militant,” the senators wrote. “Absent a compelling explanation of the military objective for this attack, it appears Israel is publicly admitting to targeting and killing journalists who have shown the world the scale of suffering in Gaza, which would be a violation of international law.”

Israeli officials have publicized records suggesting that al-Sharif led a Hamas cell and was part of a Hamas phone directory. The Jewish state has also published photos of al-Sharif with senior Hamas members, including Yahya Sinwar, who led the terror group until he was killed in October.

Israel said it has more information about al-Sharif that is classified, and that several other journalists who were killed with him were also terrorists.

The BBC reported that al-Sharif worked with Hamas’s media unit prior to the war.

“What steps has the State Department taken to ensure that the Israel Defense Forces, a major recipient of U.S. security assistance, reforms its rules of engagement to mitigate harm to journalists?” the senators wrote.

In addition to Schatz and Sanders, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) signed the letter.

{Matzav.com}

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is preparing to eliminate Canada’s heavy tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of American imports, aiming to ease trade tensions with the Trump administration.

According to Bloomberg News, Carney will make the announcement on Friday after a cabinet meeting, confirming that Canada will lift the 25% tariffs on a wide range of U.S. consumer goods that comply with the North American trade agreement.

This marks a striking reversal for Canada, which had been among the few nations to take an aggressive stand against President Donald Trump’s protectionist trade policies.

With the rollback, American-made items such as orange juice, wine, apparel, and motorcycles will no longer face the steep import duties that have been enforced since March.

Insiders told Bloomberg News that the relief package impacts an estimated $21.7 billion worth of U.S. goods.

However, Carney isn’t abandoning all measures. Canada will continue enforcing the 25% tariffs on American steel, aluminum, and automobiles — sectors where Trump has imposed his own significant penalties.

The unexpected policy shift follows a phone call between Carney and Trump on Thursday, the first publicly confirmed discussion between the two leaders in several weeks.

According to sources, the decision is intended to improve relations with the White House and position Canada favorably ahead of the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, expected in the coming months.

The move also represents a sharp pivot from the combative tone Carney embraced during his election campaign, when he pledged to deliver “maximum pain” to the United States through forceful retaliatory actions.

That hardline stance was a key factor in Carney’s victory over Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in the recent election.

Under Justin Trudeau’s administration, Canada first launched the retaliatory tariffs in March, targeting roughly $21.6 billion in American exports. A second wave came in response to Trump’s steel and aluminum duties, applying tariffs on an additional $21.6 billion in U.S. metals and consumer products each year.

Carney escalated the trade fight during his campaign, extending tariffs to American-made automobiles after Trump placed heavy levies on Canadian vehicles.

Since becoming prime minister, however, Carney has taken a different course from his predecessor, showing increased skepticism about the effectiveness of escalating tariff battles.

In April, his finance minister began introducing exemptions, giving Canadian companies the ability to bring in certain U.S. products without paying the tariffs.

Ottawa also offered potential relief to automakers like General Motors and Stellantis, provided they maintained Canadian production and investments.

When Trump doubled steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%, Carney initially threatened to retaliate but ultimately decided against escalating the conflict further.

Similarly, Canada chose not to respond when the White House raised its so-called “fentanyl tariffs” on Canadian goods from 25% to 35% on August 1.

This measured response reflects economic considerations. Analysts at the Bank of Nova Scotia estimate that the effective U.S. tariff rate on Canadian exports remains below 7%, largely due to protections built into the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Despite the back-and-forth, Canada’s retaliatory measures have not fueled the inflation spike some experts predicted.

Statistics Canada reported that consumer prices rose just 1.7% in July compared to the previous year, staying well under the central bank’s 2% target.

The shift has nonetheless frustrated both President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who were especially irritated by Canada’s earlier aggressive countermeasures compared to the more restrained responses from other U.S. trading partners.

{Matzav.com}

The FBI continues the raid at John Bolton’s home, office in D.C. area in a 5+ hour operation

CHINA – At around 3 a.m. Friday, a construction rope snapped on a bridge being built along the Qinghai section of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway, killing 12 workers and leaving 4 others missing.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Friday that the company is discussing a potential new computer chip designed for China with the Trump administration. Huang was asked about a possible “B30A” semiconductor for artificial intelligence data centers for China while on a visit to Taiwan, where he was meeting Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., the world’s largest chip maker. “I’m offering a new product to China for … AI data centers, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. But he added that “That’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.” Such chips are graphics processing units, or GPUs, a type of device used to build and update a range of AI systems. But they are less powerful than Nvidia’s top semiconductors today, which cannot be sold to China due to U.S. national security restrictions. The B30A, based on California-based Nvidia’s specialized Blackwell technology, is reported to operate at about half the speed of Nvidia’s main B300 chips. Huang praised the the Trump administration for recently approving sales of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China after such business was suspended in April, with the proviso that the company must pay a 15% tax to the U.S. government on those sales. Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, was told to pay the same tax on its sales of its MI380 chips to China. As part of broader trade talks, Beijing and Washington recently agreed to pull back some non-tariff restrictions. China approved more permits for rare earth magnets to be exported to the U.S., while Washington lifted curbs on chip design software and jet engines. After lobbying by Huang, it also allowed sales of the H20 chips to go through. Huang did not comment directly on the tax when asked but said Nvidia appreciated being able to sell H20s to China. He said such sales pose no security risk for the United States. Nvidia is also speaking with Beijing to reassure Chinese authorities that those chips do not pose a “backdoor” security risk, Huang said. “We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we’ve given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” he said. The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, recently posted a notice on its website referring to alleged “serious security issues” with Nvidia’s computer chips. It said U.S. experts on AI had said such chips have “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies” and Nvidia had been asked to explain any such risks and provide documentation about the issue. Huang said Nvidia was surprised by the accusation and was discussing the issue with Beijing. “As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” Huang said. Unconfirmed reports said Chinese authorities were also unhappy over comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting the U.S. was only selling outdated chips to China. Speaking on CNBC, Lutnick said the U.S. strategy was to keep China reliant on American chip technology. “We […]

Ukrainian forces struck a key section of Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline overnight, destroying a vital energy hub as Kyiv continued to hit back against Moscow’s intensified offensives despite ongoing peace negotiations.

According to Robert Brovdy, the commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, Ukraine carried out an airstrike late Thursday on the Unecha oil pumping station located in Russia’s Bryansk region.

Videos shared on Telegram captured massive flames engulfing the facility, showing multiple fuel tanks burning fiercely after the attack.

Bryansk regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported that Ukraine used a combination of HIMARS rockets and drones to target the area, sparking an extensive fire at the energy site.

The Unecha station plays a critical role in Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline, which delivers supplies to European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia.

Following the strike, both the Hungarian and Slovakian governments warned that fuel deliveries to their nations could be halted for at least five days while damage to the pipeline is assessed and repairs are made.

“The physical and geographical reality is that without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible,” Foreign Ministers Peter Szijjarto and Juraj Blanar stated in a joint letter to Europe’s Executive Commission on Friday.

Over recent weeks, both Russia and Ukraine have escalated attacks on each other’s energy networks, even as President Trump continues efforts to negotiate an agreement aimed at ending the conflict.

While Moscow has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, Kyiv has targeted multiple Russian refineries in an attempt to disrupt oil exports that are helping fund Russia’s ongoing invasion.

{Matzav.com}

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas issued a sharp warning on Friday, saying that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “just laughing” and setting “a trap” for Western nations if Ukraine ends up surrendering territory as part of a potential peace agreement.

Putin has insisted that Ukraine hand over the Donbas region in exchange for halting his military’s ongoing full-scale assault on the country.

Kallas cautioned that meeting those demands would only embolden Russia, rewarding the aggressor responsible for launching the war in the first place.

Speaking to BBC News, Kallas — who herself is on the Kremlin’s “wanted list” — said that ceding land to Moscow would be a “trap that Putin wants us to walk into.”

“Putin is just laughing, not stopping the killing but increasing the killing,” Kallas said.

“I mean, the discussion [is] all about what Ukraine should give up, what the concessions that Ukraine is willing to [make],” she added.

“Whereas we are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession and they are the ones who are the aggressor here, they are the ones who are brutally attacking another country and killing people.”

Kallas also noted that President Trump’s recent efforts to mediate a resolution — including his high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska last week — played directly into the Kremlin’s hands, calling it a “propaganda jackpot” because it’s “clear that Russia does not want peace.”

“Any promises that Putin has given so far, he hasn’t kept,” Kallas stated.

“This is what he [Putin] wanted,” she continued, referring to the Alaska meeting. “It was clear before the meeting that he wants the picture, but he got so much more. He got such a welcoming in America.”

Following last week’s summit, Putin claimed the talks could potentially pave the way toward peace in Ukraine.

But within days of the highly anticipated meeting, Russian forces launched a strike on a U.S.-owned electronics plant in Ukraine where approximately 800 civilians were working at the time.

According to three sources familiar with internal Kremlin discussions who spoke to Reuters, Putin’s demands extend beyond Donbas. He also wants Ukraine to abandon plans to join NATO, adopt permanent neutrality, and keep Western forces out of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected those terms, emphasizing that Donbas remains a critical defensive stronghold preventing Russian forces from advancing deeper into Ukraine.

“If we’re talking about simply withdrawing from the east, we cannot do that,” Zelensky told reporters Thursday. “It is a matter of our country’s survival, involving the strongest defensive lines.”

{Matzav.com}

At an obstacle course in the humid Georgia heat, an instructor shows recruits how to pull a wounded partner out of danger. In a classroom with desks cluttered with thick legal books about immigration law, recruits learn about how the Fourth Amendment governs their work. And on a firing range littered with shell casings, new recruits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement practice shooting their handguns. “Instructors, give me a thumbs up when students are ready to go,” a voice over the loudspeaker said before a group of about 20 ICE recruits practiced drawing and firing their weapons. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia, is the epicenter of training for almost all federal law enforcement officers, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who are at the center of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Now, with lots of money approved by Congress this summer starting to flow into ICE, the agency is in midst of a huge hiring effort as it aims to get thousands of new deportation officers into the field in the coming months. On Thursday, The Associated Press and other news organizations got a rare look at the Basic Immigration Law Enforcement Training Program that new ICE recruits — specifically those in the Enforcement and Removal Operations unit responsible for finding, arresting and removing people from the country — go through and what they learn. Ramping up hiring, training ICE is getting $76.5 billion in new money from Congress to help it meet Trump’s mass deportation goal. That’s nearly 10 times the agency’s current annual budget. Nearly $30 billion of that money is for new staff. They’re hiring across the agency, including investigators and lawyers, but the numbers they’re hiring in those areas pale in comparison to how many deportation officers are coming on board. Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, was at the training demonstration Thursday. He said the agency currently has about 6,500 deportation officers and is aiming to hire 10,000 more by the end of the year. With that hiring surge has come concerns that vetting or training of new recruits will be shortchanged. The Border Patrol went through a similar hiring surge in the early 2000s when hiring and training standards were changed; arrests for employee misconduct rose. Lyons pushed back on concerns that ICE might cut corners when it comes to training. although he said they have made changes designed to streamline the process. “I wasn’t going to water down training,” said Lyons. Caleb Vitello, the assistant director of ICE in charge of training, says new recruits will go through about eight weeks of training at the Georgia facility. But they also have training before and after they come here. One key change, Vitello noted: ICE cut out five weeks of Spanish-language training because he said recruits were only getting to the point of being “moderately” competent in Spanish. He said language translation technology can help fill that void in the field. What does the training look like? During the six-days-a-week training, new recruits live on the grounds of the sprawling facility, which is covered with pine forests and sits near the Atlantic Ocean a little less than an hour’s drive north of the Florida state line. Hundreds have gone through the training here in recent months. During the course, new recruits train […]