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Elon Musk made a move to mend fences with President Donald Trump after receiving a phone call last Friday from Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Vance, who has emerged as a loyal Trump ally while maintaining a role as a behind-the-scenes negotiator, kept his public distance from the spat. Though he clearly backed Trump’s side, he avoided speaking negatively about Musk, which positioned him to help broker a truce.

During their conversation with Musk, Vance and Wiles encouraged him to put an end to the public rift that had erupted earlier in the month, creating headlines and tension between the tech executive and the president.

Musk seemed to respond to their appeal by issuing a statement on X early Wednesday that read, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”

Trump, for his part, has recently signaled a more conciliatory attitude. Speaking on Monday, he addressed Musk’s recent criticism of the tax legislation by saying he was disappointed but open to restoring their relationship. “Things like that happen, I don’t blame him for anything,” Trump told the New York Post.

{Matzav.com}

At least five people were killed and several others injured Wednesday following an attack by Hamas on a bus operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the organization announced in a statement late Wednesday night. The vehicle was reportedly transporting over two dozen individuals, including GHF team members and local Palestinians working alongside the U.S.-based organization, en route to the foundation’s distribution centers in Khan Yunis when it was targeted. In addition to the fatalities and injuries, GHF says some team members may have been taken hostage. “This attack did not happen in a vacuum,” GHF said in its statement, revealing that Hamas had issued repeated threats to GHF staff and local civilians involved in its aid distribution network. Earlier this week, threatening messages allegedly sent by Hamas to aid workers in Gaza warned of “severe consequences” for those cooperating with international relief efforts perceived as being tied to Israel. One message read, “We are fully aware of everything you are doing, and all your movements are being monitored with extreme precision. You will not be forgiven for your involvement in projects that harm the dignity of our people.” “This is your final warning,” the message continued. “Continuing down this path will have severe consequences, and you will bear full responsibility for the outcomes of your actions.” Officials and humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned of the increasing dangers faced by aid workers operating in the Gaza Strip amid escalating tensions and security threats. The GHF has not yet confirmed whether operations in the region will be suspended in the aftermath of the incident. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump’s trusted military leader, Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, who heads the Joint Chiefs of Staff, struck a slightly different tone from the president when addressing Russia’s intentions under Vladimir Putin. Specifically, Caine suggested skepticism about trusting Putin as a genuine partner in future negotiations.

During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the defense budget, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked pointed questions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Caine. He wanted to know if they believed Iran would use a nuclear weapon against Israel, whether China would make a move on Taiwan, and if Putin’s ambitions would end with Ukraine.

“I don’t believe he is,” Caine said in response to the question about Putin stopping at Ukraine.

“Remains to be seen,” Hegseth replied when asked the same question.

“It doesn’t remain to be seen,” Graham fired back. He emphasized that Putin “tells everybody around what he wants to do.”

Graham, who has faced criticism—including from fellow conservatives—for his aggressive foreign policy stances, urged the defense leaders to take the rhetoric from adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia seriously, pointing to their public declarations.

“I like what you’re doing; I just think we gotta get this stuff right,” Graham said, after noting what he perceived as reluctance from Hegseth and Caine to firmly state that Iran would deploy a nuclear weapon against Israel.

“The point is,” Graham added, “we need to hit the enemy before they hit us.”

One of the key components of Trump’s legislative priorities is a substantial increase in military funding, which is being debated as part of his sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Fiscal conservatives have criticized the bill for raising the debt limit and not sufficiently rolling back spending levels that surged under President Joe Biden.

Even as Trump pushes for robust defense funding, not everyone in his orbit supports Graham’s more hardline proposals. Among the dissenters is retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has taken issue with Graham’s calls for regime change—and even hints at assassinating Putin.

“I urge President Trump to also distance himself from demonstrated warmongers in our own government, chief among whom is U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina,” Flynn wrote in a sharp statement over the weekend. “Those who love wars fought by others are no friends of America and have no entitlement to be friends of the president.”

{Matzav.com}

Will artificial intelligence save humanity — or destroy it? Lift up the world’s poorest — or tighten the grip of a tech elite? Jensen Huang — the global chip tycoon widely predicted to become one of the world’s first trillionaires — offered his answer on Wednesday: neither dystopia nor domination. AI, he said, is a tool for liberation. Wearing his signature biker jacket and mobbed by fans for selfies, the Nvidia CEO cut the figure of a tech rockstar as he took the stage at VivaTech in Paris. “AI is the greatest equalizer of people the world has ever created,” Huang said, kicking off one of Europe’s biggest technology industry fairs. Huang’s core argument: AI can level the playing field, not tilt it. Critics argue Nvidia’s dominance risks concentrating power in the hands of a few. But Huang insists the opposite — that by slashing computing costs and expanding access, “we’re democratizing intelligence” for startups and nations alike. But beyond the sheeny optics, Nvidia used the Paris summit to unveil a wave of infrastructure announcements across Europe, signaling a dramatic expansion of the AI chipmaker’s physical and strategic footprint on the continent. In France, the company is deploying 18,000 of its new Blackwell chips with startup Mistral AI. In Germany, it’s building an industrial AI cloud to support manufacturers. Similar rollouts are underway in Italy, Spain, Finland and the U.K., including a new AI lab in Britain. Other announcements include a partnership with AI startup Perplexity to bring sovereign AI models to European publishers and telecoms, a new cloud platform with Mistral AI, and work with BMW and Mercedes-Benz to train AI-powered robots for use in auto plants. The announcements underscore how central AI infrastructure has become to global strategy — and how Nvidia, now the world’s most valuable chipmaker, is positioning itself as the engine behind it. As the company rolls out ever more powerful systems, critics warn the model risks creating a new kind of “technological priesthood” — one in which only the wealthiest companies or governments can afford the compute power, energy, and elite engineering talent required to participate. That, they argue, could choke the bottom-up innovation that built the tech industry in the first place. Huang pushed back. “Through the velocity of our innovation, we democratize,” he said, responding to a question by The Associated Press. “We lower the cost of access to technology.” As Huang put it, these factories “reason,” “plan,” and “spend a lot of time talking to” themselves, powering everything from ChatGPT to autonomous vehicles and diagnostics. But some critics warn that without guardrails, such all-seeing, self-reinforcing systems could go the way of Skynet in “ The Terminator ” movie — vast intelligence engines that outpace human control. To that, Huang offers a counter-model: layered AI governance by design. “In the future,” he said, “the AI that is doing the task is going to be surrounded by 70 or 80 other AIs that are supervising it, observing it, guarding it, ensuring that it doesn’t go off the rails.” He likened the moment to a new industrial revolution. Just as electricity transformed the last one, Huang said, AI will power the next — and that means every country needs a national intelligence infrastructure. That’s why, he explained, he’s been crisscrossing the globe meeting heads […]

UPDATE: The Levaya for Yaakov Yisroel Jurkansky, an einikel of Hagaon Harav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of South Fallsburg, who was tragically killed in an accident in the Catskills on Wednesday afternoon, will take place at approximately 8:00 PM at the Har Shalom Beis HaChaim in Airmont. Besuros Tovois!

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has, for the first time, directly denounced Hamas’s October 7 assault and urged the terror group to release all hostages it continues to hold in Gaza.

In a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — who are expected to co-chair an upcoming United Nations summit on advancing a two-state solution — Abbas wrote: “What Hamas did in October 2023 in killing and taking civilians hostage is unacceptable and condemnable and Hamas must immediately release all hostages.”

Though Abbas has consistently spoken out against violence as a strategy for Palestinian liberation, he had until now avoided condemning Hamas’s actions on October 7. One of his advisers previously explained that he had refrained from doing so as long as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza remained ongoing.

However, Abbas is also positioning the Palestinian Authority to potentially take over control of Gaza from Hamas, and in doing so, he is trying to garner international backing.

In that context, Abbas has intensified criticism of Hamas over recent months and has initiated various reforms. One key change includes phasing out the PA’s widely criticized program of paying stipends to the families of terrorists and security prisoners.

The timing of Abbas’s statement is significant, arriving just days before the UN’s scheduled two-state solution conference. Palestinian officials hope the event will serve as a springboard for broader recognition of a Palestinian state by France and other key nations.

Western governments, many of which have previously faulted Abbas for failing to condemn the October 7 massacre, may now find it easier to lend support to the PA. While Jerusalem did not formally respond to Tuesday’s statement, Israel has strongly opposed the upcoming UN conference. Israeli officials recently barred a Saudi-led delegation of Arab foreign ministers from entering Ramallah, accusing them of attempting to promote a two-state framework that Israel claims would threaten its security.

In his letter, Abbas also laid out his proposed steps for ending the war and establishing regional stability.

“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces,” he stated.

He further added that he was “ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate.”

Abbas went on to express readiness to finalize a peace accord, stating: “We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues.”

He also pledged to overhaul the PA and declared his intent to organize both presidential and general elections within a year, under international monitoring.

“The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarized State,” he affirmed.

Regional and Western actors have been pushing for a reshaped and reformed Palestinian Authority that could take over governance in Gaza once the war ends. This push is seen as central to any long-term post-conflict framework.

Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has remained firmly opposed to the PA reasserting authority in Gaza, a stance that has caused several Arab states to withhold their involvement in postwar reconstruction efforts. These countries have said they will only participate if there is a clearly defined roadmap toward a two-state solution.

The French presidential office welcomed Abbas’s remarks, calling them “concrete and unprecedented commitments, demonstrating a real willingness to move towards the implementation of the two-state solution.”

President Macron has previously expressed determination to recognize a Palestinian state, though he has emphasized that any such recognition would depend on specific conditions, including the “demilitarization” of Hamas.

In response, senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri lashed out at Abbas, telling Reuters that the Palestinian Authority head “has no legitimacy to speak about the ‘weapons of the resistance.’”

{Matzav.com Israel}

With broken hearts, Matzav.com reports the tragic petirah of Yaakov Yisroel Jurkanski z”l, a one-and-a-half-year-old child who was tragically struck and killed by a vehicle on Wednesday afternoon in Fallsburg, New York.

Yaakov Yisroel, a son of Reb Reuven Jurkanski, was a grandson of Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg.

The incident occurred on Laurel Park Road. Emergency personnel from Hatzolah arrived swiftly and did everything in their power to save his life, but, tragically, their efforts were to no avail.

The levayah will take place this evening, at 8:00 p.m., at Har Shalom Cemetery in Airmont, NY.

Umacha Hashem dimah me’al kol ponim.

{Matzav.com}

In a development few anticipated, major philanthropists from the Litvishe community have joined the fundraising efforts of the Olam HaTorah campaign initiated by the Gerrer chassidus. The campaign, launched during the current visit of the Gerrer Rebbe to the United States, has rapidly gained momentum and expanded its reach far beyond the Gerrer circles.

The shift came into public view after the Gerrer Rebbe paid a condolence visit to the home of the late philanthropist Rav Avrohom Noach Klein z”l. The next stop on the Rebbe’s itinerary was the home of Rav Shmuel Dovid Shapiro, a well-known supporter of Torah who had recently pledged $1 million to the Gerrer fund.

There, Reb Shapiro hosted an exclusive dinner attended not only by members of the Gerrer community, but by prominent Litvishe magnates and philanthropists as well. Attendees included Ralph Herzka, Louie Scheiner, Reuven Wolf, Baruch Jeremias, Yitzchok Rokowsky, and many other wealthy figures from across the Orthodox world.

The evening began with Mincha and continued with a formal dinner, where speakers described the dire situation currently facing the Olam HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel.

Parallel to the high-profile visits, a steady stream of more intimate donor meetings has been taking place at the home of philanthropist Yaakov Klein, the host of the Rebbe during this leg of the trip. There, benefactors from a wide range of backgrounds—ranging from Satmar supporters to Syrian-Jewish business leaders—have been arriving to express their support.

Originally slated to conclude before Shabbos, the Rebbe’s U.S. visit has now been extended due to the overwhelming success of the campaign. This coming Shabbos, the Rebbe will be in Monsey at the home of philanthropist Meir Frei. The Shabbos event will host major donors from Eretz Yisroel and Europe, with the entry cost reportedly set at $250,000 per guest.

Sources close to the campaign say that if current trends continue, the Gerrer Olam HaTorah fund will raise enough money to support its avreichim for the next two years.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions across the Middle East escalated sharply on Wednesday as international nuclear negotiations with Iran neared a critical juncture, prompting a wave of military alerts, diplomatic repositioning, and growing fears of a regional conflict. The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued a rare advisory warning of “increasing regional tension,” urging commercial vessels transiting the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz to exercise extreme caution. The alert, while nonspecific, warned of potential military activity that could directly threaten merchant ships in the region’s vital shipping lanes. Shortly after the UKMTO warning, Reuters reported that the United States was preparing to evacuate embassy staff in Iraq due to what officials described as rising threats to American personnel. The New York Times later confirmed that the evacuation had been set in motion. The U.S. State Department also authorized the departure of non-essential staff from embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait, while the Pentagon is considering the temporary repositioning of military forces currently stationed in Bahrain. In a further sign of how seriously the U.S. is taking the threat, Washington has directed all embassies within range of Iran—including those in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa—to activate emergency action committees and report back on risk mitigation plans, according to national security correspondent John Hudson. These directives directly triggered the evacuations already underway. On Capitol Hill, the rhetoric is escalating in parallel. Senator Tom Cotton revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed Congress that Iran is “actively working towards a nuclear weapon.” Cotton bluntly added, “This cannot be allowed to happen.” Meanwhile, Israel is bracing for impact. Highly credible sources tell YWN that the IDF has contracted nearly 2,000 private ambulances to be stationed at military bases around the country, anticipating that Iran will target those locations in the event of open conflict. Additionally, all Revolutionary Guard and Army bases in Iran have reportedly been placed on maximum alert, according to journalist Mohamad Ahwaze. These security preparations follow a sharp uptick in rhetoric and military posturing from regional powers. Israeli officials, including close confidants of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, have openly suggested that a military strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure may be imminent. “In my view, we are very close to striking Iran,” said Israeli commentator Yaakov Bardugo, a Netanyahu ally, on Tuesday. “The Americans aren’t delivering results.” Tehran has responded with defiance. Speaking in the Iranian capital, Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that any attack would trigger “overwhelming retaliation” and that “all U.S. bases in host countries are within our reach.” He added, “If conflict is imposed on us, enemy casualties will exceed ours.” New satellite imagery and Western intelligence reports indicate that Iran has been covertly modifying and expanding its nuclear infrastructure—moves analysts believe are meant to harden sites against potential airstrikes. According to sources cited by The Jerusalem Post, Tehran has altered the layout of key nuclear sites to complicate U.S. or Israeli military action. Further evidence of Tehran’s war readiness includes newly released footage of Iran’s so-called “missile cities”—vast underground facilities capable of launching ballistic projectiles. Intelligence analysts interpret these developments as part of a calculated effort to negotiate while preparing for war. The diplomatic front is also rapidly deteriorating. The sixth round of nuclear talks, tentatively scheduled for this weekend in Oman, now […]

More than 460 laid-off employees at the nation’s top public health agency received notices Wednesday that they are being reinstated, according to a union representing the workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed reinstatement notices went out to the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees, but provided few details. About 2,400 CDC employees lost their jobs in a wave of cuts across federal health agencies in early April, according to a tally at the time. Whole CDC programs were essentially shut down, including some focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma and air quality, and workplace safety and health. The entire office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests was shuttered. Infectious disease programs took a hit, too, including programs that fight outbreaks in other countries, labs focused on HIV and hepatitis in the U.S., and staff trying to eliminate tuberculosis. An estimated 200 of the reinstated workers are based in the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, HHS officials confirmed. Staffers at a CDC lab that does testing for sexually transmitted diseases are being brought back, said one CDC employee who wasn’t authorized to discuss what happened and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Also reinstated are an estimated 150 employees at the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, including people staffing a lab that works on lead poisoning, according to the union and employees. Layoffs at federal agencies were challenged in lawsuits, with judges in some cases ordering federal agencies to halt terminations of employees. Officials at HHS have never detailed how they made the layoff decisions in the first place. And they did not answer questions about why the notices went out, or how decisions were made about who to bring back. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the agency was streamlining operations and that “the nation’s critical public health functions remain intact and effective.” “The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services — whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases,” he said. The reinstatements don’t undo the damage being done by Kennedy and the Trump administration to federal public health, said members of Fired But Fighting, a group of affected CDC workers who have helped organize rallies in Atlanta. The most recent was in the rain on Tuesday, at which some attendees called for Kennedy to resign. “Bringing a few hundred people back to work out of thousands fired is a start, but there are still countless programs at CDC that have been cut, which will lead to increased disease and death,” one of the group’s founding members, Abby Tighe, said in a statement. This is not the first time that employees at the Atlanta-based agency were told they were being terminated only to then be told to come back. After an earlier round of termination notices went out in February, about 180 CDC employees in March were told to come back. (AP)

As Israel braces for a possible dramatic late-night Knesset vote on a bill to dissolve the government, tensions between key members of the coalition continue to escalate, with harsh accusations and private confrontations further unraveling the fragile alliance.

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein, a central figure in the ongoing political crisis, issued a stern warning to chareidi lawmakers earlier today: “Don’t come to me before you remove the threat of toppling the government.”

At the same time, Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, delivered a sharp rebuke in a side conversation on the Knesset floor. According to Channel 12 reporter Dafna Liel, Gafni lashed out at Edelstein, saying, “He’s a liar and a fraud. He won’t bring any law.”

Despite the fiery rhetoric, talks have continued behind the scenes as coalition members scramble to find a path forward amid deepening disagreements, particularly over the future of the controversial draft law.

Following Argentine President Javier Milei’s address to the Knesset, representatives of the chareidi parties entered a closed-door meeting with Edelstein. MKs Uri Maklev and Yaakov Asher were seen entering the session.

As previously reported, an earlier meeting between the chareidi factions—led by former minister Ariel Attias—and Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik ended without agreement. Disputes between the chareidi parties and the legal team remain unresolved, and even if partial understandings are reached, any agreement would require Edelstein’s approval. Edelstein has already stated that any deal must also meet the needs of Israel’s security establishment, leaving little room for optimism.

Meanwhile, senior rabbinic figures are closely monitoring the developments. Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, is reportedly receiving constant updates. This evening, he instructed Degel HaTorah MKs to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset unless a signed agreement is presented, one that includes signatures from both Edelstein and the legal advisers to the Knesset and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, along with a detailed timeline securing the status of yeshiva students.

Shas leader Aryeh Deri is continuing efforts to convince Degel HaTorah to delay the vote by one week. However, Degel insiders say the party sees no choice but to vote in favor of dissolution, citing Edelstein’s dismissal of chareidi concerns as empty threats and the need to demonstrate that their position is serious.

Currently, all negotiations are focused on Degel HaTorah and Shas, as the Prime Minister’s office believes that the Ger faction has already committed unequivocally to dissolving the Knesset.

As of now, Rav Dov Landau has ordered Degel HaTorah to vote in favor of the bill. If that directive holds when the vote is called tonight, it is expected that Shas will fall in line and vote alongside Degel, potentially sealing the fate of the 25th Knesset.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The US has now ordered all embassies in striking distance of Iran to convene emergency action committees & send cables back to DC about what measures they are taking to mitigate risks.

The House has just voted 213-207 to advance President Trump’s first round of $9.3B in DOGE cuts.

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed earlier today that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.

BORO PARK: A Chanukas Habayis was held at the Gur Cheder on 12th Avenue and 63rd Street, with the Gerrer Rebbe Shlita in attendance.

Agudah’s Rabbi Avi Schnall gives an update on efforts to get a monumental, $5 billion national school choice tax credit bill past the Senate and signed into law.

Stocks ended the day mostly lower on Wednesday, as mounting fears over instability in the Middle East unsettled investors. Meanwhile, inflation data came in softer than expected, easing concerns about rising prices due to U.S. tariffs, while market watchers waited for further clarity on U.S.-China trade negotiations.

Markets gave up earlier gains after reports emerged that the United States was preparing to partially evacuate its embassy in Iraq amid escalating regional threats. Earlier in the day, a top Iranian figure warned that if nuclear talks with Washington fail, U.S. military installations in the area could become targets.

Tech giants Amazon and Nvidia, which had seen notable recent surges, slipped and dragged down the S&P 500 as a result.

Government data revealed that consumer prices in May saw only a slight uptick, helping to calm fears that tariffs would lead to more significant inflation. However, some economists still believe prices could pick up in the months ahead, partly due to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

On a year-over-year basis, headline inflation rose 2.4%, slightly under the 2.5% economists had projected in a Reuters poll.

“There’s still concern about Trump’s tariffs being inflationary but this report was better than expected and it fuels hope that the Federal Reserve will be able to step in with rate cuts later on this year,” said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth.

According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, traders now see a 70% probability that the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates by the time of its September meeting.

After officials from the U.S. and China reached a new framework aimed at resuming stalled trade talks, President Donald Trump declared that a deal had been finalized. As part of the agreement, China is expected to deliver magnets and rare earth materials to the United States.

Preliminary figures showed the S&P 500 slipped 15.09 points, or 0.25%, ending the day at 6,023.72. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 93.53 points, or 0.47%, to close at 19,621.46. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added a modest 5.35 points, or 0.01%, finishing at 42,872.22.

With optimism growing that the U.S. will reach trade settlements that ease Trump’s aggressive tariff stance, the S&P 500 now sits just below its previous high set in February.

“The worst-case scenario is probably behind us. There’s a little bit of face-saving for both sides,” said John Praveen, managing director at Paleo Leon in Princeton, New Jersey. “They got an agreement. The question is whether it will be implemented.”

A White House official shared specifics of the U.S.-China deal, which permits the U.S. to impose a total 55% tariff on Chinese imports—broken down into a 10% base “reciprocal” duty, 20% for fentanyl-related penalties, and 25% from earlier tariffs. In turn, China will apply a 10% tariff on American goods.

U.S. equities have bounced back strongly in recent weeks after dipping in April amid concerns surrounding Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs.

GitLab, a provider of software development tools, saw its shares decline after the company’s earnings failed to meet expectations.

GameStop stock also took a hit, following its announcement of weaker revenue in the first quarter.

{Matzav.com}

A high-stakes meeting between chareidi representatives and the Knesset’s legal adviser, Sagit Afik, ended in a dramatic breakdown Wednesday evening, as negotiations over the proposed draft law failed to yield any agreement.

According to a participant in the meeting, the discussion reached a dead end. “We feel like there’s no one to talk to,” the source said. Former minister Ariel Atias, who has been spearheading the draft law talks on behalf of the chareidi parties, stormed out of the room in anger.

At the heart of the dispute is the insistence by Afik and the legal adviser to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the new law must include immediate and significant enforcement measures against draft dodgers beginning the day the law is passed. They are also demanding a gradual implementation of enforcement mechanisms over time.

The chareidi factions, however, are pushing for a more lenient formulation that would avoid penalizing full-time lomdei Torah.

In a last-ditch attempt to prevent the dissolution of the Knesset, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri held a lengthy meeting earlier in the day with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in his Yerushalayim office.

Despite the mounting tensions, Likud officials insisted that the bill to dissolve the Knesset would not be brought to a vote tonight.

{Matzav.com Israel}

During his court appearance on Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu informed the judges that he was feeling unwell. The trial session, which had just begun, was promptly cut short after only thirty minutes due to his condition.

Even so, Netanyahu was still expected to make his way to the Knesset later in the day to cast his vote opposing the opposition’s proposal to dissolve the parliament.

Two days earlier, during the third round of Netanyahu’s cross-examination at the Tel Aviv District Court, his attorney, Adv. Amit Hadad, asked for the hearing to wrap up early—specifically by 1:45 p.m.—citing what he referred to as “an important diplomatic call.”

In response, Prosecutor Tadmor requested that the time lost be compensated for at another session.

Later that day, as proceedings resumed following a recess, a protester stormed into the courtroom and shouted at Netanyahu: “Loser, zero, take that smile off your face.” The intruder was quickly escorted out by security personnel.

Reacting to the disturbance, Hadad addressed the judges and issued a warning: “Next time that happens, the defense team will leave the courtroom in protest. This is hooliganism and blatant verbal violence.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli security forces announced on Wednesday that they had retrieved the remains of two people held captive in Gaza, among them was Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, who had been killed during the October 7 Hamas attack and taken into Gaza. The second victim has yet to be publicly identified, though the family has been notified. According to official estimates, 54 hostages are still being held by Hamas, with 20 of them believed to be alive.

Yair’s son, Or, who was also kidnapped during the attack and later released, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram. “Dad, I love you. I still don’t know how to react, I’m sad to say. I’m waiting for your funeral. I love you, I knew this day would come. Thank you to the IDF and Shin Bet forces for the recovery. I hope the rest of the hostages will be brought back with a deal so soldiers aren’t endangered.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation following the announcement, acknowledging the efforts of Israeli forces in recovering the two bodies. “In an operation carried out by the IDF and the Shin Bet in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages were returned to Israel — Yair Yaakov, of blessed memory, and another hostage whose name has not yet been cleared for publication (his family has been notified). Yair Yaakov was murdered and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Islamic Jihad on October 7, 2023. Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their most precious loved ones. I thank the soldiers and commanders for yet another successful execution of the sacred mission to bring our hostages home. We will not rest or be silent until we bring all our hostages home — both the living and the fallen,” he said.

Yair Yaakov, known as Yaya, lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz and was among those captured and slain during the deadly rampage of October 7. His life partner, Merav, and their sons Or (16) and Yagil (12) were also taken hostage that day but were later released as part of the November 2023 prisoner exchange.

On the morning of the massacre, Merav managed to alert relatives that armed terrorists had stormed their home. During the invasion, they opened fire, wounding Yair. The attackers recorded every moment — from their entry into the house to the abduction of the family. The footage reportedly shows the terrorists dragging the family from the floor, with Yair visibly injured and attempting to show them his wound. He was later separated from Merav and the boys. The house sustained heavy damage from the gunfire, marking a tragic chapter in an already devastating event.

{Matzav.com}