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The New York Yankees are facing backlash after reports surfaced that their fifth-round MLB draft pick, Core Jackson, was involved in a 2021 incident where he drew a swastika on the door of a Jewish student’s dorm room.

The incident, which occurred during Jackson’s freshman year at the University of Nebraska, has raised questions about the team’s decision to select him.

Jackson, now a shortstop from the University of Utah, told The Athletic that he had been “blackout drunk” and couldn’t remember the event. “I felt like the worst person in the world,” he said. Following the episode, the university fined him and assigned community service but did not suspend him from the baseball team.

Despite the controversy, the Yankees are defending their decision. According to The Athletic, Damon Oppenheimer, the team’s amateur scouting director, explained that they carried out the most comprehensive background check of his 23-year career before making the selection.

The choice to draft Jackson was signed off by team owner Hal Steinbrenner and was also backed by Jewish executives in the organization, including team president Randy Levine.

Jackson has signed a contract worth $147,500, significantly below the typical value for his draft position, and has already joined the Yankees’ High-A affiliate.

According to The Guardian, Jackson’s agent, Blake Corosky, initially considered ending their professional relationship but ultimately decided to keep representing him under two strict conditions. First, Jackson had to disclose the incident to every MLB team ahead of the 2024 draft. Second, he was required to work with Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Jacob Steinmetz, the first practicing Orthodox Jewish player ever drafted.

Raised in a Christian household, Jackson admitted he had very little understanding of Judaism or the symbolism of the swastika at the time. “That doesn’t excuse it,” he said, “But it shows how much I had to learn.”

Now, Jackson says he is focused on rebuilding his reputation and moving forward both personally and professionally. “I think it’s important that this is part of my story,” he said. “God has given me this platform, and I want to use it to show forgiveness and growth.”

{Matzav.com}

A Ukrainian citizen man suspected to be one of the coordinators of the undersea explosions in 2022 that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has been arrested, German prosecutors said Thursday. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested overnight by officers from a police station in Misano Adriatrico, near the Italian city of Rimini, federal prosecutors said. Explosions on Sept. 26, 2022, damaged the pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The damage added to tensions over the war in Ukraine as European countries moved to wean themselves off Russian energy sources, following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Investigators have been largely tightlipped on their investigation, but said two years ago they found traces of undersea explosives in samples taken from a yacht that was searched as part of the probe. In a statement Thursday, prosecutors said Serhii K. was one of a group of people who placed explosives on the pipelines and is believed to have been one of the coordinators. They said he is suspected of causing explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage and the destruction of structures. He was arrested on a European arrest warrant that was issued on Monday. The suspect and others used a yacht that set off from the German port of Rostock, which had been hired from a German company using forged IDs and with the help of intermediaries, prosecutors said. They didn’t give any information on the other people aboard the yacht or say anything about who else might have been involved in coordinating the suspected sabotage, or about a possible motive. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig praised what she called “a very impressive investigative success.” She said in a statement that the explosions must be cleared up, “so it is good that we are making progress.” The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia’s main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies at the end of August 2022. They also damaged the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never entered service because Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in February of that year. Russia has accused the U.S. of staging the explosions, a charge Washington has denied. The pipelines were long a target of criticism by the U.S. and some of its allies, who warned that they posed a risk to Europe’s energy security by increasing dependence on Russian gas. In 2023, German media reported that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in the sabotage. Ukraine rejected suggestions it might have ordered the attack and German officials voiced caution over the accusation. German prosecutors didn’t say when they expect Serhii K. to be handed over to German authorities. Swedish and Danish authorities closed their investigations in February 2024, leaving the German prosecutors’ case as the sole probe. (AP)

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The United States and the European Union on Thursday issued a joint statement that frames the ongoing deal between the trading partners and solidifies some trade commitments. “This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship — one of the largest in the world — on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies’ reindustrialization,” the document reads. Together, the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. Key points in the letter include a 15% U.S. tariff rate on most European goods, with specifics on auto tariffs tied to EU legislative actions. In addition, the EU agrees to eliminate tariffs on industrial goods and many agricultural products, while the U.S. will reduce tariffs accordingly. The agreement also covers $750 billion in energy purchases and $600 billion in EU investments by 2028. The agreement also addresses non-tariff barriers, digital trade and environmental regulations. In July, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland and announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. Before the Republican U.S. president returned to office for his second term, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with about $2 trillion, around 1.7 trillion euros, in annual trade. (AP)

A letter of semicha for ‘chaver’ signed by Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, Av Beis Din of Prague, and the members of his Beis Din, from the earliest days of the Noda BiYehuda’s tenure in Prague. The Noda BiYehuda began serving in the rabbinate of Prague at the start of 1755, and this document is from the end of 1756. This certificate was given to a student of the Prague Yeshiva, Reb Dovid son of Reb Isaac Bindlesh, on the 28th of Tammuz 1756.

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A letter of semicha for ‘chaver’ signed by Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, Av Beis Din of Prague, and the members of his Beis Din, from the earliest days of the Noda BiYehuda’s tenure in Prague. The Noda BiYehuda began serving in the rabbinate of Prague at the start of 1755, and this document is from the end of 1756. This certificate was given to a student of the Prague Yeshiva, Reb Dovid son of Reb Isaac Bindlesh, on the 28th of Tammuz 1756.

A huge neis occurred on Thursday morning when a terrorist opened fire at several Jewish farmers riding a tractor near Shilo, in Binyamin, but his gun jammed after shooting one bullet that missed the target. The terrorist then ran toward the Jews and tried to physical assault them they managed to fend him off via the fortified Ranger [tractor] they were driving, which was recently provided to Jewish farmers in the area as a protective measure from the Ministry of Settlement and the Settlement Division. During the scuffle, one of the Jews, 20, was lightly wounded in his head. He was treated at the scene and evacuated to the hospital for treatment. The incident occurred between the yishuvim of Adi Ad and Malachei HaShalom, an area where there have been quite a few attacks in the past. IDF forces arrived at the scene and launched a manhunt. “IDF forces are currently surrounding the village of Al-Mu’ghayir and other villages and conducting a manhunt for the terrorist,” the IDF spokesperson said. The head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Yisrael Ganz, said: “This was a planned ambush that ended in a neis. We salute the security forces and the heroic farmers who operate in Binyamin. The farmer’s Ranger he was driving was provided just a few weeks ago by the Settlement Division and has already saved lives.” “The farmers have proven again how important their presence is in the open areas between the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem and that they are protecting the lands of our country. This is further proof that we must now complete the mission and apply sovereignty over all of Yehuda and Shomron.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

An 18-year-old bochur from Monsey is in critical condition after suffering a severe electrical incident at a camp in Kerhonkson, NY. Catskills Hatzalah Paramedics arrived on the scene and found him in cardiac arrest. Paramedics b”h managed to get his pulse back and rushed the young bochur to a hospital in Poughkeepsie, where doctors were working to stabilize his condition before transferring him to Westchester Medical Center for further treatment. The bochur’s name for Tehillim is Yosef Yehoshua ben Frumit Baila. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others. The notices went out this week and many people have not yet received them, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 2,000 dues-paying members at CDC. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday did not offer details on the layoffs and referred an AP reporter to a March statement that said restructuring and downsizing were intended to make health agencies more responsive and efficient. AFGE officials said they are aware of at least 600 CDC employees being cut. But “due to a staggering lack of transparency from HHS,” the union hasn’t received formal notices of who is being laid off,” the federation said in a statement on Wednesday. The permanent cuts include about 100 people who worked in violence prevention. Some employees noted those cuts come less than two weeks after a man fired at least 180 bullets into the CDC’s campus and killed a police officer. “The irony is devastating: The very experts trained to understand, interrupt and prevent this kind of violence were among those whose jobs were eliminated,” some of the affected employees wrote in a blog post last week. On April 1, the HHS officials sent layoff notices to thousands of employees at the CDC and other federal health agencies, part of a sweeping overhaul designed to vastly shrink the agencies responsible for protecting and promoting Americans’ health. Many have been on administrative leave since then — paid but not allowed to work — as lawsuits played out. A federal judge in Rhode Island last week issued a preliminary ruling that protected employees in several parts of the CDC, including groups dealing with smoking, reproductive health, environmental health, workplace safety, birth defects and sexually transmitted diseases. But the ruling did not protect other CDC employees, and layoffs are being finalized across other parts of the agency, including in the freedom of information office. The terminations were effective as of Monday, employees were told. Affected projects included work to prevent rape, child abuse and teen dating violence. The laid-off staff included people who have helped other countries to track violence against children — an effort that helped give rise to an international conference in November at which countries talked about setting violence-reduction goals. “There are nationally and internationally recognized experts that will be impossible to replace,” said Tom Simon, the retired senior director for scientific programs at the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention. (AP)

Massive protests organized by the Peleg Yerushalmi brought traffic to a standstill for nearly two hours on Wednesday evening, following a wave of arrests targeting yeshiva students who refused to report to the draft offices.

The demonstrations took place simultaneously at three central junctions, causing chaos across the country’s main highways.

The large-scale disruption was made possible thanks to a clever deception maneuver. Organizers announced in advance that the main protest would take place outside Prison 10, near Beit Lid, where several detainees are being held. Police forces were deployed heavily in that area to prepare for clashes. However, at the last moment, buses carrying the demonstrators stopped several miles before the declared “target,” unloading hundreds of protesters directly onto key intersections on Highway 2, Highway 4, and Highway 6, effectively shutting them down.

The demonstrations, which began around 6:00 p.m., quickly escalated into tense confrontations between protesters and frustrated drivers caught in the massive traffic jams. In several locations, angry motorists exited their vehicles and physically confronted demonstrators blocking the roads.

At one protest site, the situation nearly turned deadly when a driver attempted to ram into a group of protesters. Several demonstrators jumped onto the vehicle, and one of them clung to the roof as the driver continued driving forward before eventually stopping.

While opposition politicians condemned the Peleg Yerushalmi protests and called on demonstrators to enlist in the army, Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Chanoch Milvitzky shifted the focus toward what he called blatant double standards.

Posting on X, Milvitzky wrote in Hebrew: “The hatred of chareidim being fueled by left-wing politicians is achieving its goal. People now feel free to get out of their cars and physically assault chareidi demonstrators who are blocking the roads. They would never dare behave this way toward left-wing protesters who regularly disrupt our daily lives. It is expected of the police to bring the attackers to justice and put an end to this madness.”

His remarks sparked debate online, with many in the chareidi community accusing authorities and the media of applying one set of rules for left-wing demonstrators and a different one for protests led by religious groups.

The protests came in response to recent arrests by the military police of yeshiva students and avreichim who failed to appear at draft offices. Some of the detainees are currently being held in Prison 10, located near the area where police had anticipated the main demonstration.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Hundreds of Chassidim gathered again last night outside Prison 10 for a large-scale demonstration against the arrest and incarceration of yeshiva students and avreichim in the military prison. The protest, which has been taking place nightly in recent weeks, drew participants from multiple Chassidishe communities.

Last night’s demonstration was led by Rav Dovid Alter, son of the Gerer Rebbe, who joined alongside many rabbonim. The protesters voiced strong opposition to what they describe as the ongoing persecution of lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel.

The campaign is organized by an apolitical action committee representing major Chassidishe groups, including Ger and Vizhnitz, and has become one of the most significant protest movements in recent months.

Four Avreichim Still Held in Military Prison

According to organizers, four yeshivaleit remain imprisoned for refusing IDF service:

• Rafael Yitzchakov, talmid at Yeshivas Meoros HaTorah
• Elazar Kaufman
• Dovid Menachem Mintzberg
• Dov Aryeh Mordechai Rabinowitz

At the same time, several others have recently been released. Roi Helman, a talmid of Yeshivas Etz Chaim in Yerushalayim, was freed yesterday following an appeal.

Meir Yona of Yeshivas Be’er Yehuda was released on Motzaei Shabbos, and Baruch Yitzchakov, also from Meoros HaTorah, gained his freedom earlier this week and visited leading Sephardic gedolim upon his release.

Despite these developments, dozens of attempted arrests of yeshiva students and avreichim have reportedly taken place late at night in their homes, with new detentions attempted again this week.

The demonstration outside Prison 10 was attended by Chassidim from Ger, Vizhnitz, Bobov, Dzhikov, and Strikov, along with Rav Yitzchak Moshe Erlanger, the renowned mashpia.

{Matzav.com}

TEHILLIM: An 18-year-old is in critical condition following an electrical incident at a camp in Kerhonkson. Catskills Hatzolah transported the victim to a hospital in Poughkeepsie. Updates will follow, and Catskills Scoop will provide the name for Tehillim once available.

VP VANCE: “You’ve got to stop putting the interests of foreigners who don’t have the right to be here over the interests of American citizens. That is the entire point and purpose of the Democrat Party.”

VP Vance on the upcoming Midterms: “Take nothing for granted…Democrats are still trying to register illegal aliens. They still explicitly say that they want illegal aliens to vote in federal elections.”

JD Vance dismissed a Wall Street Journal report claiming Elon Musk might back him in 2028, calling it “completely fake” and insisting he has never discussed 2028 with Musk or any other donor.

Vice President Vance says it would be a ‘huge mistake’ for Elon Musk to proceed with relying on a third party.

VP VANCE: on possible pathways to peace in Ukraine: “No matter what form this takes, the Europeans are going to have to take the lion’s share of the burden. It’s their continent, it’s their security, and the President has been very clear they’re going to have to step up.”

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VP VANCE: “The President says, ‘We’ve had a pretty good meeting. I’m going to go call Vladimir Putin and see what he says about it.’ Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to call him next week?” And he’s like, ‘What time is it in Moscow? Let’s call him right now.'”