As severe storms once again soak, twist and pelt the nation’s midsection, a team of dozens of scientists is driving into them to study one of the nation’s costliest but least-appreciated weather dangers: Hail. Hail rarely kills, but it hammers roofs, cars and crops to the tune of $10 billion a year in damage in the U.S. So in one of the few federally funded science studies remaining after Trump administration cuts, teams from several universities are observing storms from the inside and seeing how the hail forms. Project ICECHIP has already collected and dissected hail the size of small cantaloupes, along with ice balls of all sizes and shapes. Scientists in two hail-dimpled vehicles with special mesh protecting the windshields are driving straight into the heart of the storms, an area known as the “shaft” where the hail pelting is the most intense. It’s a first-of-its-kind icy twist on tornado chasing. “It’s an interesting experience. It sounds like somebody on the outside of your vehicle is hitting you with a hammer,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini, one of the lead researchers. A team of journalists from The Associated Press joined them this week in a several-day trek across the Great Plains, starting Tuesday morning in northern Texas with a weather briefing before joining a caravan of scientists and students looking for ice. Driving toward the most extreme forecasts The caravan features more than a dozen radar trucks and weather balloon launching vehicles. At each site, the scientists load and unload drones, lasers and cameras and other specialized equipment. There are foam pads to measure hail impact and experimental roofing material. There are even special person-sized funnels to collect pristine hail before it hits the ground and becomes tainted with dirt. Already in treks across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the team has found hail measuring more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) in diameter — bigger than a softball, but not quite a soccer ball. The team’s equipment and vehicles already sport dings, dimples and dents that scientists show off like battle scars. “We got a few good whacks,” said forensic engineer Tim Marshall, who was carrying roofing samples to see if there were ways shingles could better handle hail. “I look at broken, busted stuff all the time.” At Tuesday’s weather briefing, retired National Weather Service forecaster David Imy pointed to potential hot spots this week in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Computer models show the potential for a “monster storm down here near the Red River” later in the week, he said. Acting on the latest forecasts, Gensini and other leaders told the team to head to Altus, Oklahoma, but be ready to cross the Red River back into Texas at a moment’s notice. A few hours after his briefing, Imy had the opportunity to chase one of the bigger storms, packing what radar showed was large hail at 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) in the air. Because of the warm air closer to the surface, the hail was only pea sized by the time it hit the ground. But the outing still provided good data and beautiful views for Imy, who was with a group that stationed themselves about a half-mile from the center of the storm. “Beautiful colors: turquoise, bluish green, teal,” Imy said, pointing to the mushroom shaped cloud dominating the sky. “This is […]
A federal court intervened on Wednesday to block the planned deportation of Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s wife and children following his arrest in connection with Sunday’s firebomb assault targeting Jews in Boulder, Colorado, according to The Associated Press.
Judge Gordon P. Gallagher of the US District Court approved an emergency request to pause deportation procedures against Soliman’s family, who were taken into custody by immigration enforcement officials on Tuesday.
The individuals include Soliman’s spouse, his 18-year-old daughter, and four younger children. All of them are Egyptian nationals and have not been implicated in the criminal act. Soliman, 45, is currently facing both federal hate crime allegations and attempted murder charges under state law.
Law enforcement officials said Soliman had initially intended to murder roughly 20 people at a rally held on the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but instead ended up hurling only two of the 18 Molotov cocktails he had prepared, all while shouting “Free Palestine,” as noted by police.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Soliman’s family had been detained, saying, “We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it.”
Court filings state that Soliman insisted to investigators that his relatives had no knowledge of what he was planning and did not assist him in any way.
According to an affidavit from the FBI, Soliman allegedly confessed that his motive was “to kill all Zionist people” and that he showed no remorse for his actions. The incident took place amid a rising wave of antisemitic attacks throughout the United States.
Records show Soliman first entered the country in August 2022 on a tourist visa, which expired in February 2023. He submitted an asylum application the following month and was granted work authorization in March of that year, which has since lapsed.
He is being held on a $10 million cash-only bail and is due to appear before a state judge on Thursday.
{Matzav.com}
Federal prosecutors charged two Chinese researchers on Tuesday with smuggling a crop-killing fungus into the U.S. last summer — charges that come amid heightened political tensions between the two countries and as the Trump administration moves to revoke visas from visiting Chinese students. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud for allegedly bringing the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. Jian, 33, was booked in a Detroit federal court. Liu, 34, is thought to be in China. According to the FBI, Liu had small baggies of the fungus stashed in his backpack when he flew to the U.S. last year and, after claiming ignorance about the plant material inside them, said he was planning to use it for research at a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked and where Liu previously worked. What is Fusarium head blight? Fusarium graminearum causes a disease called Fusarium head blight that can wipe out cereal crops such as wheat, barley and maize and rice — it inflicts $1 billion in losses annually on U.S. wheat and barley crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It isn’t the only fungus to cause Fusarium head blight, but it’s the most common culprit in the U.S. The fungus infects plants early in the growing season, shriveling wheat grains and blanching crop heads a whitish-tan color. It also causes a toxin to accumulate in wheat kernels that can make them unsafe for people and livestock to eat. Nicknamed “vomitoxin” because it’s most known for causing livestock to throw up, it can also cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and fever in animals and people. Wheat and other grain crops are screened for various toxins, including Fusarium graminearum, before they can be used to feed animals and humans. Farmers have to throw out any infected grains, which can cause devastating losses. “It’s one of the many problems that farmers have to deal with that risks their livelihood,” said David Geiser, a Fusarium expert at Penn State. What are the accusations? Although Jian and Liu are accused of smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the country, the fungus is already prevalent in the U.S. — particularly in the east and Upper Midwest — and scientists have been studying it for decades. Researchers often bring foreign plants, animals and even strains of fungi to the U.S. to study them, but they must file certain permits before moving anything across state or national borders. Studying the genes of a foreign fungus strain, for example, can help scientists learn how it tolerates heat, resists pesticides or mutates. “We look at variations among individuals just like we do humans,” said Nicole Gauthier, a plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky who studies Fusarium. That said, it’s unclear why the Chinese researchers might have wanted to bring that strain of Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. and why they didn’t fill out the proper paperwork to do so. (AP)
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In a bombshell revelation aired Wednesday evening on Channel 13’s flagship news broadcast, recordings of an extraordinary English-language conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, have surfaced. The lengthy dialogue, believed to have been recorded ahead of last March’s state budget vote, captures Netanyahu unequivocally committing to advance the Chareidi draft law while admitting to ousting former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi due to their stances, which he claims obstructed progress on this critical issue. “We need to save not only the State of Israel but also the world of Torah,” Netanyahu began, setting the tone for the conversation. “To do that, we need time to pass the law properly, in a way that cannot be challenged. And I’m going to do it.” Explaining the removal of senior defense officials, he added, “We had tremendous obstacles that we removed. You know, when the Defense Minister is against you, and the Chief of Staff is against you, you cannot move forward. Now we can move forward.” Netanyahu emphasized his personal investment in the matter, telling Rav Hirsch, “I spoke personally about 20 times with Yuli Edelstein, who chairs the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. I told him—I’m personally taking command and responsibility for this. I want you to hold more discussions—and he started doing it.” With the leadership changes in place, he asserted, “We can now move forward with more confidence and more professionalism.” The Prime Minister also shared updates on IDF initiatives to establish dedicated tracks for Chareidim, ensuring their Torah identity remains intact. “The army is doing exactly what we asked. They’re creating the ability to absorb Chareidim while maintaining a Chareidi lifestyle in the army. It’s amazing what’s being done. So people enter Chareidi and leave Chareidi. We don’t want them to enter Chareidi and leave secular—that’s not what we want. We want every Torah-observant person to leave as Torah-observant, as part of the Torah world. And we can do that; it’s not a problem.” Netanyahu urged Rav Hirsch to understand the need for additional time, clarifying he never promised the law would be finalized by Shavuos but rather targeted Rosh Hashanah. “I think that’s an appropriate time, enough time. If you know the Knesset’s legislative processes like I do, you know they have ways to slow us down. I’m taking the time to not let them sabotage it. Because no matter how much they try to delay us, there’s a limit to what they can do. But we can’t do this at breakneck speed, because then we’re handing our opponents a gift on a silver platter. Why give them that?” He estimated the delay at “about eight weeks,” adding, “Maybe we’ll get lucky, maybe we can speed it up—that’s what I’d love to do—but we might face obstacles. So I don’t want to be tied to a deadline I promised you that I can’t keep.” Seeking Rav Hirsch’s cooperation to prevent a government crisis, Netanyahu warned of the consequences of a collapse: “There are two things here. One is the legislative process—in the legislative process, we cannot fall. We don’t need to fall, and there’s no reason to fall. We can pass this. What they want to do, the opponents, those on the left—they’re just trying […]
In a pointed message, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik, rosh yeshiva of the Brisk Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, addressed a group of new talmidim and urged them to refrain from davening in the shtieblach of Zichron Moshe, warning that doing so often leads to bitul zman (wasted time).
The remarks came as the yeshiva celebrated the inauguration of its new building on Shavuos, as previously reported here. The upper-floor beis medrash in the new structure was fully prepared for use ahead of Yom Tov, outfitted with a aron kodesh, bimah, and a beautifully crafted amud, with seating for approximately 350 talmidim.
On Motzoei Shabbos, Erev Shavuos, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua held a special gathering for the new talmidim of the yeshiva. There, he announced the establishment of a third official minyan for Yom Tov davening, in addition to the two existing minyanim that have been held for the past several years.
The first minyan is led by Rav Avrohom Yehoshua himself. The second is led by his brother, Rav Moshe Soloveitchik. The newly announced third minyan will take place in the new beis medrash, under the leadership of Rav Avrohom Yehoshua’s eldest son, Rav Mordechai Yaakov Soloveitchik.
In his remarks, the rosh yeshiva emphasized that all new talmidim should participate in the davening held in the new building, and spoke sharply against the practice of those heading to nearby Zichron Moshe to daven. “Davening at Zichron Moshe,” he said, “often leads to bitul,” especially during late-night hours, when some boys go there in place of regular yeshiva sedorim.
He concluded by instituting a new policy: beginning immediately, all tefillos will take place in the two new batei medrash, including a daily second Shacharis minyan and a Maariv after night seder.
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Matzav.com Israel}
Just days after the IDF revealed it had quietly used a laser defense system to down dozens of Hezbollah drones over northern Israel last year, defense giant Rafael has pulled back the curtain even further — unveiling a next-generation family of laser weapons poised to revolutionize the battlefield. At the heart of the showcase is the Iron Beam 450, an upgraded version of Israel’s first operational laser air defense system, slated for delivery to the IDF by the end of 2025. Billed as the most advanced high-energy laser system in the world, the Iron Beam 450 can take down drones, rockets, and other airborne threats from up to 10 kilometers away — silently and at a fraction of the cost of traditional missile interceptors. “This is a game-changer,” Rafael officials declared ahead of the Paris Air Show, where the new systems will debut. “With speed-of-light neutralization, nearly zero cost per shot, and deep coverage, the Iron Beam complements — not replaces — Israel’s existing air defense network.” The laser weapon is designed to work alongside missile-based systems like Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, taking out smaller threats and conserving missiles for larger targets. And as long as the system has a power source, it never runs out of ammunition — a critical edge in protracted conflicts. The company also unveiled: Iron Beam M: A mobile, truck-mounted variant for battlefield flexibility and defense of strategic sites. Lite Beam: A lower-powered version small enough to be mounted on armored vehicles, giving ground troops an edge against drone threats during operations. A maritime version: Currently under development, designed to protect naval assets at sea. These advancements come after the IDF disclosed that a laser system operated by its revived 946th Air Defense Battalion had intercepted roughly 35 Hezbollah drones during last year’s clashes in the north. That system, a less powerful predecessor of Iron Beam, marked Israel’s first known operational use of laser weapons in active combat. The only catch? Like all laser systems, performance drops significantly in poor weather — cloud cover, fog, or heavy rain can disrupt the beam. Still, in favorable conditions, it promises a level of sustained defense few adversaries are prepared to counter. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Archaeologists in Virginia were excavating the grounds of a building that stored gunpowder during the American Revolution when they uncovered the eye sockets of a human skull. The team carefully unearthed four skeletons, including one with a bullet in the spine, and three amputated legs. They quickly surmised the bones were actually from the Civil War, when a makeshift hospital operated nearby and treated gravely wounded Confederate soldiers. The archaeologists work at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a museum that owns the land and focuses on the city’s 18th century history. They’re now trying to identify human remains from the 19th century, a rare endeavor that will include searching for living descendants and requesting swabs of DNA. The museum has recovered enough genetic material from the men’s teeth for possible matches. But the prospect of identifying them emerged only after the team located handwritten lists in an archive that name the soldiers in that hospital. “It is the key,” said Jack Gary, Colonial Williamsburg’s executive director of archaeology. “If these men were found in a mass grave on a battlefield, and there was no other information, we probably wouldn’t be trying to do this.” The archaeologists have narrowed the possible identities to four men who served in regiments from Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia. The museum is withholding the names as the work continues. Meanwhile, the remains were reinterred Tuesday at a Williamsburg cemetery where Confederate soldiers from the same battle are buried. “Everyone deserves dignity in death,” Gary said. “And being stored in a drawer inside a laboratory does not do that.” ‘Shockingly costly for both sides’ The soldiers fought in the Battle of Williamsburg, a bloody engagement on May 5, 1862. The fighting was part of the Peninsula Campaign, a major Union offensive that tried to end the war quickly. The campaign’s failure that summer, stalling outside the Confederate capital of Richmond, informed President Abraham Lincoln’s decision to end slavery. In his first inaugural address, Lincoln said he intended to reunite the nation with slavery intact in the Southern states, while halting its westward expansion, said Timothy Orr, a military historian and professor at Old Dominion University. But Lincoln realized after the campaign that he needed a more radical approach, Orr said. And while the president faced political pressure for emancipation, freeing people who were enslaved served as “another weapon to defeat the Confederacy.” “He becomes convinced that slavery is feeding the Confederate war effort,” Orr said. “It had to be taken away.” Bigger and bloodier battles followed Williamsburg, Orr said, but it was “shockingly costly for both sides.” Roughly 14,600 Union soldiers fought about 12,500 Confederates, Carol Kettenburg Dubbs wrote in her 2002 book, “Defend This Old Town.” The number of Union killed, wounded, captured or missing was 2,283. The Confederate figure was 1,870. The fighting moved north, while a Union brigade occupied the southern city. Confederate soldiers too wounded for travel were placed in homes and a church, which was converted into a hospital. A surgeon from New York treated them, while local women visited the church, Dubbs wrote. One woman noted in her diary on May 26 that there were “only 18 out of 61 left.” Their arms were crossed When the remains were discovered in 2023, they were aligned east-west in the Christian tradition, […]
In a joint operation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police, a resident of the Issawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem was recently arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence operatives, officials announced Tuesday. According to the investigation, the suspect — in his 30s — was recruited by Iranian agents after expressing a willingness to undertake assignments in exchange for money and out of a stated hatred for Jews. He reportedly told interrogators that he “hated Jews and wanted to murder Jews and die as a martyr (shahid).” The Shin Bet revealed that the suspect had agreed to carry out a terrorist attack in central Israel and had also attempted to enlist his family members, including his mother, to carry out additional missions within Israeli territory. Authorities say the suspect was paid to complete a range of tasks. Among them: hanging posters above the Naomi Shemer Tunnel with the message, “Bibi is a dictator — we are not wild weeds. Ronen Bar, we support you,” for which he received thousands of shekels. He also allegedly collected intelligence on key sites in Jerusalem, including the Kosel, the Machane Yehuda Shuk, and the city center, earning several hundred shekels for each mission. Further activities included burning IDF uniforms and photographing supermarket prices in Jerusalem. He also put up signs and gathered additional intelligence on sites across the city. Security officials said the suspect had been tasked with even more serious acts — which were thwarted by his arrest — including carrying out a terrorist attack in central Israel with the explicit goal of murdering Jews. He was also allegedly offered thousands of shekels to ignite a forest fire and was instructed to transfer weapons, including firearms, to Palestinian territories. During a search of his home, police uncovered cash payments tied to the Iranian-directed missions, spray paint used for graffiti, two Airsoft pistols, and a substance suspected to be narcotics. With the conclusion of the investigation, prosecutors issued a formal statement of intent to indict, and the suspect’s detention has been extended. The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office is expected to file serious security-related charges against him. This case is part of a growing pattern of Iranian efforts to recruit Israeli citizens and residents to carry out terrorist activities within Israel. In recent months, several similar spy networks have been uncovered — including a cell of seven East Jerusalem residents who allegedly planned to assassinate a nuclear scientist and a mayor, and a group of Azerbaijani-born Israeli citizens who were collecting intelligence on military facilities. Security officials stressed that Iran continues to target Israeli civilians and residents for terror recruitment and vowed to pursue all those involved with full force. “Israeli security services will continue to act decisively to foil such threats and bring anyone involved in these operations to justice,” the joint statement said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
ICE announced they’ve arrested a Tajikistan-born suspected Al Qaeda member who was previously released into the U.S. by the Biden administration in March 2023. ICE found & arrested him in Philadelphia.
Colorado federal judge Gordon Gallagher, a Biden appointee, has issued an order blocking the Trump administration from deporting the wife and five children of Boulder terror suspect Mohamed Soliman.
The FBI has announced the arrest of ‘anti-pro-life’ man linked to bombing at California fertility clinic last month.
In a series of bombshell recordings aired for the first time Wednesday evening on Channel 13, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is heard speaking in English with Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, pleading for more time to pass the chareidi draft law. Netanyahu tells Rav Hirsch that the reason he removed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was because they stood in the way of the legislation.
“We need to save not just the State of Israel, but also the Torah world,” Netanyahu is heard saying in the recording. “That is what I strongly believe in. With G-d’s help, that’s what we’ll do. In order to do it, we need time to pass the law properly, so it can’t be challenged.”
The recordings were obtained and broadcast by journalist Lior Keinan, revealing Netanyahu’s direct appeal to Rav Hirsch in a private meeting held in March. Speaking candidly, Netanyahu acknowledged that internal opposition had prevented the government from advancing the law—until now.
“We had massive roadblocks which we removed,” Netanyahu said. “You know, when the Defense Minister is against you and the Chief of Staff is against you, you can’t move forward. Now we can move forward.”
LISTEN:
Gallant responded publicly to the recordings Wednesday night, saying simply, “I am proud of my position.”
Netanyahu, in the leaked conversation, also described his personal involvement in pushing the legislation forward. “I personally spoke about 20 times with Yuli Edelstein, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” he said. “I told him I’m taking command of this. I want you to hold more discussions—and he began doing so.”
He added, “Look, there are people who are trying to sabotage our efforts. I just came from the army—right now the army is doing exactly what we asked them to do. They’re creating frameworks, they’re building pathways for chareidim to serve in the army while maintaining a chareidi lifestyle. It’s incredible what’s being done.”
“Our goal is that those who enter as chareidim should leave as chareidim. We don’t want them coming in religious and leaving secular. And the only reason this is possible now is because we replaced the Chief of Staff and the Defense Minister who were blocking it for a long time. Now we can move ahead more professionally and more confidently.”
During the conversation, Netanyahu also pushed back against the idea of setting a rushed timeline for the law, warning that it could backfire.
“I’m saying that setting too quick a deadline will slow the process down,” he told Rav Hirsch. “I think Rosh Hashanah is a good time—enough time.”
“If you know the legislative process in the Knesset like I do,” he added, “you know they have ways to slow us down. I’m taking my time. We can’t do it at breakneck speed, because then we hand our opponents a gift on a silver platter.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth has nominated the current Deputy Commander of CENTCOM, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper to serve as the next Head of CENTCOM, replacing General Michael Kurilla. Additionally, Lieutenant General Dagvin Anderson, the Director for Joint Force Development, will serve as the Commander of AFRICOM, replacing General Michael E. Langley.
IDF officials have decided that Greta Thunberg’s “Aid ship” will not be allowed even close to Gaza.
The number of newborns in Japan is decreasing faster than projected, with the number of annual births falling to a record low last year, according to government data released Wednesday. The Health Ministry said 686,061 babies were born in Japan in 2024, a drop of 5.7% on the previous year and the first time the number of newborns had fallen below 700,000 since records began in 1899. The decline comes about 15 years faster than the government prediction. Last year’s figure is about one-quarter of the peak of 2.7 million births in 1949 during the postwar baby boom. The data in a country of rapidly aging and shrinking population adds to concern about the sustainability of the economy and national security at a time it seeks to increase defense spending. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described the situation as “a silent emergency” and has promised to promote more flexible working environment and other measures that would help married couples to balance work and parenting, especially in rural areas where family values tend to be more conservative and harder on women. The Health Ministry’s latest data showed that Japan’s fertility rate — the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime — also fell to a new low of 1.15 in 2024, from 1.2 a year earlier. The number of marriage was slightly up, to 485,063 couples, but the downtrend since the 1970s remains unchanged. Experts say the government measures have not addressed a growing number of young people reluctant to marry, while focusing largely on couples already married and plan to have or already had children. The younger generation are increasingly reluctant to marry or have children due to bleak job prospects, a high cost of living and a gender-biased corporate culture that adds extra burden only on women and working mothers, experts say. A growing number of women also cite pressure to change their surnames to that of their husband as part of their reluctance to marry. Under a civil law, couples must choose either surname to legally marry, a rule traditionally has caused women to abandon their maiden names. Japan’s population of about 124 million people is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070, by when 40% of the population will be over 65. (AP)
If elections were held in Israel today, the parties supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would only garner 48 seats—far below the 60-seat majority needed to form a coalition, according to a new Channel 12 poll. Conversely, a bloc led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, comprising opposition parties including his newly registered party, would secure a commanding 72 seats. The poll indicates that without including Arab-majority parties Hadash Ta’al or Ra’am, the opposition bloc would still reach 62 seats, surpassing the threshold for forming a government. The timing of the poll comes amid political turbulence, notably after the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) faction, led by the spiritual head of Degel Hatorah, instructed their MKs to introduce legislation to dissolve the Knesset. This move was prompted by the coalition’s failure to pass a law exempting yeshiva students from military service. According to the poll, the two largest parties in the Knesset would be Bennett’s party with 24 seats and Likud led by Netanyahu with 22 seats. The remaining seats would be distributed as follows: Democratic Union 12, Shas 10, Yisrael Beytenu 10, Yesh Atid 9, Otzma Yehudit 8, UTJ 8, National Unity 7, Hadash-Ta’al 5, and Ra’am 5. The Religious Zionism and Balad parties would not cross the electoral threshold in this scenario. Regarding UTJ’s threats to dissolve the coalition over IDF conscription laws, the poll also queried public opinion on whether ultra-Orthodox parties should be part of future governments. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they would prefer they not be included, while 33% supported their participation, and 12% were undecided. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A new survey conducted by Channel 12 reveals that if national elections were held in Israel today, the coalition currently led by Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would only secure 48 Knesset seats—well below the 60 seats needed to maintain power.
The poll shows that opposition parties, led by Naftali Bennett under the banner of his newly established political party, would garner 72 seats. Even without the backing of Arab-majority factions Chadash-Ta’al and Ra’am, Bennett’s alliance would still cross the majority threshold with 62 seats.
This survey was conducted in the wake of a dramatic announcement by the spiritual leader of Degel HaTorah, a constituent of the chareidi United Torah Judaism party, who called on party lawmakers to submit legislation to disband the Knesset over the coalition’s failure to enact draft exemptions for yeshiva students.
According to the poll results, Bennett’s party would take the lead with 24 seats, placing it ahead of Likud, which would obtain 22 seats.
The remaining seats in the 120-member Knesset would be distributed as follows: the Democrats would win 12 seats; Shas and Yisrael Beytenu would each claim 10; Yesh Atid would hold 9; Otzma Yehudit and UTJ would each receive 8; National Unity would have 7; and both Chadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would take 5 apiece.
Neither Religious Zionism nor Balad would pass the electoral threshold to enter the Knesset.
Given the rising tensions surrounding conscription laws and UTJ’s threats to collapse the coalition, Channel 12 also asked participants whether they supported the inclusion of chareidi parties in any future government.
Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they did not want the ultra-Orthodox factions in the next coalition. Thirty-three percent expressed support for their participation, while 12 percent were undecided.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including in states that are battling outbreaks this year. A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week, illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. “When you look at the state level or national level … you really don’t see those drastic drops. Those are there. They’re real and they’re really problematic,” said Lauren Gardner, an expert in infectious disease modeling at Johns Hopkins University who is the paper’s senior author. Gardner also built the university’s COVID-19 database. Most of the measles cases in the U.S. this year — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated people. It has been spreading among communities due to international and domestic travel. Three people have died from measles during this year’s outbreaks, and 2025 is inching closer to becoming the worst for measles in more than three decades. Measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, and the vaccine is safe and highly effective. Public schools nationwide require two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine before kindergarten, but the number of children with non-medical exemptions from those requirements hit an all-time high in the 2023-2024 school year. Health experts say community-level vaccination needs to be at 95% or higher to prevent outbreaks. The Johns Hopkins study looked at 2,066 counties across 33 states, comparing kindergarten vaccination rates averaged over school years from 2017-2020 to averages from 2022-2024. Where kindergarten data wasn’t available, the researchers used a comparable rate. Here’s what it looks like in counties where there have been outbreaks this year, including in Texas counties that are the epicenter of measles. Texas Texas has logged 742 measles cases since late January, most in West Texas. Gaines County has 411 cases, the most in the state. Almost 2% of its population got measles. While the county saw a two percentage-point increase in vaccination rates after the pandemic, its 82.4% rate remains below herd immunity. Terry County (60 cases) and Yoakum County (20 cases) dropped below the 95% threshold for herd immunity after the pandemic, to 93.7% and 91.8% respectively. Lubbock County — which has seen 53 cases and is the closest metro area to Gaines County — was just below 95% before the pandemic, but dropped three percentage points after to 91.8%. El Paso County on the border of Mexico has had the third-most measles cases in Texas this year with 57. Its vaccination rate is higher than 95% but saw a 2.1 percentage-point decline to 96.5%. Kansas Counties with outbreaks in Kansas include Gray with 25 cases, Haskell with 11 and and Stevens with seven. Vaccination rates in Gray County dropped 23 percentage points after the pandemic, from 94% to 71%. Haskell County dropped 18 percentage points to 65%. And Stevens County dropped 0.5 percentage points to 90.5%. Colorado Colorado’s outbreak, which is linked to an international flight that landed at the Denver airport in mid-May, involves six cases: five in state residents and one out-of-state traveler. Two people who got measles live in Arapahoe County in the Denver metro, where the vaccination rate dropped 3.5 percentage points to 88.4%. Three others live in El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, where the vaccination rate dropped 3.8 percentage […]
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