Bill Gates has outlined how he plans to distribute the $200 billion he’s committed to giving away, announcing that a significant portion of those funds will be directed toward Africa.
Speaking at the African Union’s Nelson Mandela Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Gates shared that his long-term philanthropic focus would be Africa. He had already spoken earlier this month on “CBS Mornings” about his pledge to donate most of his wealth, emphasizing that his goal is to back initiatives that save lives and enhance living conditions around the world.
“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,” Gates said Monday, according to a statement from the Gates Foundation.
He explained that his decision to part with the bulk of his fortune was deeply influenced by Andrew Carnegie’s 1889 essay The Gospel of Wealth, particularly the line: “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” Gates, whose net worth is currently estimated at $108 billion, expects that amount to diminish by 99% over the next two decades as he follows through on his philanthropic plans.
During his remarks on Monday, Gates highlighted that much of the financial support would be directed to collaborative efforts with governments that place importance on public health and quality of life.
“By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity — and that path is an exciting thing to be part of,” Gates said. His speech reached a wide audience, including over 12,000 attendees ranging from diplomats and government officials to healthcare workers and young leaders, both virtually and on-site.
Gates’ announcement comes at a time when American financial support abroad has declined. The Trump administration has significantly downsized funding and staff for the U.S. Agency for International Development, leading to notable cutbacks in foreign aid and humanitarian support.
{Matzav.com}
Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron slammed the court’s increasing intervention in controversial issues in his speech last week at the Bar Association conference. “In recent years, we have witnessed a trend of expanding the authority of the Supreme Court and its increasing intervention in constitutional and even extra-constitutional review,” Elron said. “This expansion, which I have consistently opposed, poses a real challenge to the principle of separation of powers. It leads to a discourse of extremes in which the court has become a public battleground, even in non-legal issues.” “In my opinion, we must walk a middle path: a path that recognizes the authority of the Supreme Court but seeks to use it in a restrained, limited, and moderate manner.” Elron warned that constitutional law in Israel has been developing for several decades without a complete constitution, based on key Basic Laws such as ‘Human Dignity and Liberty’ and ‘Freedom of Occupation,’ as well as on precedent-setting rulings of the Supreme Court. He emphasized that in recent years the trend has reached a peak, especially with the Supreme Court’s unprecedented verdict that it has the authority to repeal even Basic Laws—as happened in Amendment 3 to the Basic Law: The Judiciary (revocation of the reasonableness clause). Elron also decried the fact that any Israeli civilian can appeal against the government’s laws to the Supreme Court, even those who will not be personally affected by the law. “At times, the moment a controversial law is passed, petitions are filed against it—even without waiting for its practical effects,” Elron said. “Thus, public issues immediately move from the legislature to the halls of the Supreme Court. The discourse focuses on the result—victory or defeat—instead of the substance, and every decision becomes a power struggle. This is a power-based discourse that also permeates constitutional law—and the damage from it is immense. The law, and especially constitutional law, is not black and white. It has many shades.” Elron warned that “the most dramatic remedy—the annulment of a law or a basic law—is a conventional weapon that should be used only as a last resort.” He noted that in many cases, such as in the ruling on Amendment 3 to the Basic Law: The Judiciary, he argued that there was no justification for disqualifying a basic law at an early stage: “In the opinion of many, no significant change would have occurred if the amendment had remained in effect—and no damage would have been caused to the citizens of Israel.” Elron emphasized that the judiciary’s authority “must be exercised responsibly and proportionally.” “I say this as a Supreme Court Justice for eight years and after another 13 years in other courts,” he said. “I have always kept in mind the importance of public trust in the judicial system—because without it, the court has no validity.” Last week, an Israeli district court judge left his position in the judicial system after expressing harsh criticism regarding the conduct of the President of the Supreme Court, Yitzchak Amit. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Sources in the Chareidi parties claim that Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, wants to drag Israel to elections, Arutz Sheva reported on Wednesday. The report comes after the Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, instructed the Degel HaTorah MKs on Wednesday morning to act to dissolve the Knesset after the negotiations on a Chareidi draft law with Edelstein on Tuesday evening failed. “It cannot be said that Yuli Edelstein does not speak with a lot of logic to the average secular voter in that he demands a draconian law, but along the way he’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater, leading to the exit of the Chareidim from the coalition, elections, and a left-wing government,” a senior Shas official told Arutz Sheva. Edelstein is insisting that the law include harsh sanctions on bnei yeshivos if the recruitment targets aren’t reached, even if there is an increase in Chareidi recruitment, and is also not willing to include civilian service [such as service in Israel Police or MDA] in the recruitment goals. “What exactly does Edelstein want?” the senior official questioned. “If he wants to recruit Chareidim, no one will enlist because there will be no law and there will be no Chareidi agreement around a formula of the kind he is proposing. If he wants to oust Binyamin Netanyahu, he should say it out loud.” “At the end of the day, he knows very well that there is no world in which all yeshiva bochurim will leave their Gemaras and go to the battlefield. There is not one Chareidi Rav – even those who support Chareidi employment – who supports this.” “The proposals he is offering are detached and unrealistic. What he’s doing is pushing the entire Chareidi leadership into a corner, uniting them into one position, and dismantling the government. That way there will be no law, there will be no Chareidi recruitment, there will be no government, and a left-wing government will be elected. And maybe that’s what he wants.” Edelstein’s fellow Likud members are also angry at Edelstein’s refusal to compromise, Ynet reported. However, despite calls to oust him from his position as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, such a move is not on the table because it “would sully the legislative process” and would make the law more likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court. However, according to the report, the Likud party is exploring other options to appease the Chareidim. A senior coalition official said that “despite the fact that the Chareidim are compromising again and again, Edelstein has decided to dismantle the government. He won’t pass the conscription law, and not a single Chareidi will be drafted, and he will also endanger us with the rise of a left-wing government in such a complex security period.” A source close to Edelstein responded to the allegations against him, saying that “he has stuck to the same view for a year and a half and we have not changed anything in the principles of the law. He is determined to formulate a law that meets security needs. What is happening now is an attempt to introduce loopholes in our law, which really leads to recruitment. Edelstein’s law is logical, effective, and fair. It […]
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the US nuclear deal proposal was “against Tehran’s national interests” and that Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment. Speaking at an event marking 36 years since the death of his predecessor, Ruholla Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khamenei said in a speech that uranium enrichment is key to the country’s nuclear program and that the US proposal to end it violates Iranian independence. “Independence means not waiting for the green light from America and the likes of America,” Khamenei says, adding that the proposal is “100 percent against the idea of ‘we can,’ which is an important principle in our country’s independence.” “If we had 100 nuclear power plants while not having enrichment, they are not usable for us,” Khamenei said. “If we do not have enrichment, then we should extend our hand (begging) to the U.S.” Khamenei also addressed US President Donald Trump, saying, “Who are you to tell us whether we can have a nuclear program or not? We will not give up the ability to enrich uranium.” An Iranian diplomat told Reuters on Monday that Tehran was set to reject the US nuclear deal, calling it a “non-starter.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The leader of Degel HaTorah, Rosh Yeshivah HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, instructed the Degel HaTorah MKs to act to dissolve the Knesset after the negotiations on the draft law with the chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, failed, Kikar H’Shabbat reported on Wednesday morning. A charged meeting on Tuesday night between Edelstein and the Chareidi MKs ended without any progress, with the main issue being Edelstein’s insistence on the law including severe personal sanctions if recruitment targets aren’t reached. Additionally, Edelstein continues to insist that Chareidi recruitment targets include only recruitment for combat and combat support roles, while the Chareidi MKs insist that the recruitment targets also include national/civil service so that they can meet the recruitment targets. It should be noted that the agreed-upon recruitment targets at this stage is 50% of eligible Chareidim within only five years, contrary to the principles of Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who spoke of a similar target but within seven years. Senior Chareidi sources told Kikar on Wednesday morning, “The heads of the Chareidi parties are frustrated with the conduct of Prime Minister Netanyahu. The feeling is that Netanyahu believes that this is a personal crisis of the Chareidim with Edelstein and not something that threatens his position. Our hope is that by next week he will come to his senses and use his weight to resolve the points of contention; otherwise, we will indeed go to elections.” Following the reports, the heads of the opposition parties said they will submit a bill to dissolve the Knesset next Wednesday. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The IDF has announced the tragic death of Master Sergeant (Res.) Alon Farkas HY”D, a 27-year-old reservist from the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade’s 6646th Battalion, who was killed during combat operations in northern Gaza on Tuesday. Farkas, a resident of Kibbutz Kabri, fell in battle while operating in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. According to an initial investigation, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire with an assault rifle, striking Farkas and another soldier from the unit. The terrorist managed to flee the scene. The second soldier sustained serious injuries and is receiving medical treatment. יהי זכרו ברוך. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Two individuals from China are facing federal charges in the U.S. after being accused of conspiring to smuggle a dangerous biological agent into the country.
According to U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., the defendants—33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, both Chinese nationals—have been apprehended on multiple conspiracy-related offenses. Among those allegations is the illegal importation of Fusarium graminearum, a fungus known in scientific research for its potential use as an agroterrorism tool, the Justice Department revealed in a statement.
The FBI took Jian into custody following accusations that she and Liu were responsible for bringing Fusarium graminearum into the United States. This hazardous pathogen is linked to “head blight,” a disease that severely impacts key agricultural crops like wheat, maize, rice, and barley, leading to global economic losses in the billions. Exposure to the fungus’ toxic byproducts can result in nausea, liver failure, and reproductive harm in both people and animals.
Investigators claim that Jian had received funding from the Chinese government to work on this pathogen in China. Additionally, digital data seized from her devices reportedly contains material tying her to the Chinese Communist Party, including proof of her loyalty and affiliation.
“It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his [partner] Jian, worked,” noted the Justice Department.
U.S. Attorney Gorgon emphasized the broader implications of the charges, stressing the potential threat to national security posed by the couple’s alleged plans to utilize a university lab while residing in the country on student visas.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals—including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns,” said Gorgon. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”
Cheyvoryea Gibson, head of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, stated that the duo took advantage of their ability to work in academic labs to carry out their biological smuggling activity.
As noted by Breitbart News, recent government actions coincide with these developments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed last week that the State Department has initiated measures to cancel visas of Chinese students tied to the CCP.
“The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio said in an announcement on X.
{Matzav.com}
Yeshiva Mikdash Melech in Brooklyn recently received a threatening letter, allegedly sent by inmate Matthew Karelefsky, 47, who is currently serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for attempted murder and arson. The letter, addressed to the yeshiva on Ocean Parkway in Midwood, warned of planned mass shootings in three zip codes: 11230 and 11210 in Brooklyn, and 06710 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Karelefsky was convicted in 2024 for setting fire to a longtime Chaim Berlin rebbi’s home in 2019, an attack that injured 13 people, including a 6-week-old infant.
President Trump placed the blame for Sunday’s violent assault in Boulder, Colorado, on what he described as “Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy,” declaring that the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, should be deported immediately under his administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
“Yesterday’s horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America. He came in through Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under ‘TRUMP’ Policy,” Trump stated on Truth Social in his first comments regarding the incident, which left eight people wounded.
Records revealed that Soliman, age 45, entered the United States from Egypt in August 2022 on a tourist visa valid through February 2023. He subsequently applied for work authorization, which extended his lawful presence until March 28, 2024. As a result, he had been residing in the U.S. without legal status for the past two months.
As outlined in a federal criminal complaint, Soliman allegedly hurled two improvised firebombs at a group affiliated with Run For Their Lives — a movement primarily consisting of elderly participants advocating for the release of hostages held by Hamas following the October 7, 2023, massacre.
Authorities reported that Soliman shouted “Free Palestine!” as he launched the explosive devices. After the attack, law enforcement officers discovered an additional 14 Molotov cocktails stored inside a black plastic bin at the scene.
The complaint also indicated that during questioning by federal agents, Soliman expressed a desire to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.”
He confessed to watching online tutorials to learn how to build the weapons and said that he had been preparing for the attack for a full year, delaying execution of the plan until his daughter had graduated.
Investigators said Soliman, a resident of Colorado Springs who lived with his wife and five children, recorded and uploaded a video to X while carrying out the assault. The footage shows him shirtless, pacing, and gripping the incendiary devices.
According to the complaint, he can be heard in the video saying, “how many children killed” and “end Zionist.”
The eight victims — four women and four men ranging in age from 52 to 88 — were injured during the attack.
Soliman was apprehended and charged on Monday with a federal hate crime. State prosecutors also filed charges, including attempted first-degree murder.
“Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law,” Trump declared in a follow-up post.
“This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!”
Trump’s immigration stance has emphasized the removal of undocumented criminals, but Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s border policies, has recently called for a broader crackdown on illegal entry and overstayed visas.
Reacting to the Boulder attack, Miller wrote on X, “Suicidal migration must be fully reversed.”
{Matzav.com}
Yeshiva Mikdash Melech in Brooklyn recently received a threatening letter, allegedly sent by inmate Matthew Karelefsky, 47, who is currently serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for attempted murder and arson. The letter, addressed to the yeshiva on Ocean Parkway in Midwood, warned of planned mass shootings in three zip codes: 11230 and 11210 in Brooklyn, and 06710 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Karelefsky was convicted in 2024 for setting fire to a longtime Chaim Berlin rebbi’s home in 2019, an attack that injured 13 people, including a 6-week-old infant. The NYPD is currently investigating the threat, and it remains unclear whether additional security measures have been implemented in the affected neighborhoods. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A Boulder, Colorado city council member is facing backlash after refusing to sign a joint statement condemning a firebombing attack at a rally in support of Israeli hostages, objecting to the statement’s description of the incident as antisemitic without also labeling it “anti-Zionist.” Councilmember Taishya Adams said her request to include the term “anti-Zionist” in the statement was denied, prompting her decision not to sign. “I cannot sign a letter that equates the calls for a ‘Free Palestine’ with antisemitism,” Adams wrote on Facebook. “Without the anti-Zionist part, the reader will fail to understand a key driver of this terrible attack.” She emphasized that she condemns the attack and its perpetrator, whom she said “was explicit about ending Zionism.” The official city statement described the incident as a “targeted, antisemitic attack” and affirmed Boulder’s commitment to opposing antisemitism: “We cannot – and will not – allow antisemitism to become normalized here.” Adams, who serves as Boulder’s sister city liaison to Nablus (Shechem), a Palestinian city in the West Bank, has previously been accused of anti-Jewish discrimination by members of a local hostages’ advocacy group. The group claims Adams blocked them on her official Instagram account and ignored their outreach. The firebombing follows months of tension at Boulder City Council meetings, which have been repeatedly disrupted by anti-Israel demonstrators. According to the Boulder Reporting Lab, a Jewish council member has previously expressed feeling unsafe at council sessions due to the protests. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A fringe group of Har Habayis activists, led by members of the “Returning to the Mount” movement, sparked renewed outrage this Shavuos after attempting to carry out a symbolic reenactment of the Korban Shtei HaLechem on Har HaBayis. The provocative act was immediately halted by Israeli police and Waqf officials. Dressed in imitation bigdei kehunah, several activists — who self-identified as kohanim — rushed to what they believe is the site of the Mizbeiach and attempted to raise two loaves of chametz – which can only be performed in a rebuilt Beis Hamikdash. The group was reportedly acting under the direction of Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute and a longtime advocate for resuming korbanos on Har Habayis. The group’s attempt was quickly shut down by security forces, but not before they reportedly managed to lift the loaves — though conflicting reports exist as to whether the full ritual was completed. Rav Ariel emotionally recited Shehecheyanu, and supporters answered “Amen” as police escorted the participants off the site. Mainstream Torah authorities and Gedolei Yisrael have consistently ruled that ascending Har HaBayis is strictly forbidden. The vast majority of poskim — both past and present — have warned against such provocations, citing both halachic violations and the real danger of inciting violence and desecration of the Har Habayis. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A firestorm erupted Monday over revelations that a new U.S. proposal to Iran — reportedly delivered via Oman — would permit Tehran to continue enriching uranium at low levels for civilian use, contradicting President Donald Trump’s own public declarations that any deal must impose a total ban on enrichment. The report, first published by Axios and confirmed by two U.S. officials speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, outlines a framework that mirrors key elements of the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal — the very agreement Trump dismantled during his first term. Under the proposed terms, Iran would be required to shut down its fortified underground facilities and cease high-level enrichment, but would still be permitted to enrich uranium up to 3% at above-ground sites for nuclear medicine and energy production. That allowance, however narrow, is at odds with Trump’s explicit statement posted hours later on Truth Social: “Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” The contradiction between the proposal’s details and the President’s own words ignited backlash from critics across the political spectrum. “This is a moment of truth,” wrote former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. “If you demanded no enrichment under Obama, you should demand the same now.” Trump’s special envoy and lead negotiator Steve Witkoff has previously echoed Israel’s uncompromising demand for zero enrichment — a position Tehran has flatly rejected. The White House declined to clarify whether Trump’s social media post or the reported terms of the proposal reflect the administration’s true stance. In an official response, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to downplay the reports without denying them: “President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb. Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it.” She declined to elaborate further, citing the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations. The reported terms would dismantle key infrastructure, block Iran from building new enrichment facilities, and freeze centrifuge development. But under the plan, Iran would still be allowed to enrich to 3% — a level considered below weapons-grade, but which critics warn maintains the regime’s breakout capability and international legitimacy for nuclear activity. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last Saturday that Iran has continued to expand its stockpile of uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels — a violation of multiple UN resolutions. Experts warn that Iran is now only weeks away from nuclear breakout if it chooses to weaponize its program. Iranian officials have already rejected the proposal, with one senior diplomat calling it “insufficient” and accusing Washington of refusing to respect Tehran’s “right” to enrichment. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported Israeli officials fear Washington is preparing to drop the zero-enrichment demand entirely in a last-ditch effort to salvage talks. The reported proposal also includes a long-defunct plan to create a regional enrichment consortium — an idea rejected in previous rounds due to fierce opposition from Arab states and Iranian distrust. The optics are alarming: a U.S. administration that came to power criticizing Obama’s deal may now be offering Iran a deal nearly indistinguishable from it — and possibly even weaker in enforcement. Israel, for its part, has issued repeated warnings that it will act militarily to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. […]
The wife and five children of an Egyptian Msulim terrorist who threw Molotov cocktails at Jews in Boulder demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages, injuring 12 of them, was taken into custody Tuesday by U.S. immigration officials who are investigating whether they knew about his plan. The family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and could be deported as early as Tuesday night, the White House said in a post on X. Soliman, who was disguised as a gardener, had 18 Molotov cocktails and had planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants in Sunday’s demonstration in downtown Boulder but apparently had second thoughts and threw just two while yelling “Free Palestine,” police said. Soliman, who federal authorities say has been living in the U.S. illegally, didn’t carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,” police wrote in an affidavit. The two incendiary devices he threw were enough to injure more than half of the participants in the weekly demonstration, authorities said, noting that he expressed no remorse about the attack. “When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets, and he would go back and do it again,” Colorado’s acting U.S. attorney, J. Bishop Grewell, said during a news conference Monday. Soliman told authorities that no one, including his family, knew about his plans, according to court documents. He targeted what he described as a “Zionist group,” authorities said in court papers, at times spelling his first name “Mohammed.” “He stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack,” the affidavit says. Soliman left an iPhone hidden in a desk drawer at his Colorado Springs home that contained messages to his family, according to an FBI affidavit. After his arrest, his wife brought the phone to the local police department, saying it was his but was also used by other members of the family. According to the affidavit, Soliman also told the police he was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people” — a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel. Before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, he spent 17 years in Kuwait, according to court documents. He has been living in the U.S. illegally, having arrived in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. She said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023, but that it also expired. The immigration status of his wife and children is not clear, and DHS did not respond to requests for additional information. Federal and state prosecutors filed separate criminal cases against Soliman, charging him with a hate crime and attempted murder, respectively. He faces additional state charges related to the incendiary devices, and more charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment. Soliman is being held on a $10 million bond. His attorney, Kathryn Herold, declined to comment Monday after a hearing where he […]
Elon Musk on Tuesday tore into the massive tax-and-spending-cut bill backed by President Donald Trump, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that will explode federal budget deficits. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk wrote in a post on X, his social media site. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO added. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” wrote Musk, who until last week led the Trump administration’s DOGE effort to cut government spending and waste. Musk in a follow-up post wrote that the bill “will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.” The jibes came two days after CBS News aired an interview in which Musk said that the legislative package backed by the Republican president “undermines” DOGE. The White House quickly shrugged off Musk’s latest criticism. “Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Tuesday when asked about the initial post. “It doesn’t change the President’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it,” Leavitt said. Leavitt doubled down on the administration’s claim that it is “blatantly wrong” to say that the bill adds to the deficit. She accused the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which found that the budget package would raise the deficit by $3.8 trillion over the next decade, of being biased against Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who led the Republican caucus’s effort to pass the spending package through that chamber, told reporters, “With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.” Johnson, R-La., reiterated his defense of the bill in an X post, while also vowing that Congress would codify some of DOGE’s claimed government-spending cuts as part of a rescissions package.
A man who identified himself as a New Orleans jail escapee released videos on social media while still on the run, leading to a police raid that failed to recapture him, an Associated Press source says. Authorities were so convinced about the authenticity of the videos that they searched a home a little over 2 miles (3.7 kilometers) from the jail late Monday where they believe the recordings were made by escapee Antoine Massey, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. The official said he wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape by 10 inmates. Massey was not at the New Orleans home on the edge of the Fairgrounds and Gentilly neighborhoods, the official said, but authorities did locate clothing they believe he wore during filming. The owner of the home, Shedrick Burnell, said it was being rented and declined to name the tenant. He told AP by phone that he had never seen or heard of Massey before the jailbreak and the videos circulated online, but he appeared unfazed that a fugitive had likely used his property as a hideout. “I’m 76, I’ve seen a helluva lot worse than this,” said the Louisiana native. “As long as my tenant is safe, there’s nothing I can do.” When an AP reporter knocked at the home Tuesday afternoon, no one answered. Next door, a house under construction had been kicked in and the backdoor, gate and windows were open — likely due to the police search, said Tariq Aldahir, an electrician who had been working on that property, adjacent to where Massey had allegedly been hiding. “It’s a little scary — if he is as dangerous a criminal as they say he is, what is he capable of doing?” Aldahir said. “He’s desperate — any human being who is desperate, there’s no limit to what they can do.” Authorities were tipped to the videos, posted online Sunday, by relatives who recognized the residence. Authorities are racing to recapture Massey and convicted murderer Derrick Groves, more than two weeks since the audacious breakout. Eight other escapees have since been recaptured. State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges said that despite the agency’s confidence in its investigations, “things change at a moment’s notice and it’s usually because someone has helped them.” He encouraged people to keep offering tips. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward per escapee. Louisiana State Police, the agency leading the search, declined to comment on whether it had verified Massey’s identity in the videos. The agency carried out the search related to the videos — since removed from Instagram — which seemingly show a man with the same facial tattoos as Massey sitting near a kitchen. “Please, I’m asking for help,” said Massey, appealing to President Donald Trump and several rappers including New Orleans native Lil Wayne in one video. “When I get back in custody I’m asking y’all please to come and help.” Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson urged Massey to surrender, adding in a statement: “Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges.” Massey, 32, faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order all stemming from a November 2024 incident, […]
President Donald Trump wants his “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be signed into law by the Fourth of July, and he’s pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later. Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House earlier this week and has been dialing senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to nudge, badger and encourage them to act. But it’s still a long road ahead for the 1,000-page-plus package. “His question to me was, How do you think the bill’s going to go in the Senate?” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said about his call with Trump. “Do you think there’s going to be problems?” It’s a potentially tumultuous three-week sprint for senators preparing to put their own imprint on the massive Republican package that cleared the House late last month by a single vote. The senators have been meeting for weeks behind closed doors, including as they returned to Washington late Monday, to revise the package ahead of what is expected to be a similarly narrow vote in the Senate. “Passing THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL is a Historic Opportunity to turn our Country around,” Trump posted on social media. He urged senators Monday “to work as fast as they can to get this Bill to MY DESK before the Fourth of JULY.” But Trump’s high-octane ally, billionaire Elon Musk, lambasted the package — and those voting for it. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted on his site X, as some lawmakers have expressed reservations about the details. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” A test for Thune Thune, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, has few votes to spare from the Senate’s slim, 53-seat GOP majority. Democrats are waging an all-out political assault on GOP proposals to cut Medicaid, food stamps and green energy investments to help pay for more than $4.5 trillion in tax cuts — with many lawmakers being hammered at boisterous town halls back home. “It’d be nice if we could have everybody on board to do it, but, you know, individual members are going to stake out their positions,” Thune said Tuesday. “But in the end, we have to succeed. Failure’s not an option.” Johnson called Musk’s harsh criticism of the bill “very disappointing.” “With all due respect,” said Johnson, who said he spoke with Musk for more than 20 minutes, “my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.” At its core, the package seeks to extend the tax cuts approved in 2017, during Trump’s first term at the White House, and add new ones the president campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security. To defray the lost tax revenue to the government and avoid piling onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt load, Republicans want reduce federal spending by imposing work requirements for some Americans who rely on government safety net services. Estimates are 8.6 million people would no longer have health care and nearly 4 million would lose Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP. The package also […]
A Russian rocket attack targeted the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing at least four people and wounding 25, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the assault, saying it underscored that Moscow has no intentions of halting the 3-year-old war. The attack came a day after direct peace talks in Istanbul made no progress on ending the fighting. Local authorities said the barrage of rockets struck apartment buildings and a medical facility in the center of Sumy. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s secret services said they struck inside Russia again, two days after a spectacular Ukrainian drone attack on air bases deep inside the country. A vital bridge to Crimea The Ukrainian Security Service, known by its acronym SBU, claimed it damaged the foundations of the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and illegally annexed Crimea — a key artery for Russian military supplies in the war. The SBU said it detonated 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds) of explosives on the seabed overnight, in an operation that took several months to set up. It was the third Ukrainian strike on the bridge since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the SBU said. “The bridge is now effectively in an emergency condition,” the SBU claimed. The agency said no civilians were killed or injured in the operation. It was not possible to independently confirm those claims. Traffic across the Kerch Bridge was halted for three hours early Tuesday, but it reopened at 9 a.m., official Russian social media channels said. It closed for a second time at 3:20 p.m. and reopened again after two and a half hours. Zelenskyy appeals for pressure on Moscow The Ukrainian president called the attack on Sumy a “completely deliberate” strike on civilians. “That’s all you need to know about Russia’s ‘desire’ to end this war,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media. Zelenskyy appealed for global pressure and “decisive action from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who holds power.” Without it, he said, Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not agree even to a ceasefire.” The war has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line where the fighting grinds on despite U.S.-led efforts to broker a peace deal. A stunning Ukrainian drone attack Though Russia has a bigger army and more economic resources than Ukraine, the Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend damaged or destroyed more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, Ukrainian officials said, touting it as a serious blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal and military prestige. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the Ukrainian attack set several planes ablaze at two air bases but said the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases. Both Zelenskyy and Putin have been eager to show U.S. President Donald Trump that they share his ambition to end the fighting — and avoid possible punitive measures from Washington. Ukraine has accepted a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it. Putin has made it clear that any peace settlement has to be on his terms. Delegations from the warring sides agreed Monday to swap dead and wounded troops, but their conditions for ending the war remained far apart. Dmitry […]
Am I allowed to make egg and onion on Shabbos? How to choose a shirt from a pile of clothing and not transgress borer on Shabbos? Can you put food in the oven on Shabbos? Numerous Shabbos questions are impossible to answer without thorough knowledge of its laws. Shabbos comes once a week, so if a person is not well-versed in its intricacies, then it is inevitable that transgressions will take place. The many books of basic laws are wonderful, but to really understand the halachos and to apply them, it is essential to learn and remember hilchos Shabbos with the background discussion. What is the challenge we face? It takes several years for a full-time advanced Torah learner to cover the laws of Shabbos in depth. Kinyan Hilchos Shabbos for men offered a solution. World famous Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel, HaRav Hagaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlit’a used his vast knowledge to arrange all the Gemaras with the commentators on each area of hilchos Shabbos and presented it in the form of source sheets that cover material from the Gemara until practical halacha. This enables one to cover the main opinions in each topic and gain a deep understanding of the halacha without being overwhelmed with a lot of information. Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen, a close talmid of Rav Berkovits who spent eight years as a Rosh Chaburah in Rav Berkovits’s famous Jerusalem Kollel, with the Rav’s endorsement, took on the monumental task of adaptng the Hebrew sheets into English to make the program available for busy professionals. After successfully running the Hilchos Shabbos program for several years, Rabbi Gefen joined forces with Rabbi Dr. Yakov Pesah, also a musmach of Rabbi Berkovits, and together they co-founded ‘Kinyan Hilchos Shabbos’ program for men and launched it online. It became an instant success worldwide. During the launches of the Hilchos Shabbos course for men, it became crystal clear that a course especially tailored for Jewish women was necessary. The program received many emails asking for a women’s cohort of this important and highly relevant series. Women, just as much as men, require practical knowledge on how to keep the myriad halachos of Shabbos. Indeed, they may even be faced with more scenarios than men. Therefore, Rabbi Gefen, in consultation with Rabbi Berkovits has adapted the original curriculum to be uniquely tailored to Torah observant women, as an online program in Hilchos Shabbos (www.HilchosShabbosforWomen.com), accessible to motvated women worldwide. It empowers women to know the laws of Shabbos that are so relevant to their lives. Participants in each online chabura receive source sheets with explanations in English. In addition to the weekly online Zoom shiur with Rabbi Gefen, he is available for questions. There are tests in each section, and the option of a signed certificate of completion from Rav Berkovits. While this course for women is in Hilchos Shabbos, several months ago, Rabbi Gefen has also launched another online program for women in Hilchos Bein Adam L’Chaveiro. This program is based on a curriculum of Kollel Linas Hatzedek / Center for Jewish Values, a premier international Bein Adam L’Chaveiro resource, whom we thank for their permission. The Bein Adam L’Chaveiro online program for women taught by Rabbi Gefen became very successful already in its first launch. “As women, we are required to learn […]
Pages
