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Instacart has started adding a new surcharge to grocery orders placed by New York City customers, introducing what it calls a “regulatory response fee” shortly after new delivery worker regulations went into force this week, according to The New York Post.

The new charge appears directly in customers’ order summaries, with Instacart’s website now stating, “NYC regulatory response fees appear in the order summary.” The company explains that the fee “helps cover increased operating costs in NYC due to government regulations on delivery platforms,” language that was not present on the site as recently as last month.

An analysis by The Post found that no such fee appeared on Instacart orders before Monday. By Tuesday, however, customers placing orders between $35 and $184 were seeing an added charge of $5.99.

Instacart confirmed that the fee went into effect Monday and pointed the finger at city lawmakers. In a statement to The Post, the company blamed “the City Council’s misguided and burdensome grocery delivery laws.”

“For months, we raised clear, data-backed concerns that the policy would increase grocery delivery costs for New Yorkers, but those warnings were repeatedly ignored,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said the agency is looking into the matter.

The added fee comes as Instacart is already facing scrutiny following a report last month that accused the company of using an opaque algorithm that allegedly charged different customers different prices for the same items without disclosure.

The new city rules, which took effect Monday, significantly expand protections for grocery delivery workers, including higher minimum pay for drivers working on platforms such as Instacart. Under the law, drivers must earn at least $21.44 per hour before tips, with scheduled increases in future years.

The legislation also requires food delivery apps, including Uber Eats and DoorDash, to present customers with a tipping option before checkout, setting the default gratuity at no less than 10% of the order total.

Earlier this month, the Mamdani administration accused Uber Eats and DoorDash of costing delivery workers more than $550 million in tips by previously requiring customers to add gratuities only after completing checkout.

City officials argued the new approach was necessary to safeguard workers’ earnings, particularly after tips reportedly dropped following the introduction of a new minimum-wage rule in late 2023.

Uber Eats and DoorDash sought to block the law in federal court, claiming the city violated their free speech rights by forcing them to “speak a government-mandated message in a prescribed manner and at a prescribed time.”

The companies also contended that the higher minimum pay requirements have driven up delivery costs in New York City and warned that the new regulations — along with “tipping fatigue” and “generally rising prices” — would negatively affect their profits.

U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels rejected that challenge in a decision issued Friday. Shortly thereafter, Instacart’s new regulatory fee began appearing on customer orders.

{Matzav.com}

SNOW IN TAMPA BAY FLORIDA?? There is a 10% to 20% of snow flurries along the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida, late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The snow, if it falls, is not expected to stick. The last time it snowed in Tampa Bay, Florida, was on January 19, 1977!

When the Supreme Court granted an unusually quick hearing over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a similarly rapid resolution seemed possible. After all, Trump’s lawyers told the court that speed was of the essence on an issue central to the Republican president’s economic agenda. They pointed to a statement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that […]

Senior U.S. officials are openly acknowledging that Washington has no clear picture of who would assume power in Iran if the current regime were to collapse, even as American military forces continue to surge toward the region. Speaking at a Senate hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of succession after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains unanswered, according to a report by Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.

“Nobody can give an answer as to what will happen the day after if the Iranian regime falls,” Rubio told lawmakers. He also emphasized the risks facing U.S. personnel in the region, noting that between 30,000 and 40,000 American troops stationed in the Middle East could be targeted by Iranian missiles or drones in the event of retaliation following a U.S. strike.

Rubio stressed that military readiness remains a core element of the administration’s posture, explaining that “The President always keeps for himself the option of launching a defensive preemptive strike.” He added, “That’s why it is wise to have forces in the region that can respond and, if necessary, carry out a preemptive strike to protect American troops and our allies. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

President Donald Trump echoed that message on Wednesday, issuing a public warning that a significant U.S. naval force is on its way toward Iran while urging the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enter talks without delay and agree to what he described as a fair agreement.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela.”

He continued with another warning, stating, “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

Trump followed up with an additional post, repeating his earlier threats toward Tehran: “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The president reinforced that warning last Thursday during an in-flight briefing with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Davos, describing what he said was a substantial American military buildup near Iran. “We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”

During the same exchange, Trump claimed he personally intervened to stop mass executions in Iran the previous week. “I stopped 837 hangings [last] Thursday. They would have been dead. Every one of them would have been hung…I said ‘if you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts.’ And an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they canceled it. And they actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it. They canceled it. So that was a good sign.”

Iran responded with its own warnings. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned that any attack would trigger what he described as a “comprehensive and regret inducing” retaliation by the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, reports on Tuesday indicated that U.S. officials are considering limited strikes aimed at Iranian officials and military commanders, as reports from inside Iran put the death toll from ongoing protests at more than 36,000.

{Matzav.com}

HaRav Chaim Ber Weisberg, one of the veteran Sanzer Chassidim in Williamsburg, recites an emotional Shehecheyanu with full Shem U’Malchus in honor of the visit of his Rebbe, the Sanzer Rebbe.

First Lady Melania Trump on President Trump: “I always thought that one day he might go and run, and I always told him, ‘If you do it, you will win,’ because I knew how much people loved him.”

JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America announced on Wednesday that they will each match a one-time $1,000 federal deposit into children’s retirement-style savings accounts for qualifying employees, making them the latest large corporations to sign on to the initiative.

The accounts, widely referred to as Trump accounts, are part of a pilot program in which the U.S. Treasury places $1,000 into tax-advantaged investment accounts for eligible children born in the United States between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028.

The initiative, which was developed in part by hedge fund manager Brad Gerstner, is designed to promote early saving and investing as a way to reduce long-term wealth disparities in the United States. The program has drawn support from a range of high-profile backers, including Michael and Susan Dell, Ray Dalio, and rapper Nicki Minaj.

“JPMorgan Chase has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the financial health and well-being of all of our employees and their families around the world, including more than 190,000 here in the United States,” CEO Jamie Dimon said in a release. “By matching this contribution, we’re making it easier for them to start saving early, invest wisely, and plan for their family’s financial future.”

Bank of America conveyed its position in an internal memo circulated to employees on Wednesday and first reported by Reuters, praising what it described as the government’s “innovative solutions” aimed at strengthening employee savings.

Financial institutions now make up the bulk of companies pledging to match the government’s contribution. In addition to JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, other major players including BlackRock, BNY, Robinhood, SoFi, and Charles Schwab have also committed to providing matching funds for the new accounts.

{Matzav.com}

Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar tells Putin: “We see a lot of antisemitism around the world,” but “we cannot feel anything of this kind in Russia.” Rabbi Lazar says he is “very grateful” to Putin, praising Russia as a country where various religions live in peace. Putin: “Every ethnic and religious group knows that working […]

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow on Wednesday for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy. “I know that there is a lot that’s necessary to restore in Syria, and our economic operators, including the construction sector, […]

[Video below.] Newly released video footage appears to document a volatile encounter between Alex Pretti and federal immigration agents more than a week before he was shot and killed in Minneapolis, showing behavior that authorities are now reviewing as part of their broader assessment of events leading up to his death.

The footage, which the BBC said it has verified, reportedly shows the ICU nurse yelling at federal agents as they drove away from a Jan. 13 protest, spitting in their direction and then kicking the rear of a black SUV. According to The News Movement, the video captures Pretti smashing the vehicle’s taillights, prompting officers to stop, exit the car, and subdue him.

In the recording, the man—wearing clothing similar to what Pretti was seen wearing on the day he was fatally shot last Saturday—can be seen being forced to the ground by at least five agents. As the confrontation escalated, tear gas was released into the surrounding crowd, which included protesters blowing whistles amid the chaos.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations is “reviewing” the newly surfaced video, telling The Post that agents are examining the footage as part of their ongoing evaluation of Pretti’s prior interactions with federal authorities.

According to a CNN report published Tuesday, Pretti, 37, was already familiar to federal officials and had sustained a broken rib during a separate violent encounter with agents roughly a week before his death. The report said immigration officers had been tracking and documenting information about Pretti as well as other anti-ICE protesters involved in recent demonstrations in Minneapolis.

Investigators with DHS believe the fatal shooting may have been triggered by a stray discharge from Pretti’s own firearm after it was taken from him. Authorities say Pretti had a loaded pistol tucked into his belt when he inserted himself between another protester and ICE officers. Border Patrol agents tackled him, removed the weapon, and during the ensuing struggle, two agents opened fire, killing him.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Security and police were dispatched on Wednesday to the Union of Cities for Environmental Protection venue in Chadeira after an object described as a piece of coal was hurled toward Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman during a public session focused on air pollution.

Reports by Walla said the incident took place as Silman arrived at the hall for a hearing connected to the Israel Electric Corporation. Officers who were called to the location detained a young woman, estimated to be about 18 years old, and brought her in for questioning regarding the incident.

Witnesses at the event said the object appeared to strike the minister, though she was not injured and did not need medical attention. Silman chose to remain at the venue and continued taking part in the conference until it concluded, despite the disruption.

Police later issued a statement explaining their response: “Upon receiving the report, officers from the Hadera station arrived at the scene, managed to locate the suspect, and despite no formal complaint being filed, the suspect was detained for questioning. Depending on the investigation’s needs and findings, the continuation of her detention will be examined.”

{Matzav.com}

A survey released Wednesday by the Jewish People Policy Institute finds that a growing share of American Jews who feel strongly connected to Judaism or Israel now view Israel as the safest place in the world for Jews. According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents agreed that Israel is the safest place for Jews […]

A key decision aimed at stabilizing Israel’s coalition government was reached after consultations at the home of Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, with Degel HaTorah deciding it will support the state budget in its first Knesset reading, while insisting that the draft law be finalized before the bill advances further.

Following the meeting at the Bnei Brak residence of Rav Landau, the party ruled that it would allow the budget to move forward at the initial stage, but would condition its continued support on the completion of legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students before the second and third readings. The move gives the coalition crucial breathing room, with the budget now expected to pass the first vote with the backing of 64 MKs. Aside from Agudas Yisroel and MK Avi Maoz, who have both announced their opposition, the government appears to have secured a solid majority.

The decision comes after several tense days in which the government’s survival appeared uncertain, following ultimatums from chareidi parties warning they would block the budget if the issue of yeshiva deferments was not resolved. The standoff raised the prospect of the budget failing, which would have triggered the dissolution of the Knesset and new elections.

The crisis began when Degel HaTorah and Shas publicly declared they would not support the budget unless progress was made on the draft law. Tensions escalated after a meeting between chareidi representatives and the legal adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, during which it was made clear that changes would be required to ensure the legislation could withstand judicial review. That demand sparked deep concern among chareidi leaders, who feared the law would be watered down or indefinitely delayed.

Those concerns intensified when it emerged that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by MK Boaz Bismuth, would not convene as scheduled to discuss the draft law ahead of the budget vote. Chareidi parties viewed the delay as a sign that the government might stall on the legislation, further eroding trust between the sides.

At the same time, the vote on the state budget itself was postponed from Monday at the request of the chareidi parties, who sought additional time in light of the legal changes being demanded to the draft law. From their perspective, passage of the law is a prerequisite for approving the budget. The postponement followed an emergency meeting convened earlier in the week by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and MK Moshe Gafni, in an effort to prevent the budget from being voted down.

Despite the emerging compromise ahead of the first reading, anger has been reported within Smotrich’s circle over linking the budget to the draft law. Some warned that continued delays could still lead to the collapse of the coalition and the dispersal of the Knesset.

With the immediate crisis temporarily defused, attention is now turning to the upcoming legislative marathon in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where the draft law will be debated. That process is widely seen as the true test of whether the coalition has achieved lasting stability or merely a brief and fragile calm.

{Matzav.com}

A groundswell of voices have come to the same conclusion: Kristi Noem must go. From Democratic Party leaders to the nation’s leading advocacy organizations to even the most centrist lawmakers in Congress, the calls are mounting for the Homeland Security secretary to step aside after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportation policy. At a defining moment […]

Israeli officials are assessing recent statements from President Donald Trump as possible indications that he is weighing a sweeping strategy toward Iran that could extend beyond diplomacy and include efforts to topple the current regime, according to a report aired by Kan News.

Those interpretations intensified after Trump posted a warning on his Truth Social account, writing, “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

Against that backdrop, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is scheduled to convene a high-level security meeting on Tuesday, with the agenda expected to focus on the ongoing war in Gaza as well as the escalating standoff with Iran.

At the same time, the United States has been reinforcing its military presence across the Middle East, even as American officials express interest in seeing the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership brought to an end. While Trump has publicly left the door open to negotiations, he has also cautioned Tehran that “time is running out” to reach an agreement.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations pushed back sharply against the president’s remarks, issuing a statement that warned of the costs of military confrontation. The delegation said, “The last time the U.S. got involved in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it wasted 7 trillion dollars and lost over 7,000 American soldiers. Iran is ready for dialogue based on respect and mutual interests – but if tested, it will defend itself and respond in a way it never has before.”

Adding to the rhetoric, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted a message in Hebrew on his X account threatening direct retaliation. He wrote that “Any military action by the United States will be considered an act of war, and its response will be immediate, comprehensive, unprecedented, and directed at the aggressor, at the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggression.”

{Matzav.com}

On Tuesday afternoon, NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Chief Charles Minch, together with NYPD Chief Richie Taylor and local community leaders, presented an award to Rabbi Yechiel Kalish, the outgoing CEO of Chevra Hatzolah. Rabbi Kalish was recognized for his dedication and leadership over the past five years, during which he oversaw the entire Central […]

Hamas said Wednesday it is prepared to transfer control of Gaza’s civilian administration to a U.S.-backed technocratic body, while simultaneously demanding the full reopening of the Rafah Border Crossing. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that the group has completed internal preparations to hand governance to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or […]

Thousands of chassidim gathered this week in Beit Shemesh to celebrate a major chassidic wedding, uniting the Trebishan and Zvhill dynasties. The joyous event took place at the “Sarah Events” hall, where the son of the Zvhill Rebbe married the daughter of the Trebishan Rebbe, who is also a granddaughter of the Pinsk-Karliner Rebbe. Large […]

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth said that opposition lawmakers had crossed a serious boundary after several Yesh Atid MKs entered the committee staff area outside his office, apparently disrupting discussions he was holding with representatives of the chareidi parties.

Footage from the scene showed a heated exchange outside Bismuth’s private office, next to the committee chamber, involving several MKs, among them committee members Elazar Stern and Moshe Tur-Paz, and Degel HaTorah MK Uri Maklev. In the video, Tur-Paz was seen lifting a document from a desk and taking a photograph of it.

Reacting to the incident, Bismuth wrote on X, “A red line has been crossed! I have just summoned the Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms following the violent and forceful outburst by opposition members of Knesset who stormed my office at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.”

He went on to accuse the opposition of hypocrisy, saying, “Those same actors who warned about ‘the right wing storming the Knesset’ are the ones behaving today with bullying and vulgarity, attempting to turn a sovereign institution into lawless territory — including serious attempts to photograph committee documents unlawfully.” Bismuth added that he intended to file a formal complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee.

The confrontation followed a meeting held earlier that afternoon between Bismuth, coalition whip Ofir Katz, and chareidi MKs Uri Maklev of Degel HaTorah, Yaakov Asher, and Shas representative Yinon Azoulay.

Also reported to have participated in the meeting were former Shas MK Ariel Attias, who had been representing the chareidi parties in talks surrounding Bismuth’s legislation, and committee legal adviser Miri Frenkel Shor, whose proposed amendments to the bill had drawn strong opposition from the chareidi factions.

Yesh Atid chairman and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized that meeting, claiming that those involved had “set up an alternative Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for themselves” in order to apply “heavy pressure on [Shor], to push her to approve changes that the ultra-Orthodox parties want.”

Responding to questions about the episode, Tur-Paz told The Times of Israel that he and fellow opposition MKs had gone to the committee area “to tell the Haredim and Bismuth: you will not strike a deal behind the backs of those who serve. We will not allow it.”

Tur-Paz also shared the photograph he had taken, which showed a list of committee members, and said he had snapped it “in an unclassified area,” insisting that he had not broken into any restricted space.

{Matzav.com}