A judge has ordered the immediate release of R’ Binyomin Kubani, a Beth Medrash Govoha avreich who had been held in Ocean County Jail after being arrested last week on suspicion of attempting to lure a teenager into his vehicle — a claim his legal team says is entirely unfounded and the result of a miscommunication. Kubani was taken into custody by Lakewood police after a Hispanic teenager alleged that the avreich had tried to lure him into a car. But according to individuals familiar with the incident, Kubani — who speaks little to no English — was simply trying to hire a day laborer to clean his car, a common practice in the area. Whether the accusation arose from a language barrier or a deeper misunderstanding remains unclear, but the teen flagged down a passing police officer, who then arrested Kubani without taking his statement, according to his attorney. “I call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and take necessary steps to address any wrongdoing or systemic issues that may have contributed to this arrest,” said Yosef Jacobovitch, who is representing Kubani. Jacobovitch also criticized the conduct of Lakewood Police Detective Charles Messer, claiming he refused to take Kubani’s version of events. “I immediately contacted the department to request they speak with my client,” Jacobovitch said. “Detective Messer responded, ‘I will not let him muddy the water with his lies.’” Further legal proceedings are expected, but as of now, R’ Binyomin Kubani has returned home. LakewoodAlerts.com
BREAKING IN LAKEWOOD: A judge has granted the immediate release of R’ Binyomin Kubani, the BMG avreich has been languishing in Ocean County Jail following charges based on a miscommunication.
Russian’s transport minister was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Roman Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an alleged embezzlement case, as some Russian media suggested. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo, a neighborhood just west of the capital where members of Russia’s elite live. A gun previously presented to him as an official gift was found next to his body. A criminal probe was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee’s spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, who did not say when Starovoit died. Russian media have reported that Starovoit’s dismissal could have been linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of state funds allocated for building fortifications in the Kursk region, where he served as governor before being appointed transportation minister. The alleged embezzlement has been cited as one of the reasons for deficiencies in Russia’s defensive lines that failed to stem a surprise Ukrainian incursion in the region launched in August 2024. In the stunning attack, Ukraine’s battle-hardened mechanized units quickly overwhelmed lightly armed Russian border guards and inexperienced army conscripts. Hundreds were taken prisoner. The incursion was a humiliating blow to the Kremlin — the first time the country’s territory was occupied by an invader since World War II. The Russian military had announced its troops had fully reclaimed the border territory in April — nearly nine months after losing chunks of the region. Starovoit’s successor as Kursk governor, Alexei Smirnov, stepped down in December and was arrested on embezzlement charges in April. Some Russian media have alleged that Starovoit also could have faced charges as part of the investigation. His dismissal also followed a weekend of travel chaos as Russian airports were forced to ground hundreds of flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Most commentators said, however, that the air traffic disruptions have become customary amid frequent Ukrainian drone raids and were unlikely to have triggered his dismissal. An official order releasing Starovoit from his post was published on the Kremlin’s website Monday morning without giving a reason for his dismissal. Shortly before the news of Starovoit’s death broke, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the reasons behind his dismissal. Peskov praised Starovoit’s replacement, Andrei Nikitin, who had been appointed deputy transport minister five months ago. (AP)
Mayor Karen Bass is attempting to stop Border Patrol from conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles.
A 27-year-old resident of Tel Aviv was arrested last month after allegedly carrying out missions on behalf of Iran. The investigation revealed that for several months, the suspect had been in contact with an Iranian agent and, allegedly, at his direction, filmed the homes of elected officials and military bases and sprayed graffiti. The suspect received thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency for carrying out the missions. On June 22, 2025, Tel Aviv District Police officers raided the suspect’s home and carried out a search, during which they seized several devices allegedly used to contact the Iranian agent. A prosecutor’s declaration was filed against the suspect in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Monday, and an indictment will be filed in the coming days. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Jack Dorsey launches a WhatsApp messaging rival built on Bluetooth Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey announced a new peer-to-peer messaging app Bitchat that works entirely over Bluetooth. Chats are encrypted, ephemeral, and stored only on-device — with no accounts, phone numbers, or servers involved. The app is now live in beta on TestFlight, with future updates set to add WiFi Direct for faster, longer-range communication.
Trump announces 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea, starting Aug. 1 The United States will impose 25% blanket tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting Aug. 1, President Donald Trump revealed. Trump shared screenshots of letters apparently sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung dictating the new tariff rates. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign an executive order to delay the date when his “reciprocal” tariffs are set to snap back higher.
WH PRESS SEC ON TEXAS FLOODS: “91 innocent souls have now perished…President Trump swiftly signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, Texas to ensure our heroic first responders have every resource they need…Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie.”
Crews trudged through debris and waded into swollen riverbanks Monday in the search for victims of catastrophic flooding over the July Fourth weekend that has killed nearly 90 people in Texas, including more than two dozen campers and counselors from an all-girls Christian camp. With additional rain on the way, the risk of more flooding was still high in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise as crews looked for the many people who were still missing. Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said Monday that they lost 27 campers and counselors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. “We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,” the camp said in a statement. Authorities said Monday that 10 girls and a counselor from the camp remain missing. In the Hill Country area, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Twelve other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The floods, among the nation’s worst in decades, swept away people sleeping in tents, cabins and homes along the river Friday in the middle of the night. Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her. “Then they were able to reach their tool shed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their tool shed, and they all rode it out together,” Brown said. A few miles away, rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain filled with snakes kept up the search for the missing. Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. Families were allowed to look around Camp Mystic beginning Sunday morning. A man whose daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face as they slowly drove away and she gazed through the open window at the wreckage. Searching the disaster zone Crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the prospect of finding more survivors dimmed. Search-and-rescue crews at one staging area said Monday that more than 1,000 volunteers had been directed to an area of hard-hit Kerr County. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County and said he would likely visit Friday. “It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” he told reporters. Desperate refuge and trees and attics Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics, […]
Shas leader Aryeh Deri lashed out at Opposition Leader Yair Lapid on Monday, fiercely criticizing what he described as a dangerous and inflammatory accusation regarding military service exemptions for the chareidi community.
Lapid, speaking to the press before his Yesh Atid party’s weekly meeting in the Knesset, took aim at efforts by religious parties to legislate permanent draft exemptions for yeshiva students. He declared that Deri and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member Yaakov Asher “have no problem sending [reserve] soldiers to go fight and die on one condition: that their own children not die.”
Deri quickly issued a response, rejecting the accusation and defending his community’s contribution to national service. “The percentage of soldiers who serve and risk their lives among Shas voters is higher than among your party’s voters,” he stated.
He went on to accuse Lapid of targeting the chareidi public unfairly and irresponsibly. “Stop pointing an accusing finger at an entire community that contributes to the country with dedication… Your words are serious and false incitement,” Deri said.
He concluded by demanding that Lapid take back what he called a “inflammatory slur.”
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Matzav.com Israel}
Israel’s Land Authority has launched an accelerated process to move military bases outside populated cities in central Israel after the war with Iran, Ynet reported. The move will also free land for the construction of about 60,000 housing units. According to the report, some plans have already been approved, including the relocation of the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. However, the plan was expected to be implemented in 2030 and has now been brought forward. The IDF intelligence base and the neighboring military college in Ramat HaSharon were scheduled to be relocated to Jerusalem and the south in 2027 but those plans have been brought forward as well. The decision to move bases out of cities in central Israel was made by the government in 2011. The UK’s Telegraph recently reported that five IDF bases were hit by missiles fired by Iran during the 12 days of the war. The report is based on satellite data analyzed by the University of Oregon in the United States. The IDF refused to comment on interception data or damage to bases, but told the newspaper that “all relevant units maintained functional continuity throughout the operation.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and senior cabinet officials on Sunday were presented with harrowing medical profiles of the 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza — a grim briefing that will shape life-or-death decisions in the expected hostage-ceasefire deal now edging closer to agreement. According to details reported by Channel 12, ministers were shown deeply troubling medical reports on each hostage, highlighting widespread malnourishment, untreated chronic illness, severe mental breakdowns, and physical injuries suffered during captivity. The information, some of which was shared on air, underscored the near-impossible task of deciding which hostages should be prioritized for release in a staggered deal that could see some forced to remain in captivity for weeks longer. The emerging framework envisions the release of roughly half of the living hostages and half of the deceased hostages over a 60-day ceasefire, split into five separate phases. According to an Arab diplomat involved in the negotiations, eight living hostages could be freed on day one, with two more on day 50, while sets of deceased hostages would be returned periodically. Among the most critical cases: 24-year-old Alon Ohel, reportedly held alone and at high risk of permanent blindness; 21-year-old Rom Braslavski, wounded in both arms and asthmatic; and 25-year-old Matan Zangauker, suffering from muscular dystrophy while being held in isolation. Others face severe psychological trauma, malnutrition, or injuries from torture and harsh confinement. Unlike previous deals, Israeli security authorities did not rank the hostages by medical urgency, leaving Netanyahu and his cabinet to make those wrenching calls, Channel 12 reported. The meeting ended without final decisions, to be revisited once practical negotiations resume. Israel dispatched negotiators to Doha on Sunday after Hamas last week said it had accepted a US- and Israel-backed proposal with reservations. Early rounds of indirect talks concluded inconclusively, diplomats said. In Washington, Idit Ohel — mother of hostage Alon Ohel — pleaded through tears for decision-makers to see her son’s plight. “I can’t help him. I can’t give him food. I can’t hug him. Nothing,” she told Channel 12. “The time has come for an agreement. Alon needs to come home.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum fiercely criticized any phased or selective release, likening it to Holocaust-era “selections” of those kept alive versus those sent to death. “All of the abductees could have been returned for rehabilitation and burial many months ago, if only the government had chosen to do so rather than operate based on considerations of political survival,” the group said in a statement. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s governing coalition was forced to pull all proposed legislation from the Knesset docket today after Shas and United Torah Judaism declared they would not take part in the session in protest of the continued delay in presenting a law to officially exempt yeshiva students from military service.
United Torah Judaism released a statement announcing their stance: “In light of the fact that the draft conscription law has not been introduced to date, contrary to commitments made… it will not vote with the coalition until the draft law is presented.”
Following the chareidi parties’ announcement, Likud notified its MKs that the legislative schedule was canceled. “You are free for today. Regarding the rest of the week – an announcement will come,” party leadership wrote to lawmakers.
Reacting to the disruption, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid criticized the government’s paralysis. “The coalition has stopped functioning. They don’t have a majority among the people. They don’t have a majority in the Knesset,” he said, renewing his demand for snap elections.
The refusal by Shas and UTJ to vote with the coalition marks a sharp escalation from their previous tactic, when they limited their protest to abstaining on individual private bills sponsored by coalition members.
According to reports in the chareidi press, Shas leader Aryeh Deri told his faction that the entire crisis stems from Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein backing away from a compromise that had previously been negotiated.
“Yuli Edelstein said he was done with the wording of the law and now it’s stuck with the committee’s legal adviser. They’re laughing at us. Not only will we not vote on bills, we won’t enter the plenum at all. They tried to tempt us with promoting a law on rabbinical courts — and we refused,” chareidi sources told Kan radio.
{Matzav.com Israel}
WATCH THIS: As the Summer 2025 season begins, Catskills Hatzalah continues its impactful safety video series — this time focusing on the critical importance of wearing helmets and staying alert while riding bikes, Segways, scooters, and electric scooters. The video features R’ Yeedle Feig, coordinator of Catskills Hatzalah, who shares vital safety reminders for riders of all ages. With roads busier than ever in the Catskills, one wrong move can lead to tragedy — but a helmet can save your life.
IDF Chief of Staff LTG Zamir: “We continue to operate in all arenas, on all fronts. Tonight, alongside the operations you are carrying out here, we operated in Yemen, we operated in Lebanon. We are operating everywhere — near and far. In Iran, we are monitoring the assessment of the impact, and I tell you here, our assessment of the impact is that it is high.
The IDF released footage of an overnight airstrike on the “Galaxy Leader” vessel, part of a series of strikes targeting Yemen’s Houthis in retaliation for their attacks on Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis, who hijacked the ship in November 2023, were reportedly using it for maritime surveillance and operational planning, according to the military.
Thousands of daredevils ran, skidded and tumbled out of the way of a stampeding group of bulls at the opening run of the San Fermín festival Monday. It was the first of nine morning runs or “encierros” during the famous celebrations held in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. The bulls pounded along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 846 meters (2,775 feet) and can last two to four minutes. Most runners wear the traditional garb of white trousers and shirt with red sash and neckerchief. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull’s horns for a few death-defying seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Thousands of spectators watched from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the visceral spectacle on live television. The festival kicked off Sunday with the traditional “chupinazo” firework blast after which revelers doused one another with red or sparkling wine. While gorings are not rare, many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. Medics rush in to treat the injured and take the seriously hurt to a hospital. On Monday, Spanish newspaper El País reported that a few revelers had been injured, but it wasn’t clear if their injuries were from gorings. Unofficial records say at least 15 people have died in the bull runs over the past century. The deadliest day on record was July 13, 1980, when four runners were killed by two bulls. The last death was in 2009. The rest of each day is for eating, drinking, dancing and cultural entertainment, including bull fights where the animals that run in the morning are slain in the bull ring by professional matadors each afternoon. The festival isn’t without its detractors. On Saturday, animal rights activists marched through Pamplona wearing horns and splotched with fake blood in protest against the San Fermin bull runs. Some held up signs saying “bullfights are a sin.” The festival was made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises,” about American bohemians wasting away in Europe. (AP)
TEHILLIM: Please daven for R’ *Binyomin ben Bandera* Kubani, the jailed BMG yungerman, who will be having a detention hearing before a judge at 2:30 PM today.
WATCH: On Sunday, Hagaon HaRav David Yosef, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, visited the home of Mr. Charles Kushner, the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to France and father of Jared Kushner (son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump). Rav Yosef blessed him and encouraged him ahead of his upcoming diplomatic mission.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian alleged in an interview with American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that Israel had made an attempt on his life.
“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian responded when Carlson asked if he believed Israel had tried to assassinate him.
Pezeshkian refrained from giving details such as when the alleged attempt took place or whether it coincided with Israel’s recent 12-day air assault on Iranian territory.
When Carlson pressed him on how he could be certain that an attempt had been made, Pezeshkian responded, “Of course, it was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life… It was Israel,” according to a translated transcript from Persian to English used in the interview.
The Iranian leader explained that he had been in a meeting at the time of the incident. “I was in a meeting… but thanks to the intelligence by the spies that they had, they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he recounted.
In the same interview, Pezeshkian addressed the topic of nuclear negotiations, indicating Iran is open to returning to the table if trust can be rebuilt between the two countries. “We see no problem in reentering the negotiations,” the Iranian president says.
Still, he stressed that certain assurances would be necessary before talks could resume. “There is a condition… for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again? We reentered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?”
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