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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, struggling with sinking approval ratings and a difficult re-election path, is reportedly weighing a role in the Trump administration, which could lead him to exit the mayoral race, according to a Thursday report in The New York Times.

People close to Adams, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he has privately acknowledged to allies that he is seriously looking at other professional opportunities. These conversations have intensified in recent months as his campaign has been plagued by poor polling numbers and persistent corruption allegations.

The Times reported that discussions have included go-betweens for President Trump, among them real estate developer Steve Witkoff. Adams and Witkoff met this week in Florida, a meeting not previously made public. Initially, City Hall attributed Adams’s absence to a “personal matter,” while a campaign spokesperson later said he was marking his 65th birthday. Adams himself explained afterward that he had met with “political figures,” including Miami’s mayor.

While the specifics of the talks remain unclear, they come after several reports in The New York Times and elsewhere that Trump’s circle has reached out to Adams regarding a potential position in Washington. Those same reports noted that Trump’s team has also considered finding a federal role for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, in hopes of clearing the field for former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to take on Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, who has been criticized for his anti-Israel positions. Sliwa has strongly dismissed the suggestion.

David A. Paterson, the former governor of New York and a longtime friend of Adams, said the mayor told him he intends to stay in the race but has been keeping an open mind. “What ‘I’m listening’ means is that he realizes the odds of winning aren’t what he’d like them to be, so there might be another alternative for him,” Paterson explained.

The maneuvering comes at a time when the mayoral contest is becoming increasingly complicated. Polls consistently show Mamdani holding a solid advantage over his opponents.

Cuomo, who was defeated by Mamdani in the Democratic primary, is continuing his bid as an independent. Adams is also running independently, casting himself as the candidate who can “save” New York from Mamdani. Previous stories have claimed Trump has spoken with Cuomo on multiple occasions and even considered stepping in to block Mamdani’s rise—claims Cuomo has denied.

Mamdani, reacting to speculation about White House involvement, criticized the political maneuvering, calling such efforts “backroom deals” and “corrupt agreements,” which he labeled “an affront to our democracy.”

Mamdani’s controversial anti-Israel record has drawn further scrutiny, including his refusal to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada” and his public criticism of Israel on October 8, 2023—just one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

{Matzav.com}

Hamas release’s memo that any employee in the government ministries who leaves Gaza city will endure “Maximum penalties”

Declassified images from the 12-Day War show Iran’s IRGC launching ballistic missiles at Israel and Israeli drones striking the launch sites.

U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The Labor Department said Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, also worse than expected and the highest level since 2021, the Labor Department reported Friday. When the department put out a disappointing jobs report a month ago, an enraged President Donald Trump responded by firing the economist in charge of compiling the numbers and nominating a loyalist to replace her. Talking to reporters Thursday night at a dinner with wealthy tech executives, Trump had seemed to shrug off whatever hiring numbers would come out Friday. “The real numbers that I’m talking about are going to be whatever it is, but will be in a year from now,’’ the president said. The U.S. job market has lost momentum this year, partly because of the lingering effects of 11 interest rate hikes by the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023 and partly because President Donald Trump’s policies, including his trade wars, have created uncertainty that leaves managers reluctant to make hiring decisions. So far in 2025, the economy has generated 85,000 new jobs a month, down from 168,000 last year and an average 400,000 a month during the hiring boom of 2021-2023 as the United States roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns. “The labor market is showing signs of cracking,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “It’s not a red siren alarm yet, but the signs keep growing that businesses are starting to cut workers.’’ The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs — rose last week to the highest level since June, though the number of claims remained within a healthy range. The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Wednesday that U.S.-based employers have announced more than 892,000 jobs cuts this year through August, more than the 761,000 reported for all 12 months of 2024. In a sign that U.S. hiring gains are limited and fragile, nearly 80% of new private sectors jobs this year have been created in just one industry: healthcare and social assistance, a Labor Department category that spans hospitals to daycare centers. After seeing the weak July jobs numbers, Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, baselessly claiming the hiring report had been rigged to hurt him politically. He has nominated a partisan idealogue, E.J. Antoni, to replace her. But for now, pending Antoni’s confirmation by the Senate, the jobs report is in the hands of the acting BLS commissioner, William Wiatrowski, a career Labor Department official. Economists and others familiar with how the jobs numbers are collected have expressed confidence that Labor Department procedures will keep the data are safe from political interference. What set Trump off a month ago wasn’t the July hiring or unemployment figures. It was BLS revisions, which shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls and slashed average monthly hiring from May through July to a mere 35,000. The revisions are standard practice, and necessary because many companies surveyed by the government submit their responses late or correct what they’ve already sent in. Government […]

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A new survey shows President Donald Trump earning strong marks from voters as he moves forward in his second term.

According to results released Thursday by the Daily Mail and J.L. Partners, Trump’s approval rating stands at 55 percent.

“This is the highest approval figure we have ever shown for Donald Trump,” said James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners. The poll reflected a six-point rise compared with the same groups’ survey conducted in July, the Mail noted.

The report added, “The poll of 867 registered voters was conducted from August 21 – September 1 and has a 3.3 percent margin of error.”

Johnson explained, “It might seem surprising, but the news cycle has been ace for the president in recent days: his crime surge in DC is backed by the public, and economic news has been positive.”

In June, a Harvard-Harris survey showed Trump posting his highest approval numbers on immigration, according to Breitbart News.

The poll examined several key issues, comparing Trump’s approval levels with those of Joe Biden. For instance, Trump drew 44 percent support on the economy, while Biden had 37 percent approval in January.

Trump also garners broad approval for his policy of removing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, with 80 percent of voters backing the approach. Support cuts across party lines, with 88 percent of Republicans, 80 percent of independents, and 72 percent of Democrats agreeing.

In August, Trump achieved a record personal high in an Associated Press poll, which placed his overall job approval at 45 percent, Breitbart reported.

The White House published an article Wednesday crediting Trump’s agenda with delivering major accomplishments:
“President Donald J. Trump’s America First agenda is delivering historic results at an unprecedented pace. From shattering tariff revenue records to securing the border and revitalizing our nation’s capital, the Trump Administration is proving that bold leadership gets real results.”

Meanwhile, Breitbart News highlighted another poll showing Vice President JD Vance leading California Governor Gavin Newsom in seven swing states in a hypothetical presidential matchup.

“The poll was conducted after Trump said that Vance could ‘most likely’ be the ‘heir apparent’ to lead the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement,” Breitbart reported.

{Matzav.com}

Two Venezuelan military aircraft buzzed a US Navy destroyer in the Caribbean on Thursday, in what the Pentagon called a “highly provocative” attempt to interfere with counter-drug operations. The incident comes just 48 hours after US forces attacked a Tren de Aragua narco-smuggling boat in the region, killing 11 militants tied to Venezuela’s most powerful cartel. “Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military.” According to CBS News, the aircraft involved were armed F-16 fighter jets. The vessel they harassed was the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis-class guided-missile destroyer. The Navy dispatched at least eight ships to the Caribbean last month — including three guided-missile destroyers — as part of a broader mission to dismantle narcotics networks flooding the US with fentanyl-laced drugs. The Pentagon has not released additional details on Thursday’s incident. The flare-up marks the latest confrontation between Washington and Caracas. Earlier this year, the Trump administration formally designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations, accusing President Nicolás Maduro of enabling their trafficking operations. The Justice Department last month placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, with Attorney General Pam Bondi calling him “one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security.” Maduro has lashed out at the naval buildup, denouncing the US mission as “the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years” and accusing Washington of plotting regime change. With US warships and Venezuelan fighter jets now confronting each other over disputed waters and drug-smuggling routes, tensions in the Caribbean are escalating into one of the most dangerous flashpoints of Trump’s second term. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman has dramatically reversed course in New York City’s mayoral race, throwing his support behind former governor Andrew Cuomo after months of backing incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. In a late-night post on X Thursday, Ackman declared that Adams should step aside, citing dismal polling numbers and a collapsing path to reelection. “Eric has been a charismatic and high-energy leader who has shown real empathy and provided critical moral and other support to NY communities in their time of need,” Ackman wrote. “All of that said, Eric should step aside and not run for reelection. Eric’s polls have deteriorated substantially since the primary, and it has become increasingly clear that he does not have a chance to beat @ZohranKMamdani.” Just two months ago, Ackman was praising Adams as the party’s best hope and urging Cuomo to exit, blasting the ex-governor’s “subdued energy” and arguing he was “not up for the fight.” Ackman also poured $500,000 into Cuomo’s ill-fated primary bid — an investment that looked wasted after Cuomo’s sluggish campaign failed to break through. But with Adams languishing in the single digits in the latest polls — down from the mid-teens before his corruption scandals deepened — Ackman appears to have recalculated. Cuomo is now polling in the mid-to-high 20s, while Mamdani, the progressive Queens assemblyman, has plateaued in the high 30s to low 40s. Once buoyed by his tough-on-crime message, Adams has struggled to shake federal corruption investigations and a chaotic administration. Cuomo, despite his own bruising scandals, has re-emerged as the establishment’s last credible alternative to Mamdani, who has energized a coalition of progressives, tenants’ groups, and left-wing activists. “There is a lot that needs to be improved in New York City. @andrewcuomo is an experienced leader that cares deeply about our city who has the relevant experience and skills necessary to lead and greatly improve NYC,” Ackman wrote in his endorsement. “Andrew had major accomplishments as our governor. He also made some mistakes. I am a huge believer in backing leaders who have learned from their mistakes and have something to prove.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Employees should brace for a significant jump in the cost of their workplace health coverage beginning in 2026.

Although overall inflation has cooled compared with the past few years, businesses are bracing for the sharpest rise in health benefit expenses in a decade and a half, according to Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans released Thursday.

For workers, this means higher deductions from paychecks and steeper out-of-pocket bills at the doctor’s office—adding to the financial pressure already caused by persistently elevated consumer prices, which may rise further once President Donald Trump’s new tariffs take effect.

Mercer projects that employees will pay an additional 6% to 7% in premiums on average. While some employers may attempt to hold down premium hikes, they often do so by shifting costs elsewhere, such as increasing copays and deductibles.

“The cost of coverage is going up,” explained Beth Umland, director of research for health and benefits at Mercer. “That’s a combination of higher prices for health care services and higher utilization.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies absorbed rising medical costs to shield their employees, but Mercer found that fewer are continuing that practice.

According to the survey, 59% of employers plan to make cost-cutting adjustments to their health plans in the coming year, up from 44% in 2024. These adjustments typically include raising deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses for workers who seek medical care.

Employees will learn the full details of their 2026 benefits during open enrollment periods, which are usually held in the fall.

Sunit Patel, Mercer’s U.S. chief actuary for health and benefits, noted that many companies are trying to give workers more plan options, sometimes with lower price points. A common approach is offering broader provider networks but varying out-of-pocket charges depending on the doctor chosen.

Mercer’s forecast of a 6.5% increase in 2026 would mark the fourth straight year of steep cost growth, following a decade when yearly hikes averaged about 3%. The projection factors in anticipated employer strategies to curb spending. More than 1,700 companies with at least 50 employees were surveyed.

Other research aligns with these findings. The Business Group on Health said employers expect costs to rise 7.6% in 2026, after actual expenses in the past two years exceeded projections by wide margins.

“The story this year is perhaps more daunting and sobering than it ever has been,” Ellen Kelsay, the group’s CEO, said last month.

Health insurers are also preparing for steep increases, with PwC projecting medical costs for employers will grow 8.5% for the third consecutive year. The firm noted that its forecasts for 2024 and 2025 had to be revised higher based on insurers’ actual spending.

Cancer care continues to be the leading factor in rising costs for employers, fueled by higher diagnosis rates and increasingly expensive treatments, the Business Group on Health reported.

This trend has pushed companies to put more emphasis on prevention and early detection, such as expanding coverage for breast cancer screenings and less invasive alternatives to colonoscopies.

The rapid uptake of costly GLP-1 medications has also added to employers’ burdens. Nearly all large companies plan to cover these drugs for diabetes by 2026, while about three-quarters will cover them for obesity.

Around 80% of employers say usage of GLP-1s has already increased, and another 15% expect demand to climb further. To control expenses, many companies plan to require employees using the medications for weight loss to obtain prior authorization, join weight management programs, or fulfill other requirements.

Another contributor to rising costs is the growing demand for mental health services, which more employees are using. Businesses have been working to expand access and reduce stigma, but the additional utilization is driving up overall spending.

Looking ahead, employers are monitoring the potential for tariffs to push health care costs even higher, along with possible ripple effects from Trump’s domestic agenda, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.” Analysts suggest the legislation could lead to more uninsured Americans, but Patel said it is too soon to measure its full impact given the many uncertainties that remain.

{Matzav.com}

Tesla CEO Elon Musk could be in line for a payout of $1 trillion if his electric car company meets a series of extremely aggressive targets over the next 10 years, according to documents released by the company. Tesla, which is leaning heavily into robotics and AI, said in a regulatory filing on Friday that the package has a dozen share tranches that include awards for Musk if targets, ranging from car production to the total value of the company, are met over that time period. Very early in the plan, Tesla would have to reach a market valuation of $2 trillion and achieve 20 million vehicles deliveries. Tesla delivered less than 2 million vehicles in 2024. That milestone would also required a million robotaxis in commercial operation and the delivery of 1 million artificial intelligence bots. Musk needs to remain with Tesla for at least seven and a half years to cash out on any stock, and 10 years to earn the full amount. Musk has been one of the richest people in the world for several years. Musk would also receive more voting power over Tesla under the proposed plan. The EV company is set to hold its annual shareholders meeting on Nov. 6. Tesla’s last shareholders meeting was on June 13 of last year, where investors voted to restore Musk’s record $44.9 billion pay package that was thrown out by a Delaware judge earlier that year. A condition of the 11th and 12th tranches of the plan includes Musk coming up with a framework for someone to succeed him as CEO. The goals set out for Musk and Tesla are extremely ambitious given recent tumult at the Texas company. Tesla shares have plunged 25% this year largely due to blowback over Musk’s affiliation with President Donald Trump. But Tesla also faces intensifying competition from the big Detroit automakers and particularly from China. Telsa sales have fallen precipitously in Europe after Musk aligned with a far-right political party in German. Sales plunged 40% in July in the 27 European Union countries compared with the year earlier even as sales overall of electric vehicle soared, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Meanwhile sales of Chinese rival BYD continued to climb fast, grabbing 1.1% market share of all car sales in the month versus Tesla’s 0.7%. In its most recent quarter, Tesla reported that quarterly profits plunged from $1.39 billion to $409 million. Revenue also fell and the company fell short of even the lowered expectations on Wall Street. Investors have grown increasingly worried about the trajectory of the company after Musk had spent so much time in Washington this year, becoming one of the most prominent officials in the Trump administration in its bid to slash the size of the U.S. government. Last month Tesla said that it gave Musk a stock grant of $29 billion as a reward for years of “transformative and unprecedented” growth despite a recent foray into right-wing politics that has hurt its sales, profits and its stock price. The award arrived eight months after a judge revoked Musk’s 2018 pay package for a second time, something the company noted in August. Tesla has appealed the ruling. Tesla said at the time that the grant was a “first step, good faith” way of retaining […]

A top immigration official in the Trump administration announced plans to make the U.S. citizenship test more challenging, saying the current version is “just too easy” and vowing to “declare war on fraud.”

Speaking Thursday at a Washington, D.C. event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow argued that the exam should better reflect an applicant’s “attachment to the Constitution.”

“Simply put, I want to see the naturalization process returned to where I believe it should have been … based on what the Congress has said, based on what the statute says,” Edlow said, according to Mediaite.

“We’re looking for attachment to the Constitution. We’re looking for an understanding of the civic responsibility of being a U.S. citizen. We’re looking for actual understanding and ability to read and speak and write the English language; and, frankly, this test is just too easy. Six out of 10 questions right now is what people have to get right,” he continued.

Edlow noted that he has spoken to staff around the country and has been troubled by their feedback.

“They’re worried, and they’re looking forward to it,” he said. “They’re thanking me for doing what I’m doing, which pretty much all this comes down to is I am declaring war on fraud. I am declaring war on anyone that is coming to this country and wants to get a benefit but doesn’t want the responsibility of what it means to actually be a U.S. citizen.”

The possible changes mark the latest step by President Donald Trump’s administration to place stricter requirements on those applying for citizenship. Just last week, USCIS announced it would again begin interviewing neighbors and coworkers of applicants, a practice that had not been used since the administration of President George H.W. Bush.

Edlow emphasized that he doesn’t want the exam to be “so hard that it’s impossible” except for the highly educated, but insisted the test must be more rigorous. He suggested that applicants might be required to write an essay on the meaning of American citizenship and hinted that a more uniform format could be introduced going forward.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has issued its first formal evacuation notice to residents of a multi-story building in Gaza City ahead of an impending strike, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Friday, declaring that the military campaign will only intensify until Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms for a ceasefire. “The bolt is now being removed from the gates of Hell in Gaza,” Katz wrote on X. “Once the door is opened, it will not be closed, and IDF operations will intensify — until Hamas’s murderers and rapists accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, first and foremost the release of all hostages and disarmament — or be destroyed.” The statement comes as the IDF prepares to expand its ground offensive into Gaza City as part of a “decisive phase” aimed at dismantling Hamas’s remaining strongholds. IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Thursday that Israeli forces already control about 40 percent of the city and are preparing to push deeper in the coming days. Military officials confirmed that forthcoming operations will include targeted strikes against multi-story buildings that have been converted into Hamas military infrastructure. On Friday, Gaza media outlets reported that Israeli aircraft struck the Al-Mushtaha tower three times after residents were ordered to evacuate. Footage from the scene showed thick plumes of smoke billowing over the neighborhood. The IDF has not commented on whether casualties were reported. According to the military, intelligence indicates that Hamas has embedded sniper nests, anti-tank positions, command centers, and surveillance systems inside residential towers, while planting explosives around them to ambush advancing troops. The group’s tunnel networks are also believed to run beneath and around these high-rise structures. “These sites pose a direct threat to our troops,” the IDF said in a statement. “They will be struck soon.” The military pledged that precision strikes and prior warnings would be used in an effort to minimize civilian casualties, while again accusing Hamas of deliberately using Gaza’s civilian population as human shields. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Hamas’s internal security division announced that its forces in Gaza are preparing to carry out executions of individuals accused of working as agents and collaborators for Israel in Gaza City.

The statement indicated that the planned executions are intended to disrupt Israel’s intelligence networks and diminish its ability to collect information ahead of a potential Israeli military campaign in the area.

Earlier accounts revealed that Palestinians who had been detained for spying for Israel admitted during questioning that Israel might be planning a preemptive assault to seize control of Gaza City.

The same report highlighted that Israel often relies on sophisticated technology when targeting militants, with one of the primary tools being the tracking of cell phone signals.

As a countermeasure, Hamas is said to have instructed its members to refrain from using mobile devices, or to keep them switched off, in an attempt to avoid Israeli monitoring and detection.

Despite the fact that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who resides in Ramallah, officially suspended executions years ago and holds the authority to approve such sentences, Hamas continues to carry them out independently in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has openly rejected Abbas’s authority and has long maintained that capital punishment in Gaza can be enforced without his approval.

The majority of Hamas’s executions have involved those accused of spying for Israel. In September 2022, Hamas executed two Palestinians convicted of providing information to Israel that led to the deaths of two individuals.

In May 2023, a military tribunal in Gaza handed down death sentences to several Palestinians convicted of passing intelligence to Israel, ordering executions by hanging and by firing squad.

By July, Hamas’s internal security “deterrence” division reported that it had conducted a number of “high-quality” operations, which included the execution of 12 people accused of collaborating with Israel and engaging in criminal acts.

{Matzav.com}

Hamas released a new hostage video Friday, showing abductee Guy Gilboa-Dalal embracing fellow captive Alon Ohel and saying he couldn’t believe he has survived “22 months of war” while being held in Gaza City. The terror group posted the clip on its Telegram channel alongside the ominous message: “Time is running out.” In the footage, Gilboa-Dalal warns that hostages like himself will be kept in Gaza City during Israel’s looming military push and shifted to new locations wherever the IDF advances. He dated the video August 28 — suggesting it was recorded just days before the death of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida, who Israeli media reported had planned to weaponize hostage videos to stall the army’s invasion. The release immediately reignited hostages’ families’ fears. In a blistering statement, the Hostages’ Families Headquarters said the IDF has “no precise information” on their loved ones’ whereabouts and cautioned that the Gaza operation could condemn them to “murder and disappearance forever in the ruins of the Strip.” “This action poses an immediate and direct danger to our loved ones who have been languishing in Hamas’s tunnels for 700 days,” the statement read, warning against a repeat of the tragedy in Rafah in which six hostages were discovered murdered in tunnels earlier this year. The families blasted the military chief of staff for “cooperating with a needless war” and insisted there is a diplomatic alternative already on the table: a proposal put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. “What did not work in Gideon’s Chariots A will not work in Part B or Part C,” they said, referring to earlier IDF operations that failed to free hostages. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “another painful reminder that Israel must return to negotiations.” Writing on X, he urged: “We must do everything to bring them home. Sending strength to the families — you are not alone, we are with you.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Syria’s new government unveiled a sweeping reconstruction drive on Thursday, staging a high-profile fundraiser at Damascus Citadel and pledging to rebuild the nation after more than a decade of war and the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime last December. The launch of the Syrian Development Fund was broadcast live nationwide and shown on outdoor screens in provincial centers. Organizers said the fund aims to finance the return of displaced Syrians, restore farmland, and rebuild shattered cities — a vision that new President Ahmad al-Sharaa cast as a break with decades of authoritarian rule and corruption. “There is a beautiful meaning in holding this event at Damascus Citadel,” al-Sharaa said, invoking the medieval fortress seized by rebels during the campaign that toppled Assad. “We stand on the precipice of a new phase — the phase of construction and rebuilding — where we write Syria’s new history with our own hands, our own money and our own efforts. The previous regime destroyed our economy, looted our wealth, demolished our homes and scattered our people into camps.” In a symbolic gesture, four luxury cars once belonging to Assad were auctioned to fund the initiative. Among them were a Mercedes SL 65 AMG and a Ferrari F50 — vehicles valued at roughly $20 million. “These cars are being returned to the people,” officials said, as bids poured in from wealthy Syrians and diaspora donors. By the close of the evening, the campaign had raised $61 million. Contributions came not only from private donors and families but also from senior government officials. First Lady Latifa al-Droubi pledged $5,000 of her own money. Safwat Raslan, director of the fund, described the launch as “an unprecedented national moment.” He pledged that the fund would be a symbol of transparency and accountability in contrast to Assad’s notorious kleptocracy. “We are at the beginning of a new stage: rebuilding after destruction,” Raslan said. “With your support, the fund will become a symbol of transparency and stability.” Al-Sharaa insisted that the effort was not about foreign charity but about reclaiming Syria’s future. “We are not here to beg for charity for Syria,” he said. “We are here to remind ourselves and you of the duty of this moment.” The sight of Assad’s luxury cars going under the hammer — vehicles once hoarded as symbols of elite privilege — was meant to drive home that the spoils of dictatorship are being reclaimed for the nation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, particularly while its invasion was still ongoing, would be considered “legitimate targets” by Moscow’s forces. Putin’s comments came hours after European leaders repledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force, a prospect that Moscow has repeatedly described as “unacceptable.” “If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets,” he said during a panel at the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. Putin also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after a final peace deal, saying “no one should doubt” that Moscow would comply with a treaty to halt its 3½-year full-scale invasion of its neighbor. He said that security guarantees would be needed for both Russia and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow would need “legally binding documents” to outline such agreements. “Of course, you can’t just take anybody’s word for something,” he told Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty. European leaders pledge peacekeeping force in Ukraine Putin’s comments follow remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for Ukraine once fighting ends. Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 35 countries that support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had committed to deploying troops to Ukraine — or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea or in the air — to help guarantee the country’s security the day after any ceasefire or peace is achieved. Addressing the participants of the international economic conference the Ambrosetti Forum on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was important that security guarantees “start working now, during the war, and not only after it ends.” He said he could not disclose more details as they are “sensitive and relate to the military sphere.” Drone strikes continue Russian troops attacked Ukraine overnight with 157 strike and decoy drones, as well as seven missiles of various types, Ukraine’s air force reported Friday. Air defenses shot down or jammed 121 of the drones, it said. One attack damaged multiple residential buildings in Dnipro in central Ukraine, regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on social media. The regional administration also said that an unspecified “facility” had been set alight in the strike, but did not give further details. Lysak shared photos of residential buildings with damaged roofs, glass shards lying on the ground and people carrying wooden boards to cover broken windows. “Private homes were damaged. Windows in apartment buildings were shattered,” he wrote. Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region north of Kyiv, Russian drones attacked infrastructure in the Novhorod-Siversk district, leaving at least 15 settlements without electricity, local authorities reported. Elsewhere, Russian troops destroyed 92 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday. Local social media channels in the city of Ryazan, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Moscow, reported that the city’s Rosneft oil refinery had been targeted. They shared videos that appeared to show a fire against the night sky. Local Gov. Pavel Malkov said that drone debris had fallen on an “industrial enterprise” but did not give further details, instead warning residents not to post images of air defenses on social media. (AP)

The daughter and son-in-law of a Nazi financier who helped plunder Europe’s Jewish-owned art collections during World War II were charged Thursday in Argentina with concealing dozens of stolen works, including 22 paintings by French modernist Henri Matisse. The case erupted last month after “Portrait of a Lady,” an 18th-century painting by Italian baroque artist Giuseppe Ghislandi, surfaced in a real estate advertisement for a property in Argentina — only to disappear shortly after. The work had been missing for eight decades. Investigators later traced the painting to the home of Patricia Kadgien, 58, daughter of Nazi official Friedrich Kadgien, who fled to Argentina after the war and died there in 1978. Police raids in the seaside city of Mar del Plata uncovered the missing Ghislandi and a trove of additional works, including 22 canvases from Matisse’s 1940s period. The origins of other seized paintings are still under review. Friedrich Kadgien, once a financial adviser to Adolf Hitler, played a role in transporting art stolen from Jewish families and collectors to South America during the war. Among the victims was Dutch dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who died in 1940 while fleeing the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. His “Portrait of a Lady” was among hundreds of pieces stripped from his collection, much of it divided up by senior Nazi leaders, including Gestapo founder Hermann Goering. Although more than 300 works were later retrieved by the Dutch state and returned to Goudstikker’s heirs, many remain unaccounted for worldwide. The rediscovered Ghislandi, believed to be worth about $50,000 today, is the latest reminder of how Nazi-looted art continues to resurface more than 80 years after the Holocaust. Kadgien’s daughter Patricia and her 60-year-old husband surrendered the Ghislandi painting to authorities and were formally charged with “concealment” during a court appearance Thursday. Prosecutors say the couple knowingly hid the art for decades, only to be exposed by the chance appearance of the Ghislandi work in a property listing. Images of the painting were displayed this week at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Mar del Plata, where Argentine visual arts teacher Ariel Bassano identified it as the long-lost baroque portrait first documented in Dutch newspaper AD. The case highlights Argentina’s dark role as a haven for fleeing Nazis after World War II. Thousands of Nazi officials and collaborators crossed the Atlantic to South America, where many — like Kadgien — built quiet lives shielded from prosecution. Chile and Argentina in particular became notorious for sheltering fugitives tied to Hitler’s regime. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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Beis Meir, author’s Personal Copy,

with Hundreds of Glosses in His Handwriting

Sefer Beis Meir, Even HaEzer Frankfurt an der Oder, 1787. First Edition. — the very volume used by its author, the great Gaon Rabbi Meir Posner, containing hundreds of chiddushim and additions penned in his own holy handwriting.

These additions, numbering approximately three hundred and fifty (!!), are substantial enough to amount to a composition of “Beis Meir – Mahadura Basra.”

The U.K.’s deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, resigned Friday after an independent inquiry found that she did not meet the ethical standards required for government ministers over a recent home purchase. Rayner, who admitted on Wednesday that she did not pay enough tax on her purchase of an apartment in Hove, on England’s south coast, earlier this summer, said the report found that she acted in good faith, but that, crucially, she should have sought more specific tax advice. “I take full responsibility for this error,” she said in her resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.” In response, Starmer voiced his sadness but said Rayner had made the right decision. “I have nothing but admiration for you and huge respect for your achievements in politics,” Starmer wrote. The handwritten letter signed off “with very best wishes and with real sadness.” Rayner referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Laurie Magnus, on Wednesday, who delivered his report to Starmer on Friday. Though Magnus concluded that Rayner had “acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service,“ he said that “with deep regret” she had breached the ministers’ code of conduct. She said in her resignation letter that she also had to “consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the media is taking on my family.” In the U.K., levies are charged on property purchases, with higher charges due on more expensive homes and secondary residences. Reports have suggested that Rayner saved 40,000 pounds by not paying the appropriate levy, known as a stamp duty, on her 800,000-pound ($1 million) purchase. Rayner, 45, had sought to explain that her “complex living arrangements” related to her divorce in 2023 and the fact that her son has “lifelong disabilities” underlay her failure to pay the appropriate tax. Rayner’s journey from teenage single mother to trade union official to lawmaker and deputy prime minister is a rarity in British politics. Her no-nonsense attitude and plain-speaking manner have been a distinct — and politically useful — contrast to the more pragmatic, lawyerly Starmer and she will be hard to replace. She had the ability to connect with sections of the public that Starmer had struggled with since he became prime minister. Rayner, who held the housing brief in the Labour government, had often railed against those who deliberately underpay tax, particularly those in the preceding Conservative administration, which Labour replaced in July 2024. Her previous comments had opened her up to charges of hypocrisy, particularly from current Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who said Rayner’s position had been “untenable for days.” “The truth is simple, she dodged tax,” she said in a video posted on social media. “She lied about it.” Rayner is a hugely popular member of the Labour Party and was widely tipped to be a potential successor to Starmer. In addition to resigning as deputy prime minister, Rayner quit as deputy leader of the party, meaning that members will have to select someone new. Starmer is undertaking a shuffle of his Cabinet following Rayner’s resignation. He will be hoping that the political agenda can now move on after days of speculation […]