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Rudy Giuliani, the onetime mayor of New York City, said in a Newsmax interview on Wednesday that he is recovering following a serious accident in New Hampshire last weekend that left him with a fractured vertebra.

Speaking on “Greg Kelly Reports,” Giuliani shared details about the crash, his injuries, and his appreciation for President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“I am on the mend,” Giuliani told host Greg Kelly. “It was quite a hit. We got banged in the back. I have — technically, I have a broken back. It’s a fracture. It hurts, but it’s getting better. And I have about two or three weeks of rehabilitation.”

According to Giuliani, he and his aide Ted Goodman had stopped to assist a woman who appeared to be in danger and claimed she was a victim of domestic violence. Authorities later determined that she had actually assaulted a man and placed her under arrest, Giuliani said.

As Giuliani and his team began to leave the scene, another incident occurred.

“As we were driving away, we got hit in the back by a young woman,” Giuliani said. “I’m sure she was rubbernecking because there were police cars, ambulances, even a fire truck. She was going very, very fast … We got hit like hell.”

The impact left Giuliani with whiplash and a fractured thoracic vertebra. He explained that his seat belt kept him from being thrown forward.

“I was in terrible pain right away,” he said.

Not long after the crash, Trump announced that Giuliani would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award. On Truth Social, Trump praised his longtime ally as the “greatest mayor in the history of New York City” and an “equally great American patriot.”

Giuliani, who became a symbol of resilience during the September 11 attacks and later stood as one of Trump’s staunchest defenders, said the award gave him comfort and lifted his spirits.

“It’s a nice medal. I forgot what it looked like. I have to tell you, that cured me,” Giuliani said.

“President Trump takes some credit for curing me from COVID … and now he’s cured me of a fractured back, because the minute I got that award, all the pain went away. The hell with the pain.”

{Matzav.com}

Americans would save roughly $100 billion a year in interest costs if President Donald Trump’s campaign proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% were implemented, according to a paper published by Vanderbilt University on Thursday. Further, the banks and credit card companies would be able to withstand, and even still be profitable, if there were to be a national cap on interest rates. While limited in scope, the paper gives some academic backing to President Trump’s campaign promise. The paper found that banks would still be able to earn a profit on most of their customers even if credit card interest rates were capped at 15%, and if the banks continued to offer rewards and perks like points and airport lounge access. If interest rates were capped at 10%, the business model gets more difficult for the banks, but they could still make money off most card customers by cutting back on some rewards. Usury laws are as old as the Bible but have gotten traction again through Trump’s populist politics. When he was a candidate in the 2024 election, Trump proposed a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates. He has not spoken about it since the election. That said, politicians have seized on the idea. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill in Congress that would match Trump’s campaign proposal of capping interest rates at 10%. A similar bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York. There are already some interest rate caps in effect in the U.S. The Military Lending Act makes it illegal to charge active servicemen and women more than 36% for any financial product. The national regulator for credit unions, the NCUA, has capped interest rates on credit union credit cards at 18%. The banking industry is adamantly against any caps on credit card rates. Historically, the industry has argued that any cap on interest rates would decimate the credit card business model and would threaten the viability of popular rewards and perks programs that millions of Americans use for free flights and hotel stays. It was this rhetoric that made Brian Shearer, the author of the report, start to look into the issue. Shearer previously worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as the regulator’s assistant director of policy planning and strategy, working under Republican and Democratic administrations. “I wanted to see if President Trump’s proposed cap could be taken seriously, and the idea appears that it could be seriously considered and it would not have the amount of downside that often the pundits assume there will be,” Shearer said. Americans are carrying more credit card debt than ever before, to the tune of $1.21 trillion, or roughly $6,400 per person. The average credit card interest rate is roughly 21%, according to data from the Federal Reserve. That’s significantly higher than a decade ago, when the average credit card interest rate was roughly 12%. Banks earn revenue from credit cards two different ways: the amount of money they charge merchants to process a credit card transaction, often referred to as interchange, and the interest and fees the banks charge customers. That could be the annual fee on a credit card, or the monthly interest that accrues when a customer carries a […]

TRAGEDY: A 3-year-old boy has tragically passed away in Beersheva after being forgotten in a locked vehicle. Magen David Adom paramedics valiantly attempted to resuscitate the boy, but were tragically unsuccessful.

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UPDATE: The Levaya of Habocher Yosef Shea Friedman, A”H, will take place at the Satmar Beis Hamedrish, 13 Monsey Blvd, at 10:30AM, followed by the Kevura in Kiryas Joel. Besuros Tovois!

Sec. Duffy on the Trump Administration’s air traffic control modernization effort: “We think, in 3.5 years, we can do a vast majority of this build on the infrastructure… Americans are going to see that when they fly. It’s going to be way better.”

Detectives in Yerushalayim arrested a man in his 20s from eastern Jerusalem after a video circulated online showing him boasting about contaminating ice cream at his workplace, saying, “We spit in the ice cream, we stick fingers in it, and the Jews eat it.” He remains under investigation, with further action pending.

NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the U.S. will send a four-man crew to the moon early next year, followed by plans to establish a lunar base camp. He emphasized that the mission aims to outpace China, with astronauts expected to stay 8–12 days on the surface, ultimately paving the way for a Mars mission in the early 2030s.

Israel President Hezog met with the Pope today at the Vatican.

Powerball announced that the jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.7 billion for Saturday night’s drawing after no tickets won Wednesday’s $1.4 billion prize.

Two Colombian soldiers suffered serious injuries after doused with gasoline and set ablaze by drug runners while dismantling a cocaine lab.

Belzer Chasidim joyously greeted the Rebbe as he returned home today from the hospital.

Sa’ad al-Mihsal, a former school principal in Gaza, condemned Hamas for murdering his son, who was working at a distribution site in Khan Yunis. He also accused the group of neglecting Gaza’s residents, violating their dignity, stealing their property, and acting in ways that contradict Islamic values.

The Powerball grand prize has surged to an estimated $1.7 billion ahead of Motzoei Shabbos’s drawing, ranking as the third-largest jackpot ever offered in the game’s history.

The total climbed after no ticket managed to match all six winning numbers in Wednesday night’s draw. The jackpot now carries a cash option estimated at $770.3 million, lottery officials said.

The numbers drawn Wednesday were white balls 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, along with the red Powerball 22.

While nobody hit the jackpot, 11 players across the country claimed $1 million each by matching all five white balls. Those winning tickets were purchased in California (two), Colorado, Florida, Georgia (two), Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Another four players doubled their winnings to $2 million after buying the $1 Power Play option. Those tickets were sold in Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming.

When someone eventually wins the top prize, they will be able to choose between a one-time cash payout or annual installments. The annuity option comes with an initial payment, followed by 29 yearly payments that rise by 5% each year.

Of course, the winner won’t take home the full amount. Federal taxes at an estimated 37% will significantly reduce the payout.

State taxes may also apply, depending on where the winner lives. Most states take between 3% and 11%, but some—like California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming—don’t tax lottery winnings at all.

The last time the Powerball jackpot was won was on May 31, 2025, in California. Since that win, there have been 33 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers.

Recent 2025 jackpots include $204.5 million in California on May 31, $167.3 million in Kentucky on April 26, $526.5 million in California on March 29, and $328.5 million in Oregon on January 18.

The chances of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.9, while the odds of claiming the jackpot stand at 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.

The next drawing is set for Motzoei Shabbos, Sept. 6, at 10:59 p.m. ET.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF has completed dozens of operations from Mt. Dov to the summit of Mt. Hermon in the last year, including dismantling terror tunnels and weapons stockpiles.

WATCH: Massive controlled demolition on Hamas terrorist infrastructure in northern Gaza.

Before tomorrow’s meeting on dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons, Beirut displayed banners for PM Salam and President Aoun: “We are all with you, one army, one weapon, one country…”

In Paris, the Coalition of the Willing—led by France and the UK with over 30 countries—met to coordinate security guarantees and aid for Ukraine, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in attendance and a joint call with Trump planned after the talks.

Israel’s interior minister announced that all of Greta’s flotilla ships will be confiscated and repurposed as Israeli police vessels.

Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Fadi Badriya warned that the community may push for separation from Syria if the regime is not held accountable before an international court.