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Governor Kathy Hochul informed representatives of Agudath Israel of America on Thursday that New York State will take part in the federal Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a sweeping initiative expected to generate $5 billion annually in K-12 scholarships nationwide starting in 2027.

The update was delivered during a closed-door meeting at the Manhattan offices of Outerstuff, hosted by Agudah Chairman of the Board Mr. Shloime Werdyger.

ECCA was enacted earlier this year after President Trump signed it into law as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The framework mirrors tax credit scholarship programs already operating in more than 20 states across the country.

Under the legislation, individuals who contribute to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) will receive a full federal tax credit for their donations. Those organizations will then distribute scholarships that families can apply toward private school tuition and other qualified educational costs.

Beginning next year, residents in participating states will be eligible for the federal credit when donating to approved scholarship funds. These funds will in turn provide K-12 financial assistance to qualifying students. Contributions are capped at $1,700 per individual each year, and the program carries no overall national funding limit, having been written as a permanent part of the federal tax code.

Qualification for scholarships will depend on income thresholds that vary by region. Agudath Israel indicated that, based on current guidelines, a large percentage of frum households are likely to qualify for assistance under the program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is seeing a rise in early indicators for the next presidential race, with both polling trends and prediction market activity pointing to increased momentum for the Florida Republican.

Rubio, who previously ran for president in 2016, has recently moved to the top spot on Kalshi’s market projections, with a 19% probability of winning the presidency, reflecting growing confidence among investors.

For months, expectations have centered on Vice President JD Vance as the leading Republican contender to follow President Donald Trump. Vance remains a strong presence in the market, currently holding 17% odds.

Just behind them is Gavin Newsom, with Kalshi participants assigning him a 16% chance of winning the presidency.

Further down the list are Jon Ossoff at 6%, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 5%, and Kamala Harris, also at 5%.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis currently sits at 2%, though some observers suggest he could still attract interest as an underdog candidate.

Rubio’s improving position has coincided with his expanded role in the administration, where he has taken on a range of responsibilities and drawn attention for his composed and understated style.

Even with his gains in overall presidential projections, Rubio is still viewed as trailing Vance in the Republican primary contest. However, the difference between them has begun to shrink.

Vance continues to lead the GOP field with 38% odds, but Rubio has climbed to 27%, a significant jump from the single-digit range he occupied as recently as December 2025.

DeSantis also remains a distant contender in the primary outlook, holding at 4%.

President Donald Trump had previously signaled confidence in Rubio’s potential, remarking last year that a ticket featuring Vance and Rubio would be “unstoppable,” though he did not specify which of the two should lead it.

{Matzav.com}

Deborah Birx said Thursday that while the threat posed by a recent hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship appears limited, health authorities must remain alert and communicate clearly in order to restore public confidence following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on Newsmax’s “National Report,” Birx pointed to what she described as a stronger global response compared to the early days of COVID-19, noting that governments are acting more decisively to contain the situation.

“The good news is, as opposed to what happened early on in COVID, countries are responding and governments are responding really well,” Birx said, noting that authorities are “taking precautions of contact tracing, staying in touch with them, monitoring them.”

The outbreak has been tied to the Andes strain of hantavirus and has drawn widespread attention after multiple passengers aboard a cruise ship contracted the illness following a stop in Argentina. The World Health Organization reported that three individuals have died.

Birx explained that hantavirus spreads less easily than COVID-19, stressing that it is not as well adapted for human-to-human transmission. At the same time, she cautioned that the United States has its own dangerous variant of the virus.

“We do have a different strain of hantavirus, but a deadly one in the Southwest,” she said. “Really being careful in the Southwest, when you see deer mice droppings, this can get aerosolized and cause hantavirus, as it has in the U.S. for years.”

She recommended that anyone who traveled on the affected cruise ship get tested, emphasizing the virus’s extended incubation period and the importance of early detection.

“Everyone who was on that ship, they should get tested for hantavirus, just to be reassuring to themselves over the next two to three weeks, because it has a long incubation period,” Birx said.

“We have 21st century testing. We ought to be using it because people need the peace of mind.”

Birx also said the situation underscores the erosion of trust in public health institutions that followed the COVID-19 crisis, and she called for greater openness in addressing past missteps.

“We all need to step back and really be very clear to the public about misstatements that did occur during CV,” she said, criticizing early pandemic guidance that claimed there was “no human-to-human transmission,” “no asymptomatic spread,” and that the virus “wasn’t aerosolized.”

“All of that isn’t true,” Birx said. “Breathing was enough to transmit the virus with COVID.”

She maintained that public health officials must learn from those errors and be better prepared for future outbreaks, including providing clearer guidance for schools and families.

“We have to revise our school closures to make it very clear to parents what we’re going to do when there’s another pandemic,” Birx said.

“All of us need to work with communities to reestablish that trust. It’s critically important.”

Birx concluded by warning that hantavirus infections can sometimes present with only mild symptoms, making testing and monitoring especially important to prevent further spread.

“No one wants to spread a virus,” she said. “So we need to give people the tools that they need.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday directed federal immigration officers operating in the state to refrain from wearing face coverings, a step that is expected to face legal opposition from the Trump administration following similar efforts in California that were struck down in court.

Since President Donald Trump launched a wide-ranging deportation campaign, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement have frequently worn masks during operations, citing concerns about being identified and targeted outside of work.

“For ICE, wearing masks without good cause is nothing short of an intimidation tactic, a cowardly attempt to evade responsibility,” Hochul said Thursday.

Images earlier this year showing heavily armed, masked officers in plain clothes conducting enforcement actions in cities such as Minneapolis drew widespread global attention. The scrutiny intensified after a deadly incident in which ICE agents fatally shot two Americans in that Midwestern city.

Alongside the directive on masks, Hochul announced additional limits on ICE activity, stating that agents would be barred from entering certain locations—including schools, libraries, community centers, and polling places—unless they obtain a judicial warrant.

She also instructed local law enforcement agencies not to assist in operations that are based solely on immigration enforcement.

“Our officers, paid for by local taxpayer dollars, were hired to protect their communities … they’re not there to do the federal government’s bidding,” Hochul added.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, recently warned that the federal government would respond forcefully to such measures.

“what’s going to happen with places like New York, and [if] people pass ridiculous legislation not to work with us, we’re going to flood the zone.”

A similar policy enacted by lawmakers in California requiring federal agents to show their faces was blocked earlier this year by a district court, with an appeals court later upholding that decision.

{Matzav.com}