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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?”

WATCH:

Zohran Mamdani, the Socialist anti-Semite Democratic nominee widely expected to become New York City’s next mayor, is facing backlash over a video he posted online that a Jewish advocacy group is calling “sick.” The controversy stems from a clip Mamdani shared on X back on December 27. The video, titled “Hey Hanukkah,” features the Geeta Brothers — a Punjabi-Canadian music duo — along with two other men dancing to Punjabi-style music and spinning dreidels in front of a menorah. “Happy 3rd night of Hanukkah from Astoria and Long Island City,” Mamdani captioned the post. This week, the advocacy group StopAntisemitism resurfaced the video, blasting Mamdani for promoting what they see as offensive cultural appropriation. “Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah,” the group wrote in a post on X. “Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure @ZohranKMamdani – this is sick.” Mamdani, who won the June 24 Democratic primary and is heavily favored to win the general election, has already been under fire for his refusal to denounce the slogan “globalize the intifada” — a phrase widely viewed as inciting violence against Jews. Prominent Democrats, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have publicly called on him to take a clear stance. “Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries told ABC News on June 29. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Elon Musk and Steve Bannon’s increasingly bitter feud erupted again this week, with Musk calling for Bannon to be imprisoned while Bannon lashed out over Musk’s proposal to form a new political party. “The fat, drunken slob called Bannon will go back to prison and this time for a long time. He has a lifetime of crime to pay for,” Musk wrote in a post on X, responding to Bannon’s criticism of his recent calls for a third-party movement. Bannon, for his part, mocked Musk with a series of insults on his podcast, calling him “Elmo the Mook” and questioning whether a non-American should be allowed to start what Musk has described as an “America Party.” “He’s today, in another smear — only a foreigner could do this — think about it, he’s got up on Twitter right now, a poll about starting an America Party, a non-American starting an America Party,” Bannon said, referencing a poll Musk posted on Independence Day. Musk’s online survey drew more than 1.2 million responses, with roughly 65% supporting his idea of creating a new party to “serve the true will of the people.” In follow-up comments, Musk suggested targeting two or three Senate seats and eight to ten House districts, arguing that a small but decisive bloc of lawmakers could hold the balance of power on contentious legislation. The renewed spat comes after Musk’s work as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ended, and as his relationship with President Donald Trump has deteriorated. Musk has publicly criticized Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” calling it an “abomination” that would further inflate the national debt. Yesterday, Musk doubled down on his attacks against Bannon, once again calling for the former Trump advisor to be imprisoned — part of a pattern of repeated jabs in recent weeks. Bannon, who served four months in federal prison last year for contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with a subpoena related to the Jan. 6 investigation, has continued to hit back at Musk, portraying him as out of touch and unfit to shape American politics. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist Party delivered a forceful speech during his party’s meeting on Monday, vowing to fight tooth and nail against any efforts to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Delivering logistical aid to Hamas is the craziest occurrence that I’ve come across since the war began. It harms the soldiers, it harms the hostages, it prolongs the war, and it’s bad for the State of Israel,” Smotrich said firmly.

He emphasized that he is unafraid to be the lone voice opposing the prevailing consensus. “I stood alone before the war when I opposed the assumption that Hamas was deterred, when I spoke out against the restraint against Hezbollah, and I stand today as well. I was right then, and I am right now too.”

Commenting on the broader movement toward reaching a temporary agreement with Hamas, he made his red lines clear. “There is one price that we will never be willing to pay – that is the surrender to Hamas terrorism. The saying ‘restraint is strength’ is dead. The idea of a Palestinian state is dead. The illusion that there’s someone to talk to is dead.”

Smotrich described the delivery of supplies into Gaza as a critical miscalculation. “It’s not a matter of military tactics or ranks on one’s shoulders, it’s a question of reason and determination. If Hamas is acting up to prevent aid from being cut off, it’s obvious that this is the right way.”

He also took aim at blind adherence to military brass, urging independent thinking even when faced with high-ranking opinions. “I love and appreciate the IDF Chief of Staff and commanders, but you can’t bow to generals. Not everything they say is correct, and those who forgot the dozens of generals who supported the disengagement [from the Gaza Strip] should go back and remember what they promised us.”

Smotrich ended his remarks with a defiant note, underscoring his purpose in government. “I am not here to be embraced in the TV studios. I am here for the soldiers, for the residents of the Gaza envelope, for the truth. We will continue to strive for victory, even if it takes time, even if we’re the only voice left in the room.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1. That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers and America’s trading partners, and questions remain about which countries will be notified, whether anything will change in the days ahead and whether President Donald Trump will once more push off imposing the rates. Trump and his top trade advisers say he could extend the time for dealmaking but they insist the administration is applying maximum pressure on other nations. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump would decide when it was time to give up on negotiations. “The United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything,” Hassett said. “There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, so maybe things will push back past the deadline or maybe they won’t. In the end the president is going to make that judgment.” Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, likewise said countries negotiating in good faith and making concessions could “sort of, get the date rolled.” The steeper tariffs that Trump announced April 2 threatened to overhaul the global economy and lead to broader trade wars. A week later, after the financial markets had panicked, his administration suspended for 90 days most of the higher taxes on imports just as they were to take effect. The negotiating window until July 9 has led to announced deals only with the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Trump imposed elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the U.S., and a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. There are separate 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on autos. Since April, few foreign governments have set new trade terms with Washington as the Republican president demanded. Trump told reporters Friday that his administration might be sending out letters as early as Saturday to countries spelling out their tariff rates if they did not reach a deal, but that the U.S. would not start collecting those taxes until Aug. 1. On Sunday, he said he would send out letters starting Monday — “could be 12, could be 15” — to foreign governments reflecting planned tariffs for each. “We’ve made deals also,” Trump told reporters before heading back to the White House from his home in New Jersey. “So we’ll get to have a combination of letters, and some deals have been made.” He and his advisers have declined to say which countries would receive the letters. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected the idea that Aug. 1 was a new deadline and declined to say what might happen Wednesday. “We’ll see,” Bessent said on CNN’s State of the Union. “I’m not going to give away the playbook.” He said the U.S. was “close to several deals,” and predicted several big announcements over the next few days. He gave no details. “I think we’re going to see a lot of deals very quickly,” Bessent said. Later Sunday, Trump vowed to […]

MK Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, launched a fierce attack against the Israeli coalition, asserting that the government is actively obstructing efforts to finalize a comprehensive agreement to secure the release of the hostages.

During a speech that opened his party’s faction meeting, Lieberman issued a scathing remark: “The soldiers who fell in the last few months did not fall for Israel’s security — they fell on the altar of coalition preservation.”

In response to Lieberman’s accusations, Yehuda Vald, Director-General of the Religious Zionism party, issued a strongly worded rebuttal. “Liberman’s statement is the epitome of insensitivity, cynicism, and heartlessness,” Vald stated.

He continued, condemning Lieberman’s rhetoric as a betrayal of the military’s sacrifices. “While our heroic soldiers are fighting in Gaza to bring back the hostages and destroy Hamas, he tells them they’re there for nothing. While mothers bury their sons who fought for the country, he spits in their faces and desecrates their deaths. Lieberman has no place in Israeli politics. Period.”

Adding to the outrage, bereaved father Itzik Bonzel lashed out at Liberman, comparing his stance to that of controversial Arab MKs. “Lieberman and Yair Golan are truly fully cooperating, working hand in hand with [Joint List MKs] Ofer Cassif and Ayman Odeh. Mr. Lieberman, you have lost it. ‘Take your shoes off your feet’ when you speak about our holy sons.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

With profound sadness, we regret to inform the tzibbur of the petirah of R’ Yisrael Hersh Eidelman z”l, longtime Executive Director of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ), who was niftar suddenly at the age of 79. R’ Yisrael Hersh served for decades as the long-time Executive Vice-President of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ), and was a devoted talmid and confidant of Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, as well as Harav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. R’ Yisrael Hersh, who served Klal Yisrael and MTJ faithfully for over four decades, was a pillar of the yeshiva and a marbitz Torah through his tireless askanus on behalf of the talmidim and hanhalah. He is survived by his devoted wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who will continue his legacy of Torah and chessed. The levaya will take place today, Monday, July 7th at 4:30 p.m. in the yeshiva, 145 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A newly uncovered internal campaign memo reveals that Joe Biden’s advisors pushed him to commit to an early debate with Donald Trump in hopes of securing a broader audience ahead of the crowded summer season.

The confidential six-page strategy paper, dated April 15, 2024—just over two months before Biden’s ill-fated debate showing—oddly features bolded and capitalized references to the 46th president throughout the text.

“By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible, before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics, and family vacations taking precedence,” the memo stated, according to Politico.

The strategy laid out in the document aimed to place Biden side-by-side with Trump early, hoping the contrast would benefit the sitting president.

“In addition, the earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump’s weakness and chaos,” it added.

The internal memo is cited in the new political book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, authored by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf.

Just prior to the memo’s circulation, Trump’s camp issued a public challenge to Biden, urging him to step onto the debate stage ahead of the traditional fall schedule, declaring he would debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”

“Your senior advisors, including Ron [Klain, former White House chief of staff] and Cedric [Richmond, then campaign co-chair], continue to believe it is important to move forward with a plan that supports your participation in debates as early as possible,” the memo also emphasized.

The document warned against waiting until late in the campaign season, arguing that by then, many voters in key swing states would have already submitted mail-in ballots or missed registration deadlines.

“YOUR Senior Advisors think strategically holding these debates in the fall, after many of the battleground states have already begun their early voting process and voter registration deadlines have passed is too late,” the memo stated, pointing to states like Wisconsin and North Carolina.

The plan outlined in the memo proposed hosting a debate prior to the Democratic National Convention in August, and a follow-up after Labor Day. The idea was to reassess the campaign’s direction after the first showdown.

Biden’s team homed in on June 26 or 27 for the first debate, aligning the date with his travel schedule and notable events such as the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

One month after the memo’s drafting, Biden officially issued a challenge to Trump to meet him onstage, a proposition the Trump campaign immediately accepted.

The candidates agreed on two debate dates: the first on June 27, the second scheduled for September 10.

That second debate never took place. Biden’s disastrous first performance triggered panic within the Democratic Party, and mounting pressure ultimately forced him to end his re-election campaign on July 21.

{Matzav.com}

Lebanese media report that an Israeli drone strike hit a Rapid vehicle in Deir Kifa, southern Lebanon.

Prices are falling for the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound, but steady access to the drugs remains challenging. The medications still amount to around $500 per month for those without insurance — out of reach for many patients. And even for people with insurance, coverage remains uneven. “The medications should be available, the question is at what price and can people sustain that,” said Matt Maciejewski, a Duke University professor who studies obesity treatment coverage. Doctors say the situation forces them to get creative in treating patients, but there’s hope that prices may fall more in the future. The drugs are still in high demand Wegovy and Zepbound are part of a wave of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity. Zepbound brought in $2.3 billion in U.S. sales during this year’s first quarter, making it one of drugmaker Eli Lilly’s best sellers. Novo Nordisk says Wegovy has about 200,000 weekly prescriptions in the U.S., where it brought in nearly $1.9 billion in first-quarter sales. Insurance coverage is increasing — for some The benefits consultant Mercer says more businesses with 500 or more employees are adding coverage of the injected drugs for their workers and family members. And Novo says 85% of its patients who have coverage in the U.S. pay $25 or less per month. Plus some patients with diabetes can get coverage of the GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro from Novo and Lilly that are approved to treat that condition. But most state and federally funded Medicaid programs don’t cover the drugs for obesity and neither does Medicare, the federal program mainly for people age 65 and older. Even the plans that cover the drugs often pay only a portion of the bill, exposing patients to hundreds of dollars in monthly costs, said Dr. Beverly Tchang. Drugmakers offer help with these out-of-pocket costs, but that assistance can be limited. “Coverage is not the same as access,” said Tchang, a New York-based doctor who serves as a paid advisor to both Novo and Lilly. But coverage remains inconsistent Bill-payers like employers are nervous about drugs that might be used by a lot of people indefinitely. Some big employers have dropped coverage of the drugs due to the expense. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, also are starting to pick one brand over the other as they negotiate deals with the drugmakers. One of the nation’s largest PBMs, run by CVS Health, dropped Zepbound from its national formulary, or list of covered drugs, on July 1 in favor of Wegovy. That forced Tchang to figure out another treatment plan for several patients, many of whom took Zepbound because it made them less nauseous. Dr. Courtney Younglove’s office sends prospective patients a video link showing them how to check their insurer’s website for coverage of the drugs before they visit. “Then some of them just cancel their appointment because they don’t have coverage,” the Overland Park, Kansas, doctor said. Cheaper compounded drugs are still being sold Compounding pharmacies and other entities were allowed to make off-brand, cheaper copies of Wegovy and Zepbound when there was a shortage of the drugs. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined earlier this year that the shortage had ended. That should have ended the compounded versions, but there is an exception: Some compounding is permitted when a drug is […]

The U.S. removes the designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization.

The chareidi factions in the Knesset issued a strong warning Monday morning, signaling they may intensify their protest and halt support for coalition-backed legislation unless serious movement is made on the long-stalled Draft Law.

As reported by Kan Reshet Bet, the main form of pressure being considered by the chareidi lawmakers is to withhold cooperation on legislative matters, including bills introduced by the government itself.

Despite the standoff, United Torah Judaism representatives are facing a key decision Monday: whether to back the appointment of their own member, MK Yisroel Eichler, as Minister of Construction and Housing.

While insiders anticipate that UTJ members will ultimately cast their votes in favor of Eichler’s appointment so he can take up the ministerial role, the final word will come only after the party convenes internally.

Officials within both Shas and United Torah Judaism have said they expect MK Yuli Edelstein, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to bring the Draft Law forward. They remain hopeful that there will be sufficient time to pass it before the Knesset wraps up its summer session in three weeks.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Border Czar Tom Homan: “The attack on ICE officers… is up nearly 700% now… We have Senators, we have Congresspeople that compare ICE to the Nazis… The rhetoric has to stop or it’s a matter of time before one of the ICE officers goes down.”