Police arrested seven anti-Israel activists after they occupied Microsoft President Brad Smith’s office in Redmond, Washington on Tuesday and refused to leave. “Obviously, when seven folks do as they did today—storm a building, occupy an office, block other people out of the office, and plant listening devices in the form of telephones and cell phones hidden under couches and behind books—that’s not okay,” Smith told reporters. “When they’re asked to leave and they refuse, that’s not okay,” he said. “Police literally had to take them out of the building.” The No Azure For Apartheid protest, only two of whom are Microsoft employees, was protesting over Israel’s alleged use of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in its war in Gaza. According to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, Microsoft asked the FBI to investigate certain current or former employees connected to the protests. The group has been protesting against the company for months, demanding it cut ties with Israel and pay reparations to Palestinians. A week ago, 18 pro-Hamas rioters were arrested at the Microsoft headquarters after they “resisted and became aggressive.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Hamekubal HaTzaddik Rav Altar Dovid Chaim Stern, Z’tl, was niftar early Wednesday morning at Laniado Hospital in Kiryat Sanz in Netanya at the age of 93. The niftar was born in Slovakia to his father, HaRav Yisrael Zecharia Stern, z’tl, a major supporter of Torah and chessed, the owner of the Dagan flour mill in Bnei Brak, one of the foremost talmidim of the Chazon Ish, and a close confidant of Rebbe Aharon of Belz, z’tl, and the Kretchnifer Rebbe, z’tl. The family fled from Europe to pre-state Israel, where, as a bochur, he learned at Ponevezh yeshivah, where he developed a close relationship with HaGaon HaRav Dovid Povarsky, z’tl, and HaGaon HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein, z’tl. He was also very close to the Chazon Ish, z’tl, who imparted to him a lifelong path in distributing tzedaka, as well as to the Steipler, z’tl, under whose instruction he eventually founded the Chazon Ish Kupas tzedaka, one of the first tzedaka funds established in Israel to distribute money to needy families. When he reached marriageable age, he married the tzadeikes Sora Gittel, a’h, the daughter of the renowned Mekubal HaRav Chaim Moshe Mandel, z’tl, of Bnei Brak, who was known as the Poel Yeshuos of Bnei Brak. HaRav Mandel lived on Raavad Street opposite the home of the HaGaon HaRav Elazar Menachem Shach, z’tl. Close associates relate that HaRav Shach would visit HaRav Chaim Moshe every year on Erev Yom Kippur to receive a bracha. From his youth, HaRav Stern was known as a tremendous ba’al chessed, and although he stemmed from a wealthy family, he lost all his money due to the vast amounts of tzedka he distributed. He was among the founders of the Ofakim Yeshiva, headed by his brother-in-law, HaGaon HaRav Yerachmiel Birnzweig, יבלחט”א. He established many mosdos Torah throughout the country, as well as the Be’er Yisrael Yeshiva. He became a central figure among the Mekubalim of our generation and a source of inspiration to many. Even in his advanced years, he remained active in Torah, continuing to lead his mosdos, receive visitors in his home, and attend public events where he encouraged the public to persevere in limmud Torah, particularly in the study of Mishnayos and in safeguarding kedushas machshavah. Over the years, as his fame grew for his extraordinary tzedaka, his unique segulahs, and his brachos that were fulfilled, people from Israel and abroad flocked to seek his counsel. He lived a humble life, devoting most of his days to limmud Torah. He was known for his deep learning in both the revealed and hidden Torah. His home on Sokolov Street in Bnei Brak became a spiritual beacon for the multitudes, where he offered his brachos, advice, and guidance while seated on a simple wooden chair. He strongly encouraged those who sought his bracha to memorize Mishnayos as a means of tikkun machshavah and urged his followers to place tzedaka boxes in their homes. He was connected with many Rabbanim and Mekubalim, especially lesser-known hidden tzaddikim (the 36 hidden tzaddikim). In this, he continued the unique path of his late father-in-law, whose court was similarly centered on the 36 hidden tzaddikim and their influence. Among those closely connected to him was the renowned Mekubal HaTzaddik Yehuda Ze’ev Leibowitz, z’tl. In recent years, despite his advanced age, he […]
“I wanted the State of Israel to lose money by paying for the damages,” said one of five arson suspects, a maintenance worker at a hospital in Jerusalem, who was arrested along with four other Arabs for two incidents of arson next to the hospital. The five are suspected of setting fire to a field next to the hospital and throwing fireworks out nationalistic motives about a month ago. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but damage was caused to the area. Jerusalem District police officers, Border Police fighters, and the Jerusalem District forensic identification team were called to the scene and, after collecting evidence, began efforts to locate the suspects. The investigators uncovered the identity of the five Arab youths who committed the crimes, two of whom were employees at the hospital. The suspects, residents of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, were arrested and transferred for questioning. Investigators determined that the suspects acted methodically, preparing multiple Molotov cocktails with flammable substances in advance and using them in two separate arson attempts near the hospital, endangering both passing motorists and the medical center. Indictments will be filed against them by the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
President Donald Trump declared Monday that he intends to change the name of the Department of Defense back to the “Department of War,” reviving the title the agency carried until 1947. Speaking at the White House alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Trump said the new name better reflects America’s military posture. “We call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re gonna change the name,” Trump said. “It was called the Department of War. And to me, that’s really what it is. Defense is a part of that. But I have a feeling we’re gonna be changing.” Trump claimed the switch could happen “over the next week or so” and brushed aside concerns that renaming the Pentagon would require congressional action. “We’re just gonna do it,” he told reporters. “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that.” The U.S. Department of Defense was created by the National Security Act of 1947, replacing the Department of War and consolidating the armed services under a single civilian secretary. Any formal renaming would almost certainly require legislation. Trump used the occasion of his bilateral meeting to reference America’s role in both world wars, and in an odd aside, reminded his South Korean counterpart of the sexual enslavement of Korean women by Imperial Japan during World War II. The president has increasingly invoked martial rhetoric, portraying himself as a commander restoring “peace through strength.” Renaming the Defense Department to the Department of War would be one of his most symbolic breaks with decades of post–World War II convention. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning while kayaking and left his wife and three children to meet a woman in the country of Georgia was convicted Tuesday of obstructing an officer and sentenced to 89 days in jail, which was the amount of time he successfully misled law enforcement about his whereabouts. The sentence given to Ryan Borgwardt was nearly twice as long as what was recommended under a plea deal reached with prosecutors. Borgwardt, 45, initially pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor that stemmed from his elaborate escape from the country last August. But under the plea deal unveiled Tuesday, Borgwardt changed his plea to no contest and agreed to pay $30,000 in restitution to law enforcement to cover what was spent trying to locate him. A no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing. “I deeply regret the actions I did that night and all the pain I caused my family, friends,” Borgwardt said in court before being sentenced. Prosecutors asked Green Lake County Circuit Judge Mark Slate to sentence Borgwardt to just 45 days in jail. But the judge nearly doubled it to 89 days. That is the number of days from when he was declared missing until the sheriff’s department made contact with him overseas, the judge said. “He obstructed law enforcement for a total of 89 days,” Slate said. The longer sentence can serve as a deterrent to anyone else who may be considering faking their death and misleading law enforcement, the judge said. Borgwardt was reported missing on Aug. 12, 2024, after telling his wife the night before that he was kayaking on Green Lake, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee. His disappearance was first investigated as a possible drowning. But after failing to find his body following a 58-day search, the investigation broadened. Subsequent clues, including that he obtained a new passport three months before he disappeared, led investigators to speculate that Borgwardt had faked his death to meet up with a woman from Uzbekistan he had been communicating with. Investigators made contact with Borgwardt in November and convinced him to return to the U.S. in December. He turned himself in and was charged with obstructing the search for his body. His wife of 22 years divorced him four months later. According to the criminal complaint, Borgwardt traveled 50 miles (80 kilometers) from his family’s home in Watertown to Green Lake on Aug. 11, 2024. During the night, he overturned his kayak on the lake, paddled back to shore in an inflatable raft that he brought with him — dumping his identification in the lake along the way — and rode an electric bicycle 70 miles (112) kilometers) to Madison. From there he caught a bus to Toronto, flew to Paris and then to “a country in Asia,” before he landed in the European country of Georgia, according to the criminal complaint. He told investigators that a woman picked him up and they spent several days in a hotel before he took up residency in Georgia, according to the complaint. “His entire plan to fake his death to devastate his family in order to serve his own selfish desires hinged on him dying in the lake and selling his […]
On Tuesday’s edition of CNN’s “News Central,” anti-Trump analyst George Conway compared President Donald Trump’s leadership in his second term to the actions of authoritarian leaders like Francisco Franco and Adolf Hitler.
Host John Berman addressed the ongoing controversies, saying, “So there’s floating this idea of an investigation into Chris Christie. There is the actual federal investigation into former national security advisor John Bolton, the search of his home, which you witnessed firsthand down the street from your home in Bethesda. What do you see as going on here?”
Conway responded, “This is not America. This is not healthy. This is, and I hate, you know, people don’t want to reach this conclusion, this is authoritarianism. We have never seen anything like this in America. Everybody else in the entire world — I’ve traveled to Europe twice this year — people were watching out there because they understand history. And they’re seeing in America things that happened. I was in Spain. They’re seeing what happened with Franco. In Europe, they’re seen what happened with Hitler, this is how it’s done.”
He continued by warning the public about the seriousness of the situation, stating, “It’s time for Americans to wake up. This is serious. Donald Trump, they may people may laugh at him because he is he appears to be such a clown, but he’s profoundly dangerous because he has the power prosecution.”
The government is preparing to withdraw from a proposed arrangement that would have allowed yeshiva students who are listed as army deserters to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah without facing arrest at Ben Gurion Airport.
The plan, which was previously promised to Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, has been effectively frozen following growing political backlash and legal objections. A recent legal review uncovered major enforcement issues, making the plan nearly impossible to implement.
In recent days, government officials had been working on a framework aimed at preventing arrests of yeshiva bochurim listed as IDF deserters when attempting to fly to Uman. However, legal and law enforcement officials clarified that, under current law, there is no practical way to prevent such arrests. The plan was never formally coordinated with the Attorney General’s office or the police, and without their approval, it cannot move forward.
Tensions Inside the Coalition
The issue has stirred significant tension within the chareidi parties themselves. Senior officials within the coalition are expressing frustration, saying that the government’s reversal on its promise undermines public trust in the commitments made to the chareidi community. At the same time, the government is under pressure from the legal establishment, which insists that allowing draft-dodgers to leave the country would openly contradict existing laws.
UTJ chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu thanking him for working on the original plan but also urging him to expand it to include other chassidic groups. “I wish to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the government’s efforts under your leadership to assist Breslover chassidim in traveling during the holy days of Rosh Hashanah to the sacred kever of their rebbe in Uman,” he wrote.
Goldknopf then added a request: “Alongside my thanks, I respectfully ask to consider expanding the arrangement in light of numerous appeals I have received from prominent roshei yeshiva and rabbonim from Chabad. They ask that the plan also cover thousands of Chabad chassidim who travel every year for the Yomim Tovim to be with their Rebbe, both to 770 in New York and to other locations where chassidim from Skver, Bobov, Vizhnitz-Monsey, and other kehillos gather worldwide.”
Threats of Protests and Airport Disruptions
Earlier today, a senior Breslover rav warned that if the government backs away from the plan and imposes restrictions, there could be mass protests and disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport. “We’re talking about hundreds and thousands who will block the airport and insist on traveling by any means necessary,” he said. “No one will be able to stop a chossid from reaching his Rebbe.”
The rav further cautioned that rabbonim themselves would have limited control if emotions spiral. “It won’t just be demonstrations at the airport,” he warned. “We’ll see protests outside the Attorney General’s home as well.” He recalled that in the past, there were intense demonstrations outside Aryeh Deri’s home when he was perceived as not doing enough to help Breslover travelers. “If someone now actively prevents chassidim from reaching Uman, the protests will be much more serious.”
Lapid Threatens Supreme Court Petition
Meanwhile, as reported earlier here on Matzav.com, opposition leader Yair Lapid has demanded that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara block the plan entirely, calling it unlawful. In his letter, Lapid accused the government of “making massive efforts to enable 10,000 chareidim who are obligated to serve in the IDF — draft-dodgers and deserters currently under travel restrictions — to fly to Uman.”
He argued that these are “healthy young men of draft age, who should be contributing to Israeli society and helping alleviate the army’s manpower shortage,” rather than receiving special exemptions to travel abroad. Lapid has threatened to file a petition with the High Court should the government attempt to bypass legal restrictions.
The government now faces a high-stakes balancing act — between honoring commitments made to its chareidi coalition partners and adhering to legal constraints — just weeks before tens of thousands are set to depart for Uman.
Stay with Matzav.com for continuous coverage of this story.
{Matzav.com Israel}
On Rosh Chodesh Elul one year ago, the sister of Hamas hostage Agam Berger cried at the kever of R’ Shayale in Kerestir, beseeching Hashem for a yeshua for her sister and fellow captives. Today, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Agam Berger arrived at the kever of the tzaddik to bentch Gomel and recite Nishmas in gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam. She joined a special tefillah of families of the hostages, organized by renowned baal chessed Shai Graucher. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
More than 300 million Americans’ Social Security data was put at risk after Department of Government Efficiency officials uploaded sensitive information to a cloud account not subject to oversight, according to a whistleblower disclosure submitted to the special counsel’s office Tuesday. Whistleblower Charles Borges, who worked as the chief data officer at the Social Security Administration since January, said the potential sensitive information that risks being released includes health diagnoses, income, banking information, familial relationships and personal biographic data. “Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment, Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital healthcare and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for re-issuing every American a new Social Security Number at great cost,” said the complaint. The complaint was submitted by the Government Accountability Project and addressed to House and Senate oversight lawmakers. It requests that authorities “take appropriate oversight action.” The whistleblower report is just the latest complaint against President Donald Trump’s DOGE and the unprecedented access it was given by the Republican administration to the vast troves of personal data across the government under the mandate of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Labor and retiree groups sued SSA earlier this year for allowing DOGE to access Americans’ sensitive agency data, though a divided appeals panel decided this month that DOGE could access the information. SSA said in a statement that it takes whistleblower complaints seriously but seemed to downplay Borges’ accusations. “SSA stores all personal data in secure environments that have robust safeguards in place to protect vital information. The data referenced in the complaint is stored in a long-standing environment used by SSA and walled off from the internet. High-level career SSA officials have administrative access to this system with oversight by SSA’s Information Security team. We are not aware of any compromise to this environment and remain dedicated to protecting sensitive personal data,” the agency wrote. Borges’ complaint says he disclosed to his superiors that he believed the upload was an abuse of authority and poses a substantial threat to public health and safety, and potentially violates the law. Andrea Meza, a lawyer representing Borges, said her client released the information “out of a sense of urgency and duty to the American public.” (AP)
By any measure, a chasunah or aufruf is supposed to be among the holiest and happiest moments of a Jewish life. Chazal tell us חתן דומה למלך and כלה נאה וחסודה — a chassan and kallah are to be honored like royalty. The Shechinah itself rests at a chuppah. Yet in recent years, I’ve witnessed a disturbing trend that threatens to turn our simchas into spectacles of embarrassment: public mocking of the very people we’ve come together to celebrate. At simcha after simcha, what is billed as a “funny speech” or “lighthearted roast” quickly becomes a barrage of shame. I sat through an aufruf where a friend of the chassan spent 15 minutes dredging up humiliating stories from his youth. Only at the end did he throw in a line about how the chassan has matured into a fine young man. But by then, the damage was done. Every joke had landed like another bullet — not just at the chassan, but at his parents, his mechutan, and every family member listening in pain. At another simcha, a sibling of the kallah publicly joked that she was addicted to shopping with her father’s credit card. The room may have chuckled, but what remained was a lasting sting — a caricature of the kallah etched into the memory of her new in-laws. This is not harmless humor. It is lashon hara. It is onaas devarim — verbal abuse — which the Torah prohibits even more sharply than financial wrongdoing. It is a desecration of the simcha, an insult to the families, and a betrayal of the mitzvah of being mesameach chassan v’kallah. This corrosive “roasting” culture is a foreign import that has no place in a Jewish home, let alone at a Jewish wedding. It may masquerade as comedy, but in truth it’s cruelty, dressed up for the dance floor. It must stop. What must be done? Families need to take responsibility before the microphone ever gets handed over. Friends and siblings should be told explicitly: your words must uplift, not humiliate. If you cannot find the chassan or kallah’s virtues to highlight, then you have no business speaking. Even if the couple has their faults — and who doesn’t? — Chazal direct us to spotlight their maalos. A word of praise can inspire; a cheap jab can scar. We cannot afford to let “what’s funny” trump “what’s right.” Simchas are sacred. They must be filled with kavod, brachah, and simchah — not cruelty disguised as humor. It’s time we reclaim our simchas from the stand-up routine and restore them to their rightful dignity. If we truly care for our children, our families, and the sanctity of Jewish marriage, we will put an end to this mockery once and for all. Signed, B.H. Lakewood, NJ The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff stated on Tuesday that the United States is currently “negotiating multiple entries” of additional nations into the Abraham Accords.
Witkoff made the remarks during a cabinet meeting led by President Donald Trump, though he refrained from naming which countries are presently involved in these discussions.
The Abraham Accords were initially signed at the White House in September 2020, marking normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan later became signatories as well.
Although the Biden administration supported maintaining the accords, it was unsuccessful in broadening them further. Attempts to secure Saudi Arabia’s participation did not result in an agreement.
Back in April, President Trump expressed confidence that the framework remained highly attractive to many nations, declaring, “We’re going to be filling it up. A lot of countries want to come into the Abraham Accords.”
Later in June, Witkoff indicated that the U.S. was preparing to unveil significant developments concerning the expansion of the accords.
“We think we will have big announcements on countries that are coming into the Abraham Accords,” he stated at the time.
Recent reports have revealed that the Trump administration has been holding active talks with Azerbaijan about its possible inclusion in the Abraham Accords. Additionally, discussions are believed to be taking place with other Central Asian partners regarding potential participation.
{Matzav.com}
A video that circulated on Israeli social media over the past day features an Arab openly admitting that he and his fellow Arab workers intentionally spit in and poke their fingers in the ice cream at the Israeli factory they work at. The video shows a Syrian interviewer speaking to an Arab who says he’s speaking from his workplace, an ice cream factory in Jerusalem where all the workers are Arabs. He said that he’s disgusted by the ice cream because “it’s for Israelis, not for Arabs.” In response to a question if the ice cream is clean, he said that it’s clean “but we make it dirty on a regular basis,” explaining that when the ice cream is still a liquid, he and his friends spit in it and put their fingers in it. The interviewer was greatly amused by the Arab’s description of his behavior, even laughing aloud at one point. But then he asked him if he thinks his behavior is moral. The Arab justified his behavior “against an enemy like the Jews.” When the interviewer asked if him about Arab-Israelis who may eat the ice cream, he claimed that the ice cream is not marketed to Arabs, and even if they do eat it, it’s okay for them since it is the “spit of their fellow Muslim.” In response to a request from Kipa News, Israel Police confirmed that they are aware of the video and, although no complaint has been filed by any party, the police are trying to locate the Arab worker. Another video is circulating on social media that allegedly shows an Arab who works at a hotel in southern Israel spilling dirt from a dustpan into a pot of soup. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu publicly stated on Tuesday, for the first time, that he acknowledges the Armenian Genocide that took place during World War I.
Netanyahu made these remarks during an interview on the PBD Podcast, hosted by Patrick Bet-David.
The discussion began when Bet-David drew a comparison between the widespread recognition of the Holocaust and the limited acknowledgment of the Armenian and Assyrian genocides.
“For anybody that doesn’t recognize Armenian-Assyrian genocide, if there’s any country that I would have expected to be on the list that recognized the Armenian and the Assyrian and the Greek genocide, it would be Israel,” Bet-David said.
Bet-David then pressed the Prime Minister directly, asking, “Why haven’t you yet recognized the Armenian, Assyrian and the Greek genocide that the Turkish did to that community?”
Netanyahu responded by saying, “In fact, I think we have, because I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect.”
However, Bet-David expressed doubt, questioning whether the recognition had ever come directly from the Prime Minister himself. “I don’t know if it’s come from you, though. I don’t know if it’s come from the prime minister of Israel,” he said.
Netanyahu then gave a clear and direct answer: “Yeah, I just did.”
For decades, Israel had avoided formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide due to its once-close relationship with Turkey. Those ties, however, have been severely strained since the outbreak of the war.
At one point, the Knesset had planned to hold a vote on formally acknowledging the World War I massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide. That vote was ultimately canceled, with then-Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg, who had initiated the proposal, explaining that the government opposed moving forward.
Armenians have long sought international recognition for the mass killings that took place between 1915 and 1917 under Ottoman rule, claiming that approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed during that period.
Turkey, the modern successor to the Ottoman Empire, continues to reject the classification of the killings, deportations, and widespread suffering of Armenians as genocide, maintaining that the events of 1915 do not meet that definition.
Netanyahu’s decision to openly recognize the genocide comes at a time of heightened tensions, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has escalated his criticism of Israel since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Before the Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel and Turkey had been moving toward repairing their strained diplomatic ties.
In March, Erdogan lashed out at Israel, calling it a “terror state” following Israel’s unexpected strikes on terror-related targets in Gaza.
By June, the Turkish President went further, declaring that Netanyahu’s administration posed the “most significant threat” to stability and security across the Middle East.
{Matzav.com Israel}
A resident of east Jerusalem was arrested on suspicion of throwing a rock at a stroller holding a six-month-old baby at the shopping area in the French Hill neighborhood of Jerusalem on Monday evening. The Arab cursed at the baby’s parents following an argument that broke out between them, and at some point, threw a rock at the stroller and fled the scene. The parents reported the incident to the police, who arrived at the scene and collected evidence. With the help of surveillance personnel from the Jerusalem District Control Center, the suspect’s identity was revealed, and he was located and arrested by police officers at his home in the Issawiya neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The 17-year-old suspect was brought on Tuesday morning to a hearing in court, where his detention was extended until Thursday. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A new policy memo from the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way is urging Democrats to eliminate dozens of words and phrases from their vocabulary, warning that they risk alienating voters ahead of the 2028 elections. The memo identifies 44 terms it says have become barriers to communication with the public, including “privilege,” “cultural appropriation,” “unhoused,” “birthing person,” “Latinx,” and “justice-involved.” The report categorizes the language into six groups, including what it calls “therapy speak” and “seminar room language.” Terms such as “triggering,” “safe space,” “centering,” “body shaming,” “systems of oppression,” and “critical theory” are described as condescending or disconnected from voters’ day-to-day concerns. Other words on the list include “food insecurity,” “housing insecurity,” “radical transparency,” “stakeholders,” and “person who immigrated,” which the report said suggest that individuals lack agency or that Democrats are beholden to groups rather than people. The memo also warns against language that reframes crime, such as “justice-involved,” “incarcerated people,” and “involuntary confinement,” arguing that it risks minimizing the role of victims. Additionally, the report recommends avoiding terminology around race and gender identity that it says may be confusing or alienating to some voters, such as “BIPOC,” “allyship,” “intersectionality,” and some other objectively ridiculous terms. “Much of the language above is a red flag for a sizable segment of the American public,” the report states. “It is not because they are bigots, but because they fear cancellation, doxing, or trouble with HR if they make a mistake. Or they simply don’t understand what these terms mean and become distrustful of those who use them.” Some high-profile Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have used several of the terms flagged in the report, including “unhoused” and “incarcerated people.” The memo reflects growing calls within the party to simplify messaging. In February, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) told Politico: “We’ve sanitized different language so significantly that … people don’t feel like we’re talking to them. It’s hard to communicate when you’re not using some normal language.” The Third Way report concludes that Democrats risk losing voters if they do not shift away from academic or highly technical language, and instead focus on words and framing that connect more directly to the concerns of ordinary Americans. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the United States this week as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods and resetting global trade with tariffs. An executive order signed last month eliminates a widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less starting Friday, nearly two years earlier than the deadline set in the tax cuts and spending bill approved by Congress. Although the president previously ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will require vetting and be subject to their origin country’s applicable tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%. For the next six months, carriers handling orders sent through the global mail network also can choose a flat duty of $80 to $200 per package instead of the value-based rate. In response, the national postal services of more than a dozen countries said they would temporarily suspend sending some or most U.S.-bound packages due to confusion over processing and payment requirements. Japan and Switzerland on Monday joined Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Thailand, the U.K. and New Zealand in saying they would pause shipments. Exemption created in 1938 for $1 imports The Trump administration says the exemption has become a loophole that foreign businesses exploit to evade tariffs and criminals use to get drugs, counterfeit products and other contraband into the U.S. Former President Joe Biden and members of Congress also discussed the issue. Other countries have similar exemptions, but the threshold is usually lower. For example, 150 euros ($175) is the value limit in the 20 European Union countries that use the euro as their official currency. The U.K. allows foreign businesses to send parcels worth up to 135 pounds ($182) without incurring tariff charges. In the U.S., the “de minimis” — Latin for lacking significance or importance — exemption started in 1938 as a way to save the federal government the time and expense of collecting duties on imported goods with a retail value of $1 or less. U.S. lawmakers eventually increased the eligibility cutoff to $5 in 1990, to $200 in 1993 and to $800 in 2015, according to the Congressional Research Service. Since then, the number of shipments claiming de minimis treatment has exploded. A total of 1.36 billion packages with a combined value of $64.6 billion reached the U.S. last year, compared to 134 million packages sent under the exemption in 2015, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reported. About 60% of the 2024 shipments came from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis logistics firm Flexport prepared based on U.S. government data. Multiple countries and regions accounted for the remainder, including Canada, Mexico, the European Union, India and Vietnam. Boutique owner anticipates higher costs for European apparel Proponents of limiting the exemption argue that it has served as a way for China-founded retail platforms like Temu and Shein to flood the U.S. with low-priced goods. The National Council of Textile Organizations said the move would help close a “backdoor pipeline for cheap, subsidized, and often illegal, toxic and unethical imports.” But some smaller American […]
Reb Baruch Ber Lebowitz’s prophetic foresight regarding Reb Aharon Leib Steinman when he was a bochur! Kamenitz, 1936
In a dramatic development, Yisroel Ezagui, who is facing charges of threatening the Israeli Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has been officially classified as a security prisoner and is now being held under conditions typically reserved for terrorists.
The unusual decision was made by Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi after investigators determined that Ezagui had approached the office of the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, seeking a psak din permitting a “din rodeif” against the Attorney General.
During his interrogation, Ezagui claimed that his words were purely theoretical and that he had no intention of committing any violent act.
“I don’t use weapons, I don’t own weapons, and I’ve never done anything like this,” Ezagui said. “It was just a theoretical idea. I wasn’t planning to do anything.”
He explained that the decision to ask the question was made on the spot and that he fully expected Rav Yosef to forbid it.
When asked why he mentioned the Attorney General specifically, Ezagui responded:
“I didn’t really mean to kill anyone, but in the newspaper, it was only her name that came up. I’m not involved in politics. I don’t know anyone else.”
Pressed about what upset him, he explained simply: “I just feel bad that people are disrespecting talmidei chachomim.”
When investigators questioned what he would have done if Rav Yosef had permitted the action, Ezagui replied: “Look… I imagine a lot of things, but in reality, I don’t think I would have done anything.”
Ezagui recounted that he contacted Rav Yosef’s assistant, presenting the issue as an urgent sha’alah involving pikuach nefesh. According to police, he came prepared with a printed note stating that he would only act if two leading gedolei hador gave explicit approval.
The assistant handed the note to the Rav, who was reportedly shocked. Rav Yosef immediately wrote on the page in his own handwriting: “אסור! אסור! אסור!” (“Forbidden! Forbidden! Forbidden!”) and instructed his staff to alert the authorities right away.
Rav Yosef’s chief of staff, Yitzchak Harush, informed Yehuda Avidan, the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services, who quickly contacted the Police Commissioner. The threat was then classified as credible and potentially life-threatening.
Ezagui’s attorney, Erez Bar-Tzvi, sharply criticized the classification, arguing that it was a deliberate attempt to sensationalize the incident.
“This is an unreasonable and disproportionate decision,” Bar-Tzvi stated. “My client did not commit any act that justifies being treated like a terrorist. This move is meant solely to create a public impression, and we intend to challenge it in the appropriate courts.”
Authorities, however, maintain that the matter warranted heightened security protocols given the sensitivity of the case and the prominence of those involved.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Pages
