The IRS said Friday that more than 140,000 taxpayers filed their taxes through its new direct file pilot program and participants saved roughly $5.6 million in fees they would have otherwise spent with commercial tax preparation companies. The government pilot program, rolled out this tax season in 12 states, allows people with very simple W-2s […]
New York City residents may soon see warning labels next to sugary foods and drinks in chain restaurants and coffee shops, under a law set to go into effect later this year. The rule requires food businesses with 15 storefronts or more to post a warning icon — a black and white spoon loaded with […]
It’s now illegal to sell weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to minors in New York, under a first-in-the-nation law that went into effect this week. Experts say loose federal regulation of dietary supplements has resulted in these products sometimes including unapproved ingredients, like steroids and heavy metals, putting kids at risk. The U.S. Food and Drug […]
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday voted to restore “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon from favoring some sites and apps over others. The move effectively reinstates a net neutrality order the commission first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration. In 2017, under then-President Donald Trump, the […]
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye. But when it came to the seamy claims by a woman alleging an encounter with […]
This spring, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with turmoil for essentially the same reason: journalists taking the critical gaze they deploy to cover the world and turning it inward at their own employers. Whistleblowing isn’t unique to any industry. Yet the contrary outlook baked into many journalists […]
Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January […]
Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday by U.S. agriculture officials. When the regulation takes effect in 2025, salmonella will be considered an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause foodborne illness — when […]
In a precision airstrike, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) eliminated Mosab Khalaf, a high-ranking terrorist in the Jamaa Islamiya organization, in the Meidoun area of Lebanon. Khalaf was responsible for orchestrating numerous attacks against Israel and played a key role in planning and executing terror operations from Lebanese territory. According to IDF intelligence, Jamaa Islamiya […]
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of “responsibly managing” the differences between the United States and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues. Talks between the two sides have increased in […]
A measure of inflation closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained uncomfortably high in March, likely reinforcing the Fed’s reluctance to cut interest rates anytime soon and underscoring a burden for President Joe Biden’s re-election bid. Friday’s report from the government showed that prices rose 0.3% from February to March, the same as in the […]
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir was injured in a serious car accident, Friday afternoon. Ben-Gvir had reportedly just left the scene of a terror attack in Ramle, when his vehicle collided with another car, with the one carrying Ben-Gvir overturning. A total of four people were injured in the crash. Ben-Gvir was transported to the hospital […]
The U.S. flu season appears to be over. It was long, but it wasn’t unusually severe. Last week, for the third straight week, medical visits for flu-like illnesses dipped below the threshold for what’s counted as an active flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Other indicators, like hospitalizations and patient […]
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says stagflation could be one of a number of possible outcomes for the U.S. economy as the Federal Reserve attempts to tame stubbornly high consumer prices. In an interview with The Associated Press at a Chase branch opening in The Bronx, Dimon said he remained “cautious” about the U.S. economy and […]
A senior officer at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Pehr Lodhammar, has stated during a briefing in Geneva that the extensive rubble and unexploded ordnance left behind by the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip may require approximately 14 years to clear. Lodhammar reported that the war […]
President Joe Biden said Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall – his most definitive comment yet on the issue. The comment came during an interview with the Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, who asked Biden whether he would participate in debates against Trump. “I […]
According to a report from ABC News, Washington has decided against imposing sanctions on Israeli military and police units that the United States has accused of “human rights violations” against Palestinians, including the Netzach Yehuda Battalion. While the Biden administration acknowledges “gross human rights violations” committed by the IDF against Palestinians in the West Bank, […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman The topic, of course, is Hallel on Chol HaMoed as opposed to the actual Yom Tov. There is a difference between the two Chol HaMoeds. Why do we only say half Hallel on Chol HaMoed Pesach, but full Hallel on Chol HaMoed Sukkos? It seems that there are a few answers […]
The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating whether last year’s recall of Tesla’s Autopilot driving system did enough to make sure drivers pay attention to the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Friday that Tesla has reported 20 more crashes involving Autopilot and since the recall. […]
The U.S. will provide Ukraine additional Patriot missiles for its air defense systems as part of a massive $6 billion additional aid package, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday. The missiles will be used to replenish previously supplied Patriot air defense systems and are part of a package that also includes more munitions for the […]