U.S. Ambassador to NATO: “We moved the burden off the American taxpayer for European defense, and onto European taxpayers, where it should be. The traditional defense of Europe is now going to be borne by the European population.”
U.S. Ambassador to NATO: “The days of the United States sending unlimited taxpayer dollars to defend Ukraine are over… President Trump has made a very smart decision and agreement with NATO, which says Europe and Canada will pay for the weapons — the United States will manufacture them.”
A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel has pleaded guilty to leaking classified military information about the Russia-Ukraine war to someone he met on a foreign dating site. David Slater, who held top secret clearance while working at Strategic Command in Nebraska, admitted to sharing sensitive intel with an unknown online contact. Sentencing is set for October.
Last week, the wedding of the grandson of the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok took place at the Machnovka-Belz Beis Medrash in Bnei Brak. For many years, the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe has longed for the opportunity to receive an aliyah from the ancient Sefer Torah of the holy Baal Shem Tov, which is preserved in the archives of the Machnovka-Belz court. On the night of the wedding, the Rebbe remained in Bnei Brak, lodging at the home of HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Yehoshua Englander, Rosh Yeshiva of Machnovka-Belz, on Ohr HaChaim Street. The following morning, the Rebbe arrived at the Machnovka-Belz Beis Medrash, where he emotionally embraced the historic Sefer Torah and was called up for an aliyah, fulfilling his long-held aspiration with great excitement. PHOTOS FOR YWN VIA SHUKI LERER
HaGaon Rabbi Tzvi Weber shlit”a, Mara d’Asra of Neve Ya’akov, breaks from his usual practice to appeal for help for a severely impoverished woman enduring intense suffering. The Rav says:“I ask for compassion on behalf of a righteous woman raising her children in extreme poverty, educating them in Torah and yiras Shamayim. Her debts have now reached a level endangering her health.” He urges everyone to help rescue her from this hardship:“Whoever hears their cries and partners in supporting them should merit blessing and nachas from all their offspring.” Please respond to Maran’s rare ‘Request for Compassion’ and try to give $300, to merit this special bracha. Her debts threaten her physical health and risk leaving her children orphaned, chas v’shalom. We cannot remain indifferent—let’s help prevent this tragedy! To donate >>>
Russia’s foreign minister warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country’s ally for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke Saturday at North Korea’s eastern Wonsan city, where he met the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin. Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. He said Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on “all strategic issues in conformity with the level of alliance,” according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. Lavrov called for the two countries to further strengthen their “strategic and tactical cooperation and intensify concerted action” in international affairs, KCNA reported. Relations between Russia and North Korea have been flourishing in recent years, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. That has raised concerns among South Korea, the U.S. and others that Russia might also transfer sensitive technologies to North Korea that can increase the danger of its nuclear and missile programs. Speaking with reporters after a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan of what he called military buildups around North Korea. “We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,” he said, according to Russia’s state Tass news agency. The U.S., South Korea and Japan have expanded or restored their trilateral military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. The three countries held a joint air drill Friday involving U.S. nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula as their top military officers met in Seoul and urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities threatening regional security. North Korea views major U.S.-led military drills as invasion rehearsals and has long argued it is forced to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself from U.S. military threats. Russia understands North Korea’s decision to seek nuclear weapons, Lavrov said. “The technologies used by North Korea are the result of the work of its own scientists. We respect North Korea’s aspirations and understand the reasons why it is pursuing nuclear development,” Lavrov said, according to Tass. During their meeting, Choe reiterated North Korea “unconditionally” supports Russia’s fight against Ukraine, as Lavrov repeated Russia’s gratitude for the contribution North Korean troops made in efforts to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region. North Korea recently opened a mammoth beach resort in Wonsan city, the meeting venue, that it says can accommodate nearly 20,000 people. In his comments at the start of his meeting with Choe, Lavrov said, “I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here. We will do everything we can to facilitate this, creating conditions for this, including air travel,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone is at the center of Kim’s push to boost tourism to improve his country’s troubled economy. However, prospects for the tourist complex aren’t clear as North Korea appears unlikely to fully reopen its borders and embrace Western tourists anytime soon. (AP)
The Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, FJCC has recently dealt with community members who are foreign citizens and were arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE officers in Flatbush for overstaying their visas, which resulted in their imprisonment and forced deportation. This is occurring in communities around the country. No matter what country you are from – Israel, Canada, England, France, etc., if you are in the US illegally you may be arrested by ICE and held until they arrange deportation. No matter if your spouse or children are American or you have worked and lived here for decades. If you’ve overstayed your visa, it’s crucial to take action now. You are at risk of arrest and deportation. Overstaying may also lead to serious consequences including future bans from re-entry, difficulty obtaining future visas, or other legal penalties. Rabbi Josh Mehlman, Chairman FJCC, explained that “Every case is different, don’t assume that your case is the same as someone else’s. Additionally, some who overstay visas unwittingly allow their foreign passports to expire, delaying deportation, and it’s complicated to obtain a new one while incarcerated. Those recently arrested were held by ICE in difficult conditions. This is a serious matter. We suggest speaking with an immigration attorney immediately. We thank Congressman Mike Lawler and The Aleph Institute for their assistance.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In a striking admission that’s sending ripples through Washington, former President Joe Biden has acknowledged he did not personally review every name on his sweeping clemency list—raising fresh questions about the boundaries of presidential authority, staff control, and the use of the autopen in the final hours of his presidency. “I made every decision,” Biden insisted in an interview with The New York Times. But when pressed on why his signature was machine-generated for thousands of pardons and commutations, the former president added: “We’re talking about a lot of people.” That understatement is fueling a growing political storm. On the night of January 19, 2025—just hours before leaving office—Biden’s then-chief of staff Jeff Zients authorized the autopen to execute one of the largest clemency actions in modern U.S. history. Among those granted last-minute clemency: James Biden, the president’s brother. Internal emails reviewed by The Times show Zients approved the use of the autopen at 10:31 p.m., telling aides to proceed with the batch. The actual processing of those pardons fell to then-staff secretary Stefanie Feldman, who, sources say, relied on staff-submitted “blurbs” rather than direct instructions from the president himself. The Justice Department is now investigating whether the autopen was misused—potentially as a tool to shield signs of Biden’s cognitive decline and allow staffers to make clemency decisions on his behalf. Some Republicans have referred to is as a “shadow presidency.” House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has opened a parallel probe, describing the affair as a “White House cover-up masquerading as a mercy mission.” Ed Martin, head of a GOP task force on government weaponization, is also pursuing evidence that Biden’s executive authority may have been effectively hijacked by his inner circle. “It’s a crime,” Donald Trump declared. “They surrounded the Resolute Desk and used a machine to sign pardons Biden didn’t even know about. They are criminals, plain and simple.” The controversy is particularly explosive given the political weight of some clemency decisions. In December 2024, Biden commuted 1,500 sentences and pardoned 39 individuals. Then, in his final days in office, he wiped out nearly 2,500 crack cocaine convictions with the flick of an autopen. The question now haunting the Beltway: Whose hand was really on the pen? One of the most scrutinized cases is that of Gen. Mark Milley, the former Joint Chiefs chairman and frequent target of Trump allies. Biden defended the move. “I told them I wanted to make sure he had a pardon,” he said. “I knew exactly what Trump would do—without any merit.” But critics argue that intent is no substitute for oversight. Though the autopen has been used by presidents since George W. Bush, its deployment at this scale—and under such opaque circumstances—is virtually unprecedented. Biden, defiant as ever, dismissed the GOP allegations. “They’re liars,” he said. “This is about changing the subject.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Trump on the Biden AutoPen: “It’s one of the biggest scandals we’ve had in 50-100 years….I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it.”
Hezbollah terrorists violate the ceasefire agreement with Israel over seven times per day on average, IDF data obtained by i24NEWS shows. Israel has reported over 1,200 ceasefire violations by Hezbollah to a U.S.-led five-nation monitoring panel responsible for overseeing the agreement’s implementation. Of those violations, 650 were passed on to the Lebanese army for action, while in the remaining cases, the IDF responded with military strikes against the terrorists. Separately, the Lebanese army independently recorded an additional 390 violations and submitted a report claiming it had addressed them. Altogether, the data indicates that the Lebanese army dealt with 52% of the total violations, including 440 incidents initially reported by Israel. Most of the violations managed by the Lebanese army occurred in the country’s southern region. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The IDF released footage of an airstrike earlier today targeting Syrian tanks near the village of Sami’ in southern Syria’s Sweida area, saying the tanks were hit after being spotted moving toward Sweida.
The Syrian Army has stepped into the ongoing conflict between Bedouin and Druze militias in Suwayda Governorate, where clashes have caused multiple deaths and injuries. Fighting has already broken out between Syrian and Druze forces, and reinforcements are being sent to the area after Druze fighters ambushed a Syrian convoy, resulting in casualties among Syrian troops.
The European Union will suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods scheduled to take effect Monday in hopes of reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration by the end of the month. ″This is now the time for negotiations,″ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday, after President Donald Trump sent a letter announcing new tariffs of 30% on goods from the EU and Mexico starting Aug. 1. The EU — America’s biggest trading partner and the world’s largest trading bloc — had been scheduled to impose ″countermeasures″ starting Monday at midnight Brussels time (6 p.m. EDT; 22:00 GMT). The EU negotiates trade deals on behalf of its 27 member countries. Von der Leyen said those countermeasures would be delayed until Aug. 1, and that Trump’s letter shows ″that we have until the first of August″ to negotiate. Europe’s biggest exports to the U.S. are pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments and wine and spirits. ″We have always been clear that we prefer a negotiated solution,″ she said. If they can’t reach a deal, she said that ″we will continue to prepare countermeasures so we are fully prepared.″ Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni warned Sunday that a trade war “would make us all weaker in the face of the global challenges we face together” and said Italy would actively work for a fair deal. “Europe has the economic and financial strength to make the case for a fair and common-sense agreement,” her office said in a statement. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was heading to Washington for talks Monday with the U.S. administration and Congress. The right-wing government of Meloni, the only EU leader to attend Trump’s inauguration, has sought to position itself as a “ bridge” between Brussels and Washington. Trump has said his global tariffs would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades. Trump in his letter to the EU said the U.S. trade deficit was a national security threat. Trump isn’t satisfied with some of the draft agreements on trade, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on ABC News Sunday. “The bottom line is that he’s seen some sketches of deals that had been negotiated with Howard Lutnick and the rest of the trade team, and the president thinks that the deals need to be better, and to basically put a line in the sand, he sent these letters out to folks. And we’ll see how it works out,” he said. U.S. trade partners — and companies around the world including French winemakers to German carmakers — have faced months of uncertainty and on-and-off threats from Trump to impose tariffs, with deadlines sometimes extended or changed. The tariffs could have ramifications for nearly every aspect of the global economy. The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. Trade ministers from EU countries are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss trade relations with the U.S., as well as with China. The EU is weighing closer ties with China as a result of Trump’s threatened tariffs. Speaking alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, von […]
