Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday the revival of a modified congestion pricing plan for Manhattan, proposing a $9 daily toll for most vehicles entering below 60th Street. The updated proposal, which comes months after Hochul paused the original $15 toll plan. “I’m proud to announce we have found a path to support the MTA, reduce congestion, and save our commuters money,” Hochul said. “Under this plan, the MTA will implement congestion pricing with a $9 toll starting in January. That’s a 40% reduction from the original $15 toll, saving daily commuters nearly $1,500 annually.” Hochul had initially paused the congestion pricing rollout, citing the economic strain it would place on middle- and working-class commuters. Critics, however, saw the delay as a strategic move to bolster support for Democrats in suburban areas where cost-of-living concerns were a major issue in recent congressional races. With the pause lifted, the program is set to begin just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to terminate congestion pricing, takes office. New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer blasted the revived toll, particularly for its potential impact on New Jersey commuters. “In a time of inflation, New York’s attempt to whack Jersey families with another tax is utterly absurd,” Gottheimer said in a statement. “We stopped the Congestion Tax once, and we’ll stop it again.” Rep. Mike Lawler, who is reportedly weighing a run for governor, said congestion pricing would amount to a massive tax on middle-class families and workers. “Governor Hochul is trying to pick the pockets of New Yorkers to bail out the corrupt MTA’s waste, fraud, and abuse, and that’s shameful,” Lawler said. Gottheimer and Lawler previously introduced a federal bill that threatened to withhold federal funds from New York if the plan went forward. Concerned that the upcoming presidential transition might hinder the plan’s progress, Governor Hochul has reintroduced the proposal, aiming to push it through before January 20th. Gottheimer and Lawler have vowed to continue their bipartisan opposition to the measure. Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy strongly criticized the plan in a press release. “I am firmly opposed to any attempt to force through a congestion pricing proposal in the final months of the Biden administration,” Murphy said. “We must heed the clear message voters across America sent last Tuesday.” Advocates of congestion pricing argue that it will ease gridlock, cut pollution, and provide a much-needed funding source for public transit. They criticized Hochul’s earlier decision to delay implementation, accusing her of prioritizing political interests over transit funding. The revised toll is expected to provide about 60% of the originally projected $1 billion annual revenue, leaving the MTA with a funding gap in its capital plan. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
It’s a treat to see a supermoon. But that bright glowing orb will still be almost full when the Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, likely obscuring all but the brightest meteors in most locations. The Leonids are known for their high-speed meteors, which can travel at up to 44 miles per second (70 kilometers per second). “Unfortunately this year, the viewing conditions will be affected” by a nearly full moon, said Shyam Balaji of King’s College London. “Watching during the early morning hours, when the moon is lower in the sky, can improve your chances of seeing more meteors.” This shower may result in around 15 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions. This year’s peak activity on Sunday will happen when the moon is 98% full. The shower lasts through December 2. Here’s what to know about the Leonids and other meteor showers. What is a meteor shower? Multiple meteor showers occur annually and you don’t need special equipment to see them. Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Leonids is the comet Tempel-Tuttle. When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them — the end of a “shooting star.” The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky. How to view a meteor shower Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours. It’s easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brightest on cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest. And your eyes will better adapted to seeing meteors if you aren’t checking your phone. When is the next meteor shower? The meteor society keeps an updated list of upcoming large meteor showers, including the peak viewing days and moonlight conditions. The next big one is the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-December. (AP)
An IDF officer lost his life, and another was critically injured in clashes in southern Lebanon earlier today, according to the military. The fallen soldier has been identified as Lt. Ivri Dickshtein, 21, a platoon commander with the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion. The same incident also left another officer from the battalion seriously injured, the IDF reports.
Suicides in the U.S. military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to abate, senior defense officials said. The increase is a bit of a setback after the deaths dipped slightly the previous year. Officials said both the number of suicides and the rate per 100,000 active-duty service members went up, but that the rise was not statistically significant. The number also went up among members of the Reserves, while it decreased a bit for the National Guard. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has declared the issue a priority, and top leaders in the Defense Department and across the services have worked to develop programs both to increase mental health assistance for troops and bolster education on gun safety, locks and storage. Many of the programs, however, have not been fully implemented, and the moves fall short of more drastic gun safety measures recommended by an independent commission. The increase was fueled by spikes in the number of Army and Air Force deaths, while the Marine Corps and Navy saw a very small dip, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public. Overall, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, compared with 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331. Officials have said that due to the decreasing size of the active-duty force in recent years, they believe the rate of suicides, rather than the number, is a more accurate measure. The suicide rate is calculated based on an active-duty force of about 1.28 million, about 330,000 Reserves and nearly 430,000 in the Guard. The rate for active-duty service members and Reserves went up, while the Guard was lower. More broadly, however, the trend since 2011 has been an increase in suicides among active-duty suicides service members, while the Guard and Reserve have stayed largely stable. Officials said the statistics generally reflect suicide rates for society as a whole, when adjusted for age and gender, because a majority of those in the military are young and male. The analysis in the annual report, which is expected to be released Thursday, also shows continuing trends for those who die by suicide and how they do it. Officials said the report shows that young, male enlisted troops still make up the vast majority of the suicides. And the bulk of them use a firearm. Suicide data for troops’ family members lags by a year. But it shows that fewer family members died by suicide in 2022 than the previous year, with a 9% decrease in the rate. While there are far fewer male spouses, they make up nearly half of the suicide deaths. An independent committee recommended early last year that the department put in place a series of gun safety measures to reduce suicides in the force, including waiting periods for the purchase of firearms and ammunition by service members on military property. The commission said the department should raise the minimum age for service members to buy guns and ammunition to 25 and require anyone living in military housing to register all privately owned firearms. In addition, it said the department should restrict the possession and storage of privately owned firearms in military barracks and dorms. In response to […]
The IDF has intensified targeted operations in both the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, dismantling significant terrorist infrastructure and weaponry. In southern Lebanon, IDF forces conducted localized strikes on weapons storage facilities and other key terrorist sites using artillery and aerial attacks. Over the last day, troops uncovered and dismantled rocket and anti-tank missile launchers, explosive stockpiles, and command centers. Multiple launchers aimed at Israeli communities were also located and neutralized. Simultaneously, in Gaza’s Beit Lahia and Jabaliya areas, IDF operations uncovered large weapon caches and eliminated dozens of terrorists through air and ground assaults. A terrorist cell that had launched anti-tank missiles and attacked IDF troops was neutralized, and an airstrike targeted a weapons facility as a terrorist attempted to transfer arms into it. In total, the IAF struck more than 100 terrorist targets across Gaza and Lebanon in the past day, including launchers, weapons storage sites, command centers, and other key facilities threatening Israeli security.
As the International Rescue Committee copes with dramatic increases in displaced people in recent years, the refugee aid organization has looked for efficiencies wherever it can — including using artificial intelligence. Since 2015, the IRC has invested in Signpost — a portfolio of mobile apps and social media channels that answer questions in different languages for people in dangerous situations. The Signpost project, which includes many other organizations, has reached 18 million people so far, but IRC wants to significantly increase its reach by using AI tools. Conflict, climate emergencies and economic hardship have driven up demand for humanitarian assistance, with more than 117 million people forcibly displaced in 2024, according to the United Nations refugee agency. As humanitarian organizations encounter more people in need, they are also facing enormous funding shortfalls. The turn to artificial intelligence technologies is in part driven by this massive gap between needs and resources. To meet its goal of reaching half of displaced people within three years, the IRC is building a network of AI chatbots that can increase the capacity of their humanitarian officers and the local organizations that directly serve people through Signpost. For now, the project operates in El Salvador, Kenya, Greece and Italy and responds in 11 languages. It draws on a combination of large language models from some of the biggest technology companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. The chatbot response system also uses customer service software from Zendesk and receives other support from Google and Cisco Systems. Beyond developing these tools, the IRC wants to extend this infrastructure to other nonprofit humanitarian organizations at no cost. They hope to create shared technology resources that less technically focused organizations could use without having to negotiate directly with tech companies or manage the risks of deployment. “We’re trying to really be clear about where the legitimate concerns are but lean into the optimism of the opportunities and not also allow the populations we serve to be left behind in solutions that have the potential to scale in a way that human to human or other technology can’t,” said Jeannie Annan, International Rescue Committee’s Chief Research and Innovation Officer. The responses and information that Signpost chatbots deliver are vetted by local organizations to be up to date and sensitive to the precarious circumstances people could be in. An example query that IRC shared is of a woman from El Salvador traveling through Mexico to the United States with her son who is looking for shelter and for services for her child. The bot provides a list of providers in the area where she is. More complex or sensitive queries are escalated for humans to respond. The most important potential downside of these tools would be that they don’t work. For example, what if the situation on the ground changes and the chatbot doesn’t know? It could provide information that’s not just wrong, but dangerous. A second issue is that these tools can amass a valuable honeypot of data about vulnerable people that hostile actors could target. What if a hacker succeeds in accessing data with personal information or if that data is accidentally shared with an oppressive government? IRC said it’s agreed with the tech providers that none of their AI models will be trained on the data that the IRC, […]
The IDF launched airstrikes today targeting key infrastructure and command centers of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Syria, resulting in substantial damage to its facilities and operatives. Islamic Jihad, alongside Hamas and under the direction of leaders outside Gaza, played a role in the October 7th attack on Israel. The group also supports Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with ongoing operations aimed at Israel, and acts as an Iranian proxy under direct guidance from Iran. Furthermore, Islamic Jihad operates within Syria, shielded by the Syrian regime.
In the past week, the Israeli Air Force has neutralized more than 140 Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, which posed a direct threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops in the region. Among those targeted were launchers responsible for recent attacks on the Western Galilee and central Israel. The strikes also eliminated key Hezbollah leaders, including a battalion operations commander, an anti-tank missile commander, and a company commander within Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces. Additionally, IDF operations over the week have led to the elimination of over 200 Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. The ongoing actions aim to weaken Hezbollah’s capacity to launch attacks on Israel’s northern border, with the IDF reaffirming its commitment to neutralizing threats to Israeli security.
Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump. A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. Republicans earlier gained control of the Senate from Democrats. With hard-fought yet thin majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump’s vision for the country. The incoming president has promised to carry out the country’s largest-ever deportation operation, extend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, seize control of the federal government’s most powerful tools and reshape the U.S. economy. The GOP election victories ensure that Congress will be onboard for that agenda, and Democrats will be almost powerless to check it. When Trump was elected president in 2016, Republicans also swept Congress, but he still encountered Republican leaders resistant to his policy ideas, as well as a Supreme Court with a liberal majority. Not this time. When he returns to the White House, Trump will be working with a Republican Party that has been completely transformed by his “Make America Great Again” movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three that he appointed. Trump rallied House Republicans at a Capitol Hill hotel Wednesday morning, marking his first return to Washington since the election. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,’” Trump said to the room full of lawmakers who laughed in response. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who with Trump’s endorsement won the Republican Conference’s nomination to stay on as speaker next year, has talked of taking a “blowtorch” to the federal government and its programs, eyeing ways to overhaul even popular programs championed by Democrats in recent years. The Louisiana Republican, an ardent conservative, has pulled the House Republican Conference closer to Trump during the campaign season as they prepare an “ambitious” 100-day agenda. “Republicans in the House and Senate have a mandate,” Johnson said earlier this week. “The American people want us to implement and deliver that ‘America First’ agenda.” Trump’s allies in the House are already signaling they will seek retribution for the legal troubles Trump faced while out of office. The incoming president on Wednesday said he would nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, a fierce loyalist, for attorney general. Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan, the chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has said GOP lawmakers are “not taking anything off the table” in their plans to investigate special counsel Jack Smith, even as Smith is winding down two federal investigations into Trump for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Still, with a few races still uncalled the Republicans may hold the majority by just a few seats as the new Congress begins. Trump’s decision to pull from the House for posts in his administration — Reps. Gaetz, Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik so far — could complicate Johnson’s ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress. Gaetz submitted his resignation Wednesday, effective immediately. Johnson said he hoped the seat could be filled by the time the […]
After ripping higher for much of this year, the price of gold has suddenly become not so golden since Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Gold fell more than 4% in the four days since Election Day, when the broad U.S. stock market climbed nearly 4%. That’s even though investors are expecting a Trump White House to drive tax rates lower and tariffs higher. Such a combination could push the U.S. government’s debt and inflation higher, which are both things that can help gold’s price. That’s left gold at $2,618 per ounce, as of late Monday, down from a record of roughly $2,800 set late last month. It also means gold has lost some luster as the best performing investments of the year. The largest exchange-traded fund that tracks the price of gold has seen its gain for 2024 drop back below 27% from nearly 35% a couple weeks earlier. What’s going on? Part of the decline has coincided with the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies. Tariffs and trade wars instigated by the United States could push down the value of the euro and other countries’ currencies, and a strong U.S. dollar makes it more expensive for buyers using those other currencies to purchase gold. Trump’s preference for lower taxes and higher tariffs is also forcing Wall Street to ratchet back expectations for how many cuts to interest rates the Federal Reserve will deliver next year. Fewer rate cuts would mean Treasury bonds pay more in interest than previously expected, and that in turn could hurt gold’s price. Gold, which pays its owners zero dividends or income, can look less attractive when bonds are paying more. Gold, of course, still has its reputation for offering a safer place for investors when things are shaky around the world. Whether it’s been because of wars or political strife, investors often flock to gold when they’re not feeling confident about other investments. And with wars still raging in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere, while political tensions still seem as high as ever, gold will likely stay in many investors’ portfolios. “Gold continues to be the safe haven asset class of choice for both investors and central banks,” according to money managers at Robeco, which handles investments for big institutional investors. (AP)
Zebulon Simantov, known as Afghanistan’s last remaining Jew, arrived in Israel last week after spending three years in Istanbul following his dramatic rescue from Kabul in September 2021. Simantov’s relocation to Israel was prompted by health concerns, according to U.K.’s Jewish News. He will now settle in Ashdod, where he joins his ex-wife, daughters, and five siblings. Simantov, who had lived for decades in Kabul maintaining the city’s defunct shul, was evacuated in a complex rescue mission led by Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana. Simantov. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the Chabad rabbi in Istanbul and chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis of Islamic States, played a key role in coordinating support for Simantov. Despite extensive negotiations, Simantov’s evacuation was complicated by his demands for financial compensation to leave, reportedly seeking as much as $150,000 before finally agreeing to depart. Simantov’s departure became urgent after the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021, and his neighbors, part of the persecuted Hazara minority, pleaded for his help in escaping. Though he initially planned to evacuate 18 people, Simantov sought to include over 100 individuals. After further negotiation, Kahana’s team managed to transport 31 people, including Simantov. As part of the rescue arrangement, Simantov was required to grant a get to his estranged wife in Israel, whom he had not seen in over 20 years. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
IDF Commando Brigade units, including Egoz, Maglan, and Duvdevan soldiers, are carrying out precise ground operations on new enemy targets in southern Lebanon, supported by detailed intelligence. These limited raids are taking place in dense, mountainous terrain, where Hezbollah has set up “combat compounds,” some within civilian villages used to launch rocket attacks on Israel. During one of the operations, troops discovered a 32-barrel rocket launcher aimed at Israel, as well as a range of additional weapons and combat equipment. All of these items were confiscated and destroyed, while IDF forces continue to eliminate threats from both the ground and the air.
A conversation about recent real estate scams in our community left me deeply disturbed—not only because of the pain and financial loss inflicted on the victims but because of the disturbing response from those around me. Instead of a united call for accountability, I witnessed people urging others to stay quiet, to “protect the family” of the perpetrator, to keep things hush-hush and “not publicize the details.” I’m sorry, but there is no justification for this kind of protection. In fact, there is a strong precedent for the opposite response, and it is time we follow it. When we whitewash these actions, offering sympathy and protection to those who harm others, we’re sending a clear message: commit any wrong you want, hurt as many as you want, and we’ll look the other way. This approach fails us all. Rav Shimon Schwab zt”l famously warned against the chillul Hashem that arises when a member of our community acts dishonestly. He spoke about a Jewish businessman who went to trial for embezzlement and publicly rebuked those who asked him to intervene. Rav Schwab saw the man’s public actions as a disgrace to the Jewish people, a “virtual rodef”—a pursuer who threatens the integrity and safety of the entire community. His message was clear: no whitewashing, no condoning, and no protecting the desecrators of Hashem’s name. Rav Schwab even went so far as to demand that this man remove his yarmulke and shave his beard when appearing in court to avoid further shame to the Jewish people. He urged that we treat those who act with such disregard for honesty and ethics as having “unwittingly defected from our ranks.” Yet today, when faced with similarly shameful actions in our midst, some in our community still rush to shelter the perpetrators and preserve their public image. Why? We must ask ourselves a hard question: Why do we allow individuals who tarnish the reputation of our community to slip back in, protected from shame and consequence? Why do we insist on preserving the image of someone who scammed, stole, or cheated, all in the name of “protecting” their family, while overlooking the innocent families whose lives were turned upside down? Our communities have seen far too many of these scandals in recent years. And why wouldn’t they? When there’s little consequence for dishonest actions—when we let perpetrators blend back in without repercussions or shame—they become emboldened. They know they can offer a hollow apology, make some empty promises, and continue on as if nothing happened. And so the cycle repeats, leaving victims traumatized and the community’s integrity eroded. It’s time to say “enough.” Instead of protecting the guilty, we should be standing with the victims, making it clear that deceit, theft, and fraud have no place among us. Public shaming may seem harsh, but it is a necessary step. If a scammer and their family faces the prospect of genuine public disgrace, perhaps they will think twice before causing such harm. If we take an uncompromising stance, if we refuse to protect those who desecrate our values, we may finally create a culture that holds each person accountable. We have always prided ourselves on values of honesty, kindness, and justice. If we allow these values to be tarnished by those who act with impunity, we […]
A report from Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry alleges that Dutch organizations with ties to Hamas were primary instigators in last week’s violent disturbances in Amsterdam. The report, released Wednesday, details how local groups allegedly leveraged social media to incite attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans following the team’s match against a Dutch club. According to the report, these organizations posted explicit calls for violence and coordinated real-time sharing of location and tactical information. Screenshots included in the document reveal calls for aggression aimed at Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, underscoring the role of social media in escalating tensions. The Diaspora Affairs Ministry identified the Palestinian Community in the Netherlands (PGNL) as a key organization behind the unrest, claiming the group maintains direct links to Hamas. Specific individuals within PGNL are reportedly named as intermediaries facilitating this connection. Additionally, the report notes involvement from entities linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), another group with significant European support. The report has sparked a political response within the Netherlands. Geert Wilders, 5he pro-Israel leader of the Dutch Parliament’s largest party, publicly demanded the resignation of Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, sharply criticizing her approach to the violence. “Her incompetence is unprecedented,” Wilders said, calling for accountability over the city’s response to the disturbances. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has denied a report alleging that Israeli intelligence provided alerts of suspicious Hamas activity hours before the October 7 attack, which caught the country off guard. According to a report in Yediot Achronot, at around 2 a.m. on October 7, the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate reportedly informed the IDF Chief of Staff and an intelligence officer in the Prime Minister’s Office about Hamas operatives activating Israeli phone SIM cards—a potential indicator of an impending attack. The report noted that this tactic had been observed during a Hamas exercise the previous year. The report further claims that by 3 a.m., intelligence officers had notified the NSC’s situation room of multiple concerning signs from Gaza, including what was described as a “meaningful indication.” By 3:55 a.m., the NSC was reportedly informed that Hamas appeared to be shifting to an emergency mode, heightening suspicions of a forthcoming assault. At 4:00 a.m., IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly conducted a situational assessment on developments in Gaza, with findings relayed to the Prime Minister’s Office. In a statement, however, the NSC categorically denied these claims. “Contrary to Ronen Bergman’s false publication in Yedioth Ahronoth,” the statement read, “no warning was given to the NSC in the early morning of October 7.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Wholesale prices in the United States rose last month, remaining low but suggesting that the American economy has yet to completely vanquish inflationary pressure. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.2% from September to October, up from a 0.1% gain the month before. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices were up 2.4%, accelerating from a year-over-year gain 1.9% in September. An increase in services prices drove the October increase. Excluding food and energy prices, which tend to bounce around from month to month, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.3 from September and 3.1% from a year earlier. The readings were about what economists had expected. Since peaking in mid-2022, inflation has fallen more or less steadily. But average prices are still nearly 20% higher than they were three years ago — a persistent source of public exasperation that led to Donald Trump’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s presidential election and the return of Senate control to Republicans. The October report on producer prices comes a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 2.6% last month from a year earlier, a sign that inflation at the consumer level might be leveling off after having slowed in September to its slowest pace since 2021. Most economists, though, say they think inflation will eventually resume its slowdown. Inflation has been moving toward the Federal Reserve’s 2% year-over-year target, and the central bank’s inflation fighters have been satisfied enough with the improvement to cut their benchmark interest rate twice since September — a reversal in policy after they raised rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. The producer price index released Thursday can offer an early look at where consumer inflation might be headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, notably healthcare and financial services, flow into the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index. Trump’s election victory has raised doubts about the future path of inflation and whether the Fed will continue to cut rates. In September, the Fed all but declared victory over inflation and slashed its benchmark interest rate by an unusually steep half-percentage point, its first rate cut since March 2020, when the pandemic was hammering the economy. Last week, the central bank announced a second rate cut, a more typical quarter-point reduction. Though Trump has vowed to force prices down, in part by encouraging oil and gas drilling, some of his other campaign vows — to impose massive taxes on imports and to deport millions of immigrants working illegally in the United States — are seen as inflationary by mainstream economists. Still, Wall Street traders see an 82% likelihood of a third rate cut when the Fed next meets in December, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Inflation began surging in 2021 as the economy accelerated with surprising speed out of the pandemic recession, causing severe shortages of goods and labor. The Fed raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023 to a 23-year high. The resulting much higher borrowing costs were expected to tip the United States into recession. It didn’t happen. The economy kept growing, and employers kept hiring. And, for the […]
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer told President-elect Donald Trump and Jared Kushner this week that Israel is “rushing” to advance a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing three current and former Israeli officials briefed on the meeting. According to the report, the aim is to “deliver an early foreign policy win to Trump.” As YWN reported on Tuesday, Dermer, one of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, met with Trump and Kushner on Sunday to clarify the president-elect’s stance on Middle East issues before flying to Washington to meet with Biden administration officials. “There is an understanding that Israel would gift something to Trump … that in January there will be an understanding about Lebanon,” an Israeli official said. Although Trump has said he wants to end the wars in the Middle East, he also told Netanyahu in a phone call last month to “do what you have to do” against Hezbollah and Hamas, the report said. One of the Israeli officials told the Post that Netanyahu has long been planning for “a new era in Washington” – well before Election Day – with Netanyahu maintaining regular contact with Trump and Dermer with Kushner. Negotiations to reach a ceasefire deal with Lebanon, with the help of Russia, are ongoing but no plan has yet been presented to Hezbollah. One of Israel’s main conditions for a ceasefire is an allowance for military action in Lebanon in the case of violations of the deal. Hezbollah, on the other hand, asserts that it will not accept any plan allowing Israel to operate on Lebanese soil. Kan‘s Arab Affairs Correspondent Roi Kais on Thursday posted a photo of the front page of the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, translating the title into Hebrew: “We have nothing to do with negotiations between Israel and the US. There are no security guarantees for the enemy. The resistance is bombarding the heart of Tel Aviv.” Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is a Hezbollah ally and involved in the negotiations, said on Tuesday: “Is there any sane person who believes that we will agree to a settlement or a solution that serves Israel’s interests at the expense of Lebanon’s interests and sovereignty?” Another source close to Hezbollah said the group’s “condition for progress remains clear: Israel must be prohibited from conducting operations within Lebanese territory.” In Israel, newly appointed Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday denied reports of a ceasefire with Lebanon. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in six months last week as layoffs remain at relatively healthy levels. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claim applications fell by 4,000 to 217,000 for the week of Nov. 9. That’s less than the 225,000 analysts forecast. The four-week average of weekly claims, which evens out some of the weekly ups and downs, fell by 6,250 to 221,000. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs in a given week. In response to weakening employment data and receding consumer prices, the Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rate in September by a half a percentage point and by another quarter-point last week. The central bank is shifting its focus from taming inflation toward supporting the job market in an attempt to pull off a rare “soft landing,” whereby it brings down inflation without igniting a recession. The half-point rate cut in September was the Fed’s first rate cut in four years after a series of increases starting in 2022 that pushed the federal funds rate to a two-decade high of 5.3%. Inflation has retreated steadily the past two years, approaching the Fed’s 2% target and leading Chair Jerome Powell to declare recently that it was largely under control. Two weeks ago, the government reported that an inflation gauge closely watched by the Fed fell to its lowest level in three-and-a-half years. During the first four months of 2024, applications for jobless benefits averaged just 213,000 a week before rising in May. They hit 250,000 in late July, supporting the notion that high interest rates were finally cooling a red-hot U.S. job market. In October, the U.S. economy produced a meager 12,000 jobs, though economists pointed to recent strikes and hurricanes that left many workers temporarily off payrolls. In August, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March this year than were originally reported. The revised total was also considered evidence that the job market has been slowing steadily, compelling the Fed to start cutting interest rates. 2021. Continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, fell to 1.87 million for the week of Nov. 2, in line with analysts’ expectations. (AP)
High-level Israeli sources told Yisrael Hayom that the Trump team is working on a strategic plan targeting the Iranian regime, indicating a dramatic shift in policy toward the Islamic Republic, the Israeli media outlet reported on Thursday. The sources emphasized that the plan, which will involve close strategic cooperation with Israel, would specifically challenge Iran’s leadership structure. The report added that Trump’s approach toward Iran “may have influenced Tehran’s “recalculation” regarding its vow to retaliate against Israel for its October 26 attack on its soil, which decimated most of its air defenses. As YWN reported on Wednesday, multiple Iranian sources told Sky News Arabia that the Islamic Republic has postponed Operation True Promise 3, its plan to attack Israel directly for the third time, until it “negotiates” with Trump. The sources noted that “dismantling the current Iran leadership structure” would effectively end funding to Iranian-backed groups targeting Israel and Jews, paralyzing their operational abilities. The report emphasized that Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz, supports a “more assertive approach” toward Iran, quoting his statement to the Jewish Insider in September regarding the war in Gaza: “The United States needs to pressure Hamas and its allies in Iran. Unilateral pressure on Israel will not lead to a ceasefire.” Yisrael Hayom also quoted Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who stated to US media outlets regarding the Iranian threat to Israel: “This is an existential threat to them, let them do what they need to do.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is headed for a statewide recount, as counties continued Wednesday to sort through outstanding ballots and the campaigns jousted over which ones should count. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick last week, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. A noon deadline passed Wednesday for Casey to waive his right to a statewide recount and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s top election official, Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, announced that preliminary results had triggered a legally required statewide recount. As of Wednesday, McCormick led by about 28,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million ballots counted — inside the 0.5% margin threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. Counties must begin the recount no later than Nov. 20 and must finish by noon on Nov. 26. It largely involves running paper ballots through high-speed scanners, a process that former election officials say might not change the outcome by more than a few hundred votes. ”It is an infinitesimal number, compared to the overall vote totals,” said Jeff Greenberg, a former Mercer County elections director. Meanwhile, McCormick was in Washington this week, attending Senate orientation and caucus meetings to pick a new leader after Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate in last week’s election that saw Donald Trump win the White House. Casey hasn’t conceded and, while Republicans pressure him on social media, his campaign manager said in a statement Wednesday that “McCormick and his allies are trying to disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters.” Adam Bonin, a lawyer representing the Casey campaign in Philadelphia, said Republicans were aggressively and systematically challenging the provisional ballots of registered Democrats, delaying the vote counting process. “What we are seeing this year is more organized, more disciplined, more directed and more comprehensive than what we saw in 2020,” Bonin said. McCormick’s campaign consultant, Mark Harris, said large Democratic-controlled counties were dragging out the process by not adding the results of processed ballots to vote totals. The McCormick campaign was challenging provisional ballots that it is allowed to challenge under the law, Harris said. “This is clearly an effort to use lawfare to chip away at our lead,” Harris said. “This is not going to work. Dave McCormick is the senator-elect and will be the senator.” Counties, meanwhile, were busy Wednesday processing tens of thousands of provisional ballots and hearing challenges to some of them by lawyers for Casey, McCormick and the state parties. A provisional ballot is typically cast at a polling place on Election Day and is separated from regular ballots in cases when elections workers need more time to determine a voter’s eligibility to vote. Litigation is possible. For instance, Bucks County’s Democratic-majority election board voted to count more than 400 mail-in ballots that lack a correct handwritten date on the outer envelope — something that Republicans are challenging and have opposed repeatedly in court. Bucks County’s decision is in line with various decisions in state and federal courts that have deemed it unconstitutional or illegal to throw out such ballots. But higher courts — including the state Supreme Court most recently on Nov. 1 — have blocked those […]
