Yeshiva World News

The Hughes Fire in Northern Santa Clarita, California, has rapidly expanded to over 5,000 acres shortly after it began, with containment at 0% amid fierce winds.

President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves Tuesday follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and insisted on restoring strictly “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It’s using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector — pushing their use by federal contractors — to now eradicate them. The Office of Personnel Management in a Tuesday memo directed agencies to place DEI office staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline. Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum. Agencies must also cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts, and federal workers are being asked to report to Trump’s Office of Personnel Management if they suspect any DEI-related program has been renamed to obfuscate its purpose within 10 days or face “adverse consequences.” By Thursday, federal agencies are directed to compile a list of federal DEI offices and workers as of Election Day. By next Friday, they are expected to develop a plan to execute a “reduction-in-force action” against those federal workers. The memo was first reported by CBS News. The move comes after Monday’s executive order accused former President Joe Biden of forcing “discrimination” programs into “virtually all aspects of the federal government” through “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs, known as DEI. That step is the first salvo in an aggressive campaign to upend DEI efforts nationwide, including leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to investigate private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against non-minority groups such as white men. The executive order picks up where Trump’s first administration left off: One of Trump’s final acts during his first term was an executive order banning federal agency contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting anti-bias training that addressed concepts like systemic racism. Biden promptly rescinded that order on his first day in office and issued a pair of executive orders — now rescinded — outlining a plan to promote DEI throughout the federal government. While many changes may take months or even years to implement, Trump’s new anti-DEI agenda is more aggressive than his first and comes amid far more amenable terrain in the corporate world. Prominent companies from Walmart to Facebook have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to Trump’s election and conservative-backed lawsuits against them. Here’s a look at some of the policies and programs that Trump will aim to dismantle: (AP)

A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in southwestern Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fish tank and appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations. As a last-ditch measure to save the popular fish, its keepers hung their uniforms and set up human cutouts outside the tank. The next morning, the sunfish ate for the first time in about a week and has been steadily recovering, said Moe Miyazawa, an aquarist at the Kaikyokan aquarium in Shimonoseki. The large sunfish arrived at the aquarium in February 2024 from the southern coast of Kochi in the Pacific Ocean. The sunfish, a member of the blowfish family known for its unique shape and big eyes, became one of the most popular attractions at the facility. When the sunfish began looking unwell days after the aquarium closed on Dec. 1 for a six-month renovation, its keepers suspected digestive problems, gave it less food and visited the fish tank to comfort the sunfish when there was construction noise, but to no avail. Then at a staff meeting, one person suggested that the sunfish might have been affected by the sudden absence of an audience. “We were skeptical but decided to do anything we could,” Miyazawa said. They hung their uniforms and placed human-shaped cutouts with photos of smiling faces outside the tank to cheer on the fish, Miyazawa said. “I knew (the sunfish) was looking at us when we were placing them, but I never thought it would start eating the next day,” Miyazawa said, beaming. The staff now visit more often and wave at the sunfish. The aquarium keepers say they hope many fans will return to see the sunfish when the aquarium reopens in the summer. (AP)

Our community is heartbroken over the untimely passing of Bashya Schylander, a devoted wife, mother of four, and a talented designer and architect. Bashya’s creativity and dedication were the backbone of her family’s stability, both emotionally and financially. Her remarkable talent was reflected in her role as the designer of the state-of-the-art Miami Beach mikvah, and she also assisted in the construction of mikvaos around the world—leaving behind a lasting legacy of beauty and sanctity. After a long and courageous battle with illness, which carried significant expenses, Bashya’s tragic loss leaves her husband and four young, unmarried children—ages 10, 13, 14, and 16—facing an uncertain future filled with daunting challenges. These children, now without their beloved mother’s guidance and care, need our support to secure their education, daily needs, and future life milestones, including the significant costs of weddings. The responsibility of helping them rebuild their lives is one we must share as a community. This campaign was launched to provide the family with the financial security they desperately need. All funds will be used to support the children’s well-being and future and will be overseen by an anash committee headed by Rabbi Leib Schapiro, ensuring every dollar is used responsibly. Click here to donate Let us honor Bashya’s memory by stepping forward to support the family she loved so deeply. Your generosity will provide these children with hope, stability, and the knowledge that their community stands beside them in their greatest time of need. Click here to donate Thank you for your kindness and support.

President Donald Trump started his second administration with a blitz of policy actions to reorient the U.S. government. His executive orders cover issues that range from trade, immigration and U.S. foreign aid to demographic diversity, civil rights and the hiring of federal workers. Some have an immediate policy impact. Others are more symbolic. And some already are being challenged by federal lawsuits. In total, the Republican president’s sweeping actions reflect many of his campaign promises and determination to concentrate executive branch power in the West Wing, while moving the country sharply rightward. Here is a comprehensive look at Trump’s directives so far in his first three days: Immigration and U.S. borders • Designate an “invasion across the southern border of the United States,” a move that triggers certain executive branch powers so, Trump says, his Cabinet “shall take appropriate action to repel, repatriate or remove any alien engaged in the invasion.” • Allow U.S. military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of Trump’s promised mass deportation program. Trump’s order covers the Ready Reserve and National Guard, military property that could be used as detention space, ground and air transport vehicles and “other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations.” The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 has historically limited use of military personnel in domestic law enforcement actions. Trump’s orders frame migrant flow as a national security threat, which he reasons justifies his military orders as commander in chief. • Stop refugee arrivals and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admission Program effective Jan. 27, 2025, pending a 90-day review and recommendations from Homeland Security, the State Department and others. • Redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. A Trump order asserts that a child born in the U.S. is not a citizen if 1) the mother does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but only temporarily and 2) the father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The order forbids U.S. agencies from issuing any document recognizing such a child as a citizen or accept any state document recognizing citizenship. This order is already being challenged in federal court. • Prioritize continued construction of a wall and “other barriers” along the U.S.-Mexico border. • Direct the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to create Homeland Security Task Forces in all 50 states, comprising of state and local law enforcement charged with “ending the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.” • Give the Homeland Security secretary wide latitude to establish agreements with individual state and local law enforcement agencies, “to the maximum extent permitted by law,” that empower those non-federal officials to act as federal immigration officers. • Require collection of DNA samples and fingerprints from immigration detainees under a 2005 federal law. • Forbid so-called “catch-and-release” – which allows some migrants to remain in the U.S. while awaiting their immigration court proceedings – in favor of detention and deportation of anyone in the U.S. illegally. • Direct Homeland Security to immediately devote resources and secure contractors “to construct, operate, control, or use facilities to detain removable aliens.” • End so-called “parole programs” (often referred to as “family reunification”) that allow family members of certain citizens and permanent-resident immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and […]

In a historic decision, the Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee voted Tuesday night to recommend Delegate Dalya Attar for a state Senate seat, positioning her to become the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in the Maryland Senate if Governor Wes Moore approves the appointment. Attar, 34, emerged as the committee’s choice over Delegate Malcolm P. Ruff and six other candidates following interviews conducted via Zoom. Five of the eight committee members representing District 41 supported Attar, while three voted for Ruff. The vacancy in the Senate arose after former Senator Jill P. Carter resigned on January 3 to join the State Board of Contract Appeals. If appointed, Attar, who has served as a prosecutor and was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2018, would continue to represent the diverse Northwest Baltimore district and take her place in history. Attar’s candidacy marks a groundbreaking moment not only for Maryland but also for the nation, as she has previously noted that she is the highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish woman ever elected to public office in the United States. During the interview process, Attar stressed her commitment to education and community engagement, pledging to host town halls and listening sessions to address the needs of the district. “Everyone wants the same thing,” she said. “Everyone wants to live together safely and with the most opportunities for their families.” As education is her top priority, Attar expressed interest in joining the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment. Senate President Bill Ferguson has indicated she would be assigned to that committee if appointed. Attar’s supporters on the central committee included former Delegate Angela Gibson, who described the process as “fun,” along with Lakesha Brown Wright-El, Alex Friedman, Baltimore City Councilmember Yitzy Schleifer, and Sandy Rosenbluth. Ruff received votes from Brian Easley, Dayvon Love, and central committee chair Tammy Stinnett. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Many family members of hostages have visited the homes of Gedolei Yisrael, who wept and davened with them and tried to provide chizzuk. The family members of Romi Gonen was one of them despite the fact that before October 7, they had little connection to Yiddishkeit and had no familiarity with the Chareidi sector, Kikar H’Shabbat reported. Romi’s mother, Meirav Leshem-Gonen, was one of the leaders of the public battle to bring the hostages home. Chareidi publicist Yisrael Cohen told Kikar that shortly after October 7, some of the leading activists for the release of the hostages, including the Gonen family, turned to him and Rav Druck with a request to recruit the Chareidi sector to their campaign, especially Rabbanim and Gedolei HaDor. Rav Druck founded the Kissufim organization, which supports the hostages’ families. Cohen said that the activists’ original goal was to convince the Chareidim to support a hostage deal but the connection quickly turned into one of ruchniyus, of chizzuk, and accepting kabbalos for the hostages’ release. Romi’s mother, Meirav, attended every meeting she could to ask Gedolim for tefillos and brachos. “The visits to Gedolei Yisrael instilled Meirav with emunah that nissim can happen and strengthened her hope that her daughter Romi will return home,” Cohen said. One of her visits was to HaGaon HaRav Baruch Dov Povarsky, who spoke to her for many long moments, saying words of chizzuk, and according to Cohen, “She left the room with her face shining.” She was also zocheh to see HaGaon HaRav Dov Landua, who generally refrains from meeting with women. HaRav Landau gave her a special bracha as she stood at the doorway and she was very moved. Afterward, she sat with Rebbetzin Landau, who spoke words of chizzuk and emunah. Meirav and her husband [Romi’s stepfather] also met with HaGaon HaRav Shraga Shteinman, who also spoke words of chizzuk and told them not to give up hope. Meirav also met with HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. HaRav Druck told Kikar that Meirav continued her connection with HaRav Hirsch, asking him shailos and sending him letters. Rav Druck noted that last week, Meirav told him that “Hashem Yisbarach orchestrates everything from above, that through the abduction of her daughter, she was exposed to Gedolei HaDor, the Chareidi sector, and emunah.” As YWN reported, Romi’s father and brother also made kabbalos in Yiddishkeit, and he and his wife [Romi’s stepmother] publicly recited Shechiyanu upon hearing the news of Romi’s release. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A major storm spread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across the southern United States on Wednesday, breaking snow records and treating the region to unaccustomed perils and wintertime joy. From Texas through the Deep South, down into Florida and to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, snow and sleet made for accumulating ice in New Orleans, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida and other major cities. At least three deaths were attributed to the cold as dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills settled in. Arctic air also plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze, grounding hundreds of flights. Government offices remained closed, as were classrooms for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days. New Englanders know what to do in weather like this: Terry Fraser of Cape Cod, Massachusetts didn’t have her trusty windshield scraper while visiting her new granddaughter in Brunswick, Georgia, so she used a plastic store discount card to remove the snow and ice from her rental SUV in a frozen hotel parking lot. “This is what we do up north when you don’t have a scraper,” Fraser said. “Hey, it works.” Frasier had one additional bit of advice: “Don’t use your credit card, because then you can’t go shopping.” In Tallahassee, Florida, the Holmes family set their alarms early on Wednesday and found a snow-covered slope before it melted away. Nine-year-old Layla and 12-year-old Rawley used what they had: a boogie board and a skimboard. “Gotta get creative in Florida!” mom Alicia Holmes said. Anchorage wants its snow back The record 10-inch (25-centimeter) snowfall in New Orleans was more than double what Anchorage, Alaska, has received since the beginning of December, the National Weather Service said. “We’d like our snow back,” the weather service office in Anchorage joked in a post on X on Wednesday. “Or at least some King Cake in return.” It also was warmer Wednesday morning in Anchorage than in New Orleans, Atlanta, Jacksonville or Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the weather service. Even the interstate closes The snow and ice also closed highways — including many miles of the nation’s southernmost interstate, I-10, as it stretches from Florida to Texas. Especially prone to freezing were the elevated roads and bridges that run over Louisiana’s bayous. “Louisiana, if you can, just hang in there,” Gov. Jeff Landry said, warning that Tuesday’s “magical” snow day would turn dangerous Wednesday as conditions worsened. Highways were deserted along long stretches in Louisiana and Georgia, where a jackknifed truck closed part of the snowy interchange between Interstate 16 and Interstate 95. In Charleston, South Carolina, it took crews nearly 16 hours to reopen travel in one direction along the massive 2 1/2 mile (4 kilometer) Ravenel Bridge that carries about 100,000 vehicles a day. The icy conditions plagued motorists in Georgia, where troopers responded to more than 1,000 calls for help. Hundreds of trucks backed up near a crash on Interstate 75 between Macon and Atlanta. Some motorists slept in their vehicles overnight as even a fire truck got stuck on the ice, DeKalb County authorities said. And police appealed to the owners of dozens of cars abandoned at the bottom of a glazed-over hill in Snellville to retrieve their vehicles as soon as it’s […]

Hours after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing former President Joe Biden’s guardrails for the fast-developing technology. But what comes next from Trump and how it will diverge from how his predecessor sought to safeguard AI technology remains unclear. The new administration didn’t respond to requests for comment about the repealed Biden policy and even some of Trump’s most enthusiastic tech industry supporters aren’t so sure. “I think that the previous order had a lot in it,” said Alexandr Wang, the CEO of AI company Scale, describing Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI as overly lengthy but declining to name what about it was harmful. “It’s hard to comment on each individual piece of it. There’s certainly some parts of it that we strongly agree with.” Wang, who traveled to Washington to attend Trump’s inaugural festivities, is also optimistic that better things are yet to come. He and other Silicon Valley leaders who previously worked with the Biden administration have embraced Trump and hope to guide his approach toward one with fewer restrictions. In its early days, Trump’s team has already “set the tone for a very productive administration with a lot of deep collaboration between industry and government,” Wang said. Not much left to repeal? Much of Biden’s order set in motion a sprint across government agencies to study’s AI impact on everything from cybersecurity risks to its effects on education, workplaces and public benefits. That work is done. “The reports have been written and the recommendations generated, and they’re available for everyone to build on,” said Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology. “The executive order’s work is completed, whether or not it’s rescinded.” Those reports are helping to inform the private sector as well as federal agencies and state governments, she said. Not only that, but much of the standard-setting established by Biden’s order followed the path of earlier AI executive orders signed by Trump in his first term that carried over into the Biden administration. “If you look past the kind of political positioning on this, the Biden executive order built upon themes that were established in the first Trump administration and have been reiterated by bipartisan voices in Congress,” she said. Regulating powerful AI One key provision of Biden’s AI order that was still in effect until Monday was a requirement that tech companies building the most powerful AI models share details with the government about the workings of those systems before they are unleashed to the public. In many ways, 2023 was a different time in the AI discourse. ChatGPT was a novelty and Elon Musk — long before he became a close adviser to Trump — had called for a moratorium on advanced AI development. Biden’s own worries were amplified after watching the Tom Cruise film “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” in which the world is threatened by a sentient and rogue machine, according to his then-deputy chief of staff. The executive order followed public commitments to the Biden administration from tech companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI welcoming third-party oversight. But the order went further in invoking the Defense Production Act, which dates from the Korean War, to compel […]

The M23 rebel group’s advance toward eastern Congo’s largest city has displaced over 178,000 people in the past two weeks, the United Nations said, as the fighters closed in on Goma on the border with Rwanda. The M23 has been making significant advances, though it was unclear whether the rebels will try to capture Goma, which they seized in 2012 and controlled for over a week. Congolese authorities said Tuesday its fighters seized the town of Minova, on a key supply route for Goma, a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts. M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced. Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago. Rwanda’s government denies the claim. The U.N. humanitarian agency said Tuesday the new mass displacement was caused by fighting around Minova in South Kivu province. Thousands of people spilled out of packed wooden boats in Goma on Wednesday, some with bundles of belongings strapped around their foreheads. Displaced people have filled the Nzulo camp on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and home to around 2 million people. But some people were already leaving the camp as rebels approached. David Kasereka fled on a motorbike with a child, barely stopping to speak. “We don’t know where we are going, because everywhere, the bombs are following us,” he told The Associated Press. Nadège Bauma, like many in Nzulo, was first displaced due to intense fighting in the town of Sake. Inside the camp, the mother of six gathered what she could of her belongings and piled them into a minibus to flee again. “We just learned that the M23 have arrived in Ngwiro (about 19 miles or 30 kilometers west of Goma) and we decided to leave the area because bullets and bombs are falling,” she said. The provincial governor of South Kivu, Jean-Jacques Purusi, confirmed the capture of Minova, adding that the rebels have also taken the mining towns of Lumbishi, Numbi and Shanje along with the town of Bweremana in North Kivu province. Congo’s military said in a statement Tuesday that the rebels made “breakthroughs” in Minova and Bweremana. (AP)

The Rishon Letzion, Hagon HaRav David Yosef invited as a guest of honor at the Religious council and Beis Din of Tel Aviv where he delivered a Shiur, toured the premises, and praised the Rabbanim for their dedication to Klal Yisrael.

 

In an exclusive report by Fox News’ Peter Doocy, the contents of a farewell letter from President Biden to President Trump have been revealed, marking the traditional transition of power.

President Donald Trump revealed the contents of the letter that President Joe Biden left him upon leaving the Oval Office earlier this week exclusively to Fox News on Wednesday. The letter, which Trump found inside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office with a little help from Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, is addressed “Dear President Trump” and reads as follows: “As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years. The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation. “May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Choshen Mishpat Kollel of Skverer Yungerleit on a visit to Eretz Yisroel being tested by the Ponevezh Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon HaRav Berel Povarsky.

Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress will investigate Joe Biden’s pardons of his family members.

Nechama Spiegel, a frum pilot who has been flying with El Al since 2017, has been promoted from First Officer to Captain, making her the first-in-command on aircraft.

Channel 12 News broadcasted footage of the terrorist responsible for last night’s stabbing attack in Tel Aviv. The video shows the terrorist purchasing pizza at a nearby eatery shortly before wounding four people in the violent incident.

Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of challenges like toxic ash runoff. Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as some residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas and firefighters extinguished small blazes that broke out during gusty weather expected to last through Thursday. “We’re going to see another round of critical fire conditions across Southern California,” Todd Hall, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said in an interview Wednesday morning. “At this point, it sounds like a broken record.” Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows. Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite and remove sediment in fire-impacted areas. A 60% to 80% chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than a third of an inch (0.8 centimeters), according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the weather service’s office for Los Angeles. However up to an inch (2 1/2 centimeters) could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough flows on scorched hillsides to trigger debris. “But even if the rain doesn’t materialize this time, it could be a good practice run for those communities because this will be a threat that they’ll have to deal with for months or years,” Kittell said. Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities. In 2018, Montecito, a town 80 miles (130 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge wildfire. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged. Winds eased somewhat Tuesday afternoon after peaking at 60 mph (96 kph) in many areas, but gusty conditions were expected to continue. Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in LA and Ventura counties. “Our concern is the next fire, the next spark that causes the next wildfire,” said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Another worry was that two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to watch for hot spots. Fire engines and water-dropping aircraft positioned strategically allowed crews to swiftly douse several small blazes that popped up in LA and San Diego counties, officials said. Evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday for the Friars Fire, which broke out near a San Diego mall, and partially for the Lilac Fire, which burned through dry brush after threatening some structures, Cal Fire said. Nearby crews fully contained the Pala Fire, another small blaze. The Clay Fire in Riverside was 40% contained Tuesday night and evacuation orders were lifted. Southern California Edison on Tuesday preemptively shut off power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties to prevent new fires from being sparked […]