A Republican plan to expand private school vouchers nationwide was dealt a major setback Friday when the Senate parliamentarian said the proposal would run afoul of procedural rules. The years-in-the-making plan would have created a federal tax credit supporting scholarships to help families send their children to private schools or other options beyond their local public schools. But in an overnight announcement, the Senate parliamentarian advised against including the proposal in President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill. The school voucher provision was seen as a breakthrough victory for proponents who have been pushing the idea for years. A similar plan failed to gain support from Congress in 2019 when it was championed by Betsy DeVos, the education secretary during Trump’s first term. Campaigning for his second term, Trump again promised to deliver some form of “universal school choice.” Under the reconciliation plan, donors who gave money or stock to K-12 scholarship programs would receive 100% of the contribution back in the form of a discount on their tax bills. It would allow stock holders to avoid paying taxes they would usually face if they donated or transferred their stock. Nearly all families would qualify to receive scholarships except those making more than three times their area’s median income. A House version of the bill allowed up to $5 billion in tax credits a year, running through 2029. The Senate version reduced it to $4 billion but included no end date. Supporters said the proposal would expand education options for families across the country, offering alternatives to students in areas with lower-performing public schools. Similar scholarship and voucher programs have proliferated in Republican-led states such as Texas, which recently passed a $1 billion program. States have increasingly offered vouchers to families beyond only the neediest ones, contributing to budget concerns as expenses rapidly pile up. The Senate’s college endowment proposal sought to raise a tax on schools’ investment income, from 1.4% now to 4% or 8% depending on their wealth. It would apply only to colleges with endowments of at least $500,000 per student, and it excluded all religious institutions. (AP)
The Supreme Court preserved a key part of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive health care coverage requirements on Friday, rejecting a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans. The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama’s signature law, often referred to as Obamacare. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court’s majority. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. The plaintiffs said the process is unconstitutional because a volunteer board of medical experts tasked with recommending which services are covered is not Senate approved. President Donald Trump’s administration defended the mandate before the court, though the Republican president has been a critic of his Democratic predecessor’s law. The Justice Department said board members don’t need Senate approval because they can be removed by the health and human services secretary. Medications and services that could have been affected include statins to lower cholesterol, lung cancer screenings, HIV-prevention drugs and medication to lower the chance of breast cancer for women. The case came before the Supreme Court after an appeals court struck down some preventive care coverage requirements. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Christian employers and Texas residents who argued they can’t be forced to provide full insurance coverage for things like medication to prevent HIV and some cancer screenings. Well-known conservative attorney Jonathan Mitchell, who represented Trump before the high court in a dispute about whether he could appear on the 2024 ballot, argued the case. The appeals court found that coverage requirements were unconstitutional because they came from a body — the United States Preventive Services Task Force — whose members were not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. A 2023 analysis prepared by the nonprofit KFF found that ruling would still allow full-coverage requirements for some services, including mammography and cervical cancer screening. (AP)
During his Senate confirmation hearings, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested he wouldn’t undermine vaccines. “I am not going to go into HHS and impose my preordained opinions on anybody at HHS,” he said. “I’m going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their job and make sure that we have good science that is evidence based.” He also said he wouldn’t halt congressionally mandated funding for vaccination programs, nor impose conditions that would force local, state or global entities to limit access to vaccines or vaccine promotion. “I’m not going to substitute my judgment for science,” he said. Yet the Department of Health and Human Services under Kennedy has taken unprecedented steps to change how vaccines are evaluated, approved and recommended — sometimes in ways that run counter to established scientific consensus. Here’s a look at what Kennedy has said and done since becoming the nation’s top health official on Feb. 13. Kennedy and the childhood vaccine schedule Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who was unsettled about Kennedy’s antivaccine work, said Kennedy pledged to him that he wouldn’t change existing vaccine recommendations. “I recommend that children follow the CDC schedule. And I will support the CDC schedule when I get in there,” Kennedy said at his Senate confirmation hearing. Kennedy also said he thought the polio vaccine was safe and effective and that he wouldn’t seek to reduce its availability. Feb. 18: Kennedy vows to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases. Early March: The National Institutes of Health cancels studies about ways to improve vaccine trust and access. April 9: Kennedy tells CBS News that “people should get the measles vaccine, but the government should not be mandating those,” before then continuing to raise safety concerns about vaccines. May 22: Kennedy issues a report that, among other things, questioned the necessity of mandates that require children to get vaccinated for school admission and suggested that vaccines should undergo more clinical trials, including with placebos. The report has to be reissued later because the initial version cited studies that don’t exist. May 30: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removes COVID-19 vaccination guidance for pregnant women and says healthy children “may” get the shots. June 25: A group of vaccine advisers picked by Kennedy announce they are establishing a work group to evaluate the “cumulative effect” of the children’s vaccine schedule. June 25: Kennedy announces the U.S. will stop supporting the vaccines alliance Gavi. He accuses the group, along with the World Health Organization, of silencing “dissenting views” and “legitimate questions” about vaccine safety. Kennedy on revising CDC vaccine recommendations At the confirmation hearing, Cassidy asked Kennedy: “Do you commit that you will revise any CDC recommendations only based on peer review, consensus based, widely accepted science?” Kennedy replied, “Absolutely,” adding he would rely on evidence-based science. Feb. 20: HHS postpones a meeting of outside vaccine advisers. April 16: The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel meets and recommends that people 50 to 59 with certain risk factors should be able to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus, and endorses a new shot that protects against meningococcal bacteria. As of late June, the CDC and HHS haven’t acted on the recommendations. May 27: Kennedy announces that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by several public health experts. No one from the CDC, the agency […]
A key inflation gauge moved higher in May in the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated while Americans also cut back on their spending last month. Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.7% from a year earlier, an increase from 2.5% the previous month. Both figures are modestly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The Fed tracks core inflation because it typically provides a better guide to where inflation is headed. At the same time, Americans cut back on spending for the first time since January, as overall spending fell 0.1%. Incomes dropped a sharp 0.4%. Both figures were distorted by one-time changes: Spending on cars plunged, pulling down overall spending, because Americans had moved more quickly to buy vehicles in the spring to get ahead of tariffs. And incomes dropped after a one-time adjustment to Social Security benefits had boosted payments in March and April. Social Security payments were raised for some retirees who had worked for state and local governments. The inflation figures suggest that President Donald Trump’s broad-based tariffs are still having only a modest effect on prices. The costs of some goods, such as toys and sporting goods, have risen, but those increases have been partly offset by falling prices for new cars, airline fares, and apartment rentals, among other items. On a monthly basis, in fact, inflation was mostly tame. Prices rose just 0.1% in May from April, according to the Commerce Department, the same as the previous month. Core prices climbed 0.2% in May, more than economists expected and above last month’s 0.1%. Economists point to several reasons for why Trump’s tariffs have yet to accelerate inflation, as many analysts expected. Like American consumers, companies imported billions of dollars of goods in the spring before the duties took full affect, and many items currently on store shelves were imported without paying higher levies. There are early indications that that is beginning to change. Nike announced this week that it expects U.S. tariffs will cost the company $1 billion this year. It will institute “surgical” price increases in the fall. It’s not the first retailer to warn of price hikes when students are heading back to school. Walmart said last month that that its customers will start to see higher prices this month and next as back-to-school shopping goes into high gear. Also, much of what the U.S. imports is made up of raw materials and parts that are used to make goods in the U.S. It can take time for those higher input costs to show up in consumer prices. Economists at JPMorgan have argued that many companies are absorbing the cost of the tariffs, for now. Doing so can reduce their profit margins, which could weigh on hiring. Cooling inflation has put more of a spotlight on the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell. The Fed ramped up its short-term interest rate in 2022 and 2023 to slow the economy and combat inflation, which jumped to a four-decade high nearly three years ago. With price increases now nearly back to the Fed’s target, some economists — and some Fed officials — say that the central bank […]
A divided Supreme Court on Friday ruled that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship. The outcome was a victory for the Republican president, who has complained about individual judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda. But a conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump’s order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally. The cases now return to lower courts, where judges will have to decide how to tailor their orders to comply with the high court ruling, Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote in the majority opinion. The justices agreed with the Trump administration, as well as President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration before it, that judges are overreaching by issuing orders that apply to everyone instead of just the parties before the court. In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “The court’s decision is nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the Constitution.” This is so, Sotomayor said, because the administration may be able to enforce a policy even when it has been challenged and found to be unconstitutional by a lower court. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. In a notable Supreme Court decision from 1898, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the court held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were the children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes. The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them. Trump and his supporters have argued that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen, which he called “a priceless and profound gift” in the executive order he signed on his first day in office. The Trump administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States, a phrase used in the amendment, and therefore are not entitled to citizenship. But states, immigrants and rights groups that have sued to block the executive order have accused the administration of trying to unsettle the broader understanding of birthright citizenship that has been accepted since the amendment’s adoption. Judges have uniformly ruled against the administration. The Justice Department had argued that individual judges lack the power to give nationwide effect to their rulings. The Trump administration instead wanted the justices to allow Trump’s plan to go into effect for everyone except the handful of people and groups that sued. Failing that, the administration argued that the plan could remain blocked for now in the 22 states that sued. New Hampshire is covered by a separate order that is not at issue in this case. As a further fallback, the administration asked “at a minimum” […]
Apple has revamped its app store policies in the European Union with hopes of fending off escalating fines under the 27-nation bloc’s digital competition regulations. It’s a last-minute bid by the iPhone maker to avoid further charges following a 500 million euro ($585 million) penalty in April. The bloc’s executive Commission punished Apple for preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store, and gave it a 60-day deadline, which expired Thursday, to avoid additional, periodic fines. The changes made by Apple will make it easier for app makers to point users to better deals on digital products and options to pay for them outside of Apple’s own App Store, including other websites, apps or alternative app stores. The California company is also rolling out a two-tier system of fees to accommodate app developers that want to use alternative payments. “The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store,” Apple said in a statement. “We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal.” The commission noted Apple’s announcement and “will now assess these new business terms for DMA compliance,” referring to the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The rulebook was designed to rein in the power of big tech companies under threat of hefty fines worth up to 10% of a company’s global annual revenue. Among the DMA’s provisions are requirements that developers inform customers of cheaper purchasing options, and direct them to those offers. Apple’s restrictions preventing developers from steering users to outside payment channels had been fiercely opposed by some companies. It’s the reason, for example, Spotify removed the in-app payment option to avoid having to pay a commission of up to 30% on digital subscriptions bought through iOS. (AP)
British counter terrorism police said Friday that they have arrested four people in connection with a break-in at a military base last week, during which two planes were vandalised. Counter Terrorism Policing South East said in a statement that two men, 24 and 36, from London were arrested Thursday along with a 29-year-old woman of no fixed address “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.” A 41-year-old woman, of no fixed address, was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They remain in police custody. The arrests relate to a break-in at the Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton, during which two planes were damaged with red paint. The pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action subsequently released video footage appearing to show one of the two activists who entered the base spraying the paint into a jet’s turbine engines. The group alleged that Britain was continuing to “send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel U.S./Israeli fighter jets,” and condemned the country as “an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.” Earlier this week, the British government said it will ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws. The measure means it will be a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison. The group has sought to press its point with high-profile direct action, perhaps most notably in March when it targeted one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s golf resorts in Scotland, painting “Gaza is Not For Sale” in giant letters on the lawn in response to his proposal to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population. The government said a draft order for the ban will be laid in Parliament next week. Lawmakers still need to approve it. Britain’s government has proscribed about 80 organizations, including Hamas and al-Qaida, and far-right groups such as National Action. (AP)
Our sweet Chaya, just 3 and a half years old, was born with severe brain damage. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t even eat on her own. Every day is a struggle, every moment a battle.
Flash floods triggered by pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of tourists in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people. The nationwide death toll from rain-related incidents rose to 18 over the past 24 hours, officials said. Nearly 100 rescuers in various groups rescued a total of 58 people and were searching for the missing tourists who were swept away while picnicking along the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Shah Fahad, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service. He said only 3 people belonging to an extended family of 16 could be rescued and others are still missing. Fahad said divers had so far recovered eight bodies after hours-long efforts and the search continued for the remaining 10 victims. Videos circulating on social media showed about a dozen people stranded on a slightly elevated spot in the middle of the Swat River, crying for help amid rapidly rising floodwaters. Fahad urged the public to adhere strictly to earlier government warnings about possible flash flooding in the Swat River, which runs through the scenic Swat Valley — a popular summer destination for tens of thousands of tourists who visit the region in summer and winter alike. Elsewhere, at least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the past 24 hours, according to rescue officials. Weather forecasters say rains will continue this week. Pakistan’s annual monsoon season runs from July through September. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the deaths of the tourists swept away by the floods in the Swat River. In a statement, he directed authorities to strengthen safety measures near rivers and streams. Heavy rains have battered parts of Pakistan since earlier this week, blocking highways and damaging homes. Still, weather forecasters say the country will receive less rain compared with 2022 when the climate-induced downpour swelled rivers and inundated one-third of Pakistan at one point , killing 1,739. (AP)
President Donald Trump’s privately owned Trump Organization held preliminary talks this spring with Israeli real estate giant Nitsba Holdings to explore branding and managing a massive new hotel in Tel Aviv, the New York Times reported. According to the report, Eric Trump, the president’s son, met with Nitsba executives about a potential partnership involving the under-construction Sarona Hotel, which is slated to become Israel’s tallest hotel upon completion. If finalized, the deal would see the Trump name prominently displayed on the Tel Aviv skyline. The discussions reportedly took place just weeks before Israel, with U.S. support under Trump’s orders, launched its preemptive strikes on Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. Critics have sharply questioned whether Trump is exploiting his presidency for personal financial gain, warning that a Trump-branded property in Israel could complicate American diplomacy in the region and potentially become a magnet for terror threats. Since taking office, Trump’s company has also finalized hotel and branding deals in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, the report noted. In a statement to the New York Times, Eric Trump confirmed the conversations with Nitsba but emphasized that no agreement had been signed. “Israel has always been a market we would love to explore, but we have no plans at this time, and any discussions have been strictly preliminary,” he said. Efforts to reach Nitsba for comment were unsuccessful. Still, the report noted that Eric Trump has hinted at wanting to close at least one deal in Israel by year’s end, describing the 47-story Sarona Hotel as having “the feel of a Trump property.” Planned with striking “Trumpian extravagance,” the hotel is expected to feature 800 rooms and suites, luxury restaurants, spas, pools, and lounges — making it the largest hotel in Israel by room count. The project, designed by MYS Architects, had stalled for years but resumed construction earlier this year. A completion date has yet to be announced. Nitsba chairman Haim Tsuff told the New York Times that adding the Trump brand could bolster his efforts to secure approvals for an extra 12 stories of luxury residential units atop the hotel. That expansion, however, might require zoning changes, since the tower is located along a flight path to Ben Gurion Airport. Last October, before Trump’s reelection, the Times reported that Eric Trump had also explored branding opportunities at Jerusalem’s under-construction Haleom Hotel, and had toured Eilat’s Princess Hotel before passing on that project. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli prosecutors have filed an indictment against a 23-year-old resident of Beitar Illit, accusing him of carrying out a deeply disturbing arson attack against the Or Habib shul in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Yerushalayim — a shul regularly attended by HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, former Rishon LeTzion and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Shas. According to the charges, the defendant — whose name remains under gag order — tried to ignite two separate fires on the night of June 8, in what was initially investigated by the Shin Bet as a possible terrorist or hate-related attack. In the first incident, he targeted an apartment building next to the shul, spray-painting residents’ doors, then pouring flammable liquid on an entrance and an elevator and setting it alight. Thankfully, residents managed to extinguish the flames before significant damage or injuries occurred. But later, at approximately 4 a.m., prosecutors say the suspect entered the Or Habib shul itself and doused the seat of Rav Yosef with flammable liquid, setting it aflame. The fire spread to nearby sifrei kodesh, burning them, and caused serious damage to the shul’s air conditioning and electrical systems. Footage from security cameras showed the suspect wandering through the darkened beis knesses before the fire broke out, then fleeing the scene. The incident drew strong condemnation across the political and religious spectrum. Many Chareidi leaders blamed the current environment of anti-bnei Torah incitement, especially in connection with the harsh decrees over yeshiva bochurim’s draft exemptions, and initially labeled the arson a hate crime. However, the suspect’s identity — a young man from Beitar Illit, a Chareidi yishuv — has cast doubt on those early theories, and his motives remain unclear as of this writing. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The commander of Israel’s Air Force Squadron 107, identified as Lt. Col. A, has revealed details about the intense preparation and high-stakes execution of a massive air operation over Iran. Speaking after the mission, Lt. Col. A described how, toward the end of 2024, senior military leadership decided to take the fight directly to Iranian territory with a large-scale offensive. But only hours before the green light was issued did he fully grasp what lay ahead. “We’ve been preparing for missions over Iran for the past 30 years,” he explained. “This particular operation, though, we trained for over the past month.” In the final days before the attack, pilots sensed something significant was coming but did not know the details until Thursday morning, when Air Force Chief Tomer Bar gathered squadron commanders for an advanced briefing. The final go-ahead, however, came late that night. “There was a lot of tension,” Lt. Col. A recalled. “The technical teams prepared the aircraft and the bombs, while the flight crews reviewed the operational plans and the possible scenarios.” The crews also faced the sobering prospect of being shot down and captured. “Those are some of the risks,” Lt. Col. A acknowledged. The massive air assault began at 2:55 a.m. on June 13, with most of the Israeli Air Force participating. Carefully targeted strikes on Iranian air defenses and ballistic missile infrastructure left Tehran unable to mount an effective response for several hours. “We didn’t know if we could carry out our full mission undetected,” the squadron commander said. “We were pleasantly surprised that we could — thanks to the massive attack on the enemy’s vulnerabilities.” Following the ceasefire, the squadron has returned its focus to Gaza, where Lt. Col. A said the mission remains unchanged: “Destroying Hamas, returning the hostages, and ensuring the security of border-area communities.” He noted that even during the 12 days of combat over Iran, strikes continued against Hamas targets in Gaza, and assured that there is no shortage of munitions to finish the job. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Russian forces launched 363 Shahed and decoy drones as well as eight missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Friday, claiming that air defenses stopped all but four of the drones and downed six cruise missiles. Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said 39 Ukrainian drones were downed in several regions overnight, including 19 over the Rostov region and 13 over the Volgograd region. Both regions lie east of Ukraine. Long-range drone strikes have been a hallmark of the war, now in its fourth year. The race by both sides to develop increasingly sophisticated and deadlier drones has turned the war into a testing ground for new weaponry. The Ukrainian air force said that 359 incoming drones were either intercepted or electronically jammed. Ukraine is employing new countermeasures against Russia’s escalation of combined missile and drone attacks, officials say. Instead of relying on ground-based mobile teams to shoot down Shaheds, Ukraine is deploying interceptor drones it has developed. The Ukrainian attack forced three Russian airports to briefly suspend flights, officials said. The authorities also briefly closed the Crimean Bridge overnight as drones targeted Crimea. Neither Russia nor Ukraine reported any major damage or casualties in the attacks. Russia manufactures Shahed drones based on an original Iranian model, churning out thousands of them at a plant in the Tatarstan region. It has upgraded the Shaheds with its own innovations, including bigger warheads. They are known as suicide drones because they nosedive into targets and explode on impact, like a missile. The incessant buzzing of the propeller-driven Shahed drones is unnerving for anyone under its flight path because no one on the ground knows exactly when or where the weapon will hit. Being outgunned and outnumbered in the war against its bigger neighbor, Ukraine also has developed its own cutting-edge drone technology, including long-range sea drones, and has trained thousands of drone pilots. Smaller, short-range drones are used by both sides on the battlefield and in areas close to the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. Those drones, fitted with onboard cameras that give their operators a real-time view of possible targets, have also struck civilian areas. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a report published Thursday that short-range drone attacks killed at least 395 civilians and injured 2,635 between the start of the war and last April. Almost 90% of the attacks were by the Russian armed forces, it reported. The strikes not only spread fear among civilians but also severely disrupt daily life by restricting movement and limiting access to food and medical services, the report said. (AP)
In the days following the end of Operation Rising Lion, reports are surfacing worldwide about a wave of arrests in Jewish kehillos in Iran on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. The information comes from an opposition organization reporting that Rabbanim, community leaders, and other Jews have been arrested in Tehran and Shiraz. In several reported cases, Jews who have resided in Iran for many years—sometimes multiple members of the same family—have been taken into custody and their cell phones and laptops were confiscated on suspicion of cooperating with or supporting Israeli elements. Relatives of a number of families inside Iran have lost contact with their loved ones. One source said that the women have been released, but the men, including Rabbanim, remain in custody. The number of Jews in detention is unclear, but the names of dozens, including entire families, have been published. It should be noted that on Thursday, the Jewish kehilla in Tehran held a special ceremony praising the regime. Among others, the Chief Rabbi of Tehran, Rav Yehuda Gerami, spoke in support of the regime. The event was also attended by Jewish-Iranian soldiers. Photos of the event were published in Iranian media outlets. Ynet reported that Naz, an Iranian activist living in the US, raised the alarm, saying that she was informed by a friend in Iran that security forces were raiding Jews’ homes and taking them away to an unknown location. Naz said that when the regime is under threat, it takes it out on minorities, and asked to spread the word that the Jews in Iran need help. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The U.S. and China have signed an agreement on trade, President Donald Trump said, adding he expects to soon have a deal with India. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details about the agreement. “We just signed with China the other day,” Trump said late Thursday. Lutnick said the deal was “signed and sealed” two days earlier. It was unclear if the latest agreement was different from the one Trump announced two weeks earlier that he said would make it easier for American industries to obtain much-needed needed magnets and rare earth minerals. That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue, while the U.S. agreed to stop trying to revoke visas of Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses. China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday that the two sides had “further confirmed the details of the framework.” But its statement did not explicitly mention U.S. access to rare earths, minerals used in high-tech applications that have been at the center of the negotiations. “China will approve the export applications of controlled items that meet the conditions in accordance with the law. The United States will cancel a series of restrictive measures taken against China accordingly. It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway,” it said. The agreement follows initial talks in Geneva in early May that led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that were threatening to freeze much trade between the two countries. Later talks in London set a framework for negotiations and the deal mentioned by Trump appeared to formalize that agreement. “The president likes to close these deals himself. He’s the dealmaker. We’re going to have deal after deal,” Lutnick said. China has not announced any new agreements, but it announced earlier this week that it was speeding up approvals of exports of rare earths, materials used in high-tech products such as electric vehicles. Beijing’s limits on exports of rare earths have been a key point of contention. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Thursday that Beijing was accelerating review of export license applications for rare earths and had approved “a certain number of compliant applications.” Export controls of the minerals apparently eclipsed tariffs in the latest round of trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington after China imposed permitting requirements on seven rare earth elements in April, threatening to disrupt production of cars, robots, wind turbines and other high-tech products in the U.S. and around the world. China also has taken steps recently on the fentanyl issue, announcing last week that it would designate two more substances as precursor chemicals for fentanyl, making them subject to production, transport and export regulations. Trump has demanded that Beijing do more to stop the flow of such precursor ingredients to Mexican drug cartels, which use them to make fentanyl for sale in the U.S. He imposed 20% tariffs on Chinese imports over the fentanyl issue, the biggest part of current 30% across-the-board taxes on Chinese goods. The agreement struck in May in Geneva called for both sides to scale back punitive tariff hikes imposed as Trump escalated his trade war and sharply raised import duties. Some higher tariffs, such as those imposed by Washington related to the trade […]
Nearly every Windows user has had a run in with the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” at some point in their computing life. Now, after more than 40-years of being set against a very recognizable blue, the updated error message will soon be displayed across a black background. The changes to the notorious error screen come as part of broader efforts by Microsoft to improve the resiliency of the Windows operating system in the wake of last year’s CrowdStrike incident, which crashed millions of Windows machines worldwide. “Now it’s easier than ever to navigate unexpected restarts and recover faster,” Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft wrote in a Wednesday announcement. As part of that effort, Microsoft says it’s “streamlining” what users experience when encountering “unexpected restarts” that cause disruptions. And that means a makeover to the infamous error screen. Beyond the now-black background, Windows’ new “screen of death” has a slightly shorter message. It’s also no longer accompanied by a frowning face — and instead shows a percentage completed for the restart process. Microsoft says this “simplified” user interface for unexpected restarts will be available later this summer on all of its Windows 11 (version 24H2) devices. And for PCs that may not restart successfully, Microsoft on Wednesday also said it’s adding a “quick machine recovery” mechanism. The will be particularly useful for during a widespread outage, the tech giant noted, as Microsoft “can broadly deploy targeted remediations” and automate fixes with this new mechanism “without requiring complex manual intervention from IT.” Microsoft said this quick machine recovery will also be “generally available” later this summer on Window 11 — with additional capabilities set to launch later in the year. (AP)
The Trump administration is quietly floating a sweeping new proposal to Tehran that could unlock up to $30 billion in funding for a civilian nuclear energy program, according to CNN — a dramatic shift in strategy aimed at luring Iran back to the negotiating table just days after a military confrontation threatened to spiral into all-out war. The plan, which has not been previously disclosed, is part of an intensifying diplomatic push led by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and backed by Gulf allies, according to four sources familiar with the discussions. At the heart of the evolving proposal: a non-enrichment nuclear energy program for Iran, modeled after the UAE’s, that would include foreign investment, partial sanctions relief, and access to billions of dollars in previously frozen Iranian assets. Behind closed doors, senior Trump officials have discussed allowing Tehran to use the $6 billion currently locked in foreign bank accounts, lifting select sanctions, and replacing the recently bombed Fordow enrichment site with a civilian facility — all while maintaining Washington’s red line: zero domestic uranium enrichment. The Trump administration’s diplomatic offensive comes on the heels of bunker-buster bombings that targeted Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear facilities. But rather than close the door on diplomacy, officials have used the show of force as leverage — pushing Tehran to accept terms for a deal that would roll back its nuclear ambitions while offering the regime a new path forward. In a secret White House meeting last Friday, the day before U.S. strikes, Witkoff and Gulf partners hashed out the outlines of the offer, two sources said. That meeting laid the groundwork for a term sheet that could be presented to Iran as soon as next week — though no date has been finalized, and Iranian officials have publicly denied plans for immediate talks. Multiple proposals are still in flux, officials said, but all revolve around the same core principle: Iran may have nuclear power — but not the ability to enrich uranium itself. The proposal marks a sharp pivot for the Trump administration, which until now had taken a hardline “maximum pressure” stance on Iran. President Trump has publicly downplayed the urgency of a deal — telling reporters in The Hague this week, “I don’t care if I have an agreement or not” — even as his top advisers quietly accelerate efforts to lock in a comprehensive framework. But that calculus may now be complicated by shifting currents inside Iran. Just days ago, the Iranian parliament approved legislation to sever cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog — a move seen by analysts as Tehran preparing to harden its nuclear posture. “There is a real risk here that Tehran, after seeing Fordow bombed and trust eroded, will decide its only insurance policy is a nuclear weapon,” said a former senior intelligence official briefed on the discussions. Still, U.S. officials are betting that the cost of escalation — and the promise of economic relief — could bring Iran to the table. Talks have continued in recent days through regional intermediaries, primarily Qatar, which played a central role in brokering the fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire. According to multiple sources, Doha is now working closely with Witkoff to maintain diplomatic momentum and prevent backsliding into armed conflict. “There are a lot of ideas being thrown around […]
Georgia has become the latest state where a federal judge has blocked a law requiring age verification for social media accounts. Like in seven other states where such laws have been blocked, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg means that the Georgia measure, which passed in 2024, won’t take effect next week as scheduled. Instead, Totenberg granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law until there’s a full ruling on the issue. Georgia’s law would require some social media providers to take “commercially reasonable” steps to verify a user’s age and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. It was challenged by NetChoice, a trade group representing online businesses. “The state seeks to erect barriers to speech that cannot withstand the rigorous scrutiny that the Constitution requires,” Totenberg wrote, finding the law restricts the rights of minors, chills the right to anonymous speech online and restricts the ability of people to receive speech from social media platforms. Georgia will appeal, a spokesperson for Attorney General Chris Carr said Thursday. “We will continue to defend commonsense measures that empower parents and protect our children online,” spokesperson Kara Murray said in a statement. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Totenberg said concerns about social media harming children are legitimate, but don’t outweigh the constitutional violation. Totenberg wrote that NetChoice’s members would be irreparably harmed by the law. She rejected arguments from the state that the group shouldn’t get temporary relief because it had delayed filing its lawsuit by a year and because the state would be required to give 90 days’ notice before enforcing the law. “Free expression doesn’t end where government anxiety begins,” NetChoice Director of Litigation Chris Marchese said in a statement. “Parents— not politicians — should guide their children’s lives online and offline— and no one should have to hand over a government ID to speak in digital spaces.” It’s the ninth state where NetChoice has blocked a law over children’s use of social media. In Arkansas and Ohio, federal judges have permanently overturned the laws. Besides Georgia, measures are also on hold in California, Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Utah. Louisiana agreed to not enforce its law while litigation proceeds. Only in Tennessee did a federal judge decline to temporarily block a law, finding NetChoice hadn’t proved that people would be irreparably harmed if the law wasn’t blocked before trial. Georgia had argued the law was meant to protect children in a dangerous place, likening it to banning them from bars serving alcohol instead of restricting their speech. (AP)
Having just recently read some gender-based letters (that is, letters from women complaining about men) in a Jewish publication, I was confronted with a mailbag letter from a female high school student complaining about the dress code of the seminary she will be attending next year. Besides saying that the code would stifle her self-expression, the student alleged that parallel standards are not applied to yeshiva bochurim, in that rules against “hoodies” and guidelines about haircuts are allegedly not being enforced in men’s yeshivas. Excuse me??? Last time I checked, Yeshiva boys have the most restrictive dress code of all, being required to wear black suits/pants and white shirts. The focus of this letter is not on the merits of dress codes, although I would think that seminary is more a time for introspection and self-examination than outward expression. After all, isn’t the point of seminary to find your best self before expressing it to the world? Nevertheless, my focus is on this student’s seeming need to point fingers at how the boys are being treated and to claim that that treatment is unequal. For the record, I am a woman. That fact, rather than leading me to agree with the student, makes me ashamed of how so many frum women appear to be following secular “woke” women’s lead in blaming men for their problems, crying victimization and unfair treatment. I beseech all frum girls and women to remember that humility is a key midah for all of klal Yisroel, male and female, and that we need to take responsibility for our thoughts and behaviors. We are living in a very dangerous time with anti-semitism growing daily. What we need now is to be humble before Hashem and grateful to Him for all that he gives us. We should also be dan l’kaf zchus of other yidden and to take all setbacks or difficulties as a kappara and an opportunity to see what we need to do teshuva for or improve upon. While the current world situation is stressful, we must find a way to deal with that constructively rather than following the terrible example of the secular world and turning on each other. Signed, A concerned reader The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena Thursday to Anthony Bernal, a senior aide to former first lady Jill Biden, as part of their rapidly expanding investigation into former President Joe Biden’s mental fitness while in office. The subpoena signed by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican Oversight chairman, requires Bernal to appear for a deposition on July 16. It came after several weeks of back-and-forth with Bernal’s lawyer over the timing of a voluntary interview. “Given your close connection with both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people,” the subpoena reads. “To avoid any further delays, your appearance before the Committee is now compelled.” Bernal is the second former Biden staffer to be subpoenaed by the committee and unlikely to be the last. The committee this week heard voluntary testimony from Neera Tanden, a former director of Biden’s domestic policy counsel, and is intent on securing interviews with several other members of Biden’s inner circle as part of its investigation. Bernal did not respond Thursday to a message seeking comment. Comer has also subpoenaed Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s physician at the White House. O’Connor will testify before the committee on July 9. It’s all part of a remarkable Republican effort, supported by President Donald Trump, to investigate the last occupant of the Oval Office six months after he left office. Trump himself has ordered White House lawyers and the Justice Department to investigate Biden, questioning the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. Boosting the GOP investigation, Trump has waived executive privilege for eight former Biden administration officials to testify to Congress, including Bernal, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity. With the privilege lifted, former staffers are free to discuss their interactions with Biden while he was president. In addition to Bernal, executive privilege has been waived for Biden White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, former counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and a former assistant to the president, Ashley Williams. Comer is seeking interviews with all of them. Democrats have dismissed the inquiry into Biden’s mental state as a partisan exercise that distracts from other pressing issues. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Missouri Democrat who sits on the Oversight committee, said after the interview with Tanden that it “was an extraordinary waste of time” and produced “no new evidence.” Bell said lawmakers should focus on issues like the costs of food, housing and potential changes to healthcare policy rather than “dig up some kind of post-impeachment, or whatever we’re doing here.” The unfolding investigation has significant implications for politics and policy. Republican lawmakers have argued that any executive actions or policies enacted through the autopen procedure could be found invalid if Biden were somehow incapacitated or not of a sound state of mind while in office. Trump and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Biden was not aware of the actions his administration had taken on […]
