TRAFFIC ALERT – PALISADES PARKWAY: A multi-vehicle MVA occurred on the Palisades Parkway southbound between Exits 13 and 12, with one vehicle bursting into flames. Rockland Hatzoloh, Spring Hill EMS, New York State Police, and the Hillcrest Fire Department are on scene. Injuries have been reported. Southbound lanes are currently closed in the area—drivers are advised to avoid the area
Amid another scheduled round of U.S.-Iran talks, Israeli Prime minister Netanyahu said, “If they can reach an agreement that will prevent Iran from capability to enrich uranium, we will welcome it… However, the State of Israel keeps the right to itself to protect itself.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for a “Golden Dome” to protect the United States from long-range missiles was at least partly inspired by Israel’s multitiered missile defenses. Trump announced the $175 billion concept in the Oval Office on Tuesday, saying it would put U.S. weapons in space for the first time and be would be “fully operational” by the end of his term in early 2029, though a U.S. official familiar with the program said it could take longer. Israel’s multilayered defenses, often collectively referred to as the “Iron Dome,” have played a key role in defending it from rocket and missile fire from Iran and allied terror groups in the conflict unleashed by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The sophisticated system, developed over decades with considerable U.S. support, is capable of detecting incoming fire and deploying only if the projectile is headed toward a population center or sensitive military or civilian infrastructure. Israeli leaders say the system isn’t 100% guaranteed, but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties. Here’s a closer look at Israel’s multilayered air-defense system: The Arrow This system developed with the U.S. is designed to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used to intercept long-range missiles launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and by Iran itself during two direct exchanges of fire last year. David’s Sling Also developed with the U.S., David’s Sling is meant to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those possessed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group. It was deployed on multiple occasions throughout the war with Hezbollah, which ended with a ceasefire last year. Iron Dome This system, developed by Israel with U.S. backing, specializes in shooting down short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was activated early last decade — including volleys launched by Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel says it has a success rate of over 90%. Iron Beam Israel is developing a new system to intercept incoming threats with laser technology. Israel has said this system will be a game changer because it would be much cheaper to operate than existing systems. According to Israeli media reports, the cost of a single Iron Dome interception is about $50,000, while the other systems can run more than $2 million per missile. Iron Beam interceptions, by contrast, would cost a few dollars apiece, according to Israeli officials — but the system is not yet operational. (AP)
More Klarna customers are having trouble repaying their “buy now, pay later” loans, the short-term lender said this week. The disclosure corresponded with reports by lending platforms Bankrate and LendingTree, which cited an increasing share of all “buy now, pay later” users saying they had fallen behind on payments. The late or missed installments are a sign of faltering financial health among a segment of the US population, some analysts say, as the nation’s total consumer debt rises to a record $18.2 trillion and the Trump administration moves to collect on federal student loans. Shoppers who opt to finance purchases through BNPL services tend to be younger than the average consumer, and a study from the Federal Reserve last year said Black and Hispanic women were especially likely to use the plans, which customers of all income levels are increasingly adopting. “While BNPL provides credit to financially vulnerable consumers, these same consumers may be overextending themselves,” the authors of the Federal Reserve study wrote. “This concern is consistent with previous research that has shown consumers spend more when BNPL is offered when checking out and that BNPL use leads to an increase in overdraft fees and credit card interest payments and fees.” As Klarna grows its user base and revenue, the Swedish company said its first-quarter consumer credit losses rose 17% compared to the January-March period of last year, to $136 million. A company spokesperson said in a statement that the increase largely reflected the higher number of loans Klarna made year over year. The percentage of its loans at a global level that went unpaid in the first quarter grew from 0.51% in 2024 to 0.54% this year, and the company sees “no sign of a weakened U.S. consumer,” he said. More consumers are using ‘buy now, pay later’ plans Buy now, pay later plans generally let consumers split payments for purchases into four or fewer installments, often with a down payment at checkout. The loans are typically marketed as zero-interest, and most require no credit check or a soft credit check. BNPL providers promote the plans as a safer alternative to traditional credit cards when interest rates are high. The popularity of the deferred payment plans, and the expanding ways customers can use them, have also sparked public attention. When Klarna announced a partnership with DoorDash in March, the news led to online comments about Americans taking out loans to buy takeout food. Similar skepticism emerged when Billboard revealed that more than half of Coachella attendees used installment plans to finance their tickets to the music festival. An April report from LendingTree said about four in ten users of buy now, pay later plans said they had made late payments in the past year, up from one in three last year. According to a May report from Bankrate, about one in four users of the loans chose them because they were easier to get than traditional credit cards. The six largest BNPL providers — Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, PayPal, Sezzle, and Zip — originated about 277.3 million loans for $33.8 billion in merchandise in 2022, or an amount equal to about 1% of credit card spending that year, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. An industry that is coming under less regulatory scrutiny The federal agency said this month it did not intend to enforce a Biden-era regulation that […]
During a press conference moment ago, Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu spoke about the expansion of military operations in the Gaza Strip, which has been named “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, after which Netanyahu states the entirety of Gaza will be under the control of Israel.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 aircraft from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The Defense Department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. He added that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.” Trump has defended the gift, which came up during his recent Middle East trip, as a way to save tax dollars. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” Trump posted on his social media site during the trip. Others, however, have raised concerns about the aircraft being a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. They also have noted the need to retrofit the plane to meet security requirements, which would be costly and take time. Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was meeting in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said. The Republican president has presented no national security imperative for a swift upgrade rather than waiting for Boeing to finish new Air Force One jets that have been in the works for years. (AP)
QUESTION: What is Gevinas Akum? ANSWER: Gevinas Akum refers to milk that belonged to a nochri which was made into cheese without Jewish involvement. Shulchan Aruch (YD 115:2) explains that Chazal prohibited Gevinas Akum out of concern that the cheese might be produced with non-kosher animal rennet. Rennet is an enzyme that coagulates cheese curd and causes the water to separate from the milk solids. Animal rennet is typically extracted from the stomach lining of a calf. If the calf was not properly slaughtered, the rennet is non-kosher. The Rishonim explain that although the amount of rennet used in cheese production is typically less than one part in sixty, the rennet is not batel because it is a davar hama’amid (an ingredient that supports a change or transformation) which is not batel even be’elef (in 1,000 parts). Shulchan Aruch adds that all forms of Gevinas Akum are prohibited, even if the coagulant was an herb, and not animal rennet. This is based on the principle known as “lo plug” – i.e., that Chazal often enacted prohibitions across the board, without distinguishing between different situations.
A powerful twister that swept through the region this past week has left the St. Louis kehilla without a functioning eruv. The 14-mile perimeter eruv sustained extensive damage as utility poles and wire — essential components of the eruv — were toppled or torn from the ground and scattered across major roads. The sudden loss has effectively left residents “locked in” for Shabbos, unable to carry strollers, tallis bags, or other items outside their homes. In response, emergency efforts are already underway. Rabbi Paretzky of Skokie, a renowned eruv expert with decades of experience across North America, was brought in to lead the urgent repairs and planning. While the eruv will not be operational for Shabbos Parshas Behar-Bechukosai, Rabbi Paretzky and his team are working to create a more resilient, multi-zone system designed to minimize future disruptions. “Right now, the entire city’s halachic mobility is compromised,” Rabbi Paretzky said. “But with careful planning, this can be an opportunity to rebuild stronger — both halachically and structurally.” The new design will prioritize storm resistance and halachic redundancy, ensuring that if one section is damaged in the future, the entire eruv will not be rendered unusable. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Donald Trump Jr. is no longer ruling out a run for the White House. At a panel discussion during Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday, the eldest son of President Donald Trump offered his most suggestive comments yet about a possible presidential bid. When asked whether he could see himself running to succeed his father, Trump Jr., 47, smiled and paused before responding: “You never know.” “It’s an honor to be asked and an honor to see that some people are OK with it,” he said to scattered applause from the audience. “I don’t know, maybe one day, you know, that calling is there.” The comments marked a subtle but significant shift for the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, who has long been one of his father’s most vocal and aggressive political surrogates. Though Don Jr. previously denied reports that he was eyeing a 2028 campaign — calling a March report “fake news” — his remarks on Wednesday added fuel to speculation that the Trump political dynasty could extend into another generation. Don Jr. used the forum to double down on the “America First” ethos that has come to define modern Republican politics under his father’s influence. “I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party,” he said. “I think it’s the America First party now — the MAGA party, however you want to look at it.” The Trump Organization has been co-led by Don Jr. and his younger brother Eric since their father’s 2016 election. While Donald Trump stepped away from executive responsibilities, he has retained his financial interest in the family business through a trust. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Trump criticizes a reporter for asking about the Qatari jet after playing a video showing claims of genocide in South Africa. “It’s NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw… You’re a terrible reporter….you’re a disgrace.”
A Mexican navy tall ship’s fatal collision with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday highlighted a hazard that has worried seafarers for nearly 150 years. Even before construction on the bridge was finished in the late 19th century, the topmast of a passing U.S. Navy ship hit the span’s wires — and vessels continued to clip the iconic New York City structure for many years. But historians say Saturday’s crash appears to be the first boat collision with the bridge to take the lives of crew members. Two Mexican naval cadets died and more were injured after the training ship Cuauhtémoc’s masts crashed into the bridge as dozens of sailors stood harnessed high up in rigging as part of a public display. “That’s the first and possibly only time where there’s been a fatality onboard of a ship that struck the Brooklyn Bridge,” said Dominique Jean-Louis, chief historian at the Center for Brooklyn History, part of the Brooklyn Public Library. Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River, connecting its eponymous borough’s downtown to Manhattan. The highest point of the bridge’s underside is listed at 135 feet (41.1 meters) on average above the water, but it fluctuates with the tides. During construction, a warehouse owner sued state officials — first to stop the bridge and then for compensation — arguing that some ships still had topmasts that exceeded the height. The case made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which dismissed the lawsuit, determining that the bridge did not unduly restrict ship navigation. Before that decision, however, at least one ship had already tangled with the still-under-construction crossing. According to an 1878 report in the New York Daily Tribune, the U.S. Navy wooden steam training ship USS Minnesota was headed toward the high point of the bridge after planning ahead and lowering its topmast. But at the last minute, it had to change course to avoid an oncoming ship, sending it to an area with lower clearance and striking the bridge’s wires. Nobody was reported injured. By the time the bridge was complete, steam ships were transporting the lion’s share of goods, and high-masted ships were waning in importance, said Richard Haw, professor of interdisciplinary studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of two books about the Brooklyn Bridge. “They go from sail ships to steam ships,” Haw said. “You don’t need a huge clearance.” Yet mast strikes continued, including at least two reported in the 1920s — one of which was with the U.S. Navy’s flagship USS Seattle, which had “a little wooden pole that was a little too high,” Jean-Louis said. In 1941, the SS Nyassa was bringing hundreds of refugees to New York City when the captain miscalculated the tide and part of its mast was bent into a right angle by the bridge’s underspan, according to a New York Times article at the time that described a “crunching sound.” Among the refugees on board was Hedwig Ehrlich, widow of the Nobel Prize-winning Jewish German scientist Paul Ehrlich, as she headed to live with daughters in San Francisco. As the 20th century went on, ships got taller and wider. And they still required mast-like appendages for observation and communication. A shipyard just north of the bridge, now known […]
For Shai Kopitnikoff and Tzuri Merzel, the decision to pursue a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology at Touro University’s School of Health Sciences was more than just an academic choice—it was a career-defining step that would ultimately lead them to influential roles at the Orthodox Union (OU). Today, both professionals apply the knowledge, research, and methodologies they gained at Touro to shape the human resources landscape at one of the most prominent Jewish nonprofit organizations in the world. Shai, who attended Touro’s Lander College for Men for his undergraduate degree, and Tzuri, who earned his bachelor’s at Yeshiva University, graduated from Touro’s I-O Psychology program in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Now, they work together in the human resources department at the OU, where Shai serves as assistant director of talent development and director of the OU executive fellowship, and Tzuri is a talent acquisition manager. In their respective roles, Shai focuses on the development and retention of employees, helping OU staff maximize their potential, while Tzuri leads the hiring and recruitment efforts across multiple departments. “We are tasked with the overall talent in the organization,” Tzuri said. “That starts with me trying to find the most highly qualified people who not only have the skills today but are also vessels for Shai to take them and continue molding them into integral parts of this organization.” A Combination of Theory and Practice Reflecting on his time at Touro, Shai emphasized how the program’s structure provided both theoretical knowledge and practical application. “We both took job analysis courses, worked on performance appraisals, and learned about competency modeling,” he said. “That common foundation allows us to be on the same page when it comes to identifying talent and ensuring employees have the tools to succeed.” Shai credited the close mentorship he received at Touro for setting him on his professional path. “I had the opportunity to be published with Dr. Ben Elman, the head of the program at the time, and to this day, we still keep in touch,” he said. “Dr. Elman recommended me for my first part-time role at the OU while I was in grad school, which helped me get a foot in the door.” Tzuri said that Touro was instrumental in launching his career, as well. “I found out about my first job in the I-O psychology field, where I worked for over eight years, through an email from Touro,” he said. “That opportunity allowed me to build the necessary skills to transition to the OU.” One tangible impact his education had on his career came from a class he took on job analyses, a systematic process that involves studying a job to identify its tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications, using quantitative and qualitative data. As part of the course, students learned how to analyze a job and break it down to its finer parts, in part by doing a job analysis on a position of their choosing. “When I interviewed for my first job, I actually knew what I was talking about and had experience in something very few practitioners even have,” Tzuri said. “Even when not performing the official steps of job analysis, it gives us a better perspective than the average employee—or even HR practitioner—when thinking about job qualifications and assessment tools to measure candidates. Human […]
In a striking Oval Office moment, Trump, meeting with South Africa’s president, showed a video of a South African figure inciting violence against white farmers to back his administration’s stance that they face significant dangers and inadequate protection.
President Trump is asked about Letitia James: “It’s major fraud. Mortgage documents… She said she lived in Virginia, yet she’s the New York state Attorney General. She did that for tax reasons, so she could take advantage of taxes… I think she’s very bad for New York.”
Florida was the first state to pass a law regulating the use of cellphones in schools in 2023. Just two years later, half of all states have laws in place, with more likely to act soon. Bills have sprinted through legislatures this year in states as varied as New York and Oklahoma, reflecting a broad consensus that phones are bad for kids. Connecticut state Rep. Jennifer Leeper, a Democrat and co-chair of the General Assembly’s Education Committee, on May 13 called phones “a cancer on our kids” that are “driving isolation, loneliness, decreasing attention and having major impacts both on social-emotional well-being but also learning.” Republicans express similar sentiments. “This is a not just an academic bill,” Republican Rep. Scott Hilton said after Georgia’s bill, which only bans phones in grades K-8, passed in March. “This is a mental health bill. It’s a public safety bill.” So far, 25 states have passed laws, with eight other states and the District of Columbia implementing rules or making recommendations to local districts. Of the states, 16 have acted this year. Just Tuesday, Alaska lawmakers required schools to regulate cellphones when they overrode an education package that Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy had vetoed for unrelated reasons. More action is coming as bills await a governor’s signature or veto in Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and New Hampshire. Increasing focus on banning phones throughout the school day When Florida first acted, lawmakers ordered schools to ban phones during instructional time while allowing them between classes or at lunch. But now there’s another bill awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ action that goes further. It would ban phones for the entire school day for elementary and middle schools. Nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted school day bans, most for students in grades K-12, and they now outnumber the seven states with instructional time bans. North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong called the ban throughout the school day that he signed into law “a huge win.” “Teachers wanted it. Parents wanted it. Principals wanted it. School boards wanted it,” Armstrong said. Armstrong recently visited a grade school with such a ban in place. He said he saw kids engaging with each other and laughing at tables during lunch. The “bell-to-bell” bans have been promoted in part by ExcelinEd, the education think tank founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The group’s political affiliate has been active in lobbying for bans. Nathan Hoffman, ExcelinEd’s senior director of state policy and advocacy, said barring phones throughout the day heads off problems outside of class, like when students set up or record fights in halls. “That’s often when you get some of your biggest behavioral issues, whether they go viral or not,” Hoffman said. Other states want school districts to set their own rules But other states, particularly where there are strong traditions of local school control, are mandating only that school districts adopt some kind of cellphone policy, believing districts will take the hint and sharply restrict phone access. In Maine, where some lawmakers originally proposed a school day ban, lawmakers are now considering a rewritten bill that would only require a policy. And there have been a few states where lawmakers failed to act at all. Maybe the most dramatic was in Wyoming, where senators voted down a bill in January, with […]
IDF forces in the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday fired warning shots in the air during a tour of a delegation of foreign diplomats in the city, causing them to flee the area. According to Palestinian reports, the delegation included 25 representatives from European and Arab countries. Yisrael Hayom reported that the delegation was provided with an approved route as the area is considered an active combat zone. Nevertheless, the delegation deviated from the route and approached an area banned to civilians, causing the IDF soldiers to suspect the delegation members were terror suspects. The commander of the Yehudah and Shomron Division immediately investigated the incident and ordered IDF representatives to hold diplomatic contacts with international diplomats to explain the incident. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the delegation included the ambassadors of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the European Union, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, France, Britain, and several representatives from other countries. The Jenin refugee camp, where terrorism has thrived in recent years, has been under total IDF control for several months now. Several dozen IDF soldiers, backed by Border Police soldiers, remain permanently in the camp and any civilians in the area are considered terror suspects. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Dashcam footage captured the moment a dump truck crashed into a home in southern New Jersey on Tuesday. The driver was trapped inside for two hours before being rescued.
The IDF says it killed a Hezbollah commander in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today. The operative, targeted in the town of Yater, was a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, the military says.
