The escalating battle between former President Donald Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken a sharp, contentious turn, with Trump’s legal team now openly threatening James over what they label as a “lawfare” campaign against him. Trump attorney Mike Davis, in an interview on the Benny Johnson Show, warned James of potential legal consequences, claiming her persistent legal actions against Trump could lead to her own prosecution. “Listen here, sweetheart,” Davis said, “we’re not messing around this time, and we will put you… in prison for conspiracy against rights.” Prior to the threat, James said she would use the law to stop Trump’s agenda. In a statement Wednesday, she made clear that her office was prepared for a showdown. “We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond,” James declared. “As the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility.” Despite James’s unyielding stance, her years-long pursuit of Trump has drawn scrutiny, particularly in light of her overtly critical stance toward him, which some argue undermines the impartiality expected of her office. James recently achieved a high-profile $454 million civil fraud judgment against Trump, citing inflated valuations to secure better loan and insurance terms. Trump’s team is appealing this ruling, contending that it represents yet another politically motivated effort to damage his reputation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In recent weeks, travelers arriving in Israel have faced increased scrutiny on personal items, particularly jewelry and baby strollers when going through Ben Gurion Airport Customs. Chaim V’Chessed has been contacted in numerous cases where travelers have been questioned and fined by customs officials over these items. Furthermore, in multiple inquiries, travelers faced substantial fines or confiscation for carrying jewelry, even though it was for personal use and not intended for sale. After consulting with officials at the Israeli Tax Authority, Chaim V’Chessed has learned that travelers carrying jewelry should follow specific guidelines to reduce the risk of suspicion. The Tax Authority advises travelers to avoid packing jewelry boxes—whether full or empty—in their luggage, as this may raise a red flag. Instead, travelers are encouraged to wear their jewelry during transit to demonstrate that it is for personal use. Separately, families traveling with young children have encountered issues traveling with baby strollers. While bringing one stroller per child is permitted, the baby should be riding in that stroller. Customs officials may target strollers packed in luggage, particularly if they are in original packaging or appear new. Even unpackaged strollers that look recently purchased have sometimes attracted scrutiny. In these cases, travelers have faced unexpected fines and delays. Chaim V’Chessed has actively advocated for travelers, clarifying that these strollers and jewelry items are for personal use, not commercial import. Chaim V’Chessed urges all visitors and residents to remain informed and prepared to avoid unexpected complications. By following the above guidelines, travelers can reduce the risk of customs issues.
California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session later this year to safeguard the state’s progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration ahead of another Trump presidency. The move — a day after the former president resoundingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race — effectively reignited California’s resistance campaign against conservative policies that state Democratic leaders started during the first Trump administration. “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom, who has ambitions on the national stage, said in a statement. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.” Newsom and lawmakers say they’re ready to “Trump-proof” California’s state laws. His announcement Thursday called on the Legislature to give the attorney general’s office more funding to fight federal challenges when they meet in December. California’s move is part of a growing discussion among Democratic state officials seeking to protect policies that face threats under Trump’s leadership. Other blue states are also moving quickly to prepare game plans for another Trump presidency and expect a fiercer battle this time around with a Republican-dominated Senate and possibly House. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James said senior staffers plan to meet regularly to coordinate legal strategies. “Our team will do whatever we have to do to identify any possible threats to these rights that we hold dear in the State of New York and protect New Yorkers,” Hochul said at a news conference Wednesday. Hochul said she has created a task force focused on developing policy responses to “key areas that are most likely to face threats from the Trump administration” such as “reproductive rights, civil rights, immigration, gun safety, labor rights, LGBTQ rights and our environmental justice.” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who as state attorney general filed dozens of lawsuits against Trump during his first term, said they will “have to see if he makes good on what he promised and ran on in terms of Project 2025 or other things.” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said she and other attorneys general are “absolutely cleareyed that president-elect Trump has told us exactly what he intends to do as president.” After Trump’s win, Newsom vowed to work with the president-elect but added, “Let there be no mistake, we intend to stand with states across our nation to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law.” California was home to the so-called Trump resistance during his time in office, and Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America. Trump called the Democratic governor “New-scum” during a campaign stop in Southern California last month and has relentlessly lambasted the Democratic stronghold and nation’s most populous state over its large number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, its homeless population and its thicket of regulations. Trump also waded into a water rights battle over the endangered delta smelt that has pitted environmentalists against farmers and threatened to withhold federal aid to a state increasingly under threat from wildfires. […]
A Texas appeals court ordered a new trial Wednesday for a Jewish man on death row — who was part of a gang of prisoners that fatally shot a police officer in 2000 after escaping — because of antisemitic bias by the judge who presided over his case. Lawyers for Randy Halprin have contended that former Judge Vickers Cunningham in Dallas used racial slurs and antisemitic language to refer to him and some of his co-defendants. Halprin, 47, was among the group of inmates known as the “Texas 7,” who escaped from a South Texas prison in December 2000 and then committed numerous robberies, including the one in which they shot 29-year-old Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins 11 times, killing him. By a vote of 6-3, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered that Halprin’s conviction be overturned and that he be given a new trial after concluding that Cunningham was biased against him at the time of his trial because he is Jewish. The appeals court found evidence showed that during his life, Cunningham repeated unsupported antisemitic narratives. When Cunningham became a judge, he continued to use derogatory language about Jewish people outside the courtroom “with ‘great hatred, (and) disgust’ and increasing intensity as the years passed,” the court said. It also said that during Halprin’s trial, Cunningham made offensive antisemitic remarks outside the courtroom about Halprin in particular and Jews in general. “The uncontradicted evidence supports a finding that Cunningham formed an opinion about Halprin that derived from an extrajudicial factor — Cunningham’s poisonous antisemitism,” the appeals court wrote in its ruling. The court previously halted Halprin’s execution in 2019. “Today, the Court of Criminal Appeals took a step towards broader trust in the criminal law by throwing out a hopelessly tainted death judgment handed down by a bigoted and biased judge,” Tivon Schardl, one of Halprin’s attorneys, said in a statement. “It also reminded Texans that religious bigotry has no place in our courts.” The order for a new trial came after state District Judge Lela Mays in Dallas said in a December 2022 ruling that Cunningham did not or could not curb the influence of his antisemitic bias in his judicial decision-making during the trial. Mays wrote that Cunningham used racist, homophobic and antisemitic slurs to refer to Halprin and the other escaped inmates. Cunningham stepped down from the bench in 2005 and is now an attorney in private practice in Dallas. His office said Wednesday that he would not be commenting on Halprin’s case. Cunningham previously denied allegations of bigotry after telling the Dallas Morning News in 2018 that he has a living trust that rewards his children for marrying straight, white Christians. He had opposed interracial marriages but later told the newspaper that his views evolved. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office was appointed to handle legal issues related to Halprin’s allegations after the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, was disqualified. In September 2022, Tarrant County prosecutors filed court documents in which they said Halprin should get a new trial because Cunningham showed “actual bias” against him. Of the seven inmates who escaped, one killed himself before the group was arrested. Four have been executed. Another, Patrick Murphy, awaits execution. (AP)
HaGaon HaRav Yehudah [Yudel] Bauer, Z’tl, one of the last talmidim of the Chazon Ish, a Rosh Yeshivah in Yeshivas Beis Shmaya and a leading posek, was niftar on Thursday at Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak at the age of 90. HaRav Yudel, z’tl, was born in Tel Aviv, where his father was one of the heads of the religious kehilla in the city and also served as the deputy mayor. As a bochur, HaRav Yudel, z’tl, learned in Ponevezh Yeshivah in Bnei Brak. At that time, he became very close to the Chazon Ish, Ztl, who later became his main Rav. The Chazon Ish was his shadchan and also set him up with one of his main talmidim for a chavrusah, HaGaon HaRav Gedaliah Nadel, Z’tl. In his younger years, HaRav Yudel often traveled with the Rosh Yeshivah of Ponevezh, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Povarsky, Z’tl to Yerushalayim, where they spoke in Torah with the Brisker Rav, Ztl. He was later appointed as the Rosh Yeshivah of Beis Shmaya Yeshivah in Bnei Brak, where he was marbitz Torah to thousands of bachurim over the years. HaRav Yudel, ztl, published several sifrei Halacha including a series of kitzur hilchos that are considered foundational and are viewed by many Gedolim as the ultimate authority in certain areas, such as hilchos Sheviis and hilchos Terumos u’maasaros. He authored the Kitzur Hilchos series on hilchos Shi’ivis, Terumos u’maasaros and Nidah together with HaGaon HaRav Chaim Greinemann, z’tl. HaRav Yudel was completely machniah to the Chazon Ish and his talmid HaRav Greinemann, Ztl and the mesorah is that he allowed HaRav Chaim to write the p’sakim and satisfied himself with writing the mekoros at the end. Several sefarim were later written discussing the p’sakim and hilchos in his sefarim. Just this past Tuesday, HaRav Yudel, z’tl participated in his great-grandson’s chasunah. On Wednesday, he began feeling ill and was brought to the hospital, where his condition quickly deteriorated. The levaya is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Beis Hamedrash HaGadol on Rechov Chiddushei HaRim in Bnei Brak. וכל בית ישראל יבכו את השריפה אשר שרף ה (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A man charged with fraud for claiming to own a storied Manhattan hotel where he had been living rent-free for years has been found unfit to stand trial, prosecutors said Wednesday. Doctors examining Mickey Barreto deemed he’s not mentally competent to face criminal charges, and prosecutors confirmed the results during a court hearing Wednesday, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. Judge Cori Weston gave Barreto until Nov. 13. to find suitable inpatient psychiatric care, Bragg’s office said. Barreto had been receiving outpatient treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues, but doctors concluded after a recent evaluation that he did not fully understand the criminal proceedings, the New York Times first reported. Barreto dismissed the allegations of a drug problem to some “partying,” and said prosecutors are trying to have him hospitalized because they did not have a strong case against him. He does see some upside. “It went from being unfriendly, ‘He’s a criminal,’ to oh, they don’t talk about crime anymore. Now the main thing is, like, ‘Oh, poor thing. Finally, we convinced him to go seek treatment,’” Barreto told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Brian Hutchinson, an attorney for Barreto, didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. But during Wednesday’s hearing, he said he planned to ask his client’s current treatment provider to accept him, the Times reported. In February, prosecutors charged Barreto with 24 counts, including felony fraud and criminal contempt. They say he forged a deed to the New Yorker Hotel purporting to transfer ownership of the entire building to him. He then tried to charge one of the hotel’s tenants rent and demanded the hotel’s bank transfer its accounts to him, among other steps. Barreto started living at the hotel in 2018 after arguing in court that he had paid about $200 for a one-night stay and therefore had tenant’s rights, based on a quirk of the city’s housing laws and the fact that the hotel failed to send a lawyer to a key hearing. Barreto has said he lived at the hotel without paying any rent because the building’s owners, the Unification Church, never wanted to negotiate a lease with him, but they also couldn’t legally kick him out. Now, his criminal case may be steering him toward a sort of loophole. “So if you ask me if it’s a better thing, in a way it is. Because I’m not being treated as a criminal but I’m treated like a nutjob,” Barreto told the AP. Built in 1930, the hulking Art Deco structure and its huge red “New Yorker” sign is an oft-photographed landmark in midtown Manhattan. Muhammad Ali and other famous boxers stayed there when they had bouts at nearby Madison Square Garden, about a block away. Inventor Nikola Tesla even lived in one of its more than 1,000 rooms for a decade. And NBC broadcasted from its Terrace Room. But the New Yorker closed as a hotel in 1972 and was used for years for church purposes before part of the building reopened as a hotel in 1994. (AP)
An Iranian soldier serving at one of the locations attacked by the IDF was unwittingly recorded by a source for Israel’s Channel 14 News speaking about the strategic importance of the base. The report explained that Channel 14 has a source in Tehran who reports for them and served as a cover, speaking to the soldier and secretly recording him. The soldier described the strategic importance of the Iranian base attacked by Israel about two weeks ago. “There is only one general on all the other army or IRGC bases throughout Iran, but this base has two generals because it is a sensitive and very important place. The generals also live in designated barracks and receive organized orders. It houses over 5,000–6,000 soldiers.” He elaborated that Israeli drones managed to penetrate the area, apparently by mistake, and dropped a bomb into the base. The bomb caused extensive damage and killed four career soldiers and one regular soldier. “Some say that this area [around the base] is empty, just desert, but in reality, it’s the most important base in Tehran and perhaps even in all of Iran,” he revealed. The soldier testified, unwittingly, that he personally saw the arms depot at the base: “The place is full of missiles, ammunition, and military equipment. Israel is completely unaware of this base and if it knows about its existence, there is no doubt it will bomb it. The place contains such a large quantity of missiles underground.” “The Israeli attack was apparently to test Iran’s response and proved that the Israeli systems and forces are much more advanced and professional than the capabilities of the Islamic Republic, whose equipment is outdated,” he said. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A new poll reveals a slight decline in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition, following his decision to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The survey, conducted by Israel’s Channel 12, also indicates widespread opposition to Gallant’s firing. If elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would secure 25 seats, a drop of one seat from last week’s Channel 12 poll. Benny Gantz’s National Unity party would gain 20 seats, while Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid would receive 15 seats. Other projected results show Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu with 13 seats, the left-wing Democrats (a unified bloc of Labor and Meretz under Yair Golan) with 11, Shas with 10, United Torah Judaism with eight, and far-right Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, also with eight seats. The Arab-majority parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would each secure five seats. The poll also shows that some parties would fail to cross the electoral threshold, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, newly appointed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope, and the Arab Balad party. In total, Netanyahu’s current coalition would receive 51 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, down significantly from its present 68-seat majority. The survey finds that 55% of Israelis disapprove of Gallant’s dismissal, while 32% support it, with 13% expressing no opinion. Additionally, half of the respondents believe Gallant’s claim that he was removed for opposing a bill to enshrine military draft exemptions for Charedim, while 39% accept Netanyahu’s explanation of professional disagreements. The poll also gauged public opinion on the recent U.S. presidential election, with 67% of Israelis expressing satisfaction over Donald Trump’s victory, while 18% were unhappy and 15% were undecided. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory this week. The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed’s renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation, which now barely exceeds the central bank’s 2% target. Thursday’s move reduces the Fed’s benchmark rate to about 4.6%, down from a four-decade high of 5.3% before September’s meeting. The Fed had kept its rate that high for more than a year to fight the worst inflation streak in four decades. Annual inflation has since fallen from a 9.1% peak in mid-2022 to a 3 1/2-year low of 2.4% in September. In a statement after its latest meeting ended, the Fed said the “unemployment rate has moved up but remains low,” while inflation has fallen closer to the central bank’s target but “remains somewhat elevated.” After their rate cut in September — their first such move in more than four years — the Fed’s policymakers had projected that they would make further quarter-point cuts in November and December and four more next year. But with the economy now mostly solid and Wall Street anticipating faster growth, larger budget deficits and higher inflation under a Trump presidency, further rate cuts may have become less likely. Trump’s election has also raised the specter of meddling by the White House in the Fed’s policy decisions, with Trump having proclaimed that as president he should have a voice in the central bank’s interest rate decisions. The Fed has long guarded its role as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Chair Jerome Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again. The economy is clouding the picture by flashing conflicting signals, with growth solid but hiring weakening. Consumer spending, though, has been healthy, fueling concerns that there is no need for the Fed to reduce borrowing costs and that doing so might overstimulate the economy and even re-accelerate inflation. Financial markets are throwing yet another curve at the Fed: Investors have sharply pushed up Treasury yields since the central bank cut rates in September. The result has been higher borrowing costs throughout the economy, thereby diminishing the benefit to consumers of the Fed’s half-point cut in its benchmark rate, which it announced after its September meeting. Broader interest rates have risen because investors are anticipating higher inflation, larger federal budget deficits, and faster economic growth under a President-elect Trump. Trump’s plan to impose at least a 10% tariff on all imports, as well as significantly higher taxes on Chinese goods, and to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would almost certainly boost inflation. This would make it less likely that the Fed would continue cutting its key rate. Annual inflation as measured by the central bank’s preferred gauge fell to 2.1% in September. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that Trump’s proposed 10% tariff, as well as his proposed taxes on Chinese imports and autos from Mexico, could send inflation back up to about […]
The IDF reported a major operation targeting underground terror networks in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in the elimination of several Hamas operatives, including two directly linked to the October 7 attack on Israel. This extensive campaign, led by the Southern Gaza Brigade alongside the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion, aimed to dismantle both surface-level and subterranean terrorist infrastructure. The operation began with airstrikes by the IAF, which were directed at anti-tank positions, booby-trapped structures, and surveillance installations threatening IDF troops. During the ground operation, forces uncovered and destroyed two interconnected attack tunnels stretching over two kilometers and containing approximately twenty booby-trapped exit points and hidden weapons caches. IDF troops engaged several terrorists, some of whom emerged from the tunnel network during the operation. Among the neutralized targets were Baha Abu Qarshin, commander of Hamas’s Shabura Battalion Nukhba force, and Muhammad Ibrahim Sateri, both implicated in the October 7 massacre.
Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island and knocked out the country’s power grid. The magnitude of the impact remained unclear through the early hours of the day, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to Cuba after ravaging parts of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. On Wednesday evening, massive waves lashed at Havana’s shores as sharp winds and rain whipped at the historic cityscape, leaving trees littered on flooded roads. Much of the city was dark and deserted. As it plowed across Cuba, the storm slowed to a Category 2 hurricane chugging into the Gulf of Mexico near northern Mexico and southern Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. But many Cubans were left picking up the pieces from the night before, with a strange sense of déjà vu after a rocky few weeks in the Caribbean nation. In October, the island was hit by a one-two punch. First, Cuba was roiled by stretching island-wide blackouts stretching on for days, a product of the island’s energy crisis. Shortly after, it was slapped by another powerful hurricane that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island. It stoked discontent already simmering in Cuba amid an ongoing economic crisis, which has pushed many to migrate from Cuba. While the State Department issued a travel warning for Cuba because of the story, the Cuban government also raised an alarm, asking citizens to hunker down. Classes and public transport were suspended on parts of the island and authorities canceled flights in and out of Havana and Varadero. Thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a preventative measure, and many more like Silvia Pérez, a 72-year-old retiree living in a coastal area of Havana, scrambled to prepare. “This is a night I don’t want to sleep through, between the battering air and the trees,” Pérez said. “I’m scared for my friends and family.” The concern came after the storm knocked out power in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, where it also unleased flooding and landslides. Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes. (AP)
Two Jewish students were assaulted by masked attackers on the campus of DePaul University in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred around 3:20 p.m. in front of the Student Center on the Lincoln Park campus. In a statement, DePaul University President Robert Manuel condemned the assault, noting that the victims were targeted for visibly showing their support for Israel. “I’m appalled to share that the attack targeted two Jewish students at DePaul,” Manuel said. “This is completely unacceptable and a violation of DePaul’s values to uphold and care for the dignity of every individual.” The two students were punched by the offenders but declined medical treatment for their injuries. The university has since offered support and resources to the victims, while working with Chicago police to determine whether the assault constitutes a hate crime. “We are outraged that this occurred on our campus,” Manuel continued. “We will do all we can to hold those responsible accountable for this outrageous incident.” “We recognize that for a significant portion of our Jewish community, Israel is a core part of their Jewish identity,” Manuel said. “Those students—and every student—should feel safe on our university campus.” This incident comes amidst ongoing tensions at DePaul University, which earlier this year saw a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In May, Chicago police cleared an anti-Israel encampment from the university’s quad after more than two weeks of protests. “Please know that the safety and wellbeing of our university community remains our highest priority,” President Manuel concluded. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF announced that its fighter jets recently struck a Hezbollah command center in the coastal Lebanese city of Tyre. According to the IDF, this facility was used by Hezbollah’s aerial forces to coordinate attacks on Israel with explosive drones and to oversee surveillance operations. In additional strikes, IDF jets targeted Hezbollah’s weapons storage sites and rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. Among these was a launcher responsible for a rocket attack on Israel’s Carmel region earlier in the day, the military confirmed.
A bus with more than two dozen passengers aboard rolled over on a highway in upstate New York on Thursday morning, critically injuring one person and sending others to hospitals, police said. All 28 people aboard were sent to hospitals, some with minor injuries, after the bus overturned on Interstate 490 west of Rochester around 7 a.m. All but a few of the people were off the bus when emergency responders arrived, according to officials. “Deputies arriving on the scene found people that were trapped on the tour bus that had flipped on 490,” Monroe County Sheriff Toss Baxter told media at the scene. They “also found multiple people walking alongside 490 in a state of confusion that had been passengers on the bus,” he said. The bus had left New York City around midnight and had just made a stop at Rochester on its way to Niagara Falls, officials said. The cause of the rollover wasn’t immediately clear. The driver was cooperating with police investigators, and there was no indication drugs or alcohol were involved. No other vehicles were involved, police said. Westbound lanes of the highway remained closed as the investigation continued. “This will be a lengthy investigation,” said Chief Deputy Michael Fowler. Tribal Sun, the company in Massachusetts police identified as the operator of the bus, did not immediately comment. “I join the people of New York in praying for the well-being of all involved in this serious incident and am deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of our first responders,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a prepared statement. (AP)
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) didn’t hold back Wednesday as he took his own party to task following Kamala Harris’s defeat to Donald Trump in the presidential election. Torres, a prominent moderate and outspoken critic of the Democratic Party’s left wing, zeroed in on what he sees as a destructive influence of far-left ideologies that have pushed everyday Americans away from the party. Watching Harris’s defeat unfold Tuesday night, Torres was quick to call out the denial within the Democratic establishment. “The signs of a decisive defeat were staring us in the face all along,” he posted on X. “We were simply in denial about them or willfully blind to them, substituting magical thinking for actual analysis.” Citing the public’s record-low confidence in the direction of the country under Democratic leadership, Torres pointed out that such unfavorable metrics for an incumbent party have historically led to losses. By Wednesday morning, Torres had sharpened his critique, blaming the far-left’s out-of-touch policies for driving away voters across the board. “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like ‘Defund the Police,’ ‘From the River to the Sea,’ and ‘Latinx,’” he said. According to Torres, far-left activists and policies have done little to address the real concerns of working-class Americans. “There is more to lose than to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world,” he argued, calling the agenda of progressive Democrats “ivory-towered nonsense.” Later in the day, Torres shot down popular left-wing narratives circulating in the wake of the election loss, such as the notion that white supremacy or misogyny are to blame for Harris’s defeat. “I am going to state the obvious here: vilifying voters of color as white supremacists will not attract them back to the Democratic Party. It will drive them further into Trump’s camp,” Torres said. “The purpose of politics is not to repel but to attract. Condescension is the most powerful repellant in politics. Voters viscerally resent condescension and will punish you for it at the ballot box.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Dozens of Russian drones targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a nighttime attack that lasted eight hours, authorities said Thursday, as Russia kept up its relentless pounding of Ukraine after almost 1,000 days of war. Russian forces fired lone drones and swarms of drones that entered Ukrainian airspace from various directions and at a variety of altitudes, officials said, in an apparent attempt to stretch air defense systems and unnerve city residents. Ukrainian air defenses “neutralized” three dozen drones, but falling debris caused damage to a hospital and residential and office buildings in the capital, local authorities said, including a blaze on the 33rd floor of an apartment building. At least two people were reported injured. Drone attacks on Kyiv have recently been occurring almost daily, with the nighttime explosions and the continuous buzzing sound of drones keeping the city on edge. Russia is deploying about 10 times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than it was this time last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week. Ukraine’s forces are struggling to match the might of Russia’s military, which is much bigger and better equipped. Western support is crucial for Ukraine to sustain the costly war of attrition. The uncertainty over how long that aid will continue has deepened, however, with the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. He has repeatedly taken issue with U.S. aid to Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to grind down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight and sap the West’s support for Kyiv by drawing out the conflict. The Russian barrages mostly involve Shahed drones. They are suited to terrorizing civilians, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the state Center for Countering Disinformation. Russia is aiming to save and stockpile its missiles, which are much more powerful than drones, Kovalenko claimed Thursday. Russia has used missiles effectively in its campaign to knock out Ukraine’s power grid. Also, the drone attacks gradually wear down Ukraine’s air defenses, making it more vulnerable to future missile launches. Power outages were reported in the Zhytomyr region, which borders Kyiv to the west, following a Russian attack there, according to the energy company Zhytomyroblenergo. Another Russian drone attack injured one person in the southern city of Odesa, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said, as drone debris damaged an 11-story residential building. (AP)
Shoshana established her home together with her husband, the tzaddik Rabbi Sharon Skeitel, who was adored by all who knew him* He was niftar suddenly, leaving behind a broken and devastated widow who now has to care- by herself- for eight young orphans, the youngest of whom is only a year and two months An unfathomable tragedy accompanied by feelings of utter helplessness…this is what Shoshana has been going through these last few days. As someone who was born in Yemen and made the perilous journey to Eretz Yisrael, where she fought to maintain her identity in a culture diametrically opposed to the one in which she was raised, Shoshana is no stranger to challenges. She came into difficult conditions, challenges awaiting her around every bend, but she forged ahead and insisted on receiving a Torah-true education without compromise. When she came of age she established her home with a yiras Shamayim ba’al teshuvah named Rabbi Sharon Skeitel- a tzaddik of an avreich who dedicated all his energies to learning Torah. They were blessed with eight children who received a loving Torah chinuch, but due to their pressing financial circumstances they were compelled to move to a government-subsidized apartment with a very low rent- but in the heart of a secular neighborhood. For urgent aid to a broken widow and 8 orphans click here>>> Sharon and Shoshana didn’t panic- they continued to educate their children in derech Yisroel Saba even in the midst of such surroundings. But during the Aseres Yemai Teshuva, when Sharon went to visit his mother to wish her a g’mar chatima tova, he started to feel unwell and went to lie down for a while in her home before returning home. He fell asleep- and never woke up. Shoshana is left a widow with eight orphans, the oldest is a boy of 18 and the youngest is only a year and two months. All of them are devastated and miss their father terribly, and they miss the smile that until the tragedy was always on their mother’s face… We have to help them! It’s a mitzvah of the first order. They can’t continue to live in their current surroundings- let’s help them obtain a more religiously compatible place to live and also ensure that bread won’t be missing from their table. For urgent aid to a broken widow and 8 orphans click here>>>
Following Donald Trump’s decisive return to the White House, his allies are positioning themselves for key roles in the new administration. Trump, who won both the popular vote and Electoral College, is expected to remake his administration, prioritizing loyalty and alignment with his “America First” agenda. Some candidates have already begun reaching out to Trump’s inner circle, seeking to leverage their loyalty. Transition heads Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon have been meeting with prospective high-ranking officials, although Trump himself avoided engaging in these discussions due to superstition until the election was called. The former president has expressed regret over some senior appointments from his first term, particularly those who resisted his policy goals. Trump’s team plans to bypass traditional background checks to speed up the hiring of loyalists, a strategy aimed at avoiding delays that hampered his initial administration. A top decision will be naming Trump’s White House chief of staff, with frontrunners including 2024 co-campaign manager Susie Wiles and former budget director Russ Vought. Other key contenders are Brooke Rollins, CEO of the America First Policy Institute, and former trade representative Bob Lighthizer. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign spokeswoman, is a leading candidate for press secretary. High-profile supporters like Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may also take on roles. Musk, a major pro-Trump backer, could lead a committee focused on government budget cuts, though his involvement might be limited to avoid conflicts with his businesses. RFK Jr., who’s sparked controversy over vaccine stances, could be appointed to a special advisory role spanning public health and environmental issues. Trump’s team is targeting roles to advance a hardline stance on immigration and law enforcement. Possible picks for Attorney General include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator Mike Lee. Trump ally Kash Patel, a former national security official, is managing candidate outreach and lists for key positions, and is reportedly interested in heading the CIA. For Secretary of State, names under consideration include Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Hagerty, as well as former ambassador Richard Grenell. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and former intelligence officials are in the mix for defense and intelligence roles. The administration is expected to prioritize an “America First” approach, particularly in dealings with China, Russia, and Iran. To drive his economic agenda, Trump is weighing candidates for Treasury Secretary, including Wall Street figures like Scott Bessent and former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. Trump also plans to appoint officials at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Commerce Department to oversee his broad tariff policies. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Monsey Scoop reported that, In a conversation with New Square Mayor Izzy Spitzer, Eric Trump expressed heartfelt appreciation for the unprecedented support shown by the Orthodox Jewish Village of New Square. The village delivered a remarkable 99.9% of its vote in favor of former President Donald Trump, marking the highest margin of victory recorded in any municipality across the nation. “It’s a great day for religious liberty and a great day for the United States,” Eric Trump commented, underscoring the strong bond between the Trump family and Jews around the world and the New Square community. Mayor Spitzer extended his congratulations to Eric Trump, celebrating the community’s steadfast support and commitment. “Congratulations on the incredible victory last night,” Spitzer said. He further conveyed his eagerness to continue a close relationship with the Trump administration, stating, “I look forward to working together on behalf of the people for many years to come.”
In a significant defense advancement, the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has finalized a $5.2 billion agreement with Boeing to procure 25 advanced F-15IA fighter jets, with an option to purchase 25 more. This transaction, supported by U.S. aid approved by the Administration and Congress, is a major step in strengthening Israel’s air capabilities. Director General of IMOD, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, authorized the purchase during a recent visit to the U.S., after coordinated negotiations with the Israeli Air Force. The newly acquired F-15IA jets will feature advanced Israeli technology integration, expanded range, enhanced payloads, and superior performance across various mission profiles, allowing the Israeli Air Force to uphold its strategic edge in the Middle East. Delivery will start in 2031, with 4-6 aircraft arriving each year. Maj. Gen. Zamir highlighted this deal as part of Israel’s broader strategy to bolster its operational readiness across all military domains. This F-15 acquisition follows the recent addition of a third F-35 squadron, marking a historic enhancement in Israel’s long-term defense capabilities. Boeing Israel’s President, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Ido Nehushtan, emphasized the importance of Boeing’s enduring partnership with Israel and its commitment to fulfilling this procurement in collaboration with the U.S. and Israeli governments.
