A heartbreaking tragedy occurred Monday in Sedona, Arizona, when an accident involving an ATV occurred, resulting in the untimely petirah of 27-year-old Binyamin Rosner, Z”L. Binyamin, a Flatbush resident who was in Sedona on vacation, was niftar despite desperate attempts to resuscitate him at the scene. A Misaskim member is already at the site of the accident and is working closely with local authorities to ensure kavod hameis and the swift release of the niftar’s body, so that he can be brought to kevuras Yisroel without delay. Levayah details will be announced as they become available. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A person who traveled to El Salvador has been diagnosed with New World screwworm — the first reported U.S. case tied to travel to a country with a current outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis on Aug. 4. Federal health officials acknowledged the infection in an emailed statement Monday, but did not describe the patient’s condition. They collaborated with Maryland health officials, the statement said. New World screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds and body opening such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It primarily affects livestock and is rare in humans. It does not spread from person to person, and poses a very low risk to the public, according to U.S. health officials. The parasite has been a larger concern to ranchers, as cattle infestations have been moving northward through Central America and Mexico. The CDC is working with the U.S. Agriculture Department to prevent further spread, officials said. The pest was a problem for the American cattle industry for decades until the U.S. largely eradicated it in the 1970s. (AP)
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence. The 61-page complaint filed in Texas federal court follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when he accused Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI and ChatGPT in the iPhone’s app store rankings for top AI apps. Musk’s post insinuated that Apple had rigged the system against ChatGPT competitors such as the Grok chatbot made by his own xAI. Now, he is detailing a litany of grievances in the lawsuit — filed by xAI and another of his corporate entities, X Corp. — in an attempt to win monetary damages and a court order prohibiting the alleged illegal tactics. The double-barreled legal attack weaves together several recently unfolding narratives to recast a year-old partnership between Apple and OpenAI as a veiled conspiracy to stifle competition during a technological shift that could prove as revolutionary as the 2007 release of the iPhone. “This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence,” the lawsuit asserts. The complaint portrays Apple as a company that views AI as an “existential threat” to its future success, prompting it to collude with OpenAI in an attempt to protect the iPhone franchise that has long been its biggest moneymaker. Some of the allegations accusing Apple of trying to shield the iPhone from do-everything “super apps,” such as the one Musk has long been trying to create with X, echo an antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple last year by the U.S. Department of Justice. The complaint casts OpenAI as a threat to humanity bent on putting profits before public safety as it tries to build on its phenomenal growth since the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. The depiction mirrors one already being drawn in another federal lawsuit that Musk filed last year, alleging OpenAI had betrayed its founding mission to serve as a nonprofit research lab for the public good. OpenAI has countered with a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of harassment — an allegation that the company cited in its response to Monday’s antitrust lawsuit. “This latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI said in a statement. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The crux of the lawsuit revolves around Apple’s decision to use ChatGPT as an AI-powered “answer engine” on the iPhone when the built-in technology on its device couldn’t satisfy user needs. The partnership announced last year was part of Apple’s late entry into the AI race that was supposed to be powered mostly by its own on-device technology, but the company still hasn’t been able to deliver on all its promises. Apple’s own AI shortcomings may be helping drive more usage of ChatGPT on the iPhone, providing OpenAI with invaluable data that’s unavailable to Grok and other would-be competitors because it’s currently an exclusive partnership. The alliance has provided Apple with an incentive to improperly elevate ChatGPT in the AI rankings of the iPhone’s app store, the lawsuit alleges. Other AI apps from DeekSeek and Perplexity have periodically reached the top spot in […]
Ten structures — including four homes — have been destroyed by a wildfire sweeping through central Oregon, where thousands of residents remained under evacuation orders on Monday, while a blaze in Northern California wine country has so far spared some of the state’s most famous vineyards. Officials said Oregon firefighters working in rugged terrain amid dry, hot weather saved hundreds of other buildings from the 34-square-mile (88-square-kilometer) Flat Fire spanning Deschutes and Jefferson counties. It was 15% contained. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of homes and personal property and extend our sympathy to those affected,” Deschutes County Sheriff Ty Rupert said in a statement. Flames still threatened nearly 4,000 homes, fire spokesperson Gert Zoutendijk said Monday. He said crews were taking advantage of slightly cooler temperatures that dipped into the high 80s (31 C), and even some scattered rain. “A little bit of rain does some good right now, but later, if the sun comes out, it doesn’t take long to dry everything out again,” Zoutendijk said. A heat advisory was in place through Wednesday, and forecasters warned that potential thunderstorms could create erratic winds that would challenge firefighters. Flames in California’s wine country Meanwhile, the Pickett Fire in Northern California has charred about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of remote Napa County, known for its hundreds of wineries. It was 13% contained on Monday. Flames spared the home and adjacent vineyards of Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre wines, but he said it was a close call on Thursday when the fire broke out and raced along nearby slopes. He and his son grabbed hoses and futilely began spraying down the steep hillsides. “The water was evaporating as fast as we were spraying it out there,” Woodbridge recalled Monday. “It was just a hot funnel of air. Fire was just engulfing everything.” Before long, crews with bulldozers and air support arrived to protect the property. Water-dropping helicopters continued their flights on Monday, keeping the flames contained to remote canyons about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of San Francisco. With about a month to go before harvest, Woodbridge said his grapes won’t be damaged because of the “pure luck” of wind direction. “The smoke won’t affect the fruit because the wind’s coming in from the west, thankfully,” Woodbridge said. That wasn’t the case in 2020 when toxic smoke from the Glass Fire caused Woodbridge and other wineries to scrap much of that year’s crop. There have been no reports of damage to any vineyards from the Pickett Fire, said Michelle Novi with Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade association. Firefighting resources have been put in place to protect wineries, especially as winds pick up later in the day, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “With the weather over the last 48 hours, we’re seeing high temperatures, low humidity paired with some increasing wind in the late afternoon, which was giving our troops some additional work on the eastern side of this incident,” Cal Fire spokesperson Curtis Rhodes told The Associated Press on Monday. A firefighter dies in Montana In southwest Montana, a firefighter died Sunday afternoon after suffering a cardiac emergency while battling the Bivens Creek fire. The man, who was not immediately identified, was among more than 700 firefighters working on the lightning-caused fire in the […]
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s aggressive effort to remove noncitizens from the U.S., was detained by immigration authorities in Baltimore on Monday to face renewed efforts to deport him after a brief period of freedom. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys quickly filed a lawsuit to fight his deportation until a court has heard his claim for protection, stating that the U.S. could place him in a country where “his safety cannot be assured.” The lawsuit triggered a blanket court order that automatically pauses deportation efforts for two days. The order applies to immigrants in Maryland who are challenging their detention. Within hours of Abrego Garcia’s detention, his lawyers spoke with Department of Justice attorneys and a federal judge in Maryland, who warned Abrego Garcia cannot be removed from the U.S. “at this juncture” because he must be allowed to exercise his constitutional right to contest deportation. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said overlapping court orders temporarily prohibit the government from removing Abrego Garcia, and that she would extend her own temporary restraining order barring his deportation. Drew Ensign, a Justice Department attorney, told the judge that he understands Abrego Garcia’s “removal is not imminent” and that the process often takes time. Crowd yells ‘shame!’ Abrego Garcia, a 30-year-old Maryland construction worker and Salvadoran national, spoke at a rally before he turned himself in. “This administration has hit us hard, but I want to tell you guys something: God is with us, and God will never leave us,” Abrego Garcia said, speaking through a translator. “God will bring justice to all the injustice we are suffering.” Roughly 200 people gathered, prayed and crowded around Abrego Garcia while he walked into the offices for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore, where he was detained. When his lawyer and wife walked out without him, the crowd yelled “Shame!” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that Abrego Garcia was being processed for deportation. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office that Abrego Garcia “will no longer terrorize our country.” Brief reunion with family Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland for years with his American wife and children, and worked in construction. He was deported in March to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador because the Trump administration believed he was a member of the MS-13 gang, an allegation that Abrego Garcia denies. His removal violated an immigration judge’s 2019 ruling that shielded him from deportation to his native country because he had “well-founded fear” of threats by a gang there. Abrego Garcia’s wife sued to bring him back. Facing a U.S. Supreme Court order, the Trump administration returned him in June. He was subsequently charged in Tennessee with human smuggling. He has pleaded not guilty and asked a judge to dismiss the case on ground of vindictive prosecution. The allegations stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Abrego Garcia was driving with nine passengers in the car, and officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. He was allowed to continue driving with a warning. The Trump administration has said it wants to deport Abrego Garcia before his trial, alleging he is a danger to the community and an MS-13 gang member. A federal judge in Tennessee […]
The Yeshiva of Philadelphia has released an update on the condition of Harav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit”a, announcing that doctors are seeing marked improvement in his medical condition. “Baruch Hashem, thanks to the tefillos of the entire tzibbur, the rosh hayeshiva’s condition is stable. The doctors are working towards sending the rosh hayeshiva home,” the yeshiva wrote. The improvement marks a major turnaround from just a few weeks ago, when Rav Shmuel – the zkan roshei yeshivos – was admitted to the hospital and placed in the ICU, as his medical condition rapidly deteriorated. Doctors have expressed surprise at his remarkable turnaround. “He needs our continued tefillos as daven for the rosh hayeshiva to have a complete refuah,” the yeshiva noted. Please continue to daven for Harav Shmuel ben Itta Ettel b’soch sh’ar cholei yisroel. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A senior member of Iran’s powerful Expediency Discernment Council has alleged that Israel orchestrated the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May 2024, along with then–foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several aides. In a televised interview on state-run IRIB’s Synergy program Sunday night, Mohammad Sadr said: “From the very first moment I said this was an assassination… carried out by Israel.” He said his conclusion comes from his “personal analysis,” conceding he had no documents or evidence to support the accusation, according to the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya and London-based Iran International. Sadr went further, claiming Israel’s alleged role was meant to send a warning to Tehran over its regional military activities, support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and pursuit of nuclear capabilities. Iran’s own military chiefs have repeatedly ruled out Israeli involvement in the crash, attributing it to mechanical failure and adverse weather conditions. Analysts note that anti-Israel activists raised similar allegations in the immediate aftermath, but no evidence has ever been produced. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not linked Raisi’s death to outside action, and Tehran’s official investigation never assigned blame to foreign powers. In the same interview, Sadr also leveled extraordinary charges against Moscow, alleging Russia passed intelligence about Iranian air defense sites to Israel. He branded this year’s much-publicized strategic pact between Iran and Russia as “worthless,” saying, “Our relationship with Russia must be serious, and at the same time, we must not trust them.” Sadr argued that despite the treaty’s promises of “military cooperation,” Russia would abandon Iran in a direct confrontation with the United States. Mohammad Sadr, a cousin of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has been a member of the Expediency Discernment Council since 2017. He previously served as deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs and later as senior advisor to then–foreign minister Javad Zarif. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court registrar, Shai Tzarfati, has ruled that Omar Rani Yassin, convicted of violently assaulting a Chareidi family in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood several years ago, must pay the victims NIS 440,000 in compensation. According to the lawsuit filed by Adv. Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization, Yassin attacked the family out of antisemitic motives after noticing their Jewish appearance as they were driving through Beit Hanina. He forcefully kicked the car’s windshield, causing it to shatter. Flying glass shards injured the father’s neck and hand, causing him to briefly lose consciousness. The mother, who was driving, went into shock but managed to keep control of the car. The couple’s three children, seated in the back, were left traumatized by both their father’s injury and the violent attack they witnessed. Initially, the case was filed against the Arab without citing his nationalist motive, but Judge Elazar Bialin of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court later clarified in his ruling that Yassin’s actions were driven by antisemitism. He also rejected the lenient plea bargain the prosecution signed with Yassin and imposed a tougher sentence. Yassin then appealed to the District Court with the support of the State Attorney’s Office, which demanded to reinstate the lenient plea bargain. Adv. Bleicher, representing the family, demanded the appeal be denied. Ultimately, the District Court partially accepted Yassin’s appeal—reducing his prison sentence but increasing the compensation he was ordered to pay. The family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit demanding NIS 440,000 in damages, including compensation for pain, suffering, and emotional distress for each family member, as well as NIS 150,000 in punitive damages. Since Yassin failed to submit a defense within the required timeframe, Registrar Tzarfati upheld the claim in full, ordering him to pay the full NIS 440,000, in addition to NIS 29,504 in legal fees. Adv. Bleicher commented, “The attack of a Jewish family’s vehicle is an antisemitic act of terror that seriously undermines Israelis’ sense of security. For reasons that remain unclear, the indictment failed to note the terrorist motive, leading to an absurd verdict. Thankfully, Judge Bialin intervened to ensure some measure of justice. Unfortunately, due to the failures of the prosecution and the State Attorney’s Office, full justice was not achieved in the criminal proceedings. That is why we pursued the civil route—to exact a heavy price and deter others from committing such acts.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Southwest Airlines will soon require travelers who can’t fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra one in advance, part of a string of recent changes the carrier is making. The new rule goes into effect Jan. 27, the same day Southwest starts assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can either pay for an extra seat in advance with the option of getting that money back later, or they can request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the carrier’s new policy, a refund is still possible but no longer guaranteed. In a statement Monday, Southwest said it is updating some of its policies as it prepares for assigned seating next year. “To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy that they should purchase it at booking,” the statement said. It marks the latest change at Southwest, which had long been known for letting its passengers pick their own seats after boarding the plane, and for letting their bags fly for free, which ended in May. Those perks were key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. Southwest says it will still refund a second ticket under its new policy for extra seating if there is at least one open seat on the flight when it departs, and if both of the passenger’s tickets were purchased in the same booking class. The passenger also needs to request the refund within 90 days of the flight. The airline has struggled recently and is under pressure from activist investors to boost profits and revenue. The airline also said last year that it would charge customers extra for more legroom and offer red-eye flights. (AP)
The letter is composed of two parts, and after signing the first section of the letter, the Rebbe added an additional part and signed it again in his holy handwriting.
Looking for a structured program that will give you the tools and resources you need to get Smicha? Hilchos Shabbos? Dayanus? Chuppah v’Kiddushin? Join Machon Smicha, the premier halachah institute serving the English-speaking Torah community. Machon Smicha is a unique, online, halacha-learning program that makes learning, getting tested and receiving smicha possible. We offer rigorous and structured learning programs in halachah across a broad spectrum of topics, which enables learners to grow and succeed in their Torah learning, from the novice to the scholar. Be empowered to learn Shulchan Aruch like never before, from the Mishnah and Gemara all the way to contemporary Poskim and Minhagim. Our programs include: Smicha: Achieve your dream of finally receiving smicha in a program that will empower you to succeed, Shabbos: Learn and master Hilchos Shabbos, from the original sources down to their practical application Chuppah v’Kiddushin: Become proficient in the halachos of weddings and marriage, and become equipped to be a mesader kiddushin. Dayanus: Dive deep into the halachos of beis din, halachic litigation, business, and interpersonal responsibility. Machon Smicha offers each student a complete curriculum, consisting of: Online portal with access to all the program content. Flexible schedule. Shiurim. English Study Guide, containing introductions, overviews, translations, and in-depth summaries of every halachah. Access to forums and teachers for questions, discussions, etc. Rabbi and teachers available to answer questions and aid in the learning. Quizzes, review material, and mock tests. Tests with prominent rabbis. Signed certificate for those who successfully complete the program. Machon Smicha’s next semester begins on August 28th, 2025To learn more, or to apply, visit onlinemachon.com.
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order aimed at criminalizing the burning of the American flag, escalating a long-running political fight over free speech rights and testing the boundaries of established Supreme Court precedent. “If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail — no early exits, no nothing,” Trump said at the White House signing ceremony. “And you will see flag-burning stopping immediately.” The order directs the Department of Justice to investigate incidents of flag desecration and pursue charges “where prosecution wouldn’t fall afoul of the First Amendment,” according to White House staff secretary Will Scharf. The move comes despite decades-old rulings by the nation’s highest court that explicitly protect flag-burning as constitutionally protected speech. In Texas v. Johnson (1989), the Supreme Court determined that incinerating the flag was an act of “symbolic speech.” A year later, in United States v. Eichman, the Court struck down the Flag Protection Act, reinforcing those protections. Trump dismissed the rulings as misguided. “Through a very sad court, they called it freedom of speech,” he said. “When you burn the American flag, it incites riots.” The president has for years railed against flag desecration, backing legislation and even a constitutional amendment during his first term that would have outlawed the act. He first floated the idea of an executive order in June during an appearance on The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, citing videos of protesters in Los Angeles burning U.S. flags while waving Mexican ones. The new directive recalls Trump’s earlier executive actions against the destruction of national monuments during protests in 2020. White House officials contend that order curtailed vandalism, and Trump predicted the same outcome here. But the executive order is certain to spark an immediate legal challenge, given the Supreme Court’s prior decisions — both of which saw conservative justices, including Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy, side with liberal colleagues in defending flag-burning as free expression. The president framed the new order as a matter of public safety as much as patriotism. “We cannot allow flag-burning to tear apart our country,” he said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump greeted Lee Jae Myung, the new president of South Korea, by asserting that a “Purge or Revolution” was taking place there and threatening to not do business with Seoul as he prepared to host the new leader at the White House later Monday. It was not immediately clear what Trump was referring to, but South Korea had been in a state of political turmoil for the last several months after its former leader, the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, briefly imposed martial law last December which eventually led to his stunning ouster from office. “WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there,” Trump posted on social media Monday morning. “I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” Yoon, who was elected to a five-year term in 2022, was considered more ideologically aligned with Trump and had even taken up golfing again after the U.S. president was reelected last November to try to forge a bond with him. The liberal Lee, an outspoken critic of Seoul’s conservative establishment who had narrowly lost to Yoon in that 2022 election, led the South Korean parliament’s efforts to overturn Yoon’s martial law decree while impeaching him. The nation’s Constitutional Court formally dismissed Yoon in April. Before Trump’s Truth Social post Monday morning, the first in-person meeting between Trump and Lee had been expected to help flesh out details of a July trade deal between the two countries that has Seoul investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. The agreement set tariffs on South Korean goods at 15% after Trump threatened rates as high as 25%. Trump declared at the time that South Korea would be “completely OPEN TO TRADE” with the U.S. and accept goods such as cars and agricultural products. Automobiles are South Korea’s top export to the U.S. Seoul has one of the largest trade surpluses among Washington’s NATO and Indo-Pacific allies, and countries where the U.S. holds a trade deficit has drawn particular ire from Trump, who wants to eliminate such trade imbalances. Lee’s office said in announcing the visit that the two leaders plan to discuss cooperating on key manufacturing sectors such as semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding. The latter has been a particular area of focus for the U.S. president. On defense, one potential topic is the continued presence of U.S. troops in South Korea and concerns in Seoul that the U.S. will seek higher payments in return. Ahead of his visit to Washington, Lee traveled to Tokyo for his first bilateral visit as president in a hugely symbolic trip for the two nations that hold longstanding historical wounds. The summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was interpreted by analysts as a way to show unity and potential leverage as Japan and South Korea face new challenges from the Trump administration. Lee was the first South Korean president to choose Japan for the inaugural bilateral visit since the two nations normalized ties in 1965. Elected in June, Lee was a former child laborer with an arm deformity who rose his way through South Korea’s political ranks to lead the liberal Democratic Party and win the presidency after multiple attempts. Lee faced […]
The family of hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen released two photos showing his abduction by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack, with a full video—seized by the IDF during ground operations in Gaza—expected to be released later.
President Trump blasts Chicago Mayor: “I watched as a very incompetent mayor from Chicago said, ‘Well, what do they know? They only arrested 9 people.’ … We actually arrested a total of well over 1,000 people…apprehended scores of illegal aliens…seized dozens of illegal firearms.”
Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is expected to plead guilty Monday to federal charges related to his role in the violent drug trade that for years flooded the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances. The longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Brooklyn for a change of plea hearing. The appearance comes after federal prosecutors said two weeks ago that they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against Zambada, who was arrested in Texas last year. Prosecutors, in a court filing ahead of Monday’s hearing, said they expect the 77-year-old to plead guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise. Zambada pleaded not guilty last year to a range of drug trafficking and related charges, including gun and money laundering offenses. Lawyers for Zambada didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday. Prosecutors say the Sinaloa cartel evolved from a regional player into the largest drug trafficking organization in the world under the leadership of Zambada and co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. They say Zambada presided over a violent, highly militarized cartel with a private security force armed with powerful weapons and a cadre of “sicarios,” or hitmen, that carried out assassinations, kidnappings and torture. Guzmán was sentenced to life behind bars following his conviction in the same federal court in Brooklyn in 2019. His two sons, who ran a cartel faction, also face federal charges. (AP)
Florida’s Attorney General calls on the Trump Administration to investigate, revoke CDL programs, and cut funding to California, Washington, and any state that allows criminal aliens to obtain licenses.
Israeli forces fired a warning shot near Syrians protesting their presence in Bat al-Warda, close to Beit Jin in the Damascus countryside, about 50 kilometers from the capital. According to local media, residents said the IDF told them it plans to set up an outpost in the area.
