The IDF issued arrest orders for 1,126 bnei yeshivos who ignored their draft orders, Army Radio reported on Tuesday. “Our target was for 1,110 Chareidim to show up for the first summons out of 3,000, and only 290 came,” said Brig. Gen. Shay Taib, the head of the IDF’s Manpower Division, at a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “We issued 1,126 arrest warrants to those who didn’t respond to the first and second orders.” “They will then receive a call to come to the induction centers and anyone who fails to appear will be declared a draft dodger.” Those who are declared draft dodgers will not be arrested immediately but will be taken into police custody if they try to leave the country and be prevented from receiving a driver’s license. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has urged the implementation of criminal sanctions on bnei yeshivos who don’t respond to draft summons. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
As President Joe Biden approaches the end of his term, his administration is coming under fire for policies that punish Israel while easing restrictions on Hamas and Hezbollah. The president, once vocal in his support of Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre, now appears to be bending to anti-Israel pressures within his own party. The controversy intensified last week when the Biden administration reversed a 2022 Treasury Department decision that barred the U.S.-based Foundation for Global Political Exchange from hosting Hamas and Hezbollah representatives at a Beirut conference. The sudden approval has drawn outrage, with critics accusing Biden of capitulating to Iran-backed terror groups. Simultaneously, Biden has introduced Executive Order 14115, which establishes a sanctions program targeting individuals accused of threatening the West Bank’s “peace, security, and stability.” While ostensibly neutral, the sanctions have overwhelmingly targeted Israeli Jews, including settlers accused of minor property crimes or vandalism. Palestinian terrorist groups, meanwhile, have largely escaped sanction under existing U.S. terrorism laws, save for a token inclusion of the Lions’ Den terror group. The Biden administration’s sanctions process has drawn criticism for relying on information from sources like DAWN MENA, a nonprofit linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and known for its anti-Israel positions. Critics argue the administration is imposing severe penalties, including frozen bank accounts and restricted financial access, based on unreliable and biased claims. Sanctions have expanded beyond obscure West Bank farmers to include prominent NGOs and protest organizers. One targeted nonprofit, which defends isolated farms from theft and terror, has been accused without evidence of wrongdoing. Biden’s policies have even inspired similar actions in Canada and Britain, creating what some fear is an international trend of targeting Israel. In a letter to the White House, 88 congressional Democrats demanded sanctions on members of the Israeli government and mainstream NGOs. Critics argue this move would punish individuals for political views and activism, without allegations of violent or illegal acts, further alienating one of America’s closest allies. Observers see Biden’s actions as part of a larger effort to align with the goals of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. By imposing these measures in his final months, Biden risks damaging U.S.-Israel relations and emboldening international efforts to isolate the Jewish state. U.S. citizens have already filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Biden’s sanctions. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to swiftly revoke these measures upon taking office, raising the possibility of using similar sanctions against progressive groups linked to Palestinian terrorism. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader, receiving support from his colleagues despite the party’s inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election. Jeffries of New York was chosen during an internal party vote of the House Democrats underway at the Capitol. Most of the Democratic leadership team is expected to be reelected for the new Congress. In line to become the House speaker, Jeffries remains the highest ranking Black elected official in Congress, and the first to hold the job of party leader. He fell short of being in place to win the gavel after Republicans swept to power alongside President-elect Donald Trump, winning control of the White House, the Senate and the House. While the Democratic leader will be the party’s nominee for House speaker, the gavel is expected to go to Speaker Mike Johnson as Republicans continue to hold the majority in the new year. Jeffries and the House Democratic leadership works as a team — a trio of younger generation leaders that took over when Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi stepped aside from leadership two years ago. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California were all expected to win their reelections on Tuesday. House Democrats picked up a few seats in hard-fought regions, including Jeffries’ home state of New York and in California. But they also lost seats elsewhere and failed to topple some GOP incumbents, and overall there was little change in the House. Republicans under Johnson are left holding the majority by a so-slim margin — their numbers diminishing in the new year as Trump has tapped three GOP lawmakersElise Stefanik, Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz to serve in his administration. Some need to be confirmed by the Senate. (AP)
President-elect Donald Trump’s decision on a treasury secretary is about far more than whose name will be printed on America’s money. The choice of how to fill his highest-profile outstanding Cabinet selection will be the clearest indication yet of how he intends to wield import tariffs in his new administration. The leading candidates for the role have expressed differing perspectives on how Trump should use the protectionist trade policies that he put front and center in his campaign for the White House, while Trump himself has offered seemingly contradictory views. Billionaire investor Scott Bessent, considered a leading candidate, has talked up tariffs as a negotiating ploy. Another prominent contender, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, has expressed more support for broad tariffs. Lutnick is co-chair of Trump’s transition operation and is helping put forward candidates for key roles, including the Treasury Department. Trump is also looking at other potential candidates as he decides who can best implement his economic agenda — and how big a role tariffs will play. The president-elect, during this year’s campaign, portrayed the taxes on imports as both a negotiating tool to hammer out better trade terms and as a way to generate revenue to fund tax cuts elsewhere. The Republican has proposed universal tariffs of as much as 20% and taxing Chinese imports at 60% or more, yet his campaign never filled in key details about how tariffs would be imposed and whether the goal was more about funding the government or pressing trade partners. The two are competing priorities — achieving sustainable long term revenues from tariffs isn’t possible if they’re a negotiating tool, and sustaining them for the long term could constrain the growth Trump has promised to bring to the country. The lack of clarity has spilled over to Trump’s choice of treasury secretary, as tariffs run the risk of worsening inflation and also disrupting the stock market gains since the election that have been a point of pride for the president-elect. Bessent told Bloomberg News in August that he views tariffs as a “one time price adjustment” and “not inflationary,” and that tariffs imposed during a second Trump administration would be directed primarily at China. In a Fox News op-ed last week, Bessent said that tariffs are “a useful tool for achieving the president’s foreign policy objectives. Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to U.S. exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role.” An advocate for imposing wide-ranging tariffs, Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the president to use — we need to protect the American worker.” On Saturday, Elon Musk, who has been an influential voice at Trump’s side during the transition, came out in favor of Lutnick on his social media site X. “My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change,” Musk posted. “Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change.” Higher tariffs also carry serious risks for the incoming Trump presidency, despite Trump’s promises to the public that they will lead to more factory jobs and stronger growth. The import taxes could upset trade partners and start a trade war. They could […]
“Telling your wife your needs and wants” is a complete waste of time for married men who want happiness and I’ll tell you why. So many marriage experts claim they have the secret to a happy marriage and that it all comes down to communication, boundaries and bringing in more money. They tell you to help out more at home, talk about the past, go together to a marriage professional but never stop to take inventory of whether ANY of these methods are actually WORKING in creating happiness and joy! I am not saying those strategies don’t work at all, but they are the long… slow… painful way of having a happy home. And for the few that make it with these strategies, they’ve done it while he doesn’t get what he needs, and she doesn’t get what she needs. Meanwhile, we’re helping our clients connect with their wives on the highest level, living lives full of happiness and excitement and it gets more and more joyful by the day where both husband and wife feel happiness and excitement… … all without needing their wife to meet them halfway! To check out how they do this, click below to watch my free presentation where I share all the details … you’re going to thank me for it! 5 Steps Married Men Use to Get Rid of Friction and Create Happiness and Excitement… Without Needing Their Wife to Meet Them Halfway!
A man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbings of three people in random attacks across Manhattan, police said Tuesday. Ramon Rivera, 51, was taken into custody after he was found with blood on his clothes and the two kitchen knives, authorities said. He awaited arraignment Tuesday. A message seeking comment was left with an attorney who represented him in a prior case. “Three New Yorkers. Unprovoked attacks that left us searching for answers on how something like this could happen,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Investigators were working to understand what propelled the rampage, which happened within 2 1/2 hours Monday. “No words exchanged. No property taken. Just attacked, viciously,” said Joseph Kenny, the New York Police Department’s chief of detectives. “He just walked up to them and began to attack them with the knives.” The first stabbing, on West 19th Street, killed a 36-year-old construction worker, Angel Lata Landi, who was standing by his work site near the Hudson River a little before 8:30 a.m., police said. About two hours later and across the island of Manhattan, a 68-year-old man was attacked while fishing in the East River near East 30th Street. Both men died shortly after the stabbings, Kenny said. The fisherman’s name was not immediately released. The suspect then apparently traveled north near the riverfront. Around 10:55 a.m., a 36-year-old woman identified as Wilma Augustin was stabbed multiple times near the United Nations headquarters on East 42nd Street, Kenny said. She died later Monday at a hospital, police said. A passing cabdriver saw the third attack and alerted police on nearby First Avenue and East 46th Street, officials said. An officer soon apprehended the suspect. The bloodshed happened in a major city where, like in others, crime has taken a prominent place in political discourse and everyday concerns in the years since pandemic lockdowns emptied streets and spurred disorder. Killings in New York City so far in 2024 have declined 14% in two years, but serious assaults are up about 12%, according to police statistics. Some recent stabbings in public places have drawn attention, including a fatal attack at the Coney Island subway station just weeks ago. Adams, a Democrat, called Monday’s violence “a clear, clear example” of failures in the criminal justice system and elsewhere. The suspect in Monday’s rampage, who apparently is homeless, had been sentenced in a criminal case a few months ago and was arrested in a grand larceny case last month, officials said. The rampage came three years after a string of stabbings at various points along a subway line killed two people and wounded two others within a few hours. In 2019, four people who were sleeping in doorways and sidewalks in Chinatown were beaten to death, and a fifth was seriously injured, early one Saturday morning. (AP)
The IDF announced that a military reservist was killed and three other soldiers were seriously injured in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning. The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. First Class (Res.) Omer Moshe Gaeldor hy”d, 30, a member of the Golani Brigade’s logistics unit from Yerushalayim. According to an initial IDF investigation, the incident occurred during a logistics supply operation in southern Lebanon. A drone, armed with explosives and launched by Hezbollah, struck the soldiers, killing Gaeldor and wounding the others. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The U.K. government hit Iran with new sanctions Monday for sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the war against Ukraine. The Foreign Office said it will freeze assets for Iran’s national airline and its state-owned shipping company that helped transfer weapons. It will also sanction the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 that delivered the missiles from Iran. “Iran’s attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. “Alongside our international partners, we were clear that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would face a significant response.” The announcement comes on the eve of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine and the day after U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use missiles supplied by Washington to strike deeper inside Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the G20 summit in Brazil that “we need to double down” to support Ukraine as long as necessary. The asset freezes will restrict Iran Air’s ability to operate direct services to and from the United Kingdom and will prevent U.K. citizens or businesses from financial dealings with those entities, the office said. The actions follow a previous round of sanctions against Iran and Russia that it announced in September alongside Germany and France. (AP)
The missile that hit the border of Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan on Monday evening caused panic and destruction, with missile shrapnel fragments, some still on fire, falling from the skies and falling on a commercial area. Although the IDF initially reported that the fragments that fell were from an interceptor missile, the police district chief later contradicted the report, saying that the missile itself hit the area. The Ramat Gan municipality also said that a missile had struck the area. The missile was an Iranian Fateh-110 surface-to-surface ballistic missile that can carry a high-explosive warhead of up to 500 kilograms. Although the missile was successfully intercepted by Israel’s David’s Sling missile defense system, large fragments of the missile itself, including the heavy engine, hit the area – injuring five people, causing a fire and damaging several buildings and an empty bus. It was truly a neis that missile shrapnel hitting a dense urban area didn’t cause more injuries or deaths, chalilah. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The East Ramapo Central School District (ERCSD) announced a surprising $30 million budget surplus during Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, sparking calls for accountability and reforms in financial oversight, Monsey Scoop reported. This discovery, confirmed by an independent audit conducted by EFPR Group, contrasts sharply with earlier warnings of a $30 to $40 million deficit projected for the summer of 2024. The audit, which reviewed the district’s finances for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, found that financial statements complied with generally accepted accounting principles. The unexpected surplus comes on the heels of concerns raised by a state-appointed monitor last year, who predicted a severe fiscal shortfall. In response to these warnings, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) approved a 4.5% increase in state aid to stabilize district operations. However, the newly revealed surplus has raised questions about the accuracy of those financial forecasts and the effectiveness of the monitors overseeing the district. Assemblyman-elect Aron Wieder has been vocal in his criticism of the state-appointed monitors, accusing them of producing inaccurate financial projections that led to unnecessary tax increases for ERCSD residents. Wieder expressed frustration, stating that a surplus of this magnitude should not have come as a surprise. He argued that the dire financial outlook presented by the monitors prompted unjustified tax hikes, burdening local taxpayers. Wieder called for an immediate refund of the tax increases and demanded an investigation into the monitors’ handling of the district’s finances. How did ERCSD @NYSEDNews appointed monitors miss including $30m+ in the budget, leading to a 4.38% hike for taxpayers? An immediate refund is in order for the duped taxpayers, as well as an investigation into the extreme failure of the NYS ERCSD monitors. https://t.co/MAzXE7lAhZ — Aron Wieder (@AronWieder) November 19, 2024 Senator Bill Weber also weighed in, announcing plans to host a press conference to address concerns about the monitors’ fiscal oversight and to demand answers from NYSED Commissioner Betty Rosa. Weber questioned how such a large surplus could have gone undetected until now and emphasized the importance of transparency and corrective actions to restore public trust. He stated that the surplus raises serious concerns about how financial oversight is conducted and whether resources are being effectively allocated to benefit students and schools. The ERCSD Board of Education is now working on plans to allocate the unexpected funds. Priority areas under consideration include addressing deferred maintenance, enhancing educational programs, and improving resources for students and staff. The district has committed to updating the community on its financial strategy and next steps as it navigates this significant development. The discovery of the surplus has prompted widespread debate, with taxpayers and community leaders demanding accountability, transparency, and reforms to prevent similar issues in the future. Further updates are expected as local officials and the district outline their plans to address the fallout from this financial revelation. CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE MONSEY SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF MONSEY NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Twenty years since Bill Clinton opened his presidential library and museum before a rain-soaked crowd, the area around the glass and steel facility has been transformed. The museum fueled development around Little Rock’s once-sleepy downtown, with a former industrial area to its east blossoming into an entertainment district. Next to the building, cyclists and runners regularly cross what was once a railroad bridge spanning the Arkansas River. But little has changed inside the museum, which features many of the same exhibits unveiled two decades ago: touchscreen displays where visitors can pull up Clinton’s daily schedules, replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, electronic tickers scrolling with the 42nd president’s accomplishments. That’s about to change, as library officials are marking the 20th anniversary of its opening and planning for a major update and expansion that will add Hilary Rodham Clinton’s personal archives. “We need to refresh the current exhibits, the technology,” Stephanie Streett, the executive director of the Clinton Foundation said.. “The story is not going to change, the story of the Clinton administration and the work he did.” But library officials are looking at how to add context to major decisions that were made during the Clinton administration. The changes comes as views have evolved among fellow Democrats about some of Clinton’s accomplishments, including his 1994 crime bill. Library officials say they plan to revisit some of those decisions and their impact on today. “It does remain an interesting era, and the Clinton administration obviously shaped the 1990s,” Jay Barth, the library’s director, said. “So I think that’s the story we tell, the interplay between that era of the 1990s and this administration.” Library officials haven’t given a timeline or cost for the planned expansion. Streett said it would also include more community spaces for events, programs and student groups. Clinton remains an active political figure and has evolved into a elder statesman figure in the Democratic Party, delivering a primetime speech and campaigning on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election. His library turned 20 on Monday, the day before he releases a memoir about his years since leaving office in 2001. The expansion will allow the library to tell more about Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has remained a high-profile figure since her time as first lady through her work in the Senate, as secretary of state and her two unsuccessful presidential bids. The expansion will include an institute that will serve as a hub for the former first lady’s nonprofit and advocacy work. Hillary Clinton’s papers from her time as first lady are already held in the presidential library’s archives. “I think it is a fascinating, distinctive story that really resonates with a different audience, a slightly younger audience, but really an audience of all ages because of how important her role was in American life,” Barth said. The library is the centerpiece of a 29-acre (nearly 12-hectare) park that was once a warehouse district. The campus includes the University of Arkansas’ Clinton School of Public Service. More than 5 million people have visited the center since the facility opened in a ceremony that drew dignitaries and celebrities. The library remains a major draw for the city, with tour groups regularly visiting it and local groups holding events at the facility’s great hall. […]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that Israel’s approach to addressing Iran’s nuclear program will be reevaluated in coordination with the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Netanyahu indicated that Israel’s ability to act against Iran would be revisited once Trump assumes office in January. Addressing concerns over recent Iranian ballistic missile attacks, Netanyahu clarified that Israel’s decision to refrain from targeting certain Iranian sites was not due to pressure from the United States. He stressed, according to the Knesset readout, that the decision was independent of any ultimatum from Washington. Netanyahu also updated lawmakers on Israel’s efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. He revealed that Israel is pursuing deals to free a limited number of hostages, offering financial incentives and safe passage to those in Gaza willing to facilitate their release. Despite these efforts, Netanyahu described the negotiation conditions set by Hamas as unacceptable. The group has demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and recognition of its continued control over the territory. Netanyahu rejected these terms outright. The prime minister highlighted Israel’s progress in its campaign against Hamas. While he reported significant success in dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure, he acknowledged only partial success in crippling the group’s governing structures, including its control over humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
After one of the most chaotic and least productive sessions in modern history, voters made a surprising choice in elections for the U.S. House — they overwhelmingly stuck with the status quo. House Republicans will hold onto a thin majority, and while the chamber’s exact partisan divide is still to be determined as votes are tallied in a handful of states, the results of 435 House races nationwide have produced hardly any change to the makeup of the chamber. In fact, it’s more like a stalemate: Republicans and Democrats have each flipped seven seats, while just eight incumbents nationwide have lost their races. The results show just how entrenched the political dynamics have become in a legislative chamber that is meant to closely reflect the will of the people. Neither Donald Trump’s sweep of swing states nor a record of two years marked by infighting among GOP House members seemed to weigh much on House election results. Instead, the contest for control of the chamber boiled down to just a couple dozen politically divided districts and fewer truly close races even as House candidates nationwide spent a combined $1.5 billion, according to Open Secrets, which tracks political spending. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “bitterly disappointing” to see his party’s bid to retake the House fall short by just a few seats. But he also made sure to note, “Notwithstanding the adverse political environment that happened with a Trump wave sweeping every single battleground state in America, Democrats will actually have increased the number of seats in the new Congress.” Still, that hasn’t stopped Republican leaders from taking a victory lap and talking of a mandate to implement a conservative agenda. “On Election Day, Americans sent a clear message to reject the consequences of Democratic control,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, the chair of the GOP’s House campaign committee, adding, “That’s why voters delivered House Republicans a majority and sent Donald Trump to the White House in a landslide.” Trump is on track to win the popular vote for the first time, but it will likely be a narrow victory once all ballots are counted, reflecting how politically deadlocked the country has become. In the House, the margins will also be close, particularly after Trump chose several House Republicans for roles in his administration. “Every single vote will count,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. “Because if someone gets ill, or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor.” Johnson’s party held onto the majority largely thanks to two seats the party flipped in Pennsylvania, as well as three more that were redistricted by the GOP-controlled North Carolina General Assembly to favor their party. Democrats, meanwhile, did best in New York — Jeffries’ home state — where they flipped three seats. They also picked up two redistricted seats, in Louisiana and Alabama, that were ordered by courts to ensure fair representation for Black voters. But as the congressional map becomes clear after the latest redistricting cycle following the 2020 census, some democracy advocates are concerned about the small number of House districts that are in play. While Republicans for years won more congressional seats than expected through gerrymandered districts, Democrats have battled back by shaping districts to their advantage and […]
Israeli soldiers in Lebanon have found large troves of Russian weapons in Hezbollah areas, surprising security officials who were unaware of the large cache of modern Russian arms Hezbollah had acquired in recent years, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The report quoted an IDF major who said that 60% to 70% of the weapons that troops found in southern Lebanon in the first days of the ground war were Russian-made. More recently, reservists told the WSJ that they continue to locate large amounts of Russian weapons inside Lebanon. Although the IDF was aware that Hezbollah had some older Russian-made weapons, their withdrawal from the country in 2006 meant that they lacked information from the ground in the almost two decades since then. The findings confirm longstanding Israeli suspicions that Russia has aided Hezbollah in its fight against Israel by supplying sophisticated Russian arms. The weapons, including modern Kornet antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were transferred to southern Lebanon from Russian stockpiles in Syria. Antitank missiles such as the Kornet are some of Hezbollah’s most effective weaponry in its war against Israel and have been used to kill numerous IDF soldiers. Apart from the Kornets, soldiers found other Russian-guided antitank missile systems, including Metis, Konkurs, Fagots, and Saggers—all found less than a kilometer inside southern Lebanon. Some of the weapons were manufactured in 2020, and others, such as Saggers, had labels showing they were manufactured in the 1980s. An IDF sergeant who is part of a medical evacuation team told WSJ that the Kornet, which can be shot from 7-to-8 kilometers away, has been Hezbollah’s most effective method of killing IDF soldiers. Fabian Hinz, a military research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in London, said that Hezbollah’s possession of short-range missiles honed its war capabilities against Israel, making it a far more deadly enemy than Hamas, which only had access to less-reliable Iranian imitations. The discovery highlights Israel’s thorny dilemma on how to relate to Russia, which has deepened its relationship with the “Axis of Evil” since October 7 but still maintains a strong relationship with Israel. Israel must tread carefully regarding its ties with Russia due to its deep entrenchment in Syria, where Israel often carries out strikes against Iranian-backed militias and more recently has carried out strikes to halt the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Israel needs to be more assertive and defend its interests,” said Arkady Mil-Man, a former Israeli ambassador to Russia. “We must explain and convey to the Russians that we will no longer stand any assistance to Hezbollah and Iran that could hurt Israelis,” said Mil-Man, now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. The report quoted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who recently highlighted Russia’s leverage over Hezbollah when he said that Israel hopes Russia will aid in the enforcement of a deal to disarm Hezbollah by preventing weapons smuggling from Syria to Lebanon. “The principle that Hezbollah won’t be able to arm again or get new weapons systems or take them into Lebanon and to renew the threat to the extent it was before the war is vital to the success of any arrangement in Lebanon,” he said. “The Russians are present in Syria. If they […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman The Power of Student Voices: A Torah-True Initiative There’s a problem that we are currently facing that was pointed out yesterday by an anonymous letter-writer in Brooklyn. This challenge presents us with an opportunity to engage our students in meaningful change, while learning from the timeless wisdom of Avraham Avinu’s purchase of Me’aras HaMachpelah. As written in the Tanchuma [Behar 1], we are taught, “Be not alarmed by a man of evil eye” [Mishlei 28:22] – referring to Ephron the Hittite. The Divine Lesson from the Midrash The Midrash elaborates: When Sarah Imeinu died, Avraham approached Ephron to purchase the cave. Though Ephron initially declared “The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you, what is it?” – appearing generous – the story reveals a deeper truth. As the Midrash notes, citing Rabbi Chanina, these weren’t ordinary shekels but kentorin (centenaria), a much larger measure. When Ephron saw the substantial silver Abraham weighed out, he became alarmed and flustered, saying “In the choice of the land we shall bury your dead.” Hashem said, “You were alarmed about money? By your life, you will have a deficiency in the matter.” Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi bar Shalom teaches us that every mention of ‘Ephron’ until this point was written in full (with the letter vav), but after taking the silver, his name appears without the vav – “And Avraham weighed out to Ephrn.” This diminishment of his name eternally symbolizes how materialistic pursuit can diminish our spiritual stature. Engaging Our Youth in Sacred Change In our beautiful community today, we have a unique opportunity to channel the energy and creativity of our students toward preserving our values of Kedusha. Through a coordinated letter-writing initiative in our schools, we can address the concerning trends in our community publications while teaching valuable skills and eternal values. The State of Our Publications The letter-writer pointed out that week after week, our community publications, which once served as bastions of modesty and spiritual elevation (think the Jewish Observer a’h), are evolving in concerning ways. While the abundance of creativity and innovation in these magazines reflects our community’s vibrancy, we must lovingly examine whether all changes serve our highest values. A School-Based Solution Our educational institutions are uniquely positioned to lead this change. Here’s how we can implement this meaningful project: Integration with Limudei Chol: Our secular studies classes, particularly English and writing courses, can incorporate letter-writing assignments focused on preserving our community values. This practical application gives purpose to these studies while reinforcing our Torah values. Guided Learning: Morahs can use this project to teach: Effective writing skills Proper letter format Persuasive communication The art of respectful advocacy Critical thinking about media content Family Involvement: Parents can extend this initiative into the home by: Hosting family discussions about media content Supporting their children’s letter-writing efforts Contributing their own letters alongside their children Creating meaningful dialogue about our values Understanding the Challenge The Sukkos editions of the frum magazines and Newspapers now stretch to some 300 pages, filled with advertisements that, while celebrating our community’s success, often tip into promoting material excess. More concerning are discussions of cosmetic procedures and emphasis on physical appearance that may not align with our deepest values of tznius and inner beauty. The Crown of […]
President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning to attend a SpaceX “Starship” rocket launch on Tuesday, in the latest indication of founder Elon Musk ‘s influence in the Republican’s orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place. Trump’s visit comes as billionaire Musk has been a near-constant presence at Trump’s side as he builds out his administration, attending meetings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, accompanying him to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and to a UFC fight in New York on Saturday. Trump frequently regaled audiences on the campaign trail with a dramatic account of the last Starship test, that included the capture of the booster at its launchpad by a pair of mechanical arms. Tuesday’s 30-minute launch window opens at 4 p.m. central time, according to the company, with the company again looking to test the landing capture system of the booster in Texas, while the upper stage continues to a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Musk pumped an estimated $200 million through his political action committee to help elect Trump and has been named, along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead an advisory committee tasked by Trump to dramatically cut governmental costs and reshape how Washington operates, which has sparked ethics concerns over Musk’s many interests before the federal government. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president-elect’s plans. (AP)
The Associated Press said Monday that it would begin offering buyouts and lay off selected employees, part of a plan to reduce the news outlet’s staff by about 8% and accelerate a transition to a digital-first organization. The move is part of what is expected to be a dispiriting end-of-year period in the news industry, which is beset by business woes that go back years. The end of a busy presidential-election cycle was also expected to accelerate reorganization plans. The AP said those eligible for buyouts were to learn of the offer, which would include severance pay and partial health coverage for 18 months, by the end of Monday. Those whose positions are due to be eliminated would learn about their fates over the next few weeks. Once considered the world’s largest newsgathering organization, the AP no longer makes that claim and does not reveal the size of its staff. As a result, it was impossible to say on Monday how many people would be affected. The AP said less than half of the anticipated cuts would involve its news employees, with the bulk happening within the United States. The News Media Guild said that 121 of its members would be offered buyouts. The AP, without giving an estimate, said there would be fewer job cuts than that among the union members. The AP, which prides itself on being an unbiased news source, offers news stories, pictures, video, audio and interactive content direct to consumers via the website apnews.com. But the bulk of its business comes from selling its journalism to other news organizations that use it. Earlier this year, two major news chains, Gannett and McClatchy, said they would stop buying news from AP, in Gannett’s case ending a relationship that had lasted more than a century. The AP has diversified its revenue stream in recent years, including accepting philanthropic funding, but is still hurt by the news industry’s overall woes. “We all know this is a time of transformation in the media sector,” Daisy Veerasingham, AP’s president and CEO, said in a note to staff members sent early Monday morning. “Our customers — both who they are and what they need from us — are changing rapidly. This is why we’ve focused on delivering a digital-first news report. We now need to accelerate on this path.” In broad strokes, that means an increased emphasis on visual journalism — photos and video and the digital content that incorporates them into storytelling. Veerasingham was not available for an interview, an AP spokeswoman said. AP remains a central part of the news industry’s ecosystem, particularly when it comes to U.S. elections. During its election coverage earlier this month, the AP had unprecedented usage of its live video, election data, visuals and interactive products, Veerasingham said. The AP said it had reached a tentative deal with its union to offer the buyouts, but that is subject to ratification by its members. The head of AP’s union did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday. (AP)
Red alert sirens blared in central Israel and northern Israel at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, including Netanya, Herzliya, Hadera, Ra’anana, Kfar Saba, and the surrounding areas. After scanning the areas, the police said that they are at the scenes of two sites where missiles hit open areas, near Kfar Yona and in the Beit Lid area, both in the Sharon area in central Israel. There is an IDF base in Beit Lid. Four people were lightly injured after windows shattered in a “concrete building” in Beit Lid. The building was not identified. Also, shrapnel from an interceptor missile fell in the central Israeli town of Kadima-Tzoran, causing damage but baruch Hashem no injuries. Shortly later, Hezbollah fired another barrage of about 25 rockets at northern Israel. One rocket hit a home in Karmiel, causing damage and lightly injuring a woman. U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to advance negotiations for a ceasefire deal between and Hezbollah. Hochstein is expected to receive Lebanon’s final response to the deal and transfer it to Israel. Kfar Yona: Kadima-Tzoran: The IDF stated that “following the alerts activated in the Dan, Sharon, and Menashe areas, about five launches were detected crossing from Lebanon. Some were intercepted, and falls were identified. Details are under investigation.” Additionally, the IDF updated that “about 10 launches were identified in the Upper Galil area crossing from Lebanon. Some were intercepted, and the others fell in open areas.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The U.S. will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied longer-range weapons to conduct strikes inside Russian territory, a long-sought request by Kyiv. It was not clear if there would be limits on Ukraine’s use of the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, as there have been on other U.S. missile systems. Their deployment could — at least initially — be limited to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops seized territory earlier this year. Since the first year of the war, Ukrainian leaders have lobbied Western allies to allow them to use advanced weapons to strike key targets inside Russia — a move they hope would erode Moscow’s capabilities before their troops reach the eastern front line and could make it more difficult for them to strike Ukrainian territory. It could also serve as a deterrent force in the event of future cease-fire negotiations. The U.S. has long opposed the move, with President Joe Biden determined to avoid any escalation that he felt could draw the U.S. and other NATO members into direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. The Kremlin warned Monday that the decision adds “fuel to the fire.” The decision comes in the waning days of Joe Biden’s presidency, before President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he would bring about a swift end to the war that many fear could force unpalatable concessions from Kyiv, assumes office. What are ATACMS? The ballistic missiles, developed by U.S. aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin, have nearly double the striking distance — up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) — of most of the weapons in Ukraine’s possession. They can carry out pinpoint attacks on air fields, ammunition stores and strategic infrastructure. The United States supplied Ukraine with ATACMS last year and they have been used to destroy military targets in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine — but not on Russian soil. What is Biden allowing Ukraine to do? Biden authorized Ukraine to use the ATACMS to strike deeper inside Russia, according to a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter. The longer-range missiles are likely to be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send troops to support Kremlin forces, according to one of the people familiar with the development. Pyongyang’s troops are apparently being deployed to help the Russian army drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk border region, where they launched an incursion in August. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the U.S. decision publicly. It marks the second time that Washington has permitted Ukraine to use its weapons systems inside Russian territory. In May, after Russia’s offensive into the Kharkiv region threatened to stretch Ukrainian forces thin, Biden permitted the use of HIMARS systems — with a range of 80 kilometers (50 miles) — to quell that advance. That decision helped Ukrainian soldiers stabilize the fight for a time by forcing Russian forces to pull back military assets. Why does Ukraine need longer-range weapons? Ukraine has been asking its Western allies for longer-range weapons in order to alter the balance of power in the war where Russia is better resourced, and strike with precision air bases, supply depots and communication centers hundreds of kilometers (miles) over the border. It hopes the weapons would help blunt Russia’s air power and weaken […]
Attorneys for Amazon and Elon Musk’s SpaceX argued in a federal appeals court Monday that the National Labor Relations Board’s structure is unconstitutional, advancing a legal fight that may last into the Trump administration where Musk is expected to oversee bureaucratic cost-cutting. A panel of three judges at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard separate oral arguments in the SpaceX and Amazon lawsuits, which the two companies initiated after the labor agency filed complaints against them in disputes about workers’ rights and union organizing. A ruling in favor of the companies could immensely diminish – or paralyze – the nearly century-old agency, which is tasked with enforcing labor laws and settling labor-related complaints workers lodge against their employers. The issue may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority and has issued rulings curbing the power of government agencies, The three appellate judges who heard Monday’s arguments questioned the legal maneuvering by Amazon and SpaceX to get their cases to the 5th Circuit, where jurists nominated by Republican presidents dominate the appeals court. A lawyer for the NLRB emphasized during the hearing that both companies filed their appeals after lower courts did not give rulings by requested deadlines. Michael E. Kenneally, an attorney for SpaceX, retorted that the government was “relying so much on the procedural objections” because of the alleged weakness of its legal argument, a claim that elicited some pushback from the panel. “That sounds to me like the argument ‘procedure doesn’t matter if I win on the merits,’” Judge James E. Graves Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said. SpaceX, Musk’s space technology company, filed its lawsuit against the NLRB in January after the labor agency accused the company of unlawfully firing employees who wrote an open letter critical of Musk and of creating the impression worker activities were being surveilled. Among other claims, the company argued in its complaint that agency proceedings deprived it of the right to a trial by a jury. Musk, the world’s richest person, has become more influential in the past few months after pumping an estimated $200 million through his political action committee to help elect Donald Trump as president. After he was elected, Trump tapped Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new efficiency commission focused on cutting costs across the federal government. Musk has said the new administration will have a “mandate to delete the mountain of choking regulations that do not serve the greater good.” Amazon’s lawsuit against the NLRB is tied to the company’s objections to a union election that took place at a warehouse in New York City in April 2022. The retail giant has accused the agency of improperly interfering in that election, partly by bringing a lawsuit against the company to reinstate a fired organizer close to when voting began. The Amazon Labor Union ultimately won the election to represent workers, but Amazon has refused to come to the negotiating table. The company’s attorneys argued in the lawsuit that the NLRB board members who authorized the agency’s complaint later “acted as judges” by denying a review of Amazon’s objections, which also came before them. Amazon’s lawyers maintained the agency’s structure was unconstitutional because board members are shielded from removal by […]
