A five-week-old infant from the Jerusalem area whose mother refused to get vaccinated for whooping cough during pregnancy died of the disease about a week ago. Two days later, a seven-year-old girl from Netanya, whose parents refused to vaccinate her against tetanus, was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital after contracting the serious and excruciatingly painful disease. Ynet reported that the lowest vaccination rates against whooping cough are found almost exclusively in Jerusalem and in religious and Chareidi communities outside the capital. The report quoted Dr. Maurit Beeri, a pediatrician and the director of ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and Youth, who slammed parents who neglect their children by refusing to vaccinate them. “Unfortunately, these incidents can no longer be considered rare,’ she said. “In recent years, we’ve seen a trend where people re-evaluate expert recommendations and make decisions without informed knowledge. When it comes to preventing infectious diseases, we see a decline in vaccination rates, especially within certain population groups.” “We must remember that these things spread and endanger us all,” Dr. Beeri warned. “If we used to call it ‘Dr. Google,’ today it’s ‘Professor TikTok.’ Everyone has their agenda and platform with wide reach. Since COVID, instead of expressing gratitude for vaccines that saved us from lockdowns, people have become more emboldened to refuse vaccinations for other diseases as well.” “People don’t differentiate between new and old vaccines. When we talk about routine vaccinations for infants, these are vaccines with data from millions of children. We’re talking about diseases that have almost disappeared from the world. I’ve been a doctor for 30 years and have never seen a case of tetanus. It’s a terrible disease, causing excruciating pain. Children in developing countries still die from it, and it’s entirely unnecessary. I grew up in a place where there was hysteria over tetanus from every rusty nail, but today we’re in a different place.” “Tetanus is a dreadful disease, causing indescribable suffering, and it’s entirely unnecessary. Have you ever woken up at night with a muscle cramp in your leg? Have you ever pulled a muscle during physical activity? Now imagine your entire body, all at once, cramping up. Everything contorts in different directions. You can’t move. Every finger stiffens to the point of breaking bones. You can’t even scream because your jaw is locked and your tongue is stuck to the roof of your mouth. Breathing is difficult. This is how children died before the tetanus vaccine was invented, with terrified eyes and no ability to call for help. This is a description I read in books. I never saw it because the children who played outside and fell and got injured were vaccinated.” “We see every day that expert opinions no longer mean anything. Everyone’s opinion is considered equally valid, and there is no regard for someone with acquired knowledge compared to anyone else who raises any claim. Conspiracy theories don’t affect only healthcare; they affect everything related to the society around us.” “I grew up in a world where children weren’t strapped into car seats, and most of us survived. But I work in child rehabilitation, and I see the children who weren’t strapped in car seats. I also see the children who come in with various diseases that can’t be prevented. […]
Hundreds of soldiers from the Netzach Yehudah battalion who fought in Gaza participated in a joyous Hachnasas Sefer Torah on Tuesday, marching from the Gazan border to the shul at the Erez base. The Sefer Torah was donated by members of the Syrian community in Brooklyn headed by HaRav Ezriel Mansour who spoke to Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon, the Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, and told him that they were interested in donating a small Sefer Torah that could serve the needs of troops operating in Gaza. Ra Rimon recommended that the Sefer Torah be donated to Netzech Yehudah, whose soldiers are operating in Gaza and lost precious members. “The Sefer Torah will give the soldiers much koach and simcha and light the way for them.” The Sefer Torah was donated l’illui nishmasam the soldiers of the battalion who lost their lives in the war in Gaza. HaRav Dovid Yosef, a member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, spoke at the event, saying: “We walked a long way and I heard you singing a song that I heard now for the first time “עם הנצח לא מפחד מדרך ארוכה.” Your battalion is Netzech Yehudah – because we’re the Am HaNetzach. Why are we Netzach? Because we have the Torah, we have a derech, the Torah is eternal. The Sefer Torah we received at Har Sinai accompanies us until today.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A flight from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, operated by Air Europa, experienced severe turbulence on Monday, leaving dozens of passengers injured. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, flight UX045, was forced to make an emergency landing at Natal Airport in northeastern Brazil just after 2:30 a.m. According to the health secretariat of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, around 30 passengers were taken to local hospitals in Natal with minor abrasions or orthopedic traumas. One passenger even became lodged above an overhead bin during the chaos. The interior cabin was left in disarray, with ceiling panels torn off and oxygen masks suspended above seats. Ambulances were waiting outside the cabin window to transport injured passengers. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded on Thursday to the Shin Bet placing blame on him for the release of the director of Shifa Hospital due to overcrowded prison conditions. To his credit, since he entered his position, Ben-Gvir has dramatically changed the formerly cushy conditions of Israeli jails for terrorists, where in the past they used to receive satisfying meals, earn a college degree and buy a choice of snacks at the canteen. An Israeli wrote on X on Tuesday: “You can like Ben-Gvir or not but you can’t argue with the fact that he sets a proper standard in the prisons for terrorists. Last week, I met a friend for coffee who serves as an officer in Israel Prison Services and he told me: ‘Since Ben-Gvir changed the conditions of incarceration in the prisons, there is no Arab in Yehudah and Shomron who wants to come here. Every Arab in Yehudah and Shomron talks about how being in an Israeli prison at this time involves great suffering.” The Israel Prison Services released a video of the Shifa director’s prison cell on Tuesday morning. Ben-Gvir stated on Tuesday: “In the prisons today, there are no camps, no canteens, no eight-hour trips. I closed the bakeries, they called me the minister of pita – today everyone understands that the minister of pita was right.” “The Shin Bet, under the command of Ronen Bar,” Ben-Gvir stated, “convinced the prime minister again and again that worsening the conditions of the terrorists would lead to an escalation, an explosion, the burning of the Middle East. After the outbreak of the war, I was able to finally carry out the long-awaited reform. The conditions of the terrorists in prison have been reduced to a minimum: terrorists who are currently released from prison testify that they never want to return to an Israeli prison. The prisons of the State of Israel are no longer a sad joke.” “As part of the war, the army carried out many arrests of terrorists and those wanted for terrorism in Yehudah and Shomron, along with many terrorists who were brought from Gaza. Many of those arrested were housed in a military camp, Sdeh Temen, where they were held by the army. Recently, following a petition to the Supreme Court, the IDF and the Shin Bet were quick to fold and announce that the conditions of incarceration there would be examined, and that the number of prisoners held there would be reduced. In practice, a situation has arisen in which due to the harsh living conditions of the prisoners (we are talking about despicable terrorists, right?), there are now 1,500 vacant prison places in Sdeh Temen.” Ben Gvir added: “Even in the prisons that are under the responsibility of the Israel Prison Services, where many terrorists were taken in, overcrowding was created. But I never thought of releasing terrorists from prison because they are overcrowded. And this is the core of the dispute between me and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar: he claims that the conditions of the terrorists in prison, including overcrowding, look bad to the world, and may lead to escalation.” “If what they did to us was done to any other country in the world, it would do much worse against those terrorists and […]
At the end of a public battle against the Defense Ministry and the IDF, the Public Council for Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers ruled almost unanimously on Tuesday that the family of fallen soldier Yisrael Yudkin, H’yd, should be allowed to inscribe the acronym of the words השם יקום דמו on his matzeivah. The 20 members of the Public Council for Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers discussed the request of the Yudkin family, which was joined by other religious families of fallen soldiers, and approved the request with a vote of 19 against 1. Defense Minister Gallant’s office commented on the Public Council’s decision: “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant adopted the recommendation of the Public Council for Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers regarding the addition of the inscription השם יקום דמו to military gravestones of fallen soldiers who fell in battle whose families request it. The Minister also approved the recommendation to add the inscription -‘Zichro L’Bracha’ on military gravestones of fallen soldiers whose families request it”. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have asked the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial to set aside his conviction and delay his sentencing, scheduled for next week. The letter to Judge Juan M. Merchan cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier Monday on presidential immunity and asked the judge to delay Trump’s sentencing while he weighs the high court’s decision and how it could influence the New York case, according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press. The lawyers argue that the Supreme Court’s decision confirmed a position the defense raised earlier in the case that prosecutors should have been precluded from introducing some evidence they said constituted official presidential acts, according to the letter. In prior court filings, Trump contended he is immune from prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. His lawyers did not raise that as a defense in the hush money case, but they argued that some evidence — including Trump’s social media posts about former lawyer Michael Cohen — comes from his time as president and should have been excluded from the trial because of immunity protections. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment Monday night. The Supreme Court on Monday ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, extending the delay in the Washington criminal case against the Republican ex-president on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump was convicted in New York of 34 counts of falsifying business records, arising from what prosecutors said was an attempt to cover up a hush money payment just before the 2016 presidential election. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the hush money case on July 11. Merchan instituted a policy in the run-up to the trial requiring both sides to send him a one-page letter summarizing their arguments before making longer court filings. He said he did that to better manage the docket, so he was not inundated with voluminous paperwork. In denying Trump’s bid to move the trial from New York state court to federal court last year, a federal judge found that the allegations at the center of the case pertained to Trump’s personal life and do not “reflect in any way the color of the President’s official duties.” “The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President — a cover-up of an embarrassing event,” U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein wrote in the ruling. (AP)
Hunter Biden, the convicted felon and crack-addicted son of President Joe Biden, has been attending meetings with his father and senior White House staff since Monday evening, according to four sources familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News. Sources close to the White House revealed that Hunter Biden has been advising his father since the family gathered at Camp David over the weekend. He has reportedly “popped into” several meetings and phone calls between the President and his advisers, leaving some senior staff members wondering, “What the hell is happening?” When asked about Hunter Biden’s involvement, White House spokesman Andrew Bates downplayed the situation, claiming that Hunter simply accompanied his father back to the White House from Camp David and participated in speech preparation for the President’s remarks on presidential immunity. Hunter Biden’s presence in these meetings raises questions about his influence on his father’s decision-making, particularly amidst concerns about Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. NBC News previously reported that Hunter Biden is among the family members urging his father to continue his presidential bid. For now, Hunter Biden remains at the White House, celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with his family. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A federal lawsuit has been filed in the US against Iran, Syria, and North Korea on behalf of 125 victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack, seeking at least $4 billion in damages. The lawsuit, organized by the Anti-Defamation League and Crowell & Moring LLP, alleges that the three countries provided material support to Hamas, enabling the attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The plaintiffs, including US citizens injured in the attack and relatives of those killed, accuse the three countries of providing financial, military, and tactical support to Hamas. The US government has designated Iran, Syria, and North Korea as state sponsors of terrorism. Nahar Neta, a plaintiff who lost her mother in the attack, said, “While nothing will ever undo the unbearable pain Hamas caused our family or the brutal losses we’ve suffered, we hope this case will bring some sense of justice… My mom devoted her life to caring for others regardless of race or religious beliefs. She was a peace and justice seeker who was active in many civilian efforts to bridge the gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel.” The lawsuit seeks at least $1 billion in compensatory damages and $3 billion in punitive damages. However, it is common for countries accused of state-sponsored terrorism to ignore lawsuits in the US and not honor judgments against them in US courts. If the defendants are found liable, the plaintiffs hope to tap the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, which Congress created in 2015 to compensate individuals who have won judgments against state sponsors of terrorism. However, the fund has run low, prompting several members of Congress to introduce legislation to enhance funding and guarantee annual payments to victims. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Seriously overdue credit card debt is at the highest level in more than a decade, and people 35 and under are struggling more than other age groups to pay their bills. The share of credit card debt that’s severely delinquent, defined as being more than 90 days overdue, rose to 10.7% during the first quarter of 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. A year ago, just 8.2% of credit card debt was severely delinquent. If you’re experiencing delinquency, or at risk of it, experts advise speaking with a nonprofit credit counselor and negotiating with your creditors directly. Here’s what you should know: WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I’M AT RISK OF DELINQUENCY? Bruce McClary, senior vice president at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, says that anyone at risk of delinquency should reach out as soon as possible for help from a nonprofit credit counselor, some of whom can be found through his organization. The consultation is free, and a non-judgmental counselor can give guidance towards a long-term solution. Nonprofits can also help create debt management plans that have lower interest rates, no late fees, and a single payment each month, McClary said. These plans may come with maintenance fees, which vary, but the fees are offset by the overall savings on the debt. McClary urged borrowers to be careful of scammers and for-profit debt consolidation companies, which often charge much higher fees than nonprofit organizations. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a helpful breakdown comparing the two. Martin Lynch, president of the Financial Counseling Association of America, echoed this advice. “Taking that first step and contacting a counselor is difficult for many people,” Lynch said. He emphasized that consumers in debt should do their best to “first, relax,” and then to be as forthcoming as possible about their circumstances with the counselor. “You’ll be talking to someone for free, who will listen to you describe your situation,” he said. “You can share your concerns without being judged for falling into difficulty.” WHAT ABOUT NEGOTIATING WITH CREDITORS? Both Lynch and McClary urge borrowers to reach out directly to credit card companies to negotiate interest rates, fees, and long-term payment plans, noting that it’s in the companies’ best interests if you pay before the debt goes into collections. “The best thing to do is to reach out, give an honest assessment of your ability to pay over time, and ask what options are available to you both ‘on and off-the-menu,’” McClary said. This kind of phrasing can give creditors an opening to offer more flexibility, he said. McClary and other experts stress that most credit card companies and other lenders have hardship programs available for cases like these. Such options gained visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, when more companies publicly advertised that consumers facing difficulty may skip or defer payments without penalties. WHY ARE DELINQUENCIES INCREASING? The average annual interest rate on a new credit card is 24.71%, according to LendingTree, the highest since the company began tracking in 2019. That’s in part because the Federal Reserve has raised its key interest rate rate to a 23-year high to combat the highest inflation in four decades, which peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. Simultaneously, pandemic-era aid such as stimulus payments, the child tax credit, increased unemployment benefits, […]
There was widespread outrage among government ministers when reports on Tuesday morning said that infrastructure work has begun in the Gaza Strip to connect a water desalination and sewage treatment facility water to Israel’s electrical grid. Channel 12 reported that it obtained a document showing that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the work, calling it “a basic humanitarian need” in order to prevent the spread of disease. Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich responded to the reports by stating: “We’ve lost it completely. We are rebuilding Gaza with our own hands – before demilitarization. Mr. Prime Minister, stop this foolishness.” Security officials later stated that the electrical work is necessary for the IDF to continue the war in Gaza for two reasons: to provide water to almost two million Gazans in the humanitarian zone since a humanitarian crisis could force Israel to end the war, and to provide water for sanitation in order to prevent the spread of disease which could harm IDF soldiers and Israeli hostages. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Police in upstate New York tackled and then shot a 13-year-old boy to death after he pointed what turned out to be a BB gun at officers during a foot chase. Utica officials released body camera footage of Friday night’s shooting on Saturday and held a contentious public meeting attended by the teen’s family and other members of their local refugee community. The state attorney general’s office is investigating and the police officers involved have been placed on leave, as is protocol during such shootings. Here’s what you need to know. What happened? The shooting happened at around 10 p.m. on a residential street in Utica, an old industrial city about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan that sits along the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains. According to police, three officers on patrol stopped to question two youths. One of the teens, Nyah Mway, then fled on foot and pointed what police say appeared to be a handgun in the direction of the officers. After tackling the teen to the ground, one of the officers fired a single shot into his chest. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he died. Who was the victim? Mway, whose family name is Nyah, was a Karen refugee born in Myanmar. He had just graduated from middle school and was set to start high school in the fall. His anguished relatives and other members of the local Karen community have called for police to be held accountable for what they view as an unjust killing, as Mway was already subdued and on the ground when he was shot. The teen’s family said Monday they were waiting for the medical examiners’ office to release his body so they could make funeral arrangements. The Onondaga County Health Department said the cause and manner of death are still pending and the autopsy report hasn’t been made public. Mway’s cousin Lay Htoo told The Associated Press that the family had come to the U.S. for education and good jobs in the hopes of living a peaceful life after decades of strife and violence in Myanmar, which is gripped by civil war. Who are the officers? Police have released the names of the three officers who were involved in the incident, saying they are assigned to a crime prevention unit. Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the department, was the officer that shot the boy. Bryce Patterson, who has been on the police force for four years, and Andrew Citriniti, a two-year department veteran who previously served with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, were the other officers involved. All three remain on paid administrative leave, which is standard in police-involved shootings, Lt. Michael Curley, a department spokesperson, confirmed Monday. What does the body camera footage show? The videos released late Saturday show a chaotic scene. In the footage, an officer says he needs to pat down the two teens standing on a sidewalk to ensure they don’t have any weapons. One bolts down the street appearing to hold a dark object while he runs away. The officers scream “gun!” before one of them tackles him and punches him. Another officer opens fire as the two wrestle on the ground. Bystanders can be heard screaming at the police throughout the recordings. At one […]
HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, who serves as the Rosh Kollel of Beis Dovid in the city of Holon, was forced to inform his kollel members that he can no longer pay them a monthly stipend. The step follows the revocation of funds to yeshivos and kollelim in accordance with the decision of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and the Supreme Court. HaRav Zilberstein wrote in the letter that the “kupas hakollel” is empty…and whoever remains in Kollel Beis Dovid should know that unfortunately there are no funds for stipends. And Hashem Yisbarach should do good with those who show goodness to talmidei chachamim.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
U.S. job openings rose slightly to 8.1 million in May despite the impact of higher interest rates intended to cool the labor market. Vacancies rose from a revised 7.9 million in April, the first reading below 8 million since February 2021, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. April openings were marked down from an originally reported 8.1 million. Layoffs rose to 1.65 million in May from 1.54 million in April. The number of Americans quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — was basically unchanged. “The report was another sign that the labor market is holding firm … The expansion looks solid,’’ said Robert Frick, economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union. The U.S. economy and job market have been remarkably resilient in the face of the Federal Reserve’s campaign to raise interest rates to rein in inflation. The Fed hiked its benchmark rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, lifting it to a 23-year high. Defying expectations of a recession, the U.S. economy kept growing and employers kept hiring. But lately there have been signs the economy is losing some steam. Job openings have come steadily down since peaking at 12.2 million in March 2022. The job market is still strong. There are 1.25 jobs for every unemployed American, but that’s down from a 2-to-1 ratio in January 2023. Fed policymakers welcome lower job openings — a relatively painless way to cool a hot job market and reduce pressure on companies to raise wages, which can feed inflation. From January through March this year, the economy grew at an annual pace of just 1.4%, slowest since spring 2022. Consumer spending, which accounts for around 70% of U.S. economic activity, e xpanded just 1.5% after advancing at a pace of more than 3% in each of the last two quarters of 2023. The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that employers added 190,000 jobs last month, down from 272,000 in May, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Unemployment is forecast to stay low at 4%. High interest rates have helped bring inflation down closer to the Fed’s target of 2% a year from a four-decade high 9.1% in June 2022. Progress on containing price increases is expected to allow the central bank to start cutting rates. Wall Street investors are expecting the first rate cut at the Fed’s September meeting. Speaking at a conference in Portugal Tuesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that progress toward lower inflation appears to have resumed after stalling earlier this year. But he said the Fed needed to see more evidence before it cuts rates. (AP)
Former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case has been postponed to September after the judge agreed Tuesday to weigh the possible impact of a new Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Trump had been scheduled to face sentencing July 11 on his New York conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records. He denies any wrongdoing. The postponement sets the sentencing for Sept. 18, well after the Republican National Convention, where Trump is set formally to accept the party’s nomination for president in this year’s race. The convention runs from July 15 to 18. A Supreme Court ruling Monday granted broad immunity protections to presidents, while also restricting prosecutors from citing any official acts as evidence in trying to prove a president’s unofficial actions violated the law. Hours after it was issued, Trump’s attorney requested that New York Judge Juan M. Merchan set aside the jury’s guilty verdict and delay the sentencing to consider how the high court’s ruling and could affect the hush money case. He said he’ll rule Sept. 6. Manhattan prosecutors said Tuesday that they wouldn’t oppose putting off the sentencing for at least two weeks. (AP)
A shul and synagogue in Toronto were vandalized on Sunday in what police are calling “hate-motivated” attacks. The Pride of Israel Synagogue, which is conservative, and Kehillas Shaarei Torah were both targeted, with rocks thrown through their windows and stained glass panels shattered. The first incident occurred at the Pride of Israel Synagogue, where congregants arrived Sunday morning to find several windows broken and stones scattered on the bimah. The suspect, caught on security camera, was seen getting off a motorcycle and throwing rocks at the building before fleeing the area. The second incident occurred at Shaarei Torah, which has been targeted twice since April. A vandal threw a rock through a window, and the suspect was seen fleeing the area on a motorcycle. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said that the Hate Crime Unit is investigating both incidents, which are being treated as suspected hate-motivated offenses. The police have increased their presence in the targeted areas. The Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned the attacks, writing, “These two incidents come amid a dramatic upsurge in antisemitism in Canada, including many antisemitic shootings, firebombings, bomb threats, and vandalism attacks on Jewish institutions and businesses since October 7.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Joe Biden ‘s reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee reported raising $264 million in the year’s second quarter, an impressive haul that may help them calm fears within their own party about last week’s shaky debate performance. The total announced Tuesday includes $127 million collected during June alone, when the campaign says it took in more than $33 million on the day of the debate and in its aftermath. Biden also has $240 million in cash on hand, outpacing the $212 million it reported having last month. Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez called the totals “a testament to the committed and growing base of supporters standing firmly behind the president.” The announced totals come as Biden’s campaign continues to scramble to quell panic among some Democrats, who have questioned whether the president can win November’s election after a debate where he appeared raspy, trailed off and at times gave convoluted answers. Some of the campaign’s top leaders have held multiple calls since the debate, preaching patience to donors and top surrogates. Campaign officials nonetheless insist there’s been no discussion “whatsoever” of Biden exiting the race nor of any staff shakeups. Former President Donald Trump, who is set to accept the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention this month in Milwaukee, has yet to announce the quarterly fundraising totals for his campaign and affiliated entities. A spokesman said they would release them “when we’re ready.” Biden enjoyed a large fundraising advantage over Trump in the early stages of the race, but the former president has narrowed the gap more recently. In April, which is included in Tuesday’s full second quarter totals, Biden and the DNC reported raising more than $51 million. That was well short of the $76 million that Trump and the Republican Party reported taking in for that month. Trump also reported raising $141 million in May, padded by tens of millions of dollars in contributions that flowed in after Trump’s guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial. Biden’s most recent quarterly total was enhanced by a glitzy June fundraiser in Los Angeles that he held with superstars George Clooney and Julia Roberts and former President Barack Obama. That event took in more than $30 million, a record for a Democratic candidate. The president’s campaign said nearly half of the donations that came after the debate were from first-time donors. It said 95% of all second-quarter donations were under $200, and more than 1.5 million total donors made over 2.8 million contributions. The campaign said it now has a donor base of 314,000, or nearly 100,000 more than at the end of 2024’s first quarter in March. The Biden campaign has used its funds to help open 200-plus campaign offices in battleground states that work with state Democratic parties and have more than 1,000 staffers. Biden’s team said that coming out of the debate last weekend, the campaign staged 1,500 events across the battlegrounds. “Grassroots donors across the country are chipping in every day because they know that this election will determine the course of history,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said. (AP)
North Korea said Tuesday it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying “a super-large warhead,” a claim quickly disputed by South Korean officials and experts who speculate the North likely fabricated a successful test to conceal a botched launch. It’s the second time that South Korea has questioned North Korea’s claim on the development of new weapons in recent days, as the rivals are locked in heightened animosities over the North’s testing activities. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said that Monday’s test involved the Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 missile, which can carry a 4.5 ton-class warhead. It said the test was meant to verify the weapon’s flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) and the minimum range of 90 kilometers (55 miles). The test apparently refers to the two ballistic missile launches that South Korea said North Korea performed Monday. Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said at a briefing later Tuesday that the second North Korean missile was found to have fallen on an uninhabited area near Pyongyang, the North’s capital. He said he could find few previous test-launches by North Korea that have aimed at ground target sites. “Regarding the North Korean assessment, we’re weighing a possibility of deception,” Lee said. The South Korean military has said the second North Korean missile possibly traveled abnormally during the initial stage of its flight. It said if the missile exploded, its debris would likely have scattered on the ground. The KCNA dispatch didn’t say from where it launched the new missile and where it landed. Unlike previous weapons tests, North Korea also didn’t publicize any photos of Monday’s test. The fact that it tested both the missile’s maximum and minimum ranges suggested North Korea performed two launches. KCNA, citing North Korea’s Missile Administration, reported that North Korea will test-fire the missile again later in July to verify the performances of its simulated warhead at the medium range of 250 kilometers (155 miles). Some experts say test-firing missiles at ground targets could be related to efforts to test how powerful warheads are to destroy underground bunkers and structures. But Shin Jongwoo, a Seoul-based military expert, said the lack of any photos on the launches means it’s highly likely the North is trying to deceive the outsiders to cover up Monday’s failed launches. He said North Korea likely launched an existing missile on Monday, not the new missile at it claimed. Yang Uk, an analyst at Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said that Monday’s tests reflected North Korea’s push to acquire a variety of conventional weapons. But he also said if North Korea truly succeeded in hitting a ground target, it probably would have already published related images to brag about its achievements as it’s done in the past. Since 2022, North Korea has sharply accelerated weapons testing activities to enlarge its nuclear arsenal. The North Korea-claimed ranges of the newly tested missile imply it targets South Korea. Experts say North Korea would ultimately want to use an expanded weapons arsenal to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S. On June 26, North Korea launched what it called a new multiwarhead missile in the first known test of a developmental weapon aimed at penetrating its rivals’ missile defenses. […]
The mother of Noa Argamani, Liora Argamani, z’l, who was rescued from captivity in Gaza last month died on Tuesday morning at the age of 61 in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Liora’s death came after a three-year battle with brain cancer. After her daughter was abducted on October 7th, Liora tirelessly fought for her last wish – for her daughter to be released so she could reunite with her before her death. She wrote letters to US President Joe Biden and appeared on various media outlets. Sadly, by the time Noa was rescued, Liora was unable to communicate. However, family members and hospital staff believed that she understood that her daughter had returned home. Noa was able to stay at her mother’s side in the weeks before her death. One of the special forces officers who rescued Noa from Gaza later said that Noa’s first question was: “Is my mother still alive?” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Inflation in the United States is slowing again after higher readings earlier this year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, while adding that more such evidence would be needed before the Fed would cut interest rates. After some persistently high inflation reports at the start of 2024, Powell said, the data for April and May “do suggest we are getting back on a disinflationary path.” Speaking in a panel discussion at the European Central Bank’s monetary policy conference in Sintra, Portugal, Powell said Fed officials still want to see annual price growth slow further toward their 2% target before they would feel confident of having fully defeated high inflation. “We just want to understand that the levels that we’re seeing are a true reading of underlying inflation,” he added. On Friday, the government reported that consumer prices, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, were unchanged from April to May, the mildest such reading in more than four years. And compared with a year earlier, inflation dropped to just 2.6% in May, from 2.7% in April, the government said. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices also barely rose from April to May. On a year-over-year basis, core inflation fell to 2.6% from 2.8% in April. The latest inflation figures were a sharp improvement from early this year. In his appearance Tuesday, Powell said the U.S. economy and job market remain fundamentally healthy, which means the Fed can take its time in deciding when rate cuts are appropriate. Most economists think the Fed’s first rate cut will occur in September, with potentially another cut to follow by year’s end. The Fed chair also said the job market is “cooling off appropriately,” which likely means that it won’t heighten inflationary pressures through rapid wage gains. “It doesn’t look like it’s heating up or presenting a big problem for inflation going forward,” Powell said of the job market. “It looks like it’s doing just what you would want it to do, which is to cool off over time.” (AP)
Reb Yishai Engelman, a Rosh Mesivta in the hesder yeshivah in Ma’ale Adumim was seriously injured on Monday in Gaza. He is sedated and ventilated in the ICU at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva. His father, Rav Aharon Engelman, a Rav in the Ma’alot Yeshivah, asked for tefillos for his son, whom he said was injured by an explosive device. Please daven for a refuah sheleimah for Yishai ben Miriam b’toch sha’ar cholei Yisrael. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
