The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to develop a pandemic vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. The funds are targeted for release through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will pay for continued development of a vaccine that uses the same mRNA technology that allowed rapid development and rollout of vaccines to protect against COVID-19. The award was made through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a program that focuses on medical treatments for potential pandemics. Moderna will launch trials to test the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine that could be used to scale up a response to a bird flu pandemic, if needed. The H5N1 virus was detected earlier this year in dairy cows and has spread to more than 135 herds in 12 states and infected three people to date, all with mild cases. Federal health officials stress that the risk to the wider population remains low. (AP)
President Biden’s family is laying the blame for his poor debate performance squarely on his staff, according to reports. The family, including First Lady Jill Biden, children, and grandchildren, gathered at Camp David on Sunday to urge the President to stay in the race and keep fighting, despite his performance. Sources familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press that some family members criticized how Biden’s staff prepared him for the debate, saying they didn’t adequately prepare him to go on the attack and focus on his vision for the next four years. The family also complained that the staff allowed the President to become overworked without enough rest beforehand. Politico reported that the family’s criticism was directed specifically at senior adviser Anita Dunn, President’s attorney Bob Bauer, and former chief of staff Ron Klain, who ran point on debate prep. The family wanted the President to continue in the campaign rather than end his career with a poor debate performance against Donald Trump, whom they “all loathe.” Hunter Biden was one of the strongest voices encouraging his father to stay in the race, according to reports. The family believes the President is capable of serving another four years and is the best person to beat Trump. The President has been making calls with his inner circle to hear their thoughts on staying in the race and has scheduled a conference call with his national finance committee to address concerns from major donors. Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz defended the re-election staffers, saying, “The aides who prepped the President have been with him for years, often decades, seeing him through victories and challenges. He maintains strong confidence in them.” However, top Democratic donor John Morgan publicly blamed advisers Dunn, Klain, and Bauer for the debate performance, adding to the growing criticism of the President’s staff. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm on a path that would take it near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least four people. A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane watch for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Beryl was forecast to start losing intensity on Tuesday but still to be near major hurricane strength when it passes near Jamaica on Wednesday, the Cayman Islands on Thursday and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center warned that Beryl was expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, where officials warned residents in flood-prone areas to prepare for evacuation. “I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address late Monday. “It is, however, not a time to panic.” Beryl is the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic, fueled by record warm waters. Early Tuesday, the storm was located about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic. It had top winds of 165 mph (270 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 22 mph (35 kph). “Beryl remains an impressive Category 5 hurricane,” the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was in place for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As the storm barreled through the Caribbean Sea, rescue crews in the southeast Caribbean fanned out across the region to determine the extent of the damage that Hurricane Beryl inflicted after landing on Carriacou, an island in Grenada, as a Category 4 storm. Three people were reported killed in Grenada and Carriacou and another in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said. One fatality in Grenada occurred after a tree fell on a house, Kerryne James, minister of climate resilience, environment and renewable energy, told The Associated Press. She said the nearby islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique sustained the greatest damage, with water, food and baby formula a priority. An emergency team was expected to travel Tuesday morning to Carriacou, where Beryl flattened scores of homes and businesses. “The situation is grim,” Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told a news conference Tuesday. “There is no power, and there is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets.” Mitchell added: “The possibility that there may be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted.” Meanwhile, Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, promised to rebuild the archipelago in a statement early Tuesday. He noted that 90% of homes on Union Island were destroyed, and that “similar levels of devastation” were expected on the islands of Myreau and Canouan. The last strong hurricane to hit the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada. Grenadian resident Roy O’Neale, 77, recalled how he lost his home to Ivan and built back stronger, with his current home sustaining minimal damage from Hurricane […]
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. The announcement came as Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with Austin at the Pentagon. And it marks a strong response to pleas from Kyiv for help in battling Russian forces in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia had dropped more than 800 powerful glide bombs in Ukraine in the last week alone. And he urged national leaders to relax restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. In particular, he said Ukraine needs the “necessary means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, including Russian combat aircraft, wherever they are.” (AP)
Heartbreaking: A Kallah’s chasuna in Israel was called off due to a lack of funds. The father of the Kallah is very sick. The Kallah is now engaged again to another chosson, and Rabbanim have launched a campaign to help the family afford the chasuna and basic things. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
A stampede among thousands of people at a religious gathering in northern India killed at least 60 and left scores injured, officials said Tuesday, adding the toll could rise. Attendees had rushed to leave the makeshift tent following an event with Hindu figure Bhole Baba, local media reported. Video of the aftermath showed the structure appeared to have collapsed. Women wailed over the dead. Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with shoddy infrastructure and few safety measures. Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor in the stampede in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of the state capital, Lucknow. Initial reports suggested that over 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000. “People started falling one upon another, one upon another. Those who were crushed died. People there pulled them out,” witness Shakuntala Devi told the Press Trust of India news agency. Bodies were brought to hospitals and morgues by trucks and private vehicles, government official Matadin Saroj said. Government official Ashish Kumar told The Associated Press that at least 60 had reached mortuaries in the district. More than 150 people were admitted to hospitals, medical official Umesh Tripathi said. Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, called the stampede “extremely sad and heart-wrenching” in a post on social media platform X. He said authorities were investigating the cause. In 2013, pilgrims visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival in central Madhya Pradesh state trampled each other amid fears that a bridge would collapse. At least 115 were crushed to death or died in the river. In 2011, more than 100 Hindu devotees died in a crush at a religious festival in the southern state of Kerala. (AP)
The IDF announced that its troops located and demolished the largest Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket manufacturing site found to date in southern Gaza’s Rafah. The site, located in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, was raided by troops from the Commando Brigade, 401st Armored Brigade, and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit. According to the IDF, the underground facility was used by Islamic Jihad to manufacture rocket parts and long-range rockets, producing hundreds of projectiles in recent years. The site was identified as the terrorist organization’s largest rocket manufacturing hub in the Gaza Strip. During the raid, IDF commandos and elite combat engineers engaged in intense battles with gunmen both above and below ground. The military utilized drones and guided missiles to neutralize several Islamic Jihad operatives, ensuring the successful destruction of the site. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, long known for her hysterical outbursts, has threatened to bring articles of impeachment against the Supreme Court justices following Monday’s ruling granting former President Trump immunity from prosecution. The ruling stated that a president has absolute immunity for actions within their constitutional authority and presumptive immunity for official acts, sparking outrage among congressional Democrats. The Supreme Court’s ruling did not specify whether Trump’s alleged actions pertaining to charges he faces of attempting to subvert the 2020 election fell under his constitutional powers, leaving that determination to a lower court. “The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture. I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also blasted the ruling, vowing “aggressive oversight and legislative activity” to ensure the Supreme Court complies with the Constitution. “Today’s Supreme Court decision sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our nation,” Jeffries said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed the sentiment, writing on X, “This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracy. The very basis of our judicial system is that no one is above the law. Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the release of Shifa Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya from custody, calling it a “severe mistake and ethical failure.” Abu Salmiya was arrested in November for allegedly allowing Hamas to use the hospital as a center of operations. “This man, under whose responsibility our hostages were held and murdered, belongs in prison,” Netanyahu said. He has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the release, which he claims was made without the knowledge or approval of the political echelon or security agency heads. The investigation, to be led by Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, will present its findings to the Prime Minister on Tuesday. Netanyahu has also established an interagency body to review and approve the release of prisoners whose interrogation has been completed, comprising representatives from the Defense Ministry, IDF, Shin Bet, and National Security Council. Abu Salmiya was released Monday morning along with 55 other Palestinian detainees, sparking a blame game among ministers and senior security officials, each denying responsibility for the controversial move. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A man was wounded in a shooting attack at Mitzpeh Yosef, near the yishuv of Har Bracha in the Shomron early Tuesday afternoon. Paramedics administered emergency medical aid to the victim, who was shot in the upper half of his body, and evacuated him to the hospital in light condition. The IDF is investigating the possibility that he was shot by a Palestinian sniper who shot at the area from Shechem. Baruch Hashem, since the victim was shot from a distance, his injury is not life-threatening. A large number of IDF forces arrived in the area. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The IDF on Tuesday announced that two reserve soldiers were killed in the central Gaza Strip on Monday evening. The soldiers were identified as Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Elchanan Knoller, H’yd, 30, from Jerusalem who served as a platoon sergeant in the 121st Battalion of the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade, and Maj. (res.) Eyal Avnion, H’yd, from Hod Hasharon, who served as a deputy commander in the 121st Battalion of the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade. Eleven soldiers were injured in the incident, including one seriously, three moderately, and one lightly. Additionally, a soldier in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion was seriously wounded by anti-tank fire in Rafah in southern Gaza. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
An IDF soldier was killed and another soldier was seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded during a counterterrorism operation near Tulkarm on Monday morning, the IDF announced on Monday evening. The soldier was identified as Sgt. First Class (res.) Yehuda Geto, H’YD, 22, from Pardes Chana-Karkur. Geto, z’l, was driving an armored personnel carrier in Nur Shams, a Palestinian “refugee camp” near Tulkarm, when a large bomb exploded. Kan News reported that an initial investigation showed that the road they were traveling on had not been “scraped” by armored bulldozers to uncover hidden explosives, contrary to regulations. The IDF said that there was no suspicion that there were hidden explosives on the route they were traveling on. The charge, which was activated remotely, was improvised and contained dozens of kilograms of explosives. Islamic Jihad later claimed responsibility for the attack. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Current and former White House aides are still shocked over President Joe Biden’s performance during Thursday’s debate, leading some to question whether he could fulfill a second term. Aides have carefully shielded Biden from people inside and outside the White House since the beginning of his presidency, which has resulted in intermittent access and a lack of awareness about his abilities – but nothing could shield them from his performance at the debate. Chandler West, the White House’s former deputy director of photography, wrote on Instagram, “It’s time for Joe to go… They will say he has a ‘cold’ or just experienced a ‘bad night,’ but for weeks and months, in private, they have all said what we saw last night — Joe is not as strong as he was just a couple of years ago.” Biden’s closest aides, including Jill Biden’s top aide Anthony Bernal and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, have taken additional steps to limit access to the president, even from White House residence staff. This has led to a sense of division and concern among staff members, according to Axios. Jill Biden was “so protective of the president, and then Anthony [Bernal] just protects her, and they often wouldn’t let us do anything for them,” one former official said. “The separation between the family and the residence staff was so big, so divided,” the official added. “It’s not supposed to be and usually isn’t, even in the Trump White House.” The White House has acknowledged Biden had a bad night during the debate but attributed it to a cold. However, some aides and former staff members have expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to serve a second term, citing his obvious decline in strength and ability. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates defended Biden, saying, “President Biden fights hard for families every day, working with a wide range of team members at what he is proud is the most diverse White House ever – and achieving historic results for the American people because of his determination, values, and experience.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
HaRav Tzvi Kushelevsky, who earlier this year was zocheh to his first child at the age of 88, spoke with Yaakov Langer of Inspiration For the Nation together with his Rebbetzin. The couple spoke about the incredible neis they experienced and the Rosh Yeshivah’s steadfast emunah over decades that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would grant him a child. As HaRav Kushelesky said, he never doubted for a moment that Hashem would grant him a baby and all the years of waiting were for his good and Hashem was doing everything l’tovah. During the interview, Rav Kushelevsky said that after the baby was born, he saw the shechina on the baby’s face. Even the secular nurses remarked about the glow of the baby’s face. The head nurse said, “I’ve been doing this for decades and I’ve never seen such light on a baby’s face.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
How much are talmidim capable of? A group of young bochurim had the privilege of meeting this week with two esteemed Roshei Yeshiva, where they demonstrated their astounding accomplishments in Torah learning. The 13-14 year old boys had just completed two years of learning in Mechina L’Mesivta of Crown Heights, under the leadership of Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf. Geared toward advanced learners, the small 7th and 8th program offers students an opportunity to learn on a much higher level than usual, quantitatively and qualitatively. Over the course of these two years, the talmidim had learned thoroughly: the entire Masechtos Gittin, Bava Basra and Sota; the whole Seder Noshim and Seder Nezikin of Mishnayos; all of Chumash Vayikra with Rashi; half of the Simanim in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch; 42 Perakim of Tanya and two volumes of Likkutei Sichos. On Thursday, 21 Sivan, the bochurim were received by Rosh Yeshiva of BMG and member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, Rav Yerucham Olshin Shlit”a, as well as by the Rosh Yeshiva of YU and Av Beis Din of the RCA, Rav Mordechai Willig Shlit”a. They were farhered by each on the entire Masechta Bava Basra and Masechta Gittin. The talmidim were joined by their Maggid Shiur for both Masechtos, Rabbi Chaim Polter. Both Roshei Yeshiva were extremely impressed by the boys’ knowledge. Most of the talmidim could immediately identify the exact Daf and Amud any few words came from. “I’ve never seen anything like this!” Rav Willig exclaimed. Rav Olshin praised the “budding talmidei chachomim.” A special thank you is due to the Roshei Yeshiva Shlit”a, Rav Yehoshua Olshin Shlit”a for coordinating the test with Rav Yerucham, and all the others who were involved in coordinating the tests.
The Knesset’s Labor and Welfare Committee held a discussion on Monday on denying the National Insurance budgets to a child who is in prison for a terror offense. During the discussion, the members of the committee were amazed to hear that, absurdly, the Supreme Court overruled a similar law because the judges refused to deprive the budget of a child accused of terrorism and even serving in prison. Chairman of the committee, MK Israel Eichler, sardonically stated: “For now, the Knesset has the right to enact laws as it sees fit, as the messengers of the public. It is true that the Supreme Court later invalidates the laws of the Knesset members but in the meantime, it doesn’t prevent them from enacting laws. Indeed, it’s impossible to know how long it will be until the Supreme Court also denies the right to legislate.” He then commented on the Supreme Court’s hypocrisy: “I am amazed to hear that the Supreme Court does not allow interference in the denial of allowances of terrorist children but allows the denial of aid allowances and budgets for children whose father’s great sin is that he studies Torah, and for this reason, it is permissible to deny them education budgets, yeshiva budgets, and who knows what else.” He added: “On the one hand, Supreme Court judges protect the children of terrorists, and on the other hand they deny daycare subsidies to the children of Chareidi working mothers for the ‘sin’ of the father’s limud torah. This is incomparable wickedness and disgrace. It is appropriate that all citizens of the country see this shocking hypocrisy.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The Supreme Court on Monday kept a hold on efforts in Texas and Florida to limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The justices returned the cases to lower courts in challenges from trade associations for the companies. While the details vary, both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political right. The cases are among several this term in which the justices are wrestling with standards for free speech in the digital age. The Florida and Texas laws were signed by Republican governors in the months following decisions by Facebook and Twitter, now X, to cut then-President Donald Trump off over his posts related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Trade associations representing the companies sued in federal court, claiming that the laws violated the platforms’ speech rights. One federal appeals court struck down Florida’s statute, while another upheld the Texas law. But both were on hold pending the outcome at the Supreme Court. In a statement when he signed the Florida measure into law, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it would be “protection against the Silicon Valley elites.” When Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas law, he said it was needed to protect free speech in what he termed the new public square. Social media platforms “are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas,” Abbott said. “That is wrong, and we will not allow it in Texas.” But much has changed since then. Elon Musk purchased Twitter and, besides changing its name, eliminated teams focused on content moderation, welcomed back many users previously banned for hate speech and used the site to spread conspiracy theories. President Joe Biden’s administration sided with the challengers, though it cautioned the court to seek a narrow ruling that maintained governments’ ability to impose regulations to ensure competition, preserve data privacy and protect consumer interests. Lawyers for Trump filed a brief in the Florida case that had urged the Supreme Court to uphold the state law. The cases are among several the justices have grappled with over the past year involving social media platforms, including one decided last week in which the court threw out a lawsuit from Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing federal officials of pressuring social media companies to silence conservative points of view. During arguments in February, the justices seemed inclined to prevent the laws from taking effect. Several justices suggested then that they viewed the platforms as akin to newspapers that have broad free-speech protections, rather than like telephone companies, known as common carriers, that are susceptible to broader regulation. But two justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, appeared more ready to embrace the states’ arguments. Thomas raised the idea that the companies are seeking constitutional protection for “censoring other speech.” Alito also equated the platforms’ content moderation to censorship. The justices also worried about too broad a ruling that might affect businesses that are not the primary targets of the laws, including e-commerce sites like Uber and Etsy and email and […]
The U.S. military has raised the security protection measures it is taking at its bases throughout Europe, asking service members to be more vigilant and keep a lower profile due to a combination of threats it is seeing across the region. U.S. European Command said in a statement Sunday that a “variety of factors play into the safety of U.S. military community abroad.” Increasing the threat level to Charlie, the second-highest of five levels for service members, is the result of a combination of events occurring across Europe, including elections in France and the U.K., the upcoming Olympics and other major sporting events, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details. But they said they were unaware of any specific threat. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh would not say Monday whether bases in the Middle East, Africa or the Indo-Pacific were at similar increased force protection levels. However, one of the officials said that many of those bases, especially bases throughout the Middle East and Africa, already maintain higher security levels. Force protection Charlie is instituted “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.” The highest of the five levels is Delta, which applies where a terrorist attack has occurred or when intelligence indicates terrorist action against a person or place is imminent, followed by Charlie, Bravo, Alpha and Normal, the minimum level. Raising the threat level to Charlie means additional security measures will be in place at U.S. military installations, but it’s up to each commander’s discretion to determine what those measures are. It also means service members and their families who are living in each community should be more aware of their surroundings and maintain a lower profile, one of the officials said. (AP)
Tens of thousands of people attended the Levaya of the Kossover Rebbe ZT”L, who was Niftar on Shabbos morning. A levaya was first held in Boro Park on Sunday afternoon, followed by a massive Levaya at the Vishnitzer Bais Hamedrash in Monsey. The following videos and photos are via YWN affiliate Monsey Scoop, which was covering the Levaya in live time.
