WATCH: Carriages for President Trump, First Lady and Their Majesties arrive at Windsor Castle in a remarkable welcome for the unprecedented second state visit of President Donald J. Trump.
With the Federal Reserve widely expected Wednesday to reduce its key interest rate by a quarter-point to about 4.1%, economists and Wall Street investors will be looking for signals about next steps: How deeply might the Fed cut in the next few months? There are typically two different approaches the central bank takes to lowering borrowing costs: Either a measured pace that reflects a modest adjustment to its key rate, or a much more rapid set of cuts as the economy deteriorates in an often-doomed effort to stave off recession. For now, most economists expect it will take the first approach: What many analysts call a “recalibration” of rates to keep the economy growing and businesses hiring. Under this view, the Fed would reduce rates as many as five times by the middle of next year, bringing its rate closer to a level that neither stimulates or slows the economy. Wall Street traders expect three reductions this year and then two more by next June, according to futures pricing tracked by CME Fedwatch. A rate cut Wednesday would be the first in nine months. The Fed, led by Chair Jerome Powell, reduced borrowing costs three times last year. But it then put any further cuts on hold to evaluate the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on the economy. As recently as their last meeting in late July, Powell described the job market as “solid” and kept rates unchanged as officials sought to take more time to see how the economy evolved. Since then, however, the government has reported a sharp slowdown in hiring, and previous government data has been revised much lower. Employers actually cut back slightly on their payrolls in June, shedding 13,000 jobs, and added just 22,000 in August. The government also said last week that its estimate of job gains for the year ended in March 2025 would likely be revised down by 911,000, a sharp reduction in total employment. Powell and other Fed officials had previously pointed to a robust job market as a key reason that they could afford to keep rates unchanged. But with businesses pulling back on hiring, the economic case for a rate cut — which can spur more borrowing and spending — is stronger. The downward revision of nearly a million jobs is a “huge downgrade,” said Talley Leger, chief market strategist at the Wealth Consulting Group. “If that doesn’t light a fire under the Fed just from an economic perspective I don’t know what will.” Still, inflation remains stubbornly elevated, partly because tariffs have lifted the cost of some goods, such as furniture, appliances and food. Prices rose 2.9% in August from a year earlier, the government said last week, up from 2.7% a month earlier. Persistent inflation could keep the Fed from cutting too rapidly. The central bank will release its quarterly economic projections after the meeting Wednesday, and many economists forecast they will show that officials expect three total reductions this year and at least two more next year. Five reductions would bring the Fed’s key rate down to just above 3%. Many economists think that is roughly the rate that would neither stimulate nor slow the economy. If Fed officials began to worry the economy would slip into recession, they would likely cut rates more […]
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has opened a commanding 21-point lead in New York City’s mayoral race, according to a new Marist University poll released Tuesday — cementing his position as the frontrunner just weeks before Election Day. The 33-year-old Queens assemblyman captured 45 percent of likely voters in the four-way contest, compared to 24 percent for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 17 percent for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and just 9 percent for incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Five percent remain undecided. Mamdani’s surge has been fueled by a dramatic shift among Black voters, who were largely with Cuomo during the June Democratic primary. In the general election, 47 percent now back Mamdani, compared to 26 percent for Cuomo, 11 percent for Adams and 5 percent for Sliwa. Even if Adams were to drop out, Mamdani would still hold a double-digit edge, leading Cuomo 46 percent to 30 percent, with Sliwa at 18 percent. In a head-to-head matchup, Mamdani’s advantage narrows to 10 points — 49 percent to Cuomo’s 39 percent — as Sliwa voters shift toward the former governor. The poll shows Mamdani’s dominance among young and progressive voters. Sixty-two percent of voters under 45 support him — a nearly 50-point advantage over Cuomo. Among very liberal voters, Mamdani commands an overwhelming 86 percent, while moderates break for Cuomo, 35 to 31 percent. Sliwa maintains strength among conservatives, drawing 42 percent to Cuomo’s 24 percent, Adams’ 16 percent and Mamdani’s 14 percent. Still, Mamdani leads across every major demographic: he wins 51 percent of nonwhite voters overall, 39 percent of white voters, and a majority of Latinos at 52 percent. Jewish voters remain split between Mamdani and Cuomo at 35 percent each. Mamdani also leads in every borough, including a 33-point edge in Brooklyn, the city’s largest. Pollster Lee Miringoff, who directed the survey, said Mamdani’s momentum is reinforced by a clear likeability advantage. Fifty-two percent of likely voters view him favorably, compared to 40 percent unfavorably. Cuomo, meanwhile, is underwater at 39 percent favorable and 59 percent unfavorable. Adams fares worse, with 68 percent viewing him negatively, while Sliwa is at 51 percent unfavorable. “Mamdani is running up the score,” Miringoff said. “It’s getting late early.” Cuomo has tried to blunt Mamdani’s rise by hammering his opponent’s support for the anti-Israel movement. But the attacks have yet to peel away voters beyond a divided Jewish electorate. Miringoff said Cuomo may need to highlight his progressive record to break into Mamdani’s stronghold with younger and liberal voters. With debates looming ahead of the Nov. 4 election, Cuomo and other rivals will have limited opportunities to alter the trajectory of the race. Guardian Angels founder Sliwa has vowed to stay in despite calls from President Trump to step aside and consolidate opposition to Mamdani. For now, a solid majority of New Yorkers — 63 percent — say they expect Mamdani to be the city’s next mayor. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
London witnessed a remarkable display of kavod haTorah this week as Gedolei Eretz Yisroel traveled to the city to bolster support for Keren Olam HaTorah — the fund established to sustain the budgets of yeshivos and kollelim in Eretz Yisroel, following the devastating cuts imposed by the Israeli High Court. Among those who undertook this special journey were Harav Dov Landau, Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Harav Yaakov Hillel, Harav Avraham Salim, Harav Shimon Galay, Harav Dovid Cohen, and Harav Nisan Kaplan, shlit”a. The delegation began their mission with a distinguished gathering at the home of the French philanthropist R’ Paul Basnino. Many benefactors traveled from France especially to participate, underscoring the broad international scope of this campaign. At the event, Harav Dov Landau shlit”a opened with powerful words: “This historic endeavor, Keren Olam HaTorah, has succeeded with siyata dishmaya in upholding the yeshivos and kollelim in Eretz Yisroel. You know well that everything is being conducted in the most proper manner. And now we come with a heartfelt plea: continue to strengthen Keren Olam HaTorah for the sake of the lomdei Torah.” His words concluded with a heartfelt call: “Ana sh’moru al lomdei haTorah — Please, protect those who learn Torah.” Following him, Harav Avraham Salim shlit”a emphasized the zechus of joining in this endeavor: “Chazal teach us that Torah, Eretz Yisroel, and Olam Haba are acquired through suffering. Now you have the opportunity to be zocheh to all three together — by partnering in the support of Torah in Eretz Yisroel, the highest level of all.” Later, a gathering was hosted at the home of R’ Yisroel Ples, where Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a addressed the gathering, speaking passionately about the unparalleled privilege of mesirus nefesh for Torah. The evening concluded with the entire assemblage singing stirring zemiros of preparation for the Yomim Nora’im. Further events were held throughout the day. At the home of R’ Dovid Halpern, Harav Dovid Cohen shlit”a delivered divrei chizuk, while the gedolim spoke privately with prominent baalei batim about the extraordinary zechus of supporting lomdei torah in Eretz Yisroel. The highlight of the day was a grand dinner at the Pillar Hotel b’hishtatfus Harav Avrohom Gurwicz shlit’a, Rosh Yeshivas Gateshead, with hundreds of leading philanthropists from across London in attendance. The campaign in London was not limited to the philanthropists alone. Thousands of children from across the city gathered for a massive atzeres tefillah on behalf of the lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel. The gedolim led the tefillos, reciting kapitlach Tehillim with the tzibbur. Harav Dov Landau shlit”a addressed the gathering, highlighting the unique capacity of tinokos shel beis rabban to sense the mesikus hatorah. Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a then told the assembled: “Our entire tachlis in this world is to give kavod to HaKadosh Baruch Hu — through heartfelt tefillah, through each word spoken as befitting a ben Torah, and above all, through constant hasmodah in Torah learning.” The event concluded with brachos from the gedolim to the children for a shana tova u’mesukah. Additional gatherings were hosted by renowned philanthropists including R’ Binyomin and R’ Shlomo Frischwasser, R’ Gabi Ackerman, and R’ Mordechai Landau of Stamford Hill. At each venue, significant commitments were made toward the continued success of Keren Olam HaTorah. The gedolim departed London on Tuesday, returning to […]
More than three-quarters of Jewish students worldwide say they conceal their identity on campus as antisemitism continues to surge in higher education, according to a new global survey. The study — conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) during the 2024–2025 academic year — surveyed 1,727 students in more than 60 countries. It found that 78 percent of Jewish students hide their religious identity and 81 percent conceal their Zionist identity in academic settings. The findings underscore an escalating climate of fear and intimidation since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war. Other recent surveys have reported similar trends: B’nai B’rith International and the European Union of Jewish Students documented a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe, while ADL data shows 83 percent of Jewish students in the U.S. have personally experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the war began. “We are distressed and disappointed by the results of this survey, but not at all surprised,” WUJS president Josh Cohen said. “Since October 7th, Jewish students around the world have been speaking to the rise in antisemitism and ostracization in their regions. This survey only further highlights how striking the treatment of Jewish students is on campus.” One in three respondents said they knew Jewish peers who had been physically threatened, and nearly one in five knew peers who were physically attacked. Orthodox Jewish students reported twice the rate of discrimination compared to others, and Jewish women were more likely than men to conceal their identity. Nearly a third of students reported discrimination from classmates, while 9 percent said they faced it from professors or other university staff. At the University of Vienna, one Jewish Studies student recalled canceling a seminar after rumors circulated that protesters from an “Intifada Camp” on campus might confront “Zionists.” “For a moment, I felt like it was the 1930s, and Jewish students were being chased from their universities,” she said. The report urges universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, designate coordinators to address discrimination, and implement campus climate research, peer training, and clearer accommodation policies for religious observances. “This survey exposes a devastating reality: Jewish students across the globe are being forced to hide fundamental aspects of their identity just to feel safe on campus,” said Marina Rosenberg, ADL senior vice president of international affairs. “When over three-quarters of Jewish students feel they must conceal their religious and Zionist identity for their own safety, the situation is nothing short of dire.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Oded Ailan, a former senior official in the Mossad, spoke to Arutz Sheva about the two-faced “empire of Qatar.” “Qatar has developed a unique formula—almost like a global start-up—comparable to Charlie Chaplin sending a boy to break windows and then coming to fix them,” Ailam told Arutz Sheva-Israel National News. “They created a model that enables Qatar to be a dominant player on the world stage. Today Qatar is a diplomatic, economic, and media empire, deliberately built to become a central actor internationally.” Ailaam noted that Qarar’s formula has been extremely successful. “Qatar now mediates between the Taliban and the Americans, Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria, in Nigeria, and elsewhere. Qatar is the middleman – and the mediator always profits in influence, visibility, and power. It’s no coincidence they hosted the World Cup and now aspire to host the 2036 Olympics. They receive prestige and status as global peacemakers.” But the “global peacemakers” have been sponsoring terror groups for decades. “From al-Qaeda to ISIS to Hamas—all have benefited from Qatari support,” Ailan said. “In 2012, Syria expelled Hamas leaders, who then moved to Qatar, where they have lived in five-star conditions. Since then, Qatar has transferred some $1.8 billion to Hamas, money that built the terrorist organization. Qatar is the patron of Hamas’ agenda, with Al Jazeera serving as its mouthpiece.” “They are buying Europe,” Ailam noted. “They purchase anything that could provide leverage—real estate, corporations, football clubs. Reports say they own a third of London’s skyscrapers. They own part of the Empire State Building, a US symbol. Their airline is among the best in the world. And they have developed a very ‘interesting’ branch of buying politicians—by any means necessary, including cryptocurrency.” “Politicians have been caught, and some are on trial, in France and elsewhere. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. A whole system has been operating for years, with direct influence inside EU decision-making.” “Israel was somewhat enchanted by the Qatari charm offensive, and now we see the results,” Ailam warned, noting the current “Qatargate” scandal. “Our systems allowed this false dance to continue, permitting Qatar to pose as an honest broker when it is neither. Hostage releases came not from Qatari initiatives but from Israeli military pressure. Moreover, the hardest-line negotiators sit in Qatar, not Gaza. They harden positions—the opposite of what should have happened if Qatar really wielded moderating influence. There is reason to suspect Qatar itself is pushing intransigence.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years, saying that the independence it once had to speak up on social issues has been stifled by parent company Unilever. In a letter that co-founder Ben Cohen posted on social media platform X on Greenfield’s behalf, Greenfield said that he felt the independence the brand had to speak on social issues and events was lost to Unilever. “For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world,” he wrote. “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company’s governance structure in perpetuity. It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.” Greenfield said that the loss of independence was coming “at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.” “Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he said. “It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.” Greenfield noted that Ben & Jerry’s, famous for its colorful ice cream containers with names such as Cherry Garcia and Phish Food, “was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world.” A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company said in a statement on Wednesday that it would be forever grateful to Greenfield for his contributions to Ben & Jerry’s and thanked him for his service, but was not aligned with his viewpoint. “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” the spokesperson said. Magnum said that it is still committed to Ben & Jerry’s mission and remains “focused on carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much-loved brand.” Ben & Jerry’s has been at odds with Unilever for a while. In March Ben & Jerry’s said that its CEO was unlawfully removed by Unilever in retaliation for the ice cream maker’s social and political activism. In a federal court filing, Ben & Jerry’s said that Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever. Ben & Jerry’s said that violated its merger agreement with Unilever, which states that any decisions regarding a CEO’s removal must come after a consultation with an advisory committee from Ben & Jerry’s board. London-based Unilever said in a statement at the time that it hoped Ben & Jerry’s board would engage in the agreed-upon process. Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 for $326 million. […]
President Donald Trump was greeted by royalty, military honor guards and mounted troops in red and gold as he arrived at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for the start of a two-day state visit to Britain as the guest of King Charles III Prince William and his wife Catherine met the president’s Marine One helicopter as it landed in the private Walled Garden on the vast castle estate, walking the president and first lady Melania Trump over to be greeted by the king and Queen Camilla. The guests traveled to the castle in a procession of horse-drawn carriages, past ranks of soldiers, sailors and aviators, as military bands played the U.S. and British national anthems. The king and president chatted in the Irish State Coach during the short journey. The day of royal pageantry on the president’s unprecedented second state visit to Britain is, the British hosts stressed, on an unprecedented scale. It includes some 120 horses and 1,300 troops, including the largest guard of honor in living memory. It’s a spectacle with a purpose: to bolster ties with a world leader known for a love of bling at a time when his America First policies are putting pressure on trade and security arrangements globally. Trump arrived in London late Tuesday and said he loved being back in the United Kingdom, calling it a “very special place.” Asked if he had a message for Charles, he said the king was a longtime friend of his and well-respected. The backdrop for day one is Windsor Castle, an almost 1,000-year-old royal residence with gilded interiors, crenelated towers and priceless artworks. A gigantic royal standard, the flag used for official celebration days, flew from the castle’s Royal Tower as the king and queen prepared for the Trumps to arrive by helicopter from London, where they spent Tuesday night at the U.S. ambassador’s residence. The prospect of a visit to the castle has seemed to enchant Trump, who ditched his trademark bluster and described the invitation as “a great, great honor.” “I think that also is why he seems so visibly excited about the second meeting, because it isn’t an invitation given to (just) anyone,” said George Gross, an expert on the British monarchy at King’s College London. From pomp to politics After a day of royal pomp, Trump will hold talks Thursday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will tout a new U.K.-U.S. technology deal. The British government hopes the deal, and billions in investment from U.S. tech firms, will help show that the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO. Starmer also hopes to avoid awkward questions about Jeffrey Epstein. Days before the state visit, Starmer fired Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, over the envoy’s past friendship with him. On Tuesday, the campaign group Led By Donkeys projected an image of Trump and Epstein on a tower at Windsor Castle, a reminder of the president’s relationship with the disgraced financier. Police said they arrested four people over the stunt. While Britain’s royals long ago gave up political power, their history, tradition and celebrity give them a cachet that means presidents and prime ministers covet an invitation to join them. That makes the invitations, handed out at the request of the elected government, a powerful tool to reward friends and wring concessions out of reluctant allies. State banquet […]
Germany warned Iran on Wednesday it had “yet to take the reasonable and precise actions” needed to stop the return of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program. The comment from the German Foreign Ministry came after a call Iran had Wednesday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union’s top diplomat. Iran had no immediate comment on the call. The process, termed a “snapback” by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, was designed to be veto-proof at the U.N. It will take effect at the end of September unless the U.N. Security Council agrees to stop it. It will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures, further squeezing the country’s reeling economy. Using the “snapback mechanism” will likely heighten tensions between Iran and the West in a region still burning over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, particularly after Israel began its ground offensive targeting Gaza City. (AP)
The widow of Alexei Navalny said Wednesday that two independent labs have found that her husband was poisoned shortly before his death in a Russian prison. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died in the Arctic penal colony in February 2024. He was serving a 19-year sentence that he believed to be politically motivated. Authorities said that the politician became ill after a walk but have otherwise given few details on his death. He was 47. In a video released Wednesday, Yulia Navalnaya said that biological samples from Navalny’s body had been taken out of Russia and tested at two laboratories abroad. She said that both laboratories concluded that Navalny had been poisoned, but had not released their findings due to “political considerations.” She did not provide proof or elaborate on what the alleged poison was. “These labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion: Alexei was killed. More specifically, he was poisoned,” Navalnaya said in the video, which was posted on social media. In the clip, she questioned the lack of video footage from the prison and showed images purported to be of Navalny’s cell on the day of his death showing vomit on the floor. She did not provide direct proof that Navalny had been poisoned or that it had been carried out by prison authorities. “I demand that the laboratories that conducted the research publish their results,” she said. “Stop appeasing Putin for some higher ‘considerations.’ You cannot placate him. While you stay silent, he does not stop,” Navalnaya said. Navalnaya has repeatedly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death, something Russian officials have vehemently denied. In a press conference Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was not aware of Navalnaya’s statement and said that he could not comment. Navalnaya said in August 2024 that she was told by Russian investigators that Navalny died from a combination of “a dozen different diseases” and that he finally succumbed to arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. Navalnaya disputed Russian officials’ version of events and said her husband exhibited no instances of heart disease while alive. Navalny previously suffered from another poisoning in 2020, when the opposition leader fell sick on an internal flight in Russia. He was flown to Berlin while still in a coma for treatment two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent. Russian authorities have denied any involvement in the incident, a claim that Navalny challenged as false. (AP)
The head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar-Kalifa, appeared on Wednesday morning at a meeting of the Knesset’s State Control Committee and said the current wave of arrests of bnei yeshivos is ineffective, harms the IDF, and is a massive waste of resources. “We all hear about the radicalization of the Chareidim, and the protests are draining a great deal of our strength,” Bar-Kalifa said. “Enforcement actions are increasing, and we expect a rise in arrests, which will intensify with the departures to Uman.” He explained that “these arrests bring people into detention centers, and they aren’t drafted because we have loopholes the size of gates in the fence: there are psychiatrists and an army of lawyers who arrange what’s called an exemption. So instead of blocking routes in Gaza, we’re investing all our resources and achieving nothing.” He added that police resources are also being wasted in enforcing disruptions caused by the arrests. “As part of enforcement efforts, we can be called to a demonstration at a building over chillul kevarim where 20 ‘draft-dodgers’ were arrested, and then we have protests blocking roads. This greatly disturbs the Israel Police, and they know that the 20 people we arrested now will lead to roadblocks for several days. The police asked us to mobilize seven Border Police reserve companies.” On the penalties for detainees, he said, “Someone who is a prosecution-classified draft evader for over 540 days is tried and detained. His sanction can be incarceration for months. Some have been arrested and jailed for months. When we arrest someone who is not a prosecution-classified evader, he will be tried by a disciplinary officer for up to 20 days. Then he is released, and if he didn’t manage to obtain the exemption while behind bars, he will get it afterwards—with an ‘army of lawyers and an army of psychiatrists’ operating over our heads.” Bar-Kalifa added that enforcement is only one component of the required response and that individual cases must be addressed. “Whoever chooses to travel to Uman or pass through the Taba Crossing will be arrested. But that’s a drop in the ocean and won’t produce the numbers we want. We need to invest millions in bases adapted for Chareidim and sit down to arrange that people will meet either recruitment, or service, or some contribution, or a convincing sanction. We don’t want arrests. We want soldiers.” Despite his points, Khalifa added that “we will continue to enforce and coordinate with the authorities.” What he failed to say is that despite the infringement on the religious rights of Chareidim, the chaos, waste of resources, and division the arrests are causing, the IDF is forced to continue the enforcement operation due to the order of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and the Supreme Court, the only real authorities in Israel. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Two disturbing anti-Israel incidents at Italian universities on Tuesday drew national attention amid an alarming rise of antisemitism across Europe, Ynet reported. A violent incident took place at the University of Pisa, where dozens of pro-Hamas rioters holding Palestinian flags and shouting anti-Israel epithets stormed a lecture by Prof. Rino Casella, a non-Jew whom they had labeled a “Zionist.” A student who tried to push the protestors out was beaten. Casella then tried to intervene and was also beaten. He was later hospitalized with head injuries and bruises. “They barged in—young men and women, basically fascists—and demanded I stop teaching,” Casella told Corriere della Sera. “One grabbed my microphone, and another took the book I was holding and threw it to the ground. Why? Because the book had a small American flag on it. He shouted that I was a ‘dirty imperialist.’” “I intervened when they hit one of my students and was punched hard in the face,” he said, noting he would need a week to recover. Terrified students phoned the police, but Casella asked officers not to enter the classroom, fearing it would set a troubling precedent. Casella noted that he is not Jewish but believes he was targeted for opposing the university’s recent decision to sever ties with Israel. Flyers circulated against him branded him a “Zionist.” Casella said refusing to denounce Israel was enough for activists to accuse him of “genocide.” “I don’t think Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide,” he said. “And I don’t consider ‘Zionist’ an insult.” A second incident occurred the same day at the Polytechnic University of Turin, where Israeli Prof. Pini Zorea of Braude College of Engineering in Karmiel had been invited to teach a course. Pro-Hamas rioters disrupted his class, accusing him of enabling Israeli “apartheid” via facial-recognition technology. Zorea responded to the protesters calmly, acknowledging his past IDF service and describing the army as “the purest in the world.” The remark triggered an uproar, with students accusing him of justifying violence. Zorea stressed that his lecture was unrelated to the war and defended the IDF as acting “professionally and with restraint.” When activists shouted “Free Palestine,” he replied, “I want Palestine free as well—free of Hamas.” Within hours, Polytechnic Rector Stefano Cornietti suspended Zorea, declaring, “As soon as I heard these unacceptable statements, I immediately ended the cooperation with the lecturer. The Polytechnic has always condemned all violence in this war and the ongoing slaughter of civilians in Gaza.” The incidents follow a politically tainted decision by faculty at the University of Florence to delay the start of the academic year in solidarity with Palestinians and in protest of “Israeli genocide.” Several Jewish faculty members expressed grave concerns about the move. Weeks earlier, a professor at the University of Palermo caused a furor after urging his followers on Facebook to “unfriend all Jews you know—even the good ones, because they are the worst, collaborators.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A dramatic scene occurred in the northern city of Rechasim on Tuesday evening after traffic police summoned the military police to arrest a yeshivah bochur. After the traffic police stopped the bochur and discovered he was classified as a “draft dodger,” they detained him and summoned military police. A “Code Black” alert was immediately issued on dedicated information lines, warning of an imminent arrest, and hordes of Chareidi protesters immediately flocked to the site and prevented the arrest. Shas MK Michael Malchieli on Tuesday slammed the IDF’s arrest of a Chareidi high school student at Ben Gurion Airport as she was on her way to her brother’s wedding in France. Speaking in an interview with Radio Kol B’Ramah, Malchieli said, “The girl who was arrested did everything properly and submitted the necessary documents. The IDF needs to investigate how this happened. Due to a technical error by the IDF, she was detained in handcuffs as if she was a drug dealer.” Malchieli also referred to the reports that the IDF is targeting Sephardim. “The IDF arrests Sephardim because it views them as weak, as a community that won’t withstand pressure. They are making a grave mistake. They will see that this is a strong tzibur that cleaves to its emunah and Rabbanim.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
TUCKER CONTINUES: “Epstein was in the news and it was clear to me that, you know, Epstein’s probably not like a Mossad agent or something, but Epstein clearly had contact with Israeli intelligence and American intelligence and French intelligence.” Goes on to say that Prime Minister made the death of Charlie Kirk all about himself.
Tesla under investigation after parents say faulty door handles trapped their kids in the back Federal auto safety regulators opened an investigation Tuesday into possible defects in Tesla doors that have reportedly left parents with children trapped in the back seat and forced to break windows to get them out. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the preliminary probe is focused on 2021 Tesla Model Ys after receiving nine reports of electronic door handles not working possibly due to low battery voltage. The company run by billionaire Elon Musk has installed manual door releases inside the vehicles but NHTSA noted that a child may not be able to reach or know how to operate the releases. In four cases, the parents had to break the windows to get inside. The investigation into Tesla’s most popular model comes after numerous reported incidents in recent years of other problems with opening Tesla doors, sometime trapping drivers in burning vehicles after accidents and a loss of power.
“When you hear speech you disagree with, the answer to that is more speech, not violence.” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro condemned political violence in the wake of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last Wednesday.
As the war erupted, Israel quietly launched one of the most daring operations in Mossad’s history. According to a new report, the agency deployed roughly 100 foreign agents inside Iran, entrusted with crippling Tehran’s most advanced missile launchers and air defense systems. The agents — none of them Israeli — had been trained in secret for months to operate sophisticated missile platforms weighing hundreds of kilograms. Smuggled piece by piece into Iran and assembled under the nose of the regime’s security apparatus, the weapons were turned against Iran’s own ballistic missile infrastructure and anti-aircraft batteries.
Continuing his father’s tradition, Rishon L’Tzion HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, head of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas traveled by helicopter to Selichos gatherings across the country in order to be able to attend multiple cities in a single evening.
