The IAF conducted strikes in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah’s command capabilities. The strikes eliminated Riyad Reda Ghazzawi, a commander in the Radwan Force’s anti-tank unit, along with another commander responsible for weapons transfers.
It’s the election that no one could have foreseen. Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in anger at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26. At the same time, Kamala Harris was languishing as a low-profile sidekick to President Joe Biden. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, she struggled with both her profile and her portfolio, disappointing her supporters and delighting her critics. No one was talking about Harris running for the top job — they were wondering if Biden should replace her as his running mate when he sought a second term. But on Tuesday, improbable as it may have seemed before, Americans will choose either Trump or Harris to serve as the next president. It’s the final chapter in one of the most bewildering, unpredictable and consequential sagas in political history. For once, the word “unprecedented” has not been overused. “If someone had told you ahead of time what was going to happen in this election, and you tried to sell it as a book, no one would believe it,” said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster with more than four decades of experience. “It’s energized the country and it’s polarized the country. And all we can hope is that we come out of it better in the end.” History was and will be made. The United States has never elected a president who has been convicted of a crime. Trump survived not one but two assassination attempts. Biden dropped out in the middle of an election year and Harris could become the first female president. Fundamental tenets about democracy in the most powerful nation on earth will be tested like no time since the Civil War. And that’s not to mention the backdrop of simultaneous conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, hacking by foreign governments, an increasingly normalized blizzard of misinformation and the intimate involvement of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. For now, the only thing the country can agree on is that no one knows how the story will end. Trump rebounded from disgrace to the Republican nomination Republicans could have been finished with Trump after Jan. 6, 2021. That’s the day he fired up his supporters with false claims of voter fraud, directed them to march on the U.S. Capitol while Congress was ceremonially certifying Biden’s election victory, and then stood by as rioting threatened lawmakers and his own vice president. But not enough Republicans joined with Democrats to convict Trump in an impeachment trial, clearing a path for him to run for office again. Trump started planning a comeback even as some leaders in his party hoped he would be eclipsed by Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, or Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. In the year after Trump announced that he would run against Biden, he faced criminal charges four times. Two of the indictments were connected to his attempts to overturn his election defeat. Another involved his refusal to return classified documents to the federal government after leaving office. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and none of […]
In a series of targeted operations along the southern Lebanon border, IDF troops have uncovered and dismantled significant Hezbollah infrastructure, according to an IDF statement. Based on precise intelligence, these raids focus on heavily wooded areas near the border where Hezbollah has entrenched itself with military sites, weapons caches, missile storage facilities, and compounds intended for infiltration into Israel. The 188th Brigade’s engineering teams are working to locate, neutralize, and demolish Hezbollah’s network in the region. These efforts are part of a broader IDF campaign to disrupt and dismantle Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure, aiming to secure northern Israeli communities from potential attacks.
The IDF announced the elimination of high-profile Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad operatives in Lebanon and Gaza, following precision strikes carried out by the IAF in coordination with ground operations. In southern Lebanon, the IAF targeted Abu Ali Rida, Hezbollah’s commander in the Baraachit region, who was involved in coordinating rocket and anti-tank attacks on IDF forces. The IDF continues conducting targeted ground raids in Lebanon, dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure and neutralizing terrorists. During one raid, forces identified a terrorist near the border, striking the location and triggering multiple secondary explosions. Simultaneously in Gaza, the IAF, in collaboration with the Shin Bet and IDF troops, eliminated Ahmed Al-Dalu, an Islamic Jihad operative from the group’s Military Intelligence Unit. Al-Dalu was directly involved in the October 7 massacre at Kfar Aza and has been linked to ongoing terrorist plots targeting Israeli civilians. In ongoing operations throughout Gaza, IDF forces are dismantling terrorist networks, with recent successes in the Rafah area where troops identified and destroyed a terrorist cell storing landmines intended for attacks on Israeli forces.
Election Day in the United States is now often considered election week as each state follows its own rules and practices for counting ballots – not to mention the legal challenges – that can delay the results. But the truth is, nobody knows how long it will take for the winner to be announced this time. In 2020, news outlets – like the AP – declared President Joe Biden the winner on Saturday afternoon – four days after polls closed. But even then, The AP called North Carolina for Trump 10 days after Election Day and Georgia for Biden 16 days later after hand recounts. Four years earlier, the 2016 election was decided just hours after most polls closed. The AP declared Trump the winner on election night at 2:29 a.m. (it was technically Wednesday morning on the East Coast). This time, both campaigns believe the race is extremely close across the seven swing states that are expected to decide the election, barring a major surprise: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The size of the map and the tightness of the race make it hard to predict when a winner could be declared.
Early in-person and mail-in ballots are pouring in nationwide, showing significant voter turnout ahead of Election Day. With polls indicating a narrow gap between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the outcome is expected to hinge on seven critical swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and North Carolina. While early voting has been available in many states, eligibility expanded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing access for those unable to vote in person. During that election, mail-in ballots leaned heavily Democratic, with 60% of Democrats voting by mail compared to 32% of Republicans, according to MIT’s Election Data and Science Lab. As of Sunday morning, over 77 million votes have already been cast nationwide, underscoring the intensity of voter engagement.
As a Jewish voter, I’ve spent a lot of time weighing my options in this election, and I’ve come to a decision that might surprise some: I’m voting for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. I believe that Harris, as a continuation of the Biden administration, brings a steadier, more principled approach to issues that matter deeply to both the Jewish community and America’s standing in the world. For me, this choice goes far beyond any one issue. It’s about a broader approach to governance, foreign policy, and values. I’ve listened to my friends who support Trump. Without doubt, Trump has championed policies that are supportive of Israel. But in my view, his position lacks depth. He’s pro-Israel, yes, but only because he has Jewish friends and allies who support him. His foreign policy seems rooted more in who likes him than in any coherent strategy or belief in the democratic values Israel shares with the United States. He’s similarly avoided condemning far-right, antisemitic groups not because he harbors anti-Semitic beliefs, but because he’s a narcissist. Criticizing anyone who supports him simply isn’t in his nature. This approach is short-sighted, and, ultimately, it’s risky. Trump’s “friendship” with Israel hinges entirely on his personal relationships and whims, which means it has no ethical limits or guiding principles. Aid becomes a transactional tool that can be given or taken away based on political favors or alliances. And while Prime Minister Netanyahu may prefer a president who operates with no strings attached, I see this as a dangerous model for Israel and America’s long-term alliance. Kamala Harris, like Biden, represents a different approach. Her support for Israel is grounded in a belief that defending Israel is part of defending democracies around the world—standing together with Ukraine against Russia and with Taiwan against China. For the Biden-Harris administration, supporting Israel is about shared values, not personal alliances. Yes, this comes with conditions. And, yes, it means that Israel doesn’t always get everything it wants, and disagreements are bound to happen. But that’s how a principled, respectful alliance should work. Aid and support aren’t endless handouts; they come with expectations and ethics that guide how we interact on the world stage. Some argue that Trump’s disregard for norms and limits makes him “stronger” on Israel. But I disagree. It’s exactly these ethics, these principles, that keep our alliances steady and secure – even if we don’t like or agree with them at this very moment in time. Biden and Harris may have spats with Israel’s leadership from time to time, but I believe these disagreements come from a place of respect for democracy and mutual accountability. This is the kind of partnership I trust more—a relationship based on more than just favors and flattery. My friends are concerned about “woke” culture, and I get it. They feel that Harris doesn’t align with their views on these issues. But I’m looking at a bigger picture. Trump’s tendency to foster support based on personal loyalty rather than shared democratic values worries me. His foreign policy is too unpredictable, too driven by whims and ego, and that’s not what I want for Israel or for the United States. Kamala Harris may not be perfect, but she offers a stable, ethical, and principled approach that’s better for America’s allies and, […]
Israel has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the 1967 agreement that recognized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following recent Knesset legislation that limits the agency’s operations within Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Jacob Blitshtein, Director-General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, conveyed the decision in a letter to UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang. Blitshtein emphasized Israel’s commitment to working with international partners and other UN agencies to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza without compromising Israeli security. “Israel expects the United Nations to contribute to and cooperate in this effort,” he wrote. The Knesset passed legislation last week that bars UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory and prohibits Israeli government agencies from collaborating with the agency. The law is set to take effect in three months. Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz cited concerns over ties between UNRWA employees and Hamas, pointing to evidence presented to the UN that reportedly links UNRWA staff and facilities to terrorist activities. “UNRWA — the organization whose employees participated in the October 7th massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives — is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution,” Katz said. Katz also noted that only 13% of aid to Gaza currently flows through UNRWA, arguing that alternatives to the agency exist. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
On the eve of Election Day, former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remain in a close contest, according to recent polls. Fox News correspondent Brooke Singman described the race as “razor-thin” in her Monday morning report on *Fox & Friends First.* Harris is spending her final campaign day in Pennsylvania, rallying with supporters at a concert featuring high-profile celebrities. Trump, meanwhile, is set to hold four rallies in key swing states, including a stop in Michigan where he plans to address auto workers.
Germany’s top diplomat arrived Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on an unannounced visit, in what appeared to be a show of European support for Ukraine on the eve of a U.S. presidential election that could bring far-reaching changes in Washington’s policy toward Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. Germany is Ukraine’s second biggest weapons supplier after the U.S., and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock vowed that Berlin’s backing would remain steadfast. “Together with many partners around the world, Germany stands firmly by Ukraine’s side,” she said, German news agency dpa reported. “We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can continue on their path to a just peace.” The war is at a critical moment for Ukraine, with the Russian army making creeping gains on the battlefield and another hard winter ahead after Russia relentlessly battered the Ukrainian power grid. With his army under severe Russian pressure in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Western military aid deliveries have accelerated, including for artillery. The grinding attritional warfare being fought in Ukraine requires large amounts of ammunition, and Ukrainian officials have long grumbled that Western pledges of support take too long to arrive. Ahead of the U.S. election, Zelenskyy attempted to lock Ukraine’s Western supporters into a long-term “victory plan,” including a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia, but the response was disappointing for Kyiv officials. Russia is using its superior numbers to heap pressure on Ukrainian positions along the front line. Ukraine’s top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Saturday his troops are struggling to hold back “one of the most powerful (Russian) offensives” of the war. Russia is now adding to its offensive push what Western intelligence sources say is a force of about 10,000 North Korean combat troops sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow. That has deepened Zelenskyy’s frustration with Western help. On Saturday, he urged allies to stop “watching” and take steps before the North Korean troops reach the battlefield. Zelenskyy said Kyiv knows at which Russian camps the North Korean troops are being trained but Ukraine can’t strike them without permission from allies to use the Western-made long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia. Baerbock arrived in Kyiv hours after debris from drones intercepted by air defenses fell in two districts of the city, starting small fires, officials said. No people or property were harmed, according to the head of the Kyiv city administration, Serhii Popko. A Russian glide bomb attack on Sunday night injured 15 people in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, regional police said. Russia fired some 80 Shahed drones at Ukrainian cities overnight, Ukraine’s air force said. (AP)
Carleton University in Ottawa has hired Hassan Diab, a convicted terrorist, to teach a course in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Diab, a 70-year-old Lebanese-Canadian academic, was convicted by a French court in 2023 for his role in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed four people and injured dozens. His course, ironically, will focus on “social justice in action” and examine the relationship between institutional power and miscarriages of justice. The Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada has launched a petition calling for Diab’s immediate dismissal. “Hassan Diab, the PFLP terrorist convicted in France for his role in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that left four people dead and dozens wounded, is inexplicably currently employed as a lecturer @Carleton_U,” the organization posted on X. B’nai Brith criticized Carleton for ignoring its formal request to terminate Diab’s employment, warning that his presence poses a danger to students and disrespects the memory of those killed in the attack. The 1980 bombing of the Rue Copernic synagogue, which was described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as “the first fatal antisemitic attack in France since the Holocaust,” left four dead and 46 injured. The bomb, planted on a motorcycle near the synagogue, exploded just as Shabbos davening was beginning. Those killed included a passerby, an Israeli TV presenter, a driver, and a Portuguese hotel housekeeper. The French investigation ultimately linked the attack to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Diab has consistently denied involvement in the attack. Initially arrested in 2008, he was later extradited to France but returned to Canada in 2018 after charges were dropped. In 2021, French prosecutors reinstated charges, and Diab was convicted in absentia in April 2023, receiving a life sentence. A warrant for his arrest remains in effect. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Election analyst Nate Silver has released his latest forecast, showing an incredibly close race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. In his update on the Silver Bulletin Substack on Sunday, Silver assigned Trump a 51.5 percent chance of winning the electoral college, with Harris just behind at 48.1 percent. “It’s a pure toss-up,” Silver posted on X. Silver’s forecast factors in new swing-state polling from both Morning Consult and The New York Times. According to the Times polls, Harris holds an edge, leading in four out of seven key battleground states, tying in two, and trailing only in Arizona. Trump, however, shows strength in the Morning Consult data, leading in three swing states and tying in two others. A surprising Iowa poll by the esteemed Ann Selzer, showing Harris ahead by three points, caught many observers off guard. Although Silver believes this Iowa result may not ultimately sway the electoral college outcome, he acknowledged that Harris supporters are right to celebrate the poll. “Harris voters are reasonable in rejoicing over the Selzer survey,” Silver wrote. “At the very least, it confirms that high-quality pollsters see a path to victory for Harris, even as many polls show Trump in a strong position. If Trump had ‘momentum’ in October, it has now petered out in November. We’ll likely go into Tuesday night with a true toss-up on our hands, without a clear lean toward either candidate.” Silver’s current forecast reflects an even tighter race than in previous cycles. In 2020, he gave Joe Biden an 89 percent chance of victory, and in 2016, he assigned Trump a roughly 30 percent chance — higher than most other forecasters at the time. As the clock ticks down, all eyes are on the final days of polling, with Americans bracing for what could be one of the closest elections in recent history. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF is pushing forward with plans to establish a new Chareidi infantry brigade, despite ongoing protests and heated debates around the military service exemption bill for yeshivaleit. The brigade’s first group of recruits is set to begin training this December at a newly renovated facility in the Jordan Valley, according to a report by Yisrael Hayom. The Tavetz training base is undergoing a $46 million overhaul to accommodate religious soldiers, with upgrades including four new shuls and specially designed infrastructure to support religious observance. The facility will host the initial wave of Charedi recruits who will join a standard infantry brigade. The project is led by Col. Avinoam Emunah under the command of Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the IDF Training Command. The brigade aims to have its first battalion combat-ready by November 2025, joining Israel’s existing religious military units. This new brigade, the first infantry unit built from the ground up since the 1980s, will operate as a self-sufficient entity, with a full leadership team in place, including a battalion commander, company and platoon commanders, and human resources officers. In parallel, the military is forming a Charedi Border Police unit and an Air Force maintenance division tailored to their needs. The IDF set an ambitious target for this recruitment year, aiming for 4,800 Charedi recruits, a substantial increase from the 1,800 enlisted last year. However, results has been mixed: while draft notices were sent to approximately 3,000 Charedi men, fewer than 10% have shown up at recruitment offices. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
People-smuggling gangs sending migrants across the English Channel in small boats are a serious threat to global security and should be treated like terror networks, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told an international law-enforcement conference on Monday. Starmer told a meeting of the international police organization Interpol that “the world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge.” “People-smuggling should be viewed as a global security threat similar to terrorism,” he said. Starmer, a former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, said his government would be “taking our approach to counterterrorism, which we know works, and applying it to the gangs.” That means more cooperation between law enforcement agencies, closer coordination with other countries and unspecified “enhanced” powers for law enforcement, he said. Starmer also announced plans to increase the U.K. Border Security Command’s two-year budget from 75 million pounds ($97 million) to 150 million pounds ($194 million). The money will be used to fund high-tech surveillance equipment and 100 specialist investigators. Senior police and government officials from Interpol’s 196 member nations are attending the global police body’s four-day congress in Glasgow, Scotland. Starmer and British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper both addressed the meeting, calling for stronger international policing cooperation to fight drug trafficking and child abuse, as well as people-smuggling. Britain’s 2020 departure from the European Union complicated international cooperation on law-enforcement by taking the U.K. out of the bloc’s police agency, Europol. Starmer’s Labour Party opposed Brexit, but says it will not try to reverse the decision to leave the bloc. Starmer said his government was seeking a new security pact with the EU that would restore real-time intelligence sharing. Like previous Conservative British governments, Starmer’s administration is struggling to stop thousands of people fleeing war and poverty from trying reach the U.K. from France in flimsy, overcrowded boats. Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants are pushing many migrants north. While the U.K. government has been hostile, too, many migrants have family or friends in the U.K. and believe they will have more opportunities there. More than 31,000 migrants have made the perilous crossing of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes so far this year, more than in all of 2023, though fewer than in 2022. At least 56 people have perished in the attempts this year, according to French officials, making 2024 the deadliest since the number of channel crossings began surging in 2018. Starmer leads a center-left government, and has raised some eyebrows in September when he visited Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and praised her nationalist conservative government’s “remarkable” progress in reducing the number of migrants reaching Italy’s shores by boat. Starmer argued Monday that “there’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the channel.” The opposition Conservative Party argues that Starmer should not have scrapped the previous government’s plan to send some asylum-seekers who reach Britain by boat on one-way trips to Rwanda. Supporters of the proposal say it would act as a deterrent. Human rights groups and many lawyers say it is unethical and unlawful to send migrants thousands of miles to a country they don’t want to live in. Starmer called the plan a “gimmick” and canceled it soon after he was elected in July. Britain paid […]
The trial of eight people in Paris on terrorism charges started on Monday over the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed by an Islamic extremist after showing caricatures of Islam’s prophet to his middle school students for a lesson on freedom of expression. Paty’s shocking death left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. Paty was killed outside his school near Paris on Oct. 16, 2020, by an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, who was shot to death by police. Those on trial include friends of assailant Abdoullakh Anzorov who allegedly helped purchase weapons for the attack, as well as people who are accused of spreading false information online about the teacher and his class. The proceedings started Monday in the presence of members of Paty’s family, including his two sisters. The trial was held under high security, with many police officers patrolling and making checks outside and inside the courtroom. Five of the accused, who are currently imprisoned, were seated in a wide glass box. Three others, placed under judicial supervision, sat on the defendants’ benches outside the box. France’s secularism at stake The attack occurred against a backdrop of protests in many Muslim countries and calls online for violence targeting France and the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The newspaper had republished its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad a few weeks before Paty’s death to mark the opening of the trial over deadly 2015 attacks on its newsroom by Islamic extremists. The cartoon images deeply offended many Muslims, who saw them as sacrilegious. But the fallout from Paty’s killing reinforced the French state’s commitment to freedom of expression and its firm attachment to secularism in public life. “We expect that the justice system will be up to the crime that has been committed,” Francis Szpiner, the lawyer representing Paty’s 9-year-old son, told reporters. “It’s an unheard-of event in the history of the republic. It’s the first time a teacher has been assassinated because he is a teacher.” Thibault de Montbrial, a lawyer for Paty’s sister, Mickaëlle Paty, said the trial “will enable everybody in French society to become aware of the direct link, extremely clear, that exists between fundamentalist Islam … and the violence that can lead to such a terrifying act.” A student’s father among the accused Much attention at the trial will focus on Brahim Chnina, the Muslim father of a teenager who was 13 at the time and claimed that she had been excluded from Paty’s class when he showed the caricatures on Oct. 5, 2020. Chnina, 52, sent a series of messages to his contacts denouncing Paty, saying that “this sick man” needed to be fired, along with the address of the school in the Paris suburb of Conflans Saint-Honorine. In reality, Chnina’s daughter had lied to him and had never attended the lesson in question. Paty was giving a lesson mandated by the National Education Ministry on freedom of expression. He discussed the caricatures in this context, saying students who did not wish to see them could temporarily leave the classroom. An online campaign against Paty snowballed, and 11 days after the lesson, Anzorov attacked the teacher with a knife as he walked home, and displayed the teacher’s head on social media. Police later shot Anzorov as he advanced towards them armed. Chnina […]
Iranian Jew Arvin Netanel Ghahremani HY’D, 20, was executed by the Islamic Republic on Monday. Klal Yisroel around the world had been Davening for him. The court system in Kermansha Iran, had granted a temporary reprieve to the wrongly accused Jewish man, postponing his execution by approximately six months. Rabbi Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association, had worked tirelessly on the case, as did many other Askanim around the globe. Sadly, the Supreme Court in Iran executed him despite all efforts. Avrin was exercising at a gym in the city of Kermanshah, located 326 miles (525 kilometers) from Tehran in the western part of Iran. when he was ambushed by seven men, including a 40-year-old man who owed him money. The purported victim, Amir Shokri, pulled out a large knife and stabbed Ghahremani. Arvin fought back in self-defense and fatally stabbed him. Ghahremani was convicted of being an “accomplice to the intentional murder of a Muslim” and for “intentionally inflicting nonfatal injuries.” Dr. Homayoun Sameyah, the Jewish MP in Iran’s Parliament, has tried to intervene by asking multiple lawmakers to mediate with Shokri’s family, even offered to build a mosque in his name. All his efforts were unsuccessful. Until the last moment, efforts continued via international organizations to prevent the execution. Various parties appealed to several countries to intervene, including Russia and Germany. Additionally, lawyers and officials in Iranian Jewish communities in the US made efforts to try to influence the family of the victim to commute the death sentence and accept financial compensation. Sadly, he was executed on Monday.
No one knows how Tuesday’s presidential election will turn out, but the Federal Reserve’s move two days later is much easier to predict: With inflation continuing to cool, the Fed is set to cut interest rates for a second time this year. The presidential contest might still be unresolved when the Fed ends its two-day meeting Thursday afternoon, yet that uncertainty would have no effect on its decision to further reduce its benchmark rate. The Fed’s future actions, though, will become more unsettled once a new president and Congress take office in January, particularly if Donald Trump were to win the White House again. Trump’s proposals to impose high tariffs on all imports and launch mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants and his threat to intrude on the Fed’s normally independent rate decisions could send inflation surging, economists have said. Higher inflation would, in turn, compel the Fed to slow or stop its rate cuts. On Thursday, the Fed’s policymakers, led by Chair Jerome Powell, are on track to cut their benchmark rate by a quarter-point, to about 4.6%, after having implemented a half-point reduction in September. Economists expect another quarter-point rate cut in December and possibly additional such moves next year. Over time, rate cuts tend to lower the costs of borrowing for consumers and businesses. The Fed is reducing its rate for a different reason than it usually does: It often cuts rates to boost a sluggish economy and a weak job market by encouraging more borrowing and spending. But the economy is growing briskly, and the unemployment rate is a low 4.1%, the government reported Friday, even with hurricanes and a strike at Boeing having sharply depressed net job growth last month. Instead, the central bank is lowering rates as part of what Powell has called “a recalibration” to a lower-inflation environment. When inflation spiked to a four-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022, the Fed proceeded to raise rates 11 times — ultimately sending its key rate to about 5.3%, also the highest in four decades. But in September, year-over-year inflation dropped to 2.4%, barely above the Fed’s 2% target and equal to its level in 2018. With inflation having fallen so far, Powell and other Fed officials have said they think high borrowing rates are no longer necessary. High borrowing rates typically restrict growth, particularly in interest-rate-sensitive sectors such as housing and auto sales. “The restriction was in place because inflation was elevated,” said Claudia Sahm, chief economist at New Century Advisors and a former Fed economist. “Inflation is no longer elevated. The reason for the restriction is gone.” Fed officials have suggested that their rate cuts would be gradual. But nearly all of them have expressed support for some further reductions. “For me, the central question is how much and how fast to reduce the target for the (Fed’s key) rate, which I believe is currently set at a restrictive level,” Christopher Waller, an influential member of the Fed’s Board of Directors, said in a speech last month. Jonathan Pingle, an economist at Swiss bank UBS, said that Waller’s phrasing reflected “unusual confidence and conviction that rates were headed lower.” Next year, the Fed will likely start to wrestle with the question of just how low their benchmark rate should go. Eventually, they may want […]
Senate Republicans vying to replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell have been crossing the country to campaign and fundraise for colleagues, making their final arguments before a consequential ballot the week after the presidential election. But their pitches are mostly behind closed doors, and most GOP senators won’t yet say which lawmaker they are backing. South Dakota’s John Thune, McConnell’s current No. 2, and John Cornyn of Texas, who held that job before Thune, are the front-runners in the Nov. 13 secret ballot to replace McConnell. The Kentucky senator is stepping aside from the post in January after almost two decades as leader. The winner could steer the direction of the party for years to come and possibly become the next Senate majority leader if Republicans win enough seats in Tuesday’s election. The outcome is, for now, uncertain. Only a few Republican senators have publicly endorsed a candidate. Many say they are still undecided. The third senator in the race — Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who is dealing with his own reelection bid — could act as a spoiler. Another candidate could still jump in. In many ways, “the two Johns” are remarkably similar, making the choice difficult for their colleagues. Both are well-liked and, in the mold of McConnell, lean toward the more traditional wing of the Republican Party. But both have also suggested they will try to move on from the McConnell era with a more open approach. “I’m trying to find differentiation because they’re both great guys,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has worked closely with both of them. The two men are also trying to distinguish themselves from McConnell by making clear that they support Donald Trump in this year’s presidential election. Like McConnell, they have both sparred with Trump in the past, especially after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. But both Thune and Cornyn have talked to Trump frequently in recent months, attended campaign events and visited his Florida home. Whether Trump wins, and if he endorses one of the contenders, could become a determining factor. “I don’t know what he’ll do,” Cornyn said of Trump in September. “But this is obviously an election between senators, and I think that’s where the voters are.” Some of the former president’s strongest allies in the Senate are urging him to stay above the fray. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is supporting Thune, says he’s been trying to talk Trump out of an endorsement. Trump understands “the need to work with whoever the next leader is,” Mullin said. Tillis suggested that a Trump endorsement could backfire. “You have to be careful with the psychology of the Senate,” Tillis said. “We know each other very well, and we spend hours and hours together. It’s a fairly small club.” Still, both Cornyn and Thune are keeping close to Trump. Cornyn met Trump on a trip to Texas in October and appeared at a rally in Nevada. Thune was at an event in August with Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Thune, who said after the Jan. 6 attack that Trump’s efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power were “inexcusable,” told The Associated Press over the summer that he views their potential relationship as a professional one. If they both win their elections, Thune said, “we’ve […]
Iran is reportedly planning an imminent attack on Israel, utilizing more powerful warheads and unspecified advanced weaponry not previously deployed, according to Iranian and Arab officials briefed on the developments who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Following an October 1 ballistic missile attack from Iranian territory, Israel responded with targeted airstrikes on October 26, prompting Tehran to issue a private warning to Cairo. An Egyptian official disclosed to The Journal that Iran communicated its intent for a “strong and complex” response. The upcoming operation is expected to involve Iran’s military directly, marking a shift from prior assaults on April 13-14 and October 1, which were carried out solely by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to an Iranian official, the need to respond escalated after the loss of four Iranian soldiers and a civilian in the previous exchange. Sources indicate that the planned assault will aggressively target Israeli military facilities, surpassing the intensity of previous attacks. Additionally, Iraqi territory may be leveraged as a launch site for Iranian projectiles, underscoring the anticipated scale and scope of the operation. The potential for a large-scale response reflects growing tensions between the two nations, raising concerns over regional stability as both sides prepare for a possible confrontation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Authorities have charged two Pittsburgh-area residents with hate crimes following a string of anti-Semitic vandalism at Jewish buildings in July. One suspect, Mohamad Hamad, allegedly self-identified as a “Hamas operative,” acquired explosive materials, and served as a member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, according to court documents. Hamad, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen, reportedly communicated his willingness to martyr himself for his cause, as shown in encrypted Signal messages reviewed by the FBI. The other individual, Talya Lubit, who is Jewish, faces charges as Hamad’s accomplice in spray-painting pro-Hamas graffiti on local Jewish institutions, including a Chabad in Squirrel Hill and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Lubit’s messages with Hamad reveal conflicted sentiments about her Jewish identity, influenced by her strong anti-Israel views, the criminal complaint alleges. Lubit, a recent graduate of Dickinson College, expressed growing resentment toward Jewish identity in private messages with Hamad, sharing an image that depicted the Israeli flag with a swastika. The suspects allegedly spray-painted “Jews 4 Palestine” and “Funds Genocide Jews” on Jewish community buildings. The court documents indicate Hamad’s support for Squad-aligned Democrats, including donations to Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who have publicly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza. Lubit was also part of a group defending Rep. Summer Lee, a freshman Pittsburgh congresswoman, after her calls for a ceasefire following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and her declaration that Israel is committing genocide. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
