Yeshiva World News

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the US is resuming construction of the border wall with Mexico, with 7 miles of border wall expected to be built in this location.

Eggs are way down from their peak. Gas prices are coming down. Oil is down to $65/barrel — it was $82/barrel when I took office — and when energy comes down, prices for everything else come down. “We’re setting a good table.”

News network Al-Arabiya says its news crew at the Syria-Lebanon border were targeted by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile.

First Commerce Bank celebrated its move into its brand-new corporate headquarters located at 1700 Avenue of the States last week, marking a new chapter in this local bank’s commitment to serving the community on the highest possible level. With the move, 100-plus employees will be based in this central location, with plans in the works to open an additional bank branch on the 1st floor as well. Read the full story on Lakewood Alerts.

President Trump declares Biden’s pardons void because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.

*POTUS:* It looks like we had an autopen for a president… Did he know what he was doing? Did he authorize it or was this somebody in an office, maybe a Radical Left lunatic just signing whatever he wants?… To sign pardons with an autopen is disgraceful.

When Federal Reserve officials last met in late January, things looked pretty good: Hiring was solid. The economy had just grown at a solid pace in last year’s final quarter. And inflation, while stubborn, had fallen sharply from its peak more than two years ago. What a difference seven weeks makes. As the Fed prepares to meet Tuesday and Wednesday, the central bank and its chair, Jerome Powell, are potentially headed to a much tougher spot. Inflation improved last month but is still high and tariffs could push it higher. At the same time, ongoing tariff threats as well as sharp cuts to government spending and jobs have tanked consumer and business confidence, which could weigh on the economy and even push up unemployment. The toxic combination of still-high inflation and a weak or stagnant economy is often referred to as “stagflation,” a term that haunts central bankers. It is what bedeviled the United States in the 1970s, when even deep recessions didn’t kill inflation. Stagflation, should it emerge, is hard for the Fed because typically policymakers would lift rates — or keep them high — to combat inflation. Yet if unemployment also rises, the Fed would usually cut rates to reduce borrowing costs and lift growth. It’s not yet clear the economy will sink into stagflation. For now, like businesses and consumers, the Fed is grappling with a huge amount of uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook. But even a mild version — with the unemployment rising from its current low level of 4.1%, while inflation stayed stuck above the Fed’s 2% target — would pose a challenge for the central bank. “That’s the tangled web they’re in,” said Esther George, former president of the Federal Reserve’s Kansas City branch. “You have inflation stickiness on the one hand. At the same time, you’re trying to look at what impact could this have on the job market, if growth begins to pull back. So it is a tough scenario for them for sure.” Fed officials will almost certainly keep their key rate unchanged at their meeting this week. Once the meeting concludes Wednesday, they will release their latest quarterly economic projections, which will likely show they expect to cut their rate twice this year — the same as they projected in December. The Fed implemented three cuts last year and then signaled at the January meeting that they were largely on pause until the economic outlook becomes clearer. Wall Street investors expect three rate reductions this year, in June, September, and December, according to futures prices tracked by CME Fedwatch, in part because they worry an economic slowdown will force more reductions. One development likely to unnerve Fed officials is the sharp jump in inflation expectations this month in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey. It showed the biggest increase in long-term inflation expectations since 1993. Such expectations — which basically measure whether Americans are worried inflation will get worse — are important because they can become self-fulfilling. If businesses and consumers expect higher costs, they may take steps that push up inflation, like demanding higher wages, which in turn can force companies to raise prices to offset higher labor costs. Some economists caution that the University of Michigan’s survey is preliminary and for now based on only about 400 […]

REPORTER: The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked during times of war. Do you feel you’re using it appropriately right now? TRUMP: “This is a time of war because Biden allowed millions of people, many of them criminals… that’s an invasion.”

Houthis: We attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman with 18 ballistic missiles and drone. “We’ll not hesitate to target all US warships in Red Sea and Arabian Sea”

Last night aboard Air Force One, Trump says he’s doing well with Russia and he’ll be speaking with Putin Tuesday. “Maybe we can or maybe we can’t end the war in Ukraine”

An overnight search for two missing children in the dense woods of Sullivan County ended in relief early Monday morning when Catskills Hatzolah members located the pair near Weissman Road and Stump Pond Road in Livingston Manor. The search began Sunday evening when two local children, ages 12 and 15, failed to return home after venturing into the heavily wooded area surrounding Livingston Manor. As night fell and temperatures dropped, concerns mounted, prompting Sullivan County Emergency Personnel to activate a full-scale search and rescue mission. More than 10 fire departments, Forest Rangers, and New York State Police mobilized, combing the rugged terrain under the cover of darkness. Equipped with advanced search equipment, floodlights, search dogs, and drones, rescuers worked tirelessly through the night, battling difficult conditions in hopes of locating the missing teens, but to no avail. Catskills Hatzalah was contacted early Monday morning for assistance in the search. A team of its SAR volunteers quickly sprang into action, receiving a briefing at approximately 7 AM before heading out to search for the missing youngsters. At approximately 8:55 a.m. Monday, a team from Catskills Hatzolah made the critical discovery—both children were found alive and in good shape. Emergency personnel on scene evaluated the boys for exposure and exhaustion, and they were reunited with their relieved families shortly thereafter. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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Williamsburg, NY – A lively Purim gathering took place on Sunday at the home of Satmar community leader Rabbi Moshe Indig (of the WJCC), attracting dozens of high-ranking NYPD officials, law enforcement personnel, and prominent elected officials. Among the notable attendees were New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Manhattan Boro President, Brooklyn Boro President, NYC Controller, County Party Chair Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte as well as other assemblymembers and local elected officials. Major organizations were in attendance including Hatzolah, Shomrim, Chaveirim, as well as community activists Joel Friedman, Joel Eisdorfer, Yanky Itzkowitz,  Yidel Perlstein, Pinny Ringel and many others. Many different Kehillas had representatives at the event, Satmar, Vishnitz, Pupa, Vien, Belz and others. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A staggering decline in the Democratic Party’s favorability rating has raised alarm bells among party leaders, as a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS reveals historic lows in public perception and deep fractures within the party itself. According to the poll, only 29% of Americans view the Democratic Party favorably—the lowest rating recorded in CNN polling since 1992. It also marks a 20-point drop since January 2021, when Democrats regained control of the White House following Donald Trump’s  first term. A key driver of this dissatisfaction stems from growing frustration among Democratic voters who believe their party is failing to take a strong enough stand against Trump and the GOP agenda. When asked whether Democrats should prioritize working with Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation or focus on stopping the GOP’s policies, 57% of Democrats and left-leaning independents said their party should fight the Republican agenda, while only 42% favored collaboration. This marks a dramatic shift from September 2017, when 74% of Democrats supported working with Republicans to push forward Democratic priorities. For the first time in nearly a decade, a majority of Democratic-aligned voters believe their party is heading in the wrong direction. According to the poll, 52% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents disapprove of their party’s leadership, a stark contrast to eight years ago when Democrats overwhelmingly supported their leadership. The numbers underscore a growing divide between Democratic voters and their party establishment. Among self-identified Democrats, 72% still hold a favorable view of the party, but among independents who lean Democratic, that number plummets to just 37%. Adding to the party’s woes is the lack of a clear leader to rally behind. When Democratic-aligned respondents were asked to name the leader who best reflects the core values of the party, no single figure dominated the field. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the most frequently mentioned name, cited by 10% of respondents, followed closely by Vice President Kamala Harris at 9% and Sen. Bernie Sanders at 8%. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was named by 6%, while former President Barack Obama and Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett each received 4%. Schumer barely registered at 2%, joining a handful of other low-profile mentions. Most strikingly, more than 30% of respondents could not name a single Democratic leader they believed embodied the party’s values. One respondent summed up the sentiment bluntly: “No one. That’s the problem.” This vacuum contrasts sharply with the Republican Party’s consolidation around Trump, despite internal tensions. The poll found that 79% of Republicans and right-leaning independents hold a favorable view of the GOP, compared to just 63% of Democrats who view their own party positively. Additionally, for the first time in CNN’s polling, Democrats are no longer widely seen as the mainstream political party. In 2022, 56% of Americans considered the Democratic Party’s policies to be mainstream. Now, a majority believe both the Democratic and Republican parties are too extreme, with 50% and 51% respectively saying the two parties have moved away from the center. While political independents still view Republicans as more extreme than Democrats, with 57% saying the GOP is too far right compared to 48% who say the same about the Democrats, this marks a significant image shift for a party that has traditionally positioned itself as the moderate alternative to Republican policies. The cracks in the […]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a fiery defense of the U.S. government’s decision to revoke the visa of a Columbia University student who helped organize anti-Israel protests, insisting that the United States will not tolerate foreign nationals engaging in activities that support terrorism or disrupt national security. Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, Rubio faced off against host Margaret Brennan, who questioned whether there was evidence linking the student, Mahmoud Khalil, to Hamas. Rubio wasted no time in making his position clear. “If you had told us that you were coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events, you wouldn’t have gotten a visa in the first place,” Rubio stated. “Now, you’re here, you did it, and you lied to us. You’re out. It’s that simple.” When Brennan pressed Rubio on whether there was concrete evidence of material support for terrorism, the Secretary of State snapped back with a blunt retort: “You should watch the news.” He pointed out that the protests, which Khalil helped lead, were not peaceful demonstrations but violent takeovers of campus buildings, acts of vandalism, and intimidation of Jewish students. “These guys take over entire buildings. They vandalize colleges. They shut down colleges,” Rubio said, calling out the media for downplaying the severity of the campus riots. When Brennan insisted that CBS had covered the issue extensively, Rubio fired back: “Well then you should know.” Rubio dismissed the argument that Khalil was simply expressing a political viewpoint, stating that the student was more than just a participant—he was a spokesperson and negotiator for a movement that turned a prestigious university into chaos. Rubio made it clear that Khalil’s visa revocation was just the beginning. “We’re going to do more,” he said. “Every day now, we are approving visa revocations. And if that visa led to a green card, that process will be revoked as well.” Dismissing concerns raised by media and progressive activists that the government was unfairly targeting pro-Palestinian voices, Rubio pointed out that the Biden administration had no hesitation in pressuring social media companies to censor conservative speech. He called out the hypocrisy of those now defending Khalil, stating: “They had no problem pressuring social media to censor American political speech. Now, suddenly, they’re defenders of free speech?” Rubio stressed that the policy applies broadly, not just to Hamas supporters. “We don’t want terrorists in America,” he said. “I don’t know how hard that is to understand.” The visa revocation is part of a broader push by the administration to root out individuals who undermine U.S. foreign policy and national security. Rubio dismissed the idea that a visa is a right, calling it a privilege granted to those who abide by the laws and interests of the United States. “We don’t want people in our country who are committing crimes and undermining our national security,” Rubio said. “Especially people who are here as guests. A visa is not a birthright.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A yeshiva bochur was arrested on Sunday evening by military police for desertion from the IDF and sentenced to 14 days in a military prison. The incident began when the 21-year-old bochur was stopped by traffic police on Purim for a routine check. His name came up as an army deserter and he was summoned on the spot to an immediate court hearing. When he arrived at the court, the military police were waiting for him and he was immediately sent to a military trial and sentenced. Kikar H’Shabbat reported that the bochur is a “mitchazeik” [someone growing closer to Yiddishkeit] and comes from a family who became frum in recent years. He is a talmid of the Maorot HaTorah Yeshiva in Telzstone, a yeshiva for bochurim from non-yeshivish backgrounds. The Agudas Bnei Hayeshivos hired a lawyer for the bochur and issued a statement saying: “This is a mitzchazeik talmid yeshivah, who moved to a yeshiva framework where he began to learn Torah for most of the day.” Someone involved in the Chareidi recruitment issue told Kikar: “The case of this bochur is the classic case that the Rabbanim spoke about. He is not a standard yeshivah bochur, he is a ‘mitchazeik’ who moved to a yeshiva framework from a family that was growing close to Yiddishket.” “In the coming hours, we will see what happens with the bochur and it will then be decided whether to go out to the streets for stormy protests throughout the country. The Sephardi Chachmei HaTorah and the Roshei Yeshivos of Maorot HaTorah have announced that they intend to wage a battle for the bochur’s full release from military prison so he can swiftly return to the benches of the Beit Midrash.” He continued by saying that “the Sephardi Rabbanim will put all their weight behind this bochur, who was only mitchazeik in recent years and can easily succumb to the IDF’s threats and leave yeshivah for the army.” “The Sephardic Chachmei HaTorah who spoke with Agudas Bnei HaYeshivos emphasized that the main struggle against the recruitment decree is being waged over this case and similar ones. Even those who are not classic talmudei yeshivah must not fall into the framework of the destructive army.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar responded to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Sunday of his intention to dismiss him this week by saying he has no intention of leaving his position. Bar claimed that Netanyahu’s decision to remove him is not based on his failures regarding the October 7 massacre and that he intends to remain in his position until the return of all the hostages and the completion of several investigations. However, after a backlash, the Shin Bet later issued a statement saying that if the government decides to fire Bar, he will “respect the law.” As expected, following Netanyahu’s announcement, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter to the Prime Minister saying that he is not permitted to fire Bar unless she determines that the dismissal is “legal.” The responses of Bar and Baharav-Miara were widely slammed by government officials, with one political official saying that Bar “has become confused as to who is subordinate to whom. The Prime Minister’s lack of confidence in the Shin Bet chief is not a personal matter but a distinctly public matter and his attempt to cling to his position harms the Shin Bet and the security of the state.” The official continued by saying that Bar’s insistence that he will determine when he will end his position is “how he decided on the night of October whom not to wake up and whom not to alert [a reference to his failure to wake up Netanyahu]. The Shin Bet chief repeats the lie that he warned the political echelon about the Hamas attack, while the protocols prove the exact opposite: on October 1, 2023, seven days before the massacre, the Shin Bet chief said that Hamas was deterred and that it should be granted economic benefits to maintain calm. The Shin Bet chief even repeated these claims three days before the massacre.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin slammed Baharav-Miara’s letter, stating: “The Shin Bet Law explicitly states that the government is authorized to terminate the tenure of the head of the service before the end of his term. The Attorney General should also be familiar with this law. In case anyone is confused, Israel is a democracy, and everyone in it, including the Attorney General, is subject to the law.” Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich responded by stating that Bar should have gone home on October 8, 2023. “In what normal country would you even need a special reason to fire the head of an intelligence organization who is personally responsible for a terrible intelligence failure that led to the greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel? Maybe if Bar had guarded Gaza’s threshold instead of some illusory political threshold, the October 7 massacre would have been thwarted.” Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir stated: “Since the Attorney General herself is in the midst of an impeachment process, perhaps it is important to remind her that ‘conflict of interest’ also applies to her adversarial actions against the government and its head. The time has come to put an end to the rule of the deep state, and first and foremost, to expedite the dismissal of the Attorney General.” The Torat Lechima organization responded: “The Attorney General opposes the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief and the Shin Bet chief will […]

The Israeli Air Force has raised its air defense systems to the highest alert levels amid concerns that the Houthis will strike Israel in response to the US strikes on Yemen over the weekend, Channel 12 News reported on Monday. According to the report, the alert level was raised after a Houthi missile exploded in the Sinai in Egypt on Sunday – an attack that is estimated to have been aimed at Israel. The Houthis overnight Motzei Shabbos and Sunday launched dozens of explosive drones and at least one missile at the USS Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in retaliation for the US strikes. The drones were all intercepted before reaching the ship. On Monday morning, the Houthis claimed that they carried out a second strike on the USS Truman overnight, launching additional missiles and drones. At least 53 people in Yemen were killed in the US strikes, including Abed al-Rab Jafraan, the head of the security detail for  Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz told ABC News on Sunday night that the US strikes eliminated several Houthi leaders. The US has vowed to continue attacking Yemen until the Houthis halt their attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The US airstrikes were carried out several days after the Houthis announced they intend to resume attacks on “Israeli” ships in the Red Sea area due to the halt of humanitarian aid into Gaza. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Vice President JD Vance said Friday that he was hopeful a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. will be wrapped up by the early April deadline. “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News abroad Air Force Two. Questions about the future of the popular video sharing app have continued to linger since a law requiring its China-based parent company to divest or face a ban took effect on Jan. 19. After taking office, President Donald Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve by signing an executive order that delayed enforcement of the statute until April 5. Vance, along with National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, were tapped by Trump to find an approved buyer. On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboad Air Force One the administration was in talks with “four different groups” about TikTok and that a deal could come soon. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have not publicly commented on the talks. It’s also unclear if ByteDance has changed its position on selling TikTok, which it said early last year it does not plan to do. After it made those comments, ByteDance and TikTok launched a legal challenge against the federal law, which was passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden. In January, the two companies lost their case at the U.S. Supreme Court. NBC News reported that Vance did not offer details on who the potential buyers could be but noted that some issues could push a final agreement past the April 5 deadline. “We’d like to get it done without the extension,” Vance told the news outlet. “I think the question is, what is the equity ownership of the new joint venture? How do you do the contracts for all the investors, the customers, the service providers? … The deal itself will be very clear, but actually creating those thousands and thousands of pages of legal documents, that’s the one thing that I worry could slip.” Trump has previously said the deadline on a TikTok deal could be extended further if needed. He has also proposed terms in which the U.S. would have a 50% stake in a joint venture. The administration hasn’t provided details on what that type of deal would entail. (AP)