President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that he says will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns. Trump’s order will enable an American-led of group of investors to buy the app from China’s ByteDance, though the deal is not yet finalized and also requires China’s approval. Much is still unknown about the actual deal in the works, but Trump said at a White House signing ceremony Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has agreed to move forward with it. Vice President JD Vance added that “there was some resistance on the Chinese side, but the fundamental thing that we wanted to accomplish is that we wanted to keep TikTok operating, but we also wanted to make sure that we protected Americans’ data privacy as required by law.” The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press inquiry seeking confirmation of China’s approval. President Joe Biden signed legislation passed by Congress last year that would ban TikTok unless ByteDance sold its U.S. assets to an American company by early this year. Trump has repeatedly signed orders that have allowed TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. as his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company. The executive order itself is a declaration by the president that the proposed deal meets the security concerns laid out in that law. And it gives all negotiating parties an additional 120-day reprieve in order to finalize it. Young people especially “really wanted this to happen,” Trump said. Any major change to the popular video platform could have a huge impact on how Americans — particularly young adults and teenagers — consume information online. About 43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published Thursday. Asked if he’d want a U.S.-owned TikTok algorithm to suggest more content promoting his Make America Great Again movement, Trump said he’d make it “100% MAGA” if he felt he could, but he intends for “every philosophy, every policy” to be “treated right.” Vance said the deal ensures that “American investors will actually control the algorithm” that determines the content seen on the social media app. He said more information about the deal will be revealed in the coming weeks. Who will control the new TikTok venture? Under the terms of the deal that have so far been revealed by the White House, the app will be spun off into a new U.S. joint venture owned by a consortium of American investors — including tech giant Oracle and investment firm Silver Lake Partners. Though the details have yet to be finalized, the investment group’s controlling stake in the new venture would be around 80%. While ByteDance is expected to have a stake in the new venture, it would be less than 20% — a portion of the ownership reserved for foreign investors. The board running the new platform would be controlled by U.S. investors. ByteDance will be represented by one person on the board, but that individual will be excluded from any security-related matters. TikTok’s new owners include many whose business or political interests are tied to Trump, including […]
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1. The posts on his social media site showed that Trump’s devotion to tariffs did not end with the trade frameworks and import taxes that were launched in August, a reflection of the president’s confidence that taxes will help to reduce the government’s budget deficit while increasing domestic manufacturing. But the additional tariffs risk intensifying inflation that is already elevated, as well as slowing economic growth, as employers getting acclimated to Trump’s previous import taxes grapple with new levels of uncertainty. “We have begun to see goods prices showing through into higher inflation,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned in a recent news conference, adding that higher costs for goods account for “most” or potentially “all” of the increase in inflation levels this year. Trump said on Truth Social that the pharmaceutical tariffs would not apply to companies that are building manufacturing plants in the United States, which he defined as either “breaking ground” or being “under construction.” It was unclear how the tariffs would apply to companies that already have factories in the U.S. In 2024, America imported nearly $233 billion in pharmaceutical and medicinal products, according to the Census Bureau. The prospect of prices doubling for some medicines could send shock waves to voters as health care expenses, as well as the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, potentially increase. Trump said that foreign manufacturers of furniture and cabinetry were flooding the United States with their products and that tariffs must be applied “for National Security and other reasons.” The new tariffs on cabinetry could further increase the costs for homebuilders at a time when many people seeking to buy a house feel priced out by the mix of housing shortages and high mortgage rates. Trump said that foreign-made heavy trucks and parts are hurting domestic producers. “Large Truck Company Manufacturers, such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, and others, will be protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions,” Trump posted. Trump has long maintained that tariffs are the key to forcing companies to invest more in domestic factories. He has dismissed fears that importers would simply pass along much of the cost of the taxes to consumers and businesses in the form of higher prices. The president continues to claim that inflation is no longer a challenge for the U.S. economy, despite evidence to the contrary. The consumer price index has increased 2.9% over the past 12 months, up from an annual pace of 2.3% in April, when Trump first launched a sweeping set of import taxes. Nor is there evidence that the tariffs are creating factory jobs or more construction of manufacturing facilities. Since April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that manufacturers cut 42,000 jobs and builders have downsized by 8,000. “There’s no inflation,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “We’re having unbelievable success.” (AP)
Starbucks said Thursday it’s closing hundreds of U.S. and Canadian stores and laying off 900 nonretail employees as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround. The Seattle coffee giant said store closures would start immediately. The company wouldn’t give a number of stores that are closing, but it said it expects to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ends on Sunday, which is 124 fewer than it had at the end of its 2024 fiscal year. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations. Starbucks said workers in its stores will be offered transfers to other locations where possible and severance packages. Starbucks said it will notify nonretail employees whose positions are being eliminated early Friday. Starbucks asked employees who can work from home to do so on Thursday and Friday. In a letter sent to employees Thursday, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said a review of the company’s stores identified locations where the company doesn’t see a path to financial stability or isn’t able to create the physical environment customers expect. Those stores are being closed. “Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,” Niccol wrote. “This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.” Starbucks said it expects to spend $1 billion on the restructuring, including $150 million on employee separation benefits and $850 million related to the physical store closing and the cost of exiting leases. Starbucks shares were down less than 1% in morning trading Thursday. It was not immediately clear how many of the stores that are closing are unionized. Workers at 650 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since 2021, but they have yet to reach a contract agreement with the company. Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing workers, said Thursday that the closures were made without input from Starbucks’ baristas. The union said it intends to engage in bargaining at every union-represented store that is closing to ensure workers can be placed at another store they prefer. “Fixing what’s broken at Starbucks isn’t possible without centering the people who engage with the company’s customers day in and day out,” the union said. News of the store closures came just over a week after unionized employees in three states sued Starbucks over its new dress code, saying the company refused to reimburse workers who had to buy new clothes. Starbucks said it used a consistent set of criteria to determine the stores that are closing and union representation wasn’t a factor. It’s rare for Starbucks to shrink its store count during a fiscal year. Niccol said Starbucks plans to increase its North American store count in its next fiscal year. The company said it also plans to redesign more than 1,000 locations in the next 12 months to give them a warmer, more welcoming feel. This is the second big round of layoffs at Starbucks this year. In February, Niccol announced the layoffs of 1,100 corporate employees globally and eliminated several hundred open positions. At the time, Niccol said Starbucks needed to operate more efficiently and increase accountability for decisions. Niccol is a turnaround specialist who […]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told global leaders Wednesday that the world is in “the most destructive arms race in human history” and urged the international community to act against Russia now, asserting that Vladimir Putin wants to expand his war in Europe. In a bleak view of today’s world, he told the annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that weak international institutions including the United Nations haven’t been able to stop wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere, and international law can’t help nations survive. “Weapons decide who survives,” the Ukrainian leader said. “There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.” Zelenskyy spoke from the podium of the vast assembly chamber a day after he met with President Donald Trump, who expressed support for Ukraine’s efforts and criticized Russia. Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war sparked by President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor. Zelenskyy did not comment on the surprise U.S. pivot, saying only that he had “a good meeting” with Trump and with many other “strong leaders.” “Together, we can change a lot,” he said, expressing appreciation for support from the United States. and Europe and urging all U.N. member nations to condemn Russia while it “keeps dragging this war on.” If Putin isn’t stopped now, the Ukrainian president warned the assembly that he will keep driving the war forward, “wider and deeper.” “Ukraine is only the first, and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries,” he said. Worries about Moldova Zelenskyy said neighboring Moldova is defending itself again from Russian interference and should not be allowed to move toward dependency on Russia as Georgia and Belarus are. “Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova, too,” he said, stressing that the country needs funding and energy support, not just “political gestures.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, weapons and especially drones “are evolving faster than our ability to defend ourselves.” While drones previously were used by major countries, he said, “Now, there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill using drones.” Recently, European airports had to shut down because of drones, Zelenskyy said, and last week North Korea announced the test of “a tactical drone” which means even countries with limited resources can build dangerous weapons. “We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time it includes artificial intelligence,” he said. “Companies are already working on drones that can shoot down other drones, and it’s only a matter of time — not much — before drones are fighting drones, attacking critical infrastructure and attacking people all by themselves – fully autonomous and no human involved except the few who control AI system.” Zelenskyy echoed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for global rules on how AI can be used in weapons, stressing that “this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.” Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and airport and every ship from drone attacks, and having to build underground schools and health centers as Ukraine has been forced to […]
Despite years of congressional hearings, lawsuits, academic research, whistleblowers and testimony from parents and teenagers about the dangers of Instagram, Meta’s wildly popular app has failed to protect children from harm, with “woefully ineffective” safety measures, according to a new report from former employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups. Meta’s efforts at addressing teen safety and mental health on its platforms have long been met with criticism that the changes don’t go far enough. Now, the report’s authors claim Meta has chosen not to take “real steps” to address safety concerns, “opting instead for splashy headlines about new tools for parents and Instagram Teen Accounts for underage users.” The report Thursday came from Bejar and the Cybersecurity For Democracy at New York University and Northeastern University, as well as the Molly Rose Foundation, Fairplay and ParentsSOS. Meta said the report misrepresents its efforts on teen safety. The report evaluated 47 of Meta’s 53 safety features for teens on Instagram, and found that the majority of them are either no longer available or ineffective. Others reduced harm, but came with some “notable limitations,” while only eight tools worked as intended with no limitations. The report’s focus was on Instagram’s design, not content moderation. “This distinction is critical because social media platforms and their defenders often conflate efforts to improve platform design with censorship,” the report says. “However, assessing safety tools and calling out Meta when these tools do not work as promised, has nothing to do with free speech. Holding Meta accountable for deceiving young people and parents about how safe Instagram really is, is not a free speech issue.” Meta called the report “misleading, dangerously speculative” and said it undermines “the important conversation about teen safety. “This report repeatedly misrepresents our efforts to empower parents and protect teens, misstating how our safety tools work and how millions of parents and teens are using them today. Teen Accounts lead the industry because they provide automatic safety protections and straightforward parental controls,” Meta said. “The reality is teens who were placed into these protections saw less sensitive content, experienced less unwanted contact, and spent less time on Instagram at night. Parents also have robust tools at their fingertips, from limiting usage to monitoring interactions. We’ll continue improving our tools, and we welcome constructive feedback — but this report is not that.” Meta has not disclosed what percentage of parents use its parental control tools. Such features can be useful for families in which parents are already involved in their child’s online life and activities, but experts say that’s not the reality for many people. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez — who has filed a lawsuit against Meta claiming it fails to protect children from predators — said it is unfortunate that Meta is “doubling down on its efforts to persuade parents and children that Meta’s platforms are safe — rather than making sure that its platforms are actually safe.” The authors created teen test accounts as well as malicious adult and teen accounts that would attempt to interact with these accounts in order to evaluate Instagram’s safeguards. For instance, while Meta has sought to limit adult strangers from contacting underage users on its app, adults can still communicate with minors “through many features that are inherent in Instagram’s […]
Super Typhoon Ragasa — dubbed the “King of Storms” — left destruction across Asia, killing at least 14 in Taiwan and injuring over 100 across the region. In Hong Kong, dramatic video shows a wall of seawater shattering the glass doors of the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel, flooding the lobby as staff and guests scrambled for safety. Ragasa, the strongest storm of 2025 with peak winds of 168 mph, has since made landfall in southern China’s Guangdong province, home to tens of millions.
BREAKING: James Comey, who once hinted at the assassination of President Trump, speaks after being indicted by grand jury: “I’m not afraid.” “I’m innocent.” “Let’s have a trial.”
I recognize that the title may come across as provocative, but it is a topic that weighs heavily on my heart – particularly during the Yomim Tovim. Each Sukkos, our shuls receive an influx of Yeshiva bochurim returning home. While it is beautiful to see how many of them have grown into Yarei Shamayim and Baali Middos, there’s a distressing reality that cannot be ignored. A significant number of these young men return home openly smoking – many of them gathered around the entrances of our shuls, creating discomfort and harm for others. Even when asked respectfully to move, some refuse. I always believed that Yeshivas were sacred institutions, devoted to teaching a proper way of life and the Derech Hatorah. A place where students are taught to emulate Hashem – just as He is compassionate, so too we must be. Yet, smoking is not only a personal vice – it causes direct harm to others, especially those with asthma or other respiratory conditions. The Torah forbids causing pain or damage to others (see Rabbeinu Yonah on Avos 1:1), and yet these Yeshivas seem to impart the exact opposite into their students. The Gemara goes into great depth how one must guard their life, based on the Pasuk ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם. Yet these halachos are completely ignored and trampled, when dealing with an action that is a leading cause of premature death – responsible for numerous diseases including heart failure, over sixteen cancers, aortic aneurysm, COPD, emphysema, and stroke. Even those who don’t die early often live lives filled with suffering. It appears as if the Yeshivas feel that they can pick and choose which mitzvos are convenient for them. I remember other lofty ideals that used to be taught – to be Koveish es Yitzro and to not follow our destructive desires and lusts. And here, Yeshivas are turning a blind eye to those who add damaging addictions and desires that we aren’t even born with (“in order to add to his thirsty passions with additional non-natural sins” – see Ramban Nitzavim). Yet again, it seems that this is okay as long one picked up the addiction in the Yeshiva. I’ve spoken to several Yeshiva students about this. Many say they plan to quit when they’re older. While this would generally be a the smart move (as the heart will eventually heal as well as half of the lung damage) it is sadly comical to hear this when we see so many Kollel men and other Yeshiva baali batim still smoking. Yet I would ask them, “Let us assume that you do quit, and you live a full and healthy life. What about your “friends” who were influenced by you to smoke, either directly or indirectly. Those who may not quit, who may die young, who may miss their children’s simchas, their daughters’ weddings, or leave behind grieving families? Can anyone say that such behavior brings nachas to Hashem?” It appears, disturbingly, that some Yeshivas are choosing to overlook these dangers. Can we really teach ואהבת לרעך כמוך while turning a blind eye to self-inflicted and socially harmful addictions that begin in the very halls of Torah? And to the hanhala of Yeshivas who remain silent or offer only minimal warnings: Are you aware of the pain and long-term consequences caused by this silence? Do you realize that because of your inaction many of your students will lose years of their life and live lives of suffering? Do you realize that some of the more innocent of your students will end up picking up this destructive habit […]
AG PAM BONDI: Bondi posted to X shortly after news of the Comey indictment, writing, “No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week. In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, is not otherwise funded and is “not consistent with the President’s priorities.” That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs once Congress approved government spending. A reduction in force would not only lay off employees but eliminate their positions, which would trigger yet another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that has already faced major rounds of cuts this year due to efforts from the Department of Government Efficiency and elsewhere in the Trump administration. Once any potential government shutdown ends, agencies are asked to revise their reduction in force plans “as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” according to the memo, which was first reported by Politico. This move from OMB significantly increases the consequences of a potential government shutdown next week and escalates pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The two leaders have kept nearly all of their Democratic lawmakers united against a clean funding bill pushed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans that would keep the federal government operating for seven more weeks, demanding immediate improvements to health care in exchange for their votes. In statements issued shortly after the memo was released, the two Democrats showed no signs of budging. “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings,” Jeffries wrote in a post on X. “Get lost.” Jeffries called Russ Vought, the head of OMB, a “malignant political hack.” Schumer said in a statement that the OMB memo is an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.” OMB noted that it held its first planning call with other federal agencies earlier this week to plan for a shutdown. The budget office plays point in managing federal government shutdowns, particularly planning for them ahead of time. Past budget offices have also posted shutdown contingency plans — which would outline which agency workers would stay on the job during a government shutdown and which would be furloughed — on its website, but this one has not. The memo noted that congressional Democrats are refusing to support a clean government funding bill “due to their partisan demands,” which include an extension of enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus a reversal of Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax and spending cuts law. “As such, it has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one,” the memo reads, which also notes that the GOP’s signature law, a major tax and border spending package, gives “ample resources to ensure that many core Trump Administration priorities will continue uninterrupted.” OMB noted that it had asked all agencies to submit their plans in case of a government […]
