The Senate will consider legislation this week that aims to protect children from dangerous online content, moving forward with what could become the first sweeping new regulation of the tech industry in decades. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is set to announce Tuesday that he will bring the bipartisan bill up in the Senate, with hopes of passing it before the chamber leaves for its August recess. The legislation had stalled for months even as more than two-thirds of the Senate signed on to support it and families of children who have suffered online bullying and harm advocated for its passage. Schumer says the bill “can change and save lives,” echoing the concerns of parent advocates who say social media and other tech companies need to do more to try to help prevent suicides and other trauma endured by children and teenagers who inevitably spend a lot of their time online. The online safety bill, which the Senate will consider along with a separate bill to update child online privacy laws, would be the first major tech regulation package to move in years. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest technology companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how it should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force Chinese-owned social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company. The bill’s prospects in the House are so far unclear. But if it passes the Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote — as it is expected to — advocates hope it will put pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring it up before the November election or the end of the session in January. The child safety bill came together as Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, have worked together and with advocacy groups for several years on compromise legislation that is designed to hold companies more responsible for what children see while also ensuring that Congress does not go too far in regulating what individuals post. The legislation would create what is called a “duty of care” — a legal term that requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms minors will likely use. The companies would be required to mitigate and even prevent harms to children, including bullying and violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, exploitation and advertisements for illegal products such as narcotics, tobacco or alcohol. To achieve that goal, social media platforms would have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. They would also be required to limit other users from communicating with children and limit features that “increase, sustain, or extend the use” of the platform — such as autoplay for videos or platform rewards. In general, online platforms would have to default to the safest settings possible for accounts they believe belong to minors. The idea, Blumenthal and Blackburn have said, is for the platforms to be “safe by design.” The senators have worked closely with parents of children who have died by suicide after cyberbullying or otherwise been harmed by social media, including dangerous […]
Former President Jimmy Carter is 99 years old and still alive, despite a fake letter announcing his death that quickly went viral on social media platforms. The letter, published on stationary that looks official, had some obvious markings of a fake. Specifically, the section supposedly extolling Carter’s accomplishments did anything but that. Read the boxed section below for yourself. At least one news site fell for the hoax, making themselves look like fools. Had they just bothered reading the actual text of the letter… This non-story is just another reminder not to accept at face value things that people publish online. While this is a particularly egregious example, there are numerous examples of fake news flyiny around every single day.
As the formulaic “pass the torch” drumbeat thumped on from lawmakers wanting him to quit the race, President Joe Biden maintained a brave face. Publicly, he vowed he was all in, until the day he got out. But there were telling indications he was listening to that beat long before he ended his campaign for reelection. One sign was over a week ago, when Chuck Schumer visited his Delaware beach house as an emissary of gloom. The Senate majority leader had spoken with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, a few days earlier. He had heard from nearly every Democratic senator, pinging him over the last three weeks on his old-school flip phone. He wasn’t speaking for all of them, but for many. Think about what’s bound to happen to Democrats in Congress, Schumer implored the president. Think about the generations-long impact of a Supreme Court with Donald Trump in the White House. Think about your legacy. “I need a week,” Biden said. The two men hugged. That scene and those words were described by someone familiar with the conversation, who would only detail it on condition of anonymity. Other firsthand observers of Biden’s struggle to stay viable also described a privately contemplative president during his days of decision. Some spoke on the record; others anonymously. Together, their accounts show a president who was determined to exhaust every avenue to keep his hopes alive, but ultimately not in denial about the prospects. By the weekend, if not sooner, the gravity of it all reached a critical mass — the terrible polls, the precipitous drop in big-money donations, the sad voices of those he most respected and had worked with for decades. One insider said Biden “began to come to a decision on Saturday evening,” in the company of four close advisers. Things moved quickly Sunday. Biden gave South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn early word he would be stepping aside, in what the congressman called a “very pleasant conversation.” He did not speak with Pelosi at the time. In a hooded Howard University sweatshirt, workout sweats and sneakers, Vice President Kamala Harris held several conversations with Biden and as the day wore on, spent over 10 hours on the phone with more than 100 politicians and some activists. She knew she would get the huge boost of Biden’s endorsement, yet needed to be seen as earning the nomination in her own right. At 1:45 p.m., after separate calls to Harris, chief of staff Jeff Zients and campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, he was connected on the phone with a small group of other advisers. One minute later, with the release of his letter on X, the world knew. Democrats saw trouble from the first moment of the debate Democrats blanched in the first seconds of the June 27 debate with Trump. Low energy, hoarse, sometimes inaudible, Biden did not meet the moment as more than 50 million people watched. He spoke of “making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the COVID. Excuse me … we finally beat Medicare.” It emerged later that he meant to claim that he had beaten the pharmaceutical industry, but many such points were lost in the fog. Some outliers were already left thinking the […]
“We saved this money for a rainy day. But, there’s a mabul happening!” These are the words that Reuven Wolf, renowned philanthropist shared at a Keren Olam HaTorah event. The emergency fundraising campaign initiated by the leading gedolim of Eretz Yisroel and Jewish philanthropists worldwide, Keren Olam HaTorah has marked this day to launch their unprecedented fundraising mission. After Israeli government budget cuts left yeshivos and kollelim with a $107 million deficit, over 50,000 bochurim and avreichim face an uncertain future. And that’s why Keren Olam HaTorah was created. CLICK HERE TO DONATE! Our gedolim’s tireless efforts have already garnered an astounding $84 million in pledges, but we still face a shortfall of $23 million. This Wednesday, July 24th, our gedolim aim to launch the fundraising effort to close the significant gap. Although the numbers are astronomical, every donation counts more than ever. We need your support to ensure that the doors of Torah learning remain open. By sponsoring an avreich for $2,736 a year, or $228 a month, you can make a direct and significant impact. Our gedolim have implored all of Klal Yisroel to give beyond their usual contributions. “This is a request to go above and beyond your normal giving,” Hagaon Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch urged. Because this is not just another fundraising campaign; it is the very survival of Klal Yisroel. In recognition of the generosity, Rav Landau benched anyone who helps with good health, nachas, parnassah, and all the brochos one could wish for. On Wednesday, We Will Make History Although the numbers are unprecedented, your support today can turn the tide. Donate now through our website or call our dedicated line at 732.941.1000. Together, we can achieve the $23 million goal and secure the future of Torah learning. Share this urgent message with your family, friends, and community. Encourage them to donate too and join this historic campaign. The more people we reach, the greater our collective impact will be. Wednesday, July 24th is the day we prove our commitment to Torah and our dedication to Klal Yisroel. Stand with us, support Keren Olam HaTorah, and become part of this historic movement. Save the future of Klal Yisroel. Donate today. For more information, email rayzeit@kerenolamhatorah.org or call 732.941.1000. CLICK HERE TO DONATE!
The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff, following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission. Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania. “I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in the email to staff Tuesday. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.” The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to get within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage where the former president was speaking when he opened fire. That’s despite a threat on Trump’s life from Iran leading to additional security for the former president in the days before the July 13 rally. (AP)
At least a half-dozen homes lay in ruins Monday after one of many dangerous wildfires in the West suddenly swept into a Southern California neighborhood during a blistering heat wave. Six homes were ravaged and seven damaged when the fire sparked by fireworks erupted Sunday afternoon in a hilly area of Riverside, a city about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, authorities said at a media briefing Monday evening. The blaze scorched just under a square mile (2.6 square kilometers). Resident Noel Piri and his wife were away when they got a call about a fire in the neighborhood, rushed home and rescued their dog. Unfortunately, their house was in flames when firefighters arrived, The Press-Enterprise reported. “It was kind of sad to see the house was gone,” Piri told the newspaper after rummaging through the remains of the newly remodeled house. Riverside hit 102 degrees (38.9 Celsius) on Sunday amid a heat wave that has been largely focused on the interior of California and is expected to last through much of the week. Many other fires were also burning throughout the state, including one that started Saturday and rapidly expanded to more than 4 square miles (10.3 square kilometers) on the border of Lake and Colusa counties, northwest of Sacramento. Containment reached 25% on Monday. More than two dozen fires also were burning in the Pacific Northwest and Idaho, where lightning ignited more blazes in Oregon over the weekend amid extremely dry and hot conditions. The largest blazes were active in rural areas of eastern Oregon and Washington, and smoke was impacting air quality in those places as well as into Idaho. Authorities evacuated the town of Huntington, Oregon, with a population of about 500, and temporarily closed a stretch of Interstate 84 late Sunday after thunderstorms caused a massive smoke column to collapse. The implosion of the plume sent winds of 50 mph (80 kph) in every direction, raising fears the fire would jump I-84, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Evacuation orders remained in place with extreme fire behavior prompted by high winds pushing the flames Monday afternoon, authorities said. The fire covered more than 272 square miles (704 square kilometers) with no containment. Monday afternoon, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said three new fires had started northwest of Huntington and were prompting evacuations, as well as the closure of I-84 in the Durkee area. Officials with the Malheur National Forest in neighboring Malheur County closed it to public use on Monday, citing the active wildfires, “extremely unfavorable” weather conditions and limited firefighting resources. Meanwhile, another fast-moving fire started Monday afternoon farther west on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, where a wind advisory was in place until midnight for gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) or more. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation notices for an area up to the edge of Mosier, with everyone in the town of more than 400 told to be set to evacuate. Large wildfires can generate huge plumes of smoke and ash that can rise more than 5 miles (8 kilometers), depending on conditions such as the terrain, weather and temperature. The columns can collapse when the amount of heat over the fire drops — from changing fuels or […]
Join Rebitzen Spetner’s thousands of students from around the world who have transformed themselves, their homes, and their relationships with their children. Course Schedule: Monsey: Fundamental: July 29-Aug 5 (morning sessions)Topics: Discipline, Sibling rivalry, ruchnius Very limited slots remaining! Intense Teen Course: Aug 6-Augs 9Class full. Registration closed. Rebitzen Sima Spetner is a child psychologist and venerable parenting and chinuch specialist from Eretz Yisroel who has been teaching chinuch classes for decades. Her warm, engaging classes are filled with Torah hashkafah and practical ideas. Rebitzen Spetner was trained directly by Rav Shlomo Wolbe, and received haskamah from leading gedolim. Seize this opportunity! Limited slots! Recordings of the classes will be given exclusively to course participants. To register:Fundamental Course: send an email to beginner@spetner.org You will get a bounce back email with online registration. For general info:(call/ text) Esti Hirshfeld – 718-578-2128 Or email: seminar@spetner.org
During CNN’s Sunday night broadcast, CNN’s John King discussed the potential pros and cons of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro being on the ticket with Kamala Harris, noting that Shapiro being Jewish has its drawbacks, considering how antisemitic the Democratic Party has become. “So Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro is being discussed as one of Harris’s potential running mates. He also endorsed her tonight. In your view, what are the pros and cons for putting him on the ticket?” Anderson Cooper asked King. “Well, he certainly under consideration, I know that from key Harris allies. He’s a first-term governor, he’s Jewish, there could be some risk in putting him on the ticket,” King said. “But certainly some of our voters here in Pennsylvania said, ‘Hey, we like Governor Shapiro, give him a look. Also told, though, Anderson, that some other governors, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, are on the list of the Harris team.” In response to the comment, Republican operative Steve Guest tweeted, “The anti-Semitism in the Democrat Party is WILD.” Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby added, “In America today, anti-Semitism on the left is a given.” Conservative writer Karol Markowicz also weighed in, saying, “I know exactly where Jews stand when it comes to Democrats, and still it’s insane to hear this so casually said out loud.” The controversy comes as Harris is set to announce her running mate in the coming days. Meanwhile, it was reported that Harris will not preside over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress later this week. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A week after Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president, President Joe Biden’s team used Musk’s social media platform X — in addition to more neutral spaces such as Facebook and Instagram — to announce he is ending his reelection campaign. It’s a testament to how ingrained the platform has become among the power players of the political and media world, as well as users looking for news and live updates of major events. While Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok, boast far more users, X users say keeping up with the news is not the reason they use those platforms, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. X is the exception: most of the site’s users say following the news is a reason they use it and about half say they regularly get their news from there. “X is where history happens,” posted X CEO Linda Yaccarino on Sunday with a screenshot of Biden’s announcement. While a comment pointed out that the same message was posted on other social media platforms as well, the narrative remains an important one for X and its long-touted efforts to become a “digital town square.” “Other platforms have emerged with the goal of supplanting X, but what events like the Biden post shows is that this is still where people go to make both fast and consequential impact,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute. That’s even though the site has become a less reliable place to find accurate information, due in large part to changes Musk made since assuming the helm. Since the 2022 takeover, Musk has upended many of the former Twitter’s policies including around misinformation and hate speech, gutted its staff and transformed what people see on the site. “It does not appear as though would-be competitors have been able to displace Twitter from its perch as the go-to place for political news,” Kreps said. “In an ideal world, a lot of people would have and did try to go elsewhere but these alternatives needed to offer products that people want and use and they have not done that. Until that time, we’ll probably see a segment of users for whom their principles and practices are at odds.” As its owner and arguably most influential user, Musk has also used X to try to sway political discourse around the world — getting in a dustup with a Brazilian judge over censorship, railing against what he calls the “woke mind virus” and amplifying false claims that Democrats are secretly flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections. Long before he endorsed Trump, Musk turned increasingly toward the right in his posts and actions on the platform. He’s reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as accounts belonging to neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Advertisers who halted spending on X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material were engaging in “blackmail,” Musk has alleged. And it was on X that he announced he was moving the company’s headquarters, as well as those of SpaceX, to the red state of Texas from deep blue California. “The important thing about Twitter has long been the community of users who’ve embraced it. And there is a […]
The Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon fired dozens of rockets and explosive drones at northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon. Nonstop sirens wailed in numerous yishuvim in the Galil. B’Chasdei Hashem, no injuries were reported although several rockets scored direct hits in several areas, including Meron, Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am and Margaliot. The barrages followed reports of an Israeli-attributed drone strike in southern Lebanon that killed one person and injured another. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary was found guilty Tuesday by a London jury of directing a terrorist group. Choudary, 57, was convicted in Woolwich Crown Court of membership in a banned organization, the radical Muslim group al-Muhajiroun, or ALM, and for drumming up support for the group. ALM was outlawed by the British government in 2010 as a group involved in committing, preparing for or promoting terrorism. “ALM’s tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security,” Metropolitan Police Cmdr. Dominic Murphy said. “There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or traveled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary’s radicalizing impact upon them.” Prosecutor Tom Little, who described Choudary as having a “warped and twisted mindset,” said that he had stepped in to lead ALM after Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group’s founder, was imprisoned in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023. Choudary, who was previously convicted of supporting the Islamic State group, denied at trial that he promoted ALM through his lectures, saying ALM no longer exists. Prosecutors said the group has operated under many names, including the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society, which Choudary has spoken to. The Islamic Thinkers Society was ALM’s U.S. branch, said New York Police Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, who called the case historic. “It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice,” Weiner said. “And it’s rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.” Choudary was convicted with one of his followers, Khaled Hussein, who prosecutors said was a dedicated supporter of the group. Hussein, 29, of Edmonton, Canada, was convicted of membership in a proscribed organization. The two were arrested a year ago after Hussein landed at Heathrow Airport. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30. (AP)
The U.S. Defense Department must invest more to upgrade sensors, communications and space-based technologies in the Arctic to keep pace with China and Russia who are increasingly operating there, including in joint military exercises, a new Pentagon strategy says. Saying that now is “a critical time” for the Arctic, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Monday that climate change, increased activity by adversaries and degrading U.S. infrastructure are forcing the department to rethink how to keep the Arctic secure and ensure troops are well-equipped and protected. The Arctic strategy is short on specifics, but broadly pushes for greater spending on high-tech sensor and radar systems, a range of military equipment, and continued investment in Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. Space Force base in the northwest corner of Greenland. And it relies on growing partnerships with Canada and a number of NATO allies in the north. Defense Department leaders have, for more than the past decade, warned that the U.S. needs to step up its activities in the Arctic to better compete with China and Russia as climate change makes the frigid region more accessible. But the remote northern expanse presents an array of challenges, including demands for deep-water ports, weapons, drones and equipment that can withstand the climate, and additional ships that can handle the cold waters and break through the ice. The U.S. has also struggled with Cold War-era Defense and State Department infrastructure that is degrading in the frigid weather, and erosion on the coasts. The cold and increasingly unpredictable weather also restricts military training and affects equipment. And the region, which has limited satellite coverage, requires a far more expansive array of sensors for communications and military awareness. “Slowly over time, there’s been a bit of a greater awakening in the department,” said Iris Ferguson, the deputy assistant defense secretary for the Arctic. “Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how you implement a strategy.” The report notes that the Arctic is warming “more than three times faster than the rest of the world” and could see its first “practically ice-free summer” by 2030. As the ice melts, the increased traffic, it said, will boost the risks of accidents, miscalculation and environmental degradation. Hicks couldn’t quantify the increased activity by Russia and China in the region, but she called the growing cooperation between the two troubling. In 2022 and 2023, they conducted joint military exercises off the coast of Alaska. Meanwhile, the melting ice caps are opening sea lanes for longer periods of time each year, making lucrative oil and gas deposits more accessible. And China has provided critical funding to Russia for energy exploration. China has also increased its own activity in the region, including by its three icebreaker ships that do civil-military research in the region. According to the report, Chinese vessels have tested underwater drones and polar-capable aircraft there. Russia, which has the largest amount of Arctic territory and has the most developed military presence there, including important strategic nuclear capabilities, such as its submarine-launched ballistic missile force. Going forward, the strategy says the department will review options for better sensors, and new space-based missile-warning and observational systems with greater polar coverage. Insufficient investments in early warning and air defense sensors in the Arctic will increase risks to the U.S. homeland, the […]
Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey, as top Democrats rallied to her in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his bid for reelection. The quick coalescing behind Harris marked an attempt by the party to put weeks of internecine drama over Biden’s political future behind them and to unify behind the task of defeating Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day. Prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly lined up behind Harris in the day after Biden’s exit from the race and her campaign set a new 24-hour record for presidential donations on Monday. Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California. By Monday night, Harris had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot, according to the AP tally. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP. California state Democratic Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75% to 80% of the state’s delegation were on a call Tuesday and they unanimously supported Harris. “I’ve not heard anyone mentioning or calling for any other candidate,” Hicks said. “Tonight’s vote was a momentous one.” Still, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago. Harris, in a statement, responded to the AP tally, saying she is “grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people.” Worries over Biden’s fitness for office were replaced by fresh signs of unity after a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties’ carefully honed plans for the 2024 race. Speaking to campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris acknowledged the “rollercoaster” of the last several weeks, but expressed confidence in her new campaign team. “It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” she said. She promised to “unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.” She quickly leaned into the themes that will be prominent in her campaign against Trump over the coming 100 days, contrasting her time as a prosecutor with Trump’s felony convictions — “I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said — and casting herself as a defender of economic opportunity and abortion access. “Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is in our hands.” The president called into the meeting from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he is recovering from COVID-19, to lend his support to Harris. He planned to talk about his decision to step aside in an address to the nation later this week. “The name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all,” Biden said in his first public remarks since announcing his decision to step […]
Two Israelis were lightly injured after an explosive device detonated near Kibbutz Meirav in the Gilboa. The victims were Defense Ministry employees who were patrolling the security fence in the area. They noticed something suspicious and as they approached the spot, the terrorists detonated the device from afar. In a neis, the employees were only lightly injured. They were treated by paramedics and evacuated to HaEmek Hospital in Afula for further treatment. IDF forces launched a manhunt for the terrorists, including setting up roadblocks on all roads leading to Jenin and nearby villages. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The IDF on Tuesday morning eliminated two senior terror commanders in a drone strike in Tulkarm as well as several other terrorists, including an armed female terrorist disguised as a paramedic. The eliminated commanders were Ashraf Nafa, Hamas’ military wing commander in Tulkarm, and Muhammad Abu Abdu, commander of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. The Shin Bet and IDF have been targeting the two commanders for months. According to Israeli media reports, the IDF used various ruses to bring the terrorists to the area minutes before the drone attacked them. Regarding the female terrorist disguised as a paramedic, the IDF said such cases are rare although they have seen similar cases in the past. Fierce gun battles took place between IDF forces and local terrorists that continued for hours after the drone strike. In recent months, the IDF has targeted Palestinian “refugee camps” in Shomron over 50 times from the air. The operation in Tulkarm on Tuesday not only eliminated the top terrorists in the city but also targeted the production sites for explosive devices in the city. The operation, in which many senior Hamas terrorists in Yehudah and Shomron were killed, follows increased pressure by Hamas leaders in Gaza and abroad on Hamas leadership in the Shomron to carry out attacks against Israeli targets in the area. The armed female terrorist disguised as a paramedic can be seen at the end of the video below: The videos below show the terrorists minutes before their elimination: The video below shows an IDF bulldozer evacuating the bodies of the terror commanders to Israeli territory: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A defamation suit against Fox News by a government official who served on a short-lived U.S. government media disinformation board was dismissed Monday by a federal judge. The lawsuit from Nina Jankowicz alleged that Fox News had defamed her on numerous occasions, leading to waves of online attacks and threats of violence after the formation of the Disinformation Governance Board, where she served as a director. In May of 2022, just weeks after its launch, the Department of Homeland Security paused the board’s work and accepted Jankowicz’s resignation. The board was officially dissolved and its charter rescinded in August of that same year. In rejecting Jankowicz’s claims, the judge said that 36 of the 37 statements made on Fox News programs were about the disinformation board and not Jankowicz. The judge ruled that the remaining statement — which was also a reference to the board and not Jankowicz, despite showing an image of her as it was said — was not disinformation because it was a factual statement that matched the wording in the board’s own charter describing its purpose. “This was a politically motivated lawsuit aimed at silencing free speech and we are pleased with the court’s decision to protect the First Amendment,” Fox News said. The disinformation board was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to counter disinformation coming from Russia as well as misleading information that human smugglers circulate to target migrants hoping to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border. Dozens of Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits took to social media immediately after the board’s launch, calling for it to be disbanded. They described the board as an Orwellian body that could be used to suppress free speech. In April of last year, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million to avert a trial in the voting machine company’s lawsuit that would have exposed how the network promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election. (AP)
A court has convicted Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, of spreading false information about the Russian army and sentenced her to 6½ years in prison after a secret trial, court records and officials said Monday. The conviction in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s central region of Tatarstan, came on Friday, the same day a court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison in a case that the U.S. called politically motivated. Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old editor for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir language service, was convicted of “spreading false information” about the military after a trial that lasted just two days, according to the website of the Supreme Court of Tatarstan. Court spokesperson Natalya Loseva confirmed Kurmasheva’s conviction and revealed the sentence to The Associated Press by phone in the case classified as secret. Kurmasheva was ordered to serve the sentence in a medium-security penal colony, Loseva said. “My daughters and I know Alsu has done nothing wrong. And the world knows it too. We need her home,” Kurmasheva’s husband, Pavel Butorin, said in a post Monday on X. He had said last year the charges stemmed from a book the Tatar-Bashkir service released in 2022 called “No to War” — “a collection of short stories of Russians who don’t want their country to be at war with Ukraine.” Butorin had said the book doesn’t contain any “false information.” Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, said Kurmasheva is being “targeted by Russian authorities for her uncompromising commitment to speaking the truth and her principled reporting.” “We continue to make very clear that she should be released,” Miller added. Asked about the case, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus denounced the trial and conviction of Kurmasheva as “a mockery of justice.” “The only just outcome is for Alsu to be immediately released from prison by her Russian captors,” he said in a statement to the AP. “It’s beyond time for this American citizen, our dear colleague, to be reunited with her loving family,” Capus said. Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian citizenship and lives in Prague with her husband and two daughters, was taken into custody in October 2023 and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information about the Russian military. Later, she was also charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian military under legislation that effectively criminalized any public expression about the war in Ukraine that deviates from the Kremlin line. The legislation was adopted in March 2022, just days after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, and has since been used to target Kremlin critics at home and abroad, implicating scores of people in criminal cases and sending dozens to prison. Kurmasheva was initially stopped in June 2023 at Kazan International Airport after traveling to Russia the previous month to visit her ailing elderly mother. Officials confiscated her U.S. and Russian passports and fined her for failing to register her U.S. passport. She was waiting for her passports to be returned when she was arrested on new charges in October that year. RFE/RL has repeatedly called for her release. RFE/RL was told by Russian authorities in 2017 to register as a foreign […]
Kamala Harris is smashing fundraising records as the Democratic Party’s donors — big and small — open their wallets for the vice president in the immediate aftermath of President Joe Biden’s stunning decision to step aside. In total, Harris’ team raised more than $81 million in the 24-hour period since Biden’s announcement, campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said Monday. The massive haul, which includes money raised across the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, represents the largest 24-hour sum reported by either side in the 2024 campaign. Harris’ campaign said it was the largest single-day total in U.S. history. “The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” Munoz said. Hours earlier, Future Forward, the largest super PAC in Democratic politics, announced it had secured $150 million in commitments over the same period from donors who were “previously stalled, uncertain or uncommitted,” a senior adviser said. Taken together, the fundraising explosion puts Harris in a dominant position to secure the Democratic Party’s formal presidential nomination at next month’s national convention — if not sooner. The donor class’s embrace comes as she locks up endorsements from the vast majority of Democratic governors and members of Congress. The huge haul also ensures that Harris and her allies can compete with Donald Trump, who has generated stunning fundraising totals of his own in recent weeks as he fights to return to the White House following multiple felony convictions and an assassination attempt. “This is the next generation people have been waiting for,” Michael Kempner, a member of Biden’s national finance team, said of Harris’ emergence. “The donors I’ve spoken to are enthusiastic about supporting her. And even those that may have preferred an open convention have quickly coalesced around her overnight.” Harris’ initial 24-hour fundraising total easily bested the $50 million Trump raised immediately after felony convictions and the $38 million Biden secured over the four days that followed last month’s disastrous debate performance. The Trump campaign has not said how much it raised immediately after last weekend’s assassination attempt; a spokesman didn’t respond to a request Monday. Overall, the Harris campaign said 888,000 grassroots donors made donations over the previous 24 hours; more than 500,000 were making their first contribution of the 2024 campaign cycle. And while there are a few vocal holdouts among the party’s elite donor class, most appear to be lining up behind Harris as they mobilize to help capitalize on her newfound momentum. At least two major donor calls were scheduled by Harris allies Monday, while the Democratic National Committee was set to host another major donor call in the middle of the week. Most big-dollar donors wanted Biden to step aside, as did the majority of rank-and-file Democratic voters. And on Monday, there was a palpable sense of relief and excitement among those who feared Biden would not choose to step aside, despite overwhelming concerns about his physical and mental strength. “It was a cliffhanger. Nobody really knew what was happening,” said Michael Smith, an Los Angeles donor who, along with his partner James Costos, held numerous fundraisers for Biden. “Now it’s a new game. And in a TikTok-influenced world, the campaign ahead is going to be short, dynamic and reenergizing.” Not everyone […]
Swallowing a handful of pills is a daily ritual for many people, from young adults coping with anxiety to older adults managing chronic conditions. Overall, 13% of people in the U.S. take five or more prescription drugs. For those 65 and older, that number is 42%. If you’re taking multiple meds, it’s smart to be aware of potential problems. One pill can lead to a side effect, leading to another pill and another side effect in what experts call a “prescribing cascade.” Some drugs can cause harm if taken for years. Others stop working or interact badly with a new drug. A drug tolerated well at first can cause side effects later, leading to cognitive decline and injuries from falls. “Our metabolism changes as we get older,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bayliss, who studies deprescribing at Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Research in Aurora, Colorado. “Everyone’s ability to metabolize the medications they’ve been taking for a long time may change.” The nonprofit Lown Institute calls the whole situation a medication overload that will cause 4.6 million hospital visits this decade. If your daily pill routine is getting out of hand, ask for a medication review. Here’s how to get started with a process called “deprescribing.” Ask for a prescription checkup Start with a professional you trust, like a doctor or pharmacist, said Lisa McCarthy, a pharmacist and deprescribing expert at the University of Toronto. If you’re asking your doctor, don’t wait until the end of a 15-minute visit. Instead, make a dedicated appointment and tell them when booking you want to talk about your medicines, McCarthy said. Your doctor may not have the full picture of what you’re taking if other prescribers are involved, and some doctors hesitate to manage drugs prescribed by others. That’s when a pharmacist can help by reviewing everything and writing up suggestions you can share with your doctors, said pharmacist Bradley Phillips of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. “We’re considered the medication experts,” Phillips said. Could my medicine be causing a problem? Swelling, incontinence, restlessness, insomnia — all are side effects caused by common medications that sometimes get treated with new drugs. McCarthy wants people to ask their doctors a simple question: Could this symptom be related to one of my medications? “If we could teach the public to ask that question it would be very powerful,” McCarthy said. And for a follow-up question, she suggested: Do I still need this medicine? Pharmacist Barbara Farrell sees dramatic changes in many people she helps at an outpatient geriatric center in Ottawa, Ontario. Some have emerged from a drug-induced dementia after their meds are reduced. A 77-year-old woman was able to leave her wheelchair and walk with a cane after cutting her daily pills from 32 to 17. She had arrived sedated and unable to communicate, and a few months later, she was back to her hobby of knitting. Weaning off medication takes time Some meds can be stopped abruptly but others require a slow taper to prevent uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms — or even life-threatening seizures. Tapering to progressively lower doses is particularly important with drugs for depression, insomnia and anxiety. After two decades on various pills for these conditions, therapist Molly Bernardi of Spokane, Washington, began tapering down her doses. The 45-year-old suspected the pills […]
The milky fork somehow ended up in the meaty sink which was full of dirty cutlery – do I need to kasher the fork and the other cutlery? If I taste some chicken soup but do not swallow it – do I need to wait the length of time that I normally wait between meat and milk? I cut the onion with the meaty knife and then cooked it in my cheese omelet – can I eat the omelet and do I need to kasher the frying pan? These and numerous other questions are impossible to answer unless one has a thorough knowledge of the laws of Issur v’Heter. As the head of a household every ben Torah has a responsibility to know Hilchos Issur v’Heter. Furthermore, we eat three times a day, thus our encounters with food are very frequent. But what many people don’t realize is that the level of kashrus of the food that we eat directly affects our neshama and thus our ability to learn Torah and connect to Hashem. It can be helpful to read one of the many books that explain the basic laws, but to really understand the halachos and know how to apply them, it is essential to learn Hilchos Issur v’Heter with the background discussion of the Gemara and commentators. Unlike many other areas of halacha, Issur v’Heter requires simultaneous knowledge of many different sugyos to properly answer almost every halachic question. What is the challenge we face? It can take several years for a full-time advanced Torah learner to cover the laws of Issur v’Heter in depth. So how can a working ben Torah, or one with less advanced skills, begin this seemingly daunting task? Now there is a solution. World famous Rosh Yeshiva HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlit’a used his vast knowledge to arrange all the Gemaras with the commentators on each area of Hilchos Issur v’Heter and present it in the form of source sheets that cover material from the Gemara through the practical halacha. This enables one to cover the main opinions in each topic and gain a deep understanding of the halacha without being overwhelmed with too much information. This was created for full-time Torah learners who have advanced Hebrew skills and can devote many hours each day to learn. What about busy bnei Torah who have limited time to learn but want to properly master Hilchos Issur v’Heter? Two of the Rabbi Berkovits’s close talmidim, Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen and Rabbi Yakov Pesah, with the Rav’s haskama, took on the monumental task of adapting the Hebrew sheets into English. The material is written with care and great clarity, and includes the various opinions in the contemporary halacha, including many relevant practical cases. All of this started many years ago when Rabbi Gefen first created and taught such a curriculum for Hilchos Shabbos. Meanwhile, independently, Rabbi Yakov Pesah was developing what would ultimately become the ‘Mitzvas Talmud Torah’ Program by Rabbi Berkovits. Several years ago, they joined forces and together co-founded the ‘Kinyan Hilchos Shabbos’ Program for men and launched it online. It became an instant worldwide success. This was followed by the ‘Hilchos Bein Adam L’Chaveiro’ Program for men developed by Rabbi Gefen based on the curriculum of Kollel Linas Hatzedek/Center for Jewish Values a premier international Bein Adam L’Chaveiro resource. Women’s cohorts for both of these programs […]
