Yeshiva World News

BREAKING: President Trump signs an executive order stripping security clearances from Perkins Coie employees, the firm deeply entangled in the Russia hoax.

President Trump signs modifications on tariffs to protect American car manufacturers and American farmers: “It basically makes it more fair for our car manufacturers… during this interim period between now and April 2nd.”

South Korean and U.S. troops will begin their large annual joint military drills next week to enhance readiness against North Korean threats, the allies announced Thursday, days after North Korea threatened high-profile provocations against what it called escalating U.S.-led aggression. However, the announcement was overshadowed by the news of two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropping eight bombs on a civilian area during a joint live-fire exercise with the U.S. military earlier Thursday. Eight people were injured and South Korea’s military halted all live-fire drills across the country. The allies have already begun joint field training for the March 10-20 command post exercise dubbed Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The accidental bombing happened during one of the joint training exercises, though there were no U.S. soldiers involved in the incident. South Korean military spokesperson Lee Sung Joon and his U.S. counterpart, Ryan Donald, told a joint news conference that the training is meant to strengthen their countries’ combined defense posture by reflecting evolving challenges such as North Korea’s growing military partnership with Russia. Lee said the two allies plan 16 brigade-level field trainings this year, up from 10 such drills last year. It was unclear how long the live-fire suspension would last. Military officials said they can restart firing exercises once authorities determine the cause of Thursday’s accident and take steps to prevent recurrences. An initial investigation indicated one of the KF-16 pilots had entered wrong coordinates for a bombing site. North Korea views major South Korean-U.S. military training as an invasion rehearsal and often reacts with missile tests and fiery rhetoric. Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the United States of intensifying confrontational actions and threatened to ramp up measures “threatening the security of the enemy at the strategic level.” She cited the recent temporary deployments of U.S. strategic assets like an aircraft carrier and long-range bombers in South Korea and other U.S.-involved military activities. Observers say North Korea could test-fire powerful nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike the U.S. mainland and American military bases in the region. Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim Jong Un again to revive diplomacy. North Korea has not responded to Trump’s remarks and says U.S. hostilities against it has deepened since Trump’s inauguration. During 2018 and 2019, Kim Jong Un and Trump met three times to discuss potential benefits for North Korea should it return to nuclear disarmament. But their diplomacy eventually fell apart after Trump rejected Kim’s offer to dismantle his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step, in exchange of extensive sanctions relief. (AP)

POTUS: “Why is it that more people don’t have American flags? They seem to have Panamanian flags and Liberian flags…” CMA CGM Chairman Rodolphe Saadé: “You will have more ships with U.S. flags as we move forward, and you can count on us to do as much as we can.”

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida has issued a warning that any Israeli military escalation against the terror group in Gaza could lead to the killing of hostages still held by Hamas. In his statement, Obeida asserted that Israeli threats of war and blockade would not lead to the release of hostages, dismissing military pressure as ineffective. At the same time, he claimed that Hamas remains committed to the ongoing truce deal with Israel, despite the first phase of the ceasefire having already concluded. Following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, 59 hostages are still believed to be held in Gaza. However, at least 35 of them have been confirmed dead by the IDF. Obeida’s remarks come as negotiations for a second phase of hostage releases remain uncertain, with Hamas continuing to hold Israeli civilians and soldiers captured during the October 7 terror attack. Israel has vowed to continue its military campaign to dismantle Hamas’ terror infrastructure, while international mediators push for a new ceasefire agreement that could secure the release of the remaining hostages. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler announces she will relocate regional offices out of sanctuary cities and implement new citizenship verification for loans, to ensure zero taxpayer dollars go to support illegal aliens.

Micha Koby, a former senior official in the Shin Bet, was a guest on Wednesday evening on the popular ‘The Patriots’ show hosted by Yinon Magal on Channel 14 and spoke about the Shin Bet’s internal report about the organization’s failure to predict and thwart the October 7 massacre that was published earlier in the day. Koby said that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar failed in an extraordinary way and “should have resigned on the night of October 7 or on October 8.” Koby added: “I divide the Shin Bet into two. There is the Shin Bet as a very important body in the State of Israel that thwarts terror, thwarts hostile terrorist activity, thwarts espionage and political subversion – wonderful people, excellent people – and there is the Shin Bet leadership, the head of the Shin Bet and the heads of the divisions.” Koby noted that he’s familiar with the inner workings of the Shin Bet: “I dealt with many fields, participated in discussions, I know the arrogance, the hubris, the contempt for the enemy.” “There is danger from the Shin Bet,” he noted. “I’m not going to talk about everything I know. There are dangerous gatherings of people who surround the Shin Bet chief. Some of them, in my opinion, I don’t know for sure, participated in writing this corrupt report.” According to him, the report cannot be trusted and was written by senior officials whom the Prime Minister called a “junta.” Koby noted Bar’s circles of friends: “It is no secret that the head of the Shin Bet was very close to the issue of the Kaplan protesters. It is no secret that the head of the Shin Bet is a friend of Shikma Bressler [a radical leftist who was one of the leaders of the protests against Netanyahu before October 7 and encouraged IDF refusal and insurrection.] It is no secret that there are many so-called guardians of the gate who gather and talk about ‘the day after.'” Koby added that some in Bar’s circle are advising him not to resign even if Netanyahu fires him. “There was very good information that arrived during the night of October 6, that there was indeed going to be an attack. Clear information, plain and simple. And there was someone who said that it was a drill and the assessment he submitted was definitely wrong,” Kobi concluded. However, he added that he doesn’t believe it was treason but rather a failure in analyzing the information. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

WATCH: UK Defence Secretary Healey to the US: “You challenged Europe to step up… I say to you that we have, we are, and we will further.”

The soul-stirring voice of Chassidish music superstar Motty Steinmetz, at a Chasunah in Eretz Yisroel this week.

President Trump announces he & his cabinet will be meeting with the DOGE team every two weeks: “It’s also important to keep the best and most productive people. We will have these meetings every 2 weeks until that aspect of this job is done.”

President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. Trump’s announcement comes after his Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, said earlier Thursday that tariffs on both Canada and Mexico would “likely” be delayed. No change was announced regarding new tariffs imposed on Canada, another major trading partner. It is the second time Trump has postponed tariffs since he first unveiled the import taxes in early February. The reprieve would apply to goods from Mexico that are compliant with the trade agreement Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico in his first term— which will likely cover the vast majority of imports. “After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement,” Trump said on Truth Social. “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border.” No details were released Thursday as to what led to the temporary lifting of tariffs on Mexico, but not Canada. Trudeau on Thursday said Lutnick’s comments were a “promising sign,” but it also “means that the tariffs remain in place and therefore our response will remain in place.” He also indicated that he expects his country will be in a trade war with the United States for the foreseeable future. Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs threats have roiled financial markets, lowered consumer confidence, and enveloped many businesses in an uncertain atmosphere that could delay hiring and investment. Lutnick emphasized that reciprocal tariffs, in which the United States applies import taxes on countries that tariff U.S. exports, will still be implemented April 2. Major U.S. stock markets bounced off lows after Lutnick spoke, but only briefly. Significant declines already seen this week resumed within an hour. The S&P 500 stock index has fallen below where it was before Trump was elected. Sheinbaum said she and Trump “had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results,” on a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Mexico has cracked down on cartels, sent troops to the U.S. border and delivered 29 top cartel bosses long chased by American authorities to the Trump administration in a span of weeks. At a press conference, Sheinbaum elaborated on her call with Trump Thursday, saying that she told the president that Mexico was making great strides in fulfilling his security demands. “I told him we’re getting results,” Sheinbaum said. But the U.S. imposed the tariffs, so she asked Trump “how are we going to continue cooperating, collaborating with something that hurts the people of Mexico?” She added that “practically all of the trade” between the U.S. and Mexico will be exempt from tariffs until April 2. She said the two countries will continue to work together on migration and security, and to cut back on fentanyl trafficking to the U.S. From January to February, the amount of fentanyl seized at the border dropped more than 41%, according to Sheinbaum, citing data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She cited the dip as meeting a commitment […]

Two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during a joint live-fire exercise with the U.S. military on Thursday, injuring eight people, officials said. The MK-82 bombs released by the KF-16 fighter jets fell outside a firing range, the air force said in a statement. It apologized and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured and said it would offer compensation and take other necessary steps. The air force said the fighter jets were taking part in the one-day firing drill with the U.S. military in Pocheon, a city close to the heavily armed border with North Korea. The air force also said a committee would investigate the accident and examine the scale of the damage inflicted. An unidentified air force official told local reporters that a pilot of one of the KF-16s had entered wrong coordinates for a bombing site. An unidentified Defense Ministry official told reporters that further investigation was needed to determine why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area. In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young Hyeun called the bombings “awful” and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence. He said that Pocheon, a city of 140,000 people, provides three major firing ranges for the South Korean and U.S. militaries. Park Seong-sook, a 70-year-old eyewitness who was not hurt in the bombing, said she thought “a war has broken out.” “It was such a loud sound,” she said, adding that it left her trembling with fear. The military said later Thursday it has decided to suspend all live-fire drills across South Korea. The accident came just before the South Korean and U.S. militaries announced they will begin large-scale annual military drills next Monday. It’s unclear how long the suspension of the live-fire training would last, but observers said it would likely be until the military determines the cause of Thursday’s accident and maps out preventative steps. Pocheon’s disaster response department said six civilians and two soldiers were injured and were being treated at hospitals. Four of the injured — all civilians — were in serious condition, the department said. Two of the seriously injured are foreigners, one from Thailand and the other from Myanmar. Three houses, a Catholic church and a greenhouse were partially damaged but they did not appear to have been directly hit by the bombs, according to the department. (AP)

Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent: “Let me be clear: the U.S. does NOT have a revenue problem — we have a spending problem.”

Steve Witkoff: “Are we gonna get all of those hostages home? … That’s gonna require some good, reasonable action on the part of Hamas. And it’s time for them, I think, to gain some political capital.”

Six people suspected of colluding with Russia to plot a coup against the Romanian government have been detained, according to police in the European Union and NATO-member country. Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, detained all six on Wednesday for forming a criminal group, which was initially set up in 2023 and had links to Russia. Police said the group was formed to allegedly undermine the “sovereignty and independence” of the Romanian state by “politically undermining the country’s defense capacity.” Investigations supported by Romanian intelligence services revealed that the group allegedly sought “the removal of the current constitutional order, the dissolution of political parties,” and the installation of a new government formed by its members, police said. “In order to achieve their destabilizing objectives, representatives of the group actively requested support from officers within the Embassy of the Russian Federation,” said Romania’s domestic intelligence agency, the SRI. The group had “a military-type structure” that aimed to negotiate withdrawal from NATO, which Romania joined in 2004, as well as the adoption of a new Constitution, country name, flag and anthem, police said. “The members of the criminal group would have repeatedly contacted agents of a foreign power, located both on the territory of Romania and the Russian Federation,” police said. Two of the suspects allegedly traveled to Moscow in January this year, where police allege they had contact with individuals who supported the organization’s “efforts to take over state power in Romania,” police added. Police raids and diplomatic expulsions raise tensions with Moscow On Wednesday, authorities raided eight homes in the municipality of Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov, Giurgiu, and Maramures, which police said yielded “several pieces of evidence” that were seized. The raids came the same day Romania expelled two military diplomats from the Russian embassy in Bucharest as tensions soar between Moscow and Bucharest. Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision related to Russia’s military, air and naval attaché, Victor Makovskiy, and his deputy, Evgeni Ignatiev, over alleged “activities that contravene the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.” The ministry did not provide further details. “The two Russian diplomats carried out intelligence-gathering actions in areas of strategic interest and took actions to support the group’s anti-constitutional actions,” the SRI added in its statement Thursday. There was no immediate comment from Russia. On Wednesday, the Russian embassy described the expulsions as “unfounded and unfriendly” and said the embassy “reserves the right to take retaliatory measures.” Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday reported claims from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency that the EU was seeking to interfere in Romania’s upcoming presidential election. The SVR said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had asked Bucharest to bar Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in last year’s canceled election, from participating in the rerun in May. Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as “a man who loves his country” and called Ukraine “an invented state,” but he claims not to be pro-Russian. The Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days before the Dec. 8 runoff after Georgescu’s surprise first-round win. The far-right populist had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending, after which allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Moscow has denied interfering in the […]

As New York’s Department of Education tightens the screws on yeshivas, relentlessly scrutinizing their curricula, an alarming reality is being ignored: more than one-third of New York City public school students—over 300,000 children—are chronically absent. A new bombshell study reported by the NY Post has laid bare the crisis, revealing that chronic absenteeism—students missing at least 10% of the school year—has surged to nearly 35% in 2023-24. In upstate cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, the numbers are even more catastrophic, with absenteeism reaching as high as 62%. Yet, while New York’s public schools hemorrhage students and produce mediocre test scores despite record-breaking funding, the state’s education watchdogs seem singularly obsessed with micromanaging yeshivas, institutions that boast high attendance and produce disciplined, engaged learners. New York spends more on education than any other state—$89 billion annually, or $36,293 per student—yet public school students are falling further behind. Test scores in reading and math remain below pre-pandemic levels, and graduation rates are slipping. The Department of Education, however, appears uninterested in why students are not even showing up to class. Instead, the state has made an astonishing move: it has eliminated chronic absenteeism as a measure of school quality. In other words, whether or not students attend school no longer factors into how districts are evaluated. One of the most shocking findings of the study is that absenteeism is not just a logistical issue—it is now culturally accepted. Post-pandemic, many parents have stopped seeing attendance as necessary. Teachers report that remote work has made it easier for families to keep kids at home on weekdays, and parents now believe missing non-testing grades “is not a big deal.” This shift in mentality has resulted in an educational catastrophe. Experts note that missing one or two days equates to 57 fewer days of learning, and missing 18 or more days equates to years of lost schooling Yet, rather than confronting this crisis, the state has opted for rewarding failure and punishing success. While New York’s public schools spiral into dysfunction, the state remains laser-focused on aggressively regulating yeshivas. These schools, which maintain excellent attendance rates, instill discipline, and produce literate, capable students, are being treated as the greatest threat to education in New York. Why does the state devote resources to harassing yeshivas while public school students vanish from their classrooms? (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted 224-198 to censure Rep. Al Green for disrupting President Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night.

BREAKING: The CIA is starting a mass DOGE-inspired firing of its staff, asking employees to go to an off-site spot to turn in their badges.

On his inaugural day as IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recently held a meeting with mayors and local council leaders from the Gaza border region.

Chief of Staff Zamir told leaders of authorities in the Gaza Envelope that the military is gearing up to resume combat, emphasizing the need to defeat Hamas while prioritizing the return of those kidnapped.