Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Ohel on Sunday morning, marking the first time a sitting Israeli President and First Lady have visited it. The visit was the President’s first stop on his U.S. trip and was hosted by Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky on behalf of Chabad Headquarters. During their time at the Ohel, the President and his wife took a moment to reflect on the enduring impact of the Rebbe’s vision and the global work of Chabad in strengthening Jewish life and identity. President Herzog and the First Lady davened at the Ohel for the safe return of hostages held by Hamas, the well-being of Israel’s soldiers, and in memory of those who tragically lost their lives. “We are very moved to be here at the resting place of the Rebbe. We daven for good news, for the safe and speedy return of all the hostages,” President Herzog said during the visit. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
VP VANCE: “[The US] was founded by some immigrants and some settlers — but just because we were founded by immigrants doesn’t mean that 240 years later that we have to have the dumbest immigration policy in the world.”
VP: “Just like the guy who planned a terrorist attack in Oklahoma a few months ago? He was allegedly ‘properly vetted.'” BRENNAN: “It wasn’t clear if he was radicalized when he got here…” VP: “I don’t really care, Margaret. I don’t want that person in my country.”
The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion. The finding is not the result of any new intelligence, and the report was completed at the behest of the Biden administration and former CIA Director William Burns. It was declassified and released Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, John Ratcliffe, who was sworn in Thursday as director. The nuanced finding suggests the agency believes the totality of evidence makes a lab origin more likely than a natural origin. But the agency’s assessment assigns a low degree of confidence to this conclusion, suggesting the evidence is deficient, inconclusive or contradictory. Earlier reports on the origins of COVID-19 have split over whether the coronavirus emerged from a Chinese lab, potentially by mistake, or whether it arose naturally. The new assessment is not likely to settle the debate. In fact, intelligence officials say it may never be resolved, due to a lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities. The CIA “continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible,” the agency wrote in a statement about its new assessment. Instead of new evidence, the conclusion was based on fresh analyses of intelligence about the spread of the virus, its scientific properties and the work and conditions of China’s virology labs. Lawmakers have pressured America’s spy agencies for more information about the origins of the virus, which led to lockdowns, economic upheaval and millions of deaths. It’s a question with significant domestic and geopolitical implications as the world continues to grapple with the pandemic’s legacy. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Saturday he was “pleased the CIA concluded in the final days of the Biden administration that the lab-leak theory is the most plausible explanation” and he commended Ratcliffe for declassifying the assessment. “Now, the most important thing is to make China pay for unleashing a plague on the world,” Cotton said in a statement. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Chinese authorities have in the past dismissed speculation about COVID’s origins as unhelpful and motivated by politics. While the origin of the virus remains unknown, scientists think the most likely hypothesis is that it circulated in bats, like many coronaviruses, before infecting another species, probably racoon dogs, civet cats or bamboo rats. In turn, the infection spread to humans handling or butchering those animals at a market in Wuhan, where the first human cases appeared in late November 2019. Some official investigations, however, have raised the the question of whether the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan. Two years ago a report by the Energy Department concluded a lab leak was the most likely origin, though that report also expressed low confidence in the finding. The same year then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agency believed the virus “most likely” spread after escaping from a lab. Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, has said he favors the lab leak scenario, too. “The lab leak is the only […]
Al Sharpton announced that Costco has committed to maintaining its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. He urged supporters to shop at Costco for standing with them, while warning that those who do not support their cause will face boycotts and receive no financial support from the community.
In Philadelphia City Hall, individuals wearing Hamas headbands, masks, and military attire, while carrying flags stating “Long Live October 7th,” were seen openly supporting acts of terror.
Israel Hayom has reported that the Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud is set to be released on Friday. In exchange, the IDF will open the Netzarim Corridor, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, and 30 terrorists who are serving life sentences will be released.
An official source in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group told Arab media outlets that Arbel Yehud will be released on Friday in exchange for the opening of the Netzarim Corridor and the release of 30 terrorists serving life sentences in Israel. However, Israeli officials report that although there has been progress on an agreement for Yehud’s release, no deal has yet been finalized. Another source said that Yehud could be released by tomorrow (Monday). Earlier on Sunday, another Arab source told Al Jazeera that there should be a breakthrough on Sunday night regarding Yehud’s release. Meanwhile, thousands of Gazans have gathered at the Netzarim Corridor waiting to cross to the northern part of Gaza. The delay in Yehud’s release is reportedly due to a dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group. Yehud is being held by terrorists from a Salafi organization linked to Islamic jihad. However, Israel holds Hamas responsible for everything that occurs in the Gaza Strip and has refused to allow Gazans to return to their homes in the northern Strip until Yehud’s release is guaranteed. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Sweden’s prime minister has announced that another undersea data cable has been compromised. There have been allegations that both Russia and China have deliberately damaged several such cables in recent months.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday published a video thanking US President Donald Trump for reversing ex-President Joe Biden’s hold on a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. “Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to confront our common enemies and to secure a future of peace and prosperity,” Netanyahu said. Of course, what Netanyahu didn’t say was even more significant – why Biden pandered to his pro-Hamas supporters by holding vital weapons and equipment from US ally Israel while it was fighting against vicious enemies on seven fronts. Biden’s arms embargo cost the lives of Israeli soldiers. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog landed this morning, Sunday, in New York. Upon their arrival, they visited the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe ZT’L in Queens. Israel President Herzog and his First Lady Davened at the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe for the well-being and swift return of all the hostages currently held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, for the success and safety of IDF soldiers and security forces, for the healing of the wounded, and in memory of the fallen and murdered. Attached is the Kvittel the President placed at the Ohel.
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