Matzav

The White House press office found itself in hot water for a “breach of protocol” after it modified the transcript of President Biden’s “garbage” comment regarding supporters of Donald Trump, despite the objections of the stenographers’ office, as revealed in an internal email.

During an address to a Latino audience, President Biden responded to a comedian’s jibe about Puerto Rico being “a floating island of garbage” that surfaced during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. He remarked, “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” highlighting his disdain for Trump’s followers.

However, the White House press office changed the transcript by inserting an apostrophe in “supporter’s,” implying that Biden was solely criticizing the comedian instead of Trump’s supporters.

“If there is a difference in interpretation, the Press Office may choose to withhold the transcript but cannot edit it independently,” expressed the supervisor of the White House stenographers in an email directed to the press office, which was acquired by the Associated Press.

“Our Stenography Office transcript — released to our distro, which includes the National Archives — is now different than the version edited and released to the public by Press Office staff,” the message elaborated.

The supervisor further asserted that the manner in which this was handled constituted “a breach of protocol and spoilation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices.”

Reporters covering the executive branch regard White House stenographers as highly skilled and precise in their transcriptions. It is quite rare for the press office to challenge the stenographers on what they have recorded.

According to the AP, the press office rushed to get a transcript from the two-member stenography team that covered Biden’s remarks after they ignited a wave of controversy.

Following the campaign call, the press office “conferred with the president,” as stated in the email, and sought to amend the transcript with the addition of an apostrophe—an adjustment that typically requires consent from the stenography supervisor.

When the supervisor was not immediately reachable to approve the change, Biden’s communications team proceeded with the release of the altered transcript on social media and the White House website.

“Regardless of urgency, it is essential to our transcripts’ authenticity and legitimacy that we adhere to consistent protocol for requesting edits, approval, and release,” the supervisor, a long-serving White House employee, communicated to White House communications staff, including press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“The President confirmed in his tweet on Tuesday evening that he was addressing the hateful rhetoric from the comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally. That was reflected in the transcript,” stated White House spokesman Andrew Bates in a comment to The Post.

House Republicans are contemplating an inquiry into the “false transcript” that was disseminated by the White House.

Biden’s remarks have been embraced by Trump and his supporters this week, with the former president making an appearance at a rally in Wisconsin with a garbage truck and wearing a garbageman’s vest in response to Biden’s criticism of his followers.

“Kamala [Harris] and Joe [Biden] call us garbage. I call you the heart and soul of America,” Trump declared during the spirited rally in Green Bay, Wis.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of the Mattersdorfer Rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Shaina Feigel Ehrenfeld a”h.

The rebbetzin was the devoted wife of the late Mattersdorfer Rov, Rav Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld zt”l, member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel of America, and a daughter of Rav Shmuel Avrohom Zeltenreich zt”l, the Chakover Rov.

Rebbetzin Ehrenfeld was a beloved matriarch of an outstanding mishpacha. Her boundless kindness to all and her dedication to Torah profoundly impacted her family and community.

Together with her husband, she built a home rooted in Torah and chesed, suffused with yiras Shomayim, which they passed on to their five children. She stood alongside her illustrious husband in all his endeavors, embodying the qualities of a true eizer kenegdo and supporting his contributions to the Olam HaTorah.

The levayah will take place today, at noon, at Yeshiva Chasan Sofer, located at 1876 50th Street in Boro Park. The aron will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel, where a levayah is expected to take place in Kiryat Mattersdorf, followed by kevurah on Har Hamenuchos.

The rebbetzin leaves behind a family of gedolei Torah. Her children are Rav Dovid Tzvi Ehrenfeld; Rav Asher Anshel Menachem Ehrenfeld; Rebbetzin Miriam Ganzvi, wife of Rav Naftali Ganzvi; and Rebbetzin Sarah Horowitz, wife of Rav Mordechai Horowitz. Her son, Rav Akiva Ehrenfeld zt”l, passed away twelve years ago.

Yehi zichrah boruch.

{Matzav.com}

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

The first parsha of the Torah, which discusses the creation of the world and its beginning years, represents potential and the future. On Shabbos Bereishis, we begin the weekly cycle of Torah study—a new beginning, brimming with promise for the coming year.

Yet, almost as soon as Shabbos Bereishis ended this year, we began receiving messages, urging tefillos for Rav Shlomo Halioua, the beloved rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin. The initial requests were marked by a frantic urgency, yet no one knew what had struck him down so suddenly. There was mention of an infection, but nothing more. Within hours, however, the tone shifted. The words became more grave. Rav Shlomo, they said, was in critical need of rachamei Shomayim. He was in the ICU, battling a severe infection.

And then, before we even had time to grasp the magnitude of his illness, he was gone. A young rosh yeshiva, a scion of families rooted in Torah greatness, his presence embodied the grandeur and dignity of the yeshiva he led, Chaim Berlin, a legacy founded by Rav Yitzchok Hutner and carried forward with unwavering dedication by Rav Aharon Schechter.

Rav Shlomo Halioua represented this legacy not only through his knowledge and character, but through the warmth and gadlus that permeated his very being.

Though his tenure at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin was brief, his influence was immediate and profound. His talmidim were drawn to his insightful shiurim and his meticulously crafted maamorim, treasures of Torah wisdom that resonated deeply with each listener.

Rav Shlomo was a quiet and humble masmid, a tremendous talmid chochom whose every word and action displayed an inherent nobility. Those who knew him saw not just a rosh yeshiva, but a leader in the making, a potential rebbi to thousands, poised to leave an indelible mark on the Torah world.

Yet, just as he stood at the threshold of greatness, the middas hadin struck with unyielding force, leaving us devastated and bewildered by the sudden loss of yet another gadol b’Yisroel. Woe is to us. “Shekulah misas tzaddikim k’sereifas Bais Elokeinu.”

It is not for us to know the Divine plan, but we must heed the messages that Hakadosh Boruch Hu sends us. We must commit ourselves, each in our own way, to a life of increased Torah learning, mitzvos, and achdus. Now, more than ever, as we endure the chevlei Moshiach, as we commit to deeper study of Torah, we must anchor ourselves in the mitzvos that will hasten our redemption—teshuvah and achdus—so that the suffering of our people will come to an end and the Bais Elokeinu will be rebuilt.

When Rav Aharon Schechter, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, was niftar, I felt compelled to share the profound and enduring connection that I feel for that extraordinary yeshiva. It holds a unique place in my heart. As a young yeshiva bochur, an esteemed mispallel in my father’s shul, a person I had come to greatly respect, invited me to attend a maamar delivered by his rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Hutner, on Chol Hamoed Sukkos.

At the time, I was just a young boy from Monsey who had barely set foot in Brooklyn, and though I had heard of Rav Hutner’s greatness, I had never experienced it firsthand. Yet, thanks to the encouragement of his talmid, Reb Matis Greenblatt, I decided to attend the maamar. I didn’t know what to expect, and yet it surpassed anything I could have imagined. The experience was nothing short of transformative. The maamar, and every detail surrounding it, captured my mind and heart. The Torah that Rav Hutner imparted was like nothing I had encountered before—profound, poetic, and alive with meaning. His voice was soft yet vibrant, painting concepts with a clarity and beauty that caused the Torah to dance in my mind long after his words had ceased.

The scene itself was unforgettable. Rav Hutner sat regally at the head of the table, surrounded by senior talmidim, each one transfixed by the richness of his words. The entire setting exuded a reverence and awe that matched the gravity of the Torah being shared. I was spellbound, utterly captivated by the majesty of it all.

Years have passed since that day, yet the memory remains vivid, as does the deep impact it had on me. I was privileged to attend more maamorim with Reb Matis, and although I never had the honor of a personal conversation with Rav Hutner, his teachings opened my heart to the world of Maharal and machshovah, and he earned a permanent place in my heart alongside his yeshiva.

Later, when I became involved with Torah Umesorah, I was drawn back to that hallowed bais medrash, where Rav Aharon Schechter had already established himself as a leader among roshei yeshiva. Rav Aharon played a pivotal role in communal leadership, giving of himself to organizations like Torah Umesorah, where he was closely connected to Rav Shea Fishman. It was through Rav Shea, who had studied under Rav Hutner and was intimately familiar with his teachings, that I was introduced to Rav Aharon.

Rav Aharon welcomed me with kindness and generosity, drawing me close with a warmth that was both aristocratic and deeply human. He represented the highest ideals of gadlus ha’adam, of a talmid chochom conducting himself with inherent dignity. There was a unique quality to the way he spoke with people. Everyone felt special, honored to be in his presence. Every encounter with him was elevating, and I was always touched by the profound respect that he showed for each person he met.

For several years, I had the privilege of sitting with Rav Aharon at the Torah Umesorah convention, sharing Shabbos seudos in his private dining room. Those moments were treasures, as Rav Aharon, enveloped in the kedushas haShabbos, led the seudah with a sanctity and joy that filled the room. The zemiros, the divrei Torah, and his insights into the parsha were delivered with a passion that was unmatched, and I felt honored to be included among his close family and talmidim. Though I was technically an outsider, he welcomed me in, making me feel like family.

Once, someone approached him and asked why he had allowed me into his private circle, as I was not technically a talmid. With his signature warmth, Rav Aharon replied that he considered me “an honorary talmid.” It was a comment that touched me deeply, one of many moments in which he extended himself with kindness and grace.

On one memorable occasion, during my first visit to Camp Morris, I went to greet Rav Aharon and casually mentioned that it was my first time there. Without hesitation, he offered to give me a tour of the camp himself. He climbed into my car, and with the pride of one introducing a friend to his home, he directed me around the campus, pointing out each building and landmark. His love for the yeshiva was palpable, and I felt privileged to see it through his eyes.

The rosh yeshiva attended several of my family’s simchos, including my children’s weddings and a vort in Brooklyn. Each time, his presence was a cherished honor, a testament to the bond between us. In Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, once a talmid, always a talmid, and the roshei yeshiva were steadfast in their devotion to their talmidim. Rav Hutner and later Rav Aharon were involved not only in their talmidim’s Torah growth, but in guiding them through life’s complexities. Each talmid was set on a unique path, tailored to their individual strengths and aspirations, with the rosh yeshiva’s unwavering guidance helping them find success both in Torah and in life.

The Chaim Berlin roshei yeshiva had “breiteh pleitzes” and were prime leaders, accepting responsibility and working for the klal, through organizations and by helping and supporting individual communal leaders, rabbonim, roshei yeshiva, askonim, and regular good Jews. In his short time at the head of the yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Halioua followed their tradition in communal affairs as well.

Even in his youth, Rav Shlomo’s qualities shone brightly. As a young bochur in Yeshiva of Brooklyn, Rav Shlomo was marked by a chashivus that set him apart, a quiet dedication that became his hallmark. Known among his peers as a baal middos and masmid, his commitment to learning was unwavering. Together with the recently departed tzaddik Rav Velvel Finkelstein, he achieved national recognition by winning the first National Pirchei Hasmodah Contest, an honor that reflected not only his natural brilliance but his tireless dedication to Torah.

Rav Shlomo hailed from an aristocratic family, a lineage of rabbonim and marbitzei Torah that had nurtured Torah in Morocco for generations. This noble heritage traced back to Rabbeinu Bachya Ben Asher, an illustrious forebear whose Torah insights continue to enlighten minds centuries later. Cognizant of his legacy, Rav Shlomo carried the responsibility and reverence for Torah that had been passed down through the ages. From his earliest years, he knew that every moment he invested in learning brought him closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. His limud haTorah was not just study. It was an act of weighty avodah, through which he reached greater spiritual heights.

Throughout his formative years, Rav Shlomo had the extraordinary privilege of learning under some of the era’s most towering figures. His learning under Rav Binyomin Paler, Rav Feivel Cohen, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik, and, of course, Rav Yonason David and Rav Aharon Schechter established a strong foundation, both in hasmodah and in the clarity of thought that would come to define him. Each rebbi instilled in him values that would become intrinsic to his character—iyun in Torah, rigor in his avodah, and a humility that was ever-present.

As his reputation grew, so did his stature among his peers, who recognized in him not just a masmid, but a tremendous lamdan and person of depth.

A person who thinks everything through very carefully grows in Torah and succeeds. A person who spends hours deep in thought, working through the intricacies of a sugya, becomes a lamdan. Rav Shlomo spent hours poring over the intricacies of each sugya, never satisfied until he arrived at a conclusion that was both profound and rooted in truth. This amkus was his natural inclination, an extension of his deep ahavas haTorah.

As an ish tzonua, he was careful not only with his thoughts, but with his words, thinking through each question posed to him before offering a response. He carried himself with a quiet dignity, never seeking the limelight, but consistently earning the respect and admiration of those around him. It was this humility that marked him as a gadol baTorah—a person who understood that true greatness is found in service to Torah, in refining oneself to be a vessel for Torah. He attempted to hide his greatness in Torah, but in the yeshiva all knew that he encompassed the many facets of gadlus.

Rav Shlomo’s life was a constant process of growth, of horeving over Torah and avodah, reaching new depths of understanding with each passing day. Through his relentless dedication, he not only became a man of wide-ranging Torah knowledge, but also succeeded in every facet of his life. This ascent was not a matter of ambition. It was a natural result of his avodah, an unending journey toward ever-greater heights in Torah, middos, and closeness to Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

He continued along the path hewed by the previous roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, studying and teaching the sugyos of Shas, as well as the seforim of the Maharal, the Ramchal, and the Vilna Gaon, to reach a lofty understanding of Torah, mitzvos, and all of creation.

Therefore, the promise of the Torah was realized in him, and he succeeded in his role as rosh yeshiva of a foremost yeshiva, taking over from his legendary rebbi and father-in-law, who followed in the path paved by his own rebbi, Rav Hutner, leading the yeshiva and its talmidim to grow and succeed in their unique, glorious path in Torah.

May his memory, the example he set, the Torah he studied and taught, and what he stood for be a zechus for his wife, children, grandchildren, talmidim, and all of Klal Yisroel.

{Matzav.com}

Republican presidential contender Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS on Thursday, claiming that the network aired an interview with his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in early October that was “doctored” and presented a misleading portrayal, according to a court document.

The legal filing was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Trump and Harris are competing in a closely watched race, with polls indicating a tight contest as the Nov. 5 U.S. election approaches.

The lawsuit requests a jury trial and seeks a minimum of $10 billion in damages, as outlined in the court documents.

{Matzav.com}

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In a recent interview with Joe Rogan, Senator JD Vance asserted that the right to free expression and thought is the defining issue of the upcoming election, and the GOP vice presidential candidate criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party for “silencing people who disagree with them.” In the extensive discussion, Vance and Rogan examined what they described as the Democratic presidential nominee’s confusing speech patterns and how, according to them, President Biden’s actions may actually benefit former President Donald Trump as Election Day approaches.

Vance, 40, identified censorship as the “biggest difference” between Trump, 78, and Harris, 60. “We’re not trying to censor our fellow Americans,” he explained on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which aired Thursday. The Ohio senator added, “We’ll attack Kamala on her policies or her ideas, but we’re not trying to say, ‘You should be silenced because you disagree with us.’” He emphasized that this stance against censorship reflects his core beliefs, contrasting them with what he sees as a Democratic leadership “comfortable with the idea of silencing people who disagree with them.”

The Ohio senator’s outspoken stance comes as Harris campaigns on a platform of “joy” and unity, framing her opponents as threats to democracy. Rogan, with a Spotify audience of around 15 million, connected with Vance’s message, expressing frustration with a statement from Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz suggesting there’s “no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.” Rogan voiced his discontent, and Vance called Walz’s view “totally nuts,” suggesting that “hate speech” is often subjective.

Vance also poked fun at Harris’s communication style, observing that public speaking requires skill and saying, “I think she is the Michael Jordan of using as many words as possible to say as little as possible.” He quipped, “You’re 500 words into it and you’re like, ‘What the hell did she just say?’” Rogan, who previously sought an interview with Harris, joked about her sometimes unclear messaging and speculated whether she might use an earpiece, to which Vance replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The discussion then shifted to recent remarks by President Biden labeling Trump supporters as “garbage,” a statement the White House has since tried to downplay. Vance argued that Biden might actually be unintentionally aiding Trump’s campaign, suggesting, “We’re gonna win, but after we win, I’m going to be convinced that Joe Biden was trying to help us the whole time.” He referenced a moment when Biden appeared with a MAGA hat in Shanksville, Pa., as an example of Biden’s actions inadvertently aligning with Trump’s image.

Vance criticized the lack of media coverage on Biden’s remarks about Trump supporters, contrasting it with coverage of a recent joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. “The number of mentions on CNN about [Hinchcliffe’s] joke in the last 48 hours: 143,” Vance noted, listing other networks’ coverage counts. He questioned whether Biden’s use of the term “garbage” would receive similar coverage, highlighting what he sees as a double standard. “Now what’s the difference?” he asked rhetorically. “Well, one difference is it’s a comedian telling a joke, and it’s the president of the United States telling what he actually thinks.”

On a serious note, Vance raised concerns about past allegations against second gentleman Doug Emhoff, questioning if there should be further investigation. “If you are a domestic abuser, that usually doesn’t stop with one person,” he commented, raising a rhetorical question on whether such issues should be public knowledge.

As both campaigns promote themselves as champions of freedom, Vance and Trump emphasize free speech, while Harris and Walz highlight topics like abortion and protecting democracy. Earlier in the week, Harris tried to cast Trump’s stance on suspending parts of the Constitution as a direct threat, citing the First and Second Amendments. Meanwhile, Trump and Vance have continued to criticize the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to policing social media misinformation and tech company responses, pointing to incidents like the suppression of The NY Post’s Hunter Biden story as examples.

“The true scandal of the Hunter Biden laptop,” Vance argued, “wasn’t Hunter Biden doing cocaine with a stripper” but rather “Joe Biden fundamentally traded his political influence for money.” He referenced a recent House subcommittee revelation indicating that Facebook’s decision to limit visibility on the laptop story was influenced by the anticipated Biden-Harris administration. Despite ongoing Republican frustration with Hunter Biden, Vance expressed interest in meeting him, saying, “I may be the only Republican. That dude, that dude knows how to have a good time.”

Vance also shared his suspicion that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, now distancing himself from politics, might secretly favor Trump. “My secret theory is that Zuck is now a secret Trump supporter, but he can’t say that publicly,” he suggested.

During the interview, Vance recounted a memorable moment when Trump considered unveiling him as his running mate at a rally in Butler, Pa. Vance described the shock he felt watching the footage, saying he initially thought, “Oh my God, they just killed him.” He added, “I was so pissed,” describing his reaction and readiness to protect his family.

Trump’s recent appearance on Rogan’s podcast, his first, quickly became a massive hit with over 41 million YouTube views. Rogan shared that he had negotiated with the Harris-Walz campaign for a similar interview, but the plans fell apart when the campaign requested it be shorter and remote, which Rogan declined.

{Matzav.com}

With many airlines canceling their flights to Israel, and ticket prices for flights between the US and Israeli sky-high, some Israeli hi-tech companies are conducting advanced negotiations to bring about affordable flights between Israel and the United States from January to March 2025.

The plan would see tickets become available to the public at prices similar to those as before the war, and revenues would be donated to non-profit organizations working to rehabilitate the country.

A high-tech industry command center, consisting of some of the largest companies in Israel, is negotiating with three different companies offering to operate the flights.  The flights would take place at least three times a week, in large aircraft such as the Dreamliner or Airbus.  Whichever company is chosen would need to be given a license to operate the flights from the Israeli Transportation Ministry.  However this is not expected to be a major holdup, as these flights are only planned to be a temporary measure. 

The plan calls for cargo hauling to increase revenue on the flights, as well as for companies to commit to purchasing tickets at a certain price.

Explaining the reasoning for the plan, the high-tech companies said: “We decided not to wait for solutions from the Transportation Ministry and to take the initiative ourselves.

We hope to begin ticket sales in the coming days through travel agencies and commit to fair prices similar to those offered before the war. If demand grows, we will extend the program beyond the months agreed.”

{Matzav.com} 

Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce released the findings of their year-long investigation into campus antisemitism on Thursday, writing that universities offered “shocking concessions” to anti-Israel protesters.

The 122-page report—with 203 pages of appendices—concludes that university administrators across the country failed to enforce rules and “deliberately chose to withhold support from Jewish students.”

“For over a year, the American people have watched antisemitic mobs rule over so-called elite universities, but what was happening behind the scenes is arguably worse,” stated Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the committee’s chairwoman.

“While Jewish students displayed incredible courage and a refusal to cave to the harassment, university administrators, faculty and staff were cowards, who fully capitulated to the mob and failed the students they were supposed to serve,” Foxx added.

Just days after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Foxx condemned pro-Hamas, antisemitic student protesters.

She announced a formal investigation into Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania on Dec. 7, which has since expanded to include eight other academic institutions.

Thursday’s report is based on interviews with administrators from those universities and examination of more than 400,000 documents.

Among the concessions that administrators offered was Columbia University providing a “menu” of options to its campus protesters, including a “resilience fund” for Gaza.

The report includes internal emails and other communications between university administrators that suggest that some of them may have misled Congress in sworn testimony during a series of hearings that the committee held with university presidents.

At a May 27 hearing before the committee, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked Northwestern president Michael Schill if it would have been acceptable for the university to hire an anti-Zionist rabbi.

“I did not. I absolutely did not. I would never hire anyone based upon their views of being Zionist or anti-Zionist,” Schill said. “That is not what I do.”

The report describes that statement as “misleading at best.”

“Schill and other Northwestern leaders not only actively considered the encampment leaders’ demand to hire an anti-Zionist rabbi, but they expressed particular concern and sensitivity to language in a draft agreement that could address this point,” the report says. “An honest and candid response to Congresswoman Stefanik’s question would have acknowledged this.”

Democrats on the committee did not join their Republican colleagues in the report. Throughout the hearings, many Democrats questioned why the committee was not investigating discrimination against other groups and accused Republicans of seeking to defund the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. JNS sought comment from Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the committee’s ranking member.

The Republican majority concluded in its report that many U.S. universities failed in their duty to combat Jew-hatred.

“University leaders shamefully and intentionally declined to provide the public support that their campuses’ Jewish communities called for,” the report says. “This serves as damning proof of the spinelessness, moral rot and double standards these so-called University leaders exhibited in their failure to appropriately respond to pervasive antisemitism on their campuses.”

The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center called the report “damning” and stated that it “underscores the need for a comprehensive and concrete response to antisemitism in higher education.”

“The congressional Education Committee’s findings make clear that the problem on college campuses goes beyond a handful of hateful student activists,” stated Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy at the Orthodox Union.

“There is an antisemitic rot deep in university administrations, and it needs to be cleaned out from top to bottom,” Diament added. “These universities are flagrantly violating federal law and must be held accountable. No more empty promises, no more stall tactics, no more bureaucratic stonewalling. Now is the time for Congress and the White House to act.”

(JNS)

Andrew Brisson, the vice president of LoadMaster, gives the backstory to former President Trump using one of his garbage trucks for a campaign event on ‘The Story.’

<iframe width=”1035″ height=”582″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wid8O8HRG7w” title=”Trump garbage truck driver opens up about his conversation with the former president” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>

Walking pneumonia cases in the United States, especially among children, are on the rise and have been since early spring, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Infections from Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the bacteria that can cause walking pneumonia, are common, with about 2 million cases in the United States every year; they typically affect youths age 5 to 17. But from March to October this year, the CDC found that the largest increase in cases was among children age 2 to 4, whose emergency visits related to the bacteria went up from 1 to 7.2 percent.

Here’s what to know about walking pneumonia.

– – –

What is Mycoplasma pneumoniae?

M. pneumoniae are bacteria that can cause respiratory infections in people of all ages because they attack the lining of the throat, windpipe and lungs. The bacteria is commonly spread through respiratory droplets from sneezing and coughing.

The infections caused by these bacteria are typically mild and appear as a chest cold.

In some cases, though not very common, M. pneumoniae can cause ear infections, diarrhea, conjunctivitis and brain swelling.

– – –

How is Mycoplasma pneumoniae different from pneumonia?

An M. pneumoniae infection can progress to pneumonia – an infection that causes the lungs to fill with fluid or pus resulting in cough, phlegm and difficulty breathing, according to Mayo Clinic. Many bacteria and viruses can cause pneumonia, and M. pneumoniae is just one of the possible culprits.

M. pneumoniae typically cause a less severe form of pneumonia commonly known as walking pneumonia. According to Jennifer Vodzak, pediatric infectious-disease physician at Nemours Children’s Hospital, patients with walking pneumonia may feel like they can be out and about, though they might feel tired and have a persistent cough.

Unlike routine pneumonia – which is often caused by pneumococcal bacteria and marked by high fevers and severe difficulty breathing that leave patients too weak for normal activities – walking pneumonia generally allows patients to stay mobile with milder symptoms.

– – –

How is walking pneumonia different from the common cold?

Walking pneumonia can initially present similar symptoms to the common cold, including a runny nose, congestion, fever and headaches.

However, “most of the time, the common cold actually doesn’t cause infection in the lungs,” Vodzak said. While a cold mainly targets the upper respiratory system – which includes the ears, nose and throat – walking pneumonia affects the lower respiratory system, which includes the lungs.

As a result, people with walking pneumonia start experiencing deep, persistent cough, chest pains and shortness of breath within a few days of infection, signaling that the illness is targeting the lungs.

While M. pneumoniae’s telltale symptom is persistent cough, in rarer cases it can cause rashes that look like hives, headaches and diarrhea in young children.

– – –

How is walking pneumonia treated?

After testing – usually in the form of a throat or nasal swab – confirms the presence of M. pneumoniae, the most common course of treatment for walking pneumonia is antibiotics, and most often azithromycin, according to Vodzak. Some antibiotics, such as penicillin, are not effective against M. pneumoniae.

“This is a respiratory pathogen. It’s transmitted a lot like the flu and RSV and covid,” said Chris Edens, an epidemiologist at the CDC. “A lot of the CDC-recommended respiratory protection precautions for those bugs work for mycoplasma as well,” including handwashing, covering your mouth when you cough and staying at home when feeling sick to avoid transmitting infections to others, Edens said.

Edens also recommends that parents and children stay up to date on their vaccinations. “While mycoplasma is not vaccine-preventable, flu and covid certainly are.” Edens said. “So we just recommend: Protect yourself as much as possible, and ensure that you can have a healthy respiratory-illness season.”

– – –

What is causing the rise in cases among children?

Andi Shane, division chief of pediatric infectious disease at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, said the unusual rise of Mycoplasma infections in young children could be explained by a different form of the pathogen circulating or reduced immunity from the days of social distancing.

“Like with most things, we are blaming the pandemic,” Shane said. “During that period of isolation, we had a whole cohort of children who were not exposed.”

Debbie-Ann Shirley, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Florida College of Medicine, said M. pneumoniae outbreaks tend to last longer than other respiratory virus outbreaks because the virus has a longer incubation period, and people tend to be contagious longer.

– – –

When to see a doctor

Matthew Harris, an attending pediatric physician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, said the hospital has seen a dramatic increase in mycoplasma cases over the last four weeks. The telltale sign is usually when a child’s cough continues past day seven.

“When kids are breathing fast or breathing hard, regardless of whether it’s mycoplasma or not, that’s when to seek care,” Harris said.

Because there’s no vaccine for the pathogen, Harris said there’s not much parents can do to prevent it beyond keeping sick children at home. The vast majority of children are quickly discharged because it’s highly treatable, and the rare cases requiring a hospital admission are usually spurred by low oxygen or dehydration as a result of pneumonia.

(c) Washington Post

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to have significant control over health and food safety in a potential Trump administration, with discussions about some Cabinet and agency officials reporting to him, according to four people familiar with the planning process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail private conversations.

Kennedy has been privately meeting with Trump transition officials to help draw up an agenda for a new administration, which could involve the longtime anti-vaccine activist taking a role as a White House czar rather than attempting to win Senate confirmation to lead an agency, the people said. Kennedy and his advisers have also been drafting 30-, 60- and 90-day plans for what they would like to accomplish after Trump is inaugurated, according to one person familiar with the planning process.

“The president has asked me to clean up corruption and conflicts at the agencies and to end the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in an interview Wednesday. “He wants measurable results in two years and to return those agencies to their long traditions of gold-standard evidence-based science and medicine.”

Trump advisers say that nothing will be firmly decided until after the election, in which polls show Trump is in a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris. They warn, too, that Trump can be mercurial.

But Kennedy’s rising influence was reflected Wednesday night when Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the Trump transition team, made a startling admission during an appearance on CNN: He had come to doubt the power of vaccines, after a 2½-hour conversation with Kennedy.

“Why do you think vaccines are safe? … They’re not proven,” Lutnick said, repeating Kennedy’s debunked claims about vaccines’ link to autism and insufficient data on their harms. He added that Kennedy wants to study the data himself and make recommendations.

“I think it’ll be pretty cool to give him the data. Let’s see what he comes up with,” Lutnick said.

Lutnick’s remarks were immediately panned by public health experts, who said they threatened to undercut confidence in lifesaving vaccines.

The prospect of Kennedy holding any senior government role has increasingly alarmed public health leaders and federal workers who say that he should not be allowed anywhere near the nation’s public health infrastructure. As an anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy spent years lobbying lawmakers across the country and the world to reduce their use of vaccines – including leaders of Samoa in 2019, as the country reeled from a measles outbreak that left dozens of children dead.

Jerome M. Adams, who under Trump served as U.S. surgeon general – the nation’s top doctor – also warned his former boss against appointing Kennedy to a senior role, saying he could undermine vaccine confidence and help spark a resurgence of vaccine-preventable disease.

“Bottom line: It’s hard to implement your other political priorities if you’re busy dealing with a measles or polio outbreak,” Adams told The Post.

Kennedy’s representatives have previously denied to The Post that he is anti-vaccine. Kennedy, in previous comments, denied playing any role in Samoa’s measles outbreak.

The Trump campaign did not comment on Kennedy’s potential responsibilities in a future administration, including whether he would hold any role overseeing vaccines and whether he would take a job that would need to be confirmed by the Senate.

“The only thing President Trump and his campaign team are focused on is winning on Nov. 5,” Jason Miller, a campaign senior adviser, told The Post. “Everything after that is after that, and President Trump has made clear that Bobby Kennedy will play an important role.”

Kennedy has been working to identify possible personnel for a future Trump administration, a list that Trump advisers say includes Casey and Calley Means, siblings and health-care entrepreneurs who have become close advisers to Kennedy; Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins University physician who advised the Trump White House on health-care price transparency; and former Trump health officials such as former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield and former Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Michael Caputo.

The Means siblings, Makary, Redfield and Caputo have been working with Kennedy to roll out his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) platform, an initiative to tackle chronic disease and childhood illnesses – and a deliberate riff on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan. None of them responded to questions about their potential roles in a future Trump administration, with several declining to comment.

Both Trump and Kennedy have publicly said that he has been promised an expansive role should Trump win back the White House. People close to Trump said the discussions have centered on food safety and vaccines. Those people and other Trump advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

“I’m gonna let him go wild on health. I’m gonna let him go wild on the food. I’m gonna let him go wild on medicines,” Trump told supporters in New York City on Sunday.

Kennedy told his own supporters in a Zoom call Monday that Trump has promised him “control of the public health agencies,” singling out the Department of Health and Human Services and its subagencies, and also naming the Department of Agriculture. The agencies are collectively responsible for implementing food and public health regulations; approving vaccines, medications and health-care devices; enforcing safety measures in food-processing facilities; steering billions of dollars in federal research initiatives; and overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, among many other responsibilities.

“Nobody would hire him in a health job in the real world,” said Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who added that Kennedy has “no credibility” after years of questioning the safety of vaccines. “Can you imagine RFK coordinating the H5N1 [bird flu] response? The anthrax letters? … Why would anyone follow him?”

– – –

From anti-vaccine advocate to key Trump ally

Trump advisers and campaign surrogates have downplayed the possibility of Kennedy being involved with vaccine oversight, worried about provoking a backlash from large majorities of voters who trust vaccines to provide necessary protection against potentially lethal diseases. About 90 percent of Americans say that the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella outweigh the risks, according to a Pew Research poll released in May 2023.

But recent polls also show rising distrust in vaccine safety, and Trump and Kennedy have found common ground in discussing their shared concerns about vaccines. The former president – who oversaw the nation’s largest-ever vaccine push by championing the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines – also has falsely linked childhood vaccinations to autism and has threatened to withhold money from schools with vaccine mandates.

Kennedy has made clear to Trump advisers that he is passionate about addressing vaccine issues as they discuss jobs in a potential administration, according to two people familiar with those conversations.

The rapid ascent of Kennedy in Trump’s orbit – from third-party presidential rival to key figure in Trump’s second-term plans – also reflects Trump’s own amorphous, often transactional approach to developing policy. The former Democrat has never held a senior government role, has warned against the safety of the coronavirus vaccines developed under the Trump administration and previously predicted that Trump’s “despicable” moves to loosen environmental safety restrictions as president would harm Americans’ health.

Yet both men have identified an opportunity in the other: Trump wants Kennedy’s coalition of independent supporters, which could make a difference in what is expected to be a narrow race against Harris for the presidency, while Kennedy sees a path to accomplishing his long-held goal of reshaping federal food and health regulations.

The alliance came after a hurried courtship that began on July 13 – with a phone conversation arranged hours after Trump was shot while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania – and continued with a private meeting two days later, with Kennedy sneaking into Trump’s hotel as the Republican National Convention got underway in Milwaukee.

Trump wanted Kennedy to abandon his third-party bid for the presidency, which had siphoned some of Trump’s voters. In exchange, Kennedy wanted the guarantee of a specific job in a potential Trump administration and a speaking slot at that week’s convention – a deal Trump did not make.

But as Kennedy’s campaign continued to fade, he agreed to endorse Trump on Aug. 23 and campaign for him.

“He wanted to know he would have a meaningful opportunity at the end of it,” a Trump adviser said.

The rapid realignment of the two men has reshaped the priorities and personnel of a potential Trump administration. Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, told The Post that he had submitted more than a dozen names to the Trump transition team – drawing from the narrow universe of people supportive of both Trump and Kennedy’s MAHA agenda.

“They have to be 110 percent loyal to Donald Trump, and they have to buy into Making America Healthy Again,” said Miller, who has said he is being considered for agriculture secretary under Trump.

Kennedy has not ruled out taking a job as Cabinet secretary or as a top agency official, which would give him more direct control of policies and day-to-day operations, according to people familiar with the planning process.

But some Trump advisers have predicted that Kennedy would not want to undergo a Senate confirmation fight to lead an agency, pointing to his acknowledgment of personal “skeletons” – and news reports of Kennedy’s extramarital affairs and other entanglements – that tend to be unearthed in grueling battles to win senior government roles.

“He’s not getting a job for HHS,” Lutnick said Wednesday night on CNN.

Instead, advisers envision Kennedy probably would hold a role reporting directly to Trump, overseeing a cross-government collection of agencies and initiatives.

Some Trump advisers speculate that Kennedy could be tapped to lead a panel examining the safety of vaccines – a priority he first urged Trump to pursue before he was sworn in as president. Trump was subsequently talked out of it by philanthropist Bill Gates and health-care experts.

Trump advisers have also privately said Kennedy’s future vaccine oversight efforts could focus on newer vaccines, such as those developed to fight the coronavirus, rather than more established vaccines to prevent polio and measles, mumps and rubella. (Kennedy has publicly raised doubts about those childhood vaccines, too.)

Kennedy also has vowed to clean house at federal agencies, warning Food and Drug Administration officials on social media last week to “preserve your records” and “pack your bags.”

Some Trump allies and advisers are skeptical that Kennedy will receive the expansive portfolio he has been promised, noting that Trump made a flurry of campaign pledges in 2016 that ultimately did not pan out when he became president.

One former health official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their relationship with the former president, warned that nothing is settled until Trump clarifies Kennedy’s role – and that Trump typically grows weary of subordinates who seek the spotlight.

“The fact that Kennedy’s out there talking before Trump’s opined on it is premature,” the official said. “Playing it out in the press? The president hates that.”

– – –

A new health agenda

Trump campaign officials told The Post they have been thrilled with Kennedy’s appearances at their fundraisers and events since he endorsed Trump, contending that he has drawn voters, often in large crowds, who did not plan to vote for Trump or may not have planned to vote at all. Kennedy had “wildly exceeded all expectations” and is viewed as the campaign’s top surrogate, one key Trump adviser said.

Much of Kennedy’s work on behalf of Trump has centered on their Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has focused on ideas such as removing chemicals from food production, eliminating conflicts of interest in medical research, combating the causes of chronic illness and other priorities that have bipartisan appeal but have been frequently overlooked by politicians.

Republicans have said the Kennedy-led agenda is providing a necessary corrective after years of national debates over health insurance coverage and not on the root causes of disease. “It is refreshing that someone is talking about how to improve health care that doesn’t involve just shoveling more money to the medical-industrial complex,” said Theo Merkel, a former Trump White House health official.

But some public health experts who insist they agree with the message say they can’t bring themselves to support the messengers, noting Kennedy’s and Trump’s past criticism of vaccines and Trump’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

And inside the federal government, staffers are increasingly alarmed by Kennedy’s rhetoric, such as a social media post last week criticizing the FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of an array of medicines and substances, many of which the agency has either warned against or refused to approve.

Some Republicans have pushed the Trump transition team to consider more traditional options to lead federal health agencies, saying that Trump’s agenda was sometimes stymied as president because he relied on allies with little or no prior government experience.

Trump advisers have discussed a list of potential HHS secretaries that includes Bobby Jindal, the former governor of Louisiana and a former Bush health official; former Trump health officials Eric Hargan and Seema Verma; and former housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson, among other names, according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential process.

Hargan said he “would be honored” if he is considered for a role under Trump. The others did not comment or directed questions to the Trump campaign, which said it would not comment on potential personnel.

While Kennedy lacks government experience, he has been frequently accompanied by two people who held high-level health jobs under Trump: Redfield and Caputo, who played significant roles in the response to the coronavirus. Both men ended those government stints amid controversies: Redfield, who ran the CDC, faced complaints from former agency leaders who accused him of bowing to political pressure and allowing the White House to shape elements of CDC guidance as the virus raged. Redfield did not respond to requests for comment.

Caputo, who served as the top spokesman at the federal health department, took medical leave for cancer treatment in September 2020, three days after urging Trump’s supporters to prepare for an armed insurrection. “When Joe Biden loses, they will try to steal it,” Caputo said at the time. “He will refuse to concede. … And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin.”

Caputo also accused scientists in his own agency of “sedition” for allegedly working to undermine Trump ahead of that year’s election. He declined to comment for this story.

Ezekiel Emanuel, a bioethicist and physician who worked in the Obama administration to craft the Affordable Care Act and other government health initiatives, predicted that Kennedy would struggle to accomplish his sweeping agenda, comparing him to other would-be reformers who have been stymied by the regulations shaping the nation’s sprawling, interconnected food and health systems.

“I don’t think he understands the American health system,” Emanuel said. “We’ve seen those people muck about, not very successfully.”

(c) Washington Post

Chicago board of education president Mitchell Johnson stepped down from his position on Thursday after reporters revealed a history of posting antisemitic and pro-Hamas content on social media.

Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, announced the departure in a statement, saying that “antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”

“Rev. Mitchell Johnson’s statements were not only hurtful but deeply disturbing,” the mayor stated. “It has become clear that his continued participation in the board of education would hinder the important work we need to accomplish for our schools.”

The mayor appointed Johnson to the education board just seven days ago in a controversial dispute over the city’s school budget that saw the previous slate of board members resign on Oct. 4.

Johnson’s history of posting anti-Jewish and anti-Israel conspiracies on Facebook was first reported by Jewish Insider on Tuesday.

“My Jewish colleagues appear drunk with the Israeli power and will live to see their payment,” he wrote in December. “It will not be nice, and I care not how and what you call me.”

“The Nazi Germans’ ideology has been adopted by the Zionist Jews,” he wrote in another post.

Dozens of Chicago elected officials, regional Jewish groups and the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest subsequently called for him to leave immediately.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish, initially said on Wednesday that he was withholding judgment until he had reviewed the posts but ultimately issued a statement calling for the education board president to resign shortly before Johnson’s announcement.

“Any person charged with the stewardship of the Chicago Public School Board must exemplify focused, inclusive and steady leadership,” Pritzker wrote. “The views expressed in the current chair’s posts—antisemitism, misogyny, fringe conspiracy theories—very clearly do not meet that standard.”

Debra Silverstein, alderman of Chicago’s 50th ward, who organized a letter calling for the education board president to resign that secured 43 signatures from among the city’s 50 aldermen, lauded the development on Thursday.

“Rev. Mitchell Johnson’s decision to resign from the Chicago Public School Board is in the best interests of our city,” she wrote. “Next week, a group of Chicagoans will be elected to our school board, joining Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointees, and I hope this group will promote inclusivity and tolerance while delivering a world-class education to our young people and support to parents and caregivers.”

(JNS)

After court rulings upended several student loan repayment plans and debt forgiveness, the Education Department said Monday that payments could be paused for at least six months for millions of borrowers.

The department is scrambling to adjust to an injunction, in a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states, that has barred the Biden administration from moving forward with the Saving on a Valuable Education program, commonly known as Save. Biden launched the program last fall to provide borrowers with lower monthly payments and a faster path to loan cancellation. Since then, more than 8 million people have enrolled and 400,000 have already had their debts wiped away.

The court ruling not only put the Save plan on ice but also made it difficult for borrowers to enroll in other income-driven plans and for the Education Department to forgive debt through those plans. Now, the department is reconfiguring its system to adjust to the terms of the injunction, a process that it says could take several months, and taking steps to give borrowers who have been stuck in limbo more options.

Here’s what you need to know.

– – –

What is the Save plan?

Save is an amended version of an existing income-driven repayment plan known as Revised Pay as You Earn, or Repaye. Income-driven plans cap monthly payments at a percentage of a borrower’s earnings and extend repayment periods from the standard 10 years to as long as 25 years, with the promise of forgiving the balance at the end of that term. Payments are based on a percentage of discretionary income, typically whatever a person earns above 150 percent of the federal poverty line.

Save stands out from existing plans in a few important ways. It raises the amount of income shielded from the calculation of payments from 150 percent to 225 percent of the federal poverty line. The plan also caps payments for undergraduate loans to 5 percent of income above that 225 percent threshold, instead of 10 percent. People with debt from undergraduate and graduate studies will pay a weighted average between 5 percent and 10 percent.

If you borrowed $12,000 or less for undergrad or graduate school, Save aims to provide loan forgiveness after you make payments for a decade instead of for 20 or 25 years. You can also skip having to manually recertify your income under Save if you agree to have the Education Department automatically access your latest tax return from the Internal Revenue Service.

Although the plan was set to take full effect July 1, lawsuits were filed to stop the Biden administration from implementing several features ahead of time, including raising the amount of income shielded and canceling the debts of borrowers who took out small loans.

– – –

Why was Biden’s Save plan blocked?

In the spring, groups of Republican-led states filed separate lawsuits alleging that the president exceeded his legal authority by creating a program with far-reaching economic impact. The Congressional Budget Office estimates Save will cost some $230 billion over the next decade, but the Biden administration says the figure is closer to $156 billion. The states also argued that the forgiveness portion of the plan would deprive them of tax revenue and, in the case of Missouri, earnings from servicing loans.

In June, federal judges thought that those arguments had enough merit to continue the cases and impose temporary injunctions on parts of the plan while the lawsuits proceed.

In Missouri, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross had blocked the department in June from carrying out any further loan forgiveness under the Save plan. The agency has already approved $5.5 billion in loan cancellation for 414,000 enrollees who met the plan’s criteria of originally borrowing less than $12,000 and paying the debt down for at least 10 years.

Ross agreed with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and five other Republican-led states that Biden probably lacks the authority to erase debts through the Save plan. He also agreed that the loan-forgiveness component would harm the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, a quasi-state agency that services federal student loans and funds state scholarships. It is the same claim used to topple Biden’s sweeping student loan forgiveness program, which the Supreme Court struck down in 2023.

Dissatisfied with the partial injunction, Bailey petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit to halt the Save plan in its entirety amid ongoing litigation. The court agreed and stopped any component of the program from moving forward.

The 8th Circuit declined to clarify the scope of the injunction, leading the Biden administration to petition the Supreme Court to either narrow the order or quickly take up the case itself. The justices declined to act and said the court expects the 8th Circuit will “render its decision with appropriate dispatch.” But the Biden administration is still waiting for the appeals court to rule.

– – –

How does the injunction affect other repayment plans?

Older income-driven plans have been swept up in the Save chaos because they were created under the same authority in the Higher Education Act. In 1993, Congress said the education secretary must offer repayment plans tied to a borrower’s income and capped repayment to no more than 25 years. Lawmakers directed the department to flesh out the details, resulting in the introduction of Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) in 1994, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) in 2012 and Repaye in 2015 – the predecessor of Save.

All of the plans offered loan forgiveness. Each new one was more generous than the last, with newer plans offering shorter repayment periods and lower payments. Missouri and six other states say the 1993 statute did not authorize loan forgiveness. In its order, the appeals court appeared to agree and enjoined the Education Department from any further forgiveness for any borrower whose loans are governed “in whole or in part” by the statute.

Without clarification from the appeals court, the Education Department has hit the brakes on Save and provisions of other income-driven plans. One IDR plan – income-based repayment – was spared because it was enacted separately by Congress in 2007.

– – –

Can I still apply for the Save plan?

Yes, the Education Department said student loan borrowers still can enroll in Save. But as a result of the injunction, the government has directed its loan servicers to temporarily pause the processing of income-driven repayment applications. The department said borrowers should expect a lengthy delay in the processing of applications.

In the meantime, those borrowers will be placed in an interest-free forbearance, postponing their payments while the department reprograms its systems to adhere to the terms of the court order. That process could take six months or longer, according to the department.

– – –

I’m already enrolled in Save. What happens now?

For people already enrolled in the plan and anyone who has applied, student loans have been placed in an interest-free forbearance, postponing their payments while the court case continues. Time spent in this forbearance does not count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness or the loan cancellation afforded under income-driven repayment.

On Monday, the Education Department said Save enrollees will remain in forbearance for six more months or longer as the agency works with its contractors to update their systems to align with the restrictions imposed by the court. The department expects the update will take time because it requires significant changes to numerous systems used by several agency contractors.

– – –

What’s happening with the other repayment plans caught up in the injunction?

The department will soon resume processing applications for borrowers applying for income-based repayment and some borrowers applying for PAYE or ICR. It has reinstated a simplified version of the online application, after taking down the form for months and requiring borrowers submit a paper version.

People who are close to meeting the 120 payment threshold for public service loan forgiveness may want to switch into the IBR plan to get credit toward debt relief, the department advises. The same is true for people who are close to meeting the 20 or 25 years in repayment needed to have their balances cleared through older income-driven plans.

The department also will reopen the PAYE and ICR repayment plans to new enrollees through regulatory action this fall. To streamline the suite of income-driven plans, the department had previously closed enrollment to wind down the two older options when it created Save. But with Save in jeopardy, the federal agency wants to give borrowers options to earn credit for loan forgiveness.

The department said reopening PAYE, in particular, will be the fastest path for public servants who want to keep working toward forgiveness. The agency will share more in the coming weeks on the timeline for the repayment plan change.

– – –

What does this all mean for loan forgiveness?

Forgiveness as a feature of any income-driven plan created by the department – Save, PAYE and ICR – is on hold. People who hit their plan’s repayment milestone for forgiveness under those plans will be moved into an interest-free forbearance, if they are not already in a forbearance as a result of the litigation. The department will still process loan forgiveness for the income-based plan that is not subject to the court injunction.

(c) Washington Post

Israeli Air Force aircraft struck terrorist infrastructure used by Hezbollah in the Syrian city of Al-Qusayr, located near the border with Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

“Following IDF intelligence, the IAF struck weapons-storage facilities and command centers used by Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces and its Munitions Unit in the area of Al-Qusayr, Syria,” the military stated.

“Hezbollah’s Munitions Unit is responsible for storing weapons inside Lebanon and has recently expanded its activities into the town of Al-Qusayr, near the Syrian-Lebanese border,” the IDF statement added. “With this, Hezbollah is establishing logistical infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of weapons from Syria into Lebanon via border crossings.”

According to the Israeli military, “The Hezbollah terrorist organization endangers the security of Syrian and Lebanese civilians by embedding command centers and forces in civilian areas in both these countries.”

Israel rarely admits to attacks on Syrian territory, although in February Jerusalem revealed that it had struck more than 50 targets belonging to Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terror groups in Syria since Oct. 7, 2023.

As the IAF struck military targets in Iran over the weekend, on Oct. 26, 2024, Damascus’s SANA outlet reported simultaneous strikes across Syria, amid Tehran’s decades-long effort to entrench itself on Israel’s northern border.

On Oct. 8, Syrian media reported that an IAF strike targeted a building in Damascus, killing seven people and wounding 11 others. According to Ynet, the target was Haj Samer, a senior official in Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, responsible for transferring Iranian arms to the terrorist group.

One week prior, three people were killed and nine wounded in alleged Israeli airstrikes in the Syrian capital. Israeli “aircraft and drones” struck several targets in the city, causing “significant” damage, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency, citing a regime military source.

Last month, two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle traveling between Quneitra and Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based war monitor affiliated with Syria’s opposition, claimed that a “military figure” was killed in the strike.

(JNS)

Larry Snelling, superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, announced that the city is adding one felony count of terrorism and one felony count of a hate crime to the 14 felony charges brought against Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi.

Abdallahi, 22, is accused of shooting a 39-year-old Jewish man, as well as firing at police officers and paramedics on Oct. 26. Snelling said that investigators found evidence on the accused gunman’s phone that indicated that he deliberately targeted Jews.

“We did not secure these charges because of public pressure” or media coverage, the police official said, speaking at a press conference at 4:30 p.m. local time at Chicago Police Department headquarters.

“We want everybody to know that we will never tolerate violence that’s rooted in hate and bigotry,” he said, noting that the crime affects the Jewish community in particular. “This shooting should be personal to everybody across the city,” he added.

“We did not rush to judgment,” Snelling said “We made sure that we continued the investigation.”

Snelling spoke alongside Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney for Cook County, Ill.

The mayor has faced intense criticism from the Chicago Jewish community for issuing a statement days later, which didn’t note that the victim was visibly Jewish. Police did not initially announced hate crime charges among the 14 felony charges.

Abdallahi’s scheduled appearance in court was delayed, while he remains in the hospital, and he now slated to appear in court on Nov. 7, NBC 5 Chicago reported. Abdallahi, who was hit multiple times during a two-and-a-half minute shootout with police officers, has been assigned a public defender, per the news station.

(JNS)

Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister of Germany, ordered the closure on Thursday of Iran’s three consulates in the Western European nation.

The development came as a result of the execution on Monday of Jamshid Sharmahd, a German-Iranian dual national living in California, who was kidnapped by Iran while traveling in the United Arab Emirates in August 2020.

Baerbock stated that “we have repeatedly made it clear to Iran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences” and that Berlin had chosen “to close the three Iranian consulates general in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Hamburg.”

As such, Iranian consulate employees without German citizenship must leave the country.

Baerbock said Germany also calls for sanctions from the European Union against those involved in Sharmahd’s killing. Calling Iran a “dictatorial, unjust regime” she said it “does not act according to normal diplomatic logic,” and “it is not without reason that our diplomatic relations are already at an all-time low.”

On Tuesday, Germany recalled its ambassador to Iran, Markus Potzel, who returned to Berlin to consult on the next steps to be taken.

(JNS)

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu met with U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk at his office in Yerushalayim on Thursday amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire deal in Lebanon.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu thanked “our American friends” for their efforts to bring about a truce in the war between the Israel Defense Forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

He was said to have emphasized that “the main point is not this or that agreement on paper but Israel’s ability and determination to enforce the agreement and thwart any threat to its security from Lebanon in a manner that will return our residents securely to their homes.”

Hochstein, deputy assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden and a senior adviser for energy and investment, and McGurk, special coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, arrived in Israel earlier on Thursday.

Senior Israeli and American government officials told U.S.-based Israeli reporter Barak Ravid that an agreement could be reached within weeks.

Netanyahu convened a meeting with several ministers and military and intelligence officials earlier this week to discuss a potential ceasefire.

A leaked draft deal published by Israel’s Kan News public channel on Wednesday evening calls for a pullout of all IDF soldiers from Southern Lebanon within seven days, while Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are urged to withdraw from the border area within 60 days after signing.

The draft deal states that “Israel and Lebanon recognize the importance of UNSCR 1701 to achieving lasting peace and security and commit to taking steps toward its full implementation,” in reference to the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

The United States, alongside other unspecified countries, as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), would supervise the implementation of the deal, which leaves room for Israeli defensive actions against re-emerging terrorist threats from Lebanon.

Responding to the report, Sean Savett, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, stated on Wednesday that “there are many reports and drafts circulating. They do not reflect the current state of negotiations.”

Hochstein and McGurk met separately with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, among other officials, on Thursday, Israel’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The talks focused on “strategic challenges and opportunities in the region—namely security arrangements as these relate to the northern arena and Lebanon, and efforts to ensure the return of 101 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza,” according to the readout from Jerusalem.

The meetings on Thursday came as two Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel’s north killed seven people and seriously wounded another.

Hezbollah has been committing near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks against the Jewish state since Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Gaza’s Hamas led a mass invasion of southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, kidnapping 251 others and committing widespread atrocities.

Yerushalayim has escalated attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah since adding the safe return home of some 60,000 residents evacuated from towns along Israel’s northern border to its official war goals on Sept. 17.

On Wednesday, newly minted Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed to continue the “war program” of his slain predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah. Commenting on the Oct. 19 drone assault on Netanyahu’s residence, he warned: “The resistance has reached Netanyahu’s bedroom, and our diplomatic communications have confirmed that he is scared.”

Speaking at a military ceremony on Thursday evening, the Israeli prime minister said, “We are dismantling the axis of evil through calculated blows. Terrorist armies will no longer sit at our borders. Hamas will no longer control the Gaza Strip, and Hezbollah will not sit on our northern border in its positions to invade just a few meters from our borders.”

Regarding the Lebanon ceasefire talks, Netanyahu declared, “The agreements, the papers, the proposals, the numbers—1559, 1701—all these have their place, but they are not the most important thing.”

The premier added, “The main thing is our ability and determination to enforce security, to thwart attacks, and to act against the arming of our enemies as much as necessary, despite the pressures and constraints.”

(JNS)

According to a new Axios report, Israeli intelligence believes Iran will attack Israel from within Iraqi territory, possibly before Tuesday’s US Presidential Election, citing two Israeli sources.

Per the report, Israel is expecting Iran to launch an attack including large numbers of drones and ballistic missiles from inside Iraq.

A US source quoted in the report said that the US does not know if Iran has decided to attack, but if it has, such an attack could be put together quickly.

If this reported attack takes place, it would be the third direct attack by Iran on Israel, without using a terror proxy.  In the most recent Iranian attack on October 1st, Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, causing damage, but no Israeli casualties.

Since that time, a US THAAD missile defense system has been brought to Israel, along with the approximately 100 US serviceman it takes to run the system, to bolster Israeli air defenses against future Iranian attacks.  The arrival of the THAAD system came as reports surfaced that Israeli air defense systems were facing an interceptor missile shortage.

After much anticipation, Israel ultimately decided to retaliate with a strike targeting Iranian military sites, including air defense systems and missile production sites.  Israeli officials described the strikes as a success, saying the strikes give Israel greater operational freedom in any future strike on Iran.

{Matzav.com} 

Artificial-intelligence powerhouse OpenAI announced a major overhaul of ChatGPT that enables the chatbot to search the web and provide answers based on what it finds.

The upgrade transforms the experience of using the popular chatbot. It brings OpenAI into more direct competition with Google, offering an alternative way to find and consume information online.

Beginning Thursday, paying subscribers to ChatGPT will be able to activate a mode that has the AI tool respond to queries by searching the web for the latest information and summarizing what it finds – instead of offering an answer based on the potentially stale data used to create the chatbot.

The search functionality is powered by the Bing search engine of OpenAI’s backer Microsoft. It also draws on articles from publishers the AI developer has signed deals with, such as Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. and the Associated Press.

The new capability makes ChatGPT more similar to a conventional search engine and potentially a more potent challenger to Google and other rivals large and small.

Google added AI-generated summaries with citations to its conventional search results this year in response to growing competition from chatbots. Start-up Perplexity offers a similar AI-enhanced search engine and has received more than $400 million in funding, according to venture capital research firm Pitchbook.

The changes will make ChatGPT more useful and accurate, Varun Shetty, OpenAI’s head of media partnerships, said in an interview. “We think it improves relevancy and decreases hallucinations, because of the ability to go out to the web.”

In addition to helping users find useful information, chatbots and AI search engines are beginning to radically change online economics. For more than a decade Google has been the primary gateway to the web, making news media, bloggers and other publishers dependent on traffic from people clicking through from search results to sell ads or subscriptions.

AI search tools from Google, OpenAI and others that summarize webpages and answer questions directly can help people find information without clicking through to another website. That’s caused rising concern among publishers who fear they will be put out of business by tech companies.

Some publishers accuse AI developers of unfairly copying and plagiarizing their content to build the AI tools upending their industry. Some news organizations have sued OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement.

ChatGPT’s search overhaul will be a test for how AI search engines can impact the publishing industry.

Queries that trigger the web search feature will offer paragraphs of AI-generated text followed by links to the website that the content was summarized from.

Shetty said that ChatGPT’s algorithms might understand the content of articles from OpenAI partners better because they get a direct feed from those publishers, but that news organizations that have signed deals do not get preference in results. Nor are those companies lowering their paywalls to people who land on their site from an OpenAI link, Shetty said.

He said people who use the new search capability will probably still end up spending time on publisher websites. “We think they’ll be curious and want to click off and learn more,” Shetty said.

ChatGPT’s surging popularity after its debut in November 2022 led many tech investors to reason that many people would stop using Google search and instead get direct answers from AI helpers. Google responded by accelerating its own AI chatbot development and this summer putting AI answers at the top of search results.

As of this week, more than 1 billion people around the world see those AI answers on Google results, chief executive Sundar Pichai said Tuesday during a conference call to discuss the company’s quarterly earnings. Though OpenAI has said that about 250 million people turn to ChatGPT each week, Google remains the dominant way people find information online.

Paying users of ChatGPT will have access to the new search function during the Nov. 5 presidential election and in the days after, a period that disinformation researchers say will see lies and political falsehoods flood the web.

OpenAI’s search tool will direct election-related queries to sources such as the Associated Press and Reuters, Shetty said. “What we’ve tried to do is prioritize and elevate the highest quality and authoritative sources we have.”

(c) Washington Post