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Air travel disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport dragged on into Monday, capping a weekend plagued by hundreds of delayed and canceled flights. The ongoing turmoil has prompted Senator Chuck Schumer to demand a thorough probe into the causes of the widespread travel meltdown.

By Monday morning, FlightAware data showed that approximately 200 flights were delayed and over 130 were canceled. The FAA attributed many of the issues to both staffing shortages and weather conditions, noting that incoming flights were facing delays of up to four hours, while departures were averaging an hour of lag time. Sunday’s numbers were even worse, with more than 430 delays and 140 cancellations.

Schumer insisted that the situation demands far more scrutiny than it’s currently receiving, urging authorities to dig deep to prevent a continued breakdown of operations.

“To say that there is just minor turbulence at Newark Airport and the FAA, that would be the understatement of the year. We’re here because the FAA is really a mess. This mess needs a real forensic look, a deep look into it,” Schumer said during a Monday press conference.

The root of the airport’s crisis appears to be multifaceted. A persistent shortage of air traffic controllers has left key positions unfilled. A runway closure for major repairs is expected to last through at least June. Compounding the crisis, critical FAA technology used to direct air traffic has reportedly malfunctioned.

Passengers have voiced frustration with lengthy delays, some being forced to remain on grounded planes for hours or held in airspace circles, waiting for clearance to land.

Authorities have begun expressing doubt over the airport’s capacity to manage the current volume of flights under these strained conditions.

United Airlines has already responded by slashing 35 flights from its daily Newark schedule. The airline criticized the FAA for what it called a longstanding failure to address air traffic control problems that have worsened over time.

United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, pointed to repeated failures of the airport’s plane-tracking systems in recent days. These outages led to widespread delays and cancellations, further intensified when a significant portion of the air traffic control workforce abruptly left their posts.

“This particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear — and the FAA tells us — that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” Kirby said in a message to customers on Friday.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump stated that Ukraine and Russia are ready for a ceasefire. However, ongoing U.S. military aid to Ukraine and continued strikes between the nations cast doubt on the likelihood of an imminent deal.

Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Air Force operations room in the Kirya, during the massive airstrikes against targets of the Houthi terror regime in Yemen.

The IRS has lost more than 3,600 – or 31% – of its tax auditors from buyouts and layoffs tied to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Four boats capsized in a sudden storm at a tourist spot in southwestern China, killing 10 people, state media said Monday. More than 80 people fell into a river when strong winds hit the scenic area in Guizhou province late Sunday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. The boats capsized after a sudden rain and hail storm on the upper reaches of the Wu River, a tributary of the Yangtze, China’s longest river. In one video shared by state media, a man could be seen performing CPR on another person, while one of the vessels drifted upside down. Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized, but state media said on Monday that four boats were involved. The other two boats had no passengers, and the seven crew members were able to save themselves, CCTV said. Guizhou’s mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw, and many Chinese were traveling during a five-day national holiday that ended Monday. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to find the missing and care for the injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday. Seventy people were sent to a hospital, most with minor injuries. Noting a recent series of fatal accidents, Xi underscored the importance of strengthening safety at tourist attractions, large public venues and residential communities, as well as for the rush of people returning at the end of major holidays. CCTV said the capsized boats had a maximum capacity of about 40 people each and were not overloaded. An eyewitness told state-owned Beijing News the waters were deep but that some people had managed to swim to safety. However, the storm had come suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of the river. (AP)

NYC Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Monday that the city is allocating $1.6 million to roll out a new security measure for roughly 500 bodegas throughout New York City: emergency alert devices known as “SilentShields” that allow workers to discreetly notify the NYPD during a crisis.

The funding, issued through a special emergency grant, will go to the United Bodega Association. The initiative focuses on bodegas located in neighborhoods with higher crime rates, aiming to better protect employees and patrons from violence or theft.

Adams explained that the SilentShields system will be tied directly to surveillance cameras inside the bodegas and linked to NYPD networks. This setup will enable officers to view incidents as they occur and respond more swiftly to threats.

“Bodegas are part of the heart and soul of New York City. They are on every corner; they are there for us at all hours. As we continue rolling out our ‘Best Budget Ever,’ I’m proud to announce $1.6 million in funding to equip an estimated 500 bodegas across the five boroughs with ‘SilentShields’ that will immediately connect bodega staff with the NYPD in cases of emergency,” Adams said.

Calls for emergency buttons grew louder after a fatal stabbing inside an Inwood bodega last month left one person dead and injured two more. Just days ago, a shocking incident in Brooklyn saw a gang disguised in NYPD uniforms rob a bodega at gunpoint, with surveillance footage released by police.

“This program will bring peace of mind to our bodega owners, while protecting the working-class New Yorkers who work and frequent bodegas. Our bodegas are essential to New York City, and, with this investment, we’re telling these small businesses: Your city has your back,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

DISGUSTING: On their way to continue their protest over army conscription, Peleg Yerushalmi rioters desecrated pictures in memory of fallen IDF soldiers HY’D.

WATCH: The IDF strikes in Yemen are believed to be part of a coordinated operation with the United States, with Axios journalist Barak Ravid citing a senior U.S. official who said the assault was carried out “in concert” with American forces.

Chinese sellers have quickly outwitted Trump’s tariff master plan, by “washing” their products in third countries. With tariff negotiations at an impasse, Chinese imports remain loaded with 145 percent U.S. levies. After they were issued, Xi Jinping’s government slapped American goods with reciprocal 125 percent import duties.

In a bid to contravene Trump’s tariffs, sellers in the Asian mega economy have started shipping goods to third party countries to conceal their genuine provenance. The process is known as “place-of-origin washing.”

U.S. trade laws state that goods must undergo a “substantial transformation” in a country for it to become the new ‘origin.’ This has presented an opportunity to black market businesses, with Chinese social media sites now awash with people offering origin-washing services.

“The U.S. has imposed tariffs on Chinese products? Transit through Malaysia to ‘transform’ into Southeast Asian goods!” said one advert on Xiaohongshu, posted by “Ruby—Third Country Transshipment.” South Korea is another hotspot for this transformative process. The country’s customs agency said it had found $21 million worth of goods with clandestine origins in the first quarter of 2025. “We have found numerous cases where the origins of Chinese products were falsified as Korean,” the agency said. Read more at Financial Times.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Air Force launched a blistering assault on Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah on Monday evening, retaliating for a brazen ballistic missile attack by the Iran-backed terror group that struck Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv just a day earlier, leaving six injured and international airlines scrambling to suspend flights. Under the cover of darkness, approximately 20 IAF fighter jets roared 2,000 kilometers across the skies, hammering Houthi infrastructure with surgical precision. The strikes zeroed in on the strategic Hodeidah port and a concrete factory near Bajil, unleashing 50 munitions in a thunderous display of military might. Refuelers and spy planes supported the operation, ensuring its success, as images released by the military captured the jets poised for action on the tarmac. The IDF noted the Hodeidah port is a critical hub for the “transfer of Iranian weapons” and other terror-related equipment, while the Bajil factory was exposed as a linchpin in the Houthi economy, allegedly used to construct tunnels and military infrastructure. “These strikes deliver a crippling blow to the Houthi terror regime’s economic and military ambitions,” the IDF said, underscoring the operation’s intent to choke the group’s resources. The assault marked Israel’s sixth strike in Yemen since the onset of the war and the first since January, shattering a period of restraint following a U.S.-led aerial campaign against the Houthis. Israeli officials confirmed coordination with the United States but emphasized the operation was solely their own. The terror group, whose chilling mantra calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, and a Curse on the Jews,” had fired a missile on Sunday that carved a gaping crater near Ben Gurion’s Terminal 3, rattling nerves and disrupting global air travel. Footage revealed a massive inferno engulfing the Bajil factory, while images from Israel’s Defense Ministry showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir orchestrating the operation from the IAF’s underground command center in Tel Aviv. Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the IAF chief, commanded the strikes from a nearby post. The Houthis claimed their airport attack deployed a “hypersonic ballistic missile,” a boast swiftly debunked by the IDF, which clarified that neither the Houthis nor their Iranian patrons possess such advanced weaponry. The group vowed to impose a “comprehensive air blockade” on Israel, targeting Ben Gurion and other airports—a threat experts deem unlikely given Israel’s robust missile defense systems. Nonetheless, the Houthis’ audacity has kept Israelis on edge, with air raid sirens driving hundreds of thousands into shelters amid fears of incoming missiles and falling debris. Hours before Israel’s strikes, U.S. forces reportedly pounded Houthi targets near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, wounding 16, according to the rebels’ Health Ministry. The Houthi-run Saba news agency decried the attacks as “American aggression,” while Al-Masirah TV reported additional strikes in Sanaa and Al-Jawf. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Trump administration says the sweeping tariffs it unveiled April 2, then postponed for 90 days, have a simple goal: Force other countries to drop their trade barriers to U.S. goods. Yet President Donald Trump’s definition of trade barriers includes a slew of issues well beyond the tariffs other countries impose on the U.S., including some areas not normally associated with trade disputes. Those include agricultural safety requirements, tax systems, currency exchange rates, product standards, legal requirements, and red tape at the border. He’s given countries three months to come up with concessions before tariffs ranging from 10% to more than 50% go into effect. Tariffs on China are already in effect. On many issues it will be difficult, or in some cases impossible, for many countries to make a deal and lower their tariff rates. In addition, many trade officials from targeted countries say privately that it isn’t always clear what the Trump administration wants from them in the negotiations. Vice President JD Vance announced that India has agreed to the terms of trade talks with the United States, but other countries are still trying to set the contours for any negotiations. The White House has highlighted conflicting goals for its import taxes: It’s seeking to raise revenues and bring manufacturing back to the U.S., but it also wants greater access to foreign markets and massive changes to other nations’ tax and regulatory policies. Here are several non-tariff areas the administration is targeting: CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES Trump has accused Germany, China and Japan of “global freeloading” by — in his view — devaluing their currencies to make their exports cheaper. The European Central bank has been cutting interest rates to support growth. That could also weaken the euro, which has strengthened sharply against the dollar since Trump took office. The ECB says it doesn’t target the exchange rate. In Japan’s case, the Bank of Japan has been gradually raising rates anyway after keeping them at zero or in negative territory for years, which should drive the yen up against the dollar. The U.S. dollar has fallen recently to 140-yen levels, down from about 160 yen last summer. Shrikant Kale, a strategist at Jefferies, believes the dollar will fall to 120 yen over the next 18 months. FARM PRODUCTS Agricultural safeguards against importing pests or health hazards have been a sticking point with U.S. trade partners for years. They include Japan’s restrictions on rice and potato imports, the EU’s ban on hormone-treated beef or chlorine-disinfected chickens and Korea’s ban on beef from cows more than 30 months old. Yet changes face stiff political resistance from voters and farm lobbies in those countries. For years, U.S. potato growers have sought access to Japan’s potential $150 million market for table potatoes. Japan has engaged in talks but taken years simply to supply a list of concerns to U.S. negotiators. The delay is “pure politics,” intended to protect domestic growers, says National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles. If Japanese politicians perceive the pain from Trump’s tariffs might be worse than from their own potato growers, “that makes it more likely to make a deal,” Quarles said. But “if they perceive the pain domestically will be worse than the Trump administration can bring to them … we’re going to be stuck where we are.” Korea’s beef restrictions started as a measure […]

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The Trump administration has rolled out a program offering illegal migrants up to $1,000 each if they voluntarily exit the country, a move the Department of Homeland Security says could cut costs by up to $1 million per family.

Migrants can skip detention and arrest by using the CBP Home app, introduced under the Trump administration. The government will cover airfare for those choosing to leave and issue the cash payout once their departure is confirmed.

While the idea of paying those in the country illegally may seem counterintuitive, DHS officials argue the numbers work out in taxpayers’ favor, with projected savings of around 70% when compared to the costs associated with forced deportation.

According to DHS estimates, the process of arresting, jailing, and deporting one illegal migrant typically runs about $17,121.

Stephen Miller, a key adviser to President Trump on both policy and national security, posted on X that “the savings are as much as $1 million per illegal alien family given the long-term costs of free welfare and public support.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that “self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way” for migrants to avoid being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport,” said Noem in a public statement.

The first participant in the new initiative was reportedly someone who had originally been allowed into the U.S. under the Biden administration but ultimately opted to return to Honduras from Chicago, DHS confirmed.

In just the first 100 days of Trump’s return to the presidency, ICE reported it has already deported nearly 66,000 individuals living in the country illegally.

“We’re just 100 days into this administration and thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is using every tool at its disposal to enforce our country’s immigration laws and protect our communities,” said acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.

{Matzav.com}

Signs were hung in the Mir Yerushalayim calling for Tefillos for the recovery of HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Ezrachi, who is undergoing complex medical treatment.

Elon Musk, senior adviser at the White House and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), says he has no regrets about the toll his public service has taken on Tesla, even as the company suffers major financial setbacks. “At least I didn’t get shot,” he remarked.

In a conversation that aired Saturday, Musk looked back on his involvement in helping Donald Trump secure the presidency and his high-profile role in the administration.

“It’s not been boring, that’s for sure. An eventful year, says the least. At least I didn’t get shot. Look on the bright side,” Musk told Fox News’ My View With Lara Trump, referencing the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania last July.

As Musk prepares to transition back into his corporate responsibilities, Tesla has been grappling with massive losses—its profits plummeting 71% in Q1 of 2025. The company has also been targeted by demonstrators, with its vehicles and facilities coming under violent attack.

“We have had people shoot up Tesla stores and burn down Tesla cars. I wasn’t expecting that level of violence, really,” Musk admitted.

During his tenure at DOGE, Musk has overseen a reduction of $165 billion in federal expenditures—a result, he says, of confronting widespread abuse and inefficiency in government programs.

“That’s what happens when you go after fraud. The people who are receiving the billions of dollars in waste and fraud wanna keep receiving it,” Musk told Lara Trump. “You’re necessarily dealing with an unsavory group that is… doing illegal things already and we’re stopping them from doing illegal things, obviously, they’re going to do bad things to me and my companies. Somewhat inevitable I think.”

Despite the consequences, Musk says the experience was worthwhile, especially considering what he believes the country avoided in the last election.

“Some people out there may be somewhat skeptical. They may think, ‘Well, there isn’t some Democrat plan to subvert democracy and achieve a permanent one-party, deep blue socialist state.’ I assure you, the more you research it, the more you will see it’s true,” Musk said. “[former President Joe] Biden was simply asleep at the switch, he was ineffective regarding illegal immigration.

“No, he was highly effective at ushering in millions of illegal immigrants with a specific game plan to naturalize them and ensure there were would be no swing states in America anymore,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT: “I think that at the end of this, even if we have tariffs still in place, because the non-tariff trade barriers are coming down, because we could see an end to some of the currency manipulation, the unfair subsidy of labor and capital from the other countries. We could see more frictionless trade.”

SCOTT BESSENT: “President Trump has secured more investment for our country in 100 days than President Biden did during all four years.”

India and Pakistan are scrambling resources both military and diplomatic to respond to a crisis triggered by a massacre in Indian-controlled Kashmir that has heightened fears of a conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen behind the April 22 killing of 26 people, most of them Indian Hindu tourists, and has described it as a terror attack. Islamabad denies the charge. Both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats and nationals, as well as closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. A Pakistani minister last week said his country had “credible intelligence” that an Indian strike was imminent. There has been no military action from India so far. Here’s where the situation stands since the attack: World leaders urge de-escalation After an initial wave of condemnations of the attack on tourists, world leaders are calling for both sides to avoid escalation. The U.N. Security Council is expected to hold closed consultations on Monday to discuss the situation. International pressure has been piling on both New Delhi and Islamabad — which fought two of their three wars over disputed Kashmir — to ease tensions. Senior officials from the U.S., China, Russia and Saudi Arabia have urged both sides to exercise restraint. Iran has offered to mediate. Meanwhile, both nations have launched an aggressive diplomatic campaign to shore up support for their positions. India has made efforts to highlight what it called the “cross-border link” to the attack by briefing diplomats of dozens of countries. “The diplomatic outreach this time has been quite extensive and the idea for India would be to showcase whatever evidence it has to its partners and to make a case that whatever actions might be coming from its side has the support of its partners and allies,” said Harsh Pant, foreign policy head at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi. Pakistan has offered to cooperate with an international investigation into the attack and reached out to dozens of foreign diplomats. Islamabad, however, said that it will match or exceed any military action by India. Tensions on the border, fears in Kashmir Indian army has said its troops have exchanged gunfire with Pakistani soldiers along the de facto border, the Line of Control, in Kashmir, blaming the neighbour for unprovoked firing for 10 straight nights. Islamabad, meanwhile, has accused India of violating a ceasefire. In Kashmir, Indian forces have launched a huge operation to hunt the April 22 attackers. At least 2,000 people have been detained and questioned. Some have been arrested under anti-terrorism laws that allow authorities to detain people without formal charges. Indian forces also blew off at least nine family homes of suspected rebels, who have been fighting for independence or merger with Pakistan. The crackdown has led to fear and anxiety in Kashmir, stirring traumatic memories of the region’s decades-long insurgency and India’s brutal response. Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said “Kashmiris are always the first to bear the brunt of any political or military tensions between India and Pakistan.” “The collective punishment imposed on Kashmiris and the state violence unleashed against them further inflames the conflict,” Donthi said. India and Pakistan are flexing military might On Monday, Pakistan’s military test-fired a short-range missile, the second test launch since a medium-range ballistic missile on Saturday. India’s navy […]

A violent group affiliated with the notorious Tren de Aragua gang ambushed two NYPD officers in Times Square in a disturbing, caught-on-camera incident — marking the second time in under two years that migrants have launched a brutal assault against police in the heart of New York City.

The ambush occurred late Friday night following the boxing match between Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero. Law enforcement sources said the officers were trying to stop a group of asylum seekers from mugging two teenagers when they were suddenly attacked.

By Sunday afternoon, authorities had taken at least three suspects into custody, including a 12-year-old believed to be the group’s leader. The suspects were identified as part of a younger faction of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang known as Diablos de la 42, or Devils of 42nd Street, according to the same sources.

Officials said that several individuals involved in the attack were already wanted in connection with a series of brazen thefts in Central Park. The assault on the officers took place while the suspects were attempting another robbery, only to be intercepted by the NYPD.

“Is this what a sanctuary city is supposed to be?” one disillusioned officer asked. “One of these kids was 11 years old when he was the ringleader of that Central Park robbery pattern.”

“What is it going to take for some of this policy to change when you have an 11, now 12-year-old, running around — or anybody — committing these crimes?” the source said. “When is common sense going to prevail? Don’t we have a moral obligation?”

On Sunday, an NYPD representative confirmed that a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old had been arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration, riot, and menacing. The 17-year-old was additionally charged with assaulting a police officer, reckless endangerment, and possessing a weapon.

A 14-year-old suspect was also charged, while the 12-year-old alleged leader was released after being taken into custody, pending a hearing in family court. Police said three more suspects are being actively investigated for their roles in the incident.

Due to their young ages, officials have not released any of the suspects’ names.

Authorities reported that the individuals involved were staying at the Row Hotel in Manhattan — one of many facilities across the city currently being used to shelter migrants at the expense of taxpayers.

New York City’s sanctuary city policy, which began welcoming thousands of border crossers in 2022, has made it possible for criminal elements like gang members to infiltrate the migrant population and enter the country under the radar.

The influx has placed significant strain on the city’s resources and law enforcement, leaving the NYPD struggling to manage a wave of crimes emanating from shelters, including two large tent encampments, repurposed schools, and even houses of worship.

This latest assault bore a chilling resemblance to an earlier incident in January 2024, when another gang of migrants attacked two officers in Times Square while they tried to disperse an unruly mob.

All but one of the perpetrators from the January attack have either been sentenced or released. One suspect is still awaiting trial.

{Matzav.com}