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JUST IN: Trump announces Iowa event Thursday “to kick off the very beginning of our exciting Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary…” “You are going to be very happy with what I say.”

A fresh survey conducted by the Midgam Institute and broadcast Tuesday night on Channel 12 News examined how Gadi Eisenkot’s departure from the National Unity Party could influence the Israeli political landscape.

If elections were to be held now with the current parties in place, Likud would earn 26 seats in the Knesset, and Naftali Bennett’s faction would come in close behind with 24. The Democrats would secure 12, Yisrael Beytenu 10, Yesh Atid and Shas would each garner 9, United Torah Judaism would get 8, Blue and White and Otzma Yehudit would both receive 6, while Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would take 5 each. The Religious Zionist Party wouldn’t reach the minimum threshold required for representation.

In a case where Eisenkot launches his own party, it would gain 8 seats—overtaking both Yesh Atid and Blue and White. Under that scenario, Likud’s seat count would stay at 26, while Bennett’s faction would slip to 22. Support for the Democrats would decrease to 10, Yesh Atid would drop to 7, and Gantz’s and Liberman’s parties would each lose one seat.

If Eisenkot were to take the helm of Yesh Atid with Yair Lapid second on the list, their ticket would receive a boost, reaching 18 seats. Likud would still remain at 26 seats. Bennett’s party would slide to 21, Democrats would lose ground with just 9 seats, and Blue and White would be reduced to 4.

Alternatively, should Eisenkot align with Bennett as his deputy, the joint list would become the most powerful force in the Knesset, earning 32 seats. Likud would see a slight increase to 27. Democrats would dip to 11, Yesh Atid would fall to 8, and Blue and White would not manage to get any seats at all.

A different poll by the Maagar Mochot Institute, aired on Channel 13 News, showed that a new party led by Eisenkot would capture 9 seats—again pushing Blue and White out of the Knesset. According to that poll, Likud would win 25 seats, Bennett’s slate would take 21, Shas and Yisrael Beytenu would each get 10, Democrats would finish with 9, Otzma Yehudit would get 8, United Torah Judaism 7, and Yesh Atid 7. Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al would each secure 5 seats. The Religious Zionist Party would just make it in with 4 seats.

This arrangement would give the current governing coalition 54 seats. Meanwhile, the opposition bloc, along with the Arab parties, would command a majority with 66 seats.

That same poll also analyzed what might happen if Eisenkot were to run on a joint ticket with Bennett. That partnership would again claim the top spot with 31 seats. Likud would secure 24, Democrats would climb to 10, and Gantz’s National Unity Party would barely scrape by with 4 seats.

The final scenario evaluated Eisenkot joining forces with Lapid. That version of Yesh Atid would bring in 14 seats. Likud would garner 26, Bennett’s party would collect 23, and the National Unity Party would fall below the threshold and be eliminated from the Knesset.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge on Monday questioned when the Trump administration will try to enforce its birthright citizenship executive order and asked if the government would attempt to deport U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally or temporarily before restrictions on birthright citizenship might take effect in late July. Justice Department attorney Brad Rosenberg told U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman that the administration doesn’t intend to deport any children covered by President Donald Trump’s executive while the Supreme Court has suspended its enforcement for 30 days. He called it a “hypothetical” question. The judge gave Rosenberg until Tuesday to submit a written summary of what the administration believes it “can and can’t do” after last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. She asked if the government would be “seeking to deport babies” before July 26. The judge said her question referred to children who were born after Feb. 19 and are covered by Trump’s executive order but aren’t plaintiffs in litigation challenging the order. “No,” Rosenberg said. “I just want to be clear. I am responding to the court’s characterization of what it believes the United States might do after 30 days from the date of the Supreme Court’s decision. But, again, I would note that (federal agencies) have all been tasked with developing guidelines for implementation of the executive order. So I view that as a hypothetical.” “I take the government at its word that the United States does not intend to do that and it is not doing that,” Boardman said. Plaintiffs’ attorney William Powell said their clients are experiencing “incredible stress, anxiety and fear” after the Supreme Court’s decision. “They’re not lawyers. It is confusing to them exactly what these things mean,” Powell told the judge. “We can’t really assure them, ‘Oh, no, the order is fully blocked,’ because it’s not.” Powell said deportation isn’t the only “irreparable harm” that plaintiffs’ attorneys are concerned about. “We’re obviously also concerned about other potential ways in which the (executive) order could be enforced to deprive newborns of potential rights,” he said. Boardman, who sits in Greenbelt, Maryland, isn’t the only district court judge grappling with how to tailor their orders to comply with the Supreme Court decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Judges in Massachusetts and Washington state have issued a a separate orders on birthright citizenship, as has a judge in New Hampshire, though that order applied more narrowly and wasn’t nationwide. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, who along with other states and cities brought a case in Massachusetts federal court, said in a letter Monday he was seeking a hearing on whether a nationwide order blocking the president is warranted. Platkin said the nationwide injunction in New Jersey’s case doesn’t run afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent opinion but added the high court offered “alternative forms of relief” while leaving debate over what those could be to lower courts. The high court’s majority ruled that federal judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear whether Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship could soon take effect in parts of the country. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil […]

Israel has conducted an unprecedented surveillance campaign over Iran, capturing tens of millions of images via its satellites before and throughout the recent conflict, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry.

The ministry reported that its sophisticated satellite network covered tens of millions of square kilometers through continuous day-and-night monitoring, gathering over 12,000 high-resolution images of Iranian territory.

With Iran’s landmass covering roughly 1.6 million square kilometers, and the focus of the Israeli surveillance centered around the Tehran region and western parts of the country, large portions had to be photographed repeatedly to ensure comprehensive coverage.

This level of observation meant that Israeli satellites were keeping tabs on hundreds of different locations each day, the ministry noted.

Altogether, the satellite fleet was monitoring hundreds of thousands of square kilometers across Iran every single day.

Thanks to major advancements in Israel’s satellite capabilities—both in quality and in volume—the Jewish state has transitioned from relying on occasional snapshots for general intelligence to being able to track numerous sites throughout Iran in real time with tactical and operational precision.

These real-time capabilities enabled satellites to provide data that directly influenced Israel Air Force missions mid-operation, particularly by identifying missile launches and changing flight plans accordingly.

The technology also allowed for rapid evaluation of strike effectiveness, offering immediate insight into whether a target had been successfully neutralized.

Additionally, this intelligence helped determine whether further aerial missions were needed for specific targets, especially when dealing with complex sites, by identifying which parts of a structure had been damaged and which required follow-up strikes.

Throughout the confrontation with Iran, Israel benefited from newer satellite technologies, most notably the Ofek 13, which began operations in March 2023 and delivered clearer, more accurate surveillance than previous models.

The Ofek 13 was jointly developed by the Defense Ministry and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and was launched via a Shavit 2 rocket from a site in central Israel.

At the time of the launch, Avi Berger, who heads the Defense Ministry’s Space Directorate, stated, “The launch was successful. It went according to plan. The first indications from the satellite are also excellent. In the coming weeks, we will complete the technical tests and receive the first images.”

Beyond the Defense Ministry and IAI, the Ofek 13’s development was a collaborative effort that included various units of the Israel Defense Forces, notably the 9900 intelligence unit and the air force.

At the time, Berger had also remarked, “Ofek 13 is a radar-based observation satellite with the most advanced capabilities of its kind in the world, all of which are the result of Israeli development.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee made a bold statement on Tuesday, suggesting that America’s B-2 stealth bombers should be deployed to Yemen following a missile attack aimed at Yerushalayim by the Iran-backed Houthis.

“We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but Houthis just lit one up over us in Israel,” the ambassador wrote on X/Twitter.

“Fortunately, Israel’s incredible interception system means we go to the shelter & wait until all clear. Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen!”

His remarks came after the Israeli military successfully intercepted the projectile launched from Yemen. The launch triggered air raid sirens across Yerushalayim and parts of central Israel, prompting residents to seek shelter.

Shortly afterward, Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz warned that Yemen would face consequences for the attack.

“The law of Yemen is the law of Tehran,” he wrote. “After we strike the head of the serpent in Tehran, we will also strike the tail of the serpent in Yemen.”

The B-2 bombers Huckabee referenced were most recently utilized in Operation Midnight Hammer, a precision strike mission against Iranian nuclear targets. According to U.S. officials, the mission involved dropping over 30 tons of munitions using the advanced aircraft.

US President Donald Trump called the strikes a “historic military success,” claiming the facilities were “completely obliterated.”

Due to their limited number—just 20 aircraft—the B-2 bombers are typically reserved for high-priority missions requiring precision and stealth.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Royal Train will soon leave the station for the last time. King Charles III has accepted it’s time to decommission the train, whose history dates back to Queen Victoria, because it costs too much to operate and would have needed a significant upgrade for more advanced rail systems, Buckingham Palace said Monday. “In moving forwards we must not be bound by the past,’’ said James Chalmers, the palace official in charge of the king’s financial affairs. “Just as so many parts of the royal household’s work have modernized and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.’’ The train, actually a suite of nine railcars that can be hitched to commercial locomotives, will be decommissioned sometime before the current maintenance contract expires in 2027. That will bring to an end a tradition that dates back to 1869, when Queen Victoria commissioned a pair of special coaches to accommodate her travels. The decision was announced during the palace’s annual briefing for reporters on the royal finances. The royal family will for the fourth consecutive year receive public funding of 86.3 million pounds ($118 million), including 34.5 million pounds to fund the remodeling of Buckingham Palace, in the 12 months through March 2026. This money comes from a mechanism known as the Sovereign Grant, which sets aside 12% of the net income from the Crown Estate to fund the official duties of the king and other members of the royal family. The Crown Estate is a portfolio of properties that are owned by the monarch during his reign. The properties are professionally managed and the king cannot dispose of the assets. The Crown Estate is one of the many relics of Britain’s feudal past. King George III, who ruled during the American Revolution, surrendered management of the crown lands to Parliament in 1760 in return for a fixed payment from the Treasury. The royal finances remain a topic of public debate, with Charles pledging to slim down the monarchy and cut costs as he seeks to ensure the institution’s survival. Buckingham Palace was quick to point out that while the Sovereign Grant has been unchanged for the past four years, inflation has eroded its value. If the grant had increased in line with inflation, it would have been about 106 million pounds this year, the palace said. The basic grant was supplemented with 21.5 million pounds ($29.5 million) of income generated by properties outside the Crown Estate. This income increased by 1.7 million pounds, driven by a record year for visitors to Buckingham Palace and special tours of the newly renovated East Wing. Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Royal Holloway, University of London who focuses on the political role of the monarchy, said funding for the royals is relatively small when compared to the overall cost of the British state and it provides tangible benefits for the country. “It’s something that puts Britain on the world stage in a way that few other things do,’’ he said, noting that Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was the largest gathering of world leaders in history and the coronation was broadcast around the world. “It’s one of those things […]

Qatar has put forward a new offer to Israel proposing a two-month truce, during which eight living hostages would be freed on the very first day, and an additional two would be released on the 50th day of the ceasefire.

According to two diplomats familiar with the proposal, the deal outlines a 60-day pause in fighting. On day one, eight living captives would be released, followed by two more on day 50 of the truce period.

Kan News provided further details, reporting that the plan also includes the phased return of the remains of 18 hostages who are confirmed dead. The plan would unfold in three stages. As part of the broader outline, the IDF would withdraw from the Morag axis, and the level of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza would be expanded significantly.

Those close to the ongoing talks suggest that the chances of reaching a deal have improved, though some disagreements between the involved parties have yet to be resolved.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has been conducting several rounds of high-level security meetings in recent days, with a strong focus on the hostages. Families of those still in captivity have voiced fears that during the conflict with Iran, their loved ones would be pushed off the national agenda and that efforts to secure their return might stall.

Negotiations had been largely frozen for several weeks, with no notable movement. But recently, President Donald Trump has shared a more hopeful tone, indicating that a breakthrough could be imminent. Earlier today, he said, “There may be a ceasefire next week.”

There are currently 50 hostages believed to still be in Gaza. Of those, roughly 20 are thought to be alive.

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Arabia is making it clear that any potential normalization agreement with Israel hinges on the complete removal of Hamas from power in Gaza, according to a report from i24NEWS. A source with direct ties to the Saudi royal court conveyed this position to Middle East correspondent Ariel Oseran.

“Without removing Hamas, there will be no peace,” the source emphasized, underscoring Riyadh’s firm stance that Hamas must be dismantled entirely before any diplomatic breakthrough with the Jewish State can occur.

The report adds that Saudi Arabia envisions the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, taking over governance in Gaza once Hamas is ousted. This transition is seen as a necessary step for the region’s future stability and for progress toward formal ties with Israel.

This marks the first public indication that halting military operations before Hamas is fully defeated could undermine broader regional diplomacy—particularly efforts by the Trump administration to broaden the Abraham Accords and secure new normalization deals with additional Arab and Muslim countries.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump commented on Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement might be achievable as early as next week. He also reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that every remaining Israeli hostage is brought home safely.

Trump added that he plans to be “very firm” with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu about bringing the conflict in Gaza to a close when they meet in Washington next week.

{Matzav.com}

Air raid sirens echoed throughout Yerushalayim and across central regions of Israel on Tuesday evening following the launch of a missile from Yemen aimed at the country.

According to the IDF, the missile was successfully neutralized in mid-air by the Israeli Air Force using the Arrow missile defense system. Authorities reported that no injuries occurred as a result of the attempted strike.

In response to the incident, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is set to gather the political-security cabinet in Yerushalayim on Motzoei Shabbos. The meeting will focus on ongoing discussions surrounding the proposed hostage agreement and the continued military campaign in Gaza.

Reacting to the missile threat, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee shared his thoughts on social media: “We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but Houthis just lit one up over us in Israel. Fortunately, Israel’s incredible interception system means we go to the shelter & wait until all clear. Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen!”

{Matzav.com}

In honor of the upcoming July 4th holiday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Kosel on Tuesday morning alongside his wife, Janet Huckabee, for a time of reflection and prayer.

The visit began with a heartfelt prayer of thanks, recited together with Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel, and Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. They gave thanks to God for the miracles bestowed upon the Jewish people and the State of Israel during Operation Rising Lion.

During their time at the site, a special prayer was offered for the continued success and welfare of President Donald Trump, as well as for peace and security in both Israel and the United States.

After the prayers concluded, the ambassador joined Rav Rabinowitz for a more personal conversation in the rov’s office. The rov used the opportunity to express appreciation for the ambassador’s unwavering backing—and that of President Trump—of Israel and the Jewish people, especially during recent events.

Rav Rabinowitz handed the ambassador a personal letter addressed to the President, expressing heartfelt thanks and admiration. He also extended an invitation for the ambassador to return soon for an official visit to the Kosel.

Concluding his time at the site, Ambassador Huckabee toured the archaeological excavations beneath the Kosel.

{Matzav.com}

Federal authorities have charged two Chinese nationals with operating as unregistered agents of Beijing in an alleged effort to spy on U.S. military facilities and recruit American military personnel on behalf of Chinese intelligence services. The complaint, unsealed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, outlines a range of covert activities carried out by the pair, including photographing a naval base, coordinating a cash dead-drop, and seeking to identify Navy recruits who might be willing to collaborate with Chinese intelligence. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the charges as further evidence of China’s “sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within.” Bondi vowed that the Justice Department would expose foreign operatives and hold them accountable. According to prosecutors, the defendants are Yuance Chen, 38, who arrived in the United States on a visa in 2015 and later obtained legal permanent residency, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, who lives in China but traveled to Texas this spring to oversee the espionage scheme on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The two were arrested on charges of acting as agents of a foreign government without registering with the Justice Department as required by law. It was not immediately known if they had obtained legal representation. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. An FBI affidavit filed with the case states that Lai had been cultivating Chen as an intelligence asset since at least mid-2021. Prosecutors allege that together they organized a dead-drop payment of $10,000 in cash to another operative, and carried out surveillance at a Navy recruiting station in California and a naval base in Washington state, including taking photographs and videos sent to Chinese intelligence. Investigators say Chen also obtained the names and hometowns of recent Navy recruits while touring a Navy installation. Many recruits listed China as their hometown, and the FBI believes that information was transmitted to Chinese authorities. The arrests are the latest in a string of prosecutions targeting Chinese intelligence activities on American soil. In recent years, U.S. officials have charged Chinese nationals in several espionage-related cases, including five students accused of surveilling a Michigan military site in 2022, and two Navy sailors charged last year with providing classified naval operations data to Chinese handlers. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An Iran-linked hacking group that previously breached President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign is now threatening to release another trove of emails it claims to have stolen from Trump associates, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and longtime ally Roger Stone. The group, known by the pseudonym “Robert,” told Reuters in online conversations over the weekend that it had obtained approximately 100 gigabytes of emails connected to Wiles, Stone, and Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, among others. The hackers suggested they might sell the material but did not provide specifics about its contents. The announcement came on the same day that the Trump administration released a bulletin warning about the ongoing threat posed by Iranian cyber actors to U.S. companies and critical infrastructure. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) described the new threat as a “calculated smear campaign” in a statement posted on X. CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy called the hackers a “hostile foreign adversary” that is seeking to “distract, discredit and divide” the American public by exploiting stolen and unverified material. “This so-called cyber ‘attack’ is nothing more than digital propaganda,” McCarthy said, adding that the attempt was “designed to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants.” She vowed that those behind the attacks “will be found and will be brought to justice.” The U.S. Justice Department previously indicted three Iranians last September for allegedly working with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to carry out the 2024 Trump campaign hack. Hackers claiming to be “Robert” told Reuters they had not planned further cyberattacks until tensions flared with Israel this year, culminating in a 12-day conflict with Iran. That conflict ended in a ceasefire brokered by Trump following U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. During the 2024 campaign, Iranian-linked hackers were considered a more aggressive threat than Russia, which had previously carried out a high-profile hacking and disinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential race. Microsoft identified several Iranian groups last year engaged in both cyberattacks and influence operations aimed at shaping the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Zohran Mamdani has won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, a new vote count confirmed Tuesday, cementing his stunning upset of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and sending him to the general election. The Associated Press called the race after the results of the city’s ranked choice voting tabulation were released and showed Mamdani trouncing Cuomo by 12 percentage points. Mamdani said he was humbled by the support he received in the primary and has started turning his attention to November. “Last Tuesday, Democrats spoke in a clear voice, delivering a mandate for an affordable city, a politics of the future, and a leader unafraid to fight back against rising authoritarianism,” he said in a statement. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and member of the state Assembly since 2021, was virtually unknown when he launched his candidacy centered on a bold slate of populist ideas. But he built an energetic campaign that ran circles around Cuomo as the older, more moderate Democrat tried to come back from the sexual harassment scandal that led to his resignation four years ago. Mamdani’s win had been widely expected since he took a commanding lead and declared victory after the polls closed a week ago, but fell just short of the 50% of the vote needed to avoid another count under the ranked choice voting model. The system allows voters’ other preferences to be counted if their top candidate falls out of the running. He will now face a general election field that includes incumbent Mayor Eric Adams as well as independent candidate Jim Walden and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo conceded defeat on the night of the primary but is contemplating whether to run in the general election on an independent ballot line. After the release of Tuesday’s vote count, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said: “We’ll be continuing conversations with people from all across the city while determining next steps.” “Extremism, division and empty promises are not the answer to this city’s problems, and while this was a look at what motivates a slice of our primary electorate, it does not represent the majority,” Azzopardi said. The results of the primary have already sent a shockwave through the political world. Mamdani’s campaign — focused on lowering the cost of living, promising free city buses, free child care, a rent freeze for people living in rent-stabilized apartments, government-run grocery stores and more, all paid for with taxes on the wealthy — claims it has found a new blueprint for Democrats who have at times appeared rudderless during President Donald Trump’s climb back to power. The Democratic establishment has approached Mamdani with caution. Many of its big players applauded his campaign but don’t seem ready to throw their full support behind the young progressive, whose past criticisms of law enforcement, use of the word “genocide” to describe the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and “democratic socialist” label amount to landmines for some in the party. Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani came to the U.S. at age 7 and became a citizen in 2018. If elected, he would be the city’s first Muslim mayor and its first of Indian American decent. He would also be one of its youngest. Cuomo’s campaign centered on his extensive experience, casting himself as the only candidate capable of saving a […]

President Donald Trump offered strong words of support for New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ bid for re-election on Tuesday, while delivering a sharp warning to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist leading the mayoral race. Trump threatened potential legal consequences for Mamdani should he interfere with federal immigration enforcement.

Speaking from the “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant holding facility in Florida, Trump had high praise for Adams, calling him “a very good person” and suggesting that he had intervened to help the mayor through his legal troubles.

“I helped him out a little bit,” Trump said, referencing the Justice Department’s decision to drop Adams’ corruption case. “He had a problem, and he was unfairly hurt over this question. That was a Biden indictment. I said, ‘Don’t feel bad. I got indicted five times.’”

Adams had been charged with bribery and corruption in what he and Trump both claimed was retaliation for publicly criticizing President Joe Biden’s handling of the border crisis.

The investigation that resulted in Adams’ indictment was already underway before his public comments, but Trump stood by the notion that the charges were politically motivated.

Turning his attention to Mamdani, Trump intensified his attacks, warning the left-wing candidate that he could face criminal consequences if he attempts to interfere with federal immigration operations.

“We’ll have to arrest” Mamdani if that happens, Trump said.

Trump also addressed the broader mayoral contest, suggesting he was leaning toward supporting Adams, who is running as an independent, despite being a registered Democrat.

“You would think that a Republican would be able to win, or you have a good independent running for mayor,” Trump said.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has unveiled a new line of self-branded fragrances, promoted Monday as a luxury collector’s item with a bottle topped by a gold statue of Trump himself. “Trump Fragrances are here,” Trump announced on Truth Social, introducing the line under the name Victory 45-47 and describing it as celebrating “Winning, Strength, and Success.” He encouraged supporters to buy the product for themselves and their loved ones, adding, “Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!” The limited-edition fragrance collection is priced at $249 per 100ml bottle and includes separate versions for men and women. The men’s cologne is advertised as offering “rich, masculine notes with a refined, lasting finish,” aimed at men “who lead with strength, confidence, and purpose.” The women’s scent is described as a “sophisticated, subtly feminine fragrance” designed to capture “confidence, beauty, and unstoppable determination.” The new product follows previous Trump-branded merchandise including Trump Sneakers and Trump Bibles, all sold by 45Footwear LLC, the same licensing company behind the fragrance. The company also markets a separate “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT” fragrance with Trump’s signature etched on the bottle, as well as other novelty colognes inspired by the former president. Trump first teased the new fragrance line in December 2024, adding to earlier perfume and cologne products under his name. A disclaimer on the sales website clarifies that “Trump Fragrances are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.” It notes that 45Footwear LLC uses Trump’s name, image, and likeness under a license agreement, and states that the online store is “not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF has identified missile launched from Yemen toward Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.

Agudath Israel of America celebrates the Senate’s inclusion of a permanent and unlimited scholarship tax credit.

Earlier today, the United States Senate voted to include a permanent scholarship tax credit in the budget reconciliation bill. The groundbreaking federal school choice proposal survived two attempts to eliminate it and had to be revised in order to comply with the ruling of the Senate parliamentarian.

“On Friday, news reports proclaimed that the school choice provision in the reconciliation bill was dead,” said Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudath Israel of America’s National Director of Government Affairs. “Thanks to Senator Ted Cruz and Senate champions, the report of its demise was greatly exaggerated. The Senate saved school choice for American families.”

The bill provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to donors who contribute to a nonprofit scholarship granting organization (SGO). The SGOs then take the pooled funds and distribute scholarships to eligible students for qualified educational expenses. The beneficiaries can include most families as the income threshold is above $300,000 in many areas (see chart).

The revised version allows every taxpayer to receive a credit of up to $1700 and removed the annual cap on donations among other changes. Agudah expects that this will help generate hundreds of millions of dollars in K-12 scholarships for those wishing to attend Jewish schools.

The revised bill must now pass the House before being sent to the President for his signature.

A letter from Agudath Israel’s Rabbi AD Motzen:

Dear Friends,

Earlier today, the United States Senate voted to include a permanent and unlimited scholarship tax credit in the budget reconciliation bill.

The groundbreaking school choice proposal survived two attempts to eliminate it and was forced to be revised, but the bottom line for you, it’s still in!

If passed, we expect this credit to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in K-12 scholarships for our communities alone!

What happened?

On Friday morning, we woke up to the news that the Senate removed the school choice provisions from the Big, Beautiful Bill. Not because the Republican Senate majority wanted to, but because the parliamentarian, a Senate staffer, ruled that it would be deemed “out of order” and not eligible to be included.

Reconciliation budget bills have unique rules about what is and what isn’t allowed to be included. The minority party traditionally challenges many of the provisions of a reconciliation bill and the parliamentarian is tasked with ruling on those challenges. The majority party then either listens to her, tries to convince her to change her mind, or rewrites the affected section. Overruling the parliamentarian is extremely rare. In this case, thanks to a joint effort of Agudah, its coalition partners, and most importantly, Senator Ted Cruz and other Senate champions, a solution was found. Senator Cruz refused to back down and ultimately rewrote sections of the bill to satisfy her concerns.

What’s in the bill?

The bill provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to donors who contribute to a nonprofit scholarship granting organization (SGO). The SGOs then take the pooled funds and distribute scholarships to eligible students for qualified educational expenses. The beneficiaries can include most families as the income threshold is above $300,000 in many areas (see chart).

The revised version allows every taxpayer to receive a credit of up to $1700 and removed the annual cap on donations among other changes. This means that if every person and every community comes together to contribute towards the chinuch of the next generation, we can raise hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition scholarship funds each year at no cost to the donors.

Agudah will host a webinar on tonight at 8:30 pm EDT to explain the current bill in more detail, what changed, and next steps. Register here.

What’s next?

The bill now moves back to the House for a vote before it can be sent to the President for his signature. The tax credit would take effect January 2027.

Thank you for your advocacy and support

Sincerely,

AD Motzen

National Director of Government Affairs

Agudath Israel of America

{Matzav.com}

Senate Republicans narrowly pushed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Tuesday after a marathon session that lasted 27 hours, clearing the way for the legislation to head to the House for a final vote.

With the vote split down the middle at 50-50, Vice President JD Vance cast the decisive vote, allowing the bill to move forward. This puts the Republican-led Congress on pace to get the legislation to President Trump before the July 4th deadline, assuming the House remains united behind it.

Republican Senators Susan Collins, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis broke ranks and sided with all 47 Democrats to oppose the measure.

The comprehensive package, which spans nearly 900 pages, maintains the bulk of Trump’s tax reforms from 2017, introduces tax breaks for tips and overtime income, ramps up funding for defense, border control, and energy initiatives, and trims entitlement programs.

The legislation faced hurdles throughout its journey in Congress, with critics from within the Republican ranks expressing dissatisfaction over various elements of the bill.

After prolonged debate, the Senate altered the bill that had passed the House, adding deeper cuts to Medicaid, expanding corporate tax breaks, increasing the debt limit by $5 trillion, and removing federal restrictions on states that want to legislate artificial intelligence.

Some GOP senators, including Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, initially voiced serious concerns over the bill’s projected effect on federal deficits, threatening to hold up its approval.

To win over Johnson, Republican leadership added steeper Medicaid reductions than those included in the House-passed version.

“I’m convinced they’re committed to returning to reasonable pre-pandemic spending, and I’ll be highly involved in a process to achieve and maintain it,” Johnson told “Fox & Friends” Monday morning.

At the same time, Republican leaders needed to address resistance from centrist lawmakers who were alarmed by the potential impact of the Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) changes.

“We can’t be cutting health care for working people and for poor people in order to constantly give special tax treatment to corporations and other entities,” Sen. Josh Hawley told NBC News last week.

Despite his concerns, Hawley ultimately supported the legislation, giving GOP leaders the numbers they needed to push it through.

One major sticking point had been the proposed 10-year freeze on state-level AI regulation, which was included in the House version of the bill.

That clause met fierce pushback from Sen. Marsha Blackburn and representatives like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who discovered the provision only after the bill cleared the House.

Following failed attempts at a compromise, senators decided to remove the AI-related language entirely from the final version.

Meanwhile, House Republicans from high-tax states continued to raise alarms over the existing $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.

To address those concerns, the Senate raised the SALT cap to $40,000 for most individuals earning under $500,000 annually. However, this higher limit will gradually expire over five years.

Still, House conservatives remained dissatisfied, with the House Freedom Caucus denouncing the changes as “not what we agreed to.” Rep. Keith Self criticized the updated version as “fiscally criminal.”

Senators also amended the original bill to make key tax breaks for businesses permanent, rather than allowing them to expire after five years.

According to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate’s version of the bill would add roughly $3.3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. When interest payments on that debt are included, the number is expected to rise to around $3.9 trillion.

The White House has attempted to calm deficit hawks by pledging that additional spending cuts will be addressed during the fall budget process and insisting that revenue from tariffs and economic growth will help bring the deficit down.

Republican leadership is eager to avoid the mistakes of the past, with House Speaker Mike Johnson noting that delays in passing Trump’s 2017 tax legislation cost Republicans during the 2018 midterms.

Moreover, the bill serves as the primary vehicle for increasing the national borrowing limit, which would otherwise be breached in late summer or early fall.

The Senate-approved plan raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, an increase from the $4 trillion cap included in the House version.

GOP lawmakers utilized the reconciliation process in the Senate to pass the measure with a simple majority, limiting what they could include but allowing them to sidestep a filibuster.

If the House makes any changes to the Senate bill, both chambers will need to convene a conference committee to hammer out a unified version of the legislation, which would then have to be approved once more by both the House and Senate.

{Matzav.com}

Casting mailed ballots remained popular among voters in last year’s presidential election, even as President Donald Trump has tried to undercut the process through a wide-ranging executive order. A report released Monday by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission also found a surge in early in-person voting and robust use of ballot drop boxes, which have been a target of conspiracy theorists since the 2020 election. The findings, based on data collected at the local level and submitted by states, illustrate the sustained popularity of alternate voting methods even as they have come under attack in recent years from Republicans. “Notwithstanding the rhetoric from some, our election process continues to reflect the expectations voters have about where, when and how to vote,” said David Levine, a former county election official in Idaho who is now a senior fellow at the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement. “Once voters try voting before Election Day, they often continue to do so for future elections.” Overall, more than 158 million ballots were counted for the November 2024 presidential election, according to the report. Turnout was 3 percentage points lower than in 2020 but nearly 4 percentage points higher than during the 2016 presidential election. Mail voting is popular despite rhetoric Roughly 30% of voters last fall used a mail ballot, a decline from the 43% who did so during the pandemic election in 2020 but higher than pre-pandemic elections, when mail ballots typically accounted for about 25% of votes cast. The report noted that four states – Democratic-leaning Washington and Republican-leaning Indiana, South Dakota and Utah — saw higher percentages of mail voting in 2024 than four years earlier. Trump has long complained, without providing evidence, that mail voting opens a pathway to fraud. The election executive order he signed in March, which is facing several lawsuits, targets mail voting by saying all ballots must be received by Election Day. Currently, 18 states and Puerto Rico accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long they are postmarked on or before that date. Oregon and Washington, where elections are conducted almost entirely by mail, filed their own lawsuit against the order fearing that tens of thousands of their voters could be disenfranchised if it is allowed to stand. During a news conference announcing the lawsuit, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said more than 300,000 ballots in his state arrived after Election Day in 2024. Popularity of early in-person voting surges The report found the 2024 presidential election saw a drop in Election Day voting and a corresponding increase in early, in-person voting. Election Day voting declined from 49% in 2022 to roughly 37% in 2024, when 35% took advantage of voting early. Republican-dominated South Carolina and Democratic-leaning Delaware had the largest increases in early, in-person voting compared to four years ago. Republicans last year mounted a campaign to reverse years of conservative criticism of early voting methods and persuade their voters to cast ballots before Election Day, a strategy that helped Trump win a second term. Ballot drop boxes used heavily where they are allowed Since Trump’s loss in 2020, conservative activists and conspiracy theorists have zeroed in on ballot drop boxes as a potential source of fraud despite no evidence of that occurring in that year’s elections. Some Republican-led states have since blocked their use or reduced their availability. But they remain popular in other parts of the country. The report found drop boxes were in […]