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Philadelphia educator Heather Mizrachi walked into her city school district office following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, only to be greeted by a poster with the slogan, “Free Palestine.”

For Mizrachi, who is Jewish and the daughter of an Israeli, the image was jarring, to say the least. She continued to see the poster daily in her job in the central office as a curriculum specialist for middle-school students. Her complaints were ignored, she said.

“Each of those encounters left me in tears, in complete despair, and left me feeling dehumanized and undermined because of my religion and shared national origin,” the New Jersey resident told JNS via Microsoft Teams.

She added that there had always been a few postings from a few people, but after Oct. 7, “it was a flooding of the gates kind of situation.”

Citing the poster and other acts of harassment post-Oct. 7, including social-media posts from fellow school district employees. Mizrachi, who had worked for the Philadelphia city school system since 2017, went to court.

Her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, says she “has been forced to endure conditions that, by any objective measure, are grossly offensive, severe, and pervasive, including, among many other things, being forced to look at images that advocate for the violent destruction of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

“It made it nearly impossible not to pursue this path,” she said about the lawsuit. She said she felt that her colleagues had a “sense of permission to post these kinds of things. That’s been very troubling for me.”

The school district had no comment. It does not comment on pending litigation,” spokeswoman Christina Clark told JNS in a statement.

The aforementioned poster also included a Palestinian flag and the slogan, “From the river to the sea,” which the Anti-Defamation League says has been used by supporters of Hamas and other terrorist organizations and “is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”

In addition, her lawsuit said, those social-media accounts called for Israel’s destruction, accused the country of being a “terrorist state” and cheered on Hamas.

The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights earlier had investigated the school system over allegations of antisemitic harassment after Oct. 7.

That case was resolved when the school district agreed to take several steps, including distributing an anti-harassment statement; providing annual training to administrations, faculty and staff; describing actions to be taken to respond to harassment, and giving age-appropriate information to students about discrimination based on race, color and national origin.

But the harassment didn’t stop, Mizrachi said.

“It’s like saying you’re trying to wrap your head around how this is OK—and it’s not,” she said. In many cases, it’s that sort of wishing it away, hoping it will pass.”

This latest case has just begun, with the school district not having to respond until late next month.

“I just feel like sometimes people are apprehensive to come forward,” she said. “I know I’m not the only one who has been enduring this. I want people to know they are not alone.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Sources at the police fire command center suspect that some of the fires currently raging in Israel were caused by arson. Three suspects have been arrested and are currently being questioned. One of the suspects was caught red-handed trying to set a fire in southern Jerusalem. Following a report about a person trying to set fire to vegetation in the area, police officers were called to the scene and located the suspect, who tried to escape and was arrested after a chase. A lighter, cotton wool and other flammable materials were found in his possession. The suspect, a resident of east Jerusalem in his 50s, was transferred for questioning at the Oz station. Concern is growing in light of the wave of fires that have broken out, the most significant of which is still raging in the Jerusalem hills area. In addition to the fires in the Jerusalem hills and near Beit Shemesh, which are relatively common for the season, fires are also raging in a series of additional locations, such as Beit She’an and Afula in the north of the country, and in other areas, including in southern Israel. Hamas posted a message on Telegram on Wednesday urging Palestinains to set fire to “fields, forests, and settlers’ homes.” Yisrael Ganz, the head of the Yesha and Binyamin Councils, held a situational assessment and ordered a high alert in the area to prevent any arson attempts. Ganz is currently overseeing the evacuation of Mevo Choron, which is on the line of fire in the Jerusalem Hills. The fire that broke out a week ago near Beit Shemesh is believed to be the result of arson. Fire chief Eyal Caspi said on Wednesday evening that the fires are expected to last for at least another day. The Meteorological Service said on Wednesday evening that the severe weather is expected to continue in the coming hours, and the risk of the spread of fires continues to be very high, especially in the center of the country, with an emphasis on the Judean Plains and the Jerusalem Hills – where strong gusts of wind of 60-70 km/h are expected from west to east. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Minister Ben Gvir at the scene of the command center overseeing firefighting operations at the massive wildfires in Israel.

Multiple wildfires broke out on Wednesday across the Judean Hills amid soaring temperatures and fierce winds, forcing evacuations, road closures and the cancellation of Israel’s state Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony.

The most severe blaze ignited in the Eshtaol Forest near Mesilat Zion and Neve Shalom, prompting immediate evacuations. Flames spread rapidly through the parched terrain, intensified by dry weather and gusty conditions.

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced the cancellation of the annual torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl in Yerushalayim, citing public safety concerns. “I’ve just concluded a situational assessment with emergency officials,” said Regev. “There is a real danger to human life. I will not take any risks.”

Authorities declared a “Red Torch” emergency level, the highest fire-alert classification, activating national firefighting reserves, aerial reinforcements and logistical support.

Major highways, including sections of Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Yerushalayim, were shut down as flames advanced toward the road. Videos posted online showed drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing on foot, with fire on both sides of the highway.

Meanwhile, a new fire erupted near Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, threatening residential areas as responders raced to contain additional hotspots across the Yerushalayim hills.

According to Magen David Adom, 12 people had been treated for smoke-related injuries. No fatalities were reported as of Wednesday afternoon, but emergency officials remained on high alert.

In a significant development, the Israel Defense Forces received a directive to assist in efforts to extinguish the fires, with military personnel and resources deployed to support civilian firefighting crews on the ground.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also requested that military helicopters support the evacuation of civilians trapped in threatened areas.

The Fire and Rescue Authority confirmed that preparations were underway to receive international firefighting assistance.

Greece and Cyprus have committed to sending aircraft to support Israel’s efforts, with Italy, Croatia and Bulgaria also expected to contribute in response to Israel’s formal request for help.

The latest fires come on the heels of two recent incidents: a blaze in the Ein Prat Nature Reserve earlier this week, which required a complex air evacuation of some 100 frum teenagers on a school trip, and a fire near Moshav Ta’oz last week, which consumed nearly 2,500 acres before being brought under control after a 20-hour battle.

Officials are urging the public to avoid forested areas and to follow safety instructions as the spring heatwave persists. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Ford CEO Jim Farley: “We’re building a new plant in Ohio and Tennessee… We’re building two new factories in the U.S. and we’re the most American already.”

Bulldozer smashes through a highway barrier, allowing drivers trapped on Route 1 by raging wildfires to escape

If you left your teeth/sleep apnea device in Philly Airport by mistake on 4/21, a fellow yid would like to return them to you. Contact 650-796-0638. (Simanim suggest that the owner is Jewish)

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas claims that in the Quran, the “Jewish Temple” is described as being in Yemen.

“In the Noble Quran—and I believe that also in other divine books—it says that the [First and Second] Temples were in Yemen,” said Abbas in a televised speech during the 32nd PLO Central Council meeting in Ramallah.

He made the remarks in the context of his claim that Israeli authorities were targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is built on the Har Habayis.

“The Jews say, ‘This is ours, that was ours….’ No. That’s not what the Quran says,” said Abbas, according to a translation of his Arabic-language speech by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI.)

Scholars, including Nadav Shragai in his 2020 book “Al-Aqsa Terror: From Libel to Blood,” have identified false claims about the Quran’s localization of the Bais Hamikdosh as a trend in a recent attempt at historical revision by Palestinian nationalists to deny Jewish ties to the place and strengthen Muslim or Arab ones.

“The attempts by Palestinian leaders like Yasser Arafat or Saeb Erekat to cast doubt on the Temple’s existence on the Mount or to distance it from that location by claiming that there was indeed a Temple, but in Nablus or Yemen, stem from one sole motive,” wrote Shragai: “The desire to expunge from the Temple Mount a competing Jewish historical narrative and a competing historical and religious awareness, since these could becloud their own historical and religious narrative on the Mount.”

Abbas’s predecessor, Yasser Arafat, also repeated this theory. On Sept. 25, 2003, Arafat told Arab leaders from northern Israel that no Bais Hamikdosh existed in the Land of Israel, but rather in Yemen. Arafat told his listeners that he had visited Yemen and seen with his own eyes the site upon which Shlomo Hamelech’s Bais Hamikdosh once stood.

The previous year, another top PLO figure, Haj Zaki al-Ghul, stated that Shlomo had ruled over the Arabian Peninsula, and that it was there, not in Yerushalayim, that he built the Bais Hamikdosh .

Professor Yitzchok Reiter of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, in a 2011 essay in The American Interest, traces the Yemen canard to Kamal Salibi, professor emeritus at the American University of Beirut and subsequently director of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman. In a 1985 book, Salibi claimed that biblical Yerushalayim was located in the Arabian Nimas highlands, halfway from Mecca to Yemen.

The Quran does not name Yerushalayim, but for centuries, Muslim scholars have acknowledged that the Bais Hamikdosh stood there, including in the writings of Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Jarir al-Tabari, Muhammad al-Idrisi, who visited Jerusalem in the 12th century, theologian Taki ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) and 14th-century historian Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun, according to Shragai.

The current Muslim denial of this history, particularly since 1967, is a relatively recent political fabrication aimed at delegitimizing Jewish claims and justifying incitement and violence under the false claim that “Al-Aqsa is in danger,” he wrote.

In the same speech, Abbas also used sharp-worded language against Hamas, urging it to free the Israeli hostages it is holding.

“[Hamas says:] ‘We won’t release the American hostage.’ You sons of dogs, release the [hostages] and spare us this! Strip the [Israelis] of their excuses,” he exclaimed.

That part of his speech grabbed headlines worldwide, with some commentators presenting the statement as evidence that Abbas is a pragmatist working to de-escalate the war in Gaza. Others interpreted Abbas’s criticism of Hamas as posturing for Western audiences, meant to serve the Palestinian Authority’s agenda of taking over Gaza from its arch-rival Hamas under Israeli and Western auspices. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

The majority of cities across Israel have canceled their Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies scheduled for Wednesday evening as the wildfires that broke out earlier in the day continue to spread amid powerful winds and hot and dry weather conditions. Fires have started spreading toward southern Israel. The government announced on Wednesday morning [before the fire spread] that the main ceremony at Har Herzl was canceled due to the dangerous weather conditions. Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said that they will not have the resources to protect any ceremonies. As of 4 p.m., after a situational assessment held by the chairman of the Local Government, Chaim Bibas, following numerous warnings about the extreme weather conditions and the raging fire in the Jerusalem Hills area and Highway 1, it was decided that each authority will make a decision regarding Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies according to the expected forecasts in its area, the recommendation of the authority’s safety advisor, and the instructions of the security and emergency bodies. The Center for Local Government issued a recommendation to the authorities to postpone the celebrations to tomorrow evening. “The decision was made with the intention of maintaining public safety and allowing the security and rescue forces to concentrate their efforts around the emergency events.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Gas station in Mesilat Tzion being hosed down to prevent it from catching on fire.

Firefighting helicopters being used to assist in fighting the fires.

Elon Musk is no longer maintaining a consistent physical presence at the White House as he begins to wind down his formal involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role based just steps away from the Oval Office. Though his shift to remote advising hadn’t been previously disclosed, the change marks a transition rather than an exit.

“Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told The New York Post during a detailed interview in recognition of President Trump’s first 100 days in office.

Wiles explained that Musk’s absence from the White House in recent weeks hasn’t diminished his influence. “He hasn’t been here physically, but it really doesn’t matter much,” she said.

She also emphasized that Musk’s team is still actively engaged in their work, continuing their operations from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits adjacent to the West Wing.

It remains uncertain how frequently Musk intends to return to the White House complex before the end of May, when his term as an unpaid special government employee is set to conclude. After that point, he is expected to continue contributing in an informal advisory capacity.

Earlier in Trump’s return to office, Musk was a prominent figure in day-to-day administration activities. He regularly delivered in-person briefings to the president, participated in cabinet discussions, and accompanied Trump on several trips aboard Air Force One. His young son, X, was often in tow during these travels. Musk frequently spoke about a plan to cut $1 trillion from the federal deficit — a goal he aimed to achieve by halving the current figure.

The exact dollar amount that DOGE has managed to save remains unclear.

“He’s not out of it altogether. He’s just not physically present as much as he was,” Wiles said.

“The people that are doing this work are here doing good things and paying attention to the details. He’ll be stepping back a little, but he’s certainly not abandoning it. And his people are definitely not.”

During the early weeks of the administration, Musk made waves throughout Washington as he spearheaded major cost-cutting initiatives. Among his targets was the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its 10,000-strong workforce. He also supported the Office of Management and Budget in its push to dismantle the 1,700-person Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Musk’s influence extended across a broad swath of government departments — from education to defense — as well as numerous smaller agencies scattered across the federal bureaucracy.

His aggressive agenda drew sharp criticism from Democrats and led to acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles and charging infrastructure. In response, Trump staged a high-profile show of solidarity by purchasing a Tesla on the White House lawn on March 11 and called on the Justice Department to crack down on those responsible, labeling them “domestic terrorists.”

During a recent Tesla earnings call, Musk signaled a shift in his priorities. “Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” he said.

The billionaire entrepreneur, who was born in South Africa, noted that “the major work of establishing” DOGE is now complete. Still, he expressed interest in remaining involved in public service on a limited basis, stating he would continue to dedicate “a day or two a week on government matters, as long as it is useful.”

{Matzav.com}

American businesses are cancelling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next. The president’s massive and unpredictable taxes on imports seem likely to mean emptier shelves and higher prices for American shoppers, perhaps within weeks. And the higher costs and paralyzing uncertainty could exact an economic toll: U.S. consumers are in the biggest funk since COVID-19 hit five years ago, and economists say recession risks are climbing. An early sign of the damage emerged on Wednesday when the Commerce Department released its first look at first-quarter economic growth. The U.S. economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years. Gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — was down from 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Imports shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply. Asked how much of deterioration in the world’s biggest economy could be traced to Trump’s erratic policies, Boston College economist Brian Bethune said: “All of it.’’ As he promised on the campaign trail, Trump has upended decades of American trade policy. He’s been imposing — then sometimes suspending — big import taxes, or tariffs, on a wide range of targets. He’s currently plastered a 10% levy on products from almost every country in the world. He’s hit China — America’s third-biggest trading partner and second-biggest source of imported goods – with a staggering 145% tariff. China has responded with retaliatory tariffs of its own – 125% on American products. The take-no-prisoners trade war between the world’s two biggest economies has shaken global financial markets and threatened to bring U.S.-China trade to a standstill. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, warned last Thursday within two weeks arrivals to the port “will drop by 35% as essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers has ceased.’’ Seroka added that cargo from Southeast Asia also “is much softer than normal with tariffs now in place.’’ After Trump announced expansive tariffs in early April, ocean container bookings from China to the United States dropped 60% — and stayed there, said Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport, a San Francisco company that helps companies ship cargo around the world. With orders down, ocean carriers have reduced their capacity by cancelling 25% of their sailings, Flexport said. Many companies tried to beat the clock by bringing in foreign goods before Trump’s tariffs took effect. In fact, that is a big reason that first-quarter economic growth is expected to come in so low: A surge in imports swelled the trade deficit, which weighs on growth. By stockpiling goods ahead of the trade war, many companies “will be positioned to ride out this storm for a while,’’ said Judah Levine, research director at the global freight-booking platform Freightos. “But at a certain point, inventories will run down.’’ In the next few weeks, Levine said, “you could start seeing shortages … it’s likely to be concentrated in categories where the U.S. is heavily dependent on Chinese manufacturing and there aren’t a lot of alternatives and certainly quick alternatives.’’ Among them: furniture, baby products and plastic goods, including toys. Jay Foreman, CEO of toymaker Basic Fun, said […]

President Trump and ABC News anchor Terry Moran went toe-to-toe in a tense one-on-one interview Tuesday evening, marking the milestone of Trump’s first 100 days back in the Oval Office.

Throughout the nearly hour-long broadcast, Trump and Moran clashed on a range of hot-button topics, including international trade, border enforcement, and foreign policy, with the conversation often turning combative as the ABC journalist challenged the president on his record and rhetoric.

The first flashpoint came when Moran brought up Trump’s recently imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, questioning whether such high duties would inevitably lead to a spike in consumer prices in the U.S. Trump pushed back hard.

“You don’t know that, you don’t know whether or not China’s going to eat it,” Trump interrupted.

“That’s mathematics,” Moran retorted.

“China probably will eat those tariffs,” Trump replied.

The president doubled down: “But at 145%, they basically can’t do much business with the United States.”

“And, they were making from us a trillion dollars a year, they were ripping us off like nobody’s ever ripped us off.”

“Everything’s going to be just fine. It wouldn’t have been if I didn’t do this.”

When the conversation turned to immigration — long considered one of Trump’s signature issues — he declared that his aggressive enforcement approach marked the most “significant” achievement of his early days in office.

Moran countered by citing existing legal protections for those facing deportation, stating that, “under our law, every single person who gets deported gets a hearing first.” Trump pushed back and refused to concede the point.

“When Biden allowed 21 million people to flow into a country … did we give them a hearing when they came in?” he asked, while Moran stood firm, repeating that “the law requires” a hearing for each deportee.

Trump said he would “ask the lawyers about that,” but noted that conducting “trials” for “21 million” individuals would grind the system to a halt.

“The law is the law,” Moran emphasized. But Trump insisted that due process was being observed.

“They get whatever my lawyers say,” Trump said, describing the standards being used to handle deportations under his administration.

The interview grew even more pointed when Moran referenced the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused MS-13 member who was deported under Trump’s directive based on the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

Responding to a Justice Department official who had criticized the deportation as erroneous, Trump replied, “The lawyer that said it was a mistake — was here a long time, was not appointed by us — should not have said that.”

Moran clarified, “not saying [Garcia] is a good guy,” but pressed the principle at stake.

“It’s about the rule of law,” Moran said, citing the unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court ordering that the administration “facilitate” Garcia’s return.

“You could get him back,” Moran challenged. “There’s a phone on this desk. You could pick it up and call up the president of El Salvador and say, ‘Send him back now.’”

Trump remained unmoved.

“If he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that.”

They also debated the authenticity of Garcia’s tattoos, which Trump claimed were unmistakable signs of gang affiliation.

“He had MS-13 on his knuckles,” Trump said.

“That was Photoshop,” Moran replied dismissively.

“That was Photoshop? … Terry, you’re not being very nice,” Trump snapped.

The anchor sought to steer the discussion forward as Trump reiterated, with conviction, that the markings were plainly visible.

“Alright,” Moran said, exhaling. “We’ll take a look ….”

In another sharp exchange, Moran asked Trump whether he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin. The question triggered a curt reply.

“I don’t trust you,” Trump responded, adding, “I don’t trust a lot of people.”

Trump argued that while the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, his influence had thwarted Putin’s broader ambitions.

“I don’t trust a lot of people. But I do think this. I think that [Putin] – let’s say he respects me. And I believe because of me he’s not gonna take over the whole — but his decision, his choice would be to take over all of Ukraine.”

When pressed about whether the U.S. would halt military aid to Ukraine if peace talks break down, Trump declined to commit either way.

“I want to leave that as a big, fat secret, because I don’t want to ruin a negotiation.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration on Tuesday removed Doug Emhoff from his role on the governing board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort by the president to reshape the institution with appointees who more firmly back Israel.

Emhoff, the spouse of Kamala Harris, who served as vice president under the previous administration, was one of several individuals named by the Biden administration who were dismissed from the board by President Trump.

“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff announced in a post on X. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”

Emhoff, who is Jewish, had previously worked on the White House task force against antisemitism during the Biden administration, especially in the wake of rising antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. He was appointed to the council in January and was scheduled to hold the seat for five years.

Other individuals recently removed from the museum board include several high-profile figures from the Biden and Obama administrations: Ron Klain, who had been Biden’s chief of staff; Tom Perez, who served as an adviser in the Biden White House; Anthony Bernal, a close aide to Jill Biden; and Susan Rice, who was national security adviser under Barack Obama. Their dismissals were confirmed by a White House official.

The New York Times was the first to break the story of the terminations.

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately,” read a message from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to the Times. The message concluded, “Thank you for your service.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The New York Post that the president plans to name replacements who show greater alignment with his administration’s pro-Israel stance.

“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” she said.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before President Donald Trump imposed massive tariffs. The January-March expansion in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — was down from 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Imports shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply. Federal government spending plunged 5.1%. But business investment rose at a 21.9% clip as companies poured money into equipment. And a category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 3% annual rate from January through March, up from 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending. Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. His erratic trade policies — including 145% tariffs on China — have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers. (AP)

Imports arriving from China into the U.S. West Coast are expected to fall sharply—potentially by over a third—after President Donald Trump’s newly enacted tariffs prompted major retail chains in America to dramatically reduce their purchases, according to the head of the Port of Los Angeles.

Gene Seroka, who oversees operations at the busiest container port in the United States, shared during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday that a significant decline in cargo is projected for next week. Current estimates indicate the port will see more than a 35% decrease in shipments compared to the same time last year.

“According to our own port optimizer, which measures the loadings in Asia, we’ll be down just a little bit over 35% next week compared to last year. And it’s a precipitous drop in volume with a number of major American retailers stopping all shipments from China based on the tariffs,” Seroka said.

Currently, goods imported from China represent nearly 45% of the total activity at the Port of Los Angeles, underscoring how significant the impact of the slowdown could be.

Despite the sharp reduction, Seroka pointed out that some freight companies are attempting to recover losses by redirecting their sourcing efforts to other nations in Southeast Asia.

“Realistically speaking, until some accord or framework can be reached with China, the volume coming out of there — save a couple of different commodities — will be very light at best,” he added.

The broader shipping sector is also bracing for a serious slowdown, with Seroka revealing that a large number of vessel arrivals are being canceled for the coming month.

According to Seroka, roughly 25% of the ships originally scheduled to arrive at the port in May will no longer be coming, as companies reassess shipping plans amid the intensifying trade standoff.

This slump follows the most recent developments in the growing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing.

Trump’s sweeping tariff increases on Chinese exports were announced on April 2, sparking an immediate tit-for-tat response from China’s leadership.

With both sides now having levied tariffs that exceed 100% on numerous goods, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the current climate as “unsustainable.”

At this point, there is no indication that either government is preparing for serious talks aimed at resolving the tensions.

Even before the latest tariffs were enacted, trade flow data had begun to show early signs of weakening. The slowdown has already prompted concerns from leading economists.

Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, recently warned that shrinking imports could lead to job cuts in both the retail and logistics industries, create product shortages, and potentially contribute to an economic downturn later in the summer.

Retailers in the U.S. have temporarily been able to cushion the impact by building up extra stock before Trump’s tariff hike was made official.

Seroka noted that current inventory levels remain healthy, but that buffer will not last long.

“I don’t see a complete emptiness on store shelves or online when we’re buying. But if you’re out looking for a blue shirt, you might find 11 purple ones and one blue in a size that’s not yours,” Seroka said.

“So we’ll start seeing less choice on those shelves simply because we’re not getting the variety of goods coming in here based on the additional costs in place. And for that one blue shirt that’s still left, you’ll see a price hike.”

With the future of international trade in flux, financial markets are paying close attention to the unfolding scenario.

Economists are increasingly cautioning that extended disruption to global supply chains could further aggravate economic headwinds in the coming months.

{Matzav.com}

A Queens woman who has avoided paying her $100 monthly rent for over ten years is back in court as she continues to fight for the right to remain in a rent-controlled apartment that she obtained through a highly disputed deathbed adoption, The New York Post reports.

Seventy-four-year-old Maria DeTommaso has resided in the two-bedroom apartment on the first floor of a Long Island City townhouse since at least 2002. According to longtime residents, her presence in the building has been far from peaceful.

“I think she’s a demon in human skin because of what she puts people through,” said Anjanie Narine, who has lived next to DeTommaso for over two decades. “Every interaction with her is negative. She terrorizes everyone, and acts as if she owns the building.”

Maria originally moved into the apartment with Nicholas “Nicky” DeTommaso, an aging former dock worker who held the lease. Just days before his passing in 2009, the then-58-year-old Maria persuaded the 85-year-old man to legally adopt her.

Nearly a decade later, New York’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal officially recognized her as the successor tenant, which locked in the extremely low rent of $100 and granted her permanent tenancy. Meanwhile, other similar apartments in the same row house are being rented for close to $2,000 per month.

Residents claim that since moving in, Maria has made life miserable for others in the building. She reportedly listed the unit on Airbnb, renting out parts of it to international tourists for $55 per night. City records and online listings confirm a steady stream of visitors during that time.

One tenant in the six-unit building alleged that Maria—who also goes by the names Pamela Becker and Prema Deodhar—has repeatedly changed the building’s front door locks and brought in a group of veterans from a nearby shelter, some of whom created disturbances within the property.

The building’s elderly owners, Sugrim and Kowsila Outar, have spent years in legal battles trying to evict her, as previously documented by The Post. They are scheduled to return to Queens Housing Court for the next hearing on May 6.

“Her case has already gone through five of the judges here in Queens, and benefited from every change in the housing laws since COVID,” said Elan Layliev, the lawyer representing the Outars in their attempt to reclaim the apartment.

“[It’s been] a wild ride. Ms. DeTommaso has utilized every loophole in the court system to prolong and delay this trial.”

DeTommaso, for her part, insists the accusations are distorted and being used as ammunition to push her out unlawfully.

“I won the succession,” she said. “This is sick. I’m the legal tenant. I have every right to be here and I don’t know how people can lie so much. They are trying to evict me, but my lawyer says I don’t have to worry.”

Court records identify her legal representative as Zara Feingold, an attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group. Since Feingold works in legal aid, DeTommaso does not pay for her defense.

Under current New York law, tenants involved in an unresolved legal dispute with landlords are not required to pay rent until the matter is resolved. Though this case has dragged on for over ten years, DeTommaso has previously stated that she deposits the rent into an escrow account until a final decision is reached.

She shares the apartment with two dogs—a dachshund and a miniature greyhound—and claims she recently fractured her hip due to unresolved maintenance issues. She also alleges her oven is broken and that she’s living among roaches and rodents.

But according to Layliev, DeTommaso refuses to grant entry to workers hired by the building’s owners. Instead, she has allowed homeless veterans to perform the repairs and later instructed them to bill the landlords.

Born as Pamela Rose Becker on March 1, 1951, DeTommaso spent her childhood in Washington, DC, attending prestigious private institutions. Her father held the position of U.S. ambassador to Honduras during the Gerald Ford administration, and her brother, Ralph Becker, once served as the mayor of Salt Lake City.

Her introduction to the Long Island City building began in the late 1990s when she arrived to care for a friend’s cat. After the friend returned, DeTommaso claimed to have nowhere else to live and asked Nicky if she could stay temporarily, according to Narine.

But she never left. Nicky, affectionately known to neighbors as “Uncle Nicky,” first moved into the apartment in 1924 as an infant. He shared the home with his mother and six siblings and lived there for the rest of his life, passing away on July 15, 2009.

Nicky spent his youth playing stickball and, in later years, chain-smoked on the stoop while helping neighbors secure street parking. His life is chronicled in “Nicky D from LIC: A Narrative Portrait,” a biography by writer and artist Warren Lehrer.

DeTommaso was granted power of attorney in 2007, two years before Nicky’s death. During his final years, she drove him to appointments and errands in cars he purchased for her, she told The Post in a 2018 interview.

“He loved me, and his whole family still calls me,” said DeTommaso last week.

But Narine remembers things differently, claiming Nicky seemed eager for Maria to leave almost immediately after she arrived. “He woke up early, and every morning I would hear him curse at her to get … out,” she said. “I’m next door and the walls are pretty thin.”

{Matzav.com}

Pakistan said Wednesday it had “credible intelligence” that India is planning to attack it within days, as soldiers from both sides exchanged gunfire along their borders and Pakistanis headed home in compliance with New Delhi’s orders for them to leave the country following last week’s deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India’s moves to punish Pakistan after accusing it of backing the attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad denies, have driven tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals to their highest point since 2019, when the two sides came close to war after a suicide car bombing in Kashmir. Calls for de-escalation Pakistan said Wednesday the intelligence shows that India plans to carry out military action against it in the “next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.” There was no immediate comment from Indian officials. However, Indian government officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given complete operational freedom to the armed forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam massacre.” They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in separate phone calls with India and Pakistan, stressed the need to “avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences.” The U.S. State Department also called for de-escalation and said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be speaking to the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers. Pakistanis forced to flee The deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave India, with exceptions for those with medical visas, passed on Sunday, but many families were still scrambling to the border crossing in Attari town in northern Punjab state. Some arrived on their own, while others were being deported by police. “We have settled our families here. We request the government not to uproot our families,” said Sara Khan, a Pakistani who was ordered back without her husband, Aurangzeb Khan, who holds an Indian passport. She carried her 14-day-old child in her arms and said she had been living in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 2017. “They (Indian authorities) told me you are illegal and you should go,” said Khan, while waiting on the Indian side of the border crossing. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, near the resort town of Pahalgam in disputed Kashmir. The massacre set off tit-for-tat diplomatic measures between the two nations that included the cancellation of visas and a recall of diplomats. New Delhi also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines. Cross-border exchanges of gunfire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers have also increased along the Line of Control, the de facto frontier that separates Kashmiri territory between the two rivals. Fire along the frontier On Wednesday, India and Pakistan accused each other of initiating gunfire along the frontier. Pakistan’s state-run media said Indian forces violated the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control by initiating fire with heavy weapons. According to Pakistan Television, Pakistani troops also returned fire after coming under attack overnight in the Mandal sector of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Indian army said it responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from Pakistan in the Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors of Indian-controlled Kashmir. The incidents could not be […]