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Democrats and Republicans pressed US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his recent vaccine policies and their stark contrast to Trump’s first-term pandemic effort to speed vaccine development during a combative Senate hearing

TONIGHT: President Trump hosting major tech executives at the White House. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sam Altman and Tim Cook among those in attendance.  

Internal records obtained by The NY Post reveal that President Biden’s sweeping wave of pardons and commutations in the closing days of his presidency raised alarms among both West Wing and Justice Department officials, who worried about whether his directives were being carried out properly. The correspondence also raises questions about whether Biden himself was fully engaged in the decision-making process before the release of thousands of inmates was announced.

The emails show that on Jan. 11, Biden gave verbal approval to commute the sentences of prisoners convicted of crack cocaine crimes. Yet his auto-signed name wasn’t placed on three key documents listing about 2,500 individuals until early in the morning on Jan. 17.

Tensions within the administration over who should be included in the mass clemency and what adjustments to make to their terms reached a breaking point on the night of Jan. 16.

At that time, then–White House Staff Secretary Stef Feldman, who managed the use of the presidential autopen, told lawyers she required confirmation that Biden had personally approved the move before she allowed one of the largest clemency acts in U.S. history to be mechanically signed.

“I’m going to need email from [Deputy Assistant to the President] Rosa [Po] on original chain confirming P[resident] signs off on the specific documents when they are ready,” Feldman wrote to colleagues at 9:16 p.m.

Just six minutes later, deputy counsel Tyeesha Dixon passed Feldman’s request along to Michael Posada, chief of staff in the White House counsel’s office.

“Michael, thoughts on how to handle this?” Dixon asked, noting that Biden “doesn’t review the warrants.”

“Ok talked to Stef,” Posada responded at 10:06 p.m., explaining, “We will just need something from Rosa once the documents are ready confirming that the 21 people commuted to home confinement are who the president signed off on in the document titled X, and the # individuals listed in document titled Y are those with crack powder disparities who the president intended to commute.”

He added, “Basically, something from Rosa making clear that the documents accurately reflect his decision. If you can give me a blurb whenever they are ready to suggest to Rosa, I can pass along.”

Hours later, at 4:59 a.m., the sweeping clemency announcement was made.

The back-and-forth took place outside of Biden’s typical working hours. White House insiders had previously told reporters that Biden’s most productive window was between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Earlier, Po had informed staff that Biden directed on Jan. 11 that he wanted to “commute the sentences of those with crack-powder sentencing disparities who were determined by DOJ not to have a high likelihood of recidivism as determined by standards set by the First Step Act.”

Whether Biden himself gave explicit final approval on Jan. 16, as Feldman requested, is not established in the emails. Instead, aides relied on Po’s statement about what Biden had “intended.”

The three clemency warrants divided the thousands of inmates into groups. Many were slated for release by February, while others simply had their punishments shortened.

Later remarks by Biden suggested he may not have known only three documents were needed to authorize roughly 2,500 commutations. He told the New York Times in July that autopen was used “because there were a lot of them.”

That December, Biden signed another blanket commutation, this time for around 1,500 inmates released to home confinement during the pandemic, a process handled with a single document.

Ensuring the president’s signature truly represented his directives mattered because not every recipient was fully pardoned. Some who committed more severe crimes had their time reduced but not eliminated. Nineteen, for instance, had their sentences cut to 350 months — just under 30 years.

But there were also striking cases in which violent offenders benefited, such as Russell McIntosh, who was convicted of killing a North Carolina woman and her toddler in 1999.

The documents reviewed by The Post don’t prove Biden’s staff defied him, but they do identify officials who played roles in shaping how his orders were interpreted, while congressional and Justice Department reviews continue.

Legal analysts note that autopen documents carry full legitimacy, provided they accurately convey the president’s decisions. The emails show staff trying to create a record confirming that point.

For example, on Dec. 20, 2024, Dixon and associate counsel Jared English exchanged drafts about how to document Biden’s commutations of 37 death row inmates’ sentences to life without parole.

“Tyeesha, before Staff Sec will agree to affix P’s signature to the warrants, they need someone (probably [White House Counsel] Ed [Siskel]) to send them an email confirming that P agreed to the commutations, the number of commutations, and the date,” English wrote. “I’ve drafted an email for Ed below. can you please get confirmation from Ed today that the email can be sent to Staff sec?”

The draft message said Siskel “got POTUS’s verbal approval on the following decisions during a [Date] decisional meeting wiht PORUS [sic], Jeff Zients and Bruce Reed [any (sic) anyone else in the room]: 1. P approved the commutations of the sentence of [37] individuals on death row.”

Dixon replied, “Can you write it in first person from Ed (Stef usually requires that) and include that the commutation is to life without release?”

The commutations were then made public on Dec. 23.

The records also reveal DOJ unease about how to execute Biden’s orders, with the department only receiving the lists of affected inmates after the clemency announcement had already gone out. Officials objected to parts of the files, pointing out that some included violent criminals and that one of the three clemency warrants was so vaguely written it might not even be valid.

That warrant stated that sentences were being reduced for “offenses described to the Department of Justice,” but gave no details.

On Jan. 17, DOJ official Elysa Wan asked White House attorneys: “We do not know how to interpret ‘offenses described to the Department of Justice.’ Could you please clarify?”

The following day, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer also raised objections.

“I think the language ‘offenses described to the Department of Justice’ in the warrant is highly problematic and in order to resolve its meaning appropriately, and consistent with the President’s intent, we will need a statement or direction from the President as to how to interpret the language,” he warned.

Weinsheimer added that, absent clarity, “[b]ecause no offenses have been described to the Department from the President, the commutations do not take effect… . I have no idea what interpretation the incoming Administration will give to the warrant, but they may find this interpretation attractive.” He pressed for “a statement of direction from the President as to the meaning of the warrant language.”

It remains uncertain whether White House staff responded before departing as the administration ended.

President Trump has regularly criticized Biden’s use of the autopen but has not moved to undo any of the documents. Some former Biden aides speculate that colleagues may have acted beyond their authority in authorizing signatures.

“‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ might be a funny movie, but the president not being in control of the White House is a horror,” a Trump White House official told The Post.

“The American public deserves to know how Joe Biden’s staff were actually in the driver’s seat.”

{Matzav.com}

Internal emails obtained by The New York Post reveal frantic debate inside the Biden White House over one of the largest clemency actions in American history — raising new questions about whether the outgoing president personally approved thousands of commutations before aides affixed his autopen signature. On Jan. 11, 2025, President Biden reportedly gave oral approval to commute sentences for inmates convicted of crack cocaine offenses. But his mechanical signature was not added to three sweeping clemency warrants covering roughly 2,500 inmates until the early hours of Jan. 17 — just three days before he left office. White House staff scrambled late into the night of Jan. 16 to finalize the documents. Staff Secretary Stef Feldman, a key gatekeeper of the autopen, demanded written proof that Biden had actually signed off before she authorized one of the most consequential acts of clemency in U.S. history. “I’m going to need email… confirming P[resident] signs off on the specific documents when they are ready,” Feldman wrote to colleagues at 9:16 p.m. Minutes later, Deputy White House Counsel Tyeesha Dixon forwarded the concern to her chief of staff: “He doesn’t review the warrants.” Emails show aides leaning on Deputy Assistant Rosa Po’s earlier statement that Biden had expressed his “intention” to grant the commutations days earlier. Counsel’s office staff scrambled to draft language confirming that the documents reflected the president’s wishes — even though Biden himself did not directly review the final warrants. The clemency order was issued at 4:59 a.m. the next morning. The sudden announcement blindsided Justice Department officials, who had not yet received the list of affected inmates. When the files finally arrived, DOJ lawyers balked at vague wording in one warrant that referred to “offenses described to the Department of Justice” without specifying crimes. “We do not know how to interpret this,” one DOJ official wrote in an email that night. Another senior official warned that because “no offenses have been described… the commutations do not take effect.” While many beneficiaries were low-level offenders, the warrants also covered violent criminals — including Russell McIntosh, convicted of murdering a North Carolina woman and her two-year-old child in 1999. Some inmates had their sentences merely reduced, not eliminated, leaving ambiguity over how the commutations should be enforced. Biden had previously defended the use of autopen, telling The New York Times it was necessary because “there were a lot of them.” But critics say the new emails suggest staff, not the president, effectively controlled the process. “‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ might be a funny movie, but the president not being in control of the White House is a horror,” a Trump official told The Post. Biden allies insist he made the decisions himself and accuse Republicans of a double standard, noting GOP acceptance of President Trump’s broad clemency for January 6 rioters. Legal experts say autopen signatures carry full legal authority — but only if they accurately reflect presidential orders. The emails suggest aides were working furiously to create a paper trail that proved just that. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

LSD reduced symptoms of anxiety in a midstage study published Thursday, paving the way for additional testing and possible medical approval of a psychedelic drug that has been banned in the U.S. for more than a half century. The results from drugmaker Mindmed tested several doses of LSD in patients with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety disorder, with the benefits lasting as long as three months. The company plans to conduct follow-up studies to confirm the results and then apply for Food and Drug Administration approval. Beginning in the 1950s, researchers published a flurry of papers exploring LSD’s therapeutic uses, though most of them don’t meet modern standards. “I see this paper as a clear step in the direction of reviving that old research, applying our modern standards and determining what are the real costs and benefits of these compounds,” said Frederick Barrett, who directs Johns Hopkins University’s psychedelic center and was not involved in the research. Psychedelic research is rebounding Psychedelics are in the midst of a popular and scientific comeback, with conferences, documentaries, books and medical journals exploring their potential for conditions like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The FDA has designated psilocybin, MDMA and now LSD as potential “breakthrough” therapies based on early results. Still, the drugs have not had a glide path to the market. Last year, the FDA rejected MDMA — also known as ecstasy — as a treatment for PTSD, citing flawed study methods, potential research bias and other issues. The new LSD study, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, addresses some of those problems. MDMA, like many other psychedelics, was tested in combination with hours of talk therapy by trained health professionals. That approach proved problematic for FDA reviewers, who said it was difficult to separate the benefits of the drug from those of therapy. The LSD study took a simpler approach: Patients got a single dose of LSD — under professional supervision, but without therapy — and then were followed for about three months. The paper does not detail how patients were prepared for the experience or what sort of follow-up they received, which is crucial to understanding the research, Barrett noted. “In many cases people can have such powerful, subjective experiences that they may need to talk to a therapist to help them make sense of it,” he said. Anxiety eased but questions remain For the study, researchers measured anxiety symptoms in nearly 200 patients who randomly received one of four doses of LSD or a placebo. The main aim was to find the optimal dose of the drug, which can cause intense visual hallucinations and occasionally feelings of panic or paranoia. At four weeks, patients receiving the two highest doses had significantly lower anxiety scores than those who received placebo or lower doses. After 12 weeks, 65% of patients taking the most effective LSD dose — 100 micrograms — continued to show benefits and nearly 50% were deemed to be in remission. The most common side effects included hallucinations, nausea and headaches. Patients who got dummy pills also improved — a common phenomenon in psychedelic and psychiatric studies — but their changes were less than half the size those getting the real drug. The research was not immune to problems seen in similar studies. Most patients were able to correctly guess whether they’d received LSD or a dummy pill, undercutting the “blinded” approach […]

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for remarks she made at a controversial pro-Palestinian conference in Detroit, escalating Republican efforts to hold the progressive Democrat accountable for extremist and antisemitic rhetoric. Carter’s measure brands the People’s Conference for Palestine as “one of the most radical and antisemitic conferences in America” and denounces Tlaib for using the stage to attack members of both parties for supporting Israel. “Outside of the decaying halls of the empire in Washington, D.C., we are winning,” Tlaib told attendees. She added that her colleagues in Congress “are scared” of mounting anti-Israel protests: “They send me videos and messages of people protesting in front of their district offices, people showing up at their town halls.” In his resolution, Carter charged that Tlaib has “repeatedly displayed conduct entirely unbecoming of a member of the House of Representatives by calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and by dangerously promoting terrorism and extremism, while Israeli and American hostages remain in terrorist captivity.” Carter, who is also campaigning for the Georgia Senate seat currently held by Democrat Jon Ossoff, called the measure a moral necessity. “Tlaib’s vile, blatant antisemitism is a scourge on this Congress, and she must be held accountable,” he said. “Her conduct is beneath that of a civilized person, let alone a member of Congress.” Carter also cited other participants at the Detroit conference, including Aisha Nizar of the Palestinian Youth Movement, who urged activists to disrupt the U.S. F-35 fighter jet supply chain. The censure resolution adds to the mounting political fallout from the Detroit event, which has triggered calls from Republicans for investigations and disciplinary action. It remains to be seen whether Carter’s resolution will advance in the House, where Tlaib has previously faced censure efforts but retained strong support among progressives. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Federal authorities confiscated three computers, two iPhones, and stacks of paperwork from John Bolton’s residence on August 22, according to court filings. The documents also indicated that the 76-year-old ex-national security adviser could be on the verge of facing criminal charges that might carry a sentence of more than ten years in prison.

Agents executed the search at Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland, residence as well as his office in Washington, DC. The raid was linked to suspicions that Bolton had improperly removed sensitive national security files from the White House during President Trump’s first administration, allegedly transmitting them to relatives through a private server, senior FBI sources told The Post at the time.

Besides the computers and phones, the list of seized property included two USB sticks, a hard drive, four boxes of printed daily logs, folders of typed papers labeled “Trump I – IV,” and a binder marked “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” as per an itemized inventory released Thursday.

Court records also showed that Bolton is under investigation for potentially breaking two clauses of the Espionage Act of 1917, which forbid the unauthorized handling or removal of defense-related information. He is also suspected of violating a statute that prohibits keeping classified records.

Should Bolton be indicted and convicted on every charge, the possible punishment could total as many as 25 years in prison. Despite the raid, the longtime diplomat has neither been arrested nor formally charged.

The inquiry was put on hold under the Biden administration, but FBI Director Kash Patel revived the case after assuming office in February, once he learned of its existence, officials explained to The Post.

Trump’s Justice Department is now raising concerns about whether the Biden-era FBI’s choice to leave the case untouched—despite Bolton’s open criticism of Trump’s foreign policy—was influenced by politics.

“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” a senior FBI source told The Post following the raid.

“That was a friendly administration to [Bolton],” the official continued. “They kept bashing [Trump] the entire time for ‘weaponizing law enforcement,’ and they — by politically stopping a righteous investigation — are the ones who weaponized law enforcement.”

Since the search, Bolton has returned to his house and remained visible on social media, where he has taken aim at the president’s handling of international relations.

“The White House has set U.S.-India relations back decades, pushing Modi closer to Russia and China,” Bolton wrote on X Wednesday evening. “Beijing has cast itself as an alternative to the U.S. and Donald Trump.”

{Matzav.com}

A group of federal judges is lashing out at the Supreme Court, accusing the justices of abandoning the lower courts by repeatedly siding with President Donald Trump’s administration through unexplained emergency rulings. In interviews with NBC News, 12 sitting federal judges—appointed by presidents of both parties, including Trump himself—described a deepening crisis in the judiciary. They point to a growing pattern: when lower courts block controversial administration policies, Trump or his aides publicly denounce the judges, and soon after, the Supreme Court steps in to overturn those rulings, often without issuing a full opinion. “It is inexcusable,” one judge said. “They don’t have our backs.” Judges told NBC they have faced threats to their safety for rulings that cross the White House. After Judge James Boasberg blocked deportation flights to El Salvador, Trump demanded on social media that he be “IMPEACHED.” When federal courts struck down parts of Trump’s tariff agenda in March, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller branded it a “judicial coup.” The rhetoric, some judges warned, is dangerous. One predicted that if attacks on the judiciary continue unchecked, “somebody is going to die.” Another said the high court’s behavior makes it appear that “lower courts are being thrown under the bus.” A third told NBC the pattern of rulings suggests that “it’s almost like the Supreme Court is saying it is a ‘judicial coup.’” Ten of the 12 judges NBC interviewed argued the Supreme Court should provide more explanation when overturning decisions on its so-called “shadow docket.” Emergency rulings without reasoning, they said, give the impression that district judges are incompetent or politically motivated. Still, not all judges agreed. One Obama appointee acknowledged that some colleagues have let their disdain for Trump influence their rulings. “The whole ‘Trump derangement syndrome’ is a real issue,” the judge said. “Judges are mad at what Trump is doing or the manner he is going about things; they are sometimes forgetting to stay in their lane.” But even that judge conceded there is a “strong sense in the judiciary” that the Supreme Court has left lower courts to take the brunt of political and public backlash. “They are partially right to feel the way they feel,” the judge said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Is pain hijacking your Yom Tov joy?You’re not alone. Many struggle with how chronic pain casts a shadow over special times, keeping them from being fully present and enjoying joyful yom tov  time with family. But this time, it doesn’t have to be that way.Discover a revolutionary mind-body approach that has already helped hundreds find lasting relief. Learn how to walk into Yom Tov – and every day – feeling calm, present, and pain-free.  Introducing: The Science Behind Sarno – Free Workshop!Join certified Sarno coach Miriam Brieger for an eye-opening workshop Discover the underlying theory of how and why Sarno works. Learn which symptoms the Sarno method can alleviate. Understand why perhaps Sarno has not gotten you complete & lasting results previously. Master one concrete step during the wrokshop towards a symptom free and calmer you.  Workshop Details: Presenter: Miriam Brieger, Certified in Mindbody/Sarno & Somatic Healing. Dates & Times: Motzei Shabbos, September 6 – 9:45 PM EST Sunday, September 7 – 12:00 PM EST Location: Online. Join via Zoom or phone. (Once you register you will get the info to join.) Spots are Limited – Register Today! Don’t let pain/itching/indigestion  hijack your life any longer! This free workshop is your first step towards a Yom Tov & future filled with joy, presence, and freedom I”YH. Click here to register now! Take control. Reclaim your Yom Tov. Reclaim your life. Can’t make it live? Register and you will receive the recording to your inbox. But live attendees get an exclusive $100 coupon code for the full Women’s course, or $50 off the Men’s or Teen Girls course!  

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, his latest effort to project an image of toughness for America’s military. The Republican president can’t formally change the name without legislation, which his administration would request from Congress. In the meantime, Trump will authorize the Pentagon to use “secondary titles” so the department can go by its original name. The plans were disclosed by a White House official, who requested anonymity ahead of the public announcement, and detailed in a White House fact sheet. The Department of War was created in 1789, the same year that the U.S. Constitution took effect. It was renamed by law in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth posted “DEPARTMENT OF WAR” on social media after the executive order was initially reported by Fox News. Trump and Hegseth have long talked about changing the name, and Hegseth even created a social media poll on the topic in March. Since then, he has hinted that his title as defense secretary may not be permanent at multiple public events, including a speech at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Thursday. He told an auditorium full of soldiers that it “may be a slightly different title tomorrow.” In August, Trump told reporters that “everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.” When confronted with the possibility that making the name change would require an act of Congress, Trump told reporters that “we’re just going to do it.” “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that,” he added. The move is just the latest in a long line of cultural changes Hegseth has made to the Pentagon since taking office at the beginning of the year. Early in his tenure, Hegseth pushed hard to eliminate what he saw as the impacts of “woke culture” on the military by not only ridding the department of diversity programs but scrubbing libraries and websites of material deemed to be divisive. The result was the removal and review of hundreds of books in the military academies, which ended up including titles on the Holocaust and a Maya Angelou memoir. It also resulted in the removal off thousands of websites honoring contributions by women and minority groups. “I think the president and the secretary have been very clear on this — that anybody that says in the Department of Defense that diversity is our strength is, is frankly, incorrect,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters in March. Hegseth has also presided over the removal of all transgender troops from the military following an executive order from Trump through a process that some have described as “dehumanizing” or “open cruelty.” (AP)  

A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked a lower court decision that had ordered Florida and the Trump administration to begin dismantling parts of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the disputed detention facility in the Everglades.

The ruling, decided 2-1 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, means the facility will remain in operation while litigation over its environmental impact proceeds.

The Department of Homeland Security had already started transferring detainees away from the site last month, but Florida officials have indicated the center will ramp back up if the original court order is struck down.

In August, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams instructed Florida and federal authorities to halt expansion of the compound and to start removing fences, lighting, and power equipment within 60 days. Her decision backed environmental organizations and a Native American tribe who argued the detention camp, built in the fragile Everglades, should have gone through federal environmental review.

On Thursday, however, the appeals court suspended that directive. The panel determined that Florida and federal officials have a strong chance of proving the site does not fall under the National Environmental Policy Act, since it is operated by the state and no federal funds have yet been reimbursed for its costs.

Judge Barbara Lagoa authored the majority opinion, which was joined by Judge Elizabeth Branch. Both were nominated during Trump’s first term. Judge Adalberto Jordan, who was appointed by President Obama, dissented.

The Department of Homeland Security praised the decision, calling it a “win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense.”

“This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility,” the department wrote on X. “It has and will always be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, full stop.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also reacted on X, saying the facility remains “open for business.” He added, “The mission continues and we’re going to continue leading the way when it comes to immigration enforcement.”

Built on an abandoned runway, Alligator Alcatraz is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to expand detention capacity in response to a surge in ICE arrests. In several cases, Washington has worked with Florida and other Republican-led states to increase space.

Supporters argue the site provides an efficient and cost-effective way to house detainees and deters illegal immigration, while critics have raised concerns about harsh conditions inside the center.

Multiple lawsuits remain pending against Alligator Alcatraz, including one claiming detainees have limited access to legal counsel, and another challenging whether Florida has the authority to operate an immigration detention center at all.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration must release billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress, including money that President Donald Trump said last week he would not spend, a federal judge has ordered. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington ruled Wednesday that the Republican administration’s decision to withhold the funding was likely illegal. He issued a preliminary injunction ordering the release of $11.5 billion that is set to expire at the end of the month. “To be clear, no one disputes that Defendants have significant discretion in how to spend the funds at issue, and the Court is not directing Defendants to make payments to any particular recipients,” wrote Ali, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden. “But Defendants do not have any discretion as to whether to spend the funds.” Messages to the White House and State Department were not immediately returned. The administration filed a notice of appeal on Thursday. Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a letter on Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch. He used what’s known as a pocket rescission. That is when a president submits a request to Congress toward the end of a current budget year to not spend the approved money. The late notice means Congress cannot act on the request in the required 45-day window and the money goes unspent. It’s the first time in nearly 50 years that a president has used the tactic. The fiscal year draws to a close at the end of September. Ali said Congress would have to approve the rescission proposal for the administration to withhold the money. The law is “explicit that it is congressional action—not the President’s transmission of a special message—that triggers rescission of the earlier appropriations,” he wrote. The money at issue includes nearly $4 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, to spend on global health programs and more than $6 billion for HIV and AIDS programs. Trump has portrayed the funding as wasteful spending that does not align with his foreign policy goals, and in January, he issued an executive order directing the State Department and USAID to freeze spending on foreign aid. Nonprofit organizations that sued the government have said the funding freeze breaks federal law and has shut down funding for even the most urgent lifesaving programs abroad. A divided panel of appeals court judges ruled last month that the administration could suspend the money. The judges later revised that opinion, reviving the lawsuit before Ali. In his ruling, Ali said he understood that his decision would not be the final word in the case, adding that “definitive higher court guidance now will be instructive.” “This case raises questions of immense legal and practical importance, including whether there is any avenue to test the executive branch’s decision not to spend congressionally appropriated funds,” he wrote. (AP)

BREAKING: Biden undergoes skin cancer surgery, months after prostate cancer diagnosis Former President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin, his spokesperson said on Thursday. Biden’s personal office said he is recovering well from the procedure known as Mohs surgery, which is often used to treat the most common forms of skin cancer. The procedure removes layers of cancerous skin tissue until no more cancerous cells remain. It’s unclear exactly when Biden underwent the surgery. He was pictured leaving a church in Greenville, Delaware, late last month with a large, visible incision in his head.

WATCH: Police officers rescued a woman, a dog, and a 6-year-old child from an overturned vehicle in dangerous floodwaters in southwest New Mexico.

HaRav Meilich Biederman at Selichos tonight at Yeshiva Ohr HaChayim in Yerushalyim.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said it “appears” that ICE will begin ramped up operations over the weekend, but says the federal government has not communicated its plans to the state.

Tens of thousands of Sefardim reciting Selichos at the Kosel tonight.

President Trump will sign an executive order on Friday reverting the Department of Defense’s name to its original “Department of War”

Trump asks Supreme Court to let him fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter • President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fire Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who had been reinstated to that post after he had terminated her. • Trump in March removed two Democratic commissioners from their posts at the FTC — Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya — as part of his sprawling effort to exert his influence over federal agencies.The question of “cause” for termination is also at the crux of Trump’s bid to remove Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook from her role.

President Joe Biden drew attention on Thursday after he was spotted with a noticeable wound on his head while mingling with locals in Delaware.

Video published by Inside Edition captured the 82-year-old leaving a church in Rehoboth, looking frail and wearing a bandage over the large cut.

According to a statement given to The NY Post, Biden had recently undergone Mohs surgery, a treatment typically used to remove skin cancer.

Back in May, doctors diagnosed the president with an aggressive form of prostate cancer after discovering a “small nodule” as well as cancer cells that had already spread into his bones during a medical exam.

He is now receiving ongoing treatment.

{Matzav.com}