The National Weather Service is set to restart its language translation services for those who don’t speak English, beginning Monday. This move marks a reversal of a widely criticized decision made earlier this month to halt the service.
The suspension happened after the agency’s agreement with an artificial intelligence vendor ended. That AI system had replaced human translators in 2023, with the NWS arguing that relying on people for the task had proven too demanding.
The AI firm had been handling translations for languages including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Samoan.
Census figures show that there are 42 million Spanish speakers in the United States, in addition to 26 million residents who primarily speak a language other than English at home.
These translation services are critical because they deliver urgent warnings about deadly weather threats—like tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis—to people who may not understand English, potentially saving countless lives.
{Matzav.com}Apple is urging iPhone users to delete a widely used app, warning that it poses a serious threat to their digital privacy.
Although Apple didn’t name the application directly, the tech giant made its target clear through a recently released video that subtly points to Google Chrome.
The clip, titled “Privacy on iPhone | Flock,” uses a spoof of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film The Birds to dramatize how internet users are constantly being watched when using browsers that lack strong privacy protections.
The name “Flock” appears to be a not-so-subtle nod to Google’s previous initiative known as FLoC, short for Federated Learning of Cohorts, which was introduced as a tool to help advertisers deliver personalized ads without tracking individual users directly.
In the video, people using iPhones are relentlessly followed by hovering surveillance cameras as they browse online—until they switch to Safari. Once they make the change, the cameras explode and vanish, illustrating Apple’s claim that its native browser offers genuine privacy.
The timing of Apple’s campaign coincides with Google’s announcement on Tuesday that it will no longer be phasing out third-party cookies from Chrome, despite earlier commitments to eliminate them.
Apple seized the opportunity to pitch Safari as “a browser that’s actually private,” contrasting its own approach with Google’s ad-driven tracking infrastructure.
Google’s Chrome browser enables advertisers and websites to collect detailed behavioral data from users, which helps fuel the company’s multi-billion-dollar advertising empire.
Google had originally set out to replace third-party cookies with a system that would balance privacy and targeted advertising. However, the initiative ultimately fell apart, with the company now stating it will “maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome.”
While cookies themselves aren’t inherently dangerous, they often create vulnerabilities that allow for the collection of personal data. For iPhone users who continue using Chrome, this likely means being tracked—unless they browse in Incognito Mode or regularly delete their cookies.
Apple’s case for Safari as the more secure option has been supported by cybersecurity professionals.
“When it comes down to your security, Safari is probably your best bet,” wrote Elly Hancock from Private Internet Access in a blog post.
“Safari is more secure and privacy-friendly than Chrome, but Chrome is faster and offers enhanced performance.”
{Matzav.com}
Hamas issued a fierce statement on Thursday in reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s remarks during Holocaust Remembrance Day, drawing a highly inflammatory comparison between Gaza and a Nazi concentration camp.
“Gaza today is the ‘Auschwitz’ of the 21st century, where the ashes are Palestinian and the perpetrator is Zionist,” the terror organization declared in its statement.
“Those who weep for the victims of Nazism are now the masters of genocide in our time,” it added.
The message appeared to be a direct rebuttal to Netanyahu’s speech at Yad Vashem, where he drew stark parallels between Hamas and the Nazi regime responsible for the Holocaust.
In his address, Netanyahu said that defeating Hamas is part of a broader historical mission that stems from the destruction of European Jewry and the rebirth of the Jewish nation.
“They [Hamas] are exactly like the Nazis. Like Hitler. Like Haman. They wish to kill and destroy all of the Jews,” said Netanyahu. “It’s not going to happen. We are going to annihilate these Hamas monsters.”
“We will fight vigorously against the fanatical regimes that threaten the entire world. Doing this is the main lesson from the Holocaust,” he said.
Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s statements as “racist and extremist remarks [which] constitute a reinforcement of the genocidal path pursued by his fascist government against our people.”
The group further accused the Israeli leader of hypocrisy, saying that “Netanyahu, who speaks of ‘never again’ regarding the Holocaust, is the very same person leading one of the most horrific acts of genocide in modern times — in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being burned alive in tents for the displaced, under the rubble of homes, buried alive in refugee camps, and beneath the ruins of hospitals and schools.”
“A genocide that requires no ovens—only the latest Western weaponry—and is carried out in full view of the world,” Hamas alleged.
The terror group concluded its statement by declaring, “Resisting this Zionist genocidal project is not only a legitimate right — it is a human duty.”
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump rejected reports suggesting he had blocked Israel from launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear program. In an interview with TIME magazine on Friday, he dismissed the claim, saying, “That’s not right.”
Pressed to elaborate, Trump clarified, “No, it’s not right. I didn’t stop them [Israel]. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can. It’s possible we’ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, but I didn’t say no. Ultimately, I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.”
During the interview, TIME asked Trump whether he would be open to direct engagement with Iranian leadership. Trump answered plainly, “Sure.”
He also predicted that Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, stating, “that will happen,” and expressing confidence in further expanding the normalization deals with Arab nations.
The article highlighted Trump’s pride in pushing NATO allies to boost defense spending and his role in advancing peace efforts between Israel and Arab states during his first administration.
Asked whether he feared Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu might pull the U.S. into a war with Iran, Trump responded without hesitation: “No.”
In an unrelated case, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University, was detained by ICE on March 25 as she headed to an Iftar event. She was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, and her request for bond was denied. Authorities have not formally accused her of a crime or produced proof linking her to Hamas.
According to a Department of Homeland Security source, Ozturk’s detention stemmed in part from an op-ed she co-authored that criticized Israeli actions in Gaza. When asked about the situation, Trump said he hadn’t heard about the case but would be open to reviewing any supporting evidence.
Separately, a Republican member of Congress who recently traveled to Syria informed The Jerusalem Post that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa may also be willing to pursue normalization with Israel.
{Matzav.com}
A growing number of young Americans are voicing serious concerns about their financial situations, with nearly 40% of individuals under 30 saying they’re either “struggling to make ends meet” or simply “getting by with limited security.”
This insight comes from a recent poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics, which surveyed 2,096 adults between the ages of 18 and 29 from March 14 to March 25, 2025. The results revealed that financial hardship is more prevalent among women, Hispanic individuals, and those who have not earned a college degree.
The data highlights a clear connection between education and financial well-being. Half of those without a degree and not currently enrolled in school reported struggling. That number drops to 35% for those in college and to just 29% for college graduates.
One explanation for this trend is that college graduates often move into full-time jobs with better salaries, whereas students still in school may be working part-time or not at all.
These findings from Harvard mirror trends reported in other recent studies focused on Generation Z, which typically includes those between the ages of 18 and 28.
In a separate report conducted by Credit One Bank in January 2025, 39% of Gen Z respondents said they were overwhelmed by financial stress — more than any other generation surveyed. This group also reported the lowest levels of financial confidence and control.
Although the Harvard poll didn’t dive into exact reasons for the anxiety, factors like ongoing inflation and the return of student loan repayments are likely contributors — particularly for younger workers still establishing themselves in their careers.
“It’s very expensive to pay for the basics today that everyone needs — food, shelter and a mode of transportation,” says John Bell, a certified financial planner based in Maryland.
Bell adds that “many young people [are] graduating with high levels of college debt,” and in many cases, the jobs they secure aren’t offering salaries that are sufficient to cover both their loan payments and essential living expenses.
{Matzav.com}
Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang weighs in on critical trade talks as China claims talks with the U.S. are not ongoing and more during a wide-ranging interview on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
WATCH:
The State Department has decided to disband the Office of Global Change, the division that handled international climate policy negotiations on behalf of the United States.
Staff members were informed verbally about the closure during a Thursday afternoon meeting, according to three individuals familiar with the matter who requested anonymity due to concerns about professional consequences. The announcement caused confusion and uncertainty within the office, with employees unsure about the timeline for the office’s full dissolution.
“This will hamstring international climate cooperation at the worst possible time,” said one official, referencing the upcoming COP30 global climate summit.
It’s “just strategically … dumb when it comes to China,” the same person added, warning that dismantling the office could leave room for China to assume a dominant role in global climate diplomacy.
A spokesperson for the State Department confirmed the decision, attributing it to the administration’s adherence to President Donald Trump’s policy of disengaging from multilateral climate agreements.
“Consequently, this office — which supported the efforts of previous Administrations to hobble the United States through participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and other agreements purporting to limit [or] prevent climate change, is unnecessary,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
This development follows a broader reorganization of the State Department announced earlier in the week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
On Tuesday, the department disclosed that it had also dissolved the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. That office had worked closely with the Office of Global Change, especially in relation to the annual climate summits held to promote the Paris Agreement’s goals.
Although Trump has taken steps to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement itself, the country technically remains a party to the broader United Nations climate framework. It remains unclear whether the U.S. will send any representatives to the COP30 summit scheduled to take place in Brazil this November.
{Matzav.com}
A new analysis released Thursday by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) claims that federal regulations under the Biden administration cost Americans a staggering $2.16 trillion in 2024, effectively saddling households with what the think tank calls a “hidden regulatory tax” of over $16,000.
In its annual report, Ten Thousand Commandments, CEI concluded that these regulatory burdens equate to $16,016 per household. The study estimated that such costs consume roughly 16% of the average household’s income and make up 21% of overall household expenditures.
According to the report, President Joe Biden reversed a number of deregulatory efforts from President Donald Trump’s previous term. CEI wrote that Biden “changed the Office of Management and Budget’s mission away from oversight and toward the promotion of the administration’s regulatory initiatives.”
CEI also argued that lawmakers should be more accountable for the scale of federal regulation, stating, “Congress should be held accountable for such large regulatory actions.”
The study noted a significant uptick in rulemaking activity. In 2024, the Biden administration issued 3,248 final regulations, a substantial increase that brought the total number of pages in the Federal Register to a record-breaking 106,109 — a 19% jump from the previous year. By comparison, CEI said the Trump administration’s 2019 output of 2,964 final rules was the lowest on record.
The report found that President Biden averaged 126 major regulations per year, outpacing President Trump’s average of 86.
When it came to small business regulation, Biden’s administration averaged 846 new rules annually, while Trump’s administration averaged 701.
CEI asserted that the Biden administration applied a sweeping regulatory strategy across all government departments and agencies. “The whole-of-government philosophy advocates using every possible lever of government to advance certain policy objectives. In practice, that means that agencies, instead of being guided solely by their core missions, also pursue goals such as equity, environmental justice, climate change and rallying transformations like the care economy. This management approach consolidates power in Washington, further undermining the federalist system of government,” CEI wrote.
The group added that this wide-ranging regulatory approach is currently being unraveled by the Trump administration as it works to reverse course.
{Matzav.com}
