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Leftist anarchists claiming they are acting on behalf of the hostages launched three days of protests on Wednesday morning, with the focus of their riots in Jerusalem, mainly near the residence of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Rechavia. The leftists set fire to garbage bins around the Prime Minister’s residence and in Givat Ram, damaging a number of vehicles and forcing the evacuation of neighborhood residents from nearby buildings. Police forces from the Moriah station in the Jerusalem District, together with emergency services, worked to extinguish the flames and restore order. B’Chasdei Hashem, there were no casualties. One of the residents told Arutz Sheva: “The entire building almost caught on fire, and it could have ended in a serious disaster and the deaths of people. I call on the police to act and arrest the anarchists.” Beginning at 6:30 a.m., leftists also protested outside the homes of some government ministers, including the home of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Jerusalem. Other leftists stormed into the the National Library, located near the Knesset, and barricaded themselves on the roof of the building, unfurling huge yellow flags and black and red signs, accusing the government of abandoning and murdering its citizens. Education Minister Yoav Kisch responded to the reports by stating that “the criminals who burned citizens’ cars are very well aware that this won’t lead to the return of the hostages—only anarchy.” Police noted that setting fires in public spaces is a dangerous and criminal act and clarified that they will not allow harm to public order or traffic, even while maintaining freedom of expression. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The head of the Mujahideen Brigades terror group, Musbah Salim Musbah Dayyah, was eliminated last week in a joint operation in Nuseirat by the IDF and Shin Bet, the IDF announced on Wednesday. The Mujahideen terror group was responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas, H’yd, and her young sons, H’yd. “Musbah Salim Musbah Dayyah was appointed the head of the Mujahideen terror group following the elimination of its three previous heads in IDF strikes in recent months,” the IDF spokesperson said. “He was responsible for recruiting terrorist operatives in Yehudah and Shomron and advancing and executing terror attacks in Israel, as well as advancing attacks on IDF forces in Gaza.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The UN nuclear watchdog has reignited a long-dormant controversy over Syria’s past nuclear activities, telling member states Monday that it has discovered man-made uranium particles at a location tied to the Deir Ezzor complex — the site Israel destroyed in a 2007 airstrike. The International Atomic Energy Agency report, obtained by Reuters, said inspectors collected environmental samples last year at three locations “allegedly functionally related” to the facility. One showed a “significant number” of uranium particles that had been chemically processed, though not enriched. The finding bolsters the IAEA’s longstanding suspicion that the desert facility — which Damascus once insisted was a conventional military base — was in fact an undeclared reactor. Israel officially acknowledged responsibility for the strike only in 2018, more than a decade after it flattened the complex. The revelation comes as Syria’s new Islamist-led government — which took power after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in late 2024 — has signaled new openness to cooperate with the agency. In June, President Ahmed al-Sharaa met IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and pledged “full transparency” in addressing past nuclear work. At that meeting, Grossi requested Syrian assistance in returning to Deir Ezzor itself “in the next few months” to conduct further analysis, review documents, and interview individuals tied to the program. The IAEA report noted that current Syrian officials told inspectors they had “no information that might explain” the uranium traces. The 2007 strike is often cited as a textbook example of Israel’s strategy of preempting regional nuclear programs — a doctrine that also includes its 1981 attack on Iraq’s Osirak reactor and its June 2025 campaign against Iranian enrichment facilities. That latest operation sparked a 12-day air war with Tehran and drew in U.S. forces. Today, Israeli forces remain deployed at nine posts inside southern Syria, mainly within a UN buffer zone along the border, with operations extending as deep as 15 kilometers to seize weapons that could fall into hostile hands. The agency is still analyzing results from two other related sites. Grossi told member states that once those samples are evaluated, the IAEA will decide whether the Deir Ezzor file can finally be closed after nearly two decades. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Florida man who stockpiled an arsenal of weapons, tactical gear, and attack plans targeting Jewish and Black Americans has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, the Justice Department announced. John Kevin Lapinski Jr., 41, of Margate in the Miami metro area, was sentenced on Aug. 29 after pleading guilty to multiple firearms offenses, including possessing a gun and body armor as a convicted felon and owning an unregistered silencer. Federal prosecutors said the sentence reflects the severity of Lapinski’s plots, which were uncovered after police searched his home on Oct. 31, 2024. Inside, investigators discovered five firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, silencers, body armor, smoke grenades, tactical equipment, and a camouflage Ghillie suit. Officers also seized a shooting target riddled with bullet holes depicting a Black man. Most disturbing, prosecutors said, were the “attack maps” and handwritten lists found in his home. The maps of schools, parks, shuls, and Jewish-owned businesses were scrawled with racial and antisemitic slurs. A “target list” named specific groups and individuals, including a Jewish member of Congress, that Lapinski had marked for violence. Investigators linked him to an August 2024 drive-by shooting that left the home and vehicle of a Jewish resident riddled with bullets. “This defendant stockpiled weapons, tactical gear and detailed attack plans to terrorize Jewish and Black Americans in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida. “His intent was not abstract. It was written on his maps, his targets and his so-called hit list.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine in a crackdown aimed at curbing the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly while rebuffing the U.S. government’s attempt to break up the company and impose other restraints. The 226-page decision made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., will likely ripple across the technological landscape at a time when the industry is being reshaped by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence — including conversational “answer engines” as companies like ChatGPT and Perplexity try to upend Google’s long-held position as the internet’s main gateway. The innovations and competition being unleashed by generative artificial intelligence, or “GenAI,” have reshaped the judge’s approach to remedies in the nearly five-year-old antitrust case. “Unlike the typical case where the court’s job is to resolve a dispute based on historic facts, here the court is asked to gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future. Not exactly a judge’s forte,” Mehta wrote. Investors seemed to interpret the ruling as a relatively light slap on the wrist for Google, as the stock price of its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., surged nearly 3% in extended trading. The judge is trying to rein in Google by prohibiting some of the tactics the company deployed to drive traffic to its search engine and other services. But Mehta stopped short of banning the multi-billion dollar deals that Google has been making for years to lock in its search engine as the default on smartphones, personal computers and other devices. Those deals, involving payments of more than $26 billion annually, were one of the main issues that prompted the judge to conclude Google’s search engine was an illegal monopoly, but he decided banning them in the future would do more harm than good. Partially because he is allowing the default deals to continue, Mehta is ordering Google to give its current and would-be rivals access to some of its search engine’s secret sauce — the data stockpiled from trillions of queries that it used to help improve the quality of its search results. The judge also rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s effort to force Google to sell its popular Chrome browser, concluding it was an unwarranted step that “would be incredibly messy and highly risky.” Allowing the default search deals to continue is more than just a victory for Google. It’s also something that Apple, which receives more than $20 billion annually from Google, and the beneficiaries of the payments urged Mehta to maintain. In hearings earlier this year, Apple warned the judge that banning the contracts would deprive the company of money that it funnels into its own innovative research. The Cupertino, California, company also cautioned that the ban could have the unintended consequence of making Google even more powerful by pocketing the money it had been spending on deals while most consumers will still end up flocking to Google’s search engine anyway. Others, such as the owners of the Firefox search engine, asserted that losing the Google contracts would threaten their future survival by depriving them of essential revenue. (AP)

Are the laws of harchakos ever relaxed? How do changes in travel, stress, or health affect the regular patterns halacha takes into account in this area? When must one ask a sheila regarding a situation that might affect tahara?” These and numerous other questions are impossible to resolve without thorough knowledge of Hilchos Niddah. As the foundation of a Torah home, every ben Torah bears the sacred responsibility to master these halachos. Furthermore, the laws of family purity directly impact kedushas habayis (sanctity of the home). Their meticulous observance safeguards the spiritual purity essential for connecting to Hashem and nurturing future generations.   It can be helpful to read basic guides, but true understanding requires learning Hilchos Niddah with the depth of Gemara and Rishonim. What is the challenge we face? Mastery traditionally requires years of full-time study – an impossibility for working bnei Torah or those still developing their learning skills.   Now there is a solution. World-renowned Rosh Yeshiva HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlit”a used his vast knowledge to arrange all relevant Gemaras, Rishonim, and poskim into structured source sheets that present material from Gemara through practical halacha. This enables one to cover major opinions and gain deep understanding without being overwhelmed. This was created for full-time advanced learners with strong Hebrew skills. What about busy bnei Torah with limited time?  Two of Rav Berkovits’s close talmidim, Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen and Rabbi Yakov Pesah, with the Rav’s haskama, adapted these Hebrew sheets into a clear English curriculum in Hilchos Shabbos and Hilchos Kashrus, respectively. The material includes contemporary halachic opinions and practical cases, presented with sensitivity.   This began years ago when Rabbi Gefen created a curriculum for Hilchos Shabbos. Meanwhile, Rabbi Pesah developed what became Rav Berkovits’ ‘Mitzvas Talmud Torah’ Program. They later co-founded the online ‘Kinyan Hilchos Shabbos’ Program, followed by Hilchos Kashrus – now serving thousands worldwide. The newest program, Kinyan Hilchos Niddah, taught by Rabbi Gefen, covers essential inyanim such as vestos, bedikos, hefsek taharah, and mikveh preparation. Participants receive weekly source sheets (Hebrew & English), join live Zoom shiurim (recorded for review), take comprehension tests, and have access to private Q&A via email or phone. Participants in past programs share their experience of the programs:  “I would love to sit in yeshiva half a day, but I have different hours,” says Dr. Eric Leibowitz, a dentist in Brooklyn. “Learning halacha in Rabbi Gefen’s online chabura allowed for the flexibility I needed. This program enabled me to not only learn, but to retain what I learned in a structured way, and the tests were very helpful. I felt like I accomplished something.”   “Rabbi Gefen ran the halacha program for our kollel in Johannesburg. We achieved tremendous clarity … both in sugyas and in psak, which is what you want when you learn halacha,” says Rabbi Micha Kaplan, an avrech in the Maharsha Community Kollel.  “For people like me who are working full-time, this program was ideal,” shares Shlomo Gross, a lawyer in Yerushalayim. “The course transported my learning to a completely different level.” Over two thousand past and present participants across five continents – from professionals to kollel avreichim – attest to this model’s effectiveness. The program includes a Smicha option, bringing families great pride, but its greatest benefit is enabling bnei Torah to lead their households with clarity in […]

During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump floated the idea of allowing a “small percentage” of teachers to carry firearms as a way to strengthen school security.

The event, broadcast live on FOX News, featured a question from reporter Peter Doocy, who asked Trump about school shootings and whether he would consider deploying “an armed national guardsman to every school.”

Trump replied, “We have a big problem with school but we also have thousands and thousands of schools that run perfectly.”

He went on to discuss potential safety improvements that could be made “construction-wise” to make campuses harder for intruders to access. However, he cautioned that some of those security upgrades might unintentionally make it harder for law enforcement to enter during emergencies. Ultimately, he expressed concern that certain measures could “make it safer for some of these lunatics we’re dealing with.”

Trump then raised the idea of arming a select group of teachers. “We have great teachers that love our children. The parents love the children and teachers love the children too, and if you took a small percentage of those teachers that were in the military, that were distinguished in the military, that were in the National Guard, etc., etc., you let them carry…They’re trained, they know about weapons…I always thought that would be an alternative.”

The debate over arming teachers is not new. On December 13, 2018, just months after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a commission tasked with reviewing the incident voted 13 to 1 in favor of allowing teachers to be armed for classroom defense.

On February 14, 2018, when the Parkland attack occurred, teachers were unarmed, and 17 students and staff members lost their lives.

Breitbart News previously reported that Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who chaired the commission, said the investigation into the massacre completely shifted his perspective. Once an opponent of arming teachers, he ultimately came to support the idea. He explained, “People need to keep an open mind to it as the reality is that if someone else in that school had a gun it could have saved kids’ lives.”

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, & North Korea’s Kim Jong Un attend military parade in Beijing.

WATCH: An overflow crowd tonight in Chicago for a Lev L’Achim event hosted by Reb Mordy Kaplan, highlighted by the presence of HaRav Elya Brudny, shlita.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio has endorsed Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid, praising his progressive platform in a New York Daily News op-ed as the bold, sweeping agenda needed to confront inequality and keep New York City livable for working-class residents.

MAMDANI: “I will freeze the rent for more than 250,000 rent-stabilized apartments!”

This morning, JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger celebrated Governor Hochul’s signing of a new law that will foster safer and more inclusive learning environments for marginalized college students in New York, including Jewish students facing rising antisemitism. Nearly one in three Jewish college students reported experiencing antisemitism on campus last year, underscoring the urgency of this legislation. Under the law, every college and university in New York will be required to designate a Title VI Coordinator to enforce the federal Civil Rights Act, which now includes protections against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of ancestry-based religious discrimination. Title VI Coordinators will take the lead in ensuring discrimination complaints are addressed swiftly and openly. Schools will also be required to support students who report incidents, implement fair and consistent investigative procedures, and provide annual campus-wide trainings to promote safety and inclusion. The creation of Title VI Coordinators has been a central priority for JCRC-NY, which, together with UJA-Federation of New York, has consistently emphasized the urgent need for these positions on college campuses. Earlier this year, Mark Treyger called for such reforms, urging institutions of higher education to designate TItle VI Coordinators on campus as a vital safeguard for students. NYU has already taken this step, paving the way for other colleges and universities in the state. “This law is a game-changer for students across New York. For too long, Jewish students and other marginalized groups have endured harassment and discrimination without adequate protections or accountability from their institutions. By requiring every college to appoint a Title VI Coordinator, New York is making it clear that bias and hate will not be tolerated on our campuses,” said JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger. “This law represents a big step forward in our ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, but it’s only one piece of our comprehensive approach. We must ensure that Title VI Coordinators are equipped to provide quality, effective training to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate. We must also continue our efforts to provide Jewish identity educational resources to K–12 students-an evidence-based way to combat antisemitism before it takes root. Together, these measures strengthen safety and help advance a more informed and inclusive learning environment for all students.” “UJA-Federation of New York thanks Governor Hochul for signing, and Senator Stavisky and Assemblymember Rozic for championing this critical legislation. Amid a surge in antisemitism, Jewish students have faced unacceptable discrimination and hate on campuses throughout New York. With this new law, students across the state will experience a safer and more inclusive learning environment,” said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York. The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D–Queens) and Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D–Queens), passed both houses during the last legislative session with unanimous, bipartisan support. “I am delighted that the Governor is signing landmark legislation that we have passed to protect students from discrimination on our campuses. At a time when we see a troubling rise in hate crimes, New York is taking a clear stand. Too many students experiencing discrimination do not know where to go for help or what protections they are entitled to, and everyone has a right to feel safe when they step onto college campuses. Dignity, safety and equal opportunity are not negotiable. I thank Governor Hochul and her staff, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, and […]

Just one day before the Knesset resumes key discussions on the controversial draft law, deep frustration has erupted within the chareidi political parties. For the first time, senior party members are publicly admitting they see no clear solution to the crisis, while launching sharp attacks on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth, accusing them of deliberately stalling progress.

The tension follows Bismuth’s recent proposal to pass a temporary one-year draft law to ease the pressure and buy time, citing the lack of a Knesset majority for the broader legislation demanded by the chareidi parties. However, insiders report that all chareidi representatives are unified in firmly rejecting Bismuth’s offer, dismissing it as “irrelevant” and “destined to fail.” One senior source explained, “We need a proper law — or at least a principles framework — to secure the status of yeshiva students. Another temporary compromise achieves nothing.”

Party officials expressed deep disappointment over Netanyahu’s handling of the situation, accusing him of failing to show even minimal seriousness in resolving the growing crisis. “Netanyahu is acting as if everything is fine,” one senior chareidi representative said. “He hasn’t convened a single discussion in his office on the draft law. It looks like he’s searching for excuses not to pass the law and just wants to drag things out until elections on a timeline that suits him.”

Despite Netanyahu’s assurances that he intends to stabilize the government and pass the 2026 budget, trust between the chareidi factions and the prime minister appears to be rapidly eroding. Insiders say coordination between the chareidi MKs and the coalition leadership — including their participation in committee hearings — is now mostly symbolic, intended to demonstrate effort rather than genuine belief in a breakthrough.

Adding to the pressure, Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni issued a statement over the weekend warning that he will advise gedolei Yisroel to oppose all government budget proposals unless coalition agreements are upheld. At the heart of the dispute is the government’s plan to slash roughly 40 million shekels from the remaining 89 million allocated under the “New Horizon” education framework, a move Gafni views as a breach of commitments.

Meanwhile, Bismuth plans to hold a marathon of meetings this week with all stakeholders, including Shas representative Ariel Attias, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s replacement Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, reservist organizations, and others, in a bid to find a compromise. Zamir and Bismuth are also scheduled to meet separately to discuss broader security needs, pension structures, and the army’s manpower challenges.

Behind the scenes, however, many chareidi leaders believe Netanyahu is intentionally postponing a resolution until after possible early elections. With public protests growing and negotiations deadlocked, the coalition faces mounting pressure to provide clarity on the future of the draft law — or risk a full-blown political standoff.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Amazon is ending a program that allows members of its Prime membership subscription program to share their free shipping benefits with people who don’t have the same primary address. In an update to the customer service section of its website, the online behemoth says it will eliminate the sharing on Oct. 1 and is encouraging users outside the household of the account holder to sign up for their own Prime subscription. Amazon is encouraging users who don’t live with the account holder to subscribe to their own membership at a discounted rate of $14.99 for one year. After that, it’s $14.99 per month or $139 annually. The offer starts this Friday and is valid until Dec. 31, 2025. Amazon is replacing the so-called Prime Invitee program with Amazon Family, which lets account holders share the free two-day shipping perk as well as a broad range of other perks like exclusive deals and movies with only one other adult in their household, up to four teens (who were added before April 7) and up to four profiles for children, according to Amazon’s website. Amazon said that the adult could be a spouse, family member or roommate. The news comes as the Seattle-based company is making big investments in expanding its network to bring faster delivery to customers in less densely populated areas across the U.S. The service is available in 1,000 of the more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns and rural communities targeted by year-end, the company said in late July. (AP)

I am a balebos who lives out of town and comes into Lakewood periodically for work. On a recent occasion, I had to leave my home town without catching a minyan for Shacharis first. I figured that I could easily daven in Lakewood, and so I keyed the address of a well-known chassidishe beis medrash off of Rt. 70 into my Google Maps. The office is right near Rt. 70, and I was very pleased with how seamless my experience promised to be. Unfortunately, I was about to meet with disappointment. I am no longer a kollel yungerman, and during the summer months I frequently do not wear a hat and jacket to davening. I recognize that many rabbanim hold that a hat and suit jacket is required for davening; doubtless, YWN’s worldly readers are aware that many other rabbanim do not hold these to be a requirement. It is not my business to tell anyone what to do, and I applaud each individual’s choice to respectfully adhere to the standard he holds for himself. However, I quickly learned that my sentiment is not shared by others. Upon arrival to the shul, I was greeted by a sign which made clear that without a suit jacket, I was not welcome to daven at that beis medrash. I had very little time to change my plans and had to determine what to do quickly. Usually, I stash a jacket in my car in case of emergency, but I did not have one on this occasion. With little other choice, I shamefacedly turned around and left the shul, choosing instead to hurriedly daven beyechidus before my first meeting of the day. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps this rule was not really enforced, but I was too embarrassed and uncomfortable to risk the awkwardness of finding out. It was a real disappointment. I recognize that surely some readers will think: after all, there are many batei medrash in Lakewood in which to daven. This chassidus is certainly entitled to the post and enforce whatever rules they choose in the shul that they have built. And I absolutely agree! We live in a free country. However, it is one thing to stipulate that certain extra standards must be upheld by chazzonim, or even local community members. But to exclude another Yid from davening? Over a disagreement about personal sartorial conduct? As a contrast, let me provide two examples. I travel often and have had many occasions to participate in davening, meals or the like at Chabad houses. At Chabad, no one is turned away, most certainly not over wearing a jacket. That is not to say that Chabad doesn’t have its own standards! Chabad chassidim may not cut their beards. They are expected to wear a hat and a gartel at davening. But no Chabad shliach has ever made me feel unwelcome because of my closely trimmed facial hair or lack of hat. The very opposite is the case. And of course, even though my own outlook differs from that of Chabad, there is never any need for us to lock horns on hashkafa. It’s just Mincha. Perhaps Chabad is too strange and alien for Lakewood readers to relate to. Here is another example. At the Young Israel I am a member […]

A growing controversy has erupted in Yerushalayim amid claims of severe discrimination in admissions to girls’ high schools, with some institutions allegedly refusing entry to Sephardic students based on their family background.

In an interview aired on Channel 13, L., a 13-year-old student who has been at home for six months after failing to secure a placement, recounted her painful experience: “I’ve been home since the exams, just waiting for something to happen.”

L. said she was subjected to invasive questions during the admissions process, including where her father davens and whether her brothers attend Sephardic or Ashkenazi yeshivas. Despite excelling academically, she was rejected after being told her family was “not suitable.” One high school even suggested she change her last name to sound “less Sephardic.”

In a shocking statement, L. recalled: “The principal told me I’m a ‘berachah levatalah’ and said that even if Rav Ovadia himself came, she still wouldn’t accept me.”

L.’s mother, Michal, confirmed that several schools pressured her to change her children’s surname to improve their chances of acceptance. “I changed the last name for two of my kids, and it worked,” she said tearfully. “They’re accepted, they’re happy — but it hurts me deeply that some of my children live with one last name and others with another. We’re the same family.”

Yael, another mother of two daughters left without placements, described the toll on her children: “The worst pain I’ve ever experienced is watching my daughter sit at home in silence. My older daughter has been without a school for six months, and because of that, I wasn’t even allowed to register my younger one. She got accepted to four excellent schools in Yerushalayim, but the Chareidi Education Department decided no.”

Yael criticized the broader system: “If someone wants to open an Ashkenazi-only school, they should make it private. As long as it’s funded by taxpayer money, there cannot be admissions based on ethnicity. Opening separate schools for Sephardim isn’t a solution — it just cements the discrimination.”

Another Sephardic mother shared her devastation: “My daughter is an outstanding student. I never imagined she wouldn’t be accepted. At the last minute, they told us she was rejected. We realized it’s because we’re Sephardic. Now my daughter refuses to leave the house. She cries constantly.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio has thrown his political weight behind Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, endorsing the Queens assemblyman’s insurgent bid for City Hall with a sweeping declaration that his progressive agenda is the only way to rescue New York City from spiraling inequality. In a New York Daily News op-ed published Tuesday, de Blasio — who helmed the city for two terms from 2014 to 2021 — hailed Mamdani’s platform as “bold” and “sweeping,” arguing it represents the city’s best hope to remain livable for working-class New Yorkers. “We don’t just need Zohran Mamdani to be our mayor because he has the right ideas, or because they can be achieved,” de Blasio wrote. “We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running.” Mamdani, who stunned the city’s political establishment by clinching the Democratic primary in June, has campaigned on an ambitious – and entirely unrealistic – platform: freezing rents, providing free child care, and making city buses fare-free. De Blasio credited those promises for Mamdani’s primary victory, saying they address the city’s deepest anxieties over affordability. “Many New Yorkers agree with him — many others are skeptical,” de Blasio admitted. “Still others have lost faith in the city government’s ability to not only talk, but deliver. They want to know one fundamental truth: can it be done? I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes.” The former mayor, who weathered years of criticism over his own progressive policies, compared Mamdani’s agenda to initiatives he championed — from pre-K for all to paid sick leave — that were initially dismissed as “recklessly idealistic.” “Often, these critiques were lodged by politicians and special interest groups who had a vested interest in maintaining the broken status quo,” de Blasio argued. “In short, labeling my agenda as infeasible masked their true problem with it: an unwillingness to cede power and opportunity to working people.” He insisted that, just as his administration delivered on programs once deemed impossible, Mamdani’s vision is not only viable but urgently necessary. De Blasio’s endorsement represents a sharp rebuke to Mayor Eric Adams, whom he backed in 2021. Adams, now seeking re-election as an independent, has centered his campaign on public safety and fiscal restraint. Mamdani, meanwhile, is positioning himself as the polar opposite: a champion for renters, working families, and social justice causes. He faces a crowded November ballot that includes Adams, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and attorney Jim Walden. The former mayor also invoked national politics, blasting President Donald Trump’s administration for slashing federal safety-net programs. “At a time when Donald Trump is cutting SNAP benefits, gutting Medicaid, and once again leaving working people out to dry, the need for an unwavering fighter in City Hall has never been higher,” de Blasio wrote. The endorsement is one of the most high-profile boosts Mamdani has received, underscoring how seriously New York’s progressive wing is rallying behind him. But it also carries political risk: de Blasio left office with sagging approval ratings, and critics may seize on his backing as a liability. “In 2025, the same overheated condemnations yield the same result as in 2013,” de Blasio […]

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a frequent critic of Israel and one of Congress’s most controversial figures, is facing sharp scrutiny after new financial disclosures revealed she and her husband have amassed millions of dollars in assets — despite her repeated insistence that she was “barely worth thousands.” In a February 10 post on social media, Omar claimed her annual congressional salary of $174,000 was her sole significant income. “I don’t have stock or own a home and am still paying off my student debt,” she wrote. “Maybe try checking my public financial statements and you will see I barely have thousands let alone millions.” But her latest filing — first reported by the Washington Free Beacon — tells a different story. Omar disclosed a net worth ranging between $6 million and $30 million, fueled largely by partnership income from her husband Tim Mynett’s businesses: Rose Lake Capital, a venture capital firm valued at $5 million to $25 million, and a winery worth $1 million to $5 million. The couple’s wealth marks a staggering 3,500% increase from 2023, when their assets were reported at just $65,000. At the end of that year, court documents showed the winery had just $650 in its bank account. The disclosure also lists modest liabilities — $15,001 to $50,000 in long-standing student debt and a similar amount in credit card debt — but they are dwarfed by the sudden surge in assets. Omar has previously dismissed reports of her growing fortune as “right-wing disinformation,” telling Business Insider last year: “I am a working mom with student loan debt. Unlike some of my colleagues, I am not a millionaire.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Mossad Director David Barnea on Tuesday night credited the spy agency’s “cunning, courage, and cutting-edge technology” for the stunning September 2024 operations that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and paralyzed the terror group’s command structure. Barnea spoke at a rare public ceremony where dozens of Mossad operatives — their backs turned to cameras to conceal their identities — were awarded the Israel Defense Prize alongside elite IDF and Shin Bet teams. President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other top security officials attended. A Mossad case officer, identified only as “Agent G,” described the danger operatives faced in Beirut: “During the operation to assassinate Nasrallah, our Mossad agents acted with courage and determination, under fire, in order to provide precise intelligence.” G acknowledged that when the agency first conceived the plan, many thought it was “so ambitious it bordered on fantasy.” The September 17 beeper explosions — coordinated blasts that killed 3,500 Hezbollah terrorists and officials simultaneously — shattered the group’s internal networks. Ten days later, a precision strike eliminated Nasrallah, effectively dismantling Hezbollah’s command-and-control and gutting its will to fight. Although the Israel–Hezbollah war dragged on until November 27, Hezbollah inflicted little strategic damage after September. Israeli forces destroyed 70–80 percent of the group’s missile arsenal and dismantled its positions in southern Lebanon during a multi-month invasion. Herzog used the ceremony to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to turn military victories into a coherent “Day After” political strategy for Gaza, warning that endless fighting could weaken Israel diplomatically and leave the government hostage to extremist coalition partners. Other honorees received awards for projects that proved decisive during the Swords of Iron War, including: The Eitan APC, developed by the Defense Ministry and IDF, credited with rescuing hundreds of soldiers under fire in Gaza; The Shavit, Eitam, and Oron mission aircraft, built by IAI and the IAF, which provided long-range intelligence and airspace defense; A Shin Bet breakthrough technology enabling deep penetration of enemy infrastructure; Elbit Systems’ classified innovations and the IDF Medical Corps’ pioneering use of whole-blood transfusions, which saved dozens of lives on the battlefield. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)