Feed aggregator

South Korea on Sunday resumed anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas in retaliation for the North sending over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure over the last couple of weeks. The move is certain to anger Pyongyang and could trigger retaliatory military steps as tensions between the war-divided rivals rise while negotiations over the North’s nuclear ambitions remain stalemated. Hours after the South resumed loudspeaker broadcasts, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned that the South created a “prelude to a very dangerous situation.” She said South Korea would witness an unspecified “new response” from the North if it continues with the broadcasts and fails to stop civilian activists from flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. “I sternly warn Seoul to immediately case its dangerous activities that would further provoke a crisis of confrontation,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. It came shortly after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea launching what appeared to be more trash-carrying balloons Sunday night. The military did not immediately confirm the number of suspected balloons or whether any of them had already landed in the South. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the military conducted a loudspeaker broadcast Sunday afternoon. It didn’t specify the border area where it took place or what was played over the speakers. “Whether our military conducts an additional loudspeaker broadcast is entirely dependent on North Korea’s behavior,” it said. The South had withdrawn loudspeakers from border areas in 2018, during a brief period of engagement with the North under Seoul’s previous liberal government. At an emergency meeting led by national security director Chang Ho-jin, South Korean officials berated Pyongyang for attempting to cause “anxiety and disruption” by sending the balloons to the South and stressed that North Korea would be “solely responsible” for any future escalation of tensions. The North said its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Pyongyang is extremely sensitive to such material and fears it could demoralize front-line troops and residents and eventually weaken leader Kim Jong Un’s grip on power, analysts say. South Korea has in the past used loudspeakers to blare anti-Pyongyang broadcasts, K-pop songs and international news across the rivals’ heavily armed border. In 2015, when South Korea restarted loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, North Korea fired artillery rounds across the border, prompting South Korea to return fire, according to South Korean officials. No casualties were reported. Last week, as tensions spiked over the trash-carrying balloons, South Korea also suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce hostile acts along the border, allowing it to resume propaganda campaigns and possibly restart live-fire military exercises in border areas. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik in a meeting with top military commanders called for thorough preparation against the possibility that the North responds to the loudspeaker broadcasts with direct military action, his ministry said in a statement. North Korea continued to fly hundreds of balloons into South Korea over the weekend, a third such campaign since late May. The South’s military said the balloons that did land dropped […]

A high-level meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Arab officials last month descended into chaos after a heated exchange between the UAE foreign minister and a senior adviser to the Palestinian president, according to Axios, citing sources familiar with the incident. The April 29 meeting in Riyadh aimed to discuss a joint post-war strategy for Gaza, but tensions boiled over when Palestinian minister Hussein al-Sheikh expressed frustration over the lack of support for Palestinian Authority reforms. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed responded by questioning the effectiveness of these reforms and labeling the Palestinian leadership “Ali Baba and the forty thieves.” Al-Sheikh pushed back, refusing to accept external dictates on Palestinian reforms. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud attempted to calm the situation, but the meeting deteriorated into shouting, prompting the Emirati minister to temporarily walk out. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi eventually coaxed the Emirati minister back, who apologized for the outburst. Notably, the ongoing rift between Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been exacerbated by the UAE’s normalization of relations with Israel in 2020, which the Palestinians saw as a betrayal. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Israeli military has successfully reached the coast of southern Gaza’s Rafah, gaining full control over the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, according to a report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. This development comes after the IDF announced last week that it had established “operational control” over the entire route along the Gaza-Egypt border. Residents in Rafah reported to Reuters that Israeli tanks advanced further west, taking control of more areas along the border with Egypt and conducting raids into the city’s center and west. The incursion resulted in two Palestinian fatalities and several injuries from tank shelling in western Rafah, according to health officials in Gaza. Eyewitnesses also confirmed the presence of Israeli tanks in Al-Izba, a southwestern area of Rafah close to the Mediterranean coast. The Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border, has been a key focus of the military operation. With this latest development, the Israeli military has solidified its control over the corridor, aiming to prevent weapons smuggling and secure the border. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Campaigning in a state powered by the service industry, Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would eliminate taxes on tipped income as a “first thing” if he is reelected.

“For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy. Because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips,” Trump said during a rally in Las Vegas.

Any change to the taxation of tipped income would require an act of Congress. When asked for more detail on the policy change, a spokeswoman said: “President Trump will ask Congress to eliminate taxes on tips.”

Lawmakers will have a chance to rewrite the country’s tax policy in 2025, when much of Trump’s 2017 tax cut package expires. Tipped wages weren’t addressed in the original legislation, but Congress could include them in any overhaul or extension it attempts next year.

The campaign of President Biden – who has called for increasing the minimum wage and eliminating the tipped minimum wage – did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s proposed tax change.

Under current law, all gratuities that workers receive must be taxed at the same rate as their regular income, and many employers report their workers’ tips to the IRS – but much is paid in cash and never reported to the IRS. More than 6 million workers had tips reported to the IRS in 2018, the most recent year for which complete IRS data is available.

Trump’s proposal could appeal to the many service workers and Latino voters who help power Nevada’s economy, especially its dominant hospitality industry. He has been attempting to broaden his appeals to Latino voters, who make up about 20 percent of the electorate in Nevada – arguing that they would economically benefit more from his policies than Biden’s.

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 – which is closely allied with the Biden campaign – noted that the Culinary Union has “fought for tipped workers’ rights and against unfair taxation” for decades.

“Relief is definitely needed for tip earners, but Nevada workers are smart enough to know the difference between real solutions and wild campaign promises from a convicted felon,” Pappageorge said in a statement.

Tips are crucial for many of these workers. The federal government and many states allow employers to pay tipped workers well below the normal minimum wage, provided they make up the difference to ensure each worker earns at least the standard federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The IRS considers cash and noncash tips as income subject to federal income taxes, as well as Social Security and Medicare taxes. In 2018, the latest year for which complete IRS data is available, the average worker who had tips reported on their W-2 had $6,249 in tips that were taxed.

“You do a great job of service. You take care of people. And I think it’s going to be something that really is deserved,” Trump said at the rally. “So those people that have jobs in restaurants, whatever the job may be, a tipping job we’re not going after for taxes anymore.”

– – –

Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.

(c) Washington Post

President Joe Biden closed out his trip to France by paying his respects at an American military cemetery that Donald Trump notably skipped when he was president, hoping his final stop Sunday helped draw the stakes of the November election in stark relief. Before returning to the United States, Biden honored America’s war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery about an hour outside Paris. He placed a wreath at the cemetery chapel before an expanse of white headstones marking the final resting place of more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I. It was a solemn end to five days in which Trump was an unspoken yet unavoidable presence. On the surface, the trip marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day and celebrated the alliance between the United States and France. But during an election year when Trump has called into question fundamental understandings about America’s global role, Biden has embraced his Republican predecessor — and would-be successor — as a latent foil. Every ode to the transatlantic partnership was a reminder that Trump could upend those relationships. Each reference to democracy stood a counterpoint to his rival’s efforts to overturn a presidential election. The myriad exhortations to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia created a contrast with Trump’s skepticism about providing U.S. assistance. Biden’s paeans to the struggle between democracy and autocracy drew plaudits in Europe, where the prospect of a return to Trump’s turbulent reign has sparked no shortage of anxiety. But it remains to be seen how the message will resonate with American voters, as Biden’s campaign struggles to connect the dire warnings the Democratic president so often delivers about his rival with people’s daily concerns. The visit to the cemetery served as a moment to underscore the contrast once more. “It’s the same story,” Biden said. “America showed up. America showed up to stop the Germans. America showed up to make sure that they did not prevail. And America shows up when we’re needed just like our allies show for us.” During a 2018 trip to France, Trump skipped plans to go to the cemetery, a decision that the White House blamed on weather at the time. However, subsequent reports said that Trump told aides he didn’t want to go because he viewed the dead soldiers as “suckers” and “losers.” Trump has denied the comments, although they were later corroborated by his chief of staff at the time, John Kelly. Trump’s purported insults have become a regular feature of Biden’s campaign speeches, including during an April rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “These soldiers were heroes, just as every American who has served this nation,” Biden said. “Believing otherwise, that alone is disqualifying for someone to seek this office.” Biden ignored a direct question about Trump at the cemetery but said it was important to visit the hallowed ground. “The idea that I would come to Normandy and not make the short trip here to pay tribute,” he added, his voice trailing off as if to express disbelief. Trump, at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, said Sunday after Biden had left France that the president’s performance overseas was “terrible” and embarrassing, though Trump did not cite anything in particular. “This is not a representative for what used to be the greatest country,” he told his […]

Speaking at a Michigan Democratic Party fundraiser, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that she mourns the Palestinians killed during Israel’s raid that freed for hostages.

“Before I begin, I just say a few words about the morning which I know weighs heavily on all of our hearts,” Harris said, per Fox News.

“On Oct. 7, Hamas committed a brutal massacre of 1,200 innocent people and abducted 250 hostages,” she said. “Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight. And we mourn all of the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed today.”

A state with a large Muslim population, Michigan is reportedly a concern for the Biden campaign in the upcoming election.

In the hours after Israel freed the four hostages, it was revealed that civilians, including a reporter who had worked for Al Jazeera and Palestine Chronicle, held the Israeli hostages as prisoners in their homes. Israeli forces also sustained heavy fire from terrorists as they sought to evacuate the hostages.

“Hamas-run authorities in Gaza claim over 270 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, though they make no distinction between militants and innocents,” Fox News reported. “Israeli forces claim the number was fewer than 100.”

“Kamala Harris mourns the terrorist hostage takers,” wrote the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The Republican Jewish Coalition asked, “Why is it so hard for the Biden administration to stand with Israel in its fight to defeat Hamas terrorists and rescue the remaining hostages?”

“Does she mourn the loss of the Hamas guys with RPGs who came to stop the Israelis from leaving causing many of the casualties? Did they make her list?” wrote Clifford Asness, a Jewish billionaire hedge fund manager with a large social media following.

Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, also said that innocent people were killed. “The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed,” he told CNN. “Every day that we see more innocent people lost is another horrible, awful, tragic day.”

The U.S. vice president was briefly heckled during her remarks.

{Matzav.com}

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday night announced his National Unity Party’s departure from the government set up in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre and the ensuing Gaza war.

Speaking at a press conference in Ramat Gan, Gantz said, “It was an easy decision to enter the government, but the decision to leave was very difficult.”

“Unfortunately, Netanyahu is stopping us from reaching a true victory,” continued Gantz. “Therefore, we are now leaving, today, the unity government. With a heavy heart, but wholeheartedly.”

Gantz also demanded that Netanyahu do “everything he can” to advance U.S. President Joe Biden’s outline for a hostages-for-ceasefire deal with Hamas. National Unity will back “any responsible roadmap” from the opposition, vowed Gantz.

Gantz called on the remaining members of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s coalition to “listen to their conscience,” singling out Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has frequently clashed with the premier in recent months.

“This war has led me to appreciate you even more,” Gantz said of Gallant.

“To ensure true victory, we must go to elections after which a government will be formed which will be trusted by its citizens,” said the National Unity Party leader.

Gantz also demanded that Netanyahu do “everything he can” to advance U.S. President Joe Biden’s outline for a hostages-for-ceasefire deal with Hamas. National Unity will back “any responsible roadmap” from the opposition, vowed Gantz.

During the press conference, Netanyahu issued a statement urging Gantz to reconsider his decision, saying that “this is not the time to abandon the campaign [against Hamas]—this is the time to join forces.”

“We will continue until victory and the achievement of all the war goals, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” continued the premier.

“My door will remain open to any Zionist party willing to shoulder the burden and help attain victory over our enemies and ensure the safety of our citizens,” he concluded.

Gantz’s decision to leave the government was reportedly made on Thursday at a party meeting in Tel Aviv.

Observers had anticipated that due to the continuing indirect talks with Hamas over a hostages-for-prisoners deal, Gantz might back out of pledge last month to bolt the government by June 8 if no plan for the “day after” Hamas in Gaza was formulated.

The former army chief of staff had initially been scheduled to speak to the press on Saturday night, supposedly to announce his resignation from the government.

Despite the National Unity party’s eight lawmakers joining the opposition, it will not topple the government. Netanyahu still has a 64-member majority in the 120-MK legislature.

“This is the time for unity and not for division. We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz—do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity,” Netanyahu said on Saturday night, hours after the daring IDF/Border Police/Shin Bet rescue of four hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Gantz responded: “We have a reason to be happy. We have what and whom we can be proud of. You can imagine the shock of the freed people who suddenly changed their world again, and this time for the better. My friends and I, along with the entire people of Israel, rejoice with the families of the returnees and at the same time strengthen the families who are still awaiting the return of their loved ones.”

At the same time, he continued, “it should be remembered that all the challenges that Israel faces, regarding the return of the other 120 hostages, and regarding the other security challenges in general in the theaters of war, vis-à-vis the region, vis-à-vis the world as well as domestically—remain as they were. Therefore, I say to the prime minister and to the general leadership—it is incumbent upon us to take a serious look at how we can and should proceed from here.”

National Security Minister and Oztma Yehudit Party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been calling for Gantz’s departure for some time, welcomed the news.

“I will demand that our power be expressed. I need to go back and be a leading force like we were before Gantz came in,” Ben-Gvir said.

“Gaza must be conquered. We must also fight with Hezbollah [in Lebanon], because there is no alternative. We have contented ourselves enough with peace agreements and disengagement, only through war can they be defeated,” he added.

Otzma Yehudit issued a statement on Thursday saying the party would reverse a June 5 decision to suspend its role in Netanyahu’s coalition “in light of what appears to be Hamas’s rejection of the reckless deal and Gantz’s expected departure from the government.”

Gantz announced in mid-May that he would exit the government unless Netanyahu presented a post-war plan for Gaza. Gantz set the deadline of June 8 for a plan of action accomplishing what he said were six key strategic goals of the war.

He listed these as: Bringing home the hostages; destroying Hamas, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing Israeli security control there; creating an “international civilian governance mechanism for Gaza” including Palestinians but not Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas; returning Israeli residents to the north and rehabilitating the western Negev; advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia; and establishing a new framework for Israelis’ military service.

Then, two weeks ago, Gantz’s party submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset in an attempt to bring down the government.

National Unity lawmaker Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata, who submitted the motion of no confidence, said, “October 7 is a disaster that obliges us to return and receive the trust of the nation; to establish a broad and stable unity government that can lead us with confidence in the face of major challenges in terms of security, the economy, and especially, in Israeli society.”

Netanyahu’s Likud Party slammed the move, saying in a statement that “in the midst of a war, Israel needs unity and not division.

“Dissolving the unity government would be a reward for [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar, a capitulation to international pressure and a fatal blow to the efforts to free our hostages,” added the statement.

{Matzav.com}

Ukraine on Sunday said its forces hit an ultra-modern Russian warplane stationed on an air base nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the front lines. Kyiv’s main military intelligence service shared satellite photos it said showed the aftermath of the attack. If confirmed, it would mark Ukraine’s first known successful strike on a twin-engine Su-57 stealth jet, lauded as Moscow’s most advanced fighter plane. In one photo, black soot marks and small craters can be seen dotting a concrete strip around the parked aircraft. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the strike took place on Saturday at the Akhtubinsk base in southern Russia, some 589 kilometers (366 miles) from the front line. The Ukrainian agency said the plane, which is capable of carrying stealth missiles across hundreds of kilometers (miles), was among “a countable few” of its type in Moscow’s arsenal. According to reports by Russian agencies, Moscow’s air force obtained “more than 10” new Su-57s last year, and has placed an order for a total of 76 to be delivered by 2028. A spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, Andriy Yusov, hours later said on Ukrainian TV that the attack may have damaged two Su-57 jets parked at the base, and also wounded Russian personnel. He did not immediately give any evidence to support the claim. Ilya Yevlash, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air force, told Ukrainian media in April that Moscow was trying to keep its Su-57 fleet “at a safe distance” from Ukrainian firepower. The strike comes after the United States and Germany recently authorized Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kyiv. Ukraine has already used U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia under newly approved guidance from President Joe Biden that allows American arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. But the airstrip’s distance from Ukraine, as well as unofficial comments from Russia, point to the likely use of Ukrainian-made drones. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion more than two years ago, Kyiv has ramped up domestic drone production and used the munitions to strike deep inside Russia. In January, drones hit a gas terminal near St. Petersburg that lies over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of the border. A popular pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, thought to be run by a retired Russian army pilot, claimed that three Ukrainian drones struck the Akhtubinsk airstrip on Saturday and that flying shrapnel damaged the jet. “It is now being determined whether it can be restored or not. If not, it would be the first combat loss of a Su-57 in history,” the Fighterbomber channel reported. A military correspondent for Russia’s state-run RIA news agency, Aleksandr Kharchenko, in a Telegram post Sunday denounced Moscow’s failure to build hangars to protect its aircraft. But the post stopped short of directly acknowledging the strike. Russia’s so-called “military bloggers” like Fighterbomber are often seen as sources of information on military losses in the absence of an official Kremlin comment. Russia’s Defense Ministry or senior political figures did not comment Sunday. The ministry on Saturday claimed its forces downed three Ukrainian drones in the Astrakhan region, home to the Akhtubinsk airstrip. Igor Babushkin, the governor of Astrakhan, that same day reported that Ukraine attempted to strike an […]

More details have emerged of Israeli special forces’ daring and complex operation to rescue four hostages from the Nuseirat camp in Gaza yesterday. Specifically, the special forces unit that executed the rescue posed as displaced Gazans from Rafah, blending in with locals and speaking the language fluently. According to eyewitnesses and local residents who spoke with Asharq news channel, the disguised forces arrived in a white car carrying mattresses on top, with women dressed in clothing similar to that worn by local women. When asked about their origin, they claimed to be escaping the IDF operation in Rafah and had rented a place in the Nuseirat market area, pointing to the building where Noa Argamani was being held. The three male hostages, Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv, and Almog Meir Jan, were detained in a separate building 200 meters away. The special forces unit split into two groups, each heading towards one of the buildings, preparing for the rescue operation. Eyewitnesses reported that additional special forces entered the camp hidden inside an aid truck, although the IDF has denied using humanitarian transports for the operation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Jewish soldier, identified only as Daniel died fighting for Ukraine over the weekend during intense battles at the front. In a poignant display of respect for the soldiersJewish heritage, the Ukrainian military ensured he received a proper Jewish burial according to halacha. Upon learning of Daniel’s Jewish background, his commanders and officers from the Ukrainian General Staff contacted Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, to inform his family and arrange a halachically compliant levaya. Rabbi Markovitch worked with the military burial officer to secure a designated area within the general military cemetery in Kyiv for the ceremony. Surrounded by a minyan from the Kyiv community, a proper levaya was held, and Kaddish was recited at Daniel’s fresh grave. Additionally, the Jewish community of the Beit Menachem Jewish community center in Kyiv has committed to reciting Kaddish daily for Daniel throughout the coming year. Rabbi Markovitch remembered Daniel as “a true hero who was proud of his Judaism… He embodied the Jewish spirit, striving to observe Pesach with matzah and other religious items during the holidays and throughout the year.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran’s Guardian Council on Sunday approved the country’s hard-line parliament speaker and five others to run in the country’s June 28 presidential election following a helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others. The council again barred former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a firebrand populist known for the crackdown that followed his disputed 2009 re-election, from running. The council’s decision represents the starting gun for a shortened, two-week campaign to replace Raisi, a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once floated as a possible successor for the 85-year-old cleric. The selection of candidates approved by the Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists ultimately overseen by Khamenei, suggests Iran’s Shiite theocracy hopes to ease the election through after recent votes saw record-low turnout and as tensions remain high over the country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, as well as the Israel-Hamas war. The Guardian Council also continued its streak of not accepting a woman or anyone calling for radical change to the country’s governance. The campaign will likely include live, televised debates on Iran’s state-run broadcaster. Candidates also advertise on billboards and offer stump speeches to back their bids. So far, none of them has offered any specifics, though all have promised a better economic situation for the country as it suffers from sanctions by the U.S. and other Western nations over its nuclear program, which now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Such matters of state remain the final decision of Khamenei, but presidents in the past have leaned either toward engagement or confrontation with the West over it. The most prominent candidate remains Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, 62, a former Tehran mayor with close ties to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, many remember that Qalibaf, as a former Guard general, was part of a violent crackdown on Iranian university students in 1999. He also reportedly ordered live gunfire to be used against students in 2003 while serving as the country’s police chief. Qalibaf ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005 and 2013. He withdrew from the 2017 presidential campaign to support Raisi in his first failed presidential bid. Raisi won the 2021 election, which had the lowest turnout ever for a presidential vote in Iran, after every major opponent found themselves disqualified. Khamenei gave a speech last week alluding to qualities that Qalibaf’s supporters have highlighted as potentially signaling the supreme leader’s support for the speaker. Yet Qalibaf’s role in crackdowns may be viewed differently after years of unrest that have gripped Iran, both over its ailing economy and the mass protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf, or hijab, to the liking of security forces. Other candidates include Saeed Jalili, former Jalili, former senior nuclear negotiator, who ran in 2013, and registered in 2021 before withdrawing to back Raisi. Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani also withdrew in 2021 to back Raisi. Mostafa Pourmohammadi is a former minister of justice. Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Raisi’s vice president, ran in the 2021 presidential elections and came in last with just under 1 million votes. Masoud Pezeshkian is the only reformist candidate among a slate of hardliners, and is not seen as having much chance. The Guardian Council disqualified Ahmadinejad, the firebrand, […]

Pro-Hamas protestors gathered outside the White House on Saturday after the IDF had the gall to rescue four civilian hostages being held by a genocidal terrorist group. According to the ANSWER coalition, one of the organizers of the protest, some 75,000 people participated in the protest, although that number appears to be inflated – not unlike their Hamas handlers’ death toll counts in the Gaza Strip. The protest included chants calling on Hamas to “kill another soldier now” and for Hezbollah to “kill another Zionist now.” One protestor, standing with others on a statue of Thomas Jefferson, was seen waving around a mask of Joe Biden splattered with red paint, symbolizing blood. The protestors also called for “jihad” and “martyrdom,” and unfurled a “red line” banner outside the White House, referencing Biden’s red line about the IDF entering Rafah. At one point during the protest, demonstrators forced US Park Police officers out of the Lafayette Park in front of the White House, as they hijacked the area with their hate-filled slogans. Sounds insurrectiony, doesn’t it? But don’t expect the media to talk about it. In fact, they’re already actively ignoring it. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former President Donald Trump ‘s campaign hired extra medics, loading up on fans and water bottles and allowed supporters to carry umbrellas to an outdoor rally Sunday in Las Vegas, where temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius). Trump is returning to Nevada, one of the top battleground states in the November election, for his second rally since he was found guilty in a hush-money scandal. The unprecedented conviction of a former president has juiced Trump’s fundraising and galvanized his supporters, but it remains to be seen whether it will sway swing voters. Temperatures in the Southwest have cooled since reaching historic highs late last week but remain above normal for this time of year and are expected to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) by the time Trump is scheduled to begin speaking around noon. His rally is at a park with little shade next to the airport. Campaign organizers handed out water bottles as supporters waited in line to be screened by security officers. Inside the venue, large misting fans, pallets of water and cooling tents were placed around the perimeter. Clouds moved in and a breeze picked up about two hours before Trump was scheduled to take the stage, bringing a semblance of relief from the oppressive sun. “This is a dry heat. This ain’t nothing for Las Vegas people,” Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald said. “But what it symbolizes for the rest of the United States — we will walk through hell” to elect Donald Trump. McDonald and five other Republicans have been accused of submitting certificates to Congress falsely declaring Trump the winner of Nevada’s 2020 presidential election and their trial has been pushed to next year. The campaign has paid for additional EMS services to be on site in the case of emergency. The U.S. Secret Service will be making an exception to allow people to bring in personal water bottles and and umbrellas. Food trucks sold shaved ice and oversized cups of lemonade. During a Trump rally in Arizona on Thursday, the Phoenix Police Department said 11 people were transported to hospitals, treated and released for heat exhaustion. Many Trump’s supporters waited in line for hours and some were unable to get inside before the venue reached capacity. The temperature reached a record 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) that day. Trump’s Nevada rally, his third in the state this year, comes on the tail end of a Western swing that included several high-dollar fundraisers where he was expected to rake in millions of dollars. Democrat Hillary Clinton won Nevada in 2016 as did President Joe Biden in 2020, but Nevada was the only battleground state where Trump did better against Biden than Clinton. In the 2022 midterms, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, was the only incumbent governor who did not win reelection. Trump hopes his strength among working-class voters and growing interest from Latinos will push him to victory in the state. (AP)

The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command is prepared for a full-out war with Hezbollah terrorists on the Jewish state’s northern border with Lebanon, commander Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo reiterated on Sunday.

“If the IDF needs to go to war in the north, we are ready. We have made great efforts to achieve this in recent months,” the Home Front Command head stated at the MuniWorld Conference in Tel Aviv.

“On Oct. 7, we did not manage to protect the [Gaza] Envelope towns, and now there is a major crisis of confidence in the army,” said Milo.

Meanwhile, Moshe Davidovich, who heads the Mateh Asher Regional Council in the western Galilee, told the conference that border towns are “neither prepared nor protected” if the conflict expands.

“The Israeli government has failed in all matters of preparedness regarding the defense of the conflict line [with Lebanon],” he charged.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization has attacked northern Israel nearly every day since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, killing more than 20 people and causing widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israelis remain internally displaced due to the violence.

Air-raid sirens sounded in towns on the northern border throughout the day on Sunday, warning of incoming rockets and drones. At least 10 rockets were launched towards Israeli towns in the Galilee panhandle and the northern Golan Heights. Several rockets exploded in open areas, setting fields ablaze, but no casualties were reported.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks, announcing in a statement it had fired Katyusha rockets at Israeli “military positions” in the Golan Heights, including an alleged IDF post in the Mount Dov area.

In addition, at least two suicide drones managed to penetrate Israeli air defenses, exploding in an open area in the northern Golan. There were no injuries, and the IDF is investigating the incident, local reports said.

The drone attack was said to have sparked a fire which quickly spread. Multiple units of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services were reportedly called to the scene to stop the fire from reaching nearby civilian communities.

On Saturday, Hezbollah fired a salvo of Iranian “Falaq 2” rockets at an IDF command center in northern Israel, marking the first time the terror group had deployed the projectile, a “security source” told Reuters.

In response, the Israeli Air Force hit terror infrastructure in Southern Lebanon, including in Aitaroun and Rab El Thalathine. On Sunday morning, fighter jets also targeted a rocket launcher in the Houla area.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said the Jewish state is “prepared for very intense action in the north” to restore security” and return displaced citizens to their homes near the border.

“We said at the start of the war that we would restore security in both the south and the north, and this is what we are doing,” the premier said after earlier being briefed by commanders at the IDF’s Gibor base.

{Matzav.com}

The White House has declined to say whether President Joe Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to Washington next month. Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on July 24. “I don’t have anything to announce today,” said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “He’s coming to address the Congress. The president talks to him all the time.” Despite Biden’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza, tensions have arisen between the two men over Israel’s conduct in the war. Biden, who is running for reelection in November, has faced criticism from his left-leaning political base over his support for Israel. Sullivan said he hopes that a ceasefire and hostage deal will be in place by the time Netanyahu visits Washington, emphasizing that Hamas must simply agree to the proposal on the table. Biden, who returns to the United States from France later today, has welcomed the rescue of four hostages held by Hamas and vowed to continue working towards the release of all hostages and a ceasefire. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has extended the ban on Al Jazeera’s broadcast in Israel and access to its website for an additional 45 days, citing “actual harm” to national security. The decision was unanimously approved by the cabinet, following updated position papers from security agencies that deemed the channel’s broadcasts a significant threat. According to Karhi, “the broadcasts of the channel constitute actual harm to state security,” a sentiment echoed by a recent court ruling that found “no room for doubt” that Al Jazeera content serves Hamas’s goals and harms national security. The ban is based on a temporary law passed in April, allowing the government to shut down foreign news outlets deemed harmful to national security for 45-day periods. The law can be renewed until July 31, after which it would need to be extended to continue the ban. The High Court of Justice is currently reviewing a petition against the law, arguing that it violates freedom of expression and press principles. The government has been ordered to respond by August 8, or indicate if it will not extend the law. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has spent months issuing indirect threats about nuclear weapons following his large-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years ago, now asserts that Europe is “defenseless” and that Russia doesn’t need nuclear weapons to defeat Ukraine or its allies.

During a panel discussion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated that Russia possesses “more [tactical nuclear weapons] than there are on the European continent, even if the United States brings theirs over,” as reported by BBC Russian editor Steve Rosenberg.

Speaking to Russian foreign policy expert Sergei Karaganov, Putin added, “Europe does not have a developed [early warning system]. In this sense, they are more or less defenseless.”

Putin also indicated he might consider revising Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which defines the conditions for nuclear weapons use.

“This doctrine is a living tool, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world around us and do not exclude making changes to this doctrine,” Putin remarked. “This is also related to the testing of nuclear weapons.”

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, often dubbed the Russian Davos, is seen as a symbol of the country’s willingness to engage globally. However, Russia continues to face stringent international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine, keeping tensions high.

Earlier this week, in a meeting with international news agency leaders in St. Petersburg, Putin hinted that Russia might provide conventional long-range missiles to nations aiming to target Western interests.

This threat follows NATO allies permitting Ukraine to utilize Western-supplied weapons against targets within Russian borders, a stance Putin reaffirmed on Friday.

“We are not supplying those weapons yet, but we reserve the right to do so to those states or legal entities which are under certain pressure, including military pressure, from the countries that supply weapons to Ukraine and encourage their use on Russian territory,” Putin stated.

Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov informed Rosenberg that Russia would deploy the weapons “wherever we think it is necessary.”

“As President Putin made clear, we’ll investigate this question,” Solovyov continued. “If you are trying to harm us, you have to be pretty sure we have enough opportunities and chances to harm you.”

Solovyov dismissed claims that these threats are mere posturing.

“It’s always a bluff until the time when it is not,” he said. “You can keep thinking that Russia is bluffing and then, one day, there is no more Great Britain to laugh at. Don’t you ever try to push the Russian bear thinking that ‘Oh, it’s a kitten, we can play with it.'”

{Matzav.com}

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz was expected on Sunday night to announce his National Unity Party’s departure from the government set up in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre and the ensuing conflict.

Gantz will give an address at 8 p.m.

His decision to leave the government was reportedly made on Thursday at a party meeting in Tel Aviv.

Requests for comment from members of Gantz’s party were not immediately answered.

Observers had anticipated that due to the continuing indirect talks with Hamas over a hostages-for-prisoners deal, Gantz might back out of pledge last month to bolt the government by June 8 if no plan for the “day after” Hamas in Gaza was formulated.

The former army chief of staff had been scheduled to speak to the press on Saturday night, supposedly to announce his resignation from the government.

If the National Unity party’s eight lawmakers do join the opposition, it will not topple the government. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would still have a 64-member majority in the 120-MK legislature.

“This is the time for unity and not for division. We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz—do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity,” Netanyahu said on Saturday night, hours after the daring IDF/Border Police/Shin Bet rescue of four hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Gantz responded: “We have a reason to be happy. We have what and whom we can be proud of. You can imagine the shock of the freed people who suddenly changed their world again, and this time for the better. My friends and I, along with the entire people of Israel, rejoice with the families of the returnees and at the same time strengthen the families who are still awaiting the return of their loved ones.”

At the same time, he continued, “it should be remembered that all the challenges that Israel faces, regarding the return of the other 120 hostages, and regarding the other security challenges in general in the theaters of war, vis-à-vis the region, vis-à-vis the world as well as domestically—remain as they were. Therefore, I say to the prime minister and to the general leadership—it is incumbent upon us to take a serious look at how we can and should proceed from here.”

Gantz announced in mid-May that he would exit the government unless Netanyahu presented a post-war plan for Gaza. Gantz set the deadline of June 8 for a plan of action accomplishing what he said were six key strategic goals of the war.

He listed these as: Bringing home the hostages; destroying Hamas, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing Israeli security control there; creating an “international civilian governance mechanism for Gaza” including Palestinians but not Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas; returning Israeli residents to the north and rehabilitating the western Negev; advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia; and establishing a new framework for Israelis’ military service.

Then, two weeks ago, Gantz’s party submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset in an attempt to bring down the government.

National Unity lawmaker Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata, who submitted the motion of no confidence, said, “October 7 is a disaster that obliges us to return and receive the trust of the nation; to establish a broad and stable unity government that can lead us with confidence in the face of major challenges in terms of security, the economy, and especially, in Israeli society.”

Netanyahu’s Likud Party slammed the move, saying in a statement that “in the midst of a war, Israel needs unity and not division.

“Dissolving the unity government would be a reward for [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar, a capitulation to international pressure and a fatal blow to the efforts to free our hostages,” added the statement.

{Matzav.com}