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Trump Energy Agenda Drives Labor Day Gas Prices to Years-Long Low
RFK Jr. to Med Schools: Add Nutrition Classes ‘Immediately’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is giving U.S. medical schools fewer than two weeks to “immediately” add comprehensive nutrition coursework to their programs.
He had previously warned that institutions risk losing federal funding if they fail to expand their nutrition offerings.
“Medical schools talk about nutrition but fail to teach it,” Kennedy said Wednesday in a release. “We demand immediate, measurable reforms to embed nutrition education across every stage of medical training, hold institutions accountable for progress, and equip every future physician with the tools to prevent disease — not just treat it.”
According to HHS, schools have until Sept. 10 to submit written plans explaining how they will satisfy Kennedy’s mandate to integrate nutrition education throughout medical training.
This initiative is a pillar of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform, which emphasizes prevention over treatment and targets reductions in chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Recent findings published last year indicate that 75% of U.S. medical schools do not require clinical nutrition courses, and only 14% of residency programs mandate a nutrition curriculum.
“U.S. medical education has not kept up with the overwhelming research on the role of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic diseases,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Medical schools across the country must act now to align their training with the latest research so that future physicians have the means to best help their patients stay healthy.”
“The U.S. Department of Education is proud to stand with HHS in working to lower chronic disease rates, especially in children,” she added.
To close the gap, the Trump administration wants nutrition requirements embedded across the pipeline: premed standards, medical school curricula, licensing examinations, residency program criteria, board certifications, and continuing education.
A report released earlier this month by the Association of American Medical Colleges emphasized that “nutrition plays a critical role in the prevention, management, and treatment of many chronic health conditions.”
“Few schools have implemented nutrition as a fully integrated longitudinal thread throughout their curricula, suggesting an important area for continued mapping and development,” the report stated. “Increased attention could be afforded to nutrition topics such as the environmental impact of food production and choices on health, food labels and the health impacts of ingredients, and community food resources.”
Duke University researchers note that specialists treating diet-influenced diseases — including cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, and oncologists — appear to be among the least versed in nutrition. Citing a 2017 study, they reported that 90% of subspecialists had little to no formal nutrition education during fellowship, with 59% saying the same about their residency.
{Matzav.com}
NATO Member Finland Moves to Replace Swastika Flags With New Symbols
White House: Trump to Address UN General Assembly Sept. 23
The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will travel to New York to deliver remarks at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced during her daily briefing.
“The president will travel to New York City on September 22 to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23,” Leavitt said.
This appearance will be Trump’s first UNGA speech of his second term. He is expected to underscore his “America First” trade-war agenda, arguing that punitive tariffs are necessary to counter what he considers decades of unfair practices by U.S. trading partners.
Trump spoke at the UNGA multiple times between 2017 and 2021. His first address in 2017 was combative, warning he would “totally destroy North Korea” if provoked and mocking Kim Jong-un as “Rocket Man.” He also castigated Iran’s leadership and labeled the Iran nuclear agreement an “embarrassment.”
In 2018, he amplified his “America First” posture and dismissed globalism. By 2019, he again spotlighted nationalist themes, tariffs on China, and ongoing concerns about Iran and immigration. In 2020, with the COVID-19 crisis dominating global affairs, he delivered a brief prerecorded message attributing the virus’s spread to China.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also slated to speak during the UNGA’s annual high-level week, according to a PTI report earlier this month citing the UN’s provisional speakers list. The 80th session’s General Debate is scheduled for September 23–29, with Brazil customarily opening, followed by the United States.
{Matzav.com}
As Peace Bid Stalls, WH Announces $825M Arms Sale to Ukraine
The Trump administration has authorized an $825 million weapons package for Ukraine, which includes long-range missiles and related equipment aimed at strengthening the country’s defense as U.S.-led peace efforts with Russia remain stalled.
The State Department announced Thursday that Congress was formally notified about the planned sale, which involves 3,350 Extended-Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles, 3,350 GPS navigation units, spare components, replacement parts, accessories, as well as training and technical assistance.
The department stated that Ukraine will cover the costs using funds from NATO partners Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, in addition to U.S. foreign military financing.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the department said in a statement.
The deal was unveiled as Russia escalated its military campaign against Ukraine, despite President Donald Trump meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month to push for a negotiated settlement in the nearly three-year conflict.
On Thursday, Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks in months, firing waves of missiles and drones into Kyiv that killed at least 21 people — including four children — and left nearly 50 others wounded, according to multiple reports.
The large-scale strike, involving more than 600 projectiles, devastated all 10 districts of the Ukrainian capital, damaging residential neighborhoods, EU diplomatic offices, and cultural institutions, including the British Council.
Although Moscow insisted its strikes were aimed at military-industrial targets, civilian zones bore the brunt of the damage. European leaders condemned the assault, summoning Russian diplomats in protest. In response, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency session, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded harsher international sanctions, warning that the global community’s restrained reaction was emboldening Russia.
This arms package follows two previously announced U.S. deals in July: one worth $322 million for air defense upgrades and armored combat vehicles, and another valued at $330 million to supply air defense systems and provide maintenance and repairs for self-propelled artillery units.
{Matzav.com}
Duty-Free No More: Parcels Worth Under $800 No Longer Qualify For A US Tariff Exemption
Dermer To White House: Israel Wants Out Of Gaza – If Conditions Are Met
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, one of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s closest advisers, took on a key role during a White House meeting led by President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss possible plans for governing Gaza after the war, according to a report by Barak Ravid of Axios on Thursday.
Sources with direct knowledge of the session, which included senior figures such as Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said Dermer made it clear that Israel has no plans to permanently occupy Gaza and is not seeking to force the Palestinian Arab population out — despite proposals from some Israeli officials suggesting otherwise.
Instead, Dermer underscored that Israel’s priority is finding a practical and stable replacement for Hamas to manage the territory.
“Dermer’s message was: As long as our conditions are met, we will be flexible about everything else,” one source told Axios.
Dermer’s visit to Washington was aimed at presenting Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff with Israel’s operational strategy for capturing Gaza City while coordinating a significant humanitarian relief effort during the military campaign. Toward the end of the meeting, President Trump reportedly invited Dermer to share his perspective to better understand Israel’s red lines and priorities for the “day-after” phase.
Kushner and Blair, who had already shared ideas with Witkoff and other officials in previous discussions, used the meeting to outline their vision for Gaza’s future administration and rebuilding efforts. “They tried to give an idea of how Gaza could be governed and how you create an environment for investment so that reconstruction can happen,” a source explained. “The goal was to run the ideas by Trump to see if he likes them and want to move forward, so that Witkoff and Rubio can use them.”
President Trump approved continued work on the proposals by Kushner and Blair, but no binding decisions were reached. A central hurdle remains unresolved: determining who would govern Gaza and meet the stringent security and political conditions acceptable to all parties.
Sources familiar with the ongoing efforts noted that Kushner and Blair are still in the early stages of drafting a complete proposal and have not finalized their recommendations. Most importantly, there is no agreement yet on which entity or leadership structure would be responsible for Gaza’s administration and security.
“The goal is for the US to lead the effort to find an internationally accepted governance structure in Gaza that will allow Israel to pull out without deteriorating back to the old reality again from a security standpoint,” one source said.
{Matzav.com}Half of U.S. Voters Say Israel Is Committing “Genocide” in Gaza as Support for Military Aid Collapses
Jewish Activists Accuse NYC Teachers’ Union of Condoning Antisemitism — And Demand They Retract Mamdani Endorsement
Jewish educators and activists sharply criticized the leadership of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) for failing to properly address antisemitism within New York City’s public school system and for endorsing Zohran Mamdani, a politician known for supporting boycotts against Israel, in the mayoral race.
During the heated protest, one frustrated teacher called on colleagues to stop paying union dues, while others demanded that the UFT withdraw its support for Mamdani, the socialist Democratic nominee.
Moshe Spern, who leads the United Jewish Teachers faction within the union, condemned the UFT’s response to antisemitic incidents, particularly last year’s chaos at Hillcrest High School, where a Jewish teacher was forced to hide in a locked room during an anti-Israel riot. He described the union’s actions as inadequate and deeply disappointing.
“Where was the UFT? … It took them almost two weeks to issue a statement, and that statement didn’t even mention antisemitism or the Jewish community,” Spern said Thursday at an “End Jew Hatred” rally held outside the UFT’s downtown headquarters, which was attended by around 40 educators and Jewish civil rights advocates.
“How can we feel safe? When our teachers get attacked, our union says little and does nothing. When our protected rights are infringed upon, our union says little and does nothing. When they need us, they pretend we matter, and when they don’t, they ignore our concerns.”
Spern, himself a high school history teacher, said he was particularly upset with UFT president Michael Mulgrew. His group of Jewish teachers had supported Mulgrew during a contentious re-election battle earlier this year, expecting their backing would lead to stronger representation of Jewish members’ concerns.
Instead, Mulgrew’s leadership endorsed Mamdani — who openly supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel — after Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo and other opponents in the Democratic primary.
“His explanation was that the candidate was the best for the union, but not for its Jewish union members who voted for Mulgrew,” Spern said.
“I’m a history teacher, and this country was founded on the principle of ‘no taxation without representation.’ Guess what? I say the same thing today, on August 28, 2025: let’s make it very clear: No union representation, no union dues!,” he declared.
According to Spern, 150 teachers have already prepared letters to cancel their union membership dues, and he pledged to hand-deliver the letters directly to UFT leadership.
Other speakers at the rally echoed his frustration, saying the UFT has neglected Jewish educators and students for far too long.
“The UFT has failed the Jewish community,” said Michelle Ahdoot, director of programming and strategy at End Jew Hatred NY, which co-organized the protest.
“It seems that the UFT will support you — unless you are a Jew,” Ahdoot added.
“The UFT chose to endorse the candidate for mayor who has refused to denounce anti Semitic rhetoric. This choice is just the latest example of the pattern of neglect and indifference to the equality and inclusion of the Jewish community.”
Activists at the event demanded that the UFT adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, ban hate-filled materials from schools, require mandatory anti-bias training focused on antisemitism, and rescind endorsements for candidates who normalize slogans like “globalize the intifada.”
“We are asking that they retract their endorsement of Zohran Mamdani,” said attendee Lizzie Savetsky.
She criticized Mamdani for failing to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many see as a dangerous incitement encouraging violence against Jews.
In response, a UFT spokesperson defended the union’s history and commitments: “The UFT has a long history of working with, listening to, and protecting the diverse Jewish community in our schools and our city, and we will continue to do so.”
{Matzav.com}
Judge: Evidence Shows Saudis May Have Helped 9/11 Hijackers, Victims’ Lawsuit May Proceed
Trump Blocks $4.9 Billion In Foreign Aid Congress OK’d, Using Maneuver Last Seen Nearly 50 Years Ago
VP Vance Says He’s Ready To Be President If Trump Keels Over, But Insists Donald Is In “Incredibly Good Health”
Chief Rabbi Stresses ‘Blood Covenant’ With Druze Brethren In Meeting of Religious Leaders
Israeli Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Dovid Yosef met with leading figures from Israel’s major faith communities at the Druze “Emergency Center” established by Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif in the village of Julis in the Galilee, a spokesperson for the Chief Rabbinate said.
“We have a blood covenant with the Druze community, and the state must do everything to protect the Druze wherever they are,” Rav Yosef said.
Reports indicate that roughly 780,000 Druze live in Syria’s Sweida province, which has been the scene of severe violence over the past two months. About 1,800 Druze have been killed there, including some by forces loyal to the Syrian government, according to those accounts.
“Here sit the leaders of religions from around the world, and every religion worthy of this name is obligated to sanctify life,” Rav Yosef also said. “We must raise a clear and unequivocal voice: we choose life.”
He also called on fellow religious leaders to speak out for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.
The gathering drew several Muslim clerics and Christian leaders, among them Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III.
“The visit of Rishon LeZion Rabbi Dovid Yosef, together with the heads of the Christian communities and Muslim religious leaders, and their solidarity with the Druze community, is an explicit statement of light against darkness, of good against evil,” Tarif said according to the Chief Rabbinate statement.
“This solidarity is encouraging and serves as a light at the end of the tunnel in the face of the evil and inhumanity that our Druze brothers in Syria have experienced during attempts at annihilation,” he adds.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Reports: IDF Strikes In Yemen Killed Houthi Prime Minister, Potentially Wiped Out Top Political And Military Officials
IDF And Shin Bet Recover Bodies Of Two Murdered Hostages In Gaza; One Identified As Ilan Weiss Hy”d
Elderly Woman Stabbed at Kosher Grocery in Ottawa; Police Investigating Possible Hate Crime
After ‘Snapback’: Iran Offers Nuclear Talks – If West Shows Goodwill
On Thursday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran is prepared to restart “fair” negotiations on its nuclear program if Western governments demonstrate “goodwill”.
He relayed the message in a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, dispatched just hours after the E3 — Britain, France and Germany — declared they would set the “snapback” mechanism in motion to restore UN penalties on Iran.
“Araqchi reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to resume fair and balanced diplomatic negotiations, on the condition that the other parties show seriousness and goodwill and avoid actions that harm the chances of success,” the letter stated, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the day, Britain, France and Germany opened a 30-day process to bring back United Nations sanctions on Iran, citing continuing breaches of the 2015 nuclear accord.
In a communication to the UN Security Council obtained by Reuters, the three governments said they had triggered the snapback mechanism, a procedure that revives sanctions lifted under the agreement. They acted ahead of an October cutoff that would have ended their ability to invoke it.
Their step followed several fruitless rounds with Tehran. The E3 have pushed Iran to restart inspections and substantive diplomacy, which have largely stalled since the 2015 deal unraveled. They tied any extension of the “snapback” to Iran allowing UN inspections to resume, addressing its sizable stockpile of enriched uranium, and reengaging in talks that could involve the United States. Tehran has repeatedly rejected direct talks with Washington.
This week’s discussions were described as tense, with Iranian anger still simmering over the June bombing of its nuclear facilities by the US and Israel, allies of the E3.
A source familiar with the exchanges told Axios’ Barak Ravid that the Iranians “haven’t put tangible detailed deliverables on the table.”
{Matzav.com}Congress Launches Probe Into Wikipedia Bias Amid Allegations of Propaganda and Antisemitism
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