(WASHINGTON) -- The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. is "really not good," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said Monday amid an alarming rise in new cases and hospitalizations. His comments were in stark contrast with those of President Donald Trump, who has sought to play down the danger in states where governors and mayors are struggling to control outbreaks after reopening -- outbreaks the president has called "embers." Fauci said the current state of the pandemic in the U.S. is worsening in part because, unlike Europe, states and cities in the U.S. moved to reopen before the country sufficiently lowered the number of cases. Several states in the south and west have seen surges in the number of people testing positive in recent we...
(NEW YORK) -- International students studying in the United States on an F-1 or M-1 student visa won't be able to continue their studies in the fall if their school only offers online classes, according to an announcement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The ruling comes as schools across the country attempt to navigate how to safely reopen this fall as COVID-19 cases continue to tick upward in many areas. Students enrolled in a school "operating entirely online" must either leave the country or transfer to a school that is offering in-person classes, ICE said. "If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings," a news release said. The Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exch...
It's time to do your taxes - no more delays. As the coronavirus pandemic took hold this spring, the federal government postponed the traditional April 15 filing deadline until July 15. The move provided some economic and logistic relief for taxpayers dealing with the disruptions and uncertainty brought on by lockdowns, school closures and shuttered businesses. But now that new deadline is rapidly approaching. Taxpayers must file or seek an extension by the new deadline or face a penalty. The IRS is expecting about 150 million returns from individuals, and as of last count, it had received almost 139 million. So for those of you still waiting to file, make a payment or with other questions, a few answers: ___ DO I HAVE TO? Yes. In most cases, you must file and pay your taxes by ...
United Hatzalah volunteers and ambulance team performed CPR on two people who were shot on Marja Street in Zemer.  United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Anuar Kabha who was one of the ambulance staff at the scene relayed: "When I arrived at the scene together with the team from the United Hatzalah ambulance, we found two people, one in their 20s and the other in their 60s who were suffering from gunshot wounds. We performed CPR on them. At the end of a length resuscitation effort, they were unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene due to the severity of the injuries that they suffered."  
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen in Baghdad shot dead a well-known former government advisor and political analyst near his home on Monday in a rare high-profile killing in the Iraqi capital, government officials, police sources and medics said. The government officials described the killing of Hisham al-Hashemi, who had written about politics, Islamic State and the role of Iran-backed militias in Iraq, as a targeted killing but did not point the finger at any particular group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Hashemi’s killing. It comes at a time of rising tension between the new government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and powerful Iran-backed militias and political parties who oppose him and accuse him of siding with the United States. Police sources said tw...
North Korea has no intention to sit down with the United States and is urging South Korea to “stop meddling,” a senior diplomat said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’ said on Saturday that North Korea does not feel the need for a new summit, days after South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who had offered to mediate between Kim and Trump, suggested the two leaders meet again before the US elections in November. “Explicitly speaking once again, we have no intention to sit face to face with the United States,” he stressed. Read more at Arutz Sheva.
In Bamidbar 28:10 the posuk teaches us that every Shabbos had its Korban Olah. The Gemara in Sukka 41b asks why is the mitzvah of taking a lulav pushed off on Shabbos? Isn’t it just moving something that might be muktza, which should not be a problem on Shabbos? Rava answers that we are worried the person might take it in his hand and go to his Rebbe to teach him the bracha or ask for guidance how to shake it and he will carry it 4 amos in reshus horabim. This reason also applies to Shofar and Megilah on Shabbos. The question that arises seems obvious; how can we read the Torah every Shabbos in S...
Jerusalem, Israel - July 7, 2020 - Due to the rise in COVID-19 infection rates, many new restrictions were announced yesterday afternoon. However, due to the government process, some of the restrictions were made effective immediately, and some only go into effect today and tomorrow. Here is the complete breakdown: Effective immediately: - Houses of worship - up to 19 people - Government Ministries and Government companies - at least 30% of staff should work from home, according to rules to be set by the Civil Service Commissioner.- Organized sport events without spectators - Organized summer activities for kids and teenagers limited to 20 kids per group Going into effect 2:00 pm Tuesday afternoon:- Closure of clubs and bars- Restaurants up to 20 people inside and 30 outside- Cl...
Florida’s top school official issued a sweeping executive order Monday requiring all schools in the state to reopen their buildings for in-person instruction for the coming school year, even as coronavirus cases in the state continued to rise.  Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, a Republican and former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, issued the order Monday. “School districts and charter school governing boards must provide the full array of services that are required by law so that families who wish to educate their children in a brick and mortar school full time have the opportunity to do so,” the order states. Many districts, including the Miami-Dade school system, have proposed offering options for schooling, including hybrid models tha...
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Monday that the United States is considering banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, one of the world’s most popular online platforms. Noting that India had recently banned dozens of Chinese apps, Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Pompeo whether the Trump administration was exploring similar action against TikTok, which has around 30 million active American users. “We’re certainly looking at it,” Pompeo said, adding that the administration was taking the issue “very seriously.” “With the respect to Chinese apps on people’s cellphones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right.” He added, “I don’t want to get out in front of the president, but it&rsquo...
Agudath Israel of America expresses its deep disappointment with Chief U.S. District Judge, Glenn Suddaby’s ruling to keep New York State overnight camps closed this summer.   Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah's New York Government Relations Director, said, “The impact on children is devastating. Instead of looking forward to a summer of growth, filled with learning experiences and preparation for an upcoming school year, many children of our community will now be forced to endure a continuation of the long-lasting lockdowns imposed by the State Government."
The white woman who falsely claimed she was threatened by a black birdwatcher who asked her to leash her dog in Manhattan’s Central Park was charged Monday with filing a false report, the Manhattan district attorney said. Amy Cooper, 41, gained national notoriety in late May after she was captured in a now-infamous video threatening to call police on the man, stating, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” The exchange went viral after it was posted online, drawing comparisons to the case of Emmett Till and sparking discourse about the ways that white people weaponize authorities against black people who have done nothing wrong. Cooper was charged Monday with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, District ...
President Donald Trump was right with his Independence Day claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless,” his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said Monday. “I don’t even know that it’s a generalization,” Meadows said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.” “When you start to look at the stats and look at all the numbers we have, the amount of testing that we have, the vast majority of people are safe from this.” Meadows said that when one looks at the deaths from coronavirus, “if you’re over 80 years of age or if you have three of what they call co-morbidities: diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, then you need to be very, very careful.” But beyond that, “the risks are extremely low,” said...
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined an invitation from the White House to celebrate a new trade agreement between North American countries. Trudeau, along with President Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, were scheduled to meet on Wednesday, but the Canadian leader will instead conduct online meetings with Cabinet officials as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise. “The entry-into-force of the new NAFTA is good for Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It will help ensure that North America emerges stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic,” a spokesman for Trudeau said in a statement, according to Bloomberg. “We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday’s meeting. While there were recent discussions about the poss...
Israel has filed a NIS523 million (nearly $152 million) lawsuit with the Tel Aviv District Court against German car manufacturers Volkswagen, Audi, and its local distributor Champion Motors Ltd. for “alleged fraud and negligence,” according to CTech. The lawsuit claims that between 2008-2016 there were 12,000 Volkswagen and Audi cars imported into Israel with EA189 engines installed with fraudulent software to alter gas emission information. Volkswagen and its affiliated companies allegedly used the fraudulent data to misguide Israeli authorities into believing that the imported vehicles were up to the country’s environmental standards. “If not for the low emission data, the vehicles would not have received the required approval, although they apparently met the ...
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Monday that he believes there will be a fifth coronavirus relief bill, as the country sees an uptick in the number of cases. “We will be taking a look at — in the Senate in a couple of weeks — another package based on the conditions that we confront today,” McConnell said in Louisville, Ky. Republicans are expected to make a final decision on a fifth coronavirus bill once they return to Washington from a two-week break on July 20. But McConnell said on Monday that he was “likely” to introduce a bill in a few weeks. Read more at The Hill.
 Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio for weakening the police department, allowing crime to run rampant across the city. “This mayor is atrocious,” Kelly told John Catsimatidis on his 77 WABC radio show in a Sunday interview. “If I had a magic wand I’d remove him. But, unfortunately, what’s waiting in the wings is no better.” Kelly called the New York City Council’s cutting $1 billion from the police department a “kind of kabuki financing,” adding “we have de Blasio here for another 18 months.” Read more at THE NY POST.
Baltimore, MD – July 6, 2020 - It is with sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petira of Charles Moskowitz, z’l, father of Michael Moskowitz. The Levayah will take place at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery in St. Louis, MO, Tuesday morning @ 9AM.   Shiva by phone only: Please call (443) 379-0176 between 9-11 AM and 2-8PM through morning of July 13 Bila HaMaves LaNetzach...
Baltimore, MD – July 6, 2020 – This afternoon at  approximately 4:00, a 19 year-old male with his 2 young nephews, ages 12 and 8, were riding their bikes on Northbrook Road when a group of teens came upon them, threatened them with a knife and stole their bikes. Baltimore County Police were called and in very short order caught the perpetrators on Seven Mile Lane between Park Heights & Reisterstown Road. After Baltimore County Police quickly apprehended the thieves that stole his bike, 8-year-old Mayer Elefant was given a tour of a Baltimore County Police car by one of the officers on scene.
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