With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. It was some of the firmest guidance yet from the government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the recommendations just one week before Thanksgiving, at a time when diagnosed infections, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing across the country. In many areas, the health care system is being squeezed by a combination of sick patients filling up beds and medical workers falling ill themselves. The CDC’s Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz cited more than 1 million new cases in the U.S.

In an exclusive interview with Axios and Walla reporter Barak Ravid, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, who visited Israel on Wednesday, said that he expects the Biden administration to consult with Bahrain and its other Gulf allies prior to renegotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. Zayani asserted that a new deal with Iran must address not only Iran’s nuclear program but its regional behavior and ballistic missile program as well. “We need to be consulted if the US pursues such an agreement with Iran,” Zayani said. “Any nation concerned by Iran’s belligerence should, and will, make their case.” “We will certainly make our views known,” the Bahraini foreign minister stressed.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggested Thursday that the U.S. “pay people to stay home” to curb the spread of coronavirus. “To get the virus under control, we need to pay people to stay home,” she tweeted. Fellow Socialist “Squad” member Anti-Semite Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., had another suggestion: “We need to send every American a check until this crisis is over.” To get the virus under control, we need to pay people to stay home. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 19, 2020 We need to send every American a check until this crisis is over. — Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) November 19, 2020 (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The UK’s main opposition Labour party began a new battle on Wednesday over anti-Semitism, as its new leader Keir Starmer took a hardline stance on ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters. Corbyn was suspended from the party last month for publicly minimizing the issue of anti-Semitism in Labour under his leadership, contrary to the resolute conclusions of a recent report on the issue. But in a surprise move less than three weeks later, a five-member panel of Labour officials made a decision on Tuesday to reinstate Corbyn’s membership after he issued a more conciliatory statement on the matter. The move enraged Jewish leaders and members, who had abandoned the party en masse under Corbyn’s rule.

NYPD Captain Richie Taylor was promoted to Deputy Inspector – making him now the highest ranking Yarmulka-wearing member in the NYPD history. Taylor, who lives in Flatbush, was appointed around six months ago as the NYPD’s Liaison to the Jewish Community working out of Police Headquarters. Sources tell YWN that Taylor will continue working at the Community Affairs Bureau, but in a higher position. Taylor is an incredible person devoted to his wife, children and his job, but most of all, he continues making a Kiddush Hashem each day, as he helps thousands of New Yorkers while representing the Jewish community. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel is developing a strategy to shape the policy of the Biden administration on a new Iran nuclear deal, Axios reported on Wednesday. The report, which quoted two Knesset members and two other senior government officials, said that Israeli officials maintain that is almost definite that President-elect Joe Biden will reenter the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. “Biden intends to return to the deal if Iran returns to compliance and then attempt to negotiate a broader, longer-lasting agreement,” the officials said.

President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Thursday aggressively made the case for the Trump campaign’s legal challenge of the 2020 election results, alleging in a fiery news conference that there was a “centralized” plan to carry out voter fraud around the country. While Giuliani did not present any direct evidence of a massive fraud scheme, Giuliani asserted that this is the “logical conclusion” reached as a result of incidents he said took place in several states. His descriptions largely entailed recitations of allegations put forth in several lawsuits that the Trump campaign has filed.

A massive fire is burning in industrial buildings in Middletown, NY, Thursday morning. The fire is in a complex on Midland Avenue that houses a movie studio, and other commercial/industrial businesses – including some owned by Jews. The building also has an Amazon warehouse. Embers of the fire have started a large brush fire nearby. Firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze as of 12:30PM. The cause of the fire was unknown. JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it’s “just a matter of time” until the state orders a halt to indoor dining. A shutdown likely will come “in the next week or two,” de Blasio said Thursday at a news briefing. On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo had warned that the entire city could be placed into the state’s orange-zone category of Covid-19 problem areas, which means indoor dining must cease and outdoor dining must be limited to four people per table. Restaurants were closed for more than five months during the initial outbreak, and have been limited to 25% capacity since Sept. 30. The orange zone would apply to New York City if the state calculation for seven-day average positive tests reaches 3%.

Senior Israeli government officials are preparing a list of key demands for the “day after,” in anticipation of renewed international negotiations with Iran, Yisrael Hayom reported on Wednesday. According to the report, Israeli officials insist that they have resigned themselves to the fact that the US and other countries will be resuming negotiations with Iran in the near future regardless of who is the next US president. The list has not been made public but the demands are expected to include measures to ensure Iran does not obtain vital materials for the nuclear fission process, a complete halt to Iran’s missile program, a considerable extension of the timetable of the agreement, and a commitment by Iran to cease all support for terror.