More than 11 million cases of the coronavirus have now been reported in the United States, with the most recent million coming in less than a week. Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker reached 11 million on Sunday. It had topped 10 million cases on Nov. 9. It took 300 days for the U.S. to hit the 11 million mark since the first case was diagnosed in Washington state on Jan. 20. COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly across the U.S. than it has at any time since the pandemic started. Deaths are also on the rise, though not at the record high numbers reached in the spring. The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths was more than 1,080 as of Saturday, more than 30% higher than it was two weeks earlier.

Israel announced on Monday that it is sending the second Israeli astronaut in history into outer space at the end of 2021. Eytan Stibbe, an entrepreneur who founded Vital Capital Fund and a former Israeli Air Force fighter pilot, will blast off on a scientific mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Stibbe will spend about 200 hours in space, carrying out scientific experiments incorporating Israeli technology and scientific developments. He will begin training for the mission in the near future and will be undergoing intense training in the three months prior to the mission in the US, Germany, and Russia.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday said he will be reducing indoor and outdoor gathering limits because of the COVID-19 resurgence. The Democrat said on MSNBC that he will order indoor gatherings to fall from 25 to 10 and outdoor get-togethers from 500 to 150 people. The new indoor limit goes into effect Tuesday, while the outdoor level kicks in Nov. 23. The following indoor gatherings may continue under the current rules – limited to 25% of a room’s capacity, up to 150 people: Religious services/celebrations and political events Weddings – Funerals/memorial services Performances The lower levels come just before Thanksgiving and ahead of the winter holidays.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al- Zayani is visiting Israel on Wednesday, the first official visit by a Bahraini official, arriving on the same day as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Walla News reported on Sunday. A trilateral meeting will be held in Jerusalem, with the participation of Al-Zayani, Pompeo, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Foreign Minster Gabi Ashkenazi and Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani, who is accompanying the foreign minister on the trip, will also participate in the meeting. Israeli officials are working on a final aviation agreement for direct flights between Israel and Bahrain to be signed at the meeting on Wednesday.

Yaakov Litzman will once again be the Housing and Construction Minister, it was announced on Monday afternoon. The decision was made after he consulted with the Gerrer Rebbe, and Litzman met with PM Netanyahu. As YWN reported in September, Litzman resigned after a lockdown was ordered over the Yomim Tovim. Litzman claimed at the time that a lockdown should have been implemented a month earlier instead of during the Yomim Tovim, and the government failed to do because it would “ruin summer vacation for Israeli tourists”. Litzman is no stranger to resigning in protest and then returning a few months later. In November 2017, Litzman resigned as Health Minister over Chillul Shabbos. He returned a while later in that incident as well.

For the second time this month, there’s promising news from a COVID-19 vaccine candidate: Moderna said Monday its shots provide strong protection, a dash of hope against the grim backdrop of coronavirus surges in the U.S. and around the world. Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from the company’s still ongoing study. A week ago, competitor Pfizer Inc. announced its own COVID-19 vaccine appeared similarly effective — news that puts both companies on track to seek permission within weeks for emergency use in the U.S. Dr. Stephen Hoge, Moderna’s president, welcomed the “really important milestone” but said having similar results from two different companies is what’s most reassuring.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left Friday on a ten-day trip to US allies in Europe and the Middle East, including Israel. According to a Walla News report on Thursday, Pompeo will visit the Golan Heights as well as Shomron and Yehudah during his visit to Israel, the first US secretary of state to do so. The US Secret Service, officials at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and Israel’s Shin Bet are preparing for the historic visit. Previous U.S. high-ranking officials have always avoided visiting the Shomron and the Golan Heights due to their “disputed status.” The US recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights in March 2019 and later that year, in November, Pompeo annulled the 1978 U.S.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo – who is responsible for the deaths of THOUSANDS in nursing homes – on Sunday blasted the Trump administration over its plan for distributing a COVID vaccine, saying the plan violates the constitutional rights of minorities and that the state will sue if it’s not changed. Cuomo repeated his threat to sue the Trump administration as he invoked Martin Luther King, Jr. during Sunday remarks about the COVID outbreak at historic Riverside Church in Manhattan. “The Rev. Dr. King, who spoke in this magnificent church, said of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane because it often results in physical death,” Cuomo said. “COVID proved Dr.

After pouring more than $1.2 billion of his personal fortune into presidential politics this election, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has little to show for it. His only win during a short-lived Democratic bid for the White House was in the territory of American Samoa. And after pledging to spend “whatever it takes” to defeat President Donald Trump, he routed $110 million to Florida, Ohio and Texas — all states that President-elect Joe Biden lost. Bloomberg, who built a media and financial services empire before turning to electoral politics, has long used his $55 billion in estimated wealth to play kingmaker, with no shortage of candidates and causes seeking favor.

Israel signed an official contract with Pfizer on Friday for the purchase of eight million of its coronavirus vaccine doses. The eight million doses will be enough for only four million Israelis since each person requires two doses of the vaccine. According to a Ynet report, Israel requested 18.5 million doses but Pfizer is unable to supply more than 8 million due to prior contracts in the US and Europe. The vaccines should begin arriving in Israel in January, subject to FDA and Israel’s Health Ministry approval. Pfizer is expected to apply for FDA approval at the end of November. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Wednesday in an effort to finalize a deal and the two discussed Bourla’s Jewish heritage.