A Jewish man was assaulted in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Sources tell YWN that an Orthodox Jewish man was walking home from a Shabbos meal at around 3:30PM, when a vehicle occupied by three white/Hispanic men passed him on Kings Highway and East 27th Street. The vehicle stopped, and anti-Semitic slurs such as “(expletive removed) Jew” were hurled at him. The victim verbally responded to the suspects, at which point they exited the vehicle, surrounded him and viciously beat him. He was taken to Community Hospital (across the street), where he was treated for facial trauma, and received stitches on his face. He also suffered a broken finger. The suspects fled the area in the vehicle. A description of the suspects will be published when available.

Many overnight summer camps are using various “loopholes” in the existing executive order, in which they were given temporary residence permits to operate this summer. On Friday, New York State issued new regulations, which will make it nearly impossible for many camps to continue to operate. Additionally, YWN has learned of at least two camps that were given “cease and desist orders” by the State. It remains to be seen what action the State will take, and what the response of the camps will be. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Bronx Zoo and New York City’s aquarium are set to reopen this month, but New York City is canceling street fairs, outdoor concerts, parades and other big events through September as local officials try to keep city blocks open for restaurants and the public. Large outdoor gatherings have been officially banned in New York since the spring, though thousands have taken to city streets to protest against police brutality. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that the city’s ban will exempt “demonstrations, religious events and press conferences.” “Look this is always an area of real sensitivity here,” de Blasio said in a CNN appearance, in response to a question about whether protests would be allowed.

A tropical storm warning has been issued from Cape May, New Jersey to Rhode Island, including Long Island and Long Island Sound, as Tropical Storm Fay has developed off the coast of North Carolina and is moving up the coast. A flash flood watch has also been issued for New York City, Long Island and several counties in New York and New Jersey for Friday. The National Hurricane Center says Fay is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rain along and near the track of Fay across the mid-Atlantic states into southeast New York and southern New England. These rains may result in flash flooding where the heaviest amounts occur. Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area on Friday and spread northward through the warning area Friday night.

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on the heels of a newspaper photo showing him eating at a Manhattan restaurant weeks after being released from prison into home confinement. His attorney told NBC News that his detention could be connected to a photo of him that appeared on the front page of The New York Post eating outside his Manhattan residence, where he was supposed to be under home confinement. Cohen was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal jail, NBC News reported. Cohen was recently released from prison after raising concerns he could catch the coronavirus. (AP)

Mayor Bill de Blasio says the state attorney general’s recommendation to have a commission oversee the city’s police department “just won’t work.” “In terms of that particular proposal, I don’t think it will work. I think it would be counterproductive,” de Blasio said Thursday. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the NYPD’s recent interactions with protesters and shared her preliminary findings Wednesday. “The police should not police themselves, period. It requires change, and it requires reform, and it requires transparency and accountability,” she said. “At this point in time, why is this one agency treated so differently than all of the others?” Among her recommendations, James called for a separate commission to appoint the police commissioner.

A massive yellow mural spelling “Black Lives Matter” was painted In the middle of 5th Avenue between 56th and 57th Street in the shadow of Trump Tower, Thursday morning. Joining the organizers to fill in the yellow paint, was the Socialist NYC Mayor, Bill DeBlasio. He was joined by “Reverend” Al Sharpton, one of the biggest anti-Semites NYC has ever seen. Responding to President Trump’s remarks last week where he said a Black Lives Matter mural will denigrate the luxury of 5th Ave, DeBlasio said the mural is “liberating 5th Avenue… we are uplifting 5th Avenue”. For those that are unaware, or need a reminder, Shaprton is the rabid anti-Semite, who fueled the Crown Heights riots 27 years ago that ended with the murder of Yankel Rosenbaum HY”D.

Renters are nearing the end of their financial rope. People who rent have largely been able to survive the initial months of the pandemic helped by unemployment and federal relief checks. But the extra $600 in unemployment benefits ceases at the end of July and local eviction moratoriums are expiring. There is no agreement between the White House and Congress on a second federal relief package. More broadly, there are fewer supports in place for renters than for homeowners. And as a jump in virus cases in numerous states nationwide adds more uncertainty to the economy and job market, many who rent are facing a precarious future.

Changing Gears: Bike4Chai 2020 Rides into Uncharted Territory to Benefit Children of Chai Lifeline On Thursday, August 13, nearly 500 cyclists will ride more than 50,000 combined miles as part of Bike4Chai. Now in its 11th year, the annual cycling event raises funds for Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health support network which provides emotional, social, and financial assistance to children with life-threatening and lifelong illnesses and their families. “Bike4Chai is one of the world’s largest experiential fundraisers,” said Yoel Margolese, director of Bike4Chai.

Still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and street protests over the police killing of George Floyd, exhausted cities around the nation are facing yet another challenge: a surge in shootings that has left dozens dead, including young children. The spike defies easy explanation, experts say, pointing to the toxic mix of issues facing America in 2020: an unemployment rate not seen in a generation, a pandemic that has killed more than 130,000 people, stay-at-home orders, rising anger over police brutality, intense stress, even the weather. “I think it’s just a perfect storm of distress in America,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms after a weekend of bloodshed in her city.