Greater New York Black Lives Matter president Hawk Newsome joined “The Story” Wednesday to discuss the direction of the movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody and the subsequent demonstrations across the country, many of which have sparked destruction and violence. “You … have said that violence is sometimes necessary in these situations,” host Martha MacCallum told Newsome. “What exactly is it that you hope to achieve through violence?” “Wow, it’s interesting that you would pose that question like that,” Newsome responded, “because this country is built upon violence. What was the American Revolution, what’s our diplomacy across the globe? “We go in and we blow up countries and we replace their leaders with leaders who we like.

Kentucky and New York had primaries Tuesday, but the winners of the closest races probably won’t be known until next week. What’s going on? Get used to it. Slow vote counts and delayed results are a feature of elections during the pandemic and are likely to continue into the general election in November, when many election officials say that, absent a landslide, it won’t be clear who won the presidential election for several days. “Americans need to learn a little patience,” said Josh Douglas, a law professor at the University of Kentucky who studies voter rights. “The fact of not knowing who won right away is the process actually working.” WHAT’S THE HOLDUP?

Over the past 17 years, thousands of travelers have made use of the Tefilas Mordche Mincha Area on the New York State Thruway, stopping on their way upstate for evening prayer services. Named in memory of my esteemed father, Rabbi Mordechai Friedman, who dedicated his life to community service and to the Mincha Area in particular, the Sloatsburg rest stop has provided motorists with a safe location for prayer as they headed to the Catskills on Thursday nights. Having worked closely with the New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Police and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, we are once again able to open the Mincha Area at the rest stop’s upper deck on June 25th, albeit with certain pandemic-related restrictions in place.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Mrs Marta Schron A”H, the wife of Reb Ruby Schron. She was 75. Mrs Schron suffered from an illness which took a rapid turn for the worse this week, and was Niftar on Wednesday night at Maimonides Hospital, leaving her friends and family shocked and in mourning. Mrs Schron (nee Schraub), was an East-Sider, having grown up in the same apartment building – just two doors away from the Late Posek Hador, Hagaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein. She married Reb Ruby Schron, and settled in Flatbush, where their lives revolved around the Mirrer Yeshiva, and were extremely close to the Roshei Yeshiva and Magidei Shiurim. The family became a fixture in the Yeshiva, with R’ Ruby and Marta A”H davening there for more than a half a century.

President Donald Trump’s brother is asking a New York City judge to prevent the president’s niece from publishing a tell-all book, which is expected to be released later this month. In court papers, Robert Trump’s lawyers argue that Mary Trump and others had signed a settlement agreement in the late 1990s that included a confidentially clause explicitly saying they would not “publish any account concerning the litigation or their relationship,” unless they all agreed. The settlement agreement related to the will of Donald Trump’s father, New York real estate developer Fred Trump. “Confidentiality was at the essence of the Settlement agreement,” the court papers say.

The Macy’s July 4th fireworks will go forward, but with a twist meant to keep spectators from congregating in large numbers during the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor said Tuesday. There will be a series of “unannounced displays” around the city leading up to the Fourth, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news briefing. “With heights reaching up to 1,000 feet from some firing locations, staying close to home and following social distancing guidelines is the best way to enjoy the show,” de Blasio said. The mayor described the fireworks as “5-minute surprise displays” that will culminate in a national television broadcast featuring a final fireworks celebration and music performances.

In this exclusive interview, Rav Yeruchim Silber, New York State Director of Government Affairs for Agudth Israel of America, discusses the lawsuit brought by frum camps against Governor Cuomo. In this interview Rabbi Silber discusses: Whether Jewish camps are protected by religious freedom Why there was no public campaign to pressure Cuomo Why the lawsuit was not filed earlier The difference between day camps and sleepaway (or lack thereof) And much more Listen and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and Podbean.

A Federal Judge in NY has just scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday regarding summer camps. As YWN has been reporting, following New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s crushing decision to disallow overnight camps this summer, the Agudath Israel of America-led Association of Jewish Camp Operators (AJCO) and several parents filed suit in federal court to overturn that decision. Two days later, the AJCO requested a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to ask the court to immediately open overnight camps in New York State. On Wednesday morning, a court hearing was scheduled for next Tuesday. CLICK HERE TO READ THE DECLARATION BY RABBI MEIR FRISCHMAN, FOUNDER OF AJCO CLICK HERE TO READ THE MEMO OF LAW (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The New York City Marathon scheduled for Nov. 1 was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. New York Road Runners announced the cancellation of the world’s largest marathon after coordinating with the mayor’s office and deciding the race posed too many health and safety concerns for runners, volunteers, spectators and others. “While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city, I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021.” Last year’s marathon included a world record 53,640 finishers.

New York, Connecticut and New Jersey will require visitors from states with high infection rates to quarantine for 14 days, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. “We now have to make sure the rates continue to drop,” Cuomo said. “We also have to make sure the virus doesn’t come on a plane again.” Cuomo announced what was called a “travel advisory” at a briefing jointly via video feeds with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, both fellow Democrats. The states’ health departments will provide details of how the rule will work, Murphy said. The announcement comes as summer travel to the states’ beaches, parks and other attractions — not to mention New York City — would normally swing into high gear.