President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus – making him the highest-ranking official to test positive so far. That’s according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it by name. The White House confirmed that O’Brien has mild symptoms and “has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,” adding that: “There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President” and that the “work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.” The news was first reported by Bloomberg News, which said O’Brien came down with the virus after a family event.

The Health Ministry reported a new record number of 2,085 new coronavirus cases on Thursday in the previous 24 hours, a “red line” sign that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had stated would call for a return to a lockdown – over 2,000 new cases in one day. The number of active cases has risen to 32,755 active cases, with 295 seriously ill patients – a number that is also above the “red line” that the prime minister previously announced – that if the number of seriously ill patients reaches 250, strict measures will have to be taken. There are 79 patients on ventilators and the death toll has risen to 433. Prof.

A man was taken into Secret Service custody Thursday morning outside of Ivanka Trump’s Washington, D.C. home. The young man was seen in a black Mercedes parked outside of the home. Uniformed Secret Service agents were seen pulling the man out of his car, cuffing him and putting him in a van. Ivanka was nowhere near the confrontation as she is currently in Denver, Colorado, for a two-day tour. Her husband Jared Kushner was seen emerging from the home about 10 minutes after the confrontation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Health Ministry reported 1,414 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, raising the number of active patients to 27,729. The number of seriously ill patients has surged to 238 and the number of ventilated patients has jumped to 62. Six more deaths were recorded overnight, raising the death toll to 406. Prof. Gavriel Barbash, the former CEO of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and former Health Ministry Director-General, is expected to be appointed as Israel’s coronavirus commissioner to manage the coronavirus crisis, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday, adding that an agreement has not yet been signed but is in its final stages.

New York City Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council Tuesday for a spike in shootings this summer, telling Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones: “The city has given our streets back.” “Our city council, our mayor’s office, and the state legislature have handcuffed police officers and given the street back to the criminals.” WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is the latest national chain to require all customers to wear masks. The change will start next week. Starbucks said last week that it will require customers to wear facial coverings or masks in all 9,000 of its company-owned US stores beginning Wednesday. Best Buy announced Tuesday that it will also require all shoppers coming into its approximately 1,000 stores to wear face masks. Costco began requiring its members to wear masks in stores beginning in May. (AP)

President Donald Trump has apparently embraced a more natural look during the coronavirus pandemic and allowed his famously blond hair to fade to gray. The president, 74, is known for his interest in maintaining his appearance with a year-long tan and perfectly positioned hair. As Trump emerged for a briefing in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, there was a notable difference in his hair color from his pre-pandemic days. Just a few months ago, the president was still boasting a mop of blonde hair with often noticeable roots showing the difference between his bottle blonde and natural color. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The number of New Yorkers hospitalized with the coronavirus fell to the lowest point in nearly four months, state officials said Saturday. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo is predicting a new increase in cases amid outbreaks in other states. “The only question is how far up our rate goes,” Cuomo said in an interview with WAMC radio on Friday. “You can’t have it all across the country and not come back.” The governor acknowledged the limitations in enforcing quarantine rules for travelers returning from states with rising rates of transmission. The travel advisory currently applies to people entering New York from 19 states, including California, Texas and Florida. “How do you catch somebody driving in, right? I mean, it’s very very difficult, it’s trying to catch water in a screen,” Cuomo said.

Israelis throughout Judea and Samaria as well as Yerushalayim were woken up to the sound of fireworks going off. The loud noises, which sound very close to gunshots, began just before 8:00 a.m. on Shabbos morning and continued throughout the day until just before 11:00 p.m. in many areas. Residents in many Jewish communities complained about the noise and municipalities and regional council hurried to alert their citizens that the noise were indeed just fireworks. The fireworks were launched by Palestinian Muslims in celebration of the end of the school year. The firing of the explosives worried many residents as it is highly unusual for such celebrations to begin that early in the morning and continue on for the entire day.

Israel hit a new high on Wednesday as 1,319 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed in 24 hours. There was also a spike in the number of seriously ill patients, from 89 to 107 in 24 hours, with 36 on ventilators. Another 82 patients are in moderate condition. Five more deaths were recorded since Tuesday morning, raising the death toll to 343. There have been twelve deaths in the past two days. Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) entered quarantine on Wednesday morning after he discovered that he was in contact with a coronavirus carrier or Sunday evening. The restrictions on public transportation went into effect on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.