An unusual standoff between Attorney General William Barr and Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor ended Saturday when the prosecutor agreed to leave his job with an assurance that investigations by the prosecutor’s office into the president’s allies would not be disturbed. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman announced in an early evening statement that he would leave his post, ending increasingly nasty exchanges between Barr and Berman. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, had distanced himself from the dispute, telling reporters the decision “was all up to the attorney general.” The whirlwind chain of events began Friday night, when Barr announced that Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, had resigned.

In an incredible find, the actual Matzievos Of HaRav Levi Yitzchok of Barditchev and his three sons were uncovered during construction work on the gravesite that took place during the months of March and April when COVID-19 was hitting hardest. The Kevarim were unearthed from below the original Ohel where they had been for around  120 years until the Holocaust – from the time they were buried. The Chabad Rabbi of the city, Rabbi Moshe Teller together with head Shaliach to western Ukraine Rabbi Shlomo Willhelm visited the Kevarim and explained what transpired. The work was initiated by Rabbi Teller, who decided to redo the gravesite and renew part of the Jewish cemetery in the city. Rabbi Teller decided to remove the floor so as to install underground heating in the site.

NYC Mayor DeBlasio blasted the NYC Police Unions on Tuesday – even going so far as calling one of them “racist”. DeBlasio made the explosive comment in response one of New York City’s police unions said officers were “intentionally poisoned” and another warned cops couldn’t even have a meal without “coming under attack” after officers were sickened by a toxic substance in milkshakes from a Shake Shack – which later turned out to be no criminality involved. Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed the unions over what they’d said. “I would think the unions would trust the NYPD to find the truth, and I thank Chief Harrison for so rapidly getting the truth out. These union leaders don’t want the truth.

U.S. airline passengers who refuse to wear facial coverings during the novel coronavirus pandemic could have their flying privileges revoked, the industry’s main lobby group said on Monday. Major U.S. airlines may prevent anyone not wearing a mask from boarding and provide the coverings to passengers who have none. Once on board, however, flight attendants have little power to enforce the policy if passengers remove their masks. Carriers with the policy include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, Airlines for America said in a statement.

New York recorded its lowest one-day coronavirus death toll and hospitalization total since the early days of the crisis in March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday. The western part of the state and the Capital region are poised to enter the third phase of reopening next week, he said. The state tallied 32 virus-related deaths on Friday, a slight decrease from the previous day after some recent fluctuations in the daily toll. The daily death tally peaked at 799 on April 8. On Friday, there were 1,734 people being treated for the disease in hospitals across the state, the fewest since March 20. The state has gone from having the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country to one of the lowest, Cuomo said. “We’ve done it. We have tamed the beast.

Harav Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, contracted the coronavirus and is hospitalized in a local hospital in Moscow. However, he is only having mild symptoms and is in good condition. “The Rav was hospitalized in order to be monitored in a hospital in Moscow due to mild symptoms of the coronavirus,” Rav Lazar’s office stated. “The Rav is scheduled to be released in two days. The Chief Rabbi’s office thanks the community for the tefillos and concern.” Last week, the Rav began to develop symptoms of the coronavirus and was transferred to a Moscow hospital on erev Shabbos. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Rav Lazar had strictly adhered to all health regulations and has provided for the needs of the Jews in Russia during the coronavirus pandemic.

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams [who is black] blasted Mayor Delasio’s handling of the NYC protests – accusing the mayor of using his biracial family as a political shield. “This is me talking, like, you can no longer hide behind your black wife and children, not anymore,” Williams said during a press conference streamed on Facebook Friday. “You’re exposed now. We are at a time when we need your leadership. It is not there,” Williams said. Williams’ rebuke comes a day after de Blasio was booed off the stage at a George Floyd memorial in Brooklyn. When the mayor attempted to tell the crowd, “Black lives matter in New York,” one heckler shouted, “Not to you!” even as McCray stood by de Blasio’s side. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

There are currently 17,429 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Israel, an increase of 118 cases in the past 24 hours, with 30 in serious condition, of whom 23 are ventilated. The number of active cases has risen to 2,191, including 301 students and teachers. The death toll has risen to 291. Israel’s Kupot Cholim (HMOs) are complaining to the health ministry that their labs can’t handle the flood of coronavirus tests this week, a Channel 12 News report said on Thursday. During the height of the coronavirus crisis, the health ministry coordinated all the coronavirus tests and it was only given over to the Kupot Cholim at a later stage.

There are currently 17,377 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Israel, an increase of 92 cases in the past 24 hours, with 27 in serious condition, of whom 25 are ventilated. The number of active cases has risen to 2,103. The death toll has risen to 291. As more and more students and teachers of schools in Jerusalem – most of them in the south of the city – have been diagnosed with the virus, there has also been a rise of coronavirus cases in the capital. A senior health ministry official told Channel 13 News that Israel is on the verge of a serious coronavirus outbreak, with most of the cases in Jerusalem. The official said that the new cases are not only being diagnosed in students.

SpaceX delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday, following up a historic liftoff with an equally smooth docking in yet another first for Elon Musk’s company. With test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken poised to take over manual control if necessary, the SpaceX Dragon capsule pulled up to the station and docked automatically, no assistance needed. The linkup occurred 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the China-Mongolia border. ”Congratulations on a phenomenal accomplishment and welcome to the International Space Station,” SpaceX Mission Control radioed from Hawthorne, California. It was the first time a privately built and owned spacecraft carried astronauts to the orbiting lab in its nearly 20 years.