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.

An explosion that rattled Iran’s capital came from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites, satellite photographs showed Saturday. What exploded in the incident early Friday that sent a massive fireball into the sky near Tehran remains unclear, as does the cause of the blast. The unusual response of the Iranian government in the aftermath of the explosion, however, underscores the sensitive nature of an area near where international inspectors believe the Islamic Republic conducted high-explosive tests two decades ago for nuclear weapon triggers. The blast shook homes, rattled windows and lit up the horizon early Friday in the Alborz Mountains.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered a lower court to allow the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to be dismissed, as requested by the Justice Department — likely ending the years-long legal saga stemming from the Russia investigation. The abrupt ending came in an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This was the result of an appeal from Flynn’s lawyers asking for a so-called writ of mandamus — essentially an order telling a government official to carry out a certain duty — directing Judge Emmet Sullivan to approve the DOJ’s motion to dismiss. Sullivan did not immediately grant that motion and instead sought to hold hearings on the matter, angering Flynn allies.

Former national security adviser John Bolton can move forward in publishing his tell-all book, a federal judge ruled Saturday, despite efforts by the Trump administration to block the release because of concerns that classified information could be exposed. The decision from U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth is a victory for Bolton in a court case that involved core First Amendment and national security issues, even as the White House pledged to keep pursuing the onetime top aide. And the judge also made clear his concerns that Bolton had taken it upon himself to publish his memoir without formal clearance from a White House that says it was still reviewing it for classified information. “Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States.

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.