New York City lawmakers approved an austere budget early Wednesday that will shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year, acknowledging protesters’ demands to cut police spending — but falling short of what activists sought. The vote by the City Council came at an extraordinary moment when the nation’s biggest city is grappling with a $9 billion revenue loss due to the coronavirus pandemic and simultaneously with pressure to cut back on policing and invest more in community and social programs.

This morning, a plaintiff group led by the Association of Jewish Camp Operators, AJCO, as well as parents of potential campers, presented oral arguments in their case against New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo. AJCO, founded by Agudath Israel of America to represent the interests of the Orthodox Jewish summer camp community, and parents, are requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction allowing overnight camps to open this summer. Camps were barred from opening this summer due to Governor Cuomo’s March Executive Order put in place to stop the impending spread of COVID-19.

Scientists have identified a new strain of flu carried by pigs in China that they say has the potential to become a pandemic. The new strain is descended from the type of flu — known as “swine flu” — that emerged in 2009 causing the first global flu pandemic in 40 years. The scientists published their peer-reviewed findings in U.S. science journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. They said the new strain of flu, which they called “G4 EA H1N1,” is a variation of swine flu, and includes the “G4″ genotype that has become predominant in swine populations since 2016.

A protest by thousands of Israelis in the tourism industry was held outside the finance ministry on Tuesday. “You don’t understand what zero income is with only expenses,” Kobi Karni, chairman of the Israel Association of Travel Agencies accused politicians at the protest. “You don’t know what financial incapacity is. For you, financial incapacity is someone who lives in a villa earning tens of thousands of shekels a month.” The protestors shouted “Open the skies!” as they waved paper airplanes. מחאת ענף התיירות מול משרד האוצר | מנכ"ל ארקיע ירון אמזלג דורש להאריך את החל"תים בענף, לקבוע תאריכים לפתיחת השמיים, לתת מענקים ולהתאים את ההלוואות ליכולת התזרימית של החברות.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said coronavirus cases could grow to 100,000 a day in the U.S. if Americans don’t start following public health recommendations. The nation’s leading infectious disease expert made the remark at a Senate hearing on reopening schools and workplaces. Asked to forecast the outcome of recent surges in some states, Fauci said he can’t make an accurate prediction but believes it will be “very disturbing.” “We are now having 40-plus-thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around, and so I am very concerned,” said Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health.

Police arrested 3 demonstrators as officials clashed with some protesters calling for the defunding of the NYPD at City Hall Park Tuesday morning hours before the city’s budget is due. NYPD Chief of police Terence Monahan told the media that one of the arrests was a graffiti attempt. One officer was also assaulted but suffered minor injuries, Monahan said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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The Health Ministry said on Tuesday morning that 714 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours, the highest number of daily cases since the uptick in cases began at the beginning of June and the highest daily count since April 2. The total number of active cases has risen to 7,096, with 46 in serious condition, of whom 24 are ventilated. Another death was recorded, raising the death toll to 320. Finance Minister Yisrael Katz spoke about the new restrictions the government enacted late Monday night limiting the number of people allowed at gatherings and events, saying that the government’s goal is to prevent a total lockdown. “I can’t promise there won’t be a general lockdown but I’ll do everything I can to avoid it,” Katz said on Army Radio on Tuesday morning.

The US is “unlikely” to achieve herd immunity to the coronavirus even with a vaccine, according to the country’s leading public health expert, who warned that a “general anti-science, anti-authority, anti-vaccine feeling” is likely to thwart vaccination efforts. In an interview with CNN, Dr Anthony Fauci also said people not wearing masks was “a recipe for disaster” and said of the Trump administration’s attempts at contact tracing: “I don’t think we’re doing very well.” The US reported a record number of new coronavirus cases in a single day on Friday, with 36 states reporting a rise in infections and Texas, Florida and Arizona particularly badly hit.

As strong thunderstorms moved through the area on Monday evening, there were trees down and flooding all over Brooklyn. The latest storm cells come after weekend storms sent damaging wind, hail, booming lightning and downpours coursing through the region Saturday and Sunday. The powerful thunderstorms arrived in NYC, dropping slightly smaller pellets of hail over Manhattan and leading to shockingly loud clashes of thunder in Brooklyn, along with strong wind gusts. In Boro Park a massive tree fell on a vehicle while driving on 47 Street and 13 Ave. Hatzolah raced to the scene fearing the worst, but Bichasdei Hashem, no one was hurt. In Marine Park (Flatbush) trees also fell on multiple vehicle driving, but no one was injured.

Video taken in Harlem on Sunday morning shows NYPD officers retreating as a crowd yells and throws bottles at their vehicles, prompting police unions to slam city leaders for “surrendering our city.” Police were responding to a report of shots fired at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 132nd Street around 3:45 a.m. when dozens of people confronted them, according to the Daily News. The crowd began jeering at the officers and throwing objects, including bottles, the five-minute video posted to Instagram shows. The NYPD vehicles eventually backed up and started leaving as some people began running after them down the street.