A Chareidi tzedaka organization recently received a surprising message from a man who said he will no longer attend anti-Chareidi protests due to the assistance his needy relative in Tel Aviv received from the organization. “My name is S.,” the message, sent to Chasdei Yosef, a well-known tzedaka organization in Jerusalem, began. “In recent months, I participated several times in protests against the Chareidi sector, including in Bnei Brak. On Thursday, I visited a relative whose financial situation has deteriorated in recent years. While I was there, I saw gift vouchers for Shavuot. He told me that he appealed to several organizations but the only one that helped him was yours.” “I asked him if he knows you personally and he said no.

Ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s expected presidential campaign announcement Wednesday evening, former President Donald Trump went on a tear against the new candidate on his Truth Social platform. Of course, rather than highlighting policy or ideological difference that makes him a better candidate than DeSantis, Trump did what he does best: attack. “Look, Rob DeSanctimonious came to me asking for help. He was losing badly, by 31 points, to popular Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. He was getting ready to drop out of the race – Ran a terrible campaign! Ron told me he had one last chance, my Support & Endorsement, which Putnam, and everyone else, wanted also. I gave it to Ron, and the race was over. In one day, he went from losing badly, to winning by a lot.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as a cultural conservative stalwart and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump. The 44-year-old Republican revealed his decision in a Federal Election Commission filing before an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. It marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation’s bitter fights over race, gender, abortion, and other divisive issues. DeSantis is considered to be Trump’s strongest Republican rival even as the governor faces questions about his readiness for the national stage.

The government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu passed the state budget for 2023 and 2024 in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The budget was passed in its second and third readings with 64 MKs voting in favor versus 56 MKs who voted against it. The state budget for 2023 is NIS 484 billion and in 2024 it will be NIS 514 billion. The new budget allocates nearly $4 billion in discretionary funds, much of it for chareidim and pro-yishuv parties. That will include increases in controversial stipends for chareidim to learn in yeshiva instead of working or serving in the military. It also includes more money for chareidi schools. The funds also include tens of millions of dollars for officials to promote pet projects through the ministries they control.

In a dramatic incident in Queens on Tuesday, multiple students were successfully rescued after a raging fire consumed an entire school bus. The authorities were alerted to the scene at 65-44 Saunders Street in Rego Park when they received a distress call around 3:45 p.m., reporting several vehicles on fire. Approximately six units and 30 firefighters promptly responded to the emergency, working diligently to extinguish the fire – which had spread to numerous vehicles – and ensure the safety of all involved. According to officials from the FDNY, the school bus carried six students, all of whom attended a Jewish private school in Fresh Meadows.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi said on Tuesday that “negative developments” in Iran’s nuclear program could lead Israel to attack the Islamic Republic. “Iran has made more progress in enriching uranium than ever before,” Halevi said at a conference of the Institute for Policy and Strategy of Reichman University. “We’re also closely examining their other pathways to nuclear capability. Without going into details, there are possible negative developments on the horizon that could prompt action. We have the capabilities to do so and other countries also have the capabilities.” “We have the ability to harm Iran.

Christine Amanpour, CNN’s international anchor long criticized for being blatantly anti-Israel, apologized for her characterization of the murder of a mother and two daughters as a “shootout” rather than a terrorist attack – but only after being threatened with a $1.3 billion lawsuit. Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee were killed earlier this year when the vehicle they were driving in came under fire from Palestinian terrorists. Amanpour described the attack on air as a “shootout,” implying that there was some sort of back-and-forth exchange of fire between the parties. There was not.

The Chareidi boycott against Angel Bakery, which began about three weeks ago after leftists protested outside the home of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, is still going strong, but the company has yet to issue a response to the matter. There have been various reports that the company actually makes most of its money through real estate so has not been significantly affected by the boycotts. However, these rumors are reportedly being disseminated by Angel itself in an attempt to end the protest. Additionally, Angel tried to fool Chareidi customers by selling bread produced in a subsidiary bakery in unmarked boxes and selling challos at significantly slashed prices, also in unmarked boxes. Both attempts were unsuccessful.

It’s no secret that New York City is being ravaged by violent crime. Now, a former bodyguard is looking to profit off it by launching a ridesharing app with armed drivers. The company, Black Wolf, is currently operating in metro Atlanta area, and its founder, Kerry King Brown, says he wants to bring it to the Big Apple. “Who are mostly on the news getting robbed?… The average person,” Brown told Atlanta News First. “What I’m creating is a necessary evil. It’s a necessity.” In just a week after launching in the Atlanta area, the company’s app was downloaded more than 80,000 times. “Every Black Wolf App vehicle comes equipped with GPS Tracking and Live-streaming technology that allows our riders to share with their loved ones,” the company says on its Facebook page.

Hillary Clinton is openly acknowledging that President Biden’s advanced age may pose a challenge to his electability in 2024, but of course, she encouraged voters to support him regardless of this concern. At the Financial Times Weekend Festival, Clinton, who is herself 75, expressed some skepticism regarding the fitness for office of the 80-year-old president, stating that “his age is an issue, and it is entirely legitimate for people to take it into consideration.” Her comment came in response to a question about Biden nearly tumbling down a flight of stairs during the recent G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. “There was that heart-stopping moment when he almost fell over coming down the stairs a day or two ago,” FT editor Edward Luce said.