The Israeli who was murdered by a terrorist in a stabbing attack in a mall in Karmiel on Wednesday was identified by the IDF as Aleksandr Yakiminsky, H”yd, 19, from Nahariya. Yakiminsky, z’l, who was in uniform but off-duty at the time of the attack, served in the 71st Battalion of the 188th Brigade. Another soldier from the same battalion, also in uniform, was seriously wounded in the attack. Yakiminsky died a hero – after being stabbed in the neck, he managed to chase the terrorist, shooting and neutralizing him. He then collapsed on the floor. Paramedics who arrived at the scene performed CPR and tried to save his life. He was evacuated to the hospital where doctors fought to save his life. Sadly, his death was pronounced a couple of hours later.

President Joe Biden has privately acknowledged to a close confidant that he may not be able to recover his campaign if he cannot persuade the public in the coming days that he is capable of leading, following a disappointing debate performance last week. While the president remains committed to his re-election campaign, a key ally, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, emphasized the urgency of his upcoming appearances. Biden has critical engagements ahead, including an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign events in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place by the end of the weekend,” the ally stated, referring to Biden’s stumbling and incoherent debate presentation.

U.S. new-vehicle sales rose only slightly in the second quarter, despite larger discounts and slightly lower prices. But brisker sales could be on the horizon: Auto industry analysts say they expect prices to drop further and there’s a possibility of interest-rate cuts that would make taking out a loan for a new vehicle more affordable. Overall, U.S. sales were up only 0.1% compared to a year ago, as still-high prices kept many potential buyers out of the market, according to preliminary tallies Tuesday by Motorintelligence.com. Sales were crimped in late June, when cyberattacks knocked out software from CDK Global that dealerships use to do sales paperwork.

Anas Saleh, the pro-Hamas activist who ordered “Zionists” to identify themselves on the New York subway and told them “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist. This is your chance to get out,” was arraigned in New York Tuesday morning, and the Manhattan DA is now officially prosecuting him, with his next court date scheduled for August 12. At least one woman told authorities she left the train out of fear she would be attacked. His lawyer is one Moira Meltzer-Cohen, who shamefully used her Jewishness to try and get the case thrown out by the judge, who thankfully didn’t bite.

The White House announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden will meet with congressional leaders and Democratic governors, sit for a network TV interview and hold a press conference in the coming days, a blitz designed to push back against growing pressure for the 81-year-old president to step aside in the 2024 race after his disastrous performance in last week’s debate with Republican Donald Trump. “We really want to turn the page on this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the intensifying calls for Biden to bow out of the race. She added that the president had no intention of stepping aside, characterizing his debate failings as simply evidence of “a bad night” when he had a cold.

A House Democratic lawmaker has become the first in the party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s nominee for president, citing Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments.” Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement Tuesday that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.” “My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” Doggett said. “Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday proposed a new rule to address excessive heat in the workplace, warning — as tens of millions of people in the U.S. are under heat advisories — that high temperatures are the country’s leading weather-related killer. If finalized, the measure would protect an estimated 36 million U.S. workers from injuries related to heat exposure on the job — establishing the first major federal safety standard of its kind. Those affected by excessive heat in the workplace include farmworkers, delivery and construction workers, landscapers and indoor workers in warehouses, factories and kitchens.

Swaths of California sweltered Tuesday and things were only expected to get worse during the Fourth of July holiday week for parts of the United States with nearly 90 million people under heat alerts. The torrid conditions were being caused by a ridge of high pressure just off the West Coast and a separate ridge that spawned heat warnings and advisories from Kansas and Missouri to the Gulf Coast states, according to the National Weather Service. California’s capital, Sacramento, was under an excessive heat warning expected to last until Sunday night, with temperatures forecasted to reach between 105 degrees and 115 degrees (40.5-46 Celsius). John Mendoza, 35, called it a “firehose of heat” as he walked around the Capitol on Tuesday morning with an iced coffee in his hand.

Untreated water used by a Florida cucumber grower is one likely source of salmonella food poisoning that sickened nearly 450 people across the U.S. this spring, federal health officials said Tuesday. But that grower doesn’t account for all of the cucumber-related illnesses and 125 hospitalizations that were reported from late March through early June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Salmonella found in untreated canal water used by Bedner Growers Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida, matched a strain of the bacteria that caused some of the illnesses in reported in more than 30 states and Washington, D.C. Additional types of salmonella were detected in soil and water samples collected at the site, FDA officials said.

Hurricane season is upon us, known for disastrous flooding and high-speed winds in coastal areas of the United States and in the Caribbean and Central America, and emergency management officials are urging people to stay prepared. Unlike previous hurricane seasons, this summer brings record hot temperatures nationwide and an early onset of storms. Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but usually the most hurricanes occur in September and October, said Jaime Hernandez, the emergency management director for Hollywood, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. “That’s a little bit different this year because of the reality we’re dealing with with global warming, warmer sea surface temperatures, atmosphere conditions that are more favorable to tropical cyclone development,” Hernandez said.