One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy. “To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services,” the statement said.

In a recent sermon delivered at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), urged American Muslims to actively “market Islam” to the broader public. Speaking to a congregation and a live YouTube audience, Awad outlined a strategic vision to reshape public perceptions of Islam in the United States. “No product in the United States can succeed without marketing,” Awad stated, asserting that Islam is often misrepresented by media, Hollywood, and academic institutions.

NASA announced more delays Thursday in sending astronauts back to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo. Administrator Bill Nelson said the next mission in the Artemis program — flying four astronauts around the moon and back – is now targeted for April 2026. It had been on the books for September 2025, after slipping from this year. The investigation into heat shield damage from the capsule’s initial test flight two years ago took time, officials said, and other spacecraft improvements are still needed. This bumps the third Artemis mission — a moon landing by two other astronauts — to at least 2027. NASA had been aiming for 2026. NASA’s Artemis program, a follow-up to the Apollo moonshots of the late 1960s and early 1970s, has completed only one mission.

Edison, New Jersey, has become the center of controversy after its township council introduced a rule banning “props,” including American flags and the U.S. Constitution, from public town meetings. The decision has sparked outrage among residents, leading to tense exchanges, police removals, and accusations of un-American policies. The controversy erupted after resident and attorney Joel Bassoff was escorted out of a council meeting by police for holding a small American flag in protest of the rule. Council President Nishith Patel defended the ban, claiming such items disrupt the meetings. Critics, however, argue the ordinance violates First Amendment rights and undermines free expression.

Two suspects at the center of a high-profile scandal involving the Prime Minister’s Office and the alleged leak of classified documents will remain in detention after prosecutors appealed a Tel Aviv District Court decision to release them to house arrest. Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein announced today that the court’s release order would be frozen while he reviews the case. A final decision is expected next week. The suspects include Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson and aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and an IDF reservist. They are accused of leaking classified military intelligence, which was subsequently published in the foreign press.

Two residents of the northern Druze village of Mas’ade are accused of conducting surveillance missions on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, Israeli authorities announced Friday. The Shin Bet security agency and Israeli police revealed that Bassem and Tahrir Safadi, a father and son, were arrested in November on suspicion of espionage and contact with a foreign agent during wartime. According to the Shin Bet, Tahrir, 21, a software engineering student, had been conducting surveillance activities for Iran and its regional proxies in recent years under the guidance of his father. Their activities reportedly included collecting information on IDF operations in the Golan Heights.

Israel is bracing for the possible collapse of the Syrian army as rebel forces, led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), continue to make rapid territorial gains. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a high-level security meeting Thursday night to address the escalating situation, which Israeli military officials describe as increasingly volatile. Reports from Israeli media suggest that the IDF now views the rebel offensive as a credible threat to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Channel 12 noted that Israel has been caught off guard by the Syrian army’s inability to stem the advance of jihadist fighters, who have recently captured key strategic cities.

By M.C. Millman Local businesses today face unique challenges. The effort required to meet those challenges can take a toll on the families that are the fabric that holds together the Boro Park community. Recognizing these challenges, The BPJCC sought to create a Business Alliance under the leadership of its director, Boruch Sternglantz. The Business Alliance’s goal is maximizing the full potential of breadwinners and the businesses that employ them throughout Boro Park. Funded by New York City Small Business Services, new programs will include the development of a merchant association of local businesses to ensure and build up support for local businesses, so they won’t have to stand alone.

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who has made inflammatory and baseless claims about Jews and defended Hamas atrocities, is now facing an FBI investigation. While the nature of the probe remains unclear, her history of unethical behavior and incendiary rhetoric has thrust her into the spotlight once again. Fernandes Anderson, a Democrat representing Boston’s 7th District, sparked outrage in October 2023 when she introduced a City Council resolution describing the brutal Hamas attack on Israel—which killed over 1,200 civilians, including women and children—as a “military operation.” The resolution accused Israel of “apartheid” and “war crimes” and called for an immediate ceasefire, drawing fierce condemnation from colleagues.

Canada said Thursday it is outlawing another 324 firearm varieties — guns the public safety minister said belong on the battlefield, not in the hands of hunters or sport shooters. Ottawa also said it is working with the government of Ukraine to see how the guns can be donated to support the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, a number that grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified. The latest restriction, announced Thursday by Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, follows expressions of concern from gun-control advocates that many assault-style firearms were not included in the 2020 ban. “This means these firearms can no longer be used,” LeBlanc said.