A top US official denied on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s yet-to-be-unveiled Israeli-Palestinian peace plan involved a confederation with Jordan.
King Abdullah II and Jordan “are strong US allies,” President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, tweeted. “Rumors that our peace vision includes a confederation between Jordan, Israel & the PA, or that the vision contemplates making Jordan the homeland for Palestinians, are incorrect. Please don’t spread rumors.”
Last week, Greenblatt dismissed the idea that the plan would see a part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula next to the Gaza Strip transferred to Palestinian control.

The number of measles cases in the Big Apple shot up to 390 Wednesday from 374 just two days earlier — and now includes two pregnant women, according to the city Department of Health.
“We have now identified two expectant mothers who have contracted measles,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
“These cases are stark reminders of why New Yorkers must get vaccinated against the measles as soon as possible. When we do not get vaccinated, we put our friends, our relatives, our neighbors, our classmates and other fellow New Yorkers at risk.”
Read more at NY POST.
{Matzav.com}

Iran’s foreign minister bluntly told an invited audience in New York City on Wednesday that the US must recognize the authority of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) if it wanted to navigate the Strait of Hormuz — the strategically-vital sea passage that connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea.
During an appearance at the Asia Society in Manhattan, Mohammad Javad Zarif was questioned as to whether the Tehran regime might close off the Strait of Hormuz — through which approximately 35 percent of the world’s oil supply is carried — to international shipping.
“When the US enters the Strait of Hormuz, they have to talk to those who are protecting the Strait of Hormuz — and that is the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Zarif answered.

Democratic 2020 hopeful Kamala Harris wants the House to impeach President Donald Trump, but doesn’t necessarily expect it to be a successful effort.
Harris joined fellow Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren in calling for Trump’s impeachment following the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the 2016 election. Impeachment has been a sensitive topic for Democrats, who have largely opted to say they would look into the president’s actions rather than directly call for impeachment.

President Trump will make a three-day state visit to the UK from 3 to 5 June, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump will be guests of the Queen and attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark 75 years since the D-Day landings.
He will also have official talks with the prime minister at Downing Street. Trump previously met the Queen at Windsor Castle when he came to the UK in July 2018 on a working visit.
The White House said the upcoming trip would reaffirm the “steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom”.
Read more at BBC News.
{Matzav.com}
 

Measles cases in the United States have surpassed the highest number on record since the disease was declared eliminated nationwide in 2000.
As of Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 626 individual cases of measles confirmed in 22 states. This includes illnesses reported by state health departments to the CDC through April 19 and therefore does not include cases reported since then.
Previously, the highest number of reported cases since elimination was 667 in 2014.
Read more at KMBC.
{Matzav.com}

Boeing executives announced Wednesday that their revenues slid more than $1 billion this quarter after more than 50 countries around the world grounded the company’s 737 Max planes following two deadly crashes.
Revenue for the first quarter of 2019 fell 2 percent overall following last month’s decision to ground the planes, Boeing told The New York Times, with revenue from commercial airlines down more than $1 billion.
The revenue loss constituted a 9 percent drop in the company’s earnings from commercial airline sales, according to the Times, which reported that Boeing earned $11.8 billion in total this quarter from such sales.

 
President Donald Trump raged at the New York Times in a set of unhinged tweets this morning.

Said Trump: “I wonder if the New York Times will apologize to me a second time, as they did after the 2016 Election. But this one will have to be a far bigger & better apology. On this one they will have to get down on their knees & beg for forgiveness—they are truly the Enemy of the People!”

{Matzav.com}

According to a report on the Ynet website on Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority has conducted sweeping arrests of senior PA defense officials suspected of spying for Hamas.
PA military intelligence allegedly uncovered a year-long plot by Hamas to infiltrate the PA security framework. The organization’s leadership was immediately informed and a sting operation was launched against the suspects, who have now been arrested.
According to reports, some of the spies were acting under duress following the arrest by Hamas of their relatives in Gaza, while others were paid for their service. Participants were asked to provide information about operations planned by the PA against Hamas in Gaza and spread disinformation within the PA security establishment.

Facebook has formed an artificial intelligence team in Tel Aviv, announced the company on Tuesday.
The 10-person team, called “Data.AI,” will work on machine-learning “algorithms that can improve the company’s internal interface and create new tools for data analysis,” reported Calcalist, citing a statement from the social-media network.
The new initiative will seek to improve Facebook’s platform, help engineers resolve issues, project upcoming events and issues, and access necessary data quicker.
More than 200 people are currently employed at Facebook’s research and development center in Tel Aviv, according to the firm.
(JNS)
{Matzav.com}