A dramatic fire near a chemical plant burned through the night and into Saturday in northern New Jersey but led to no evacuation orders or serious injuries — just heavy smoke that was seen and smelled in nearby New York City. The fire at Majestic Industries and the Qualco chemical plant in Passaic was in buildings housing plastics, pallets and chlorine, officials said, but catastrophe was averted. Crews battled pockets of the blaze into the morning, Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said, but it was contained. The fire was prevented from reaching the main chemical plant, which could have endangered the densely populated New York City suburbs of New Jersey, Lora said.

Nikki Fried, the Florida Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic candidate to challenge Ron DeSantis for the governorship, thought it was appropriate to compare her political rival to Adolf Hitler. “Instead of listening and trying to govern with the people, he is trying to govern over the people, and, you know that, I’m sorry, I’m a student of history too. I saw the rise of Hitler,” Fried said on Florida public radio on Friday. When the host asked if she was making a direct comparison between DeSantis and Hitler, Fried said, “In a lot of ways, yes.” “I have studied Hitler and how he got to power, you know, wanting his own militia,” she continued.

Authorities in Panama are searching for two American women – one of them Jewish – who are missing after the light aircraft they were on crashed into the sea off the Panamanian coast earlier this week. The aircraft was carrying 5 occupants at the time of the crash, with three – Anthony Velleman, a Canadian woman, and the pilot – having been rescued and transported to a local hospital for treatment. The group had been returning to the city of Chame after spending a weekend at a bed-and-breakfast on the island of Isla Cantodora when the aircraft suffered an engine failure and crashed into open waters. Anthony’s wife Debra and Sue Borries have not yet been located, and the search has been shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery effort.

Former President Donald Trump is slamming politicians who refuse to say whether they have received COVID-19 booster shots as “gutless.” “You gotta say it. Whether you had it or not, say it,” Trump said in an interview that aired Tuesday night on the conservative One America News Network. Trump, who was booed last month by supporters after revealing he had gotten a booster shot, has become increasingly vocal in calling out those who have questioned the vaccines’ efficacy and safety. It’s a change in posture for Trump as he eyes another run for the White House and faces potential competition from a long list of possible Republican challengers.

Dozens of Toldos Aharon chasidim protested outside a cellphone store in Geulah on Wednesday evening, until the demonstrators received an unusual directive from the Rebbe: disperse. Clashes broke out between chasidim and police protecting the store during the demonstration, though police were successful at preventing damage to the shop, which has been the target of several violent protests in recent weeks. According to B’chadrei Chareidim, the rebbe’s order “to disperse calmly and quietly and not cause a chilul hashem” came after the shop owner agreed to surrender to the “phone thugs” and comply with the demands of rabbanim to obtain a “kosher certificate” for his store.

Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly lashed out at Republican senators during a testy hearing on Tuesday, during which he accused Senator Rand Paul of inciting harassment against him and called Senator Roger Marshall a “moron” on a hot mic. “What happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue,” Fauci said of Paul, “is that kindles the crazies out there, and I have threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls because people are lying about me.” Fauci noted that a 25-year-old was arrested last month while on his way to carry out planned assassinations, including of himself. “They found in his car an AR-15 and multiple magazines of ammunition because he thinks that maybe I’m killing people,” Fauci said.

81-year-old House Speaker Nancy nearly faceplanted after eulogizing former Senator Harry Reid during a funeral service in Las Vegas on Saturday. Pelosi, who spoke at the service along with other Democrat luminaries such as Joe Biden and Barack Obama, ended her speech and began heading off the podium, apparently not noticing that she had to take a step down. As her high heels thudded on the stage, Pelosi teetered, nearly falling to the ground before regaining her balance. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Dozens of policemen on  Monday morning carried out an evacuation of the small illegal outpost of Oz Tzion in Binyamin, north of Jerusalem, leading to clashes between the police and the residents. The outpost has an active Beis Medrash, a shul and other structures. Two residents chained themselves to an iron post in order to deter the evacuation. Hundreds of illegal Arab villages surround Oz Tzion but are ignored by the government. “Surrounding us are hundreds of illegally built Arab homes but Bennett and Shaked choose to demolish davka Jewish property,” Oz Tzion residents told the press.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is defending his decision to give his brother, retired NYPD officer Bernard Adams, the position of deputy commissioner, after coming under fire over claims of nepotism. In an interview, the mayor said his brother’s position would put him in charge of protecting him. “Let me be clear on this: My brother is qualified for the position. Number one, he will be in charge of my security, which is extremely important to me at a time when we see an increase in white supremacy and hate crimes,” Adams said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

Two former Israeli prime ministers faced off in a Tel Aviv courtroom as Benjamin Netanyahu’s defamation suit against Ehud Olmert got underway on Monday. Netanyahu, his wife and son appeared in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s court for the opening of their case against Olmert, Netanyahu’s predecessor as Israel’s prime minister. Netanyahu had threatened to sue Olmert for remarks he made last year, during the aftermath of the 2021 Israeli parliamentary elections and while Netanyahu refused to step down while on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.