Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is daring rival retailers to raise their minimum wage to $16 an hour.
Bezos laid down the challenge in his annual shareholder letter, published Thursday. Bezos routinely uses the letter to outline his long-term strategy, which made him the world’s wealthiest man and Amazon one of the most valuable companies.
“Today I challenge our top retail competitors (you know who you are!) to match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage,” Bezos said. “Do it! Better yet, go to $16 and throw the gauntlet back at us. It’s a kind of competition that will benefit everyone.”

Expressionist artist was long seen as victim of Hitler's regime after it condemned his work as 'degenerate art'

Dr. Mina Tzemach blames failed exit poll, that gave Gantz's Blue and White 4-seat advantage over Likud, on members of Netanyahu's party who wanted to 'screw over Channel 12'

New York – Executives at the largest U.S. banks are grappling with how to best talk about the slowing economy and its impact on their businesses as they enter earnings season, people familiar with their thinking told Reuters. Of particular concern is how to deal with the word “recession,” which has become all but verboten [...]

Attorneys for former White House counsel Gregory Craig said Wednesday that he expects to face federal charges in the coming days in regard to legal work he did for the Ukrainian government in 2012.
The expected indictment – which his attorneys called “a misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion” – stems from work Craig did with GOP lobbyist Paul Manafort on behalf of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice in 2012.
At the time, Craig was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the law firm he joined after ending his tenure as counsel to President Barack Obama. Manafort, the former campaign chairman to President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty last year to charges related to his Ukraine lobbying.

Vote count as of Thursday morning shows Blue and White getting most votes in middle-class town, long believed to be a barometer of the country as a whole

Judges reject family petition to freeze destruction of two apartments used by Arafat Irfaiya, who was charged in the rape and murder of 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher in February

Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s record fifth term is likely to be dominated by corruption allegations, scrutiny of his election promises and the unveiling of U.S. President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Middle East plan. In the closing days of a campaign that had been driven more by personalities than policy, Netanyahu, 69, seized international [...]

The Likud is projected to gain one mandate over the initial post-election vote count, pushing it from 35 to 36 seats, one more than Gantz’s 35, after the counting of special ballots was completed Thursday.
Special ballots, which make up some five percent of the nearly 4.3 million votes cast in Tuesday’s election, include the votes of Israeli soldiers stationed at bases across the country, prisoners in jails and detention facilities, voters in Israeli hospitals, and members of the Foreign Ministry overseas service.

After dire election results, Labor head says he plans to serve the public 'from the opposition' as an MK, does not explicitly say he'll resign amid growing calls to do so

New York – Amazon’s Jeff Bezos challenged other retailers to raise wages and improve benefits for their employees, saying the competition will help everyone. Bezos covered a wide range of topics in his annual letter to shareholders Thursday that was released on Twitter and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission . “Today I challenge [...]

A lawyer is poised to sue New York City for ordering mandatory measles vaccinations in the toughest action against the virus in US history, with refusals to vaccinate facing fines of up to $1,000 or six months in jail, according to New York Senate emergency laws.
Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, which, he said, gave him the power to require vaccinations in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, where more than 250 measles cases have been reported since September, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish community.
Michael Sussman, a civil rights lawyer, says there are not enough cases to warrant a state of emergency, he believes the move unlawfully targets religious groups, and he plans to have a case filed against the city by Friday.

Yahadut Hatorah Seeking A Recount Before Releasing Election ResultsAttorney Avraham Yustman send a letter on Thursday afternoon to the Justice Chanan Meltzer, Chairman of the Central Election Committee (CEC), requesting a delay in publishing the official results of the Knesset election.
Read more on Yeshiva World News

Facebook Cracks Down On Groups Spreading Harmful InformationFacebook said Wednesday it is rolling out a wide range of updates aimed at combatting the spread of false and harmful information on the social media site — stepping up the company’s fight against misinformation and hate speech as it faces growing outside pressure.

Official insists only data posted online was wrong, while actual ballot count safe in 'separate and secure server'; says no suspicion that glitches were caused by cyberattack

Los Angels – Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged in a 36-count federal indictment alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, did not pay his taxes, committed bank fraud and lied in bankruptcy proceedings. Avenatti, 48, was indicted late Wednesday by a Southern California grand jury on a raft of additional charges following his [...]

The Yemin Hachadash, headed by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, fell just short of the 3.25% electoral threshold, despite an influx from the votes of the soldiers.
Earlier Wednesday, Bennett said, “We need about 5 percent of the soldiers’ votes, compared to the 3 percent we had nationally. It is possible but borderline. It can succeed or fail on the basis of [only] dozens of votes one way or the other,” Bennett said.
However a full count of the special ballots showed the faction falling just short of the minimum threshold, with some 138,000 votes, or slightly over 1,000 votes below the bare minimum required to enter the Knesset.
The party has called for a recount of special ballots, citing irregularities in the counting process.

Islam Alushachaya indicted for attempted murder for stabbing two guards, one in the neck, sparking March 24 prison riot

Miami – A federal judge threatened Wednesday to temporarily block Carnival Corp. from docking cruise ships at ports in the United States as punishment for a possible probation violation. The Miami Herald reports U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz said Wednesday that she’ll make a decision in June, and she wants company chairman Micky Arison and [...]

Chebaa, Lebanon – Akram Kanaan looked toward an Israeli military position on a snow-capped mountain that overlooks the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon, pointing toward the scenic area captured by Israel more than five decades ago. No matter how long it takes, he says, it will eventually return to Lebanon’s sovereignty. Like many others [...]

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