The discovery of an unidentified substance on the ground floor of the Rami Levi Mall in Beit Shemesh led to a hazmat response on Monday morning.
Police and the bomb squad responded to the scene as well, clearly aware the major area shopping center is an enticing erev-Pesach target for terrorists.

Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news reporting for its coverage of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre last October. Eleven people were shot and killed by a gunman during the rampage, which came as congregants at the synagogue complex in Pittsburgh were gathering for Shabbat morning services. [...]

President Donald Trump suggested Monday that his threat to ship migrants to so-called sanctuary cities is taking effect, even though it remains unclear whether such a plan is feasible.
“Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!” Trump tweeted just days after aides insisted the plan had been shelved.

In what can be seen as an incredible show of support for Israel, the U.S. administration included Israel in its efforts to block the International Criminal Court (ICC) from investigating war-crimes allegations. In a statement attributed to Trump, the White House said, “Since the creation of the ICC, the United States has consistently declined to join the court because of its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers; the threat it poses to American national sovereignty; and other deficiencies that render it illegitimate. Any attempt to target American, Israeli or allied personnel for prosecution will be met with a swift and vigorous response.”

Government and church officials in Israel bemoan fire threatening to destroy landmark cathedral, which has stood in Paris for 850 years

The Health Department today announced that it has closed a child care program in Williamsburg for repeatedly failing to provide access to medical and attendance records in violation of an Order of the Health Commissioner in response to the current measles outbreak.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his re-election and stressed the need to work toward a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Merkel’s office said stressed in a phone conversation Monday the continued relevance of a two-state solution, which she said should be the goal of international efforts.

San Francisco – When Arturo Balbino, a Texas construction worker, walked into his visa interview at the American consulate in the northern Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez in March, he wasn’t nervous. He felt good. Balbino, a 33-year-old Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally 14 years ago, thought he had a [...]

Nathan Sales to arrive on Tuesday for annual meeting of the US-Israel Joint Counterterrorism group