The landmark Jewish music event of the year: the first-ever large-scale open-air music festival, headlining Ishay Ribo with guest performances by Chasidic music legend Avraham Fried, as well as Zusha and Shmuel, on August 7th at the iconic Bethel Woods in the heart of the Catskills of upstate New York.

At a press event on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sarcastically renamed the House-passed budget measure pushed by President Donald Trump. Instead of calling it the “big, beautiful bill,” Schumer dubbed it the “Well, We’re All Going to Die Act.”
Flanked by Senators Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Schumer stood beside a bold sign bearing the mock title. The slogan was a jab at a remark made earlier by Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
“The more you look at the bill, at the House bill, the worse it gets,” Schumer said during the press conference.

The bodies of two Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip in a special operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday.
Judy Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, were named as the two deceased captives. The married couple—who were dual Israeli and American citizens—were murdered during the Hamas-led invasion on Oct. 7, 2023, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.

Two figures became the focal point of criticism during the heated two-hour Democratic mayoral debate in New York City: Andrew Cuomo, the dominant frontrunner, and Donald Trump.
Cuomo’s rivals on the debate stage—eight candidates eager to break his lead in the polls—hammered him over controversies that shadowed his resignation four years ago. The accusations ranged from sexual harassment claims to his management of the COVID-19 pandemic, which remains under federal scrutiny.
One of the harshest criticisms came from Michael Blake, a former state Assemblymember polling near the bottom of the field. “The people who don’t feel safe are the young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo — that’s the greatest threat to public safety.”

In a sharply worded message on Wednesday evening, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, former chief rabbi of Israel, made it clear that the latest developments surrounding the chareidi draft bill and the position taken by MK Yoel “Yuli” Edelstein could spell the end of the current government’s term.
During a meeting at his home, Rav Yosef received former minister and Shas negotiator Ariel Attias for a detailed update on the discussions within the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the draft legislation and the mounting political crisis threatening to dissolve the Knesset.

President Trump issued a directive on Wednesday tasking his administration with launching an investigation into whether aides to Joe Biden “conspired to deceive the public” about his cognitive state and used an autopen to approve documents without his direct involvement.
“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump stated in a formal memorandum addressed to his legal counsel and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

As tensions escalate between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the chareidi parties over the draft law crisis, new developments reveal mounting political instability. A private, one-on-one meeting took place on Wednesday between MK Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, and Rav Reuven Elbaz, a senior member of Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah. The meeting was held at Rav Elbaz’s residence.

West Harlem has taken a bold step in waste management, becoming the first area in both New York City and North America to place all its trash in containers. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan announced the launch of full-scale service for the new European-style sidewalk containers—called Empire Bins—in Manhattan’s Community Board 9. This area includes the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and Hamilton Heights. Under the pilot initiative, all residential buildings must containerize trash. Those with 31 or more units are mandated to use Empire Bins.

In response to the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is preparing to reintroduce legislation targeting the Muslim Brotherhood by formally labeling it a terrorist group, according to a report by The Hill on Wednesday.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday, was allegedly carried out by Mohamed Soliman, an Egyptian national. Authorities have pointed to his online activity, where he reportedly expressed support for the Muslim Brotherhood, as part of the investigation.
Senator Cruz revealed that he is working on a “modernized version” of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which he has championed in the past during prior legislative sessions.

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