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.

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.

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.

U.S. officials have filed computer hacking charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in connection with the organizations’ release of classified government cables from former Army private and intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The Justice Department announced early Thursday that Assange had been arrested in London in connection with a federal charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion of a classified U.S. government computer, which carries a five-year maximum sentence.
Assange had been residing in the Ecuadoran Embassy for seven years for fear of being arrested and possibly extradited to the United States for his crimes.

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For almost seven years, Julian Assange has lived in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London. The WikiLeaks founder feared that if he left the diplomatic outpost, located in an apartment building in the post neighborhood of Knightsbridge, he would be arrested by British authorities.
In the end, however, Assange didn’t need to be kicked out for British police to arrest him: Police officers went into the embassy. A video of the arrest showed Assange, grey-bearded and pale after years indoors, being pulled out the embassy and pushed into a waiting police van.
But how were British police officers legally able to enter the building, if it was under the diplomatic control of Ecuador? The answer is simple: Ecuador allowed them to.

Ecuador handed Julian Assange over to British authorities Thursday, ending a standoff that left the controversial WikiLeaks founder holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for nearly seven years and paving the way for his possible extradition to the United States.
Jennifer Robinson, Assange’s lawyer, confirmed on Twitter that her client was “arrested not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request.” Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
U.S. authorities have prepared an arrest warrant and extradition papers, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
 Nissan is here. The cold is gone, snow is history, and the harsh weather is a thing of the past. The ground has warmed. Trees and bushes are beginning to show signs of life as tiny green buds begin to unfurl. Branches bloom, grass turns green, and squirrels and birds dart across the lawn seeking life. The sun rises higher in the sky, shining brighter, filling hearts with promises of warmth and color.
Young and old soak in the pleasures of recreation, walking, biking, and playing ball, as they strengthen their bodies, enhance their well-being, and broaden their perspective.

As the Pesach preparations begin, take a short break, and turn back the clock with this awesome clip, the fourth in our ‘REIMAGINED’ series, as superstar Benny Friedman & The Yedidim Choir join the new look Aaron Teitelbaum Orchestra.
The clip features six of the hottest wedding songs of yesteryear, as we throw you back into the ’90s. The energetic and smooth vocals of Benny and the choir, with fresh musical arrangements, put a new spin on those classics, for a clip that you will for sure want to watch more than once.
Video Taken at the Berger & Kraus Wedding on December 19th, 2018 at The Rockleigh Country Club.
Songs:
Lecha Eten- Dedi
Sameach- Mendy Wald
Im Ein Ani-Shlomo simcha
Lefonov- Mordechai Ben David

Harvard Law professor emeritus weighs in on Attorney General Bill Barr’s Capitol Hill testimony.
WATCH: