The United States on Thursday called for “serious steps” to be taken after Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow plant in a new step back from its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal.
“Iran’s expansion of proliferation-sensitive activities raises concerns that Iran is positioning itself to have the option of a rapid nuclear breakout,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
“It is now time for all nations to reject this regime’s nuclear extortion and take serious steps to increase pressure. The many and ongoing provocations of Iran demand such action.”
Read more at i24NEWS.

New government figures show more than 2,000 people have been diagnosed with vaping illnesses in the still-unsolved U.S. outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said 2,051 confirmed and probable cases have been reported. Illnesses have occurred in every state but Alaska. Forty people in 24 states have died.
The outbreak appears to have started in March. No single ingredient or vaping device has been linked to all the illnesses. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana.
Read more at ABC NEWS.
{Matzav.com}

Less than three weeks after publicly announcing her endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid at a massive New York City rally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will hit the campaign trail this weekend, joining Sanders for three events across Iowa.
The stops, in Council Bluffs, Des Moines and Coralville, are Ocasio-Cortez’s first appearances outside of her home state on behalf of Sanders, I-Vt., for whom she worked as a volunteer organizer during his 2016 campaign, and are likely to be viewed as a test of her ability to draw crowds away from traditionally liberal strongholds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu urged the international community on Thursday to “pressure Iran until it changes its ways,” as tensions surrounding the Tehran regime’s disputed nuclear program spiked again.
“A year ago, speaking at the UN, I exposed Iran’s secret nuclear warehouse in Turkuzabad,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This morning, a special board meeting of the IAEA published its findings on Iran’s activities in the no-longer secret facility. The IAEA now confirms that Iran lied. And that Iran continues to lie.”

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said on Wednesday that following the U.S. pullout from northern Syria last month and the subsequent Turkish invasion, Israel has been helping the Syrian Kurds in “a range of ways.”
“Israel has received many requests for assistance, mainly in the diplomatic and humanitarian realm,” Hotovely told the Knesset on Wednesday, according to Reuters. “We identify with the deep distress of the Kurds, and we are assisting them through a range of channels,” she added.
Hotovely provided no further details on the nature of the assistance, saying only that in “dialogue with the Americans … we state our truth regarding the Kurds … and we are proud of taking a stand alongside the Kurdish people.”

An expert opinion submitted to an Israeli court claims Israel’s Bank Leumi is hoarding between NIS 172 million (approximately $50 million) and NIS 414 million (approximately $118.5 million) belonging to Holocaust survivors, victims, and their heirs.
On the eve of the Second World War, many European Jews deposited money with the Anglo-Palestine Company, founded in 1902 as a subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust, renamed Bank Leumi in 1950 following the establishment of Israel. In 2007, after a parliamentary committee on the rights of Holocaust survivors produced its findings and a legal amendment was passed regarding the assets of Holocaust victims, the bank was accused of holding on to much of that money.

Suspects in Friday nights spree of antisemetic attacks have been arrested, Boro Park Shomrim reports.
The Shomrim Twitter account thanked the NYPD Hate Task Force for their work in apprehending the suspects who targeted and harassed Orthodox Jews during a Friday night drive through the Brooklyn, New York.
“Thank you for your hard word ensuring those responsible are apprehended,” Shomrim tweeted, adding the hashtags “YouCanRunButYouCan’tHide” and “NoRoomForHate.”
{Matzav.com}
 

President Trump on Thursday called for former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter to testify as the president sought to deflect allegations of wrongdoing in Ukraine toward the Democratic presidential candidate.
Trump parroted a quote from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asking what Hunter Biden does to earn money, tweeting that it was a “very good question.”
“He and Sleepy Joe must testify!” Trump tweeted, using a nickname to refer to the former vice president.
Neither of the Bidens are likely to testify in the House impeachment inquiry. While Republicans have the power to request a subpoena of witnesses, those requests are subject to approval by Democrats leading the investigation.

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New scrutiny surrounding the attorney for the Ukraine whistleblower.
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