Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, will not be backing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu or Gideon Saar in the upcoming party primaries. According to a TV News12 report, the two have decided not to endorse either candidate in the upcoming race for the Likud party leadership. For one thing, MKs from the party realize the issues with backing a candidate who is facing criminal indictments, in this case, PM Netanyahu.

The bipartisan budget deal announced in Congress protects access to health care under the Affordable Care Act but it also ditches one of that law’s main cost controls. The deal would repeal a cost-control measure in “Obamacare” known as the Cadillac Tax, an unpopular levy on benefit-rich health insurance plans scheduled to take effect in 2022. That means Congress is upsetting the balance between expanding access and controlling costs that former President Barack Obama tried to strike in his signature law, said Kathleen Sebelius, who served as his health secretary. “President Obama thought it was very important to have additional access paid for,” said Sebelius.

Highly credible sources tell YWN that investigators are now looking at a shooting incident of a Jewish-owned vehicle two weeks ago in connection with the terror attack in Jersey City. The incident in question occurred on Route 1 and 9 exactly one week before the attack, when a Hasidic man – who happens to be a Misaskim Volunteer – noticed a U-haul van driving close to him in the area of Newark Airport. Suddenly, the Jewish driver heard a smash and saw his passenger side window shattered. He figured something was thrown at his vehicle or a stone had jumped up from the highway. The U-haul exited the highway at the next exit, and the driver never reported the incident.

KAN News has released a new election poll to determine what the political community would look like if elections were held today. With Binyamin Netanyahu heading Likud Blue & White 35 Likud 31 Joint Arab List 13 Shas 9 Yisrael Beitenu 8 Yahadut Hatorah 7 New Right 6 Labor/Gesher 6 Democratic Camp 5 Otzma Yehudit 0 United Right-Wing 0 With Gideon Saar heading Likud Blue & White 34 Likud 27 Joint Arab List 13 Shas 10 Yahadut Hatorah 8 Yisrael Beitenu 7 Labor/Gesher 5 Democratic Camp 5 United Right-Wing 4 Otzma Yehudit 0 • The poll included 599 respondents out of 1,316 persons who received the poll, representing a cross section of the adult population 18 and over. • The poll was conducted on December 12, 2019 via the internet. • The margin of error is +/- 4.3%.

A new bail law goes into effect on January 1 in New York. It will eliminate pretrial detention and cash bail as an option in an estimated 90 percent of arrests. For the remaining cases, judges will maintain the option of setting cash bail. While the reforms were only supposed to include non-violent crimes, law enforcement officials said that wasn’t the case in the final version of the legislation. In typical Albany fashion, the bills were voted on in the middle of the night along with the rest of the state budget. Under New York’s new bail laws, effective January 1st, judges will not be able to set bail on any of the following crimes.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that President Donald Trump will announce an American troop drawdown from Afghanistan this week, which will likely begin next year. Graham, speaking from the Afghan capital of Kabul, said the president could reduce troop numbers to 8,600, down from the current estimated 12,000. “The Afghan security forces are getting more capable,” said Graham. “As they achieve capability, the number of U.S. forces necessary can go down.” Despite his past reluctance to embrace a troop withdrawal, Graham said he supports Trump’s expected drawdown. That’s because Graham says 8,600 U.S.

Police were summoned to the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem on Monday morning after a number of motorists found the tires of their vehicles had been slashed. Police found a total of 12 vehicle were damaged during the night. Forensic technicians arrived at the scene and began gathering evidence. Police found the tires of 12 vehicles on Derech Choresh Street had been slashed. It is pointed out that all the vehicles are owned by Jews. Clearly police are checking into the possibility that the vandalism is a response to a tire-slashing attack in nearby Shuafat last week, in which tires of 100 vehicles were slashed during the night. Shuafat is an Arab neighborhood in the capital. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

SCHI OFFERS OPPORTUNITY FOR A FIELD SEAT AT THE SIYUM HASHAS! SCHI’s annual Chinese Auction is now live! The School for Children with Hidden Intelligence (SCHI) services a vast disparity of children with special needs, yet they take care to provide an individualized educational program to suit each student’s personal needs.  SCHI has made its name as an unrivaled facility with exceptional and distinctive accomplishments in the world of special education.  Because SCHI believes that every child deserves a chance. SCHI is offering an exclusive promotion for all orders that are entered by TONIGHT! DECEMBER 16th (no minimum). Enter promo code siyum19 to be entered into an exclusive raffle for a field seat at the upcoming Siyum Hashas!

Lines at the New York Department of Motor Vehicles were long in many locations Monday. It was the first day of New York’s new Greenlight law, which allows undocumented immigrants to apply for limited drivers licenses. The limited license requires drivers’ education and insurance. The law allows more than 700,000 undocumented New York immigrants to be eligible to obtain a driver’s license, DMV line in Flushing New York. pic.twitter.com/Iz6Hp7cunQ — Mike (@FuctupMike) December 16, 2019 AMAZING! Current line at the Queens DMV on the first day #GreenLightNY takes effect! @MaketheRoadNY pic.twitter.com/r1f91DghEk — Yatziri

The chareidi division in the Likud party headed by Yaakov Wider, who heads the Likud chapter in Bnei Brak, has come out backing the incumbent, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Wider announced officially that the chareidim in Likud endorse Netanyahu against others in the upcoming party primary election, scheduled to take place in two weeks. On erev Shabbos, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu invited about 100 ministers, MKs, mayors and senior party officials to his official residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem. Wider was among the group, and he used the opportunity to announce the position of the chareidim in the party. Likud officials estimate there are 8,000 chareidim who are registered members of the party and about 40,000 chareidim who will vote Likud in the election.