(AP) – U.S.

Photo Credits: Sara Heiney

A French news outlet reports that a Hamas delegation spent Wednesday and Thursday in Doha, Qatar, engaging in negotiations with mediators from both Egypt and Qatar as part of ongoing efforts to establish a truce in Gaza. Despite the two-day effort, no significant progress was made.
Two individuals familiar with the matter told the agency that Egyptian envoys met on two occasions with the Hamas representatives, who were led by senior figure Khalil al-Hayya. Qatari officials also participated in the mediation talks.

The air traffic controllers directing planes into the Newark, New Jersey, airport lost their radar Friday morning for the second time in two weeks. The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar at the facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of Newark airport went black for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. Friday. That’s similar to what happened on April 28. That first radar outage led to hundreds of flights being canceled or delayed at the Newark airport in the past two weeks after the FAA slowed down traffic at the airport to ensure safety. Five controllers also went on trauma leave after that outage, worsening the existing shortage. It’s not clear if any additional controllers will go on leave now.

NEW YORK – Columbia University has suspended more than 65 students and barred 33 individuals from campus following a disruptive pro-Palestinian

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called off his upcoming visit, according to a report from I24NEWS that cites a source familiar with the matter.
As reported by Ynet, Hegseth made the decision to cancel his trip in order to accompany President Donald Trump on his regional tour, which will notably not include a stop in Israel.
Axios had earlier reported, based on information from two Israeli officials, that Hegseth was originally slated to land in Israel on Monday to hold meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz.
The original itinerary reportedly had him continuing on from Israel to Saudi Arabia, where he would then join up with President Trump.

In a passionate speech on the New York State Assembly floor, Assembly Member Wieder voiced strong support for a budget provision aimed at reducing the State Education Department’s oversight of private schools. Expressing gratitude to his colleague from Boro Park for championing the cause, Wieder emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity and autonomy of private educational institutions. Wieder described the push for “substantial equivalency” standards as “the greatest hoax perpetrated in New York,” dismissing claims that students in private Chasidic schools receive inadequate education as “a rotten red herring.” He argued that these schools consistently produce successful, civically engaged citizens, challenging the narrative of educational deficiency.

It did not come timely or easily, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul just signed the state’s 2025-26 budget, and the good news is that it contains several bright spots for the Orthodox community. The budget contains a significantly enhanced Empire State Child Credit for parents; security and universal school food for yeshivas and nonpublic schools; and groundbreaking legislation for yeshiva autonomy. Agudath Israel is thankful to see many of its critical legislative priorities come to fruition. Yeshiva Autonomy Perhaps the most foundational legislation for the community this session is the bill newly defining safe harbors that nonpublic schools may avail themselves of to demonstrate substantial equivalency.

In the White House’s East Room on a rainy Thursday, first lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family gathered to unveil a U.S postage stamp bearing the portrait of former first lady Barbara Bush. Amid the anticipation of the unveiling, Trump, Bush’s daughter Dorothy “Doro” Bush Koch and Judy de Torok, a vice president at U.S. Postal Service, took turns sharing stories chronicling the former first lady’s life and achievements. Bush Koch held back tears recalling moments from her mother’s early life. “Mom was never one to shy away from speaking the truth or taking a stand,” she said.