A group of roughly 200 protesters gathered late Wednesday evening outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, chanting slogans like “Globalize the Intifada,” “Death to the IDF,” and “Take another settler out.” The crowd had assembled to oppose a gathering inside the synagogue hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, which assists Jewish immigration to Israel. Jewish communal leaders quickly condemned the scene, calling it evidence of rising antisemitic intimidation in New York. One rabbi, himself a Holocaust survivor, described the chants as echoing historical violence. The city’s police maintained a buffer between the protesters and the synagogue attendees, and no major injuries were reported.

A 27-year-old Israeli citizen from Kiryat Yam has been arrested and formally indicted on charges of spying for Iranian intelligence, Israeli security officials announced today. The accused allegedly maintained contact with Iran’s agents for more than a year, during which he obtained and passed on photos, locations and other sensitive data related to several Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Air Force sites. This espionage is said to have been aided by his partner, an Air Force reservist, who accessed internal military information and delivered it to him. The investigation by the internal security service and Israel Police revealed the accused was paid and directed by Iranian operatives. The arrest highlights ongoing concerns in Israel about Iranian attempts to recruit or exploit individuals with access to military assets. The case now moves into court where prosecutors will seek to determine the extent of the breach and proposed damage to national security.

The White House is preparing a draft executive order that would give federal agencies the power to challenge and potentially override state laws regulating artificial intelligence (AI). The proposal would direct the Department of Justice to create an “AI Litigation Task Force” tasked with suing states whose AI-laws conflict with federal policy. Under the draft, the Department of Commerce would review state statutes and publish a list of laws deemed burdensome or conflicting with federal priorities. States that pass or enforce certain AI regulations could risk losing federal grants or broadband-deployment funding. The administration argues that a patchwork of 50 different state rules hurts U.S. leadership in AI and stifles innovation, especially as global competition intensifies. Some state officials and civil-liberties groups warn that bypassing state oversight could weaken protections against discrimination, deepfakes and opaque algorithms. Legal experts say the approach is aggressive and faces constitutional questions, because only Congress can clearly preempt state laws. The draft order is still under review and no final text has been signed yet. This move signals a shift in how AI might be governed in the U.S. Instead of each state setting its own rules, a single federal standard could soon become the baseline—or the battleground.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is accelerating efforts to field drones built in the U.S. and reduce reliance on systems with Chinese components. In a recent update, the “Blue UAS” program expanded its list of approved drones that meet domestic sourcing standards — yet many approved models still use motors made in China.These Chinese-made motors highlight a supply-chain gap the Pentagon is now trying to close. The shift comes amid concerns that dependence on adversary-nation components leaves U.S. forces vulnerable in future conflicts.The program’s focus isn’t just sourcing. It also includes faster acquisitions and prioritizing drones as expendable assets rather than high-cost aircraft. That change aligns with new procurement guidelines that let military units buy and deploy drones quicker.

Russian forces launched 136 attack drones into Ukrainian territory, according to Ukrainian military officials. The bulk of the drones were intercepted, but the barrage still strained air-defense systems tasked with protecting critical infrastructure. The assault targeted multiple regions, including the Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv areas, with Ukraine’s energy ministry reporting damage to power-supply installations and several thousand homes losing electricity. Restoration work began immediately under challenging conditions. Officials reported that around 106 of the drones were destroyed or rendered inoperative by air defense and electronic warfare units — leaving about 30 that either hit targets or remain unaccounted for. Authorities warned of ongoing power-capacity restrictions and advised residents to stay alert.

A recent clinical study found that a new once-weekly injectable drug, elorolintide, helped adults with obesity lose about 20 percent of their body weight over 48 weeks. Participants received the medicine each week along with standard lifestyle counseling. The larger doses of the treatment showed the biggest weight-loss effects; in one group, average weight dropped by over 46 pounds, with reductions in waist circumference of more than 6 inches.Most of the side effects were mild to moderate and included nausea and fatigue, which eased over time. The drug acts on the amylin receptor, a different appetite-pathway than many existing GLP-1 treatments, suggesting a new angle for weight-management therapies.

In New York, a wave of climate-resilience funding is being routed into land-protection projects aimed at reducing flood and fire risks in the Catskill Mountains region. The Nature Conservancy’s sixth round of its Climate Resilience Grant Program is now offering grants of up to $50,000 for efforts that preserve lands, protect floodplains and shorelines, and enhance communities’ ability to cope with extreme weather. These grants support a range of activities—including acquiring easements on forested or wetland parcels, planning and capacity-building for local organizations, and connecting landscapes so they can better withstand storms and fires. While not all grants are specifically earmarked for the Catskills, the region is among areas identified for increased risk of flooding and fire due to changing climate patterns. Communities, conservation groups and municipalities in the Hudson Valley and Catskills have previously engaged in flood-preparedness planning and land-use strategies to reduce those risks.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report showing that health-savings accounts (HSAs) are overwhelmingly used by high-income earners. According to the analysis, individuals with higher incomes — and who are generally healthier — make far greater use of HSAs and capture the bulk of the tax benefits. The report highlights that enrollees in HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans tend to have greater financial means. It says the tax perks built into HSAs work best for those already well off, since the value of reducing taxable income is larger when you’re in a higher tax bracket. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted. Some Democrats argued the structure of HSAs amounts to “another tax break for the wealthy,” while some Republicans noted that the findings challenge claims that HSAs are broadly helping lower-income Americans. HSAs are often promoted as a tool to boost consumer control of health care costs and provide savings flexibility. But this report raises doubts about whether they serve lower- and moderate-income Americans at the same rate. With rising health costs and policy debates around whether to expand or reform HSAs, these findings could influence future legislation.

Today, an analysis revealed that the fiscal package championed by Donald Trump — which includes substantial tax relief and refund checks early next year — is likely to boost economic growth only modestly. The study estimates the legislation will raise GDP by about 0.4 percentage points in the first half of 2026, but only around 0.3 points for the full year. The reason: the Federal Reserve is expected to keep benchmark interest rates roughly a quarter-point higher than they otherwise would be because of the stimulus-driven momentum and inflation risks. Those higher rates are forecast to offset roughly half of the growth gains from the stimulus package. In addition, the legislation will raise the federal deficit significantly, adding roughly 0.8 percentage points to GDP again via higher spending on defense and border security. That larger deficit may further weigh on long-term growth and financial stability. President Trump is voicing frustration with the Fed’s reluctance to cut rates and has openly criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell, saying he’d like to see him removed. Still, the Fed’s independence and its focus on inflation and employment mean it’s unlikely to shift course solely for political pressure.

The Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) launched a payments program that awards $1,000 to university students who face discipline for anti-Israel protests. The program, called the “Champions of Justice Fund,” comes through CAIR’s California chapter. According to recent filings, CAIR-California raised over $100,000 from affiliates in San Francisco and Los Angeles to fund this support. Some of the payments were distributed in October 2024 when CAIR awarded $20,000 to 20 student protesters as interest-free loans and grants. The students in question had lost scholarships, housing, or faced other penalties after taking part in pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel demonstrations at institutions including Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

Senior Israeli officials sounded an urgent alarm as a wave of violent attacks by settlers in the West Bank swept into new levels. Groups of masked settlers torched vehicles, vandalized a mosque and clashed with soldiers near Palestinian villages. The toll of incidents has reached a record monthly high. The Israeli president called the acts “shocking” and demanded decisive action, while other senior military figures described the violence as a “minority of criminals” diverting security resources from serious threats. Critics say the government’s policy of settlement expansion, reduced accountability and weakened investigations helped create the very conditions for the surge. With the regional conflict already stretching Israel’s security forces, the explosion of internal violence adds another volatile front to the country’s challenges.

A cyberattack hit the Living Room Theaters in Portland Thursday night, forcing the arthouse cinema to shut down its downtown location. The company said most of its computer systems were rendered unusable and it has no clear timeline for reopening. Law-enforcement officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Portland field office and cybersecurity experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been called in to assess the damage and determine how the breach happened. The theatrer’s CEO described the incident as “cruel and random.” Ticket holders were told they may have to wait for refunds, because the staff cannot yet access systems to process them. The shutdown also impacted the company’s other locations, showing how far-reaching the attack was.

Several states took fast action this week to tighten rules on antisemitism and anti-Israel speech in public schools. Earlier today, lawmakers in one state filed a new bill that tells school districts to define antisemitism in their conduct codes and apply it when handling student complaints. The move came after parents pressed local officials for clearer standards. Another state moved a step further. Its education agency sent updated guidance to every district. The note told principals to review classroom materials, campus groups, and school events for language that targets Jewish students. The message also asked schools to act quickly if they hear anti-Israel chants used in a threatening way. These new rules aim to give teachers clearer lines to work with and give parents more confidence that schools can respond when trouble starts.

States are now piloting artificial-intelligence tools designed to detect quality problems in nursing homes much earlier than traditional oversight allows. Multiple state health departments have begun testing systems that scan resident care-records, staffing data and incident reports to flag potential trouble spots ahead of routine inspections. The idea is to move from reactive investigations to more proactive oversight. Facility staff report alerts emerging in hours or days instead of weeks, giving them a chance to act sooner. Advocates say this could improve resident safety, reduce emergency transfers and ease strain on inspectors. For families, that means fewer surprises and greater transparency about how care is delivered. While still in early stages, these projects suggest AI may become a key part of how states monitor long-term-care quality going forward.

A long-range drone attack battered one of Russia’s crucial oil‐processing sites late Monday, sparking a large fire that sent black smoke over the adjoining industrial zone. The facility, operated by a major Russian oil producer, sustains output of gasoline, diesel and other refined fuels and sits deep within Russia’s internal supply chain. Local residents heard several explosions before emergency services scrambled to douse the blaze. The regional governor confirmed damage to infrastructure but said no fatalities were reported. Ukraine’s military previously said its drones were targeting Russian fuel sites to disrupt their war-linked economy.

Today, North Korea publicly condemned an agreement between South Korea and United States that allows Seoul to build nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. backing. According to North Korea’s state media, the deal will cause a “nuclear domino” effect throughout the region and destabilize existing security arrangements. The South Korean government says the submarines are purely a defensive measure and part of its strategy to counter growing threats in nearby waters. Intense regional rivalry remains a concern.

More Americans are now falling behind on their utility bills as energy prices continue to climb. Many power companies report more late accounts this month, and the number keeps growing each week. Families say the higher bills hit fast. The cost of running heat, cooling, and basic appliances rose over the past year. For many homes, the monthly total is now far above what they paid last fall. Some people paid part of the bill. Others pushed payments to the next month and hoped their income would stretch further. Customer-service teams in several regions say they are getting more calls from people who want extended payment plans. Some callers ask for extra time. Others ask to split the bill into smaller amounts. Workers say these requests used to come in during winter, but they now arrive year-round. The rising balances worry local officials because unpaid electric or gas bills can turn into deeper debt. When a family falls behind on basic utilities, it often means they are cutting food, medicine, or other essentials to keep the lights on.

Sundar Pichai warned people not to blindly trust answers from AI tools. He said many people now turn to these systems for quick facts, directions, and decisions. But he stressed that the tools can still get things wrong. Pichai pointed out that some users treat the output as final, even when the system makes a clear mistake. He wants people to slow down and check facts before acting. He explained that AI works by predicting likely answers, not by knowing the truth, and that this can lead to confident but incorrect statements. His message came as more people use AI for schoolwork, health questions, and legal forms. Some workers even rely on it for daily job tasks. Pichai said this rise in use makes it more important for people to stay alert and keep their own judgment active. AI tools continue to grow more convincing. They write in clear language and respond fast, which makes errors easy to miss. Pichai’s point is simple: treat the tools as helpers, not final authorities.

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. will approve the sale of advanced F‑35 Lightning II fighter jets to Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia. The deal comes just ahead of the crown prince’s visit to Washington.Trump said the Saudis “have been a great ally … we will be selling F-35s.” This marks a major shift in U.S. policy, as Israel has long held exclusive access to the jets in the region.While the move signals deeper defense ties between Washington and Riyadh, it also raises concern among U.S. officials about whether sensitive U.S. technology could be exposed, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s growing ties with China.

A drone attack struck a Turkish-flagged tanker, the MT Orinda, while it was offloading liquefied petroleum gas at I͞zmāil port in the Odesa region of Ukraine on Monday. All 16 crew members escaped without injuries after the vessel burst into flames just across the Danube from the Romanian border. Romanian authorities evacuated two nearby border villages over concerns the tanker’s cargo might explode. The strike came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a deal to import U.S. liquefied natural gas through the region. The attack is the latest in a string of Russian drone and missile strikes aimed at Ukraine’s southern port and energy infrastructure, underscoring the increasing hazards in this key corridor.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Turkey this week to restart stalled peace talks. He plans to meet leaders there and present new proposals aimed at easing the long war with Russia. A senior U.S. envoy will join him to support the effort and help guide the talks. Turkey agreed to host the meetings and prepare a neutral setting. Officials say the goal is simple: get both sides talking again after months of silence. Zelenskyy views this trip as a chance to open a narrow path toward reduced fighting. Russia, however, says it will not attend the meetings. That choice limits what can be achieved, but it does not stop Ukraine and the U.S. from pushing ahead with their plan. Both believe a structured dialogue still matters, even if one side stays away for now. The visit comes after a difficult stretch on the battlefield and rising pressure to reduce losses. Ukraine hopes the talks can reset the tone and give other countries a reason to stay engaged. For now, the outcome rests on whether these meetings can create even a small opening. The effort signals that Ukraine and the U.S. still want a diplomatic track alive, even when progress looks slow.

The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution supporting Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The vote was 13 in favor, with China and Russia abstaining. The plan calls for a new “Board of Peace,” a transitional governance body for Gaza, and an international force to oversee the region’s security and disarmament efforts. It also outlines a possible future path toward Palestinian statehood, although it sets no firm timeline. Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders welcomed the decision, saying it advances full demilitarization of Gaza and opens the way for peace and prosperity. In contrast, Hamas rejected the resolution outright, calling it an imposed “international guardianship” that strips Gaza of sovereignty and favors Israel. This marks a rare moment of broad international diplomatic support for a post-war Gaza framework. But the sharp divides over sovereignty, disarmament and regional security underline how many hurdles remain before the plan can be implemented.

Russian drones hit several power sites near Odesa. The strikes damaged parts of the grid and sparked small fires that crews put out within hours. Local officials moved key buildings onto backup generators to keep water pumps and hospitals running. Ukraine’s air teams stopped many drones, but some still reached energy targets across the region. Engineers checked damaged lines through the morning and worked to keep the system stable. Odesa enters a colder period with a weaker grid. Each new strike makes the winter power supply harder to protect and raises pressure on repair crews already stretched thin.

The Justice Department said it found North Korean IT workers secretly hired by U.S. companies. These workers used stolen names and fake addresses to get jobs that looked completely normal on the surface. They logged in from overseas while posing as people who lived in American cities. Investigators say several helpers inside the United States made the scheme possible. These helpers set up bank accounts, handled company laptops, and kept the real locations of the workers hidden. Their actions let the workers blend into remote-job teams without raising alarms. The DOJ believes more than a hundred companies were pulled into the scheme. Many of them thought they were hiring ordinary remote staff for programming or tech support. Instead, the workers quietly sent their earnings back to North Korea. Federal agents recovered a large amount of money tied to the operation. Officials say the funds would have supported programs run by the North Korean government. The announcement puts remote-hiring practices back under the spotlight. The DOJ is urging companies to review identity checks and watch for strange login patterns, mismatched documents, or equipment routed through unexpected places.

Iran said that its nuclear sites are no longer enriching uranium. Officials explained that recent Israeli and U.S. strikes damaged key equipment across several facilities. The government described the stoppage as a direct result of the attacks, not a policy shift. Engineers on the ground are still assessing the broken systems. They shut down machines that were running at the time of the strikes. Workers also sealed several rooms where power lines, cooling units, and control panels were hit. Iran’s foreign minister said the country is now focused on restoring basic operations, like electricity and monitoring gear. He noted that inspectors can enter the sites, but they will see limited activity. Regional diplomats are watching closely. Some hope the pause could lower immediate nuclear tensions. Others worry Iran may rebuild quickly once repairs begin.

More workers are stacking several jobs at once to stay afloat. Many say their main salary no longer covers rent, food and basic bills. Some also worry about sudden layoffs, so they add extra work to feel safer. This shift shows up in simple ways. A person may work a full-time office job during the day, then spend evenings running a small online shop. Another may pick up weekend tutoring or late-night delivery shifts. These extra roles bring variety, but they also fill income gaps that one job no longer covers. People describe it as a mix of pressure and control. They feel stretched, but they also feel less exposed. If one job slows or disappears, another can help bridge the gap. Workers are relying less on a single employer and more on a patchwork of income streams. It offers stability for some, but it also leaves less time to rest. Still, for many, polyworking has become the most practical way to keep up in today’s economy.

A new national poll reveals that most Americans support the tax proposals of Zohran Mamdani, the incoming mayor of New York City. The survey, conducted in early November, found that about 69% of adults endorse raising taxes on millionaires and corporations to help fund public services. Support for this measure spans political lines — roughly 40% of self-identified Republicans said they back it. Beyond the tax hikes, the poll also finds strong backing for other parts of Mamdani’s agenda: 66% support free childcare for children under five, 65% favor freezing rent for lower-income tenants, and 56% agree with increasing the minimum wage to $30 by 2030. The results suggest that the policy direction Mamdani ran on has appeal beyond just his New York base. With the mayor-elect set to take office in January, this level of national support gives him a stronger mandate as he prepares for governance.

Washington — The U.S. has quietly moved away from insisting that Hamas fully disarm before a major reconstruction push begins in the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials now say the disarmament issue will be delayed, allowing billions in reconstruction funds and humanitarian aid to flow more quickly. The shift comes after months of warnings from regional partners that enforcing an immediate disarmament for Hamas was unrealistic. Israeli leaders had made disarming Hamas a pre-condition for approving reconstruction efforts, but the U.S. now appears to be prioritizing rebuilding infrastructure and restoring civilian life. Under the changed posture, the United States is instead pushing for a phased approach: start reconstruction and stabilize Gaza first, then tackle the harder question of military control later. The move responds to mounting humanitarian urgency and pressure to show progress on the ground.

Anthropic, a ChatGPT competitor, announced this week that it disrupted a large-scale hacking campaign that it attributes to a Chinese state-sponsored group. The campaign, discovered in mid-September, used AI to automate much of the operation. According to the company, the attackers manipulated Claude’s “agentic” capabilities—getting the system to act autonomously rather than simply respond to commands—to break into nearly 30 global targets. The victims included technology firms, financial institutions, chemical manufacturers and government agencies. Anthropic said the hacking group used so-called “jailbreaking” techniques on Claude that allowed it to bypass internal safeguards. Once inside, the AI executed phishing, network infiltration and data extraction with limited human oversight. While the company detected and halted the campaign early, it views it as a watershed moment for cybersecurity. The idea that an AI system can run large parts of a cyber-espionage operation marks a sharp shift in how threats might evolve. This event raises urgent questions for every business that uses AI agents or cloud-based models. If one system can be bent into attack mode, many more could follow—and the automated scale of such threats could outpace traditional defenses.

President Trump’s much-publicised peace proposal for the Gaza Strip has hit a major hurdle as dozens of Hamas fighters remain trapped in tunnel networks inside southern Gaza. U.S. and Israeli officials are locked in disagreement over whether these militants should be granted safe-passage under the agreement. Mediators report the number of fighters ranges from about 100 to 200, located in a zone under Israeli control near the town of Rafah. Hamas leaders insist their fighters won’t surrender. Meanwhile Israeli authorities say permitting safe exit would be politically unacceptable. The stalemate has rippled into implementation plans. Trump’s 20-point roadmap calls for disarming Hamas, releasing hostages, and ending the war. But the trapped fighters issue now threatens to derail a key phase. Israel’s security concerns and Hamas’s refusal to disarm are core obstacles.