Jewish News 24

JUST IN: The Army has announced that it's temporarily grounding all Apache helicopter flights following last week's fatal helicopter crash near Fort Hood, Texas.

*TRUMP ON IRAN:* We're capable of destroying the whole place. If they hit, we would hit back 100 times harder.

BREAKING: Israel Police reportedly announced that missing Israelis Mali and Liel Yahalomi have been located safely on a bus in Argentina. The two had been the subject of an international search after disappearing while traveling abroad.

*BREAKING NOW:* President Trump tells NY crowd, “soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States”

*TRUMP:* Shortly after taking office, I signed a historic Executive Order directing that anyone convicted of killing a police officer should face the death penalty — and last year, deaths of law enforcement officers in the line of duty fell to an 80-year low.

*TRUMP:* Last year, there were over 3,100 fewer murders than the year before I took office, 10,000 fewer rapes, and 1.1 million fewer violent crimes. Robberies fell by 19%, car thefts plunged by 23% — and according to the latest data, crime has continued to plummet under our leadership in 2026, with robberies down another 20% and murders down an additional 23%.

*TRUMP NOW:* “I am thrilled to announce that the FBI has just released the new Uniform Crime Report — showing that in 2025, we achieved the single largest reduction in violent crime in AMERICAN HISTORY."

🏠 *MORTGAGE RATES FALL:* The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has fallen to 6.69%, its lowest level in nearly four weeks, according to Mortgage News Daily.

*WATCH - PRESIDENT TRUMP:* on the USS Abraham Lincoln: "That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it's being replaced with another very similar ship."

*Trump on today's headlines:* — "Prescription drug prices record the sharpest drop in more than 60 years" — "15 straight months with zero border releases"

*U.S. RETAIL SALES DROP:* U.S. retail sales fell 0.6% in July to $763.6 billion, the largest monthly decline in more than a year and below economists' expectations, according to the Commerce Department. The pullback was driven mainly by weaker online sales (down 2.2%) and auto dealerships (down about 2%), with declines also at gas stations and electronics stores. Economists say the drop partly reflects consumers exhausting the tax refunds that fueled stronger spending earlier this year, though overall consumer spending has remained relatively resilient despite persistent inflation and broader economic pressures.

*WATCH:* U.S. Attorney James McDonald delivers a blunt message after Luigi Mangione pleads guilty and admits in court that he shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione now faces up to life in federal prison. McDonald says the case sends a warning to anyone who turns to violence to advance their beliefs: "They will be prosecuted, convicted and put in jail." "Violence is not a legitimate instrument to promote any political or social message."

‎🔴 *ELIMINATED:* Terrorist Hudhaifa Khaled Suleiman Qawari, a company commander in the Khan Yunis brigade of Hamas׳ military wing. Throughout the war, he took part in training the company’s terrorists, the transfer of weapons throughout southern Gaza & advanced efforts to rehabilitate and rebuild Hamas

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue while it appeals a ruling blocking the project. The D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 that the president cannot proceed with the roughly 90,000-square-foot project without congressional approval. The administration argues the ballroom is necessary for White House security and that halting work would leave a harder-to-secure construction site. Officials say the project is already about 65% complete and have asked the Court to intervene before the ruling takes effect on Aug. 21.

*WHITE HOUSE TARGETS CHINA TARIFF EVASION:* The White House released a report Thursday accusing China of routing goods through more than 40 countries - including Mexico, Canada, the EU, Japan, and South Korea - to disguise their origin and evade U.S. tariffs, a practice it calls the "Great Transshipment Scam." The administration estimates the scheme costs the U.S. Treasury between $19 billion and $26 billion annually in lost tariff revenue. (FOX)

*BREAKING:* Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione told the court that he posed as an investor to get information about the UHC conference before he travelled to New York City in December 2024 with the intention of shooting Thompson: “I knew what I was doing.”

*CONGRESSWOMAN NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS:* Increasing and indexing the capital gains tax exemption on homes sales makes sense and is long overdue. It has not been updated since 1997! I am co-sponsoring legislation to fix this & authored another bill to help seniors protect equity built in their homes over decades.

*TREASURY SECRETARY:* Show me where communism has ever worked before—whether it’s the Soviet Union, Cuba, or Venezuela. With these policies, you always end up with less. Core inflation, which came out days ago, was 2.5%—a very good number, moving toward the Fed’s 2% target. What we’ve seen over the past year is that wages for the bottom 25% of working Americans were up 5.5%.

*WWII MEMORIAL VANDALISM ARREST:* The woman accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., is in custody and facing two felony charges, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Piro announced. Melissa L. Farris is charged with depredation against U.S. property and destruction of veterans' memorials, offenses Piro said could carry up to 10 years in prison.

Other jurisdictions have also taken steps to hold parents liable. In Ohio, a Columbus suburb recently issued new e-bike rules making it clear that parents who knowingly allow their children to break the rules are subject to the same penalties as the rider. Cycling advocates blame electronic motorcycles PeopleForBikes, a national bicycle advocacy group that tracks state e-bike regulations, stressed that many of the problematic vehicles are actually electronic motorcycles with heavy frames, sturdy tires and sizable motors that are falsely marketed as e-bikes. Lower-powered and pedal-assisted e-bikes have been used safely for decades on U.S. streets and are key to reducing society's reliance on cars, advocates argue. “Many of the dangerous behaviors people cite — running red lights, riding on sidewalks, not wearing helmets — are already illegal,” added Chloé Lauer, executive director of the San Diego County Bike Coalition. “We’d rather see those laws enforced than add new restrictions that limit mobility for kids who are riding responsibly.” Anya Dalal, a San Francisco-area high school senior who has been advocating for better safety measures, believes the problem requires multiple solutions, including setting age limits. “It should be a mix of parental accountability, accountability from the manufacturers and retailers and also education for kids to understand e-bike laws and road rules,” said the 17-year-old Hillsborough resident. Sharon Franke, a San Diego-area mother, agreed, though she said the first step starts at home, with parents doing their research, accompanying their children on rides and reinforcing safety once they set off on their own. “We want them to have fun, but we also want them to come back safe and we don’t want them to hurt anybody,” she said as her 15- and 12-year-old sons prepared to attend a safety training last weekend. “How do you balance all of it? It’s just overwhelming right now.” 3/3 The contents of this article are © @JewishNews24, copying of this article is only permitted with permission and can only be copied in full with no amendment or editing.