Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dismissed concerns about his plummeting 17% approval rating during a tense press conference Tuesday, as CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju pressed him on whether he’s become a liability for the Democratic Party. Raju confronted Schumer with a fresh CNN poll revealing a mere 17% favorable rating for Schumer against a staggering 44% unfavorable view among U.S. adults. “Are you concerned that you may be a liability for your party?” Raju asked, citing Schumer’s lower approval compared to other congressional leaders. Schumer brushed off the numbers, saying, “Polls come and go. Our party is united.

A wave of arson attacks has struck Bat Yam, with multiple fires breaking out across the city, including a dangerous blaze at the Beit Belev nursing home. Several residents were trapped as emergency responders battle to contain the situation. According to reports, ten firefighting crews, led by Shift Commander Chief Fire Officer Oshri Basson, were on the scene at the nursing home on Abba Berdichev Street, where thick smoke has engulfed parts of the building. Firefighters are focused their efforts on rescuing trapped individuals from the smoke-filled structure. Medical teams provided immediate assistance, evacuating the injured to a safe area for treatment.

A suspect was arrested late Tuesday evening by the NYPD with assistance from Boro Park Shomrim after violently robbing a delivery driver and fleeing on the victim’s moped. The incident occurred at 12th Avenue and 43rd Street, where the suspect threw the delivery driver off his moped and rode off with it. A Boro Park Shomrim volunteer who happened to be on the block witnessed the incident and immediately radioed for backup. Shomrim then alerted the NYPD and initiated a coordinated search. Shomrim volunteers tracked the suspect to 41st Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, where he was arrested by the NYPD. The stolen moped was recovered at the scene. A knife and BB gun were also found in the suspect’s possession, though neither weapon was displayed during the robbery.

The IDF carried out a strike on Syrian terrorists who were planning to attack a Druze community in in the town of As-Suwayda in the Damascus area, a joint statement from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Wednesday. According to the statement, the IDF strike was a warning operation and intended to convey a message to Syria’s leaders to protect the Druze population. “Israel will not allow the Druze sector in Syria to be harmed out of a deep sense of responsibility to our Druze brethren in Israel who are connected to their Druze brothers in Syria through familial and historical ties,” the statement said.

As fires continue to rage in Israel, Israel Police and the Shin Bet continue to find and arrest arson suspects. Several arson suspects were arrested in east Jerusalem and security teams in two other areas arrested suspects in two additional attacks, one in Rosh HaAyin and another in Beit Keshet, a kibbutz in northern Israel. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Police Chief Danny Levy deployed 14,000 police forces across the country in efforts to stop arson attempts.

Magen David Adom teams are currently assisting in the evacuation of nursing home patients in the Shoresh area in the Jerusalem Hills, following a fire in the region. Over 20 ambulances have been mobilized for the operation, including mobile intensive care units, as well as MDA’s intensive care bus, which is designed for the mass evacuation of patients in complex conditions. The evacuation is being carried out to alternative nursing homes in Jerusalem, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines, while ensuring the safety of the patients and the continuity of their medical care. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Sources at the police fire command center suspect that some of the fires currently raging in Israel were caused by arson. Three suspects have been arrested and are currently being questioned. Concern is growing in light of the wave of fires that have broken out, the most significant of which is still raging in the Jerusalem hills area. In addition to the fires in the Jerusalem hills and near Beit Shemesh, which are relatively common for the season, fires are also raging in a series of additional locations, such as Beit She’an and Afula in the north of the country, and in other areas, including in southern Israel. The fire that broke out a week ago near Beit Shemesh is believed to be the result of arson.

The majority of cities across Israel have canceled their Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies scheduled for Wednesday evening as the wildfires that broke out earlier in the day continue to spread amid powerful winds and hot and dry weather conditions. Fires have started spreading toward southern Israel. The government announced on Wednesday morning [before the fire spread] that the main ceremony at Har Herzl was canceled due to the dangerous weather conditions. Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said that they will not have the resources to protect any ceremonies.

Wildfires broke out in the Eshtaol forest near Beit Shemesh on Wednesday morning amid heatwave weather conditions and powerful winds. As of noon, there was five active fires: on Route 2, in Canada Park, Neve Shalom, Mesilat Tzion and Mitzpe Harel. The yishuvim of Neve Shalom, Tekoa, Ta’oz, Nachshon and Mesilat Tzion were evacuated of their residents. The planned Yom HaZikaron ceremony at the Latrun memorial was canceled and the area was evacuated. The police closed Route 3 to traffic along with part of Route 1. There are 63 firefighting teams, 11 planes, and two helicopters working to prevent the fire from spreading amid the strong winds. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A seven-month-old baby who was critically injured during a police search of his family’s home in Givat Ze’ev on Tuesday evening passed away on Wednesday morning. Police officers carried out a search of the family’s home, reportedly due to the father being suspected of fraud. According to the family, the search was carried out aggressively and the police threw objects on the baby’s crib during the search. The baby suffocated, and Hatzalah paramedics called to the scene carried out prolonged resuscitation efforts, continuing them as they rushed him to Shaare Tzedek Hospital in critical condition. The Department of Internal Police Investigations launched an investigation into the tragic incident. Four police officers who participated in the search were questioned on Wednesday.