A newly formed group of vaccine advisors, appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is set to evaluate several immunization policies in an upcoming session, including a vote on flu vaccines that use thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. They will also consider guidance related to the measles vaccine.
The panel, which provides recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will meet on June 25 and 26. According to a preliminary schedule published on the CDC’s website, members will also vote on eligibility guidelines for receiving vaccines targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza.

In a dramatic shift amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, a new Channel 13 News poll released on Wednesday showed Likud reclaiming its spot as the most popular party in Israel.
The poll indicated that if elections were held today, Likud would capture 27 Knesset seats. A hypothetical party led by Naftali Bennett would come in second with 24 seats. Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats were both projected to receive 11 seats each, followed by Shas with 10, Yesh Atid, National Unity, and United Torah Judaism each with 7, Otzma Yehudit and Hadash-Ta’al with 6 apiece, and Ra’am bringing up the rear with 4 seats.
In this particular survey, the Religious Zionist Party did not meet the minimum electoral threshold required to enter the Knesset.

As the war with Iran continues, several Israeli Knesset members received threatening phone calls in recent days from individuals identifying themselves as Iranian. According to a report by Channel 12 News on Wednesday, lawmakers from both right-wing parties and coalition factions were targeted with disturbing messages of intimidation and mockery.
The report, by journalist Dafna Liel, revealed that one of the calls was received by an aide to MK Sheli Tal Meron of the Yesh Atid party. The caller, speaking in Hebrew with a heavy Persian accent, made direct threats.
“I’m calling you from Iran. Are you scared or not?” the caller asked. “Why aren’t you answering? Today you need to wait for our missiles.”

Rahm Emanuel, who once served as White House chief of staff and later as mayor of Chicago, said Wednesday that he is weighing a presidential bid for 2028 on the Democratic ticket, citing a lack of strong contenders in the current party landscape.
In an interview with Crain’s Chicago Business, Emanuel stated: “’Of course’ it’s fair to say he’s considering running for president, declared Rahm Emanuel, hands for the moment neither waving nor pointing but resting on the table. ‘I’m looking at the (Democratic) field and, most importantly, what I have to contribute.’”

Some might chalk it up to a stroke of good fortune or credit it to seasoned leadership and quick thinking in the face of crisis.
But we know the truth: It was Hashgocha Elyonah, the unmistakable Hand of Hashem.
The Jerusalem Post reports that roughly a day before Iranian ballistic missiles tore into Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva this morning, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov made a pivotal call that ended up preserving countless lives. “Clear the surgery floor in the hospital – it’s not safe,” he ordered. While some questioned the necessity of such a drastic move, the wisdom of his directive became heartbreakingly clear the next day.

The story of the Meraglim in Parshas Shelach is one of the most tragic and consequential episodes in the Torah. But beneath the surface of the familiar narrative lies a deep and nuanced insight into the type of leadership chosen, the spiritual mindset of Klal Yisroel, and the nature of their mistake.
The Questions: What Changed — and Why?
In the first three parshiyos of Sefer Bamidbar — Bamidbar, Naso, and Beha’aloscha — we are introduced to the Nesi’im, the leaders of each shevet. They are appointed during the census, they bring korbanos during the chanukas haMishkan, and they are central to the organization of the camp.
Then suddenly, in Parshas Shelach, there is a shift.

On Thursday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz visited the impact site in Holon where an Iranian missile had struck, leaving many civilians wounded. Among the injured were four individuals in serious condition.
While surveying the damage, Katz issued a blunt warning aimed directly at Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. “A dictator like Khamenei cannot be allowed to exist. Khamenei is a modern-day Hitler, diverting his nation’s resources toward the goal of destroying Israel.”
Earlier that same morning, Katz sharply condemned the Iranian regime for intentionally hitting civilian zones. “The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of his fortified bunker, firing targeted missiles at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel.”

On Thursday morning, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made his way to Soroka Hospital following the damage it sustained from an Iranian missile strike.
Reflecting on the visit, Herzog said, “I arrived at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva this morning, to be greeted by Director of the hospital, Prof. Shlomi Kodesh, along with doctors, nurses, and patients, Jews and Muslims, from all walks of life from across the beautiful Negev.”
He continued, “We stood together and looked at the destruction and devastation caused by an Iranian missile fired indiscriminately with the sole intention to take innocent lives in a hospital.”
Calling attention to the gravity of the attack, Herzog declared, “This is a war crime!”

Israel’s Home Front Command announced on Thursday that one of the projectiles launched by Iran earlier in the day was identified as a cluster missile.
This particular missile carried a warhead filled with multiple submunitions, each containing 2.5 kilograms of explosive material.
Officials explained that the missile fragmented while still airborne, breaking apart at an altitude of 7 kilometers. The submunitions then scattered across an area with a radius of 8 kilometers. According to the Home Front Command, this type of weapon is designed to release its payload upon ground impact using a specific triggering mechanism.

Israel’s envoy to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, drew a striking comparison between Israel’s success in its military campaign against Iran and Russia’s prolonged struggle in Ukraine, emphasizing the swiftness of Israel’s achievements.
“We’ve achieved air superiority over the skies of Iran in three days. What Russia did not accomplish over Ukraine in three years, we accomplished in three days,” he says.
Leiter emphasized the disparity in size between the nations, noting that Iran significantly outweighs Israel in both geographical scope and population, just as Russia dwarfs Ukraine.
He also praised the role of U.S.-supplied fighter jets in the conflict, singling out the synergy between Israeli skill and American technology.