The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalizing a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia. The two sides offered only barbones details about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. But it is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support in its grinding war with Russia.

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A Fire and Rescue Authority spokesperson said on Thursday morning that the wildfires that began in the Jerusalem hills on Wednesday are not yet under control after 163 firefighting teams battled the flames overnight. “Over 150 firefighting teams are still working at full capacity in all the fire hotspots in the Judean Plain area,” a spokesperson said. About 23 firefighting teams are operating in the Beit Meir and Shoresh area, and 10 firefighting planes are assisting the forces in the field. Firefighters are still battling flames at 11 locations on the outskirts of Jerusalem and seven yishuvim are still evacuated of their residents. The winds have weakened, and until 2 p.m., the weather, which includes a chance of rain, is in favor of the firefighters.

Shas party leader MK Aryeh Deri delivered a forceful message Wednesday evening, urging Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to take immediate and forceful action in response to what he described as deliberate acts of arson across the country over the past day.
“The arsonists in times of war are terrorists in every sense of the word,” Deri said. “I call on the Prime Minister to instruct the IDF to eliminate from the air any terrorist identified as starting fires.”

As devastating fires continue to rage across Israel, many were reminded of the massive blaze that swept through Los Angeles just a few months ago. At the time, numerous Jewish communities in California reached out to their spiritual authority, the Raavad of Yerushalayim, Rav Gideon Ben Moshe, with a pressing question: Why had such destructive fires struck their city?
The response they received was nothing short of remarkable.
In a detailed letter addressed to Rabbi Ezra Dwek, the rav of Kehillas Torah Ohr in Los Angeles, Rav ben Moshe offered two spiritual reasons for the fires—and a call to action.

Elon Musk has for years made Texas a business home and playground, launching rockets, building cars, and dreaming about creating a utopian enclave for his workers on the rural outskirts of the state capital. Now, a new Musk project is on the brink of victory: an election Saturday to officially turn a small patch of coastal South Texas — home to his rocket company SpaceX — into a city known as Starbase.

The Trump Organization is teaming up with Qatari Diar and Dar Global to bring a major Trump-branded development to Qatar, marking the debut of the brand in the country. On Wednesday, the partners announced plans for the $5.5 billion Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai — a towering 80-story complex.
Designed to draw inspiration from the well-known Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, this waterfront project will be located about 40 minutes from Doha. In addition to the luxury hotel and residences, the development will also include a Trump-branded 18-hole golf course, a series of high-end villas, and a Land of Legends amusement park.

A new survey conducted by Emerson College gauging opinions from voters in the 2024 presidential election found that the overwhelming majority would stick with their original choices if the election were held again today.
The poll, released to mark the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term, revealed that 94% of Trump voters would cast their ballots for him again. Among those who voted for Democrat Kamala Harris, 93% said they’d repeat their decision. Overall, Trump had a slim edge over Harris, 48% to 47%, according to the report summary.
One major issue highlighted by the poll was economic dissatisfaction. Just 37% of respondents said they approve of Trump’s economic policies, while nearly half—49%—said they disapprove.