Labor Party chairman Avi Gabbay told his supporters on Wednesday evening that he does not plan on running at all for the next Knesset.
In a post on Facebook, Gabbay wrote, “I made the decision not to run for the party leadership long ago. I remained uncertain whether to remain on the Knesset list or not.”

Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz suspended his longshot presidential campaign on Wednesday — saying he had a sore back and needed time to get better.
“While I was in Arizona, I unfortunately experienced acute back pain that required me to cut my travels short,” he wrote.
“Over the following two months, I underwent three separate back surgeries. Today, I am feeling much better, and my doctors foresee a full recovery so long as I rest and rehabilitate. I have decided to take the summer to do just that.”
Read more at THE NY POST.
{Matzav.com}

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $42 million contract by Israel’s Defense Ministry to conduct “expansive maintenance services to the State of Israel,” as well as to operate and maintain an F-35 training center southeast of Beersheva over the next decade, announced the ministry.
Additionally, the U.S. defense contractor will hire about 25 new workers from Israel’s southern area.
Israel will cover half of the cost over the next five years, with the remainder conditional on a five-year extension.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month, meetings that neither Moscow nor Beijing have confirmed.
Trump relayed his plans to reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
“I’ll be meeting with Putin at the G-20. I’ll be meeting with President Xi at the G-20,” Trump said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after Trump’s comments Wednesday that there had been no confirmation of a meeting between the two presidents.

Six fires have broken out in the Gaza envelope Wednesday as a result of incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip, including two balloons which exploded near the Eshkol Regional Council Wednesday afternoon.
20 fires have been started in the Gaza periphery so far this week by incendiary balloons.
The IDF announced yesterday that it is reducing the area of ​​fishing in Gaza to six nautical miles in response to the balloon arson.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com}

Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico sees results.
WATCH:

Formed just months before Israel’s April 9 elections and headlined by several former generals, the Kichol V’lavan Party made a strong showing, matching Likud with 35 seats.
Yet, due to the overwhelming victory by the right-wing or religious parties over those to the left, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government. He failed to do so, sending the country to new elections on Sept. 17.

President Trump on Wednesday defended his administration’s controversial decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
“I think it’s totally ridiculous that we would have a census without asking,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the president of Poland.
His remarks came the same day the Justice Department announced that Trump had invoked executive privilege to block congressional investigators from viewing documents related to the administration’s move to add the citizenship question.
A citizenship question has not been included in census questions for all U.S. households since 1950.

We are very excited to bring you another amazing Sababa single just in time for Lag Ba’Omer! This one of a kind song is called B’yad Hayotzer featuring the dynamic duo of Shloime & Yanky Daskal. When listening to B’yad Hayotzer, you will feel inspired and the passion that is expressed throughout. This song was composed by Yanky Daskal and arranged Mendy Hershkowitz, the Musical Director of the Sababa Band. Sit back & enjoy the hartzig voices of the talented Daskal brothers.
Sponsored by
R’ Yitzchak Stark
R’ Moshe Schwartz
R’ Yoel Sterngold
To strengthen the broken hearts among Klal Yisroel, with Emunah & Bitachon, and to know that everything is in the hands of Hashem, and a Refuah can happen in the blink of an eye.

The House will vote on the first federal minimum wage increase in over a decade this summer, according to a senior Democratic aide.
The legislation to be considered is the “Raise the Wage Act” backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. It would raise the $7.25 wage to $15 by 2024.
That’s more than double the current minimum wage that has been in place since July of 2009.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}