New federal statistics show a steep decrease in the number of times the FBI searched a vast foreign intelligence repository for information about Americans and others in the United States last year. The number of “U.S. person queries” plunged from 57,094 in 2023 to 5,518 in 2024, according to the report published Monday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The report details the use of a surveillance program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, that allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners located in other countries — including when they are in contact with Americans or other people inside the U.S.

Dr. Vinay Prasad, a prominent critic of the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration, has been named to oversee the agency’s program for vaccines and biotech drugs. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced the appointment Tuesday in a message to agency staff, praising Prasad’s “long and distinguished history in medicine.” Prasad is the latest in a series of medical contrarians and critics of COVID-19 measures to join the federal government under President Donald Trump. Unlike political roles such as FDA commissioner, the job Prasad is stepping into has traditionally been held by an FDA career scientist. His appointment raises new questions about whether vaccines and other new therapies will face unnecessary scrutiny from regulators. Prasad replaces Dr.

Released hostage Omer Shem Tov, who returned to Israel almost three months ago, spoke to Channel 12 in a recent interview about his horrific ordeal in captivity. One thing he said in the extensive interview, which will be published at the end of the week, is that the terrorists ordered him to carry out an attack against IDF soldiers. “They put booby traps in the house that was above the tunnel, and then they said to me: ‘Omer, when soldiers arrive at this house – you blow it up. Like this.'” “I told them: ‘No.’ And then they told me: ‘You won’t do it – we’ll shoot you in the head.’ I told them: ‘Then shoot me in the head.'” Omer’s mother, Shelly, told the Knesset’s Education Committee about two months ago about the difficult conditions in which Omer was held.

The U.S. Justice Department is doubling down on its attempt to break up Google by asking it to give up the underlying technology powering the company’s digital ad network. The proposed remedy joins a separate federal effort to separate the Chrome browser from its dominant search engine. The government’s latest proposal was filed late Monday in a Virginia federal court two-and-half weeks after a federal judge ruled that parts of its lucrative digital ad network have been improperly abusing its market power to stifle competition to the detriment of online publishers. In a 17-page filing, Justice Department lawyers argued that U.S.

One of the Iranians arrested in the UK over the weekend for an alleged plot to carry out an imminent major terror attack on a Jewish target has close ties to the Iranian regime, The Telegraph revealed on Tuesday. According to the report, the suspect’s family owns prominent businesses in Iran and maintains close ties with government officials. An Iranian source in the UK described him as “very well connected.” The police said that the investigation is “in its initial stages” and that the focus of the probe is the possibility of the Iranian regime’s direct involvement in the plot to carry out a terror attack on British soil. According to reports in British media outlets on Monday, the suspects were arrested only hours before they planned to carry out a major attack on a Jewish site.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at a major announcement expected in the coming days, describing it as “as big as it gets” but stopping short of revealing any details. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a White House meeting, Trump described the forthcoming development as “really positive” and suggested it could be unveiled as soon as Thursday, though he also floated Friday or Monday as possible dates. “It’s a very, very, very big announcement to make… like as big as it gets,” Trump told reporters, offering no further clues. The president is scheduled to depart soon for a high-stakes trip to the Middle East, adding further intrigue to the timing of the mystery announcement.

Rite Aid customers can expect their local store to close or change ownership in the next few months, as the struggling drugstore chain goes through another bankruptcy filing. The company plans to sell customer prescription files, inventory and other assets as it closes distribution centers and unloads store locations. Stores will remain open for now, but the company isn’t buying new inventory so bare shelves are likely become more common. “I think what we’ll progressively see is the stores will become more and more spartan,” said retail analyst Neil Saunders. The company runs 1,245 stores in 15 states, according to its website. It has a heavy presence in New York, Pennsylvania and California, which alone has 347 locations. Here’s what customers can expect next.

The community is reeling after learning of the tragic and untimely passing of Yitzchak Alishayiv Z”L (Yitzchak ben Mazal Z”L), a beloved former custodian and dear friend to many, who was murdered during a trip to Turkey. He was just 45 years old. Yitzchak, formerly the gabbai at Heichal Moshe (Vorhand Shteibel) on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was well known for his warm heart and quiet passion for wildlife photography. He had traveled to Turkey after Pesach to pursue his love of capturing animals in their natural habitat. According to reports from Turkish media, the trip ended in tragedy when Yitzchak was fatally stabbed by the host he was staying with. He was rushed to a local hospital but tragically succumbed to his injuries.

A fugitive wanted for one of New York’s most chilling unsolved murders – the killing of an Iranian-Jewish man – has been captured and returned to the city after more than eight years on the run. Michel Patrick Desalles, now 54, has been extradited from the island nation of Mauritius and charged with the brutal 2017 murder of his boss, Omid Gholian, inside a Tribeca jewelry store. Prosecutors say Desalles viciously beat Gholian hy”d, 43, inside the back room of World of Gold N Diamond at Church and Duane Streets, before tightening two zip ties around his neck, leaving him to die in a pool of blood. Hours after the savage assault, Desalles boarded a flight at JFK Airport and vanished halfway around the world. Gholian’s disappearance initially puzzled his loved ones.

The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record $140.5 billion in March as consumers and businesses alike tried to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s latest and most sweeping tariffs. The deficit — which measures the gap between the value of goods and services the U.S. sells abroad against what it buys — has roughly doubled over the last year. In March 2024, Commerce Department records show, that gap was just under $68.6 billion. According to federal data released on Tuesday, U.S. exports for goods and services totaled about $278.5 billion in March, while imports climbed to nearly $419 billion. That’s up $0.5 billion and $17.8 billion, respectively, from February trade. Imports are flooding into the U.S. trade wars deepen abroad.