In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a factory making cannons for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II. More than 80 years later, the municipality could once again be a target for sabotage and is preparing for war. The local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces in case of conflict. “The lesson we learned from Ukraine is that everybody pitched in,” said Odd John Resser, Kongsberg’s Emergency Planning Officer, noting breweries that pivoted to making Molotov cocktails, local authorities that built schools in shelters and weapons factories which ramped up production.

The Trump administration is dropping plans to terminate leases for 34 offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws, the Department of Labor said Thursday. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, had targeted federal agencies for spending cuts, including terminating leases for three dozen MSHA offices. Seven of those offices were in Kentucky alone. Ending the MSHA leases had been projected to save $18 million. Musk said this week that he’s leaving his job as a senior adviser.

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By Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber
In the grand tapestry of life, there are threads woven with such precision that they can only be described as min haShamayim. Just days before Shavuos, as the Jewish world braced itself to reaccept the Torah with awe and reverence, one father experienced a moment that is her personal mesoras hatorah.

Bernard Kerik, once lauded for his leadership in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and a longtime fixture in New York law enforcement, has passed away at the age of 69.
The news of his passing was shared Thursday evening by FBI Director Kash Patel, who revealed that Kerik had been quietly battling illness. “Rest easy, Commissioner. Your watch has ended, but your impact will never fade,” Patel wrote.
Kerik first came to national attention in the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks, standing shoulder to shoulder with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani as they led the city through its darkest hours.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman 1:1 It happened during the time when judges ruled the land. This was before Shaul HaMelech became king, when the people were governed by judges.

Hamas has rejected a U.S.-proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal, which Israel had accepted, further complicating efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The proposal, mediated by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in coordination with Egypt and Qatar, offered a 60-day truce, the release of 10 living Israeli hostages in two phases, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Hamas’s refusal, citing demands for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, has drawn criticism from Israeli officials who note that it prioritizes the group’s political survival over peace. The deal, discussed in Doha, included the release of 10 living hostages, starting with five on the first day and five on the seventh, alongside the remains of 16 deceased hostages.

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Slabodka rosh yeshiva, spoke out sharply about the dangers facing the chareidi community in Eretz Yisroel, warning in unequivocal terms: “The army is a melting pot. A bochur who enters the army as a chareidi will not leave as a chareidi.”
The remarks were delivered during a private gathering with several major philanthropists from abroad ahead of a critical fundraising mission to raise $107 million for the Keren Olam HaTorah, which was established last year in response to severe cuts in government funding for yeshivos and kollelim across Eretz Yisroel.

Faizan Zaki nearly threw away his opportunity to go from runner-up to champion at the Scripps National Spelling Bee with a shocking moment of overconfidence. Given a second chance, he seized the title of best speller in the English language. The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker last year, outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night, including two that he let back into the competition after his own careless flub. Told to take a deep breath before his final word, “eclaircissement,” he didn’t ask a single question before spelling it correctly, and he pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter.