President Donald Trump issued a series of pardons on Wednesday, awarding them to a former New York congressman, a Connecticut governor, a rapper known as “NBA YoungBoy,” a labor union leader and a onetime Army officer who flouted safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s actions mixed his willingness to pardon prominent Republicans and other supporters, donors and friends with the influence of Alice Marie Johnson, whom Trump recently named his pardon czar after he offered her a pardon in 2020. He commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, a former Chicago gang leader serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado.

The Central Rabbinical Congress (CRC) has issued a notice regarding the consumption of Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses, particularly aged varieties. According to the CRC, these cheeses are classified as “hard cheese” under halachic guidelines, requiring a 4-6 hour waiting period before meat can be consumed. This applies when enjoying dairy dishes and delicacies that include these cheeses.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. government from imposing lasting restrictions on Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students.
Judge Allison Burroughs granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday morning in Boston, where attorneys for Harvard argued against the Trump administration’s efforts to limit the university’s participation in the student visa program.
“I want to maintain the status quo,” Burroughs said, indicating that she would allow Harvard to continue admitting foreign students and those on visas. She instructed both parties to work out a temporary deal that would keep the program in place for now, according to CNN.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court in New York handed President Donald Trump a big set

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese students studying in the U.S.

A Jewish-owned business in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of London was vandalized overnight in an of antisemitism cloaked in pro-Palestinian activism. According to witnesses and security footage, a group of masked individuals shattered the storefront’s windows and splashed red paint across the exterior of the building—an act meant to symbolize the blood of Palestinians. The attackers also left behind graffiti referencing the British government’s ties with Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense company. However, the business in question has no known with Elbit or with UK defense contracts, sources confirmed to YWN. “This was not a protest. This was targeted hate,” said a local Jewish community representative.

Chananel Gez, the husband of Tzeela Gez hy”d and father of Ravid Chaim hy”d, speaks at the levaya of his son. “We are unstoppable, even when our hearts are broken” he says in English. “Do not mess with the Jewish people, because you will regret it!”

In a candid interview with CNN on Wednesday, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert stated that he can no longer justify Israel’s actions in the face of allegations of war crimes.
Olmert said his intensifying disapproval of Israel’s leadership stems from its failure to articulate any plan for what lies ahead. “A lack of any vision for what comes next. What are we going to do in order to end the war, release the hostages, and start to move it towards some kind of political horizon?” he said.
Pointing to controversial statements made recently by members of Israel’s government, Olmert highlighted remarks such as, “We should starve Gaza.”