FILE - An eBay app is shown on a mobile phone, July 11, 2019, in Miami. Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online. I(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
(AP) — Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are “unacceptably high fees” and that customers have other payment options to shop online.
It’s a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards. But it’s not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx’s business practices by walking away, most notably the warehouse chain Costco nearly a decade ago.
“After careful consideration, eBay has decided to no longer accept American Express globally effective Aug. 17 due to the unacceptably high fees American Express charges for processing credit card transactions,” said eBay spokesman Scott Overland, in a statement.
Overland said that eBay customers have become aware of new ways to pay for items, making payments more competitive than ever before, and AmEx was no longer a necessary partner for eBay. eBay has increasingly been offering customers buy now, pay later options on purchases through Apple Pay, PayPal and other companies like Klarna and Affirm as well.
“We know that the vast majority of eBay customers are willing to use alternative payment options to continue enjoying buying and selling on our marketplace,” Overland said.
Online merchants have become increasingly combative with payment processors in recent years over the fees they charge to accept payments. Amazon had a similar fight with Visa in the U.K. roughly two years ago, where Amazon threatened to drop Visa as a payment acceptance type over what it also called high fees.
Visa and Amazon eventually resolved their differences, and there was no disruption of service.
Like other payment processors, AmEx takes a percentage of each transaction a merchant processes on their network. The fee varies from industry to industry, and the fees that the largest merchants pay are typically a closely guarded trade secret.
In a statement, American Express says that eBay’s cost to accept AmEx cards is “comparable to what eBay pays for similar cards on other networks” and that AmEx cardmembers typically spend double what is spent on other networks.
“We find eBay’s decision to drop American Express as a payment choice for consumers to be inconsistent with their stated desire to increase competition at the point of sale,” said Adam Isserlis, a spokesman for AmEx.
Netanyahu’s statement, “If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” resonates as a stark reminder of Israel’s readiness to act independently while still acknowledging the global support for its cause from numerous international quarters. Photo Credit: AP
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a concerted effort to tackle the surge of anti-Semitism on university campuses, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a delegation of American college students in Jerusalem on Monday. This meeting comes in the wake of Hamas’ brutal massacre on October 7th across southern Israel, which has ignited a wave of hatred and slander against the Jewish community within academic institutions.
Netanyahu emphasized the global struggle against the slander and misinformation targeting both the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Addressing the group, which included current and recently graduated students from prestigious universities such as Tulane, MIT, Columbia, Rutgers, the University of Michigan, and Harvard, Netanyahu emphasized the critical importance of countering lies with truth, as was reported by the Algemeiner.com,
“We’re facing a world struggle to fight slander against the Jewish people and the Jewish state,” Netanyahu stated. “The most important thing is you have to fight. And how do you fight lies? With truth. A lie can circle the earth 1,000 times before a single word of truth gets through, but we have no other choice. We fight by exposing the lies,” he told the students from his office in Jerusalem.
Among the delegation was Talia Khan, a student from MIT who has garnered attention for her outspoken stance against anti-Semitic abuse by anti-Zionist faculty and students at her university. Netanyahu is also an alumnus of MIT. The report in the Algemeiner.com said that Khan, who spoke on behalf of the students, highlighted the growing dangers of anti-Semitism and the support for terrorism on campuses. She told the gathering that she is the daughter of a Jewish woman and an Afghan Muslim father.
“As a Jew, I know the importance of the State of Israel in the shadow of the Holocaust,” Khan remarked. She also shared her unique perspective as a woman of Afghan descent, emphasizing the significance of Western values and the necessity of opposing forces that threaten to reverse societal progress, as per the information provided in the Algemeiner.com report. “As a woman of Afghan descent, I understand the importance of Western values and fighting the forces that are trying to set us back. As a patriotic American, it’s obvious that US interests are best served by providing our best and loyal ally Israel with the tools it needs to continue being a beacon of light and democracy.”
Khan’s plea to Netanyahu was clear and passionate. “For this reason, I ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, to help us become better partners in this war on terror. We all in this room, and many others that couldn’t make it on this trip, we’re all ready to dedicate our lives to protecting democracy, Western values, and Israel and America,” she declared as was reported by the Algemeiner.com
The massacre perpetrated by Hamas has not only escalated tensions in the Middle East but also intensified anti-Semitic sentiments globally, particularly in academic settings. Universities, traditionally seen as bastions of free thought and expression, have become arenas where Jewish students increasingly face hostility and discrimination. The rise in anti-Semitism on campuses has sparked a broader debate about free speech, hate speech, and the responsibilities of educational institutions in safeguarding their students.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with the American students is part of a larger effort to combat these rising tides of hatred and to foster solidarity among the Jewish community and its allies.
The students were brought to Israel by Olami, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting young Jewish individuals from around the world. The report in the Algemeiner.com noted that the trip included significant visits, such as a tour of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre, where Hamas terrorists brutally murdered hundreds of young people on October 7th.
The delegation’s visit to the Kfar Aza kibbutz, where over 50 people were murdered by Hamas, was a deeply emotional experience. The visit to the massacre site left a profound impact on the students. Yasmeen Ohebsion, a recent Tulane University graduate, recounted the harrowing experience of hearing a survivor’s story. “That was incredibly hard to see,” Ohebsion told The Algemeiner.com during an interview conducted in a taxi from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. “A survivor there explained her story. She was trapped under a trash container with 40 people piled on top of her. Only 10 people at the very bottom of the container survived, so she almost suffocated to death because there were limbs and dead bodies on top of her. That was very intense.”
This visit provided the students with a firsthand understanding of the devastating impact of the attacks, fostering a sense of empathy and shared grief that transcended geographical boundaries.
The delegation’s visit comes against the backdrop of an alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents on US college campuses. Following the October 7th attacks, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 470 anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses within a two-month span, marking a 323 percent increase compared to the previous year, as per the information contained in the Algemeiner.com report. These incidents included demonstrations calling for Israel’s destruction and the harassment of Jewish students.
The hostile campus climate has forced many Jewish students to conceal their identities. According to a survey conducted by Hillel International, more than one in three Jewish college students felt the need to hide their Jewish identity post-October 7th. Additionally, 37 percent of Jewish students reported needing to conceal their identity, while 35 percent noted acts of hate or violence against Jews on their campuses, as was revealed in the Algemeiner.com report. A majority of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their universities’ responses to these incidents.
During their visit, the American students also engaged with Israeli leaders to discuss these pressing issues. As was affirmed in the Algemeiner.com report, Ohebsion led a discussion with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, bringing the students’ experiences and concerns to the forefront. This dialogue emphasized the shared challenges faced by Jewish communities globally and the importance of solidarity in combating anti-Semitism.
A vast Jewish Diaspora underwent a process of communal annihilation prior to Israel’s establishment and continued during Israel’s formative years, yet we Israelis rarely talk about or commemorate these historic events. On the eve of the establishment of the State of Israel, at least 800,000 Jews lived in Arab countries. Today, those ancient Jewish Diaspora numbers only a few thousand at best. These numbers alone should give us pause: Emigration of more than 99 percent of the Jewish population in such a short time is unparalleled in modern Jewish history. Even the Jewish communities of Europe, which experienced the most extreme suffering of anti-Semitic violence, did not vanish entirely, or so abruptly. The story of the Jews from Arab lands is a saga that extends over hundreds of years and over a vast geographic region.
More than 800,000 Jews lived in the countries of the Arab world at the time of Israel’s founding. Virtually all of them fled or were forced out of their homes and communities after Israel’s establishment with more than three-quarters of these Jewish refugees moving to Israel. The once-thriving communities they had established in places such as Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Tunisia shrunk and, in some cases, virtually disappeared. The Jews of these Arab nations were forced to leave behind most if not all of their property and businesses with no compensation other than being allowed to remain alive to flee.
Thousands of pages of testimony have been collecting dust in various government offices in Israel since the 1950s. Under the bureaucratic heading “Registry of the Claims of Jews from Arab Lands,” they tell of lives cut short, of individuals and entire families who found themselves suddenly homeless, persecuted, humiliated. Together they relate a tragic chapter in the history of modern Jewry, a chain of traumatic events that signaled the end of a once-glorious Jewish Diaspora. Yet for all its historical import, this chapter has been largely repressed, scarcely leaving a mark on Israel’s collective memory, largely ignored by the mainstream printed and broadcasted media. The issue of Jewish refugees from Arab nations has not been on the agenda of the academic world always in tune to remain politically correct, proactively refraining from endangering the accepted false narrative of Arab refugees central to Palestinian Arab propaganda.
On the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, June 1-2, 1941; 83 years ago, the Muslim residents of Baghdad carried out a savage pogrom against their Jewish neighbors. In this pogrom, known by its Arabic name al-Farhoud, the pogrom of “violent dispossession” was carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad. Over 180 Jews were murdered and mutilated and thousands wounded; Jews were killed randomly, women and children were raped in front of their relatives, and babies crushed. Jewish property was plundered; homes, business, places of worship, communal institutions were looted, set ablaze and destroyed. Historians have referred to the Farhoud as being a pogrom associated with the Holocaust. The Farhoud has also been called the beginning of the end of the Jewish community of Iraq, propagating the mass migration of Iraqi Jews out of the country, of which the majority made Aliyah in masse to the newly established State of Israel.
The linking of the Farhoud to the Holocaust is based on historical record and involved Muslim leaders who fully identified with the Nazi regime and played an active role in promoting the annihilation of Jewry of the Middle East. At the time, under the auspices of the British Mandate representatives, a governmental commission of inquiry was established concerning the Farhoud, and determined that the Nazi propaganda of Radio Berlin had been one of the massacre’s foremost instigators. The first Arab-language Nazi radio station was launched in Berlin prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, broadcasting anti-British, anti-American, anti-Soviet, and particularly anti-Semitic propaganda. It thus helped spread radical anti-Semitism in the Middle East.
The messages in the propaganda broadcasts were designed to achieve certain goals, such as winning the Arab population’s sympathy for the Nazis and the Führer, stoking Arab national sentiments, incitement against the Jews, and blaming the Jews for being behind all the Arab world’s calamities and failures. The commission’s report also identified the main individuals who had impelled the assault. It pointed to the extensive activity of Dr. Fritz Grobba, the German ambassador to Baghdad, and to the activity of the former mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin Husseini, who had fled to Iraq from Mandatory Palestine in October 1939 and begun inciting against the Iraqi Jews. The mufti had also worked with Iraqi subversive elements, including Rashid Ali, to overthrow Iraq’s ruling Hashemite monarchy and install a pro-Nazi regime.
For those interested in further exploring the rich history of Iraqi Jewry, and learning more about the Farhoud, I highly recommend visiting The Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, located in the central Israeli town of Or Yehuda. The Center was established in 1973 to preserve the history of the Jewish community in Iraq and to ensure that it remains part of the future narrative of the Jewish nation. The Center fosters research, preservation and publication of the culture and folklore of Iraqi Jewry. Adjacent to the Center is the Museum of Babylonian Jewry, opened to the public in 1988 and exhibiting chapters from the history of Babylonian Jewry throughout the generations over the course of more than 2,600 years.
As we in Israel and throughout the Jewish world everywhere process the tragic and painful consequences of the May 7th massacre in Southern Israel, we should always remember that this infamous date will join a long line of dates and events such as the Faroud on June 1-2, 1941 when Jews were murdered for no other reason than being Jews. It is our imperative to give meaning to their deaths by not only commemorating but ensuring that we learn from the past and never forget.
Some 1,500 Israeli Jews ascended the Temple Mount on the occasion of Jerusalem Day on Wednesday, an increase of 26% compared to last year, the Temple Mount Administration NGO announced.
In 2023, the national holiday saw 1,146 Jews visit the Mount in the capital’s Old City, less than a week after Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group finalized a truce agreement following four days of rocket attacks.
— Adam Albilya – אדם אלביליה (@AdamAlbilya) June 5, 2024
his year—amid the ongoing war with Hamas, which was triggered by the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel—Jerusalem Day saw 1,445 people ascend over the course of five and a half hours.
As of the afternoon, many people stood in line, hoping to tour Judaism’s holiest site, but it soon closed to Jews for the day.
השר יצחק וסרלאוף וח”כ יצחק קרויזר מעוצמה יהודית עלו להר הבית לרגל יום ירושלים, הרב ישראל אריאל ראש ישיבת המקדש וראש מינהלת הר הבית הרב שמשון אלבוים pic.twitter.com/rXEleWSS2D
— Adam Albilya – אדם אלביליה (@AdamAlbilya) June 5, 2024
Israeli security forces detained several Jews at the exit from the Temple Mount on charges of bowing or prostrating, which authorities say could inflame tensions with Muslim worshippers, HaKol HaYehudi reported.
Israeli rights activist Michael Puah told the news site that he was able to wear tefillin (phylacteries), in defiance of the 1967 status quo arrangement with Jordan that bans Jewish prayer at the site.
“We even said the Hallel [holiday prayers] out loud; a policeman asked us to do it more quietly and didn’t say anything about the tefillin,” he said.
Special for Jerusalem Day: Rare footage from the Temple Mount on the day Jerusalem was liberated.
This is the only known color footage and possibly the only video from that Temple Mount event during the liberation of the historic capital of the Jewish people. ✡️
Israeli security forces detained several Jews at the exit from the Temple Mount on charges of bowing or prostrating, which authorities say could inflame tensions with Muslim worshippers, HaKol HaYehudi reported.
Israeli rights activist Michael Puah told the news site that he was able to wear tefillin (phylacteries), in defiance of the 1967 status quo arrangement with Jordan that bans Jewish prayer at the site.
“We even said the Hallel [holiday prayers] out loud; a policeman asked us to do it more quietly and didn’t say anything about the tefillin,” he said.
Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Israel’s minister for the development of the periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, and lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer, both members of the Otzma Yehudit Party, also ascended the Mount.
ביום ירושלים 2004 הגעתי לכניסה להר הבית עם קבוצה קטנה מגוש עציון. ההר היה נעול ליהודים אבל אפילו בערוץ 7 לא דיווחו על כך. זה היה רחוק מהלב ומהתודעה. והנה ביום ירושלים 2024 1600 יהודים עלו להר. אנחנו מתקדמים והגאולה בדרך, למרות הצקות, מעצרים והתנכלויות ממסדיות. לחיי המקדש שבדרך pic.twitter.com/McD87FK4Lt
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the visit. The ministry denounced the duo’s religious pilgrimage as a “blatant and unacceptable violation of international law.”
Earlier this week, National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir called on all Israelis to come to the capital as a way to “say the Temple Mount is ours and Jerusalem is ours.
“If we see ourselves as the sovereign of the area, our enemies will respect us,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement ahead of Jerusalem Day.
This year’s Jerusalem Day marks the 57th anniversary of the liberation of the Temple Mount, Western Wall, and eastern side of the city, as well as the historic Judea and Samaria regions to the south and north of the city.
The Jewish state entered into an agreement with Amman’s Waqf Islamic trust after the Six-Day War, in which Israel would maintain security control of the Temple Mount while the Waqf would retain religious control.
The Islamic body subsequently forbade Jews from engaging in any kind of prayer there, including moving their lips, bowing and prostrating.
The Israeli government enforces a ban on non-Muslim prayer on the site. Jews who perform any of these forbidden acts are typically removed by the police.
(JNS) Israel vigorously denied as “false” a New York Times report on Wednesday alleging it is running a covert influence campaign on social media targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public.
The goal of the alleged campaign is supposedly to gain support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Begun in October, the campaign is ongoing on X, the Times claimed.
According to the report, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, allocated $2 million for the effort, hired Tel Aviv-based political marketing firm Stoic.
At its height, the campaign generated hundreds of fake accounts posing “as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram,” the paper said. The fictional Americans, including students, concerned citizens and local constituents, allegedly posted pro-Israel comments.
The ministry flatly denied the “false publication in The New York Times.”
“The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism does not engage in disinformation campaigns,” a spokesman told JNS. “Any claim about a connection between the firm and the Stoic company is without foundation.”
The Times said the campaign targeted more than a dozen U.S. lawmakers, particularly black Democrats. Legislators named in the report were House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Sen. Raphael Warnock, (D-Ga.) and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).
Some pro-Israel messages were generated using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, the paper said.
The campaign also allegedly generated three fake news sites, which took and rewrote material from CNN and The Wall Street Journal.
The Times based its story on four anonymous sources who are current and former members of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, and on documentation it said it obtained about the campaign.
Citing social media observers, the Times said the operation was the “first documented case” of an Israeli government-organized influence campaign to influence the U.S. government.
It then lumped Israel in with some of the world’s most malicious actors known to run such campaigns, including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
The Times characterized the campaign as “sloppy” and ineffective, citing incongruent messaging and posts mismatched to fake accounts, such as ones purporting to belong to black men, who then posted about being middle-aged Jewish women.
Meta and OpenAI issued reports corroborating that Stoic was behind a fake social media campaign, with Meta saying it had removed hundreds of phony Facebook accounts. It said the campaign didn’t have much impact.
Meta announced it had banned Stoic from its platforms and had issued a cease-and-desist letter “demanding that they immediately stop activity that violates Meta’s policies,” NBC News reported last week.
The best encouragement the students received was from President Joe Biden, who, when asked about anti-Semitism on college campuses, condemned it but then added that he was just as concerned about “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.” It was, as Alan Dershowitz and Andrew Stein wrote in The Wall Street Journal, a “very fine people” moment for the president. Photo Credit: AP
Kristina Wong(Breitbart)
President Joe Biden, 81, has been struggling behind closed doors during official meetings, according to an in-depth report published Tuesday that described a president in serious cognitive decline.
The Wall Street Journalspoke to more than 45 people — Republicans and Democrats — over several months about these meetings, including to some who said Biden mumbled and spoke so softly people struggled to hear him, closed his eyes for so long people wondered if he had “tuned out,” and had to read from notes to make “obvious points.”
The octogenarian reportedly told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) a recent policy change was “just a study,” prompting Johnson to believe Biden forgot the details of his own policy. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told the newspaper, “I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I’d go to his house. … He’s not the same person.”
The newspaper said the White House “kept close tabs” on which Democrats they were interviewing, and some of those Democrats shared with the White House recordings or details of the interviews, and requested to speak again and emphasized Biden’s strengths.
One of those Democrats, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), told the WSJ, “They just, you know, said that I should give you a call back.”
RELATED: Just Another Tuesday — Biden Stumbles, Coughs Through Boring Speech
White House
During a January 17, 2024, meeting on Ukraine with nearly two dozen lawmakers, much of the conversation reportedly “didn’t include him,” and when questions came directly to him, he would turn to staffers. “You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable,” said one person who attended told the paper. “I’ll just say that.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who was there, argued that Biden was “incredibly strong, forceful and decisive.” Sen. James Risch (R-ID), who was also there, disagreed, saying, “What you see on TV is what you get.”
“These people who keep talking about what a dynamo he is behind closed doors—they need to get him out from behind closed doors, because I didn’t see it,” he said.
In the incident with Johnson, Biden reportedly pulled the speaker aside for a chat about what it would take to bring Ukraine aid to the House floor for a vote. Johnson reportedly brought up a new Biden administration policy that halted future permits for shipping LNG to countries while the issue was being studied. Biden told Johnson that it was not true that future permits were being halted, and said it was only a study.
While the White House called the account “false” and said the halt does not affect current exports, no new Energy Department permits for LNG exports have been issued since the policy was announced.
Biden also performed poorly during a May 2023 meeting with Republicans over increasing the debt limit, according to some Republicans there.
“He would ramble,” McCarthy said. “He always had cards. He couldn’t negotiate another way.” McCarthy said Biden did call him one day from Air Force One, and that he was “more with it than any other time.” However, the next day, during a meeting, Biden lacked that same vigor. “He was going back to all the old stuff that had been done for a long time,” McCarthy told the paper. “And he was shocked when I’d say: ‘No, Mr. President. We talked about that meetings ago. We are done with that.’”
During that meeting, Biden reportedly told the same story more than once about his experiences with the DuPont company during his time as a Delaware senator. White House aides pushed back against the characterizations, calling him a “savvy and effective leader,” and “sharp and engaged.”
“Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told the WSJ. “Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues.”
RELATED: GET IT TOGETHER, JOE! Biden Appears Confused During Veterans Day Ceremony
C-SPAN
Still, not much will likely change public perspectives of Biden. In a March WSJ survey of voters in seven battlegrounds states, only 28 percent said Biden was better suited physically and mentally for the presidency, while 48 percent said Trump. And the WSJ noted, there have been few opportunities to see Biden in unscripted moments.
According to the paper, by the end of April, he had given fewer interviews and press conferences than any of his recent predecessors. His last wide-ranging town-hall-style meeting with an independent news outlet was in October 2021 — more than two years ago, the paper noted. Biden is expected to debate former Trump later this month, on June 27.
Mobile Billboard Truck in NYC Screens Footage of Female Soldiers’ Kidnapping by Hamas
Edited by: TJVNews.com
In a poignant display of public diplomacy, the Consulate General of Israel in New York has launched a mobile billboard truck to traverse the city, screening footage of the kidnapping of female soldiers from Nahal Oz. This initiative, following a similar screening in Times Square two weeks ago, aims to bring widespread attention to the atrocities committed on October 7th and to counter the narratives propagated by Hamas and its supporters.
The initiative was unveiled in a launch ceremony at Times Square, where Ambassador Ofir Akunis, Consul General of Israel in New York, emphasized the importance of presenting the truth to the American public. “We will continue telling the truth about the atrocities of October 7th in any way we can,” Akunis stated. “This billboard truck’s screening of the terrible footage of the kidnapping of female soldiers is just one part of our relentless public diplomacy efforts to present the facts to the American public, in the face of incessant lies from Hamas and its supporters.”
The truck, emblazoned with the slogan “Let My People Go,” will navigate through Manhattan’s business districts, ensuring that the harrowing footage reaches a broad audience. The mobile screens will display the kidnapping of the female soldiers, accompanied by detailed descriptions of their fate and a strong call to action. The aim is to galvanize public support and to urge international efforts to pressure Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages.
This initiative is part of Israel’s broader strategy to engage in public diplomacy and raise awareness about the crimes committed by Hamas. By bringing the footage directly to the streets of New York, the Consulate General seeks to cut through the misinformation and highlight the human suffering caused by the kidnappings. The move also aims to foster solidarity and support among the American public, encouraging them to join the call for justice and the release of the hostages.
The screening of the footage in Times Square two weeks ago had already become a media event, drawing significant attention and sparking discussions about the ongoing conflict and its humanitarian impact. The decision to extend this initiative with a mobile billboard truck underscores the Consulate General’s commitment to maintaining visibility and continuing to push for international intervention.
The footage, depicting the brutal reality of the kidnappings, serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis. By leveraging high-traffic areas in Manhattan, the Consulate General aims to keep the issue at the forefront of public consciousness and to mobilize broader support for their cause.
The mobile billboard truck initiative by the Consulate General of Israel in New York represents a determined effort to shine a light on the atrocities committed by Hamas and to advocate for the immediate release of the kidnapped female soldiers. As the truck makes its way through Manhattan, it serves not only as a powerful tool for public diplomacy but also as a call to action for the international community to stand against terror and support the victims of these heinous acts. Through relentless efforts like these, the Consulate General hopes to bring justice and relief to those affected by the conflict.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Feb. 15, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said his Otzma Yehudit party would refuse to vote with the coalition unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provided more details about the newest hostage release and ceasefire deal.
“As long as the prime minister continues to hide the details of the deal, Otzma Yehudit will disrupt his coalition,” Ben Gvir tweeted.
Ben Gvir and other ministers said they would refuse to agree with a hostage release deal that requires a complete and permanent ceasefire, a condition imposed by Hamas up until now.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden urged Israel to accept a 3-part ceasefire and hostage deal and declared, “It’s time for this war to end.”
The first phase of the ceasefire would require the release of the women, elderly, wounded, and ill hostages, as well as the bodies of deceased hostages.
The second phase of the deal would see the release of the remaining hostages, including male soldiers, and a withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.
r Gaza” and the release of the remainder of the bodies of Israeli hostages.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Ben Gvir have threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu approves the ceasefire deal.
Ben Gvir said he and other ministers would “dismantle the government” if the deal were approved and called it a “total defeat” for Israel.
Smotrich “made it clear” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his party “will not agree to the end of the war before the destruction of Hamas, nor to doing serious damage to the achievements of the war so far through the withdrawal of the IDF and the return of Gazans to northern Gaza, and nor to the wholesale release of terrorists who, God forbid, will return to murdering Jews.”
Smotrich sought support from ultra-orthodox leaders earlier in the week, but on Tuesday, it was announced that Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties expressed support for the hostage deal with Hamas currently on the table.
“The faction decided to fully support the Israeli proposal, which includes far-reaching measures for the return of the abducted and the observance of the mitzvot of redeeming captives,” read a statement released by the Shas Party.
ro-Hamas encampment on Columbia University campus, April 22, 2024. (Shutterstock)
(AP) — Student editors at the Columbia Law Review say they were pressured by the journal’s board of directors to halt publication of an academic article written by a Palestinian human rights lawyer that accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and upholding an apartheid regime.
When the editors refused the request and published the piece Monday morning, the board — made up of faculty and alumni from Columbia University’s law school — shut down the law review’s website entirely. It remained offline Tuesday evening, a static homepage informing visitors the domain “is under maintenance.”
The episode at one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious legal journals marks the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate about academic speech that has deeply divided students, staff and college administrators since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Several editors at the Columbia Law Review described the board’s intervention as an unprecedented breach of editorial independence at the periodical, which is run by students at Columbia Law School. The board of directors oversees the nonprofit’s finances but has historically played no role in selecting pieces.
In a letter sent to student editors Tuesday and shared with The Associated Press, the board of directors said it was concerned that the article, titled “Nakba as a Legal Concept,” had not gone through the “usual processes of review or selection for articles at the Law Review, and in particular that a number of student editors had been unaware of its existence.”
“In order to preserve the status quo and provide student editors some window of opportunity to review the piece, as well as provide time for the Law Review to determine how to proceed, we temporarily suspended the website,” the letter continued.
Those involved in soliciting and editing the piece said they had followed a rigorous review process, even as they acknowledged taking steps to forestall expected blowback by limiting the number of students aware of the article.
In the piece, Rabea Eghbariah, a Harvard doctoral candidate, accuses Israel of a litany of “crimes against humanity,” arguing for a new legal framework to “encapsulate the ongoing structure of subjugation in Palestine and derive a legal formulation of the Palestinian condition.”
Eghbariah said in a text message that the suspension of the law journal’s website should be seen as “a microcosm of a broader authoritarian repression taking place across U.S. campuses.”
Editors said they voted overwhelmingly in December to commission a piece on Palestinian legal issues, then formed a smaller committee — open to all of the publication’s editorial leadership — that ultimately accepted Eghbariah’s article. He had submitted an earlier version of the article to the Harvard Law Review, which the publication later elected not to publish amid internal backlash, according to a report in The Intercept.
Anticipating similar controversy and worried about a leak of the draft, the committee of editors working on the article did not upload it to a server that is visible to the broader membership of the law journal and to some administrators. The piece was not shared until Sunday with the full staff of the Columbia Law Review — something that editorial staffers said was not uncommon.
“We’ve never circulated a particular article in advance,” said Sohum Pal, an articles editor at the publication. “So the idea that this is all over a process concern is a total lie. It’s very transparently content based.”
In their letter to students, the board of directors said student editors who didn’t work on the piece should have been given an opportunity to read it and raise concerns.
“Whatever your views of this piece, it will clearly be controversial and potentially have an impact on all associated with the Review,” they wrote.
Those involved in the publishing of the article said they heard from a small group of students over the weekend who expressed concerns about threats to their careers and safety if it were to be published.
Some alluded to trucks that circled Columbia and other campuses following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, labeling students as antisemites for their past or current affiliation with groups seen as hostile to Israel.
The letter from the board also suggested that a statement be appended to the piece stating the article had not been subject to a standard review process or made available for all student editors to read ahead of time.
Erika Lopez, an editor who worked on the piece, said many students were adamantly opposed to the idea, calling it “completely false to imply that we didn’t follow the standard process.”
She said student editors had spoken regularly since they began receiving pushback from the board on Sunday and remained firmly in support of the piece.
When they learned the website had been shuttered Monday morning, they quickly uploaded Eghbariah’s article to a publicly accessible website. It has since spread widely across social media.
“It’s really ironic that this piece probably got more attention than anything we normally published,” Lopez added, “even after they nuked the website.”
An Israeli Arab was arrested Tuesday for impersonating an IDF soldier and vilifying Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip on social media.
In a clip that the police released, the 19-year-old resident of Abu Ghosh tells a keffiyeh-draped American-sounding interviewer that he is an IDF soldier and charges the army in broken English with systematically killing innocent civilians.
“We kill everybody, no Hamas,” he says in the video.
Nodding when the interviewer, who seems to be sitting at home, asks, “Everybody? Even the children? And the women?” he says, “Children, and babies. Babies one day [old] we kill him…. Why no?”
The Jerusalem District Police, who among their other protective functions also monitor anti-Israel social media posts for incitement, investigated the matter when the post came to their attention.
They located the young Arab and discovered that he was not, in fact, a soldier.
He was questioned after his arrest, and the authorities plan on submitting a request to the courts to extend his detention on Wednesday as the investigation continues.
The Israel Police announced last month that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, out of 1,010 social media posts its dedicated unit against online anti-Israel incitement has examined, the prosecutor’s office has approved criminal investigations against 524 authors. Charges have been filed against 162 of those investigated.
In the Judea and Samaria district, which is counted separately, 503 cases have been examined since the outbreak of the war, and charges brought in 236 of them.
This is but a drop in the bucket of millions of posts from around the world on social media sites that daily attack Israel’s narrative of the war, glorify Hamas’ attempted genocide on October 7, and support and encourage any attack on the Jewish state or Jews wherever they may live.
While Israeli government officials know the data, the social media battle has not drawn the serious budget necessary to combat even a small part of the well-oiled, and in many cases, enemy-state backed propaganda machine, to the deep chagrin of many Israel supporters.
Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan. Credit: biuinternational.com
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a monumental act of philanthropy, an anonymous Columbia University alumnus has donated an unprecedented $260 million to Bar-Ilan University, one of Israel’s leading public research institutions, as was reported by The New York Post on Monday. This generous donation, revealed by Bar-Ilan University, has sparked widespread speculation and discussion within academic and philanthropic circles.
Described as a “North American Jew and graduate of Columbia University who was active in World War II,” the anonymous donor’s identity remains a mystery. His motivations, however, have been partially illuminated by statements from Bar-Ilan University and reactions from various stakeholders. According to the information provided in The Post report, the donor, now approximately 100 years old, chose to redirect his immense wealth towards Bar-Ilan University due to its perceived capability to enhance Israel’s science-based technological resilience. This act of generosity is seen as a strategic investment in the future of Israel’s scientific and technological advancements.
The timing and nature of the donation have led many to speculate that the benefactor’s decision was influenced by recent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University, especially in the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as per the information contained in The Post report. These demonstrations have stirred significant controversy and discomfort among Jewish alumni and supporters of Israel. As per The Post, Hank Sheinkopf, a prominent political consultant, pro-Israel activist, and rabbi, characterized the donation as a “smack in the face” to Columbia University, suggesting it might be the start of a broader trend among disillusioned alumni.
Bar-Ilan University, located in Ramat Gan, Israel, is poised to benefit immensely from this donation. Known for its strong emphasis on integrating Jewish values with scientific research and education, the university has a history of contributing significantly to Israel’s academic and technological landscape, as was indicated in The Post report. The $260 million endowment will likely accelerate research, development, and innovation across various scientific disciplines, bolstering Israel’s position as a global leader in technology and science.
The announcement of this extraordinary donation was first reported by e-JewishPhilanthropy.com and has since captured the attention of numerous media outlets. The story has ignited a guessing game regarding the identity of the donor, with the only concrete clue being his advanced age and World War II service, so said the report in The Post.
Bar-Ilan University President Arie Zaban lauded the anonymous benefactor as a man of broad academic education who deeply understands the importance of science and technology in shaping a nation’s future. The Post report noted that during his numerous visits to Israel, the donor observed firsthand the significant strides Bar-Ilan University has made in key scientific areas. He recognized the university’s robust science-based infrastructure and its extensive connections across all sectors of Israeli society as vital components in driving technological innovation.
The unprecedented $260 million donation is earmarked for the advancement of “deep tech” sciences at Bar-Ilan University. Deep tech, which includes disciplines such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and advanced materials, represents the cutting edge of technological innovation, The Post report revealed. This investment is expected to not only bolster Israel’s scientific capabilities but also potentially influence global technological advancements.
President Zaban emphasized the transformative potential of this gift, stating that it will “positively influence the future of Israel and humanity,” as was noted by The Post. By channeling funds into pioneering scientific research, the university aims to make significant contributions that extend beyond national borders.
Mohamed Khairullah, a mayor and NJ congressional candidate. Credit: Kyle Mazza / NurPhoto via AP
By: Hal C Clarke
Mohamed Khairullah, a mayor and congressional candidate in New Jersey, was denied security clearance to a White House event last year, raising questions about his inclusion on a terror watchlist, NY Post reported
Khairullah, who is challenging long-time incumbent Rep. Bill Pascrell, expressed his frustration over the lack of due process to clear his name. “I believe I am on a terror watchlist with no due process,” Khairullah told Politico.
Khairullah’s background includes an arrest for aggravated assault in 2002, following an alleged attack on his then-wife. The domestic violence charge was later dropped, but the incident has resurfaced amid his current political campaign.
As mayor of Prospect Park, a town near Paterson, Khairullah oversees a community with the largest Palestinian American population in the United States. The district also has a significant Jewish population, especially in Passaic, making the Israel-Hamas conflict a pivotal issue in the race.
Originally from Syria, Khairullah moved to the U.S. in 1980. He has criticized Pascrell for his support of a $26.4 billion military aid package to Israel, the New York Post reported.
“I have been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the Israeli aggression and daily massacres against the Palestinians in Gaza,” Khairullah stated. He advocates for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the end of Israeli occupation in Palestine. “I refuse to see our tax dollars go to fund genocide. It is unacceptable that our elected officials are prioritizing military aid over diplomatic solutions that could save lives,” he added.
Khairullah, who also serves as an assistant principal at Passaic County Tech-Vocational Schools, recently posted photos on Instagram with Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Ilhan Omar, both known for their critical stance on Israel.
In contrast, Rep. Bill Pascrell, an 87-year-old Army veteran and former mayor of Paterson, has defended his vote for military aid to Israel. “I voted in favor of fresh aid to Israel to protect itself and Israelis from terrorism, especially in light of Iran’s latest terror attack,” Pascrell said. He emphasized the need for peace, calling for a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages. Pascrell also supports aid to Gaza but stresses that “ceasefire and freed hostages is the only path to peace and two permanent states living in security.”
Pro-Israel activists have criticized Khairullah for not condemning Hamas’ October 7 invasion of Israel, which escalated the conflict in Gaza. “I think he supports Hamas,” stated Rabbi Benjamin Kelsen.
Khairullah has previously claimed profiling and discrimination. He was denied access to a White House Eid al-Fitr celebration and believes he was unfairly placed on an FBI terror watchlist. He reported being detained and questioned about terrorism at JFK Airport after a trip to Turkey, attributing this to Muslim profiling.
Despite the controversies, Pascrell remains the favored candidate, with strong support from the Democratic establishment, including endorsements from House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Gregory Meeks, and Rep. Tom Suozzi. Pascrell co-chairs the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, further solidifying his position within the party.
The chairman of the NYS Democratic Party, Jay Jacobs praised the primary opponent of Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Credit: nydems.org
By: Jared Evan
The chairman of the New York State Democratic Party, Jay Jacobs, recently gave glowing remarks about George Latimer, the primary opponent of far left extremist Rep. Jamaal Bowman, but notably refrained from commenting on Bowman himself, The NY Post reported.
Jacobs, who has a strong alliance with Governor Kathy Hochul and leads the Nassau County Democrats, expressed confidence in Latimer, the Westchester County Executive.
“If elected, George Latimer would make an excellent congressman,” Jacobs told The NY Post on Monday. When asked about Bowman, Jacobs simply replied, “No comment.”
Bowman, a former middle school principal from the Bronx, is running for a third term in the 16th House district, which includes southern Westchester and parts of the northern Bronx. Jacobs highlighted his long-standing friendship with Latimer, emphasizing their collaboration on various issues important to both suburban and urban New Yorkers.
Despite not formally endorsing Latimer, insiders suggest Jacobs clearly favors him in the upcoming June 25 primary. This comes amid increasing scrutiny of Bowman, who has faced backlash for his anti-Israel statements and other controversial actions, The NY Post noted
Bowman recently secured the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a group known for its anti-Israel, anti-white, anti-Jewish, anti-law enforcement, anti-ICE and pro crime positions, as well as support from the Working Families Party, another Marxist tinged group of radicals.
In response, pro-Israel organizations, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), are investing heavily to defeat Bowman, funding aggressive TV ads critical of the incumbent. Latimer has positioned himself as a strong supporter of Israel, contrasting sharply with Bowman’s contentious and Pro terrorist views, NY Post reported
Last November, Bowman sparked controversy by referring to Israel as an “apartheid” state and disputing reports of rapes and child murders during the October 7 attacks, which he labeled as “lies.”
He later under pressure from sane people retracted these comments after accusations of spreading Hamas propaganda. In a recent debate, Bowman defended the phrase “From the river to the sea,” often seen as a call for the eradication of Israel, while Latimer condemned it as antisemitic and genocidal.
Bowman has received backing from fellow “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district neighbors his, as well as from state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, the Bronx Democratic Party chairman. On the other hand, Latimer enjoys support from the Westchester Democratic Party establishment, as well as from pro-Israel and Jewish Democrats.
Bowman’s challenges are not limited to his political rhetoric and positions. The Republican-led House voted in December to censure him for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building on September 30 to delay a vote on averting a government shutdown. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count on October 26 for falsely pulling the fire alarm and agreed to pay a $1,000 fine, asserting it was an accident.
Bowman is part of the far-left group of House members known as “The Squad,” which includes Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Cori Bush of Missouri.
Despite repeated attempts, The Post did not receive an immediate response from Bowman’s campaign for comment.
As the primary approaches, the dynamics of this race underscore the broader tensions within the Democratic Party between its moderate and progressive wings.
Crowds line 5th Avenue in New York City. (Credit for all photos: Lieba Nesis)
By: Lieba Nesis
Held since 1964 the Israeli parade organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York took place on June 2nd 2024 from 11:30-3:30 PM along 56-74th Street and Fifth Avenue. Pre October 7th this parade was called “Celebrate Israel Parade” and contained bands floats and music-post October 7th the toned-down version’s theme was “Israel Day on Fifth.” My first time marching I was not sure what to expect especially with the tightened security which included, barricades, metal detectors, K-9 units bike patrols, snipers and a heavy police presence. The expectation was for myriad loud protests and perhaps some aggression leading a fair amount of attendees to skip the festivities.
Grand Marshall Harley Lippman in blue blazer
Despite one crazy masked man carrying a sign calling to “kill the hostages now” the parade largely went off without a hitch. As far as I could tell most of the crowd including the schools were orthodox as Ramaz, Moriah, JCRC, HAFTR along with 200 other participating synagogues and schools came out in droves. In fact there seemed to be many more marchers than spectators perhaps due to the closed off streets, the hot weather, and the fear of pro-Palestinian marchers. I had the privilege of accompanying Grand Marshal Harley Lippman on the route-and it was an experience I will never forget. Harley is a diehard lover and advocate of Israel.
Rami Gold, Hero from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel.
After founding Genesis10, a professional technology consulting firm in 1999 his firm has grown organically with more than 2,000 employees and 20 sales and recruiting offices. Harley could be enjoying cocktails in his Miami Beach mansion, or hanging out in his Park Avenue pad-but that is not Harley. In typical Lippman fashion he not only headed the parade which included him flying over some of more than 70 hostage family members represented-but he went over to each individual crowd introducing those whose children had been kidnapped or killed and asking the crowd to advocate for Israel against the “New Nazis”-Hamas.
The Moriah School
The hostage families were clad in black T-shirts as they carried posters of their loved ones and joined the crowds in chants of “Bring Them Home Now.” There were hosts of politicians including Chuck Schumer who began the parade as a heckler screamed “Go Home,” Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Ambassador Gilad Erdan and others; however, this afternoon was all about the victims of October 7th-and yes as in any Jewish crowd their views were far from monolithic.
Mark Wilf, Harley Lippman
Standing next to Rabbi Zvika Mor from Kiryat Arba, whose son Eitan is being held by Hamas, was eye opening as he called for the crowd to not only bring back his son but to “win the war.” Zvika shot to fame when he told a Channel 14 interviewer “I love my son, but my country comes first” remarking that “he was ready to make sacrifices.” On the other end of the spectrum is Eli Shtivi whose son Idan was kidnapped from Nova and who has repeatedly called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to end the war so the hostages can return-even staging a hunger strike to call attention to their plight.
Roi Assaraf survivor of Nova festival who was shot at ten times
The lugubrious faces of Itay Chen’s parents, Hagit and Ruby, whose son was killed by Hamas was hard to bear; as was Dani Miran who is still waiting to hear the fate of his son Omri who was abducted from Kibbutz Natal Oz and has two young girls anxiously anticipating his arrival. The crowd listened to their stories with tears in their eyes as this year’s parade was almost too much to bear. Mayor Adams, an ardent advocate of Israel, stood near Israeli singer Eden Golan who recently represented her country at Eurovision despite death threats and fear of violence as Adams declared “destroy Hamas, bring home the hostages.”
Rafael Cohen, Yaakov Hagoel
Due to the ongoing grim circumstances there was little music, no bands or celebratory chanting at this year’s parade- and I am afraid that was a huge mistake as the afternoon lost its celebratory feeling. Despite the circumstances of the war the necessity of manifesting our joy at the miracle of the 1948 statehood remains and so the thousands marching lost their sense of purpose and excitement. This year’s parade also seemed more business oriented as it really was about getting the hostage families to the right politicians in order to make things happen.
Eli Shtivi, whose son Idan was taken into Hamas captivity in Gaza
As the steamy day concluded and more than a couple of parade goers were taken out in stretchers I bumped into hero Rami Gold from Kibbutz Beer a 70 year old war veteran who witnessed October 7th firsthand and who grabbed an M16 rifle from one of his dead friends and fought hundreds of terrorists for 12 hours-until he came down to his last bullet and two reserve soldiers came to save him-and this is what makes Israel so great-even when it appears they are down and out they come back ten times stronger-Am Yisrael Chai!
Zvika Mor whose son Eitan is a hostage in Gaza, He is telling the crowd along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue that we must fight and win the war against Hamas.Itay Chen’s parents, Hagit and Ruby ChenDani Miran holding picture of his hostage son, Omri
During an address at the Economic Club of New York, John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, expressed his expectation for inflation to “resume moderating in the second half of this year.”
Mr. Williams, a close ally of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, emphasized that the recent hot monthly readings do not signify an upward trend but rather a pause in the cooling trend of inflation.
He also forecasted that inflation, as measured by the Fed’s favored gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, will soften to about a rate of 2.5 percent by the end of this year, moving closer to the Fed’s target of 2 percent next year. The latest reading for March showed inflation running at a clip of 2.7 percent.
“Inflation is still above our 2 percent longer-run target. And I’m very focused on ensuring that we achieve both of our dual mandate goals. So what does it mean for monetary policy? Now, it’s important to note the many factors beyond monetary policy influence the economy and financial markets. These include global drivers of supply and demand, as well as factors that are currently affecting the supply side of the U.S. economy,” Mr. Williams said.
This statement comes shortly before the Fed enters a blackout period to prepare for the policy-making meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on June 11–12. Economists anticipate no change in the Fed’s policy rate at this meeting. The general view suggests the first chance of a rate cut could be in September, with many not expecting a move until December.
Mr. Williams emphasized the current stance of monetary policy as being well-positioned to continue the progress toward achieving the Fed’s objectives. He noted that policy is “restrictive,” putting downward pressure on demand.
“Looking at this broader context of behavior, the economy over the past year provides ample evidence that monetary policy is restrictive in a way that helps achieve our goals,” Mr. Williams said.
“We’re seeing clear and consistent signs that the imbalances between supply and demand in the economy are receding, and we’ve seen a broad-based decline in inflation. Overall, the risks to achieving our maximum employment and price stability goals have moved toward better balance over the past year. ”
The Fed has kept its policy rate in a range of 5.25–5.5 percent since last July.
Mr. Williams’s remarks underscore the Fed’s commitment to its dual mandate of achieving maximum employment and price stability, suggesting that the central bank is closely monitoring inflation trends and is ready to adjust its policies accordingly.
When questioned about the timing of a reduction in the Federal Reserve’s interest rates, the respondent expressed uncertainty, stating, “The honest answer is I don’t know, because it’s gonna be driven by the data.” This response followed a lighthearted exchange, after telling the interviewer “I knew you were gonna ask” and eliciting laughter from the room.
“We’re seeing the imbalances come down, in the inflation data, [it had] been a little bumpy earlier on, but have to watch how that proceeds. So it’s really about looking at the totality of the data, getting that greater confidence that we’re moving sustainably to 2 percent,” Mr. Williams said.
NY Poised to Pass Landmark Legislation Regulating Social Media for Minors
By: Carlton Fredericks
State lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hochul are nearing agreement on a groundbreaking bill that aims to regulate social media feeds for minors, multiple sources confirmed on Monday to the New York Post.
The proposed legislation, championed by Hochul, seeks to restrict social media companies from using addictive algorithms on users under 18 and to prevent these companies from profiting off their data.
If enacted, this bill would be the first of its kind in the United States. “I think we are waiting for ‘Is and Ts,’ but I think hopefully we’ll have something out pretty soon,” said Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn), the bill’s sponsor, in a statement to the NY Post.
Sources involved in the discussions indicated that the exact text of the legislation could be released as early as Monday evening, potentially setting the stage for a vote by the end of the week.
The tentative agreement would prohibit social media companies from using algorithms to dictate the content that minors see, ensuring that their social feeds display posts chronologically from accounts they follow. Critics argue that these algorithms are designed to keep children glued to their screens, contributing to a mental health crisis among the nation’s youth.
Additionally, the bill proposes a ban on apps sending alerts between midnight and 6 a.m., unless parents opt in. It would also prevent companies from selling the data of users under 18. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie withheld comment on the tentative deal, noting that it still needs to be discussed with all Assembly members in a closed-door conference. “I have to talk to members,” Heastie said. “When it comes to the work on something, there’s dialogue between the executive and the Assembly, you have something to go back and see that the members are OK.”
Governor Hochul, a mother and grandmother, has been vocal about the legislation at various events leading up to the tentative agreement. “The companies are responsible for this,” Hochul said at a recent event with the Mental Health Association in New York. “This is driven by profit. They also know there are negative effects on children, they don’t have to listen to the surgeon general who warned about the effects of this a year ago.”
This legislative effort in New York comes amid a broader national conversation about regulating social media companies, with several states considering similar measures and preparing for potential free speech battles. A comparable bill passed the California state Senate last month and may pass its lower chamber later this year, NY Post noted.
Tech firms and social media companies have been lobbying against these efforts, raising concerns about age verification for minors and broader issues related to the bill. One trade group, NetChoice, which includes Facebook’s parent company Meta, argued that New York’s bill would infringe on First Amendment protections, even though it doesn’t prevent minors from choosing which accounts to follow. “It is less unconstitutional,” said Carl Szabo of NetChoice, to the Wall Street Journal. “Unfortunately, when it comes to constitutionality, close doesn’t count. You either are or you aren’t. This legislation continues to violate free speech protections granted to New York citizens.”
Sen. Gounardes acknowledged that last-minute negotiations are focused on ensuring the bill stands on firm legal ground to avoid being invalidated by the courts amid expected challenges from opponents. “I think this is huge,” Gounardes said.
