New York
A Bronx man was arrested after allegedly disrupting Shabbat services at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and attacking a congregant and a security officer.
Larry Montes, 46, allegedly struck a 63-year-old woman, damaged synagogue property, then spit at and headbutted a security officer while shouting an anti-Jewish slur. He faces hate-crime charges including assault and criminal mischief. Prosecutors said Montes told police that Jewish worshippers were “swine” and “fake Jews” and admitted the attack was religiously motivated. The congregant suffered minor injuries, and no one was seriously hurt. Montes was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail or $30,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 20. Additional police were deployed to the synagogue following the incident.
After its first full year, New York City’s congestion pricing program has not produced significant air-quality improvements, according to an August Health Department evaluation. Traffic-related pollution in the toll zone changed little, with researchers unable to attribute modest declines to the program. Nearby environmental justice neighborhoods also saw no measurable increase in pollution from diverted traffic. Overall pollution levels held steady or improved slightly across the city, continuing a longer-term trend of gradual declines. Vehicles account for only a small share of total emissions, limiting the impact of reduced traffic alone. The department described the analysis as its most comprehensive evaluation to date of the program’s effects on neighborhood air quality.
Nasdaq is preparing to launch a new overnight trading session that would expand U.S. stock trading to 23 hours a day, five days a week. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the plan in April, with a targeted start date of Dec. 6 that depends on readiness of the DTCC clearing system and market data infrastructure. The new “Night Session” will run from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Eastern Time, with a one-hour pause from 8 to 9 p.m. for system processing. It will offer more limited order types and functionality than regular trading hours. Existing daytime and extended sessions will remain largely unchanged.
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In Manhattan federal court, Mangione admitted that he posed as an investor to obtain information about the company’s conference before traveling to New York City in December 2024 with the intention of shooting Thompson. “I knew what I was doing,” he told the court, stating that he understood his actions were illegal and would place Thompson in fear of death or serious injury. Mangione faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December. Prosecutors indicated they will seek the maximum penalty.
Manhattan’s average monthly rent hit an all-time high of $6,655, a roughly 10 percent jump from a year earlier, while the median stood at $5,295. Studios averaged $4,088, one-bedrooms $5,486, two-bedrooms $8,054, and three-bedrooms $12,228, with the smaller unit types setting new records. The city’s rental vacancy rate sank to 1.49 percent, its lowest level since 1968. Brokers attributed the surge to persistent housing shortages, high mortgage rates that keep potential buyers in the rental market, and recent policy changes, including an incoming rent freeze on stabilized units and a proposed pied-à-terre tax.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the City will make child care completely free for all families receiving child care assistance through vouchers and contracts across New York City. The policy will benefit approximately 22,000 low-income families who currently receive subsidized care through the Child Care Assistance Program and pay a sliding-scale fee. Beginning in September, the administration will cover the $5.2 million in annual out-of-pocket costs those families currently pay. Funding has been baselined in the budget at $6.24 million beginning in fiscal year 2028.
A New York City police officer who was the first to be prosecuted under a local law banning chokeholds and some other methods of restraint was convicted. Omar Habib was found guilty of the misdemeanor established in the law passed after George Floyd’s killing, along with felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault. He faces up to seven years in prison. Habib has been dismissed from the New York Police Department after previously being suspended without pay. The case arose from a 2023 incident in the Bronx in which he used a prohibited restraint during an arrest. A judge ordered him held without bail pending sentencing.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the creation of an Office of Insurance Affordability, described as the nation’s first of its kind, citing rising insurance costs that are forcing businesses and landlords to raise prices. “A bagel shouldn’t have to be so expensive — but rising insurance costs are making businesses and landlords raise their prices astronomically,” Menin said. The new office is intended to protect consumers and address insurance increases that are burdening many New Yorkers.
U.S.
President Donald Trump announced that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart her role at the end of the month to spend more time with her young children and family. He added that she will continue as one of his top outside advisers and an influential voice in the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections. Leavitt, the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary, recently returned from maternity leave after the birth of her second child. She described the decision as bittersweet while affirming her ongoing support for the administration’s agenda.
The National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., was defaced with bright pink graffiti reading “Clean hands, dirty money,” while its fountain was tampered with and filled with overflowing bubbles. U.S. Park Police closed off the area to investigate the incident. The Interior Department condemned the vandalism as an “utter disgrace” at a memorial honoring the more than 400,000 Americans who died in World War II. Workers later arrived to remove the graffiti. Officials stated that the public should know those responsible will be found. The memorial, dedicated to the service and sacrifice of the armed forces during the conflict, remains a central site on the National Mall.
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue while it appeals a ruling blocking the project. The D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 that the president cannot proceed with the roughly 90,000-square-foot project without congressional approval. The administration argues the ballroom is necessary for White House security and that halting work would leave a harder-to-secure construction site. Officials say the project is already about 65 percent complete and have asked the Court to intervene before the ruling takes effect on Aug. 21. The appeals court stayed its decision for 14 days to permit the Supreme Court filing.
President Trump was sued in federal court to stop him from making money off a new paid service at his Truth Social company that offers early, exclusive access to his posts on U.S. policy. The lawsuit alleges that Trump’s arrangement to post first on his own company’s site about policy decisions on war, tariffs, and other issues violates the Constitution and that official announcements should be available to everyone at the same time. The suit comes after Trump Media & Technology rolled out a subscription service charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month for faster access to his posts so they can trade on them.
A federal judge has lifted a stay that had blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, clearing the way for the Department of Homeland Security to terminate the designation. Somali nationals covered by TPS who lack another legal basis to remain in the United States could face deportation. Fox News Digital previously reported that 2,471 Somali nationals held TPS, with another 1,383 applications pending. The decision follows a Supreme Court ruling that limited judicial review of similar TPS terminations.
Florida could soon take another step toward a future of flying taxis, with Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing that electric aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically will begin testing at a state transportation facility in Polk County by the end of the year. The aircraft, known as eVTOLs, will be tested at an approximately 775-acre transportation research facility. The site includes the nation’s first dedicated aerial test track for advanced air mobility, according to the governor’s office. Officials view the aircraft as a potential tool to relieve congestion and expand regional air options.
Jewish Israeli basketball legend and six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire reflected on his deep connection to Israel during his Hall of Fame induction speech. He recalled how he came to live, study Torah, and play basketball in Israel after his NBA career. Stoudemire said his time in the country allowed him to experience the land where the Torah comes to life, creating a connection that extended far beyond the court. He noted that he had been learning Torah for two decades prior to moving there. Stoudemire, who became an Israeli citizen and converted to Judaism, played for teams including Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The induction honors his 14-season NBA career and accomplishments overseas.
Former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger and businessman Josh Kushner are purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal valued at approximately $12.5 billion. Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is legally contesting her siblings’ plan to sell the family’s remaining 17.8 percent minority ownership stake in the team to Kushner and Iger. ESPN and The Athletic first reported that the siblings had voted to sell the family trust’s remaining interest in the 17-time NBA champion franchise purchased by their father, Jerry Buss, in 1979. The decision would end Jeanie Buss’ tenure as the Lakers’ governor because that role requires at least 15 percent ownership of the team. Buss’s attorney argues that a 2017 court order requires her consent for any such sale.
Israel
The IDF eliminated terrorist Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s “Badder Unit,” in response to Hezbollah’s action in the Security Zone against IDF soldiers. Hassan Alaa took part in advancing numerous terror attacks against IDF soldiers operating in the Security Zone, including the launch of explosive drones toward IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon. Over the past years, he commanded several combat sectors in the organization that operated against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. The IDF stated that his elimination constitutes a severe degradation in the unit’s management ability. The action followed a Hezbollah drone attack that wounded Israeli soldiers.
Israel’s Shin Bet and National Cyber Directorate are warning of sophisticated phishing attacks by Iranian intelligence operatives targeting Israeli journalists through WhatsApp and Telegram. Attackers reportedly impersonate trusted contacts or fellow reporters and send personalized collaboration or interview requests containing malicious links designed to steal Google credentials or compromise devices. The campaign aims to potentially expose sensitive sources, correspondence, and security-related information. Authorities say the messages are carefully tailored to build trust before directing victims to fraudulent sites or files. Journalists have been urged to remain vigilant against such approaches.
The IDF has identified the burial place of fallen soldier Shlomo Chaimson nearly 78 years after he was killed. He was shot by British guards in September 1948 while attempting to escape a detention camp in Cyprus. His remains were transferred to Israel in 1970 and buried anonymously in the Cyprus detainees’ section of a Haifa cemetery. Following a multi-year investigation, the IDF determined he is interred in grave No. 11, row 2. His family in Brazil has been notified, and a military-state ceremony will be held to place his name on the grave. The investigation involved archival research, witness accounts, and archaeological surveys.
World
A 22-year-old Jewish tourist from France who was wearing a kippah was attacked twice in central Rome on consecutive days. Italian police arrested a 31-year-old suspect, a homeless Algerian citizen with a criminal record, on suspicion of involvement in both incidents. Authorities said the allegations include violent offenses as well as incitement and encouragement of crimes motivated by racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination.
Israel’s 80-member aid delegation is continuing search-and-rescue operations in Cali following last week’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 287 people, injured more than 4,000, and left at least 143 missing. Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Pinto said the Israeli team is working at three of five heavily damaged sites where people remain missing, but warned that after nearly eight days, the chances of finding survivors alive are increasingly slim. The delegation is also helping Colombian authorities assess damaged schools, public buildings, and medical facilities as efforts gradually shift toward recovery and rehabilitation. The team, known as the “Alliance of Brothers,” includes IDF personnel and representatives from the Defense and Foreign Ministries. It is among the largest international groups assisting on the ground.
2026 NY Elections Update
A new Siena University poll shows New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lead over Republican Bruce Blakeman has narrowed to 10 points, 49 percent to 39 percent, among likely voters. This is down sharply from her 20-point advantage of 52 percent to 32 percent in a June poll of registered voters. The August survey marks Siena’s first poll of likely voters in the cycle. Hochul holds strong support among Democrats while Blakeman leads among Republicans, with independents narrowly favoring the Republican. The governor remains ahead in New York City but trails in the suburbs, with the race essentially tied upstate. Cost of living continues to rank as a top issue for voters.
President Donald Trump visited Nassau County to campaign for Republican candidates, including Blakeman in his race for governor, along with Jeanine Driscoll and Mike LiPetri in congressional contests. Trump spoke at the Nassau County Police Academy, where he praised Blakeman as a longtime friend and strong leader while highlighting national declines in violent crime. He was joined by top administration officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel. Blakeman welcomed the president and credited him with restoring American strength. Driscoll and LiPetri also appeared, thanking Trump for energizing the party and supporting their campaigns against Democratic incumbents.
President Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” to Republican Saritha Komatireddy in the race for New York attorney general, calling on voters to oust Democratic incumbent Letitia James, a longtime political adversary. In a Truth Social post, Trump described Komatireddy as an “America First Patriot” and said it was his “Great Honor” to back her bid to become the next attorney general of “the once wonderful State of New York.” He criticized James and the state’s leadership while praising Komatireddy’s record as a former federal prosecutor and DEA chief of staff. Komatireddy, whom Trump previously nominated for a federal judgeship, thanked the president and said she is working to defeat James in November.
New York Rep. Mike Lawler received endorsements from 11 law enforcement unions and police organizations as he campaigns for reelection in a competitive Hudson Valley House race. The groups, including the Police Conference of New York, Rockland County PBA, Port Authority PBA, and New York State Fraternal Order of Police, announced their support at an event in Haverstraw. Lawler emphasized his consistent backing of law enforcement and credited officers for keeping the district’s counties among the safest in the country. Union leaders praised his record of prioritizing public safety and representing officers with common sense. The endorsements provide a key boost for the two-term Republican against Democratic challenger Cait Conley in a race rated as a toss-up. Recent polling has shown the candidates statistically close.