CBN Evening News Roundup for Thursday 8/13
🇮🇱 ISRAEL & MIDEAST
Israeli Rescue Delegation Heads To Colombia After Earthquake
An 80-member Israeli search-and-rescue and humanitarian delegation, Brit Re’im, left Nevatim Air Force Base for Colombia Thursday night following an earthquake that has killed 273 people, injured 3,824 and left 377 missing. Led by the IDF Home Front Command and Foreign Ministry, the team is commanded by Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Pinto and will distribute food and water while conducting search-and-rescue operations.
Kushner Plans Israel Visit Next Week For Gaza Talks
Jared Kushner plans to visit Israel next week for talks on Gaza, his first trip since January, Axios reports. He’ll focus on disarming Hamas and a potential Israeli withdrawal as part of the Board of Peace’s next phase. Netanyahu has publicly rejected Hamas’s disarmament terms amid coalition pressure ahead of October’s election, though the White House views this as election posturing rather than a policy break, since Israel has since scaled back strikes and pulled to the Yellow Line. Kushner will travel with Nickolay Mladenov and meet Netanyahu and senior officials.
Hamas Sets New Conditions For Disarmament
Hamas rejected the Board of Peace’s demand Thursday to begin implementing the 15-point Gaza plan, claiming Israel hasn’t met its own commitments. Hamas is demanding the Rafah crossing reopen, a full IDF ceasefire, heavy equipment for reconstruction, and international forces to monitor the ceasefire, with Turkey and Qatar expected to take part. It’s also asking the Board to cover civilian debts after halting salary and supplier payments, citing depleted resources.
CENTCOM Chief Urges Resumption Of Iran Strikes: Report
Israel’s Channel 13 reports that CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper told Israeli officials during a recent visit that he’s pushing for renewed military strikes and a full resumption of operations against Iran, signaling continued high-level U.S.-Israel coordination as both sides weigh next steps after the earlier campaign.
CENTCOM Denies Reports Of Deaths Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
CENTCOM said Thursday that reports of seven sailors dying in a brawl aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, along with claims of a spike in suicidal ideation among the crew, are false. One sailor who fell overboard August 3 was recovered safely, CENTCOM said, adding the strike group remains resilient after 260-plus days at sea.
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🇺🇸 U.S. POLITICS
Kennedy Center Board Votes To Add Trump’s Name To Facade
The Kennedy Center’s board voted Thursday to close the venue for two years and rename the building’s facade and plaza after President Trump, according to Rep. Joyce Beatty and her attorneys. The move follows a federal judge’s earlier ruling that blocked the renaming and paused the closure, with the judge finding only Congress can rename the building. Beatty called it an attempt to circumvent that ruling; the administration has appealed. The center hosts more than 2,000 events yearly on a 2024 operating budget of two hundred sixty-nine million dollars.
Trump To Visit Long Island Friday, Endorses Blakeman
President Trump tours Nassau County law enforcement facilities Friday alongside County Executive Bruce Blakeman, whom he’s endorsed for New York governor. Street closures are expected in Garden City, Mineola and Uniondale starting around 1 p.m. A Siena poll released this week has Gov. Hochul leading Blakeman by 10 points.
Appeals Court Dismisses Alien Enemies Act Challenge
The 5th Circuit dismissed a case challenging the Trump administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, ruling Thursday that the case was moot since the three plaintiffs had already been deported. The law lets the president deport nationals of an enemy nation during wartime without standard due process hearings.
Trump Wins Court Battle To Keep Tariffs On Cheap Imports
A federal trade court ruled Thursday that Trump can continue blocking duty-free entry for cheap imports, including from Temu and Shein. The Court of International Trade upheld his suspension of the “de minimis” exemption for packages worth eight hundred dollars or less, which brought in roughly one billion dollars in duties in 2025. The panel found the law’s use of IEEPA valid for this purpose despite the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling barring IEEPA tariffs generally. The suspension holds until Congress’s permanent repeal takes effect next July.
Trump Imposes Steep Tariffs On Foreign-Made Drones
Trump signed a proclamation imposing tariffs up to 100 percent on foreign-made drones and components under Section 232 authority, targeting drones over 25 kilograms or with thermal imaging. Smaller drones face 25 percent; partners like the EU, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan get 15 percent, the UK 10 percent. Most duties take effect in 21 days, aimed at reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.
Trump Orders Navy To Restore Steam Catapults On Carriers
Trump signed a national security memorandum ordering the Navy to replace electromagnetic jet-launch systems with steam catapults on aircraft carriers, the Wall Street Journal reports, fulfilling a promise he’s held since hearing a sailor praise steam systems during his first term. The fourth Ford-class carrier, the Doris Miller, and all future ships will be redesigned; the first three carriers keep the electromagnetic system. Navy officials have resisted the change for years over cost.
Michigan Charges Six In Non-Citizen Voter Fraud Case
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged six people, five of them non-citizens accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election; the sixth, a U.S. citizen, is accused of registering a non-citizen spouse. The cases stem from a broader review of suspected non-citizen voting referred by the Secretary of State’s office. Charges range from misdemeanors to felonies including election forgery and fraudulent registration.
WWII Memorial In D.C. Vandalized
The World War II Memorial was vandalized Thursday when a fountain was filled with bubbles and “Clean hands, dirty money” was spray-painted in red. U.S. Park Police blocked off the site; the Department of the Interior called it an “utter disgrace” and said investigators are working to identify a suspect.
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🗽 NEW YORK NEWS
NYC Council Votes To Restore Year-Round Outdoor Dining
The City Council voted Thursday to allow winterized outdoor dining year-round, reversing a 2023 seasonal restriction. Speaker Julie Menin called it vital revenue for restaurants; Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, who proposed the change, said winter shutdowns “nearly broke outdoor dining.” Restaurants may cover tables from November 30 through March 31, with sidewalk cafes closing by 11 p.m. The winterization measure passed 38-4, and the roadway cafe expansion passed 37-5.
Flock Safety Announces New Privacy Safeguards
Flock Safety, the license-plate tracking company used by police nationwide, announced Thursday it will cut its default data retention from one month to one week and fully deploy a system locking out officers whose searches show “abnormal activity.” The changes follow criticism over officer abuse and a wave of camera vandalism that’s led some cities to cancel Flock contracts; the ACLU called the reforms minor.
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💵 BUSINESS & FINANCE
Mortgage Rates Fall For First Time In Six Weeks
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 6.67% from 6.69% last week, Freddie Mac said Thursday, though it remains above last year’s 6.58%. The 15-year rate fell to 5.96%.
Robinhood’s Second Retail Venture Fund Starts Trading
Robinhood Ventures Fund II raised two hundred twenty-five and a half million dollars to give retail investors access to early-stage startups, opening on the NYSE Thursday at twenty-two dollars fifty cents after an IPO priced at twenty-five dollars a share. The fund will target current and former Y Combinator companies, following Robinhood’s first late-stage fund launched in March.
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✈️ TRAVEL & SAFETY
Engine Debris Shatters Ryanair Window, Passenger Injured
Broken engine parts shattered a window shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki last month, causing a passenger’s head to be pulled toward the hole before others pulled him to safety, the NTSB said Thursday. Investigators found bird remains in the engine, suggesting a bird strike. The 61-year-old man suffered neck, shoulder and friction injuries; the flight returned safely.
Four Frontier Flight Attendants Fall Ill Midair
Four of five flight attendants on a Frontier flight from Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale became sick midair Thursday, with the pilot radioing ahead for medical responders. The plane landed safely; the return flight and a later round trip were canceled.
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🧬 HEALTH & SCIENCE
Hadassah Performs Israel’s First Alpha Radiation Brain Tumor Treatment
Hadassah Ein Kerem became the first hospital in Israel to treat recurrent glioblastoma with alpha radiation inserted directly into the tumor, performing the procedure on a 77-year-old man as part of Israel’s first trial of its kind. Led by Prof. Yigal Shoshan, the team used a navigation system to insert Alpha DaRT sources through two pathways, a world first for coverage. Glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in adults, sees 150 to 250 new cases yearly in Israel with median survival of 15 to 16 months. A parallel U.S. trial showed complete local disease control in its first three patients, though the data remains preliminary.
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✡️ COMMUNITY NEWS
Yeshivas Kochvei Ohr Opens Elul Zman With Extra Sedorim
Beri Weber’s Yeshivas Kochvei Ohr began Elul zman with 20 minutes of continuous learning in Maseches Sukkah, a hope expressed as a light for all yeshivos entering the zman.
HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Shlita Addresses Adopt-a-Kollel Convention
Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita spoke in English at the Adopt-a-Kollel convention in Kfar Saba, where more than 1,000 Roshei and Menaheli Kollelim from across Eretz Yisrael gathered for a nine-hour program of tefillah, chizuk and hadrachah.
Mazel Tov Shoutout: Vendors Paid Promptly At Chasuna
CBN gave a shoutout to Zanvil and Mordy for paying their vendors promptly following a recent chasuna, calling it a mentschlich move that brings bracha and hatzlacha.
Lost Tefillin At Newark Airport
A pair of tefillin was found at Newark Airport; the owner’s son is en route to Lakewood. Anyone with information can contact 732-890-1111 or a CBN admin.
CBN Follow-Up: Reader Feedback On “Scooters On Shabbos” Article
Following last week’s article on the growing popularity of scooters on Shabbos, CBN received extensive feedback from readers across the country, the UK and Israel. CBN reiterated it does not pasken on the issue and encouraged readers to consult their own Rav. The original article, by the Forward’s Mr. Keene, can be read at the link below.
https://forward.com/culture/842981/shabbat-scooters-jewish/
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⚠️ CRIME & COMMUNITY SAFETY
Toms River Man Pleads Guilty To Forty-Seven Million Dollar Fraud Targeting Frum Investors
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced that Leor M., 43, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton after defrauding more than 97 investors of approximately forty-seven million dollars, primarily from the frum community. Prosecutors said Leor solicited funds through Capital Funding ASAP LLC from June 2019 through June 2023, promising returns of 9% to 53% from short-term business loans, but instead ran a Ponzi-like scheme, using new investor money to pay earlier participants and cover personal expenses including gambling debts and home renovations. Frazer said Leor exploited relationships within his religious community to gain trust; the FBI’s Newark Field Office and the SEC’s New York office investigated. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16; he faces up to 20 years and a fine of the greater of two hundred fifty thousand dollars or twice the financial gain or loss.
Rabbi, Boro Park Askan Warn Communities Over Woman Posing As Jewish
Rabbi Moshe Sasonkin, co-director of Chabad of Casa Grande, and Boro Park askan Yonasan Schwartz are warning Jewish communities to exercise caution after an investigation into a woman who has presented herself for roughly three years in Jewish communities across Brooklyn, Texas, California and Arizona under the name Ester Levi. Rabbi Sasonkin said she was accepted for teaching and babysitting roles because other families had already hosted her, and described a pattern of concealed information, an inconsistent personal story, and distress when families asked her to leave. He said her claimed background, including references, could not be verified, and her Zelle account name did not match the surname she used. The matter has taken on added weight because she has sought entry into shidduchim; one wedding was called off after a Rav could not verify her yichus. Rabbi Sasonkin said the broader lesson is for families to remain welcoming while verifying an unfamiliar person’s background directly with those who know them, rather than relying on secondhand association.
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