Wednesday January 29 News Updates Lakewood

 Weather: 52° Wind increasing. A mix of clouds and sun. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph

Erev Rosh chodesh shevat

No survivors found yet, 18 bodies pulled from the Potomac River so far

- Officials confirm the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the Reagan Airport crash was conducting a training flight when it collided with American Airlines Flight 5342.

Rescue operations in the freezing Potomac River continue as authorities search for survivors and piece together what went wrong.

_NBC, CNN_

- President Donald Trump has been briefed on the tragic accident and he's given a brief statement; 

"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God bless their souls. Thank you for the incrediblework being done by our first responders."

- Plane and Helicopter Collision at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC

Reports of at least four survivors rescued from the water.

Fox News Host Sean Hannity just reported, citing a congressman, that over 60 passengers are dead as a result of the plane crash incident near Washington 

American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near D.C. airport, FAA says 60 passengers on board 

A tragic incident occurred at Reagan National Airport when a plane reportedly collided with a helicopter near the Potomac River. Emergency services have launched a significant search and rescue operation following reports of fatalities. The authorities are currently investigating the collision, with details still emerging.b

American Airlines flight from Witchita, Kansas

- Giyus: shas and Agudah threatened to bring down coalition if giyus law not passed.

Smotritz says he will move ahead with draft notices 

IDF will send out 14,000 draft notices to yeshiva bochurim with sanctions looming.

- WH  Statement: “Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.”

“This failure is unacceptable and

ends today. “It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”

Agudath Israel of America is applauding senators for once again leading the effort to enact a federal scholarship tax credit program. The Educational Choice for Children Act unveiled today as part of National School Choice Week will provide ten billion dollars’ worth of tax credits each year to individual and corporate taxpayers to support K-12 educational expenses including private school tuition. The proposed bill, which Agudath Israel helped craft with the sponsors and coalition partners, would allow a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to ten percent of an individual taxpayer’s adjusted gross income (AGI) or $5,000 (whichever is higher) and up to five percent of a corporation’s taxable income for contributions made to a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). The SGO would then provide scholarships to children of eligible families for approved educational expenses. Scholarship eligibility is extended to families earning 300% of the median income in that area (see chart), which means a very large percentage of the families in our community will be able to benefit from the program.

- Flu cases still raging across the area

- Trump responds to federal reserve keeping interest rates

 "Because Jay Powell and the Fed failed to stop the problem they created with Inflation, I will do it by unleashing American Energy production, slashing Regulation, rebalancing International Trade, and reigniting American Manufacturing, but I will do much more than stopping Inflation, I will make our Country financially, and otherwise, powerful again! The Fed has done a terrible job on Bank Regulation. Treasury is going to lead the effort to cut unnecessary Regulation, and will unleash lending for all American people and businesses. If the Fed had spent less time on DEI, gender ideology, “green” energy, and fake climate change, Inflation would never have been a problem. Instead, we suffered from the worst Inflation in the History of our Country!"

- The Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady, defying pressure from Pres. Trump to lower them.

- Former Democratic Senator Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption charges, judge tells him "You were successful, powerful, you stood at the apex of our political system. ...Somewhere along the way, and I don’t know when it was, you lost your way and working for the public good became working for your good.”

- TRUMP: I am restating right now - the media has purposefully created confusion... Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare have not been impacted by any action we have taken in any way, shape or form. We have stopped $50M ..for  Hamas. We stopped an attempt to pay for illegal alien resettlement. We canceled $181M in DEI training contracts. $45M for diversity scholarships in Burma.

- Trump to sign executive order setting up 30,000-person illegal alien facility in Guantanamo Bay.

 “This will double our capacity immediately. And it's a tough place to escape. This brings us 1 step further to eliminating the scourge of migrant crime in communities. Now, we need funding from Congress to remove record numbers of illegal aliens...killers, criminals at levels nobody has ever seen before.”

- President Trump: "If they're working for the federal government, they must show up to the office on time and on schedule...If they don‘t agree by February 6th to show up back to work in their office, they will be terminated."

- Drones in NJ: The explanation  by Trump did not clarify what research was being performed in many cases near military bases  or detail what “other reasons” were at play (NJ)

- LPD Alert: Lakewood PD phones are down due to a planned outage. We are working on restoring services as soon as possible. If you have an emergency, dial 911

- Paroh in pajamas day for Lakewood playgroups kinderlach as they sing Paroh in pajamas in the middle of 

- President Donald Trump today will sign the Laken Riley Act into law as his administration’s first piece of legislation.

- Trump to sign executive order directing federal agencies to combat antisemitism, which may include deporting anti-Jewish activists. DOJ to probe pro-Hamas campus intimidation, agencies to report recommendations to White House in 60 days

The order requires the Justice Department to investigate pro-Hamas graffiti and intimidation, including on college campus and calls for the deportation of resident aliens — including students with visas — who broke laws as part of anti-Israel protests following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.(NYP)

- The Brooklyn restaurant  JOSEPH'S DREAM BURGER is opening a location in Lakewood!

In the former location of D-lux Bistro, in the Gourmet Glatt Plaza.1700 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, NJ, 08701 (GKRF)

- RFK Jr confirmation hearings today in the senate. RFK Jr: “Diabetes is 10x more prevalent. Cancer is rising. Autoimmune diseases, asthma, depression, addiction, other conditions... are all on the rise. The U.S. has worse health than any developed nation, and yet we spend more than everyone else. We can't be a strong nation when are people are so sick. Our children are chronically ill.”

- NYP editorial Senators, vote ‘no’ on RFK Jr. — who’s still a ‘radical left lunatic’ hazardous to our health

- Two of Senator Menendez's co-defendants,were  sentenced this morning  to seven years in prison. Menendez will be sentenced later today 

- South Jersey Dennis Township school district would no longer pay for courtesy busing service, to save money  Subscription busing might be available to roughly 110 students who live within 2 miles of their school and use courtesy busing, It will cost families $962.50 per student, per year. Students who qualify for free or reduced meals will be offered a reduced rate.

- Updated:  Lakewood BOE Candidate Eli Eisenbach,  who had run in the November election, receiving the most votes, 9,668, among those who did not win applied for the vacant seat  and plans to serve on the BOE He is very much look forward to serving along with the other wonderful board members to make Lakewood School's Great Again.

 APP reported The board did not accept his application and extended the deadline for a new applicant to Feb 13.  He said he is still interested in serving and wondered why they did not choose him. APP reports.

“I had the most votes of the rest,” said Eisenbach,“My ultimate goal is to bring my expertise to the school board and make Lakewood a better place.”

The pay-to-play situation in Jackson Township more at faa 

- Reuters: "Australian police said they had foiled an attack against the Jewish community in New South Wales. Police said they had found a trailer packed with explosives that was intended to be used in the attack. Local police said they have removed any suspicion of additional explosives in the area.

- Judge urged the Lakewood Police Department to settle a massive lawsuit which reveals violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by Detectives  more