Jooish News

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Former Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger and several Jewish organizations and religious leaders filed an emergency injunction Friday seeking to delay the town’s mayoral runoff election, arguing the scheduled date conflicts with the Passover holiday and would prevent many observant voters from participating.

Read here the Petition

The filing in state court asks to move the runoff election from April 7 to April 14, a one-week delay that plaintiffs say would allow broader voter participation in a community with a significant Orthodox Jewish population.

Danzinger, who received 49.4% of the vote in a three-way race earlier this month, is set to face Vice Mayor Tina Paul in the runoff. Paul is not part of the filing, which names the Town of Surfside and Miami-Dade County as defendants.

According to Danzinger, the request is supported by multiple religious institutions and organizations, including The Shul of Bal Harbour, National Council of Young Israel, Young Israel of Surfside, Agudath Israel of Florida, Magen David Congregation and Hechal Shalom Ohr Uziel.

The complaint argues that the current election date falls during a religious period when observant Jews are prohibited from activities such as driving, writing and using electronic devices, and that many families travel for the holiday, limiting their ability to vote.

Plaintiffs also said absentee voting is not a sufficient solution, citing the short timeframe between the initial election and the runoff, as well as religious restrictions during the holiday.

The filing points to prior instances in which elections were rescheduled to accommodate religious observance, including in nearby Bay Harbor Islands and in other states.

In a statement, Danzinger said the request is aimed at ensuring equal access to the ballot.

“This isn’t about politics; it is about the right of every Surfside resident to practice their faith and cast their vote without being forced to choose between the two,” he said.

The case also references statements by outgoing Mayor Charles Burkett that plaintiffs argue demonstrate bias against religious voters, though Burkett’s office has not publicly responded to the filing.

The Surfside Town Commission is scheduled to hold a special meeting Monday to discuss the town’s response to the injunction request.

A court decision on the request is expected in the coming days as the scheduled runoff approaches.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are resisting a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, a revolt that risks delaying a resolution to the funding impasse now in its 42nd day that has created long lines at many of the nation’s airports.

Next steps are uncertain, but Republicans are angry that the bill passed early Friday by the Senate does not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Democrats refused to fund those departments without changes to immigration enforcement practices.

“It is the most reckless thing we’ve ever seen and we’re so frustrated by it,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, who said he would consult with fellow Republicans before announcing next steps.

Senators have already left town after acting in the early morning hours to end the partial shutdown, so it would take time for them to return if the House ends up passing a different measure than the one that cleared the Senate in the early morning hours Friday.

That would mean the DHS shutdown that has jammed airports and imposed financial hardship on thousands of federal workers would continue for the foreseeable future.

With pressure mounting this week to resolve the stalemate, the endgame appeared to emerge just before TSA workers were set to miss another paycheck. President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an order to immediately pay the TSA agents, saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.” A deal that was subsequently reached hours later did not include any of the restraints Democrats have demanded as they sought to rein in the Republican president’s mass deportation agenda.

“We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again, and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the outcome could have been reached weeks ago, and he vowed that his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump’s “rogue” immigration operation “does not get more funding without serious reform.”

What’s in and out of the funding package
Senators worked through the night on the deal that would fund much of the rest of the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA. While Democrats were successful in blocking more funding for ICE and the Border Patrol, they did not get the new limits on immigration enforcement they were demanding.

Immigration enforcement has remained largely uninterrupted by the shutdown because the GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions of dollars in extra funds to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations.

Conservative Republicans have panned their own party’s proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Many have vowed to ensure ICE has the resources it needs in the next budget package to carry out Trump’s agenda.

“We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. “The border is closing. The next task is deportation.”

On-again, off-again talks collapse
Earlier Thursday, Thune announced he had given a “last and final” offer to the Democrats. But as the day dragged on, action stalled out.

Democrats argued the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies that are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.

They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people’s homes or private spaces — something new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said he is open to considering.

Trump had largely left the issue to Congress but warned he was ready to take action, threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to his deployment of ICE agents, who are now checking travelers’ IDs.

The White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay the TSA agents, a politically and legally fraught approach. Instead, Trump’s order would pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, according to a senior administration official who wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed into law, the action Trump announced to pay TSA agents may be temporary or unneeded.

Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships
The funding shutdown has resulted in travel delays and even warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stop going to work.

Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers, and nearly 500 of the agency’s nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.

Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union is grateful the TSA workers will be paid but added Congress must stay in session to pass a deal “that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.”

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2½ hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.

“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”

A new U.S.-backed proposal presented to Hamas outlines a phased disarmament process over eight months, requiring the group to dismantle its extensive tunnel system and surrender its weapons as part of a broader plan to stabilize Gaza.

The proposal, put forward by President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” sets out a structured timeline beginning with a U.S.-supported body of Palestinian technocrats assuming control of Gaza’s security, and ending with a full Israeli withdrawal contingent on “verification that Gaza is free of weaponry.”

Efforts to implement the plan are complicated by Hamas’ longstanding refusal to disarm, a central obstacle in negotiations aimed at solidifying an October ceasefire that ended two years of intense conflict. Much of Hamas’ arsenal is believed to be stored within its underground tunnel network, and Israel has insisted it will not withdraw unless Hamas relinquishes its weapons.

A Palestinian official involved in the discussions described the proposal as flawed, saying it was “unfair,” and predicted Hamas would demand changes.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, the official also warned that the plan lacks assurances that Israel will fulfill its commitments. He added that tying reconstruction and humanitarian improvements to political conditions such as disarmament could risk reigniting the conflict.

The full proposal, initially reported by Al Jazeera, was shared with Reuters by two Palestinian officials participating in the negotiations, and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity.

According to those familiar with the matter, the plan was formally presented to Hamas last week.

Hamas has not issued an official public response, though a representative said the group is reviewing the details. On Thursday, three additional Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, released statements criticizing the plan, arguing it places too much emphasis on disarmament while neglecting key issues such as rebuilding Gaza and securing an Israeli withdrawal.

The proposal is divided into two main parts: a 12-point framework titled “Steps to Complete the Implementation of Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza,” and a five-phase schedule for disarmament over an eight-month period.

The document stipulates that all armed factions in Gaza, including groups like Islamic Jihad, must participate in the disarmament process under the supervision of a civilian administrative body known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“Gaza will be governed under the principle of one authority, one law, one weapon, whereby only individuals authorized by [NCAG] may possess weapons, and all armed factions will cease military activities,” the document says.

Oversight of the disarmament effort will be carried out by a body identified as the Weapons Collection Verification Committee, which the plan says will be established by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s chief envoy.

The plan also specifies that reconstruction will only proceed in areas designated as demilitarized zones.

Following the October ceasefire, Israel maintains control over more than half of Gaza, while Hamas continues to govern the remainder of the territory and its roughly 2 million residents, most of whom have been displaced by prolonged fighting.

While Hamas has publicly rejected disarmament in recent months, sources indicate that in private discussions, some within the group have shown willingness to consider it as part of a broader political process leading to Palestinian statehood. However, the current proposal does not address the issue of independence or the establishment of a state.

Under the proposed timeline, the first phase, lasting 15 days, would involve the National Committee assuming control over Gaza’s security and administrative functions while preparing for the collection of weapons.

In the second phase, Israel would remove heavy military equipment from areas under its control, including artillery and tanks, while an international security force would be deployed.

The third phase represents the most significant step, requiring Hamas to surrender its heavy weapons and equipment to the governing committee and “will allow the destruction of all tunnels, explosives, and military infrastructure.”

During the fourth phase, police forces under the committee would collect and register all remaining small arms, including rifles and handguns, as Israeli forces begin a gradual withdrawal.

The final phase calls for complete disarmament verification, after which “Israeli forces withdraw completely from Gaza, except for a presence in a security perimeter, and the start of comprehensive reconstruction efforts.”

A pro-Iranian hacking group claimed Friday to have hacked an account of FBI Director Kash Patel and has posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work resume and other personal documents. Many of those records appeared to be more than a decade old.

“Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” said a message posted Friday from the group Handala.

The message was accompanied by more than a half dozen photos of Patel, including ones of him standing beside an antique sports car and another with a cigar in his mouth. The group also said that it was making available for download emails and other documents from Patel’s account. Many of the records appeared to relate to his personal travels and business from more than 10 years ago

“The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel’s personal email information, and we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity,” the FBI said in a statement. “The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information.”

It was not clear when the hack claimed by Handala might have occurred. News reports from December 2024, before Patel was confirmed as director, said that Patel had been informed by FBI that he had been targeted as part of an Iranian hack.

Handala is a pro-Iranian, pro-Palestinian hacking group that earlier this month claimed credit for disrupting systems at Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company. Handala said the attack was in retaliation for suspected U.S. strikes that killed Iranian schoolchildren. They’re a prominent example of the proxy groups that carry out cyber attacks on behalf of Iran.

The Justice Department singled out Handala in an announcement last week in which it said it had seized four web domains tied to Iranian hacking schemes and the threatening of dissidents.

The Trump administration is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of members of the Handala hacking group.

(AP)

Iran is advancing plans to formalize a system that would charge ships up to $2 million for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources connected to the shipping industry, marking a significant shift in control over one of the world’s most vital maritime routes.

Officials familiar with the proposal believe that once fully implemented, the toll structure could bring in as much as $80 billion annually, turning the strategic waterway into a major source of income as Iran continues to face economic pressure from international sanctions.

The move reflects a broader effort by Tehran to tighten its grip on the strait, a key chokepoint that previously handled about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, as detailed in a recent report.

President Donald Trump has indicated that Iran may have offered concessions in the form of limited access, describing it as a “gift” of safe passage for a select number of vessels.

However, industry insiders say the reality on the ground is far different, with access now heavily restricted, expensive, and influenced by political considerations.

Before tensions escalated between Iran, the United States, and Israel, roughly 135 ships were passing through the strait each day.

That number has since dropped sharply.

Figures cited in the report show that only 116 vessels made the journey between March 1 and March 25 — representing a dramatic 97% decline from the previous month.

As a result, thousands of ships remain stuck in the Gulf, either unable or unwilling to attempt passage without explicit authorization from Iranian authorities.

Central to the new system is a requirement that vessels be classified as “non-hostile” and coordinate directly with Iran before entering the strait.

This involves communication between governments, detailed screening of cargo and crew, and the issuance of a special authorization code that ships must transmit as they approach the waterway.

Only after completing this process — and, in certain cases, paying substantial fees — are vessels allowed to proceed.

Iranian officials have portrayed the policy as both a wartime necessity and part of a longer-term strategy.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has suggested that Tehran intends to maintain a new “order” in the strait even after hostilities end, asserting Iran’s control over the route despite its international status.

Lawmakers in Tehran have gone even further, openly referring to the development of a “new regime” governing maritime traffic.

Iranian policymakers have also drawn comparisons to historic toll systems and modern examples such as the Suez Canal.

Still, the plan raises serious legal and geopolitical questions.

Under commonly accepted interpretations of international maritime law, including principles from the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal nations may regulate navigation for security purposes but are not permitted to arbitrarily block or charge for “innocent passage.”

Critics argue that Iran’s approach could violate these norms, even though both Iran and the United States have, at times, taken selective positions regarding such legal frameworks.

The United States has struggled to effectively counter Iran’s tightening control over the strait.

Despite repeated warnings and threats of military action targeting Iranian infrastructure, there has been little evidence of a sustained campaign to reopen the route.

This inability to ensure free navigation has unsettled allies and highlighted the challenges faced by U.S. forces operating in the narrow and complex geography of the region.

Shipping companies have begun adjusting to the new reality.

Some vessels are reportedly reflagging under neutral or less politically sensitive countries in hopes of improving their chances of receiving clearance.

Others are turning to informal or opaque financial channels, utilizing networks similar to those Iran has used for years to bypass sanctions on its oil exports.

Trade patterns are also shifting.

Recent shipments moving through the strait have primarily been headed toward Asian markets, especially China and India, with little traffic bound for Europe or the United States.

This shift suggests that Iran’s growing control over the passage could reshape global energy flows, benefiting some regions while limiting access for others.

Over time, analysts warn the strategy could have unintended consequences.

By turning the strait into a tightly controlled and monetized corridor, Iran may accelerate efforts by Gulf nations and global energy producers to develop alternative routes, such as pipelines that bypass the strait altogether.

The situation also raises the possibility of a prolonged conflict, including scenarios in which U.S. ground forces could be deployed to Iran’s coastal areas in an effort to secure the critical waterway.

{Matzav.com}

Speaking at CPAC, Josh Hammer, senior editor at Newsweek, is forcefully pushing back against a growing narrative on the right that Israel dragged the United States toward a potential war with Iran.

Hammer did not mince words, calling out what he described as “grifters” claiming that. He was referring to the likes of, Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson as leading voices advancing that argument.

According to Hammer, the idea that Israel is dictating U.S. foreign policy is not only false, but dangerously misleading.

He pointed to what he says is a critical and often ignored reality: President Donald Trump has been openly warning about the threat posed by Iran for more than 40 years. Long before entering politics, Trump was speaking about Iran in interviews dating back to the 1980s, advocating for strong and decisive action.

In Hammer’s view, this history completely undermines the claim that current tensions are being driven by Israel. Instead, he argues, concern over Iran has long been rooted in American strategic thinking and leadership.

Hammer stressed that framing the situation as Israel manipulating the United States feeds into a distorted and simplistic narrative that ignores decades of consistent U.S. policy positions.

The remarks come amid an increasingly visible split within conservative circles, as prominent commentators clash over Israel, Iran, and the broader role of the United States in the Middle East

Newly released letters from several prominent kashrus authorities affirming that xanthan gum is permitted for use on Pesach, addressing widespread uncertainty surrounding the ingredient.

CRC Kashrus responded directly to inquiries regarding xanthan gum and confirmed its permissibility for Pesach when produced under proper supervision.

A letter from Rav Yechiel Babad states clearly that xanthan gum does not fall into the category of chometz and may be used on Pesach, explaining that its production process does not involve any of the five grains that could create a chometz concern.

Similarly, Rav Menachem Meir Weissmandl writes that despite xanthan gum being produced through fermentation, it is not considered chometz, and there is no halachic basis to prohibit it for Pesach use.

Rav Benyumin Gruber also addresses the issue directly, concluding that xanthan gum is permitted, and reiterating that its manufacturing process does not introduce any chometz-related issues.

An additional letter from the Nirbater Rov reinforces the same position, ruling that xanthan gum is acceptable for Pesach and does not present a halachic concern.

Across the various letters, the rabbonim emphasize a consistent point: although xanthan gum is created through a fermentation process, it is not derived from chometz sources and therefore does not fall under Pesach restrictions.

{Matzav.com}

KILPISJÄRVI, Finland (AP) — As bubbles rippled across the frigid Finnish lake, diver Daan Jacobs emerged from a hole carved out of the thick, crackling ice.

The journey had taken him 8 meters (26 feet) beneath the surface, where sunlight filtered through the Arctic ice and fish swam around a rock formation. It’s a remote place few will ever see, especially in winter, when snow blankets the ice and temperatures on land approach minus 40 degrees in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.

But Jacobs, a biodiversity adviser in the Netherlands, is one of a growing number of fortunate underwater explorers.

He was part of the Polar Scientific Diving class in the far north of Finland earlier this month, a program designed by the Finnish Scientific Diving Academy to train the next generation of scientists and researchers to dive beneath the Arctic and Antarctic ice to study the flora and fauna below.

“The view is beautiful,” Jacobs said, gulping for air following his 45-minute dive.

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. From impacting worldwide weather patterns to making the polar bear population smaller, weaker and hungrier, because they rely on the sea ice to hunt from, higher temperatures at the North Pole spell disaster for the entire globe.

In Antarctica, meanwhile, global warming is leading to melting of ice sheets, prompting sea level rise and disrupting ocean ecosystems.

A snowmobile parked at Lake Kilpisjärvi during a Polar Scientific Diving class in Kilpisjärvi, Finland, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)

Human divers still neededSo scientists need to study what’s underneath the remaining Arctic — and Antarctic — ice, and determine how climate change is affecting the plants and animals that have traditionally survived along the seafloor with little to no sunlight. But carrying out such research requires specialized scuba diving skills plus the proper scientific background — qualifications that experts say only a few hundred people in the world currently have.

The Finnish Scientific Diving Academy’s class aims to not only train more divers, but also to convince the world that the polar ice crisis requires additional research.

“Because it is melting so fast, we need to have more people deployed there — more science to be done — to understand better what happens,” said Erik Wurz, a marine biologist and one of the class’s scientific diving instructors. “We have to do more and we need to be fast to save this unique ecosystem in the Arctic, but also the Antarctic.”

And in a world that’s increasingly outsourcing work to artificial intelligence and robots, British Antarctic Survey marine biologist Simon Morley said that human hands are still necessary for this. Dragging nets across the seafloor would destroy the habitat, and a remotely operated submersible or robot can usually only pick up one specimen at a time.

“A diver can go down and pick up 12 urchins, put them in a bag and not affect the rest of the system,” said Morley, who isn’t part of the course.

In this photo provided by Pata Degerman, a diver swims under the ice during a Polar Scientific Diving class in Kilpisjärvi, Finland, March 13, 2024. (Pata Degerman via AP)

Challenging conditionsDuring each 10-day session, the academy’s instructors drill a dozen experienced divers on a frozen lake at the University of Helsinki’s Kilpisjärvi Biological Station. The program began in 2024 and the demand has allowed them to add a second session per year.

The participants range from marine and freshwater biologists and other scientists to highly skilled recreational divers and documentary filmmakers.

Ruari Buijs, a marine biology and oceanography student at the University of Plymouth in England, ultimately wants to work in Antarctica and research marine megafauna. He enrolled in this month’s polar diving class in an effort to be more employable upon graduation.

“I thought this would be a very good stepping stone toward that goal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Caroline Chen, a scientific diver and research assistant in Germany, said it’s her dream to dive in the polar regions. She believes that her experience in this course will help her design future experiments in such challenging conditions.

The students must learn more than just diving under ice that’s nearly a meter (around three feet) thick and into water temperatures that hover just above freezing. For starters, there’s the frigid air temperatures and whipping winds over Lake Kilpisjärvi.

That challenges the topside support team, which must operate equipment to keep the diver safe while fending off their own risk of frostbite. They also have to learn how to become safety divers in case of an emergency, like if the primary diver can’t find the hole in the ice to surface after 45 minutes below.

But once they’re underwater, the divers say it’s an incredible experience. During this month’s session, the group dived beneath ice roughly 80 centimeters (around 2½ feet) thick. Chen spotted some fish along the sea floor and then took a moment to look to the surface as sunlight streamed through the ice, seemingly mimicking another Arctic phenomenon.

In this photo provided by Pata Degerman, participants in a Polar Scientific Diving class look into an ice hole as a diver descends beneath the surface in Kilpisjärvi, Finland, March 4, 2025. (Pata Degerman via AP)

“It looks insane from the bottom up,” Chen said. “It changes all the time, like the Northern Lights.”

Buijs said that the cold doesn’t affect the covered parts of a diver’s body. But the area around their mouth remains exposed underwater.

“I think the worst thing is like your lips feel very numb afterward and they like stick out a lot,” he said, laughing. “You kind of get Botox lips a little bit.”

Iran’s nuclear facilities came under attack Friday, state media reported, just hours after Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran. Iran quickly threatened to retaliate and Israel claimed responsibility for the attacks.

A heavy-water plant and a yellowcake production plant were struck, IRNA reported. Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, the agency said. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. The Arak plant has not been operational since Israel attacked it last June.

The Israeli military released a statement hailing its attacks on several Iranian targets including “missile production capabilities, infrastructure remaining from its nuclear program, and terror regime targets.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Iran would retaliate for the attacks on its nuclear facilities, IRNA reported. Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, posted on X that employees of companies tied to the U.S. and Israel should leave their workplaces.

“You tested us once before; the world has once again seen that you yourselves started playing with fire and attacking infrastructure,” he said. “This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.”

Word of the attacks came after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has given no sign of backing down.

With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is usually shipped.

The United States has offered Iran a 15-point proposal for a ceasefire that includes it relinquishing control of the strait, but at the same time has ordered thousands more troops to the region — possibly in preparation for a military attempt to wrest the waterway from Iran’s tight grip.

Trump has said if Iran doesn’t reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order the destruction of Iran’s energy plants. He said Thursday that talks on ending the conflict were going “very well.” Iran maintains it is not engaged in any negotiations.

Israel targets Iran’s weapons production and Lebanese capital

Air raid sirens sounded in Israel and the military said it has been intercepting Iranian missiles on a daily basis. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran “will pay heavy, increasing prices for this war crime.”

“Despite the warnings, the firing continues,” Katz said. “And therefore attacks in Iran will escalate and expand to additional targets and areas that assist the regime in building and operating weapons against Israeli citizens.”

Israel’s military said its attacks Friday targeted sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in Western Iran.

Smoke rose over Beirut after a pre-dawn strike, and Lebanon’s Health Ministry later reported two people were killed.

Iran launches missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down missiles and drones targeting the capital, Riyadh.

Kuwait said its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, sustained “material damage” in attacks. It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the Gulf Arab states has come under assault in the war. China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.

U.S. stocks fell on opening Friday, in a fifth straight losing week — Wall Street’s longest such streak in nearly four years. The S&P 500 dropped 0.4% in early trading Friday. The Dow lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.6%, breaking the week’s pattern of flip‑flopping gains and losses as hopes for an end to the war vacillated.

Asian shares also fell Friday over growing doubts about the chances of de-escalation. Oil prices rose again, the Brent crude, the international standard, at $107 a barrel in morning trading, up more than 45% since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.

US pushes diplomatic solution while sending more troops to the region

Iran’s stranglehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has increased concerns of a global energy crisis, and appears part of a strategy to get the U.S. to back down by roiling the world economy. A Gulf Arab bloc said Thursday that Iran has been exacting tolls from ships to ensure safe passage.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. It proposes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran rejected the U.S. offer and presented its own five-point proposal that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the vital strait.

Diplomats from several countries including Pakistan and Turkey have tried to organize a direct meeting between U.S. and Iranian envoys. Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting in France adopted a declaration calling for an immediate halt to attacks against populations and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying some 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne — trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields — have been ordered to the Middle East.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said its teams in Iran have reported “countless homes, hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed,” and that nearly every neighborhood in Tehran has sustained damage.

The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, are damaged.

“If this war continues, we risk a far wider humanitarian disaster,” Egeland said in a statement. “Millions could be forced to flee across borders, placing immense pressure on an already overstretched region.”

Israel deployed the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uproot the militant group, the military said.

Death toll climbs, primarily in Iran and Lebanon

Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were severely injured in Lebanon on Friday during an “operational accident,” the military said.

Authorities said more than 1,100 people have died in Lebanon and over 1,900 people have been killed in Iran.

At least 13 American troops have been killed and four people in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

(AP)

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on key Iranian nuclear-related sites on Friday, hitting a heavy water facility in Arak and a uranium extraction plant in Yazd, in operations based on IDF intelligence, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced.

According to the IDF, the Arak site produces heavy water, a specialized substance used in nuclear reactors, including the now-inactive Arak reactor, which was originally intended to enable the production of weapons-grade plutonium. The material can also serve as a neutron source in the development of nuclear weapons.

The military added that the facility also held economic significance for Iran, functioning as a revenue-generating asset for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and bringing in tens of millions of dollars annually for the regime.

“Despite explicit international commitments, foremost among them the nuclear agreement, the Iranian terror regime has systematically avoided converting the reactor so that it would not enable the production of weapons-grade plutonium, and even deliberately ordered that the conversion not be completed,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

The Arak facility had previously been targeted during Operation Rising Lion last June. Since then, the IDF said it had identified multiple attempts by Iran to rebuild the site, prompting the latest strike.

“repeated reconstruction attempts by the Iranian terror regime have been identified. Therefore, the IDF has now struck the facility once again.”

“The IDF will not allow the Iranian terror regime to continue its efforts to advance its nuclear weapons program, which poses an existential threat to the State of Israel and the entire world,” the statement stressed.

In a separate operation, Israeli forces struck a uranium extraction facility in Yazd, also in central Iran, again acting on intelligence gathered by the IDF.

“This plant is the only one of its kind in Iran, where raw materials mined from the earth undergo mechanical and chemical processing so that they can later be used as raw materials for uranium enrichment,” said the IDF.

The military emphasized that this stage is a critical early step in the nuclear development process.

“This is a highly significant process for the nuclear weapons program advanced by the regime and constitutes the beginning of the value chain required for producing nuclear weapons.”

According to the IDF, the strikes focused on infrastructure essential to these specialized production processes. Since enriched uranium is a key component in building nuclear weapons, disabling the facility disrupts Iran’s ability to produce the necessary materials and weakens its overall program.

“The IDF will not allow the Iranian terror regime to continue its efforts to advance its nuclear weapons program, which poses an existential threat to the State of Israel and the entire world,” it clarified.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (AP) — A New Jersey man who planned to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian activist was arrested Thursday following a weekslong undercover operation led by the New York City Police Department, officials said.

The target of the plot was Nerdeen Kiswani, an outspoken Brooklyn-based Palestinian activist who co-founded the group Within Our Lifetime.

Kiswani, 31, said she received a call from a law enforcement official late Thursday informing her that “a threat on my life was about to take place, and that they had apprehended the threat.”

Federal authorities said they had arrested the man, Andrew Heifler, as he was assembling Molotov cocktails to throw at Kiswani’s home. For weeks, he had discussed the plot with an undercover NYPD officer who had infiltrated a group chat used by Heifler, according to a police department spokesperson.

Kiswani was targeted for her pro-Palestinian views, the spokesperson added.

Heifler was charged in a criminal complaint Thursday with two firearms offenses. An online court docket did not list a lawyer for him or information on an initial court appearance. The U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey declined to comment.

According to the complaint, Heifler spoke on a video call in February with a group that included an undercover officer about his interest in training for “self-defense” and wanting space where he could throw Molotov cocktails.

The next day, the complaint said, Heifler and the undercover officer met in person and he discussed wanting to vandalize Kiswani’s home. He said he had Kiswani’s address and spoke to the undercover officer about making Molotov cocktails and his plan to flee the country after the attack, the complaint said.

On March 4, Heifler and the undercover officer drove to Kiswani’s residence to “conduct surveillance” and discussed making a dozen Molotov cocktails to throw at her home and two cars parked outside, complaint said.

On Thursday, the undercover officer and Heifler met at Heifler’s Hoboken residence, where he had assembled components to make the Molotov cocktails, including a large bottle of Everclear, a highly flammable alcohol, the complaint said.

Law enforcement officers then executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered the eight Molotov cocktails, the complaint said.

Kiwani, who lives with her infant son and husband, said she was “shell-shocked” by the news, but not surprised.

“I feel very blessed that they were able to thwart this, but it’s something that is a constant possibility for people who speak up on behalf of Palestine,” Kiswani said, adding that she would “continue advocating on behalf of Palestinian children.”

The operation was carried out by the Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism unit within the NYPD’s counterterrorism bureau, a police spokesperson said.

The Hoboken Police Department is supporting the FBI in an ongoing investigation in Hoboken.
Please be advised, there is no current threat to the public.
Any additional information will come from the @FBINewark and @NewYorkFBI.

— Hoboken Police (@HobokenPD) March 27, 2026

Late last night the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force informed me that a plot against my life that was "about to" take place, and that agents had conducted an operation in Hoboken related to this plot. For months, Zionist organizations like Betar and politicians like Randy Fine have…

— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) March 27, 2026

We welcome law enforcement’s disruption of the alleged plot to assassinate Palestinian-American activist @NerdeenKiswani. No one in our nation should face violence or intimidation because of their identity, advocacy, or political views.

This disturbing case underscores the… https://t.co/odOFsJr3JW

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) March 27, 2026

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A humanoid robot turned heads in Brooklyn Bridge Park after it was seen racing and playing alongside children, drawing both excitement and unease from onlookers in a scene that highlighted the growing presence of advanced robotics in public spaces.

A video circulating online shows the Unitree G1 humanoid robot weaving past joggers and benches as children laughed and ran alongside it. The robot appeared to move at a jogging pace, drawing attention from park visitors who stopped to film the interaction.

✨🇨🇳Unitree humanoid robot appears on the streets of New York. It is interacting with children outdoors. pic.twitter.com/YpHaUPFWmt

— 🇨🇳XuZhenqing徐祯卿 (@XueJia24682) March 27, 2026

The 4.3-foot-tall robot, developed by China-based Unitree Robotics, was launched in 2024 and is marketed for research and educational use. Reports indicate the model can cost around $44,000 in its education configuration and is designed for agile, human-like movement.

The robot has previously demonstrated advanced maneuvers in public demonstrations, including flips during entertainment events in China, contributing to its viral popularity online.

In Brooklyn, the scene prompted a mix of reactions from spectators. Some described the interaction as an entertaining glimpse of future technology, while others raised questions about safety and the appropriateness of autonomous machines operating near children in public parks.

Videos of the encounter quickly spread on social media, where users debated the role of humanoid robots in everyday urban life and whether such machines should be designed to closely mimic human movement.

The appearance underscores the rapid advancement of consumer-facing robotics and the increasing visibility of AI-driven machines in public settings.

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet narrowly avoided being shot down during a recent mission over Iran, as newly deployed Iranian surveillance technology presents a growing operational challenge, according to a report.

Iran has established a widespread network of cameras across the country—particularly in key locations and along commonly used and sensitive flight routes—connected to an advanced artificial intelligence system capable of detecting aircraft movements in the sky. The system is now seen as a significant obstacle for both Israeli and American air operations.

According to reporting by Amir Bohbot in Walla!, the system combines civilian and military cameras that continuously scan designated airspaces. As a result, the skies have become increasingly dangerous. To avoid detection, the Israeli Air Force has been forced to operate in densely populated areas, both day and night, while constantly adjusting its tactics.

“The Iranians are studying us well. The methods and the technology, and they are testing the IDF in defense and in attack,” a senior security official said.

The report revealed that this effort nearly resulted in a major incident that had not previously been made public. During an operational sortie, Iranian forces came very close to downing an Israeli fighter jet in what was described as an extremely dangerous encounter.

The Israeli Air Force is said to possess video footage of the incident, classified as “top secret.” According to the documentation, a combination of the pilot’s quick thinking, coordinated formation flying, and advanced onboard systems prevented the aircraft from being shot down.

The incident is still under investigation, but the footage is already being used as a training tool for future missions over Iran. This comes amid assessments within Israeli military intelligence that Iran may possess additional defensive and offensive capabilities that have not yet been uncovered by Israeli or U.S. intelligence agencies.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — Vice President JD Vance confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call, accusing him of being overly optimistic about the likelihood of regime change in Iran and warning that key predictions made to President Donald Trump had not materialized, according to a report.

Citing a U.S. official, Axios reported that Vance told Netanyahu on Monday that the Israeli leader had “sold” the administration on an “easy” war scenario in Iran, including expectations that regime change would be more likely than has proved to be the case.

“Before the war, Bibi really sold it to the President as being easy, as regime change being a lot likelier than it was,” a source told Axios.

The reported exchange comes amid ongoing U.S. diplomatic efforts to manage the conflict in Iran and stabilize the wider region, including talks involving Gulf partners and other intermediaries.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported call.

Vance, who has played a role in recent diplomatic outreach efforts, has also been involved in discussions with regional partners as the administration seeks to end the conflict and prevent further escalation.

Axios reported that Vance has raised concerns in internal discussions about expectations surrounding regime change and the trajectory of the war.

Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the substance of the reported conversation, Axios said.

A senior Israeli Air Force reservist is facing serious charges after allegedly passing classified information about the timing of a planned strike on Iran to a friend, enabling him to place profitable bets on a prediction platform and win large sums of money.

A Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday cleared for publication details of the indictment against the reservist, who served in a sensitive role, and a civilian accomplice. The two are accused of using inside information to wager on the timing of Israel’s strike on Iran during Operation “Am KeLavi” through the digital betting platform Polymarket.

The reservist is charged with transmitting classified information, accepting bribes, and obstructing justice, while the civilian faces charges including transmitting classified information, aggravated espionage, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Both have been in custody since late January. The reservist, a major in the Air Force reserves, has served since 2009 and worked alongside the civilian in the alleged scheme.

According to the indictment, the reservist took part in a classified briefing about the operation, during which the launch date was disclosed, and he signed a confidentiality agreement. Despite that, he allegedly sent a WhatsApp message to his friend stating that the strike would take place on the night of June 12.

The friend then placed a bet on Polymarket predicting that the strike would occur before July, and the reservist encouraged him to significantly increase the wager. After receiving the tip, the friend shared the information with five additional individuals. As a result of the bet, he won $162,663. The indictment further states that he later made another profit by betting on the timing of the operation’s conclusion.

Two days after the operation ended, the friend contacted the reservist and the two agreed to split the winnings. The friend created a digital wallet for him and transferred cryptocurrency, which the reservist later sold for a profit of approximately 200,000 shekels.

According to the charges, their collaboration continued and led to additional bets on Polymarket. For example, in September 2025, the reservist allegedly passed along information about a planned Israeli strike in Yemen, allowing the friend to bet successfully and win about $5,000.

The two also allegedly planned to repeat the scheme ahead of the current conflict. At the beginning of January, the reservist reportedly informed his friend that tensions with Iran were escalating and that a strike was imminent. The friend then placed two bets on the platform—one predicting an Israeli strike before the end of January and another before the end of March.

However, according to the indictment, reports of an investigation into the betting activity prompted the friend to change his username on the site and cancel one of the wagers. As media coverage increased, the two allegedly deleted their WhatsApp correspondence and any related images they had shared.

The reservist is charged with transmitting classified information, accepting bribes, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors have filed additional charges against the civilian, including two counts of transmitting classified information, bribery, aggravated espionage, and obstruction of justice.

(AP) – A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, authorities said.

Biden was not in the area when the agent was injured during a “negligent discharge” of his firearm Friday morning, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Associated Press. According to initial reports, the agent was traveling in an unmarked car when he accidentally discharged his gun shortly before 9 a.m., said Philadelphia Police Officer Tanya Little.

Other law enforcement officers came to assist the inured agent, who was taken to a local hospital. He is being treated for his injuries and was in stable condition, Guglielmi said.

Airport operations were not affected, said Heather Redfern, public affairs manager for the city’s Department of Aviation.

In a surprise twist, given the tensions between Israel and Syria since the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa took over after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has been attempting to foil attempts to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah, at times successfully, according to an unnamed Western source reported in Ynet.

However, Israel and Lebanon have not entered into peace negotiations despite Syria’s — and even more so Israel’s — efforts to weaken Hezbollah, due to Lebanon’s fear of a civil war should Hezbollah emerge from the conflict still standing, according to a French official who spoke to Ynet about the matter. The Lebanese government is waiting to see the results of the war before holding discussions with Israel.

“Within the Lebanese government, they are waiting to see how much Hezbollah is weakened,” the official said. “The Lebanese fear a civil war and a direct confrontation with the terrorist organization.”

“On the Israeli side, there is no desire to look foolish and enter talks with Lebanon after it became clear that the Lebanese did not deliver the goods and did not dismantle Hezbollah under the November 2024 ceasefire agreement,” he added. “Beyond that, the war is not yet over and it is impossible to know how badly Hezbollah will be hit, so it is better to keep pounding them.”

The official placed the blame for the current conflict squarely on Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah bears the primary responsibility for the current escalation, and France recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense because Israel is under Hezbollah fire,” he said. “Fundamentally, the issue for Lebanon is to restore sovereign security control over its state and move away from a condition of permanent war, which has existed with Israel since 1948. That means reaching the end of the war, not just a ceasefire. It is too early to talk about a peace agreement with Israel, but it is not impossible to achieve, if Lebanon enforces a monopoly on the use of force. The Lebanese have confirmed that they are prepared to enter direct talks with Israel.”

“On the Israeli side, they are making clear that Lebanon must first begin doing what it committed to do, and then they can talk,” he added. “There are no major disagreements between Israel and Lebanon. There are issues relating to the border, but they are limited and solvable.”

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Prominent economist Nouriel Roubini, who predicted the 2008 financial crisis and earned the nickname “Dr. Doom,” said Friday there is more than a 50% chance the United States escalates its confrontation in Iran, warning of potential risks to the global economy and international stability.

Speaking at a gathering of economists and business leaders in Lake Como, Italy, Roubini said President Donald Trump is more likely to pursue escalation in an effort to secure a perceived win than to back down and risk broader geopolitical consequences.

“My baseline is that there is a more than 50% probability of escalation,” said Roubini, a former White House economist. “Escalating and losing is less likely than escalating and winning, but it’s a big risk to take.”

Roubini, chief executive of Roubini Macro Associates, is widely known for correctly forecasting the 2008 financial crisis, a call that cemented his reputation in financial markets and led to his “Dr. Doom” nickname.

He warned that a prolonged conflict could push oil prices higher, slow global growth and add pressure to already fragile inflation dynamics across major economies.

“Even if the war ends tomorrow, oil prices aren’t going to go back to where they were before,” he said.

He added that central banks, including the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England, could face renewed pressure to tighten policy if inflation expectations become entrenched.

His comments come amid continued tensions involving Iran and Israel and heightened concerns over potential disruptions to global energy supplies.

NEW YORK (AP) — A newly identified Underground Railroad passageway once used by enslaved people fleeing to freedom is putting the spotlight on a New York City museum and its struggle against a proposed neighboring development.

Staff at the Merchant’s House Museum — an upper crust family home built in 1832 in Manhattan’s NoHo district — last month revealed that researchers can now explain the passageway’s historical purpose because they recently discovered that the home’s original owner was an abolitionist. Historians and Black activists hail it as the first “intact” Underground Railroad site found in New York in over 160 years.

The discovery has substantially raised the museum’s foot traffic, along with hopes of staving off a possible nine-story mixed-use building next door because building it could damage the walls and foundation of the adjacent historic site.

“What our engineers are saying is that there really is no way that a building of that size is built immediately next door to the museum without causing significant structural damage to our historic building,” said Emily Hill-Wright, the museum’s director of operations.

The New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has been weighing whether to approve the development. Consultants and architects working on the project say the museum should not be heavily impacted.

Revelations about the newly explained passageway come as an executive order by President Donald Trump is being used to remove references and imagery of slavery from the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks.

New York-based civil rights activist Al Sharpton has cast the fate of the Merchant’s Museum House as a fight for Black and American history.

“When engineers tell me that an African American heritage site is in danger of structural compromise or any other sort of irreversible damage, I listen,” Sharpton said in a statement last week.

The Merchant’s House Underground Railroad passageway lies beneath a 2-foot-by-2-foot wooden hatch hidden under a dresser drawer in the second floor hallway. It goes down a 15-foot (4.5 meters) shaft with a built-in ladder. The passageway was first found in the 1930s as the home was being turned into a museum, but it wasn’t until 2024 that it came to light the home’s first owner, Joseph Brewster, was an abolitionist.

“It’s not a dumbwaiter. It’s not a laundry chute,” Hill-Wright said. “We’re able to sort of cross off all of these other theories about what this might have possibly been used for.”

The findings have drawn preservationists, history buffs and the general public.

“February was our highest month for visitors in over a year,” Hill-Wright said. “You almost get choked up because it is a very visceral experience to see it with your own eyes.”

The Underground Railroad network was established by Harriet Tubman, who herself escaped slavery in 1849 and ended up living in Philadelphia. The operation is credited with facilitating the escape of numerous enslaved Black men and women. Tubman used her experiences as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War and personally guided 150 Black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina.

At the time the Brewster home was built, assisting someone through the Underground Railroad was against the law in New York City. There would have been “severe penalties,” said Jacob Morris, director of the Harlem Historical Society. There are documented cases of abolitionists getting attacked for protecting enslaved escapees.

“Bounty hunters were all over the place in New York City. They made their living on catching freedom-seeking Blacks,” Morris said. “If you got caught helping Blacks escape from slavery, a mob could come and burn down your house and beat you up. And maybe even tar and feather you or worse.”

Two Israeli women were detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport after relying on incorrect guidance from ChatGPT, in an incident that has prompted a warning from Israeli officials against depending on artificial intelligence for travel decisions.

The two young women, who were en route to a vacation in the Philippines, were stopped on Wednesday during a layover in Malaysia’s capital, according to a report. They had arrived on a connecting flight from Thailand after checking in advance—using AI technology—whether it was safe for Israelis to transit through the country.

Despite not speaking English and traveling solely with Israeli passports, they relied on a response indicating that passage through Malaysia would be safe.

In reality, the situation was very different. Upon landing, they were immediately detained by Malaysian authorities. At the same time, two additional Israeli men traveling with them were also held for questioning.

The incident triggered a diplomatic emergency response, with Israel’s ambassador to Singapore, Eli Vered Hazan, and consul Naama Avnat working directly with relevant officials to secure the Israelis’ release.

Efforts to resolve the situation took time, as Israel and Malaysia do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, and Malaysia is considered one of the most hostile countries toward Israel—a stance that has intensified significantly since the events of October 7.

According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, this was not an isolated case. In recent months, at least eight Israeli citizens have been detained at Kuala Lumpur’s airport, some traveling only with Israeli passports and others holding dual citizenship.

Hazan explained that these detentions, which typically last between 24 and 48 hours, are not the result of any criminal wrongdoing but are instead acts of deliberate targeting based solely on nationality. He noted that Malaysian authorities are aware of the financial damage and distress caused to travelers, who often face thousands of dollars in costs due to canceled flights and legal complications.

In some instances, deportation from Malaysia has also led to entry denials in other countries in the region, further complicating matters and raising security concerns.

The ambassador concluded with a stark warning to travelers, stressing that artificial intelligence tools should not be relied upon in life-and-death matters, and urged Israelis to avoid entering Malaysia altogether—even for brief transit connections.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thea Price anticipated changes under the second Trump administration, but she never expected her life to be thrown into such disarray.

Along with the 300 other employees of the United States Institute of Peace, Price was fired, rehired and then fired again as part of President Donald Trump’s crusade to shrink the federal government, a chaotic effort that cut tens of thousands of jobs and shrank or dismantled entire agencies.

One year later, many of those impacted are left wondering whether their pain was worth it.

“Nobody was prepared for the complete destruction,” said Price, a former program operations manager. “And for what?”

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by then-Trump adviser Elon Musk, instigated purges of federal agencies with the expressed mission of rooting out fraud, waste and abuse.

USIP, a congressionally funded independent nonprofit, became a symbol of the upheaval. DOGE staffers entered the USIP building early last year, setting off a battle over who controls the institute, which later saw Trump plant his name on its Washington headquarters.

The blow to its workers came on March 28, 2025, when they were fired, a decision a judge later reversed and then another one reinstated — whiplash that still weighs on the former staffers.

A year on, DOGE’s toll on people’s lives is clear — what was actually saved in the process of upending them is not.

Questions over how much DOGE has saved
Musk set a target of $2 trillion in savings. The DOGE website says it has saved about $215 billion through job cuts, contract and lease cancellations and asset sales, as well as grant rescissions.

More than 260,000 workers left federal service due to Trump administration initiatives in 2025, according to the Office of Management and Budget, including reductions in force, early retirement, deferred resignations and a hiring freeze.

“President Trump was given a clear mandate to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from the federal government,” said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle when asked how much was saved. “In just a year, he has made significant progress in making the federal government more efficient to better serve the American taxpayer.”

Organizations that have examined elements of the DOGE operation, along with the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog of how taxpayer dollars are spent, have not been able to pinpoint how much was saved, or lost, by the reform efforts. Many challenge the Republican administration’s numbers.

Dominik Lett, a budget analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said there were basic mistakes on the DOGE pages tracking savings, leading him to believe the numbers were too high. He said Cato and other organizations have shied away from trying to arrive at a number because of the complexity of the moves.

“Who is getting fired matters. How they’re getting fired, will there be lawsuits?” was among the questions Lett has. Even terminating leases and contracts wasn’t as simple as it sounds.

In the end, he said, “we don’t know how much DOGE has saved.”

Cuts were big, deep and random, expert says
In her analysis of media reports and public sources, Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, found that about 25,000 people who were fired were rehired because they were deemed to be essential.

“What DOGE did is it cut so big and so deep and so randomly that when the Cabinet secretaries came in, and Elon Musk was gone, they realized that they had to bring some of these people back,” Kamarck said.

With that, Kamarck estimated the savings might hit between $100 billion and $200 billion, though final figures remain highly uncertain.

A GAO analysis found layoffs in the Education Department’s civil rights division may have cost $38 million, with employees paid months after termination.

The impacts of DOGE’s work are the subject of ongoing litigation. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration for DOGE’s actions over the past year, which challenge everything from the cancellation of grants, mass firings and buyouts, to access to sensitive U.S. Treasury data and payment systems, to the closure of massive federally funded programs.

Musk, in an interview with conservative influencer Katie Miller, said last December that his efforts leading DOGE were only “somewhat successful” and he would not do it again.

Whiplash at the US Institute of Peace
Created by Congress during the Reagan administration, USIP was meant to promote peace and prevent global conflict. At the time it was shuttered, the institute operated in more than two dozen conflict zones, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Employees watched as DOGE dismantled another organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development. Then, DOGE staffers showed up multiple times at USIP and ultimately took over the headquarters. Most of the institute’s board and the acting president were fired.

On the evening of March 28, 2025, termination notices began showing up in employees’ personal emails. Within two hours, most of the 300-plus staffers were gone.

USIP leaders and employees sued, arguing it was independent of the executive branch. A federal judge ruled Trump had acted outside his authority, in a decision that restored control of the institute and reinstated workers with backpay — though few returned as operations resumed gradually.

In June, an appeals court stayed that decision. And for the second time, the staff was fired.

The case is suspended now, awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision in another personnel-related case, which could expand the president’s control over federal agencies that have long been considered independent of the executive branch.

DOGE’s aftershocks are still being felt
While the original iteration of DOGE has dissipated from the public view, its presence is still felt in parts of the government. High-ranking DOGE officials have been hired as permanent staffers in federal agencies, including at the Treasury Department.

For the people who worked at USIP, the past year has been a whirlwind.

Some have found jobs, but many have faced headwinds in a market flooded with skilled labor. Some meet regularly and update one another on job searches and the suspended court cases they still hope might revive their former employer.

Price came off maternity leave one day before she was fired. When she was fired for the second time, she and her husband, who had lost his job as a contractor at a museum when his project’s funding was cut, lived on their reserves and applied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which took months to be approved.

She was forced to use a food pantry when the government shutdown last year stopped her SNAP payments. After filing dozens of job applications, her family left the capital region and moved to the Seattle area.

She now works for a nonprofit that focuses on affordable housing. It is meaningful, but she misses the institute, its mission and her team.

Liz Callihan, who worked in communications at USIP, has applied for 140 jobs since being fired. She often wonders why her former professional home, with a noble mission and a relatively small annual budget of $50 million, became a target of DOGE.

“I absolutely ask myself every day what all this was for,” she said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has reportedly reduced the minimum age for participation in support roles within its military framework to just 12, according to an opposition-linked report, in a move that has sparked concern over the use of minors in conflict-related activities.

The report, published Thursday by the opposition outlet Iran International, cited remarks by a senior Revolutionary Guard official in Tehran, Rahim Nadali, who said the change was being implemented openly and had even been referenced in Iran’s state media.

According to the report, a new initiative known as “For Iran” is recruiting children and teenagers for non-combat roles tied to the war effort, including patrols, checkpoint staffing, and logistical support. Nadali explained that due to “high demand from young people,” the decision was made to lower the minimum age for participation to 12.

Iran International noted that Iran is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the use of minors in military activity. Despite this, the new program—referred to in Tehran as “Defenders of the Homeland of Iran”—appears to move in the opposite direction and has raised serious concerns among human rights advocates.

The report adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting the recruitment of minors in recent years, but highlights that this instance is notable for being an explicit and public statement by a senior regime official. The fact that the remarks were also carried by state media is being viewed as an indication of a broader policy shift.

The development has drawn sharp international criticism, particularly given the already tense security situation in the region and fears that children may be exploited for military purposes under the guise of volunteer service.

{Matzav.com}

By Y.M. Lowy

Friday brings a high of 56 and a low of 32, with mostly cloudy skies and a steady breeze that keeps things feeling chilly, especially later in the day.

Shabbos turns cooler, with a high of 45 and a low of 33. Expect a mix of clouds and some sun, but the breeze sticks around, so it will feel colder than the numbers suggest.

Sunday is the pick of the weekend. High of 54 and low of 44, with sunshine mixing with some clouds. A calmer and more comfortable day to get out a bit and finish up the Pesach errands.

As Pesach approaches, TLS is once again providing you with all important Pesach information for Lakewood and surrounding towns to make your Pre-Pesach rush more manageable, organized and easily-accessible. This page will remain pinned towards the top of the page until Pesach.

See important Pesach information below, which will be updated as we get closer to Pesach.

Lakewood Township Adds Additional Trash Pickup Next Week for Pesach

Lakewood DPW Resident Pickup and Drop-off Information for the Spring and Pesach season

Chometz Burning Information for Lakewood 

Chometz Burning Information for Howell

Chometz Burning Information for Jackson

Chometz Burning and Trash Pickup Information for Toms River 

Don’t Forget To Place Hold On Your Chometz Amazon Subscriptions

Put Your Mail On Hold When Leaving for Pesach

Halachos of Pesach | Chezky Green

Pesach Simplified | Rabbi Shlomo Haberfeld

Pesach Seder Primer

CHOMETZ LIST (1)

The United States military has expended more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks of combat against Iran, burning through one of its most prized precision weapons at a pace that has alarmed senior Pentagon officials and set off urgent internal discussions about replenishment, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Officials familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the number of Tomahawks remaining in the Middle East had fallen to “alarmingly low” levels, with one official saying the supply was closing in on “Winchester” — military slang for nearly out of ammunition.

Within days of Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines launched hundreds of the missiles against Iranian targets. In the opening 72 hours of the war alone, approximately 400 Tomahawks were fired — nearly 10 percent of the total stockpile.

The scale of the drawdown is raising difficult strategic questions that extend well beyond the current conflict. Analysts told the Post that 850 missiles amounted to roughly a quarter of the U.S. military’s total Tomahawk inventory. Yahoo! Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, put the implications bluntly: firing more than 800 Tomahawks against Iran “would leave a large gap for a conflict in the Western Pacific,” adding that “it would take several years to replenish.”

Each missile costs approximately $1.89 million, with an additional $197,091 for the single-use launch canister — bringing the total to just over $2 million per shot. Wionews At that price, the 850-missile expenditure represents a bill of roughly $1.7 billion for Tomahawks alone.

The production pipeline offers little immediate relief. Raytheon, the manufacturer, has historically produced the missiles at annual rates of around 90, though production is now being ramped up to around 1,000 per year. Scaling to meet wartime demand, analysts warn, could still take years.

The Pentagon pushed back on the Post’s reporting. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the military “has everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President’s choosing and on any timeline,” accusing the media of being “obsessed with portraying the world’s strongest military as weak.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously declared that the U.S. has “no shortage of munitions” and that supplies would “sustain this campaign as long as we need to.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly asserted there was “more than enough munitions, ammo and weapons stockpiles to achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury — and beyond.”

Still, the internal alarm reflects a well-documented vulnerability. Heavy reliance on Tomahawks in the Iran conflict will force Pentagon planners into painful choices — whether to relocate missiles from other critical regions, including the Indo-Pacific, and whether to launch an expensive long-term manufacturing surge.

Trump has already moved to address the production gap on the political level. On March 6, the president announced his administration had held a “very good meeting” with U.S. defense manufacturing companies, including Raytheon, and said the companies had agreed to “quadruple production of ‘exquisite class weaponry’ as rapidly as possible.”

The Tomahawk, a long-range cruise missile capable of striking targets more than 1,000 miles away, has been a cornerstone of American military operations since its combat debut in the 1991 Gulf War. Its value lies precisely in its ability to eliminate the need to send pilots into heavily defended airspace — a quality that made it the natural first-strike weapon of choice when Operation Epic Fury began. The question now being debated inside the Pentagon is how long that weapon of choice will remain available at the current rate of use.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF said Friday that Givati Brigade troops directed Shayetet 13 in a targeted ground operation to tighten the security zone in southern Lebanon. Acting on intelligence that provided evidence of weapons in the area of al-Khiyam, Shayetet 13 found a giant cache of weapons in a school there.

The Givati Brigade, an IDF infantry unit, often works in close cooperation with Shayetet 13, a naval special operations force.

The Israeli forces discovered hundreds of weapons at the school, including anti-tank rockets, mortar shells, grenades, launchers, light firearms, explosive devices, explosive materials and explosive device mechanisms. The discovery of materials with markings from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) highlighted Hezbollah’s exploitation of the civilian population as human shields.

Like Hamas, Hezbollah has embedded itself within the civilian population, disguising its fighters as civilians and storing its weapons and ammunition stockpiles in civilian population centers such as schools, mosques, hospitals and churches, which imperils the lives of civilians. This cynical strategy serves the terrorist group’s aims, since international outrage and pressure are directed at Israel, not at Hezbollah, when civilians are killed in military operations to eradicate the threat to Israel’s security.

Credit: IDF

ISLAMABAD (AP) — As fears of a wider regional conflict escalate following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February, Pakistan has emerged as an unexpected mediator, offering to help bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.

Islamabad isn’t often called on to act as an intermediary in high-stakes diplomacy, but it’s stepped into the role this time for a number of reasons, both because it has relatively good ties with both Washington and Tehran and because it has a lot at stake in seeing the war resolved.

Pakistani government officials have said that their public peace effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy, though they have provided few details. They have also said that Islamabad stands ready to host talks between representatives from the U.S. and Iran.

Here’s what to know about Pakistan’s mediation effort:

Pakistan helped US deliver 15-point plan to Iran
Pakistan’s role in Iran-U.S. negotiations surfaced only days ago following media reports. Officials in Islamabad later acknowledged that a U.S. proposal had been conveyed to Iran.

It remains unclear who has served as Iran’s point of contact in the indirect talks. Iran has maintained it has not held such talks and dismissed the U.S. proposal, but Tehran has acknowledged responding with its own proposals.

According to Pakistani officials, U.S. messages are being passed to Iran and Iranian responses relayed to Washington, though they did not specify how the process is being handled or who is directly communicating with whom. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said this week that Turkey and Egypt are also working behind the scenes to bring the sides to the negotiating table.

Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said that Pakistani’s mediation efforts may be contributing to relative restraint in the conflict. He noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has delayed his threats of large-scale attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure citing diplomatic progress, and Iranian responses toward U.S. interests in the Gulf have been measured in what may be an effort to preserve space for diplomacy.

Ties with both US and Iran set Pakistan up for new role
Previous US-Iran negotiations have been facilitated mainly by countries in the Middle East, including Oman and Qatar, but as they come under Iranian fire during the war Pakistan has stepped into the role.

Analysts say Pakistan’s geographic proximity to Iran — it’s one of its neighbors — coupled with its longstanding ties with the U.S., gives it a unique position at a time when direct communication between the two sides remains constrained.

Islamabad has good working relations with most of the key parties in the war, including both the U.S. and Iran. It has close strategic ties with Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, with which it signed a defense cooperation agreement last year. However, Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the lingering issue of Palestinian statehood.

Relations between the United States and Pakistan have improved since last year, with increased diplomatic engagement and expanding economic ties. Pakistan also joined Trump’s Board of Peace, which aims to ensure peace in Gaza, despite opposition from Islamists at home.

Over the weekend, Trump spoke to the Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom the U.S. president has publicly described as his “favorite Field Marshal.” Analysts say he’s a player who enjoys good ties with both the Iranian and U.S. militaries.

Pakistan has a lot at stake in ceasefire talks
The conflict poses some of “the biggest economic and energy security challenges” in Pakistan’s history, said Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Mohammad Ali.

The country gets most of its oil and gas from the Middle East — and, he said, the five million Pakistanis working in the Arab world send home remittances each year roughly equal to the country’s total export earnings.

Rising tensions have already contributed to higher global oil prices, forcing Pakistan to increase fuel prices by about 20% and putting pressure on the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The war is also adding to domestic turmoil, even as Pakistan has been grappling for months with its own conflict with neighboring Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused the country’s Taliban government of tolerating militant groups that are behind attacks in Pakistan.

Earlier this month, protests erupted across the country following U.S. strikes on Iran, with demonstrators clashing with security forces in several cities.

A day after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, clashes erupted in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and in parts of the north, leaving at least 22 people dead and more than 120 injured nationwide.

At least 12 people were killed in and around the U.S. Consulate in Karachi after a mob breached the compound and attempted to set it on fire.

Khamenei was a central religious and political figure for Shiites worldwide, including in Pakistan.

Pakistan has a record as a mediator
While Pakistan rarely serves as a mediator, its record does include playing a role in some very high-profile talks.

Pakistan’s then-President Gen. Yahya Khan facilitated backchannel contacts that led to U.S. President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 visit to China. That paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing in 1979.

Since then, Pakistan has played a role in several other complex regional conflicts, most notably during the 1988 Geneva Accords that paved the way for the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Acting as a frontline state and key interlocutor, Islamabad participated in U.N.-brokered negotiations while working closely with the United States and other stakeholders and helped increase pressure on Moscow to pull out its forces.

More recently, Pakistan facilitated contacts between the Afghan Taliban and Washington that led to talks in Doha that culminated in a 2020 agreement and set the stage for the withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO troops and the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Flames broke out inside a Bronx firehouse early Friday, forcing firefighters to escape through ladders and shelter in place after a blaze spread through the building where they work and respond to emergencies.

The Fire Department of New York said the 3-alarm fire erupted shortly after 6 a.m. at Engine 79 in the Bronx, drawing more than 160 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene.

Officials said the fire started on the first floor of the station and spread to the apparatus floor and stairwell, briefly trapping firefighters on the second floor of their own firehouse.

“This morning, one of our firefighters identified the fire and immediately alerted everyone in the building,” Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. “Members on the second floor who could not access the stairway… sheltered in place in a room, closed the door behind them, and waited for assistance.”

Chief of Department John Esposito said Ladder 56 crews quickly arrived and removed firefighters using portable and aerial ladders as the fire escalated to a third alarm before being brought under control.

About 14 firefighters sustained minor injuries, and several were taken to area hospitals for evaluation, officials said. No life-threatening injuries were reported.

The FDNY said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Crews are working to relocate units and maintain fire coverage in the surrounding neighborhood while repairs are made to the damaged firehouse.

WATCH: @FDNYFC provides an update on a 2-alarm fire that occurred early Friday morning in the Bronx: https://t.co/brmHU2ppZf

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 27, 2026

Early Friday morning, the FDNY responded to a 3-alarm fire at Engine 79 in The Bronx, bringing more than 160 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene.

During the incident, members operating inside the firehouse encountered fire on the first floor that extended to the… pic.twitter.com/Rv3jurK27Z

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 27, 2026

(AP) – It has a catchy name — Build America, Buy America — and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

But the law has spurred a bottleneck for affordable housing.

Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects that get federal dollars must carry the Made in the USA label. But, developers say, numerous products do not, as they have long been imported from overseas markets with cheaper labor costs.

Although builders can apply for waivers, the process has been at a near standstill as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has had its staff slashed by the Trump administration, has only greenlit a handful of projects.

The waiver process has caused construction delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra costs as the country faces an affordable housing crisis.

“They need to be treating this like the fire that it is,” said Tyler Norod, president of Westbrook Development Corporation, which builds affordable housing in Maine.

“We’ve sort of resigned ourselves that we’re just gonna build less units across the entire country during a housing crisis.”

Facing a standstill
Diana Lene has been on affordable housing waitlists for the past five years. The 76-year-old loves living close to her daughter and grandchildren in Fargo, North Dakota, but her apartment is too expensive on her Social Security income.

“It’s just maxing my budget down to pennies,” she said. To save money, she avoids driving often and buys food on sale.

“I’m just trying to keep a roof over my head, but it’s getting more and more difficult,” Lene said. “I don’t like to live in fear, and yet sometimes it jumps in there.”

Lene is on a waitlist for one of nonprofit developer Beyond Shelter’s apartments. CEO Dan Madler is building a 36-unit building for people like Lene, but he had to postpone lumber orders to verify they comply with the law and can’t find ceiling fans made in America. He doesn’t know when HUD will approve a waiver.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Build America, Buy America Act as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, building on longstanding efforts to boost American manufacturing at a time when the U.S. economy was emerging from a pandemic-era recession. Known as BABA, it applies to infrastructure projects funded by federal agencies, not just affordable housing.

Denver developer Julie Hoebel says she has spent over $60,000 just on a consultant to comb through websites and call suppliers to try to find American-made materials, not to mention the additional labor costs involved.

But the waivers she submitted to HUD in November for around 125 materials in an 85-unit building haven’t been approved.

“If they take much longer then we’ll come to a standstill,” she said.

A cumbersome process
HUD is taking at least six months to approve many waivers.

Even BABA advocates agree HUD must grant waivers more quickly and give the industry clearer instructions on how to prepare them, which they note other federal agencies are doing.

HUD did not address questions from The Associated Press about waiver approval delays developers say increase costs, as well as concerns about making the process more transparent. In a statement it said it’s committed to “ensuring that federal spending supports America’s industrial base” while “closely monitoring how compliance with these policies impact costs for builders.”

Asked in January about whether the delays and cost increases mean affordable housing should be exempt from BABA rules, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the agency was looking into the issue, but did not provide details. “We are looking at this … with BABA as it pertains to HUD to provide flexibility to certain projects in certain places around our country,” Turner said, adding that HUD is committed to assuring developers get “the flexibility they need as it pertains to building.”

The law itself isn’t the problem, supporters say.

Unions representing the steel and manufacturing industries say taxpayer dollars should fund American-made materials and suppliers will adjust to meet demand for products that aren’t available.

“You’ve got a system in place that leans heavily on using imported materials to make a better profit,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “I don’t know if that serves the public good.”

Jennifer Schwartz, director of tax and housing advocacy at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, said there’s no national data on how much BABA is increasing costs. But the waiver process is “failing,” she said, because requirements were put in place before assessment of domestic manufacturing capacity.

It won’t be as challenging for suppliers to produce more raw materials in the U.S., but it will take time for manufactured products — such as appliances and elevators — to become available, said Kaitlyn Snyder, managing director of the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association, an affordable housing industry group.

“I don’t know that it economically, financially makes sense for people to be producing door hinges,” Snyder said. “We are an advanced country and we’ve outsourced a lot of that stuff.”

The housing bill that passed the Senate in March did not require HUD to address problems with implementing BABA.

“The process isn’t working for affordable housing,” said Jessie Handforth Kome, who spent nearly 40 years working at HUD until 2024. “People want to comply, but it’s unclear how to.”

Vermont-based Developer Jessica Neubelt estimates she spent an additional $150,000 just to verify iron and steel she used in a project was American-made. She’s just as frustrated over the hundreds of hours that takes, which, she said, could be spent on another project.

“I would like every member of Congress to sit in on a construction meeting,” Neubelt said. “The amount of detail that goes into figuring out if a specific thing is compliant or not is enormous.”

Debates over solutions
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Nebraska Republican, has advocated to exempt some HUD funding from BABA.

“Owning a home is the American dream, but it’s out of reach in a very big way and anything that adds cost to that isn’t allowing hardworking Americans to achieve the dream,” Flood told the AP.

Roy Houseman, legislative director at United Steelworkers, said complaints about cost increases are overblown.

“A lot of developers seem to have tried to throw things in and make statutory changes to policies that have been in place for basically five years now instead of making a good-faith effort to really push HUD,” Houseman said.

Union leaders note the law offers some leeway.

Developers can get exemptions for an American-made product if it increases the project’s overall cost by more than 25%. A very small percentage of a project’s total material cost is also exempt. But most developers say that percentage isn’t enough to cover all items not made in the U.S.

Some developers are looking for ways to avoid federal funds altogether. But that is challenging. Even though federal dollars often make up a small portion of funding for affordable housing projects, that sliver can make or break whether there’s enough money to build them.

Kentucky developer Scott McReynolds says that instead of applying for a federal grant to build 20 to 30 affordable homes, he plans to build two four-unit projects, small enough so that they aren’t subject to BABA.

American-made materials are especially hard to find near the rural areas McReynolds serves.

“It’s a nightmare,” he said.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and the New York City Department of Transportation said Thursday the city will redesign the Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge to improve bike and pedestrian access ahead of an expected surge of visitors for the FIFA World Cup.

The project will create a dedicated bike connection along Centre Street and fully separate pedestrian and cyclist access at the bridge’s Manhattan approach for the first time, officials said. Work is expected to begin this spring and be completed before the tournament begins in June.

Mayor Mamdani Holds a Press Conference to Make a Street Safety Announcement https://t.co/Fns0mhyKtu

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 27, 2026

“Since taking office, our administration has been guided by a simple promise: streets that are safe and accessible for every New Yorker,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Whether you’re driving, walking or biking across the Brooklyn Bridge, you deserve to get where you’re going with ease and without fear.”

The redesign builds on earlier changes that created protected bike lanes on the bridge itself and officials said it is intended to reduce congestion at one of Lower Manhattan’s most heavily used pedestrian corridors.

NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said the current entrance forces cyclists and pedestrians to share limited space as they enter and exit the bridge, creating safety concerns that will be intensified by World Cup crowds.

“This redesign will build on the success of the bridge’s protected bike lane and greatly improve the experience for pedestrians and cyclists,” Flynn said.

The project also includes widening a crosswalk between the bridge and City Hall Park to give pedestrians additional space at peak travel times.

Nearly 30,000 pedestrians and more than 5,600 cyclists use the Brooklyn Bridge daily, according to city data, with cycling volumes rising significantly since the installation of protected lanes in 2021.

City officials said the redesign is part of a broader set of street and infrastructure upgrades planned ahead of the World Cup, including improvements in Hell’s Kitchen and Lower Manhattan corridors intended to accommodate increased foot traffic and tourism.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings.

The FDA was holding a public meeting Friday to discuss its longstanding criteria for dietary supplements and whether they could be broadened to include substances that don’t come from food, vitamins, herbs or other traditional ingredients. FDA officials will hear from industry executives, consumer advocates and academics.

It’s the first such meeting since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation’s top health official last year. Kennedy has vowed to “end the war at FDA” on dietary supplements, peptides and other products that are popular within his Make America Healthy Again movement.

Friday’s meeting came at the request of the Natural Products Association, an industry group that has clashed with the FDA over certain new supplement ingredients. The group asked for the meeting in a January letter, citing “the cost and uncertainty that arise when regulatory expectations are unclear.”

Here’s what to know about the issue:

Many wellness products don’t qualify as supplements
Under FDA regulations, supplements are deemed to be a category of food, with most of their ingredients coming from plants, herbs and other substances found in the American diet.

That requirement has become a challenge for the industry in recent years as newer wellness products often feature substances that have never been used in food.

Peptides, for instance, are druglike chains of amino acids that have been widely promoted by celebrities and influencers as a way to build muscle and look younger, although there’s little science supporting their use.

Many specialty pharmacies and clinics sell them as injections or IV infusions, but some supplement makers have also begun adding them to capsules, gummies and powders.

Technically, those products violate FDA rules, according to FDA lawyers. The same goes for certain types of probiotics, bacteria-containing products that are pitched to aid digestion and promote gut health.

Companies argue that FDA law, as written, doesn’t specify that all ingredients must come from food.

“The hope of the meeting is that FDA is willing to open up its interpretation of what constitutes a dietary ingredient to allow dietary substances that aren’t already in food,” said Robert Durkin, a former official in the FDA’s supplements program who now consults for companies.

If the agency is unwilling to redefine the term, the industry could sue. A 2024 Supreme Court decision weakened federal regulators’ authority to interpret laws and craft regulations according to their preferences.

Supplement makers view Kennedy as an ally
Kennedy recently declared himself “a big fan” of peptides, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that he’s personally used them to treat injuries. He also vowed to loosen FDA limits on producing injectable peptides, which have been subject to federal safety restrictions.

Some of Kennedy’s allies and supporters are proponents of the chemicals, including Gary Brecka, a self-described “longevity expert,” who sells peptide injectables, patches and nasal sprays through his website.

Dr. Mark Hyman, another Kennedy friend, sells dozens of dietary supplements, including some claiming to contain peptides, through his website.

Two former health advisers from Kennedy’s presidential campaign also have ties to the industry.

Calley Means, now serving as a senior adviser in the Department of Health and Human Services, co-founded an online platform that helps people spend tax-free health dollars on supplements and other wellness goods.

Dr. Casey Means — his sister and President Donald Trump’s surgeon general nominee — made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements, probiotics and related products, according to financial disclosure forms.

Supplements have never been subject to strict FDA oversight
The FDA does not review dietary supplements the way it approves drugs and other medical products after confirming their safety and effectiveness. The agency does not even have a list of all the products in circulation.

With some 100,000 or more supplements on the market, manufacturers are legally responsible for making sure their products are safe and truthfully advertised, according to the FDA. Supplements can’t claim to treat specific diseases or medical conditions.

The 1994 law that gave the FDA oversight of the industry also exempted supplement makers from nutrition labeling requirements, under which companies must scientifically support health claims.

Instead, supplement makers can make more general claims, such as that their products maintain or support health and well-being.

Some former regulators think that approach was a mistake.

“It sanctioned unauthorized, implied health claims” said Mitch Zeller, who worked on supplement issues at the FDA during the 1990s. “There are all manner of claims being made on supplement labeling or in advertising that are carefully worded to avoid making a drug or treatment claim.”

Companies can also say their products improve the structure or function of certain body parts, such as strengthening bones. Products making general or specific claims must carry a disclaimer: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.”

Kobi Yaakobi, the Israel Prison Service Commissioner, revealed Thursday that terrorists would not eat any chametz during Pesach.

The announcement was made in a ceremony of the sale of chametz ahead of Pesach that was held with Chief Rabbi of Israel David Yosef, who was appointed to carry out the transaction.

Yaakobi explained to Rabbi Yosef that until about two years ago, terrorists would freeze pitas before Pesach so they could enjoy a bit of chametz during the Jewish holiday. Yaakobi put a firm end to the practice.

“There is no such thing — chametz will not be in our dwellings,” Yaakobi said. He added that the prisons were thoroughly cleaned for Pesach, including every single cell, and the prisoners also participated in the cleanup. Since he implemented the new policy, all prisoners, including terrorists, eat only food that is kosher for Passover and no chametz can be found anywhere in the prisons in accordance with Jewish law.

He further said that the terrorists aren’t even given kitniyot, according to stricter Ashkenazic practice.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel Defense Forces strikes on Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets, citing the Iranian regime’s continued missile attacks on Israeli civilians.

“The prime minister and I warned the Iranian terror regime to stop the missile fire toward the civilian population in Israel,” Katz said during an assessment with military officials. “Despite the warnings, the fire continues, and therefore IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets and domains that assist the regime in building and operating weapons against Israeli civilians.”

Katz’s remarks come amid an ongoing exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran, with Iranian missiles continuing to target Israeli population centers. Israeli officials have described the Iranian actions as war crimes and vowed a heavy price for the regime.

The defense minister’s comments were released as part of a video statement and reported widely by Israeli media outlets, including The Times of Israel. They follow earlier statements in which Katz indicated that joint Israeli-U.S. operations against Iranian infrastructure would escalate significantly.

No immediate details were provided on the specific new targets or domains to be hit. Israeli strikes in recent weeks have focused on degrading Iran’s ballistic missile production and launch capabilities, according to military reports.

The escalation occurs against the backdrop of broader regional tensions, including parallel Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian-backed groups have continued attacks on Israeli territory, prompting sustained Israeli responses.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments in the conflict.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett sharply criticized Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Thursday, downplaying Israel’s recent operations against Iran and arguing that the government’s overall performance in the war has fallen short.

Speaking during an interview on Channel 12, Bennett said Netanyahu has done very little when it comes to confronting the Iranian threat, despite ongoing military efforts.

Although Israel has carried out significant operations, including Am KeLavi and the current campaign, Bennett declined to credit Netanyahu for those achievements, maintaining that they do not amount to meaningful progress.

“We are not winning on any front. Not in Gaza, not in Lebanon, and in Iran we will still see.”

He went further, accusing Netanyahu of excessive rhetoric without sufficient action on Iran. “I stand behind every word in my claim that there has never been anyone who talked so much and did so little on the Iranian issue like Netanyahu.”

During the interview, Bennett also addressed warnings from the IDF chief of staff regarding the military’s condition, saying the government has ignored repeated concerns. He told anchor Yonit Levi that “The government has no shame. For a year the chief of staff has been crying out, ‘I don’t have soldiers’. It is the chief of staff’s duty to raise a red flag, and the political leadership is preventing the IDF from winning.”

Bennett argued that the true measure of success in the conflict will depend on long-term strategic outcomes, particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities and missile programs. He questioned whether enriched uranium would be removed and whether Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs would be permanently dismantled.

“We need a strategic resolution, otherwise we will reach another round and another round.”

He also made clear that he would not serve under Netanyahu in any future government and revealed that he had offered former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot the position of his number two.

“In the meantime, he is delaying,” Bennett said.

{Matzav.com}

Israel is preparing to give civilians more time to reach protected spaces when Hezbollah rockets are fired from Lebanon, in what could become one of the most meaningful Home Front changes for northern communities since the fighting expanded. According to Home Front Command chief Maj.-Gen. Shay Klepper, the updated warning windows are expected to take effect in the coming days across the relevant localities, though 10 communities are still under review and will remain unchanged for now.

TOPSHOT – A Lebanese climbs a monument in the shape of a rocket erected by Hezbollah in the area of Qassimiya at the entrance of the southern city of Tyre, 18 February 2007. The monument was erected two days after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasarallah said he will not forgive Lebanese authorities for seizing weapons from his anti-Israeli Shiite guerrilla group. Last week, Lebanese authorities seized a truckful of weapons belonging to Hezbollah near Beirut. Last week, Lebanese authorities seized a truckful of weapons belonging to Hezbollah near Beirut. AFP PHOTO/MAHMOUD ZAYAT (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

The shift is especially dramatic along the border itself. In some frontline communities, the gap between the siren and the moment residents must already be in shelter is expected to move from effectively zero to 15 seconds. In nearby areas, current 15-second alerts could be stretched to 30 seconds. Nahariya’s warning time is expected to double from 15 seconds to 30, Safed’s could rise from 30 seconds to more than a minute, and the Haifa and Tiberias areas could move from roughly one minute to around two. Even Tel Aviv, which now gets about a minute and a half, could see that expand to more than two and a half minutes.

Hebrew media reporting said the added seconds are possible in part because Hezbollah has been pushed farther from the immediate border area, giving Israel a better chance to detect launches earlier. That matters because in many northern communities, residents have complained that they sometimes hear interceptions or impacts virtually at the same time as the siren itself. In a war measured in seconds, that gap can decide whether a family makes it into a safe room or is caught exposed.

This picture taken in northern Israel shows Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system launches to intercept rockets being fired from Lebanon on February 28, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

The move comes as Hezbollah sharply intensifies its fire. IDF sources said Hezbollah launched more than 600 rockets, mortars, and drones toward Israel and IDF troops over a 24-hour period, roughly double its previous peak during the 2023-2024 fighting and far above the current-war average of about 100 attacks a day. The pressure on the Home Front is not theoretical: in Nahariya, a Hezbollah rocket attack killed 43-year-old Uri Peretz and wounded 25 others, underscoring how exposed northern communities remain even as Israel continues to pound Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon and beyond.

At the same time, the IDF says it is pressing its ground and air campaign to widen the defensive belt and keep Hezbollah launch capabilities away from Israeli population centers. In recent official updates, the military said the 91st Division had dismantled more than 350 Hezbollah infrastructure targets and eliminated more than 330 terrorists in southern Lebanon, while additional strikes hit crossings, compounds, headquarters and logistical assets used to move weapons and operatives. The broader point is clear: Israel is trying to buy its civilians more time not by accepting the threat, but by pushing the threat farther away and degrading the terrorist organization behind it. The new warning windows will not end the danger, but they may give residents of the north something they have badly lacked in recent weeks: a few more lifesaving seconds.

A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Qasmiyeh bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon on March 22, 2026. Israel’s military struck a key bridge in south Lebanon on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, after Israel’s defence minister said the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani River. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2, when pro-Iran Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in response to US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian supreme leader on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP via Getty Images) /

Nearly one month into the American and Israeli military campaign against Iran, U.S. intelligence can confirm with certainty the destruction of only about a third of Iran’s missile stockpile, Reuters reported — a picture that stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s public claims that Tehran has “very few rockets left.”

The status of roughly another third remains unclear, though bombings are believed to have damaged, destroyed, or buried those weapons inside Iran’s extensive network of underground tunnels and bunkers, four of the sources said. A similar level of uncertainty applies to Iran’s drone capability, one source added. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the intelligence.

The assessment suggests that while most of Iran’s missiles are either confirmed destroyed or likely inaccessible, Tehran retains a significant inventory and could potentially recover buried or damaged weapons once hostilities end.

Trump appeared to recognize the threat posed by Iran’s remaining arsenal during a televised Cabinet meeting Thursday, even as he downplayed its size. Discussing the prospect of deploying U.S. troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the president acknowledged the danger that even a small surviving missile capability would pose to American naval assets.

“Let’s say we do a great job. We say we got 99%. One percent is unacceptable, because 1% is a missile going into the hull of a ship that cost a billion dollars,” Trump said.

U.S. Central Command has characterized Operation Epic Fury as on schedule or ahead of its pre-war planning targets. Strikes have hit more than 10,000 Iranian military targets as of Wednesday, and Central Command says 92 percent of the Iranian navy’s large vessels have been sunk. The military has also published imagery showing attacks on Iranian weapons production facilities, stressing that the campaign targets not just existing stockpiles but the industrial base behind them.

Still, Central Command has declined to publicly quantify how much of Iran’s missile or drone capability has been eliminated. One Reuters source said a core difficulty lies in determining how many missiles were stored underground before the war began. Pre-war estimates of the size of Iran’s stockpile range from around 2,500, according to Israeli military figures, to as many as 6,000 by some analysts’ calculations.

Despite weeks of sustained bombardment, Iran has continued to demonstrate offensive capability. On Thursday alone, Tehran launched 15 ballistic missiles and 11 drones at the United Arab Emirates, according to the UAE Defense Ministry. Last week, Iranian forces fired long-range missiles at the U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean — a first-of-its-kind strike that showcased capabilities not previously deployed.

Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Iran’s missile forces at Sciences Po in Paris, said the administration may have overstated the campaign’s effectiveness, pointing to Iran’s ability to continue launching strikes from the Bid Kaneh military facility even after it was heavily bombed. She estimated that Iran still retains roughly 30 percent of its missile capability, noting the country has more than a dozen large underground facilities capable of sheltering launchers and missiles.

One senior U.S. official expressed doubt about the possibility of ever reaching a precise count. “I don’t know if we’ll ever have an accurate number,” the official said, citing uncertainty about how many weapons remain underground and potentially accessible.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the challenge on March 19, comparing Iran’s tunnel infrastructure to the network built by Hamas in Gaza. “They’ve poured any aid, any economic development, humanitarian aid, into tunnels and rockets,” he said, adding that the military is “hunting them down methodically, ruthlessly and overwhelmingly” — though he offered no specific figures on the percentage of missiles or drones destroyed.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat and Marine Corps veteran of four tours in Iraq, disputed the president’s characterization of Iran’s diminished capability. “If Iran is smart they’ve retained some of their capability — they’re not using everything that they have,” Moulton said. “And they’re laying in wait.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the petirah of Reb Mordechai Schwartz, z"l, a resident of Boro Park for more than sixty years and a legend of Yiras shomayim and ehrlichkeit. He was 93 years of age. 

The niftar was born in the town of Malden, Massachusetts, to his father Rav Tzvi Zev Schwartz, a chassidisher Yid who was known for his varemkeit and deep ehrlichkeit. He was known as the "Maldener Rebbe," and illuminated the town of Malden and its surroundings in the 1930's. Sadly Rav Tzvi Zev passed away in the year 1941, leaving eight year old Mordechai orphaned. 

His mother sent him early on to Yeshiva Torah Vodaath where he became tethered to his rebbi, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz, with heart and soul. He learned much from him, and retained memories from his illustrious Rebbi for life. He later entered Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, where the mashgiach was Rav Avigdor Miller. He became davuk in Rav Miller's derech, and would trek to his shiurim for years. 

After his marriage, he opened a butcher shop in Boro Park which was located on 57th Street and New Utrecht Avenue for many years. There were many prominent people who were makpid to buy their meat from Reb Mordechai Schwartz on account of his deep yiras Shomayim. 

He raised beautiful generations who continue in his ways as he ascends to the World of Truth. 

The levaya will take place today 12pm at Shomrei Hadas Chapels. To watch it live click here.

Yehi zichro baruch.

In a tragic turn of fate, a 51-year-old Israeli father of five died while stranded in Ethiopia, waiting to be evacuated. Mulu Brehiya had gone to visit his ailing sister, his family said, never dreaming it would come to this. The Beersheba resident called his wife when his medication ran out, telling her he felt unwell and wanted to say goodbye in case he didn’t make it.

Brehiya collapsed in Addis Ababa 48 hours before his Israir evacuation flight was scheduled to depart. Volunteers working at the emergency command center set up by Israel took him to the hospital and stayed with him until he died. His wife, who works at Soroka Medical Center, pleaded for help in returning his body to Israel.

“I want them to urgently help me bring the body back, to help us say goodbye to him,” she said. “We are broken by what happened. We have five children. We never thought he would die like this. Please help me.”

Brehiya, center, with his family. (Permitted for use under Clause 27a of the copyright law)

Brehiya is survived by his wife and five children, two of whom are currently serving as combat soldiers in the IDF.

“When my father left, he was completely fine,” Brehiya’s son, Yitzhak, said in an interview. “He went to visit his sick sister.” Upon hearing from him that his medication had run out, “we turned the world upside down in recent days trying to bring him back, but unfortunately it did not succeed. It is very sad that this is how his life ended. We did not believe he would reach this state.”

Brehiya was one among hundreds of Israelis stranded in Ethiopia after the war broke out. He had gone to visit his sister before the war and was waiting to be evacuated. A planeload of 150 passengers arrived in Israel on March 18, and a second planeload is expected to depart next week Wednesday. Brehiya was supposed to travel back to Israel on the second flight.

LEBANON (VINnews) – Israeli troops from the Givati Brigade discovered an underground Hezbollah tunnel route beneath a church in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam during recent scans, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

The military reported locating the “underground route that had been established in the church area.” Troops also found three new tunnel shafts constructed by Hezbollah during the 2024-2026 ceasefire, indicating reactivation of the site, according to the IDF statement.

The area had previously been cleared by Israeli forces in December 2024, when troops removed weapons and operatives from the location, the military noted.

“The renewed use of this area proves the recurring pattern of operation of the Hezbollah terror organization, in which it continues to cynically exploit the civilians of the State of Lebanon as human shields and systematically uses religious institutions and civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” the IDF said.

The statement added that “the deliberate use of civilian religious institutions for military needs constitutes a violation of international law.”

No immediate comment was available from Hezbollah or Lebanese officials.

The discovery comes amid ongoing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding military infrastructure near the border following the ceasefire.

VINnews is monitoring developments.

UPDATE: TLS received this letter from Hagaon Rav Chaim Peretz Berman Shlita in support of those helping with Pesach funds for the Steipler and Reb Chaim ZT”L’s children and grandchildren (see below).

As of today, Friday, Erev Shabbos Hagadol, approximately 65 families still do not have BASICS for Pesach. $500 will support an entire family for Yom Tov!

UPDATE: One of the final letters Rebbetzin Kanievsky A”H wrote – in support of those helping with funds for the Steipler and Reb Chaim ZT”L’s children and grandchildren – giving a very strong Bracha to all who assist (see below).

When the Rebbetzin was alive, she would personally collect for these families, and Rav Chaim ZT”L himself would distribute the funds.

UPDATE: TLS has spoken with the family of the Reb Chaim ZT”L, who thanked all those who assisted thus far, and stated there are still over 100 families who need basics for Pesach.

The family also stated that when the Rebbetzin was alive, she would personally collect for these families, and Rav Chaim ZT”L himself would distribute the funds.

ALL donations are going directly to the families.

Original information: 

With Pesach approaching, a renewed campaign is underway to provide critical financial assistance to hundreds of families connected to the legacy of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky ZT”L and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky ZT”L.

Organizers say they have the ongoing responsibility and privilege of supporting nearly 500 families who live with extreme financial restraint throughout the year. As Yom Tov expenses mount, the need becomes significantly more pressing, with basic necessities often out of reach.

To help alleviate this burden, the initiative distributes approximately $500 per family ahead of Pesach, an amount described as making a substantial difference in allowing recipients to prepare for Pesach with dignity.

Contributions can be made through several methods:

Donor Fund: 113498666

Checks:
Congregation Kehilas Yaakov
c/o Rabbi Shimon Grama
2 Omni Court
Lakewood, NJ 08701

Credit Card:
secure.cardknox.com/congregationkehilasyaakov
PhonePay (no fee): 833-434-3354 (PIN: 021121)

Zelle: 347-678-1509

Tizku L’mitzvos.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that the government plans to move ahead with legislation regulating military conscription and extending mandatory service immediately after Yom Tov, a move that has heightened tensions and drawn strong reactions from opposition leaders.

During the cabinet discussion, Netanyahu made clear that the government intends to proceed with the legislation regardless of legal objections. “Her role is to advise — we decide to move it forward,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs backed that position, emphasizing that both the conscription law and the extension of regular service would be advanced together. “There is no such thing. We are bringing together a draft law and an extension of service. That’s what we decided, and she does not determine it.”

Amid the debate, a senior cabinet official argued that the situation has been misrepresented publicly, saying the IDF Chief of Staff did not warn of a collapse of the military, but rather of the consequences of delaying the legislation. According to the official, the chief of staff stressed that without completing a draft law, extending regular service to 36 months, and updating the reserve duty law, the IDF would not be able to meet all of its operational demands.

The same official added that cabinet members broadly support advancing the legislation and blamed the delay on resistance from legal advisors. He also criticized opposition leaders, saying, “It’s interesting that suddenly Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot support the government’s draft law,” which, he said, the chief of staff had urged be passed urgently.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government’s approach, warning against suppressing warnings during wartime. “Anyone who says we must not talk about dangers during a war because it weakens us has forgotten what we learned on October 7.”

Lapid said the responsibility of the security establishment is to issue warnings in advance, not after the fact, and stressed that the government cannot claim it was unaware. “This is the chief of staff they appointed — you cannot paint him as political and shift the blame onto him.”

A juvenile suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting that left a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the face at the Ocean County Mall in Toms River.

According to Bradley D. Billhimer, the charges stem from the incident that occurred at approximately 8:10 p.m., when officers from the Toms River Township Police Department responded to the mall on Hooper Avenue for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located the victim suffering from a single gunshot wound to the face. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.

An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, alongside the Toms River Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the victim was seated in a common area of the mall when he was approached by an individual attempting to initiate an altercation. As the suspect began to walk away, he turned and fired multiple shots in the victim’s direction, striking him once in the face before fleeing the scene.

Authorities later identified a juvenile as the suspect. The individual has since been taken into custody and is currently being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.

Due to state law, officials have not released additional details regarding the juvenile’s identity.

“This was a senseless act of violence that has no place in our civilized society. This behavior will not be tolerated here in Ocean County,” Billhimer said, commending the coordinated efforts of all agencies involved in bringing the investigation to a swift resolution.

The Shas party launched a sharp attack Thursday night against Naftali Bennett, ridiculing him as “a joke” after comments he made targeting party chairman Aryeh Deri.

The backlash followed an interview Bennett gave to Walla!, where he addressed the possibility of forming a coalition with Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party.

When asked whether he would be prepared to sit in a government together with Golan, Bennett responded that he would be open to partnering with anyone who serves in the military. “Anyone who can serve in a tank can serve in the government. [United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchok] Goldknopf and Deri, who are working against the IDF, are not any closer to me.”

In response, Shas characterized Bennett’s remarks as a “panicked performance,” claiming that he appeared with an earpiece and was being fed anti-chareidi talking points by advisers during the interview.

“It’s sad that this is all he has to offer the people of Israel in the middle of a war – more incitement and tearing the nation apart,” the party stated.

The party continued its criticism by pointing to Bennett’s tenure as prime minister, saying: “The man who formed a government with Mansour Abbas and the Muslim Brotherhood now dares to criticize Netanyahu on security and victory. Embarrassing. Even the opposition bloc has figured out that he’s a joke.”

LONDON (AP) — A Russian man was sentenced to four years in prison Friday for assaulting a woman in London, in an attack which was witnessed on a video call by U.S. President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron.

Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 28 of assault with bodily harm but was acquitted of rape and choking charges. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice because he sent the woman a letter from jail asking her to retract her allegations.

In his sentencing remarks at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London, Justice Joel Bennathan said Rumiantsev was “totally unrepentant” and a “man given to jealousy.”

“Your lack of insight and empathy was apparent at trial,” the judge said. “You continue to try to blame the complainant for everything that has happened.”

In the attack on Jan. 18 last year, Rumiantsev drunkenly beat up the victim, who is entitled to anonymity under U.K. law, when he became jealous of her friendship with Barron Trump. She had met the president’s son, who lives in the U.S., through social media.

During the assault, Rumiantsev answered a FaceTime call from Barron Trump on the woman’s phone and turned the camera to show her crying on the floor.

The U.S. president’s son then called police in the British capital and pleaded for help for the woman, telling the operator during a sometimes strained conversation: “It’s really an emergency … I’m calling from the U.S., uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up.”

Police then went to the address and arrested Rumiantsev, a receptionist who lived in London.

Rumiantsev testified that he was jealous of Trump but that he also felt badly for him because he thought that his girlfriend was leading him on.

During the trial, defense lawyer Sasha Wass said that Trump didn’t know the woman had a boyfriend and questioned how much he could have seen in 5 or 7 seconds of video. She said the woman had exploited her ties to Trump to make her boyfriend envious in a “relationship full of dramas.”

Trump, now 19, the only child of Donald and Melania Trump, didn’t testify in the case.

The judge had advised jurors before they began deliberating to treat Barron Trump’s accounts — on the recording of his call to police and his follow-up email to investigators — with caution because he hadn’t been subjected to cross-examination.

Britain’s Defense Secretary, John Healey, stumbled through a series of media interviews Thursday, offering unclear responses and even silence when pressed on straightforward questions about the country’s military strength, including the number of active warships.

Healey, who comes from a trade union background and has no military service, appeared on multiple radio and television programs to address defense issues at a time of heightened concern due to the ongoing war in the Middle East and growing doubts about the readiness of Britain’s armed forces. Despite the significance of the moment, he appeared unprepared to answer several key questions.

During an interview with LBC, Healey was asked about the condition of the Royal Navy and specifically, “How many frigates do we have in the fleet?”. He hesitated before replying: “we have, we have, we have, we have, ah… we have 17 frigates and destroyers”.

That figure was inaccurate. While 17 had once been the projected number of escort ships outlined in the 2021 Defence White Paper, the current reality is lower. Two frigates have since been retired early due to wear and tear, and delays in replacing aging Type 23 frigates have reduced the number of operational escort ships to 13.

Even among those 13 destroyers and frigates—the backbone of modern naval operations—only a small portion are currently available for deployment. One destroyer, HMS Dragon, is stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean to safeguard British bases in Cyprus, while most of the others are undergoing repairs or maintenance. Notably, one of the country’s six destroyers has been out of active service for nearly nine years and is not expected to return until late 2026 following an extended overhaul.

The situation is similarly strained among the frigate fleet. One vessel is deployed in the Atlantic tracking Russian submarines, and two are operating along England’s southern coastline, while the remainder are in various stages of maintenance or refitting.

Asked why so few ships are ready for duty, Healey said such availability levels are typical for a modern military. In a separate appearance on Sky News, he was questioned about concerns that Iran may now possess missiles capable of reaching Europe, including London.

Rather than directly addressing whether Iran has the ability to strike the British capital, Healey avoided answering multiple times and instead focused on whether there was intelligence indicating Iran intended to carry out such an attack. While Britain itself has limited missile defense systems, he remarked, “Our defence of Britain is part of the layers of defence of nations”, referencing broader NATO missile defense coverage across Europe that could intercept threats before they reach the UK.

The discussion comes after Iran launched an attempted strike on the joint British-American base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Although the attack failed, it challenged previous assumptions that Tehran lacked intermediate-range ballistic missile capabilities.

Questions remain about how many such missiles Iran possesses, whether the strike involved repurposed elements of its space program, and whether such an operation could have succeeded under different circumstances.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) – It is a simple and direct question.

Would you rent the cabinets in your kitchen to an idol-worshipper so he could store his idols there for a week?

Of course you would not. The thought is viscerally repugnant. You would not want idols in your home. Full stop.

Now the follow-up question — the one that should stop us cold.

Why, then, are we perfectly comfortable letting a non-Jew “rent” that same cabinet to store chametz over Pesach?

Before you answer — please note carefully what is being said here. This is not a statement about chametz before Pesach nor after Pesach. The question is exclusively about chametz during Pesach itself — those eight days, and only those eight days — during which the Torah assigns chametz a status that Chazal compare to nothing less than avodah zarah.

The Equation Belongs to Chazal

The Yerushalmi (Pesachim 2:2) states it with striking directness: chametz on Pesach is forbidden in benefit just as avodah zarah is forbidden in benefit. The issur hana’ah of chametz b’Pesach is structurally identical to the issur hana’ah of idols.

 The Yerushalmi is not making a statement about flour or bread or whiskey as inherently evil. It is making a statement about a specific window of time — Pesach — during which chametz takes on a transformed spiritual and legal identity

The Sfas Emes (Pesachim 21b) explains this transformation in terms of what Pesach itself represents. These eight days are when Hashem’s absolute sovereignty over creation was revealed at Yetzias Mitzrayim. Chametz — the symbol of human inflation, of se’or sheb’issa, of ego untethered from the Divine — becomes, during this window of heightened holiness, the embodiment of everything antithetical to that revelation.

The Shelah HaKadosh makes the same point: chametz on Pesach is not simply a prohibited food. It is a spiritual category. For eight days, it occupies the same conceptual space as avodah zarah.

With that framework in place, let’s return to the opening question — but now with precision.

You would never rent your cabinet to store idols. Not because wood and stone are inherently evil at all times and in all contexts. But because during the period of their worship, they represent something spiritually intolerable. The contamination and repugnance is real.

During those eight days, it is — by the explicit testimony of Chazal — the halachic and spiritual equivalent of what sits in the idol-worshipper’s cabinet.

So when we execute a mechiras chametz that leaves whiskey bottles and cereal boxes sitting in our kitchen cabinets for the duration of Pesach — owned nominally by a non-Jew, stored very really in our homes — are we not doing precisely what we said we would never do? Are we not renting our cabinets to hold that which, during this specific window, represents everything the Torah finds detestable?

Not an Attack on Mechiras Chametz

This article is not a blanket rejection of mechiras chametz. The Chasam Sofer (Teshuvos O.C. 62) defends it vigorously for cases of genuine financial need — the distillery owner, the food merchant, the manufacturer whose inventory would represent catastrophic loss. In those cases, the mechira, when executed with full halachic rigor, is legitimate and necessary.

But the Chasam Sofer was describing an emergency valve. He was not describing a lifestyle. He was not envisioning a world in which every Jewish household stocks its pantry for Pesach with chametz it intends to sell on a form and ignore.

The Vilna Gaon did not rely on the mechira for actual chametz.  Nor did Rav Aharon Kotler. The Aruch HaShulchan, while ultimately permitting the mechira, writes with undisguised discomfort about its widespread adoption, calling it a diminishment from earlier generations’ standards.

These were the gedolei Yisrael, and they were troubled — precisely because they felt the weight of what Chazal said. They understood that during Pesach, chametz is not just a prohibited food. It is something else entirely. And they were not comfortable treating “something else entirely” as an object of routine commercial transaction.

What We Are Really Asking

When we sell our chametz and leave it in our homes over Pesach, we are asking a non-Jew to nominally “own,” for eight days, something that Chazal placed in the same spiritual category as his idols.  We would be offended — and rightly so — if a non-Jew asked us to nominally hold his idols in our home for a week while he traveled. We would refuse. We would explain that it is not merely a legal question but a spiritual one. That which represents avodah zarah does not belong in a Jewish home, not even on paper, not even temporarily.

But we are doing the mirror image. We are asking him to hold, in our home, in our cabinet, under our roof, something that for these eight days carries precisely that weight.

The question deserves a serious answer. Not a dismissal. Not a reassurance that the form is halachically valid. The form may well be halachically valid. But halachic validity and spiritual seriousness are not the same thing — and Chazal, the Sfas Emes, the Shelah,the Vilna Gaon and Rav Aharon Kotler knew the difference.

Plan ahead. Buy less. Use up what you have. Burn what remains.

Reserve the mechiras chametz for what it was designed for — genuine financial hardship, significant inventory that cannot reasonably be destroyed. For the ordinary Jewish home, the goal the Torah sets before us is tashbisu — destruction. Elimination. The physical enactment of what Pesach demands of us spiritually.

Because if we would not rent our cabinet to store idols — even for a week, even with a contract, even for good money — then we already understand, in our bones, exactly what Chazal were telling us about chametz on Pesach.

The only question is whether we are willing to act on it.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

TEL AVIV, Israel (VINnews) — One of Israel’s most popular singers, Eyal Golan, said Friday he will observe the upcoming Shabbat HaGadol, announcing the decision in a personal video message he said was inspired by his children’s growing connection to Jewish tradition.

Golan said the shift came “from the soul,” noting that his daughter, Alin, has become more religious in recent years and that his son, Liam, recently chose to observe the two Shabbatot before Passover. “I also want to observe the upcoming Shabbat, to get closer to my children, to draw closer to faith, and to strengthen the people,” he said.

The singer encouraged fans to join in Shabbat observance, framing the message as one of unity and tradition. “Come and observe as well, so that we will be united and strong… Everyone should make an effort, even the smallest effort possible this Shabbat,” he said.

Golan, a leading Mizrahi-pop performer with decades of commercial success, remains a dominant figure in Israeli music. His career has also at times drawn public and legal scrutiny, though he has retained widespread popularity.

He closed his message with a blessing for peace and optimism, saying, “I promise you we will see lights and miracles,” and wished fans a “peaceful, blessed, and quiet Shabbat.”

Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has petitioned the High Court of Justice to issue an interim order suspending the national-civil service framework available to yeshiva students, arguing that the program should not continue while legal challenges are pending.

In a formal response submitted to the court, the Attorney General’s office stated that there is no justification to extend the current national service law, which provides an alternative to military service specifically for chareidi yeshiva students.

According to the filing, the arrangement effectively allows participants to bypass mandatory enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces, creating a parallel track that applies only to one sector of the population.

The Attorney General further argued that maintaining the program significantly undermines the principle of equality, particularly at a time when the IDF faces an increasing demand for manpower.

In light of these concerns, the court has been asked to immediately freeze the program through a temporary injunction, pending a final ruling on the matter.

{Matzav.com}

HANALEI, Hawaii (AP) — A tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said.

The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed Thursday afternoon at Kalalau Beach, the Kauai Fire Department said. The beach is on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai’s north shore. The area is otherwise reachable only by hiking or boat.

Police said three people died and two others were transported to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment. An email was sent to the medical center seeking the patients’ conditions.

Officials identified the helicopter as being operated by Airborne Aviation, a helicopter company that does sightseeing tours of Kauai’s canyons, shoreline and waterfalls. Airborne advertises a “doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour” that seats up to four people.

An email was sent to the company seeking comment.

Helicopter tours are a popular way to explore the cliffs, beaches and waterfalls lining the Na Pali Coast.

Derek Kawakami, mayor of Kauai, thanked the coordinated efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and local police, fire and safety agencies.

“Here on Kauai, whenever somebody puts their feet on our soil, they’re one of ours, we treat them like one of ours, they’re a part of our family, and our first responders respond with that spirit in mind,” he said in an interview with Hawaii News Now.

In July 2024, a tour helicopter crashed on Kauai, killing the pilot and two passengers. It broke up in-flight after it hit turbulence, causing the main rotor blades to strike its airframe, National Transportation Safety Board investigators found.

NASA will no longer move forward with its planned space station in lunar orbit, opting instead to redirect those resources toward building a $20 billion base on the moon’s surface within the next seven years, the agency’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, announced Tuesday.

Isaacman, who took office in December, revealed the decision during the opening session of a full-day event at NASA’s Washington headquarters, where he laid out a series of major changes to the agency’s Artemis moon program.

“It should not really surprise anyone that we are pausing Gateway in its current form and focusing on infrastructure that supports sustained operations on the lunar surface,” Isaacman told delegates at the event.

The Lunar Gateway—largely developed already through contractors such as Northrop Grumman and Vantor, formerly Maxar—was originally intended to function as an orbiting station around the moon. Transitioning its components for use in a surface-based facility presents significant technical challenges.

“Despite some of the very real hardware and schedule challenges, we can repurpose equipment and international partner commitments to support surface and other program objectives,” Isaacman said.

The Gateway concept had been designed to serve both as a scientific research hub and as a staging point where astronauts would transfer to lunar landers before heading down to the moon.

The adjustments introduced by Isaacman in recent weeks are reshaping major contracts tied to the Artemis program, involving billions of dollars.

Those changes are forcing aerospace companies to adapt quickly, particularly as China continues advancing toward its own goal of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) – Picture the following thought experiment: July 4th, 1776 fell on a Thursday. Imagine — l’havdil elef havdalos — if the Founding Fathers had declared that Independence Day would be commemorated not on the fourth of July, but on the first Thursday of every July. Every American would immediately ask:

Why anchor the holiday to a day of the week rather than to the actual date on which it happened?
Yet this, l’havdil, is precisely what we do with Shabbos HaGadol! What is going on?

The Shabbos before Pesach is called “HaGadol” — the Great Shabbos — because of a great miracle that occurred on that day. The miracle happened on the tenth of Nissan. So why don’t we commemorate it on the tenth of Nissan? Why does Shabbos HaGadol “float” — falling on whatever day of the week Shabbos happens to land on in the days before Pesach — rather than being fixed to its actual calendar date?

The answer, it turns out, unlocks something profound about the nature of Shabbos itself.

PICTURE THE SCENE
Close your eyes and picture Mitzrayim on that Shabbos, some ten days before the Exodus.

The Jewish slaves — beaten, exhausted, a nation that had known nothing but oppression for generations — are doing something unthinkable. They are walking into the marketplace, purchasing sheep by the thousands, leading them through the streets of Egypt, and tying them to their bedposts inside their homes.
These anumals are not just sheep. They are the animals that Egypt worshipped as a god.
The Mitzrim are watching. They always watch. But today, something is different. Today, the slaves are publicly laying hands on the deity of Egypt — and the Egyptians are saying… nothing. They are paralyzed. They cannot move against the Jews. A supernatural stillness has descended over the land.
That was the miracle of Shabbos HaGadol.

WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE MIRACLE?
The Gemara (Shabbos 87b) tells us that Yetzias Mitzrayim occurred on a Thursday, which means the miracle of Shabbos HaGadol unfolded on the tenth of Nissan. The Tur (Siman 430) records that the overwhelming majority of the Rishonim explain that this Shabbos is called “HaGadol” on account of that very miracle.

But what precisely was the miracle? The Rishonim offer two accounts — and both are breathtaking.

The first miracle — the one described by the Tur and cited by Rashi in Sefer HaPardes (p. 343) and in Shibolei HaLeket (305) — is the one we just pictured. Sheep were the deity of Egypt. The very act of thousands of Jewish families openly taking sheep, binding them to their bedposts in preparation for slaughter, while the Egyptians stood by in silence and did nothing — that was the miracle. The hand of Hashem had rendered the Egyptians powerless.

The second miracle, recorded by Tosafos (Shabbos 87b, s.v. v’osos hayom), is even more dramatic.

When the Egyptian firstborns saw the Jews taking the Korban Pesach, they demanded to know what was happening. The Jews answered plainly and without fear: Hashem is about to kill every Egyptian firstborn. Gripped by terror, the firstborns stormed Pharaoh and their own fathers, demanding that the Jewish people be freed immediately. When Pharaoh refused — as Hashem had hardened his heart — the firstborns erupted into open revolt. A civil war tore through Egypt from within, the firstborn sons rising against their own fathers and their own king, even before the final plague had fallen.

The redemption had begun not just from above — but from within Egypt’s own household.

BUT WHY SHABBOS?
Both accounts of the miracle are extraordinary. But they still leave our original question wide open. The miracle happened on the tenth of Nissan. So why do we commemorate it on Shabbos — a floating day of the week — rather than on the tenth of Nissan itself?

The Levush and the Prisha (Siman 430) offer a striking answer: the miracle happened because of Shabbos. The Egyptians had been watching the Jews throughout their enslavement. But it was specifically on Shabbos that the Jews’ handling of the sheep caught the Egyptians’ attention and provoked their response. The Prisha explains that the Egyptians did not know that Jews are permitted to tie a temporary knot on Shabbos. Seeing the Jews tying the sheep to their bedposts on Shabbos, the Egyptians assumed the Jews were violating their own laws — and that prompted the confrontation that set the miracle in motion. Shabbos was the trigger.
The Maharal MiPrague goes to the very root. Shabbos, he explains, is not merely a day of rest. It is a cosmic declaration — a weekly testimony that Hashem created the world and rules it absolutely. And because Shabbos embodies that truth so completely, it is the most powerful antidote to avodah zarah that exists. Egypt’s gods — including the sheep, including Pharaoh himself — were all forms of avodah zarah.

Shabbos was their undoing.

It was in the zechus of Shabbos that the Egyptians were rendered powerless, unable to lift a hand against the Jewish people as they publicly defied Egypt’s religion.

The miracle did not merely happen to occur on Shabbos. Shabbos was its cause and its engine. And that is why we commemorate it on Shabbos — because Shabbos itself is the hero of the story.

The Magen Avraham adds a practical dimension: the tenth of Nissan was the day Miriam HaNeviah passed away (see Shulchan Aruch OC 580:2), and that association of grief made it unsuitable as the anchor for a day of celebration.

SHABBOS AS SHIELD — THEN AND NOW
The Maharal’s insight carries an urgent message for our own time.
We live in an Egypt of a different kind.The avodah zarah of our generation does not take the form of sheep tied to a bedpost. It takes the form of materialism, of the relentless pressure to define ourselves by what we earn, what we own, and what we consume. The culture around us whispers — and sometimes shouts — that productivity is the only true value, that rest is weakness, and that a person’s worth is measured by output.
Shabbos says otherwise. Shabbos declares, every single week, that Hashem created the world and that He runs it — not us, not the market, not the algorithm. And just as Shabbos protected our ancestors in Egypt, shielding them from the power of an entire civilization that wished them destroyed, so too does our Shabbos observance protect us today. It is armor. It is identity. It is a weekly declaration of independence from the false gods of our time.

This Shabbos HaGadol, as we sit down to the Shabbos table and prepare our hearts and homes for Pesach, let us take a moment to reflect: Shabbos is not just what we do before the Yom Tov. Shabbos is itself the great miracle. It always has been.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Federal prosecutors have indicted a brother and sister in connection with the placement of a suspected explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, the FBI confirmed Thursday, with one of the suspects believed to have fled to China before charges were unsealed.

Alen Zheng, who authorities believe planted the device, faces charges of attempted damage to government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The FBI said he is currently in China. His sister, Ann Mary Zheng, was arrested by FBI Tampa and charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence. According to court documents, she is accused of concealing or damaging a 2010 Mercedes-Benz to prevent it from being used as evidence in legal proceedings.

The case traces back to March 16, when FBI Tampa announced that a suspicious package had been discovered outside the MacDill visitor center, prompting Tampa Police Department officers to block traffic along South Dale Mabry Highway near the base’s main entrance.

MacDill is among the most strategically significant military installations in the United States. It serves as the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which is currently directing Operation Epic Fury against Iran, as well as U.S. Special Operations Command, the body that oversees all special operations forces across the Department of Defense.

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the investigative effort in a statement, saying the indictments reflected close coordination between federal, state, and local partners. “No one who targets our brave service members and military facilities will ever get away with it,” Patel said, adding that the bureau would “pursue all those responsible for the incident at MacDill Air Force Base to the ends of the earth.”

It remains unclear what motivated the alleged plot or what connection, if any, the suspects have to any foreign government or extremist organization. The FBI has not publicly addressed how or when Alen Zheng left the country, or whether extradition efforts are underway.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An Israeli court has convicted a resident of the Golan Heights of espionage on behalf of Iran, finding that he spent years relaying sensitive information about Israeli military activity in the North to a contact he suspected was linked to Iranian and Syrian intelligence.

The court found Tahrir Safdi, a resident of Mas’ada, guilty of passing information about IDF tank movements and missile impact sites through a Syria-based contact. The ruling was issued Wednesday by Judge Moran Margalit and unsealed Thursday, with a sentencing hearing set for April 15.

According to the amended indictment, Safdi’s contact was Hossam Zidan, a Syrian national described as a correspondent for Iranian outlet Al-Alam, whom Safdi himself acknowledged suspecting of operating on behalf of the “Palestine branch” of Iran’s Quds Force. The court found that the relationship originated through Safdi’s father’s longstanding ties to Zidan and that even after Safdi grew suspicious of Zidan’s true employers, he kept transmitting information.

The court’s factual findings span several years. In 2019, Safdi and his father photographed missile impact sites in the Golan and a military tank. The activity continued into the war period, when Safdi was asked to report on tank movements and missile strikes. In one episode, he transmitted information about 21 tanks passing through his village in September 2024 and another five near Tiberias in October. He also relayed reports on missile fire in the Tiberias area and sent images of military forces.

Safdi denied the charges and challenged the admissibility of key statements made during Shin Bet and Israel Police questioning, arguing they had been extracted through psychological pressure and improper interrogation tactics. Judge Margalit rejected that claim, finding that his admissions were given “freely and voluntarily” and that the evidence showed “to the required degree and beyond” that he acted with full awareness that his conduct could harm state security. The court also dismissed the defense’s argument that the activity was journalistic in nature, ruling that had that truly been the case, there would have been no reason to conceal the relationship with Zidan.

The conviction arrives against a backdrop of an accelerating wave of Iran-linked espionage. Just this week alone, prosecutors filed a separate indictment in Tel Aviv against a 14-year-old accused of carrying out paid surveillance and sabotage assignments for hostile actors suspected of being Iranian. On Tuesday, two brothers from the Jerusalem area were indicted on allegations of passing information and content to an Iranian agent in exchange for cryptocurrency. Last week, a reservist who had served in Iron Dome was charged with leaking sensitive military information to an Iranian handler.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly warned that enemy agents are exploiting social media and encrypted messaging platforms to recruit Israelis for intelligence, espionage, and even terrorist assignments. Over the past two years, dozens of Israelis have faced charges in Iran-linked cases.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WATCH:

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The New York City Council has voted to require the NYPD to develop and publish plans for protecting houses of religious worship, passing a bill aimed at safeguarding shuls that has exposed deep fault lines over free speech, antisemitism, and the limits of municipal authority — and that now heads to a mayor whose political base is largely opposed to it.

The bill passed 44 to 5, with one abstention, a margin wide enough to override a mayoral veto should Mayor Zohran Mamdani choose to reject it. Mamdani has not publicly committed to signing the legislation, and his silence has been conspicuous given the intensity of opposition from left-wing and pro-Palestinian constituencies that form a core part of his political coalition.

The measure, championed by City Council Speaker Julie Menin as part of a broader package to combat antisemitism in New York, would mandate that the NYPD formulate and make publicly available plans to “contain the risk of physical obstruction, physical injury, intimidation, and interference at places of religious worship.”

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It was introduced in direct response to two angry protests staged outside New York City shuls in recent months.

The legislation became a flashpoint almost immediately. Civil liberties advocates and anti-Israel groups rallied against earlier versions of the bill, arguing it threatened to chill constitutionally protected protest activity. A prior draft had proposed establishing police buffer zones of up to 100 feet around houses of worship, a provision that drew particularly fierce objection. The final version strips that language entirely. The bill now explicitly requires that any protection measures be carried out while “preserving and protecting the rights to free speech, assembly, and protest,” and Menin has insisted the law will place no restrictions on demonstrations.

Whether that will be enough to satisfy the mayor remains an open question. Mamdani’s political circumstances are delicate: signing the bill risks alienating the activist left, while vetoing it — only to be overridden by a supermajority — would be a conspicuous early defeat on a high-profile issue.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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The bill, led by Reb Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association and AIVF, aims to alleviate the financial burden on couples struggling with infertility.

At a press conference in Washington D.C. on Thursday, members of Congress, the Tzedek Association team, and Dr. Josh Klein, Advisory board member of Americans for IVF, gathered to reintroduce the HOPE ACT. The bipartisan legislation, led by Reb Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association and AIVF, aims to mandate insurance companies to cover infertility treatments.

Republican Congressman Zack Nunn and Jewish Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz spearheaded the reintroduction, seeking to alleviate the financial burden on couples struggling to achieve the dream of having a child.

If passed, it would mark a significant step in making infertility treatments more accessible.

Minutes after a Tel Aviv delivery, Iranian missile sirens forced medics and parents to flee to a public shelter with a minutes-old baby

A Magen David Adom team delivered a baby at a home in Tel Aviv on Thursday morning, moments before an Iranian ballistic missile siren forced an emergency dash to shelter. The newborn, delivered on a living-room sofa, was carried outside within minutes as the alert sounded across central Israel.

The baby’s father, Nikola, had called MDA as his wife Violet went into labor. Dispatcher Aharon Cohen guided him over the phone until a mobile intensive care unit arrived, led by paramedic Dr. Gal Rosen and EMTs. The team completed the delivery at the scene, reporting both mother and baby in stable condition.

Within minutes, sirens cut through the scene. Rosen, wearing a ballistic vest and helmet, grabbed the newborn and ran with the family to a nearby public shelter.

“In the very next moment, once it was safe, I handed him straight to his father,” Rosen said. “Seeing a half-hour-old baby in a public shelter, surrounded by a family full of blessings and joy, is something you don’t forget.”

The parents described the moments after the birth as chaotic but controlled. “It was not a simple experience. Just a few minutes after the birth, the siren caught us and we went down to the protected area. The team functioned amazingly, calmed us down and took care of us in the best way possible.”

A global outrage campaign just completely unraveled.

For days, worldwide media and pro-Hamas accounts blasted disturbing images across social media, claiming IDF soldiers burned a Palestinian toddler with cigarettes, pointing to marks on his foot as supposed “proof.”

The posts went viral. Millions believed it.

But key facts were left out—on purpose.

Those same accounts refused to show footage of IDF soldiers caring for the child and safely handing him over to the Red Cross.

Now, according to confirmed details, the child was healthy, calm, and even described as happy at the time of transfer—blowing apart the torture claims.

And then comes the bombshell.

The child’s father has admitted involvement in the October 7 terrorist attacks—yet this critical detail was buried while the world was being fed a false narrative.

Even more shocking: reports indicate the father allegedly used his own child as a human shield.

Now, as the story collapses, a new media push is underway.

The child’s mother is appearing on news channels, claiming the father is innocent—and promoting the narrative that the child was “tortured” to force a confession.

So let’s get this straight:

A father who admits ties to October 7…

A child allegedly placed in harm’s way…

Graphic images pushed worldwide…

And now a media campaign trying to rewrite the story in real time.

This is how modern propaganda works:

Shock images.

Emotional manipulation.

Global outrage.

Then shifting narratives when facts surface.

Critics say this case exposes how children are being used as tools in an information war, while the truth is buried under viral misinformation.

The question is no longer what happened.

It’s this:

How many lies does it take before people stop believing them?

ONTARIO (JNS) – Canada’s Jewish community faces a “realistic possibility” of a “violent extremist attack” within the next six months, according to a Canadian federal intelligence organization assessment obtained by JNS.

“The most likely scenario of an attack targeting the Jewish community is a lone actor using unsophisticated methods against easily accessible targets,” according to a March 18 report by the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre.

ITAC, a specialized organization in the Canadian intelligence community, provides threat assessments for decision-makers and security partners. Hosted at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s equivalent to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, ITAC answers to the director of CSIS.

While a violent attack on the community is a credible threat, the report assessed as “unlikely” that Canadian Jewish public officials, as a specific group within the Jewish community, would be targeted for attack. Still, those officials, together with non-Jewish pro-Israel officials, would face a heightened threat compared to other public figures.

“The convergence of ideologically, politically and religiously motivated violent extremist threats to the Jewish community and, by extension, Jewish public officials drives this elevated threat,” it said.

That threat would most likely take the form of “criminal harassment and intimidation,” acts that would not qualify as violent extremism. They would remain criminal matters, ITAC said, referring to media reports about vandalism at constituency offices of officials “due to their identity or perceived support for Israeli actions in the Middle East.”

“Iranian lethal operations” against Jewish public officials, which ITAC described also as “unlikely,” may change as the conflict continues, it noted.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service did acknowledge the threat of lethal violence is real, telling JNS in an email that CSIS had countered “the actions of Iranian intelligence services and their proxies” over the last year. “In more than one case, this involved detecting, investigating and disrupting potentially lethal threats against individuals in Canada.”

Mike Fegelman, executive director of HonestReporting Canada, a group promoting accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel, the Middle East and Canada’s Jewish community, told JNS that the ITAC report is “both alarming and not surprising.”

He said the deepening crisis is a “direct result of numerous avoidable failures—failures of leadership, failures of policy. And failures of people at all levels and places of taking escalating antisemitism seriously.”

It’s a failure that extends to the media, he said. Canada’s press has downplayed, contextualized and inadequately notified the public “to clearly name what is happening.”

“Even in reporting this threat, there remains a tendency to treat it as something emerging, rather than something that has been building, visibly and predictably, in plain sight,” Fegelman said.

“Jewish Canadians have been sounding the alarm for more than two years,” he said. “At this point, continued inaction is not a failure to understand the problem; it’s a choice. And the consequences of that choice will be measured in more than headlines.”

‘These are not random acts’
Canada’s Jewish community has already come under attack. Two synagogues in Toronto’s Thornhill and North York neighborhoods were targeted in shootings on March 6. Those shootings came just days after a North York synagogue was hit by gunfire on March 2.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in a Zoom call with leaders of the Canadian Jewish community on March 8 stated that “all eyes are on Canada to halt this unprecedented wave of Jew-hatred.”

Herzog echoed comments from Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister, who warned that Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney “continues to turn a blind eye to rampant antisemitism in the country.”

In February, Chikli had sent an urgent letter to Gary Anandasangaree, the country’s minister of public safety, revealing that Canada’s government itself had warned that “the scale and severity of the incidents in Canada were clear warning signs before a disaster.”

Antisemitic incidents have surged in Canada by approximately 670% since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In Toronto, Jews are the most targeted group in the city, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has said. On May 14, 2025, the Toronto Police Service’s 2024 Annual Hate Crimes Statistical Report revealed that although Toronto’s Jewish community made up less than 4% of the population, anti-Jewish hatred accounted for 40% of the city’s hate crimes and 81% of religiously motivated hate crimes.

“These figures represent a systemic failure to deter antisemitic violence,” Chikli said.

The results are already evident. Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto have been hit by gunfire, and synagogues in Montreal and Vancouver have been targets of arson. An elderly Jewish woman was stabbed in an antisemitic attack in Ottawa in August 2025, while an Orthodox Jewish father was physically assaulted in front of his children in Montreal.

“These are not random acts; they are unmistakable warning signs that antisemitic violence has become normalized,” Chikli said.

He called on Canada’s government to take “immediate and decisive action,” including boosting intelligence-gathering, monitoring extremist Islamist networks, aggressively enforcing laws against incitement and expanding security protection for Jewish institutions.

LONDON (VINnews) — A British doctor has been charged with multiple terrorism-related and hate offenses after allegedly expressing support for Hamas and making inflammatory remarks about Israelis, authorities said Thursday.

Police said Dr. Rahma al-Adwan, 31, an orthopedic surgeon formerly affiliated with the U.K.’s National Health Service, faces six criminal counts — four related to alleged support for a banned organization under U.K. law and two tied to alleged incitement of racial hatred.

Officers arrested al-Adwan at her home in Gloucestershire after determining she had violated conditions previously imposed following earlier legal proceedings, according to authorities. She remains in custody and is expected to appear before a London court.

The charges stem from a series of social media posts and public remarks made in 2025, including statements praising Hamas and comments described by prosecutors as threatening or abusive. Authorities also cited remarks made during a protest in central London.

Al-Adwan had previously been suspended from medical practice for 15 months by a professional tribunal, which found her public statements risked undermining trust in the medical profession, though it said there was no evidence of direct harm to patients.

Officials said additional regulatory and legal reviews remain ongoing. The case comes amid broader scrutiny in the U.K. over alleged extremist or hateful content posted online by licensed professionals.

Al-Adwan has previously denied wrongdoing.

The Village of South Blooming Grove is proud to announce the official launch of the South Blooming Grove Fire Department, designated as Orange County Department 60. This marks a historic milestone as the first new fire department established in Orange County since 2000.

The department has been established by the South Blooming Grove Village Board and is recognized by the Department of Homeland Security Emergency Services and the New York State Office of Fire Protection, the member roster comprises of 16 dedicated volunteers, all local community members. Every member is fully certified and has completed rigorous training equal to their operational duties, overseen and certified by Federal, State, and County authorities to ensure the highest standards of emergency response.

As a community-driven initiative, the department is fully donor-funded, operating without a burden on local taxpayers. The current fleet includes a high-capacity Engine Pumper and a state-of-the-art Rapid Response vehicle equipped with advanced apparatus and technology.

The establishment of Department 60 represents a significant leap forward in local public safety. By positioning personnel and resources directly within the village, the department slashes response times to a fraction of the previous status quo. This mission is further bolstered by a commitment to innovation, as the department is outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art tools, gear, and equipment available in modern firefighting. This addition to the village’s essential services drastically enhances life-safety protections, ensuring that all residents of South Blooming Grove have access to professional, rapid, and effective emergency services.

The official launching party featured New York State Assemblyman Aron Wieder as the Special Guest of Honor. In a notable opening speech, Assemblyman Wieder praised the Village Board for their vision and leadership, and the department’s dedication to community safety and the tireless efforts of the volunteers in bringing this essential service to fruition.

Emergency Contact Information:
To report a fire or gas emergency, the public should call the department’s 24/7 hotline immediately:
845.585.1212

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Pentagon is considering a plan to deploy as many as 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, according to a report Thursday night, as President Donald Trump evaluates both military options and ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran.

Citing Defense Department officials familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported that the potential deployment would expand the range of choices available to Trump amid continued tensions with Tehran.

If approved, the additional forces—expected to include infantry units and armored vehicles—would join roughly 5,000 Marines already in the region, along with thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have been deployed as part of Operation Epic Fury targeting Iran.

The developments come shortly after Trump announced a temporary halt to planned strikes on Iran’s energy facilities, extending the pause by 10 days while negotiations proceed and setting a new deadline of April 6.

“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

In a Fox News interview later that day, Trump said Iranian officials had sought additional time through intermediaries before any escalation, and that he agreed to lengthen the window from seven days to 10.

“They asked for seven, and I gave them 10,” he said, adding that talks were ongoing and “going fairly well.”

The president cautioned that failure by Iran to meet U.S. demands could lead to further strikes, including against critical infrastructure such as power plants.

He also said in the interview that American forces had already dealt a significant blow to Iran’s military capabilities, including its missile systems.

Earlier Thursday, during a cabinet meeting, Trump highlighted what he described as the effectiveness of Operation Epic Fury.

“Over the past three weeks, we’ve been hitting Iran’s military capabilities at a level that few people have ever seen before. It’s a display of force and precision and skill like nothing the world has really witnessed.”

“We’re crushing their missile and drone stockpiles, destroying their defense industrial base, we’ve wiped out their navy completely, their air force completely. We’ve wiped out a large percentage of their missiles and missile launchers. Without the launchers, the missiles don’t do any good. We’ve wiped out probably close to 90 percent of the launchers [and] probably, more than 90 percent of the missiles themselves,” he added. “We’ve also destroyed a lot of the factories where they manufactured the drones and the missiles.”

Trump also asserted that Iran is eager to reach an agreement, suggesting its leadership is under increasing pressure.

Iran is “begging to make a deal, not me. They’re begging to make a deal. And anyone who saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal.”

NEW YORK (VINNews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) – A principal in a highly observant yeshiva asked a classroom how many of them had ever found chametz over Pesach. Nearly half of the class raised their hand. Regardless, each year, there are numerous stories where chametz is found over Pesach. And, such incidences happen both on Yom Tov and on Chol HaMoed.

What to Do

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 446:1), of course, tells us what to do. If it is found on Yom Tov—it must be covered with a vessel so that the chametz can not be seen. It cannot be moved, of course, because of the issue of muktzah. At night, after Yom Tov, it must be burned.

This is based upon the Gemara (Pesachim 7a), that tells us that if one finds chametz on Yom Tov one must cover it with a vessel, and when Yom Tov is over one should burn it.

Why Cover It?

The reason for this is that there would be no biblical mitzvah to burn it over Yom Tov, and the burning would constitute a burning shelo l’tzorech for no Yom Tov need. Why is this so? Because, presumably, he had already recited the formula for the bitul, the negation of ownership of all chametz big and small, hidden or revealed that he may own. Since he had already recited this bitul formula, the mitzvah of burning the chametz does not set aside the laws of Yom Tov. (The Mishna Berurah rules according to the opinion of the Ran that burning it on Yom Tov would be biblically prohibited.)

When One Did Not Say the Bitul

There are two differing opinions, however, in a case where the person did not recite the bitul formula.

The Vilna Gaon rules that the halacha of the Shulchan Aruch applies across the board, and one may not destroy it or move it on Yom Tov.

Other poskim (Rashi, Rashba, SmaG and Ohr Zaruah), however, hold that when the bitul was not recited, one may flush it down the toilet, throw it in a river or scatter it in the wind.

So, which view do we follow? The Mishna Brurah states that the custom is like the first view; however, in a community where the custom is to flush it down the toilet through a gentile, then one should not negate a custom in Israel.

But Doesn’t the Goy Own It Now?

The Shulchan Aruch ruled that—aside from issues of Yom Tov—if found, the chametz should be burned even if one did recite the bitul. However, things may have changed since then—in light of how we sell the chametz in contemporary times. In our times, the forms in which we sell the chametz include all chametz that we own, known and unknown. What are the implications of this development? The chametz that we find, therefore, belongs to the gentile! If that is the case, is it then permitted to burn the gentile’s chametz?

Contemporary Poskim’s View

This issue has been addressed by contemporary poskim:

Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, zt”l, held (Mikrai Kodesh, volume I, Pesach no. 74) to the position that the chametz should be placed in the goy’s section.

Rav Sternbuch and Rav Wosner, zt”l, (Shevet HaLevi, volume IX #116) both hold that it is permitted to burn it.

Rav Sternbuch bases his view on a Shach (Choshen Mishpat 358:1) that if one is completely sure that his friend would be amenable to it, one may consume fruits without the permission of the owner. In our case, since the one who finds the chametz is completely sure that the gentile would be amenable to the burning of the chametz that was found, and that he would not have to pay for the balance of it after Pesach, it would be permitted.

May One Touch the Chametz?

May one handle chametz that is to be burned or should it be kicked to the site that one will burn it in? The Shulchan Aruch rules (446:3) that if a gentile’s chametz blows onto the roof of a Jew, he should move it with a stick but not handle it with one’s hands. The reason is that when one handles things with their hands, it is likely that one might come to eat it.

The answer is that one may touch it. The Mishna Berurah 446:10 states that since one is burning it one may handle it by hand, if it is for a short period of time. It is a good idea, however, to say out loud that one is not acquiring the chametz. This is based on a responsa of the Rivash, cited in the Biur Halacha. Why is this so? Because a person’s hand acquires items for him, even if he does not have in mind that he is acquiring it.

Hopefully, however, most of us will have done a good job eliminating the chametz before Pesach has started, and there will be no need to be doing so on Pesach itself.

One last thought: When burning the chametz, make sure that it is not burnt too close to houses where the smoke can enter and cause people breathing issues.

---

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman 

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Thousands are enduring lengthy waits at land border crossings into Egypt and Jordan as sweeping restrictions on Israel’s airspace have reduced Ben Gurion Airport to a fraction of its normal capacity, leaving many individuals families scrambling to leave the country ahead of Pesach.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, 5,055 Israelis had exited the country through land crossings compared to just 1,133 who departed by air, according to data from Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, a ratio that would have been unthinkable before the current conflict reshaped daily life across the country.

The crunch intensified after Israel on Monday imposed additional restrictions on flight operations at Ben Gurion, which is currently served only by Israeli carriers. Most foreign airlines suspended service to Tel Aviv when Israel closed its airspace to the majority of commercial civilian traffic on February 28.

Since that closure, the cumulative departure figures tell the story of a country quietly rerouting itself around a conflict that has grounded the normal rhythms of travel: 72,184 Israelis have left via land border crossings since February 28, compared to 57,121 by air, a reversal of what would ordinarily be an overwhelming preference for flight.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir issued an internal warning to the Security Cabinet on Wednesday night, telling senior officials that the Israeli military is operating under unsustainable strain and declaring that he is “raising 10 red flags” and that the army is “collapsing in on itself.”

Zamir’s remarks, delivered during a closed cabinet discussion, reflects mounting pressure on the IDF from multiple directions simultaneously: an overwhelming operational tempo, the crushing burden on reserve soldiers, a prolonged failure to pass a conscription law, extended reserve duty tours, and, in the background, the political demands accompanying the establishment of new settlements.

The comments landed like a thunderclap in Israel’s political arena, drawing immediate and sharp responses from opposition leaders who accused the government of willful negligence.

“The Chief of Staff is warning of the collapse of the IDF, and the government is ignoring it,” said Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and chairman of the Yesh Atid party, placing the responsibility squarely on the current government’s shoulders.

Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, now a political figure himself, warned that the political leadership would not be able to claim ignorance, and called for the immediate advancement of a compulsory military service law applying to the entire population — a pointed reference to the exemptions currently afforded to Chareidi men, which have become one of the most explosive fault lines in Israeli society.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett put a number to the crisis, saying the IDF is short approximately 20,000 soldiers. “What on earth are you waiting for?” Bennett said. “A government that depends on Deri and Goldknopf is incapable of providing security for the State of Israel.”

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the secular nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, was equally blunt. “The Chief of Staff warns that draft-dodging harms Israel’s security, but the government ignores it once again,” he said. “The IDF is facing the most severe manpower crisis in its history — we must enlist everyone.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 19: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on February 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. Assembled to raise money for the rebuilding and stabilization of Gaza, Trump’s Board of Peace was formally established on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in January of 2026. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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OXNARD, Calif. (VINnews) — As wine consumption declines across the United States, the kosher wine market is showing relative resilience, buoyed by steady ritual demand and shifting consumer patterns, according to reporting by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The broader wine industry has faced shrinking sales, aging consumer demographics and changing drinking habits, but kosher wine producers say their sector has held up better due to built-in demand tied to Jewish religious practice, including weekly and holiday use.

Industry figures cited by JTA said major distributors such as Royal Wine Corp. have continued to see growth, even as the overall market contracts, with seasonal spikes around holidays playing a key role in sustaining production.

Producers have also been investing in higher-quality wines and expanding offerings, moving away from lower-cost bottles in an effort to appeal to a more sophisticated consumer base.

The report noted that while some less observant buyers have reduced purchases, more observant consumers are buying more wine, helping offset declines. At the same time, kosher and Israeli wines are gaining interest among non-Jewish consumers, broadening the market beyond its traditional base.

Industry representatives say the combination of ritual-driven demand, improving quality and expanding audiences has helped the kosher wine sector remain comparatively stable during a period of widespread challenges for the wine industry.

Manischewitz is reviewing its packaging as some have warned on social media that the brand’s packaging doesn’t adequately differentiate between products that are and are not kosher for pesach and that grocery stores often shelve them together.

“We’re aware of the conversation and appreciate the community bringing this to our attention, especially at a time as important and detail-oriented as Passover,” Mirit Shalvi, senior vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships at Manischewitz, told JNS.

“At Manischewitz, we take our role in helping families prepare for the holiday very seriously. We understand that kashrut during this time is deeply meaningful,” she added. “That said, we also recognize that in a busy retail environment, particularly during the high-volume Passover season, similar packaging across product lines can sometimes create confusion.”

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, chief operating officer and executive rabbinic coordinator at OU Kosher, told JNS that “over the past century, matzah has evolved from a food reserved for Passover into a year-round product found in many kitchen cabinets.”

“Today, some matzah is specifically produced for Passover, while other varieties are made for use throughout the rest of the year, a distinction that has existed for decades,” he said. “Matzah not intended for Passover is clearly labeled as such under the OU symbol.”

Those who keep kosher “must remain vigilant when shopping and always check the product labels, especially as Passover approaches,” he told JNS. “This is particularly important for products that may have different formulations designated specifically for Passover use.”

Shalvi told JNS that manufacturers, businesses and customers have a “shared responsibility” in purchasing the correct products for the Yom Tov.

“This includes evaluating packaging differentiation and working with our retail partners to ensure clearer in-store separation and signage where needed,” she said. “Our goal at Manischewitz is always to make the Passover shopping experience as seamless and trustworthy as possible, and we remain committed to upholding that standard for our consumers.”

“Look before you buy,” advised Mordechai Lightstone, a Chabad rabbi and the founder of the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based group Tech Tribe, on social media. “Or you, too, might end up purchasing OU-certified Manischewitz brand bread.”

“Manischewitz sells a cracker with the kosher certification of OU Kosher that looks like matzah and says matzah, but it isn’t kosher for Passover,” he added.

“It’s heartbreaking when someone thinks they are keeping Passover and is unknowingly eating chametz,” wrote Rabbi Shais Taub of food that isn’t kosher on Pesach. “It happens way more often than you might think. Look at these two products and tell me nobody would confuse them.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Treasury Department announced Thursday that U.S. paper money will soon feature President Donald Trump’s signature as part of plans to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, marking the first time a sitting president’s name will appear on currency while also removing the Treasurer’s signature for the first time in more than a century and a half.

According to a statement provided to Reuters, the first $100 bills bearing Trump’s signature alongside that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are expected to begin printing in June, with additional denominations to follow in the months afterward.

For now, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing continues producing bills that carry the signatures of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Treasurer Lynn Malerba.

Malerba is set to become the final Treasurer whose signature appears on U.S. currency, ending a continuous practice that dates back to 1861, when the federal government first issued paper money.

The change is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and its supporters to place the president’s name on a wide range of national symbols, including federal buildings, institutions, programs, naval vessels, and coins. A federal arts panel composed of Trump appointees has already approved the design of a commemorative gold coin featuring his likeness.

In a statement, Bessent said the decision reflects the significance of the upcoming anniversary and the country’s economic standing, citing strong growth, financial stability, and “lasting dollar dominance” during Trump’s second term.

“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent said.

Efforts to introduce a circulating $1 coin depicting Trump have faced legal hurdles, as federal law prohibits the use of living individuals on U.S. coins.

Under existing law governing Federal Reserve notes, the Treasury Department has broad authority to alter designs to prevent counterfeiting, though certain elements must remain unchanged. These include the phrase “In God We Trust,” and the rule that portraits may only depict individuals who have died.

Officials said the overall appearance of the bills will remain the same, with the only modification being the replacement of the Treasurer’s signature with that of the president.

A phishing campaign is sweeping through New York, targeting motorists with official-looking text messages that threaten license suspension, default judgments, and steep fines for traffic violations that do not exist. Authorities say it is part of a coordinated national operation hitting drivers across more than half a dozen states.

The fraudulent messages arrive bearing the letterhead of a fictitious “State of New York In the Criminal Court of the City of New York Traffic Division,” complete with citations to real sections of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law to lend an air of legitimacy. Recipients are told they have outstanding parking or toll violations and are instructed to scan an attached QR code to remit payment immediately — or face escalating legal consequences.

New York State’s DMV issued a public warning about the campaign, and the New York City Department of Finance has posted an active alert advising residents that the notices are not from any city or state agency and should be disregarded entirely.

Investigators tracking the scam found a telling detail that exposes it as a mass-produced operation: fraudulent documents circulating in New York, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Michigan, and Florida all share the identical base case number — 26-TR-273196 — with only a state prefix swapped in to localize each version.

For anyone familiar with how New York’s traffic enforcement system actually works, the documents are riddled with errors. The New York City Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over parking or toll violations; those are handled by the NYC Department of Finance and the MTA or Port Authority, respectively. Legitimate moving violations in the five boroughs go through the NYC Traffic Violations Bureau, which communicates exclusively by U.S. mail — not text messages with QR codes. The scam documents also list figures identified as judges serving simultaneously as court clerks, a procedural impossibility under New York court rules.

The QR codes, if scanned, route victims to counterfeit websites engineered to harvest credit card numbers and personal data.

Authorities advise anyone who receives such a message to delete it without interacting with it. Drivers who want to verify the status of their actual driving record can do so through the official New York State DMV website at dmv.ny.gov.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A new analysis of social media activity during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online backlash and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all.

According to research conducted by Argyle Consulting Group, a private intelligence and data analysis firm, 60 percent of the most viral posts on X mentioning “Iran” during the first week of the operation originated from accounts based outside the United States — despite often presenting themselves as American voices.

The report identified recurring narratives pushed by these foreign-based accounts, including claims that the operation was a “betrayal of MAGA,” “highly unpopular with the American people,” and carried out “on behalf of Israel.”

“These aren’t just random opinions,” Eran Vasker, CEO and co-founder of Argyle Consulting Group, told Fox News Digital.

“What we’re seeing is discourse that looks American — written in English, using U.S. political language — but is actually coming from outside the country … almost impossible for a regular user to detect,” Vasker said, explaining that the accounts “look very American” and mirror domestic political language and debates.

The analysis examined 100 highly viral posts on X — each with more than 10,000 shares — between Feb. 28 and March 7. In total, posts containing the word “Iran” generated 98 million posts, 696.4 million interactions, and an estimated 1.5 trillion potential views, making it one of the largest online information events on record.

Foreign accounts alone generated 155.6 million views, compared to 93.4 million from U.S.-based accounts — outpacing them by more than 60 million views in the sample.

Even more striking, every single foreign-based post in the dataset was negative toward the operation, while the only supportive content came from U.S.-based users, Argyle found.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In the weeks leading up to Pesach, when homes are cleaned from top to bottom, an unusual phenomenon takes place: enormous amounts of belongings are discarded—sometimes along with items of great value that are thrown away by mistake and later discovered in garbage dumps in Israel and around the world.

Among the most commonly lost valuables in Israel are wedding rings, often misplaced by kallos before or after their weddings and somehow ending up in the trash. Several times each year, reports emerge of frantic searches launched by volunteers digging through piles of garbage in hopes of recovering a missing ring—though not every story ends successfully.

Another frequently lost item, unfortunately, is tefillin. Each year, cases are reported of tefillin bags mistakenly discarded. Just a few months ago, a traveler at an airport in Florida realized before takeoff that his bag—containing a tallis and valuable tefillin—had gone missing.

Volunteers from the Chaveirim organization in South Florida responded by heading to the airport’s waste facility, manually searching through large quantities of garbage to locate the missing items. After an extended search, they were able to return the bag to the traveler, intact with both the tallis and tefillin.

One of the most well-known stories in Israel involves a woman from Tel Aviv named Anat, who bought her mother a new mattress as a surprise and discarded the old one.

The following morning, the mother revealed that she had hidden her life savings inside the old mattress—an amount estimated at nearly $1 million in cash, in both dollars and euros. Upon realizing what had happened, the mother was devastated.

The daughter rushed outside, but the mattress had already been taken by a garbage truck. A massive search effort followed, spanning multiple landfill sites and involving heavy equipment and the examination of tons of waste. Despite widespread media attention and extensive efforts, the mattress—and the money—were never found.

A similar incident in northern Italy, however, had a much happier ending. In the town of Montebelluna, an elderly woman was shocked to discover that her cleaner had mistakenly thrown out an old mattress containing hidden jewelry and cash.

According to local reports, the mattress had been taken to the municipal landfill. It contained valuables worth approximately €50,000. Once the woman realized what had happened, her daughter immediately contacted the police, who launched a search operation.

Within about an hour, the mattress was located, along with all the jewelry and cash, which were safely returned to the owner.

Another extraordinary case involves James Howells, a British systems engineer from Newport, whose story has become a symbol of loss in the digital age. In 2013, a hard drive containing the private key to 7,500 bitcoins he had mined in 2009 was accidentally thrown away.

As the value of bitcoin skyrocketed over the years, so did Howells’ determination to recover the drive. At the time of reporting, the lost bitcoin is estimated to be worth around $765 million.

Howells has been engaged in a prolonged legal and bureaucratic battle with the Newport city council, which has consistently refused to allow excavation of the landfill, citing environmental concerns and licensing restrictions.

He has secured backing from investors willing to fund the search, offered the council a share of the potential recovery, and even proposed a high-tech recovery plan involving artificial intelligence, advanced scanning equipment, and robotic dogs.

Recently, Howells escalated the matter by filing a lawsuit against the council for $500 million, arguing that he is being unlawfully denied access to his own property.

In another case, a family in New York purchased a simple white ceramic bowl at a garage sale in 2007 for just $3. For years, it sat unnoticed on a shelf in their home.

Eventually, curiosity led them to have it evaluated, revealing it to be an extremely rare Ding bowl from China’s Northern Song dynasty, dating back roughly 1,000 years.

Auction house Sotheby’s initially estimated its value at between $200,000 and $300,000. However, after intense bidding in March 2013, the bowl sold for an astonishing $2.225 million to a London-based art dealer.

The bowl, about five inches in diameter, features delicate leaf patterns and an ivory tone. According to Sotheby’s, the only comparable piece is held in the British Museum’s permanent collection.

In yet another remarkable discovery, a rare printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence from 1776 was found in 1989 after a man in Philadelphia bought a framed picture at a flea market for $4.

Hidden between the image and the backing of the frame was the rare document, which was later sold for $2.42 million. It was one of just 25 official copies printed by the Continental Congress and distributed to spread news of independence.

An unusual find also occurred at a recycling center in California in 2014, when a woman in her 60s dropped off several boxes from her garage after her husband passed away, leaving without providing any contact information.

Weeks later, workers sorting through the boxes discovered an original Apple-1 computer beneath old cables and keyboards.

The Apple-1, built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, was one of only about 200 units ever produced, with only a few dozen believed to still exist today.

Unlike modern computers, it was originally sold as just a motherboard, requiring buyers to assemble additional components themselves. The recycling center sold the machine to a private collector for $200,000.

Because the facility’s policy is to share 50 percent of profits with donors, staff launched a search for the woman in order to give her $100,000. The owner later said he still remembers her appearance and hopes she will return.

Even lottery tickets have found their way into the trash with dramatic consequences. In one case, a man in Pennsylvania accidentally threw away 25 winning lottery tickets, each worth $50,000, resulting in a total loss of $1.25 million.

In another instance, a man in Massachusetts found a discarded lottery ticket that turned out to be worth $1 million. Following a legal settlement with the original owner, he was able to claim the prize.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] President Donald Trump briefly shifted focus during a high-level Cabinet meeting Thursday, launching into a lengthy and unexpected discussion about his preferred Sharpie markers even as top officials were addressing major issues including the Iran conflict, airport delays, and economic concerns.

At one point early in the meeting, Trump held up a customized black-and-gold marker and began recounting how it became a staple in the White House. “See this pen right here?” Trump said at the start of a roughly five-minute, on-and-off diatribe on the Sharpie. “This pen is an interesting example.”

The extended aside stood out during a session that otherwise featured serious updates from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke about missile threats, Iran’s nuclear activity, and U.S. troops still deployed in dangerous areas.

Trump framed the story as an illustration of his approach to cutting costs in government, while also tying it to his ongoing criticism of expensive federal projects, including renovations to the Federal Reserve building.

“We’ve gotta get our priorities straight,” Trump said.

He began by describing how the White House had previously stocked expensive writing instruments. According to Trump, the pens used for ceremonial bill signings once cost as much as $1,000 each.

He said this became an issue because he regularly gives out pens during signing ceremonies to lawmakers, aides, and others involved in legislation—including children, who he suggested may not appreciate their value.

“Sometimes you have 30, 40 people,” Trump said.

Despite his reputation for favoring lavish projects, Trump said distributing so many high-cost items made him uncomfortable.

“I feel guilty by nature.”

“I love the government like I love myself, economically,” Trump said. “I want to save money.”

He explained that he worked with a manufacturer to produce a more affordable alternative and initially hesitated to mention the company by name, before revealing it was Sharpie—a disclosure that drew laughter from those in attendance.

Trump has long used Sharpies, both in his years as a businessman and during his presidency, whether signing documents or annotating materials with his signature bold ink style.

He said he contacted the company about creating custom pens featuring the White House insignia and was told they would provide them at no cost. Trump said he insisted on paying $5 per pen, even though standard Sharpies typically retail for $1 to $2.

“The head of Sharpie gets a call. I don’t even know who the hell he is. He said, ‘Is this really the president?’” Trump said.

The anecdote marked one of the most notable mentions of the marker since the “Sharpiegate” episode during Hurricane Dorian in Trump’s first term. However, the company that produces Sharpie, Newell Brands, later said it had no information about the exchange Trump described, while noting that the pens are widely used by public figures across various fields.

Trump concluded the story by presenting it as a practical lesson.

“For $5, I get a much better pen than for $1,000, and I can hand them out,” he said. “And, honestly, they’ve become hot as a pistol, so what can I tell you?”

After finishing his remarks, Trump joked about the challenge of following his storytelling before turning the meeting back to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“Good luck, Scott,” he said as the rest of the Cabinet laughed again.

“Well, sir,” Bessent offered, “as usual, you’re a tough act to follow.”

WATCH:

A massive plan to renovate New York City’s old and aging Penn Station is starting to be put into action, as President Donald Trump is considering a $7.5 billion redevelopment that would relocate one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, Madison Square Garden.

The proposal, presented by developers to Trump in private discussions, would involve moving Madison Square Garden off its current location above Penn Station, clearing the way for a full reconstruction of the busy station.

Penn Station, which serves roughly 600,000 passengers daily, is constantly being criticized for its cramped, underground layout. Planners say that removing the arena, which is currently built directly above the station, would allow for a far brighter, more spacious, and modern station, and can allow for fun reconstruction like restoring elements of the original grand 1910 design.

Under the plan, Madison Square Garden would be relocated nearby, just one block away along Seventh Avenue. Then the current site could be redeveloped into an open public space and be used for plazas and green areas, reshaping Midtown Manhattan.

However, the plan faces a major obstacle, Madison Square Garden’s owner, James Dolan, has repeatedly resisted efforts to move the arena, making any relocation very difficult without proper approvals.

James Dolan

Israel’s High Court of Justice is hearing a petition against the transfer of approximately 1.09 billion shekels to chareidi educational institutions, a case brought by Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, MK Naama Lazimi, and the Chiddush organization.

During the hearing, Justice Yael Vilner expressed sharp criticism of the funding decision, stating, “There is no dispute that the transfer of funds to the chareidi institutions was carried out unlawfully — and therefore the decision must be void.”

She added that a possible resolution could involve restarting the process through proper legal channels. “If there is agreement among all parties, it will be possible to decide that the previous decision will be canceled, to hold a new discussion in the Finance Committee, and a new decision will be made. There is clear illegality here.”

Ahead of the court session, Lapid used the opportunity to launch a strong public attack against the funding and against the chareidi parties.

Speaking about the allocation of more than a billion shekels, he said, “It is time for the Israeli public to stop being the cash cow of the chareidim. We will not allow them to continue stealing.”

He further claimed, “Netanyahu and Smotrich built a secret mechanism that stole billions from Israeli taxpayers and transferred them to the chareidim. This disgrace cannot continue.”

{Matzav.com}