Jooish News

Sen. John Fetterman joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ reacting to Democrats either skipping the State of the Union address or heckling President Trump and refusing to stand on key issues.

WATCH:

Rep. Ilhan Omar said Wednesday that she does not regret shouting at President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address, dismissing repeated efforts by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer to get her to reconsider or apologize for her actions.

Omar made the remarks during an appearance on “The Situation Room,” after video circulated online showing her yelling toward the president while he discussed federal immigration enforcement during Tuesday night’s address.

Sitting next to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Omar repeatedly interrupted, accusing Trump of bearing responsibility for the deaths of two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in January.

One of the individuals Omar brought as a guest, Aliya Rahman, was reportedly taken into custody by Capitol Police after allegedly causing a disturbance during the event.

During the interview, Blitzer referenced comments from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who had advised Democrats opposed to the speech either to skip it entirely or to register their objections silently.

“Should you have just boycotted the address? And do you think you violated the guidelines set out by your own leader?” Blitzer asked.

Omar rejected the notion that she should have stayed quiet or stayed away.

“No, I think it was really unavoidable,” she said. “The president talked about protecting Americans, and I just had to remind him that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents.”

Blitzer continued pressing the issue, noting that Democrats had previously criticized Republicans who disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.

“Many members of your Democratic Party criticized their Republican counterparts when they interrupted President Biden’s State of the Union address, as a lot of us remember,” he said. “Do you have any regrets at all about the interaction we played between you and President Trump just last night?”

“I do not,” Omar said. “And I think many people look at that moment when the president says it is our responsibility to protect Americans, and he does not acknowledge the fact that two Americans, two of my constituents, two of our neighbors, were killed.

“And it was important for me to just remind the American people that the president and his administration was responsible for killing two American citizens.”

Blitzer made a final attempt to ask whether, in retrospect, she might have handled the situation differently, including by boycotting the address altogether. Omar remained firm, maintaining that her presence in the chamber — along with her guests — was deliberate and meaningful.

She said she attended the speech with four guests from Minnesota and insisted that it was important for the people she represents to see her there.

“It was important for us to be there to bear witness, to hold the space for our constituents that have lived through an occupation from federal law enforcement, that have been terrorized, that have seen our neighbors been killed and traumatized in so many ways,” Omar said.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

A senior Hezbollah official said Wednesday that the Lebanese terrorist group would refrain from intervening militarily if the United States carries out limited strikes on Iran, but warned that any attempt to topple the regime or target Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would trigger a response.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said, “In the event of limited US strikes on Iran, Hezbollah’s position will be to not intervene militarily.” However, the official added that if Washington sought to “provoke the downfall of the Iranian regime or to target the supreme leader, Hezbollah will then intervene.”

Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, has previously described the group as being in a “defensive position,” but has also suggested it would view itself as “targeted” in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran, its principal backer.

The Hezbollah official told AFP that in a scenario where the United States attempts to unseat Iran’s leadership, Israel would “inevitably wage a war against Lebanon.”

Israeli officials have in recent weeks intensified airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, citing concerns that the Iran-backed group could join Tehran in a broader confrontation. During the 2023–2024 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli forces said they targeted only Hezbollah-linked sites and not key Lebanese civilian infrastructure.

Two senior Lebanese officials said Tuesday that Israel had recently conveyed an indirect warning that it would respond forcefully — including by striking civilian infrastructure such as Beirut’s airport — if Hezbollah enters a U.S.-Iran conflict.

“There are signs that the Israelis could strike very hard in the event of an escalation, potentially including strategic infrastructure such as the airport,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Tuesday in Geneva.

Lebanon’s political leadership has publicly urged Hezbollah to avoid actions that could draw the country into another war.

“This war does not concern us,” Raggi said, adding that Lebanese authorities had appealed to Hezbollah not to take steps that would create “bad situations” for civilians.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, whose government has pledged to disarm Hezbollah since taking office, echoed those concerns in a newspaper interview published Tuesday.

“The Gaza adventure imposed a high cost on Lebanon,” Salam said. “We hope that we will not be dragged into another adventure.”

The previous Israel-Hezbollah war began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched cross-border fire a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel. A November 2024 ceasefire followed an Israeli ground invasion and sustained air campaign that significantly degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities and killed senior leaders.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was required to withdraw and disarm south of the Litani River. Israel has accused the group of maintaining a presence in the area, prompting continued Israeli strikes targeting what it says are attempts to rebuild.

Lebanon’s army last month said it completed the first phase of its disarmament plan covering territory between the Litani River and the Israeli border.

Hezbollah’s latest comments suggest an attempt to calibrate its posture amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, signaling restraint in the face of limited U.S. action while preserving a potential trigger point tied to Iran’s leadership.

Whether that position holds if hostilities escalate remains an open question in a region already bracing for possible fallout.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An Israeli man who said he was the last surviving member of the Jewish community of Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia has died at the age of about 82.

David Shuker, who spent his final years in Israel, became a public symbol of a largely forgotten chapter of Jewish history in the Arabian Peninsula after he launched a series of appeals in 2022 seeking permission to return to his birthplace before his death.

In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal and in interviews with Israeli media, Shuker called on Saudi leaders — including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — to allow him a final visit to Najran.

“I’m asking … to go to the city of my birth, Najran, while I am still standing on my feet, to see where my grandparents are buried,” Shuker said in a 2022 interview with Channel 13.

His request was never approved.

“Jews lived in Najran long before the Saudi rule. In fact, there is evidence that Jews lived there as early as 2,000 years ago,” Shuker told Channel 13 a number of years ago.

David Shuker in a 2022 interview with Chanel 13 (Screnshot)

Shuker was born in 1944 in Najran, near the border with Yemen. The region, once linked culturally and politically to Yemen, was incorporated into Saudi Arabia in 1934, when the modern Saudi state was established.

At the time of his childhood, Najran was home to a small but longstanding Jewish community. Shuker later recalled that roughly 60 Jewish families lived in the city and nearby villages.

Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Shuker said Saudi authorities ordered the remaining Jewish residents to leave and move toward the Yemeni border. His family ultimately emigrated to Israel in 1951, as part of the broader exodus of Jews from Arab countries in the mid-20th century.

Shuker later settled in the town of Bnei Ayish, near Ashdod, where he served as mayor and became active in local public life.

In his final years, Shuker sought to draw attention to the disappearance of Najran’s Jewish community and to preserve its history. His 2022 campaign to visit Saudi Arabia was widely covered in Israeli and international media and came amid broader regional shifts following the Abraham Accords and limited warming between Israel and some Arab states.

Despite those changes, Saudi Arabia has not formally normalized relations with Israel, and Israeli citizens generally remain barred from entering the kingdom.

Shuker’s effort was seen by supporters as a humanitarian request rather than a political statement, focused on personal closure and historical recognition. Still, it failed to gain official approval.

In announcing his death, the Yemenite Jewish and Israeli Communities Heritage Center described Shuker as “a multifaceted public character whose image is woven into the story of the Jews of Yemen in general and the Najran community in particular.”

“His life story is that of the Yemenite Jews — tradition, faith, labor and preservation of identity from generation to generation,” the organization said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the United States has obtained information indicating Iran is attempting to reconstitute its nuclear program, while emphasizing that President Donald Trump is pursuing a diplomatic resolution but retains additional options if talks fail.

Speaking about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Vance made clear that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central U.S. objective.

“The principle is very simple, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we’ve seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that. So the President is sending those negotiators to try to address that problem,” Vance said.

NOW – Vance says, "we've seen evidence," Iran is trying to rebuild nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/dCw7aMcQYq

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 25, 2026

He underscored that the administration’s preferred course is negotiation, while noting that other measures remain on the table if diplomacy does not succeed.

“As the President has said repeatedly, he wants to address that problem diplomatically, but of course the President has other options as well.”

President Trump delivered a similar message during his State of the Union address Tuesday evening. He said that last June’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had “obliterated” the country’s program, but added that Iran has since killed more than 32,000 protesters and is working to restart its nuclear activities. He also cautioned that Tehran is advancing missile technology capable of reaching Europe and potentially the United States.

“We’re in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon’. My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”

“No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful military on earth – hopefully, we seldom have to use it,” continued the President.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – Ornate packaging paired with enticing advertisements that claim expensive shampoos are elixirs to all hair woes can leave one wondering: Are the higher prices really worth it? Should I abandon my $8 drugstore mainstay for a $42 premium brand?

Experts say affordable shampoos and conditioners found in grocery stores and pharmacies can do the job as well as the pricey versions with tempting messaging and testimonials on social media. They advise consumers to evaluate the ingredients in products, their own scalp and hair concerns, and their entire hair care routine — and to check with a doctor when in doubt.

Premium brands can work well, and some have active ingredients that cost more, according to dermatologists. Other factors influencing the price include the size of the company and whether it has invested in organic ingredients, sustainable agriculture and recycled materials.

Tips for your hair type
Dr. Crystal Aguh, dermatologist and director of the Ethnic Skin Program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said she generally categorizes people into two hair types: damage-prone and damage-resistant.

Damage-prone includes people with very curly hair, people who chemically treat their hair and those who use hot tools to style it. She said damage-resistant attributes include oily hair and straight hair.

People with damage-prone hair should avoid shampoos that have sodium lauryl sulfate as the main ingredient, Aguh said. It removes a lot of sebum, a natural oil that coats and protects hair. Without sebum, hair could feel very dry and break easily.

For curly or dyed hair, Aguh recommends washing less frequently to avoid removing too much sebum. She said people with tightly curled or coily hair should only wash their hair once a week. People with wavy hair that is dyed might find it best to wash every two to three days.

Damage-resistant hair that is oily and straight can be washed every day.

Focus on the process, not the products
Expensive shampoos and conditioners can work well, but there are affordable products that perform just as well, Aguh said. She tells patients that “it’s not the products, it’s the process” that affects hair health the most, including how often hair is washed, dyed or treated with heat.

“Instead of spending hundreds of dollars thinking, ‘If I just find the right shampoo, right conditioner, all of my troubles will go away,’ you also have to just look at what your process looks like … because that will often do the trick,” she said.

She said it is fine to mix high-end and mass market products and that people shouldn’t feel compelled to buy an entire line of expensive products.

Aguh said some common brands are more affordable because they are made by large corporations that can achieve economies of scale. Sometimes expensive brands have a smaller team and lack the workforce and resources to reach those same cost advantages.

When treating dandruff, for example, Aguh often recommends over-the-counter shampoos instead of prescription formulas. But she added people should see a doctor for lingering dandruff problems.

Shampoo is skincare for the scalp
Dr. Joe Tung, a dermatologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said people should think of shampoo as skincare for the scalp, not just a cosmetic product.

“Hair itself is biologically inactive once it grows out, but underneath the surface of the skin on the scalp is a full ecosystem with stem cells, immune cells, oil glands, nerve endings,” he said. “When that ecosystem is balanced, the scalp feels comfortable and hair grows optimally; when it is disrupted, people can experience itching, flaking, excess oil, or hair loss.”

Tung said people should consider what their scalp needs when choosing shampoo, and a conditioner should be chosen based on hair texture and damage level. He said dandruff and itchiness benefit from shampoos that address inflammation and microbial imbalance, whereas dry or chemically treated hair could benefit from a gentle cleanser with a rich conditioner.

Tung said expensive shampoos and conditioners are sometimes worth the price, but a product’s effectiveness is determined by active ingredients and not branding. “An antifungal ingredient works because of its molecular activity, not because it comes in a luxury bottle or from a prestigious brand,” he said.

Expensive shampoos typically rely on more refined conditioning agents and soothing ingredients that may make frequent hair washing more comfortable, Tung said. But some luxury products contain fragrances or botanical extracts that can irritate sensitive skin, he said. Simpler formulas are often better tolerated by people with sensitive skin.

Hair products with a sustainability focus
MOKO Organic Beauty Studio in Philadelphia stocks organic shampoos and conditioners that cost from $24 to $45. Owner Monique Mason said it is the salon’s mission to provide products that are good for scalps and the planet.

Ingredients are the biggest of many factors influencing price, Mason said. Organic products typically avoid inexpensive sulfates, synthetic fragrances and parabens that are widely used in the personal care industry, she said. Mason said she also researches how the brands she sells manufacture their products to ensure their sustainability claims can be verified.

“I get to know them, whether they’re family-owned, how they farm, how they source their ingredients,” she said.

Vice President JD Vance is set to announce that $259.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota will be withheld while federal officials conduct a fraud investigation, along with a nationwide halt on new firms seeking Medicare subsidies for durable medical equipment such as canes and walkers, The Post has learned.

Vance will make the announcement alongside Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a day after President Trump declared a “war on fraud” during his State of the Union address.

The decision to suspend reimbursement payments to Minnesota affects nearly half of the claims submitted by the state for its Medicaid program serving low-income residents during the most recent fiscal quarter.

The action, described as a “deferment,” targets 14 state-run programs flagged as particularly vulnerable to fraudulent activity. These include services such as autism treatment, in-home rehabilitation, non-emergency medical transportation and overnight supervision. Some of those programs have previously been linked to a major fraud case in the Twin Cities area.

An administration official said Medicaid reimbursements for Minnesota will remain on hold until “further investigation is completed” into potential improper billing practices.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a broader review of Medicaid payments, pausing certain future disbursements to multiple states while investigations were underway. In January, social-services funding was temporarily frozen for five Democrat-led states, including Minnesota and New York. The latest move, however, goes further by affecting claims that have already been submitted for reimbursement.

Separately, the administration is introducing a new policy that will block additional companies from newly enrolling in Medicare’s reimbursement system for durable medical equipment.

Federal officials reported that last year durable medical equipment billing carried an error rate of roughly 20%, amounting to about $1.5 billion in questionable charges. Of that total, approximately $1 billion is believed to involve fraudulent claims, according to officials.

The temporary freeze on new enrollments is intended to give regulators time to scrutinize companies already participating in the program and remove those engaged in improper conduct.

While the Minnesota Medicaid action centers on a Democrat-led state, officials noted that problems tied to Medicare equipment billing are largely concentrated in Republican-led states. One official pointed to elevated levels of suspected fraud in South Florida and in Harris County, Texas.

During his State of the Union address, Trump said Vance would oversee a nationwide campaign to combat misuse of federal benefit programs.

“I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great vice president, JD Vance,” Trump said, predicting, “we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It will go very quickly. That’s the kind of money you’re talking about.”

{Matzav.com}

I am officially offering a bounty. I will personally buy a coffee, a pastry, and lunch for whoever can find the person in charge of programming the traffic lights in this town and ask them what on earth they have against us. Because I am convinced there is a guy in a room somewhere just manually flipping switches to red specifically to watch us suffer.

Can we talk about the left-turn arrows for a minute? I timed it yesterday. I literally sat there, pulled out my phone, and timed the left-turn green arrow. Three seconds. THREE. SECONDS. That is enough time for exactly one minivan, and maybe the front bumper of the car behind them, to make it through before it turns red again. Meanwhile, the opposite side of the highway gets a green light for four uninterrupted minutes while the road is completely empty!

What is the result? People have to pull out into the dead center of the intersection, wait for the light to turn red, and then make a run for it just so they can get home before their kids graduate high school. It’s incredibly dangerous, but what choice do we have? You either do that, or you sit at the same intersection for four complete light cycles questioning every decision you’ve ever made in your life.

And the lack of synchronization! We are living in 2026. We have the technology to land rockets backward on floating barges in the middle of the ocean. We have refrigerators that can text us when we are out of milk. But somehow, in Lakewood, New Jersey, the concept of synchronizing three traffic lights in a row is treated like forbidden magic.

If you get a green light at one intersection, it is a mathematical certainty—backed by the laws of physics—that the very next light will turn red exactly 50 feet before you reach it. It’s just a start-stop-start-stop crawl of absolute misery. You hit the gas, you hit the brake. You hit the gas, you hit the brake. It takes 25 minutes to drive a mile and a half.

This is not a population issue. This is not a zoning issue. This is a literal “somebody needs to plug a laptop into the metal box on the corner and update the software” issue. This is completely, 100% fixable.

We are wasting millions of hours of our lives and thousands of gallons of gas just idling at red lights staring at empty cross streets. Call the DOT. Call the township. Recalibrate the sensors. Give us a 15-second left-turn arrow so more than one human being can turn onto a side street. Bring our traffic grids into the 21st century before we all lose our collective minds.

SG

TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via  Whatsapp  or via email  [email protected]

The Democratic Party’s early race for the 2028 presidential nomination is descending into disarray, according to CNN data guru Harry Enten, who branded the crowded field a “downright clown car” and a “total mess” with no clear frontrunner.

The segment opened with anchor John Berman highlighting recent controversy surrounding California Gov. Gavin Newsom, long considered a leading 2028 contender.

Berman noted that Newsom faced backlash this week over remarks made during a book tour stop in Atlanta, with critics accusing him of racism. Newsom dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage,” but the incident added to questions about his political standing.

Enten then pivoted to early polling, painting a bleak picture for Democratic leadership.

According to Enten, early surveys show Newsom narrowly leading with 19 percent support, followed closely by former Vice President Kamala Harris at 18 percent.

Enten said Harris’s numbers were especially concerning.

“Quite a weak number for her, given that she was the nominee last time around,” he noted.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg followed at 13 percent, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez close behind at 12 percent.

No candidate is polling above 20 percent, let alone approaching majority support.

“This is just a total clown car,” Enten said. “It is a total mess.”

Enten emphasized that the lack of a clear leader at this stage is highly unusual in modern Democratic politics. He noted that the last time Democrats were this fractured so early in the cycle was more than thirty years ago.

“You have to go all the way back to 1992,” he said. “That was the last cycle in which there was no clear frontrunner at this point. Very unusual.”

In most recent election cycles, a dominant figure had already emerged years before voting began. For 2028, no such figure exists.

Enten also pointed to signs that Newsom’s political momentum is fading. Citing prediction market data, he said Newsom’s perceived chances of winning the nomination have dropped sharply.

“Three months ago, it was a 37 percent chance. Now it’s just at 28 percent,” Enten said. “Down he goes. He’s definitely flailing a little bit.”

Online interest in Newsom has also cooled. Google searches for the governor are down 63 percent from their August peak, when he intensified attacks on President Donald Trump.

“Maybe that interest is waning off just a little bit,” Enten said.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Federal agents returned to the Arizona residence of Nancy Guthrie on Wednesday, spending several hours combing through the property before determining whether her family would be permitted to move back in, sources told The NY Post.

The latest search indicates that the probe into the 84-year-old’s disappearance has stalled, as she has now been missing for 25 days and investigators have not publicly identified any suspects in the perplexing case.

Agents arrived at Guthrie’s Tucson home early Wednesday and remained at the upscale property for more than two hours as part of what sources described as a final review of the scene.

According to those familiar with the investigation, authorities were believed to be checking for any remaining evidence that may have been missed during earlier searches before potentially clearing the house for the Guthrie family’s return.

Guthrie — the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie — was first reported missing on Feb. 1 after she failed to attend church services that morning.

Video obtained from her doorbell camera showed a masked individual — or possibly two different individuals, as some observers have suggested — lingering outside her front door on the night investigators suspect she was abducted.

The footage shows the person carrying a black Ozark Trail Hiker backpack and attempting to obscure the camera’s view with tree branches.

Later that morning, on Feb. 1, Guthrie was officially reported missing.

Residents of the Catalina Hills neighborhood subsequently told authorities that they had noticed a suspicious young man spending time on the street near Guthrie’s home in the weeks before she vanished.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – There are seemingly countless options for a new SUV these days, but less so if you’re looking for one that’s comfortable, roomy, and able to tackle snowy roads in the winter and outdoor adventures in the summer. Thankfully, a pair of SUVs are up for the challenge: the 2026 Honda Passport and 2026 Subaru Outback.

Both SUVs are bigger and roomier than their popular small SUV siblings, the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. They also have standard all-wheel drive and come in special versions that are more rugged and capable for occasional off-roading. Each SUV has also received a full redesign for 2026, bringing new styling and features. Yet there are still some key differences between the Passport and Outback. Which one is the better buy? Edmunds’ car experts compared them to find out.

Performance and fuel economy
The Subaru Outback offers a choice of four-cylinder engines: a base 180-horsepower one or a turbocharged 260-horsepower one. An Outback with the base engine can feel sluggish when you need a quick burst of speed. Thankfully, the available turbocharged engine is noticeably more robust. If you routinely load your SUV with people and gear, the turbo engine is worth the added cost.

The turbocharged Outback also outsprinted the Honda Passport in our testing. At the Edmunds test track, it needed 6.5 seconds to sprint from zero to 60 mph. The Passport, fitted with its standard 285-horsepower V6, needed 7.9 seconds.

There’s another upside for the Outback: better fuel economy. The base engine gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined city/highway driving, while the turbocharged Outback gets up to 24 mpg combined. The Passport gets up to an EPA-estimated 21 mpg combined.

Advantage: Subaru Outback

Space and utility
The redesigned Outback has more cargo space than before, and its boxier styling better accommodates bulky items. What doesn’t fit inside can go up onto sturdy roof rails, which are easier to reach since the Outback’s height is lower than the Passport’s. Storage for your small personal items is also improved.

Nonetheless, the Passport earns a win here. It’s taller and wider than the Outback, and its roomier back seat is better for fitting three people across and for installing bulky rear-facing child safety seats. The Passport’s boxy cargo area is even more palatial than the Subaru’s, and its small storage areas and cupholders are more useful for holding your stuff and drinks.

Advantage: Honda Passport

Pricing and value
Subaru offers the Outback in more trim levels, specifically on the lower end of the feature content spectrum. The 2026 Subaru Outback lineup starts with the Premium trim that costs $36,445, including destination fees. A base 2026 Honda Passport RTL trim is significantly more expensive at $46,445. The RTL comes with a few extra features that the Outback Premium lacks, however, plus its more powerful engine.

If you compare the starter Passport RTL to the more similarly equipped Outback Limited XT — the least expensive trim level with the turbocharged engine — the pricing gap narrows. Still, the Outback maintains a steady advantage for what you pay and what you get as you move up the trim level ladder. A loaded Outback costs about $50,000, while a loaded Passport is about $55,000.

Advantage: Subaru Outback

In-cabin technology
This used to be a sore spot for both, but no longer. The Outback has Subaru’s all-new 12.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Graphics and response times are greatly improved, and the climate controls are easier to use. We also like the simple touchscreen layout with large, easy-to-press virtual buttons. Wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is included.

The Passport has a 12.3-inch touchscreen that comes standard with the Google Built-In suite of features. It allows you to use Google Assistant natural voice commands for some vehicle functions and includes integrated Google Maps. Overall, though, we like both touchscreens pretty much the same. The availability and functionality of the two SUVs’ advanced driver aids, such as traffic-adaptive cruise control, are pretty comparable as well.

Advantage: tie

Edmunds says
Edmunds considers both the Honda Passport and the Subaru Outback to be great choices for a midsize SUV. You won’t go wrong with either one. But head-to-head, the Outback ekes out a victory on the strength of its superior value and performance.

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib following their conduct during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, suggesting the two lawmakers “should be institutionalized” over what he described as disruptive behavior.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump reacted to the scene in the House chamber, taking aim at the two members of the progressive “Squad” caucus.

“When you watch Low IQ Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, as they screamed uncontrollably last night at the very elegant State of the Union, such an important and beautiful event,” Trump began on Truth Social.

He continued with harsher language in the same post.

“They had the bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized,” he added.

Trump went on to question their fitness for office and called for their removal.

“When people can behave like that, and knowing that they are Crooked and Corrupt Politicians, so bad for our Country, we should send them back from where they came — as fast as possible.”

During the address, Tlaib (D-Mich.) was seated in the House chamber wearing a “[Curse] ICE” pin on her lapel. She and Omar (D-Minn.) repeatedly interrupted and heckled the president throughout portions of the speech before leaving the chamber prior to its conclusion.

{Matzav.com}

Islamic Jihad has acknowledged that a Gaza-based physical therapist working for Doctors Without Borders was also a senior commander in the terror group, confirming long-standing Israeli claims that armed groups are embedded within humanitarian organizations operating in the enclave.

In a statement, Saraya al-Quds, the terror group’s military wing, identified Fadi al-Wadiya as a “martyr commander” and said he served as deputy head of its military manufacturing unit when he was killed in an Israeli strike on June 25, 2024.

The admission aligns with earlier assessments by the IDF, which said last year that al-Wadiya played a key role in developing missiles for the Iranian-backed organization and possessed advanced expertise in electronics and chemistry.

“Al-Wadiya advanced the terror organization’s rocket array, endangering the lives of civilians,” the IDF said at the time, describing the case as “another example of terrorists in Gaza exploiting the civilian population.”

Following the strike, Doctors Without Borders — also known as Médecins Sans Frontières — said al-Wadiya had been targeted while traveling to provide medical assistance to wounded civilians.

“This attack is yet another brutal example of the senseless killing of Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers in Gaza,” the organization said in a statement.

The NGO has not said a word regarding Islamic Jihad’s confirmation of al-Wadiya’s terrorist role.

In January, the Israel Foreign Ministry released evidence showing that several Doctors Without Borders employees were also members of terrorist organizations. Among them was Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif al-Shalfouh, whom Israeli officials said worked for the NGO while simultaneously serving as a sniper for Hamas.

The disclosures came as Israel began enforcing new regulations on international NGOs in Gaza, suspending the licenses of groups that “failed to meet required security and transparency standards,” including Doctors Without Borders.

Jerusalem later ordered MSF to halt operations in Gaza by Feb. 28. In response, the organization said it would, “as an exceptional measure,” provide Israeli authorities with a list of local and international staff members.

The move, MSF said in a January statement, was taken “solely with the aim of being able to continue providing critical medical care.”

Last month, Doctors Without Borders suspended “non-critical” services at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, citing threats to its neutrality after armed terror operatives were seen operating inside the compound.

After Israeli forces withdrew to a truce-established buffer zone in October, Hamas fighters moved to reassert control in the surrounding area, according to Israeli officials.

Since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect, the organization has documented “a pattern of unacceptable acts,” including intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and suspected weapons movements within medical facilities being carried out by terrorist forces.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, delivered on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, as transcribed by The Associated Press:

___

Speaker Johnson, Vice President Vance, first lady of the United States, second lady of the United States, members of Congress and my fellow Americans, our nation is back: Bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.

Less than five months from now, our country will celebrate an epic milestone in American history, the 250th anniversary of our glorious American independence. This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And we’ve seen nothing yet. We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.

When I spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a nation in crisis, with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a wide-open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police, rampant crime at home and wars and chaos all over the world. But tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages. It is, indeed, a turnaround for the ages. And we will never go back to where we were just a very short time ago. We’re not going back.

Today our border is secure. Today our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, the roaring economy is roaring like never before, our enemies are scared, our military and police are stacked, and America is respected again, perhaps like never before. After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unfettered and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history, by far. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country. Deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year. In the last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history, the lowest number in over 125 years, since 1900. In fact, substantially before my wonderful father — I had a wonderful father, Fred — before he was born, substantially before he was born. That’s a long time ago, he wouldn’t like me to say that, but that’s a long time ago.

The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country. But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years. And in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7%. Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor and was, quite honestly, a disaster, is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon. And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline, the lowest in four years, and falling fast.

And the annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since I took office, one year. And lower interest rates will solve the Biden-created housing problem, while at the same time protecting the values of those people who already own a house that really feel rich for the first time in their lives. We want to protect those values. We want to keep those values up. We’re going to do both — and keep it that way. The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election. Think of that, one year, boosting pensions, 401(k)s and retirement accounts for the millions and the millions of Americans, they’re all gaining. Everybody is up, way up. In four long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion in new investment in the United States. And when I say less, substantially less. In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion pouring in from all over the globe.

Think of it — much less than $1 trillion for four years, versus much more than $18 trillion for one year. What a difference a president makes. A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest. As thousands of new businesses are forming and factories, plants and laboratories are being built, we have added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time. Getting bigger and bigger and stronger. Nobody can believe what they’re watching. American oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day. And we just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil. American natural gas production is at an all-time high. Because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.

More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country. Think about that. Any time in the history of our country. More working today, and 100% of all jobs created under my administration have been in the private sector. We ended DEI in America. We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans – a record – off of food stamps. And for all of these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, the state of our Union is strong. Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore. We’re not used to winning in our country until you came along, we’re just always losing. But now we’re winning too much. And I say, no, no, no, you’re going to win again. You’re going to win big. You’re going to win bigger than ever. And to prove that point, to prove that point, here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud. The men’s gold medal Olympic hockey team. Come on in.

Go ahead. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up. And actually, not all of them did get up. But they beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everybody saw, as did the American women who will soon be coming to the White House. They were in the Oval Office before, and I just want to say a second, very big congratulations to Team USA. But I have to say that – and I told them this and we took a vote of the team. I said, anybody votes no, I’m not doing it.

So they stood there. They weren’t about to say no because I’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Think of it, 46 shots on goal. And I asked him – one shot, the one where you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off – you practice that? Or was that a little lucky? He refused to answer that question. But I just want to tell you that the members of this great hockey squad will be very happy to hear, based on their vote and my vote. And in this case, my vote was more important, that I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor, which we will be given and which has been given to many athletes over the years. But when I say many, not too many, like 12, it’s called the highest civilian honor in our country. The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Great athletes have gotten that. Very great, the best. And I thought he deserved it. And I did take a vote. Every single one of them. I said, I’m not giving it if anybody goes no, and every single one of them rapidly put up their hand. So I want to thank you all. What a special job you did. What special champions you are. Thank you very much.

I’m also pleased to say that the next time the Olympic torch is lit, it will be here in America for the 2028 Olympics. And it’s the summer version, right? In Los Angeles. We’re going to do a good job in Los Angeles. And Los Angeles is going to be safe, just like Washington, D.C. is now one of the safest cities in the country. And this year, and I must say, I got them both. I got them in the first term. And I was disappointed because I didn’t think I’d be the president when this happened. But strange things took place, and now I’ve got them because I got the Olympics. And I’ve got the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and I wanted to claim the 250th, but I didn’t get away with that one. I couldn’t claim that one for myself. But we’re getting the World Cup, so we have the World Cup and the Olympics coming and that is exciting news.

So this will be a year to celebrate our country and the heroes who have kept it free. Men like Buddy Taggart. At age 17, Buddy volunteered to defend America in World War II, serving in the Pacific under the great General Douglas MacArthur. He fought bravely in the famous Battle of Manila. He worked so hard he was badly wounded and almost killed by enemy machine guns at Luzon. And 81 years ago this month, he liberated the largest internment camp in the Philippines, one of the largest anywhere in the world. But he earned many honors, including a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, came home, started a family, and tonight he is in the gallery, looking forward to July 4th, 2026, his 100th birthday. So Buddy, you’re a brave man and we salute you.

Even in times of challenge, setback and immense heartache, the spirit of 1776 has always shone through very brightly. It was July 4th of last year when floodwaters tore through a girls summer camp in central Texas. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen. I was there, rising 26 feet in a matter of minutes, tragically claiming many, many lives. You all remember that one. As the waters threatened to sweep her away, 11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond closed her eyes and prayed to God. She thought she was going to die. Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above. Nobody knew where he came from. It was Scott’s first ever rescue mission — young guy, but very brave, very, very top. Always top in his class. And he lifted not just Milly Cate, but 164 others to safety.

People watched Scott from a distance and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The winds were blowing, the rain was pouring, everything was going. And that rapid water, nobody’s ever seen anything like it. They said, wow, that’s something. Tonight, Scott and Milly Cate are here together, reunited for the very first time. Thank you, Scott, Milly Cate. And Petty Officer Ruskan, I’m pleased to inform you that I am now awarding you the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism. Which is what it was, extraordinary heroism. Thank you. And I’d like to have the military aide to please come down and take care of this service. Military aide, thank you very much. Take care of that very important service. Thank you very much.

From 1776 to today, every generation of Americans has step forward to defend life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And they were doing it for the next generation. But now it’s our turn. Together we’re building a nation where every child has the chance to reach higher and go further. Where government answers to the people, not the powerful, and where the interests of hardworking American citizens are always our first and ultimate concern. That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us. And that is the promise we must keep to America for our 250th year.

Last year, I urged this Congress to begin the mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majorities delivered so beautifully. Thank you Republicans. All Democrats, every single one of them, voted against these really important and very necessary massive tax cuts. They wanted large-scale tax increases to hurt the people, instead. But we held strong. And with the great Big Beautiful Bill, we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors. And we also made interest on auto loans tax deductible. The first time, but only if the car is made in America.

Recently in Pennsylvania, I met Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who homeschools her children. Beautiful two children during the day, while waiting tables at night as her husband works overtime operating very heavy equipment. Megan is here this evening and she’s happy to tell you that she is so, so much richer because with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and our expanded child tax credit done again by Republicans, Megan and her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting her tax bill in more than half. Megan, please stand up. We’re fighting for you, Megan. Thank you, Megan. Thank you, Megan, we’re fighting for you Megan.

Under our bill, parents like Megan can also activate their children’s brand new Trump Accounts. And I didn’t name it. I did not. I did not name them. Nobody believes me, but I did not name it. It was named by a very tall man standing right there in the third row. Nice man, a good man. Tax free investment accounts for every American child. This is something that’s so special. Has taken off and gone through the roof. Millions will be refunded courtesy of the U.S. Treasury and private individuals like Michael and Susan Dell, who have donated 6 billion, 250 million dollars to fund the Trump accounts for 25 million American children. They’re great people.

When I asked Michael Dell, “How do you make all that money?” He said, “Well, I just sat in my dorm in school, and I made computers and I’d sell them to people. And I just kept selling and selling and selling and …” Pretty amazing story. That’s called the American Dream. He sold a lot of computers, a lot of those laptops. So I congratulate him on that. But I really thank him and Susan, as well as others like Brad Gerstner, a very tremendous guy. He was behind it right from the beginning. Brad Gerstner. Thank you, Brad.

So with modest additional contributions, these young people’s accounts could grow to over $100,000 or more by the time they turn 18. Think of it. How much money is that for somebody that started with nothing, over $100,000, could be much more than that. To make this investment in our children’s future, go to trumpaccounts.gov, trumpaccounts.gov. And a lot of people are doing it. They’re setting every record in the book. It’s popular. They knew what was going to, what it was going to take. So proud of them. I’m so proud of the people that got it started. And now it’s just taken off.

One of the primary reasons for our country’s stunning economic turnaround, the biggest in history — where the Dow Jones broke 50,000 four years ahead of schedule, and the S&P hit 7,000, where it wasn’t supposed to do it for many years — were tariffs. I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a national security basis. Everything was working well. Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars. They were ripping us so badly. You all know that? Everybody knows it. Even the Democrats know it. They just don’t want to say it. And yet these countries are now happy and so are we. We made deals — the deals are all done and they’re happy. They’re not making money like they used to. But we’re making a lot of money. There was no inflation, tremendous growth. And the big story was how Donald Trump called the economy correctly and 22 Nobel Prize winners in economics didn’t. They got it totally wrong. They got it really wrong. And then just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court, it just came down, came down. Very unfortunate ruling.

But the good news is that almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made — right, Scott? — knowing that the legal power that I, as president, have to make a new deal could be far worse for them, and, therefore, they will continue to work along the same successful path that we had negotiated before the Supreme Court’s unfortunate involvement. So, despite the disappointing ruling, these powerful countries saving, is saving our country the kind of money we’re taking in, peace protecting — many of the wars I’ve settled was because of the threat of tariffs, I wouldn’t have been able to settle them without — will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes. And they have been tested for a long time. They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better — leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before. Congressional action will not be necessary. It’s already time-tested and approved. And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love.

Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment and trillions and trillions of dollars will continue pouring into the United States of America because we finally have a president who puts America first. I put America first. I love America. For decades before I came along, we had the exact opposite. From trade to health care, from energy to immigration, everything was stolen and rigged in order to drain the wealth out of the productive, hardworking people who make our country great, who make our country run. Under Biden and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond, it reached a breaking point with the Green New Scam, open borders for everyone — they poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions, they were murderers — 11,888 murders — they came into our country, you allowed that to happen. And record-setting inflation that cost the typical family $34,000 in just a speck of time.

Now, the same people in this chamber who voted for those disasters suddenly used the word affordability, a word, they just used it because somebody gave it to them, knowing full well that they caused and created the increased prices that all of our citizens had to endure. You caused that problem. You caused that problem. They knew their statements were a lie, they knew it, they knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie. Their policies created the high prices. Our policies are rapidly ending them. We are doing really well. Those prices are plummeting downward. The price of eggs is down 60%, Madam Secretary, thank you. The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent is lower today than when I took office by a lot. And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly. Just hold on a little while. We’ll get that down. And soon you will see numbers that few people would think were possible to achieve just a short time ago.

Nobody can believe when they see the kind of numbers, and especially energy, when they see energy going down to numbers like that, they cannot believe it. It’s like another big tax cut. I’m also confronting one of the biggest rip-offs of our times, the crushing cost of health care, caused by you. Since the passage of the “Unaffordable Care Act,” sometimes referred to as Obamacare, big insurance companies have gotten rich. It was meant for the insurance companies, not for the people. With our government giving them hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year, as their stock prices soared 1,000, 1,200, 1,400 and even 1,700%, like nothing else. That’s why I introduced the great health care plan. I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people, so they can buy their own health care, which will be better health care at a much lower cost. In addition, my plan requires maximum price transparency. That’s a big deal. Sounds so simple, so big. And I did that in my first term and the Democrats immediately terminated it, with the full knowledge that they were doing a very bad thing for the people. Costs were going to go way up and that’s what happened, and now I’m bringing them way down on health care and everything else.

I’m also ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs like has never happened before. Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They tried, most didn’t try, actually, but they tried, they said they tried. They couldn’t do it. They didn’t even come close. They were all talk and no action. But I got it done, under my just-enacted most-favored nation agreements, Americans who have for decades paid by far the highest prices of any nation anywhere in the world for prescription drugs will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for drugs, anywhere, the lowest price.

So, in my first year of my second term — should be my third term, but strange things happen — I took prescription drugs. a very big part of health care, from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest. That’s a big achievement. The result is price differences of 300, 400, 500, 600% and more, all available right now at a new website called trumprx.gov — and I didn’t name that one, either, by the way. And here tonight is the very first customer ever to get that big discount, and it is big, Catherine Rayner. For five years, she and her husband have struggled with infertility and they turned to IVF. One drug has been costing Catherine $4,000 to purchase, but a few weeks ago she logged onto the TrumpRX website and got that same drug that cost $4,000, got it for under $500, a reduction of much more, actually, than $3,500. Catherine, we are all praying for you and you’re going to be a great mom.

So now I’m calling on Congress to codify my most-favored-nation program into law. Now, the one thing I’m not sure it matters, because it’s going to be very hard for somebody that comes along after me to say, let’s raise drug prices by 700 or 800%. But, John and Mike, if you don’t mind, codify it anyway, they may do it. Codify it anyway. Thank you. And many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills. Tonight, I’m pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new ratepayer protection pledge. You know what that is? We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no one’s prices will go up and in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community, and very substantially then.

This is a unique strategy never used in this country before. We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them they can build their own plant, they’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to get electricity, while at the same time lowering prices of electricity for you and could be very substantial. For all of these cities and towns, you’re going to see some good things happen over the next number of years.

Another pillar of the American dream that has been under attack has been home ownership. With us tonight is Rachel Wiggins, a mom of two from Houston. She placed bids on 20 homes and lost all of those bids to gigantic investment firms that bypassed inspection, paid all cash and turned all those houses into rentals, stealing away her American dream. She was devastated. Stories like this are why last month I signed executive order to ban large Wall Street investment firms are buying up in the thousands single family homes. And now I’m asking Congress to make that ban permanent, because homes for people, really that’s what we want, we want homes for people, not for corporations. Corporations are doing just fine. Rachel, thank you very much. Good luck with your home. You’ll get one soon.

We’re also working to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement. And under this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare. They are not protecting it for our seniors. We will always protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Since I took office, the typical 401(k) balance is up by at least $30,000. That’s a lot of money. We have millions and millions of people. Because the stock market has done so well, setting all those records. Your 401(k)s are way up. Yet half of all of working Americans still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer. To remedy this gross disparity, I’m announcing that next year my administration will give these oft-forgotten American workers, great people, the people that built our country, access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker. We will match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year, as we ensure that all Americans can profit from a rising stock market.

Let’s also ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information. They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up, if she’s here? Doubt it. Pass the Stop Insider Trading Act without delay. I wasn’t sure if anybody even on this side was going to applaud for that. I’m very impressed. Thank you. I’m very impressed. But when it comes to the corruption that is plundering, really, it’s plundering America, there’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer. We have all the information. And, in actuality, the number is much higher than that. And California, Massachusetts, Maine and many other states are even worse.

This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation, and we are working on it like you wouldn’t believe. So tonight, although started four months ago, I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great Vice President JD Vance. He’ll get it done. And we’re able to find enough of that fraud, we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It’ll go very quickly. That’s the kind of money you’re talking about. We’ll balance our budget. The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception. Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings us problems right here to the USA. And it is the American people who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and perhaps most importantly, crime. We will take care of this problem. We’re going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games.

Dalilah. Dalilah Coleman was only five years old in June 2024, when a 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life. She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk. And she’s here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please. You are a great inspiration. Please stand up. Thank you, Dalilah. Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger or location. That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Dalilah law – barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

And yesterday, as you probably saw at the White House, I hosted a ceremony with Americans who lost their treasured loved ones to the scourge of illegal immigration. People came into our country. How we allowed this to happen with our open borders. These are the angel moms and families that for decades our government betrayed and our media totally ignored. Totally. It was terrible. Hard to believe, actually. In 2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Lizbeth Medina was supposed to perform in her town’s Christmas parade, but she never arrived. Her mother, Jacqueline, went home to look for her, and she found her lying dead in a bathtub, bleeding profusely after being stabbed 25 times. Lizbeth’s killer was a previously arrested illegal alien who had broken in and brutally, just brutally extinguished the brightest light in her family’s life. Violently and viciously. Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to remind everyone in this chamber exactly why we are deporting illegal alien criminals. Our country had record numbers, and we’re getting them the hell out of here fast. We don’t want ’em. Thank you very much, Jacqueline. Thank you.

We can never forget that many in this room not only allowed the border invasion to happen before I got involved, but indeed, they would do it all over again if they ever had the chance. If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress. Thank you. As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. It’s all cut off, all cut off. They have instituted another Democrat shutdown, the first one costing us two points on GDP. Two points we lost on GDP, which probably made them quite happy actually. Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers. Tonight, I’m demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of the United States, and also for helping people clean up their snow. We have no money because of the Democrats, and it would be nice. We’d love to give you a hand at cleaning it up, but you gave no money. Nobody’s getting paid. It’s a shame. So you have to think about it. We have, in case you didn’t know, a pretty large snowstorm out there. One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe. So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.

Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself. That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens. In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country. They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself.

And perhaps most importantly, I’m asking you to approve the SAVE America Act, to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections, the cheating is rampant in our elections. It’s rampant. It’s very simple. All voters must show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military or travel. None. And this should be an easy one and, by the way, is polling at 89%, including Democrats, 89%. And even the new communist mayor of New York City. I think he’s a nice guy, actually speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy. Just said they want people to shovel snow. They got hit hard. Wants them to shovel snow. But if you apply for that job, you need to show two original forms of ID and a Social Security card.

Yet they don’t want identification for the greatest privilege of them all: voting in America. No, it’s no good, no good. Both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly agree on the policy that we just enunciated, and Congress should unite and enact this common sense, country saving legislation right now. And it should be before anything else happens.

And the reason they don’t want to do it, why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason, because they want to cheat. There’s only one reason. They make up all excuses. They say it’s racist. They come up with things. You almost say what imagination they have. They want to cheat, they have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat. And we’re going to stop it. We have to stop it, John.

And here is one more opportunity to show common sense in government.

In the gallery tonight are Sage Blair and her mother, Michele. In 2021, Sage was 14 when school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Before long, a confused Sage ran away from home. After she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland, a left-wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not immediately state that their daughter was their son. Sage was thrown into an all-boys state home and suffered terribly for a long time. But today, all of that is behind them. Because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full ride scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Rachelle, please stand up. And thank you for your great bravery.

And who can believe that we’re even speaking about things like this? 15 years ago, if somebody was up here and said that, they’d say, “What’s wrong with him?” But now we have to say it because it’s going on all over numerous states. They’re not even telling the parents. But surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.

Nobody stands up, these people are crazy. I’m telling them they’re crazy. Amazing. Boy, oh boy. We’re lucky we have a country with people like this — Democrats are destroying our country. But we’ve stopped it just in the nick of time, didn’t we?

No one cares more about protecting America’s youth than our wonderful First Lady. Now a movie star, a movie star. Who would have believed that?

Over the past year, she has had an incredible impact championing AI legislation, advancing a landmark executive order on foster care, and helping secure $30 million to launch the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Initiative. It’s a tremendous, really a tremendous thing that happened and had a lot of bipartisan support. She gets much better bipartisan support than I do. I get none, she gets a lot. Someday, you’re gonna have to tell me how you did that. And students and educators in every state have joined the First Lady’s efforts in the presidential AI challenge, keeping America’s next generation positioned to succeed and strongly succeed in the future. Tonight, we welcome two young people whose lives reflect the First Lady’s impact: Sierra Burns and Everest Nevraumont. Thank you both. And Melania, thank you. I know how hard you worked on it.

Thank you very. I’m very proud to say that during my time in office, both the first four years and in particular this last year, there has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God. This is especially true among young people, and a big part of that had to do with my great friend Charlie Kirk. Great guy. Great guy.

So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin. And martyred, really, martyred for his beliefs. His wonderful wife, Erika is with us tonight. Erika, please stand. Thank you. Erika, thank you a lot. In Charlie’s memory, we must all come together to reaffirm that America is one nation under God. And we must totally reject political violence of any kind. We love religion, and we love bringing it back. And it’s coming back at levels that nobody actually thought possible. It’s really a beautiful thing to see. Above all, unleashing America’s promise requires keeping our communities safe. We have made incredible strides, yet dangerous repeat offenders continue to be released by pro-crime Democrat politicians again and again.

We are honored to be joined tonight by a woman who’s been through hell, Anna Zarutska. In 2022, she and her beautiful daughter — so beautiful, what a beautiful young woman — Iryna fled war-torn, war-torn Ukraine to live with relatives near Charlotte, North Carolina. And by the way, what’s going on with Charlotte? Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget. There were people on that train. No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She had escaped a brutal war, only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America. Came in through open borders. Mrs. Zarutska, tonight, I promise you, we will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter, Iryna.

How do you not stand, how do you not stand? I’m asking this Congress to pass tough legislation to ensure that violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars, and, importantly, that they stay there.

Starting last summer, I deployed our National Guard and federal law enforcement to restore law and order to our most dangerous cities, including Memphis, Tennessee — big success. New Orleans, Louisiana. A big success in our nation’s capital itself, Washington, D.C., where we have almost no crime anymore in Washington, D.C. How did that happen? In fact, crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded, and murders in D.C. this January were down close to 100% from a year ago. They don’t like to hear that.

One of the brave service members who helped achieve this stunning turnaround was 20-year-old West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. After a four-month deployment, she voluntarily extended her service. Her rank was going to be lifted and she was doing so well and they were so proud of her. But the very next day, she was on patrol in the White House when she was ambushed and shot in the head by a terrorist monster from Afghanistan. Shouldn’t have been in our country. And all because she wore the uniform of our nation. She was shot. He traveled here because he didn’t like people wearing our uniform. He was sick, and deranged. Shouldn’t have been in our country. Sarah Beckstrom died in order to defend our capital, and we are honored to be joined by her wonderful parents, Gary and Evalea. Your daughter was a true American patriot and she will be greatly missed. She was a great person. I saw reports on her, they’ve never seen anything like it. So sorry. Thank you very much. A great young lady. I saw reports they were like, perfect, she’s perfect.

Serving alongside Sarah that day was Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. The terrorist shot Andrew in the head, and no one thought he could possibly make it. The two of them, Sarah and Andrew, shot violently in the head. Neither was expected to make it. They weren’t even given any chance. Except his wonderful mother, named Melanie, who I spoke to the same night, and she was so positive. The doctors thought that Andrew was gone, but his mother said, “No, no, Mr. President, Andrew will be be fine. He’s going to make it.” I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, he was given almost no chance. She said, “I have no doubt, Sir, he’s going to be okay.” This was the conversation that I had with her that night, with her son laying in bed, blood all over. Everybody is praying. She said, “Sir, he will be okay.” The doctors didn’t understand what she was saying and after looking at the results of the damage done, neither did I. She was so strong and conclusive that even Andrew’s great father felt she didn’t really understand the gravity of the situation, but she turned out to be right. Right, Melanie? She turned out to be right.

Amazing actually. I said “where does this woman come from, she’s the most positive person I’ve ever met?” With God’s help, Andrew has battled back from the edge of death. And we’re talking about the edge of death, on his way to a miraculous recovery. He’s got a little work to do, but he’s doing great. Nice to see you — he’s a good-looking guy. Nice to see you. Thanks, Andrew. Thank you very much.

So Andrew now you’re up, I’m going to ask a highly respected Gen. James Seward to present Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and the great family of Sarah Beckstrom with the award created by our late, great president, George Washington himself. It’s called the Purple Heart.

We love you all. Love you.

We’re proudly restoring safety for Americans at home, and we are also restoring security for Americans abroad. Our country has never been stronger. My first 10 months, I ended eight wars, including Cambodia.

Isn’t it funny? You sick people.

Cambodia and Thailand. Pakistan and India would have been a nuclear war. 35 million people said the Prime Minister of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement. Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia. Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Congo and Rwanda. And of course, the war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very low level. It’s just about there. And I want to thank Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for your help. Thank you Steve. Thank you Jared. And I also want to thank the man they report to Secretary of State. Marco Rubio.

Thank you. Thank. People like you. You know, Marco got 100% of the votes when he was in confirmation — I think our next one was about 54%. And some of the Democrats are now saying, I can’t believe we approved that guy. And he said, it’s an honor that they feel that way. Right, Marco? You have done a great job, great Secretary of state. I think he’ll go down as the best ever. Under the cease fire, I negotiated every single hostage, both living and dead, has been returned home. Can you believe that?

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody thought that was possible.

Both living and dead. And those parents who had a dead son, their boy, they’d always tell me their boy. They wanted him as much as though he were living. That was an amazing period of time. And they came back. And when we got all of the living hostages back and many, many before them. But I always said those last 20 are going to be very tough. But we got many, many more hundreds. But I said those last 20 are going to be tough. We got them back, but we only got back 14 or 15 of the dead of the 28

And believe it or not, Hamas worked along with Israel and they dug and they dug and they dug. It’s a tough — it’s a tough thing to do, going through bodies all over, passing up 100 bodies sometimes for each one that they found.

Tough job and they finally got it back to 27 and then Steve and Jared they got it back to 28. They found all 28 nobody thought that was possible but we did it and I remember the family of the 28th they were so grieved but they were so happy as happy as it’s possible to be they had their boy back. The mother said ‘sir we have our boy back.’ What a period of time that was, but we got them all back, so thank you both very much.

And we’re working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month — think of that, 25,000 soldiers are dying a month. A war which would have never happened if I were president. Would have never happened.

As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must. That’s why in a breakthrough operation last June, the United States military obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil known as Operation Midnight Hammer. For decades, it has been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Many decades. Since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate. They’ve killed and maimed thousands of American service members and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people. With what’s called roadside bombs. They were the kings of the roadside bomb. And we took out Soleimani. I did that during my first term. Had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb. And just over the last couple of months with the protests, they’ve killed at least, it looks like, 32,000 protesters — 32,000 protesters in their own country. They shot them and hung them. We stopped them from hanging a lot of them with the threat of serious violence.

But this is some terrible people. They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America. After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, and in particular nuclear weapons, yet they continue. They’re starting it all over. We wiped it out and they want to start it all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words, “We will never have a nuclear weapon.” My preference, my preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.

And no nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful military on earth. I rebuilt the military in my first term. We’re going to continue to do so also, which is to prove a trillion-dollar budget. We have no choice. We have to be strong, because hopefully we will seldom have to use this great power that we built together. It’s really called peace through strength, that has been very, very effective.

So thanks to Republicans in Congress, we’re investing that record number of dollars — we have no choice — in the United States Armed Forces, also creating a lot of jobs, but we’re not even doing it for that reason. Because as I said, we have more jobs, more people working today than ever before in the history of our country. And NATO countries, our friends and allies — they are, they’re our friends and they’re our allies — have just agreed, at my very strong request, to pay 5% of GDP for military defense rather than the 2%, which they weren’t paying, we were paying for almost all of that. Now they’re paying 5, as opposed to not paying 2. And getting that 5% was something which everyone said would never be done, could not happen. We got it really easily with one meeting. And a big difference between 2% that’s not paid, we were paying the freight of many of them, very few were paid up, now 5% then they’re paid. And everything we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO and they pay us in full. They pay us totally in full, every branch of our Armed Forces is setting records for recruitment. This is so exciting.

And every service member. And every service member recently received a warrior dividend of $1,776. You know, they cleared up my desk, we got the money from tariffs and other things, a lot of money we have with, much more money than people understand, have to rebuild that program a little bit but it won’t take long. But we got all the money and it was $1,775 and they wanted my approval. And I said, what’s the number? $1,775. I said, wait a minute, for one more dollar, we can have $1,776. I said, we’re going to figure that out. I never asked anybody if we could afford it. One more dollar. I said $1,776. And I said that’s good. And I’ll tell you what, our military, that was four months ago, I never see a person in the military that doesn’t thank me for it. So we’re honored to do it. They deserve it. And we call it “1776.” It was great. And we love our military. We love our law enforcement. We love a fireman. The firemen don’t get mentioned enough. We love firemen.

We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference for years. Large swaths of territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico, really large parts of Mexico, have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and I declared illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. And with our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country and virtually stopped it completely coming in by water or sea, you probably noticed that. You’ve very seriously damaged their fishing industry, also. Nobody wants to go fishing anymore. We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday.

In January, in January, elite American warriors carried out one of the most complex, spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history. No one’s seen anything like it. Foreign leaders, I won’t tell you who, called me and they said, very impressive, very impressive. They couldn’t believe, they all watched, they saw what happened. This is a different fighting force than we had years ago when we fought to tie. You know, it’s a great fighting force. I’m so proud of it. Look at Space Force. Space Force is my baby. As we did that, my baby is becoming so important. And America’s Armed Forces overwhelmed all defenses and utterly defeated a an enemy — good fighters — to end the reign of outlawed dictator Nicolas Maduro and bring him to face American justice. And this was an absolutely a colossal victory for the security of the United States. A bright new beginning for the people of Venezuela. We’re working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries and to bring new hope to those who have suffered so terribly. They really did suffer.

With us tonight is Alejandro Gonzalez. She grew up in a tight-knit Venezuelan family and was especially close to her beloved Uncle Enrique. But after Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was kidnapped by Maduro’s security forces and thrown into the regime’s really infamous prison in Caracas. Alejandro feared she would never see her uncle again. She feared for her own life, also. But since the raid, we have worked with the new leadership, and they have ordered the closure of that vile prison and released hundreds of political prisoners already with more to come.

Alejandro, I’m pleased to inform you that not only has your uncle been released, but he is here tonight. We brought him over to celebrate his freedom with you in person. Enrique, please come down. Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. Nice to have you back, Enrique.

There were many heroes on that January raid to capture Maduro. Really great heroes. It was very dangerous. They knew we were coming. They were all set. But the deeds of one warrior that night will live forever in the eternal chronicles of military valor. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover planned the mission and was the flight lead in the cockpit of the first helicopter. A big, beautiful, powerful helicopter. Was a massive Chinook carrying, as you can imagine, many, many American warfighters wearing the dog tags his wife Amy had blessed with holy water before he left. She knew it was going to be a rough one. Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduro’s heavily protected military fortress. This was a major military installation, protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military technology. How did that work out? Not too good.

While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle. And Eric was hit, very badly, in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces. And yet, despite the fact that the use of his legs was vital to successful helicopter flight, Mike said the most important part of flying a helicopter to deliver the many commanders who would capture and detain Maduro was the only thing Eric was thinking about. And even as he was gushing blood, which was flowing back down the aisle – helicopter lands at a steep angle. The machine guns stood right in front of him. They were right in front of him. Two machine-gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous planes. Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy, and let his gunners eliminate the threat, turn the helicopter around so the gunners could take care of business, saving the lives of his fellow warriors from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.

Only after safely landing the helicopter with all the warriors aboard in the exact right spot, which was vital to the mission, probably would have happened. Maybe cancel the mission if that didn’t happen. Eric told his copilot, also wounded, but not as gravely, to take over. I’m about ready to pass out. The success of the entire mission, and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge on Eric’s ability to take searing pain. It was unbelievable what’s happened to his legs. Of the bullets and keep on flying and landing. People knew what was happening. Everybody in the back of the helicopter knew because they saw the blood pouring down the aisle. Chief Warrant Officer Slover is still recovering from his serious wounds, but I’m thrilled to say that he is here tonight with his wife, Amy. Eric and Amy, come on in. So we have a surprise, Eric and Amy. In recognition of Eric’s actions above and beyond the call of duty, I would now like to ask General Jonathan Braga to present Chief Warrant Officer Slover with our nation’s highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Well, thank you very much, Eric and Amy. Great to get to know you. I met with them and with a lot of their fellow warriors at Fort Bragg recently. You notice the name Fort Bragg. We have it back. We brought it back. We won the First World War with it, the Second World War with it, and then they decided to change the name. But we changed it back. Everybody wanted it changed back too. And 10 of Eric’s fellow warriors from that incredible night of victory will also be receiving medals at a private ceremony that will soon be held at the White House. And it will be the.

Thank you, Eric. That’s a big one. Tonight we’ve celebrated many truly extraordinary American patriots. But there is one last living legend to honor before we go. He is one more heroic American aviator, Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, flying more than 220 missions in the skies over Korea. In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime. Legendary dogfight. Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew. But tonight, at 100 years old, his brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He was a legend long before this evening. Royce, please stand up and I will ask the first lady of the United States to present Captain Royce Williams with his Congressional Medal of Honor.

Thank you Eric. I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m not allowed to give it to myself, and I wouldn’t know why I’d be taking it. But if they ever opened up that law I will be there with you someday. But you know, that’s our highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. And that’s a big thing. And it’s an honor to be in the same room with you. Thank you both very much. Thank you.

Thank you. Two-hundred fifty years is a long time in the life of a nation. But in another sense, it’s really a mere moment in the eye of history. Two of the gentlemen we met in the gallery this evening took their first breaths one century ago. One hundred years before that, on July 4th, 1826, the author of the Declaration of Independence, brilliant Thomas Jefferson, drew his last breath. Just a single long human life span separates the giants who declared and won our independence from the heroes who stand among us tonight.

Everything our nation has done, everything we have achieved, has been the work of those few great lifetimes. In those brief chapters, Americans built this nation from 13 humble colonies into the pinnacle of human civilization and human freedom. The strongest, wealthiest, most powerful, most successful nation in all of history. Americans ventured out across the daunting and dangerous continent. We carved pass through an unforgiving wilderness, settled a boundless frontier, and tamed the beautiful but very, very dangerous wild west. From empty marshes and wide-open plains, we raised up the world’s greatest cities. Together we mastered the world’s mightiest industries, shattered history’s monstrous tyrannies. And we liberated millions from the chains of fascism, communism, oppression and terror.

Americans lifted humanity into the skies or the wings of aluminum and steel. And then we launched mankind into the stars on rockets powered by sheer American will and unyielding American pride. We wired the globe with our ingenuity. We captivated the planet with American culture and now we are pioneering the next great American breakthroughs that will change the entire world. All of this, and so much more, is the enduring legacy, unmatched glory of the hard-working patriots who built and defended this country and who still carry the hopes and freedoms on all of humanity’s backs. For years, they were forgotten, betrayed, and cast aside. But that great betrayal is over, and they will never be forgotten again. Because when the world needs courage, daring, vision and inspiration, it is still turning to America.

And when God needs a nation to work his miracles, he knows exactly who to ask. There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome, no frontier too vast for us to conquer, no dream too bold for us to chase, no horizon too distant for us to claim. For our destiny is written by the hand of Providence. And these first 250 years were just the beginning. From the rugged border towns of Texas to the heartland villages of Michigan, from the sun-kissed shores of Florida to the endless hills of the Dakotas, and from the historic streets of Philadelphia to right here in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., the golden age of America is upon us.

The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended. It still continues because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot, and our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.

UTJ MK Meir Porush on Wednesday delivered the second part of a speech he began in the Knesset plenum on Tuesday, during which he referred to the “Losers’ Government,” composed of members from various parties who served in the previous government and desperately want to be re-elected.

According to Porush, what distinguishes the members of the “Losers Government” is that they have nothing real to offer the public. “So what is their solution?” Porush asked. “Incitement, division, and hatred—of Chareidim, of course.”

On Wednesday, Porush said: “Two days ago, I spoke here about members of the ‘Losers’ Government’—Lapid, Bennett, Lieberman, Golan, and Hendel. Today, I want to speak about the ‘Attorney General of the Losers’ Government,’ and it is directly connected to the subject of this debate. Attorney Miara, who was dismissed by the elected government, was appointed by the Supreme Court as the Attorney General of the Losers’ Government.“

“And why is this important? Because today we are discussing, at the request of Shas MK Moshe Abutbul, the lack of effective enforcement against injuries caused by electric scooters and bikes. The words ‘effective enforcement’ are important—and Miara thinks so too. How do I know? Because she constantly talks about ‘effective enforcement.’“

“What kind of ‘effective enforcement’? Against bnei yeshivos, of course. On that issue, there are multi-participant meetings, urgent letters, and threats in responses to the Supreme Court against the government. On that, there is ‘effective enforcement’—although it doesn’t bring results—but that’s another matter.”

“What is there no effective enforcement for? There is no effective enforcement against crime in the Arab sector that causes murders almost daily, none against spyware crimes—on that there is effective concealment—and not even against injuries from electric scooters and bicycles.“

“So Attorney Miara sees no need to convene discussions, send letters, or threaten Supreme Court action—so there is silence. So what if people are murdered by Arab criminals? So what if people are injured by scooters and electric bikes? It doesn’t interest her.“

“The members of the ‘Losers’ Government’ and their legal advisers care about one thing above all—incitement and persecution of lomdei torah. Losers—we’re tired of you.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets of Yerushalayim on Wednesday evening following a rally protesting the arrest of yeshiva students over military conscription, blocking a major roadway and prompting police to use crowd-control measures, including a water cannon.

The protest followed a large gathering organized by the Eidah HaChareidis against what participants referred to as the “conscription decree.” After the rally concluded, groups of protesters moved onto Chaim Bar-Lev Boulevard, where they blocked traffic and clashed with police forces at the scene.

Demonstrators obstructed the roadway with their bodies, and some descended onto the nearby light rail tracks. During the unrest, trash bins and metal barriers were dragged into the center of the street in an apparent effort to halt traffic and disrupt normal activity in the area.

Yerushalayim District police units were dispatched to the scene and worked to disperse the crowd. Police said officers used crowd-dispersal methods in order to restore public order, push back those involved in the disturbances, and reopen the roads that had been blocked.

In a statement, a police spokesperson emphasized that “The Israel Police will act to allow protest and freedom of expression for every citizen, but will not allow a breach of public order, blocking of roads, and disruption of daily life.”

As a result of the events, heavy traffic congestion was reported along Chaim Bar-Lev Boulevard and surrounding streets. Drivers were advised to seek alternate routes.

{Matzav.com}

Snow gathered on solar panels on top of a Lakewood home slid off as a large chunk, shattering a Tesla’s glass roof.

Nobody was injured.

NEW YORK (AP) — As he watched the Boston Celtics play from the stands of TD Garden, one noise kept catching Adel Djellouli’s ear.

“This squeaking sound when players are sliding on the floor is omnipresent,” he said. “It’s always there, right?”

Squeaky shoes are part of the symphony of a basketball game, when rubber soles rasp against the hardwood floors as players jab step, cut and pivot and defenders move their feet to stay in front of their assignment.

Returning home from the game, Djellouli wondered how that sound was produced. And as a materials scientist at Harvard University, he had a way to find out.

Djellouli and colleagues slid a sneaker against a smooth glass plate over and over. They recorded the squeaks with a microphone and filmed the whole thing with a high speed camera to see what was happening under the shoe.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they described what they found. As the shoe works hard to keep its grip, tiny sections of the sole change shape as they momentarily lose then regain contact with the floor thousands of times per second — at a frequency that matches the pitch of the loud squeak we hear.

“That squeaking is basically your shoe rippling, or creating wrinkles that travel super fast. They repeat at a high frequency, and this is why you get that squeaky noise,” Djellouli said.

The grip patterns on the soles may also play a role. When researchers slid blocks of flat, featureless rubber against the glass, they saw a series of chaotic, disorganized ripples but didn’t hear squeaks.

The ridge-like designs on the bottom of your shoes may organize the bursts to produce a clear, high-pitched sound.

Other researchers have studied these kinds of bursts before, but this sneaker study examines friction happening at much faster speeds. And for the first time, it links the speedy pulses with the squeaking sound they produce.

These insights don’t just serve to satisfy the curiosity of a basketball fan. They could also help answer important practical questions. “Friction is one of the oldest and most intricate problems in physics,” wrote physicist Bart Weber in an editorial accompanying the new research. Yet, despite its practical importance, he wrote, “it is difficult to predict and control.”

Understanding friction better could help scientists better understand how the Earth’s tectonic plates slide and grind during earthquakes, for example, or to save energy by reducing friction and wear.

It could also help eliminate moments off the court when squeaky shoes can be a little awkward or embarrassing, such as in a quiet office hallway.

This research doesn’t offer a fix, though the internet has plenty of advice that may be risky, including rubbing soap or a dryer sheet on the soles. But some of the insights from the study could help to design squeak-free shoes in the future.

For example, one additional experiment found that changing the thickness of the rubber could make the squeak sound lower or higher in pitch. In the future, could we fine-tune our shoes to squeak in a pitch so high we can’t even hear it?

“We can now start designing for it,” said Weber, who is with the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography and the University of Amsterdam, in an interview. “We can start making interfaces that either do it if we want to hear this sound, or don’t do it if we don’t want to hear it.”

Two days before New York’s biggest snowstorm in a decade began, forecasters were still unsure how much snow would fall. One traditional US model had consistently predicted a major hit, while newer artificial intelligence systems weren’t so certain.

The long-running Global Forecast System, or GFS, signaled the storm would be a whopper for much of the Northeast. Because of lingering skepticism about the GFS’ past performance – and the fact that it stood alone in predicting massive impacts – many forecasters waited until Friday afternoon before declaring the possibility of more than a foot of snow for parts of New York.

The totals reported by the US National Weather Service have been staggering: Central Park saw nearly 20 inches, one of its biggest snowstorms on record. On Long Island, snowfall measured at more than two feet.

Forecasting powerful winter storms is a distinctive challenge, scientists said. Unlike hurricanes, which form at sea and spend days barreling toward land, nor’easter storms often build and strike the East Coast within 24 hours. Providing advance warning for this week’s storm meant forecasting where incoming waves of cold air and moisture would land and interact with a streak of low pressure in the jet stream, days in advance.

So far, AI models haven’t made that task much easier, said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster for the US Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.

“There’s no perfect model yet,” Oravec said. “That’s the problem.”

In the US, storm warnings and alerts are issued by the National Weather Service and redistributed by commercial forecasters. A local office in Upton, New York, was responsible for safety advisories spanning New York City and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. Forecaster David Stark said staff waited to issue the first alerts until Friday due to lingering uncertainty about the storm’s path.

“We don’t like to put out warnings early and give a false sense of alarm if it’s not needed,” Stark said.

While the GFS – developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal science agency – was ultimately correct about the storm’s impacts on New York City, scientists said it overstated the threat in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and was slightly off on the storm’s duration.

Those mixed results are giving forecasters pause as the GFS now sees the possibility of another significant storm early next week.

At times, the GFS has predicted heavy wintry precipitation in the Northeast beginning early next week. A similar signal has been picked up by a traditional European forecast model, which is generally considered the best of its kind. But as of Tuesday morning, a powerful new European AI model sees a lower threat.

Though the models may continue to shift in the coming days, Columbia Climate School researcher Andrew Kruczkiewicz said he’s watching how forecasters prioritize AI predictions before warning the public about incoming storms.

“We’re so trained to think anything AI is better,” said Kruczkiewicz. “Even if models are considered better or high quality, decision-making is not necessarily simplified.”

(c) 2026, Bloomberg

(AP) – Crews in South Florida were trying to contain a wildfire in Big Cypress National Preserve that had burned more than 25,000 acres (100 square kilometers) near the immigration detention facility known as “ Alligator Alcatraz ” as of Wednesday.

A massive wildfire burning in southwestern Florida is sending thick smoke across Alligator Alley.

The National Fire, burning in Big Cypress National Preserve near the Florida Everglades, began on Sunday and has grown to 25,000 acres. The blaze remains uncontrolled.… pic.twitter.com/Ysd3jxfwdZ

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) February 25, 2026

The fire caused periodic lane closures due to smoke and poor visibility on the stretch of Interstate 75 known as Alligator Alley, which connects Florida’s east and west coasts and runs through the vast Everglades wetlands. Wildfires are common the dry winter season.

However, the wildfire posed no threat Wednesday to the state-run “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail, said Stephanie Hartman, director of communications for the Florida Department of Emergency Management.

“The fire is situated 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the west of the facility and is burning in the opposite direction. Thanks to the increased humidity levels, we are seeing faster fire recovery and containment,” she said.

“Alligator Alcatraz,” which opened last July on a little-used airfield deep in the Everglades, has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown and holds detainees who the federal government is seeking to deport.

Hartman said the department is in touch with local and state crews regarding the wildfires, who will give them a 24-hour notice if an evacuation at Alligator Alcatraz becomes necessary. She said evacuation procedures are well rehearsed, allowing a quick and efficient response.

She did not immediately respond to a question about the number of detainees at the facility.

When it opened in July 2025, state officials said “Alligator Alcatraz” would have a capacity for 3,000 detainees that could be expanded to 5,000. According to recent reports revealed during a series of court hearings in Fort Myers in late January, there were about 1,500 detainees.

A strong cold front Sunday also brought dry air, which resulted in red flag warning for fire conditions across much of the state, said Anthony Reynes, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

The relative humidity was increasing on Wednesday, helping ease the conditions that fueled the fire, Reynes said. Still, conditions remain ripe for wildfires due to winds from the south and dry soil and grass, he said.

He said very little rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week, meaning severe drought conditions are continuing across the state.

By Y.M. Lowy

In this week’s Dee Voch issue, you will find a special 40-page section featuring hundreds of photos including those from the snowstorm that affected communities across New York and New Jersey; the Satmar Rebbe’s trip to Sighet and to Manchester; the wedding for the granddaughter of the Satmar Rebbe; the wedding in Skver; the sheva brachos held in the home of the Munkatch Rebbe in honor of R’ Moshe Margareten of the organization Tzedek; the Siyum HaShas at Kollel Chevra Shas Toras Chaim of Bobov–45, where over one hundred lomdim complete the entire Shas each year; a kinnus for the bochurim of Dushinsky yeshiva addressing the challenges of technology; the wedding in the courts of Vizhnitz Boro Park and Vizhnitz Yerushalayim; the wedding of Kretsch­nif Siget of Williamsburg, Nadvorna Linsk, and Nafka; a nesiya of Rabbi Binyamin Eisenberger to mekomos hakdoshim in Europe; the Rachmistrivka Rebbe spending Shabbos with chassidim in England; the Pupa Rebbe spending Shabbos in Monsey; and finally the Kretsch­nif Kfar Ata Rebbe visiting New York.

In this week’s Shrift magazine, readers are introduced to an “alleged journalist” roaming the streets of Monsey, asking pointed questions and stirring curiosity. Who was hiding behind the mask? What were his motives? Was he trying to dig up dirt on our community?

The mystery, however, comes with a Purim twist. The figure behind the interviews was simply a Shrift writer in disguise, playfully echoing the style of outside agitators who have recently appeared in the neighborhood. Unlike those real-life encounters, this one was all in good humor — a creative and entertaining Purim feature.

In this week’s Business Shrift, R’ Dovid Nadler, owner of Dee Best, shares how his sweets and sugar company got started and how it grew into a major brand. He discusses the vision, challenges, and key decisions that turned a small idea into a large and successful operation.

In the Fink Magazine, readers will find an expanded Purim edition featuring a variety of festive, enjoyable content for the season. The issue includes special articles and stories that reflect the cheerful spirit of Purim.

In this week’s Kinder Shrift, and every week, children can enjoy wonderful content that combines education and fun, including exciting articles and entertaining features. This special upside down Purim edition adds extra playful content for the V’na’hapoch hu season.

Get your copy at grocery stores and local retailers, or subscribe via WhatsApp or the website!

WASHINGTON (AP) — A helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

Trump said Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, who appeared using a walker, was the pilot of the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” where Maduro was staying. The raid, while successful, left seven U.S. service members with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.

“While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle, and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another,” Trump said, adding that Slover “absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”

Months of covert planning led to the brazen operation that plunged the South American country’s capital into darkness as troops infiltrated Maduro’s home and whisked him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.

Trump’s description of Slover’s actions that night offer a new, detailed glimpse into the military action that has been largely shrouded in secrecy since it was carried out in the early hours of Jan. 3.

As Slover prepared to land his helicopter, he was confronted with “two machine gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous planes,” according to Trump.

“Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat,” Trump said, “saving the lives of his fellow warriors from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.”

The president said “the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinged on Eric’s ability to take searing pain.”

Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Joint Special Operations Command, presented Slover with the Medal of Honor in the gallery overlooking the House chamber.

Slover, 45, was in his dress uniform and used a walker to steady himself. Trump said the soldier was still recovering from his wounds.

Lt. Col. Allie Scott, a spokeswoman for Army Special Operations Command, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Slover enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 2005 and, after completing basic training, attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school, where he became a Chinook pilot.

Scott would not provide any further details on the units Slover had been assigned to during his Army service.

But, in his career of more than 20 years, Slover was given multiple prestigious awards for his service. They include two Distinguished Flying Crosses — including one with a V Device for valor — two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals and two Air Medals, among other awards and decorations, according to records provided by Scott.

Slover was awarded one of his Distinguished Flying Crosses just several years into his service while deployed to Afghanistan, according to a unit magazine available online. Slover, then serving with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, was one of six aviators to receive the prestigious award for “acts of heroism during aviation operations in southern Afghanistan” at Kandahar airfield, according to the January 2010 issue.

Slover’s records also say he has been awarded a Purple Heart.

Trump said 10 other service members who took part in the operation will be receiving medals at a private ceremony soon to be held at the White House.

The military typically shies away from publicly identifying service members who serve in special operations units, often going so far as to blur faces of troops undergoing training for admission into the elite units.

In addition to Slover, Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to retired Capt. E. Royce Williams, a Navy pilot who shot down multiple Soviet jets during the Korean War, upgrading his existing award of a Navy Cross.

Trump called the 100-year-old former fighter pilot “one of the last living legends.”

Antisemitic incidents in Italy surged to a record level in 2025, with nearly 1,000 cases reported nationwide, underscoring growing concerns about online radicalization and the normalization of hate speech in public life.

According to new data released by the Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation (CDEC), 963 antisemitic incidents were documented last year — the highest total since the organization began systematically tracking such cases.

The figure marks a sharp rise from previous years. CDEC recorded 241 incidents in 2022, 453 in 2023, and 877 in 2024, reflecting what researchers describe as a sustained and accelerating upward trend.

“This is no longer a marginal phenomenon,” CDEC researchers wrote in their annual report. “Antisemitic discourse is increasingly becoming normalized in Italian society.”

The majority of incidents in 2025 occurred in digital spaces. CDEC reported 643 cases involving social media platforms, messaging apps, and online forums, where conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, and anti-Jewish slurs circulate with limited oversight.

Physical and in-person incidents accounted for another 320 cases, including graffiti, vandalism, threats, and assaults.

Among the most serious incidents last year were the defacement of synagogues in Rome with Nazi slogans, physical attacks against Jewish individuals in Milan, and repeated verbal harassment in Venice, according to the report.

The rise in incidents coincides with troubling shifts in public opinion. A survey conducted last September found that roughly 15 percent of Italians consider attacks on Jews to be “justifiable” under certain circumstances — a finding CDEC researchers described as “deeply alarming.”

Experts say such attitudes reflect broader polarization in Italian politics and society, fueled in part by global conflicts, misinformation, and the erosion of trust in institutions.

“Once violence is framed as understandable or defensible, the moral barriers collapse,” said a senior CDEC analyst.

Beyond the raw numbers, CDEC’s report highlights what it calls a “shrinking civic space” for Jewish life in Italy. Researchers warn that antisemitic rhetoric is increasingly tolerated in mainstream discourse, undermining constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equality.

“In many environments — especially online — being openly Jewish is no longer perceived as fully legitimate,” the report states.

This normalization, analysts argue, makes it harder for authorities to intervene early and for victims to seek redress.

The findings are likely to intensify pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government to strengthen enforcement against hate crimes and regulate online platforms more aggressively.

While Italian officials have repeatedly condemned antisemitism, critics say government responses remain fragmented and reactive.

Opposition lawmakers have called for expanded monitoring of extremist networks, tougher penalties for online incitement, and greater funding for education.

Italy’s spike mirrors broader patterns across Europe, where Jewish communities have reported rising hostility in the wake of geopolitical crises and domestic political upheaval. But CDEC researchers caution that Italy’s trajectory is particularly concerning because of the speed of the increase and the apparent shift in social norms.

“Numbers tell only part of the story,” the report concludes. “The deeper danger lies in a society that is slowly learning to tolerate intolerance.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – A Rhode Island college football player died from carbon monoxide poisoning after he tried to charge his phone in his car during a massive snow storm in a power outage.

The storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people across the Northeast.

First responders found 21-year-old Salve Regina University student Joseph Boutros unresponsive in his car on Monday in Newport, Rhode Island, where he was parked outside of a university building. Police said the vehicle’s exhaust pipe was obstructed by snow and that his death from carbon monoxide poisoning was accidental.

The area didn’t have power at the time and Boutros told a fellow student that he was using his car to charge his phone, Newport Police Captain Joseph Carroll said. The university’s football team said they were “heartbroken” about Boutros’ death, which they announced in an Instagram post.

Many Rhode Island residents faced a third straight morning stuck in their homes on Wednesday as some residential streets remain unplowed.

Blizzards present a host of hazards, ranging from slippery ice to severe cold. But one of the most lethal risks posed by heavy snowfall is completely undetectable to humans.

Here is what to know about the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning — especially during power outages and cold weather.

Time of year with highest risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is higher in the winter and after heavy snowfall, according to the Centers for Disease Control. During cold weather, people are more likely to use furnaces and heaters that emit the lethal gas.

A number of malfunctions can obstruct proper ventilation, including snowfall that can block exhaust pipes or vents.

How does carbon monoxide affect the body
Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen to the body’s organs.

It can cause throbbing headaches, disorientation and drowsiness, followed by unconsciousness, convulsions and eventually death.

Why people die from exposure in the winter
When people use heating systems without proper air flow or ventilation — such as running their car in a closed garage, bringing grills inside or using gas stoves for personal heat — carbon monoxide can build up and become dangerous. That is especially common in tragic cases like the one that led to Boutros’ death on Monday, where people wait in their cars for long periods of time without realizing that an exhaust pipe is obstructed.

One of the most notable examples happened in 1978, when a snowstorm dropped two feet (0.6 meters) of snow across New England over the course of roughly 30 hours. Snow fell so fast that it trapped roughly 3,000 cars and 500 trucks along eight miles (13km) of one highway in Massachusetts, according to the New England Historical Society.

That year, 14 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting in their snowbound vehicles.

But the risk is not limited to just cars. More than three dozen people died in a historic 2022 storm, and at least one died from snow covering furnaces and sending carbon monoxide into their New York homes.

How to know whether it’s safe to stay in a car
Sitting in an idling car for a long time is usually safe, according to Jake Fisher, the senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. But drivers should keep an eye out for warning signs and have them inspected annually. Vehicles are more prone to exhaust leaks after a crash and should be inspected before they are put back on the road.

“Engines emit a lot of very dangerous chemicals and gases,” Fisher said. “If your car is not running right and you hear it sounding funny, you really do need to get it checked out.”

TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via  Whatsapp  or via email  [email protected]

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government said Wednesday that its soldiers killed four people aboard a speed boat registered in Florida that opened fire on officers in Cuban waters.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly one mile northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast.

It was unclear if any U.S. citizens were aboard.

The government provided the boat’s registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to verify details of the boat because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.

I agree with @RepCarlos. We need a full investigation into this deeply concerning situation and to determine what happened. The Communist Cuban regime must be held accountable! https://t.co/6S7wBrzlRq

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) February 25, 2026

Officials said one Cuban officer was injured, four suspects killed and six others injured.

It wasn’t immediately known what the boat and its occupants were doing in Cuban waters.

Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump touted a program during his State of the Union address Tuesday that created investment accounts for children born during Trump’s second term seeded with $1,000 per child from the federal government.

Republicans created the program, officially dubbed “Trump accounts,” through the GOP tax-and-spending law last summer.

“Tax-free investment accounts for every American child. This is something that’s so special,” Trump said during the speech.

He claimed the accounts “could grow to over $100,000 or more” by the time the child turns 18 years old.

Here’s what you need to know about the program:

Young children are eligible
Children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, are eligible for the accounts, which are a type of traditional IRA that allows for investments in index funds.

They must be U.S. citizens and have a valid Social Security number. The account would receive a one-time contribution of $1,000.

Children born before Jan. 1, 2025, but who are not yet 18 years old can also open accounts, but they would not receive the federal seed money.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that families had already applied to open some 3 million accounts, though the program doesn’t officially begin until this summer.

How they work
Parents can file to open the accounts beginning this tax filing season using IRS Form 4547, named for Trump’s presidential terms.

The authentication process begins in May, and the administration says the seed money would be available in accounts July 4. The child would own the account, while the parent can act as a custodian until they turn 18.

Withdrawals would be taxable until they reach retirement age, unless the beneficiary is using the money for education, a first-time home purchase, birth or adoption costs, or medical expenses.

Who can contribute
In addition to the federal seed money, any adult can contribute to the accounts up to $5,000 annually.

Employers can also contribute to their employees’ children’s accounts up to $2,500 per year per employee as part of the $5,000 annual limit.

But states, local governments and nonprofit organizations can also contribute to the accounts, and doing so does not count toward the annual cap.

Trump calls on billionaires and companies to give
Late last year, the administration called upon ultra-wealthy people to donate to the program.

Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, have said they would contribute $6.25 billion.

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has said he would contribute $250 per account for babies in his home state of Connecticut, an approximately $75 million donation.

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, as well as BNY, Charles Schwab, SoFi and Charter Communications have also announced programs to match employees’ contributions to the accounts.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post

Israeli police are investigating a yeshiva bochur who allegedly sent a message suggesting violence against senior government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what authorities say may have been an attempt to entrap an opposition leader.

According to police and media reports, the bochur sent a text message last month to opposition leader Yair Lapid in which he appeared to propose that “by accident” something might happen to Justice Minister Yariv Levin or to Netanyahu himself.

The message reportedly went further, adding, “Maybe, Chas V’shalom, something could happen to his family… between us, right?”

Authorities said the message was quickly deleted, but not before members of Lapid’s team took screenshots and forwarded the exchange to law enforcement officials.

Police sources said the bochur was arrested later that day at a gas station along Route 6, one of Israel’s main north-south highways. He was taken in for questioning, interrogated for several hours, and released the same day without formal charges.

In a statement, police said the suspect admitted sending the message and apologized, insisting he had no intention of harming anyone. He reportedly claimed that he was attempting to “lure” Lapid into responding favorably to the suggestion, with the goal of portraying the opposition leader as supportive of political violence.

Investigators said they are treating the incident seriously, given the sensitive political climate and Israel’s history of political assassinations and threats against public officials. However, authorities emphasized that there is currently no indication the bochur was preparing or capable of carrying out an attack.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Jewish Israeli woman of Turkish descent, recently discharged from the IDF, was detained in Turkey on charges of “service in a foreign military,” Arutz 7 reported Wednesday.

The woman had traveled to Turkey to visit her parents when Islamist groups shared her personal information with authorities, prompting a complaint that sought to block her departure from the country. She remained in custody for several days.

Authorities later placed her under house arrest. Channel 12 reported that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar acted swiftly, coordinating with U.S. officials to mobilize resources for her release.

After extensive efforts, she was freed in a covert operation and flown back to Israel via a third country, accompanied by Israeli representatives.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones, which boast an even bigger toolbox of artificial intelligence technology than the previous two generations and introduce a new privacy shield mode that blocks snoopy bystanders from sneaking a peek at the display screen.

The upgrades on the Galaxy S26 lineup — arriving in stores March 11 — will also include price increases of 10% to 13% on the basic and mid-tier models while the Ultra device will cost the same as last year’s version. The standard Galaxy S26 will sell for $899, while the Plus model will cost $1,099. That’s $100 more than what Samsung charged for the comparable devices released in each of the past two years. The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains at $1,299.

Just revealed at #GalaxyUnpacked: #GalaxyS26 Series and #GalaxyBuds4Pro 👀 Bookmark this megathread for early expert reviews and unboxings! Which #GalaxyS26Ultra feature are you most excited to try? 👇

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 25, 2026

As has become commonplace for all new smartphones, Samsung has improved the camera and battery for the Galaxy S26 because those features weigh so heavily on consumers’ decisions on whether it’s worth upgrading from the devices they already have.

Samsung is also dangling a new reason to pony up for its most expensive Galaxy S26 with a built-in feature called “Privacy Display” that will only be available on the Ultra.

When the privacy protection option is turned on, the pixels on the Ultra change in a way that enables the display screen to only be seen when looking directly down at it. The screen appears off when viewed from the side, preventing “shoulder surfing” from people standing or sitting nearby. The controls can be set up so specific apps, such as those dealing with financial information or other sensitive information, will always open in the Privacy Display mode.

PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore predicts Privacy Display could turn out to be “the sleeper hit, a standout feature in a sea of AI noise.”

But Samsung continues to highlight AI as a marquee attraction on its Galaxy phones, amplifying on a theme that it began harping on two years ago when the company began to embrace the technology as a way to make its devices even more versatile and compelling.

Witness #GalaxyS26Ultra and the latest Galaxy tech live, then experience the world’s first #PrivacyDisplay on mobile in the #GalaxyUnpacked Experience Zone! Comment #GalaxyAI if you don’t want to miss a single moment!

Watch the replay here: https://t.co/CkJl5QfG4l pic.twitter.com/XQDBhGOSM6

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 25, 2026

“AI must become part of our infrastructure,” said TM Roh, Samsung’s CEO of device experience, during a showcase held in San Francisco. “You should be able to enjoy its benefits through the devices you use every day.”

Samsung is promising this year’s Galaxy lineup is loaded with AI that will act as multipurpose agents that fetches information and content so users won’t have to spend time doing it on their own.

“This is the agentic AI phone,” Roh said of the Galaxy S26.

As it has in the previous years, Samsung is leaning heavily on Google’s Gemini technology for its AI, but also is adding another assistant option from Perplexity, a rising star that is best known for running its own “answer engine” for finding online information.

The Galaxy S26 phones will also include more tools that can doctor photos taken on the devices, including one that automatically softens a subject’s skin tone if the selfie is taken with the phone’s front camera.

AI technology is being deployed on many other smart devices, including those made by Apple and Google, but it’s unclear if the strategy is resonating with consumers.

Although Apple has been promoting its own AI suite for nearly two years, the trendsetting company still hasn’t been able to deliver on all the features it has been promising. Apple’s AI shortcomings have become so glaring that it’s depending on Google to help smarten up i ts often bumbling virtual assistant Siri.

Despite all that, Apple’s iPhone has remained the world’s top-selling smartphone for the past three years — a mantle that Samsung last held in 2022, according to the research firm International Data Corp.

“AI is still not a sought-after feature among users,” Pescatore said. “The big opportunity is making AI feel like a daily habit rather than a party trick, with tighter integration across core apps. AI must be boringly useful. Less ‘look what it can do,’ more ‘this saves me time every day.’ ”

(AP) – The Department of Homeland Security would be barred from using a full-body restraint device called the WRAP under a new bill introduced in the House on Wednesday.

The “Full-Body Restraint Prohibition Act,” sponsored by U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., would prohibit future purchases of the device and create oversight and reporting requirements.

In announcing the legislation, Ramirez cited an Associated Press investigation that revealed several examples of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS, using the device on people — sometimes for hours — on deportation flights dating to 2020.

The WRAP “fuels destruction in our communities and human suffering. This legislation is an additional step to end the pain and violence caused by DHS,” Ramirez said in a statement.

Made by California-based Safe Restraints Inc., the WRAP is the subject of several federal lawsuits likening its incorrect usage to punishment and even torture. Advocates have expressed concern that ICE is not tracking the WRAP’s use as required by federal law when officers use force, making it difficult to discern exactly how many people are being subjected to the restraints.

In addition to reporting on ICE’s use of the device, the AP identified a dozen fatal cases in the last decade where local police or jailers around the U.S. used the WRAP and autopsies determined “restraint” played a role in the death.

DHS has not answered detailed questions from the AP about the use of the WRAP and did not respond to a request for comment on the bill.

The AP found that ICE has used the device despite internal concerns voiced in a 2023 report by the civil rights division of DHS, in part due to reports of deaths involving use of the WRAP by local law enforcement. Ramirez also cited reporting by Bloomberg Law on the WRAP.

Federal purchasing records show that DHS paid Safe Restraints Inc. $268,523 since it started purchasing the devices in late 2015, during the Obama administration, through June 2025. Government purchasing records show the two Trump administrations have been responsible for about 91% of that spending.

Charles Hammond, the company’s CEO, said in a statement that the WRAP was designed to provide a “safer, more humane, pain-free alternative to other restraint methods.”

“Eliminating The WRAP from these situations would not lead to safer outcomes; it would force the return to alternative restraints and tactics proven to cause pain, injury and even fatalities,” Hammond said.

The company made a modified version of the device for ICE, Hammond said. The ICE version had changes meant to allow people to be kept in it during flights and long bus trips.

Still, ICE officials have a much lower threshold for deploying the WRAP than the manufacturer advises, the AP found. Detainees interviewed by the AP said ICE officers used the restraints on them after they had already been shackled. They said this was done to intimidate or punish them for asking to speak to their attorneys or expressing fear at being deported, often to places they fled due to violence and torture.

Hammond told the AP that, if true that some people were not being violent and simply protesting verbally, putting them in the WRAP could be improper use.

After AP’s investigation in October, a group of 11 Democratic U.S. senators wrote a letter to top immigration officials citing the AP’s investigation and saying ICE’s use of the full-body restrains onboard deportation flights is raising “serious human rights concerns.”

DUANE, N.Y. (VINnews) — The New York State Police released body-worn camera footage Tuesday showing the moments a trooper was struck by a vehicle while investigating a crash earlier this month.

According to police, the incident occurred at about 8:07 a.m. on Feb. 13 at the intersection of State Route 458 and State Route 30 in the town of Duane.

Two marked State Police vehicles were positioned on the east shoulder of Route 30 with emergency lights activated as troopers investigated a property damage accident. Trooper Bailey Martin, assigned to State Police in Malone, was outside her patrol vehicle speaking with another trooper when a gray 2016 Dodge Durango approached the intersection traveling eastbound on Route 458.

Police said the driver, identified as Colin M. Wanat, 21, of Eastham, Massachusetts, told investigators he did not see the posted stop sign because sunlight impaired his vision. Wanat attempted to stop and turn onto Route 30 but was unable to do so, striking Martin and then colliding with her unoccupied patrol vehicle.

The Durango also was occupied by Thomas E. Proia, 22, of Sudbury, Massachusetts; Brendan E. Walsh, 21, of Madison, Connecticut; and Ryan E. Surhoff, 21, of Westchester, New York, police said.

Martin and the vehicle’s occupants were evaluated at the scene by emergency medical personnel. The three passengers and Wanat sustained non-life-threatening injuries and declined additional medical treatment, authorities said.

Martin was taken to Alice Hyde Medical Center for further evaluation. Police said she suffered non-life-threatening injuries and has since returned to duty.

(AP) – The Trump administration’s latest policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries” to which they have no ties is unlawful and must be set aside, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in a case that already reached the nation’s highest court.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts agreed to suspend his decision for 15 days, giving the government time to appeal his latest ruling in the case. Murphy noted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the administration’s favor last year, pausing Murphy’s previous decision and clearing the way for a flight carrying several migrants to complete its trip to war-torn South Sudan, where they had no ties.

Murphy said migrants challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s policy have the right to “meaningful notice” and an opportunity to object before they are removed to a third country. The policy “extinguishes valid challenges to third-country removal by effecting removal before those challenges can be raised,” the judge concluded.

“These are our laws, and it is with profound gratitude for the unbelievable luck of being born in the United States of America that this Court affirms these and our nation’s bedrock principle: that no ‘person’ in this country may be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,’” Murphy wrote.

In June, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority found that immigration officials can quickly deport people to third countries. Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, saying the ruling gives the government special treatment.

Murphy said President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly violated — or tried to violate — his orders. Last March, he noted, the Defense Department deported at least six class members to El Salvador and Mexico without providing the process required under a temporary restraining order that Murphy issued.

“The simple reality is that nobody knows the merits of any individual class member’s claim because (administration officials) are withholding the predicate fact: the country of removal,” wrote Murphy, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden.

Murphy said the DHS third-country removal policy has targeted immigrants who were granted protection from being sent back to their home countries, where they feared being tortured or persecuted in other ways.

Eight men who were sent to South Sudan in May had been convicted of crimes in the U.S. and had final orders of removal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said.

President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, suggested a major new retirement benefit for tens of millions of American workers, embracing an economic policy that proponents say could bolster the federal retirement safety net.

Speaking to congressional lawmakers, Trump pledged to extend to private-sector workers the same type of retirement plan already available to federal employees. He also said the government would kick in up to $1,000 per year to their accounts, presumably in matching benefits. Roughly 54 million workers in the private sector have no workplace retirement benefits and do not benefit from stock market gains, according to research cited by the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington-based think tank, as part of what some experts have termed a “retirement crisis” in America.

“Half of all of working Americans still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer,” Trump said. “To remedy this gross disparity, I’m announcing that next year, my administration will give these often forgotten American workers – great people, the people that built our country – access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal worker. We will match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year.”

The announcement was celebrated by Trump supporters as a major new economic policy heading into the 2026 midterm elections, but critics pointed out some problems with Trump’s pledges, and are skeptical it will substantially boost savings for working-class Americans.

The most obvious challenge is that it’s not clear how much Trump can do on his own. Under existing authorities, the administration can create portable retirement accounts – modeled on the Thrift Savings Plan used by federal employees – and make them available to workers who currently lack a workplace plan. But the government cannot compel employers or workers to automatically enroll, nor can it unilaterally appropriate funds to provide a universal $1,000 match to all eligible workers.

Instead, the administration can facilitate take-up of a benefit that already exists. The bipartisan Secure 2.0 bill, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, created a “Saver’s Match” – a federal contribution of up to $1,000 annually for qualifying workers who put $2,000 in an eligible retirement account. One problem has been that many eligible workers have had nowhere to put their contributions. Trump’s executive action could create additional account infrastructure, but eligibility would still be constrained. Only workers who make less than $25,000 per year, or roughly $41,000 for couples, are eligible.

More impactful would be if Trump’s comments spur congressional action. A White House official suggested that the administration will support bipartisan legislation to automatically enroll eligible workers in federal accounts, provide the $1,000 federal match for low- and moderate-income workers, and make those accounts portable across jobs. One bill is backed by a coalition that spans Charles Schwab, AARP, DoorDash and Uber.

White House economist Kevin Hassett has backed a similar kind of approach. Of the more than $200 billion in annual income tax expenditures related to retirement savings, less than 1 percent flows to workers in the bottom income quintile, according to the Economic Innovation Group. This would move some of those benefits down the income distribution.

“Since we’ve had the 401(k) system this has always been the problem: A huge share of the workforce has not been participating and doesn’t have access to these benefits. Closing that gap is a big first step,” said John Lettieri, co-founder of the Economic Innovation Group. “It’s a long-run exercise to get people into the market, engaged in long-term savings and investment behavior with matching benefits. That’s a proven way of building wealth over time, including for low-income savers.”

That said, there are reasons to doubt that even the legislation being debated in Congress would do much to increase retirement security for low-income workers. Low-income Americans often do not have enough to live on already, much less an extra $2,000 per year to put into retirement accounts, said Matt Bruenig, founder of the People’s Policy Project, a left-leaning think tank.

The Survey of Consumer Finances suggests that fewer than 12 percent of people who earn below $43,000 save for retirement.

“Almost no low-income people have retirement accounts. This is not because they are disallowed from having them,” Bruenig said. “It’s because they can barely pay their bills. Nothing in the president’s plan changes that.”

(c) 2026, The Washington Post

photos: Avrumi Berger, Issac Y.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced she appointed Jeanne Hengemuhle, a 26-year veteran of the New Jersey State Police, to serve as acting superintendent of the agency.

Hengemuhle, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel during her career with the state police, will assume the role Thursday, February. She will replace Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz, who has served as interim superintendent since January 1.

Sherrill called Hengemuhle “a dedicated public servant with decades of experience in the State Police,” saying she understands both the operational responsibilities of the job and the broader duty to serve communities across the state.

“I look forward to working alongside Jeanne to continue our mission of keeping New Jerseyans safe,” Sherrill said in a statement.

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said Hengemuhle’s experience within the state police gives her a strong grasp of modern policing and the importance of public trust.

“She believes that each of us is deserving of dignity, respect, and justice,” Davenport said, adding that she welcomed the opportunity to work with Hengemuhle on behalf of residents.

Hengemuhle previously served as branch commander of the administration branch, where she oversaw recruiting, personnel development and training strategy. She also testified before a U.S. House subcommittee on school security, emphasizing collaboration between law enforcement and the public.

A heavy cloud of mourning descended upon the Vizhnitzer kehillah in Montreal with the news of the petirah of Rav Asher Greenfeld zt”l, who served for four decades as the rav and av beis din of Vizhnitz in Montreal. He was 82.

The levayah is scheduled to take place today at 5:30 p.m. at Beis Medrash Imrei Chaim-Vizhnitz in Montreal. His aron will be brought to Eretz Yisroel, where the levayah will be held on Friday. He will be laid to rest in the Vizhnitzer beis hachaim in Bnei Brak.

Rav Greenfeld was a living symbol of hasmadah and unwavering shteiging in Torah. His vast bekius and iyun in Shas and poskim, acquired during his formative years in the great yeshivos and refined throughout his life, established him as a respected talmid chochom and marbitz Torah who raised many talmidim. He was renowned as a peh mapik margoliyos, an exceptional darshan who illuminated aggadah and maamarei Chazal with sweetness and clarity, inspiring his listeners with depth and warmth.

In every fiber of his being, Rav Greenfeld was a devoted chassid, deeply connected b’lev v’nefesh to the holy chain of Vizhnitzer tzaddikim. The fire of chassidus burned within him in his tefillos and hanhagos, and he served as a living example of total hisbatlus to the tzaddikei hador.

Beyond his gadlus baTorah, Rav Greenfeld possessed an expansive Jewish heart that beat constantly for others. He was a true baal chesed, tirelessly assisting almanos, yesomim, and brokenhearted individuals. His tzedakah was most often given quietly, with extraordinary sensitivity to the kavod of the recipient. Those close to him would say that there was no lack that did not find an address by him and no tear that did not find comfort.

Rav Greenfeld was born on the fourth of Adar in 1944 into a home steeped in Torah and mesirus nefesh. He was named after his grandfather, Rav Asher of Ober-Epsach. From his earliest years, he was bound with a deep spiritual kesher to the Vizhnitzer dynasty.

As a young child living with his family in Switzerland, he merited a rare experience when the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the Imrei Chaim, came to raise funds for the establishment of Kiryat Vizhnitz in Bnei Brak. The Rebbe stayed in the Greenfeld family’s modest two-room apartment. Despite the cramped quarters, Rav Greenfeld’s father, Reb Baruch Greenfeld, joyfully gave up an entire room for the Rebbe, while the family crowded together for two weeks. That mesirus nefesh and hiskashrus were etched into the young boy’s soul and shaped the course of his life.

Rav Asher merited to sit on the Rebbe’s lap during that visit. The Rebbe remarked with affection that when he himself had been young, he sat on the lap of Rav Asher of Ober-Epsach, saying, “When I was small and you were big, I sat on your knees; now that you are small and I am big, you sit on mine.”

In his bochur years, Rav Greenfeld learned at Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Bnei Brak. He was distinguished by his diligence and refinement, but above all by his deep hiskashrus to his rabbeim. He did not miss a single tish of the Imrei Chaim and later forged a particularly close bond with the Rebbe’s son, the Yeshuos Moshe, who served as rav of the neighborhood at the time.

Rav Greenfeld was among the select few who remained after the tish to participate in the late-night bateh conducted by the Yeshuos Moshe in the shul, where he absorbed the inner teachings of chassidus and the depth of Aggadah. Over time, he became one of the Rebbe’s closest and most trusted talmidim. The Yeshuos Moshe would say affectionately that the name Asher was an acronym for “Ratzon Avinu Shebashamayim.”

In 1986, at the behest of the Yeshuos Moshe, Rav Greenfeld undertook a great shlichus: to relocate to Montreal and lead the developing Vizhnitzer kehillah there. With remarkable hisbatlus and mesirus nefesh, he accepted the mission, initially traveling alone and leaving his family in Eretz Yisroel during the first year.

In Montreal, he founded the kollel that became the vibrant spiritual heart of the community. For 40 years he stood at its helm, teaching Torah and raising generations of talmidim. In addition to serving as rosh kollel, he functioned as rav of the kehillah, guiding his flock with chochmah, tevunah, and an ayin tovah.

His relationship with the members of the kehillah was personal and heartfelt. From small children to respected elders, each felt a genuine closeness to him. He loved every Yid with sincerity, and that love was returned in full.

Upon the histalkus of the Yeshuos Moshe in 2012, Rav Greenfeld was shattered with grief. Yet even in his pain, he demonstrated complete hisbatlus to the continuation of the dynasty’s leadership, publicly affirming his allegiance to the new Rebbe and strengthening the kehillah with clarity and resolve.

Rav Greenfeld was held in high esteem by gedolei Yisroel of his generation. He maintained close ties with Rav Shmuel Wosner and with the Skverer Rebbe, who received him with special honor. He was often welcomed for extended yechidus, where they discussed Torah, stories of tzaddikim, and matters of chizuk hadas.

His mastery of Torah was extraordinary. Shas Bavli and Yerushalmi were clear to him, as were Tanach and the words of Chazal. He delved deeply into Toras hachassidus and pnimiyus haTorah, extracting pearls of machshavah and guidance. His drashos combined depth, clarity, and fiery hislahavus, making him one of the most sought-after speakers among Vizhnitz chassidim. He addressed major gatherings, including global hisvaaduyos and memorial asifos honoring his Rebbe.

Rav Greenfeld was equally known as an amud hachesed. Large sums of tzedakah passed through his hands and were distributed quietly. When the kollel faced financial crisis, he once mortgaged his private home to ensure the avreichim could continue learning without worry. For him, personal assets were merely tools in the service of Klal Yisroel.

Each year before Pesach, he organized extensive maos chittim distributions for dozens of families, ensuring that the assistance was given with maximum discretion and dignity. At fundraising events, after delivering stirring words, he would often conclude with a gentle smile and declare by example, contributing a substantial amount himself to encourage others.

Rav Greenfeld leaves behind a dor yesharim, children and grandchildren who are engaged in Torah, chinuch, and askonus.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Trade Center’s final office tower will start construction as soon as this spring and become American Express ‘ new headquarters, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the company said Wednesday, marking a milestone nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks destroyed the site.

The 2 World Trade Center building will round out the long, tortuous redevelopment of the original 16-acre trade center property. There remains no construction date for a neighboring apartment building to replace another 9/11-damaged skyscraper.

But the 2 World Trade Center announcement represents a big step, physically and symbolically, in fulfilling a pledge of renewal at ground zero. Hochul and other officials also trumpeted the project as a sign of New York’s continued vitality as a business hub. It comes as Florida and other states have been trying to woo companies from New York.

“Building 2 World Trade Center will bring another iconic skyscraper to Lower Manhattan, create thousands of good-paying union jobs and provide billions in economic benefits to New Yorkers,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement.

American Express CEO Stephen Squeri called the skyscraper “an investment in our company’s future, our colleagues and the Lower Manhattan community,” where the credit card giant has been based for nearly 200 years. Its current headquarters is just west of the trade center.

The trade center was decimated when al-Qaida hijackers crashed jets into its twin towers, part of a coordinated attack that also sent planes into the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, mainly at the trade center.

Fraught with physical, financial and political complexities and public debate over what to build, redevelopment unfolded gradually and hit numerous roadblocks. But over time, the signature 1 World Trade Center skyscraper, other towers, the Sept. 11 memorial and museum, a transit hub -cum-shopping center and a performing arts center were built on the property, owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The 55-story, roughly two-million-square-foot (186,000-square-meter) 2 World Trade Center building is planned at the site’s northeastern corner. The spot is currently occupied by a low placeholder building, covered with colorful graffiti-style murals, and a beer garden.

American Express declined to discuss the cost of the new building — which the company will own, leasing the underlying land — but said it doesn’t involve any tax incentives. Messages seeking further information about the costs and financing of the project were sent to officials.

Plans once envisioned a skyscraper soaring as high as 80 stories, and News Corp. and the former Twenty-First Century Fox were among companies that at points eyed moving there. Like some other trade center components, the project labored for years to secure financing and an anchor tenant. The task grew tougher when the coronavirus pandemic emptied offices in 2020 and raised questions about companies’ future space needs.

Developer Larry Silverstein always insisted the project would happen, however.

Silverstein Properties CEO Lisa Silverstein, who is the 94-year-old developer’s daughter, hailed American Express as “an iconic institution embodying the strength, resilience, and global significance of the project.”

The company plans to occupy the entire Norman Foster -designed building, a sleek structure of glassy sections interspersed with landscaped terraces and gardens. It’s expected to accommodate up to 10,000 workers; American Express declined to say how that compares to its current headquarters.

Completion is expected in 2031.

A newly erected billboard in central Tehran is threatening Israel with destruction as President Donald Trump continues to weigh possible military action against Iran.

The large placard, installed in Palestine Square, features burning buildings and a defaced sign reading “Welcome to Israel,” which has been spray-painted over with the words “Welcome to Hell.”

Above the imagery, the billboard declares: “A clear target: Trump’s 51st state,” referring to Israel. Another sign on the display labels Israel as the “51st state of the United States of America,” parroting longstanding Iranian claims that the Jewish state functions as an extension of U.S. power in the region.

The billboard appeared as tensions continue to rise between Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran, amid reports that Trump is considering strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

Iranian authorities and affiliated organizations have frequently used large-scale public displays in Palestine Square to convey anti-Israel and anti-American messaging, particularly during periods of heightened regional conflict.

Billboards in the area have previously depicted missile attacks, military hardware, and symbolic imagery threatening Israel, often timed to coincide with political or military developments involving Iran, the United States, or Israeli forces.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is telling allies the Trump administration wants any Iran nuclear agreement to last indefinitely, with no “sunset” clauses that expire over time. The demand is landing as the next Geneva round approaches, with Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to sit with Iran’s lead negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, to review a detailed Iranian proposal.

The “no sunset” push is meant to fix what Trump and other critics long argued was a core weakness of the 2015 deal: major constraints on Iran’s nuclear program phased out over an 8–25 year timeline. In Witkoff’s framing, the baseline is permanent compliance, “you have to behave for the rest of your lives,” Axios reports he told a private gathering of AIPAC donors.

An Iran-made ballistic missile, Martyr Qassem, is displayed during a rally commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory in Azadi (Freedom) Square in western Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Witkoff said the immediate talks center on Iran’s ability to enrich uranium and what happens to its existing enriched uranium stockpile, while U.S. officials have floated the idea of allowing tightly constrained “token” enrichment if Iran can prove it cannot be leveraged toward a bomb. Iran, for its part, is publicly insisting that domestic enrichment remains a red line, even as it signals it wants a deal to avert war.

Trump has publicly put Tehran on a roughly 10–15 day window to reach an agreement, as the U.S. builds up military capability in the region and openly weighs a strike path if diplomacy fails. Reuters has also reported U.S. planning for potentially weeks-long operations if an attack is ordered, an indicator that Washington is preparing for more than a one-night exchange.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – JUNE 16: Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks with ballistic missiles towards Israel are seen from Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday at the start of a two-day visit as he promised “friendship, respect and partnership” with Israel at a time when its world standing has suffered because of the war in Gaza.

“Let us ensure that the friendship between India and Israel remains a source of strength in an uncertain world,” Modi said in an address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, where he received a standing ovation from lawmakers after a 30-minute speech.

We feel your pain.

We share your grief. pic.twitter.com/mmYDPjwwP3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 25, 2026

The enthusiastic greeting underscored how much closer Israel-India relations have grown under Modi, whose embrace of Israel has marked a shift in the foreign policy of India which has historically supported the Palestinians.

India did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992 and Modi’s visit aims to strengthen security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.

The Indian leader was greeted at the airport with a hug from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who later introduced Modi to the Knesset as “Narendra, my dear friend.”

“I’ve never been more moved than by your visit here with us,” said Netanyahu, calling Modi “a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Israel-India alliance and a great leader on the world stage.”

The visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

The Knesset building in Jerusalem had been illuminated in the colors of India’s flag on the eve of Modi’s arrival. Following his speech to lawmakers, Modi was awarded a medal by Speaker Amir Ohana, who said it recognized Modi’s leadership in strengthening relations between India and Israel.

Opposition party lawmakers walked out of the Knesset chamber during speeches by Netanyahu and Ohana, to protest the exclusion from the event of Yitzhak Amit, the chief justice of Israel’s Supreme Court.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has sought to overhaul the country’s justice system, and his allies refuse to work with the Supreme Court chief.

The opposition returned for Modi’s address and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, assured the Indian leader that the walkout had “nothing to do with you.”

On Thursday, Modi will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center. Netanyahu’s office said that the two leaders would sign myriad economic, security and political cooperation agreements.

Modi said India is “committed to further consolidating” its relationship with Israel “across many sectors,” including security and the sharing of advances in artificial intelligence and quantum technology.

“We’re committed to expanding trade, strengthening investment flows and promoting joint infrastructure development,” Modi said.

In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s second largest trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.6 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Modi became the first Indian prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.

A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group that triggered the war in Gaza.

Speaking at the Knesset before Modi took the podium, Netanyahu thanked the Indian leader for that support.

“You didn’t flinch. You didn’t waver. You didn’t give excuses,” Netanyahu said. “You stood next to Israel. You stood by Israel.”

In turn, Modi affirmed India’s “strong support” for the U.S. ceasefire plan for Gaza that was endorsed by the U.N. Security Council last year. It lays out plans for ending Hamas’ rule, disarming the militant group, rebuilding the territory and withdrawing Israeli troops with only a vague commitment to possible Palestinian statehood.

“We believe that it holds the promise of a just and durable peace for all the people of the region, including the Palestine issue,” Modi said.

Modi made no mention of Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank. India was among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn those measures, which weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.

Conservative radio host and commentator Mark Levin launched a blistering attack on former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, accusing him of betraying the country and likening him to some of the most notorious figures in American history.

On Tuesday’s episode of his new podcast, Liberty’s Voice with Mark Levin, Levin devoted an extended segment titled “American Traitors” to what he described as Carlson’s “long pattern of disloyalty,” tying his conduct to that of Revolutionary War turncoat Benedict Arnold and pro-fascist radio priest Charles Coughlin.

“I want to talk about American history in the context of the potential coming war with Iran, recent events involving Tucker Carlson, and his treatment of the commander-in-chief,” Levin said, accusing Carlson of aligning himself with hostile foreign powers and attacking American culture, religion, and political institutions.

Levin argued that Carlson’s criticism of President Donald Trump, particularly in the run-up to U.S. military action against Iran, amounted to a betrayal of the conservative movement and the country itself.

“In some ways, he’s worse than some of these people in the past,” Levin said. “He has stabbed the commander-in-chief in the back repeatedly. He coddles up to our enemies. He trashes American patriots.”

The longtime conservative commentator went further, accusing Carlson of misleading audiences, leaking information to friendly media outlets, and deliberately sowing division.

“He has a history of lying, of twisting, of dispiriting the American people,” Levin said. “In my view, he’s undermining MAGA, the Republican Party, and ultimately the country.”

“I believe Tucker Carlson will be viewed as one of the great traitors in American history,” he said.

After drawing parallels between Carlson and disloyal or subversive historical figures, Levin turned his focus to Republican leaders and Trump allies who continue to engage with Carlson.

“Why isn’t Tucker Carlson being condemned?” Levin asked. “Why is he at the White House? Why does he have friends in the White House?”

He said that Carlson’s continued access to influential political figures was deeply troubling, given what he characterized as Carlson’s rhetoric on foreign policy and national security.

“He sort of seems like a foreign agent to me,” Levin said. “And yet he runs around pretending he’s Mr. America.”

Levin argued Carlson’s commentary plays directly into the hands of America’s adversaries.

“That’s what our enemies want,” he said. “Division. Confusion. Dispiriting the public.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Like many of you, I watched the recent video by YouTuber Tyler Oliveira with a heavy heart. It is deeply painful to see our beautiful town (Lakewood) and our way of life portrayed through such a distorted, negative lens. It’s natural to feel defensive when someone enters our neighborhoods looking for a “scandal,” but as the dust settles, I think we need to have an honest conversation as a community: Did we accidentally give him exactly what he wanted?

When these influencers come to Lakewood, they aren’t looking for the truth; they are looking for a “reaction.” They want to see us turning away, closing doors, and refusing to speak. To their millions of viewers, that doesn’t look like “privacy”—it looks like we have something to hide. By being defensive, we unintentionally helped him paint the very picture he came here to create.

What if we had changed the script?

Imagine if, instead of silence and suspicion, Tyler had been met with overwhelming, “annoying” kindness. Imagine if every person he approached on Clifton Avenue or in our local stores had offered him a cold water, a smile, or a genuine invitation to learn about our community.

A “Villain” is hard to edit: It is nearly impossible to turn someone into a “bad guy” on camera when they are busy being incredibly nice to you.

The Power of Kiddush Hashem: Our greatest defense against antisemitism isn’t a wall; it’s our Middos. If he had left Lakewood with ten hours of footage of people being hospitable and warm, he wouldn’t have had a video to post. The “story” would have died because there was no “villain” to be found.

We have to realize that in the age of social media, we are always on a global stage. Every one of us is an ambassador for the Jewish people. When a person like Tyler comes looking for a fight, let’s give them a Kiddush Hashem instead. Let’s make them leave thinking, “I came here to find something wrong, but I only found the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

We missed a massive opportunity this time, but we can’t let it happen again. Let’s use this as a wake-up call to be more proactive, more welcoming, and more confident in who we are. Let’s show the world that our light is much stronger than their cameras.

Signed,

S.G.

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.

By Y.M. Lowy

New York City lawmakers are considering a revised bill that would allow the NYPD to create “buffer zones” around houses of worship during protests.

The updated version of the proposal would give police the power to decide, case by case, whether a buffer zone is needed, how large it should be, and how long it should stay in place. An earlier version of the bill called for a set buffer zone of up to 100 feet. The new version removes that fixed distance and instead lets the NYPD make the decision based on the situation.

If a buffer zone is set up, officers would be responsible for putting it in place and informing both protesters and people entering or leaving the house of worship that a restricted area has been established.

The issue has sparked debate in recent months. Pro-Palestinian protests have taken place outside several Shuls, including one in Queens where demonstrators chanted slogans in support of Hamas. 

If the bill passes, the NYPD commissioner would have to submit a detailed plan to the mayor and the City Council speaker for approval. Once approved, the department would have 120 days to put the policy into effect.

To have YOUR neighborhood event photos considered for publication, send them to [email protected]

The New York Times did not feature President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on the front page of its Wednesday print edition, instead leading with other domestic and international stories.

Although the paper’s well-known slogan proclaims it publishes “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” the most prominent headline across the top of the page focused on technology and global supply chains: “Reliance on Taiwan Chip Endangers U.S. Economy.”

Also displayed prominently on the upper portion of the front page was a large photograph of a Ukrainian soldier accompanying a report on the ongoing war with Russia, along with coverage of developments in Mexico following the death of cartel leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”

The only clear reference to the president appeared in a smaller sub-headline connected to the Mexico article, which included the name “Trump,” just hours after he had delivered a nationally televised address to Congress.

Additional front-page stories included “Epstein Sought Customs Perks For Private Isle,” focusing on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; “They’re for ICE, But Go NIMBY on Warehouses,” examining opposition to the Department of Homeland Security’s use of warehouse facilities for illegal immigrants; and “A.I. Literacy Test: Don’t Let It Think for You.”

Another eleven articles were previewed at the bottom of the page, none of which addressed Trump or his speech.

The absence of coverage stood in contrast to the length and breadth of Trump’s Tuesday night remarks, which lasted more than an hour and outlined his administration’s priorities on border security, economic performance, energy production and America’s standing abroad.

During the address, Trump pointed to what he called record improvements in immigration enforcement, asserting that unlawful border crossings had dropped sharply since his return to office.

He reiterated his demand for stricter immigration measures and greater resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, drawing sustained applause from Republican lawmakers present in the chamber.

Turning to the economy, Trump cited higher wages, slowing inflation and a rallying stock market as proof that his policies are working.

He attributed those developments to tax reductions, regulatory rollbacks and increased domestic energy output, which he said have encouraged investment and bolstered the strength of the U.S. dollar.

On foreign affairs, the president reaffirmed support for Israel, described ongoing efforts to help end the war in Ukraine and emphasized a doctrine of “peace through strength” aimed at deterring adversaries including China and Iran.

While television networks and cable news channels led their coverage with highlights and analysis of the speech — and critics rapidly fact-checked portions of it — the Times’ choice not to prominently feature the address drew reaction from conservative commentators online.

Backers of the president argued that overlooking a State of the Union speech reflects what they see as a pattern of media bias against Trump and his policies.

Others responded that print newspapers frequently emphasize investigative reporting and international developments on their front pages, particularly when speeches receive widespread digital and broadcast attention.

{Matzav.com}

Dutch aviation giant KLM announced Wednesday evening that it will suspend its Amsterdam–Tel Aviv route starting this Sunday, March 1, stating that flights to Tel Aviv are “not commercially and operationally feasible.”

The company said passengers affected by the decision will receive personal notifications and be offered options to reschedule their flights or receive a refund. “KLM will continue to monitor developments and reassess the decision בהתאם to the circumstances,” the statement said.

KLM is the first airline to suspend its flights to Israel amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran and growing concerns over a potential Iranian strike against Israel.

(AP) – Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy.

The global rollout of the system is now delayed to the second half of 2026, Discord’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a Tuesday blog post acknowledging that the company “missed the mark.”

“Many of you are worried that this is just another Big Tech company finding new ways to collect your personal data. That we’re creating a problem to justify invasive solutions,” Vishnevskiy wrote. “I get that skepticism. It’s earned, not just toward us, but toward the entire tech industry. But that’s not what we’re doing.”

Discord, which says it has more than 200 million active users, will continue to meet specific legal obligations it has for age verification of users, the company said, but the global expansion of age verification will only come after it makes changes to the initial policy it laid out in early February.

The company announced earlier this month that it would roll out an age verification policy in March that would include face scanning or requests for an ID upload for users it could not determine were adults. This drew swift ire from users. Many pointed to a recent security breach of a third-party provider Discord worked with that exposed government ID photos of up to 70,000 Discord users.

Vishnevskiy referenced the security breach in the blog post, writing that he understood that incident added to users’ skepticism, but he emphasized the company no longer works with that vendor and has rigorous standards for its partners.

“Every vendor we work with goes through a security and privacy review before integration,” he wrote. “That includes contractual limits on data use, and strict retention and deletion requirements. Information submitted for age verification is stored only for the minimum time necessary, which in most cases means it’s deleted immediately. If a vendor doesn’t pass, we don’t work with them.”

One of the vendors that didn’t meet the mark was Persona, an identity verification service. Vishnevskiy said Discord ran a limited test with Persona in the United Kingdom only in January. The company was not able to meet Discord’s standard for facial age estimation, Vishnevskiy wrote, which stipulates that the estimation “must be performed entirely on-device, meaning your biometric data never leaves your phone.”

The company distanced itself from Persona after that relationship also became the subject of online criticism. Persona is backed by the venture capital firm Founders Fund, which is run by Palantir Technologies co-founder Peter Thiel. Thiel and Palantir are often criticized for of the company’s partnerships with the government for surveillance purposes, with Palantir recently inking an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to streamline the process of identifying and deporting people the agency is targeting.

Rick Song, Persona’s co-founder and CEO, wrote in a statement posted to LinkedIn that Discord’s claims about Persona’s capabilities were not accurate, emphasizing that the company does offer on-device age verification.

“I’m fine if they don’t want to use us. I’m not okay with them publicly saying untrue things about our age assurance technologies to try to shift responsibility away from their own decisions,” he wrote. “Doing so further erodes trust.”

The backlash to the original policy and even the revised version came even though Vishnevskiy wrote that for “90%+ of users, nothing changes.”

Discord is able to proactively determine the ages of the vast majority of users by looking at account-level signals. Those include how long the account has existed, whether there is a payment method on file, the types of servers a user is in and general patterns of account activity, Vishnevskiy wrote. He emphasized the company does not read messages, analyze conversations or look at account content to estimate users ages.

For the minority of users whose ages Discord cannot determine, the company is now working to offer more options beyond face scanning and requesting an ID, including credit card verification. The company is going to “complete and expand” alternative options before rolling out the new system.

Users who choose not to verify their age will get to keep their account, servers, friends list, direct messages and voice chat, but will not be able to access age-restricted content or change certain default safety settings designed to protect teens, Vishnevskiy wrote.

Discord promised users it will publish a detailed post explaining how its automatic age determination systems work and will document every verification vendor and their practices on its website.

A major terror attack was averted when security forces apprehended a 16-year-old Palestinian high school student from the central city of Taiba on suspicion of planning an imminent terror attack, Channel 12 reported Wednesday

The suspect was taken into custody by Central District Police following precise intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which indicated that the teenager had recently joined the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization and acquired weaponry.

During a search of the suspect’s home, police discovered weapons, communications equipment, and additional evidence tying him to the planned attack. Investigators also obtained video documentation of the teenager conducting a test firing with a recently acquired rifle and pistol. Authorities assess that the suspect recorded the footage to publish on social media as part of a “martyrdom” video to glorify his planned actions.

Security officials note that the teenager underwent a rapid process of radicalization in recent weeks, ultimately establishing contact with Islamic Jihad terrorists based in the Nur Shams camp.

During his interrogation, the suspect openly detailed his motives and extremist ideology. When asked why he decided to pursue terrorism, he explained that his goal was to join the terror network to fight the IDF and avenge a friend who had been killed.

“I wanted to be a martyr for him,” the suspect stated. “They provided me with a weapon and a headband, they told me that everything was free, everything was for the sake of Allah.”
A transcript released from the interrogation further highlights the suspect’s intentions:

Interrogator: “You knew it was a terrorist organization, why did you want to join?”
Suspect: “For the sake of Allah.”
Interrogator: “What was your goal?”
Suspect: “To fight the occupation and carry out an attack as quickly as possible. I planned to join the battalion, fighting the Israeli army there.”

Superintendent Ohad Goldberg, commander of the Crime Suppression Unit in the Sharon region, emphasized the severe threat posed by the teenager.

“He acted with determination, admitted that he planned a murderous attack, and the arrest prevented a major disaster,” Supt. Goldberg stated. “This is a young man who established contacts with terrorist elements, obtained the necessary funding, and purchased a deadly weapon. The fact that he filmed himself conducting a weapons test indicates a real intention and proximity to execution. This arrest is the thwarting of a ticking bomb.”

Due to the severe level of danger posed by the suspect and the ongoing nature of the investigation, the Minister of Defense has signed an administrative detention order, keeping the teenager firmly behind bars.

Countries around the world are issuing travel advisories to their diplomats stationed in the Middle East, to their diplomats’ families, and to any of their citizens who are abroad, with many evacuating their personnel, advising citizens in the area to leave while flights are still available, and warning against travel to Iran.

Following is a list of European countries and their advisories, in plain English:

• Cyprus: If you’re in Iran, leave at once. If you’re not in Iran, don’t travel there.
• Poland: All Polish citizens in Iran should leave immediately.
• Sweden: Don’t travel to Iran and if you’re there, leave. Don’t expect us to evacuate you when it gets dangerous.
• Serbia: Leave Iran as soon as possible. Tensions are escalating and the security situation might get worse.

Following is a list of non-European countries and their advisories, in plain English:

• Australia: Family members of diplomats in Israel and Iran should leave as soon as possible. To diplomats and their families stationed in other countries in the Middle East, Australia is offering voluntary evacuations. Australian citizens in Lebanon and Israel should leave while flights are available.
• The United States: The U.S. embassy is evacuating all non-essential staff and their families from Lebanon and warned American citizens of Iran to “leave Iran now.”
• Singapore: Don’t travel to Iran now.
• India: Indian citizens in Iran should use all available means of transportation to get out pronto.

Three people were injured — one seriously and two lightly — after a fire broke out Tuesday evening in the internal medicine department at Laniado Hospital in Netanya, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority.

Firefighters and emergency crews were dispatched to the scene and evacuated the ward shortly after arriving. Officials said the blaze was brought under control quickly, preventing further injuries.

A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Authority said the fire is suspected to have started when one of the injured individuals began smoking inside their hospital room.

Hospital staff and emergency responders worked together to secure the area and treat those affected.

“Due to the immediate actions of the hospital’s emergency personnel and the firefighters, there is no further need to evacuate the ward,” the Fire and Rescue Authority said in a statement.

An investigation into the exact cause of the fire is ongoing.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iranian state media has aired footage from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, claiming a Dutch diplomat attempted to bring Starlink equipment and satellite phones into the country and that the devices were confiscated.

The Netherlands says the core issue is not “smuggling” but a breach of diplomatic protections: Dutch officials say Iranian authorities forced the handover of diplomatic luggage, called it “unacceptable,” and summoned Iran’s ambassador in The Hague after the footage surfaced.

Dutch outlets report the diplomat involved was André van Wiggen, a senior official at the Dutch embassy in Tehran, and note The Hague is refusing to discuss the contents, arguing diplomatic shipments are protected under the Vienna Convention.

Starlink and satellite phones matter because they can bypass the Islamic Republic’s communications controls, which Tehran treats as a national-security threat during unrest and information crackdowns.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians are warily awaiting the next round of talks with the U.S. in Geneva this week — negotiations that many see as a last chance for their ruling theocracy to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Some say the situation feels hopeless. Battered by decades of sanctions, heightened by Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Iranians also just suffered through the bloodiest crackdown on dissent in the country’s modern history.

Still, Iran heads into the Thursday talks “with a determination to achieve a fair and equitable deal — in the shortest possible time,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted Tuesday on X.

As Iranians await the outcome of the Geneva negotiations, many fear the outbreak of a war that could surpass Iran’s bloody 1980s conflict with Iraq.

That conflict sparked a patriotic response from Iranian volunteers. But now the prospects of a war with the U.S. have riven a population that includes hard-line supporters of the theocracy and those who feel Iran is splitting at the seams, especially after it is still reeling from a devastating 12-day war with Israel in June and thousands of people killed and arrested during last month’s protests.

Trump said at least 32,000 people were killed in the protests, which is at the further end of estimates over the death toll. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has so far counted more than 7,000 dead and believes the death toll is far higher. Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed.

“Every morning when I get up, my brain is full of chaos,” said Sepideh Bafarani, a 29-year-old woman who works in a women’s clothing store. “It’s a possible war … and an ongoing bad economic situation.”

Rasool Razzaghi, a 54-year-old resident in the capital, Tehran, shared similar concerns ahead of the talks.

“I predict that if both sides really mean what they are saying, a war will start,” he said.

Trump’s ‘armada’ is getting closer
For weeks, Trump has talked about an “armada” now largely in place off the coast of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. He has also sent the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, from the Caribbean toward the Mideast.

Overall, at least 16 U.S. Navy ships will be assembled, according to a U.S. Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements.

That’s comparable to Operation Desert Fox in 1998, when American and British forces bombed Iraq for four days over Saddam Hussein ’s refusal to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions about weapons inspections. There are hundreds of fighter jets and other support aircraft in the region necessary for launching a major attack on Iran.

Adding to that force, the United States also moved 12 F-22 stealth fighter jets to a base in Israel on Tuesday, according to a U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements.

Meanwhile, the CIA published instructions in Farsi online on how Iranians can securely contact the spy agency.

Iranians have been watching the buildup with growing concern, some by surreptitiously getting around internet restrictions or watching satellite news channels. Iranian state television has continued showing the country’s military running drills and its leaders threatening massive retaliation against any American assault.

Iranian state TV on Tuesday said the country’s Revolutionary Guard held a drill that included launching missiles, flying drones and firing guns at targets along its coast, without elaborating on the exact time or place of the exercise.

“It’s not an equal situation,” a passerby told The Associated Press on Tuesday in Tehran, declining to give his name for fear of reprisals. “One side has entered the talks with a lot of power, it has lot of equipment. On the other hand, Iran is in a weak position. They want total surrender, but I think that’s not viable.”

Steve Witkoff, the billionaire friend of Trump serving as his special Mideast envoy, has said the president didn’t understand why Iran “hadn’t capitulated” given the forces arrayed against it in the region and beyond in Europe. Iranian Foreign Minister spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissed Witkoff’s comments on Monday, saying “the word ‘capitulation’ does not exist in the Iranians’ dictionary.”

In his X posts Tuesday, Araghchi reiterated that Iran had no intention of ever developing a nuclear weapon but said it also would not forgo the “right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.”

The Geneva talks, he said, are “a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests. A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”

Iran, he added, would “stop at nothing to guard our sovereignty with courage.”

It remains unclear just what Iran could offer Trump. Tehran has insisted it wants to continue enriching uranium, something Trump has repeatedly said must stop. It also has refused to discuss its ballistic missile arsenal or its support of regional proxy forces, another Trump demand.

‘Everybody is worried’
It remains difficult to speak to people in Iran; internet and telephone lines remain disrupted following last month’s nationwide protests. On the streets of Tehran, many people are suspicious of talking to journalists, assuming reporters work for the government. Iran’s theocracy controls all radio and TV stations in the country.

Those who did talk with the AP repeatedly mentioned the 1980s war with Iraq, a cataclysmic event in the minds of those old enough to remember it.

“I remember many bad situations, but even during Iran-Iraq war in 1980s it was not like this,” said Hassan Mirzaei, a 68-year-old taxi driver. “I am in shock without any hope — especially when there is word about war.”

He added: “I have two orphaned grandchildren, and I need to work to feed.”

The man in Tehran who spoke of an unequal nature of the talks said: “We once fought Iraq for eight years, but it was a country at the same level with us. Going to war with America, Israel and NATO will have very horrible and unpredictable consequences.”

“What can we do,” he added. “We can’t leave our country.”

Ami Mianji, a 33-year-old who runs an auto repair shop, described Iranians as a brave people who aren’t afraid of war.

“I do not care about threats by Trump and others; eventually Iranians will push back any warmonger,” Mianji said.

A student who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said, “Iran is refusing to back down from its positions for sure, because if it does, it would have officially given up its 40-year-old ideology.”

“I have no hope,” he added. “The leaders of both countries speak often, and none of them is willing to concede to reach a deal. So the likelihood for war is high.”

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, expressed optimism on Wednesday over the outcome of a third round of negotiations scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Middle East adviser Jared Kushner.

After negotiations resumed in the wake of Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters in January, the two sides have traded threats, with the United States threatening military consequences if a deal is not reached and Iran warning of strikes on U.S. military bases in the region if it is attacked.

Trump issued an ultimatum on Feb. 19 of 10 to 15 days, but Pezeshkian nevertheless struck a hopeful tone.

“In relation to the talks, we see a good outlook, tomorrow in the meeting that Dr. Araghchi will hold in Geneva … We have tried, with the guidance of the supreme leader, to manage this process to get out of the ‘no war, no peace situation,'” he said on Iranian state TV.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, third from left, and Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, second from right, attend a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and Iran during a second round of U.S.-Iranian talks in Geneva on Feb. 17, 2026. (Photo by Cyril Zingaro/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, Araghchi said that a nuclear deal is “within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”

The concern over Iran’s nuclear program is tied to its ability to develop a nuclear weapon that will threaten the existence of Israel. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but its nuclear enrichment far outstrips peaceful use and is in fact close to supporting the requirements for building a nuclear bomb.

Meanwhile, Germany has taken a firm stance against Iran’s ability to procure a nuclear bomb. Germany has insisted that Iran cease both its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and stop funding and supporting its proxy terror groups in the region, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Johann Wadephul, Germany’s Foreign Minister, said on Wednesday that Germany has “a special responsibility for the security of the State of Israel” after emphasizing the need for Iran to stop funding terror across the region.

“We expect Iran to seize the opportunity to engage constructively in the talks,” a spokesperson for Germany’s foreign office added.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization is urging communities across Israel to forgo loud noisemakers during Purim Megillah readings to protect combat veterans and others affected by trauma. The move is aimed at minimizing triggers for individuals with PTSD and other war-related emotional challenges, which can be set off by sudden loud sounds like firecrackers and rattles traditionally used to blot out Haman’s name.

Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, director of Tzohar’s Center for Jewish Ethics, emphasized the need for “quiet readings” in locations where veterans or trauma-affected individuals may be present. He noted that while Purim is usually a noisy, celebratory holiday, sensitivity toward those who have endured combat or other traumatic experiences should take precedence.

Tzohar’s annual Megillah B’Kehilah program, which draws tens of thousands of participants across more than 600 sites, will incorporate these quieter readings. The program also seeks to educate attendees on the Purim story, its relevance to Jewish tradition, and lessons of community, unity, and mutual responsibility.

Rabbi David Stav, founder and chair of Tzohar, said the initiative reflects the communal spirit of Purim. “This holiday is about coming together, showing care for one another, and celebrating with joy,” he said. “By adjusting our traditions to protect those who have sacrificed for our country, we honor both the holiday and the people who have served.”

Tzohar officials said the initiative is part of a broader effort to make Purim celebrations more inclusive, allowing everyone to participate safely while maintaining the festive and unifying spirit of the holiday.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will test electric self-driving shuttles at Newark Liberty International Airport next month as it explores new ways to move passengers around the airport during a sweeping redevelopment project.

The agency announced today it is partnering with three autonomous vehicle technology firms, Oceaneering, Ohmio and Glydways, to conduct separate two-week pilot programs in non-public areas of the airport. The tests, scheduled for March through May 2026, will simulate a high-capacity shuttle network operating in a complex airport environment.

Officials said the demonstrations will help determine whether automated shuttles could provide connections between Newark Liberty International Airport and the new AirTrain Newark system now under construction. The replacement AirTrain is scheduled to open in 2030, and planning is underway for a future Terminal B that would sit adjacent to a future AirTrain station.

In a statement, Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia explained thatnautonomous vehicles are increasingly part of modern transportation systems worldwide and that the agency must prepare for the next generation of travel.

Officials said autonomous vehicles could provide a safer, more efficient and potentially more cost-effective alternative to traditional buses, though conventional electric buses are also under consideration as part of broader redevelopment mitigation plans.

The Port Authority’s $3.5 billion AirTrain Newark replacement project began construction in October 2025. The existing AirTrain system, which opened in 1996 when the airport served about 30 million passengers annually, cannot be expanded or upgraded to newer technology and constrains future growth, officials said. Newark Liberty handled nearly 50 million passengers in 2024, and AirTrain ridership is projected to grow 50% by 2040.

The new AirTrain route will provide direct access to the airport’s Terminal A, eliminating the current 15-minute walk between the station and the terminal, officials said.

The Revo GT with the ZF/Oceaneering skin in front of the OES facility in Orlando, FL.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The FBI is serving search warrants at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s headquarters and the superintendent’s home.

Federal officials in Los Angeles were serving the search warrants Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the probe. The nature of the investigation and what allegations were being examined was not immediately clear.

Carvalho has been superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district since Feb. 2022. The sprawling district, which covers more than two dozen cities, has more than 500,000 students.

A former American hostage who endured 444 days of captivity during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis is warning that the Islamic Republic will not collapse easily, even under military assault.

Barry Rosen, now 81, was serving as press attaché at the US Embassy in Tehran when he and 51 other Americans were seized on Nov. 4, 1979, by militants loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The hostages were held for 444 days, much of that time in isolation.

“I have seen this regime up close before — this regime will go down fighting. It has everything to lose,” Rosen said. While expressing hope for “a free and open Iran,” he added, “I don’t think we are as close to regime change as it seems.”

Rosen said the regime sees itself as engaged in a moral struggle against Western powers.

“They see themselves as the oppressed,” he said. “The regime believes it represents the moral rebellion of the oppressed against the arrogant powers — the West and the US specifically.”

He cautioned that if confronted militarily, the leadership under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would respond aggressively.

“This regime will go down fighting if there is a military operation against Iran brought by the United States,” Rosen said. “It will fight, and it can cause tremendous damage all over the Middle East and really turn the entire region into flames.”

Iran has built a significant arsenal over the past decade, including cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles and domestically produced Shahed drones, some of which have been supplied to Russia. Rosen noted Iranian officials have openly claimed they possess enough missile power to damage US naval forces.

“The regime knows if they don’t have the power of the missiles themselves, they would be destroyed by the United States,” he said.

The warning follows nationwide protests in January sparked by the falling value of the Iranian rial — the largest domestic uprising since the 1979 revolution. Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown.

Despite public unrest, Rosen said he does not foresee a split within the regime’s core security apparatus.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia “will stick up with the regime,” he said. “They’re going to be as aggressive as possible with the Iranian people.”

He added that the Guards are “so ideologically tied to Ayatollah Khamenei that I don’t see any split off from the regime itself.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recently vowed that Tehran would not “bow” to foreign pressure, a stance Rosen described as increasingly aggressive.

“It is now very aggressive in its stance toward the United States, which it sees as threatening its very existence,” he said.

Rosen argued that the Islamic Republic’s identity has been shaped by confrontation with the West.

“Iran’s post-revolutionary identity was forged by resistance — against the United States, its sanctions and international isolation,” he said. “It has been living under prolonged pressure, bred by a siege mentality.”

That mindset, he explained, reinforces unity at the top.

“The world is against us, so survival depends on vigilance and unity,” he said, describing a psychology that “justifies security dominance — the suppression of dissent in the name of preservation.”

Despite his grim assessment, Rosen said he hopes the current standoff does not escalate into war.

“I would hope the negotiation option will take place — that is lowering the nuclear situation, lowering the enrichment,” he said.

Rosen, who survived mock executions, physical abuse and months of enforced silence during his captivity, also called on Americans to support ordinary Iranians.

“It is very disappointing for me to see that the American people are not supporting the Iranian people,” he said. “The regime is so oppressive, and any progressive human being should be out there in the streets supporting the Iranian people.”

Nearly five decades after he was held at gunpoint inside the US Embassy in Tehran, Rosen says one lesson remains clear: if confronted militarily, Iran’s leadership will not fracture quietly.

“They will stick together like glue,” he warned.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Police in Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan carried out a pre-Purim enforcement operation targeting the illegal sale of fireworks and explosive devices, arresting three suspects and seizing dozens of prohibited pyrotechnic items.

As part of operational preparations for the upcoming Yom Tov of Purim, officers, together with additional enforcement agencies, conducted a focused effort to uphold laws banning the sale and distribution of dangerous toys and explosive materials.

During the operation, three individuals were taken into custody on suspicion of selling and possessing banned items. Authorities confiscated dozens of pyrotechnic products, including firecrackers, fireworks and other explosive devices.

Police stated that officers from the Dan District, working in coordination with municipal enforcement and security units, will continue firm action to prevent and combat criminal activity, maintain public order, address “quality of life” offenses and noise disturbances, and provide a swift and professional response to any unusual incident, while also strengthening residents’ sense of personal security.

Law enforcement officials also urged the public to refrain from using firecrackers and similar explosives, citing consideration for combat veterans living among the community and the need to prevent panic and anxiety, particularly during this sensitive security period.

“Israel Police wishes the public a happy Purim and calls on everyone to remain vigilant. In any case of suspicion regarding individuals, vehicles or suspicious objects, contact the 100 emergency hotline to enable a rapid and effective response,” police said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

Judge Alon Gabizon, the president of the Southern District Magistrate’s Court, sharply critcized prosecutors for charging the defendants in the Gaza smuggling affair with aiding the enemy in wartime—an offense carrying a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment.

“I have difficulty understanding this offense,” Gabizon said during a hearing at the Be’er Sheva District Court on Wednesday. “How can people be accused of aiding the enemy while the state itself aids the enemy? You went too far.”

Gabizon asked the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office to re-examine whether the offense of aiding the enemy in wartime truly matches the actions of all the suspects, most of whom smuggled only cigarettes into the Strip. Following the judge’s request, prosecutors consulted with the most senior levels of the prosecution. Upon returning to the hearing, they announced that at this stage they decided to leave the charge unchanged. However, Gabizon ruled that a clear distinction must be made among the defendants regarding attribution of the aiding-the-enemy offense, and said he will issue his final decision next Thursday.

About a week and a half ago, i24News reported that Southern District Attorney Erez Padan fiercely opposed State Attorney Amit Aisman’s decision to add the charge of “aiding the enemy during wartime” in the indictment against Betzalel Zini and the other suspects.

Padan said that the charge contradicts common sense, does not align with existing precedents, and violates principles of proportionality. Despite his professional objection, Aisman insisted on getting his way and added the charge to the indictment.

Adv. Yuval Kaplinsky, former head of the State Prosecution International Division, called Aisman’s decision “a display of impaired judgment, professional negligence, intoxication with power, and loss of direction.”

Indictments filed in a recent similar case involving soldiers from the Bedouin reconnaissance battalion accused of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza cited a less severe national security charge, carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

During a court hearing on Tuesday, Zini raised serious allegations about his detention conditions, saying that he has been denied basic necessities and religious needs.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

This past Shabbos, the city of Stamford, Connecticut, was transformed into a migdalor of Torah with the hosting of the 30th annual Dirshu Convention. The massive Maamad was held this year under the banner of three decades of Harbotzas Torah, bringing together thousands of Chavrei Dirshu who traveled from across the United States and North America.

The town was filled with thousands of Yungeleit, maggidei shiur, members of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and prominent Roshei Yeshiva. They gathered for a Shabbos of spiritual elevation at the “Armon” hotel complex, which was entirely dedicated to the convention. To accommodate the overwhelming demand, the Marriott hotel—located a 40-minute walk away—was also chartered for the overflow of attendees. The main tefillos and gatherings took place in a massive, magnificent tent erected in the hotel courtyard to serve as the central Heichal HaTefillah. 

The participants were zocheh to bask in the presence of Gedolei U’Meorei HaDor shlit”a, who made the effort to attend and provide chizuk to the lomdei Torah.  Among the Gedolim gracing the event were:

Horav Yeruchem Olshin shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha, Lakewood. Horav Yitzchok Sorotzkin shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe and Mesivta of Lakewood. Horav Dovid Goldberg shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe. Horav Hillel David shlit”a, Rav of Kehal Shaarei Torah. Horav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz shlit”a, Dayan of Skver Boro Park. Horav Chaim Mordechai Ausband shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Shlomo, who traveled from Eretz Yisrael as a special guest. 

Dozens of other Rabbonim and Dirshu representatives from across America and Europe also attended the Maamad. Throughout the Shabbos, various Shiurei Iyun and Halacha were delivered, with marei mekomos distributed to the Chavrei Dirshu for in-depth preparation. The Nasi and founder of Dirshu, Horav Dovid Hofstedter shlit”a, also addressed the massive crowd. Additionally, specialized panels and sessions were held for maggidei shiur to discuss methods for deepening Halacha knowledge among bnei Torah. 

On Motzei Shabbos, a vital Chinuch panel addressed burning contemporary issues, including maintaining the independence of traditional Chinuch from external interference. The panel featured Rav Ausband, Horav Eitan Feiner shlit”a (Rav of Kehal Tifereth Israel), and Horav Shlomo Cynamon shlit”a (Rav of Kehal Bnei Torah and Rosh Kollel Dirshu of Flatbush)

The convention culminated in a festive Melave Malka open to the wider public, featuring stirring words from the Gedolim. The evening became a powerful display of Kiddush Shem Shamayim, as the throngs of Chavrei Dirshu united in a rikud of simcha and a shared mission to further increase the learning of Torah.

Lakewood Police are investigating after a repossession employee found guns inside a vehicle, TLS has learned.

The company was cleaning out the repossessed vehicle when they located the weapons.

Police did not immediately release the type of weapons found, or if they were registered guns.

FDNY firefighters are on the scene of a fire on the second floor of a building at 1494 Coney Island Avenue near Avenue L. There are no reports of any injuries at this time.

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President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in American history on Tuesday evening; a 108-minute address to a joint session of Congress that broke his own previous record. The speech ranged widely across economic policy, foreign affairs, immigration, and national security, punctuated by medal ceremonies and moments of sharp partisan friction.

The address came at a politically consequential moment. Trump’s approval ratings have softened since his second term began, and both parties are positioning aggressively ahead of November’s midterm elections. Tuesday night was Trump’s most prominent opportunity to make his case directly to the American people; and he used it to focus heavily on the cost of living, new financial programs for families, and America’s posture abroad.

Honoring American Heroes

Among the most broadly praised moments of the evening were a series of award ceremonies. Trump presented Medals of Honor to retired Navy Captain E. Royce William and Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover,a helicopter pilot wounded during a January mission that Trump said led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. In 1952, Williams engaged seven Soviet MiG-15s in whiteout conditions, shooting down four while his own jet absorbed more than 200 rounds. His heroism, long hidden due to Cold War secrecy, finally earned him accolades after Congressional action lifted the time limit on award reviews.

Trump awarded Purple Hearts to West Virginia National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe – who survived a shooting during his deployment to Washington – and posthumously to Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, killed in the same attack. Beckstrom’s parents received her medal on the floor of the House.

Trump also awarded a Medal of Freedom to Team USA Olympic goalie Connor Hellebuyck and a Legion of Merit to a Coast Guard swimmer who rescued 164 Texans from floodwaters. The appearance of the U.S. men’s gold-medal Olympic hockey team drew the only bipartisan standing ovation of the night; a fleeting moment of unity in an otherwise sharply divided chamber.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) called it the best presidential address he had attended since taking office in 2021. “As the president is acknowledging heroes of this nation and actually giving them their military honors in front of the world,” he said, “I think it helps us all remember why we run for office and come here.”

Economic Agenda: Affordability Takes Center Stage

Trump devoted the largest portion of his speech to economic issues, directly engaging the “affordability” message Democrats have been running on heading into the midterms. He argued that the high prices Americans have faced in recent years were a product of Democratic governance, not his own; a claim that drew loud applause from Republicans and stony silence from Democrats.

Among the specific economic proposals and claims Trump advanced:

Egg prices and food costs: Trump said his policies caused egg prices to fall by 60%. The Consumer Price Index published February 13 shows prices are down roughly 34% from a year ago; a meaningful decline, though short of the figure Trump cited.

Foreign investment: Trump claimed $18 trillion in new foreign investment secured for the U.S. economy, citing it as evidence his trade and tariff policies are working.

Drug costs: Trump said drug prices have fallen by “300%, 400%, 500%, 600%,” though he offered no sourcing for those figures.

Corporate homebuying: Trump called on Congress to permanently ban large corporations from buying residential homes. “We want homes for people, not for corporations,” he said, striking a populist note that drew applause from both sides of the aisle.

Congressional stock trading: In one of the night’s rare bipartisan moments, Trump called for banning members of Congress from trading stocks using insider information, drawing applause from Democrats and Republicans alike, though past legislative efforts on this front have stalled.

AI and energy: Trump said he has secured pledges from major technology companies to build their own power plants for AI data centers, arguing this would prevent energy costs from rising in surrounding communities.

New Retirement Account Program

One of the more substantive policy announcements of the evening was Trump’s proposal to expand retirement savings access to the roughly 50 million Americans who lack employer-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s.

Trump said he would offer those workers access to a retirement account modeled on the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan; a program available to all federal employees that provides access to low-fee index funds tied to instruments like short-term Treasuries and the S&P 500. The government would match contributions with up to $1,000 per year for those who put in $2,000 of their own money.

The White House says the plan builds on the Secure Act 2.0, passed under President Biden, which itself updated retirement legislation from Trump’s first term. A key feature of the new proposal: rather than requiring individuals to open an IRA on their own, participants could simply check a box on their tax return to enroll.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist at the New School who has studied the plan and worked on an early version of it with White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, called the proposal significant. “It finally recognizes that most people don’t have anything saved for retirement, and they don’t save consistently,” she told Axios. “This is a big deal.”

The proposal has drawn interest across party lines and complements the administration’s separately announced Trump Accounts; 530A savings vehicles seeded with $1,000 from the U.S. Treasury for children born between 2025 and 2028, with roughly 3 million families already enrolled. Both initiatives reflect a broader White House push to get more Americans participating in financial markets.

One caveat hangs over any retirement expansion effort: the Social Security trust fund is projected to be depleted by 2033, at which point recipients would face an automatic benefit cut if Congress has not acted. Trump did not address Social Security in his remarks Tuesday night.

Tariffs and Trade

Trump defended his tariff agenda despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down a significant portion of his tariff authority. He expressed confidence that the tariffs would survive under alternative legal statutes and laid out a longer-term vision: that revenue from tariffs paid by foreign countries could eventually reduce or replace the federal income tax burden on American workers. Economic policy experts have broadly questioned whether tariff revenue could realistically replace income tax receipts, but the idea drew strong applause from the Republican side of the chamber.

Foreign Policy: Iran and Venezuela

Trump addressed two major foreign policy situations late in his speech. On Iran, he leveled three accusations: that the regime has killed and maimed American troops with roadside bombs, is pursuing missiles capable of reaching the United States, and is working toward nuclear weapons capability. “I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, adding that his preference is diplomacy but that all options remain available. U.S. and Iranian envoys are scheduled to meet in Geneva Thursday.

On Venezuela, Trump praised the military operation that brought President Nicolas Maduro to New York to face justice, calling it “one of the most complex, spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history.” Earlier in the speech, Trump had referred to Venezuela as “our new friend and partner.”

Immigration and Homeland Security

Trump challenged Democratic lawmakers to stand and affirm that the first duty of the U.S. government is to protect American citizens rather than illegal aliens. Republicans stood; Democrats largely did not. “You should be ashamed of yourselves,” Trump told Democrats who remained seated.

Trump also accused Democrats of cutting off funding for the Department of Homeland Security, a reference to an ongoing spending dispute that has led to a partial shutdown of the agency. Democrats have argued the funding standoff stems from concerns about executive overreach by DHS law enforcement.

The Democratic Response

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic rebuttal from Williamsburg, Virginia, arguing that Trump’s policies had made life less affordable for American families through tariffs, cuts to food programs, and immigration enforcement that she said had separated families and detained U.S. citizens. “We did not hear truth from our president,” Spanberger said.

Inside the chamber, roughly half of Democratic lawmakers boycotted the speech. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was removed from the chamber after holding up a handmade sign criticizing a meme posted to the Trump social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife as monkeys. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a sharply critical statement after the address concluded.

Republican Reaction

Republican lawmakers were largely positive in their post-speech assessments, with particular praise for the affordability focus. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said Trump spoke to the things “moms and dads worry about when they lie down at night to sleep and can’t.” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) – who has at times clashed with Trump on tariffs and foreign policy – said the affordability focus was the right call and that Trump “should talk this way every day.”

Post-Address Polls

Trump’s address earned mostly positive reviews from a Republican-leaning audience, a CNN/SSRS poll found, though many viewers still weren’t convinced he’s prioritizing the nation’s biggest challenges or poised to lower everyday costs. About two-thirds of those who tuned in reacted positively, with 38% saying they felt “very positive.” Those numbers trail the reception of last year’s speech and his first-term addresses, and they roughly mirror ratings for former President Joe Biden’s final State of the Union.

Such upbeat reactions are typical, however, since these speeches tend to draw supporters of the sitting president; this year’s audience was about 13 points more Republican than the public overall.

The address did boost some viewers’ confidence: belief that Trump’s policies would move the country in the right direction rose from 54% before the speech to 64% after. Confidence that he has the right priorities ticked up from 44% to 54%.

But Trump did not fully satisfy viewers on the issues they cared about most. Nearly half said he devoted too little attention to the cost of living, despite the speech setting a record for length. Only 31% expressed strong confidence that he could make living expenses more affordable, and opinions on his use of tariffs were evenly divided.

Following the address, 62% of viewers said Trump’s economic and immigration policies would move the country in a positive direction. While his economic ratings matched last year’s, his immigration numbers slipped back to levels seen in his first term. Among those dissatisfied with his attention to immigration, more said he focused on it too much than too little.On broader leadership questions, 45% felt highly confident in Trump’s ability to lead, 43% were very confident in his use of military power, and 38% voiced strong confidence in his decision-making on Iran.

Despite the attention presidential addresses draw, they rarely shift public opinion in a significant way, CNN said, and Trump’s standing with the wider public remains low. A separate CNN poll conducted before the speech placed his approval rating at 36%.

Bottom Line

Tuesday’s address was the most prominent single moment Trump will likely have before November’s midterms to make his case to the country. The speech was strongest when it stayed focused on kitchen-table economics and the new retirement and savings proposals; areas where the policy substance is real and the bipartisan appetite exists. It was less disciplined in its more combative passages, which, while energizing to the Republican base, are unlikely to move the independents and soft supporters the party will need to hold Congress in the fall.

The retirement account proposal in particular represents the kind of durable, cross-aisle policy idea that could generate momentum if the administration follows through with legislative specifics. Whether Tuesday night’s address translates into a political reset remains to be seen, but it gave supporters a substantive platform to rally around heading into a consequential election year.

In a move with far-reaching implications for the kedushah and hanhagas hamakom at the Kosel, Knesset members voted 56–47 on Wednesday in favor of the preliminary reading of legislation granting the Chief Rabbinate full authority over tefillah arrangements at all areas of the Kosel.

The proposal immediately drew fierce criticism from “progressive” and leftist Jewish organizations, which denounced the measure as “patronizing and antisemitic.”

The bill, introduced by Noam MK Avi Maoz, seeks to counter last week’s ruling by the High Court of Justice requiring the state to proceed with upgrading the egalitarian plaza at the Kosel. That area, referred to as Ezras Yisroel, has been designated for non-Orthodox prayer services. The long-delayed renovation was part of the so-called Kosel compromise approved by Netanyahu’s government roughly a decade ago, which envisioned a pluralistic prayer platform at the site.

Under the new legislation, the two Chief Rabbis of Israel would be granted ultimate authority over Jewish holy sites, including Ezras Yisroel, and any activity conducted in opposition to their directives — such as non-Orthodox prayer services — would be defined as a “desecration.”

Current law stipulates that desecrating a holy site is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu canceled a session of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation in what was seen as an effort to avoid official government backing of the bill and potential backlash from Diaspora Jewry. In the end, Netanyahu allowed coalition members to vote according to their own judgment. Several Likud lawmakers, among them Yuli Edelstein and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, did not participate in the vote.

After the bill cleared its preliminary stage, Maoz hailed the legislation as safeguarding the kedushas hamakom and said it would “unify the Jewish people, both those in Israel and those in the Diaspora.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who also holds the religious services portfolio, voiced strong support for the proposal and urged swift passage in order to “put an end to the High Court’s interference in the management of the Kosel.”

The Shas party welcomed the bill, describing it as a necessary stand against “attempts to desecrate and violate the rules of the place that have been practiced for generations.” United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni framed the measure as a defeat for the Reform Movement, which he labeled “the destroyers of the Jewish people.”

According to a Telegram post by Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told members of his Otzma Yehudit faction that the bill would strengthen Jewish control over Har Habayis. However, the legislation itself makes no mention of Har Habayis, which, despite its centrality in Yiddishkeit, is not formally defined under Israeli law as a Jewish holy site.

Following the vote — which now sends the bill to committee for further deliberation ahead of the three readings required for final passage — progressive Jewish leaders issued strong statements condemning the move as an affront to non-Orthodox Jews and Diaspora communities.

Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism, declared that the bill is “patronizing and antisemitic.” She added, “The State of Israel is about to criminalize non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the Western Wall. What hypocrisy. If such a law were to be passed in the United States, Australia or Britain, and prevent Jews from holding their prayers under threat of imprisonment for up to seven years, the State of Israel would immediately launch a fierce fight against antisemitism.”

The Women of the Wall organization described the Knesset vote as a “black day for the Jewish people,” asserting that the State of Israel had “divorced Diaspora Jewry and declared outright that they are not welcome and are not accepted in the home of the Jewish people.”

The group further warned that a government prepared to imprison women for reading from the Torah at the Kosel is “taking giant strides toward becoming Iran.”

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, himself a Reform rabbi, sharply criticized the bill, stating: “Avi Maoz’s crazy law approved in a preliminary reading turns anyone who disobeys the Chief Rabbinate into a criminal who must be thrown in jail.” He added, “We will not allow Avi Maoz and Binyomin Netanyahu to spit in the face of our brothers around the world, who, while they are dealing with an unprecedented wave of antisemitism, are being stabbed in the back by the government and the coalition.”

World Zionist Organization Vice Chairman Yizhar Hess, formerly CEO of the Masorti movement, echoed those concerns. “Today’s approval of moving forward with legislation to imprison Jews who pray at the Egalitarian Kotel will always be remembered as a dark day in the history of Zionism and the nation-state of the Jewish people,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Queens Councilmembers Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino, along with Queens Civic Congress President Warren Schreiber, have filed a lawsuit against Mayor Zohran Mamdani, seeking answers to a Freedom of Information Law request tied to his early executive actions on Israel and antisemitism, the Queens Eagle reported Wednesday.

The plaintiffs argue that the mayor has not properly responded to FOIL submissions made in January that questioned his move to rescind a previous administration’s executive order adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

“Mayor Mamdani has chosen to stonewall, deflect, delay and deny any response,” the filing states. “As set forth in detail herein, this dilatory tactic on the part of the Mayor is disingenuous, arbitrary, capricious, unlawful, and contrary to the public interest of all New Yorkers.”

Shortly after taking office, Mamdani issued executive orders nullifying all directives signed by his predecessor after the date of that predecessor’s fraud indictment on Sept. 26, 2024 — including the order recognizing the IHRA definition. It was one of his earliest actions as mayor.

These moves, which also involved withdrawing the city’s investments in Israeli bonds, drew criticism from segments of the Jewish community who already had concerns about Mamdani’s views on Israel and the conflict in Gaza.

The lawsuit describes Mamdani’s actions as both “anti-Israel” and “anti-Jewish.”

The plaintiffs say their FOIL requests filed on Jan. 2 and Jan. 12 were intended to uncover the reasoning behind the revocation of the executive orders.

According to the lawsuit, “The purpose of the FOIL applications at issue in this proceeding is to decipher and obtain the documentary trail of information illuminating Mayor Mamdani’s motives, policies, programs, legislative initiatives and budgetary priorities implicated within the EO.”

Their request seeks internal documents related to the administration’s policies on Zionism and antisemitism.

The City Law Department initially rejected the FOIL requests, requiring resubmission. They were formally acknowledged on Feb. 11, with officials stating they would aim to produce responses by April 20.

FOIL requests – regularly used by journalists and the public to access government records – often take months to process, particularly at the city level.

The petitioners and their attorney, Jack Lester, filed the lawsuit on Thursday, Feb. 19, citing the matter’s “urgency.”

“The issue affects, over a million people in New York City, and it’s not your typical policy decision, and it’s not your typical FOIL,” Lester said. “So there has to be some urgency behind it.”

He added that the timing of the revocations – coming at the very start of Mamdani’s administration – drove their decision to pursue the lawsuit, calling the move “unprecedented.”

(AP) – For some young children in Columbus, Ohio, reading assessments don’t start in the kindergarten classroom — they happen first in the doctor’s office.

With concerns rising about lagging childhood literacy rates across the country, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has begun screening children’s literacy skills starting at age 3 during pediatrician visits. The idea is to catch reading struggles early on and guide parents on how to help their kids.

“They are all doing developmental screenings, they’re all talking to parents repeatedly,” said Sara Bode, the hospital’s medical director of school-based health. “So this is an opportunity.”

The pediatric hospital chose clinics to provide the literacy screenings largely based on their proximity to schools with lower performance scores on kindergarten readiness assessments. Across Columbus City Schools, more than 63% of kindergarteners were behind on language and literacy skills during the 2024-2025 school year, according to state kindergarten readiness assessment, or KRA, data.

Concerns about childhood literacy extend far beyond Columbus. Nationally, the percentage of fourth graders considered proficient in reading sits just above 30%, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card. Reading proficiency has dipped 4 percentage points since 2019 as schools have struggled to make up for pandemic learning losses.

Literacy screenings are not typically conducted in medical settings, but several prominent pediatric care centers, including Boston Children’s Hospital, promote early literacy resources to families in recognition of reading’s importance for a child’s development.

Kids who enter kindergarten with lower reading ability often struggle to catch up in later grades. Almost three-fourths of kindergarteners who test in the bottom 20% of students for readiness exams remain in the bottom 20% of their class by fifth grade, according to The Children’s Reading Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

Development screenings typically focus on other milestones
Physicians’ assessments of childhood development have often focused more on other milestones, such as walking or talking on time. But a child could ace a standard pediatric screening and still be behind in other areas needed to be ready for kindergarten, Bode said.

To address that dilemma, the pediatric hospital implemented literacy screenings in about half of its 13 clinics, assigning a literacy coordinator to each. The program launched in 2022 and has since conducted more than 2,400 screenings. Many of the children come from high-needs populations, as Nationwide serves families that are uninsured or on Medicaid.

Screeners aren’t meant to diagnose learning disabilities like dyslexia, but rather identify areas where kids could use additional support.

Having support outside the education system to flag early reading difficulties is a step in the right direction, but choosing the right screening tool is key, said Devin Kearns, an early literacy professor at North Carolina State University.

Coordinators at Nationwide use a tool that assesses kids as they read through a book during primary care visits — either in English or Spanish. It took some practice to refine the timing — avoiding moments after vaccinations when children were upset, for example — but the reading assessments take only about 10 minutes.

After a child completes a screening, the coordinator can create a personalized literacy plan that highlights the areas that need more practice.

The visit is also an opportunity to model activities that parents can do at home with their kids, such as reading a book aloud, said Carneshia Edwards, who leads the hospital’s kindergarten readiness team.

“When we’re doing the screenings, families are kind of concerned that their kids don’t know certain things and it’s not necessarily about that piece of it,” Edwards said. “It’s just more so exposing them more than anything.”

Giving families tools to improve reading at home
Before Juri Sleet completed her literacy screening at age 3, her grandmother, Quintina Davis, worried Juri didn’t have enough opportunities for early learning. But meeting with the literacy coordinator at her clinic opened Davis’ eyes to all the activities she could do at home with Juri.

“She didn’t know as much, but our coordinator was very patient with her,” Davis said.

After each screening, coordinators put together literacy kits, a medley of tools and activities for at-home practice. Those materials are also influenced by Columbus City Schools teachers’ feedback on what students need help with when they enter kindergarten.

The kits’ contents largely depend on donations the program receives. There are often items such as dry-erase boards for writing letters and books to practice reading. But the kits can also have safety scissors or pencils with rubbery grippers to improve motor skills.

“Parents are the first teachers, so we really try to encourage them to sit down with their child and just kind of work with them before going into kindergarten,” Edwards said.

Coordinators stay in touch with the families they met with in the clinic, sometimes referring children to early education programs such as the federally-funded preschool program Head Start or the SPARK program, which does educational home visits.

Then, when a child returns to the clinic a year later, the coordinator meets with them again. For Juri, now 4, the follow-up visit put into perspective how much she had progressed in a year, her grandmother said.

Over the course of a year, Juri had made strides in recognizing letters, sounds and sight words. Juri also enrolled in preschool at a local YMCA with the help of her literacy coordinator, Davis said. She’s been doing “awesome” there, Davis said, and she can’t wait to watch her grow even more.

“The goal is to make sure by the time she starts kindergarten, that she’s absolutely ready without having a lot of challenges,” Davis said. “So right now, I think she is heading towards that way.”

by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”

It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.)

Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.

Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!

Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!

YES! YOU CAN MAKE

your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE

Shas, Rashi & Tosfos

IN JUST ONE YEAR!

The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha

The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly:  It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact.

All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.

Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year

The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own.

Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden.

Official Shtar from Shas Yiden

Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.

All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.

The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!

Yissachar-Zevulun Pact –

Beyond the Grave

The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon. 

Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).

One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”

In the words of Gedolei Torah:

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:

“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).

“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.

“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”

Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:

“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”

Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:

 “Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”

Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:

“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”

Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:

“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory.

ShasYiden.com

Former Vice President Kamala Harris says that she remains undecided about another presidential run but acknowledged that she “might” seek the White House again. Harris made the remarks during a live video conversation Monday with author Sharon McMahon, as part of an online discussion that included both personal and political topics.

Near the end of the event, McMahon launched a rapid-fire “lightning round” of questions and asked Harris directly whether she planned to run again.

“I haven’t decided,” Harris replied.

When pressed further, she added: “I might.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

McMahon told Harris that she had interpreted her recent book as signaling possible interest in another campaign. Harris pushed back, saying the book was not intended as a political statement.

“The book is about a specific period in time,” Harris said, adding that it was meant to reflect on her experiences and connect with readers.

Harris released her memoir, 107 Days, late last year. The book chronicles the turbulent period after former President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, elevating Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket against President Donald Trump.

The book became a bestseller and helped revive Harris’s public profile following her election loss.

Since then, she has increased her public appearances and media engagements, moves widely seen as keeping her politically relevant ahead of the next cycle.

Harris’s comments come as Democrats continue to search for a dominant figure in the early stages of the 2028 race. No clear frontrunner has emerged, and several prominent figures are viewed as potential contenders.

Party strategists say Harris remains a major figure due to her national recognition, fundraising capacity, and experience as vice president, though she also faces lingering questions about her previous campaign.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An extensive, multi-agency narcotics investigation targeting drug distribution in Ocean County resulted in the arrest of multiple individuals, the seizure of significant quantities of illegal drugs, a firearm, and approximately $25,000 in cash, authorities announced.

Bradley D. Billhimer said the investigation—led by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force in coordination with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (Red Bank) and multiple local law enforcement units—identified several locations in Toms River and Brick Township being used to store and distribute narcotics.

Authorities identified Tyrese Lett, 25; Kylah Parks, 28; and Rameek Peace, 38, all of Toms River, along with Kyle Murrin, 39, of Brick Township, as the individuals involved in the operation.

On February 19, 2026, law enforcement established surveillance on two residences and a hotel room in Toms River, as well as a residence in Brick Township. Detectives observed Lett operating a vehicle with Parks as a passenger in the Lakehurst area. A motor vehicle stop was conducted, and both were taken into custody without incident.

Search warrants were subsequently executed on the vehicle and hotel room, leading to the seizure of approximately 49 grams of cocaine, 70 grams of crack cocaine, 16 bricks of heroin, morphine, alprazolam and oxycodone pills, drug paraphernalia, and about $25,000 in cash.

Later that day, Peace was observed leaving his Toms River residence and was taken into custody near Route 37. A search of the residences resulted in the recovery of a Keltec 9mm firearm. Also located at the residence was Moises Martinez, 36, of Toms River, who was charged with being a certain person not to possess a firearm and lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

In a related operation, officers executed a search warrant at a Brick Township residence, seizing approximately 20 grams of codeine, hydrocodone pills, and drug distribution paraphernalia. Murrin was taken into custody at the scene.

Lett and Parks face multiple charges, including possession of large quantities of cocaine and heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy, and various drug possession offenses. Lett remains lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, while Parks was released under New Jersey bail reform guidelines.

Peace faces charges including distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy, and weapons offenses. He is also being held pending a detention hearing.

Murrin was charged with possession of hydrocodone with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a valid prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a nuisance. He was served via summons pending future court appearances.

By Y.M. Lowy

The blizzard that swept through New York City left fallen trees, snapped limbs, and large branches scattered along sidewalks and streets.

City officials say more than 1,800 reports of downed trees and limbs came in after the storm. The heavy, wet snow weighed down branches, causing many to crack or collapse overnight. In some areas, entire trees came down. In others, large branches blocked sidewalks, damaged parked cars, and forced temporary street closures.

Locally, residents reported seeing big limbs torn from older trees, with crews working to remove debris and restore safe passage for drivers and pedestrians.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city has activated an interagency downed trees task force, coordinated by the Parks Department, to respond to the widespread damage. Crews have been dispatched across boroughs to clear streets, remove hazardous limbs, and assess trees that may still pose a risk.

No widespread serious injuries have been reported, but officials are urging residents to stay alert, especially when walking near trees that may still be weighed down by snow and ice.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is accusing Apple CEO Tim Cook of misleading the administration about shifting iPhone manufacturing out of China and into the United States, arguing that similar assurances were made during President Trump’s first term and never fulfilled.

In an interview with Miranda Devine on “Pod Force One,” set to air Wednesday, Navarro sharply criticized Cook’s approach to tariffs and overseas production. He described the Apple chief as “the king of evading tariffs.”

“We let him get away with it in the first term, because he promised he would basically bring his iPhone production here — or out of China — and he lied through his teeth,” said President Trump’s senior counselor on trade and manufacturing.

Navarro suggested that the pattern is repeating itself under Trump’s current term. “And he’s doing it again. That’s quite par for the course,” Navarro also claimed.

Devine pressed Navarro on whether American industry is seeing a revival during Trump’s second term, pointing out that Apple maintains facilities in the United States and has announced plans to grow its domestic operations.

Navarro dismissed the idea that Apple is leading a manufacturing comeback. “Not with Apple. I mean, they’re going to India, and to me, that’s not a whole lot better than being in China,” Navarro fired back. “But, that’s the exception, I think, that proves the rule.”

President Trump has also publicly criticized Cook — at times referring to him as “Tim Apple” — over the company’s decision to expand production in India rather than bring more operations back to American soil.

Last May, Trump warned Apple that it could face a 25% tariff if it failed to relocate production to the United States. Analysts have estimated that an iPhone built entirely in America could carry a price tag as high as $3,500.

Shortly after returning to the White House, Apple unveiled plans to invest $500 billion in U.S.-based projects.

In February 2025, the company announced it would enlarge its footprint “in Michigan, Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada, Iowa, Oregon, North Carolina, and Washington” and construct “a new factory in Texas.”

At the time, Apple said the initiative would create as many as 20,000 jobs in the United States.

“Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year,” Cook also said in a Tuesday statement.

“We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further.”

Over the past year, Apple’s pledged investment in the United States has climbed to $600 billion.

The company has also committed that by the end of 2026, all new “cover glass for iPhone and AppleWatch” will be manufactured at a facility in Kentucky.

The administration’s tariff strategy recently faced a legal setback when the Supreme Court ruled against the use of certain emergency authorities to impose import duties. Still, Navarro indicated that the White House has alternative tools at its disposal.

The court, in a 6-3 decision, found that Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy tariffs aimed at correcting trade imbalances.

“It did strike down the IEEPA tariffs, the emergency tariffs — it did not strike down [Sections] 232, 301, 122, 338, all the different powers that the president has been delegated by Congress and can use.”

Navarro has long criticized Apple’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing, once describing the company’s overseas production strategy as “the longest-running soap opera in Silicon Valley.”

Reiterating his argument on “Pod Force One,” Navarro underscored what he sees as the broader impact of the administration’s trade policy.

“I mean, we have, Miranda, this is like mind boggling,” he said on “Pod Force One.”

“We have $18 trillion of new investment pledged since the tariffs and because of the tariffs,” he added. “I mean, as President Trump has said, you don’t pay the tariffs if you produce here.”

{Matzav.com}

Ishay Ribo, the Sephardic Orthodox Jewish Israeli singer-songwriter who is popular across all segments of Israeli society, canceled at the last minute a trip for a planned tour of the United States. The singer decided to turn back after having already reached Ben Gurion airport, citing escalating tensions between the United States and Iran that might leave him stranded abroad and unable to return home.

Ribo expressed his regret in a message to disappointed fans.

“Dear audience, in light of the situation and the high level of alert in Israel, we have decided to postpone our upcoming U.S. tour,” he wrote.

Israeli singer Ishay Ribo performs during March For Israel at the National Mall on Nov. 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

“In sensitive moments like these, we felt the right thing to do was to remain in the Land of Israel and stand alongside our families,” he said. “We greatly appreciate your understanding and support. We promise to reschedule the tour as soon as it is possible and safe to do so. Am Yisrael Chai.”

Ishay Ribo was scheduled to hold a concert on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the worst massacre in Israeli history. That concert was canceled, but Ribo spent much of his time during the height of the conflict visiting soldiers in hospitals and at IDF bases, singing to lift their spirits. He has also performed at impromptu weddings for reservists. Himself an IDF soldier, the singer has dedicated songs to the IDF.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. and South Korean militaries said on Wednesday they will conduct their annual springtime exercises next month to bolster their countries’ combined defense capabilities against a backdrop of a deepening diplomatic freeze with nuclear-armed North Korea.

The Freedom Shield drills is set for March 9-19, according to the announcement.

North Korea has long described the allies ’ joint exercises as invasion rehearsals and used them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations and weapons testing activity. The allies say the drills are defensive in nature.

The announcement came as North Korea is holding a major political conference where authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un is expected to outline his key domestic, foreign policy and military goals for the next five years. North Korean state media have not so far reported any direct comments by Kim on relations with Washington and Seoul at the ruling Workers’ Party congress, which began last week.

Based on recent public comments, experts say Kim could use the congress to further entrench his hard-line stance toward South Korea, reiterate calls for Washington to drop its demand for denuclearization as a precondition for renewed talks, and announce steps to simultaneously strengthen and integrate his nuclear and conventional forces.

Freedom Shield is one of two “command post” exercises that the allies conduct each year; the other is Ulchi Freedom Shield, held in August. The drills are largely computer-simulated and designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges.

As usual, the March drill will be accompanied by a field training program called Warrior Shield to enhance “training realism and combat readiness,” Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of U.S. Forces Korea, told a news conference.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said about 18,000 South Korean troops will participate in Freedom Shield while the U.S. military did not disclose how many American troops will be involved.

There has been speculation that the allies are seeking to tone down the drills to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea.

Liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a desire for inter-Korean engagement, and some of his top officials have voiced hope that President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in late March or April could open the door to renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Col. Jang Do-young, public affairs director of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the March exercises will not involve scenarios of a possible response to a North Korean nuclear attack but will include training aimed at “deterring nuclear threats.” He said the allies were still discussing the specifics of the field training program.

The rapid expansion in recent years of Kim’s nuclear weapons program — now featuring systems capable of threatening U.S. allies in Asia, as well as long-range missiles that could potentially reach the American homeland — has heightened South Korea’s security concerns while its diplomacy with Pyongyang remains stalled.

South Korea is also grappling with intensifying U.S.-China competition in the region, which has prompted Washington to press its ally to assume a greater share of the defense burden against North Korea as it focuses more on China.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul’s calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following the collapse of Kim’s second summit with Trump during the American president’s first term.

Kim has now made Russia the priority of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology.

In a separate development, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said a pilot safely evacuated from a South Korean F-16 fighter jet that crashed on Wednesday evening into a mountain in the southeastern city of Yeongju during training.

The ministry said there were no immediate reports of casualties or civilian property damages and that the air force was investigating the crash.

A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured Wednesday afternoon in an accident while riding his bicycle on Rechov HaRemez in Beitar Illit.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and found the teen suffering from a significant head injury after apparently losing control of his bicycle.

Hatzolah volunteers and MDA teams provided immediate medical treatment. He was transported in serious condition by an MDA intensive care ambulance to a Jerusalem hospital for further treatment in the trauma unit.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YS GOLD

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Candace Owens is facing fierce criticism after promoting a forthcoming video series focused on Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The preview has triggered widespread outrage, with critics accusing Owens of exploiting a grieving widow and escalating an already bitter feud.

Owens, 36, released a teaser on X for a project titled “Bride of Charlie.” The trailer begins with news footage covering Charlie Kirk’s assassination last September, then transitions to clips of Erika Kirk, 37, in the months following his death.

The preview includes pointed excerpts of Erika, who assumed the role of CEO of Turning Point USA after her husband’s killing. It also contains references to “Zionists” and Israel, adding to the controversy surrounding the production.

The trailer concludes with an image of Erika depicted wearing a crown.

Erika Kirk is scheduled to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address as a guest of President Trump.

The trailer’s release Monday prompted immediate and emotional reactions from prominent commentators.

“Pure, unadulterated, …evil. Who in God’s name would put a woman whose husband was brutally assassinated in front of the entire world through this? I am so upset by this, I am just so deeply sorry Erika and her family have to be put through this,” media pundit Meghan McCain wrote on X.

Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro also branded Owens as “evil” in a 10-minute video he shared on X.

“What would Charlie have to say about this? And what would he think of his so-called friends who can’t summon the courage to say it for him?” Seth Dillon from the Babylon Bee wrote on X.

When asked about the backlash, a spokesperson for Owens told The Post: “We have no comment. The series will speak for itself, and you can watch the premiere episode [Wednesday].”

In a separate statement later provided to The New York Post, the spokesperson dismissed the criticism.

“LOL. There isn’t any backlash outside of the Zionist bubble—which has no influence. People are excited to watch, and we are looking forward to presenting what we’ve discovered about Mrs. Kirk,” the spokesperson said.

Neither Turning Point USA nor Erika Kirk has publicly responded to the announcement of the series.

Since Charlie Kirk’s death at age 31, Owens has repeatedly made controversial allegations about his widow, with tensions intensifying even after the two reportedly met at a summit in December.

The renewed dispute unfolds as Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, recently lost an attempt to remove senior prosecutors from his case.

Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder in connection with the September 10 shooting at Utah Valley University in Orem and could face the death penalty if convicted.

His defense team argued that the Utah County Attorney’s Office should be disqualified from handling the prosecution because one of the prosecutor’s daughters was present in the audience when Kirk was shot. A judge rejected the request, allowing the office to remain on the case.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israel Defense Forces troops from the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade conducted multiple raids in southern Lebanon over recent months, destroying Hezbollah observation and firing posts equipped with anti-tank missile launchers, the military announced.

The operations were part of ongoing efforts to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from re-arming and rebuilding infrastructure south of the Litani River, in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, the IDF said.

During the targeted ground incursions, soldiers located and demolished the sites, which the military described as Hezbollah terror infrastructure used to launch attacks toward Israel.

The raids follow a pattern of similar Israeli actions in border areas, including villages such as Jabal Blat and Ramyeh, where troops have destroyed weapons depots, rocket launchers and underground storage facilities.

Hezbollah has repeatedly accused Israel of ceasefire violations through such incursions and strikes, while Lebanese officials have reported impacts on civilians in the south. The IDF insists its operations are precise and focused on neutralizing imminent threats.

No immediate response was available from Hezbollah or Lebanese authorities regarding the latest claims about the Baram Brigade raids.

If you noticed that there weren’t a lot of protests against the Iranian regime’s brutal treatment of its own people compared with protests against Israel for its conduct of the Gaza war, you weren’t imagining things. A new report released last week from the Jewish People Policy Institute shows a 100 to one ratio of pro-Gaza to pro-Iran protests.

The study compared a 22-day window of time covering the protests in Iran and the ensuing crackdown with a 22-day period of Israel’s invasion into Rafah and found that during the Rafah invasion, the United States saw 2,120 protests against Israel versus 25 protests during the Iranian crackdown. Not all of those 25 protests were in support of Iran, either: Some of them protested U.S. involvement in the conflict.

In addition, the report found twice as much media coverage in the Rafah window as in the Iranian window.

Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute. (Credit: JPPI website)

During the Rafah invasion, which lasted for months, dozens to hundreds of people were killed. In contrast, the Iranian government killed at least 100 times more people — possibly 1,000 times more people, according to some estimates — in a single two-day period.

According to the JPPI website, the president of the institute, Yedidia Stern, “said the research aimed primarily to demonstrate that when Israel conducts a ‘defensive war against armed terrorist organizations that attacked it, it is judged harshly.'”

“By contrast, Stern noted that when the Islamic regime massacred its own citizens, who are defenseless,’ the response from the international community was relatively modest,” the website noted.

For context, it’s important to review what happened in Iran.

On Dec. 28, the shopkeepers at major bazaars in Iran went on strike. This is unusual in itself, since the merchant class tends to be supportive of the government. But soaring inflation (over 40 percent) and a plummeting currency (1.4 million rial to the U.S. dollar) ignited a wave of fury that inspired store owners to close up shop. The protests took on a life of their own, as thousands of Iranians joined and made the regime, more than the economy, the target of their frustration, chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Long live the king,” referring to the crown prince in exile Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah who was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Iran on Feb. 7, 2026, in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Iranian regime cracked down on the protesters in their usual charming manner: by shooting them. In one particularly grisly incident, protesters fled into the twisting alleyways of a bazaar to escape the gunfire of security forces; but one of the stores caught fire, and hot winds spread the fire quickly. The protesters had no choice but to run back out, straight into a hail of bullets, as a ring of gunmen had surrounded the perimeter and shot them to death when they broke out of the raging inferno.

The authorities also shut down the internet, plunging the country into a communications blackout that served two purposes: to prevent the protesters from organizing and to hide their murderous activities from the rest of the world.

The regime succeeded on both counts. The protests quickly fizzled out, and we still don’t know how many were killed. However, some reports put the death toll at upward of 36,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were killed on Jan. 8 and 9, the two bloodiest days of the protests.

In two days, the Iranian regime, with the cooperation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij (a volunteer paramilitary group that serves as an arm of the IRGC) and other security forces, shot and killed more civilians than the IDF killed in one year of war with airstrikes.

JERUSALEM (VINnews)  — A couple arrived at the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem with an agreement already signed by the Family Court, only to be surprised by the judge’s refusal to grant them a divorce. The reason: the judge did not approve the “nesting” arrangement, an arrangement in which the children remain in their home while the parents rotate in accordance with the custody schedule.

Hagai, one of the spouses, described:
“The judge stepped out for a few minutes and returned saying that he had consulted with 11 rabbinical judges. According to halacha, they do not recognize the ‘nesting’ arrangement, and therefore he would not approve the divorce. He told us we could appeal, but that it would be pointless, as this was a principled decision and we would receive a rejection.”

The “nesting” arrangement has become increasingly common in recent years, and it turns out that Hagai and his former partner are not the only ones to encounter difficulties with the rabbinical court, which effectively turned them into divorce refusers.

“We came to the court with full agreements from start to finish. All he needed to do was approve and allow us to implement our understandings,” Hagai shared. “Suddenly we felt that there was deep interference in the most personal and private decisions about how we should live our lives and raise our children. It was a very difficult and invasive feeling.”

At Itim, an organization that assists the public in navigating bureaucracy related to religious services in Israel, they say this situation is the result of the authority granted to rabbinical courts by the state.

Attorney Ohad Weigler, Director of Public Policy at Itim, explained:
“Nesting arrangements are a precise example of the tragedy faced by divorcing couples. On one hand, parents in a complex situation who want to do the maximum for their children. On the other hand, rabbinical courts that refuse to arrange a divorce due to halachic considerations,  considerations that the couple themselves do not even accept.”

“As reflected in a survey we conducted,” Weigler added, “the conduct of rabbinical judges in divorce proceedings leads many couples to develop resentment toward the religious establishment and distance themselves from their Jewish identity. But the truth is that the primary responsibility does not lie with the courts, but with elected officials. They are the ones enabling this difficult reality to persist, even in the State of Israel in 2026.”

The Rabbinical Courts Administration responded:
“As a judicial authority, the rabbinical courts do not have a ‘policy’ regarding nesting arrangements. Each case is examined individually. The court is responsible for creating a framework that enables both parents to maintain contact with their shared children. Various models exist for this purpose, and the court adopts the appropriate model based on the specific circumstances of each case. Any party dissatisfied with a ruling retains the right to appeal to the Great Rabbinical Court of Appeals in Jerusalem.”

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Facing tough odds in an upcoming election, Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister is trying to convince voters that the greatest threat to the country is not economic stagnation — the focus of his top opponent — but neighboring Ukraine.

Viktor Orbán is running an aggressive media campaign replete with disinformation whose central message is that Hungarians should refuse to align with the rest of Europe in supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. That path, he argues, risks bankrupting the country and getting its youth killed on the front lines.

Billboards erected across the country show AI-generated images of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flanked by European officials, holding out his hand as if demanding money. It’s a not-so-subtle reference to the European Union’s efforts to help Ukraine financially and bolster its defenses as the war enters its fifth year.

“Our message to Brussels: We won’t pay!” the publicly funded billboards read.

If there had been any doubt, it became clear on Monday why the outcome of Hungary’s upcoming election will reverberate beyond its borders. Hungary blocked a new package of EU sanctions on Russia in response to interruptions in Russian oil supplies that pass through Ukraine, and vowed to veto any further pro-Ukraine policies until oil flows resume.

Orbán is widely seen as the Kremlin’s strongest ally in the EU. While almost all of the bloc’s other 26 nations have distanced themselves from Russia since it launched the war on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary has deepened cooperation.

The prime minister has cast his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as pragmatic, stemming from Hungary’s access to reliable supplies of Russian oil and gas. But Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, crackdowns on the media and nongovernmental organizations, and his labeling of critics as “foreign agents” have led to accusations that he’s reading from Putin’s authoritarian playbook.

Campaign of fear
Orbán, who retook office in 2010, faces the strongest challenge to his power in an election set for April 12. The EU’s longest-serving leader and his right-wing Fidesz party are trailing in most independent polls to an upstart center-right challenger, Péter Magyar.

A 44-year-old lawyer and former Fidesz insider who broke with the party in 2024, Magyar has focused his campaign on stemming the rising costs of living, improving social services and reining in corruption. He also promises to restore Hungary’s Western orientation and bolster democratic institutions which have eroded during Orbán’s 16 years in power.

His rise was aided by political scandals that have damaged the credibility of Orbán’s party; a presidential pardon given to an accomplice in a child sexual abuse case led to a public outcry, prompting the president and justice minister to resign.

Losing ground to Magyar and his Tisza party, Orbán and Fidesz have sought to change the conversation. They have blanketed the country with taxpayer-funded billboards, as well as advertisements on radio, television and social media. A petition mailed to every Hungarian of voting age claimed the EU’s plans to help Ukraine financially would bring economic ruin.

Other ads, paid for by a shadowy pro-government organization with Fidesz ties, depict Magyar as a puppet of Zelenskyy and the EU who would sell out the country to foreign interests and draw Hungary into the war.

Hungary’s public media, along with many private news outlets loyal to Orbán’s government, faithfully mimic the claims. They say Ukraine wants to prolong the bloody conflict that has killed tens of thousands of its citizens — and is conspiring with the EU to do it.

Disinformation is fueled by artificial intelligence
Orbán has recently claimed that the EU — not Russia — poses the greatest threat to Hungary. He says rising defense spending across Europe — driven by Russia’s war and pressure from the U.S. to increase NATO contributions — is evidence that the EU is preparing for conflict with Moscow and plans to forcibly conscript Hungarians to fight.

In an AI-generated video Fidesz released on social media last week, a little girl asks her forlorn mother in Hungarian: “Mommy, when is daddy coming home?”

In the next frame, the fictional father — bound, blindfolded and kneeling on a muddy battlefield — is approached by a soldier, and shot in the head. “We won’t allow others to decide on the fates of our families,” a narrator says. “Let’s not take a risk. Fidesz is the safe choice.”

Although some EU countries have proposed sending troops to Ukraine to monitor any future ceasefire, they are not intended to engage in combat, and participation would be voluntary, said András Rácz, a Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Rácz notes that, despite the false premise behind many of Orbán’s claims, Fidesz has won two previous elections after raising fears that its political opponent would drag the country into the war.

“They are trying to max this out. They have nothing else,” Rácz said. “Populists often try to define an enemy, often an imaginary one, and then offer protection to the society from that enemy. Ukraine has been ideal from this perspective.”

Escalating tensions
For years, Orbán has sought to stymie EU efforts to provide financial and military support to Ukraine, and he has vigorously opposed sanctions targeting Russian oil and officials.

Tensions with Ukraine grew recently after Russian oil shipments to Hungary were interrupted; Ukraine blamed the disruption on a Russian drone strike in late January that damaged a pipeline. Orbán called it blackmail.

Last week, his government retaliated by halting diesel shipments to Ukraine and threatening to veto a 90-billion-euro ($106-billion) EU loan destined for Kyiv. On Monday, it blocked the 20th round of EU sanctions against Russia.

The anti-Ukraine campaign has resonated with many Hungarians loyal to Fidesz. Despite Tisza’s advantage in the polls, its victory is far from assured.

Still, many Hungarians are dubious of Orban’s anti-Ukraine messaging. On Sunday, hundreds of Hungarians and Ukrainians, many of them refugees, gathered in central Budapest to commemorate the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Marching toward a demonstration outside the Russian embassy, participants held Ukrainian and Hungarian flags, and chanted, “Stop Putin, stop the war!”

Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karácsony, told The Associated Press that Orbán’s messaging and policies are “a betrayal not only of Ukraine, but of Hungary’s national interest.”

“I hope that this will go into history as a failed policy, but that history will also remember that there were some who stood up for what is right,” he said.

One of the marchers was Ester Zhivatovska, a 19-year-old veterinary medicine student who came from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to study in Budapest. She said the billboards depicting her country’s president are laughable.

“The main message of these billboards is that Ukraine will steal Hungarian money,” she said. “But come on, you’re using these AI images from the Hungarian budget to do what? To win elections.”

After 15 years in clinical practice, I’ve noticed a pattern. Patients come to me having tried low-carb diets—sometimes with initial success—but feeling stuck, restricted, or worried that something isn’t quite right despite improved numbers on paper.

Michael was one of these patients. He came to my clinic at age 42, frustrated and confused. Six months earlier, his doctor had told him he was pre-diabetic. Michael did what many people do—he researched online, found countless success stories about low-carb diets, and committed fully.

“I lost 25 pounds,” he told me. “My blood sugar numbers look better. But I feel like I’m walking on eggshells. If I eat an apple or some rice, the weight comes right back. And honestly? I miss fruit. I miss bread. I don’t feel free.”

When the Numbers Look Good But Something Feels Off

Michael’s experience echoed what I’d seen with other patients. Sarah, for instance, had followed a strict ketogenic diet for over a year. She lost weight and her fasting blood sugar dropped from pre-diabetic to normal. But her cholesterol had increased significantly, she felt exhausted all the time, and when she tried eating even half a sandwich, her blood sugar spiked dramatically.

Tom, a 55-year-old CFO, put it perfectly: “I thought I was fixing the problem. But the moment I stop being perfect with my diet, everything falls apart.”

This is the paradox I’ve observed again and again: removing carbohydrates can lower blood sugar readings, but it doesn’t necessarily restore the body’s ability to handle carbohydrates. It’s like saying someone’s fear of flying is cured because they stopped getting on airplanes.

What often happens is that the underlying issue—insulin resistance—isn’t actually being addressed. The body becomes less able to process carbohydrates normally over time. This creates a trap: you have to stay stricter and stricter to maintain results, and any slip feels like failure.

I’ve also noticed that people who lose weight quickly on these diets, especially without adequate exercise, often lose muscle along with fat. When weight comes back, which happens more often than people like to admit, the body tends to regain more fat than muscle. This can leave people metabolically worse off than when they started.

The issue isn’t willpower. For many people, very low-carb diets simply create a cycle of restriction and rebound rather than lasting metabolic health.

What I Recommend Instead

Here’s what I’ve found actually works for long-term metabolic health—and this approach has helped hundreds of my patients:

Focus on whole, unprocessed foods, especially plants:

• Vegetables of all kinds, as much as you want
• Fruits in reasonable amounts (yes, fruit is healthy)
• Whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and whole wheat bread
• Legumes such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas
• Nuts and seeds in moderation
• Some eggs, fish, and chicken if you eat animal products—just consider making plants the main focus of your meals

The beauty of this approach is that you’re not avoiding entire food groups. And when it comes to plant-based foods, you can eat until you’re satisfied without constantly calculating and worrying.

I’ve seen patients’ cholesterol drop 20-30 points within weeks of switching to this way of eating. Pre-diabetic blood sugar levels often normalize in 10-14 days. And unlike with restrictive low-carb diets, these improvements tend to stick because the body is actually healing, not just compensating.

Michael’s Transformation

After we talked, Michael decided to try this different approach. He started eating oatmeal with berries for breakfast. He had rice and beans with vegetables for lunch. He still ate chicken and fish occasionally, but he made plants the star of his meals.

Three months later, he came back to see me with a completely different energy. “I’m at my perfect weight,” he told me, “and I feel different this time. I’m not obsessing about food. I have more energy and I’m actually enjoying playing soccer with my kids again!”

That’s what real healing looks like. Not about willpower. Not about restriction. Just the body remembering how to do what it was designed to do.

A Different Path Forward

If you’re like Michael, Sarah, or Tom—if low-carb feels like a prison rather than freedom, if you’re constantly worried about “messing up,” if something doesn’t feel right despite good numbers on paper—I hope this article encourages you to try something different.

In my years of practice, the patients who achieve lasting health are the ones eating whole, plant-based foods. Not because they’re following the latest trend, but because their bodies are actually healing.

True health isn’t about fearing food. It’s about nourishing your body with foods that help it function the way it’s meant to.

Until next time, wishing you freedom, balance, and good health!

Some resources to check out after reading this article:

The Dangers of Low Carb Diets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOH7FEkvOmA

Debunking the Case for Keto:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLNHvC4aUw&list=PLFW5Ge5mN-YfH-Athni-laUIOWtTQ2pn2&index=2