Jooish News

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

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

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.

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.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he came close to having Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib removed from the House chamber after they repeatedly interrupted President Donald Trump during his State of the Union speech.

In an interview with Fox News, Johnson described the outbursts as inappropriate and said he weighed whether to take disciplinary action as the disruptions unfolded.

“It was shameful, really. I came this close to stopping them; we could have probably ejected them from the floor. [But] I thought, let their actions speak for themselves,” he tells Fox News.

During the address, Omar and Tlaib repeatedly shouted at Trump from the chamber floor, accusing him of dishonesty and responsibility for American deaths. They called him a “liar” and alleged that he had “killed Americans.”

Johnson said that while he ultimately chose not to intervene, the option of removal was seriously considered.

“If they’d gone a step further, we probably would have ejected them,” Johnson says. “But I think it was good for them to be there. I think it’s good for the American people to see the shame that they’ve brought upon their parties and upon themselves. And what a stark contrast between them and between the Republican Party.

“We’re on the right side of common sense, on law and justice, on security and American dominance and strength, and the Democrats stand for exactly the opposite of all that.”

{Matzav.com}

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)

[Video below.] Vice President JD Vance cautioned Iran to treat Washington’s warnings of possible military action “seriously,” speaking one day after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to outline what he described as escalating dangers posed by Tehran.

In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the administration’s preference remains a diplomatic resolution but stressed that the president retains additional options if talks fail.

According to Vance, Trump intends to pursue a negotiated outcome first. However, he emphasized that the president also has the authority to act militarily if necessary.

“You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” says Vance.

He added that the administration is prepared to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear arms. “The president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

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.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A Hezbollah source who spoke with the French news agency AFP said that the Lebanese terrorist organization would not intervene in the event of a “limited strike” by the United States against Iran. However, according to the source, an attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, would constitute a “red line.”

Israel has already conveyed warnings that in such a scenario it would severely damage civilian infrastructure, including Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.

At the same time, the Houthi rebels and Iraqi pro-Iranian militias will have no such scruples in attacking Israel in the wake of even a limited strike on Iran. The Houthis, who receive extensive support from the Ayatollah’s regime warned that they are ready to intervene if Iran is attacked.

The signal is unequivocal: if the conflict erupts, it will not be confined to the Persian Gulf or specific nuclear facilities. “The war will not be limited,” spokespeople for the Houthis and Iraqi militias asserted, in a message aimed at deterring any direct offensive against the Iranian regime.

In a potential scenario of open war against Iran, the Houthis could: Intensify attacks against ships linked to Israel or the United States, attempt to block traffic through Bab el-Mandeb, and expand the use of longer-range missiles against regional strategic targets.

The global economic impact would be immediate, especially on energy trade and routes between Asia and Europe.

The Iraqi pro-Iran militias could coordinate attacks against bases with a US troop presence, initiate actions against the “Green Zone” in Baghdad, and organize sabotage operations against energy infrastructure. This could force Washington to disperse military resources and could generate an escalation that would be difficult to contain.

The reports of possible interventions by Iranian proxies come amid concerns that the US cannot maintain a long military campaign in Iran. An Israeli intelligence official told the UK’s Financial Times this week that Israel believes that, despite assembling a massive military force in the region including two aircraft carriers, the US only has the capacity to sustain four or five days of intense aerial assault on Iran.

The official said that the force could maintain at most a week of lower-intensity strikes. Israel is said to be fearful that limited US strikes on Iran could only embolden the regime.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Iran has been loading oil onto tankers at a rapid pace in recent days. According to the report, this may be a possible indication that the Islamic Republic is preparing for the possibility of an American strike.

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.

President Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to warn that Iran has built missiles capable of striking American bases in Europe and the Middle East and is pursuing weapons that could eventually reach the United States, while also confirming that diplomatic talks with Tehran remain underway.

Speaking before a joint session of Congress, Trump sharply criticized Iran’s leadership and outlined what he described as escalating threats from the regime. “This is some terrible people,” Trump told lawmakers in reference to the Tehran regime, which rejected what it called “big lies” from the president. “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.”

The president said that even after U.S. forces carried out airstrikes in June on three significant Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran continues to push forward with its atomic ambitions. According to Trump, the Islamic Republic is attempting to restart its nuclear program “all over … and are, at this moment, again pursuing their sinister ambitions.

“We are in negotiations with them,” Trump went on. “They want to make a deal but we haven’t heard those sacred words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”

Another round of negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials is scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is leading the American delegation, drew attention last month when he told Fox News that Iran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.”

During his address, Trump also cited reports alleging that Iranian authorities killed 32,000 people during a violent crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted in December and January over the country’s struggling economy.

That number has circulated widely on social media but has not been echoed by major Western governments or international human rights organizations.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which gathers information through contacts inside Iran, reported Monday that slightly fewer than 6,500 demonstrators had been killed, with an additional 11,744 cases “under review.”

Referring to the unrest, Trump said: “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,” the president said Tuesday night. “They shot them and hung them. We stopped them from hanging a lot of them with the threat of serious violence.”

Iran swiftly rejected the president’s claims. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry, characterized Trump’s comments as part of a “disinformation and misinformation campaign” Wednesday, saying: “Whatever [the US is] alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest is simply the repetition of big lies.”

Ahead of the speech, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with congressional leaders at the White House to discuss possible military options involving Iran.

Following that briefing, lawmakers from both parties expressed unease about the prospect of renewed conflict in the region. “This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters following the briefing, without elaborating on its contents.

“I’m very concerned,” added House Intelligence Committee vice chairman Jim Himes (D-Conn.). “Wars in the Middle East don’t go well for presidents, for the country, and we have not heard articulated a single good reason for why now is the moment to launch yet another war in the Middle East.”

Earlier this year, on Jan. 2, Trump warned that Iran would face bombing if it executed anti-government demonstrators. A planned strike was later put on hold after Tehran said it would cancel 800 scheduled executions, and subsequent discussions between the two sides have centered on Iran’s nuclear activities.

Meanwhile, Trump has directed two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups to move into the region, positioning them in case military action becomes necessary.

Although the president has voiced support for regime change in Iran, it remains uncertain whether any potential American military operation would be designed to remove the country’s leadership, either by targeting senior officials or by weakening the government to pave the way for its collapse.

Earlier this week, the White House pushed back on reports claiming that Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had cautioned Trump about the dangers of becoming entangled in a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

{10}

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

The magic of Purim lies in the gathering—the laughter of friends, the warmth of family, and the shared joy of a festive seudah. But as the winter season lingers, many hosts find themselves glancing anxiously at the weather forecast. The threat of a late-season snowfall can quickly turn excitement into stress as we wonder how to accommodate everyone comfortably. This year, you can leave those worries behind.

Rentastic simplifies the party process by being your one-stop shop for all event essentials, and they have everything you need to transform a backyard or driveway into a premier banquet hall:

• Tents: Sturdy, weather-resistant structures that keep the elements at bay.
• Flooring: Professional flooring options to keep feet dry and provide a solid foundation for your furniture.
• Tables and Chairs: High-quality seating and dining setups that ensure every guest has a place at the table.
• Stages: Perfect for programs, music, or your Purim shpiel/skits.

While the snow may come down outside, you and your guests will enjoy every drop of joy. Inside a Rentastic tent, the atmosphere will be transformed into a snug, cozy haven.

From the first course of the seudah until the very last moments of Purim, your guests will remain warm and comfortable, protected from the wind and frost by a reliable, warm enclosure.

Don't let the forecast dictate your plans. With Rentastic, you can host with confidence, knowing that your party will be a beautiful, stress-free success regardless of what's happening outdoors.

Book your Purim setup today before dates fill up:

Visit: RentasticParty.com

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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

Ahead of Purim, the rabbonim of Yerushalayim’s Ramot neighborhood have released a strongly worded public letter warning residents — particularly teenagers — against disorderly conduct that has disrupted the Yom Tov in recent years. The letter includes a clear and absolute prohibition on blocking roads and interfering with buses, as well as on using firecrackers and small explosives. The rabbonim describe such actions as theft from the public and a danger to human life.

The statement urges parents and community leaders to take responsibility and prevent a repeat of past incidents. The rabbonim note with concern that in previous years, individuals deliberately obstructed traffic and harassed bus drivers, actions that ultimately led to a complete suspension of public transportation services in the neighborhood.

They write that a troubling pattern of reckless behavior on the roads has developed, including humiliating drivers and acting violently, which resulted in halted bus service and harm to many residents. The rabbonim point out that last year the situation escalated to a total shutdown of transportation due to these actions, which they warn can amount to life-threatening danger.

Their ruling is presented as unequivocal and grounded in halacha. They make clear that there is absolutely no permission to stand in the streets and disrupt traffic. Anyone who does so, they write, is stealing from and harming the public in a way that cannot be repaid. They emphasize that the joy of Purim does not override responsibility toward the broader community and that obstructing public services constitutes a serious violation.

The letter also addresses the common use of firecrackers and other small explosive devices during Purim celebrations. The rabbonim warn that causing panic or frightening others is forbidden and can sometimes result in real physical injury or damage. They call on young people to channel their holiday excitement into positive expressions of joy, increased unity and proper fulfillment of the mitzvot of the day.

The letter is signed by several leading rabbonim of the neighborhood, including Rav Moshe Druck of Ramot Bais, Rav Menachem Mendel Fuchs of Kiryat Shomrei HaChomos, Rav Yisrael Guelman of the Shaarei Tevunah community and Rav Mordechai Dovid Fliegelman.

{Matzav.com}

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TEL AVIV (VINnews) — The Israeli Air Force has directed personnel stationed at the Kirya military complex in Tel Aviv to stop receiving food deliveries at the base entrance, citing security considerations.

Under updated guidelines, service members must meet delivery drivers at prearranged locations outside the facility rather than at its gates.

Israeli media reported the move stems from concerns that unusual spikes in food orders — particularly during late-night hours — could be monitored and interpreted as signals of heightened operational activity, including possible action involving Iran.

The concern mirrors the long-discussed “Pizza Meter” theory associated with the Pentagon, which suggests that increased takeout activity near military headquarters may coincide with major geopolitical events. Social media users have previously claimed to track late-night restaurant traffic around the Pentagon as a potential indicator of unfolding operations.

Israeli officials have not publicly elaborated on specific threats but appear to be seeking to reduce patterns that could be exploited through open-source intelligence monitoring.

Fadi Jihad Mohammed al-Wadiyya worked two jobs: rocket manufacturer for Palestinian Islamic Jihad and physical therapist for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). So when a strike killed him on his way to “work” about two years ago, MSF naturally slammed the IDF for the strike, calling it “cynical and abhorrent.” The group said at the time that the terrorist — er, therapist — was struck down while on his way to “provide vital medical care to wounded victims of the endless massacres across Gaza.”

“This attack is yet another brutal example of the senseless killing of Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers in Gaza,” MSF declared at the time.

But on Tuesday, PIJ acknowledged that al-Wadiyya worked for them as deputy commander of its military manufacturing wing, helping the terrorist organization to manufacture rockets.

Fadi Jihad Mohammed al-Wadiyya (ID# 802854323, age 33) , a physiotherapist working for Doctors Without Borders, was ID'd by the IDF as a PIJ member shortly after he was killed in a June 2024 airstrike. Today, PIJ confirmed that al-Wadiyya was the deputy head of their military… pic.twitter.com/cAeBGVtgeG

— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) February 24, 2026

MSF has stayed silent about al-Wadiyya since the recent revelation, although it finally, reluctantly, agreed to provide a list of its employees to the IDF, which had initially said they had until Feb. 28 to submit the roster or face expulsion from the Strip. As recently as Feb. 14, the organization finally admitted what they surely knew all along: Masked gunmen were a frequent presence at the hospital, intimidating, torturing, and arresting patients. Without naming the mysterious group the fighters were affiliated with, MSF suspended operations at the hospital.

The IDF said at the time that al-Wadiyya provided knowledge of electronics and technology to the Iranian-backed terror group, helping it manufacture missiles. It was “just another case of terrorists in Gaza exploiting the civilian population,” the IDF said.

Following revelations that several employees of MSF and other aid groups working in Gaza doubled as terrorists, the IDF warned those groups to submit lists of their staff or face expulsion from the Strip. MSF initially balked, but eventually agreed to comply, saying that it would, “as an exceptional measure,” supply “a defined list of Palestinian staff and international staff names” to the IDF so that it could “continue providing critical medical care.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that others working for MSF also doubled as terrorists, citing the case of Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al-Shalfouh, an MSF employee who served Hamas as a sniper.

“Fadi Al-Wadiya was employed by MSF while serving as a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist, responsible for advancing the group’s rocket capabilities,” the ministry posted on X. “He is not alone. Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al Shalfouh was also employed by MSF and identified as a Hamas terrorist involved as sniper in combat and operational activity.”

“This is why strict vetting and real accountability of humanitarian staff is essential,” the ministry added. “Aid must never be a cover for terror.”

Fadi Al-Wadiya was employed by @MSF while serving as a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist, responsible for advancing the group’s rocket capabilities.

He is not alone.

Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al-Shalfouh was also employed by @MSF and identified as a Hamas terrorist… pic.twitter.com/friC0aOCvX

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) January 2, 2026

photos: Issac Y.

Amid ongoing legal uncertainty following the expiration of the draft law, the Vaad HaYeshivos has issued an unusual and strongly worded letter to roshei yeshiva and roshei kollel across Eretz Yisroel, warning that most yeshiva students between the ages of 17 and 28 may be barred from leaving Israel during the upcoming Pesach break unless their status is properly arranged.

According to the notice, if no new legislation is passed regulating the status of bnei yeshiva before the Nissan bein hazemanim period, the majority of students in that age bracket will not be permitted to exit the country.

The Vaad clarifies that any student seeking to travel abroad must contact its offices in advance for an individual review of his status, in order to avoid distress or potential complications at border control. However, due to the rapidly changing legal situation, an early check will not remain valid indefinitely. Students are therefore instructed to conduct their status verification no more than two weeks prior to their scheduled departure.

Beyond the issue of travel, the Vaad HaYeshivos emphasizes the heightened personal responsibility of every bochur and avreich during this sensitive period.

The letter stresses that although there is currently no formal legislative framework in place, this does not lessen the binding principles under which the “Toraso umnaso” designation was granted. The Vaad warns that once new legislation is enacted, authorities may review whether students maintained compliance with the established criteria, and future status determinations could depend on that record.

The central focus of the directive is the strict maintenance of uninterrupted study and the avoidance of any outside engagement beyond full-time Torah learning within the yeshiva framework. Any deviation — including extended travel abroad beyond what had previously been permitted — could, according to the attached legal opinion, lead to significant and potentially irreversible complications in the future.

In closing, the Vaad HaYeshivos calls upon institutional leaders to communicate these instructions clearly and precisely to their talmidim and kollel members in order to prevent serious consequences during this particularly delicate period.

{Matzav.com}

Parents are asking a simple question: why was there no school Tuesday? No one opposes an occasional break. Children benefit from time off. But when additional days off are already scheduled next week, and students were just home the day prior, closing school again largely due to bus availability calls for clear explanation.

School is not a side program. When it closes, it disrupts parents learning in Yeshiva, working parents balancing responsibilities, and most importantly the children who depend on structure and consistency. Closing should be a last resort, not a reflex.

Lakewood has shown that when something truly matters, it gets done. Weddings take place in snow. Events run despite complications. Logistics are solved. Some mosdos that close during the day manage to operate wedding halls that same evening under identical weather conditions. That reality understandably raises questions.

A facility that cannot function without busing is structurally vulnerable. Winter in New Jersey is predictable. Transportation interruptions are not theoretical. With busing under review, it cannot be treated as guaranteed. Schools need workable contingency plans to operate without buses if necessary because if, chas v’shalom, busing were ever reduced or eliminated, shutting down cannot be the only response.

This is not about criticizing transportation providers. On the contrary, those who coordinate buses daily in Lakewood’s traffic deserve appreciation. Managing routes, timing, and safety in these conditions is no small task. The focus here is not the bus companies.

Responsibility ultimately rests with school leadership. Accountability is not disrespect, it is leadership. If traffic must be managed, manage it. If carpools must be organized, organize them. Contingency planning is part of running a mosad.

No one signs up for chinuch/Rosh Mosad/principal/ expecting to direct traffic. But leadership requires doing what the moment demands. If maintaining continuity even when it means personally stepping in feels unmanageable, then it may be time to pass the baton to someone prepared to shoulder that responsibility.

This is not about one snow day. It is about standards. Our children were promised an education. That promise demands preparation, seriousness, and resilience even when circumstances are inconvenient.

Lakewood has much to be proud of. There is no question that Lakewood strives for and sets the highest standards of chinuch. Precisely because we lead, we must ensure we get this right as well. May we continue to work together for the sake of our children and share in true nachas from their growth and success.

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

New York City woke up to yet another round of snow early Wednesday, raising concerns about slick and hazardous travel for the morning commute.

Flurries began falling around 6:00 a.m., and forecasters say up to two inches could accumulate by 10:00 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The fresh coating is falling on streets that in many areas have still not been fully cleared from the historic Sunday–Monday blizzard.

Parts of northeast New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley could see another 1–2 inches, while New York City and the surrounding metro area are expected to receive less than an inch.

Across the country, more than 350 flights were already canceled Wednesday morning — most of them concentrated in the Northeast, which is still recovering from the monster storm.

And it’s not over yet!

Forecasters are tracking another chance of snow on Thursday — with yet another system possible next week on Taanis Esther and again on Purim (this is not a joke).

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Cave of the Seventy Elders, located in the village of Awarta in Samaria, was desecrated on Tuesday night by Arabs. The cave, a significant archaeological site, is believed to be the tomb of the leaders of the Jewish people after the death of Yehoshua, and is adjacent to the tombs of Elazar and Itamar (the name of a neighboring Jewish community). This is the second such incident within six months, following severe damage that occurred at the same site last August.

The current incident, which includes Hamas graffiti and stone smashing, sparked an uproar among heritage organizations and activists for holy sites.

The vandals, who have yet to be identified, carried out vandalism with a clear nationalistic nature: The words “Hamas” and “Al-Quds” were sprayed on the walls of the cave, and stones inside the ancient cave were smashed and thrown around.

It should be noted that the village of Awarta is adjacent to the village of Huwara, where several deadly terrorist attacks took place in recent years, including the murder of two brothers, Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, whose Yahrzeit was marked on Tuesday by a ceremony at the site of the murder attended by hundreds of people from nearby communities.

In response to the incident, the Jews United (JU) organization urgently appealed to Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, demanding the establishment of a permanent protection mechanism for heritage sites in Samaria, with the goal of preventing similar incidents in the future. Arutz Sheva reported that the Minister’s office is handling the matter together with the relevant authorities.

Holy sites activist Shaloma-Rivka Levine responded sharply: “This lawlessness is a wound in the heart of the nation. We can no longer rely on ‘false calm’ when our heritage sites are being erased. We demand sovereignty and governance now.

Jeremy Corbyn is facing sharp criticism after circulating allegations that the Israel Defense Forces harvested organs from the bodies of Palestinian Arab women, claims that Israeli officials have strongly denied and labeled a “wild blood libel,” according to a report by the Jewish News.

The controversy erupted after Corbyn posted a video from the Instagram account of the We Are The Peace organization. In the video, he described a message he said he received from the director of Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital “last Thursday or Friday.”

Corbyn relayed that the hospital director claimed the IDF had delivered between 60 and 70 boxes allegedly containing the skulls of Palestinian Arabs as well as the bodies of women from whom organs had been removed.

Reacting to the allegations in the video, Corbyn said, “It’s hard to describe this,” before adding, “That is what is happening to the people of Palestine.”

The IDF swiftly rejected the accusations. Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, who serves as an international spokesperson for the military, rebuked Corbyn for amplifying what he described as “a wild blood libel” and urged greater responsibility in verifying information before sharing it publicly.

“IDF soldiers haven’t been anywhere near the Shifa hospital in months! Jeremy Corbyn’s claims are completely false,” Shoshani stated.

He further emphasized that the IDF operates in accordance with international law and strict internal guidelines that forbid such actions. Shoshani also noted that any transfer of bodies back to Gaza is carried out in coordination with international bodies, including the Red Cross.

Al Shifa hospital has been the focus of intense scrutiny and disputed narratives since Israel launched its military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks. Israeli authorities have alleged that the hospital functioned as a Hamas command and control center. Its director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, was detained in Israel for seven months in connection with those allegations, though he has denied any ties to Hamas.

Corbyn, who led the UK Labour Party from 2015 until 2020, stepped down after the party suffered its most severe electoral defeat since 1935. He has since established a new political movement together with former Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

Throughout his political career, Corbyn has drawn sustained criticism for his positions on Israel. While serving as Labour leader, he generated widespread controversy after referring to Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends”. Though he initially declined to retract those remarks, he later distanced himself from them.

Members of Britain’s Jewish community have long expressed alarm over what they describe as Corbyn’s associations with various extremist figures and groups, including far-right Holocaust deniers, an antisemitic Christian cleric and Islamist terrorist organizations.

Following the release of a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which documented numerous instances in which Labour’s leadership under Corbyn was found to have minimized, dismissed or failed to properly address complaints of antisemitism by Jewish party members — and in some cases intervened to shield political allies — Corbyn was suspended from the party.

In November 2022, Labour permanently barred Corbyn from standing as a party candidate. In the most recent general election, he ran for office as an independent candidate.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s defense establishment estimates that the US has reached a point of no return regarding the possibility of a strike on Iran, Walla reported on Wednesday.

Maariv reported on Wednesday that Israeli defense officials estimate that the first strike may occur on Thursday afternoon, following the conclusion of [Indian Prime Minister] Modi’s visit to Israel and the meeting between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

A senior reserve officer familiar with regional developments told Walla, “The chances that the U.S. won’t attack are decreasing by the hour. The question is when the first strike will occur, what form it will take, and how extensive it will be.”

He added that Washington must consider more than Iran’s air-defense systems. “The U.S. has to factor in a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on its interests and allies in the Middle East, and—if unrest breaks out inside Iran—it’s reasonable to assume Trump would try to assist protesters by targeting Basij forces and internal security mechanisms.”

In recent days, the IDF General Staff drilled a scenario involving an Iranian response against Israel. The exercise included attacks on the Israeli home front using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Security officials also assume Iran would attempt to activate all its regional proxies — in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon — in a coordinated assault.

To prepare, the Air Force, Military Intelligence Directorate and Planning Directorate have intensified coordination, focusing on air-space monitoring, threat detection, and warning systems.

Home Front Command officials estimate that senior leaders—the prime minister, defense minister, and IDF chief of staff — would receive only very short notice before a US strike, while the general public would be warned only if missiles were actually launched toward Israeli territory.

Meanwhile, criticism has emerged regarding US assessments of Iran’s leadership. Similar to the intelligence failure to fully grasp Hamas’s religious motivations before October 7, it is believed that US analysts underestimated the ideological commitment instilled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei among Iran’s leadership. This gap is reflected in Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program and its rejection of talks on ballistic missiles or support for militant groups in the Middle East.

The discussion follows comments by US envoy Steve Witkoff, who questioned how the ayatollah regime has not yet capitulated despite the large-scale U.S. military buildup surrounding Iran in preparation for a possible war.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A United States military plane hit a concrete barrier while attempting to take off from a road during contingency training in the Philippines, injuring all five American personnel aboard, Philippine officials said Wednesday.

The pilot and two other American personnel were brought to a hospital for treatment after Tuesday afternoon’s incident in a concrete bypass road in Laoac town in the northern Pangasinan province. Two other injured personnel were treated at the site and the U.S. Air Force transport plane was damaged, police said in a report.

U.S. military officials did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for more details about the incident, including the condition of the injured personnel.

The training, involving the plane landing on and taking off from an “alternate landing zone,” was planned and fully coordinated with Philippine civilian, police and military authorities, three Philippine officials said. The training was meant to prepare military forces for contingencies, such as when regular airports and runways become inaccessible during typhoons and earthquakes.

The three officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the accident publicly, said the cause of the accident was under investigation. The aircraft managed to land during the “supervised activity,” but swerved during takeoff, one of the three officials said.

The U.S. military had deployed aircraft and personnel in the past to help deliver food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to Philippine provinces devastated by typhoons and other natural disasters.

U.S. forces are allowed to conduct training with Filipino counterparts in the Philippines under a 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement. Large-scale joint combat training drills in recent years have focused on helping the Philippines defend its territorial interests and promote freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, which lies west of Pangasinan.

Confrontations between the coast guard and naval forces of China and the Philippines have flared in recent years in the disputed waters, which is claimed largely by Beijing. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs.

The U.S. does not lay any claims in the contested waters but has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines under a mutual defense treaty if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

NEW YORK (AP) — Light snow moved through parts of the Northeast on Wednesday as people heading to work and school were trying to navigate their way out of a massive storm that dropped piles of powder on streets and sidewalks from Maryland to Maine.

One to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of snow was expected — a far cry from the last storm — but any snow that melted likely froze overnight, resulting in patchy black ice to make for some slippery roads, the National Weather Service said.

The gigantic snowstorm this week left cities scrambling to clear towering heaps that were not showing signs of melting anytime soon.

By Tuesday evening, New York City had spread 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of salt, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and signed up at least 3,500 people as emergency shovelers. The $30-per-hour shifts involve clearing snow across public streets and bus stops.

Some sidewalks are impassable for people with disabilities
But there was plenty more work left to do, especially for the many people with disabilities.

Jeff Peters, spokesperson for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, described parts of the city as impassable islands.

“You’ll find a portion of a sidewalk that is clear, and then there’s maybe a 6-inch (15-centimeter) pathway that can only be walked with one foot in front of the other and no room for a stroller, rollator, walker or crutches,” Peters said. “Then you get to the corner and not only is it unshoveled, but you have basically a glacier at the end of it.”

Tina Guenette, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had to shovel out her yard this week after more than 33 inches (84 centimeters) fell in Harrisville, Rhode Island, a town about 17 miles (27 kilometers) northwest of Providence.

“I really have no choice if my service dog wants to go outside,” Guenette said Tuesday. Harrisville has a volunteer snow-shoveling program, but it hasn’t had volunteers for the last few years, she said.

The storm unleashed massive amounts of snow
Monday’s storm blanketed the region with snow, canceled flights, disrupted transit, downed power lines and killed at least one person. More than 3 feet (0.9 meters) fell in Rhode Island — surpassing snow totals from the historic Blizzard of 1978 that struck the Northeast, the weather service said.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said if all of the snow that fell from Maryland to Maine fell just on Manhattan, the snow would tower over a mile high.

In Newport, Rhode Island, Joseph Boutros, 21, was found unconscious inside a vehicle covered in snow Monday night, the city’s police department said in a statement. The Salve Regina University student was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning, police said.

Schools are returning to normal after storm-related disruptions
Some large school districts moved back to in-person classes on Wednesday, including Philadelphia, which had switched to online learning during the first two days of the week. Schools reopened in Boston. They had been closed since last week for the winter vacation break.

In New York City, more than 900,000 students in the nation’s largest public school system had a regular day Tuesday. Many students and their caregivers scrambled over mountainous snow banks and dodged salt spreaders during the morning drop-off.

Power had returned for many of the hundreds of thousands who had lost electricity in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island. But nearly 160,000 customers in Massachusetts were still without power early Wednesday.

Thousands of flights in and out of the U.S. have been canceled in recent days. By Wednesday, the disruptions seemed to be subsiding, with nearly 200 grounded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport reopened Tuesday. Some flights departed Wednesday, while others were canceled.

When Jamie Meyers’ flight landed in New York from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday evening, the cabin full of relieved passengers burst into applause. The Manhattan resident was supposed to arrive home Sunday but faced a cancellation and significant delay.

The weather service referred to Monday’s storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” A bomb cyclone happens when a storm’s pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period.

Israel’s Religious Services Ministry announced Tuesday that elections will be held next month to appoint a chief rabbi for Tel Aviv–Yafo, bringing to an end an eight-year period during which the city has not had a rabbi serving in the position.

The move comes after approval by the Tel Aviv City Council plenum, paving the way for the long-delayed vote. The election has been scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026 (8 Nissan 5786). On that day, the electing body will convene at the Tel Aviv Religious Council building on Uri Street to select the rov who will guide the city in the years ahead. Polls will be open from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by the counting of votes.

The election process is being overseen by an independent professional committee headed by Rabbi Yaakov Zamir, a retired judge of the Supreme Rabbinical Court. The committee’s work is being coordinated by its secretary, Tzuriel Porat.

Twenty candidates initially submitted their candidacies. Eighteen were approved by the election committee and will compete for the position. They are: Rabbi Oshri Moiel, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Lau, Rabbi Ben Zion Shmuel Avidan, Rabbi Ram Moshe Raavad, Rabbi Zevadia Nissim Cohen, Rabbi Natan Nachman Zeidman, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, Rabbi Amos Chai Shoshan, Rabbi Dov Berkowitz, Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai Bar Ze’ev, Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, Rabbi Eldad Yona, Rabbi Shimon Nissim Lagarsi, Rabbi Eldar Sami Levy, Rabbi Uziel Moshe Berkowitz, Rabbi Tomer Portal Biton, Rabbi Ben Zion Algazi and Rabbi Barak Cohen.

Religious Services Ministry Director-General Yehuda Avidan said following the decision that the ministry worked to ensure a democratic, transparent and dignified selection process befitting a major Israeli city. He thanked Rabbi Yaakov Zamir for chairing the committee and said the goal is to appoint a rabbi who will unite the city’s diverse communities and serve as a spiritual address for all sectors of the population.

{Matzav.com}

The New York City Police Department released surveillance images Tuesday in an effort to identify several men accused of hurling snow and ice at officers in Washington Square Park, an incident that unfolded just hours after Mayor Zohran Mamdani described those involved as “kids” and suggested they should not face criminal charges.

According to police, two uniformed officers responded Monday to reports of a large and unruly gathering in the Lower Manhattan park. During the response, two men allegedly “intentionally struck the police officers multiple times with snow and ice in the head, neck and face, causing injuries,” the NYPD said.

Authorities stated that emergency medical services transported the officers to Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. The suspects fled before officers could detain them.

The NYPD confirmed that the two primary suspects are being sought on charges of assault on a police officer, which constitutes a felony under New York law.

At a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, Mamdani characterized the episode as something less severe, saying the situation “looked like kids at a snowball fight,” despite a police image showing an individual with facial hair holding what appeared to be a large, packed snowball.

Later, police officials indicated that the individuals believed to be involved were estimated to be between 18 and 20 years old.

Investigators subsequently released additional photos of two more men suspected of participating in the confrontation.

Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent Vallelong told Fox News Digital that “many” of the individuals under scrutiny are “believed to be NYU students.”

A spokesperson for New York University, Joseph Tirella, told Fox News Digital that the school has found no evidence linking any NYU students to the incident.

“We have enormous appreciation for the NYPD officers who keep our community safe,” Tirella said. “Assaulting police officers is a serious offense.”

Police described the first suspect as having a “light complexion” and said he was last observed wearing a black jacket, black ski mask, and black sweatpants with white stripes.

The second suspect was described as having a “dark complexion” and was reportedly last seen wearing a green jacket over a blue sweatshirt, blue gloves, and partial facial hair.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran for mayor last year, criticized Mamdani’s response, saying the mayor, “who has a history of calling the police ‘racist, evil, wicked and corrupt’” had “set the tone.”

“Words have consequences,” Cuomo wrote on social media. “We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we’ve seen it in the rise in antisemitism. Real leaders understand that. This mayor does not. @NYCMayor must denounce this at once.”

Vallelong also said that those responsible for throwing snow and ice at officers had “cross[ed] a clear line.”

“[Officers] are tasked with maintaining public safety in crowded public spaces, often while facing hostility simply for wearing the uniform,” Vallelong wrote. “When individuals choose to turn a park into a launching ground for attacks on police, they cross a clear line. Today it is snowballs. Tomorrow it could be rocks, bottles, or worse.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the episode “disgraceful” and “criminal,” adding that detectives are actively investigating the matter.

As of Tuesday afternoon, police had not announced any arrests in connection with the snow-throwing incident.

{Matzav.com}

Jarring details about the harsh detention conditions of the defendants in the case involving the smuggling of goods into the Gaza Strip were revealed at the Be’er Sheva District Court on Tuesday, where the criminal proceedings opened, and the indictments were formally read.

Before the hearing began, one of the defendants, Betzalel Zini—the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini—raised serious allegations about his detention conditions in remarks obtained by Channel 14 News.

“The treatment is almost like that of the Nukhba terrorists,” Zini said painfully. “We don’t receive the most basic necessities; sometimes we live on a slice of bread.” He added that his most basic religious rights are being denied. “We don’t even receive Tefillin…sometimes I have to daven without a tallit and tefillin.”

Zini also raised claims of medical neglect, saying treatments and medications he requires have been withheld. He added that he receives only half the number of phone calls to which he is legally entitled—five instead of ten.

Other defendants voiced similar complaints, saying that their treatment is part of a deliberate and cruel policy.

It should be noted that the very fact that the defendants in the case were imprisoned for months before any conviction is outrageous—a situation that even drew public criticism from a Haaretz journalist.

In a sharply worded post several weeks ago, Haaretz police correspondent Josh Breiner leveled fierce criticism at the State Prosecution’s use of pre-trial detention, saying that the judicial system has effectively “forgotten” the principle of presumption of innocence and now uses imprisonment as the default option, even in cases where the defendants pose no danger to society.

Breiner cited the cases of Betzalel Zini and co-defendant Aviel Ben David—reserve soldiers with no criminal record who served hundreds of days in Gaza—to illustrate the system’s absurdity. While not minimizing the allegations against them, he questioned why they were imprisoned rather than placed under strict house arrest.

“What reason is there for Zini not to be sitting at home in Ofra under house arrest?” he wrote. “Afraid he’ll obstruct the investigation? Confiscate his phones, assign supervisors, cut off his internet. Why should a man with no criminal record, who served in reserves, contributed to the state, and paid taxes—even if he sinned—be sitting in prison now? There’s no reason.”

He also presented data showing that thousands of defendants are currently detained after indictment—some indefinitely and others until the end of proceedings. He added that prisons are overcrowded, the conditions are harsh, and “the experience of detention is terrible and horrific—it must be the exception, not the rule.”

Breiner asserted that alternatives to detention should be preferred: house arrest, supervision, financial guarantees, license suspensions, no-contact orders, or electronic monitoring. “Only those who are truly dangerous should be imprisoned before conviction,” he wrote, emphasizing that the presumption of innocence must carry real meaning.

He concluded that the balance between public safety and individual liberty must be reevaluated. “The State Prosecution and the courts must move toward a dramatic reform in incarceration policy and what is known as ‘detention until the end of proceedings.’”

The fact that a Haaretz journalist used Zini, a “far-right settler of the Shomron,” as an example of the State Prosecution’s abuse underscores the intensity of his concern about the issue.

Another factor that Breiner failed to mention is the suffering caused to families by suspects’ prolonged imprisonment before conviction. Zini is a husband and father of seven.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1717-Semichah-Part-17-No-Tzarah.mp3

​​For more info, email [email protected].

Five yeshivah bochurim were arrested within 24 hours, overnight Monday and Tuesday, and handed over to the military police.

In addition to the three bochurim arrested in Beit Shemesh overnight Monday, another yeshivah bochur was arrested on Tuesday morning at Ben Gurion Airport.

Another yeshiva bochur was arrested later on Tuesday at the Tel HaShomer induction center when he arrived with exemption documents after only three days of draft evasion. He was sentenced to 20 days in prison.

The Notnim Gav organization said that Itai Chomri, the bochur from Ateret Yaakov yeshiva who was arrested in Beit Shemesh, was arrested at 2 a.m. when 12 military police officers raided his home and carried out a search, leaving the home in a state of disarray. He was sentenced to 20 days in prison.

One of the Chassidish bochurim who was arrested in Beit Shemesh was also sentenced to 20 days in prison.

All of the bochurim are receiving legal assistance from Attorney Shlomo Haddad on behalf of the Notnim Gav organization.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A Jewish family living in the Villejuif-la-Garenne suburb of Paris received an official notice from their building’s management company demanding that they remove a mezuzah affixed outside their apartment door. The family was told it must be taken down or face legal action.

In a letter from the property management company, the family was informed that the door frame where the mezuzah was placed is considered a shared, public area of the building rather than private property. The notice said that according to the building’s regulations, no personal items may be installed in shared spaces without prior approval from the building committee, and the mezuzah was put up without such permission. The family was given 15 days to remove the mezuzah and restore the door frame to its original condition before facing consequences.

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Tefila4Life-Shiur-1057-Fight-Shiru-Lashem.mp3

A man and woman in their 80s lost their lives overnight Tuesday in a fire that broke out in a residential building in Netanya.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene instructed the residents of the building to barricade themselves inside their apartments due to the thick smoke in the hallways. Firefighters worked to gain control of the fire while rescuing the trapped residents.

MDA and Hatzalah paramedics provided medical treatment and evacuated 11 victims suffering from smoke inhalation to Laniado Hospital, including the couple in their 80s who were in critical condition, while carrying out prolonged resuscitation attempts. Tragically, the hospital staff was later forced to declare their deaths.

Other victims included a 73-year-old woman who was evacuated in serious condition, a 42-year-old woman in moderate condition, and seven others in light condition, including two children.

MDA paramedic Gil Dekel said, “After the fire was extinguished, a man and a woman, both around 80 years old, were brought out to us—unconscious, without a pulse, and not breathing, after inhaling heavy smoke. We provided life-saving treatment, including prolonged resuscitation efforts, and evacuated them to the hospital in critical condition while fighting for their lives.”

MDA and Hatzalah paramedics Yehuda Deutsch, Eliyahu Rosenberg, and Yonatan Yankelvitz said, “We arrived at the scene quickly with large forces. We encountered a difficult scene of a burning residential building. With the help of additional MDA medics and paramedics, we began providing life-saving medical treatment and performed resuscitation operations on two trapped people.”

According to a Fire and Rescue spokesperson, an initial investigation showed that the fire was caused by candles that were left unattended.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

[Video below.] President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to take aim at New York City’s leadership while offering surprisingly cordial words for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, blending criticism of Democratic policies with praise for the mayor personally as he outlined Republican priorities ahead of the midterm elections.

During his nearly two-hour speech at the U.S. Capitol, Trump referenced Mamdani directly, repeating a line he has used for months to describe the democratic socialist mayor.

“The new communist mayor of New York City, I think he’s a nice guy, actually” Trump said in the middle of his nearly two-hour speech at the U.S. Capitol. “I speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy.”

Trump has frequently labeled Mamdani “a communist,” though the two men met amicably in the Oval Office in November. Since taking office, Mamdani has largely refrained from publicly sparring with the president. City Hall did not immediately issue a response Tuesday night, but the mayor has previously said that he regularly exchanges text messages with Trump.

The president sharpened his criticism later in the speech, accusing Democrats such as Mamdani of applying inconsistent standards when it comes to identification requirements. Trump pointed to a New York City emergency snow shoveling initiative that requires workers to present two forms of identification and a Social Security card before receiving payment, contrasting that with Democratic opposition to voter ID mandates.

“Yet they don’t want identification for the greatest privilege of all, voting in America,” Trump said.

Under current New York law, residents must provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, though they are not required to show identification at the polls when casting a ballot.

Trump’s renewed push for a nationwide voter identification requirement drew a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers, one of many moments of sustained applause as he revisited core elements of the GOP platform. He reiterated his calls to curb illegal immigration, described sanctuary cities such as New York as “deadly,” and highlighted the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year.

With congressional control at stake in the upcoming midterm elections, Trump also emphasized proposals aimed at reducing living expenses. He argued that Democrats in Washington contributed to rising costs and are now campaigning on “affordability,” a term that has been central to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s legislative program over the past two years and a key theme in Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign.

The president said he had signed an executive order prohibiting Wall Street investment firms from purchasing single-family homes and urged Congress to codify the restriction into law.

“We want homes for people, not for corporations,” the president said. “Corporations are doing just fine.”

New York lawmakers also made their own statements through the guests they invited to the address. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brought a union ironworker from Long Island to attend the speech. Other members of the state’s delegation selected guests reflecting their policy priorities, including Rep. Dan Goldman, who invited a Lutheran pastor known for advocating on behalf of immigrants held in detention facilities in lower Manhattan.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remained seated for most of the address. Several Democrats opted not to attend at all, among them Reps. Jerry Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who joined dozens of colleagues in boycotting the speech.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — Rep. Ilhan Omar, D‑Minn., shouted “you have killed Americans” Tuesday as President Donald Trump criticized Democrats for demanding immigration reforms before funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Omar was referring to a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota in which two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal agents.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota shouted "you have killed Americans" as President Donald Trump slammed Democrats for demanding for reform before funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Omar was referring to the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where Renee Good and… pic.twitter.com/MRdxgJtdTe

— CNN (@CNN) February 25, 2026

Trump, speaking during his State of the Union address, accused Democrats of blocking funding for the agency and called on lawmakers to affirm that the government’s first duty is protecting American citizens. “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. First duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens,” he said. When Democrats remained seated, Trump added, “You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up.”

The confrontation highlighted the deep partisan divide over immigration enforcement, with Omar and other Democrats condemning federal actions that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens and Trump pushing for stricter border and enforcement policies.