MatzavA tense disturbance erupted Sunday evening in Bnei Brak when approximately 100 protesters attempted to force their way into a gathering of the IDF’s Chashmonaim Brigade.
The event, held on Rechov Yosef Chaim, was attended by around 60 fathers of soldiers serving in the newly established chareidi brigade. According to reports, demonstrators tried to break into the hall and disrupt the conference, prompting the deployment of police forces to the scene.
Police worked to disperse the crowd and restore order as physical confrontations developed between protesters, security personnel, and officers. During the clashes, two soldiers were lightly injured by demonstrators. One of the injured soldiers was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
Amid the chaos, the brigade commander, Col. Avinoam Emunah, was extracted from the venue by police for his safety.
In the minutes leading up to the unrest, “emergency calls” circulated on hotlines associated with extremist groups, urging supporters to rush to the area of Yosef Chaim Boulevard in Bnei Brak to protest the event. Following police intervention, the gathering was ultimately dispersed.
Responding to the incident, Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, issued a sharp statement: “Anyone who attacks an IDF soldier for ideological reasons deserves a lengthy prison sentence, and in certain cases even the demolition of his home. That is what the law stipulates. I call on the authorities to enforce the law. Israel is a state governed by law, for heaven’s sake.”
{Matzav.com}
MatzavAn unusual incident in Haifa on Friday sparked public outrage after a tefillin stand erected in memory of a fallen IDF soldier was confiscated and the soldier’s brother was detained by authorities.
The person detained was Menachem Cohen, a Chabad chossid and a bereaved brother, who had set up the stand together with friends as part of an initiative to honor the memory of his brother, Shneur Zalman Cohen Hy”d, who was killed during the Iron Swords War. The stand included a sign bearing the fallen soldier’s name and photograph and was intended as a merit for his .
MatzavAryeh Deri, chairman of the Shas party, delivered a stark message on the dangers of modern technology during a talk of chizuk delivered this evening to hundreds of mechanchim.
Speaking at an education conference organized by Levaker BeHeichalo, initiated by Yerushalayim Deputy Mayor Tzvika Cohen, Deri addressed what he described as the growing spiritual and social challenges facing the current generation, with particular emphasis on smartphone addiction.
Recalling his own years as a bochur, Deri reflected on his time learning at Chevron Yeshiva. “In our days at Chevron Yeshiva, we were more outspoken and freer,” he said. “We would travel to Wadi Qelt, and afterward we were filled with guilt over missing even one in .”
Matzav[Video below.] President Donald Trump drew attention at a recent White House event after appearing with an unfamiliar accessory attached to his jacket.
The moment took place Friday, Jan. 9, as Trump, 79, hosted a meeting with oil and gas executives in the East Room. During the discussion, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy interrupted the proceedings after noticing a new lapel pin beneath the president’s customary American flag pin and asked what it represented.
In response to the question about the unusual pin, which had not been seen publicly before, Trump explained that it was not something he had selected himself.
“Someone gave me this,” he said while lifting the pin so those in attendance could see it clearly. “That’s called a ‘happy Trump.’ ”
MatzavRav Shapira, who had been hospitalized in critical condition in recent weeks, returned to the yeshiva in the Bayit Vagan neighborhood following a wave of heartfelt tefillos on his behalf. He had been in need of rachamei Shamayim merubim, and talmidim had davened intensely for the recovery of Rav Aviezer Zelig ben Rochel.
Upon his return, Rav Shapira addressed the talmidim, delivering a shmuess that was met with visible emotion. Afterward, the thanked the for their telling them, “There were open miracles and wonders. The went up Above,
MatzavRav Ezriel Auerbach visited the Eisenthal family on Sunday morning to be menachem avel following the tragic passing of their son, habochur Chaim Yosef (Yossi) Eisenthal z”l.
The family is sitting shivah in the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim after Yossi was fatally struck during protests in the city against the draft law.
Rav Auerbach spent an extended period consoling the family, offering words of chizuk and comfort.
Among those present was the boy’s father, Rav Shmuel Eisenthal, R”M at Yeshivas Ohel Torah. Also there was the grandfather, Rav Uriel Eisenthal, of Ramot Gimmel.
MatzavTzachi Braverman, chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, was released late last night following more than 12 hours of police questioning, but was ordered to stay away from the Prime Minister’s Office as the investigation continues.
Braverman was freed under restrictive conditions, including a ban on contacting others involved in the case, a 30-day prohibition on leaving the country, and a 15-day suspension from entering the Prime Minister’s Office. The move further deepens the disruption within the prime minister’s inner circle, after senior aide Yonatan Urich has already been kept away from the office for an extended period.
Matzav[Video below.] Rep. Ilhan Omar urged Americans to document encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and criticized the Trump administration for offering conclusions about the fatal shooting of Renee Good before investigators complete their work.
“It is really important for Americans to record, to create the level of accountability and transparency that we need,” the Minnesota lawmaker said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
She described what she said were common ICE tactics in Minneapolis, telling the program, “What we’ve seen in Minneapolis is ICE agents oftentimes jumping out of their cars, these are unmarked cars, oftentimes they’re wearing a mask, they’re approaching, running towards cars.”
Authorities have said ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot Good after she drove her SUV toward him. Officials confirmed Ross recorded the encounter on his cellphone, and the video has been released publicly in recent days.
MatzavSir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, has spoken out against describing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide,” saying the charge cheapens the word and transforms what he called “humanity’s gravest crime” into a tool of political rhetoric.
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Ephraim Mirvis argued that the allegation is now deployed with alarming ease. As he put it: “Today it takes almost no thought to repeat the accusation that Israel has committed ‘genocide’.”
He noted that the accusation comes from different quarters and motivations. “Some repeat it from a place of singular hostility toward the world’s only Jewish state; others from an earnest desire to hasten an end to an unquestionably horrific conflict in which many innocent people have suffered. But whatever the motivation, the result is the same: this gravest of crimes is invoked casually, without due regard for the weight of the word itself.”
MatzavPresident Donald Trump has been advised by senior military leaders that preparations are not yet complete for any possible military action against Iran, even as protests against the Islamic Republic intensify across the country, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The report said Trump has reviewed a variety of potential military responses and has been briefed on possible targets tied to Iran’s internal security forces, especially those linked to the crackdown on demonstrators. Commanders overseeing US forces in the region, however, have warned that troops need additional time to reinforce defenses and secure positions before taking steps that could trigger Iranian retaliation.
MatzavIsraeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Tuesday finalized a joint declaration with Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, establishing a broad security cooperation framework between the two nations. The agreement formalizes collaboration among Israeli and German security agencies in fields including cybersecurity, cutting-edge technology, policing, counterterrorism efforts, and civil defense.
“I attach enormous importance to the overall cooperation between Israel and Germany, and especially Israel and Germany on this question of cybersecurity, which is one of the main threats to our internal security, and in many ways also our infrastructure and other threats,” Netanyahu stated.
Expanding on the depth of bilateral ties, the prime minister pointed to existing joint projects and ongoing defense coordination between Jerusalem and Berlin. “And I think Germany and Israel are natural partners. We’ve cooperated on the Arrow III; we’ve cooperated in many areas. We cooperate technologically. Chancellor Mertz was here recently, and we talked about defense cooperation,” he added.
Matzav[Video below.] White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that the conduct of Minneapolis shooting victim Renee Good before she was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer could meet the legal standard for domestic terrorism, echoing claims made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials.
“I don’t know what Secretary Noem knows,” Homan said during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. “If you look up the definition of terrorism, it can fall under that definition.”
Good was fatally shot in the head during a confrontation with ICE agents. Administration officials have maintained that the shooting was an act of self-defense, asserting that Good attempted to strike veteran ICE agent Jonathan Ross with her vehicle before he opened fire.
Matzav[Video below.] Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem clashed sharply with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday as she defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, telling the host he cannot “change the facts” simply because he does not “like them.”
During a tense exchange on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tapper pressed Noem on how she could so quickly label Good a “domestic terrorist” and publicly back ICE officer Jonathan Ross only hours after the incident.
“Everything that I’ve said has been proven to be factual,” Noem responded during the interview.
Matzav“Sounds good to me,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social, replying to a tongue-in-cheek comment from a user who joked that Rubio might become Cuba’s president once the current government collapses.
The remark quickly fed into a long-running online gag surrounding Rubio’s ever-expanding list of assignments under Trump.
Currently, Rubio is serving simultaneously as secretary of state, acting national security adviser, and acting national archivist. He also temporarily ran the US Agency for International Development until stepping away from that role last August.
Last year, former national security adviser Jake Sullivan publicly scoffed at the notion that Rubio could manage both the State Department and the National Security Council at the same time, calling the idea “ludicrous.”
MatzavAn overnight fire at the Reform Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi — the city’s only Jewish synagogue — is under investigation by city, state, and federal officials after a suspect was taken into custody.
The fire ignited just after 3 a.m. Shabbos, inflicting heavy damage on portions of the historic building. Crews from the Jackson Fire Department responded quickly and succeeded in bringing the flames under control. No injuries were reported.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn denounced the incident, saying it struck at both religious liberty and public safety. In a statement, he warned that antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred pose a danger to the entire community and will be addressed as such, while affirming the city’s support for the Beth Israel congregation and the broader Jewish community.
MatzavIsraeli police last week arrested an Arab resident of Ramallah suspected of defrauding 100 Israelis of a total of some 3 million shekels (~$950,000) by purchasing their products online and making it appear he had paid them.
A Special Operations Unit raided the suspect’s home and arrested him. The suspect’s detention has been extended until this Wednesday.
The Arab, in his 50s, is suspected of pretending to be an Israeli living in the country’s north, the police investigation revealed. He would contact his victims to purchase goods they posted on various online sites, including Yad2, a popular secondhand site that sells everything from home goods to health products.
The suspect would negotiate a price with the sellers and send a phony confirmation showing transfer of payment. He would then send a taxi to pick up the product from the victim’s home. The product would be transferred to another taxi in Samaria and eventually reach the seller in Ramallah, Ynet reported.
MatzavIranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has threatened to attack the U.S. military and Israel should President Donald Trump authorize strikes against the regime for harming protesters amid growing unrest in the country, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that the two allies were “legitimate targets,” according to the news agency, making the threat as lawmakers rushed to the dais in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran’s Baharestan district, shouting: “Death to America!”
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory [i.e. Israel] and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Ghalibaf said. “We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.”
MatzavThe operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro is now being described as a turning point in modern combat, with claims that an unfamiliar and extraordinarily powerful weapon was deployed during the mission.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt amplified those claims, urging the public to pay attention as she shared a disturbing eyewitness narrative on X. “Stop what you are doing and read this… ,” she wrote while circulating the account.
According to the testimony, Venezuelan troops were incapacitated almost instantly, with soldiers collapsing to the ground, “bleeding through the nose,” and throwing up blood. The account was attributed to a Venezuelan guard who said he personally witnessed the events.
The guard said the attack began with something unfamiliar and impossible for him to identify. “At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it,” he said in the account posted on X.
MatzavRav Gershon Ribner, rosh kollel of Kollel Nesivos Hatorah and son-in-law of Rav Shneur Kotler, has succeeded in applying classical Talmudical analysis and methodology to understanding all areas of Yiddishkeit, bringing out its profundity and sense.
LISTEN:
MatzavRemarks were delivered overnight by Rav Reuven Elbaz, Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr HaChaim and a member of the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah of Shas, as he addressed the condition of Klal Yisroel and the dramatic period through which we are currently passing.
In his words, Rav Elbaz expressed absolute confidence in the nearness of the geulah, speaking with sharp and unequivocal language. “My heart is certain,” the Rav said. “We are not talking about distant times. Not months. We are in moments, in hours, in days — and perhaps in the coming weeks — before the revelation of the true light.”
According to Rav Elbaz, the present reality is not another routine chapter in Jewish history, but a decisive historical turning point. “Our situation today touches the very apple of the Creator’s eye,” he said. “This cannot continue like this. It simply cannot be.”
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the petirah of Rav Yitzchak Shlomo Linder zt”l of the Yerushalayim–Masmidim community and one of the distinguished melamdim at the Boyan Talmud Torah in Yerushalayim. He was 80 years old.
The levayah took place on Motzaei Shabbos, departing from the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.
Rav Linder was born in Yerushalayim on the 13th of Shevat, 5706 (1946), to his father, Rav Yechiel Fishel Linder of the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood, and his mother, Mrs. Hadassah.
When he reached marriageable age, he married the daughter of Rav Moshe Pinchas Azriel Eichler, one of the respected figures of old Yerushalayim.
MatzavBris milah could be treated as a potential form of child abuse under proposed new guidance for prosecutors in Britain, following mounting concern from judges and coroners about deaths and severe injuries linked to the procedure.
In a draft framework prepared by Britian’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) addressing “honour-based abuse, forced marriages, and harmful practices,” circumcision is listed among practices that could amount to criminal conduct, The Guardian reports.
The language used in the draft, which was reviewed by the Guardian, has caused alarm within religious communities, with Jewish and Muslim leaders pushing back strongly and stressing the long-standing religious and cultural significance of circumcision.
MatzavThe body responsible for administering the Nobel Peace Prize dismissed speculation that Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado could pass along or share her prize with President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute addressed the matter on Friday, responding to comments Machado made earlier in the week suggesting she might hand over the award to Trump.
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” the institute said in a statement. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
The clarification followed remarks Machado made during a Tuesday interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” where the topic of the prize was raised.
MatzavRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly rebuked the demonstrators, focusing on the antisemitic nature of the chants and the decision to march in that specific neighborhood.
“Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Pretty basic!”
Gov. Kathy Hochul also circulated the video and issued a sharp condemnation of the rhetoric heard at the protest.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews,” Hochul wrote. “No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it’s dangerous, and it has no place in New York.”
MatzavSources familiar with developments inside Iran told Iran International that security forces have escalated their response to demonstrations, firing live ammunition at crowds in multiple regions as authorities enforce an almost complete shutdown of internet access. Preliminary information points to extraordinarily high casualties as the suppression effort expands nationwide.
Video material transmitted from Kahrizak depicts rows of bodies sealed in black bags. Individuals who filmed the scenes said dozens of corpses were visible there, with further remains reportedly stored inside a nearby industrial warehouse.
Separate recordings circulating earlier from Fardis, Karaj, and Alghadir Hospital showed bodies lying in open areas, suggesting that large-scale killings are occurring simultaneously in different parts of the country rather than in isolated pockets.
MatzavA frum man was attacked late Friday night in Williamsburg, leaving him with injuries around his eye.
The assault took place at about 11:20 p.m., and the attacker reportedly hurled antisemitic slurs as the incident unfolded.
Officers from the NYPD’s 79th Precinct, along with members of the Shomrim Shabbos Patrol, arrived quickly at the scene. Police arrested a 35-year-old woman in connection with the attack, and she has been charged with assault and aggravated harassment.
Authorities said the confrontation happened on Willoughby Avenue near Nostrand Avenue. According to reports, the suspect followed the victim for several blocks, verbally abusing him with antisemitic remarks and making threats. At the time, the victim—who is a member of Shomrim—was walking together with his wife and children.
MatzavFacing criticism over cleanliness and quality-of-life issues, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday announced a new initiative aimed at expanding access to public restrooms across the city, targeting residents he described as being in moments of real need.
Standing alongside City Council Speaker Julie Menin in West Harlem, Mamdani revealed a $4 million pilot program that would introduce as many as 30 modular, self-cleaning public bathrooms throughout New York City.
“Too many of our fellow New Yorkers feel a desperation too often in their lives … Suddenly, you feel it. You have to go to the bathroom,” Mamdani said.
MatzavAs a powerful winter storm swept across Israel, widespread power outages struck many communities on Friday afternoon and Friday night, creating significant halachic questions with the onset of Shabbos.
One such incident occurred in central Petach Tikva, where repeated electricity failures left residents uncertain whether they would be permitted to benefit from power restored during Shabbos by the Israel Electric Corporation. Numerous residents turned to the city’s mara d’asra, the prominent posek Rav Bentzion Hakohein Kook, seeking guidance.
Just minutes before candle lighting, Rav Kook published a detailed halachic ruling addressing the permissibility of using electricity that is restored on Shabbos, even when the repair work is carried out by Jewish workers.
MatzavMayor Zohran Mamdani is already drawing criticism over what sources describe as a delayed and lukewarm reaction to two police-involved shootings in one night — a response that has also sparked tension with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, The NY Post reports.
Despite being briefed by Tisch shortly after each incident Thursday — which occurred about six hours apart — Mamdani waited roughly 16 hours before issuing a public statement. The delay stood out given that he had retreated from his earlier “defund the police” rhetoric during the mayoral campaign.
When the statement finally appeared Friday morning, it further inflamed anger inside the department by highlighting that an “internal investigation” would take place — language some police officials felt subtly suggested misconduct, even though such reviews are standard procedure.
MatzavPresident Trump said Friday that the United States will take control of Greenland “whether they like it or not,” arguing that American action is necessary because “if we don’t do it, China or Russia will.”
Trump said Denmark would hand over the territory either cooperatively or under pressure, describing the choice as “the easy way” or “the hard way.”
Speaking at the White House, Trump argued that full control is essential for national security, saying “ownership” matters because “you don’t defend leases the same way — you have to own it.”
The comments marked Trump’s strongest statements yet about acquiring the massive Arctic island and came just days after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said military force was “always an option.”
MatzavUsing a New York state assistance program meant to help an elderly parent, Ballal Hossain enrolled more than a dozen relatives as paid caregivers for his sick mother. Over a six-year period, the family collected $348,000 for providing in-home care at a Manhattan apartment.
But prosecutors later determined that the woman was never there at all — she was living in Bangladesh the entire time.
According to authorities, Hossain managed to keep the scheme going by having his brother impersonate their mother whenever inspectors arrived. The ruse eventually unraveled, and Hossain was later sentenced on grand larceny charges, prosecutors said.
MatzavA suspect already charged in a series of rock-throwing incidents across Bergen County, NJ has been taken into custody following an attack on a school bus along the New Jersey Turnpike that left an 8-year-old girl seriously hurt, according to state police.
Investigators named the suspect as Hernando Garcia Morales, 40, last known to have lived in Palisades Park. Authorities said he was arrested Friday at Overpeck Park, where police believe he had been staying in a makeshift campsite close to where the assault occurred.
The incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon as a bus transporting third-grade students from Yeshivat Noam in Paramus was traveling back from a class trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. Police said a rock roughly the size of a baseball was thrown through a bus window, striking the young girl in the head.
MatzavPresident Trump announced Friday that he is pressing credit card issuers to limit interest charges to 10% for a one-year period starting later this month.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump blasted current rates and said action is needed to protect consumers. “Please be informed that we will no longer let the American Public be ‘ripped off’ by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%, and even more, which festered unimpeded during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration. AFFORDABILITY!,” he wrote.
Trump said the proposed cap would begin soon. “Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%,” he stated. “Coincidentally, the January 20th date will coincide with the one year anniversary of the historic and very successful Trump Administration.
MatzavICE Watch — a far-left activist network that Renee Nicole Good belonged to before she was killed in Minneapolis — focuses on monitoring and “resisting” immigration enforcement actions by using mobile apps and a rapid-response phone line.
The Minnesota chapter tied to Good, who was 37, describes itself online as “an autonomous collective documenting, archiving, and resisting against ICE, Police, and all Colonial Militarized Regimes,” according to language posted on its Instagram account.
Through its MN ICE Watch page, the organization urges supporters to submit “tips and sightings” of ICE activity around the clock, seven days a week.
MatzavFighting in Gaza could soon flare up again as momentum fades around President Trump’s proposed agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to reports describing a breakdown in progress on the truce.
Israeli defense planners have completed preparations for another ground incursion into Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the discussions.
According to the Times of Israel, the renewed campaign is tentatively slated for March and would concentrate on Gaza City, with the objective of broadening Israeli Defense Force control over key areas.
At the same time, Israeli and Arab officials say Hamas has not moved toward disarmament and instead has been steadily rebuilding its military strength.
MatzavPresident Trump on Tuesday amplified a message from US Sen. Lindsey Graham, circulating the South Carolina Republican’s warning to Tehran that the regime’s harsh crackdown on its own citizens “will not go unchallenged.”
“This is truly not the Obama administration when it comes to standing up to the Iranian ayatollah and his religious Nazi henchmen, and standing behind the people of Iran protesting for a better life,” Graham wrote on X earlier in the day. “To the regime leadership: your brutality against the great people of Iran will not go unchallenged. Make Iran Great Again.”
Trump shared the post on his Truth Social account.
MatzavThe Trump administration is said to be drawing up early-stage contingency plans for possible military action against Iran, including scenarios involving widespread air operations.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, officials are examining how to act on President Trump’s recent sharpened warnings toward Tehran, including identifying potential targets, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Among the possibilities under review is a broad airstrike campaign hitting several Iranian military installations, though officials stressed that no final agreement has been reached on any course of action.
People briefed on the matter said no American troops or hardware have been repositioned in anticipation of an attack.
MatzavSecretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity on Friday with what he called the “brave people of Iran,” as mass demonstrations demanding the downfall of the regime spread across Tehran and beyond, amid rising concern that fatalities have surpassed 200.
Preliminary figures compiled by the Iranian human rights organization HRANA indicate that by Jan. 9, at least 65 people had been killed, including 50 demonstrators and 15 members of the security forces, though activists warn the actual number could be far higher.
One physician told TIME that six hospitals in Tehran alone had documented at least 217 deaths among protesters, with victims dying “most by live ammunition.”
As unrest deepened, Iran’s supreme leader placed the country’s security apparatus on its highest state of readiness.
MatzavA startling eyewitness account circulating on X alleges that U.S. forces deployed a previously unknown weapon during the operation that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, leaving soldiers collapsing in agony, “bleeding through the nose” and vomiting blood. The account was shared publicly by the White House press secretary.
In an interview described as astonishing, a guard said American troops eliminated hundreds of defenders without suffering a single casualty, relying on technology he said defied anything he had encountered before, either visually or audibly.
“We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,” the guard said. “The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react.”
MatzavMortgage borrowing costs dropped notably on Friday following an announcement by President Donald Trump that he has instructed housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to step into the market and purchase $200 billion worth of mortgage bonds. The move marks an unusual federal intervention in housing finance and has already begun to shift expectations for interest rates while reviving arguments over Washington’s role in a market that has increasingly shut out prospective buyers.
Trump highlighted the decision in a social media post, tying the decline in rates directly to the directive. “Mortgage Rates are NOW 5.7%! Mortgage costs were HUGE under Biden (around 8%). That’s why almost no young families could afford a home. With my focus on Housing Affordability, and after I authorized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to invest their cash, and BUY $200 Billion Dollars in Mortgage Bonds, Mortgage Rates moved down to 5.7%. This is GREAT news for American Families, and real cost relief. We are bringing Housing Costs DOWN, and putting Americans FIRST!,” the post read.
MatzavA newly released video from the State Department late Friday put foreign governments on notice, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivering a blunt message aimed at countries weighing whether to challenge President Donald Trump.
In the video posted to X, Rubio cautions adversaries against miscalculating Washington’s stance. “Don’t play games,” he says. “Don’t play games while this president’s in office because it’s not going to turn out well.”
Rubio goes on to emphasize Trump’s seriousness about following through on his pledges. “The 47th president of the United States is not a game player,” he said. “When he tells you that he’s going to do something, when he tells you he’s going to address a problem, he means it.”
The release of the video coincides with the White House drawing attention to a recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
MatzavA proposed ballot measure in California that would levy a one-time wealth tax on the state’s richest residents is prompting notable moves by some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures, including Larry Page and Sergey Brin, according to a report by The New York Times.
The initiative, backed by a healthcare workers’ union, would impose a tax of roughly 5% on assets held by Californians with net worth exceeding $1 billion. If voters approve the measure, it would be applied retroactively to residents as of Jan. 1 and collected over a five-year period.
In response to the looming proposal, entities connected to Brin have recently shut down or relocated 15 California-based limited liability companies, with several reconstituted in Nevada. At the same time, more than 45 companies tied to Page filed documents to either exit California or become inactive there.
MatzavIsraeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has indicated that Israel intends to move toward full military self-reliance, outlining a plan to end American defense assistance over the next decade, Times of Israel reports.
In an interview with The Economist conducted Thursday and published Friday, Netanyahu said, “I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years.” When asked directly whether that meant “to taper it off to zero,” he responded affirmatively.
The remarks come as Israel currently receives roughly $3.8 billion a year from the United States under a military assistance agreement finalized in 2016. The package, which largely subsidizes purchases of US-made weaponry, went into effect in 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in 2028.
MatzavDemonstrations that erupted in Iran late last month have expanded into a nationwide challenge to the ruling system, even as authorities move aggressively to suppress unrest and sever the country’s connections to the outside world.
The protests, which began on Dec. 28 amid outrage over the collapse of the Iranian rial and soaring living costs, have since morphed into direct calls against the Islamic Republic itself. The currency now trades at more than 1.4 million to the U.S. dollar, battered by sanctions tied in part to Iran’s nuclear program.
Despite sweeping internet and phone shutdowns that have made independent verification difficult, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 arrested since the unrest began. Iranian state television, meanwhile, has emphasized casualties among security forces while projecting an image of stability.
Matzav[Video below.] Demonstrations against Iran’s ruling clerical establishment continued to swell across the country overnight, with unrest reported in more than 220 towns and cities spanning all 31 provinces. Images circulating online showed large crowds in Tehran, while footage aired by Persian-language broadcasters outside Iran depicted new rallies in Mashhad in the east, Tabriz in the north, and the religious center of Qom.
Iranian authorities responded with escalating threats and force. The nation’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned that anyone participating in protests would be deemed “an enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty under Iranian law. State television also broadcast a statement vowing prosecution for anyone who aided demonstrators, declaring: “Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country.” The statement added, “Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”
MatzavAmid expanding anti-government demonstrations across Iran, scenes of violence and desperation have emerged, including footage showing families combing through hospital corridors in Tehran, searching among piles of bodies for missing relatives.
Demonstrators have flooded streets in Tehran and other cities, chanting slogans such as “Death to [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei” and “Long live the Shah!” as protests continue despite sweeping internet shutdowns and heavy security deployments.
One protester in Tehran, who was able to briefly connect online through Starlink during the communications blackout, described the situation to the Guardian, saying, “We’re standing up for a revolution, but we need help. Snipers have been stationed behind the Tajrish Arg area.”
The same protester described widespread bloodshed throughout the capital, adding, “We saw hundreds of bodies.”
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Dr. Joel Rosenshein zt”l.
Rabbi Rosenshein was a man of uncommon breadth and depth, someone who wore many hats and wore each one with distinction.
A veteran child and family psychologist whose career stretched back to the early 1960s, he stood at the forefront of mental health and special education long before such fields were understood or accepted. Alongside his professional brilliance was a deep sense of achrayus_,_ which led him to devote his life to helping the most vulnerable—children with learning disabilities, families in crisis, and individuals cast aside by society.
MatzavWarnings are mounting that the upcoming tax filing season could face turbulence, as a sharply reduced workforce and sweeping tax law changes collide. A June report from the National Taxpayer Advocate cautioned that the Internal Revenue Service may struggle in 2026 after losing more than a quarter of its employees. “With the IRS workforce reduced by 26% and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year’s filing season,” said Erin M. Collins, who heads the independent office charged with safeguarding taxpayers’ rights.
Despite those concerns, the IRS is pressing ahead with preparations for the new season, which officially begins on Jan. 26, when the agency starts accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. Taxpayers have until April 15 to file in order to avoid penalties and interest.
MatzavA heated exchange erupted in Washington following the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent, with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez directing blistering criticism at Vice President JD Vance and the White House pushing back forcefully.
The confrontation stems from the death of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was shot Wednesday during an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis after she confronted them from inside her vehicle. Footage of the incident spread rapidly online, intensifying national debate over immigration enforcement and law enforcement use of force.
At a White House briefing on Thursday, Vance defended the agents’ actions in stark terms. “This was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order.” He continued, “That woman was there to interfere with a legitimate law enforcement operation. The president stands with ICE, I stand with ICE, we stand with all of our law enforcement officers.” Vance also claimed Good was “brainwashed” and suggested she was tied to a “broader, left-wing network.”
MatzavNewly released cellphone footage is shedding light on the confrontation that ended with a Minneapolis woman being shot and killed by a federal immigration agent, an incident that has intensified already high tensions surrounding the Trump administration’s enforcement actions on illegal immigration in the city.
The video, made public on Friday, comes two days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot Renee Nicole Good during an encounter on a residential street. Authorities say the shooting occurred as Good allegedly drove her vehicle toward officers on the scene.
Footage recorded from an ICE agent’s perspective shows Good’s Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of a neighborhood roadway, apparently obstructing traffic. During an exchange with one of the agents, Good appears calm, telling him, “That’s fine, dude,” and adding, “ I’m not mad.”
MatzavTensions between President Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have escalated sharply, culminating in mutual accusations, public insults, and a complete breakdown of what was once a close political alliance.
The latest rupture traces back to a September evening when Trump dined near the White House and was confronted by activists from the far-left group Code Pink. According to accounts cited by Axios and confirmed by sources familiar with the matter, White House officials came to suspect that Greene alerted the protesters to the president’s whereabouts. Those concerns were later conveyed to the Secret Service.
MatzavAmid widening unrest across Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moved Friday to publicly confront both domestic demonstrators and President Trump, using a flurry of posts on X to signal defiance as economic protests escalated into violent clashes in cities nationwide.
Iranian authorities responded to the turmoil by restricting communications in the capital, shutting down internet and phone access in Tehran. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 36 people have been killed. The group reported that security forces arrested 2,076 individuals following 285 separate protests spanning 92 cities in 27 provinces.
MatzavIsrael’s stock market entered new territory on Friday as the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange opened for business at the end of the workweek, marking a departure from its long-standing trading calendar.
For decades, the exchange operated from Sunday through Thursday, reflecting the Israeli workweek and the early Friday closures observed by banks and companies ahead of Shabbos. While Sunday functions as a regular business day in Israel, global markets are typically closed, leaving TASE out of sync with international trading patterns.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the change is part of a broader effort to integrate Israel more fully into global financial systems. “As part of our reforms to strengthen the Israeli economy, we have moved the stock exchange to operate Mondays through Fridays to align trading days with what is customary in stock exchanges worldwide, enable the Israeli stock exchange to join international indices, and encourage both Israeli and international companies to issue shares under the blue-and-white flag.”
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Tzvi Menachem Gartenhaus zt”l.
In his younger years, he studied at the Woodridge Yeshiva, where he learned under Rav Levi Krupenia zt”l and was shaped by a deep commitment to Torah and avodas Hashem. Those years laid the foundation for a lifetime of Torah and avodah.
He also learned in Ponovezh under Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zt”l and maintained a close relationship with him. He would often repeat, verbatim, teachings he had heard from Rav Chatzkel. Years later, he authored a sefer in English that preserved a selection of and about Rav Chatzkel.
MatzavNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the killing of a Minneapolis mother by a federal immigration officer reflects what he described as a sustained pattern of harsh enforcement under President Donald Trump, arguing that the incident exposed deeper problems with how immigration agents operate nationwide.
In an interview Thursday night, Mamdani dismissed claims by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the officer involved acted according to training when he shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good inside her vehicle after being struck by the car. Mamdani instead faulted the administration’s expanded use of ICE personnel, saying the policies created conditions that led to the woman’s death.
MatzavU.S. military and law enforcement forces carried out a surprise early-morning operation Friday in the Caribbean, intercepting a tanker believed to be smuggling sanctioned Venezuelan oil and signaling a stepped-up effort to disrupt covert maritime trafficking networks.
According to U.S. Southern Command, Marines and Navy personnel assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Spear deployed from the USS Gerald R. Ford before dawn and took control of the motor tanker Olina without resistance. The mission was conducted in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: there is no safe haven for criminals,” the command said in a statement posted on X.
MatzavAgainst the backdrop of mounting tension over Israel’s draft law and growing anxiety about the future of the Torah world, a new framework has been put forward that aims to defuse the crisis. The initiative is being advanced by the Rav Dovid Leibel, president of the Achvas Torah communities, together with the Stoliner Rebbe.
The emerging plan is designed to extricate the chareidi public from what supporters describe as a legal and political deadlock, while preserving the foundational principle of Toraso umnaso. Its architects argue that the current impasse stems from a lack of clear differentiation between full time yeshiva students and those who are formally registered but do not actually learn.
MatzavIsrael’s most prestigious cultural distinction will be conferred this year on internationally acclaimed artist Yaacov Agam, recognizing a body of work that has profoundly influenced Israeli culture, Jewish public life, and the global visual arts landscape.
The 2026 Israel Prize in Visual Arts—Painting, Sculpture, and Photography—is scheduled to be presented after Israel marks its 78th Independence Day.
The decision was announced by Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who pointed to Agam’s trailblazing role in kinetic and op art and to a career spanning decades that reshaped how audiences engage with visual expression in Israel and beyond.
In explaining its choice, the prize committee—headed by Dr. Chaim Perluk, alongside Prof. Gilad Dovshani and Dr. Nurit Sirkis-Bank—highlighted Agam’s ability to challenge conventional artistic frameworks. The panel lauded him for “breaking the boundaries of traditional visual art” through creations centered on motion, change, and the viewer’s active involvement.
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rabbi Menachem Manish Kirshenbaum z”l, the legendary longtime manager of Gutnick Halls and a devoted Meron figure for decades. He was 80.
The levayah took place this morning, departing from the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.
Rabbi Kirshenbaum was born on 21 Adar 5705, the youngest child of Rabbi Avraham Moshe Kirshenbaum and Mrs. Bas Sheva, a descendant of the family of the
MatzavCriticism has intensified after Megyn Kelly made remarks seen as complimentary toward white nationalist Nick Fuentes, comments that many said minimized his history of extremist rhetoric.
The controversy stems from an interview Kelly conducted with Tucker Carlson, during which she spoke about Fuentes in flattering terms. Kelly described him as “very smart,” while telling listeners to “excuse his thoughts on race, and Jews, and the Holocaust, and all that,” a formulation that immediately drew condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Fuentes has long been associated with Holocaust denial, praise for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and repeated racist and antisemitic statements, a record that critics said made Kelly’s comments especially alarming.
MatzavAs demonstrations intensified across Iran, President Donald Trump delivered a renewed warning Thursday night, saying the United States would respond forcefully if Iranian authorities move to kill protesters.
Speaking during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump accused the Iranian regime of brutal tactics against civilians in past unrest. “What they’ve done in the past, they’ve started shooting the hell out of people. And all of a sudden, people without any weapons whatsoever standing there and get machine guns, gunning them down, or they grab, take them to prisons and then hang them and kill them. So they played rough. And I said, if they do that, we’re going to hit them very hard. We’re going to hit them hard.”
MatzavPresident Donald Trump discusses Maduro’s capture, securing the southern border and plans for Venezuela on ‘Hannity.’
WATCH:
MatzavSpain’s government is weighing the possibility of deploying peacekeeping forces to “Palestine,” with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying the move would be considered once conditions allow for progress toward stability, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
Addressing a gathering of Spanish ambassadors in Madrid, Sanchez said he intends to seek parliamentary approval for such a mission. “I will propose to parliament, when the opportunity presents itself, that we send peacekeeping troops to Palestine, once we can see how to advance this task of pacification,” he said.
Sanchez stressed that Madrid continues to focus closely on developments in Gaza and beyond. “Of course, we have not forgotten Palestine and the Gaza Strip… Spain must actively participate in rebuilding hope in Palestine. The situation there remains intolerable.”
MatzavDoctors and researchers are cautioning that many people using injectable weight-loss medications could need to remain on them indefinitely, after evidence showed the pounds often come back swiftly once treatment ends.
In a large new review led by Oxford researchers, weight regain was found to be common and rapid after people stopped using the drugs, even among those who had lost substantial amounts. The analysis drew on 37 studies covering more than 9,300 participants and compared outcomes across all licensed weight-loss medications and behavioural programmes.
On average, people who discontinued the injections put weight back on at a rate of about a pound a month. Based on the data, many were expected to regain most or all of the lost weight within roughly 17 to 20 months, regardless of how much they had initially shed.
MatzavPresident Donald Trump plans to build his controversial ballroom as tall as the White House’s main mansion itself, the project’s chief architect told a federal review committee Thursday – a significant change of plans that breaks with long-standing architectural norms requiring additions to be shorter than the main building.
Architect Shalom Baranes told the National Capital Planning Commission that the president’s plans call for the building to be about 60 feet high on its north side and 70 feet high on its south side. That differs from representations made as recently as August, when a National Park Service official said the building would be 55 feet tall, according to an environmental assessment.
MatzavPresident Donald Trump’s decision to move against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro exposed internal strains inside his administration, including sharp disagreements over how the operation was prepared and who was involved.
According to people familiar with the process, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was kept out of months of planning discussions because senior officials questioned whether her long-standing opposition to military intervention would align with the White House’s approach to Venezuela. Those people said the concerns stemmed from her public record criticizing regime-change efforts abroad.
The separation became so widely known inside the White House that aides joked privately that the acronym for her post — DNI — meant “Do Not Invite,” according to three people who described the internal conversations. They spoke on condition of anonymity. A White House official denied that any such joke circulated.
MatzavAt a Brooklyn event on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolled out a proposal that could soon allow city parents to enroll their 2-year-olds in free child care, a move both leaders framed as a major step toward easing the city’s crushing cost of living.
“This is the day that everything changes,” Hochul said, as she simultaneously previewed a broader push to expand access to child care across New York State in the years ahead.
For Mamdani, the announcement marked an early win just days into his tenure, offering momentum to an agenda that has drawn skepticism since the campaign. He rose to office promising to center the needs of working-class New Yorkers, and Thursday’s plan gave his administration a tangible policy victory.
MatzavDefying party leaders, a bipartisan bloc in the House moved swiftly Thursday to revive lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies, approving the bill 230–196 after a procedural maneuver forced it onto the floor. Seventeen Republicans broke ranks to join Democrats, stripping Speaker Mike Johnson of control over the agenda and sending the measure to the Senate.
The push came after a small group of GOP lawmakers signed a discharge petition, a rarely used tactic that bypasses leadership objections and compels debate. Once the threshold was met, the vote became unavoidable, exposing deep divisions within the Republican conference over health care policy and strategy.
Democrats framed the outcome as a win for families squeezed by rising premiums. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries invoked President Trump’s past comments while arguing the issue cannot be dismissed. “The affordability crisis is not a ‘hoax,’ it is very real — despite what Donald Trump has had to say,” Jeffries said. He added that the party had warned before last year’s shutdown that it would not relent. “Democrats made clear before the government was shut down that we were in this affordability fight until we win this affordability fight,” he said. “Today we have an opportunity to take a meaningful step forward.”
MatzavIranian authorities faced mounting pressure as demonstrations expanded across the country, even as the protests themselves showed no clear central leadership. Analysts say the absence of an organized alternative has historically weakened similar movements.
“The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran,” wrote Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Council, who studies Iran.
“There may be a thousand Iranian dissident activists who, given a chance, could emerge as respected statesmen, as labor leader Lech Walesa did in Poland at the end of the Cold War. But so far, the Iranian security apparatus has arrested, persecuted and exiled all of the country’s potential transformational leaders.”
MatzavAfter boasting publicly about blocking the construction of a large mikvah and a major shul in Yerushalayim’s Givat Masua neighborhood, Deputy Mayor Yossi Havilio is now pushing back against claims that the move was ideologically driven or anti-religious.
The controversy erupted after Havilio published a social media post celebrating what he described as a successful struggle to preserve the neighborhood’s “liberal character,” following efforts to stop the establishment of an expansive mikvah and shul complex. The language of the post quickly sparked a heated debate in Yerushalayim, with critics accusing him of framing the issue as a cultural or religious confrontation rather than a planning dispute.
MatzavTwo people were reportedly wounded Thursday afternoon during an encounter involving federal agents in Portland, coming less than 24 hours after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minnesota during a volatile enforcement operation, according to published reports.
Authorities have not released details about the circumstances surrounding the Portland incident or the medical condition of the two individuals who were shot.
Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said the two people who were hit were still alive, according to local reporting.
City councilors told KATU that the gunfire broke out near the intersection of East Burnside Street and 141st Avenue.
MatzavIn a pointed interview with Eli Guthelf on Kikar FM, Dr. Yoav Heller, chairman of the Fourth Quarter movement, argued that the death of the child Yosef Eisenthal z”l was not only a personal tragedy but a warning sign of a collapsed civic contract between the State of Israel and its chareidi citizens.
Heller said he was not seeking to comfort listeners or align with any political camp. “I’m saying things that people may not like,” he said at the outset, “but the truth has to be said.”
According to Heller, the incident should not be viewed as an isolated event. He described it as part of a broader, ongoing pattern of systemic failure. When children are present at a protest, a driver repeatedly calls the police, and officers never arrive, Heller said, that is not a malfunction but a breakdown of sovereignty.
MatzavIt is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yosef Yehoshua Levi zt”l.
Rabbi Levi, who studied at the Ponevezh Yeshiva and later became a central pillar of the Torah community in Toronto, was widely known as a gifted and respected writer. For decades, he was a prominent contributor to the Hamodia newspaper, where his weekly columns earned broad acclaim.
He was born in Yerushalayimin 5698 (1938) to his father, Rav Shmuel Zev Levi, a respected member of the Gerer chassidus and a notable presence in the Beis Yisrael neighborhood. As a child, Rabbi Levi absorbed the spirit and Torah of Yerushalayim while studying at the Chayei Olam Talmud Torah.
MatzavPresident Donald Trump reacted forcefully on Thursday to a report claiming that Somali couriers transported unusually large sums of cash out of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, using social media to demand immediate action.
“Arrest them all. They are criminals!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social while sharing a Just the News report describing what it called a “Somali cash exodus” from Minneapolis, which the president said far exceeded similar activity at other major U.S. airports.
The repost drew attention to newly published reporting that quoted Homeland Security Department officials who said the volume of money leaving Minnesota was “substantially abnormal” and should have raised red flags during the Biden administration.
According to Just the News, Transportation Security Administration personnel detected and flagged close to $700 million in cash carried out of Minneapolis in luggage by Somali couriers during 2024 and 2025, an amount that averaged nearly $1 million per day.
MatzavVice President JD Vance said Thursday that European governments should pay close attention to President Donald Trump’s statements about Greenland, as the White House escalates its rhetoric toward the Danish-controlled Arctic territory.
Speaking at a White House briefing, Vance faulted Denmark and other European allies for what he described as insufficient efforts to safeguard Greenland, a strategically important region he said is increasingly drawing interest from Russia and China.
“I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the president of the United States seriously,” Vance told reporters when asked about the administration’s posture toward Greenland.
His remarks came amid heightened diplomatic activity across Europe after the White House said earlier this week that Trump wants to buy Greenland and declined to rule out the use of military force. European capitals have been scrambling to coordinate a response to the statements.
MatzavFederal prosecutors have opened a review of financial activity connected to New York Attorney General Letitia James and a longtime associate, according to a report by The New York Times.
At the center of the inquiry is Iyesata Marsh, whom investigators reportedly want to question about past transactions involving James or her political operation. Those include payments from James’ 2018 attorney general campaign to Marsh for the rental of a Brooklyn studio Marsh owns.
Investigators are also examining other payments tied to Marsh, including compensation connected to a musical performance at a political event held in Albany, New York.
The renewed scrutiny is being driven by Department of Justice Special Attorney Edward Martin Jr., who previously pursued parallel mortgage fraud investigations involving James and Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
MatzavAn 8-year-old Jewish girl was hospitalized with a fractured skull after being struck by a rock, which was thrown through a window on the bus she was aboard, on the New Jersey Turnpike in Teaneck on Wednesday afternoon.
The New Jersey State Police told JNS that it is seeking public assistance in its investigation of an aggravated assault, to which it responded at around 2:10 p.m. yesterday. The incident took place near exit 70A/B on the turnpike, it said.
“Based on a preliminary investigation, a rock was thrown at a school bus traveling northbound in the right lane,” it told JNS. “The rock shattered a side window and struck an 8-year-old student, causing serious injuries.”
MatzavVice President JD Vance said the White House will not accept violence directed at federal law enforcement and pledged to confront what the administration views as organized efforts to provoke attacks on immigration officers.
Speaking at a press conference, Vance said President Donald Trump and he fully support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out their duties. “The president stands with ICE. I stand with ICE. We stand with all of our law enforcement officers,” Vance said.
Vance warned that the administration will respond forcefully to any attempts to intimidate or attack federal officers. “These people should not feel emboldened because they have, for the first time, maybe in American history, an administration that is not going to tolerate political violence of any kind from anywhere,” he said.
MatzavDemonstrations against Iran’s ruling establishment escalated sharply over the past day, with unrest reported in multiple cities. Early accounts said opposition forces had taken control of Karaj, while large crowds flooded the streets of Tehran, Mashhad, and other urban centers, shouting slogans against the government and its religious authorities.
As the turmoil has widened, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Amir Khatami, issued a pointed message aimed at US President Donald Trump, cautioning him against any involvement in the unrest shaking the country.
Khatami dismissed the idea that the protests have any connection to Washington or to Israel, referring to the Prime Minister of “the criminal Zionist entity.” He asserted that ordinary Iranians have conducted themselves in a “dignified and admirable” way, standing firm against what he described as “rioters” and declining to follow the course he claimed the United States and Israel had anticipated.
Matzav[Videos below.] Public dissent continued to surface across Iran, with demonstrators in the capital and outlying regions using increasingly blunt symbols and slogans to denounce the ruling system and its leadership.
Earlier in the week, protesters in Tehran echoed language used by Elon Musk in a recent social media post criticizing the Iranian regime, adopting the term “murderer” in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a highly symbolic gesture, one protester displayed a sign in the heart of the city bearing the words “President Trump Street.”
In western Iran, unrest was reported Wednesday night in the city of Ilam, where demonstrators gathered in the streets chanting “Death to Khamenei,” according to videos sent to the Iran International website.
MatzavAfter approving a plea agreement, the Yerushalayim District Court imposed a custodial sentence on Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rompler, ordering him to serve 24 months behind bars, less time already spent in detention. The ruling also included suspended sentences, a fine of 10,000 shekels, and an order to pay 12,000 shekels in compensation to the victim.
In its decision, the court described the incident in stark terms, writing that “the facts detailed in the first count, which concerns the assault, are severe and chilling,” and stressing that the violence displayed especially serious characteristics.
Rompler was convicted of aggravated assault causing actual bodily harm after he struck a 10-year-old boy in front of other students within the Lev Tahor cult. The verdict noted that the attack took place publicly, in the presence of the child’s peers.
MatzavAn Israeli High Court hearing on Thursday placed a spotlight on the government’s handling of budget transfers to chareidi educational institutions, after the state acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of the funds in question were moved improperly.
During the session, state attorney Neta Oren conceded that about 90 percent of the one billion shekels transferred was not carried out in accordance with legal requirements. She told the court that the transfer followed established procedures, saying that “there is such a practice” of moving funds in this manner. Justice Yael Wilner rejected that explanation, replying, “This is not legal.”
Justice Wilner also questioned the legal basis for the timing of the transfers, noting that most of the money appeared to have been moved before approval by the Knesset Finance Committee. Turning to the state’s representative, she asked pointedly, “By what authority?”
MatzavIsrael’s Health Ministry renewed its call for vaccinations and caution around outbreaks after reporting another fatality linked to measles, bringing the total number of deaths from the disease to 13. Most of those who have died were infants who had been otherwise healthy but had not received the measles vaccine.
Health officials stressed the importance of early intervention, saying: “Timely medical treatment upon the onset of symptoms or suspicion of infection saves lives.”
The ministry reiterated that measles can be prevented through a safe and effective vaccine, which is routinely recommended for children at ages one and six. In regions experiencing outbreaks, the second dose is advised at 18 months, and vaccination is recommended even for infants between 6 and 11 months old.
MatzavMoscow on Thursday issued a sharp rejection of a US- and Europe-backed proposal tied to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, a move that threatens to derail President Trump’s attempt to broker a settlement.
In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned that the initiative being advanced by Washington and its allies would deepen confrontation rather than calm it. “The new militarist declarations of the so-called Coalition of the Willing and the Kyiv regime are forming a true axis of war,” the ministry said. “Its participants’ plans are becoming increasingly more dangerous and destructive for the future of the European continent and its residents, who are also forced by Western politicians to pay for such ambitions out of their own pockets.”
MatzavTiveria was roiled this week by a heated public controversy following a sharply worded letter from Rav Dov Kook in which he condemned public Shabbos desecration at the Chof Gai complex.
The letter called on chareidi organizations to immediately cancel vacations and Shabbos programs at the site, triggering widespread reaction across the Torah and chassidic worlds.
The issue came to a head with a prestigious and meticulously planned “Shabbos Negidim” scheduled to take place at the location under the leadership of the well-known mashpia, Rav Elimelech Biderman. The organizers, who had finalized arrangements already the previous winter, suddenly found themselves facing a major crisis.
MatzavA senior Knesset member has lodged an urgent complaint with the defense minister following what he described as serious failures in the treatment of chareidi detainees held at a military prison.
MK Yonatan Mashriki, former chairman of the Knesset Health Committee, sent a sharply worded letter on Wednesday to Defense Minister Yisroel Katz after visiting Military Prison 10. During the visit, Mashriki met with three yeshiva students who were detained in connection with the ongoing dispute over the legal status of yeshiva enrollment.
According to Mashriki, the detainees reported that for three consecutive days they were not provided with kosher food, despite explicitly requesting meals that conform to their strictly observant lifestyle. As a result, they were at times left without adequate nutrition altogether.
MatzavDear Matzav Inbox,
I’m writing this with a heavy feeling, because it’s something a lot of people see and nobody wants to say out loud.
Somewhere along the way, lines got blurry. Very blurry.
It used to be understood — not written, not announced, just understood — that young married couples had gedarim. Not chumros, not weird rules. Just basic normal boundaries.
Today, it’s becoming normal to see young couples hanging out together way too casually, eating meals together, sitting around together for long stretches of time, sometimes late at night, sometimes with nobody else around. And everyone pretends it’s no big deal.
MatzavA Yerushalayim District Court judge ruled Thursday morning that bus driver Fakhri Khatib, who killed 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal z”l, will be released from custody and placed under house arrest for three days, overturning a lower court decision that had kept him jailed.
The decision followed an appeal filed by Khatib’s attorneys after the Magistrate’s Court ordered that he remain in detention for an additional nine days.
That ruling came after Israel Police initially sought a 15-day extension of his arrest in connection with the deadly incident during Tuesday’s draft protest.
Earlier, police downgraded the charge against Khatib from aggravated murder to manslaughter. In extending the detention at that stage, the Magistrate’s Court judge remarked, “I believe the driver that this was a stressful situation. However, I do not believe that driving into a crowd is a reasonable option, and as we saw, its results were severe.”
MatzavGov. Kathy Hochul is preparing to roll out a proposal aimed at giving New Yorkers “a way to get recourse” when they believe they’ve been harmed by the actions of ICE agents, a plan she says will be part of her 2026 State of the State agenda to be unveiled next week.
She previewed the idea during a Thursday appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” tying it to a broader conversation about immigration enforcement following the deadly shooting in Minnesota.
During the interview, Hochul acknowledged that she personally confronted a federal immigration officer last year outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, accusing the agent of intimidating the public.
MatzavPresident Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will exit the international climate agreement that has anchored global efforts to curb climate change for more than three decades.
The agreement, in place for 34 years, includes every other country in the world, making it one of the most widely adopted international frameworks still governing global policy cooperation.
In a social media statement, the White House said Trump signed a memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations and treaties that “no longer serve American interests.”
While the administration did not immediately publish a complete list of the organizations and agreements covered by the order, White House officials identified the climate accord as a central element of the withdrawal directive.
MatzavPresident Trump said Wednesday that Washington expects to maintain a governing role in Venezuela well beyond the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 3 operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on U.S. drug and weapons charges.
In a wide-ranging interview, Trump outlined an economic vision centered on Venezuela’s energy sector. “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” he said. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”
Pressed on how long the United States would retain influence over Venezuela’s internal affairs, the president initially demurred, saying “only time will tell.” When reporters floated timelines of up to a year, Trump responded candidly: “I would say much longer.”
MatzavPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday put forward a proposal to raise U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027, arguing that the country is facing what he described as “troubled and dangerous times.”
The proposal comes just days after Trump ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and remove him from the country to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. At the same time, American military forces continue to build up their presence in the Caribbean Sea.
Under current plans, the U.S. defense budget for 2026 stands at $901 billion.
Beyond Venezuela, Trump has recently floated a number of other aggressive national security ideas, including taking control of Greenland, a Danish territory, citing strategic concerns. He has also indicated a willingness to consider military action in Colombia, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that longtime adversary Cuba “is in trouble.”
MatzavAn account purporting to depict a Rabbi Menachem Goldberg has some 100,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, and although the accounts post videos that have backgrounds with apparently secular or Christian tapestries hanging on walls of shuls with multiple aronei kodesh, some with nonsensical Hebrew inscriptions, some users appear to be duped by the account.
Some commenters thank the “rabbi,” who wears a long beard and a black hat, and thank “him” for his words of wisdom. Others appear to be aware that something is amiss with the account, which launched on Dec. 29.
Both the Instagram and TikTok accounts hawk publications called “The Five Pillars” ($9.99) and “Rabbi’s Blueprint” ($19.99).
MatzavPresident Donald Trump is expected to announce the formation of a new international body known as the Gaza Board of Peace next week, as the ceasefire agreement moves into its second phase, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the plan.
The board would be led by Trump and include roughly 15 world leaders, with a mandate to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and supervise the establishment of a yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government.
A source with direct knowledge of the process said, “Invitations are going out to key countries to be members of the board.”
Countries expected to participate include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
U.S. officials cautioned that the initiative could still be adjusted depending on developments in other areas of Trump’s foreign policy agenda, including matters related to Venezuela and the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations. The White House declined to comment.
MatzavThe United States is withdrawing from a United Nations body that has pressed for race-focused policy frameworks and a worldwide reparations effort, following an executive order signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump, according to administration officials.
State Department officials said the decision targets the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, arguing that its agenda conflicts with core constitutional principles, including the 14th Amendment and equal protection guarantees. Officials accused the forum of promoting racial grievance narratives and what they described as “victim based social policies” within the UN system.
MatzavAfter more than forty years on Capitol Hill, Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer plans to step away from Congress, a decision he is set to make public on Thursday. His departure ends one of the longest tenures in the House, marked by leadership roles at the highest levels of the Democratic caucus and involvement in landmark legislation such as the Affordable Care Act.
Hoyer confirmed his plans in a conversation with The Washington Post, explaining that he did not want to remain in office beyond the point where he felt fully effective. “I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” he told the Post.
At 86, Hoyer has been guarded in recent months about whether he would seek another term. His decision comes amid a broader generational shift among Democrats, with several long-serving lawmakers either drawing primary challenges from younger candidates or opting not to run again. Nancy Pelosi announced in October that she intends to retire when her current term ends.
MatzavA disturbing investigative report has revealed that a Jewish infant from Israel is currently living among ISIS terrorists in Syria after his mother was allegedly drawn into radical Islamist circles, converted to Islam, and left Israel with her husband, who later became involved with the terror organization.
According to the investigation, the woman—an Israeli Jew whose identity has not been released due to privacy concerns—underwent a conversion to Islam in 2013. The process reportedly took place at an office connected to radical Islamic figures on the Har Habayis and was facilitated by Sheikh Rassan Atamneh, one of the founders of the Dar al-Salam Islamic Center in Kafr Qara, who has since passed away.
Following her conversion, the woman married Salah al-Din Mahamid, a young schoolteacher from Kafr Qara. In 2014, shortly after their wedding and while his wife was nearing childbirth, Mahamid was arrested by Israeli authorities on suspicion of involvement with ISIS. At the time, his attorney claimed he was a normative individual from a respected family who had only recently begun working in education. After several days in detention, he was released.
MatzavFollowing a recent phone conversation with Colombia’s president, President Trump said preparations are underway for an in-person meeting at the White House, signaling a possible reset in talks after a period of sharp public criticism.
Trump disclosed the call on Wednesday, saying Colombian President Gustavo Petro reached out to discuss ongoing tensions, including disputes related to narcotics trafficking. According to Trump, the exchange struck a constructive tone and opened the door to further dialogue in Washington.
“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
MatzavA tense incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon at a shopping mall in Beit Shemesh, when a three-year-old girl’s leg became trapped in an escalator at the Kenyon Hashedra.
Emergency crews from the Beit Shemesh fire and rescue station were dispatched after reports that the child’s leg had been caught in the escalator’s mechanical system. Firefighters worked carefully using specialized tools, carrying out a delicate and complex rescue operation.
Within a short time, the teams succeeded in freeing the child safely. Medical personnel examined her at the scene, and authorities confirmed that she was not in any danger.
MatzavA new analysis of airline water systems is raising concerns about what passengers may be drinking in the air, with researchers advising travelers to avoid tap water on planes and opt instead for sealed bottled beverages.
The review, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity, examined more than 35,000 water samples collected over a three-year period from 10 major airlines and 11 regional carriers. Based on its findings, the group also recommends skipping coffee and tea made onboard and avoiding washing hands with aircraft sink water, suggesting the use of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol instead.
While water quality is not typically top of mind for most travelers, the organization said it remains an “important public health consideration.” The group warned that consuming contaminated aircraft water can expose passengers to pathogens and lead to gastrointestinal illness.
According to those present, municipal inspectors arrived at the scene, followed shortly thereafter by a significant police presence that included five additional patrol cars from both the police and municipal enforcement. Cohen was detained, the tefillin stand and sign were confiscated, and Cohen later claimed that he was physically assaulted during the course of the detention. He was released only after public pressure was brought to bear.
Reacting to the incident, Rabbi Yehuda Ginzburg, a Chabad shliach in Haifa, said that for more than 50 years, members of Chabad-Lubavitch have gone out across the city to offer Jews the opportunity to put on tefillin. “This has always been done in a positive and pleasant atmosphere,” he said.
Rabbi Ginzburg added, “Unfortunately, there are those who try to inflame tensions. We are pained by what happened here. We expect the Haifa municipality to apologize and to work in coordination with this important activity. We are confident that this was a one-time mistake by the city and not an ongoing policy.”
In a statement, the Israel Police rejected claims that the detention was connected to the tefillin stand itself. “Contrary to claims made in publications that may mislead the public, this was a temporary detention following a confrontation with municipal inspectors at the site,” the police said. “To be clear, the police have no interest in harming tefillin stands, and the matter had no connection to the tefillin position that was set up. The incident involved a noise violation and heated behavior toward inspectors, who summoned municipal policing to the scene. The individual was released after several minutes following clarification, and the matter will be reviewed with the municipality.”
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Contrasting that era with the present, Deri expressed deep admiration for today’s bnei yeshiva. “I say this as a limud zechus for today’s bochurim,” he said. “How are they able to sit and learn with yishuv hadaas—long winter Friday night sedarim of seven hours—after the nonstop ‘brainwashing’ from the news and the hotlines they hear?”
Deri then turned to what he described as an even greater threat. “I’m not even talking about the ‘treife iPhone,’ may Hashem have mercy,” he said. “It is a terrible addiction, worse than any other addiction afflicting today’s youth, something that is almost impossible to withstand.”
He stressed that the problem is widely recognized, even beyond the chareidi community. “Even those who are not chareidi understand that this is an addiction of the younger generation that is impossible to fight,” Deri said. “Families have been destroyed because of it. People can no longer sit together at the table and talk. There is no longer dialogue between parents and children. A child of six or seven is sitting on an iPhone, and it is literally like drug addiction. Hashem should have mercy.”
Deri concluded on a note of awe and gratitude. “When I attend weddings and see a ben Torah and a bas Yisrael standing under the chuppah, building a home of Torah with holiness, and you see that they are preserving the character of bnei Torah,” he said, “I say to myself: What a miracle this is! It is a tremendous miracle.”
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The president then added a characteristically pointed remark about the meaning behind it. “I’m never happy, I’m never satisfied,” he said, continuing, “I will never be satisfied until we make America great again, but we are getting pretty close. This is called a ‘happy Trump.’ Someone gave it to me, and I put it on.”
The pin itself depicts a cartoon-style likeness of Trump, showing him with an open mouth, knitted eyebrows, and clenched fists at his sides.
At the Jan. 9 gathering, Trump was seated alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Another exchange from the same meeting later generated headlines when Trump appeared to catch Rubio off guard by publicly reading from a private note.
After calling on ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance to address the room, Rubio passed a handwritten message to Trump, while Vance, 41, appeared unsure of what was happening.
“Marco just gave me a note,” Trump said aloud, as Rubio closed his pen and looked down.
Trump then proceeded to read the contents of the note, turning toward Rubio as he did so. “Go back to Chevron,” Trump read from Rubio’s note. “They want to discuss something. Go back to Chevron.”
As the comment landed, Vance could be seen laughing, while Rubio smiled, seemingly embarrassed by the unexpected disclosure.
“Go ahead, I’m going back to Chevron,” Trump said as he set the note down and gave Rubio a friendly pat on the back, adding, “Thank you, Marco.”
The meeting occurred just days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Speaking to reporters following the early-morning operation on Jan. 3, Trump said the United States would now take control of Venezuela’s direction.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved, successfully capturing Maduro in the dead of night,” Trump said. “We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be…we’re gonna run it properly. We’re gonna make sure the people of Venezuela are taken care of.”
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Following his words, the talmidim recited Nishmas in thanksgiving to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the great kindnesses shown, before breaking into heartfelt song, chanting “Al ta’azveini Hashem Elokai al tirchak mimeni.”
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During the visit, a discussion arose regarding the appropriate wording to be engraved on the matzeivah in light of the tragic circumstances of his death. Rav Auerbach expressed the view that the inscription should read “HaKadosh Chaim Yosef Eisenthal Hy”d,” indicating that he should be regarded as having died sanctified.
Rav Uriel responded that he was familiar with the halachic reasoning behind that position, adding that the matter would be decided definitively in the near future.
Notably, condolence notices posted on neighborhood bulletin boards in Ramot already included the designation Hy”d in reference to Yossi, similar to the wording commonly used for victims of terror attacks.
Whether the family will ultimately adopt this wording on the matzeivah remains to be seen.
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Another Prime Minister’s Office employee, Omer Mansour, a member of the communications staff, was also released under identical conditions. Mansour is currently suspected of obstruction of justice.
Earlier in the day, Eli Feldstein was released after being brought in for questioning in parallel with Braverman, in order to conduct a face-to-face confrontation between the two. Braverman was questioned following Feldstein’s claim, made in an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster, that the chief of staff attempted to interfere with the investigation into the leak of documents to the German newspaper Bild.
According to details reported by Kan News, during the confrontation Feldstein told Braverman that he “knows the truth.” Braverman responded that “there were meetings that dealt with other matters.” Mansour, who investigators say was present at a clandestine meeting between the two in an underground parking garage at the Kirya military complex, told police that he “does not remember” the details of the incident.
Mansour, who had previously categorically denied that such an event took place after the report about him surfaced several days ago, is considered a key witness in the affair. According to the allegations, he was the one who held the mobile phones of Feldstein and Braverman during that meeting.
Braverman’s attorney, Jacques Chen, said in a statement: “The chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Braverman, has concluded his police questioning and returned home. During his interrogation, he answered all investigators’ questions and categorically denied a fabricated version of events put forward by a defendant who concealed it for a year and chose to present it in a television interview. Mr. Braverman was released by agreement under restrictive conditions, primarily a prohibition on contact with the Prime Minister’s Office and those involved in the investigation, as well as a short-term delay on leaving the country. We are convinced that at the conclusion of the investigation, the authorized authorities will announce that there is no truth to the claims of that unreliable defendant.”
The Likud party issued a sharp response, saying: “The warning-level investigation of Tzachi Braverman is nothing more than a continuation of the campaign of persecution against the prime minister and his staff. This is yet another attempt at phone ‘phishing,’ this time targeting the chief of staff, in order to look for something that could be used as leverage against him.
“By contrast, the State Attorney’s Office and the attorney general decided that the former military advocate general who threw her phone into the sea — and it was found only five days later — would receive kid-glove treatment, and people who met with her during the investigation have not been questioned to this day. Apparently, everything depends on which side of the political map you are on.”
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Ross was not wearing a body camera at the time of the incident. ICE Director Todd Lyons explained on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing” that the agency is “still in the process of deploying” body cameras.
Omar also charged that the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly misrepresented facts surrounding high-profile ICE operations. Representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis, she said Good appeared frightened when agents approached and sharply criticized their actions.
“Renee Nicole Macklin Good as you hear her say, she’s not mad, she’s sitting in her car, peacefully waving cars to get by,” Omar said. “You see the other officer, who can clearly see the car is moving, move towards the front of the car.”
“If they are saying that he has 10 years on service and is trained, he should know that you shouldn’t be trying to get in front of a moving car.”
Video from the scene shows Ross positioned in front of Good’s SUV while it was stationary. When the vehicle began moving toward him, he fired three shots, killing her.
After the shooting, Ross was taken to a nearby hospital after he was “hit by the vehicle,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, and later released.
Omar also faulted senior Trump administration officials for commenting publicly so soon after the shooting.
“We can see in the videos that have been produced so far that what they are describing is really not what had taken place,” Omar said. “This level of rhetoric is not justifiable to the American people.”
The congresswoman previously drew attention last year by saying ICE questioned her son, a claim the department has denied.
ICE activity in Minnesota has increased as the Trump administration responds to widespread outrage over a major welfare fraud scandal in the state.
Omar criticized the federal probe, arguing that “What they are doing is creating confusion, chaos, trying to intimidate people from being able to exercise their regular, normal activities.”
“There are ways to investigate fraud, which we have been doing in Minnesota, which the federal government has been doing under the Biden administration,” Omar said. “There is no reason for them to use this level of rhetoric.”
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Mirvis went on to describe a public climate driven by exaggeration and online outrage. “In an age when hyperbole dominates our discourse and outrage is rewarded with clicks, campaigners reach instinctively for the most extreme language available. Faced with images on social media of immense, tragic suffering in Gaza, journalists, academics and celebrities understandably feel compelled to speak out.”
He cautioned that this escalation in language carries serious risks. “Yet the race to linguistic escalation has consequences. The ubiquity of a term is often wrongly understood as evidence of its veracity. And some terms have a meaning that must remain protected at all costs. ‘Genocide’ is one of them.”
Pointing to the legal standard for genocide, Mirvis stressed that the crime requires intent to destroy a people, in whole or in part. He explained: “It is why Britain and her allies are not accused of genocide for our strategic bombing of Nazi Germany, despite the hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians who were killed. Intent is the moral and legal hinge. The clearest evidence that Israel did not intend to destroy the people of Gaza is that it did not in fact do so.”
He characterized the war as one “Israel did not seek, nor start,” and said Israel’s aims have centered on freeing hostages and neutralizing Hamas, which he described as a group committed to Israel’s annihilation. He added: “If Hamas lays down its arms, there will be no fighting and no suffering. If Israel were to lay down its arms, there would be no Israel.”
The Chief Rabbi also took aim at certain human rights groups, saying they “appear to revel in misappropriating the term genocide” by stretching its definition and engaging in what he called “a truly troubling moral deceit.”
While acknowledging the dire humanitarian toll in Gaza, Mirvis said: “The tragic suffering of Palestinians abounds” and insisted that “no decent person could fail to be moved by it or wish to see its end”. At the same time, he maintained that there is no proof of “systematic massacres, mass executions, or the targeted killing of civilians as a matter of policy”.
He warned that careless use of the term ultimately corrodes its meaning. “When academics, activists, faith leaders and public figures declare, with unshakeable certainty, that genocide has occurred, they do something far more destructive than merely repeat a falsehood. They trivialise the very concept they claim to defend. What language is left for the Rohingya, expelled en masse, systematically raped and slaughtered? For the Uyghurs, subjected to mass internment, forced sterilisation and cultural erasure? For the ethnically targeted killing and mass rape in West Darfur? To invoke the term ‘genocide’ as an accusation against Israel is to strip it of its true meaning, reducing humanity’s gravest crime to a political insult.”
In closing, Mirvis called for compassion alongside moral clarity. “The suffering of innocent people demands empathy, accountability and a genuine commitment to preventing future conflict. But to level the charge of genocide against Israel is to commit a moral inversion whose casualties include not only Israelis and Palestinians, but the very idea of human rights itself.”
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Trump has openly warned Tehran that continued killings of protesters could prompt US intervention, saying Iran would be struck “very, very hard, where it hurts.” According to The Telegraph, he has been presented with scenarios that include attacks on regime-linked security elements or non-military sites in Tehran.
The discussions are unfolding as unrest has erupted across Iran for multiple nights in a row, with analysts describing the scope and intensity as surpassing the 2022 protests over the hijab law. While reports suggest that hundreds of people may have been killed, a sweeping internet shutdown has made it difficult to confirm casualty figures. Videos circulating online appear to show security forces firing live ammunition at crowds in several areas.
Iranian leaders have responded with stark warnings, including threats of capital punishment for protesters. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf cautioned the White House against a “miscalculation,” while a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any attack would lead to retaliation against Israel, US military installations, and naval assets.
Axios reported Sunday that Trump is reviewing several avenues to back the protest movement and intensify pressure on the Iranian government, citing two US officials. While military strikes have been part of internal discussions, most of the options under consideration were described as non-kinetic, and no final determination has been reached. Officials told Axios that all options remain under consideration as demonstrations persist despite a harsher crackdown and ongoing internet blackout.
Iranian officials have blamed both the United States and Israel for fueling the unrest and have warned of consequences if Iran is attacked. Despite the widespread protests, US and Israeli officials quoted by Axios said there is no current assessment that the regime is on the brink of collapse.
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Netanyahu closed his remarks by welcoming the German interior minister and emphasizing the personal and diplomatic significance of the agreement. “And now I’m very pleased to welcome a dear friend of Israel, Minister Dobrindt, to sign this important pact. So, thank you for your friendship, thank you for your support, and please convey this to your government as well.”
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“We’ve all got to agree there’s no reason … to do what she did,” Homan said Sunday. “There’s no reason to be there.”
“If you want to protest, protest; but don’t actively impede and interfere and certainly don’t drive a 4,000-pound vehicle toward an officer,” he added.
Homan described the incident as “tragic” while urging the public to allow investigators to complete their work. He also warned that what he called “hateful rhetoric” has contributed to a rise in violence directed at federal law enforcement officers.
He cautioned that widely circulated video clips do not provide a complete picture of the encounter, noting that investigators are still reviewing forensic and ballistic evidence, along with additional footage that may not yet be public.
“Look, it’s tragic,” Homan said. “I’ve said from March that if the hateful rhetoric doesn’t decline, there will be bloodshed. I’ve seen it before, and unfortunately, I was right. There’s been a lot of bloodshed.”
According to Homan, understanding the officer’s state of mind is a key element in determining whether the shooting was justified, saying the circumstances could support a self-defense claim.
“You have to put yourself in the mind of the officer,” he said. “I truly believe this officer, in his mind, thought his mind was in danger, which allows him to use lethal force.”
Homan repeatedly stressed that conclusions should be withheld until the investigation is finished.
“Let the investigation play out,” he said. “There’s a lot of video we probably haven’t seen that the FBI has that we don’t. Where’s the forensics and the ballistics?”
He also pushed back against public commentary branding the officer a criminal before investigators have reached their findings.
“Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous,” Homan said. “It’s just ridiculous. It’s going to infuriate people more.”
Asked whether he had evidence to justify labeling Good’s actions as terrorism, Homan said he was not prepared to second-guess Noem, while reiterating his view that the behavior captured on video was unlawful.
Homan went on to criticize Minnesota’s immigration policies, arguing that federal agents were operating in Minneapolis because state and local leaders restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
“Why are we in Minneapolis?” Homan said. “Because it’s a sanctuary city and a sanctuary state.”
He said ICE was focused on apprehending “dangerous” individuals and emphasized that interfering with federal officers is a crime.
“It’s not OK to impede and interfere with an officer,” he said. “They’re arresting bad people, and it’s illegal. What she did is a crime.
“It’s illegal to impede law enforcement officers, and that’s why we’re there.”
Homan also defended the FBI’s leadership of the investigation after some local officials complained about being sidelined, saying such cases are routinely handled at the federal level when a federal officer is involved.
“This is a federal crime,” he said. “When a federal officer is in a shooting, it falls under the FBI. It’s been that way forever.”
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“[I] decided that the department and the people of this country deserve to know the truth of the situation of what has unfolded in Minneapolis.”
Tapper then zeroed in on Noem’s early description of the shooting last Wednesday, when she said ICE officers “were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over.”
“That’s not what happened,” Tapper argued, later suggesting that his concern centered on whether Good had actually attacked the officers.
“It absolutely is what happened,” Noem countered. “[She] blocked the road for a long time and was yelling at them and impeding a federal law enforcement operation.”
Video from several angles captured the confrontation between Ross and Good that Wednesday. Good, a mother of three, had parked her vehicle in the roadway, preventing the officers from moving forward for more than three minutes.
When officers exited their vehicle to address the situation, Ross was positioned in front of Good’s car when she suddenly accelerated.
Ross jumped aside and fired a round into the windshield, then appeared to fire two additional shots into the side of the SUV.
Noem said Ross was later treated at a nearby hospital after being “hit by the vehicle” and was subsequently released.
Tapper questioned why Noem was convinced that Good was not “trying to move her car and flee and get away,” rather than intentionally striking Ross.
“The facts of the situation are that the vehicle was weaponized, and it attacked the law enforcement officer,” Noem said. “He defended himself, and he defended those individuals around him.”
“When there is something that is weaponized to use against the public and law enforcement, that is an act of domestic terrorism,” she added. “You don’t get to change the facts just because you don’t like them.”
Senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have forcefully defended Ross amid widespread criticism.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that it is investigating the shooting.
“You see how quickly the situation unfolded, how the officer was in front of the vehicle when she sped off,” Noem told Tapper. “How she ran into him. And how he had to take quick action based on his training to defend himself and his colleagues.
“That’s very clear and factual from the videos that you can see, it’s nobody’s interpretation.”
Tapper later attempted to challenge Noem by airing footage of Capitol Police officers being assaulted during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, noting that those involved were later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Noem dismissed the comparison, saying that “every single one of these investigations comes in the full context of the situation on the ground.”
She also criticized statements from Minnesota officials, singling out Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for calling on ICE to “get ….out of” the city.
“They’ve extremely politicized and inappropriately talked about the situation on the ground in their city. They’ve inflamed the public, they’ve encouraged the kind of destruction and violence that we’ve seen in Minneapolis in the last several days,” Noem said of local leaders.
“I would encourage them to grow up.”
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Despite such criticism, Rubio’s workload has become a running joke online, with memes suggesting that whenever a vacancy appears, Trump will hand the job to his secretary of state.
Those jokes have imagined Rubio taking on everything from president of Venezuela to governor of Minnesota, secretary-general of Greenland, and even general manager of the Miami Dolphins.
Most of the memes feature an image of Rubio visibly recoiling during the widely publicized Feb. 28, 2025, Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when raised voices echoed in front of television cameras.
As speculation spiraled, Rubio — a well-known sports enthusiast — moved last week to shut down talk that he might take over the Dolphins’ sideline or front office.
“I do not normally respond to online rumors but feel the need to do so at this moment I will not be a candidate for the currently vacant HC and GM positions with the Miami Dolphins,” Rubio wrote on X.
“My focus must remain on global events and also the precious archives of the United States of America.”
Trump’s offhand comment about Cuba came as his administration weighs its next steps toward the island nation.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned. At least a little bit,” Rubio told reporters following Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Rubio has repeatedly pointed to Cuba’s deep involvement in Venezuela, including the presence of Cuban personnel among those guarding Maduro during the operation.
On Sunday, Trump escalated his rhetoric, warning Havana that “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA” from Venezuela and urging Cuban leaders to strike a deal “BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years. Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”
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Officials have not disclosed the suspect’s identity or outlined potential charges. Authorities also have not yet determined whether the fire will be officially designated a hate crime.
The probe is being conducted jointly by the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division and the Jackson Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Investigators say the inquiry is ongoing.
Founded more than a century ago, Beth Israel Congregation is the oldest synagogue in Jackson. The building was previously targeted in a 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing that damaged synagogue offices and the rabbi’s home. No one was killed in that earlier attack.
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The suspect purchased laser hair removal machines and photography equipment, among other items.
By the time the victim learned that the money transfer confirmation was fake, it was too late.
The investigation showed that between 2024 and 2025, about 100 Israelis lodged complaints against the Ramallah resident. JNS
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Trump has made recent public comments and social media posts warning of consequences if the regime cracks down on nationwide protests, on Saturday writing on his Truth Social platform that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The State Department also warned: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reported on Saturday: “Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, but the officials said he was seriously considering authorizing a strike in response to the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress demonstrations set off by widespread economic grievances.
“The president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations,” the report continued.
An official told The Wall Street Journal on Saturday that one option under consideration is a large-scale aerial assault on Iranian military positions. Another official noted that no consensus has been reached and that no troops or equipment have been mobilized in preparation for such an operation.
The officials emphasized that the talks are part of routine military planning and stressed there are no indications of an imminent strike on Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces said over the weekend that it is maintaining high operational readiness and closely monitoring developments in Iran, following a series of security assessments led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
The army stressed that the ongoing protests are “an internal Iranian matter,” but noted that Israel’s defenses are reinforced and its capabilities constantly being upgraded.
“We are prepared on defense and will know how to respond forcefully if required,” the IDF said, adding that it “will do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Demonstrators filled the streets of Tehran and Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, again on Sunday, extending into a third week protests challenging the country’s Islamic theocratic rule. At least 116 people have been killed in the unrest, according to activists, as authorities struggle to contain some of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that “rioters and terrorists” must not be allowed to disturb public order, accusing Israel and the United States of fomenting unrest.
Speaking to state broadcaster IRIB, Pezeshkian said Iranians should trust that authorities seek to “establish justice” and not allow agitators to “disrupt society.” He claimed that foreign adversaries aim to “sow chaos and disorder” in the Islamic Republic by instigating the ongoing protests.
With internet access disrupted and phone lines cut, verifying details of the turmoil has grown increasingly difficult. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said the death toll continues to rise and that regime security forces have detained more than 2,600 people since the protests began.
Ghalibaf sent a stern message to the protesters in his speech praising the response of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij paramilitary volunteers, saying that “the people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.”
The army said Saturday that it would “resolutely defend national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property,” accusing Israel and what it described as terrorist organizations of fueling the unrest and pledging to “foil the enemy’s schemes,” the Journal reported.
Nationwide protests, the largest in three years, erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring inflation and a plunging currency, with the rial falling to a record low of 1.46 million to the dollar on Tuesday.
The protests have widened to include calls to overthrow the Islamist government. Strikes have also been a part of the movement.
The theocratic dictatorship is also dealing with the reimposition of economic sanctions over nuclear violations along with water and electricity crises. JNS
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He explained that what followed felt overwhelming and physically crushing. “It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly, I felt like my head was exploding from the inside.
“It was like a very intense sound wave.”
As a result, he said, the Venezuelan forces were rendered helpless and unable to mount any resistance.
According to the guard, the technological gap made fighting back impossible. “We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons,” he said. “I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.”
He went on to claim that American forces eliminated hundreds of fighters on the ground without losing a single soldier during the engagement.
Describing the moments leading up to the assault, the guard said Venezuelan defenses suddenly went blind. “We were on guard, but suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation,” he said. “The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react.”
He said that shortly afterward, only “barely eight” helicopters arrived, unloading roughly 20 U.S. troops. Despite their small number, he said, their technological superiority proved decisive.
Those developments, he said, resulted in a massacre.
“We were hundreds, but we had no chance,” the guard said. “They were shooting with such precision and speed; it felt like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute.”
He repeated that the outcome was lopsided and devastating. “Those 20 men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us,” he said. “We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The White House did not respond to a New York Post request seeking clarification on whether Leavitt’s repost meant the administration had independently confirmed the account.
Venezuela’s Interior Ministry, meanwhile, asserted that roughly 100 members of the country’s security forces were killed during the operation.
Separately, a former U.S. intelligence source told the Post that the United States has possessed directed-energy weapons for years, including systems capable of causing effects such as “bleeding, inability to move or function, pain and burning.”
The guard said he decided to speak out as a warning to anyone considering confrontation with the United States. “they have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with.”
He added that the incident is already reverberating far beyond the battlefield. “Everyone is already talking about this,” he said. “No one wants to go through what we went through. What happened here is going to change a lot of things — not just in Venezuela, but throughout the region.”
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Rav Elbaz stressed that this is not merely a general belief that “in the end it will be good,” but a complete transformation of reality itself. “Everything will be turned over,” he declared. “I tell you — everything will be turned for the good. Not only ‘this too is for the good,’ and not only ‘all that the Merciful One does is for the good.’ It’s not just that it will be good — it is the good itself.” He reiterated that these words are not abstract consolation, but a tangible reality about to be revealed. “This is exactly what must be. There will be only good. And with Hashem’s help, we will yet see this good revealed, when everything — literally everything — is transformed into white, pure, and refined.”
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For many years, Rav Linder served as a melamed at the Boyaner Talmud Torah in Yerushalayim, where talmidim passed under his guidance and were shaped by his dedication and warmth.
He was among the most respected members of the Eidah Yerushalayim–Masmidim kehilla.
In later years, he resided for an extended period in the Nachalah u’Menuchah neighborhood of Beit Shemesh. In recent months, he moved to Beitar Illit to live close to his children.
He leaves behind twelve children and many grandchildren.
Yehi zichro boruch.
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According to the draft CPS guidance, male circumcision differs from female genital mutilation in that “there is not a specific criminal offence of carrying out male circumcision.”
The document goes on to caution: “However, this can be a painful and harmful practice, if carried out incorrectly or in inappropriate circumstances. It may be a form of child abuse or an offence against the person.”
Concerns over regulation intensified last month after a coroner warned that there are inadequate controls governing who is permitted to carry out circumcisions, following the death of a six-month-old boy, Mohamed Abdisamad, who died from a streptococcus infection in 2023.
That case mirrored earlier findings by another coroner relating to the death of Oliver Asante-Yeboah, who died in 2014 after developing sepsis following a circumcision carried out by a rabbi.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that since 2001, circumcision has been identified as a contributing factor in seven deaths of boys under the age of 18. In at least three cases, infants died after suffering catastrophic blood loss: Celian Noumbiwe in 2007, Goodluck Caubergs in 2010, and Angelo Ofori-Mintah in 2012.
Jonathan Arkush, a former president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and co-chair of Milah UK, an organization that advocates for the Jewish community’s right to perform religious circumcision, said the draft CPS wording gives a distorted picture.
“To suggest that circumcision is in itself a harmful practice, is deeply pejorative and misplaced,” he said. “Any procedure that is carried out inappropriately or without proper controls, including piercing a child’s ears, could be a harmful practice and a possible case of child abuse.”
He added: “We shall certainly be talking to the CPS. I would very much expect that final draft not to include it, as it is so obviously incorrect and/or misleading.”
Arkush, who practices as a barrister, acknowledged that a circumcision performed improperly could amount to abuse, but emphasized that the Jewish community operates under what he described as rigorous safeguards designed to prevent such outcomes.
“The incidence of complications in circumcision performed in the Jewish community is vanishingly rare,” he said. “Circumcision is a core part of our identity. I have never met any Jewish man who thinks they’ve been harmed by circumcision.”
The Muslim Council of Britain echoed the call for stronger oversight while rejecting the notion that circumcision itself should be treated as abusive.
“Male circumcision is a lawful practice in the UK with recognised medical, religious and cultural foundations, and it should not be characterised in itself as child abuse,” the council said.
“However, where procedures are carried out irresponsibly, without proper safeguards, and cause harm, they may rightly fall within the scope of criminal law. The lack of consistent regulation elsewhere creates unacceptable risks, and addressing those risks to protect young boys should be an urgent priority.”
{Matzav.com}
“Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize?” Sean Hannity asked. “Did that actually happen?”
Machado replied, “Well, it hasn’t happened yet.”
“I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” she added. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
Earlier this month, on Jan. 3, Trump announced that the United States had carried out an operation resulting in the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing drug trafficking charges in New York.
Trump was later asked on Thursday’s episode of “Hannity” whether he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize if Machado attempted to bestow it upon him.
“I’ve heard that she wants to do that,” Trump said. “That would be a great honor.”
Machado reportedly fled Venezuela in secret last month and traveled to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she publicly dedicated to Trump.
“Let me be very clear. As soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated it to President Trump because I believed at that point that he deserved it,” Machado said during her appearance on “Hannity.” “And a lot of people, most people, said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday, January 3rd.”
Trump has said he intends to meet with Machado in Washington next week.
In the past, however, Trump has questioned Machado’s standing inside Venezuela, saying she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country” to govern. He has instead backed Delcy Rodríguez, an acting president aligned with Maduro who previously served as his vice president.
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Video from the event shows demonstrators chanting together while holding Palestinian flags, with several voices audibly expressing support for Hamas.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the controversy later in the day, stressing that public safety would be protected while also emphasizing constitutional protections for protest activity.
“As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city,” Mamdani wrote. “We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest.”
Mamdani’s comments followed earlier scrutiny of his remarks in an October appearance on Fox News’ The Story, during which he declined to directly condemn Hamas and instead shifted the discussion toward cost-of-living issues facing New Yorkers.
Hamas is formally listed by the United States as a terrorist organization, and federal law bars providing material support to groups on that list.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also responded on social media with a brief but direct statement rejecting the chants.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization. We do not support terrorists. Period.”
The episode unfolded amid continued nationwide unrest connected to demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war, which intensified following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
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The communications blackout that began on January 8 has severely limited independent verification. Even so, the steady flow of consistent accounts reaching Iran International has reinforced assessments that lethal force is being used broadly to break up protests.
Based on figures cited by the outlet, even cautious calculations suggest that no fewer than 2,000 people have been killed over the last two days.
Those providing information described especially severe clashes in Fardis and sections of Tehran, while emphasizing that similar reports are coming in from numerous other locations, including the western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah.
Although the blackout is nearly total, reporters said they continue to receive video clips and messages through limited pathways such as Starlink connections. Access to those channels is largely confined to wealthier districts and major cities, leaving large swaths of the country unseen. Despite that gap, journalists say there are reliable signs that demonstrations are persisting across Iran.
One video released overnight showed demonstrators in Tehran’s Poonak neighborhood torching a branch of Bank Melli.
Another clip captured crowds flooding the streets of Ahvaz, chanting “Long Live the Shah.”
Abroad, a protester scaled the balcony of the Iranian Embassy during a demonstration outside the mission, according to BBC. Police detained two individuals at the scene and continued to search for another suspect on trespassing allegations.
In Washington, US Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of US President Donald Trump, issued a message of support to those protesting in Iran, pledging assistance and predicting an end to their suffering.
“TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE: your long nightmare is soon coming to a close,” Graham wrote in a social media post. “Your bravery and determination to end your oppression has been noticed by @POTUS and all who love freedom.”
“When President Trump says Make Iran Great Again, it means the protestors in Iran must prevail over the ayatollah. That is the clearest signal yet that he, President Trump understands Iran will never be great with the ayatollah and his henchmen in charge.
“To all who are sacrificing in Iran, God bless. Help is on the way.”
Trump echoed that sentiment on Truth Social, writing, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
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The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has taken over the investigation. Hatzolah responded and provided medical care to the victim at the scene.
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He continued by arguing that access to basic facilities should not come at a premium. “In a city that has everything, the one thing that is often impossible to find is a public bathroom. In the greatest city in the world, you should not have to spend $9 to buy a coffee just to be able to find a little relief,” he added.
According to Mamdani, the city plans to begin requesting proposals from vendors within the next three months, with the goal of installing between 20 and 30 new restrooms. One of those units would be placed at the corner of 12th Avenue and St. Clair Place, where an existing public toilet has sat unused for years, he said.
City officials did not specify where the remaining bathrooms would be located, how frequently they would be open, or what standards would be used to determine which neighborhoods receive them.
Still, the mayor suggested the program could offer a meaningful alternative to streets, sidewalks, and subway stations, which have increasingly become makeshift restrooms, particularly as the city’s homeless population grows.
The planned units would clean themselves automatically, limit use to 15 minutes per person, and be serviced by maintenance crews twice daily.
New York City currently has roughly 1,100 public restrooms for its 8.6 million residents. Last year, the City Council adopted a long-term target of adding 2,100 additional bathrooms by 2035.
Mamdani said the high cost of traditional restroom construction—often exceeding $1 million per facility—has historically “prohibited” large-scale expansion. He argued that the modular units sought through the city’s request for proposals would come in at “far less than what we’ve come to expect in the city.”
Menin echoed the mayor’s frustration, calling the shortage of public bathrooms “shameful” and recounting her own experiences as a parent in Manhattan.
“When they got to go, they got to go, and you don’t have a lot of time to find a bathroom,” she said.
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In his written psak, Rav Kook explained that in today’s reality, repairing electrical outages involves an element of pikuach nefesh. He noted that in nearly every neighborhood there are individuals whose lives depend on electrically powered medical devices, such as oxygen machines and similar equipment. Rav Kook testified that he personally knew of multiple cases in which power outages — on both weekdays and Shabbos — posed immediate danger to life, and recalled a tragic instance in his own neighborhood in which a patient connected to an oxygen machine passed away as a result of a power failure.
Since it is impossible for the electric company to repair the system only for those in medical danger, and the restoration necessarily benefits the entire grid, Rav Kook ruled that it is permitted to benefit from the electricity once power is restored. He emphasized that this does not fall under the prohibition of benefiting from melachah done on Shabbos, and is comparable to classic cases discussed in Shulchan Aruch where an action performed for the sake of a dangerously ill person may also benefit others.
Addressing concerns related to food preparation, Rav Kook ruled that pots may remain on the stove even if they cooled during the outage, and that the food — including soup — does not become prohibited. Since the electric company’s work is focused on the central power system and not on the individual pot or flame, and the food was fully cooked before Shabbos, there is no issue of bishul or initial placement on the fire on Shabbos.
Regarding a hot plate that shut off due to the outage, Rav Kook ruled that it is permissible to transfer a pot to another hot plate via a non-Jew. If done by a Jew, he cited the position of his rebbi, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, that this is permitted only under two conditions: first, that the original hot plate is still somewhat warm, enough that it could heat food; and second, that the neighboring hot plate is covered or reduced in heat, such as with thick aluminum foil, multiple layers of thin foil, or an inverted pan — adjustments that may be made on Shabbos. He noted that some authorities are lenient even without these conditions.
Rav Kook concluded his ruling with a heartfelt tefillah that the tranquility of Shabbos not be disturbed, and expressed hope that in the future all Jews will merit the use of electricity produced without any desecration of Shabbos.
Meanwhile, a striking scene unfolded Friday night. Rav Kook himself delivered his regular Friday night derashah in the main Beis Medrash, Mishkan Shmuel, in central Petach Tikva, in complete darkness, following the outage. The shiur focused on the halachos of electricity on Shabbos. To the astonishment of those present, at the very moment Rav Kook concluded with the words, “Menuchah v’simchah or laYehudim,” the electricity was suddenly restored, flooding the beis medrash with light.
“I know many are eager for answers,” Mamdani wrote on X. “The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation — I will work with Commissioner Tisch to ensure this is as thorough and swift as possible.”
Multiple sources said Tisch appeared visibly upset later Friday morning and was seen striding out of City Hall following a meeting with administration officials, as Mamdani was fielding questions from reporters about his slow response.
“I take it very seriously the language that I use, and I think that in a situation such as this, you have to be very intentional in what you share,” Mamdani said later at an unrelated appearance at Brooklyn College, where he distributed free tickets to the “Under the Radar” Festival ” theater festival.
Just days earlier, the mayor had rushed to the scenes of two separate five-alarm fires — one in Queens and another in The Bronx — delivering on-the-ground updates alongside FDNY leaders.
But Mamdani did not appear at either of Thursday’s violent emergencies. The first unfolded shortly before 5:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where a blood-soaked man armed with a broken piece of a toilet barricaded himself inside an eighth-floor room with an elderly patient and a security guard.
Police said officers repeatedly deployed Tasers against the suspect — identified as Michael Lynch, 62, a former NYPD officer who left the force in the 1990s — during a tense standoff in the blood-splattered room.
When the stun devices failed to stop Lynch, officers fired their weapons, authorities said. Lynch was later pronounced dead.
The second shooting happened around 11 p.m., when officers patrolling Manhattan were flagged down at what appeared to be a road rage confrontation.
According to officials, a man later identified by sources as 37-year-old Dmitry Zass exited a BMW and appeared to be holding a gun.
Police opened fire, striking Zass, who was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Investigators later determined that the weapon Zass was holding was a replica Sig Sauer handgun, according to an image released by the NYPD.
Sources said Zass’ parents had called 911 earlier, reporting that he was attacking his father with a gun. They also obtained an order of protection against him earlier the same day, according to those sources.
Details of both shootings were known to Mamdani for hours before he posted his statement on X at 9:44 a.m.
“Last night’s shootings at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and in the West Village are devastating to all New Yorkers,” he wrote, without noting that one individual was violently out of control after multiple Taser deployments and that the other appeared to be brandishing a realistic-looking firearm.
He then added: “I know many are eager for answers. The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation — I will work with Commissioner Tisch to ensure this is as thorough and swift as possible.
“These tragedies are painful, whether they take place steps from our home or miles away. They are a reminder of the immense work that must be done to deliver genuine public safety — work Commissioner Tisch and I are undertaking together every day,” Mamdani concluded, offering no explicit words of support for the officers involved.
Sources familiar with the day’s events criticized the mayor’s vague and delayed messaging, noting that NYPD leadership had been in constant communication with City Hall — including Mamdani, First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, senior staff, and the communications team — sharing real-time updates, images, and briefings.
One source said Mamdani’s reference to “genuine public safety” was baffling.
“I don’t know what else would be ‘genuine public safety’ other than protecting an elderly patient and a security guard from a person with a sharp weapon,” the source said.
The mayor’s emphasis on an internal investigation also puzzled law enforcement officials, who said such reviews are routine in officer-involved shootings.
“When the NYPD holds a press conference for an officer involved shooting, we always provide preliminary information to make clear that the Force Investigation Division will be handling the investigation,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “FID always investigates these incidents and we always state this.”
Tisch’s own public comments later Friday were viewed by some as an indirect rebuke of Mamdani’s response, as she focused squarely on the officers’ actions and courage.
“Officers were engaged in two police-involved shootings, and there is every indication that their actions were nothing short of heroic,” she posted on X at noon, shortly after her City Hall meeting.
While several sources described Tisch as visibly angry as she left City Hall, another person who saw her afterward said she did not appear upset.
The controversy erupted just eight days into Mamdani’s term and quickly prompted comparisons to early clashes between the NYPD and one of his favorite former mayors, Bill de Blasio.
“Week two and Mamdani has already betrayed the cops, this is his de Blasio moment,” a former City Hall staffer said.
Meanwhile, the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation announced it would review the road rage shooting, noting that it “assesses every incident” in which police actions may have resulted in a death.
{Matzav.com}
Trump made the remarks during a meeting with oil executives that focused on dividing Venezuela’s energy resources following a US operation over the weekend that led to the capture of that country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.
Addressing potential alternatives, Trump dismissed ideas such as Denmark allowing a larger US military presence or Greenland entering a free-association agreement with an independent local government.
“When we own it, we defend it. You don’t defend leases the same way. You have to own it,” Trump said.
“Countries can’t make nine-year deals, or even 100-year deals. Countries have to have ownership. And you defend ownership, you don’t defend leases, and we’ll have to defend Greenland. If we don’t do it, China or Russia will — not going to happen.”
With a population of roughly 57,000, Greenland would become the largest territorial acquisition in US history, surpassing both the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Alaska Purchase in 1867.
While Trump has long been portrayed as eager to secure a historic real estate-style deal by bringing Greenland under the American flag, he said Friday that price negotiations are not his immediate focus.
“I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that, but right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump said.
Reuters reported earlier this week that Trump has weighed offering payments of up to $100,000 per Greenland resident to encourage voluntary annexation, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the administration is exploring the possibility of purchasing the territory.
Rubio, who sat beside Trump during Friday’s event, is expected to meet with Danish officials next week amid anger in Copenhagen over Trump’s remarks.
“I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said.
“And by the way, I’m a fan of Denmark too, I have to tell you. And you know, they’ve been very nice to me. I’m a big fan. But you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Monday that any US military seizure of Greenland would effectively destroy NATO, reiterating her longstanding refusal to consider giving up the territory — a stance that previously led Trump to cancel a planned 2019 visit after what he called her “nasty” rejection.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” Frederiksen said. “That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, also rejected Trump’s comments, saying simply that “our country is not for sale.”
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The NY Post reports that this case is one of the starkest illustrations of the scale of abuse tied to a state welfare initiative known as the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP, which has drained hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars through fraud and waste.
Created in 1994, CDPAP was designed to allow elderly and disabled New Yorkers to remain in their homes instead of entering nursing facilities.
But because the program requires no medical licensing or professional credentials for caregivers, oversight remained minimal as enrollment ballooned.
An investigation by the NY Post found that at least $179 million has been stolen by CDPAP recipients over the past decade, while middlemen siphoned off an estimated $1 billion in taxpayer funds.
Richard Harrow, who spent 27 years prosecuting Medicaid fraud in New York and now works in Albany handling similar cases, said the scope of the problem dwarfs other high-profile scandals.
“If you think Minnesota is a big deal, multiply that by 10,” he told The Post, referencing Minnesota’s $1 billion daycare fraud case.
“CDPAP is the biggest fraud there is because it all takes place in people’s homes.”
The price tag for the program itself has surged dramatically.
In 2019, CDPAP cost the state $2.5 billion. By 2023, spending had climbed to $9.1 billion, making up a massive share of New York’s Medicaid budget. At that point, roughly 250,000 patients were enrolled, supported by about 400,000 caregivers, referred to in the program as “Personal Assistants.”
The New York State Department of Health acknowledged to The Post that CDPAP had become a “fiscal crisis.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul herself publicly criticized the program in 2024, calling it “one of the most abused programs in the history of New York,” and warning that “something has to give.”
Although Hochul pledged reforms and initiated consolidation efforts, enrollment continued to climb, surpassing 280,000 patients, with costs still rising.
By 2025, annual state spending on CDPAP had exploded to $12 billion, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
“I was always worried about the high growth, and that people would be taking advantage of a program that was not tightly controlled,” said Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan Albany think tank, in comments to The Post.
Those concerns were borne out in multiple major prosecutions over the last six years, the NY Post reports.
In 2025, Zakia Khan admitted guilt in what prosecutors described as “a sweeping scheme” that defrauded Medicaid of $68 million. Khan owned two adult daycare centers in Brooklyn and, according to the Department of Justice, paid bribes and kickbacks to patients for services that were never delivered between 2017 and 2024.
Court filings show that Khan and her co-conspirators then laundered the proceeds through other businesses they controlled.
Another major case surfaced in 2023, when Brooklyn healthcare executive Marianna Levin received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for stealing $100 million from Medicaid through fraudulent home health care claims.
From 2015 through December 2020, Medicaid reimbursed agencies run by Levin that purported to provide personal care services in New York City and Nassau County. Prosecutors said a substantial portion of those claims were fraudulent.
In 2019, Farrah Rubani, the head of Brooklyn-based Hopeton Care, was indicted by the New York Attorney General for allegedly embezzling $11 million.
Authorities said Rubani submitted false claims to Medicaid and used the proceeds for personal luxury purchases, including a $250,000 Bentley and an upscale vacation property. Her husband, a police officer, was accused of benefiting from the spending but was not charged.
Following the indictment, the Attorney General froze Medicaid payments to Hopeton Care along with all of Rubani’s assets.
Rubani, who denied the allegations at the time through her attorney, was never criminally convicted. Court records from 2025 show she later agreed to pay $148,000 in damages.
A LinkedIn profile under Rubani’s name indicates she remains active in the home health industry as a senior vice president at Extended Home Care. Attempts to reach her were unsuccessful, and her former attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Abuse has also occurred at the individual caregiver level, according to sources familiar with the program.
As of 2026, personal assistants earn between $18.65 and $20.65 per hour. Investigators have found cases where caregivers billed Medicaid for services while patients were hospitalized, after patients had died, or for caring for two individuals simultaneously in different locations.
One healthcare source told The Post: “We’ve identified several examples of personal assistants manipulating the system to work 23-hour days for family members, with projected annual earnings of around $200,000.”
Another major vulnerability involved the so-called “facilitators” — private companies acting as fiscal intermediaries that processed payroll and billing.
In 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced a settlement with two Brooklyn-based agencies serving in that role.
Edison Home Health Care and Preferred Home Healthcare agreed to pay more than $17 million after being accused of defrauding Medicaid and underpaying more than 25,000 home health aides.
By the time Hochul began restructuring CDPAP in 2023, the state was paying over 600 intermediary companies, with annual costs estimated between $500 million and $1 billion, according to sources.
Some intermediaries charged as much as $1,000 per patient each month, despite performing little more than basic payroll processing.
“There were no standards for who could do it, no certification,” Hammond said. “Anyone could set up one of these companies.”
Sources who reviewed the costs told The Post that the same services are now being performed for more than 93% less — at about $68.50 per person, per month.
In response, New York State eliminated all intermediary companies and replaced them with a single provider, Georgia-based Public Partnerships, LLC.
The transition was rocky, triggering lawsuits from displaced companies and taking until April 2025 to fully implement.
The Department of Health said the consolidation has already produced major savings and is expected to significantly reduce future costs.
“New York State took significant steps to reverse the CDPAP fiscal crisis by reining in administrative costs and establishing systems to eliminate opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse,” a department spokesperson told The Post.
“Fraudsters fought tooth and nail for over a decade to keep [the old] broken system in place – but those days are over because we shut them down.
“The State Department of Health … [cut] out hundreds of middlemen – saving $1 billion for taxpayers over the past year and protecting home care for people who actually need it.”
Sources also cited what they described as a “$10 million dark money campaign” allegedly aimed at blocking CDPAP reforms.
The Medicaid Inspector General said investigators identified more than $3.5 million in CDPAP overpayments between 2019 and 2024, all of which have since been recovered.
A spokesperson for Public Partnerships echoed the state’s position, saying the company’s role is focused exclusively on safeguarding public funds.
“We have delivered meaningful accountability and long-term stability for CDPAP . . . ensuring this critical program remains viable for years to come.”
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The child was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was initially reported to be alert and in stable condition. She later underwent surgery, which school officials said was required to ensure proper recovery.
State police said Morales had been awaiting trial on prior cases involving similar behavior. Those included an aggravated assault incident in Bogota last summer that resulted in a two-month jail stay. Court records show he was released in September and then charged twice more in October in cases involving alleged assaults on law enforcement officers.
Authorities also noted that Morales had been involved in other recent encounters with police, including allegations related to criminal mischief and trespassing.
Despite his record, officials said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not lodged a detainer against Morales as of Saturday, meaning his immigration status is not part of the current case.
Morales is currently being held at the Bergen County jail and is not eligible for release under New Jersey’s bail reform law. Prosecutors have filed multiple charges against him, including aggravated assault, child endangerment, resisting arrest, and weapons-related offenses.
{Matzav.com}
“Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The idea of imposing a ceiling on credit card interest is not new for Trump. He previously raised the proposal while campaigning, arguing that families needed relief as they struggled with rising costs.
“While working Americans catch up, we’re going to put a temporary cap on credit card interest rates,” Trump said during a campaign stop at Nassau Coliseum in September 2024.
Banking industry groups pushed back at the time, warning that government-mandated limits could lead lenders to restrict credit access only to borrowers with high incomes and top-tier credit scores.
Trump’s pledge followed a sharp rise in borrowing costs, with average credit card interest rates hitting a record 21.76% in August 2024. Since Trump returned to office, those rates have edged lower, falling to just under 21% — about 20.97% — as of last November.
After Trump first raised the proposal, Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced legislation shortly after Trump’s inauguration that would have imposed a 10% cap on credit card interest rates for five years. The measure was sent to committee and never advanced to a vote.
Reacting to Trump’s latest call, Hawley praised the move and suggested Congress may need to step in to force compliance by lenders. “Fantastic idea. Can’t wait to vote for this,” Hawley wrote on X Friday.
{Matzav.com}
Organizers direct participants to provide specifics when reporting activity, including “how many agents are present” and whether “they are detaining/ kidnapping someone,” as well as the location, according to the page.
Activists are also asked to note “what weapons” agents may be carrying and “what vehicles are they present with.”
One recently reshared post advertises training sessions on “how to stand with…neighbors and assert their rights against these illegal injustices across MN and the rest of the Midwest!”
While the broader network, which has chapters nationwide including in New York City, does not explicitly tell supporters to disrupt arrests, it appears to skirt that line.
The Minnesota group, however, reportedly amplified an Instagram post explaining how to “de-arrest” someone.
According to National Review, the post — which was no longer visible as of Friday — encouraged actions such as “physically removing an arrestee from a law enforcement officer’s grips, opening the door of a car or pressuring law enforcement officers to release an arrestee.”
Other content shared by the group includes videos labeled as ICE “kidnapping” incidents, including footage timestamped at 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 2 in Fridley, Minn.
“ICE/Fed agents appear to pull up to the citizens driveway blocking his exit. The ICE/Fed agents open his door detaining and remove him from the truck,” the post declares. “Appears to be 3-4 vehicles, and 6 ICE/fed agents.”
Good, whom a friend referred to as an ICE Watch “warrior,” was shot and killed Wednesday by an ICE agent after her SUV struck him.
{Matzav.com}
The group has reportedly replenished its finances by tapping cash hidden in underground tunnels during the fighting and by imposing taxes on commerce and services throughout Gaza.
Officials also said Hamas has received additional funding from Iran.
With new resources in hand, the organization has resumed paying its fighters and increased recruitment efforts to replace senior operatives killed during the two-year conflict with Israel, according to the report.
Since a cease-fire took effect in October, Hamas has also tightened its grip on Gaza by suppressing rival factions, a move that has triggered violent confrontations across the battered territory.
Oversight of the fragile agreement’s second phase will fall to a newly created Board of Peace, which President Trump is expected to unveil next week along with the names of 15 global leaders who will serve on it. The panel will be responsible for deciding how Hamas’ disarmament would be implemented and what weapons would be included.
Arab officials say Hamas has signaled a readiness to give up what remains of its heavy weaponry but has drawn a firm line against handing over small arms.
“They’ve made an agreement that they’re going to disarm,” Trump said Friday on Fox News. “We’re going to have to assume that they’re going to, but you know it’s not their nature to disarm.”
Trump has previously warned that Hamas would be granted “a very short period of time” to surrender its weapons or face severe consequences, yet he has also made clear that he does not intend to delay the second phase of the plan — which envisions an International Stabilization Force policing Gaza — while waiting for that process to unfold.
Earlier this week, Trump appointed Nickolay Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy, to head the Board of Peace.
Mladenov met Thursday in Yerushalayim with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and held talks Friday with Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank.
According to an Arab diplomat speaking to the Times of Israel, any Israeli offensive would require backing from Washington, which continues to push for advancement of the cease-fire framework.
Netanyahu, however, is said to doubt that the Trump-led international body can successfully disarm Hamas, prompting him to instruct the IDF to ready what he described as a “contingency plan.”
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Graham’s blistering comments followed an earlier show of support for Iranian civilians issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Demonstrations inside Iran have entered their second week, with reports indicating that more than 200 protesters may have been killed amid the unrest.
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Rubio wrote in a message posted early this morning.
Graham later issued another statement, saying he was proud of Rubio and President Trump for backing Iranians “who are rightly protesting against their oppression.”
Those expressions of support came after Iranian authorities declared that protesters would be treated as “enemies of God,” an accusation under Iranian law that can carry the death penalty.
Earlier this week, Trump voiced support for Iran’s population and warned the regime against using lethal force, saying, “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded by accusing Trump of having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians” during remarks broadcast on Friday.
“[The terrorists] are ruining their own streets … in order to please the president of the United States because he said that he would come to their aid,” Khamenei told supporters who were chanting “Death to America!”
“He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”
Leaders in France, Britain, and Germany have also denounced the killing of protesters by Iranian authorities, though they have refrained from issuing threats of retaliation.
Iran has been plunged into a communications blackout after officials shut down internet service and international phone access on Thursday.
The demonstrations, which began on Dec. 28 over economic grievances, have since escalated into open calls for the overthrow of the regime, marking the most serious challenge to Iran’s leadership in years.
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The internal deliberations, they emphasized, should not be interpreted as a decision to strike, noting that such planning is a standard part of military preparedness.
Even so, Trump suggested publicly that the United States could respond forcefully if Iran continues its crackdown on protesters, writing on Truth Social over the weekend.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” he wrote today. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”
A U.S. strike on Iranian soil would not be without precedent. In June, Trump authorized the first direct American attack inside Iran.
During that operation, U.S. forces dropped at least six “bunker buster” bombs on three locations, including the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, a heavily fortified site buried nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain.
That bombing followed Iranian threats to deploy its nuclear capabilities against Israel during the 12-Day War and was coordinated with Israel’s own large-scale strikes on Iranian military assets in and around Tehran.
The renewed possibility of U.S. involvement comes after Trump repeatedly warned that Washington would act in defense of Iranian protesters if the regime continued violent repression.
“You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too,” Trump warned Friday.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by accusing Trump of having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians,” in remarks broadcast the same day.
“[The terrorists] are ruining their own streets … in order to please the president of the United States because he said that he would come to their aid,” Khamenei said before a crowd chanting “Death to America!”
“He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”
Today, Iranian authorities escalated their rhetoric further, warning that protesters — as well as anyone assisting them — would be treated as “enemies of God,” an offense that carries the death penalty.
Meanwhile, reported fatalities from the unrest have climbed to at least 65 people, including 50 protesters, with growing concern among observers that the real number of deaths may exceed 200.
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According to sources cited by The Telegraph, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to activate so-called “missile cities,” vast underground stockpiles housing ballistic weapons.
“The IRGC’s underground missile cities – which were deliberately kept intact during the 12-day war – are all on high alert,” the insider said, warning that any U.S. involvement could ignite an “apocalyptic” conflict.
The IRGC, in a public statement issued Friday, declared that maintaining security was a “red line,” while the armed forces pledged to defend public infrastructure.
Iranian authorities characterized those taking part in the unrest as “terrorists,” accusing them of attacking military and police facilities over the past two nights, resulting in deaths among civilians and security personnel and widespread property damage.
Late Friday night, a municipal building in Karaj, west of the capital, was set ablaze.
Demonstrations were also reported in Shiraz, Qom, and Hamedan, signaling the breadth of the uprising.
The military warnings followed comments from President Trump, who voiced support for Iranian protesters and cautioned Tehran against violent suppression.
“You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too,” Trump said. “I just hope the protesters in Iran are going to be safe, because that’s a very dangerous place right now.”
Rubio echoed that message in a post early Friday morning.
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran, he posted to X.
Iran has remained largely cut off from the outside world since Thursday, after authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown and severed international phone connections.
France, Britain, and Germany released a joint statement condemning the killings, saying they “strongly” denounce the violence directed at protesters.
“The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” the trio wrote.
“We urge the Iranian authorities to exercise restraint, to refrain from violence, and to uphold the fundamental rights of Iran’s citizens.”
In a separate message posted on X, opposition figure Reza Pahlavi escalated his rhetoric, urging demonstrators to move beyond street protests.
“Our goal is no longer merely to come into the streets; the goal is to prepare to seize city centres and hold them,” he said.
Pahlavi also appealed to “workers and employees in key sectors of the economy, especially transportation, and oil, and gas and energy,” to launch a nationwide strike.
The wave of unrest began on Dec. 28, initially fueled by economic hardship, but has since evolved into a direct challenge to the ruling system, marking the most serious threat to Iran’s leadership in years.
Authorities have detained more than 2,500 people in connection with the protests over the past two weeks.
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Shortly afterward, several helicopters arrived — “barely eight,” according to his estimate — inserting what he believed were only about 20 U.S. soldiers into the area.
Despite their small number, he said, the Americans carried capabilities far beyond conventional weapons.
“They were technologically very advanced,” the guard recalled. “They didn’t look like anything we’ve fought against before.”
What followed, in his telling, bore no resemblance to a traditional firefight.
“We were hundreds, but we had no chance,” he said. “They were shooting with such precision and speed; it felt like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute.”
Then came the moment he says he cannot forget.
“At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it,” he said. “It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside.”
According to the guard, the physical consequences were swift and devastating.
“We all started bleeding from the nose,” he said. “Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon — or whatever it was.”
The White House has not yet responded to questions about whether Karoline Leavitt’s decision to amplify the account — which she captioned, “Stop what you are doing and read this…” — should be interpreted as official confirmation of the claims.
Venezuela’s Interior Ministry has said roughly 100 members of the country’s security forces were killed in the Jan. 3 operation.
It remains unknown whether any of those deaths were linked to the alleged mystery weapon.
The guard said resistance collapsed completely as the small U.S. team overwhelmed vastly larger numbers.
“Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us,” he claimed. “We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
An ex-U.S. intelligence source told The Post that the military has possessed directed-energy weapons — systems that incapacitate targets using concentrated energy such as microwaves or lasers — for many years, though this could mark the first known instance of their use by the United States in combat. China, the source noted, reportedly employed a microwave weapon against Indian troops in Ladakh during a 2020 border standoff.
The source said such weapons can trigger several of the symptoms described by the guard, including “bleeding, inability to move or function, pain and burning.”
“I can’t say all of those symptoms. But yes, some,” the source said. “And we’ve had versions for decades.”
In the aftermath of the raid, the guard said the takeaway for America’s adversaries could not be more direct.
Now, he says, the message is clear: Don’t tread on Uncle Sam.
“I’m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States,” he said. “They have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with.”
He added that the operation has already reverberated across Latin America, particularly after President Donald Trump recently warned that Mexico is now ‘on the list.’
“Everyone is already talking about this,” he said. “No one wants to go through what we went through. What happened here is going to change a lot of things — not just in Venezuela, but throughout the region.”
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have remained under federal conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis, are not lenders themselves. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, their role is to purchase mortgages from banks and other lenders, either keeping them on their books or bundling them into mortgage-backed securities that are then sold to investors.
Data from Mortgage News Daily reflected the immediate impact. Its national average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage stood at 6.06% on Jan. 9, a sharp decline from 6.21% a day earlier, while the same index showed a rate of 7.15% one year ago.
Additional reporting based on Mortgage News Daily data pointed to an even steeper intraday move, briefly pulling the 30-year mortgage rate down to 5.99%, a level viewed by many buyers and refinancers as a key psychological threshold.
Large-scale government purchases of mortgage-backed securities are not without precedent. In the opening phase of the COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Reserve bought $580 billion in agency MBS during March and April 2020, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and expanded its agency MBS holdings from $1.4 trillion in March 2020 to $2.3 trillion by June 2021.
At the same time, the Fed slashed its benchmark interest rate in March 2020, setting a target range of 0 to 1/4 percent.
Trump’s directive has also renewed debate over the long-term future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, particularly whether they will continue to function as instruments of federal policy rather than being returned to private ownership.
“Trump praised his decision not to IPO the companies in his first term … This does not sound like a President who is in a rush to IPO the enterprises,” TD Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg wrote in a note, according to Reuters.
JonesTrading analyst Mike O’Rourke echoed that view, saying: “If the GSEs (Government-Sponsored Enterprises) can serve as a funding arm for Presidential policy, we shouldn’t ever expect them to be re-privatized again.”
Despite the easing in mortgage rates, broader affordability challenges remain, driven by high home prices and limited supply.
The National Association of Realtors reported that the median price of an existing home reached $409,200 in November 2025.
Interest in refinancing had already been climbing even before Trump’s announcement. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its holiday-adjusted Refinance Index was 133% higher than during the same week a year earlier.
At the same time, household balance sheets have strengthened overall. Federal Reserve figures show U.S. household wealth hit a record $181.6 trillion in September 2025, up from $175.6 trillion in July, fueled by stock market gains tied to the AI boom and continued increases in home values.
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The footage itself weaves together scenes connected to the Venezuela mission alongside clips of Rubio, Trump, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking publicly about the developments.
At one point in the video, Rubio underscores the administration’s posture. “This is a president of action,” he says. “Like I don’t understand yet how they haven’t figured this out. And now, if you don’t know, now you know.”
As that message circulated, the White House also sharpened its tone toward Iran, where protests continue and senior officials have threatened severe reprisals against demonstrators.
Speaking Friday to cabinet members and oil executives, Trump warned Iran’s leadership against using lethal force on protesters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring events and prepared to react if civilians are targeted.
“You better not start shooting,” Trump said during the meeting. “Because we’ll start shooting, too,” he added, according to Reuters.
Trump also told the group that he had seen reports claiming demonstrators had even named a street after him.
“God bless them,” he said, while voicing concern about their well-being and describing Iran as “a very dangerous place right now.”
He reiterated his warning on Sunday, saying the United States would “hit very hard” if Iranian authorities kill protesters as unrest stretches into a second week.
On Truth Social, Trump further stated that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue,” adding that the country is “locked and loaded.”
Demonstrations across Iran approached the two-week mark today, with the government acknowledging the unrest even as it intensifies its crackdown and remains largely isolated from the outside world.
With internet access shut down and phone service disrupted, tracking events from abroad has become increasingly challenging. Still, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained during the protests.
Despite warnings from Washington, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has indicated that tougher measures are on the way.
Today, Tehran raised the stakes further when Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, declared that anyone participating in the protests would be deemed an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty.
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Page has also taken personal steps that suggest a growing footprint outside the state. A trust linked to him purchased a $71.9 million residence in Miami, adding to signs that the Google co-founder is diversifying his base beyond California.
The reported shifts are particularly striking given the founders’ long-standing ties to Silicon Valley and the scale of their fortunes. Forbes estimates their combined net worth at more than $518 billion.
Not all tech leaders have been quiet about the proposal. Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, sharply criticized the idea, calling the wealth tax a “horrendous idea.”
“Poorly designed taxes incentivize avoidance, capital flight, and distortions that ultimately raise less revenue,” Hoffman said.
While Page and Brin continue to maintain residences and business interests in California, their recent pullback reflects broader anxieties within the tech sector that such a tax could push capital — and entrepreneurs — to leave the state.
Political reaction has been mixed. Gavin Newsom has cautioned that the proposal amounts to “bad policy,” while supporters contend the revenue would help close major gaps in healthcare funding.
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Netanyahu made clear that he does not plan to pursue a full renewal of the agreement. “We want to be as independent as possible,” he said. Recounting a recent meeting with the American president in Florida, Netanyahu added, “In my visit to President Trump, I said we very deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we’ve come of age, and we’ve developed incredible capacities.”
His comments were warmly received by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who oversees military aid as chairman of a Senate appropriations subcommittee. Graham praised Netanyahu’s stance and said he would push to accelerate the timeline for ending assistance.
“The aid we have provided to Israel has been a great investment keeping the IDF strong, sharing technology and making their military more capable — to the benefit of the United States,” Graham wrote on X. “Apparently, there is a desire by Israel to change that dynamic because they have a roaring economy.”
Graham added that Israel’s stated goal of self-sufficiency should be met sooner than planned. “I will always appreciate allies who are trying to be more self-sufficient and believe that, given what the Prime Minister said, we need not wait ten years,” he said. He argued that ending the aid would free up billions of dollars that could be “plowed back into the US military.”
In his role leading the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Graham said, “I will be presenting a proposal to Israel and the Trump administration to dramatically expedite the timetable.”
Netanyahu’s comments appear to contradict a November report by Axios, which said Israeli and US officials had quietly begun talks about the next aid framework after delays linked to the war with Hamas in Gaza. That report claimed Israel was seeking not only to renew the agreement but to extend it to 20 years.
Axios noted at the time that negotiations were complicated by growing isolationist sentiment among President Trump’s political base. Netanyahu rejected the report then, reiterating — as he did again in his Economist interview — that he believes “it’s time to ensure that Israel is independent.”
The United States first committed to providing large-scale military assistance to Israel in 1979, alongside similar aid to Egypt, as part of the US-brokered peace agreement between the two countries.
While American assistance once accounted for a substantial portion of Israel’s defense spending, its relative share has declined as Israel’s economy has expanded. Under Israel’s 2025 budget, the Defense Ministry alone is slated to receive a record NIS 110 billion ($29 billion), within a total defense budget of NIS 136 billion ($36.9 billion).
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Authorities signaled an even harsher response over the weekend. Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned that anyone taking part in demonstrations would be labeled an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty. A statement aired on state television said the designation would also apply to those who “helped rioters.”
“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country,” the statement read. “Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has echoed the threat of a clampdown, even as warnings have come from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump voiced backing for the demonstrators, writing on social media that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The U.S. State Department followed with a blunt message of its own: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
International criticism has also mounted. Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Anita Anand, joined officials from Australia and the European Union in issuing a joint condemnation, praising “the bravery of the Iranian people as they stand up for their dignity and their fundamental right to peaceful protest.” The statement added: “We strongly condemn the killing of protesters, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people.”
Inside Iran, officials have tried to convey a sense of normalcy. Saturday, the start of the Iranian workweek, saw many schools and universities shift to online instruction, according to state TV, while internal government websites continued operating.
State television repeatedly aired a stirring orchestral version of the Epic of Khorramshahr by composer Majid Entezami alongside images of pro-government rallies. The piece, associated with Iran’s 1982 recapture of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq war, was also broadcast during Israel’s recent 12-day war with Iran and has appeared in past protest videos, including those following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
Anchors insisted calm had returned. “Field reports indicate that peace prevailed in most cities of the country at night,” one state TV presenter said. “After a number of armed terrorists attacked public places and set fire to people’s private property last night, there was no news of any gathering or chaos in Tehran and most provinces last night.”
That account was contradicted by an online video verified by The Associated Press showing thousands gathered in Tehran’s Saadat Abad neighborhood. In the footage, a man could be heard shouting, “Death to Khamenei!”
Other images have continued to surface despite the communications blackout. The semi-official Fars news agency, which is believed to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, released surveillance footage it said showed unrest in Isfahan, including a protester appearing to fire a long gun while others hurled gasoline bombs and set fires near what looked like a government compound.
State-linked outlets have also reported deadly attacks on security forces. The Young Journalists’ Club said protesters killed three members of the Basij militia in Gachsaran, while separate incidents left a security official stabbed in Hamadan province, a police officer dead in Bandar Abbas, another killed in Gilan, and one person slain in Mashhad. State TV later broadcast images from a funeral in Qom attended by hundreds.
Iran cut off most internet access and international phone calls on Thursday, allowing only select state-owned or semi-official outlets to publish abroad. Qatar-funded Al Jazeera has continued reporting from inside Iran, appearing to be the only major foreign network able to operate there.
From exile, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has urged demonstrators to sustain pressure. In his latest message, he called on Iranians to protest through the weekend and encouraged them to carry the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag and other national symbols to “claim public spaces as your own.”
Pahlavi’s stance has been controversial, particularly given his open support for Israel following the recent conflict. While some protesters have invoked the shah in chants, it remains unclear whether that reflects support for Pahlavi himself or simply a longing for life before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
What began as anger over economic collapse has now evolved into the most serious challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership in years, leaving the government facing sustained unrest at home and mounting pressure abroad as the crackdown intensifies.
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The crackdown followed some of the largest demonstrations yet, with videos showing crowds chanting “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei,” while others banged pots and pans. Although many protests remained peaceful, footage from several cities showed torched buildings, overturned vehicles, and security forces opening fire.
Medical workers described the toll. A doctor in northwestern Iran said hospitals had received large numbers of injured protesters since Friday, many suffering severe beatings, head trauma, broken limbs, and deep wounds. In one facility alone, at least 20 people had been shot with live ammunition, five of whom later died.
The unrest has coincided with a sweeping communications blackout. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a “nationwide internet shutdown” lasting at least 36 hours, calling it a violation of citizens’ rights and saying it was “masking regime violence.” Amnesty International said the “blanket internet shutdown” was intended to “hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush” the protests.
As demonstrations raged inside Iran, solidarity rallies spread across Europe. Iranian expatriates and supporters gathered in cities including Glasgow, Nottingham, Dublin, Brussels, and London to demand an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule and to show support for protesters facing arrest and death back home.
In London, hundreds assembled outside the Iranian embassy in Kensington on Saturday. During the protest, a man climbed onto the embassy’s balcony and tore down the Islamic Republic’s flag, briefly replacing it with Iran’s pre-1979 lion-and-sun flag associated with the ousted shah. The act drew cheers from the crowd before the older flag was removed several minutes later. By around 5 p.m., an embassy official was seen raising the current flag again.
As evening fell, the crowd remained largely peaceful but vocal, chanting slogans including “the homeland will not be free until the mullahs die” and “death to Khamenei.” Others shouted, “Democracy for Iran. Shah Reza Pahlavi. Justice for Iran,” referencing the son of the late shah, now living in the United States. Placards reading “Free Iran” were also visible.
One demonstrator, Taraneh, 33, who declined to give her last name, explained why she attended. “I’m here to support Iranians, my loved ones inside Iran – they’ve been protesting for two weeks today,” she said. She added, “The internet has been shut down … We get very little information from inside Iran.” Describing the situation there, she said, “But, you know, people are still in the streets. They’re being attacked. The Islamic Republic is murdering people.” She added, “I want this regime to go. I just want to be able to go back.”
The Metropolitan Police said extra officers were dispatched to the embassy following the balcony incident, with several officers in riot gear stationed outside. In a social media statement, the force said: “We are aware of a protest currently taking place outside of the Iranian Embassy which has seen a protester climb onto the balcony of the building. Officers are on site and additional officers are being deployed to prevent any disorder.”
Scotland Yard later confirmed two arrests had been made: one person was detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker, and another for aggravated trespass. Police said they were also seeking an additional individual for trespass.
Video from the scene appeared to show red paint splashed across the embassy’s white exterior, with visible stains near the balcony.
The London embassy has a fraught history, having been the site of a notorious siege in 1980 when six armed men took 26 hostages. The standoff ended after six days when SAS troops stormed the building, rescuing all but one hostage and killing five of the six hostage-takers.
Elsewhere, rights groups continued to tally casualties. The Iranian rights organization HRANA reported 65 deaths as of January 9, including 50 protesters and 15 members of the security forces, amid what it described as a brutal response by the Revolutionary Guards. Another Norway-based group, Hengaw, said more than 2,500 people had been arrested over the past two weeks.
Inside Iran, state media said a municipal building in Karaj, west of Tehran, was set ablaze overnight, blaming what it called “rioters.”
On the international stage, criticism mounted. Earlier in the week, Sir Keir Starmer condemned the killing of protesters and urged Tehran to “exercise restraint.” Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s deposed monarch, called for a shift in tactics. “Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres,” he said in a video posted online.
Khamenei, addressing the unrest for the first time since January 3, dismissed demonstrators as “vandals” and “saboteurs.” In a speech aired on state television, he accused US President Donald Trump of having hands that “are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians,” a remark apparently referring to Israel’s June conflict with Iran, which the United States supported and joined with its own strikes.
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As reports of the unrest spread beyond Iran’s borders, Senator Lindsey Graham publicly voiced support for the demonstrators and suggested assistance would come. In a message posted on social media, Graham wrote, “TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE: your long nightmare is soon coming to a close.”
He continued, “Your bravery and determination to end your oppression has been noticed by @POTUS and all who love freedom.”
Referring to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric toward Iran, Graham added, “When President Trump says Make Iran Great Again, it means the protestors in Iran must prevail over the ayatollah. That is the clearest signal yet that he, President Trump understands Iran will never be great with the ayatollah and his henchmen in charge.”
Graham concluded his message by addressing those participating in the uprising directly: “To all who are sacrificing in Iran, God bless. Help is on the way.”
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In 1962, Rabbi Rosenshein served as a psychology intern at Rusk Rehabilitation Center, the world’s first rehabilitation hospital. During that formative period, he had the rare privilege of meeting Dr. Howard Rusk, the legendary pioneer of rehabilitation medicine. The lessons he absorbed there shaped not only his professional approach but his entire worldview.
Throughout his internship, he learned that technical expertise alone was insufficient. True healing, he believed, required understanding the person behind the diagnosis and connecting to their inner hopes. One of his earliest cases involved a 19-year-old young man who had been critically injured during a smoke-jumping accident when his parachute malfunctioned, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The young man, deeply embittered, resisted therapy and rebuffed every intern assigned to him.
When Rabbi Rosenshein took over the case, he carefully researched the young man’s background and learned that his lifelong dream had been to become a pilot, an ambition that now seemed shattered. Through determination and creative thinking, Rabbi Rosenshein discovered that while the young man could no longer fly solo, he could realistically train as a co-pilot. He presented this possibility to him with sincerity and confidence, outlining a concrete plan: first earning a living as a radio announcer, then saving toward flight training. For the first time since the accident, the young man smiled. Encouraged and inspired, he began to cooperate with therapy, ultimately becoming a radio announcer and later a trained co-pilot, going on to build a successful and meaningful life. For Rabbi Rosenshein, this case embodied a lifelong truth: real therapy meant speaking to the heart.
Another early case left an equally profound mark. A young man named Bruce, paralyzed from polio and isolated in Goldwater Memorial Hospital among elderly and terminal patients, had become deeply disturbed and threatening, writing hostile letters to public officials. Rabbi Rosenshein recognized that Bruce’s rage stemmed from crushing loneliness. Defying protocol, and with approval from senior leadership, he arranged for Bruce to spend ten days at home during the December holidays. The transformation was dramatic. Upon his return, Bruce told him, “Put that pen away, doctor. You’re a real person. I can talk to you.” The young man soon turned his life around, eventually attending law school and becoming an attorney. Once again, Rabbi Rosenshein had seen what happens when a human being is treated as a person rather than a case number.
As he completed his training, Rabbi Rosenshein was offered a historic opportunity: if he passed the New York City Board of Education psychology exam, he would become the first school psychologist assigned specifically to children with disabilities. At the time, the very concept of addressing the educational needs of the handicapped was revolutionary. Disabled individuals were routinely hidden away or institutionalized, often under horrific conditions. In the broader system, there were no frameworks like Hamaspik or Yeled V’Yalda. Institutions such as Willowbrook in Staten Island housed thousands of neglected and abused individuals.
Although he was offered a position at Willowbrook, Rabbi Rosenshein accepted Rav Moshe Feinstein’s guidance and instead joined the New York City Board of Education. After passing the exam, he officially became the city’s first psychologist dedicated to serving handicapped children.
Together with the renowned neurologist Dr. Stanley Lamm of Long Island College Hospital, who volunteered his services for a symbolic salary of one dollar a year, Rabbi Rosenshein began building an entirely new system. Assigned to Waverly Place in Brooklyn, they developed innovative programs for severely handicapped children and presented detailed proposals to the Board of Education.
As public awareness grew and parental advocacy intensified, national change followed. The passage of Public Law 94-142—the Handicapped Education Law—mandated that every school district in the United States provide appropriate educational services for children with disabilities. Rabbi Rosenshein resolved not merely to comply with the law, but to build a functioning infrastructure from the ground up.
Drawing on methods he had learned during a pivotal summer working at a specialized camp for the handicapped in Kerhonkson, Rabbi Rosenshein embraced a team-based approach, uniting psychologists, speech therapists, educators, and social workers. He helped introduce innovative assessments such as the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Ability and championed the idea of teaching children according to their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
As Director of Evaluation and Placement for Special Education in New York City, Rabbi Rosenshein oversaw the creation of district-based offices staffed by multidisciplinary teams. Under his leadership, the system expanded rapidly, eventually encompassing all 32 school districts and conducting tens of thousands of evaluations annually. For the first time, teachers and educators became full partners in crafting individualized education plans for students.
When leaders of the Jewish community, including Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky and Rabbi Moshe Sherer, raised concerns that Jewish children were being excluded, Rabbi Rosenshein took action. With encouragement from Dr. Helen Feulner of the Board of Education, he convened concerned parents, leading to the founding of P’tach, Parents for Torah for All Children, in 1975. P’tach revolutionized special education in the Torah world by integrating specialized classrooms into mainstream yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs. Within months, children who had been written off were learning Chumash and Mishnayos for the first time, and the model soon spread nationwide.
Budgetary constraints eventually led to Rabbi Rosenshein’s departure from the Board of Education, but his mission only expanded. He accepted leadership of Mishkan in Boro Park, guiding the organization for 21 years. Under his direction, Mishkan grew from serving 40 children to 500, with a budget exceeding $21 million, and played a central role in the post-Willowbrook era of community-based care.
Rabbi Rosenshein later served on the Commissioner’s Planning Board of OPWDD, representing Orthodox interests at the highest levels of state planning. Even after mandatory retirement from JBFCS/Mishkan, he remained deeply active as a consultant to P’tach, Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society, and Torah Umesorah, while maintaining a private practice and advocating legally for children denied services.
He also established an annual Torah Umesorah award recognizing exceptional dedication in the field of mental health chinuch, ensuring that the values he championed would endure.
In addition, Rabbi Rosenshein was a pioneering member of Vaad L’hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel, participating in clandestine missions to the Soviet Union and later helping strengthen Jewish life in places such as Tbilisi and Baku. These experiences, including accompanying Rav Matisyahu Salomon and witnessing the spiritual hunger of forgotten Jews, profoundly shaped his life.
For more than six decades, Rabbi Dr. Rosenshein devoted himself to healing minds, strengthening families, rescuing the forgotten, and building institutions that transformed the Torah world. His wisdom, compassion, and vision changed countless lives, and his legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come.
He is survived by his wonderful children and their families, who follow in his ways.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
The filing season refers to the annual window in which individuals report income earned during the prior calendar year. Most U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to file if their income exceeds certain thresholds set by law.
Agency leaders say systems and staff are ready. IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano, appointed to the newly created role in October, sought to reassure the public. “The IRS workforce remains vigilant and dedicated to their mission to serve the American taxpaying public.
At the same time, IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate the new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during the filing season.” Bisignano also serves as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
The IRS will also be tasked with carrying out major elements of Republicans’ tax and spending package enacted last summer. Several of those provisions apply retroactively to the 2025 tax year, a shift expected to generate confusion among filers and force updates to tax forms and guidance.
Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent echoed confidence in the agency’s ability to handle the workload while tying the effort to broader economic goals. “President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” Bessent said in a statement. “I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”
The IRS anticipates receiving about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, roughly in line with last year’s volume. According to agency data, the average refund last season came to $3,167, and Bessent has repeatedly said provisions in the Republican tax law are expected to translate into larger refunds in 2026.
Still, staffing levels remain a major point of concern. The National Taxpayer Advocate’s report to Congress noted that the IRS workforce shrank from 102,113 employees at the end of the Biden administration to 75,702. The agency’s website has not yet been updated to reflect current employment figures.
Adding to the strain, IRS employees who worked during last year’s filing season were barred from accepting buyout offers from the Trump administration until after the April 15, 2025 deadline, delaying departures but not preventing the eventual loss of personnel.
Tax experts, including the IRS’s own watchdog, have warned that the combination of tens of thousands of departures tied to layoffs and buyouts — driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — along with complex new tax rules, could make the 2026 filing season more challenging than usual.
{Matzav.com}
Federal sources later told Fox News that Good, a mother of three, had been active as a Minneapolis-based immigration activist and was affiliated with a group known as ICE Watch.
Ocasio-Cortez responded Friday while speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill, sharply condemning Vance’s remarks. “I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not,” she said while answering questions from Fox News and other outlets.
She went further, framing the dispute as a fundamental moral divide. “That is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.”
The vice president’s office swiftly rejected Ocasio-Cortez’s accusation. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “On National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, AOC made it clear she thinks that radical leftists should be able to mow down ICE officials in broad daylight. She should be ashamed of herself. The Vice President stands with ICE and the brave men and women of law enforcement, and so do the American people.”
{Matzav.com}
Moments later, one agent circles the vehicle to inspect its license plate. Another officer then approaches the driver’s side and orders Good to exit the SUV. “Get out of the car. Get out of the …. car,” the agent can be heard saying on the recording.
Instead of exiting, Good reverses briefly and then accelerates forward toward the agent wearing the body camera. As the vehicle moves in his direction, the agent is heard exclaiming “whoa” before gunshots are fired. The SUV then veers ahead and slams into a parked car.
The shooting has sparked fierce backlash and renewed criticism of the Trump administration, with Democratic officials disputing federal claims that the agent acted in self-defense. Federal authorities, for their part, have described the shooting as a justified response to an imminent threat and have characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.
Officials also noted that the agent who fired the shots had previously been injured in a separate incident last year, when he was dragged by a fleeing driver. They said he sustained injuries during Wednesday’s confrontation as well, though Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed those claims.
“The ICE agent walked away with a hip injury that he might as well as gotten from closing a refrigerator door with his hips…,” Frey told reporters Friday. “Give me a break. No, he was not ran over. He walked out of there with a hop in his step.”
Authorities have said Good had been following and harassing federal officers earlier in the day. Federal sources also told Fox News that she was an immigration activist based in Minneapolis and a member of a group known as ICE Watch.
According to Homeland Security sources cited by Fox News, ICE Watch operates in multiple sanctuary cities nationwide and seeks to monitor, track, interfere with, and oppose federal immigration enforcement activities.
{Matzav.com}
The dinner took place on September 9 at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, just blocks from the White House. Trump chose the restaurant as part of an effort to highlight his administration’s push against crime in Washington, DC. The outing was not publicly announced in advance.
During the meal, demonstrators crowded Trump’s table and shouted slogans including: “Free DC, Free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.”
According to one source, Greene had suggested Joe’s as a dining option for the president. That detail, combined with the fact that the reservation was not made public, fueled internal suspicion about how the activists learned of Trump’s plans.
White House officials also pointed to Greene’s past comments about her relationship with Code Pink leadership. In a December 10 post on X, Greene wrote: “I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now even though politics says that’s not allowed.” Medea Benjamin is a co-founder of Code Pink.
A former senior administration official summed up Greene’s political drift bluntly, saying, “Marjorie is closer with the hosts of ‘The View’ than the president.”
Greene forcefully rejected the allegations and threatened legal action against Axios in a lengthy statement posted on X after the report was published. She framed the accusations as retaliation for her criticism of the president and her role in pressing for the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
“They are mad at me for telling the truth about the President and forcing the release of the Epstein files. Now they are making up horrific lies about me!!,” she wrote.
She also denied having any meaningful relationship with Benjamin and placed responsibility for the protest squarely on security failures.
“Code Pink was in the restaurant because the WH and Secret Service did NOT sweep Joe’s, did NOT set up metal detectors and check everyone in the restaurant, and did not do any of their normal security protocols that they do at every public event he attends!!! Only the WH set up President Trump’s reservation at Joe’s, NOT ME!! I had ZERO knowledge of when his reservation was! The only people who could have tipped off Code Pink was the restaurant or the WH!,” Greene wrote.
She followed that with another emphatic denial: “This is a dangerous false accusation against me that is 100% false and you and Axios should never publish such a horrific lie!!! Anyone saying this is true is absolutely lying!!!”
Neither the Secret Service nor Benjamin responded to requests for comment.
The dispute is the latest chapter in a relationship that began unraveling earlier last year. Trump attempted to dissuade Greene from launching a US Senate bid in Georgia, sharing internal polling that showed her trailing Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Greene ultimately opted not to run and later said she never discussed the race with Trump.
The rift widened further when Greene joined three other House Republicans in backing a discharge petition that led to the release of Epstein-related files, a move that infuriated the White House. In the weeks that followed, Trump publicly pulled his political support, and Greene shifted from being a staunch ally to an outspoken critic, attacking the president’s foreign policy and his handling of the Epstein matter.
Trump responded with his own barbs, branding Greene a “stone cold liberal” and mocking her with the nickname “Marjorie Traitor Brown,” which he said was “because green turns to brown under stress.”
Greene later said those remarks put her in danger, telling “60 Minutes” in December that she received death threats after Trump’s comments.
Having resigned her House seat, Greene has since returned to Georgia, where she is preparing for her wedding to fiancé Brian Glenn, a former White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice.
{Matzav.com}
President Trump has repeatedly cautioned Tehran against using lethal force on protesters, warning that if Iranian security forces open fire, “we’re going to hit them very hard.” He underscored that message again Thursday night during an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity.
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like what’s happening right now,” Trump said. “But I have put Iran on notice that if they start shooting at them — these people are totally unarmed people, and they love their country, they want something to happen.”
Khamenei, however, dismissed Trump’s statements as cynical and hostile, accusing the United States of past bloodshed. Referring to U.S. involvement in regional conflicts, he claimed Washington had acknowledged responsibility for deadly strikes during Iran’s recent 12-day war with Israel, which he said killed “more than a thousand of our country’s citizens.”
“So, he confessed that the Iranians’ blood was on his hands,” Khamenei said in one of his posts. “Now he’s saying that he’s on the side of the Iranian nation!”
In another message, Khamenei framed the protests themselves as acts of sabotage carried out on behalf of Washington. He wrote that demonstrators were “a bunch of people bent on destruction came and destroyed buildings that belong to their own country in order to please the President of the US and make him happy.”
Photos and videos circulated globally on Friday showed buildings burning after overnight unrest, underscoring the intensity of the demonstrations and the confrontations with security forces.
The Iranian leader also suggested that the state was fully prepared to confront the unrest by force, drawing a comparison to the period before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Today, the Iranian nation is even more equipped and armed than that day [before the Revolution],” Khamenei wrote. “Both our spiritual strength and hard, conventional weapons can’t be compared to what we had before.”
Earlier, Khamenei had used social media to liken Trump to figures from ancient history as well as Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah toppled in 1979. “He too will fall,” Khamenei said of Trump in one post.
In a separate message, Khamenei accused the United States of exploiting other nations for resources, citing Venezuela as an example. He wrote that the U.S. “besieged” the country and was not “even ashamed and explicitly state that this was for oil. For oil!”
Trump’s warnings to Tehran come in the wake of recent U.S. military actions in the region, including strikes in Venezuela that led to the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro and earlier attacks on Iran in June. Those strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites and helped Israel bring its 12-day war with Iran to an end, though Israeli officials have since warned that Tehran is attempting to rebuild its military capabilities.
Supporters of Trump echoed his message in recent days. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina issued a stark warning during an appearance Tuesday on Hannity.
“To the people of Iran: We stand with you tonight,” Graham said. “We stand for you taking back your country from the Ayatollah, a religious Nazi who kills you and terrorizes the world. And to the Ayatollah: You need to understand, if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.”
{Matzav.com}
The first Friday session also featured a milestone in derivatives trading. Yaniv Pagot, the Vice President of Trading at TASE, noted the significance of the opening day, saying, “We started the trading day with a historic first option expiration, which saw a trading volume of approximately 106 million shekels.”
Smotrich emphasized that the revised schedule was implemented with religious sensitivities in mind. “We did this, obviously, while taking precautions to avoid desecrating Shabbat, both by setting appropriate operating hours and through regulatory instructions from the Securities Authority, which postpone most of the trading closure activities to Sunday. We will continue, G-d willing, to strengthen Israel’s economy and fortify the power of the State of Israel,” he said.
With the adjustment, Israel’s market hours now mirror those of major exchanges abroad, a move officials say is intended to boost participation, visibility, and growth in the Israeli capital markets.
{Matzav.com}
In later years, Rabbi Gartenhaus was among the founders of Bodek, playing a key role in providing tola’im-free products to Yidden. Through this work, he helped countless families maintain kashrus with confidence and peace of mind..
The levaya is taking place this morning at at Rav Frankel’s Shul, located at 1093 East 21st Street, Brooklyn, New York.
The family will be sitting shivah at 988 East 21st Street in Brooklyn, New York, through Thursday morning.
Rabbi Gartenhaus is survived by his devoted wife and family.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
“If that is following his training, then I think there are larger questions about the training that’s being provided to ICE agents,” Mamdani said during a CNN appearance with Kaitlan Collins.
He went on to say that the widely circulated footage of the shooting left little room for doubt in his view.
“We can all see that video and come to our own conclusions that that ICE agent murdered a woman in Minneapolis, and it is a glimpse into what has been a year full of cruelty.”
Mamdani said the incident reverberated far beyond Minneapolis, particularly in New York City, which he noted is home to roughly 3 million immigrants. He said many residents woke up the next day feeling unsettled and fearful.
The mayor added that he has already raised concerns directly with Trump, telling the president that ICE’s tactics undermine, rather than enhance, public safety.
“It is clear to myself and to so many across the country, as I’ve shared with the president directly, that these ICE raids are cruel and inhumane and they do nothing to further the cause or the interest of public safety,” he said.
Collins challenged Mamdani on his repeated use of the word “murder,” pointing out that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — despite angrily telling ICE to “get the f—k out” of his city — has stopped short of using that term.
“That was the conclusion I came to just in watching that video, and I think that’s the conclusion many Americans came to, that same conclusion, no matter how many times this is mischaracterized by others,” Mamdani replied.
The mayor has made opposition to ICE a recurring theme, previously labeling the agency “rogue.” During his Democratic primary victory speech in June, he pledged to wield his authority “to reject Donald Trump’s fascism [and] to stop mass ICE agents from deporting our neighbors.”
After a recent enforcement action in Chinatown, Mamdani released a video urging residents to “stand up” to ICE and explaining how to assert constitutional rights during encounters with immigration officers.
His remarks come as Democratic officials across the country escalate their criticism of ICE amid protests sparked by Good’s death, including demonstrations in New York City. According to reports, some members of Congress are even weighing the possibility of forcing a government shutdown to push for changes to the agency.
Frey, for his part, declined to walk back his own sharp language after publicly demanding that ICE leave Minneapolis.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has also entered the fray, saying her administration is exploring ways to make it easier for New Yorkers to bring lawsuits against ICE agents. On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” she recounted a recent confrontation with an agent in Lower Manhattan.
“I said, ‘Why do you wear a mask? No other law enforcement does this, our police don’t do it, our FBI agents don’t do it, why are you doing this?’” Hochul said.
{Matzav.com}
The operation was supported by the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale, highlighting the scale of force Washington is bringing to bear as it intensifies its campaign against illegal shipping activity in the region.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Coast Guard intercepted the vessel in international waters east of the Caribbean after it departed Venezuela and attempted to avoid U.S. authorities.
“The world’s criminals are on notice,” Noem wrote on X.
U.S. officials believe the Olina is linked to a so-called “ghost fleet,” a network of ships accused of transporting embargoed oil using falsified registrations and deceptive nationality claims. The Trump administration says proceeds from these operations help finance criminal enterprises, including narco-terrorism.
“The ghost fleets will not outrun justice,” Noem said. “They will not hide under false claims of nationality.”
The interdiction was conducted as part of Operation Southern Spear, an initiative led by the Department of War focused on cutting off illegal oil flows and reinforcing maritime security throughout the Western Hemisphere.
“This is owning the sea,” Noem said.
{Matzav.com}
At the heart of the proposal is a rejection of any system of enlistment quotas or numerical targets. According to the plan, no fixed draft goals would be imposed on the yeshiva world, thereby shielding bona fide Torah learners from sanctions or coercive measures.
In parallel, the framework calls for what is described as airtight and meaningful oversight. Under this model, military authorities would conduct thorough and consistent verification to ensure that anyone listed as a yeshiva student is indeed attending and learning on a regular basis.
Those found not to meet the criteria of Toraso umnaso—and who also do not enlist—would face firm consequences. The proposal envisions enhanced enforcement, including significant economic penalties and additional sanctions, directed specifically at individuals who are neither learning nor serving.
Proponents of the initiative say its logic is straightforward: there is no realistic way to defend draft evasion by individuals who are not part of the yeshiva system in practice. They contend that genuine enforcement would remove thousands of non-learning registrants from the rolls, thereby addressing the army’s manpower needs without harming authentic yeshiva students.
The outline has already drawn notable interest from reserve soldiers’ organizations as well as figures within the Religious Zionist community, who view it as a practical avenue for increasing enlistment among those not engaged in full-time Torah study, while leaving the core of the Torah world intact.
{Matzav.com}
According to the committee, Agam’s work embodies a philosophical outlook in which reality is never static but constantly evolving, a theme that runs consistently through his artistic output.
For Jewish communities around the world, Agam’s influence is felt most powerfully through a single monumental project: the enormous menorah erected annually at Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza, which has been publicly lit every Chanukah since 1986.
That landmark menorah traces its origins back to the late 1970s, when activists from the Lubavitch Youth Organization (Tzach) first raised a large menorah in Manhattan. While its presence was striking, artistic design was not yet a central consideration.
The concept took a decisive turn after Atara Ciechanover proposed enlisting a leading artist to elevate the project. She suggested her close friend Yaacov Agam, already a figure of international renown and then living in Paris. According to an account on Chabad.org, the endeavor unfolded over many months, during which Agam contributed his talents without charge and worked closely with Tzach’s Executive Director, Rabbi Shmuel Butman, supervising every aspect of the design and construction.
When concerns were raised about deviations from the menorah’s traditional form as described by the Rambam, the Lubavitcher Rebbe clarified that while diagonal branches were a requirement, an artist of Agam’s caliber needed space for genuine creative expression. After a scaled model remained on the Rebbe’s desk for several days, final approval was granted.
The menorah’s inaugural lighting on December 26, 1986.
“I didn’t only want to create something beautiful,” Agam once explained. “The Romans could also create something beautiful. I wanted something beautiful and Jewish—modern, yet true to its roots.”
Over the years, that vision has resonated with millions of passersby, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, turning the menorah into one of the most recognizable Jewish symbols in a public urban setting.
At 97, Agam remains among Israel’s most revered artists, with works exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, institutions throughout Europe, and prominent public spaces across Israel. Still, for many Jews, his most lasting legacy is the menorah that rises each Chanukah in the heart of New York City, serving as a visible declaration of Jewish faith, identity, and endurance.
{Matzav.com}
As a teenager, he grew close to Chabad-Lubavitch through Yerushalayim’s evening yeshiva network, founded by noted educators Rav Tuvia Blau and Rav Naftali HaKohen Roth. After his marriage to his wife, Mrs. Nechama, daughter of Rav Yechezkel Shraga Margolies, he settled in the Mattersdorf neighborhood, where he became a fixture at the local Chabad shul.
Gifted with a clear and pleasant voice, Rabbi Kirshenbaum honored many Chabad gatherings with his singing in his younger years and was a member of the famed choir conducted by Rabbi Yosef Yehuda Marton.
A defining chapter of his life began with the establishment of Gutnick Halls in Yerushalayim’s Givat Shaul neighborhood by philanthropist Yosef Isaac Gutnick, with the goal of easing the financial burden of weddings for families. Appointed by Kollel Chabad to manage the hall, Rabbi Kirshenbaum filled the role with extraordinary dedication for more than three decades, becoming synonymous with the venue itself.
Equally central to his identity was his lifelong bond with Meron. For nearly seventy years, he was known as an “Ish Meron,” traveling constantly to the resting place of Rav Shimon bar Yochai. He became widely known for documenting the Lag BaOmer hilula over many years and is remembered as the first person to film the Meron celebrations with a video camera.
Rabbi Kirshenbaum is survived by his wife, Nechama, and their children, Reb Avraham Moshe; Reb Yechezkel Shraga Shimon; Mrs. Chaya Miriam Berger, Mrs. Chassia Essner, Mrs. Esther Malka Singer, Mrs. Rivka Chaifetz (wife of Reb Natan Chaifetz of Lev L’Achim), Mrs. Sarah Levy, Mrs. Rachel Srulovitz, and Mrs. Chana Tzvobner.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Reaction from media figures was swift and scathing. John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary Magazine, wrote on X: “Megyn Kelly has rotted to the core.”
Ben Domenech of The Spectator piled on, saying, “If you think Nick Fuentes is brilliant, I’m honestly impressed that you have enough brain function to remember to breathe.”
Dave Rubin, host of The Rubin Report, coined a derisive nickname for Kelly, posting: “Great move for Grandma Groyper to attach herself to Fuentes and Candace. Is there anything she won’t do for a click? Find out tomorrow!”
Billionaire investor Cliff Asness added a barbed remark of his own: “Did she praise him for making the trains run on time?”
Kelly also found herself in a public fight with Ian Miles Cheong after he circulated a clip from the Carlson interview. Responding directly, Kelly lashed out: “You’re a pathetic misinformation …. I was explaining why young white men are listening to Fuentes & made clear that while I believe he makes interesting points about the govt etc I was not speaking about his thoughts on Jews, women, blacks etc. [Curse] you & your lies,” she said.
Addressing the broader uproar, Kelly framed the dispute as part of an ongoing pattern of criticism she faces for engaging with controversial voices on the right. She referenced past demands that she distance herself from Carlson after his interview with Fuentes last year. “And then came the, ‘Tucker’s interviewed Nick and you must disavow him. Now you really need to break up with Tucker,’” she said. “As if my entire career rises or falls based on who my friends are, and whose interview I decide to weigh in on. Well, it’s ridiculous.”
Kelly later elaborated on her assessment of Fuentes, reiterating her view that, despite his record, some of his commentary was worth hearing. “He’s obviously got some very extreme views, but he’s very interesting, and he’s very smart, and on a lot of things, there is value to be derived from that guy’s messaging,” she said. She added, “There are a lot of things he talks about that you’re like, ‘Huh, this is not a bad point about our country.’ Excuse his thoughts on race, and Jews, and the Holocaust, and all that.”
The episode comes after months in which Kelly has repeatedly drawn backlash. Kelly defended Candace Owens and dismissed criticism over questions raised about the death of Charlie Kirk. “And then came Candace Owens, and that…she really drives people crazy. She drives them crazy!” Kelly said.
She went further, pushing back on claims that she should have condemned Owens for remarks involving Israel. “They were very angry that I didn’t call her out for what she said about Israel possibly being involved with Charlie Kirk. Well, I didn’t call her out because I was totally fine with those questions being raised and still am!” Kelly said.
Kelly concluded with an unapologetic defense of her stance: “I’m sorry, but I am! I’m sick of this [garbage]. I am allowed to have questions about what, if anyone, aligned with Israel or from Israel might have had to do with Charlie’s death.”
{Matzav.com}
.@POTUS on Iran: What they've done is, in the past, they started shooting the hell out of [protesters]… and I said if they do that, we're going to hit them very hard… So far, for the most part, they haven't… The enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible. pic.twitter.com/i7SBH349Ke
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 9, 2026
Trump said preparations are already in place should Iran escalate its response. “We’re ready to do it. If they do that, we’re going to hit them hard. And so far, for the most part, there’s been some of it, but for the most part, they haven’t. There have been people killed. Some of them, the crowds are so big that some of them have had, were stomped on. Literally. It was terrible.”
He emphasized that Tehran has been explicitly warned as the scale of unrest grows. “We’ll see what happens. There’s so many people protesting. Nobody’s ever seen anything like what’s happening right now. But I have put Iran on notice that if they start shooting at them..if they do anything bad to these people, we’re going to hit them very hard.”
Earlier in the day, Trump echoed similar remarks during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, reiterating his support for demonstrators and cautioning Iran against violent crackdowns. “I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots… we’re going to hit them very hard,” he said.
When Hewitt pointed out reports that dozens had already died, Trump responded that not all fatalities could be attributed directly to security forces. “I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that, but … they’ve been told very strongly – even more strongly than I’m speaking to you right now – that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell,” the President stated.
As protests mounted, Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, issued a statement condemning the regime’s actions to suppress communication while expressing appreciation for Trump’s warnings. “Millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals,” Pahlavi wrote on social media.
Pahlavi urged international leaders to take action alongside the United States. “I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account. It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran,” he added.
He concluded with a call for immediate intervention to restore connectivity. “I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced,” concluded Pahlavi.
The statements came amid what observers describe as the largest wave of protests in nearly two weeks, with demonstrators expanding their challenge to Iran’s leadership across multiple regions.
Iran International reported that tens of thousands of people were participating in rallies in major cities, including Tehran, as the unrest continued to spread.
According to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 45 protesters have been killed since the demonstrations began, among them eight minors, allegedly at the hands of security forces.
Videos circulating online from Tehran showed crowds chanting slogans including “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei”.
Additional footage from Wednesday night captured protesters in the western city of Ilam shouting “death to Khamenei.”
Separate videos shared on social media showed demonstrators in Fars Province tearing down and destroying a statue of Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
{Matzav.com}
Spain has taken a prominent position within Europe on the conflict, formally recognizing the “State of Palestine” in 2024 and repeatedly criticizing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began after the Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Tensions between Madrid and Israel escalated in November 2023, when Spain’s ambassador to Israel was summoned by the Foreign Ministry following Sanchez’s remarks that “Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza.”
Sanchez reiterated his concerns several months later. In April, he condemned what he described as Israel’s “disproportionate response” to the war, warning that it could “destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world”.
Spain’s criticism did not stop there. In May, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares publicly pushed for international sanctions against Israel, citing the continued fighting with Hamas in Gaza and the toll of the ongoing conflict.
{Matzav.com}
Professor Susan Jebb, who co-authored the review and advises ministers and the NHS on obesity, said the findings suggest a need to rethink how these drugs are viewed and prescribed. She said: “Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition, and I think one would expect that these treatments need to be continued for life, just in the same way as blood pressure medication.”
“We should see this as a chronic treatment for a chronic condition,” she added.
The injections — including widely used brands such as Mounjaro and Wegovy — belong to a class of medicines known as GLP-1 drugs. They mimic hormones released after eating, helping to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. Their arrival has been widely seen as a turning point in obesity care, offering levels of weight loss rarely achieved through diet and exercise alone.
However, the Oxford team warned in The British Medical Journal that the benefits can be short-lived once the drugs are withdrawn. Not only did weight return quickly, but key cardiometabolic improvements also faded. Gains in blood sugar control, blood pressure and cholesterol typically disappeared within 18 months of stopping treatment.
Weight regain occurred around four times faster than among people who lost weight through diet and exercise alone. While those on lifestyle programmes generally lost less — about 5kg over a year — they tended to regain weight far more slowly, at around a fifth of a pound a month. In that group, heart-health benefits often persisted for up to five years after the programme ended.
Dr Adam Collins, an associate professor of nutrition who was not involved in the research, said the mechanism behind the drugs helps explain the rebound effect. “As soon as the drug is stopped, appetite is no longer kept in check,” he said.
“If people haven’t built sustainable habits alongside treatment, going cold turkey can be extremely difficult – and some may regain even more weight than they lost.”
The review found that people using injections typically lost close to two-and-a-half stone (14.7kg) within nine to 12 months. But once treatment ended, most were projected to return to their starting weight within two years.
The findings are likely to intensify debate over NHS policy. Under current rules, Wegovy is offered for a limited period of up to two years. Most users, however, obtain the drugs privately, often paying as much as £300 a month — raising concerns about affordability if long-term or lifelong use is required.
Professor Jebb said real-world use also presents challenges. “What we’ve shown is that weight regain after treatment is common and rapid – suggesting the jabs should not be seen as a short-term solution,” she said.
“In the real world we know that adherence is surprisingly poor, with around half of people discontinuing these medications within a year.”
An estimated 2.5 million people in the UK are currently using newer GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. At the same time, around two in three adults are classed as overweight or obese. NHS data show adults now weigh roughly a stone more than they did three decades ago, a trend estimated to cost the economy £100 billion annually.
Eligibility for NHS-funded treatment is already restricted. Only patients with a BMI over 35 and a weight-related health condition, or those with a BMI between 30 and 34.9 referred to specialist services, qualify. More than half of local health commissioners in England are expected to further tighten access due to cost pressures.
Obesity is linked to at least 13 types of cancer and is the second biggest cause of the disease in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK. It has also driven a 39 per cent increase in type 2 diabetes among under-40s, with about 168,000 young people now living with the condition.
While concerns have been raised about side effects — including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, and rare cases of pancreatitis — many specialists say the overall benefits outweigh the risks for most patients.
Professor John Wilding, an honorary consultant physician in cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at the University of Liverpool, said the results were to be expected. “We don’t expect treatments for diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol to continue working once medication is withdrawn – and there’s no scientific reason obesity should be different,” he said.
“These drugs should be considered long-term treatments, not a quick fix.”
{Matzav.com}
“The heights will match exactly,” Baranes told the panel.
Baranes also disclosed that the project’s footprint would be about 45,000 square feet, roughly half the size that the administration has described since announcing the project in July. Of that, the ballroom itself would total about 22,000 square feet and would be designed to accommodate roughly 1,000 guests. White House officials have repeatedly said the building would span 90,000 square feet of White House grounds, which Baranes said includes a second floor – a clarification introduced as federal oversight bodies begin an accelerated review of a project for which core specifications continue to evolve.
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who has a seat on the panel, pressed Baranes on whether the ballroom’s height could be lowered, saying he was “concerned” by the possibility that the planned addition could overwhelm the White House mansion. Baranes said it was “possible, not impossible” to lower the ballroom’s height.
The presentation comes as the White House begins an unusually compressed push to win approvals from two committees charged by Congress with reviewing federal construction. White House officials have said they intend to complete the process in just over two months, a timeline far shorter than comparable projects, former commissioners have said, placing added pressure on oversight bodies that the administration moved to stock with Trump allies.
Baranes told the panel that the White House had abandoned plans to make the ballroom larger. But he said that officials are now considering a one-story addition to the West Wing’s colonnade in an effort to create symmetry with the planned two-story colonnade that would lead from the White House to the ballroom. He also laid out other planned features of the project, such as an office suite for the First Lady, and reconstructed White House movie theater.
It was only last week that the White House laid out a timeline for approvals, laying out a step-by-step path through the two review bodies. After their appearance at the planning commission, Baranes and administration officials intend to give a nearly identical informational presentation to the Commission of Fine Arts at its Jan. 15 meeting. They plan to come back on Feb. 19 to get the fine arts commission’s approval for the project, followed by a planning commission vote on March 5.
Trump administration officials have said they could start aboveground construction as soon as April.
The president will have to appoint at least four members to the fine arts commission for the body to reach a quorum at its meeting next week. Trump in October fired the panel’s six holdover members appointed by President Joe Biden, and White House officials are currently seeking potential appointees aligned with Trump’s architectural desires.
The Trump administration met with staff members from the planning and fine arts commissions only after a Dec. 17 court order from U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, holding separate meetings on Dec. 19 and formally submitting applications to review the ballroom project three days later.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argued in court filings last week that the Trump administration had failed to take “meaningful steps” toward public review or commission approval.
“They have, repeatedly, broken the rules first and asked for permission later,” wrote lawyers for the National Trust, which sued the Trump administration in an effort to halt construction until required reviews occur.
The White House said meeting with committee staffers and submitting conceptual renderings – rather than detailed blueprints – satisfied the judge’s instruction to start engaging with both commissions by the end of the year.
The National Capital Planning Commission is led by Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary and Trump’s former personal lawyer, whom the president appointed in July. The commission’s membership now tilts heavily toward Trump, including two other White House officials and nine Cabinet members.
The review process for the ballroom building differs markedly from past practice. Large projects have previously undergone lengthy, multistage reviews that begin well before any demolition or site work. Agencies typically engage planning commission staff months or even years in advance, with commissioners and staff evaluating design, siting and environmental impacts at each stage.
The Trump White House has compressed or bypassed some of those steps. Officials plan to complete in months a process that took nearly two years for a White House security fence that was significantly smaller than the ballroom. That project involved five public meetings, during which the commission assessed compliance with federal environmental laws and “the historic and symbolic importance of the White House and the surrounding grounds,” according to planning commission documents.
By contrast, Trump has overseen a three-month transformation of a large chunk of the White House grounds with no planning commission oversight. In mid-September, crews started clearing foliage and cutting down trees. In late October, the president shocked the public by ordering the demolition of the East Wing. And by early December, cranes and pile drivers were operating daily, as crews worked to create the underground infrastructure necessary to support the building, the White House said.
Scharf has asserted that the planning commission review process covers only “vertical” construction – not demolition or site preparation. Critics have disputed that assertion, arguing that demolition, site work and construction are inseparable and that the commission’s mandate includes preserving existing historic structures.
Planning commission records show that commissioners have previously approved site development plans for projects, including the perimeter fence and a tennis pavilion built during Trump’s first term. In both cases, site work began after agencies received approvals.
The commission nevertheless adopted Scharf’s argument in the document it published in December outlining its review process, saying the law doesn’t give it authority over “the demolition of buildings or general site preparation.”
Lawmakers and watchdog groups have repeatedly called for more transparency on the estimated $400 million project being funded by private donors – many without disclosing their contributions. Many of the donors the White House has identified – including Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Palantir – have business before the administration, such as seeking future federal contracts or eyeing potential acquisitions. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters last month demanding more information from several attendees of a White House dinner in October to honor ballroom donors.
“The American people are entitled to all the relevant facts about who is funding the most substantial construction project at the White House in recent history,” Blumenthal wrote.
(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Jonathan Edwards, Dan Diamond
Gabbard’s past remarks have repeatedly emphasized restraint in Venezuela. In 2019, while serving as a Democratic member of Congress, she said the United States should “stay out” of the country. As recently as last month, she publicly criticized “warmongers” whom she accused of pushing Washington toward conflict.
The episode has become another flashpoint in the uneasy relationship between Gabbard and parts of the Trump team. While Trump campaigned on avoiding new wars, the move to oust Maduro has widened divisions not only among MAGA supporters but also among senior officials inside the administration.
Vice President JD Vance rejected suggestions that either he or Gabbard were excluded from planning the operation, calling those claims “false.” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung echoed that defense, saying Trump “has full confidence in DNI Gabbard and she’s doing a fantastic job.”
“We’re all part of the same team,” Vance told reporters at the White House on Thursday. “One of the things that is really amazing about that operation is that we kept it very tight to the senior Cabinet level officials and related officials in our government and we kept this operation secret for a very long time.”
A senior intelligence official also disputed the idea that Gabbard was frozen out entirely, saying she contributed intelligence assessments that aided the mission, even if she was not involved in operational planning. An Office of the Director of National Intelligence spokeswoman pointed to a social media post Gabbard shared Tuesday praising US forces for the operation’s “flawless execution” in capturing Maduro.
“President Trump promised the American people he would secure our borders, confront narcoterrorism, dangerous drug cartels, and drug traffickers,” she wrote. The message ended several days of silence while other senior national security officials publicly celebrated the mission through interviews, press briefings, and social media posts.
Earlier, on Jan. 1, Gabbard posted four photos of herself at the beach. “My heart is filled with gratitude, aloha and peace,” she wrote.
Former intelligence officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations described her absence from planning meetings as unusual, noting that the director of national intelligence is typically the president’s chief intelligence adviser and oversees all 18 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA. Planning for the Venezuela operation intensified in late summer, according to those familiar with the matter.
Photographs released by the White House after the raid showed Trump monitoring the operation alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in an improvised war room. Gabbard was not pictured.
“It’s highly unusual for the DNI not to be involved in any of these operations, especially something like Venezuela,” said Cedric Leighton, a retired US Air Force intelligence colonel. “The visuals from that picture are a perfect description of what’s going on to Tulsi Gabbard at this point.”
The situation has renewed debate inside Trump’s orbit about the value of the DNI role itself. Some allies have argued that the position, created after the September 11 attacks to coordinate intelligence agencies, should be eliminated. Trump and his advisers have also occasionally expressed discomfort with Gabbard since she assumed the post.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Gabbard played only a minimal role in the planning and execution of the raid.
Tensions reportedly flared last summer after Trump grew irritated by a video Gabbard posted in June warning that the world was closer to nuclear war than ever. The video did not name any countries but was released a little more than a week before Trump ordered a strike on Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
Marc Gustafson, director of analysis at Eurasia Group and a former head of the White House Situation Room, said it is not unheard of for either the CIA director or the DNI to be left out of certain planning processes. He noted that presidents including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Trump himself during his first term sometimes relied on one intelligence chief over the other. “Then the other would be kind of left out temporarily,” Gustafson said.
Despite the controversy, Gabbard continues to brief Trump regularly and frequently attends Oval Office meetings, according to the senior intelligence official. That official said it was unfair to single out her past policy views, noting that other senior Trump officials — including Vance — have previously disagreed with or even criticized Trump before joining his administration.
Since taking office, Gabbard has leaned into a more political interpretation of her role, prioritizing the declassification of material important to Trump’s base, including records related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Russian interference in US elections. She has also focused on rooting out what she and Trump describe as a Deep State within the intelligence community.
Gabbard, 44, served in the Iraq War and remains an officer in the Army Reserve. Throughout her career, she has opposed prolonged US involvement in regime-change conflicts.
In a 2019 post about Venezuela, she argued that “we don’t want other countries to choose our leaders — so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
“When we look throughout history, every time the United States goes into another country and topples a dictator or topples a government, the outcome has been disastrous for the people in these countries,” she said on Fox News in May of that year.
After launching a presidential bid in 2020, Gabbard reiterated those views in a speech last October, saying that “for decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building.”
“The old Washington way of thinking is something we hope is in the rear-view mirror,” she said.
{Matzav.com}
“Today we take one step to realizing a city where every New Yorker, every family, every child can afford to keep calling it their home,” Mamdani said.
“To those who doubt the power of the people to make their own destiny, to the cynics who insist that politics is too broken to deliver meaningful change, to those who think that the promises of a campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government, today is your answer,” he added.
Under the proposal, Hochul said the state will fund the first two years of free child care for 2-year-olds in the city, positioning the effort as an extension of New York City’s existing universal pre-K and 3-K programs. The initial rollout would target “high-need areas” identified by the city before expanding more broadly, with citywide availability projected by the fourth year.
Speaking with reporters after the event, Mamdani said the program is expected to serve roughly 2,000 children this fall, with enrollment growing each year until it becomes universal. He added that the city plans to partner with home-based child care providers to implement the initiative.
Hochul, who faces reelection this year, has aligned herself with the city’s new progressive mayor on child care policy, though long-term costs and structure remain open questions. Beyond the city-focused plan, she also unveiled a sweeping proposal to expand universal pre-K statewide, aiming to make it available throughout New York by the start of the 2028–2029 school year.
The governor said she will formally introduce both initiatives in her upcoming state of the state address and expects to commit $1.7 billion toward the programs announced on Thursday.
Advocates praised the announcement as a turning point. Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, described the plan as a “historic moment.”
“By bringing together the Governor and Mayor around a shared commitment to child care, tens of thousands of families could finally get the relief they desperately need,” Bailin said.
{Matzav.com}
The legislation would restore enhanced tax credits for three years, benefits that were enacted during the COVID-19 emergency and expired late last year when negotiations collapsed amid the shutdown. Supporters argue the credits have helped millions maintain coverage as costs climb.
Budget analysts, however, cautioned about the price tag. Ahead of the vote, the Congressional Budget Office projected the extension would add roughly $80.6 billion to the deficit over a decade. At the same time, the CBO estimated the measure would expand coverage significantly—by about 100,000 people this year, rising to 3 million in 2027, 4 million in 2028, and 1.1 million in 2029.
Johnson spent months trying to avoid this outcome. His office warned that pandemic-era health funding has been plagued by fraud, citing a Minnesota investigation, and urged Republicans to oppose the bill. On the House floor, GOP critics echoed those concerns and argued Congress should focus on lowering costs across the system rather than extending targeted subsidies. “Only 7% of the population relies on Obamacare marketplace plans. This chamber should be about helping 100% of Americans,” said Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Despite the House vote, the Senate is not obligated to take up the bill. Instead, a bipartisan group of senators has been crafting an alternative that could attract broader support. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said any viable proposal would need guardrails to ensure aid reaches those most in need, including income limits, a requirement that enrollees pay at least a nominal share, and an expansion of health savings accounts.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is part of those talks, said there is consensus on cracking down on abuse while addressing affordability. “We recognize that we have millions of people in this country who are going to lose — are losing, have lost — their health insurance because they can’t afford the premiums,” Shaheen said. “And so we’re trying to see if we can’t get to some agreement that’s going to help, and the sooner we can do that, the better.”
President Trump has urged Republicans to steer assistance directly into health savings accounts, allowing individuals to manage coverage without federal involvement. Democrats largely dismiss that approach as inadequate given the cost of care.
The rebellion underscored a breakdown in House GOP discipline. By siding with Democrats to force the vote, rank-and-file Republicans effectively wrested control of the floor from leadership—an outcome Johnson had tried to forestall by floating a temporary extension paired with reforms for vulnerable members. That effort fizzled after conservatives objected, leaving only a narrower reform package that passed but stalled.
As premiums spiked at the start of the year, lawmakers from competitive districts took matters into their own hands. Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan, and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, along with Mike Lawler of New York, signed the petition, pushing it past the 218-vote mark required to trigger action. All four represent swing seats central to determining next year’s House majority.
What began as a long-shot Democratic gambit has now become validation of their shutdown-era strategy to preserve the subsidies. Party leaders say rising insurance costs will anchor their push to reclaim control of Congress in the fall.
Republicans, meanwhile, face renewed pressure to articulate a coherent health care alternative. President Trump, speaking this week to House GOP lawmakers, urged them to seize the issue—one that has dogged the party since the unsuccessful effort during his first term to repeal Obamacare.
{Matzav.com}
Despite that, unrest continued to grow. Demonstrations that erupted Wednesday in cities and small towns carried into Thursday, with additional markets and bazaars closing in solidarity with protesters. According to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 45 demonstrators have been killed so far, among them eight minors.
12th day of anti-establishment protests in Iran
The crowd of protesters in Tehran got bigger. Same location as the one quoted here@GeoConfirmed https://t.co/zwOV0BvI4Q pic.twitter.com/oa5c6HNao6
— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) January 8, 2026
The organization said Wednesday marked the deadliest day since the protests began.
“The evidence shows that the scope of the crackdown is becoming more violent and more extensive every day,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding that hundreds more have been wounded and over 2,000 arrested.
Thursday night brought a dramatic escalation in Tehran, where thousands of residents chanted from their homes and poured into the streets after a call for mass demonstrations by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, witnesses said. Almost immediately after the protests began, internet access and telephone service inside Iran went down.
CloudFlare and the monitoring group NetBlocks both reported the outage, attributing it to government interference. Calls placed from Dubai to Iranian landlines and mobile phones were still connecting. In previous waves of unrest, similar blackouts were often followed by harsh crackdowns.
Pahlavi’s appeal marked a key moment for the protest movement, testing whether Iranians would rally around the son of the late shah, who fled the country shortly before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrators in recent days have openly voiced support for the monarchy — once punishable by death — underscoring the depth of anger driven by Iran’s economic crisis.
Pahlavi urged people to take to the streets at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday and Friday. When the hour arrived, chants echoed through neighborhoods across Tehran, witnesses said, including “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” Others invoked the monarchy, shouting: “This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!” Large crowds were visible in multiple areas of the capital.
“Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands,” Pahlavi said in a statement. “I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the [Revolutionary Guard] that the world and [President Donald Trump] are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered.”
Pahlavi has said he will outline further steps depending on the response to his call. His ties to Israel have drawn criticism in the past, particularly following the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June. While some protesters have praised the shah, it remains unclear whether those chants reflect support for Pahlavi himself or nostalgia for the period before the Islamic Revolution.
Iranian officials appeared to be preparing for unrest. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper posted a video online asserting that security forces would use drones to identify participants in the demonstrations.
Even so, authorities have not acknowledged the full scale of the protests, which flared across numerous locations on Thursday, including before the scheduled 8 p.m. rallies. At the same time, Iranian media reported casualties among security personnel.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said a police colonel died from stab wounds in a town near Tehran. The semiofficial Fars news agency reported that gunmen killed two security force members and wounded 30 others in a shooting in Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Separately, a deputy governor in Khorasan Razavi province told state television that an attack on a police station in Chenaran killed five people Wednesday night, roughly 700 kilometers northeast of Tehran.
Questions remain over why authorities have not yet unleashed a broader crackdown. Trump warned last week that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”
That warning prompted a sharp response from Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
“Recalling the long history of criminal interventions by successive US administrations in Iran’s internal affairs, the Foreign Ministry considers claims of concern for the great Iranian nation to be hypocritical, aimed at deceiving public opinion and covering up the numerous crimes committed against Iranians,” it said.
Despite the rebuke, the US State Department has continued highlighting protest-related footage on the social platform X, including videos showing demonstrators renaming roads after Trump or discarding government-subsidized rice.
“When prices are set so high that neither consumers can afford to buy nor farmers can afford to sell, everyone loses,” the State Department said in one post. “It makes no difference if this rice is thrown away.”
{Matzav.com}
In an interview on Kikar FM, Havilio sought to strip the decision of its ideological overtones and reframe it as a matter of urban planning. He stressed that he did not act alone, saying the opposition was led together with city council member Laura Wharton and local residents, who formally filed objections to the revised plan.
According to Havilio, the neighborhood is largely secular, with a presence of what he termed “moderate religious residents.” He said the original proposal involved a standard shul, which did not face opposition. The dispute began only after the plan was altered.
He explained that the municipality moved to replace a relatively small community structure with a four-story complex that would include a mikvah, a shul, and a multi-purpose hall, situated on a narrow, one-way dead-end street. “It simply doesn’t fit there,” Havilio argued, citing transportation concerns, planning limitations, and potential harm to residents’ quality of life.
Havilio said that when the majority of a neighborhood opposes a project of that scale, especially when alternative locations exist nearby, there is no justification for forcing it through. He rejected the idea that opposing the project amounted to religious coercion, noting that Yerushalayim is home to hundreds of mikva’os and shuls that he does not object to.
At the same time, he stood by his use of the term “liberal character,” saying neighborhoods have the right to protect their identity when faced with unusually large developments. “If most residents don’t want this mikvah and this shul, that needs to be respected,” he said. “This isn’t a fight against religion, it’s about fitting into the environment.”
Havilio also pointed out that additional mikva’os already operate in the surrounding area, including one in nearby Kiryat Menachem, which he said could serve residents of Givat Masua who are interested. He added that many women prefer not to use a mikvah in their immediate neighborhood in any case, questioning the need for what he called an oversized facility in a location ill-suited for it.
During the interview, criticism was raised over the way the struggle had been portrayed publicly, particularly the impression that it was an ideological victory over the religious or chareidi public rather than a narrowly defined planning objection. Havilio rejected that characterization, though he struggled to explain why his original post emphasized the neighborhood’s liberal identity.
“I didn’t say there shouldn’t be large shuls or mikva’os in Yerushalayim,” he said. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
Still, the tension between his technical explanations and the value-laden language of his social media post remained unresolved, leaving the sense that the issue extended beyond zoning and infrastructure and into the realm of identity politics.
{Matzav.com}
Sources cited by ABC News said the agents involved in the Portland shooting were members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Portland episode followed the killing of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon by an ICE agent in Minnesota. Video from the scene appears to show Good striking the officer with her car moments before the agent fired through the vehicle’s window.
President Trump and Homeland Security officials said the agent who fired acted in self-defense after being hit by Good, whom they described as a “domestic terrorist.”
{Matzav.com}
“In a state governed by law, there is no such thing as areas where the state simply isn’t present,” he said. “Even if it’s a radical group, even if they are lawbreakers, the police must respond. No citizen can be abandoned because of who they are.”
Heller rejected attempts to frame the case as an internal problem of the chareidi community alone. He drew a parallel to the Meron disaster, arguing that the state repeatedly shifts responsibility to intermediaries and power brokers, then distances itself when systems collapse.
“The State of Israel doesn’t speak to the chareidi citizen,” he said. “It speaks to chareidi mechanisms, to askanim, to mediating leadership — and then wonders why there is no control.”
While making clear that he has no tolerance for extremist factions, whom he described as criminals, Heller insisted that law enforcement cannot simply disappear. He compared the situation to violence in Arab society. “When there are murders in Arab communities, can the police say, ‘That’s your culture, deal with it yourselves’? Obviously not. The same applies here.”
Heller extended his critique beyond policing, saying the same dynamic exists in debates over military service and education. He argued that chareidi society is often portrayed as freely choosing its path, when in reality individual choice is severely constrained.
He cited data indicating that 61 percent of chareidi parents want their children to study English and mathematics, yet have little ability to make that happen because decisions are made at an institutional level rather than by parents themselves. “In a chareidi municipality, the authority decides whether such a school will exist or not,” he said. “The parent is left powerless.”
Turning to the past year’s events, and especially October 7, Heller said Israel can no longer rely on partial arrangements and ad hoc compromises with a population that is no longer marginal. He called for a new civic contract — not based on coercion, but also not on blanket exemptions.
“There are national missions — security, the economy, and the spirit,” he said. “Not everyone has to do the same thing, but everyone has to contribute something.”
Heller said he opposes arresting those who do not enlist, but argued there is no justification for full access to welfare systems for individuals who do not contribute to any national mission.
On the question of Torah study, Heller described Torah learning as a national asset that the state should formally recognize. At the same time, he warned against turning Torah into an exclusive, lifelong profession for an elite minority.
“For most of Eastern European Jewry, people worked and learned Torah,” he said. “The idea that everyone must sit in kollel all day is a modern innovation.”
Toward the end of the interview, Heller recounted conversations with senior rabbanim following October 7. One rabbi, he said, told him he viewed certain problems as unsolvable because of siyata diShmaya. Heller pushed back on that approach.
“I don’t think that’s Judaism,” he said. “The Chazon Ish went into a room with Ben-Gurion because he understood that there is a state, and there is responsibility.”
Despite his sharp criticism, Heller concluded with a clear warning against hatred. “It is forbidden to hate chareidim,” he said. “It is forbidden to deny them services and present that as an achievement.”
He summarized his vision simply, though he acknowledged its complexity: “Torah, work, army — each in their own way, while preserving identity.”
{Matzav.com}
He later continued his studies at Yeshiva Tiferes Tzion in Bnei Brak and then at Ponevezh Yeshiva, where he formed a close bond with the mashgiach, Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, author of the Michtav M’Eliyahu. Known for his diligence and depth, Rabbi Levi stood out as a serious and thoughtful talmid chochom.
After reaching marriageable age, he wed his wife, Mrs. Malka Levi, daughter of Rav Mordechai Asher Friedman of Bnei Brak. She became his devoted partner in all his endeavors in chinuch and Torah dissemination, standing by his side with dedication and strength.
Following their marriage, the couple moved to Canada, beginning a significant chapter as communal emissaries in the field of education. Rabbi Levi served for many years as a beloved mechanech at a girls’ high school in Toronto, while his wife devoted herself to teaching first-grade students. Together, they were among the foundational figures of Toronto’s Torah community, opening their home as a center of warmth, chessed, guidance, and wisdom.
They merited raising generations of students who continued on the path of Torah and mitzvos, inspired by the personal care and radiant countenance they encountered. Alongside his educational work, Rabbi Levi became known as a prolific and talented writer.
For many years, he was a regular columnist for Hamodia, with his essays in the weekly supplement becoming widely read and appreciated. His writing was marked by clarity, rich language, and a deep Torah perspective on contemporary issues, with his passionate worldview clearly reflected in his words. Even in his later years, until only a few years ago, he continued to enrich readers with his insights through his weekly column.
In recent years, Rabbi Levi returned to Eretz Yisrael and lived in Yerushalayimin the home of his son, Rabbi Yeshayahu Levi. Approximately two years ago, during Sukkos, his wife, Mrs. Malka Levi, passed away. From that time, his strength gradually waned, and he accepted his yissurim with quiet dignity. On Wednesday night, he was niftar.
He is survived by his son Rabbi Yeshayahu Levi of Yerushalayim, author of the sefer Mikra Ani Doresh; his daughters, Mrs. Weisbaum of Toronto and Mrs. Klein of Flatbush; and his son, Rabbi Shmuel Levi of Lakewood, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
The outlet reported that travelers departing Minneapolis alone accounted for $342.37 million in 2024 and $349.4 million in 2025, with officials saying some individual trips allegedly involved as much as $1 million in cash.
Investigators also raised concerns about the alleged routing of the money through Amsterdam before continuing on to Dubai, a pattern that has attracted heightened scrutiny from intelligence agencies and federal investigators.
One official familiar with the activity likened it to “like a cash ATM draining American dollars and moving them overseas,” noting that the transfers were openly carried out using legal cash declarations under customs regulations.
Just the News reported that the sums detected leaving Minneapolis were between 10 and 100 times greater than foreign cash totals seen at much larger airports and, in some cases, nearly unprecedented by comparison.
Officials told the outlet that the Minneapolis figures were “99% larger” than foreign cash detected or declared in 2025 at airports such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, or JFK, and still significantly higher than totals recorded at Seattle, another major international gateway.
Although the cash was reportedly declared legally, the outlet said the scale of the outbound money is now part of a broader Homeland Security Investigations probe connected to a multibillion-dollar fraud investigation centered in Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, where dozens of people have already been charged or convicted in earlier schemes.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the alleged Somali-linked fraud in Minnesota could be far more extensive than what investigators initially uncover.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said that if authorities have identified $19 billion in fraud, “that means it could be 50,” calling the figures “astronomical” and declaring that the “gravy train is over.” He also said individuals found complicit should be deported.
The ramifications could widen beyond criminal cases.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the administration is considering revoking the citizenship of Somali Americans convicted of fraud tied to Minnesota’s major welfare scandals, highlighting the administration’s broader effort to crack down on large-scale abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.
Among conservatives, the revelations surrounding the Minneapolis airport cash flows are prompting fresh questions about why the pattern was not flagged earlier, how much taxpayer fraud may be connected to it, and how long federal authorities may have failed to act while American dollars allegedly moved overseas in plain sight.
{Matzav.com}
Vance pointed specifically to Trump’s argument that the United States requires Greenland for national security reasons, including “missile defense,” citing growing military activity by Moscow and Beijing in the region as Arctic ice recedes.
“So what we’re asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that land mass more seriously, because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it,” Vance said.
“What that is, I’ll leave that to the president as we continue to engage in diplomacy with our European friends and everybody on this particular topic,” he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with officials from Denmark and Greenland next week, as tensions continue to rise.
Trump has spoken for years about acquiring Greenland, but his language has intensified following last week’s U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power.
The comments have angered Denmark, a founding member of NATO and a long-standing American ally, while setting off alarm across Europe. Any invasion of Greenland would put the United States in direct conflict with a fellow NATO country and could fracture the alliance’s mutual defense framework.
European leaders have launched a wave of diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing the situation, seeking to prevent a crisis while also avoiding a direct clash with Trump, who is approaching the end of his first year back in office.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed Greenland during a call with Trump on Wednesday, “set out his position on Greenland,” and followed up with another call on Thursday in which he said more could be done to protect the “high Arctic” from Russian influence, according to Downing Street.
Vance was also meeting in Washington with British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy for talks primarily focused on the war in Ukraine, though Greenland was expected to be part of the broader discussion.
European nations have publicly backed Denmark, with several leaders joining Copenhagen in a joint statement affirming that decisions about Greenland’s future rest solely with Denmark and Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron went further, warning Thursday that the United States was “turning away” from its allies in what marked some of his sharpest criticism yet of Trump’s approach.
Macron argued that “global governance” was essential at a moment when, he said, “every day people wonder whether Greenland is going to be invaded.”
Vance has previously taken a hard line on Europe’s defense posture, writing in a leaked group chat with senior U.S. officials last year that he hated “bailing out” the continent.
That sentiment was echoed in the Trump administration’s national security strategy released in December, which sharply criticized Europe, warning of “civilisational erasure” driven by migration and urging the United States to support “cultivating resistance” among right-wing political movements.
{Matzav.com}
Those earlier efforts stalled last month, when the Department of Justice failed to obtain an indictment after determining that the U.S. attorney who brought the case, Lindsey Halligan, had been improperly appointed.
James’ lawyer told the Times that the latest investigation reflects irritation over “the string of failures in carrying out President [Donald] Trump’s political vendetta.”
He characterized the focus on Marsh as an effort “to shake down people based on their association with Ms. James.”
“Like their earlier attempts, this attack on Ms. James is doomed to fail,” he said. “The desperation of those working for Trump is palpable and makes indelible the stain already put on this Justice Department.”
James and President Trump have sparred for years in courtrooms and in public, with James overseeing prominent investigations into Trump’s business dealings and financial disclosures.
That long-running conflict has kept James in Trump’s crosshairs, while Trump’s legal battles in New York have highlighted the depth of the confrontation between the president and the state’s chief legal officer.
{Matzav.com}
A spokesman for the school, Bergen County’s Yeshivat Noam, told JNS that “we do not yet know the motive behind the incident, and it would be premature to draw conclusions.”
“There were no visible markings on the bus identifying it as a Jewish school bus,” the spokesman said.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” stated Rabbi Chaim Hagler, head of school at Yeshivat Noam. “Our focus remains on supporting the injured student and her family, as well as ensuring the emotional health of our entire student body.”
According to a letter that the 25-year-old, co-ed, Modern Orthodox day school in Paramus sent to parents on Thursday, the student “is alert and stable, but she will require surgery to ensure the injury heals properly.”
“I’m praying for the student and her family and hope she makes a full recovery from this terrifying incident,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told JNS.
“I’m in close touch with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office as law enforcement continues their investigation,” the congressman added.
The rock was the size of a baseball and the surgery took place at Hackensack University Medical Center.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office told JNS that it “is aware of an incident that occured yesterday on the N.J. Turnpike and is providing all necessary assistance to the New Jersey State Police.” It referred JNS to the state police.
The unnamed girl and her class at Yeshivat Noam were reportedly returning from the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, an interactive museum which is popular for school trips.
Bergen County, in the northeast corner of the state, has the largest population of Modern Orthodox Jews of any county in N.J. Many live in towns including Teaneck, Englewood, Paramus and Bergenfield. Manhattan sits just across the Hudson River.
“No parent should have to worry about their child’s safety on a class trip. Our hearts are with the Yeshivat Noam student and family and with the classmates shaken by today’s incident,” stated Katie Katz, executive director of the New Jersey office of the Teach Coalition, an Orthodox Union program.
“Teach N.J. is standing with the school and working with public safety partners to support the community,” she said. JNS
{Matzav.com}
Vance also cautioned state and local officials against attempting to pursue charges against the ICE officer involved in the Minneapolis incident. “You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That is a federal issue,” he said. “That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job.”
The vice president criticized Minnesota’s political leadership, singling out Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and city officials in Minneapolis, accusing them of fueling hostility toward federal agents. “What I would like Minnesota to focus on is the real issue, that they are encouraging people,” Vance said, while calling on the governor to resign. “Minneapolis officials are encouraging people to commit violence against ICE officials,” he added.
Vance said easing political tensions requires halting attacks on officers and enforcing the law, pointing to claims that violent crime has fallen by 20% over the past year. “Have your debates about policy. Attack me. Attack the President of the United States. Do not attack our law enforcement officers,” he said. “They are not policy actors. They are enforcing the law.”
He urged opponents of the administration’s immigration policies to pursue change through elections rather than confrontations with agents. “Why don’t you take this to the ballot box? Why don’t you vote? Why don’t you organize?” Vance said, adding that some activists are “encouraging people to get violent with our law enforcement officials.”
Turning to the Minneapolis shooting itself, Vance said federal investigators are reviewing the incident involving Renee Nicole Good, who was shot during an immigration enforcement operation. He repeatedly described the officer’s actions as self-defense and rejected claims that the shooting was unjustified.
“She was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back. He defended himself,” Vance said.
Vance said the officer had “every reason to think that he was under very serious threat for injury, or in fact, his life,” adding that the woman “accelerated in a way where she ran into the guy.”
Addressing questions about intent, Vance said the circumstances warranted scrutiny but dismissed allegations of wrongdoing by the officer. “Was she panicking when she drove into this officer, or was she actually trying to ram him? That is a reasonable conversation,” he said. “What is not reasonable is for so many of you to plaster all over the media that this was an innocent woman and that the ICE agent committed murder.”
He said he was careful in how he characterized the encounter. “And I say attack very, very intentionally because this was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people,” Vance said.
Vance also sharply rebuked media coverage of the shooting, saying it misrepresented the facts and endangered officers. “The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace,” he said. “And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”
He accused some reporters of promoting what he described as false narratives about the woman who was killed. “Everybody who has been repeating the lie that this is some innocent woman who was out for a drive in Minneapolis when a law enforcement officer shot at her, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you,” Vance said.
Pressed on whether he was prejudging the investigation, Vance said he could not know what motivated the woman but said the officer’s response was justified. “Look, I do not know what is in a person’s heart or in a person’s head,” he said. “What I am certain of is that she violated the law.”
Vance said the administration believes the Minneapolis incident is part of a broader pattern aimed at disrupting immigration enforcement nationwide. “There is an entire network, and frankly, some of the media are participating in it, that is trying to incite violence against our law enforcement officers,” he said.
He said federal authorities are working to trace those efforts. “Part of our investigatory work is getting to the bottom of it. Who is funding it, who is supporting it, who is cheerleading it … who told protesters to show up and engage in violent activity against our law enforcement officers?” Vance said. “There’s an entire network.”
WATCH:
According to the Iranian general, public demonstrations are a normal occurrence worldwide, but he argued that when protests descend into violence, that shift is “certainly” the product of deliberate orchestration by “the enemy.”
Khatami’s remarks came after Trump publicly warned Iran’s leadership that harming civilians amid the protests could trigger a direct response from the United States. Trump said America would not remain on the sidelines and would hold Iran’s leaders personally accountable for any injury inflicted on their own people.
{Matzav.com}
Separate video clips circulating on social media showed protesters in Fars Province tearing down and destroying a statue of Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
That act followed a similar incident last week in the southwestern city of Lali in Khuzestan, where demonstrators set fire to another statue of Soleimani.
The latest destruction occurred on the eve of the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020, a date that continues to carry deep symbolic weight amid Iran’s ongoing unrest.
WATCH:
Protesters took to the streets in Ilam, western Iran, on Wednesday evening, chanting “Death to Khamenei,” according to videos sent to Iran International.pic.twitter.com/kKxTpbDmw3
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 7, 2026
❗️ — Protesters destroy and topple a Qasem Soleimani statue in one of the counties of Fars Province pic.twitter.com/kxdnq03PwC
— The Palestinian Observer (@TPObserver) January 7, 2026
The court also found Rompler guilty of breaching a legal order by leaving Israel despite a stay of exit order and evading the proceedings. He fled the country while the case was pending.
Following his escape, Rompler was apprehended abroad and returned to Israel through an extradition process carried out by the International Department of the State Prosecution.
During sentencing submissions, the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office, represented by attorney Tzur Huta, underscored the extraordinary gravity of the offense. Prosecutors pointed to the abuse of a position of authority within a closed community, the targeting of a defenseless minor, and the fact that the violence occurred in front of other children.
Earlier in the hearing, Justice Wilner sharply criticized the Knesset’s representative for failing to present the Finance Committee protocol, underscoring its importance by stating, “The protocol is the heart of the matter”.
The petition was filed by the Yesh Atid party, which argued that the funds were directed to chareidi institutions that do not teach core curriculum subjects and are not subject to state supervision, in violation of existing law.
Separately, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed the court on Wednesday that she supports lifting the interim order that froze the transfer. She added that if it is ultimately determined that money was allocated to institutions that fail to meet the required criteria, the sums could be offset or deducted at a later stage.
{Matzav.com}
The latest case involved an 11-month-old baby who had no prior medical conditions but had not been vaccinated. The infant’s condition deteriorated rapidly after contracting measles-related complications.
Hospital officials said the baby was transferred on Wednesday from another medical facility to Hadassah Medical Center in critical condition. Upon arrival, the infant was placed on an ECMO machine, with the pediatric intensive care unit team working intensively for several hours in an effort to stabilize her.
Despite those efforts, the baby succumbed to the illness on Thursday evening. In a statement released afterward, the medical center said, “We share in the family’s sorrow.”
In light of the ongoing outbreak, the Health Ministry advised unvaccinated individuals, as well as parents of infants who received only a single early dose, to avoid large gatherings in affected areas due to the heightened risk of infection.
{Matzav.com}
Russian officials argued that the plan envisions a sustained Western military footprint in Ukraine after any ceasefire. “Its core element is the deployment of ‘a multinational force’ on Ukrainian territory that the coalition will have to form to contribute to the ‘rebuilding’ of the Ukrainian armed forces and ‘support deterrence’ following the cessation of the hostilities,” the ministry added.
According to Moscow, the broader framework offers little in the way of genuine reconciliation. “The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarization, escalation and further conflict aggravation,” the ministry claimed.
The Russian response followed a meeting in Paris earlier this week, where Trump’s peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, joined European leaders in endorsing a five-point addendum focused on postwar security guarantees for Ukraine. That package outlines “critical long term military assistance” to Kyiv, the creation of a “European-led” multinational peacekeeping force, continued arms support, and the threat of renewed sanctions “in the case of a future armed attack by Russia,” along with “mutually beneficial defence cooperation with Ukraine.”
The addendum is tied to a broader 20-point peace proposal intended to halt the fighting. Should the security guarantees be turned down — a condition Ukraine has demanded — the entire framework for ending the conflict could collapse.
Russia also rejected the continuation of Trump’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, which enables European countries to purchase US-manufactured weapons for delivery to Ukraine as a deterrent against future aggression. “The document also includes clauses on further consolidation of Ukraine’s and NATO’s military industrial sectors,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Officials in Moscow contend that the overall approach would effectively grant Ukraine NATO-style protections without formal membership, locking in Western influence while, in their view, leaving Russia vulnerable.
In a separate section of its statement, the Foreign Ministry criticized the recent US seizure of the Bella 1 oil tanker, later renamed the Marinera while flying a Russian flag. Moscow said the action violated international maritime law and endangered freedom of navigation. “The use of force in international waters against a civilian vessel can only be interpreted as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms,” the ministry said. “… This constitutes a material infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of the vessel owner.”
Russian officials further alleged that Trump’s directives in the matter could trigger serious international tensions and erode established maritime standards.
Washington, however, maintains that the seizure was lawful, noting that the United States is not a party to the UN maritime convention and asserting that the vessel was taken for breaching a US blockade on Venezuelan oil ports.
{Matzav.com}
As soon as Rav Biderman became aware of Rav Kook’s protest, he instructed unequivocally and without hesitation: “Cancel the Shabbos.” The directive was issued despite the enormous financial fallout involved—losses estimated at roughly half a million shekels in sunk costs and guarantees—absorbed entirely for the sake of kavod Shabbos.
In light of the severe losses, the organizers turned to close talmidim of Rav Kook: Rav Moshe Chaim Schneider, head of Machon Sifsei Kohen, and Rav Yaakov Brizel. Together with the rov of Tiberias, Rabbi Yigal Mamlia, they undertook a thorough, on-the-ground investigation to determine the precise facts.
The inquiry revealed a materially different picture from what had initially been assumed. Investigators established that the hotel and the adjacent water park operate as two entirely separate entities, both legally and administratively. While the water park does indeed operate on Shabbos—forming the basis for Rav Kook’s original protest—the hotel itself fully observes Shabbos, operates in accordance with halacha, and is under the stringent kashrus supervision of the city’s rav. It was further confirmed that there is complete physical separation between the two facilities, with no access or functional connection between the hotel and the park.
Armed with these findings, the heads of Machon Sifsei Kohen returned to Rav Kook and presented the clarified facts. After hearing the full account and understanding that the hotel conducts itself with strict Shabbos observance, Rav Kook issued a directive: “Immediately contact Rav Elimelech Biderman and ask him not to cancel the Shabbos.”
Rav Kook explained that he had no desire to cause financial harm—directly or indirectly—to individuals or businesses that are meticulous in Shabbos observance and have no involvement whatsoever in the Shabbos desecration at the water park.
Rav Kook followed up by sending a personal letter to the benefactors and organizers of the Shabbos. In the letter, he expressed regret over the initial misunderstanding, praised their unwavering commitment and self-sacrifice in standing up for the honor of Shabbos, and offered heartfelt brachos for continued success in all their endeavors.
{Matzav.com}
In his letter, Mashriki described the situation as unacceptable and said it amounted to a severe violation of basic rights. He stressed that access to food is a fundamental right anchored in Israel’s Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, which guarantees the protection of every person’s life and dignity. He also cited High Court rulings that obligate the state to hold detainees under appropriate conditions, including providing food of sufficient quantity and suitable composition to safeguard both health and human dignity.
Mashriki urged the defense minister to intervene immediately. He called for a thorough investigation into the claims raised during his visit, strict enforcement of prison procedures regarding the provision of mehadrin kosher food and adherence to the laws of kashrus, and a detailed report outlining the findings and corrective steps to be taken.
In response, an IDF spokesperson said that mehadrin kosher meals are supplied daily to detainees. According to the statement, a temporary shortage of mehadrin meat meals led to the provision of mehadrin vegetarian alternatives. The spokesperson added that the issue has since been addressed and supplies have been replenished.
{Matzav.com}
It is a big deal.
This isn’t about being paranoid or accusing anyone of anything. It’s about common sense. It’s about knowing human nature. It’s about recognizing that when you remove boundaries, things don’t magically stay safe because everyone has good intentions.
We didn’t grow up with this. Our parents didn’t grow up with this. There was a natural sense of distance, of respect, of “this isn’t for us.” Today it’s brushed off as being friendly, normal, modern, or “we’re all frum anyway.” Since when did frumkeit mean pretending we’re immune to reality?
What’s most disturbing is how defensive people get when this is brought up. As if pointing out a problem makes you the problem. As if asking for basic tznius is old-fashioned or extreme. מאז ומעולם, boundaries protected people. They didn’t suffocate them.
And let’s not fool ourselves. This doesn’t just affect the couples involved. It affects shalom bayis. It affects trust. It affects the atmosphere young families are building. Kids grow up seeing what’s normal. When everything is casual and mixed and unguarded, that becomes the standard.
No one is saying people can’t be friendly. No one is saying couples should live in isolation. But there’s a huge difference between normal interactions and hanging out at Shabbos seudos or an oneg Shabbos or on vacation like it’s a social club with zero awareness of what we’re risking.
We love to talk about יורדת הדורות. Maybe instead of blaming phones or the outside world, we should look at the things we quietly allowed inside and decided weren’t worth pushing back on.
Some things don’t need long speeches. They just need honesty. And courage to say: This isn’t how it’s supposed to look.
Signed,
C. L.
Formerly of Coventry
To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com
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{Matzav.com}
The case stems from the anti-draft demonstration that took place Tuesday in Yerushalayim. A Line 64 bus became encircled by demonstrators. According to investigators, Khatib contacted police requesting assistance and, shortly afterward, accelerated the bus into the crowd. The impact killed Yosef Eisenthal and left three others wounded.
{Matzav.com}
“Why do you think you are more than anybody else? Come on, you’re just trying to terrorize people,” the governor said she told the officer during the encounter.
Hochul did not provide additional details about the exchange or explain what prompted the confrontation.
Her comments and the forthcoming proposal represent a notable shift in tone from the position Hochul has often taken since President Trump’s election, when she repeatedly suggested that New York would find ways to cooperate with federal authorities as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
While she has generally avoided drawing firm lines publicly, Hochul has previously said she supports coordination with federal agencies in cases involving migrants accused of committing crimes.
Early last year, amid criticism that New York’s sanctuary policies were shielding criminals in the country illegally, Hochul said she was compiling a detailed list of offenses that would lead the state to turn migrants over to ICE.
“We’ll be announcing this probably before the end of the year or early next year,” Hochul said at the time.
“I think the public has a right to know. Law enforcement needs to know where I’m coming from,” she continued.
“Washington needs to know where we’re going to be helpful, what we’re going to do, and I’ll be very clear on this so everyone has no doubt in their mind what the situation will look like in the state of New York.”
When ICE began carrying out its first high-profile operations in New York City under President Trump’s enforcement push last year, Hochul signaled then that she supported federal efforts focused on migrants who had committed crimes.
{Matzav.com}
Trump and senior advisers described the move as part of a broader strategy to reassert U.S. control over domestic energy production and economic decision-making, arguing that international agreements have imposed external limits on American industry.
The decision is expected to prompt swift criticism from U.S. allies and climate advocates, who contend that the agreement plays a key role in coordinating emissions reductions and funding climate adaptation efforts worldwide.
Environmental groups warned that the U.S. withdrawal could undermine global momentum at a time when countries are facing escalating climate-related disasters, including extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires.
Supporters of the president’s action praised the move as a rejection of international bureaucracy, saying the agreement creates an unfair system that places disproportionate economic costs on the United States.
The withdrawal is also likely to raise diplomatic and legal questions, including how quickly the United States can formally exit and how prior commitments made under the agreement’s framework will be treated.
White House officials said additional actions related to U.S. participation in international organizations are expected in the future.
{Matzav.com}
The president offered no timetable for elections in Venezuela, even as he indicated support for Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to lead the Caracas government following Maduro’s arrest, rather than backing opposition figure María Corina Machado.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that elections should come only at the conclusion of a broader transition away from what he has described as a quarter-century of left-wing authoritarian rule that drained Venezuela’s economy and institutions.
Trump said Wednesday that he has not personally spoken with Rodríguez since the arrest, but emphasized that communication channels are open. “Marco speaks to her all the time,” he said. “I will tell you that we are in constant communication with her and the administration,” adding that the current leadership is “giving us everything that we feel is necessary.”
“They’re treating us with great respect,” Trump continued. “As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.”
Earlier in the day, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the United States would take open-ended control of Venezuelan crude oil sales. “Instead of the oil being blockaded, as it is right now, we’re gonna let the oil flow … to United States refineries and around the world to bring better oil supplies, but have those sales done by the US government,” Wright said.
The president had said the previous day that Venezuelan authorities would transfer between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States, and that he instructed Wright to oversee the process.
Trump said the oil would be shipped to the U.S., sold at prevailing market prices, and managed under American authority, with proceeds intended to serve what he described as the interests of both nations.
In a separate interview with NBC News earlier in the week, Trump suggested that restoring Venezuelan oil production could take up to 18 months, while expressing optimism it could be accomplished sooner. “I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” he said.
“A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue,” the president added.
Trump is expected to sit down with executives from Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and ConocoPhillips to discuss possible investments, though industry analysts have warned that the cost and complexity of rebuilding Venezuela’s long-neglected oil infrastructure could make the administration’s plans difficult to execute.
{Matzav.com}
Announcing the proposal on Truth Social, Trump said, “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.”
The Pentagon already received a substantial boost last year, with roughly $175 billion allocated through the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax cuts and spending reductions that Trump signed into law.
Despite that increase, Trump’s call for even more defense funding is expected to face opposition on multiple fronts. Democrats have traditionally pushed to keep defense and non-defense spending increases in balance, while fiscal conservatives within the Republican Party have warned against further swelling the federal deficit.
Trump has countered those concerns by pointing to increased federal revenue generated by tariffs imposed by his administration on allies and adversaries alike since his return to office. He has argued that these tariffs give the government the financial flexibility to fund higher military spending.
However, while tariff revenue has risen sharply, it still falls far short of covering Trump’s wide-ranging pledges, which include paying down the national debt, issuing dividends to taxpayers, and now funding a major expansion of the military budget.
Separately on Wednesday, Trump also issued a warning to Raytheon, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, saying the company could lose Pentagon business if it does not stop buying back its own stock and instead reinvest profits into expanding weapons production.
Trump has repeatedly complained in recent months that defense contractors have failed to deliver critical weapons on time while continuing to reward investors through dividends and stock buybacks and paying hefty compensation packages to top executives.
“Either Raytheon steps up, and starts investing in more upfront Investment like Plants and Equipment, or they will no longer be doing business with Department of War,” Trump wrote on social media. “Also, if Raytheon wants further business with the United States Government, under no circumstances will they be allowed to do any additional Stock Buybacks, where they have spent Tens of Billions of Dollars, until they are able to get their act together.”
Raytheon manufactures several of the U.S. military’s most prominent missile systems, including the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Javelin and Stinger shoulder-fired missiles, and the Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
{Matzav.com}
According to a biography on the website, the “rabbi” has “dedicated over 40 years to studying and teaching the intersection of Jewish wisdom and financial prosperity. Based in Brooklyn, he has helped thousands of people from all backgrounds achieve meaningful success through timeless Torah principles.”
In some backgrounds of the films, the “rabbi” sits in an apparent shul, in which a Sefer Torah lies open and unattended on a desk.
Many of the things that the “rabbi” says in the videos are platitudes, delivered in succession with minimal translations. The apparent rabbi refers to “God” rather than “Hashem,” and does not tend to cite particular Torah verses or rabbinic commentators in any of his messages. He also refers often to “abundance” and “renewal.” He often signs off his videos by directing people to buy his books and in several says just “link in bio.”
He says at one point that the Torah says not to put a stumbling block before “another.” The posuk says before a “blind person.”
Rabbi Gil Student, director of Jewish media and publications at the Orthodox Union, is part of the team developing Ohrbit, an artificial intelligence tool that delivers personalized Torah learning experiences.
“AI is a powerful tool to amplify Torah and help people study more Torah,” he told JNS. “AI should not replace human involvement and effort but can be an incredible tool when used responsibly.”
“AI requires transparency and responsibility,” he added. “Jewish tradition requires that any book, whether written by a human or AI, have a responsible human review and approbation.” JNS
{Matzav.com}
Former UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov is expected to serve as the board’s representative on the ground. He is currently in Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and other senior officials ahead of Trump’s anticipated announcement.
Netanyahu’s agreement to proceed to the second phase of the ceasefire during his meeting with Trump last week helped pave the way for the forthcoming declaration.
The first gathering of the Gaza Board of Peace could be held later this month on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump said last month that he planned to reveal the board’s membership in early 2026 and emphasized that it would include top global leaders. “It will be one of the most legendary boards ever,” Trump said at the time, adding that it would be made up of “heads of the most important countries in the world – Kings, heads of state, and presidents – they all want to be on the ‘Board of Peace.'”
The Board of Peace, along with other elements of Trump’s broader plan for Gaza, was endorsed by the UN Security Council in a resolution adopted in November.
{Matzav.com}
Announcing the move, Tommy Pigott, the State Department’s principal spokesman, said the administration would no longer participate in bodies it considers discriminatory. “America will no longer lend its credibility to racist organizations,” Pigott said.
Pigott added that the administration is drawing a firm line against what it views as coercive ideology. “Radical activists who embrace DEI ideology and seek to compel the United States to adopt policies mandating race-based wealth redistribution, in organizations such as the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will no longer be entertained,” he said.
He underscored the point by reiterating the administration’s stance: “The United States is proudly withdrawing from racist organizations such as this forum.”
The forum has openly advocated what it calls a “global reparations agenda,” seeking to “compensate Africa and the African diaspora for the enduring legacies of colonialism, enslavement, apartheid and genocide between the 16th and the 19th centuries.”
Beyond reparations, the body has linked other policy areas to race, asserting that “efforts to advance climate action” must be rooted in “racial equity,” and arguing that “climate justice cannot succeed without addressing historical and structural forms of injustice.”
Its positions have also extended into emerging technologies. In statements on artificial intelligence, the forum contended that only “reparatory justice” could prevent what it labeled “technology-enabled racism.”
One of the forum’s members was Justin Hansford, a law professor at Howard University and a proponent of critical race theory, who began serving on the panel in March 2022. He was the only member based in the United States among the forum’s ten participants.
Hansford has previously called for dismantling police departments, expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and endorsed the creation of a UN tribunal that would require the United States to pay $5 million in reparations to Black Americans, according to prior reporting by the Daily Mail.
{Matzav.com}
Hoyer entered Congress in 1981 and steadily climbed the leadership ladder, ultimately becoming the second-ranking Democrat in the House under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His district spans from suburbs east of Washington, D.C., down into southern Maryland, and has long been considered safely Democratic.
Although Hoyer and Pelosi are now closely associated as a leadership team, their relationship was not always smooth. The two first crossed paths as congressional interns in the 1960s and later became rivals within the party. After Pelosi defeated Hoyer in a 2001 contest for a top leadership slot, the pair eventually forged a durable partnership that guided House Democrats for years.
Within that partnership, the two leaders were seen as complementary figures. Pelosi was widely viewed as an ideological standard-bearer and prolific fundraiser, while Hoyer built a reputation for cultivating relationships, both within his party and with Republicans, skills that made him an effective manager of floor strategy.
Following Democrats’ loss of the House in the 2022 midterms, Hoyer relinquished his leadership post as part of a wider reshuffling but chose to remain in Congress. He later returned to prominence by securing a senior position on the House Appropriations Committee.
In terms of longevity, only two current House members — Republicans Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Chris Smith of New Jersey — have slightly longer records of service, and even they exceed Hoyer’s tenure by only a matter of months.
Reflecting on his career and his rivalry-turned-alliance with Pelosi, Hoyer offered high praise for his longtime colleague, describing her as “tough-as-nails.” He also addressed the leadership ambitions he once held, saying, “Sure, I would have loved to have been speaker. Who wouldn’t love to be speaker? But they’re not deep regrets.”
With Hoyer’s exit, his solidly Democratic seat is expected to draw intense interest. One contender, Harry Jarin, has already entered the race after launching a primary challenge in May that explicitly focused on Hoyer’s age, a sign of the competitive contest likely to unfold once the seat opens.
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Sometime later, the couple left Israel, traveling through Turkey and eventually entering Syria. According to materials uncovered in the investigation, Mahamid joined ISIS after arriving in Syria. Documents and communications sent from the region reportedly indicated his active involvement with the terror group, along with chilling references to the fate of his family—including the child born to the couple, who is considered fully Jewish according to halacha.
Investigators also located the woman’s certificate of conversion to Islam. Rumors circulating in the Wadi Ara area suggest that Mahamid was killed during fighting in Syria, but repeated efforts to verify these claims and to determine the current status of the woman and her child have so far yielded no definitive information.
“This is one of the most extreme and painful cases we have encountered,” said Elchanan Groner, an activist and reporter for Hakol Hayehudi. “It demonstrates how an ideological process that may begin on the margins can end with joining a murderous terror organization and the complete disappearance of a family.”
The affair was exposed in an investigative report recently broadcast on Channel 14. Additional details are expected to be published regarding the activities of the Islamic center involved and other individuals connected to the case.
The revelations raise serious questions about oversight, responsibility, and the devastating human cost of religious and ideological radicalization—particularly when it places Jewish lives, including that of an innocent child, in grave danger within ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.
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Trump said the discussion left him optimistic about next steps and confirmed that diplomatic channels are already coordinating the visit. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future,” the president added. “Arrangements are being made between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Minister of Colombia.
“The meeting will take place in the White House in Washington, D.C.”
The planned meeting comes against the backdrop of Trump’s longstanding and blunt accusations against Petro. Trump has previously claimed that the Colombian leader is tied to cocaine production and export operations that funnel drugs into the United States.
Those allegations were reiterated earlier this month following a Jan. 3 military operation aimed at capturing and removing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, after which Trump warned that Petro could face scrutiny as well.
“He has cocaine mills, he has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement: He’s making cocaine,” Trump said of Petro, during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump went on to claim that drugs originating in Colombia are being trafficked northward. “They’re sending it to the United States. So he does have to watch [him]…,” the president added.
Despite the sharp rhetoric, Trump’s latest remarks suggest that both sides are now moving toward direct engagement, with the White House meeting expected to address the disputes that have fueled tensions between Washington and Bogotá.
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Fire and rescue officials noted that this was the second such incident at the same mall and on the same escalator within the past month. In light of the recurring accidents, they again emphasized safety guidelines, urging parents not to allow children to use escalators without close adult supervision.
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Among the largest U.S. airlines reviewed, Delta and Frontier received the highest marks, each earning an “A” grade. At the other end of the spectrum, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit were all assigned “D” ratings based on the study’s scoring system.
The findings showed that 2.7% of the samples tested positive for total coliform bacteria, a category of microorganisms commonly found in the digestive systems of humans and animals, as well as in soil and vegetation. According to the researchers, such results are used as an indicator of broader contamination risks.
“Testing for coliform bacteria is important because their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system,” the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity said in its report.
The study also detected E. coli on 32 occasions across the 21 airlines evaluated.
U.S. carriers with onboard drinking water systems are subject to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule, known as the ADWR, which has been in place since 2011. The regulation requires airlines to routinely test for coliform bacteria and potential E. coli contamination, as well as to disinfect and flush each aircraft’s water tanks four times annually. The researchers noted, however, that the EPA rarely issues civil penalties to airlines found to be out of compliance.
Several airlines responded to the report. American Airlines said it is reviewing the findings and emphasized that its water program meets federal standards.
“American’s potable water program is fully in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR),” the airline told CBS News. “A recent EPA audit showed there were no significant findings with our program, and we have not received any violations for any potable water cabinets or trucks that we use.”
JetBlue said it follows guidance from multiple federal agencies, including the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration, and noted that it provides bottled water to passengers. Spirit said it maintains a testing and maintenance program that complies with EPA requirements.
“The well-being and comfort of our guests is very important to us,” the company told CBS News in a statement. “Our data shows we have made progress in this area in recent years, and we continue to evaluate and refine our procedures as necessary.”
Southwest Airlines, which received a “C” grade, said it regularly inspects onboard water quality, adheres to EPA standards, and sources water from local municipal systems that already meet public health requirements.
On its website, the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity describes its mission as “creating a more equitable food system that will improve health outcomes.”
The study ranked airlines using a five-point scale, with deductions for violations such as contaminated water samples.
Major airlines, ranked best to worst:
Delta Air Lines Incorporated (5.00, Grade A)
Frontier Airlines Incorporated (4.80, Grade A)
Alaska Airlines Incorporated (3.85, Grade B)
Allegiant Air Limited Liability Company (3.65, Grade B)
Southwest Airlines Company (3.30, Grade C)
Hawaiian Airlines Incorporated (3.15, Grade C)
United Airlines Incorporated (2.70, Grade C)
Spirit Airlines Incorporated (2.05, Grade D)
JetBlue Airways Corporation (1.80, Grade D)
American Airlines Incorporated (1.75, Grade D)
Regional airlines, ranked best to worst:
GoJet Airlines Limited Liability Company (3.85, Grade B)
Piedmont Airlines Incorporated (3.05, Grade C)
Sun Country Airlines (3.00, Grade C)
Endeavor Air Incorporated (2.95, Grade C)
SkyWest Airlines Incorporated (2.40, Grade D)
Envoy Air Incorporated (2.30, Grade D)
PSA Airlines Incorporated (2.25, Grade D)
Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (2.15, Grade D)
Republic Airways Incorporated (2.05, Grade D)
CommuteAir Limited Liability Company (1.60, Grade D)
Mesa Airlines Incorporated (1.35, Grade F)
Airlines for America, the industry trade group, said U.S. carriers comply with federal requirements governing onboard water systems.
“The top priority of the airline industry is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” the group said in a statement to CBS News. “U.S. airlines follow the guidelines of several government agencies — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols for testing drinking water, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements to routinely check water systems and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements applicable to water systems — to ensure the water onboard an aircraft is safe and reliable for consumption.”
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