The State Department under President Donald Trump has canceled more than 175,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals accused of a wide range of criminal offenses since the beginning of last year, including violent crimes, fraud, theft, drunk driving, immigration violations, and threats to national security.

State Department officials said this week that many of the visa revocations have involved individuals accused of assault, driving under the influence, theft, drug-related offenses, fraud, immigration violations, and activities deemed harmful to U.S. national security.

Officials added that numerous visas have also been revoked from foreign nationals accused of crimes such as child abuse, assault, embezzlement, and reckless driving.

Among the cases cited by the department was a foreign national whose visa was revoked after being charged with rape and battery involving a mentally disabled victim. Another individual lost visa privileges after being charged with felony kidnapping, human trafficking, and exploitation of a minor.

Officials also highlighted several other examples of recent visa revocations.

One case involved a foreign national arrested on charges including disorderly conduct, violently resisting arrest, driving under the influence, and domestic violence.

At a U.S. embassy in North Africa, officials revoked more than 100 visas issued to so-called “birth tourists”—parents who allegedly traveled to the United States primarily so their children would be born with American citizenship.

Another foreign national had a visa revoked after being charged with sodomy of a child and aggravated battery.

In another case, authorities revoked the visa of a foreign national charged with more than a dozen counts involving possession of child sexual abuse material.

Another individual lost visa privileges after being arrested while allegedly driving with heroin in the vehicle and a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal limit.

The State Department also revoked visas belonging to several foreign nationals who publicly celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, including one who wrote, “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain,” and another who stated that he “died too late.”

Officials also pointed to the case of a foreign national who claimed to run a legitimate business assisting vulnerable patients with healthcare but was allegedly involved in orchestrating a Medicaid fraud scheme that billed more than $5 million for services that were never provided.

In another example, a foreign national allegedly created a business through fraudulent means by fabricating revenue figures and deceiving investors out of millions of dollars. According to officials, the individual also used forged documents and false claims to obtain a U.S. visa.

The department also revoked the visa of a foreign national who entered the United States to teach children but was later arrested for allegedly assaulting one of the students.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has separately revoked visas held by foreign nationals whom the administration considers threats to national security, including a Cuban national with ties to the communist regime.

The crackdown has also included Iranian nationals with alleged ties to the Iranian regime, a Laotian child sex offender who had previously received a pardon from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and a Kuwaiti national accused of expressing support for violence against President Trump while referring to Americans as the “enemy.”

Megan Romer, co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is facing widespread condemnation after saying in a recent interview that Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel was “largely inevitable” and indicating that she likely would have attended a pro-Hamas rally held the day after the attack.

During an interview with The New Yorker‘s David Remnick, Romer was asked about Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who took part in an anti-Israel, pro-Hamas demonstration in New York City on October 8, 2023. Remnick asked whether Romer would have attended the rally herself had she been in New York.

“You would have gone to that rally, had you been able?” Remnick asked.

“That’s a good question. I probably would have,” Romer replied. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t live in New York City, so I wouldn’t have —”

Remnick then questioned whether she was comfortable supporting such a demonstration immediately after Hamas’ attack on Israel.

“One day after the slaughter of 1,200 people and taking of over 200 hostages, you would have come and rallied behind Hamas?”

“I think that Oct. 7 was largely inevitable,” she replied. “If you put people in an open-air concentration camp and you deprive them of rights, of dignity, of food, of the ability to live in safety, you have to expect that they are going to not take that for that long. And that is not defending any harm of civilians or of non-combatants —”

When Remnick suggested that her comments amounted to support for the attack, Romer rejected that characterization.

“I’m saying that I think it was inevitable.”

Her remarks immediately drew condemnation from several pro-Israel organizations.

“I agree with DSA Co-chair Megan Romer that the October 7 attacks were in many ways inevitable — but not for the libelous reasons she cited,” Zionist Organization of America National President Morton A. Klein told Fox News Digital.

“When Gazans elected Hamas – a terror organization whose charter calls for murdering every Jew and destroying Israel, October 7 was the result,” he added. “When Qatar and Iran gave arms and hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, gave sanctuary to Hamas leaders, and helped terror groups plan attacks on Israel, October 7 was the result.”

Klein continued by arguing that a number of additional factors contributed to the attack.

“When UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) teaches children to hate and murder Jews, employs Hamas terrorists as teachers and principals, stores weapons for Hamas, and provides communications centers for Hamas, October 7 is the result. When Israel, under pressure from the Biden administration, issued thousands of work permits to enter Israel to Hamas terrorists and scouts, October 7 was the result,” he continued.

He warned that Israel must take steps to prevent a similar attack from happening again.

“And now, when Hamas is refusing to really disarm, and is vowing to commit more and more October 7ths, we must enable Israel to ensure its safety by retaining a buffer zone in Gaza and insisting on Hamas’ disarmament prior to any other peace plan steps,” he said. “Or else another October 7 will be the result. Regarding Romer’s lies, the parties ‘imprisoning’ Gaza are Hamas, PIJ and other terror groups. By contrast, Israel facilitated tons of food, water, medical and other supplies into Gaza — while Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched 30,000 rockets at Israeli civilians.”

The Anti-Defamation League also criticized Romer’s comments, directing Fox News Digital to a series of posts it published on X condemning the interview.

“What she said and doubled down on in this interview should concern every American. Because this kind of hateful and demonizing rhetoric against the only Jewish state in the world goes well beyond criticism of a government or its policies, and it puts every Jewish American at risk,” the ADL tweeted on its official account.

The organization specifically objected to Romer’s remarks about the rally and the October 7 massacre.

“Romer shamelessly said she ‘probably would have’ attended the pro-Hamas rally held in NYC on 10/8/23, just one day after Hamas murdered more than 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages, including babies, children, young women, mothers, and elderly people. She also called the Hamas-led October 7 massacre a mere ‘revolt’ and ‘largely inevitable.’ There is no justification for rape, kidnapping, torture, and slaughter.”

The ADL concluded its statement by linking to an entry in its database about the Democratic Socialists of America, arguing that the organization’s growing influence extends well beyond the political fringe.

“DSA now has over 120,000 members and 250+ elected officials across 40 states in the U.S. Radical groups like DSA are no longer on the fringes of society, they have infiltrated mainstream politics and have the ability to impact laws and policies affecting everyone.”

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, also sharply criticized Romer’s comments, calling the DSA “objectively antisemitic.”

“She used a mythological inversion of reality to justify both a murderous pogrom and an ongoing plan of starvation, torture, rape, and murder,” Menken said.

{Matzav.com}

New York City prosecutors are urging the court to impose strict controls during the upcoming murder trial of Luigi Mangione, warning that his supporters could attempt to intimidate witnesses and influence jurors in the closely watched case involving the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In a letter submitted Monday evening to Judge Gregory Carro, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann argued that the extraordinary public attention surrounding the case has created unusual risks for the judicial process.

“The media attention surrounding this case — and the efforts of some of defendant’s supporters both to intimidate witnesses and to interfere with the functioning of the jury — will place extraordinary pressure on witnesses and potential jurors alike,” Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in a letter to Judge Gregory Carro Monday evening.

Prosecutors are asking the court to tightly regulate access to the courtroom and ensure that all courtroom rules are rigorously enforced when the trial begins next month.

They also cautioned against creating an overflow room for additional members of the media, arguing that courthouse personnel could have difficulty policing such a space if it is opened to accommodate reporters who cannot fit inside the main courtroom.

“We are particularly concerned about the possibility that a spectator in an overflow courtroom will clandestinely record the proceedings and share any such recordings with others,” prosecutors wrote. “That concern will only be heightened if the overflow room includes a video feed as well as an audio feed.”

Seidemann recommended that, if an overflow room is ultimately approved, it should carry only live audio rather than video in order to reduce the risk of witnesses being identified or harassed.

“it include only an audio feed so as to minimize the potential for witness intimidation and harassment.”

Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said the defense appears to be pursuing a strategy that differs from what is typically seen in high-profile criminal cases.

“The conventional wisdom is that the defense usually doesn’t want high-profile cases broadcast. It can put implicit pressure on jurors to return a guilty verdict,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital last week.

Rahmani suggested Mangione’s attorneys may believe the widespread publicity could actually work in their client’s favor because of the public support he has attracted.

“There’s upwards of 10 to 20 percent of the people who have been surveyed who believe that even if he did it, it was justified,” Rahmani said. “And I think the defense knows this, and they know that more attention creates the possibility of jury nullification, or maybe even an acquittal.”

Thompson, a 50-year-old Minnesota father of two, was shot from behind while walking to a business conference outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024. Surveillance footage captured a gunman firing multiple shots before fleeing the scene. Mangione was arrested several days later at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Mangione briefly appeared in court Tuesday for a pretrial conference ahead of next month’s proceedings before Judge Carro.

During the hearing, the issue of cameras in the courtroom was not addressed. Judge Carro did, however, warn that anyone using a cellphone inside either the courtroom or any overflow room would be immediately removed.

“There has never been a decision by this court to exclude or limit,” he said. “There have been discussions on expanding.”

Mangione’s attorneys have asked the court to allow the trial to be televised, even though New York law generally prohibits broadcasting criminal trials.

Earlier this year, the defense announced plans to pursue a psychiatric defense in the state prosecution but withdrew that strategy just one day later.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all eight state charges against him, including second-degree murder, a charge that carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison if he is convicted under New York law.

In addition to the state prosecution, Mangione also faces federal charges stemming from the killing. That separate federal trial is expected to begin early next year.

{Matzav.com}

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched an inquiry into The New York Times, demanding internal company records that he argues could reveal whether editorial decisions have created legal and financial risks for shareholders, including Florida’s public retirement system, which holds millions of dollars in the company’s stock.

In a 28-page letter sent Monday, the Republican attorney general requested documents detailing how the newspaper reviewed several controversial stories and what information the company’s board received regarding potential legal exposure and financial liability stemming from those publications.

According to Uthmeier, the probe is “grounded in concrete corporate risk, not generalized dissatisfaction with editorial judgment.”

To support his argument, Uthmeier cited Fox News’ nearly $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, saying it demonstrates how editorial choices can have enormous financial consequences for publicly traded media companies and their investors.

“Editorial malpractice does not always kill a media enterprise,” Uthmeier wrote. “But it always sends a bill.”

The New York Times strongly rejected the attorney general’s actions, accusing him of attempting to pressure the newspaper over its reporting.

“We are aware of the demand letter, which, while positioned as a request under corporate law, is a clear attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, the Times’ senior vice president for communications, said in a statement obtained by Politico.

“We will respond more fully in due course.”

Uthmeier contends that the newspaper has experienced “publicly documented failures” to adhere to its own editorial guidelines. He also alleges that its opinion section has been used to “publish reported factual assertions outside the newsroom’s verification controls.”

Among the central issues in the investigation is a May opinion column by Nicholas Kristof titled “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” which alleged that Israeli authorities used dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners.

The column drew sharp condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who threatened legal action and described it as “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel.”

The Times defended the article and its reporting process, stating that Kristof’s work “underwent a rigorous vetting process by Opinion’s fact-checking department to ensure that every testimony and anecdote he personally reported was supported by independent sources, as is the case with all sensitive pieces.”

As part of the inquiry, Uthmeier is seeking records indicating whether The New York Times’ board of directors was informed about the controversy surrounding Kristof’s column and any resulting consequences. He is also requesting documents related to other reporting by the newspaper, including a June article involving former Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.

“The Times tells investors that its brand and reputation are its most important assets, and that if people see its journalism as unreliable or biased, the company can be hurt,” Uthmeier said Monday.

“So, we want to exercise our rights under New York law to review the company’s internal board documents, meeting minutes, reports, and other materials, to see what the directors know.”

The attorney general has given the newspaper two weeks to produce the requested documents.

Florida’s retirement system has a financial stake in the outcome. According to a May filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Florida Retirement System owned 147,831 shares of The New York Times Company, valued at approximately $12.4 million. The pension fund provides benefits to more than 1.2 million current and former public employees and their beneficiaries.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is examining whether the federal government has legal grounds to challenge New York’s newly enacted tax on luxury second homes, calling the measure a misguided policy that could have far-reaching consequences.

In a post on social media, Trump blasted the state’s new “pied-a-terre” tax, describing it as a “dangerous political experiment” and signaling that he is exploring possible legal avenues to stop it.

The tax, whose name comes from a French phrase meaning “foot on the ground” and refers to a secondary residence, was approved by New York lawmakers as part of the state’s budget package adopted in May.

“I am looking ⁠to see if the Federal ⁠Government ⁠has any legal right to avert this disaster,” Trump said.

The measure is already facing a legal challenge in New York state court. According to reports, a Staten Island judge issued a temporary order on Monday preventing the tax from taking effect while the case moves forward.

{Matzav.com}

At the levayah of his four-year-old grandson, Rav Shalom Arush delivered an emotional message urging the tzibbur to strengthen its commitment to Torah during bein hazmanim, stressing that there is never a “vacation” from Torah and calling on people to avoid unnecessary trips abroad.

The remarks were delivered at the levayah of four-year-old Shalom Seginer, the son of Reb Assaf Seginer and grandson of Rav Shalom Arush, founder and leader of the Chut Shel Chessed institutions. Speaking to the thousands gathered, Rav Arush reflected on the tragedies that so often occur during bein hazmanim, both in Eretz Yisroel and overseas, and called for spiritual introspection and renewed dedication to Torah.

Addressing the crowd, Rav Arush urged every Jew to use the bein hazmanim period for increased limud haTorah rather than spiritual relaxation.

“All of the Jewish people need to strengthen themselves. Tragedies always happen during bein hazmanim. All of the Jewish people should take it upon themselves during bein hazmanim to set aside fixed times for Torah study, including the children. Children say, ‘We’re on vacation.’ There is no vacation from Torah. The dead are free; there is no vacation from Torah.”

Rav Arush also addressed the growing trend of overseas travel, urging that such trips be reserved only for spiritual purposes.

“Travel abroad? Only to the graves of the righteous,” he said.

The levayah began Tuesday morning at the Chut Shel Chessed yeshiva in Yerushalayim and continued to Har HaZeisim, where thousands of family members, talmidim, friends, and members of the ציבור accompanied the young child on his final journey and paid their last respects.

Shalom Seginer tragically drowned in a swimming pool while vacationing with his family in Mexico.

{Matzav.com}

The Sanz-Klausenburg community in the United States is in mourning following the sudden petirah of Rav Tzvi Zev Berger zt”l, a respected moreh horaah and mara d’asra who served the Sanz-Klausenburger community and the Karlsburg Beis Horaah. Rav Berger passed away in his sleep while vacationing in Switzerland. He was just 43 years old and was widely regarded as one of Boro Park’s most prominent poskim and morei horaah.

Rav Berger had traveled to Switzerland in recent days for a period of rest. During the night, he apparently suffered a sudden cardiac event and passed away in his sleep. When he failed to wake up the following morning, emergency responders were summoned, but despite their efforts, they were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

Rav Berger was among the leading halachic authorities in Brooklyn’s Boro Park neighborhood. He served as a moreh horaah and mara d’asra for the Sanz-Klausenburg community while also holding a prominent position at the renowned Karlsburg Beis Horaah, which was founded by the Karlsburg Gaavad, Rav Yechezkel Roth zt”l.

He earned widespread respect for his extraordinary diligence in Torah study, his deep mastery of halachah, and his ability to analyze and resolve complex halachic questions. His well-known shiurim covering the laws of Shabbos, medicine and halachah, modern technology, and travel-related halachic issues attracted thousands of listeners and were widely circulated among those seeking practical psak.

Friends, colleagues, and members of the community describe Rav Berger as an exceptional talmid chochom, a devoted chossid, and an oveid Hashem whose entire being was deeply connected to the Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe. They also recalled his warm personality, remarkable humility, and genuine kindness toward everyone he encountered.

News of his sudden passing has left his family, the Sanz-Klausenburg community, his many talmidim, and those who regularly sought his halachic guidance in the United States and around the world struggling to come to terms with the loss of a distinguished moreh horaah taken in the prime of his life.

Rav Berger leaves behind a beautiful family. Community leaders are currently working with Swiss authorities to complete the necessary legal procedures and secure the release of his body so it can be transported to the United States for burial. Funeral arrangements and details regarding the transfer of the aron will be announced at a later time.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) sharply dismissed Kamala Harris on Monday, arguing that the former vice president no longer carries political influence as he pushed back against her criticism of President Trump’s efforts to advance the SAVE America Act.

Appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Kennedy responded to Democratic opposition to the election legislation by referencing a recent video in which Harris criticized President Trump’s decision to make the SAVE America Act a legislative priority.

“No disrespect, but Vice President Harris is no longer relevant. She had a shot and she missed. She can cozy up to the Lulu Lenins all she wants to,” Kennedy said, invoking Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin.

Kennedy continued his criticism by making clear that Harris’s views carry little weight with him.

“But she has me confused with somebody who cares what she thinks,” Kennedy continued to Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“I mean, she’s yesterday.”

In the video that prompted Kennedy’s remarks, Harris accused Republicans of creating barriers that could discourage voter participation. She claimed the GOP was putting up “obstacles to make it difficult to vote” and encouraged Americans to verify their voter registration, register if needed, and cast their ballots early.

Despite her defeat to President Trump in the 2024 election, Harris has continued to remain active in Democratic politics and is widely viewed as a possible contender for her party’s 2028 presidential nomination.

In recent weeks, she has urged Democrats to revisit several major institutional changes, including eliminating or restructuring the Electoral College, expanding the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, and granting statehood to both Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

President Trump defeated Harris in the 2024 election by a 312-226 Electoral College margin and also won the national popular vote by more than two million votes.

Since leaving office, Harris has remained visible on the campaign trail and online, endorsing Democratic candidates such as Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed while maintaining an active presence on social media.

{Matzav.com}

Growing concern surrounds the unexplained disappearance of Mali and Liel Yahalomi, an Israeli mother and daughter who vanished while traveling in Europe, as the search enters its fifth day with investigators still lacking any meaningful clues to their whereabouts.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva–Israel National News, Vienna Chabad emissary Rav Reuven Timsit said the Austrian Jewish community remains stunned by the case and has little information about what may have happened.

“We first heard about it a few days ago, and there is still absolutely no lead. The information is very, very vague,” he said.

Rav Timsit explained that one of the earliest assumptions was that the missing pair would stop at the local Chabad House, as many religious Jewish tourists do during their travels.

“At the Chabad House this week, over 400 travelers registered for Shabbat meals, but their names did not appear on the lists. They also do not appear on the Chabad House’s security cameras, so we don’t even have a first indication that they came here.”

Since the disappearance became public, the Chabad House has played a central role in organizing search efforts and coordinating volunteers.

“We’ve activated WhatsApp groups for travelers and are asking everyone to look for them. But what’s especially moving is the response from the local Jewish community. People are treating this as though it were their own mother or daughter. You can see it in all of the community’s WhatsApp groups.”

He added that local business owners have also become actively involved in trying to help locate the missing women.

“One business owner wrote to us that he thinks he saw them come to him, and he immediately informed Israel’s Foreign Ministry. People feel this is their personal issue, and it’s very moving to witness.”

Rav Timsit emphasized that Austrian authorities are fully engaged in the investigation alongside Israeli officials.

“The police and everyone who deals with security in Austria are working on the case. They’re not leaving the work solely to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.”

He cautioned, however, that the ease of travel between European countries presents a major challenge for investigators trying to retrace the pair’s movements.

“They landed in the Czech Republic and traveled from there to Vienna, but in Europe all the borders are open,” Rabbi Timsit explained. “You can travel by car and no one will check you. In 50 minutes you’re in Slovakia, and within three hours you’re in Budapest. That’s why it’s so difficult to know where to even begin looking.”

At this point, investigators have not determined what type of incident, if any, may have occurred.

“We don’t know whether this is a criminal incident, nationalist [attack], a family matter, or something else. There isn’t a single lead. That’s what makes it all so strange,” he said, noting, “We live in a time when almost every movement can be tracked. How in the world is it possible to simply disappear in Europe? That’s what’s so disturbing.”

He also stressed that the disappearance is particularly puzzling because Vienna has long been viewed as a relatively safe destination.

“Vienna is usually very calm. We are not aware of any unusual warnings or specific threats against Israeli or Jewish travelers. Precisely because of that, this entire case raises more and more questions.”

As time continues to pass without answers, Rav Timsit acknowledged that fears naturally begin to grow.

“With every passing moment, your imagination starts working overtime. Suddenly you start wondering – maybe they fell into a pit? Maybe they were kidnapped? We can’t know. This isn’t a Third World country or an area struck by a natural disaster. This is Vienna, Austria. How can someone simply disappear here?”

He concluded by urging Jews around the world to take part in the effort through prayer.

“It’s not only people in Vienna or Europe who can help. Those in Israel can also be part of the effort. A short prayer, a short chapter of Psalms – they can always help.”

{Matzav.com}

An American military veteran who spent more than four years imprisoned in Russia under disputed convictions has been released and is returning to the United States after concerns mounted that his deteriorating health placed him in imminent danger, advocates working on his behalf announced Tuesday.

Robert Gilman was being transported to a U.S. military hospital in Texas, where doctors will conduct comprehensive medical and psychological evaluations before beginning treatment, according to Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an organization that has campaigned for the release of Gilman and other Americans detained overseas.

Members of Gilman’s family, including his mother, traveled to Texas to reunite with him after his release. His mother had previously been in Russia attempting to visit him while he was hospitalized there.

Gilman, 32, a teacher who had been held in Russia since 2022, was first sentenced that year to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of assaulting a police officer following his removal from a train where authorities said he had caused a disturbance.

Authorities later brought additional charges against him, accusing him of attacking a prison inspector during a cell inspection, assaulting an investigator, and attacking a prison guard. Those convictions resulted in a sentence of eight years and one month, imposed in October 2024.

His prison term was increased again last year to a total of 10 years after another conviction for assaulting prison guards.

According to Lebson, Gilman’s condition had become critical before his release. He said the American had spent 47 days in “a dissociative stupor” because of the abuse he allegedly endured while incarcerated.

Before leaving Russia, Gilman had been transferred from prison to a civilian hospital, where he was reportedly receiving nutrition through a feeding tube while remaining handcuffed to his hospital bed.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of chassidim gathered this week in the Tosh community of Quebec, Canada, to mark the yahrtzeit of the Tosher Rebbe, with visitors arriving from around the world to participate in the commemorations at the beis medrash and the Rebbe’s kever.

As the streets overflowed with people making their way through the community, panic suddenly broke out when a non-Jewish driver sped through the center of the neighborhood and slammed into several parked vehicles with tremendous force.

Against the backdrop of the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Canada in recent months, many chassidim and guests initially feared they were witnessing a deliberate vehicle-ramming attack targeting the large crowds. People scattered in every direction, rushing to find safety as confusion and fear spread through the area.

After several anxious minutes, police and emergency personnel arrived and determined that the incident was not a terrorist attack. Authorities concluded that the driver had simply lost control of the vehicle, causing the crash.

Witnesses described the outcome as nothing short of miraculous. At the time of the collision, the streets were crowded with people walking to the community’s central beis medrash and to the Tosher Rebbe’s kever. Despite the violent impact and the widespread panic, no one was physically injured, and the incident resulted only in damage to parked vehicles.

{Matzav.com}

Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen disclosed Tuesday that Israeli intelligence operatives secretly entered Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility on multiple occasions to gather firsthand intelligence, calling the later American strike on the site “the fulfillment of all my dreams.”

Speaking at the Galilee Conference, Cohen said Mossad agents repeatedly infiltrated the underground complex to gain a detailed understanding of its layout and capabilities. “We toured the nuclear site in Fordow, Iran, many times in order to understand the site,” Cohen said. Reflecting on the U.S. military operation that targeted the facility, he added that it was “the fulfillment of all my dreams.”

Cohen also sought to put Iran’s nuclear progress into perspective, arguing that while Tehran possesses uranium enriched to 60 percent, it has not yet reached weapons-grade capability. “Sixty percent enriched uranium is still far from a bomb,” he said.

Fordow is one of Iran’s two primary uranium enrichment plants, the other being Natanz. The installation sits approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Qom and was built deep inside the Zagros Mountains, buried roughly 90 meters beneath the surface and shielded by layers of solid rock.

Its underground design has long made Fordow one of the most difficult targets within Iran’s nuclear network and a significant obstacle for any military operation. The existence of the facility became public in 2009 after Western intelligence agencies had already uncovered it, placing it at the center of international scrutiny over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and later negotiations surrounding the 2015 nuclear agreement.

During the 2018 Mossad mission that captured Iran’s classified nuclear archive, Israeli intelligence also obtained detailed blueprints of the Fordow complex. In the years that followed, Iran increased enrichment activity at the site and installed more advanced centrifuges there.

On June 13, 2025, the Israeli Air Force targeted Fordow as part of a wider offensive against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Although the strike inflicted damage on the facility, it did not eliminate it.

Nine days later, the United States carried out a much larger attack against Fordow, as well as the nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. The Fordow operation involved six B-2 stealth bombers that released 12 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-buster bombs, each weighing approximately 13.5 tons.

Gen. Dan Caine, then chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, later explained that the bunker-busting bombs entered the underground facility through two ventilation shafts. According to Caine, the first bombs blasted through thick layers of concrete that Iran had placed over the openings, allowing the remaining munitions to penetrate much deeper into the underground complex.

{Matzav.com}

A debate intended to feature opposing views on Israel erupted into a physical confrontation after Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad says he was attacked by an anti-Israel participant during and after the event at a U.S. studio.

Haddad traveled to the studio expecting to face a panel of anti-Israel activists, but according to his account, the individual debating him changed multiple times before the discussion began.

Eventually, YouTuber Dennis Feitosa, better known online as “Def Noodles” and associated with the Groyper movement, took a seat across from Haddad. Haddad said the exchange quickly deteriorated as Feitosa allegedly resorted to insults and attempted to provoke a physical altercation. Haddad’s fiancée, pro-Israel activist Emily Schrader, said Feitosa became increasingly agitated because Haddad repeatedly refused to fight, telling him, “I have no interest in fighting you, why would I?”

Video from inside the studio appears to show Feitosa grabbing Haddad by the arm. Haddad responded by pulling Feitosa across the table in an effort to break free from his grip.

The altercation continued outside in the studio parking lot, where tensions intensified further. Video from the scene shows one of the anti-Israel activists confronting and harassing Schrader, while others restrained Feitosa as he allegedly attempted to reach Haddad.

According to footage of the incident, Haddad briefly turned away to record a video when Feitosa broke free from those holding him and charged toward him from behind. Security personnel quickly intervened, taking Feitosa to the ground. Haddad, who served in the Golani Brigade, remained at the scene and struck Feitosa several times while he was restrained before the two men were separated. The confrontation ended with both sides continuing to exchange heated words before Haddad and those accompanying him departed.

Afterward, Haddad reflected on the incident in a social media post, writing, “This isn’t anything new. When they can’t win a verbal debate, they turn to physical confrontation…which they lose as well!”

{Matzav.com}

As previously reported, President Donald Trump was secretly flown out of Turkey aboard a U.S. military aircraft last month after the United States received intelligence about a potential Iranian threat targeting the president, according to a report citing American officials.

According to the report, Trump initially boarded Air Force One after meeting with world leaders in Ankara but was later quietly transferred to a military aircraft using an airport catering truck as cover.

A U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that the intelligence warning was provided by Israel and included concerns that shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles could be used against Air Force One. Several of Trump’s senior aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reportedly remained aboard Air Force One after the president had already departed on the military aircraft.

Another U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that no missiles were fired at either aircraft. The official added that this was the first time such a deception operation had been carried out during Trump’s presidency.

Officials said it was impossible to determine with certainty how credible the reported threat against the president actually was. Nevertheless, at the time, members of the U.S. Secret Service believed extraordinary security measures were necessary to protect Trump, according to the official.

As previously reported, during Trump’s visit to the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, television cameras captured him boarding the older Boeing 747 that had previously served as the presidential aircraft. Minutes later, however, he was secretly escorted out through the aircraft’s opposite door, concealed by an airport catering truck, and transferred to a smaller C-32A military aircraft operating under a classified callsign with no public flight tracking.

The original presidential aircraft then departed with reporters and several White House staff members still on board. Those aboard were unaware that Trump was no longer on the plane, which served as a decoy intended to conceal the president’s actual location during his departure from Turkey.

A potentially dangerous drone incident near Ben Gurion Airport was brought to a rapid end after airport security teams detected an unauthorized aircraft entering restricted airspace, prompting a brief suspension of flight activity before police tracked down and detained the operator.

The incident began at approximately 11:40 a.m., when personnel monitoring activity from the airport’s control center spotted a drone heading toward the airport. Within minutes, officials confirmed that it had crossed into the airport’s municipal area. Airport operations, security units, and ground crews immediately coordinated their response, while Ben Gurion Airport police launched a search for the individual controlling the drone.

After the drone entered the municipal zone surrounding the airport, officials ordered a temporary localized halt to flight operations that remained in effect for only a few minutes. During that time, airport control personnel continuously monitored the drone’s movements to ensure the situation remained under control.

Using a combination of sophisticated surveillance technology, observations from ground personnel, and real-time tracking by the airport’s control room, authorities were able to pinpoint the drone’s location and guide police directly to the operator.

Within an hour of the drone first being spotted, police officers located the individual and took him into custody. A preliminary investigation determined that he had been operating the drone to record promotional footage for a construction company.

The Israel Airports Authority reiterated that flying drones without authorization near Ben Gurion Airport poses a serious threat to aviation safety. The authority emphasized that drones are prohibited from operating in restricted airspace unless the necessary permits have been obtained and all legal requirements have been met.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge has denied a motion by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that their terrorist-payment programs, dubbed “play-for-slay,” helped induce two Hamas attacks.

The plaintiffs are Stuart Force, father of Taylor Force, an American who was stabbed to death in Israel in 2016, and Israeli-American Hananel Gez, who was wounded in a May 2025 shooting in Israel that killed his pregnant wife, Tzeela, and their infant son, Ravid Haim.

The complaint alleges that the attackers knew their families would receive P.A.-funded benefits if they were imprisoned or killed.

“Pay-for-slay isn’t welfare,” said Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, which represents the plaintiffs. “It incentivizes murder.”

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that the allegations plausibly described a publicized promise of payment that may constitute substantial assistance under the Antiterrorism Act.

McMahon wrote in her decision that whether the assailants knew of and relied upon the promised payments must be tested through discovery. The defendants must answer the complaint by Sept. 15. JNS

A series of tense private conversations reportedly took place in recent days between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior envoy, as disagreements deepened over the Peace Council’s proposed 15-point framework for the future of Gaza.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 14, the discussions became increasingly strained after Netanyahu rejected the Peace Council’s 15-point document. The report said the prime minister’s decision was influenced both by pressure from within his coalition and by concerns that the proposal could ultimately pave the way for the creation of a Palestinian state.

During one of the conversations, Kushner reportedly accused Netanyahu of undermining an initiative the prime minister himself had originally supported.

“You’re throwing obstacles in the way of an idea that you wanted. You didn’t want Israel to rule the Gaza Strip, you didn’t want Hamas—and with that goal we established the Peace Council. Now you’re throwing obstacles in the way when it’s time to put the plan into action,” Kushner reportedly told Netanyahu, according to sources familiar with the discussion.

Netanyahu responded by insisting that Israel’s security conditions are non-negotiable and that any political process must come only after Hamas has been fully dismantled.

“That’s true—we wanted something different in Gaza that would not pose a threat, but only after the Strip is completely demilitarized and Hamas is disarmed, not before. Bringing an agreement under which the Strip will be governed under Palestinian law is, in effect, a Palestinian state,” the prime minister replied.

Kushner is considered one of the key architects of the Peace Council initiative and has played a central role in shaping the Trump administration’s proposed roadmap for Gaza’s future. According to the report, the difficult exchanges with Netanyahu, together with mounting pressure from coalition partners, contributed to the prime minister’s public declaration yesterday that Israel rejects the council’s 15-point document.

According to the report, the dispute now extends beyond the wording of the proposal itself and centers on a fundamental question regarding Gaza’s future: whether political negotiations can move forward alongside the process of demilitarization, or whether any diplomatic arrangement must wait until Hamas has been completely disarmed.

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report. However, sources familiar with the discussions said significant differences between the two sides remain unresolved.

A yeshiva bochur who reported to a police station Monday to provide testimony in an unrelated investigation was arrested by Military Police moments after leaving the building, prompting sharp criticism from chareidi activists, who say the incident circumvented standing police policy regarding draft evaders.

According to the report, Moshe Steiner, a resident of Bnei Brak who learns in a yeshiva in Beis Meir, was summoned to the offices of Lahav 433 to give testimony. After investigators questioned him, he was informed that the interview had concluded and that he was free to leave.

However, as Steiner exited the station and entered the parking lot, Military Police officers who had reportedly been waiting outside detained him on allegations that he is classified as a draft evader.

The arrest has sparked outrage among activists involved in issues related to the military draft, who argue that the operation amounted to an indirect circumvention of an existing directive issued by Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy.

Under that directive, chareidi draft evaders who come to police stations for routine civilian services or to provide testimony are not to be arrested, in order to avoid discouraging members of the public from cooperating with law enforcement.

In this case, critics contend that although police technically did not hand Steiner over while he was inside the station, the planned arrest waiting outside produced the exact same result. Sources involved in the matter said that the operation effectively made “a mockery of the police commissioner’s directive.”

According to those handling the case, Steiner is the first yeshiva bochur classified as a draft evader to be arrested since the start of Bein Hazemanim.

Activists said they intend to pursue the matter with the appropriate authorities and are determined to prevent similar tactics from being used in the future.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed on Monday Colombia’s announcement recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a “historic decision.”

Israel’s top diplomat said in a statement that the decision followed his meeting last week with Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella. Sa’ar visited the Latin American country to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony.

“I will continue working so that more countries join the United States, under [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump, and Colombia, under President de la Espriella, in recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, where Israeli law was applied 45 years ago,” Sa’ar said.

Bogota said in an official statement, “In light of the continuing regional instability in the Middle East, and considering the strategic importance of the Golan Heights to Israel’s security, the government of Colombia recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over this territory, as well as the state’s right to defend itself against external threats.”

It added, “For decades, Israel has faced persistent and existential security challenges along all of its borders. These threats have intensified significantly in recent years, culminating in the horrific terrorist attack of Oct. 7, [2023,] which demonstrated both the severity and the evolving nature of the dangers facing the Israeli people. Within this regional security context, Colombia recognizes that Israel’s continued control and sovereignty over the Golan Heights constitutes an essential component of its national security and its ability to defend its citizens and safeguard their security.”

The decision regarding the Golan Heights is but one of a series of diplomatic developments between Israel and Colombia, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The new arrangements agreed between Sa’ar and the Colombian leadership include the full and immediate restoration of relations between the countries; immediate appointment of ambassadors; relocation of Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem; abolition of visa requirements between the countries; a free-trade agreement; Colombia’s withdrawal from South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and from the “Hague Group;” and tightening of collaborations in diplomatic, security and economic matters.

Earlier on Monday, Sa’ar spoke over the phone with his Colombian counterpart, Omar Bula Escobar, during which he expressed solidarity with Colombia and its people following the recent earthquake and offered Israel’s assistance, the ministry said.

The moves represent a dramatic reversal from the policies of defeated President Gustavo Petro, who severed diplomatic ties with Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza and repeatedly criticized the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Colombia had long been considered one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America, maintaining extensive cooperation in trade, agriculture and security before relations deteriorated under Petro.

De la Espriella’s election signals a return to that partnership. During his campaign, he pledged to restore ties with Israel and move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem.

The rapprochement between Israel and Colombia is part of Israel’s broader initiative to strengthen its ties with Latin America.

As part of this effort, 2026 has been designated by the Israeli Foreign Ministry as the “Year of Latin America,” establishing a strategic focus on expanding Israel’s engagement across the region. JNS

In a dramatic overnight political move, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he will reserve places on the Likud electoral slate for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and Likud Central Committee Chairman Chaim Katz. The decision was announced shortly after midnight and will require formal approval from the party’s secretariat.

The announcement, released after 1:00 a.m., stated that the Likud Secretariat will be asked to approve the placement of the three senior officials on the party’s Knesset list alongside the prime minister’s previously designated reserved candidates.

The decision came just hours after Likud revealed that businessman Oren Dobronsky would receive Netanyahu’s first reserved slot, placed 11th on the party’s list. Dobronsky, founder of a Silicon Valley hummus restaurant chain and known for his appearance on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, is expected to spearhead artificial intelligence policy should Likud remain in power after the election.

In its statement, Likud explained that the party’s internal court had already ruled last week that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz should receive a reserved place on the list.

“The movement’s court ruled last week that the defense minister, who in any event was expected to finish near the top of the list, should receive a reserved position so that he can focus on the country’s security needs rather than political activity at this time,” the statement said.

The party also explained the reasoning behind the other two reserved positions.

“Sa’ar will be placed on the list under the terms of the merger agreement between his party and the Likud movement, while Katz will receive a reserved position because of his role as chairman of the party’s Central Committee.”

Likud sources said Tuesday morning that Yisrael Katz is expected to receive a reserved slot within the party’s second group of candidates, while Chaim Katz is expected to be guaranteed a place no lower than 18th on the list.

The three reserved positions are in addition to the eight slots Netanyahu already controls through the 30th spot on the Likud slate. Those reserved positions are located at numbers 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.

{Matzav.com}

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Three Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syria near the Mount Hermon region overnight before being located by IDF forces and returned safely to Israeli territory. The three were subsequently detained and turned over to the Israel Police for further investigation.

According to the IDF, the incident occurred during the overnight hours when the three Israelis entered the Mount Hermon area and crossed the international border into Syria. Troops dispatched to the scene quickly located the individuals and escorted them back into Israel.

Following their return, the three civilians were detained and transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.

The individuals are affiliated with the Bashan Pioneers movement, which has been attempting to establish a civilian outpost at a site it calls “Tal Hermon.”

In a statement, the Bashan Pioneers movement said, “Tonight, a group of activists from the Bashan Pioneers movement was once again detained near the makeshift encampment they established at the location where the movement is trying to build ‘Tal Hermon.’ Over the past month, Bashan Pioneers activists have reached the site many times and have also been evacuated and arrested on several occasions.”

Before they were detained, the activists defended their actions, saying that Jewish settlement is essential to maintaining Israel’s long-term security in the area.

“Jewish settlement is the only way to guarantee the IDF’s hold on the area, and the only way to achieve that is through determination to maintain a presence on the ground. Arrests and intimidation will not stop us. It is better to make the effort now than, in a few short years, to see soldiers dying here as they died in southern Lebanon during the days of Shamir and Peres.”

The movement also criticized the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, arguing that it was focusing on the wrong issue.

“The IDF Spokesperson’s campaign continues trying to distract from the real story. The real story is that if these teenagers and young adults are crossing the border again and again, the current security method is clearly not working. Instead of fences and cameras, the area should be filled with a natural civilian presence.”

The IDF sharply condemned the border crossing, describing it as a serious disruption to military operations and a danger to both troops and the civilians involved.

“The IDF strongly condemns this incident, which constitutes yet another serious disruption to operational activity and poses a danger to the security of IDF forces operating in the area. Law enforcement authorities must fully prosecute those involved in order to prevent these civilians from repeatedly engaging in this criminal activity.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. Navy has “100%” control of the Strait of Hormuz and is enforcing an “infallible” blockade of Iranian ports that he characterized as a “steel wall.”

“We let people in that we want to let in and those people come in, they’ve been coming, and they’re going out. So it’s actually open,” he said, referring to the strait. “We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the strait to go to Iran. But it’s open for others.” The president added that American forces have “mine-swept the entire strait.”

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to six vessels on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11, Reuters reported, citing Kpler data; before the war, about 130 to 140 ships typically transited the waterway daily.

Iran is “broke, totally broke” and is not paying its soldiers, Trump said. “They have inflation of 300%. As of last night, I heard 309%.”

The Islamic Republic can still “make trouble” but lacks the money to do so, he added.

Tehran had been “the bully of the Middle East” for 50 years, said Trump, noting that it had killed hundreds of thousands and wounded and maimed others with roadside bombings throughout the region.

“They’re very proud of it, and now they’re paying a price,” he concluded.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that he would seek compensation from Iran in future negotiations for Americans killed and wounded in attacks attributed to Tehran, as well as for Iranian protesters the regime has killed, responding to Iranian demands for compensation over damage sustained during the five-month conflict with the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Iran’s economic crisis and restricted access to cash and frozen assets were increasing pressure on Tehran to negotiate, arguing that U.S. sanctions and a blockade would prove more consequential than military strikes.

In an appearance on Fox News, Waltz said Iran’s currency was falling and inflation had reached its highest level in 80 years, which he attributed to the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Fury” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s sanctions campaign.

“When they’re coming to the table, to our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash, because they’ll absorb the bombings. They don’t care about their military. They don’t care about their soldiers or even the Iranian people after they massacred 40,000 of them,” said Waltz. “But what are they worried about? They’re worried about that their currency is tanking, inflation is the highest in 80 years; the IRGC controls half of the economy.”

Iran is ruled by a “corrupt, elite, religious fanatic regime that has devastated that country for many decades,” Waltz continued. “They are constantly asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we’ve frozen, and what the president is talking about is that’s the squeeze. That, coupled with the blockade, that’s what is eventually going to get the Iranians to move.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected the U.S. pressure campaign, accusing Washington of using sanctions when it was unable to pursue diplomacy. He said Iran had demonstrated over decades that it would not be “strangled” by sanctions and warned that the policy could undermine U.S. prospects for resolving the crisis.

Sanctions pressure mounts on IRGC

Ella Rosenberg, senior expert on counterterrorist financing at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told JNS that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ financial position appeared to have worsened in the past three to four weeks. Rosenberg attributed the reversal to what she called a “compound effect” of U.S. and European sanctions enforcement, reduced Iranian oil exports and heightened scrutiny of IRGC funding amid the war.

“I do see the IRGC economy at a free fall,” she said. “And this was not the case almost a month ago.”

She emphasized that the campaign must be maintained to be effective. “In order for a policy to work, it has to be enforced over time,” she told JNS. “In order for sanctions to work, you need to enforce them over time” to create compounding effects on the economy.

Rosenberg said that, in her assessment, continued and more rigorously enforced sanctions could significantly weaken the regime, although she stressed that she was not an expert in dismantling governments. “The economic state within the state of Iran is very dire,” she said. “The IRGC is beginning to suffer financially—not enough, but it is beginning to suffer financially.”

Iran’s shrinking leverage

Alex Grinberg, an Iran expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Trump was correct that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, though he cautioned that the crisis had not been resolved.

“There is a crisis because vessels refuse to go through Hormuz because of insurance prices, and the Iranians can still launch missiles at ships,” Grinberg told JNS. “But, on the other hand, the Iranians can no longer blackmail the vessels and no one pays their protection money.”

Grinberg said Tehran’s inability to receive imports through its ports, combined with the blockade, was intensifying pressure on an economy already strained by decaying infrastructure, a water crisis and fuel shortages.

“Sanctions policy is working, but it cannot deal a final blow in a short period of time. It’s an accumulating effect,” he said. “But combined with all other limitations—war, lack of imports and the destroyed military and industrial infrastructure of Iran—all that ushers in this effect of an economy in shambles.”

He said Iran was progressively losing the leverage it derives from the strategic waterway as countries seek alternatives to the Hormuz route.

“As long as the Hormuz crisis continues, more and more countries will end up finding ways to bypass Hormuz,” Grinberg said. “As long as it continues, Iran is losing its last leverage, because except for Hormuz, they have nothing.”

While Iran could theoretically resume missile fire against Israel, Grinberg said such attacks would be “an annoyance, not a strategic threat.” He added that a broader U.S. military campaign against Iran would carry the risk of American casualties, making it less likely if the present pressure campaign is viewed as effective. JNS

Israel has conveyed a firm message to the United States that Hamas terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre will not be granted immunity, even under a ceasefire, as disagreements continue over the controversial “15-point document” and the future of military operations against Hamas.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 News, Jerusalem recently informed Washington that terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 attacks remain legitimate targets and will not be shielded from Israeli action despite ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the ceasefire framework.

The clarification comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to publicly reject the so-called 15-point document, insisting that it does not reflect Israel’s position.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu declared. “I heard people saying, ‘You never said that.’ So let me say it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”

Senior officials serving on President Donald Trump’s Peace Council reportedly offered a different perspective, telling Ynet that they are judging Israel by its conduct on the ground rather than by official statements.

“We are looking at actions on the ground, less at speeches and declarations,” the officials said. “In practice, Israel has stopped the targeted killings and is maintaining the ceasefire.”

Israeli officials, however, emphasized that the ceasefire does not grant Hamas terrorists immunity from future action. According to the report, Israel has made clear to the United States that those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre remain subject to military action and will not be protected simply because a ceasefire is in effect.

{Matzav.com}

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday unveiled a plan aimed at tightening a decades-old loophole that has allowed food companies to put certain chemicals in their products without first notifying the nation’s food regulators, according to federal health officials.

The practice known as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) allows companies to self-certify the safety of certain food chemicals or substances. The Trump administration’s new proposed rule would require food companies to notify the Food and Drug Administration when they make such determinations and include the basis for those conclusions.

“Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap,” Kyle Diamantas, the acting FDA commissioner, told reporters Monday. He said the plan “improves transparency” while “respecting the limitations of our authority,” adding that officials would work with Congress to further address the loophole.

Companies have not been mandated to tell the FDA when they include some chemicals or substances in their products for uses viewed generally as safe, though they can opt to do so. That means there are probably hundreds of such ingredients added to the food supply without strict government oversight. Chemicals that have been generally considered safe include those acting as preservatives in some breakfast cereals, emulsifiers in certain ice creams and salad dressings, and select low calorie sweeteners that are found in sugar-free desserts and candies. They can often be found in ultra-processed foods that make up more than half of Americans’ diets and which studies have increasingly linked to health problems.

Overhauling the loophole has been part of Kennedy’s food agenda as the nation’s top health official as well as a priority for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement he champions.

Some food safety and nutrition experts said they welcomed the proposal, referring to it as a long-overdue change. Others said they feared the FDA does not have the resources to review the submissions from companies, potentially leading to substances continuing to flood the market without regulators having time to adequately review them.

Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs for the advocacy nonprofit Environmental Working Group, called the move the “first step toward meaningful reform.”

“True GRAS reform requires more than mandatory notification,” she said in a statement. “It must also include strong, science-based safety standards and thorough, independent FDA review before chemicals are allowed in our food. And it must address the thousands of substances already on the market that have not been meaningfully reviewed in decades.”

In one of Kennedy’s first food-related moves as secretary, he declared an intent for the FDA to “explore potential rulemaking” to tighten the GRAS loophole.

Since 1958, the FDA has been charged with evaluating the safety of new food additives. However, exceptions were made for substances generally deemed safe, such as vinegar, flour and standard spices.

While the specific rules have changed over time, companies are allowed to make their own determinations on whether certain substances are considered safe, which food safety advocates say has been expanded to a variety of ingredients over time, without informing the FDA. That has become the primary way the majority of substances are entering the nation’s food supply, Diamantas said.

“Industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it straight into the American food supply,” Kennedy said at a Monday news conference.

There have been instances when additives included in food through the GRAS loophole had later raised safety concerns, such as tara flour used in a leek-and-lentil crumble that was associated with at least 130 people being sent to the hospital and sickening hundreds of others.

The FDA will review what each company submits within 45 days to ensure all that the relevant information is included. Within 180 days, the agency will review the submission more substantively, Diamantas said.

Under the proposal, companies won’t be prohibited from adding the substances to their food while that process is ongoing, and there is no requirement that the FDA must formally approve or review the chemical, which Diamantas suggested would have required an act of Congress. Kennedy called on Congress to give the FDA more resources “to keep pace with the changing food supply.”

For substances already in the food supply, the FDA is aiming to create a process for companies to submit information about how the chemical is used in food.

Some in the food industry prefer changes to be done through Congress, rather than through regulation. One person involved in the food industry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, said the industry has been concerned that it would take time for the FDA to comb through companies’ information on potential new substances, adding they believe changes should be done through legislation and come with more funding for the agency.

Americans for Ingredient Transparency, a coalition launched last year backed by the food industry and other lobbying groups, said in a statement that Congress should establish “a transparent, nationally uniform framework for food ingredient oversight.”

David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner under both Republican and Democratic presidents, petitioned the FDA last year to revoke the GRAS status of some commonly used ingredients in ultra-processed foods.

Of the announcement Monday, Kessler said that “the proposed GRAS actions do not tackle the root causes of chronic disease in this country.”

The White House’s budget office finished reviewing the GRAS proposed regulation on July 31, an indication that a rule would be released for public comment soon. On CNN earlier this month, Kennedy said the proposal would come out “within probably a month,” saying it had undergone an “extensive interagency process.”

Federal officials have also been crafting a definition of “ultra-processed” foods, and as of last week, the White House budget office received for review a white paper on a proposed definition.

This comes as Kennedy, the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, has for months been publicly leaning into his work on food and nutrition ahead of the midterm elections and downplaying the push to overhaul vaccine policy. GOP pollsters have referred to vaccine skepticism as politically risky. However, White House officials are working to draft an executive order focused on the childhood vaccine schedule and autism amid President Donald Trump’s push.

The MAHA movement was formed after an unlikely political alliance between Kennedy and Trump during the 2024 campaign. It has various factions that defy traditional partisan lines, such as those pushing for changes to the food supply, tighter regulations over pesticides and eliminating vaccine mandates.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Rachel Roubein

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The contiguous United States experienced its hottest July since recordkeeping began, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with record-breaking overnight temperatures helping push the month past previous highs.

NOAA reported that the average temperature across the lower 48 states and Washington, D.C., reached 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit in July. That edged out the previous record set in July 1936 and matched again in July 2012 by approximately 0.1 to 0.2 degrees. Federal temperature records date back to 1895.

While daytime heat was extreme, it did not set a record. Average daytime highs reached 89.5 degrees Fahrenheit, making this July the sixth-hottest on record for daytime maximum temperatures.

Nighttime temperatures, however, reached unprecedented levels. Overnight lows averaged 64.2 degrees Fahrenheit—3.7 degrees above the historical average and the warmest monthly overnight average ever recorded. The figure also exceeded the previous record, set in July 2022, by 0.7 degrees.

According to an analysis by Climate Central using data collected between 1970 and 2024, climate change has contributed to increasingly warmer summer nights across the United States.

Conditions varied outside the contiguous states. Alaska recorded average temperatures 0.9 degrees below its long-term average from 1925 through 2000, while Hawaii finished the month 0.6 degrees warmer than its 1991-2020 average.

NOAA said temperatures were “much-above-average” across large portions of the country, including the interior West, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, the northern Plains, the upper Midwest, and sections of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Thirteen states experienced one of their five warmest Julys on record, with Wyoming setting an all-time July record, finishing 0.9 degrees above its previous high.

The extreme heat coincided with unusually dry conditions across much of the northern Rockies, northern Plains, upper Midwest, Northeast, southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, central Gulf Coast, and Southeast, according to NOAA.

Other regions experienced the opposite pattern, with above-average rainfall recorded across parts of the West, Southwest, central Plains, and upper Midwest.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that approximately 48.5% of the contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., remained in drought conditions. More than two-thirds of Puerto Rico was also experiencing drought.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its approach to climate policy. Last month, the agency proposed easing emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, arguing that the change would reduce regulatory compliance costs for manufacturers.

The war of words between Vice President JD Vance and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed escalated this week, with Vance dismissing the progressive candidate as “crazy” after El-Sayed accused him of abandoning his principles in pursuit of political power.

The latest exchange began Wednesday when El-Sayed criticized Vance during a campaign appearance, referring to him as “Peter Thiel’s boy,” a reference to the billionaire technology investor who employed Vance earlier in his career.

“I think we’ve had enough of him,” El-Sayed said.

Continuing his attack, El-Sayed argued that Vance had abandoned positions he once held.

“The last thing that he said that made any sense was ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ After he said that Donald Trump had no business being president of anything, that was the last time he made sense, and then he decided to suck up to power,” El-Sayed added.

He went on to accuse Republicans of prioritizing power and financial interests over public service.

“But that’s exactly what this is about. You’ve got Republicans who will do anything for power and money, including corrupt their office.”

Asked later in the week about El-Sayed’s comments, Vance dismissed the Democratic nominee and argued that he would be a poor choice to represent Michigan in the Senate.

“He would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan.”

Speaking in an interview that aired Saturday on Fox News’s Saturday in America, Vance criticized El-Sayed for attacking him personally instead of focusing on issues affecting Michigan voters.

“He’s just kind of an odd guy, but I think that it’s telling that instead of talking about what he wants to do to make the lives of Michiganders better, he takes personal insults at me. I’m the vice president, it comes with the territory,” Vance said.

Vance concluded his remarks by predicting Michigan voters would reject El-Sayed in November.

“I think the guy’s crazy and would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan. We’re going to make that case, and obviously the people in Michigan are going to make their vote,” he added.

El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat last week after narrowly defeating moderate Rep. Haley Stevens in one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries of the election cycle. The race was widely viewed as a test of the ideological direction of the Democratic Party heading into November.

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New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji will travel to Syria and Lebanon next month accompanied by members of her taxpayer-funded NYPD security detail, despite both countries remaining on the US State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list, according to a report by the New York Post.

Sources told the Post that Duwaji is scheduled to depart for the Middle East on Sept. 20, visiting Syria and Lebanon, both of which the State Department warns Americans to avoid because of ongoing security risks.

According to a source familiar with the arrangements, Duwaji—whom Mayor Zohran Mamdani has frequently described as a “private person”—requested police protection for the trip after traveling overseas last month without an NYPD security detail.

Duwaji, a 29-year-old Syrian-American artist, has longstanding family ties to the region. On her personal website, she describes herself as a “Syrian Illustrator,” and her parents are Syrian Muslims originally from Damascus.

The mayor’s office confirmed both the trip and the decision to assign NYPD officers to accompany her.

“Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the First Lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” said mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec.

City Hall declined to provide additional details about the itinerary or say whether the trip has any purpose beyond visiting relatives.

A source familiar with the plans insisted the journey is entirely personal.

“It’s not official business. It’s not doing anything for the city.”

Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, criticized the decision to send NYPD officers into what he described as dangerous conflict zones, arguing that the officers—not Duwaji—would face the greatest risks.

“We’re putting the police officers in danger. They will be viewed as the bad guys. These are war zones,” said Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism and a former Brooklyn Assemblyman.

Hikind also argued that Duwaji herself would not face threats because of her political positions.

“Duwaji doesn’t need security. She will get a hero’s welcome and be protected by Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis,” Hikind said, referring to Islamic terrorists and militants.

“Duwaji will be fine.”

Duwaji previously participated in a 2019 artist residency at Haven for Artists in Beirut, a feminist cultural organization that describes its mission as operating at “the intersection of art and activism.”

Earlier this summer, she co-hosted an all-female pro-Palestinian spiritual retreat on the French island of Corsica. The event was organized by Women Sanctuary, a travel organization focused on Muslim women and led by Paris-based designer Rym Nur.

She also skipped America’s 250th anniversary celebrations to attend an earlier Women Sanctuary retreat in Mallorca, Spain, where she served as the event’s “artist-in-residence” and led a sold-out workshop titled “Plants Of The Quran.”

At the time, the mayor’s office said no NYPD officers accompanied Duwaji during that overseas trip.

Like her husband, Duwaji has drawn attention for her outspoken pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, reports surfaced that Duwaji had curated Spotify playlists featuring songs with explicit anti-Israel lyrics.

She also came under scrutiny after reportedly liking Instagram posts celebrating Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, as well as a separate post claiming that reports of rapes committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli victims and hostages were a “mass hoax.”

Weeks before Mamdani assumed office, a profile in New York magazine highlighted a number of Duwaji’s past social media posts. Among them was a 2015 message asserting that Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist in the first place” and referring to its residents as “occupiers.” Another post from her teenage years included the use of a racial slur.

In April, Duwaji issued an apology for the “hurt” caused by her past online posts, although she stopped short of specifically apologizing for her anti-Israel statements.

Mayor Mamdani has defended his wife throughout the controversy, arguing that she is a “private person” who should not be subjected to intense public scrutiny over old social media activity.

Duwaji has also been active in Democratic Socialist political causes. She produced artwork for the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America during the group’s “PalestineOnTheBallot.com” campaign, which promoted Democratic primary candidates who refused funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and pledged support for the Not on Our Dime Act, legislation aimed at penalizing or dissolving registered charities found to support what the bill defines as “Israeli settler violence.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Monday that he has not spoken with Attorney General Todd Blanche or US Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, about the possibility of prosecuting Dr. Anthony Fauci after the former top health official repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during recent Senate testimony.

When asked by reporters whether he had discussed the matter with either Blanche or Pirro, Trump made clear he had not been involved in any conversations regarding potential legal action against Fauci.

“I have not spoken to him about that, no,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he had discussed the matter with either Blanche or Pirro, NBC News reports.

Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions issued under subpoena concerning his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the July 29 hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 100 times rather than respond to lawmakers’ questions.

Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Thursday that the committee had formally referred the contempt citation to both the Justice Department and Jeanine Pirro’s office for possible prosecution. The Justice Department has acknowledged receiving the referral and said it is currently reviewing the matter.

Fauci retired from government service in 2022 after leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades. Before leaving office in January 2025, President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive presidential pardon.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said Monday that federal immigration authorities have set back-to-back monthly records for arrests of illegal immigrants and predicted those figures will continue rising as the administration hires more agents and broadens enforcement efforts nationwide.

Appearing on Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax, Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement reached an all-time monthly high in June before surpassing that mark again in July.

“June was the highest month in the history of the agency,” Homan said on “Greg Kelly Reports” in reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “July, they broke another record, and I expect to break another record in August.”

According to ICE statistics, agents arrested 43,138 illegal immigrants in June, setting a new record for Trump’s second term. Homan said July’s total exceeded even that milestone.

“We’re removing more people — [a] record number of arrests and deportations,” Homan said.

Homan also dismissed criticism from some Trump supporters who argue the administration has not moved aggressively enough on deportations, saying the removal process involves far more than simply locating someone in the country illegally.

“We’ve got to find the alien who doesn’t want to be found,” Homan said. “We’ve got to take them into detention. Then there’s a process. Get travel documents, get orders of removal to remove them. It’s not just a daily thing. It doesn’t happen that easily.”

He said ICE has continued to post record enforcement numbers despite numerous legal and logistical obstacles, including court rulings, sanctuary jurisdictions, and foreign governments that are slow to cooperate by issuing travel documents.

“Despite all that, despite the injunctions, despite the radical judges, despite the sanctuary cities, despite the difficulty in moving aliens to countries that don’t want to give us travel documents, we’re making record historic number of arrests and deportations,” he said.

Even with the recent gains, Homan said he believes the administration can accomplish much more once additional personnel are deployed.

“Am I happy with the number right now? No, I want more, too,” he said. “And as we bring these thousands of more agents on, we expect those numbers to increase, and we’re going to keep fighting.”

Homan added that one of his priorities is expanding immigration enforcement at workplaces to identify and apprehend more illegal immigrants.

He also linked the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign to President Trump’s broader law-and-order initiative in Washington, D.C., saying federal authorities have removed “thousands of illegal aliens” from the nation’s capital, including individuals he described as threats to public safety.

Police data released through Monday showed overall crime in Washington down 20% compared to the same period last year. Homicides have fallen 31%, robberies are down 15%, and vehicle thefts have dropped 53%. However, overall violent crime has increased 3%, driven by a 41% rise in assaults involving dangerous weapons.

Reflecting on conditions in the capital, Homan said he has seen a dramatic improvement.

“I work in the city every day,” Homan said. “I’ve never seen it so clean and so safe again.”

{Matzav.com}

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A group of New York rabbis met privately with Mayor Zohran Mamdani at City Hall today, urging him to temper his rhetoric about Israel, speak more carefully about the conflict, consistently condemn Hamas, and devote greater attention to combating antisemitism and protecting the city’s shuls and Jewish institutions.

The hour-long meeting, organized Monday by the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, brought together 10 Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative rabbis for what participants described as an open and respectful conversation about the concerns of New York’s Jewish community.

According to The New York Times, the participants did not present a unified position on Israel. While some encouraged the mayor to moderate his criticism of the Jewish state, others said they would rather see him stop commenting on Israel altogether and instead focus on issues that fall within his responsibilities as mayor.

Several rabbis told Mamdani they do not object to criticism of Israel or Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but urged him to express those views with greater nuance. They also encouraged him to condemn Hamas more consistently and to make clear that American Jews should not be blamed for decisions made by Israel’s government.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said he told Mamdani that the mayor has the ability to significantly improve the current atmosphere.

“I’m happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90 percent of what could be different here,” Jacobs recalled telling him.

“If instead of vilifying Israel, you spoke constructively, in measured tones, that would move the needle more than anything else, and I’m hopeful you’ll use that power.”

Despite representing different religious movements and political viewpoints, those present agreed that Mamdani’s relationship with the city’s Jewish community requires meaningful improvement, one participant told The New York Times on condition of anonymity because the discussion was held behind closed doors.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime critic of Israel, has faced continued tension with many segments of the city’s Jewish population since taking office.

“There was no tiptoeing around the elephant in the room,” said Rabbi Jonathan Leener, who leads Prospect Heights Shul, a liberal Modern Orthodox congregation in Brooklyn.

“The mayor’s comments have ramifications and he needs to be aware of how in the current climate, that just adds to the temperature and creates an environment that I think a lot of Jews feel vulnerable in,” Leener said.

Two additional rabbis who attended the meeting said concerns about rising antisemitism and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers were echoed by many participants.

The discussion followed Mamdani’s widely publicized speech last month in which he described Netanyahu as a “war criminal.” He later acknowledged that New York law would prevent him from fulfilling a campaign promise to arrest the Israeli prime minister.

Even among Jewish New Yorkers who oppose Netanyahu’s government, some expressed concern that increasingly harsh rhetoric directed at Israel could contribute to greater hostility toward Jews living in the city.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn said Mamdani should do more to distinguish criticism of Israel from attitudes toward American Jews.

“If he is going to criticize Israel or speak for Palestinian freedom, which I do regularly, then it really matters that there is complexity in his message,” she said.

“We can’t vote there, we don’t have any ability to change what’s happening, yet people are profiling us and spewing hate at us because they’re angry at the Israeli government.”

Timoner said she also encouraged the mayor to speak about antisemitism with the same force and clarity that he has previously used when discussing Islamophobia following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Several attendees said Mamdani listened attentively throughout the meeting and thanked the participants for speaking candidly.

Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, described the meeting as “open, positive and constructive.”

“Mayor Mamdani has and will continue to engage with Jewish life in New York City in order to meet the needs of our communities and reaffirm his commitment to the thriving of Jewish communities across the five boroughs,” she said in a statement.

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, built much of his political career through pro-Palestinian activism. While attending Bowdoin College, he founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and led an unsuccessful effort to persuade the school to join an academic boycott of Israel.

Although the mayor has moderated some of his positions on other political issues since taking office, he has largely maintained his longstanding views regarding Israel.

Leener, who identifies as a Zionist and has family living in Israel, said he never expected the meeting to change Mamdani’s opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Instead, he said his priority was urging the mayor to focus on protecting Jewish New Yorkers by increasing police security around synagogues and other Jewish institutions.

“That should be his focus and not making comments unnecessarily about the conflict,” Leener said. “Or having a bit more nuance around it. That it’s not just good versus evil.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Democrats on Monday, declaring that “jihadists” are being elected across the country as Republicans continue to portray the Democratic Party as moving sharply to the left ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump argued that Americans are seeing the rise of extremist ideologies in politics, though he did not identify any specific candidates. “Well, the one thing is, we have jihadists being elected all over the place,” Trump told reporters, according to CNN.

Expanding on his criticism, Trump added, “We have this whether it’s communism, jihadism.”

Throughout the election cycle, Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats and Democratic Socialists of embracing communist ideas. More recently, he has also begun using the term “jihadists” when attacking members of the Democratic Party.

The president said the phrase was suggested to him by a friend.

“A friend of mine called up,” Trump said, recounting that the person told him, “You know, really, you should use the word jihadist because that’s what’s happening.”

Asked to elaborate, Trump pointed to candidates from countries including Somalia as examples of those he was referencing.

Trump has long been a vocal critic of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was born in Somalia. In the past, he has called on Omar and another Muslim member of Congress to go “back from where they came.”

The president has also focused his criticism on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim.

During a campaign rally in Las Vegas last week, Trump described El-Sayed as a “hater of Jews and hater of Israel.”

El-Sayed has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and its policies.

Over the weekend, Trump posted an image on social media comparing a photograph of himself and First Lady Melania Trump with one of El-Sayed and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, who wears a hijab. The accompanying caption read, “Two very different Americas.”

Appearing Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, El-Sayed responded by agreeing that the two images reflected different visions of the country, while offering his own interpretation.

“Yeah, he’s right. One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other but join in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you. Or, two people who genuinely love each other, enjoyed some pancakes together, want to come together to build the kind of America where they can raise a family and know that that family is going to have the good thing,” El-Sayed said. “So, yes, you got two different visions of America.”

Since El-Sayed secured the Democratic Senate nomination last week, national Republicans have stepped up their attacks against him, with some choosing to refer to him by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the Democratic Party has been overtaken by “godless Communists” and has warned that communist ideology poses a growing danger to the United States. Democratic Socialists, while advocating policies well to the left of mainstream Democrats, maintain that their political beliefs are distinct from communism.

{Matzav.com}

Fresh off his Democratic primary victory in Michigan’s Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed reaffirmed his belief that Hamas committed war crimes while also accusing Israel of carrying out war crimes and genocide in Gaza. The remarks, made during a recent interview, come as President Donald Trump intensifies his attacks on the progressive nominee ahead of the general election.

Speaking on The Jim Acosta Show, El-Sayed was asked to clarify his position on the Israel-Hamas war. He began by reiterating that he has consistently denounced Hamas, saying, “I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they’re wrong. I think they committed war crimes. That’s not hard to say.”

Abdul El-Sayed on Hamas:

I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they’re wrong.

I think they committed war crimes. That’s not hard to say.

I just don’t know why it’s also not hard to say that, in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including… pic.twitter.com/LPMtQpS64f

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 10, 2026

He then shifted his focus to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the same standard should apply to Israel’s conduct. “I just don’t know why it’s also not hard to say that in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including genocide.”

El-Sayed framed the debate as one centered on how American taxpayer dollars should be spent, arguing that Washington should prioritize domestic needs instead of funding overseas conflicts.

“The question for us is ultimately about where we use our tax dollars. That is the political question,” he argued, continuing, “I think people like to get involved in this big, long question of what’s good for Israel or how we ought to be engaged in a conflict. My point is that our job is not to give money to make the conflict worse. Our job is to use our money here. And I believe that it is up to a free Palestinian people and free Jewish Israeli people to decide what the ultimate peace ought to look like.”

Continuing that argument, El-Sayed said he believes federal spending should be directed toward improving life in the United States rather than supporting military operations abroad.

“I just know that right now, our tax dollars are making it far worse. And I don’t want our money that could be used to make education and opportunity better for our people to be used to make life worse for other people.”

El-Sayed captured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat last week after narrowly defeating moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, a closely watched contest viewed by many as a test of the Democratic Party’s ideological direction.

Throughout the primary campaign, El-Sayed faced criticism over his positions on Israel. That scrutiny intensified after a terrorist attempted to bomb and open fire on a Jewish preschool located at a Michigan synagogue earlier this year, when El-Sayed responded by saying that “hurt people hurt people.”

His campaign prominently featured opposition to continued US military aid to Israel and harsh criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide, called for ending unconditional American assistance, and previously said in an interview that the Israeli government is “as evil as Hamas.”

Following El-Sayed’s primary victory, President Donald Trump launched a series of blistering attacks against the Democratic nominee during an appearance in Nevada.

“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of [garbage],” Trump stated during a Wednesday event in Nevada, describing El-Sayed as a “man of hate” and alleging that he harbors hostility toward Jewish people.

“He’s a communist. And the polls were wrong again last night when they thought it would be a landslide victory for a hater of Jews and a hater of Israel,” Trump declared.

Trump continued his criticism by expanding on those accusations, saying, “This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh, that’s a little strong’. No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel…He’s a man of hate. And now he’s going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn’t love everybody. Put him in office. You’re going to find out what he loves.”

The president also claimed that El-Sayed’s views toward Israel and the Jewish community were deeply rooted.

Trump further asserted that the primary victor “doesn’t love Israel. He doesn’t love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart.”

Looking ahead to November, Trump predicted that Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers would prevail in the general election, expressing confidence that Rogers would emerge victorious.

“Actually, we do better against the communists, according to every poll. The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I’m happy. I put out a statement: Congratulations to the Republican Party.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Dov Landau declared that the Torah world is facing an unprecedented campaign against Torah learning, calling on bnei yeshiva to respond not with despair but with even greater hasmadah and dedication to Torah. Speaking at a gathering celebrating the expansion of the chareidi community in Rechasim, Rav Landau said every ben Torah is feeling the weight of new gezeiros directed at the Torah world.

The rosh yeshiva delivered the remarks while addressing a special event marking the continued growth of chareidi education and the expanding Rechasim community in northern Eretz Yisroel. Hundreds of residents, rabbonim, and bnei Torah participated in the gathering, which was held in a large tent erected especially for the occasion.

“We are now standing at the threshold of the Days of Mercy and Forgiveness,” Rav Landau said as he reflected on the difficult challenges confronting the chareidi community.

“All of us, all those devoted to Torah, feel the persecution of Torah and the schemes of the wicked among Israel to undermine the honor of the Torah and those who study it,” he said. “We are all experiencing the hardships that continue to multiply as new decrees are imposed. We see the humiliation of Torah and the persecution of its students, and we are powerless.”

Rav Landau also spoke about the remarkable growth taking place in Rechasim, where hundreds of new homes and institutions are being developed to accommodate expanding yeshiva families.

At the same time, he emphasized that despite the physical growth of the community, the spiritual and communal challenges now confronting the chareidi world are more serious than ever.

Rav Landau said the proper response to the current crisis and what he described as the persecution of the Torah world cannot rest solely on ordinary public efforts. Instead, he stressed that the primary answer is a renewed commitment to Torah learning and tefillah.

“Your role, your privilege, and your obligation is to increase more and more in Torah study, in its depth and in the effort you invest in it,” he told the bnei yeshiva and lomdim gathered at the event.

“Be strengthened and courageous in immersing yourselves completely in Torah study. Raise the banner of Torah, elevate the honor of Torah against those plotting to cast it into the dust, and grow ever stronger in the struggle for Torah, because the Torah is truth and the Torah is eternal,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

A credible Iranian assassination plot targeting President Donald Trump triggered an extraordinary covert security operation last month, with the president secretly transferred onto a different US military aircraft while reporters and even some White House aides believed he was traveling aboard Air Force One, according to a report published Monday by The Washington Post.

The previously undisclosed mission was carried out under tight secrecy, with embedded journalists and several White House staff members unaware that Trump was no longer on the aircraft they believed was carrying him. The Washington Post said its account was based on operational documents, a US official familiar with the mission, and another source with knowledge of presidential travel procedures.

Publicly, the White House maintained that Trump departed Turkey on July 8 aboard the traditional Air Force One aircraft. Earlier, Trump had posted on social media that he intended to fly on the “former Air Force One” instead of the Boeing 747-8 donated to the United States by Qatar, an aircraft that had drawn public attention over its security capabilities and which Trump said would receive additional defensive upgrades.

Television cameras captured Trump boarding the familiar blue-and-white Air Force One in Ankara. But shortly afterward, officials quietly moved him to a smaller Air Force C-32A aircraft using an airport catering truck normally used to load food onto planes, according to a US official and records reviewed by The Washington Post. The larger aircraft then continued its mission as a decoy, carrying members of the press and White House staff who believed the president was still on board.

Trump was in Ankara for a NATO summit with world leaders. The secret transfer took place one night after he ordered a new round of US airstrikes against Iranian targets following the collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending months of hostilities.

The operation successfully concealed Trump’s actual location for several hours, not only from the public but also from numerous senior US government officials. Even weeks later, it remains uncertain how many people within the administration were informed about the security measures.

After being presented with details of the operation by The Washington Post, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the Qatari aircraft in a statement.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung stated, adding, “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment directly, referring all questions to the White House, while the Secret Service did not respond to requests for comment.

Throughout the operation, official White House communications continued to state publicly that Trump had departed Turkey aboard the traditional Air Force One Boeing 747, the aircraft he had used before the Qatari plane entered service.

The Washington Post’s account follows reporting last month by The New York Times, which revealed that US officials abruptly changed Trump’s aircraft after receiving intelligence about a credible assassination threat from Iranian proxy groups targeting both the president and his plane.

As the emergency aircraft transfer unfolded, reports emerged that Israeli intelligence had warned American agencies of Iranian plots to assassinate Trump. Some US officials reportedly viewed the intelligence cautiously, fearing it could be intended to encourage a more forceful American military response against Iran.

According to sources cited by The New York Times, however, the specific threat that prompted the aircraft switch in Turkey was separate from the intelligence Israel had shared with the United States.

While Trump remained in Ankara—roughly 1,000 miles from Tehran—the United States launched renewed strikes against Iranian targets. Speaking to reporters about the decision to change aircraft, Trump acknowledged that Iran has repeatedly sought to target him.

“They want to take out the US leader – me,” he stated, continuing, “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

{Matzav.com}

MK Chili Tropper, chairman of the newly formed Bayit Tzioni party, says his party will refuse to join any future coalition that does not enact mandatory national service for every Israeli citizen. In a wide-ranging interview with Kikar HaShabbat‘s Yishai Cohen, Tropper declared that the era of discussing enlistment quotas for the chareidi community is over, rejected proposals to strip voting rights from those who do not serve, advocated economic sanctions instead, and said he would neither help Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu form a government nor support any coalition dependent on chareidi or Arab parties.

Below is the full interview.

Yishai Cohen: Let’s start with the most basic question: Who is your target audience in this election?

MK Chili Tropper: “There is a very large ציבור, according to every poll, somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 Israelis, who look at the current political map and don’t feel comfortable with any of the existing parties. Many of them voted for the current coalition and became disappointed, but they also find it difficult to move to what they identify as the parties of the other bloc. We are their political home.”

Yishai Cohen: What’s the difference between your party and Benny Gantz’s party?

MK Chili Tropper: “First of all, I deeply appreciate, like, and respect Benny, so I’m not going to speak about him. I can speak about us. We’ve defined our mission: first, to establish a government that depends only on Zionist votes. Second, to make that government as broad as possible. I heard Benny say it’s either a unity government or elections, but… you know, I respect Benny מאוד. There really aren’t huge differences between us. In the end we’re operating in the same general political space, although there are certain differences.”

Yishai Cohen: When you say you want the broadest possible government, who from Netanyahu’s current bloc would you bring in?

MK Chili Tropper: “Among the existing parties, I see Religious Zionism. I don’t know what Ofer Winter will do. I don’t know whether Erdan will join forces with anyone. If I had 70 seats of my own, everything would obviously be much easier. Whatever party you mention, I could explain where I disagree with them, but ultimately there is a Zionist foundation—a partnership of people who serve, who love this country—the state, not only the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. That’s why I want to create as many partnerships as possible.”

Yishai Cohen: Some people say you’re really a satellite party for Gadi Eisenkot. Others claim you’re actually a satellite of Netanyahu.

MK Chili Tropper: “I’ll answer very directly: I am not a satellite party of Netanyahu, and I am not a satellite party of Eisenkot. I’ve heard both accusations. Sometimes what you see is exactly what it is: we’re a party made up of good Israelis who want a Zionist government. Many of our supporters come from what today would be described as the center-right of the political map.”

Yishai Cohen: But you say you’ll provide the 61st seat for Gadi Eisenkot, while at the same time saying you won’t provide the 61st seat for Netanyahu.

MK Chili Tropper: “I will provide the votes needed for a Zionist government. We know Netanyahu’s bloc—it depends on parties that are not Zionist.”

Yishai Cohen: What does the term “Zionist” mean to you?

MK Chili Tropper: “Zionism means establishing a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel according to international law. I used to teach history, so that’s the basic definition. It means loving the state. It means serving the state, okay? The state—not only the people and the land, but the state itself, our homeland. Military service is perhaps the clearest expression of that, but it’s also about how I relate to the state in general. Even saying a prayer for the state.”

Yishai Cohen: Let’s move to the draft law. Would you support legislation stating that someone who is genuinely learning Torah may continue learning, while someone who is not learning must enlist—with much stricter oversight of the yeshivos?

MK Chili Tropper: “I’ll tell you honestly. I come into this discussion carrying a great deal of pain. Maybe at another time I would have answered differently. But I’m coming after two years and ten months of the ultimate real-life test. There has never been a greater test than this—the longest war we’ve ever experienced, even longer than the War of Independence. The price has been unimaginable. And the chareidi leadership chose to stand on the sidelines. Because of that, I don’t think even the conversation about quotas—which years ago was still something people debated, arguing about what the quota should be—is relevant anymore.”

Yishai Cohen: So what kind of draft law would be your condition—and Yoaz Hendel’s condition—for joining the next government?

MK Chili Tropper: “Every Israeli—Jew or Arab, religious, secular, or chareidi—should serve the country through military service, national service, or civilian service.”

Yishai Cohen: Like Bennett and Lieberman? No exemptions at all?

MK Chili Tropper: “At this point, that’s my starting position.”

Yishai Cohen: So the day after the election you’ll say: “A universal draft law—for everyone, whether they’re learning or not. Without that, we’re not joining any coalition,” even if Gadi Eisenkot is leading it?

MK Chili Tropper: “Correct.”

At that point in the interview, Tropper emphasized that his views are not motivated by hostility toward the chareidi community.

MK Chili Tropper: “I have absolutely no hatred. I truly oppose all incitement, and I also see enormous value in the chareidi ציבור.”

Yishai Cohen: So what do you say to your political partner, Yoaz Hendel, who argues that anyone who doesn’t serve in the IDF shouldn’t have the right to vote?

MK Chili Tropper: “I oppose that proposal. In fact, I voted against it in the Knesset. He ultimately agreed that there are enough other sanctions available. I support sanctions because I believe all chareidim should serve. Sadly, I think the most effective tool is removing economic benefits, and he agreed with me on that point. As for the right to vote and be elected—we put that issue aside.”

Yishai Cohen: Returning to politics—you are saying that your party will not sit in the same government with the chareidi parties?

MK Chili Tropper: “When the government is first formed—definitely not. Again, it’s not because they’re chareidim. I believe in establishing a Zionist government that does not depend on non-Zionist votes. That’s the political principle. If Goldknopf or Deri were to come tomorrow and say, ‘It took us time, but we’ve realized the magnitude of this moment, and from now on we are calling on everyone who is not learning to enlist,’ then great—we can talk. The principle is about positions, not about individuals.”

Yishai Cohen: Let’s talk about the Arab parties, Ra’am and the others. Are you saying today that you will not agree to join any government—even a transitional one—and will not support one if it depends, either through votes or abstentions, on an Arab party?

MK Chili Tropper: “I’m not going to get into every possible political scenario. I’ve already stated the principle, and it applies equally to the chareidi parties and the Arab parties: the next government should be established through the votes of Zionist parties.”

Yishai Cohen: Are you staying in this race until the end? Yesterday, a Kan 11 poll had your party below the electoral threshold.

MK Chili Tropper: “In most polls we’re above the threshold. I have tremendous faith in our path. I see that after just one month—we only launched a month ago—we’ve already become a much stronger and more prominent force within what people call the third bloc. In most surveys we’re already above the threshold. Now I have another two months to work hard so that we’ll achieve a much better result on election day. Am I a responsible person who will try to act responsibly? Absolutely.”

A hidden cache of radioactive material tied to Syria’s long-defunct nuclear program is set to be removed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under a quiet agreement brokered by the Trump administration between Syria and Israel, defusing what officials feared could have become a dangerous regional crisis, according to a report by Axios.

The agreement follows months of behind-the-scenes coordination involving American, Israeli, and Syrian officials. Citing US and Israeli sources, Axios reported Monday that the IAEA will retrieve radioactive materials from a secret Syrian facility whose existence had become a growing security concern. The negotiations were led with the involvement of the Trump administration and senior officials in both Damascus and Yerushalayim.

Officials said the diplomatic effort eliminated a potentially explosive dispute that could have triggered military action involving Israel, Syria, and possibly Turkey over control of the sensitive site.

Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria secretly pursued a nuclear program centered on the Al-Kibar reactor. That reactor was destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike, bringing the country’s nuclear ambitions to an abrupt end. Even so, several research facilities and storage locations connected to the project remained intact after the strike.

After Assad’s government collapsed, Syria’s new leadership reached an agreement with the IAEA permitting inspectors to visit Al-Kibar as well as additional sites associated with the country’s former nuclear activities.

Israeli intelligence has spent the past two years monitoring a location known as “Site 99.” According to two Israeli officials cited by Axios, the Assad regime stored radioactive material there that originated from the Al-Kibar program. A US official confirmed that the stockpile included yellowcake—a processed uranium ore concentrate that can eventually be enriched for use in the nuclear fuel cycle—along with other leftover nuclear-related materials.

Although the material could not be used directly to manufacture a nuclear weapon, specialists warned it could be incorporated into a so-called “dirty bomb,” in which conventional explosives disperse radioactive material over a wide area. Following Assad’s downfall, the IDF struck the entrances to “Site 99” to prevent anyone from reaching the facility.

According to a US official, American and Israeli security officials have spent more than a year developing a plan for handling the site. Senior members of the White House National Security Council worked in close coordination with officials in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office throughout the process.

One Israeli official said Israel made it clear to Washington that it would not allow radioactive materials to remain inside Syria. Israeli officials even indicated they were prepared to carry out additional strikes if the stockpile was not removed or if Syrian personnel attempted to gain access to the site. At the same time, a US official stressed that despite Israel’s concerns, an immediate military operation was not viewed as imminent.

In the end, Washington and Yerushalayim concluded that working directly with Syria’s new government offered the safest and most effective solution. When US officials informed Damascus about the hidden nuclear materials, Syrian authorities reportedly said they had no prior knowledge that the stockpile existed.

“Very few people in the US, Israel and Syria were aware of this,” a US official told Axios, adding that Washington has cultivated an effective relationship with post-Assad authorities. “When we work with the Syrians on things – they are good partners.”

Several weeks ago, Israeli surveillance detected activity near “Site 99,” raising fears that Syria was violating its commitments by attempting to recover the radioactive material. Israeli officials also considered the possibility that Turkey was assisting Damascus in efforts to secure the site.

“The Israelis are always kicking the tires on different things to make sure it looks right and it’s good they do that,” a US official remarked.

Rather than support military action, the Trump administration urged Israel to hold off while it arranged for the IAEA to intervene directly. Those diplomatic efforts resulted three weeks ago in a formal agreement between the agency and the Syrian government to remove the radioactive materials safely from the site.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump issued a pointed warning to Iran on Monday, making clear that the United States still has powerful military options at its disposal if negotiations break down. While refusing to spell out his next move, Trump suggested Tehran would soon discover the consequences, dismissed the regime’s demands for reparations, and declared that the US Navy currently controls access through the Strait of Hormuz.

During a question-and-answer session with reporters, Trump was asked about his earlier statement that the current negotiations represented Iran’s final opportunity before “decapitation.” When pressed on what would follow if diplomacy failed, he replied, “You’ll find out.” Asked whether a large-scale military escalation remained a possibility, Trump responded, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out.”

Trump on Iran:

If there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages. pic.twitter.com/ZatM7zlLkS

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 10, 2026

The president also pushed back against Iran’s calls for compensation, expanding on comments he had made earlier on Truth Social. Trump argued that if anyone deserves reparations, it is the United States and the victims of decades of Iranian-backed violence. “They ask for reparations, you might say, or they ask for money for the damage that we’ve done. And I said, that’s a good idea. Well, we’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period, whether you go USS Cole or whether you go [to] all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly wounded or killed – many thousands of people. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last four months that were killed in Iran. It was at least 52,000 a month and a half ago. So now what is it? If there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages.”

When asked about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump insisted that the vital shipping lane is already open because it is effectively under American control. “It’s open now. The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that’s been infallible. It’s a steel wall. And we let people in that we want to let in, and those people come in, and they’ve been coming in and going out. So it’s actually open now. We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the Strait to go to Iran.”

Trump continued by describing Iran as financially devastated despite its ability to stir unrest. “[Iran] can make trouble, but they are broke. They have no money. Iran is totally broke. They are not paying their soldiers. Their inflation is 309%. So we’ll see what happens.”

Concluding his remarks, Trump said the Iranian regime is finally facing the consequences of decades of aggression across the Middle East. “For 50 years, they’ve been the bully of the Middle East. They’ve killed hundreds of thousands of people. Now they are paying a price,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

One of the most revealing parts of architect Liran Shukrun’s thinking is the way he speaks about the home itself. A frum family does not always live inside the standard Israeli apartment formula. In many Torah homes, the center of gravity is different. It may be the dining room table. It may be the seforim. It may be the constant flow of children, guests, learning, meals, and Shabbos. A home like that needs scale, flexibility, and a different kind of attention.

That understanding shaped the apartments at Givat Hashalvah. The homes are large, open, and planned to adapt over time. Structural elements are kept away from the center of the living space wherever possible, allowing rooms and layouts to remain flexible as family needs change. Liran speaks about this almost as a moral responsibility: if a family is going to live here for many years, the home must be able to grow with them.

The same thinking appears in the windows and balconies. Bedrooms were planned with unusually tall openings so a person standing inside the room meets the landscape at eye level. Living rooms and bedrooms open toward the view, not through small, incidental windows, but through panoramic glass that makes the hills and courtyards part of the home experience. The balconies are large enough to live on, not just step onto, creating real space for hosting, sitting, breathing, and bringing family life outdoors.

That is what makes the planning feel so specific. Givat Hashalvah is not only responding to a market need for larger homes. It is responding to a way of life. The project understands that a home for a frum family carries learning, hosting, children, guests, privacy, flexibility, and daily rhythm all at once. The architecture was asked to respect that. And in the best parts of the plan, it does.

Explore Givat Hashalvah → https://go.lyo.group/3LxM3tz

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed controversial legislation that would require Amazon and other major delivery companies to hire last-mile delivery workers directly, a proposal supporters say would strengthen worker protections but critics warn could eliminate thousands of jobs, increase delivery costs, and push Amazon to move operations outside the city.

On Monday, Mamdani announced his support for the Delivery Protection Act, a measure backed by the Teamsters union that would prohibit companies from subcontracting key warehouse and last-mile delivery operations. Instead, workers would have to be employed directly by the operators of the delivery facilities.

“Corporations like Amazon build billion-dollar business models by insulating themselves from accountability through a system of exploitative subcontracting,” the mayor said in a statement.

Mamdani described the proposal as “common-sense regulation that protects delivery workers, safeguards the communities where these facilities operate and ensures that the corporations benefiting from workers’ labor are responsible for the consequences of their business practices.”

Opponents argue the legislation would come with significant costs. A study conducted by consulting firm AKRF estimated that the measure would add an average of $664 annually to household delivery expenses for New York City residents.

“This law is just going to raise prices for consumers,” Business Council of New York State spokesperson Steve Smith told The Post on Monday.

Amazon, which partners with more than 40 locally owned Delivery Service Partners employing over 5,000 workers across New York City, has warned that the legislation could force the company to shift its delivery network beyond the five boroughs.

AKRF has previously concluded that relocating those operations would likely result in deliveries that are slower and more expensive for city residents.

“We’re committed to creating good jobs, supporting our thousands of employees and local small business partners in New York City and providing fast, reliable delivery for New Yorkers,” Amazon spokeswoman Kelly A. Nantel told The Post.

“But as written, this legislation would directly undermine that commitment — threatening the small businesses that deliver to customers, putting the jobs of more than 5,000 of their employees at risk and forcing us to consider relocating delivery operations outside of the city.”

Opposition to the proposal continued Monday as delivery workers and small-business owners planned a rally in East Harlem urging city officials to reject the legislation.

The New York Delivers coalition said it organized the event at Thomas Jefferson Park to argue that Intro 518 threatens both delivery jobs and small businesses while driving up costs for consumers.

According to the coalition, as many as 10,000 delivery jobs across the city could ultimately be affected if the legislation becomes law, including roughly 3,500 last-mile delivery positions in Harlem and four neighboring City Council districts.

The coalition also noted that 82% of last-mile delivery workers do not hold college degrees and that 84% of the workforce consists of non-white employees. Organizers planned to feature drivers and business owners who contend the legislation would jeopardize their livelihoods.

The demonstration coincided with renewed lobbying by supporters of the Delivery Protection Act, underscoring the increasingly heated debate over whether New York should dismantle the subcontracting model widely used in the city’s delivery industry.

Among the measure’s critics is Rudy Cazares, a New York City resident who operates both an Amazon Delivery Service Partner business and a FedEx contracting company. He said the legislation would effectively destroy his business.

“I would be shutting my business down. I have no business,” Cazares told The Post.

Cazares said his company currently employs approximately 130 workers, with additional hiring during busy periods such as the holiday season. Drivers begin at $23.75 per hour, while experienced employees can earn approximately $27 per hour.

“All my employees are W2, either full time or part time with benefits, paying payroll taxes,” Cazares said.

He disputed claims that Delivery Service Partners merely serve as intermediaries shielding Amazon from responsibility, explaining that his company independently hires its workforce and manages its own fleet.

“They control the sorting of the packages. They stage them for us. We pick them up and we go deliver them,” Cazares said of Amazon.

While acknowledging that Amazon encourages its delivery partners to improve efficiency through technology and other measures, Cazares argued that policymakers should address any concerns without eliminating locally owned delivery companies.

“There’s been no dialogue that includes the small businesses that are the ones making this happen,” Cazares said.

“This direct hire mandate will eliminate every small business out there that delivers packages for any business,” he added.

Some city officials have also expressed reservations about the proposal.

“We want to make sure we don’t have unintended consequences,” Carlos Ortiz, deputy commissioner of external affairs for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said during an April City Council hearing.

A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Julie Menin previously said the Manhattan Democrat intends to allow the legislation to continue through the normal legislative process while gathering additional feedback from affected stakeholders.

The Teamsters union strongly rejected Amazon’s arguments.

“Amazon will say or do whatever it takes to deny workers stronger rights and wages and abdicate its responsibilities for its own employees, which is why journalists are obliged to expose these greedy corporate tactics and not serve as stenographers for the company’s anti-worker propaganda,” Matt McQuaid, a spokesperson for the Teamsters union, told The Post.

FedEx also acknowledged the ongoing debate while referring questions about the legislation to the New York Delivers coalition.

“With the rise of e-commerce, last-mile delivery facilities for shipping and logistics businesses have become an increasingly essential part of the infrastructure that keeps New York City running,” a FedEx spokesperson told The Post.

“FedEx is aware of the proposed bill and is working with the New York Delivers coalition. Any questions on the legislation can be directed to them.”

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox, 

When rabbanim decided that unrestricted internet posed a serious spiritual danger to our children, they did not shrug their shoulders.

They demanded action.

They held massive asifos. They created standards. They pushed schools to implement rules. Parents were required to sign forms. TAG was created. Filters became expected. Rabbanim spoke about it constantly. Schools educated students and parents. Entire systems were built around confronting the danger head-on.

Nobody said, “What can we do? Technology is here.”

Nobody said, “The kids are going to use it anyway.”

Nobody said, “Parents can’t control everything.”

The message was simple: Our children are in danger, so we are going to do something about it.

Fine.

Now explain the response to electric scooters and e-bikes.

Children are flying through our streets on powerful electric vehicles, weaving through traffic, shooting through intersections, riding against traffic, appearing suddenly between parked cars, and operating machines capable of serious speed without the maturity or judgment to appreciate what can happen in a split second.

Every driver sees it.

Every parent knows about it.

We constantly hear about accidents and near misses.

And now the response is suddenly:

“What do you want us to do?”

“Everyone has one.”

“The parents can’t control them.”

“The schools can’t get involved.”

Really?

When the concern was that a child might be exposed to something spiritually harmful, an entire community mobilized.

But when the concern is that a child might actually get killed, suddenly nobody knows what to do?

I’m sorry. I don’t buy it.

If rabbanim could demand internet policies from every school and every family, they can demand basic standards for children operating electric vehicles.

If schools could tell parents what technology was acceptable in their homes, they can certainly address students recklessly riding high-speed scooters through the streets on their way to and from school.

If an entire infrastructure could be created to protect children from spiritual danger, surely some infrastructure can be created to protect them from getting run over by a car.

This is not about banning every scooter or e-bike. There are responsible ways to use them.

It is about recognizing that what is happening right now is dangerous and that the collective shrug is unacceptable.

Where are the rabbinic statements?

Where are the school policies?

Where are the parent meetings?

Where are the age restrictions, safety standards and consequences?

Where is the urgency?

Because there is something deeply backwards about demonstrating that we will move heaven and earth when we fear for a child’s neshama, but suddenly becoming powerless when we fear for the child’s actual life.

We already proved that when communal leadership believes something is dangerous enough, it knows exactly how to get everyone’s attention.

So let’s stop pretending nobody knows what to do.

God forbid, we should not need a funeral before this issue finally becomes important enough for everyone to act!

Avi Goldstein

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial rollout of the new pied-à-terre tax has been temporarily halted after a Staten Island judge issued a restraining order, delivering an early legal victory to homeowners challenging the city’s implementation of the luxury second-home surcharge.

Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi on Monday granted a temporary restraining order that pauses enforcement of the tax rollout until at least an Aug. 31 court hearing, where the lawsuit brought by several homeowners will be considered.

Under the ruling, the city is prohibited from taking further action on the 17,000 notices issued by the Department of Finance, which warned property owners they could face tax bills totaling tens of thousands of dollars unless they successfully applied for exemptions.

City Hall quickly vowed to challenge the decision and seek to revive the implementation of the tax.

“We disagree with today’s ruling, but we are confident in both the pied-à-terre surcharge and the City’s ability to implement it fairly and effectively,” said Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesman for the mayor.

“This surcharge asks those who own second homes valued at $5 million or more to contribute their fair share to the city they benefit from,” Rauschenbach said, claiming “The Law Department will appeal the ruling immediately which will stay the order, and the City will continue with the pied-a-terre’s implementation.”

The tax, approved earlier this year by the New York Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, applies to one- to three-family homes worth at least $5 million, along with condominiums and co-ops valued at $1 million or more, provided they are not occupied as primary residences.

The court order added another chapter to what has already been a turbulent rollout and came only hours after Hochul publicly urged the city to improve its handling of the new tax.

“We’re not responsible for the rollout,” Hochul said during an unrelated event in the Bronx. “This is something that we talked to the city about in advance. It’s up to their city tax department.

“We’ll encourage City Hall to try and streamline this.”

Hochul’s remarks represented a notable shift after she had previously championed the tax as a way to ensure that wealthy owners of luxury second homes—including what she described as “Russian oligarchs” and “Saudi princes”—would contribute more in taxes.

The controversy intensified after the city initially published a database listing more than 900,000 homeowners who might be affected by the new tax, following Mamdani’s public message telling affluent property owners to “check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs, because you’ve got mail.”

The publication of the database created widespread confusion because many of the listed properties appeared to fall outside the law’s intended scope, which targets vacant, non-primary residences.

City officials later mailed 17,000 notices informing homeowners that they would be subject to the tax unless they filed exemption requests.

The rollout prompted three homeowners to file suit, arguing that they either received notices for homes that have long served as their primary residences or were improperly included on the publicly released database.

The lawsuit, filed Friday, contends that the city’s rollout “caused mass confusion,” arguing that officials failed to use the extensive state records specifically made available under the law to determine which properties were actually eligible before placing the burden on homeowners to prove they were exempt.

According to the complaint, many longtime New Yorkers were left scrambling to establish that their homes qualified for exemptions before the city’s original one-month deadline expired.

Two of the plaintiffs—Rachel O’Brien and Carmine Morano, the wife and father of City Councilman Frank Morano—are Staten Island residents whose homes appeared on the published database.

The third plaintiff, Chelsea resident Simon Hedley, who has described himself as a supporter of Mamdani, received one of the 17,000 mailed notices, according to court filings.

Before the judge ruled, the city argued that the Department of Finance had already received “3,801 submissions challenging the Department’s initial determination as to primary residence.”

Court filings also revealed that Hedley’s own appeal had already been approved after he uploaded his tax return on Saturday, one day after filing the lawsuit.

City attorneys argued that issuing a restraining order would interfere with thousands of pending appeals and delay relief for homeowners already seeking exemptions.

“Enjoining the Department from taking any action on these appeals would deprive many property owners of receiving prompt responses to their appeals,” the city’s filing stated.

“Issuing a temporary restraining order that pauses the September 18 deadline may lull taxpayers into delaying their filings, and that in turn may mean that those delayed administrative appeals cannot be processed in time to be reflected in the November 15 bills.”

The city also maintained that the plaintiffs “have not raised any legally actionable claim or identified any irreparable injury” sufficient to justify removing the database from public view.

Justice Ozzi nevertheless granted the homeowners’ request for temporary relief.

His order requires the city to remove the online database identifying approximately 900,000 property owners and bars officials from taking further action based on either the published list or the mailed notices until at least the Aug. 31 hearing.

Hedley welcomed the ruling, while also acknowledging that city officials responded quickly once he submitted documentation supporting his appeal.

“I understand it’s still the end of the month, so there’s not a whole lot of uh time,” he said about the Aug. 31 hearing. “Hopefully, they can take the opportunity to roll things out a bit more smoothly.”

The lawsuit was filed by attorney Randy Mastro, who served as first deputy mayor during the administration of Eric Adams.

Before the ruling was issued, Mamdani joked about Mastro’s frequent legal challenges against his administration.

“There are a few things more certain in New York City than death, taxes and Randy Mastro filing a lawsuit against this administration,” Mamdani joked.

Following the court’s decision, Mastro praised the outcome as an important victory for city homeowners.

“We are very gratified by the judge’s decision, which has vindicated the rights of hundreds of thousands of New York City homeowners who were subjected to a process they never should have been a part of in the first place,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Hunter Biden sharply criticized President Donald Trump during a lengthy conversation with Tucker Carlson, calling him an “existential threat” to the United States in the latest appearance on a media tour that has increasingly included interviews with prominent conservative personalities.

The interview, released Monday on Carlson’s podcast, marked another notable stop for Biden, who has recently sought out conversations with conservative hosts despite years of political conflict. Biden and Carlson have known each other for roughly three decades, even though Carlson was one of his most vocal critics during the 2020 presidential campaign and throughout Joe Biden’s presidency.

Biden said his outreach to conservative media has been intentional. Earlier this year, he appeared on Candace Owens’ podcast and spoke favorably about that experience during his discussion with Carlson.

“I love Candace,” he said.

Both Carlson and Owens have recently become outspoken critics of several Trump administration policies, including the war with Iran.

During the interview, Biden argued that Trump represents a unique danger to the nation, describing him as far more than merely a product of broader political problems.

“The one existential threat that I think we all face as a country,” Biden said, adding that Trump is more than “the symptom of a disease” but is “central to why this disease has gone from a local epidemic to a pandemic in the United States of America.”

Carlson also reflected on his own relationship with Trump, discussing his unsuccessful efforts to persuade the president against entering the conflict with Iran.

“I overstated my own influence, like, dramatically, in a very embarrassing way — and my importance,” Carlson said, adding that he was “humiliated, correctly.”

Despite that disappointment, Carlson said he ultimately viewed the experience as valuable.

He said he was “grateful” for that experience, however.

In recent months, Carlson has increasingly hinted at the possibility of launching a new political movement or even a third party. He recently convened a meeting of disaffected MAGA figures—including former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie—and has outlined what he described as a 10-point platform during a recent episode of his show.

WATCH:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing a major revision of the nation’s recommended childhood vaccination schedule, calling for the number of diseases covered by universal immunization recommendations to be reduced from 18 to 11 while expanding parental choice in consultation with physicians.

The executive order reinforces the broad vaccine policy changes announced earlier this year by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., although those earlier revisions remain tied up in federal court.

Under the new directive, only vaccines covering 11 diseases would remain universally recommended for children. Vaccinations removed from the universal schedule would instead be recommended for high-risk individuals or administered through what officials describe as shared clinical decision-making between parents and their children’s doctors.

Administration officials emphasized that the order does not eliminate access to any vaccines. Kennedy said Monday that the goal is to provide families with greater flexibility in making medical decisions. While the federal childhood immunization schedule serves as guidance rather than a legal mandate, many schools and childcare providers rely on it when setting their own vaccination requirements.

During the announcement, Trump connected the revised recommendations to concerns over increasing autism diagnoses in the United States, despite decades of scientific research finding no causal relationship between vaccines and autism.

“While we do not know exactly what the cause is with respect to autism, it is essential to our research efforts that we have the very best vaccine recommendations in the entire world, so we’re reducing them,” Trump said.

The executive order recommends that vaccines for COVID-19, rotavirus, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and bacterial meningitis be administered through shared clinical decision-making rather than as routine universal immunizations.

At the same time, the administration continues to recommend universal childhood vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox.

The order also specifies that certain vaccines—including those for RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and two forms of bacterial meningitis—should continue to be recommended for children considered at elevated risk.

Heidi Overton, deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, said the executive order is intended to move forward with Kennedy’s vaccine reforms while the earlier policy changes remain blocked by the courts.

According to the order, childhood vaccines should be administered during separate medical appointments rather than combined into fewer visits. Health experts have noted that such a change could significantly increase the number of doctor appointments required during childhood and may also increase out-of-pocket costs for some families.

The directive also calls for the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be replaced with three separate injections. Because no individual FDA-approved vaccines currently exist for those diseases, the order instructs Kennedy to explore ways to make separate vaccines available.

Throughout his second term, Trump has repeatedly argued that children receive too many vaccines and has questioned the safety of the combined MMR vaccine compared with separate injections. During Monday’s announcement, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also asserted, without presenting evidence, that giving children “shot after shot after shot” contributes to vaccine injuries.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has said its recommended immunization schedule—consistent with CDC guidance issued before Kennedy became health secretary—is designed around the ages at which vaccines provide the strongest immune response and the periods when children are most vulnerable to serious disease.

The combined MMR vaccine has been in use since 1971 and is currently administered in two doses, typically between 12 and 15 months of age and again between 4 and 6 years old. Administering separate vaccines instead would increase the total number of injections from two to six.

The policy shift comes as the United States has already recorded more measles cases this year than in any full year over the past 35 years.

Trump’s executive order also authorizes the attorney general to pursue legal action against states that do not provide religious and medical exemptions to vaccination requirements.

The directive builds upon an earlier executive order seeking to align America’s childhood vaccination recommendations more closely with those of other developed nations.

Some current and former Trump administration officials have pointed to Denmark as a model, noting that its universal childhood vaccination schedule does not routinely include immunizations for influenza, COVID-19, RSV, chickenpox, and several other diseases. Many public health experts, however, argue that comparisons are limited because the United States faces different infectious disease patterns due to its larger and more diverse population, and because Denmark operates under a universal healthcare system while the United States does not.

{Matzav.com}

As families across Israel enjoy the annual Bein Hazmanim vacation period, Rabbi Shlomo Spiegel—who lost his two sons, Yissachar Dov and Avraham Yeshayah Spiegel, in a drowning accident off the coast of Netanya last year—is issuing an emotional appeal for vigilance, faith, and responsibility.

Speaking publicly nearly a year after the tragedy, Rabbi Spiegel stressed that belief in Divine providence never absolves a person from taking every possible precaution to protect life.

“In Novardok they used to say that two things are considered heresy,” Rabbi Spiegel explained. “One is, ‘What can I do?’ and the other is, ‘What could I have done?’ Before something happens, there is always something a person can do. But after it happens, a person must not say, ‘What could I have done?’ Everything comes from Heaven.”

Rabbi Spiegel said that safety had always been a central value in his home, long before the tragedy occurred.

“As parents, we almost never allowed our children to go to the beach without supervision,” he recalled.

He shared that on the night before the fatal accident, one of his sons had gone to the beach with friends but refused to enter the water because his parents were not present.

“As their friends later told us, they went into the water, but he did not. He said, ‘I’m not going in without parental supervision.’”

Rabbi Spiegel emphasized that the Torah’s command of venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem obligates every person to do everything possible to avoid danger, even though the ultimate outcome remains in Hashem’s hands.

He also described what happened on the day of the drowning, explaining that the family initially hesitated to enter the beach because they had heard it was closed.

“We didn’t want to go down because they said the beach was closed,” he said. “But we saw that the beach was full of people and that people were coming and going. So we asked what had happened. They told us, ‘No, only a few steps are broken, but there’s no problem at the beach.’”

Only much later, he said, did the family discover that there had been no lifeguard stationed at that section of the beach.

“The lifeguards told us that if there had been a lifeguard at that beach, he might have noticed what was happening one minute earlier. And that minute is critical.”

He therefore urged the public to take safety seriously.

“Every person truly needs to be as watchful and as careful as possible.”

Alongside the obligation to exercise caution, Rabbi Spiegel spoke about the family’s continuing effort to accept the tragedy with faith.

He said that accepting Hashem’s judgment does not begin only after a devastating loss but is something that must be cultivated throughout daily life.

“A person has to justify Hashem’s judgment in everything that happens to him,” he said. “Whenever someone upsets him, whenever someone hurts him, he has to justify Hashem’s judgment. Then, when something truly difficult happens, he can genuinely accept Hashem’s judgment.”

Rabbi Spiegel added that every Jew is taught that everything comes from Heaven, but during times of personal trial that belief must become a lived reality.

“A person has to live everything that he learned throughout his life.”

As the remainder of Bein Hazmanim continues, Rabbi Spiegel encouraged families to combine physical safety with spiritual growth.

“My request is that whoever can, before going on a trip, should learn two Mishnayos in memory of our precious children,” he said. “The learning will be a merit for them, and it will also remind the person to be careful.”

He asked that people remember his sons, Yissachar Dov and Avraham Yeshayah ben Shlomo, and dedicate Torah study and spiritual strengthening in their memory, as well as in memory of all those who have lost their lives in other recent tragedies.

Rabbi Spiegel concluded with a heartfelt message for vacationers, urging them not to leave their Jewish identity behind when they travel.

“Be a Jew even when you go out,” he said, recalling that his sons always wore their tzitzis proudly even while on outings.

“Vacation is a time to relax, but it is not a time to let go,” he said. “It is a time to rest, but not a time to abandon who we are.”

He expressed confidence that those who travel with that sense of responsibility will be more careful both spiritually and physically.

“If a person goes with that attitude,” he said, “I believe he will be careful, both in ruchniyus and in gashmiyus.”

{Matzav.com}

Recently disclosed text messages show that Dr. Anthony Fauci privately discussed the possibility that COVID-19 vaccination could “theoretically” be associated with miscarriages during early pregnancy, even as he publicly maintained that there were “no red flags” for pregnant women receiving the vaccine.

In a Jan. 25, 2021, text conversation with then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Fauci said additional discussions had raised an issue he believed deserved attention.

“I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of,” wrote Fauci.

“Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester,” added the then-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director.

The exchange took place as Fauci, Walensky, and Murthy were evaluating whether the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen might present different risks depending on the stage of pregnancy.

Walensky responded by agreeing that the concern Fauci raised warranted consideration.

She replied that the first trimester issues he mentioned were “definitely a good point, [especially] after dose two.”

Just over a week later, on Feb. 3, Fauci addressed the issue publicly during a question-and-answer livestream hosted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, saying the Food and Drug Administration had not identified evidence suggesting a danger for pregnant women.

During the event, Fauci said the FDA “found thus far, and we have to be careful, but thus far no red flags about that, about pregnant women.”

Several months afterward, while serving as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Fauci again publicly encouraged vaccination during pregnancy, citing federal monitoring data.

He stated that “tens and tens and tens of thousands of women who have been followed by the CDC, who have been vaccinated when they were pregnant, there’s no indication whatsoever that there’s any increase of any adverse issues in a pregnant woman who was vaccinated compared to a pregnant woman who wasn’t vaccinated … it’s pretty clear that pregnant women should get vaccinated.”

Additional communications among Fauci, Murthy, and Walensky also show the officials weighing the potential risks of vaccination against the dangers posed by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

In one exchange, Murthy expressed concern after the World Health Organization issued guidance regarding the Moderna vaccine and pregnancy.

Murthy wrote that he was “surprised to see WHO [World Health Organization] put out a strong like saying they do not recommend moderna [sic] in pregnant women.”

He added, “That’s a strong statement to make and potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women,” in a Jan. 26, 2021, text sent to Fauci and Walensky.

The messages were released by Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin after the Senate Homeland Security Committee obtained more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemail recordings from Fauci’s government-issued cellphone last week.

According to the two Republican senators, only three contacts were listed on the phone, although they cautioned that it is “too early to determine whether any data has been deleted.”

{Matzav.com}

At least 111 people were dead and scores of buildings collapsed after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, authorities said.

The temblor, which struck near San José del Palmar on Colombia’s Pacific coast shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time, was the strongest to hit the country in a decade, according to the Colombian Geological Service. It was felt in Bogotá, some 150 miles away, and in neighboring Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, where twin earthquakes in June killed thousands.

Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble of fallen buildings in several cities. At midday, 111 people were reported dead, 61 buildings collapsed, and 52 schools, 18 health centers, 17 community centers and six airports affected, President Abelardo de la Espriella told reporters.

The dead included at least 40 people in the Risaralda department and 27 in Valle del Cauca, their governors told local news outlets.

The Risaralda deaths included three at Matecaña International Airport in Pereira, where a section of the passenger terminal roof collapsed. Videos showed plumes of gray dust rising above the city of about 470,000 people, the commercial center of Colombia’s coffee region.

Chocó Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi reported nine deaths in Quibdó, the capital. The department, home to a large Afro-Colombian community, is one of the country’s poorest. Videos on social media showed buildings in several areas partially or fully collapsed.

Jorge Eduardo Rojas, mayor of Manizales in Caldas department, reported three deaths, 12 buildings damaged or collapsed and many gas leaks. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 30 buildings in Colombia’s third-largest city had collapsed, with people trapped inside. Antioquia’s governor said one person had been killed in that department.

The quake reached a depth of nearly 70 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There was no tsunami threat, Colombia’s General Maritime Directorate said.

The disaster is an early challenge for de la Espriella, who was inaugurated Friday. De la Espriella said Monday that he would establish a unified command post to respond and would travel to the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration “stands ready to support the people of Colombia” and the de la Espriella administration. The right-wing president is expected to be a key partner to President Donald Trump, who endorsed him before the second round of Colombia’s election, held in June.

Trump sent a delegation on Friday, led by then-acting attorney general Todd Blanche, to attend de la Espriella’s inauguration in Cali. The city was the largest to report significant earthquake damage on Monday.

Colombia’s Pacific coast lies along the Ring of Fire, a belt of frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Videos from Manizales, a university city built along steep, landslide-prone Andean ridges, showed serious damage to the city’s Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica, the tallest cathedral in Colombia.

The country’s civil aviation authority suspended operations at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

In Bogotá, thousands of people evacuated buildings. Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said buildings suffered superficial cracks but no structural damage. The city was ready to help the hardest-hit communities, he said; 100 rescuers prepared to deploy to areas prioritized by the national government.

The earthquake struck a region with a searing memory of seismic catastrophe. In 1999, a 6.1-magnitude quake devastated Armenia, a city of about 300,000 in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Coffee Cultural Landscape, killing an estimated 1,100 to 1,200 people. About 60 percent of Armenia’s poorly engineered structures collapsed.

The event reshaped Colombian disaster policy, spurring a national reconstruction fund and stricter enforcement of the country’s seismic building code.

The twin earthquakes, of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes, that struck Venezuela 39 seconds apart on June 24 killed more than 6,000 people.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Samantha Schmidt, Helena Carpio, Joshua Yang

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s $300 million superyacht has come under criticism after reports claimed it did not respond to requests to assist a disabled boat off the coast of Alaska, leaving another vessel to carry out the rescue.

According to the Alaska Beacon, the 387-foot yacht Launchpad did not respond after a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel Monday night while traveling between Petersburg and Juneau. Instead, the nearby cruise ship Wilderness Legacy altered course and came to the stranded boat’s aid.

During the rescue operation, the captain of the Wilderness Legacy reportedly informed passengers that Zuckerberg’s yacht had been closer to the disabled vessel but had “refused” to assist, according to one passenger aboard the cruise.

The announcement reportedly drew a strong reaction from those on board.

“There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this,” according to a Bluesky post by vacationer Michael Love.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it received the skiff’s call for assistance at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday.

After evaluating the situation, the Coast Guard concluded that the vessel was not in immediate distress but issued a marine assistance broadcast roughly 30 minutes later requesting help from nearby boats.

Marine tracking data cited by the Alaska Beacon indicated that the Wilderness Legacy, operated by UnCruise Adventures, was actually farther from the stranded skiff than Launchpad when the assistance request was issued.

The same tracking information reportedly showed the cruise ship passing Zuckerberg’s yacht on its way to assist the disabled vessel while the superyacht remained in place.

The Wilderness Legacy ultimately towed the skiff to the safety of protected waters in Farragut Bay.

A spokesperson for Zuckerberg disputed any suggestion that he or his family were involved, emphasizing that neither was aboard the yacht at the time and explaining that the crew did not immediately receive the Coast Guard’s communication.

“Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident,” the statement provided to the Beacon said.

“As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe.”

{Matzav.com}

Hillary Clinton is cautioning Democrats that Republicans’ efforts to brand progressive candidates as “communist” or “socialist” could become a potent campaign weapon in the 2026 midterm elections, urging her party to unify behind its nominees and broaden its appeal to independent voters.

Speaking Friday on the “Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway” podcast, Clinton reflected on Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens. She said Democrats now face the challenge of bringing the party together ahead of the general election.

“The real fight will be, How do we make sure that people who voted for Haley feel comfortable voting for Abdul El-Sayed? And, How do we get independents to feel comfortable?” Clinton said.

She argued that Republicans are likely to center their campaign strategy on portraying Democratic candidates as extremists.

“It’s not just about Michigan, but the Republican messaging is ‘communist, socialist.’ It’s going to be a very effective attack.

“And so people on the left have to be prepared to answer that and be effective in answering that.”

When podcast host Kara Swisher questioned whether branding candidates as “communist” would still be an effective tactic in 2026, Clinton pointed to President Donald Trump’s campaign strategy as evidence that Republicans believe the message resonates with voters.

“All I know is that’s the attack that Trump is leading with and I assume they’ve tested it and I assume that they have reason to believe that it’s effective or they wouldn’t be beating the drum on it,” Clinton said, noting that Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans also have adopted the message.

Clinton described the Republican approach as an effort to revive “scare tactics,” while acknowledging that Democrats must also overcome internal divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions.

El-Sayed, who earned the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during the primary campaign, is now set to face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race widely viewed as critical to determining which party controls the Senate.

Clinton said Democrats encompass a broader range of political viewpoints than Republicans but stressed that electoral success ultimately depends on winning statewide general elections.

She also criticized some progressive activists for failing to fully support Democratic nominees after contested primaries.

“There was a lot of reluctance to support Kamala Harris. There was a lot of reluctance to support me when I got the nomination,” Clinton said. “So, it can’t be a one-way street.”

With Michigan expected to be one of the nation’s marquee Senate contests, Clinton said El-Sayed will need to unite Democratic voters—including those who backed Haley Stevens—and attract independents if he hopes to defeat Rogers.

“We’re not going to beat Republicans by being divided,” Clinton said.

{Matzav.com}

A newly released Channel 14 News poll indicates renewed momentum for Israel’s right-wing camp, projecting a 62-seat Knesset majority while showing Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s Likud party gaining additional support since the survey’s previous edition.

The poll, published Monday evening, projects the right-wing bloc winning 62 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu’s Likud emerges as the largest party with 33 seats, reflecting a gain of two mandates compared to the previous Channel 14 survey.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party is projected to finish in second place with 23 seats. Shas and the Democrats are each forecast to secure 10 seats, while Yisrael Beytenu is expected to win eight.

The Beyachad party and United Torah Judaism are each projected to receive seven seats. Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism are each forecast to capture six mandates, while Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am are each expected to win five seats.

According to the survey, the overall balance of power would give the right-wing bloc 62 seats, compared to 48 seats for the center-left bloc and 10 seats for the Arab parties.

Several parties would fail to cross the electoral threshold under the poll’s findings, including Balad with 2.3%, Zehut with 1.3%, the Reservists’ Zionist Home party with 1.2%, Gilad Erdan’s party with 0.9%, Ofer Winter’s party with 0.6%, and Blue and White with 0.4%.

The survey also asked respondents who they believe is best suited to serve as prime minister. Netanyahu led the field with 54% support, followed by Gadi Eisenkot at 34%. Naftali Bennett received 6%, Avigdor Liberman drew 5%, and Benny Gantz finished with 1%.

{Matzav.com}

Gaza’s tunnel network could take more than a decade to dismantle under a proposed postwar plan being advanced by the Board of Peace, the body tasked with shaping the territory’s future, its high representative for Gaza said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.

Nikolai Mladenov told journalist Amit Segal that the 15-point roadmap, negotiated between the Board of Peace led by U.S. President Donald Trump and Hamas, is designed to ensure Gaza “is never again a threat to Israeli security” and hinges on three elements: full decommissioning of all weapons in Gaza, Board of Peace governance through a national committee, and large-scale reconstruction, backed by an international security force to oversee the process.

Mladenov said Israel would not be required to withdraw forces “before we actually have verified steps on the ground,” explaining that IDF troops are currently positioned along the Yellow Line inside Gaza and that any pullback toward the border fence would proceed sector by sector only after weapons are collected, stored and rendered unusable by the national committee and international forces.

He stressed that the plan does not limit Israel’s ability to respond to imminent threats or evidence of Hamas rearming, saying that if commitments are not met, the process would freeze and “we do not progress to the next stage,” while adding that personal weapons in Gaza under the envisioned arrangement would not include Kalashnikov rifles or be held in large quantities.

The interview aired hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Jerusalem rejects the 15-point roadmap announced by the Board of Peace on July 30.

Disarming the Iranian-backed terrorist group means that Hamas gives up its “heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons,” the prime minister reiterated, saying there had to be “real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.”

Jerusalem is discussing the matter with the Trump administration, the premier said, adding that the Americans “have ideas, some of them acceptable to us and some not acceptable to us.”

The IDF will continue to thwart threats against Israeli forces and civilians, he vowed.

Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen told JNS on Monday that the IDF will not redeploy in the Gaza Strip until Hamas terrorists lay down their weapons.

“Until Hamas disarms, we will not move a millimeter,” said Cohen, a member of the Security Cabinet.

“I do not believe Hamas will disarm, but I am willing to give the Board of Peace the opportunity to do so,” the minister said, referencing the body chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump that oversees ceasefire efforts.

“If they do not succeed, we will return to war and dismantle Hamas ourselves at a time we deem appropriate,” Cohen warned.

“We will not return to an Oct. 6 mentality, and we will not allow Hamas to become stronger,” he said_. JNS_

Sen. Bernie Sanders is intensifying his campaign against the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, urging the leaders of the industry’s biggest companies to suspend development of increasingly powerful AI systems until the technology can be more fully understood and safely managed.

According to Axios, Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, sent letters to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, calling on them to voluntarily stop advancing cutting-edge AI models.

“Mr. Altman, Mr. Amodei and Mr. Zuckerberg: In the interest of humanity, stand by your words,” Sanders wrote, according to Axios. “Pause AI development. It is not too late to avoid disaster.”

The senator also warned that if the technology companies fail to act on their own, lawmakers will pursue legislative action to force the issue.

“Let me be very clear: If you do not take appropriate action now, my colleagues and I in the U.S. Senate will,” he wrote.

The latest appeal represents another step in Sanders’ increasingly forceful effort to challenge the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and the massive data centers required to support it.

Earlier, Sanders joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York in introducing legislation that would impose a nationwide pause on the construction of new AI data centers until Congress establishes protections for workers, consumers, civil rights, and the environment.

That proposal has not been universally embraced, even among Democrats.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner dismissed the idea of freezing data center construction, calling such a moratorium “idiocy” in March and arguing that slowing American AI development could hand communist China a strategic advantage in the global race for artificial intelligence.

Despite that criticism, Sanders has continued to make regulating AI a central part of his broader economic agenda, arguing that the technology’s growth should not outpace public safeguards.

Axios previously reported in May that Sanders has advocated for a moratorium on new AI data centers, stronger protections for workers whose jobs could be displaced by automation, greater cooperation with China on AI safety issues, and tighter scrutiny of the political influence wielded by AI-related super PACs.

On July 31, Sanders wrote on X that more than 500 communities across the country had approved laws limiting or blocking the rapid expansion of AI data centers, saying Americans were “standing up to the Big Tech oligarchs.”

In his newest letter, Sanders pointed to reports of artificial intelligence systems behaving in unexpected ways, as well as research showing AI being used to develop new viruses.

He argued that technology companies continue pouring tens of billions of dollars into AI systems that, in his view, remain insufficiently understood and cannot yet be reliably controlled.

Although Sanders has threatened congressional action if the industry refuses to slow its pace, Axios reported that legislation reflecting his proposals currently appears unlikely to secure enough support in Congress, making public advocacy and messaging efforts the most immediate path available to progressives.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is stepping into one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, announcing plans to meet with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan as Democrats ramp up efforts to capture a pivotal Senate seat.

Newsom confirmed Sunday that he would sit down with El-Sayed after being asked about the candidate during a C-SPAN interview.

“I’ll be meeting with him tomorrow,” the governor said, according to the New York Post.

Highlighting the national importance of the Michigan contest, Newsom argued that the race could ultimately determine which party controls the U.S. Senate and said Democrats across the country should rally behind El-Sayed.

“The Senate is in play, and it will go through this state,” he said. “Getting behind him is going to be important. That’s going to require not just the party here, but support outside of Michigan.”

The California governor also commended El-Sayed’s campaign following his victory in the Democratic primary, saying the candidate has continued to build momentum despite facing political headwinds.

“My observation is he seems to be moving at a pretty impressive clip,” Newsom said. “It’s about unity, and these larger/smaller events, including the ones we’ll have tomorrow, are indicative of someone who gets it.”

Newsom’s visit places him squarely in the middle of a fiercely contested Senate campaign as both parties battle for control of Congress in the November elections.

The trip also reflects Newsom’s growing political presence beyond California as he continues to raise his national profile while openly weighing a possible 2028 presidential bid. His political team has said the Michigan visit is designed to boost Democratic candidates ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans, meanwhile, have intensified their criticism of El-Sayed as the general election campaign gets underway.

Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized the Democratic nominee during an appearance on Fox News Saturday, arguing that El-Sayed would be a poor choice for Michigan voters.

“I think the guy’s crazy and would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan,” Vance told Fox News’ “Saturday in America.”

Vance’s remarks came shortly after El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination and followed the candidate’s accusation that the vice president, who has been outspoken in support of Israel, was “sucking up to power.”

“We’re going to make that case, and obviously, the people of Michigan are going to make their vote,” Vance added, also describing El-Sayed as an “odd guy.”

In November, El-Sayed will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in what is expected to be one of the country’s most competitive Senate races.

Rogers narrowly fell short in Michigan’s 2024 Senate contest by approximately 20,000 votes, setting the stage for another closely fought election that could play a decisive role in determining which party controls the Senate.

President Donald Trump has escalated the standoff with Iran by declaring a new condition for future negotiations, insisting Tehran must compensate victims of its decades of violence after Iranian officials demanded payment from the United States before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest exchange comes after Iran indicated that the strategically vital waterway would remain closed unless the U.S. compensates the Islamic Republic for damage sustained during the recent five-month war. In response, Trump unveiled a list of demands of his own, drawing a sharp new line in the ongoing negotiations.

“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump went on to argue that if compensation is now part of the discussion, Iran should be the one paying for decades of bloodshed carried out through its military operations and proxy forces.

“But it is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by General Soleimani, including the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others killed in combat,” the president added.

The president also broadened his demands to include compensation for Iranian civilians whom he said were killed by their own government over the past half-century, particularly during the recent conflict.

“Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations,” Trump concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Hundreds of yeshiva bochurim participated in recent days in the “Bnei Hayeshivos Conference” held in Chafetz Chaim, culminating in the annual gathering attended by leading roshei yeshiva and headed by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch.

As Rav Hirsch entered the gathering, the bochurim broke into powerful singing that accompanied him to the front of the hall, where an extraordinary group of senior Torah leaders awaited him. Among those present were Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi of the Mir Yeshiva; Rav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Chevron; Rav Shimon Galei; Rav Chaim Peretz Berman of Ponevezh Yeshiva; Rav Issamar Garbuz, rosh yeshiva of Orchos Torah; Rav Chizkiyahu Mishkovsky; Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, rosh yeshiva of Mir; Rav Tzvi Drabkin, rosh yeshiva of Grodno Be’er Yaakov; and Rav Yisroel Bunim Schreiber, rosh yeshiva of Nesiv Hadaas.

A lengthy question-and-answer session with Rav Hirsch followed, addressing both the larger challenges confronting the Torah world and deeply personal questions faced by individual yeshiva bochurim in their learning, tefillah, and spiritual growth.

The following is the full interview, translated into English.

Rav Moshe Fish: With great reverence, we would like to present questions to the rosh yeshiva, upon whose shoulders rest the burdens of the generation in general and of the Torah world in particular, both in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world. There are weighty questions on the public agenda and on the personal agenda of every ben Torah and every person striving to grow. The public thirsts to hear clear daas Torah and words of Torah from this great and elevated gathering.

Our first question is this: Right now, the Torah world as a whole, and every individual bochur, is being pursued with every means available to the authorities. Unfortunately, we are being relentlessly persecuted. The most basic question is: How should we daven to Hashem about this difficult period? Where should we have this in mind, and what precisely should we daven for?

We know that Chazal interpret the verse “Let sins cease from the earth” to mean sins rather than sinners. On the other hand, we have the bracha against informers, which was instituted regarding wicked Jews. What should we daven for? Should we hope that they do teshuvah? Should we ask that they be destroyed, uprooted, broken, and subdued? Where should we have them in mind, and what should we ask for?

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch: I think that certainly, when we say, “May all wickedness disappear,” that can certainly apply. Likewise, “May the brazen sinners be speedily uprooted, broken, crushed and subdued” can also be said with this in mind.

Regarding “May all the enemies of Your people be speedily cut down,” that requires consideration. But what I mentioned certainly applies. We are speaking about their being subdued, completely subdued, and the elimination of wickedness. Certainly, one may have the present situation in mind when saying those words.

Rav Fish: Another question for the rosh yeshiva concerns something that troubles some bochurim on the fringes of the yeshiva world: the question of earning a livelihood.

There is a concern that if these government decrees continue and intensify, there will be major financial challenges. People need to purchase homes and support families. A bochur who is somewhat weaker emotionally may begin wondering whether, after marriage, instead of planning to devote himself to Torah day and night, he should begin thinking now about a source of income.

Is it correct to think this way? Should a bochur be concerned about this issue? And if he should not be concerned, why not?

Rav Hirsch: I think part of the question is based on the assumption that this is what people do outside Eretz Yisroel. But that is not correct. Today, people outside Eretz Yisroel do not do that either.

What he is describing was indeed the reality when I was a bochur. At that time, almost every person—even virtually every excellent bochur—would pursue some form of university education.

A university degree could ordinarily be completed in four years. But if someone attended classes three nights a week for several hours, he could finish in approximately eight years. At the time, someone who learned the entire day and went to university three evenings a week was still considered an outstanding bochur.

At a lower level, someone might attend four evenings a week and learn only until six in the evening. There were many different levels. But the concept of learning Torah the entire day with no secular studies whatsoever was almost nonexistent.

Then Rav Aharon Kotler entered the picture and changed all of America.

And I will tell you what happened with the earlier system: Not a single talmid chochom emerged from it.

The opposite approach produced results. There were bochurim who learned and learned and learned in Lakewood for years, and then remained in kollel for additional years.

I knew one person who was in kollel for 12 years. When he could no longer remain in kollel, he became an attorney after those 12 years. Another person spent six years in kollel before moving on.

Today, it is different. Today, every serious bochur goes to kollel and remains there as long as possible. Afterward, he finds some way to earn a livelihood.

But if you reverse the order and plan in advance to leave Torah study for work, I do not know how much benefit there is financially, but there is certainly, certainly an enormous spiritual loss.

Therefore, certainly not.

Rav Fish: With the rosh yeshiva’s permission, I would like to return to the first subject. The audience asks: Suppose the army could establish a framework that was completely pure according to Torah standards, hypothetically speaking, without any spiritual questions whatsoever. Would it then be permissible to join such a framework?

Rav Hirsch: It is absolutely clear that this question has nothing whatsoever to do with a yeshiva bochur.

Regarding a yeshiva bochur, there is nothing to discuss at all. He has no connection whatsoever to the army.

The question is relevant only to someone who is not learning. Someone who is working—if there were a framework that was completely pure according to Torah standards, would that be permissible?

The problem with the claim that something is completely pure is very simple: Today it may be pure, and tomorrow it is not.

What does that mean? The moment you are in the army, there is nothing preventing the head of the army or a commander from saying that all of these people must now go somewhere else.

We have seen this explicitly. In every place where they create frameworks that are supposedly completely appropriate for chareidim, those arrangements can easily be eliminated.

Rav Fish: Another question. We often read and hear about the tremendous desire for Torah possessed by the great Torah leaders and talmidei chachomim—the attraction expressed in the verse, “Draw me after You; let us run.”

A bochur asks: Right now, I do not possess that level of yearning for Torah. How can I develop the desire and thirst for Torah that characterized the talmidei chachomim of previous generations?

Rav Hirsch: We have discussed this many times.

For a person to experience joy in Torah, to genuinely enjoy Torah—the verse says, “The commandments of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart.”

To reach the level where Torah truly gladdens the heart, Rabbeinu Yonah explains that three conditions are necessary.

The first is good middos.

The principle is that the more physical and materialistic a person is, the more that contradicts the joy of Torah. To experience the joy of Torah, a person must become more spiritual.

What diminishes spirituality?

First, poor middos. Rabbeinu Yonah says that a person must first develop good middos, and then he can truly enter the world of Torah.

Second, one must reduce materialism. I am not talking about complete abstinence from physical things. But there is a level of excessive materialism, of being deeply attached to physical pleasures, that directly contradicts Torah. A person who is strongly attached to that kind of materialism cannot experience the sweetness of Torah.

The third requirement, Rabbeinu Yonah says, is yiras Shomayim.

Without yiras Shomayim, Torah does not possess sufficient importance in a person’s eyes.

A person must understand what Torah means. The entire purpose of my life is to become close to Hashem. That is my purpose. I have no other ultimate purpose. And the best way—almost the only way available to us—to accomplish that is through learning Torah.

When a person understands that, Torah becomes immensely important to him. And when Torah is important to him, he experiences joy while learning because he is doing the most important thing in the world. That itself creates joy in Torah.

But without yiras Shomayim, Rabbeinu Yonah says, Torah does not possess sufficient importance. And without recognizing the importance of Torah, there cannot be joy in Torah.

So the three things are good middos, distancing oneself from excessive materialism, and yiras Shomayim, which produces an appreciation for the importance of Torah. Then a bochur will develop genuine enjoyment in his learning.

Rav Fish: There is another question. We live in a generation with enormous spiritual challenges, particularly involving technology. There have been very good and outstanding bochurim who were excellent for a period of time but later fell, Heaven forbid, because of this form of idolatry.

A bochur says: Right now, I am doing very well. I am learning properly, davening properly, and learning mussar. But I have seen friends who fell. How can I guarantee that this will not happen to me?

Rav Hirsch: “Fortunate is the person who is always afraid.”

Indeed, that is exactly the point. A person must constantly work and continue working. He must learn mussar, remain immersed in Torah, and daven properly.

But there can never be a situation in which a person says, “Ah, I have reached the point where I am fine.”

There is no such thing. This is the work of an entire lifetime.

Rav Fish: Regarding tefillah, there are people for whom tefillah feels like a burden. As the seforim describe it, they simply want to rid themselves of the obligation.

Others reach a level where they look forward to davening. They yearn for it and miss it.

How does a person reach that level? How can I acquire a taste for tefillah?

Rav Hirsch: One issue is very practical. Even if everyone more or less understands the words, most people do not truly understand the meaning of the tefillos and what is contained within them.

If a person would learn all of the chapters of Tehillim that appear in davening together with the commentary of the Malbim, and he would know what he is actually saying, then certainly his tefillah would be entirely different.

But the primary issue is something else.

The main problem is that, while davening, a person does not actually feel that he is speaking to Hashem.

If he does not feel that he is talking to Hashem, then obviously it is like someone simply saying words without speaking to anyone. Naturally, he has no desire for it.

I saw something quoted in the name of the Kuzari. The Kuzari says that the emunah generated by one tefillah should sustain a person until the next tefillah.

In other words, tefillah itself produces emunah.

Why?

Because when a person speaks to Hashem, when he feels that he is talking to Him and asking Him for things, he feels the presence of Hashem. And when he feels Hashem, that is tangible, emotional emunah.

What could possibly be more enjoyable than speaking to Hashem?

The only reason tefillah lacks taste is because people do not feel that they are speaking with Hashem.

A person must arouse himself and think: I am speaking to Hashem.

That is tefillah.

Rav Fish: There is a difficult question that requires some courage to ask, but with the rosh yeshiva’s permission, I will ask it.

The rosh yeshiva of Mir is sitting here. In the Mir kollel, there are many different learning programs: in-depth learning, breadth of knowledge, Daf Yomi, groups devoted to particular topics, Choshen Mishpat, Yoreh Deah, and more.

Many avreichim discover for the first time after marriage that they truly enjoy learning because they find a learning program suited to their particular abilities and nature.

The question is: Perhaps, at least in the older levels of the major yeshivos—and perhaps at least for average and weaker bochurim—we should arrange specialized Torah learning tracks suited to different types of people, such as studying a sugya through its practical halachic conclusion and other styles of learning.

Perhaps some bochurim would come alive through that approach. Why is the yeshiva world so conservative in this area?

Rav Hirsch: First of all, there are certain portions of Shas—particularly Nashim and Nezikin—that must be learned during a bochur’s yeshiva years.

The particular kinds of reasoning, analysis, precision, innovation, and differentiation required to understand a subject deeply are acquired most effectively through learning Nashim and Nezikin.

That is essentially why those masechtos were established as the standard yeshiva curriculum.

Before someone begins specializing in halachah or another particular field, he first needs the foundation of what people used to describe by saying that in yeshiva, a bochur “learns how to learn.”

That foundation is indispensable.

However, even within that system there are differences between people.

There are bochurim who naturally possess a tremendous capacity for depth and can immediately develop profound new insights. Other bochurim simply do not possess that particular ability.

The problem sometimes arises when a bochur sees that his friend has that strength and thinks, “I also have that ability.” He then attempts to produce the same kinds of insights even though it does not suit him.

His friend emerges with two beautifully clarified approaches, while he emerges confused.

But even someone who does not possess the ability to enter into extreme depth has many seforim available to him. One has to know which seforim to learn.

The works of Rav Elchonon Wasserman and the Steipler, for example, are accessible to everyone. Anyone can acquire a broad knowledge of the conceptual foundations of Torah learning and enter the world of lomdus in a manner suited to his abilities.

The same is true regarding earlier acharonim. A person may not be capable of learning the Machaneh Ephraim, while he may indeed be able to learn the Shaar Hamelech.

It depends on the particular acharon and on the individual.

In our generation, the two examples I gave—the works of Rav Elchonon and the Steipler—illustrate what I mean.

Rav Fish: A bochur asks the following question: He learns in a yeshiva of 500, 700, or 1,000 bochurim. He feels like just one more person among a thousand, another number on a list.

He thinks, “What value do I have? What am I contributing? What am I really doing? What makes me special or unique?”

For some bochurim, this causes tremendous discouragement.

Rav Hirsch: I genuinely do not understand the question.

Every person learns because he himself has an obligation and a purpose. His purpose in this world is to become close to Hashem. That is his purpose.

Therefore, what difference does it make if there are a million other people here?

But if we assume that the question nevertheless requires an answer, there is another answer as well.

The Ramak teaches a principle regarding the joining together of souls. One person’s neshamah strengthens another person’s neshamah.

In fact, this concept appears in several places in Chazal.

Hillel was worthy of reaching an extraordinarily high spiritual level, but he did not attain it because of the level of his generation. When there are people in a generation who are not good, it affects everyone, and the generation as a whole cannot reach as high a level because everyone is connected to everyone else.

So you may think, “I am one person among a million,” but in reality, everyone needs everyone else. Every individual who is present affects everyone else.

Chazal also say that Moshe Rabbeinu was capable of receiving the Torah on his own, while Klal Yisroel required 600,000 people to receive the Torah.

What does that mean? Each individual seemingly receives Torah independently. Why should the number of people make a difference?

The answer is that Klal Yisroel could achieve the level necessary for each individual to receive the Torah only through the combined strength of all 600,000. Without that collective combination, it could not have happened.

That means that every bochur who learns well places something into the generation. The entire generation receives strength from what he contributes.

That is the answer—if there really is a question. But in truth, there is no question to begin with.

Rav Fish: With the rosh yeshiva’s permission, one final question.

A bochur asks: We know that ours is a generation of abundance, luxuries, tremendous materialism, and many physical comforts.

Where is the boundary?

At what point can I feel confident that I am not becoming someone who indulges excessively while technically remaining within the boundaries of Torah? How do I know that I am not becoming overly materialistic?

On the other hand, there are things that are considered normal today. This can apply to entertainment, the quality of one’s home, clothing, or food.

How can a person determine what falls within normal, reasonable standards appropriate for our generation and what has crossed the line into excessive materialism? Is there some way to measure it?

Rav Hirsch: First of all, someone who genuinely learns mussar and learns Torah with consistency and diligence will begin to sense the answer himself.

And if he still is not certain, he should look at what the serious, outstanding bochurim and avreichim are doing and follow their example.

That is the answer.

Rav Fish: We want to thank the rosh yeshiva. May he continue to flourish in old age, full of vitality and strength. We daven and bless ourselves that the rosh yeshiva should continue to lead us until the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days, amen.

{Matzav.com}

The Satmar Rebbe sharply criticized recent demonstrations by members of New York’s Jewish community against New York City’s Muslim and anti-Semitic mayor, socialist Zohran Mamdani, saying such protests contradict the Torah’s approach during golus and amount to dangerous “hisgarus b’umos – provocation against the nations.”

The Rebbe made the remarks during the central tish marking the yahrtzeit of his uncle, the author of Vayoel Moshe, the Satmar Rebbe zt”l, who rebuilt the Satmar Chassidus after the Holocaust and established its well-known philosophy of separation from Zionism. The annual gathering, attended by thousands of chassidim, is one of the movement’s most significant events of the year.

Addressing the recent public backlash against Mayor Mamdani, who has faced boos and demonstrations from Jewish organizations over his anti-Israel positions, the Rebbe declared: “Recently we have witnessed terrible provocation against the nations by chareidi Jews—the provocation directed against the Mayor of New York. We know that we are living in golus, and the novi Yirmiyahu instructed the Jewish people, ‘Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you.’ Torah-observant Jews must conduct themselves according to the ways of the Torah and accept the decrees of exile. By shouting against him and labeling him an antisemite, people are engaging in genuine provocation. It is not enough that there is provocation against the nations in Eretz Yisroel, but now they are bringing that same provocation here to America as well.”

The Rebbe’s comments come as tensions between Mayor Mamdani and large segments of New York’s mainstream Jewish and pro-Israel communities have reached unprecedented levels. Relations have deteriorated sharply following a series of controversial actions and statements by the mayor, prompting large demonstrations outside his official residence and public calls for his removal from office.

Among the incidents that fueled the backlash was the release of an official city video in which Mamdani referred to Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” urged the federal government to arrest him, and described IDF operations as “genocide.” Jewish community leaders have also accused him of contributing to rising antisemitism through what they viewed as a weak response to antisemitic violence and criticized his decision to establish a judicial advisory committee without including any Jewish representatives.

Those developments have led numerous Jewish organizations and public figures to launch an aggressive campaign against the mayor, with some demanding that he resign or be removed from office.

The Satmar Chassidus, however, has taken a markedly different approach. The relationship between the chassidus and Mayor Mamdani has remained cordial. During the annual Yom Hatzalah celebration on 21 Kislev, the mayor was received with great honor at Satmar’s central gathering, warmly blessed by the Rebbe, who also publicly supported him during his election campaign.

Now, amid the political storm, the Satmar Rebbe has reaffirmed that, in his view, the obligation of Torah-observant Jews during golus is to avoid public confrontation and political provocation, even under highly contentious circumstances.

{Matzav.com}

Passengers heading to Ben Gurion Airport are encountering growing frustration even before entering the terminal, as parking lots near Terminal 3 are repeatedly filling to capacity and closing during peak travel periods. Despite efforts by the Israel Airports Authority to ease congestion, soaring demand continues to overwhelm the airport’s parking system.

Last week, the Israel Airports Authority reported a record-breaking day at Ben Gurion Airport, with approximately 101,000 travelers passing through the facility. The unusually high volume of passengers caused the short-term parking lots adjacent to Terminal 3 to reach full capacity and temporarily close. According to a Ynet report, this has become an almost daily occurrence as demand for convenient parking consistently exceeds available spaces.

The overcrowding is not simply the result of limited parking capacity. Many drivers specifically choose the lots closest to the terminal because they allow direct access without relying on shuttle buses and also offer covered parking. By comparison, long-term parking areas include many uncovered spaces and require shuttle transportation, even though parking fees differ between the options.

One of the main issues contributing to the shortage is that many drivers are using short-term parking lots for extended stays. The Israel Airports Authority’s website states that vehicles left in short-term parking for more than 24 hours are subject to towing at the owner’s expense. In practice, however, the policy is not consistently enforced, allowing many motorists to leave their vehicles well beyond the intended time limit.

For many travelers, remaining in the more convenient short-term lots is still worthwhile despite the rules. Drivers simply pay the parking fee, with the daily maximum reaching 135 shekels during peak periods and 100 shekels during regular periods. Many view that cost as a reasonable tradeoff for the convenience, particularly during the busy vacation season.

The Airports Authority also faces legal limitations because leaving a vehicle in a short-term lot beyond 24 hours is not a violation of Israeli law. Although it breaches airport parking regulations, drivers are generally not fined, unlike in some other parking facilities throughout the country where overstaying may result in penalties.

When the short-term lots fill up and close, drivers are redirected to long-term parking areas or to a designated waiting lot, where they can remain for up to one hour free of charge. For those making brief visits to pick up or drop off passengers, this often means taking airport shuttle buses, increasing inconvenience while adding pressure to both the shuttle system and airport traffic.

Another challenge involves the pricing structure of the long-term lots. Drivers entering those facilities are charged for an entire day, with a daily rate of 50 shekels and no discounted option for parking just a few hours. As a result, even motorists simply dropping off or collecting passengers often use the main parking system, adding to congestion.

Parking shortages are only one part of the heavy congestion currently affecting Ben Gurion Airport. Flight delays are averaging roughly an hour, while passengers are experiencing lengthy waits for check-in, baggage drop-off, and security screening. After arriving in Israel, baggage claim can also take nearly 90 minutes.

Ben Gurion Airport operates several parking facilities offering approximately 20,000 parking spaces in total. However, only about 2,000 of those are designated as short-term spaces located adjacent to Terminal 3. An additional parking facility serving both short-term and long-term needs is located near Terminal 1.

In an effort to ease congestion, the Airports Authority introduced a new service this year at the parking area near Terminal 3 that allows drivers to wait for up to one hour free of charge. The goal is to encourage those picking up passengers to avoid occupying spaces in the premium parking lots.

The system is designed so drivers remain in their vehicles until they receive confirmation that the arriving passenger has landed, then proceed directly to the designated pickup zone. In practice, however, many drivers still prefer to park and personally accompany travelers into or out of the terminal.

That limited interest in the waiting lot was evident during last weekend’s record-setting travel day, when occupancy at the facility reached only about 30% despite the airport’s exceptionally high passenger traffic.

Drivers who choose the waiting lot can access Terminal 1 directly, but those heading to Terminal 3 must use a shuttle bus. The Airports Authority continues encouraging the public to take advantage of the service, saying it can help reduce congestion while lowering transportation costs.

Short-term parking is priced at half a shekel per minute, with the first 15 minutes free. The daily maximum is 135 shekels during peak periods and 100 shekels during normal periods. Vehicles remaining in the waiting lot for more than one hour are charged 30 shekels for the first hour beyond the free period, followed by half a shekel for each additional minute.

Meanwhile, the Israel Airports Authority has issued a new tender for the management and operation of Ben Gurion Airport’s parking system. The project is intended to improve the efficiency of existing parking facilities rather than construct new ones.

Responding to the growing complaints, the Airports Authority said it currently offers three parking options tailored to different needs: long-term parking for travelers leaving vehicles for several days at a cost of 50 shekels per day, with complimentary shuttle service every 15 minutes; short-term parking adjacent to the terminals with hourly rates up to a daily maximum of 135 shekels; and a new waiting lot offering one hour of free parking for those picking up arriving passengers.

The authority added that the pricing structure is designed to encourage extended stays in the less expensive long-term lots while preserving short-term spaces for brief visits. It acknowledged that demand for parking near the terminals is especially high during the summer travel season and said that when those lots reach capacity, drivers are directed to alternative parking areas where spaces remain available. The Airports Authority also urged travelers and those accompanying them to use Israel Railways and other public transportation whenever possible, while recommending that drivers collecting passengers take advantage of the dedicated free waiting lot.

{Matzav.com}

The expected departure of Likud lawmakers Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz to rival political parties is set to trigger a major reshuffle within the party, paving the way for commentator Erez Tadmor and Likud’s chareidi activist Shabtai Katz to enter the Knesset.

The political shake-up comes as Edelstein prepares to join the new party led by Gilad Erdan, while Illouz is set to move to Yisrael Beiteinu. Their anticipated resignations from the Knesset will create two vacancies on the Likud list, setting off a chain reaction that will bring new lawmakers into parliament.

Following Tzachi Hanegbi’s departure from the Likud and his position as head of the National Security Council, the next candidates in line for seats in the 25th Knesset are Shabtai Katz, who would replace Illouz, and journalist and political commentator Erez Tadmor, who would take Edelstein’s seat.

At the same time, Likud MK Avichai Boaron called on Edelstein and Illouz to resign within 24 hours, warning that if they refuse, he will seek to have them formally declared defectors from the party.

“Dan Illouz and Yuli Edelstein are acting in an immoral manner. A person can change his opinion, but making a political switch while trading on the votes of the public and the mandate they received from Likud voters is unacceptable, ugly, and a betrayal of the public’s trust. They must resign immediately. If they do not do so within the next 24 hours, I will work to convene the faction and advance proceedings to have them declared ‘defectors.’”

Illouz responded with a sharp jab at Boaron, saying, “Boaron is apparently in a difficult position ahead of the primaries and needs public attention at any price. As I already announced, I intend to resign from the Knesset after I finish packing up my office, tomorrow or Tuesday—and that is despite the fact that I represented the Likud’s declared values more than anyone else during this term.”

Illouz is expected to leave the Knesset before the Likud primaries scheduled for August 17, while Edelstein has not yet decided whether he will step down before or after the party vote.

The planned resignations have also raised a legal question within Likud. Both Katz and Tadmor are candidates in the upcoming primaries for the large Jerusalem-Judea and Samaria-Shfela district. Some questioned whether becoming sitting Knesset members before the primaries would disqualify them under party rules.

Legal sources within Likud have reportedly said that will not be the case. Because their service in the current Knesset would last less than six months, it would not provide the advantages or institutional benefits associated with longer-term incumbency, leaving their candidacies fully valid.

Shabtai Katz is an attorney and businessman from Lod, a Chabad chossid, and serves as chairman of Likud’s chareidi headquarters. He is considered to have a broad base of support within the party.

Erez Tadmor is a co-founder of the Im Tirtzu movement, a columnist, media personality, and longtime ally of Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu. He previously served as one of Netanyahu’s speechwriters and managed several political campaigns.

If another Likud seat becomes vacant during the current Knesset, the next candidate on the party list would be Gilad Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon previously sought to run in the Likud but was blocked by Netanyahu after refusing to meet the party’s required waiting period. He is currently running independently within the party’s internal institutions.

An unusual incident disrupted an Arkia flight from Amsterdam to Israel over the weekend after a passenger mistakenly boarded the aircraft with a ticket for a different flight. The plane was forced to return to its parking stand before takeoff, and a separate technical malfunction later caused an additional delay.

The incident occurred after the aircraft had already begun taxiing toward the runway. During final pre-departure procedures, it was discovered that one of the passengers on board did not have a ticket for that flight, prompting the crew to return the aircraft to the gate.

Eran, a passenger aboard the flight, told Mako that the pilot informed travelers they would be returning to the stand before takeoff. According to him, flight attendants later explained that the delay was due to a security-related incident involving a passenger who had boarded the wrong flight.

“The flight attendants told us there was a security incident and that we were returning because a passenger had boarded the flight without the proper ticket,” Eran said.

He said security personnel arrived within minutes and escorted the passenger off the aircraft.

“Within a few minutes, security personnel arrived and removed him. How is it possible for someone without the correct ticket to reach the boarding gate, pass the final inspection by the gate agents, and take a seat on a plane that is about to depart for Israel? This isn’t an ordinary delay—it’s a serious security failure that requires an investigation and clear explanations.”

Eran added that passengers were given little information as the situation unfolded.

“We weren’t given organized information, and no one provided clear answers to our questions,” he said. “People were under a lot of stress. It felt like some of those involved didn’t fully understand the seriousness of the incident or the distress of the hundreds of passengers who were confined to the aircraft for such a long time.”

Even after the passenger was removed, the flight did not depart immediately. A separate technical issue with the aircraft was later discovered, causing another delay before takeoff.

Arkia said in a statement: “During preparations for the departure of an Arkia flight from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv, while conducting the passenger count prior to takeoff, it was discovered that one passenger had mistakenly boarded the aircraft while holding a boarding pass for a different flight.

“The passenger, who was not traveling with checked baggage, had successfully completed all airport security and screening procedures in Amsterdam. As soon as the mistake was identified, he was removed from the aircraft and transferred to the flight on which he was actually booked.

“We emphasize that the technical malfunction discovered later on the aircraft, which required the plane to return to the stand before resuming its journey after repairs, was completely unrelated to the passenger incident. These were two entirely separate events.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Sunday that his office is aggressively investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci, promising to use every legal avenue available under state law to determine whether any wrongdoing occurred during or after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Uthmeier discussed the ongoing Florida investigation with host Maria Bartiromo, focusing on Fauci’s tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and his role in shaping the nation’s pandemic response.

When asked whether he believes Fauci may have committed criminal acts, Uthmeier sharply criticized the former public health official, calling his conduct during the pandemic “horrific” and asserting that many Americans suffered because of his decisions.

“People couldn’t be there for the birth of their first child or the loss of a loved one because of him,” Uthmeier said. “And if he is making money on the side while perpetuating this fraud, there could very well be criminal liability … We’re going to look at every aspect of Florida law and do everything in our power to seek truth and accountability.”

Uthmeier also praised Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for continuing congressional scrutiny of Fauci following last month’s contentious Senate hearing on the federal government’s pandemic response. During that hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times.

“Dr. Fauci clearly doesn’t want to answer questions, but the American people still have a lot of questions,” Uthmeier said, adding that Fauci “did not believe a lot of the mandates and protocols that he was pushing.”

The attorney general further alleged that Fauci privately questioned many of the policies he publicly promoted during the pandemic.

“He doubted safety and efficacy of the so-called medical treatments yet, nevertheless, forced them on the American people,” the Sunshine State’s attorney general continued.

According to Uthmeier, Florida’s investigation is also examining whether Fauci personally profited from the pandemic through outside financial opportunities. He said investigators are “using every tool under Florida law to figure out what kind of self-dealing was going on.”

While acknowledging the legal challenges involved in pursuing claims against government officials, Uthmeier suggested that financial gain outside official government duties could raise serious legal concerns.

“Government officials, they have a lot of immunities under the law,” he said. “We’ve got an uphill battle, but where there’s monetary value increases, and somebody’s going aside from their state job or their government job to do book deals, to seek awards to the tune of millions of dollars, that’s a problem.”

During last month’s nearly three-hour Senate hearing, Fauci declined to answer questions posed by Republican lawmakers, repeatedly invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination. Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Paul, voted to recommend that Fauci be held in contempt, arguing that his 111 invocations of the Fifth Amendment constituted contempt of Congress.

Paul said he intends to forward the committee’s contempt referral to the Justice Department without delay.

The legal dispute has also sparked disagreement over whether Fauci can continue asserting Fifth Amendment protections after receiving a sweeping presidential pardon from Joe Biden. The pardon covers any federal offenses Fauci may have committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025.

Committee Democrats rejected the contempt effort, arguing that the pardon does not eliminate Fauci’s constitutional rights. Ranking member Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told colleagues that a federal pardon “does not eliminate an individual’s Fifth Amendment protection if they still face a ‘real and appreciable’ risk of federal or state prosecution.”

Peters also criticized the committee’s handling of the investigation, saying, “Following a one-sided investigation and a rushed process that has repeatedly excluded the minority and other members of this committee, the chairman is now asking the committee to take a vote that could harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognized by the U.S. Senate,” Peters said Thursday.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Sunday that a small portion of the renovation work at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was affected by contractor mistakes, while continuing to insist that vandalism also played a role in the damage despite prosecutors dropping the criminal case against an Olympic canoeist.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said repairs to the Reflecting Pool are nearing completion and emphasized that the construction issues were limited in scope.

“There was substantial damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We are working on the Pool, and it will reopen shortly. As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential.”

Trump also reiterated his allegation that former Olympic canoeist David Hearn damaged the pool. According to the president, a longtime National Park Service employee witnessed Hearn allegedly pulling on the pool’s protective surface and later relayed that account to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

Trump claimed that a National Park Service “career employee, a highly credible witness,” saw Olympian David Hearn “in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating.” He added that this employee’s testimony was provided to U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

The president concluded by announcing that surveillance cameras have been installed at the site and that additional security measures are being implemented.

The latest statement came a day after Trump shared photographs on Truth Social that he identified as evidence of vandalism while urging Pirro to reconsider the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss charges against several individuals accused of damaging the landmark.

Those images showed what appeared to be graffiti and sections where the pool’s protective coating had peeled away. Trump labeled both photographs simply as “Vandalism.”

The president has continued pressing the Justice Department to reverse its decision to drop the criminal case. On Friday, he publicly called on Pirro to reconsider what he described as “her hastily made decision.”

Meanwhile, D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman officially dismissed the charges against Hearn. The court is expected to decide at a later date whether prosecutors may file charges against him again in the future.

Last week, Trump criticized Pirro over the outcome of the case, saying she had “choked” in handling the matter.

The dispute stems from problems that surfaced after the Reflecting Pool underwent renovations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. Pieces of “American flag blue” paint were seen floating on the water, while green algae blooms also appeared. Trump has maintained that vandals were responsible for both issues.

After the charges against Hearn were dropped, Pirro’s office instead pointed to problems with the renovation work itself, blaming the contractor for excessive paint overspray and delamination of the pool’s protective coating.

“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” prosecutors wrote.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that he believes Israel’s current government is no longer acting in a manner consistent with American national security interests, pointing to its conduct in Gaza and its rhetoric during the conflict with Iran as reasons for his growing opposition.

Speaking during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Murphy reaffirmed his support for the U.S.-Israel relationship while drawing a distinction between Israel as an ally and the policies of its current leadership.

“I want there to be a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. I support Israel. I cannot support this government’s actions. They are not aligned with U.S. national security objectives,” Murphy said during a Sunday appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”

Murphy said his concerns have made it increasingly difficult for him to back continued U.S. arms transfers to Israel under the present government. He added that he favors a two-state solution and believes a change in Israeli leadership and policy would be necessary before lawmakers with similar views could support ongoing military assistance.

“And so I think that until we have a different government and a different policy in Israel, it’s going to be hard for people like me that want a Palestinian state, side by side with a Jewish state in the region, to support continuing to send arms to Israel,” he added.

Murphy’s remarks came shortly after Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu stated during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting that, as long as he remains in office, no Palestinian state will be established “neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria.”

The senator’s comments also follow a recent House vote on an amendment that sought to end unconditional U.S. aid to Israel. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 314-104, with 103 Democrats supporting the measure and 98 Democrats voting against it, highlighting divisions within the party over U.S. policy toward Israel.

Addressing those internal disagreements, Murphy argued that differing views within the Democratic Party reflect healthy debate rather than weakness.

“We have disagreements inside the Democratic Party,” Murphy said regarding Democrats’ message on Israel.

“And that’s the sign of a healthy party. What’s the alternative? Well, the alternative is the Republican Party, in which they are not allowed to have disagreements. The only thing they can think is what Donald Trump thinks. That’s not a healthy party. I want to be a part of a party that occasionally actually has disagreements inside it,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday that the Department of Transportation is moving to permanently require commercial truck drivers to demonstrate the ability to read, write, and speak English, saying the change is intended to prevent future administrations from weakening the standard.

In a post on X, Duffy said the administration is taking steps to make English-language proficiency a permanent part of federal regulations governing commercial drivers.

“Today, I am proposing to lock English proficiency rules into federal regulations FOR GOOD — so no future administration can ever undo them,” Duffy wrote on X.

Duffy sharply criticized changes made during the Obama administration, arguing they weakened long-standing safety standards for truck drivers.

“Barack Obama weakened this rule and allowed illegal truckers onto our highways, but THAT IS NOT HAPPENING AGAIN,” he adamantly continued.

Pointing to the administration’s enforcement efforts, Duffy added, “Over 26,000 unqualified drivers have already been pulled off the road. GET READY FOR MANY, MANY MORE,” Duffy concluded.

The social media post also included video footage showing a transportation official asking a commercial truck driver to identify U.S. highway signs. The driver was reportedly unable to do so because he could not read English.

The Department of Transportation also issued a statement Friday announcing that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is beginning the formal rulemaking process to permanently incorporate English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements into federal regulations governing commercial motor vehicle drivers.

According to the department, codifying the policy would prevent future administrations from rolling back the standards, as officials say occurred in 2016, when the Obama administration changed enforcement policies in a way that allowed “unqualified drivers to remain on U.S. roads.”

The DOT said English-language requirements had existed since 1937 but were weakened under the Obama administration, preventing inspectors from placing drivers out of service solely because they could not speak or read English. Department officials said those changes opened the trucking industry to more foreign drivers who did not meet the previous standard.

The department explained that under the proposed rule, any commercial driver who cannot adequately read or speak English or understand highway signs and traffic signals will be placed out of service. The agency added that Secretary Duffy’s enforcement initiative has already removed more than 26,000 drivers from American highways after they failed English proficiency tests.

“Federal law is clear, drivers who can’t read or speak English — our national language — or understand road signs are unqualified to operate 80,000-pound big rigs on America’s highways. By making these commonsense English proficiency standards permanent, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has cost Americans their lives. The Trump Administration is committed to putting American families first and ensuring the safety of our roads,” Duffy said in a statement.

The proposal builds on President Donald Trump’s executive order signed in April 2025, titled “Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers,” which declared that English proficiency “should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”

“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the president’s order stated. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel reportedly used the latest round of U.S.-mediated negotiations with Lebanon to seek information about long-missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad and other Jews who disappeared during Lebanon’s civil war, while Lebanon pressed Israel for details on Lebanese detainees believed to be in Israeli custody, according to Lebanese media reports.

According to the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, during the seventh round of talks the Lebanese delegation asked Israel to provide information on the number of Lebanese prisoners being held as well as their condition.

Israeli representatives responded by requesting information about 11 Jews who either disappeared or were killed in Lebanon beginning in the 1980s and called for the return of their remains. The request also included renewed demands for information about Ron Arad, the Israeli Air Force navigator who was captured in 1986 and whose fate remains unknown.

An-Nahar, one of Lebanon’s leading newspapers and a publication known for its opposition to Hezbollah, reported that Israel argued its request was based on provisions in the negotiations that call for efforts to locate and return missing individuals. Lebanese officials reportedly countered that the state lacks the ability to provide the requested information.

Sources quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat said the Israeli delegation “demanded the return of the remains of Lebanese Jews killed during the civil war and information on the fate of Lebanese Jews who disappeared during the Lebanese civil war, particularly in the 1980s,” alongside information on Ron Arad “or the handover of his remains.”

The same sources claimed the Lebanese government “knows nothing about the remains of the Jews in the first place, nor does it know anything about Ron Arad,” and accused Israel of raising the issue to “justify refusing to cooperate on the Lebanese detainees file and also embarrass the Lebanese state, which has no information” on the matter.

Lebanese officials further alleged that Israel was pursuing what they described as a “deliberate diversion policy,” arguing that Jerusalem was attempting to avoid discussions about 34 Lebanese detainees they claim are being held by Israel while diverting attention from alleged Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon, including operations near Lebanese Army positions.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, 10 of the detainees are Hezbollah terrorists, three were previously imprisoned in Israel, two are nurses who disappeared while accompanying Hezbollah operatives, and the remaining 21 are civilians. The report also cited a list claiming that nine were detained during the conflict that began in March, while another 22 were taken into custody between October 2024 and February 2026.

The Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar reported separately that Israel also raised the issue of numerous deceased Jews buried in Jewish cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon. Before the Six-Day War, Lebanon was home to a thriving Jewish community that numbered between 12,000 and 20,000 at its peak, according to Ynet.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese diplomatic source told the Hezbollah-affiliated network Al Mayadeen that no additional round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is currently scheduled for next month.

Despite that report, Asharq Al-Awsat said both sides have agreed to continue the negotiations, indicating that discussions are expected to move forward.

{Matzav.com}

A new security assessment is warning that Israel can no longer view its border with Jordan as a stable and quiet frontier, cautioning that the eastern border could one day face an attack resembling the October 7 massacre, Arutz Sheva reports. The report urges Israel to strengthen defenses along the border while maintaining close strategic cooperation with Jordan.

The study, authored by Col. (res.) Prof. Gabi Siboni and Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Winner, argues that a combination of mounting instability inside Jordan, Iran’s expanding regional influence, and increasing weapons and drug smuggling demands a fundamental reassessment of Israel’s security posture along its eastern boundary.

According to the report, Israel should prepare for the possibility of a coordinated cross-border assault in which terrorists or armed vehicles infiltrate through multiple locations simultaneously before advancing quickly toward Jordan Valley communities and Route 90, creating a scenario similar to the October 7 attacks.

The researchers warn that vulnerabilities along the current border could make such an operation possible. They argue that without a continuous and effective security barrier, together with adequately sized rapid-response forces, Israel could face a devastating attack resulting in unprecedented casualties.

Despite the concerns, the study emphasizes that Jordan remains one of Israel’s most important strategic partners and says preserving the stability of the Hashemite Kingdom is a vital Israeli security interest.

However, the authors stress that Israel cannot depend solely on its security coordination with Amman. They say Israel must also develop the ability to independently defend the border in the event the Jordanian government loses control over portions of its territory or experiences significant instability.

The report identifies several domestic pressures weighing on Jordan, including a prolonged economic downturn, widespread unemployment, water shortages, a heavy national debt, and demographic challenges stemming from the country’s large Palestinian population.

It also points to what the researchers describe as the growing influence of extremist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist organizations, which they say are placing increasing pressure on the Hashemite monarchy.

Siboni and Winner further warn that Iran and its regional proxies are attempting to establish Jordan as another operational front against Israel.

Among the threats highlighted are intensified weapons and narcotics smuggling across the Syria-Jordan border, the use of drones to transport weapons, and the possible emergence of pro-Iranian militias operating near Israel’s eastern frontier.

The report says these developments could fundamentally transform what has long been regarded as one of Israel’s quietest borders into an active security hotspot.

To address those risks, the researchers recommend rapidly completing the security barrier along the Jordanian border while expanding and reinforcing the IDF’s Eastern Division, which is responsible for the sector.

They also call for enhanced intelligence collection, stronger surveillance capabilities, advanced drone detection and interception systems, and a significant increase in rapid-response units stationed throughout the region.

In addition, the study urges Israel to invest further in strengthening communities, agricultural settlements, and farms throughout the Jordan Valley, describing them as a key component of the area’s overall defensive network.

On the diplomatic front, the authors recommend continuing to deepen cooperation with Jordan in areas such as water resources, energy, and economic development while also pressing the kingdom to take stronger action against weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, and anti-Israel incitement.

The report concludes that while Jordan’s continued stability remains a strategic priority for Israel, Jerusalem must simultaneously prepare for the possibility that conditions across the border could deteriorate quickly.

“Let us not return to an event similar to October 7,” Siboni and Winner write, warning that what now appears to be Israel’s quietest border could become the country’s next major security challenge.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf will become the president’s next White House counsel, elevating the Jewish attorney and longtime Trump legal ally to one of the administration’s most influential legal posts beginning September 1.

Scharf will replace David Warrington, who is leaving the administration for the private sector after serving as White House counsel and previously working for Trump’s presidential campaign.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that, effective September 1st, Will Scharf will become Assistant to the President and White House Counsel, replacing a man, David Warrington, who has done a truly outstanding job as White House Counsel and, before that, for my Presidential Campaign. David will be going on to the Private Sector,” Trump stated.

Trump praised Scharf’s performance as staff secretary and highlighted his extensive legal background, including his previous representation of the president.

“Will has done an amazing job in his current role as White House Staff Secretary, and has also served as Chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission. I know Will well! He previously represented me in numerous cases, including at the Supreme Court, during the Biden Administration’s corrupt and illegal campaign of Weaponization. He also previously served as a Federal Prosecutor, worked as an attorney in private practice, clerked for two Federal Appeals Court Judges, and was a top student at both Princeton University, and Harvard Law School,” the President continued.

Trump added, “Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law. Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!”

Scharf was born into a Jewish family in New York City in 1986 and was raised in a Modern Orthodox home.

He graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. During his years at Princeton, Scharf was active with both Chabad and the university’s Center for Jewish Life and served as head of the Chabad Student Board. He later attended Harvard Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 2011.

Trump first selected Scharf to serve as White House staff secretary on November 16, 2024, ahead of the beginning of his second administration. In that position, Scharf has overseen the flow of official documents to the president, including executive orders awaiting Trump’s signature.

His responsibilities expanded further in July 2025, when Trump appointed him chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission. Scharf will now move into the White House counsel’s office, where he will serve as one of the president’s principal legal advisers.

{Matzav.com}

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The Sanzer Rebbe said that while the media has fueled hostility toward the Torah world, most secular Israelis still respect Torah and those who study it. His remarks came during a special meeting with a young bochur who had recently been released from military prison after refusing to leave Torah study. The Rebbe also addressed the ongoing campaign against bnei yeshiva and proposals to unite leading rabbonim in response.

The meeting took place on Thursday night, Parshas Eikev, at the Rebbe’s home. The Ziditshov Bnei Brak Rebbe visited together with his son-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Pinter, a descendant of the Sanzer dynasty, and his son, Shmuel Shmelke Pinter, who had recently completed a prison sentence imposed after his arrest by the military police for remaining in yeshiva.

The Sanzer Rebbe warmly encouraged the young man and his family, recalling a story his father, the Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l, often told about Rav Aharon of Kriz zt”l, who was imprisoned. When people asked the Divrei Chaim to daven for Rav Aharon’s release, he reminded them that Yosef HaTzaddik, the Maharam of Rottenburg, and the Ruzhiner Rebbe had all been jailed. When someone suggested that imprisonment was a chilul Hashem, the Divrei Chaim answered that the true chilul Hashem is forgetting Hashem, even for a single moment.

The Rebbe explained that he intentionally refrained from sharing the story while the bochur was still incarcerated.

“I did not want to say this while he was still sitting in prison… Not everything can be imitated… But now that, Boruch Hashem, he has been released, it is appropriate to tell this story.”

The discussion then shifted to the draft crisis and the treatment of Torah learners. The Ziditshov Rebbe raised the idea of convening leading rabbonim to place a cherem on those leading the campaign against the Torah world. The Sanzer Rebbe responded by recalling that his father had long ago proposed organizing chareidi attorneys to defend the interests of Torah Judaism through the legal system in Eretz Yisroel.

“He was wise and could foresee the future… He wanted to gather chareidi attorneys who would coordinate everything related to protecting the interests of Torah Judaism through the legal system in Eretz Yisroel.”

The Rebbe said that government authorities today often act arrogantly and without restraint.

Despite his criticism of government officials and institutions, the Rebbe emphasized that they do not represent the feelings of the general public. He said most Jews in Eretz Yisroel have faith in Hashem and maintain a genuine respect for Torah and religious life, while the media creates the false impression that anti-Torah voices represent the majority.

The Rebbe related that he has personally experienced this in places such as Netanya and even Caesarea, which he described as a left-wing city. During visits there, many non-observant Jews approached him to ask for brachos or treated him with great respect as he walked through the streets.

“This is the majority of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisroel,” he said.

Speaking about the ongoing war, the Rebbe said it has created confusion among many Israelis who do not understand the sanctity of Torah, but it has also inspired countless others to strengthen their faith and seek brachos and tefillos.

Addressing hostility toward the chareidi community, the Rebbe said many secular Jews cannot be judged harshly because they are tinokos shenishbu who were never properly taught Torah. However, he added that when one encounters intense hatred of religion and an organized campaign against Torah-observant Jews, his father attributed such behavior to the influence of the Eirev Rav.

The Rebbe concluded by expressing absolute confidence in the eternity of Torah, recalling his father’s frequent assurance that Torah will never collapse regardless of the challenges facing the Torah world.

Before the young bochur departed, the Sanzer Rebbe gave him a heartfelt bracha, telling him that he had been chosen from Heaven to sanctify Hashem’s Name on behalf of Klal Yisroel and expressing the hope that the future joy of the Torah world would far outweigh its present suffering.

Following a heartbreaking day in which three fatal incidents claimed multiple lives, United Hatzalah spokesman Avi Suissa is calling on the public to exercise greater caution during bein hazemanim, warning that many of the tragedies unfolding across the country are preventable.

Speaking on Kol Chai Radio’s main evening news program, Suissa described the emotional toll on emergency responders, whose volunteers were dispatched to several fatal scenes throughout the day while continuing to respond to numerous other emergencies nationwide.

“You can’t simply move on after a day like this,” Suissa said. “We have to stop and ask ourselves what we’re doing. United Hatzalah volunteers are deployed across the country and are seeing these tragedies up close. Beyond the incidents that make the headlines, we have responded in recent weeks to dozens of near-drownings, dehydration cases, and hikers who became lost. Boruch Hashem, those situations ended safely, but every one of them had the potential to become a tragedy.”

Suissa directed a heartfelt appeal to bochurim and avreichim taking advantage of bein hazemanim to travel and enjoy the outdoors, stressing that recreation must never come at the expense of safety.

“We understand that every bochur and every avreich deserves the opportunity to get away, hike, relax, and recharge during these weeks,” he said. “But we also have to recognize that we’re entering environments and conditions that we aren’t accustomed to during the rest of the year. Our rescue boat on the Kinneret is operating almost nonstop to assist people who are drifting away. We are pleading with the public: Go out, travel, and enjoy yourselves—but make sure you know how you’re going to return home safely. Understand the enormous impact of every one of these tragedies and how it completely changes the lives of an entire family and everyone around them.”

To help prevent additional tragedies, United Hatzalah urged the public to follow basic safety guidelines when traveling or spending time outdoors during bein hazemanim.

The organization recommends wearing appropriate clothing, hats, and sunscreen when heading outdoors, swimming only at officially designated beaches or swimming areas while lifeguards are on duty, strictly following the instructions of lifeguards and rescue personnel, and avoiding strenuous hikes during periods of extreme heat in order to reduce the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate and the Ministry of Religious Services have issued a joint statement clarifying that no private organization is authorized to represent them in matters of marriage registration, warning the public against relying on groups that claim to operate under their auspices without official approval.

The statement was released in response to advertisements and social media posts circulated in recent weeks by the nonprofit organization “Anachnu Techelet,” which, according to the government agencies, has presented itself as working “in full cooperation with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel” to assist couples seeking to register for marriage.

The Chief Rabbinate and the ministry categorically rejected those claims, stating that no such relationship exists. “No approval has been granted, no authorization has been issued, and there is no institutional relationship whatsoever between the Chief Rabbinate, the Ministry of Religious Services, and ‘Anachnu Techelet’ or anyone acting on its behalf,” the statement said.

Officials emphasized that the clarification applies not only to this specific organization, but to any private nonprofit, association, or other entity that claims to operate in cooperation with, on behalf of, or under the sponsorship of the Chief Rabbinate or the Ministry of Religious Services without receiving formal authorization.

The ministry and the Chief Rabbinate also reiterated that Israel’s official marriage registration process is handled exclusively through authorized government channels. “The marriage registration process in Israel is conducted solely through the regional rabbinate offices and the official systems of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and no private entity or nonprofit organization is authorized to act on their behalf,” the statement said.

The agencies concluded by urging couples to work directly with their local rabbinate offices when registering for marriage and to avoid relying on private organizations that claim to represent the Chief Rabbinate unless they have received explicit official authorization.

{Matzav.com}

Following a devastating day marked by three separate fatal tragedies, ZAKA spokesman Moti Bukchin issued an emotional appeal to the public—especially yeshiva bochurim enjoying bein hazemanim—urging greater caution and personal responsibility to prevent further loss of life.

Speaking on Kol Chai Radio’s main evening news program, Bukchin described the heartbreaking scenes ZAKA volunteers were confronting across the country as they responded to multiple fatal incidents simultaneously.

“ZAKA responds to every death, and unfortunately this has been a very, very difficult day,” Bukchin said. “Our volunteers are still handling the tragic incident at Keshet Cave, a ZAKA ambulance is currently transporting the boy who drowned in the Jordan River back toward Modiin Illit, and at the same time there has been a fatal traffic accident near Yerushalayim in which two people were killed. We invest tremendous effort in public awareness. I personally speak at campuses and to yeshiva bochurim about the dangers of bein hazemanim, but sadly, every year these heartbreaking incidents continue to occur.”

Rather than assigning blame, Bukchin stressed the importance of taking personal responsibility and making safety the highest priority before heading out on any trip.

“I’m not looking to blame anyone, but every one of us has to take responsibility,” he said. “If we’re yeshiva bochurim going on a hike, think about your parents. Be prepared, don’t try to take shortcuts, and make sure you have a plan for getting home safely. If we’re parents, we need to learn the route beforehand and make sure it’s appropriate for everyone. Don’t try to outsmart the situation or be an iber chacham in the field.”

Bukchin also spoke at length about the dangers posed by swimming pools and beaches, emphasizing that many tragedies are entirely preventable.

“Never leave children alone for even a single moment at a backyard pool—not even for a second to grab something,” he warned. “People continue entering unguarded beaches and swimming at night, and it ends in disaster. Our community understands the importance of ‘Venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem,’ and it’s painful to see that principle ignored. Think about parents whose child comes home in a ZAKA body bag. Just imagining that is heartbreaking. Be extra careful—it’s important to leave safely, but even more important to return home safely.”

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Israeli authorities have reportedly been secretly holding senior Hamas military commander Basel Salahiya for the past two years after he was captured during fighting in Gaza. Salahiya, who allegedly orchestrated the deadly 2011 Kornet missile attack that killed Israeli teenager Daniel Viflik Hy”d, is expected to stand trial in Israel for his role in multiple terrorist attacks. The revelation was first reported by journalist Avishai Grinzaig on i24NEWS.

According to the report, Salahiya’s capture followed an extraordinary chain of events that began years before the current war. Roughly five years ago, a bitter dispute erupted within Hamas’s military leadership after Salahiya accused senior commander Marwan Issa of betrayal. The accusations reportedly triggered a deep rift between Salahiya and the organization’s top military leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. As tensions escalated, Sinwar allegedly ordered Salahiya’s arrest, and he was imprisoned inside the Gaza Strip.

When the war in Gaza broke out, the prison where Salahiya was being held was reportedly destroyed in an Israeli Air Force strike. Hamas subsequently transferred him to house arrest in the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Younis. During the IDF’s ground operations in the area, Israeli forces raided the building where he was being held, took him into custody, and transferred him to Israel, where he has remained ever since.

His arrest comes as Israel continues targeting Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre. In recent weeks, the IDF has eliminated several senior Nukhba commanders who participated in attacks on Israeli communities, including the commander of the unit that infiltrated the Re’im military base and another who led the assault on Kibbutz Nirim.

Salahiya’s anticipated prosecution is expected to bring a measure of justice for one of the most notorious terrorist attacks carried out before the current war. According to the report, he was directly responsible for the April 2011 Kornet anti-tank missile attack on a school bus near Sha’ar HaNegev.

That attack claimed the life of 16-year-old Daniel Viflik Hy”d after Hamas terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the bus, an incident that had a significant impact on Israel’s security policy at the time. Years later, after first being imprisoned by Hamas itself, Salahiya now faces prosecution in an Israeli court for his alleged role in the attack.

The report noted that Salahiya’s story highlights the intense internal rivalries that have existed within Hamas. His conflict with Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar—both of whom were later eliminated by the IDF—ultimately led to his imprisonment by the terrorist organization, a development that eventually enabled Israeli forces to capture him during the war.

Meanwhile, IDF forces under Southern Command continue operations throughout Gaza aimed at eliminating immediate threats to Israeli troops and civilians. Military officials say the terrorists targeted in recent weeks had been working to rebuild Hamas’s operational capabilities and advance additional terror plots against Israel.

{Matzav.com}

A major new phase of Israel’s traffic enforcement reform has officially taken effect, significantly changing how many drivers can challenge speeding tickets and other moving violations. Under the expanded system, motorists cited for a broad range of offenses will no longer be able to automatically request a court hearing. Instead, they will first have to appeal through a newly established administrative traffic tribunal.

The latest stage of what has become known as the “Sa’ar Reform” went into effect over the weekend, extending the administrative process to traffic offenses carrying fines ranging from 750 to 1,500 shekels, as well as many speeding violations that previously qualified for an automatic court appearance.

The reform was originally introduced while Gideon Sa’ar served as justice minister in the Bennett-Lapid-Abbas government. Its goal was to move a substantial portion of traffic offenses out of the criminal court system and into an administrative framework, reducing the burden on Israel’s courts while handling most cases through a digital process. When promoting the initiative, Sa’ar said it reflected a policy of decriminalization and would spare drivers unnecessary criminal proceedings and court appearances.

The first phase of the reform took effect on February 8, 2026, covering violations carrying fines of between 100 and 500 shekels, excluding speeding offenses. As of August 8, the system now also includes qualifying speeding tickets and violations carrying fines between 750 and 1,500 shekels. During Knesset Economic Affairs Committee discussions, lawmakers noted that the expanded system covers several significant offenses, including using a cellphone while driving, running a red light, and certain speeding violations.

Under the new process, drivers who believe a citation was issued in error will no longer submit a request for a traditional traffic court hearing. Instead, they must file an appeal with the administrative traffic tribunal. In most cases, the matter will be decided based on written submissions and evidence filed electronically by both sides. The tribunal may hold a hearing only if it determines one is necessary to achieve justice, generally through remote technology and, in exceptional circumstances, in person.

One of the most significant changes involves sentencing authority. Unlike a criminal traffic court, the administrative tribunal cannot increase or reduce the statutory fine. It may uphold the citation, dismiss it, modify the decision, or even change the traffic offense attributed to the driver. As a result, while the tribunal reviews the facts and evidence independently, it does not have the discretion to tailor the amount of the fine based on individual circumstances if the violation itself is upheld.

Although some critics have claimed the new system leaves drivers with little opportunity to appeal, the law still provides judicial review. Final decisions by the administrative tribunal may be appealed to the Traffic Division of the Magistrate’s Court. Appeals of interim rulings require permission from the court, with additional review procedures available under the law. In other words, court oversight remains in place, but the courts are no longer the first stop for challenging most citations.

The reform has drawn criticism since it was first proposed. The Israel Bar Association’s Traffic Law Committee warned during the legislative process that the changes could weaken motorists’ legal protections by replacing traditional court proceedings with a more limited administrative process. Supporters countered that there is little justification for processing hundreds of thousands of routine traffic violations through the full criminal court system and argued that the new framework would resolve cases more efficiently.

Questions about the system intensified following its initial rollout. During a June meeting of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, the chairman of Israel’s Trucking and Transportation Council said that only nine of approximately 500 appeals filed under the new process had been accepted. At the same hearing, committee chairman MK David Bitan criticized the Transportation Ministry and called for greater flexibility for law-abiding drivers.

At the same time, the committee approved changes to Israel’s driver’s license point system to align with the reform. Under the revised rules, offenses carrying up to six penalty points will now be removed from a driver’s record after one year, while penalties have been increased for dangerous violations such as using a cellphone while driving, running red lights, and driving on road shoulders.

For many Israeli motorists, the practical effect is immediate. Drivers cited for speeding or other higher-value traffic offenses may now discover that the legal process has fundamentally changed. Rather than automatically requesting a hearing before a traffic judge, they must first pursue a digital appeal through the administrative tribunal, with the courts serving only as the appellate forum if necessary.

The U.S. Navy has launched a sweeping modernization plan for its submarine fleet, announcing that 19 advanced attack submarines will be converted into guided-missile platforms as Washington seeks to strengthen its military position against China’s rapidly expanding naval power in the Pacific.

The announcement comes as concerns continue to mount over America’s missile inventory following the conflict with Iran and reflects a broader effort to reinforce U.S. military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.

Under the initiative, Virginia-class submarines will be equipped with a specialized payload module approximately 25 meters (84 feet) long, adding 28 new missile launch tubes to the 12 already built into each vessel. The enhanced submarines will be capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles for long-range strikes against land targets, as well as advanced hypersonic weapons designed to penetrate sophisticated Chinese air and naval defense systems.

Military analysts say submarines remain one of the few assets capable of operating undetected close to an adversary’s territory. Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, explained, “Submarines are one of the few capabilities that can stay near or inside the first island chain in relative safety,” adding that positioning missiles closer to their targets significantly reduces an opponent’s response time.

The overhaul comes as the Navy gradually retires its four aging Ohio-class guided-missile submarines. Those vessels were originally built as nuclear missile submarines before being converted to carry conventional weapons, with each capable of launching up to 154 Tomahawk missiles. Former Navy captain and RAND Corporation researcher Bradley Martin described the Ohio-class boats as “the platform with the greatest capability to launch conventional missile payloads.”

One of those submarines, the USS Georgia, entered the decommissioning process last month, while the remaining three are expected to retire over the next several years. According to the Washington-based Submarine Industrial Base Council, the retirement of the Ohio-class fleet will temporarily reduce the Navy’s undersea strike capability by as much as 60%.

The first upgraded Virginia-class submarines are not expected to enter operational service until 2029, with the final vessel in the program scheduled for delivery in 2038. Despite the temporary decline in firepower, senior Navy leaders have expressed confidence in the transition. Rear Adm. Rob Gaucher, head of the Navy’s submarine programs, said, “These submarines will ensure the Navy continues to dominate the undersea domain for decades.”

Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said the next generation of submarines will build on the Ohio-class legacy while offering “greater survivability and adaptability.” Analysts note that although each new submarine will carry only about one-quarter of the missile load of an Ohio-class vessel, distributing those weapons across a larger number of submarines will make them far more difficult for China to detect and track.

The move comes in response to China’s accelerated military buildup. Between 2021 and 2025, China’s navy launched 10 nuclear-powered submarines, compared with seven built by the United States during the same period. Over those four years, Beijing also expanded its missile arsenal by approximately 50% and recently unveiled a new unmanned underwater vehicle during a military parade, highlighting its preparations for a potential conflict involving Taiwan.

The Navy’s restructuring also follows the depletion of portions of the U.S. munitions stockpile after the 2025 “Operation Midnight Hammer” strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, ordered by President Donald Trump. In announcing the new submarine strategy, the Navy emphasized that “the submarines will operate unhindered in contested waters, ensuring the U.S. Navy maintains absolute undersea superiority.”

{Matzav.com}

Just weeks before the start of the Elul zeman, Quebec authorities are seeking to revoke funding for three Belzer educational institutions in Montreal, citing what they describe as serious educational and safety deficiencies. The schools, which include a preschool, a Talmud Torah, and a yeshiva ketanah, serve approximately 600 students.

According to provincial officials, the move follows inspections that uncovered multiple alleged violations, including a shortage of certified teachers fluent in English and French, failure to provide the required instructional hours in core academic subjects, the use of unapproved educational materials, and deficiencies related to emergency exits.

The inspections also reportedly found students spending school hours in prayer halls, classrooms operating without teachers, and staff members who did not speak either French or English. Educational programs for girls continue to operate normally but remain under government supervision.

Administrators of the schools have strongly rejected the allegations and have appealed to Quebec’s Administrative Tribunal, seeking an injunction to block the funding cuts. School officials argue that the government’s decision is based on “erroneous factual assumptions, inconsistent analysis and a disproportionate measure.”

Canadian reports indicate that the institutions have been under scrutiny by Quebec’s Ministry of Education since 2007. A report issued by the Advisory Committee on Private Education for 2024–2025 stated that the schools were granted repeated extensions to address deficiencies dating back to an agreement reached in 2009. However, according to the report, they continued to receive only short-term license renewals because they failed to meet the required standards.

A new Kan News poll shows Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party locked in a dead heat with 23 seats each, while two newly launched center-right political alliances remain below the electoral threshold and would fail to enter the Knesset.

According to the survey released Sunday evening, Likud gained one seat compared with the previous poll, drawing even with Yashar at 23 mandates apiece.

The two newest center-right parties—one led jointly by Yoaz Hendel and Matan Kahana? Actually Troper and Hendel? (the Troper-Hendel alliance), and another headed by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein—both remain below the electoral threshold. Their weak showing appears to have benefited larger parties. Likud and the Netanyahu bloc each gained one seat, bringing the coalition bloc to 53 mandates. Meanwhile, Yair Golan’s Democrats rebounded from eight seats in the previous survey to 10, while Yisrael Beiteinu also climbed one seat to 10.

Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party held steady at 13 seats, unchanged from the previous poll. The survey also examined a scenario in which Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad reunite on a joint list, though such an alliance is currently uncertain. In that case, the combined Arab list would win eight seats, while Ra’am—running together with Yoav Segalovitz—would receive five seats. Together, the Arab parties would command 13 mandates, reducing the Netanyahu bloc to 52 seats.

When respondents were asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu continued to lead Bennett by a margin of 41% to 31%, virtually unchanged from the previous survey. Netanyahu also widened his advantage over Eisenkot. After leading by four percentage points in the last poll, he now holds a seven-point edge, with 41% naming Netanyahu as the preferred prime minister compared with 34% for Eisenkot.

In a head-to-head comparison between Bennett and Eisenkot, the Yashar leader came out ahead with 31% support, while Bennett received 20%. Although Eisenkot maintained the lead, the gap narrowed significantly from last week’s survey, when he led Bennett by 22 percentage points.

The poll also found that 18% of respondents said they have recently considered leaving Israel. Among opposition voters, that figure rose to approximately 23%, compared with just 6% of coalition supporters. Despite those numbers, most Israelis do not appear alarmed by the trend. Sixty-seven percent said they are not concerned about the number of people leaving the country, while only 12% said the issue worries them.

Just one week after the ceasefire took effect in Gaza, Hamas is rapidly reestablishing its grip on the territory by recruiting new operatives, intimidating civilians, and imposing steep taxes on merchants, according to Gaza residents who spoke with Israel’s Channel 12 News.

Residents said the terrorist group has begun enlisting young men between the ages of 18 and 20, paying them between 600 and 700 shekels a month and arming them with Kalashnikov rifles. According to those interviewed, the recruits wear civilian clothing and face masks while manning intersections and other strategic locations throughout the Strip.

Despite the lull in fighting, Gazans say Hamas continues to maintain control through fear. Residents reported that masked gunmen quickly open fire on anyone who publicly criticizes the organization, insults it, posts negative comments on social media, or attempts to organize protests. They also claimed that Hamas has established operational and interrogation centers inside hospital complexes while its operatives closely monitor activity throughout the streets.

Many residents remain deeply skeptical that Hamas will ever surrender its weapons. Hussam al-Astal, commander of an armed militia in Khan Younis that opposes Hamas, said, “If Hamas gives up its weapons – neither our forces nor Israel will kill them, but the people themselves, because they killed many people.” Another resident, identified only as “M,” said he believes Hamas is deceiving the public and, at most, would stage a symbolic handover involving only a negligible number of weapons.

Residents also said Hamas is attempting to rebuild its financial base by imposing heavy taxes on local merchants. According to the report, traders are being forced to pay levies ranging from 18% to 40%, with additional taxes imposed on products such as cigarettes as the terrorist organization seeks to replenish its resources and strengthen its control over Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

Greenland’s government has issued a sharp rebuke to a Texas-based oil company with ties to President Trump after drilling equipment was brought ashore without official authorization, as the firm pushes ahead with plans to explore for massive oil reserves beneath the Arctic territory.

The dispute comes as President Trump has renewed his public calls for the United States to take control of Greenland. In recent days, equipment intended for exploratory drilling was unloaded along Greenland’s eastern coastline, prompting officials to stress that the operation had not been approved.

In a strongly worded statement, Greenland’s government said no authorization had been granted for the delivery of the equipment and reminded the company that, “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out.”

Just two days after the warning, Trump intensified attention on Greenland by posting an image on Truth Social depicting himself towering over a Greenlandic village.

The company at the center of the controversy, Greenland Energy, was established in Texas last year. Its executives believe the Jameson Land region could contain as much as $1 trillion in crude oil and have announced plans to invest $60 million to drill two exploratory wells to determine the area’s potential.

Although Greenland halted the issuance of new oil exploration licenses in 2021 because of environmental concerns, British company 80 Mile already held exploration rights in Jameson Land. According to Greenland Energy’s corporate filings, the Texas firm plans to acquire a controlling interest in the project by financing the exploration effort, though it still requires formal approval from Greenland’s government before drilling can begin.

The company has enlisted Phil McGraw, widely known as Dr. Phil, the conservative former television host who previously served on President Trump’s religious freedom commission, to produce a documentary series that will “capture the mission of these modern-day wildcatters.”

Greenland Energy has also added to its board a retired U.S. Navy veteran who is involved in developing the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a project for which Trump has argued that control of Greenland is “vital.”

Company chairman Larry Swets, a major shareholder with reported connections to Trump’s political circle, has insisted that the drilling project “not related to American annexation.”

Following a community meeting in Jameson Land in June, where a company representative incorrectly stated that permission had already been granted to bring drilling equipment ashore, Swets acknowledged the mistake, saying, “Our enthusiasm for the project led us to communicate in a way that created confusion.”

Despite that clarification, residents in the remote region reported seeing a tugboat towing a barge to shore the following month and unloading roughly a dozen shipping containers. Greenland’s government later confirmed that “The goal was to get the equipment onshore at Nunap Qeqqa [Jameson Land] in connection with planned oil exploration drilling.”

The Danish investigative outlet Danwatch reported that the head of the shipping company confirmed the cargo had been delivered on behalf of Greenland Energy.

The company has not responded publicly to questions about the controversy. However, in a letter sent to shareholders on Thursday, Greenland Energy stated: “Recent high-level meetings between project leadership and Greenlandic regulatory and oversight authorities have been constructive, and we continue to be encouraged by the progress being made toward the remaining approvals required for drilling.” The company also indicated that it now intends to begin with a single exploratory well rather than two.

As a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland controls its own natural resources, placing the decision squarely in the hands of its elected officials. Those leaders now face mounting pressure as they weigh whether to authorize drilling in an area that appears to overlap with land protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands or reject the proposal, a move some fear could further inflame Trump’s interest in the territory.

While Greenland’s government said it believes it “would not be proportionate” to order the removal of the equipment already delivered, officials emphasized that the company’s application remains under review and no drilling approval has been issued.

A representative for Greenland Energy has said another vessel carrying approximately 300 containers of drilling equipment is scheduled to depart Canada on September 12, with drilling operations expected to begin in October if approval is secured.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who serves as Trump’s envoy to Greenland, has predicted that oil production on the island could begin as early as next year.

{Matzav.com}

NORAD dispatched F-16 fighter jets Sunday after two civilian aircraft entered restricted airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump was expected to spend the weekend at his golf club during the LIV Golf New York tournament.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the aircraft violated temporary flight restrictions established over the area. Air Forces Northern, part of the 1st Air Force, later confirmed that two general aviation aircraft were involved in the incident.

Military officials said the aircraft were safely intercepted and escorted out of the restricted airspace by NORAD fighters without incident.

Ahead of the president’s arrival in New Jersey, NORAD had announced that it would actively enforce the Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary flight restrictions throughout the weekend to secure the airspace surrounding the Bedminster property.

Officials also advised pilots and the public that U.S. Army ground-based air defense systems could be operating in the region under the Continental U.S. NORAD Region as part of the military’s layered homeland defense network.

“These systems are operating under NORAD authorities, constitute a routine component of the command’s layered defense posture and work in tandem with the command’s airborne assets to monitor and protect the airspace,” information published by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service said.

Following the interceptions, military officials reminded general aviation pilots to review all Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) before every flight to ensure they are aware of temporary airspace restrictions and other FAA flight requirements.

“Check NOTAMs before EVERY flight!” 1st AF/AFNORTH said in a post on X.

Officials also reiterated the procedures pilots must follow if intercepted by NORAD aircraft. Pilots should immediately switch their radios to frequencies 121.5 or 243.0 and, according to guidance published by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, “turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies.”

Temporary flight restrictions are routinely established during presidential travel, major sporting events, national security operations, and other special events. NORAD relies on a combination of radar systems, satellites, fighter aircraft, and other surveillance capabilities to detect, monitor, and respond to potential threats within North American airspace.

{Matzav.com}

Nearly three years after the October 7 massacre, Israel continues its relentless campaign to hunt down every Hamas terrorist connected to the atrocities. A specialized task force created in the aftermath of the attack is still working around the clock to locate and eliminate everyone involved—from senior planners to the terrorists who guarded and abused Israeli hostages, Arutz Sheva reports.

In the wake of the massacre, Israel’s security establishment launched an extensive effort to identify and eliminate every individual who played a role in planning, supporting, or carrying out the attacks, as well as those who participated in the captivity and mistreatment of hostages.

To lead that effort, the IDF and the Shin Bet created a joint task force known as NILI, an acronym for Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker (“The Eternal One of Israel Does Not Lie”). The unit was named after the famed Jewish underground intelligence network that operated in Eretz Yisroel during World War I.

Channel 12 recently provided a rare glimpse inside NILI’s operational strike center, speaking with members of the unit who continue their mission of identifying and eliminating Hamas terrorists linked to the October 7 massacre.

Since the war began, Israeli forces have succeeded in eliminating much of Hamas’ senior leadership and operational command, including Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Sinwar, Saleh al-Arouri, and, more recently, Izz al-Din al-Haddad.

One officer involved in the operation said NILI’s mission reaches far beyond Hamas’ top commanders and includes everyone who played any role in the attacks or hostage-taking.

“This can be the driver who drove a tractor, and it can be the Hamas officer who led a raid,” he said.

As the war progressed, the unit steadily expanded its target list. According to the head of its target division, investigators eventually broadened their focus to include Hamas members who held Israeli hostages, abused them, or even came into contact with them during captivity.

Among those pursued was the terrorist who phoned his father after October 7 to boast that he had murdered 10 Jews, as well as terrorists involved in the beheading of several hostages. The man responsible for murdering IDF soldier and lookout Noa Marciano remained on NILI’s target list for a year and a half before Israeli forces ultimately eliminated him.

“This was a Sisyphean task, work that also included failures and missed opportunities. But you do not forget it. You do not forget your responsibility to kill this evil.”

The unit maintains a database containing thousands of suspected terrorists. One soldier described the painstaking process of working through the list day after day.

“We have an Excel file; we consolidate all the terrorists’ names there, and every day we ‘delete a line,’” the soldier said. “I’ve already deleted dozens of lines. I delete a line and immediately think about the next one, even before I process what I feel about it.”

To locate its targets, NILI draws on a wide range of intelligence sources, including footage recovered from GoPro cameras carried by Hamas terrorists during the massacre, artificial intelligence technology, and intelligence gathered by agents operating in the field.

Since the ceasefire with Hamas took effect last October, the pace of operations has accelerated significantly. With Israeli hostages no longer being held in Gaza, the IDF and Israeli Air Force have gained greater operational flexibility. At the same time, testimony from released hostages and intelligence obtained from captured Hamas operatives has enabled Israeli security forces to identify and strike an increasing number of terrorists connected to the October 7 atrocities.

{Matzav.com}

After serving 24 years as a Shas lawmaker, former minister Yaakov Margi has stepped away from political life. In a candid interview on the Mischak HaKisaot podcast produced by Yisroel Hayom and hosted by Shirit Avitan Cohen, Margi offered unusually sharp criticism of both his former party and the broader chareidi political leadership, particularly over its handling of the military draft issue.

Reflecting on the current state of the chareidi community, Margi argued that today’s rabbinic leadership lacks the unified authority that once existed.

“The chareidi community is very complex, and there is no strong Torah leadership like there once was. In the Sephardic community, there was Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef, who knew how to make decisive rulings, and among the Ashkenazi leadership there were also Gedolei Yisroel who knew how to do so. Today there is rabbinic leadership, but it is fragmented. Everyone is looking backward, wondering what people will say about them. And what happened? We all rejected the Peleg Yerushalmi. Now all of us—and when I say all of us, I mean the entire chareidi leadership, including the chareidi members of Knesset—have pushed the entire chareidi community into their hands.”

Margi described the ongoing draft crisis as “a bleeding wound” and expressed regret over what he believes was a missed opportunity to resolve the issue legislatively.

“This is a bleeding wound. I cry over it. They should have been wise rather than simply right, and they should have passed Edelstein’s framework. The army would never have been able to fully implement it anyway. Instead, we failed to regulate the status of the yeshiva bochurim. We didn’t draft those who aren’t learning, nor those in the middle. The army accomplished nothing. I was there in the past when the army genuinely wanted to recruit. We worked together with the Defense Ministry, created enlistment tracks, and large numbers enlisted. I couldn’t walk through the streets of Geulah or Bnei Brak. People chased after me because I was encouraging enlistment.”

Asked to summarize his broader philosophy on military service, Margi said he believes responsibility toward the country cannot simply be ignored.

“It is impossible to be a Jew with values and merely pay lip service to the idea of sharing the burden, or visit wounded soldiers at Tel Hashomer, or attend funerals, and then do nothing. I recognize the value of Torah learning—don’t misunderstand me—but the two are not mutually exclusive. Even before discussing the sefer and the sword model of the Religious Zionist community, if you’re needed now, then come. I was told to stay quiet. I remained silent for a year, and it frustrated me. But if they made a mistake, it was a serious one. On the contrary—that’s exactly how we surrendered to the extremists.”

When asked whether the chareidi parties should have publicly declared that those who are not learning Torah should serve in the military, Margi replied that they failed to do so.

“They didn’t say it, so I’m saying it now. The solution will not come from the chareidi politicians or from the rabbinic leadership because, objectively, they cannot deliver it. We missed the momentum. The chareidi public is not monolithic. There are different segments, and there are segments that are ready—they just need a small push.”

Margi also criticized what he described as Shas aligning itself too closely with the Ashkenazi chareidi leadership.

“That was a serious mistake. We should have said less publicly. We should have led this legislation. I look at Klal Yisroel as a whole. Sadly, and I hope I’m wrong, I believe that part of the Ashkenazi chareidi worldview still lives with the mentality of the shtetl in Eretz Yisroel, where preserving the shtetl is the supreme interest. That’s not my outlook. For me, Toras Yisroel, Eretz Yisroel, and Am Yisroel are one. They are not three separate things.”

Margi also questioned the necessity of recent legislative initiatives aimed at protecting Torah study.

“As far as I’m concerned, there was no need for a Basic Law on Torah study. There was no need for the arrests law. We should have advanced a draft law and enlisted those who are not learning. Everyone should have done their job. The army also had responsibilities. What are you waiting for—the legislature? You already have a draft law that applies to everyone. Start drafting people. Start creating a reality where uniforms are hanging from clotheslines in chareidi neighborhoods.”

{Matzav.com}

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For Shira, “just another day” can mean an ER visit.

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A newly published UNICEF-coordinated nutrition survey is casting fresh doubt on longstanding claims that Gaza is experiencing a famine, finding that acute malnutrition among children remains at very low levels. Israeli officials say the report directly contradicts accusations that widespread starvation is taking place in the enclave.

The survey, which followed World Health Organization standards and was released on July 22, assessed children’s nutritional health by measuring weight, height, and mid-upper-arm circumference (WHZ). Researchers found acute malnutrition rates ranging from just 0.2 percent in Khan Younis and Rafah to 0.8 percent in Gaza City and northern Gaza—levels they said are similar to, or even lower than, those recorded before the Israel-Hamas war began.

Researchers collected data covering approximately 1.72 million residents, representing about 83 percent of Gaza’s population. Roughly 360,000 people—about 17 percent of the population—were not included because security conditions and access limitations prevented researchers from reaching them.

The findings place Gaza far below the 30 percent acute malnutrition threshold required to meet the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) standard for a Phase 5 famine, indicating that famine conditions are not present.

The report also found that child malnutrition rates in Gaza compare favorably with those of several neighboring countries and even some European nations. According to the survey, approximately 3.3 percent of children under age five in Egypt suffer from malnutrition, while the figure stands at about 4.3 percent in Iran and 2.3 percent in Jordan.

By comparison, the UNICEF 2025 Joint Child Malnutrition Survey reported child malnutrition rates of 0.5 percent in Germany and 1.4 percent in Finland, placing Gaza’s figures in a similar—or even lower—range.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said the report disproves allegations that Israel is intentionally starving Gaza’s civilian population.

“Facts prevail over fiction,” Danon said, arguing that Israel has continued both its military campaign against Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza while accusing the terrorist group of exploiting civilians throughout the war.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry likewise pointed to the report as evidence that Gaza’s nutritional conditions fall nowhere near internationally recognized famine thresholds.

“In other words: There is no famine in Gaza. Malnutrition is not only significantly below the critical values—it is exceptionally low in regional comparison. Anyone who is still open to arguments can look at the empirical data themselves,” the ministry said in a statement.

Although the survey found little evidence of widespread acute malnutrition, researchers did identify several longer-term nutritional concerns. About one in eight children was found to suffer from stunted growth, a condition associated with chronic nutritional deficiencies rather than an immediate lack of food. The report also noted that childhood overweight remains present, suggesting that poor nutrition and limited dietary quality—not simply food shortages—continue to pose health challenges.

“Acute malnutrition remains low, but nutritional vulnerability remains high,” the study contends.

The survey found that unhealthy eating habits remain common across Gaza. In Khan Younis and Rafah, as many as 78 percent of children were found to consume unhealthy diets, while approximately 64 percent of children in Gaza City and northern Gaza reportedly do not regularly eat fruits or vegetables. Researchers also found that only about 30 percent of Gaza’s population receives a sufficiently varied diet.

The results are consistent with a July assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which concluded that food security and nutritional conditions in Gaza improved after the October 2025 ceasefire as humanitarian aid increased. While the IPC cautioned that humanitarian needs remain significant, it classified Gaza’s nutrition status at its lowest acute malnutrition phase beginning in mid-April 2026.

The survey also challenges the widely circulated narrative that Gaza is experiencing an ongoing famine. Beginning in late 2023, the United Nations asserted that more than one-quarter of Gaza’s population was facing starvation, claiming hunger levels had exceeded those in conflict zones such as Yemen and Afghanistan. The UN later accused Israel of causing a famine in Gaza in July 2024. In August 2025, Tom Fletcher, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, cited what he described as “irrefutable” evidence of famine and criticized the international community for failing to intervene more aggressively.

Those allegations have faced growing scrutiny. In December 2024, the Biden administration challenged a report issued by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net), which claimed that famine conditions were emerging in northern Gaza and estimated that between 65,000 and 75,000 residents lacked adequate access to food.

The newly released UNICEF survey is expected to become a central reference point in the ongoing international debate over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as governments and aid organizations continue evaluating both the extent of civilian needs and the effectiveness of relief efforts throughout the conflict.

{Matzav.com}

Vice President JD Vance says federal investigators have uncovered a recurring pattern of fraud tied to certain migrant communities, as the Trump administration intensifies its nationwide effort to root out abuse in government benefit programs. According to Vance, investigators have already uncovered an estimated $230 billion in fraud, while suspending $55 billion in payments to individuals and organizations suspected of fraudulent activity.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News Digital from his West Wing office, Vance discussed his role leading President Trump’s anti-fraud task force and said investigators have repeatedly seen fraud spread within specific communities once weaknesses in government programs become known.

“You definitely see patterns where certain communities,” Vance said. “It’ll start as maybe one Somali person takes advantage of the system, or realizes you don’t even have to have children to get money from these programs. You could just claim that you have children, there’s no verification. Then, word spreads like wildfire, and that program gets tapped into by the same members of that community.”

In addition to overseeing negotiations with Iran and carrying out other White House responsibilities, Vance has been directing the administration’s anti-fraud initiative since earlier this year. The effort intensified following major fraud investigations in Minneapolis and is being coordinated with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and several federal agencies.

As part of the crackdown, federal payments have been suspended for hundreds of hospice and home healthcare providers in Minnesota and California that are suspected of fraud, while investigators continue examining similar operations in other states. Vance said the damage extends well beyond financial losses.

“The first and the most obvious victim is the American taxpayer,” Vance said. “You give your money to the federal government, and you expect the federal government, even if you disagree with the policy behind it, you expect that money to go to the people that it’s supposed to go to.”

He argued that fraudulent claims also deprive vulnerable Americans of services they legitimately need.

“When a new mom goes to apply for help for herself and her baby, the money isn’t there anymore,” Vance said.

“Or, you have autistic kids who benefit from services that are meant to go to the families of children with autism, and you have fraudsters who get rich off these programs,” he added. “Sometimes they don’t even have children, much less autistic children enrolled.”

Vance said investigators have identified approximately $230 billion in suspected fraud since President Trump returned to office and have prevented roughly $55 billion in federal payments from being distributed to suspected fraudsters.

The administration’s enforcement efforts continue to produce criminal cases. Last week, federal and state authorities charged 19 individuals accused of participating in schemes involving more than $4 million in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims, according to the Department of Justice. Separately, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a plea agreement involving the final defendant in a previously charged 21-person case connected to more than $1.7 million in fraudulent claims.

While criminal prosecutions remain important, Vance acknowledged that recovering stolen taxpayer money is often far more difficult once it has already been paid out.

“Getting money back is very hard,” Vance said. “Once it’s gone out the door, it’s very hard to get it back.”

“What we’ve done most effectively is actually just stop the money from going out the door in the first place, because that’s the only real way to ensure the American people don’t lose it.”

Vance pointed to investigations that gained national attention late last year after independent journalist Nick Shirley published reports alleging widespread fraud involving daycare centers in Minnesota, including the “Quality Learing (sic) Center,” which he reported were largely operated by Somali immigrants.

Those reports prompted a federal response, with then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem deploying DHS and ICE personnel to Minneapolis to locate and deport Somali immigrants who were in the country illegally. The operation led to confrontations between federal agents and local residents and eventually sparked violent riots across the Twin Cities.

President Trump has assigned Vance an unusually broad portfolio for a vice president, including multiple diplomatic missions involving Iran and leadership of the White House anti-fraud initiative after appointing him the administration’s “Fraud Czar” in May.

Despite those responsibilities, Vance recently welcomed his fourth child with Second Lady Usha Vance, becoming the first sitting vice president in more than 150 years to have a child while in office.

“Kids have a way of forcing you to focus on them, even when things are crazy at work,” Vance said. “[I was] with my six-year-old this morning, who was making like zoo animal noises, and I was like, ‘Buddy, what are you doing?’ And he said, ‘I just want you to get off the stupid phone.’ And I said, ‘Alright, this can wait.'”

Vance said fatherhood helps keep him grounded despite the demands of public office.

“Kids are so, they’re so in their own little world that they sort of force you to go into their world, and that’s a very, very good thing,” he said. “It’s good for my psychology. I think it’s good for my soul, but it’s a very good thing. The job obviously has its demands and the schedule can get kind of crazy.”

Although Vance has consistently declined to discuss a potential 2028 presidential campaign, speculation continues over whether he could eventually succeed President Trump. Trump recently said it is “way too early” to endorse a successor, but according to a source familiar with the remarks, he told donors during an Oval Office meeting last month: “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said the United States is easing off military pressure against Iran for the time being, opting instead to rely on economic pressure as Tehran continues delaying an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz while demanding sweeping concessions from Washington.

In a brief telephone interview with Axios on Sunday, Trump said his administration is engaged in only limited negotiations with Iran while closely monitoring the country’s deteriorating economy.

“We are low-keying it,” Trump said.

Trump argued that Iran’s financial condition continues to worsen, saying the regime is struggling to pay its military forces. He also credited the U.S. naval blockade with placing additional strain on Tehran’s economy.

At the same time, he noted that American consumers are feeling less of the economic impact from the conflict because oil prices have eased to just above $75 per barrel.

“It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said.

The president’s comments come as Iran continues postponing an agreement involving Iran, Oman, and the United States over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Under the proposed framework, Iran would receive partial authority over maritime traffic through the strategically vital shipping lane.

On Saturday, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, unveiled a new list of conditions for restoring full access to the strait. Among the demands were a permanent end to the war against Iran and its allies, the removal of the U.S. naval blockade, the withdrawal of American military forces from the region surrounding Iran, and compensation for damages Tehran says it suffered during the conflict.

Iranian officials also insisted that all U.S. sanctions be lifted and that frozen Iranian financial assets be released.

Those same demands had previously been tied to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, but Tehran has now expanded them, making them prerequisites for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

According to U.S. officials, President Trump had been considering a return to large-scale military operations against Iran as recently as last week before ultimately deciding to pursue de-escalation instead.

One administration official said the pause in fighting has deprived Iran’s leadership of the ability to blame its economic collapse solely on the war, forcing the regime to confront the country’s worsening financial crisis.

The official also said roughly 8 million barrels of oil currently pass through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz each night under coordination with the U.S. military, adding that Washington intends to increase that volume as long as an agreement remains out of reach.

Vice President JD Vance said yesterday that the conflict has not ended and emphasized that the administration continues employing diplomatic, economic, and military tools in pursuit of what it believes is the best outcome for the United States.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed pushed back Sunday after President Trump shared a social media post contrasting the president and first lady Melania Trump with El-Sayed and his wife, calling it a reflection of two competing visions for the country.

The post, shared on Truth Social on Shabbos, featured two side-by-side photographs. One showed President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, while the other showed El-Sayed and his wife. Above the images were the words, “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.” Trump’s name appeared above his own photograph, while El-Sayed’s full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, appeared above the image of the Michigan Democrat and his wife.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper asked El-Sayed to respond to the president’s post.

“Yeah, he’s right. One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other but joint in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you, or two people who genuinely love each other, enjoyed some pancakes together, want to come together to build the kind of America where they can raise a family, and know that that family is going to have the good things.” El-Sayed said, referencing the actions from the post.

El-Sayed argued that the exchange highlighted what he sees as two fundamentally different political philosophies.

“So yes, you’ve got two different visions of America. Donald Trump’s vision is the one you’re living in right now. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries? Do you believe, when you look your kids in the eye, that they’re going to have a better future than you did?” he added.

El-Sayed, a leading progressive voice within the Democratic Party, narrowly defeated moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in last week’s Michigan Senate primary. His victory has been viewed as a significant test of the ideological direction of the Democratic Party heading into the general election.

WATCH:

Three Arab political parties have agreed to reunite under a single electoral slate ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, saying their primary objective is to defeat the current right-wing coalition and boost voter turnout in the Arab sector.

The National Reconciliation Committee announced that it had approved the creation of a joint list bringing together the communist Hadash party, the left-wing Palestinian nationalist Balad party, and the anti-Zionist Arab nationalist Ta’al party.

In a statement following the announcement, Hadash welcomed the agreement and said it was ready to begin campaigning immediately. The party said its immediate goals are to increase Arab voter participation and secure the strongest possible showing for the renewed Joint List at the ballot box.

According to Hadash, the decision to restore the alliance reflects what it described as the Arab public’s desire “to topple the fascist right-wing government.”

The party also accused the government of seeking to entrench the “occupation,” continue what it called a war of “extermination” in Gaza, carry out “ethnic cleansing in the West Bank,” and intensify what it described as a “racist” campaign against Arab citizens of Israel while allowing organized crime groups to operate with impunity and undermine public safety.

[Video below.] Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned Sunday that Iran has become increasingly confident in its confrontation with the United States, arguing that Tehran no longer feels compelled to respond to President Trump’s military threats and instead believes it holds the advantage as negotiations continue.

Appearing on ABC News’ “This Week,” Esper said Iranian leaders have adjusted their strategy after watching President Trump repeatedly stop short of carrying out major military action against Tehran.

“Clearly the Iranians have figured this out. They are not reacting to these threats, and they are taking very strategic positions with regard to this. And so, you saw them over the last week put forward again this Omani plan that they’re going to unveil at some point,” Esper said.

“But these demands they’ve now raised last night show that they are emboldened, that they feel confident about their position in the world. And at the same time, they are flexing their muscles by using their proxies,” he added.

Esper pointed to Iran’s efforts to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz by relying on the Houthis in Yemen to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying the campaign demonstrates Tehran’s willingness to expand pressure on global energy routes.

“We know that the Houthis just this morning attacked a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea. Yesterday, Iran attacked a UAE ship. But they’ve also — they being Tehran — have tried to expand this conflict,” Esper said.

“There was a long shot taken at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean Sea to show the range of their weapons. And they’ve gone so far as to threaten a U.S. ally, NATO ally, Bulgaria, about supporting U.S. operations from there. So they’re expanding the conflict in many ways,” he added.

The growing tensions come as fighting between Hezbollah and Israel continues in Lebanon, further complicating international efforts to restore a broader regional ceasefire.

Despite the escalating hostilities, President Trump has continued expressing optimism that an agreement with Iran remains within reach, including a possible arrangement that would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments normally pass.

“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” Trump said Tuesday after traveling to Los Angeles for a Republican National Committee fundraising event. “A lot of progress has been made.”

Iran, however, has largely dismissed that characterization, insisting it is instead pursuing an arrangement with Oman governing commercial traffic through the strait without American involvement. Iranian officials have also indicated that vessels using the waterway would be required to pay tolls.

At the same time, Tehran has submitted a list of conditions that it says must be met before the Strait of Hormuz would be fully reopened to international shipping.

Esper dismissed those demands as entirely unacceptable.

Esper said the demands are “ridiculous” and should be “rejected out of hand.”

“Demands such as the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the region, reimbursement for the cost of the war, the fact that … we would end our blockade, we would end sanctions. So, it’s gone beyond the pale,” he told host Jonathan Karl.

Esper concluded that Iran’s sweeping demands reveal not only its unwillingness to compromise but also its belief that it now holds the upper hand.

“But what it tells you is two things, Jonathan. First of all, they haven’t apparently left any room for negotiation, and we know that’s important. President Trump wants to pursue that, and rightly so. But secondly and more importantly, it shows that they believe they have the upper hand, they believe they’re winning, and they are emboldened,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

A Matzav.com Editorial:

The summer bein hazemanim season is still at its height, yet it has already come at a heartbreaking cost. One tragedy after another has shaken the community, both in Eretz Yisroel and in chutz la’aretz, with reports of young people and entire families losing their lives in accidents, drownings, and other devastating incidents.

These painful events should cause every one of us to pause and reflect. Bein hazemanim is meant to be a time of rest, family outings, travel, and renewal. But stepping away from our normal routines also demands an even greater level of caution. Whether driving, swimming, hiking, operating recreational vehicles, or visiting unfamiliar places, every activity requires planning, responsibility, and vigilance.

It takes only a single moment of inattention to create a lifetime of heartbreak.

Parents, bochurim, children, and adults alike should make safety their first priority before heading to the beach, the pool, a hiking trail, or any other destination. Do not enter unsupervised or prohibited waters. Avoid unnecessary risks. Follow all safety regulations while traveling and enjoying the outdoors. Above all, look out for one another.

As countless families spend these weeks together on vacation and enjoying time away from home, our heartfelt hope is that this summer will be remembered for joyful memories, not for tragedy. May everyone who leaves home for an outing return home safely.

Bein hazemanim is a precious opportunity to rest, recharge, and gather strength for the months ahead. Please do not allow a moment of carelessness to turn it into a heartbreaking tragedy. Protect yourselves, protect your children, and protect one another.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that antisemitism is becoming an increasingly dangerous force in American politics, pointing to recent developments within the Democratic Party as evidence that hostility toward Jews is becoming more mainstream.

Speaking on Newsmax’s Saturday Report, Huckabee cited Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s decision to skip her party’s nominating convention because of concerns about antisemitism and her personal safety.

“It’s a disturbing trend for the Democrats that I hope that they will change,” Huckabee told the network.

While acknowledging his own political affiliation, Huckabee said he believes a healthy political system requires two strong and responsible parties.

“I’m a Republican. I’m a pretty partisan Republican,” Huckabee said.

“But having said that, I wish there would be a competitive and a sane Democrat Party. It frankly makes both parties better to have a competitive environment.”

Huckabee argued that the Democratic Party has moved dramatically to the left both economically and socially.

Democrats are “moving so far to the left with socialism on the economic side, and with Jew hatred on the social side, that they are rapidly becoming the party of the insane.”

“And it’s not healthy. Not just for the Democrats. This isn’t healthy for America,” he said.

Huckabee also urged people not to minimize antisemitism by treating it as merely another political issue.

“We call it antisemitism. But let’s be clear what it is. It’s just hating Jews irrationally,” Huckabee added.

“Today, I want my Christian friends to hear me. Tomorrow they’ll hate the Christians.”

Asked how Israelis are viewing political developments in the United States, Huckabee said many are deeply troubled by what they are seeing.

Israelis are “very concerned” and “alarmed,” he said.

“Frankly, I am too,” Huckabee said. “I’ve been gone from the U.S. for a year and a half living here. It’s almost like I’m watching things in my own country and I’m thinking, ‘What’s happened over there? Where did this stuff start?’”

Huckabee also criticized political commentator Hasan Piker, questioning why he is widely described as an influencer.

“I want to think, who is he influencing?” Huckabee said. “Who would listen to somebody who is this completely off his cracker?”

Turning to developments in the Middle East, Huckabee said Israel is closely monitoring the newly announced mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, but is taking a cautious approach.

According to Huckabee, Israelis have “genuine anxieties about both Pakistan as well as Turkey, especially Turkey,” citing what he described as “very threatening” and “really bizarre” statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Huckabee concluded by expressing hope that countries in the region would choose closer ties with the United States and Israel rather than pursuing more confrontational policies.

“All of these countries would be far better off if they would be working with the United States and Israel for normalization rather than for radicalization,” Huckabee said. “But unfortunately, we’re seeing the opposite.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing fresh criticism after appointing a slate of new members to the city’s Panel for Education Policy, including individuals whose past statements and affiliations have drawn controversy over anti-police and anti-Israel positions. One appointee has also advocated for racially segregated discussion spaces in public schools, according to reports.

Among Mamdani’s 13 selections is Lucas Koehler, a former New York City Department of Education official who now leads the $500 million endowment for the Foundation for City College. Koehler has previously promoted initiatives aimed at what he described as dismantling “white dominant culture.”

While serving at the Department of Education, Koehler endorsed a statement calling for “separate spaces for white people and non-black people of color” so they could “to interrogate their own internalized anti-black racism and unlearn white dominant behaviors without causing harm to black colleagues,” according to a statement from the Division of Early Childhood Education Antiracism Coalition cited by watchdog group Canary Mission.

Koehler, who worked for the DOE between 2014 and 2022, also backed a proposal urging the department to end all cooperation with the NYPD, arguing that police officers represent a “threat” to minority students.

“In addition to the threat in-school police pose to black and brown children and their families, the funding allocated to the NYPD necessarily keeps money away from the social services that keep children safe and secure, and therefore better able to learn and grow,” the statement from the DECE antiracism coalition read.

Another of Mamdani’s appointments is Raysa S. Rodriguez, who leads the Citizens Committee for Children, an advocacy organization that has repeatedly supported efforts to defund the police.

The organization has previously urged the NYPD to stop issuing quality-of-life summonses and called on the City Council to reject funding for a planned $225 million police training facility in Queens.

Mamdani also selected Dr. Madeline “Maddy” Fox, an alumna of Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, for the board. Fox previously signed a letter accusing Israel of committing genocide while rejecting claims that antisemitism is widespread on college campuses.

“There is no rampant crisis of antisemitism on our campuses, despite prolonged attempts by the current administration to persuade the public that there is one,” read the 2025 letter, which was signed by Jewish faculty members from CUNY, Berkeley, and Georgetown.

The same letter criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism, stating: “This campaign of repression and censorship, including deportation and detention, is evidence of an Islamophobic and racist campaign against political dissent.”

The Panel for Education Policy consists of 24 members and is responsible for approving Department of Education contracts, establishing education policy, and overseeing school closures. The Department of Education operates with an annual budget of roughly $45 billion.

Of the board’s 23 voting members, 13 are appointed directly by the mayor, giving City Hall substantial influence over the panel’s decisions.

{Matzav.com}

A day of outdoor recreation in northern Israel turned tragic on Sunday, as a 16-year-old yeshiva student was killed in a rappelling accident near Keshet Cave, just hours after a 12-year-old boy drowned in the Jordan River following an extensive search operation.

The 16-year-old victim, Yehonatan Klimian of Katzrin, a student at Hispin Yeshiva High School, lost his life after falling while rappelling at Keshet Cave in the western Galilee.

Emergency responders estimated that the teenager plunged approximately 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet). Rescue personnel from the Israeli Air Force’s elite Unit 669 were dispatched to recover his body from the rugged terrain.

Magen David Adom paramedics Maimon Gabay and Ligal Dror described the grim scene: “We received a report of a teenager who fell from a great height, apparently while rappelling. We rappelled down to the scene and found the teenager unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, and with severe injuries to his body. We provided advanced medical treatment, including resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately, we had no choice but to pronounce him dead.”

Earlier the same day, another tragedy unfolded near Yesod HaMa’ala, where a 12-year-old boy disappeared after falling from a boat into the Jordan River during a family outing.

The emergency was first reported to the Fire and Rescue Authority’s 102 dispatch center, prompting the deployment of firefighters, members of the Northern District’s Special Rescue Unit, police officers, and additional rescue agencies.

Search teams combed the river and surrounding area for hours before locating the child. He was pulled from the water without signs of life.

United Hatzalah EMTs Yossi Amar and Shneor Zalman Navon said, “A 12-year-old boy was located and pulled from the water by the Golan Rescue Unit and brought to the banks of the Jordan River without signs of life. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at the scene. United Hatzalah assisted in the search efforts with our drone unit, and our Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit provided emotional first aid at the scene due to the nature of the incident.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli shoppers are once again finding empty refrigerator shelves where cottage cheese should be, with consumers across the country reporting that the popular staple—particularly Tnuva’s brand—has become increasingly difficult to find. The recurring shortage has reignited debate over competition in Israel’s dairy industry, market concentration, and the country’s persistent cost-of-living crisis.

According to a report aired on i24, many consumers have spent weeks searching unsuccessfully for cottage cheese. One shopper said, “Yesterday I went to two different supermarkets, and neither of them had cottage cheese.” Another expressed her frustration more bluntly: “What’s going on with the cottage cheese? There’s no cottage cheese. Do you know what I went through just to get cottage cheese?” An employee at one supermarket noted that “Tnuva cottage cheese sells out within an hour of arriving.”

According to Ynet and Yediot Achronot consumer affairs reporter Merav Kristal, the current shortage is not the result of a production failure but rather a malfunction in Tnuva’s automated warehouse system. She said disruptions caused by recent wars, holidays, and production changes led to software problems, while security concerns and insurance restrictions have made it difficult for technicians from Germany to travel to Israel to repair the system.

The latest shortage follows several other problems involving the product in recent months. Consumers previously complained that some cottage cheese spoiled unusually quickly, while another shortage in April was attributed to a reduced number of production days. Now, only a short time later, the product has once again disappeared from many supermarket refrigerators.

Prof. Yaron Zelicha, Israel’s former Accountant General at the Finance Ministry, criticized the repeated explanations for the shortages. “Every time it’s a different story. The problems always occur with the relatively inexpensive products, and yet we’re pushed toward buying the more expensive ones,” he said.

The situation has also renewed questions about competition in the dairy sector. According to figures cited in the report, Tnuva controls approximately 75 percent of Israel’s cottage cheese market, while Strauss and Tara share the remaining quarter. Reporter Roi Katz questioned how a single disruption could empty supermarket shelves across the country, asking how “one problem at one factory” could leave consumers unable to buy such a basic product.

Cottage cheese has long held symbolic significance in Israel beyond its role as a household staple. In the summer of 2011, soaring prices turned it into the face of the nationwide cost-of-living protests after the price of a container climbed to roughly seven shekels, up from about four shekels just a few years earlier. Public pressure eventually forced manufacturers to lower prices and avoid major increases for several years.

“The previous protest didn’t return cottage cheese to government price controls, but it did lower its price,” Kristal explained. She said food manufacturers “were frightened by that wave and realized they needed to keep the price of this cheese reasonable.” Even years later, she noted, cottage cheese remains one of the products consumers monitor most closely.

In recent years, however, prices have once again climbed to around seven shekels or more, alongside increases in the cost of other dairy products. At the same time, Israelis have faced higher expenses for electricity, insurance, municipal taxes, fuel, and parking, making cottage cheese a symbol of the broader question of how expensive everyday life has become.

Zelicha argued that increasing imports and reducing tariffs and import quotas would create greater competition and help lower prices. Kristal, however, noted that many countries produce dairy products domestically for reasons of food security and national resilience, adding that imported dairy products are not necessarily less expensive. Cottage cheese also presents additional challenges because of its relatively short shelf life.

The report also highlighted concerns about the concentration of Israel’s food industry. One interviewee remarked, “You think you have a choice at the supermarket, but you don’t realize that everything you’re buying on the shelf belongs to the same company.” Zelicha maintained that meaningful price reductions will only come through stronger competition and limits on the market power of major monopolies.

Consumers interviewed for the report described an ongoing struggle with rising living costs. “It’s wonderful here, my family is here and everything, but it’s just expensive. Everything is expensive here,” one shopper said. Another pointed out that roughly half of Israelis earn less than 9,000 shekels a month, asking, “How do you pay? How do you live?”

Despite the approaching elections, those interviewed predicted that the cost of living is unlikely to become the dominant campaign issue. They said security concerns continue to overshadow economic issues in Israel’s public discourse.

As for the possibility of another nationwide cottage cheese protest, the report suggested that many Israelis are weary after years of demonstrations and public campaigns. Even so, cottage cheese continues to occupy a unique place in Israeli life as a basic household staple whose absence is immediately noticed by consumers across the country.

In the meantime, some shoppers have found their own solution. The report demonstrated how cottage cheese can be made at home using ordinary milk. “As long as there’s milk, I’m fine,” one participant who prepares homemade cottage cheese said. Even so, the central question remains unanswered: Why does such a basic product continue to disappear from store shelves, and how can a single technical problem have such a sweeping impact across the country?

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering bringing the conflict with Iran to a close without securing a new nuclear agreement, instead declaring success if Iran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear capabilities remain effectively contained.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Trump has privately told senior advisers that he may be prepared to abandon negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program if Iran restores unrestricted shipping through the vital waterway.

The report says the administration has increasingly centered its efforts on reopening the Strait of Hormuz after broader diplomatic talks with Iran stalled. Tehran, however, has demanded sweeping concessions in exchange for restoring maritime traffic, including billions of dollars in payments, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, the withdrawal of American forces from the region, and other significant measures.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the Islamic Republic is also demanding an end to the war, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation for wartime damages, and an end to U.S. military operations against Iranian-backed militias before permitting normal shipping through the strait, according to Iranian state media.

Those conditions have complicated the Trump administration’s efforts to conclude the conflict while portraying the outcome as a strategic victory, the report said.

Throughout the conflict, Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that a nuclear agreement was within reach while simultaneously warning that the United States was prepared to dramatically escalate military action if necessary. More recently, however, he has suggested that America has already achieved its principal objectives, even without a formal nuclear accord.

Vice President JD Vance said the administration will continue pressing Iran to fundamentally change its relationship with the United States, adding that Washington will maintain pressure if Tehran refuses to alter its course.

A White House official told the newspaper that the United States has already accomplished its military goals against Iran and that the administration’s immediate priority is ensuring the uninterrupted flow of global energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The official added that military options remain available if Iran resumes attacks on commercial shipping.

On the nuclear front, U.S. officials said Trump has told senior aides that Iran may be incapable of rebuilding its nuclear program during his presidency following the destruction of its three principal nuclear facilities. The president has also reportedly expressed confidence that American intelligence agencies would quickly detect any attempt by Tehran to reconstruct those sites or secretly pursue a nuclear weapon.

According to the report, if Iran’s nuclear threat remains contained and the Strait of Hormuz is completely reopened, Trump could allow the current ceasefire to remain in place indefinitely. Under such an arrangement, the United States could also end its military blockade of Iranian ports.

Financial disputes continue to stand in the way of any broader agreement. Iran is demanding compensation for war-related damages and access to frozen assets held overseas, while Trump has made clear that U.S. taxpayers will not finance payments to Tehran. The two sides also remain divided over whether Iran should once again be permitted to export oil under sanctions waivers.

Trump’s recent public remarks have increasingly suggested he is looking for a path to end the conflict. He recently described the Strait of Hormuz as “sort of open right now,” while acknowledging that Iran still possesses the capability to threaten commercial vessels with missiles, drones, and naval mines.

The president has also minimized concerns over Iran’s deeply buried uranium stockpile, arguing that the material is effectively inaccessible because it remains so far underground.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration’s ability to bring the conflict to a close now appears closely tied to whether Tehran ultimately agrees to restore normal maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

{Matzav.com}