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Thousands of Belzer chassidim and talmidim of Yeshivas Brisk experienced an emotional Shabbos of gratitude and thanksgiving, as both the Belzer Rebbe and the Brisker rosh yeshiva, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik, recited the bracha of Hagomel following their respective illnesses and recoveries.

On Shabbos morning, during Krias HaTorah at the Belzer beis medrash, the Belzer Rebbe recited Hagomel, marking exactly one year since the surgery he underwent during the month of Elul last year.

In another expression of thanksgiving, the Belzer Rebbetzin lit an additional candle before Shabbos in accordance with a new practice instituted by the Rebbe this past week.

A family simcha took place on Motzoei Shabbos shortly before midnight, when a pidyon haben was held for the Rebbe’s great-grandson, a son of his grandson, Rav Yisroel Menachem Nachum Rokeach.

Meanwhile, an especially emotional scene unfolded at Yeshivas Brisk, where Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik, the rosh yeshiva, spent Shabbos in his new apartment adjacent to the yeshiva and participated in all of the tefillos.

During Krias HaTorah, Rav Soloveitchik received the aliyah of Levi. The rosh yeshiva then recited Hagomel, breaking down in tears as he gave thanks following the severe illness and medical ordeal that had left him critically ill and bedridden.

The moment was particularly moving for the talmidim and mispallelim who had followed the rosh yeshiva’s difficult medical condition and had davened intensely for his recovery.

At the conclusion of davening, Rav Avrohom Kagan, a senior mispallel at the yeshiva and a rosh mesivta at Yeshivas Kaminetz, broke into a powerful song of praise and thanksgiving to Hashem. Rav Kagan’s father had been a member of the Chazon Ish’s minyan.

An additional simcha took place on Friday, when a bris was held at Rav Soloveitchik’s home for his grandson.

The Boyaner Rebbe, who is related to the family through the mechutan, came to participate in the bris and was honored with amidah labrachos.

Following the bris, the Boyaner Rebbe and Rav Soloveitchik shared a warm conversation, with the Rebbe graciously inquiring about the rosh yeshiva’s health and well-being.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of families in Modiin Illit, Bnei Brak and Rechasim were left without electricity during critical hours on Erev Shabbos and, in some areas, into Shabbos itself, sparking mounting anger over repeated power failures that residents say have become an increasingly serious infrastructure problem.

The outages struck as families were preparing for Shabbos amid intense summer heat, leaving homes without air conditioning and preventing many residents from completing their cooking. The latest failures come after similar outages in recent weeks, prompting residents to demand a lasting solution from the Israel Electric Corporation.

In Modiin Illit, a widespread outage began on Erev Shabbos and left thousands of residents waiting for hours without knowing when service would be restored. In some neighborhoods, electricity returned only about half an hour before Shabbos, after families had already struggled through much of their preparations without power in the sweltering heat.

Other sections of the city remained without electricity until approximately an hour after Shabbos had begun.

“We had a power outage from four in the afternoon, we were left without much food because we hadn’t managed to cook it, and Shabbos came in with a gloomy atmosphere because we had no main course or cholent,” residents told Kikar HaShabbos.

The latest incident was not an isolated one. Modiin Illit has experienced a series of electricity failures in recent weeks, including the previous Shabbos, when thousands of residents reportedly went without power for hours. In some parts of the city, electricity remained out throughout Shabbos.

Additional problems were reported this past Shabbos as well. At approximately 10 p.m. on Friday night, residents again reported disruptions to the city’s electricity supply.

Similar outages were reported in Bnei Brak and Rechasim, where residents in several neighborhoods were forced to contend with power failures during the busy hours leading into Shabbos while temperatures remained extremely high.

Over the past week, outages were also reported in the Chazon Ish and Ezra Street areas of Bnei Brak. Numerous families were left without electricity, while some buildings reportedly received only partial power, leaving residents unable to operate air conditioners and other essential appliances.

Israel Electric Corporation CEO Meir Spiegler addressed the outage in Modiin Illit and suggested that unauthorized apartment subdivisions and private electrical connections may be contributing significantly to the strain on the local grid.

“The heavy load apparently also stems from apartment subdivisions and private connections that, naturally, were not taken into account when the network’s capacity was planned,” Spiegler said.

In a message distributed to residents while crews were working to restore service, Spiegler said, “A team of company employees is on the ground working to restore electricity to residents. They have now located the malfunction, and it will take approximately another hour to restore electricity to all residents. This week, we will carry out a fundamental treatment of the system that supplies Modiin Illit.”

Spiegler also sharply criticized what he described as illegal electrical arrangements that place additional pressure on the system.

“This is wild, lawless and illegal conduct that harms every one of us and causes those G-d-fearing residents who act in accordance with the law to pay a heavy price in the form of power outages as a result of their actions,” Spiegler said. “It is time to put an end to this, and the sooner the better. It depends solely on the regulatory and enforcement authorities faithfully carrying out their responsibilities.”

Residents, however, are directing growing criticism at the Israel Electric Corporation, arguing that regardless of the causes behind the increased demand, the infrastructure must be capable of providing reliable electricity to the rapidly growing communities it serves.

They say the recurring outages are no longer merely an inconvenience, particularly when they occur on Erev Shabbos and during periods of extreme summer heat. Beyond ruining food and disrupting Shabbos preparations, residents warn that prolonged power failures can pose a health risk to elderly residents, young children and others particularly vulnerable to high temperatures.

At the same time, some Modiin Illit residents have raised serious concerns of their own about what they describe as unauthorized electrical connections operating in certain parts of the city. They contend that such connections present a significant safety hazard while also adding to the burden on the electricity network.

According to those residents, four wedding halls and more than 100 guest rooms are operating in the area in question, creating substantial additional demand on the local power system. They say the heavy load has repeatedly coincided with disruptions in electricity service, further fueling calls for authorities and the Israel Electric Corporation to address the problem before another outage leaves families in the dark.

{Matzav.com}

A remarkable story from approximately 75 years ago has been revealed for the first time, detailing how Rebbetzin Sarah Yisraelson a”h, a daughter of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l and granddaughter of Rav Aryeh Levin zt”l, was arrested at her home amid efforts at the time to conscript religious women into the Israeli military.

The previously unknown episode was related by her brother, Rav Binyomin Dovid Elyashiv, during a nichum aveilim visit following Rebbetzin Yisraelson’s petirah late last week.

Rav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron, came to be menachem avel, and during their conversation, Rav Elyashiv shared the extraordinary story about his sister, describing her as the first person to be arrested for draft evasion during that period.

According to Rav Elyashiv, the incident occurred approximately 75 years ago, when the newly established State of Israel was attempting to impose military service on young women, a move that was met with fierce opposition from leading gedolei Yisroel.

Rebbetzin Yisraelson was arrested at her home and taken into custody. Rav Elyashiv recalled that during the episode, she drank coffee and remained under arrest for approximately half a day.

Efforts quickly began to secure her release.

Rav Elyashiv explained that his family had close ties with then-Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchok Isaac Herzog, who had learned in the same kollel as his father, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

Those connections, together with the intervention of the family’s grandfather, Rav Aryeh Levin, the legendary “father of the prisoners,” ultimately helped secure Rebbetzin Yisraelson’s release and return home.

Rav Aryeh Levin was renowned for his tireless work on behalf of Jewish prisoners and for the extraordinary personal devotion he showed to those who were incarcerated, making his involvement in his granddaughter’s case particularly significant.

The story had apparently remained largely unknown for decades and emerged only during the shivah for Rebbetzin Yisraelson, providing a striking historical glimpse into the early battles surrounding the proposed conscription of religious women.

After recounting how his sister had become the first person arrested over the issue, Rav Elyashiv concluded with a pointed hope particularly resonant amid the current battles surrounding military conscription.

“Be’ezras Hashem, she will also be the last,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Three young sisters were rushed to the hospital on Shabbos morning after ingesting a large quantity of medication at their home in the Ramat Daled neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, while in a separate incident in Bnei Brak, a 6-year-old girl suffered moderate burns after boiling water spilled on her from a hot-water urn.

The three sisters, ages 1, 2 and 3, were found with diminished levels of consciousness after family members discovered that they had apparently swallowed a significant quantity of medication.

Emergency personnel from Tzevet Hatzalah and Magen David Adom were dispatched to the Beit Shemesh home and provided the children with initial medical treatment before transporting them to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim. All three were reported to be in stable condition at the time of transport.

Tzevet Hatzalah Shabbos responders, paramedic Nati Ben Shimon and EMTs Kobi Marder and Yehoshua Gottlieb, described the scene.

“When we arrived at the scene with the MDA ambulances that we staff, we were directed into a home, where we saw three sisters, toddlers aged one, two and three, with diminished levels of consciousness, after family members told us that they had swallowed a large quantity of medication,” they said.

“Together with additional MDA EMTs and paramedics, we provided them with initial medical assistance and evacuated them via an MDA mobile intensive care unit and ambulance in stable condition for further treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim.”

Following the frightening incident, Tzevet Hatzalah reminded parents of the importance of keeping medications and other potentially dangerous substances stored in high, secure locations that are inaccessible to children.

In a separate emergency on Shabbos afternoon, United Hatzalah medical personnel responded to Rav Brutt Street in Bnei Brak after a girl approximately 6 years old was badly burned by boiling water that spilled from a hot-water urn.

The girl suffered burns to multiple areas of her body and was treated at the scene before being transported to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. Her condition was listed as moderate.

Yosef Bruchim, a United Hatzalah EMT, Shabbos responder and ambulance driver, said rescuers were told that the boiling water had spilled onto the girl’s face, limbs and back.

“We were told that the girl suffered burns to her face, limbs and back after a hot-water urn containing boiling water spilled on her,” Bruchim said. “With the assistance of additional EMTs, I provided her with medical treatment and evacuated her in a United Hatzalah ambulance to Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer for further medical treatment, with her condition defined as moderate.”

United Hatzalah used the incident to remind parents to place hot-water urns and electric kettles in locations that cannot be reached by young children.

The organization also stressed that electrical cords connected to kettles and hot-water urns should be kept entirely out of the reach of children and toddlers, since pulling on a cord can cause a container of boiling water to fall and result in severe burns.

{Matzav.com}

A major controversy has erupted in Kiryas Vizhnitz in Bnei Brak after a building in the heart of the community was leased to a Chareidi high school whose educational outlook has been deemed incompatible with Vizhnitzer principles.

The Bais Din Tzedek and Bais Horaah of Vizhnitz issued a sharply worded letter ordering that every necessary step be taken to cancel the agreement and prevent the institution from establishing itself within the Vizhnitzer neighborhood.

The letter was issued under the leadership of Vizhnitzer raavad Rav Moshe Shaul Klein and Vizhnitzer av bais din Rav Chaim Meir Hager, the eldest son of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe.

In the letter, addressed to Vizhnitzer chassidim and residents of the neighborhood, the dayanim described the situation as an unacceptable breach of the principles upon which the community was established.

Under the heading, “To our alarm and the alarm of the hearts of all our community,” the Bais Din wrote that “an unthinkable obstacle has arisen within a faithful community” through the leasing of a building to an institution affiliated with those who hold an ideology from which Vizhnitzer leaders and other gedolei Yisroel throughout the generations have warned their followers to remain far removed.

The letter said that the community must certainly not permit such an institution to gain “a foothold” in a neighborhood whose entire purpose was to provide an environment protected from outside influences.

The Bais Din noted that Kiryas Vizhnitz was established through the extraordinary efforts of the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz and subsequently carefully preserved by the Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz and, yibadel l’chaim, the current Vizhnitzer Rebbe.

According to the letter, the neighborhood was intended “to serve as a dwelling place for chassidim and anshei maaseh in kedushah and taharah, and as a city of refuge from every foreign influence.”

Once the leasing arrangement became known, Rav Chaim Meir Hager met together with Rav Moshe Shaul Klein to address the matter. The two summoned the leadership of Igud Mosdos Vizhnitz, the organization that controls the building in question.

During that meeting, the organization’s leadership was given an unequivocal directive to immediately undertake all necessary measures to cancel the transaction. According to the Bais Din, the organization accepted the directive and committed itself to carrying it out without delay.

However, the matter has reportedly been complicated by various legal issues resulting from the stage the agreement has already reached.

Because of those difficulties, Rav Chaim Meir Hager and the full membership of the Bais Din subsequently convened a special bais din session to examine the details of the case and determine how to proceed.

After reviewing the various considerations, the Bais Din instructed the organization’s leadership on the steps it should take to terminate the agreement.

A special “action committee” has also been appointed by the Bais Din to oversee the process and accompany the effort until the transaction is fully canceled.

At the conclusion of its letter, the Bais Din appealed directly to Vizhnitzer chassidim and residents of the neighborhood, stressing that some of the steps now being undertaken are sensitive and should be conducted discreetly.

Residents were therefore asked to assist the effort primarily through tefillah and by asking Hashem to protect the community’s spiritual character and preserve its ancestral heritage.

The Bais Din expressed confidence that the dispute can ultimately be resolved peacefully and properly, “quietly and securely.”

At the same time, the dayanim left open the possibility that a broader public response could eventually become necessary.

Should circumstances require public protest involving the wider community, the Bais Din said, residents will receive an organized directive informing them how to proceed.

Until then, the Bais Din explicitly warned individuals not to take matters into their own hands or engage independently in actions that are inconsistent with the path established by the Vizhnitzer rabbonim and Rebbes.

The letter was signed by the members of the Bais Din Tzedek and Bais Horaah of Vizhnitz in Kiryas Vizhnitz, Bnei Brak.

The IDF has expanded its control beyond the original Yellow Line northwest of Rafah in recent weeks, clearing an additional area that could eventually be transferred to a multinational force, according to a report by Channel 12 News.

The newly secured territory includes, among other areas, land where the former Gush Katif communities of Bnei Atzmon and Bedolah once stood before Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza.

No timetable has yet been established for a multinational force to enter the area.

Israel currently controls 52% of the territory within the original Yellow Line and has also taken control of several locations beyond it. However, the IDF has decided for the time being not to expand its territorial presence any further. Forces have been instructed not to seize additional areas or push the Yellow Line farther into Gaza.

“We are not giving up the security Yellow Line,” a security official told Channel 12 News. “The multinational force, if there is one, will be able to take over the new territory that we seized beyond the Yellow Line northwest of Rafah.”

The development appears to provide Israel with an additional security buffer while also preparing the territory for the possibility of a future international presence in the Gaza Strip.

At the same time, Israeli security officials are closely watching developments along the Gaza border amid indications that Hamas may be attempting to test Israel’s response to renewed low-level attacks.

On Friday, incendiary kites launched from Gaza were detected near one of the Israeli communities along the Gaza border.

Israeli defense officials believe Hamas may be using the kites to assess both their ability to cause damage and the nature of Israel’s response. There are concerns that the activity could eventually escalate to the use of incendiary balloons, explosive balloons and even rocket fire.

The incidents come amid additional warnings from IDF surveillance soldiers stationed along the Gaza border, who have reported observing terrorist activity in the vicinity of the security fence.

For now, the IDF is maintaining its expanded positions while refraining from additional territorial advances, as Israel weighs the possibility of eventually turning over the newly cleared area northwest of Rafah to a multinational force.

{Matzav.com}

Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has signed an order restoring coal exports to Israel, reversing a ban imposed by his predecessor during the Gaza war and marking another significant step in the rapidly warming relationship between the two countries.

The order, signed over the weekend, allows Colombian coal shipments to Israel to resume after they were halted under President Gustavo Petro, whose government pursued an increasingly hostile policy toward Israel during the war.

De la Espriella, who has emerged as a strongly pro-Israel leader, has dramatically changed Colombia’s approach since taking office, moving away from Petro’s policies and rebuilding diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

The resumption of coal exports is the latest in a series of major diplomatic developments between Israel and Colombia in recent months.

Several months ago, Colombia formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, becoming only the second country in the world, after the United States, to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the strategically important territory.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Colombia and met with de la Espriella, presenting Israel’s position on the Golan Heights and explaining the territory’s importance to the country’s security. Despite pressure from Arab countries, the Colombian president ultimately agreed to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.

Sa’ar also announced a mutual visa-waiver agreement between Israel and Colombia that is scheduled to take effect on September 1.

Under the agreement, citizens of both countries will be able to visit the other without first obtaining a visa, significantly easing travel and potentially expanding tourism, commerce and business ties between Israel and Colombia.

The strengthening relationship has also been evident in Israel’s response to the devastating earthquake that struck Colombia approximately a week ago.

Israel dispatched what was reported to be the largest foreign rescue delegation sent to assist Colombia following the disaster, with IDF Home Front Command personnel operating in Cali and other heavily damaged areas.

The Israeli Home Front Command delegation includes dozens of soldiers and search-and-rescue specialists and is working at three of the five largest destruction sites in Cali.

The Israeli team arrived approximately 96 hours after the earthquake, at a point when rescue officials still believed there was a possibility of locating survivors beneath the rubble.

Israeli personnel on the ground have been working closely with Colombian municipal officials and government ministers as the search for missing people continues.

The delegation is also drawing on experience gained during its recent mission in Venezuela, where a powerful earthquake struck approximately three weeks earlier. That experience has been used to assist ongoing search-and-rescue efforts in Colombia.

The restoration of coal exports to Israel, combined with Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the new visa-waiver agreement, represents a dramatic turnaround in relations between the two countries.

De la Espriella’s diplomatic moves reflect a markedly more pragmatic and pro-Israel approach than that of his predecessor, with the latest decision now extending the growing relationship beyond diplomacy and into an economically significant area of trade.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has unleashed a political firestorm after suggesting that Israel may have intentionally tried to provoke Turkey with its recent strike in Syria and warning that the operation could have set off a chain of events leading to ”World War III.”

Barrack’s remarks quickly drew condemnation from several prominent allies of President Donald Trump, some of whom accused the ambassador, who also serves as Trump’s special envoy for Syria, of effectively taking Ankara’s side while departing from established U.S. policy.

Critics also pointed to what they described as a glaring disparity in Barrack’s comments: While sharply questioning Israel’s military actions inside Syria, he offered no similar criticism of Turkey’s extensive and longstanding military intervention there, including Ankara’s deployment of thousands of troops and establishment of military positions across northern Syria.

Barrack made his remarks during a lengthy interview Friday with X podcaster Mario Nawfal following Israel’s Tuesday strike on the Abu al-Duhur air base in Syria’s Idlib province.

Nawfal characterized the episode in dramatic terms while introducing his account of the interview.

”ISRAEL ALMOST STARTED A WAR WITH TURKEY, AND NO ONE, NOT EVEN TRUMP, SAW IT COMING,” Nawfal wrote on X.

”Israel’s strike in Syria almost started a war with Turkey,” he added, saying Trump’s special envoy had given him ”an extraordinary account of how it happened.”

Barrack then laid out several possible explanations for Israel’s decision, while emphasizing that he was discussing theories rather than presenting a definitive intelligence conclusion.

”Let me give you the postulated theories,” Barrack told Nawfal.

One possibility, he said, was that Israel intentionally sought to trigger a Turkish reaction.

”The first one is that the Israelis were baiting the Turks,” Barrack said.

Barrack pointed to Turkey’s 2015 downing of a Russian Su-24 near the Turkish-Syrian frontier, suggesting that Israel’s latest action created the potential for another dangerous confrontation involving military aircraft.

”Very dangerous game, having jets deployed on the border without notification, without some agreement,” Barrack said.

He also floated the possibility that domestic Israeli politics played a role in the decision, with Israel’s Oct. 27 elections approaching.

”One theory is they were just baiting Türkiye — that it’s a very aggressive, but maybe a well-received, pre-election concept,” Barrack said.

During his own commentary surrounding the interview, Nawfal indicated that he viewed the deliberate-provocation theory as the more plausible of the explanations Barrack presented.

Israel, however, has provided a dramatically different explanation for the strike.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Abu al-Duhur air base was attacked because Turkey was preparing to establish a military foothold there that Israel believed could pose a threat to its security.

Barrack disputed that version of events.

”There’s some intelligence that Israel had some intelligence that one of three things happened,” Barrack told Nawfal.

”Either there were Turkish military or military assets on site. We know that was not the case.”

According to Barrack, Israeli officials informed Washington of their concerns approximately six days before the attack, prompting U.S. officials to examine the intelligence.

”We all did our due diligence. We went back to our respective intelligence agencies,” he said.

”The answers we got were, ‘No, that’s not happening.’”

Syrian officials, however, have acknowledged that a Turkish delegation visited Abu al-Duhur just one day before Israel struck the facility, with the delegation reportedly inspecting reconstruction work taking place at the base.

Barrack said Turkey received no advance warning before Israeli aircraft approached the area. He argued that the lack of notification created an extremely volatile situation because Turkish military officials could detect Israeli aircraft approaching their border without knowing what the planes intended to do.

”The Turkish military is strong, they’re courageous, they’re very well equipped, they know what they’re doing,” Barrack told Nawfal.

Barrack said Turkish commanders could conceivably have responded: ”We’re going to have to scramble our own.”

Nawfal then asked whether a confrontation of that nature could potentially have escalated into a third world war.

”Could this be World War III?” Barrack responded. ”I think our opinion is anything could be World War III from an unintended act.”

At the same time, Barrack stressed that neither government appeared to actually desire a military confrontation between Israel and Turkey.

”Thank goodness, calm heads really came to the moment of the day, and we unwrapped it,” Barrack said.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded forcefully Saturday, rejecting Barrack’s description of events as ”full of inaccuracies.”

According to Katz, Israeli intelligence clearly showed that Turkey intended to operate from Abu al-Duhur, and the IDF had recommended on several occasions that the facility be attacked.

Israeli officials have also said that Syria received a warning before the operation and that relevant information was conveyed to U.S. authorities.

”Erdoğan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to retreat,” Katz said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Katz also dismissed Barrack’s suggestion that Netanyahu’s decision may have been influenced by Israel’s approaching election.

Barrack raised another potential explanation for the incident, suggesting that the operation might have resulted from a breakdown in communications among different branches of the Israeli security establishment.

”The other theory is that between the IDF, the Mossad, and the Prime Minister’s Office there was a miscommunication,” he said.

Barrack said such a breakdown would be particularly notable because the head of Mossad had recently participated in what he described as a productive two-hour discussion with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

During the interview, Barrack repeatedly emphasized what he described as Turkey’s restraint in dealing with Israel and the Syrian situation.

”I know that the Turks — their intelligence agency, their hierarchy, their foreign minister, the president, the head of intelligence — all are concentrating on restraint,” Barrack said.

”That’s a fact. They’re not predatory.”

”They’re not interested in attacking or even engaging in any kind of kinetic or adversarial relationship with Israel,” he added.

Barrack also recounted an exchange in which Trump questioned Erdoğan about why Turkey had not simply taken control of Syria.

”In public, Trump has asked President Erdoğan, ‘Why didn’t you just take Syria? If you were instrumental in helping them, why didn’t you just take it?’” Barrack said.

According to Barrack, Erdoğan replied: ”Because we don’t want it. We want Syria to be a sovereign and independent country.”

Barrack endorsed that portrayal, saying Turkey’s objective is ”a sovereign and independent Syria.”

Critics noted, however, that Turkey itself has repeatedly deployed military forces across the Syrian border.

Ankara launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018 and Operation Peace Spring in 2019, sending Turkish troops and Turkish-backed forces into Syria and establishing control over substantial portions of the country’s north.

Turkey continues to maintain thousands of military personnel inside Syria, along with military bases and observation posts across sections of the northern part of the country.

Ankara has defended those operations as necessary to combat Kurdish militants and terrorist groups and to protect Turkey’s southern frontier.

The Assad government, before its fall, repeatedly characterized Turkey’s presence as an illegal occupation and demanded the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

The U.S. State Department has also documented allegations from the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that Turkish forces and Turkish-backed groups were responsible for civilian casualties, attacks on civilian infrastructure, looting and property seizures during Operation Peace Spring.

Turkey has denied those allegations.

Barrack did not offer a comparable criticism of Turkey’s military activities inside Syria during his conversation with Nawfal, instead directing his strongest criticism toward Israel’s actions.

The ambassador also sparked controversy by addressing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

”They still occupy the Golan against the U.N. resolutions, against all of the international order, which has said the Golan is Syria’s,” Barrack said.

That statement conflicts with the position adopted by Trump in 2019, when the president formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing decades of U.S. policy.

Katz highlighted that contradiction in his response to Barrack, pointing out that the president Barrack represents formally recognized the territory as part of Israel.

Barrack’s overall characterization of the dispute therefore drew scrutiny from critics who noted the stark contrast in his descriptions of the two countries. He portrayed Turkey as restrained and ”not predatory,” while suggesting Israel may have been ”baiting” Ankara, playing a ”very dangerous game,” possibly acting for domestic electoral considerations and risking an escalation that could conceivably have produced ”World War III.”

Syndicated radio host Mark Levin responded by calling for Trump to remove Barrack from his post.

Sharing Barrack’s interview with Nawfal, Levin said the ambassador was ”crazy as hell” and added that he is ”Erdogan’s mouthpiece and lapdog and needs to be pulled.”

Political commentator Emily Shrader similarly criticized Barrack for appearing to contradict the Trump administration’s official recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

”Why is the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack advocating directly against the policy of the United States and the policy of the president whom he serves?” she asked.

Shrader concluded, ”This guy needs to be fired immediately.”

Barrack’s favorable posture toward Erdoğan has previously drawn criticism from conservatives in Washington, particularly amid complaints about Turkey’s conduct toward Israel and its refusal to support the United States during the conflict with Iran.

Former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum has accused Barrack of having ”betrayed [the Kurds], Christians in Syria and our country for Turkey.”

”His behavior is a disgrace,” Santorum said. ”He should be recalled.”

Barrack also faced criticism in April from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Turkey expert Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer published an analysis titled, ”America’s Ambassador to Turkey Is Undermining U.S. Interests.”

The authors criticized Barrack for declaring that ”Turkey is not a country to be messed with” while placing responsibility on Israel for tensions with Ankara.

They also accused the ambassador of failing to confront Turkey over its ongoing relationship with Hamas and Ankara’s activities inside Syria.

”The job of the American ambassador to Turkey is not to make Ankara feel validated,” Ciddi and Schanzer wrote. ”It is to defend U.S. interests, uphold alliances, and confront a partner whose policies have repeatedly empowered America’s adversaries.”

For Israel, the dispute reflects a broader concern over Turkey’s expanding role in Syria. Turkey is a NATO member with one of the region’s largest militaries and has been steadily developing a substantial military presence inside Syria, raising Israeli concerns that Turkish forces could eventually pose a direct security challenge.

Barrack’s remarks have consequently fueled a larger debate over what critics see as an inconsistency in his approach: questioning the dangers and legitimacy of Israeli military intervention inside Syria while offering no comparable condemnation of Turkey’s considerably larger and longer-running military presence there.

{Matzav.com}

Britain, Canada and Australia issued a sharp joint condemnation of Israel on Friday over the IDF’s decision not to pursue criminal investigations into the 2024 Gaza strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, calling the outcome “shameful” and demanding greater accountability for the deadly incident.

The seven WCK workers killed in the strike included three British citizens, an Australian, a Polish national, a dual American-Canadian citizen and a Palestinian Arab. Their convoy was struck by an Israeli drone after the aid workers had overseen the delivery and unloading of humanitarian supplies in Gaza.

The IDF on Wednesday released the findings of its General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which examined the circumstances surrounding the attack. Investigators concluded that Israeli forces had incorrectly assessed that Hamas terrorists had taken control of the WCK convoy.

According to the military’s findings, troops spotted an individual they believed to be armed aboard a truck traveling as part of the convoy. The positioning and movement of additional vehicles were also interpreted by troops, based on their operational experience, as indications that Hamas had taken control of the convoy.

World Central Kitchen had arranged for armed security personnel to accompany the humanitarian mission. However, according to the IDF investigation, the presence of those security personnel had not been coordinated with the Israeli military.

After the aid was unloaded at a warehouse, Israeli troops mistakenly identified several individuals as armed. The vehicles subsequently traveled south using a route different from the one that had been coordinated with the IDF. Operating under the erroneous belief that Hamas members were inside the vehicles, Israeli forces launched the strikes.

Investigators also found that Israeli personnel attempted unsuccessfully to reach WCK representatives during the roughly 30-minute period in which the convoy was being monitored.

Despite identifying serious operational failures that contributed to the mistaken identification and subsequent attack, the Chief Military Prosecutor determined that there was no reasonable suspicion that criminal misconduct had occurred. As a result, no criminal investigation will be opened and no further measures will be taken beyond disciplinary steps already imposed.

That conclusion prompted an unusually forceful response from Britain, Canada and Australia, whose governments have pressed Israel for accountability since the incident occurred.

“In the more than two years since, we have been pressing for Israel to swiftly and thoroughly consider the case and hold those responsible to account.” the three nations said.

“The announcement by the IDF on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful,” it said.

The three governments also criticized the timing of Israel’s announcement, which coincided with World Humanitarian Day.

“Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honoured the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious,” the joint statement added.

The statement came two days after Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong separately denounced the Israeli decision, saying she was “outraged” by the outcome of the military review.

Wong said Israel’s decision “falls far short of the accountability we expect” and announced that the Israeli ambassador to Australia would be summoned to discuss the matter.

Following the deadly strike in 2024, then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the WCK workers had been killed because of a mistaken identification and stressed that Israeli forces had not deliberately targeted the humanitarian organization or its personnel.

The IDF subsequently took disciplinary action against several officers over the incident, dismissing two officers and formally reprimanding senior commanders after its initial investigation identified serious failures in the military’s handling of the convoy.

World Central Kitchen halted its food distribution activities in Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the strike. The humanitarian organization resumed its operations in the territory approximately one month later.

Ben Gurion Airport could face another round of serious disruptions unless its staffing shortage is addressed, Israel Airports Authority union chairman Pinchas Idan warned, refusing to assure travelers that the turmoil that rocked the airport this week will not happen again.

Idan spoke publicly for the first time since Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu moved to expel him from the Likud party over the airport chaos. In an interview with Kan News, the union leader made clear that he believes the underlying problems that triggered the breakdown remain unresolved.

Asked whether travelers could be confident that operations would proceed normally next week, Idan pointed directly to what he described as a severe shortage of personnel. “I promise nothing,” he said.

Idan strongly disputed allegations that the workers’ committee deliberately launched a strike that paralyzed operations at Israel’s main international airport. Instead, he said airport management made the decision to halt operations.

“It wasn’t me who shut down Ben Gurion Airport, but the airport manager. Everything is documented and filmed,” he said.

According to Idan, the upheaval stemmed from an unsustainable workload being imposed on baggage handlers, some of whom had already been working for many hours when they said they were physically unable to continue.

“There are workers who started their shift at 3:00 a.m. and were supposed to work until the afternoon. They asked to go home because they felt they couldn’t stand on their feet,” he explained.

Idan said he intends to take the issue to court in an effort to prevent baggage handlers from being required to work 12-hour shifts, arguing that such schedules raise legitimate concerns about employee health and safety.

“Is it safe for an employee to wake up at two in the morning, arrive at work at three, and work 12 hours? The average age of the workers is 40 to 50, after decades of work. My back hurts for them,” he said.

The union chief also addressed Netanyahu’s decision to remove him from Likud, showing little concern about losing his place in the ruling party.

“I haven’t received anything in my life from Likud,” he said, while denying accusations that the airport disruptions were driven by political considerations.

Idan separately rejected reports that he intentionally interfered with Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s flight during the turmoil.

“I myself loaded the minister’s plane together with Brigadier General Ron Tal. The porters work around the clock; they don’t even have time to drink a glass of water,” he said.

Netanyahu announced Idan’s removal from Likud following the extraordinary scenes at Ben Gurion Airport, accusing the union chairman of responsibility for a “wild and unlawful strike” that caused widespread harm to Israeli travelers and the country’s economy.

Idan, however, continues to maintain that no strike took place. He insists that airport management was forced to scale back operations because of a serious manpower shortage — a problem he says the workers’ representatives had repeatedly warned officials about well before this week’s crisis erupted.

With Idan now unwilling to guarantee that normal operations will continue, the dispute leaves travelers facing renewed uncertainty and raises the prospect that the scenes witnessed at Ben Gurion Airport this week could be repeated if the staffing dispute remains unresolved.

{Matzav.com}

New York City lawmakers are pushing a sprawling collection of progressive proposals that could dramatically reshape everything from policing and wages to pet care, self-checkout lanes and even the treatment of elephants, with nearly a dozen unusual or controversial measures currently being championed at City Hall, the NY Post reports.

Among the proposals backed by progressive City Council members are measures that would eliminate the NYPD’s gang database, restrict deployment of an elite police unit at protests, raise the citywide minimum wage to $30 an hour, allow workers to use sick leave to care for pets and impose strict conditions on keeping elephants within the five boroughs.

Zilvinas Silenas, president of the independent Empire Center think tank, said many of the proposals allow individual lawmakers to publicly highlight the causes they most strongly identify with.

“They want the world to know this is what they believe in and this is what they fight for,” Silenas said.

“They’re putting up a flag to say, ‘Hey, I’m the council member who’s all in on organic eggs” or, ‘I’m the council member who really cares about elephants in New York.’”

Democrats hold a supermajority on the City Council, including a substantial progressive contingent. However, the measures would first have to clear their respective committees before reaching the full Council for a vote.

One proposal would allow New Yorkers to use their existing sick leave when a pet or service animal becomes ill. The measure, sponsored by Manhattan Councilman Shaun Abreu, would change current city law, which does not permit accrued sick time to be used for veterinary care.

“This bill would clarify that caring for a sick animal is a legitimate use of already earned sick leave and does not create any additional leave entitlement,” a memo supporting the legislation states.

The proposal would apply to animals “kept primarily for companionship,” including pets and service animals, but would not extend the benefit to livestock and other farm animals.

Abreu, who is not himself a member of the Progressive Caucus, has attracted support for the measure from progressive lawmakers including Queens Councilwoman Tiffany L. Cabán. Abreu has stressed that the proposal would not provide employees with additional sick days, but would instead expand the circumstances under which workers can use leave they have already accumulated.

Another proposal takes aim at the eggs purchased by New York City agencies.

Legislation introduced by Manhattan Councilman Harvey Epstein would prohibit municipal agencies from buying eggs unless they are organic or free-range.

“We want to make sure that the city is providing good, nutrient-dense, safe food to the people it’s serving,” Epstein said.

“Organic eggs are better for human health, with three times more unsaturated fats, 40% more vitamin A, and twice as much vitamin E compared to the USDA standard, and free-range eggs are also thought to contain superior nutrition. Following the lead of states like Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky, New York City should implement guardrails to keep people safe and healthy.”

A memo supporting Epstein’s legislation also argues that eggs produced by caged hens involve animal cruelty because the birds can be confined to areas smaller than a standard sheet of letter-sized paper.

Self-checkout machines are another target.

Bronx Councilwoman Amanda Farías is sponsoring legislation that would require pharmacies and food retailers to maintain at least one employee for every three self-checkout stations. Businesses that fail to meet the requirement could face fines of up to $1,000 per employee for every day they remain out of compliance.

The legislation would also impose a maximum of 15 items for customers using self-checkout machines.

Supporters argue that both requirements would help combat retail theft, which has contributed to higher costs for groceries and other necessities.

“Reinvesting in staffing is good for revenue, for jobs, and for consumer confidence,” the memo argues. “We must fix the system, rather than continuing to pass the cost of preventable losses onto New Yorkers who are already struggling with the affordability crisis.”

Farias added, “Retail theft has been a challenge for our city since the pandemic, and we have been working to address it from every angle. This legislation is another piece of that work.”

The City Council is also considering legislation regulating elephants in New York following the death of Happy, the longtime Bronx Zoo elephant.

A proposal from Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif would generally prohibit elephants from being kept in New York City unless a series of stringent requirements are satisfied.

Among those requirements would be at least 15 acres of usable habitat where elephants can forage for food or water. Female elephants would have to be kept in groups that allow them to form herds, with similar provisions applying to males.

“The elephant must not be mounted, ridden, or forced to do labor,” the legislation states.

Another measure focuses on what critics call “hostile architecture” — benches, platforms and other structures intentionally designed to discourage homeless people from sitting or sleeping in public areas.

Manhattan Councilman Christopher Marte is sponsoring legislation addressing features such as spiked platforms and benches divided by numerous railings.

“In 2017, 2021, and 2025, the MTA removed numerous benches from train platforms and replaced them with metal leaning bars; again, targeting the homeless population,” the bill’s memo states.

“Hostile architecture, however, affects everyone, not just the intended target. In the case of the MTA’s leaning bars, multiple riders have expressed concern about the issue of accessibility.”

Despite the criticism, the legislation itself would not immediately ban or remove such structures. Instead, it would direct the city Planning Department to complete a study within 18 months after the measure becomes law.

Fallen trees would get their own government task force under another proposal.

Despite the city already operating an extensive Parks Department, the measure would require the creation of a dedicated “task force” responsible for coordinating the removal of trees brought down during severe weather.

Delivery workers would receive new protections under another bill sponsored by Marte.

The proposal would prevent delivery companies from requiring a worker to transport more than 22 pounds in a single trip and would also bar companies from forcing delivery workers to wear backpacks.

“There is a study out of Berlin that said 22 pounds of weight on someone’s back can be the deciding factor on whether they live or die if they crash on a bicycle, and right now there’s no weight limit,” Marte said. “A weight limit will make it much safer for workers.”

Abreu is also behind a proposal that would require restaurants, coffee shops and other food establishments to permit customers to bring reusable cups and have their beverages served in them.

Some of the most consequential proposals involve the NYPD.

Twenty-five City Council members have signed onto legislation that would abolish the department’s gang database, which contains thousands of entries and intelligence about suspected gang members, including information about distinctive tattoos associated with gangs and criminal organizations.

Progressive critics have argued that the database discriminates against black and brown New Yorkers, while Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and other law enforcement officials contend that it is an important crime-fighting tool.

A spokesperson for Bronx Councilwoman Althea Stevens, the bill’s sponsor, said Stevens has personally witnessed what she believes is the database’s unfair targeting of black and brown individuals. The spokesperson also argued that insufficient safeguards exist to ensure that people entered into the database actually have criminal histories.

Another 26 Council members are supporting legislation that would restrict the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group from being deployed at demonstrations protected by the First Amendment.

The SRG has long drawn opposition from progressive politicians and activists, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who contend that officers assigned to the unit have used excessive force against protesters and infringed on their constitutional rights.

The specialized NYPD unit handles civil disorder and large public gatherings, including protests and parades, while also responding to major criminal incidents such as shootings, bank robberies and missing-person cases.

Tisch and other police officials have defended the SRG as an important tool for preventing demonstrations from spiraling into violence.

Finally, progressive lawmakers are seeking a dramatic increase in New York City’s minimum wage.

Legislation introduced by Brooklyn Councilwoman Sandy Nurse would establish a $30-an-hour minimum wage, nearly doubling the city’s current $17 baseline and potentially affecting as many as 1 million workers.

Progressives argue that wages need to rise substantially to reflect New York City’s extraordinarily high cost of living. Business advocates, however, warn that nearly doubling the minimum wage could impose enormous costs on employers and damage businesses already struggling with the city’s operating expenses.

{Matzav.com}

Canada announced Saturday that it will impose retaliatory tariffs against the United States beginning Sept. 8, escalating a rapidly widening trade confrontation after President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods took effect and last-minute negotiations between the longtime allies collapsed.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa will release specifics of the retaliatory package shortly, with the new duties targeting a broad range of American products.

“in the coming days, we will release the details of these new tariff measures, which will come into force the Tuesday after Labor Day.”

Canada plans to retaliate on a dollar-for-dollar basis, with steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics among the sectors expected to be targeted.

Carney revealed that during negotiations, Canada had offered to eliminate its remaining retaliatory tariffs on American steel, aluminum and automobiles if Washington substantially reduced its own tariffs. Ottawa was also prepared to encourage Canadian provinces to resume sales of US alcohol.

The prime minister said the final terms sought by Washington were ultimately unacceptable.

“They asked too much and offered too little.”

The deepening dispute is also raising new questions about the future of the broader North American trade framework linking the United States, Canada and Mexico, an agreement upon which major industries in all three countries heavily depend.

Canada had entered the negotiations seeking tariff relief for several key industries, including steel, aluminum, automobiles and lumber.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer placed responsibility for the failed negotiations on Ottawa, arguing that Canadian officials retreated from commitments made earlier in the week.

“Tonight, Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week. Despite the U.S. offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market, new demands and walk-backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” Greer said in a statement read to reporters shortly before midnight.

Carney offered a sharply different account of why negotiations failed, accusing the Trump administration of changing its demands as the deadline approached.

“last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.”

The Canadian leader said his government will also unveil additional measures in the coming days aimed at assisting Canadian businesses and workers affected by the expanding trade battle.

Greer characterized Washington’s proposal as “forward-looking” and said it offered “a historic economic and national security partnership.”

For now, there are no additional negotiations scheduled between the two governments.

The collapse represented a dramatic turnaround from the optimism expressed only two days earlier, when officials on both sides indicated that Washington and Ottawa appeared to be moving toward an agreement.

Carney said Canada had always sought the strongest possible arrangement for the country, “never a deal at any price or on any deadline.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford threw his support behind Carney’s decision to retaliate. Ford said the prime minister has his “full support” for a response conducted “tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar” and insisted that “everything needs to be on the table.”

The economic stakes are enormous. The United States and Canada exchanged approximately $880 billion in goods and services last year, making their bilateral commercial relationship one of the largest in the world.

Trump’s tariffs had initially been scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The president extended the deadline by three days as negotiations intensified, but officials ultimately failed to reach an agreement before the new deadline expired.

Trade disputes between Washington and Ottawa are hardly new. The neighboring countries have sparred for decades over issues ranging from Canadian softwood lumber to American access to Canada’s tightly controlled dairy market.

Despite those recurring disagreements, the two countries traditionally maintained an unusually close economic, military and diplomatic relationship. Canadian troops fought alongside American forces in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 attacks, while the 5,525-mile US-Canada border has remained undefended. Nearly 330,000 people and approximately $2 billion in goods cross the border every day, while roughly 800,000 Canadians reside in the United States.

Trump’s treatment of Canada has represented a significant break from that traditionally cooperative relationship. The president has used tariffs as part of his effort to shift manufacturing back to the United States and has repeatedly generated controversy in Canada by suggesting that the country could become America’s 51st state.

Carney said his government has come to recognize that “America has changed” and that Canada and the United States would “not return to our old relationship.”

Anti-American sentiment has also grown among some Canadians. A petition calling for the expulsion of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a Trump ally, has attracted nearly 248,000 signatures since July 21. Organizers have accused Hoekstra of having “normalized” Trump’s comments about annexing Canada, among other complaints.

Both governments nevertheless faced significant incentives to avoid an escalating tariff war.

Almost 72% of Canadian goods exports went to the United States last year, making access to the American market critical to Canada’s economy. At the same time, the Trump administration faces the possibility that additional tariffs — which are paid initially by American importers and can ultimately be passed on to consumers — could increase prices ahead of November’s midterm elections, when the cost of living remains a major concern for voters.

“Canada likely wanted further sector-specific relief than the U.S. was willing to offer, or Canada’s concessions did not go far enough,” said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official. “Either way, I think both sides will be under immense pressure in the coming days to still find an off-ramp. But if Canada has agreed to also impose tariffs, the off-ramp may be even harder to find.”

Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, described the new tariffs as “a body blow to North American competitiveness” and warned that the escalating dispute could increase costs for American consumers while hurting Canadian customers, investment and small businesses.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will temporarily eliminate tariffs on as much as 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef, a major effort aimed at bringing down soaring supermarket prices while giving American ranchers additional time to rebuild the nation’s depleted cattle herds.

In a Truth Social post Friday morning, Trump said the tariff relief will remain in place for 90 days. He blamed President Biden for the dramatic decline in the US cattle population, which has fallen to its lowest level in 75 years.

Trump said he has secured a “commitment” for beef to be sold at prices 25% below current market levels, potentially providing significant relief to consumers who have watched beef prices climb sharply in recent years.

Under the existing tariff-quota system, which predates the Trump administration, countries are permitted to ship a limited quantity of beef into the United States while paying a tariff of 4.4 cents per kilogram.

Once imports exceed the established quota, however, they are hit with a much steeper tariff of 26.4%, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

A White House official said Trump plans to sign an executive order within the next two weeks temporarily suspending those higher, out-of-quota tariffs.

The Department of Agriculture said the move demonstrates Trump’s “commitment to lowering the cost of everyday goods” while “cutting regulations for our farmers and ranchers and rebuilding our nation’s cattle supply.”

Administration officials did not specify which countries would provide the additional imported beef or clarify whether those shipments would continue to be subject to the baseline tariff of 4.4 cents per kilogram.

The initiative comes as the Trump administration focuses heavily on stubbornly high food prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. Beef and veal have been among the grocery products experiencing some of the steepest price increases.

Ground beef averaged $6.89 per pound in July, according to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data. That represented an increase of 10% from a year earlier and a staggering 57% rise over the previous five years.

Other cuts have also become considerably more expensive. Federal data show roast beef prices climbing 13.5% over the past year, while steak prices increased 9.6%.

Trump’s push to increase foreign beef supplies has drawn strong criticism from some American ranchers and cattle organizations, which contend that domestic producers are already being squeezed by tariffs and rising operating expenses, including elevated fuel costs for diesel-powered farm equipment.

The president had previously moved to reduce barriers on imported beef. In February, Trump signed an executive order increasing beef imports from Argentina by 80,000 metric tons.

Trump has also directed the Justice Department to open an antitrust investigation into the country’s largest meatpacking companies while unveiling plans for $500 million in assistance to smaller meatpacking businesses.

The challenge is that restoring America’s cattle supply cannot happen quickly. Rebuilding a herd typically takes approximately two years, and questions remain over whether ranchers are willing to invest the money and time required to restore their operations to previous production levels.

At the beginning of 2026, the United States had approximately 86.2 million cattle and calves, according to Agriculture Department figures, marking the smallest American cattle herd since the 1950s.

The shortage has also battered major meatpacking companies, including Tyson and JBS. Tyson announced last week that it will close a major beef-processing facility in Illinois, its second plant closure this year.

A combination of weather, disease and economic pressures contributed to the dramatic contraction of the American cattle supply.

In 2024, drought conditions reached record levels nationwide, with particularly serious effects across the Southwest and Northern Plains.

The unusually dry weather reduced grazing grass, forcing ranchers to depend more heavily on costly feed to maintain their herds.

Supply problems were compounded by an outbreak of the flesh-eating New World Screwworm parasite among Mexican cattle, prompting the United States to suspend cattle imports from Mexico in November 2024.

While supplies have fallen, American demand for beef has remained robust. Government projections indicate that Americans are expected to consume approximately 29 billion pounds of beef this year.

Rising cattle values created another complication. With animals commanding increasingly high prices, ranchers had a financial incentive to send more cattle to slaughter rather than retain them for breeding, further reducing the number of animals available to replenish the nation’s herd.

The Agriculture Department announced last month that ports along the southern border would begin reopening to Mexican cattle.

Before imports were temporarily halted, Mexico had been supplying approximately 1 million cattle to the United States annually.

Trump’s new 90-day tariff suspension is designed to provide a short-term influx of beef while domestic producers work through a cattle shortage that could take years to fully reverse, with the president promising consumers that the result will be substantially lower prices at the grocery store.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Tehran has emerged victorious in its confrontation with the United States, claiming that the international community has already recognized Iran’s triumph even as President Donald Trump intensifies a sweeping economic campaign aimed at crippling the Islamic Republic.

“The entire world approved our victory, and the U.S. is hated,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Pezeshkian reportedly argued that the conflict with Washington should now be brought to an end because, in his telling, Iran’s victory has already been established and accepted around the world.

His comments came as the Trump administration presented a dramatically different assessment of Iran’s position, saying Tehran is facing devastating financial pressure under a new American campaign that Trump has characterized as an “economic D-Day.”

Trump announced that Washington would unleash an “unprecedented” campaign of economic warfare and international isolation against Iran, with the goal of compelling Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and fully reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

Separately, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, generated controversy Friday when he discussed Israel’s control of the Golan Heights and said Israel “still” occupies the territory despite United Nations resolutions.

Speaking in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal, Barrack said that “in the Golan, with Syria, they (Israel) still occupy the Golan, against the U.N. resolutions.”

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally applied Israeli law to the territory in 1981.

The United Nations continues to regard the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory and considers Israel’s annexation invalid, with UN resolutions calling for an Israeli withdrawal to the line that existed on June 4, 1967.

Trump dramatically altered longstanding American policy in March 2019 when he signed a presidential proclamation formally recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The American recognition did not alter the territory’s status under international law and initially failed to generate broader recognition from other governments.

That changed this month when Colombia became the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, joining the United States.

Barrack’s comments drew criticism today from conservative activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer, who argued that his description of the Golan contradicted established US policy.

Loomer wrote on X that Barrack “should resign for his lack of understanding of U.S. foreign policy.”

Hackers linked to Iran successfully forced a British power plant offline for four days last month, marking what is believed to be the first known cyberattack to completely shut down a power-generating facility in the United Kingdom, according to a report by The Telegraph.

The breach is being viewed by officials as the most successful cyber operation of its kind against British energy infrastructure to date. Hackers associated with the Iranian regime are suspected of carrying out the attack.

The incident occurred at approximately the same time that water infrastructure across 12 US states was targeted in a series of cyberattacks, developments that reportedly raised concerns within the White House.

British authorities have withheld the identity and location of the power station for security reasons. The facility was reportedly relatively small, and its shutdown therefore posed no significant danger to the country’s overall electricity supply. Workers spent four days restoring operations at the site.

Following the attack, British government officials briefed executives at power companies and reached out to businesses with instructions and recommendations for dealing with potential cyber threats. The National Cyber Security Centre, the public-facing cybersecurity division of GCHQ, was also notified.

The NCSC would not address the specific attack. Intelligence officials in both Britain and the United States have repeatedly cautioned that cyber operatives connected to Iran, Russia, China and North Korea routinely attempt to penetrate government networks and critical infrastructure.

Britain has previously experienced major cyber incidents affecting hospitals and other NHS systems, schools and industrial facilities. Manufacturing operations at Jaguar Land Rover have also been disrupted, while foreign hackers have succeeded in obtaining customer information from retailers and voter data maintained by the Electoral Commission.

Until the latest incident, however, no publicly known cyberattack had succeeded in bringing a British electricity-generating facility completely offline.

According to The Telegraph, the operation apparently was not designed to cause widespread disruption to the British public and attracted little attention while it was unfolding. Investigators are reportedly considering whether the attack was instead intended as a demonstration of capability by hackers connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showing that they could infiltrate British networks and disable sensitive infrastructure.

The United Kingdom operates dozens of smaller generating stations connected to the national electricity grid. Many are gas-powered facilities used only when necessary, including during periods when weak winds reduce the amount of electricity produced by wind turbines.

Because of the structure of Britain’s power network, an extended shutdown at one small facility would generally have little effect on the national grid. Hospitals and some industrial facilities also maintain independent generators to provide electricity when necessary.

The NCSC urged British organizations in March to review and strengthen their cybersecurity defenses amid heightened international tensions.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC, revealed in June that the agency had responded to more than 200 cyberattacks against Britain’s critical national infrastructure during the preceding year.

A government source sought to emphasize the limited size of the power station involved in the latest incident.

“We have thresholds for important generators to legally notify us of cyber activity, and this site is nowhere near. It’s a very small scale site, less than a rounding error compared to grid capacity.”

A British government spokesman similarly stressed that the cyberattack never posed a broader danger to the country’s power supply.

“The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards. This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system.”

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge has invalidated the Trump administration’s suspension of immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, ruling that the sweeping policy unlawfully discriminated against applicants based solely on their nationality and exceeded the authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The State Department announced earlier this year that immigrant visas would no longer be issued to nationals of Afghanistan, Brazil, Yemen and dozens of other countries. The administration said the affected countries were selected because their citizens were considered more likely to rely on public assistance after immigrating to the United States.

Under the policy, immigrant visas could be withheld even when individual applicants underwent consular review and officers concluded that they were likely to support themselves after arriving in the United States, according to Friday’s ruling by US District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York.

“In many ways, this is not a challenging case,” Vargas wrote.

The judge pointed to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which she said prohibits nationality-based discrimination in the issuance of immigrant visas. The administration’s policy, she concluded, denied certain applicants visas “based solely on their nationality.”

As part of her ruling, Vargas cited a US diplomatic cable directing American consulates to reject immigrant visa applications that had already been approved in cases where the physical visas had not yet left the consular office.

Vargas determined that the administration’s policy was “contrary to law” and went beyond Rubio’s legal authority as secretary of state. Her decision vacated the 75-country suspension and also set aside visa denials that had been issued solely under the challenged policy.

Responding to the ruling, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” while noting that the administration does not discuss pending litigation.

When the visa suspension was initially announced, the State Department said it would “remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

The restrictions were one component of the Trump administration’s larger effort to reduce both legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

Another major immigration initiative suffered a setback in June, when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The justices rejected Trump’s executive order seeking to deny citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents had either entered the country illegally or were legally residing and working in the country on temporary visas. The order had never taken effect after lower courts found it unconstitutional.

Susan Welber, supervising attorney at The Legal Aid Society, which represented plaintiffs challenging the visa restrictions, argued that the administration’s justification for targeting the 75 countries was “premised on a fiction” that immigrants from those nations would be particularly likely to depend on government assistance.

“Any time that we can fight back against policies that are based on fictions and untruths and prejudices, I think we’re making for a more just immigration system,” Welber says.

The plaintiffs included the Catholic Immigration Legal Network and African Communities Together, organizations that provide immigration legal assistance. The case also involved six American citizens who had submitted family-based immigration petitions for relatives and five “intending immigrants” who filed employment-based petitions for themselves.

“The suspension of lawful visa processing across 75 countries separated spouses, parents, and children who were simply following the legal immigration process,” Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said in a statement.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said Vargas’ decision clears the way for their clients to resume moving through the legal immigration system rather than facing an automatic rejection because of their country of origin.

“For 75 countries’ worth of families, this decision means a return to fair, case-by-case review, and a chance to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Antionette Dozier, senior attorney for Western Center on Law & Poverty, which represented the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. “No administration gets to override the law because it deems an applicant’s nationality unacceptable.”

{Matzav.com}

A Texas judge today rejected Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial, leaving intact his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet near Dallas.

Attorneys for Anthony argued that problems surrounding his June trial warranted another proceeding, pointing to restrictive courtroom rules and what they contended were improper jury instructions. The defense and prosecutors also disputed the implications of an agreement between the two sides that limited the evidence presented to jurors about events preceding the deadly confrontation.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder on June 9 and sentenced to 35 years behind bars for stabbing Metcalf during the April 2025 track meet.

Anthony did score a victory in court following his conviction when the original judge in the case, John Roach, was removed after publicly commenting on the jury’s verdict.

“Yeah, they did, whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach told WFAA TV.

Anthony did not take the witness stand during his murder trial. His defense maintained that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf inside a tent during the track meet.

The confrontation began after Metcalf told Anthony to leave the tent, which had been set up for students from Metcalf’s high school.

Anthony had taken a seat beneath the Memorial High School tent under the bleachers at the multi-school meet. Metcalf and other students repeatedly instructed him to leave the area, according to testimony about the encounter.

As tensions rose, Anthony warned Metcalf, “touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Metcalf then pushed Anthony. Witnesses testified that Anthony had been the aggressor in the confrontation. Anthony subsequently retrieved a knife from his bag and stabbed Metcalf, a standout football player, inflicting the wound that killed him.

The killing and subsequent prosecution attracted national attention, with race becoming a prominent issue surrounding the case because Anthony is black and Metcalf was white.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors that the killing was not racially motivated. Nevertheless, relatives of both Anthony and Metcalf reported being subjected to harassment and threats as public attention surrounding the case intensified.

Another significant issue to emerge following the trial involved evidence that jurors never heard. Prosecutors and Anthony’s defense had reached a gentleman’s agreement under which certain material would not be introduced before the jury, and some of that evidence subsequently became public.

Among the material withheld from jurors was a disturbing 2023 text message in which Anthony threatened to carry out a shooting at his school.

“imma shoot the school up tmr,” Anthony wrote in a 2023 text that prosecutors revealed during the hearings to determine of he should receive a new trial.

Saturday’s ruling means Anthony’s conviction remains in place despite his attorneys’ attempt to persuade the court that problems with the original proceedings justified giving him another trial.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump made an impassioned pitch to South Carolina Republicans on Friday to turn out for Sen. Darline Graham in next week’s GOP Senate primary runoff, urging his supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot and warning that his agenda could be jeopardized if Graham loses.

Appearing alongside Graham at a packed rally at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Trump acknowledged that Republicans face a potential turnout problem during the midterms because he himself is not running. Without Trump at the top of the ticket, he suggested, some of the MAGA voters who reliably turn out for him might stay home.

Trump offered his supporters a simple solution.

“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” Trump urged voters. “Just come and vote. It’s so important.”

“So just say that I’m on the ballot, one more time, you got to say it, and you got to come out and vote.”

Trump sought to frame the South Carolina contest as much more than a race over a single Senate seat, arguing that the outcome could determine whether the policies enacted under his administration survive. He warned voters that they could “lose everything” if Graham does not prevail.

“You got to come out and vote,” Trump said, “because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose everything that we’ve done.”

“Think about no tax on tips, no tax on social security for our seniors, no tax on overtime – all of that’s going to be gone,” the president warned.

Trump also predicted that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they capture control of Congress in the midterm elections.

“I’m going to be impeached. They’re going to impeach me. They have no idea why,” the president fumed.

“You’re gonna lose all of your tax breaks. You’re gonna lose everything. So you have to get out of vote,” he added.

Trump spoke for more than an hour before the large Myrtle Beach crowd, with video screens inside the convention center alternating between messages declaring, “South Carolina is Trump Country” and “South Carolina is Graham Country.”

The rally also included a familiar feature from Trump’s years on the campaign trail, as the president recited “The Snake,” the poem he has frequently used as an allegory while making his case against illegal immigration.

At least one protester interrupted Trump during his remarks, causing him to briefly stop speaking before responding with a joke about the heckler’s mother.

“That’s all right. That person’s going home to mom. Gonna get scolded because mom is voting for us. You know, mom is voting for us.”

Trump was joined at the event by a number of prominent Republicans, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is scheduled to leave her position at the end of August, Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina, and Graham. Trump invited several of the guests onto the stage during his address.

When Graham took the microphone, she offered an emotional expression of gratitude to Trump for the tribute he delivered at the funeral of her late brother, Lindsey Graham.

Graham thanked the president for “the beautiful eulogy you gave at Lindsey’s service.”

“That meant the world to me,” she said. It was beautiful.”

“You were one of his closest friends. I hope you know that, and you will forever be part of the Graham family,” the senator added.

Graham entered the Senate following her brother’s death. At Trump’s urging, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to fill the vacant seat on July 14, and she is now seeking to win a full six-year term in her own right.

In the first round of the Republican primary on Aug. 11, Graham led the field with 32.7% of the vote. Rep. Ralph Norman finished second with 24.6%, while Fry placed third with 19.7%.

Because no candidate secured enough support to win outright, Graham and Norman will face each other in the Aug. 25 Republican Senate primary runoff.

Before wrapping up his appearance, Trump added one more incentive for South Carolina Republicans to deliver Graham a victory.

After pointing out that Myrtle Beach is “the home of 90 great golf courses,” the president promised that if Graham wins the runoff, he will return to the area and take on the city’s best golfer.

“I’ll make you a deal that if Darline wins, I’ll come down and play the best golfer in Myrtle Beach in a match. We’ll see who wins,” he said.

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