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In a bipartisan show of support, the Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran, advancing one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature legislative efforts just weeks after his death.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed by an 86-11 vote.

The measure targets Russia’s oil and natural gas exports, which have helped finance Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while also extending sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons industries that were set to expire at the end of this year.

Graham, who died last month, was the driving force behind the legislation and had argued that it could increase pressure on Moscow and help bring the conflict in Ukraine to a close.

The bill gained overwhelming bipartisan backing last week when it cleared a key procedural vote just hours after Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Under the legislation, the Trump administration would have the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five countries importing the largest volumes of Russian crude oil or natural gas. It also renews existing sanctions on Iran that otherwise would lapse after this year.

“This bill says to Vladimir Putin, ‘Your days of war are numbered,’” bill co-sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said last week. “’You are on the losing side. Better to come to the table now than sacrifice more lives, waste more money, crater your economy, destroy your standing in the world.’

“America stands with Ukraine.”

Before the Senate voted, Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), urged lawmakers to unite behind the legislation, calling for “a show of strength” that would preserve America’s role “as a beacon of hope to the free world.”

“Each member of this body must also make a choice,” she added, “whether we have the courage to stand up to evil, or continue on with the status quo.”

Following the vote, Darline Graham was invited to announce the final vote tally from the Senate floor.

Although the bill was introduced last year and attracted broad support from senators, it remained on hold as President Trump pursued diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Russia’s four-year war against Ukraine.

One day before his death on July 11, Graham revealed that he had reached an agreement with the White House to move the legislation forward.

At the time, Graham expressed confidence that the measure would ultimately pass, pledging it would “become law” and saying he had “never been more optimistic” that the war in Ukraine could soon come to an end.

The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene from its summer recess on August 31.

{Matzav.com}

San Francisco State University and San José State University, both public schools, have “reportedly failed to acknowledge or meaningfully respond to cases of antisemitic harassment on campus, seeming, in some instances, even to condone such abhorrent acts,” the U.S. Department of Education said on Thursday.

The department said that it is probing both schools, which educate some 60,000 students collectively.

“The same California leaders, who wax eloquent about their commitment to ‘equity’ and ‘social justice,’ appear to turn their backs on violent, harmful acts of antisemitic intimidation and harassment,” stated Kimberly Richey, U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights. “We will investigate these allegations, ensure the safety of Jewish students and protect the right of every student in America to an education free from discrimination.”

There is a climate of “intimidation, exclusion and fear,” according to Jewish students at San Francisco State, the Education Department said. It added that it received reports of professors at the school creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.

The department “has been notified of antisemitic graffiti on campus, attempted break-ins targeting Jewish students and events featuring extremists with terrorist group ties hosted by the Arab and Muslim ethnicities and diasporas program,” the department stated.

Bobby King, director of communications for San Francisco State University, told JNS that the university is aware of the department’s investigation.

“Antisemitism and discrimination have no place at SFSU,” he told JNS. “We take the concerns raised by members of our Jewish community seriously and remain committed to ensuring that every member of our community can study, teach, work and participate in university life free from discrimination and harassment prohibited by law and university policy.”

Jewish students at San José State say that they have been “threatened, shunned and made to feel unwelcome in classrooms,” and since Oct. 7, anti-Israel protests that disrupt classes and attacks against Jewish students have increased, according to the Education Department.

Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of strategic communications for San José State, told JNS that there is a “misleading implication” in the department’s announcement.

The department stated that the university’s vice president for student affairs and former interim chief diversity officer allegedly distinguished in an email between “good Jews” and “bad Jews” based on their views of the Israeli government.

The department attributed “a quote to a former SJSU administrator,” Smith McDonald told JNS. “This statement was never made by any representative of the university.” (JNS sought comment from the U.S. Education Department.)

“The university treats antisemitic incidents with the utmost seriousness and has taken numerous actions that prioritize the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community,” Smith McDonald said. “The university has consistently and repeatedly denounced antisemitism.” JNS

The Israeli Navy this week conducted a branch-wide exercise, its largest since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks, staging drills in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The exercise, led by the Missile Boats Flotilla, involved the Submarines Flotilla, the 914 and 916 Routine Security Squadrons and the Operational Headquarters. Hundreds of personnel and a range of naval vessels participated.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the exercise formed part of the navy’s effort to incorporate operational lessons learned during nearly three years of fighting against Iran and its terrorist proxies.

The drills included simulations of maritime infiltrations, multi-arena combat, aerial threats, coordinated fire missions and the defense of strategic assets, including offshore natural gas platforms, Israeli ports and other critical national infrastructure.

Additional exercises in the Red Sea focused on improving command, coordination and cooperation between naval units.

The drills come as the Israeli Navy continues to expand its operational capabilities amid growing regional threats. Navy commander Vice Adm. Eyal Harel is seeking to increase the missile boat fleet from 15 to as many as 21 vessels, procure new multirole Reshef-class warships and deepen maritime cooperation with Greece and African partners, including Ethiopia and Somaliland.

The exercise also took place against a backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and Turkey. Israeli officials have expressed concern over reported U.S. plans to readmit Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program, arguing that the move could alter the regional balance of power.

Last week, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government of becoming “the command center for Hamas’s rapists and murderers,” while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently described Israel as “a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” speaking in an interview with CNN Türk. JNS

A federal judge has temporarily halted an order requiring President Donald Trump to turn over financial information about his businesses to the BBC, pausing the discovery process while the court considers Trump’s request to revise and narrow key portions of his defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman ruled that the BBC must wait for access to Trump’s financial records until he decides whether to allow the president to amend his complaint over a 2024 documentary broadcast in the United Kingdom. The judge’s order effectively freezes the disclosure requirement while that issue is under review.

The dispute is being closely watched as it could help determine the legal risks associated with the series of high-profile, multibillion-dollar lawsuits Trump has filed against media organizations he alleges have defamed him.

In a four-page order dated Wednesday and released publicly Thursday, Altman said Trump’s argument had merit that eliminating claims involving damage to his business interests and brand—while proceeding solely on alleged harm to his personal reputation—could significantly reduce the BBC’s need to examine his financial records.

“This is a compelling argument,” wrote Altman, a Miami-based Trump appointee.

Attorneys representing the BBC countered that Trump’s business finances remain relevant because his public reputation is inseparable from his success as a businessman. They argued that the value of his companies could still play an important role in evaluating his claims.

The network’s lawyers also pointed out that Trump’s proposed amended complaint, which has not yet been made public, continues to seek $10 billion in damages. They contend that such a large demand would be difficult to support if the lawsuit is based only on alleged reputational harm.

Trump filed the lawsuit last December after the BBC aired its 2024 documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance.” According to the complaint, the program defamed him by editing together portions of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a way that, Trump alleges, falsely suggested he encouraged supporters to commit violence at the U.S. Capitol.

While the BBC has acknowledged and apologized for the editing, it maintains that any misleading impression was inadvertent and does not amount to actionable defamation. The broadcaster has also asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing, among other things, that the federal court in South Florida lacks jurisdiction over the London-based network.

Should Judge Altman approve Trump’s request to revise the complaint, the litigation could be pushed back by several weeks or even months. Such a ruling would allow the BBC to renew its effort to have the amended lawsuit dismissed, while giving Trump’s legal team an opportunity to respond before the case proceeds further.

{Matzav.com}

A federal appeals court has upheld an order blocking construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, while allowing underground work on the project to continue. The court also delayed enforcement of its ruling for 14 days, giving the Trump administration time to seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a 2-1 decision issued today, the appellate panel agreed with a modified preliminary injunction previously entered by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. At the same time, the judges stayed their ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to file an appeal with the nation’s highest court.

The majority concluded that decisions involving major structural changes to the White House belong to Congress rather than the executive branch, writing, “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.”

The court further stated that “the “Constitution assigns Congress — not the Executive — the responsibility to decide whether proposed changes to the physical design of the White House may proceed, even where those changes are said to serve security interests.”

Emphasizing that the White House is government property rather than a president’s personal residence, the ruling added, “Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence,” the Ruling said. “The President has no — and claims no — constitutionally assigned authority over that property.”

The majority criticized the administration’s handling of the project, writing, “Over just three days in October 2025, without undertaking promised consultations or obtaining Congress’s permission, President Trump bulldozed the entire East Wing in order to construct a massive, 90,000 square-foot ballroom paid for by private funds with no congressional oversight.”

The opinion continued, “We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now.”

Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia stressed that their decision was based solely on constitutional procedure rather than the merits of the ballroom itself. “has nothing at all to do with whether the proposed ballroom is desirable, or not, as a matter of policy. This ruling does not even necessarily mean that the Defendants may not ultimately construct the ballroom.”

They added, “What it does mean is that the Defendants may not do so during the district court’s expeditious litigation without securing Congress’s authorization, as the Constitution and laws require.”

The lone dissenter, Judge Neomi Rao, argued that the lower court had overstepped its authority, writing that the ruling “abused its discretion in seizing control of construction at the President’s home and office.”

Earlier in the case, Judge Leon had permitted certain portions of the project to proceed but later concluded that the administration was applying a security-related exemption far too broadly. Rejecting that interpretation, he wrote, “Defendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, from tip to tail, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore may proceed unabated. That is neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order!”

Leon further criticized the administration’s position, adding, “It is, to say the least, incredible, if not disingenuous, that Defendants now argue that my Order does not stop ballroom construction because of the safety-and-security exception!”

{Matzav.com}

United Airlines will once again offer nonstop flights between the New York area and Tel Aviv beginning September 8, restoring service from Newark Liberty International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport after months of cancellations tied to the regional conflict.

“United still plans to resume service between Newark and Tel Aviv on Sept. 8 with two daily flights,” the US airline says in an e-mailed statement.

The carrier had suspended the route through September 7 after repeatedly halting flights to Israel following the February 28 closure of Israeli airspace to most commercial aviation at the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Since then, Ben Gurion Airport has fully reopened, and international airlines have gradually begun restoring their schedules.

American Airlines announced last week that it will continue its suspension of Israel service until March 27, 2027. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has extended the cancellation of its nonstop flights from New York and Atlanta to Tel Aviv through September 5.

With major U.S. airlines sidelined for much of the conflict, passengers seeking nonstop service between Israel and the United States have largely been limited to Israeli carriers El Al and Arkia.

United’s return in early September is expected to provide much-needed additional capacity for travelers heading to Israel before the busy Yom Tov season, which begins with Rosh Hashanah on the evening of September 11 and traditionally brings a surge in visitors.

{Matzav.com}

New U.S. intelligence assessments warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch a limited attack against a NATO member as early as this fall, raising concerns that Moscow may be preparing to challenge the alliance’s unity at a time when the United States is grappling with dwindling weapons stockpiles.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials believe any Russian action could range from a cyberattack to a limited military incursion, including the possibility of a ground invasion. The intelligence assessment estimates that such an attack could occur at any point between this fall and 2029.

American officials believe Putin’s objective would be to test NATO’s willingness to respond collectively under its mutual defense commitments and, ultimately, drive a wedge between the United States and its allies after more than seven decades of cooperation.

“The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case,” Heather Conley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Wall Street Journal regarding the possibility of a Russian attack.

“It has always been a goal [of Russia’s] to challenge the credibility of NATO and to separate the United States from its allies.”

Until recently, U.S. intelligence agencies believed Moscow would avoid provoking NATO while Russian forces remained deeply engaged in the war in Ukraine. However, officials now believe Putin may be willing to take the risk despite the ongoing conflict.

The reassessment comes as the Kremlin faces mounting domestic pressure to achieve a decisive victory in Ukraine. Russia has endured repeated long-range drone strikes targeting its oil infrastructure, while its military has suffered heavy casualties and seen its battlefield momentum slow significantly.

Officials also point to previous incidents that they say demonstrate Moscow’s willingness to test NATO’s resolve, including Russian missiles landing in Poland and Russian drones entering Romanian airspace.

The report also highlights growing concern within the U.S. military over shrinking weapons inventories. Years of supplying arms to Ukraine, combined with expenditures related to the conflict with Iran, have significantly reduced American stockpiles of key munitions.

Among the systems officials say are in short supply are Precision Strike Missiles, Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), and Stinger short-range surface-to-air missiles, according to The Wall Street Journal.

{Matzav.com}

[Update below.] A man in his 30s was killed Friday afternoon in Yerushalayim after his vehicle apparently rolled backward and struck him shortly after he exited it in the Bucharim neighborhood. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts at the scene and during transport, doctors at Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center were unable to save his life.

The accident occurred on Adoniyahu HaKohen Street. According to initial reports, the driver had gotten out of his vehicle when, for reasons still under investigation, it began rolling and pinned him. Magen David Adom received the emergency call at 4:03 p.m. reporting that a vehicle had crashed into a fence.

Emergency responders arrived to find the victim trapped beneath the vehicle, unconscious and without a pulse or signs of breathing. He had sustained severe head and chest injuries. Rescue crews extricated him before paramedics launched extensive resuscitation efforts and transported him in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center while CPR continued. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Eli Raymond, an MDA motorcycle unit medic, described the scene.

“We found the victim trapped, unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, with extremely severe injuries to his body. While rescue efforts were underway, we provided life-saving medical treatment, including prolonged resuscitation, and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition while fighting to save his life.”

United Hatzalah also said that, based on information gathered at the scene, the man had exited his vehicle before it rolled onto him. Volunteers Yisrael Litzman and Chaim Dovid Goldman said they, together with a physician, performed advanced resuscitation efforts that continued throughout the evacuation to the hospital.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident.

UPDATE: A devastating tragedy struck Yerushalayim on Friday when beloved singer and paytan Avishai Levy, 46, was killed in a horrific and highly unusual accident after his own vehicle rolled backward and crushed him. He was later pronounced dead at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.

According to initial reports, Levy had just dropped off passengers on Adoniyahu HaKohen Street and stepped out of his vehicle for a few moments to help them unload their bags and belongings. During that time, the vehicle unexpectedly began rolling backward, trapping him beneath it with fatal force.

Witnesses said the incident unfolded in a matter of seconds. Investigators believe Levy exited the vehicle while the gear remained in reverse and without the car being secured in park. When he noticed the vehicle rolling away, he rushed toward it in an attempt to stop it but was crushed between the driver’s door and a nearby pole.

Magen David Adom emergency crews rushed to the scene, extricated Levy while he was unconscious and without a pulse or breathing, and immediately began intensive resuscitation efforts.

He was transported in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital as paramedics continued CPR throughout the journey. Despite prolonged efforts by medical teams to save his life, doctors were ultimately forced to pronounce him dead.

Levy’s sudden passing has left his family, friends, and admirers in deep shock and mourning. His death is the latest in a series of heartbreaking tragedies that have recently shaken the chareidi community, serving as another painful reminder of how fragile life can be.

The fatal accident also comes amid a string of serious crashes in and around Yerushalayim. Just days ago, a 21-year-old bochur was killed in an ATV accident near Neveh Erez only a week after becoming engaged, a tragedy that stunned the Olam HaTorah.

Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident. Authorities are examining how the vehicle began rolling backward and whether mechanical failure or another factor contributed to the deadly incident.

{Matzav.com}

Mrs. Esther Dina Flintenstein, a Holocaust survivor and the aunt of the Kapytchnitzer Rebbe, passed away on Thursday at the age of 102 after a lifetime marked by extraordinary resilience, emunah, and chessed.

Mrs. Flintenstein, who lived in Bnei Brak, collapsed in her home on Ben Zakkai Street after suffering cardiac arrest. Emergency responders performed extensive resuscitation efforts at the scene before transporting her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Born in Poland to her father, Reb Yaakov Reuven, she endured the horrors of the Holocaust before surviving the war. She went on to rebuild her life and establish a large family devoted to Torah and Chassidus.

She was married to Reb Naftali Flintenstein zt”l, one of the senior and distinguished chassidim of Kapytchnitz and the brother of the Kapytchnitzer Rebbe. Throughout her life, she was known as a deeply G-d fearing woman whose home was open to others and who dedicated herself to acts of chessed both with her time and her resources. She merited to see generations of descendants continue in the path of Torah and Chassidus.

She is survived by sons, daughters, sons-in-law, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The levayah was held this morning at her home at 47 Ben Zakkai Street in Bnei Brak before proceeding to the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim, where her nephew, the Kapytchnitzer Rebbe, participated. She was then laid to rest on Har HaZeisim alongside her husband.

The family will be sitting shivah at her home in Bnei Brak.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Health Ministry has issued a public warning to swimmers after two people were diagnosed with corneal infections linked to a rare parasite found in the waters of the Kinneret. The parasite, known as Microsporidium, can cause eye inflammation and, in some cases, damage to vision.

According to the ministry, both patients had swum in the Kinneret in late June or early July before developing symptoms. Officials stressed that the water remains safe to drink and that there is no recommendation to avoid swimming in the lake. However, they urged the public to be alert for any unusual eye symptoms following a visit.

Health officials said anyone who develops eye inflammation, redness, pain, or the sensation of a foreign object in the eye after swimming in the Kinneret should seek prompt evaluation by an ophthalmologist. The ministry noted that symptoms typically appear between one and three weeks after exposure to the water.

The warning comes during the height of the summer vacation season, when thousands of families flock to the Kinneret during Bein Hazemanim. In recent weeks, emergency responders have also dealt with several water-related incidents at the lake, including the dramatic rescue of a Chareidi family whose boat drifted away and the rescue of three bochurim who were swept into deeper waters.

Despite the warning, the Health Ministry emphasized that there is no danger associated with drinking water from the Kinneret or swimming in the lake. Officials advised swimmers to practice good eye hygiene and avoid rubbing their eyes while in the water or immediately afterward.

Anyone experiencing eye inflammation, redness, pain, or a sensation of a foreign body in the eye after swimming should seek immediate medical attention and inform the eye doctor that they recently swam in the Kinneret. The ministry said early diagnosis and proper treatment can help prevent complications and long-term damage to vision.

{Matzav.com}

An Iranian opposition media outlet is reporting that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in extremely poor health and could die at any moment, citing unnamed sources close to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government. The claims, however, have not been independently confirmed by any other sources.

According to IranWire, two individuals said to be close to President Pezeshkian told the outlet that no members of the Iranian cabinet have met with Khamenei since the Feb. 28 U.S. strike on the Supreme Leader’s compound, in which his father and several other family members were killed.

The two sources further claimed that widespread rumors are circulating within the highest levels of Iran’s leadership that Khamenei is in critical condition and may not survive much longer.

Since assuming the position of Supreme Leader, Khamenei has made no public appearances and has not delivered any speeches. Aside from several letters attributed to him that were published by official Iranian state news agencies, he has remained entirely out of public view. His prolonged absence has fueled growing speculation regarding both his health and his ability to continue leading the Islamic Republic.

A separate source described as being close to President Pezeshkian’s cabinet told IranWire that no cabinet member has had any contact with Khamenei since he took office and claimed his physical condition has deteriorated significantly.

“We would not be surprised if we soon hear news of his holy death,” the source reportedly said.

The report has not been corroborated by any other media outlets or independent sources.

A seven-month-old baby died Thursday night after apparently suffocating on a plastic bag inside his family’s home in Bnei Brak. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts by emergency responders and hospital staff, doctors at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer were unable to save his life.

Emergency medical teams rushed to the scene after receiving reports that the infant had lost consciousness. Paramedics immediately began advanced life-saving measures, including prolonged CPR and the use of a defibrillator, before transporting the child to Sheba Medical Center while continuing resuscitation efforts. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, physicians were forced to pronounce the baby dead.

Menashe Goldis, a volunteer medic with United Hatzalah who was the first responder to arrive, described the desperate attempts to save the infant.

“Together with additional medics, we performed prolonged resuscitation efforts, including administering an electric shock. He was then evacuated to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer while CPR continued, in critical condition. We were told at the scene that he lost consciousness after choking on a plastic bag.”

Hatzalah Chairman Usher Shlomovitz, Deputy Director Chaim Bergman, and Hatzalah volunteers Daniel Horberg and Shabsi Ortner also described the emergency response.

“When we arrived at the scene, we were handed a seven-month-old baby who was unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing after choking on a plastic bag. Together with Hatzalah and Magen David Adom paramedics and EMTs, we performed advanced resuscitation efforts, including delivering an electric shock with Hatzalah’s defibrillator. He was transported while CPR continued for further treatment in the trauma room at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.”

ZAKA said its volunteers were dispatched to the scene following the tragedy and are assisting the grieving family. The organization is also working with its legal division to complete the procedures necessary for the release of the infant’s body.

ZAKA operations officer Yechiel Goldman and motorcycle unit volunteer Yehuda Mor said, “ZAKA’s emergency dispatch center sent us to this difficult incident a short time ago. At this time, we are accompanying the family during these heartbreaking moments and assisting, together with ZAKA’s legal division, with the process of releasing the body and providing any additional help that is needed.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood during a hearing of a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Just yesterday, Abdul El-Sayed, the son-in-law of a leading member of several Brotherhood groups, won Michigan’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate,” Cruz said. “Behind El-Sayed’s political rise sits a much older and more entrenched institutional network.”

One of the witnesses at the hearing, Kyle Shideler, a security analyst at the Center for Security Policy, described the “connections” that El-Sayed’s father-in-law, Dr. Tayeb Jukaku, has to the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other groups that Shideler said were “Brotherhood-linked.”

“This includes being the president at one time of CAIR Michigan,” Shideler said of Jukaku. “Also his presence on the Islamic Society of North America’s founders committee, which is only for those most exclusively devoted to ISNA to provide significant amounts of funding.”

“There are other known Brotherhood members on that committee,” Shideler said.

Jukaku is a kidney specialist in Detroit who is listed on the board of directors of CAIR Michigan. His biography on the website of the ISNA founder’s committee says that he joined the group because it helped his “whole family in the formative years of our lives as Muslims” in the United States after he emigrated from India.

CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 criminal case against the Holy Land Foundation, in which the charged defendants were found guilty of providing support to Hamas and other related terrorism financing charges. CAIR bills itself as “America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization,” and the group has never been charged with a crime.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 as a pan-Islamist revival movement and established or inspired branches and affiliates across the Middle East, including Hamas.

In January, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. The group as a whole has never been outlawed as a foreign terror group in the United States.

Cruz led Wednesday’s hearing, titled “Hidden in Plain Sight: Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood Network in America,” as chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights. Democrats on the subcommittee boycotted Wednesday’s hearing, which they said targeted the entire American Muslim community.

“Democrats have no intention of indulging this political creepshow, particularly after the recent violence targeting places of faith,” stated Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

They cited media reports that Texas Republicans have focused on combating “radical Islam” as a campaign strategy in the 2026 elections, including Republican-led efforts to halt the creation of an Islamic residential center in East Plano, Texas.

Cruz was the only senator from either party to appear at Wednesday’s hearing.

El-Sayed’s associations with the far left, including Islamic groups, are likely to be a focus of the general election for a seat that could decide control of the Senate after a bitter Democratic primary battle, in which El-Sayed’s opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), accused El-Sayed of wanting to “blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.”

On Wednesday, former congressman Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, implicitly compared his time as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden to El-Sayed’s campaign appearances with the influencer Hasan Piker, who said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.”

“I spent my life hunting terrorists,” Rogers wrote, accompanied by a video about the Bin Laden raid.

“I never in a million years thought I’d hear the words, ‘America deserved 9/11,’” he wrote. “But here we are.” JNS

The Department of Justice has launched a massive new $3 billion grant initiative designed to help communities recover from the financial strain they say resulted from the Biden administration’s immigration policies, with one key requirement: participating jurisdictions must cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement.

The program, officially titled the Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (BIDEN) initiative, is among the largest grant efforts ever undertaken by the Justice Department. According to The Washington Post, the funding is intended to help local governments hire additional police officers, modernize technology, and construct temporary detention facilities for illegal migrants.

To qualify, however, municipalities must commit to working alongside federal immigration officials. Specifically, applicants are required to “fully participate” in the ICE 287(g) program, which authorizes state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE and other federal immigration authorities in carrying out immigration enforcement.

“This Department of Justice is committed to ensuring Biden-era border disasters never happen again,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “We are proud to once again champion law and order.”

According to the Justice Department, the grants are intended to support efforts involving “locating and apprehending aliens who have committed a crime under federal, state, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States.”

The department also said some grant recipients could be required to reimburse the federal government for “the costs associated with federal law enforcement intervention” if federal authorities are forced to expend resources “to reduce crime or public disorder” stemming from immigration enforcement operations.

Aside from the requirement that recipients participate in the 287(g) partnership, the DOJ said there are no additional restrictions, allowing local governments broad discretion over how they use the grant money.

Justice Department officials said interest in the program has already been strong, with 181 municipalities submitting applications.

The BIDEN grant initiative was created through President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Budget Bill,” which provides $3 billion in funding for the program through September 2028.

Patrick Royal, a spokesman for the National Sheriffs’ Association, praised the initiative, saying the grants are an obvious opportunity for local governments. “I can’t see why people wouldn’t take advantage of this opportunity to get more funding.”

{Matzav.com}

Mossad Director Roman Gofman has removed two top intelligence officials following the collapse of a covert plan aimed at toppling Iran’s regime, according to a Channel 12 report. The dismissed officials were reportedly central figures in developing the operation, which was ultimately shelved after President Donald Trump decided not to move forward with it.

The report said those leaving the agency are the head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate, who assumed the post last December, and the chief of the Iran Desk.

Defense officials cited by Channel 12 said tensions existed almost from the moment Gofman took over the agency, with little rapport between the new Mossad chief and the two senior officials. Even so, they indicated that the dismissals were driven by far more than personality conflicts.

According to the report, both officials played leading roles in crafting the operational blueprint designed to trigger the collapse of Iran’s ruling regime. The proposal was reportedly presented to President Donald Trump, but despite extensive planning, it was never carried out.

While Channel 12 said the departures were officially described as being by mutual agreement, defense sources view the move as an effort to hold the two officials accountable for the operation’s failure to advance.

Several weeks ago, reports surfaced claiming that the Mossad had supplied Kurdish militias with weapons captured from Hamas during the war in Gaza and from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Those reports said the effort was part of a broader strategy intended to weaken and ultimately bring down the Iranian regime. In addition to financial assistance and vehicles, the Kurdish forces were reportedly provided with small arms, anti-tank missiles, grenades, and mortar rounds.

The report also stated that the CIA played a significant role in the joint effort to arm the Kurdish militias. Despite close cooperation between the American and Israeli intelligence agencies, the operation never reached full implementation and was eventually halted after political leaders in Washington decided to abandon it. President Donald Trump ultimately ordered that the plan be scrapped.

According to the report, Trump’s decision followed intense pressure from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That diplomatic pressure reportedly brought an end to the transfer of weapons and equipment, forcing both the Mossad and the CIA to terminate the joint operation targeting the regime in Tehran.

{Matzav.com}

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is intensifying his investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci’s conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Louisiana and West Virginia now backing his efforts after he issued a subpoena seeking records related to Fauci’s actions and potential financial benefits tied to his public role.

According to a news release issued Wednesday by Uthmeier’s office, the subpoena is part of a broader multistate probe examining “awards, professional opportunities, financial incentives, grants, and COVID-19 guidance that impacted Florida businesses and consumers.”

The legal action comes days after Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, where he repeatedly declined to answer lawmakers’ questions, invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times. Although President Joe Biden granted Fauci a broad pardon covering potential federal crimes committed between January 2014 and January 2025, that pardon does not shield him from possible prosecution under state law.

“It is past time we get to the truth about what happened during COVID,” Uthmeier, a Republican, told Newsmax on Wednesday night. “We issued subpoenas to Dr. Fauci today. I spent the whole day on Capitol Hill trying to gather evidence and get closer to the truth of what Dr. Fauci knew and when he knew it.”

Uthmeier said investigators are seeking documents and evidence connected to the public health policies Fauci helped shape and advocate while serving on President Donald Trump’s White House Coronavirus Task Force, along with any financial opportunities he may have received during that period.

He also alleged that recently disclosed materials indicate Fauci “personally, privately questioned everything that he pushed on the public,” including “the health and safety of the vaccines” and “whether or not it was safe to administer these mRNA shots on kids.”

“Nevertheless, he duped and deceived the American public, and he deserves to be held accountable,” he said.

Support for Florida’s investigation has now expanded beyond state lines. Attorneys general in both Louisiana and West Virginia issued statements endorsing Uthmeier’s effort to uncover additional information about Fauci’s conduct during the pandemic.

“The public deserves answers to about a million questions related to the pandemic, its origins, and the government’s actions in response,” said Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. “What we know already is Fauci lied — we just don’t know yet how much. But he lied about something as basic as keeping a diary. The truth will come out.”

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey echoed that sentiment, saying, “Dr. Fauci’s recent refusal to answer Congress’s questions about his actions during the pandemic is concerning. The American people deserve to know if they or their elected leaders were misled or manipulated. Both my office and I support Attorney General Uthmeier’s efforts to uncover the truth.”

Florida officials said the subpoena centers on Fauci’s diary entries that were recently disclosed by Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. According to the attorney general’s office, those records reference numerous honors, financial opportunities, and professional offers that coincided with Fauci’s federal service.

Among the opportunities cited were an approximately $900,000 Dan David Foundation prize, an NIAID research grant awarded to the University of Florida Scripps Biomedical Research program, offers of endowed professorships, potential book contracts, board memberships, partnerships with private foundations, and other professional and financial opportunities that arose while Fauci was helping formulate public health recommendations affecting Florida.

The scrutiny intensified further on Thursday when Paul’s committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. Paul also announced that he intends to refer the matter to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.

“We now know there’s strong evidence that he was working to get monetary value, prizes, seek book deals,” Uthmeier told Newsmax. “He was looking for fortune and fame, not focusing on public safety of the American people.”

Meanwhile, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Sunday in a post on X that her state will join Alabama and Florida in examining Fauci’s actions “and whether he committed any other offenses that could be pursued in our state courts.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has not publicly commented since Fauci’s July 29 Senate testimony. However, he was among 17 Republican attorneys general who signed a letter to congressional leaders last year urging them to provide evidence that could support state-level investigations into Fauci.

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Israel’s political landscape remains effectively frozen, according to a new Maariv poll released Friday, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s coalition still unable to break out of a 49-seat rut while the opposition continues to hold a narrow path to a 61-seat governing majority.

The survey found virtually no meaningful shifts in voter preferences, suggesting that the balance of power between the rival political camps has remained largely unchanged despite ongoing political developments.

Leading the field is Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party with 23 projected Knesset seats, narrowly ahead of Likud, which is forecast to secure 22 mandates.

Naftali Bennett’s Together party ranks third with an estimated 15 seats, while Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu comes in fourth with 10.

Further down the standings, the Democrats are projected to win nine seats. Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism are each expected to capture eight mandates, while Shas is forecast to receive seven. The Arab parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am are each projected to finish with five seats.

The Religious Zionist Party and the Zionist Home party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper, are each expected to barely clear the electoral threshold with four seats apiece.

The poll indicates that Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party would not enter the next Knesset, nor would the Arab Balad party, as both fall below the minimum threshold required for representation.

When the results are grouped into political blocs, the opposition opposed to Netanyahu reaches the critical 61-seat majority needed to form a government, while the current coalition remains stuck at 49 seats. Another 10 seats would belong to the Arab parties, which have traditionally remained outside governing coalitions.

Israeli prosecutors have filed criminal charges against an Israeli settler in connection with the 2025 killing of a well-known Palestinian activist in the West Bank, marking an unusually rare case in which Israeli authorities have pursued charges against a settler over the death of a Palestinian.

According to an indictment filed Thursday in district court, prosecutors charged Yinon Levi, a resident of the southern West Bank, with reckless manslaughter in the July 2025 death of Palestinian community leader Awdah Hathaleen. Under Israeli law, the offense carries a lighter penalty than a murder conviction. Levi also faces charges of armed trespassing and intentional property damage.

Cases of Israeli settlers being prosecuted for alleged violence against Palestinians are uncommon. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem said the indictment is the first since Oct. 7, 2023, in which an Israeli has been charged over the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank. The group says that during that period, at least 1,100 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli settlers and soldiers.

Levi’s attorney, Avichay Hajbi, did not confirm that the indictment had been issued but criticized the prosecution’s decision, telling The Associated Press that authorities had reached a “mistaken decision.” He said the defense would address the allegations during court proceedings.

Video recorded on the day of the incident shows Levi firing toward groups of Palestinians in the village of Umm al-Khair, where Hathaleen was killed. Witnesses said one of the bullets struck Hathaleen while he was standing just a short distance away.

One recording appears to show Levi firing two rounds. A separate video, which Hathaleen’s relatives say he recorded himself, shows Levi shooting in the direction of the person holding the camera. The footage abruptly ends, though the individual behind the camera can still be heard groaning in pain.

Hathaleen was widely known for documenting and opposing settler violence. He also participated in the 2025 Academy Award-winning documentary “No Other Land,” which follows Palestinian residents fighting to preserve their homes and communities. A teacher and father of three, he regularly welcomed international activists and visiting officials into his home.

Because of Hathaleen’s international profile, combined with the widely circulated videos of the shooting, pressure mounted around the world for Israeli authorities to prosecute Levi.

Levi was among a group of Israeli settlers sanctioned by the United States and several Western governments in 2024 over allegations of violence against Palestinians. After taking office the following year, President Donald Trump rescinded the U.S. sanctions.

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An unusual incident during bein hazemanim has led to an intriguing halachic discussion after a group of bochurim who rented a tzimmer in Tzfas discovered just 90 minutes before Shabbos that the property had already been rented to someone else.

The group had reserved the tzimmer for 1,000 shekels and arrived shortly before Shabbos, only to be informed by the owner that she had mistakenly rented it to another group. She offered them an alternative tzimmer in Rosh Pina for 800 shekels instead.

With little time remaining before Shabbos, uncertainty about whether public transportation was still available, and concern over traveling by bus so close to Shabbos, the bochurim hired a taxi for 150 shekels to take them from Tzfas to Rosh Pina.

The incident was subsequently presented as a shaylah to Rav Shlomo Yedidya Zafrani, who was asked whether the bochurim were entitled to deduct the taxi fare from the rental payment because of the owner’s last-minute change.

In his teshuvah, published in the Kesser Torah journal, Rav Zafrani analyzes the issue in detail based on the Shulchan Aruch, the Nesivos, the Erech Shai, and other poskim. He explains that a landlord assumes both a personal and financial obligation to provide the tenant with the agreed-upon rental property. If the landlord negligently rents the property to someone else, he is obligated to provide the tenant with an equivalent alternative or otherwise compensate him under the halachic principles of davar ha’aved and areivus. However, Rav Zafrani emphasizes that these obligations apply only if a binding kinyan for the rental had already taken effect.

Accordingly, the psak depends on how the reservation was made.

If the bochurim had paid a deposit that constituted a valid kinyan on the rental, they would have been entitled under halachah to insist that the second renters vacate the tzimmer or require the owner to provide them with a comparable property in Tzfas. By agreeing instead to relocate to Rosh Pina, they would have been acting lifnim mishuras hadin. In that case, because the owner remained obligated to provide an equivalent rental without causing them additional inconvenience, the bochurim would be entitled to recover the 150-shekel taxi fare.

On the other hand, if no deposit had been paid and there was no established local custom giving a reservation the status of a binding situmta, the agreement would be considered merely verbal. Rav Zeafrani notes that even the issue of mechusarei amanah may not apply if the bochurim themselves arrived later than expected. Under those circumstances, the owner would not be obligated to provide an alternative rental, and the Rosh Pina tzimmer would be regarded as a completely new rental arranged at the bochurim’s own responsibility. As a result, they would be required to pay the full 800 shekels for the replacement tzimmer and would have no right to deduct the cost of the taxi.

{Matzav.com}

According to sources, a Satmar businessman has offered to bankroll an expanded campaign against Israel’s yeshiva draft law, including a proposal to bring complaints against the State of Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

As reported earlier here on Matzav, Mr. Yoeli Landau met this week with the Gerrer Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Aryeh Alter, during a private meeting in which he presented a series of initiatives aimed at supporting the Chareidi community’s struggle against the draft of yeshiva bochurim.

According to a recording of the meeting, first publicized by Channel 13 reporter Yoeli Brim, Landau proposed establishing a broad legal campaign that would extend beyond Israel’s borders. Among the ideas he raised was filing complaints with the International Criminal Court in The Hague over the arrests of yeshiva bochurim who refuse to report to draft offices, what supporters describe as unequal enforcement of the draft law, alleged discrimination between Chareidim and Israeli Arabs, and the handling of Chareidi demonstrations.

Landau also proposed creating a legal defense fund to ensure that every yeshiva bochur arrested in connection with the draft issue would receive legal representation. He pledged that he and several associates would contribute $1 million toward financing the effort.

The Gerrer Rebbe, who leads Israel’s largest Chassidus and serves as the dominant figure on Agudas Yisroel’s Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, did not respond directly to Landau’s proposals during the meeting. According to those present, however, he also did not voice any objection.

The meeting is the latest indication of the longstanding relationship between Landau and the Gerrer court. In the past, the Satmar philanthropist made his private aircraft available to the Gerrer Rebbe for a fundraising trip to the United States on behalf of Gerrer mosdos after government sanctions reduced funding for many yeshivos.

During that earlier period, Landau also sent the Rebbe a letter urging the Chareidi community to sever its financial dependence on the Israeli government and instead rely entirely on privately funded charitable foundations supported by donations. That proposal, however, was ultimately not adopted.

{Matzav.com}