[Video below.] Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem clashed sharply with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday as she defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, telling the host he cannot “change the facts” simply because he does not “like them.”
During a tense exchange on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tapper pressed Noem on how she could so quickly label Good a “domestic terrorist” and publicly back ICE officer Jonathan Ross only hours after the incident.
“Everything that I’ve said has been proven to be factual,” Noem responded during the interview.
“[I] decided that the department and the people of this country deserve to know the truth of the situation of what has unfolded in Minneapolis.”
Tapper then zeroed in on Noem’s early description of the shooting last Wednesday, when she said ICE officers “were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over.”
“That’s not what happened,” Tapper argued, later suggesting that his concern centered on whether Good had actually attacked the officers.
“It absolutely is what happened,” Noem countered. “[She] blocked the road for a long time and was yelling at them and impeding a federal law enforcement operation.”
Video from several angles captured the confrontation between Ross and Good that Wednesday. Good, a mother of three, had parked her vehicle in the roadway, preventing the officers from moving forward for more than three minutes.
When officers exited their vehicle to address the situation, Ross was positioned in front of Good’s car when she suddenly accelerated.
Ross jumped aside and fired a round into the windshield, then appeared to fire two additional shots into the side of the SUV.
Noem said Ross was later treated at a nearby hospital after being “hit by the vehicle” and was subsequently released.
Tapper questioned why Noem was convinced that Good was not “trying to move her car and flee and get away,” rather than intentionally striking Ross.
“The facts of the situation are that the vehicle was weaponized, and it attacked the law enforcement officer,” Noem said. “He defended himself, and he defended those individuals around him.”
“When there is something that is weaponized to use against the public and law enforcement, that is an act of domestic terrorism,” she added. “You don’t get to change the facts just because you don’t like them.”
Senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have forcefully defended Ross amid widespread criticism.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that it is investigating the shooting.
“You see how quickly the situation unfolded, how the officer was in front of the vehicle when she sped off,” Noem told Tapper. “How she ran into him. And how he had to take quick action based on his training to defend himself and his colleagues.
“That’s very clear and factual from the videos that you can see, it’s nobody’s interpretation.”
Tapper later attempted to challenge Noem by airing footage of Capitol Police officers being assaulted during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, noting that those involved were later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Noem dismissed the comparison, saying that “every single one of these investigations comes in the full context of the situation on the ground.”
She also criticized statements from Minnesota officials, singling out Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for calling on ICE to “get ….out of” the city.
“They’ve extremely politicized and inappropriately talked about the situation on the ground in their city. They’ve inflamed the public, they’ve encouraged the kind of destruction and violence that we’ve seen in Minneapolis in the last several days,” Noem said of local leaders.
“I would encourage them to grow up.”
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
Secretary of State Marco Rubio may soon be linked to yet another hypothetical role, after President Donald Trump floated the idea in a social media post.
Trump suggested that Rubio — who has already juggled multiple senior positions at once and is frequently mentioned for additional responsibilities — could even end up leading Cuba, the country Rubio’s parents escaped in the 1950s during the Batista dictatorship.
“Sounds good to me,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social, replying to a tongue-in-cheek comment from a user who joked that Rubio might become Cuba’s president once the current government collapses.
The remark quickly fed into a long-running online gag surrounding Rubio’s ever-expanding list of assignments under Trump.
Currently, Rubio is serving simultaneously as secretary of state, acting national security adviser, and acting national archivist. He also temporarily ran the US Agency for International Development until stepping away from that role last August.
Last year, former national security adviser Jake Sullivan publicly scoffed at the notion that Rubio could manage both the State Department and the National Security Council at the same time, calling the idea “ludicrous.”
Despite such criticism, Rubio’s workload has become a running joke online, with memes suggesting that whenever a vacancy appears, Trump will hand the job to his secretary of state.
Those jokes have imagined Rubio taking on everything from president of Venezuela to governor of Minnesota, secretary-general of Greenland, and even general manager of the Miami Dolphins.
Most of the memes feature an image of Rubio visibly recoiling during the widely publicized Feb. 28, 2025, Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when raised voices echoed in front of television cameras.
As speculation spiraled, Rubio — a well-known sports enthusiast — moved last week to shut down talk that he might take over the Dolphins’ sideline or front office.
“I do not normally respond to online rumors but feel the need to do so at this moment I will not be a candidate for the currently vacant HC and GM positions with the Miami Dolphins,” Rubio wrote on X.
“My focus must remain on global events and also the precious archives of the United States of America.”
Trump’s offhand comment about Cuba came as his administration weighs its next steps toward the island nation.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned. At least a little bit,” Rubio told reporters following Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Rubio has repeatedly pointed to Cuba’s deep involvement in Venezuela, including the presence of Cuban personnel among those guarding Maduro during the operation.
On Sunday, Trump escalated his rhetoric, warning Havana that “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA” from Venezuela and urging Cuban leaders to strike a deal “BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years. Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”
{Matzav.com}An overnight fire at the Reform Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi — the city’s only Jewish synagogue — is under investigation by city, state, and federal officials after a suspect was taken into custody.
The fire ignited just after 3 a.m. Shabbos, inflicting heavy damage on portions of the historic building. Crews from the Jackson Fire Department responded quickly and succeeded in bringing the flames under control. No injuries were reported.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn denounced the incident, saying it struck at both religious liberty and public safety. In a statement, he warned that antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred pose a danger to the entire community and will be addressed as such, while affirming the city’s support for the Beth Israel congregation and the broader Jewish community.
Officials have not disclosed the suspect’s identity or outlined potential charges. Authorities also have not yet determined whether the fire will be officially designated a hate crime.
The probe is being conducted jointly by the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division and the Jackson Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Investigators say the inquiry is ongoing.
Founded more than a century ago, Beth Israel Congregation is the oldest synagogue in Jackson. The building was previously targeted in a 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing that damaged synagogue offices and the rabbi’s home. No one was killed in that earlier attack.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli police last week arrested an Arab resident of Ramallah suspected of defrauding 100 Israelis of a total of some 3 million shekels (~$950,000) by purchasing their products online and making it appear he had paid them.
A Special Operations Unit raided the suspect’s home and arrested him. The suspect’s detention has been extended until this Wednesday.
The Arab, in his 50s, is suspected of pretending to be an Israeli living in the country’s north, the police investigation revealed. He would contact his victims to purchase goods they posted on various online sites, including Yad2, a popular secondhand site that sells everything from home goods to health products.
The suspect would negotiate a price with the sellers and send a phony confirmation showing transfer of payment. He would then send a taxi to pick up the product from the victim’s home. The product would be transferred to another taxi in Samaria and eventually reach the seller in Ramallah, Ynet reported.
The suspect purchased laser hair removal machines and photography equipment, among other items.
By the time the victim learned that the money transfer confirmation was fake, it was too late.
The investigation showed that between 2024 and 2025, about 100 Israelis lodged complaints against the Ramallah resident. JNS
{Matzav.com}
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has threatened to attack the U.S. military and Israel should President Donald Trump authorize strikes against the regime for harming protesters amid growing unrest in the country, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that the two allies were “legitimate targets,” according to the news agency, making the threat as lawmakers rushed to the dais in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran’s Baharestan district, shouting: “Death to America!”
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory [i.e. Israel] and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Ghalibaf said. “We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.”
Trump has made recent public comments and social media posts warning of consequences if the regime cracks down on nationwide protests, on Saturday writing on his Truth Social platform that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The State Department also warned: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reported on Saturday: “Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, but the officials said he was seriously considering authorizing a strike in response to the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress demonstrations set off by widespread economic grievances.
“The president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations,” the report continued.
An official told The Wall Street Journal on Saturday that one option under consideration is a large-scale aerial assault on Iranian military positions. Another official noted that no consensus has been reached and that no troops or equipment have been mobilized in preparation for such an operation.
The officials emphasized that the talks are part of routine military planning and stressed there are no indications of an imminent strike on Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces said over the weekend that it is maintaining high operational readiness and closely monitoring developments in Iran, following a series of security assessments led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
The army stressed that the ongoing protests are “an internal Iranian matter,” but noted that Israel’s defenses are reinforced and its capabilities constantly being upgraded.
“We are prepared on defense and will know how to respond forcefully if required,” the IDF said, adding that it “will do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Demonstrators filled the streets of Tehran and Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, again on Sunday, extending into a third week protests challenging the country’s Islamic theocratic rule. At least 116 people have been killed in the unrest, according to activists, as authorities struggle to contain some of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that “rioters and terrorists” must not be allowed to disturb public order, accusing Israel and the United States of fomenting unrest.
Speaking to state broadcaster IRIB, Pezeshkian said Iranians should trust that authorities seek to “establish justice” and not allow agitators to “disrupt society.” He claimed that foreign adversaries aim to “sow chaos and disorder” in the Islamic Republic by instigating the ongoing protests.
With internet access disrupted and phone lines cut, verifying details of the turmoil has grown increasingly difficult. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said the death toll continues to rise and that regime security forces have detained more than 2,600 people since the protests began.
Ghalibaf sent a stern message to the protesters in his speech praising the response of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij paramilitary volunteers, saying that “the people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.”
The army said Saturday that it would “resolutely defend national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property,” accusing Israel and what it described as terrorist organizations of fueling the unrest and pledging to “foil the enemy’s schemes,” the Journal reported.
Nationwide protests, the largest in three years, erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring inflation and a plunging currency, with the rial falling to a record low of 1.46 million to the dollar on Tuesday.
The protests have widened to include calls to overthrow the Islamist government. Strikes have also been a part of the movement.
The theocratic dictatorship is also dealing with the reimposition of economic sanctions over nuclear violations along with water and electricity crises. JNS
{Matzav.com}
