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President Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of dispatching an additional U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as renewed negotiations with Iran get underway, underscoring that Washington is maintaining a credible military option alongside diplomacy.

Speaking with Axios in an interview on Tuesday, Trump said the potential move would be part of a wider pressure campaign against Tehran as talks resume following last year’s short but fierce conflict.

“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios.

Negotiators from the United States and Iran reconvened in Oman last Friday, marking their first direct discussions since the 12-day war in June. The talks are taking place even as the Trump administration continues to reinforce U.S. military assets across the region. Trump said he anticipates another round of discussions next week.

“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump said, noting that he is “thinking” about ordering a second carrier strike group to the area.

A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that internal conversations have already taken place regarding the possible deployment of another carrier.

At present, the United States has the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying strike group stationed in the region, outfitted with fighter aircraft, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and support vessels. During much of the Gaza war, the U.S. maintained two carrier strike groups operating in the Middle East simultaneously.

Even with the heightened military posture, Trump suggested that negotiations have a real chance of succeeding, saying Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and is engaging more seriously because of sustained U.S. pressure.

“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,” Trump said, referencing U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. “They overplayed their hand.”

“This time the talks are very different,” he added.

Iranian officials have publicly stated that the discussions should be limited to the nuclear file and have insisted that Tehran will not relinquish its ability to enrich uranium. That position has raised doubts among U.S. and Israeli critics who question whether a far-reaching agreement can be achieved.

Trump said it should be obvious that any deal must confront Iran’s nuclear program, adding that he sees room for talks to also address Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities.

“We can make a great deal with Iran,” he said.

The renewed negotiations are unfolding as Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu prepares for a visit to Washington on Wednesday. Trump told Axios that Netanyahu “also wants a deal.”

“He wants a good deal,” Trump said.

Ahead of his trip, Netanyahu said he intends to convey Israel’s perspective on what he described as the “essential principles” guiding the negotiations.

At the same time, senior Iranian figure Ali Larijani has been holding meetings with regional intermediaries in Oman and Qatar. U.S. officials believe those discussions are designed to influence the shape and direction of the next phase of talks, according to Axios.

{Matzav.com}

The Biala Rebbe of the United States, who is currently in Eretz Yisroel to mark the yahrtzeit of his grandfather, the Chelkas Yehoshua of Biala zt”l, paid a special visit to the home of the Yenuka in Rishon LeZion.

During the visit, the Biala Rebbe presented the Yenuka with the sefer Noam Elimelech, which includes the awe-inspiring tefillah of the Rebbe Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk.

The Rebbe outlined the lineage of righteous figures in his dynasty, tracing it back to the Yehudi HaKadosh of Peshischa and earlier tzaddikim. In the course of the meeting, the Yenuka recounted the extraordinary episode involving the Yehudi HaKadosh, who was saved when a Russian soldier fired at him and, in a miraculous moment, he caught the lead bullet and stopped it.

The Biala Rebbe added that a similar miracle occurred with his illustrious grandfather, the Chelkas Yehoshua of Biala. After being taken to Siberia during the war and immersing himself in icy waters, a Russian soldier fired at him as well. In a strikingly similar event, he caught the bullet with his hand and was miraculously spared.

{Matzav.com}

An Israeli-Russian freelance journalist was abruptly removed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official aircraft on Monday morning. According to Channel 12, journalist Nick Kolyohin was escorted off the Wing of Zion plane by agents of the Shin Bet shortly after boarding. Kolyohin said he had previously received authorization from the Prime Minister’s Office to join […]

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Shlomo Ephraim HaKohen Fischer zt”l, one of the distinguished figures of Yerushalayim Shel Maalah and a familiar presence on Bar Giora Street, in Yerushalayim at the age of 86.

Rav Fischer was born in Yerushalayim on 18 Kislev 5700 to his father, Rav Menachem Fischer, a member of Yerushalayim Old Yishuv and a talmid of Maharitz Dushinsky, and to his mother, Mrs. Chana, daughter of Rav Avraham Frenkel.

In his youth, he studied at Yeshivas Dushinsky and was among the early talmidim of Maharam Dushinsky. As a child of ten, he merited seeing Maharitz Dushinsky frequently, accompanying his father on visits to him.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married Mrs. Yocheved Fischer, daughter of Rav Baruch Pinchas Goldberg, author of the sefarim Bikur Cholim Kehilchasah and Pnei Baruch-Aveilus Kehilchasa. She was a devoted volunteer who dedicated more than 30 years to assisting patients at Hadassah Hospital. She passed away in Adar 5782.

Rav Shlomo Ephraim served as a gabbai tzedakah and as a melamed of tinokos shel beis rabban. He frequently went to spend time in the Dushinsky court, participating in gatherings and hillulos. As recently as Erev Sukkos, he addressed the crowd at the hillula of the Maharitz in the courtyard of the Dushinsky Chassidus.

He is survived by children and grandchildren. One of his sons is Rav Chaim Fischer, a maggid shiur in the Ungvarer kehillah in Modiin Illit. His brother, Rav Avraham HaKohen Fischer, a respected figure in Bnei Brak and among the founders of the first chareidi orchestra, passed away in 5778.

The levayah took place today at the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim, with kevurah on Har HaMenuchos.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone. The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, surprised economists who were looking for growth despite mounting concerns about slowing job growth, uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other economic headwinds. […]

Investigators probing the disappearance of Moishi Kleinerman have taken an unusual step, turning to civilian technology based on artificial intelligence to explore new investigative avenues. Analysis of the data has led to the identification of an additional terrain route that, according to assessments, may be the last location where Kleinerman was present.

Moishi Kleinerman has been missing since March 2022, after he was last seen in the Mount Meron area, which he reached without a mobile phone. A new development has now emerged in the case, involving an unconventional move aimed at examining further possibilities.

Police in the Judea and Samaria District decided to utilize civilian AI-based technology capable of analyzing data patterns not detectable to the human eye. The data analysis pointed to a specific terrain route in the Mount Meron area that may be the final place Kleinerman was located, according to a report by i24NEWS.

Police stress that it is still not possible to determine with certainty that this was indeed the teenager’s last location, but preparations are underway to conduct searches in the area. At the same time, new testimonies have been collected. Next week, investigators are expected to deploy an investigative tool known as the “Crystal Ball,” typically used to solve murder cases, which will be employed for the first time in the search for a missing person. The commander of the Judea and Samaria District has updated the family on the latest developments.

{Matzav.com}

The The New York Times editorial board is urging policymakers and the public to “acknowledge reality” about marijuana legalization, arguing in a new opinion piece that widespread legalization has produced far more harm than many supporters anticipated. In the editorial, the paper acknowledged that it had long backed legalization, including a major 2014 series that […]

Democratic leaders said a White House proposal responding to their demands on immigration enforcement falls far short, calling it “incomplete and insufficient” as they push for tighter limits on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and warn that funding for the Department of Homeland Security could lapse.

In a statement issued late Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said a counterproposal sent by the White House after the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and failed to address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.”

The White House has not made its proposal public.

The standoff comes with the clock ticking toward a possible partial government shutdown set to begin Shabbos. Democrats are seeking a range of changes, including a requirement for judicial warrants, clearer identification for DHS officers, revised use-of-force standards, and an end to racial profiling. They argue the measures are needed following the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota voiced optimism about the unusual talks between Democrats and the White House, saying there had been “forward progress.”

Thune said the exchange of proposals between the two sides was encouraging and that “hopefully they can find some common ground here.”

Reaching a deal on immigration enforcement remains difficult, however, as skepticism runs deep among rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties about the prospects for compromise.

Republicans have pushed back on many of the Democratic demands and some have offered counterconditions, including legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and penalties for cities they argue are not doing enough to combat illegal immigration.

At the same time, many Democrats angered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive tactics have said they will not support additional DHS funding unless enforcement efforts are significantly curtailed.

“Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” Jeffries said earlier Monday. “Period. Full stop.”

Congress is now attempting to renegotiate DHS funding after Trump agreed to a Democratic request to pull it out of a broader spending package that became law last week. That legislation temporarily extended Homeland Security funding at current levels only through Feb. 13, creating a narrow window for negotiations over new limits on ICE and other federal agencies.

Democrats escalated their demands for changes to ICE and other federal law enforcement after ICE-watch activist Alex Pretti was fatally shot during a confrontation with U.S. Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24. Some Republicans also suggested at the time that new restrictions might be warranted. Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.

Although Trump agreed to separate the DHS funding, he has not publicly addressed the Democrats’ specific requests.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration is open to discussing some of the items on the Democratic list, but said “others don’t seem like they are grounded in any common sense, and they are nonstarters for this administration.”

Schumer and Jeffries have called for immigration officers to remove masks, display identification, and better coordinate with local authorities. They are also pressing for tougher use-of-force rules, stronger legal protections at detention centers, and a ban on using body-worn cameras to track protesters.

Among their additional demands, Democrats want Congress to halt indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” make clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant, and require verification that a detainee is not a U.S. citizen before detention.

Republicans have said they support requiring DHS officers to wear body cameras — language that appeared in the original DHS funding bill — but have resisted many of the other proposals.

“Taking the masks off ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is that it would subject them to great harm, their families at great risk because people are doxing them and targeting them,” House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said Monday. “We’ve got to talk about things that are reasonable and achievable.”

Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said Sunday that Democrats are “trying to motivate a radical left base.”

“The left has gone completely overboard, and they’re threatening the safety and security of our agents so they cannot do their job,” Hagerty said.

Beyond ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security funding bill also covers agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. Thune warned last week that if DHS shuts down, “there’s a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to those during last year’s 43-day government shutdown.

Lawmakers in both parties have floated the idea of separating funding for ICE and Border Patrol and passing the remainder by Friday. Thune has shown little enthusiasm for that approach, instead favoring another short-term extension for all of DHS while talks continue.

“If there’s additional time that’s needed, then hopefully Democrats would be amenable to another extension,” Thune said.

Many Democrats are unlikely to support another temporary extension, though Republicans could still muster enough Democratic votes if lawmakers believe negotiations are making progress.

“The ball is in the Republicans’ court,” Jeffries said Monday.

{Matzav.com}

The FBI obtained a search warrant to seize hundreds of boxes of ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of a criminal investigation into possible “deficiencies or defects” in the vote count in the 2020 contest lost by President Donald Trump, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday. The affidavit provides the first […]

President Trump on Iran: I think they want to make a deal. I think they’d be foolish if they didn’t… It’s got to be a good deal, no nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want.

CHAOS IN SYDNEY: Police charged into anti-Israel protesters near Sydney’s Town Hall during a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, arresting 27 people — including 10 accused of assaulting officers — after violence erupted as authorities moved to disperse thousands in the crowd.

A 13-year-old Jewish boy was brutally attacked overnight in Paris while walking to shul in a serious antisemitic assault. The attacker punched and kicked the boy, threatened him with a knife, and shouted antisemitic slurs. The boy suffered injuries to his head and neck, and his yarmulke and phone were stolen. French authorities have opened […]

President Trump told Channel 12 News that Iran is eager to reach a deal, warning that “either we reach a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough.” Trump said he is considering sending another aircraft carrier and additional forces to the region, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wants a deal — […]

Israeli officials are warning that Israel may insist on preserving the right to act militarily against Iran even if Washington reaches a diplomatic agreement with Tehran. Speaking to CNN ahead of talks between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, Israeli officials said Netanyahu plans to press Trump for “freedom of action” against Iran, citing […]

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that he believes the federal immigration enforcement surge in the state is nearing its conclusion and could wrap up within “days, not weeks and months,” citing recent discussions with senior officials in the Trump administration.

Speaking at a news conference, the Democratic governor said he held conversations with border czar Tom Homan on Monday and with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles early Tuesday. Homan assumed control of the federal operation in Minnesota in late January, following a second deadly shooting involving federal officers and growing political criticism over how the effort was being carried out.

“We’re very much in a trust but verify mode,” Walz said. He added that he expects additional clarification from the administration “in the next day or so” about the future of what he described as an “occupation” and a “retribution campaign” directed at Minnesota.

Walz said that while he is cautiously optimistic because “every indication I have is that this thing is winding up,” he acknowledged the situation remains fluid and could still change.

“It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done, and they’re bringing her down and they’re bringing her down in days,” Walz said. “That would be my expectation.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the governor’s statements.

Walz said he has no reason to doubt Homan’s assertion last week that 700 federal officers would immediately withdraw from Minnesota, but noted that such a move would still leave roughly 2,300 federal personnel operating in the state.

At the time, Homan pointed to what he called an “increase in unprecedented collaboration” that reduced the need for a larger federal presence, including cooperation from jails holding inmates eligible for deportation.

The governor also said he expects the state to receive “cooperation on joint investigations” into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, though he did not elaborate. State officials have said those cases have been a source of tension, arguing they have been excluded from the investigations and denied access to evidence.

Walz convened the news conference largely to highlight what he said has been the economic fallout from the enforcement surge. He spoke at The Market at Malcolm Yards, a local food hall where owner Patty Wall said the broader restaurant industry has become “collateral damage” as a result of the crackdown.

Matt Varilek, the state’s commissioner of employment and economic development, said Malcolm Yards would typically be packed but is now struggling because workers and customers are staying away out of fear tied to the enforcement activity.

“So it is great news, of course, that the posture seems to have changed at the federal level toward their activities here in Minnesota,” Varilek said.

“But, as the governor said, it’s a trust-but-verify situation. And frankly, the fear that has been sown, I haven’t really noticed any reduction in that.”

{Matzav.com}

U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base have moved Patriot missile systems onto mobile truck launchers as tensions with Iran have intensified, according to an analysis of satellite imagery. The move, which places the missiles on heavy military trucks rather than fixed or semi-static platforms, allows the systems to be repositioned quickly for either offensive […]

Federal investigators secured a search warrant to confiscate hundreds of boxes of ballots from Fulton County, Georgia election facilities, launching a criminal probe into possible “deficiencies or defects” in how votes were tallied during the 2020 presidential election won by President Donald Trump’s opponent, according to a court filing made public Tuesday.

The newly unsealed affidavit offers the first official explanation for an FBI operation carried out last month in a jurisdiction that President Trump and his allies have long pointed to as a focal point of their claims that the 2020 vote was mishandled.

According to the affidavit, the inquiry draws heavily on assertions that have circulated for years among individuals who, including the president, maintain that fraud occurred in the 2020 election.

Those assertions have been repeatedly disputed by audits, election officials, the courts, and even President Trump’s former attorney general, prolonging a national dispute that continued through President Biden’s administration and into President Trump’s return to the White House.

Investigators are examining Fulton County’s acknowledgment that it lacks scanned images for all ballots counted in both the initial tally and the subsequent recount, the affidavit states. County officials also confirmed that some ballots were scanned more than once during the recount process.

“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome determinative for any particular election or race,” the document says.

The affidavit further explains that the seizure of election materials was required to assess whether records had been destroyed or whether vote totals included “materially false votes.”

Investigators cite potential violations of federal statutes governing the preservation and retention of election records, which carry misdemeanor penalties, as well as a separate law that makes it a felony to “knowingly and willfully” deprive voters of a “fair and impartially conducted election process.”

{Matzav.com}

Nearly one in four Israelis will be chareidi by the year 2050, according to a new report from the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI). The study examined how the rapid growth of the Torah-observant public is likely to affect Israel’s economy, education system, and national institutions in the coming decades. It looks at two possible paths: […]

BMG Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler, Mekubal Hagaon HaRav Itche Meyer Morgernstern, and Rabbi Eli Mansour, seen at the Chasunah in Morocco of the daughter of renowned philanthropist R’ Lazer (Louis) Scheiner.