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Renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War could cost American taxpayers anywhere from a few million dollars to as much as $125 million, depending on how aggressively the change is carried out, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office, the AP reports.

President Donald Trump authorized the use of “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Pentagon through an executive order signed in September. At the time, Trump said the move was meant to project American strength abroad and criticized the existing department name as being “woke.”

The executive order was issued as the U.S. military launched a series of lethal airstrikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in South America. In the months that followed, U.S. forces carried out a dramatic operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while the Trump administration publicly weighed potential military action involving Iran and even Greenland.

Although only Congress has the authority to officially change the department’s name, lawmakers have shown little appetite for taking up the issue. Despite that, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quickly adopted the new branding following Trump’s order.

Hegseth directed staff to remove the prominent gold lettering reading “Secretary of Defense” outside his office and replaced it with signage identifying him as “Secretary of War.” On the same day the order was signed, the Pentagon’s website was also changed from “defense.gov” to “war.gov.”

At the time, Pentagon officials said they were unable to provide an estimate of how much the rebranding would cost, citing uncertainty and variability in implementation. They indicated a more precise assessment would come later.

That estimate arrived this week. According to the Congressional Budget Office, a limited and gradual rollout of the name change would likely cost at least several million dollars, while a rapid and sweeping implementation across the department could push expenses to as high as $125 million.

The report estimates that a “modest implementation” confined to internal agency use would cost around $10 million and could likely be covered within the Pentagon’s existing budget.

By contrast, the analysis warns that a full statutory renaming approved by Congress could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on how lawmakers and Defense Department officials choose to execute the change.

The Pentagon oversees more than 6.5 million square feet of office space, much of which still displays the existing name, seals, and logos. It remains unclear whether any effort has been made to update signage or branding at U.S. military installations around the world.

Shortly after Trump signed the executive order, Republican lawmakers including Sens. Mike Lee, Rick Scott, and Marsha Blackburn introduced legislation to formally rename the department. That proposal, however, has stalled and has not advanced in Congress.

The executive order also directed Hegseth to develop recommendations for permanently changing the department’s name. Pentagon officials declined to say whether any such recommendations have been completed or submitted.

The CBO analysis was requested by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.

The Congressional Budget Office was established more than five decades ago to provide nonpartisan budgetary and economic analysis to assist Congress in its legislative work.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Yitzchok Refoel Abuchatzeira was elected on Thursday evening as the new chief rabbi of the city of Ramla, securing an overwhelming majority of 31 votes out of 36 cast by the municipal rabbinical electoral body.

The announcement was made at the conclusion of the official vote count by the election committee responsible for selecting the city’s chief rabbi. The appointment marks the tenth chief rabbi selected during the current term.

Rav Abuchatzeira is the son of Rav Yechiel Abuchatzeira, the outgoing chief rabbi of Ramla, and the grandson of the renowned kabbalist and former chief rabbi of the city, the Baba Chaki zt”l. He is also the nephew of Rav Avraham Abuchatzeira, another prominent rabbinic figure in the city.

Former Minister of Religious Services and current Knesset member Michael Malkieli hailed the result, calling it a rare and meaningful moment. “Not every day does one merit the election of a city rav who represents a third generation on the rabbinic seat,” he said, describing the outcome as a significant achievement for the Shas party.

The election committee was chaired by retired judge Sarah Prisch. Committee members included Rav Yisrael Meir Biton, chief rabbi of Chadeira, Oren Rosenberg, and Michal Shemesh, with attorney Shiri Fogel serving as legal adviser to the committee, and Tzuriel Porat acting as committee secretary.

The election followed a period of legal challenges surrounding Rav Abuchatzeira’s candidacy. Earlier petitions had questioned the validity of his rabbinic certification, leading the High Court of Justice to temporarily freeze the election process. After the matter was resolved, the vote proceeded as scheduled, culminating in Rav Abuchatzeira’s decisive victory.

A lifelong resident of Ramla, Rav Abuchatzeira serves as a rosh kollel and is regarded as a central and unifying figure within the local community. Supporters describe him as a bridge between Ramla’s rich rabbinic heritage and the realities of a complex, multicultural city in 2026.

Israel’s Chief Rav and Rishon LeTzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, personally called Rav Abuchatzeira to congratulate him and wished him success in strengthening Jewish life in the city. He invoked the verse, “In place of your fathers shall be your sons,” expressing hope that the new rav would bring honor to his distinguished lineage.

Moshe Shitrit, chairman of the Ramla Religious Council, called the election “a historic and formative day for religious services in Ramla,” adding that the council would stand alongside the new chief rav to ensure accessible and inspiring religious services for all residents.

Ramla Mayor Michael Vidal also welcomed the result, congratulating Rav Abuchatzeira on his election and praising his father, Rav Yechiel Abuchatzeira, for decades of devoted service to the city.

{Matzav.com}

The White House says that Iran halted hundreds of planned executions after President Donald Trump warned Tehran against killing protesters, marking a dramatic — and unverified — pause amid a brutal crackdown by the Islamic Republic. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that as many as 800 executions scheduled to take place the […]

After weeks of escalating tension, U.S. and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the U.N. Security Council, where America’s envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to lower the temperature between the two adversaries. The U.S. was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say have […]

A U.S. Jewish legal organization is urging New York’s attorney general to widen her scrutiny of political activism, two days after her office announced a settlement with the far-right Jewish group Betar. Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday that Betar had harassed individuals based on Arab, Muslim and Jewish identities, agreed to halt those activities, […]

The commander of the ground unit that killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has spoken publicly about the mission for the first time, describing the intelligence trail, the moment of identification, and the emotions that followed the elimination of the October 7 mastermind.

Lt. Col. Ran shared his account during an interview on Shlomi Adler’s All in podcast, explaining that the night before the operation was filled with uncertainty and disbelief. “I was awake all night,” Ran recounted. “I kept telling myself, you’re imagining it. Don’t try to connect the dots. I gathered the company commanders, showed them yesterday’s drone image, and said: tell me, who does this look like?”

After zeroing in on a suspicious structure, the force moved in on foot, entered the building, and conducted a thorough search that led to Sinwar’s identification. Ran described the scene that followed the confirmation. “We’re standing over the body, smiling at each other, and saying: ‘Wow, this is Sinwar.’ It’s an insane closing of the circle.”

He said the recognition of who lay before them brought an intense emotional release, given Sinwar’s role in years of bloodshed and the October 7 attack. “This is the architect, this is the scoundrel, this arch-terrorist-this is the one who caused me, as a battalion commander, to lose so many fighters, who caused so much loss to the IDF, kidnapped people, and committed horrific atrocities against our people. This is him.”

Ran stressed that the killing was not the result of an airstrike or a high-profile special forces raid, but the work of regular ground troops who have carried the burden of the fighting throughout the war. “The one who killed him wasn’t an air force bomb, not a special operation, not Shayetet 13. No-it was infantrymen, it was tank crews, fighters who day in and day out throughout this war worked the hardest, and here-we succeeded.”

The remarks offer a rare, first-hand look at a pivotal moment in the war, underscoring both the operational reality on the ground and the personal toll borne by those leading and fighting in Israel’s ground campaign.

{Matzav.com}

A senior Hamas official said Wednesday that an Israeli strike in central Gaza killed a top commander in the group’s armed wing, calling the attack a major escalation that threatens to unravel the ceasefire. Hamas official Osama Hamdan confirmed the killing of Muhammad al-Hawli, a commander in the al-Qassam Brigades, during an attack in the […]

In China, the names of things are often either ornately poetic or jarringly direct. A new, wildly popular app among young Chinese people is definitively the latter. It’s called, simply, “Are You Dead?” In a vast country whose young people are increasingly on the move, the new, one-button app — which has taken the country […]

In every industry- nonprofit, retail, real estate, healthcare, education- brands are fighting for one thing: attention. But attention alone has never built a business. It’s the brands people remember, the ones that stay in their minds long after the scroll, swipe, or click, that truly grow. This is exactly what Jewish Ad Group (JAG) focuses […]

Lebanese authorities have charged four people accused of carrying out a kidnapping on behalf of Israel’s intelligence service, deepening a sensitive case that touches on decades-old mysteries and the shadow war between Beirut and Jerusalem. A Lebanese judicial official said the suspects are accused of abducting retired security officer Ahmad Shukr last month in eastern […]

Following the announcement that MK Yisrael Eichler has been appointed Deputy Communications Minister and has rejoined the coalition, a sharp public exchange erupted between senior Agudas Yisroel figure Moti Babchik and media personality Yinon Magal.

As reported earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu succeeded in bringing Eichler, a representative of the Belzer chassidus, back into the government by awarding him the deputy ministerial post, despite opposition within parts of Agudas Yisroel, particularly from the Gerer chassidus. The move effectively returned Agudas Yisroel to the coalition.

Magal quickly mocked the development on social media, posting sarcastically: “Breaking: Babchik’s car has been found abandoned at Tzuk Beach.” The jab alluded to Babchik’s reputation as a dominant power broker within Agudas Yisroel and suggested—tongue in cheek—that he had been outmaneuvered by Belz following Eichler’s return.

The comment drew an immediate and forceful response. Babchik, who serves as chief of staff to the chairman of United Torah Judaism, replied publicly: “I saw your mockery about my having abandoned my car at Tzuk Beach. It is better to abandon a car than to abandon values. I would have expected you—someone who speaks morning and night about his love and affection for yeshiva students—to stand by them and defend them, instead of acting as a spokesman and cheerleader for a government that tramples on them and imprisons them.”

Beyond the personal exchange, the political ramifications are significant. Eichler’s appointment triggered the return of Degel HaTorah MK Yitzchok Pindrus to the Knesset under the Norwegian Law, adding another vote in favor of advancing the draft law. As a result, tensions within the chareidi camp—particularly Lithuanian anger toward Belz for breaking earlier understandings—are expected to subside.

It bears recalling that after Netanyahu previously failed to pass the draft legislation, the chareidi parties—United Torah Judaism and Shas—had withdrawn from the government and relinquished ministerial posts until progress was made. Netanyahu’s decision to bring Eichler back is now seen as having fractured the united front of opposition to the law within Agudas Yisroel. With MK Meir Porush unlikely to oppose the legislation, Bezalel Goldknopf appears increasingly isolated, though representatives from Vizhnitz could still align with him.

A senior political source said that the move involving Eichler “was not improvised; it was carefully planned.” According to the source, the timing may be linked to an anticipated rabbinic arbitration ruling in a dispute between Eichler and Degel HaTorah over demands that Eichler resign to allow Pindrus to enter the Knesset. “The expectation was that the ruling would be unfavorable to Belz,” the source said, “and that is likely why the move was revealed today.”

{Matzav.com}

It’s a quiet tragedy of our time that imperfection has become something to hide. We mask it and edit it out of our public lives, as if being human were a flaw instead of the very point. Somewhere along the way, society decided that each person must fit a carefully constructed facade of “normal,” and […]

President Donald Trump said that while Reza Pahlavi comes across as personable, he is unconvinced that Iranians would embrace the exiled shah’s son as a leader if the current Islamist regime were to collapse, and he suggested the situation has not yet reached the stage where succession planning is appropriate.

Speaking to Reuters, Trump also indicated that the wave of unrest sweeping Iran — now in its second week and marked by heavy-handed repression — has not progressed to the point where discussions about who might replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei should take place.

Opposition groups say demonstrations have erupted in as many as 195 cities since late December, with protesters demanding an end to the hardline rulers who have governed since 1979. Authorities have responded with mass detentions and lethal force, mirroring past crackdowns. Some estimates claim up to 20,000 people may have been killed over the past month. Despite the scale of the unrest, there has been no clear emergence of a single opposition figure capable of leading a post-Khamenei transition, leaving the question of future leadership unresolved.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has lived in the United States since before the 1979 revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power. Although images circulating from recent demonstrations have occasionally shown monarchist symbols, Trump told Reuters he doubts Pahlavi has sufficient domestic backing to step in quickly if the regime were to fall. Pahlavi is also widely viewed as lacking any organized military or paramilitary force that could supplant the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which dominates Iran’s security apparatus.

“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country, and we really aren’t up to that point yet,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying. “I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”

“Whether or not it falls, it’s going to be an interesting period of time,” Trump added, referring to the Iranian regime.

Reuters reported that Trump has previously said he has no intention of meeting with Pahlavi or engaging in talks about a transition. Speculation in Washington suggested that Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, may have spoken with Pahlavi last weekend, though no public confirmation has been made. The news agency also noted that Pahlavi “appears to have little organized presence inside the Islamic Republic.” The Wall Street Journal editorial board recently argued that Pahlavi helped energize some of the demonstrations, pointing out that “the Shah’s son called on Iranians to rally against the regime at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday,” and that crowds responded. However, protests had already been underway in large numbers since December 31, making it difficult to assess the impact of calls issued from abroad.

The current uprising began in the final week of 2025, driven by two immediate triggers: the announcement of a new tax burden and the sharp collapse of Iran’s currency amid surging inflation. Footage from New Year’s Day shows demonstrators blocking roads and attempting to breach government buildings.

The unrest has been compounded by long-simmering crises, including severe repression enforced by morality police, water shortages so acute that “president” Masoud Pezeshkian has floated the idea of relocating Tehran’s roughly 10 million residents, and extreme weather swings. Iran pursued cloud-seeding operations in November to address drought, following destructive floods in western parts of the country.

From exile in the United States, Pahlavi has repeatedly urged President Trump to take “action” in response to events in Iran, without detailing what form such steps should take.

“The best way to ensure that there will be less people killed in Iran is to intervene sooner, so this regime finally collapses and puts an end to all the problems that we are facing,” Pahlavi said in an interview with CBS News on Monday. “The game-changer would be for this regime to know that they cannot rely anymore on a continued campaign of repression without the world reacting to it.”

“When asked whether he was pushing Mr. Trump to initiate regime change, Pahlavi said that the president stands in solidarity with the Iranian people, which means ‘ultimately supporting them in their ask. And their ask is that this regime has to go,’” CBS News reported.

In the same interview, Pahlavi said he was “prepared” to die for a free Iran, though there has been no indication that he plans to return to the country or join the demonstrations in person. Addressing criticism that encouraging protests from abroad could endanger lives, he responded that “this is a war and war has casualties,” while again calling for unspecified “action.”

{Matzav.com}

Dear Klal Yisrael: I lost my husband and two children in a terrible car accident on the way back from Meron. In one moment, half my family was gone. I was left to raise four yesomim alone. This Sunday, my son Shimon will stand under the chuppah — with no father to walk him there. […]

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is not currently planning to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, even as the Justice Department conducts a criminal investigation involving the central bank leader, adding that it is still too soon to decide what steps he may ultimately take.

Responding to questions from Reuters about whether he intended to dismiss Powell, Trump said, “I don’t have any plan to do that,” signaling no immediate action against the Fed chair.

Pressed on whether the existence of the investigation could justify Powell’s removal, Trump indicated that the situation remains unresolved. “Right now, we’re (in) a little bit of a holding pattern with him, and we’re going to determine what to do. But I can’t get into it. It’s too soon. Too early.”

Trump also pointed to potential successors should a change occur, naming former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett as leading possibilities. He said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would not be considered, explaining that Bessent prefers to remain in his current role. “The two Kevins are very good,” Trump said. “You have some other good people too, but I’ll be announcing something over the next couple of weeks.”

The Justice Department investigation centers on cost overruns tied to a $2.5 billion renovation of two historic buildings at the Federal Reserve’s headquarters. The probe was opened recently by the Trump administration.

Powell revealed the investigation earlier this week and has denied any misconduct. He has argued that the investigation is being used as leverage in response to his refusal to comply with Trump’s repeated calls for aggressive interest rate cuts.

Criticism of the investigation has emerged from several prominent Republicans in the Senate, whose approval would be required for any new Fed chair nominee. Their concerns have been echoed by foreign economic officials, investors, and former U.S. government officials from both parties, many of whom have warned that the probe risks injecting politics into monetary policy decisions.

Administration officials, however, have defended the investigation, saying the government is obligated to pursue any credible allegations of wrongdoing.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell in public for declining to slash benchmark interest rates as rapidly or as deeply as the president has urged. Powell was originally appointed to lead the Federal Reserve by Trump during his first term.

With November’s midterm congressional elections approaching, surveys show that voters view rising living costs as a major concern, and many give Trump low marks for his handling of the issue.

The president brushed aside objections from critics, including lawmakers whose backing he will need if he nominates a new Fed chair. “I don’t care,” he said. “They should be loyal. That’s what I say.”

He also rejected warnings from economists and financial leaders that undermining the Federal Reserve’s independence could weaken the dollar and fuel inflation. “I don’t care,” he said again.

Over the past year, Trump has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of presidential authority.

In a separate case, Trump has sought to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who is challenging her dismissal in court. That dispute is scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court next week.

Defending his involvement in monetary policy debates, Trump said, “A president should have something to say” about Fed policy, adding, “I made a lot of money with business, so I think I have a better understanding of it than Too Late Jerome Powell.”

{Matzav.com}

A federal appeals court on Thursday handed the Trump administration a legal win in its effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil, ruling that a lower-court judge lacked the authority to order his release from immigration detention. In a 2–1 decision, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Khalil’s lawsuit challenging his detention, finding that federal […]

The Senate passed a $174B three-bill spending package after Democrats used delay tactics, sending the funding bills to President Trump’s desk. * The package funds Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water, and Interior and Environment agencies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said another package covering four remaining bills is being prepared and could move in […]

Stephen Miller: In Minnesota, the insurrectionists have come out of hiding. They’re confronting our officers on the street. They’re being arrested. This is a national security priority.

Hakeem Jeffries: President Trump And Vice President Vance ‘Should Be Included’ In the Stock Trading Ban.