President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing the imposition of tariffs on goods from any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba, a step that could intensify the severe energy shortages already gripping the island.
The measure is expected to place particular strain on Mexico, which has emerged as a key source of oil for Cuba and has repeatedly expressed solidarity with the Cuban government, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum has worked to cultivate a close working relationship with Trump.
In recent days, speculation has mounted that Mexico might significantly reduce its oil exports to Cuba as pressure from Trump grows for Mexico to distance itself from Havana.
Cuba, mired in a worsening economic and energy crisis—exacerbated in part by long-standing U.S. sanctions—has increasingly depended on foreign assistance and oil shipments from allies such as Mexico, Russia, and Venezuela, prior to a U.S. military operation that ousted former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Following that operation, Trump declared that Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba would cease and asserted that the Cuban government was on the verge of collapse.
According to its latest report, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, delivered nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba between January and Sept. 30, 2025.
That same month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Mexico City.
After the visit, Jorge Pinon, an energy expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who monitors shipments through satellite tracking, said deliveries had dropped to roughly 7,000 barrels per day.
Sheinbaum has offered limited clarity on Mexico’s position regarding the shipments.
Over the past week, she has provided indirect and noncommittal responses to questions about oil exports to Cuba, repeatedly sidestepping the issue during her morning press briefings.
On Tuesday, Sheinbaum acknowledged that Pemex had at least temporarily halted some oil shipments to Cuba, but she characterized the pause as part of routine fluctuations in supply and emphasized that it was a “sovereign decision” unrelated to pressure from the United States.
Sheinbaum has maintained that Mexico would continue to demonstrate solidarity with Havana, though she has not specified the nature or scope of that support.
On Wednesday, she said she never suggested that shipments had been fully “suspended” and stated that “humanitarian aid” to Cuba would continue.
She added that shipment decisions are governed by contractual obligations within Pemex.
“So the contract determines when shipments are sent and when they are not sent,” Sheinbaum said.
It remains uncertain how Trump’s order signed Thursday will ultimately affect Cuba, which has endured years of economic hardship under a U.S. embargo and recurring crises.
Tensions were already visible on the island this week, as long lines formed at gas stations and drivers waited anxiously for fuel, unsure of what developments might come next.
{Matzav.com}
A powerful moment of personal example and chizuk took place this week when Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein hosted rabbanim from the Chofetz Chaim B’Iyun kollel network in his home. The Chofetz Chaim B’Iyun kollel network is an organization dedicated to the study of the Chofetz Chaim and the strengthening of shemiras halashon.
During the gathering, as seen in the photo above, Rav Zilberstein surprised those present by physically showing them his teeth, explaining that they are all still intact. He then shared a well-known tradition about the Chofetz Chaim, who toward the end of his life displayed his own complete set of teeth and said that not a single one had fallen out, because he had never spoken lashon hara in his lifetime.
Those close to Rav Zilberstein added that his son-in-law, the mekubal Rav Dov Kook, has testified that his father-in-law likewise merited this brocha. According to Rav Kook, Rav Zilberstein retained all of his teeth for the same reason — “because he never spoke negatively about another Jew.”
{Matzav.com}
An extraordinary moment took place this week at the home of the Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Dov Landau, leaving those present stunned by his brilliance and astonishing memory.
The episode occurred following a bris held in the Rosh Yeshiva’s home. After the bris, family members approached Rav Landau to receive brachos and introduced him to the baby’s grandfather, Rav Chaim H., one of his talmidim.
Rav Landau was visibly delighted to see him and immediately said, “What you said, that the Rabbanan disagree with Rav Yosi regarding gram kibui and grama on Shabbos — the Maggid Mishneh does not write that. Rather, the Rabbanan agree with Rav Yosi that gram kibui is prohibited.”
Rav Chaim H. paused, trying to recall what the Rosh Yeshiva was referring to and could not understand why Rav Landau was raising the point. Rav Landau then turned to him again and asked, “Don’t you remember this? I remember it clearly. It was decades ago — maybe 30 or 40 years ago.”
After reflecting further, the former talmid realized that Rav Landau was correct: the two of them had indeed discussed that very sugya together roughly 35 years earlier — the last time the topic had come up between them.
Those present were left in awe, struck by the Rosh Yeshiva’s extraordinary genius and razor-sharp memory, able to recall with precision a detailed Torah discussion from more than three decades earlier.
{Matzav.com}
The United Nations is confronting a severe financial emergency that could push the organization toward what its top official described as an “imminent financial collapse,” according to a letter sent to member states late last month.
In the message dated Jan. 28, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the organization’s financial position is rapidly worsening due to a combination of unpaid membership dues and restrictive budget rules. “The crisis is deepening, threatening program delivery and risking financial collapse. And the situation will deteriorate further in the near future,” Guterres wrote.
At the heart of the problem are mounting arrears from member states, which have left the U.N. struggling to meet its core financial obligations. The shortfall has affected both the regular budget and peacekeeping operations, creating cash-flow pressures that have become increasingly difficult to manage.
Guterres also pointed to a long-standing budget regulation that requires the organization to return unspent funds to member states, even during periods of acute financial stress. He described this rule as a structural flaw that exacerbates instability and limits the U.N.’s ability to plan responsibly.
The financial strain has been compounded by reductions in voluntary contributions from some major donors and delays in mandatory payments, further tightening available resources. As a result, the organization has been forced to consider cost-cutting measures and internal adjustments to keep operations running.
In his letter, Guterres cautioned that without immediate action, the United Nations could face a liquidity crisis within months. He urged member states either to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time or to agree to a fundamental overhaul of the organization’s financial rules to prevent collapse.
The growing cash crunch has raised concerns about the U.N.’s capacity to carry out essential missions, including peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and development programs worldwide. Officials warn that continued delays in funding could lead to reductions in services and undermine the organization’s global role.
Despite ongoing efforts to streamline operations and rein in expenses, Guterres made clear that internal reforms alone will not be sufficient. Without decisive action from member states, he warned, the financial outlook for the United Nations will continue to deteriorate.
{Matzav.com}Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal authorities on Friday, a development confirmed by Newsmax correspondent James Rosen and a Justice Department official with knowledge of the case.
According to Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, federal agents arrested the journalist in Los Angeles, where he had been reporting on the Grammy Awards.
Attorney General Pam Bondi later stated on X that the arrests of Lemon, along with Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, were carried out “at my direction.”
Lowell sharply criticized the action, calling it an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”
In a statement, Lowell said, “Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards.” He added, “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
The arrest followed a decision last week in which a magistrate judge declined prosecutors’ initial attempt to bring charges against Lemon.
Authorities are now pursuing allegations that include conspiracy to deprive rights and interference with religious freedom inside a house of worship.
The case stems from a January 18 incident in which Lemon livestreamed a protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies in the area.
Lemon has said that he attended the event in his capacity as a journalist, explaining that while he had advance notice of the demonstration, he was unaware that activists intended to interrupt a religious service.
Video from the scene shows Lemon engaged in a heated exchange with a parishioner over immigration enforcement. Officials in the Trump administration swiftly denounced the protest, accusing those involved of intimidating Christian worshippers.
Lemon was scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing later on Friday.
{Matzav.com}Amid mounting tensions over the proposed draft law and the passage of the state budget, former minister and Knesset member Michoel Malchieli addressed the steps being taken by the chareidi parties, stressing that decisions are being made out of deep responsibility rather than narrow political calculation. According to Malchieli, the position of the Shas faction is grounded in clear rulings of the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah of Shas, with constant evaluation of the implications for the Torah world and the chareidi public at large.
Malchieli noted that months ago a firm decision was reached to withdraw from the government and later from Knesset committees, but not to bring down the coalition. “There was a very clear decision to leave the government, and afterward to leave the committees, but not to leave the coalition. All no-confidence motions and efforts to topple the government — we opposed them,” he said, emphasizing that even when the draft law stalled, there was no intention to cause the government’s collapse.
Turning to the budget vote, Malchieli described the choice as an exceptionally difficult one. “If the budget hadn’t passed its first reading last week, the government would have fallen — and then there would have been no budget at all. The impact on the chareidi public would have been dramatic: all the funds are outside the base budget and would move to monthly allocations of one-twelfth. That means no funding for education networks, kollelim, and institutions. Four months of elections without knowing what kind of government would emerge … that’s an extremely hard question.”
He said that the decision was made only after renewed consultations with the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of both Degel HaTorah and Shas. “A clear decision was reached: to support the first reading, based on the impression that there is genuine progress on the draft law, that it has a majority in the Knesset, and that this is not a political event but a purely legal one. We are sitting with legal advisers and trying to craft language that will also pass the High Court.”
Malchieli rejected claims that this is simply another meaningless delay. “In the past, this was a political event. The ones who removed Gallant and Edelstein weren’t us. It was Netanyahu, who understood that games were being played within his own coalition. Today, it’s a completely different situation. There is a majority, and the dispute is legal. That doesn’t mean we’ll do everything at any price, but we will try.”
Addressing pressure campaigns within the chareidi public opposing the law, Malchieli said such efforts have no impact on Gedolei Yisroel themselves. “Inside those homes sit people in their nineties whose entire lives are Torah. The posters don’t interest them.” Still, he acknowledged that there is an effect at the broader public level. “There are good people and bnei Torah who get drawn into this. You can’t ignore that.”
Malchieli claimed that external forces are behind some of the campaigns. “Behind the massive campaign and the huge money being invested against Aryeh Deri and against rabbanim are activists with limitless resources. They’ve operated inside the chareidi public to divide us. A nation of the book needs to ask who is funding this and who is amplifying it.”
Responding sharply to accusations that the chareidi parties are “selling the Torah world for power,” Malchieli said: “Gedolei Yisroel are updated almost daily. They don’t ‘read’ the law. They learn it, like learning a difficult sugya about permitting an agunah. They are studying the draft law like a sugya in Yevamos. To say we’re power-hungry is the opposite of reality. The easiest thing for us would be to put down the keys and go to the opposition. That’s where you get applause. But who would run religious services? Who would protect the yeshivos? Who would manage the draft law?”
He concluded by drawing a firm red line. “If in the end there is no law that our rabbanim approve, there will be no draft law. Period. We won’t do anything without a clear ruling from Gedolei Yisroel. The instruction we received is to stay on the field and manage it, not to sit in the stands. That is how we will act.”
{Matzav.com}