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President Donald Trump used a nationally televised primetime address Thursday night to announce the immediate declassification of intelligence files that he said reveal extensive vulnerabilities in America’s election system, while directing multiple federal agencies to investigate what he described as years of concealed security failures and foreign interference.

Trump began his speech by contrasting the current state of the country with what he described as an “economic and social disaster” inherited by his administration. He pointed to what he called a booming economy, declaring that “more Americans are working today than ever before” and noting that “inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years.”

The president also highlighted key provisions of his signature tax package, emphasizing the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. He further cited declining prescription drug prices and the creation of tax-free investment accounts for children as major accomplishments.

Shifting to national security, Trump said illegal border crossings had effectively fallen to zero over the past 14 months. He also referenced developments involving Venezuela and Iran, declaring, “We are winning big in Iran. You will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly”.

Trump then argued that none of the administration’s accomplishments would matter without public confidence in the electoral process, warning, “If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. And that’s very simple: no trust, no greatness.”

Announcing what he described as a major transparency initiative, Trump said, “Tonight I’m announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” explaining that the material—compiled by the White House Government Transparency Task Force together with intelligence advisers—had been posted on the White House website.

According to the president, the newly released records contain five major findings concerning election security.

Trump asserted that intelligence reports indicate the Chinese government obtained approximately 220 million American voter records beginning during the 2020 election cycle, including names, addresses, and party affiliations. He characterized the alleged breach as an “unprecedented election security nightmare.”

The president also accused elements within the intelligence community of concealing information about Chinese election-related activities from both the White House and Congress. Referring to CIA documents from 2018 and 2019, Trump claimed Beijing sought to influence the political landscape by exploiting American business relationships and financing unfavorable media coverage, saying, “The Chinese government wanted US president to lose the next election, and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them.”

Trump went on to cite FBI records that he said detail Chinese efforts to produce fraudulent ballots. He alleged intelligence analysts “deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities” and pointed to one FBI official who allegedly wrote that she was operating “a shadow government” to keep the intelligence from being disclosed.

The president further claimed intelligence assessments compiled between January 2020 and June 2026 found that centralized election databases and voting machines remain “extremely exposed to attack” by foreign governments. He specifically referenced reported electronic vote manipulation methods allegedly developed in Venezuela.

Trump also discussed FBI files relating to a 2020 Michigan State Police raid involving a voter registration operation in Muskegon. He alleged evidence of fraudulent voter registration applications purchased with gift cards was “slow walked” and later suppressed by the Biden Justice Department.

Turning to voter registration rolls, Trump cited a Department of Homeland Security review that he said identified roughly 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections. He further asserted that the actual total is likely much higher because, according to the administration, some states have declined to provide complete voter registration data.

The president also criticized major television networks that chose not to air the speech live. “In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech,” Trump said, adding that “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses” for utilizing public airwaves while concealing election vulnerabilities.

As part of the administration’s response, Trump announced that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA have been instructed to investigate the alleged intelligence cover-ups, dismiss any officials found responsible, and pursue criminal charges where warranted.

He also said the Department of Homeland Security would notify states about noncitizens identified on voter rolls and provide technical briefings on election system security updates before the upcoming midterm elections.

Concluding his address, Trump criticized California’s lengthy vote-counting process, calling the state’s month-long tabulation period “worse than any third world country.” He also argued that “mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt” and urged Americans to press Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship for voter registration while limiting mail-in voting to cases involving illness, disability, military service, or travel.

“These reforms are urgently needed to stop the vulnerabilities that I’ve mentioned,” Trump concluded. “Together we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

WATCH:

The Baltimore Jewish community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a one-year-old child who died Thursday after being accidentally left inside a hot vehicle. The toddler was a member of a respected and well-known family in the community.

In the wake of the tragedy, local rabbanim organized a special gathering for women in the community to offer words of chizuk and support. Rabbinic leaders were joined by representatives of Chai Lifeline, who are providing emotional assistance to the grieving family and helping them cope with the devastating loss.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal hot-car tragedies that claim the lives of young children across the United States each year, particularly during the summer months. Community leaders are urging parents, drivers, and those involved in carpools to adopt preventive safety measures, including placing a personal item in the back seat as a reminder, confirming that every child has exited the vehicle upon arrival, and using child safety seat alarm systems designed to prevent such heartbreaking incidents.

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic standoff unfolded in the Knesset Thursday evening after Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri ordered his party’s lawmakers to walk out of the plenum, declaring that the party would not support a controversial campaign finance bill unless opposition factions also backed the legislation.

The bill, which would increase public funding for political parties ahead of the upcoming elections, requires the support of at least 61 Knesset members to pass. After learning that opposition parties did not intend to vote in favor of the measure, Deri instructed all Shas MKs to leave the chamber, effectively jeopardizing the bill’s chances of securing the necessary majority.

Explaining his decision, Deri accused the opposition of attempting to benefit from the legislation while allowing the coalition—and particularly the Chareidi parties—to absorb the political criticism.

“I will teach the opposition a lesson. They are always saying the Chareidim only want money. We don’t need this money. Shas is the most organized party and has no debts,” Deri said during conversations in the Knesset. “They want this law more than we do, but they want us to pass it, take all the criticism, and then they will receive the money.”

Officials in Shas said they view the opposition’s position as an attempt to reap the financial benefits of the legislation without publicly supporting it. As a result, the party has made clear that it will not provide the votes needed to pass the bill unless opposition lawmakers are also willing to vote in favor.

With the Knesset’s 25th term rapidly drawing to a close ahead of new elections, it remains uncertain whether supporters of the measure will be able to assemble the 61-vote majority required to approve the legislation before the current session ends.

{Matzav.com}

A heated dispute over Chareidi education is unfolding in Netanya after local authorities reportedly sought to move girls’ Chareidi preschools into the state-run Chareidi school system. In response, leading rabbinic figures in the city, joined by Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, have issued a strongly worded letter urging parents not to enroll their daughters in the new framework.

The letter was signed by Rav Moshe Dov Broida, the rabbinic leader of the central Chareidi community in Netanya, and Rav Aharon Aryeh Waldenberg, rabbi of the city’s Minyan Avreichim synagogue. The two rabbanim warned parents against what they described as the dangers of the state-run Chareidi preschool system.

In their letter, the rabbanim wrote, “There must be no surrender and no temptation whatsoever to send our daughters to this framework under any circumstances.”

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch added his signature to the letter and personally wrote an additional handwritten message stating, “The public, G-d forbid, should not be enticed by their words, and they should stand firm—very firm—in continuing pure Torah education.”

The letter has sparked considerable discussion throughout Netanya’s Chareidi community and beyond. It comes in addition to a separate, detailed letter sent by Rav Moshe Dov Broida to parents of preschool children, in which he warned that unless the situation changes, the upcoming school year will not open under the proposed arrangement.

The controversy marks the latest chapter in the ongoing debate over the expansion of the state-run Chareidi education system, a move that has faced strong opposition from many leading Torah authorities, who have repeatedly called on parents to preserve the traditional model of Torah-based education.

{Matzav.com}

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen personally apologized Thursday to a Chareidi man who was allegedly attacked because of his appearance while waiting at a city bus stop. In addition to sending a letter expressing regret over the incident, the mayor also delivered a cake to the victim as a gesture of support.

The apology followed a report by Kol Berama Radio detailing the assault. In his letter, Shama-Hacohen wrote that he was “deeply shocked to hear about the display of violence and threats that were made at you in the streets of our city. Such an incident is in complete contradiction to Ramat Gan’s fundamental values. There is and will not be any place for expressions of hatred or discrimination in the city.”

The mayor added that “the fact that you are a resident of the neighboring city of Bnei Brak who visited our city, makes the incident even more painful and upsetting.”

According to the victim, the attack took place Wednesday afternoon on Herzl Street in Ramat Gan as he waited for a bus back home. He told Kol Berama that while speaking with his brother-in-law by phone, he stepped to the side of the bus stop so as not to disturb the other passengers waiting there.

It was then, he said, that a man riding a bicycle while holding a beer bottle approached him and began shouting, “Haredi, what are you doing on this street? Go to Bnei Brak.”

The victim said he tried to walk away and avoid any confrontation, but the attacker got off his bicycle and allegedly began striking him repeatedly with the beer bottle. He said he was hit in the face and stomach before the assailant allegedly attempted to smash the bottle while threatening him, saying, “If I see you here in another 10 minutes, I will come back and murder you.”

Before the attacker fled, the victim said he was able to record him on his cellphone.

Reflecting on the ordeal, the victim said the physical assault was not the most painful part of the encounter. Rather, he said, the anti-Chareidi abuse directed at him because of his appearance left the deepest emotional scars.

“The hardest moment was hearing the shout, ‘Haredi, don’t step on this street, go to Bnei Brak. If you stay here, I’ll murder you,'” he said.

The victim also expressed disappointment that, despite the attack taking place on a busy street near a bus stop filled with people, no one stepped forward to intervene or attempt to stop the assault.

He further criticized the way police handled his complaint, saying investigators refused to immediately accept the photograph he had taken of the suspect on his phone. Instead, he said, they insisted he upload it through a designated online portal—a process he explained was especially difficult because he uses a kosher cellphone.

The victim said he hopes Israel Police will conduct a thorough investigation and use security camera footage from the area, along with any other available evidence, to identify and arrest the suspect.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., to remain in place through the conclusion of his presidency, extending the deployment for more than two additional years as the administration argues the operation continues to play a key role in reducing crime in the nation’s capital.

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that the mission has officially been extended until Jan. 20, 2029, stating in an email that the deployment will remain active until that date, “or until terminated by the President.” The operation had previously been scheduled to conclude at the end of this year following an earlier extension.

The deployment has remained a source of political debate ever since Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 declaring a crime emergency in Washington and authorizing the activation of approximately 2,500 National Guard troops alongside additional federal law enforcement personnel. Administration officials maintain the initiative has contributed to a sharp decline in crime, while city leaders contend crime rates were already trending downward before the federal operation began.

Since arriving in the capital, National Guard personnel have taken part in a variety of public safety and community support efforts, including responding to medical calls, assisting law enforcement during arrests, clearing snow, and participating in neighborhood beautification projects.

“Taxpayers are paying more than a million dollars a day to have them walk around,” Phil Mendelson, chairman of the District of Columbia Council, said in April, adding that “the presence of armed soldiers on American streets is not a good look.”

While similar National Guard deployments have been halted or limited through court action in states such as California and Illinois, smaller federal missions continue in several cities, including New Orleans. In Washington, however, Guard members remain highly visible, patrolling Metro stations, tourist destinations, public parks, neighborhoods, and other areas throughout the city.

The mission has also carried significant risks. In November, a National Guard soldier was killed and another injured when authorities say a gunman traveled from Washington state to the nation’s capital and opened fire outside a Metro station just three blocks from the White House. The victims were identified as Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, both of whom had been deployed from West Virginia.

Because Washington, D.C., is a federally created district rather than a state, Trump has direct authority over both the city’s National Guard and significant aspects of its law enforcement structure. That unique arrangement has allowed the administration to continue the mission without encountering many of the legal obstacles that have challenged similar deployments elsewhere.

Although Guard troops themselves do not have arrest powers, administration officials insist their presence has strengthened broader law enforcement efforts by allowing police agencies to focus more resources on fighting crime.

According to the White House, a joint federal task force has made roughly 12,000 arrests since the operation began. Officials also said those arrests included 62 identified gang members and led to the seizure of thousands of illegally possessed firearms.

Despite those figures, disagreement continues over how much of Washington’s improving public safety can be credited to the Guard deployment. Critics argue crime had already been declining before the federal intervention, though those statistics later became the subject of an investigation following allegations that local police data may have been manipulated.

{Matzav.com}

Regional tensions intensified dramatically Thursday after an Iraqi militia publicly announced a $10 million reward for the assassination of President Donald Trump, while an Iranian state-linked media outlet circulated what it claimed was information about locations where the president could be found, raising serious security concerns.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued an official statement offering a $10 million bounty to anyone who kills President Trump or assists in locating him. The statement was quickly echoed by Iranian state-aligned media, which published inflammatory material appearing to encourage attacks on the president. The coordinated messaging has heightened concerns over threats from Iran-backed groups operating across the region.

According to the militia’s statement, the reward was “collected from donations of its loyal and proud sons and supporters, designated for whoever kills the criminal Trump, or whoever assists in locating him or directing toward him, whether an individual, group, or organization.” The declaration was dated July 16, 2026.

The group portrayed the bounty as retaliation for previous U.S. military actions in Iraq, specifically referencing the killings of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

In the statement, the militia asserted that “the most eloquent evidence of the moral downfall of the American administration is the arrogance of the criminal Trump in targeting the leaders of victory, the martyrs Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.”

It further vowed that “the free people of the world will pursue the killer of children and scholars,” adding that the president would find no refuge from those seeking revenge.

At nearly the same time, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency shared a provocative post on X featuring a blood-red silhouette of President Trump accompanied by the headline, “Where to Kill Trump?!”

The post claimed to provide “information on the locations where the terrorist President of America is present” and told followers that “access to Trump is possible in these locations,” language that has drawn significant attention because it appeared to identify places where the president could potentially be targeted.

The combination of a multi-million-dollar assassination bounty issued by an Iran-backed militia and the dissemination of purported location information by an Iranian state-affiliated news agency represents a sharp escalation in anti-American rhetoric amid continuing U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

U.S. security officials are expected to treat the coordinated threats with the highest level of seriousness. With an Iran-backed militia publicly offering a financial reward for an attack and state-linked media appearing to encourage such an act, federal agencies responsible for protecting the president are likely to maintain heightened security measures in response to the explicit threats.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri delivered one of his most forceful public interviews in years on Thursday, launching a blistering attack on Israel’s Supreme Court, the IDF chief of staff, and the political left while pledging unwavering support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Kikar, Deri also revealed what he described as a dramatic warning he once received from a leading Israeli academic about the future of the Torah world and announced that he intends to urge the Chareidi parties to boycott upcoming High Court hearings on the recently passed arrest-freeze law.

Breaking weeks of public silence, Deri sat down for an extensive interview with Kikar HaShabbat, addressing the draft crisis, the imprisonment of yeshiva students, Israel’s security situation, and the upcoming election campaign.

Deri began by condemning recent media reports regarding alleged Israeli efforts to topple Iran’s regime, calling the leaks themselves a serious threat to national security.

“I think those publications are extremely serious,” he said. “I never confirm or deny such matters, but where is the responsibility? I understand the thinking of whoever leaked the information to the foreign press, regardless of how much of it is true, but Israel is still at war. How can someone publish something like that just to justify an operation? I call on the Mossad director, who has the authority, to immediately launch an investigation. Whoever leaked it should be prosecuted. It is an extremely serious blow to Israel’s security in the middle of a war.”

Deri then turned to the controversy surrounding the draft law and the arrests of yeshiva students, arguing that the Chareidi community is facing unprecedented pressure.

He revealed what he described as a previously undisclosed conversation that took place during the judicial reform protests before the war. According to Deri, numerous public figures visited him at his former home in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood in an effort to persuade him to distance himself from the government’s judicial reform agenda.

One visitor, he said, was Prof. Uriel Reichman, founder of Reichman University.

“I’m going to reveal something I’ve never spoken about before,” Deri said. “During the judicial reform period, many people came to me because they thought I was the responsible adult, the moderate one. They asked, ‘What do you have to do with Smotrich, Ben Gvir and Yariv Levin?’”

According to Deri, Reichman warned him that continued Chareidi support for the political right would fundamentally alter the relationship between Israel’s establishment and the Chareidi community.

“He told me plainly: ‘We gave you Yavneh and its sages. We gave the Chareidi community its own space. Now you’ve crossed the line by joining the messianists, Smotrich, Ben Gvir and Yariv Levin. If you continue down this path, there will no longer be “Yavneh and its sages.” We will dismantle everything you have received over the past several decades.’”

Deri said he challenged the statement, asking Reichman what he meant by “we,” to which he claims Reichman replied: “You heard me. Take it to your rabbis and let them decide what they want.”

Addressing the prolonged effort to pass legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students, Deri blamed wartime circumstances, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, MK Yuli Edelstein, and the attorney general for delaying the process.

“You’re in the middle of a war, with 250 hostages, casualties announced every day, and at the same time trying to manage the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” he said. “Gallant disrupted the process for a year until he was removed. Edelstein held 80 meetings, and in the end it became clear that he misled us all.”

Deri reserved some of his harshest criticism for IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, accusing him of improperly intervening in politics by opposing the arrest-freeze legislation.

“What the chief of staff did was extremely serious,” Deri said. “He is my friend. I respect him, and I have defended him many times when others criticized him. But unfortunately, for a long time now, I believe he has lost his way.”

Deri insisted that senior military officials knew the arrests of yeshiva students would not result in additional enlistments.

“We would never have advanced this legislation without thoroughly consulting the highest-ranking military officials and confirming that these arrests were not producing soldiers.”

He continued: “Without any doubt, during an election period, what the chief of staff did—whether intentionally or not—helped the left-wing bloc. I have no doubt about that. For the past several years, everything they have done—the sanctions and everything else—has had one objective: stopping judicial reform.”

Deri argued that the chief of staff crossed a dangerous line by entering the political arena.

“He is the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He has no business involving himself in politics. What he did set a very dangerous precedent. It caused enormous damage to the army. It did not help the army.”

Turning to the expected Supreme Court challenge to the arrest-freeze law, Deri announced that he will urge both Shas and Degel HaTorah not to participate in the legal proceedings.

“I am going to recommend to my colleagues in Degel HaTorah and within Shas that we should not send legal representatives to the Supreme Court. We have no confidence in the Supreme Court. We already know what the outcome will be.”

He continued, “We must not be part of this game. We must not lend legitimacy to this charade by pretending justice will be done. We should tell them plainly: ‘We do not recognize your authority. We already know what the result will be.’”

Deri argued that because the court had already issued interim orders before the law officially took effect, its decision had effectively been made in advance.

Responding to criticism from senior Agudas Yisrael figures who claimed he always knew the legislation would eventually be struck down, Deri dismissed the accusations.

“I have tremendous respect for Agudas Yisrael,” he said. “Members of Agudas Yisrael themselves approached me yesterday and said those comments did not represent them. If they believed the law was meaningless, why did they vote for it? Why did the chairman of Agudas Yisrael congratulate Defense Minister Yisrael Katz after it passed?”

Deri also rejected claims that Netanyahu intentionally avoided the Knesset vote on the arrest-freeze law.

“That simply isn’t true,” he said. “He flew in by helicopter specifically to participate in the vote. He left only because he was called away for a diplomatic consultation and was already on his way back when the vote concluded. It was purely coincidental.”

The Shas chairman reiterated his party’s unequivocal support for Netanyahu.

“We support Prime Minister Netanyahu, period,” Deri declared. “There is no one else we can support today.”

He argued that any government led by MK Gadi Eisenkot would pose a greater threat to religious life than many realize.

“Everything connected to Judaism—marriage and divorce, kashrus, the Chief Rabbinate, rabbinical courts, Shabbos, public transportation on Shabbos—that is the camp he represents.”

At the same time, Deri said Shas continues to favor a broad unity government, saying wider coalitions create more consensus and reduce political division.

Deri sharply criticized Eisenkot’s proposed draft framework, saying it would be even more harmful to the Torah world than previous proposals advanced by Avigdor Lieberman or Naftali Bennett.

“Everyone says Eisenkot is more moderate, but his proposal is actually worse,” Deri said. “He wants quotas. He wants someone to decide which yeshiva student goes to the army and which one stays in the beis medrash. Who has the authority to decide who is a true ben Torah? Are we going to walk into Porat Yosef or another yeshiva and tell half the students to continue learning and send the other half into the army? Who could possibly make such a decision?”

Addressing recent polls showing declining support for Shas, Deri said he remains unconcerned.

“The late Professor Camil Fuchs consistently underestimated us in every election,” he said. “There is disappointment, and it is understandable. But when people go into the voting booth, they will understand exactly what is at stake.”

Deri also accused left-wing organizations of financing campaigns designed to discourage Chareidim from voting.

“This has been going on for a long time,” he said. “Kaplan protesters, left-wing money, international foundations, Israeli foundations, high-tech money—liberal left-wing funding that wants to secularize the country and dismantle the right-wing bloc—has unfortunately succeeded in recruiting collaborators from within our own community.”

According to Deri, those efforts included secretly recording rabbonim and attempting to create divisions among Torah leaders.

“Their goal is simple,” he said. “To convince the Chareidi public to stay home on election day.”

Asked at the end of the interview about recent criticism from Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, Deri declined to escalate the dispute.

“Ask him those questions,” Deri replied with a smile. “Tell him I love him, I respect him, and we’ll continue working together. He grew up in southern Israel, and sometimes he’s a little Moroccan—he gets a little hot-tempered.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump is expected to announce during a nationally televised address Thursday night that at least 278,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in federal elections across the United States, according to information expected to be released by the Department of Homeland Security.

A source familiar with the matter told The Post that the figure comes from a forthcoming DHS report and represents the largest publicly disclosed number of noncitizen voter registrations ever reported in the country.

Although the total has raised significant concerns, the source said investigators have not yet determined how many of those registered individuals may have actually cast ballots illegally or what specific actions the administration intends to take in response.

The source added that the true number could ultimately be higher because the current total only reflects data collected from the states examined so far. The source declined to specify how many states have had their voter registration records reviewed.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in U.S. elections, with violations carrying penalties of up to one year in prison and financial fines. However, responsibility for confirming a person’s eligibility to vote rests primarily with individual states.

The anticipated voter registration findings are expected to be only one portion of Trump’s primetime remarks, which administration officials caution remain subject to revision before the president speaks at 9 p.m. Eastern.

“As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS. “The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in.”

Trump is also expected to use the speech to build support for the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship before casting ballots in federal elections while also implementing additional election security measures. The proposal has remained stalled in Congress despite repeated Republican efforts to advance it.

Republicans have attempted multiple times to move the legislation through the Senate, describing it as one of Trump’s highest legislative priorities this year, but Democratic filibusters have prevented the bill from moving forward.

According to the source, Trump may urge Americans to contact members of Congress and press them to approve the legislation.

The expected address follows action by the Department of Justice last week, when it sent warning letters to election officials nationwide stating they “could be criminally prosecuted for aiding noncitizen voting” if ballots cast by noncitizens are counted in an election.

Although White House officials have revealed few details about the speech, Leavitt told reporters Thursday that its central focus would be election integrity and suggested the information Trump plans to disclose “will shock you.”

“We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world,” she said. “And what the president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case.”

Leavitt also maintained that safeguarding elections should not be viewed as a partisan issue, saying “the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States” during the address.

“I think all Republicans and Democrats should recognize this should be a nonpartisan issue,” Leavitt said. “If we don’t have safe and secure elections in our country, we cannot have a country. It is a vital part of our democracy, of our constitutional republic.”

She also noted that the federal statute making it a crime for noncitizens to vote—the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996—was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The speech also comes after CBS reported Wednesday evening that Trump is expected to discuss allegations that Beijing “compromised US voter data,” along with purported “evidence the CIA knew about the action and didn’t share that information” with the president at the time.

The White House, however, appeared to push back on that report, offering CBS what was described as a tacit denial regarding those claims.

Nearly 5,000 Sanzer Chassidim, joined by thousands of other participants, gathered Thursday outside the gates of Israel’s Military Prison 10 for a massive rally condemning the imprisonment of bnei Torah who have refused to comply with military draft orders.

The demonstration was organized in response to the incarceration of yeshiva students who remain behind bars after declining to enlist, insisting instead on continuing their Torah learning.

Crowds packed the area outside the prison, reciting Tehillim and pouring out heartfelt prayers while protesting what participants described as the ongoing persecution of the Torah world.

The gathering was led by the Sanzer Rebbe and attended by the rabbonim and dayanim of the Sanzer Chassidus, along with several admorim who came to express solidarity with the imprisoned yeshiva students and offer encouragement to their families.

The Stropkover Rebbe was honored with leading the recitation of Tehillim.

Also in attendance was the Ziditchover Rebbe, whose grandson has been imprisoned in the military jail for several days after refusing military service.

The emotional high point of the rally came when the Sanzer Rebbe rose to address the crowd. Speaking through tears, the Rebbe became visibly overcome with emotion, delivering a powerful address that moved the thousands assembled outside the prison walls.

“The situation that currently exists in our Holy Land is beyond comprehension,” the Rebbe cried in a trembling voice. “For many years there has been nothing like this, where bnei Torah—those who protect the entire generation through their Torah learning—are persecuted in such a cruel and criminal manner. How have we reached a point where precious young men are sent behind bars simply because they wish to devote themselves to Torah study?!”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli security forces carried out two successful overnight operations against vehicle theft, arresting suspects in separate incidents in the Chevron Hills and near the Chareidi city of Modi’in Illit. The operations led to the recovery of stolen vehicles and the capture of suspects allegedly caught in the act.

In the first operation, officers from the Judea and Samaria District’s Yehuda Arrow Unit, together with special YASAM police forces, raided several homes Thursday morning in the Palestinian town of Yatta after receiving intelligence indicating that stolen Israeli vehicles were being hidden there.

During the raid, one suspect attempted to conceal evidence after realizing police had arrived at his home. According to authorities, he threw the keys to a stolen vehicle out of his bedroom window in an apparent attempt to prevent officers from locating and seizing the car.

The effort failed, however, as officers quickly recovered the discarded keys from the yard, arrested the suspect, and confiscated the stolen vehicle.

As the searches continued, police discovered two additional stolen vehicles—a Mazda and a Geely electric car—that had been stolen in recent years from central Israel and transferred into Palestinian Authority-controlled territory.

The Geely electric vehicle immediately drew investigators’ attention because it was connected to an improvised charging station. Officers also found that it was missing its rear license plate and displayed a counterfeit front plate that did not match the vehicle’s registration.

Two Yatta residents, both in their 30s, were arrested on suspicion of possessing the stolen vehicles and were transferred to the Hebron police station for further questioning.

Law enforcement officials say Yatta has long been considered a major destination for vehicles stolen inside Israel, where many are dismantled for parts or resold using forged registration plates, making enforcement efforts in the area particularly complex and dangerous.

The Yatta operation followed another successful police action only hours earlier in the Binyamin region near Modi’in Illit.

According to police, intelligence received by the Modi’in Illit police station indicated that a group of suspects intended to steal back a vehicle that had been confiscated by authorities earlier that evening.

The vehicle had been seized after allegedly being used to transport illegal Palestinian residents into Israel, an offense that routinely results in vehicle confiscation as part of efforts to deter the practice.

Unaware that police and IDF forces had already established an ambush based on the intelligence, the suspects arrived at the location intending to break in and recover the impounded vehicle.

Instead, the combined security force caught the suspects in the act and arrested them before they were able to carry out the theft.

The two suspects, residents of Ramla and Lod in their 20s, were taken into custody and transported for questioning before being jailed.

Police said the suspects will be brought before a court to seek an extension of their detention as the investigation continues and prosecutors prepare possible indictments.

Authorities said the operations underscore the close cooperation between Israel Police, intelligence units, YASAM officers, and IDF forces in combating vehicle theft and related criminal activity throughout Judea and Samaria.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

Every summer we hear speeches about kedushah. Every summer there are campaigns about guarding our eyes, guarding our mouths, guarding our children’s ruchniyus. Every summer we’re reminded that camp isn’t just recreation. It’s an extension of the home and the yeshivah. Beautiful. Inspiring. But then I walk into some camp canteens and I wonder if anyone has stopped for five minutes to think about the most basic thing that goes into a Yid’s body: the food.

Our community has become obsessed with hashgachos. We’ll spend an hour discussing whether one hechsher is better than another. We’ll call rabbanim about a new product. We’ll refuse invitations because the standards aren’t exactly what we hold by. People won’t touch a cookie until they’ve examined every symbol on the package.

And then camp opens.

Suddenly, the standards that would never be tolerated anywhere else are somehow perfectly acceptable.

I’ve seen camp canteens from the inside. I know how they operate. I’m not talking from rumors. I’m talking from experience. In too many places, the entire operation is being run by teenagers. Good boys? Absolutely. Ehrliche boys? I’m sure. But they’re still teenagers. They’re rushing, they’re joking, they’re distracted, they’re trying to keep hundreds of campers happy, and somehow we’ve decided that this is an appropriate environment to run a food operation with zero adult oversight.

Why? Can someone please explain this to me?

If a pizza store in Brooklyn operated this way, would anybody eat there? If a caterer had sixteen-year-olds running the kitchen while the mashgiach was nowhere to be found for hours at a time, would anyone in our community touch the food? They’d be shut down before supper. There would be outrage. There would be endless conversations. WhatsApp would explode.

But because it’s “camp,” everyone shrugs.

Since when is “it’ll work out” a standard in hilchos kashrus?

Mistakes happen. Things get mixed up. Someone grabs the wrong utensil. Someone heats something where they shouldn’t. Someone puts something back in the wrong place. Someone opens the wrong package. Someone forgets. Someone doesn’t know. Someone was never taught. That’s why every serious kitchen has supervision.

Where are the people who normally scream about kashrus? Where are the organizations? Where are the rabbanim? Where are the parents asking the questions they ask everywhere else?

Parents spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to send children to camp because they want them to grow in Torah and yiras Shamayim. They assume, rightfully, that the camp is taking kashrus as seriously as they do at home. They don’t imagine that one of the most sensitive areas in camp is operating on autopilot.

Kashrus in a canteen can’t simply be left to whoever happens to be behind the counter. It deserves a real system. It deserves accountability. It deserves someone whose entire job is to make sure nothing goes wrong.

We don’t compromise on safety. We have lifeguards watching the lake every second. We have nurses for every scrape and fever. We have security because we don’t say, “Eh, it’ll probably be okay.” Why is kashrus any different? Why are we willing to gamble with something that the Torah treats with such seriousness?

I’d much rather people be offended by this letter than have another summer go by where everyone pretends there isn’t a problem.

If I’m wrong, prove me wrong. Show me the mashgichim. Show me the systems. Show me the oversight. Show parents that someone is actually taking responsibility. But if I’m right, and I believe I am, then stop looking the other way.

We keep telling our children that Torah isn’t seasonal. That mitzvos don’t go on vacation. That standards don’t change because it’s July and August.

Maybe it’s time the people who run canteens start believing that too.

Sincerely,

A Former Canteen Employee

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A chareidi girl was detained Thursday at the IDF’s Tel Hashomer Recruitment Bureau after military authorities determined that her religious exemption paperwork had not been properly processed, triggering outrage in the Charedi community and prompting the Eidah HaCharedis to threaten widespread protests if she is not released.

The incident comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the woman is reportedly preparing for her upcoming wedding.

According to her family, she arrived at the recruitment office believing she was simply resolving a bureaucratic matter. They said she had been under the impression that the seminary she attended had properly submitted all of the required documentation confirming her status as a member of the Charedi community and her eligibility for a religious exemption from military service.

Upon arriving, however, she was informed that her religious declaration had never been entered into the military’s system. According to the report, she was then taken into custody.

News of the detention quickly spread throughout the Charedi community, sparking anger, particularly among members of the Eidah HaCharedis. Elements within the community described the arrest as crossing a “red line” and said it represented a serious assault on one of the community’s most deeply held principles.

Messages circulated in recent hours warning of large-scale demonstrations if the woman is not immediately released.

“The arrest will not pass quietly,” one statement declared. “If the young woman is not released immediately, we will turn the country upside down and will not allow this to pass without a response.”

{Matzav.com}

A new analysis has found that New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires has fallen sharply over the past decade, costing the state an estimated $10.7 billion in tax revenue in a single year and fueling concerns that additional tax increases on high earners could accelerate the trend.

The report, released Monday by the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), comes as debate intensifies over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposals to raise taxes on wealthy residents. Critics argue that such policies could encourage even more affluent individuals and businesses to leave New York.

According to the CBC’s Competitive NYS: Value Proposition Tracker dashboard, New York’s share of America’s millionaires declined from 12.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2022—the steepest drop recorded by any state during that period.

“New York’s declining share of high-income taxpayers has meaningful consequences,” the analysis states.

“Had New York maintained its share of the nation’s millionaires over the past decade, personal income tax collections would have been substantially higher – roughly $10.7 billion more in tax year 2022.”

Business leaders and tax policy experts have increasingly warned that efforts to impose additional taxes on wealthy residents—an idea that has gained traction among some lawmakers in Albany—could intensify the migration of high-income taxpayers out of the state.

Although Gov. Kathy Hochul has rejected proposals for a broad increase in income taxes on the wealthy while seeking reelection this year, she has endorsed a pied-à-terre tax targeting expensive second homes in New York City.

Mamdani publicly praised that proposal in a social media video filmed outside hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin’s $238 million Manhattan penthouse. The move sparked a public dispute with Griffin, who threatened to abandon a planned $6 billion Park Avenue development.

That confrontation heightened concerns among business leaders that New York could face a broader exodus of wealthy residents at a time when both the city and state rely heavily on tax revenue generated by a relatively small number of high-income earners.

“In New York, the top 1% of earners pay about 45% of all state income taxes in any given year, so New York’s revenue is very reliant on high earners to stay in New York, and that has been a challenge in recent years,” said Jared Walczak, an economist and senior fellow at the Tax Foundation think tank.

“Gracie Mansion can’t do it on its own; it takes Albany,” he told The Post. “Pied-à-terre will have some impact, but there’s this feeling that New York isn’t done raising taxes, and with other places being more competitive, it won’t be surprising if high-earner taxpayers choose to relocate.”

Abir Mandal, a senior state policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, said New York currently ranks last in the nation for tax competitiveness.

He argued that high tax burdens encourage businesses to relocate to states with more favorable tax climates, pointing to Elon Musk’s decision to move his companies from California to Texas as an example.

“Without reforming the tax structure New York won’t be competitive for attracting population and business,” he said.

“Wall Street is the golden goose. But for how long?”

The report also points to state policies enacted over the past decade that critics say have added to New York’s economic challenges. Among them are income tax increases approved under Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the coronavirus pandemic and Medicaid spending under Hochul that is projected to climb to $58 billion by the end of the decade.

Ken Girardin, a research fellow at the Manhattan Institute, argued that New York’s 2019 expansion of rent regulations, combined with the state’s clean energy mandates, has constrained housing construction while increasing energy costs.

“Albany is directly responsible for the stagnation,” he said.

The CBC report paints a picture of economic and demographic challenges that predate Mamdani’s election, highlighting long-term trends affecting the state.

Among its findings, the study concluded that New York has experienced a net loss of residents to every other state, with Florida and Texas attracting many of those who have left. It also found that New York City’s population gains in 2023 and 2024 were driven largely by international immigration following pandemic-era population losses. The report noted that much of the state’s economic growth is concentrated in a corridor stretching from New York City and Long Island to Albany, while many upstate and rural communities continue losing workers. It further found that New York collects more state and local taxes per resident than any other state, averaging $12,495 per person—78% above the national average.

Although New York ranked second nationally in millionaire concentration in 2010, the report notes that its position has steadily weakened.

By 2022, the state had added roughly 34,000 millionaires compared with 2010, but growth elsewhere far exceeded New York’s gains.

“New York’s number of millionaires doubled, but it tripled in California and Texas and quadrupled in Florida, leaving New York State with the fourth-most millionaires behind those states,” the study states.

The analysis also found that New York City has generally performed better than regions such as the North Country and Southern Tier, where population losses have remained persistent.

“It’s difficult to not be alarmed by this data,” said Justin Wilcox, Executive Director, Upstate United. “With this CBC tool, Upstate New Yorkers can see for themselves the devastating impacts of Albany’s policies — businesses failing to grow, population decline, and the loss of revenue. NYS needs to course correct now before it’s too late and we become permanently entrenched in a cycle of fewer people”

Responding to the report during an unrelated event Monday, Mamdani dismissed concerns that higher taxes would trigger a significant flight of wealthy residents.

He argued that New York has continued to add millionaires even after previous tax increases enacted by the state.

“I’ve been very clear about the fact that we live in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and it’s unacceptable that one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and I believe that the wealthiest can do a little bit more to ensure that everyone can afford to live here,” he said.

Steve Fulop, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, warned that if high-income taxpayers continue relocating elsewhere, the burden will ultimately fall on lower-income residents who depend on government-funded services.

“If we don’t course-correct and get laser-focused on keeping the city and state attractive to the people and businesses that drive our economy, the affordability crisis will only deepen because the people leaving are the ones paying the largest share of a budget that funds the social programs meant to help our most vulnerable,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Smoke drifting south from massive Canadian wildfires blanketed New York City this week, transforming the skyline into an eerie orange landscape and prompting officials to urge residents to remain indoors as hazardous air quality gripped the region.

A dramatic time-lapse recorded Wednesday captured the rapid change, showing bright blue skies gradually fading into a yellow haze as thick smoke spread across the metropolitan area from the fires burning in Canada.

By sunset, live footage from EarthCam revealed the city’s skyline glowing with an unsettling pale orange tint as the smoke continued to thicken overhead.

The smoky conditions persisted into Thursday, leading the National Weather Service to issue an Air Quality Alert covering New York City.

Air quality readings remained in the unhealthy range, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) fluctuating between 151 and 200 as authorities encouraged residents to avoid spending time outdoors whenever possible.

“[The] combination of dangerous heat and unhealthy air is a serious threat to New Yorkers’ health,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X.

“If you can, stay somewhere cool with air conditioning, limit your time outdoors, drink plenty of water, and check on your neighbors — especially older New Yorkers and anyone with a health condition.”

To help protect residents from the smoky conditions, city officials are distributing free KN95 masks at neighborhood libraries and police precincts.

Health officials warned that while the polluted air poses risks for everyone, it is particularly dangerous for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma and other breathing disorders.

The air quality concerns are being intensified by an ongoing heat advisory affecting the city.

As a result, New York City has extended the operating hours of its cooling centers through Thursday, while residents enrolled in the Notify NYC system will continue receiving alerts about changing weather and air quality conditions.

New York City Council members approved a controversial pay increase for themselves on Thursday, overwhelmingly backing legislation that boosts their salaries by 18% despite widespread concerns over affordability across the city. The measure also raises the mayor’s salary, although Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged not to accept the additional pay.

The legislation passed by a veto-proof margin of 42-6, increasing City Council members’ annual salaries to $175,500. It also raises the mayor’s salary to $305,800 per year, with both increases retroactive to January, when the current terms began and several newly elected officials took office.

Every vote against the proposal came from Republicans and conservative Democrats. Among them was Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens), who argued that approving a raise for elected officials sends the wrong message while many New Yorkers continue to struggle financially and the city budget remains enormous.

“In my district, there are so, so many constituents that are living paycheck to paycheck and having problems making ends meet,” he said.

“So, I cannot vote onto a bill to increase salaries for myself.”

The vote came on the heels of the City Council’s approval of a record $126 billion municipal budget and follows an unsuccessful attempt late last year to quietly enact a smaller 16% salary increase before the close of 2025.

After that effort collapsed, Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-Queens), who had led the previous push, renewed the campaign with the backing of a three-member Quadrennial Commission established to evaluate elected officials’ compensation.

In June, the commission issued a 127-page report recommending an 18.2% increase, arguing that inflation and rising living expenses had significantly eroded the purchasing power of public officials’ salaries.

The commission also proposed instituting automatic annual raises of at least 2% going forward.

Council members, however, removed that provision before final passage, deciding instead that the compensation commission would reconvene every three years to review salaries.

Under the approved legislation, the annual salaries will increase as follows:

• Mayor: from $258,750 to $305,800
• City Council members: from $148,500 to $175,500
• Council Speaker: from $164,500 to $194,400

Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is independently wealthy, was the only member to abstain from the vote. She announced that although she did not vote against the measure, she would decline to accept the higher salary.

Before the vote, Menin said the Council had sought inflation-related raises for middle-income municipal workers, including emergency responders, but faulted the Mamdani administration for failing to move those efforts forward.

“Let me just be clear: we pushed for the wages for the EMS workers. We pushed for the FDNY. We pushed really hard for that,” she said. “The administration did not want to do either.”

Mamdani, who won the mayor’s office on a campaign centered on affordability, said during an unrelated event Thursday that he has no intention of taking the raise and would rather see the money benefit struggling residents.

“I will not accept a pay raise,” he said.

“I haven’t knocked on anyone’s door in New York City and they said their concern is that the mayor makes too little. So, that’s not my concern either.”

Council Minority Leader David Carr (R-Staten Island) criticized the process itself, arguing that elected officials should not be responsible for determining their own compensation.

“I just don’t think elected officials should vote on their own pay,” he said.

“Make raises pegged to the city’s managerial employee increases, which are based on the collective bargaining process, or make them automatic cost-of-living increases like Congress does, but don’t make it political.”

The previous time City Council members approved salary increases for themselves and other city officials was in 2016, during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

That year, lawmakers approved a 23% pay increase, raising their salaries to $138,315 annually while also redesignating Council positions as full-time jobs and imposing new restrictions on outside earnings.

{Matzav.com}