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An American military veteran who spent more than four years imprisoned in Russia under disputed convictions has been released and is returning to the United States after concerns mounted that his deteriorating health placed him in imminent danger, advocates working on his behalf announced Tuesday.

Robert Gilman was being transported to a U.S. military hospital in Texas, where doctors will conduct comprehensive medical and psychological evaluations before beginning treatment, according to Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an organization that has campaigned for the release of Gilman and other Americans detained overseas.

Members of Gilman’s family, including his mother, traveled to Texas to reunite with him after his release. His mother had previously been in Russia attempting to visit him while he was hospitalized there.

Gilman, 32, a teacher who had been held in Russia since 2022, was first sentenced that year to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of assaulting a police officer following his removal from a train where authorities said he had caused a disturbance.

Authorities later brought additional charges against him, accusing him of attacking a prison inspector during a cell inspection, assaulting an investigator, and attacking a prison guard. Those convictions resulted in a sentence of eight years and one month, imposed in October 2024.

His prison term was increased again last year to a total of 10 years after another conviction for assaulting prison guards.

According to Lebson, Gilman’s condition had become critical before his release. He said the American had spent 47 days in “a dissociative stupor” because of the abuse he allegedly endured while incarcerated.

Before leaving Russia, Gilman had been transferred from prison to a civilian hospital, where he was reportedly receiving nutrition through a feeding tube while remaining handcuffed to his hospital bed.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of chassidim gathered this week in the Tosh community of Quebec, Canada, to mark the yahrtzeit of the Tosher Rebbe, with visitors arriving from around the world to participate in the commemorations at the beis medrash and the Rebbe’s kever.

As the streets overflowed with people making their way through the community, panic suddenly broke out when a non-Jewish driver sped through the center of the neighborhood and slammed into several parked vehicles with tremendous force.

Against the backdrop of the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Canada in recent months, many chassidim and guests initially feared they were witnessing a deliberate vehicle-ramming attack targeting the large crowds. People scattered in every direction, rushing to find safety as confusion and fear spread through the area.

After several anxious minutes, police and emergency personnel arrived and determined that the incident was not a terrorist attack. Authorities concluded that the driver had simply lost control of the vehicle, causing the crash.

Witnesses described the outcome as nothing short of miraculous. At the time of the collision, the streets were crowded with people walking to the community’s central beis medrash and to the Tosher Rebbe’s kever. Despite the violent impact and the widespread panic, no one was physically injured, and the incident resulted only in damage to parked vehicles.

{Matzav.com}

Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen disclosed Tuesday that Israeli intelligence operatives secretly entered Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility on multiple occasions to gather firsthand intelligence, calling the later American strike on the site “the fulfillment of all my dreams.”

Speaking at the Galilee Conference, Cohen said Mossad agents repeatedly infiltrated the underground complex to gain a detailed understanding of its layout and capabilities. “We toured the nuclear site in Fordow, Iran, many times in order to understand the site,” Cohen said. Reflecting on the U.S. military operation that targeted the facility, he added that it was “the fulfillment of all my dreams.”

Cohen also sought to put Iran’s nuclear progress into perspective, arguing that while Tehran possesses uranium enriched to 60 percent, it has not yet reached weapons-grade capability. “Sixty percent enriched uranium is still far from a bomb,” he said.

Fordow is one of Iran’s two primary uranium enrichment plants, the other being Natanz. The installation sits approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Qom and was built deep inside the Zagros Mountains, buried roughly 90 meters beneath the surface and shielded by layers of solid rock.

Its underground design has long made Fordow one of the most difficult targets within Iran’s nuclear network and a significant obstacle for any military operation. The existence of the facility became public in 2009 after Western intelligence agencies had already uncovered it, placing it at the center of international scrutiny over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and later negotiations surrounding the 2015 nuclear agreement.

During the 2018 Mossad mission that captured Iran’s classified nuclear archive, Israeli intelligence also obtained detailed blueprints of the Fordow complex. In the years that followed, Iran increased enrichment activity at the site and installed more advanced centrifuges there.

On June 13, 2025, the Israeli Air Force targeted Fordow as part of a wider offensive against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Although the strike inflicted damage on the facility, it did not eliminate it.

Nine days later, the United States carried out a much larger attack against Fordow, as well as the nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. The Fordow operation involved six B-2 stealth bombers that released 12 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-buster bombs, each weighing approximately 13.5 tons.

Gen. Dan Caine, then chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, later explained that the bunker-busting bombs entered the underground facility through two ventilation shafts. According to Caine, the first bombs blasted through thick layers of concrete that Iran had placed over the openings, allowing the remaining munitions to penetrate much deeper into the underground complex.

{Matzav.com}

A debate intended to feature opposing views on Israel erupted into a physical confrontation after Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad says he was attacked by an anti-Israel participant during and after the event at a U.S. studio.

Haddad traveled to the studio expecting to face a panel of anti-Israel activists, but according to his account, the individual debating him changed multiple times before the discussion began.

Eventually, YouTuber Dennis Feitosa, better known online as “Def Noodles” and associated with the Groyper movement, took a seat across from Haddad. Haddad said the exchange quickly deteriorated as Feitosa allegedly resorted to insults and attempted to provoke a physical altercation. Haddad’s fiancée, pro-Israel activist Emily Schrader, said Feitosa became increasingly agitated because Haddad repeatedly refused to fight, telling him, “I have no interest in fighting you, why would I?”

Video from inside the studio appears to show Feitosa grabbing Haddad by the arm. Haddad responded by pulling Feitosa across the table in an effort to break free from his grip.

The altercation continued outside in the studio parking lot, where tensions intensified further. Video from the scene shows one of the anti-Israel activists confronting and harassing Schrader, while others restrained Feitosa as he allegedly attempted to reach Haddad.

According to footage of the incident, Haddad briefly turned away to record a video when Feitosa broke free from those holding him and charged toward him from behind. Security personnel quickly intervened, taking Feitosa to the ground. Haddad, who served in the Golani Brigade, remained at the scene and struck Feitosa several times while he was restrained before the two men were separated. The confrontation ended with both sides continuing to exchange heated words before Haddad and those accompanying him departed.

Afterward, Haddad reflected on the incident in a social media post, writing, “This isn’t anything new. When they can’t win a verbal debate, they turn to physical confrontation…which they lose as well!”

{Matzav.com}

As previously reported, President Donald Trump was secretly flown out of Turkey aboard a U.S. military aircraft last month after the United States received intelligence about a potential Iranian threat targeting the president, according to a report citing American officials.

According to the report, Trump initially boarded Air Force One after meeting with world leaders in Ankara but was later quietly transferred to a military aircraft using an airport catering truck as cover.

A U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that the intelligence warning was provided by Israel and included concerns that shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles could be used against Air Force One. Several of Trump’s senior aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reportedly remained aboard Air Force One after the president had already departed on the military aircraft.

Another U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that no missiles were fired at either aircraft. The official added that this was the first time such a deception operation had been carried out during Trump’s presidency.

Officials said it was impossible to determine with certainty how credible the reported threat against the president actually was. Nevertheless, at the time, members of the U.S. Secret Service believed extraordinary security measures were necessary to protect Trump, according to the official.

As previously reported, during Trump’s visit to the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, television cameras captured him boarding the older Boeing 747 that had previously served as the presidential aircraft. Minutes later, however, he was secretly escorted out through the aircraft’s opposite door, concealed by an airport catering truck, and transferred to a smaller C-32A military aircraft operating under a classified callsign with no public flight tracking.

The original presidential aircraft then departed with reporters and several White House staff members still on board. Those aboard were unaware that Trump was no longer on the plane, which served as a decoy intended to conceal the president’s actual location during his departure from Turkey.

A potentially dangerous drone incident near Ben Gurion Airport was brought to a rapid end after airport security teams detected an unauthorized aircraft entering restricted airspace, prompting a brief suspension of flight activity before police tracked down and detained the operator.

The incident began at approximately 11:40 a.m., when personnel monitoring activity from the airport’s control center spotted a drone heading toward the airport. Within minutes, officials confirmed that it had crossed into the airport’s municipal area. Airport operations, security units, and ground crews immediately coordinated their response, while Ben Gurion Airport police launched a search for the individual controlling the drone.

After the drone entered the municipal zone surrounding the airport, officials ordered a temporary localized halt to flight operations that remained in effect for only a few minutes. During that time, airport control personnel continuously monitored the drone’s movements to ensure the situation remained under control.

Using a combination of sophisticated surveillance technology, observations from ground personnel, and real-time tracking by the airport’s control room, authorities were able to pinpoint the drone’s location and guide police directly to the operator.

Within an hour of the drone first being spotted, police officers located the individual and took him into custody. A preliminary investigation determined that he had been operating the drone to record promotional footage for a construction company.

The Israel Airports Authority reiterated that flying drones without authorization near Ben Gurion Airport poses a serious threat to aviation safety. The authority emphasized that drones are prohibited from operating in restricted airspace unless the necessary permits have been obtained and all legal requirements have been met.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

Many years ago, after my prostate cancer surgery, people would naturally approach me and ask, “How are you doing?” or “How are you feeling?”

These questions were asked with genuine concern, but I soon discovered that they were not always easy to answer. I might not want to discuss how I was feeling. If I was having a difficult day, should I answer honestly and say that I felt lousy? Would that make me sound like a complainer? On the other hand, I could simply answer, “Baruch Hashem”—which was certainly true, but did not really answer the question.

I therefore began telling people that I preferred a different greeting: “Good to see you!”

Those four words expressed warmth and concern without requiring me to provide a medical report. They allowed me to decide whether I wanted to say anything more. If I wished to speak about how I was feeling, I could do so. If not, nothing further was expected of me.

Now that the Rebbetzin is undergoing treatment, I am experiencing the same challenge from a different perspective. We are deeply touched by the genuine concern of our friends and members. Every tefillah, message and expression of affection means a great deal to us. Nevertheless, when I am repeatedly asked, “How is the Rebbetzin?” or “How is she feeling?” there is often no simple answer.

During a serious illness—and especially during chemotherapy—the answer may change from one day to the next, or even from one hour to the next. Some information is private. Some answers are complicated. If it has been a difficult day, I must decide how much to disclose. If I answer only, “Baruch Hashem,” I have expressed our emunah and gratitude, but I have not really provided the information being requested.

I have therefore been thinking about what might be a more sensitive way for members of a caring Torah community to express their concern.

There is, in fact, an important halachic principle involved. The Shulchan Aruch says that one who visits the sick may do so repeatedly, and that the more one visits, the more praiseworthy it is—but then it adds the crucial qualification:

וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יַטְרִיחַ לוֹ

“Provided that he does not burden the sick person” (Yoreh De’ah 335:2).

Concern is therefore measured not only by the sincerity of the person expressing it, but also by the effect it has upon the person receiving it. Genuine chesed should lighten another person’s burden, not unintentionally add to it.

The Rambam similarly explains that ביקור חולים is included in the mitzvah of וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ. We should treat another person as we ourselves would wish to be treated. This requires us to consider not only what we want to say, but what the other person presently has the strength to receive.

It is also noteworthy that the traditional words Chazal give us to say to a sick person are not a request for information. They are a tefillah:

הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עָלֶיךָ בְּתוֹךְ חוֹלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

“May Hashem have compassion upon you among all the sick of Israel.”

The emphasis is not, “Tell me what is happening.” It is, “I am standing with you. I care about you. I am davening for you.”

Therefore, when you see me, perhaps the most meaningful greeting would be:

“Rabbi, it is good to see you. We are continuing to daven for the Rebbetzin.”

Or:

“We are thinking of the Rebbetzin and of you. There is no need to give us an update—we just want you to know that we care.”

Or: A simple good Shabbos is  always great .

Those words say everything that needs to be said. They tell me that the Rebbetzin has not been forgotten, that Gela Leah bas Gittel remains in your tefillos, and that we are not facing this journey alone. At the same time, they leave it to me to decide whether this is a moment when I wish to share more.

I am also not particularly fond of the expression, “Send the Rebbetzin my best regards.” It is certainly kindly intended, but it gives the spouse another message to remember and deliver. If appropriate, a brief message sent directly to the person—“Thinking of you and davening for you; no need to respond”—can be much more meaningful.

None of this means that it is always wrong to ask how someone is doing. A close friend who is prepared to hear the real answer—and to remain present even when the answer is painful—may certainly ask. But it may be better to say privately, “If you ever feel like telling me how things are going, I am here to listen, but please do not feel obligated to give me an update.”

When illness enters a family, the surrounding community naturally wants to enter as well—with love, tefillah and support. Sometimes the most caring words are not those that ask for an answer. They are the words that quietly communicate:

“It is good to see you. We remember. We are davening. We are with you—and you owe us nothing in return.”

Rabbi Yossi Michalowicz

 A Fellow Yid Who Has Been on Both Sides of Illness

Thornhill, Ontario Canada

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A federal judge has denied a motion by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that their terrorist-payment programs, dubbed “play-for-slay,” helped induce two Hamas attacks.

The plaintiffs are Stuart Force, father of Taylor Force, an American who was stabbed to death in Israel in 2016, and Israeli-American Hananel Gez, who was wounded in a May 2025 shooting in Israel that killed his pregnant wife, Tzeela, and their infant son, Ravid Haim.

The complaint alleges that the attackers knew their families would receive P.A.-funded benefits if they were imprisoned or killed.

“Pay-for-slay isn’t welfare,” said Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, which represents the plaintiffs. “It incentivizes murder.”

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that the allegations plausibly described a publicized promise of payment that may constitute substantial assistance under the Antiterrorism Act.

McMahon wrote in her decision that whether the assailants knew of and relied upon the promised payments must be tested through discovery. The defendants must answer the complaint by Sept. 15. JNS

A series of tense private conversations reportedly took place in recent days between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior envoy, as disagreements deepened over the Peace Council’s proposed 15-point framework for the future of Gaza.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 14, the discussions became increasingly strained after Netanyahu rejected the Peace Council’s 15-point document. The report said the prime minister’s decision was influenced both by pressure from within his coalition and by concerns that the proposal could ultimately pave the way for the creation of a Palestinian state.

During one of the conversations, Kushner reportedly accused Netanyahu of undermining an initiative the prime minister himself had originally supported.

“You’re throwing obstacles in the way of an idea that you wanted. You didn’t want Israel to rule the Gaza Strip, you didn’t want Hamas—and with that goal we established the Peace Council. Now you’re throwing obstacles in the way when it’s time to put the plan into action,” Kushner reportedly told Netanyahu, according to sources familiar with the discussion.

Netanyahu responded by insisting that Israel’s security conditions are non-negotiable and that any political process must come only after Hamas has been fully dismantled.

“That’s true—we wanted something different in Gaza that would not pose a threat, but only after the Strip is completely demilitarized and Hamas is disarmed, not before. Bringing an agreement under which the Strip will be governed under Palestinian law is, in effect, a Palestinian state,” the prime minister replied.

Kushner is considered one of the key architects of the Peace Council initiative and has played a central role in shaping the Trump administration’s proposed roadmap for Gaza’s future. According to the report, the difficult exchanges with Netanyahu, together with mounting pressure from coalition partners, contributed to the prime minister’s public declaration yesterday that Israel rejects the council’s 15-point document.

According to the report, the dispute now extends beyond the wording of the proposal itself and centers on a fundamental question regarding Gaza’s future: whether political negotiations can move forward alongside the process of demilitarization, or whether any diplomatic arrangement must wait until Hamas has been completely disarmed.

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report. However, sources familiar with the discussions said significant differences between the two sides remain unresolved.

A yeshiva bochur who reported to a police station Monday to provide testimony in an unrelated investigation was arrested by Military Police moments after leaving the building, prompting sharp criticism from chareidi activists, who say the incident circumvented standing police policy regarding draft evaders.

According to the report, Moshe Steiner, a resident of Bnei Brak who learns in a yeshiva in Beis Meir, was summoned to the offices of Lahav 433 to give testimony. After investigators questioned him, he was informed that the interview had concluded and that he was free to leave.

However, as Steiner exited the station and entered the parking lot, Military Police officers who had reportedly been waiting outside detained him on allegations that he is classified as a draft evader.

The arrest has sparked outrage among activists involved in issues related to the military draft, who argue that the operation amounted to an indirect circumvention of an existing directive issued by Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy.

Under that directive, chareidi draft evaders who come to police stations for routine civilian services or to provide testimony are not to be arrested, in order to avoid discouraging members of the public from cooperating with law enforcement.

In this case, critics contend that although police technically did not hand Steiner over while he was inside the station, the planned arrest waiting outside produced the exact same result. Sources involved in the matter said that the operation effectively made “a mockery of the police commissioner’s directive.”

According to those handling the case, Steiner is the first yeshiva bochur classified as a draft evader to be arrested since the start of Bein Hazemanim.

Activists said they intend to pursue the matter with the appropriate authorities and are determined to prevent similar tactics from being used in the future.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed on Monday Colombia’s announcement recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a “historic decision.”

Israel’s top diplomat said in a statement that the decision followed his meeting last week with Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella. Sa’ar visited the Latin American country to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony.

“I will continue working so that more countries join the United States, under [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump, and Colombia, under President de la Espriella, in recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, where Israeli law was applied 45 years ago,” Sa’ar said.

Bogota said in an official statement, “In light of the continuing regional instability in the Middle East, and considering the strategic importance of the Golan Heights to Israel’s security, the government of Colombia recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over this territory, as well as the state’s right to defend itself against external threats.”

It added, “For decades, Israel has faced persistent and existential security challenges along all of its borders. These threats have intensified significantly in recent years, culminating in the horrific terrorist attack of Oct. 7, [2023,] which demonstrated both the severity and the evolving nature of the dangers facing the Israeli people. Within this regional security context, Colombia recognizes that Israel’s continued control and sovereignty over the Golan Heights constitutes an essential component of its national security and its ability to defend its citizens and safeguard their security.”

The decision regarding the Golan Heights is but one of a series of diplomatic developments between Israel and Colombia, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The new arrangements agreed between Sa’ar and the Colombian leadership include the full and immediate restoration of relations between the countries; immediate appointment of ambassadors; relocation of Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem; abolition of visa requirements between the countries; a free-trade agreement; Colombia’s withdrawal from South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and from the “Hague Group;” and tightening of collaborations in diplomatic, security and economic matters.

Earlier on Monday, Sa’ar spoke over the phone with his Colombian counterpart, Omar Bula Escobar, during which he expressed solidarity with Colombia and its people following the recent earthquake and offered Israel’s assistance, the ministry said.

The moves represent a dramatic reversal from the policies of defeated President Gustavo Petro, who severed diplomatic ties with Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza and repeatedly criticized the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Colombia had long been considered one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America, maintaining extensive cooperation in trade, agriculture and security before relations deteriorated under Petro.

De la Espriella’s election signals a return to that partnership. During his campaign, he pledged to restore ties with Israel and move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem.

The rapprochement between Israel and Colombia is part of Israel’s broader initiative to strengthen its ties with Latin America.

As part of this effort, 2026 has been designated by the Israeli Foreign Ministry as the “Year of Latin America,” establishing a strategic focus on expanding Israel’s engagement across the region. JNS

In a dramatic overnight political move, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he will reserve places on the Likud electoral slate for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and Likud Central Committee Chairman Chaim Katz. The decision was announced shortly after midnight and will require formal approval from the party’s secretariat.

The announcement, released after 1:00 a.m., stated that the Likud Secretariat will be asked to approve the placement of the three senior officials on the party’s Knesset list alongside the prime minister’s previously designated reserved candidates.

The decision came just hours after Likud revealed that businessman Oren Dobronsky would receive Netanyahu’s first reserved slot, placed 11th on the party’s list. Dobronsky, founder of a Silicon Valley hummus restaurant chain and known for his appearance on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, is expected to spearhead artificial intelligence policy should Likud remain in power after the election.

In its statement, Likud explained that the party’s internal court had already ruled last week that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz should receive a reserved place on the list.

“The movement’s court ruled last week that the defense minister, who in any event was expected to finish near the top of the list, should receive a reserved position so that he can focus on the country’s security needs rather than political activity at this time,” the statement said.

The party also explained the reasoning behind the other two reserved positions.

“Sa’ar will be placed on the list under the terms of the merger agreement between his party and the Likud movement, while Katz will receive a reserved position because of his role as chairman of the party’s Central Committee.”

Likud sources said Tuesday morning that Yisrael Katz is expected to receive a reserved slot within the party’s second group of candidates, while Chaim Katz is expected to be guaranteed a place no lower than 18th on the list.

The three reserved positions are in addition to the eight slots Netanyahu already controls through the 30th spot on the Likud slate. Those reserved positions are located at numbers 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.

{Matzav.com}

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Three Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syria near the Mount Hermon region overnight before being located by IDF forces and returned safely to Israeli territory. The three were subsequently detained and turned over to the Israel Police for further investigation.

According to the IDF, the incident occurred during the overnight hours when the three Israelis entered the Mount Hermon area and crossed the international border into Syria. Troops dispatched to the scene quickly located the individuals and escorted them back into Israel.

Following their return, the three civilians were detained and transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.

The individuals are affiliated with the Bashan Pioneers movement, which has been attempting to establish a civilian outpost at a site it calls “Tal Hermon.”

In a statement, the Bashan Pioneers movement said, “Tonight, a group of activists from the Bashan Pioneers movement was once again detained near the makeshift encampment they established at the location where the movement is trying to build ‘Tal Hermon.’ Over the past month, Bashan Pioneers activists have reached the site many times and have also been evacuated and arrested on several occasions.”

Before they were detained, the activists defended their actions, saying that Jewish settlement is essential to maintaining Israel’s long-term security in the area.

“Jewish settlement is the only way to guarantee the IDF’s hold on the area, and the only way to achieve that is through determination to maintain a presence on the ground. Arrests and intimidation will not stop us. It is better to make the effort now than, in a few short years, to see soldiers dying here as they died in southern Lebanon during the days of Shamir and Peres.”

The movement also criticized the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, arguing that it was focusing on the wrong issue.

“The IDF Spokesperson’s campaign continues trying to distract from the real story. The real story is that if these teenagers and young adults are crossing the border again and again, the current security method is clearly not working. Instead of fences and cameras, the area should be filled with a natural civilian presence.”

The IDF sharply condemned the border crossing, describing it as a serious disruption to military operations and a danger to both troops and the civilians involved.

“The IDF strongly condemns this incident, which constitutes yet another serious disruption to operational activity and poses a danger to the security of IDF forces operating in the area. Law enforcement authorities must fully prosecute those involved in order to prevent these civilians from repeatedly engaging in this criminal activity.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. Navy has “100%” control of the Strait of Hormuz and is enforcing an “infallible” blockade of Iranian ports that he characterized as a “steel wall.”

“We let people in that we want to let in and those people come in, they’ve been coming, and they’re going out. So it’s actually open,” he said, referring to the strait. “We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the strait to go to Iran. But it’s open for others.” The president added that American forces have “mine-swept the entire strait.”

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to six vessels on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11, Reuters reported, citing Kpler data; before the war, about 130 to 140 ships typically transited the waterway daily.

Iran is “broke, totally broke” and is not paying its soldiers, Trump said. “They have inflation of 300%. As of last night, I heard 309%.”

The Islamic Republic can still “make trouble” but lacks the money to do so, he added.

Tehran had been “the bully of the Middle East” for 50 years, said Trump, noting that it had killed hundreds of thousands and wounded and maimed others with roadside bombings throughout the region.

“They’re very proud of it, and now they’re paying a price,” he concluded.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that he would seek compensation from Iran in future negotiations for Americans killed and wounded in attacks attributed to Tehran, as well as for Iranian protesters the regime has killed, responding to Iranian demands for compensation over damage sustained during the five-month conflict with the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Iran’s economic crisis and restricted access to cash and frozen assets were increasing pressure on Tehran to negotiate, arguing that U.S. sanctions and a blockade would prove more consequential than military strikes.

In an appearance on Fox News, Waltz said Iran’s currency was falling and inflation had reached its highest level in 80 years, which he attributed to the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Fury” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s sanctions campaign.

“When they’re coming to the table, to our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash, because they’ll absorb the bombings. They don’t care about their military. They don’t care about their soldiers or even the Iranian people after they massacred 40,000 of them,” said Waltz. “But what are they worried about? They’re worried about that their currency is tanking, inflation is the highest in 80 years; the IRGC controls half of the economy.”

Iran is ruled by a “corrupt, elite, religious fanatic regime that has devastated that country for many decades,” Waltz continued. “They are constantly asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we’ve frozen, and what the president is talking about is that’s the squeeze. That, coupled with the blockade, that’s what is eventually going to get the Iranians to move.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected the U.S. pressure campaign, accusing Washington of using sanctions when it was unable to pursue diplomacy. He said Iran had demonstrated over decades that it would not be “strangled” by sanctions and warned that the policy could undermine U.S. prospects for resolving the crisis.

Sanctions pressure mounts on IRGC

Ella Rosenberg, senior expert on counterterrorist financing at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told JNS that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ financial position appeared to have worsened in the past three to four weeks. Rosenberg attributed the reversal to what she called a “compound effect” of U.S. and European sanctions enforcement, reduced Iranian oil exports and heightened scrutiny of IRGC funding amid the war.

“I do see the IRGC economy at a free fall,” she said. “And this was not the case almost a month ago.”

She emphasized that the campaign must be maintained to be effective. “In order for a policy to work, it has to be enforced over time,” she told JNS. “In order for sanctions to work, you need to enforce them over time” to create compounding effects on the economy.

Rosenberg said that, in her assessment, continued and more rigorously enforced sanctions could significantly weaken the regime, although she stressed that she was not an expert in dismantling governments. “The economic state within the state of Iran is very dire,” she said. “The IRGC is beginning to suffer financially—not enough, but it is beginning to suffer financially.”

Iran’s shrinking leverage

Alex Grinberg, an Iran expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Trump was correct that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, though he cautioned that the crisis had not been resolved.

“There is a crisis because vessels refuse to go through Hormuz because of insurance prices, and the Iranians can still launch missiles at ships,” Grinberg told JNS. “But, on the other hand, the Iranians can no longer blackmail the vessels and no one pays their protection money.”

Grinberg said Tehran’s inability to receive imports through its ports, combined with the blockade, was intensifying pressure on an economy already strained by decaying infrastructure, a water crisis and fuel shortages.

“Sanctions policy is working, but it cannot deal a final blow in a short period of time. It’s an accumulating effect,” he said. “But combined with all other limitations—war, lack of imports and the destroyed military and industrial infrastructure of Iran—all that ushers in this effect of an economy in shambles.”

He said Iran was progressively losing the leverage it derives from the strategic waterway as countries seek alternatives to the Hormuz route.

“As long as the Hormuz crisis continues, more and more countries will end up finding ways to bypass Hormuz,” Grinberg said. “As long as it continues, Iran is losing its last leverage, because except for Hormuz, they have nothing.”

While Iran could theoretically resume missile fire against Israel, Grinberg said such attacks would be “an annoyance, not a strategic threat.” He added that a broader U.S. military campaign against Iran would carry the risk of American casualties, making it less likely if the present pressure campaign is viewed as effective. JNS

Israel has conveyed a firm message to the United States that Hamas terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre will not be granted immunity, even under a ceasefire, as disagreements continue over the controversial “15-point document” and the future of military operations against Hamas.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 News, Jerusalem recently informed Washington that terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 attacks remain legitimate targets and will not be shielded from Israeli action despite ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the ceasefire framework.

The clarification comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to publicly reject the so-called 15-point document, insisting that it does not reflect Israel’s position.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu declared. “I heard people saying, ‘You never said that.’ So let me say it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”

Senior officials serving on President Donald Trump’s Peace Council reportedly offered a different perspective, telling Ynet that they are judging Israel by its conduct on the ground rather than by official statements.

“We are looking at actions on the ground, less at speeches and declarations,” the officials said. “In practice, Israel has stopped the targeted killings and is maintaining the ceasefire.”

Israeli officials, however, emphasized that the ceasefire does not grant Hamas terrorists immunity from future action. According to the report, Israel has made clear to the United States that those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre remain subject to military action and will not be protected simply because a ceasefire is in effect.

{Matzav.com}

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday unveiled a plan aimed at tightening a decades-old loophole that has allowed food companies to put certain chemicals in their products without first notifying the nation’s food regulators, according to federal health officials.

The practice known as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) allows companies to self-certify the safety of certain food chemicals or substances. The Trump administration’s new proposed rule would require food companies to notify the Food and Drug Administration when they make such determinations and include the basis for those conclusions.

“Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap,” Kyle Diamantas, the acting FDA commissioner, told reporters Monday. He said the plan “improves transparency” while “respecting the limitations of our authority,” adding that officials would work with Congress to further address the loophole.

Companies have not been mandated to tell the FDA when they include some chemicals or substances in their products for uses viewed generally as safe, though they can opt to do so. That means there are probably hundreds of such ingredients added to the food supply without strict government oversight. Chemicals that have been generally considered safe include those acting as preservatives in some breakfast cereals, emulsifiers in certain ice creams and salad dressings, and select low calorie sweeteners that are found in sugar-free desserts and candies. They can often be found in ultra-processed foods that make up more than half of Americans’ diets and which studies have increasingly linked to health problems.

Overhauling the loophole has been part of Kennedy’s food agenda as the nation’s top health official as well as a priority for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement he champions.

Some food safety and nutrition experts said they welcomed the proposal, referring to it as a long-overdue change. Others said they feared the FDA does not have the resources to review the submissions from companies, potentially leading to substances continuing to flood the market without regulators having time to adequately review them.

Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs for the advocacy nonprofit Environmental Working Group, called the move the “first step toward meaningful reform.”

“True GRAS reform requires more than mandatory notification,” she said in a statement. “It must also include strong, science-based safety standards and thorough, independent FDA review before chemicals are allowed in our food. And it must address the thousands of substances already on the market that have not been meaningfully reviewed in decades.”

In one of Kennedy’s first food-related moves as secretary, he declared an intent for the FDA to “explore potential rulemaking” to tighten the GRAS loophole.

Since 1958, the FDA has been charged with evaluating the safety of new food additives. However, exceptions were made for substances generally deemed safe, such as vinegar, flour and standard spices.

While the specific rules have changed over time, companies are allowed to make their own determinations on whether certain substances are considered safe, which food safety advocates say has been expanded to a variety of ingredients over time, without informing the FDA. That has become the primary way the majority of substances are entering the nation’s food supply, Diamantas said.

“Industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it straight into the American food supply,” Kennedy said at a Monday news conference.

There have been instances when additives included in food through the GRAS loophole had later raised safety concerns, such as tara flour used in a leek-and-lentil crumble that was associated with at least 130 people being sent to the hospital and sickening hundreds of others.

The FDA will review what each company submits within 45 days to ensure all that the relevant information is included. Within 180 days, the agency will review the submission more substantively, Diamantas said.

Under the proposal, companies won’t be prohibited from adding the substances to their food while that process is ongoing, and there is no requirement that the FDA must formally approve or review the chemical, which Diamantas suggested would have required an act of Congress. Kennedy called on Congress to give the FDA more resources “to keep pace with the changing food supply.”

For substances already in the food supply, the FDA is aiming to create a process for companies to submit information about how the chemical is used in food.

Some in the food industry prefer changes to be done through Congress, rather than through regulation. One person involved in the food industry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, said the industry has been concerned that it would take time for the FDA to comb through companies’ information on potential new substances, adding they believe changes should be done through legislation and come with more funding for the agency.

Americans for Ingredient Transparency, a coalition launched last year backed by the food industry and other lobbying groups, said in a statement that Congress should establish “a transparent, nationally uniform framework for food ingredient oversight.”

David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner under both Republican and Democratic presidents, petitioned the FDA last year to revoke the GRAS status of some commonly used ingredients in ultra-processed foods.

Of the announcement Monday, Kessler said that “the proposed GRAS actions do not tackle the root causes of chronic disease in this country.”

The White House’s budget office finished reviewing the GRAS proposed regulation on July 31, an indication that a rule would be released for public comment soon. On CNN earlier this month, Kennedy said the proposal would come out “within probably a month,” saying it had undergone an “extensive interagency process.”

Federal officials have also been crafting a definition of “ultra-processed” foods, and as of last week, the White House budget office received for review a white paper on a proposed definition.

This comes as Kennedy, the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, has for months been publicly leaning into his work on food and nutrition ahead of the midterm elections and downplaying the push to overhaul vaccine policy. GOP pollsters have referred to vaccine skepticism as politically risky. However, White House officials are working to draft an executive order focused on the childhood vaccine schedule and autism amid President Donald Trump’s push.

The MAHA movement was formed after an unlikely political alliance between Kennedy and Trump during the 2024 campaign. It has various factions that defy traditional partisan lines, such as those pushing for changes to the food supply, tighter regulations over pesticides and eliminating vaccine mandates.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Rachel Roubein

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The contiguous United States experienced its hottest July since recordkeeping began, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with record-breaking overnight temperatures helping push the month past previous highs.

NOAA reported that the average temperature across the lower 48 states and Washington, D.C., reached 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit in July. That edged out the previous record set in July 1936 and matched again in July 2012 by approximately 0.1 to 0.2 degrees. Federal temperature records date back to 1895.

While daytime heat was extreme, it did not set a record. Average daytime highs reached 89.5 degrees Fahrenheit, making this July the sixth-hottest on record for daytime maximum temperatures.

Nighttime temperatures, however, reached unprecedented levels. Overnight lows averaged 64.2 degrees Fahrenheit—3.7 degrees above the historical average and the warmest monthly overnight average ever recorded. The figure also exceeded the previous record, set in July 2022, by 0.7 degrees.

According to an analysis by Climate Central using data collected between 1970 and 2024, climate change has contributed to increasingly warmer summer nights across the United States.

Conditions varied outside the contiguous states. Alaska recorded average temperatures 0.9 degrees below its long-term average from 1925 through 2000, while Hawaii finished the month 0.6 degrees warmer than its 1991-2020 average.

NOAA said temperatures were “much-above-average” across large portions of the country, including the interior West, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, the northern Plains, the upper Midwest, and sections of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Thirteen states experienced one of their five warmest Julys on record, with Wyoming setting an all-time July record, finishing 0.9 degrees above its previous high.

The extreme heat coincided with unusually dry conditions across much of the northern Rockies, northern Plains, upper Midwest, Northeast, southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, central Gulf Coast, and Southeast, according to NOAA.

Other regions experienced the opposite pattern, with above-average rainfall recorded across parts of the West, Southwest, central Plains, and upper Midwest.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that approximately 48.5% of the contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., remained in drought conditions. More than two-thirds of Puerto Rico was also experiencing drought.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its approach to climate policy. Last month, the agency proposed easing emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, arguing that the change would reduce regulatory compliance costs for manufacturers.

The war of words between Vice President JD Vance and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed escalated this week, with Vance dismissing the progressive candidate as “crazy” after El-Sayed accused him of abandoning his principles in pursuit of political power.

The latest exchange began Wednesday when El-Sayed criticized Vance during a campaign appearance, referring to him as “Peter Thiel’s boy,” a reference to the billionaire technology investor who employed Vance earlier in his career.

“I think we’ve had enough of him,” El-Sayed said.

Continuing his attack, El-Sayed argued that Vance had abandoned positions he once held.

“The last thing that he said that made any sense was ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ After he said that Donald Trump had no business being president of anything, that was the last time he made sense, and then he decided to suck up to power,” El-Sayed added.

He went on to accuse Republicans of prioritizing power and financial interests over public service.

“But that’s exactly what this is about. You’ve got Republicans who will do anything for power and money, including corrupt their office.”

Asked later in the week about El-Sayed’s comments, Vance dismissed the Democratic nominee and argued that he would be a poor choice to represent Michigan in the Senate.

“He would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan.”

Speaking in an interview that aired Saturday on Fox News’s Saturday in America, Vance criticized El-Sayed for attacking him personally instead of focusing on issues affecting Michigan voters.

“He’s just kind of an odd guy, but I think that it’s telling that instead of talking about what he wants to do to make the lives of Michiganders better, he takes personal insults at me. I’m the vice president, it comes with the territory,” Vance said.

Vance concluded his remarks by predicting Michigan voters would reject El-Sayed in November.

“I think the guy’s crazy and would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan. We’re going to make that case, and obviously the people in Michigan are going to make their vote,” he added.

El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat last week after narrowly defeating moderate Rep. Haley Stevens in one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries of the election cycle. The race was widely viewed as a test of the ideological direction of the Democratic Party heading into November.