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The White House is seeking rapid approval for President Donald Trump’s proposal to construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the East Wing, aiming to move the project through federal review in roughly nine weeks—an unusually compressed schedule compared with similar large-scale undertakings that often take years.
According to planning documents, the first public briefing is set for Jan. 8 before the National Capital Planning Commission, followed by a Jan. 15 presentation to the Commission of Fine Arts. Final action is slated for Feb. 19 at the CFA and March 5 at the NCPC.
A White House official told The Washington Post that applications were formally submitted on Dec. 22 to both panels, which Congress has tasked with reviewing federal construction. The CFA has confirmed receipt of an application, while the NCPC said Tuesday that it had not yet received one.
The accelerated push comes as the project faces legal opposition. In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit against President Trump and several federal agencies, arguing that required approvals had not been secured. The group contends the ballroom is moving forward without mandated reviews.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit said.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon declined to issue a temporary restraining order, ruling that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated “irreparable harm” at this point. He added, however, that the government must be prepared to reverse any below-ground work that locks in a particular design.
The ballroom plan would far exceed the scope of other changes made since the president’s January return to office, which include gold accents added throughout the Oval Office and the conversion of the Rose Garden lawn into a paved patio reminiscent of Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
At a Hanukkah reception at the White House, the president said the proposed ballroom would carry a $400 million price tag, an increase from an earlier estimate of $300 million.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House — just like all of his predecessors did,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said recently.
{Matzav.com}
On his first day in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revoked all of the executive orders that his predecessor, Eric Adams, has issued since Sept. 26, 2024, including several designed to protect Jews, in order, he said, to have a “fresh start for the incoming administration.”
The mayor, who has said he would have the Israeli prime minister arrested in New York City and who has many Jews in the city worried for their safety, didn’t say why he chose that date. But Sept. 26, 2024, was the day that Adams was indicted on federal bribery and campaign finance offense charges.
Mamdani stated at first in a release that he was revoking all order prior to Sept. 26, 2024, although the text of the order stated that it was discontinuing all of the orders post-Sept. 26, 2024. The mayor’s office sent out a second press release specifying that it was orders after that date.
In the waning hours of his mayorship, Adams and the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism released an annual report on combating Jew-hatred. Adams created that office on Jew-hatred on May 13 via executive order No. 51. The status of the office wasn’t immediately clear, although Moshe Davis, its executive director, still had his title listed on LinkedIn and on X as of press time.
In the Dec. 30 report on Jew-hatred, Adams and the mayor’s office noted other executive orders that he issued—which Mamdani now appears to have axed. On June 8, Adams adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred via executive order No. 52.
On Dec. 2, Adams signed executive order No. 60, which barred city entities and personnel from boycotting or divesting from Israel, and No. 61, which directs the New York City Police Department to look into creating zones around houses of worship in which protesting would be prohibited.
After protesters blocked Jews from entering a Manhattan synagogue in November, Mamdani’s spokeswoman said that synagogues shouldn’t host pro-Israel events which, she said, violated international law.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Adams had created the New York City–Israel Economic Council via executive order in May or via another means, or what its current status is.
In his inaugural address on Thursday, Mamdani referred to the beginning of a “new era.”
“I stand alongside countless more New Yorkers watching from cramped kitchens in Flushing and barbershops in East New York, from cell phones propped against the dashboards of parked taxi cabs at LaGuardia, from hospitals in Mott Haven and libraries in El Barrio that have too long known only neglect,” he said. “I stand alongside construction workers in steel-toed boots and halal cart vendors whose knees ache from working all day.”
“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try,” he said.
Mamdani added that the authors of the city’s story will “speak Pashto and Mandarin, Yiddish and Creole” and “will pray in mosques, at shul, at church, at Gurdwaras and Mandirs and temples—and many will not pray at all.”
“They will be Russian Jewish immigrants in Brighton Beach, Italians in Rossville and Irish families in Woodhaven—many of whom came here with nothing but a dream of a better life, a dream which has withered away,” he said. “They will be young people in cramped Marble Hill apartments where the walls shake when the subway passes. They will be black homeowners in St. Albans whose homes represent a physical testament to triumph over decades of lesser-paid labor and redlining.”
“They will be Palestinian New Yorkers in Bay Ridge, who will no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism and then makes them the exception,” he added.
Mamdani said that his movement was supported in part at “DSA meetings,” referring to the Democratic Socialists of America. “I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist,” he said. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
“To live in New York, to love New York, is to know that we are the stewards of something without equal in our world. Where else can you hear the sound of the steelpan, savor the smell of sancocho and pay $9 for coffee on the same block?” he added. “Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?” JNS
{Matzav.com}
Federal officials are now withholding child care funding from Minnesota as investigators widen probes into what they describe as massive fraud across state-administered social service programs, but warning signs about the system’s vulnerabilities were documented years earlier.
Health and Human Services officials have frozen payments to Minnesota while demanding proof that fraudulent billing has been eliminated. Other states are also under review and face similar funding suspensions unless they can demonstrate corrective action.
The scrutiny follows claims by First Assistant Minnesota U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson that billions of taxpayer dollars have been siphoned off over several years. At a Dec. 18 news conference in Minneapolis, Thompson said investigators estimate that since 2018, at least $9 billion intended for child care, nutrition, housing, health care, and related programs across 14 state-run systems has been stolen.
“The magnitude cannot be overstated,” Thompson said. “What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It’s staggering, industrial-scale fraud.”
The political pressure intensified after President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Republicans in Congress launched multiple investigations into Minnesota’s social service agencies, seeking records from state officials and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Federal data reviewed by The Post shows that since Walz took office in January 2019, Minnesota has received more than $2.1 billion in combined Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding.
Long before the current controversy, however, federal auditors had already identified systemic weaknesses. A Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General report released in July 2016 found that nearly 18.91% of all federal child care payments made to Minnesota providers in fiscal year 2012 were deemed “improper.” That amounted to roughly $16 million in questionable spending.
The audit also criticized state oversight failures, noting that Minnesota officials did not disclose how many providers receiving improper payments had been flagged internally or referred to law enforcement. Despite identifying billing problems, the state did not bar any of the suspected providers from continuing to receive taxpayer funds.
Auditors further found that state agencies had not “[c]hecked for multiple providers that are billing for the same child at the same time” and had failed to conduct “on site” inspections of sub-recipients, even as federal dollars continued to flow.
Nationally, the inspector general determined that about $311 million in improper payments were made through CCDF, the third-largest federal block grant program, behind TANF and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grants.
In Minnesota alone, CCDF reimbursed more than $85.5 million in child care costs in fiscal year 2015. Applying the earlier error rate would put erroneous payments at approximately $16.2 million for that year.
A decade later, the numbers grew far larger. Minnesota was slated to receive more than $185 million in CCDF funding, even though reported enrollment in child care programs had dropped by nearly half. That sharp contrast has fueled accusations that weak oversight enabled fraud on an even greater scale.
“The red flags are obvious,” Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins said in a recent interview with NewsNation’s Rich McHugh. “It’s multiple services by one provider, and it’s an easier barrier to entry, not a lot of checks on the providers.”
Public attention escalated after YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a more than 40-minute video documenting visits to child care centers that collectively received $111 million in taxpayer funding but appeared closed or empty. Of the 10 facilities he visited, reporters from the Minnesota Star Tribune later found that only four had children present during follow-up checks.
For the most recent completed fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, CCDF allocated more than $11.6 billion nationwide for state child care services, more than double the amount distributed a decade earlier. Minnesota’s share, exceeding $185 million, had been earmarked for roughly 4,000 centers serving about 23,000 children — a ratio of roughly one center for every five or six kids.
By comparison, at the time of the 2016 audit, Minnesota providers were serving more than 47,000 children while receiving about $100 million less in federal funding.
Minnesota was one of only nine states cited in the inspector general’s report for exceeding a 10% threshold for improper payments, triggering a federal requirement for mandatory onsite monitoring going forward.
“The most common reason these States cited for not recovering improper payments was that the overpayments identified in the error rate reviews were due to caseworker or agency error, not to fraud,” the report stated.
The audit concluded with a broader warning that now appears prescient: “Given the CCDF program’s susceptibility to fraud and improper payments, as well as recent health and safety concerns, it is critical for ACF and States to employ effective measures to ensure the integrity of their CCDF programs.”
{Matzav.com}
Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, NJ announced a new increase in monthly kollel stipends, with yungeleit receiving an additional $40 per month.
The adjustment raises the standard kollel check to $1,140, up from $1,100, alongside an increase in the Yom Tov bonus to $942, compared to the previous $850.
The raise applies to all eligible yungeleit currently learning in the kollel at Beth Medrash Govoha, where 5,449 participants now receive regular stipends.
Taken together, the updated payments bring the annual kollel disbursement to approximately $83 million.
The increase is the latest step in the ongoing effort that began several years ago with the launch of the Adirei HaTorah initiative. Introduced in 2021, the campaign sought not only to strengthen financial support for kollel families, but to reaffirm the principle that a life devoted to Torah learning should be accompanied by a basic level of financial stability and dignity.
At the time of its launch, organizers emphasized that the initiative was built on a broader vision of partnership within Klal Yisroel, bringing together supporters and learners in a shared mission to reinforce the centrality and honor of Torah. The scope of the undertaking was significant: fully tripling kollel stipends required a dramatic expansion of the annual budget, growing from roughly $18 million to more than $83 million.
Despite the magnitude of the financial responsibility, the philanthropists and backers who assumed the burden committed themselves to sustaining the effort long-term.
{Matzav.com}
Following recent remarks by the Stoliner Rebbe permitting limited smartphone use under strict conditions, senior mashpi’im within the Stoliner chassidus have moved to sharpen and clarify his message, stressing firm boundaries and warnings against misuse.
At his Zos Chanukah tish, the Stoliner Rebbe addressed the issue of owning and using smartphones for work and livelihood. The Rebbe explained that it cannot be said that “smartphone use is categorically forbidden simply because it carries risks. Drawing a comparison, he said that just as driving a car is inherently dangerous yet permitted when used carefully, a smartphone may also be used with proper caution, strong protections, and safeguards in place.”
At the same time, the Rebbe emphasized that not every young man who gets married needs to immediately purchase a smartphone, stressing that doing so is certainly not a mitzvah. He also cautioned that even those who do use such a device should not make a point of displaying it publicly, such as using it openly in the street.
In the wake of these remarks, Stoliner mashpi’im have held conversations with chassidim over the past week to further define the parameters of the Rebbe’s guidance. While stressing that the Rebbe acknowledged the necessity and acceptability of smartphones for genuine needs, they stressed the importance of clear limits and discipline in their use.
According to those discussions, the mashpi’im warned strongly against chilul Hashem in the way smartphones are used. They reiterated the Rebbe’s view that “there is no justification for casual or unnecessary use in public spaces, such as on the street or on buses, and that usage should be strictly limited to real needs.”
They further clarified that the Rebbe’s comments “do not override the longstanding directive within the chassidus discouraging the purchase of smartphones before the age of 25, a guideline that remains fully in effect.” This, they noted, aligns with the Rebbe’s own words that there is “no obligation to acquire a smartphone immediately after marriage.”
Additionally, the mashpi’im addressed the question of daily usage time, urging that only those who genuinely need a smartphone should use one at all. Even then, they emphasized that it should not become a source of wasted time, recommending that use be “limited to a maximum of one hour per day.”
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Thursday delivered a sharp response to petitions challenging the continued tenure of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, urging the High Court of Justice to issue a conditional order requiring Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to explain why he has not removed Ben Gvir from his post.
In a formal submission to the High Court of Justice, the attorney general argued that a conditional order is necessary to shift the burden onto the prime minister to justify his inaction, given what she described as a substantial factual record regarding Ben Gvir’s conduct since his appointment.
According to Baharav-Miara, Ben Gvir has “abused his position” in an effort to exert improper influence over the Israel Police in some of the most sensitive areas of law enforcement and criminal investigations, actions she said undermine fundamental democratic principles. She maintained that the prime minister has failed to put in place safeguards or mechanisms to ensure the professional, impartial, and nonpartisan functioning of the police, despite repeated warnings.
Her response followed claims by petitioners that Netanyahu is obligated to exercise his authority and dismiss the minister. Summarizing her position, the attorney general concluded that the court should issue an order compelling the prime minister to explain why Ben Gvir has not been removed from office.
In her filing, Baharav-Miara wrote that, in light of the extensive factual foundation concerning the minister’s conduct—both since his appointment and prior to it—combined with the absence of guarantees for the proper and equitable operation of the police, and Netanyahu’s failure to act, the issuance of a conditional order is required to transfer the burden of persuasion to the prime minister.
About a month ago, the attorney general sent Netanyahu a strongly worded letter warning of what she described as “sweeping and systematic political interference” in police work. She cautioned that the minister’s actions could cause tangible harm to police operations and significantly erode the rule of law.
She further warned that excessive political intervention in police activity, particularly when carried out by bypassing professional command structures, raises serious concerns about “critical harm to police independence.” Such actions, she added, do nothing to address the ongoing need to strengthen public trust in and backing for the police.
Ben Gvir responded with an unusually harsh statement, launching a personal attack on the attorney general. “Gali Baharav-Miara is a criminal who obstructed investigations in matters where the High Court ruled that she was in a conflict of interest,” he said. “She fabricates cases against elected officials, public servants, and senior officers, openly works to carry out a coup against a democratically elected government, to cancel laws, sabotage decisions, and derail appointments—and now the peak: an attempt to remove elected officials.”
He concluded by vowing to continue fighting what he described as her actions, saying he would not rest “until her conduct is investigated,” and adding, “Israel will not be a mafia state.”
{Matzav.com}
Rav Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, visited Thursday evening at the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch to receive his blessing and guidance ahead of the upcoming conference, which is scheduled to be held in Israel for the first time in seventy years.
The meeting lasted close to twenty minutes and focused primarily on the state of antisemitism around the world, particularly in Europe. During the conversation, Rav Goldschmidt raised several complex questions confronting rabbis in the diaspora, including the role of liberal rabbis, public criticism of Israel, and whether a rabbi may enter a church under specific circumstances. Rav Hirsch responded to the questions and indicated that it is possible he may personally attend the conference in Yerushalayim.
Earlier this week, Rav Goldschmidt also visited the homes of Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman and Rav Boruch Dov Povarsky to seek their brachos and invite them to the gathering.
The Conference of European Rabbis was established after the Holocaust to provide rabbinic and halachic leadership for surviving Jewish communities across Europe. Over the decades, the organization, under Rav Goldschmidt’s leadership, has become a central address for religious affairs, fighting government decrees against shechitah and kashrus and engaging in diplomatic efforts to combat antisemitism. The conference convenes a major international assembly once every two years.
This year’s conference was originally scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, but was postponed following the outbreak of the war in Israel. A later plan to hold the event in the month of Kislev was canceled at the last moment due to concrete security threats from Iran. Since the conference had not convened for several years, its leadership decided to move forward this year and hold it in Israel, both as a show of rabbinic solidarity with the Jewish state and for security reasons.
The gathering is now expected to take place in less than a month at the Olive Tree Hotel in Yerushalayim, with approximately 400 rabbis from around the world anticipated to attend.
During the visit, Rav Goldschmidt explained the scope and importance of the event and formally invited Rav Hirsch to participate. “The organization has existed for seventy years, and 300 rabbis will be coming to Israel for the conference in Jerusalem. We wanted to invite the rosh yeshiva to attend. Rabbis from all circles — from right to left — will be coming, all Torah-observant, and they need chizuk, because they are suffering from antisemitism,” he said.
Rav Goldschmidt then raised a question regarding Jewish communities in countries such as Spain and Norway, whose governments are strongly opposed to Israel yet continue to provide support to local Jewish communities. “There is a question I have been asked. In several European countries, like Spain and Norway, the government is very anti-Israel, but they still support the Jewish community. They are asking whether they should leave or stay,” he said.
Rav Hirsch asked for clarification: “From where to where do they want to move — to Israel or to other countries?” When Rav Goldschmidt replied, “Some to Israel, some to England — the question is a general one,” Rav Hirsch answered firmly, “There is no safe place. They should come.”
The discussion then turned to public criticism of Israel by rabbis abroad. Rav Goldschmidt described a recent incident in which around 100 rabbis, most of them from the United States and largely aligned with the political left, published a letter urging Israel to send food to Gaza during a period when humanitarian aid had been halted. He asked whether rabbis outside Israel should publicly express opinions or criticism of the Israeli government.
After a long pause, Rav Hirsch responded sharply: “In reality, everything that happened in Gaza is a lie — a lie of Hamas. They forget that they received Gaza from Prime Minister Sharon and could have built a normal society there. Instead, they chose to go out and massacre us and kill Jews. They forget the history.”
Rav Goldschmidt noted that some rabbinical court judges refuse to sit together with rabbis who spoke out against the Israeli government over Gaza. Rav Hirsch asked, “Did they really go out against the government — are these liberal rabbis?” Rav Goldschmidt replied, “Yes, they were Orthodox rabbis who are more aligned with the left.”
Rav Goldschmidt also recounted a recent meeting with the King of Spain, describing the pressure facing European leaders. “He told me that they always supported the Jewish community, but after what is happening in Gaza, they cannot support the Jews. I told him that on the contrary, now is exactly the time to support the Jewish community, because people on the street do not distinguish between Jews and the Israeli government. If you don’t support them, Jews will start getting killed in the streets — and he told me I was right,” Rav Goldschmidt said.
Rav Hirsch asked about the current situation, saying, “Even now, after the war, are Jews still suffering everywhere?” Rav Goldschmidt replied, “Today it is somewhat less, but there is a partial, silent boycott of Jews — in respect, in the economy, and in academia.”
Rav Hirsch responded, “Boruch Hashem, the economy in Israel is very strong. Many people from abroad are coming to invest in Israel. That is clear Divine assistance.”
A particularly sensitive halachic question was then raised regarding Chile, where a new Orthodox rabbi could be appointed as an adviser to the president. The role would require accompanying the president to church services twice a year. Rav Goldschmidt asked whether the rabbi could accept the position.
Rav Hirsch responded methodically. When asked whether entering a church would be part of the job, and hearing that it had been until now, he initially stated, “This is similar to what was said to Elisha — asking for forgiveness. I think it is forbidden to take the position.”
As the discussion continued and more details were clarified, Rav Hirsch asked what the rabbi would actually be required to do in the church. Rav Goldschmidt answered that he would merely need to enter alongside the president, without participating in any ritual. Rav Hirsch then ruled conditionally: “If that is the case, it may be permitted. It is a completely different matter if he does not have to do anything there.”
Toward the end of the meeting, Rav Goldschmidt renewed his invitation for Rav Hirsch to attend the conference. Rav Hirsch asked, “If I need to come, on which day would I come?” Rav Goldschmidt replied, “We will adapt ourselves to the rosh yeshiva, no matter which day.”
{Matzav.com}
A new and decisive public opinion poll points to a clear political picture if elections were held today, with the right-wing bloc securing a solid parliamentary majority and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu holding a commanding lead over all rivals in head-to-head matchups for the premiership.
The survey, broadcast Thursday evening on Channel 14’s main news edition hosted by Magi Tavori, was conducted by pollster Shlomo Filber among 736 respondents and is considered representative of the Israeli electorate as a whole. According to the findings, the right-wing bloc would win 66 Knesset seats, compared to 44 seats for the left-wing bloc and 10 seats for Arab parties — a gap that establishes a stable governing majority for the right.
Breaking down the projected seat distribution by party, Likud emerges as the largest faction with 35 seats. Shas and Naftali Bennett’s party follow with 11 seats each. The Democrats would receive 10 seats, Yisrael Beytenu 9, and both United Torah Judaism and Yesh Atid would win 8 seats apiece. Otzma Yehudit is projected at 7 seats, while Ra’am, Hadash–Ta’al, and Religious Zionism would each secure 5 seats. Balad and Blue and White would fail to cross the electoral threshold.
The poll also examined voter preferences for prime minister in direct suitability questions, revealing a wide margin in favor of Bibi Netanyahu. Netanyahu leads with 54 percent support, far ahead of Naftali Bennett at 23 percent. Gadi Eisenkot follows with 12 percent, while Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman each receive 5 percent. Benny Gantz trails with just 1 percent.
{Matzav.com}
Independent journalist Nick Shirley fired back at a CBS News reporter after a network video disputed Shirley’s claims that several Minnesota daycare centers he filmed were operating fraudulently.
The dispute centers on a video posted to CBS News’ X account by Jonah Kaplan, a reporter with the network’s Minneapolis affiliate, in which Kaplan said his review of nearly a dozen daycare locations highlighted by Shirley did not uncover evidence of fraud. The segment described the effort as CBS News offering “its own analysis” of the sites that appeared in Shirley’s viral reporting.
In the video, Kaplan acknowledged that some of the facilities had been cited for regulatory issues but argued that those findings should not be conflated with fraud. “We visited those sites too, as did state inspectors many times over the last six months, and we found the facts on the ground tell a different story,” Kaplan said. “Those daycares, many of them were written up for safety violations, things like maybe busted equipment or staff training issues, but that’s not the same as being fraudulent, so it’s important to put all of this into context.”
Kaplan’s post quickly drew criticism online, including from Shirley himself, who challenged the reporting and its presentation. Responding on X, Shirley wrote, “Why don’t you go to a daycare yourself, and you will see it first hand. Or you can just keep yapping on selfie mode.”
Fox News Digital reported that it contacted Kaplan and CBS News seeking comment, but did not receive a response.
Shirley’s original reporting consisted of a 42-minute video posted over the weekend on X and YouTube, documenting his visits to multiple daycare centers across Minnesota. In the footage, several locations appeared largely inactive despite continuing to receive millions of dollars in public funding.
Kaplan later expanded on CBS’ findings in a report that aired Tuesday on CBS Evening News, stating that all but two of the locations Shirley visited held active licenses. The report also noted that CBS News had “visited and called several of the day care centers on Monday but received no responses.”
State officials also moved to counter Shirley’s allegations. Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said previous inspections had not produced evidence of fraud. “We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said during a Monday news conference. “While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.”
The controversy prompted a federal response as well. Following the viral spread of Shirley’s video, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that it would halt childcare payments to Minnesota.
{Matzav.com}
