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New York students will no longer have to pass Regents exams to receive a high school diploma beginning with the class of 2028, after the state Board of Regents voted Monday to approve a sweeping overhaul of graduation requirements that will shift much of the responsibility for assessing students to individual school districts.

Under the new framework, New York will also move away from its current three-diploma structure and establish a single high school diploma. Districts will be permitted to use locally developed assessments and other measures to determine whether students have demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to graduate, while advanced academic distinctions will remain available on an optional basis.

The Board of Regents formally approved the change Monday morning, marking a major departure from the system that has for decades required students to pass a series of state Regents examinations before earning a diploma.

The changes are part of the state Education Department’s broader Portrait of a Graduate initiative. Education Commissioner Betty Rosa has argued that the current system does not treat students equally, noting that students attending many private schools — including those serving affluent families — can graduate without passing Regents exams. Rosa and Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young Jr. have said the new approach is intended to prevent a student’s background or ZIP code from determining his or her opportunity to graduate.

With the board’s approval of the NY Inspires timeline, the state Education Department is expected to present formal regulatory amendments by February 2027. Those regulations will lay out the details of the new graduation system and the transition to a single diploma.

Instead of making passage of standardized Regents exams a prerequisite for graduation, individual districts will develop assessment and grading systems using multiple measures of student performance. Those could include teachers’ daily evaluations, classroom quizzes, state examinations and other demonstrations of academic proficiency.

The state’s goal is to place greater emphasis on students demonstrating critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities rather than relying predominantly on their performance on multiple-choice and other standardized test questions.

The Board of Regents is scheduled to vote in June 2027 on final adoption of the regulatory changes. If approved as planned, the new single-diploma requirements would take effect July 1, 2027. During the 2027-28 school year, districts would also be required to develop their initial implementation plans and make them available to the public.

Regents exams themselves, however, will not disappear entirely.

New York will continue administering high school assessments required under federal law, including the Every Student Succeeds Act. Students will still be tested in English, mathematics and science, while New York also requires social studies testing for state accountability purposes.

The state Education Department is expected to develop assessments in those subjects that can be used to monitor student achievement and evaluate the performance of schools throughout New York.

The key distinction under the new system is that the remaining state and federally required examinations will primarily serve as tools for evaluating schools rather than as individual barriers to graduation. State officials say the results will allow education authorities to identify districts that are struggling academically or may require additional resources.

Deputy Education Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle has emphasized that the Regents examinations are therefore not simply being eliminated. Their role in the state’s education system is instead being substantially changed.

Moving away from standardized exams as a graduation requirement will also require significant changes in the classroom. State officials are studying pilot programs that assess students through career and technical education, student-directed research projects, practical assignments designed by teachers and other alternatives to conventional testing.

Districts will be expected to create oversight mechanisms to ensure that locally developed assessments accurately measure student achievement and remain consistent with statewide academic expectations.

The Education Department has also drawn a distinction between using Regents exams to measure whether students have mastered material in a particular subject and using the exams to decide whether a student deserves a high school diploma.

According to NYSED, “considerable evidence” supports the usefulness of Regents exams in measuring student achievement within particular subjects, but the department says comparable evidence does not support making passage of those exams a condition for receiving a diploma.

The department has also long advised schools against using Regents results to determine students’ course grades, a policy NYSED said “has been the Department’s position for over two decades.”

Regent Adrian Hale, discussing the changes at the state Education Department meeting, also spoke about his own experiences with the shortcomings of “teaching to the test” in public schools.

The latest changes represent the next stage of the New York Inspires initiative, which is intended to shift the state’s graduation system toward practical skills and different ways for students to demonstrate what they have learned. New York education officials have spent several years examining alternative graduation measures and considering an eventual end to Regents exams as a diploma requirement.

One unresolved issue is how districts with fewer financial resources will provide some of the advanced educational opportunities envisioned under the new framework. Young raised questions about how the state would finance programs such as International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses so that students in less affluent districts have comparable opportunities.

Supporters of eliminating the Regents graduation requirement have argued that the current system contributes to students dropping out of high school, with particularly significant effects on low-income students and students of color.

Maria Odom, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, praised the state for moving away from “the outdated idea that all young people must pass a set of high-stakes standardized tests in order to demonstrate their readiness for post-secondary life.”

Odom said some students complete their coursework despite overcoming significant obstacles but are nevertheless denied diplomas because they cannot clear the Regents requirement, “sometimes sitting for a single exam a half-dozen times to try to raise their score by just a few points.”

A 29-year-old Kansas man has been arrested in Florida after allegedly posting a series of antisemitic death threats against Jewish conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, including messages that appeared to count down to an intended attack around Yom Kippur, according to court documents and law enforcement officials.

Korby Aaren Strube, of Horton, Kansas, was arrested on Sept. 12 and faces 23 counts related to written or electronic threats to kill or inflict bodily harm, along with two counts involving the alleged use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.

According to an affidavit obtained by JNS from the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Palm Beach County, Strube allegedly published threatening messages targeting Shapiro on social media on July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2. Among the posts cited in the affidavit were statements that he would be “giving the world a boost by killing Ben Shapiro for being Jewish” and that he was “killing this stupid Jew.”

Investigators said the alleged threats included explicitly antisemitic language and references to Israel.

“He invoked antisemitic conspiratorial themes as justification for the intended killing, attributing violence to ‘semites,’ to ‘Tel Aviv’ and to ‘a foreign government,’” the affidavit stated.

Authorities said the posts made on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 also contained countdowns of 52 and 51 days, respectively, until the threatened killing. According to the affidavit, the countdown appeared to point toward Sept. 21-22, corresponding with Yom Kippur this year.

The investigation began on Aug. 4 after Fortified Risk Group, a private security firm that provides protection for Shapiro, alerted authorities to the messages. Investigators subsequently worked to identify the person behind the social media account and determined that Strube was allegedly responsible for the posts. Shapiro told investigators that he believed he was being targeted because he is Jewish and that he wanted to pursue charges.

The affidavit states that Strube also admitted to posting a threat involving President Donald Trump and the Obamas, although he denied having any intention or desire to kill Trump.

Strube acknowledged that he controlled the social media accounts in question but claimed that his computer had been hacked and that his identity might have been stolen. According to investigators, however, that explanation conflicted with his own admissions and with evidence obtained during the investigation from technology, telephone and internet companies.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigation also drew on information from the U.S. Secret Service. According to the arrest report, a Secret Service agent and Brown County Sheriff’s Office officials had visited Strube’s Kansas home on Aug. 4 in connection with alleged threats involving President Trump and the Obamas. During that encounter, Strube allegedly admitted posting threatening material on social media.

Strube was subsequently taken into custody in Palm Beach County. Court records cited by local media show that a judge ordered him held without bail following a hearing on Sunday.

A video recorded outside the Islamic Cultural Center of New York on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is drawing attention after independent journalist Nate Friedman confronted an NYPD traffic enforcement officer about taxis that appeared to be double-parked near the mosque during Muslim prayers.

Friedman released the footage as part of a documentary about the Islamic Cultural Center, a prominent Manhattan mosque that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has previously visited. In the video, Friedman questioned why some vehicles were apparently being ticketed while taxis parked outside the mosque were being allowed to remain double-parked.

According to Friedman, the officer told him that the taxis were not ticketed while their drivers were attending prayers.

“During the time of salah, we don’t ticket the taxis,” the officer says in the footage, according to Friedman’s account of the exchange.

The interaction has prompted allegations online that parking regulations were being enforced selectively based on the religious activity taking place at the mosque. The available footage and reporting, however, do not establish the religion of motorists who received tickets, nor is there independent evidence showing that the officer was deliberately distinguishing between Muslim and non-Muslim drivers.

Friedman described the situation differently, saying that taxis outside the mosque were receiving an exemption because their drivers were praying. He wrote that “all the taxis double parked get a pass because they’re praying” and cited his conversation with the traffic officer as evidence of the practice.

The underlying parking arrangement may have a longer history than the recent video suggests. Academic research on Muslim taxi drivers in New York describes an apparent accommodation at the Islamic Cultural Center dating back years. Researchers reported that mosque officials had apparently negotiated with the city for special permits allowing drivers to double-park outside the mosque during heavily attended prayer periods. The same research noted that drivers reported inconsistent enforcement, with some saying they nevertheless received tickets.

It was not immediately clear whether such a permit or accommodation remains in effect today, what its precise terms are, or whether it applied to the vehicles Friedman recorded.

New York City traffic regulations generally restrict where taxis may stand while waiting for passengers. The rules do permit taxis and other for-hire vehicles in certain circumstances to stop alongside parked vehicles when picking up or discharging passengers, but that provision contains specific limitations and does not establish a general religious exemption for double-parking.

Friedman’s broader documentary focuses on the Islamic Cultural Center and includes footage of activity around the mosque. He also says members of his team were confronted while filming and that one individual threatened him, telling him, “next time I’ll pull my pistol out and shoot you.” That alleged threat was captured on video, according to Friedman.

The parking footage has since circulated widely on social media, with critics calling for the NYPD to investigate whether traffic laws are being applied uniformly.

There is currently no verified evidence supporting broader claims circulating alongside the video that Muslims are “conquering the police force” in New York City, nor does the footage itself establish such a claim.

The central question raised by Friedman’s video is narrower: whether taxis attending prayers at the Islamic Cultural Center are operating under an authorized city accommodation, an exercise of ordinary enforcement discretion, or an unofficial practice by traffic enforcement personnel.

As of Monday evening, publicly available information reviewed for this report did not establish that the NYPD had opened an investigation into the officer’s conduct or issued an explanation of the specific parking arrangement outside the mosque.

Officials in Skokie, Illinois, have extended the automatic pedestrian crossing time at a major intersection on Shabbos, addressing a safety concern for Orthodox residents who do not press electronic crossing buttons on Shabbos.

Mayor Ann Tennes said she became aware of the problem after visiting a shul last fall and seeing firsthand the difficulty Orthodox pedestrians faced when trying to cross the busy intersection. Without activation of the pedestrian button, the signal eventually allowed people to cross, but provided considerably less time.

“Without someone pressing the button, it will eventually go to a walk signal, but it’s a shorter walk signal—not as long of a walk signal as when the button is activated,” she told JNS.

Tennes said the shorter interval was particularly difficult for families, elderly residents and others who could not move quickly through the intersection.

“There were people trying to cross pushing wheelchairs and with small children, and it was difficult,” she said. “They just didn’t have enough time.”

After becoming mayor in April 2025, Tennes made addressing the crossing time one of her priorities. The intersection is located along Dempster Street, which she described as a “major thoroughfare” and which is near several shuls.

The modification has now been implemented. Ordinarily, pedestrians who do not press the crossing button receive approximately 30 to 40 seconds to cross the large intersection. During the automatic Shabbos cycle, however, pedestrians will now receive between 60 and 65 seconds.

According to Tennes, the village manager informed her that Skokie officials had discussed the issue with the Illinois Department of Transportation on several occasions in previous years, but those efforts had failed to produce a solution.

“There was just never a change, modification to the system at that particular intersection that was acceptable to the Illinois Department of Transportation that was also acceptable to the leaders of the Jewish community in terms of what types of activity were allowed on the Sabbath,” she told JNS.

When Tennes took office, she said she decided to approach the longstanding issue with “fresh eyes” and search for a solution that could satisfy both safety requirements and the religious needs of the community.

The approach that appeared most practical, she said, was to have the full pedestrian crossing signal operate automatically from late Friday afternoon through early Saturday evening, eliminating the need for Shabbos-observant pedestrians to activate the button.

“We were able to get to the right people at the Illinois Department of Transportation, and they made the change in late April,” Tennes said. “It’s been well received by the community. It’s certainly safe.”

“I’m very, very pleased that we persisted and we were able to put this change in for the community,” she said.

For now, the automatic extended crossing time is scheduled specifically for Shabbos. Tennes said it would be “ideal” to eventually have the same system operate on other Yomim Tovim, when Orthodox residents similarly refrain from using the crossing buttons and families, children and elderly residents are walking to and from shul.

Tennes also hopes the accommodation can eventually be introduced at “several other intersections in the community that are proximate to different observant synagogues,” she told JNS.

The pedestrian-signal change comes as Skokie, home to a substantial Jewish population, has also been confronting a series of antisemitic incidents. In April, three incidents, including some involving Jewish children, left members of the community “on edge,” the Chicago Jewish Alliance told JNS at the time.

Tennes acknowledged that the incidents were part of a broader problem the village has been working to address.

“There indeed was a series of hate incidents that included antisemitism in our parks starting last fall that involved children.”

In response, Tennes established the Skokie Faith Leaders Council, which has been working alongside the village’s Human Relations Commission to address antisemitism and other incidents of hate.

“Our public safety has been working with our schools. We have been working with our park district,” she said. “I’ve used my office to convene countless community discussions about how we, as a village, need to come together and address this.”

According to Tennes, combating antisemitism has been the Human Relations Commission’s primary focus since October 2025.

During the summer, the commission organized antisemitism training for local community leaders, with training provided by representatives of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.

The village also held a community unity basketball clinic in July for Skokie children between the ages of 10 and 14. The event was held with the Chicago Bulls in cooperation with the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“We’re working on many, many fronts with our community partners to bring the community together,” she told JNS. “Hate has no home in Skokie.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency effort to put new restrictions on mail-in voting into effect ahead of November’s midterm elections, leaving in place a lower-court injunction that prevents the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing the new requirements.

The decision means states can continue using their existing procedures for distributing mail ballots as voting for the 2026 midterms gets underway. The justices declined the administration’s request to lift the injunction, though the order does not amount to a final Supreme Court ruling on the underlying constitutional and legal questions surrounding the policy.

The dispute centers on a new Postal Service rule stemming from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March. Under the plan, states would have been required to provide information about voters receiving mail ballots through a new federal online portal and obtain approval for ballot-envelope designs. The Postal Service had said it would not deliver certain mail ballots from states that failed to comply with the requirements.

The administration argued that the measures were intended to safeguard elections and ensure that mail ballots were sent only to eligible voters. State election officials and voting-rights groups challenged the requirements, arguing that the President and Postal Service lacked the legal authority to impose them and warning that implementing an entirely new system shortly before the election could prevent legitimate ballots from being delivered or counted.

The Supreme Court’s action comes after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Postal Service from enforcing the rules. A federal appeals court subsequently refused the administration’s request to lift that injunction.

The appeals court said the administration had not made a sufficiently strong showing that Talwani was wrong in concluding that the Postal Service rule was likely unlawful.

“Appellants have not made a strong showing that the district court erred in determining that the Final Rule is likely unlawful,” the appeals court wrote.

The court also pointed to warnings from election officials that attempting to introduce the requirements so close to Election Day could create significant disruptions, particularly because some states have already begun distributing mail ballots.

The administration then turned to the Supreme Court, asking the justices on an emergency basis to allow the Postal Service regulations to take effect while litigation over their legality continued. The high court declined that request Monday, keeping the restrictions blocked for now.

The ruling followed another setback for the administration over the weekend. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, separately blocked implementation of the Postal Service rule in a different lawsuit.

Nichols concluded that the Postal Service had not been granted authority by Congress to perform key aspects of the proposed ballot-screening system, including creating a database through which states would provide information on voters eligible to receive mail ballots.

He also found that allowing the regulations to take effect posed a risk that legitimate mail ballots would not be counted.

“Plaintiffs have demonstrated that, absent an injunction, there is an increased risk that a significant number of otherwise appropriate absentee or mail-in ballots will ultimately not be counted in the upcoming elections,” Nichols wrote.

“The public has a strong interest in ensuring that doesn’t happen.”

The Supreme Court had previously intervened in an earlier phase of the dispute and lifted a block on Trump’s executive order, but that decision was procedural. At the time, the justices concluded that the states challenging the policy had gone to court prematurely because the Postal Service had not yet finalized its regulations. The Court did not decide whether the proposed mail-ballot restrictions themselves were lawful.

After the Postal Service formally issued its rule in August, challengers returned to court, resulting in the new injunctions now at issue.

Monday’s Supreme Court decision therefore does not necessarily end the broader legal fight over the administration’s authority to regulate the handling of mail ballots. For the immediate 2026 election, however, the ruling prevents the Trump administration from implementing the challenged Postal Service restrictions under the injunction currently before the Court.

The decision comes less than two months before the November midterms, which will determine control of Congress, and after mail voting has already begun in several states.

President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his pledge to provide a $5,000 “dividend” to adult Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, using a new Truth Social post to insist that the promised payments will become a reality.

“$5,000 DIVIDEND TO ALL AMERICAN ADULT CITIZENS, IF REPUBLICANS WIN THE MIDTERMS. IT WILL HAPPEN!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

The post marked Trump’s latest effort to emphasize a proposal he first unveiled last week at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where he promised a $5,000 payment to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans maintain control of both the House and Senate.

“Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000” if Republicans win both chambers, Trump said at the convention.

Trump has repeatedly doubled down on the pledge in the days since, arguing that the federal government will have sufficient revenue to finance the payments. The President has pointed in particular to tariff revenue and broader economic gains as justification for the proposal, although a detailed funding plan has not yet been released.

The proposed payments would be significantly larger than the $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” provided to approximately 1.45 million members of the U.S. military in December 2025. Trump has cited those payments while promoting his new proposal for the broader American public.

The scale of a nationwide $5,000 payment would be enormous. Census figures indicate that there are roughly 245 million adult U.S. citizens, meaning payments of $5,000 apiece would carry a price tag of approximately $1.2 trillion.

Questions also remain about how the payments would be authorized. Under the Constitution, federal spending generally requires congressional authorization, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has said Congress would have to act on the proposal.

Trump, however, has expressed confidence that the money will be distributed if Republicans prevail in November. His emphatic Truth Social declaration Monday — “IT WILL HAPPEN!” — appeared intended to dispel doubts about whether the proposal was merely an idea floated during his convention speech.

The President has also said that recipients would be required to spend the money inside the United States, though the administration has not explained how such a requirement would operate or be enforced.

Trump has framed the dividend as one of the tangible benefits Americans would receive if Republicans retain their congressional majorities. The proposal has quickly become a prominent element of the political debate surrounding the midterm elections, with questions focusing on its cost, funding and the legislation that would be required to implement it.

For now, Congress has not authorized the payments and the administration has not released a complete legislative or financing plan. But Trump’s message Monday was unequivocal: if Republicans keep Congress, he says adult American citizens will receive $5,000.

Former hostage Sasha Trufanov has opened up about the profound spiritual transformation he experienced during his 498 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, describing how the ordeal led him, a previously secular Israeli, to recognize the presence of Hashem in his life.

Trufanov and his wife, Sapir Cohen, who herself spent 55 days in captivity, spoke about the role that emunah and tefillah came to play in their lives following the October 7 massacre and during their captivity. The couple shared their experiences on the first episode of “Thirsty Souls,” hosted by Eden Harel on Israel’s Channel 14.

Trufanov, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, said that he entered captivity without a religious background. When the life and future he had built for himself were suddenly ripped away, he discovered that he did not possess the tools he needed to cope with his terrifying new reality.

“When I got into the situation of October 7,” he recalled, “I didn’t have the tools to deal with this challenge.”

One of the most difficult moments came after he had already spent months as a hostage. Following what he described as “hell in Khan Yunis,” Trufanov said he was transferred to Rafah, where he was placed inside a small wooden cage surrounded by armed, masked terrorists.

It was precisely under those circumstances, he said, that something within him began to change. Trufanov tried to come to terms with the realization that he had no control over what would happen to him. The only thing he could control was how he responded to the situation in which he had been placed.

“If God gives you this life, then you’ve won,” he recalled telling himself. “If not, that’s your portion. You had 27 good years, a few bad months, overall it’s okay.”

Sapir revealed that even before October 7, their relationship had been going through a difficult period. She had asked Hashem for a sign as to whether Sasha was the man with whom she was meant to build her life.

Then Sasha returned from captivity.

According to Sapir, one of the first things he said after his release stunned her.

“Mom, I know there is a God,” Sasha said.

“It was really among the first sentences,” Sapir recalled. “I said, ‘Wow.’ I sat there and… like, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe this was happening.”

Sasha’s mother later told him that she herself had become religious. Sapir said that she was apprehensive about how Sasha would react to the news, but his response was very different from what she had feared.

“Mom, I’m happy. I’m happy to hear it, you’re on the right path,” he told her.

Sasha’s mother, Yelena, has previously related that while her son was being held captive in Gaza, she, her mother and Sapir accepted upon themselves the observance of Shabbos and additional mitzvos as a zechus for his release.

Following Sasha’s return, Yelena said that her son had come to understand during captivity that his life was not in his own hands, but “only in the hands of the Holy One, Blessed be He.”

Sapir, who was freed after 55 days as a hostage, also described the central place that tefillah assumed in her own life. She said that even before October 7, she had begun to daven as she struggled with difficult feelings. During captivity, she continued to daven every day and repeatedly recited a perek of Tehillim.

“I didn’t even ask to be released tomorrow,” she said. “I asked that I be released at the time that was right for me.”

Sasha’s connection to emunah continued after his release from Gaza. Just one day after returning to Israel, he was photographed putting on tefillin alongside Russia’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar.

He later traveled with Sapir to the Kosel, where the couple participated in a tefillas hoda’ah, giving thanks for his return.

During the visit, Sasha said that after the period he had spent in what he called “the dark tunnels of Gaza,” he could feel the holiness of the Kosel. He also learned of the countless tefillos that had been recited on his behalf during his captivity and appealed to Klal Yisroel to continue davening for the hostages.

Now, as he looks toward the future, Trufanov says that alongside his hopes of building a family and becoming a person who makes a meaningful contribution to the world, he wants to preserve the lessons he learned during the ordeal that transformed his life.

“I have many dreams,” he said. “Some of them are practical, like starting a family, like developing myself and being something meaningful in this world. And some of them are more private, like developing myself, my soul and preserving what I learned.”

“I also truly have a very strong faith that everything will be okay in the end,” he added. “Like, as long as I do my part, everything will work out.”

{Matzav.com}

The public is asked to daven for Rav Mordechai Auerbach, rav of Kehillas Abir Yaakov in Tel Aviv and nosi of Taharas Hamishpacha, who has been hospitalized at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after suffering from pneumonia.

Rav Auerbach was admitted to the hospital following a bout of pneumonia that came after an extended period of general weakness.

Despite his weakened condition, Rav Auerbach participated in the first night of Selichos and served as shaliach tzibbur at his bais medrash in Tel Aviv. However, last Wednesday, shortly before Rosh Hashanah, his condition necessitated that he be taken to the hospital, where he remained throughout Rosh Hashanah.

Family members and talmidim who had traveled to spend Rosh Hashanah in Rav Auerbach’s presence at his bais medrash instead spent the days of Rosh Hashanah at his side in the hospital.

Those close to Rav Auerbach are asking the public to increase their tefillos for his complete recovery and for his health to be strengthened.

All are asked to daven for Rav Mordechai ben Chaya Rivka.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is prepared to return to negotiations with the United States, including over its nuclear program, but conditioned renewed diplomacy on Washington lifting sanctions, abandoning what he described as unilateral policies and ending efforts to pressure Iran militarily. His comments came as President Donald Trump separately indicated that Washington remains open to possible negotiations with Tehran.

“We are ready for dialogue,” Pezeshkian told India Today, while maintaining that negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear activities must take place within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and international law.

Pezeshkian questioned why Washington was seeking a new round of negotiations instead of proceeding on the basis of an understanding that he said had previously been formulated through diplomatic efforts involving Pakistan.

“I don’t know what was wrong with what we wrote in Pakistan that the United States now wants us to talk again from scratch,” he said. “What was illogical there? What did we say that was outside the logical, legal and scientific frameworks recognized in the world?”

The Iranian president praised Pakistan for what he described as extensive efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. He said Qatar had also played a role in attempting to advance the understanding that had emerged through the Pakistani diplomatic effort.

Pezeshkian said Tehran’s conditions for moving forward had not changed, insisting that Washington would have to alter its approach toward Iran before meaningful negotiations could take place.

“Our position is the same as what we said before: the United States should lift its sanctions, abandon unilateralism, not speak to us through force, and open the way so that we can live like the rest of the world,” he said.

The Iranian leader also said Tehran was uncertain about which of President Donald Trump’s various public statements should be viewed as representing Washington’s ultimate position.

“We don’t know which of the things Trump says we are ultimately supposed to accept and stand by,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian additionally rejected assertions that Iran had initiated the current conflict, portraying Tehran’s military actions as defensive.

“We did not attack anyone. They attacked us, and we defended ourselves,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, said Monday that Iran was urgently seeking an agreement and suggested that the United States remained receptive to the possibility of renewed engagement, while stressing that he would decide whether Washington ultimately enters negotiations.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – the concept of which we are open to.”

Washington and Tehran have participated in several rounds of negotiations during the ongoing conflict, but those diplomatic efforts have so far failed to produce an agreement. The continued deadlock has coincided with additional military exchanges and attacks on interests and targets throughout the region.

The tensions escalated further last week when U.S. forces struck several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles toward American military bases in Jordan.

A day later, Trump predicted that the fighting would come to an abrupt conclusion following the U.S. midterm elections in November, arguing that Tehran could not sustain the conflict indefinitely.

Iran “can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said.

The President also accused Iranian leaders of intentionally prolonging the war in hopes of influencing the outcome of the American elections and ultimately dealing with a U.S. government that would take a less confrontational approach toward Tehran.

“They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Pezeshkian’s latest comments nevertheless provided another indication that both Tehran and Washington are publicly leaving open the possibility of returning to the negotiating table, even as major disagreements remain over sanctions, Iran’s nuclear activities, the terms of any future talks and the continuing military confrontation.

Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the U.S. Capitol on Monday and cast his first Senate vote in three months, ending a lengthy absence that began after the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican suffered a serious fall at his Washington home and was subsequently treated for pneumonia.

McConnell, who appeared at the Capitol in a wheelchair, acknowledged that his recovery remains incomplete and said he is continuing physical therapy as he deals with the lingering effects of childhood polio. His return comes as Senate Republicans face a series of closely contested votes in the coming weeks.

In a statement released Monday, McConnell said he would “cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June.”

“I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues. My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said. “I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

McConnell also thanked those who had sent messages and expressed concern during his recovery.

“Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,” he continued.

McConnell had not participated in Senate votes or committee work since June, when he fell at his Washington home. He later disclosed that the fall had left him “briefly unconscious.” His recovery was further complicated when he developed a mild case of pneumonia, after which he spent time in a rehabilitation facility.

The lengthy absence prompted questions about McConnell’s condition and whether he would be able to return to Washington before his Senate term concludes. For weeks after the fall, relatively little information was publicly available about his health before McConnell eventually released additional details about the incident and his recovery.

McConnell has said that his childhood bout with polio has made recovering from the fall more difficult. He contracted polio as a young child and has dealt with lasting effects from the illness throughout his life.

His return could prove important for Republicans because of the party’s closely divided Senate majority. Fox News reported that GOP lawmakers are preparing for another attempt to advance a major farm aid and funding package this week after a previous effort failed without McConnell’s vote.

The Kentucky senator has experienced a series of health issues and falls in recent years. His health attracted particular attention in 2023 after he twice appeared to freeze while speaking publicly. He also suffered a concussion and fractured rib after a fall at a Washington hotel that year and has had several subsequent falls.

Despite those difficulties, McConnell indicated Monday that he intends to participate when his vote is particularly important, even as he continues his rehabilitation.

McConnell has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985 and is the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, having led Senate Republicans from 2007 until stepping aside from the leadership position in 2025. He is not seeking another term and is scheduled to leave the Senate when his current term expires in January 2027.

His appearance Monday marked his first time back at the Capitol since the June hospitalization and brought an end, at least for now, to months of uncertainty over when he would be physically able to resume his Senate duties. McConnell made clear, however, that his recovery is continuing and that he has not yet returned to full strength.

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A Singular Focus on Success: The Key to Building a Thriving Accounting Career

Moshe Rubinovich is an Accounting Student and Tax Preparer at Minster-Kohavi. “My improved performance has also been recognized by my employers through raises since completing the FDU/ PCS course. I’ve repeatedly heard from employers that PCS graduates are particularly desirable because they have a stronger command of fundamental accounting principles and are better equipped to approach and solve accounting problems.”

Rubinovich recommends accounting to anyone looking for a stable, versatile profession, especially someone who enjoys problem-solving and working with details. “Accounting is a very robust field, and it encompasses far more than I originally imagined,” he says. “There is room for people with many different interests, strengths, and career goals within the profession.”

The FDU/ PCS program’s strong emphasis on accounting fundamentals and adaptability to the changes in the profession (such as AI) provides students with a solid foundation.
“What makes PCS particularly valuable is its singular focus on the success of its graduates,” says Rubinovich. “The program is guided by one central goal: giving its students the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in their careers.”

Rubinovich also appreciated the accessibility of the professors, placement division, and alumni network. “Even after graduation, the professors remain willing to provide guidance, answer questions, and offer assistance when needed. Another major strength is the PCS placement department and the PCS graduate network. It is a large, closely connected community that is invaluable for advancing in one’s career.”

🏆 The Stats That Matter:

✅ 98% Employment Rate
✅ Top-tier graduates earning $250k+
✅ Ranked Amongst: “Best Master’s in Accounting” – Eduniversal (2026) and Best Colleges by Forbes (2026)
✅ Highest pass rate on the CPA exams in NJ

Open House Wednesday, September 16, 7:30 PM

In-person: 1771 Madison Ave. Executive Center

Register to join remotely:  https://bit.ly/473NZBr

For more info:
👤 Men: 732-905-9700 x665 / Sara@nj.pcsjobs.org
👤 Women: 732-367-1500 / Tova@nj.pcsjobs.org

An Israeli animal rights organization has launched a renewed campaign urging municipalities across the country to prohibit the use of live chickens for kapparos ahead of Yom Kippur, with several additional local authorities reportedly agreeing this year not to permit the longstanding minhag in public areas under their jurisdiction.

According to Israeli sources, the organization Let the Animals Live, known in Hebrew as Tnu L’Chayot Lichyot, contacted dozens of mayors and heads of local authorities throughout Israel, asking them to refrain from granting permits for kapparos involving chickens.

The campaign is being conducted for the second consecutive year as the organization seeks to persuade more municipalities to restrict the traditional practice.

Four municipalities — Tel Mond, Yerucham, Mevaseret Zion and Yavne — reportedly joined the initiative this year and said they would not allow kapparos with live chickens. Kiryat Bialik and Rishon Lezion, which responded positively to the organization’s appeal last year, renewed their commitments this year.

According to the organization, those municipalities join several others that have already barred chicken kapparos in areas under their authority for a number of years. The list cited includes Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon, Ramla and Petach Tikva.

Let the Animals Live has argued that municipalities have the legal authority to prevent public kapparos ceremonies involving chickens. According to the organization, procedures issued by Israel’s Veterinary Services allow individual local authorities to prohibit the use of live chickens for kapparos within their jurisdictions.

Even in municipalities where the practice is not prohibited, organizers of chicken kapparos are required to receive authorization from the local veterinary department, according to the report. That requirement applies whether or not the actual shechitah is performed at the location where the kapparos take place.

The animal rights organization maintains that the handling and transportation of large numbers of chickens for kapparos can cause suffering to the birds and has called upon municipal leaders to use their authority to prevent the ceremonies from taking place in public areas.

{Matzav.com}

Federal immigration officers working on the Trump administration’s expanding investigation into possible noncitizen voting may have violated state laws by using voters’ personal information to access restricted state election databases while effectively posing as the voters themselves, according to a new whistleblower complaint.

The allegations concern an initiative being carried out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, as the administration intensifies efforts to identify noncitizens who may have illegally registered to vote or cast ballots ahead of November’s midterm elections.

According to the whistleblower, USCIS directed personnel in its Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate to examine individual voter-registration and voting records on state election websites. In some states, however, access to those records is restricted to the voter or someone specifically authorized by the voter.

The whistleblower alleges that officers raised concerns internally that entering personally identifiable information into those state websites could violate state law. According to the complaint, supervisors nevertheless instructed personnel to proceed with the searches.

The allegations were detailed in a report prepared by the Democracy Defenders Fund and provided to lawmakers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., subsequently wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow demanding that the searches be stopped and that DHS provide Congress with information about the program. Padilla said the directive could result in “thousands of violations of state laws.”

One example highlighted by the report is Virginia. To access an individual voter’s information through the state’s online portal, a user must provide identifying information and certify that he is either the voter or has been authorized by that voter.

“I certify and affirm that the information provided to access my voter registration is my own or I am expressly authorized by the voter to access this information. I understand that it is unlawful to access the record of any other voter, punishable as computer fraud under Va. Code § 18.2-152.3,” the certification states.

The whistleblower did not specifically allege that federal officers improperly accessed Virginia voter records. However, Virginia’s portal was reportedly among the state election websites included on an internal FDNS resource designed to help officers conduct the voter-record searches.

Florida’s voter portal was also reportedly included. That website states that it “is intended for use by a registered voter to determine his or her voter registration and voting status.” Other states, including California, similarly require personal identifying information before providing access to an individual voter’s records.

The whistleblower also raised concerns about the accuracy of the information federal officers are being told to use. According to the complaint, USCIS personnel were directed to examine voter records using DHS data that officers had been warned could be incomplete or unreliable.

Despite those concerns, the complaint alleges, officers were required to create federal law-enforcement records known as TECS records for people identified through the initiative, including individuals who may already be naturalized American citizens.

“The whistleblower’s claim states that officers must create TECS records against a U.S. citizen even when DHS-provided voting data appears unreliable, such as uncertain naturalization dates, multiple entries, or other mismatches,” Padilla’s office said.

“Naturalized U.S. citizens who are falsely flagged as ‘unlawful voters’ are likely to be referred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for potential criminal investigation. Targets of this initiative have no knowledge or ability to correct data errors,” it added.

The whistleblower further alleged that hundreds of FDNS officers were assigned to the operation after receiving a single training video lasting approximately one hour and 45 minutes. Officers were reportedly expected to review 40 individuals per day, requiring them to resolve potentially complicated questions involving identity, citizenship, naturalization dates and voting history within minutes.

The allegations come amid a broader Trump administration effort to examine state voter rolls for possible noncitizen registrations and voting. Earlier investigations have involved DHS comparing voter-registration information with federal immigration and citizenship records. An August investigation by ProPublica found that Homeland Security Investigations had been pursuing thousands of leads around the country as part of that effort.

The new whistleblower allegations do not establish that federal agents committed crimes, and the legality of particular searches would depend on the state involved, the information accessed and the circumstances under which officers obtained it. They do, however, raise a new legal question over how federal investigators are obtaining state voter information as the administration presses its investigation into potential illegal voting.

Schumer and Padilla are now demanding an accounting from DHS of how the searches were authorized, what information officers accessed and whether federal personnel complied with state privacy and computer-access laws while conducting the investigation.

The allegations are particularly significant because the administration’s voter-fraud investigation has expanded rapidly just weeks before the November elections, placing increased scrutiny on both the evidence of noncitizen voting being uncovered and the methods federal investigators are using to find it.

Sen. Mitch McConnell is expected to return to the U.S. Capitol this week after a three-month health-related absence, with Republican lawmakers anticipating that the 84-year-old Kentucky senator will be back in time for a critical committee vote on the stalled farm bill.

McConnell’s office has not publicly confirmed his precise return date since announcing last month that he had left rehabilitation and returned home. Still, expectations of his imminent return have increased among Kentucky Republicans and McConnell’s Senate GOP colleagues.

According to people familiar with private discussions, McConnell’s staff has informed senior Republicans that he plans to be at the Capitol for a Wednesday meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where lawmakers are expected to make another attempt at advancing the farm bill. The legislation failed to clear the committee earlier this summer while McConnell was absent.

McConnell’s presence could prove decisive. Republicans hold 12 seats on the 23-member Agriculture Committee, but his absence prevented the GOP from mustering enough in-person support to advance the Republican-written legislation during the previous markup. Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has said he intends to bring the measure up for another vote.

Asked Sunday about reports that McConnell was preparing to return, a spokesperson referred back to an August statement saying the senator would undergo physical therapy at home during the Senate’s five-week summer recess. The spokesperson did not immediately provide additional comment about whether McConnell would participate in the Agriculture Committee meeting.

McConnell has not cast an in-person Senate vote since his office announced on June 14 that he had been hospitalized. The limited public information surrounding his condition and lengthy absence prompted speculation online and calls from several political figures, including Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, for additional information about the senator’s health.

In July, McConnell issued a detailed update explaining that his hospitalization began after a fall and that he subsequently developed pneumonia. He said at the time that he planned to return to Washington and complete the remainder of his Senate term, though he did not specify when he expected to resume his duties at the Capitol.

By Monday morning, attention surrounding McConnell’s possible return had intensified. Reporters and social media personalities gathered outside his Capitol Hill residence, watching for signs that the longtime Kentucky senator would leave for the Capitol ahead of an evening Senate vote.

Apple released iOS 27 on Monday for compatible devices, delivering a broad collection of new features and upgrades to iPhones, iPads and other eligible Apple products.

The release is the second major iOS version to use Apple’s revised naming convention. The company departed from its previous sequential numbering system last year, calling that update iOS 26 instead of iOS 19, which otherwise would have been the next number in the series.

As with previous major operating-system releases, iOS 27 is a sizable download that can require several gigabytes of available storage. Users without sufficient free space may therefore have to clear room on their devices before installing the update.

Those who successfully install iOS 27 may notice another change afterward: Their iPhone or iPad could need charging more often than it did before the update.

That temporary increase in battery drain is generally expected following a major software installation.

Apple has previously cautioned users that installing a substantial iOS update can temporarily reduce battery performance while also affecting how warm the device becomes.

“Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance,” the company says on a support page. “This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.”

The additional battery usage generally subsides within several days as the device finishes performing those background tasks. How an owner uses the phone or tablet can also affect battery consumption, however. Users who spend significant time trying out iOS 27’s new features immediately after installing it could contribute to the faster battery drain.

Users are also generally advised against routinely charging an iPhone all the way to 100% if maximizing the battery’s long-term lifespan is the goal. Experts and smartphone manufacturers commonly recommend limiting charging to around 80% when practical, which can help reduce battery aging over time.

Migrants held at Florida’s now-shuttered “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center were confined in cramped metal enclosures, given substantially less living space than federal standards require and, in some cases, provided only limited opportunities to shower, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog. The Office of Inspector General said the use of the small cages was unlike anything its inspectors had previously encountered at an ICE detention facility.

The report released Monday marked the first federal inspection of the controversial facility, formally known as the Florida Soft-Sided Facility, or FSSF.

Inspectors identified a range of problems involving conditions at the facility, including concerns about food and drinking-water practices, personal hygiene and the amount of space available to detainees.

At full capacity, according to the inspector general, detainees were allotted approximately 28 square feet of living space apiece. Federal detention standards call for 75 square feet per detainee, meaning those held at the facility had considerably less than half the required amount of space.

Investigators also discovered that ICE personnel were placing detainees in metal enclosures measuring roughly four feet by four feet. Officials at the facility characterized the cages as “‘calming areas’ for detainees to deescalate and have time alone.”

“FSSF confined 79 detainees in small metal enclosures — each offering about 18 square feet of floor space — for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly 2 hours, a practice unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities. The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” OIG wrote.

Investigators found documentation showing that, on at least one occasion, one of the enclosures was used to punish a detainee.

The findings quickly drew condemnation from immigrant and refugee advocates, who particularly objected to officials’ characterization of the enclosures as calming areas.

“There is no euphemism that can sanitize caging human beings. Calling a metal box a ‘calming area’ is an affront to the English language and to human dignity alike,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of refugee settlement agency Global Refuge, said in a statement.

“The stark reality is that human beings, many of whom came to this country seeking protection, were crammed into spaces unfit to accommodate them, denied adequate medical care, food, and basic hygiene — and in at least one case locked in a cage as punishment. That is not immigration enforcement. It is cruelty, carried out in our name and on our dime, to the tune of more than a million dollars a day.”

At the same time, the inspector general said its investigators could not substantiate every allegation previously made about conditions at the center. OIG said investigators were unable to “independently confirm or refute ICE officials’ assertions regarding their use of the enclosures” or verify other claims, including allegations in an earlier Amnesty International report concerning deprivation of food and water. Detainees interviewed during the OIG inspection did not report experiencing those particular conditions.

“Use of these small metal enclosures for any reason is unprecedented among ICE facilities inspected by OIG. Confining individuals in small metal enclosures for any reason presents significant risks to detainee health and well-being,” the watchdog wrote.

ICE and DHS did not immediately provide responses to requests for comment following the release of the report.

In their formal response included with the report, however, federal officials emphasized Florida’s role in establishing the detention center, even though federal funding helped finance the facility and ICE personnel were involved in its operation.

“While FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] provided funding for the Florida Soft-Sided Facility (FSSF) under the Shelter and Services Program, DHS did not have a contract with Florida to manage the detention space within the facility. The State of Florida authorized the repurposing of the center from the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport into a state detention center,” DHS officials wrote in a letter in response to the report.

Inspectors also highlighted problems involving detainees’ access to drinking water and showers.

Several detainees told investigators they lacked reliable access to clean drinking water because the self-service water stations were dirty. Detainees said they were issued a drinking cup but had no means of washing it.

Some detainees were scheduled for showers only three days each week, according to the report. Photographs included by investigators also showed insects covering portions of the shower facilities, adding to the watchdog’s concerns about sanitation and living conditions at the center.

House Republicans are preparing a new attempt to enact key provisions of President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act by using the budget reconciliation process, a maneuver that could allow voter ID and citizenship-verification measures to advance through the Senate without overcoming the chamber’s usual 60-vote filibuster threshold.

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, has been a major priority for Trump and congressional Republicans but has remained stalled in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has resisted bringing the legislation up when there are not enough votes to overcome a filibuster.

Republicans would need Democratic support to reach 60 votes under regular Senate procedure. Democrats have strongly opposed the legislation, arguing that its documentation requirements could make voting more difficult for eligible citizens, while Republicans say the measures are necessary to strengthen safeguards around federal elections.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now advocating an alternative strategy: putting major elements of the legislation into a budget reconciliation package. Reconciliation can pass the Senate by a simple majority, although its provisions generally must have a sufficient connection to federal spending, revenue or debt. House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., is working on how the election provisions could be structured to fit those requirements.

“I’d rather pass the SAVE America Act. But recognizing that the Senate might not be able to get that done with the 60-vote threshold, let’s leverage the parliamentary procedure, bring that threshold down to 50, and get some really commonsense reforms done,” Steil told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I’ve been having great conversations with my colleagues in the administration as well as the Senate.”

Steil said he would like Congress to complete the reconciliation package in time for the November midterm elections, although he acknowledged that “the clock is ticking down pretty quickly.”

Reconciliation itself can be a lengthy process. Republicans spent roughly six months using the procedure to enact Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act last year. The House and Senate first must approve budget frameworks instructing relevant committees to produce legislation that meets specified spending or savings targets.

Once those committees complete their portions of the legislation, they send them to their respective budget committees, which combine the pieces into larger packages. Ultimately, the House and Senate must approve identical legislation before it can be sent to President Trump.

Steil’s House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal election law, is looking to incorporate two of the SAVE America Act’s central provisions into reconciliation: requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship during voter registration and establishing a nationwide photo-identification requirement for voting in federal elections.

“The House can go as fast as the Senate. And so the frustration that I and others have is the Senate’s not moving as fast as we would like on this. I actually think there’s 50 votes in the Senate for some of these really commonsense provisions,” Steil said. “I’d like to be sooner rather than later, but I don’t control them.”

A significant obstacle remains the Senate parliamentarian, who advises the chamber on whether provisions comply with reconciliation rules. Provisions whose effects are primarily policy-related rather than budgetary can be removed from reconciliation legislation, potentially creating problems for an election-law bill.

Steil believes Republicans may be able to establish the necessary budgetary connection through federal money distributed to states under the Help America Vote Act, the 2002 law that provides funding for election administration.

“We could free up those funds or enhance those funds for states to do those post-election audits, which is a really important part of election integrity. You can do the same in regards to photo ID,” he said, adding that making Real ID the standard could also effectively impact the citizenship mandate. “Effectively, when an individual gets REAL ID, they’re proving their citizenship.”

The Trump administration has backed the effort to use reconciliation. Earlier this year, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Republican lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that the White House supported pursuing SAVE America provisions through reconciliation and viewed the procedure as a potential path for advancing the election legislation.

“The White House is engaged. We’ve had good conversations,” Steil told Fox News Digital.

The House approved its version of the new reconciliation package earlier this summer, with a $95 billion budget framework focused on additional military funding and election security.

Progress has been slower in the Senate. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., unveiled his chamber’s framework shortly before senators departed for their August recess, but the timetable for moving it through the committee and onto the Senate floor remains uncertain.

The Senate proposal would authorize as much as $150 billion in spending, creating a sizable difference between the two chambers’ approaches.

Speaker Johnson acknowledged the disparity during an interview with Fox News Digital last month, while arguing that expanding the package could make an already complicated reconciliation process even more difficult.

“I mean, the idea was, in keeping it skinny, is to move it quickly. And so the more you add to it, the more complex it gets, the more in the Senate — not to get too deep in the weeds — but procedurally, it involves more committees of jurisdiction in both bodies. And that’s where things start to get weighted down. So we’re very close to an election, the stakes are very high, the timing is short, and if you’re going to do election integrity measures, you need to do it, like, yesterday,” Johnson said. “We passed the SAVE America Act four times in the House. This is the last best effort to get it through the Senate, so I’m for doing it as quickly as possible.”

Steil said he believes Republicans in the two chambers can ultimately resolve their differences over the reconciliation package.

“I think, broadly, we’re aligned. I think obviously the total numbers are different,” he said. “I think everyone recognizes the importance of making sure that our men and women in uniform have the resources needed to not only defend themselves but to defend our country… And also that we have the resources needed to make sure that we’re protecting our election.”

President Donald Trump on Monday sharply rejected mounting warnings that artificial intelligence could eventually threaten humanity, calling such concerns a “HOAX” as some of the technology industry’s most prominent executives push for slowing the development of increasingly powerful AI systems.

Trump addressed the issue in an afternoon Truth Social post, questioning why executives running some of the world’s leading AI companies would advocate restrictions that, in his view, could damage their own businesses and weaken the United States in its technological competition with China.

“When, in the History of Business, did anyone see the Leaders of an Industry call for Regulation that, if strongly implemented, will drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy?” Trump wrote.

The president compared warnings that AI could ultimately pose an existential danger to humanity to other controversies that he has repeatedly characterized as hoaxes, including the investigations involving Russia and his two impeachments.

Trump’s comments came as several major figures in the AI industry publicly called for greater caution in the race to develop more advanced models. The debate intensified over the weekend after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a lengthy proposal urging the industry to deliberately moderate the speed at which frontier AI capabilities are advancing.

Amodei argued Saturday that AI capabilities are developing so rapidly that safety research may not be keeping pace. His proposal called for slowing the advancement of the most powerful models sufficiently to give researchers and companies more time to understand and address potential dangers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk subsequently expressed support for the broader push for additional safeguards, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis also backed greater caution surrounding the development of increasingly capable AI.

Among the dangers identified by Amodei are the possibility of humans losing control of highly advanced AI systems, the technology being misused for cyberattacks or bioterrorism, and widespread economic disruption. He has also raised concerns about increasingly capable AI systems being used to develop subsequent generations of AI.

As part of his proposed approach, Amodei called for independent evaluators to receive greater access to frontier AI systems and development processes, allowing outsiders to assess whether companies are adhering to their safety commitments.

Trump has taken a markedly different approach to the emerging debate, repeatedly emphasizing that AI development is an international technological race in which the United States cannot afford to fall behind China.

“AI, and Data Centers, will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet,” Trump wrote.

Trump also took aim at Google over its recently announced expansion in Finland, arguing that permitting difficulties in the United States were pushing the company to invest overseas. He said he wanted Google to “change their thinking.”

Google announced last week that it intends to invest at least €13 billion — approximately $15 billion — in Finnish digital infrastructure, energy projects and related partnerships during 2027 and 2028. The investment, Google’s largest single investment in Europe, includes new data-center infrastructure.

Google said the expansion builds upon more than 15 years of operations in Finland and is intended to accommodate increasing demand for services including Gemini, Search and Maps, as well as other Google services.

The company’s announcement did not say that difficulties securing permits in the United States were responsible for its decision to expand in Finland. Instead, Google cited Finland’s digital infrastructure, energy system, workforce and its existing operations in the country.

Earlier Monday, Trump described opposition to AI development and the construction of data centers as a “sick conspiracy,” contending that excessive regulation of the rapidly developing industry could ultimately strengthen China’s position in the global AI competition.

“WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Trump wrote.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is leading a coalition of cities and counties in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to block a new immigration policy that would make it easier for federal officials to deny green cards and certain visas to immigrants who receive government assistance.

The lawsuit puts Mamdani directly at odds with President Donald Trump over the administration’s new “public charge” rule, which is scheduled to take effect Friday, September 18. The rule broadens the types of public benefits immigration officials can consider when deciding whether certain immigrants should be permitted to obtain permanent residency in the United States.

Mamdani made clear in announcing the lawsuit that his administration wants immigrants in New York to continue using government programs for which they are legally eligible without fearing that doing so could jeopardize their immigration status.

“The new public charge rule seeks to push immigrant families away from the programs that have kept people fed and healthy for decades. New Yorkers will be afraid to see a doctor or ask for help they are legally entitled to. That fear will not stop at the families that the federal government is targeting. Families who remain fully eligible for benefits will feel a chilling effect, and all New Yorkers will pay for it,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani continued: “New York City is proud to lead a coalition of cities and counties — Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Seattle, King County and the Public Rights Project — standing firmly against this cruel and unlawful rule. Our immigrant communities are not a burden. They are the people who make New York City and country great. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure they can continue to live here with dignity and without fear.”

The New York City lawsuit is separate from another legal challenge filed Monday by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James is leading a coalition consisting of 22 states and the District of Columbia seeking to stop the same Trump administration policy.

At issue is the federal government’s “public charge” test. Immigration law has long allowed officials to consider whether certain immigrants seeking admission or permanent residency are likely to become dependent on government assistance. The Trump administration’s new rule gives immigration officers broader discretion to consider an applicant’s use of means-tested benefits, including assistance involving food, health care and housing.

The policy represents a significant departure from the narrower approach put in place during the Biden administration. Under the 2022 policy, the public-charge determination generally focused on direct cash assistance and long-term institutional care rather than programs such as Medicaid and food assistance. President Trump’s administration rescinded that approach and moved to expand the benefits that may be considered.

The Trump administration says the policy is intended to enforce the principle that immigrants seeking permanent status should be self-sufficient and should not depend on American taxpayers for their support. The Department of Homeland Security responded to Monday’s lawsuits by accusing “sanctuary states” and “left-wing leaders” of fighting the policy because they fear losing federal funding as noncitizens withdraw from public-assistance programs.

Mamdani’s administration is taking the opposite position. Its lawsuit argues that immigrants who are legally eligible for government assistance should not have to choose between using those programs and protecting their prospects of remaining permanently in the United States.

The city also argues that the policy could have consequences extending beyond the immigrants directly subject to public-charge determinations. City officials contend that confusion and fear surrounding the rule could prompt immigrants and members of mixed-status families to avoid medical care, food assistance and other benefits even when those benefits would not affect their immigration cases.

New York City officials further maintain that the policy could ultimately cost local governments money. If immigrants avoid preventive health programs and other federally supported benefits, the city argues, more of the financial burden could shift to hospitals, emergency services and local government.

The separate lawsuit brought by James and the states raises similar arguments, including the claim that the Trump administration has exceeded its authority under federal immigration law and violated federal administrative law in implementing the expanded policy.

James said families should not have to sacrifice assistance for which they qualify because they fear immigration consequences.

“Working families should not be forced to go without the support they need because they fear that seeking assistance will lead to their deportation. This rule exploits that fear and causes families to forgo food assistance, healthcare services, and other public benefits to which they are legally entitled,” James said.

The legal fight therefore goes beyond the technical definition of a “public charge.” The Trump administration is seeking greater latitude to consider immigrants’ reliance on government assistance when determining whether they should receive permanent status, while Mamdani and the governments joining his lawsuit are seeking to preserve immigrants’ ability to use legally available public benefits without those benefits broadly counting against their immigration applications.

Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in Manhattan. Unless the courts intervene, the Trump administration’s new public-charge policy is scheduled to take effect on September 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu warned Hezbollah on Monday that any renewed attack on Israel would trigger an even more powerful Israeli response, issuing the message after the IDF completed its takeover of the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and destroyed major Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

Netanyahu pointed to the operation on the Ali al-Taher and Beaufort ridges as another significant Israeli success against the terror organization.

“We have achieved another massive victory over Hezbollah: We have destroyed its major terrorist stronghold on the Beaufort Ridge and the Ali al-Taher Ridge,” Netanyahu opened.

Netanyahu said Israel has no intention of easing its campaign against Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon and would continue acting against threats emerging from the area.

The Prime Minister declared, “Our policy is clear: We will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the security zone in Lebanon. We will continue to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu then directed an explicit warning at Hezbollah and Israel’s other enemies, saying that another attack would result in a still harsher Israeli military response.

“And from here, I say to our enemies: If you haven’t learned the lesson by now, and you choose to attack us again, you will suffer even heavier blows. There is still work to complete, and with G-d’s help, we will complete it,” he concluded.