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Kimberly Guilfoyle has resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece after the White House requested her departure following allegations that she solicited money from a political donor to cover personal expenses, including a $100,000 American Express bill.

The resignation, announced Tuesday, October 13, follows a Wall Street Journal investigation that reportedly uncovered text messages in which Guilfoyle sought financial assistance from a donor before receiving Senate confirmation for the diplomatic position.

Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr. and was once married to California Governor Gavin Newsom, denied the allegations while making clear that she remains loyal to President Donald Trump and his administration.

In a statement published on X, Guilfoyle expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve and emphasized that her departure would not alter her political allegiances.

“My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering. I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I will always be a loyal supporter of President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again,” Guilfoyle wrote.

“While my time as Ambassador may be coming to an end, my commitment to President Trump, the America First movement, and the country I love will never end.”

Her announcement came several hours after newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia publicly confirmed that the administration had asked Guilfoyle to relinquish her position.

The controversy erupted following reports that Guilfoyle had contacted a Trump donor seeking $100,000 to settle an American Express account while awaiting confirmation as ambassador.

The disclosures raised questions about whether Guilfoyle had improperly solicited personal financial assistance from individuals with political connections while preparing to assume a senior diplomatic appointment.

The allegations have also prompted scrutiny of her relationships with donors and whether any requests for money were connected to her anticipated role representing the United States overseas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was reportedly displeased by the controversy, which placed additional attention on the State Department and the administration’s handling of the matter.

Despite the White House’s decision to seek her resignation, Guilfoyle insisted that the accusations against her were untrue and pledged to challenge them.

“I also want to address the recent allegations against me,” she wrote.

“These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”

The allegations involve Eric Deters, a businessman and Trump supporter who claims Guilfoyle sought the payment in July 2025, shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing.

Deters has alleged that Guilfoyle offered to help him obtain access to senior administration officials in exchange for financial assistance. Guilfoyle’s attorneys have disputed his account, arguing that he owed her money for previously performed speaking and consulting services.

The Wall Street Journal also reported allegations concerning Guilfoyle’s conduct while serving in Athens, including her relationships with Greek business interests, the acceptance of hospitality and other benefits, and the use of her diplomatic position to advance private commercial interests.

Her legal representatives have maintained that she complied with applicable State Department ethics and gift-reporting requirements.

The controversy intensified Monday when Trump was questioned about whether he intended to remove Guilfoyle from her diplomatic assignment.

“Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy,” the president told reporters.

By Tuesday morning, the administration had reached its decision, with Zacharia confirming the request for Guilfoyle’s resignation during her first White House press briefing.

The White House nevertheless offered a positive assessment of her service, with Zacharia describing Guilfoyle as a valuable member of the administration and extending good wishes for her future.

The State Department’s Office of Inspector General has reportedly opened an examination of the allegations, which could continue independently of Guilfoyle’s departure from her ambassadorial position.

Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and Fox News personality, was nominated by Trump in December 2024 and subsequently confirmed by the Senate. Her appointment followed the end of her engagement to Donald Trump Jr.

Photos: A. Eisenbach

Rabbanim and Dirshu representatives from around the world gather in the city of the Vilna Gaon at the close of a tefillah journey through Belarus and Lithuania.

Late last week, Dirshu held its 31st international convention in Vilna, bringing to a close a journey of tefillah and chizuk through Belarus and Lithuania. Over the course of the trip, the delegation visited the kevarim of the Vilna Gaon, the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Chaim of Volozhin and Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz. The journey concluded with the convention in Vilna and a siyum on Maseches Yoma as part of Dirshu’s Amud HaYomi program.

The delegation arrived at the convention hall directly from the Vilna cemetery, where they davened at the kevarim of the Vilna Gaon, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski and Rav Yitzchak Rabinowitz of Ponevezh, saying Tehillim for the needs of individuals and of Klal Yisrael.

The convention was attended by rabbanim and roshei yeshiva from Eretz Yisrael, America and Europe, together with members of Dirshu’s leadership and the organization’s representatives from communities around the world.

Rav Nissan Kaplan opened the program, speaking about the impact Dirshu has had across the Torah world. He then introduced a young bochur, the son of one of Dirshu’s representatives in France, who had been inspired at the previous convention to join the Amud HaYomi and had now completed Maseches Yoma.

The keynote address was delivered by Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, Rosh Yeshivas Mir, who spoke about what sets Dirshu apart: its ability to give avreichim and lomdim aspirations in Torah that they did not have before.

Dirshu’s president, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, was honored with making the siyum. In his remarks, he tied together the opening and closing of Maseches Yoma, and noted that when the Satan sees Klal Yisrael succeeding and rising higher, he gains strength and seeks to interfere, and our obligation is to strengthen ourselves and overcome him. Following the siyum, the entire delegation rose for an extended, joyous dance l’kavod haTorah, with the rabbanim dancing in the center of the hall.

The convention closed with an address by Rav Yehuda Toledano, head of the Chazon Baruch institutions in France, who encouraged those present to strive for growth in Torah and ruchniyus and to be mekadesh shem Shamayim.

At the conclusion of the convention, the delegation returned to the kever of Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz in Vilna for tefillah before heading to the airport. Their flight landed in Eretz Yisrael on Friday morning.

A 32-year-old Palestinian man with a reported history of involvement in security-related incidents was arrested in Bnei Brak after security personnel spotted him photographing and recording the underground Aharonovitch light rail station, raising suspicions that he may have been gathering intelligence for a possible terrorist attack.

The suspect, a resident of Yehuda and Shomron who was allegedly in Israel illegally, initially attempted to conceal his identity by posing as an Israeli citizen from the Arab city of Tayibe. Police subsequently determined his actual identity and discovered that he had previously been linked to security incidents, including suspected involvement in attacks against Israeli targets.

The incident occurred Monday morning when security guards monitoring the underground light rail station noticed a man moving around the facility and using his cellphone to record various areas of the station.

His conduct appeared inconsistent with that of an ordinary passenger, prompting the guards to become suspicious and summon police.

Officers from the Tel Aviv District Police’s light rail unit arrived at the scene and began questioning the individual about his presence at the station and the purpose of his recordings.

During the initial questioning, the man allegedly provided an Israeli identification number and claimed to be a resident of Tayibe, apparently hoping to convince officers that he was legally present in the country.

However, a subsequent examination of his identifying information revealed that he was actually a Palestinian resident of Yehuda and Shomron who lacked authorization to enter or remain in Israel.

Police also determined that the suspect had allegedly supplied false personal details in an attempt to avoid being taken into custody.

Further checks of his background reportedly uncovered an additional concern: authorities found that he had previously been involved in security-related incidents and was suspected of having participated in terrorist attacks directed against Israeli targets.

The discovery intensified suspicions surrounding his decision to photograph the underground transportation facility, although investigators have not yet publicly established whether the recordings were intended for terrorist reconnaissance.

The man was arrested at the scene and transferred to the Bnei Brak police station for further questioning.

Investigators are seeking to determine why he was documenting the underground station, whether he was acting on instructions from another individual or organization, and what he intended to do with the footage.

Police are also examining whether the recordings were connected to preparations for a possible attack or had another purpose.

The suspect is scheduled to appear Tuesday morning before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, where police will request an extension of his detention to allow the investigation to continue.

The Aharonovitch station is part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area’s Red Line light rail network and is situated beneath Jabotinsky Road in Bnei Brak. The station serves passengers traveling between the Bnei Brak area and destinations including Petach Tikvah, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, and Bat Yam.

The underground facility also forms part of the region’s network of transportation stations designated for use as protected spaces during emergencies, adding to its importance as a public infrastructure site.

Authorities have not disclosed whether additional suspects are being sought or whether any specific terrorist organization is suspected of involvement.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc has lost ground in a new Israeli election poll, slipping to a narrow 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset after previously reaching 64 seats. At the same time, a competing survey presents a dramatically different political picture, placing former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s party ahead of Likud as Israel’s largest political faction.

The contrasting results, released by Channels 12 and 14, underscore the uncertainty surrounding Israel’s political landscape, with the two surveys differing sharply over the relative strength of Netanyahu and his principal challengers.

According to the Channel 14 poll conducted on October 12, Likud remains the country’s largest party with 29 seats, although that represents a loss of two mandates compared with the network’s previous survey. Eisenkot’s Yashar! party follows with 20 seats, having dropped three seats, while former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party falls by one seat to seven.

The results represent a setback for Netanyahu’s political alliance, which had enjoyed stronger numbers in earlier Channel 14 polling. The right-wing bloc now stands at 61 seats, down two from the previous survey and three below the 64-seat level recorded in earlier measurements.

The same poll gives the left-wing and opposition bloc 46 seats, while Arab parties collectively receive 13 seats.

Among the parties traditionally aligned with Netanyahu, Shas holds steady at 10 seats, while United Torah Judaism rises to eight. Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, receives seven seats, as does Religious Zionism.

The Zehut party also reaches seven seats, gaining one mandate compared with the previous poll.

Elsewhere in the Channel 14 results, the Democrats, headed by Yair Golan, climb by one seat to 10, while the Joint List strengthens to eight.

Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu receives five seats, as does Ra’am.

The Reservists and Economic Party secures four seats, crossing the electoral threshold for the first time in the latest series of Channel 14 surveys.

Several smaller parties remain below the minimum vote share required to enter the Knesset. Amcha Yisrael receives 2.9%, Noam LeYisrael registers 0.9%, and both Hatzibur Hachareidi and Blue and White receive 0.6%. The Achi–Returning to Our Roots party trails with 0.1%.

While Channel 14 continues to show Likud firmly ahead of its competitors, Channel 12’s findings offer a substantially different assessment.

In that survey, Eisenkot’s Yashar! party emerges as the largest faction with 23 seats, ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud, which receives just 20.

Bennett’s Beyachad party takes third place with 13 seats, putting him considerably ahead of his standing in the Channel 14 poll.

Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu and Golan’s Democrats each receive nine seats.

The Joint List, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit are projected to win eight seats apiece, while United Torah Judaism receives seven and Religious Zionism six.

Ra’am is allocated five seats, and the Reservists and Economic Party receives four, enough to enter the Knesset.

The Channel 12 survey also identifies several parties that would fail to clear the electoral threshold. Amcha Yisrael receives 1.8%, Blue and White gets 0.9%, and Noam LeYisrael stands at 0.5%.

The surveys also reveal sharply different assessments of Netanyahu’s personal standing with voters.

In Channel 14’s preferred-prime-minister question, Netanyahu gains one percentage point to reach 53%, while Eisenkot falls five points to 29%. Bennett receives 11%, and Lieberman rises to 7%.

When respondents are asked to choose directly between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, the prime minister maintains a narrower advantage, leading 52% to 48%.

Channel 12, however, reports a different trend in its leadership comparisons, with Eisenkot widening his advantage over Netanyahu in a direct matchup and Bennett also polling ahead of the prime minister on suitability to lead the government.

The divergence extends beyond the two television networks. An aggregation of eight recent Israeli election polls places Netanyahu’s bloc at an average of approximately 54 seats, with individual surveys ranging from 49 to 61. Only one of those eight polls gives the Netanyahu bloc the 61 seats necessary for a Knesset majority.

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly rejected an Israeli proposal for military cooperation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, thwarting an effort by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to establish a joint front against the Iranian-backed terrorist group and use the partnership as a stepping stone toward diplomatic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

According to a diplomatic source cited by Haaretz, Netanyahu has been seeking to advance Israeli military involvement in the conflict through American mediation, hoping that cooperation against a shared regional threat could create an opening for a broader agreement with Riyadh.

The Saudi crown prince, however, reportedly ruled out the initiative, making clear that overt military coordination with Israel would be politically unacceptable within the kingdom. The source indicated that bin Salman was particularly concerned about the negative reaction such cooperation would provoke among the Saudi public.

The reported rejection comes amid a sharp escalation in Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including deadly missile strikes targeting the kingdom’s capital and its international airport.

In recent days, the Houthis have intensified their operations against strategic Saudi facilities, repeatedly striking King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

A particularly devastating ballistic missile attack on Saturday reportedly killed 12 people and wounded 309 others. Another strike on Monday claimed one additional life and left 11 people injured.

The latest violence follows developments in Yemen in early September, when Houthi forces reportedly captured the strategically important city of Mokha and gained control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Yemeni government forces subsequently pushed the rebels back with the assistance of Saudi airstrikes, according to the report.

Following the deadly attack at Riyadh’s airport, Netanyahu issued an unusually public message of sympathy to Saudi Arabia, a country with which Israel does not maintain formal diplomatic relations.

“I strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack at the airport in Riyadh,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

The prime minister also expressed hope for closer regional cooperation, declaring that “Israel looks forward to a strong Middle East — standing united against threats and building a future of security and cooperation.”

The public statement appeared consistent with Netanyahu’s broader effort to emphasize the security interests shared by Israel and Saudi Arabia, particularly their opposition to Iranian-backed armed groups operating throughout the region.

President Donald Trump has supported efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic framework that established formal relations between Israel and several Arab countries.

The initiative also received backing from the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who had advocated closer ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia during the final weeks of his life.

The latest Houthi attacks have also caused widespread disruption to international aviation. Saudi authorities have extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport until October 17, forcing airlines to cancel or divert flights and leaving thousands of passengers facing travel disruptions.

The deadliest strike killed Saudi citizens and foreign nationals, including an American, while hundreds of injured passengers and airport personnel required medical treatment. Saudi officials have launched an investigation into how the kingdom’s air defense systems failed to prevent the attack.

The Saudi-led coalition has promised a forceful response to the Houthis, while President Trump has indicated that Washington is considering joining Saudi military operations against the terrorist group. No decision on direct American participation has been publicly announced.

The fighting has also renewed concern over the security of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping passages. Houthi operations around the waterway have threatened commercial shipping and complicated efforts by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces to regain control of territory along the Red Sea coast.

Despite the growing military threat, Riyadh has continued to insist that any formal diplomatic breakthrough with Israel must be tied to meaningful progress toward establishing a Palestinian state.

That longstanding Saudi condition remains a major obstacle to Netanyahu’s hopes of expanding the Abraham Accords, even as Israel and Saudi Arabia confront overlapping security threats from Iran and its regional proxies.

For now, the Saudi crown prince’s reported refusal leaves Netanyahu’s proposed military partnership without Riyadh’s approval, while the kingdom continues its campaign against the Houthis without openly coordinating with Israel.

A federal investigation involving Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has reportedly been given the unusual nickname “World War 11,” an apparent jab at the Minnesota congresswoman over a widely circulated verbal mistake in which she referred to World War II as “World War Eleven.”

The reported name emerged Monday amid news that federal agents had searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence as part of an investigation whose precise scope has not been publicly disclosed. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly conducted the search under the authority of a federal warrant.

“Today in the Washington, DC, area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) official told Fox News Digital. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation.”

According to the Washington Post, investigators have been referring to the inquiry as “World War 11,” recalling a January 2025 press conference at which Omar criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies and drew comparisons to the federal government’s detention of Japanese Americans during World War II.

During those remarks, Omar appeared to misread the Roman numerals II as the number eleven, producing a mistake that quickly circulated online and became a source of ridicule among her political critics.

The episode subsequently attracted attention from Trump himself. At a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in July, the president reportedly revived the controversy while making a joke about Omar’s personal history, referring to her brother as “husband #1.”

The remark alluded to longstanding allegations, repeatedly raised by Omar’s political opponents, that she had entered into a marriage with a relative as part of an immigration-related scheme. Omar has denied allegations of wrongdoing, and the claims have not been established in court.

Questions about Omar’s immigration and marital history have circulated for years, with conservative legal activists pressing congressional authorities to investigate.

In July 2019, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton publicly urged the House Ethics Committee to examine allegations concerning Omar’s personal history and financial dealings.

Fitton’s complaint raised accusations involving immigration and marriage fraud, false statements under oath, federal and state tax violations, and alleged irregularities involving student loans.

In describing the allegations, Fitton wrote:

“Documented-based reporting by Steinberg, et al. has developed the following information: Rep. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, a citizen of the United States, married her biological brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a citizen of the United Kingdom, in 2009, presumably as part of an immigration fraud scheme,” Fitton wrote.

Those assertions were allegations advanced by Judicial Watch, rather than judicial findings. The publicly reported details of Monday’s search do not establish whether investigators are examining any of the same accusations.

Omar, meanwhile, responded to the federal operation by charging that the Trump administration was pursuing her for political reasons.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar said. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”

The federal action comes amid a separate history of scrutiny involving Omar’s finances. According to reporting published earlier this year, the Justice Department began examining financial questions concerning the congresswoman during President Joe Biden’s administration, following public attention to the reported multimillion-dollar valuation of assets associated with her household.

The existence of that earlier financial inquiry does not establish that it is connected to the immigration-related investigation behind Monday’s search.

More recent reporting indicates that investigators are examining immigration documents completed by Omar’s late father when the family entered the United States from Somalia. The congresswoman arrived in America as a child and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000.

Border czar Tom Homan has said the investigation predates Monday’s search, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin previously acknowledged federal scrutiny of possible immigration irregularities. Authorities have not announced criminal charges against Omar.

The search has also provoked objections from congressional Democrats because it occurred approximately three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, when Omar is seeking another term representing Minnesota’s heavily Democratic Fifth Congressional District.

President Trump, asked about the operation, said the decision belonged to federal law enforcement authorities and denied personally directing the search.

{Matzav.com}

Kamala Harris is reportedly taking significant steps toward another presidential campaign in 2028, meeting with wealthy Democratic contributors, recruiting political advisers, and making appearances in key electoral battlegrounds, even as some of her previous financial supporters express serious doubts about her chances of winning.

The former vice president, who lost the 2024 presidential election to President Donald Trump, has privately maintained that she has not reached a final decision about seeking the Democratic nomination again. Nevertheless, her recent political activities suggest that she is positioning herself to enter the race if she ultimately chooses to do so.

According to a Wall Street Journal report based on conversations with individuals familiar with Harris’s discussions, the former Democratic nominee has been maintaining relationships with influential donors and assembling a political operation capable of supporting another national campaign.

Harris has also been careful to link any decision about her own political future to the outcome of the November 2026 midterm elections, arguing that Democrats must first concentrate on the immediate battle for control of Congress.

During an appearance at an NAACP gathering in Michigan last month, she addressed speculation about another presidential run while emphasizing the importance of the upcoming elections.

“I have not decided if I’m going to run again,” Harris said, drawing an extended standing ovation from the audience. “I do sincerely believe ‘28 won’t matter if we don’t get through ‘26.”

Her public activities have included appearances at approximately six private fundraising events in California intended to support Democratic candidates ahead of the midterms.

Harris has also participated in a Democratic National Committee voter-mobilization effort, speaking to more than 2,000 volunteers and encouraging them to canvass neighborhoods across roughly a dozen states.

At the same time, she has been putting together a circle of experienced political aides. Among those working with her are chief of staff Candace Bond, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, and communications director Eduardo Negrón.

Financial disclosures also indicate that Harris has continued to maintain a substantial fundraising network since her defeat in 2024.

Federal Election Commission records show that the Harris Victory Fund collected more than $10.3 million during the first nine months of 2025. Approximately $8.5 million of that amount came from donations of less than $200, indicating continued financial participation by smaller contributors.

Despite those signs of political activity, Harris faces skepticism from individuals who previously supported her presidential ambitions.

Some Democratic donors have reportedly told her directly that another attempt to capture the White House would face formidable obstacles, particularly given her defeat in the last election.

Reservations have also emerged within her immediate family. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, has privately expressed a preference that she not undertake another presidential campaign, according to the Wall Street Journal.

People familiar with Emhoff’s thinking nevertheless believe he would support Harris if she ultimately decided to seek the nomination.

The reluctance extends to some of the major Democratic contributors who helped finance her 2024 campaign.

In May, the Los Angeles Times contacted more than two dozen prominent donors to the largest super PAC supporting Harris during the previous presidential election. Many had contributed at least $1 million, but the newspaper found limited enthusiasm for another Harris candidacy.

One major contributor was particularly explicit about the prospect of supporting her again.

“I think it is too early to pick a favorite in the 2028 race, but Kamala Harris will not be my candidate,” the donor said.

Harris nonetheless remains a prominent figure in Democratic presidential speculation. She has led numerous hypothetical surveys of the party’s potential 2028 primary field and continues to enjoy substantial backing among Black Democratic voters.

Another frequently mentioned contender, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, has suggested that Harris’s decision could influence his own plans.

During a September interview with CNN, Newsom indicated that he would not enter the presidential contest if Harris decided to run, arguing that a primary featuring two major candidates from California would be a “gift from God for everybody else.”

Newsom’s remarks highlighted the potential complications facing Democrats as several nationally recognized figures consider competing for the nomination.

Harris’s possible return to presidential politics would follow an unusual 2024 election cycle in which she became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, without having to compete in a traditional open presidential primary.

She subsequently lost both the national popular vote and the Electoral College to Trump, a defeat that has fueled debate within Democratic circles about whether she should receive another opportunity to lead the party’s presidential ticket.

Harris first publicly raised the possibility of another campaign earlier this year. Speaking at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in April, she said she “might” seek the presidency again.

Additional reporting indicates that Harris’s challenge extends beyond donor skepticism. Some Democratic strategists and former supporters believe the party would be better served by a new generation of candidates, while others warn that pushing Harris aside could alienate Black women, a particularly important Democratic voting constituency.

The former vice president has also remained politically visible through appearances promoting her memoir, 107 Days, which recounts the compressed 2024 campaign that began after Biden abandoned his reelection effort. Her decision not to pursue the California governorship in 2026 has further encouraged speculation that she is preserving the option of another national campaign.

Meanwhile, other potential Democratic contenders, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, are attracting attention as party officials and financial backers begin looking toward the next presidential election.

{Matzav.com}

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has launched a sharp attack on rival autonomous vehicle company Waymo, accusing its driverless taxis of repeatedly running over pets while claiming that Tesla has developed technology capable of detecting even difficult-to-see animals on the road.

Speaking during a Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley livestream on Saturday, Musk discussed the company’s preparations to introduce robotaxi services in additional American cities and highlighted what he described as important safety improvements to Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.

“Maybe what a lot of people don’t know is that Waymos are like pet destroyers,” Musk said. “Maybe Waymo has made some improvements on that front, but they do run over a lot of pets, and we don’t want to run over the pets.”

Musk said one particularly challenging situation for autonomous vehicles involves spotting small animals whose coloring closely resembles the road surface. He cited the example of gray kittens on gray pavement, especially after dark or in conditions where visibility is poor.

“So that we actually did solve that, by the way,” he said, explaining that Tesla’s approach involves developing a software improvement, evaluating its performance, and subsequently deploying it to vehicles.

The Tesla chief did not disclose when the animal-detection improvement would become available, nor did he release testing results establishing how effectively the system identifies pets or prevents collisions.

Musk’s criticism comes nearly a year after a widely publicized incident in San Francisco in which a Waymo driverless taxi struck and killed a neighborhood cat named KitKat.

The animal, a familiar presence at Randa’s Market, was killed in October 2025, prompting anger among local residents and renewed scrutiny of the ability of autonomous vehicles to recognize and respond to animals near moving traffic.

The market’s owner said the cat had been struck by a Waymo vehicle. Waymo subsequently explained that the animal had moved beneath the vehicle as it began driving away after stopping to collect passengers.

The company expressed condolences to the cat’s owner and members of the neighborhood, and announced plans to make a charitable contribution to an animal welfare organization in KitKat’s memory.

The incident became a prominent example in the broader debate over the safety of driverless vehicles, particularly their ability to react to unpredictable movements by animals, pedestrians, and other road users.

Federal crash records indicate that both Waymo and Tesla have experienced collisions involving animals during autonomous vehicle operations.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data cited in published reporting, Waymo disclosed at least nine animal-related crashes between July 2025 and July 2026. Six of those incidents were categorized by the company as involving domestic animals.

Tesla also reported an animal collision during the same period involving a robotaxi operating with human supervision.

However, the reported figures do not establish which company’s technology is safer around animals. Waymo operates a substantially larger autonomous taxi fleet, while Tesla’s robotaxi operations during the period were more limited and concentrated primarily in Austin, Texas.

Federal regulators have also warned that variations in reporting practices, operating environments, fleet sizes, and vehicle deployment make direct comparisons between autonomous vehicle companies difficult.

The differing scale of the two companies’ operations is particularly relevant because a larger fleet traveling more miles would generally have more opportunities for collisions, even if its rate of accidents per mile were lower.

Musk’s comments therefore represent a criticism of Waymo’s performance rather than independently verified evidence that Tesla’s vehicles are better at avoiding animals.

The exchange comes as competition intensifies between the two companies for a leading position in the emerging robotaxi market.

Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has expanded its commercial driverless taxi operations into multiple American cities. Tesla, meanwhile, is pursuing a broader rollout of its own autonomous transportation service while continuing to refine the technology and operating procedures required for expansion.

During Saturday’s discussion, Musk said Tesla was taking precautions to identify intersections and roadway configurations that could pose unusual risks before introducing robotaxis into new markets.

“Before we go to a new city, we want to make sure that there’s not some intersection that’s problematic or risky,” he said. “We want to be particularly careful with railroad crossings.”

Musk explained that certain intersections can be confusing even for experienced human motorists, particularly when they are unfamiliar with local traffic patterns or encounter unusual road designs.

Tesla’s strategy, he indicated, is to identify those potentially troublesome locations in advance and ensure that its autonomous vehicles can handle them safely. Where necessary, the company may initially direct robotaxis away from particular intersections until it is satisfied with their performance.

The safety debate has taken on added significance as Tesla faces fresh federal scrutiny of its own robotaxi operations. On Monday, reports emerged that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was reviewing allegations that Tesla autonomous vehicles had exceeded speed limits in active school zones. The preliminary review concerns approximately 1,000 vehicles and has not established that a safety defect exists.

Waymo has also faced regulatory investigations and criticism over its vehicles’ behavior around school buses, construction areas, and other challenging road conditions.

{Matzav.com}

Buying Jewish & Pas Palter

In the fourth installment of the Let’s Talk Kashrus Q&A series featuring Rav Shmuel Fuerst, Dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois, R’ Yitzchok Hisiger presents a new set of practical shailos about supporting Jewish-owned businesses. How far should a person go to patronize a Yid when a non-Jewish store offers lower prices or greater convenience? Rav Fuerst discusses the balance between supporting fellow Yidden and the realities of price, convenience, and pas palter, including when it is permissible to purchase non-Jewish baked goods. The discussion concludes with a fascinating shailah about working as a salesman for a company that sells non-kosher products.

WATCH:

View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/l-t-k-q-a-mind-your-own-business

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https://www.kosher.com/shows/lets-talk-kashrus-73

CLICK HERE to watch more episodes of Let’s Talk Kashrus

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Transcription

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Let’s Talk Kashrus, presented by the Kashrus Awareness Project in conjunction with the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Today, I am joined by Rav Shmuel Fuerst, dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois. Thank you, Rav Fuerst, for being here. So, we have more shailos that came in, and I’d like to present them to the rav. 

Today’s topic is the chiyuv of buying from a Yid. We know there’s a a mitzvah vehechzakta of buying from Yidden, supporting Yidden, patronizing frum businesses, and the question is where convenience plays a role in supporting a frum Yid. Sometimes, it’s more convenient to buy from a anon-Jewish proprietor. So, how far does a person have to go before it’s considered a tircha when buying from a Yid? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: First of all, in Shulchan Aruch, it’s not mentioned a word. 

It’s not mentioned. It’s only a Sifri that it’s mentioned in parshas Behar, that a person should try to to solicit to go to buy from a from a Jewish from a Jewish person, Jewish owner. The question is, and another thing is, how far does it go? Since it’s not mentioned in Shulchan Aruch, there’s a Teshuvos Rema. There are other poskim that discuss this, and they say like this: this is the consensus. 

I mean, it’s a big machlokes, but ledina, we hold like the Teshuvos Rema, that if it’s a davar mu’at, then you if it’s a davar mu’at, then you as long as still the one, you should patronize a Yid and not a goy. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Meaning davar mu’at meaning? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: So so what’s a davar mu’at is hard to say. Depends on each person. I asked this once Reb Reb Elyashivand and Reb Yisroel Yaakov Fisher, they both said It depends on each person what a davar mu’at is. 

A thousand dollars could be a lot of money for some people. Someone else, a thousand dollars is a lot of money. Sometimes, the difference of price could be a hundred thousand dollars going to two people. Depends on what whatyou’re looking to buy. 

So so davar mu’at depends on the person. So, if it’s a davarmu’at, then you should patronize the Yid. It’s not a davar mu’ator not. Sometimes, you go shopping for Shabbos you go shopping in let’s say in Walmart, you go shopping, sometimes you buy a whole cart full of things, and it’s a lot cheaper in Walmart than you go buy by a Yiddishe store on 13th Avenue. 

It’s a lot cheaper. So, sometimes it accumulates and it adds to a lot of money. But if it doesn’t add to a lot of money, it’s only davar mu’at, then lechatchilah, you should buy by a Yid. You should patronize a Yid. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: So, if it’s only a small If the difference in price is only a small amount, you should definitely go to a Yid. And you’re And the rav is saying that as far as what is considered a small or big amount depends on the person. But how about where the price is the same, but it’s a question of tircha? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Depends what the tircha is. Is it two minutes? Is it a half hour? Depends what the tircha is. 

If it’s down the block, and so on. And also, the other poskimsay, if it’s only a small thing you’re buying, let’s say you want to buy a Pepsi, you want to buy a Coke, you want to buy something, and there’s 7-Eleven down the block, and you go to Jewish store, it’s two blocks away, you just want to buy a small thing, then zicher you can buy even by the goy then also. It’s only when you go buy a lot of stuff, you go shopping for Shabbos, you go shopping for the whole family, and so on, then it accumulates a lot of money. If it’s really a small amount and it’s a one-time thing, then, for sure, you can go to the goy. 

That’s how some of the poskim say. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Right. This question of buying from Yidden versus goyim is definitely very prevalent nowadays because it’s become so common for people to buy items online from from non-Jewish vendors. It’s a lot more convenient, yeah. 

is a lot more convenient, and for some people, they’re buying, except for their basic groceries, they’re literally buying everything that they need from online. So is that is that Can one buy Can one just buy all their items from from an online vendor if that’s more convenient? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Yeah, sure. That’s called a tircha. That’s considered a tircha. 

If you can buy it online and it’s all shipped to you, and then you have to go out and spend a half hour, an hour out there shopping, considered a tircha. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Right. One more question that comes up when buying from from Jewish stores versus non-Jewish stores is benogeia pas palter. There are many items of pas palter category that either are much cheaper when you buy it from from ShopRite or Walmart or stores like that, from non-Jewish companies, and they may be cheaper, they may be Taste better. 

taste better, they may have items that don’t exist in a bishulYisroel form. 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: And also, it could be different hours. A Jewish store is open from 9:00 to 5:00 or 9:00 to 6:00, and they’re open 24 24 hours a day. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: 24 hours a day, right, right, right. 

It’s convenient. So, what guidance could the rav give as far as pas palter? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Pas palter, if it if the goyishe food tastes better, and tastes better and it’s cheaper and so on, then Shulchan Aruch says clearly then it’s okay. You’re allowed to buy pas palter. Not just Stella D’oro cookies. 

Right, no. Any type of cookie, right, yeah. But if they’re a lot cheaper, then You’re allowed you’re allowed to buy Stella D’oro if it tastes better. A lot of times, like people say it tastes better, and it’s fresher. 

Sometimes you buy in a Yiddishe store, it could be sitting out there for for a couple of days, and this one every day they have a large overturn. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Is there a makom l’hachmir that people should not, or?

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: It’s a nice thing to be it’s a nice thing to be machmir, but b’din it’s mutar. It’s a nice thing to be machmir. It’s also you should support, vehechzakta bo. 

You should give if everyone goes on Amazon, they Won’t have parnassah. Won’t have parnassa , vehechzakta bo. You should buy you should buy from Jewish business. Right. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: One final question in this category of ofpatronizing non-Jewish companies or businesses: can one be a salesman for a non-Jewish company? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: In other words, the shaileh is like this. There’s issur sechar devarim assurim. You’re not allowed to do business with with treif stuff. So to own treif stuff and to sell it, that’s assur. 

It’s clear in Shulchan Aruch, according to rov poskim, it’s issurd’Oraisa, except in the noda beyehuda who holds it is d’Rabbanan, according to all poskim also it’s issur d’Oraisa. To do sechar devarim assurim, on things which are assurd’Oraisa. So the question is, can you be a can you be a salesman? In other words, you don’t own the you don’t own the food, but you’re selling the food and so on. So the DarkeiTeshuvah brings down a machlokes Beis Shlomo and the ShoelU’meishiv, if it’s mutar or assur. 

Beis Shlomo assers and the Shoel U’meishiv is meikel. I asked this Reb Moshe many years ago, cuz it was nogeia a shaileh I had, and Reb Moshe says, “Men zol zein somech an di meikilim.” That’s how he answered me. So he’s meikel. As long as you don’t own it, you could do sechora with it and so on. 

The issur sechora is when you own it; if you don’t own it, there’s no issur sechora.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Okay. Thank you so much.

NATO’s highest-ranking military commander delivered a forceful warning to Russia on Monday, declaring that the 32-member alliance is prepared to dismantle an enemy’s military capabilities and strike the entire network supporting its forces if any NATO country comes under attack.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who serves as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, outlined the alliance’s plans during an appearance at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland. His remarks came as tensions between Moscow and Western governments continued to intensify over Russian military activity near NATO borders, suspected sabotage operations, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us,” Grynkewich declared.

“This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force,” he said during a discussion titled “Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?”

The American general described NATO’s military doctrine as a three-stage approach centered on “blocking, blunting and breaking” an attacking force. He emphasized that the alliance’s defensive mission does not mean it would limit its response to simply repelling enemy troops from its territory.

“If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight,” he said. “We will stop the attack and deny them the ability to achieve their objectives, whatever those might be. We will, in short, ensure any attack, against any ally, proves utterly futile.”

The unusually direct language reflected growing concern among European leaders about Russia’s activities along NATO’s eastern frontier. Western governments have reported repeated incidents involving drones entering allied airspace, suspected attacks on infrastructure, cyber operations, and other forms of hostile activity that they attribute to Moscow.

Grynkewich said the alliance had strengthened its coordination and military capabilities as members sought to prepare for potential threats.

“We stand here together in Poland today stronger than ever united in our common vision of a more balanced, more ready and more lethal alliance,” he said.

European security officials have increasingly accused Russia of pursuing a campaign of hybrid warfare designed to destabilize NATO countries without necessarily triggering a conventional military confrontation. The allegations include sabotage, deliberately set fires, cyberattacks, and military provocations near sensitive borders.

The concerns intensified in 2025 when several Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during a major Russian attack against Ukraine. Polish fighter aircraft and allied military assets were mobilized in response, underscoring the possibility that the conflict in Ukraine could spill into NATO territory.

The alliance subsequently established Operation Eastern Sentry to bolster surveillance, air defenses, and military readiness across its eastern member states.

Romania has also reported incidents involving Russian drones entering its airspace, while Estonia has accused Russian military aircraft of unauthorized flights over its territory. The repeated episodes have increased pressure on NATO governments to demonstrate that their borders will be defended.

Grynkewich’s comments followed another weekend of Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy installations, even as diplomatic efforts continued to seek an end to the fighting.

President Donald Trump recently announced that he had reached an arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to American and international markets. The reported understanding included relief from certain U.S. restrictions on Russian energy exports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, accused Moscow of continuing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite diplomatic initiatives aimed at reducing hostilities. The continuing strikes have raised questions about whether the negotiations can produce a broader ceasefire.

The dispute has also been accompanied by increasingly explicit warnings from Russia concerning the heavily fortified Kaliningrad region, a Russian exclave situated on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania.

On September 30, Moscow warned that attempts by NATO to cut off or isolate Kaliningrad could provoke a military response involving nuclear weapons.

In a diplomatic communication obtained by Reuters, Russian officials accused the alliance of following a “dangerous and reckless course” that created “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict.”

The Russian warning indicated that Moscow could employ its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend the territory. It also raised the possibility of attacks against military and political command centers inside NATO countries at the beginning of a confrontation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte dismissed Moscow’s threats and maintained that the alliance was sufficiently powerful to deter Russian aggression.

“Putin knows that he can never win from NATO,” Rutte said during a September 30 appearance at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, has repeatedly denied having plans to attack European countries and has maintained that Moscow seeks peaceful relations with neighboring states.

Although Grynkewich avoided explicitly naming Russia during his address in Warsaw, the context of his remarks left little doubt about the country at the center of NATO’s security concerns. The alliance’s 2022 Strategic Concept identifies Russia as the most serious and immediate threat to the security of its members.

“My theory of victory is simple: we will block the initial attack. If the attack persists, we will blunt it and prevent enemy advance,” Grynkewich explained.

“And if required, we will break the enemy’s forces and the operational warfighting system that is arrayed against us.”

The general said NATO was already working to translate that doctrine into operational capabilities through military exercises, increased readiness, and investments in advanced weapons systems and other defense technologies.

“If attacked, we are ready to fight tonight, but we are not complacent,” he said.

Under the strategy he described, NATO could target command-and-control networks, logistical infrastructure, supply operations, and other military assets supporting an enemy offensive, rather than restricting its response to the units directly participating in an attack.

The remarks also came amid continued debate over the United States’ commitment to European security and the financial burden of maintaining NATO’s military strength.

President Trump has repeatedly urged European governments to assume greater responsibility for their defense expenditures, arguing that American taxpayers should not be expected to shoulder a disproportionate share of the alliance’s costs.

At NATO’s 2025 summit in The Hague, member countries agreed to work toward defense and security-related spending equivalent to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035. The commitment included at least 3.5% for core military requirements and an additional 1.5% for related security investments, including critical infrastructure protection.

Grynkewich sought to reassure European allies about Washington’s commitment, recalling Trump’s positive reception of the alliance during that gathering.

“I was in the room and I felt the love,” he said, referring to the summit.

“What I want to do is assure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we’ve got this. We know what we need to do. We know how we would do it,” the general added.

Grynkewich also addressed concerns about Russia’s suspected unconventional operations against European countries, indicating that he would be willing to discuss particular incidents publicly if the governments involved requested his involvement.

“If a nation wants me to, I’m happy to talk about it,” he said.

The general’s presentation was intended to demonstrate that NATO’s preparations extend beyond statements of solidarity and include concrete military planning for a possible confrontation.

He also stressed that a conflict with Russia was neither inevitable nor imminent, and that maintaining strong defenses and clear communication with potential adversaries remained essential to preventing one.

The Warsaw Security Forum, held October 12 and 13, brought together senior military commanders, political leaders, diplomats, and security specialists to discuss the war in Ukraine, European defense capabilities, and the increasingly strained relationship between NATO and Moscow.

{Matzav.com}

Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C., residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday as part of an ongoing federal investigation, according to Justice Department officials, with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, confirming that authorities have been pursuing the matter for some time.

The search, conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, was carried out under a warrant authorized by a judge. Federal officials have not publicly disclosed the allegations being investigated or whether Omar herself is suspected of any criminal wrongdoing.

“Today in the Washington, DC, area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) official told Fox News Digital. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation.”

Reports of the investigation emerged Monday, with some accounts identifying the operation by the name “World War 11,” an apparent reference to an earlier verbal slip by Omar that attracted widespread attention. The significance of that reported designation, if any, has not been explained by federal authorities.

Homan, speaking to Fox News about the operation, indicated that the investigation had been underway well before Monday’s search became public. He said federal officials were aware that “this investigation was ongoing for a while.”

“There was a warrant executed this morning, so I’ll leave it at that,” Homan said. “The specifics of the investigation, I think I need to turn that over to [Attorney General] Todd Blanche or [DHS Secretary] Markwayne Mullin.”

The involvement of Homeland Security Investigations has prompted speculation that the inquiry could concern immigration-related matters, although officials have not confirmed its subject or scope. The agency also investigates a broad range of federal offenses, and its participation alone does not establish the nature of the allegations.

Omar responded to the search by accusing the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to punish political opponents. The Minnesota Democrat, a frequent critic of the president and his immigration policies, portrayed the operation as another episode in what she described as a yearslong campaign against her.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar said. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”

Multiple reports have since provided additional information about the investigation, indicating that federal authorities are examining immigration documents prepared by Omar’s late father when she entered the United States as a child. Investigators are reportedly looking into possible false statements and immigration fraud, although no criminal charges against Omar have been announced.

Sources familiar with the investigation said Homeland Security Investigations is directing the inquiry, with assistance from the Justice Department. Attorney General Todd Blanche was reportedly aware of the search, and federal officials consulted the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.

The investigation was not entirely unknown before Monday. Homan had publicly acknowledged an active criminal inquiry involving Omar in September, although he did not disclose its details at the time. Omar previously said she had not been contacted by federal investigators about such a probe.

President Trump, asked about the search, denied personally directing the operation.

“I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” Trump told reporters.

Omar’s office maintained that the congresswoman had “done nothing wrong” and accused federal authorities of an “outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”

The search also triggered condemnation from senior House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of the party’s leadership, who questioned the administration’s decision to carry out the operation just weeks before the November congressional elections.

The timing has become a central point of controversy because Omar is seeking another term in Congress, with Election Day scheduled for November 3. Democratic officials argue that the search raises serious questions about political interference, while the administration maintains that federal law enforcement is pursuing an authorized criminal investigation.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized American citizen in 2000, has repeatedly rejected allegations of immigration-related wrongdoing. Federal authorities have not publicly presented evidence establishing that she committed fraud, and the execution of a search warrant does not itself constitute a criminal charge.

{Matzav.com}

Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen threatened Monday to launch retaliatory attacks against American targets throughout the Middle East if President Donald Trump orders U.S. forces to participate in Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the group. The warning followed a deadly Houthi assault on Riyadh’s international airport that left at least 13 people dead and hundreds injured.

Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a senior member of the Houthis’ political bureau, warned that American intervention would trigger immediate retaliation against U.S. personnel and facilities across the region.

“If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,” Bukhaiti told AFP.

The Houthi official also issued an explicit threat against Saudi Arabia’s energy and transportation infrastructure, urging civilians employed at sensitive installations to evacuate.

He warned “all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets”.

The statements came amid mounting tensions following the Houthis’ attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, where at least 13 people were reportedly killed and hundreds more wounded. The assault has intensified fears of further strikes against civilian aviation facilities and other critical infrastructure throughout Saudi Arabia.

President Trump strongly criticized the airport attack during remarks to reporters at the White House on Monday, making clear that he regarded the Houthis’ actions as unacceptable.

“The Houthis are misbehaving very badly. They’re misbehaving very badly. No good,” Trump said.

The president also described the deadly strike on the Saudi airport as “not acceptable,” and confirmed that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom considered its response to the attack.

The confrontation showed signs of further escalation Monday night, when additional explosions were heard over Riyadh. The Saudi-led military coalition reported that its air defenses had intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis, while the terrorist organization asserted that it had carried out another operation targeting the capital’s airport.

Bukhaiti made clear that the Houthis intended their attacks to demonstrate that Saudi Arabia’s leadership could no longer expect to remain insulated from the consequences of military operations against Yemen.

The Houthi official said the strikes were meant to send Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a message “that he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position.”

The escalating violence has also prompted Saudi authorities to investigate how the country’s air defense network failed to stop the earlier attack on King Khalid International Airport. Preliminary findings indicate that the Houthis launched drones ahead of cruise and ballistic missiles, apparently seeking to overwhelm or confuse Saudi defenses.

The airport remained closed Monday, with authorities extending the suspension of operations until at least October 17. Thousands of flights have been disrupted, while American officials have urged U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution at Saudi airports.

The attacks have also unsettled international energy markets and complicated major business gatherings in Riyadh, including conferences intended to attract foreign investment. Oil prices rose amid renewed concerns that the fighting could threaten regional energy infrastructure and transportation routes.

Saudi Arabia has indicated that it intends to respond forcefully to the continuing attacks. Trump, meanwhile, has been weighing possible American military involvement, although he has not publicly committed U.S. forces to the Saudi campaign.

{Matzav.com}

The family of a Vizhnitzer chossid from Bnei Brak who is serving in the Israeli military has leveled disturbing allegations against the IDF, claiming that he is being subjected to harsh and degrading conditions at a military detention facility, including deprivation of food and drinking water and restrictions on his ability to daven.

The allegations concern a chareidi soldier who was imprisoned after leaving Israel without receiving authorization from his military unit.

According to sources, the soldier was subjected to disciplinary proceedings within his unit after military authorities determined that he had traveled overseas without the necessary permission. He was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment and transferred to the Anatot military detention facility near Yerushalayim.

His relatives are now raising serious concerns about his treatment while in military custody, describing conditions they say are entirely unacceptable for a soldier serving in the IDF.

Family members allege that the young man has been confined to a cell while handcuffed and has been deprived of basic necessities, including meals and drinking water.

They further claim that he has been forced to sleep directly on the floor rather than being provided with appropriate sleeping accommodations.

According to the family’s account, the detention cells are also infested with insects and other pests, adding to what they describe as intolerable conditions.

Perhaps most troubling from a religious standpoint is the family’s allegation that military prison commanders have prevented the chossid from davening.

The reported restrictions on tefillah have raised particular concern given that the detainee is himself a religious soldier serving in the military.

The allegations come amid continuing debate in Israel over the treatment and religious accommodations of chareidi soldiers. The IDF has been working to expand enlistment opportunities for the chareidi population while introducing measures intended to accommodate religious requirements, including enhanced kashrus arrangements and other provisions for observant servicemen.

In September, the military announced changes designed to improve access to food meeting stricter kashrus standards at military bases, as part of a broader effort to address the needs of chareidi soldiers.

The IDF’s published religious guidelines also provide for religious observance within military facilities, including the establishment of shuls at installations where a minyan is available and arrangements for soldiers to observe Shabbos and Yom Tov.

The family’s account of the soldier’s treatment, particularly the allegation that he has been prevented from davening, raises questions about whether those religious protections are being observed at the detention facility.

The soldier’s identity, the length of his sentence and the duration of the alleged mistreatment have not been publicly disclosed.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office has not issued an official response to the family’s accusations.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Ilhan Omar, describing the Minnesota Democrat as “totally crooked” following reports that federal investigators had searched her Washington, D.C., residence. Trump insisted that he played no role in the operation, maintaining that the investigation was being handled independently by the Justice Department.

The president’s comments marked his first public response to the reported search, which Omar has denounced as an effort by the administration to intimidate its political adversaries.

Trump also characterized the congresswoman as “a terrible person” and “just a complainer,” taking aim at her criticism of the United States and its Constitution despite having immigrated from Somalia.

According to the report, agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrived at Omar’s Washington home early Monday and conducted a search pursuant to a warrant issued by a court.

The Justice Department reportedly confirmed that the operation was connected to an active federal criminal investigation, although officials did not disclose the allegations being examined or the evidence that prompted investigators to seek the warrant.

Omar responded by accusing the Trump administration of turning federal investigative agencies into instruments of political retaliation, arguing that the incident represented another chapter in the president’s longstanding confrontation with her.

“Make no mistake: This is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar wrote Monday on X.

“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” she added. “This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”

The congresswoman concluded her statement with a defiant declaration: “I will not be silenced.”

Her congressional office issued a separate denunciation, calling the reported search an “outrageous abuse of power” and an “unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”

“For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back,” her office said, while maintaining that the congresswoman had engaged in no wrongdoing.

The confrontation follows years of public disputes between Trump and Omar over her immigration background, financial disclosures, and political positions.

One recurring controversy concerns allegations that Omar married her brother in connection with an effort to obtain immigration benefits. Trump has repeatedly cited the accusation, which Omar has denied and which has not been publicly substantiated.

The president has also questioned the congresswoman’s finances, particularly after a disclosure form appeared to indicate that she held assets valued at between $30 million and $36 million. Omar’s office attributed those figures to an accounting mistake, and an amended filing subsequently listed considerably smaller amounts.

Trump has frequently criticized Omar’s Somali origins and suggested that she should leave the United States. Omar was born in Somalia, later immigrated to America, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, Omar has been among his most outspoken congressional opponents, regularly challenging his administration’s immigration policies and positions on international affairs.

The reported law enforcement action comes as the country approaches the November 3 midterm elections, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Democrats have raised concerns about the political implications of a federal investigation involving a prominent opposition lawmaker so close to Election Day.

Although a search warrant requires judicial authorization and permits investigators to examine designated premises for specified evidence, its issuance does not constitute proof of criminal conduct.

Additional reporting indicates that investigators are examining immigration documents submitted by Omar’s late father when she was a child. The inquiry’s precise scope remains undisclosed, and no criminal charges against Omar have been announced.

The investigation had been publicly discussed before Monday’s search. Border czar Tom Homan confirmed in September that federal authorities were examining allegations involving the congresswoman, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin subsequently referred to an ongoing investigation concerning her immigration records.

Vice President JD Vance has also previously raised allegations of immigration fraud involving Omar, which she has consistently rejected.

Senior House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, joined the criticism of Monday’s operation, questioning the timing and accusing the administration of improperly using federal law enforcement against political opponents.

The Justice Department has not announced any charges, and Omar continues to deny wrongdoing.

{Matzav.com}

Yonatan Urich, a senior adviser and longtime confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, turned to ChatGPT for help developing a public relations strategy to improve Qatar’s reputation in Israel and internationally, according to interrogation records disclosed Monday evening. The revelations have added another dimension to the ongoing Qatargate investigation, although Urich insists that he never acted on the artificial intelligence-generated material.

The exchanges, reported by Channel 12 News, show that Urich submitted multiple requests to ChatGPT in September 2024, while Israel was engaged in its war against Hamas. The requests sought proposals for changing public attitudes toward Qatar, which has maintained close ties with Hamas and hosted senior figures of the terrorist organization.

Investigators examining Urich’s activities questioned him about the ChatGPT conversations, presenting them as evidence of his interest in developing messaging that would portray Qatar and its leadership more favorably to audiences in Israel and abroad.

“The investigative material reveals your intentions and actions, including your requests to ChatGPT, which you used several times to ask it to develop a ‘strategic plan to change global perceptions’ regarding Qatar,” the investigator said.

The questioning also addressed a separate request in which Urich allegedly sought recommendations for promoting Qatar’s senior leadership and influencing several specific audiences whose attitudes toward the Gulf state were considered particularly important.

“You requested additional ideas to improve the image of Qatar’s prime minister and emir, as well as three key messages targeting Israeli citizens, Jewish communities around the world, and opinion leaders in the United States, which could help whitewash Qatar and improve its image,” the investigator quoted from the request.

The material indicates that the proposed messaging was intended to reach audiences with considerable influence over Qatar’s international standing, including Israelis, Jewish communities outside Israel, and prominent American opinion leaders.

When confronted with the exchanges, Urich told investigators that he could not recall the details of the questions he had submitted. He also denied carrying out activities intended to advance Qatar’s interests or improve its public image in Israel.

Following the television report, Urich acknowledged that he had made the ChatGPT inquiries but rejected the suggestion that the conversations established any wrongdoing. He maintained that the requests had never resulted in an actual public relations campaign or other activity on Qatar’s behalf.

“Everything that was published has been in the possession of numerous journalists for a long time, and they spoke with me about it. But none of them saw fit to report on my ChatGPT queries because I did nothing with them, as was also established during the investigation,” he wrote.

The disclosure comes against the backdrop of the Qatargate affair, an investigation into allegations that individuals connected to Netanyahu’s circle engaged in activities intended to advance Qatar’s interests while maintaining close relationships with the Israeli prime minister’s office.

The affair has generated considerable controversy because of Qatar’s complicated role in the region. The Gulf state has served as a major intermediary in negotiations involving Israel and Hamas, including discussions over hostages and ceasefire arrangements, while simultaneously maintaining longstanding relationships with senior Hamas officials.

The possibility that individuals operating close to Israel’s political leadership may have been involved in efforts to improve Qatar’s standing has therefore become a subject of intense scrutiny.

Urich, who has been involved in Netanyahu’s political communications and public relations operations for years, was arrested in 2025 as investigators examined several allegations involving his activities.

Those investigations included suspicions connected to the Qatargate affair as well as a separate case concerning the alleged transfer of sensitive Israeli security information to the German newspaper Bild.

In June 2026, prosecutors filed an indictment against Urich in connection with the classified-information affair. The charges included transmitting classified information with intent to harm state security, unlawfully transmitting and possessing classified material, and destroying evidence.

The indictment concerns allegations that sensitive security information was improperly obtained and transferred outside authorized channels. The proceedings remain separate from the question of whether Urich’s ChatGPT requests resulted in any activity benefiting Qatar.

The latest disclosures have also prompted sharp reactions from opposition politicians, who argue that the reported conversations warrant further examination of the relationships between Netanyahu’s advisers and Qatari interests.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot accused individuals within the Prime Minister’s Office of acting on Qatar’s behalf, while Avigdor Lieberman called for a broader investigation into the conduct of officials connected to the affair. Their accusations have intensified the political controversy surrounding the investigation, although Urich continues to deny wrongdoing.

Additional reporting has raised questions about Urich’s knowledge of public relations activities involving Eli Feldstein and Yisrael Einhorn, two other figures whose names have surfaced in connection with the Qatargate investigation. Urich has previously maintained that his professional work for Qatar was connected to the 2022 World Cup, when Netanyahu was serving as opposition leader.

The newly reported ChatGPT conversations do not, by themselves, establish that Urich implemented any of the proposed messaging, received compensation for the requests, or conducted an actual campaign based on the chatbot’s responses. The full exchanges and the responses generated by ChatGPT have not been publicly released.

Urich’s position remains that the inquiries were never translated into action, while investigators have sought to determine whether they were connected to the broader allegations concerning efforts to influence Israeli public opinion on Qatar’s behalf.

{Matzav.com}

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Elazar Yair Vilansky z”l, a ninth-grade student at the ORT Maalot Yeshiva High School, has been identified as the teenager killed Monday when unexploded ammunition believed to have been fired by Hezbollah detonated during a school trip in northern Israel. Twenty-four other people were injured in the tragedy, several of them seriously.

The identification of the young victim was released Tuesday morning, as his family and the Maalot-Tarshiha community mourned the devastating loss. Elazar Yair, the youngest of five children, is survived by his parents, three sisters and a brother.

In a statement following his death, his family described him as “a child who loved life, intelligent and wise, full of joy, a good and beloved friend, whose entire future was still ahead of him.”

The explosion occurred Monday afternoon in the Ramim Ridge area of the Upper Galilee, near Mitzpe Pe’er and the Lebanese border, where students and teachers from the yeshiva high school were participating in their annual outing.

According to preliminary findings, one of the students apparently discovered an unexploded piece of ammunition along the hiking route. Investigators are examining reports that the object was picked up and possibly placed inside a student’s bag before it detonated while the group was gathered together.

The IDF initially assessed that the explosive was a cluster munition left behind by Hezbollah during its attacks on northern Israel. However, investigators are continuing to examine the precise circumstances, including the origin of the ammunition and how it remained in an area accessible to hikers.

The blast sent shrapnel into students and accompanying adults, triggering a large emergency response involving Magen David Adom personnel, police, soldiers and rescue helicopters. Medical teams arriving at the scene found numerous casualties scattered along the trail.

Resuscitation efforts were undertaken on Vilansky, who had sustained critical injuries, but emergency personnel were ultimately forced to pronounce his death at the scene.

The injured were evacuated to hospitals in Haifa, Tzefas and Nahariya. According to a Tuesday morning update, four of the 24 injured were listed in serious condition, seven in moderate condition and 13 in light condition.

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa reported that a 61-year-old teacher who was seriously injured underwent surgery overnight and remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Another student, who sustained a shrapnel wound to his neck, was conscious and in stable condition while receiving treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit. Two additional students were hospitalized with lighter shrapnel injuries.

Accounts from the scene described terrifying moments as students attempted to understand what had happened and assist their injured classmates.

One parent said the students had gathered to daven Mincha when the explosion occurred, placing a large number of children in close proximity to the blast.

Another father described receiving a telephone call from his injured son, who had suffered wounds to his leg and neck. Family members instructed the boy over the phone on how to apply a tourniquet while emergency personnel were being dispatched to the scene.

The difficult terrain and limited cellular reception complicated rescue efforts, as emergency crews worked to locate and evacuate the injured.

The tragedy has raised urgent questions about the safety of hiking routes in northern Israel, particularly areas that sustained extensive rocket and missile fire during the prolonged fighting with Hezbollah.

Although the school outing had reportedly received the required approvals, authorities are examining whether the route had been adequately inspected for unexploded ammunition and whether all necessary security procedures were followed.

Israeli police and military officials have launched investigations into the incident. Police Commissioner Daniel Levy indicated that authorities would consider temporarily restricting school outings in affected areas while safety concerns are reviewed.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited injured students at Rambam Medical Center together with Education Minister Yoav Kisch. Netanyahu also instructed the Home Front Command to reinforce public warnings against touching suspicious objects and to intensify efforts to identify unexploded ammunition in areas previously subjected to enemy fire.

The Maalot-Tarshiha municipality expressed its condolences to the Vilansky family and announced that municipal welfare personnel and educational psychologists were providing assistance to the affected families, students and school staff.

The incident has renewed concern about the dangers posed by unexploded Hezbollah munitions, which can remain concealed in open areas long after the fighting has ended. Even previously inspected hiking routes may contain hazardous remnants of rockets, missiles or cluster munitions.

Authorities have emphasized that anyone encountering a suspicious object must avoid touching or moving it, leave the immediate area and notify police.

Funeral arrangements for Elazar Yair Vilansky z”l had not yet been announced as of Tuesday morning.

{Matzav.com}

A startling new study involving more than 1,200 participants has found that relying on artificial intelligence for as little as 10 minutes can significantly undermine a person’s willingness to persevere through difficult tasks, raising serious concerns about the growing dependence on ChatGPT and similar technology in schools, workplaces, and everyday life.

The research, conducted by scientists affiliated with several leading universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Oxford University, and UCLA, found that people who initially received assistance from AI performed considerably worse when that assistance was suddenly removed. They were also substantially more likely to abandon difficult problems rather than continue trying to solve them.

The findings, published in a peer-reviewed paper titled “AI Assistance Reduces Persistence and Hurts Independent Performance,” were presented last week at the Conference on Language Modeling. The research has attracted considerable attention because it suggests that even brief interactions with artificial intelligence can change how people approach intellectual challenges.

The researchers conducted three randomized controlled experiments involving a combined 1,222 participants, examining how access to AI affected mathematical reasoning, reading comprehension, accuracy, and the willingness to continue working when answers were not immediately available.

In the first experiment, 354 participants were asked to complete a series of 15 basic fraction problems. Some were required to work independently, while others were permitted to use ChatGPT to assist them, including requesting direct answers.

Initially, the participants using ChatGPT enjoyed a clear advantage. With the AI system available, they solved problems more accurately than those who had to work through the calculations themselves.

However, the results changed dramatically when researchers removed access to ChatGPT after the twelfth question.

Participants who had depended on AI experienced a sharp decline in their ability to solve the remaining problems correctly. Many began skipping questions altogether, while those who had been working independently maintained their performance and were more likely to continue attempting the problems.

The researchers repeated the experiment with a larger group of 667 participants and observed essentially the same pattern. Those accustomed to receiving immediate assistance from ChatGPT struggled once they were required to work alone, while participants who had never been given AI assistance demonstrated greater persistence and ultimately achieved better results toward the end of the exercise.

A third experiment involving 201 participants examined reading comprehension using material modeled on the SAT college admissions examination.

Once again, the researchers found that participants who initially had access to AI were more likely to struggle or give up after the technology was withdrawn. The decline was evident in both their accuracy and their willingness to continue attempting difficult questions.

The results were particularly striking because the participants had used AI for only a short period, approximately 10 minutes, before experiencing the decline in independent performance.

Brian Christian, a research fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Human-Compatible AI and one of the study’s authors, said the findings provide experimental evidence for concerns that many people have already begun expressing about the effects of artificial intelligence on human thinking.

“It’s a striking finding, but in a way it supplies ammunition for a story that a lot of us kind of feel in our gut,” Christian said. “I experience it too.”

Christian, who has spent approximately two decades studying artificial intelligence and its implications for society, acknowledged that he is enthusiastic about the technology’s extraordinary potential. Nevertheless, he has become increasingly concerned that depending too heavily on AI could weaken some of the intellectual habits that are essential to learning and discovery.

The researcher, who authored the 2020 book The Alignment Problem, said he continues to write in a physical notebook every day, partly as a way of preserving his own independent thinking and maintaining a direct connection to his work.

The study’s findings highlight a phenomenon the researchers describe as the loss of “productive struggle,” the mental effort required to work through challenging problems without immediately receiving an answer.

According to the researchers, struggling with difficult material is an essential part of developing intellectual abilities. When students or workers must grapple with unfamiliar information, experiment with different approaches, and overcome mistakes, they develop the skills and perseverance needed to handle future challenges.

Artificial intelligence can disrupt that process by providing immediate solutions, allowing users to bypass the very effort that would ordinarily strengthen their understanding.

The researchers suggested that repeated exposure to instant answers may condition people to expect problems to be resolved quickly. When an answer is no longer immediately available, the task may feel unusually frustrating or inefficient, increasing the likelihood that the person will simply give up.

The implications extend well beyond elementary mathematics or standardized examinations.

Students increasingly use ChatGPT to complete homework assignments, explain complicated concepts, write essays, and prepare for examinations. Professionals rely on AI to draft reports, analyze information, develop computer programs, and conduct research. In many cases, the technology allows users to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently than they could independently.

However, the new research raises the possibility that some of those short-term productivity gains may come at the expense of the user’s ability to perform similar tasks without technological assistance.

Christian said the findings should prompt a reconsideration of how AI systems are designed to help people.

“We’ve built these systems to be helpful, but are they being helpful to us in a way that’s actually helping us?” Christian said. “We showed, ironically, that they are often helping us in ways that are kind of unhelpful.”

The researchers argue that today’s AI assistants are generally designed to satisfy immediate requests as efficiently as possible. When a user asks a question, the system typically attempts to deliver a complete answer, even when a more educational approach might involve encouraging the person to reason through the problem.

That approach differs substantially from the methods employed by effective teachers and mentors, who frequently guide students toward discovering answers themselves rather than simply providing solutions.

A teacher might offer hints, ask questions, or break a complicated problem into smaller steps, allowing the student to develop understanding through active participation.

By contrast, an AI chatbot that immediately supplies the finished answer can eliminate much of that learning process.

Christian suggested that artificial intelligence developers should consider creating systems that function more like tutors, encouraging users to develop their own skills rather than becoming increasingly dependent on the technology.

“We need to work toward a future in which human abilities are, as much as possible, augmented rather than supplanted,” he said.

The findings also have potentially significant consequences for scientific research, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to analyze large datasets, generate hypotheses, summarize academic literature, and accelerate discoveries.

Christian expressed concern that scientists who delegate too much intellectual work to AI could gradually lose the familiarity with their research material that often produces important insights.

He pointed to the possibility that research teams traditionally composed of numerous scientists working closely together could eventually be reduced to a handful of individuals relying heavily on AI systems.

While such arrangements might appear more efficient, they could also diminish the human collaboration, sustained attention, and deep engagement with information that frequently lead to scientific breakthroughs.

The study does not establish that 10 minutes of AI use causes permanent cognitive damage or a lasting reduction in intelligence. Rather, it demonstrates that brief exposure to AI assistance can produce an immediate, measurable decline in persistence and independent performance when that assistance is withdrawn. Whether those effects persist over longer periods remains an important question for further research.

The experiments also focused on specific academic-style tasks, meaning the results cannot automatically be applied to every form of AI use. Using artificial intelligence to check completed work, explain a concept, or provide guided instruction may have different effects from relying on it to supply answers throughout an assignment.

Nevertheless, the researchers believe their findings point to a fundamental challenge facing educators, employers, and technology companies as artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly routine part of daily life.

The study’s authors, Grace Liu, Brian Christian, Tsvetomira Dumbalska, Michiel A. Bakker, and Rachit Dubey, concluded that AI systems should be developed with greater emphasis on helping users build lasting competence and the ability to work independently, rather than merely maximizing immediate performance.

Christian warned that the consequences of excessive dependence on artificial intelligence could reach virtually every level of education and professional expertise, from young children beginning their academic careers to scientists working at the forefront of technological discovery.

“This is not a story about fractions and SAT problems,” Christian said. “This is something that is happening to human knowledge and human expertise from top to bottom and from grade-school students all the way to the leading experts in the world.”

{Matzav.com}

[VideoS below.] Lakewood, NJ – A large crowd gathered today at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, to kick off the tri-annual chavrusah tumult that takes place before each zeman – winter, spring, and at the beginning of Chodesh Elul.

Following chavrusah tumult, and chaburos and seats  will be finalized for the thousands of talmidim in the yeshiva. The yeshiva has appointed special memunim tasked with the responsibility of helping any talmid who requires a chavrusah or chaburah.

In various botei medrash, the yeshiva has chaburos devoted to covering virtually every area of Shas and poskim, offering many options for the yeshiva‘s talmidim to choose from.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}