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President Donald Trump’s latest comments on health-care affordability set off a sharp rebuttal from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who denounced Trump’s entire record during an appearance on MS NOW’s “All In.”

Before the exchange, host Chris Hayes introduced a clip from the White House Cabinet meeting, noting that since the topic of affordability had come up, he wanted Jeffries to address Trump’s view of the term itself.

During that meeting, Trump dismissed the concept outright, declaring, “This is a fake narrative that the Democrats talk about affordability. They just say the word. It doesn’t mean anything to anybody. It’s just say it. The word affordability is a scam.”

Hayes then circled back to Jeffries, saying he assumed the New York lawmaker took issue with Trump’s framing, and asked him to define what he means when he talks about affordability.

Jeffries did not hold back. “Well, listen, Donald Trump’s whole life is a scam. The Trump administration is a scam. And certainly, the so-called House Republican majority is a scam,” he said, launching into a critique of Republican promises. He added that GOP leaders pledged immediate cost relief, gave themselves a clear benchmark, and then failed to deliver. “These people promised that they were going to lower costs on day one, right? They provided the measuring stick. They made that promise to the American people. And of course, costs aren’t going down, costs are going up,” he said.

Pointing specifically to Trump’s trade policies, Jeffries argued that everyday families are now paying the price. “The Trump tariffs are creating a crisis in affordability, thousands of dollars in additional expense for everyday Americans in terms of goods and groceries,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump used a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to unleash a blistering critique of Somali migrants living in the United States, insisting that those who complain about America should return to their homeland instead of complaining about the country. “They come from —- and they complain and do nothing but [complain],” he said, arguing, “We don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

His remarks are expected to spark a fierce counterattack from Democrats, who have routinely defended the community.

The comments come at a time when mounting investigations have revealed widespread criminal schemes involving individuals within the nearly 100,000-strong Somali migrant population settled in Minnesota. Even the New York Times has acknowledged that “Somali refugees who came to the United States after their country’s civil war were raised in a culture in which stealing from the country’s dysfunctional and corrupt government was widespread.”

During the same meeting, Trump doubled down on his position, saying, “I don’t want them in our country,” before launching into a searing assessment of Somalia’s conditions. “Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks … I can say it about other countries too. We got to, we have to rebuild our country … [Rep.] Ilhan Omar [D-MN] is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage. These aren’t people that work. These aren’t people that say, ‘Let’s go, come on, let’s make this place [Somalia] great.’ These are people that do nothing but complain.”

Trump’s focus on the community comes against the backdrop of several massive fraud cases linked to Somali networks that allegedly siphoned off more than $1 billion in government funds earmarked for vulnerable populations — including autistic children, underprivileged families, coronavirus aid recipients, homebuyers, and the medically needy. Critics argue that the problems stem not only from weak vetting processes but also from cultural clashes between a deeply clan-based society and the individualistic fabric of American life.

Minnesotans themselves have been increasingly aware of the scope of the misconduct, even as Democratic officials in the state have been accused of ignoring or suppressing evidence presented by state investigators. Meanwhile, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has intensified enforcement efforts in Minnesota, arresting migrants following extensive probes into systemic migration fraud.

Democrats’ continued efforts to shield political and community figures tied to the scandals risk becoming a political liability, strategists warn. With voters already uneasy about corruption and mismanagement, party leaders may face a backlash heading into the 2026 elections.

{Matzav.com}

Marco Rubio: The U.S. is taking decisive action in response to violence against Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Sec. Scott Bessent on Trump Accounts: Americans are the most generous and giving people in the history of the world, and there has never been a vehicle for them to be able to give directly to American children. This incredible gift that Michael Dell and Susan Dell are giving… is going to work out to […]

In a move that surprised no one, the Supreme Court took another step to stymie the investigation into the Sdei Teiman affair and the disgraced Military Advocate General, revoking Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s appointment of retired judge Yosef Ben Hamo to head the case. The Supreme Court has again proven to be the true ruler […]

Dear Matzav Inbox,

Someone has to finally say aloud what too many are whispering in private: the bizayon haTorah unfolding in our midst is intolerable, and the silence around it is even worse.

And so, I really hope you’ll print my letter, because someone has to say something!

Over these past weeks, the kooks and agitators have crawled out from their corners to stage their so-called “protests” against the gedolei hador themselves, whether it is Rav Dov Landau or, specifically this week, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch during his visit to the United States.

And what do we hear in response? Nothing. Deafening, humiliating silence.

Where is the machaah? Where is the voice of a rosh yeshiva, of a rov, of anyone in leadership, rising publicly to defend kavod haTorah? How is it that this keeps happening, again and again, and not one person thundering a single word against it?

Let us be clear: These individuals are being mevazeh Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch because of their own amateur commentary on the Draft Law. They’ve crowned themselves experts, as if the gedolim who have borne the weight of Klal Yisroel somehow “don’t get it.”

Do these people truly believe that Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch are unaware of the law, the negotiations, the consequences, the subtleties?

These Torah giants know the Draft Law better than any pundit, blogger, WhatsApp warrior, or bullhorn-wielding kanna’i or demonstrator. They understand every ramification — legal, political, practical, and spiritual — with a depth that protestors and kannaim hotlines featuring hotheads and misguided ignoramuses cannot even begin to fathom.

And more than that, they understand the way gedolim have always navigated moments like this, with responsibility, strategy, and the foresight that comes only from Torah leadership.

They know how to maneuver.

They know how to negotiate.

They know how to delay when delay is necessary — how to “kick the can down the road” if that is what preserves the Olam Hayeshivos today so that Klal Yisroel can thrive tomorrow.

And let’s spell out what every honest person knows: They do not intend for a single ben yeshiva to end up in the army. Not one. They are safeguarding our yeshivos with every fiber of their being.

That’s what makes them gedolim. That’s what makes them the leaders of our generation. And yet these protestors — these noisy, self-appointed critics — actually imagine they know better. Afra L’pumayhu.

We’ve seen this script before. These are the very same people who, not so long ago, hurled venom at Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l and Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l, accusing them of the vilest things. The invectives they screamed back then cannot be repeated in a respectable publication.

The pattern is identical: Delegitimize the gedolim, weaponize ignorance, and pretend it’s all “for the sake of Klal Yisroel.”

They did it to Rav Chaim. They did it to Rav Aharon Leib. And now they are doing it to Rav Dov and Rav Moshe Hillel.

But the protestors themselves are not the only guilty parties. No. The rot spreads further. The enablers are the ones who give them cover, those who refuse to call them out, who remain silent while kavod haTorah is trampled, who, especially in America, watch the questioning of the gedolei hador metastasize across our communities and shrug it off or even legitimatize it.

Only when the chaos spirals out of control — only when the monster they themselves allowed to grow explodes out of control — do they suddenly rouse themselves with indignance. By then, of course, it’s too late. By then, the damage is done. And we are left with a daily churban of mobs of loudmouthed goons degrading the gedolei hador without consequence.

Enough.

Enough silence. Enough enabling. Enough pretending that this is normal or tolerable. We must call this what it is: an assault on kavod haTorah, a brazenness that should make every member of Klal Yisroel tremble.

If we still have the dignity to care, if we still believe in the sanctity of Torah leadership, then the time has come to draw a clear line and say with absolute clarity: this behavior is poison and it must end now.

If no one else will speak up, then let this letter be the beginning.

Sincerely,
A deeply pained member of Klal Yisroel

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com

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The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.

Israel today hands over its Arrow 3 long-range missile defense system to the German Air Force, completing a €4 billion sale, the largest defense export deal in Israel’s history. This is the first deployment of Arrow 3 outside Israel and the U.S., with the first site at Holzdorf Air Base. Arrow 3 has intercepted hundreds […]

Trump just announced that he has issued a full pardon to Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda.

Russian forces unleashed a wave of drone assaults across Ukraine on Wednesday, striking just as Moscow rebuffed a U.S.-backed blueprint to halt the fighting. According to Ukraine’s air force, the barrage included 111 attack and decoy drones, overwhelming multiple regions and leaving the town of Ternivka in the Dnipropetrovsk area reeling, with two fatalities and three wounded.

Even with negotiations underway, Moscow appeared to dismiss the very premise of concessions. Russian state media suggested that President Vladimir Putin sees “no point in making any serious compromises” and believes he remains “absolutely confident on the battlefield,” underscoring his refusal to bend despite the high-level American outreach.

The diplomatic push had stretched late into the night. Five hours of discussions between Putin and President Donald Trump’s emissary Steve Witkoff, joined by Jared Kushner, ended without any breakthrough. The Kremlin acknowledged the impasse with a curt assessment that “compromises have not yet been found.”

Still, Moscow attempted to paint the talks as productive in tone, if not in substance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the conversation represented progress in itself, saying, “A direct exchange of views took place yesterday for the first time.”

Peskov insisted that Russia was not shutting the door entirely. He maintained that negotiators had found limited areas of alignment before firmly pushing back on others. “Some things were accepted, some things were marked as unacceptable – this is a normal working process of finding a compromise,” he said.

Despite the stalemate, Peskov signaled that Moscow would not shy away from continuing discussions, asserting that Russia was open to as many rounds of meetings as required to determine whether an agreement could eventually be forged.

{Matzav.com}

A short while ago, a cell of three terrorists emerged from a tunnel shaft in Rafah and fired an anti-tank missile at IDF forces. Soldiers engaged in close-quarters combat and killed two of the terrorists. The third placed an explosive device on a Namer armored vehicle and escaped back into the tunnel. This incident occurred […]

Overnight, Soldiers of the Etzion Brigade and Air Force Squadron 124 carried out an air-and-ground operation in Tzurif, arresting three terrorists, including one who was planning an attack, and detaining around 40 suspects for questioning.

Malaysia is set to resume the search for missing flight MH370, which disappeared in March 2014, with Ocean Infinity starting deep-sea operations on December 30, the New Straits Times reports, citing the transport ministry.

Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a U.S. House seat Tuesday, maintaining his party’s grip on the conservative district with help from President Donald Trump. But the comparatively slim margin of victory fueled Democratic hopes for next year’s midterms as the party grasps for a path back to power in Washington. […]

Iran’s rial currency fell Wednesday to a new low of 1.2 million to the U.S. dollar as nuclear sanctions squeeze Tehran’s ailing economy. Traders offered the new exchange rate as attempts so far to restart negotiations between America and Iran over its nuclear program appear stalled. The new record low is increasing pressure on food […]

President Donald Trump signaled on Tuesday that his personal feelings toward Elon Musk remain warm, even after their dramatic and very public rupture this past summer over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

As the monthly Cabinet session wrapped up, FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence asked whether Musk had rejoined Trump’s inner circle after months of pointed criticism. Trump replied with measured uncertainty but emphasized his affinity for the tech mogul, saying, “Well, I really don’t know. I mean, I like Elon a lot.” He then acknowledged Musk’s enthusiastic support during the 2024 race, before noting that their clash over electric-vehicle rules was a turning point.

In the early stretch of Trump’s second term, Musk was omnipresent in Washington. He became the unofficial head of the Department of Government Efficiency, operating as a special government employee who attended Cabinet meetings, appeared alongside Trump at public events, and drove DOGE’s internal reform efforts. That chapter ended in late May, when Musk’s role with DOGE concluded.

Musk had been a vigorous and visible ally during the 2024 presidential race, traversing swing states and stumping for Trump in a campaign that ultimately swept every battleground. Trump often publicly applauded Musk’s achievements at DOGE, crediting him with rooting out government waste—moves that triggered fierce opposition from federal workers and Democrats who protested both Musk and the administration repeatedly.

The cordial partnership collapsed by June, when Musk launched an aggressive online campaign against the sweeping legislative package that Trump pushed for months. He mocked the One Big Beautiful Bill, calling it the “BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY,” and escalated the feud further with a personal post alleging, “@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.”

Trump had said previously that Musk’s breakaway began when he objected to Trump’s move to end the electric-vehicle mandate—a shift that would directly influence Tesla. In June, Trump signed three congressional resolutions eliminating California’s diesel-engine restrictions and its EV-sales mandates, boasting afterward that his signature “will kill the California mandates forever.”

After their split, Musk distanced himself from the administration but occasionally expressed approval online when he supported Trump’s decisions, including commending a July ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza.

Their paths crossed again visibly in September at the memorial service for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10. Trump and Musk were spotted sitting together, speaking quietly during the ceremony, signaling a possible thaw.

Musk also attended a high-profile White House dinner on November 18, joining Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and a gathering of major business figures for the event.

Trump’s newest comments about Musk came during his latest Cabinet meeting—the ninth he has held since beginning his second term, matching the total number of full Cabinet meetings Joe Biden conducted throughout his entire four-year presidency.

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic overnight standoff erupted in the southern city of Ofakim after military police detained a yeshiva bochur classified as a draft dodger — only to release him minutes later when hundreds of protesters surrounded their vehicle following a “Black Alert” callout.

During the late-night hours, a military police team arrived at the home of a young man who had not appeared at the draft office. He had been officially designated as a “me’atzev” (absentee) and then as an “arrestable deserter.”

Upon the officers’ arrival, the bochur‘s family sent out an alert, which led to a mass message through the “Tzeva Shachor” (“Black Alert”) system, summoning crowds to the scene. Within a short time, hundreds of demonstrators converged on the street, surrounding both the home and the military police vehicle.

Although the officers managed to get the yeshiva bochur into the vehicle, the crowd blocked the patrol car on all sides, triggering a large-scale confrontation and preventing the unit from leaving.

A female IDF officer from the military police, who was inside the vehicle at the time, ultimately decided to release the detainee in order to disperse the crowd and allow the military police team to exit the area safely.

Activists celebrated the release, calling it “a tremendous success,” claiming that “the yeshiva bochur was freed by the crowd even after he was already inside the military police vehicle, thanks to the massive protest that erupted at the scene.”

A police source said afterward that the military police had carried out the arrest “without coordination” and “in violation of protocol.” According to the source, local police forces who were called to the scene worked to disperse the protest and escort the military police out unharmed.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unloaded on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro during an appearance on Hannity Tuesday night, as President Donald Trump escalates efforts to force the strongman out of power.

Rubio did not mince words when describing the Venezuelan government’s conduct, telling Sean Hannity, “The Maduro regime is not a legitimate government. What it is is a transshipment organization. It allows cocaine and other drugs that are produced in Colombia to be trafficked through Venezuelan territory and – with the cooperation of elements of the regime – are allowed to… leave Venezuela on airplanes and ships headed towards the United States.”

That critique comes as the administration continues to expand military activity around Venezuela. U.S. forces have been conducting operations targeting suspected narcotics vessels in the Caribbean, and the Pentagon recently boosted its presence in the region. Rubio underscored that initiative, saying, “The president has authorized a counter-drug mission in the region. The fact that Maduro is upset about it tells you that drugs are coming out of Venezuela.”

The administration is also preparing to terminate temporary protected status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans currently residing in the United States, another move that aligns with the White House’s aggressive stance toward Caracas.

Rubio accused Maduro’s government of enabling and partnering with criminal networks, warning that the fallout has engulfed the broader continent. “The Venezuelan regime is a source of instability in the entire region,” he said. “Over eight million Venezuelans have flooded into neighboring countries as a result of the regime’s activities within their own country, including into the United States.”

He added that any attempt to negotiate with Maduro is bound to fail, pointing to what he described as a consistent pattern of broken agreements. Rubio argued, “If you wanted to make a deal with him [Maduro], I don’t know how you do. He’s broken every deal he’s ever made… Maduro has made five deals with different parties over the last 10 years and has broken every single one of them.”

Rubio also highlighted an arrangement between Joe Biden and Maduro that he said collapsed, claiming it never received proper scrutiny. According to Rubio, “Maduro asked [Biden] that his nephews, convicted drug traffickers, be released from U.S. prisons. He asked that his chief money launderer… be released from U.S. custody before he stood trial. In exchange, he promised to hold free and fair elections. He got the nephews back, the drug dealers, he got the bag man back, and he never did the free and fair elections.” Rubio followed that with a sharp assessment: “They suckered Joe Biden. They’re not going to sucker Donald Trump.”

President Trump has recently acknowledged having spoken directly with Maduro, warning him that refusing to step aside could provoke U.S. military action. The exchange followed a cabinet meeting in which Rubio lauded Trump’s global posture, calling this past year one of the most “transformational” periods in American diplomacy since World War II.

Despite the bleak outlook for negotiations, Rubio noted that Trump still remains willing to explore diplomatic avenues. He emphasized the president’s openness, saying, “The president is a unique figure in modern American history. He’s prepared to sit down and meet and talk to anybody. But at the end of the day, there has to be somebody that you can actually make a deal with. We’ve made a deal with the Chinese, but Maduro’s never kept a deal. That doesn’t mean the president won’t try.”

{Matzav.com}

Malcolm Hoenlein delivered an urgent message at the Yisroel Hayom Conference in New York, describing an alarming demographic and cultural trajectory he believes is endangering both Israel’s standing and the stability of the American Jewish community. As Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, he argued that shifts in population and political influence are rapidly outpacing the Jewish community’s preparedness to address them.

Reflecting on decades of public service—from his political activism in the 1950s during Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign to his lifelong battle against antisemitism—Hoenlein said the trends he long feared have now materialized. “Unfortunately,” he stated, “this prophecy has come true.” He noted that today’s manifestations of antisemitism echo troubling patterns he witnessed in Europe, warning that America is no longer immune to similar developments.

Hoenlein stressed that, despite widespread awareness, the community continues to avoid confronting the magnitude of the crisis. While hundreds of new groups have emerged over the last two years to combat antisemitism, many flush with funding, he said the overall effort lacks coherence. “For the past twenty years I have been warning about the phenomenon,” he said, adding that “we are winning a few battles but losing the war.” He emphasized the absence of a coordinated financial and strategic framework and pointed to the latest New York elections as evidence of how rapidly the political landscape is shifting. According to him, the city’s Muslim population now surpasses major ethnic communities such as Italians and Poles—and continues to expand.

During the conversation, Hoenlein addressed claims that nearly 30 percent of Jewish voters supported Zohran Mamdani. He dismissed the figure as inaccurate, explaining that the methods used to calculate the vote do not properly measure Jewish demographics. “They did not vote for him,” he said, noting that even if the number were closer to 20 percent, the real question is why those voters were drawn to Mamdani. “He spoke about the cost of living. He excited them. We are not exciting young people, and it is not only a revolt against Israel, Israel is just a symbol. It is a revolt against their families. We are not growing, and we are not building the future. We are the ones who carry this message we always have and now is the time to focus on the future.”

When asked if the community can still turn the tide, Hoenlein pointed to the limits of political maneuvering when stacked against demographic trends. “Ten years ago I said, ‘Don’t run, prepare,’ because you can argue with politics and policy but not with demography,” he explained. He called for investment in a new generation—one that is deeply educated, confident, and tied to Israel—but urged that the approach must be innovative and fundamentally different from past efforts.

{Matzav.com}

The authors of a study that examined climate change’s potential effect on the global economy said Wednesday that data errors led them to slightly overstate an expected drop in income over the next 25 years. The researchers at Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, writing in the journal Nature in 2024, had forecast a […]

  A widowed father of ten is now fighting the very same cancer that took his wife. He is the only parent his children have left — and now he is slipping. Their home is falling apart, bills are piling up, and the children are doing everything they can just to hold their world together. […]