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A nationwide water crisis is beginning to disrupt supplies across Israel, with residents in Be’er Sheva already reporting problems and several other cities warning that reduced water pressure and temporary outages could follow. Water Authority officials are preparing for the possibility that the disruptions could continue for several days.

In Be’er Sheva, residents have begun complaining about interruptions to their water service. The Mei Sheva water corporation has warned that some neighborhoods could experience lower pressure and intermittent outages as the national supply problems continue.

Other municipalities are preparing for similar difficulties. Residents of Yerushalayim, Rishon LeZion, Givatayim, Maale Adumim and Beit Shemesh have been advised that water pressure could decline and that localized interruptions may occur. In Beit Shemesh, officials warned that supply disruptions could begin within hours, with the municipality and the Mei Shemesh water corporation closely monitoring developments in coordination with Mekorot and the Water Authority.

In Dimona, authorities have already deliberately reduced both the pressure and volume of water supplied to the industrial zone. The measure is intended to curb consumption while protecting the water supply available to residential areas. Municipalities are urging residents to conserve water and avoid nonessential usage while the crisis persists.

The repercussions could extend well beyond household water supplies. Agricultural officials in the Nitzana region are warning that approximately 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops, representing roughly 2 million tons of produce, could be endangered by prolonged water disruptions.

Ramat Negev Regional Council head Eran Doron described the situation as an “איום ממשי על ביטחון המזון, יוקר המחיה ואספקת ייצור המזון הטרי בישראל” — “a genuine threat to food security, the cost of living and the supply and production of fresh food in Israel.”

Particular concern is focused on communities located farther from major water sources, especially in the Yerushalayim and Yehudah and Shomron regions. Israel’s National Emergency Management Authority has warned of the possibility of supply problems in those areas, and some individual communities are already preparing for the prospect of losing their water supply entirely.

In Karmei Yosef, emergency preparations have included placing portable water tanks in the community so residents will have access to water if the regular system is interrupted.

Officials currently believe the nationwide crisis will be relatively short-lived. Nevertheless, the Water Authority is preparing for a scenario in which parts of the system remain partially out of operation for at least several days.

{Matzav.com}

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Tuesday that the Trump administration intends to economically “asphyxiate” Iran, threatening to cut banks, companies and other entities dealing with Tehran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps out of the U.S.-dominated financial system while seizing regime-linked assets around the world.

Speaking with FOX Business host Larry Kudlow during a fireside discussion at the G20 Finance Ministerial in Asheville, North Carolina, Bessent said U.S. authorities have already located offshore financial accounts tied to the IRGC as well as extraordinarily valuable real estate holdings connected to the regime.

Kudlow asked Bessent whether countries or institutions that violate the U.S. embargo and naval blockade against Iranian ports would face sweeping secondary sanctions.

“Countries that go against this embargo, you’ll cut them off,” Kudlow prefaced, referencing the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. “Secondary sanctions, you take them out of the U.S. dollar system, you’d take them out of the U.S. banking system, you take them out of the Federal Reserve wire, take them out of the SWIFT ledger?”

Bessent responded by pointing to action already taken against a bank in Dubai, warning that the same treatment could be applied to a broad range of businesses and financial entities with ties to the IRGC.

“That’s what happened to this bank in Dubai, and it could be entities, it could be airline leasing companies, which we’ll be looking at. It could be anyone who does business with the IRGC, we are tracking down the IRGC’s assets, and I will say it on worldwide TV, just so you know,” Bessent warned, “we know where in the British Virgin Islands your accounts are at these trust companies, we know the $100 million houses you have around the world, and we are going to freeze those.”

The Treasury secretary said Washington will work with allied governments to shut down those financial networks and pursue assets that U.S. officials believe were improperly accumulated by Iranian regime figures. He said confiscated assets could ultimately benefit ordinary Iranians or victims of terrorism.

“We are going to our partners, we are going to close all of that down. So we are going to go after the regime’s illegitimate assets that they have stolen from the Iranian people, and those can go back to the Iranian people, or they can go to the victims of terror, like the families of the soldiers who are on the USS Cole,” Bessent continued.

Bessent first publicly outlined the strategy on Aug. 24, when he said the United States was preparing an economic offensive against the Islamic Republic comparable in scope to the military campaign used to defeat Nazi Germany.

The intensified financial campaign follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to unleash an “economic D-Day” against Tehran. The administration’s strategy is aimed at tightening pressure on an Iranian economy already facing severe difficulties, with potential repercussions for the country’s population of more than 90 million.

Bessent said the administration intends to deprive Tehran of the financial resources needed to pursue nuclear weapons, maintain its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and support its network of terrorist proxies across the Middle East.

“We will stop this regime’s ability to have a nuclear weapon, to have their current highly-enriched uranium to project terrorist power through their proxy networks and to terrorize the Gulf,” Bessent said. “And we are telling people, either you are with us or against us.”

Bessent also addressed the potentially crucial role of China, arguing that despite Washington’s broader disagreements with Beijing, the two countries share significant interests when it comes to Iran, particularly preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and maintaining freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

“And everyone says to me, ‘Well, what about China? I said, we have more in common with the Chinese on Iran than we disagree with [them] on. The Chinese agree — Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The Chinese agree that there should be freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. So we have had private discussions with them in terms of achieving those goals.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul accused President Donald Trump’s administration Tuesday of withholding $87 million in federal counterterrorism funding from New York, charging that the move threatens public safety as the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Speaking alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a press conference, Hochul said the Department of Homeland Security is holding back a substantial portion of money intended to support the state’s counterterrorism efforts.

“The Department of Homeland Security, the agency created in response to 9/11, is withholding 40% of New York State’s counterterrorism funding,” Hochul asserted.

“That 40% adds up to $87 million,” she said.

Hochul sharply criticized Trump over the funding dispute, accusing the president of “defunding the police” and claiming that he is “endangering public safety to yet again extract revenge on a blue state.”

Addressing Trump directly, Hochul demanded that the administration provide the money she says New York is owed.

“Don’t play political games with people’s lives. Release the $87 million you owe us,” Hochul said to the president.

The governor invoked the approaching anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as she argued that withholding the counterterrorism funds would amount to abandoning New Yorkers as well as the first responders responsible for protecting them.

“Because if you don’t release the counterterrorism funding, you’re betraying every family that lost someone on 9/11. You’re betraying every police officer and firefighter who puts their lives on the line every single day. And you’re betraying every New Yorker who no longer believes that the federal government is there to protect them,” she said.

Fox News Digital contacted both the White House and the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday seeking responses to the accusations.

Mamdani joined Hochul in criticizing the administration, saying the disputed federal money is essential for New York City’s security and emergency preparedness.

The mayor declared that “the federal government’s refusal to provide $87 million in critical public safety and emergency readiness funding that was promised is so unacceptable.”

Mamdani said the money would support an array of capabilities needed to respond to terrorist attacks and other major emergencies, including bomb squads, FDNY communications and preparations for a possible radiological incident.

“We are talking about the money needed to fully fund 12 bomb squads across New York. We are talking about the money needed to ensure that in the event of a catastrophic attack, the FDNY can communicate internally and respond effectively. And we are talking about making sure that should New Yorkers ever face a radiological threat, our first responders have the training, the equipment and the capabilities they need to respond. To put it simply, there is no excuse for the federal government to leave the nation’s largest city to shoulder this burden alone,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

PROVO, Utah — Nearly a year after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a packed event at Utah Valley University, a Utah judge is poised to decide whether accused gunman Tyler Robinson will stand trial for aggravated murder — and whether the case can proceed as a potential death-penalty prosecution.

Robinson, 23, returned to Fourth District Court in Provo on Tuesday as prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered their final arguments before Judge Tony Graf Jr. The hearing follows five days of testimony and evidence presented during a preliminary hearing in July, along with subsequent written arguments from both sides.

Prosecutors contend that the evidence overwhelmingly identifies Robinson as the man who fired the single rifle shot that killed Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, as the conservative activist addressed more than 3,000 people at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus. Robinson surrendered to authorities the following day and has yet to enter a plea.

Utah County Deputy Attorney Ryan McBride told the court Tuesday that there is a “mountain of evidence” connecting Robinson to Kirk’s killing, arguing that the shooting was motivated by Robinson’s disagreement with Kirk and that the circumstances support sending the aggravated murder charge to trial.

The most consequential dispute before Graf concerns whether Robinson’s alleged actions created a substantial risk of killing people other than Kirk. That finding is crucial to the aggravated murder charge prosecutors are pursuing and could determine whether the death penalty remains available if Robinson is ultimately convicted.

Prosecutors argued Tuesday that Robinson allegedly fired a high-powered rifle from a rooftop more than 400 feet away, directing the shot into an area packed with thousands of spectators. McBride maintained that even a slight deviation in the rifle’s aim could have sent the bullet several feet away from Kirk and into another person.

To illustrate that danger, prosecutors invoked the 2024 assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where gunfire directed at Trump also struck other attendees and killed one spectator. They argued that firing a rifle into the setting of a crowded public event inherently created a serious risk to others.

The defense has countered that the evidence shows only one shot was fired and that the bullet traveled from an elevated position over the crowd before striking Kirk, its intended target. Robinson’s attorneys contend that those circumstances do not establish that he knowingly endangered additional people and therefore do not justify the aggravating factor that could make the case death-penalty eligible. Court filings from the defense have similarly argued that the shooter “hit the intended target.”

Graf has several options. He can find probable cause on the aggravated murder charge and send the case forward as charged, bind Robinson over for trial on the lesser offense of murder, or dismiss charges if he concludes prosecutors have failed to meet the relatively low probable-cause threshold required at this stage. A conventional murder conviction in Utah can carry a sentence ranging from 15 years to life, while aggravated murder can expose a defendant to capital punishment.

The state has pointed to an extensive collection of physical, digital and circumstantial evidence developed during the investigation. Authorities testified during the July proceedings that DNA evidence linked Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, a bolt-action rifle recovered with a spent round, as well as to a tool prosecutors say was used to engrave ammunition.

Investigators have also cited surveillance footage they say tracks Robinson’s movements on the university campus surrounding the shooting. Prosecutors allege that video shows him arriving on campus with a concealed rifle and have presented evidence concerning his movements before and after Kirk was killed.

Among the prosecution’s most significant evidence are alleged communications involving Robinson after the shooting. His romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, told investigators that Robinson indicated the following day that “he wishes he hadn’t done it.” Investigators also testified that Robinson later posted “it was me at UVU yesterday” in an online chat shortly before surrendering to authorities.

Prosecutors have additionally cited a handwritten note they allege Robinson left for Twiggs containing the statement, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.” In another alleged message discussing Kirk, Robinson wrote, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

The state argues that those statements, along with an inscription found on ammunition associated with the suspected murder weapon, demonstrate that Kirk was targeted because of his political views. Prosecutors have described the inscription “Hey Facist! CATCH!” as an “overt political reference.”

Robinson’s attorneys have challenged several aspects of the prosecution’s case, including the reliability of DNA testing and the state’s assertion that the killing was politically motivated. They have also accused investigators of failing to adequately pursue other potential suspects and unsuccessfully attempted to prevent public release of Twiggs’ recorded interview with investigators.

The defense has not offered an alternative account identifying someone else as Kirk’s killer. Instead, much of its effort at the preliminary stage has focused on challenging whether prosecutors have established the legal requirements necessary to send Robinson to trial on aggravated murder and preserve the possibility of capital punishment.

Prosecutors are also seeking to move forward with additional charges against Robinson. They allege that after the shooting he concealed the rifle, discarded clothing and instructed Twiggs to delete communications and remain silent. Robinson faces seven charges overall, including aggravated murder, witness tampering and obstruction-related allegations.

Tuesday’s proceeding unfolded under heavy security, with Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, in attendance. Robinson’s family was also present. Robinson appeared in court wearing a gray suit, light blue shirt and navy tie, with restraints on his wrists.

Members of the Kirk family became visibly emotional as attorneys addressed evidence connected to the shooting. Erika Kirk lowered her head during portions of the discussion, while Kirk’s parents leaned toward one another as the proceedings continued.

The hearing also included a dispute over what evidence could be shown electronically. Defense attorney Kathryn Nester sought to withdraw a redacted reference involving online prediction market Polymarket from consideration, but Graf denied the request.

Tuesday’s arguments mark the conclusion of an unusually lengthy preliminary-hearing process. The evidentiary portion lasted five days in July, after which Graf granted the defense additional time to submit written arguments rather than requiring both sides to close immediately.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office subsequently announced that oral arguments would resume Sept. 1 specifically to determine whether prosecutors had established probable cause. Under Utah law, the state must present evidence sufficient to support a reasonable belief both that the alleged crime occurred and that the defendant committed it.

Graf is expected to announce his decision from the bench after considering the final arguments. If Robinson is bound over for trial, the case could proceed to an arraignment at which he would be asked to enter a plea for the first time.

Kirk, 31, was one of the country’s most prominent conservative activists and a leading supporter of Trump. The organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, played a major role in mobilizing young conservative voters during Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign. His killing sent shockwaves through American politics and intensified concerns over politically motivated violence.

{Matzav.com}

A Yerushalayim court has ordered a man suspected of intentionally contaminating baby food with sedatives to remain behind bars for another six days, as police investigate a poisoning case that began after three infants were hospitalized with alarming symptoms.

The suspect, a man in his 40s from southern Israel, is being investigated over allegations that he deliberately placed sedative substances into fruit purées produced by the Prinnok company. The Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court approved the extension of his detention on Tuesday.

During the proceedings, Yerushalayim police representatives outlined the evidence gathered thus far and argued that investigators had linked the suspect to the alleged contamination. An investigator told the court, “We claim that the respondent was involved, in a deliberate manner and relatively close to the poisoning incident.”

The judge concluded that investigators had presented enough evidence to warrant keeping the man in custody. According to the court, the material gathered by police established a substantial degree of reasonable suspicion involving several alleged offenses, including using poison in a manner that endangered human life, negligent handling of medications and theft.

“The respondent is suspected of being involved in the deliberate poisoning of food products for infants and toddlers. The danger is obvious,” the judge ruled. The court further pointed to the extensive work that remains in the investigation, noting that police must still complete dozens of investigative steps, some of which could be compromised if the suspect were freed.

The suspect’s lawyer raised concerns about his client’s mental condition during the hearing, telling the court that the man suffers from bipolar disorder. In response, the judge directed that the suspect be evaluated by a psychiatrist at the detention facility or by the district psychiatrist. An earlier preliminary evaluation had already found him competent to remain in custody.

The man was taken into custody as police intensified their investigation into the contamination of Prinnok baby-food products. Crime Fighting Unit investigators arrested him at his residence and questioned him on suspicion that he played a role in placing the substances inside the purée jars.

The case dates back approximately two months, when three infants from the Jerusalem area were admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after displaying severe weakness and apathy. Testing of their blood revealed traces of benzodiazepines, a class of substances found in sedative and anesthetic medications used for adults, including Valium and Klonex.

Investigators subsequently discovered a common link between the three cases: Each infant had eaten different varieties of Prinnok baby-food purée purchased at separate Yerushalayim locations of the Cheap and Large retail chain. After being monitored at the hospital, all three infants were eventually discharged.

As the probe expanded, authorities discovered sedative substances in additional jars of Prinnok baby food. Police are continuing to investigate where the substances originated, precisely how they entered the products and whether anyone else may have participated in the alleged contamination.

A new U.S. Postal Service computer system being developed to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting was built on an extraordinarily compressed timetable and could contain serious flaws capable of disrupting ballot delivery for millions of Americans, according to whistleblower allegations released Tuesday by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

The Postal Service initiative stems from Trump’s executive order imposing new requirements on mail voting. Implementation has become the subject of an ongoing court battle, with a federal judge temporarily blocking the new procedures and the administration appealing the decision. The dispute could ultimately return to the Supreme Court.

According to the unidentified whistleblower, USPS employees have been racing to create in roughly three months a complicated computer system that would ordinarily require at least a year to develop. The disclosure also alleges that some work continued despite court orders temporarily stopping implementation. Officials have been working toward having the system available for the midterm elections.

Among the concerns outlined in the disclosure is the possibility that a single scanning problem involving one ballot envelope could result in an entire batch containing tens of thousands of ballots being held back from voters. Election administrators have already warned that the procedures cannot realistically be put into operation before North Carolina begins sending its first mail ballots on Friday.

“The Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” Blumenthal told reporters in advance of releasing the whistleblower information. “This administration seems hell-bent on changing the framework on casting ballots in this country clearly for political reasons.”

Trump signed the executive order in March, directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration commissioner to create state citizenship lists. The order subsequently requires the Postal Service to mail ballots only to voters whose names appear on such a list.

The new procedures would also require ballot envelopes to meet additional USPS specifications, including the use of barcodes.

At the center of the whistleblower allegations is an online portal designed to allow states to provide the Postal Service with lists of voters whose eligibility has been verified.

The Postal Service did not provide a comment Monday night, while the White House had not immediately responded Tuesday to a request for comment.

The White House has defended the mail-voting provisions as “commonsense measures” aimed at preventing election fraud.

Trump has been a longtime critic of widespread mail voting, although he has himself cast ballots through the mail. He has pointed to mail voting in connection with his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. A 2025 Brookings Institution report estimated that fraud involving mail ballots occurred at a rate of roughly four cases for every 10 million such ballots cast.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has argued that Republicans should be “taking over” the counting of ballots in Democratic-leaning jurisdictions and has initiated a broad effort to reexamine the 2020 election against Joe Biden.

Mail voting had previously been used at roughly comparable levels by voters from both major political parties before Trump began strongly opposing the practice in 2020. Democratic voters have since become more likely to use it. In the 2024 election, more than 29% of voters nationwide cast their ballots by mail.

Following Trump’s executive order, Democratic officials and civil rights organizations filed suit. They eventually secured a decision from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston preventing implementation of the new system ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority, however, ruled last week — without deciding whether Trump’s executive order itself was lawful — that Talwani’s action had been premature and overturned her decision, temporarily allowing implementation to move forward.

On Aug. 21, the Postal Service published its final regulations detailing how the agency intended to carry out Trump’s directive.

Under those regulations, USPS would process mail ballots only for states that received approval for their ballot-envelope designs and provided lists of the affected voters through the online portal, which was not yet active. The issuance of the final rule opened the door to another legal challenge, and Talwani responded Thursday night by imposing a 14-day restraining order blocking its implementation.

A letter from Blumenthal, together with a summary of the whistleblower allegations, states that USPS initially began developing the portal on June 15 before stopping work June 25 following Talwani’s first court order.

Development resumed on July 29, according to the disclosure, at the same time the administration was appealing Talwani’s ruling to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court did not overturn her injunction until Aug. 24.

Talwani determined last week that USPS had violated her order by continuing its work on the final regulation, although she declined to sanction the government over the violation.

On Monday, Talwani refused to withdraw her latest restraining order. She nevertheless ruled that USPS could continue developing the online portal provided states were not required to use the system.

Whistleblower Aid, which summarized the whistleblower’s account, said the effort to have the portal operational by Tuesday resulted in the system being developed without comprehensive testing.

“The apparently sloppy and rushed manner in which the Federal Ballot Mail Portal and supporting IT systems are being built poses significant risk,” the group wrote. “Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all.”

The whistleblower disclosure further alleges that USPS plans to employ a “zero percent” rule under which an error involving even one mail ballot submitted by an election office could cause the entire batch to be rejected and returned for correction, regardless of whether tens of thousands of other ballots in the shipment are legitimate.

Under the proposed process, an election official would have to bring the ballots physically to a post office, where they would be scanned and compared with the voter database. The disclosure says the ballots would undergo three separate levels of verification, with even a single apparent discrepancy potentially resulting in rejection of the complete batch.

Blumenthal said he has “a very strong hope and some faith that our system of justice will strike down this unconstitutional and unconscionable rule.” He added that if the new procedures nevertheless take effect for the midterm elections, he would advise voters against casting their ballots by mail.

{Matzav.com}

The White House will hold a press briefing Thursday for the first time in more than 40 days, returning to the briefing room as the Trump administration weighs who will succeed outgoing press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

A White House official confirmed that the briefing is scheduled to take place but did not disclose who will appear at the podium to address reporters.

The return of the briefing comes just days after Leavitt completed her final day as White House press secretary. She is expected to remain involved with President Trump as an outside adviser while also taking a role with his MAGA Inc. super PAC.

Earlier this year, when Leavitt took approximately a month of maternity leave, several prominent members of the administration stepped in to conduct White House briefings. Among those who appeared before reporters were Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The White House has not announced Leavitt’s successor, though several possible candidates have emerged in speculation surrounding the position. Among the names reportedly being discussed are CNN commentator Scott Jennings and Alina Habba, who previously served as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.

Trump, meanwhile, has shown no apparent urgency to fill the vacancy. During her final day as press secretary, Leavitt said the president is “his own best spokesperson.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning Tuesday that Chicago “will die” unless city and state leaders accept federal assistance to combat violent crime, pointing to a weekend of bloodshed that left 41 people shot and three dead.

Trump called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to request help from his administration, arguing that the level of violence in the city has spiraled beyond the ability of local officials to control.

“Chicago violence is unchecked and at record levels. It has never been worse!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “These numbers are becoming normalized. It is out of control!”

The president said Chicago faces further decline unless Pritzker or Johnson agrees to bring the federal government into the fight against crime.

“The city will die if the Federal Government, a fine tuned crime fighting machine, is not invited in, by the Mayor or Governor, to HELP,” Trump wrote. “I am awaiting the call.”

Trump’s warning came after an especially violent weekend in Chicago that included what authorities said was the city’s largest mass shooting of the year.

The mass shooting unfolded Saturday during a gathering in Chicago’s Washington Park neighborhood, where masked gunmen opened fire and struck 15 people, according to authorities.

Rontonio Guterz, 35, was killed in the attack, while 14 other victims ranging in age from 21 to 45 suffered gunshot wounds.

Authorities have not reported any arrests in connection with the Washington Park shooting and have not publicly identified potential suspects.

Elsewhere in the city, 15-year-old Kyren Wormely was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. The teenager was struck twice and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Crime statistics through Aug. 29 show that Chicago has recorded 1,255 shooting victims in 2026, representing a 0.7% increase compared with the corresponding period last year.

The city has also reported 288 homicide victims this year, a 2.9% rise from the 280 recorded during the same stretch of 2025. Fatalities specifically resulting from shootings have climbed more sharply, reaching 254, an increase of 11.4% over the same period last year.

Trump cited his administration’s federal crime-fighting measures in Washington, D.C., as an example of the approach he believes could rapidly reduce violence in Chicago.

“Nobody should be forced to live under these conditions,” Trump said. “Like D.C. and others, they will have almost no crime, FAST! The State and City can’t do what I do. Governor Pritzker, CALL!!!”

Pritzker and Johnson, however, have previously rejected Trump’s push for expanded federal involvement in addressing Chicago crime.

Pritzker has repeatedly sparred with Trump over the president’s previous threats to send National Guard forces into Chicago and has said Trump is “neither wanted nor needed” in the city.

Although the Illinois governor has said that gun violence has “no place” in Chicago, he has not asked the Trump administration to intervene.

Johnson has similarly declined Trump’s offer of federal assistance, maintaining that Chicago will continue relying on its own programs and policies aimed at reducing violence.

“We remain steadfast in our work to break these cycles of trauma by continuing to stop the flow of guns into our communities and investing in the resources that help prevent violence before it occurs,” Johnson said.

Trump has long targeted Chicago officials over the city’s crime problem and has previously raised the possibility of deploying National Guard personnel there.

In December, the Supreme Court prevented the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops into Chicago as part of an effort designed to provide protection for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The administration had gone to the Supreme Court seeking to reverse a lower-court decision, subsequently upheld on appeal, that barred the deployment. Trump’s administration had invoked a federal statute permitting a president, under certain conditions, to assume control of National Guard forces when federal laws cannot be enforced using “regular forces.”

Trump is scheduled to travel to the Chicago area later in September for the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club, which gets underway Sept. 24.

The president announced Saturday that he will be the honorary chair of the tournament.

“I look forward to being there and greeting all of these fantastic athletes on both teams!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “See you in Chicago!”

{Matzav.com}

Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut leader Moshe Feiglin announced Tuesday evening that their parties will contest the upcoming Israeli elections together, forming a technical bloc aimed at consolidating support across the political right.

As part of the agreement, Feiglin and his Zehut party will receive the second, eighth, 10th and 11th positions on the combined electoral slate. Smotrich and Feiglin also intend to pursue an agreement with Ofer Winter’s party in hopes of expanding the alliance further.

“The alliance between the Religious Zionist Party and Zehut is the first step toward uniting forces in the national camp,” the parties said. “The agreement leaves the door open to additional parties, political forces and individuals from the right. The goal is to build the broadest possible right-wing bloc, unite the fragmented parties in the national camp and ensure that right-wing votes translate into political power capable of forming a strong right-wing government.”

Smotrich described the approaching election as “critical” for both Israel and the national camp. He pointed to a series of major issues that he said will be determined by the next government, including national security, the future of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the judicial system, efforts to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and other sweeping changes he believes Israel requires.

“At a moment like this, we must take responsibility – not only for our own party, but for the entire camp,” he said. “Our responsibility is to unite forces, broaden the camp and prevent right-wing votes from being lost. I am glad that Moshe answered the call and decided to set out on this path with us.”

Smotrich acknowledged that the two political movements do not agree on every issue and stressed that neither side intends to abandon its individual political identity as a result of the partnership.

“There are differences between us, and we are not seeking to hide them,” Smotrich added. “Each of us will maintain his own identity and path, but we both understand that the overriding task is victory for the national camp. This is the first alliance, not the last. We call on all parties and forces that see the right as their political home: Join us.”

Feiglin said the decision to unite with Smotrich was driven by the political realities facing the right and by a desire to ensure that votes for Zehut are translated into representation in the Knesset.

“We set out with Zehut because we understood that Israel needs a new spirit, hope, faith in the justice of our cause, and a vision of freedom and true victory,” he said. “For an entire year, we made clear that the gravity of the hour demands national responsibility and a united effort. We promised our supporters that we would not risk a single vote and that our values would receive strong and influential representation. We have fulfilled that commitment.”

Feiglin urged supporters of the nationalist and faith-based political camps to rally behind the newly created joint slate, saying the agreement provides Zehut voters with a secure political framework heading into the election.

“Tonight, we bring the news so many have been waiting for and embark on a joint effort to maximize the strength of the national and faith-based camp,” Feiglin said. “We have done our part and secured a political home for our supporters. Now the responsibility passes to you, the public. I call on everyone who holds the Land of Israel, the security of the state and human freedom dear: Join us, support us and turn out in large numbers to vote for the joint list.”

The agreement was finalized after Smotrich ended a visit to southern Israel ahead of schedule and returned to the Religious Zionist Party’s headquarters to complete negotiations with Feiglin.

The partnership comes as polling indicates that a combined slate could clear Israel’s electoral threshold. A Midgam survey conducted for Channel 12 News and released Monday projected that a joint Religious Zionist Party-Zehut ticket would secure five Knesset seats.

According to that poll, Yashar! would emerge as the largest party with 24 seats, narrowly ahead of Likud with 23. Beyachad would receive 15 seats, followed by the Democrats with 11, Yisrael Beytenu with nine and United Torah Judaism with eight.

Otzma Yehudit, the Joint List and Shas would each receive seven seats, while the Smotrich-Feiglin alliance would win five and Ra’am would secure four. Ofer Winter’s party, running independently under the scenario tested by the poll, would fall short of the electoral threshold.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump warned Iran on Tuesday that any retaliation for the latest U.S. military strikes would trigger a significantly more powerful American response, as U.S. forces targeted Iranian sites near the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the region.

Trump said the strikes were launched in response to Iranian actions near the strategic waterway, including an unsuccessful effort to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz and the firing of eight missiles at an American military installation in Jordan.

“The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian Targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The president followed that announcement with an extraordinary warning that Washington was prepared to dramatically intensify its military campaign if Tehran responded to the latest attacks.

“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The U.S. strikes reportedly hit targets on Qeshm Island as well as locations in Chabahar and the Bandar Abbas area, all situated in or near the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz region.

Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Israel issued an alert to American citizens as tensions across the Middle East continued to rise. The advisory cautioned that the security situation could deteriorate without warning and potentially result in canceled flights, closed airspace and other significant travel disruptions.

“Iran and its supporters may harm American interests and sites affiliated with the United States and its citizens around the world. You must exercise increased vigilance, stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings, locate a protected area in advance, and follow the authorities’ instructions,” the embassy statement said.

{Matzav.com}

A delegation of rabbonim serving Jewish inmates in federal prisons across the United States met with the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, in Williamsburg ahead of his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, asking the Rebbe to raise the plight of Jewish prisoners directly with the president.

The delegation, which also included prominent askanim, discussed the circumstances facing Jewish inmates serving lengthy sentences in federal prisons and a range of issues affecting their religious and personal needs.

The rabbonim urged the Satmar Rebbe to use his upcoming conversation with President Trump to seek assistance for Jewish prisoners and to explore measures that could ease some of the hardships they face while incarcerated.

Among the issues raised were possible improvements to prison conditions, expanded visitation privileges and greater flexibility that could allow qualifying inmates to leave prison temporarily to attend family simchos. The delegation stressed that presidential attention to these matters could help bring about changes quickly.

Also participating in the meeting was the Rebbe’s son, Rav Yaakov Ber Teitelbaum, the Sigeter Rov, who is extensively involved in efforts on behalf of Jewish prisoners. Senior Satmar askanim and community representatives were also present, including Reb Moshe Dovid Niederman and Reb Avrohom Yehoshua Freund.

The planned Oval Office meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The Satmar Rebbe is expected to travel to Washington aboard the private aircraft of Satmar philanthropist Reb Lipa Friedman, son of longtime Satmar gabbai Reb Moshe “Gabe” Friedman. The Bobover Rebbe is expected to join the flight.

According to sources, the invitation was extended to the Satmar Rebbe’s household in a telephone call from the White House by Martin Marks, who headed Trump’s Jewish campaign operation and was subsequently appointed to oversee the administration’s relations with the Jewish community.

The unusual White House gathering is expected to give each participant several minutes individually with President Trump, with the admorim and rabbonim reportedly entering without their gabbaim.

Those invited include the Skverer Rebbe, who is expected to send his eldest son, Rav Aharon Mendel Twersky; the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum; the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum; the Bobover Rebbe; the Vizhnitz-Monsey Rebbe; and Rav Malkiel Kotler.

Under the current White House plan, each invitee is expected to enter the Oval Office individually and speak privately with President Trump for several minutes. Organizers are also considering the possibility of holding a joint meeting with the participants seated together around a table.

Meanwhile, preparations for Thursday’s White House visit have continued within Satmar. In addition to the meeting with federal prison rabbonim at the Satmar Rebbe’s Williamsburg residence, senior askanim and activists have been holding consultations at the Satmar Rebbe Rav Aharon Teitelbaum’s residence in Kiryas Yoel.

In a significant change to the long-established admissions timetable for Lakewood’s girls’ schools, registration will henceforth commence only on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, under a new agreement reached by the town’s roshei mosdos.

The move is intended chiefly to spare girls and their families the lengthy period of uncertainty that has accompanied the admissions process in recent years. With registration traditionally beginning immediately after Sukkos, parents could find themselves spending months awaiting a definitive answer as to where their daughter would be attending school the following year.

Following extensive deliberations involving local rabbanim, askanim, parents and school administrators, the roshei mosdos agreed that delaying the process would considerably shorten that difficult interval and provide a more orderly admissions period for all concerned.

The initiative was undertaken after lengthy and detailed consultations regarding the challenges presented by the existing system.

Under the arrangement, schools may not begin registration before Rosh Chodesh Shevat. Moreover, any commitment or acceptance offered to a prospective student prior to that date will be regarded as having no validity.

A limited dispensation has been made for new schools due to open for the 2027–28 academic year. Those mosdos will be permitted to commence registration from the 15th of Teves, recognizing that a newly established school requires additional time to assemble its classes and make the necessary preparations without the infrastructure and systems already available to established institutions.

Askanim believe that the revised timetable will produce a fairer and considerably less burdensome process for the schools and parents alike, whilst placing particular emphasis on the wellbeing of the girls at the center of the admissions process.

A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president who had celebrated her second wedding anniversary just weeks earlier was identified as the woman killed in a shocking, apparently random stabbing spree in Times Square on Monday afternoon.

Erin Piacenti, a resident of Chester, New Jersey, was fatally stabbed near 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue during a rampage that also left a 68-year-old man wounded. The alleged attacker, 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, was subsequently shot and killed by NYPD officers after police said she charged at them while armed with knives.

Piacenti worked in New York City for Bank of America, where she held the position of Vice President of Business Selection and Conflicts, according to sources cited by The Post.

Piacenti had an extensive academic background. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and later earned her law degree from Fordham Law School in 2021, according to information on her LinkedIn profile.

Her death came barely three weeks after she and her husband marked their second wedding anniversary. Social media posts indicated that the couple celebrated the milestone on Aug. 10.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Piacenti was stabbed in the abdomen near 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at approximately 4:30 p.m., describing what happened as an “unprovoked attack.”

Police said the violence began when Cisneros produced two kitchen knives and attacked a 68-year-old man after he emerged from the subway on West 41st Street. The man was stabbed in the abdomen.

Cisneros then made her way toward West 42nd Street, where authorities said she encountered Piacenti and stabbed her, inflicting fatal injuries.

Police officers subsequently confronted Cisneros and cornered her in Times Square. The encounter ended when officers opened fire and killed her after authorities said she charged toward them while still armed with the knives.

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11, eliminating the threat of another shutdown before voters head to the polls in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Lawmakers voted 370-48 to pass the spending measure and send it to President Trump, whose signature will ensure federal agencies remain fully operational beyond the election.

The vote came on just the second day that House members were back in Washington following a five-week recess. Republican leaders moved quickly to advance the legislation, formally known as a continuing resolution, ahead of the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year.

The House is currently scheduled to leave Washington again on Oct. 1 for the final weeks of campaigning before the midterms. With the government-funding issue now resolved well ahead of that deadline, there has been growing speculation that lawmakers could be permitted to begin their campaign recess even earlier.

The version approved Tuesday incorporated changes made by the Senate while House lawmakers were away. Among the additions is increased funding for several federal programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC.

The legislation also postpones implementation of a rule that would have expanded the White House Office of Management and Budget’s authority over federal spending. Both that provision and the additional program funding had been important demands for Democrats.

Under the federal budget process, Congress is supposed to approve 12 separate appropriations bills each year to finance government operations beginning with the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. Lawmakers, however, have not completed all of those bills on schedule since the 1990s, repeatedly turning instead to temporary continuing resolutions to prevent funding lapses while negotiations continue.

The latest agreement comes after an extraordinarily turbulent period of federal funding battles. Over the past year, the government has been shut down on three separate occasions, totaling 122 days of closures.

{Matzav.com}

Brazil’s Jewish community is pressing election authorities to extend voting hours in areas with significant Jewish populations after the country’s October 4 election was scheduled for Simchas Torah, creating a conflict that could prevent observant Jews from casting ballots.

Brazilian attorney Monica Rosenberg has submitted a petition to the country’s Superior Electoral Court bearing thousands of signatures and asking that selected polling stations remain open until 8 p.m. local time. The extension would allow Shabbos-observant Jews to vote after Simchas Torah concludes.

Polls across Brazil are currently scheduled to close at 5 p.m., while the Yom Tov is expected to end at approximately 6:40 p.m. According to the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, Brazil is home to roughly 120,000 Jews.

In a statement, the Jewish community emphasized that it is not seeking to postpone the election or alter the nationwide voting date.

“The initiative does not call for postponing the elections or making any change to the election date. The request is specifically that polling stations in locations near Jewish communities be allowed to receive voters until 8:00 p.m., after the holiday ends,” the community said.

The proposal is intended to ensure that observant Jewish citizens are not forced to choose between adhering to their religious obligations and exercising their civic responsibility to vote. The issue is particularly significant in Brazil because voting is compulsory.

The effort has received substantial backing from the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, known as CONIB. The organization’s president, Claudio Lottenberg, said protecting religious freedom and ensuring political participation are closely connected to the broader fight against antisemitism and the defense of fundamental democratic principles.

The petition drive has also received a boost from Silvia Abravanel, daughter of the late Brazilian billionaire and media mogul Silvio Santos. Abravanel, herself a prominent television personality, promoted the campaign to her millions of followers on social media.

The Simchas Torah election conflict is the latest in a series of situations in which Brazilian authorities have faced calls to accommodate the religious practices of the country’s Jewish population. Previous disputes have included elections coinciding with Yom Kippur as well as requirements that Jewish students attend classes or take examinations on Shabbos.

Brazil’s electoral authorities have yet to issue a final ruling on the petition. Jewish community leaders hope that permission to keep certain polling stations open for several additional hours will both resolve this year’s conflict and establish a broader precedent recognizing that citizens should be able to participate fully in the democratic process without being forced to compromise their religious observance.

{Matzav.com}

Bnei Brak is facing a deepening financial crisis after accumulating a deficit of approximately NIS 130 million, prompting Israel’s Interior Ministry to impose immediate restrictions on the municipality and consider appointing an outside accountant to oversee its finances.

The startling deterioration has raised questions about how one of Israel’s largest municipalities — with an annual budget of roughly NIS 2.5 billion and substantial property-tax revenue from its booming commercial district — found itself approaching the limits of its available credit and struggling with cash flow. The deficit includes approximately NIS 80 million recorded in 2025 and another roughly NIS 50 million accumulated during 2026.

The Interior Ministry has now frozen municipal requests for personal employment contracts and salary upgrades and will approve only essential special-budget projects. Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert has also been ordered to present an emergency recovery plan by October 11 detailing how the municipality intends to return to a balanced budget by the end of the year.

The warning came from Tzvika Einbinder, the Interior Ministry official overseeing the Tel Aviv District, who demanded significant spending reductions and other immediate measures.

“I am asking you [Zeibert] to have the municipal administration convene as soon as possible and make binding and painful decisions,” Einbinder wrote. “The plan must include concrete steps to reduce the deficit and return to a balanced budget by the end of the year in the areas of procurement, tenders and municipal personnel.”

Should Bnei Brak fail to stabilize its finances, the Interior Ministry is considering appointing an accompanying accountant, a step that would sharply curtail the municipality’s financial independence. Such an official can be given authority over expenditures, payments to suppliers, hiring, employee compensation and, in some circumstances, municipal tax collection and debt payments.

The financial collapse is particularly striking because Bnei Brak has a major commercial tax base. The city receives hundreds of millions of shekels in revenue from office properties, including the large BBC business district, and its annual municipal budget stands at approximately NIS 2.5 billion. Moreover, the city received an increase of roughly NIS 20 million in its government balancing grant in 2025 following a technical change to the funding formula.

Aharon Rabinowitz, the Chareidi affairs correspondent for Haaretz, said in an interview with Radio 103FM that those numbers make the municipality’s financial predicament especially difficult to understand.

“How did this happen? How did we get to this situation? I asked that. The Bnei Brak Municipality is one of the largest municipalities in Israel, mainly because of the office towers that bring enormous arnona revenues into the municipality,” Rabinowitz said.

Rabinowitz leveled particularly sharp criticism at Zeibert, who returned to the mayor’s office in 2024 and also serves as secretary-general of Agudas Yisrael.

“The mayor is almost never in Israel, he is most of the time on flights abroad and nobody really knows; he is one of the senior figures in the Ger chassidus,” Rabinowitz said.

He also alleged that the municipality has failed to provide an adequate accounting of its spending.

“The municipality is engaging in completely reckless spending; we don’t know where the money ultimately goes,” he said.

According to a Calcalist report, some officials within the municipality have similarly blamed Zeibert for the crisis, alleging that he has not demonstrated command of the financial details or produced a clear plan for reversing the deterioration. The mayor did not respond to Calcalist’s request for comment.

The cash-flow crunch has already forced the city to take extraordinary steps. According to the report, the municipality sold a securities portfolio worth approximately NIS 30 million, eliminating what had served as a financial cushion. The city has also been delaying payments to suppliers as it contends with its liquidity problems.

Municipal officials, however, are pushing back against the suggestion that irresponsible spending alone created the crisis. They contend that decisions and delays by the Interior Ministry have deprived Bnei Brak of tens of millions of shekels in anticipated revenue.

One major dispute involves approximately 12,000 households that applied for arnona discounts. City officials say the Interior Ministry has yet to approve those applications, leaving the municipality unable to collect the disputed taxes and creating a revenue hole they estimate at roughly NIS 30 million.

Officials also say the Interior Ministry has not approved municipal bylaws that could generate additional revenue. Among the proposals is an increase in parking rates that the municipality estimates could bring in another NIS 15 million annually. In addition, city officials say Education Ministry directives forced Bnei Brak to increase payments to educational aides by approximately NIS 25 million.

Those explanations, however, do not fully account for the severity of the municipality’s predicament, according to the Calcalist report. Other municipalities face similar government delays and expenses without experiencing a financial crisis of Bnei Brak’s magnitude, while the city continues to benefit from billions of shekels in annual revenue and a lucrative commercial property-tax base.

The municipality has publicly maintained that it can turn the situation around. In response to the Interior Ministry’s warning last week, Bnei Brak officials said they expect to finish the year with a balanced budget.

For now, however, the Interior Ministry is demanding more than assurances. Unless the municipality produces a credible recovery plan and dramatically improves its financial position, Bnei Brak could find its budgetary decisions placed under outside supervision — an extraordinary development for one of Israel’s largest and most prominent Chareidi cities.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s desalination crisis continued Tuesday morning as most of the country’s desalination plants were forced to shut down again only hours after resuming operations, prompting authorities to restrict water use for agriculture, public landscaping and other nonessential purposes.

Most of the facilities had restarted overnight after water conditions temporarily improved following Monday’s unusual shutdown. By Tuesday morning, however, seawater turbidity had risen again, forcing the plants to halt operations once more. The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure instructed local governments to reduce public irrigation, agricultural water consumption and other municipal uses in an effort to preserve available supplies for households.

The latest setback follows Monday’s shutdown of five of Israel’s six desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast, with the Hadera facility the only one to remain operational. An overnight improvement in seawater quality allowed most of the plants to resume production, but the improvement proved short-lived.

The Water Authority stressed that residential water supplies are expected to continue. In areas where localized shortages or other problems develop, authorities plan to reduce other forms of consumption and address disruptions through the Water Authority’s operations center.

Meanwhile, investigators are beginning to identify what may have caused the highly unusual event. An initial investigation by researchers at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research institute points to a bloom of microalgae believed to have originated near Egypt’s Nile Delta and traveled northward with Mediterranean currents toward Israel’s southern coastline.

The buildup of microscopic algae, combined with turbulent sea conditions, apparently caused an extraordinary increase in the water’s turbidity, placing heavy strain on the filtration systems used by the desalination plants. The Water Authority has ruled out a cyberattack as the cause, while seawater samples have been collected for further analysis.

The effects of the shutdown were already being felt outside the desalination facilities on Monday. Mekorot increased production from available water sources and wells in an attempt to compensate for the sharp reduction in desalinated water.

In southern Israel, supplies of potable water for agricultural purposes were restricted. The Ramat HaNegev Regional Council temporarily halted agricultural water supplies altogether, while farmers and public landscaping officials in Eshkol were instructed to immediately reduce their use of potable water and rely on reclaimed water wherever possible.

Concerns over the disruption also reached several cities. In Yerushalayim, the Gihon water company opened locations where residents could fill water containers. Residents of Kiryat Gat were warned about possible changes in water pressure, temporary reductions in supply and intermittent outages, while Rishon LeZion also prepared for potential disruptions.

In its latest update Tuesday morning, however, the Water Authority again emphasized that maintaining uninterrupted household water service remains the priority. For now, conservation measures are being directed primarily toward agriculture, landscaping and nonessential public consumption.

The situation is particularly significant because of Israel’s heavy dependence on desalinated water. Desalination facilities provide a major share of the country’s potable water, meaning the simultaneous shutdown of most of the system requires greater reliance on alternative sources and careful management of existing supplies.

Authorities have not yet indicated when seawater turbidity will fall sufficiently for the affected plants to resume stable, continuous production. The developments overnight underscored the uncertainty of the situation: even after facilities are restarted, another deterioration in seawater conditions can force them offline again.

{Matzav.com}

Shin Bet chief David Zini quietly traveled to the United States for previously undisclosed meetings with his American counterparts in Washington, with the discussions reportedly focusing on sensitive matters.

According to a Channel 13 News report, Zini traveled to Washington as part of a series of professional meetings with U.S. officials. His visit was not announced in advance.

The report said participants in the meetings are “discussing sensitive issues,” but no details were provided about the specific subjects on the agenda or the officials with whom Zini was meeting.

Meanwhile, as Zini conducts talks in the United States, a separate debate is continuing in Israel over security protection for prominent political figures. The public advisory committee responsible for evaluating security arrangements for public officials convened Sunday to consider protection for Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot and Democrats chairman Yair Golan.

Contrary to expectations, the committee recommended that Eisenkot continue receiving security protection through the election. No final decision has yet been reached regarding Golan.

Zini’s position is reportedly that neither party leader requires state-provided protection because they do not constitute governmental institutions.

The committee is headed by Ronen Cohen, who has reportedly made numerous critical statements about Eisenkot in the past.

CBS News came under sharp criticism from progressive politicians and commentators Monday after publishing a report highlighting deleted social media posts by Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about the Sept. 11 attacks, with critics accusing the network of Islamophobia and attacking the framing of the story ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

“As the nation prepares to mark 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001, Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, may be facing the risk of renewed scrutiny and fresh political attack,” CBS News wrote Monday.

The CBS report examined several social media posts that El-Sayed subsequently deleted. Among them were posts from 2020 in which he compared the nearly 3,000 Americans murdered in the Sept. 11 attacks with the number of people who died during the coronavirus pandemic.

The report also highlighted a Sept. 11, 2021, post previously uncovered by The Washington Free Beacon. El-Sayed wrote, “Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I’ll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country.”

The decision to focus on El-Sayed’s past comments as the country approaches the anniversary of the terrorist attacks triggered an immediate backlash from his supporters and other liberal critics, many of whom objected to CBS News linking the Muslim candidate with 9/11 in the framing of its coverage.

“What an insane headline,” far-left commentator Hasan Piker reacted on X. “This is why the [new Paramount owner David Ellison] bought CBS and put Bari Weiss in charge.”

Weiss was named editor-in-chief of CBS News by Ellison last fall following Paramount’s multimillion-dollar acquisition of The Free Press, the media outlet she founded.

Zeteo founder and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan also attacked the network’s handling of the story, arguing that its framing was offensive toward El-Sayed as a Muslim candidate.

“Hi @CBS @CBSNews @bariweiss do you think it’s super offensive and disgusting and Islamophobic to do a tweet about the potential first ever Muslim Democratic senator which begins by referencing 9/11?” Hasan asked.

Tim Miller, host of a podcast at The Bulwark and an MS NOW analyst, similarly condemned the report.

“Despicable anti-Muslim woke right garbage from the house CBS account,” Miller wrote.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., joined the criticism, accusing the network of racism over the way the story was presented.

“What an insane, blatantly racist headline. Unreal,” Ansari posted.

Vox host and editorial director Astead Herndon used the controversy to voice broader concerns about public confidence in established news organizations.

“The current state of institutional media legit bums me out,” Herndon said. “We’ve burned through so much credibility in recent years. And our information ecosystem is worse for it.”

Despite the barrage of criticism, a CBS News source familiar with the report defended the decision to cover El-Sayed’s old posts. The source told Fox News Digital that news organizations publish stories about politicians deleting past social media comments “all the time.”

El-Sayed himself was questioned about the deleted posts by a local CBS News reporter while campaigning.

“What happened on 9/11 is a disaster. It was a terrible attack on our country,” El-Sayed said. “And our responsibility is also to think about, how do we build an America where we are protecting our servicemen and women from being asked to fight in wars we have no business fighting in?”

{Matzav.com}

Leading gedolim, headed by Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, have issued a strongly worded letter opposing the growing practice of holding musical Selichos events, calling on the public not to attend such gatherings and urging municipal and government authorities not to fund or support them.

The letter, released ahead of the Yemei Hadin, is addressed broadly to the yirei Hashem and carries the heading “Zochalim v’ro’adim miyom bo’echa” — “Trembling and quaking at the day of Your arrival.”

The gedolim say that musical Selichos gatherings, which have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, undermine the fundamental purpose and atmosphere of the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

“On the eve of the Days of Judgment 5786,” the letter begins, before addressing what the gedolim describe as a troubling development: “Recently, an inappropriate phenomenon has begun in which ‘Selichos events’ are held with musical instruments. These Selichos events are contrary to the entire elevated nature of the days of Selichos established by Chazal for repentance, regret and self-examination, to purify and sanctify oneself in preparation for the coming Days of Judgment, and to merit being inscribed and sealed for a good life and peace.”

The letter warns against transforming the solemn institution of Selichos into a form of entertainment and says that such gatherings can also lead to serious problems involving standards of kedushah and tznius.

“G-d forbid that an exalted and sacred concept established by Chazal should be transformed into an entertainment event and musical performance, aside from the serious breaches of sanctity and modesty that accompany these events.”

The gedolim then issue a clear directive to the public, invoking earlier warnings issued by leading Torah authorities.

“Therefore, we hereby join and strengthen that which the Gedolei Yisrael, zt”l and shlit”a, have warned, that one should, G-d forbid, not participate in such events.”

The letter also directs an explicit appeal to government and municipal officials, urging them “not to support or fund these events through the authorities or in any manner whatsoever.”

Particular emphasis is placed on protecting the sanctity of shuls and batei medrash. The letter states: “And certainly such events should not be held in the sanctuaries of Hashem, the miniature sanctuary, synagogues and study halls. Likewise, prayers and Hallel should not be held accompanied by musical instruments.”

Concluding with a bracha that the Jewish people remain faithful to the traditions handed down through the generations, the gedolim write: “And may Hashem elevate us higher and higher to adhere to the tradition of our fathers, and inscribe us and seal us for a good life.”

{Matzav.com}