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California Gov. Gavin Newsom today blamed President Trump for the deadly shooting of an armed anti-ICE protester in Minneapolis, accusing the president of deliberately creating conditions to justify invoking the Insurrection Act.

Newsom asserted that Trump was seeking to manufacture chaos as a pretext for deploying extraordinary federal powers.

“Yesterday, hundreds of thousands filled the streets of Minnesota – marching in subzero temperatures in a PEACEFUL protest. Not the excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act the President wanted,” he wrote on X on today.

“So today, Trump made a shooting happen,” Newsom wrote.

“The President must end his violent occupation of Minnesota. NOW.”

The shooting occurred during what federal officials described as a “targeted operation” shortly after 9 a.m. local time, as Customs and Border Patrol agents attempted to arrest an accused criminal migrant. Authorities said Alex Jeffrey Pretti approached the agents while armed and attempted to interfere with the arrest.

Pretti, 37, who local officials said was a lawful gun owner, was shot following a physical confrontation with the agents and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident marked the second fatal shooting of a protester in Minnesota this month tied to encounters with immigration authorities, following the Jan. 7 death of Renee Nichole Good.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also condemned federal authorities after the shooting and urged lawmakers to cut off funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X.

“DHS just shot a man in broad daylight two weeks after they shot a mother in the face without consequence.”

“They need our votes to continue. We cannot give it to them. Every Senator should vote NO,” AOC blasted.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump accused Minnesota’s top political leaders of fueling unrest after a 37-year-old man was shot and killed today when he allegedly brandished a firearm near federal agents attempting to arrest a migrant.

In a Truth Social post, the president shared an image of the weapon authorities said belonged to the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about?” Trump wrote.

“Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”

Trump directed sharp criticism at Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both of whom have publicly opposed the presence of federal immigration agents in the city.

“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” the president wrote.

“Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America. LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!”

The president argued that conditions would be significantly worse if Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not carried out extensive enforcement actions.

“12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!” he wrote.

Trump said the federal presence in Minnesota is tied to an ongoing welfare fraud investigation in the state.

“Why does Ilhan Omar have $34 Million Dollars in her account?” he wrote, referring to the Minnesota congresswoman.

“And where are the Tens of Billions of Dollars that have been stolen from the once Great State of Minnesota? We are there because of massive Monetary Fraud, with Billions of Dollars missing, and Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.”

“We want the money back, and we want it back, NOW,” Trump continued. “Those Fraudsters who stole the money are going to jail, where they belong! This is no different than a really big Bank Robbery. Much of what you’re witnessing is a COVER UP for this Theft and Fraud.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, Walz authorized the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard following the death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, who authorities said was killed after attempting to interfere with the arrest of a criminal migrant.

{Matzav.com}

Several major international airlines abruptly suspended weekend flights to Israel and other Middle Eastern destinations, citing rising regional tensions, according to reports Friday night.

Channel 12 News reported that Dutch carrier KLM and Air France halted flights to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, with both airlines attributing the move to escalating instability in the region.

Additional carriers soon followed. i24NEWS reported that Lufthansa and Swiss canceled their Saturday flights to the Middle East, while United Airways and Air Canada also scrapped scheduled flights to Israel.

The sudden wave of cancellations comes amid growing speculation that President Trump may authorize military action against Iran following a deadly crackdown by the regime on anti-government protesters.

KLM had only resumed service to Israel at the end of September, part of a broader return by foreign airlines after earlier hostilities between Iran and Israel subsided.

On Thursday, Trump delivered another forceful message to Tehran while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One during his return flight from Davos to Washington, pointing to a major U.S. military buildup in the region.

“We have a lot of ships going in that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”

Trump also reiterated his claim that he intervened last week to stop mass executions planned by Iranian authorities.

“I stopped 837 hangings [last] Thursday. They would have been dead. Every one of them would have been hung. This is like from a thousand years ago,” he said.

“I said ‘if you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts.’ And an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they canceled it. And they actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it. They canceled it. So that was a good sign.”

Despite pointing to that outcome, Trump stressed that the United States continues to prepare militarily.

“But we have an armada, we have a massive fleet heading in that direction. And maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”

Speaking earlier this week in an interview with CNBC, Trump addressed the deteriorating situation in Iran and said Washington remains on alert.

“We hope there’s not going to be further action. They were shooting people indiscriminately on the streets and they were going to hang 837, mostly young people,” he said, referring to his warning that the U.S. would respond forcefully if protesters were harmed.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump told The NY Post that a classified weapon he dubbed “The Discombobulator” played a decisive role in the U.S. operation that led to the arrest of Venezuela’s drug-linked leader Nicolás Maduro.

According to Trump, the previously undisclosed technology was used during a daring Jan. 3 raid in Caracas, when U.S. helicopters moved in to seize Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on federal narcotics and weapons charges — an operation he said was carried out without a single American casualty.

“The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it,” Trump said during an exclusive interview conducted in the Oval Office.

“I would love to,” the president added, before acknowledging that the weapon was deployed during the covert mission.

“They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off. We came in, they pressed buttons and nothing worked. They were all set for us.”

Trump addressed the secret weapon after being asked about recent reports claiming the Biden administration had acquired a pulsed-energy device believed by some to be connected to “Havana Syndrome.”

Details about the technology remain scarce, but those reports followed firsthand accounts from Venezuela describing how Maduro’s armed guards were incapacitated, with some allegedly collapsing while “bleeding through the nose” and vomiting blood.

One former member of Maduro’s security detail later said that “suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation.”

“The next thing we saw were drones, a lot of drones, flying over our positions. We didn’t know how to react,” he said, adding that helicopters soon followed — “barely eight” — delivering roughly 20 U.S. troops into the area.

According to the account, “The Discombobulator” was then directed at forces protecting Maduro.

“At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it. It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,” the witness said.

“We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon — or whatever it was.”

Maduro, 63, is currently being held in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn as he awaits trial on narcoterrorism charges. His former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has assumed the role of interim president.

“We have a great relationship with the new president,” Trump said. “She’s been terrific.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly gone into hiding, retreating to an underground bunker amid fears he could be targeted by U.S. airstrikes as the USS Abraham Lincoln heads toward the Persian Gulf.

According to a report by Iran International cited by the Jerusalem Post, the 86-year-old leader relocated to a heavily fortified shelter in Tehran linked to an extensive network of underground tunnels after senior military commanders warned that the chances of an imminent U.S. attack were rising.

The report said Khamenei has delegated responsibility for the Islamic Republic’s daily operations to his youngest son, Masoud Khamenei, 53.

Masoud Khamenei is now tasked with emergency oversight duties, including serving as the main conduit between the supreme leader and Iran’s executive leadership, according to the same account.

Iranian officials reportedly assessed the risk of U.S. strikes as especially high after President Trump announced that American naval forces were moving toward the Middle East, issuing a warning to the ayatollah amid escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran.

Trump said Friday that the U.S. Navy was dispatching a large “armada.”

Stars and Stripes reported that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group — accompanied by three destroyers — is traveling from the Indian Ocean toward the Persian Gulf near Iran.

Despite the heightened military posture, Iranian leaders have publicly refused to de-escalate. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any strike by the U.S. or Israel targeting the supreme leader would be treated as “an all-out war against us.”

Iran’s parliamentary commission on national security echoed that stance this week, declaring that an attack on Khamenei would amount to grounds for a jihad, according to the Iranian Students News Agency as cited by the Jerusalem Post.

Khamenei, who is usually active online, has not posted on X since Jan. 17. It remains unclear exactly when he entered the bunker.

This is not the first time the supreme leader has withdrawn underground during a crisis. Khamenei also disappeared from public view last June when he reportedly sheltered in a bunker during the 12-Day War with Israel. At that time, he was said to have prepared a list of possible successors in case he was killed.

In his most recent post this year, Khamenei vowed to pursue both domestic and foreign “criminals” he blamed for the nationwide protests that erupted on Dec. 28.

Those demonstrations — fueled by economic collapse following the worst drought in decades — have been met with lethal force, with regime security units reportedly killing at least 3,000 civilians. Some groups have claimed the death toll could be as high as 20,000.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump warned on Friday that the United States could impose a sweeping 100% tariff on Canadian goods, sharply criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney for pursuing closer trade ties with China.

In a series of statements, Trump derided Carney — whom he repeatedly referred to as “governor” — and said the Canadian leader was dangerously misguided in believing he could gain leverage over Beijing.

“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

Trump went on to caution that Canada would not be allowed to serve as a conduit for Chinese exports into the United States.

“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a “Drop Off Port” for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” he said.

The president warned that any agreement between Ottawa and Beijing would trigger severe economic consequences, recalling that he imposed a 35% tariff on Canada in August.

“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote.

Carney earlier pushed back against Trump’s geopolitical ambitions, including efforts related to Greenland, while speaking Tuesday before a gathering of world leaders and global elites.

“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it,” Carney said. “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

The Canadian prime minister traveled to China from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced agreements aimed at increasing the flow of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada at reduced tariffs.

Just a week earlier, Trump had taken a more relaxed tone about Canada’s outreach to Beijing.

“That’s what he should be doing. It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said at the time.

The shift in rhetoric suggests growing concern within the administration that China could use Canada as a backdoor to expand its access to U.S. markets, even as Trump continues to threaten new tariffs against Beijing over trade practices and policy disputes.

On Jan. 12, Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on any country that does business with Iran, a move that raised the prospect of renewed trade tensions with China, whose global trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion last year.

The latest exchange marks another chapter in the increasingly bitter relationship between Trump and Carney, the former head of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. Last week, Trump removed Canada from his newly created “Board of Peace” after Carney criticized his foreign policy stance.

“Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said at Davos. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

Carney fired back on Thursday.

“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” he said.

Trump initially began his term floating the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, but the rhetoric faded after Carney’s election as prime minister in April. Trump had previously sparred with Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, whom he also occasionally referred to as “governor.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said the United States has taken control of Venezuelan oil from seven tankers that were recently seized, though he declined to disclose where the vessels are now located.

“I’m not allowed to tell you,” the president told The NY Post during an interview in the Oval Office on Friday. “But let’s put it this way, they don’t have any oil. We take the oil.”

Trump made the remarks while seated behind the Resolute Desk.

Visible behind him was the Nobel Peace Prize he received from Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, still in its frame and resting against the base of a golden eagle statue.

The president said he has not yet decided where the award will ultimately be displayed inside the White House.

At the same time, Trump said the oil taken from Venezuela is already being processed inside the United States.

“The oil’s coming into the refineries in Houston, in various places.”

The administration plans to sell as much as 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude at prevailing market rates.

“We are running the oil in Venezuela,” Trump said. “Venezuela is going to get some, and we’re going to get some. Then we have the big oil companies going in, and they’ll be taking so much oil that Venezuela will make more money than they’ve ever made before.”

Following the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise overnight operation on Jan. 3, the Trump administration moved quickly to assert control over the country’s oil production, refining operations, and international supply chain.

Earlier this month, Trump met with executives from major energy companies to discuss a potential $100 billion investment aimed at rebuilding and modernizing Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.

Administration officials have indicated that proceeds from the seized tankers could be used to help fund those reconstruction efforts.

Trump has also suggested that the U.S. government would compensate American oil companies for their role in reviving Venezuela’s energy sector.

The president told The Post that he is satisfied with interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

“We have a great relationship with the new president,” he said. “She’s been terrific.”

{Matzav.com}

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered the activation of the state’s National Guard following the fatal shooting of an armed man in Minneapolis, an incident that occurred as federal agents were attempting to arrest a migrant and has since sparked sharp criticism from state leaders.

Officials have not disclosed how many Guard members are being deployed. National Guard Major Gen. Shawn Menke said the contingent would be “adequate for this request,” referring to assistance sought by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Speaking publicly after the incident, Walz sharply criticized the Trump administration and said Minnesota authorities would conduct their own investigation into the shooting death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti.

Federal officials said Pretti, 37, was shot after allegedly brandishing a weapon while Customs and Border Patrol agents were attempting to take a criminal migrant into custody outside a donut shop.

“The federal government cannot be trusted to handle this investigation,” Walz said during a news conference.

“They killed a man, created chaos, pushed down protesters, threw gas indiscriminately and then left the scene and then we’re left to clean up,” the governor alleged.

“Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this,” he said, as he demanded that President Trump pull federal agents out of the state.

“I call on you once again: remove this force from Minnesota,” Walz said.

{Matzav.com}

Clashes broke out in Minneapolis on Saturday as large crowds confronted federal agents following the fatal shooting of a man authorities say attempted to interfere in the arrest of a criminal migrant, plunging parts of the city into chaos.

The unrest turned violent, leaving at least one federal officer seriously injured. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said a Homeland Security agent had a finger bitten off during the confrontation, sharing images of a distraught protester and the severed finger.

“In Minneapolis, these rioters attacked our law enforcement officer and one of them bit off our HSI officer’s finger,” she posted on X, adding, “He will lose his finger.”

The disturbances unfolded as police and federal agents moved to secure the area around West 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis on Saturday morning, where Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed earlier in the day.

As word of the shooting spread, demonstrators poured into the streets, taunting masked federal agents. Some blew piercing whistles while officers responded with repeated rounds of tear gas in an effort to push the crowd back.

Protesters hurled trash cans onto an armored vehicle and threw other objects, shouting profanities at armed officers.

“About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement after the incident.

Amid the escalating unrest, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered the National Guard to assist in securing the Whipple Federal Building, which immigration authorities have used as a detention facility, citing concerns “due to the potential for continuing and growing conflict.”

“We recognize that there’s a lot of anger and a lot of questions around what has happened, but we need people to remain peaceful. In the area, we have an unlawful assembly at this time,” said Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara.

Pretti, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene after authorities alleged he brandished a weapon while agents were attempting to arrest Jose Huerta-Chuma, whom DHS said has a criminal history that includes domestic violence.

As confrontations played out along streets lined with boutique donut shops and ethnic eateries, at least one demonstrator was seen carrying an upside-down American flag.

Federal agents, many outfitted with gas masks, worked to reestablish police lines after barricades and tape were torn down at nearby intersections, advancing block by block in an attempt to restore order.

President Trump and Gov. Walz exchanged sharp criticism, with Trump posting on Truth Social that Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were “inciting insurrection with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric!” Walz, for his part, accused federal authorities of inflaming the situation.

“We know that the potential to further inflame tensions is high. And to Minnesotans, there’s a difference. We want calm and peace and normalcy back to our lives. They want chaos,” he said. He called on Trump to “remove this force from Minnesota.”

“We recognize that there’s a lot of anger and a lot of questions around what has happened, but we need people to remain peaceful. In the area, we have an unlawful assembly at this time,” said Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt formally requested National Guard assistance to protect the Whipple Federal Building “ “due to the potential for continuing and growing conflict related to today’s federal agent-involved shooting.” Walz later confirmed that Guard units had been activated in response.

{Matzav.com}

A federal law enforcement officer shot and killed a man during an arrest operation in Minneapolis today after authorities say the individual pointed a firearm at officers, an encounter that quickly triggered large-scale unrest and violent demonstrations across the area.

The shooting occurred during what federal officials described as a targeted arrest operation aimed at an illegal criminal migrant. Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino later identified the suspect being taken into custody as Jose Huerta-Chuma. Multiple videos circulating online captured moments surrounding the confrontation.

According to DHS, Huerta-Chuma has a criminal history that allegedly includes domestic assault, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license, and was being sought in connection with an assault. As officers attempted to arrest him, officials said, the situation escalated when another individual approached the agents while armed. DHS stated that “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.”

Footage recorded by bystanders and shared on social media showed a man later identified as Minneapolis resident Alex Jeffrey Pretti moving toward the officers while holding what appeared to be a cellphone and filming the scene.

While videos of the physical struggle between Pretti and the officers do not clearly show a firearm, federal authorities said he was carrying a gun along with two magazines of ammunition.

“The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted,” DHS said. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”

Emergency medical personnel responded and attempted to treat Pretti, 37, who relatives said was an intensive care nurse employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to DHS.

Federal officials also said Pretti did not have identification on him at the time of the incident, adding that “this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

Following the shooting, crowds gathered and tensions rapidly escalated. Authorities declared the gathering an unlawful assembly as demonstrators confronted officers, threw trash cans at armored vehicles, and shouted obscenities. Law enforcement deployed tear gas in an effort to restore order.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said one officer suffered a severe injury during the chaos and was expected to lose a finger after being bitten by a demonstrator. Posting a graphic image on X, she wrote that the officer’s finger had been severed.

“About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”

When asked about claims that Pretti had drawn a weapon, Bovino said, “This situation again is evolving. This situation is under investigation. Those facts will come to light,” before displaying a photograph of a firearm that authorities said belonged to Pretti. He added that the gun was “possibly” a Sig Sauer 9-mm.

A 39-second video clip posted online showed several officers struggling with a person on the sidewalk outside a donut shop near the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Moments later, gunfire erupted, and officers appeared to scatter as shots rang out.

A law enforcement source told The Post shortly after the shooting that Pretti had allegedly brandished a firearm before being shot, and shared an image of the weapon believed to be involved.

President Trump sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in the aftermath, accusing them of “inciting insurrection with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric!”

In a Truth Social post, the president shared a photograph of the firearm authorities said belonged to Pretti.

“This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about?” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?” The shooting led Walz to authorize the deployment of the National Guard to help secure the federal Whipple Building, which immigration authorities have used as a detention facility.

Officials have not disclosed how many Guard members will be deployed. National Guard Major Gen. Shawn Menke said the number would be “adequate for this request,” referring to a call for assistance from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Two days of talks involving representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States wrapped up Saturday with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters” for ending the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Negotiators will return to the United Arab Emirates for the next round on Feb. 1, according to a U.S. official who described the meetings […]

Amid the turmoil in the Islamic Republic and mounting concerns that the US may launch a military strike, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been moved to a “special underground shelter in Tehran,” Iran International reported on Saturday. According to the report, the decision followed warnings from senior regime military and security officials who assessed […]

Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days. The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by U.S. forces to transfer accused Islamic State militants who […]

Around 12,000 flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice. Roughly 140 million people, or more than 40% of the U.S. […]

The commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which was key in putting down recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead, warned that his force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” as U.S. warships headed toward the Middle East. Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, […]

Ukraine’s senior security official said Friday that Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow have taken part in an unprecedented three-way meeting designed to revive diplomatic efforts to halt Russia’s prolonged war against Ukraine, which has dragged on for nearly four years.

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, disclosed the talks in a post on X, noting that the discussions brought together senior figures from all three sides. According to Umerov, the American delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Army Secretary Gen. Daniel Driscoll, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum. He said the participants examined possible avenues toward ending the most lethal conflict Europe has seen since World War II.

“The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace,” he said.

Ukraine’s delegation consisted of Umerov himself, parliamentary majority leader David Arakhamia, Kyrylo Budanov, who heads Ukrainian President Zelensky’s office, and Budanov’s deputy, Sergiy Kyslytsya.

On the Russian side, the Kremlin said its representatives included senior intelligence and defense officials, led by Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian army.

“These aspects: Buffer zones, various control mechanisms, are discussed at the meeting along with other important topics,” an unidentified source told Russia’s state-run TASS news.

Umerov said the trilateral discussions are expected to continue, with additional meetings planned for Shabbos.

{Matzav.com}

Gedolei Yisrael have issued a public call urging the tzibbur to intensify tefillos on behalf of the Grodno Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok ben Nechama Hacker, who remains hospitalized in serious condition.

The appeal was issued in a letter written by Rav Tzvi Drebkin, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Grodno in Be’er Yaakov, who called on the public to daven for his close friend and fellow manhig baTorah, Rav Yitzchok Hacker, who is in need of abundant rachamei Shamayim.

Rav Hacker is currently hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center.

In his letter, Rav Drebkin wrote that he was issuing his plea “as a Sefer Torah is in a state of danger, Rachmana litzlan.” He described Rav Hacker as “my friend and companion, a faithful transmitter of the mesorah, the great gaon Rav Yitzchok ben Nechama Hacker shlit”a,” noting that he is the son-in-law and close talmid of Ponovezh rosh yeshiva Rav Shmuel Rozovsky. Rav Drebkin emphasized Rav Hacker’s central role in conveying his rebbi’s Torah to the current generation, adding that he is presently in a grave medical condition.

Rav Drebkin appealed to “our brethren in all places of their dwelling” to raise heartfelt supplications and to increase Torah study and good deeds as a zechus for Rav Hacker’s refuah.

The letter was subsequently signed by many gedolim, including Rav Dov Landau, Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Berel Povarsky, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, Rav Don Segal, and Rav Moshe Yehuda Schlesinger.

{Matzav.com}

Nearly one million students in New York City public schools may be required to attend classes online on Monday as city officials prepare for a powerful winter storm, NYC Mayor Mamdani said Friday, even though he has the authority to restore traditional snow days eliminated by prior administrations.

With forecasts warning of a potentially historic snowfall, city leaders signaled that in-person classes are unlikely early next week, leaving students to expect either remote instruction or a full school day inside classrooms — but not a weather-related day off.

“I know to the disappointment of any student that’s watching this right now, Monday is either going to be a remote learning day or it’s going to be an in-person school day,” Mamdani said on NY1 on Friday.

“It’s not going to be a traditional snow day. That is a determination we’ve made.”

City officials said a final decision on whether students should physically attend school or log in from home will be announced by noon on Sunday.

“The reason that we’re waiting until then is to see what is the extent of the snowfall we’re talking about, because you know as well as I do, the range is a pretty big range,” Hizzoner said.

While mayors can declare a snow day, schools are still required to meet the state mandate of 180 instructional days each year. Over the past decade, several holidays have been added to the academic calendar, limiting flexibility.

During the Eric Adams administration, education officials ended weather-related closures altogether, opting instead for remote learning when conditions made travel unsafe.

It remained unclear whether the Department of Education could simply extend the school year to make up lost days, as many districts do, or whether contractual obligations with the teachers’ union restrict that option.

Meteorologists warned that the fast-moving storm could bring as much as 18 inches of snow by Monday, along with frigid temperatures and widespread travel disruptions across the region.

As Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide emergency on Friday, Mamdani said the city was fully mobilized for the first major storm of his tenure, referring to the response effort as “Blade Runner 2.0.”

“The forecasts don’t always get it right, but what is being predicted right now, whether it’s a foot of snow or even a little bit more, would be one of the biggest snowfalls that our city has seen in years,” he said during a weather briefing.

“Either late tomorrow evening or early Sunday morning, we are going to see snow start to begin to fall across our city. It will fall and fall and then fall some more.”

Sanitation crews began treating highways and major roadways early Friday, and the city has stockpiled approximately 700 million pounds of salt ahead of the storm, Mamdani said.

More than 2,000 sanitation workers were scheduled to begin 12-hour shifts starting Saturday to keep streets passable around the clock.

In addition, 2,200 snowplows are positioned throughout the city and will be deployed once snowfall reaches two inches.

“Tomorrow, as the storm nears, we’re going to see thousands of DSNY collection trucks and agency partners transformed into the nation’s largest snow fighting operation,” Mamdani said.

Hizzoner urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and remain indoors as conditions worsen.

“I want to encourage New Yorkers to do their parts to stay safe this weekend. That is why we are issuing a hazardous travel advisory for Sunday and for Monday,” he said.

“I want to encourage New Yorkers to do something that we don’t often have the luxury of doing, which is take a breath and stay home, stay indoors, stay off the roads, watch the snow come down, watch the worst possible reality TV show you can find.”

Snow is expected to begin early Sunday and continue through Monday.

If totals reach at least 12 inches, it would mark the city’s heaviest snowfall since February 2021, when 16.8 inches accumulated in Central Park over two days.

“We’re expecting more snow than they were talking about even 24 hours ago. So pay attention to these totals,” Hochul said.

“Up to a foot of snow downstate could be paralyzing in a dense area like New York City. They have not seen snow totals like this in years.”

The governor said she has been in regular contact with Mamdani as he prepares for his first major blizzard as mayor.

“I let him know that we have a governor who’s from Buffalo and if he wants any tips, to give me a call, and I gave him some of them and he’s ready to go,” she said.

“I think we’re ready for this. But when you get complacent, that’s when you get into trouble.”

{Matzav.com}

Senior Homeland Security officials on Friday forcefully disputed viral allegations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement used a young child as leverage to capture his father during an arrest in Minnesota earlier this week.

According to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations chief Marcos Charles, the 5-year-old boy—identified as Liam Conejo Ramos—was left alone in a vehicle by his father while agents attempted to take the parent into custody as part of a targeted enforcement action on Tuesday.

Charles said the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, ran from officers on foot, abandoning his son in the car as he fled.

“One of the officers stayed behind with the child while other officers apprehended his father,” Charles said.

He explained that officers later went to the child’s residence, but no one answered the door or agreed to take responsibility for the boy.

“The people refused to take him in and open the door,” he said, adding that the father ultimately asked to remain detained together with his child.

Both are now being held at an ICE detention facility in Texas. Homeland Security officials said Arias, an Ecuadorian national, was unlawfully present in the United States after being released into the country during the Biden administration.

The department’s rebuttal followed public remarks by Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stevik, who alleged earlier this week that ICE was “essentially using a 5-year-old as bait” when agents arrived at the home.

Stevik also said the father instructed the child’s mother not to answer the door when officers came by.

“Why detain a 5-year-old?” she asked. “You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”

Images of the child circulated widely online and were quickly seized upon by anti-ICE activists and Democratic groups criticizing President Trump’s aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, with Minnesota becoming a focal point for the backlash.

“In Minneapolis, ICE arrested a 5-year-old coming home from preschool and tried to use him as human bait,” the Democratic National Committee wrote on social media Thursday while escalating its attacks on ICE.

“His teacher describes him as “a bright young student. These Monsters are sick.”

{Matzav.com}

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes ignited sharp backlash after suggesting that state residents could lawfully use lethal force against masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents if they believe their lives are in danger, citing Arizona’s self-defense statutes.

In a televised interview with 12 News anchor Brahm Resnik, the Democrat warned that Arizona’s Stand Your Ground law could have dangerous consequences if demonstrators confront immigration officers operating with limited or obscured identification.

“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,” Mayes said during the Monday sit-down, criticizing ICE as “very poorly trained.”

“And we have a Stand Your Ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”

Resnik repeatedly pushed back, cautioning that her comments could be read as granting the public permission to open fire on federal agents.

Mayes responded that she was describing existing law rather than urging anyone to commit violence.

“If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?” she said, adding that “real cops don’t wear masks.”

“I mean if somebody comes at me wearing a mask, by the way, I’m a gun owner, and I can’t tell whether they’re a police officer, what am I supposed to do? No, I’m not suggesting people pull out their guns, but this is a ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ state.”

The remarks came as federal immigration enforcement expands operations across Arizona, intensifying tensions in parts of the state.

Mayes also said her office would pursue charges against any ICE agent who violates state law, referencing turmoil in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of protester Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation with a federal officer on Jan. 7, after she struck him with her vehicle.

Republican Rep. David Schweikert condemned the attorney general’s statements, branding them “reckless.”

“Let’s not pretend this was some careful legal seminar,” Schweikert, a gubernatorial candidate, wrote on X.

“This was the attorney general of Arizona freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as ‘just the law.’ That is reckless on its face. If your job is to enforce the law, you do not go on TV and hand out a permission structure for violence, then act surprised when people hear it as a green light.

“Words matter. Especially when they come from the state’s top lawyer.”

The Department of Homeland Security has accused progressive officials of inflaming tensions, urging them to moderate their language as assaults on law enforcement increase.

Vice President JD Vance echoed that appeal during a visit to Minneapolis, where demonstrations have continued since Good’s death, calling on leaders to “tone down the temperature.”

“This is direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Post in a statement Thursday night.

“Kris Mayes should be thanking our federal law enforcement for removing these pedophiles, murderers, terrorists, and drug traffickers from their communities — not inciting violence against them.”

Mayes faces voters again when she stands for re-election in November.