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In a dramatic overnight political move, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he will reserve places on the Likud electoral slate for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and Likud Central Committee Chairman Chaim Katz. The decision was announced shortly after midnight and will require formal approval from the party’s secretariat.

The announcement, released after 1:00 a.m., stated that the Likud Secretariat will be asked to approve the placement of the three senior officials on the party’s Knesset list alongside the prime minister’s previously designated reserved candidates.

The decision came just hours after Likud revealed that businessman Oren Dobronsky would receive Netanyahu’s first reserved slot, placed 11th on the party’s list. Dobronsky, founder of a Silicon Valley hummus restaurant chain and known for his appearance on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, is expected to spearhead artificial intelligence policy should Likud remain in power after the election.

In its statement, Likud explained that the party’s internal court had already ruled last week that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz should receive a reserved place on the list.

“The movement’s court ruled last week that the defense minister, who in any event was expected to finish near the top of the list, should receive a reserved position so that he can focus on the country’s security needs rather than political activity at this time,” the statement said.

The party also explained the reasoning behind the other two reserved positions.

“Sa’ar will be placed on the list under the terms of the merger agreement between his party and the Likud movement, while Katz will receive a reserved position because of his role as chairman of the party’s Central Committee.”

Likud sources said Tuesday morning that Yisrael Katz is expected to receive a reserved slot within the party’s second group of candidates, while Chaim Katz is expected to be guaranteed a place no lower than 18th on the list.

The three reserved positions are in addition to the eight slots Netanyahu already controls through the 30th spot on the Likud slate. Those reserved positions are located at numbers 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.

{Matzav.com}

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Three Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syria near the Mount Hermon region overnight before being located by IDF forces and returned safely to Israeli territory. The three were subsequently detained and turned over to the Israel Police for further investigation.

According to the IDF, the incident occurred during the overnight hours when the three Israelis entered the Mount Hermon area and crossed the international border into Syria. Troops dispatched to the scene quickly located the individuals and escorted them back into Israel.

Following their return, the three civilians were detained and transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.

The individuals are affiliated with the Bashan Pioneers movement, which has been attempting to establish a civilian outpost at a site it calls “Tal Hermon.”

In a statement, the Bashan Pioneers movement said, “Tonight, a group of activists from the Bashan Pioneers movement was once again detained near the makeshift encampment they established at the location where the movement is trying to build ‘Tal Hermon.’ Over the past month, Bashan Pioneers activists have reached the site many times and have also been evacuated and arrested on several occasions.”

Before they were detained, the activists defended their actions, saying that Jewish settlement is essential to maintaining Israel’s long-term security in the area.

“Jewish settlement is the only way to guarantee the IDF’s hold on the area, and the only way to achieve that is through determination to maintain a presence on the ground. Arrests and intimidation will not stop us. It is better to make the effort now than, in a few short years, to see soldiers dying here as they died in southern Lebanon during the days of Shamir and Peres.”

The movement also criticized the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, arguing that it was focusing on the wrong issue.

“The IDF Spokesperson’s campaign continues trying to distract from the real story. The real story is that if these teenagers and young adults are crossing the border again and again, the current security method is clearly not working. Instead of fences and cameras, the area should be filled with a natural civilian presence.”

The IDF sharply condemned the border crossing, describing it as a serious disruption to military operations and a danger to both troops and the civilians involved.

“The IDF strongly condemns this incident, which constitutes yet another serious disruption to operational activity and poses a danger to the security of IDF forces operating in the area. Law enforcement authorities must fully prosecute those involved in order to prevent these civilians from repeatedly engaging in this criminal activity.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. Navy has “100%” control of the Strait of Hormuz and is enforcing an “infallible” blockade of Iranian ports that he characterized as a “steel wall.”

“We let people in that we want to let in and those people come in, they’ve been coming, and they’re going out. So it’s actually open,” he said, referring to the strait. “We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the strait to go to Iran. But it’s open for others.” The president added that American forces have “mine-swept the entire strait.”

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to six vessels on Monday, compared with a 10-day average of about 11, Reuters reported, citing Kpler data; before the war, about 130 to 140 ships typically transited the waterway daily.

Iran is “broke, totally broke” and is not paying its soldiers, Trump said. “They have inflation of 300%. As of last night, I heard 309%.”

The Islamic Republic can still “make trouble” but lacks the money to do so, he added.

Tehran had been “the bully of the Middle East” for 50 years, said Trump, noting that it had killed hundreds of thousands and wounded and maimed others with roadside bombings throughout the region.

“They’re very proud of it, and now they’re paying a price,” he concluded.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that he would seek compensation from Iran in future negotiations for Americans killed and wounded in attacks attributed to Tehran, as well as for Iranian protesters the regime has killed, responding to Iranian demands for compensation over damage sustained during the five-month conflict with the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Iran’s economic crisis and restricted access to cash and frozen assets were increasing pressure on Tehran to negotiate, arguing that U.S. sanctions and a blockade would prove more consequential than military strikes.

In an appearance on Fox News, Waltz said Iran’s currency was falling and inflation had reached its highest level in 80 years, which he attributed to the Trump administration’s “Operation Economic Fury” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s sanctions campaign.

“When they’re coming to the table, to our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash, because they’ll absorb the bombings. They don’t care about their military. They don’t care about their soldiers or even the Iranian people after they massacred 40,000 of them,” said Waltz. “But what are they worried about? They’re worried about that their currency is tanking, inflation is the highest in 80 years; the IRGC controls half of the economy.”

Iran is ruled by a “corrupt, elite, religious fanatic regime that has devastated that country for many decades,” Waltz continued. “They are constantly asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we’ve frozen, and what the president is talking about is that’s the squeeze. That, coupled with the blockade, that’s what is eventually going to get the Iranians to move.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected the U.S. pressure campaign, accusing Washington of using sanctions when it was unable to pursue diplomacy. He said Iran had demonstrated over decades that it would not be “strangled” by sanctions and warned that the policy could undermine U.S. prospects for resolving the crisis.

Sanctions pressure mounts on IRGC

Ella Rosenberg, senior expert on counterterrorist financing at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told JNS that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ financial position appeared to have worsened in the past three to four weeks. Rosenberg attributed the reversal to what she called a “compound effect” of U.S. and European sanctions enforcement, reduced Iranian oil exports and heightened scrutiny of IRGC funding amid the war.

“I do see the IRGC economy at a free fall,” she said. “And this was not the case almost a month ago.”

She emphasized that the campaign must be maintained to be effective. “In order for a policy to work, it has to be enforced over time,” she told JNS. “In order for sanctions to work, you need to enforce them over time” to create compounding effects on the economy.

Rosenberg said that, in her assessment, continued and more rigorously enforced sanctions could significantly weaken the regime, although she stressed that she was not an expert in dismantling governments. “The economic state within the state of Iran is very dire,” she said. “The IRGC is beginning to suffer financially—not enough, but it is beginning to suffer financially.”

Iran’s shrinking leverage

Alex Grinberg, an Iran expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Trump was correct that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, though he cautioned that the crisis had not been resolved.

“There is a crisis because vessels refuse to go through Hormuz because of insurance prices, and the Iranians can still launch missiles at ships,” Grinberg told JNS. “But, on the other hand, the Iranians can no longer blackmail the vessels and no one pays their protection money.”

Grinberg said Tehran’s inability to receive imports through its ports, combined with the blockade, was intensifying pressure on an economy already strained by decaying infrastructure, a water crisis and fuel shortages.

“Sanctions policy is working, but it cannot deal a final blow in a short period of time. It’s an accumulating effect,” he said. “But combined with all other limitations—war, lack of imports and the destroyed military and industrial infrastructure of Iran—all that ushers in this effect of an economy in shambles.”

He said Iran was progressively losing the leverage it derives from the strategic waterway as countries seek alternatives to the Hormuz route.

“As long as the Hormuz crisis continues, more and more countries will end up finding ways to bypass Hormuz,” Grinberg said. “As long as it continues, Iran is losing its last leverage, because except for Hormuz, they have nothing.”

While Iran could theoretically resume missile fire against Israel, Grinberg said such attacks would be “an annoyance, not a strategic threat.” He added that a broader U.S. military campaign against Iran would carry the risk of American casualties, making it less likely if the present pressure campaign is viewed as effective. JNS

Israel has conveyed a firm message to the United States that Hamas terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre will not be granted immunity, even under a ceasefire, as disagreements continue over the controversial “15-point document” and the future of military operations against Hamas.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 News, Jerusalem recently informed Washington that terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 attacks remain legitimate targets and will not be shielded from Israeli action despite ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the ceasefire framework.

The clarification comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to publicly reject the so-called 15-point document, insisting that it does not reflect Israel’s position.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu declared. “I heard people saying, ‘You never said that.’ So let me say it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”

Senior officials serving on President Donald Trump’s Peace Council reportedly offered a different perspective, telling Ynet that they are judging Israel by its conduct on the ground rather than by official statements.

“We are looking at actions on the ground, less at speeches and declarations,” the officials said. “In practice, Israel has stopped the targeted killings and is maintaining the ceasefire.”

Israeli officials, however, emphasized that the ceasefire does not grant Hamas terrorists immunity from future action. According to the report, Israel has made clear to the United States that those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre remain subject to military action and will not be protected simply because a ceasefire is in effect.

{Matzav.com}

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday unveiled a plan aimed at tightening a decades-old loophole that has allowed food companies to put certain chemicals in their products without first notifying the nation’s food regulators, according to federal health officials.

The practice known as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) allows companies to self-certify the safety of certain food chemicals or substances. The Trump administration’s new proposed rule would require food companies to notify the Food and Drug Administration when they make such determinations and include the basis for those conclusions.

“Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap,” Kyle Diamantas, the acting FDA commissioner, told reporters Monday. He said the plan “improves transparency” while “respecting the limitations of our authority,” adding that officials would work with Congress to further address the loophole.

Companies have not been mandated to tell the FDA when they include some chemicals or substances in their products for uses viewed generally as safe, though they can opt to do so. That means there are probably hundreds of such ingredients added to the food supply without strict government oversight. Chemicals that have been generally considered safe include those acting as preservatives in some breakfast cereals, emulsifiers in certain ice creams and salad dressings, and select low calorie sweeteners that are found in sugar-free desserts and candies. They can often be found in ultra-processed foods that make up more than half of Americans’ diets and which studies have increasingly linked to health problems.

Overhauling the loophole has been part of Kennedy’s food agenda as the nation’s top health official as well as a priority for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement he champions.

Some food safety and nutrition experts said they welcomed the proposal, referring to it as a long-overdue change. Others said they feared the FDA does not have the resources to review the submissions from companies, potentially leading to substances continuing to flood the market without regulators having time to adequately review them.

Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs for the advocacy nonprofit Environmental Working Group, called the move the “first step toward meaningful reform.”

“True GRAS reform requires more than mandatory notification,” she said in a statement. “It must also include strong, science-based safety standards and thorough, independent FDA review before chemicals are allowed in our food. And it must address the thousands of substances already on the market that have not been meaningfully reviewed in decades.”

In one of Kennedy’s first food-related moves as secretary, he declared an intent for the FDA to “explore potential rulemaking” to tighten the GRAS loophole.

Since 1958, the FDA has been charged with evaluating the safety of new food additives. However, exceptions were made for substances generally deemed safe, such as vinegar, flour and standard spices.

While the specific rules have changed over time, companies are allowed to make their own determinations on whether certain substances are considered safe, which food safety advocates say has been expanded to a variety of ingredients over time, without informing the FDA. That has become the primary way the majority of substances are entering the nation’s food supply, Diamantas said.

“Industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it straight into the American food supply,” Kennedy said at a Monday news conference.

There have been instances when additives included in food through the GRAS loophole had later raised safety concerns, such as tara flour used in a leek-and-lentil crumble that was associated with at least 130 people being sent to the hospital and sickening hundreds of others.

The FDA will review what each company submits within 45 days to ensure all that the relevant information is included. Within 180 days, the agency will review the submission more substantively, Diamantas said.

Under the proposal, companies won’t be prohibited from adding the substances to their food while that process is ongoing, and there is no requirement that the FDA must formally approve or review the chemical, which Diamantas suggested would have required an act of Congress. Kennedy called on Congress to give the FDA more resources “to keep pace with the changing food supply.”

For substances already in the food supply, the FDA is aiming to create a process for companies to submit information about how the chemical is used in food.

Some in the food industry prefer changes to be done through Congress, rather than through regulation. One person involved in the food industry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, said the industry has been concerned that it would take time for the FDA to comb through companies’ information on potential new substances, adding they believe changes should be done through legislation and come with more funding for the agency.

Americans for Ingredient Transparency, a coalition launched last year backed by the food industry and other lobbying groups, said in a statement that Congress should establish “a transparent, nationally uniform framework for food ingredient oversight.”

David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner under both Republican and Democratic presidents, petitioned the FDA last year to revoke the GRAS status of some commonly used ingredients in ultra-processed foods.

Of the announcement Monday, Kessler said that “the proposed GRAS actions do not tackle the root causes of chronic disease in this country.”

The White House’s budget office finished reviewing the GRAS proposed regulation on July 31, an indication that a rule would be released for public comment soon. On CNN earlier this month, Kennedy said the proposal would come out “within probably a month,” saying it had undergone an “extensive interagency process.”

Federal officials have also been crafting a definition of “ultra-processed” foods, and as of last week, the White House budget office received for review a white paper on a proposed definition.

This comes as Kennedy, the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, has for months been publicly leaning into his work on food and nutrition ahead of the midterm elections and downplaying the push to overhaul vaccine policy. GOP pollsters have referred to vaccine skepticism as politically risky. However, White House officials are working to draft an executive order focused on the childhood vaccine schedule and autism amid President Donald Trump’s push.

The MAHA movement was formed after an unlikely political alliance between Kennedy and Trump during the 2024 campaign. It has various factions that defy traditional partisan lines, such as those pushing for changes to the food supply, tighter regulations over pesticides and eliminating vaccine mandates.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Rachel Roubein

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The contiguous United States experienced its hottest July since recordkeeping began, according to newly released data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with record-breaking overnight temperatures helping push the month past previous highs.

NOAA reported that the average temperature across the lower 48 states and Washington, D.C., reached 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit in July. That edged out the previous record set in July 1936 and matched again in July 2012 by approximately 0.1 to 0.2 degrees. Federal temperature records date back to 1895.

While daytime heat was extreme, it did not set a record. Average daytime highs reached 89.5 degrees Fahrenheit, making this July the sixth-hottest on record for daytime maximum temperatures.

Nighttime temperatures, however, reached unprecedented levels. Overnight lows averaged 64.2 degrees Fahrenheit—3.7 degrees above the historical average and the warmest monthly overnight average ever recorded. The figure also exceeded the previous record, set in July 2022, by 0.7 degrees.

According to an analysis by Climate Central using data collected between 1970 and 2024, climate change has contributed to increasingly warmer summer nights across the United States.

Conditions varied outside the contiguous states. Alaska recorded average temperatures 0.9 degrees below its long-term average from 1925 through 2000, while Hawaii finished the month 0.6 degrees warmer than its 1991-2020 average.

NOAA said temperatures were “much-above-average” across large portions of the country, including the interior West, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, the northern Plains, the upper Midwest, and sections of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Thirteen states experienced one of their five warmest Julys on record, with Wyoming setting an all-time July record, finishing 0.9 degrees above its previous high.

The extreme heat coincided with unusually dry conditions across much of the northern Rockies, northern Plains, upper Midwest, Northeast, southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, central Gulf Coast, and Southeast, according to NOAA.

Other regions experienced the opposite pattern, with above-average rainfall recorded across parts of the West, Southwest, central Plains, and upper Midwest.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that approximately 48.5% of the contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., remained in drought conditions. More than two-thirds of Puerto Rico was also experiencing drought.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its approach to climate policy. Last month, the agency proposed easing emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, arguing that the change would reduce regulatory compliance costs for manufacturers.

The war of words between Vice President JD Vance and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed escalated this week, with Vance dismissing the progressive candidate as “crazy” after El-Sayed accused him of abandoning his principles in pursuit of political power.

The latest exchange began Wednesday when El-Sayed criticized Vance during a campaign appearance, referring to him as “Peter Thiel’s boy,” a reference to the billionaire technology investor who employed Vance earlier in his career.

“I think we’ve had enough of him,” El-Sayed said.

Continuing his attack, El-Sayed argued that Vance had abandoned positions he once held.

“The last thing that he said that made any sense was ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ After he said that Donald Trump had no business being president of anything, that was the last time he made sense, and then he decided to suck up to power,” El-Sayed added.

He went on to accuse Republicans of prioritizing power and financial interests over public service.

“But that’s exactly what this is about. You’ve got Republicans who will do anything for power and money, including corrupt their office.”

Asked later in the week about El-Sayed’s comments, Vance dismissed the Democratic nominee and argued that he would be a poor choice to represent Michigan in the Senate.

“He would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan.”

Speaking in an interview that aired Saturday on Fox News’s Saturday in America, Vance criticized El-Sayed for attacking him personally instead of focusing on issues affecting Michigan voters.

“He’s just kind of an odd guy, but I think that it’s telling that instead of talking about what he wants to do to make the lives of Michiganders better, he takes personal insults at me. I’m the vice president, it comes with the territory,” Vance said.

Vance concluded his remarks by predicting Michigan voters would reject El-Sayed in November.

“I think the guy’s crazy and would be a terrible senator for the people of Michigan. We’re going to make that case, and obviously the people in Michigan are going to make their vote,” he added.

El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat last week after narrowly defeating moderate Rep. Haley Stevens in one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries of the election cycle. The race was widely viewed as a test of the ideological direction of the Democratic Party heading into November.

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Police have arrested and charged a third suspect in connection with the March shootings that targeted two shuls in the Greater Toronto Area, completing the roundup of all known suspects. The announcement comes as Jewish community leaders continue urging investigators to determine whether foreign actors played a role in orchestrating the attacks.

York Regional Police announced that a 23-year-old Barrie resident has been charged in connection with a string of shooting incidents that occurred across Toronto and York Region in March, including attacks on two shuls that took place about an hour apart, CityNews Toronto reported.

The first shooting occurred just before midnight on March 6 after residents near York Hill Boulevard and Clark Avenue West in Vaughan reported hearing gunfire. Officers responding to the scene found bullet holes in the front entrance of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto shul. Two people were inside the building at the time, but neither was injured.

Shortly after midnight on March 7, Toronto police were called to another shooting at the Shaarei Shomayim shul, located near Glencairn Avenue and Bathurst Street. Investigators found damage to the building’s entrance caused by gunfire. No one was inside the shul when the shots were fired.

The two attacks, carried out within roughly an hour of each other, sent shockwaves through Jewish communities across the Greater Toronto Area and prompted a joint investigation by Toronto Police and York Regional Police.

Earlier this year, York Regional Police charged two individuals in connection with the shootings. Continued cooperation between the two police services ultimately led investigators to identify and charge the 23-year-old suspect as an alleged participant in both shul attacks.

Police noted that the suspect had already been facing charges stemming from two additional shooting incidents in Vaughan and Aurora.

Investigators now say there are no remaining outstanding suspects in the shul shooting investigation. The accused faces numerous charges, including two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offense, four counts of reckless discharge of a firearm, two counts of mischief relating to religious property, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime valued at more than $5,000, as well as several weapons-related offenses.

Authorities emphasized that the joint investigation remains ongoing and encouraged anyone with additional information to come forward.

Following the announcement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) welcomed the latest arrest while stressing that major questions remain unanswered.

“The laying of charges against the third and final suspect in connection with the March shootings targeting GTA shuls marks an important development in this investigation. With no outstanding suspects, we commend Toronto and York Regional Police for their work to identify and apprehend all those alleged to have carried out these attacks.”

CIJA argued that investigators must now determine who may have orchestrated the attacks from behind the scenes.

“However, the important question remains: who or which ‘foreign entities’ directed those accused of carrying out the shootings? Last week, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw again raised concerns about local youth and criminals being hired to commit acts of violence on Canadian soil.”

The organization pointed to broader national security concerns involving possible Iranian involvement.

“This announcement comes within the broader context of Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre warning of a ‘realistic possibility’ that Iran’s Islamic regime is directing local criminal elements to target Canadians. As well, the federal government’s Secretary of State for Combatting Crime has acknowledged that a ‘foreign entity’ is behind attacks against shuls in Toronto.”

CIJA also referenced recent developments in the United States, saying they add to those concerns.

“Recent charges brought by US prosecutors add further urgency to these concerns, with prosecutors alleging that an Iranian-proxy Kataib Hezbollah directed attacks in Canada through local criminal networks, including the shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto,” said CIJA.

The organization concluded by urging investigators to continue pursuing anyone who may have planned or financed the attacks.

“With the alleged perpetrators now in custody, investigators must continue working to identify and hold accountable anyone or any foreign actor who may have recruited, directed, or financed these attacks. And governments at all levels must ensure security services and police have the tools they need to confront the dangerous trend of a growing convergence between international terrorism, Iran’s Islamic regime, youth radicalization, and local criminal elements,” the organization concluded.

The arrests come amid a significant increase in antisemitic incidents across Toronto and the surrounding area since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

In early March, gunfire struck Temple Emanu-El in North York while congregants were celebrating Purim. Although no one was hurt, the shul sustained damage.

Later, in April, a man allegedly attempted to force his way into an Orthodox shul in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, assaulting one individual before fleeing.

The following day, someone threw a rock through the window of a Judaica store in Toronto, marking the third attack on that business.

More recently, two separate locations of a Jewish-owned bakery in Toronto were targeted in attacks that occurred within an hour of one another.

{Matzav.com}

New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji will travel to Syria and Lebanon next month accompanied by members of her taxpayer-funded NYPD security detail, despite both countries remaining on the US State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list, according to a report by the New York Post.

Sources told the Post that Duwaji is scheduled to depart for the Middle East on Sept. 20, visiting Syria and Lebanon, both of which the State Department warns Americans to avoid because of ongoing security risks.

According to a source familiar with the arrangements, Duwaji—whom Mayor Zohran Mamdani has frequently described as a “private person”—requested police protection for the trip after traveling overseas last month without an NYPD security detail.

Duwaji, a 29-year-old Syrian-American artist, has longstanding family ties to the region. On her personal website, she describes herself as a “Syrian Illustrator,” and her parents are Syrian Muslims originally from Damascus.

The mayor’s office confirmed both the trip and the decision to assign NYPD officers to accompany her.

“Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the First Lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” said mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec.

City Hall declined to provide additional details about the itinerary or say whether the trip has any purpose beyond visiting relatives.

A source familiar with the plans insisted the journey is entirely personal.

“It’s not official business. It’s not doing anything for the city.”

Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, criticized the decision to send NYPD officers into what he described as dangerous conflict zones, arguing that the officers—not Duwaji—would face the greatest risks.

“We’re putting the police officers in danger. They will be viewed as the bad guys. These are war zones,” said Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism and a former Brooklyn Assemblyman.

Hikind also argued that Duwaji herself would not face threats because of her political positions.

“Duwaji doesn’t need security. She will get a hero’s welcome and be protected by Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis,” Hikind said, referring to Islamic terrorists and militants.

“Duwaji will be fine.”

Duwaji previously participated in a 2019 artist residency at Haven for Artists in Beirut, a feminist cultural organization that describes its mission as operating at “the intersection of art and activism.”

Earlier this summer, she co-hosted an all-female pro-Palestinian spiritual retreat on the French island of Corsica. The event was organized by Women Sanctuary, a travel organization focused on Muslim women and led by Paris-based designer Rym Nur.

She also skipped America’s 250th anniversary celebrations to attend an earlier Women Sanctuary retreat in Mallorca, Spain, where she served as the event’s “artist-in-residence” and led a sold-out workshop titled “Plants Of The Quran.”

At the time, the mayor’s office said no NYPD officers accompanied Duwaji during that overseas trip.

Like her husband, Duwaji has drawn attention for her outspoken pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, reports surfaced that Duwaji had curated Spotify playlists featuring songs with explicit anti-Israel lyrics.

She also came under scrutiny after reportedly liking Instagram posts celebrating Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, as well as a separate post claiming that reports of rapes committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli victims and hostages were a “mass hoax.”

Weeks before Mamdani assumed office, a profile in New York magazine highlighted a number of Duwaji’s past social media posts. Among them was a 2015 message asserting that Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist in the first place” and referring to its residents as “occupiers.” Another post from her teenage years included the use of a racial slur.

In April, Duwaji issued an apology for the “hurt” caused by her past online posts, although she stopped short of specifically apologizing for her anti-Israel statements.

Mayor Mamdani has defended his wife throughout the controversy, arguing that she is a “private person” who should not be subjected to intense public scrutiny over old social media activity.

Duwaji has also been active in Democratic Socialist political causes. She produced artwork for the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America during the group’s “PalestineOnTheBallot.com” campaign, which promoted Democratic primary candidates who refused funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and pledged support for the Not on Our Dime Act, legislation aimed at penalizing or dissolving registered charities found to support what the bill defines as “Israeli settler violence.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Monday that he has not spoken with Attorney General Todd Blanche or US Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, about the possibility of prosecuting Dr. Anthony Fauci after the former top health official repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during recent Senate testimony.

When asked by reporters whether he had discussed the matter with either Blanche or Pirro, Trump made clear he had not been involved in any conversations regarding potential legal action against Fauci.

“I have not spoken to him about that, no,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he had discussed the matter with either Blanche or Pirro, NBC News reports.

Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions issued under subpoena concerning his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the July 29 hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 100 times rather than respond to lawmakers’ questions.

Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced Thursday that the committee had formally referred the contempt citation to both the Justice Department and Jeanine Pirro’s office for possible prosecution. The Justice Department has acknowledged receiving the referral and said it is currently reviewing the matter.

Fauci retired from government service in 2022 after leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades. Before leaving office in January 2025, President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive presidential pardon.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said Monday that federal immigration authorities have set back-to-back monthly records for arrests of illegal immigrants and predicted those figures will continue rising as the administration hires more agents and broadens enforcement efforts nationwide.

Appearing on Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax, Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement reached an all-time monthly high in June before surpassing that mark again in July.

“June was the highest month in the history of the agency,” Homan said on “Greg Kelly Reports” in reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “July, they broke another record, and I expect to break another record in August.”

According to ICE statistics, agents arrested 43,138 illegal immigrants in June, setting a new record for Trump’s second term. Homan said July’s total exceeded even that milestone.

“We’re removing more people — [a] record number of arrests and deportations,” Homan said.

Homan also dismissed criticism from some Trump supporters who argue the administration has not moved aggressively enough on deportations, saying the removal process involves far more than simply locating someone in the country illegally.

“We’ve got to find the alien who doesn’t want to be found,” Homan said. “We’ve got to take them into detention. Then there’s a process. Get travel documents, get orders of removal to remove them. It’s not just a daily thing. It doesn’t happen that easily.”

He said ICE has continued to post record enforcement numbers despite numerous legal and logistical obstacles, including court rulings, sanctuary jurisdictions, and foreign governments that are slow to cooperate by issuing travel documents.

“Despite all that, despite the injunctions, despite the radical judges, despite the sanctuary cities, despite the difficulty in moving aliens to countries that don’t want to give us travel documents, we’re making record historic number of arrests and deportations,” he said.

Even with the recent gains, Homan said he believes the administration can accomplish much more once additional personnel are deployed.

“Am I happy with the number right now? No, I want more, too,” he said. “And as we bring these thousands of more agents on, we expect those numbers to increase, and we’re going to keep fighting.”

Homan added that one of his priorities is expanding immigration enforcement at workplaces to identify and apprehend more illegal immigrants.

He also linked the administration’s immigration enforcement campaign to President Trump’s broader law-and-order initiative in Washington, D.C., saying federal authorities have removed “thousands of illegal aliens” from the nation’s capital, including individuals he described as threats to public safety.

Police data released through Monday showed overall crime in Washington down 20% compared to the same period last year. Homicides have fallen 31%, robberies are down 15%, and vehicle thefts have dropped 53%. However, overall violent crime has increased 3%, driven by a 41% rise in assaults involving dangerous weapons.

Reflecting on conditions in the capital, Homan said he has seen a dramatic improvement.

“I work in the city every day,” Homan said. “I’ve never seen it so clean and so safe again.”

{Matzav.com}

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A group of New York rabbis met privately with Mayor Zohran Mamdani at City Hall today, urging him to temper his rhetoric about Israel, speak more carefully about the conflict, consistently condemn Hamas, and devote greater attention to combating antisemitism and protecting the city’s shuls and Jewish institutions.

The hour-long meeting, organized Monday by the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, brought together 10 Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative rabbis for what participants described as an open and respectful conversation about the concerns of New York’s Jewish community.

According to The New York Times, the participants did not present a unified position on Israel. While some encouraged the mayor to moderate his criticism of the Jewish state, others said they would rather see him stop commenting on Israel altogether and instead focus on issues that fall within his responsibilities as mayor.

Several rabbis told Mamdani they do not object to criticism of Israel or Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but urged him to express those views with greater nuance. They also encouraged him to condemn Hamas more consistently and to make clear that American Jews should not be blamed for decisions made by Israel’s government.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said he told Mamdani that the mayor has the ability to significantly improve the current atmosphere.

“I’m happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90 percent of what could be different here,” Jacobs recalled telling him.

“If instead of vilifying Israel, you spoke constructively, in measured tones, that would move the needle more than anything else, and I’m hopeful you’ll use that power.”

Despite representing different religious movements and political viewpoints, those present agreed that Mamdani’s relationship with the city’s Jewish community requires meaningful improvement, one participant told The New York Times on condition of anonymity because the discussion was held behind closed doors.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime critic of Israel, has faced continued tension with many segments of the city’s Jewish population since taking office.

“There was no tiptoeing around the elephant in the room,” said Rabbi Jonathan Leener, who leads Prospect Heights Shul, a liberal Modern Orthodox congregation in Brooklyn.

“The mayor’s comments have ramifications and he needs to be aware of how in the current climate, that just adds to the temperature and creates an environment that I think a lot of Jews feel vulnerable in,” Leener said.

Two additional rabbis who attended the meeting said concerns about rising antisemitism and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers were echoed by many participants.

The discussion followed Mamdani’s widely publicized speech last month in which he described Netanyahu as a “war criminal.” He later acknowledged that New York law would prevent him from fulfilling a campaign promise to arrest the Israeli prime minister.

Even among Jewish New Yorkers who oppose Netanyahu’s government, some expressed concern that increasingly harsh rhetoric directed at Israel could contribute to greater hostility toward Jews living in the city.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn said Mamdani should do more to distinguish criticism of Israel from attitudes toward American Jews.

“If he is going to criticize Israel or speak for Palestinian freedom, which I do regularly, then it really matters that there is complexity in his message,” she said.

“We can’t vote there, we don’t have any ability to change what’s happening, yet people are profiling us and spewing hate at us because they’re angry at the Israeli government.”

Timoner said she also encouraged the mayor to speak about antisemitism with the same force and clarity that he has previously used when discussing Islamophobia following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Several attendees said Mamdani listened attentively throughout the meeting and thanked the participants for speaking candidly.

Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, described the meeting as “open, positive and constructive.”

“Mayor Mamdani has and will continue to engage with Jewish life in New York City in order to meet the needs of our communities and reaffirm his commitment to the thriving of Jewish communities across the five boroughs,” she said in a statement.

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, built much of his political career through pro-Palestinian activism. While attending Bowdoin College, he founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and led an unsuccessful effort to persuade the school to join an academic boycott of Israel.

Although the mayor has moderated some of his positions on other political issues since taking office, he has largely maintained his longstanding views regarding Israel.

Leener, who identifies as a Zionist and has family living in Israel, said he never expected the meeting to change Mamdani’s opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Instead, he said his priority was urging the mayor to focus on protecting Jewish New Yorkers by increasing police security around synagogues and other Jewish institutions.

“That should be his focus and not making comments unnecessarily about the conflict,” Leener said. “Or having a bit more nuance around it. That it’s not just good versus evil.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Democrats on Monday, declaring that “jihadists” are being elected across the country as Republicans continue to portray the Democratic Party as moving sharply to the left ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump argued that Americans are seeing the rise of extremist ideologies in politics, though he did not identify any specific candidates. “Well, the one thing is, we have jihadists being elected all over the place,” Trump told reporters, according to CNN.

Expanding on his criticism, Trump added, “We have this whether it’s communism, jihadism.”

Throughout the election cycle, Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats and Democratic Socialists of embracing communist ideas. More recently, he has also begun using the term “jihadists” when attacking members of the Democratic Party.

The president said the phrase was suggested to him by a friend.

“A friend of mine called up,” Trump said, recounting that the person told him, “You know, really, you should use the word jihadist because that’s what’s happening.”

Asked to elaborate, Trump pointed to candidates from countries including Somalia as examples of those he was referencing.

Trump has long been a vocal critic of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was born in Somalia. In the past, he has called on Omar and another Muslim member of Congress to go “back from where they came.”

The president has also focused his criticism on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim.

During a campaign rally in Las Vegas last week, Trump described El-Sayed as a “hater of Jews and hater of Israel.”

El-Sayed has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and its policies.

Over the weekend, Trump posted an image on social media comparing a photograph of himself and First Lady Melania Trump with one of El-Sayed and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, who wears a hijab. The accompanying caption read, “Two very different Americas.”

Appearing Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, El-Sayed responded by agreeing that the two images reflected different visions of the country, while offering his own interpretation.

“Yeah, he’s right. One in which your overlords are two people who don’t like each other but join in the interest of making billions of dollars off of you. Or, two people who genuinely love each other, enjoyed some pancakes together, want to come together to build the kind of America where they can raise a family and know that that family is going to have the good thing,” El-Sayed said. “So, yes, you got two different visions of America.”

Since El-Sayed secured the Democratic Senate nomination last week, national Republicans have stepped up their attacks against him, with some choosing to refer to him by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the Democratic Party has been overtaken by “godless Communists” and has warned that communist ideology poses a growing danger to the United States. Democratic Socialists, while advocating policies well to the left of mainstream Democrats, maintain that their political beliefs are distinct from communism.

{Matzav.com}

Fresh off his Democratic primary victory in Michigan’s Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed reaffirmed his belief that Hamas committed war crimes while also accusing Israel of carrying out war crimes and genocide in Gaza. The remarks, made during a recent interview, come as President Donald Trump intensifies his attacks on the progressive nominee ahead of the general election.

Speaking on The Jim Acosta Show, El-Sayed was asked to clarify his position on the Israel-Hamas war. He began by reiterating that he has consistently denounced Hamas, saying, “I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they’re wrong. I think they committed war crimes. That’s not hard to say.”

Abdul El-Sayed on Hamas:

I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they’re wrong.

I think they committed war crimes. That’s not hard to say.

I just don’t know why it’s also not hard to say that, in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including… pic.twitter.com/LPMtQpS64f

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 10, 2026

He then shifted his focus to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the same standard should apply to Israel’s conduct. “I just don’t know why it’s also not hard to say that in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including genocide.”

El-Sayed framed the debate as one centered on how American taxpayer dollars should be spent, arguing that Washington should prioritize domestic needs instead of funding overseas conflicts.

“The question for us is ultimately about where we use our tax dollars. That is the political question,” he argued, continuing, “I think people like to get involved in this big, long question of what’s good for Israel or how we ought to be engaged in a conflict. My point is that our job is not to give money to make the conflict worse. Our job is to use our money here. And I believe that it is up to a free Palestinian people and free Jewish Israeli people to decide what the ultimate peace ought to look like.”

Continuing that argument, El-Sayed said he believes federal spending should be directed toward improving life in the United States rather than supporting military operations abroad.

“I just know that right now, our tax dollars are making it far worse. And I don’t want our money that could be used to make education and opportunity better for our people to be used to make life worse for other people.”

El-Sayed captured the Democratic nomination for the Michigan Senate seat last week after narrowly defeating moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, a closely watched contest viewed by many as a test of the Democratic Party’s ideological direction.

Throughout the primary campaign, El-Sayed faced criticism over his positions on Israel. That scrutiny intensified after a terrorist attempted to bomb and open fire on a Jewish preschool located at a Michigan synagogue earlier this year, when El-Sayed responded by saying that “hurt people hurt people.”

His campaign prominently featured opposition to continued US military aid to Israel and harsh criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide, called for ending unconditional American assistance, and previously said in an interview that the Israeli government is “as evil as Hamas.”

Following El-Sayed’s primary victory, President Donald Trump launched a series of blistering attacks against the Democratic nominee during an appearance in Nevada.

“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of [garbage],” Trump stated during a Wednesday event in Nevada, describing El-Sayed as a “man of hate” and alleging that he harbors hostility toward Jewish people.

“He’s a communist. And the polls were wrong again last night when they thought it would be a landslide victory for a hater of Jews and a hater of Israel,” Trump declared.

Trump continued his criticism by expanding on those accusations, saying, “This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh, that’s a little strong’. No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel…He’s a man of hate. And now he’s going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn’t love everybody. Put him in office. You’re going to find out what he loves.”

The president also claimed that El-Sayed’s views toward Israel and the Jewish community were deeply rooted.

Trump further asserted that the primary victor “doesn’t love Israel. He doesn’t love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart.”

Looking ahead to November, Trump predicted that Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers would prevail in the general election, expressing confidence that Rogers would emerge victorious.

“Actually, we do better against the communists, according to every poll. The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I’m happy. I put out a statement: Congratulations to the Republican Party.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Dov Landau declared that the Torah world is facing an unprecedented campaign against Torah learning, calling on bnei yeshiva to respond not with despair but with even greater hasmadah and dedication to Torah. Speaking at a gathering celebrating the expansion of the chareidi community in Rechasim, Rav Landau said every ben Torah is feeling the weight of new gezeiros directed at the Torah world.

The rosh yeshiva delivered the remarks while addressing a special event marking the continued growth of chareidi education and the expanding Rechasim community in northern Eretz Yisroel. Hundreds of residents, rabbonim, and bnei Torah participated in the gathering, which was held in a large tent erected especially for the occasion.

“We are now standing at the threshold of the Days of Mercy and Forgiveness,” Rav Landau said as he reflected on the difficult challenges confronting the chareidi community.

“All of us, all those devoted to Torah, feel the persecution of Torah and the schemes of the wicked among Israel to undermine the honor of the Torah and those who study it,” he said. “We are all experiencing the hardships that continue to multiply as new decrees are imposed. We see the humiliation of Torah and the persecution of its students, and we are powerless.”

Rav Landau also spoke about the remarkable growth taking place in Rechasim, where hundreds of new homes and institutions are being developed to accommodate expanding yeshiva families.

At the same time, he emphasized that despite the physical growth of the community, the spiritual and communal challenges now confronting the chareidi world are more serious than ever.

Rav Landau said the proper response to the current crisis and what he described as the persecution of the Torah world cannot rest solely on ordinary public efforts. Instead, he stressed that the primary answer is a renewed commitment to Torah learning and tefillah.

“Your role, your privilege, and your obligation is to increase more and more in Torah study, in its depth and in the effort you invest in it,” he told the bnei yeshiva and lomdim gathered at the event.

“Be strengthened and courageous in immersing yourselves completely in Torah study. Raise the banner of Torah, elevate the honor of Torah against those plotting to cast it into the dust, and grow ever stronger in the struggle for Torah, because the Torah is truth and the Torah is eternal,” he said.

{Matzav.com}