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Footage shows the moment a Coast Guard helicopter rescued 14 people from a fishing vessel after it ran aground in Dingle Bay, Ireland.

BREAKING: U.S. Southern Command confirms that three vessels suspected of drug trafficking were targeted by U.S. forces earlier today in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in eight suspected traffickers killed.

WATCH: Vice President JD Vance is seen greeting Reb Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association as he arrives at the Chanukah event at his residence this evening.

A 20-year-old Lubavitcher bochur who grew up in Texas and recently learned in Brooklyn for a year was shot twice during Sunday’s massacre in Sydney. He underwent surgery and is being treated in the ICU, where he is in critical but stable condition. He suffered a significant amount of blood loss and faces further surgery […]

Hakeem Jeffries: Republicans got high on their own supply. These people actually believed that America was moving their extreme direction. It is not.

Conservative actor James Woods: “There is now a jihad…this country, over the past 4 years…there’s been an invasion. If you look at Europe, see how far ahead the invasion is progressing there – it’s going to end this country as we know it!”

In newly released dashcam footage, a heroic older couple is seen trying to tackle the Sydney terrorists with their bare hands and disarm them in the moments before the massacre began. The husband succeeded in briefly disarming the older terrorist, Sajid Akram, 50, before he recovered his weapon and shot and killed the couple. The […]

By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

One could ask whether someone who does not own a home and is literally homeless has a chiyuv to light the Menorah. Perhaps the obligation applies only to someone who has a roof over his head.

The Shailos u’Teshuvos Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah III:14, discusses a person who has no house in which to sleep and spends the night in the street, such as someone stranded while traveling in a desert, with no one at home to light on his behalf. At first glance, this question may hinge on Rashi in Shabbos 23b, who explains that Chazal instituted the bracha of ha’ro’eh for neiros Chanukah in cases where a person is on a boat and cannot light. When he sees candles from afar, he recites the bracha of ha’ro’eh. The Taz (670:3) writes that one recites this bracha only if no one will be lighting that night in his home at all. From the Taz it would seem that someone who is outside and has no home would be exempt from lighting the Menorah.

Reb Elyashiv was asked directly what a person with no home should do regarding Chanukah licht. He answered that such a person has a chiyuv to rent a house in order to be able to light the Menorah.

Reb Chaim Kanievsky explains that Reb Elyashiv’s psak is rooted in the Rambam in Hilchos Brachos (11:2–3). There, the Rambam distinguishes between mitzvos that a person must actively perform, such as tefillin, sukka, and lulav, and mitzvos that apply only under certain circumstances, such as mezuzah and maakeh. If a person never owns a home, he is exempt from those obligations. The Rambam adds that the same distinction applies to mitzvos deRabbanan. Some are an absolute obligation, such as Megillah, lighting Shabbos licht, and Chanukah licht. Others are conditional, such as eiruv and netilas yadayim, where one is obligated only when the situation arises. From this Rambam it emerges that a person is required to arrange a living situation so that he can fulfill the obligation of lighting the Menorah.

On the other hand, Tosfos in Sukka 46a explains why Chazal instituted the bracha of ha’ro’eh specifically for Chanukah. Since the miracle was so beloved, and not everyone has the ability to light because they may not own or rent a home, Chazal provided an alternative through the bracha of ha’ro’eh.

A related question arises regarding someone traveling overnight on a train, where he is paying for his room and board. Can such a place be considered suitable for lighting the Menorah? The Maharshdam (4:146) rules that one would be required to light. He explains that when Rashi states a person does not light on a boat, it is because boats in earlier times lacked a roof and therefore were not considered a bayis. A train, however, would qualify as a bayis despite the fact that it is in motion. The Aruch Hashulchan, Orach Chaim, Hilchos Chanukah 677, writes that if a person will not arrive home until the next morning, he should light on the train if possible.

The Tzitz Eliezer (15:29) disagrees with both the Aruch Hashulchan and the Maharshdam. He maintains that the chiyuv is on the person to light in the place where he eats and sleeps, and that even without a roof overhead he would still be obligated. According to this view, Rashi’s exemption from lighting on a boat applies only where the person has no candles or where lighting is not permitted. The same would apply on a train: if lighting is prohibited due to danger, one would be exempt.

May we all be zocheh to light the candles in the proper place, and may we be zocheh to see the lights of the Menorah of the Bais Hamikdosh.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump filed a lawsuit against the BBC on Monday, accusing the broadcaster of defamation over edited clips of his Jan. 6 speech shown in a BBC documentary. The suit seeks at least $5 billion in damages.

Semi-trucks and vehicles slid off a snow-covered and icy I-80 in Iowa on Saturday. Officials recommend driving slower and increasing your following distance when driving on a snowy interstate.

The Senate voted 76–20 to advance the House-passed final version of the $900.6 billion defense policy bill for fiscal year 2026. The measure cleared the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward, and up to 30 hours of floor debate will now take place before a final passage vote.

Sajid and Naveed Akram, the father-son terrorists who murdered 15 people at a Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, traveled to the Philippines to receive “military-style training” only weeks before the attack, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Investigators are now probing whether the Akrams were part of a wider […]

Israeli police and volunteer search teams launched extensive searches overnight in Bnei Brak after an 11-year-old boy, Yehuda Malka, was reported missing after leaving his home on Monday morning and failing to return.

According to police, Yehuda was last seen after departing his residence on Genechovsky Street in Bnei Brak. Since then, all contact has been lost, prompting growing concern and a large-scale search effort throughout the city.

In an official statement, police appealed to the public for assistance in locating the missing child. Yehuda Malka is described as approximately 1.43 meters tall, with black hair, brown eyes, and a dark complexion. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a gray coat with a black hood and flip-flops.

“Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is requested to contact the Israel Police emergency hotline at 100 immediately,” police said.

{Matzav.com}

Several bochurim from Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch were violently attacked in an apparent antisemitic incident on a New York City subway train while returning from Chanukah kiruv activities in Manhattan to Crown Heights. According to firsthand testimony from one of the victims, the group had spent several hours engaged in mivtzoim, spreading the light and joy […]

Health experts warned that this year’s flu season was shaping up to be especially challenging, driven in part by the spread of a newly dominant strain of influenza.

At the center of growing concern was Influenza A H3N2, known as the subclade K variant, which had been linked to increasing case numbers around the world, including in the United States.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Dr. Neil Maniar, a professor of public health practice at Northeastern University in Boston, said early data suggested the strain was more dangerous than those seen in recent years. “It’s becoming evident that this is a pretty severe variant of the flu,” he said. “Certainly in other parts of the world where this variant has been prevalent, it’s caused some severe illness, and we’re seeing an aggressive flu season already.”

According to Maniar, subclade K appeared to amplify many of the flu’s classic symptoms, including fever, chills, headaches, exhaustion, coughing, sore throat, and nasal congestion.

He described the situation as a convergence of troubling factors. Lower vaccination rates combined with a virus strain not specifically targeted by this year’s flu shot created what he called a dangerous mix. “The vaccine is very important to get, but because it’s not perfectly aligned with this variant, I think that’s also contributing to some degree to the severity of cases we’re seeing,” Maniar said. “We’re going in [to this flu season] with lower vaccination rates and a variant that in itself seems to be more aggressive.”

Maniar added that public health officials were worried not only about how many people could become ill, but also how sick they might get. “There’s a lot of concern that this could be a particularly difficult flu season, both in terms of the total number of cases [and] the severity of those cases.”

Another complicating factor, he explained, was that the strain differed significantly from prior versions of the virus, leaving communities with less built-up immunity and increasing the likelihood of rapid spread and serious illness.

The risks were especially high for people who had not been vaccinated, Maniar said, noting they faced greater odds of severe symptoms and hospitalization.

Beyond vaccination, he emphasized the importance of basic hygiene, particularly regular and thorough handwashing. While influenza can be transmitted through the air, Maniar noted that other illnesses circulating at the same time, such as norovirus, can linger on surfaces for as long as two weeks.

Seasonal travel and celebrations were also expected to accelerate transmission, with crowded holiday gatherings and packed planes, trains, and buses increasing exposure to sick individuals.

Maniar urged people experiencing symptoms to remain at home to protect others. “Please stay home,” he said — “especially if you think you are in that contagious period of the flu or any of these other illnesses that we’re seeing … whether it’s norovirus or COVID or RSV.” He reinforced the message with a simple directive: “If you’re not feeling well, stay home. That’s a great way to recover faster and to ensure that you’re not going to get others around you sick.”

For anyone uncertain about what illness they might have, Maniar advised seeking medical evaluation and testing, noting that some treatments could lessen the intensity and duration of symptoms if started early.

“It’s important that everyone stays vigilant and tries to take care of themselves and their families,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

After a decisive vote on Monday, New York state regulators greenlit casino licenses for three proposed gambling venues in New York City, setting the stage for major developments in Queens and the Bronx and opening a significant new revenue stream earmarked for mass transit and public education.

State officials anticipate collecting an upfront payment of $500 million from each approved bidder. The licenses were awarded to Bally’s planned project in the Bronx, Resorts World’s expansion in southeast Queens, and a high-profile proposal near Citi Field backed by billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen.

The approvals, however, were not unconditional. Regulators required each casino operator to submit to oversight by an independent monitor, whose role will be to verify that developers honor the commitments and conditions they pledged during the bidding process and comply with all state mandates.

Explaining the rationale for that added layer of scrutiny, Gaming Commission chair Brian O’Dwyer told the meeting, “While no information was received that was disqualifying, the application, findings of the gaming facility location board and our own internal review have convinced us that it’s prudent to condition the granting of a license on the establishment of an outside independent monitor.”

With the commission’s vote complete, the approved projects move forward amid expectations that they will collectively generate hundreds of millions of dollars to support the subway system and bolster education funding across the state.

{Matzav.com}

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said authorities believed the deadly shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was fueled by extremist ideology linked to the Islamic State.

“It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology,” Albanese said, referring to the attack in which a father and son opened fire, killing 15 people.

He described the worldview behind the assault as part of a long-standing pattern of violent extremism. “The ideology that has been around for more than a decade that led to this ideology of hate, and in this case, a preparedness to engage in mass murder.”

Albanese also addressed the background of Naveed Akram, 24, one of the attackers, confirming that he had previously been known to Australia’s intelligence services. The prime minister said Akram came onto the agency’s radar in 2019 but was not assessed as posing an immediate danger at the time.

“He was drawn to their attention because of his association with others,” Albanese said.

He added that some of those individuals faced serious consequences, while Akram did not. “Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail, but he was not seen at that time to be a person of interest.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has formally sued the BBC, filing a defamation lawsuit Monday night in federal court in Florida that seeks at least $5 billion in damages over a Panorama documentary aired shortly before the 2024 election.

According to the complaint, the British broadcaster produced a program that presented a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump.” The lawsuit further claims the documentary was created as part of “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence the Election’s outcome to President Trump’s detriment.”

The legal action follows Trump’s public comments earlier in Washington, DC, where he said the BBC manipulated footage from his January 2021 speech. He accused the network of altering his remarks in a way that fundamentally changed their meaning and even raised the possibility that artificial intelligence was involved. “In a little while, you’ll be seeing I’m suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth,” Trump said. “Literally, they put words in my mouth. They had me saying things I never said. They actually have me speaking with words that I never said, and they got caught because I believe somebody at BBC said this is so bad, it has to be reported. Let’s call [it] fake news. So we’ll be filing that suit probably this afternoon or tomorrow morning.”

At the center of the dispute is a Panorama segment that edited together two separate excerpts from Trump’s speech delivered prior to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. The splice made it appear as though Trump told supporters: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”

Trump had signaled his intention to pursue legal action shortly before the lawsuit was filed, stating that he would bring the defamation case “today or tomorrow” in response to the edited broadcast.

The controversy intensified after a memo leaked from former BBC editorial adviser Michael Prescott, who warned of “systemic problems” within BBC News. That internal document set off a chain reaction inside the organization.

Earlier this month, the fallout led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.

In response to the backlash, the BBC issued a correction acknowledging that the edit “gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action,” and said the segment would not air again. Despite that admission, the broadcaster rejected claims of defamation and declined to pay any damages.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he plans to seek up to $5 billion from the BBC over the edited footage, a figure now reflected in the lawsuit filed Monday night.

{Matzav.com}