Q: “What kind of assurances do you feel like you have that… it won’t be American boots on the ground defending that border [in Ukraine]?” POTUS: “You have my assurance — and I’m President. I’m just trying to stop people from being killed.”
President Trump on his meeting with European leaders: “I think really, they have respect for our country again. A year ago, they wouldn’t have come. They wouldn’t have even thought about it. Now, we’ve become the hottest country anywhere in the world. Everybody wants to be here.”
Sec. Scott Bessent: “We’ve announced eleven very strong [Fed Chair] candidates. I’m going to be meeting with them… to start bringing down the list to present to President Trump It’s an incredible group. It’s people who are at the Fed now, have been at the Fed, and private sector.”
US Ambassador to NATO says “Trump thankfully was elected last November and has brought us to a position where we are possibly a couple meetings away from having the killing end.”
President Trump says “stupid and ugly windmills are killing New Jersey”
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer recently made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kan News reported on Tuesday morning. According to the report, Demer was accompanied by a high-level delegation. The senior Israeli officials met with their Emirati counterparts and discussed the war in Gaza, a possible hostage release deal, security issues and diplomatic ties.
A New Zealand soldier who tried to spy for a foreign power has admitted to attempted espionage in a military court. Monday’s conviction was the first for spying in New Zealand’s history. The soldier’s name was suppressed, as was what country he sought to pass secrets to. Military court documents said the man believed he was engaged with a foreign agent in 2019 when he tried to communicate military information including base telephone directories and maps, assessments of security weaknesses, his own identity card and log-in details for a military network. The wording of the charge said his actions were “likely to prejudice the security or defense of New Zealand.” He wasn’t speaking to a foreign agent, but an undercover New Zealand police officer collecting intelligence on alleged right-wing extremist groups, documents supplied by the military court showed. The soldier came to law enforcement attention as part of an operation that was established after a March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch, when an Australian white supremacist opened fire on Muslim worshipers, killing 51. He was based at Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North. Officers spoke to the man twice about his involvement in a group, court documents showed, and after the government became aware he had expressed a desire to defect he was contacted by the undercover officer. When the soldier’s hard drive was searched, investigators found a copy of Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant’s livestreamed video of his massacre and a manifesto document he published online before the killings. Possession of either without permission is a criminal offense in New Zealand and the soldier, who admitted that charge too, joins several others convicted in New Zealand of having or sharing the terrorist’s banned material. In a statement read to the court by his lawyer, the man said the two nationalist groups with which the man was involved were “no more than groups of friends with similar points of view to my own,” according to Radio New Zealand. The laywer, Steve Winter, added that his client denied supporting the Christchurch shooter’s ideology, RNZ reported. The soldier also pleaded guilty to accessing a military computer system for dishonest purposes. The amended suite of three charges replaced 17 counts levelled against him earlier in the proceedings. Each of the three charges he admitted carries a maximum prison term of either seven or 10 years in New Zealand. His sentence was expected to be delivered by a military panel within days after Monday’s conviction. The man was due to stand trial by court martial on the charges before he admitted the offenses. His was the first charge in a New Zealand military court for espionage or attempted spying. The last time such a case reached the civilian courts before was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted on charges alleging he had passed information to Russian agents. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s military said they would not comment until the proceedings against the soldier finished. (AP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un condemned South Korean-U.S. military drills and vowed a rapid expansion of his nuclear forces to counter rivals, state media said Tuesday, as he inspected his most advanced warship being fitted with nuclear-capable systems. Kim’s visit to the western port of Nampo on Monday came as the South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off their annual large-scale summertime exercise to bolster readiness against growing North Korean threats. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, which the allies describe as defensive, will mobilize 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, for computer-simulated command post operations and field training. North Korea has long denounced the allies’ joint drills as invasion rehearsals and Kim has often used them to justify his own military displays and testing activities aimed at expanding his nuclear weapons program. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war, divided by the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea and South Korea. While inspecting the warship Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton-class destroyer first unveiled in April, Kim said the allies’ joint military drills show hostility and their supposed “will to ignite a war,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency said. He claimed that the exercises have grown more provocative than before by incorporating a “nuclear element,” requiring the North to respond with “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures. “The security environment around the DPRK is getting more serious day by day and the prevailing situation requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization,” KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for South Korea’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, who wants to improve ties with the North, said Seoul has “always regarded the Ulchi exercises as defensive” but offered no further comment on Kim’s remarks. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it had no immediate new assessments to share regarding the North Korean warship’s capabilities. South Korean and U.S. military officials say Ulchi Freedom Shield will focus on countering North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threat and will include training to deter North Korean nuclear use and respond to its missile attacks. The exercise will also incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the clash between Israel and Iran, and address threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyberattacks. Kim sees destroyer as key to nuclear-capable navy Kim has hailed the development of his naval destroyer, Choe Hyon, as a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military. State media said the destroyer, which is being prepared to enter active duty next year, is designed to handle various weapons systems, including antiair and anti-naval weapons, as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. The North unveiled a second destroyer of the same class in May, but the vessel was damaged during a botched launching ceremony at the northeastern port of Chongjin, prompting an angry reaction from Kim, who called the failure “criminal.” The North has said the new destroyer, named Kang Kon, was relaunched in June after repair, but some outside experts have questioned whether the ship is fully operational. During Monday’s visit to Nampo, Kim also reviewed North Korean efforts to complete a third destroyer by October, KCNA said. While […]
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is ramping up his political consultations amid growing concern that his governing coalition could unravel when the Knesset reconvenes in October. The increased activity comes as new polling shows Netanyahu’s Likud party losing ground. A Channel 12 survey released Sunday found Likud would win just 24 seats if elections were held today — down from 32 in the November 2022 election and a drop from 27 in last week’s poll. The poll also showed Netanyahu’s bloc falling to 49 seats, compared with 61 for the opposition and 10 for Arab parties in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu is not seeking early elections, according to reporting from Ynet, but has been engaged in a series of strategy sessions to shore up his bloc after Shas and United Torah Judaism left the government over the failure to pass legislation granting draft exemptions for yeshiva bochurim. The next elections are set for no later than October 2026. One key issue under discussion is whether to push for a renewed alliance between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party. The two far-right factions ran together in the last election but have since split, raising concerns that a divided vote could weaken Netanyahu’s bloc further. Another concern is the Noam party, a socially conservative faction that has previously allied with Smotrich and Ben Gvir. Netanyahu reportedly worries that if Noam runs separately, it could siphon off votes from Likud. The prime minister is also weighing the idea of forming a satellite party to appeal to right-wing voters dissatisfied with both Likud and its far-right partners but unlikely to back former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett or Avigdor Liberman. Possible leaders floated for such a party include former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and ex-generals Ofer Winter and Dedi Simchi, though Ynet reported none has yet proven a strong draw. Inside Likud, Netanyahu has also been working to consolidate power. Reports indicate he is pushing to finalize a merger with Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party and exploring ways to delay elections for the Likud Central Committee, which could reinforce his control over the party’s internal machinery. The poll that sparked the latest flurry of political maneuvering showed Bennett’s new party rising to 20 seats, with former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s breakaway faction at 12. Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu and Yair Golan’s Democrats each polled at 11 seats, while Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid came in at 7. Far-right Otzma Yehudit would win 6 seats, Religious Zionism 4, and both Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would receive 5 each. While several new factions appear to be reshaping the opposition landscape, the poll suggests little change in the overall balance of power: the opposition with a slim 61-seat majority and Netanyahu’s bloc trailing at 49. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A group of settler activists and their children crossed the Israeli-Syrian border on Tuesday in an attempt to establish a new settlement inside Syrian territory. The IDF said troops were rushed to the scene after several civilian vehicles were spotted crossing near the border town of Alonei Habashan. Soldiers quickly intervened, escorting the civilians back into Israel. “This is a grave incident that constitutes a criminal offense and endangers both the public and IDF troops,” the army said in a statement. The activists were turned over to police for questioning. The group, identifying itself as the “Bashan Pioneers,” reportedly intended to remain inside Syrian territory with their families and to found a new community they called “Nave Habashan,” according to a report by i24NEWS. The incident comes against the backdrop of Israel’s deepening involvement in Syria. Since the collapse of the Assad regime in December, the IDF has manned nine forward posts inside southern Syria, many within the UN-patrolled buffer zone. The border remains one of the region’s most volatile fault lines. This is not the first time settler activists have attempted such a move. In December, another group illegally entered Lebanese territory — at the time under Israeli control — in a bid to plant a new settlement, before being expelled by soldiers. Support for Jewish settlement in Syria and Lebanon is limited to the fringes of the settler movement, with no mainstream political backing. By contrast, calls to establish Jewish communities in Gaza have surged during the current war, finding vocal support among right-wing ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, who have repeatedly pressed for resettlement of the Strip. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A radical activist group announced plans Monday for a vigil invoking one of New York City’s darkest episodes of racial and antisemitic violence – the deadly 1991 Crown Heights riots. The group, calling itself Crown Heights Bites Back, issued a statement accusing Chabad-Lubavitch of “brutally killing” Gavin Cato, a 7-year-old boy who died in a car accident in 1991 involving the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s motorcade. The group called the incident as “vehicular manslaughter by a motorcade of Jewish supremacists” and demanded “justice” for Cato. The crash, which also injured Cato’s cousin, ignited days of rioting in which mobs targeted Jewish residents, looted businesses, and murdered Yankel Rosenbaum, a 29-year-old Lubavitch chossid. The vigil is set for Tuesday at Utica Avenue and President Street, just blocks from Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway — the same intersection where the 1991 accident occurred. “They are attempting to reignite tensions by exploiting the tragic car accident that claimed the life of Gavin Cato — an event that led to the Crown Heights riots and the antisemitic murder of Yankel Rosenbaum,” the Jewish Future Alliance, a neighborhood advocacy group, warned in a statement. “This is a dangerous pattern,” the group added. “While this fringe minority may not represent the broader community, history has shown that rhetoric like this fuels hatred and leads to real violence. It must be unequivocally condemned.” The planned vigil comes amid a series of recent flare-ups in the neighborhood. In April, Crown Heights Bites Back staged a protest that featured explicitly racial messaging, with speakers invoking the 1991 riots and accusing Jews of running over Black children. That demonstration followed a string of tensions, including a widely circulated video of a street altercation between a Jewish man and a Black man in a wheelchair, and a visit by far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir that drew anti-Israel demonstrators to Chabad’s headquarters. The NYPD said it is aware of Tuesday’s planned vigil. Jewish leaders are urging officials to ensure that hate-fueled rhetoric does not spill over into violence once again. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli authorities on Monday lifted a years-long gag order shielding the identity of the man behind one of the most terrifying waves of bomb threats ever directed at Jewish communities worldwide. The suspect — long known internationally but never named in Israel — is 27-year-old Michael Kadar, an Israeli-American now fighting extradition from Norway to the United States. Kadar, dubbed the “hacker from Ashkelon,” admitted to placing nearly 2,000 fake bomb threats between 2016 and 2017. His calls targeted Jewish community centers, schools, hospitals, airlines, airports, shopping malls and police stations across the United States and other countries. The threats sparked chaos: fighter jets were scrambled, passenger planes dumped fuel and made emergency landings, schools were evacuated, and parents of Jewish children lived in terror of mass attacks. Authorities say Kadar’s campaign of intimidation extended across continents, from the U.S. and Canada to the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. His digital trail also led to AlphaBay, a now-defunct online black market, where prosecutors say he advertised a “School Email Bomb Threat Service” for $30 per threat, offering surcharges if clients wanted him to frame someone else. Court documents describe chilling threats in which Kadar allegedly claimed to be holding children hostage and threatened to execute them. U.S. officials say his conduct fits squarely within hate crimes statutes. The U.S. Justice Department has indicated Kadar could face decades in prison: up to 20 years for each hate crime charge, 10 years for each bomb threat, and five years for cyberstalking and hoax charges. Kadar was sentenced in 2018 by an Israeli court to 10 years in prison, later commuted to seven, after pleading guilty to hundreds of counts including extortion, spreading panic, computer crimes and money laundering. He was also fined 60,000 shekels. His name, however, remained under gag order in Israel due to his status as a minor at the time of some offenses — even as U.S. prosecutors and international media published it freely. The Tel Aviv District Court’s decision Monday finally removed that protection. It also allowed publication of details about his medical history. His family and defense attorney, Nir Yaslovitzh, pressed for disclosure, arguing that his health — including autism and a brain tumor — is central to his defense. Since completing his Israeli sentence in 2024, Kadar has been living in Norway with his family, where he sought asylum. Norwegian authorities denied the claim and detained him on the U.S. extradition request. His mental health has reportedly deteriorated in custody, with Ynet reporting fears he could be declared insane. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has quietly raised concerns with Oslo about his wellbeing, citing his history of repeated suicide attempts during his time in Israeli prison. His parents maintain that he never understood the gravity of his actions, believing the threats were a “game.” Prosecutors, however, say that whatever his medical conditions, Kadar’s actions were devastating. His bomb threats paralyzed institutions central to Jewish communal life, at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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