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Gavin Newsom on Netanyahu: I don’t like the direction he’s going…Particularly on the annexation of the West Bank. I can’t sit back…and watch that.

Speaker Johnson after House blocked War Powers Resolution: “We’re not at war, we have no intention at being at war. The president and the Department of Defense have made it very clear, this is a limited operation.”

CENTCOM: U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded Thursday to false reports circulating on social media claiming that he had been killed in an Iranian attack.

The report, which appeared on the Twitter account “China live,” spread widely online and prompted Gallant to address the claim directly on his X account. Rejecting the report, Gallant wrote: “The rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated. Am Yisroel chai.”

The incident comes just weeks after authorities revealed details of a spy case involving an Israeli resident accused of gathering intelligence near Gallant’s home on behalf of an Iranian handler.

Last month it was cleared for publication that in a joint operation by the Central Unit of the Menashe region in the Coastal District police and the Shin Bet security service, a suspect named Fares Abu al-Hija was arrested for questioning. Abu al-Hija, a resident of the northern local council of Kawkab Abu al-Hija, was apprehended while carrying out an intelligence-gathering mission targeting the former defense minister.

During questioning by police and the Shin Bet, investigators determined that the suspect had been in contact with a foreign operative whom he believed to be connected to Iranian intelligence. According to the investigation, he received payment in exchange for carrying out various assignments, including gathering information intended to harm Israel’s national security. Authorities later confirmed that the foreign contact had indeed been identified by the Shin Bet as an Iranian intelligence operative.

Investigators also determined that earlier this year, in January, Abu al-Hija had been instructed to travel to the community of Amikam and photograph streets located near Gallant’s residence. Shortly after completing the assignment and sending the images to his handler, he was arrested at the scene.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against him in the Haifa District Court.

{Matzav.com}

Since the start of the war on Shabbos, Iran has launched approximately 200 missiles toward Israel, far fewer than Israeli intelligence had anticipated before the conflict began.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Israeli security officials estimated that the Islamic Republic could fire roughly 150 missiles each day. Based on those assessments, Israel prepared for a much larger barrage. In reality, the number of missiles launched so far is about 80 percent lower than those projections, according to a report published Thursday evening by Ynet.

Officials attribute the dramatic decline in missile launches to the heavy blows inflicted by the joint military campaign carried out by the IDF together with the United States against Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure.

Since the beginning of the war, Israeli and American forces have dropped more than 8,500 munitions across Iran. Of those strikes, approximately 2,700 targets were attacked by the United States alone. In addition to the missiles fired toward Israel, Iran has launched another 300 missiles toward other targets throughout the Middle East.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed the situation earlier Thursday in remarks to the media regarding the war with Iran.

“For six days we have been striking the Iranian terror regime without pause. Israeli Air Force pilots have so far carried out about 2,500 strikes and dropped more than 6,000 munitions. We destroyed about 80 percent of the air defense systems and achieved near-complete air superiority over Iranian skies.”

Zamir added that Israeli forces have significantly weakened Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles.

“We have neutralized and destroyed more than 60 percent of the ballistic missile launchers — a very significant achievement that reduces the damage to the home front and saves many lives. The threat has not yet been removed — every missile is lethal and poses a danger.”

Discussing the next phase of the campaign, Zamir indicated that additional actions are planned.

“Now we are moving to the next stage, in which we will intensify the strike against the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprise moves, which I do not intend to reveal. We will pursue our enemies, all of them, and reach them.”

{Matzav.com}

What was Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara occupied with on Wednesday of this week—while millions of Israelis were running for their lives in and out of bomb shelters as cluster bombs flew over their heads from Iran and Lebanon? Baharav-Miara continued her usual daily efforts to sow chaos in Israeli society and bring down the […]

A terrible tragedy struck at Har HaMenuchos in Yerushalayim on Thursday when Shimon Mendlowitz z”l, a member of the Zvhiller chassidus and one of the distinguished bochurim connected to the Vizhnitzer court in Beit Shemesh, was killed after falling into a pit while visiting his grandfather’s kever on his first yahrtzeit.

According to sources, the bochur had come together with family members to Har HaMenuchos to mark the yahrtzeit at his grandfather’s kever. At some point during the visit, he went aside to a secluded area and slipped, falling into a deep pit. Tragically, he was niftar at the scene.

Bentzion Oering, commander of ZAKA’s Yerushalayim district, together with volunteers Dudi Pines and Yehuda Hanfling, described what they encountered upon arriving at the scene.

“When we arrived at the scene, we were directed to the multi-level burial area at Har HaMenuchos. The deceased had come to his grandfather’s grave with family members to mark the first anniversary of his passing. According to relatives, while he was in a dark area of the cemetery he slipped and fell from a significant height. Sadly, MDA teams were forced to confirm his death. ZAKA volunteers from the Yerushalayim district are handling the deceased with dignity and collecting the findings at the scene.”

The levayah was held tonight, departing from Beis HaLevayos Shamgar in Yerushalayim and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos, where he was brought to kevurah.

Shimon, 26, was born on the 18th of Adar 5760 to his father, Reb Binyamin Yitzchak Mendlowitz, a respected member of the Zvhiller chassidus and a melamed at a Talmud Torah in Beit Shemesh, and to his mother, Mrs. Malka Rachel of the Binder family.

His grandfather, Rabbi Mordechai Shmerel Mendlowitz, was among the leading transmitters of the mesorah of safrus for decades. He was widely known for his efforts in strengthening the field of safrus and was the first to initiate the project known as Shulchan HaSoferim, which serves thousands of sofrim. He passed away one year ago on the 16th of Adar 5785, and now his grandson was niftar on the very day of his grandfather’s first yahrtzeit.

In his youth, Shimon learned in the yeshivah of Zvhil and later continued his limud haTorah at Yeshivas Mir. He was closely connected to the Vizhnitzer chatzer in Beit Shemesh.

Friends related that just the night before the tragedy he had participated in the Purim tish at Zvhill in Yerushalayim.

“He went to the Rebbe for a bracha, and we are in shock from his sudden petirah,” friends said.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes he must personally be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In an interview published Thursday, Trump dismissed the possibility that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could succeed his father, calling him “unacceptable” and describing him as a “lightweight.” “We want someone […]

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March 22, ד׳ ניסן

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A mysterious and ancient cane carried by the Toldos Aharon Rebbe throughout Purim sparked widespread curiosity among chassidim, after the Rebbe was seen dancing with it during the traditional Purim tisch. According to reports, the unusual cane was given to the Rebbe on Erev Purim and is believed to have belonged to one of the […]

United Airlines has a new rule on the books that has some travelers cheering: Listening to audio without headphones can now get passengers removed from a plane.

The airline already had a pro-headphone policy in place, but last week it updated its contract of carriage – the rules a passenger agrees to in order to fly – to specify that “passengers who fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content” could be removed from a plane or not allowed to board.

“We’ve always encouraged customers to use headphones when listening to audio content – and our Wi-Fi rules already remind customers to use headphones,” United spokesman Josh Freed said in an email, adding that the carrier is expanding its high-speed Starlink connectivity. “It seemed like a good time to make that even clearer by adding it to the contract of carriage.”

Other airlines have their own policies encouraging or requiring headphones, though most do not come with the threat of enforcement.

Frontier Airlines includes the requirement in the carry-on baggage section of its contract, though it’s not clear what the penalty would be for ignoring the rule. Frontier did not respond to questions about enforcement. The airline says that portable electronic devices that make sounds “may be used only with headphones and provided the sound, even via the headphones, cannot be heard by others.”

On the entertainment section of its website, Delta Air Lines implores: “For the comfort of everyone around you, please use earbuds or headphones with any personal electronic device during your flight.”

Flight attendants also pass out free headphones to customers on most flights, the airline said.

“Customers are welcome to listen to audio or watch video on board, and we expect them to follow standard courtesy and flight crew instructions,” Delta spokeswoman Samantha Moore Facteau said in an email.

Southwest Airlines doesn’t mention headphones specifically in its contract, but notes on its website that they are required when passengers listen to audio.

“Our contract does include passengers not adhering to crew member instructions, including those about use of personal electronic devices,” spokesman Chris Perry said in an email. “Thus, a passenger would be expected to adhere to instructions about headphones.”

In 2023, an American Airlines pilot delivered a lecture from the front of the plane that went viral on social media, urging passengers to show respect for each other.

“The social experiment on listening to videos on speaker mode and talking on a cellphone on speaker mode, that is over – over and done in this country,” he said. “Nobody wants to hear your video. … Use your AirPods, use your headphones, whatever it is. That’s your business.”

Travel blogger Ben Schlappig, founder of One Mile at a Time, welcomed the news that United was treating the noise issue more seriously. The Miami resident said fellow travelers in his area are terrible sound scofflaws.

“It drives me absolutely bonkers,” he said. “Of all the things in the airline industry, this is probably what I’m most passionate about, which is quite sad. I just find myself in disbelief at the lack of respect they have for others that they’re just willing to blast whatever they’re listening to.”

Schlappig wondered how United would enforce the rule, but said just having it in place is a good move.

“The spirit of this is fantastic,” he said.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Hannah Sampson 

LEFT TURN: A new FOX News survey finds 38% of voters say it would be a good thing for the U.S. to move away from capitalism and toward socialism, while 61% view socialism negatively. The shift may be tied to divided views on capitalism itself as voters are split over whether capitalism in the United […]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday urged Latin American countries to take a more aggressive approach against drug cartels, warning that the Trump administration would be forced to act by itself if governments fail to effectively combat criminal organizations that directly threaten the United States and border security. “America is prepared to take on these […]

Meet NakMan, the cheerful companion and playful spirit of Naki Storytime. NakMan is more than a mascot; he’s the guide who reminds families that imagination is always just one button away. His job is to make story time brighter, calmer, and a tiny bit more magical.   Here are NakMan’s simple ways to elevate everyday […]

BAHRAIN: Damage has been reported tonight to a hotel in Manama after an Iranian one-way attack drone struck the area. Authorities say two hotels and a residential building sustained damage during the Iranian attacks targeting the Gulf state.

SEC. HEGSETH: The reports of an F-15 being shot down are false….”As you can imagine, Iran is doing EVERYTHING it can to peddle in lies… They have shut down the internet. They are hoping they can convince their own population that they are having success.”

A federal planning commission on Thursday delayed a vote on President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom until next month, citing “significant public input,” including tens of thousands of comments – nearly all of them critical of the project.

The National Capital Planning Commission had planned to review the proposal and vote on it – the final procedural hurdle for an effort to dramatically remake one of the most revered symbols of American power and democracy.

But partway into the meeting, commission Chair Will Scharf said that he expects public comment to last five to nine hours, with over 100 people signed up to testify, which will likely require the board to recess Thursday evening and resume Friday morning. The commission will discuss and vote on the project at its April 2 meeting, he said.

Ahead of Thursday’s hearing, the agency received more than 35,000 comments about the project, according to a Washington Post analysis of submissions posted on the commission’s website. The “vast majority” came from those who oppose the plan, commission staff said. The Washington Post found that more than 97 percent of comments were critical of the president’s plans.

The delayed vote is a snag in Trump’s push to rush the project through the approval process so construction can be completed before the end of his second term. Securing approval at the commission’s next meeting, however, could keep the project on schedule; the White House has said it plans to begin aboveground construction as soon as next month.

The commission’s endorsement would be the last bureaucratic obstacle in the Trump administration’s push to secure approval for the $400 million ballroom from two federal committees charged by Congress with reviewing the designs of major construction projects in Washington. Late last year, the White House laid out a strategy to complete the process within nine weeks, a plan that’s now been pushed to just over three months.

Historic preservationists have sued to stop the project, and a federal judge is considering their challenge, which alleges that Trump is unlawfully pursuing a project that requires express authorization from Congress.

Last week, the National Capital Planning Commission’s executive director, Marcel Acosta, recommended that the 12-member panel approve the project. In an 11-page report published Friday, Acosta said the proposed structure will provide presidents with a larger permanent event space while protecting “the historic integrity and cultural landscape of the White House.”

Acosta’s assessment contrasts sharply with the public response. Tens of thousands of comments criticized what opponents described as a rushed approval process, insufficient public input and a design that would overshadow the main White House building.

The president has made the building a priority of his second term, and he returns to it often in public remarks and social media posts. He clashed with the project’s previous lead architect about the size of the addition.

Trump has made strategic moves to secure its success, including reshaping the membership of the two federal bodies that must sign off on the project: the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Last month, the Commission of Fine Arts, which now includes Trump’s 26-year-old executive assistant, voted unanimously to approve the project. Chair Rodney Mims Cook Jr. called it a “desperately needed” and “very beautiful structure,” whose design he credited to Trump.

The National Capital Planning Commission is led by Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary and Trump’s former personal lawyer, whom the president appointed in July. The commission includes a pair of other White House officials, James Blair and Stuart Levenbach. It also has nine seats apportioned to sitting Cabinet secretaries and other officials who have a role in overseeing Washington, although senior officials and lawmakers usually send a representative in lieu of attending themselves.

Although federal design commissions have traditionally acted as a constraint on government construction projects – often holding extended deliberations that last for years – Trump has pressed to move the project along swiftly so it can wrap before his term concludes.

Last year, the president ordered the rapid demolition of the East Wing annex without first seeking authorization from Congress or the review committees. Trump’s plan for a new ballroom building on the site that matches the “height and scale” of the main White House has advanced despite objections from a federal judge, architecture experts and historic preservationists, who argue that the structure would be too big, dwarfing a centuries-old American symbol.

White House officials want the commission to approve in one fell swoop the ballroom building’s preliminary and final plans, which the body normally takes up individually at separate meetings, giving agency planners time to incorporate commission feedback before resubmitting updated plans. For example, the planning commission approved a new White House perimeter fence in three steps over seven months, starting with a conceptual design in July 2016 and ending with final plans in February 2017.

Last week, Trump scored another victory on the ballroom front. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled that construction on the project could proceed, citing procedural problems with a lawsuit challenging the president’s ability to unilaterally build the structure. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered organization that advocates for protecting historic sites, amended and refiled its complaint Sunday, three days after Leon’s ruling.

Trump has repeatedly defended the project’s $400 million price tag, saying it is a benefit to taxpayers that the project will be paid for with private donations.

“I built many a ballroom. I believe it’s going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world,” Trump said Monday at a ceremony in which he awarded the Medal of Honor to three Army soldiers.

Democrats and government watchdog organizations have raised concerns about those donors, which include major corporations such as Amazon, Google and Palantir – companies that together have billions of dollars in federal contracts. Critics have questioned whether donors could receive special access or other benefits in return. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Some Democrats say improvements to the White House complex may be warranted but contend that the ballroom should be far smaller and subject to congressional oversight to ensure transparency.

Polls have found that most Americans oppose the project. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they supported tearing down the East Wing to build the ballroom, compared with 58 percent who opposed doing so, according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted last month.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post · Jonathan Edwards, Dan Diamond