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Newly released NTSB images show the left engine of UPS Flight 2976 completely separating from the aircraft and striking the fuselage, triggering a fire.

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzchak Goldknopf broke a long public silence on Wednesday night in an interview with Yankele Friedman on Kol Chai, warning that without a draft law passed before the next elections, no chareidi-backed coalition will be formed.

Goldknopf said the failure to pass the draft law before the government was established created the current crisis. “If we do not succeed in passing a draft law before the elections – no government will be formed with chareidi support until such a law passes. In the meantime – we will not give the government any backing, including on the state budget, if the law doesn’t pass.”

Goldknopf also pushed back on reports that UTJ had already received a draft proposal for the new law. “We didn’t receive any draft. Should I go search online for what others published? That is not the way and that is not the city. There isn’t a day that I or my chief of staff, Bechik, don’t ask the coalition chairman, who is a loyal man, if he already has a draft of the law, and he still doesn’t.”

When asked about Religious Zionism’s objections to the law, he dismissed them sharply. “You mean the party that doesn’t pass the electoral threshold in the polls? Come on. Otzma Yehudit, which does support the law, passes easily and big.”

Reflecting on his short tenure as housing minister, Goldknopf defended his achievements. He said that during his time in office, he advanced two hundred thousand new apartments, including 80,000 designated for the chareidi community. He noted that a roof agreement recently signed in Lod was the product of repeated work visits during his term and said that if UTJ reenters the government, the party expects to return to the Housing Ministry. In the next government, he said, UTJ will only take a position that serves as a key to advancing the draft law.

Goldknopf also confirmed reports that he has not spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an extended period. “I haven’t spoken with him for a long time, there is no conflict, but I am waiting for the moment he calls me to the party leaders’ meeting. We used to discuss things there, and suddenly everything stopped. Is he with us? That depends on him, how much he wants it.”

Addressing the new practice of docking ministers who arrive late to cabinet meetings, he noted, “In the past, we were many ministers and it wasn’t noticeable if someone was late. Today we’ve left the government and there aren’t many ministers anymore, so every delay stands out.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli security forces carried out wide overnight operations across Judea and Samaria, arresting terrorists planning attacks against IDF forces and locating large quantities of weapons. In the Samaria area, troops searched around 70 locations and found a gun hidden in a microwave and a hunting rifle behind a curtain. In Beit Ummar, Etzion Brigade forces […]

VP JD VANCE: The American people don’t want stupid wars, and America’s jobs going overseas, and wide-open borders.

More than a month has passed since Bill and Hillary Clinton were supposed to sit for depositions before the House Oversight Committee, yet no new date has been set. Both were initially scheduled for October—Hillary on the 9th and Bill on the 14th—after Committee Chair Rep. James Comer announced a series of subpoenas in August connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Although the Committee indicated it was working around the Clintons’ calendars, the process has stalled with no updated timetable.

Comer is now publicly addressing the delay, and his latest comments suggest that patience is wearing thin. Speaking on the “Just The News, No Noise” television program, he emphasized that the two high-profile figures should not expect to avoid scrutiny. “We expect to hear from Bill and Hillary Clinton,” he said, noting that “Donald Trump answered questions for years about Jeffrey Epstein. Every day he gets asked questions about Epstein, and he answers them in front of the American people.” Comer added that lawmakers have issued subpoenas “to Republicans and Democrats,” asserting that the Clintons remain “the one group in this investigation that’s never had to answer questions in front of a credible reporter, and they’ve never certainly answered questions from attorneys or members of Congress.”

Comer ended with a pointed warning: “So we expect the Clintons to come in, or I expect the Clintons to be met with the same fate that Bannon and [Peter] Navarro were met with when the Democrats were in control.” Both Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were criminally charged after failing to comply with congressional subpoenas—an outcome Comer now appears to be holding up as a possible precedent.

The substance awaiting the Clintons is extensive. Lawmakers have been seeking answers about Bill Clinton’s past connections to Epstein, including his flights on Epstein’s plane, allegations regarding visits to Epstein’s island, and Epstein’s multiple White House entries—17 in all.

Beyond the Clintons themselves, Comer has expanded the investigative net. He announced that J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank will be subpoenaed for Epstein-related financial records, and that U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea will be asked to hand over any relevant documents. The financial data, in particular, could shed light on networks and transactions that have remained out of public view. Additionally, Epstein’s dealings in the Virgin Islands have long drawn scrutiny, raising questions about how local authorities interacted with him and why his operations continued with so little interference.

{Matzav.com}

VP JD VANCE: Today’s jobs report shows that the Trump economic plan is working 119,000 new jobs when economists thought we would only add 52,000.

Moshe Indig of Satmar, who was the only Orthodox Jew to vote for and publicly endorse Mamdani, is very excited that he will be keeping NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Jonathan Pollard has confirmed to The New York Times that he held a private meeting in July with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, an encounter that immediately set off waves of surprise across the American national-security establishment.

Pollard characterized the interaction as “a friendly meeting,” explaining that he expressed appreciation to Huckabee for advocating his release many years ago. He added that the two discussed “a lot of things,” though he declined to provide any specifics beyond that.

According to American officials quoted in the report, news of the meeting blindsided many within the US government. Even the CIA’s station chief in Israel was reportedly unaware of it beforehand, prompting concern among intelligence personnel who described the encounter as highly unusual.

The CIA refused to offer any comment regarding the meeting, and White House officials told the outlet that they had not been informed in advance. Senior figures in Washington were described as alarmed when they learned that the sit-down had already taken place.

The US embassy in Israel did not issue an immediate response to queries about the report and has not publicly addressed the matter.

Pollard, now 70, made his home in Israel in 2020 after the end of his parole, marking his first return since being arrested 35 years earlier for passing classified American information to israel during the Cold War. Upon his arrival, he was welcomed by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, closing a long and painful chapter that had cast a shadow over ties between Washington and Israel for decades.

{Matzav.com}

The latest Marquette poll shows a sharp warning sign for the GOP. Democrats generic House ballot lead jumps from 5 points among all voters to 9 points among those certain to vote in 2026 nearly doubling when looking at the most committed voters.

VP Vance on President Trump’s foreign policy approach: “While he wants to save lives, he also sees a world where people are engaging in commerce with one another, rather than killing one another.”

Shas has now been instructed by its Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah to move the Draft Law ahead in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, marking a significant step after weeks of intensive deliberations among the gedolei Yisroel.

This direction followed on the heels of the announcement from Degel HaTorah’s leadership, who publicly affirmed their support for the legislation just a day earlier.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Committee of Roshei Yeshivos gathered under the leadership of Rav Shmuel Betzalel, a member of the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah and rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef, to review the details of the proposed bill.

As reported Thursday morning in Shas’ Haderech newspaper, the rabbanim on the committee were presented with an in-depth explanation of the various clauses by Ariel Atias and MK Yinon Azoulay. After receiving the briefing, the roshei yeshivos spent many hours analyzing the nuances of the law.

Once the discussions concluded, Shas representatives were instructed to proceed with the legislative process in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. At the same time, they were told that every stage of the law’s advancement in the Knesset must be accompanied by ongoing consultation with the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah and the Committee of Roshei Yeshivos, with representatives acting strictly in accordance with daas Torah until the final wording is settled.

The Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah also issued a firm response to claims that Shas MKs were operating independently of rabbinic authority. The Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah stressed that the representatives are “100% subordinate” to the directives of the Torah leadership and sharply denounced the recent disturbances outside MKs’ homes.

“We cannot remain silent when disreputable individuals acting with lies and deceit to sow division among the Torah community, and open their mouths to mislead the public, as if there were a rift among the Torah leaders. Let the mouths of liars be silenced,” the letter declared.

The Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah continued, “And there are those who persecute the emissaries of the rabbis, who faithfully carry out this sacred task in full obedience to Torah leadership and our guidance. We hereby strengthen the hands of our devoted representatives, led by our dear friend and man of many actions, who heads this holy movement, Rabbi Aryeh Deri, so that he may continue standing firm in defense of the Torah world.”

In recent days, heated and increasingly aggressive demonstrations have taken place outside the homes of chareidi MKs, including an assault on Shas MK Yoav Ben Tzur and protests targeting the residences of UTJ MK Yakov Asher and Shas MK Yinon Azoulay.

{Matzav.com}

GE Appliances is investing $150 million in U.S. suppliers as part of a reshoring push. The company awarded contracts to 22 suppliers across 10 states, including four in Kentucky, four in Tennessee, and three in Indiana, with contract sizes ranging from $330,000 to $41 million. Production of new washers and combo washer-dryers is set to […]

Canada Border Services says that due to staffing shortages, migrants are no longer required to undergo screening before entry.

Q: “How are you getting the $700M to make the buses free if the Governor is not for raising taxes?” MAMDANI: “Through the raising of the state’s corporate tax.” Q: “But she said no…” MAMDANI: “The most important fact is that we fund it, not the question of how we do it.”

A group of hostages who were recently released from Hamas captivity arrived in Congress to meet with lawmakers and will then meet with President Trump at 2:00 PM.

Tom Cotton on Trump’s strikes on narco boats in the Caribbean: Use your common sense. If any of these had been boats full of fishermen or refugees, CNN International would’ve already been on the ground and interviewed all their families and told their stories.

In an extensive Hebrew interview with Yishai Cohen of Kikar HaShabbat, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot addressed the ongoing political firestorm surrounding the draft law, the model he wants to promote, and how many yeshiva students he believes should receive an exemption. He also discussed his opposition to proposals to deny voting rights to those who do not serve, the U.S.–Saudi F-35 deal, the commission of inquiry he says must be formed, his public separation from Benny Gantz, the government he hopes to build after the elections, and whether he would run alongside Naftali Bennett or Yair Lapid.

Eisenkot recently resigned from the Knesset, parted ways with his close political partner Benny Gantz, and founded a new party, Yashar, with which he intends to compete in the upcoming elections.

In the wide-ranging interview, Eisenkot spoke about the U.S.–Saudi aircraft deal, Israel’s control of the Gaza Strip, the government’s proposed inquiry committee and his refusal to cooperate with it, the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet, the draft-law controversy and the future status of yeshiva students, his political plans, whether he would sit with Benjamin Netanyahu in the same coalition, and the uproar over the potential closure of Army Radio.

Eisenkot first addressed the reports of an American plan to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

“This is a very serious development,” he said. “For years, we demanded that Israel’s qualitative military edge be preserved. Bringing F-35s into additional Middle Eastern countries is a blow to the Air Force’s superiority. It’s a very bad development.”

The commission of inquiry Israel needs

When asked what kind of investigative commission should be formed to examine the failures that led to the October 7 disaster, Eisenkot responded: “A state commission of inquiry according to law, in which the government sets the mandate and the president of the Supreme Court determines the composition. With wise and serious dialogue between the justice minister, the prime minister, and the president, it would have been possible to establish a commission headed by Justice Noam Sohlberg, or together with President Amit.”

He sharply criticized the committee the government is seeking to form: “In contrast to the committee the government established, which is a joke. The prime minister cannot appoint a committee headed by Levin, Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and Dichter. All of them were in the country’s top command center on the morning of the disaster. It’s a joke.”

Eisenkot made clear he will not appear before such a body: “Hundreds of thousands will take to the streets and will not allow a whitewashing committee. We will not allow a bluff committee to pass. I will not cooperate with a committee that is a bluff. I will cooperate with any serious committee.”

His draft-law model: exemptions for about 3% of each year’s cohort

On the contentious issue of the draft law and the status of yeshiva students, Eisenkot explained the model he wants to advance:

“Return responsibility to the State. Instead of a chareidi arriving at the induction center and receiving a one-year deferment and the rabbi giving a permanent exemption, a national authority should be created that is acceptable to all sides—and that authority would issue the exemption.”

He said the guiding principle must be that every citizen serves—military or civilian national service—including chareidim and Arabs. “The target I accept is that 3% of the annual recruitment cohort—out of 150,000 individuals—gives roughly the current number of yeshiva students. Even before the establishment of the state, 400 ‘outstanding scholars’ were approved. I’m not opposed; it’s important. Three percent would be approved as outstanding scholars. That’s between 4,300 and 4,700 who would continue learning Torah.”

He added: “Of course, the arrangement that Ben Gurion instituted in 1948, before the founding of the state, is something principled and correct to preserve with great respect for Torah learners—but it must be regulated.”

“A basic democratic right—untouchable”

Eisenkot rejected the proposal advanced by Avigdor Liberman with the backing of Yair Lapid to revoke voting rights from citizens who do not serve. “I opposed it immediately when they announced it. It is a basic right in a democracy; it must not be touched. It is not in the basket of sanctions that a democratic state can use against its citizens.”

The new party, future alliances, and Netanyahu

After separating politically from Benny Gantz, Eisenkot is now preparing to run with the new Yashar party, hoping to form a broader bloc. “My mistake when joining the National Unity party was coming in as ‘Gadi’s group.’ That’s why we need a party. I established a party to offer something new. I’m running within my own party.”

“My goal is to be the largest party, together with the understanding that in Israel’s political system, blocs ultimately win. I will push for a situation in which, before the elections, there will be no more than four parties—so we are most effective, do not waste votes, and can form the next government.”

When asked whether he would sit with Netanyahu if the election results end in a tie between blocs, Eisenkot replied: “Netanyahu was prime minister on October 7. He says he was the supreme commander. It cannot be that everyone else takes responsibility and he does not—he must resign. I am certain we will defeat him.”

He added: “I want to see you ask him, even once, whether he would sit under Bennett or under Eisenkot. He refused to call Bennett ‘prime minister.’ These questions only get directed at one side.”

{Matzav.com}

Channel 12 correspondent Amit Segal exposed the unchanged situation in Gaza following the so-called ceasefire, with Hamas continuing its iron rule in the Strip and domination of resources, with the UN’s complicity. Segal quoted testimony from an IDF soldier in Gaza. The soldier said, “The aid goes entirely to Hamas. Trucks arrive, load the pallets […]

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, spurring outrage among a number of public health and autism experts. The CDC “vaccine safety” webpage was updated Wednesday, saying “the statement ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim.” […]