Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to sound the alarm over Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s run for New York City mayor, and what it signals about the future of the left.
WATCH:
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu pushed back Sunday against reports accusing his government of refusing to advance a deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing the allegations, Netanyahu took aim at Israeli media outlets, accusing them of spreading false narratives. “They always echo Hamas propaganda, but they are always wrong. We accepted the deal, the Witkoff deal, and then the version proposed by the mediators. We accepted it, Hamas rejected it,” he said.
Netanyahu explained that Hamas’s intentions are clear—they aim to remain in Gaza and see Israel retreat, which would allow them to rearm and strike again. “They want us to leave, so they can rearm and attack us again and again. I will not accept this; I will do everything to bring our hostages home. I meet with the families; I know their pain, I know their suffering. I am determined to bring the hostages home and eliminate Hamas.”
When asked to respond to surveys indicating broad public support for a deal, Netanyahu questioned the integrity of the polling data. “Sure, I am in favor of a deal too, but they don’t tell you the other side. The polls are manipulated, they always mislead the public. They don’t ask, ‘Do you want a hostage deal that leaves Hamas in place? That allows them to repeat the rapes, the murders, the kidnappings, the invasions?’ No, that’s not it. Suddenly, the numbers turn completely, it’s all manipulated.”
In his closing remarks, Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to the twin goals of freeing the hostages and removing Hamas from power. “We must do the right things, insist on releasing the hostages, and insist on the other goal of the war in Gaza, the elimination of Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel. That’s what I’m doing, I will not give up on any of these missions.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
A senior Iranian source told Al-Jazeera, the Qatari-based news outlet, that Tehran holds Israel responsible for the recent attempt on the life of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, warning that there will be consequences. The official emphasized that Iran will not allow the attack to go unanswered.
He stated that authorities have launched a comprehensive probe into the incident, which occurred during Operation Rising Lion. Investigators are reportedly exploring the possibility that local collaborators assisted in carrying out the attempted assassination.
The Iranian official went on to claim that this attempt on Pezeshkian’s life is not an isolated event, but rather a component of what he described as a coordinated Israeli effort to destabilize and ultimately topple the Iranian government.
Earlier today, Fars News Agency, which is closely tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, released details on the incident. According to their report, Pezeshkian sustained a minor leg injury during what was described as an Israeli strike that took place amid Operation Rising Lion.
Fars reported that the strike occurred on June 16 and targeted a structure in the western part of Tehran. At the time, a session of the Supreme National Security Council was underway on a lower level of the building. The attack involved six explosives aimed at entrances and exits to the facility.
The outlet also noted similarities between this operation and the killing of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah. Following the explosions, power to the floor where the council was meeting was cut, but officials present were able to evacuate through an emergency route.
{Matzav.com}
In recent days, the IDF, working in coordination with the ISA and relying on intelligence operations, has carried out targeted strikes eliminating a number of key figures within Hamas’ military structure and the Islamic Jihad terror group. These individuals were central to efforts aimed at restoring and enhancing the military capabilities of both organizations, including those involved in weapons development and intelligence gathering.
Hamas’ Weapons Production Headquarters has been focused on replenishing and expanding its stockpile of arms, while the group’s Military Intelligence Unit has used various methods to collect intelligence, maintain command and control over operations in Gaza, and advance attacks against Israel.
Among the senior operatives taken out by the IDF was Muhammad Abu Awwad, a top figure in the Projects and Development Department of Hamas’ Weapons Production Headquarters. He played a pivotal role in the terror group’s precision missile initiative and served as Head of Production and Technical Control in the department.
Also eliminated were Bilal Abu Shikha and Tayseer Shareem, both section commanders within the same Hamas weapons division. Mundhir Salami, a commander overseeing one of Hamas’ production sites, was also killed; he had been heavily involved in the manufacture of weapons and played a key role in bolstering the group’s firepower in Gaza.
Bilal Musallam, another casualty, served as a section commander in Hamas’ Military Intelligence Unit. Additionally, Rabi‘ Mustafa Rabi‘ Sukhweil, who was active in handling Hamas’ finances, was eliminated. He facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in funding that helped sustain and revive the organization’s terrorist infrastructure.
Other high-level operatives killed include Ahmad Abu Shamala, a squad commander in the Military Intelligence Unit; Mustafa Dababesh, the deputy head of a department within the Weapons Production Headquarters; and Muhammad Al-Bayouk, a prominent figure in Islamic Jihad’s weapons production branch.
The IDF emphasized that these operations are part of an ongoing mission to thwart the rebuilding efforts of these terror organizations. Targeting the individuals responsible for regenerating Hamas’ and Islamic Jihad’s military capacity remains a top priority, and the IDF has vowed to persist in its efforts to neutralize them.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Democrat mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, who recently clinched the party’s nomination in New York City, is promoting a far-left agenda that Rudy Giuliani says mirrors the ideology of Karl Marx — and it’s raising serious alarm bells.
“Government retail-owned stores — I mean, that’s worse than some of the communist countries; price controls on everything. The list goes on and on,” Giuliani said during an appearance on Newsmax’s Saturday Report.
Giuliani also expressed outrage over Mamdani’s radical foreign policy stances. “He wants to erase [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. That’d be secession. He tried to arrest a world leader. You can’t let him interfere with the foreign policy of the United States.”
Mamdani stunned the political world by defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, securing his place on the ballot for November’s general election.
The 33-year-old, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who has served in the New York State Assembly since 2021, began his campaign as a political unknown, but gained traction with an ambitious platform aimed at reshaping city policy.
In the fall, Mamdani will compete against sitting Mayor Eric Adams, independent challenger Jim Walden, and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa.
“My inclination would be” that Curtis could beat Mamdani, said Giuliani.
“Those three men, whatever you think their failings are, they’re like Abraham Lincoln against” Mamdani, he told Newsmax.
{Matzav.com}
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York spoke out on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The incident, which occurred while Trump was addressing supporters, resulted in him being grazed by a bullet on his ear.
“Today marks one year since the horrific assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Stefanik posted. “Americans will never forget that God was looking down on President Trump that fateful day and miraculously spared his life by a quarter of an inch.”
Reflecting on the time that has passed since Trump returned to office, Stefanik emphasized the impact of his leadership. “We are so proud and blessed that President Trump is saving America in just six months after he was sworn into office,” she stated. She also pressed for additional details to be released regarding the events surrounding the shooting, stressing the need for accountability and transparency. “The American people deserve real answers and much greater transparency on what transpired that day and Congress must work harder to uncover it and release it to the public.”
As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Stefanik pledged to continue seeking clarity and pushing for investigations into the circumstances of the attack. “There are still more questions than answers, and I am going to continue to ask the tough, important questions on the House Intelligence Committee.”
She concluded her remarks with a rallying cry: “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!”
The assassination attempt took place on July 13, 2024, when a shooter opened fire on Trump from a rooftop overlooking the rally. The attack left Trump and several others wounded, one spectator dead, and the gunman was also killed during the incident.
In a development reported last Thursday by Reuters, six members of the Secret Service have been suspended in relation to their roles during the Butler rally.
{Matzav.com}
It was the day after the concert when Rabbi Levi Plotkin spotted one of his campers quietly seated at the piano, playing Joey Newcomb’s song “Yidden.”
“I’m the only Jewish kid in my school,” the boy told him, his voice barely above a whisper. “This song means so much to me. I’m bringing it back home with me.”
That moment – simple, raw, and unforgettable – captured the entire mission of Ckids Gan Israel Florida, the sleepaway camp founded five years ago by Rabbi Levi and Chaya Plotkin. Designed for Jewish children who attend public schools and lack consistent exposure to Yiddishkeit, the camp offers more than just a fun summer. It provides an immersion into authentic Jewish life – and moments like this prove it works.
This summer, that immersive experience took on a whole new level with a high-energy, soul-stirring concert by singer Joey Newcomb. But what made it even more remarkable wasn’t just the music or the dancing or the screaming of niggunim by 72 kids who’d never before experienced anything like it. It was that Joey performed the entire concert for a single dollar – and not just any dollar.
Months earlier, during Sukkos in Toronto, Joey had casually stepped into a farbrengen in the sukkah of Rabbi Yosef Leib Vechter, mashpia at Mesivta Lubavitch. He had just finished performing at a Simchas Beis Hashoeva organized by Levi Ackerman but felt drawn to the small gathering of bochurim. Guitar in hand, he joined in.
The farbrengen was intense and uplifting. Joey shared a personal dream – that he had always wanted to receive a dollar from the Rebbe. Seizing the opportunity, Rabbi Vechter turned to him and said, “If you come perform for the precious neshamos at the Plotkins’ camp in Florida, I’m sure he’ll get you a dollar.”
Joey didn’t hesitate. “I’m in,” he replied, sealing the deal then and there.
That dollar was lovingly donated by Rabbi Plotkin’s paternal grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Plotkin. As this summer approached, plans were finalized. And just nine months after that impromptu farbrengen, Joey Newcomb stood onstage at Ckids Gan Israel Florida, pouring his heart out to campers and staff alike.
“The concert was absolutely insane,” said Chaya Plotkin. “The kids, the staff, Joey – everyone was on fire. Just seeing 72 public school children singing niggunim, dancing, and screaming songs about mitzvos and Jewish pride was surreal. Longtime staff said it was one of the most emotional experiences in all of camp history.”
Joey left with only one thing in hand: the Rebbe’s dollar.
“I got paid only one dollar for this concert,” he said, “but it was one of the most rewarding concerts I’ve ever done.”
“One of the very first things the Rebbe did after becoming Rebbe was to open Gan Yisroel for secular children,” said Rabbi Plotkin. “At camp, we see again and again the unbelievable and powerful impact camp has on these kids. For 24 hours a day, they’re surrounded by real, authentic Yiddishkeit – and all in a way that’s genuinely fun and exciting. I can’t think of a single camper who wasn’t deeply impacted by the experience.”
As Joey now plans to return next summer – this time, he says, with his wife – the Plotkins continue their mission: turning one week of camp into a lifetime of Jewish pride, one neshamah at a time.
{Matzav.com}NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Patrick Bet-David break down the growing momentum behind socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani’s potential run for NYC mayor. The panel debates whether voters are underestimating his chances and draws comparisons to other surprise election wins. They explore what a Mamdani victory could mean for the future of New York City politics.
WATCH:
Hamas is likely to escalate its efforts to kidnap Israeli soldiers active in Gaza, according to an expert from Tel Aviv University who spoke to The Guardian yesterday.
“[There is] no doubt Hamas will increase its attempts to take new hostages, including bodies of dead soldiers and civilians,” said Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian studies forum at Tel Aviv University.
His comments followed the death of St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, who was killed in Khan Yunis. The IDF reported that terrorists emerged from a tunnel and attempted to take him hostage.
Azulay resisted the abduction attempt until he was fatally shot by the terrorists, according to military officials. IDF forces returned fire, hitting several of the assailants and stopping the kidnapping attempt.
The Guardian noted that Hamas’s renewed focus on capturing live Israeli soldiers could provide the group with significant leverage in ceasefire negotiations and hostage-release discussions. It could also shift public sentiment inside Israel.
“Hamas may release captives to have a ceasefire, at least for now, but is also attempting to capture more … so is signaling that any agreement is not going to be a permanent end to the overall conflict,” said Ramallah-based political analyst Abdeljawad Hamayel.
“It’s not just about gaining a card to play in negotiations but is a key part of the psychological battle. Hamas aim to boost their own fighters and demoralize both Israeli soldiers in Gaza and civilians in Israel,” added a Palestinian analyst based in Qatar who is familiar with Hamas’s internal strategies.
Despite their limited manpower, with only a few hundred operatives on the ground in Gaza, Hamas seems to be operating efficiently, the same Qatar-based source explained.
“Hamas only have a few cells here, but they are very careful and precise with their resources,” they stated.
The group has also undergone a significant shift in military strategy since October 7, transitioning from a more traditional force to one that thrives on guerrilla tactics, according to defense analysts quoted by The Guardian.
“It’s a very complicated battlefield for the IDF. Hamas are taking advantage of all the rubble. They are experts in guerrilla warfare and have been fighting Israel for 20 years,” said Guy Aviad, a former IDF military historian and expert on Hamas.
“We are now seeing a form of attritional warfare which is placing some limits on Israel’s power and is also having some effect on public opinion across the world,” Hamayel added.
Milshtein also pointed out that while Hamas may be interested in a temporary ceasefire, they are unlikely to abandon their goals altogether.
“Here in Israel, we have had an experiment with the idea that more and more pressure on Hamas means they will [eventually] give up. Well, how much more pressure can you imagine?,” he said.
“We have killed their leaders. We have destroyed Gaza. But we have not changed the basic attitudes and demands of Hamas,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}