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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel next week for high-level discussions focused on Iran and other key regional issues, the State Department announced Friday, as Washington continues to expand its military presence in the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Tehran.

According to the State Department, Rubio’s trip will take place March 2-3. During his visit, he is expected to hold talks on Iran as well as broader regional matters, including developments in Lebanon and President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

{Matzav.com}

A shmuess delivered by Rav Simcha Klein.

WATCH:

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President Donald Trump said Friday that he has not determined whether the United States will carry out a military strike against Iran, expressing dissatisfaction with Tehran’s conduct in negotiations while confirming that additional diplomatic discussions are scheduled.

“I haven’t made a decision on Iran. I am not happy with how they negotiate,” the President said, noting that further talks would take place on Friday.

Addressing the prospect of military action, Trump acknowledged the possibility but signaled reluctance. “I don’t want to, but sometimes you have to,” he said.

Trump reiterated his position that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons and criticized Tehran’s stance in the ongoing negotiations, saying that “Iran isn’t saying the golden words, ‘No nuclear weapon’” in talks with the US.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. Embassy in Israel announced that non-essential staff and family members would be evacuated because of “security risks.”

At the same time, the State Department revised its travel advisory and encouraged American citizens to consider departing Israel.

The latest developments come after U.S. and Iranian officials met Thursday in Geneva for another round of negotiations, as the United States continues a significant military buildup in the region surrounding Iran. No agreement was announced after the meeting, but Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said progress had been made and confirmed that “technical talks” would continue next week in Vienna, Austria. U.S. officials told Axios that the discussions were positive.

{Matzav.com}

BORO PARK: A manhole fire erupted beneath a van at 17th Avenue and 45th Street, causing the vehicle to become fully engulfed in flames. FDNY firefighters are on the scene working to extinguish the blaze.

In a surprising spiritual initiative ahead of Purim, Knesset Member Moshe Abutbul has begun distributing printed copies of the laws of kemitzah to shuls and batei midrash throughout Israel, encouraging their study as a merit for the salvation of the Jewish people during a time of heightened security tensions and threats from Iran.

Abutbul’s office has circulated professionally printed booklets featuring the Rambam’s codification of the laws of kemitzah — the Bais Hamikdosh procedure in which a kohen would remove a handful of flour from a meal offering. The goal, according to Abutbul, is to inspire focused study of these laws on Purim as a spiritual protection for Klal Yisroel and as a show of support for talmidei chachomim.

Explaining the basis for the initiative, Abutbul cited the well-known teaching in Gemara Megillah that links the concept of kemitzah to the downfall of Haman. He recounted that when Haman sought out Mordechai to dress him in royal garments at King Achashverosh’s command, he found him studying Torah with his students. When Haman asked what they were learning, they replied that in the time of the Beis Hamikdash, one who brought a meal offering would present a handful of fine flour, which would atone for him. Haman then remarked that their “handful of flour” had outweighed the ten thousand talents of silver he had given Achashverosh in his plot to destroy the Jewish people.

Abutbul said that after consulting with prominent rabbanim, he was advised that in these days of internal and external conflict, with Iran once again issuing threats of war against Israel, it would be appropriate to adopt this spiritual approach on Purim. Studying the laws of kemitzah, he said, could help elevate the fortune of the Jewish people and strengthen the standing of talmidei chachomim, who protect the nation through their learning.

Along with the printed materials, Abutbul’s office included explanatory notes emphasizing the importance of studying these laws on Purim as a spiritual safeguard. The initiative concludes with a prayer that, just as in the days of Mordechai and Esther, the fortunes of the Jewish people will once again rise, fulfilling the posuk of LaYehudim: “For the Jews there was light and joy.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to promote a sweeping affordable housing proposal, presenting the president with a mock newspaper front page touting the potential impact of major new federal investment in the city.

During the visit, Mamdani handed Trump a fabricated front page styled after the New York Daily News, crafted to highlight the scale and political resonance of the proposal. The headline read “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” echoing the paper’s well-known 1975 cover declaring “Ford to City: Drop Dead,” which referenced Gerald Ford’s pledge at the time to veto financial aid for New York City.

The approach appeared tailored to Trump’s well-known interest in media coverage. The president closely follows both national cable news and local New York publications, and aides to Mamdani said the presentation was designed to underscore how a large federal housing commitment could be received publicly. Mamdani later shared a photo from the Oval Office meeting on social media, prominently featuring the mock front page.

Anna Bahr, Mamdani’s communications director, said the mayor’s staff created the sample headlines to illustrate the positive reaction they believe a major housing partnership would generate. According to Bahr, Trump responded favorably to the proposal, which centers on constructing a platform over Sunnyside Yard in Queens and building 12,000 affordable housing units there.

Bahr said the president was “very enthusiastic” about Mamdani’s proposal, which would involve securing more than $21 billion in federal grants to deck over the rail yard and enable construction. City Hall estimates the development would generate 30,000 jobs and represent the largest housing and infrastructure initiative in more than half a century.

The meeting followed an earlier White House sit-down between the two in November, when Trump encouraged Mamdani to return with a bold proposal for collaboration in New York City. Despite repeatedly attacking Mamdani as a “communist” during the mayoral campaign, Trump struck a warmer tone after their previous one-on-one discussion in the Oval Office.

Thursday’s meeting, which had not been publicly scheduled in advance, lasted roughly an hour. In addition to housing, Mamdani raised concerns about the detention of Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University student from Azerbaijan who had been arrested earlier that day by federal immigration agents.

According to Aghayeva’s lawyers and Columbia’s president, immigration authorities gained entry to a campus residence by saying they were looking for a “missing person.” Mamdani asked Trump to review her case and consider her release.

Shortly after the White House meeting concluded, Trump called the mayor and informed him that Aghayeva would be released. Mamdani also provided White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with the names of four additional students facing federal action and requested assistance from the administration.

Those students — Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi and Leqaa Kordia — were detained in connection with pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Of the four, only Kordia remains in custody, though legal proceedings are ongoing in each case.

“Mayor Mamdani is absolutely right to call on President Trump to release Leqaa Kordia, the beloved daughter of an American citizen,” Hamzah Abushaban, Kordia’s cousin, said in a statement. “For nearly a year, my cousin Leqaa has been locked away in ICE detention, robbed of precious birthdays, holidays, and irreplaceable moments with her family. She has endured fear, isolation, and even suffered a seizure while trapped behind those walls. This is not justice. This is not humanity.”

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The U.S. State Department has authorized non-essential personnel and family members of diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Israel to leave the country, as concerns intensify that a military confrontation with Iran could be imminent.

In an email sent Friday morning to staff at the Jerusalem mission, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those who wish to depart to act without delay, advising that they “should do so TODAY.”

“Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC,” added the former Arkansas governor in the message, first reported by the New York Times, “but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”

Huckabee said the authorization for voluntary departures was taken out of “an abundance of caution.”

“There is no need to panic,” he wrote, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”

The warning came after indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday regarding Tehran’s nuclear program ended without progress. Further negotiations are expected to resume next week in Vienna, Austria.

Amid the diplomatic stalemate, officials are bracing for the possibility that Iran could respond to any U.S. military action with ballistic missile strikes against Israel.

During the 12-day war with Iran this past June, 33 Israelis were killed and more than 3,200 were wounded in missile and drone attacks.

As Thursday’s discussions wrapped up, Iranian state television reported that Tehran remains committed to continuing uranium enrichment, opposes transferring enriched material abroad, and is demanding the immediate removal of international sanctions. The report said Iran rejected three demands presented by U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Iran’s leadership has also declined to expand the negotiations to include its ballistic missile arsenal or its backing of terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Although the White House did not issue an official statement on the Geneva talks, Vice President JD Vance told the Washington Post “there is no chance” that a U.S. strike on Iran would spiral into a prolonged war in the Middle East.

“I think we all prefer the diplomatic option,” the vice president added. “But it really depends on what the Iranians do and what they say.”

Reports indicate that President Trump is weighing several potential courses of action, including targeted attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as possible “decapitation” strikes aimed at eliminating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures in an effort to pave the way for regime change.

{Matzav.com}

Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear agency access to its nuclear facilities bombed by Iran and the United States during a 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the watchdog circulated to member states and seen Friday by The Associated Press. The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency stressed that it “cannot verify […]

Digital advertisements mounted on top of New York City yellow cabs that read “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride” — a pointed reference to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for free buses — were abruptly removed after media coverage brought attention to them.

According to a transcript of a video meeting, Jamie Lowe, executive vice president of the ad placement company Somo, informed representatives of the Jewish advocacy group JewBelong that the ads were taken down following backlash.

“You saw the article that ran in the NY Post today, you can imagine that it created a buzz, which it did … But the ad that’s running is obviously somewhat anti- the mayor of New York City,” Lowe said during the Tuesday call.

He added, “There were complaints across the board this morning to us, to the New York City Taxi Commission, and I’ll… I’ll leave it at that.”

Lowe later clarified that he had spoken not with the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which is overseen by Mamdani, but with Ron Sherman, head of the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade, an organization representing roughly a quarter of the city’s taxi industry.

“Just as the New York Post article said, it’s the slap of Mandami. That’s the challenge that we have,” Lowe told JewBelong co-founder Stacy Stuart and public relations representative Jenny McIntosh during the meeting.

JewBelong, which focuses on combating antisemitism, said the removal marked the first time in its five-year history that one of its advertisements had been censored.

During the discussion, Lowe acknowledged concern about drawing the ire of City Hall.

“I personally will be careful in running advertising that is somewhat, attacking City Hall or the mayor. So, I would say, yes, the political nature of the bus comment, and the mayor reference at this point in time is the challenge,” Lowe said.

Lowe and another sales representative proposed revising the ad to eliminate the apparent criticism of Mamdani’s transportation initiative, but JewBelong declined to alter the message.

He pointed to contractual language that, according to the transcript, allows his company to “reject or cancel any ad at any time without liability.”

JewBelong representatives argued that the decision amounted to suppressing a campaign intended to confront antisemitism.

“Why are Jewish voices being silenced in New York City at the very moment antisemitism is surging? Our taxi campaign was created to garner attention and start a conversation about the compromises many Jews feel pressured to make about visibility and identity amid rising antisemitism,” said JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman.

“Pulling it sends a chilling message that speaking out against hate is acceptable, until it makes someone uncomfortable. We refuse to be silent.”

The Anti-Defamation League also criticized the removal of the ads.

“If acknowledging that Jewish New Yorkers sometimes feel compelled to hide visible symbols of their identity is considered controversial, that should alarm all of us,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.

“Suppressing awareness does not reduce antisemitism, especially at a time when we are seeing an alarming amount of antisemitic incidents,” he said.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission denied any involvement in the decision to remove the rooftop ads.

“We’re not aware of any complaints to the TLC related to these ads and we certainly haven’t asked for them to be removed,” said TLC spokesman Jason Kersten.

“We respect free speech, and for us to take any action the ads would have to violate our rules related to rooftop advertising, which these clearly don’t.”

Under TLC regulations, rooftop advertising providers “must not display advertising that is offensive to public morals” or violate criminal law.

The dispute over the advertisements unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing tension between Mamdani and some members of the Jewish community.

{Matzav.com}

A nine-vehicle collision occurred on the Long Island Expressway on Friday morning, leaving four people injured, including one in critical condition.

OpenAI has raised $110 billion in a new funding round that values the ChatGPT maker at $730 billion, its largest capital raise to date, strengthening its efforts to secure the computing power and talent needed to accelerate AI development.

Shimon Tubul, deputy mayor of Be’er Sheva, announced that all public shelters across the city have been opened.

Amid rising tensions surrounding Iran, several governments have issued urgent security measures: Britain announced the temporary withdrawal of its embassy staff from Tehran due to the security situation, Kazakhstan called on its citizens in Iran to leave the country, and the Chinese Embassy in Israel warned that security risks in the Middle East have increased, […]

Border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan are continuing, with the Pakistani Air Force conducting strikes on Taliban positions. Pakistani troops have also recaptured most of the border posts that fell to the Taliban overnight.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has decided not to move forward with a felony assault charge against one of the men accused of throwing snowballs at NYPD officers during a chaotic confrontation in Washington Square Park, reducing the most serious count at his court appearance Thursday.

Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, had initially been charged with assault on a police officer, obstruction of governmental administration, and disorderly conduct for his alleged role in what authorities described as a large-scale snowball incident in the park.

At his arraignment Thursday evening, prosecutors declined to pursue the assault-on-an-officer charge. The remaining counts were scaled back to harassment and obstruction of governmental administration, classified as a second-degree violation and a misdemeanor, according to the criminal complaint.

Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, pushed back strongly against the decision, rejecting suggestions that the episode was harmless fun. He told reporters that the purported “playful snowball fight” was “an attack on the uniform these police officers wear every day.”

“This was a grown adult that was here. Our police officers went to this location, on the rooftop, for a disorderly group, came down, and they were surrounded by hundreds of individuals who then attacked all police officers,” Hendry said.

Hendry further alleged that Coulibaly and three other suspects who have not yet been apprehended deliberately hardened the snowballs with ice and rocks before throwing them at officers. He criticized what he described as a minimization of the incident through the reduced charges.

“So why wasn’t assault charged? Why was harassment charged? Why do they feel that that didn’t cause an injury to a police officer, which he clearly, clearly has an injury below his eye?” Hendry said.

In court, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Victoria Notaro acknowledged that one officer, identified only as “PO Johnson,” experienced redness, tenderness, and pain on the left side of his face near his eye. However, she stated that it was difficult to establish “that the injury was obtained directly from the defendant.”

Hendry said the officer remains on sick leave and is “on the mend.”

Coulibaly did not speak during the proceeding. His attorney, George Vomvolakis, argued that the police department was channeling frustration over Mayor Zohran Mamdani toward his client, whom he described as an aspiring social media personality.

Vomvolakis echoed the characterization offered by Mamdani in the immediate aftermath of the incident, when the mayor said those involved were “kids doing snowballs.” He also repeatedly referred to Coulibaly as being 22 years old, though court records list his age as 27.

While Vomvolakis sought to portray the matter as a minor infraction akin to a “glorified summons,” insisting that Coulibaly “had no idea what the intent was” when he allegedly threw the snowball, Judge Michelle Weber disagreed, stating that his participation “showed a complete lack of judgment.”

The judge ordered Coulibaly released under supervision. He is scheduled to return to court on April 9 in connection with the snowball case and on March 15 in a separate matter involving an alleged confrontation with a subway rider.

{Matzav.com}

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday that every Democratic and Republican president prior to President Donald Trump acted as a patriot, arguing that the current administration represents a break from that tradition.

Speaking on “Spectrum News One,” Pelosi addressed the upcoming midterm elections and the possibility of Democrats regaining control of the House. She said a narrow majority would be sufficient numerically but expressed concern about potential challenges if the margin is slim.

Pelosi said, “We only need a handful, but I would rather have at least 30 now. But it doesn’t matter if I want to win more than we need, because I think the Republicans will try to play a stunt and challenge if it’s just a few seats. So it’s good to have the insurance of having many more. That’s the way I like it.”

She then contrasted Trump with previous occupants of the White House.

She continued, “I’ve been in politics a long time, as you know, and we’ve had Democratic presidents, Republican presidents, they’ve all been patriots until now. We have to win this race.”

Pelosi also argued that core democratic institutions are being weakened.

She added, “Our democracy is at stake. What is a democracy? A democracy is free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, due process, rule of law, all of that, all of that diminished under this president and the Republicans in Congress.”

Concluding her remarks, Pelosi warned that the issue extends beyond the current presidential term.

Pelosi concluded, “It’s not just about his second term and what that is. It’s about the Congress of the United States abolishing itself and just yielding to him on every score.”

{Matzav.com}

Talmidim of Talmud Torah “Chadrei Torah” merited a special opportunity to be tested by leading Gedolei Yisroel, who expressed deep admiration for the students’ impressive breadth of knowledge. The students were examined by HaGaon HaRav Shraga Shteinman and HaGaon HaRav Baruch Dov Diskin. Following the bechinah, both Gedolim voiced strong appreciation for the talmidim’s clarity, […]

As tensions continue to simmer between Israel and Iran, the IDF is stressing that there are currently no changes to safety instructions for the Israeli public. In a video statement, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin sought to calm public concern, acknowledging the atmosphere of uncertainty following recent regional developments. “I am aware of the […]

At least nine U.S. aerial refueling tankers landed overnight at Ben Gurion Airport amid Washington’s expanding military presence in the Middle East. Altogether, 14 American refueling aircraft have arrived in Israel over the past week.