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Israeli police on Sunday disclosed new details about the weeklong international search for Mali and Liel Yahalomi, saying investigators initially feared the mother and daughter had been kidnapped before evidence increasingly pointed to a deliberately planned disappearance. The two were ultimately located in Argentina.

Tali Bankin, who heads an Interpol unit within the Israel Police, discussed the behind-the-scenes investigation in an interview with Kol Berama, describing how authorities gradually changed their assessment of the case as new information emerged.

Bankin said that when the pair first disappeared and could not be contacted, investigators treated the situation as a potential abduction.

“The initial working assumption was that this was an abduction incident. Later, we understood that it was a planned event,” she said.

As police worked to reconstruct Mali and Liel’s movements, Bankin said investigators also had to contend with a flood of unverified claims and speculation surrounding their disappearance, making it more difficult to establish a clear picture of what had occurred.

“There was a lot of fake news that created confusion. We tried to calm the situation,” she said, adding that once police determined that the disappearance had been intentional, “things were clearer in our work with the media.”

The investigation took a decisive turn several days ago when authorities received information indicating that Mali and Liel had traveled to Argentina. That development caused investigators to redirect the international search toward South America.

“The center of gravity then moved to South America,” Bankin said.

According to Bankin, Mali and Liel may not have realized just how extensive the search for them had become while they remained out of contact.

“I don’t think they knew about all the search efforts; they were cut off from contact,” she said.

The operation involved substantial resources and extensive international coordination as Israeli authorities attempted to determine what had happened to the pair and whether they were in danger.

“A lot of money from Israel was spent on the search,” Bankin said.

Once Mali and Liel were found and authorities established that they were safe, Bankin said the police’s role in the matter concluded.

{Matzav.com}

A new Chareidi political party centered on the battle against the drafting of yeshiva bochurim is reportedly being formed ahead of the upcoming elections, in a development that could pose a challenge to both Shas and United Torah Judaism.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13, Chareidi political figure Moti Babchik met last week with a group of rabbonim who have taken a firm position against the draft, as discussions continue over the establishment of the new party.

The fledgling movement is currently operating under the name “Black Ink,” according to the report, and would make opposition to the conscription of bnei yeshivos into the IDF a central element of its platform.

Another primary objective would be the restoration of an arrangement allowing yeshiva bochurim and avreichim to continue learning Torah full-time while receiving deferments from military service, without financial or other sanctions being imposed upon those who do not enlist.

The effort is said to include rabbonim and roshei yeshiva representing various segments of the Chareidi community.

The organizers have reportedly commissioned extensive polling that they believe shows substantial potential support for the new party. According to the findings, tens of thousands of voters could back the movement, including younger Chareidim as well as people who previously cast their ballots for existing Chareidi parties.

Should the effort ultimately result in a new party running in the elections, it could reshape the Chareidi political landscape and present both Shas and United Torah Judaism with a new competitor for voters who believe the existing parties have not gone far enough in protecting the status of bnei yeshivos and preserving their ability to learn Torah without the threat of conscription.

Other sources, however, have downplayed the significance of the initiative, saying that support for the proposed party appears to be minimal and that it is unlikely to make substantial inroads among Chareidi voters. According to those assessments, even if the party ultimately runs, it may draw only limited support from the established Chareidi parties and have little, if any, meaningful effect on the overall political landscape.

{Matzav.com}

The House’s progressive “Squad” could emerge from November’s midterm elections twice as large as it is today, potentially giving the far-left bloc significantly greater leverage over Democratic priorities and legislation in the next Congress, the NY Post reports.

A string of victories by left-wing candidates in Democratic primaries around the country has positioned several new figures to enter the House next year, with many running in heavily Democratic districts where victory in November is considered highly likely.

The group, which currently numbers roughly seven members, could grow to as many as 14.

Two of the candidates considered almost certain to join Congress hail from New York City, the political home of “Squad” founder Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Claire Valdez, who has called for nationwide rent control if elected, cruised to victory in the June Democratic primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District. Because of the district’s overwhelming Democratic advantage, Valdez is heavily favored in November. The district includes Bushwick and other sections of Brooklyn that have increasingly become a center of far-left political activism.

Another likely newcomer is Darializa Chevalier, 32, who participated in an anti-Israel demonstration one day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Chevalier has previously argued that the United States has committed atrocities worse than those committed by Hamas and has made comments blaming American policies for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chevalier prevailed in her June Democratic primary and is widely expected to capture New York’s 10th Congressional District, which includes Harlem.

A number of other left-wing candidates around the country could also swell the Squad’s ranks.

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old socialist in Colorado who would become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress, defeated a 15-term Democratic incumbent. Her upset drew comparisons to Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning 2018 primary victory over longtime Queens Rep. Joe Crowley.

In New Jersey, Adam Hamawy, a 56-year-old Princeton plastic surgeon endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez, captured the Democratic nomination in a district that strongly favors his party. Hamawy also has the backing of Justice Democrats, the progressive organization that played a major role in Ocasio-Cortez’s rise. While a medical student, Hamawy traveled with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “Blind Sheikh” who was later convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot.

Texas pastor Frederick Haynes, 65, handily captured his Democratic primary in March. Haynes, who also received the support of Justice Democrats, has sought to stake out positions to the left of Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

In Philadelphia, Chris Rabb, 56, defeated establishment-supported opponents in one of the most Democratic congressional districts in America. Rabb, who calls himself a Democratic Socialist and has described himself as a “radical” and “rabble-rouser,” received endorsements from Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats. Among the policies he has supported are government-operated grocery stores. With no Republican candidate challenging him, Rabb is effectively assured of winning the seat.

Michigan activist William Lawrence, 36, also secured his party’s nomination. Lawrence co-founded the progressive Sunrise Movement and previously praised controversial streamer Hasan Piker, telling him, “You’re the man!” Unlike many of the other prospective Squad additions, however, Lawrence is competing in a swing district where the November outcome remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, traders on the prediction market Polymarket have placed Democrats’ chances of winning control of the House at 88%.

If Democrats do capture the chamber, a substantially enlarged Squad could become an important voting bloc capable of influencing whether major legislation advances or collapses. Its members could also push initiatives such as abolishing ICE or pursuing impeachment proceedings against President Trump, causes embraced by members of the original Squad.

One former House leadership aide predicted that the enlarged group would remain unwilling to bend on its priorities.

“They will not compromise,” the former aide said.

Its growth could also pull the broader Democratic caucus further to the left, according to longtime Republican strategist Doug Heye.

“It’s becoming a bigger part of the party,” Heye told The Post. “They will be the loudest voices pushing for impeachment,” he said of the radical group.

The term “Squad” dates back to the aftermath of the 2018 midterm elections. Ocasio-Cortez posted an Instagram photograph of herself with fellow incoming Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts during freshman orientation, captioning the picture simply “Squad.”

The nickname quickly became permanently associated with the four progressive lawmakers.

The group subsequently became embroiled in a high-profile dispute with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following controversy over Omar comparing the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban. President Trump also repeatedly invoked the Squad label while attacking the lawmakers and arguing that they were driving Democrats sharply to the left.

“The ‘Squad’ is a very racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced, and not very smart. They are pulling the once great Democrat Party far left,” he wrote in one series of tweets that June.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Tommy Tuberville says ChatGPT has become a regular companion during lengthy drives across Alabama, with the Republican senator using the AI chatbot to discuss topics including Medicare and Medicaid while listening to its spoken responses from behind the wheel.

Tuberville, who is seeking the Alabama governorship, told The Washington Post that he turns to ChatGPT during long car trips to ask questions and learn more about complicated policy matters.

“It’s kind of like you can sit there and talk to an expert,” Tuberville said. “You don’t know whether or not they’re 100 percent correct. But they put you on the right path.”

Tuberville is far from the only member of Congress making use of artificial intelligence. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has advocated imposing a tax related to AI, said she has used ChatGPT to research demographic information.

Both chambers of Congress have moved over the past year to permit lawmakers and congressional staff to use certain approved AI chatbots for official work. Among the platforms authorized are Copilot, ChatGPT and Gemini, while the House has also permitted use of Claude.

An analysis by CNBC of House spending records found that ChatGPT remains the most widely purchased paid AI tool in the chamber. The analysis also found that spending on the technology by Democratic offices was three times higher than spending by Republicans.

Some lawmakers have taken a relatively permissive approach toward how their staffs employ generative AI. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), for example, downplayed controversy after a member of her staff inserted an answer generated by Claude into the public record associated with the National Defense Authorization Act.

“A lot of staff will use ChatGPT, Claude, Grok. I personally like Grok better, but my staffer prefers Claude. I’m not gonna knock him for that. There’s nothing illegal about him doing a summary,” she stated.

The Congressional Research Service has also examined how artificial intelligence could be used by Congress and federal agencies, identifying possible applications “including for office tasks such as creating and summarizing content, writing speeches, and drafting bills.”

At the same time, the Congressional Research Service has cautioned that generative AI carries significant potential drawbacks, including “confabulation or hallucination,” which “might lead to the tools generating and amplifying misinformation or being used to create and spread disinformation.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) has taken a more structured approach, working with her staff to establish rules and training governing the use of artificial intelligence. Her office has been instructed to employ the technology only to “enhance and streamline” its work.

“We didn’t want to prohibit the use of the newest tools,” Slotkin said. “But we also didn’t want absolute schlock showing up in my memos.”

{Matzav.com}

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro says Secretary of State Marco Rubio is unlikely to challenge Vice President JD Vance for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, arguing that entering such a contest would carry significant political risks for Rubio regardless of the outcome.

During a podcast interview with Patrick Bet-David released Wednesday, Shapiro described Rubio as a “very risk-averse politician” and laid out several scenarios that he believes could convince the secretary of state to stay out of the race.

“If you’re Marco and you’re … gaming out what the next few years look like for you, here are your choices: Run against JD, you lose, you’re done,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro argued that even defeating Vance in a Republican primary could leave Rubio facing a difficult general-election environment, while staying on the sidelines could preserve his prospects for the future.

“You run against JD, you win, it’s a rough election cycle anyway because the president’s riding in the 30s and the country’s in the mood for ‘something new’ and you lose, you’re done,” Shapiro continued. “You don’t run, JD may pick you as his VP candidate, JD loses, you’re next. JD does not pick you and JD loses, you’re also next.”

Based on that calculation, Shapiro said he believes “Rubio will not run out of risk aversion” and added that he would put his “money on Vance” if the two were faced with a potential 2028 showdown.

Neither Vance nor Rubio has announced plans to seek the presidency in 2028, and both are currently serving in senior positions in the Trump administration. Speculation about their political futures, however, has continued to build well ahead of the next presidential campaign.

President Trump has himself fueled talk of a possible Vance-Rubio ticket, previously describing the pair as a “dream team” for a future presidential campaign.

“I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate,” Trump told reporters in May, while declining to say which of the two he envisioned at the top of the ticket.

Vance subsequently dismissed suggestions that there was political friction between himself and Rubio, saying their relationship had become exceptionally close while emphasizing that neither should be focused on the 2028 campaign at this stage of the administration.

“I love Marco. I think he’s a great Secretary of State,” Vance said. “He’s become a very, very dear friend, but I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people’s business right now.

“If I was the American people, there are few things that I would hate more than a person who’s barely been in office a year-and-a-half who’s angling for a job two-and-a-half years down the road,” he continued. “Let’s do a good job now. We are, we’ve just got to keep at it.”

{Matzav.com}

Congressional Democrats are lashing out at the Trump administration over plans by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to purchase thousands of gloves capable of delivering painful electrical shocks, arguing that the agency should not be equipped with another use-of-force device amid scrutiny of recent encounters involving ICE personnel.

ICE disclosed Monday that it intends to spend as much as $20 million acquiring a device known as G.L.O.V.E., short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.

The agency described the technology in its acquisition notice as a “distraction and de-escalation device,” but Democratic lawmakers pointed to recent violent and fatal encounters involving ICE officers as they questioned why agents should receive an additional tool capable of inflicting pain.

“Senate Republicans had the opportunity to rein in ICE and CBP, they refused. Instead they handed DHS BILLIONS more of your tax dollars without any constraint after the shooting and killing individuals in the streets. Now, ICE is looking to purchase electrical shock gloves to continue terrorizing our communities,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote on the social platform X.

“How soon will they be used to inflict further cruelty?”

The controversy follows two recent fatal shootings involving ICE officers in Texas and Maine, as well as the emergence of video showing an ICE officer pointing a firearm at a woman in Virginia.

The Virginia woman, who is a U.S. citizen, said she possessed video contradicting the officer’s allegation that she had attempted to strike ICE personnel with her vehicle.

“ICE agents shoot innocent people. They pepper spray innocent people. And now the Trump administration wants to spend $20 MILLION to give them gloves to tase people. This is insanity,” Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote on X.

“ICE does not need another weapon.”

Compliant Technologies, the company behind the gloves, includes a series of restrictions and warnings in its instructional material, cautioning that improper use could result in “injury or death.”

Although the manufacturer says the gloves are not considered dangerous when used on healthy individuals, its guidance advises against their use on pregnant women and elderly people. It also warns that individuals may have “underlying medical conditions that may or may not be easily discernable with casual observation.”

The company additionally instructs officers to “always give the subject(s) a reasonable opportunity to comply before force is used.”

ICE defended its decision to pursue the technology but did not directly answer questions about what specific rules would govern use of the gloves or whether agents would be required to follow all of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Instead, the agency pointed to its existing use-of-force policy and said officers “regularly receive ongoing use of force training.”

“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country. Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards,” the agency said in a statement.

The electrical charge requires direct contact with a person’s skin and cannot penetrate clothing. The manufacturer’s instructions also explicitly prohibit using the gloves merely in response to “verbal defiance” or employing them as punishment or torture.

White House border czar Tom Homan portrayed the technology as an option that could fall between lesser and more serious uses of force.

“Look, it’s another device to help someone be compliant, whether or not — you know, you just can’t go from zero to 100, right?” he said during an appearance on Fox News on Thursday.

Homan said there was no immediate timetable for deploying the gloves. He also suggested the technology might be better suited for detention centers, where officers generally have more information about the individuals they are dealing with, rather than encounters involving members of the public.

“There’s a lot of training involved. There’s still some background issues that need to be dealt with. So the implementation of these gloves out in the field are going to be a while. I think they serve a better purpose in detention facility, where detainees get out of control and there’s fights in the facility,” Homan said.

“So we’ll see. Still, the training protocol is being written and being reviewed. Then we’ll see when they get rolled out.”

Democratic lawmakers nevertheless portrayed the planned purchase as another example of what they say is excessive and abusive immigration enforcement.

“As if assaulting people and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough. Now, they’re spending $20 million of YOUR taxpayer dollars on painful electric shock gloves for their masked, lawless goons,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) wrote on X.

“This is just not the government people want. A government so sadistic and cruel that it delights in using your hard earned tax dollars to buy gloves that shock people upon contact,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote on X.

The recent encounter involving Virginia resident Carolina Molina has also become part of the debate over whether ICE personnel can be trusted to use the devices appropriately.

Video Molina posted to social media begins with an ICE officer aiming a gun through her open vehicle window and accusing her of attempting to run over agents. Molina responds that they are “full of s—” and says she has dashcam footage that would disprove the allegation.

When Molina tells the officer that she is an American citizen, the agent threatens to arrest her and responds, “I don’t care.”

“Electroshock gloves to be worn by ICE agents. Masked agents pulling a gun on a U.S. citizen. We can’t keep funding agencies that encourage this kind of behavior in their ranks,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) wrote on X, also pointing to recent deaths at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said during a Wednesday press conference that her office is examining the planned purchase to determine whether there could be grounds for legal action.

James also warned that if anyone in New York is injured through use of the gloves, she would be prepared to pursue the matter in court.

“Of course, we are outraged, and in the event that a New Yorker is injured as a result of these gloves, obviously there will be a private right of action as well as action from the state of New York,” she told reporters.

“You can best be assured of that.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump on Friday night escalated his attacks on the nonprofit organization challenging his White House ballroom project in court, accusing the National Trust for Historic Preservation of disclosing sensitive military information through its lawsuit and arguing that the massive construction project is essential to presidential security.

“These are the TREASONISTS that brought the suit against the Military Complex,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “They revealed Top Military Secrets!”

Trump also denounced the National Trust for Historic Preservation as “very bad for our Country.”

“They stop many projects that are worthy, and hurt many others,” he continued. “In this case, they are trying to stop one that is vital to our National Security, and the Safety of all Presidents of the United States, both current and future, their families, staff, and Cabinet members.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Trump’s latest allegations.

The president’s broadside came hours after the Justice Department filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn a lower-court order blocking portions of construction on the White House ballroom project.

The lower-court ruling prevents above-ground construction from proceeding but does not halt work on underground security infrastructure connected to the project.

Plans for the approximately 90,000-square-foot ballroom extend well beyond the event space itself. The proposal includes major security components, among them an underground military complex, a medical facility and a rooftop drone port.

The overall project is projected to cost roughly $600 million, with at least some of the expense expected to be borne by taxpayers.

The Trump administration has maintained that the construction is not merely an expansion of White House entertaining space but an important national-security project designed in part to better protect the president against potential assassination attempts and other threats.

Trump emphasized Friday that the underground and above-ground portions of the project cannot effectively be separated, arguing that each component depends on the other.

The “lower section does not work without the upper section, and likewise, the upper section does not work without the lower,” Trump wrote.

“It is all one highly integrated unit,” he added.

The National Trust, meanwhile, sharply criticized the administration’s emergency request to the Supreme Court, describing the filing as “audacious” and accusing the administration of attempting to circumvent judicial oversight.

“The Administration’s transparent efforts to evade the rule of law, frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful relief in the courts must stop here,” the nonprofit said. “The Supreme Court should deny the Administration’s demand that it be allowed to continue Ballroom construction while it appeals.”

{Matzav.com}