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Andy Burnham officially became leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on Friday, paving the way for him to become the country’s next prime minister when he takes office next week following Keir Starmer’s resignation.

Labour confirmed the outcome of its leadership race, which was held to choose a successor to Starmer. Burnham ran unopposed, making Friday’s announcement largely ceremonial after he had already secured overwhelming backing from Labour lawmakers.

His victory had effectively been guaranteed after receiving the nominations of 379 out of Labour’s 403 members of Parliament in the House of Commons by Thursday evening.

“We’re going to give them hope back,” Burnham said in his first speech as leader. “This is a proud moment you have given me and my family today, and an emotional one, but it is one for which I am ready.”

Starmer’s departure followed weeks of mounting calls for him to step down after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections earlier this year. His resignation was ultimately triggered by a leadership challenge from within his own party. He will remain prime minister through Monday, when he is scheduled to formally submit his resignation to King Charles III, who will then invite Burnham to form a new government.

Burnham, who previously served as mayor of Greater Manchester, has spent recent weeks preparing to assume the country’s highest office, though he has offered only a limited preview of his policy agenda. After winning a parliamentary by-election last month, he pledged to pursue a style of politics “based on unity and hope” while promoting economic growth that benefits every region of Britain.

Despite his lengthy public career, Burnham remains relatively unfamiliar to many voters outside Greater Manchester. He has largely stayed out of the national spotlight, holding few media appearances and avoiding major press conferences since emerging as Labour’s leader-in-waiting.

When he moves into 10 Downing Street, Burnham will become Britain’s seventh national leader since 2016. Widely regarded as one of Labour’s strongest communicators, he is known for a more approachable and informal style than Starmer. Nevertheless, he inherits many of the same challenges, including sluggish economic growth, persistent cost-of-living pressures fueled by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and increasing strain on Britain’s public services.

During his first address as Labour leader, Burnham began outlining the priorities of his incoming government. According to his office, he intends to demonstrate that he has the “courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected.”

Among his stated goals are rebuilding the British economy, expanding public oversight of key industries, and creating a new generation of modern manufacturing jobs. He argued that Britain made “a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralized and economic power privatized.”

The comments were a reference to the reforms introduced under Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whose policies of privatization, industrial restructuring, and centralized government reshaped Britain’s economy during that decade.

Burnham also identified social care as one of his top priorities. In a video posted to social media on Thursday evening, he said his government would seek to improve inconsistent access to care for elderly people and those living with illness or disabilities, an issue that has challenged successive Labour and Conservative governments as Britain’s population continues to age.

Burnham has also been openly critical of President Donald Trump in the past, arguing that the president’s leadership has contributed to global instability.

“The path we’re on, if we are not careful, is a path towards the politics of the United States of America,” Burnham warned during a campaign appearance in June. While he didn’t attribute it directly to Mr. Trump, he said Americans were grappling with “a polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don’t work together anymore.”

In an interview last year with The London Economic, Burnham discussed President Trump’s reelection alongside the rise of right-wing populist movements across Europe, saying, “I think we now have to have a real debate about what that means and the instability that [former prime minister] Liz Truss brought to Britain, I think Trump is bringing to the U.S. and the world.”

{Matzav.com}

China forcefully denied interfering in U.S. elections Thursday night after President Donald Trump announced the release of newly declassified intelligence documents that he said detail years of Chinese efforts to influence American elections and undermine confidence in the nation’s electoral system.

During his nationally televised address, Trump said one of the central categories of declassified material focuses on what he described as extensive efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in U.S. elections over the past decade. According to the president, the intelligence files allege that China amassed a vast database of American voter information and concluded that Beijing strongly opposed his reelection ahead of the 2020 election because of concerns over his approach to the presidency.

Following the speech, the Chinese Embassy in Washington responded in a statement provided to CBS News, rejecting the allegations. The statement came after Trump’s address also discussed alleged election-related activities involving other foreign countries and broader concerns about election security.

“China has all along adhered to the principle of non-interference in others’ internal affairs,” the statement reportedly read. “The U.S. election is an internal matter of the U.S. Its outcome is determined by the votes of the American people. China has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the U.S.”

China has previously faced accusations from several democratic nations of attempting to influence their political systems. In Canada, the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force announced in 2025 that it had uncovered “coordinated and malicious activity” tied to accounts linked to the Chinese government during the federal election that brought longtime China business associate Mark Carney to the office of prime minister. Australia has also experienced similar concerns, including a 2017 scandal involving a senior senator who accepted money from a billionaire connected to the Chinese regime before publicly adopting positions viewed as favorable to Beijing.

In his remarks Thursday, Trump alleged that “the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history — resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.”

Although the president’s address covered a range of election security concerns, including vulnerabilities in voting systems and alleged intelligence failures, he singled out China as the most significant foreign threat outlined in the newly released records.

Trump said the intelligence documents indicate that China’s access to election-related data extended into approximately 18 states, giving Beijing access to “sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote, and engage in other nefarious activities.”

“This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare,” he observed. “The intelligence even shows that China assigned a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project.”

The president also referenced another intelligence document released by the White House that he said concluded China’s leadership actively sought to prevent his return to office.

“They did not want and they just didn’t want it, they fought like hell not to have it, Donald Trump to win,” he said, stating that CIA documents recorded that China would “leverage all domestic and foreign elements that were opposed to the U.S. president in an effort to reduce the U.S. president’s votes and make him resign or lose the election.”

Trump further alleged that some of the declassified records show “intelligence agencies worked to actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China’s sinister election meddling.” He said he would direct senior intelligence and law enforcement officials to “investigate how and why such crucial info was hidden, to fire those involved in the cover-up and to press charges.”

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri made it clear on Thursday that his party will not join forces with Gadi Eisenkot or his newly formed Yashar party after the upcoming elections, reaffirming that Shas remains firmly committed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the national camp.

“We support Netanyahu, period. Eisenkot is leading a camp of hatred against everything Judaism stands for. We are with Netanyahu all the way, backing him to lead the camp and serve as Prime Minister. The faith-based bloc is our bloc,” Deri said in an interview with Yishai Cohen on the Kikar HaShabbat news website.

While acknowledging that there is disappointment within the Chareidi camp over the conduct of Likud and other parties in the right-wing coalition, Deri stressed that Shas sees no viable alternative. “Netanyahu is the most experienced figure. The faith-based bloc is our home. We have our grievances with them, but there is simply no alternative.”

Deri also said that if Netanyahu wins another term, he would urge him to pursue the formation of a broad-based national coalition rather than limiting the government to right-wing parties alone. “I strongly support the Prime Minister’s intention to make every effort to form a broad government. We have always striven for a coalition like that because it fosters greater consensus and reduces division. While a ‘fully right-wing’ government gave us a majority, it also deepened polarization and hostility. If we can expand the government with our bloc as its foundation, that would be the ideal outcome.”

{Matzav.com}

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared that any Israeli citizens found in the country would be expelled immediately as authorities investigate reports that Israelis may have participated in an international technology retreat in the Muslim-majority nation.

“If we find any Israeli, we will deport them immediately because we do not recognize Israel,” Ibrahim said during an interview with the English-language news outlet Free Malaysia Today, according to JNS.

Responding to allegations that Israeli citizens with dual nationality had entered Malaysia, Ibrahim said anyone holding an Israeli passport “will be deported if the allegations are proven true.” He added that “all relevant agencies are already conducting investigations.”

The controversy centers on reports that Israeli nationals may have attended Network School, a residential technology community located in Forest City near the Singapore border. The project was launched in 2024 by American technology investor Balaji Srinivasan and markets itself as a destination for self-described “techno-optimists,” offering accommodations, meals, workspaces, fitness facilities, and other shared amenities for a monthly fee of $1,500.

Malaysia’s Immigration Department said Thursday that investigators have not yet uncovered evidence confirming that Israeli citizens took part in the program.

“So far, we have not found any evidence to verify the allegations regarding the presence of Israelis in the Network School program,” Immigration Department Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban told the New Straits Times. “Preliminary checks found that all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents based on current records.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately issue a response Thursday after being asked to comment on the Malaysian investigation.

Malaysia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and has long taken a hardline stance toward the Jewish state. In December 2023, Malaysian authorities arrested one of their own citizens after he posted a social media video calling for peace with Israel.

That same month, the Malaysian government barred Israeli-flagged cargo vessels from entering the country’s ports, citing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which it said disregarded “basic humanitarian principles”.

In another high-profile incident, Malaysian officials announced in 2022 that they had arrested individuals they identified as suspected Mossad operatives accused of attempting to abduct a Palestinian man in Kuala Lumpur whom authorities said was working on behalf of Hamas.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump sharply criticized ABC and NBC during his nationally televised address Thursday night, accusing the networks of deliberately refusing to broadcast his speech because it focused on election security and newly declassified intelligence that he said exposes serious flaws in the nation’s election system.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said the networks chose not to carry his address after learning it would center on recently declassified intelligence concerning election vulnerabilities and alleged foreign interference.

“In a rare move, NBC and ABC Fake News have both said that they would not cover this speech,” Trump said during the address, which was broadcast live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform. “They knew what it was about because of the fact that they don’t like the topic, because they know how corrupt our system is, and they don’t want to reveal it.”

The president expanded his criticism beyond the two broadcast networks, accusing other major media outlets of working to keep information about election-related issues from the American public.

“They and others in the media are part of a plot,” Trump said. “They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going. They want to protect the radical left.”

Trump also argued that television networks should face serious penalties for what he described as their failure to honestly report on election integrity issues.

“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” Trump said. “They use our public multibillion-dollar-in-value airways for absolutely no money. They pay nothing. All we want is honesty in our elections and honesty in reporting.”

Neither ABC nor NBC aired the president’s speech live. CNN likewise declined to broadcast the address, instead making a live feed available through its website and streaming platform.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also condemned the decision by the television networks not to carry the speech on their primary channels.

“Some of the facts that will be revealed in President Trump’s speech tonight are truly shocking,” Schmitt, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, wrote on X. “If the networks were truly serving the public interest they would air it and as a country we would collectively resolve to take action.”

Trump’s address coincided with his announcement that his administration was releasing newly declassified intelligence records that he said document foreign attempts to influence American elections, expose weaknesses in election infrastructure, and reveal alleged misconduct by intelligence officials.

The president maintained that the newly released material demonstrates the urgent need to strengthen election safeguards and renewed his call for Congress to approve the SAVE America Act.

{Matzav.com}

Israel officially entered election season early Friday morning after the Knesset voted to dissolve itself, bringing the 25th Knesset to an end following hours of political drama, frantic efforts to locate missing lawmakers, and intense last-minute pressure by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to secure the votes needed for passage.

The final vote marked the conclusion of a turbulent overnight session in which coalition leaders scrambled to assemble the required majority. Several coalition members were absent from the plenum and unreachable by phone, prompting an urgent search to bring them back for the decisive vote. Netanyahu and senior coalition officials became personally involved in the effort to ensure the bill’s approval.

In the final moments before the vote, the coalition secured the crucial 61st vote needed to pass the dissolution measure. MKs Galit Distel Atbaryan and Avi Maoz were summoned to the Knesset late at night and arrived in time to cast their votes in favor of dissolving the legislature.

Behind the scenes, the coalition also had to overcome a dispute with Shas. After direct appeals from Prime Minister Netanyahu, the party ultimately agreed to support dissolving the Knesset, providing the votes necessary to complete the process.

Earlier in the evening, Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri had walked out of the plenum along with his party’s lawmakers after learning that opposition parties would not support legislation to increase public funding for political parties. Explaining his decision, Deri said, “I will teach the opposition a lesson. They are always saying the Chareidim only want money. We don’t need this money.”

He continued, “Shas is the most organized party and has no debts. They want this law more than we do, but they want us to pass it, take all the criticism, and then they will receive the money. That is not going to happen.”

Despite the internal disagreements and dramatic final hours, the coalition ultimately succeeded in completing the legislative process to dissolve the Knesset. Israel’s political system has now officially entered the next election campaign, which will conclude with the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset.

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman discusses the events that led up to the Roman conquest of Judea and the establishment of the Herodian dynasty.

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Chapter Forty-Six: The Roman Conquest

Concerned for the stability of her country after her passing, Salome left specific instructions. The Pharisees were to remain in control of the religious and legal life of the country. Hyrcanus, her elder son, who was already serving as high priest, would ascend to the throne as her rightful heir. Aristobulus, her fiery and ambitious younger son, would be given military responsibilities.

Salome had hoped to prevent  a civil war, but even as she lay on her deathbed in 67 b.c.e., fighting had already broken out. With support from the army, and from the Sadducees who had been sidelined by Salome, Aristobulus seized twenty fortresses and declared his claims to the throne.  Within months, Aristobulus defeated Hyrcanus.

The brothers met in the Holy Temple to settle their dispute and swore an oath to abide by the agreement. Aristobulus replaced Hyrcanus on the throne. He also insisted that Hyrcanus resign as high priest, because by Hasmonean tradition, the king was also high priest. In exchange, he allowed Hyrcanus to live in Jerusalem and keep his wealth. They also exchanged houses. Aristobulus moved into the royal palace, and Hyrcanus moved into the palatial home vacated by Aristobulus.

During the decade of Salome’s reign, one of her closest advisors had been Antipater, the governor of Idumea, the country Yochanan Hyrcanus had conquered and annexed during the previous century. According to Josephus, Yochanan Hyrcanus had forcibly converted all the Idumeans to Judaism and appointed a wealthy Idumean named Antipas as governor. Antipater inherited the position from his father. His wife was related to the royal Nabatean family east of the Jordan River.

The Talmud views the descendants of Antipater as slaves ineligible to sit on the throne of Israel. It would appear, therefore, that Hyrcanus actually enslaved the Idumeans and that the reported conversion was the result of the enslavement.

It was not uncommon in ancient times for conquerors to enslave entire populations. The conquered people became the property of the king, who either sold them or kept them for his own use. The king’s slaves did not necessarily work in his fields. They worked as craftsmen, ran businesses, occupied government positions or even became royal advisors. Antipas, although a slave, was allowed to keep his wealth and was appointed governor of Idumea. Antipater, his son, inherited his wealth and his office…

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

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