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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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President Donald Trump used a nationally televised primetime address Thursday night to announce the immediate declassification of intelligence files that he said reveal extensive vulnerabilities in America’s election system, while directing multiple federal agencies to investigate what he described as years of concealed security failures and foreign interference.

Trump began his speech by contrasting the current state of the country with what he described as an “economic and social disaster” inherited by his administration. He pointed to what he called a booming economy, declaring that “more Americans are working today than ever before” and noting that “inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years.”

The president also highlighted key provisions of his signature tax package, emphasizing the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. He further cited declining prescription drug prices and the creation of tax-free investment accounts for children as major accomplishments.

Shifting to national security, Trump said illegal border crossings had effectively fallen to zero over the past 14 months. He also referenced developments involving Venezuela and Iran, declaring, “We are winning big in Iran. You will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly”.

Trump then argued that none of the administration’s accomplishments would matter without public confidence in the electoral process, warning, “If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. And that’s very simple: no trust, no greatness.”

Announcing what he described as a major transparency initiative, Trump said, “Tonight I’m announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” explaining that the material—compiled by the White House Government Transparency Task Force together with intelligence advisers—had been posted on the White House website.

According to the president, the newly released records contain five major findings concerning election security.

Trump asserted that intelligence reports indicate the Chinese government obtained approximately 220 million American voter records beginning during the 2020 election cycle, including names, addresses, and party affiliations. He characterized the alleged breach as an “unprecedented election security nightmare.”

The president also accused elements within the intelligence community of concealing information about Chinese election-related activities from both the White House and Congress. Referring to CIA documents from 2018 and 2019, Trump claimed Beijing sought to influence the political landscape by exploiting American business relationships and financing unfavorable media coverage, saying, “The Chinese government wanted US president to lose the next election, and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them.”

Trump went on to cite FBI records that he said detail Chinese efforts to produce fraudulent ballots. He alleged intelligence analysts “deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities” and pointed to one FBI official who allegedly wrote that she was operating “a shadow government” to keep the intelligence from being disclosed.

The president further claimed intelligence assessments compiled between January 2020 and June 2026 found that centralized election databases and voting machines remain “extremely exposed to attack” by foreign governments. He specifically referenced reported electronic vote manipulation methods allegedly developed in Venezuela.

Trump also discussed FBI files relating to a 2020 Michigan State Police raid involving a voter registration operation in Muskegon. He alleged evidence of fraudulent voter registration applications purchased with gift cards was “slow walked” and later suppressed by the Biden Justice Department.

Turning to voter registration rolls, Trump cited a Department of Homeland Security review that he said identified roughly 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections. He further asserted that the actual total is likely much higher because, according to the administration, some states have declined to provide complete voter registration data.

The president also criticized major television networks that chose not to air the speech live. “In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech,” Trump said, adding that “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses” for utilizing public airwaves while concealing election vulnerabilities.

As part of the administration’s response, Trump announced that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA have been instructed to investigate the alleged intelligence cover-ups, dismiss any officials found responsible, and pursue criminal charges where warranted.

He also said the Department of Homeland Security would notify states about noncitizens identified on voter rolls and provide technical briefings on election system security updates before the upcoming midterm elections.

Concluding his address, Trump criticized California’s lengthy vote-counting process, calling the state’s month-long tabulation period “worse than any third world country.” He also argued that “mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt” and urged Americans to press Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship for voter registration while limiting mail-in voting to cases involving illness, disability, military service, or travel.

“These reforms are urgently needed to stop the vulnerabilities that I’ve mentioned,” Trump concluded. “Together we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

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The Baltimore Jewish community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a one-year-old child who died Thursday after being accidentally left inside a hot vehicle. The toddler was a member of a respected and well-known family in the community.

In the wake of the tragedy, local rabbanim organized a special gathering for women in the community to offer words of chizuk and support. Rabbinic leaders were joined by representatives of Chai Lifeline, who are providing emotional assistance to the grieving family and helping them cope with the devastating loss.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal hot-car tragedies that claim the lives of young children across the United States each year, particularly during the summer months. Community leaders are urging parents, drivers, and those involved in carpools to adopt preventive safety measures, including placing a personal item in the back seat as a reminder, confirming that every child has exited the vehicle upon arrival, and using child safety seat alarm systems designed to prevent such heartbreaking incidents.

{Matzav.com}