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A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the second volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report examining Donald Trump’s handling of classified materials at Mar-a-Lago will remain sealed and not be made public.

In a decision issued Monday, US District Judge Aileen Cannon determined that the portion of Smith’s report dealing with the classified documents investigation cannot be released. Cannon had previously dismissed the criminal case Smith filed against Trump prior to his return to office, and her latest ruling represents another legal victory for Trump in preventing the public disclosure of the special counsel’s conclusions.

Before departing his role in early 2025, Smith submitted a two-part final report to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland. The first volume, which focused on Trump’s alleged attempts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, was made public before Trump reentered the White House. However, the second volume — addressing the classified documents case in South Florida — remained under seal following legal challenges brought by Trump and others charged in the matter.

In her 15-page opinion, Cannon wrote that “it is certainly not customary” for a prosecutor whose case was thrown out to later be allowed to “publicly disseminate large swaths of discovery generated in the case.”

She further stated, “The Court strains to find a situation in which a former special counsel has released a report after initiating criminal charges that did not result in a finding of guilt, at least not in a situation like this one, where the defendants contested the charges from the outset and still proclaim their innocence.”

Cannon, who ruled in 2024 that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unlawful, criticized the preparation of the report itself, asserting that it ran counter to her prior orders ending the work of his office in connection with the classified documents investigation.

“The Court need not countenance this brazen stratagem or effectively perpetuate the Special Counsel’s breach of this Court’s own order,” she wrote.

At the same time, Cannon rejected a motion from two former co-defendants of Trump seeking to have the report destroyed altogether.

In response to the ruling, Trump’s personal attorney, Kendra Wharton, praised the decision, saying Cannon was correct to “permanently prohibit the release of Volume II of Jack Smith’s illegal report,” and adding that “all fruit of Smith’s poisonous tree should be treated accordingly and should never see the light of day.”

Despite the ruling, the question of public access to the second volume — often referred to as Volume II — remains the subject of ongoing appellate proceedings initiated by government transparency advocates.

One such organization, American Oversight, criticized Cannon’s decision, saying it “continues a troubling pattern of decisions that shield the president from public scrutiny and place secrecy above the public’s right to know.”

“American taxpayers funded this investigation, and they have a right to know what their government uncovered, particularly on matters of national security,” said Chioma Chukwu, the group’s executive director, in a statement.2

{Matzav.com}

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court told judges on Monday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte encouraged death squads to carry out extrajudicial killings using fear and financial rewards. The court in The Hague is holding pretrial hearings for the ex-leader, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he […]

American military refueling and transport aircraft were seen at Ben Gurion Airport as Washington expanded its force posture across the Middle East during heightened tensions with Iran, Times of Israel reports.

The refuelers and cargo planes touched down at Israel’s primary international airport within the past 24 hours, according to flight activity observed in the area.

Israeli officials did not issue any statement regarding the presence of US military aircraft at the civilian airport. It remained unclear whether the planes were stationed there for an extended period or were making a brief stop as part of broader regional operations.

Data compiled by the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a group of roughly 30 open-source researchers who monitor military and government aviation movements, indicated that since mid-February more than 85 aerial refueling tankers and upwards of 170 cargo aircraft had entered the region. The influx came as US President Donald Trump weighed potential military steps concerning Iran.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said that any Iranian strike against Israel would amount to the gravest error in Tehran’s history, warning that Israel would retaliate with overwhelming force if attacked.

Addressing the Knesset plenum during a “40-signatures” debate, Netanyahu stated that Israel stood at an unprecedented position of strength. “The pact with the United States has never been closer,” he declared.

In what appeared to be a pointed signal to Iran, Netanyahu emphasized that his working relationship with US President Donald Trump was stronger than ever, and that cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces and the US military had reached new heights.

At the same time, he cautioned lawmakers that the country was navigating a complicated and demanding period. “we are in very complex and challenging times,” he said.

Referring directly to Tehran, Netanyahu warned that if the Iranian regime “makes perhaps the most serious mistake in its history,” and attacks Israel, “we will respond with strength that it can’t even imagine.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Supreme Court on Monday following its 6-3 decision last week invalidating his broad tariff program, ruling that he did not have authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the sweeping trade measures.

In its Friday opinion, the high court overturned lower court decisions and concluded that IEEPA does not grant the president the power to enact tariffs, delivering a significant blow to a central element of Trump’s trade strategy.

Responding in a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump contended that the ruling could ultimately strengthen his hand in dealing with foreign governments, even as he denounced both the logic and tone of the majority opinion.

Trump wrote: “The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling.”

He maintained that the decision highlighted other authorities he believes he can still use, stating, “For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely ‘terrible’ things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee – BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so?”

Trump continued, “You do a license to get a fee! The opinion doesn’t explain that, but I know the answer!”

Addressing tariffs again, Trump argued that the ruling leaves intact other forms of trade penalties and enforcement tools. He wrote, “The court has also approved all other Tariffs, of which there are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the Tariffs as initially used.”

He directed sharp criticism at the majority of the justices while praising three members of the court, declaring, “Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!).”

Trump broadened his critique beyond trade policy, suggesting the court could rule in ways he believes would benefit foreign nations. He claimed, “The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship, by saying the 14th Amendment was NOT written to take care of the ‘babies of slaves,’ which it was as proven by the EXACT TIMING of its construction, filing, and ratification, which perfectly coincided with the END OF THE CIVIL WAR.”

He added, “How much better can you do than that? But this supreme court will find a way to come to the wrong conclusion, one that again will make China, and various other Nations, happy and rich.”

Despite the legal setback, Trump signaled he intends to continue pursuing his trade agenda, concluding, “Let our supreme court keep making decisions that are so bad and deleterious to the future of our Nation – I have a job to do.”

The court’s ruling on tariffs triggered fresh volatility in global markets and left U.S. trading partners seeking answers about the administration’s next move.

{Matzav.com}

Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm “in the coming days,” and if it refuses, Israel will receive international legitimacy and U.S. backing to act on its own, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces “is already preparing for this and drawing up plans,” Smotrich told the Kan Reshet Bet radio station. He added: “At the political level, we have held several discussions to refine those plans.”

Smotrich said that if Hamas fails to accept the ultimatum, the IDF would reconquer Gaza beyond the ceasefire-instituted Yellow Line, under which the Israeli military already controls around half of the Strip.

“There are currently two or three alternatives that we are examining to determine which is the most appropriate,” the Cabinet minister said.

Israel has “not given up on destroying Hamas,” he said, explaining that Israel is merely giving U.S. President Donald Trump “a chance to do it his way” before returning to fighting in the enclave.

Asked about Trump’s intention to deploy an International Stabilization Force to Gaza, Smotrich said the foreign troops would if necessary leave “very quickly and allow the IDF to enter,” adding that the move would only be taken in full coordination with the Trump administration.

However, the minister emphasized, the Jewish state is not expecting foreign soldiers to be deployed to the Gaza Strip anytime soon.

“In the end,” Smotrich predicted, the Israel Defense Forces “will conquer the Gaza Strip and establish Jewish settlement there.”

Trump told the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday he believes Hamas will lay down its weapons under his plan, warning that the terrorist organization will be “very harshly met” if it refuses to do so.

Several senior Hamas leaders, including Khaled Mashaal and Musa Abu Marzouk, have rejected key parts of Trump’s peace plan in recent weeks, including disarmament, despite having agreed to the terms in October.

“The war in Gaza is over,” the U.S. president said. “Hamas has been, I think, they’re going to give up their weapons, which is what they promised. If they don’t, it’ll be, you know, they’ll be harshly met, very harshly met.”

A new Palestinian police force

The Board of Peace’s high representative for the Gaza Strip, Nickolay Mladenov, told the meeting that a new Palestinian police force will “ensure that all [terrorist] factions in Gaza are dismantled and all weapons are put under the control of one civilian authority.”

Mladenov, who is set to meet with the European Union’s top diplomats on Monday, stressed that reconstruction would only begin after the “demilitarization and decommissioning of all weapons in Gaza.”

Under Trump’s plan, reconstruction is envisioned to start in the Strip’s southernmost city of Rafah, where 100,000 homes are to be built for 500,000 people, in addition to $5 billion in infrastructure.

Soldiers from the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade completed operations to secure the area along the Yellow Line in Rafah following some three months of continuous counter-terror raids in the area, the army said on Monday.

The troops, working with the Yahalom elite combat engineering unit, killed “dozens” of terrorists hiding underground while dismantling “hundreds” of infrastructure sites, including a terror tunnel complex approximately 0.6 miles long that contained hideouts and weapons.

The IDF is “operating in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework and will continue to operate to secure the area along the Yellow Line and remove any immediate threat,” the military added.

On Sunday, the 188th Armored Brigade’s combat team killed a terrorist who crossed the Yellow Line in southern Gaza and approached them “in a manner that posed an immediate threat,” the IDF said on Monday.

“Immediately after the identification, the soldiers eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat,” according to the army, which described the attempt to cross the truce line as “yet another violation.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Dec. 30 that a different future for the Gaza Strip was still possible “if we disarm Hamas, whether with an international force or by any other means, adding, “If it can be done the easy way, fine. And if not, it’ll be done another way.”

The Palestinian terrorist organization, which murdered some 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, during its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border assault, still has around 20,000 operatives and 60,000 rifles, Netanyahu revealed.

“That’s what disarmament means—got to take all these rifles, take them away from them, and break up those terror tunnels that they have, still hundreds of kilometers of terror tunnels,” the premier told Fox News.

Mashaal, during a speech at an anti-Israel conference in Istanbul on Dec. 6, said that Hamas would not lay down arms, declaring that “a thousand statements are not worth a single projectile of iron.” JNS

TRUMP: The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling.

U.S. forces are reportedly withdrawing from the Qasrak base in Syria, located in the northwestern countryside of al-Hasakah, with movements directed toward Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Refueling planes from the US military have arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.

Hatzolah seen in action, operating nonstop throughout the ongoing blizzard

New York City awoke today to a standstill after a powerful bomb cyclone blanketed the region with heavy snowfall, leaving roads buried and more accumulation forecast before the storm moves out later in the day.

Snow continued to fall before sunrise, with Staten Island reporting more than 13 inches, Mott Haven in the Bronx measuring a foot, and both Flatbush and Washington Heights recording over 11 inches, according to the latest figures released by the National Weather Service.

In neighboring New Jersey, Freehold in Monmouth County — situated squarely in the storm’s path — saw totals reach 19 inches, Fox Weather reported.

The snowfall intensified early Monday, pounding areas from New York through Massachusetts at rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour.

The National Weather Service described travel as “nearly impossible.”

“The combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions along the Northeastern Seaboard,” the weather service said Monday. “Sharply reduced visibility will make travel extremely treacherous across these areas.”

The system, officially designated Winter Storm Hernando, is forecast to keep dropping snow through much of Monday, with some parts of the tri-state region potentially reaching 20 inches before the storm tapers off later in the evening.

Powerful wind gusts reaching up to 60 miles per hour accompanied the blizzard, cutting electricity to more than 250,000 residents along the East Coast, including upwards of 100,000 customers in New Jersey alone.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency covering all five boroughs, Long Island, and multiple additional counties across the state.

Officials in New Jersey implemented a statewide emergency declaration as well.

New York City streets were largely deserted except for sanitation trucks and plows after a travel ban — issued through an emergency cellphone alert Sunday night — took effect at 9 p.m. and is set to remain in place until noon Monday.

Public transportation throughout the region has been heavily disrupted. All NJ Transit operations were halted, while the Long Island Rail Road and New York City subway system reported cancellations, delays, and altered service, agency officials said.

Air travel was also severely impacted nationwide. According to flight tracking service FlightAware, more than 5,500 flights were scrapped on Monday, and an additional 9,000 experienced delays. Airports serving New York City and Boston were among the hardest hit.

The storm prompted the closure of New York City public schools, marking what Mayor Zohran Mamdani described as the “first old-school snow day since 2019” following criticism over a remote-learning decision during the previous storm.

With the city still dealing with fallout from its last major winter weather crisis, officials mobilized additional workers to assist with snow removal. Some crews began shoveling late Sunday to get ahead of the initial wave of accumulation, Mamdani said.

A blizzard warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Monday.

{Matzav.com}

A major development has shaken the Sephardic Torah world: the historic Yeshivas Reishis Chochmah in Yerushalayim, founded nearly six decades ago, will close its bochurim division at the end of the current zman. The decision was made following consultations with rabbanim, and the yeshiva’s building is expected to operate exclusively as a kollel for married avreichim going forward.

In an official statement released Sunday, the yeshiva’s administration announced: “After careful consideration and consultation with rabbanim, it was decided that the yeshiva will continue in its current format only for kollel avreichim, and the bochurim division will conclude at the end of the present term.”

The dramatic move marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of the Sephardic Torah world, after decades of harbotzas haTorah.

Yeshivas Reishis Chochmah is among the most veteran institutions in the yeshiva landscape and has long been regarded as a cornerstone in the building of the Sephardic Torah world in Eretz Yisroel. It was founded approximately 60 years ago by Rav Shabtai Aton zt”l, a member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, and is remembered as one of the first Sephardic yeshivos established aside from Porat Yosef. Over the decades, it produced thousands of talmidim who today serve with distinction as rabbanim, dayanim, and marbitzei Torah throughout the country.

Despite its distinguished reputation, recent years have presented serious challenges. Considerable efforts were made to preserve the honor of the Yerushalayim institution and to breathe new life into it. In recent years, the rabbanim, together with the rosh yeshiva, attempted to restore the yeshiva to its earlier stature, but the complex reality ultimately proved decisive.

In the end, Rosh Yeshiva Rav Ben Zion Aton decided that the yeshiva would close its bochurim division at the end of the current zman, with the intention of continuing its Torah legacy on the premises through a kollel for avreichim alone.

{Matzav.com}

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is estimating that elections for the 26th Knesset will take place around mid-Elul, close to their originally scheduled date, despite the escalating political crisis surrounding the draft law and the status of yeshiva students.

During a conversation with rabbanim in Tiveriah, where Deri spent this past Shabbos, the Shas leader said he believes the elections will be held in the middle of the month of Elul, meaning they would be advanced by only about one month.

In the Knesset, coalition officials are reportedly inclined to set the elections at least a week before Rosh Hashanah, in order to allow the tens of thousands of people who travel to the kever of Rav Nachman in Uman to vote before departing.

The date currently being discussed within the coalition — and the one Deri himself is said to favor — is Tuesday, September 1, approximately a week and a half before Rosh Hashanah.

It was also noted that Deri returned to Yerushalayim together with the Rishon Letzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, who traveled back by helicopter in order to arrive in time at the Yazdim shul to deliver his weekly shiur.

During Shabbos, in remarks before dozens of leading halachic authorities, Deri said: “In this generation we have merited the leadership of the Rishon Letzion. May it be the will of Heaven that we continue to merit his leadership, along with the important Torah works that have been accepted throughout the Jewish world.”

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of bnei Torah packed the Armonot Chen halls in Bnei Brak last night for the major “Romamtnu L’Dorot” gathering,  an event marked by a powerful display of kavod haTorah. Yet the most moving moment of the evening did not take place on the main stage, but rather behind the scenes — in the kitchen.

A photograph obtained this morning captured Rav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, seated quietly in a corner of the Armonot Chen kitchen. There was no seat of honor and no prepared table, just a simple plastic chair positioned near beverage carts and stacks of dishes. Amid the bustle of preparations, the rosh yeshiva was seen deeply immersed in learning, completely detached from the surrounding commotion.

Sources told Matzav that his presence in the kitchen was not due to a lack of space, but rather reflected a deliberate act of humility and sensitivity. When Rav Cohen arrived at the entrance to the hall, he was informed that three prominent rabbanim were in the midst of delivering a central Torah panel.

In his characteristic modesty, the rosh yeshiva was concerned that his entrance into the main hall would prompt the audience to rise in his honor and applaud, thereby interrupting the speakers and diverting attention from the rabbanim currently addressing the crowd. To avoid diminishing their kavod, he asked to enter through a side kitchen door instead.

For nearly half an hour, Rav Cohen remained in the kitchen, waiting until the panel concluded. Sitting on a simple chair, he utilized the moments to learn with the diligence for which he is well known.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Ben Zion Mutzafi was asked about the issue of vaccinations and about those who claim that it is forbidden to vaccinate. He responded firmly: “Vaccinate — do not play with the lives of infants.”

Rav Mutzafi, one of the leading Sephardic halachic authorities, called on the public not to pay attention to rumor-mongers and to make sure their children are vaccinated. He made these remarks in response to questions sent to him about vaccinations, against the backdrop of the deaths of several unvaccinated children from the chareidi community due to measles.

The Question: “Hello, honorable rabbi, may he live long. There are many opinions regarding vaccinations for children. Some Torah scholars and some doctors say to vaccinate and bring sources, and some say not to vaccinate and also bring sources. What does the rabbi say?”

The Response: “Many idle words have been written. The danger is great and one must vaccinate. Do not play with the lives of infants.”

The Question: “Hello to the honorable rabbi. I stopped taking my one-year-old son to the well-baby clinic to receive vaccinations because I am concerned. I have heard that there are negative effects from vaccines.”

The Response: “When you withhold vaccinations from him, you are endangering his life. Everyone does this, and that is how epidemics are prevented.”

As previously reported, a six-year-old child who had not been vaccinated against measles passed away last night at a hospital, the Health Ministry announced.

According to the ministry, the child was brought to the hospital in critical condition, and doctors were forced to declare his death after prolonged resuscitation efforts. The Health Ministry stated in this context that “Vaccination and arriving in time to receive medical treatment can save lives.”

This case joins reports of 15 additional deaths from the disease, the overwhelming majority of them children and infants who had been healthy and had no prior underlying medical conditions but had not been vaccinated against the virus.

The Health Ministry reiterated that “Measles can be prevented through an effective and safe vaccine — one that saves lives.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli military police arrested a chareidi yungerman in the early hours of Monday morning at his home in Be’er Sheva after he failed to respond to multiple draft notices and did not report to the induction office.

According to reports, military police officers arrived at the residence before dawn. After identifying the avreich, they immediately placed him under arrest and transferred him to a military prison. An arrest warrant had been issued against him due to his failure to comply with enlistment orders that had been sent to his home.

Following the arrest, the yungerman’s family contacted the Tzeva Shachor system. However, by the time activists were alerted, there was no way to prevent the arrest, as he had already been taken from the house.

Attorney Shlomo Haddad, who represents yeshiva students detained in similar cases, was dispatched to assist the arrested yungerman.

In a statement, the Notnim Gav organization said in part: “The military police arrested a kollel avreich for the crime of learning Torah at his home in the city of Be’er Sheva. The family contacted the Tzeva Shachor system after the arrest.”

“The attorney Shlomo Haddad on behalf of the organization is handling the case. The family is also receiving response and support from the organization,” the statement added.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli police arrested six Arab minors in Ramla suspected of hurling stones at a yeshiva and nearby residential buildings while shouting “עם ישראל מת”.

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio’s visit to Israel has been rescheduled for next Monday, after initially being planned for this weekend.