Feed aggregator

The Trump administration showed no sign of shifting course on Monday, even as a newly filed discrimination lawsuit took aim at its personnel decisions. Hours after the suit hit federal court, eight immigration judges stationed at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan were dismissed, according to an official with the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ).

The legal action was launched that same morning by Tania Nemer, who argued she was removed from her position as an Ohio immigration judge because she is a woman, because of her Lebanese citizenship, and because she had previously run for local office as a Democrat.

Her claims land in the middle of a sweeping workforce reduction initiative. According to the NAIJ official, about 200 immigration judges have either resigned or been pushed out under the Department of Government Efficiency’s campaign to cut costs and streamline operations. Of that total, roughly 100 were outright terminated.

Despite the deep cuts, the nation’s immigration courts are drowning in cases. Syracuse University’s TRAC Reports estimates a staggering backlog of 3.4 million unresolved matters — and that number continues to climb.

In an attempt to plug the staffing gap, the War Department announced in September its intention to temporarily deploy 600 military attorneys to the immigration courts. But the NAIJ official said that only 25 of those lawyers have completed the necessary training and begun adjudicating cases.

Meanwhile, Congress previously authorized the creation of 800 permanent immigration judgeships as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Yet so far, only 11 new judges have actually been appointed.

Nemer’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, asserts that her firing on Feb. 5 stemmed partly from her unsuccessful political campaign earlier in her career — a move she argues infringed on her Constitutional right to participate in political activity.

The DOJ, however, countered in her earlier Equal Employment Opportunity proceedings that the Trump administration “has the right to fire employees” and that Nemer’s removal was a “lawful exercise” of that authority.

Nemer, who began serving on the bench in 2023 under President Joe Biden’s administration, is now seeking reinstatement to her judicial post.

{Matzav.com}

PHOTOS: Reb Meyer Hersh Berger of Chesed Shel Emes delivered a cultural sensitivity and competency presentation to the OR staff at Orange Regional Hospital in Middletown, arranged at the request of Kiryas Joel Hatzolah.

President Trump on Obamacare: “Obamacare was made to make the insurance companies rich… Their stocks went up 1,000%. I want the money to go to the people!”

A meeting has begun in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff to discuss elements of a potential Russia–Ukraine peace plan.

Trump touts dropping gas prices during a cabinet meeting: “We’re going to be I think at $2 a gallon. We could even crack that…. and we could do it more easily if we weren’t building up the Strategic National Reserves, which Biden emptied out before the election.”

Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion Tuesday to provide 25 million American children under 10 an incentive to claim the new investment accounts for children created as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation. The historic gift has little precedent, with few single charitable commitments in the past 25 years exceeding […]

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Welcome to the final Cabinet meeting of 2025—a year that will be remembered as the most consequential and successful first year of any administration!”

President Trump’s senior advisers, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, walked into the Kremlin on Tuesday for a pivotal discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to push forward the recalibrated U.S. peace outline for Ukraine. Although Putin remarked in recent days that “Trump’s plan could be the basis for negotiations,” he has also signaled little movement from his entrenched positions, casting uncertainty over whether the talks will yield meaningful progress.

The high-stakes Moscow mission follows two weeks of hurried diplomacy that included back-and-forth negotiations between Washington and Kyiv. The revised U.S. proposal — trimmed from 28 items to 19 — was slated to be formally presented to Putin during the Kremlin meeting. For Kushner, it marks his first direct involvement in talks with Putin; for Witkoff, it is his sixth such sit-down in Russia and the first time Trump’s representatives have met Putin face-to-face since August’s Alaska summit.

American officials intend to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately after leaving the Kremlin. Zelensky noted on Tuesday that he expects to speak with Witkoff and Kushner as soon as their meeting with Putin concludes. According to individuals familiar with the schedule, the two envoys are also set to see Zelensky in Europe on Wednesday to walk him through every detail of the Moscow discussions.

Much of the diplomatic wrangling centers on the future dividing line between Ukraine and Russian-held areas. Putin has repeatedly asserted that Russia will not halt its military campaign until it fully seizes the Donbas region. The U.S. has pushed Kyiv to contemplate territorial concessions to break the deadlock — a notion that would be agonizing domestically for Ukraine and potentially explosive politically.

On Sunday, Witkoff, Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, leading a Ukrainian delegation in Miami. Zelensky later said that Ukraine’s top general updated the Americans “on the real situation at the front” and discussed “implementing various steps at the front…in the event of a ceasefire.” He added that the 19-point plan was “further revised” during the Miami session.

Witkoff continued discussions with Umerov late into Sunday evening and again on Monday morning before departing for Moscow. While Zelensky was in Paris on Monday, he and French President Emmanuel Macron held a joint call with Witkoff and Umerov. Afterward, Macron briefed Trump directly, emphasizing “the importance of the security guarantees required for Ukraine and our determination to work on them together with the U.S.,” according to a French official.

As Trump’s envoys arrived in the Russian capital, Zelensky convened his own negotiating circle in Dublin. He said afterward that they covered matters “that cannot be said over the phone.” The Ukrainian leader also expressed openness to a direct meeting with Trump if the Kremlin discussions move the process forward.

Zelensky voiced cautious optimism Tuesday, stating, “The chances now to end the war are better than ever. … There will be no easy decisions.”

{Matzav.com}

A former commander of the Israeli Air Force delivered a stark warning Monday, asserting that Israel is on the brink of security challenges “orders of magnitude” more severe than anything seen since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre, and urging immediate national mobilization to confront a rapidly evolving battlefield. Speaking at Tel Aviv University’s DefenseTech Summit, […]

WATCH: Ireland’s Ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, tells Gideon Sa’ar that antisemitism “must not be used for political gain”. Gideon Sa’ar responded sharply, accusing the Irish government of failing to confront antisemitism, saying, “There is nothing in your system right now that can defend you from the virus of antisemitism, except external pressure and exposing […]

Israel has dispatched a high-level defense delegation to Germany for a ceremony marking the official transfer of the Arrow 3 missile defense system to the German Air Force, a milestone that represents both Israel’s largest-ever defense export deal and a major shift in European air-defense capabilities. The delegation is led by Defense Ministry Director General […]

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, were seen dining and strolling in Moscow tonight with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee convened Monday for the first formal discussion of the new draft law, led by Committee Chairman MK Boaz Bismuth. At the opening of the session, Bismuth delivered an unusually expansive and emotional address, emphasizing both the security needs the bill aims to address and the spiritual significance of Torah learning within the Jewish people.

Bismuth began by noting the weight of the moment. “On this day, the entire Jewish people are watching us,” he said. “I would dare say, even the generations before us and those that will come after us. This is a rare moment in the history of the nation. The Knesset is being asked to decide not only on a law — and not only on a historic law — but on a correction.”

He insisted that the bill should not be viewed through a partisan lens. “The draft law we bring today is not an issue of coalition and opposition. It belongs to the entire State of Israel. It was born from the existential need to strengthen national security, while preserving the delicate social fabric, the world of Torah, and the ability to live together.”

Bismuth went on to describe the sense of responsibility he feels not only as a committee chairman, but as a Jew. “At this time, my ancestors are also looking at me — those who gave their lives to preserve the Torah of Israel and our ancient heritage. Beyond the urgent security need, this law reflects a resounding statement: the study of Torah has immense value, because it guards the spiritual core of our nation.”

He argued that the legislation, even with the changes expected throughout the committee discussions, would ultimately reveal a simple truth: “Whoever votes for it is voting for the future of the State of Israel. Whoever opposes it shows that he prefers small political games over the security of the country — positioning over national interest.”

According to Bismuth, the law represents the first time the government is presenting a clear, stable, data-driven framework developed in coordination with the IDF. “This framework gives certainty — to the army, to the Torah world, and to every citizen. Finally, there will be order.”

He said the proposal will “restore trust, restore fairness, and ultimately strengthen unity among us. The era of confusion is ending.” He added that future generations will judge how today’s leaders fortified the army, strengthened society, and unified the country.

Bismuth acknowledged that critics will continue to argue that the law either does too little or imposes insufficient sanctions, but warned against absolutism. He referenced the painful lessons of history, noting that national ruin often followed an inability to compromise. “The zealots always rejected imperfect solutions; they drew their vitality from division,” he said.

Reflecting on recent years, he recalled “three turbulent years — one of internal conflict, and two of war against cruel enemies who committed the worst atrocities since the founding of the state.” The public, he said, now seeks calm, clarity, and truth. “We cannot leap from zero to one hundred after decades of delaying a decision.”

Bismuth also addressed the relationship with the chareidi community, urging reconciliation. “There are those among us who spent years urging peace with our most bitter enemies. All the more so, I expect them to make peace with our chareidi brothers. The world of Torah is central to our identity. We should not clash with them; we should advance together toward our shared goal, with mutual respect.”

He concluded his remarks with a prayer that the nation overcome internal divisions “to put an end to our troubles and suffering, and to enact — together, coalition and opposition — a historic correction for the good of the entire nation.”

Bismuth then closed with the verse, “Vehi noam… May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us, and establish for us the work of our hands; yes, establish the work of our hands,” and the committee officially opened deliberations on the proposed law.

{Matzav.com}

REPORTER: What are your thoughts on Trump calling Gov. Walz retarded? MIKE JOHNSON: Look, that’s not the word I would choose. I think his reaction was probably a spontaneous one to the enormous amount of fraud that was announced there.

A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Experts warn that the drop doesn’t necessarily mean safer days are here to stay and […]

An Afghan citizen living in Fort Worth, Texas, has been federally charged after allegedly posting online threats to build a bomb and kill Americans. According to the Justice Department, 30-year-old Mohammad Dawood Alokozay uploaded a video threatening a suicide attack and claiming he would build a bomb in his vehicle. The video was posted on […]

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Yaakov Sofer zt”l after a difficult illness. Rav Sofer served as the Rav of the Erlau community in Beitar Illit and was the son of the previous Erlauer Rebbe, the Imrei Sofer. He was 77 years old.

Rav Yaakov was born in the town of Erlau, Hungary, on the 10th of Iyar 5708 (1948), to his illustrious father, the Erlauer Rebbe. He was a sixth-generation descendant of the Chasam Sofer. At two years old, he was brought to Eretz Yisroel together with his parents.

He received the foundation of his Torah from his father, learning in the Erlau yeshiva, Ohel Shimon, where his brilliance and diligence were already evident.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he wed Rebbetzin Sofer, the daughter of Rav Mordechai Davidovitz of Beis Meir.

The couple initially settled in Yerushalayim, where they raised their children in the mesorah of their forefathers. In 2003, he accepted the call to serve as the Rav of the Erlau community in Beitar Illit. There he established his beis medrash as a beacon of Torah for the entire region. Residents from all backgrounds flocked to him to hear halachic guidance, seek his counsel, and receive his warm blessings.

Several months ago, he was diagnosed with a severe illness and hospitalized in Hadassah Ein Kerem. His brother, the current Erlauer Rebbe, visited him nearly every day, offering encouragement and heartfelt support. Despite his suffering, Rav Sofer continued learning with remarkable strength and dedication.

Late last night, surrounded by brokenhearted family members and close talmidim standing by his bedside, he was niftar, leaving behind a grieving community and an immeasurable void.

His aron was brought to the Erlauer beis medrash in Beitar Illit.

The levayah took place today at the Erlauer beis medrash on Hisorerus Teshuvah Street in Beitar Illit and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos in Yerushalayim. He was buried beside his father, the previous Erlauer Rebbe.

Rav Yaakov leaves behind a distinguished family carrying forward his legacy, including his sons, Rav Mordechai Yehuda Sofer and Rav Moshe Sofer; his daughters, the wives of the Unsdorf–Modi’in Illit Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Zev Leifer, Rav David Rabinowitz, and Rav Shaul Gelbman; and his brothers, the Erlauer Rebbe, Rav Avraham Shmuel Binyomin Sofer, Rosh Yeshivas Ohel Shimon Erlau, Rav Akiva Sofer, Rav of Erlau in Bnei Brak, Rav Zalman Sofer, Rav of Erlau in Boro Park, and Rav Aharon Sofer, Rav of Erlau in Elad.

He was predeceased by his brother, Rav Shimon Sofer, Rav of the Erlauer community in Tzfas.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

In a decision that has ignited immediate outrage, Stonnington Council in Melbourne, Australia, has voted to delay approval of a Chanukah Menorah at Malvern Town Hall until after the Yom Tov ends, effectively canceling the city’s public celebration. The vote, which split the council 4–4, forced Mayor Melina Sehl to cast the deciding ballot. She […]

BREAKING: James Comey and Letitia James are expected to be indicted again this week after a court dismissed the earlier charges.

The body that was transferred earlier today by Hamas to the IDF was brought a short time ago to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, escorted by Israel Police officers. At the center, the identification process will be carried out by police forensic identification officers.