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A former colleague of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, revealed that Robinson once boasted about his ability to hit long-distance targets. The coworker shared the account with The NY Post in an exclusive interview.

The 22-year-old suspect was known for keeping mostly to himself during his time as a first-year electrician in 2023, wiring a new apartment complex in St. George, Utah. But, according to a fellow electrician who is now 25, Robinson became talkative when the conversation turned to firearms.

“Right after Black Friday, I had just got done working and I was showing my supervisor the new pistol I bought,” said the coworker, who asked not to be named.

“We were out by the trucks, and then Tyler and another guy came over and we were all talking about what kinds of guns we were gonna get or had bought, and they started talking about their longest shots. Tyler said he made a 450 yard shot,” he recalled.

“That was like the only time we got [Robinson] to conversate with us, when we were talking about guns that day. He got excited about it — at least, as excited as he can get. He never really showed much emotion. He was just kind of, I don’t know, blank? He was just really quiet,” the man added.

At the time, Robinson was employed by High Output Electric, a Washington County company. Both men had been contracted by Wilde Electric to help wire the apartment buildings during an eight-month project. The coworker confirmed Robinson’s role there.

Efforts to reach Wilde Electric’s owner, Terry Wilde, were unsuccessful. Shane Bennett, who owns High Output Electric, confirmed Robinson’s employment but said he couldn’t recall whether “he quit or was let go.”

The coworker said Robinson’s earlier brag about his long shot came rushing back after hearing that Robinson had been arrested for allegedly firing the single round that killed Kirk, 31.

Investigators say the fatal shot was fired from atop the Losee Center Building at Utah Valley University, approximately 200 yards from the tent where Kirk was addressing a crowd of 3,000.

“I was shocked when I heard the news yesterday — I was like, ‘It can’t be that Tyler’ — so I called my old coworker at Wilde Electric and I was like, ‘Hey, did Tyler show up to work today?’ He was like, no, he was supposed to but maybe he’s at a different site.

“And I was like, ‘Dude, I think Tyler was the one who did the shooting.’ And he didn’t believe me,” the coworker said, noting his attempt to call Robinson afterward went unanswered.

“He was the last person I thought would do this. When I heard that the suspect was a young guy from St. George, there were hundreds of other people that I thought would be capable of it before him,” the electrician said.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the killing as a targeted “political assassination” and said Robinson “was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” Yet the coworker maintained Robinson never engaged in political discussions.

“I remember one time we were talking about [politics] in one of the units, and instead of sitting in the room with us, Tyler went into the back laundry room and sat on a bucket and I think put an earbud in,” the man recalled, noting that most of the team leaned conservative.

Still, the electrician said one habit stood out that connected the man he once worked with to the accused gunman.

“Tyler walked around with clenched fists all the time – like, super hard clenched fists. I remember making a joke to him one time when he had his fists like that, I was like, ‘Are you angry, Tyler?’ And he was like…’That’s just what I do.’ He was always soft-spoken but his fists were always like that,” he said.

“Even in the security footage from UVU, you can see he’s got his fists clenched tight.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has dismissed a member of his staff after the aide described the killing of conservative figure Charlie Kirk as “karma.”

The employee, Anthony Herbert, who was part of the Community Affairs Unit, had already been placed on leave at the time he made the statement. According to the Washington Examiner, Herbert was a personal friend of the mayor, but Adams will not be bringing him back to City Hall.

“Charlie Kirk was a passionate young man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this trying time,” said mayoral spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk in comments to Gothamist. “While the individual who made these comments was already on leave when he posted this video, he is now no longer employed by our administration.”

Herbert posted the remarks on Facebook in a video that has since been taken down. The comments were made after Kirk was shot and killed earlier this week in Orem, Utah.

“When you go out there and you talk about people and you talk about – and you know, become a racist – and you try to disguise that like you’re doing something for humanity, that’s a problem,” Herbert said in the recording. “And unfortunately karma has come to collect.”

City Hall quickly distanced itself from his words. “We unequivocally denounce these remarks, which in no way reflect the values of the Adams administration,” stated Kayla Mamelak Altus, another spokesperson for the mayor.

Herbert had earlier declared his intention to run for the New York State Assembly. He joined Adams’ administration in February 2022, though he was not a direct report to the mayor.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared yesterday that the conflict in Ukraine could be brought to a close if NATO members stopped importing Russian oil and simultaneously imposed tariffs of between 50% and 100% on China for its continued purchases of Moscow’s energy.

Writing on his social media platform, Trump criticized the alliance for not showing full commitment, saying NATO’s effort to prevail in the war “has been far less than 100%,” and he found it “shocking” that some allies were still buying Russian crude. Directing his words at NATO nations, he said: “It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.”

Figures from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air show that since 2023, Turkey has ranked as the third-largest purchaser of Russian oil, following China and India. Other NATO members such as Hungary and Slovakia have also continued to import Russian fuel.

His remarks came just after several Russian drones strayed into Poland, a NATO ally, in what was seen as a provocative move. Poland intercepted and destroyed the drones. Trump, however, downplayed the seriousness of the breach, saying it “could have been a mistake.”

Although Trump has insisted as a candidate that he would bring the war to an end swiftly, he has yet to outline a clear strategy to accomplish that goal. Critics say he has sometimes hesitated to directly challenge Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, lawmakers are pressing the president to support a measure that would increase sanctions, following Trump’s recent meeting with Putin in Alaska, which produced no breakthroughs on peace.

In his latest post, Trump argued that cutting off Russian oil purchases while levying steep tariffs on Beijing would “also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR.”

He suggested that NATO countries enact the tariffs on China immediately and revoke them once the fighting that began with Russia’s 2022 invasion is concluded.

“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia,” Trump wrote, asserting that substantial tariffs “will break that grip.”

The president has already ordered a 25% duty on Indian imports in response to that country’s buying of Russian energy.

Trump also used his post to shift blame for the ongoing war, pointing to his predecessor Joe Biden and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as responsible. He did not include Putin in that criticism, despite Russia initiating the invasion.

His commentary came on the heels of a call held Friday with finance ministers of the Group of Seven nations. During the discussion, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged their international counterparts to adopt a “unified front” against Moscow by choking off “the revenues funding Putin’s war machine,” according to Greer’s office.

{Matzav.com}

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman shows how the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah set the course of history for the entire Imperial Quadrant.

WATCH:

 

Chapter Thirty-six: The Dreaded Demon Dies

During the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people formed a ruling council of one hundred and twenty sages known to history as the Anshei Knessess Hagedolah, the Men of the Great Assembly, a who’s-who of the Jewish elite. Most were prophets, and all were outstanding teachers of the Torah. The older sages, such as Baruch ben Neriah, Mordecai, Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Yechezkel, Zerubavel and Ezra, still remembered the First Temple. Others, such as Nechemiah and Shimon Hatzaddik, were born in exile.

The work of the Assembly had an enormous impact on the future of the Torah and the Jewish religion. They also effected a seismic change in the human experience that would determine the future course of the history of the world …

The work of the Anshei Knessess Hagedolah was complete. They had sealed the Scriptures against falsification and manipulation; they had built protective “fences” around the Torah; they had secured the efficacy of prayer; and they had planted the seeds of the Talmud which would guarantee the preservation of the Oral Law. They had also encouraged the proliferation of yeshivahs and a broad dissemination of Torah study. The Torah was sinking deep roots in the revived Jewish community in a form designed to weather the unpleasant surprises the future so often brings. The future seemed assured.

It was time for the Assembly to turn its attention to the dreaded demon that had plagued the Jewish people for close to a thousand years.  One of the salient features of Jewish nationhood had been the battle against pagan influences. The annals of the Periods of the Judges and the Kings chronicle with almost dismal monotony the ebb and flow of this incessant struggle for spiritual survival. Indeed, the Talmud intimates that the idolatrous influences were so powerful in ancient times that even the sages of the Talmud would have been hard-pressed to resist. This burning issue now faced the Anshei Knessess Hagedolah. How could the Jewish people be protected from the terrible trap of idolatry even as its leadership and political situation declined? What good were all the “fences” and reinforcements to Judaism if the people remained vulnerable to the siren call of idolatry?

This problem had troubled the leading sages of all earlier generations, and their solution had been to fire up the national zeal, to strengthen the adherence to the Torah and its commandments, to “seek God” in every aspect of life. Bitter experience, however, had shown that such levels of intensity could not endure indefinitely, that revivals were almost always followed by relapses. And although new revivals eventually followed the relapses, each relapse took a horrendous toll of the Jewish people.

The Anshei Knessess Hagedolah understood that the debilitated Jewish community, subservient to pagan masters, was too fragile to withstand the pendular swings that had characterized the days of independence. In desperation, they resorted to drastic measures that the sages of earlier generations had never contemplated.

As the Talmud relates, the Anshei Knessess Hagedolah beseeched God to remove the human inclination to idolatry, to lobotomize that part of the human psyche, so to speak. They were successful. A fiery lion emerged from the Kodesh Kodoshim, and one the prophets in attendance declared, “This is the inclination to idolatry.” At the same time, they also considered the removal of the sexual drive, but they realized that to do so would bring an end to procreation. This brief passage in the Talmud, which draws a parallel between the inclination to idolatry and the sexual drive, sheds tremendous light on the entire Biblical period …

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

 

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Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of last week’s attempted elimination of Hamas leaders in Doha in an interview on Kan’s Reshet Bet on Sunday morning. Dichter’s comments come less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hinted at the operation’s failure. “The fact that days have passed since the attack and there is no information may indicate that perhaps they were hit harder than reported,” Dichter said. “We are all being fed snippets of information, and it is very difficult to know,” he added, referring to reports on Kan News that Khalil al-Hayya and other senior Hamas officials survived the attack. Dichter also addressed the timing of the attack. “The choice of timing was due to security-political considerations. Qatar is an important country, but over time it is becoming a less and less effective mediator,” he said, adding that the attack came “after half a year of being deceived in negotiations.” Regarding the concern of the hostages’ families that the strike will harm the negotiations for the release of their loved one, Dichter pointed out that the people “most relevant to any past or future deal” are in Gaza, where they have been attacked by the IDF. “Yahya Sinwar was the father of the first deal; his brother was the father of the second deal. You fight Hamas with all your might against those responsible for the October 7 massacre.” Minister Eli Cohen was interviewed by the Saudi Elaph media outlet on Motzei Shabbos and accused Qatar of harming regional stability in the Middle East: “There is a common denominator between the United States, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Israel and other countries that are interested in stability and prosperity—but Qatar is a country that is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. It is not only an enemy of Israel but of the entire moderate Muslim axis.” Cohen elaborated that Qatar is trying to have its cake and eat it too, as on one hand it maintains close ties to the US because it views Trump as a strong president, and on the other hand it funds elements associated with Iran: “It has funded not only the Revolutionary Guards over the years, but also extremists in various places,” he said. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Five days later, Israel is still uncertain about the outcome of Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Army Radio reported on Sunday morning. According to an assessment by senior Israeli officials, Qatar is actively helping Hamas obscure the strike’s results and is even cooperating with the group in a wider deception effort. The report added Israeli security officials believe the operation failed to achieve its primary goal—the elimination of Hamas’s top leaders. Two main scenarios are under review: that the leaders were at the site but escaped unharmed or with minor injuries, or that they received advance warning and fled in a coordinated move. The attack, which stunned the world with its sophistication, was carried out by 12 IDF fighter jets, which fired long-range ballistic missiles into space over Saudi Arabia to avoid violating its airspace, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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For the past 21 years, YWN’s team of seasoned reporters has delivered breaking news and reliable updates, building two decades of trust with over half a million readers each day. On this live blog, YWN will be providing continuous, around-the-clock coverage, bringing you the latest developments as they unfold. You can also join over 100,000 subscribers on YWN WhatsApp and stay connected for real time updates: YWN’s WhatsApp Community YWN’s WhatsApp status

Iran is exerting maximum diplomatic pressure to forge a regional coalition against Israel at the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar on Monday, Kan News reported. The dramatic move, brewing in the lead-up to the special emergency summit in Doha following Israel’s unprecedented strike in Qatari territory, is being led by Ali Larijani, chairman of Iran’s National Security Council, who is urging participating states to establish a joint operations center against Israel—an effort to flip the regional balance from an anti-Iran axis to an anti-Israel one. At the same time, several Arab media outlets revealed that Egypt is attempting to revive the long-dormant proposal for a “joint Arab military force” against Israel. The force, likely led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia or another Gulf nation, would be officially framed as a defensive measure to protect Arab states under attack, rather than as a direct escalation against Israel. The idea of a joint Arab force first surfaced nearly a decade ago but failed to gain traction. Reports now indicate that Israel’s strike on Qatar has prompted Egypt to seize the moment to rally Arab support to advance the initiative. If these plans materialize, they could shake the stability of the entire Middle East and leave Israel in a highly vulnerable position in the face of a coordinated Arab regional front. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

PM Bibi Netanyahu participated in the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the President Trump’s promenade in Bat Yam, together with Mike Huckabee, Bat Yam Mayor Tzvi Brot and members of the Bat Yam City Council.

NASCAR pays tribute to Charlie Kirk with a dramatic flyover and his image displayed on the Jumbotrons.

In Kiryas Belz in Yerushalyim, waking up thousands of Belzer Chassidim for Selichos.

The Toveedo Jewish children’s video app was hacked over Shabbos.

For the first time since his hospitalization, the Gerrer Rebbe appeared this evening before thousands of his Chassidim, who broke out in joyous song after Selichos upon seeing their Rebbe.

The New York Times reports that on the day Charlie Kirk was killed, the FBI released images of a suspect, and a Discord acquaintance jokingly tagged Tyler Robinson, 22, noting the resemblance. Robinson dismissed it as a “doppelganger,” but roughly 34 hours later, he was arrested on suspicion of Kirk’s assassination.

Not all Sukkahs are created equal – here are four things you’ll want to double-check before you buy, unless you enjoy last-minute Home Depot runs on Erev Yom Tov. (We’ve seen it happen. Not pretty.) Beware the Photoshop Sukkah Some Sukkahs online look like they were lifted straight from Architectural Digest. Then the delivery shows up and – surprise – it looks like a science fair project gone wrong. At The Sukkah Store, buyers get real photos and even video walk-throughs so there are no surprises. Whoever you choose, make sure you can see the unfiltered version. Customer Service That Answers You’re mid-build, one pole short, and Erev Yom Tov is ticking down. Do you want to scream “REPRESENTATIVE!” into a robot, or get through to a human who can actually ship you the missing part? Before buying, give the company a test call. The Sukkah Store makes sure a real person answers – and so should anyone worth buying from. FAQs You’ll Actually Want to Read Don’t skip the fine print – ask these ahead of time: Warranty: Does it last a season, or years? (The Sukkah Store, for example, offers five years – something like that is a solid benchmark.)  Returns: Can you return it? Is shipping covered? Is there a cut-off date? (One common deadline is right before Sukkot)  Damage in transit: Do they fix it fast or make you wrestle with UPS? (Look for policies where they send replacements right away)  Assembly: Some Sukkahs still come with pages of tools and instructions that would stump an engineer. Look for tool-free connectors that twist and tighten in minutes – the kind The Sukkah Store uses – so your Sukkah can be up in under an hour.  Expandability: Many Sukkahs are one-size-forever. Smarter designs, like the modular systems The Sukkah Store carries, let you just add wall panels and grow year after year. If your guest list expands, your Sukkah should too. Everything in the Box No one wants a Home Depot run on Erev Chag. A complete kit should include the frame, walls, Kosher l’Mehadrin bamboo Schach mats, and bamboo support poles for the Schach. The Sukkah Store ships all of these in their full bundle kit, so whoever you’re buying from, ask for a packing list and check it off on delivery. Bottom line: Whether you buy from The Sukkah Store or somewhere else, do your due diligence. Real photos, reachable humans, clear policies, simple setup, and room to grow – that’s the recipe for a stress-free Yom Tov. After that, the only debate is where to hang the lights. Want to see what this all looks like in real life? Check out The Sukkah Store – real photos, real people, and maybe even some inspiration for where to hang those lights.  

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rav Dovid Kaminetsky zt”l, Rosh Machon Pirkei Eliezer, and the son of Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky shlita’, Rosh Yeshivas Philadelphia and Nasi of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. Rav Dovid was 68 years old. The niftar was born in the United States on 22 Nissan 5717 (1957) to his father, Rav Shmuel shlit”a, who still needs a refuah sheleimah, and to his mother, Rebbetzin Tema Kaminetsky a”h. He grew up in the shadow of his illustrious grandfather, Harav Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Torah Vodaas and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel in America. In due time he married his rebbetzin, Mrs. Esther tblch”t, the daughter of Rav Mordechai Neustadt zt”l of Bnei Brak, who led Vaad LeHatzolas Nidchei Yisroel. Settling in Eretz HaKodesh, he made his home in Yerushalayim and dedicated his life to Torah research, becoming a primary address for all matters relating to the Torah of the Vilna Gaon. He founded Machon Pirkei Eliezer and over the years produced numerous works which stirred much discussion in the olam haTorah. Rav Dovid also served as one of the editors of the Schottenstein Shas in both Hebrew and English, and was among the founding members of the Torah journal Yeshurun. In addition, he gave shiurim as a maggid shiur in Yeshivas Darchei Noam in Yerushalayim. The noted chassidishe researcher Rav Yisroel Alter Groibis, editor of Kolmus, shared his recollections: “Rav Dovid zt”l was a true yodea sefer. To one who only read his writings, he may have appeared as a sharp polemicist and a fighter for emes — which he surely was. But anyone who met him quickly saw a person of noble character, broad heart, and generosity of spirit. He was filled with ahavas Yisroel. Personally, as a chossid, I received only good from him. He shared the fruits of his knowledge freely, without self-interest, and he treated others with kindness and humility. Despite his brilliance and sharp mind, he would lower himself to meet the level of his interlocutor, with goodwill and a full heart.” Rav Dovid zt”l leaves behind sons and daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who follow in his ways. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.