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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he will travel to the United States this week for talks on the potential U.S. provision of long-range weapons, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Russia he may send Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles A meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump could take place as early as Friday, the Ukrainian president said, adding that he also would meet with defense and energy companies and members of Congress. “The main topics will be air defense and our long-range capabilities, to maintain pressure on Russia,” Zelenskyy said. He spoke at a meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. He said he also would seek further U.S. assistance to protect Ukraine’s electricity and gas networks, which have faced relentless Russian bombardment. The U.S. visit follows what Zelenskyy described as a “very productive” phone call with Trump on Sunday. Trump later warned Russia that he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow doesn’t settle its war there soon. The missiles would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory. Moscow has expressed “extreme concern” over the U.S. potentially providing Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has previously suggested that the U.S. supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington. Zelenskyy will join a Ukrainian delegation already in the U.S. for preliminary talks, led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks targeting electricity and gas infrastructure ahead of winter, in an effort to cripple Ukraine’s power grid ahead of freezing temperatures to erode public morale. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the worst attacks early Monday using drones and missiles occurred around the Black Sea port of Odesa and in the northern Chernihiv region, where one person was killed. Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, pledged continued pressure on Moscow. She also expressed confidence that objections led by Hungary to a new Russia sanctions package would be overcome, even if the process drags on past a meeting of EU leaders next week. “On funding, the needs are enormous. We must help Ukraine defend itself so we don’t later spend even more repairing destroyed infrastructure,” Kallas said. “We are 27 member states, and 27 democracies, so debates take time … I’m positive that, as before, we’ll achieve a decision.” (AP)

A person living in New York has tested positive for the chikungunya virus in what state health officials say is the first reported transmission of the mosquito-borne illness within the United States in six years The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the virus, which has been spreading in China and elsewhere, was identified in a person living in Nassau County on Long Island. The county’s health department, in a separate statement, said the person began experiencing symptoms in August after having traveled outside of the region, but not out of the country. It’s not clear how exactly the person, whom authorities have not named, contracted the virus. Health officials say the person was likely bit by an infected mosquito, but they also say the virus has not been detected in local mosquito pools and there is no evidence of ongoing transmission. The type of mosquito known to carry chikungunya is present in parts of the New York City metropolitan area, including suburban Long Island. The disease cannot be spread directly from one person to another. Since mosquitoes are less active during the fall’s cooler temperatures, the current risk of transmission is “very low,” said state Health Commissioner James McDonald. Chikungunya is found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions, according to the state health department. Its symptoms include fever and joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rashes. The illness is rarely fatal and most patients recover within a week, though newborns, older adults and people with chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are at higher risk, the agency said. The U.S. and its territories have not seen a locally acquired case of the virus since 2019. New York state has had three other cases of the virus this year, though all were linked to international travel to regions where the virus is prevalent, state health officials said. Local mosquitoes can transmit other dangerous viruses, such as West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon viruses. (AP)

President Trump lashed out at Time magazine early Tuesday morning, fuming over what he called an unflattering photo used for the publication’s latest cover story highlighting “his triumph” in negotiating the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas.

“Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird!”

The magazine’s cover — titled “His Triumph” — features a low-angle portrait of the 47th president taken from beneath and to his right, capturing a close-up of his cheek, ear, and eye, along with part of his nostril.

“I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out,” Trump added in his post. “What are they doing, and why?”

The issue was released just one day after the dramatic return of 20 living hostages to Israel — marking the first stage of the deal struck under Trump’s Middle East plan, nearly two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

In exchange, Israeli officials confirmed that roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were freed, along with the bodies of about 360 Palestinians returned to Gaza.

“The living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, alongside a Palestinian prisoner release,” Time reported. “The deal may become a signature achievement of Trump’s second term, and it could mark a strategic turning point for the Middle East.”

Trump had announced his sweeping 20-point proposal on Sept. 29, which laid the groundwork for a ceasefire that officially took effect last Friday.

The following Monday, Trump was met with roaring applause during his speech to the Israeli Knesset, before heading to Cairo for a peace summit joined by leaders from more than twenty nations, focused on sustaining the fragile truce.

“We’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible — at long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump declared during his address. “Nobody thought we could ever get there, and now we’re there.”

For years, Trump has taken great pride in symbols of recognition and status, particularly Time magazine’s Person of the Year honor — an accolade he’s received twice, in 2016 and again in 2024.

He has occasionally granted interviews to the magazine, including a memorable 2015 photo shoot where he posed with a bald eagle that unexpectedly tried to attack him mid-session.

Trump has never hesitated to criticize media outlets for depictions he finds unflattering or undermining, particularly when they clash with the commanding image he seeks to project.

Just last month, he blasted the United Nations and called for an inquiry after his teleprompter malfunctioned and the escalator he was riding on suddenly stopped while he was delivering his address to the UN General Assembly.

{Matzav.com}

Yaron Or, the father of released hostage Avinatan, told Kan Bet that his son attempted to escape the tunnel he was being held in following a bombing over a year ago. His captors grabbed him by his legs after his head was already outside the tunnel. He was beaten and put in a cell the width of a mattress and shorter than his height so that he couldn’t straighten his body, neither standing nor lying down. He was handcuffed to the bars of the cage 24/7. Yaron added that in the period before that, Avinatan – who is almost 6.5 feet tall – was held in a slightly larger space, also behind bars. “They didn’t starve him, but the food was meager,” he said. “He was very thin. Around him were all sorts of guards whose relatives were killed in IDF bombings, and I think it’s simply a neis that they didn’t hurt him except for once when he tried to escape.” Yaron emphasized that throughout his captivity, his son was held alone in the tunnels, without other hostages and “without books and without anything. At some point, he received a Rubik’s Cube. Apart from that, he had nothing. I don’t know how he came out of it sane. It’s a miracle.” “Avinatan wasn’t aware of the extent of the October 7 massacre, only that they crossed into Israel. He told the prime minister that he thought he would remain in captivity for years, that they wouldn’t release him until the war was over, and that’s what should be done. He is a very special guy.” “Physically, he needs to recover, but mentally, baruch Hashem, it’s the same Avinatan, the same sense of humor, the same strength. At least for now, it seems that in this regard he has not only not changed but has even become stronger.” Avinatan’s mother, Ditza, talked to Yisrael Hayom about reuniting with Avinatan: “There are no words; it’s crazy. It’s much, much beyond what you can imagine. It’s imagining the most—and then multiplying it by thousands. It’s explosions of so many layers of depth.” “He’s amazing. Physically, he’s really weak; he’s very thin. The food he received messed him up. There is a long protocol of medical tests that he needs to undergo. He is surrounded by family and friends, and he sleeps very little. However, he is handsome and gentle, with deep, beautiful, and warm eyes. He tries so hard to express his love and gratitude.” “He hasn’t heard a word in Hebrew for two years. He already thinks in Arabic and then translates to Hebrew. He constantly blurts out words in Arabic. It’s amazing because there was an instruction that he was not allowed to be spoken to in any language, so only the very low ranks slipped him a few words on rare occasions.” When was his escape attempt, and what happened? “It was a year and a few months ago, when there was fighting in the area. There was a bombing—parts of the tunnel started to collapse, and there was chaos. So he took advantage of the fact that people were crammed together and started running and tried to escape. He was already halfway out; his head was already out of the tunnel, and then they grabbed his legs. The […]

Cook County’s top judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people at court. Cook County includes Chicago, which has seen a federal immigration crackdown in recent months. Detaining residents outside courthouses has been a common tactic for federal agents, who have been stationed outside county courthouses for weeks, making arrests and drawing crowds of protesters. The order, which was signed Tuesday night and took effect Wednesday, bars the civil arrest of any “party, witness, or potential witness” while going to court proceedings. It includes arrests inside courthouses and in parking lots, surrounding sidewalks and entryways. “The fair administration of justice requires that courts remain open and accessible, and that litigants and witnesses may appear without fear of civil arrest,” the order states. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defended the practice of making arrests at courthouses, calling it “common sense.” “We aren’t some medieval kingdom; there are no legal sanctuaries where you can hide and avoid the consequences for breaking the law,” DHS said in a Wednesday statement. “Nothing in the constitution prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them.” Immigration advocates decry immigration enforcement outside courthouses Local immigration and legal advocates, including the county’s public defender’s office, have called for an order like this, saying clients were avoiding court out of fear of being detained. The office has confirmed at least a dozen immigration arrests at or near county courthouses since the end of July, when representatives said they’ve seen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence outside courthouses increase. “I have had numerous conversations with clients who are presented with a difficult decision of either missing court and receiving an arrest warrant or coming to court and risk being arrested by ICE,” Cruz Rodriguez, an assistant public defender with the office’s immigration division, said at a news conference earlier this month. Domestic violence advocacy organizations also signed on to a petition earlier this month calling for Cook County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy Evans to issue the order. This comes after advocates said a woman was was arrested by ICE last month while entering the domestic violence courthouse. Alexa Van Brunt, director of MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office, which filed the petition, said she was “gratified” by Evans’ order. “This is a necessary and overdue action to ensure that the people of Cook County can access the courts without fear,” she said in a Wednesday statement to The Associated Press. Evans said justice “depends on every individual’s ability to appear in court without fear or obstruction.” “Our courthouses remain places where all people — regardless of their background or circumstance — should be able to safely and confidently participate in the judicial process,” Evans said in a statement. ICE tactics outside courthouses seen across country The tactic of detaining people at courthouses in the Chicago area is part of a larger jump in courthouse immigration arrests across the country. The flurry of immigration enforcement operations at courthouses has been condemned by judicial officials and legal organizations, and has drawn lawsuits from some states and the adoption of bills seeking to block the practice. In June, President Donald Trump’s administration sued the state of New York over a 2020 law barring federal immigration agents from making arrests at state, city and other municipal courthouses. Statehouse Democrats vow to adopt resolutions […]

President Trump thanks members of the media for being “very respectful” over the last week covering the historic Gaza peace deal.

Two years after the massacre, Hakafos Sheniyos place at the site of the Nova music festival, with ZAKA volunteers who returned — this time to celebrate with the Sifrei Torah.

Zohran Mamdani responded directly to President Trump’s warning that federal funds could be withheld if the self-described communist wins the NYC mayoral race, saying he won’t lead like past officials seeking political advantage but will focus on reducing the cost of living and building partnerships with Washington and across the country.

Former hostage Or Levy: “I used to talk to a crack in the ceiling. And then we got into the tunnel and I switched to a small LED light. And then we got to a different tunnel, and then there was only darkness. And this is when I first said the word God. And from that point on, I spoke to God.”

Shai Gracher, one of the world’s greatest Baalei Chesed, gives iPhones, iPads and other devices to released hostages. Mi kiamcha yisroel!

Fox News contributor Miranda Devine discusses NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s move to fundraise for UNRWA, despite the agency having employed staff members who were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

WATCH:

Singing “Asher Bochar Banu” at Hakafos Sheniyos at the location where the Nova Festival took place on October 7.

Sec Scott Bessent: “We believe that the shutdown may start costing the U.S. economy up to $15 billion a day, and this is a decision the Democrats are making… I am calling for the moderate Democrats to be heroes and reopen the government for the American people.”

Mexican cartels have directed U.S.-based groups — including Chicago street gangs — to surveil, intimidate, and even kill federal agents.