Feed aggregator

“We saved this money for a rainy day. But, there’s a mabul happening!”  These are the words that Reuven Wolf, renowned philanthropist shared at a Keren Olam HaTorah event.  The emergency fundraising campaign initiated by the leading gedolim of Eretz Yisroel and Jewish philanthropists worldwide, Keren Olam HaTorah has marked this day to launch their unprecedented fundraising mission. After Israeli government budget cuts left yeshivos and kollelim with a $107 million deficit, over 50,000 bochurim and avreichim face an uncertain future. And that’s why Keren Olam HaTorah was created. CLICK HERE TO DONATE! Our gedolim’s tireless efforts have already garnered an astounding $84 million in pledges, but we still face a shortfall of $23 million. This Wednesday, July 24th, our gedolim aim to launch the fundraising effort to close the significant gap. Although the numbers are astronomical, every donation counts more than ever. We need your support to ensure that the doors of Torah learning remain open. By sponsoring an avreich for $2,736 a year, or $228 a month, you can make a direct and significant impact.  Our gedolim have implored all of Klal Yisroel to give beyond their usual contributions. “This is a request to go above and beyond your normal giving,” Hagaon Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch urged. Because this is not just another fundraising campaign; it is the very survival of Klal Yisroel. In recognition of the generosity, Rav Landau benched anyone who helps with good health, nachas, parnassah, and all the brochos one could wish for.  On Wednesday, We Will Make History Although the numbers are unprecedented, your support today can turn the tide.  Donate now through our website or call our dedicated line at 732.941.1000.  Together, we can achieve the $23 million goal and secure the future of Torah learning. Share this urgent message with your family, friends, and community. Encourage them to donate too and join this historic campaign. The more people we reach, the greater our collective impact will be. Wednesday, July 24th is the day we prove our commitment to Torah and our dedication to Klal Yisroel. Stand with us, support Keren Olam HaTorah, and become part of this historic movement.  Save the future of Klal Yisroel. Donate today. For more information, email rayzeit@kerenolamhatorah.org or call 732.941.1000. CLICK HERE TO DONATE!

Embattled Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle has declared her intention to resign, less than two weeks after the agency’s disastrous mishandling of Donald Trump’s July 13 campaign rally resulted in him being shot by an assassin.

Cheatle, who has served with the agency for 28 years, has recently been under increasing pressure to leave her position, although she had previously maintained she would continue in her role.

At a House Oversight Committee session yesterday, Cheatle conceded that the agency’s response at the rally was a “failure” but nonetheless awarded her agents an “A” grade for their performance that day.

Just before the announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Calif.) stated he would not back the impeachment of Cheatle, despite Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) advocating for it the previous day.

“Impeachment, as we know, is reserved for treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors,” he said. “Maladministration and utter incompetence, unfortunately, are not impeachable offenses – but there are other ways to achieve the desired end.”

Informed of her resignation during his briefing, he quipped that Cheatle “must have been watching our press conference,” calling it the “right thing.”

“Look, our reaction, the immediate reaction to her resignation is that it is overdue. She should have done this, at least a week ago,” he said.

The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job, according to an email she sent to staff, following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission. Kimberly Cheatle, who had served as Secret Service director since August 2022, had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania. “I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she said in the email to staff Tuesday. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.” The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to get within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage where the former president was speaking when he opened fire. That’s despite a threat on Trump’s life from Iran leading to additional security for the former president in the days before the July 13 rally. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has sought a meeting with former President Donald Trump during his current visit to the United States, Politico reported on Monday.

This news comes as a scheduled meeting between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden on Tuesday has been canceled due to Biden’s recovery from COVID-19. According to The Times of Israel, the White House announced on Monday that Biden is quarantining in Delaware and will return to Washington, D.C., once he tests negative, without providing a specific timeline.

Netanyahu is in the U.S. this week to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, aiming to garner bipartisan support for Israel’s conflict with Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

In recent days, teams from both Netanyahu and Trump have discussed the possibility of a meeting, potentially in Florida, Politico reported, citing two individuals familiar with the talks. Although Trump has not yet committed to a meeting, he has not dismissed the idea, the sources indicated.

One of the individuals mentioned that if the meeting occurs, it will likely be after Trump’s rally in North Carolina on Wednesday.

Netanyahu’s visit coincides with Biden’s recent decision to exit the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new standard bearer.

A meeting with Trump this week could bolster Netanyahu’s support for his policies in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as his efforts against Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border. Additionally, it would provide Trump an opportunity to establish more formal communications with Netanyahu at a time when Harris’ campaign is determining how to handle a prime minister who has been at odds with segments of the Democratic establishment.

{Matzav.com}

At least a half-dozen homes lay in ruins Monday after one of many dangerous wildfires in the West suddenly swept into a Southern California neighborhood during a blistering heat wave. Six homes were ravaged and seven damaged when the fire sparked by fireworks erupted Sunday afternoon in a hilly area of Riverside, a city about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, authorities said at a media briefing Monday evening. The blaze scorched just under a square mile (2.6 square kilometers). Resident Noel Piri and his wife were away when they got a call about a fire in the neighborhood, rushed home and rescued their dog. Unfortunately, their house was in flames when firefighters arrived, The Press-Enterprise reported. “It was kind of sad to see the house was gone,” Piri told the newspaper after rummaging through the remains of the newly remodeled house. Riverside hit 102 degrees (38.9 Celsius) on Sunday amid a heat wave that has been largely focused on the interior of California and is expected to last through much of the week. Many other fires were also burning throughout the state, including one that started Saturday and rapidly expanded to more than 4 square miles (10.3 square kilometers) on the border of Lake and Colusa counties, northwest of Sacramento. Containment reached 25% on Monday. More than two dozen fires also were burning in the Pacific Northwest and Idaho, where lightning ignited more blazes in Oregon over the weekend amid extremely dry and hot conditions. The largest blazes were active in rural areas of eastern Oregon and Washington, and smoke was impacting air quality in those places as well as into Idaho. Authorities evacuated the town of Huntington, Oregon, with a population of about 500, and temporarily closed a stretch of Interstate 84 late Sunday after thunderstorms caused a massive smoke column to collapse. The implosion of the plume sent winds of 50 mph (80 kph) in every direction, raising fears the fire would jump I-84, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Evacuation orders remained in place with extreme fire behavior prompted by high winds pushing the flames Monday afternoon, authorities said. The fire covered more than 272 square miles (704 square kilometers) with no containment. Monday afternoon, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said three new fires had started northwest of Huntington and were prompting evacuations, as well as the closure of I-84 in the Durkee area. Officials with the Malheur National Forest in neighboring Malheur County closed it to public use on Monday, citing the active wildfires, “extremely unfavorable” weather conditions and limited firefighting resources. Meanwhile, another fast-moving fire started Monday afternoon farther west on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, where a wind advisory was in place until midnight for gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) or more. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation notices for an area up to the edge of Mosier, with everyone in the town of more than 400 told to be set to evacuate. Large wildfires can generate huge plumes of smoke and ash that can rise more than 5 miles (8 kilometers), depending on conditions such as the terrain, weather and temperature. The columns can collapse when the amount of heat over the fire drops — from changing fuels or […]

Join Rebitzen Spetner’s thousands of students from around the world who have transformed themselves, their homes, and their relationships with their children.  Course Schedule:  Monsey: Fundamental:  July 29-Aug 5 (morning sessions)Topics: Discipline, Sibling rivalry, ruchnius   Very limited slots remaining! Intense Teen Course: Aug 6-Augs 9Class full. Registration closed.  Rebitzen Sima Spetner is a child psychologist and venerable parenting and chinuch specialist from Eretz Yisroel who has been teaching chinuch classes for decades. Her warm, engaging classes are filled with Torah hashkafah and practical ideas. Rebitzen Spetner was trained directly by Rav Shlomo Wolbe, and received haskamah from leading gedolim. Seize this opportunity! Limited slots! Recordings of the classes will be given exclusively to course participants.   To register:Fundamental Course:  send an email to beginner@spetner.org  You will get a bounce back email with online registration.  For general info:(call/ text) Esti Hirshfeld – 718-578-2128 Or email: seminar@spetner.org

MK Moshe Gafni, the head of the Degel Hatorah faction within the United Torah Judaism party, was heard stating that his party supports a deal for the release of hostages “at any cost.”

According to a report by Daphna Liel of Channel 12 News, Gafni expressed these views during a meeting on Monday with the families of hostages held in Gaza.

In a recording from the meeting published in the report, Gafni said, “We are in favor of making an arrangement for the release of all the hostages now.”

He elaborated, “The redemption of captives is one of the most important mitzvot, perhaps the most important in the Torah. But here it is abundantly clear that this is also about pikuach nefesh.”

Gafni also remarked, “I am telling you our position here in this room in which we are in, between these four walls, I am telling this to the Prime Minister. The hostages must be released today, at any cost.”

Earlier on Monday, President Isaac Herzog stated, “There is a consensus regarding the need and urgency of returning the hostages. We must exhaust all possible ways with determination, creativity and responsibility, and bring them home.”

{Matzav.com}

During CNN’s Sunday night broadcast, CNN’s John King discussed the potential pros and cons of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro being on the ticket with Kamala Harris, noting that Shapiro being Jewish has its drawbacks, considering how antisemitic the Democratic Party has become. “So Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro is being discussed as one of Harris’s potential running mates. He also endorsed her tonight. In your view, what are the pros and cons for putting him on the ticket?” Anderson Cooper asked King. “Well, he certainly under consideration, I know that from key Harris allies. He’s a first-term governor, he’s Jewish, there could be some risk in putting him on the ticket,” King said. “But certainly some of our voters here in Pennsylvania said, ‘Hey, we like Governor Shapiro, give him a look. Also told, though, Anderson, that some other governors, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, are on the list of the Harris team.” In response to the comment, Republican operative Steve Guest tweeted, “The anti-Semitism in the Democrat Party is WILD.” Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby added, “In America today, anti-Semitism on the left is a given.” Conservative writer Karol Markowicz also weighed in, saying, “I know exactly where Jews stand when it comes to Democrats, and still it’s insane to hear this so casually said out loud.” The controversy comes as Harris is set to announce her running mate in the coming days. Meanwhile, it was reported that Harris will not preside over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress later this week. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A week after Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president, President Joe Biden’s team used Musk’s social media platform X — in addition to more neutral spaces such as Facebook and Instagram — to announce he is ending his reelection campaign. It’s a testament to how ingrained the platform has become among the power players of the political and media world, as well as users looking for news and live updates of major events. While Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok, boast far more users, X users say keeping up with the news is not the reason they use those platforms, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. X is the exception: most of the site’s users say following the news is a reason they use it and about half say they regularly get their news from there. “X is where history happens,” posted X CEO Linda Yaccarino on Sunday with a screenshot of Biden’s announcement. While a comment pointed out that the same message was posted on other social media platforms as well, the narrative remains an important one for X and its long-touted efforts to become a “digital town square.” “Other platforms have emerged with the goal of supplanting X, but what events like the Biden post shows is that this is still where people go to make both fast and consequential impact,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute. That’s even though the site has become a less reliable place to find accurate information, due in large part to changes Musk made since assuming the helm. Since the 2022 takeover, Musk has upended many of the former Twitter’s policies including around misinformation and hate speech, gutted its staff and transformed what people see on the site. “It does not appear as though would-be competitors have been able to displace Twitter from its perch as the go-to place for political news,” Kreps said. “In an ideal world, a lot of people would have and did try to go elsewhere but these alternatives needed to offer products that people want and use and they have not done that. Until that time, we’ll probably see a segment of users for whom their principles and practices are at odds.” As its owner and arguably most influential user, Musk has also used X to try to sway political discourse around the world — getting in a dustup with a Brazilian judge over censorship, railing against what he calls the “woke mind virus” and amplifying false claims that Democrats are secretly flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections. Long before he endorsed Trump, Musk turned increasingly toward the right in his posts and actions on the platform. He’s reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as accounts belonging to neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Advertisers who halted spending on X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material were engaging in “blackmail,” Musk has alleged. And it was on X that he announced he was moving the company’s headquarters, as well as those of SpaceX, to the red state of Texas from deep blue California. “The important thing about Twitter has long been the community of users who’ve embraced it. And there is a […]

By John Nolte, Breitbart

In an obvious effort to protect impeached Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle pretended to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee about the shooting of former President Donald Trump. Her obvious assignment was to stonewall, hide behind “ongoing investigations,” and simply refuse to answer questions she had the answers to.

One question that was answered is a total bombshell. During her testimony, Cheatle admitted that sometimes radio communications between Secret Service details are recorded, but “we do not have radio communications” from the day of the assassination attempt.

Here’s the video and transcript where we learn of yet another jaw-dropping failure in an event filled with jaw-dropping failures:

Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC): Does the Secret Service routinely record communications between and amongst detail?

[Long, awkward pause.]

Cheatle: Radio communications?

Fry: Any communication.

Cheatle: Email communications are captured as well as text messages, and, then, depending on the detail, radio communications are recorded.

Fry: Does the Secret Service have recorded communications from the July 13 event?

Cheatle: We do not have radio communications from that day.

Let’s understand something here…

First off, this is the same Secret Service that erased vital text messages around January 6:

The Secret Service erased text messages from both Jan. 6 and the day before the attack on the Capitol after the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog requested records of electronic communications tied to the insurrection, according to a letter sent to congressional committees that was obtained by NBC News.

The details about the erased messages were revealed in a letter to two congressional committees Wednesday, in which Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said he was informed that many of the messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, had been erased “as part of a device-replacement program.”

Second, note what Cheatle says there. This is important. She says that “depending on the detail” radio communications are recorded.

So, we have a former president who is the current favorite to be our next president and who is under a viable threat from Iran…Why in the world, knowing all that, would the Secret Service not record radio communications during that detail?

 

Third, why aren’t all radio communications recorded? In the digital age, this isn’t difficult. It does not require an enormous amount of inconvenience or storage space. This is also history. This is also, in the case of an assassination or attempted assassination, crucial to any ongoing investigation. You’re telling me some police officer in Nowhere, Iowa, can record everything with a body cam, but the United States Secret Service, with its eight billion dollar budget, cannot record radio communications when protecting the current frontrunner for the presidency?

 

 

This is garbage.

This whole thing stinks of a conspiracy and cover-up, which is not something I say lightly. In this house, Oswald worked alone, the earth is round, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, and putting fluoride in the water was a good idea. But this…THIS…?

Cheatle’s testimony was outrageous in its deflections and stonewalling. Her presentation was indefensible and suspicious in the extreme. She wasn’t testifying about something like the breakdown of the Obamacare site. A former president — and likely the next president— came within a millimeter of having his brains blown out.

 

On top of that are these gob-smacking security failures, none of which Cheatle refuted:

 

• The Secret Service left a roof a mere 450 feet from Trump’s line of sight unguarded.
• To defend this jaw-dropping oversight, the head of the Secret Service lied with the excuse that this roof was unsafe because it was so steep.
• The Secret Service denied numerous requests over two years to add additional security to Trump events.
• In the days after the assassination attempt, the Secret Service lied about not denying these requests.
• The Secret Service identified the wannabe assassin as a threat at least an hour before Trump took the stage.
• The Secret Service spotted the assassin on the roof at 5:51 p.m.
• The Secret Service still allowed Trump to take the stage at 6:02 p.m.
• The assassin was unmolested until 6:11 p.m. and only after he got off eight shots, one of which hit Trump and missed killing him by a millimeter or two.

As I wrote earlier on Monday:

Either the Secret Service is so inept it is a clear and present danger to democracy or the Secret Service cooperated in a plot to assassinate a man the Biden administration wanted stopped after everything else had failed. And, then, only after it failed, did a defeated Biden drop out of the race.

And that was before I knew there were no radio communication recordings available from that day.

I also find it odd that this was the one thing she was forthcoming on, the one thing she seemed to want to volunteer and share. Why? To get us used to the idea is why. Dropping a bombshell in an offhand way is how you try to control the explosion.

This whole thing stinks from noon to Sunday.

{Matzav.com}

The Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon fired dozens of rockets and explosive drones at northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon. Nonstop sirens wailed in numerous yishuvim in the Galil. B’Chasdei Hashem, no injuries were reported although several rockets scored direct hits in several areas, including Meron, Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am and Margaliot. The barrages followed reports of an Israeli-attributed drone strike in southern Lebanon that killed one person and injured another. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary was found guilty Tuesday by a London jury of directing a terrorist group. Choudary, 57, was convicted in Woolwich Crown Court of membership in a banned organization, the radical Muslim group al-Muhajiroun, or ALM, and for drumming up support for the group. ALM was outlawed by the British government in 2010 as a group involved in committing, preparing for or promoting terrorism. “ALM’s tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security,” Metropolitan Police Cmdr. Dominic Murphy said. “There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or traveled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary’s radicalizing impact upon them.” Prosecutor Tom Little, who described Choudary as having a “warped and twisted mindset,” said that he had stepped in to lead ALM after Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group’s founder, was imprisoned in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023. Choudary, who was previously convicted of supporting the Islamic State group, denied at trial that he promoted ALM through his lectures, saying ALM no longer exists. Prosecutors said the group has operated under many names, including the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society, which Choudary has spoken to. The Islamic Thinkers Society was ALM’s U.S. branch, said New York Police Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, who called the case historic. “It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice,” Weiner said. “And it’s rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.” Choudary was convicted with one of his followers, Khaled Hussein, who prosecutors said was a dedicated supporter of the group. Hussein, 29, of Edmonton, Canada, was convicted of membership in a proscribed organization. The two were arrested a year ago after Hussein landed at Heathrow Airport. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30. (AP)

President Biden has abruptly canceled nine trips planned for the next two weeks following his sudden withdrawal from the 2024 race, The NY Post can reveal.

Biden had been slated to depart Monday for the West Coast, with scheduled stops in California, Denver, Houston, and Austin. However, a White House source informed The NY Post that all these trips were unexpectedly canceled.

Having been isolating with COVID-19, Biden was supposed to leave his Rehoboth, Del., home on Monday but extended his stay until Wednesday after announcing the end of his campaign the previous evening.

The source did not provide a reason for the cancellation of the trips. Biden’s illness was not immediately linked to the decision, as presidential physician Kevin O’Connor stated on Monday that Biden had almost fully recovered.

“They started canceling stuff when he announced he wasn’t seeking reelection,” the source said, mentioning that the trips were a combination of campaign and official presidential events.

“He was supposed to leave today to start the West Coast trip, but they extended his stay in Rehoboth until the 24th,” the source added.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire was expecting Biden to visit on Thursday to discuss the Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts but noted the trip was canceled at the last minute.

“I don’t know if the press knows it, but President Biden was going to be here Thursday to recognize our preparation,” Whitmire said Sunday after Biden dropped out of the race.

Biden was also tentatively set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, but he has no plans to return to DC.

The president’s next planned trip is tentatively scheduled for July 31, where he and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to an undisclosed location, according to the White House source.

He is then set to travel to Chicago the following day, with no further events on the calendar until the DNC convention, per the source.

Biden, 81, has not been seen in public since Wednesday night when he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Following the diagnosis, he was observed struggling to disembark Air Force One and enter his motorcade.

Harris addressed Biden’s COVID recovery during her speech on Monday at the White House, discussing his “legacy.” The vice president, whom Biden endorsed as his successor, said Biden “wanted to be here today.”

“He is feeling much better and recovering fast, and he looks forward to getting back on the road,” Harris added.

Harris traveled to Delaware on Monday to greet the campaign staff, as she is now leading the 2024 bid following Biden’s withdrawal.

Biden – speaking with heavily slurred speech – called into the headquarters meeting to talk to staffers and Harris, stating, “the name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed.”

Biden’s absence from public view or a video address has raised concerns about his whereabouts, with some Republican members of Congress calling for a “proof of life” check.

The letter announcing his campaign suspension was not on official White House letterhead, and the signature appeared to be electronically added.

A White House official said Biden received virtual briefings on homeland security and national security from Rehoboth on Monday.

Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates told The Post on Sunday that Biden “looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people.”

{Matzav.com}

All of the country’s top security chiefs have unanimously agreed that if a truce and a hostages-for-prisoners deal is reached with Hamas, the IDF can completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip for the initial six weeks of the potential agreement, reported Kan public broadcaster on Monday.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar have all conveyed to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu their support for this deal, arguing that the short period would not allow Hamas to significantly regroup and rearm.

“We are aware of the security ramifications, but this is the time to prioritize releasing the hostages, whose time is limited,” the four told the premier, according to the report. Their stance also considers control over the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border and the return of Gazans and terrorists to the north of the Strip.

This report highlights a divide between senior security officials and Netanyahu regarding proceeding with a ceasefire deal to free hostages abducted by Hamas-led terrorists during the devastating October 7 cross-border attack. Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza aims to dismantle Hamas and free the hostages.

Netanyahu has recently hardened Israel’s positions in internationally mediated talks, reportedly driven by intelligence that Hamas is exhausted, weakened, and keen to end the fighting. Key issues for Netanyahu include ensuring Israel’s ability to directly prevent weapons smuggling through tunnels under the Egypt-Hamas border and stopping the movement of Hamas operatives from southern to northern Gaza by embedding them among Palestinian civilians returning home.

Channel 12 news echoed Kan’s details, reporting that Netanyahu pushed back against the security chiefs’ position during a lengthy discussion on Sunday.

Halevi reportedly told Netanyahu, “We will know how to create all the flexibility needed to honor the terms of the deal. This is the time to combine the military pressure and the negotiations and see how to move forward [to a deal].”

Despite this, Netanyahu maintained his demands, which will be included in Israel’s response to mediators when talks resume on Thursday, even though this stance might prompt Hamas to refuse the deal.

Channel 12 also cited a senior security source who said, “There was and is an opportunity to bring home 30 living hostages, and every day that passes, we don’t know what will happen to them.”

Currently, the delegation to resume talks is expected to operate at a working team level without senior officials, though this could change. According to Kan, Mossad chief Barnea will lead the team, which has been granted broad leeway, except on issues concerning the Gaza-Egypt border or the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza.

Last week, reports indicated that Barnea had urged the security cabinet to agree to a deal with Hamas for the sake of the hostages, noting that time was running out for young female captives in particular.

Netanyahu faces opposition from within his coalition, with the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties threatening to topple the government if he proceeds with a deal without removing Hamas from power. Additionally, eight lawmakers from Netanyahu’s Likud party wrote to him over the weekend, stating they would not support the hostage deal being discussed unless significant changes were made.

The demands of these MKs include that Israel not commit to withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza or the Philadelphi Corridor and maintaining a significant IDF presence along key routes in Gaza.

Monday’s television reports followed the IDF’s announcement confirming the deaths of two more hostages, Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtav, who died in Hamas captivity. Their families criticized the government for not securing a deal with Hamas earlier in the conflict, which might have saved the hostages.

International mediators continue to push Israel and Hamas towards the proposal initially floated by Israel and promoted by US President Joe Biden at the end of May. The proposal involves a three-phase deal where Israel would withdraw from Gaza in return for the hostages and the release of hundreds of Palestinian security convicts held in Israeli prisons. A significant sticking point is Israel’s insistence on the option to resume the war to destroy Hamas, while Hamas demands an end to the fighting.

The IDF has now confirmed the deaths of 44 of the remaining 116 hostages held by Hamas since October 7. The terror group kidnapped 251 people during the onslaught, in which approximately 1,200 were killed, mostly civilians. Hamas is also holding the bodies of two soldiers since 2014 and two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015.

{Matzav.com}

The families of American-Israeli hostages held in Gaza issued a stern warning to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Monday, urging him not to address Congress later this week without announcing a hostage deal with Hamas.

“We view any speech that is not the announcement of the signing and closing of a hostage deal to be a total failure,” said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh is one of the eight American citizens abducted during Hamas’s October 7 attack, along with 108 others still held captive in Gaza.

“We fully expect that his speech to Congress on Wednesday is going to be the announcement of this hostage deal that we’ve all been waiting for,” Polin added, as other relatives of American hostages nodded in agreement during a press conference in Washington.

When asked what led him to make such a prediction, Polin admitted he had not been briefed on Netanyahu’s speech. He cited the support for a deal from Israel’s security establishment and the public, which, according to a recent poll, favors securing a hostage release and ceasefire agreement over continuing the war, by a margin of 67 percent to 26%.

“After all the calls for a deal in Israel, I’m taking that cue and saying that if he flew to Washington in the midst of all of that, it must be that he’s here to announce a deal,” Polin said.

Netanyahu, who arrived in Washington on Monday, told reporters before departing Israel that he would use the speech to “anchor the bipartisan support that is so important for Israel. I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East.”

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Defense Department must invest more to upgrade sensors, communications and space-based technologies in the Arctic to keep pace with China and Russia who are increasingly operating there, including in joint military exercises, a new Pentagon strategy says. Saying that now is “a critical time” for the Arctic, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Monday that climate change, increased activity by adversaries and degrading U.S. infrastructure are forcing the department to rethink how to keep the Arctic secure and ensure troops are well-equipped and protected. The Arctic strategy is short on specifics, but broadly pushes for greater spending on high-tech sensor and radar systems, a range of military equipment, and continued investment in Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. Space Force base in the northwest corner of Greenland. And it relies on growing partnerships with Canada and a number of NATO allies in the north. Defense Department leaders have, for more than the past decade, warned that the U.S. needs to step up its activities in the Arctic to better compete with China and Russia as climate change makes the frigid region more accessible. But the remote northern expanse presents an array of challenges, including demands for deep-water ports, weapons, drones and equipment that can withstand the climate, and additional ships that can handle the cold waters and break through the ice. The U.S. has also struggled with Cold War-era Defense and State Department infrastructure that is degrading in the frigid weather, and erosion on the coasts. The cold and increasingly unpredictable weather also restricts military training and affects equipment. And the region, which has limited satellite coverage, requires a far more expansive array of sensors for communications and military awareness. “Slowly over time, there’s been a bit of a greater awakening in the department,” said Iris Ferguson, the deputy assistant defense secretary for the Arctic. “Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how you implement a strategy.” The report notes that the Arctic is warming “more than three times faster than the rest of the world” and could see its first “practically ice-free summer” by 2030. As the ice melts, the increased traffic, it said, will boost the risks of accidents, miscalculation and environmental degradation. Hicks couldn’t quantify the increased activity by Russia and China in the region, but she called the growing cooperation between the two troubling. In 2022 and 2023, they conducted joint military exercises off the coast of Alaska. Meanwhile, the melting ice caps are opening sea lanes for longer periods of time each year, making lucrative oil and gas deposits more accessible. And China has provided critical funding to Russia for energy exploration. China has also increased its own activity in the region, including by its three icebreaker ships that do civil-military research in the region. According to the report, Chinese vessels have tested underwater drones and polar-capable aircraft there. Russia, which has the largest amount of Arctic territory and has the most developed military presence there, including important strategic nuclear capabilities, such as its submarine-launched ballistic missile force. Going forward, the strategy says the department will review options for better sensors, and new space-based missile-warning and observational systems with greater polar coverage. Insufficient investments in early warning and air defense sensors in the Arctic will increase risks to the U.S. homeland, the […]

The Democratic Party is experiencing a surge in donations after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. Following Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new nominee, $81 million flooded in from supporters nationwide within the first 24 hours.

This impressive fundraising figure, according to the Harris campaign, marks the largest single-day collection in U.S. history.

NBC News reported that the contributions came from a diverse pool of 880,000 grassroots donors, many of whom were making their first donation of the campaign cycle.

“The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” Harris for President Spokesperson Kevin Munoz stated. “Already, we are seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election.”

{Matzav.com}

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey, as top Democrats rallied to her in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his bid for reelection. The quick coalescing behind Harris marked an attempt by the party to put weeks of internecine drama over Biden’s political future behind them and to unify behind the task of defeating Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day. Prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly lined up behind Harris in the day after Biden’s exit from the race and her campaign set a new 24-hour record for presidential donations on Monday. Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California. By Monday night, Harris had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot, according to the AP tally. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP. California state Democratic Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75% to 80% of the state’s delegation were on a call Tuesday and they unanimously supported Harris. “I’ve not heard anyone mentioning or calling for any other candidate,” Hicks said. “Tonight’s vote was a momentous one.” Still, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago. Harris, in a statement, responded to the AP tally, saying she is “grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people.” Worries over Biden’s fitness for office were replaced by fresh signs of unity after a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties’ carefully honed plans for the 2024 race. Speaking to campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris acknowledged the “rollercoaster” of the last several weeks, but expressed confidence in her new campaign team. “It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” she said. She promised to “unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.” She quickly leaned into the themes that will be prominent in her campaign against Trump over the coming 100 days, contrasting her time as a prosecutor with Trump’s felony convictions — “I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said — and casting herself as a defender of economic opportunity and abortion access. “Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is in our hands.” The president called into the meeting from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he is recovering from COVID-19, to lend his support to Harris. He planned to talk about his decision to step aside in an address to the nation later this week. “The name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all,” Biden said in his first public remarks since announcing his decision to step […]

Ask the Rabbi with Rav Chaim Mintz: Who’s Right, Sephardim or Ashkenazim? Synopsis: Both! The laws are the same for all. It’s only customs that differ based on the countries where they used to live. We leave each other as our own, regardless of their customs.

WATCH:

Two Israelis were lightly injured after an explosive device detonated near Kibbutz Meirav in the Gilboa. The victims were Defense Ministry employees who were patrolling the security fence in the area. They noticed something suspicious and as they approached the spot, the terrorists detonated the device from afar. In a neis, the employees were only lightly injured. They were treated by paramedics and evacuated to HaEmek Hospital in Afula for further treatment. IDF forces launched a manhunt for the terrorists, including setting up roadblocks on all roads leading to Jenin and nearby villages. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)