Feed aggregator

Some 475 people were detained during an immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles, according to a Homeland Security official. Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, said at a news briefing Friday that the majority of the people detained were from South Korea. “This operation underscores our commitment to jobs for Georgians and Americans,” Schrank said. “This was in fact the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations.” The investigation has been ongoing for several months, with authorities receiving leads from community members and former workers, he said. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large” though he did not provide an exact figure. He said the detained workers were part of a “network of subcontractors,” and that the employees worked for a variety of different companies on the site. Thursday’s raid targeted one of Georgia’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, touted by Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials as the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s biggest automaker, began manufacturing EVs a year ago at the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people, and has partnered with LG Energy Solution to build an adjacent battery plant, slated to open next year. In a statement to The Associated Press, LG said it was “closely monitoring the situation and gathering all relevant details.” It said it couldn’t immediately confirm how many of its employees or Hyundai workers had been detained. “Our top priority is always ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities,” the company said. Hyundai’s South Korean office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. ICE spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed that federal authorities conducted an enforcement operation at the 3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) site west of Savannah, Georgia. He said agents were focused on the construction site for the battery plant. In a televised statement, Lee said the ministry is taking active measures to address the case, dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and planning to form an on-site response team centered on the local mission. “The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of U.S. law enforcement,” Lee said. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.” President Donald Trump’s administration has undertaken sweeping ICE operations as part of a mass deportation agenda. Immigration officers have raided farms, construction sites, restaurants and auto repair shops. The Pew Research Center, citing preliminary Census Bureau data, says the U.S. labor force lost more than 1.2 million immigrants from January through July. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents. Hyundai and LG’s battery joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said in a statement that it’s “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities” and paused construction of the battery site to assist their work. Operations at Hyundai’s EV manufacturing plant weren’t interrupted, said plant spokesperson Bianca Johnson. The Georgia plant […]

President Trump this morning took aim at longtime Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler, celebrating the veteran lawmaker’s decision to retire and blasting him as “one of the most disgusting Congressmen in USA History.”

Trump’s remarks came shortly after Nadler announced he would not be running again for Congress, ending more than three decades as Manhattan’s representative in Washington.

“Jerry Nadler, one of the most disgusting Congressmen in USA History is, at long last, calling it ‘quits’,” Trump declared in a Truth Social message early Friday morning.

“He’s finally leaving Congress! I’ve been beating this bum for 40 years, first as a New York City developer, where he opposed me, for no reason, at every corner, but could NEVER stop me from getting the job done, and then, as your President.”

The president also branded Nadler a “psychopathic nut job,” pointing to his role in spearheading impeachment proceedings against him on two separate occasions.

“It will be a great day for the U.S.A. when Nadler, a pathetic lightweight, is out of office and leaves our beautiful, and NOW VERY SAFE, Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote.

Nadler, now in his 17th term, explained that his decision stemmed from the need for a “generational change.” He hinted that President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline over the past year reinforced his choice to step aside.

“Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler told the New York Times.

He went on to add that a younger member of his party taking over his seat “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”

{Matzav.com}

The United States has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in a new escalation against drug cartels, The NY Post reported Friday, citing sources. The move follows a deadly U.S. strike earlier this week that killed nearly a dozen Venezuelan narco-terrorists.

According to a source close to the Trump administration, the advanced aircraft are expected to touch down in Puerto Rico next week, adding significantly to the U.S. military’s footprint in the southern Caribbean.

The decision to send the jets is part of President Trump’s pledge to take aggressive action against groups the U.S. has formally labeled as narco-terrorist organizations.

In recent weeks, American forces have already stationed naval vessels in the region as part of this expanded operation.

The latest announcement comes just after Trump disclosed that U.S. forces had taken out 11 individuals aboard a “drug-carrying boat” near Venezuela’s coastline.

Trump stressed that those killed were linked to Tren de Aragua, the powerful Venezuelan gang that has spread its influence far beyond the country’s borders.

“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, … trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere,” Trump declared in a Truth Social post shortly after the strike.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” he added.

{Matzav.com}

The attorneys general of California and Delaware on Friday warned OpenAI they have “serious concerns” about the safety of its flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, especially for children and teens. The two state officials, who have unique powers to regulate nonprofits such as OpenAI, sent the letter to the company after a meeting with its legal team earlier this week in Wilmington, Delaware. California AG Rob Bonta and Delaware AG Kathleen Jennings have spent months reviewing OpenAI’s plans to restructure its business, with an eye on “ensuring rigorous and robust oversight of OpenAI’s safety mission.” But they said they were concerned by “deeply troubling reports of dangerous interactions between” chatbots and their users, including the “heartbreaking death by suicide of one young Californian after he had prolonged interactions with an OpenAI chatbot, as well as a similarly disturbing murder-suicide in Connecticut. Whatever safeguards were in place did not work.” The parents of the 16-year-old boy, who died in April, sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, last month. OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Founded as a nonprofit with a safety-focused mission to build better-than-human artificial intelligence, OpenAI had recently sought to transfer more control to its for-profit arm from its nonprofit before dropping those plans in May after discussions with the offices of Bonta and Jennings and other nonprofit groups. The two elected officials, both Democrats, have oversight of any such changes because OpenAI is incorporated in Delaware and operates out of California, where it has its headquarters in San Francisco. After dropping its initial plans, OpenAI has been seeking the officials’ approval for a “recapitalization,” in which the nonprofit’s existing for-profit arm will convert into a public benefit corporation that has to consider the interests of both shareholders and the mission. Bonta and Jennings wrote Friday of their “shared view” that OpenAI and the industry need better safety measures. “The recent deaths are unacceptable,” they wrote. “They have rightly shaken the American public’s confidence in OpenAI and this industry. OpenAI – and the AI industry – must proactively and transparently ensure AI’s safe deployment. Doing so is mandated by OpenAI’s charitable mission, and will be required and enforced by our respective offices.” The letter to OpenAI from the California and Delaware officials comes after a bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general warned the company and other tech firms — including Meta and Google — last week of “grave concerns” about the safety of children interacting with AI chatbots that can respond with “… suggestive conversations and emotionally manipulative behavior.” The attorney generals specifically called out Meta for chatbots that reportedly engaged in inappropriate conversations with children, saying they were alarmed that that these chatbots “are engaging in conduct that appears to be prohibited by our respective criminal laws.” They said the companies would be held accountable for harming children, noting that in the past, regulators had not moved swiftly to respond to the harms posed by new technologies. “If you knowingly harm kids, you will answer for it,” the Aug. 25 letter ends. (AP)

Hamas on Friday posted a video on its Telegram channel showing hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, where he is seen embracing fellow captive Alon Ohel.

“Time is running out,” Hamas wrote alongside the footage.

In the clip, Gilboa-Dalal expressed disbelief that he was still alive after nearly two years of conflict and revealed that he was being held in Gaza City.

He added that he and the other hostages would remain in Gaza City during the next stage of the IDF’s military campaign, and that Hamas would move them wherever Israeli forces advance.

Earlier this week, Channel 12 reported that Abu Obeida, the late Hamas military spokesman, had intended to use psychological warfare centered around the hostages in an effort to deter Israel’s entry into Gaza City.

The newly released video also includes Gilboa-Dalal noting the date as August 28, suggesting it may have been recorded just before Obeida’s death.

On Friday morning, the Hostages’ Families Headquarters issued a fierce statement charging that the IDF has no clear knowledge of where the captives are being held, warning that the current Gaza offensive could result in their “murder and disappearance forever in the ruins of the Strip.”

“This action poses an immediate and direct danger to our loved ones who have been languishing in Hamas’s tunnels for 700 days. Sadly, we have not heard of any way to protect them, nor has any plan been presented to us that would ensure that Operation Gideon’s Chariots B will not turn into ‘Murder of the Six part two,’” the statement said, referring to the discovery of six hostages’ bodies — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino — in Rafah tunnels.

The statement continued: “Forty-eight of our loved ones are at risk of being murdered and disappearing forever in the ruins of Gaza.” The families blasted the IDF chief of staff for choosing “to cooperate with a needless war” while claiming that even he acknowledges there are ways to achieve goals without putting both hostages and soldiers in harm’s way.

The group further underscored: “What did not work in Gideon’s Chariots A will not work in Part B or in Part C,” insisting that a viable proposal already exists, referring to the plan advanced by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which they believe could lead to a sweeping agreement to free all the hostages and halt the fighting.

“The sign of life published this morning is yet another painful reminder that Israel must return to negotiations to return the hostages and try to close a deal,” Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X/Twitter.

“We must do everything to bring them home. Sending strength to the families, you are not alone, we are with you.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

[COMMUNICATED]

President Trump on Friday criticized the warming relationship between India, Russia, and China, just days after their leaders stood together in Beijing for a military parade.

“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, posting a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi side by side.

“May they have a long and prosperous future together!” he added.

The display in Beijing also featured North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, marking the first time all four appeared publicly together. The event commemorated 80 years since the end of World War II.

During the elaborate ceremony, Modi was seen clasping hands with Putin, a moment that underscored the tightening bonds between their nations.

Trump seized on the gathering to slam the regimes in China, Russia, and North Korea, accusing them of working in concert against America.

He also suggested the whole affair was staged.

“I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching — and I was watching,” Trump remarked about the Chinese military spectacle.

His comments followed a series of recent clashes with India, including his decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian imports and his sharp criticism of New Delhi for buying discounted Russian oil, which he portrayed as opportunistic.

{Matzav.com}

A passenger bus veered off a road and plunged into a precipice in a mountainous region in Sri Lanka, killing 15 people and injuring 16 others, a police spokesman said Friday. The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Thursday night and the bus fell into a roughly 1,000-foot precipice, police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said. The accident killed 15 people and wounded 16, including five children. Wootler said an initial police investigation revealed that the driver was driving the bus at high speed and lost control of it, crashing with another vehicle and into guardrails before toppling off the cliff. At the time of the accident, nearly 30 people were traveling on the bus. Local television showed footage of the severely damaged bus lying at the bottom of the precipice and rescues crews, including soldiers, police officers and volunteers, removing the injured throughout the night in harsh terrain. Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly maintained and narrow roads. (AP)

Health authorities are warning about the growing spread of Chagas disease in the United States, with most cases reported in California.

A new study published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases confirmed human infections in eight states, prompting researchers to call for the illness to be officially classified as “endemic.”

“Acknowledging the endemicity of Chagas disease in the United States is crucial for achieving global health goals,” the study’s authors wrote.

The CDC defines an endemic disease as one that has a “constant presence and/or usual prevalence” in a particular region, essentially representing the baseline level of infection in a community.

“Chagas disease (or American trypanosomiasis) is already endemic in South America and Central America, but it has now spread to the Southern U.S., where it is taking hold among insects and animals,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital.

Chagas is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted by triatomine insects, often referred to as “kissing bugs.”

Transmission occurs when feces from an infected bug enter the body through a bite wound or by coming into contact with the eyes or mouth, according to the CDC.

“When the kissing bug takes a blood meal, it will eventually defecate and leave the feces somewhere,” explained lead study author Dr. Norman Beatty, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“Sometimes it can ‘poop’ on our skin or mucous membrane while feeding, and then the parasite enters at that site. The bug’s feces can also end up inside or near a home and then be incidentally ingested or rubbed into the skin or mucous membrane.”

Other possible transmission routes in the U.S. include congenital infection, where a mother passes the parasite to her unborn child, or through organ transplants, Beatty noted.

The disease begins with an acute phase shortly after infection, followed by a chronic stage that can last for decades, according to the CDC.

Not everyone develops symptoms, but for those who do, they may include fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, or a rash.

“Chagas can lead to fever, fatigue, rash, body aches and lymph node swelling, and later can lead to digestive issues, heart problems and neurological involvement,” Siegel warned.

A distinct sign of infection is swelling of one eyelid, known as Romaña’s sign.

In the chronic stage, 20% to 30% of patients may go on to suffer from potentially fatal heart disease or severe digestive complications, the CDC reports.

An estimated 300,000 people are living with Chagas disease acquired either in Latin America or within the U.S., Beatty said.

“However, the exact number is unknown — a national prevalence study has never been conducted,” he told Fox News Digital.

The risk is higher in areas where kissing bugs live near human dwellings, particularly in California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

“What really matters is whether the kissing bug has been found invading homes and harbors the parasite that causes Chagas disease in a particular region,” Beatty explained, noting that current research is “just tipping the iceberg” in terms of understanding U.S. cases.

“Unfortunately, most of the United States is unaware of this ‘silent killer’ and the fact that it is spread by a bug,” he said.

“Our first steps are recognizing that this is an endemic infectious disease, building on improved education among the public and healthcare providers, and allocating funding for research and programs to support testing and additional monitoring.”

Beatty classified Chagas as a “neglected tropical disease.”

“Our hope as a team researching Chagas here in the U.S. is that we bring awareness to the fact that this infectious disease is being transmitted here and can be deadly,” he told Fox News Digital. “More research and resources are needed so we can help mitigate transmission to at-risk communities, especially those living in rural and agricultural sectors.”

Most people, he said, are bitten by kissing bugs inside their own homes.

“From there, a person will reach out with a picture of that bug, and we start the process of testing and educating on how to prevent the insect from getting in the home and deterring it from wanting to be around a human dwelling.”

While lab testing and treatment are available, many doctors are unfamiliar with Chagas and may not realize it is circulating in their communities.

Currently, two antiparasitic drugs—Benznidazole and Lampit (nifurtimox)—are approved for treatment in the U.S.

“Currently, there is a clinical trial being conducted to assess a new agent for the treatment of Chagas at certain centers in the U.S. and Latin America,” Beatty added.

There is no vaccine to prevent infection.

Patients in rural America often struggle to find doctors who understand the illness, Beatty noted.

“In my clinic, people have traveled from other states to see me in Florida just because they have no one else near them willing to care for them,” he said.

“It is essential that we start educating our future clinicians about Chagas disease and ways to test, treat and manage those infected.”

Beatty also outlined steps to keep kissing bugs out of homes.

He advised eliminating “harborages” for rodents and other nesting animals, such as woodpiles or clutter near houses.

Sealing cracks around doors and windows and installing screens can also reduce the risk.

He further recommended “judicial use” of residual pesticide sprays at entry points like door frames and window edges.

{Matzav.com}

A New York Times report has revealed a previously unknown failed 2019 mission by U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six, ordered by President Trump, aimed at installing surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during nuclear talks. The SEALs infiltrated North Korean waters in mini-subs at night, but after encountering a boat with flashlights, they opened fire, killing the occupants—later identified as fishermen—before retreating and aborting the mission.

A billboard in Times Square shares the plight of the hostages still in Gaza with the world as they mark 700 days in captivity

Liberals are reacting with outrage over reports that Bari Weiss, the independent journalist behind The Free Press, is being considered for a senior role at CBS News as Paramount’s new leadership inches closer to striking a major deal with her.

According to Puck News, Paramount CEO David Ellison—who took control of the company last month following his $8 billion merger with Skydance—is close to finalizing plans to purchase Weiss’s digital outlet and bring her into a top editorial position at CBS News, which has struggled in recent years.

Weiss, a self-described classical liberal who resigned from The New York Times in 2020 after clashing with progressive colleagues, has since been targeted by many on the cultural left for her work at The Free Press. Her publication has frequently challenged DEI initiatives, gender ideology, and media coverage critical of Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas.

CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy derided the rumored deal in his Status newsletter, describing the projected $100 to $200 million purchase price as “an absurd sum.”

“David Ellison vowed not to politicize Paramount — yet his first big move at CBS News is a major bet on Bari Weiss, one of the most polarizing figures in media,” Darcy wrote Wednesday evening. “Weiss, the stridently pro-Israel, proudly anti-‘woke’ culture warrior, has built her brand on polarizing political commentary — supposedly the type of material Ellison signaled to reporters that he wishes to run away from.”

Darcy cautioned, “Handing Weiss the keys won’t broaden trust — it will further erode it among the people who actually watch the network, reinforcing suspicions about Ellison’s agenda. In effect, the move will set CBS News on a course to squander its hard-earned credibility with the audience that reveres its history and demands it stand unbowed to power.”

HuffPost likewise referred to Weiss as the “polarizing editor of The Free Press,” saying the likely acquisition “offers a preview of how Ellison, the son of a top Trump ally, intends to shape CBS News moving forward.”

Salon also labeled Weiss “the polarizing editor and founder of conservative outlet The Free Press” and called her a “controversial figure.”

The Nation went further, publishing a piece under the headline, “Vile Grifters Are Taking Over Establishment Media.”

“If we lived in a less terrible time and place, Weiss would be dismissed as a crank and a bigot, and never heard from again. But we live in the waking nightmare that is the United States in 2025. So instead, Weiss is being rewarded with a prize that even she must think is kind of wild. That prize? CBS News,” wrote senior editor Jack Mirkinson. He called the deal “disturbing.”

“Whatever CBS News currently is, it isn’t just some hate factory pumping out shoddy propaganda 24/7. But now it’s being shipped over to one of the leading hateful propagandists of our time,” Mirkinson continued. “I hope that CBS News staffers resist this attempt to destroy their workplace with everything they have. I hope that Weiss’s tenure atop CBS is short and failed. But mostly, I hope that one day we live in a world where people like Weiss are treated with the contempt they deserve and are hurled into the cultural wilderness where they belong.”

Conservatives and critics of establishment media, however, have generally welcomed the idea of Weiss taking a leadership role at CBS, while many liberals and anti-Israel voices blasted the reports on social media.

“The right wing grift economy is undefeated,” former Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz wrote.

“finally! a pro israel voice in mainstream media!” progressive streamer Hasan Piker said sarcastically.

“CBS about to become your go-to news source on keffiyeh-wearing college students, how wokeness is the defining crisis of our times, whatever trans kids are up to, and whatever this is,” tweeted writer Jil Filipovic, posting a screenshot of a Free Press op-ed by Ben Shapiro.

She added, “I don’t hate the Free Press and I think Bari Weiss definitely has a lane. I frankly think it was a mistake to let her go from the Times — there is definitely a demand for anti-woke center-right people on the op/ed pages. But that lane is not running CBS News (!).”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is scouring payments covering health care for immigrants without legal status to ensure there isn’t any waste, fraud or abuse, according to public records obtained by KFF Health News and The Associated Press. While acknowledging that states can bill the federal government for Medicaid emergency and pregnancy care for immigrants without legal status, federal officials have sent letters notifying state health agencies in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington that they are reviewing federal and state payments for medical services, such as prescription drugs and specialty care. The federal agency told the states it is reviewing claims as part of its commitment to maintain Medicaid’s fiscal integrity. California is the biggest target after the state self-reported overcharging the federal government for health care services delivered to immigrants without legal status, determined to be at least $500 million, spurring the threat of a lawsuit. “If CMS determines that California is using federal money to pay for or subsidize healthcare for individuals without a satisfactory immigration status for which federal funding is prohibited by law,” according to a letter dated March 18, “CMS will diligently pursue all available enforcement strategies, including, consistent with applicable law, reductions in federal financial participation and possible referrals to the Attorney General of the United States for possible lawsuit against California.” The investigations come as the White House and a Republican-controlled Congress slashed taxpayer spending on immigrant health care through cuts in President Donald Trump’s spending-and-tax law passed this summer. The administration is also pushing people living in the U.S. illegally off Medicaid rolls. Health policy experts say these moves could hamper care and leave safety net hospitals, clinics and other providers financially vulnerable. Some Democratic-led states — California, Illinois and Minnesota — have already had to end or slim down their Medicaid programs for immigrants due to ballooning costs. Colorado is also considering cuts due to cost overruns. At the same time, 20 states are pushing back on Trump’s immigration crackdown by suing the administration for handing over Medicaid data on millions of enrollees to deportation officials. A federal judge temporarily halted the move. California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, who led that challenge, says the Trump administration is launching a political attack on states that embrace immigrants in Medicaid programs. “The whole idea that there’s waste, fraud and abuse is contrived,” Bonta said. “It’s manufactured. It’s invented. It’s a catchall phrase that they use to justify their predetermined anti-immigrant agenda.” Trump administration targets immigrants Immigrants lacking permanent legal status are not eligible to enroll in comprehensive Medicaid coverage. However, states bill the federal government for emergency and pregnancy care provided to anyone. Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., expanded their Medicaid programs with their own funds to cover low-income children without legal status. Seven of those states, plus Washington, D.C., have also provided full-scope coverage to some adult immigrants living in the country illegally. The Trump administration appears to be targeting only states with full Medicaid coverage for both kids and adults without legal status. Utah, Massachusetts and Connecticut, which provide Medicaid coverage only to immigrant children, have not received letters, for instance. CMS declined to […]

Six of the country’s most influential Jewish organizations are urging shuls and other Jewish institutions to apply for $274 million in federal security grants. However, a growing number of progressive groups and congregations are vowing to boycott the program, citing conditions they say betray Jewish values. The clash centers on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), a Department of Homeland Security initiative long championed by Jewish leaders to help houses of worship and nonprofits harden defenses against rising antisemitic violence. But new terms under the Trump administration—requiring grantees to support federal immigration enforcement and avoid diversity-related programs—have prompted liberal Jews to say they don’t want to participate in the program. In a rare joint statement issued Tuesday, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Anti-Defamation League, and three security-focused agencies—Secure Community Network, Community Security Initiative NY, and Community Security Service—urged all eligible institutions to apply. “While we are aware that questions have arisen on the part of certain religious institutions regarding the current year’s program criteria, our organizations strongly urge all eligible institutions to apply for this critical resource,” the groups wrote. “We are in regular contact with government officials who have affirmed their continued commitment to protecting the safety of all faith-based institutions and the values they hold.” The groups say that applying now keeps options open, noting that the conditions only take effect if funds are accepted, and that Trump administration messaging around enforcement rules has been inconsistent. At the same time, dozens of progressive Jewish organizations—joined by pro-Palestinian advocacy groups and several synagogues—have publicly pledged to boycott the program. “We are committed to upholding our communal values and will not comply with these repressive conditions,” reads an open letter signed by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace, and others. “Jewish safety requires inclusive democracy and inclusive democracy requires Jewish safety. We do not comply so we will not apply,” “Rabbi” Jill Maderer of Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia posted on Facebook. Another “rabbi,” speaking anonymously, described the grant conditions as “money being given to us on condition that we violate a specific mitzvah”—welcoming the stranger. “I don’t see how we can possibly accept that money,” he said, citing fear for refugee members of his congregation. Trump officials have made no effort to downplay the political nature of the changes. In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, DHS declared it would “no longer fund grant projects that don’t align with President Trump’s priorities,” explicitly rejecting “DEI agendas” and “illegal aliens in our country.” Created in 2004 and dramatically expanded after the Tree of Life massacre in 2018, the NSGP is the primary federal vehicle for shoring up the security of religious institutions at risk of extremist violence. Funds cover cameras, fencing, barriers, guards, and other protective measures. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican senator and former leader of the party in the Senate, warned that the world under President Donald Trump’s second term has entered a dangerous moment, drawing parallels to the years leading up to World War II.

In an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader published this week, McConnell, who is preparing to close out his political career next year, expressed alarm over tariffs and foreign policy, calling this era “the most dangerous period since before world war two.” He criticized the Trump administration’s reliance on tariffs, comparing it to America’s isolationist stance in the 1930s, which many historians believe contributed to the Great Depression and ultimately global conflict.

Although he voiced concerns about America’s lack of readiness to confront authoritarian regimes, the 83-year-old senator did not address accusations that Trump himself has pursued authoritarian measures.

McConnell also sidestepped his own role in expanding Trump’s influence. As majority leader, he blocked Barack Obama from appointing a Supreme Court justice, while later ensuring Trump secured another nominee in the final weeks of 2020. Those actions solidified a conservative 6-3 Court majority, one that critics contend has leaned heavily in Trump’s favor, particularly with last year’s ruling granting him immunity from prosecution for criminal conduct.

Since stepping down from Senate leadership earlier this year, McConnell said he has focused on “defense and foreign policy” and grown increasingly concerned about the path Trump’s “make America great again” trade agenda is charting.

“I think this is the most dangerous period since before world war two. There’s certain similarities right now to the 30s,” McConnell told the Herald-Leader.

“[Then president] Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill in 1930, widely believed by historians and economists to have taken the depression worldwide. Those who were totally anxious to stay out of all of what was going on in Europe were called ‘America First’. Sound familiar?

“So what do we have today? North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies. They’re very different kinds of countries, but they have one thing in common: They hate us.”

The remarks came before this week’s summit in Beijing where leaders hostile to Washington—including Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un—met in what some analysts described as a historic shift in the global balance of power.

McConnell argued that the U.S. should already have been preparing for the rise of these autocratic powers, pointing indirectly to what he saw as Trump’s mishandling of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The conflict, now in its fourth year, is the largest Europe has faced since World War II.

“When you talk about preparedness, we’re not prepared like we should be,” McConnell said.

“With regard to Ukraine, what we need to do is avoid the headline at the end of the war, ‘Russia wins, America loses.’ It has huge worldwide implications.”

He added that the more than $130 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine had tangible benefits for the United States as well, even as Trump has wavered on the issue.

“For those who are concerned about the money, I think it’s important to remember that about half of the money was spent in this country, including in Kentucky, [with] 38 states modernizing our own industrial bases,” McConnell said. “We’ve sent older weapons to Ukraine.”

Trump has often mocked McConnell since leaving office in 2021, once telling donors that McConnell was “a dumb son of a bitch” and labeling him “Old Crow.” In his interview with the Herald-Leader, McConnell declined to respond in kind.

“My own view about the leader job, whether you’re the president or the leader of one of the parties, is the Ronald Reagan quote that I thought made the most sense. He had what he called the 11th commandment: ‘Do not speak ill of another Republican,’” McConnell said.

Still, he bristled at suggestions that his decision to retire stemmed from declining popularity in Kentucky, a perception fueled by criticism from businessman Nate Morris, a staunch Trump ally and potential Senate successor. “I’m a Trump guy, not a McConnell boy,” Morris has said.

McConnell countered that his long record speaks for itself. “These suggestions about who’s popular and who isn’t irritate the hell out of me, because when you get into the leadership position, you get beat up,” he said.

“How do you judge popularity? Seven victories in Kentucky, nine victories in the [Senate Republican] conference.”

Reflecting on his legacy, McConnell cited his role in the 2004 Kentucky tobacco buyout, which allowed farmers to leave the crop behind, as one of his proudest accomplishments. “At the federal level it would be the courts,” he added.

When asked if the United States was in better shape now than before Trump’s presidency, McConnell demurred. “I’m not sure enough time has passed to start evaluating who made a difference and who didn’t,” he said.

He acknowledged, however, that he has thought about how he will be remembered. “I would like everybody to be able to say, you know, I actually had an impact in a positive way on the country.”

{Matzav.com}

Billionaire Bill Ackman announced he is now backing Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s mayoral race — in a dramatic about-face after he previously endorsed Mayor Eric Adams, claiming the former New York governor did not have the energy to defeat surging socialist Zohran Mamdani. Just two months ago, Ackman had endorsed Adams and called on Cuomo to drop out of the race, claiming his “subdued energy” made it “abundantly clear” that the ex-governor “is not up for the fight” to take down Mamdani.

A passenger bus plunged nearly 1,000 feet off a cliff near Wellawaya, killing 15 people and injuring 16 others — including 5 children. Police say the driver was speeding, lost control, and crashed before the bus toppled into the precipice. Rescue crews worked through the night in dangerous terrain. Deadly bus crashes are frequent in Sri Lanka’s mountain regions due to reckless driving and poor roads.

Putin warned Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine — even peacekeepers — would be treated as “legitimate targets” by Russia. The threat came hours after French President Macron said 26 countries had pledged to send forces to guarantee Ukraine’s security after a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia launched 157 drones & 7 missiles overnight, hitting homes in Dnipro and cutting power in Chernihiv. Ukraine says 121 drones were intercepted.

Tesla has proposed a $1 trillion payout for Elon Musk — if the company hits extremely ambitious targets over the next decade. The plan requires milestones like a $2T valuation, 20M vehicle deliveries, 1M robotaxis & 1M AI bots. Musk must stay 10 years to cash in. Meanwhile, Tesla stock is down 25% this year and profits have plunged, raising big questions about whether these moonshot goals are realistic.

UK Deputy PM Angela Rayner has resigned after an ethics probe found she failed to meet ministerial standards over a £800k home purchase. Rayner admitted she underpaid stamp duty tax but said it was an honest mistake. PM Keir Starmer praised her service, calling her decision “the right one.” Her departure leaves Labour without its deputy leader — and removes one of the party’s most popular figures.