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Jill Biden is facing growing criticism from individuals who worked in the Biden administration after remarks she recently made about President Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate performance against President Donald Trump, comments that many former aides reportedly view with deep skepticism.

The controversy erupted after Jill Biden described her reaction to the June 2024 CNN debate, suggesting she feared her husband may have been suffering from a serious medical episode during the event.

Alex Thompson, the Axios journalist who co-authored the book Original Sin, which examined concerns surrounding Biden’s mental and physical condition, said he has heard significant pushback from former Biden administration officials since Jill Biden’s comments became public.

According to reporting cited from The Atlantic ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, Jill Biden said she believed her husband might have been experiencing a medical emergency.

“Well, a lot of Democrats, including several Biden aides that I’ve talked to since yesterday when this interview came out, just simply don’t believe her,” Thompson told CNN’s Brianna Keilar.

Thompson noted that Jill Biden appeared with her husband at a rally immediately following the debate and continued participating in campaign activities in the days that followed, behavior that some former aides believe is difficult to reconcile with her current account.

“And a lot of former Biden aides, you know, have told me if you really believed he might be having a stroke, that it’s not necessarily the same behavior that you would do. There’s no evidence that there was any significant medical exam afterward,” Thompson said before acknowledging she suggested her husband take a cognitive exam but was overruled by his advisors, per The Atlantic.

He said many Democrats view the renewed discussion as an attempt to revisit and reshape a chapter of political history that has already been heavily scrutinized.

“And, you know, a lot of Democrats think that this is simply unhelpful to come out at this moment and try to rewrite this portion of history… I have to say that there is a significant skepticism that she is trying to rewrite this narrative right now.”

Thompson also referenced reporting he conducted during the 2024 campaign, arguing that Biden’s debate performance was not an isolated incident. According to his reporting, aides and advisers had observed similar struggles months before the debate took place.

He further pointed to Biden’s interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur, during which questions were raised about the president’s memory and recall. Despite those concerns, Thompson said Biden’s closest advisers continued to publicly maintain that he was capable of serving effectively.

“They just feel that the inner circle gaslit them,” Thompson said.

Thompson added that the reaction from some former Biden administration officials has been unusually intense.

“I’ve been surprised by the level of anger and frustration that I’ve heard from former Biden aides towards the former first lady in the last 24 hours,” he added.

In a separate post on X, Thompson revealed that one former Biden official offered an even harsher assessment of Jill Biden’s recent explanation, telling him simply: “she’s lying.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration on Thursday launched a new website that uses the language and imagery of extraterrestrial conspiracies to spotlight immigration enforcement efforts, presenting data on illegal immigration through a platform called Aliens.gov.

The new site, which adopts a science-fiction theme, argues that the “aliens” Americans should be concerned about are not visitors from another planet but illegal immigrants already living in communities across the country. The website was introduced as a tool for tracking immigration arrests, border encounters, and enforcement actions nationwide, according to information obtained by Fox News Digital.

“They walk among us,” the website reads. “For 60 years, the U.S. government has kept a closely guarded secret. Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives. They’ve shopped in the same stores, attended the same classes as our children, and lived seemingly normal human existences.”

The site then delivers its central message:

“With one exception — they do not belong here.”

Fox News Digital reported that it reviewed the website in advance of its launch. The platform combines immigration statistics with references to UFO disclosure campaigns, using humor and satire while advancing the administration’s position on border security and illegal immigration.

According to a White House official, the goal is to draw public attention to what the administration views as the consequences of the previous administration’s border policies.

“This is a first of its kind effort to draw eyeballs to the fact that the previous administration’s porous border didn’t just put families in border states at risk, many across the country were in harm’s way,” a White House official told Fox News Digital.

Among the website’s features is an interactive map of the United States displaying locations where immigration arrests have occurred. Visitors can also view a running total of migrant encounters, which the site says has exceeded three million.

Drawing from Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, the platform allows users to search enforcement actions by city, state, or alleged offense. Search results include information such as arrest dates, criminal allegations, countries of origin, and any reported gang connections.

The website presents a sharply critical assessment of past immigration policies, claiming that federal officials knowingly permitted large numbers of migrants to enter and remain in the country.

“Millions arrived under the cover of darkness and embedded themselves directly into our society. Countless presidents, congressmen, and senior officials knew exactly what was happening. Instead of protecting American citizens, they chose to cover it up and even accelerate the invasion,” the new website states.

The site credits President Trump with bringing attention to the issue and portrays him as the first national leader willing to confront it directly.

“Until one man finally had the courage to tell the truth. Bold. Unapologetic. Unafraid. President Trump was the first to call out the real danger Aliens pose to every American family, every community, and the future of our nation,” the website said. “The truth is no longer out there. It is right here. Right now.”

White House officials told Fox News Digital that the information displayed on the website will be refreshed continuously and will also be integrated into the administration’s existing White House mobile application.

The platform additionally includes an ICE reporting feature that encourages members of the public to “report suspicious aliens.”

The launch comes shortly after the Department of War released two batches of previously classified UAP records as part of a government-wide transparency initiative. That effort directed agencies to review internal archives for decades-old reports involving unidentified aerial phenomena, responding to longstanding public interest in UFO investigations and government secrecy surrounding unexplained sightings.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his decision not to attend Sunday’s Israel Day Parade during a public safety briefing on Thursday, reaffirming a campaign pledge that has drawn sharp criticism from supporters of Israel and many within the city’s Jewish community.

Mamdani, whose positions on Israel have long been the subject of controversy, confirmed earlier this week that he would not take part in the annual celebration. His absence marks a significant departure from the practice of previous New York City mayors, who traditionally joined the march along Fifth Avenue as a show of support for Israel and solidarity with the city’s large Jewish population.

“While I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe,” Mamdani announced during the joint law enforcement briefing, as quoted by The New York Daily News.

He stressed that City Hall’s focus remains on providing security for major public events throughout the city, regardless of whether he personally participates in them.

A visible contrast within the administration emerged when journalists asked whether any senior officials would represent the mayor’s office at the parade. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch immediately made her position known by indicating that she would be attending.

“It’s the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch declared, describing the annual event as “one of the most joyful days of the year.”

Tisch said police are implementing the most extensive security operation ever assembled for the parade, citing increased concerns over threats targeting Jewish institutions both in New York and across the country.

According to city officials, the security plan will include a record number of officers, specialized tactical units, and heavy weapons teams stationed throughout the parade route. Everyone seeking entry into the event area will be subject to screening procedures. Emphasizing that no exceptions will be made, Tisch warned: “If you think you are too important to be screened, don’t come”.

Mamdani’s decision to stay away from the parade is the latest flashpoint in a broader record of actions and statements that have generated criticism from pro-Israel groups and elected officials.

During last year’s mayoral campaign, Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”. He also faced criticism for comments he made about Israel on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel.

He has frequently accused Israel of committing war crimes during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza and has stated that he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he travel to New York City.

Further controversy erupted shortly after Mamdani took office when he rescinded several executive orders concerning Israel that had been enacted by his predecessor, Eric Adams.

Among the directives revoked was an order signed by Adams in June 2025 adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism for New York City government.

Another canceled directive barred mayoral appointees and agency employees from participating in boycotts or divestment efforts targeting Israel.

Since assuming office, Mamdani has repeatedly found himself at the center of disputes involving allegations of antisemitism. One recent report highlighted social media activity by his wife, Rama Dawaji, who reportedly liked several posts that praised or appeared sympathetic to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

Additional criticism followed earlier this month when Mamdani released an official city video marking the “Nakba,” the term used by Palestinian Arabs to describe the creation of the State of Israel as a catastrophe.

Despite objections from numerous Jewish organizations, the mayor stood by the decision to publish the video and defended its release.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s ambassador to the United States said Thursday that any agreement aimed at resolving concerns over Iran’s nuclear program must result in the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, including hundreds of centrifuges that could rapidly produce enriched nuclear material.

Appearing on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, Ambassador Michael Leiter said Israel believes a diplomatic solution remains possible, but only if Iran’s nuclear capabilities are fully eliminated and independently verified.

Leiter said the ideal outcome would involve Iran opening its facilities to international inspectors and allowing experts to confirm that all nuclear-related materials and equipment have been removed.

“[T]he best case scenario would be that they actually open it up as a result of any deal and turn it over, by inspectors that would come in, experts that would come in and assess that all of it has been removed. But it’s important to point out, they have 1,700 centrifuges that can produce nuclear weapons tomorrow — enriched material, I should say, tomorrow. So those have to be dismantled as well or at least completely taken out of the ability to be reconstituted.”

The ambassador emphasized that merely pausing Iran’s nuclear activities would not be sufficient. In Israel’s view, any arrangement must ensure that the machinery used to enrich uranium cannot be restored or brought back into operation at a later date.

Earlier in the interview, Leiter expressed confidence that ongoing diplomatic efforts could ultimately produce a far-reaching agreement that eliminates the need for military action.

“we’re very confident, at the end of the day, if we have a deal of that nature, rather than going back to kinetic activity, it’s going to include a complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”

His remarks come as negotiations continue over a potential agreement with Iran, with nuclear enrichment and the future of Tehran’s uranium-processing infrastructure remaining among the central issues under discussion.

{Matzav.com}

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Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, said on Thursday that there will be appropriate security at the Salute to Israel Parade, scheduled for Sunday, which he plans to skip despite a tradition set by his predecessors.

“We expect tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to gather along Fifth Avenue for this event, and while I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part,” Mamdani said at a press conference at New York City Police Department headquarters.

“As the mayor of our city, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance,” he said.

Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the NYPD who is Jewish, also spoke at the press conference.

“It’s the largest celebration of its kind outside of Israel, and for so many of us, it’s one of the most joyful days of the year,” she said. “But the sobering truth is it is also taking place in a heightened threat environment with multiple threat vectors active at the same time.”

“Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have seen an unacceptable rise in antisemitism and dozens of attacks across the United States, Canada and Europe targeting the Jewish community. That has only increased in the wake of the start of hostilities in Iran on Feb. 28,” Tisch said.

She noted that two weeks ago, a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander “connected to approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and Canada in just the past few months alone was arrested for those attacks and for allegedly planning to target a synagogue in New York City.”

“In that threat environment, to be blunt, we are not messing around with security at this year’s parade,” Tisch told reporters. “The NYPD is one of the most robust municipal counterterrorism capabilities of any city in the world, and I am bringing all of that to bear for this year’s parade.”

“This Sunday, New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for the Salute to Israel parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to that detail,” she said. “Included in that security plan will be the most heavy weapons teams ever, robust camera coverage of the area and comprehensive screening of everyone entering the parade route, including spectators, vendors, participants and the press.”

“If you think you are too important to be screened, don’t come,” she said. “There will be no exceptions.”

The NYPD will also screen and sweep “all assets deployed on the route, including vehicles and porta potties, according to Tisch.

“We will not tolerate any disruptions to the parade. Any unauthorized persons entering the parade route will be arrested,” she said. “The public should also expect to see counterterrorism teams, explosive detection canines, helicopters, drones, emergency service, mounted unit, hostile surveillance teams and other assets.”

Streets leading up to the parade route will have “hardened block NYPD vehicles and heavy sanitation trucks,” she said.

There will be designated screening entry points at East 61st, 63rd, 66th, 70th and 73rd Streets off Madison Avenue, and the entire west side of Central Park West, which borders Fifth Avenue, will be closed off to pedestrians and parade viewers, according to Tisch.

Historically, parade viewers lined both sides of the legendary Fifth Avenue, where the parade has been held annually since 1964.

“At this time there are no serious or credible threats against the parade,” Tisch said at the briefing.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council-New York, which organizes the annual show of pride that typically attracts more than 250,000 participants and spectators, also spoke at the press conference.

“We are expecting one of the biggest turnouts ever this Sunday at the Israel Day on Fifth Parade,” he said. “We are expecting sunny and 70-degree weather, baruch Hashem,” praise God, “and the Knicks are going to the NBA finals, all happening at the same time,” he said.

“We’re expecting tens of thousands of folks from New York, across the state, across the region, even folks from the tri-state region and beyond in celebration of our love and our story and our pride and our identity of who we are as a people,” Treyger said.

Liz Berney, director of research and special projects at the Zionist Organization of America, said during an online meeting about the parade’s history on Thursday that fewer people might show up for fear of a terror attack.

“I’m hearing this from other organizations marching in the parade—that they have people calling them” and canceling, Berney said. “It’s not what the parade should be.”

Mamdani has said that, breaking with decades-long custom from City Hall, he won’t march in the parade. Jule Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, who is Jewish, intends to be part of the parade, as do candidates in upcoming Democratic congressional primaries around the city scheduled for next month.

“It’s the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch told reporters.

A reporter asked Mandani if he will send someone to represent his administration in his absence. Tisch looked at Mamdani and pointed at herself and smiled.

“OK,” the reporter said, amid some laughter. “So that’s an answer.” JNS

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that negotiations between the United States and Iran have advanced significantly, though key disputes remain unresolved and no final agreement has yet been approved by President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters, Vance indicated that both sides continue to work through outstanding issues related to a proposed memorandum of understanding.

“It’s hard to say when or if the President is going to sign the MOU. We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points. I do think we’ve made a lot of progress here. It’s very clear, I think, the Iranians want a deal and they want to open the Strait of Hormuz. We want them to open the Strait of Hormuz,” Vance said.

He noted that the most difficult discussions continue to revolve around Iran’s nuclear program, particularly its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and future enrichment activities.

“There are a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff and the highly enriched stockpile, the question of enrichment,” he continued. “So we’re going back and forth with them. We do think they’re negotiating, at least so far, in good faith and we’re making some progress.”

Vance expressed cautious optimism that additional progress could pave the way for presidential approval, while stressing that no final decision has yet been made.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make progress and the President will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously, that’s still TBD.”

His remarks followed confirmation from White House officials that American and Iranian representatives have tentatively agreed to a 60-day memorandum designed to extend the ceasefire and launch formal talks over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Sources familiar with the mediation effort told Axios that although negotiators have reached a preliminary understanding, Trump has not yet signed off on the proposal. Two U.S. officials and a regional intermediary involved in the talks said final approval remains pending.

According to Axios, the proposed framework would represent one of the most significant diplomatic developments since the conflict began, although major issues would still need to be negotiated before a comprehensive agreement could be finalized.

One key provision would guarantee uninterrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official said Iran would be barred from imposing fees or interfering with commercial traffic and would be required to clear all naval mines from the strategic waterway within 30 days.

The proposal also envisions a gradual rollback of the American naval blockade as commercial maritime activity resumes.

Officials said the memorandum would include a formal Iranian pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons. During the initial 60-day period, negotiators would concentrate primarily on the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves and the broader question of uranium enrichment.

The report said Washington would also be prepared to discuss easing sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian assets as part of the talks. Additional discussions would focus on creating channels through which Iran could obtain goods and humanitarian aid.

Trump, meanwhile, signaled during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he remains unconvinced by the current state of the negotiations and expects more concessions from Tehran before any agreement is finalized.

“They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there,” Trump said, adding, “We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be either that, or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

Even while voicing frustration with the pace of progress, Trump suggested that the negotiations are moving in a positive direction and indicated that Iran may be beginning to yield on issues the administration considers essential.

He said he believes “the Iranian regime is starting to give us the things that they have to give us.”

An anti-Israel Wikipedia editor was indefinitely banned this week from editing articles related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The editor, known as “TarnishedPath,” has made more than 54,000 edits on the site and was sanctioned through Wikipedia’s Arbitration Enforcement process, in which administrators enforce rulings issued by the site’s Arbitration Committee, Wikipedia’s highest dispute-resolution body in contentious topic areas.

TarnishedPath and another editor, “Sean.hoyland,” were accused of repeatedly defending “M.Bitton,” an anti-Israel editor who was recently banned from Wikipedia, and, in so doing, of violating Wikipedia policy against turning the site into “a battleground between factions.”

One administrator initially imposed a 90-day ban on TarnishedPath from editing articles related to the conflict over conduct on the talk page for Wikipedia’s main Zionism entry, separate from the original complaint. After reviewing the editor’s broader conduct, other administrators escalated the sanction to an indefinite topic ban.

Sean.hoyland received an informal warning, a notice from administrators cautioning that further problematic conduct could lead to sanctions.

TarnishedPath can appeal the sanction, but the editor has not yet done so.

Shlomit Lir, a University of Haifa researcher who specializes in Wikipedia, told JNS that “the English Wikipedia article on Zionism remains one of the most contested and deeply problematic entries in this topic area.”

She said it was “encouraging” that Wikipedia administrators were recognizing “patterns of battleground editing, procedural obstruction and attempts to flatten or distort the historical meaning of Zionism.”

“This is an important, if overdue, step toward protecting a knowledge space that should represent historical complexity rather than politicized framing under the appearance of neutrality,” she told JNS.

{Matzav.com}

The Sequoia Union High School District, which has about 9,000 students in eight schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, conceded that it must protect Jewish students better, settling a lawsuit alleging that it mishandled antisemitism.

“For years Jewish students have endured not only overt antisemitism, but their complaints about those experiences have been ignored or even maligned,” Lori Lowenthal Marcus, legal director of the Deborah Project, told JNS.

The settlement “requires policies of transparency, unbiased decision-making and concrete protections from antisemitic indoctrination and bullying” by district students, teachers and administrators, Lowenthal Marcus said. (JNS sought comment from the district.)

The agreement, which lasts until June 30, 2029, calls on the district to pay the six families who sued $325,000 in legal fees and for emotional distress and other damages. JNS saw a copy of the settlement.

The district also agrees to list the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a “controversial issue,” which means teachers will have to present the matter neutrally, without sharing their personal views on the subject.

Teachers in the district will also have to warn students not to draw conclusions on the subject without having all the relevant information.

The Deborah Project, a public-interest law firm, and Ropes and Gray represented the six families who sued the district in November 2024.

They alleged that the district was deliberately indifferent toward instances of Jew-hatred and that district officials “shifted blame onto the victims, refused to engage with concerned parents and used superficial ‘investigations’ to whitewash legitimate concerns.”

A neutral, independent decision-maker, or a curriculum expert that that person approves, will need to clear any supplementary instructional materials about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict used in the classroom, per the agreement.

“Parents get to see any materials that are going to be used in the classroom,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS.

The settlement requires the district’s board to state explicitly in its policies that antisemitism is a barred form of discrimination.

The district’s definition of antisemitism also must include “the denial of the right of Israel to self-determination and self-defense, and holding Israel to a standard or behavior that other democratic nations are not,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS.

“That’s huge,” she said. “It isn’t only when kids say, ‘heil Hitler’ or a teacher tells a Holocaust joke, as horrible as those are, and those generally are recognized already as being antisemitic.”

“But you can’t call Jewish kids, tell them that their families are committing genocide and you can’t say that Israel has no right to exist,” she told JNS. “That is verboten, and that has not been the case before.”

As part of the agreement, the district agrees to provide mandatory Jew-hatred training to administrators, teachers and staff and to provide yearly anti-hate programs for students.

The district also commits to provide at least one antisemitism lesson in world history classes at its schools.

The agreement also stipulates new ways that the district must handle discrimination complaints.

It will be required to hire a third-party investigator who has not worked for the district within three years of the complaint and who cannot have any other conflict of interest. The investigator will provide a report to the district and the complainant after the probe, and an independent decision-maker will review the findings and make a determination that will be provided to both the complainant and district officials, according to the agreement.

“It used to be that all the policies and all the control were essentially owned by the district and able to be used and manipulated by the district,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS. “Now the students and the families have a degree of control.”

The district is not admitting to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

Lowenthal Marcus told JNS that the district is “going to go back and review the complaints that were filed that initiated this lawsuit.”

“That’s looking backward. Everything else is really looking forward, making new policies and requirements and putting teeth into what existed before,” she said. “There’s no more playing, ‘Well it depends on what you mean by X.’”

“It’s spelled out in the settlement,” she said.

A “neutral fact-finder” will determine if both sides are following the terms of the settlement, Lowenthal Marcus said.

{Matzav.com}