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The Trump administration announced Monday that it will levy a 50% tariff on selected Canadian imports, saying the move is necessary to counter what it described as discriminatory trade policies that disadvantage American businesses and workers.

The new duties will apply to certain products imported from Canada and are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19 under the authority of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Administration officials contend that Canada’s existing tax structure unfairly penalizes U.S. automakers, resulting in a sharp drop in American vehicle exports while providing an edge to competing foreign manufacturers.

“I find that it is necessary and appropriate and in the public interest to impose an additional ad valorem duty of 50 percent on certain products of Canada,” the order said.

“The United States, U.S. businesses and workers, and U.S. commerce suffer from Canada’s discriminatory, unequal, and unreasonable tariff scheme.”

Large-scale demonstrations broke out Monday evening in Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh as hundreds of protesters rallied against the arrest of yeshivah bochurim accused of draft evasion. Protesters blocked major roads, set fires on the Yerushalayim light rail tracks, and disrupted traffic throughout several key areas, prompting a large police response.

The protests, led by members of extremist chareidi factions, centered on Bar-Ilan Street and Chaim Bar-Lev Boulevard in Yerushalayim, as well as Yehuda HaNasi Boulevard in Beit Shemesh. The road closures caused significant traffic congestion, forcing many motorists to seek alternate routes.

According to Israel Police, demonstrators threw objects at security forces, blocked roadways, and refused repeated orders to disperse. After a police commander issued formal warnings instructing the crowds to leave and the protesters failed to comply, officers began using crowd-control measures to disperse the demonstrations.

Police officers from the Yerushalayim District, together with Border Police personnel, continued operating at multiple locations throughout the evening in an effort to clear the protesters, reopen the blocked roads, and restore public order.

Authorities urged the public to avoid the affected areas until the demonstrations conclude and advised drivers to use alternate routes due to the ongoing road closures and traffic disruptions.

The Israeli government has decided not to appear independently before the High Court of Justice to defend the recently enacted law freezing the arrests of chareidi draft evaders, a move that leaves the state’s position to be represented solely by the attorney general, who is expected to oppose the legislation.

According to the report, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri decided that the government would not seek separate legal representation during the High Court proceedings challenging the law. As a result, the government’s own position will not be presented independently before the justices.

The attorney general is widely expected to align with the petitioners challenging the law and argue against the legislation, meaning the law’s supporters will not have a separate government advocate presenting their case before the court.

A similar decision was reportedly made by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi regarding petitions challenging the Communications Reform Law. Although Karhi declined to request independent legal representation, the deputy attorney general reportedly offered, on his own initiative, to allow the government separate representation. Karhi ultimately rejected the proposal.

The government is taking a different approach, however, in the legal battle over legislation significantly limiting the authority of the attorney general. In that case, the government is expected to request separate legal representation and actively defend the law before the High Court. The details were first reported by i24NEWS correspondent Avishai Grinzaig.

The developments come after the High Court issued a temporary injunction blocking implementation of the law freezing the arrests of chareidi draft evaders. As a result, the legislation has not yet taken effect, and arrests of draft evaders are continuing under the existing legal framework.

The court also issued an order to show cause, requiring those defending the legislation to explain why the law should not be struck down.

In separate proceedings, the High Court likewise issued a temporary injunction suspending provisions of the Communications Reform Law that had been scheduled to take effect immediately.

By contrast, Supreme Court Justice Ofer Grosskopf declined to freeze the law concerning the attorney general’s status, noting that the legislation is not scheduled to take effect until January 2027.

{Matzav.com}

Khalil al-Hayya, the newly installed leader of Hamas and longtime deputy to Yahya Sinwar, has made clear that the terrorist organization’s objectives remain unchanged, openly calling on the Arab world to arm Hamas so it can carry out the destruction of Israel.

While some diplomatic circles have attempted to portray al-Hayya as a potential intermediary, his own public statements paint a vastly different picture. His rhetoric underscores his longstanding commitment to Hamas’ military campaign against Israel and his close ties to Iran.

Al-Hayya is one of Hamas’ most senior veteran leaders. For years he served as the right-hand man to Yahya Sinwar and played a central role in strengthening the organization’s strategic alliance with Tehran. His ideology is rooted in Hamas’ Islamist doctrine, viewing the group as the operational arm of those seeking Israel’s destruction.

In a recently circulated video, al-Hayya appealed directly to the Arab world, declaring: “Give us money, weapons and airplanes, and we will save you the trouble and eliminate the Zionist entity. We swear to the nation: We will eliminate the occupation from the land of Palestine.”

His remarks have drawn renewed attention in Israel to concerns that Hamas has not moderated its goals despite months of war and international diplomatic efforts.

For many in Israel, al-Hayya’s rise to the top of Hamas is viewed as further evidence that hopes of a postwar arrangement with the terrorist group remain unrealistic. Rather than signaling any shift in policy, his statements reinforce Hamas’ continued commitment to armed conflict and the destruction of Israel.

His appeal effectively calls on the broader Arab world to finance and equip Hamas while the organization carries out the fighting itself. To many Israeli observers, the speech serves as another reminder that Hamas’ leadership continues to openly embrace violence as its primary strategy and has given no indication of abandoning its longstanding objective of eliminating the Jewish state.

{Matzav.com}

A newly released State Department report contends that the Cuban government has spent years developing relationships with American activist organizations that can be mobilized to oppose U.S. policy, pointing to a recently published protest blueprint as evidence of what it describes as Havana’s growing influence inside the United States.

At the center of the report is the “National Rapid Response Plan,” issued in June by the National Network on Cuba, a coalition of more than 60 U.S.-based organizations. According to the State Department, the coalition maintains close ties to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), a Cuban government agency sanctioned in June over allegations that it supports Cuban intelligence operations.

The plan outlines a strategy for launching “coordinated nationwide actions” within 24 hours of either a U.S. military strike against Cuba or the “imminent threat” of such an attack. It states that its objective is to make it “politically and materially costly for the U.S. government to wage war on Cuba.”

Because the document has been publicly posted online, the State Department cites it as an example of what it says is Cuba’s broader effort to organize and activate sympathetic groups operating within the United States.

“The National Network on Cuba’s “materials reveal the continuing reach, coordination and sophistication of Cuba’s subversive capabilities on American territory,” the State Department report claims.

The report places particular emphasis on six organizations: ICAP, the National Network on Cuba, Code Pink, the People’s Forum, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the National Lawyers Guild.

Under the rapid-response plan, demonstrations would begin at 6 p.m. local time on the same day if U.S. military action occurred before 3 p.m. Eastern. If military action began after that time, protests would instead be held at 6 p.m. local time the following day.

Participants are instructed to gather at locations including federal buildings, courthouses, post offices, military installations, recruiting centers, ICE detention facilities, and ICE field offices. The plan also suggests major sporting venues hosting high-profile events as optional protest sites.

The report comes as the Trump administration continues to increase pressure on Cuba amid discussions about possible military intervention or regime change. President Trump has previously suggested a “friendly takeover” of Cuba and said in May that “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it” when asked about intervention. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the administration favors diplomacy while continuing to leave military options available.

According to the protest plan, demonstrations outside immigration facilities would “connect Cuba solidarity to anti-ICE/immigrant defense work happening nationwide.”

The document also directs activists to a database maintained by Black Alliance for Peace that, according to the State Department, identifies 1,335 military and law enforcement sites throughout the Western Hemisphere. The organization describes the map as a resource to help activists “strategize how and where to organize and agitate.”

The National Network on Cuba prominently features the plan on its website as part of its “No War on Cuba” campaign, alongside calls for rallies, banner drops, caravans, teach-ins, and additional protest activities.

State Department officials characterize the plan as a contemporary example of Cuba’s longstanding effort to cultivate American organizations sympathetic to Havana’s interests.

According to the report, the National Network on Cuba represents more than 60 organizations and works closely with ICAP. The Cuban government agency is headed by Fernando González Llort, a former member of Cuba’s Wasp spy network, which infiltrated exile organizations and gathered intelligence on U.S. military facilities in South Florida during the 1990s. González served 15 years in a U.S. prison before returning to Cuba.

The report identifies ICAP as the centerpiece of Cuba’s international influence campaign, alleging that it coordinates more than 2,000 solidarity organizations across over 150 countries.

Officials at the Cuban Embassy in Washington were not immediately available to comment on the report.

The report highlights six organizations it says illustrate the overlap between Cuba’s international outreach and American activist movements. While ICAP is a Cuban government entity, the National Network on Cuba is a U.S.-based coalition advocating closer relations with Havana.

The remaining organizations are all based in the United States. Code Pink is identified as an anti-war activist group, the People’s Forum as a New York political education and organizing center, the Democratic Socialists of America as a socialist political organization, and the National Lawyers Guild as a progressive legal association.

Code Pink, the Democratic Socialists of America, and the National Lawyers Guild’s Cuba Committee are all listed as members of the National Network on Cuba, along with the Communist Party USA and numerous other organizations.

The report does not specify the precise role each organization played in drafting or implementing the rapid-response plan. Instead, it argues that their interconnected relationships, joint campaigns, and delegations provide Cuba with access to an extensive activist network in the United States.

State Department officials note that the Democratic Socialists of America has organized several trips to Cuba, including a 2023 delegation whose members met privately with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and sought to establish formal communication with Cuban government ministries. At the same time, the report acknowledges that the Democratic Socialists of America was neither created nor directed by Cuban intelligence, stating that its support for Cuba is rooted primarily in ideology.

The report also describes the People’s Forum as a key organizing hub linking advocacy for Cuba with anti-ICE and pro-Palestinian activism. According to the report, the organization has served as the fiscal sponsor of the Venceremos Brigade, which has brought American activists to Cuba for decades, and has organized delegations that met with senior Cuban officials.

The report further states that both Code Pink and the National Lawyers Guild have participated in Cuba-related delegations and campaigns opposing the U.S. embargo. It also notes that the National Lawyers Guild adopted a 2026 resolution committing to work alongside the National Network on Cuba and the broader Cuba solidarity movement.

Although the report levels significant allegations, it does not announce sanctions or legal action against any of the U.S.-based organizations. Much of the report relies on publicly available documents, organizational materials, and previously published reporting. Its overarching conclusion is that Cuba views espionage, political advocacy, and ideological influence as interconnected elements of a long-term strategy directed against the United States.

The administration has significantly expanded economic pressure on Cuba throughout 2026. In January, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing tariffs on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba, and in May imposed additional sanctions targeting foreign entities involved in key sectors of the Cuban economy, supplementing the longstanding U.S. trade embargo.

Separately, Code Pink has come under federal scrutiny through an investigation involving Neville Roy Singham, the husband of Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans and a major financial supporter of the organization. A federal grand jury in Manhattan is reportedly examining potential foreign-agent registration and tax violations connected to Singham’s network.

Code Pink itself has not been publicly identified as a target of that investigation, and no criminal charges have been announced.

The Treasury Department has also requested information from Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin concerning a March humanitarian convoy to Cuba as officials review possible sanctions violations. Code Pink has denied any wrongdoing, saying the delegation delivered humanitarian aid to the island amid worsening shortages.

{Matzav.com}