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Ousted Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro erupted in Manhattan federal court Monday, denouncing his arrest as an abduction before being swiftly halted by the presiding judge as the proceedings began.

“I’m the president of the republic of Venezuela … I am here kidnapped … I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” Maduro declared at the outset of the hearing, prompting an immediate interruption from Alvin Hellerstein, who moved to rein in the outburst.

“Let me interfere — there will be a time and a place to go into all of this. Your counsel will be able to make motions … at this time, I just want to know one thing: Are you Nicolás Maduro Moros?” the judge asked from the bench.

“I am Nicholas Maduro Moros,” the defendant responded.

The confrontation set the tone for a contentious arraignment in which Maduro repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and insisted he remains the legitimate leader of Venezuela. After Hellerstein advised him of his right to legal counsel, Maduro pushed back.

“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” he said.

When informed of his constitutional rights, Maduro claimed he was learning of them in real time. “I did not know of these rights. Your honor is informing me of them now,” Marudo said, adding that he was seeing the indictment for the first time and formally entering a plea of not guilty.

“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here,” he said.

The exchange followed brief pleasantries between judge and defendant, with Hellerstein opening the session by saying, “Good morning, Mr. Maduro,” before launching into a sweeping recitation of the charges. The 92-year-old jurist read aloud allegations spanning more than a quarter century.

“Mr. Maduro … is charged in one count of narco-terrorism conspiracy, specifically from 1999 to 2025, he knowingly conspired with others … and intentionally provided something of pecuniary value to a person or organization engaged in terrorism and terrorist activity,” Hellerstein said.

As the charges were read, Maduro scribbled furiously on a white sheet of paper at the defense table.

Monday marked the first appearance in a U.S. federal courtroom for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The 66-year-old former leader and his 69-year-old spouse were indicted Saturday in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

Federal prosecutors say the couple was taken into custody at their heavily fortified compound in Caracas during a high-risk operation carried out by U.S. forces, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” after Donald Trump authorized the mission earlier that day.

The Trump administration has long labeled Maduro’s rule illegitimate, asserting that he clung to power through rigged elections, including the 2024 vote. Under Venezuela’s constitution, Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would be next in line to assume the presidency.

Maduro and Flores are currently being held in separate, solitary cells at Metropolitan Detention Center, the high-security Brooklyn facility guarded by heavily armed law enforcement. The jail has previously housed some of the most notorious defendants in recent history, including Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, and accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione.

{Matzav.com}

During his weekly shiur, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, the former Rishon LeTzion, addressed the recent arrests of yeshiva students and what he described as their mistreatment in military detention. Speaking at Beis Knesset HaYazdim in Yerushalayim, Rav Yosef wove the issue into his ongoing halachic discussion of Maariv, including whether one who davens an early Maariv has already accepted nighttime.

Rav Yosef shared a personal account involving a family member. “I have a grandson, a yeshiva bochur, who received a draft order,” he said. “He tore it up and put it in the toilet, as I told him to, and I told him not to come home to visit. Why? They’ll come at two in the morning, knock on the door, and take him to arrest. They don’t enter the yeshiva. Stay in the yeshiva – lock yourself in.” He added pointedly, “Maybe something good will come from this — that they’ll stay locked inside the yeshiva.”

The Rishon LeTzion then related the story of a yeshiva student arrested for what authorities term “draft evasion” and taken to a military prison, using the account to frame a halachic question raised during the shiur. “There was someone who didn’t stay in the yeshiva,” Rav Yosef said. “He wasn’t feeling well and went to his home in Ofakim. They came in the middle of the night and arrested him. He was taken to detention. In the morning he asked for tefillin — they took him quickly and he didn’t have a chance to bring tefillin — but they refused under any circumstances, especially if there are female guards there.”

Rav Yosef continued with a description relayed to him by one of the detainees. “One of the prisoners told me that a guard said to him, ‘Do you believe in Hakadosh Boruch Hu?’ He answered, ‘Of course, what do you mean?’ The guard said, ‘Hakadosh Boruch Hu will bring you [the tefillin].’ That’s how they mock. Evening came and they had to eat quickly. What did he do? At ten past four he davened Maariv. What else could he do there?”

At that point, Rav Yosef explained, the story took an unexpected turn that raised a practical halachic issue. “After he finished Maariv, at four-ten, suddenly they brought him tefillin,” the Rishon LeTzion said. “Can I put on tefillin now? He already davened Maariv — he already made it night.”

{Matzav.com}

In the second such incident in less than a month, an Israeli was arrested after filming outside the home of former prime minister Naftali Bennett in Ra’anana on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police announced in a joint statement on Monday. Lekachao Demsash, a 30-year-old resident of Rishon L’Tzion, was arrested […]

Dear Matzav Inbox,

A troubling tone has crept into our communal conversation, one that treats roshei mosdos not as devoted servants of the tzibbur, but as convenient targets for frustration, suspicion, and public scorn.

At a time when our mosdos are under unprecedented financial and societal pressure, the people standing at the helm are being second-guessed, attacked, and blamed for problems they did not create and cannot magically solve. It is long past time to pause, step back, and speak honestly about what roshei mosdos actually carry on their shoulders, and why they deserve our understanding, support, and gratitude rather than our anger.

Do you know what it’s like to be constantly harassed?

Not criticized in good faith. Not asked sincere questions. Harassed. Day in and day out. Anonymous emails. Public WhatsApp groups. Snide comments whispered at simchos. Armchair experts who have never balanced a budget, never signed a paycheck, never sat across from a rebbi whose rent is overdue, yet somehow feel fully qualified to pass judgment.

Do you know what it’s like to fundraise just to survive?

To wake up every morning knowing that if the checks don’t come in, the lights don’t stay on. That tuition — even when painfully high — still doesn’t cover expenses. That every month is a cliffhanger. That one donor pulling back can mean cutting a program, a rebbi, a therapist, a lifeline for a child who needs it most.

Do you know what it’s like to make payroll?

To stare at numbers late at night, calculating and recalculating, wondering how to stretch what you don’t have into what you must have. To sign checks knowing full well that your own salary — if you even take one — is the last priority. To absorb the stress so that rabbeim can teach, educators can inspire, and children can walk into a building that feels safe and stable.

Most roshei mosdos didn’t sign up for this.

They didn’t open yeshivos and schools because they wanted power, prestige, or a title. They opened mosdos to serve the community. To answer a need. To give children chinuch. To build something that would outlive them.

And instead, they are crushed under an impossible load.

They deal with parents who are hurting financially, but who sometimes turn that pain into anger directed at the very people trying to keep the doors open. They hear, “Why is tuition so high?” from both sides of their office door: parents who can’t afford it, and staff who can’t live without raises.

They deal with staff shortages, burnout, emotional crises, special needs cases that require infinite patience and resources, and children who come to school carrying burdens far heavier than backpacks. They are expected to be educators, administrators, fundraisers, social workers, compliance officers, and miracle workers — all at once.

They deal with ציבור pressure.

Everyone has an opinion. Everyone knows better. Everyone is sure there’s a simpler solution — until it’s their turn to sit in the chair.

And yet, despite all of this, they keep going.

They answer calls late at night. They sit with parents who are crying. They advocate for students who have no one else. They take the hits so others don’t have to. They absorb the stress, the blame, the venom — because if they don’t, the system collapses.

We owe them far more than criticism.

We owe them gratitude. Respect. Basic mentchlichkeit.

You don’t have to agree with every decision. You don’t have to think every policy is perfect. But the casual, relentless bashing of roshei mosdos has crossed a line. It is cruel. It is ignorant. And it is deeply unfair.

Before firing off that message. Before joining that pile-on. Before declaring, with great confidence, what “they should do,” ask yourself one question:

Could you do this?

Carry the financial burden. The emotional toll. The responsibility for hundreds or thousands of lives. The sleepless nights. The endless pressure. The public judgment.

Most people couldn’t last a week.

Roshei mosdos carry an impossible load so that our children can have a future. The least we can do is stop making it heavier.

L. K.

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{Matzav.com}

Following earlier evacuation warnings, the IDF has now begun attacking targets across southern Lebanon.

Authorities arrested an Ohio man early Monday after an apparent break-in attempt and vandalism at the Cincinnati residence of Vice President JD Vance, an incident that unfolded just after midnight.

According to Hamilton County jail records, 26-year-old William DeFoor faces multiple charges, including obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass, and vandalism. Court records indicate that his initial appearance before a judge is set for Tuesday.

The Associated Press reported, citing two law enforcement officials, that U.S. Secret Service agents stationed at the property heard a loud crash during the night. When they investigated, they allegedly found DeFoor using a hammer to smash a window and attempting to gain entry into the house.

One of the officials told the AP that the suspect also damaged a Secret Service vehicle while moving up the driveway toward the home.

Vance later addressed the incident in a post on X, writing: “I appreciate everyone’s well wishes about the attack at our home. As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I’m grateful to the secret service [sic] and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.

“We weren’t even home as we had returned already to DC,” Vance added. “One request to the media: we try to protect our kids as much as possible from the realities of this life of public service. In that light, I am skeptical of the news value of plastering images of our home with holes in the windows.”

Local station WLWT-TV reported that Vance, 41, had spent much of the previous week in Cincinnati before heading back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon. The vice president purchased the Walnut Hills property in 2018 for $1.4 million.

Court documents cited by WXIX-TV show that DeFoor has a recent criminal history involving vandalism. In April, he pleaded guilty to two counts after causing more than $2,000 in damage to a local interior design business.

As part of that case, DeFoor was ordered to undergo two years of treatment at a mental health facility and to pay $5,550 in restitution.

{Matzav.com}

A special and uplifting Maamad Keser Shel Torah was held for hundreds of outstanding bochurim from the Toldos Aharon yeshivos across Eretz Yisroel, honoring their dedication and achievements in Torah study. The event featured multiple siyumei masechtos, along with the distribution of certificates and prizes to talmidei chachamim who successfully completed rigorous examinations on hundreds […]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced that he is issuing a letter of censure to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the lawmaker’s participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders. Hegseth said that the censure was “a necessary process step” to proceedings that could result in a demotion […]

Following Nicolás Maduro’s arrest, President Trump openly suggested the United States could take military action against Colombia.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump lashed out at Colombian President Gustavo Petro, portraying him as deeply entangled in the cocaine trade and hinting that his time in power may be short. “Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.

When pressed directly on whether the United States might launch military operations against Colombia, Trump did not rule it out, replying, “it sounds good to me.”

The comments sparked immediate outrage in Bogotá, where Colombia’s government accused Trump of crossing a dangerous line. In a sharply worded statement released late Sunday, the country’s Foreign Ministry said the remarks were unacceptable, declaring that “It represents an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law.”

Trump’s escalation comes in the wake of Maduro’s capture and impending court appearance in New York City on federal drug-trafficking and related charges. The arrest followed months of U.S. airstrikes targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, an operation that later widened to include ships in the eastern Pacific believed to have originated from Colombia.

The administration has already taken punitive steps against Petro. In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Colombian president, members of his family, and one senior official, citing allegations that Colombia was complicit in the global cocaine trade.

Trump doubled down on his rhetoric Sunday, again accusing Petro of overseeing cocaine production facilities. “He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump said of the Colombian leader. “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”

At the same time, an unexpected diplomatic opening emerged from Caracas. Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez struck a markedly different tone from her earlier denunciations of the raid, which she had described as an illegal attempt to seize national resources.

“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodriguez said.

She followed with a direct appeal to Trump, adding, “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”

Rodriguez, who also serves as Venezuela’s oil minister, is widely viewed as the most pragmatic figure within Maduro’s inner circle, and Trump has previously indicated that she was open to engagement with Washington.

Despite her conciliatory remarks, Rodriguez has continued to insist publicly that the arrests of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, amounted to a “kidnapping,” and she maintains that Maduro remains Venezuela’s president.

{Matzav.com}

Netanyahu on his relationship with Trump – We agree on the big things, but as is common in families, from time to time there are differences in approach on certain points.

NETANYAHU: It is very possible that we are standing at a decisive moment, a moment in which the Iranian people will take their fate into their own hands. In any case, we will not allow Iran to rebuild the ballistic missile industry or renew the nuclear program.

After an unidentified drone flew over the Nevatim Air Force Base in southern Israel, security forces arrested a 21-year-old suspect in connection with the incident, and the Shin Bet has joined the investigation.

A 19-year-old barista at a café in Hampstead, London, was fired on Sunday after a Jewish customer was served a cappuccino topped with cocoa powder in the shape of a swastika.

Israeli security forces arrested a 30-year-old Rishon Lezion resident over an Iranian-directed surveillance mission near the home of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching its once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States today, offering 1.5 milligram and 4 mg doses at $149 per month for self-paying patients in an intensely competitive weight-loss drug market.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has pulled the plug on his campaign for a third term, a sudden move that comes as the state grapples with a widening fraud scandal tied to public assistance programs that exploded during his tenure.

Until the announcement, Walz had been regarded as the clear favorite heading toward November, benefiting from nearly two decades of consistent Democratic victories in statewide races. He formally launched his bid back in September, aiming for an unprecedented third term since Minnesota governors began serving four-year terms in the 1960s.

Explaining his decision, Walz said the demands of another campaign would distract him from what he sees as more pressing responsibilities. “In September, I announced that I would run for a historic third term as Minnesota’s Governor. And I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort,” Walz said in a statement.

He continued that, after extended reflection, he chose to step aside. “But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said.

Walz argued that his focus must remain on the fallout from the massive fraud investigation. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”

The scandal hanging over the administration involves widespread abuse of Minnesota’s social safety net. While estimates differ, authorities believe at least $1 billion was stolen, with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson suggesting late last year that the figure could climb as high as $9 billion.

Investigators say the fraud was concentrated within segments of the state’s Somali community, where sham nonprofit organizations were allegedly created to siphon state funds intended for homelessness services, food programs, and childcare assistance. To date, prosecutors have brought charges against more than 90 individuals.

Republicans quickly seized on Walz’s exit. “Good riddance,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.

Walz’s departure opens the field for a crowded race. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as the leading Democrat who could enter the contest. If she does, she would join several sitting senators from both parties who are seeking governorships elsewhere, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Michael Bennet of Colorado.

Klobuchar, reelected in 2024, is not scheduled to face voters again for her Senate seat until 2030. National Democrats had hoped to aggressively challenge Republicans in the 2026 midterms, defending only 13 Senate seats compared with the GOP’s 22. That strategy has been complicated by retirements in states such as New Hampshire, Michigan, and Minnesota, where Sen. Tina Smith has announced she will not run again. With Republicans holding a 53–47 Senate majority and only a handful of competitive GOP seats in places like Maine and North Carolina, Democrats already face a narrow path.

Other Democrats rumored to be weighing a gubernatorial bid include Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon. On the Republican side, possible contenders include My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

In recent months, Walz had been traveling extensively, hosting town halls and appearances nationwide following Kamala Harris’ loss in the presidential race, a move seen as an effort to raise his national profile after serving as her running mate in 2024.

In announcing his withdrawal, Walz also took aim at President Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Minnesota over the welfare fraud revelations. “I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors.”

He went further, accusing Republicans and conservative activists of reckless behavior. “We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children,” Walz said. “We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding that Minnesotans rely on.”

Walz concluded his remarks with a stark warning about the tone of the debate. “It is disgusting. And it is dangerous.”

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says he is issuing a formal censure letter to Senator Mark Kelly and has ordered the Navy to review the retired captain’s rank and retirement pay over a “seditious” video in which Kelly and other Democrats urged troops to refuse “illegal orders.” The censure will be placed in Kelly’s […]

Nicolas Maduro, the dethroned Venezuelan dictator indicted on major drug trafficking and weapons charges in the United States, was transferred to federal court in New York Monday for his arraignment, days after American forces captured him in his own presidential palace. Footage showed federal authorities transferring a handcuffed Maduro from a helicopter to an armored […]

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota announced on Monday that he’s dropping his bid for a third term as governor, amid stinging criticism of the unsuccessful 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee’s handling of his state’s massive welfare assistance fraud scandal. “The political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win,” Walz […]

President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that U.S. officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of […]