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Federal health authorities have begun a broad reassessment of whether any deaths may be connected to COVID-19 vaccinations, marking a major shift in the government’s handling of vaccine safety concerns. Officials revealed this week that the Food and Drug Administration has opened an expansive inquiry spanning multiple demographics.

According to Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency is “doing a thorough investigation, across multiple age groups, of deaths potentially related to COVID vaccines.” Vaccine makers have also been notified that regulators are reexamining data on RSV immunizations as part of a larger review of post-market safety.

The COVID-19 vaccines were introduced at the end of 2020 under emergency-use authorization, and by the middle of the following year the Pfizer-BioNTech shot became the first to obtain full FDA approval. Public guidance has since tightened, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. openly criticizing the vaccines and significantly reducing federal recommendations for who should receive them.

Amid that backdrop, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced last month that 10 children had died following COVID-19 vaccination. He told NBC News last week that the Biden administration withheld information about the risk of myocarditis — a heart inflammation condition — from public release. “We have done more to study myocarditis and to go back and look at deaths of people, of children from the COVID vaccine,” Makary said. He added, “Internal data submitted on myocarditis, we found that the Biden administration was sitting on data on myocarditis in young people, and it was not made public.”

In response to the accumulating findings, FDA official Vinay Prasad circulated a memo to agency staff, saying the revelations would trigger a revision of how the FDA evaluates immunizations, including flu shots, placing heightened requirements on manufacturers to demonstrate safety and efficacy. “This is a profound revelation,” Prasad wrote in the memo, which The New York Times first disclosed. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that COVID-19 vaccines have killed American children.”

{Matzav.com}

The White House is preparing to launch the last phase of interviews for the next Federal Reserve chair, a process that had been delayed after plans for meetings last week were abruptly scrapped. The decision comes as attention intensifies over who will guide U.S. monetary policy deep into President Donald Trump’s second term.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Tuesday night, Trump confirmed that the field has narrowed. He noted that his team is “going to be looking at a couple different people” to replace Jerome Powell and added, “I have a pretty good idea of who I want.”

Powell’s four-year tenure as chair expires in May 2026, making this appointment one of the most consequential economic decisions of the administration. The next chair will shape interest rate strategy, the federal response to inflation pressures, and the balance of independence between the central bank and the White House.

Because the chair serves as the central public figure for U.S. monetary policy and presides over the Federal Open Market Committee — the group that determines interest rates — any hint of a shift in leadership direction can jolt financial markets. Borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, business credit lines, and consumer financing all move in response to the Fed’s signals.

Investors have been parsing Trump’s comment that he already has a strong sense of whom he intends to choose, interpreting it as a sign that policy direction under the next chair could become clearer sooner rather than later.

Although Powell’s chairmanship ends in 2026, his underlying term on the Federal Reserve Board extends beyond that date. He could theoretically remain as a governor after stepping down as chair, though historically many outgoing chairs have opted to leave the board entirely once their leadership role concludes.

In recent months, various names have surfaced as plausible successors. Reports have frequently pointed to White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett as a top prospect, along with several other policymakers and market-connected figures who have either served in government or influenced financial regulation.

Reuters has indicated that Hassett is on a short list as Trump’s selection process accelerates into early 2026. As the interview round now restarts, markets will be watching closely for any clue about how the president intends to steer the country’s economic future.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is proposing to overhaul a regulatory panel that monitors the nation’s financial stability, by advocating for looser regulations. The Financial Stability Oversight Council, a U.S. body created in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, monitors risks to the financial system and coordinates regulators’ approaches to overseeing the U.S. […]

A sweeping ruling from a federal bench has upended the government’s handling of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, with U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordering his prompt release from immigration custody. In her decision on Thursday, she sharply criticized the chain of events that kept him behind bars. As she wrote, “since Abrego Garcia’s wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority.”

According to the order, the government cannot deport him anywhere because no lawful removal order exists. Xinis underscored that this procedural void alone blocks officials from expelling him from the United States.

The case involves a Salvadoran man who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children before being forcibly removed in March and sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. That deportation flew in the face of a 2019 court ruling forbidding his removal to El Salvador due to his documented fear of persecution. The administration at the time justified the move by alleging ties to MS-13, an accusation he firmly rejects.

Months later, authorities transported him back to the U.S. to stand trial in Tennessee on human smuggling charges — allegations to which he has pleaded not guilty. After his release into his brother’s custody in Maryland while awaiting trial, immigration officers arrested him again. Since then, he has been held in a Pennsylvania detention center.

Following Thursday’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security lashed out publicly. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin condemned the decision online, declaring, “This is naked judicial activism by an Obama appointed judge. This order lacks any valid legal basis and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts.”

The ruling also comes after the government recently attempted to clear the way to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia. Officials petitioned Judge Xinis to lift a removal ban, arguing they had secured assurances from Liberian authorities that he would not face harm there.

Instead, Xinis directed federal officials to inform Abrego Garcia when and where he would be released, and to report back to the court by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The 31-page opinion traces each dramatic turn: his deportation to El Salvador, his return to the U.S. to face charges, and the subsequent immigration detention that followed. Xinis found that none of it aligned with the stated purpose of immigration custody. “The circumstances of Abrego Garcia’s detention since he was released from criminal custody cannot be squared with the ‘basic purpose’ of holding him to effectuate removal,” she wrote.

Her order also criticized the government’s handling of alternative removal options. Citing ABC News reporting, she noted that officials could have sent him to Costa Rica — the destination he preferred. “Respondents’ calculated effort to take Costa Rica ‘off the table’ backfired,” Xinis wrote. She pointed out that the Costa Rican government swiftly asserted that “its offer to grant Abrego Garcia residence and refugee status is, and always has been, firm, unwavering, and unconditional.”

The judge further recounted a series of notices sent to Abrego Garcia while he sat in ICE custody. “Respondents serially ‘notified’ Abrego Garcia — while he sat in ICE custody — of his expulsion to Uganda, then Eswatini, then Ghana; but none of these countries were ever viable options,” she wrote.

Upon release, Abrego Garcia is expected to receive updated instructions from the U.S. Pretrial Services Office regarding the conditions tied to his ongoing criminal case.

Back in August, Xinis had already frozen any attempt to remove him from the U.S. until the court resolved the habeas petition. Her latest ruling offered a pointed reflection on the saga: “The history of Abrego Garcia’s case is as well known as it is extraordinary,” she wrote.

The order now places the federal government under renewed scrutiny, while opening a new chapter in one of the most convoluted immigration cases to emerge in recent years.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions inside the administration’s immigration apparatus have grown so sharp that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the president’s border chief, Tom Homan, now communicate only when absolutely necessary. Yet, despite the frayed relationship, a report from Axios on Thursday emphasized that neither is on the verge of being pushed out.

In private, the president has waved off concerns about their mutual hostility. “Kristi’s doing a great job,” he reportedly told an adviser, who then described the conversation to Axios. “Her and Tom don’t get along, but they’re doing great.”

Those familiar with the dynamics say this is exactly how the president operates. “Trump is like that,” one source explained. “He kind of likes people competing against each other. He thinks it makes the product better.”

Not everyone inside the West Wing is as charitable. Another adviser — openly disdainful of Noem — acknowledged that the president is satisfied with his team even if others aren’t. “He’s happy with his cabinet. Do I wish Kristi was gone? Absolutely. But that ain’t happening. At least, not that he’ll tell me.”

The exact catalyst of the Noem–Homan split remains murky. What is clear, according to Axios, is that longtime immigration officials have grown irritated with Noem’s management style and her prominence in promotional campaigns such as the CBP Home self-deportation app. Many career staffers have also been unsettled by the outsized role of her closest adviser, Corey Lewandowski — classified as a special government employee and therefore limited to 130 working days inside the administration.

Backers of Noem have their own grievances, accusing Homan of positioning himself as the public face of the crackdown through frequent Fox News hits and his habit of briefing reporters just outside the West Wing.

The internal clash intensified this fall when Fox News revealed a strategic divide within DHS. According to the outlet, Noem, Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were advocating large-scale sweeps of illegal aliens to increase deportation totals. By contrast, Homan and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons urged a more targeted mission aimed at offenders with criminal histories.

“ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization,” a senior DHS official told Fox. “It’s getting numbers, but at what cost?”

Another official described the dueling strategies in stark terms: “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes.”

{Matzav.com}

Newly surfaced video evidence has revealed a haunting glimpse of the final days of several hostages held by Hamas, showing American Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg Polin and others attempting to mark Chanukah deep beneath the ground where they were imprisoned.

The recording captures the group fashioning a makeshift menorah in the dimness of the tunnel. Despite the unbearable conditions, they join together in singing Maoz Tzur, their voices strained with emotion.

In the background, one hostage can be heard remarking, “Chanukah is awesome, isn’t it?”—a line that, in the context of the setting, sounds drenched in painful irony.

Another voice comments, “It’s strange to see the menorah next to this flag,” seemingly pointing to a Palestinian flag visible beside them.

Among those shown in the clip are Hersh Goldberg Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alex Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino, all taken captive during the October 7 attacks.

Investigators believe the grim footage was recorded shortly before the captives were murdered.

IDF officials say the group was killed inside the very tunnels in which they appeared in the video. Their remains were later located and retrieved during military operations after intelligence pinpointed the site.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered an unusually blunt warning Wednesday: America’s job market may be far weaker than the official numbers suggest. In his post-meeting press conference, Powell said Fed staff believe government data may be overstating monthly job creation by as many as 60,000 jobs. Since published figures show the economy adding roughly […]

The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end […]

The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday as his attorneys push to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case. A Utah judge is weighing the public’s right to know details in the prosecution of Tyler Robinson against his attorneys’ concerns that the swarm of […]

Police in Goodyear, Arizona, are using artificial intelligence to help create realistic images of suspects in lieu of traditional sketches. They say the AI-generated images are based on victim and witness statements and don’t depict a real person.

WH Press Sec.: As we approach tax season, millions of Americans will see larger refunds thanks to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill — with one study projecting an average refund increase of about $1,000 per filer.

WH Press Sec. goes through some of the economic progress made in 2025 under the Trump administration, including real wages on pace to increase $1,200 per worker, and gasoline down below $3 a gallon. “There’s much work to do, but this has already been significant progress.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Thursday that Europe must prepare for the possibility of a major war with Russia “like our grandparents endured,” as Moscow escalates its threats and battlefield aggression across the continent. Speaking at a security forum in Berlin, Rutte said complacency in Western capitals is giving the Kremlin dangerous openings. “We […]

A robotaxi rider captured the frightening moment a Waymo he was riding in pulled out onto the road and into the path of another car in San Francisco on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Chris Riotta Rogers says the vehicle was nearly hit.

The Senate on Thursday rejected two competing health care bills, making it almost certain that Obamacare subsidies used by over 20 million Americans will expire at the end of the year. Senators voted 51–48 to advance a GOP plan expanding health savings accounts as an alternative to the outgoing tax credits. A Democratic plan to […]

The IDF on Thursday released the full, previously unseen footage of six Israeli hostages lighting Chanukah candles deep inside a Hamas tunnel weeks before they were murdered. The video, recovered from materials seized during IDF operations in Gaza, marks the first time the public is witnessing a direct, unfiltered glimpse into the hostages’ lives in […]

In a rare public concession, the head of Iran’s state broadcasting corporation has admitted that the military’s dramatic claims of shooting down two Israeli F-35 fighter jets during Operation Rising Lion were entirely false. Peyman Jabali, chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), told students at Shahid Beheshti University that IRIB merely repeated […]

GOP-Backed HealthCare bill fails on the Senate Floor. In a vote of 51-48, 60 were needed to pass the bill.

Satmar philanthropist Reb Yoel Landau arranged a helicopter transport Thursday, flying his father and his Holocaust-survivor grandfather into Spring Valley to address the children of the Satmar Cheder in honor of Kof Alef Kislev. Reb Yoely himself did not attend, but coordinated the special flight to ensure his father and grandfather could participate in the […]

WATCH: Satmar philanthropist Reb Yoel Landau arrived in Spring Valley by helicopter together with his Holocaust-survivor grandfather, who will address the children of the Satmar Cheder in honor of Kof Alef Kislev. Kof Alef Kislev marks the miraculous 1944 escape of Hagon HaRav Yoel Teitelbaum ZATZAL, founder of Satmar Chassidus in America, from the Nazis […]