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[Video below.] A striking moment at Yeshivas Ponovezh in Bnei Brak has generated considerable discussion across the yeshiva world, after Rav Yisroel Bunim Schreiber, Rosh Yeshivas Nesiv Hadaas and one of the prominent marbitzei Torah of the yeshiva world, covered his ears when a bochur recited the rare bracha of “Shechalak Mechochmaso Lireiav” upon seeing him.

The incident occurred at a Siyum HaShas held on Erev Rosh Hashanah l’illui nishmas Ponovezh talmid Meir Shaer z”l, who was tragically niftar during bein hazemanim.

Bochurim and rabbonim of the yeshiva gathered for the special maamad, which included divrei chizuk and hisorerus in preparation for the Yom Hadin.

Among those who came to address the gathering was Rav Schreiber, widely known throughout the Torah world for his phenomenal yedios haTorah. Rav Schreiber, who is currently in need of a refuah sheleimah, delivered words of chizuk ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

As Rav Bunim entered the maamad, however, an unexpected scene unfolded. One of the bochurim rose from his place and, in a loud voice, began reciting with Shem U’Malchus the uncommon bracha said upon seeing an outstanding talmid chochom: “Baruch Atah Hashem… Shechalak Mechochmaso Lireiav.”

Rav Bunim immediately reacted. Known for his uncompromising adherence to halacha and his distaste for displays of personal kavod, the Rosh Yeshiva placed both hands firmly over his ears so that he would not hear the conclusion of the bracha.

He then sharply called out to the bochur in front of the assembled crowd: “Erev Rosh Hashanah! Bracha levatala!”

WATCH:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/VIDEO-2026-09-17-19-12-33.mp4

{Matzav.com}

In a significant reconciliation during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, the Nadvorna Rebbe and his brother, the Nadvorna Yerushalayim Rebbe, met in Bnei Brak on Thursday night, bringing an end to a five-year estrangement between the two chassidic courts.

The meeting took place at the home of the Nadvorna Rebbe in Bnei Brak following an extended period of behind-the-scenes efforts by representatives of both sides to restore peace between the brothers.

The dispute originated over a parcel of property adjacent to the Nadvorna Yerushalayim bais medrash in Yerushalayim. The property belonged to Rabbi Meir Levin, the director general of the Nadvorna institutions, and the disagreement over the land eventually developed into a legal battle.

The case ultimately resulted in the Nadvorna Yerushalayim community being required to pay for the purchase of the property.

Following the dispute, relations between the two courts were completely severed for approximately five years. In recent months, however, efforts intensified on both sides to resolve the disagreement and bring about a reconciliation.

Those efforts culminated Thursday night, during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, when the two Rebbes met and spoke privately for an extended period.

Matzav.com received a green light from both Nadvorna courts to report on this development.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Nadvorna Rebbe accompanied his brother, the Nadvorna Yerushalayim Rebbe, outside and walked with him to his vehicle, marking the restoration of relations between the two brothers.

As part of the court agreement reached several years ago, Rabbi Meir Levin relinquished approximately 40 percent of the property’s value in favor of the Nadvorna Yerushalayim community, a concession that was made in the interest of achdus and bringing the dispute to an end.

More recently, the Nadvorna Yerushalayim community agreed to pay the legal expenses stemming from the case. A formal letter of apology was also sent to the Nadvorna court in the name of all members of the Yerushalayim community’s administration.

The reconciliation was facilitated through the efforts of Rabbi Chaim Meir Katz, director general of the Vizhnitz institutions in Elad, who worked on behalf of Nadvorna, together with strategist Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Ganzel, who works closely with the Nadvorna Yerushalayim community.

The meeting, coming just days before Yom Kippur and following five years of separation, was viewed in both courts as a particularly meaningful conclusion to a lengthy and painful dispute.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge on Thursday declined to grant Rep. Joyce Beatty an emergency hearing over the Kennedy Center board’s latest decision to close the landmark performing arts venue for renovations, but ordered officials to provide at least 30 days’ advance notice before undertaking any major change to the project — including demolition of the building.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the requirement amid growing uncertainty over the Kennedy Center’s future and recent public discussion about the possibility that the Washington, D.C., building could eventually be torn down.

Cooper said the added requirement was intended to “avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events.”

The Trump administration has maintained that the Kennedy Center is suffering from significant structural deterioration and requires extensive renovations. Officials have cited safety concerns and aging infrastructure in defending plans for major work at the complex.

President Donald Trump has also publicly raised the prospect that the building could ultimately be demolished if the administration is unable to move ahead with its plans for the center. On Wednesday night, Trump was photographed aboard Air Force One examining a large printout whose partially visible heading appeared to reference the Kennedy Center and demolition, though the photograph did not establish what the document proposed or who prepared it.

Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, sought emergency court intervention after the Trump-aligned board voted Tuesday to close the building as part of its renovation effort. Cooper rejected her request for an immediate hearing while imposing the 30-day notice requirement.

“It is simply outrageous that we have gotten to the point of consistent judicial intervention to protect this historic institution from getting bulldozed by the President,” Beatty said in a statement. “I will continue to fight for the rule of law and defend this memorial on behalf of the American people.”

Cooper, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, had previously blocked an earlier effort involving the center, including plans to place President Trump’s name on the building without congressional authorization. The board has continued pursuing its renovation and closure plans while that litigation proceeds.

Beatty’s attorneys raised additional concerns this week after encountering difficulties gaining access to portions of the Kennedy Center.

Administration officials have said those access restrictions are temporary and are separate from the proposed long-term renovation. Kennedy Center Executive Director Matt Floca said the current closure was ordered because of “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration.” The immediate shutdown was announced as a seven-day measure, although officials have indicated it could be extended if necessary.

The White House defended President Trump’s handling of the Kennedy Center and blamed previous Democratic leadership for allowing the building’s condition to deteriorate.

“For years, Democrats let the Kennedy Center rot, allowing water damage and crumbling infrastructure to turn a national treasure into a building in decay. As President Trump said last night, without his intervention, The Kennedy Center will inevitably continue to decline,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told members of Children’s Health Defense on Thursday that they have an ally in President Donald Trump, using his first official appearance before the organization since joining the administration to emphasize the administration’s continued scrutiny of vaccine safety and federal vaccination policy.

“You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy told dozens of people attending a one-day Children’s Health Defense conference in Washington, D.C.

Kennedy helped found Children’s Health Defense and chaired the organization from 2015 until 2023. The group has long challenged established vaccine policies and the recommended childhood vaccination schedule. Kennedy stepped down from the organization before entering government.

Thursday marked Kennedy’s first appearance at an official Children’s Health Defense conference since becoming HHS secretary. He did not attend the group’s national conference last year.

Kennedy’s return underscored his continuing relationship with the vaccine-skeptic movement. Individuals associated with that movement have gained positions and influence within the federal health apparatus during his tenure, while Kennedy has overseen significant changes to federal vaccine policy.

During an address lasting more than an hour, Kennedy initially highlighted the administration’s efforts to combat chronic illness and promote changes in the nation’s food supply before turning extensively to vaccines and questions about their safety.

Kennedy said that President Trump has tasked him to “vigorously investigate the potential contribution of childhood vaccines to the chronic disease epidemic.”

“The question is, should we be looking at the potential that some of these chronic illnesses are associated with vaccines?” Kennedy said.

Kennedy pointed to conditions including diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome and anorexia that have been reported following vaccination, while arguing that federal officials need to investigate whether causal connections exist. Medical authorities note that conditions reported after vaccination are not, merely by appearing in adverse-event reports or product information, established as having been caused by a vaccine. Kennedy also discussed government research into electromagnetic fields and “chemtrails.”

Kennedy urged members of the organization to be patient with the pace of changes inside the federal government, saying legal and bureaucratic requirements prevent officials from moving as rapidly as some supporters would like.

“Over the past 19 months, we have fundamentally changed how the federal government responds to parents who question what they’ve been told about vaccines,” Kennedy said. “President Trump will not allow the government to treat parents who question vaccine orthodoxies as lepers … we have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years, and the establishment has pushed back very hard.”

Kennedy portrayed his role at HHS as one of challenging longstanding assumptions and practices within the federal health bureaucracy, telling attendees that he intends to continue pressing government institutions for answers to questions raised by vaccine skeptics.

“I didn’t come to Washington to protect institutions from uncomfortable questions,” he said. “I came to make those institutions answer those questions, and I intend to stay in this fight as long as I am able.”

{Matzav.com}

The White House on Thursday sharply rejected allegations from a United Nations-backed investigative mission that American forces committed war crimes in two Feb. 28 strikes in Iran that killed at least 178 civilians, as major disagreements remain over both what happened and, in one case, whether the United States carried out the attack at all.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said it had “reasonable grounds to believe” that U.S. forces were responsible for attacks on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex and surrounding area in Lamerd. The panel concluded that the strikes were indiscriminate and therefore constituted war crimes under international law.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly responded by attacking the credibility of the U.N. Human Rights Council, saying it has “accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades.”

“The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime, which has murdered thousands of its own people, killed Americans overseas, executed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region,” Kelly said.

The circumstances surrounding the two strikes cited by the U.N. mission differ significantly, however, and the U.S. government’s position on each is different.

The first involved the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab in southern Iran. Iranian authorities have said 168 people were killed in the strike, most of them children, while the U.N. mission cited figures indicating that more than 120 children were among the dead.

An initial internal U.S. military assessment previously reported by American media indicated that U.S. forces were probably responsible for the Minab strike. According to earlier reporting, outdated intelligence may have led American forces to mistakenly believe the site remained part of an Iranian military installation.

The Pentagon has not publicly released the final results of its investigation. U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper told the House Armed Services Committee in May that the Minab incident “correlated” with a U.S. strike.

President Donald Trump addressed the incident in June, saying the school had not deliberately been targeted.

“Nobody did that on purpose,” President Trump said at the time, adding that “mistakes are made.”

The U.N. investigators reached a different conclusion about the nature of the strike. According to their report, the school itself was “the intended point of impact,” rather than damage caused by an errant weapon or collateral damage from an attack on a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility.

The investigators said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian site and that they found no indication that it was being used for military purposes.

“The U.S. failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective,” the mission said.

The second incident, in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd, involves an even more fundamental disagreement.

The U.N. mission attributed to U.S. forces a strike on a sports complex and nearby residential area that killed and wounded 22 civilians and damaged surrounding buildings, including a school.

Investigators said Precision Strike Missiles dispersed tungsten pellets across what they described as a clearly identifiable sports complex and residential neighborhood. The mission concluded that the attack was indiscriminate and constituted a war crime.

U.S. Central Command has denied carrying out the Lamerd strike, saying in March that American forces conducted no strikes inside the city on the day in question.

The dispute over Lamerd therefore extends beyond the U.N. panel’s legal characterization of the attack. The U.N. investigators say American forces were responsible; CENTCOM says they were not.

The Trump administration has maintained that American military operations comply with the law of armed conflict and that U.S. forces do not deliberately target civilians.

The U.N. mission’s report was not limited to accusations against the United States. Investigators also accused the Iranian regime of committing crimes against humanity during its crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in late 2025 and early 2026.

According to the mission, Iranian security forces engaged in unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and other abuses during what investigators described as a widespread and systematic attack against civilians.

“The report concluded that many of these gross violations amount to crimes against humanity — including murder, imprisonment, torture, and other inhumane acts committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians,” the U.N. statement said.

The investigators said Iranian forces used assault rifles against crowds, beat demonstrators, detained health-care workers and subjected detainees to torture while in custody. They also pointed to executions and severe restrictions on communications and freedom of expression.

The mission said it based its findings on interviews with 73 people inside and outside Iran, along with satellite imagery, photographs, videos, documentation and information supplied by organizations and experts. Investigators said their work was hampered by the ongoing conflict, internet restrictions and a lack of full cooperation from both Tehran and Washington.

According to the mission, nearly three dozen requests for information sent to the Iranian government went unanswered. Requests made to the U.S. government in June seeking information and meetings with American officials also received no response.

The panel called on both Iran and the United States to halt violations and provide “full reparations to victims.”

The findings themselves do not constitute a criminal conviction, and the fact-finding mission does not have the authority to prosecute the United States, impose criminal penalties or issue a binding legal judgment.

The independent mission was created by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2022 and is chaired by Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain. Its findings can, however, become part of the documentary record used in future efforts to pursue accountability through international legal proceedings.

The report is set to be formally presented to the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, ensuring that the disputed Feb. 28 strikes — and the sharply conflicting accounts offered by U.N. investigators and the United States — will remain the subject of international scrutiny.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

No one plans to spend Yom Tov in a hospital.

One moment, a family is preparing for Yom Tov at home. The next, plans change. A medical emergency, an unexpected admission, or a baby arriving earlier than expected – and instead of sitting around their own Yom Tov table, they find themselves spending Yom Tov in the hospital.

Then comes a moment of relief: someone was expecting them.

A Bikur Cholim hospitality room, prepared and waiting. A pantry fully stocked with food and Yom Tov essentials. Fresh meals for patients and their families. Grape juice, challah, snacks – everything they suddenly need, already there.

They never planned to spend Yom Tov here. But Bikur Cholim planned for them – making sure they can still have the Yom Tov they need.

It Takes an Entire Operation

What a family sees when they open a stocked pantry is only the final step of a tremendous operation.

Before Yom Tov begins, kitchens are preparing and packaging thousands of meals. Supplies are purchased by the case and pallet. Volunteers pack, sort, and deliver. Hospital pantries and hospitality rooms across the area need to be fully stocked and prepared.

Transportation is coordinated. Patient and family needs are addressed. Every detail needs to be thought through before Yom Tov begins.

And it isn’t happening in just one hospital.

Across many local hospitals and beyond, Bikur Cholim is preparing pantries and hospitality rooms so that when a Jewish family unexpectedly finds themselves spending Yom Tov away from home, they discover that someone has already thought of them.

This Tishrei Alone

The Yom Tov season is one of the busiest and most costly times of the year for Bikur Cholim.

Over $1 million in services and support.
Over 50,000 Yom Tov meals prepared and delivered.
34 hospital pantries stocked and ready.
72 hospitality rooms available for patients and families.
Hundreds of volunteers making it all possible.

Transportation. Deliveries. Advocacy. Family support. Hospital and at-home care – all continuing across an entire Yom Tov season.

And behind every number is another patient or family who never expected to need us.

Yom Tov Is Here. We Urgently Need Your Help.

The preparations are underway. The kitchens are working. Pantries still need to be stocked. Meals still need to be prepared and delivered. Families still need to be taken care of.

But there’s still a gap — and Yom Tov won’t wait.

We urgently need your help to close it, so we can complete the preparations and make sure every family is taken care of.

Sponsor a Yom Tov Seudah for a Family — $180

VIEW ALL YOM TOV SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

May the zechus of your giving to those in need stand for you and your family, and may you be blessed to spend every Yom Tov together – healthy, happy, and at home.

GIVE LIFE. RECEIVE LIFE.
GIVE LIFE TO ANOTHER FAMILY.

CREATE A ZECHUS FOR YOURS.

Nearly the entire Senate Democratic caucus is demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide Congress with a detailed accounting of the cost of the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Senate Democrat who did not sign the letter.

The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and signed by 45 of her colleagues, reflects Democratic criticism of the Pentagon over what the lawmakers say has been insufficient disclosure about the amount already spent on the conflict and how billions of dollars in additional requested funding would be used.

The senators called on Hegseth to provide a comprehensive breakdown of both direct and indirect military costs connected to the Iran war, details about anticipated future expenses, and an explanation of how remaining previously approved defense funds will be allocated. They also requested a detailed accounting of the administration’s $67 billion supplemental funding request.

“Despite asking for tens of billions of additional taxpayer dollars, you have so far failed to provide basic information on how this money has and will be spent,” the senators, led by Slotkin, wrote. “Congress must have access to this information to carry out our oversight responsibilities. It is the bare minimum that any American would expect in balancing their own household budget.”

The push comes as estimates of the war’s cost have continued to climb. A Congressional Budget Office analysis released this week estimated that Defense Department costs related to the conflict had exceeded $38 billion as of Aug. 1, while warning that continued fighting could add as much as $3 billion per month.

Fetterman, meanwhile, has repeatedly broken with fellow Democrats over the Iran conflict, supporting military action against Tehran and opposing Democratic efforts aimed at ending U.S. involvement in the war.

“My record has been consistent. I’ve always been at odds with my fellow Democrats over how we hold Iran accountable,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I’ll continue to remain an unapologetic supporter of efforts to confront the Iranian regime and its proxies.”

The Democratic senators focused heavily on the financial burden of the conflict in their letter. Among the figures they highlighted was the administration’s $67 billion supplemental defense request, as well as the Pentagon’s broader funding needs. The lawmakers also sought an explanation of how the Defense Department intends to spend $34 billion in remaining funds previously approved by Congress.

The demand for additional information comes as Congress remains divided over federal spending priorities. Democrats have argued for greater scrutiny of military expenditures and additional funding for domestic programs, while Republicans have generally prioritized fully funding the Defense Department and ongoing military operations.

The debate has taken on additional urgency as lawmakers work through the next round of government funding decisions, with the cost of the Iran conflict increasingly becoming part of the broader fight over how federal dollars should be allocated.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

No one plans to spend Yom Tov in a hospital.

One moment, a family is preparing for Yom Tov at home. The next, plans change. A medical emergency, an unexpected admission, or a baby arriving earlier than expected – and instead of sitting around their own Yom Tov table, they find themselves spending Yom Tov in the hospital.

Then comes a moment of relief: someone was expecting them.

A Bikur Cholim hospitality room, prepared and waiting. A pantry fully stocked with food and Yom Tov essentials. Fresh meals for patients and their families. Grape juice, challah, snacks – everything they suddenly need, already there.

They never planned to spend Yom Tov here. But Bikur Cholim planned for them – making sure they can still have the Yom Tov they need.

It Takes an Entire Operation

What a family sees when they open a stocked pantry is only the final step of a tremendous operation.

Before Yom Tov begins, kitchens are preparing and packaging thousands of meals. Supplies are purchased by the case and pallet. Volunteers pack, sort, and deliver. Hospital pantries and hospitality rooms across the area need to be fully stocked and prepared.

Transportation is coordinated. Patient and family needs are addressed. Every detail needs to be thought through before Yom Tov begins.

And it isn’t happening in just one hospital.

Across many local hospitals and beyond, Bikur Cholim is preparing pantries and hospitality rooms so that when a Jewish family unexpectedly finds themselves spending Yom Tov away from home, they discover that someone has already thought of them.

This Tishrei Alone

The Yom Tov season is one of the busiest and most costly times of the year for Bikur Cholim.

Over $1 million in services and support.
Over 50,000 Yom Tov meals prepared and delivered.
34 hospital pantries stocked and ready.
72 hospitality rooms available for patients and families.
Hundreds of volunteers making it all possible.

Transportation. Deliveries. Advocacy. Family support. Hospital and at-home care – all continuing across an entire Yom Tov season.

And behind every number is another patient or family who never expected to need us.

Yom Tov Is Here. We Urgently Need Your Help.

The preparations are underway. The kitchens are working. Pantries still need to be stocked. Meals still need to be prepared and delivered. Families still need to be taken care of.

But there’s still a gap — and Yom Tov won’t wait.

We urgently need your help to close it, so we can complete the preparations and make sure every family is taken care of.

Sponsor a Yom Tov Seudah for a Family — $180

VIEW ALL YOM TOV SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

May the zechus of your giving to those in need stand for you and your family, and may you be blessed to spend every Yom Tov together – healthy, happy, and at home.

GIVE LIFE. RECEIVE LIFE.
GIVE LIFE TO ANOTHER FAMILY.

CREATE A ZECHUS FOR YOURS.

Major U.S. airlines are beginning to scale back flights and reconsider future schedules as a sharp increase in jet fuel prices drives operating costs substantially higher, with executives at American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines all signaling adjustments in response to the surge, Fox News reports.

The global average price of jet fuel climbed 6.1% in a single week to $181.46 per barrel last week, according to figures from the International Air Transport Association, putting additional pressure on an industry for which fuel represents one of the largest operating expenses.

American Airlines Chief Financial Officer Devon May told attendees at Morgan Stanley’s 14th Annual Laguna Conference that jet fuel prices for the fourth quarter are currently running approximately $1 per gallon above the level the airline had anticipated when it issued projections in July. That difference could increase American’s fuel expenses by approximately $1 billion.

“Overall for the third quarter, we feel great,” May said. “What’s happened in the last four weeks, though is fuel’s run up probably $1 a gallon or something like that for the fourth quarter alone.”

With those additional costs looming, May said American intends to make further capacity adjustments during the latter portion of the fourth quarter.

Despite the fuel-price spike, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the carrier continues to project third-quarter revenue growth of between 16% and 19% compared with the same period last year. The airline has reported strength in both its domestic and international businesses, as well as among premium and economy travelers.

“When you take into account fuel right now, yes, we’ve absolutely done a great job of recapturing a tremendous amount of that expense,” Isom said.

United Airlines is also preparing to remove some flights from its schedule. Chief Financial Officer Michael Leskinen said the carrier will no longer operate certain December flights that it had previously planned, citing the higher cost of fuel.

“As you look into the fourth quarter, there’ll be some flights in December that we won’t fly that we thought we were going to fly,” he said at the Morgan Stanley conference. “If fuel remains high, we’ll make some adjustments into the first quarter and beyond into 2027.”

At the same time, United says passenger demand has remained robust. Leskinen characterized the airline’s fourth-quarter bookings as “tremendously strong,” with premium travel, corporate business and economy bookings all holding up despite the higher fuel environment.

“Bookings have continued as we expected, so that piece of the equation is resilient — very little evidence of demand destruction,” Leskinen said.

Southwest Airlines is similarly examining capacity as fuel expenses climb. Chief Financial Officer Tom Doxey said during the conference that Southwest has already eliminated approximately half of the relatively modest year-over-year capacity growth it had envisioned at the beginning of 2026.

“If fuel is higher for longer,” Doxey said, trimming capacity would be the “natural response.”

Southwest, however, emphasized that the schedule changes it has made thus far have been limited. A company spokesperson told FOX Business that Doxey was making an “illustrative point” about how the airline could respond to sustained high fuel prices and was “not alluding to an action we’ve taken.”

The airline has also received some help from stronger-than-anticipated passenger demand this fall. Doxey said improved bookings have helped Southwest absorb some of the additional fuel expense, enabling the carrier to maintain its third-quarter earnings outlook.

The comments from all three carriers point to a similar balancing act across the airline industry: passenger demand remains healthy, but if elevated jet fuel prices persist, airlines are prepared to operate fewer flights rather than absorb the full impact of sharply higher fuel bills.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew criticism Thursday after publicly offering condolences to the family of a 20-year-old man who died while in city custody and was awaiting trial on murder charges, while making no mention in the statement of the 26-year-old autistic man the suspect was accused of helping rob and kill.

Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo had been charged with murder, manslaughter, robbery and weapons offenses in connection with the 2025 killing of Ronell Marte in the Bronx.

Prosecutors alleged that Castillo and co-defendant Axel Martinez confronted Marte in Starlight Park at approximately 3 a.m. as Marte was returning home from work at an Amazon warehouse. Castillo was accused of taking Marte’s cellphone during the robbery, while Martinez allegedly shot Marte in the chest.

“I extend my condolences to his family,” Mamdani wrote about Castillo on X.

Castillo died Wednesday evening after Department of Correction employees found him suffering from what officials described as medical distress at Queens Criminal Court at approximately 6:30 p.m. Staff members administered CPR until emergency responders arrived, and Castillo was transported to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 8 p.m. The cause of his death remained under investigation.

Castillo had appeared in Queens court that day in connection with a separate criminal case involving robbery, grand larceny, assault and weapons charges. Court records showed that he had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mamdani’s message prompted a wave of criticism on social media from users who questioned why the mayor had expressed sympathy for Castillo’s family without acknowledging Marte.

“He robbed and murdered a 26 yo disabled man. You’re a monster,” one user posted.

“Why do you mourn the death of prisoners and not one single victim,” another user wrote.

The reaction followed a similar controversy in August, when Mamdani expressed sorrow following the death of Clarence Woodward, who died while being held at Rikers Island awaiting trial on murder and other charges stemming from a fatal 2024 stabbing in a Bronx laundromat. Woodward had pleaded not guilty.

Relatives of Woodward’s alleged victim, Jose Miranda, criticized Mamdani’s statement at the time because it did not acknowledge Miranda, with family members describing the mayor’s remarks as a “slap in the face.”

“That’s his pattern at this point,” another social media user wrote Thursday in response to the latest incident.

Other critics similarly accused the mayor of displaying greater concern for accused offenders than for crime victims.

“Here you go again siding with criminals, sending your condolences to them instead of siding with the victims,” another user wrote.

“You have no moral compass, no decency, no conscience. Shame on you!,” the user added.

{Matzav.com}

New York City continues to attract young people looking to build careers and lives in the nation’s largest city, but new data shows that members of Generation Z are also leaving the New York metropolitan area in greater numbers than any other major metro in the country.

The New York metro recorded a net loss of 29,554 Gen Z adults in 2024, the largest outflow of that generation among U.S. metropolitan areas, according to a new Redfin analysis based on Census Bureau data.

For thousands of those young adults, however, leaving New York did not mean moving particularly far away.

Philadelphia emerged as one of the biggest destinations for departing New York-area Gen Zers, with 9,284 making the roughly 90-mile move south. The New York-to-Philadelphia migration was the second-most-common Gen Z relocation route in the country, surpassed only by the flow from Los Angeles to Riverside, California.

One obvious attraction is the dramatic difference in housing costs. Redfin reported that a typical home in the New York metropolitan area sells for approximately $832,000, while the comparable figure in Philadelphia is roughly $309,000.

At those prices, a buyer could theoretically purchase nearly three typical Philadelphia homes for the cost of one typical home in the New York area.

The findings indicate that many young Americans seeking more affordable housing or improved career opportunities are not necessarily moving across the country or abandoning the regions where they have established their lives.

Instead, many are relocating relatively short distances, allowing them to pursue lower living costs or different job opportunities while remaining close enough to maintain relationships with relatives, friends and professional contacts.

“Younger adults are gravitating toward cities where they can launch careers and their social lives, while millennials are more focused on places where a paycheck stretches further and buying a home is attainable,” Redfin principal economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in the report.

“But young Americans aren’t fleeing expensive cities for the cheapest place they can find: Most are making relatively short moves, suggesting they want a better job or lower cost of living without giving up their existing networks.”

The most heavily traveled Gen Z migration route in 2024 was from Los Angeles to Riverside, where 10,261 young adults made the approximately 60-mile move. New York to Philadelphia ranked second, while another California route — Los Angeles to San Diego — was third, with 9,237 Gen Zers making that move.

New York’s population losses were not limited to the youngest generation of adults. The metro area also posted the country’s largest net departure of millennials, losing 42,698 members of that age group.

Los Angeles ranked behind New York in millennial departures, recording a net outflow of 31,107, while Miami registered a net loss of 21,373 millennials.

The data also revealed a notable difference between what Gen Z adults and millennials appear to be seeking when they relocate.

“Gen Zers are chasing opportunity, while millennials are chasing space,” Bokhari said.

For millennials, metropolitan areas offering comparatively affordable larger homes proved especially attractive.

Houston recorded the nation’s largest net influx of millennials, gaining 16,365 members of the generation. Dallas, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Atlanta rounded out the five metropolitan areas with the largest millennial inflows.

All five of those destinations had median home-sale prices below $450,000, according to Redfin, highlighting the role housing affordability appears to be playing in millennial relocation decisions.

The analysis was based on data from the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. For purposes of the study, Redfin classified adult members of Generation Z as people between the ages of 19 and 27, while millennials were defined as those between 28 and 43.

{Matzav.com}

Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker said in an interview released Thursday that he believes the United States has been responsible for more terrorism than Al Qaeda when measured by the number of people killed, remarks that quickly generated controversy and prompted Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to publicly disagree with him.

Piker, who supported El-Sayed during Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and has appeared with him politically, was pressed on the issue during an appearance on “The Axios Show.” Asked about his previous description of the United States as “the top dog in terrorism,” Piker stood by the underlying claim.

“Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes,” Piker said when asked whether he believed the United States had committed more terrorism than Al Qaeda.

“We have caused tremendous terror all around the world,” Piker added, pointing to a U.S. missile strike that hit a girls’ school in Iran during the opening hours of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The Associated Press has reported evidence that at least one American missile struck the school, although the precise death toll has remained uncertain and the Trump administration has not released the findings of a Pentagon investigation.

“If you’re killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror,” he went on. “This doesn’t mean that all Americans are terrorists, but the reality of the matter is we have to create an environment of accountability to ensure things like that never happen again.”

Piker later took to X to object to the way his interview was being presented, saying Axios had turned his “nuanced answer” into “clickbait.”

“[W]e’ve armed al qaeda [sic] since 9/11,” he added, “we made its former commander the president of syria [sic].”

Piker’s comparison drew particular attention because Al Qaeda carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were murdered. Nineteen Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial aircraft, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan and another into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

The latest comments also revived scrutiny of Piker’s 2019 statement that America “deserved 9/11.” Piker subsequently apologized for the wording and has characterized the attacks as “blowback” from decades of American involvement in the Middle East.

“This doesn’t justify the action, mind you,” Piker told Axios. “This is more so analysis to stop further violence from taking place, both violence in the region, but also violence in the home front as well.”

Piker, 35, has also publicly expressed admiration for Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist leader whose policies have been blamed by historians for tens of millions of deaths.

During the Axios interview, Piker was also questioned about the contrast between his intense criticism of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians and his approach to China’s treatment of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur population. Piker acknowledged that he cares “a lot more” about Israel’s actions.

“Yeah, because Israel is murdering not just Muslims but Christians as well with my tax dollars, and that I think is unacceptable,” Piker said.

He characterized China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as a “cultural genocide,” while applying a different description to Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

“There are different terms applied for different actions,” he explained. “I think what Israel is doing is an outright genocide.”

Piker similarly distinguished Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he called an “illegal invasion,” from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the two carry “a different weight in the immorality … as opposed to what Israel is doing in Gaza.”

Piker expanded on his views during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Clock It” podcast, where he was asked about his previously stated position that Israel is worse than Hamas.

“I do believe that,” he said.

“Is Hamas a religious fundamentalist operation that have engaged in violent actions? Of course they have, absolutely,” Piker continued. “But that violence is directly born out of, and even that repression is directly born out of, the conditions brought about by the occupation that’s been going on for 80-plus years.”

The discussion then turned to Piker’s broader argument about what he considers state or “structural” violence. In making that case, he drew an analogy involving demonstrations against police brutality.

“Structural violence and state violence is oftentimes made to be invisible,” Piker said. “So when Israel as a state is operating its normal state functions, and sometimes it can come across as excessive, right? It’s not seen as violent.”

“It’s no different than when people protest against police violence and police brutality,” he continued. “The brutality of the police is systemic violence, and therefore it’s normalized … Whereas when people protest against the police, that is all of a sudden chaotic, that’s all of a sudden violent.”

MS NOW host Symone Sanders Townsend pushed back on the analogy, saying she believed it appeared to place Hamas in the position of people protesting police misconduct.

“It sounds like the example that you just gave that the people who are protesting the police are Hamas, and I just would reject that as somebody who has protested the police before, but we can move on,” she said.

The controversy has spilled directly into Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate campaign. Piker supported El-Sayed during the Democratic primary, and Republicans have repeatedly sought to make their association an issue in the general election campaign against Republican nominee Mike Rogers. GOP-aligned groups have spent millions of dollars on advertising highlighting Piker’s remarks and his ties to El-Sayed.

El-Sayed responded to Piker’s latest comments by explicitly rejecting his comparison between the United States and Al Qaeda.

“I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer. I am more concerned with the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and [Republican candidate] Mike Rogers that are raising the prices of gas, groceries and healthcare for Michiganders.”

A day earlier, however, El-Sayed had explained why he continues to engage with Piker despite their disagreements. During a candidate forum on Fox 2 Detroit, he pointed to the size of Piker’s online following.

“The reason I talk to Hasan isn’t because of Hasan, it’s because of the 3 million people who pay attention to what he has to say.”

“Too often the way that our politics happen is that we’re told who we cannot talk to.”

The dispute comes with less than seven weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as both parties pour substantial resources into the Michigan Senate contest. Democratic- and Republican-aligned groups have committed tens of millions of dollars to the race, while Piker’s relationship with El-Sayed has become one of the issues Republicans are using in their campaign against the Democratic nominee.

Rav Yitzchok Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and the spiritual leader of the chareidi Shas party, issued a sharp warning ahead of the upcoming elections, telling voters not to support candidates who ascend the Har Habayis in violation of the halachic position maintained by Shas’s rabbinic leadership.

Speaking Wednesday night at a large gathering at the Acre Stadium, Rav Yosef stressed that political representatives must conduct themselves in accordance with halacha and follow the guidance of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah.

Turning specifically to the prohibition against ascending the Har Habayis, Rav Yosef told the crowd, “I call on you: Do not be tempted to vote for unworthy people. Someone who does not fear Heaven and someone who ascends the Temple Mount – it is forbidden according to halacha to vote for him.”

Rav Yosef did not identify any politician by name. His comments, however, appeared to be a reference to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit, who has repeatedly visited the Har Habayis and has publicly advocated changes to longstanding policies governing Jewish access and prayer at the site.

Later in his remarks, Rav Yosef urged the Sephardic chareidi tzibbur to remain united behind representatives who follow the direction of the party’s rabbinic leadership.

“One must vote only for those who fear Heaven and follow the path of the Torah, like our representatives.”

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I have been wanting to write this letter for a long time, and I know I am going to get attacked for it. So be it.

Something has gone terribly wrong in the world of therapy.

I am not anti-therapy. Not even close. I know people whose lives and marriages were literally saved by good therapists. There are incredible therapists in our community doing holy work every single day. And obviously there are parents who are abusive, dangerous, manipulative, or so deeply unhealthy that distance is sometimes necessary. There are situations where boundaries are not only appropriate but absolutely essential.

That is not what I am talking about.

I am talking about this increasingly common idea that “healing” somehow means going back through your childhood, identifying everything your parents did wrong, giving it a psychological label, and then deciding how much access your parents deserve to have to you.

Suddenly, every difficult mother is a narcissist. Every controlling father is toxic. Every disagreement is a boundary violation. Every uncomfortable family dynamic is trauma. And every adult child who doesn’t want to deal with his or her parents anymore is “protecting my peace.”

What happened to us?

Parents are human beings. They make mistakes. Some make lots of mistakes. They lose their tempers. They say stupid things. They favor one child sometimes. They push too hard. They don’t listen enough. They worry too much. They interfere. They have their own baggage from the homes they grew up in. Sometimes they hurt their children deeply without even realizing it.

And yes, those things can leave scars. Therapy can help a person understand those scars. It can help someone stop repeating unhealthy patterns. It can teach a person how to respond differently.

But since when does understanding why you are hurt require turning the person who hurt you into a villain?

I hear stories that make my blood boil. A mother calls her married daughter and gets no answer. She texts. Nothing. Eventually she is informed that her daughter “needs space.” Why?

Because therapy has helped her realize that her mother “wasn’t emotionally available” when she was growing up.

A father who worked himself to the bone for thirty years to support his family discovers that his son has decided that their relationship is “not safe.” Not because the father beat him. Not because he abused him. Not because there is some terrible secret nobody knows about. The father was demanding. Critical. Maybe he wasn’t affectionate. Maybe he really did make mistakes.

So now he doesn’t get to see his grandchildren? This is healing?

And what frightens me most is how casually some people talk about it. “I’m going no-contact.” “I’m setting a boundary.” “I don’t owe anyone access to me.”

We’re talking about your mother! We’re talking about your father!

The people who changed your diapers, sat beside your bed when you had fever, paid tuition bills they couldn’t afford, drove carpool, made supper, worried when you came home late, married you off, and probably made a thousand mistakes along the way because they were human beings raising human beings.

Does none of that count anymore? Does kibbud av v’eim get thrown out the window?

And please don’t misunderstand me. Kibbud av v’eim does not mean a person has to submit to abuse. It doesn’t mean there are never circumstances requiring serious boundaries. There are tragic families where contact causes genuine harm, and those situations need competent rabbinic and professional guidance.

But that should be the tragedy. The last resort. The heartbreaking conclusion after everything else has failed.

It should not be a therapeutic milestone.

A therapist should understand the enormous gravity of telling someone to distance himself from a parent. You’re dealing with a relationship that existed before the client ever walked into your office and, very often, a relationship that affects siblings, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren.

And there is something else that bothers me. Therapists generally hear one side. For fifty minutes, week after week, they hear one person’s memories, one person’s pain, one person’s interpretation of conversations that happened twenty years ago. Mom isn’t sitting there. Dad isn’t sitting there. Nobody is cross-examining the memories. Nobody is explaining what else was happening in the house at the time.

Yet sometimes astonishingly sweeping conclusions are reached about people the therapist has never met. Would we tolerate that anywhere else?

Imagine walking into a bais din and saying, “I’d like you to pasken this case. Only one side will be appearing.” Absurd.

Yet a parent can effectively be tried, convicted and sentenced to emotional exile without ever knowing that a trial was taking place.

There is also a difference between understanding your childhood and living in your childhood. At some point, adulthood has to mean something. Maybe your mother didn’t validate your feelings enough. Maybe your father pushed you harder than he should have. You’re thirty-eight. Work through it. Understand it. Cry about it if you need to. Talk about it. Learn from it. Be a different kind of parent to your own children.

But perhaps healing can also mean forgiveness.

Perhaps healing can mean developing enough strength that your mother’s annoying comment doesn’t destroy your week. Perhaps healing can mean understanding that your father was raised by Holocaust survivors and didn’t know how to say “I love you.” Perhaps healing can mean recognizing that your parents were twenty-something-year-old kids themselves when they started raising children and were figuring things out as they went along. Perhaps healing can mean becoming bigger, not merely becoming more protected.

And therapists should be extraordinarily careful about the language they introduce into families. Words have power. Once someone begins viewing his mother as “toxic” or his father as a “narcissist,” every interaction gets filtered through that label. Mom asks why you haven’t called? Manipulation. Dad gives advice? Control. They complain that they barely see the grandchildren? Guilt-tripping.

Eventually there is no possible move the parent can make that isn’t further evidence of the diagnosis. That is a very dangerous place to bring someone.

Again, I know there are exceptions. Real ones. Serious ones. Nobody should read this letter and remain in a genuinely dangerous situation because some anonymous letter writer said to honor your parents. But exceptions are supposed to be exceptions.

We are a people who believe in kibbud av v’eim. We are a people who believe in hakaras hatov. We are a people who believe in teshuvah, in forgiveness, in human beings changing, and in relationships being repaired.

Surely our definition of mental health has room for those things too.

If therapy helps someone become calmer, healthier, more self-aware, a better spouse and a better parent, wonderful.

But if after three years of “healing,” a person has a longer list of people he can’t tolerate, a vocabulary full of diagnoses for everyone who ever disappointed him, and parents who cry themselves to sleep because their child has decided that speaking to them is bad for his mental health, maybe somebody needs to ask a very uncomfortable question:

What exactly are we healing?

One Who Knows What’s Going On

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The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to permit Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to address next week’s high-level gathering by prerecorded video after the United States once again refused to issue him a visa to travel to New York.

The measure was approved by a vote of 152-3, with four abstentions. The United States, Israel and Paraguay cast the three opposing votes.

The vote came after Washington extended visa restrictions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials, leaving Abbas unable to attend the General Assembly in person for the second year in a row.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, criticized the decision, saying, “As long as Abbas continues his policy of making payments to terrorists and their families, he cannot expect the international community to simply ignore it. Instead of coming to New York, he will send videos. The responsibility for changing this policy is in his hands.”

The State Department said Wednesday that it was continuing the sanctions because, in the administration’s view, the Palestinian Authority had not fulfilled commitments made to the United States. Washington has cited Palestinian efforts involving international organizations and legal proceedings against Israel among the reasons for its visa policy.

“As a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials,” the State Department said.

Despite the broader restrictions, Washington said personnel assigned to the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the United Nations would continue to be permitted to operate in New York under an existing waiver.

The arrangement largely mirrors what occurred last year, when the General Assembly also authorized Abbas to participate remotely after he was denied a U.S. visa. In 2025, that resolution passed 145-5, with six abstentions.

This year’s resolution again gives Abbas the ability to deliver his General Assembly remarks by video rather than appearing at UN headquarters. The UN’s high-level week is scheduled for September 22 through September 29, with the General Debate beginning September 22.

Abbas had sought to persuade Washington to reverse course. During a visit to Ankara last month, he asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to raise the visa issue with President Donald Trump. Erdogan, who has described Trump as a “good friend,” subsequently spoke by telephone with the President.

The United States nevertheless maintained the visa restrictions, leaving Abbas to address the gathering remotely for a second consecutive year.

{Matzav.com}

A Texas Air National Guard pilot safely ejected from an F-16 fighter jet moments before the aircraft crashed and erupted in flames in rural northern Michigan on Thursday afternoon, prompting authorities to evacuate residents living within a mile of the wreckage.

The aircraft belonged to the 149th Fighter Wing, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. The unit confirmed that the F-16 went down in Grand Traverse County following what it described as a “mishap.”

The pilot managed to eject before the aircraft hit the ground and parachuted safely to the area below. He was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine said the pilot was conscious and alert following the crash.

The impact occurred near County Road 633 and Blair Townhall Road in Blair Township, sending a large column of dark smoke into the air that could be seen from the surrounding area.

“We are currently investigating the mishap,” a spokesperson for the 149th Fighter Wing told The Post.

There were no immediate reports of injuries to anyone on the ground, and Blonshine said she was not aware of any homes being damaged. She was at her own home when the aircraft came down and said the sound of the impact was unmistakable.

“It sounded like a huge explosion. I ran out and I saw a big smoke plume, and my first thought was somebody’s house blew up,” she told The Post.

Emergency crews quickly converged on the area as authorities established a command center at Blair Township Hall. As a precaution, Grand Traverse County officials ordered people living within a one-mile radius of the crash site to leave the area.

“Evacuate within 1 mile of the site. Evacuate away from the intersection of Co Rd 633 and Jefferson Pl. Follow instructions from emergency personnel,” Grand Traverse County Emergency Management posted on social media.

Video recorded following the crash showed a substantial plume of smoke rising from the area near the roadway intersection as emergency personnel responded to the scene.

The F-16 was in Michigan as part of a training deployment at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, according to Stars and Stripes. The facility regularly hosts military aviation units for exercises and readiness training.

The visiting fighter jets had also been scheduled to participate in a flyover Friday night at a local high school football game, according to the Alpena News.

Officials did not immediately disclose what may have caused Thursday’s crash. The 149th Fighter Wing said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF has decided to dismiss the officer who served as the Gaza Division’s intelligence chief during the October 7 massacre, concluding a lengthy administrative and legal process examining his command responsibility and professional failures surrounding the catastrophic Hamas invasion.

Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, announced Thursday that Lt. Col. A. would have his military service terminated following a recommendation by an advisory committee tasked with reviewing whether his service commitment should be ended.

The decision followed months of proceedings, including a court challenge brought by Lt. Col. A. seeking to halt the process against him. The dismissal ultimately moved forward after the court rejected his arguments and cleared the IDF to continue its review.

The process stemmed from a decision made in November 2025 by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who concluded that several senior officers bore command responsibility for the failures surrounding October 7 and should face command measures. Lt. Col. A. was included among those officers because of the responsibilities he held as the Gaza Division’s intelligence officer at the time of the attack.

The IDF subsequently began examining whether to terminate Lt. Col. A.’s service after the Deputy Chief of Staff issued an opinion recommending that step. The advisory committee convened as part of that process, but its work was delayed after the officer raised a series of objections and requests concerning the proceedings.

The dispute eventually reached the courts. On March 23, 2026, Lt. Col. A. filed a petition challenging the planned convening of the committee. A day later, the court temporarily barred the committee from meeting and imposed a gag order covering details of the legal proceedings.

That temporary halt ended following a ruling issued in June. The court determined that the process launched against Lt. Col. A. was lawful and had been initiated by the appropriate military authorities. The proceedings were based on what the IDF described as professional mistakes, failures and command responsibility attributed to the officer.

The court also rejected the officer’s contention that the military lacked authority to take such action. It ruled that IDF regulations permit the military to initiate proceedings to terminate the service commitment of a servicemember found to have demonstrated professional or command failures. The judges additionally determined that Lt. Col. A. had been given an adequate opportunity to present his position and that his right to be heard had not been violated.

With the legal obstacle removed, the IDF resumed the administrative process. According to the military, the committee reviewed the Deputy Chief of Staff’s opinion, findings produced by the IDF’s internal investigations and professional assessments concerning Lt. Col. A.’s performance during the period leading up to the October 7 massacre.

The committee also heard Lt. Col. A.’s response to the allegations and considered his arguments regarding the degree of responsibility that should be assigned to him. The officer was permitted to present those arguments both in writing and orally.

Once the committee completed its review, it forwarded its recommendations to Maj. Gen. Bar Kalifa for a final determination.

Bar Kalifa ultimately accepted the recommendation to terminate Lt. Col. A.’s service commitment, bringing his IDF career to an end over the professional and command failures attributed to him in connection with the period surrounding October 7.

The military has formally notified Lt. Col. A. of the decision. He retains the right to appeal his dismissal directly to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

The Trump administration has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, moving Riyadh significantly closer to acquiring one of America’s most advanced combat aircraft and marking a major development in the defense relationship between Washington and the kingdom. The proposed sale still faces the U.S. arms-sale process following the State Department’s approval.

Under the package approved by the State Department, Saudi Arabia has requested 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters configured for conventional takeoff and landing, along with 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines. Forty-eight of those engines would be installed in the aircraft, while one would serve as a spare.

The multibillion-dollar package extends far beyond the aircraft themselves. It includes secure communications systems, precision-navigation and cryptographic equipment, electronic-warfare database support, equipment for maintaining both the jets and their munitions, spare parts, consumable items and repair-and-return services.

Saudi forces would also receive training equipment and simulators, software and technical documentation, transportation and aerial-refueling support, as well as training for personnel involved in operating and maintaining the aircraft.

Additional elements of the proposed agreement include maintenance assistance, aircraft modifications, technical studies and surveys, site assessments and engineering, logistics and technical support provided by the U.S. government.

In its justification for approving the sale, the State Department said the package would advance U.S. foreign-policy and national-security objectives by strengthening Saudi Arabia’s security and defense capabilities. The department described the kingdom as an important American security partner in the Gulf.

Washington said the F-35s would enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to defend its territory and deter both existing and emerging threats. The aircraft would also increase the Saudi military’s ability to operate alongside American, regional and NATO forces.

The State Department said the acquisition would expand the Royal Saudi Air Force’s operational fleet while giving the kingdom additional air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities. U.S. officials said Saudi Arabia should be able to incorporate the aircraft and accompanying equipment into its military without significant difficulty.

Despite the scale and sophistication of the proposed acquisition, the State Department said it does not expect the deal to change the strategic military equilibrium in the Middle East.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the military balance in the region,” the department said.

The planned sale comes as Saudi Arabia has become more deeply involved in the continuing Middle East conflict, increasing the significance of Riyadh’s efforts to upgrade its air power.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, based in Fort Worth, Texas, would serve as the principal contractor for the F-35 aircraft, while Pratt & Whitney Military Engines of East Hartford, Connecticut, would be the principal contractor for the jets’ engines.

At this stage, the U.S. government said it is unaware of any offset agreement connected with the proposed transaction. If such an arrangement is ultimately reached, its terms would be negotiated directly between Saudi Arabia and the companies involved.

The sale also is not expected to require additional U.S. government personnel or contractor representatives to be permanently assigned to Saudi Arabia for implementation.

The State Department further determined that proceeding with the package would not negatively affect the readiness of America’s own armed forces.

The approval represents a major formal step toward a Saudi F-35 acquisition, but it does not by itself mean that the $24.3 billion transaction has been completed or that the aircraft have been delivered. The proposed sale must continue through the required U.S. process before a final agreement and eventual transfer can take place.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is nearing a major decision on the next phase of the war with Iran, weighing whether to launch another large-scale military offensive against the Iranian regime or pursue a renewed diplomatic track.

“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios.

Trump’s remarks came just days before he is scheduled to meet with leaders of six Gulf nations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The discussions are expected to play an important role as the President considers how the United States should proceed in the nearly seven-month-old conflict.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are expected to participate in Tuesday’s meeting. According to Axios, the talks could help shape whether Washington makes another attempt at diplomacy with Tehran or returns to more intensive military operations.

Trump said he intends to listen closely to the Gulf leaders before making his decision, particularly given the effects the war has had across the region.

“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” he said.

The President would not say whether he expects to decide on the next stage of the conflict before or after the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Trump previously decided against restarting major combat operations in early August after Saudi Arabia and Qatar expressed concern that an expanded American offensive could prompt Iran to retaliate against Saudi oil and natural-gas infrastructure, according to Axios.

Since then, the administration has pursued a less intensive military approach while maintaining significant pressure on Tehran. Negotiations with Iran were suspended, additional economic sanctions were imposed, and the United States continued its naval blockade of Iranian ports. At the same time, American forces have concentrated on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and increasing the movement of energy shipments through the critical waterway.

Those efforts have led to a substantial increase in the number of oil and gas tankers passing through the strait, although traffic has yet to return to the levels seen before the war and oil prices remain elevated.

Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have directed the U.S. military to maintain its current force presence in the Middle East through the end of 2026, according to U.S. officials cited by Axios. The deployment is intended to keep American forces prepared should Trump order a return to full-scale combat.

But officials have indicated that maintaining the military in its present posture indefinitely is not practical, adding pressure for a decision about Washington’s longer-term objectives.

“At some point you have to decide what is the end game,” the official said.

Trump also pointed to the naval blockade as one area where he believes the U.S. campaign has been particularly effective.

“Not one ship has gone to Iran since we started. They tried, and we blew them up,” he said.

At the same time that he is publicly considering another military escalation, Trump said direct communication between Washington and Tehran is continuing. He also maintained that Iranian leaders remain interested in reaching an agreement with the United States.

The White House, meanwhile, has begun developing a broader strategy for the Middle East once the current war ends. According to Axios, the plan remains in its early stages but envisions a regional effort to contain Iran while simultaneously expanding normalization between Israel and neighboring Arab countries.

Administration officials are developing that framework with an eye toward the remaining two years of Trump’s term. The political calendar is also looming over the planning, with Israel scheduled to hold elections on October 27 and the U.S. midterm elections following in November.

Another major question surrounding next week’s United Nations gathering is whether Trump will meet with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu while both leaders are in New York.

Asked whether such a meeting would take place, Trump replied, “I may.”

The White House on Thursday withdrew President Donald Trump’s nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, abandoning the selection less than three months after Trump tapped the former Oklahoma state trooper to take charge of an agency at the center of his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

The administration did not publicly provide a reason for withdrawing Schroyer’s nomination. The White House formally listed Richard Lance Schroyer among five nominations withdrawn from the Senate on Thursday.

Schroyer’s nomination, however, had made little progress since Trump announced his selection in late June. Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had not scheduled a confirmation hearing, creating a major obstacle to Schroyer reaching a vote before the full Senate.

Trump announced Schroyer as his choice on June 27, highlighting his nearly three decades in Oklahoma law enforcement as well as his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. The nomination was formally sent to the Senate on July 20.

At the time, Trump praised Schroyer as a “PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst,” and urged senators to move quickly on the nomination.

Schroyer spent 29 years in Oklahoma law enforcement and rose to the rank of major with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. He later became a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a fellow Oklahoman with whom Schroyer has had a longstanding relationship.

Before Mullin became homeland security secretary, Schroyer had also served on his security detail while Mullin was in the Senate. Mullin publicly described Schroyer earlier this year as a “good friend of mine.”

Schroyer did have some experience working directly with federal immigration enforcement. He helped lead an Oklahoma Highway Patrol initiative to train more than 700 state troopers to work with ICE under the federal 287(g) program, which allows designated state and local officers to perform certain immigration-enforcement functions. Schroyer himself was deputized to make ICE arrests after completing training last year.

Still, questions had been raised about his comparatively limited experience in federal immigration enforcement and his background managing an organization far smaller than ICE. CNN reported that some immigration hardliners and officials within the Department of Homeland Security had privately expressed doubts about his selection.

The more immediate problem was in the Senate.

Paul had yet to schedule Schroyer’s confirmation hearing and had not publicly committed to supporting him. The Kentucky senator and Mullin have also had a contentious relationship, including a heated exchange during Mullin’s own confirmation process earlier this year.

Other reporting has linked the stalled nomination to Paul’s demands for additional information from the Department of Homeland Security regarding investigations into the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in Minnesota in January. The White House itself, however, has not said whether that dispute played a role in its decision to withdraw Schroyer.

The withdrawal leaves ICE once again without a nominee positioned to become its first Senate-confirmed director in years.

The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have relied on a succession of acting officials to oversee ICE after nominees either failed to win confirmation or were never brought to a final Senate vote.

That leadership vacuum is particularly notable because ICE has taken on an expanded role during Trump’s second administration as the White House has increased immigration arrests, detention and deportation operations around the country. Supporters of the administration say those measures are necessary to enforce immigration law and improve public safety, while Democrats and immigration-rights organizations have challenged aspects of the enforcement campaign and raised concerns about due process and the treatment of immigrants.

ICE has also undergone recent changes at the acting-director level. Todd Lyons stepped down as acting director in May, and longtime ICE official David Venturella subsequently took over leadership of the agency in an acting capacity.

When Trump initially selected Schroyer, the President pointed specifically to his involvement in partnerships between Oklahoma law enforcement and ICE as evidence that he was suited for the position.

“Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma,” Trump wrote when announcing the nomination, adding, “The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay.”

Instead, Schroyer never received a confirmation hearing.

The White House’s withdrawal means the administration will now have to decide whether to nominate another candidate for the position if it wants to end ICE’s lengthy reliance on acting directors. As of Thursday afternoon, the administration had not announced a replacement or explained why it decided to abandon Schroyer’s nomination.

For now, Venturella remains in charge in an acting capacity, while one of the federal agencies most central to the administration’s immigration agenda remains without a Senate-confirmed leader nearly a decade after the position was last permanently filled.