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Israel has released five Lebanese detainees and returned them to Lebanon after determining that none had ties to terrorist organizations, according to reports. The releases come as efforts are underway in Lebanon to locate the remains of leaders of the country’s Jewish community who were abducted and murdered by terrorist groups during the 1980s.

One of those released, 33-year-old Hussein Ayyash, told Reuters that IDF soldiers detained him approximately three months ago while he was driving in the southern Lebanese village of Tebnine. Ayyash said he was subsequently brought to Israel, held in isolation and questioned about whether he had connections to Hezbollah.

Ayyash said he was not physically tortured while in Israeli custody, but claimed that he experienced considerable psychological pressure and was frequently transferred between different detention facilities.

“There are Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all different nationalities who are in prison. You are moved from room to room every so often, every 30-40 days,” he said.

Ayyash’s brother claimed that approximately 100 Lebanese nationals remain imprisoned in Israel and should also be released. He said the detainees are among the central issues being discussed in negotiations with Israel, which has previously freed Lebanese prisoners as a gesture toward the Lebanese government.

Ayyash’s mother said she hopes that all those still being held will eventually be returned to their families.

The releases are taking place against the backdrop of a separate effort in Lebanon to recover the remains of prominent members of the Lebanese Jewish community who were kidnapped and murdered by terrorist organizations in the 1980s.

{Matzav.com}

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asked the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday to intervene in a rapidly escalating redistricting battle, seeking an emergency stay of a state Supreme Court ruling that prevents Missouri from using its newly drawn congressional districts in November’s midterm elections.

The unusual appeal asks the nation’s highest court to step into a dispute already decided unanimously by Missouri’s highest court. Hanaway argues that changing congressional boundaries after voters already participated in August primaries under the new map could throw the state’s general election into disarray.

“A federal-election-administration disaster is unfolding in Missouri,” Hanaway wrote in the emergency filing submitted to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who handles emergency applications arising from the federal circuit that includes Missouri.

Hanaway turned to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a citizen-led referendum challenging the congressional map adopted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2025 was legally valid and must appear on the November ballot. The map had the backing of President Donald Trump and was designed in a way that could give Republicans an opportunity to win seven of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats.

One of the most consequential changes under the new boundaries involves the Kansas City-area district represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The redrawn lines would make that seat substantially more favorable to Republicans, potentially changing the state’s current 6-2 Republican congressional advantage to 7-1.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that because the referendum petition was legally sufficient and submitted before the new redistricting law took effect, the 2025 map cannot be implemented unless voters approve it. As a result, the court ordered the November congressional elections to be conducted using the map adopted in 2022.

That older map also favors Republicans, who currently hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, but it preserves the configuration under which Cleaver has maintained his Kansas City-based seat.

The timing has created an extraordinary complication for election officials. Missouri held its congressional primaries last month using the 2025 districts that the state Supreme Court has now ruled cannot be used for the November general election. The primary results themselves were not invalidated.

Hanaway told the U.S. Supreme Court that Missouri officials are “genuinely unsure whether it can switch its governing congressional map in time to run a timely federal election.”

She argued that forcing the state to revert to its previous congressional boundaries after candidates and voters already participated in primaries under different districts would produce unprecedented disruption.

“No court in American history has ever given such an extraordinary remedy, which inflicts unprecedented chaos on Missouri,” she wrote. “Looking backwards, the order renders a completed federal Primary Election utterly pointless—disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters who will now be moved into new districts and forced to vote for candidates they had no role in selecting.”

The Missouri Supreme Court rejected a request to pause its decision while state officials sought relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, clearing the way for Hanaway and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to make their emergency appeal to Washington.

Kavanaugh has directed attorneys representing those who challenged the new congressional districts to respond to Missouri’s emergency application by noon Monday.

The underlying dispute centers on a referendum campaign organized by opponents of the 2025 map. More than 300,000 signatures were submitted in an effort to force a statewide vote on the redistricting plan.

Hoskins blocked the referendum from appearing on the ballot in August, concluding that congressional redistricting legislation was not eligible to be challenged through Missouri’s referendum process.

The Missouri Supreme Court unanimously rejected that position Thursday, repeatedly criticizing Hoskins’ legal arguments and finding that the state Constitution allows voters to seek a referendum on congressional redistricting legislation.

The court concluded that the petition was “legal, sufficient, and timely,” finding that the Missouri Constitution permits a referendum on “any act of the general assembly” unless a specific exception applies.

The justices consequently ordered Hoskins to certify the referendum and place it on the November ballot. They also barred him and other state officials from using the 2025 congressional districts unless and until voters approve them.

The state’s highest court made clear that practical difficulties resulting from the late change did not override the constitutional issue, saying the previous map remains the only congressional map legally in effect for November.

The Missouri dispute is part of a much broader mid-decade redistricting battle unfolding around the country ahead of the 2026 elections, with both Republicans and Democrats seeking changes to congressional boundaries in states they control. The fight has taken on added significance because of the narrow partisan divide in the U.S. House.

Thursday also brought a major development in Maryland, where that state’s highest court cleared the way for a November ballot question involving a proposed congressional redistricting plan that could ultimately give Democrats an opportunity to capture all eight of Maryland’s House districts beginning in 2028.

For Missouri, however, the immediate question has now shifted to Washington. With the November election approaching and the state facing the prospect of conducting its general election under different congressional boundaries from those used in its primaries, Hanaway is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the new districts to remain in place while the legal battle continues.

Whether that happens now rests initially with Kavanaugh and potentially with the full Supreme Court, as Missouri officials race against looming election deadlines.

{Matzav.com}

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday ordered Russian forces to suspend strikes on Kyiv for three days as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The American negotiators are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for further discussions.

Ukraine had earlier proposed a temporary ceasefire ahead of the diplomatic meetings, which come as Washington attempts to restart negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv after peace efforts had stalled.

“Indeed, such information was received from the Ukrainian side. Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Putin gave orders to hold off on attacks on Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media on Saturday.

The Kremlin said the decision was directly connected to the upcoming American diplomatic activity in the Ukrainian capital.

“This is due to the preparation and conduct of American contacts in Kyiv,” Peskov said.

Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday after traveling aboard a U.S. government aircraft that stopped in Helsinki before entering Russian airspace. Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met the delegation at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

The two American envoys subsequently met with Putin at the Kremlin as part of the Trump administration’s continuing effort to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Putin said at the opening of the meeting that Moscow was comfortable working with Witkoff and Kushner and stressed the importance of trust in mediators involved in the negotiations.

President Trump said Friday that the latest round of shuttle diplomacy could help establish conditions for resolving the conflict and that the United States has developed a vision for what eventual peace agreements between Russia and Ukraine could look like.

Following their Moscow meetings, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials. The visits place the two American emissaries in the middle of another attempt to narrow the substantial differences that remain between the Russian and Ukrainian positions.

The temporary halt comes after weeks in which Russian drone attacks against Ukrainian cities have intensified. At the same time, Ukraine has expanded its campaign against Russian oil infrastructure, with the number of strikes reaching a monthly record in August since the war began in 2022.

The ceasefire order followed a large-scale Russian overnight assault across Ukraine in which at least five people were killed and six others wounded, according to Ukrainian reports.

Zelensky said the latest strikes included attacks against airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, and he suggested that Moscow had deliberately targeted the facilities because of preparations for the arrival of the American delegation.

“They were deliberate, for the first time in a long while,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “Clearly, Russia’s strikes on the airports are a reaction to discussions and preparations concerning the possibility of the American side using an aircraft to arrive in Ukraine.”

Despite the three-day pause in attacks on Kyiv, the Kremlin has cautioned that the broader diplomatic process remains far from a settlement. Peskov said Friday that there were still no concrete conditions in place for achieving peace, although contacts and American mediation efforts were continuing.

Putin’s order applies to strikes on Kyiv rather than representing a comprehensive ceasefire across the entire front. Russian state media reported that the suspension was to begin at midnight and continue for three days, while Ukraine was also expected to observe a ceasefire during the period.

The diplomatic initiative comes as the Trump administration continues trying to bring the two sides toward an agreement after more than four years of war. Witkoff and Kushner have emerged as key intermediaries in those efforts, holding repeated contacts with Russian and Ukrainian officials.

For now, the three-day pause offers a temporary respite for Kyiv while the American envoys conduct their meetings — but whether the diplomatic push can produce a broader halt to the fighting remains unresolved.

{Matzav.com}

The Lakewood Board of Education is set to hold a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to address courtesy busing and hazardous routes, a potentially significant discussion coming just weeks after a transportation funding crisis left thousands of local families facing sharply higher costs for non-mandated school busing.

The special session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 4:30 p.m., with the Board expected to discuss transportation for students attending nonpublic schools and, in particular, how Lakewood’s policies governing roads deemed hazardous should be applied under New Jersey law.

The issue could have significant implications in Lakewood, where thousands of children who live within the state mileage limits for mandatory transportation nevertheless travel along heavily trafficked roads that the district itself has formally classified as hazardous.

“A hazardous road is hazardous regardless of what school a child attends,” the Board said, emphasizing that student safety and consistent application of transportation policy will be central to the discussion.

The Board could take formal action during Wednesday’s meeting.

The distinction between mandated transportation, courtesy busing and hazardous-route transportation has taken on heightened importance following the turmoil surrounding Lakewood’s non-mandated busing program ahead of the new school year.

Under New Jersey law, transportation is generally mandated for elementary students in grades K-8 who live more than two miles from school and high school students who live more than 2½ miles away. Nonpublic-school students who live within those distances are not automatically entitled under state law to regular transportation, although districts and transportation agencies may provide what is commonly known as courtesy or subscription busing.

But New Jersey law separately addresses districts that choose to provide courtesy transportation and have children who must walk along hazardous routes.

Under N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1.5, a school district providing courtesy busing is required to adopt a policy concerning students who must walk to or from school along hazardous routes. That policy must identify hazardous routes within the district requiring courtesy busing and establish the criteria used to determine which roads qualify.

State law provides a lengthy list of factors that districts may consider when making that determination, including traffic volume, vehicle speeds, population density, whether adequate sidewalks exist, blind curves, steep inclines, nearby drop-offs, bridges and overpasses, railroad tracks and busy roads or highways that children would be required to cross. Municipal officials are also supposed to work with the school district in establishing the criteria used to designate hazardous routes.

Lakewood already maintains an extensive official list of roads that the Board of Education has determined to be hazardous.

The district’s current student transportation regulation states: “For safety purposes, District policy prohibits students from crossing roads deemed to be hazardous.” It further provides that no bus route may be established in violation of that policy and that students may not be permitted to ride a bus contrary to the policy.

The district’s hazardous-road list includes Route 9, Route 70, Cedar Bridge Avenue, County Line Road, Cross Street, Hope Chapel Road, New Hampshire Avenue, Pine Street, Prospect Street, Squankum Road, Vermont Avenue, James Street, Joe Parker Road, Chestnut Street, Clifton Avenue, Forest Avenue, Oak Street and numerous other heavily traveled Lakewood roads.

That existing policy is expected to loom large over Wednesday’s discussion: If the district has formally determined that children cannot safely cross certain roads, how should that safety determination affect transportation for a student who lives within the ordinary two-mile or 2½-mile threshold?

The issue is particularly consequential for Lakewood because its transportation system operates on a scale unlike virtually anywhere else in New Jersey.

A state-commissioned review of the Lakewood school district found that in fiscal year 2024, transportation or transportation funding covered 40,958 students. Of those, 35,769 were nonpublic-school students, including 9,510 classified as receiving courtesy transportation. Another 4,281 were public-school students, including 1,779 courtesy riders.

The same state review found that the Lakewood Student Transportation Authority transports roughly 25,000 mandated nonpublic-school students and approximately 10,000 nonpublic students receiving courtesy busing each year. It noted that Lakewood’s nonpublic transportation obligation dwarfs that of other New Jersey districts even when courtesy busing is excluded.

The issue exploded into public view last month when Lakewood families were initially informed that the cost of non-mandated transportation through the LSTA would jump from $385 to $945 per student for the 2026-27 school year following the loss of funding that had helped support courtesy transportation.

For a family with several children using courtesy busing, the increase threatened to translate into thousands of dollars in additional annual transportation expenses.

After days of meetings involving LSTA, government officials, askanim and representatives of Igud Hamosdos, the additional charge was dramatically reduced. Igud Hamosdos subsequently informed local mosdos that families would instead be required to pay an additional $290 per student and urged parents to opt into the transportation program.

Even with that immediate crisis eased, however, the episode left unresolved a much broader question: Which children are properly classified as ordinary courtesy riders, and how should students whose routes to school involve roads already officially determined to be hazardous be treated?

New Jersey Department of Education guidance makes clear that simply living along a hazardous route does not, by itself, create the same statewide entitlement to free transportation as meeting the statutory mileage requirements. The state says boards are not generally required to provide busing solely because a student lives less than the mandated distance but faces hazardous conditions.

At the same time, once a district provides courtesy busing, state law requires it to maintain a hazardous-route policy, identify the routes requiring courtesy transportation and establish objective standards governing those determinations.

That distinction is likely to be critical Wednesday.

The discussion is also expected to focus on whether those safety standards are being applied uniformly. The central concern is straightforward: A roadway that the district has determined is too dangerous for one child to cross does not become less dangerous because another child attends a different type of school.

New Jersey’s own nonpublic transportation guidance states that nonpublic students living within the mandatory mileage thresholds may receive courtesy transportation in accordance with the policies adopted by their resident district board of education. The state also permits a board or coordinated transportation services agency to charge parents for some or all of that transportation, subject to statutory restrictions.

For Lakewood, where the overwhelming majority of school-age children attend nonpublic schools and where major arteries such as Route 9, County Line Road, Cedar Bridge Avenue and Cross Street carry substantial traffic, the practical consequences of how the hazardous-route policy is interpreted could be considerable.

Wednesday’s meeting therefore comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the community’s school transportation system. What began several weeks ago as a dispute over the price of courtesy busing is now raising a more fundamental question about how Lakewood determines which children can safely be expected to walk to school.

The Board’s discussion could clarify whether changes are necessary in the district’s current approach and whether transportation policies involving hazardous roads are being applied consistently to public- and nonpublic-school students.

For parents whose children live within the normal mileage limits but would otherwise have to navigate roads Lakewood itself has deemed hazardous, Wednesday’s meeting could prove especially consequential.

At its core, the issue before the Board is not simply how far a child lives from school, but what that child would actually encounter along the way.

As the Board put it, “A hazardous road is hazardous regardless of what school a child attends.”

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee delivered a sharp condemnation of violent Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank town of Turmusayya, describing attacks against local residents as an “act of terror” and saying those responsible constituted a “band of terrorists” engaged in “criminal activity.”

Huckabee said his visit was intended in part to show support for U.S. citizens “who live in Turmusayya and other communities across this region” and who are “disturbed by people who have created extraordinary challenges that are unfair and illegal.”

The ambassador acknowledged that his use of the term terrorism to describe the violence has drawn criticism. Nevertheless, he defended the characterization during remarks at Turmusayya Town Hall, saying the actions fit the definition of terrorism and referring to the perpetrators as a “band of terrorists” involved in “criminal activity.”

“It’s important that we continue to put the pressure to say letting a few people do these horrible activities of criminal nature is detrimental…to everyone, Israeli, Palestinian alike,” he said.

Huckabee’s remarks were not the first time he has used the term “terrorists” to describe Israelis accused of carrying out violent attacks against Palestinians. In August, he condemned an attack on the West Bank village of Qusra, where the home of a Palestinian American was among the locations targeted.

According to Huckabee, those responsible for that incident burned a mosque and left graffiti on a wall reading, “Huckabee, this is from the terrorist.”

The ambassador’s repeated condemnations represent a forceful response from the Trump administration to violence attributed to Israeli settlers. President Donald Trump previously rescinded sanctions that the Biden administration had imposed against Israelis accused of violent activity in the West Bank.

“I’m glad they admitted it,” Huckabee said today, referring to the graffiti in which the perpetrators used the word terrorist to describe themselves. “I don’t think that’s what they intended to do, but I do think that they represent a very tiny minority.”

The State Department has also denounced the violence. A department spokesperson said last week that the U.S. position remains consistent with the Trump administration’s broader objective of pursuing peace in the region.

{Matzav.com}

A fundraising campaign established to support the parents of Lindsay Clancy has surpassed $1.1 million, with contributions pouring in as her closely watched Massachusetts murder trial ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

The Musgrove Family Fund was launched on Aug. 11 by Wisconsin organizer Brandee Mulligan on behalf of Clancy’s father, Michael Musgrove. As of Friday, approximately 33,500 donors had contributed $1,124,849 toward the campaign’s $2 million goal.

According to the fundraiser, the money is intended to help Mike and Paula Musgrove recover financially after years of expenses associated with their daughter’s case. The couple relocated from Connecticut to Massachusetts so they could remain near Clancy and attend court proceedings, accumulating costs for travel, hotels and everyday living expenses.

Contributions to the campaign climbed as Clancy’s trial, one of Massachusetts’ most closely followed criminal cases, approached its conclusion.

Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Friday after the jury informed the court that it could not unanimously decide whether Clancy, 36, was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children. Clancy was accused of strangling Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, who was 8 months old, inside the family’s Duxbury home on Jan. 24, 2023.

The jury was reportedly divided 11-1 after spending nearly 40 hours deliberating over the course of seven days.

Clancy, who previously worked as a labor and delivery nurse, had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, maintained during the trial that Clancy had been suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare and serious psychiatric condition that can occur after childbirth. The defense also argued that medical providers had overmedicated her.

Prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague, presented a sharply different account, arguing that Clancy deliberately planned the killings and intentionally carried them out.

Judge Sullivan scheduled a status hearing for Sept. 29. At that time, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz is expected to indicate how prosecutors intend to proceed, including whether they will seek a new trial, pursue a plea agreement or dismiss the charges.

Clancy will meanwhile remain in custody at Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been held since the deaths of her children.

She has been paralyzed from the waist down since Jan. 24, 2023, when she jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt on the same night her children were killed.

The GoFundMe campaign has been verified by the fundraising platform and identifies Mike and Paula Musgrove as its direct beneficiaries. The page states that the fundraiser was created with their approval and with the knowledge of Reddington.

In explaining the purpose of the campaign, Mulligan wrote that the fund is not asking donors “to agree on Lindsay, her case, or what the outcome of her trial should be.”

Paula Musgrove is retired, while Mike Musgrove works as a photographer.

The latest fundraising effort is separate from a GoFundMe established in 2023 for Clancy’s ex-husband, Patrick. That campaign raised more than $1 million to assist with medical expenses, funeral costs and legal bills following the deaths of the couple’s three children.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said today that Israel has already completed “80-90%” of the work necessary to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, but warned that the campaign is not over and that Israel remains prepared to carry out additional military operations inside Iran.

Speaking in an interview with i24NEWS, Netanyahu portrayed the confrontation with Tehran as the culmination of Israel’s broader campaign against Iran and its network of proxies across the Middle East. He said Iran’s nuclear ambitions had posed an existential danger to Israel and that Israeli action had dramatically reduced that threat.

“We have done 80-90% of the work. We need to complete what remains,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said Israel retains the operational capability to return to Iranian territory if necessary, pointing to previous Israeli operations as evidence that the IDF can reach targets deep inside Iran.

Netanyahu said Israeli pilots “were there and can be there at any moment,” making clear that Israel considers additional strikes an option if Tehran attempts to rebuild capabilities that Israel has targeted.

His comments came as concerns remain over the status of Iran’s nuclear program following extensive Israeli and American strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it still lacks access to key bombed sites and information about Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, a level approaching weapons grade. Before the attacks, the IAEA estimated Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to that level.

Netanyahu said Israel’s strategy was deliberately designed to first weaken the forces surrounding the Jewish state before confronting Iran itself. He described Tehran as “the head of the octopus,” with its regional proxies serving as the tentacles Israel sought to sever before turning directly toward the Iranian regime.

In related remarks reported from the interview, Netanyahu said, “My intention was that ultimately we would confront Iran, the head of the octopus, and cut off its tentacles.”

The prime minister pointed to Israel’s military campaigns against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian-linked forces elsewhere in the region as parts of that broader strategy. He maintained that weakening those groups helped create the conditions for Israel to confront Iran more directly.

Netanyahu has also made clear in recent days that Israel’s objectives extend beyond Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. In an earlier portion of his i24NEWS interview, he said Israeli agencies were working toward the collapse of the Iranian regime itself.

“We will defeat this regime. It will fall, we will bring it down. It is already standing on very shaky legs,” Netanyahu said.

Asked whether Mossad Director Roman Gofman was involved in efforts aimed at bringing down the Iranian government, Netanyahu replied, “All of our systems, under my direction, are working to bring down this regime and defeat it.”

The comments come amid renewed fighting between Iran and the United States and continued uncertainty over Tehran’s nuclear activities. The U.S., Britain, France and Germany are currently seeking an IAEA resolution that would report Iran to the U.N. Security Council over what they say is Tehran’s failure to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations and provide inspectors with required access and information.

Netanyahu indicated that Israel is closely watching for Iranian efforts to restore both its nuclear capabilities and the regional proxy network damaged during the fighting. He said Israel intends to act again if necessary rather than allow those capabilities to be rebuilt.

While Netanyahu’s assessment that Israel has completed as much as 90% of the campaign suggests that he believes the bulk of the immediate nuclear threat has been addressed, his comments also underscored that Yerushalayim does not regard the Iran campaign as finished.

{Matzav.com}

Maria Bartiromo was not fired by Fox News and remains an employee of the network, according to her attorney, who is pushing back sharply against reports surrounding the longtime television host’s abrupt departure from her Fox programs and warning that those spreading what he calls false claims could face legal action.

“The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false,” a spokesperson for attorney Bryan Freedman, Bartiromo’s attorney, said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Friday.

Freedman suggested that news organizations or individuals reporting that Bartiromo had been fired could ultimately be forced to defend those assertions in court.

“Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise.”

Freedman is a prominent entertainment attorney who previously represented Tucker Carlson following Carlson’s departure from Fox News in 2023.

“Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth,” Freedman, who has represented celebrities including Vin Diesel, Seth Rogen and Julia Roberts, added.

The attorney’s comments came one day after Fox News Media announced that it had parted ways with Bartiromo, who had spent more than 12 years with the company. Bartiromo joined Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network in 2013 following a lengthy career as an anchor and financial reporter at CNBC.

Fox did not publicly disclose what led to the separation. Bartiromo herself has not issued a public statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the development, with Freedman’s comments serving as the response from her side.

“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” Fox News Media said in announcing the move.

The network said Bartiromo’s departure from its programming was effective immediately. Fox also announced that the two programs she had hosted would be renamed and would receive new hosts, with a replacement also selected for “Sunday Morning Futures.”

President Donald Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social on Sept. 3, describing Bartiromo as a “true warrior” and “total professional.” Trump also predicted that viewers of her Fox programs would be unhappy about her departure.

Vice President JD Vance addressed Bartiromo’s situation during a White House press conference amid speculation that she could potentially succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary following Leavitt’s departure from the administration last month.

“No, I don’t think so,” Vance said when asked whether Bartiromo was being considered for the position. Vance nevertheless spoke positively about Bartiromo and described her as a friend.

Bartiromo’s exit from Fox programming marks the network’s most prominent on-air departure since Tucker Carlson left in 2023 after hosting what had been the highest-rated program in cable news prime time. Several years earlier, Fox News had also parted ways with longtime host Bill O’Reilly.

Bartiromo’s agency representatives did not respond to an earlier request for comment Thursday. Fox News also did not immediately respond Friday to a request from The Epoch Times seeking additional comment about Freedman’s assertions.

{Matzav.com}

Rudy Giuliani accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of undermining the NYPD and fostering an atmosphere in which criminal behavior is tolerated, as a series of random attacks on subways and city streets has renewed concerns about public safety. Giuliani made the remarks today during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Saturday Report.”

The former New York City mayor said seemingly random acts of violence have become a particularly disturbing problem for New Yorkers and argued that the approach taken by City Hall plays an important role in determining how criminals behave.

“You have a mayor who is indifferent,” Giuliani said, referring to Mamdani. He went on to contend that crime has declined nationally since President Donald Trump took office because authorities have adopted a firmer posture toward criminal behavior.

Giuliani maintained that even when police officers are performing effectively, the message coming from political leadership can make a substantial difference. In New York, he argued, a change in the level of tolerance for criminal activity can produce a 10% to 20% swing in crime.

At the same time, Giuliani praised the city’s police commissioner and the work being done by NYPD officers. His criticism was directed at Mamdani, whom he accused of making their jobs more difficult. Giuliani said the mayor “might as well get on television and tell people to commit crimes.”

Giuliani also addressed recent incidents involving people being randomly shoved or stabbed in the subway system, linking such attacks to what he described as an uncontrolled mental-health crisis. He acknowledged that overall crime was higher during his own tenure as mayor and that organized crime posed a more substantial threat at the time.

Discussing proposals to dispatch social workers to potentially dangerous encounters involving mentally ill individuals, Giuliani argued that sending them without police protection could have deadly consequences. A social worker responding alone, he said, “would have been killed by now.” He recalled that under his administration, police officers accompanied social workers and individuals living on the streets were given “virtually no other choice” but to leave. Giuliani rejected the notion that people have a right to establish encampments or live on sidewalks and accused the current administration of encouraging such conditions.

The discussion then shifted to the approaching 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Giuliani argued that the United States has lost sight of some of the lessons learned after 9/11 and warned about extremist Muslims seeking political influence or control in communities including Dearborn, Michigan, and New York. He stressed that his criticism was not directed at Muslims as a whole. Giuliani has made similar warnings in recent Newsmax appearances ahead of the anniversary.

Giuliani recalled that following the 9/11 attacks, he explicitly urged New Yorkers not to retaliate against Muslims or Arabs. He said his administration established a task force aimed at preventing such a backlash. At the same time, he argued that the thousands of Americans killed in terrorist attacks should be remembered accurately and that the historical record should not be recast as though Islamists had been the victims.

Turning specifically to this year’s Ground Zero commemoration, Giuliani said he believes relatives of 9/11 victims do not want Mamdani to attend the ceremony.

“If he had a little bit of a heart, even with his views, he wouldn’t go,” Giuliani said, arguing that Mamdani’s attendance would upset victims’ relatives, whom he described as the most important people at the commemoration. Giuliani further charged that Mamdani “stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children.”

Giuliani said that during his administration, and later under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, considerable deference was given to the wishes of 9/11 families when decisions were made about commemorating the attacks. He argued that the terrorist threat remains serious today, warning that an attack “could happen again tomorrow,” even with President Trump in office.

Giuliani’s comments come amid an ongoing debate in New York over public safety, the city’s response to homelessness and mental illness, and Mamdani’s planned participation in events marking a quarter-century since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The United States cast the lone vote against a United Nations resolution encouraging governments, schools and other institutions to move away from the centuries-old Mercator world map in favor of projections that more accurately portray the relative size of continents, particularly Africa. The General Assembly approved the measure Friday by a 164-1 vote.

Six countries — Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine — abstained from the vote, leaving the U.S. as the only nation to formally oppose the resolution.

The measure encourages U.N. member states to adopt the “Equal Earth” projection or similar maps instead of relying on the widely used Mercator projection, which dates to the 16th century. The Mercator map was originally developed for navigation but significantly enlarges land masses farther from the equator.

The resolution followed the African Union-backed “Correct the Map” campaign, led by Togo, which has argued that the map created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator inaccurately minimizes Africa’s enormous geographic size and influences perceptions of the continent.

“For over 450 years, we have based our understanding of Africa, and the world, on a map that is wrong!” the campaign said. “In fact, you could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare.”

Yaryna Ferencevych, the U.S. deputy representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, sharply criticized the measure while explaining Washington’s decision to vote against it, arguing that the issue went beyond simply choosing a different method of displaying the globe.

Ferencevych said the resolution “mocks the work and purpose of this institution.”

“While this initiative is presented as an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions, the United States clearly sees it cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to – as its most vocal and committed proponents plainly and openly state,” Ferencevych said in explaining the U.S.’ no vote.

She argued that the General Assembly should be devoting its attention to more consequential international matters rather than debating the political and ideological implications of mapmaking.

“Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century, and their role in promoting reparations and “cognitive justice,” Ferencevych added.

Ferencevych further contended that measures of this kind contribute to declining confidence in the United Nations.

“Resolutions like this and the ideological agenda they promote, are barnacles on our work here, and the reason this institution is losing its credibility,” Ferencevych continued. “When the United Nations questions why it is losing legitimacy in the world, and is not taken seriously, time and again, we point to resolutions such as this.”

The resolution does not prohibit countries or organizations from continuing to use the Mercator projection, nor does it mandate a single replacement. Instead, it encourages governments, educational institutions, international organizations and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection or other maps that more accurately depict the relative sizes of the world’s land masses.

Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey welcomed the General Assembly’s decision, portraying the effort as having significance beyond the technical question of cartography.

“It is about justice, dignity, equality and the way we represent our world,” he wrote on X. “For too long, inherited cartographic representations have distorted our perception of the true size and place of Africa and other regions of the world. Correcting the map means correcting the way we see the world.”

{Matzav.com}

Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks say they plan to ignore New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani if he attends this year’s 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero, choosing to turn away rather than confront the mayor during the solemn commemoration.

More than 98,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging Mamdani not to attend the ceremony. Organizers are planning to personally deliver the petition to City Hall on Sept. 8 during a news conference on the steps of the building led by petition organizer Giovanni Galante and Republican Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola.

Galante lost his wife, Grace, 29, in the Sept. 11 attacks. He said the families have no intention of physically preventing Mamdani from attending or engaging him in an argument.

“No one’s going to be there saying, ‘You can’t come in,'” Galante said. “I know he likes to come in your face and try to say hello and shake your hand, but I would definitely ignore him.”

Those supporting the petition have cited previous statements by Mamdani as well as individuals with whom he has associated as reasons they do not want him present. The annual ceremony commemorates the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Angie Pesce, whose brother Danny was among the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed in the North Tower, said she expects Mamdani to attend regardless of the objections from victims’ relatives.

“He’ll show up to be spiteful,” she told the newspaper.

Maureen Santora, 81, also said she believes Mamdani will appear at the ceremony despite the opposition. Her son Christopher, a 23-year-old firefighter assigned to Engine 54, was killed in the South Tower.

“I just hope that he doesn’t say a single word because most of us will be very upset,” she said.

Jeanette Puccio-Pick was only 9 years old when her father, Joseph Pick, a vice president at Fiduciary Trust International, was killed on the 94th floor of the South Tower. Now 34, she said she intends to focus on remembering her father rather than engaging with the mayor.

“If the mayor shows up, that’s his prerogative. I’m there to honor my father,” she said. “I don’t really want any politicians there, unless they’re there in a civilian capacity. But with politicians, it’s always a photo-op.”

The controversy comes as Mamdani on Friday signed executive orders concerning the anniversary, including one designating Sept. 11 as a day of remembrance and service and another aimed at strengthening the city’s emergency preparedness. Ariola argued that those actions did not address her broader concerns, pointing to Mamdani’s retention of chief counsel Ramzi Kassem and his positions regarding commentator Hasan Piker and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

City Hall, responding to questions about the controversy, referred to a statement Mamdani issued in July indicating that he intends to participate in the commemoration.

Mamdani said he would “proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump granted pardons or commutations to 30 people Thursday, extending clemency to a group that included individuals convicted of drug, bribery and firearms offenses, according to a report confirmed by the White House and representatives of several recipients.

Among those granted clemency was Holly Leanne Frantzen, who had spent more than a decade behind bars after receiving a sentence of nearly 17 years on drug-related charges.

The White House did not disclose whether Frantzen’s clemency came in the form of a full pardon or a commutation of her remaining sentence.

In a clemency request published by a prisoners’ rights organization, Frantzen discussed her previous struggles with drug addiction and said that while incarcerated she had been working toward completing an apprenticeship in plumbing.

Alice Marie Johnson, who serves as the White House pardon czar, singled out Frantzen while announcing the latest round of clemency grants. White House records list Johnson as serving in the pardon czar position.

“My prayer is that each of these 30 people makes the most of this extraordinary second chance and becomes a greater blessing to their families, communities and the world,” Johnson said in a social media post.

Trump also issued a pardon to Emory Clash Jones, who spent more than 10 years in federal prison following his conviction in a case involving the distribution of crack cocaine.

Jones, a longtime associate of rapper Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, was released from prison in 2010, according to federal Bureau of Prisons records cited in the report.

Following his release, Jones went on to become an executive at Roc Nation, the entertainment company established by Carter.

Carter had intervened on Jones’ behalf years earlier. In 2009, he sent a letter to the judge handling Jones’ case asking that Jones be released and pointing to his intelligence, ability to work with people and strong work ethic.

Neither Jones nor Roc Nation responded to requests for comment about the pardon.

Another prominent recipient was John Dougherty, the longtime leader of Philadelphia’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98.

Dougherty, widely known as “Johnny Doc,” headed the influential union for nearly 30 years before stepping down in 2021 following his conviction for bribing a member of the Philadelphia City Council.

Trump commuted what remained of Dougherty’s six-year federal prison sentence. Dougherty had served less than two years when the commutation was issued.

A White House official said the decision would enable Dougherty to return home and care for his terminally ill wife.

George Bochetto, Dougherty’s attorney, confirmed that his client had been released from federal custody and was heading back to Philadelphia to be with his wife.

Trump also pardoned Patrick Adamiak, a former U.S. Navy sailor who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2023 after being convicted of possessing and selling illegal machine guns and possessing unregistered destructive devices.

Gun-rights advocates had taken up Adamiak’s case, arguing that his prosecution involved unclear federal regulations and alleging that a confidential informant had improperly targeted him.

Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, said the organization welcomed Trump’s decision to pardon Adamiak.

The latest actions represent another use of the president’s constitutional clemency authority during his second term, with the 30 recipients receiving either pardons or sentence commutations.

The two forms of presidential clemency have different legal effects.

A pardon provides forgiveness for a federal offense and can eliminate some of the continuing legal consequences associated with a conviction. A commutation, by contrast, shortens or eliminates the punishment imposed on an individual while leaving the underlying federal conviction intact.

{Matzav.com}

A controversy erupted at Ichilov Hospital after bacon was deliberately placed on hospital dishes as part of a protest over food-ordering machines in the maternity wards that are not operated on Shabbos, prompting the hospital to discard the affected dishes over kashrus concerns.

Left-wing activist Naor Narkis posted footage showing bacon being served on a plate belonging to Ichilov Hospital. He said the act was intended to protest the hospital’s policy regarding newly installed food machines in the maternity wards, which are shut down on Shabbos while officials work on an appropriate halachic solution for their use.

Because the bacon had been placed directly on hospital dishes, the incident immediately raised questions regarding their kashrus. Responding to an inquiry from Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Ichilov said that any dishes suspected of having been compromised were thrown away and would not be returned to use.

Narkis claimed that in the maternity ward, “they starve the mothers on Shabbos and shut down all the food machines.” He said that as a result, one woman who had recently given birth asked her husband to order bacon, which was then served on dishes belonging to the hospital.

“Don’t mess with secular women after childbirth. And enough with the religious coercion that has crossed every line,” Narkis wrote alongside the footage he published.

Ichilov Medical Center strongly disputed the suggestion that women in its maternity wards are left without food on Shabbos.

Hospital officials explained that the machines are being introduced as part of a new pilot program in the maternity wards, designed to give patients and their families greater flexibility by allowing them to obtain meals on their own schedules.

“Until a halakhic solution is found for kosher use of the machines on Shabbos, the machines do not operate on Shabbos, and food is brought out of the kitchen and distributed by the staff as usual, in accordance with the rules of kashrut and as is customary in all departments,” Ichilov stated.

The hospital emphasized that shutting down the machines does not mean that mothers are deprived of meals during Shabbos.

“The claim that women who have given birth do not receive food during Shabbos is, of course, completely baseless.”

Ichilov also confirmed that the dishes involved in the bacon incident were permanently removed from service because of the resulting kashrus concerns.

“The dishes suspected of having had their kosher status compromised by the woman and her family were thrown away and will not be used again.”

The hospital said it remains committed to developing arrangements that will allow it to provide quality food service to patients from across the population, while accommodating the necessary kashrus requirements. It added that it “and expects everyone to act with mutual respect.”

A complicated rescue operation unfolded in Yerushalayim on Shabbos after a man became trapped inside a large underground garbage container in the Gilo neighborhood, forcing firefighters to battle dangerous gases and a severe lack of oxygen for more than an hour before successfully extracting him alive.

Following the rescue, Magen David Adom personnel treated the man at the scene before transporting him in moderate condition to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center.

The emergency began when the Fire and Rescue Service’s 102 hotline received a call reporting that an individual was trapped inside an underground garbage container. Firefighters from the Yerushalayim station were immediately dispatched, along with members of a specialized rescue unit.

When the emergency crews arrived, they lowered gas-detection equipment into the container and discovered that oxygen levels inside were dangerously low. Police officers at the scene said the trapped man had a history of mental health difficulties. Because of the hazardous conditions, rescuers worked to convince him to put on a special rescue hood that would provide him with breathable air while they prepared to extract him.

Meanwhile, firefighters used specialized equipment to continuously pump fresh air into the underground container while working to stabilize the dangerous conditions. The crews continued ventilating the space until their equipment showed that concentrations of hazardous gases had fallen substantially.

A crane belonging to the Yerushalayim Municipality was subsequently brought to the location to lift the enormous container from underground. The container and everything inside it were estimated to weigh approximately one ton.

Once the container had been raised, firefighters were finally able to gain access to the trapped man and safely remove him.

Incident commander Rami Meir described the difficulties faced by the rescue teams, saying, “This was a complex and dangerous rescue operation. Upon our arrival, we detected very high concentrations of explosive gases inside the container, so our first priority was to reduce the gas concentrations and pump air into the container.”

“After over an hour of intensive work, we succeeded in creating the conditions that allowed his rescue and transfer for medical treatment,” Meir added.

After being brought to safety, the man was handed over to Magen David Adom personnel, who provided initial medical care before evacuating him to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center for further treatment.

{Matzav.com}

A major political shakeup is underway in Degel HaTorah, with longtime MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev officially being informed that they will not serve in the next Knesset as the party moves to bring in a new generation of representatives.

Rav Dov Landau conveyed the decision to the two veteran lawmakers on Motzoei Shabbos in personal letters, informing them that they would not be included on Degel HaTorah’s next Knesset slate as part of a broader effort to refresh the party’s parliamentary representation.

Despite Gafni’s departure from the Knesset, Rav Landau asked him to remain in his position as chairman of the national Degel HaTorah organization.

Sources in Rav Landau’s home emphasized the considerable appreciation for the work carried out by Gafni and Maklev over the years, noting that the two operated in accordance with the directives of the Gedolei Yisroel throughout their lengthy tenures in public office.

Particular recognition was given to their efforts on behalf of bnei yeshivos, an issue that has become especially critical amid the ongoing battle over the status of bnei Torah and military conscription. The two veteran lawmakers were credited with conducting that struggle with dedication and loyalty while following the guidance of the Gedolei Torah.

Nevertheless, after years of service in the Knesset, the decision was reached that Degel HaTorah’s parliamentary ranks require significant renewal and that new representatives should be brought into the party leadership.

As a result, Gafni and Maklev, the two most senior figures on Degel HaTorah’s current Knesset list, will not return to the Knesset following the next election.

The dramatic decision followed hours of intensive behind-the-scenes consultations and exchanges tonight among the homes of the Gedolei Torah.

According to the sources, a special emissary traveled between the home of Rav Dov Landau and that of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, carrying messages between the two as discussions and deliberations over the future composition of Degel HaTorah’s Knesset delegation continued for several hours.

Ultimately, the decision was finalized: Gafni and Maklev will leave the Knesset, marking a significant changing of the guard for Degel HaTorah and clearing the way for a substantially revamped slate in the next election.

The identities of the new representatives who will replace Gafni and Maklev have not yet been announced.

Those selections are expected to be made at a later stage in accordance with the decisions of the Gedolei Torah, setting the stage for one of the most consequential changes in Degel HaTorah’s political leadership in years.

[COMMUNICATED]

As Lakewood prepares for Yom Tov, dozens of local Kollel families are facing a very different kind of Tishrei — wondering how they will cover even the basic expenses for their families.

For Keren Zichron Tzipora (KZT), the calls have been coming nonstop. The organization exists with one mission: to financially support and uplift Lakewood’s devoted Yungeleit and their families, with a simple message: “We are honored to support your Torah.”

For some families, the clothing gift cards provided by KZT will mean the only new clothing their children receive all year. Baruch Hashem, 20 families were assisted this past week alone — but dozens more are still waiting.

With Erev Yom Kippur quickly approaching, KZT is turning to the Lakewood community to help close the gap.

$500 can sponsor a Kollel family’s Yom Tov, but every amount can make a meaningful difference.

As the Yom HaDin approaches, it is an opportunity to bring tremendous relief to a local family — and enter the new year with the zechus of supporting Torah right here at home.

Who will tip the scales this Tishrei? 

Please Donate Here

Other ways to partner:
Call 24/7: 732-702-8100

Zelle / Venmo / Paypal: kerenzichrontzipora@gmail.com

Mail a check to:
Keren Zichron Tzipora
1511 Newport Drive
Lakewood, NJ 08701

All donations are tax-deductible. Tax ID 87-3452793

Thank you for standing with our Yungeleit. Wishing you a Kesiva V’chasima Tova.

Millions of Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will see higher maximum allotments beginning Oct. 1, with the maximum monthly benefit for a family of four in most of the country increasing by $29, from $994 to $1,023.

The changes are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s fiscal year 2027 cost-of-living adjustments, which take effect Oct. 1 and remain in place through Sept. 30, 2027. The maximum allotment for a single-person household will increase from $298 to $306.

USDA recalculates SNAP maximum allotments, income eligibility standards and allowable deductions at the beginning of each federal fiscal year to account for changes in the cost of living. The maximum allotments are based on the cost of USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, which estimates the expense of providing nutritious, low-cost meals.

Across the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., maximum monthly benefits will increase to $562 for a two-person household and $808 for a household of three. Five-person households will be eligible for as much as $1,217, while the maximums will rise to $1,463 for six people, $1,616 for seven and $1,841 for eight.

For households containing between nine and 17 people, the maximum allotment will rise by $225 for each additional household member. Households of 18 or more people will face a maximum benefit ceiling of $3,887.

The higher maximums do not mean that every SNAP recipient will receive those amounts or see an identical increase in monthly assistance.

Actual benefits are calculated using several factors, including the number of people in a household, its net income and qualifying expenses. Under the federal benefit formula, roughly 30% of a household’s net income is generally subtracted from the maximum allotment established for a household of that size.

SNAP income eligibility thresholds are also scheduled to increase on Oct. 1. Under the standard federal eligibility test, a four-person household will have a gross monthly income limit of $3,575 and a net monthly income limit of $2,750. USDA sets the standard gross-income threshold at 130% of the federal poverty level and the net-income threshold at 100%.

Eligibility rules can nevertheless differ depending on circumstances. Some states operate expanded eligibility policies, while households that include an elderly person or an individual with a disability can be subject to different federal requirements.

Several deductions used when calculating a household’s SNAP benefit will rise as well. In the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the standard monthly deduction for households containing up to three people will increase to $217, while the maximum excess shelter deduction will climb to $769.

Different benefit schedules apply in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Maximum allotments are set to increase in Alaska, Guam and the Virgin Islands, while Hawaii will see a reduction. The maximum for a four-person household in Hawaii will fall by $34, from $1,689 to $1,655.

SNAP remains the nation’s largest federal nutrition-assistance program. During fiscal year 2025, it served an average of 42.1 million people each month, with monthly benefits averaging $187.94 per participant. Federal SNAP spending totaled $101.7 billion for the year.

USDA data for fiscal year 2024 showed considerable variation in the amount households received. Thirty-seven percent of participating households collected the maximum benefit available for their household size, while 9% received the minimum benefit and the remaining 54% received an amount somewhere between the two.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Ted Cruz said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the “single most powerful Democrat in the country,” arguing that the growing influence of socialist and progressive activists is making Democratic lawmakers increasingly reluctant to cooperate with Republicans on issues such as energy permitting reform. Cruz made the remarks Thursday at an energy affordability and permitting reform summit in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by the Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures.

“That dynamic is dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left. Finding a middle ground on ideological issues right now is … the prospects for success, particularly between now and election day, are not high,” Cruz said at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures on Thursday.

“Schumer is truly terrified right now,” he added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Cruz argued that the success of progressive candidates during the 2026 election cycle is affecting how establishment Democrats, particularly those already serving in Congress, approach legislation as the November midterm elections draw closer.

“They’re in the middle of a revolution,” Cruz said. “Their problem is that they’re very driven by their interest groups. They’re captured by their activists.”

Cruz delivered his comments during a summit focused largely on energy costs and changes to the federal permitting system. The Club for Growth, which advocates for lower taxes and limited government, co-hosted the gathering with Arnold Ventures, bringing together administration officials, lawmakers and industry figures to discuss ways of accelerating domestic energy projects.

While Republicans and Democrats remain divided over how extensively federal regulations should be changed, permitting reform has attracted some bipartisan interest. Participants at the summit argued that streamlining the approval process could make it easier to develop new American energy infrastructure.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright pointed to nuclear power as one area in which regulatory obstacles have, in his view, sharply limited development despite growing interest in the technology across party lines.

“We have built three new nuclear reactors in like the last 40 years. It went quickly from: we didn’t even know about the technology, to 20% of US electric generation from nuclear reactors,” Wright said.

“We created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission … in the name of safety, no malintent. But since that creation, we’ve built almost no reactors in the United States since. If it’s so uncertain and so long to permit something, it’s just not worth investing in. That’s awful! Nuclear is just an awesome energy technology.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, another Republican who participated in the event, said much of the debate over permitting reform has moved beyond broader political disagreements and into questions about how legislation could actually be implemented.

“There’s a lot of conversations going on not about who’s going to fight with whom or who is going to take credit for it, but rather what is the mechanics of getting it done,” Moreno said at the Club for Growth event.

“When it comes to permitting reform, if we can actually pull this off, Scott, what does it mean? It means lower energy prices for all Americans, us taking better care of our environment, being good stewards for the next generation. Those are worthy goals that should unite all of us, and I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” Moreno said, speaking to conservative political commentator Scott Jennings, a moderator at the event.

Despite the optimism expressed by Moreno and several other participants, Cruz said he believes the political influence of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing could make bipartisan agreements considerably more difficult.

“It is not the case that every Senate Democrat is a Marxist or Islamist. What is the case is that every Senate Democrat is terrified of the Marxists and Islamists. Because that’s where the energy is in their party, that’s where the power is, that’s where the money is; it’s where the young people are. I think Mamdani is the single most powerful Democrat in the country,” Cruz said, referring to the socialist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, won the New York City mayoral election in 2025. Since then, several candidates associated with or supported by the Democratic Socialists of America have scored victories in Democratic primaries, including challengers who defeated longtime incumbents.

Among those candidates is Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated longtime New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District. In Colorado, Melat Kiros defeated Rep. Diana DeGette, who had served in Congress for nearly three decades. Cruz pointed to such races as evidence for his contention that progressive challengers are exerting increasing pressure on Democratic incumbents.

Against that backdrop, Cruz argued that Democratic lawmakers have fewer political incentives to break with the party’s progressive activists, even in policy areas where bipartisan compromise might otherwise be possible.

Cruz said he also sees little willingness among Democratic leaders to challenge that trend.

“Look, Schumer is known for a lot of things but acts of principle and courage are not among them,” Cruz said.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew criticism Friday after the ceremonial pen he used to sign an executive order commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks was handed to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, an attorney who previously represented an al-Qaeda operative. The episode came one week before the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

City officials had assembled at City Hall as Mamdani signed two executive orders related to Sept. 11. One formally designates the date each year as a citywide Day of Remembrance and Service, while the other updates New York City’s policies for maintaining essential government operations during emergencies and other major disruptions.

After completing the signing, Mamdani handed the ceremonial pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and quietly asked, “Can you pass this?”

Tisch then passed the pen to Kassem, Mamdani’s chief counsel, who had entered the press conference shortly before its conclusion. Video of the event showed Kassem smiling as he received the pen. Tisch was the first official to leave the press conference, with Kassem departing shortly afterward.

“It was calculated,” retired detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Michael Alazar told The Post.

“It happened during a ceremony meant to be about the victims, and no one else. 9/11 families didn’t come to City Hall to watch Mamdani spotlight someone whose work intersects with the very ideology that took their loved ones. Commissioner Jessica Tisch was reduced to a prop rather than acknowledging her role as the leader of the NYPD.”

Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaeda operative who was held at Guantánamo Bay, a fact that prompted critics to question the decision to give him the pen used during the 9/11 ceremony.

“It’s bulls–t,” slammed Dennis Warchola, whose brother Michael, a firefighter with Ladder 5, was killed in the North Tower.

“How can you defend a guy like that who wants to do Americans or any innocent person harm?”

City Council Member Joann Ariola, a Queens Republican, also condemned the episode, calling it “breathtakingly tone-deaf and disrespectful.”

“The families who lost loved ones on 9/11 have every right to be outraged. On the 25th anniversary, City Hall should be honoring their sacrifice with dignity, not forcing those families to endure yet another insult.”

Al-Darbi was imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay after admitting involvement in the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker MV Limburg off Yemen, an attack carried out as part of an al-Qaeda effort targeting maritime commerce. Al-Darbi’s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Kassem, 48, founded a legal clinic at the City University of New York that provides free legal representation. He also represented Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University who was detained by federal immigration authorities.

Kassem had not been present for most of Friday’s press conference, entering roughly 15 minutes after it began. After receiving the pen, he left shortly after Tisch.

The ceremony itself was centered on two measures Mamdani said were intended to preserve the memory of Sept. 11 and strengthen New York’s preparedness for future emergencies. The first order establishes Sept. 11 as an annual citywide Day of Remembrance and Service honoring victims, first responders, survivors and their families. The second creates an updated framework for ensuring essential city services can continue during emergencies.

“Ramzi Kassem said he was inspired by 9/11 — not to join the fight against terrorism, but to defend the terrorists themselves. He doesn’t even belong in this country, much less in our government,” seethed Council Member Vicki Paladino (R-Queens).

“His participation in anything related to 9/11 is an insult to every New Yorker who survived that day, and indeed all Americans. But I suspect that’s the point.”

Former Democratic political consultant David Sivella also criticized the episode publicly.

“Was it deliberate on your part to give your Muslim base a hint that this is all BS to pacify other New Yorkers?” former Democratic political consultant David Sivella blasted on X.