Feed aggregator

President Trump drew sharp condemnation after sharing a racist video clip that portrayed former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, prompting outrage and renewed scrutiny of Mr. Trump’s long record of promoting offensive stereotypes about Black Americans and other groups.

The short clip appeared near the end of a 62-second video that circulated conspiracy theories about supposed irregularities in the 2020 presidential election. The segment was set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and was included as part of a montage posted by Mr. Trump during a late-night burst of activity on social media Thursday.

Depicting the Obamas as apes echoes a deeply racist trope that has long been used to dehumanize Black people and to rationalize violence, including lynchings and other atrocities. A spokeswoman for Mr. Obama declined to comment on the video.

The post fits into a broader pattern of inflammatory rhetoric by Mr. Trump targeting people of color, women, and immigrants. During his second administration, official government social media accounts, including those of the White House, the Labor Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, have also shared images and slogans that critics say resemble white supremacist messaging.

Asked about the video, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism, calling it “fake outrage.”

“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” she said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, publicly objected to the post, writing on X that he hoped it was fake “because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”

The clip appears to have originated from a video shared on X in October by a user who captioned it “President Trump: King of the Jungle,” accompanied by a lion emoji.

That earlier video portrayed several prominent Democrats — including former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and former vice president Kamala Harris — as various animals, while Mr. Trump was depicted as a lion. In that version as well, the Obamas were shown as apes, and the video concluded with the animals bowing before Mr. Trump.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office issued a statement condemning the post, calling it “disgusting behavior by the President.” Mr. Newsom added, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”

Since returning to office, Mr. Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly mocked Mr. Obama or promoted false claims about him, keeping the former president a frequent target of political attacks.

{Matzav.com}

Administrators at a prominent chareidi seminary have canceled a planned trip to Mount Hermon after a forceful halachic ruling by Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, who ruled that it is forbidden to enter the site due to its public desecration of Shabbos.

The ruling, published this week in the weekly Torah journal Divrei Chemed, prompted the seminary to shelve one of the main attractions planned for a two-day excursion in northern Israel. The expanded issue marked the journal’s 100th edition and included a detailed responsum from Rav Zilberstein addressing the question.

According to the report, the principal of a chareidi seminary approached Rav Zilberstein on behalf of the teaching staff. The educators explained that they were organizing a two-day trip and hoped to surprise and delight the students with a visit to Mount Hermon, particularly appealing during the winter season when the mountain is covered in snow.

The seminary administrators acknowledged that the site operates throughout the week and remains open on Shabbos, involving public chillul Shabbos. They asked whether, despite this, it might still be permissible to visit the area itself—without using the cable cars, sleds, or other attractions—arguing that Mount Hermon is fundamentally a public space, even if the site is managed by an operating authority.

Rav Zilberstein responded at length, ruling unequivocally that entering the site is prohibited. He explained that without the organized site, access to the mountain would not be reasonably possible. The operators paved the roads, leveled the terrain, and invested extensive resources to make the area accessible and enjoyable. As a result, even visiting without using the attractions is forbidden, since the site’s operation is inseparable from ongoing chillul Shabbos.

Beyond the technical prohibition, Rav Zilberstein emphasized the obligation to protest chillul Shabbos. He warned that there is no greater desecration of Hashem’s Name than observant Jews visiting a site that openly violates Shabbos, thereby lending legitimacy to its operation.

He added that if it were clear to the site’s management that chareidi visitors would stay away as long as it remains open on Shabbos, the resulting financial pressure might lead them to close on Shabbos. Anyone who goes there, he argued, indirectly assists the continued chillul Shabbos.

Rav Zilberstein concluded his ruling with an emotional outcry, expressing pain that educators would even feel the need to ask such a question. He drew a stark comparison, saying that had there been a sign at the entrance barring Jews, no one would consider entering such a place. Here too, he said, the large sign advertising that the site is open on Shabbos constitutes a direct affront to Heaven, making it unthinkable to even ask whether a visit could be permitted.

The ruling had an immediate impact. The seminary, heeding the guidance of Rav Zilberstein, canceled the planned visit to Mount Hermon and arranged alternative destinations for the students elsewhere in Israel.

{Matzav.com}

With a 30-day deadline looming to approve Israel’s state budget, political commentators are warning that the coalition is nearing a decisive moment: Either advance a draft law acceptable to the chareidi parties or risk the dissolution of the Knesset. Analysts say the coming weeks will determine whether the crisis ends in compromise or collapse.

The issue was discussed Thursday night on the main news program of Kol Chai Radio, where host Betzalel Kahn spoke with political commentators Avi Grintzeig and Yishai Cohen. The panel examined the growing political and legal knot threatening government stability, focusing on the late-night drama in the Knesset, the chareidi parties’ decision to halt the Economic Arrangements Law as leverage, and the ongoing stalemate over the draft law in light of the legal establishment’s position.

Cohen opened by describing the dramatic chain of events in the Knesset, saying the chareidi factions surprised their coalition partners with a coordinated move. “We all saw the messages and attacks between Aryeh Deri and Gafni over religious services, yet at that very moment they were cooperating and deciding to freeze the budget and block the transfer of the Arrangements Law to committee. They informed no one in the coalition except Inbal Mazolai and Uri Maklev, instructing them to announce after midnight that the chareidim were not on board. When the vote stage arrived, the full implications became clear, and the decision was made to pull the vote and delay it until Monday.”

He went on to explain the legal complications preventing progress on the draft law, despite assurances from Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. “Netanyahu claims there is a majority of 61 for the draft law, but the chareidim respond that there is no bill agreed upon by the legal adviser. The situation has become even more complicated because everything is now frozen for technical reasons as well, since a senior official in the Knesset’s legal advisory department who is handling the issue was forced to step aside due to personal circumstances. Every day is critical because the legislation is tied to the budget, and we could reach a point where the chareidim realize there will be no draft law and vote in favor of the budget simply to protect their funding, while simultaneously demanding a bill to dissolve the Knesset.”

Despite the pessimism, Grintzeig stressed that Israeli politics often remain fluid until the final moment. “In Israel, as in Israel, until the 90th minute things can still go either way. If I had to estimate, both the draft law and the budget will pass in the final days before the deadline. The real question is whether, when the clock is ticking, the laws will actually be there. I cautiously think the chances are still high, because the ultimatum directed at Netanyahu is meant to pressure the legal advisers to show flexibility, and that is the real test of this entire episode.”

In closing, Grintzeig sharply criticized the conduct of the judicial system and the attorney general, particularly regarding judicial appointments. “The justice minister is dealing with a legal adviser who never misses an opportunity for confrontation, and in the end the ones who suffer are the citizens in the magistrate and district courts. The attorney general has become a fully political actor, even drawing rebukes from Supreme Court justices for repeatedly losing her own positions. Even the Supreme Court president is emerging as a political figure acting in full public view, unlike his predecessors who operated with far greater sophistication. This has turned the entire system into a frontal clash with the elected leadership.”

{Matzav.com}

Russian GRU Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was shot three times in Moscow in an apparent assassination attempt. He was shot in the stairwell of his apartment building while leaving his residence. Bisrati is currently hospitalized and remains in critical condition.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the FBI has arrested a “key participant” behind the 2012 Benghazi terror attack in Benghazi, Libya. US Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed in the September 11, 2012 attack along with State Department employee Sean Smith and Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods are killed in the attack. […]

BREAKING: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the FBI has arrested a key participant in the Benghazi attack. The suspect is currently in U.S. custody.

A short time ago, the IDF struck a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood after previously warning it was a target due to nearby Hamas infrastructure.

Dear Matzav Inbox,

A single, throwaway line from Elon Musk managed to expose a truth many people spend their lives running from.

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness really knew what they were talking about.”

Cue the sarcasm, the mockery, the eye-rolling. “Cry me a river.” “Try being poor.” “I’d rather be miserable and rich than miserable and broke.” Very clever. Very predictable.

But beneath the snark was something raw and uncomfortable, and that’s exactly why people rushed to drown it out.

Here is a man who has more money than kings ever dreamed of, more access than entire countries, more power than most governments, openly admitting that it didn’t deliver what it promised. Not in a philosophical essay. Not in a self-help book. In one blunt sentence and a sad emoji.

And instead of pausing to listen, the world laughed.

Because if he isn’t happy, the fantasy collapses. If money doesn’t fix the emptiness at the very top, then maybe the problem isn’t “not enough.” Maybe the problem is thinking that having more will finally quiet the noise inside.

We’ve trained ourselves to believe that unhappiness is a budgeting issue. That anxiety is a temporary stage before the next raise. That fulfillment is one deal, one upgrade, one win away. And so when someone who has already crossed every imaginable finish line says, “This isn’t it,” we feel threatened. His honesty interferes with our coping mechanism.

So we mock him. We minimize it. We tell ourselves we’d handle the money better. We’d enjoy it more. We’d be grateful. We’d finally be calm.

But deep down, we know that’s not true.

Money solves problems. Real ones. Painful ones. No one is romanticizing poverty. But meaning, contentment, menuchas hanefesh — those don’t scale with net worth. If anything, they’re often buried under pressure, isolation, and expectations that never stop growing.

The saddest part isn’t that a billionaire admitted he isn’t happy. The saddest part is how desperate we are to pretend he’s wrong.

Because if he’s right, then we may have to confront a far harder question than how to make more money. We may have to ask what we’re actually living for.

And that’s a conversation far more uncomfortable than any sad emoji.

Sincerely,
An observer who thinks the joke is on us

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email MatzavInbox@gmail.com

DON’T MISS OUT! Join the Matzav Status by CLICKING HERE. Join the Matzav WhatsApp Groups by CLICKING HERE.

The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei: The negotiations between Iran and the United States in Muscat concluded with an agreement between the two sides to continue the talks. The parties, while explaining their perspectives and demands, reached an understanding to make decisions regarding the next round of talks in consultation with their capitals.

The White House on Thursday pointed to new research indicating that homicide rates in America’s largest cities fell to their lowest level in more than a century, crediting aggressive law enforcement and border policies under President Donald Trump.

During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referenced findings published by the Council on Criminal Justice, describing the decline as unprecedented in modern records.

“A study from the Council on Criminal Justice shows that the murder rate across America’s largest cities plummeted in 2025 to its lowest level since at least 1900,” Leavitt said, noting that it “marks the largest single year drop in murders in recorded history.”

Leavitt attributed the sharp decrease to a broad federal crackdown on crime and illegal immigration. “This dramatic decline is what happens when a president secures the border, fully mobilizes federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and aggressively deports the worst of the worst illegal aliens from our country,” she said.

She also highlighted law enforcement data comparing recent arrest figures. According to Leavitt, the Federal Bureau of Investigation made twice as many violent-crime arrests in 2025 as it did in 2024, which she described as the final full year of President Joe Biden’s administration. She added that during Trump’s first full year in office, total FBI arrests were nearly 200 percent higher than during the period from January 20, 2024, to January 20, 2025.

“The FBI also disrupted 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises, a 210 percent increase from the year prior. The FBI has arrested 1,700 child predators and more than 300 human traffickers across the country,” Leavitt said. “Since President Trump took office, six of the FBI’s top 10 Most Wanted fugitives have been captured.”

The White House also pointed to crime trends in Washington, D.C., where Trump federalized local policing last year and authorized the deployment of the National Guard. According to the administration, crime levels in 2026 to date are significantly lower across nearly all categories compared with the same period in 2025. As of Thursday, the city recorded three murders so far this year, an 83 percent decrease from the 18 murders reported between January 1 and February 5 in 2025.

Other crime categories showed similar declines, with sex abuse offenses down 63 percent, robberies reduced by 58 percent, burglaries falling 44 percent, motor vehicle theft dropping 58 percent, and arson reduced by 100 percent.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers echoed the administration’s assessment in comments to Breitbart News earlier this week. “President Trump promised to make Washington, D.C. safe and beautiful again — now it is one of the safest cities in the country,” Rogers said. “Thanks to President Trump’s successful federal law enforcement operation, our nation’s capital has seen a dramatic decrease in crime and homicide.”

{Matzav.com}

Senior rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel have issued a sharp and emotional public appeal calling on the Jewish public to completely avoid the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, formerly known as Beit Hatfutsot, following its refusal to remove exhibits that recognize and legitimize intermarriage.

The extraordinary statement comes after repeated approaches by Yad L’Achim, which has been campaigning for the removal of what it describes as offensive displays that normalize intermarriage and constitute a serious chillul Hashem. According to the organization, museum management has persistently rejected all requests to alter or remove the exhibits.

In their joint declaration, leading poskim, dayanim, and rabbanim warned both adults and children “not to dare set foot on the threshold of Museum ‘ANU,’ nor to come near it for any reason whatsoever,” stressing the spiritual danger posed by the content on display.

The letter is signed by Rav Masoud Ben Shimon, Rav Moshe Bransdorfer, Rav Shamai Kehas Gross, Rav Menachem M. Lubin, Rav Naftali Nussbaum, Rav Moshe Shaul Klein, Rav Sariel Rosenberg, Rav Yaakov Meir Stern, Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, and Rav Chaim Schmerler.

In the text of the appeal, the rabbanim wrote that they had received “reliable and deeply troubling information” from the leadership of Yad L’Achim, describing displays at the museum that greet visitors with messages of heresy and public recognition of intermarriage, which they say strike at the very root of Jewish continuity. “Upon hearing these matters,” the letter states, “our souls recoiled in anguish.”

The rabbanim further noted that Yad L’Achim had made numerous attempts over an extended period to engage museum officials and seek the removal of the exhibits, employing every reasonable form of dialogue and advocacy. “To our great sorrow,” the letter continues, “all of these appeals were met with sealed ears and hardened hearts. Woe to us that such things have arisen in our days, particularly at a time when the nation of Hashem is in dire need of salvation.”

Citing the teaching of Chazal that “one who causes others to sin is worse than one who kills,” the rabbanim emphasized the severity with which they view the matter.

In a statement following the publication of the rabbinic call, Yad L’Achim said the leading poskim were shaken by the full scope of the information presented to them regarding the museum’s exhibits and the prolonged struggle with its management.

The organization made clear that the public warning would not mark the end of its efforts. “Alongside the publication of this call,” Yad L’Achim stated, “we will continue to employ every legitimate tool available to us. We will not rest and we will not be silent until the exhibit is removed. It is inconceivable that while the Jewish people face grave external threats, a state-recognized institution in Israel should deal such a devastating blow to Jewish identity by granting malicious and reprehensible recognition to its desecration.”

Yad L’Achim added that the fight against assimilation is being waged worldwide, while “here, in Tel Aviv, a sword is being plunged into Jewish identity under the guise of culture and pluralism.”

{Matzav.com}

A large fire has broken out at a large cooling facility in northwestern Iran.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper alongside Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner at Iran talks in Muscat with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi.

An explosion tore the roof off a factory building in Oregon, reportedly damaging several nearby homes. One employee was hospitalized but is expected to recover.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary: “TrumpRx.gov is the beginning of a new chapter in American healthcare where, for the first time, you can buy the drug from those who make it… the amount of money games that go on with healthcare’s middlemen… are unbelievable.”

The NYPD arrested about a dozen anti-ICE protesters outside Columbia University after they sat in the street and blocked traffic near the campus entrance.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene in central Israel on Friday after a bus slammed into a building in the city of Ramat Gan, leaving at least 10 people injured, including one woman with severe, life-threatening injuries. Magen David Adom said EMTs and paramedics treated multiple victims following the crash, which unfolded in a busy […]

Dr. Oz explains how ’Trump RX’ is promising big savings on prescription medicine for Americans.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that a Democratic victory in the midterm elections would lead to aggressive oversight of President Donald Trump, including efforts to address what he described as corruption across Washington.

Speaking on MS NOW’s “All In,” Jeffries argued that Trump has acted as though he should not be subject to the same standards as other presidents. “Donald Trump likes to conduct himself as if he should be held to a standard different than every other American president or former president. And we can’t allow that to happen on all of the things,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries said a Democratic-controlled House would focus both on policy priorities and oversight. “And certainly it’s going to be the case that in a Democratic majority, we’re going to fight hard to tackle the issues that matter, to drive down the high cost of living, fight hard, fight hard, to fix our broken health care system, of course,” he said. He added that Democrats would also move to address ethics concerns throughout the federal government. “But also at the same time, we’ve got to clean up the corruption that exists in Washington, DC, in the Congress, with the Supreme Court, and also deal with Donald Trump and his administration, who spend all of their time. It seems like trying to enrich themselves, their family and their friends, as opposed to focusing on doing their job to make life better for the American people.”

Jeffries said Democrats intend to use the House’s constitutional role as a check on executive power. “We will hold the Trump administration accountable in a manner consistent with what the House should be all about a check and balance on an out-of-control administration,” he said.

Looking ahead to November, Jeffries predicted electoral losses for Republicans, saying Trump is aware of the political stakes. “Donald Trump understands that if there is a free and fair election in November, and we’re going to make sure there is one, that the House is lost, Democrats are going to take back control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said.

He also suggested the GOP’s prospects in the Senate are weakening. “And the Senate is looking increasingly shaky as well, because the American people are rejecting this extremism. Donald Trump and Republicans have failed,” Jeffries said.

{Matzav.com}

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s long-awaited decision on a running mate is already stirring backlash inside her own coalition, with Jewish leaders, labor groups and Democratic insiders warning that her pick could become an early liability in a high-stakes reelection fight. Hochul announced that former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams would join her on the […]