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Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, declaring that if anyone should face arrest ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, it should be Mamdani rather than Netanyahu.

The comments came days before Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in New York, reviving controversy over Mamdani’s past pledge to have the Israeli prime minister arrested on the basis of an International Criminal Court warrant accusing Netanyahu of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the ICC, and Mamdani’s own administration subsequently concluded that New York City lacked independent legal authority to carry out the warrant.

Mamdani said in July that he had directed the city’s Law Department to examine the legal questions surrounding the warrant. After that review, he acknowledged that City Hall could not independently order Netanyahu’s arrest, while continuing to argue that the warrant should be honored and calling on the federal government to act.

Speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday, Danon assailed Mamdani over his rhetoric concerning Netanyahu and Israel.

“I think he already incited by putting the ridiculous claim that he can or he should arrest the prime minister,” Danon told reporters.

“If someone should be arrested, it’s Mayor Mamdani for inciting, for actually collaborating with the enemy of the United States. He sends these officials to meet with the Iranian ambassador here at the U.N.”

Danon was referring to controversy surrounding a proposed July meeting between a member of Mamdani’s administration and an Iranian representative in New York. Mamdani has disputed the characterization that his administration initiated such contact, saying that the request came from the Iranian side and that, once he learned about it, he made clear that the meeting would not take place.

“I hope that he realizes he has a responsibility,” Danon said of Mamdani, “not to call for people to demonstrate but to take care of the city and to make sure that next week will be a quiet, functioning week for the thousands of people that will come from all around the world to participate in the U.N. high-level week.”

Security preparations are already intensifying around the United Nations, with thousands of visitors and foreign dignitaries expected in Manhattan and numerous demonstrations planned in connection with the General Assembly. City officials have announced a broad security operation involving the NYPD and federal agencies.

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Sept. 24, two days after President Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance.

Mamdani pushed back Wednesday against suggestions that he had encouraged New Yorkers to protest Netanyahu. His position, he said, has been that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to demonstrate, while the decision whether to do so belongs to them.

“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in this city,” he said.

“We respect that right, and this is a city that is proud of the Constitution, proud of the First Amendment, and will continue to do so.”

Mamdani has continued to be a vocal critic of the Israeli government since becoming mayor in January. His critics have accused him of contributing to an increasingly hostile climate for Jewish New Yorkers, an accusation Mamdani and his allies have disputed. NYPD figures nevertheless show a continued high level of anti-Jewish hate crimes: during the first seven months of 2026, police confirmed 205 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared with 189 during the same period in 2025, an increase of 8.5%. Anti-Jewish incidents represented 56.9% of all confirmed hate crimes during that period.

At a security briefing Thursday, Mamdani was also asked whether NYPD officials had urged him to tone down his rhetoric concerning Israel or Netanyahu as police prepare for protests surrounding the General Assembly.

“The conversations that I’ve had with the police department have been purely on standard preparations for this event, as well as standard preparations for keeping New Yorkers safe,” he said. “And I’m fully confident in our police department’s ability to do so, and I’m fully confident in their ability to do so each and every day, even outside of the General Assembly.”

The mayor also said his administration was arranging meetings with foreign officials visiting New York for the annual gathering, though he would not say whether he planned to meet President Trump.

“I will have a few meetings that we’re in the process of setting up at this time, that we’ll share more details about soon,” Mamdani said.

“When it comes to the president, we continue to have a conversation about how best to deliver for this city, and that is a conversation that has been done in person, has been done over the phone, and it will continue so long as either of us have the ability to deliver for the city.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Americans should view sharply higher gasoline prices as a relatively small cost of the U.S. war with Iran, arguing that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon justified the financial burden motorists are facing at the pump.

Trump made the remarks Wednesday during a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, as the national average price for regular gasoline continued climbing above $4.40 per gallon. By Thursday, AAA put the nationwide average at $4.43 — 16 cents higher than a week earlier and more than $1 above the level one year ago.

“You have a little higher, you have a higher. It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done. Remember that it’s a little more. It’s even if it was, frankly, even if it was a lot more, but that’s gonna come tumbling down. That’s gonna be like a rocket ship in reverse,” Trump said.

The President has repeatedly argued that the economic consequences of the conflict must be weighed against what he describes as the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program. The war has now stretched beyond six months, despite Trump’s earlier expectations that the fighting would end considerably sooner. On Wednesday, he said, “hopefully we are towards the end,” while indicating that Washington remained open to renewed diplomacy with Tehran.

The rise in gasoline prices has become one of the most visible domestic consequences of the conflict. AAA said Thursday that regular gasoline was averaging $4.43 nationally, approaching the 2026 high of $4.56 recorded on May 21. The organization attributed the latest increase to elevated crude prices and continued volatility surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Diesel prices have risen even more dramatically. The national diesel average reached nearly $6.40 per gallon Thursday, according to AAA data cited by CNN, increasing transportation costs for trucking and other industries that rely heavily on diesel fuel.

Oil markets have been shaken repeatedly by developments across the Middle East. Brent crude was trading at approximately $104 per barrel early Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude stood near $101.20. Prices eased somewhat after reports that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore part of the capacity of its damaged East-West pipeline, but concerns remain over regional shipping and oil supplies.

The Strait of Hormuz has been particularly important to the surge. Disruptions and threats to shipping through the waterway, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, have tightened supplies and added a substantial geopolitical premium to crude prices. Iran has also continued military operations in the area; Iranian state media reported Friday that the Revolutionary Guards struck a tanker attempting to pass through the strait.

The conflict has also expanded beyond direct U.S.-Iran fighting. Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have intensified operations near another critical shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has further increased concerns about the security of regional energy infrastructure.

Trump has maintained that the higher prices will eventually reverse sharply. At Wednesday’s rally, he compared the expected decline to “rocket ships in reverse,” continuing a series of assurances from the White House that the current energy-price spike will not be permanent.

The President’s comments come as Americans are paying considerably more for fuel than they were before the war. AAA reported that Thursday’s $4.43 average was up from $4.27 just one week earlier and from $4.14 at the beginning of September. The organization said crude oil was averaging around $100 per barrel, compared with prices in the $90 range earlier in the month.

The higher energy costs have also become a political issue heading toward November’s midterm elections. A Marquette Law School poll released this week found that 20% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of gasoline prices and 19% approved of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.

The White House, however, continues to defend the military campaign. Administration officials say the conflict has inflicted substantial damage on Iran and its economy and argue that military and economic pressure is necessary to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has long denied that it seeks such a weapon. Outside experts have disputed some of the administration’s assessments of the Iranian nuclear threat and say Iran continues to possess a stockpile of highly enriched uranium despite U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities.

Trump has nevertheless continued to suggest that an end to the fighting could be approaching. “Hopefully we are towards the end,” he told reporters Wednesday.

For American motorists, however, the immediate reality remains substantially higher prices at the pump. With regular gasoline approaching this year’s national peak and diesel at record levels, Trump is asking Americans to accept those costs as part of the broader campaign against Iran — describing them as “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran on Thursday accused the United States of inventing key elements of the dramatic account of an Air Force colonel who survived the downing of his F-15E over Iran and was rescued after nearly two days behind enemy lines, dismissing Washington’s version of the operation as “fictional and unacceptable.” The U.S. military and the airman have presented a detailed account of the April incident, and CBS has aired newly declassified footage related to the rescue.

The officer, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons and who is known publicly by his mission call sign “Bravo,” described his ordeal for the first time during a “60 Minutes” report broadcast Sunday. Bravo was the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat F-15E, designated Dude 44, when the aircraft was hit by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile south of Isfahan.

According to Bravo, damage sustained during the attack affected his parachute, leaving him falling toward the ground at an estimated 70 to 100 mph following his ejection. He survived the impact but suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, arm and shoulder.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected that account. IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told Iranian state media that “no sound mind would accept [the U.S.] narrative because it is fictional and unacceptable,” characterizing the story as American wartime propaganda.

“The American pilot claimed that he fell at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour and survived, while his parachute did not even open and he crashed into the heart of a mountain,” Mohebbi said, accusing the United States of having fabricated accounts of its military accomplishments in previous conflicts as well.

Mohebbi argued that Washington was publicizing the account of the crash and rescue as the war with Iran continued beyond the six-month mark.

“The U.S. is embarrassing itself with these actions. These films (pilot interview) will definitely not only fail to bring any achievement … but will also become a source of ridicule,” Mohebbi said.

The American account, meanwhile, was considerably more detailed. U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper told CBS that Dude 44 had been conducting a strike against industrial facilities connected to Iran’s drone and missile programs when the aircraft was hit. The mission took place in mountainous terrain south of Isfahan on April 2.

Bravo said he and the aircraft’s pilot, known by the call sign “Alpha,” initially attempted to save the damaged fighter before determining that they had no choice but to eject. The two men came down approximately five miles apart. Alpha’s parachute functioned normally, while Bravo experienced the high-speed descent that he later described to CBS.

Alpha was recovered several hours later during a dangerous daylight operation in which American rescue helicopters came under fire. Bravo, however, remained stranded in Iranian territory as U.S. forces and intelligence agencies worked to locate him while Iranian forces were also searching the region.

Despite his injuries, Bravo said he moved away from his landing site and eventually climbed toward a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline in an effort to avoid capture. At one point, he was able to communicate with American forces and inform them that he was injured but still mobile.

The effort to retrieve him ultimately became a massive military operation. According to the U.S. account, more than 90 American service members went onto Iranian soil during the rescue, with hundreds more participating in the air and thousands supporting the mission. The CIA also participated, using intelligence capabilities and a deception operation intended to hinder Iranian forces searching for the airman.

Two large search-and-rescue aircraft landed on a makeshift desert strip, after which smaller helicopters were dispatched to reach Bravo’s position in the mountains. The operation encountered another complication when the larger aircraft became stuck in the desert terrain and could not take off. The United States subsequently destroyed those aircraft, along with the smaller helicopters, to prevent sensitive technology from falling into Iranian hands.

Bravo was ultimately recovered approximately 50 hours after his F-15E was shot down, according to the U.S. account. Newly declassified military footage aired by CBS showed portions of the separate operations that retrieved Alpha and Bravo.

The Pentagon and White House have highlighted the operation as an example of the U.S. military’s commitment to recovering personnel behind enemy lines. The White House promoted Bravo’s account this week as an example of what it called the military’s “warrior ethos.”

The “60 Minutes” broadcast, however, has also generated controversy inside the United States. Media reports have alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials encouraged the airmen to participate in the television report after they expressed reservations about appearing publicly. The Pentagon has disputed claims that the men were forced to participate. Alpha ultimately declined an on-camera interview and instead provided CBS with a written statement.

In that statement, Alpha praised those who carried out the rescue.

“I am still in awe of the professionalism and tactical prowess of the Combat Search and Rescue specialists and the Joint Force who executed the rescue missions of me and DUDE 44 Bravo, both those in theater and behind the scenes,” Alpha said in a statement. “Words cannot capture how thankful my family and I are and how proud I am to serve alongside each and every one of them.”

Bravo, for his part, described his survival after the high-speed fall and nearly two days in hostile territory as a “modern-day miracle.” He said he wanted the episode to be understood as a story about the broader rescue effort rather than simply his own survival.

“It’s a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and the leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America’s willing to do, in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has authorized visas for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior members of Iran’s delegation to travel to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, even as the United States and Iran remain at war.

The State Department confirmed Thursday that members of Iran’s “core delegation,” along with personnel deemed necessary to accompany them, had received visas. American officials said Pezeshkian and Araghchi are among those cleared to enter the United States.

“Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend the UN General Assembly High Level week. The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year,” the State Department said.

The approval comes more than six months into the war between Washington and Tehran, with little sign of an imminent breakthrough over either reopening the Strait of Hormuz or restarting negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program.

Elsewhere in the region, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks targeting Saudi infrastructure and vessels traveling through the Red Sea. The continuing disruptions along the major international shipping route have contributed to increases in global oil prices.

Iran, meanwhile, remains subject to extensive American sanctions and is designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Trump administration has also intensified its economic pressure campaign against Tehran, targeting financial networks that Washington says provide critical sources of revenue to the Iranian government.

The decision to permit the Iranian officials to enter the country comes in the context of the United States’ responsibilities as host nation of the United Nations headquarters in New York. Washington can impose substantial limitations on visiting foreign delegations, and U.S. policy provides exceptions for certain diplomatic and official travel even amid broader restrictions on visas for Iranian nationals.

Iran’s representatives were subjected to similar limits during last year’s General Assembly. Only a restricted delegation was permitted to attend, and the officials faced strict boundaries on where they could travel while in New York. They were also prohibited from making purchases at wholesale membership stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club.

Those rules will remain in force during this year’s gathering. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday that Iranian UN mission personnel, visiting government officials and their dependents will continue to be prohibited from purchasing luxury merchandise or obtaining memberships at American wholesale clubs.

Pigott, writing on social media, said the restrictions are designed to prevent Iranian officials from turning their trip to the United Nations into an opportunity to purchase expensive goods in the United States.

“While ordinary Iranians endure brutal repression, water and electricity shortages, and soaring inflation, the regime’s officials want to go on shopping sprees in New York. Not on our watch,” he wrote.

“We will not let the Iranian regime’s elites exploit UNGA for a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people’s suffering, all while the regime funnels Iran’s wealth to support its terrorist proxies. The US will continue to ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods here. New York-area retailers: be on guard, don’t become complicit in these violations,” added Pigott.

Iranian forces have shot down at least two American MQ-1 military drones in recent days, adding to mounting U.S. aircraft losses during the ongoing war with Iran, according to American officials familiar with the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, confirmed that at least two MQ-1 unmanned aircraft had been brought down by Iranian forces. The circumstances surrounding the shootdowns, including precisely where they occurred, remain unclear.

Officials also did not specify which version of the MQ-1 was lost. The U.S. military has operated two principal variants of the aircraft: the MQ-1 Predator, which was extensively deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before the Air Force retired it in 2018, and the larger MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which continues to be operated by the U.S. Army, including by special operations units.

Both aircraft were developed primarily for intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, though they are also capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. Such drones can play an important role around the Strait of Hormuz, providing persistent surveillance of the strategically vital waterway while tracking Iranian military activity and identifying potential threats to American forces and commercial shipping.

The financial cost of the latest losses depends heavily on which aircraft were destroyed. If they were older MQ-1 Predators, the two drones would have a combined value of roughly $8 million. Gray Eagles, depending on their configuration, are considerably more expensive and can cost tens of millions of dollars apiece.

The latest shootdowns come amid significant American drone losses during the war with Iran. A Congressional Budget Office report released this week said at least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost since the conflict began, with those aircraft valued at approximately $720 million in total. The report also cited the destruction of an MQ-4C Triton, valued at roughly another $150 million.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region, declined to comment to CBS News about the reported MQ-1 losses.

The new reports emerged as fighting between the United States and Iran continued despite several rounds of negotiations aimed at bringing the conflict to an end. Military operations have persisted across multiple fronts in the region.

Last week, American forces targeted several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently responded by firing missiles at American military bases in Jordan.

President Donald Trump said the following day that he believed the war would conclude immediately following the U.S. midterm elections in November, saying Iran “can’t hold out any longer.”

The President on Thursday also signaled that he was weighing a consequential decision regarding the next phase of the U.S. campaign against Tehran.

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

LISTEN:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WATCH:

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

No one plans to spend Yom Tov in a hospital.

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

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

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

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

It Takes an Entire Operation

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

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

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

And it isn’t happening in just one hospital.

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

This Tishrei Alone

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

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

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

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

Yom Tov Is Here. We Urgently Need Your Help.

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

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

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

Sponsor a Yom Tov Seudah for a Family — $180

VIEW ALL YOM TOV SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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

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

CREATE A ZECHUS FOR YOURS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

No one plans to spend Yom Tov in a hospital.

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

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

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

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

It Takes an Entire Operation

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

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

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

And it isn’t happening in just one hospital.

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

This Tishrei Alone

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

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

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

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

Yom Tov Is Here. We Urgently Need Your Help.

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

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

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

Sponsor a Yom Tov Seudah for a Family — $180

VIEW ALL YOM TOV SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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

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

CREATE A ZECHUS FOR YOURS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I do believe that,” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Matzav.com}