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President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is considering suspending the federal gasoline tax as part of a widening effort to bring down sharply elevated fuel prices, potentially putting another 18.4 cents per gallon back in motorists’ pockets.

“We’re thinking about that,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether he would support suspending the federal gas tax.

Any nationwide gas-tax holiday would require congressional action, meaning Trump cannot simply eliminate the levy through an executive order. That presents an immediate obstacle: neither the House nor Senate is currently scheduled to return to Washington until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The federal government currently collects an excise tax of 18.4 cents on each gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents on each gallon of diesel. The revenue is primarily directed toward the Highway Trust Fund, which finances highway, bridge and public-transit projects around the country.

Trump did not say Tuesday how long a federal gas-tax suspension might last or provide details about legislation he would support. But the idea comes as the administration faces growing pressure to reduce energy costs following months of steep increases at the pump.

The national average for regular gasoline stood at roughly $4.37 per gallon Tuesday, up from about $3.13 a year earlier. Diesel remained even more expensive, averaging approximately $6.32 per gallon — nearly twice the $3.68 motorists were paying at the same point last year.

The current diesel average is down somewhat from the record $6.53 reached on Sept. 22, but the extraordinarily high cost continues to reverberate throughout the economy. Because diesel powers much of the nation’s trucking, agricultural and freight industries, increases in diesel prices can ultimately work their way into the prices consumers pay for food and other goods.

Energy prices have risen amid severe disruptions to global fuel supplies, including the war with Iran and Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries. Tight refining capacity and constrained global diesel supplies have added further pressure.

Trump has repeatedly said he expects fuel prices to decline as his administration takes additional steps to increase supplies and reduce costs. Speaking Tuesday, he said, “Prices are now coming way down.”

“And oil, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon, will be coming way down,” Trump said.

The possible federal gas-tax holiday follows a separate action Trump took Monday targeting diesel prices. The president signed an executive order temporarily expanding highway access to red-dyed diesel, fuel that ordinarily is restricted to off-road uses such as farming and construction and therefore is not subject to the same federal excise tax at the point of sale.

“Today, I am announcing another unprecedented step to bring down costs. For many years, farm vehicles, construction equipment, and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as ‘red dye’ diesel… which is exactly the same as normal diesel, but is sold tax-free for off-road vehicles and big trucks… Tonight, I am going to sign a historic Executive Order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red dye diesel for any reason,” Trump said while announcing the action in Nebraska.

The order applies from Oct. 5 through Dec. 31 and directs the Treasury Department to determine how it can defer federal excise-tax payments associated with the highway use of dyed diesel without penalties or interest. It also directs Treasury to explore ways, including legislation, to ultimately eliminate the obligation to pay those deferred taxes.

The administration says eliminating the 24.4-cent federal diesel tax from a 250-gallon fill could save roughly $60. If states take corresponding action on their own taxes, the White House says savings could exceed $100 on a large fill-up.

The order also directs federal officials to work with states, fuel distributors, agricultural cooperatives and industry groups to expand access to dyed diesel, particularly in areas experiencing heavy demand. The Department of Agriculture was instructed to work specifically on ensuring supplies are available to farmers.

Trump’s moves come alongside an international effort to increase fuel supplies. G-7 countries — including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan — agreed last week to release a combined 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from strategic reserves in an effort to push prices downward.

At the same time, states have increasingly begun acting on their own rather than waiting for Washington, with both Republican and Democratic officials taking steps to soften the impact of higher fuel costs.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation temporarily eliminating the state’s 38.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax and 47-cent diesel tax through Dec. 31. The measure won bipartisan support after high fuel prices became a major concern across the state.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox moved to reduce his state’s fuel taxes by 6 cents per gallon through the end of the year.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state’s gasoline tax of roughly 33 cents per gallon and its diesel tax of roughly 37 cents, with the current suspension scheduled to continue through at least Oct. 29.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has also taken aggressive action, suspending the state’s 7% gasoline use tax along with its 37-cent-per-gallon gasoline excise tax. The combined move is estimated to save Indiana drivers roughly 59 to 61 cents per gallon at current prices.

Indiana’s 63-cent-per-gallon diesel tax remains in place, although Braun has expanded access to red-dyed diesel in an effort to provide relief to farmers and other eligible users.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, took a different approach, pausing automatic inflation-based adjustments that otherwise would have increased the state’s fuel taxes.

The growing state-level movement has added pressure on Washington to consider similar relief. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has proposed legislation that would suspend the federal gasoline tax and the underground-storage-tank fee for 90 days, with authority for the president to extend the suspension for an additional 90 days if economic conditions warrant it.

Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has likewise called for federal action following his state’s decision to suspend its own fuel taxes.

A federal gas-tax holiday, however, would raise questions about how to replace revenue normally deposited into the Highway Trust Fund. The gasoline and diesel excise taxes together generate tens of billions of dollars annually for transportation infrastructure, meaning Congress would have to decide whether to replace the lost revenue from another source or allow the fund to absorb the reduction.

There is also debate over how much of a tax reduction would ultimately reach motorists. Supporters argue that eliminating the tax would provide immediate relief at the pump, while critics contend that during periods of tight fuel supply, some portion of the savings could be absorbed elsewhere in the supply chain rather than passed entirely to consumers.

For now, Trump has stopped short of formally endorsing a specific federal gas-tax holiday proposal. But his acknowledgement Tuesday that the administration is actively considering the idea represents the latest step in an increasingly broad campaign — from strategic-reserve releases and expanded dyed-diesel access to state tax holidays and potentially a nationwide federal tax suspension — aimed at bringing fuel prices down.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has turned the long-running battle over daylight saving time into an extraordinary public feud with Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, publishing what he said was the Arkansas senator’s personal cellphone number and urging voters to call him directly and demand that he stop blocking legislation to end the twice-a-year changing of the clocks.

Trump’s move came as he intensified his push for the Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the United States. The bill passed the House in July by a lopsided 308-117 vote but has since run into resistance in the Senate, with Cotton emerging as one of its most vocal Republican opponents.

“Everybody in Arkansas, Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, accusing Cotton of standing in the way of what the president argues is an overwhelmingly popular change.

Trump then took the highly unusual step of posting Cotton’s cellphone number.

“To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself,” Trump wrote. “Call Tom on his cellphone.”

Reporters who called the number reached either voicemail or a message indicating that the recipient was unavailable, with the voicemail box at one point becoming full.

Trump argues that Americans are fed up with moving their clocks forward and backward every year and that keeping daylight saving time permanently would provide an additional hour of afternoon and evening sunlight during the winter.

“We want to get away from this ridiculous way and custom of — every twice a year, turning your clocks back, turning your clocks forward, being late to dinner, being late for very important meetings, it’s ridiculous,” Trump told reporters.

“It discombobulates everybody,” the president said.

Trump has also argued that permanent daylight saving time would benefit sports and recreation by keeping daylight later into the afternoon and evening.

“You know who wants it? The farmers want it. You know who wants it? Sports want it,” Trump said. “Professional sports and amateurs that would like to play tennis at night, would like to play golf a little bit without having to run home after 14 holes.”

The president also shared a letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp backing the legislation and arguing that additional evening daylight would allow Americans to play millions of additional rounds of golf each year.

Trump has framed the issue as more than a matter of convenience. He has argued that later sunsets could also reduce crime by allowing people to return home from work and other activities while it is still light outside.

“A table full of very distinguished people just told me that they HATE, immediately after a mandatory time change, going home at night – and it’s DARK,” Trump wrote.

“It’s depressing!” he added. “One of the gentleman stated that, ‘I just hate going home in darkness.’ It’s also, in Crime Ridden Blue States, a lot more dangerous to be walking home in the dark!”

Cotton, however, has refused to budge.

“No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton wrote. “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”

Cotton’s central argument is that permanent daylight saving time simply transfers the problem from the evening to the morning. During the darkest weeks of winter, sunrise would come considerably later in many parts of the country, meaning children could be waiting for school buses and commuters could be traveling to work before sunrise.

The United States has tried year-round daylight saving time before. Congress instituted it during the energy crisis in the 1970s, but public support quickly deteriorated as Americans experienced dark winter mornings, and the experiment was cut short.

Trump responded to Cotton’s argument by accusing him of getting the issue exactly backward.

“If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight and, more importantly, they wouldn’t have to run all over their houses, farms, work places, and everywhere else, twice a year, having to change their Clocks, and often forgetting to do so,” Trump wrote.

The president then turned up the political pressure, arguing that Republicans should seize what he sees as an easy bipartisan legislative victory.

“Give the Republican Party a Senatorial WIN, for a change!” Trump wrote. “TAKE THE WIN TOM, JUST TAKE THE WIN! YOU NEED IT, AND SO DOES OUR BELOVED REPUBLICAN PARTY!”

Cotton is seeking reelection in Arkansas this November, although his race is not considered competitive. Trump carried Arkansas with more than 64% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Cotton is also not the only Republican senator skeptical of the legislation. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana has called the Sunshine Protection Act “dead as disco” and expressed doubt that Senate Majority Leader John Thune will bring it to the floor.

The dispute comes just weeks before Americans are scheduled to change their clocks again. On Nov. 1, most of the country is due to “fall back” one hour and return to standard time for the winter. The Sunshine Protection Act would eventually eliminate that ritual by keeping most of the country on daylight saving time year-round.

Polling has shown widespread dissatisfaction with the current system, although Americans remain divided over what should replace it. A 2025 AP-NORC poll found that only 12% of U.S. adults favored continuing to change the clocks twice a year, while 47% opposed the practice and 40% were neutral.

Trump’s decision to publicize Cotton’s number also recalled a similar episode during his first presidential campaign. In 2015, after then-Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized him, Trump publicly read Graham’s cellphone number during a campaign appearance and encouraged people to call him.

Now, more than a decade later, Trump has revived the tactic against another Republican senator — this time over what might ordinarily seem like one of Washington’s least dramatic policy disputes: what time Americans should see when they look at the clock.

{Matzav.com}

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were recovering Tuesday from separate technology problems that disrupted websites, apps and other systems, creating headaches for travelers at airports across the United States and beyond.

The problems surfaced Tuesday morning, with passengers reporting difficulty accessing airline apps, checking flight information and, in some cases, completing parts of the boarding process. Outage reports for both airlines spiked around midday Eastern Time.

Delta confirmed that it was dealing with what it described as a “limited global technology issue” affecting data connectivity within some of its systems.

“Delta systems are stabilizing after a limited global technology issue that affected data connectivity to some of our systems behind-the-scenes,” the airline said.

“Delta teams are working to keep our operation moving safely as systems return to normal. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding.”

Delta advised passengers to continue checking its app and website for the latest information about individual flights.

United was dealing with a separate technology problem that affected its website and mobile app. Customers attempting to use United’s digital services encountered a notice saying the airline was “working to fix a temporary technical issue affecting united.com and the United app.”

United later said the problem was tied to an outside vendor and primarily prevented customers from accessing their MileagePlus accounts.

“United encountered a brief technology issue connected to a vendor that prevented customers from logging into their MileagePlus accounts,” the airline said. “The issue has been resolved and there was no impact to our flight operations.”

That distinction is significant: while travelers around the country were experiencing flight delays Tuesday, United said its particular technology failure did not cause operational disruptions to its flights.

Delta did not immediately provide a specific number of delays or cancellations attributable directly to its technology problem, and there was no indication of a nationwide Delta ground stop.

Nearly 1,000 flights nationwide had been reported delayed by Tuesday afternoon, along with dozens of cancellations, but not all of those disruptions could be blamed on the airline technology problems.

A number of unrelated issues were simultaneously affecting the nation’s aviation system Tuesday, including weather and airport-specific restrictions.

The FAA warned that thunderstorms could cause delays at Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, while winds were creating potential problems at airports in New York and Boston. Low clouds were also expected to affect Seattle.

Boston Logan was dealing with delays related to runway construction, while LaGuardia experienced air-traffic restrictions related to airport volume and wind.

That meant a passenger experiencing a delayed Delta or United flight Tuesday could not necessarily assume that the airline’s computer trouble was responsible. Weather, air-traffic-control restrictions and airport congestion were also contributing to delays.

The technology problems nevertheless caused considerable frustration because modern airline operations rely heavily on digital systems for everything from reservations and boarding passes to passenger accounts, upgrades, baggage information and flight status.

Travelers took to social media to report being unable to sign into their accounts or properly use airline apps.

There were also reports of problems involving American Airlines’ website and app Tuesday, although American did not immediately confirm that it was experiencing the same type of outage.

The precise relationship, if any, between the problems experienced by the different airlines was not immediately clear. Major carriers use complicated technology networks combining their own systems with services provided by outside technology companies, meaning trouble at a third-party vendor can sometimes affect multiple companies simultaneously.

Tuesday’s incident follows a series of high-profile technology failures that have demonstrated how quickly computer problems can ripple through the airline industry.

In July, American Airlines temporarily halted flights for less than an hour after an information-technology outage affected connectivity.

United suffered a much more serious technology breakdown in August 2025, when problems forced the airline to ground aircraft and ultimately contributed to more than 1,000 delays and dozens of cancellations.

The most dramatic recent example came in 2024, when a faulty CrowdStrike software update crippled Windows computers around the world. Delta, United, American and several other U.S. carriers were among the airlines affected, with the disruption triggering widespread cancellations and delays.

By Tuesday afternoon, both Delta and United indicated that their latest technology problems were either stabilizing or resolved, although passengers were advised to continue checking their individual flight status before heading to the airport.

A chareidi initiative designed to provide financial support to yeshiva bochurim imprisoned over their military draft status has made its first major payout, with a draft evader who spent 12 days in military prison receiving 12,000 shekels in cash.

The payment was revealed Tuesday night by Channel 13, which aired footage showing Avraham Engel receiving the money through the initiative, known as “Kele Elef” — literally, “Prison 1,000.”

The concept is straightforward: an eligible chareidi draft evader who is imprisoned by the military receives 1,000 shekels for each day he spends behind bars.

The initiative was launched approximately a month ago amid the growing wave of arrests of yeshiva bochurim over their draft status. Channel 13 reported that nearly 10,000 people have already joined the program, with participants contributing relatively small amounts that are pooled to fund payments to those who are imprisoned.

Engel, who spent 12 days in military prison, became a prominent example of the program in action when he was handed 12,000 shekels in cash following his release.

The initiative has received the backing of leading rabbonim, including Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, as well as Rav Yitzchak Yosef.

Organizers have described the program as a financial safety net intended to lessen the burden on yeshiva bochurim and their families when they are imprisoned because of their refusal to enlist.

Sinai Greenboim, a member of the initiative’s leadership, previously explained that the model relies on a large pool of participants, each contributing a small amount when arrests occur. He said the arrangement is designed to spread the financial burden across thousands of people rather than requiring large donations from individual contributors.

Greenboim has also rejected claims that the initiative is intended to encourage people to violate the law, saying, “We are not calling on people to break the law.”

At the same time, he acknowledged that one of the program’s objectives is to reduce the deterrent effect of military imprisonment by providing financial protection to those who are jailed.

The initiative’s rules reportedly contain restrictions intended to prevent participants from deliberately seeking arrest in order to collect money. According to Greenboim, eligibility is intended for someone who is arrested without deliberately bringing about his own detention and who had no reasonable opportunity to avoid it.

As an example, someone who intentionally turns himself in or knowingly travels to Ben Gurion Airport despite expecting to be arrested may not necessarily qualify for the payment.

The program has nevertheless drawn fierce criticism from political figures who argue that payments of 1,000 shekels per day effectively transform military imprisonment from a punishment into a financially rewarding experience.

Yashar! with Eisenkot issued a lengthy statement accusing the government and chareidi political establishment of rewarding those who do not serve while soldiers are risking their lives.

“We heard the partners of the draft-dodging government attacking those who serve, and tonight it was revealed that someone who evades service and goes to prison also receives a financial prize of thousands of shekels. This is not an isolated case. It is a worldview that has turned draft evasion into an ideology and those who serve into suckers — and it receives political backing from the government.

“While the best of our sons and daughters serve, fight and risk their lives, we cannot accept a reality in which someone who refuses to serve is rewarded for it. And in the Netanyahu government — silence. No one condemns it, no one stands alongside IDF soldiers and servicemembers, everything is for the sake of the chair. The coming elections are between Netanyahu’s non-Zionist draft-dodging government and Eisenkot’s Zionist conscription government. We will establish a Zionist government in which everyone shares the burden and everyone serves the state. We pledge: conscription and service for all,” the party said.

Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Beyachad party, also attacked the program following the Channel 13 report.

“Shame and disgrace. This Deri-Goldknopf-Bibi-Smotrich government transfers 1,000 shekels a day to a chareidi draft evader in prison. We will dry them out, shut down all their pipelines and dismantle this chareidi state,” Bennett said.

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman similarly condemned the payments.

“This madness must stop. The chareidi community cannot turn draft evaders into heroes — heroes who receive the support of the rabbis and the political establishment and receive tens of thousands of shekels in cash, which is already a violation of the law. We will put an end to it. With us, you will not receive a single shekel. All the money we take from the draft evaders will be transferred to the soldiers!” Liberman said.

{Matzav.com}

An unexpected recognition during a video call between a Namibian pathologist and a ZAKA official in Israel led authorities to cancel a planned autopsy on an Israeli tourist who died suddenly while vacationing in the African country during Sukkos, Matzav.com has learned.

The Israeli man had been traveling in Namibia with his wife when he suffered cardiac arrest and passed away. Local authorities subsequently informed those assisting the family that an autopsy would be required.

Efforts to prevent the procedure were launched by Chabad shliach Rav Yosef Rahimi, working together with Israel’s Foreign Ministry and ZAKA’s international unit, because of the serious halachic concerns surrounding an autopsy and the importance of preserving the dignity and integrity of the deceased.

As part of those efforts, Rav Rahimi arranged a video conversation between the local pathologist and Yossi Landau, the operations officer for ZAKA’s Lachish region, who sought to explain the religious sensitivity involved and ask that any medical examination be kept to the absolute minimum necessary.

But as the conversation began, the pathologist looked closely at Landau on the screen and suddenly realized that the Israeli standing before him was familiar.

“You look familiar to me. I know you from somewhere,” the pathologist told him.

It soon emerged that the two men had indeed met — nearly two decades earlier, under tragic circumstances in Namibia.

Approximately 19 years ago, five Israelis were killed in a plane crash in the country. ZAKA volunteers traveled to the scene to assist with identifying the victims and ensuring that the remains were handled with appropriate respect. Landau was among the ZAKA personnel who participated in that operation.

The Namibian doctor had been involved in the aftermath of that crash and remembered Landau and the ZAKA team. In particular, he recalled the extraordinary importance the volunteers placed on kavod hameis and their efforts to ensure that the victims were treated in accordance with Jewish law.

That encounter from nearly 20 years earlier suddenly became decisive in the present case.

After Landau explained the halachic significance of avoiding an autopsy and the importance of returning the deceased for burial with his body intact, the pathologist agreed to waive the procedure entirely and authorize the release of the body.

“He remembered our work and our struggle for the dignity of the deceased,” Landau recalled. “I explained to him how important it was for us to prevent the autopsy and to bring the deceased for burial intact. He understood the significance and agreed to our request to release the deceased without any autopsy at all.”

The remarkable resolution brought together two men who had last encountered one another at the scene of a tragedy nearly two decades ago — with the impression left by ZAKA’s work at that time ultimately helping preserve kavod hameis for another Israeli family 19 years later.

{Matzav.com}

FlyDubai has fired a “significant number” of employees following an internal investigation into the security failures surrounding the attempted attack aboard one of its flights to Israel, while Israeli authorities are simultaneously moving to establish tougher screening procedures for foreign passengers and airline crews.

The developments mark the latest fallout from the extraordinary incident aboard the FlyDubai flight, in which the Omani co-pilot attacked the captain while the aircraft was en route to Tel Aviv, triggering a struggle for control of the plane before passengers intervened and the aircraft was ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia.

According to a Channel 13 report, FlyDubai’s CEO and senior officials in the United Arab Emirates have informed Israeli authorities that the airline has completed its internal investigation into the incident.

The investigation reportedly uncovered a series of failures in the airline’s security and personnel-screening systems. As a result, FlyDubai dismissed a “significant number” of employees who were involved in the areas where the failures occurred.

The findings have taken on particular significance amid reports that the Omani co-pilot had previously raised security concerns while employed by Oman Air. He had reportedly been removed from flying duties there amid concerns over his conduct and interest in radical ideology, yet was subsequently hired by FlyDubai and allowed to operate flights to Israel.

Following completion of the investigation and the disciplinary measures taken by the airline, FlyDubai asked Transportation Minister Miri Regev to authorize the resumption of its flights to Israel.

Israeli officials, however, are moving beyond the measures taken internally by FlyDubai and are working on a broader overhaul of the security-screening system for foreign airline personnel flying into the country.

According to a Channel 12 report, proposed changes were presented during a classified meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s intelligence subcommittee, headed by MK Boaz Bismuth.

One of the central proposals calls for Israel to establish a list of countries considered to pose an elevated security threat. The National Security Council is expected to work with the Mossad and Shin Bet in determining which countries will be included.

Under the proposed system, when airline crew members from one of those countries are scheduled to fly to Israel, their identifying information would have to be submitted to Israeli authorities 48 hours before the flight.

That advance notice would give Israeli intelligence and security agencies time to examine the crew members’ backgrounds and determine whether they should be permitted to operate a flight entering Israeli airspace.

Israel is also preparing to change the way it handles passengers and crew members carrying passports from countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

At the request of the Transportation Ministry, the Population and Immigration Authority is expected to provide lists of those individuals to the ministry’s security division so that their information can undergo additional review.

Officials also clarified the division of responsibility for screening foreign travelers. The Population and Immigration Authority, working through the National Security Council, is responsible for examining the passports of passengers and airline crew members and transmitting relevant information to the appropriate security agencies.

The changes come after revelations that more than 1,200 airline crew members holding passports from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel — including Syria, Lebanon and Oman — entered Israel during 2026.

The FlyDubai incident exposed potentially serious gaps in that system, particularly because the Omani co-pilot had reportedly flown to Israel on previous occasions despite the concerns that had surfaced during his earlier employment.

Israeli officials are now seeking to create a system in which potentially sensitive information reaches security agencies before an aircraft departs for Israel rather than relying on checks conducted after foreign crew members have already been assigned to the flight.

The proposed 48-hour advance screening mechanism, combined with the identification of high-risk countries and closer scrutiny of passports from states without diplomatic ties to Israel, is intended to prevent a repeat of the failures exposed by the FlyDubai attack.

{Matzav.com}