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Barron Trump has increasingly withdrawn from public view as threats against the first family and a series of violent attacks surrounding President Trump have created an extraordinary security environment for the president’s youngest son, according to people familiar with his lifestyle, the NY Post reports.

“He doesn’t go out,” one longtime Trumpworld figure told The Post of the 20-year-old Barron, who recently completed his sophomore year at New York University and has spent much of the summer with his mother, first lady Melania Trump, at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.

“The kid’s pretty reclusive,” added another source.

The heightened caution comes after President Trump survived at least three assassination attempts or attacks since July 2024. He was shot and wounded during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania; was targeted by a would-be assassin at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024; and was present at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when a gunman attacked the event on April 25 of this year.

Barron himself has also become the subject of threats from abroad. Iranian hardliners recently released a video titled “Where to kill Barron Trump,” which purported to track his movements, while a $10 million bounty was placed on him. Melania Trump has likewise been targeted in threats from Iranian hardliners and was with the president at the correspondents’ dinner in April.

Another event that reportedly had a profound impact on Barron was the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, with whom the first son had developed a close relationship.

“This is what happens when you go out there,” Barron told his father as he informed the president about Kirk’s death, according to an account first published by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in their book Regime Change and subsequently confirmed by The Post.

Amid the security concerns, the Office of the First Lady asked the media to respect Barron’s privacy. The office told The Post that “in light of recent threats” the East Wing requested that “any details concerning his private life be excluded from all coverage.”

Melania Trump has long been particularly protective of her only son.

That concern was evident in early 2022, when President Trump was out of office and Barron was approaching his 16th birthday. Under the circumstances, Barron was scheduled to lose his Secret Service protection when he turned 16 that March.

Melania intervened, directing her office to contact the White House and ask then-President Joe Biden to extend Barron’s Secret Service detail. Biden quickly approved the request, according to a former official in his administration.

The first lady also offered a glimpse into Barron’s preference for privacy in her self-titled documentary about the period leading up to President Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025.

“I know Barron won’t go out. And I respect that,” Melania told Secret Service personnel as they discussed whether the first family would walk along Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade. The parade was ultimately moved indoors because of the frigid weather.

Security specialists say the constant presence of protective personnel can itself make someone more conscious of possible threats. A protected individual might overhear agents discussing a potential danger or see travel arrangements suddenly altered because of a security concern.

“Barron is probably a lot more aware and a lot more astute, and a lot more conscientious in terms of the real dangers,” Dr. Azita Sayan, a therapist who has worked with adolescent trauma but has not treated Barron, told The Post.

“But reclusive doesn’t mean traumatized,” she added. “He’s protecting himself and making his friendships and his decisions privately rather than to have them be on display, which I think is developmentally healthy.”

Barron’s circumstances are not entirely unprecedented for children of presidents. Chelsea Clinton, who lived in the White House from age 12 until departing Washington for Stanford University in 1997, recently recalled deliberately spending time indoors to preserve some privacy for herself and her friends.

“If we were in the White House,” Clinton noted, “Secret Service didn’t need to be on the same floor as we were studying or talking about boys or whatever we were doing.”

Barron similarly has private areas available to him at each of his parents’ residences. He has his own suite at Mar-a-Lago and an entire floor at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan. His White House room reportedly contains custom furniture constructed by the executive mansion’s carpentry shop to accommodate his 6-foot-9 frame.

Sources say that when Barron arrives at one of the family residences, he generally moves directly to his private quarters rather than lingering in areas where he might be seen.

“You don’t see him hanging around,” said one source in the first family’s orbit.

That approach contrasts sharply with the public profiles maintained by his older siblings. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump play prominent roles in the family business, while Ivanka Trump frequently appears on social media and podcasts. They, along with Tiffany Trump, also routinely accompany their father at public events.

Those familiar with Barron describe him as intelligent and polite and say he has handled the intense scrutiny accompanying the Trump name and his father’s enormous public profile well.

His emerging professional interests also appear to point toward business rather than a future career in politics once he finishes his education.

Barron has already joined high school friends in launching an herbal energy-drink venture and has made investments in cryptocurrency. Unlike his niece Kai Trump, who actively uses social media to market and promote merchandise, Barron has generally preferred working behind the scenes.

“He doesn’t like the public eye so much, which I understand,” Kai said of Barron on Jake Paul’s podcast earlier this year.

Barron’s most recent public appearance came July 19, when the soccer fan accompanied President Trump and the first lady to the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium, where the family watched the match from behind bulletproof glass.

A small piece of Lakewood Yeshiva history arrived at the recording desk of Bais Medrash Govoah this week: a physical cassette recording of a shiur delivered by Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler, son of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler.

The cassette went on sale following Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur’s inaugural shiur at the yeshiva on Sunday, an event that drew considerable excitement as another generation of the Kotler family formally assumed a role in delivering shiurim at the institution founded by Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l.

In an era when virtually every shiur can be streamed, downloaded or played instantly from a phone, the continued production of actual cassette tapes at BMG may seem like a relic from another age. But the yeshiva continues producing them regularly for a very particular reason.

The rosh yeshiva, Rav Yeruchem Olshin, continues to listen to recorded shiurim using a personal Walkman and has not transitioned to newer digital devices. As a result, the recording operation at BMG maintains the old cassette format, producing physical tapes alongside the more modern means through which shiurim are distributed.

That longstanding practice took on added significance this week when Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur’s first shiur was transferred onto cassette and made available for purchase, creating a tangible recording of a milestone moment in the yeshiva’s history.

The shiur itself was delivered in BMG’s Bais Medrash Hayoshon, the Bendheim Bais Medrash, the original building that occupies a singular place in Lakewood’s history. It is the same bais medrash where Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur’s grandfather and namesake, Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler zt”l, delivered shiurim decades earlier. Rav Shneur Kotler succeeded his father, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, in leading BMG and served as its rosh yeshiva until his petirah in 1982.

During his younger years, Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur learned at Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg. He subsequently traveled to Eretz Yisroel, where he became a talmid of Rav Yonason David, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Pachad Yitzchok, whom Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur considers his rebbi muvhak.

He later married Miriam Baddouch, daughter of Rav Shmuel Baddouch, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Lev Eliyohu of the Aram Soba community in Mexico.

Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur’s appointment comes amid a gradual introduction of a new generation of marbitzei Torah into BMG’s leadership. In recent years, sons and sons-in-law of the yeshiva’s roshei yeshiva have assumed positions delivering shiurim, including Rav Aharon Schustal, son of Rosh Yeshiva Rav Dovid Schustal; Rav Aharon Olshin, son of Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yeruchem Olshin; and Rav Yehoshua Abba Budel, son-in-law of Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yisroel Neuman.

On Sunday, Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur entered the Bais Medrash Hayoshon accompanied by the roshei yeshiva before beginning his inaugural shiur. He spoke on Maseches Bava Kamma, the masechta currently being learned in the yeshiva, addressing the sugya of “Toldoseihen kayotzei bahem.”

Now, days after the younger Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur delivered his first shiur there, the recording has joined the vast archive of Torah produced within those walls.

And fittingly for a yeshiva whose history stretches back generations, that newest chapter can still be purchased in one of the oldest formats around: a cassette tape.

{Matzav.com}

A viral dashcam video showing a vehicle allegedly backing into another car on the Belt Parkway ultimately unraveled a broader insurance-fraud operation, leading to prison sentences for two men accused of deliberately staging crashes on New York highways to collect insurance payouts.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty for their involvement in the scheme.

Huiracocha was sentenced to between one and three years behind bars, while Murillo received a two-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors said the defendants orchestrated three staged collisions between August and October 2024. The scheme allegedly involved recruiting people to serve as passengers and obtaining borrowed vehicles that could be used in manufactured crashes, which were then followed by fraudulent insurance claims seeking substantial payouts.

The investigation was launched after Ashpia Natasha, 31, released dramatic dashcam footage of an encounter on the Belt Parkway. The video showed a silver Honda cutting in front of her vehicle before backing into it. The footage spread rapidly online and eventually attracted the attention of investigators.

“We started investigating the viral video and then backed up into these other two that we found out were the same players,” Katz said.

As investigators dug deeper, authorities said they uncovered two other staged collisions on the Nassau Expressway involving a 44-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man.

Although the individuals participating in the crashes varied, prosecutors said Murillo was a recurring figure in the operation and acted as the driver in the scheme.

Speaking at Thursday’s announcement, Hochul said New York is stepping up its campaign against automobile insurance fraud. Those efforts include the creation of a new task force involving multiple government agencies as well as the rebuilding of the state’s insurance fraud bureau.

Katz, meanwhile, warned that the investigation should serve as a message to others involved in staged accidents and fraudulent insurance claims.

She said prosecutors intend to pursue not only those who deliberately manufacture crashes, but also medical providers, attorneys and others who knowingly help facilitate fraudulent claims.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News correspondent Jonathan Hunt and called on anchor Bret Baier to “straighten out his flunkies” after taking issue with the network’s reporting on the stalled U.S.-Iran diplomatic effort, insisting that Tehran — rather than Washington — is seeking negotiations and is “begging to make a deal.”

The unusually sharp criticism of Fox News came Thursday night after Hunt reported on “Special Report” that there had been no significant diplomatic breakthrough toward ending the six-month conflict with Iran and that no direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran were currently underway.

Trump responded in a post on Truth Social, a screenshot of which circulated widely.

“Jonathan Hunt of FoxNews did a particularly inaccurate report on the Failing Islamic Republic of Iran. I don’t want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal. Bret Baier should straighten out his flunkies, for a change! President DJT,” Trump wrote.

Trump followed that message with another brief post declaring, “Iran Is a Failing Nation!”

The president’s criticism prompted an immediate response from Baier, who addressed Trump’s post on the air and defended Hunt.

“First of all, Jonathan Hunt is not a flunky. He’s a great reporter,” Baier said. “Second of all, Mr. President, we didn’t say you wanted to meet. In fact, we played a soundbite that you didn’t want to meet, and there are no negotiations.”

Baier said the Fox report had instead discussed efforts by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to enlist international partners in increasing economic pressure on Tehran, as well as attempts by Gulf nations to convince Iranian leaders to make concessions.

“We said that Treasury Secretary Bessent is hoping to meet with G20 countries to increase the pressure on Iran, and that Gulf state allies, including Qatar, are inside Tehran trying to get Iran to agree to concessions,” Baier said. “That was what was said.”

Despite the dispute over the Fox report, Trump himself confirmed earlier Thursday that there are presently no direct negotiations with Tehran. He told reporters at the White House that his administration is focusing instead on ratcheting up economic pressure against the Iranian regime.

“We ‌don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything,” Trump said.

The distinction Trump drew was that the absence of negotiations is a result of Washington’s lack of interest in talks on Tehran’s current terms — rather than a lack of Iranian interest in reaching an agreement. His Truth Social post asserted that Iranian officials are actively seeking a deal.

Trump has made similar claims in recent days. Earlier this month, as a 60-day U.S.-Iran agreement expired, Trump said Tehran wanted an agreement but remained unwilling to accept Washington’s conditions.

“They want to make a deal, but they’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary,” Trump said at the time.

The central issue, Trump said, remains Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“You understand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

The president has repeatedly indicated that he feels little urgency to return to formal negotiations. In an interview this week with Al Jazeera, Trump said he was “not in a hurry” to resume talks and rejected the idea that he was operating under a deadline.

“I have no time schedule, none,” Trump said.

Trump also argued that the combination of American military and economic pressure has been “both effective,” describing Iran as suffering from “massive inflation” and saying its economy is “falling apart.” He additionally accused the Iranian government of “treating their people very badly, they are killing many, many protesters.”

The latest flare-up comes as the Trump administration increasingly shifts its emphasis toward economic warfare following months of military confrontation.

Bessent earlier this week announced “Operation Economic Outcast,” a campaign aimed at further isolating Iran financially and choking off sources of revenue available to the regime.

At the same time, the administration has made clear that the current pause in U.S. strikes does not mean military action has been taken off the table.

“By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said this week.

Trump had also said on Aug. 18 that there were “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” while maintaining that the U.S. naval blockade remained in effect and asserting that the Strait of Hormuz was open and operating.

The president’s latest Truth Social post therefore did not announce the resumption of negotiations. Instead, it underscored his contention that Iran wants negotiations more urgently than the United States does — and opened a public dispute with Fox News over how the diplomatic stalemate was being portrayed.

For now, Washington and Tehran remain without formal negotiations, while the Trump administration continues to rely on economic pressure and the threat of renewed military action in an effort to force Iran to accept U.S. demands.

{Matzav.com}

Apple has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a federal religious-discrimination lawsuit brought over allegations that the company refused to accommodate a Jewish employee’s Shabbos observance and later fired him because of his religious practices, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday.

The case involved a Jewish employee working at an Apple store in Reston, Virginia, who asked that his schedule allow him to remain off from Friday evening through Saturday evening so that he could properly observe Shabbos. According to the lawsuit, Apple rejected the request after implementing a new requirement that employees work on weekends.

The EEOC further alleged that the store manager who refused the requested religious accommodation subsequently terminated the employee in January 2024 because of his religion and in retaliation for complaints the employee had made about disparaging remarks concerning his faith and the refusal to accommodate his Shabbos observance.

“Accommodating an employee’s religious beliefs is not optional,” Debra Lawrence, the EEOC’s Philadelphia regional attorney, stated. “It is an obligation mandated by federal law in the absence of an undue hardship.”

The federal agency brought its lawsuit against Apple under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law bars employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of religion and requires reasonable accommodations for sincerely held religious beliefs and practices unless providing them would create an undue hardship for the employer. Title VII also protects employees against retaliation for raising complaints about religious discrimination.

As part of a consent decree that will remain in effect for two years, Apple agreed to pay the employee $80,000 in back wages along with another $70,000 in compensatory damages. The company must also revise its policies governing religious observance and provide employees with written explanations when requests for religious accommodations are rejected.

The agreement additionally requires Apple to provide training on religious accommodations and retaliation protections to relevant store managers and human-resources personnel. Apple will also be required to periodically report to the EEOC regarding denied religious-accommodation requests and complaints involving alleged religious discrimination.

“No employee should be forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood,” Mindy Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office, stated. “The EEOC will continue to enforce federal laws protecting employees’ rights to religious accommodation.”

{Matzav.com}

The United Nations is facing fierce criticism after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock participated in a memorial ceremony honoring a UNRWA school principal who was later identified as a Hamas commander, with U.N. officials now refusing demands to retract the tribute or issue an apology.

The controversy stems from the U.N.’s annual memorial service in June honoring employees who had died during the preceding year. Guterres and Baerbock attended the ceremony, during which an “eternal flame” candle was lit and the names of 136 deceased U.N. workers were read aloud as a violin played.

Among those memorialized was Imad El Samhouri, who had served as a teacher and principal at UNRWA Preparatory Boys School B in Rafah before being killed in an Israeli airstrike in June 2025.

El Samhouri’s inclusion prompted outrage from U.N. critics, including Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon and U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer. They pointed to evidence that El Samhouri had been a Hamas leader despite having spent years working within the U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees.

Neuer published evidence on X that he said demonstrated El Samhouri’s Hamas activities, including a “martyrdom video” showing the UNRWA employee dressed in military clothing and surrounded by weapons and grenades.

“We have chosen jihad as our path. Death in the cause of Allah is our highest aspiration,” El Samhouri said in the video. He also boasted about Hamas’s extensive tunnel system, which Israel says was built in part through resources diverted from humanitarian assistance, declaring that “the Zionist enemy never imagines we will emerge from beneath the ground.”

According to Neuer, El Samhouri also helped bring other Hamas operatives into UNRWA schools, creating a “network” that U.N. Watch says it has documented extensively even as the United Nations failed to detect it. Over the years, El Samhouri worked at multiple UNRWA facilities, placing him in contact with thousands of Palestinian children.

“Everyone in UNRWA Rafah knew about El Samhouri. He was a big man on campus, openly active with senior Hamas officials, including as scout for Hamas-linked athletic clubs,” Neuer noted, pointing to instances in which El Samhouri openly celebrated kidnappings and terrorist attacks.

Among the “athletic clubs” for which El Samhouri allegedly recruited was the Al-Qadisiyah Rafah Club, an organization funded by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Activities associated with the club reportedly included training Palestinian children in the use of firearms.

Neuer escalated his criticism in an Aug. 14 open letter to Guterres and Baerbock, urging them to “finally acknowledge that UNRWA is simply unwilling or unable to root out the terrorists who have taken over its schools.”

“Excellencies, how many UNRWA teachers must emerge from Hamas tunnels before you admit that the terrorists are not merely beneath UNRWA’s schools, but actually inside them? Excellencies, if an UNRWA children’s school principal emerging from Hamas tunnels does not compel you to confront the agency’s terrorist infiltration, what possibly will?” he wrote.

Neuer also pointed to remarks Guterres made at the memorial ceremony, when the secretary-general said it was “the privilege of my life” to have worked alongside those being honored, pledged to continue “carrying forward their work,” and said the deceased U.N. employees “made our world a better place.”

“Now that the man you praised has been exposed as a Hamas field commander, do you stand by those words? Is Imad El Samhouri’s work – the jihad, the terror tunnels, the indoctrination of children – the work you intend to carry forward?” Neuer asked.

“Will you retract your tribute, apologize to the victims of Hamas, and order an independent investigation into how a terrorist commander was allowed to run UNRWA schools for more than a decade?” he challenged Guterres and Baerbock.

Neuer concluded his letter by demanding both accountability and a broader investigation into possible terrorist connections among UNRWA personnel.

“We urge you to retract the tribute to Imad El Samhouri, apologize to the victims of Hamas, commission a genuinely independent investigation, and disclose the identities of every UNRWA employee found to have terrorist ties, as well as every supervisor and senior official who knew or should have known.

“There can be no immunity, impunity, or eternal flame for terrorists who infiltrate the United Nations.”

On Wednesday, however, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations would neither retract the tribute nor apologize for El Samhouri’s inclusion. Dujarric repeatedly stressed that the list of individuals scheduled to be honored had been “shared with Israeli authorities,” and “no issues were raised.”

“If those allegations had been shared with us at the time through official channels, it would not have been included,” he said.

“What was said was said, and we’re now stating our position, which makes it clear, had we known and had we been told, his name would probably not have been included,” he said.

Neuer responded by sarcastically characterizing the U.N.’s position as an attempt to avoid responsibility for honoring El Samhouri.

“Yes, we honored a Hamas commander. No, we won’t apologize. No, we won’t correct it. And somehow, this is Israel’s fault,” Neuer sarcastically summarized the response from the United Nations.

Danon similarly blasted the U.N.’s handling of the revelations and its response to questions about El Samhouri.

“It is outrageous to watch the U.N. spokesperson struggle to clearly condemn the crimes committed by former UNRWA employees,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon responded.

“The U.N. spokesperson’s response reflects Secretary-General Guterres’ entire tenure: the organization has lost its moral compass. It is because of terrorists like Imad Youssif El Samhouri and others that Israel ended UNRWA’s operations in Israel,” Danon said.

{Matzav.com}

Dozens of Chareidi protesters blocked Route 443 near the Ofer Crossing on Friday following the arrest of a young Chareidi man who police say was caught driving a stolen vehicle and was subsequently found to be wanted for failing to report for military service.

The incident began when Border Police officers from the Yerushalayim perimeter unit and crossing security forces stopped a vehicle for inspection as it arrived at the Ofer Crossing along Route 443.

During the inspection, police said officers determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen.

The driver, an Ashdod resident in his 20s, was arrested at the scene. An additional check of his identity revealed that he was also listed as a military draft absentee.

News of the arrest quickly spread, and within a short time dozens of Chareidi protesters arrived at the area and began blocking Route 443 in protest over the young man’s detention.

Border Police forces and officers from the Shomron and Yehudah District were deployed to the scene in an effort to restore order and reopen the highway to traffic.

Meanwhile, police said the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft of the vehicle remain under investigation by the Modiin Illit police station.

{Matzav.com}

The Republican National Committee is threatening to take New Jersey election officials to court unless they turn over records detailing how noncitizens ended up on the state’s voter rolls and what steps have been taken to identify and remove ineligible registrants.

The RNC issued formal notices alleging violations of the National Voter Registration Act to New Jersey’s secretary of state as well as election officials in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.

The committee is demanding documents concerning the removal of noncitizens, procedures used to verify citizenship and other efforts to maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. According to the RNC, the officials have until Sept. 15 to provide the requested information before potentially facing litigation.

“Democrat (Gov.) Mikie Sherrill admitted what the RNC already uncovered through public records requests: Noncitizens are on New Jersey’s voter rolls,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in an RNC release. “Now, election officials are refusing to turn over records explaining how it happened.

“Voters deserve answers, and the RNC is putting officials on notice: Comply with the law, hand over the records or face legal action.”

The RNC said records obtained from Bergen County showed that 134 noncitizens were removed from New Jersey’s voter rolls between January 2023 and August 2026.

According to the committee, 91 of those registrations were connected to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

Separately, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration has acknowledged that a software problem at the MVC resulted in approximately 6,600 people being improperly registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024, before Sherrill became governor.

State officials said roughly 5,100 of the individuals caught up in the error were subsequently taken off the voter rolls because there was no separate registration or attestation establishing their eligibility to vote.

Approximately 1,450 additional registrations were changed to rejected status and sent to county election officials for further examination.

According to the state, approximately 340 people who were newly registered as a result of the software problem ultimately cast ballots. Officials also identified roughly 220 people affected by the glitch who voted but had prior registrations or separate eligibility attestations indicating that they may have been legitimately registered.

Sherrill has said county election officials were instructed to resolve any outstanding cases ahead of the November election.

The governor has also accused the Trump administration of attempting to expand federal control over state voter rolls. She has opposed federal efforts to obtain nonpublic voter information, describing the effort as a “phishing expedition here in New Jersey.”

Sherrill’s office has said the state’s investigation into the MVC software failure is continuing.

A Florida grand jury has concluded that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration “misappropriated” $10 million from a Medicaid settlement by directing the money to the Hope Florida Foundation, an organization closely associated with first lady Casey DeSantis.

According to a sealed grand jury report obtained by CBS News Miami, jurors determined that the transfer was “part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities.”

The $10 million originated from a $67 million settlement involving Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid contractor. As part of the arrangement, $10 million was directed to Hope Florida in the form of a “donation.”

The money was purportedly intended to support what was described as “to be a community-based welfare program that serves as a cost-efficient alternative to government assistance programs.”

Instead, the grand jury found that the funds ultimately went to organizations involved in efforts to defeat a 2024 Florida ballot initiative that sought to legalize recreational marijuana.

According to the report, the $10 million was routed through the charity affiliated with Hope Florida before eventually being transferred to two nonprofit organizations that participated in the campaign opposing the marijuana measure.

Despite determining that the taxpayer money had been improperly used, the grand jury said it did not uncover enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against any individual.

“Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally,” the report concluded. “Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida… or had any memory of who made it.”

The report also raised questions about the role of Sen. Ashley Moody, who was serving as Florida attorney general at the time. Although Moody was not called to testify before the grand jury, the report said she knew about the plan to redirect the money and “authorized” her then-chief deputy, John Guard, to execute the settlement agreement.

Moody, who was appointed by DeSantis to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is seeking election to the seat this year.

The grand jury also examined the involvement of DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, concluding that he was “in a position of authority over those involved in settling.”

“Testimony identified him as having involvement in directing the money after it went to Hope Florida. Testimony also revealed that Mr. Uthmeier’s Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee, was the prime recipient of the majority of the $10 million taxpayer funds,” the grand jury wrote.

DeSantis has previously rejected scrutiny surrounding Hope Florida, characterizing investigations launched in 2025 as a politically motivated and “manufactured” effort to damage both him and his wife.

“It was all political,” DeSantis told reporters in 2025. “People smear what they fear. If Hope Florida represents a threat to their world view, they’re going to go after it.”

{Matzav.com}

Russia warned that British military installations could become targets both inside and outside Ukraine if Kyiv continues using long-range British weapons to attack sites deep within Russian territory, escalating Moscow’s threats against London over its military support for Ukraine.

The warning followed Russian accusations a day earlier that Ukrainian forces used British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike a shopping center in Russian-controlled Donetsk, leaving several civilians, including children, wounded.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Britain of moving dangerously close to direct legal responsibility for attacks Moscow characterizes as terrorism against civilians. She said London was “one step away” from such complicity and warned of “catastrophic consequences” if Britain maintains its current policy, according to Reuters.

“We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory carried out using British weapons,” Zakharova said at a news briefing in Moscow.

Zakharova called on the British government to “immediately, in the most resolute and unequivocal manner, abandon the hostile, aggressive line” and warned that continued escalation could push the confrontation to an “entirely new level.”

The Russian threat came days after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham traveled to Ukraine for the country’s Independence Day on Aug. 24. During the visit, Burnham announced that a defense contractor could disclose classified information concerning British components incorporated into the long-range SCALP cruise missile as Ukraine and France work toward establishing assembly lines for the weapon in Ukraine, according to the British government.

The SCALP is France’s version of Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile and has a range exceeding 155 miles, allowing Ukrainian forces to hit targets far beyond the immediate front lines.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused London of “participating in the war” and “pouring fuel on the fire.”

Britain, however, made clear that Moscow’s threats would not cause it to retreat from its support for Kyiv. A Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Reuters that the United Kingdom remained “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and would continue supplying Kyiv with the equipment necessary “to defend itself against (President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion.”

“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this government to stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine and against the U.K. and our allies,” the spokesperson said.

Burnham also responded directly to Moscow while visiting Kyiv, denouncing Russia’s “outrageous threats” and declaring that Britain would remain committed to supporting Ukraine.

The latest confrontation follows a separate Russian warning issued to Britain on Aug. 17, when Moscow said London would pay a “price” after The Times reported that British-made drones supplied to Ukraine had been used for the first time to attack military and industrial sites inside Russia.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense has not confirmed whether the drones used in those attacks were British-made.

Zakharova’s latest warnings came as President Donald Trump expressed little concern that the conflict could expand into a direct Russian attack against NATO. Trump told Axios in a telephone interview Thursday that he was not worried about Moscow attacking a member of the alliance.

Meanwhile, amid the increasingly sharp public exchanges between Russia and the West, Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, confirmed Thursday that he met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow earlier this week, according to Reuters.

Naryshkin characterized his discussions with Ratcliffe as routine and said the two intelligence chiefs addressed matters falling within the responsibilities of their respective agencies.

Trump likewise played down the significance of Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, describing the trip as “semi-routine,” according to Axios.

President Donald Trump placed himself alone at the pinnacle of American presidential history Thursday, sharing a ranking on Truth Social that labels him “The Greatest” while relegating several Democratic presidents to the lowest category and omitting nearly a dozen other commanders in chief altogether.

The graphic sorts presidents into six classifications: “The Greatest,” “Great,” “Near Great,” “Average,” “Below Average,” and “Failures.” Trump is the only president appearing in the highest tier.

The chart appears to have been adapted from a presidential ranking published by LIFE magazine in 1948, which was based on assessments from 55 experts in American history. Much of the original list and its omissions remain intact, but Trump’s version adds three more recent Democratic presidents to the “Failures” category, places another Democratic president in the “Average” group and installs Trump by himself at the very top.

The “Great” category features Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson.

The next tier, “Near Great,” consists of Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, John Adams and James K. Polk.

Presidents classified as “Average” are Bill Clinton, John Quincy Adams, James Monroe, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Madison, Martin Van Buren, William Howard Taft, Chester A. Arthur, William McKinley, Andrew Johnson, Herbert Hoover and Benjamin Harrison.

Trump’s “Below Average” group includes John Tyler, Calvin Coolidge, Millard Fillmore, Zachary Taylor, James Buchanan and Franklin Pierce.

At the bottom of the chart, the “Failures” category includes Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding and Jimmy Carter.

A number of presidents do not appear anywhere on the graphic. Those omitted are William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield, both of whom died shortly after assuming office, as well as Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Trump had invoked the younger Bush just a day earlier in another Truth Social post, sharing an image contrasting their presidential records. The graphic placed Bush alongside a sign reading “Mission Not Accomplished 2001-2021,” while Trump appeared above a separate message declaring “Mission Accomplished 2026.”

The post appeared intended to portray Trump’s war in Iran as a successful military campaign while contrasting it with the two-decade U.S. war in Afghanistan, which began under George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Trump also offered some decidedly less formal presidential rankings in July while appearing on Second Lady Usha Vance’s podcast and reading the children’s book Presidents Play! He described Lyndon B. Johnson as a “tough cookie,” called Ronald Reagan “high quality,” and referred to George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush collectively as “the Bushies.” All four are missing from the ranking Trump posted Thursday.

Trump also poked fun at William Howard Taft, whom the new chart places in the “Average” category. Noting Taft’s distinction as the heaviest U.S. president, Trump joked, “I have to be careful, ’cause I don’t want to supersede his record.”

{Matzav.com}

Norway’s King Harald V, who fled Adolf Hitler’s invasion with his family to take refuge in the White House as a boy, and who later helped modernize the country’s monarchy during his popular 35-year reign, died Friday at a hospital in Oslo. He was 89.

His death was announced by Norway’s royal family, which did not cite a cause.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the “whole nation is in mourning” in a statement Friday, adding that King Harald had “helped us to see the best in ourselves – and in one another.”

“King Harald had a profound love for Norway. And Norway had a profound love for King Harald,” he said. Other ruling families from across Europe including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands shared tributes, alongside political leaders.

The Norwegian ruler was spirited to safety as a child while war gripped Europe. He spent his formative years in the United States before returning home at age 8, furnished with an American accent and a memory of standing behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt at his inauguration.

As an adult, King Harald defied tradition by marrying commoner Sonja Haraldsen in 1968. Their marriage shocked the establishment and sparked warnings of the monarchy’s downfall but proved to be one of several ways he charted his own course as ruler. The couple were married more than five decades.

The avid sportsman and nature lover represented his country in sailing at three Olympic Games – Tokyo in 1964, Mexico City in 1968 and in Munich 1972 – before finally declaring an end to his competitive days in 2022, at age 85. He led the Norwegian chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for 20 years and is the first king to have a portion of the Arctic named after him.

As leader of Norway’s constitutional monarchy, King Harald had a largely ceremonial role. But he endeared himself to the country of 5.6 million with his emotional openness and support of diversity and religious tolerance. He sought to modernize and make the monarchy more transparent, engaging in media interviews and publishing annual financial reports.

In 1997, King Harald publicly apologized to the Arctic Sami people for government efforts to eradicate their culture over more than two centuries. In the aftermath of the 2011 massacre in which far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage, he drew praise for a speech in which he struggled to contain his emotions while trying to console the nation. During the speech, he reiterated his belief in a strong, multicultural society.

In 2016, he went viral for his passionate speech at a royal palace garden party in support of diversity, religious tolerance and LGBTQ rights.

“Norwegians are enthusiastic young people – and wise old people. Norwegians are single, divorced, families with children and old married couples. Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other. Norwegians believe in God, Allah, the Universe and nothing,” he said at the time.

“In other words,” he added, “Norway is you.”

King Harald V was born Feb. 21, 1937, at Skaugum, outside Oslo, the first Norwegian-born prince in 567 years, after the country’s earlier union with Denmark and Sweden. His grandfather, King Haakon VII, became Norway’s sovereign in 1905, establishing a new independent monarchy. The family are relatives of Britain’s royals, and King Harald and Queen Elizabeth II were second cousins.

He was the third child of Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, who already had two daughters. But at the time, only male heirs could inherit the throne, ensuring his place in the line of succession. (This was amended in 1990 so that the eldest child takes precedence, regardless of gender.)

His peaceful early childhood was shattered when German troops invaded the country in April 1940. As members of the government and royal family sought to escape the capital by train, Princess Märtha fled to Sweden with her three children and sailed on to the United States at Roosevelt’s invitation.

In the U.S., they stayed at the White House and at Roosevelt’s home in Hyde Park, New York, while King Harald’s father and grandfather escaped to London to set up a government in exile. Princess Märtha and the children eventually settled in a Tudor-style mansion north of Bethesda, Maryland..

King Harald would speak of his time in the U.S. fondly, saying in a 1999 speech to President Bill Clinton that he clearly remembered “standing right behind President Roosevelt when he was sworn in.” Images show the Norwegian royal children standing on the White House steps at the time.

In 2015, King Harald said in a speech in Seattle that he was “deeply grateful for the generosity and hospitality we felt throughout those five years in the United States.”

“Your country has had a special place in my heart ever since,” he added.

Upon returning home in 1945, King Harald attended school in Oslo before training at a military academy and studying at the University of Oxford in Britain.

When Haakon died in September 1957, he became Crown Prince, working alongside his father, King Olav V, before ascending to the throne after his father’s death in 1991.

Survivors include Queen Sonja; two children, Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon, who will succeed him as king; an elder sister, Princess Astrid; and two grandchildren.

While initially controversial, King Harald and Sonja’s love story endeared them to the Norwegian public. In 2016, the couple shared unseen photos of their courtship with Norway’s national broadcaster, NRK, describing how they met in 1959, when Crown Prince Harald was 22, and quickly fell in love.

Though filled with guilt over expectations he would marry a member of European nobility, King Harald said attempts to end their romance amid disapproval from the establishment and Norwegian press were not “entirely successful.” He ended up delivering his father an ultimatum: If he could not marry Sonja, he would remain unmarried. Olav relented, and the couple married at Oslo Cathedral.

Crown Prince Haakon’s decision to marry a former waitress and single mother in 2001 would also draw controversy. King Harald supported their relationship, and the fairy-tale wedding drew thousands of flag-waving well-wishers.

The royal family has faced controversy this year, with Crown Princess Mette-Marit under scrutiny for her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Files released as part of a U.S. Justice Department investigation revealed more than 100 messages between Mette-Marit and the disgraced financier. Mette-Marit also came under the spotlight this summer after her eldest son, Marius, was convicted of rape and sentenced to four years in prison. King Harald said he had sympathy for “all those affected” by the trial, and declined to comment on his daughter-in-law’s ties to Epstein.

Being a sovereign, he once said, was a “lifelong learning period.” But he said he believed the monarchy is in good hands with his son. In 2024, he announced a permanent reduction in duties, citing health issues, but ruled out abdicating as monarch, saying the oath he swore “lasts for life.

“It’s that simple for me. We’re going to keep going until the bitter end.”

(c) 2026 , The Washington Post · Victoria Craw

A new fund has been established in Eretz Yisroel to provide NIS 1,000 for every day a ben Torah spends in military prison, offering financial assistance to families affected by the growing wave of arrests of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim by military authorities.

The new initiative, called “Kele 1000” — “Prison 1000” — is being established under the guidance and supervision of leading dayanim and poskim. Its organizers say the program is intended to provide both a financial safety net and broader support for families whose sons or husbands are unexpectedly taken into military custody.

The initiative comes amid an intensification of enforcement measures and arrests involving bnei Torah over their military-service status. Organizers say the fund is designed to ensure that when a yeshiva bochur or avreich is taken into military custody, his family will not be left to shoulder alone the financial burden created by his imprisonment.

The program is structured around a broad system of communal responsibility, with participants contributing only a small amount when an eligible arrest occurs. Those funds will then be used to provide the affected family with NIS 1,000 for each full day that the detainee remains behind bars.

According to the organizers, the money is intended to help cover expenses that can quickly accumulate during an incarceration, including legal advice, transportation and prison visits, as well as income lost when relatives are forced to miss work because of the situation.

The fund is being overseen by a committee of prominent dayanim, who will have exclusive authority over the program’s policies, eligibility requirements, distribution of funds and any halachic questions or disputes that arise.

The committee includes Rav Naftali Nussbaum, raavad of the Hayashar Vehatov and Ahavas Shalom batei din; Rav Yaakov Tufik Abiezeri, av bais din of the Beitar monetary bais din; Rav Yaakov Meir Stern, av bais din of Badatz Kehillos Yaakov in Bnei Brak; Rav Eliyahu Posen, av bais din in the Bnei Brak and Elad bais din; and Rav Tzvi Braverman, raavad of Beitar Illit and av bais din of Nesivos Chaim.

Organizers said that any uncertainty over whether an individual qualifies for assistance, as well as any claims involving the fund, will be decided exclusively by the dayanim overseeing the initiative.

In a special letter issued in connection with the launch, the rabbanim called upon members of the tzibbur to join the program, describing widespread participation as a means of creating a strong system of mutual responsibility and support.

Under the “Kele 1000” financial model, members of the program will be charged no more than NIS 1 per day when an eligible ben Torah is imprisoned. Participants will also pay NIS 3 per month to cover administrative and operating expenses.

The larger the program’s membership becomes, organizers say, the smaller the amount that will have to be collected from each individual participant when an arrest takes place.

The fund’s regulations also draw a significant distinction between unexpected arrests and situations in which an individual knowingly places himself in circumstances likely to result in detention.

According to the rules, which were prepared with legal guidance from the Gedalyahu & Horowitz law firm, the NIS 1,000-per-day benefit will be available only in cases involving what the program defines as “surprise arrests” imposed upon a ben Torah because of his conscientious position.

By contrast, the fund will not provide assistance for what it considers initiated or avoidable arrests. Those include cases in which an individual knowingly reports to a military draft office or police station, or attempts to travel through an airport or border crossing under circumstances that result in his detention.

The distinction was established by the committee of dayanim, meaning that individuals who deliberately enter circumstances expected to lead to military incarceration will not be eligible to receive payments from the fund.

Registration for “Kele 1000” is now expanding throughout yeshivos, kollelim and communities across Eretz Yisroel. Numerous institutions are reportedly joining collectively in an effort to ensure that their talmidim and avreichim will be covered by the program should they face an unexpected military arrest.

{Matzav.com}

A remarkable account from former hostage Emily Damari has revealed that while she was being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, a radio suddenly began working inside the tunnels — allowing her to hear a live broadcast of Selichos from the Kosel.

The story was shared during an episode of “Me’Achorei Kosleinu,” a podcast produced by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, featuring Yehuda Naftali, the chazzan who has led the main Selichos gatherings at the Kosel since 2015.

Naftali said that even after 11 years and dozens of nights leading Selichos each Elul, the experience has never become routine.

“Every night, there is no routine here,” he said. “You feel as though you are at the Kosel for the first time, saying Selichos for the first time.”

Naftali said the responsibility of standing before tens of thousands of people at the Kosel, along with millions more watching and listening around the world, continues to weigh heavily on him.

“You say: Wow, I am going to fulfill the obligation of Selichos for this entire crowd. There is nothing else like it.”

One of the moments that Naftali finds particularly powerful comes during Adon HaSelichos. Over the years, he said, the enormous crowd has become so familiar with the tefillah that he barely needs to lead them anymore.

“I just say ‘Adon HaSelichos,’ and that’s it. From that point on, it’s them. I used to have to lead them; today I don’t need to.”

Behind the enormous gatherings, however, are deeply emotional encounters that Naftali said have left a lasting impression on him.

He recalled meeting a bereaved father shortly before Selichos began one night. The father told Naftali about his son, who had been killed on Oct. 7.

“I went into the office, closed the door behind me and simply cried. The tears just kept falling.”

Naftali said encounters with survivors of Hamas captivity have also transformed the way he approaches the tefillos.

“When survivors of captivity are standing next to you… I feel as though I am their shliach tzibbur as well. I want something to come from this tefillah, for something to happen, for them to come home.”

During the conversation, the interviewer related an extraordinary account he had personally heard from Emily Damari, who survived Hamas captivity in Gaza.

According to Damari, while she was being held underground, a radio in the tunnels suddenly connected to a broadcast — and through it, she heard the sounds of Selichos being recited at the Kosel.

Naftali also spoke about the personal and family toll of his demanding schedule throughout Elul, when the nightly gatherings leave him with little opportunity to sleep.

“During Elul, I tell my wife: Goodbye, we’ll see each other after Yom Kippur,” he said with a smile, describing nights when he gets only three or four hours of sleep.

Naftali concluded by describing the thoughts that sometimes go through his mind as he stands before the ancient stones of the Kosel and looks out at the enormous crowds gathered there.

“What can a wall do to an entire nation… an old wall, an ancient wall, a holy wall that can bring the entire world to see this special place.”

SCRANTON, PA — Rav Yaakov Schnaidman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Bais Moshe of Scranton, has returned home from the hospital after being admitted following an episode of shortness of breath.

The welcome news comes after Yeshiva Bais Moshe informed alumni, parents and friends of the yeshiva of Rav Schnaidman’s hospitalization and asked the tzibbur to be mispallel for his complete recovery.

Rav Schnaidman has served for decades at the helm of Yeshiva Bais Moshe, one of America’s longstanding yeshivos. Together with Rav Chaim Bressler, Rav Schnaidman established the yeshiva in Scranton in 1965. Both were talmidim of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l and sought to establish a makom Torah that would transmit the mesorah and derech halimud they had absorbed from their rebbi.

Talmidim are grateful for Rav Schnaidman’s return home and all are asked to continue davening for his complete recovery and continued good health. The name for Tehillim is Rav Yaakov ben Chana.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon rather than attending the annual ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York City, according to The New York Times.

Trump had reportedly sought an opportunity to deliver remarks at the Ground Zero ceremony. However, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum has prohibited speeches at the observance since 2012, a policy established to preserve the nonpartisan and solemn character of the event, according to the Times.

Instead, Trump will participate in the Sept. 11 commemoration at the Pentagon, two people familiar with the plans told the newspaper. Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House at the Manhattan ceremony.

The president is scheduled to travel to Ireland the following day to attend a tournament at his golf course there. According to the Times, departing for Ireland from the New York area would create greater disruptions to local air and road traffic than leaving from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Trump most recently attended the Ground Zero commemoration in 2024. During that visit to New York, he also stopped at a city fire station.

“On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the president will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans,” Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the president, told the Times.

Trump is expected to address those gathered at the Pentagon ceremony, as he did during last year’s 9/11 observance there.

Among those expected to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony in Manhattan are former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. forces have cleared Iranian sea mines from internationally recognized shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper announced Thursday, marking a significant development in American efforts to keep the vital waterway open while enforcing a naval blockade against Iran.

In an operational update, Cooper said thousands of American servicemembers are simultaneously carrying out the blockade and working to ensure that commercial vessels can continue navigating the strategically crucial Strait.

“We have successfully cleared sea mines in the Strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Cooper said. “Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the US military.”

Cooper said the operation brought together Navy divers and Navy SEALs, along with aerial assets belonging to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The mission was carried out under hazardous conditions, he said, but U.S. personnel succeeded in eliminating the mines from the designated shipping routes.

“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous to say the least, but we got the job done,” he said. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.”

The routes cleared by American forces are part of the internationally recognized traffic separation system used in the Strait of Hormuz, which organizes ships traveling in opposite directions through the narrow passage.

Cooper said the U.S. military has assisted nearly 1,500 commercial ships in navigating the Strait under coordinated protection in recent months. Collectively, those vessels carried nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil to markets around the world.

Iran, meanwhile, has been prevented from shipping oil from its own shores since the United States resumed its naval blockade in mid-July, according to the CENTCOM commander.

“And while American forces have supported 750 million barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf, Iran has exported zero oil from its shores since we resumed the naval blockade in mid-July. We have been highly effective,” Cooper said.

Cooper said that no ships have been permitted to enter or leave Iranian ports without U.S. authorization since the blockade resumed, aside from vessels granted exceptions for humanitarian purposes.

The operation has involved thousands of U.S. servicemembers, more than 20 warships and hundreds of aircraft. Cooper said American forces have forced 75 vessels attempting to violate the blockade to turn around and disabled three others after they refused to comply with U.S. instructions.

Cooper commended the American personnel participating in the mission and said CENTCOM remains fully committed to carrying out its objectives.

“We remain vigilant, lethal, and resolved,” he said.

The CENTCOM commander also said he recently traveled to the region, where he met with American servicemembers directly involved in the ongoing operations.

“I just could not be prouder of their efforts, and I know that the American people share that same pride,” Cooper said. He concluded by calling on U.S. personnel to remain ready for what comes next and to continue looking out for one another.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has rejected the possibility of returning to the preliminary agreement reached with Iran in June, according to a new report, as the White House says there are currently no negotiations taking place between Washington and Tehran.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the administration has declined to revive the June framework, creating another obstacle to efforts to restart diplomatic negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

The report emerged as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly confirmed that Washington and Tehran are not presently holding talks.

Appearing on Fox News on Thursday, Leavitt said, “There are currently no negotiations happening,” while emphasizing that “all options remain on the table.”

The administration’s position comes after President Donald Trump said a day earlier that he has established no deadline for ending the conflict with Iran and is prepared to allow the confrontation to continue for as long as he believes necessary.

During an interview with Al Jazeera, Trump said he was “not in a hurry” to return to the negotiating table with Tehran, adding: “I have no time schedule, none.”

The president said the two principal forms of pressure Washington has employed against the Islamic Republic — economic measures and military force — had been “both effective.”

Trump also described Iran as facing an increasingly severe economic crisis, pointing to “massive inflation” and saying its economy was “falling apart.” He additionally accused the Iranian regime of “treating their people very badly, they are killing many, many protesters.”

On Thursday, Trump pushed back against reports claiming that he is attempting to arrange a meeting with Iranian officials to reach a new agreement. The president said it is Iran, rather than the United States, that is seeking a return to negotiations.

“Jonathan Hunt of FoxNews did a particularly inaccurate report on the Failing Islamic Republic of Iran. I don’t want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal. Bret Baier should straighten out his flunkies, for a change!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump subsequently posted another brief message, declaring, “Iran Is a Failing Nation!”

Efforts to reach a permanent agreement between Washington and Tehran remain at an impasse. Although U.S. military strikes against Iran continued until recently, the administration has increasingly turned its attention to a sweeping campaign of economic pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced “Operation Economic Outcast,” an initiative aimed at further isolating Iran economically and choking off sources of revenue that sustain the regime.

The current pause in U.S. military strikes does not mean that Washington has ruled out renewed attacks. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Monday that military action remains among the options available to the Trump administration.

“By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran,” Hegseth told reporters.

Hegseth also argued that the Iranian regime cannot withstand the level of economic pressure the United States is now applying.

{Matzav.com}

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