Federal officials say a sweeping new border initiative will soon reshape large sections of the Rio Grande, with plans calling for hundreds of miles of floating barriers aimed at blocking illegal crossings and strengthening enforcement along Texas’ southern border.
The project, expected to cost roughly $500 million, is financed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in July. Administration officials argue the funding reflects a broader strategy that is already producing results, pointing to sharp drops in illegal crossings this year. The Department of Homeland Security has highlighted historically low encounter numbers, while outside reports have described unlawful crossings as falling to levels not seen in more than half a century.
According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, the buoy system would stretch from near the Gulf of Mexico by Brownsville and continue westward along the Rio Grande. He said the barriers will not be placed in shallow portions of the river and can be repositioned as water levels and river conditions change.
Banks said construction is slated to begin in early 2026. The initial phase would cover about 500 miles of the river, with a follow-up phase expanding the system by another 400 miles. The buoys, he explained, are designed to serve as both a physical deterrent and a technological tool, incorporating detection systems that alert agents to movement in the water.
Banks described the effort as a critical security layer. “I have never seen this much support from a president and a secretary,” Banks said in an interview. “The support is even greater than it was in his first administration, as he’s continued to learn and grow in his understanding and knowledge on the border.”
The White House echoed that message in a statement defending the administration’s broader border record. “There’s no doubt that President [Donald] Trump has expeditiously delivered on his promise to secure our border,” a spokesperson said. “While Biden let criminal illegals pour into our country and complained he couldn’t do anything to stop it, President Trump immediately proved him wrong, and the American people are safer for it. It’s amazing what happens when you have a President who believes in empowering Border Patrol to do their job.”
Floating barriers in the Rio Grande are not a new concept. Texas first drew national attention to the approach in 2023, when Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a shorter buoy system installed near Eagle Pass as part of the state’s own border operation. That move quickly triggered legal action from the Biden administration, which argued that Texas lacked federal approval to place an obstruction in a navigable waterway and had not obtained authorization tied to international boundary oversight.
The legal fight moved through federal court and intensified debate over both jurisdiction and safety. Opponents raised alarms about the risk of drownings and questioned whether states or the federal government ultimately control such measures along an international river.
Republican leaders have largely applauded the federal expansion of the buoy system, calling it a long-overdue deterrent. Abbott and other GOP officials have said that a combination of river barriers, fencing, and surveillance technology is necessary to disrupt smuggling networks and discourage dangerous crossings.
Critics, however, argue that water barriers can drive migrants toward even more hazardous routes and say the funding would be better directed toward domestic priorities, including healthcare, asylum processing, and expanded border facilities. Civil rights groups and some local officials have also urged greater attention to humanitarian protections and coordination with Mexico, noting that the Rio Grande serves as a shared international boundary.
Federal officials maintain that the buoy barriers are intended to work alongside other enforcement tools, including expanded surveillance and tougher penalties for illegal entry. Opponents counter that the plan underscores what they see as an ongoing focus on physical infrastructure and deterrence rather than comprehensive, long-term immigration policy changes.
With immigration expected to remain a central political issue in the years ahead, the administration’s decision to move forward with the buoy project is likely to further intensify national debate as the 2028 election cycle approaches.
{Matzav.com}
Amid renewed attention on the so-called “QatarGate” affair, Naftali Bennett released a sharply worded statement on Tuesday, directing his criticism at Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and questioning how the situation has been handled at the highest levels of government.
Opening his remarks, Bennett declared: “These days, the people of Israel are being exposed to the most serious security affair: from the innermost sanctum of Israel’s security, the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu’s closest advisors operated on behalf of the enemy state of Qatar, for money from Qatar, and all this during a time of war against Hamas, the organization Qatar serves as patron for.”
He went on to say that “the materials present a detailed and horrifying picture: how these advisors worked diligently to promote Qatar’s interests, exploiting their special status as representatives of the Prime Minister. After every such action, they sent reports of the results of their actions to their Qatari operators.”
Bennett escalated his rhetoric further, stating: “I’ll be clear: Qatar is Hamas. While our brave soldiers fight and fall in battles against Hamas in the alleys of Khan Yunis, these advisors work for pay on behalf of Qatar, which finances Hamas militants. This betrayal is a knife to the hearts of our brave soldiers, and a knife to the heart of all of Israel. This is the most severe betrayal in the history of the State of Israel because, unlike previous traitors like Mordechai Vanunu and Udi Adiv, this comes from the most senior and powerful people in Israel. We must honestly admit that implanting agents in the Prime Minister’s Office is a significant intelligence-security success for our enemies, Qatar,” Bennett emphasized.
Turning his focus directly to Netanyahu, Bennett posed a series of pointed questions. “I am not claiming, at this stage, that Netanyahu gave the order to act on behalf of Qatar, or even that he knew his advisors were receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels from the enemy. But I definitely ask a simple question: why is Netanyahu silent? Why does he continue to cover up the betrayal in his office? After he became aware of the affair, he should have been the first to cry out and take action!”
Drawing on his own experience in office, Bennett said: “I was Prime Minister. I know the weight of responsibility and the sanctity of Israel’s security. In such a situation, I would- and every one of you would-immediately fire the errant advisors, urgently summon the head of the Shin Bet and the police commissioner, and demand they launch a thorough security investigation to expose the entire network of agents, ensuring that my office and my staff are completely clean. But Mr. Netanyahu does exactly the opposite: from the moment the affair was exposed, he and his people have taken every action to obstruct the investigation of the truth, as we saw even in last night’s publication.”
Bennett also appealed directly to Israel’s security agencies. “In the current situation, where a heavy cloud of suspicion looms over us, I appeal to the Shin Bet and the Israeli police: your national duty is to pursue this investigation to the fullest. All of Israel expects this, and you have our full support. This is a defining moment for our existence as a nation. I trust our security and law enforcement agencies to act quickly and not abandon the security of the state.”
The Likud party responded forcefully, rejecting Bennett’s accusations outright. “Srulik Einhorn and Eli Feldstein were never part of the Prime Minister’s office. In all the materials that have been exposed, there is not a shred of involvement from the Prime Minister’s office or its representatives; on the contrary. From the start of the war, the Prime Minister’s office and the Prime Minister have attacked Qatar, and Qatar has repeatedly attacked the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has also faced severe criticism from the Israeli media and senior security officials for attacking Qatar, claiming it jeopardizes the hostage deal.”
Likud then turned its fire on Bennett personally. “It would be better for Bennett to look at himself when using the word ‘betrayal.’ Bennett betrayed his voters when he formed a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Bennett himself described as a sister movement to Hamas. Bennett will betray again, just as his partners Yair Golan and Gadi Eisenkot said. He will try again to form a far-left government dependent on the Muslim Brotherhood. Bennett brought thousands of Gazan workers into Israel, laying the groundwork for 10/07. Bennett, the arch-liar, is fabricating blood libels. Even though Bennett knows that the court has already ruled that QatarGate is a ‘Qatar fake’ and there is no crime, he recycles lies to divert attention from the serious materials exposed in the hacking of his phone, which are being kept hidden from the public,” the statement concluded.
{Matzav.com}
Emergency crews rushed to a nursing home northeast of Philadelphia after a gas explosion sent thick black smoke into the air and left people unable to get out of the building, officials said.
Authorities reported that the blast occurred shortly before 3 p.m. at Silver Lake Healthcare Center in Bristol Township, roughly 20 miles outside the city, prompting an immediate response from local and state agencies.
“We understand that there are people trapped inside,” said Ruth Miller, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
State Rep. Tina Davis, whose district includes the facility, described a chaotic scene as emergency vehicles poured in from across the area. “I saw smoke and I saw car after car after car was a fire truck or ambulance from all over the city, from all over,” Davis said. She added that she approached the area by car but stayed back to avoid disrupting rescue efforts.
Davis noted that officials were discussing the possibility of relocating residents to a nearby school if evacuations became necessary. According to a state report, the nursing home has 174 beds.
Plans were put in motion to assist displaced residents if needed. Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said school district buses were prepared to transport people from the nursing home to a reunification site at Truman High School. He said crews were arranging beds, water, and other essentials at the school, though as of 4 p.m., no residents had yet arrived. “As of 4 p.m. no one had showed up at the school,” Morgan said.
Expressing concern over the incident, Davis reflected on the timing and impact of the emergency. “It’s just so sad — it’s that hopeful time of year. This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there. I hope there’s positive results from this. We don’t know at this point,” she said.
{Matzav.com}
Chicago is staring at the possibility of an unprecedented municipal shutdown after a bitter clash over the city’s 2026 budget, as Mayor Brandon Johnson considers rejecting the spending plan approved by the City Council.
The mayor has sharply criticized the package that cleared the council over the weekend, blasting it as “morally bankrupt” because it omits his preferred per-employee corporate “head tax.”
If Johnson exercises his veto power, council members would be forced back to the drawing board to assemble a revised budget that could win the mayor’s signature before the December 30 deadline. Failure to do so could leave city government without an approved spending plan.
The standoff is unfolding entirely within the political left. Chicago’s City Council has no Republican members, consisting of 48 Democrats and two independents, making the dispute an intraparty fight rather than a partisan one.
One of the mayor’s Democratic critics is Alderman Gilbert Villegas, who represents Belmont-Cragin on the city’s Northwest Side and is closely aligned with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Reacting to the veto threat, Villegas said he would “work hard to see if we can get 38-40 votes to override the veto,” noting that the budget initially passed by a 30–18 margin.
At the heart of the disagreement is Chicago’s looming fiscal problem. The city is facing a projected $1.2 billion deficit for 2026. Johnson has argued that policies under the Trump administration tilt the scales toward corporations and away from working families, insisting that businesses should “put more skin in the game.”
Not all Illinois Democrats are on board with that approach. Governor JB Pritzker has spoken out against Johnson’s proposed $33-per-worker, per-month head tax, warning that it would “penalize the very thing that we want, which is more employment.”
Johnson has also pushed back against national media criticism. He took aim at The Washington Post after it published a harsh editorial titled, “Chicago Has Lost Its Mind,” which warned that the head tax and other business-related measures could choke off economic growth. Responding to the paper, Johnson remarked that it “wouldn’t be the first time a publication got something I’ve done wrong.”
The council-approved budget attempts to close revenue gaps through a mix of new and expanded levies. Proposals include allowing video-gambling machines in restaurants and at Chicago-Midway Airport, increasing the city’s shopping-bag tax, and creating a first-of-its-kind tax on social media companies. That plan would charge platforms $0.50 per active Chicago user above 100,000 users, a move expected to generate $31 million if enacted.
Although a full-scale shutdown would be unprecedented, Chicago has seen budget brinkmanship before. In the 1980s, Democratic Mayor Harold Washington vetoed multiple budgets, often triggering tense, last-minute negotiations that ultimately produced agreements.
Washington, the city’s first Black mayor, rejected four budgets during his four-and-a-half years in office before his sudden death in 1987, shortly after winning re-election at age 65.
Within the current council, a key Johnson ally is Alderman Pat Dowell of the South Side, who is spearheading efforts to rally support for the budget, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Dowell acknowledged the plan’s shortcomings but said it is “not perfect but is a good budget and one we can work with.”
Progressives aligned with the mayor have been far more caustic. West Side Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez backed Johnson’s head-tax proposal and condemned the council’s alternative as an “immoral, bankrupt, ‘Michael Sacks’ budget.”
Sacks, a billionaire financier who heads asset manager GCM Grosvenor, has ties to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and donated to several aldermanic campaigns ahead of the budget fight, according to WGN.
Defending Sacks, Alderman Bill Conway III — a former military intelligence officer who represents the Loop — told WGN, “Michael is someone who cares about the future of the city, and he tries to work with those who are like-minded.”
{Matzav.com}It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Shlomo Weisberg zt”l, a noted talmid chochom whose life was devoted entirely to Torah and avodah.
Rav Shlomo z”l was a distinguished talmid muvhak of Rav Nochum Partzovitz zt”l, from whom he absorbed not only vast iyun and clarity in learning, but a deep reverence for mesorah. Those who learned alongside him or heard him speak recall a mind of precision and depth, coupled with an innate humility that defined his bearing.
He came from a home steeped in Torah greatness. His father, Reb Yaakov Weisberg, was among the early talmidim of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l at Beth Medrash Govoha, part of the founding generation that helped establish Lakewood as a world center of Torah. Rav Shlomo carried that legacy forward with dignity and constancy, forging his own path as a true talmid chochom whose every step reflected the values he had inherited.
Rav Shlomo was named after his father’s rebbi, Rav Shlomo Heiman zt”l, a name he honored throughout his life through his unyielding commitment to Torah lishmah and integrity.
He leaves behind a family that continues his legacy. His son, Rav Yosef Weisberg, serves as the rav of Bais Medrash of Pine Lake Park in Manchester.
The levaya is taking place at Beth Medrash Govoha’s Bendheim Bais Medrash. Kevurah will be in Eretz Yisroel.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
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Five days after Lebanese officer Ahmad Shukr vanished, investigators say they have found no physical or technological evidence showing that he remains inside Lebanon, a gap that officials believe supports the possibility that he was taken out of the country.
A senior Lebanese legal source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that one working theory under examination is that Shukr was seized by Israel as part of an “intelligence entrapment operation.” The assessment stems from suspicions tied to his alleged links to the 1986 abduction of Israeli airman Ron Arad in southern Lebanon.
According to reports circulating within Lebanese intelligence circles, Shukr, who previously served in the Lebanese General Security apparatus, may have been abducted by Mossad after “falling victim to a sophisticated recruitment operation” in the Bekaa Valley.
Investigators also disclosed that two Swedish citizens — one of them of Lebanese origin — had traveled to Lebanon shortly before Shukr disappeared. One of the two reportedly departed the country on the same day Shukr went missing, a detail now being scrutinized as part of the inquiry.
Shukr was last seen after visiting the town of Nabi Sheet in the northern Bekaa region, after which all contact with him was lost.
Family members have pointed to Shukr’s background and relatives as relevant context. He is the brother of Hassan Shukr, a Hezbollah operative killed during the IDF’s “Law and Order” operation in 1988, a period marked by Israeli raids on Hezbollah and other militant bases. Hassan Shukr belonged to the group that carried out Ron Arad’s abduction and later transferred him to an unknown location, after which his trail vanished.
Ahmad Shukr is also related to Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, who was killed in an Israeli strike approximately a year and a half ago.
{Matzav.com}
