Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Rep. Jerry Nadler on Tuesday after the New York Democrat suggested that people might be justified in using deadly force against a federal agent if they believed they were being abducted by “masked hoodlums.”
Vance condemned Nadler’s comments in blunt terms, labeling them “despicable.”
Nadler made the remarks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, where he argued that what he described as attacks on Americans posed the most serious threat facing the country.
“What is the major problem in our country today is the fascism in our streets; the attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums. If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped; you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself,” Nadler said.
Vance responded to the comments on X, directing his criticism at the veteran lawmaker, who is retiring from Congress.
“Jerry Nadler is one of the highest ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives and he is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement.
“This is despicable behavior from an elected official and I’m sure the leftwing media will cover it extensively,” Vance wrote.
Nadler went on to expand on his concerns during the hearing.
“We see people being shot, for what? For driving a car?” he said.
The exchange followed a series of deadly incidents involving federal agents that have drawn scrutiny and political backlash.
Federal officials say Renee Good was shot and killed last month by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent after she attempted to flee in her vehicle to avoid arrest on suspicion of obstructing an immigration enforcement operation.
Authorities said Good used her car to block agents on a residential street and struck an officer, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense.
Others have challenged the government’s version of events leading up to Good’s death.
Several weeks later, Alex Pretti was fatally shot while interfering with an ICE operation in Minneapolis, an incident that prompted some Democrats to renew calls for dismantling the agency altogether.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli authorities today lifted a gag order, allowing publication of the identity of the mayor arrested and questioned earlier this week on suspicion of bribery and misappropriation of funds. The suspect is Tomer Glam, the mayor of the southern city of Ashkelon.
According to investigators, Glam is suspected of diverting donations that were earmarked for the welfare of soldiers for his personal use. The investigation, led by the elite police anti-corruption unit Lahav 433, followed a covert probe that unfolded over recent months.
Police allege that donations totaling millions of shekels, contributed to the Ashkelon municipality by individuals and organizations in Israel and abroad, were transferred into a community fund and from there funneled into the private accounts of the mayor. The funds were reportedly donated to support residents during the ongoing war.
A police statement said the covert investigation was conducted by the National Fraud Investigations Unit, which examined suspicions that a portion of the donations intended for public welfare were ultimately used for the personal benefit of the mayor and individuals close to him.
Attorneys Victor Ozen and Esther Bar Zion, who represent Glam and his wife, rejected the allegations. In a statement, they said: “This is an upright, ethical, and honest individual who was detained, provided a full account, and will do everything necessary to prove to the police that there is absolutely no basis to the suspicions attributed to him, apparently due to an error.”
The attorneys added that Glam works “day and night for the city,” is deeply committed to the safety and welfare of its residents, and expressed confidence that within days investigators would conclude that there was no wrongdoing in his conduct.
The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been filed at this stage.
{Matzav.com}
A California statute that prohibits federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks while performing their duties will not be enforced by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
Speaking with KABC, McDonnell said it would be unreasonable for one armed law enforcement agency to confront another, warning that such an approach would only create unnecessary conflict. He took aim at the No Secret Police Act, arguing that it reflects poor judgment and a lack of careful consideration.
McDonnell has also voiced criticism over how immigration enforcement operations have been carried out in Los Angeles, distancing his department from those actions.
“We are in line with our federal partners on everything except immigration enforcement,” he said.
“What we’ve seen since June here in Los Angeles and seen across the country, we’re as frustrated as everybody else — about the way that’s being done,” McDonnell added.
The police chief said he worries that aggressive enforcement tactics could discourage residents from contacting police when they need assistance, though he acknowledged there has been no documented decline in calls for service.
In an appearance on “Good Day Los Angeles,” McDonnell emphasized that the LAPD does not cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies on immigration matters.
“We’ve been solid on that since 1979. That’s been our policy,” he said.
“That’s worked for us. We cannot afford to alienate immigrant communities within Los Angeles,” McDonnell continued.
“We’ve built up trust over many years, and we can’t afford to lose that trust,” he said.
“We’ve tried to be as clear as we can about what our position is relative to ICE and immigration enforcement. We don’t work with ICE on that,” McDonnell added.
The mask ban has also drawn sharp criticism from the Department of Homeland Security. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said the law violates the Constitution.
“At a time that ICE law enforcement faces a 1,000% increase in assaults and their family members are being doxxed and targeted, the sitting Governor of California signed unconstitutional legislation that strips law enforcement of protections in a disgusting, diabolical fundraising and PR stunt,” McLaughlin said in a statement issued last fall when the bill was signed.
California has since agreed not to implement the law while a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration proceeds through the courts.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump briefly contemplated stepping away from diplomatic talks with Iran after a series of confrontations in the Persian Gulf that U.S. officials characterized as “aggressive,” according to a report published Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal citing senior American officials.
Despite the tensions, the discussions planned for later this week are still expected to move forward. The report did not specify what factors ultimately led Trump to allow the negotiations to continue.
Among the incidents cited was an episode in which Iran launched a drone that was intercepted and destroyed by a U.S. Navy fighter jet as it neared the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
That encounter took place just hours after Iranian forces allegedly harassed a U.S.-flagged merchant ship crewed by Americans as it transited the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report, the drone involved was a Shahed-139, which was downed by an F-35C fighter launched from the Lincoln while the carrier was operating roughly 500 miles off Iran’s southern coastline. No U.S. service members were injured, and American military hardware was not damaged.
Even with those developments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration still intends to proceed with talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian representatives. “President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” she said. “As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran.”
Trump also addressed the matter directly on Tuesday, confirming that negotiations with Iran are underway while declining to disclose the location of the talks.
“They are negotiating. They’d like to do something, and we’ll see if something is going to be done,” Trump said.
Reflecting on earlier dealings with Tehran, he added, “They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn’t work out. And we did Midnight Hammer. I don’t think they want that happening again,” referring to U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. “But they would like to negotiate. We are negotiating with them right now, yes.”
When pressed on where the upcoming meeting would take place, Trump responded simply, “I can’t tell you that.”
{Matzav.com}
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Israeli Finance Ministry Minister and member of the Security Cabinet Ze’ev Elkin warned on Tuesday night that continued opposition by chareidi parties to the draft law could lead to harsher outcomes for the chareidi public and destabilize the coalition, including the risk of elections without an approved state budget. Speaking in an interview on the HaMahadura HaMerkazit program, Elkin argued that internal resistance—particularly by the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction—could make passage of the legislation impossible and ultimately harm the very communities seeking to block it.
Addressing reports of quiet contacts between Naftali Bennett and chareidi figures, Elkin said such maneuvering was unsurprising but misguided. “In politics, anything can happen,” he said, adding that some in the chareidi street are misreading the situation. “There are elements in the chareidi public who oppose the current version of the law and are hoping that maybe they’ll get more from Bennett. I think they are deluding themselves. As someone who has been following the draft law for a long time, I see the same pattern repeat itself: a proposal is put on the table, certain factions reject it in the hope of something better, time passes, and then they say, ‘Too bad we didn’t agree back then,’ because the new proposals are worse. This is a cycle that has been repeating itself since 2012.”
Elkin directed pointed criticism at the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction, warning that its stance could stall the process entirely. “I’m afraid that this time as well Agudas Yisroel is making the same mistake,” he said. “Its opposition makes it impossible to pass the law, because no one in the coalition wants to be someone else’s Shabbos goy.”
Turning to the prospect of the government collapsing before the state budget is approved, Elkin issued a stark warning to chareidi representatives. “Let’s say the draft law isn’t passed and we go to elections—does it make sense to go to elections without a budget?” he asked. “I think that would be a very big mistake. It would be an economically ‘dead year.’ The first to be hurt by that would be the chareidi public, because a large portion of its funding is not in the base budget. Under a continuing budget of one-twelfth, that money won’t be transferred. It would be a kind of ‘self-inflicted punishment.’ If I were advising them, I would recommend: first approve a budget, and then go to elections.”
On security matters, Elkin addressed American demands to disarm Hamas as part of President Donald Trump’s plan, expressing doubt that diplomatic avenues alone would succeed. “Trump said it correctly: either it happens the easy way, or the hard way,” Elkin said. “The hard and bad way is clearly only the IDF, because no one else will do this job for us. I’m skeptical that diplomatic moves will help, and therefore the ball will return to the IDF.”
At the same time, Elkin pointed to what he described as significant achievements on the ground. “We defeated Hamas militarily,” he said. “They no longer have a shared border with Egypt, we have control over the Philadelphi Corridor, and therefore their ability to rebuild their strength is very limited.”
In closing, Elkin also touched on the brewing coalition crisis surrounding the dairy reform, urging all sides to reach a compromise that balances lowering the cost of living with protecting farmers in Israel’s periphery and safeguarding the country’s food security.
{Matzav.com}
The Belzer Chassidus on Tuesday forcefully rejected reports claiming that the Belzer Rebbe took part in drafting religious guidelines incorporated into new Israel Defense Forces General Staff orders. Senior figures in the chassidus dismissed the claims with derision, stating unequivocally that neither the Rebbe nor anyone acting on his behalf had any involvement in the matter at any stage.
The response followed earlier reports alleging that the Belzer Rebbe and the Stoliner Rebbe participated in formulating rules intended to regulate chareidi enlistment in the IDF, including direct dialogue with military officials, the dispatch of representatives to meetings, and approval of specific clauses in the orders.
Belzer sources flatly denied the claims, calling all such reports “false,” and added that the journalists who published them failed to seek any response from the chassidus beforehand. According to the statement, this omission violated basic standards of journalistic ethics and professional conduct.
The denial came as additional coverage aired on i24NEWS, which reported on the composition of a supervisory committee tasked with overseeing chareidi service frameworks within the IDF. The report said the committee would include representatives from Ashkenazi and Sephardi yeshivos, as well as figures linked to the Belzer and Stoliner courts.
According to that report, the committee members named were Rav Dovid Leibel, Rav Shimon Binik, Rav Avrohom Borodiansky, Rav Meir Antebi, Rav Asher Zelfreind, and Rav Carmi Gross. The committee is expected to have authority to conduct inspections at IDF bases where chareidi soldiers are serving.
Earlier on Tuesday, journalist Yoeli Brim reported that the Belzer and Stoliner Rebbes were involved in shaping the religious standards embedded in the new General Staff orders, including participation in discussions with the IDF and approval of the final language. That account was categorically rejected by Belz.
The controversy unfolded on the same day that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi signed the new General Staff orders formally regulating chareidi service in the military. Until now, policies governing chareidi enlistment had been internal directives of the IDF Manpower Directorate. The new orders elevate those policies to binding General Staff regulations, subject to formal oversight, implementation, and periodic review at the highest levels.
The orders outline additional rights for chareidi soldiers, including designated prayer times, mehadrin kashrus standards, and the option of a declaration of allegiance in place of a formal oath.
They also establish three dedicated chareidi service tracks. One framework assigns soldiers to gender-segregated teams. A second, known as the “Cherev” track, provides fully gender-segregated units—such as entire battalions—where combat commanders are generally chareidi or religious soldiers, with rare exceptions requiring special approval. A third framework, the “Dovid” track, consists of units in which all personnel maintain a religious lifestyle; such units will require individual authorization from the head of the Manpower Directorate.
Under the new regulations, candidates seeking placement in chareidi tracks will be required to pass an evaluation demonstrating adherence to a chareidi way of life, with provisions allowing for removal from the framework if those standards are not maintained. The orders also permit chareidi soldiers, under justified circumstances, to enter and leave bases without wearing uniforms, and stipulate that their induction will be conducted via declaration rather than oath.
{Matzav.com}
