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The Chassidishe Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel convened Wednesday evening in Yerushalayim to deliberate its position on the proposed draft law, amid heightened tension within the governing coalition and intense anticipation over whether a formal decision will emerge.

One by one, senior chassidic rebbes arrived at Beis Malka Hall, the Belzer venue on Brandeis Street, for the high-level meeting.

Among those present were the rebbes of Gur, Belz, Vizhnitz, Sanz, Boyan, Seret-Vizhnitz, and Modzitz.

The Slonimer Rebbe was absent, while the Biala Rebbe is currently abroad.

At the instruction of the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Pinchas Friedman also arrived and appeared before the Moetzes to present and clarify the Belzer Rebbe’s position regarding the draft law.

Behind the scenes, sources told Matzav.com that in the 24 hours preceding the meeting, messages were conveyed from Degel HaTorah to Agudas Yisroel in an effort to prevent the adoption of a decision opposing the draft law.

On Tuesday, a conversation reportedly took place between Rav Aharon Hirsch, son of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and Yaakov Veltz, secretary of Agudas Yisroel’s Moetzes. The message conveyed was a request that no decision be taken at this stage against the draft legislation.

Following that discussion, Veltz met with the Gerer Rebbe and relayed Degel HaTorah’s position. The Gerer Rebbe did not dismiss the argument and even raised a far-reaching proposal: to cancel Wednesday’s Moetzes meeting and instead convene a joint council of chassidishe and Litvishe gedolim in the coming days to reach a unified stance on the law.

The Moetzes meeting proceeded as scheduled, but it remains unclear whether a clear ruling against the law will be issued or whether the pressure from Degel HaTorah will ultimately shape the outcome. Coalition leaders are watching developments closely.

Present at the Moetzes meeting are Knesset members Yitzchak Goldknopf, Meir Porush, and Yisrael Eichler, as well as Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert. MK Yaakov Tessler is not attending, as he is currently abroad for a family simcha.

{Matzav.com}

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he plans to call a special session in April for the Republican-dominated legislature to draw new congressional districts, joining a redistricting arms race among states that have redrawn districts mid-decade. Even though Florida’s 2026 legislative session starts next week, DeSantis said he wanted to wait for a possible ruling […]

GOV. WALZ: “It’s governing by reality TV, and today that recklessness cost someone their life.”

GOV. WALZ: “To Minnesotans, I say this. I feel your anger. I’m angry. They want a show, we can’t give it to them. We cannot. If you protest and express your first amendment rights, please do so peacefully, as you always do. We can’t give them what they want.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may announce a federal Royal Commission, marking a major U-turn, after weeks of refusing calls to launch the inquiry into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. The prime minister is in discussions with Jewish community leaders about how the inquiry would be run.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten examines polling and predictions on whether the US will purchase Greenland or take it over.

Federal civil rights officials are closely monitoring New York City following a warning from the Justice Department that City Hall may be veering into unlawful discrimination.

The caution from Washington centers on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to appoint Cea Weaver, a far-left housing activist, as the city’s new tenant advocate, a role that influences housing policy and tenant protections across the city.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon publicly raised alarms after an old video of Weaver resurfaced online, reviving concerns about the ideological direction of the administration’s housing agenda and whether it aligns with equal protection under the law.

In that video, Weaver argued that the United States should abandon the idea of property as an individual right and instead reframe it as a “collective good,” promoting what she described as “shared equity.”

During the same remarks, Weaver said such a shift would require families — “especially white families” — to have a “different relationship to property” than the one they currently have.

Those comments quickly drew backlash on social media and from legal observers, who said the language raises red flags about racial bias being baked into policy discussions.

Dhillon responded directly on X, making clear that the Justice Department views discrimination as illegal regardless of who it targets.
“New York: Consider this your official notice from @TheJusticeDept,” Dhillon wrote, adding, “We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color. It is ILLEGAL.” She also said the Civil Rights Division is “paying very close attention.”

The warning was reinforced in a subsequent interview on OANN’s “Fine Point with Chanel Rion,” where Dhillon said civil rights protections apply equally to all Americans and that federal intervention is possible if New York City crosses legal lines, according to the Washington Examiner.

“Just because you’re white doesn’t mean you have fewer rights in this country,” she said, adding that the administration is “on high scrutiny.”

Additional scrutiny intensified after the New York Post published a report highlighting Weaver’s past online activity, including posts that were later deleted. In those posts, Weaver urged supporters to “seize private property” and labeled homeownership “a weapon of white supremacy.”

The Post also reported that Weaver called on voters to “elect more communists” and sharply criticized law enforcement during the unrest that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd.

Weaver has been affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America and previously worked with Housing Justice for All, according to the report.

The Post further noted that she served as an adviser to Mamdani’s 2025 campaign and was heavily involved in pushing for stricter rent stabilization measures in 2019.

Opponents of the mayor warn that the appointment reflects a broader housing strategy they say could harm landlords and property owners, including Mamdani’s proposal to freeze rents on approximately one million rent-regulated apartments across the city.

Humberto Lopes, founder and CEO of the Gotham Housing Alliance, told the Post that such policies repeat the mistakes of government-run housing, which he described as a long-term failure.

For critics on the right, the controversy reaches beyond housing policy. They argue it raises fundamental questions about whether the nation’s largest city is moving toward race-based decision-making and anti-property ideology — and whether federal authorities will step in before those ideas are translated into law.

{Matzav.com}

Trump: I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who […]

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem laid out new plans to increase security at the Southern border by deploying a 500-mile barrier of water buoys.

HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Yedidya Zafrani, Av Beis Din of Kesser Torah, a Rosh Kollel in Yeshivas Tiferes Shraga, and the Rosh Yeshivah of a yeshivah ketanah in Har Nof, spoke words of chizzuk to Bnei Torah in an interview with Kol Chai host Betzalel Kahn on Tuesday “We’re beginning to read [in the Parsha] about […]

Drivers inching along Route 9 may not be surprised, but new federal estimates now make it official: Lakewood, NJ contains the most heavily populated ZIP code in the United States.

Fresh rankings drawn from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates place ZIP code 08701 at the very top nationwide, with a population exceeding 140,000 residents, cementing Lakewood’s position ahead of every other ZIP code in the country.

The margin is not close. The second-place ZIP code, 92336 in Fontana, is home to 103,393 people.

The top 5 most populated ZIP codes in the U.S. are:
• 08701 (Lakewood, NJ): 136,784
• 92336 (Fontana, CA): 103,393
• 90650 (Norwalk, CA): 100,808
• 94565 (Pittsburg, CA): 99,933
• 77573 (League City, TX): 97,871

For decades, Newark and Jersey City have alternated as the state’s most populous cities, each hovering between roughly 300,000 and 317,000 residents. Lakewood’s total township population is about half that size, yet its concentration of residents is closing the gap with major cities at a rapid pace.

Current estimates place Lakewood’s population density at approximately 9,500 to 9,800 people per square mile. Although that remains below the “hyper-density” of Jersey City, which exceeds 17,000 residents per square mile, and Newark, which tops 12,000 per square mile, it dwarfs New Jersey’s statewide average of 1,263 people per square mile.

{Matzav.com}

As demonstrations across Iran stretched into an eleventh consecutive day, Senator Lindsey Graham issued a blunt message to the country’s leadership, suggesting that continued bloodshed against protesters could trigger the most severe response imaginable from Donald Trump.

Speaking during an interview on Fox News, Graham addressed Iran’s clerical rulers directly, urging them to halt the violent suppression of demonstrations that have spread nationwide. He framed the moment as a critical test of resolve, emphasizing that the current administration should not be underestimated.

Graham argued that Tehran’s leadership must “take Trump seriously,” warning that the use of lethal force against civilians demanding improved living conditions would provoke retaliation aimed at the very top of the regime.

The senator sharpened his remarks by issuing a direct threat toward the country’s highest authority, declaring, “If you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.”

Turning to recent events elsewhere, Graham cited Venezuela as a lesson for Iran, describing the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro as “a prime example of America at her best.” He said decisive American action abroad should serve as a clear signal to Tehran that Washington will not look the other way when governments open fire on their own citizens.

He further cautioned that allowing Maduro to stay in power after such a dramatic U.S. operation would be a “fatal mistake to our standing in the world,” portraying the Venezuela episode as a model for reestablishing global deterrence.

On the ground in Iran, unrest continued to widen. In the western city of Abdanan, video footage showed massive crowds filling the streets and chanting “Death to Khamenei,” a slogan aimed at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Online reports also suggested that some local police officers may have broken ranks and aligned themselves with demonstrators.

International observers highlighted the momentum building in the streets. The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee pointed to what it described as protesters “claiming entire cities,” sharing footage of the Abdanan marches and the escalating anti-regime chants as evidence of the growing challenge to Iranian authorities.

According to circulating reports, the crackdown has already taken a heavy toll, with at least 34 protesters killed and 2,076 people detained across the country. The unrest has reportedly reached 92 cities spanning 27 provinces.

{Matzav.com}

An “abhorrent” violation of Latin American sovereignty. An attack committed by “enslavers.” A “spectacle of death” comparable to Nazi Germany’s 1937 carpet bombing of Guernica, Spain. There is perhaps no world leader criticizing the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela as strongly as left-wing President Gustavo Petro of neighboring Colombia. While other officials tread carefully, Petro has seized on the U.S. capture of Venezuelan […]

U.S. Coast Guard teams carried out near-simultaneous predawn boardings of two suspected “ghost fleet” tankers in international waters, a move the Department of Homeland Security says sends a warning to criminal networks worldwide.

In a social media post Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the actions underscore heightened enforcement at sea. “are on notice,” she wrote, referring to criminals globally, after the operations targeted “two ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ships.”

The vessels identified were the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Tanker Sophia. Noem said both ships had ties to Venezuela, noting that they “were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it,” and that one was intercepted “in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean.”

The two seizures occurred just hours apart and followed extensive coordination across the federal government. Noem credited the outcome to leadership at the top, calling the actions the product of “President [Donald] Trump’s bold and visionary leadership,” with Coast Guard units working alongside the Justice Department and State Department during the back-to-back interdictions.

Noem emphasized that the operation was intended to send a clear message. “You can run, but you can’t hide,” she wrote. “We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.”

According to Noem, one of the tankers — the Bella I — had actively tried to evade U.S. authorities over several weeks. She said the ship switched its flag and even repainted its name on the hull while under pursuit, describing the effort as “in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.”

The pursuit was carried out by the crew of the USCGC Munro, which tracked the vessel across vast stretches of ocean and through severe weather before executing the boarding. “The heroic crew … pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms,” Noem wrote, citing their “determination and patriotism.”

She added that the service members involved merited public appreciation. “These brave men and women deserve our nation’s thanks for their selfless devotion to duty,” she said.

U.S. European Command later confirmed that the Munro followed the Bella I — which had been renamed the Marinera — prior to the seizure, saying the boarding was conducted “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”

Noem said the takedown of the two tankers was meant to go beyond routine maritime enforcement, framing it as a direct blow to international networks that finance narco-terrorism and corruption.

The Department of Homeland Security did not disclose what cargo, if any, was discovered on the ships, nor did it say whether arrests resulted from the boardings.

The maritime actions followed closely on the heels of another high-profile operation, coming just days after U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a nighttime raid in Caracas.

Summing up the significance of the interdictions, Noem wrote, “This is our country’s greatest fighting force at their best.” She added, “This is America first at sea.”

{Matzav.com}

[Videos below.] Federal immigration agents shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis after authorities say she tried to ram officers with her car during a confrontation tied to immigration enforcement activity, an incident ICE labeled an act of domestic terrorism.

According to officials, the shooting occurred Wednesday morning at the intersection of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The City of Minneapolis confirmed the location and timing in a post on X, noting reports of gunfire in the area.

The Department of Homeland Security described a rapidly escalating situation that unfolded while ICE officers were carrying out what it called targeted operations in the city. DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the encounter turned violent when protesters interfered with officers on the scene.

“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism,” McLaughlin said in a statement.

She added that officers responded after perceiving an immediate threat.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”

Video footage from the scene captured a heavy law enforcement presence and a large crowd gathered behind yellow police tape. Protesters could be heard chanting anti-ICE slogans, with some throwing snowballs toward officers stationed in the street.

Additional video livestreamed by Fox 9 showed federal agents standing shoulder to shoulder as demonstrators filmed them at close range, occasionally shouting insults. The footage also appeared to show the aftermath of a collision involving three vehicles — a plum-colored SUV, a white sedan, and a dark-red sports-style car.

Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the front end of the white sedan as police officers and FBI agents surrounded the vehicle. Other photographs taken by journalists depicted protesters winding up to hurl snowballs at officers, while another image showed a police officer deploying pepper spray against a small group of demonstrators who had linked arms to block the roadway.

The confrontation took place amid what authorities describe as the largest deployment of federal immigration enforcement personnel to Minneapolis since the start of the second Trump administration.

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez wrote on the social media platform Bluesky that U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino responded to the scene following the shooting.

{Matzav.com}

A sweeping overhaul of federal nutrition advice was announced Wednesday as the Trump administration rolled out updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans that dramatically reorient the government’s approach to food, elevating protein and saturated fats while urging Americans to cut back on sugar and ultra-processed products.

At a White House briefing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the new framework is designed to reverse soaring rates of chronic disease and reduce long-term medical spending by steering Americans toward whole, nutrient-dense foods.

“Today our government declares war on added sugar. Highly processed food loaded with additives — added sugar and excess salt — damage health and should be avoided,” Kennedy said.
“Diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduce disease risk more effectively than many drugs. Whole grains outperform refined carbohydrates,” he added.

Under the revised guidance, meals built around high-quality protein and healthy fats take center stage. Poultry, red meat, beans, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich whole grains are encouraged, while white bread, crackers, sugar-sweetened beverages, packaged snacks, cookies, and fast food are discouraged.

Kennedy said the updated recommendations reflect a fundamental shift away from decades of advice shaped by outside interests. “The hard truth is our government has been lying to us to protect corporate profit-taking, telling us that these food-like substances were beneficial to public health,” he said.
“Today the lies stop. The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower healthcare costs. Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongfully discouraged in prior dietary guidelines.”

The new approach, which Kennedy said will “revolutionize our nation’s food culture,” directly affects meals served across a wide range of federally supported institutions, including public schools, military bases, prisons, and other government facilities that together serve millions of people each day.

“These guidelines replace corporate-driven assumptions [and] will revolutionize our nation’s food culture and make America healthy again,” Kennedy said.

A central objective of what officials described as a “whole food framework” is lowering national healthcare expenditures. According to a White House fact sheet, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related chronic illnesses are costing taxpayers an estimated $600 billion annually.

Administration officials noted that at least 78% of participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are also enrolled in Medicaid. While the new guidelines do not directly change SNAP — which is governed by Congress and serves more than 40 million Americans — officials said the standards will serve as the benchmark for more than 100 government feeding programs across over 10 federal agencies.

“We have five times higher obesity rates than any other country in the developed world,” one official said. “This is because of our diet.”

Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which gained momentum during his 2024 presidential campaign before he joined the Trump administration, has emphasized protein-heavy eating patterns. He has frequently highlighted the role of diet in preventing disease since taking office.

During a March 2025 trip to West Virginia, Kennedy publicly leaned into that message while standing alongside Gov. Patrick Morrisey. “The first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,’” Kennedy joked. “I am going to put him on a really rigorous regimen, and we’re gonna put him on a carnivore diet.”

Medical leaders welcomed the shift. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, praised the administration’s move, saying the organization is “focused on helping physicians translate this science into everyday care and helping patients improve their overall health.”

“The American Medical Association applauds the Administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses,” Mukkamala said. “The Guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health.”

Mukkamala added that the AMA will “work with Congress to enact meaningful, lasting nutrition change that can improve lives,” while expanding education for doctors and medical students and convening discussions to “make it easier for physicians to talk to patients about the role of food in preventing, and even treating, chronic disease.”

The latest guidelines also mark a symbolic departure from earlier federal nutrition models. In 2011, the Department of Agriculture replaced the traditional food pyramid with the MyPlate system under then-first lady Michelle Obama and then-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a change that began reducing the emphasis on carbohydrates.

In its fact sheet, the Trump White House criticized the Biden administration for what it described as a retreat from science-based nutrition policy, arguing that efforts to address chronic disease were diluted by placing equity considerations at the center of dietary guidance.

“We reject this logic: a common-sense, science-driven document is essential to begin a conversation about how our culture and food procurement programs must change to enable Americans to access affordable, healthy, real food,” the document stated.

“The Trump administration welcomes all stakeholders to be part of this conversation in the coming year.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s army chief threatened preemptive military action Wednesday over the “rhetoric” targeting the Islamic Republic, likely referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.” The comments by Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami come as Iran tries to respond to what it sees as a […]

ICE says that during a targeted operation in Minneapolis today, rioters blocked officers, and one woman allegedly tried to run them over with her vehicle. An ICE officer then fired in self-defense, killing the driver. Several ICE officers were injured but are expected to fully recover.

Americans should eat more whole foods and protein, fewer highly processed foods and less added sugar, according to the latest edition of federal nutrition advice released Wednesday by the Trump administration. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer updated recommendations for a healthy diet and provide […]

Otzma Yehudit MK Amichai Eliyahu published a post on Facebook in response to former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak, who claimed in a speech at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv on Motzei Shabbos that “Israel is no longer a liberal democracy.” Eliyahu wrote, “The truth is, Mr. Barak, you are absolutely right. Israel indeed […]