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Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu used a New York Times–hosted forum to launch a fierce attack on the corruption case against him, dismissing the allegations as “bogus” and accusing prosecutors of attempting to force him from power through the courts.

His comments came shortly after he formally submitted a request for a presidential pardon from President Isaac Herzog. Netanyahu has been on trial for years on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.

Addressing the DealBook Summit by video, Netanyahu argued that the legal proceedings were never about justice. Instead, he claimed they were engineered to end his political career. “So they kept on going because they don’t want justice, they want me out of office,” he said, later declaring, “This trial is just collapsed, it’s become a joke.”

Netanyahu also asserted that a pardon would not require him to acknowledge wrongdoing. “In our system, when you ask for a pardon, you’re not admitting to any guilt, you don’t have to, and I don’t,” he said — a position that legal experts have challenged and that critics say is inaccurate, insisting an admission of guilt is mandatory.

When asked about his recent conversation with President Donald Trump and whether the subject of his trial came up, Netanyahu refused to share specifics. Trump has repeatedly urged that Netanyahu be pardoned.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump maintained that Vladimir Putin appeared open to stopping the fighting in Ukraine, even though marathon discussions in Moscow failed to produce a concrete agreement and U.S. officials now prepared for follow-up talks with Ukraine’s chief negotiator.

Trump had dispatched envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to the Kremlin, where the pair met with Putin late into the night. Despite the lengthy session, the delegation did not secure a breakthrough to halt what has become Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II.

After the meeting, the Kremlin announced that several elements of Washington’s proposal were deemed unacceptable. The U.S. plan, as described, included Ukraine surrendering portions of the eastern Donbas region—territory Kyiv continued to hold nearly four years after Russia’s invasion.

Reflecting on the discussions, Trump said, “I can tell you that they had a reasonably good meeting with President Putin,” and added that the talks were “very good.”

Still, Trump cautioned that no outcome was guaranteed, noting that diplomacy requires cooperation from both sides. He said it remained too early to predict the next steps “because it does take two to tango.”

When asked whether Witkoff and Kushner sensed that Putin truly wished to wind down the nearly four-year-old war, Trump said their takeaway was clear: “He would like to end the war. That was their impression.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump signaled on Wednesday that the second stage of his Gaza initiative remains on schedule, even after an explosion in Rafah left five IDF soldiers wounded, including one in serious condition.

During an exchange with reporters, Trump was asked when the next phase of the peace plan would roll out. He responded with optimism, brushing aside the day’s violence. “Well, it’s going along well. You know, they had a problem today, I understand, with a bomb that went off. Hurt some people pretty badly…but it’s going on very well. We have peace in the Middle East. People don’t realize it. We have tremendous support.”

Earlier in the day, the IDF announced that its forces had carried out a strike in southern Gaza following what it called Hamas’ “blatant violation” of the ceasefire terms.

In its statement, the military stressed that its personnel stationed in the Southern Command remain positioned in accordance with the truce. “IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” the IDF stated.

{Matzav.com}

The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find […]

A new report from Kan News indicates that the terrorists entrenched inside Rafah’s tunnel network are not acting on their own, but are maintaining steady contact with Hamas’ top military leadership, contradicting the group’s public claims.

According to a Palestinian Arab source cited in the report, the messaging coming from Hamas since the IDF positioned itself along the so-called “yellow line” has been misleading. Hamas has repeatedly insisted that the gunmen in Rafah are running their own operations without direction from the organization’s central command.

Kan News, however, emphasized that the opposite is true: every one of the terror squads bunkered in Rafah’s underground passages remains tied into Hamas’ senior chain of command. The outlet reported that this link was enabled after Hamas’ military brigades shifted their layout in response to the IDF’s establishment of a permanent line in the area.

With these adjustments, the Northern Gaza Brigade continues to operate out of Gaza City, while oversight of Rafah’s terrorist network now comes from Khan Yunis. The Rafah cells, the report explained, are receiving direct instructions from the brigade based in Khan Yunis, which in turn answers to the overarching leadership of Hamas’ military wing.

Even as this command structure remains intact, violence in Rafah persists. On Wednesday, three terrorists surfaced from a tunnel entrance and ambushed an IDF force, leaving one soldier in serious condition and injuring four more lightly or moderately. The unit fired back, killing two of the attackers. A helicopter later struck compounds nearby where the third terrorist, who escaped during the clash, was believed to be hiding.

{Matzav.com}

It’s midnight in the holy city of Yerushalayim, and a group of exalted and illustrious mekubalim stream in, one by one, into the Beis Medrash overlooking the Makom HaMikdash—the site of our destroyed Beis HaMikdash—where they will spend the night immersed in holiness.   Each and every one of these carefully selected Yidden has already spent years in the study of the Zohar and the writings of the Arizal and his talmidim. Their faces […]

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced the nomination of Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Trump’s nominee for Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.

BREAKING: Kaine, Paul, Schumer, & Schiff file War Powers Resolution “to block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.”

[COMMUNICATED]

It’s midnight in the holy city of Yerushalayim, and a group of exalted and illustrious mekubalim stream in, one by one, into the Beis Medrash overlooking the Makom HaMikdash—the site of our destroyed Beis HaMikdash—where they will spend the night immersed in holiness.  

Each and every one of these carefully selected Yidden has already spent years in the study of the Zohar and the writings of the Arizal and his talmidim. Their faces radiate holiness and holy purpose, and they exude humility and piety.  

They are the Avreichim of Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos—a project of Torah-24 which is founded and led by HaGaon Rav Avrohom Eisen, shlit”a, Pozna Rov, a confidant of gedolei Yisroel.  

The night begins at midnight, when the avreichim tearfully and mournfully recite Tikkun Chatzos, along with other tefillos, lamenting what has been lost, and storming the Heavens for its restoration.  

Following this, they will delve into the deepest secrets of the hidden Torah—until the sun comes up over Yerushalayim. For the entire night, hour after hour, they chase sleep away, and remain immersed into the Kabbalah that has been handed down to us by the most exalted tzaddikim that Klal Yisroel possessed.  

Gedolei Yisroel who have become aware of the Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos phenomenon have expressed awe and admiration for these illustrious men.  

Hagaon HaMekubal Rav Abish Zenwirth, who has attested that he knows these men up close, has attested that “they are humble tzaddikim who prepare themselves for their holy nights by immersing in the mikveh, and study the secrets of Torah all night amid ahavas Hashem and deep fear of Heaven.”   

In his letter of endorsement for Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos, Rav Zenwirth writes: “Fortunate are all those who take part in this great and holy endeavor. They will surely merit all the Heavenly blessings and illuminations. They will be pursued by goodness and kindness all their lives, and in their merit we will soon hear the great blast of the shofar of Mashiach. Amen.”  

Partner in this incredible and holy endeavor today, and be joined with these holy mekubalim of Yerushalayim who will daven for you and your family to indeed merit the many Heavenly blessings that come to those who spend their nights immersed in Torah.

New York City is handing Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani the safest streets the five boroughs have seen in modern history. Shootings are at an all-time low, subway crime has plunged, murders have fallen to levels not recorded in years, and retail theft is down dramatically. But as the data lands, political insiders and law-enforcement veterans are […]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday he would push a new requirement that the Federal Reserve’s regional bank presidents live in their districts for at least three years before taking office, a move that could give the White House more power over the independent agency. In comments at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Bessent […]

Charles Shay, a decorated Native American veteran who was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and helped save lives, died on Wednesday. He was 101. Shay died at his home in Bretteville-L’Orgueilleuse in France’s Normandy region, his longtime friend and carer Marie-Pascale Legrand said. Shay, of the Penobscot […]

POTUS on actions he has taken to make buying a car more affordable: Ending Biden’s Green New Deal, stopping Biden’s tailpipe emission standards, and revoking Biden’s emissions waiver for California. Today, he announced a reset of the Biden fuel economy standards.

PRES. TRUMP: “Today, my administration is taking historic action to lower costs for American consumers, protect American auto jobs and make buying a car much more affordable…”

A 13-year-old boy was critically injured after a fire broke out in an apartment on Yaakov Elazar Street in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Firefighters, MDA, and United Hatzalah teams rushed to the scene, working urgently to rescue those trapped and extinguish the flames. According to Israel Police, the blaze erupted inside a residential apartment. […]

Initial reports from the Gaza Strip indicate a wave of Air Force strikes in Gaza City and in the Khan Younis area. Arab media reports that at least five have been killed so far.

Chile has passed a bill outlawing the use of mobile phones and other smart devices during classes at elementary and middle schools. The new law will take effect next year, making Chile the latest country to restrict smartphone use among young students to reduce its harmful effects and curb classroom distractions. Other nations with various […]

Reports of an F-16C Fighting Falcon from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds crashed near Trona Airport, south of Death Valley, California. The pilot reportedly ejected safely, suffered minor injuries, and was taken to a Ridgecrest hospital.

Pentagon IG finds Hegseth may have endangered U.S. troops via Signal chat; full report expected to be released tomorrow.

A Montenegrin illegal alien has been rehired by the Hanover Park police after he was arrested by ICE and then released by a judge on a $2.5K bond.