The Trump administration will not allow Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, to neglect Jews in the city, according to Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
“If this mayor turns his back on the Jewish American community, President Trump will take decisive action and the weight of the Department of Justice will be in New York City,” Terrell told JNS. “I can guarantee you of that.”
U.S. President Trump held a civil press conference with Mamdani, who has said he would have Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu arrested if the premier comes to the city, after the two met in the Oval Office. The president called the meeting “very productive” and joked about the mayor-elect considering him a fascist.
Terrell told JNS that there is an “ongoing investigation” about a chaotic, antisemitic protest outside a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan last month.
“We don’t trust the city of New York to do the right thing,” he said.
Terrell told JNS that he doesn’t think Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, will pursue charges against protesters who blocked the synagogue’s front entrance, barring congregants from safely accessing the building.
The Trump administration “will not allow Jewish Americans to be denied their right to practice their religion,” Terrell said.
The Justice Department official said that time will tell whether Mamdani, whose press secretary responded to the protest by stating that synagogues shouldn’t host events that violate international law, will change his behavior once he becomes mayor.
“I don’t think there is any prior indication that Mamdani is going to protect Jewish Americans,” he told JNS.
Terrell told JNS that Northwestern University’s $75 million settlement with the Trump administration over a probe that included alleged Jew-hatred was the result of a “full frontal attack” to eradicate antisemitism on campus.
“We’re expanding our efforts to K-12,” he said.
Some schools have been turning to courts to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze grant money and to push punishing settlements. Terrell said Trump has a high rate of success in the U.S. Supreme Court, even as some lower-level court decisions have gone against the administration.
“I can guarantee you that President Trump is going to pursue every avenue legally, and if it takes going to the Supreme Court, he will do it,” Terrell said. “That’s why these universities, before they get to the Supreme Court, many of them will try to resolve these cases.”
If anything, the Trump administration isn’t sufficiently aggressive, according to Terrell.
“These universities have been used to indoctrinate hate, and now they’re targeting K-12, and what I feel is that if there’s going to be a settlement, let’s make sure there’s safeguards in place where kids, students, faculty members and anyone of the Jewish religion are not to be intimidated or harassed,” he said.
The Trump administration began pursuing cases against Ivy League schools and large university systems, such as the University of California, to “provide a deterrent effect,” but it is well aware of problems at smaller and lesser-known schools.
“This phone never stops ringing, because there are problems all over,” Terrell said.
He added that his task force is working on a “50-state rapid response, to make sure we go where the problem is and not ignore any state, any city,”
“I will submit to you that a lot of local mayors, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, they don’t even know how to address antisemitic behavior,” he said. “They don’t record it properly in their criminal reports.”
The task force, which Terrell said aims to set up “policies and doctrine” for the Justice Department but isn’t involved in litigation, is trying to codify policies on Jew-hatred so they will have a longer shelf-life than the executive orders the president signs. The panel is also meeting with members of Congress to discuss its projects.
“We want to make sure legislation is in place, to make sure not just Jewish Americans, but all Americans are protected in their protected class status and religious freedom,” he said. JNS
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump used an early morning post on Tuesday to urge Republican governors nationwide to shift their states toward paper-only voting, praising Texas counties that have already moved in that direction. “Great news! Dallas County, Texas, just went to all PAPER BALLOTS,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Many others are following suit! More accurate, totally secure with watermark paper, FASTER, and only 9% of the cost. All Republican Governors should mandatorily do this. Save Money and Freedom. Lead the Democrats out of their corrupt ways! President DJT.”
His comments come as Texas Republicans mount a broader effort to overhaul how primary elections are conducted. Because state law gives political parties control over their own primaries, GOP officials in several counties are attempting to move away from machine tabulation and instead count ballots by hand during next March’s elections.
The push has already taken hold in multiple parts of Texas. GOP leaders in Dallas, Hays, Eastland, and Gillespie counties have already adopted paper-only, hand-counting plans for the upcoming primary. Orange County Republicans approved a similar shift this past summer, signaling that the movement has been gaining momentum among local party activists.
While primary elections are generally managed by county election departments on behalf of both parties, some Republican officials are now opting to run their own precinct-level voting operations and discard scanning equipment on Election Day.
The Texas Tribune reports that election officials in Collin, Williamson, and Bastrop counties have begun modifying their systems and procedures as part of their compliance with a Trump executive order issued in March. That order sought to sharply curtail the use of voting machines that rely on barcodes or QR codes to expedite tabulation of paper ballots.
Across the country, many states already use paper ballots as the foundation of their election systems, whether hand-marked or produced through ballot-marking devices. But those ballots are typically fed into optical scanners, a method the National Conference of State Legislatures notes is still considered paper-based—though not strictly “paper-only”—because the actual counting is automated rather than manual.
{Matzav.com}
During a Cabinet session on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered a blistering assessment of what she said was rampant visa and benefits fraud tied to Minnesota, asserting that the administration is preparing aggressive steps to recover federal funds and expel individuals she claims are in the country unlawfully. “You told me to look into Minnesota and their fraud on visas and their programs. Fifty percent of them are fraudulent,” Noem told President Donald Trump in remarks broadcast live on Newsmax.
Noem went even further in her criticism of Gov. Tim Walz, directing sharp words toward the state’s top executive. “That wacko Governor Walz either is an idiot or he did it on purpose. And I think he’s both, sir,” she said, arguing that policies under his watch had paved the way for what she characterized as systemic abuse.
According to Noem, federal investigators uncovered cases involving immigrants in Minnesota “were married to somebody who was their brother or somebody else,” which she cited as part of what she described as “fraudulent visa applications” used to secure various government benefits. She alleged that Walz’s approach to immigration oversight “brought people in there illegally that never should have been in this country,” leading to a landscape where fraudulent claims “took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers.”
She declared that the administration intends to “remove them” and “get our money back,” adding that the coming year would see the appointment of officials who “love this country and have its back.”
Her statements align with recent enforcement priorities laid out by federal immigration authorities, who have singled out Minnesota as a focal point of ongoing investigations into alleged immigration and benefits fraud.
On Nov. 24, the Department of Justice announced that 78 individuals had been charged in connection with misuse of the federal Child Nutrition Program under the now-defunct Feeding Our Future initiative. Prosecutors have described the case as the nation’s largest instance of COVID-19-era fraud.
Separately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported this fall that a Minnesota-based initiative known as “Operation Twin Shield” identified 275 suspected fraud cases in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region. Local accounts have described allegations of both visa-related misconduct and sham marriages as part of the broader investigation.
{Matzav.com}Newly filed court records reveal that the man accused of ambushing two National Guard soldiers in downtown Washington, D.C., cried out “Allahu Akbar” as he unleashed gunfire, and appeared to be midway through reloading when officers and troops brought him down and placed him under arrest.
Authorities say the shooter, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the United States in 2021 after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had previously been connected to one of the CIA’s “Zero Units.” Investigators allege that he opened fire on Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe of the West Virginia National Guard in a brazen midday assault.
Beckstrom, just 20 years old, succumbed to her wounds on Thanksgiving Day. Wolfe was rushed to the hospital, where he continues to fight for his life in critical condition.
Surveillance footage included in the affidavit paints a disturbing prelude: Lakanwal lingering outside the Farragut West Metro Station, only a short walk from the White House, staring toward the west as if waiting for a cue. Prosecutors say he remained there for “about a minute” before sprinting toward the corner of 17th Street and I Street Northwest.
Another camera captured the moment he rounded the corner with his arms raised “in a firing stance,” according to the court filing. The video shows him directing bullets at Beckstrom and Wolfe, both of whom drop to the pavement after being struck in the head, the documents state.
A nearby National Guard member, identified in the affidavit as Complainant Reynolds, recognized the sounds of gunfire and immediately responded. He drew his service weapon and exchanged shots with Lakanwal, ultimately hitting the suspect and knocking him to the ground.
Reynolds later told investigators he believed the attacker’s weapon had run dry and that the suspect appeared to be reloading when help arrived. At that moment, another Guard officer, referred to in the filings only as “W-1,” lunged onto the gunman and restrained him until authorities could secure the scene.
{Matzav.com}
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting to deliver an unapologetic defense of commanders overseeing U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels, insisting that his department “will always have the back” of those “making decisions in difficult situations.”
His remarks came as the White House and Pentagon continued dealing with fallout from reports that a second strike in the Caribbean may have hit individuals who survived the initial attack on a narco-trafficking boat. Hegseth rejected the idea that the operation represented anything other than direct, justified action. “We’re taking the fight to these designated terror organizations. And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he said during the meeting, which aired live on Newsmax.
Hegseth said the administration’s approach marks a dramatic break from what he described as years of failed policy, accusing past leaders of relying on a “rinse-and-repeat approach.” He argued that traffickers have embedded themselves in American communities and caused devastating harm, adding that the campaign is aimed at stopping that damage before it reaches U.S. shores. According to him, the drug networks have left “hundreds of thousands of Americans poisoned.”
He made clear that President Donald Trump shifted course entirely. “President Trump said, ‘No, we’re taking the gloves off,’” Hegseth told reporters. “‘We’re taking the fight to these designated terror organizations.’” He also praised Trump’s comments on the significant drop in maritime drug flow into the country. As Trump put it, drugs arriving “by sea are down 91% … I don’t know who the 9% is.”
With fewer targets remaining, Hegseth said the slowdown in maritime strikes is a sign that deterrence is working. “We’ve had a bit of a pause because it’s hard to find boats to strike right now, which is the entire point, right?” he said, emphasizing that the goal is to stop the trafficking, not repeatedly capture and release smugglers. “Deterrence has to matter, not arrest and hand over and then do it again.”
Hegseth linked the entire strategy to Trump’s agenda, stressing that the War Department will support the officers carrying out these operations. “I will just end by saying, as President Trump always has our back, we always have the back of our commanders who are making decisions in difficult situations,” he said. “And we do in this case, and all these strikes, they’re making judgment calls and ensuring that they defend the American people. They’ve done the right things. We’ll keep doing that. And we have their backs.”
That same morning, the War Department publicly accused The Washington Post of fabricating comments attributed to Hegseth in its reporting on the Caribbean operation. Press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the newspaper’s account distorted the facts and was contradicted even by other media outlets. She said, “a completely fake story in The Washington Post, now discredited by the New York Times, tried to mischaracterize these successful strikes in bad faith. It was an attempt to damage the secretary and the president, and the people saw through it.”
The incident at the center of the dispute occurred on Sept. 2, when U.S. forces executed a secondary strike after the first attack crippled the suspected narco-smuggling vessel. Lawmakers and legal analysts have questioned whether the survivors still posed an imminent threat at the moment of the follow-up strike.
Wilson insisted the mission was fully lawful. “Our operations in the SOUTHCOM region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict,” she said, adding that “These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command.” She emphasized that Hegseth supports the officer who made the decision, Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, noting he stands behind him “100%.”
The White House confirmed that Bradley acted under standing authority, backing the decision despite the scrutiny surrounding the operation.
{Matzav.com}The Trump administration has moved to tighten security around National Guard personnel, with War Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson announcing that Guard members stationed in Washington, D.C., have now been fully armed. Wilson explained that the step aligns with the administration’s broader insistence on ensuring troops can protect themselves while assisting civil authorities. “I can confirm that everybody in D.C. is now armed,” she told reporters, making clear that Guard units in the capital are now working closely with local police in combined patrols.
She stressed that safeguarding the soldiers remains a priority for officials overseeing the deployments. “Their safety, of course, is top of mind, and we will continue to make sure they’re able to do their jobs in keeping all of our great Americans safe across our country,” Wilson said. She also noted that ongoing Guard missions in Chicago and Los Angeles will not be halted, even in the wake of recent violence.
The heightened security posture comes on the heels of a tragic assault in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was gravely injured. Both were serving with the West Virginia National Guard when they were attacked. A 29-year-old Afghan national has been charged in the case, prompting fresh debate about how best to protect Guard personnel deployed in support roles in major cities.
President Donald Trump has personally expressed support for the families affected by the attack, sharing that he welcomed Beckstrom’s relatives to the White House and intends to honor both service members. “When you’re ready, because that’s a tough thing, come to the White House,” Trump said. “We’re going to honor Sarah — and likewise with Andrew, recover or not.”
Back in West Virginia, communities have been gathering for vigils, mourning Beckstrom and davening for Wolfe’s recovery. Gov. Patrick Morrisey delivered an encouraging update during a Newsmax-broadcast press conference, explaining that Wolfe has shown hopeful signs despite being in serious condition. “We did have some positive news,” Morrisey said, recounting reports that Wolfe responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and “wiggled his toes.” The governor said Wolfe’s mother has asked people to continue davening, noting, “Those prayers are working.”
Morrisey added that about 170 West Virginia Guard members currently serving in Washington volunteered for the assignment because of their commitment to both state and country. “They’re volunteering because they believe in the mission. They want to support the state of West Virginia. They want to support the country,” he said.
For officials in Washington, Wilson’s remarks underscore a broader administration approach: reinforcing the security of deployed troops while maintaining a visible law-and-order presence in cities facing instability. Supporters of the move argue that if service members are placed in unpredictable situations on American streets, arming them is simply a responsible and necessary precaution.
{Matzav.com}
