Feed aggregator

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery will also serve as a military facility capable of housing drones, positioning snipers and storing ammunition, a significant expansion of the purpose originally envisioned for the massive Washington-area monument.

Trump has similarly described the new White House ballroom project as having a national security function, arguing that the structure can serve defensive purposes in addition to its ceremonial role. The President has presented both projects as combining his efforts to reshape and beautify Washington with security-related functions.

The Pentagon said Sunday that it did not have additional information about the military plans for the arch beyond what Trump announced publicly.

The announcement comes as the proposed arch remains the subject of a legal dispute. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has given the project preliminary approval, while three military veterans and an architectural historian have filed suit arguing that congressional authorization is required before construction can proceed.

In a social media post Sunday, Trump said he had agreed, at the “strong request” of the military, to convert the planned 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch “into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.”

The proposed arch would rise at Memorial Circle near Arlington Memorial Bridge, a heavily traveled gateway connecting Washington with Northern Virginia. The location sits between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and is close to the Pentagon and other major federal and military facilities.

The arch is one of several major construction and renovation projects Trump has pursued in Washington. Those projects include the new White House ballroom, changes at the Kennedy Center, renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and plans to rebuild the golf course at East Potomac Park. The proposed golf course changes have raised concerns about potentially reducing public access to nearby running and biking routes.

Construction on the arch had initially been expected to begin this month, but the project has not yet received all of the approvals required for work to proceed. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the proposed site and preliminary plans in July but has not granted final approval. The commission is expected to consider the project again this fall.

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed to meet in New York this week for talks focused on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Zelensky saying the meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic activity and “could change a lot.”

The agreement came during a telephone conversation between the two leaders on Sunday, as both prepare to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Reuters and other outlets confirmed Zelensky’s announcement of the planned meeting.

“We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelensky wrote on the X social media platform.

The planned face-to-face talks will take place as the Trump administration continues efforts to revive negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the war, now more than four and a half years old. U.S. officials have recently intensified diplomatic contacts with both Kyiv and Moscow.

Both Trump and Zelensky will be in New York in the coming days for the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

In describing his conversation with Trump, Zelensky also expressed appreciation for the recent trip to Kyiv by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who visited the Ukrainian capital earlier this month after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Sept. 6 visit marked the first trip to Ukraine by the two Trump envoys as part of their diplomatic efforts surrounding the war.

“The peace track is our number-one priority,” he said.

Zelensky said discussions with Washington have included possible measures aimed at reducing the intensity of the conflict while addressing several of Ukraine’s principal security concerns.

“There are ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv remains engaged with Trump’s representatives and is prepared to consider significant moves as part of the diplomatic process.

“We are working together with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps.”

The meeting comes amid an effort by the United States to explore potential de-escalation measures between Russia and Ukraine while attempting to restart negotiations toward a broader settlement. Zelensky said earlier this month that Washington was examining possible steps that could reduce hostilities during the approaching winter.

Zelensky also used Sunday’s statement to again thank Trump for signing legislation imposing expanded sanctions on Russia. The measure, championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was signed by Trump on Friday after passing both chambers of Congress.

The new law targets Russian officials, financial institutions and elements of Moscow’s oil-export network, while also giving the administration authority to impose tariffs on major purchasers of Russian energy. Supporters of the legislation have described it as an effort to increase economic pressure on Moscow as diplomatic negotiations continue.

The upcoming New York meeting follows several weeks of renewed U.S. diplomatic activity. Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Moscow earlier this month for talks with Putin before continuing directly to Kyiv for discussions with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials. Their trip was aimed at exploring ways to restart negotiations that had largely stalled.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on the international media Sunday to give proper attention to the murder of an Israeli father of six in a terrorist shooting near Neve Tzuf, saying he would be watching to see whether the deadly attack receives balanced coverage around the world.

Huckabee issued the statement following the murder of Netanel Shakron, a resident of Alei Zahav who was shot at the Ein Raya spring in Binyamin after going there with his eldest son to immerse ahead of Yom Kippur. His son was not physically injured in the attack.

“This Israeli father of 6 murdered in front of one of his children,” Huckabee wrote on X. “The Palestinian terrorist was captured.”

The ambassador then turned his attention to the way terrorist attacks against Israelis are covered internationally.

“Let’s hope there will be balanced reporting of these attacks by int’l media. We will be watching…& waiting.”

Huckabee’s remarks echoed a message issued by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s office following the attack, which accused international news organizations of failing to give sufficient attention to Palestinian violence against Israelis.

“The violence in Judea and Samaria global media won’t report on: Israeli father of six murdered in a terror attack on Yom Kippur Eve,” Netanyahu wrote.

The attack nevertheless received coverage Sunday from several international outlets, including the Associated Press and The Times of London. AP reported Shakron’s killing as part of its Middle East coverage, while The Times published a separate report on the shooting and subsequent capture of the suspected attacker.

Shakron, a father of six who lived in Alei Zahav, had traveled to the natural spring with his oldest son Sunday morning to immerse ahead of Yom Kippur. He was married to Meirav, and the couple’s six children range in age from four through high-school age. Shakron worked as an information-systems analyst, while his wife is a lecturer at Ariel University.

According to Israeli authorities, the terrorist arrived in a vehicle and opened fire toward Israelis at the spring. Shakron was found unconscious inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds.

Magen David Adom teams immediately began intensive lifesaving efforts. Paramedics succeeded in restoring a pulse and evacuated Shakron to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, but he later succumbed to his wounds.

“We arrived at the scene and saw a male in his 30s inside a vehicle, unconscious, with multiple gunshot wounds,” MDA paramedic David Trachtenberg said. “We removed him from the vehicle and immediately began providing life-saving medical treatment.”

“We placed him in the ambulance, and with the assistance of a physician and a paramedic, immediately began evacuating him to the hospital while fighting for his life, providing medical treatment and blood products, in the hope of stabilizing his condition.”

Following the shooting, the terrorist abandoned his vehicle while armed and fled on foot, setting off a large-scale manhunt. IDF troops established roadblocks throughout the area as additional forces joined the search.

The pursuit ended several hours later when soldiers from the IDF’s elite Duvdevan Unit apprehended the suspected terrorist at a hospital in Ramallah, where he had sought medical treatment after being wounded while fleeing. Israeli forces also seized the vehicle allegedly used in the shooting.

{Matzav.com}

Ben Gurion Airport completely halted flight operations Sunday afternoon as Israel entered Yom Kippur, beginning a lengthy period in which no commercial passenger aircraft will take off from or land at the country’s main international airport.

The shutdown is part of Israel’s annual Yom Kippur observance, when commercial aviation and virtually all public transportation across the country come to a standstill. Israel’s airspace is now closed to regular civilian traffic, with operations scheduled to resume only after the fast ends Monday night.

According to the Israel Airports Authority’s official schedule, operations at Ben Gurion wound down gradually during the afternoon on Sunday, Sept. 20.

At Terminal 1, the final departure took place at 1 p.m., while the last domestic arrival was scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Terminal 3 remained active slightly longer, with the final international landing and departure scheduled for 1:55 p.m.

From that point, Ben Gurion entered a complete Yom Kippur shutdown, leaving Israel’s busiest airport without regular arriving or departing passenger flights for more than 32 hours.

The airport will remain silent throughout Yom Kippur on Monday. Terminal 3 is scheduled to receive its first international arrival at 10:30 p.m. Monday, several hours after the conclusion of the fast, while the first international departure is scheduled for 11:30 p.m.

Terminal 1 will remain closed even longer. It is scheduled to reopen for both domestic and international operations at 2 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The Yom Kippur shutdown extends beyond Ben Gurion. Ramon Airport near Eilat ended flight operations at 11:30 a.m. Sunday and is not scheduled to resume service until 6 a.m. Tuesday. Haifa Airport’s final landing was scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, with operations there likewise set to restart at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Israel’s land border crossings are also operating under special Yom Kippur schedules. The Allenby Crossing closed at 11 a.m. Sunday and is scheduled to return to its regular operating schedule Tuesday. The Begin Crossing closed at 1 p.m. and is scheduled to reopen at 10 p.m. Monday. The Rabin Crossing and Jordan River Crossing both closed at noon Sunday and are expected to resume regular operations Tuesday.

Public transportation throughout Israel has also shut down for Yom Kippur, with buses, trains and light rail service suspended during the fast. Services are expected to return gradually Monday evening, with regular operations resuming Tuesday morning.

The sweeping shutdown is one of the most distinctive features of Yom Kippur in Israel. With public transportation halted, commercial aircraft absent from the skies and the overwhelming majority of ordinary vehicle traffic disappearing from the roads, cities across the country have become unusually quiet for the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur began across Israel on Sunday evening, Sept. 20, and will conclude Monday evening, Sept. 21. In Yerushalayim, the fast began at approximately 5:58 p.m. Sunday and will end at approximately 7:13 p.m. Monday, while in Tel Aviv it began at approximately 6:22 p.m. and will end at approximately 7:15 p.m.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion on Monday, bringing the two political adversaries together for their third face-to-face meeting as New York hosts world leaders arriving for the United Nations General Assembly.

City Hall confirmed the meeting Sunday, saying the discussion at the mayor’s official Upper East Side residence will center primarily on matters involving the city and its residents. The White House has also confirmed that Trump will meet Mamdani during the President’s trip to New York for the U.N. gathering.

“The meeting will focus on issues affecting New York City and New Yorkers,” City Hall told City & State.

Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec declined to provide additional information about the planned agenda, timing or logistics. ABC7 reported Sunday afternoon that a specific time for the meeting had not yet been announced.

The meeting will take place on Yom Kippur, as New York becomes the center of international diplomacy for the annual U.N. gathering. The General Debate of the 81st session of the General Assembly is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Sept. 22, and run through Saturday before concluding Monday, Sept. 28.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the foreign leaders expected in New York during the gathering. City & State reported that Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Thursday, several days after the Trump-Mamdani meeting. According to the report, Netanyahu is not currently expected to meet Trump during his brief U.S. visit.

Mamdani signaled last week that he intended to maintain an open line of communication with the President despite the substantial political and policy differences between them.

“When it comes to the president, we continue to have a conversation about how best to deliver for this city,” Mamdani said when asked whether he expected to meet Trump during the U.N. General Assembly.

The mayor said he and Trump have communicated both personally and by telephone and indicated that he sees continued contact with the White House as part of advancing New York City’s interests.

The relationship between the two men has evolved considerably since the 2025 mayoral campaign, when Trump repeatedly criticized Mamdani and Mamdani campaigned as a sharp opponent of the President and his policies.

Their first face-to-face meeting following Mamdani’s election came at the White House in November 2025. Despite the months of public attacks that preceded it, the Oval Office meeting took on a cordial tone, with both men emphasizing areas where the federal government and incoming city administration could potentially cooperate.

“We have one thing in common,” Trump said after the November meeting. “We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.”

Mamdani returned to Washington for another meeting with Trump in February, shortly after taking office. During that meeting, according to the Associated Press, Mamdani presented Trump with a mock New York Daily News front page reading “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” a play on the newspaper’s famous 1975 “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD” headline, as the mayor sought federal cooperation on housing development.

The two administrations have continued to disagree on a range of policy issues, but Mamdani has characterized his dealings with Trump as an effort to maintain a working relationship where cooperation is possible. City Hall has argued that the mayor’s more diplomatic posture toward the President has produced benefits for New York.

Monday’s gathering will be the first time Mamdani hosts Trump at Gracie Mansion since becoming mayor. It will also place their developing relationship in the spotlight during one of New York City’s busiest diplomatic weeks of the year, with nearly 130 world leaders expected to attend the U.N. meetings.

For Trump, the meeting will be one stop during a New York visit dominated by the United Nations and international affairs. For Mamdani, it provides another opportunity to press the federal government directly on issues affecting the city while maintaining the unlikely working relationship that has emerged between two politicians who remain sharply divided on many major issues.

With Sukkos approaching, rabbonim in Bnei Brak have joined municipal and national enforcement officials in issuing an urgent warning against the construction of unauthorized balconies, platforms and other building additions intended to accommodate sukkahs, cautioning that improperly built structures can pose a serious danger to human life.

Israel’s Real Estate Enforcement Authority has launched a targeted enforcement operation ahead of the Yom Tov aimed specifically at illegal balconies, structural additions and other construction that requires permits and engineering approval.

Officials stressed that the campaign is not directed at ordinary temporary sukkahs erected for the holiday. Rather, the focus is on permanent or semi-permanent construction — including balconies and supporting structures — that goes beyond a conventional sukkah and is subject to building and safety regulations.

As part of the initiative, warning letters have been sent to contractors, metalworkers and suppliers involved in constructing such additions. The letters remind them that they are required to comply with building regulations and may not perform work for which the necessary permits have not been obtained.

At the same time, enforcement officials plan to conduct proactive inspections in communities around the country in an effort to identify unauthorized construction.

When inspectors discover balconies or other additions erected without the necessary permits and approvals, enforcement proceedings may be opened against those responsible.

The issue has particular relevance in densely populated communities such as Bnei Brak, where families living in apartment buildings sometimes seek creative ways to obtain an outdoor area suitable for building a sukkah.

In some cases, however, makeshift balconies or platforms can be constructed outside apartment buildings without the engineering safeguards required for structures that must support adults, children, tables, chairs and other substantial weight.

In an effort to prevent such construction before it takes place, the Bnei Brak Municipality, working together with the Real Estate Enforcement Authority, distributed a special notice to residents carrying a warning from the city’s rabbonim.

The rabbonim invoked the well-known principle of chamira sakanta mei’issura — that danger must be treated even more seriously than a religious prohibition — urging residents not to jeopardize lives for the sake of creating additional sukkah space.

The message emphasized that the desire to properly fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah cannot justify creating a structure that may endanger the family using it, neighbors or people passing below.

The Real Estate Enforcement Authority similarly warned that building an addition without a permit, or constructing one in violation of the conditions of an existing permit, is against the law and can present a potentially deadly safety hazard.

Aside from the physical danger, unauthorized construction can result in enforcement orders and substantial administrative fines. According to the authority, those penalties can reach hundreds of thousands of shekels, depending on the circumstances.

Responsibility may also extend beyond the homeowner. Depending on the case, both the property owner who commissioned the work and the contractor who actually performed the unauthorized construction can be held accountable.

Officials said the objective of the current campaign is therefore not merely to identify illegal structures after they have been erected, but to stop dangerous construction before it begins by warning homeowners and the professionals who might be hired to carry it out.

The Real Estate Enforcement Authority said:

“A balcony erected without a permit and without the approval of a structural engineer is not a temporary solution for Yom Tov — it can pose a danger to life. We are working with property owners, contractors and local authorities to stop the phenomenon before the construction takes place. Anyone who nevertheless chooses to build in violation of the law should know that the authority will be in the field and will use all of the enforcement tools at its disposal.”

The combined warning from the Bnei Brak rabbonim, municipality and enforcement authorities comes as families throughout the city begin preparing for Sukkos, with officials urging residents to ensure that any balcony or structural addition used for a sukkah has been legally approved and professionally determined to be safe.

{Matzav.com}

The House has approved legislation that would require automakers to include AM radio in new passenger vehicles at no additional cost to buyers, moving the bipartisan proposal one step closer to becoming federal law. The measure now goes to the Senate, where a companion bill has attracted substantial support from both parties.

The House passed H.R. 979, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025, by voice vote on Tuesday.

Under the legislation, the Department of Transportation would be directed to establish a federal requirement that new passenger vehicles sold in the United States provide consumers with access to AM broadcast stations as standard equipment, without requiring an extra payment, fee or surcharge. The Senate received the House bill Wednesday, where it was read twice and placed on the Senate calendar.

The proposal has drawn extensive bipartisan backing in the House, with more than 300 lawmakers signing on as cosponsors.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., introduced the House legislation, with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., serving as its original cosponsor.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who was among those who pushed an earlier version of the proposal, argued that keeping AM radio in vehicles is particularly important when other communications systems fail during an emergency.

“AM radio is a lifeline,” Gottheimer said following House passage. “When the power goes out, when the cell towers go down, and when the Internet cuts off during a storm or an emergency, AM radio is often the only way families can get the life-saving information they need.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., similarly pointed to the role AM broadcasting can play when hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters disrupt ordinary communications.

“When disaster strikes – especially in hurricane and tornado-prone states like Louisiana – local communities rely on AM radio to deliver accurate, up-to-date information and critical safety alerts,” Johnson said.

If the measure becomes law, the transportation secretary would have one year from enactment to issue the required rule. In most cases, the mandate would take effect within two years after the rule is issued, while certain smaller vehicle manufacturers would receive at least four years to meet the requirement.

During the period before the mandate fully takes effect, automakers selling vehicles that do not offer AM reception would be required to clearly inform prospective buyers. Manufacturers would also be prohibited from imposing an additional charge for access to AM radio.

The congressional effort follows decisions by several automakers to eliminate AM receivers from certain vehicles, particularly electric models. Manufacturers have cited electromagnetic interference from electric motors and high-voltage components as one reason for dropping the technology.

Automotive industry groups have opposed making AM reception a federal requirement. They argue that motorists can receive emergency information through other systems, including wireless emergency alerts, FM broadcasting and satellite radio.

With House passage complete, the legislation’s next hurdle is the Senate, where lawmakers from both parties have also rallied behind the effort.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., have spearheaded the Senate version of the legislation. Their companion measure, S. 315, cleared the Senate Commerce Committee in February 2025, and the senators announced two months later that the proposal had secured 60 Senate cosponsors.

After the House approved H.R. 979, Cruz and Markey jointly called on the Senate to move ahead with the measure.

“This vote sends a clear message to car manufacturers that AM Radio is a lifeline that must be protected in new vehicles,” the senators said in a joint statement.

“From emergency response to sports, entertainment, and news, AM radio is an essential communication tool for tens of millions of Americans.”

“It is now time for the Senate to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and for this legislation to become law,” they added.

Despite the broad bipartisan support, the Senate has not yet held final floor action on the House-passed legislation.

As of Sept. 16, H.R. 979 had been read twice in the Senate and placed on its legislative calendar, leaving Senate passage as the next step before the measure could be sent to President Donald Trump for consideration.

{Matzav.com}

Ukraine launched a massive overnight aerial assault on Russia involving more than 1,000 drones, with hundreds directed toward Moscow in what the Russian capital’s mayor described as the “largest ever” drone attack on the city. The strikes came as Russia entered the final day of its three-day parliamentary elections.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the unprecedented barrage caused damage at the Moscow Oil Refinery as well as a residential building. Russian officials said hundreds of the incoming drones targeting the capital were intercepted.

Across the broader Moscow region, authorities initially reported that two people — a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman — were killed and another 20 were wounded. Russian officials subsequently said that a third person died in the hospital from injuries sustained in the attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv employed multiple types of domestically produced weapons in the operation, including Flamingo and Pelican missiles, targeting Russian oil and logistics infrastructure.

“These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine,” Zelenskyy said, explaining Ukraine’s effort to increase the economic cost of Russia’s war.

At the same time, Ukraine continued to face Russian attacks of its own. Zelenskyy said a Russian drone struck a monastery in Ukraine’s Kherson region on Saturday, killing a clergyman and injuring four other people.

Russian strikes also brought fatalities in the Kyiv region. Ukrainian officials said a mother and two children were killed in one attack Saturday evening, while another child who had been wounded in a separate strike later died in the hospital.

The enormous Ukrainian attack coincided with the last day of Russia’s first parliamentary election since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The election took place under a political system in which most prominent anti-war opposition candidates were excluded, imprisoned or living outside the country, while the Kremlin-aligned United Russia party was expected to retain control of parliament.

Russia also conducted voting in four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed but does not fully control, as well as in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The annexations are not internationally recognized, and Ukraine has denounced the voting conducted in occupied territory as illegal.

Elsewhere in Russian-occupied territory, an attack in the Kherson region killed a member of a local election commission, according to Russia’s Central Election Commission.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses destroyed 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian territory, occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. The figures provided by Moscow could not all be independently verified.

Sobyanin said 450 drones headed toward Moscow were destroyed. Despite the interceptions, several drones reached the grounds of the Moscow Oil Refinery, while another struck a residential building.

The Moscow mayor alleged that the timing of the assault was intended to interfere with Russia’s parliamentary voting, describing it as an “unprecedented attack.”

“The enemy failed in this regard,” he said.

More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine has dramatically expanded its ability to conduct long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory. Kyiv increasingly relies on domestically manufactured drones and missiles to hit military, logistics and energy targets hundreds of miles from the front.

Ukraine’s long-range campaign has increasingly focused on Russia’s energy infrastructure, particularly oil refineries, as Kyiv seeks to reduce revenue and fuel supplies available to Moscow. Recent attacks have disrupted Russian refining capacity and contributed to fuel shortages and higher prices in parts of the country.

The latest attack comes as both countries increasingly rely on long-range aerial weapons while movement along the roughly 1,250-kilometer, or 780-mile, front has become difficult. Large numbers of drones and ground-based robotic systems have made troop and vehicle movements increasingly vulnerable, helping drive both sides toward strikes far beyond the immediate battlefield.

{Matzav.com}