Dear Matzav Inbox,
I was there tonight at the draft protest in Yerushalayim. I am not repeating rumors, headlines, or social media hysteria. I watched it unfold with my own eyes. I am a chareidi grandmother, and what I saw was shameful, reckless, and utterly leaderless.
Hundreds of boys — children — were running wild in the streets. They were jumping on buses and cars, blocking traffic, and preventing drivers from moving.
There were no parents in sight. No rabbonim. No roshei yeshiva. No adults taking responsibility. No one stopping this disgraceful chaos.
Garbage bins were dragged into the road and set on fire. Plastic sheets were slapped across bus windshields, blinding drivers until they struggled to rip them off. Buses full of chareidi passengers were stuck for twenty minutes or more, held hostage by unsupervised, out-of-control boys who clearly had no idea what they were doing or the danger they were creating.
The bus drivers tried — desperately — to maneuver through the madness without hurting anyone. They were surrounded, harassed, blocked, and endangered. This was not a “peaceful protest.” It was anarchy.
And then the unthinkable happened.
People put themselves in front of a vehicle in a lawless situation that should never have been allowed to develop.
And what happened afterward was perhaps the most horrifying part of all.
After the incident, boys were singing and dancing in the middle of the road. Singing. Dancing. As if nothing had happened. As if a life had not just been lost. It is now past midnight as I write this to you at Matzav News and they are still there. Still no parents. Still no rabbonim. Still no melamdim. Still no adults willing to step in and say: Enough.
If this is what protest looks like, then someone must finally ask the obvious question: Where was the leadership? Who allowed children to be sent into the streets with no supervision, no guidance, and no boundaries? Who thought this was acceptable, let alone justified?
This was not mesirus nefesh. It was abandonment.
Tragedies do not happen in a vacuum. They happen when responsibility is shrugged off, when adults disappear, and when children are left to play with fire — sometimes literally.
If we do not have the courage to tell the truth about what went down tonight, then we will see this again. And next time, the price may be even higher.
Enough with the slogans. Enough with the posturing.
It is time for accountability.
Bella Abraham
A Bubby in Yerushalayim
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{Matzav.com}
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved to steady his administration Tuesday by publicly reaffirming his support for his newly appointed tenant protection chief, even as her past social media statements ignited backlash and drew pointed attention from federal officials.
At the center of the controversy is housing activist Cea Weaver, recently named to lead the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Old posts and writings attributed to Weaver resurfaced this week, including statements describing homeownership as “a weapon of white supremacy” and urging followers to “Seize private property,” triggering criticism from housing advocates, property owners, and Washington alike.
Mamdani brushed aside the uproar while speaking to reporters after an unrelated appearance, arguing that Weaver’s record justified her appointment and that her work was already producing results.
“We made the decision to have Cea Weaver serve as our executive director for the mayor’s office to protect tenants, to build on the work that she has done to protect tenants across the city, and we were already seeing the results of that work,” Mamdani told reporters following an unrelated news conference.
As City Hall defended the hire, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, issued a sharp warning, saying federal authorities were prepared to intervene if necessary. Speaking on One America News Network, Dhillon said Washington was watching developments in New York closely and would act to safeguard residents’ rights.
“They should be on notice, they’re on high scrutiny,” Dhillon of city government.
She reinforced that message in a social media post later Tuesday, emphasizing that discrimination would not be tolerated under federal law.
“We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color,” she also said in a Tuesday social media post. “It is ILLEGAL. [DOJ Civil Rights is paying very close attention.”
Dhillon had already weighed in a day earlier, posting on X in response to a March 2021 video featuring Weaver. In that clip, Weaver discussed reshaping property ownership through a “shared equity” framework, arguing it would fundamentally alter how families relate to housing.
In the video, she said property should be transitioned toward a model of “shared equity” that would mean “families, especially white families, but some POC families who are homeowners as well, are gonna have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have.”
Weaver’s critics note that such remarks are consistent with positions she has taken publicly for years. In a 2019 statement, she forcefully rejected the concept of private ownership, particularly in housing.
“Private property including any kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy,” she spouted in 2019.
Her views were further laid out in a 2021 opinion piece, where she argued that government action could radically reshape the housing market by intervening directly in landlord-tenant relationships.
“And, as landlords exit the market, using state action to acquire properties and leverage disinvestment to convert thousands of homes into publicly and democratically controlled land/housing,” she wrote in the New Labor Forum.
Despite the growing criticism and federal scrutiny, Mamdani has shown no indication that he plans to reverse course on Weaver’s appointment, setting the stage for a broader confrontation over housing policy, ideology, and the limits of city authority.
{Matzav.com}
Michael Reagan, a conservative author and radio host who devoted decades to advancing the principles associated with the Reagan presidency, has died. He passed away Sunday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 80, according to an announcement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Throughout his public life, Reagan was known for his steadfast defense of his father’s record in office and for promoting a vision of limited government and strong American leadership that defined the Reagan era and coincided with the end of the Cold War.
“Michael Reagan lived a life shaped by conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said in a statement.
Born in 1945, Reagan was adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman just hours after his birth. He later explored the complexities of his upbringing and family history in his book “Twice Adopted,” offering a personal account of growing up as the son of two famous parents.
Despite early efforts to pursue acting after studying at Arizona State University and Los Angeles Valley College, Reagan ultimately found his voice in broadcasting and writing. He became a familiar figure on conservative radio and authored several books while also dedicating time to philanthropic causes. Among them was the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation, which he led as chairman for three years.
Ronald Reagan died in 2004 following a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s disease, a cause that remained personally significant to his son. The foundation noted that the elder Reagan expressed pride in Michael’s life and accomplishments in his 1990 autobiography, “An American Life.”
“When I read his book, I had even more of a fatherly pride in Mike than I had had before…he was happy and at peace with himself,” President Reagan wrote.
In reflecting on Michael Reagan’s passing, the foundation described it as “a profound loss,” saying that his “presence, warmth, and unwavering commitment will be deeply missed at the Reagan Library and far beyond its walls.”
Tributes also poured in from conservative leaders who credited Reagan with carrying his father’s message to younger generations and encouraging civic engagement grounded in core American principles.
“He did so much more than share stories about his father. He challenged the next generation to share the values he stood for throughout his public life. He called on them to be happy warriors in the battle to uphold the founding principles of our republic,” former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said in a statement.
Michael Reagan is survived by his wife, Colleen Stearns, their children Cameron and Ashley, his grandchildren, and his half-siblings Patti Davis and Ron Reagan Jr.
{Matzav.com}
Facing intensifying pressure over sweeping fraud revelations tied to state programs, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz lashed out at critics and rejected demands that he step aside, directing his anger squarely at Republicans and the White House.
“You can make all your requests for me to resign – over my dead body will that happen,” he ranted.
Walz then pivoted to an attack on President Trump, framing the controversy as a political fight rather than a reckoning over oversight failures.
“I will fight this thing ‘til the very end to make this state better. And the question I think they need to decide is when is the guy in the White House going to resign? When does he take accountability for what he did? Because it isn’t going to happen here in terms of us shying away from making the state better,” he said.
The governor’s outburst followed his announcement that he will not run for another term in 2026, a surprising decision given his comfortable reelection victory in 2022 and his standing as a favorite to win again.
In a separate appearance earlier this week, Walz argued that remaining in office would better serve Minnesotans than engaging in political self-defense, ending the event without fielding any questions.
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” he said in a press conference Monday that ended without taking a single question from the media.
As scrutiny intensified, Walz suggested that Republicans were weaponizing the issue to stoke fear and division, portraying their criticism as racially charged and destructive.
“Republicans want to tell you it’s too dangerous to walk down the street. Republicans want to tell you there’s nothing good that comes out of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Republicans want to tell you everybody with brown skin is stealing money, or that they’re not welcome here,” he said.
“They want to do nothing to improve this state. Their idea of improving this state is being a parrot for Donald Trump agreeing to everything he agreed with,” he seethed, frantically waving his arms as he spoke.
The controversy centers on alleged fraud across housing, nutrition assistance, and child care programs during Walz’s tenure. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has said the losses could reach $18 billion or more.
Adding to the pressure, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee disclosed last month that it is examining Walz’s potential involvement in what it described as “massive fraud,” including allegations that Somali immigrants siphoned more than $1 billion from taxpayers. Lawmakers indicated that criminal referrals remain on the table.
In the days leading up to Walz’s withdrawal from the 2026 race, a coalition of Minnesota House and Senate Republicans publicly urged him to resign. The statement was signed by State Sens. Bill Lieske and Nathan Wesenberg, along with State Reps. Marj Fogelman, Drew Roach, and Mike Weiner.
“Minnesotans have been watching the fraud crisis get worse and worse for years. It has gone on long enough. This is not about politics or stunts, and we do not make a call like this lightly. The office of the governor deserves respect, and we have tried to give Gov. Walz time to act,” the lawmakers wrote.
“But leadership means doing the right thing even when it is difficult, which is why we are calling on Gov. Walz to resign. We are talking about billions of dollars in fraud that should have gone to vulnerable Minnesotans. The red flags were everywhere. Yet, year after year the fraud kept growing, and year after year, nothing changed.”
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged Monday that he does not yet hold federal security clearance, clarifying remarks he made a day earlier that implied he had been formally briefed on the U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The clarification came during a press conference, where reporters questioned the mayor about how he obtained information related to the high-profile military action. Mamdani confirmed that, despite being recently sworn in, he has not received federal clearance and has not completed the vetting process required to access classified briefings.
“You don’t have federal security clearance yet, and has anyone from a federal agency reached out to you or members of your team to begin the vetting to get federal security clearance?” a reporter asked.
“That briefing, yes, was conducted by my team,” Mamdani responded. “And the question of federal security clearance is one that’s on and on.”
When pressed further, the mayor conceded the point.
“So you do have it?” the reporter asked.
“No, not as yet,” the mayor admitted.
The exchange followed criticism of a social media post Mamdani published shortly after news broke of Maduro’s capture. In that message, he suggested he had received direct information about the operation, prompting skepticism and mockery online.
“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” Mamdani wrote on X after news of Maduro’s capture broke.
Although Mamdani went on in that post to criticize the decision by President Donald Trump, users on social media quickly questioned whether a newly inaugurated mayor would have been included in any classified federal briefings tied to a foreign military operation.
“Called it,” wrote one user whose post on the topic received over 140,000 “likes.”
{Matzav.com}
Great joy swept through Yeshiva Nesiv HaDaas (Kaplan) following the receipt of encouraging medical news regarding the health of its Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yisrael Bunim Schreiber.
Approximately six months after a serious illness was first discovered, comprehensive test results received this week revealed a dramatic improvement in his condition.
Over the past half year, since the illness was diagnosed during the month of Sivan, the Rosh Yeshiva’s health fluctuated, as he faced difficult and painful treatments with remarkable faith and strength. This week, he underwent an extensive series of medical examinations, while the yeshiva talmidim waited anxiously for the results. Yesterday, talmidim and staff gathered for a special asifas tefillah in the yeshiva, pouring out heartfelt prayers for his recovery.
The long-awaited results arrived iovernight and brought exceptionally positive news. Doctors determined that the tumor in the lungs has completely disappeared, while the tumor in the pancreas has become benign. At this stage, the Rosh Yeshiva will need to undergo a complex surgical procedure to remove it.
Upon receiving the good news, the Rosh Yeshiva arrived for Maariv at the yeshiva, visibly uplifted, and personally shared the besurah tovah with talmidim.
All are asked to continue davening for Rav Yisroel Bunim ben Chaya Roiza.
{Matzav.com}
Medications many people reach for without a second thought can still pose health concerns, even when they’re sold without a prescription. Researchers and physicians caution that certain over-the-counter pain relievers are associated with elevated risks to the heart and blood vessels in some patients.
Doctors say the greatest concern centers on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which are widely used to treat pain, fever, and inflammation. Studies have linked these medications to higher rates of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.
“This is because they reduce the production of certain chemicals called prostaglandins,” Maryam Jowza, M.D., an anesthesiologist at UNC Health in North Carolina, told Fox News Digital. “These chemicals are involved in inflammation, but they are also involved in other body functions, such as influencing the tone of blood vessels.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said NSAIDs can affect the cardiovascular system in multiple ways.
“They can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke via fluid retention and salt retention,” he told Fox News Digital. “This increases volume, puts a strain on the heart and raises blood pressure.”
Widely used NSAIDs include ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, diclofenac, indomethacin, and celecoxib. Clinical trials have shown differences among these drugs, with ibuprofen linked to the largest increases in blood pressure, followed by naproxen and then celecoxib.
“In general, the increase in blood pressure is more likely with higher doses and longer duration of treatment,” said Jowza, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the UNC School of Medicine.
Stroke risk can also rise with NSAID use, particularly at higher doses and with prolonged treatment, she added. Among the drugs studied, diclofenac has been associated with the greatest cardiovascular danger. Ibuprofen has also been tied to higher rates of heart attack and stroke, though not to the same extent. Naproxen appears to carry a comparatively lower risk, but doctors stress it is not risk-free.
“The practical takeaway is that diclofenac is generally the least favorable choice in patients with elevated cardiovascular risk, and all NSAIDs should be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration,” Dr. Nayan Patel, pharmacist and founder of Auro Wellness in Southern California, told Fox News Digital.
Aspirin stands apart from other NSAIDs. When taken in low doses under medical supervision, it can lower the risk of blood clots. At higher doses, however, it can raise blood pressure and increase bleeding risk.
Doctors also addressed non-NSAID pain relievers, which are commonly used for headaches, fever, and minor aches but do not treat inflammation. These medications primarily affect pain signals in the brain.
Acetaminophen, the most widely used drug in this category, has also been linked to increases in blood pressure, though typically to a lesser degree than NSAIDs.
“Acetaminophen was once thought to have little to no cardiovascular effects, but more recent evidence suggests it can increase blood pressure, especially with higher doses used in the long term,” she said, emphasizing the importance of blood pressure monitoring. “Its effect on stroke risk is less clear.”
Certain groups face greater danger from these medications, according to physicians, including people with high blood pressure, heart disease, a history of stroke, diabetes, or kidney disease.
“These groups are also more likely to experience NSAID-related fluid retention and destabilization of blood pressure control,” Patel said.
Age also plays a role. People 75 and older generally face higher cardiovascular risk when taking these drugs.
“Age amplifies risk largely because baseline cardiovascular risk increases with age, and kidney function reserve tends to decline,” Patel said. “Older adults are also more likely to be on antihypertensives, diuretics, antiplatelets or anticoagulants, so NSAIDs can destabilize blood pressure control and add safety complexity.”
Jowza urged patients to seek immediate medical care if they experience warning signs such as chest pain, shortness of breath, sudden weakness, confusion, slurred speech, vision changes, or a severe headache.
“These symptoms can point to a heart attack or stroke,” she warned. “Other symptoms of concern that may not develop as rapidly, like new swelling in the legs, should also prompt medical attention.”
Patel added that signs of fluid retention or kidney strain also warrant prompt evaluation.
“Patients should also seek medical advice if they notice signs of fluid retention or kidney stress, such as rapidly rising blood pressure, swelling in the legs, sudden weight gain over a few days, reduced urine output or worsening shortness of breath,” Patel added.
For people at elevated risk, Patel recommends avoiding NSAIDs when possible and considering alternatives.
“For many patients, this means starting with non-drug strategies such as heat or ice, physical therapy and activity modification,” he told Fox News Digital. “If medication is needed, acetaminophen is generally preferred over oral NSAIDs from a cardiovascular standpoint, although regular use should still be monitored in people with hypertension.”
He also noted that topical NSAIDs applied directly to joints or muscles can provide relief with significantly less systemic risk.
“Overall, pain management in high-risk patients should emphasize targeted therapy, conservative dosing and close blood pressure monitoring.”
Both doctors stressed that short-term, occasional use of OTC pain relievers is unlikely to cause harm in otherwise healthy individuals, but risks increase with frequent or high-dose use.
“I would not hesitate to use an occasional dose if it were a low-risk individual with no prior history of heart attack or stroke,” Jowza said. “I also think short-term use in diabetics and hypertensives who are well-controlled is acceptable.”
She advised patients who need NSAIDs to set clear limits, monitor blood pressure and kidney function, and avoid prolonged use whenever possible.
Patel agreed that most healthy people face minimal danger from infrequent use.
“The concern is primarily with repeated or chronic use, higher doses, and use in people with underlying cardiovascular, kidney or blood pressure conditions,” he confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“That said, large population studies show that cardiovascular events can occur early after starting NSAIDs, particularly at higher doses, which is why even short-term use should be approached cautiously in higher-risk patients.”
{Matzav.com}
The name of the victim killed in the fatal bus-ramming incident during a protest against the draft law in Yerushalayim has been cleared for publication. He has been identified as Yosef Eisental z”l, a 14-year-old yeshiva bochurim from the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim.
Yosef was a talmid in Shiur Beis at the Yeshiva L’tzeirim Ohel Torah–Ponevezh.
According to eyewitness accounts, shortly before the demonstration concluded, a group of bochurim became caught in a chaotic confrontation around a bus that had entered the protest area. Questions were raised at the scene as to how buses were permitted access to the vicinity during the demonstration.
The bus driver reportedly drove recklessly through the area, striking Yosef and causing fatal injuries.
Another bochur who had been clinging to the bus miraculously escaped without serious harm.
Levayah arrangements are being finalized.
Yosef was a son of Rav Shmuel Eisental, a R”M at Ohel Torah–Ponevezh, and a grandson of Rav Uriel Eisental, the rov of Yerushalayim’s Ramot Gimmel neighborhood.
{Matzav.com}
Disturbing eyewitness accounts have emerged from the draft protest in Yerushalayim on Tuesday evening that ended in a deadly ramming attack, when a bus drove into a crowd of demonstrators, injuring several people and killing a teenage boy.
According to witnesses at the scene, the incident unfolded after protesters blocked the bus during the demonstration. One demonstrator said that the driver appeared to act deliberately after realizing he could not continue driving.
“We stopped the bus during the protest. The driver saw that he had nowhere to go — and then he simply decided to drive into us,” the witness said. “I was thrown to the side, and he ran over three more people. After that, he drove down to a lower street and ran over another boy, who was trapped under the wheels.”
When asked about the condition of the injured, the witness said that two of the victims had suffered severe hand injuries, while he was unable to see the condition of the others.
The incident is currently under investigation by police.
Magen David Adom reported that following rescue efforts to free a victim who was trapped beneath the bus, medics pronounced an 18-year-old bochur dead at the scene. The victim was found without signs of life and had sustained severe multi-system trauma.
{Matzav.com}
A Republican lawmaker is moving forward with legislation aimed at sharply restricting immigration protections, tying the effort to growing federal investigations into alleged large-scale fraud within Minnesota’s social services network.
Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas introduced a bill this week that would eliminate Temporary Protected Status for nationals of Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Somalia. Under the proposal, individuals from those countries currently living in the United States under refugee-related protections would be required to leave the country within 180 days once the measure takes effect.
Hunt said the legislation is designed to speed up President Donald Trump’s efforts to revoke TPS for Somali immigrants living in Minnesota, arguing that the current system has failed to adequately screen those entering the country.
“It’s important that we ensure that those entering our country are properly vetted, and they clearly have not been properly vetted. So what we are trying to do is ensure that we address this, we stop this,” Hunt told Fox News Digital.
The congressman pointed to intensified scrutiny surrounding Minnesota’s Somali community, as federal prosecutors continue investigating what they believe may amount to billions of dollars in fraud involving taxpayer-funded assistance programs.
Authorities have already charged multiple defendants in connection with the theft of more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program, allegedly siphoned through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Since then, investigators have expanded their focus to include additional state-administered programs suspected of similar abuses.
Among the areas under review are state-funded childcare providers, many of which operate within the Somali community, according to officials familiar with the investigation.
The widening scandal has also carried political consequences. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced this week that he would not seek a third term, saying he did not want his campaign to divert attention from protecting Minnesotans or allow the issue to become a political weapon.
“Every minute that I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity, and the cynics who want to prey on our differences,” Walz said.
Walz has previously maintained that his administration took steps to combat fraud but pushed back against what he described as exaggerated claims by federal authorities about the scale of the wrongdoing.
Hunt rejected that explanation, arguing that Walz’s decision to step aside signals deeper problems yet to be uncovered.
“I mean, looking at Tim Walz’s decision not to seek re-election — where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There certainly is more to come out of this situation,” Hunt said. “He was clearly complicit in what was going on. That’s why he’s not seeking reelection, and so there’s a lot of ‘there’ that’s there, and it needs to be exposed, needs to be investigated.”
He added, “Making sure that we revoke these TPS designations is the beginning of cleaning up this mess.”
Beyond fraud concerns, Hunt said the legislation also addresses broader national security and cultural issues, including preventing the spread of Sharia law in the United States, something he said he witnessed firsthand during military deployments overseas.
“As somebody that has lived under Sharia law, somebody that has deployed to the Middle East, this is also a broader conversation about keeping people that hate our country out of here,” Hunt said. “And so what we’re going to do is try to pass legislation that codifies what President Trump is trying to do.”
Hunt is currently campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas.
{Matzav.com}
[Video below.] President Donald Trump delivered a blunt assessment of power in Venezuela when asked who was currently in charge, responding with a single word: “Me.”
In an interview with NBC News conducted two days after U.S. forces carried out a swift operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Nicolas Maduro, Trump indicated that American involvement in Venezuela was likely to extend well beyond the initial raid.
Trump rejected the idea that the country could move quickly toward elections, saying Venezuela was too damaged after years of socialist governance and criminal corruption. “We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election,” Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker. “There’s no way the people could even vote. … No, it’s going to take a period of time.” He added, “We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.”
Despite the scale of the operation, Trump insisted the United States was not at war with Venezuela, describing the mission instead as a campaign against narcotics trafficking and illegal migration. “We’re at war with people that sell drugs,” he said, accusing the Maduro regime of deliberately releasing prisoners and patients from mental institutions as part of the migration surge into the United States.
Maduro was arraigned in New York on charges that included narco-terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine. He pleaded not guilty and claimed he was still Venezuela’s rightful leader, even as Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in on Monday as his successor.
Trump said Rodriguez had been working with U.S. officials and noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintained a strong relationship with her. He denied, however, that there was any advance coordination surrounding Maduro’s removal, while suggesting that outreach had taken place. Trump said “a lot of people wanted to make a deal,” but that the United States opted to proceed “this way” without relying on Maduro’s inner circle.
Trump identified the senior officials overseeing the Venezuela effort, naming Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance.
The president’s comments reflected a broader readiness to deploy American power against what he described as narco-states that export drugs, instability, and mass migration, while also opening the door to securing strategic energy interests.
Trump told NBC News that the United States might help subsidize the rebuilding of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a plan he said could allow expanded production to get “up and running” in fewer than 18 months. “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent,” he said, explaining that oil companies would invest and later be reimbursed “by us or through revenue,” according to NBC’s related oil report.
He argued that bringing Venezuela’s vast oil reserves back online would help lower global oil prices, benefiting American consumers by keeping energy costs down. Gas prices were already near multiyear lows, with AAA reporting Monday’s national average at $2.81 a gallon, the lowest since March 2021.
NBC reported that major energy companies remained cautious, citing Venezuela’s history of nationalization, ongoing sanctions, and political instability as factors that made rapid investment risky.
Trump said oil companies were not briefed in advance of the raid, though discussions had previously taken place about the concept of intervention. He added that it was “too soon” to say whether he personally had spoken with top executives at Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips.
According to reports, Energy Secretary Chris Wright was expected to meet this week with executives from Exxon and ConocoPhillips to discuss Venezuela’s oil sector.
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
According to eyewitness accounts and video footage circulating from the scene, a public bus sped toward a group of demonstrators who were standing along the traffic artery on Rechov Yirmiyahu, near Shamgar Junction. The bus plowed into the protesters, striking several of them and continuing through the intersection without stopping to render assistance.
Emergency forces from Magen David Adom and the Tzvet Hatzalah were rushed to the scene in large numbers. Paramedics and EMTs provided urgent medical care to several victims suffering from varying degrees of injury, with some reported to be in serious condition. One young man was pronounced dead after becoming trapped beneath the wheels of the bus.
According to Magen David Adom, the incident appears to have unfolded in two stages. A bus first struck three pedestrians on Shamgar, leaving them with minor injuries, then continued driving and hit another pedestrian on Ohel Yehoshua, causing critical injuries.
At the scene on Shamgar, MDA medics and paramedics treated three lightly injured victims—boys aged approximately 14 and 17—who were transported to Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center for further care.
On Ohel Yehoshua, responders found a critically injured young man, about 18 years old, trapped beneath the bus. Despite extensive rescue efforts, he was pronounced dead.
What moments earlier had been chants and calls of protest quickly turned into scenes of chaos, shock, and anguish. The sounds of the demonstration were replaced by screams and cries as onlookers struggled to comprehend the horrific images before them.
Police said in a statement that the bus struck protesters amid disturbances during the demonstration and that the incident is under thorough investigation.
The driver of the bus was detained and taken in for questioning, as authorities work to determine whether the incident resulted from a loss of control or a more serious and deliberate act.
{Matzav.com}