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Federal investigators have concluded that every kidnapping-related message that surfaced in connection with the disappearance of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother was fraudulent, according to an FBI official familiar with the investigation.

The determination applies to the two purported ransom notes that emerged shortly after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared, as well as a third message sent more recently by someone claiming to know who was responsible for the alleged abduction, the official told Reuters.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official said, speaking anonymously because the investigation remains ongoing.

A second law enforcement source with knowledge of the case confirmed the FBI’s assessment that the notes were not authentic.

The finding casts fresh uncertainty over one of the central assumptions surrounding the investigation—that Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped in exchange for ransom. Two of the three communications had previously been widely reported as legitimate demands from abductors.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which continues to oversee the overall investigation, declined to discuss the FBI’s conclusions. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Angelica Carrillo said the agency had agreed to direct all questions about the ransom notes to the FBI.

“We don’t have any updates, other than this ⁠is still an active investigation,” Carrillo said. She added that DNA evidence and surveillance footage collected during the investigation “remain under forensic analysis.”

Each of the three messages was first sent to media organizations—including TMZ—before ultimately being turned over to investigators. Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly referenced the ransom demands in emotional videos posted online with her siblings, pleading for anyone holding their mother to contact the family directly. In one appeal, she declared, “we will pay.”

Nancy Guthrie, who was 84 and reportedly suffered from significant health problems that limited her mobility, was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31 after spending the evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law.

Although the FBI has been responsible for analyzing the alleged ransom communications, the bureau had previously declined to publicly address whether any of them appeared credible. According to the official, investigators determined that the first two notes originated from the same sender, though authorities have not disclosed how they reached that conclusion.

TMZ reported that the first note demanded a cryptocurrency payment worth “in the millions” and established payment deadlines of February 5 and February 9. NBC News later reported that the second note claimed Nancy Guthrie had died and mentioned no payment demand or offer to return her body.

Investigators also attempted to verify the legitimacy of the first ransom demand by transferring a small amount of cryptocurrency to the digital wallet specified in the message. According to the FBI official, the funds remained untouched and were never withdrawn.

That unsuccessful test, along with additional investigative techniques that have not been disclosed, led the FBI to conclude that while the first two messages came from the same source, the sender was not actually connected to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Authorities also dismissed a third communication received by TMZ last week. The sender claimed to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers and said they possessed video of the “main guy” involved in the abduction, as well as footage of the victim on the day she allegedly died.

The FBI declined to explain what evidence led investigators to determine that the third message was also fabricated.

After NBC News reported on the latest ransom communication, Savannah Guthrie used her “Today” platform to once again appeal for information about her mother’s whereabouts. She urged anyone with knowledge of the case to come forward and reminded viewers that her family is offering a $1 million reward for information, describing the family as living in “agony” since Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

Soon after the disappearance, investigators confirmed that blood discovered on the front porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home was identified through DNA testing as hers.

Public attention surrounding the case has diminished since mid-February, when the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance video showing an armed individual wearing a ski mask tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera shortly before she vanished.

Investigators later recovered a glove near the residence that resembled those worn by the masked individual. However, DNA recovered from the glove did not match any known genetic profiles in the national law enforcement database.

Despite the lack of major breakthroughs, Savannah Guthrie has said her family continues “blowing on the embers of hope” that her mother is still alive, while acknowledging the painful possibility that “she may already be gone.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel and the United States took another major step in strengthening their diplomatic partnership on Tuesday by signing an agreement allocating land for the construction of a permanent U.S. Embassy complex in Yerushalayim.

The agreement designates property at the Allenby Complex for the future embassy campus and was formalized during a signing ceremony at Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Participating in the event were Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Lion.

The United States currently operates its embassy out of the former U.S. Consulate building in Yerushalayim, which was redesignated as the embassy after President Donald Trump recognized Yerushalayim as Israel’s capital in 2017 and relocated the embassy from Tel Aviv the following year.

Huckabee hailed the agreement as another milestone in the relationship between the two allies.

“Today is another historic day for the US-Israel relationship as the US receives the property that will be the future home of the new US Embassy complex — deepening and expanding our presence in Jerusalem — the eternal capital of Israel,” he said.

Sa’ar likewise described the agreement as another significant achievement in the close partnership between the two countries.

“We mark another milestone in the unbreakable alliance between Israel and the United States,” he said, calling Israel Washington’s “most important strategic asset in the Middle East,” before adding, “just as the United States is indispensable and irreplaceable to Israel, Israel is indispensable to the United States and to its interests throughout this region.”

{Matzav.com}

Shas MK Moshe Abutbul responded Tuesday evening to the controversy surrounding remarks made at the recent protest against the arrest of bnei yeshivos, warning that opponents of the chareidi community are seizing upon every controversial statement to undermine the broader struggle on behalf of the olam haTorah.

Speaking on Kol Chai’s Hamahadura Hamerkazis with Avi Mimran, Abutbul said the current climate demands caution in public remarks, arguing that critics are searching for opportunities to damage the image of the chareidi community.

“We are in a very sensitive period,” Abutbul said. “They are searching with a fine-tooth comb for every statement we make in order to spoil and destroy every good thing we’re trying to accomplish. Sometimes, ‘hamaskil ba’eis hahi yidom.'”

Referring to the letter issued in the name of members of Shas’ Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, Abutbul said the movement has always sought to draw Jews closer rather than push them away.

“Yisroel, af al pi shechata – Yisroel hu,” he said, emphasizing that even during fierce disagreements, leaders must remain mindful of both their language and the broader public consequences of their words.

According to Abutbul, the recent controversy ended up harming efforts to advocate on behalf of bnei Torah. Rather than discussing the substantive issues raised by the rally, he said, lawmakers focused instead on the inflammatory remarks.

“Instead of discussing the issues with us seriously in today’s committee meetings, they brought this up in order to divert attention from the legitimate arguments raised at the rally,” he said. “They were looking for those two words so they could amplify them and deepen the hatred toward us.”

At the same time, Abutbul stressed that the public debate should not obscure the rally’s central message, which he said was to defend the honor of Torah and protest the arrest of bnei yeshivos.

“Bnei Torah are the crown of creation, and the entire world exists because of them,” he said. “Every success achieved by our soldiers comes בזכות the Torah learning of the bnei yeshivos. We say that without embarrassment and without blinking.”

He added that the message should be conveyed clearly, but with wisdom.

“The equation is ‘Yavneh v’Chachameha.’ The olam haTorah sustains the world, and thanks to the soldiers, the olam haTorah is able to sit and learn in safety. These are two things that complement one another.”

Abutbul also drew a distinction between the words of the generation’s leading gedolei Yisroel and those of other rabbonim and talmidei chachamim, saying the former speak with the responsibility and authority of national leadership.

“If I were to say a quarter of what Maran Rav Ovadia said, they would tear me apart like a fish,” he remarked.

Concluding the interview, Abutbul expressed hope that the controversy would soon pass and that attention would return to what he believes is the real issue.

“I believe they’ll get back to discussing the enormous contribution of the bnei Torah. We’re fighting for the olam haTorah—and we have to say that clearly.”

{Matzav.com}

A chareidi advocacy organization has sharply criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog, accusing him of applying a double standard by swiftly condemning controversial remarks made by a rav while remaining silent in the face of what it describes as incitement and police violence directed at the chareidi community.

The criticism was issued by the organization Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael, which said it had sent an urgent follow-up letter to the President’s Residence protesting what it called a recurring pattern of unequal treatment. According to the group, Herzog responded almost immediately to the remarks delivered at Monday night’s gathering in Bnei Brak, yet has failed to respond to repeated complaints regarding alleged police brutality and anti-chareidi incitement.

The organization said its latest appeal follows an earlier, detailed letter sent on June 17, 2026, outlining claims of excessive police force and documented incitement against the chareidi public. According to the group, that correspondence never received a substantive response.

Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael argued that the contrast is particularly striking. On one hand, it said, the president quickly issued a public condemnation over statements made by a chareidi rav. On the other, the organization contends that he has remained silent despite inflammatory slogans directed at chareidim—such as calls to “beat the chareidim” and “run over every dos“—as well as allegations of police violence during demonstrations on Highway 4 that, according to the group, left people injured and placed lives at risk.

“When a rav makes a controversial statement, the president responds within minutes,” the organization said. “But when an entire community is subjected to selective enforcement and severe violence, the president remains silent.”

The organization also argued that the silence is particularly troubling because the Office of the President is funded by all Israeli taxpayers, including the chareidi community. Citing figures included in its letter, the group noted that the presidential budget for 2026 exceeds 85 million shekels and that chareidim, who comprise approximately 15 percent of Israel’s population, help finance the institution.

“It is unacceptable for the chareidi public to fully participate in funding the President’s Residence, yet when it needs basic civic protection from incitement and institutional violence, it is met with a wall of silence,” the organization stated.

According to Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael, the president’s conduct sends the message that the Presidency is quick to rebuke the chareidi community when it is politically or publicly convenient, but reluctant to defend it when it comes under attack. The organization called on Herzog to apply the same moral standard to cases involving incitement against chareidim and allegations of selective law enforcement, to end what it described as the selective use of public condemnations, and to meet with representatives of the organization so they can present the evidence they have collected.

The group stressed that its appeal is not political but is instead rooted in what it called a fundamental issue of equal treatment. It argued that the president is expected to serve as the president of all Israeli citizens—not only those whose causes receive sympathy in the broader media or those whom it is easier to defend publicly.

{Matzav.com}

A federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charges an upstate New York woman with attempting to provide financial support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization by sending cryptocurrency to an individual who claimed to be an active member of the group, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Federal authorities arrested the 37-year-old woman, alleging that she transferred digital currency to Islamic Jihad as part of an effort to support the designated foreign terrorist organization.

If convicted of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

According to court documents, investigators identified the defendant as a prominent member of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL), a radical organization that emerged in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.

Prosecutors allege that DAMPL rejects peaceful protest in favor of so-called “direct action,” including vandalism, property destruction, and acts of sabotage targeting organizations and institutions it associates with Israel.

Justice Department officials said the allegations demonstrate that the defendant not only expressed support for terrorism but also allegedly attempted to send money to an individual who claimed to be actively participating in attacks.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that the woman allegedly “repeatedly voiced support for violence against Israeli civilians and attempted to provide material support to the Palestine Islamic Jihad by sending cryptocurrency to an individual who claimed to participate in its attacks. Those who aid foreign terrorist groups will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to prosecutors, the alleged financing operation was motivated by extremist ideology and relied on encrypted communications to facilitate the transfer of funds overseas.

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York said investigators were able to disrupt the financial support before it could provide additional assistance to the terrorist organization.

Federal officials also stressed that dismantling funding networks for foreign terrorist groups remains a top priority.

“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence,” said Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system.”

The investigation was led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which executed search warrants in February and March 2026. According to the complaint, forensic investigators recovered extensive communications between the suspect and a self-described Islamic Jihad terrorist in the Gaza Strip who claimed to have personally taken part in attacks against Israeli forces.

Investigators said those messages included repeated expressions of support for terrorism. According to the complaint, the suspect wrote, “[i]f I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance,” while praising the terrorist’s activities. She also wrote, “I wish every day were October 7th.” During the same exchange, prosecutors say she indicated that this was not her first contact with a terrorist, declared that she hated Jews “very much,” and expressed the wish that Israel “would disappear.”

Authorities also recovered additional conversations discussing military operations, weapons, and ammunition. In one message cited in the complaint, the suspect stated, “I feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.”

Investigators further allege that a forensic review of the woman’s cryptocurrency accounts showed she regularly converted assets into digital currency to finance terrorist activities. According to the complaint, she made approximately 80 separate cryptocurrency transfers totaling 30,116 USDC—equivalent to $30,116—to a digital wallet allegedly controlled by the Islamic Jihad operative.

The complaint also alleges that the suspect understood the legal risks of her actions. In one message sent in November 2025, she wrote, “[b]ased on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times,” followed by a laughing emoji.

Following her initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen, the defendant was ordered held in federal custody pending further proceedings.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Pennsylvania’s appeal of a lower court ruling that struck down the state’s prohibition on emergency concealed carry by adults between the ages of 18 and 20, leaving the Third Circuit’s decision in place.

The case, Lara v. Evanchick, was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, which challenged Pennsylvania laws restricting firearm carry rights for law-abiding young adults during declared states of emergency.

Explaining the significance of the case, the Duke Center for Firearms Law summarized the Third Circuit’s ruling:

“On January 18, [2024,] a panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated on Second Amendment grounds a set of Pennsylvania statutes that operated to bar 18-20-year-olds from carrying firearms in public during declared states of emergency. The ruling in Lara v. Commissioner is one of a growing number of post-Bruen decisions addressing firearm restrictions on that specific age group. Lara brings into sharp focus doctrinal and procedural questions surrounding these age-restriction cases, especially as the Supreme Court is poised to decide related questions of who may be restricted from possessing firearms in Rahimi.”

After the appellate ruling, Pennsylvania sought a rehearing before the full Third Circuit. That request was rejected, a decision the Second Amendment Foundation hailed as another victory in the case.

In announcing the outcome at the time, the organization said:

“The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a petition for a rehearing in the Second Amendment Foundation’s victory in a case challenging Pennsylvania statutes that prohibit law-abiding young adults from carrying firearms for self-defense and prevents them from acquiring a state license to carry (LTCF) because of their age.”

Pennsylvania then asked the Supreme Court to review the case by filing a petition for a writ of certiorari. On Tuesday, however, the justices declined to take up the appeal, allowing the Third Circuit’s ruling to remain in effect.

Following the Supreme Court’s action, Pennsylvania Gun Rights welcomed the decision, noting that the Court’s refusal to hear the case leaves intact what it called a “major win for gun owners in PA.”

{Matzav.com}