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Hunter Biden sharply criticized former Attorney General Merrick Garland during a podcast interview released Sunday, calling Garland’s appointment the biggest mistake of President Joe Biden’s time in office. Hunter argued that Garland failed to aggressively pursue President Donald Trump while simultaneously overseeing the investigation into him.

Appearing on the “I’ve Had It” podcast, host Jennifer Welch blasted Garland and the Justice Department for what she said was its failure to prosecute Trump while pursuing charges against Hunter Biden. She asked Hunter for his thoughts on what she characterized as Democrats surrendering to Republican pressure by backing Garland’s nomination.

“One of the things that pisses me off is the Merrick Garland DOJ and the not prosecuting of Trump. And that they prosecuted you,” Welch said in part when teeing up her question.

Hunter Biden responded that, putting aside his own legal troubles, he believes Garland’s leadership proved to be his father’s greatest error in office.

“My take is this, and removing myself from it as much as I can, my personal feelings, is the single greatest mistake of my father’s administration was the leadership of Merrick Garland,” Hunter Biden said.

He went on to argue that Garland bears much of the responsibility for the nation’s current political climate, while acknowledging that the ultimate decision rested with his father, who selected Garland for the job.

“The reason that we are in the situation that we’re in right now can almost… by the way, the buck has to stop with my dad. He was the president and he chose him. Now, once he chose him, he played by the, you know, a higher standard than the Marquess of Queensberry rules. He played by the Constitution and the tradition that the president will never, you know, particularly since Nixon, involve himself in any decision-making as relates to anything at the Department of Justice. So, I guarantee you there was a division between church and state there.”

Hunter Biden also faulted Garland for not launching what he believed should have been an immediate and forceful criminal investigation into Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He alleged that the events surrounding the attack amounted to a coordinated effort to overturn the 2020 election.

“[I]f Merrick Garland had started a completely 100% legitimate investigation rather than thinking like let’s not fan the flames… did you not watch what I watched? Did you not see the people storming the Capitol of the United States of America, beating cops and running congressmen and senators literally out of the building? You didn’t see that? You didn’t see a president and know that it was a concerted and planned effort on their part beginning all the way back from the day before the election when they knew they were going,” Hunter Biden said.

Throughout the discussion, both Hunter Biden and Welch portrayed Garland as a political moderate whose appointment was intended to attract bipartisan support. They suggested that President Biden selected him in part because Garland had previously been nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama but was never confirmed.

“Obama picks this milquetoast candidate. Your dad is a decent man, felt bad about what happened to Merrick Garland. And he played integrity politics. Like, well, ‘I’m going to make him whole and make him attorney general.’ And then Merrick Garland gets there, and he’s like, ‘Well, we can’t upset these crusty White Republicans,’” Welch said.

“Massive mistake,” Hunter Biden said.

Hunter Biden had been under federal investigation since 2018, during President Trump’s first administration. In the closing weeks of his presidency, Joe Biden issued his son a sweeping pardon covering any federal offenses he “has committed or may have committed” between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024.

{Matzav.com}

Andy Burnham officially became Britain’s new prime minister on Monday, completing the formal transfer of power after taking over as leader of the governing Labour Party. During a ceremonial audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, Burnham was invited to form a new government, bringing Keir Starmer’s premiership to an end and marking another leadership transition in Britain’s often-turbulent political landscape.

Buckingham Palace released an official photograph showing Burnham and King Charles III shaking hands during the constitutional ceremony traditionally known as “kissing hands,” the formal process that signifies the appointment of a new prime minister.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace announced that the king “received in audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

Burnham assumes office as Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016, following his victory Friday in the race to replace Starmer as leader of the center-left Labour Party.

Before leaving Downing Street for the last time, Starmer delivered a brief farewell address outside the prime minister’s official residence, declaring, “my work is done.”

The departing Labour leader, whose resignation followed mounting pressure from within his own party, maintained that Britain had become “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he first entered office.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” Starmer said before traveling to Buckingham Palace to formally submit his resignation to the king. Buckingham Palace later confirmed that it was an offer “His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept,” the palace said in a statement.

Following Starmer’s departure, Burnham traveled to Buckingham Palace, where King Charles formally invited him to establish a new administration, officially making him prime minister through the long-standing constitutional tradition known as “kissing hands.”

Although the ceremony reflects Britain’s centuries-old monarchical traditions, the king no longer plays a political role in selecting the nation’s leader. Instead, the monarch formally appoints the individual who leads the political party capable of commanding a majority in the House of Commons. Despite the ceremonial name, no actual hand-kissing takes place.

Britain’s parliamentary system allows a governing party to replace its leader—and therefore the prime minister—without holding a nationwide election. While the next general election is not required until 2029, Burnham has the authority to call one earlier if he chooses.

After leaving Buckingham Palace, Burnham was scheduled to return to 10 Downing Street to deliver his first address as Britain’s new prime minister.

According to a spokesperson, Burnham plans to acknowledge that the country has experienced repeated leadership changes over the past decade and will promise to bring greater stability to British politics.

Ironically, Starmer delivered a nearly identical message when he entered office two years ago. However, after a series of political setbacks and controversial decisions weakened his standing among both Labour lawmakers and the public, he announced last month that he would step aside.

Burnham faced no opposition in Labour’s leadership contest, winning overwhelming backing from 379 of the party’s 403 members in the House of Commons.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester has promised to lower the temperature in British politics, raise living standards nationwide, and “bring back the hope we have all been missing.”

“I will work to build a new politics,” he said after becoming Labour leader on Friday. “The country is crying out for it.”

With Burnham now in office, both allies and political opponents are expected to press for specifics on how he intends to turn those campaign promises into government policy.

“Fundamentally, it only will work if you can generate significant economic growth, because it’s the lack of growth that’s really holding the country back,” said Joshi Herrmann, who has followed Burnham’s career as founder of Manchester news site The Mill.

One of Burnham’s first major decisions will be assembling his Cabinet. Observers expect him to reshuffle Starmer’s senior ministers, particularly in key positions such as chancellor, foreign secretary, and home secretary.

When he accepted Labour’s leadership, Burnham praised Starmer’s accomplishments and pledged that he would “build on the foundation laid” by his predecessor.

Starmer first became Labour leader in 2020 following one of the party’s worst electoral defeats and later guided Labour to a commanding general election victory in 2024. Yet once in government, his administration struggled to overcome the demands and political pressures of governing.

During his final appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday, Starmer pointed to what he viewed as the successes of his administration, highlighting Britain’s continued backing of Ukraine as well as several domestic accomplishments.

He cited expanded workplace protections, declining child poverty, legislation aimed at preventing official cover-ups after national tragedies, and increased defense spending as major achievements of his government.

“In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024,” Starmer said in his final remarks before leaving Downing St, hand-in-hand with his wife Victoria.

“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister. I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.”

{Matzav.com}

Political strategist Roni Rimon says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knowingly accepted a potential political cost among moderate Likud voters by backing a series of chareidi-backed bills, calculating that preserving his alliance with the chareidi parties is more important for the coalition battles that may follow the next election.

Writing after the Knesset passed several measures sought by the chareidi parties—including the Basic Law recognizing Torah study, legislation halting the arrests of bnei yeshiva classified as draft evaders, a law permitting gender-separate higher education programs, and legislation restoring the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive authority over kashrus certification—Rimon argued that the legislation should be viewed through both political and substantive lenses.

According to Rimon, the legislation was driven primarily by political considerations and the need for the chareidi parties to demonstrate to their constituents that they are delivering tangible results, particularly on the highly sensitive issue of military conscription.

He said the two most significant measures—the Basic Law on Torah study and the law freezing the arrests of draft-eligible bnei yeshiva—were intended to send a clear message to chareidi voters that their representatives had succeeded in addressing their community’s greatest concern.

Rimon argued that Netanyahu played a central role in advancing the legislation because he views maintaining his partnership with the chareidi parties as essential to any future governing coalition.

According to Rimon, Netanyahu wants to prevent the chareidi parties from eventually aligning themselves with opposition leaders such as Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, or others after the next election.

At the same time, Rimon believes Netanyahu’s support for the legislation could come at a political price within his own party.

He identified moderate and liberal Likud supporters—often described as the party’s “soft Likud” voters—as the constituency most likely to object. Many of those voters, he said, have drifted toward opposition parties in recent polling because of dissatisfaction with aspects of Likud’s conduct in recent years.

Rimon suggested that Netanyahu recognizes this trend and has therefore sought to refresh the Likud slate with new outside candidates who could present the party as more moderate and liberal.

Even so, he believes the passage of the chareidi-backed legislation may make it more difficult for those former Likud voters to return.

“In my assessment,” Rimon wrote, “this week’s votes will cost Likud several seats, and Netanyahu nevertheless decided to stand with the chareidim in order to preserve the alliance.”

Rimon also discussed the High Court’s decision to suspend implementation of the law freezing the arrests of draft evaders.

He said he had predicted throughout the week that the law would quickly be blocked because it applied only to chareidim and therefore failed to meet the principle of equality.

According to Rimon, lawmakers could have avoided that outcome by drafting the legislation differently.

He suggested passing a temporary law suspending the arrests of all draft evaders, regardless of sector, until after the election.

“In that case,” he argued, “the High Court would have found it much more difficult to block the law because it would have applied equally to both chareidim and secular Israelis.”

Why lawmakers chose not to pursue that approach, he wrote, “only Hashem knows.”

Looking ahead, Rimon predicted that if Israel’s security situation remains relatively calm, the issue of chareidi enlistment will become one of the central themes of the next election campaign.

He believes opposition parties will make the issue a focal point of their campaigns, targeting what he described as one of Likud’s political vulnerabilities.

{Matzav.com}

As thousands of bochurim prepare to transition from yeshiva ketanah to yeshiva gedolah, Maran Rav Dov Landau shared extensive guidance on spiritual growth, success in learning, and the proper focus of a ben Torah. The question-and-answer session was recorded in advance of a recent Dirshu gathering for incoming bochurim.

The interviewer noted that each year thousands of bochurim attend the event and are eager to hear guidance from the rosh yeshiva. Rav Landau agreed to answer a series of questions relevant to this pivotal stage in their lives.

Asked about a well-known story related by Rav Moshe Deutsch about the Chazon Ish—that he “learned and learned, and then learned some more”—Rav Landau explained that the lesson encompasses two qualities.

“Both are true,” he said. “Constant diligence and total immersion. His diligence was such that even when the sefer was closed, the learning was always before his eyes.”

When asked how a bochur can develop enjoyment and sweetness in learning, Rav Landau replied that every positive effort helps.

“Everything is good. Every good thing is beneficial.”

Pressed to identify the most important factor in acquiring a true taste for learning, Rav Landau emphasized the importance of tefillah.

“The greatest influence? Tefillah is asking Hashem. If Hashem gives it to him, then he has it. If not, then he does not. We ask—we do not demand.”

When the interviewer suggested that prayer is therefore the primary hishtadlus, Rav Landau agreed, while stressing that a bochur must also become deeply immersed in his learning.

“Yes. And especially through complete immersion in learning. The learning has to occupy his mind. He should live with what he is learning. When he encounters a new insight, he should think about it.”

Rav Landau elaborated that genuine growth comes from stopping to appreciate every fresh insight in Torah rather than rushing ahead.

Quoting the Chofetz Chaim, he said a person should always ask himself, “What would I have thought had this not been written?” He also related a story about the Brisker Rav, who as a young man admired not merely the Rogatchover Gaon’s brilliance, but his ability to stop and carefully analyze every novel idea.

“When something truly new suddenly occurs to you,” Rav Landau said, “your eyes should light up. You should be excited. Every genuine chiddush should awaken a sense of wonder.”

Turning to the transition from yeshiva ketanah to yeshiva gedolah, the interviewer suggested that older bochurim are given greater independence.

Rav Landau expressed surprise.

“There is a mashgiach, and there is a rosh yeshiva…”

When it was suggested that bochurim nevertheless enjoy greater freedom in organizing their schedules, he responded that they should simply follow the established routine of the yeshiva.

“The yeshiva has its schedule. Why not follow it?”

He emphasized that discipline is indispensable.

“If he is disciplined, he should remain disciplined and follow what the yeshiva requires. He may think he’s a great genius, but he must be disciplined.”

Rav Landau added that proper bein adam l’chaveiro is equally essential to acquiring Torah.

“Without that, a person cannot acquire Torah.”

Asked whether interpersonal conduct actually enhances learning, he replied that it certainly does.

“That is the accepted understanding, and it is self-evident. Listen to the other person until he finishes, even if you already have an opposing argument.”

The conversation then turned to attending shiurim. Some bochurim, the interviewer noted, believe they can learn everything independently from seforim or recordings.

Rav Landau dismissed the notion.

“There are even greater foolish ideas than that…”

He encouraged attending shiurim regularly and recommended writing notes whenever possible.

“Not everyone is capable of writing, but for someone who can, it is very good. Later he will enjoy having those notes. Even while writing, new ideas develop. When a person writes, he thinks more deeply about what he is learning. But it depends on the personality of each bochur—not everyone is the same.”

Asked about the challenge many bochurim face in waking up for Shacharis, especially after going to sleep late, Rav Landau answered without hesitation.

“Certainly. Certainly.”

When asked whether attending a later minyan of avreichim might be acceptable, he smiled at the repeated qualifications.

“If… if… there are many ‘ifs.’ If he doesn’t want to get up… then he should get up! Set an alarm clock and get up. The Mechaber says, ‘Strengthen yourself like a lion.’ Once you become accustomed to it, it becomes very easy.”

The interviewer also asked whether young bochurim should spend time studying issues of secularism, modernity, religion and state, particularly given today’s heated public debates.

Rav Landau advised them not to become preoccupied with such matters.

“They should not think about it so much.”

Asked directly whether bochurim should involve themselves in issues of religion and the state, he replied:

“They should learn. They should not be thinking about those things. They should think about their learning. And about bein adam l’chaveiro. Respecting another person is extremely important—listening to him, rejoicing when things go well for him, and if, chas v’shalom, things are not going well, sharing in his pain. As much as possible, live with the other person.”

Concluding the session, the interviewer asked the rosh yeshiva to offer a brachah to the thousands of bochurim preparing to enter yeshiva gedolah.

“May Hashem help us with Siyata DiShmaya. They should know that the world stands upon them. The world exists because of them. The study of Torah is what protects us, and it has always protected us. May Hashem help that all the persecutions disappear like a passing dream, like a vanishing cloud, like a blowing wind. May we merit great blessings in every area, and for all of Klal Yisroel, may we merit the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu speedily in our days. Amen.”

{Matzav.com}