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White House border czar Tom Homan said there are no plans for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct sweeps at polling locations during November’s midterm elections, rejecting concerns that federal immigration officers could be deployed broadly to voting sites.

“There’s no plan to sweep polling locations,” Homan said, according to the Washington Examiner.

His comments came amid growing concern among Democratic officials and voting-rights organizations that the presence of immigration agents or other federal officers near polling places could intimidate voters or discourage some people from casting ballots.

Democratic organizations and activist groups have responded by launching an initiative called the “New Battlefield Project,” which is seeking to recruit 10,000 volunteers to monitor polling locations and prepare for the possibility of federal officers appearing at voting sites.

Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, accused the administration of using concerns about noncitizen voting and possible immigration enforcement to frighten Latino voters.

“This administration is basically using the rhetoric that undocumented citizens are voting and that they’re going to have DHS and ICE at the polls to try to intimidate and suppress the Latino vote,” Proaño told the AP.

The Trump administration has denied that it intends to send ICE agents on widespread enforcement operations at polling locations. Homan said he had not seen operational plans or discussions concerning immigration enforcement at voting sites.

His latest remarks represent the administration’s clearest assurance that ICE is not preparing a coordinated operation to search polling places for noncitizens during the November elections.

The controversy has emerged as part of a much broader political and legal fight over election procedures ahead of the midterms, with Democrats and voting-rights organizations challenging several Trump administration initiatives that they say could make voting more difficult. The administration maintains that its policies are aimed at safeguarding election integrity.

Among the measures drawing scrutiny are President Donald Trump’s efforts to change federal election procedures, including new rules affecting mail voting and stronger mechanisms for verifying U.S. citizenship.

Trump signed an executive order in March directing federal agencies to strengthen citizenship verification in federal elections and make changes involving mail and absentee voting.

Among other provisions, the administration sought greater federal access to information that could be used to verify citizenship and backed Postal Service regulations that would require states to submit information about mail voters through a federal portal and comply with new requirements for ballot envelopes.

Administration officials have maintained that the changes are intended to strengthen election security and help ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens participate in federal elections.

Trump has also repeatedly urged Congress to approve the SAVE America Act, legislation that would impose documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration in federal elections. The White House has presented the proposal as another election-integrity measure.

The administration’s effort to impose new requirements on mail ballots has faced a series of court challenges.

On Sunday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, became the second federal judge to block the Postal Service regulations. Nichols concluded that Congress gave the Postal Service authority to deliver mail, but not to require states to enroll mail voters in a federal system or refuse ballots that failed to comply with the agency’s new standards.

The rules would have required states to provide information about mail voters and obtain approval for ballot-envelope designs, with the Postal Service potentially refusing to deliver ballots that failed to satisfy the requirements. The administration sought Supreme Court intervention after an earlier injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.

Voting-rights organizations and Democratic officials have argued that imposing the requirements so close to the election could prevent otherwise valid ballots from being delivered or counted. The administration has argued that the regulations are lawful safeguards and would not override state election laws or prevent eligible voters from casting ballots.

The disputes over mail voting and citizenship verification have become part of the larger partisan battle over the administration’s election policies, with Democrats warning that the changes could discourage participation and the administration insisting that its objective is to protect the integrity of federal elections.

Homan’s statement addressed one particularly contentious aspect of that debate: He said ICE is not planning widespread immigration-enforcement operations at polling locations during the November midterms.

“There’s no plan to sweep polling locations,” Homan said.

Twenty Chabad rabbis from across the United States recently took part in an intensive five-day security program in Los Angeles that combined firearms instruction, emergency medical training and threat-response preparation, as Jewish communities contend with continuing security concerns ahead of the Yomim Tovim, the NY Post reports.

The pilot program was organized by Magen Am USA, a Los Angeles-based Jewish security organization, and drew participants from 12 states. The goal was not simply to teach rabbanim how to use firearms, organizers said, but to give Jewish communal leaders the knowledge and training needed to respond responsibly to emergencies at shuls and within their communities.

Held in August, the program brought together firearms training, emergency medicine and broader security instruction. It took place amid heightened concern over threats and attacks directed at Jewish institutions in California and across the country.

For Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, founder of Magen Am, simply encouraging more Jewish community members to carry weapons without adequate preparation is not the answer.

“Lots of people, lots of guns, little training,” Eilfort told the California Post. “That can be bad for the community.”

Magen Am operates both as a registered nonprofit organization and a California-licensed security company. Its stated mission is to help Jewish communities create and train their own security teams and improve preparedness at communal institutions.

The program comes against the backdrop of thousands of reported antisemitic incidents around the country. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism nationwide in 2025.

California accounted for 817 of those incidents, the second-highest total of any state, while 419 were recorded in the Los Angeles area. Although Los Angeles saw an overall decline from 532 incidents in 2024, the number of assaults rose 22%, reaching what the ADL said was a record high for the region.

Eilfort said Magen Am works with members of Jewish communities, law enforcement agencies and government officials to develop effective security systems. The organization also provides firearms education to the broader public.

The idea for a program specifically geared toward rabbanim emerged after Jewish religious leaders increasingly began contacting Eilfort with questions about firearms and protecting their shuls.

“We’re visibly Jewish and we walk down the street and dozens of rabbis have people yell things at them,” Eilfort said, adding that rabbis have increasingly been targeted with hate speech and protests.

An anonymous donor agreed to finance the pilot program, allowing all of the participating rabbanim to attend without paying for the training.

Interest quickly exceeded the number of available places. Magen Am said 37 rabbis applied for the 20 spots in the inaugural program.

Organizers selected participants based in part on the security challenges confronting their respective communities and the protections already available to them. Their firearms experience varied considerably. Some had never touched a gun, others owned firearms but were uncomfortable carrying them, and still others were experienced gun owners seeking more advanced instruction.

Participants traveled to Los Angeles from Alaska, Montana, Arizona, Florida, New York, Missouri and other states. California rabbanim came from communities ranging from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

The five-day program began in the morning and continued through the evening, with Magen Am providing meals and accommodations in addition to the training.

Instruction covered responsible firearm ownership, recognizing potentially dangerous situations, emergency medicine and working effectively with law enforcement.

Eilfort declined to identify the specific law enforcement agency that participated in the training.

The rabbanim were also taught how to file suspicious-activity reports and how such information is processed by fusion centers that collect and analyze potential security threats.

“It’s not all about the gun,” Eilfort said. “It’s all about community safety.”

The instructors were themselves members of the Jewish community, including some with backgrounds in the Israel Defense Forces. Eilfort, who is a rabbi, is also a licensed and certified firearms instructor and previously competed as an MMA fighter.

“I’m not a security professional who found the Jewish community,” he said. “I’m a Jewish community member who realized we need more security in our community.”

Eilfort stressed that possessing a firearm is only one component of a comprehensive approach to security.

He said responsible gun ownership must include safe storage, proper insurance, proficiency, licensing and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. He also rejected any suggestion that Magen Am was encouraging community members to act as vigilantes.

“I’m not calling for vigilantism,” he said. “I believe in doing things right.”

One Los Angeles rabbi who participated in the program said the organizers compressed material that would ordinarily require weeks or even months of instruction into five intensive days.

The rabbi, who requested anonymity, said each morning began with davening and breakfast, after which the participants moved into classroom sessions or firearms training at the shooting range.

The daily schedule combined their regular religious routine with intensive security preparation. Among the medical skills taught was how to control severe bleeding during an emergency.

On the firing range, the rabbanim learned proper and safe firearm handling, how to holster and draw a weapon, how to aim and how to react to various emergency scenarios. They were also instructed in responding safely when a firearm malfunctions, the participant said.

“Every day they were building on the previous day’s learning,” he added.

For the Los Angeles rabbi, the experience represented an especially significant step: He had never fired a gun before attending the program.

“Some participants were very good,” he said. “They wanted to become excellent. And then there was someone like me that never touched a gun.”

As the course progressed, the participants advanced from basic classroom and range instruction to what the rabbi described as “FBI-style,” practical exercises at an indoor shooting facility. The final stages were intended to test accuracy and the participants’ overall proficiency with a firearm.

“It was a high level of being accurate and to know what you’re doing with a firearm,” the rabbi said.

The strong response to the pilot suggested that demand for similar training extends well beyond the original group. After the five-day program concluded, additional rabbanim sought admission, and Eilfort said approximately 40 people were placed on a waiting list.

Magen Am is now seeking additional financial backing that could allow it to conduct another four to six rabbinic programs next year. Organizers hope the initiative could eventually expand to 10 to 12 sessions the following year.

The organization has also been broadening its overall Jewish community security operations, including establishing a new security team in San Diego.

Even after completing the intensive program, however, some of the participating rabbanim are still weighing whether carrying a firearm should become part of their personal approach to protecting their communities.

The Los Angeles rabbi said graduating from the course did not mean that he had decided to begin carrying a weapon. He is continuing to consider whether owning a firearm is appropriate for him and intends to receive additional training before reaching a decision.

“I’m still in the journey with it,” he said. “My biggest takeaway is now I know how to use a firearm. God forbid, if it’s a case of an emergency, as a rabbi, I’m prepared.”

The rabbi said the issue also raised questions for him about the responsibilities imposed by Jewish law and whether carrying a weapon could be appropriate as part of those obligations.

Ultimately, he said, the Torah’s emphasis on preserving human life provides an important consideration when confronting a genuine life-threatening emergency.

“If it’s a matter of life and death, you have to do all that you can to save a life,” he said. “So this could save a life.”

Despite the extensive preparation, the rabbi said his greatest hope is that he and the other participants will never encounter a situation in which they need to put their new training into practice.

“If we would all be able to get along and respect each other’s differences, that will really make a community and a city and a country so beautiful,” he said.

A prominent bais din in Bnei Brak has issued an unusually forceful psak targeting the widespread practice of private transportation drivers using their cellphones while driving, warning that distracted driving constitutes a genuine danger to life and that repeat offenders could ultimately face efforts to have their licenses revoked.

The ruling, issued by the Bais Din Tzedek of Bnei Brak, was signed by leading dayanim Rav Sariel Rosenberg, Rav Yehuda Silman and Rav Yitzchok Mordechai Hakohen Rubin.

The dayanim focused particularly on the growing network of private transportation drivers commonly known as “drivers,” many of whom rely on WhatsApp groups and other cellphone communications to receive and accept rides throughout the day.

Because of the competitive nature of the business, drivers may feel pressure to constantly monitor their phones, respond to messages and secure new fares even while transporting passengers. The dayanim ruled unequivocally that concerns over parnassah cannot justify putting passengers or others on the road at risk.

“One who is lenient regarding road safety may come to transgress the severe sin of actual bloodshed,” the psak states.

The ruling specifically addresses drivers who dial numbers, write or read messages, or otherwise occupy themselves with their phones while driving, thereby diverting their eyes and attention from the road.

The dayanim based their ruling on the Torah obligation of “V’nishmartem me’od l’nafshoseichem” — to carefully guard one’s life — explaining that this obligation includes both avoiding injury to others and protecting oneself from harm.

Because driving inherently carries potential danger, the letter states, every driver bears an absolute responsibility to operate his vehicle carefully, obey established traffic and safety regulations, and refrain from conduct that could endanger others.

The dayanim further write that maintaining safe roads and removing hazards is among the responsibilities of the community. In earlier eras, when batei din possessed broader communal enforcement powers, they note, local dayanim themselves would have enacted regulations designed to eliminate even the possibility of danger on the roads.

Because matters of life and death are involved, and chamira sakanta mei’issura — danger is treated even more stringently than a matter of prohibition — the bais din says such regulations would have been enforced in the strictest possible manner, with penalties imposed against reckless drivers.

The letter also cites a statement attributed to the Steipler Gaon, Rav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky zt”l, that if a Sanhedrin existed in contemporary times, the majority of drivers would be disqualified from driving because they fail to exercise sufficient caution on the roads.

Turning specifically to the current problem, the dayanim write that it has become increasingly common for transportation drivers, as well as other motorists, to engage in dialing, writing and talking on their phones while driving.

Such conduct, they write, distracts drivers from hazards that can arise without warning and places their passengers in danger.

The bais din says the community must find ways to eradicate the practice, invoking the Torah’s words, “Yadeinu lo shafchu es hadam hazeh” — “Our hands did not spill this blood.”

The letter cites earlier Gedolei Hador who ruled that the public roadway belongs to the public and that every individual therefore has an obligation to use it in a manner that does not cause harm to others.

Accordingly, the dayanim write that appropriate measures may be taken proactively to eliminate dangers before tragedy strikes.

The most striking portion of the ruling addresses what a passenger or other individual should do upon witnessing dangerous driving.

“Therefore, it is our opinion that any person who sees any driver, even a relative or acquaintance, driving in a manner that endangers the public or an individual, must warn and admonish him. If he does not cease his actions, he should ask a chacham what may be done to bring about the revocation of his license and ensure that he is held accountable for his actions,” the dayanim write.

Significantly, the ruling does not instruct witnesses to automatically report every offender to the authorities. Rather, after warning a driver who is endangering others, if the conduct continues, the individual should consult a chacham regarding what steps are permissible to take in order to have the driver’s license revoked.

The dayanim conclude with a bracha for those who conduct themselves properly on the roads, writing that they should be blessed from Shomayim to be spared from harm and destructive forces and to reach their destinations “for life, joy and peace.”

The ruling comes as the informal “drivers” industry has received increasing attention in Israel in recent months. Tax authorities recently arrested a Beit Shemesh resident suspected of operating an unauthorized taxi service, while police have also carried out enforcement efforts against drivers accused of transporting passengers for payment without the required licensing.

Meanwhile, proposed legislation intended to regulate Israel’s private transportation market, commonly referred to as the “Uber Law,” has stalled amid disagreements over a proposed compensation mechanism for traditional taxi drivers.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that the Trump administration intends to release additional government records concerning the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, following renewed demands from victims’ families for unredacted documents that could shed light on possible Saudi connections to the hijackers.

“There’ll be more records coming out,” Blanche told CBS News, saying the administration shares the families’ desire to obtain answers from the remaining government files.

Blanche firmly rejected allegations that records remain secret because the United States is attempting to shield Saudi Arabia or any other government or organization.

“The one thing that we are not doing, we’re not protecting people,” Blanche said. “The reason that we’re not releasing documents has nothing to do with protecting any government or any entity. It’s just to protect, genuine classified [information].”

His comments followed an emotional new push by relatives of 9/11 victims during Friday’s ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Family members publicly called on the Trump administration to release additional records without redactions, particularly documents they believe could provide information concerning Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of victims’ relatives have pursued lengthy litigation against Saudi Arabia, alleging that individuals with connections to the Saudi government provided assistance to two of the 19 hijackers.

President Donald Trump addressed the families’ request Sunday as he prepared to return to the United States from Ireland.

“I’m going to look at it when I get back,” Trump told reporters.

According to Blanche, some of the material that remains secret is legitimately classified because of national security considerations. At the same time, he acknowledged that the classification of other documents may no longer be justified.

“Sometimes there’s documents that are classified and they shouldn’t be,” Blanche said. “And so those are the ones that we’re going to release.”

Blanche did not say when the next batch of documents would become public.

At the heart of the families’ continuing effort are questions about whether individuals linked to Saudi Arabia assisted Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar after the two hijackers arrived in California in January 2000.

Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks were Saudi citizens. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied that its government played a role in the attacks.

Much of the families’ attention has focused on Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who encountered Hazmi and Mihdhar in San Diego and assisted them in securing housing. Bayoumi maintained that the encounter occurred by chance, while the victims’ families have alleged that his relationship with the hijackers and his connections to Saudi Arabia were more substantial than he acknowledged.

Evidence obtained through the families’ litigation included a video showing Bayoumi recording entrances to the U.S. Capitol and indicating the building’s position in relation to the Washington Monument. At portions of the recording, according to CBS News, Bayoumi referred to a “plan.”

Investigators also recovered an airplane drawing and a mathematical formula from Bayoumi’s apartment in Britain. The material was provided to the FBI in 2001, but a former FBI field investigator later told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he did not learn about it until it was on the verge of being archived or destroyed.

After obtaining the material, the investigator brought it to aviation experts, who said the formula could enable a pilot to calculate a descent rate for striking a target on the horizon. According to CBS News, that evidence had not previously been provided to FBI field agents working on the investigation or to senior intelligence officials.

Investigators have long believed that the U.S. Capitol may have been the intended destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

The 9/11 Commission concluded in its 2004 report that it had uncovered no evidence demonstrating that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually financed al-Qaida. The commission nevertheless said its conclusions did not eliminate the possibility that charities receiving significant Saudi government sponsorship had diverted funds to the terrorist organization.

The families’ civil litigation against Saudi Arabia cleared an important hurdle in August 2025, when U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels rejected an effort by the kingdom to have the claims dismissed. The judge determined that the families had presented sufficient evidence for the litigation to continue, including evidence involving Bayoumi, fellow Saudi national Fahad al-Thumairy, and alleged assistance provided to Hazmi and Mihdhar after they reached California.

The Trump administration has meanwhile already overseen the release of a substantial new collection of government records connected to 9/11.

On Friday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe declassified 71 President’s Daily Brief products covering the years leading up to the terrorist attacks through the following day. The CIA described the disclosure as its largest single release of declassified presidential briefing material connected to 9/11.

The newly available records contain intelligence assessments concerning Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, including warnings issued by U.S. intelligence agencies about possible terrorist attacks before September 11.

Those CIA documents, however, are distinct from the records victims’ families are seeking concerning possible Saudi links to the hijackers.

Blanche insisted Monday that the continued classification of some documents should not be interpreted as an effort by the government to conceal information from the public.

“It’s not as if we’re keeping records from the American people,” Blanche told CBS News.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered military officials to examine possible legal action against the creators and others involved in the controversial documentary “NAZA,” accusing the film of spreading false allegations against IDF soldiers and deliberately seeking to undermine the legitimacy of the Israeli military and the State of Israel.

Zamir convened a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss the film, which received the Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival over the weekend.

Participating in the meeting were Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tishler, the commander of Unit 8200, Brig. Gen. A., IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, and other senior commanders.

The film was created by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. According to its official synopsis, it examines what it describes as the mechanisms behind mass killing in Gaza and is based on testimony from 24 IDF soldiers and officers. Its title, “NAZA,” is derived from the Hebrew military abbreviation for nezek agavi, or collateral damage.

Zamir charged that the film represents a deliberate effort to directly damage the legitimacy of both the IDF and Israel.

“Based on the publications that have emerged thus far, this is not a film criticizing the IDF, nor is it an attempt to ascertain the truth,” Zamir said. “It is based on blood libels, a deliberate distortion of reality, and false and grave accusations against IDF soldiers and commanders.”

“This is a move against the State of Israel, not only against the IDF,” Zamir continued. “It adopts the narratives of Israel’s enemies, slanders our soldiers and commanders, and seeks to portray the IDF as deliberately acting unlawfully. This is a dangerous attempt to deny us the legitimacy to defend ourselves against the worst of our enemies — and in doing so, to genuinely endanger IDF soldiers and commanders.”

“We will not allow IDF soldiers to be turned into targets through lies and blood libels,” Zamir added. “Faced with such an attempt, we must act with determination, using all the tools at our disposal — legal, command and public diplomacy.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, Zamir ordered the establishment of a multi-agency, multidisciplinary team, led by the head of the IDF Planning Directorate, to develop methods and tools for responding to what the military says are false accusations against the IDF and its soldiers. The effort will include experts from Israel and abroad.

Zamir also directed the Military Advocate General to examine and advance possible legal measures concerning the film and those involved in its production, including in connection with what the IDF says is the dissemination of false allegations against Israeli soldiers and the potential consequences for their personal safety and Israel’s national security.

In addition, the chief of staff ordered an examination of information-security issues surrounding the production, including whether classified material may have been leaked and subsequently used by the filmmakers.

Zamir called for a broad Israeli and international public-information campaign involving the Foreign Ministry, Justice Ministry, National Public Diplomacy Directorate and other relevant agencies.

The IDF has separately issued a categorical denial of one of the central allegations reportedly presented in the film — that an Israeli strike in Gaza was planned or authorized despite an expectation that approximately 500 civilians would be killed.

In an English-language statement posted on X, the IDF called the allegation “completely false.”

Defrin called upon the filmmakers to allow IDF representatives to view the documentary in its entirety so that the military could “address each of the claims raised in it in a substantive manner.”

According to the IDF, “At no point was a strike planned, approved, or carried out in which the IDF anticipated that such a number of civilians — or even a number approaching it — would be killed.”

The military further said that throughout the war, no credible allegation had emerged of an IDF strike causing a death toll approaching 500 people. The IDF maintained that the filmmakers could not have verified the allegation, which it says lacks substantive supporting evidence, but chose to publish it nonetheless.

“NAZA” had already attracted significant international attention at its premiere last Thursday, when the filmmakers reportedly received a standing ovation lasting nearly 25 minutes at the Venice festival. The documentary draws upon investigations previously published by the Israeli outlets Local Call and +972 Magazine, as well as Britain’s Guardian.

In his acceptance speech, Abraham responded to the fierce criticism the film has generated in Israel.

“It is not easy to stand here when I think about the Israeli politicians and journalists who are attacking the film and rejecting it without having seen it at all,” Abraham said.

Abraham said the documentary was intended to present what its creators believe is the reality behind Israel’s military operations, and urged Israeli and international audiences to watch the film and consider the information it presents.

The controversy has extended beyond the IDF. Following the military’s denial, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said he had approached the Interior Ministry to determine whether legal grounds exist to revoke the Israeli citizenship of the filmmakers.

Zohar asked officials to investigate the origins of the testimony and materials appearing in the documentary and determine “whether, in obtaining or publishing them, acts were committed that amount to treason against the state or that could constitute assistance to the enemy during wartime.”

{Matzav.com}

Three Ponevezh Yeshiva bochurim in their 20s suffered burns Monday evening when boiling water from a hot-water urn spilled on them at the yeshiva in Bnei Brak, shortly after the conclusion of Tzom Gedaliah.

The three sustained burns to their hands and legs and were evacuated for further treatment at a burn clinic in Bnei Brak. Their conditions were reported to be stable, b’chasdei Shomayim.

United Hatzalah medical teams were dispatched to the scene on Abba Grossbard Street and provided initial treatment to the three injured bochurim.

Aharon Lehrer, a United Hatzalah EMT and ambulance driver who treated the victims, described what he was told had occurred.

“They told me that an urn of boiling water spilled on them, and as a result they suffered burns to their hands and legs. I provided them with medical treatment at the scene and then evacuated them for further medical treatment in stable condition,” Lehrer said.

The incident follows several other serious scalding accidents reported in Israel’s chareidi community in recent months, particularly involving young children.

During Elul, a two-year-old child in Beit Shemesh suffered burns from boiling water. A month earlier, during Av, another two-year-old in Rechasim was burned by a Shabbos hot-water urn. A similar accident was reported in Beitar Illit during the preparations for Pesach.

Emergency organizations have repeatedly warned families to take particular precautions with hot-water urns and electric kettles. They recommend placing such appliances in locations completely inaccessible to children and ensuring that their electrical cords cannot be reached or pulled by children.

{Matzav.com}