Moscow has brushed aside President Trump’s new proposal to halt the war in Ukraine by freezing both sides at their current positions, insisting that “Russia’s stance doesn’t change.”
Responding to Trump’s weekend call for an immediate end to the fighting — one that would effectively leave each side in control of the land it presently holds — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked the idea that Kyiv would be allowed to retain portions of the Donbas region.
“This topic was repeatedly raised in various forms during contacts between Russia and the US. The Russian side answered every time, this answer is well known: The consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change,” Peskov told local outlets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long maintained that Ukraine must fully relinquish the Donbas before Moscow will consider any cease-fire arrangement.
At present, Russian forces occupy most of the Donbas region — holding all of Luhansk Oblast and roughly three-quarters of Donetsk Oblast, according to open-source tracking and military analysts.
Still, Moscow’s army has been unable to seize Donetsk’s heavily fortified “fortress belt,” which has successfully pushed back Russian offensives for over three years.
Kyiv has steadfastly refused to entertain any proposal that involves surrendering the region, warning that doing so would allow Moscow to regroup and more easily overrun the rest of the country once the Donetsk defenses are dismantled.
According to the Washington Post, Putin told Trump in a recent phone call — which took place before Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — that Russia expects Kyiv to yield Donetsk as part of any truce.
Following that conversation, Trump sat down with Zelensky for a three-hour discussion in which he outlined his plan to end hostilities and “stop where they are.”
“So what I say is they should stop right now at the battle lines. Go home, stop killing people and be done,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
Trump rejected claims that the session with Zelensky turned heated or that he pressured the Ukrainian leader to cede the entire Donbas or face destruction at the hands of Russia.
Despite dismissing Trump’s cease-fire suggestion, Peskov noted that the Kremlin remains open to a face-to-face between Trump and Putin to continue negotiations.
The two leaders are reportedly planning to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks, though it is unclear whether Zelensky will take part.
Trump and Putin last conferred during a summit in Alaska earlier this summer.
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday evening that it has taken possession of the body of an Israeli hostage, handed over by the Red Cross after being collected from Hamas operatives earlier in the day.
“The IDF requests that people act with sensitivity and await the official identification that will first be given to the families of the hostages. Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and to make all necessary efforts to return the fallen hostages,” the military said in a statement.
A short time later, the army clarified: “According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages.”
Following the arrival of the coffin to Israeli forces, the Chief Military Rabbi is expected to lead a brief service, which will include the recitation of Tehillim and the draping of the Israeli flag over the coffin.
{Matzav.com}
The federal government shutdown has now stretched into its twentieth day, officially marking it as the longest full closure in American history — and the third-longest overall, surpassed only by the 35-day partial shutdown of 2018–19 and the 21-day standoff of 1995–96.
The Senate is preparing for another vote on the continuing resolution already passed by the House, scheduled for Monday evening. Lawmakers, however, are bracing for what would be the eleventh failed effort to end the standoff.
“Since the Democrats recklessly shut down the United States government, the Democrats are making some very costly history here: Don’t lose that in all that’s happening,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday at his daily briefing. “This is now the third longest shutdown in history. And when you look at it carefully, it is now already the longest full shutdown of all time. You had an example in 2018, and you had one back in 1995 that were longer, but they were partial shutdowns because they only affected a part of the federal government. This is everything.”
Republicans plan to advance a separate measure this week that would allow federal workers to receive pay during the shutdown. Democrats, however, are dismissing the effort as a political stunt meant to benefit President Donald Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought — and have indicated they will not support it, according to Punchbowl News.
Trump and Vought have pledged to hold firm until Senate Democrats agree to reopen the government under spending limits below those set by President Joe Biden. The two have argued that the shutdown is an opportunity to trim federal programs that favor Democratic priorities.
While most Democrats are united in opposing the House measure, a handful have begun to break ranks. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his colleagues for refusing to take responsibility for the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire later this year.
“It’s also important for us to note this is the first time in history that any party has had the audacity to shut down the government over a totally clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution,” Johnson said again at his briefing. “This is a political stunt, and it’s the first time it’s been done. It is the most costly, most selfish, most dangerous political stunt in the history of the United States Congress.”
As the shutdown enters its third week, the consequences are deepening. Federal workers will go without their first full paycheck this week, prompting some banks and credit unions to extend emergency loans to affected employees. Air traffic controllers have warned that staff shortages could soon disrupt flights nationwide.
Meanwhile, the USDA’s loan and grant programs for farmers and small businesses have ground to a halt, leaving many without critical funding.
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans are expected to meet with Trump in the newly renovated Rose Garden. The gathering, largely symbolic, underscores the party’s continued solidarity with the White House as the standoff drags on.
With essential programs faltering and the November 1 funding deadline looming, lawmakers face mounting pressure to end the crisis — or risk cementing this episode as one of the most damaging shutdowns in modern U.S. history.
According to USA Today, here’s how this shutdown compares to the longest in U.S. history (ranked by duration):
2019 under Trump – 35 days
1996 under President Bill Clinton – 21 days
2025 under Trump – 20 days
1978 under President Jimmy Carter – 17 days (tied)
2013 under President Barack Obama – 17 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 12 days
1976 under President Gerald Ford – 11 days (tied)
1979 under Carter – 11 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 8 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 8 days (tied)
1995 under President Bill Clinton – 5 days
1990 under President George H.W. Bush – 4 days
2018 under Trump – 3 days (tied)
1982 under President Ronald Reagan – 3 days (tied)
1983 under Reagan – 3 days (tied)
1981 under Reagan – 2 days (tied)
1984 under Reagan – 2 days (tied)
1982 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1984 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1986 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1987 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
2018 under Trump – several hours
“The Senate Democrats have zero shame about this,” Johnson said. “They don’t have any shame at all about the pain that they’re inflicting upon hardworking families, upon soldiers and law enforcement officers and veterans, the elderly and the disabled, women, infants, and children. Services to all those categories and paychecks to those folks are being stalled because Democrats are playing games today.”
{Matzav.com}
A surprising new poll shows that Andrew Cuomo could come within striking distance of left-wing frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race — but only if Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa steps aside.
According to results from Gotham Polling and AARP New York, 44.6% of voters said they would support Mamdani if Sliwa exited the race, compared to 40.7% who would back Cuomo. With the survey’s 4-point margin of error, Cuomo would be nearly neck-and-neck with the Queens assemblyman.
When all three candidates remain on the ballot, Mamdani still leads decisively, drawing 43.2% of the vote to Cuomo’s 28.9% and Sliwa’s 19.4%, the poll revealed.
The data also indicates that undecided voters skew older — with nearly 78% of them aged 50 or above — a demographic that could significantly benefit Cuomo, while Mamdani continues to dominate among younger voters.
“The decisive factor in this race may be the older voters who haven’t yet made up their minds,” said Stephen Graves, president of Gotham Polling & Analytics. “If the contest narrows to two leading candidates, the 50-plus electorate — by far the most reliable voting bloc — will likely determine who becomes the next mayor of New York City.”
The survey was modeled after 2021 general election turnout, when fewer than 40% of voters were under 50. Analysts cautioned that this may undercount Mamdani’s strength, as his campaign has since registered tens of thousands of younger voters, potentially shifting turnout to an even split between age groups this November.
Despite the poll’s projections, both Cuomo and Sliwa have vowed to stay in the race. Cuomo, running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Sliwa, representing Republicans, have each dismissed suggestions that they should step aside.
Researchers surveyed 1,040 likely voters over two days last week. Across all age groups, respondents cited the cost of living as their top concern, with 63.6% naming it their primary issue. Public safety followed at 48.6%, while 38.9% pointed to housing affordability as their main worry.
Nearly 43% of voters identified as very liberal or somewhat liberal — a clear advantage for Mamdani — while just over 23% described themselves as somewhat or very conservative.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, shocked the political establishment when he defeated Cuomo and outgoing Mayor Eric Adams in June’s Democratic primary. Born in Uganda and raised in New York, Mamdani calls himself a proud socialist.
His progressive positions have sparked controversy in political and Jewish circles alike, particularly due to his sharp criticism of Israel and his refusal to denounce Hamas.
Cuomo, age 67, who previously served as New York’s governor and as U.S. housing secretary, took aim at Mamdani’s inexperience during the first of two recent mayoral debates. On Sunday, he again targeted Sliwa, labeling him a “spoiler” and urging him to withdraw.
“The problem is Curtis Sliwa is a spoiler in the race,” Cuomo said on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable.” “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Mamdani.”
Sliwa, 71, founder of the Guardian Angels and a longtime radio host, fired back during last week’s debate, insisting that Cuomo should be the one to step aside instead.
The Gotham/AARP poll concluded that older New Yorkers could once again tip the balance.
“Once again, New York’s older voters are poised to decide this election,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director. “These are issues that matter not only to older adults and to New Yorkers of every generation.”
{Matzav.com}
After several months of quiet, the IDF Military Police have resumed their controversial operations targeting yeshiva students who have not reported for military service. The renewed effort began overnight with an attempted arrest in the chareidi neighborhood of Neve Yaakov in northern Yerushalayim.
The incident, which occurred shortly after midnight between Sunday and Monday, saw Military Police investigators attempt to detain a yeshiva student at his home on Edmond Fleg Street. Within minutes, large crowds of local residents gathered in protest, leading to a major confrontation that forced the police to retreat from the area without completing the arrest.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as residents poured into the streets, chanting and blocking police vehicles. The Peleg Yerushalmi issued a statement claiming responsibility for the resistance. “The masses who arrived prevented the arrest, and the police withdrew,” the statement read. “Eyewitnesses reported that the Military Police used force in an attempt to break down the door.”
The dramatic standoff marks the first such attempt in months. Until now, the Military Police had largely confined their operations to airport arrests — detaining yeshiva students identified as draft evaders when attempting to leave or return to the country.
The renewed activity comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the draft issue and ongoing debates within the government over the future of the draft law. Community leaders in Neve Yaakov condemned the incident, warning that any attempt to arrest yeshiva students from their homes risks inflaming already fragile relations between the religious community and the state.
For now, the yeshiva student remains free, and police sources say the operation will be reviewed, though indications suggest that further arrest attempts could follow in the coming weeks as enforcement intensifies.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s governing coalition is reportedly considering a dramatic political move: lowering Israel’s electoral threshold, a step that could reshape the upcoming elections and determine the fate of several parties currently hovering near the cutoff.
According to a report by journalist Amit Segal on Channel 12 News, discussions are underway within the coalition to reduce the threshold from its current 3.25% (equivalent to four Knesset seats) amid growing concern over polls showing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party struggling to cross it. Such a scenario could lead to the loss of thousands of right-wing votes and potentially shift the balance of power in the next election.
The talks come as the political establishment begins to gear up for elections expected sometime within the coming year, though the exact date remains unclear due to ongoing coalition disputes and legislative uncertainty.
MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee — the body that would oversee any such legislative amendment — has reportedly been holding meetings with representatives from multiple factions to gauge support for the proposal. Among those he has met with is Hadash-Ta’al chairman MK Ayman Odeh, signaling an effort to secure a broad parliamentary majority for the change.
Sources within the coalition believe that lowering the threshold could garner significant support across party lines. However, one major opponent has already emerged: Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who is said to oppose the idea out of concern that it could pave the way for the return of a rival Sephardic party led by Eli Yishai, potentially siphoning off votes from Shas’s traditional base.
Segal reported that “Shas, which enjoys a monopoly over the Sephardic chareidi electorate, currently opposes the proposal, fearing the emergence of new parties that could threaten that dominance.”
In light of this opposition, coalition officials are reportedly holding quiet talks with Shas to win its backing. One idea under discussion is to establish a broad surplus-vote agreement among right-wing parties — a strategy aimed at reassuring Deri that lowering the threshold would not endanger Shas politically.
If approved, the change could have far-reaching implications not only for Smotrich but also for centrist factions such as Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which has also seen fluctuating polling numbers in recent weeks. The move, supporters argue, would prevent wasted votes and ensure greater political representation — but critics warn it could open the door to a proliferation of small, unstable parties in the Knesset.
{Matzav.com}
