AOC told Senate Republicans that they are “free to negotiate with me directly” on reopening the government, even though she is not a senator and the House has already passed a spending bill.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF’s takeover of the Netzarim corridor will tighten the siege on Gaza City, adding that anyone moving south must go through IDF checkpoints, while those remaining in the city will be considered terrorists or terror supporters.
A massive explosion at a weapons depot near Al-Qusayr on the Syrian-Lebanese border killed one Syrian General Security officer and injured three, amid increased Hezbollah arms-smuggling activity in the area.
A gas explosion in a Bronx apartment building on Wednesday morning caused a partial collapse, reportedly bringing down the building’s incinerator shaft. The rest of the 17-story building remained stable, no apartments were affected, and no injuries were reported.
Speaker Johnson: There’s nothing new in this legislation. The only difference today is the man who is sitting in the Oval Office. Rather than work with President Trump and Republicans to get this job done… Democrats want to play political games with the livelihoods of Americans.
Leader John Thune: “Unfortunately, we are here this morning in a government shutdown that the Democrats wanted. Chuck Schumer, at the behest of a bunch of liberal, far-left activist groups, has walked his Democrat colleagues into a boxed canyon. There’s no way out, folks.”
A short time ago, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a Houthi-launched drone from Yemen off the coast of Eilat, the military said, noting that no sirens were sounded because the drone posed no threat.
Former New York governor and current mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo issued a striking public apology Wednesday for his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — a mea culpa delivered directly to Jewish New Yorkers, the community he most visibly targeted with pandemic lockdowns. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
WATCH: Stirring And Moving ‘Kol Nidrei’ by Mordechai Ben David: Watch a young MBD sing a beautiful and moving rendition of Kol Nidrei at a Chabad Telethon 33 years ago.
Israeli commandos uncovered weapons and intelligence material in Hamas compounds during a large-scale operation in Gaza City, the military said Tuesday.
The White House has published an executive order from US President Donald Trump instructing the government to view any armed attack on Qatar as “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.” The order, a notable American commitment to ensure the security of an Arab state, is published some three weeks after an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha prompted criticism from Trump and outrage from the Qataris.
The IDF confirms it has “operational control” over the western portion of the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, preventing Palestinians from returning to Gaza City. In the past day, the 99th Division began a ground operation aimed at “strengthening and maintaining operational control over the Netzarim Corridor,” the military says. Southbound movement from Gaza City is still permitted, though Defense Minister Israel Katz said Palestinians would need to go through army checkpoints.
