The 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has declared that the 716th Military Police Battalion will deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border to support existing military forces and Customs and Border Protection.
Syrian authorities have intercepted a weapons shipment destined for the Hezbollah terror group. The arms were reportedly being smuggled through routes along the Lebanon-Syria border near the city of Sarghaya.
Thousands of Gazans are assembling near the Netzarim corridor, but Prime Minister Netanyahu is steadfast in his decision to block their northward passage through the corridor until Arbel Yehud is returned home to Israel.
Defense Minister Katz told Secretary Hegseth that U.S.-Israel defense ties, based on shared values, are crucial, especially post-October 7th, with Israel facing a multi-front Iranian threat, showcasing the strength of their partnership.
The Hamas terror group on Sunday claimed that it provided evidence to mediators that Arbel Yehud is alive and guarantees she will be released. According to the ceasefire/hostage deal agreement, Hamas was supposed to release all female civilians before the IDF soldiers. In a violation of the agreement, Hamas released four female IDF soldiers on Shabbos while Yehud remained in captivity. The delay is reportedly due to a dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group. Yehud is being held by terrorists from a Salafi organization linked to Islamic jihad. In return, Israel has prevented the return of northern Gazans to their homes. According to the agreement, Israel was scheduled to allow their return on Sunday. However, after Hamas failed to release Yehud, Israel said that it will prevent the return of Gazans to their homes in the north until Yehud’s release is guaranteed and Hamas transfers a report on the condition of the remaining hostages, as it is obligated to do per the agreement. Meanwhile, a huge crowd of thousands of Gazans gathered on Motzei Shabbos and Sunday near the Netzarim Corridor waiting to cross to the northern part of the Strip, with many of them sleeping there on the ground overnight. Israel has not yet commented on Hamas’ claims. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
President Donald Trump came to Las Vegas on Saturday to crow about his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on tips, signaling to allies in Congress the importance of the policy but stopping well short of offering details for making the slogan a reality. Instead, Trump spent most of his 40 minutes speaking to roughly 1,000 supporters in a casino ballroom lauding his November election victory, mocking former President Joe Biden’s administration and touting his torrent of executive actions since taking office Monday. “But I have to be honest with you, I’m really here for a different reason, I’m here to say thank you,” Trump told the crowd at Circa Resort & Casino. The victory lap, Trump’s first swing-state rally since taking office, came after he won Nevada’s six electoral votes in November, becoming the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to carry the state. It was part of Trump’s sweep of all seven of the most competitive states that gave him a healthy electoral majority and a second, non-consecutive term. Aides said Trump’s stop in Nevada was to deliver an “economic-focused message” built around his familiar promise to hospitality industry workers to remove the tax on gratuity income. “We’re going to get it for you — ‘no tax on tips,’” Trump said, standing behind a podium emblazoned with the same slogan he used throughout the 2024 campaign. After the rally, Trump strode through the Circa casino floor past its purple-hewed velvet tables, to cheers from visitors of “USA, USA.” At a roulette table, a player yelled, “Give me $47 on 47,” for Trump, now the 47th president. “Ohh,” Trump lamented at the losing throw but he signed autographs as supporters hooted. If light on detail, Trump’s comments on tips were a signal to Republicans in Congress that the proposal is a priority for the massive tax package they intend to pass this year. Trump is set to meet House Republicans on Monday as they gather in Florida to chart the strategy ahead. Speaker Mike Johnson, who is laboring to get the package moving forward, invited Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4, a tradition for new presidents, who don’t deliver a State of the Union address until their second year in office. Johnson said lawmakers working with Trump hope to make the next four years “some of the most consequential in our nation’s history.” Nevada is a familiar backdrop to talk tips and taxation. As a candidate, Trump first announced the idea of ending gratuity taxes during a rally in June in Las Vegas — a proposal later copied by his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are 2.24 million restaurant servers across the country, with tips making up a large percentage of their income. In Las Vegas, the 24-hour economy is fueled by everyone from wait staff and valet parkers to hotel maids and casino dealers, all of whom collect tips. Nevada has the nation’s highest concentration of tipped workers, with about 25.8 waiters and waitresses alone per 1,000 jobs, followed by Hawaii and Florida. Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union, which represents about 60,000 hospitality workers across Nevada, said Trump’s plans “must not end” with scrapping taxation on tips. “Eliminating taxes on tips and ending […]
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The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion. The finding is not the result of any new intelligence, and the report was completed at the behest of the Biden administration and former CIA Director William Burns. It was declassified and released Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, John Ratcliffe, who was sworn in Thursday as director. The nuanced finding suggests the agency believes the totality of evidence makes a lab origin more likely than a natural origin. But the agency’s assessment assigns a low degree of confidence to this conclusion, suggesting the evidence is deficient, inconclusive or contradictory. Earlier reports on the origins of COVID-19 have split over whether the coronavirus emerged from a Chinese lab, potentially by mistake, or whether it arose naturally. The new assessment is not likely to settle the debate. In fact, intelligence officials say it may never be resolved, due to a lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities. The CIA “continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible,” the agency wrote in a statement about its new assessment. Instead of new evidence, the conclusion was based on fresh analyses of intelligence about the spread of the virus, its scientific properties and the work and conditions of China’s virology labs. Lawmakers have pressured America’s spy agencies for more information about the origins of the virus, which led to lockdowns, economic upheaval and millions of deaths. It’s a question with significant domestic and geopolitical implications as the world continues to grapple with the pandemic’s legacy. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Saturday he was “pleased the CIA concluded in the final days of the Biden administration that the lab-leak theory is the most plausible explanation” and he commended Ratcliffe for declassifying the assessment. “Now, the most important thing is to make China pay for unleashing a plague on the world,” Cotton said in a statement. Chinese authorities have dismissed speculation about COVID’s origins as unhelpful and motivated by politics. On Saturday, a spokesperson for China’s U.S. embassy said the CIA report has no credibility. “We firmly oppose the politicization and stigmatization of the source of the virus, and once again call on everyone to respect science and stay away from conspiracy theories,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. While the origin of the virus remains unknown, scientists think the most likely hypothesis is that it circulated in bats, like many coronaviruses, before infecting another species, probably racoon dogs, civet cats or bamboo rats. In turn, the infection spread to humans handling or butchering those animals at a market in Wuhan, where the first human cases appeared in late November 2019. Some official investigations, however, have raised the the question of whether the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan. Two years ago a report by the Energy Department concluded a lab leak was the most likely origin, though that report also expressed low confidence in the finding. The same year then-FBI Director Christopher […]
In a blatant act of legal bullying, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara prohibited the Judicial Selection Committee from investigating the serious allegations against Judge Yitzchak Amit, paving the way for him to be elected as President of the Supreme Court on Sunday afternoon. Justice Minister Yariv Levin had requested that Amit’s appointment be delayed until the allegations against him could be thoroughly investigated. Baharav-Miara not only refused the request but called the legal advisor to the Judicial Selection Committee, Leah Rakover, and banned her from even carrying out a preliminary investigation of the claims against him. According to Channel 12 News, the conversation between Baharav-Miara and Rakover, who wanted to at least carry out a preliminary investigation, was very “tense.” More and more reports by outlets such as Ynet, Channel 12, and Kan News, have revealed serious ethical concerns about Amit, including his involvement in cases related to family members or other individuals he was personally connected to. In addition, a report revealed unauthorized construction at Amit’s home in Mevaseret Zion. A meeting of the Judicial Selection Committee is being held on Sunday at 2 p.m. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the chairman of the committee, is boycotting the meeting. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi issued a statement on Sunday morning, saying: “Good morning citizens of Israel, dictatorship is already here!” Karhi said that the meeting of the Judicial Selection Committee on Sunday is being carried out by force via legal bullying and “by usurping the authority of the committee’s chairman, Justice Minister Yariv Levin,” with the aim of selecting Amit as President of the Supreme Court. Karhi wrote that Amit is unworthy to serve as a justice, let alone as President of the Supreme Court, following the serious allegations and reports about him. Kariv also wondered if “there will be one decent committee member who will stand up and stop this madness just before it’s too late.” He concluded with a warning: “His appointment, if chalilah approved, will be illegitimate, a disgrace to the State of Israel, and a stain on our democracy. By force, one can at most become the head of a law enforcement gang – not the President of the Supreme Court.” Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir stated: “The Attorney General is trying to cover up the serious allegations against Yitzhak Amit instead of allowing a thorough investigation. Her intervention concerning the Amit case again proves how the judiciary suffers from foreign and non-objective considerations. “It is time for the government to begin the process of her dismissal. The root of the problem is the fact that the political Attorney General is still in her position – this is a disgrace to the right-wing government.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The Bibas family published a heartbreaking post in response to the publication of the list of the female IDF soldiers who were released on Shabbos, which placed the fate of their family members in grave doubt as according to the agreement, live civilians must be released before IDF soldiers. Arbel Yehud and Shiri Bibas are the only remaining female civilians in Gaza. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Motzei Shabbos that there are serious concerns about the fate of the Bibas family. “Morning 477, our souls did not rest last night,” the family wrote. “Yesterday at 4:00 PM, when the list of those intended for release was published, our world collapsed. Even though we were prepared for it, we hoped to see Shiri and the children on the list that was supposed to be a list of civilians. In the evening, when we turned on the news, our pain, our struggle, and especially the very important discourse on the complexity and tragedy of them not being on the list was missing from the mouths of newscasters in the studios.” “Does the grave concern for their lives negate the fact that they are citizens in captivity who need to return home? Does the grave concern for their lives negate the fact that the state is obligated by this deal to provide us with certainty?” “Does the grave concern for Shiri’s life mean that there is no longer a need to display her picture as an abducted civilian in Gaza whose fate is unknown? The answer is – no.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
IDF forces opened fire on Sunday morning as hundreds of Lebanese people, many bearing Hezbollah flags, attempted to enter Shiite villages in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese Army doing nothing to stop them. IDF forces fired warning shots at several locations. IDF spokesperson in Arabic Avichay Adraee warned Lebanese residents not to return to the villages near the border. The “return to their homes” was carried out as an act of provocation as most villages in southern Lebanon are still in ruins. According to Lebanese media, several Lebanese people were wounded by IDF fire and two were arrested by IDF troops. IDF troops have remained in southern Lebanon after the 60-day deadline, which falls out today, on Sunday, January 26, after Hezbollah has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, with the Lebanese army failing to address the issues. Commander of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin told the members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hezbollah has violated the ceasefire hundreds of times and not only has the Lebanese Army failed to stop them but is actively assisting Hezbollah. The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Friday that the IDF would not withdraw from southern Lebanon by the specified time, stating: “The clause was worded this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may take longer than 60 days. The withdrawal process is conditional on the Lebanese Army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani.” Netanyahu added that since Lebanon has not fully enforced the conditions of the ceasefire, “the phased withdrawal process will continue in full coordination with the United States.” The White House issued a statement later on Friday, saying: “President Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, while also supporting President Aoun and the new Lebanese government.” “All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors. To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed. We are pleased that the IDF has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension.” The Lebanese Army accused Israel of delaying its exit from the territory, stating in a declaration that it is “ready to continue its deployment as soon as the IDF withdraws,” according to Ynet. The Lebanese army called on the local population to “exercise caution when returning to areas near the southern border, in light of the presence of mines and suspicious objects left by the Israeli army.” Adraee’s message to the residents of Lebanon on Sunday morning stated: “Until further notice, you are prohibited from moving south of the line of villages shown on the map and its surroundings. The IDF does not intend to attack you. Therefore, at this stage, you are prohibited from returning to homes south of this line until further notice. Anyone who moves south places themselves in danger.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
