Sec. Duffy on the Trump Administration’s air traffic control modernization effort: “We think, in 3.5 years, we can do a vast majority of this build on the infrastructure… Americans are going to see that when they fly. It’s going to be way better.”
Detectives in Yerushalayim arrested a man in his 20s from eastern Jerusalem after a video circulated online showing him boasting about contaminating ice cream at his workplace, saying, “We spit in the ice cream, we stick fingers in it, and the Jews eat it.” He remains under investigation, with further action pending.
NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the U.S. will send a four-man crew to the moon early next year, followed by plans to establish a lunar base camp. He emphasized that the mission aims to outpace China, with astronauts expected to stay 8–12 days on the surface, ultimately paving the way for a Mars mission in the early 2030s.
Powerball announced that the jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.7 billion for Saturday night’s drawing after no tickets won Wednesday’s $1.4 billion prize.
Sa’ad al-Mihsal, a former school principal in Gaza, condemned Hamas for murdering his son, who was working at a distribution site in Khan Yunis. He also accused the group of neglecting Gaza’s residents, violating their dignity, stealing their property, and acting in ways that contradict Islamic values.
The IDF has completed dozens of operations from Mt. Dov to the summit of Mt. Hermon in the last year, including dismantling terror tunnels and weapons stockpiles.
Before tomorrow’s meeting on dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons, Beirut displayed banners for PM Salam and President Aoun: “We are all with you, one army, one weapon, one country…”
In Paris, the Coalition of the Willing—led by France and the UK with over 30 countries—met to coordinate security guarantees and aid for Ukraine, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in attendance and a joint call with Trump planned after the talks.
Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Fadi Badriya warned that the community may push for separation from Syria if the regime is not held accountable before an international court.
Security footage from Lebanon shows the IDF carrying out a strike last night on a covert Hezbollah engineering equipment site in Ansariya, southern Lebanon.
The Turgeman Committee, which was appointed to investigate the quality of the IDF’s internal probes into the October 7th massacre during the tenure of former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, presented its findings and recommendations to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Walla reported on Thursday. According to the report, the conclusions could shake the very foundations of the army’s leadership. Senior officers exposed to the details described the findings as “particularly problematic,” warning that they cast leading generals and other high-ranking officers in a negative light. “These are not just technical lessons but questions of personal responsibility at the very highest levels of command,” one officer said. Zamir has not yet published the recommendations, fearing a severe upheaval within the system. There are concerns that the findings and recommendations will spark internal clashes between IDF generals and between generals and members of the Turgeman Committee—including harsh accusations that will be leaked to the public. Senior officers have already pointed to the first problem: for reasons that Zamir has not yet addressed, he decided to appoint dozens of senior officers, including brigadier generals, without thoroughly discussing the committee’s recommendations—a move that raises questions about the credibility of the entire process. Walla further reported that, according to assessments, Zamir will need to clear four sensitive hurdles before the report can be released: presenting the findings to the General Staff Forum, the Defense Minister, bereaved families, and the general public. The IDF estimates that he will continue to delay the publication of the report, since some recommendations will likely prevent him from appointing specific officers or, more likely, showing them the door. In any case, Zamir postponed the publication of the committee’s findings until after Operation Gideon’s Chariots B, or in other words, is taking advantage of any opportunity to gain more time until the findings are published. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is pressing the Trump intelligence community’s new leadership to investigate whether Iranian-linked operatives infiltrated the U.S. government, warning that sensitive national security information may have been compromised. In a letter sent Wednesday to FBI Director Kash Patel and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by The New York Post, Cotton urged a “thorough” counterintelligence review into “potential criminality” surrounding Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Pentagon policy adviser accused of being tied to Tehran’s influence operations. “I write to reiterate my concern that Iranian government-linked affiliates have influenced and may be still influencing U.S. government operations,” Cotton wrote, adding that “specifically, Ariane Tabatabai, a founding member of the so-called ‘Iranian Experts Initiatives’ (IEI), is still working with the U.S. intelligence community.” Tabatabai, 40, an Iranian-born U.S. official who served as a top aide to former President Biden’s special envoy to Iran Robert Malley, has long faced scrutiny from Republicans. A 2023 leak of Iranian government documents described her as a willing participant in an initiative launched by Tehran’s Foreign Ministry in 2014 to promote the regime’s views in the West. Though the Pentagon has maintained she was not tied to subsequent leaks, Israeli intelligence last October reportedly raised suspicions that Tabatabai was connected to the exposure of classified U.S. documents about a planned strike against Iran. She has retained her Pentagon post — earning $153,434 annually — and continues to hold a security clearance. “She has been suspected of collaborating with the Islamic regime before,” a U.S.-based Iran expert told The Post in 2024. “There were some calls for her to be stripped of her security clearance.” Cotton, who now chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, blasted the Biden administration for leaving such officials in place. “Iran’s mission is ‘death to America,’ so it’s particularly concerning that Joe Biden allowed someone so deeply connected to Iranian leadership access to our national security,” Cotton said in an interview. Tabatabai’s tenure has been tied to the fallout from Malley, who was suspended in June 2023 for mishandling “protected material.” Malley, who encouraged a “permissive” stance toward Tehran, became a flashpoint for GOP criticism as Iran stepped up support for Hamas and Hezbollah in attacks against Israel. Cotton’s letter accused “several Obama and Biden appointees” of “unreported recurring contact for years with Iranian officials such as then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif” and of seeking “guidance from Tehran.” He added that affiliates of IEI “gained prominent positions both in and outside government during the Biden administration, posing significant danger to national security.” Tabatabai grew up in Tehran, the daughter of Seyyed Javad Tabatabai, a prominent political thinker with close ties to former Iranian presidents Muhammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani. She has not publicly addressed her role in IEI. For years, Republicans have labeled her a spy, a claim intelligence officials under Biden denied. But suspicions persisted after leaks damaged Israel’s war effort in 2023–24 and as Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Cotton closed his letter with a pointed call for action: “While the Biden administration ignored repeated calls from Republicans to remove officials affiliated with IEI and the Iranian government, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Defense (DoD) should now correct this mistake.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after yet another drawing passed without a big winner Wednesday. The numbers selected were: 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, with the Powerball number being 22. Since May 31, there have been 41 straight drawings without a big winner. The next drawing will be Saturday night, with the prize expected to be the third-largest in U.S. lottery history. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes. There are three drawings each week. The estimated $1.4 billion jackpot from Wednesday night’s drawing would have been for a winner who had opted to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which would have been an estimated $634.3 million. Powerball tickets cost $2 and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP)
BREAKING IN FLATBUSH: A person was shot in the head at Webster Avenue and Coney Island Avenue. Flatbush Hatzolah is on the scene. The victim is reported to be in serious condition. The suspect fled in a Honda Accord with temporary plates. The NYPD is investigating. A name for Tehillim is not needed in this incident.
