Matzav

Israeli President Isaac Herzog opened the country’s Memorial Day events on Tuesday evening with a somber state ceremony at the Kosel in Yerushalayim, honoring fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers and victims of terrorism.

Speaking alongside Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and bereaved families, Herzog issued a passionate call for national unity and demanded the return of all hostages still held in Gaza.

“This year, more than ever, the siren’s sound is also a true alarm,” said Herzog. “It rises like a terrible cry … for the kidnapped, the wounded, the murdered. We will not rest and we will not be still—until all of you come home. Every single one.”

The president warned against internal division, urging Israelis to reject hatred and polarization. “Enough division! Enough polarization! Enough hatred!” he said. “We must not, by our own hands, bring about the destruction of our national home.”

Later in the evening, Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog attended the “Songs in Their Memory” event at the Knesset in tribute to Israel’s fallen.

According to Defense Ministry figures released ahead of the day of remembrance, 319 Israeli soldiers have fallen since last Memorial Day—most during fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria. An additional 61 disabled veterans succumbed to wounds sustained in earlier service, bringing the total number of Israel’s fallen security personnel to 25,420 since 1860.

Seventy-nine names were also added to the list of terrorism victims in the past year, raising the total to 5,229 since 1851, according to Israel’s National Insurance Institute.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Philadelphia educator Heather Mizrachi walked into her city school district office following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, only to be greeted by a poster with the slogan, “Free Palestine.”

For Mizrachi, who is Jewish and the daughter of an Israeli, the image was jarring, to say the least. She continued to see the poster daily in her job in the central office as a curriculum specialist for middle-school students. Her complaints were ignored, she said.

“Each of those encounters left me in tears, in complete despair, and left me feeling dehumanized and undermined because of my religion and shared national origin,” the New Jersey resident told JNS via Microsoft Teams.

She added that there had always been a few postings from a few people, but after Oct. 7, “it was a flooding of the gates kind of situation.”

Citing the poster and other acts of harassment post-Oct. 7, including social-media posts from fellow school district employees. Mizrachi, who had worked for the Philadelphia city school system since 2017, went to court.

Her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, says she “has been forced to endure conditions that, by any objective measure, are grossly offensive, severe, and pervasive, including, among many other things, being forced to look at images that advocate for the violent destruction of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

“It made it nearly impossible not to pursue this path,” she said about the lawsuit. She said she felt that her colleagues had a “sense of permission to post these kinds of things. That’s been very troubling for me.”

The school district had no comment. It does not comment on pending litigation,” spokeswoman Christina Clark told JNS in a statement.

The aforementioned poster also included a Palestinian flag and the slogan, “From the river to the sea,” which the Anti-Defamation League says has been used by supporters of Hamas and other terrorist organizations and “is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”

In addition, her lawsuit said, those social-media accounts called for Israel’s destruction, accused the country of being a “terrorist state” and cheered on Hamas.

The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights earlier had investigated the school system over allegations of antisemitic harassment after Oct. 7.

That case was resolved when the school district agreed to take several steps, including distributing an anti-harassment statement; providing annual training to administrations, faculty and staff; describing actions to be taken to respond to harassment, and giving age-appropriate information to students about discrimination based on race, color and national origin.

But the harassment didn’t stop, Mizrachi said.

“It’s like saying you’re trying to wrap your head around how this is OK—and it’s not,” she said. In many cases, it’s that sort of wishing it away, hoping it will pass.”

This latest case has just begun, with the school district not having to respond until late next month.

“I just feel like sometimes people are apprehensive to come forward,” she said. “I know I’m not the only one who has been enduring this. I want people to know they are not alone.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Multiple wildfires broke out on Wednesday across the Judean Hills amid soaring temperatures and fierce winds, forcing evacuations, road closures and the cancellation of Israel’s state Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony.

The most severe blaze ignited in the Eshtaol Forest near Mesilat Zion and Neve Shalom, prompting immediate evacuations. Flames spread rapidly through the parched terrain, intensified by dry weather and gusty conditions.

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced the cancellation of the annual torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl in Yerushalayim, citing public safety concerns. “I’ve just concluded a situational assessment with emergency officials,” said Regev. “There is a real danger to human life. I will not take any risks.”

Authorities declared a “Red Torch” emergency level, the highest fire-alert classification, activating national firefighting reserves, aerial reinforcements and logistical support.

Major highways, including sections of Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Yerushalayim, were shut down as flames advanced toward the road. Videos posted online showed drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing on foot, with fire on both sides of the highway.

Meanwhile, a new fire erupted near Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, threatening residential areas as responders raced to contain additional hotspots across the Yerushalayim hills.

According to Magen David Adom, 12 people had been treated for smoke-related injuries. No fatalities were reported as of Wednesday afternoon, but emergency officials remained on high alert.

In a significant development, the Israel Defense Forces received a directive to assist in efforts to extinguish the fires, with military personnel and resources deployed to support civilian firefighting crews on the ground.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also requested that military helicopters support the evacuation of civilians trapped in threatened areas.

The Fire and Rescue Authority confirmed that preparations were underway to receive international firefighting assistance.

Greece and Cyprus have committed to sending aircraft to support Israel’s efforts, with Italy, Croatia and Bulgaria also expected to contribute in response to Israel’s formal request for help.

The latest fires come on the heels of two recent incidents: a blaze in the Ein Prat Nature Reserve earlier this week, which required a complex air evacuation of some 100 frum teenagers on a school trip, and a fire near Moshav Ta’oz last week, which consumed nearly 2,500 acres before being brought under control after a 20-hour battle.

Officials are urging the public to avoid forested areas and to follow safety instructions as the spring heatwave persists. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas claims that in the Quran, the “Jewish Temple” is described as being in Yemen.

“In the Noble Quran—and I believe that also in other divine books—it says that the [First and Second] Temples were in Yemen,” said Abbas in a televised speech during the 32nd PLO Central Council meeting in Ramallah.

He made the remarks in the context of his claim that Israeli authorities were targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is built on the Har Habayis.

“The Jews say, ‘This is ours, that was ours….’ No. That’s not what the Quran says,” said Abbas, according to a translation of his Arabic-language speech by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI.)

Scholars, including Nadav Shragai in his 2020 book “Al-Aqsa Terror: From Libel to Blood,” have identified false claims about the Quran’s localization of the Bais Hamikdosh as a trend in a recent attempt at historical revision by Palestinian nationalists to deny Jewish ties to the place and strengthen Muslim or Arab ones.

“The attempts by Palestinian leaders like Yasser Arafat or Saeb Erekat to cast doubt on the Temple’s existence on the Mount or to distance it from that location by claiming that there was indeed a Temple, but in Nablus or Yemen, stem from one sole motive,” wrote Shragai: “The desire to expunge from the Temple Mount a competing Jewish historical narrative and a competing historical and religious awareness, since these could becloud their own historical and religious narrative on the Mount.”

Abbas’s predecessor, Yasser Arafat, also repeated this theory. On Sept. 25, 2003, Arafat told Arab leaders from northern Israel that no Bais Hamikdosh existed in the Land of Israel, but rather in Yemen. Arafat told his listeners that he had visited Yemen and seen with his own eyes the site upon which Shlomo Hamelech’s Bais Hamikdosh once stood.

The previous year, another top PLO figure, Haj Zaki al-Ghul, stated that Shlomo had ruled over the Arabian Peninsula, and that it was there, not in Yerushalayim, that he built the Bais Hamikdosh .

Professor Yitzchok Reiter of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, in a 2011 essay in The American Interest, traces the Yemen canard to Kamal Salibi, professor emeritus at the American University of Beirut and subsequently director of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman. In a 1985 book, Salibi claimed that biblical Yerushalayim was located in the Arabian Nimas highlands, halfway from Mecca to Yemen.

The Quran does not name Yerushalayim, but for centuries, Muslim scholars have acknowledged that the Bais Hamikdosh stood there, including in the writings of Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Jarir al-Tabari, Muhammad al-Idrisi, who visited Jerusalem in the 12th century, theologian Taki ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) and 14th-century historian Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun, according to Shragai.

The current Muslim denial of this history, particularly since 1967, is a relatively recent political fabrication aimed at delegitimizing Jewish claims and justifying incitement and violence under the false claim that “Al-Aqsa is in danger,” he wrote.

In the same speech, Abbas also used sharp-worded language against Hamas, urging it to free the Israeli hostages it is holding.

“[Hamas says:] ‘We won’t release the American hostage.’ You sons of dogs, release the [hostages] and spare us this! Strip the [Israelis] of their excuses,” he exclaimed.

That part of his speech grabbed headlines worldwide, with some commentators presenting the statement as evidence that Abbas is a pragmatist working to de-escalate the war in Gaza. Others interpreted Abbas’s criticism of Hamas as posturing for Western audiences, meant to serve the Palestinian Authority’s agenda of taking over Gaza from its arch-rival Hamas under Israeli and Western auspices. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Elon Musk is no longer maintaining a consistent physical presence at the White House as he begins to wind down his formal involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role based just steps away from the Oval Office. Though his shift to remote advising hadn’t been previously disclosed, the change marks a transition rather than an exit.

“Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told The New York Post during a detailed interview in recognition of President Trump’s first 100 days in office.

Wiles explained that Musk’s absence from the White House in recent weeks hasn’t diminished his influence. “He hasn’t been here physically, but it really doesn’t matter much,” she said.

She also emphasized that Musk’s team is still actively engaged in their work, continuing their operations from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits adjacent to the West Wing.

It remains uncertain how frequently Musk intends to return to the White House complex before the end of May, when his term as an unpaid special government employee is set to conclude. After that point, he is expected to continue contributing in an informal advisory capacity.

Earlier in Trump’s return to office, Musk was a prominent figure in day-to-day administration activities. He regularly delivered in-person briefings to the president, participated in cabinet discussions, and accompanied Trump on several trips aboard Air Force One. His young son, X, was often in tow during these travels. Musk frequently spoke about a plan to cut $1 trillion from the federal deficit — a goal he aimed to achieve by halving the current figure.

The exact dollar amount that DOGE has managed to save remains unclear.

“He’s not out of it altogether. He’s just not physically present as much as he was,” Wiles said.

“The people that are doing this work are here doing good things and paying attention to the details. He’ll be stepping back a little, but he’s certainly not abandoning it. And his people are definitely not.”

During the early weeks of the administration, Musk made waves throughout Washington as he spearheaded major cost-cutting initiatives. Among his targets was the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its 10,000-strong workforce. He also supported the Office of Management and Budget in its push to dismantle the 1,700-person Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Musk’s influence extended across a broad swath of government departments — from education to defense — as well as numerous smaller agencies scattered across the federal bureaucracy.

His aggressive agenda drew sharp criticism from Democrats and led to acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles and charging infrastructure. In response, Trump staged a high-profile show of solidarity by purchasing a Tesla on the White House lawn on March 11 and called on the Justice Department to crack down on those responsible, labeling them “domestic terrorists.”

During a recent Tesla earnings call, Musk signaled a shift in his priorities. “Starting next month, I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla,” he said.

The billionaire entrepreneur, who was born in South Africa, noted that “the major work of establishing” DOGE is now complete. Still, he expressed interest in remaining involved in public service on a limited basis, stating he would continue to dedicate “a day or two a week on government matters, as long as it is useful.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump and ABC News anchor Terry Moran went toe-to-toe in a tense one-on-one interview Tuesday evening, marking the milestone of Trump’s first 100 days back in the Oval Office.

Throughout the nearly hour-long broadcast, Trump and Moran clashed on a range of hot-button topics, including international trade, border enforcement, and foreign policy, with the conversation often turning combative as the ABC journalist challenged the president on his record and rhetoric.

The first flashpoint came when Moran brought up Trump’s recently imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, questioning whether such high duties would inevitably lead to a spike in consumer prices in the U.S. Trump pushed back hard.

“You don’t know that, you don’t know whether or not China’s going to eat it,” Trump interrupted.

“That’s mathematics,” Moran retorted.

“China probably will eat those tariffs,” Trump replied.

The president doubled down: “But at 145%, they basically can’t do much business with the United States.”

“And, they were making from us a trillion dollars a year, they were ripping us off like nobody’s ever ripped us off.”

“Everything’s going to be just fine. It wouldn’t have been if I didn’t do this.”

When the conversation turned to immigration — long considered one of Trump’s signature issues — he declared that his aggressive enforcement approach marked the most “significant” achievement of his early days in office.

Moran countered by citing existing legal protections for those facing deportation, stating that, “under our law, every single person who gets deported gets a hearing first.” Trump pushed back and refused to concede the point.

“When Biden allowed 21 million people to flow into a country … did we give them a hearing when they came in?” he asked, while Moran stood firm, repeating that “the law requires” a hearing for each deportee.

Trump said he would “ask the lawyers about that,” but noted that conducting “trials” for “21 million” individuals would grind the system to a halt.

“The law is the law,” Moran emphasized. But Trump insisted that due process was being observed.

“They get whatever my lawyers say,” Trump said, describing the standards being used to handle deportations under his administration.

The interview grew even more pointed when Moran referenced the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused MS-13 member who was deported under Trump’s directive based on the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

Responding to a Justice Department official who had criticized the deportation as erroneous, Trump replied, “The lawyer that said it was a mistake — was here a long time, was not appointed by us — should not have said that.”

Moran clarified, “not saying [Garcia] is a good guy,” but pressed the principle at stake.

“It’s about the rule of law,” Moran said, citing the unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court ordering that the administration “facilitate” Garcia’s return.

“You could get him back,” Moran challenged. “There’s a phone on this desk. You could pick it up and call up the president of El Salvador and say, ‘Send him back now.’”

Trump remained unmoved.

“If he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that.”

They also debated the authenticity of Garcia’s tattoos, which Trump claimed were unmistakable signs of gang affiliation.

“He had MS-13 on his knuckles,” Trump said.

“That was Photoshop,” Moran replied dismissively.

“That was Photoshop? … Terry, you’re not being very nice,” Trump snapped.

The anchor sought to steer the discussion forward as Trump reiterated, with conviction, that the markings were plainly visible.

“Alright,” Moran said, exhaling. “We’ll take a look ….”

In another sharp exchange, Moran asked Trump whether he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin. The question triggered a curt reply.

“I don’t trust you,” Trump responded, adding, “I don’t trust a lot of people.”

Trump argued that while the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, his influence had thwarted Putin’s broader ambitions.

“I don’t trust a lot of people. But I do think this. I think that [Putin] – let’s say he respects me. And I believe because of me he’s not gonna take over the whole — but his decision, his choice would be to take over all of Ukraine.”

When pressed about whether the U.S. would halt military aid to Ukraine if peace talks break down, Trump declined to commit either way.

“I want to leave that as a big, fat secret, because I don’t want to ruin a negotiation.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration on Tuesday removed Doug Emhoff from his role on the governing board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort by the president to reshape the institution with appointees who more firmly back Israel.

Emhoff, the spouse of Kamala Harris, who served as vice president under the previous administration, was one of several individuals named by the Biden administration who were dismissed from the board by President Trump.

“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff announced in a post on X. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”

Emhoff, who is Jewish, had previously worked on the White House task force against antisemitism during the Biden administration, especially in the wake of rising antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. He was appointed to the council in January and was scheduled to hold the seat for five years.

Other individuals recently removed from the museum board include several high-profile figures from the Biden and Obama administrations: Ron Klain, who had been Biden’s chief of staff; Tom Perez, who served as an adviser in the Biden White House; Anthony Bernal, a close aide to Jill Biden; and Susan Rice, who was national security adviser under Barack Obama. Their dismissals were confirmed by a White House official.

The New York Times was the first to break the story of the terminations.

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately,” read a message from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to the Times. The message concluded, “Thank you for your service.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The New York Post that the president plans to name replacements who show greater alignment with his administration’s pro-Israel stance.

“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” she said.

{Matzav.com}

Imports arriving from China into the U.S. West Coast are expected to fall sharply—potentially by over a third—after President Donald Trump’s newly enacted tariffs prompted major retail chains in America to dramatically reduce their purchases, according to the head of the Port of Los Angeles.

Gene Seroka, who oversees operations at the busiest container port in the United States, shared during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday that a significant decline in cargo is projected for next week. Current estimates indicate the port will see more than a 35% decrease in shipments compared to the same time last year.

“According to our own port optimizer, which measures the loadings in Asia, we’ll be down just a little bit over 35% next week compared to last year. And it’s a precipitous drop in volume with a number of major American retailers stopping all shipments from China based on the tariffs,” Seroka said.

Currently, goods imported from China represent nearly 45% of the total activity at the Port of Los Angeles, underscoring how significant the impact of the slowdown could be.

Despite the sharp reduction, Seroka pointed out that some freight companies are attempting to recover losses by redirecting their sourcing efforts to other nations in Southeast Asia.

“Realistically speaking, until some accord or framework can be reached with China, the volume coming out of there — save a couple of different commodities — will be very light at best,” he added.

The broader shipping sector is also bracing for a serious slowdown, with Seroka revealing that a large number of vessel arrivals are being canceled for the coming month.

According to Seroka, roughly 25% of the ships originally scheduled to arrive at the port in May will no longer be coming, as companies reassess shipping plans amid the intensifying trade standoff.

This slump follows the most recent developments in the growing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing.

Trump’s sweeping tariff increases on Chinese exports were announced on April 2, sparking an immediate tit-for-tat response from China’s leadership.

With both sides now having levied tariffs that exceed 100% on numerous goods, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the current climate as “unsustainable.”

At this point, there is no indication that either government is preparing for serious talks aimed at resolving the tensions.

Even before the latest tariffs were enacted, trade flow data had begun to show early signs of weakening. The slowdown has already prompted concerns from leading economists.

Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, recently warned that shrinking imports could lead to job cuts in both the retail and logistics industries, create product shortages, and potentially contribute to an economic downturn later in the summer.

Retailers in the U.S. have temporarily been able to cushion the impact by building up extra stock before Trump’s tariff hike was made official.

Seroka noted that current inventory levels remain healthy, but that buffer will not last long.

“I don’t see a complete emptiness on store shelves or online when we’re buying. But if you’re out looking for a blue shirt, you might find 11 purple ones and one blue in a size that’s not yours,” Seroka said.

“So we’ll start seeing less choice on those shelves simply because we’re not getting the variety of goods coming in here based on the additional costs in place. And for that one blue shirt that’s still left, you’ll see a price hike.”

With the future of international trade in flux, financial markets are paying close attention to the unfolding scenario.

Economists are increasingly cautioning that extended disruption to global supply chains could further aggravate economic headwinds in the coming months.

{Matzav.com}

A Queens woman who has avoided paying her $100 monthly rent for over ten years is back in court as she continues to fight for the right to remain in a rent-controlled apartment that she obtained through a highly disputed deathbed adoption, The New York Post reports.

Seventy-four-year-old Maria DeTommaso has resided in the two-bedroom apartment on the first floor of a Long Island City townhouse since at least 2002. According to longtime residents, her presence in the building has been far from peaceful.

“I think she’s a demon in human skin because of what she puts people through,” said Anjanie Narine, who has lived next to DeTommaso for over two decades. “Every interaction with her is negative. She terrorizes everyone, and acts as if she owns the building.”

Maria originally moved into the apartment with Nicholas “Nicky” DeTommaso, an aging former dock worker who held the lease. Just days before his passing in 2009, the then-58-year-old Maria persuaded the 85-year-old man to legally adopt her.

Nearly a decade later, New York’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal officially recognized her as the successor tenant, which locked in the extremely low rent of $100 and granted her permanent tenancy. Meanwhile, other similar apartments in the same row house are being rented for close to $2,000 per month.

Residents claim that since moving in, Maria has made life miserable for others in the building. She reportedly listed the unit on Airbnb, renting out parts of it to international tourists for $55 per night. City records and online listings confirm a steady stream of visitors during that time.

One tenant in the six-unit building alleged that Maria—who also goes by the names Pamela Becker and Prema Deodhar—has repeatedly changed the building’s front door locks and brought in a group of veterans from a nearby shelter, some of whom created disturbances within the property.

The building’s elderly owners, Sugrim and Kowsila Outar, have spent years in legal battles trying to evict her, as previously documented by The Post. They are scheduled to return to Queens Housing Court for the next hearing on May 6.

“Her case has already gone through five of the judges here in Queens, and benefited from every change in the housing laws since COVID,” said Elan Layliev, the lawyer representing the Outars in their attempt to reclaim the apartment.

“[It’s been] a wild ride. Ms. DeTommaso has utilized every loophole in the court system to prolong and delay this trial.”

DeTommaso, for her part, insists the accusations are distorted and being used as ammunition to push her out unlawfully.

“I won the succession,” she said. “This is sick. I’m the legal tenant. I have every right to be here and I don’t know how people can lie so much. They are trying to evict me, but my lawyer says I don’t have to worry.”

Court records identify her legal representative as Zara Feingold, an attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group. Since Feingold works in legal aid, DeTommaso does not pay for her defense.

Under current New York law, tenants involved in an unresolved legal dispute with landlords are not required to pay rent until the matter is resolved. Though this case has dragged on for over ten years, DeTommaso has previously stated that she deposits the rent into an escrow account until a final decision is reached.

She shares the apartment with two dogs—a dachshund and a miniature greyhound—and claims she recently fractured her hip due to unresolved maintenance issues. She also alleges her oven is broken and that she’s living among roaches and rodents.

But according to Layliev, DeTommaso refuses to grant entry to workers hired by the building’s owners. Instead, she has allowed homeless veterans to perform the repairs and later instructed them to bill the landlords.

Born as Pamela Rose Becker on March 1, 1951, DeTommaso spent her childhood in Washington, DC, attending prestigious private institutions. Her father held the position of U.S. ambassador to Honduras during the Gerald Ford administration, and her brother, Ralph Becker, once served as the mayor of Salt Lake City.

Her introduction to the Long Island City building began in the late 1990s when she arrived to care for a friend’s cat. After the friend returned, DeTommaso claimed to have nowhere else to live and asked Nicky if she could stay temporarily, according to Narine.

But she never left. Nicky, affectionately known to neighbors as “Uncle Nicky,” first moved into the apartment in 1924 as an infant. He shared the home with his mother and six siblings and lived there for the rest of his life, passing away on July 15, 2009.

Nicky spent his youth playing stickball and, in later years, chain-smoked on the stoop while helping neighbors secure street parking. His life is chronicled in “Nicky D from LIC: A Narrative Portrait,” a biography by writer and artist Warren Lehrer.

DeTommaso was granted power of attorney in 2007, two years before Nicky’s death. During his final years, she drove him to appointments and errands in cars he purchased for her, she told The Post in a 2018 interview.

“He loved me, and his whole family still calls me,” said DeTommaso last week.

But Narine remembers things differently, claiming Nicky seemed eager for Maria to leave almost immediately after she arrived. “He woke up early, and every morning I would hear him curse at her to get … out,” she said. “I’m next door and the walls are pretty thin.”

{Matzav.com}

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President Trump marked the milestone of his second term’s first 100 days with an energetic rally in Michigan on Tuesday evening, asserting that his administration had achieved more in that short span than others manage in an entire presidency.

“We’ve accomplished more in three months than most administrations accomplish in four years or even eight years,” Trump, 78, declared. “And we’re just getting started.

“Believe me, we’re just getting started.”

Throughout his hour-and-a-half address, Trump highlighted his aggressive immigration stance, economic measures, and strategies to reduce government spending as examples of what he described as a highly effective agenda.

“Under President Trump, America is a dumping ground for criminals no longer,” Trump proclaimed.

“They’re not even trying to come in,” Trump boasted of illegal border-crossers, crediting his sweeping initiatives to seal up the US-Mexico boundary and swiftly deport criminal aliens.

He also revealed a striking video during his remarks, showing deported gang members, alleged affiliates of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, arriving at a massive, infamous prison facility in El Salvador. The segment mirrored the theatrical tone of his campaign-style address at the Macomb Sports and Expo Center in Warren.

The footage drew loud applause from the audience gathered at the venue just outside Detroit.

Despite recent polling challenges, Trump has maintained relatively strong approval on immigration issues, with approximately half of respondents backing his handling of the topic — his highest-rated area in most surveys.

“I banned all welfare to illegals and I signed an order that will end automatic citizenship for the children of illegal aliens — no citizenship,” he said, continuing on the immigration theme.

“For years, Joe Biden and the media told us that stopping the flood of illegal immigration was absolutely impossible,” Trump continued. “He said it was impossible. He didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.”

“It turned out that all we needed was a new president.”

Large banners adorned the interior of the 4,000-seat arena, with slogans such as “JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!”, “THE GOLDEN AGE,” “BUY AMERICAN HIRE AMERICAN,” “INVESTING IN AMERICA,” and “THE AMERICAN DREAM IS BACK” displayed prominently on the walls.

“We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said.

“And you haven’t even seen anything yet,” he added.

“A lot of auto jobs are coming,” he promised his raucous supporters.

“They all want to come back to Michigan to build cars again because of our tax and tariff policy,” the president said of American auto companies.

He criticized earlier administrations for abandoning Michigan’s manufacturing base, arguing that they sacrificed domestic industry for China’s benefit.

“After decades of politicians who destroyed Detroit to build up Beijing, you finally have a champion for workers in the White House,” Trump said. “And instead of putting China first, I’m putting Michigan first and putting America first.”

Trump also praised his efforts to curb what he views as overreach by unelected officials entrenched in Washington’s bureaucracy.

“After a lifetime of unelected bureaucrats stealing your paychecks, attacking your values and trampling your freedoms, we are stopping their gravy train, ending their power trip, and telling thousands of corrupt, incompetent and unnecessary deep state bureaucrats.

“You’re fired!” he boomed.

A brief disruption by a protester during the rally prompted a quick remark from Trump: “Is that a radical left lunatic?”

The president also welcomed several key members of his administration to the stage during the event, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and senior adviser Margo Martin.

“Trump 2028, anybody?” Martin told the crowd, drawing cheers.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that the moment has arrived for Moscow and Kyiv to present actual plans to bring the Ukraine war to an end, warning that if tangible steps aren’t taken, the United States would pull back from its role as a mediator, according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” Bruce said, reading from Rubio’s remarks.

Bruce went on to explain that, “How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to the President. If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process,” referencing President Donald Trump’s ongoing effort to broker an agreement between the two nations.

At a press conference, Bruce clarified that America’s goal is to achieve a “complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict,” and not simply “a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else.”

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a limited three-day ceasefire set for May, tied to commemorating the Soviet Union’s and its allies’ victory in World War II 80 years ago, a gesture seemingly aimed at demonstrating Russia’s continued willingness to pursue peace.

Ukraine, however, expressed skepticism, questioning why Russia would not agree to its proposal for a ceasefire of at least 30 days to take effect immediately.

Both Ukrainian and Russian officials have been eager to show President Trump that they are moving closer to achieving his goal of a swift peace agreement, particularly after the United States signaled frustration and warned it might step away from its diplomatic efforts.

Since assuming office in January, Trump has dramatically reshaped Washington’s stance on the conflict, pushing Ukraine to accept a ceasefire deal while simultaneously reducing the pressure campaign against Russia, which had launched its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli security officials were reportedly caught off guard when Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu publicly disclosed highly sensitive details regarding a covert Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure during a recent address, according to a report broadcast Monday night.

Back on September 17, Hezbollah operatives throughout Lebanon experienced a wave of explosions triggered by thousands of pagers, injuring many and killing over two dozen individuals. The following day, similar attacks targeted hundreds of walkie-talkies, resulting in additional casualties. These devices had been covertly outfitted with miniature explosives by Israel before being covertly supplied to Hezbollah operatives.

The operation marked a dramatic escalation in Israel’s ongoing confrontation with Hezbollah, part of a broader regional conflict that intensified following the brutal October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel.

During his remarks at a Jewish News Syndicate event on Sunday night, Netanyahu revealed that Israel had launched a strike on a device scanner shipped by Iran to Lebanon once Hezbollah grew suspicious that its pagers had been tampered with. The individual operating the machine was also eliminated in the same strike.

“We learned that Hezbollah had sent three beepers to be scanned in Iran; we had previously bombed the scanner they were going to bring in, so we got rid of that, and the guy who operates it,” he said.

These revelations had been deliberately withheld from public disclosure until now, due to concerns that revealing them could expose classified intelligence methods and compromise national security, Channel 12 reported.

Netanyahu indicated that the circumstances pushed Israel to detonate the compromised devices immediately, rather than risk losing the opportunity.

He further noted that the timeline for an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon was significantly accelerated—by about three weeks—because the pager sabotage operation was executed earlier than originally scheduled.

Although Israeli law permits the prime minister to declassify sensitive material, this is typically coordinated with defense officials to avoid unintended fallout. Channel 12 said no such coordination was done in this case.

Speaking at the same event, Netanyahu explained that he deliberately withheld information about the pager mission from the United States, citing concerns over potential leaks.

“I don’t read The New York Times that often, but why give them the advance? It would be on the net,” he said.

The fallout over Netanyahu’s candid comments comes at a time when his office is already facing scrutiny due to the unauthorized release of classified documents.

Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, was indicted in November for endangering Israel’s national security by allegedly passing classified IDF material to the German newspaper Bild, in what investigators say was an effort to boost Netanyahu’s public image.

Feldstein has also been implicated in the ongoing Qatargate investigation, along with two other senior Netanyahu associates. Authorities believe the trio carried out illicit activities on behalf of a Qatar-linked lobbying outfit, including unauthorized contact with foreign agents and a range of corruption-related offenses.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Housing and Construction Minister Yitzchok Goldknopf stated on Tuesday that he planned to take part in the Memorial Day service at the military cemetery in Kiryat Gat, brushing aside objections from mourning families in the city who expressed discomfort over a chareidi figure attending the event.

A group of bereaved relatives sent a letter to Goldknopf, pleading with him not to appear. “We, several bereaved families from Kiryat Gat, ask you in every way possible not to attend the Memorial Day ceremony for IDF fallen soldiers in Kiryat Gat,” the letter read.

The families went on to say, “We believe that someone representing groups in Israeli society who refuse to bear the burden of military service cannot stand before bereaved parents and speak on a day that is so sacred to us.”

Goldknopf, who leads the chareidi United Torah Judaism party, has been a vocal opponent of drafting chareidi men into the army.

In their letter, the grieving families said they would rather see Goldknopf spend his time “recruiting yeshiva students” than addressing them at the cemetery.

Sources close to Goldknopf told Channel 12 News that “no negotiations are underway to replace him” and confirmed that he was determined to attend the ceremony.

This wasn’t the first time Goldknopf had been assigned to the Kiryat Gat event. He had been designated to attend last year as well, and after similar backlash from families, he ultimately chose to withdraw.

One of the signatories, Chaim Saadon — whose brother Avner died in service in 1974 — urged Goldknopf to step aside this year and allow another official to participate in his place.

“As a bereaved family, we feel that there is a moral and ethical offense to our feelings here,” said Saadon to Channel 12. “As soon as everyone enlists in the army, I’ll leave him be, but it cannot stand that someone who doesn’t enlist in the army should come and speak at the Memorial Day ceremony.”

The IDF has reported a significant personnel shortage, stating that it needs around 12,000 additional troops, including roughly 7,000 for combat roles.

At present, nearly 70,000 chareidi men aged 18 to 24 are technically eligible for conscription but have not joined the military.

On Sunday, the High Court of Justice issued an interim ruling requiring the state to clarify why it had not issued a sufficient number of draft notices to chareidi yeshiva students to fulfill the army’s needs, and why it had failed to implement the notices that had been issued. The court gave the government until June 24 to submit a written explanation addressing those failures.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the promotion of voluntary emigration from Gaza “the most moral and humane thing to do,” voicing strong support for President Donald Trump’s plan to revitalize the battered region along the Mediterranean coast.

During remarks at the JNS International Policy Summit in Yerushalayim, Sa’ar insisted that Palestinians must be viewed “as human beings” rather than “weapons against Israel,” saying they deserve the same emigration rights granted to those fleeing war-torn nations elsewhere.

Sa’ar pointed out that two conditions must be met: individuals must willingly choose to emigrate, and another country must be ready to receive them.

“First,” he stated, a person or a family must want to emigrate of their own “free will and free choice,” as anyone from Syria, Afghanistan, or elsewhere is entitled to do.

“The second condition,” he added, is that a state must be willing to accept them “on the other side.”

If both criteria are satisfied, Sa’ar said, encouraging Gazans to relocate becomes “the most moral and humane thing to do.”

Sa’ar praised the relationship between Israel and its “very good partner in Washington,” explaining that many nations have long “use[d] the Palestinians — weaponize[d] them — against the State of Israel,” blocking Gazans’ ability to pursue new futures.

His comments come amid growing momentum behind President Trump’s strategy to reimagine Gaza’s waterfront as an economic engine, offering residents an opportunity to resettle and rebuild their lives.

At the same time, Israel continues its military campaign against Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack — the deadliest act of terror in the country’s history — when Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli towns, murdering concertgoers and civilians, carrying out mass rapes, tortures, killings, and kidnappings.

In February, President Trump introduced his plan for Gaza alongside Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, unveiling a groundbreaking U.S. approach that prioritizes resettlement and reconstruction to foster peace and prosperity.

Israel subsequently announced the creation of a new division, led by Defense Minister Israel Katz, tasked with overseeing the voluntary emigration process — an initiative that fully supports President Trump’s broader regional goals.

“I welcome President Trump’s bold initiative,” Katz stated, calling the relocation plan a historic chance for Gazans to find hope elsewhere while strengthening Israel’s security.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s renewed military operations in Gaza are partly aimed at creating conditions that will enable voluntary emigration, with Hamas refusing to budge during hostage negotiations.

Breitbart News has previously highlighted that President Trump’s Gaza plan has been well received by many civilians. Surveys from the Center for Peace Communications show a considerable number of Gazans are eager to leave the devastated area and start anew abroad.

For the United States, facilitating Gaza’s depopulation could ease regional tensions, erode Hamas’s influence, reduce the burden of humanitarian assistance, and encourage Arab nations to take a more active role in the region’s stabilization.

Earlier this month, during a joint public appearance with Netanyahu at the White House, President Trump reaffirmed his vision of Gaza transforming into a “freedom zone,” free from violence and terror.

“If you take the people — the Palestinians — and move them around to different countries, and you have plenty of countries that will do that, you really have a ‘freedom zone,’ a free zone where people aren’t going to be killed every day,” Trump said, adding that Gaza had long been synonymous with “killing and Hamas and problems.”

Netanyahu endorsed President Trump’s proposal, saying: “What the president is talking about is [to] give people a choice. Gazans were closed in… People could leave [in other war zones]. What is wrong with giving people a choice?”

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official revealed that several countries have stepped forward offering to absorb Gazan emigrants, with serious diplomatic groundwork already underway to make President Trump’s vision a reality.

Recent polls show that more than half of Gaza’s population would willingly relocate if given the opportunity, adding new energy to President Trump’s concept of voluntary resettlement and Gaza’s postwar redevelopment.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Fake Jake going all in on protecting the worst of the worst…

While reporting on the Trump Administration’s decision to cover the White House lawn with signs of violent illegal alien criminals on Monday, CNN’s Jake Tapper and his crew decided to blur the faces of the criminals.

“The Trump Administration is approaching its 100-day mark with a full-court press on the issue of illegal immigration — and they really don’t want you to miss it,” Tapper said. “They subtly and tastefully decked the White House north lawn with dozens of yard signs featuring photos of people the Trump Administration claims are in the country illegally.”

“CNN’s working to confirm the identities and if there are actual allegations against these people. Until then, we are blurring their identities,” Tapper added.

Watch the clip below:

But CNN wasn’t the only outlet to protect the identities of some of the most heinous criminals in the country — MSNBC got in on the action, as well:

During Monday night’s Hannity, Stephen Miller said the lawn signs were a way to get the “pompous jerks” in the left-wing media to cover the atrocious crimes being committed by illegal criminal migrants.

“President Trump’s White House has forced, brilliantly, these outlets to acknowledge these crimes, to acknowledge these atrocities by putting these posters, these mugshots and their criminal histories right behind them as they stand there and do their shots every single day,” Miller said. “We’re going to keep forcing the media to cover the atrocities committed by the illegal aliens that Joe Biden and the Democrat Party have brought into our country.”

{Matzav.com}

During a recent Fox News appearance, pollster Matt Towery took a hatchet to reports that President Trump is polling free-fall.

“None of them, to be honest with you. I have a group of pollsters I look at who are public pollsters who’ve been right in all three of Trump’s cycles,” Towery said. “We happen to be one of those. None of us have had him down by any of these numbers we’ve seen before. The only one that might concern me at all is the Fox News one because Fox did well in the 24 cycle.”

“So that’s the only one of these other ones — I looked at some of them. I don’t like to criticize polling, but how can you have a poll, as John McLaughlin, a good friend of mine pointed out, how could you have a poll that shows Donald Trump at 39%?” Towery asked. “But yet when you ask people who they voted for and they said they voted for Trump, 95% said they would vote for him again.”

According to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released Saturday, 39% of the 2,464 respondents said they approve of Trump’s job performance, dropping six points from their February poll. With a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, the poll said 37% of respondents trust Trump to handle the country’s main problems, compared to 30% who said they trust Democrats in Congress.

“Now, last time I checked, Donald Trump got almost 50% of the vote. So how in the world can that poll be correct? There’s no possible way,” Towery said. “He’s not in free fall. He’s had a little bit of slippage because he’s doing a lot. He’s breaking a lot of eggs to make an omelet, but he is not dropping in any significant way. I can guarantee you, and I’m just not paying any attention to this nonsense. They were wrong in the elections in the past, and they’re going to be wrong about his approval rating as well.”

{Matzav.com}

An Israeli court handed down a ten-year prison sentence to Moti Maman after he was found guilty of maintaining ties with foreign operatives from Iran.

In their ruling, the judges emphasized: “Motivated by financial gain, he committed offenses of entering an enemy state and contacting a foreign agent; he received several thousand dollars from Iranian officers, negotiated with them financially, and requested a million dollars. While doing so, he published posts on social media supporting Likud and Netanyahu.”

They pointed out that the crimes were committed during an especially critical period — wartime — when Iran poses a major threat to Israel, and while the IDF is engaged in battles across various fronts.

Despite the risks, Maman continued to engage with hostile actors while inside enemy territory, suggesting that ideological motives may have been just as influential as financial ones. The court did acknowledge in his favor that Maman served in the First Lebanon War and had provided supplies to multiple military bases since the outbreak of the current conflict.

Last December, Maman, who is 72 years old, was found guilty after admitting to charges of unlawfully traveling to an enemy country and establishing contact with a foreign agent.

This case marks the first conviction of its kind since the beginning of the Swords of Iron campaign. Meanwhile, several other cases are progressing, where Israeli citizens stand accused of conspiring with Iranian agents to attack Israel or its people.

Maman admitted during the investigation that he met repeatedly with Iranian intelligence operatives on Iranian soil, asserting that he acted largely out of financial interest.

Court documents reveal that Maman made two separate trips to Iran, where he engaged in discussions with Iranian agents about potentially orchestrating terror attacks within Israel, posing significant threats to national security. His meetings with Iranian officials were reportedly fueled, in part, by the targeted killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Iran’s desire to retaliate.

The indictment detailed: “The Iranian agents discussed with the defendant during the meetings the possibility that the defendant would assassinate senior Israeli figures in Israel, including Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and ISA head Ronen Bar.”

It was further stated, “Other options for carrying out terrorist and espionage activities in Israel by the defendant were discussed. This included examining the possibility of assassinating former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett or certain mayors using an explosive device, establishing dedicated assassination cells in Russia and the United States by the defendant, which would be activated with the aim of murdering opponents of the Iranian regime, and carrying out money laundering in Israel for others.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged nations to take concrete and irreversible steps toward making a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians a reality, as preparations were underway for an upcoming international summit scheduled for June.

“I encourage Member States to go beyond affirmations, and to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-state solution before it is too late,” Guterres told a session of the Security Council focused on the Middle East.

France and Saudi Arabia had announced that they would jointly lead the June conference at the United Nations.

“Our objective is clear: to make progress on the recognition of Palestine and the normalization of relations with Israel at the same time,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the Security Council.

“This is how we will be able to guarantee Israel’s security and its regional integration, whilst responding to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to have their own state,” he said.

Barrot also emphasized that any real advancement toward a two-state solution would require Hamas to disarm, the creation of a legitimate governing structure in Gaza that excluded Hamas, and significant reforms within the Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu had reiterated on several occasions that Israel would not permit the Palestinian Authority to have any role in administering the Gaza Strip. In a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the month, he also stated that creating a Palestinian state would be a “huge prize for terror.”

{Matzav.com Israel}