Matzav

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri launched a sharp attack on Monday evening, accusing activists associated with the Kaplan protest movement of financing demonstrations against Israel’s draft law within the chareidi public, as part of what he described as a coordinated effort to destabilize the government and dismantle the right-wing bloc.

Deri’s remarks came in response to the release of recorded footage featuring a Kaplan activist, the chairwoman of the group Mothers on the Frontline, who is heard admitting: “We worked to create chaos and to break up the chareidi public from within, using the draft issue.”

Speaking following the revelation, Deri said: “We knew this already, but this is clear proof. All the big money behind the campaigns against the draft law comes from Kaplan. The same funding that pays for signs and ads against the so-called ‘draft evasion law’ is also paying for the pashkevilim in chareidi neighborhoods warning about the ‘danger of the draft’ and ‘those destroying the Torah world.’ The goal is one and the same — to bring down the government and the right-wing bloc.”

Deri further claimed that the campaign was aimed at sowing internal discord within the chareidi community. “The objective of the Kaplan activists and the people of Bennett is clear,” he said, referring to former prime minister Naftali Bennett. “They are trying to infiltrate us — admittedly at the margins — through individuals with familiar faces and names. They will yet be exposed. They go to the homes of leading rabbinic figures, secretly record them, play divide-and-conquer, and cause a terrible chilul Hashem.”

According to Deri, the dual campaign — public protests against the draft law alongside targeted messaging within chareidi neighborhoods — is designed to inflame tensions, undermine communal cohesion, and inject chaos into chareidi society in order to achieve broader political aims.

A bus driver was taken to the hospital late Sunday night after his vehicle was attacked during a protest by several dozen extremists in Yerushalayim.

According to reports, the disturbance took place at the Shmuel HaNavi–Yechezkel junction, where demonstrators damaged a bus passing through the area and assaulted its driver. The driver required medical treatment and was evacuated to a hospital.

Police forces were dispatched to the scene and acted to restore order and disperse those involved. In a statement, Israel Police said officers from the Yerushalayim District responded after rioters blocked traffic lanes, behaved violently, set trash containers on fire, and disrupted normal life in the area.

Police stressed that “violent disturbances, blocking major traffic routes, and the actions of lawbreakers constitute serious criminal offenses, endanger human life, and could lead to a major disaster.”

{Matzav.com}

An emotional reception was held Sunday night at Yeshiva Orchos Da’as in Yerushalayim for yeshiva bochur Michoel Atlan, who was unexpectedly released from military prison last Friday, earlier than his scheduled release.

The event took place at the yeshiva’s campus in the Bayit Vagan neighborhood, where talmidim and rabbeim escorted Michoel with singing and dancing, lifting him on their shoulders in a powerful display of joy and solidarity.

During the gathering, the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Shaul Gabay, delivered emotional remarks and broke down in tears as he spoke. He revealed that he had written a personal letter to Michoel while he was incarcerated, but prison authorities refused to allow it inside.

“I want to read a letter I wrote to Michoel, but the prison would not permit it to be brought in,” Rav Gabay said. “They understood very well why — because this letter speaks directly to the deep and true meaning of the Torah world.”

In the letter, Rav Gabay wrote that the reality of Torah students being imprisoned in Eretz Yisroel for learning Torah defies all logic and human understanding. “Hashem allows them to make such mistakes. They think they are acting for harm, but Hashem intends it for good, with one purpose — lehachayos am rav,” he said, invoking the concept of sustaining and giving life to the Jewish people.

Rav Gabay noted that many of those detained come from the Sephardic community, explaining that they possess a unique warmth and love for Torah and a natural ability to draw others close.

He further explained that while yeshiva bochurim are not normally sent out of the beis medrash to strengthen others — a role usually reserved for older figures — in this case, it was a clear act of Divine providence. “If Hashem sends someone against nature, against all logic, there is only one reason: lehachayos am rav. We saw his conduct in prison — learning, completing masechtos — and how it influenced others around him.”

The rosh yeshiva also described a special gift prepared for Michoel by the yeshiva: a booklet listing the personal kabbalos accepted by the bochurim over the past two weeks in his merit. According to Rav Gabay, prison officials initially refused to allow the gift inside, fearing it would strengthen the spirits of the inmates.

“They were afraid of how it would uplift the prisoners when they saw what Orchos Da’as sent him,” he said. “There is no doubt that his early release was above nature and came in the merit of your commitments and chizuk.”

Rav Gabay emphasized that the episode strengthened the inner essence of Torah learning — not learning because it is comfortable, but mesirus nefesh for Torah.

Also addressing the gathering was Rav Yitzchak Abadi, one of the yeshiva’s rabbonim who accompanied Michoel throughout his imprisonment. Rav Abadi stressed the elevated status of a ben Torah, calling him the crown of creation. “They call us draft dodgers,” he said, “but the truth is that they are the ones dodging the beis medrash.”

The evening concluded with Michoel himself making a siyum on Maseches Megillah, which he completed while behind bars.

{Matzav.com}

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri delivered another blunt message to his coalition partners on Monday, warning that any attempt to advance the state budget before the completion of discussions on the draft law will be blocked.

Speaking at a Shas faction meeting, Deri made it clear that budget legislation will not move forward until deliberations on the conscription bill are finalized. “The draft law is advancing in committee,” Deri said. “As you can see, it takes time, but it is moving forward.”

During the meeting, one Knesset member raised the possibility that the coalition intends to place the state budget on the Knesset agenda for a first reading as early as Thursday, with a vote planned for next week.

Deri dismissed the idea outright. “In their dreams,” he said. “There will be no vote on the budget before the discussions on the draft law are completed.”

As previously reported last month, Shas and Degel HaTorah had already conveyed a clear message to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and coalition leaders that they would not support the budget in its first reading until the draft law clears the relevant Knesset committee.

Rav Yitzchok Moshe Kook zt”l, a respected talmid chochom in Bnei Brak and the author of the sefer Siach Yitzchak, passed away suddenly on Monday night at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. He was 78.

He had been hospitalized earlier in the day after feeling unwell and was niftar shortly after his arrival.

Born in England in 1948, Rav Kook was the son of Rav Yosef Chaim z”l and Mrs. Sheindel a”h.

In his youth, he studied at Yeshivas Gateshead, where he absorbed Torah from its roshei yeshiva, Rav Leib Lopian and Rav Aryeh Zev Gurwitz.

He later continued his learning at Yeshivas Telz in Cleveland, where he learned under the roshei yeshiva Rav Chaim Stein, a close relative, and Rav Mordechai Gifter. Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife, from the Cohen family of Cleveland.

Following the guidance of the Steipler Gaon, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, and Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach, Rav Kook moved to Eretz Yisroel in 1983. He joined Kollel Chazon Ish and developed a particularly close relationship with Rav Shach, whom he would visit frequently. He davened regularly at the beis medrash of Yeshivas Ponevezh.

After the passing of the Steipler Gaon, Rav Kook joined the regular Yerushalmi shiur of Rav Chaim Kanievsky. At the conclusion of the year of aveilus for the Steipler, he asked Rav Chaim to continue learning with him in chavrusa, a merit he was granted for many years.

During his years living on Rechov HaRav Dessler in Bnei Brak, he davened at Beis Medrash Shevet HaLevi, where he enjoyed a close bond with Rav Shmuel Wosner.

Rav Kook also maintained a longstanding and close connection with Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, whom he had known since his youth in Cleveland, when he would accompany him during visits there. After settling in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Kook would consult with him on matters large and small, and he later received an enthusiastic haskamah from Rav Bergman on his seforim.

Widely recognized as possessing deep insight into the human soul, Rav Kook devoted himself to guiding and supporting families—particularly in the United States—who remained in close telephone contact with him. He advised them on challenges in ruchniyus and shalom bayis, with many families crediting him with preserving their spiritual lives. He also served as a trusted address for American bochurim learning in Eretz Yisroel, who found in him a listening ear and steady guidance.

Over the years, he established the Shaarei Chesed – Yeshichena LaAcherim organization, which centralized the many personal and communal issues brought to him for counsel. He also published his sefer Siach Yitzchak, devoted to understanding the complexities of the human soul.

Despite his Torah stature and far-reaching influence, Rav Kook was known for his exceptional humility. He lived quietly, avoided public recognition, and did not seek honor, conducting himself with simplicity and modesty.

In recent weeks, he had been unwell. On Monday, he felt a sudden weakness and was rushed to the hospital, where he was niftar shortly thereafter.

He is survived by his sons, Rav Yehuda Kook, a rosh kollel in Bnei Brak, Rav Avraham Eliezer Kook, a rosh kollel in Petach Tikva, as well as additional sons and daughters.

The levayah took place Monday night at his home on Rechov Chevron in Bnei Brak, proceeding to the cemetery in Elad for kevurah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., criticized the Trump administration on Sunday for expanding federal law enforcement operations in Minneapolis, arguing that the effort wastes public money and instills fear in local neighborhoods even as the White House says it is intensifying actions against fraud and illegal immigration.

During an appearance on MS NOW with host Ayman Mohyeldin, Omar addressed the administration’s increased focus on immigration enforcement alongside investigations into a wide-ranging fraud case in Minnesota. She echoed Mohyeldin’s suggestion that officials were reacting to unfounded narratives and said Democrats were being unfairly portrayed.

“They are falling for this because it is a part of this PR that Democrats somehow condone this fraud and corruption,” she said.

Omar also pointed to the period when Elon Musk oversaw the Department of Government Efficiency, saying that effort failed to uncover wrongdoing while causing harm to vulnerable populations.

She further argued that the current administration has not produced new indictments tied to its fraud investigations in Minnesota, despite earlier cases that resulted in charges against dozens of defendants, many of whom were Somali.

“Again, I’m so exhausted in trying to ask, what any of this, you know, information has led to you finding any criminals that you have indicted, that explains why you are wasting so much of our taxpayer resources?” Omar said Sunday.

The Minnesota congresswoman went on to directly criticize the visible presence of federal agents in the state, saying the scale of enforcement has had a damaging effect on residents.

“And also terrorizing our communities in the amount of federal law enforcement agents that you have in the streets of our city and our state,” she said. “There needs to be some sort of justification, and every single case that they have, you know, put in front of us has been a case that has been investigated or adjudicated under the Biden administration.”

Omar’s comments came as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the federal government is deploying additional agents to Minnesota. The move follows rising tensions after last week’s fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent during an enforcement operation.

Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” Noem said DHS plans to send hundreds more personnel to Minneapolis to ensure Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents can operate safely.

“If they conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that’s a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences,” she said, referring to confrontations between protesters and federal officers outside an ICE facility and the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building over the weekend.

Demonstrations have since spread beyond Minnesota to cities such as Los Angeles, Portland, and New York. The protests erupted after Good was killed in the incident, which DHS claims occurred when she “weaponized her vehicle” and “attempted to run a law enforcement officer over.” Supporters of Good dispute that account, saying she was trying to flee and that the ICE agent used excessive force.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a sharp warning to the United States this week amid widening anti-government protests and escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump, choosing to deliver his message through an unusual channel — his Russian-language account on X — a move analysts say highlights Tehran’s deepening alignment with Moscow as pressure on the regime grows.

In a Jan. 11 post written in Russian, Khamenei declared, “The United States today is miscalculating in its approach toward Iran.” Several hours later, he followed up with another Russian-language message cautioning that the United States had already suffered setbacks due to past “miscalculations” and would face them again as a result of “erroneous planning.”

Ksenia Svetlova, executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economy and Security and an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the decision to use Russian was revealing, even if the wording itself was awkward.

“This is bad Russian,” Svetlova told Fox News Digital. “It seems that it’s translated by Google Translate, not by a human being.” Nonetheless, she said the choice to communicate via Khamenei’s Russian-language platform aligns with the increasingly close relationship between Tehran and Moscow.

The comments came as unrest inside Iran continues to intensify. According to HRANA, a human rights group monitoring the demonstrations, at least 544 people have been killed during protests across the country, with dozens more cases still being examined. The opposition group NCRI has asserted that the true death toll exceeds 3,000, though confirming figures has been difficult due to sweeping internet restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities.

President Donald Trump has been vocal in condemning the violence. Asked whether Iran had crossed a red line, Trump responded, “They’re starting to, it looks like. And they seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent. If you call them leaders, I don’t know if they’re leaders, or just they rule through violence. But we’re looking at it very seriously,” he said Sunday while speaking aboard Air Force One.

“We’re looking at some very strong options,” he added.

Iranian officials have rejected Washington’s criticism, accusing the United States of meddling in Iran’s internal affairs and warning that any American military action would prompt retaliation against U.S. forces and allies throughout the region.

At the same time, Tehran has indicated it does not want to sever diplomatic contacts entirely. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that lines of communication remain open between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Axios separately reported that Araghchi reached out to Witkoff over the weekend following Trump’s warnings about potential military steps.

Despite those contacts, analysts say Khamenei’s decision to address Washington in Russian underscores where Iran believes its strongest strategic backing lies.

Russia has emerged as a crucial partner for Tehran, particularly as Moscow depends on Iranian-made drones and other military hardware in its war against Ukraine. That reliance, Svetlova said, means instability inside Iran could have serious repercussions for the Kremlin.

“I think that could be a dramatic effect, because they do depend on Iran — specifically military production, the drones and ballistic missiles,” she said. “They need them to continue their war against Ukraine.”

The relationship has not been without tension inside Iran. Svetlova noted that after the 12-day war with Israel, many Iranians voiced anger at Moscow for failing to offer meaningful support.

“There was a lot of criticism in Iran against Russia that it did not come to help,” she said. “It didn’t reach out. It didn’t do anything, basically.”

Even so, she said Russia’s narrowing list of allies leaves it with few alternatives. With longtime partners weakened or removed, including Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Moscow has grown increasingly dependent on Tehran, even as it has largely avoided commenting on the protests shaking Iran.

In that context, Svetlova said, Khamenei’s Russian-language warning appears intended as a message both to Washington and to Moscow — signaling that Iran views its standoff with the United States as part of a shared front with President Vladimir Putin.

{Matzav.com}

A Republican lawmaker is moving to formally back President Donald Trump’s long-standing push to bring Greenland under U.S. control, introducing legislation that would begin the process toward making the Arctic territory the nation’s 51st state.

Rep. Randy Fine of Florida is unveiling a bill Monday that would give Trump authority “to take such steps as may be necessary” to acquire Greenland and advance it toward incorporation into the United States.

“I think it is in the world’s interest for the United States to exert sovereignty over Greenland,” Fine said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

He stressed that the measure would not bypass Congress’ constitutional role in statehood decisions. “Congress would still have to choose to make it a state, but this would simply authorize the president to do what he’s doing and say the Congress stands behind him. And then it would expedite it into becoming a state, but it would still be up to Congress about whether to do that.”

The renewed discussion comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that he plans to meet with officials from Denmark this week to address issues related to Greenland.

Trump has openly promoted the idea of the United States purchasing Greenland dating back to his first term in the White House. He and other Republicans have repeatedly cited the island’s strategic military value, its location near Russia, and the presence of critical mineral resources as reasons the U.S. should seek control.

Fine echoed those strategic arguments while also asserting that U.S. governance would improve conditions for Greenland’s residents.

“Their poverty rate is high. Denmark hasn’t treated them well,” Fine said. “When war came to town, Denmark couldn’t protect them. Guess who protected Greenland during World War II? We did.”

Although many Republicans say they understand Trump’s rationale for pursuing Greenland, some in the party expressed unease earlier this month after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to rule out the potential use of military force to obtain the island.

When asked whether he would support military action, Fine emphasized a non-coercive approach. “I think the best way to acquire Greenland is voluntarily.”

He further argued that Greenland’s internal governance and economic conditions make U.S. involvement preferable. “The poverty rate in Greenland is much, much higher than it is in Denmark. The country is run by socialists, and it is not in America’s interests to have a territory that large between the United States and Russia run by socialists,” Fine said.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress holds the authority to admit new states. The process generally involves lawmakers first approving legislation to establish a territory, followed by the drafting of a state constitution that must be ratified by local residents.

After that step, Congress must pass another vote to formally admit the new state, with the process completed only once the legislation is signed by the president.

{Matzav.com}

A volunteer host affiliated with a college radio station resigned after law enforcement agencies confirmed they were alerted to a social media post that explicitly called for violence against Vice President JD Vance, Fox News reports.

The post appeared on Bluesky, a social media platform dominated by left-leaning users, and came from an account using the handle hanslopez.bsky.social. In the message, the user wrote, “It’s simple, we kill JD Vance.” The account holder identified himself as a host on WUML, a radio station funded by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The comment was posted in response to another Bluesky user who asserted that, “JD VANCE THINKS BRITAIN & FRANCE ARE AMERICAS [sic] LIKELY ENEMIES.”

According to its website, WUML has served as a broadcast outlet for both the UMass Lowell student population and the surrounding Lowell community for more than 60 years.

The station describes itself as follows: “Founded in 1952, WUML functions as a non-commercial FM station located in Lowell, Massachusetts, funded by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and fully managed and operated by student members, broadcasting both terrestrially and online.”

After university officials became aware of the post, they contacted law enforcement, the school told Fox News Digital. In a statement, the university detailed the steps taken immediately after discovering the online threat.

“UMass Lowell police promptly coordinated with the FBI, Secret Service and Haverhill police the same day to ensure an appropriate response,” the university said. “Contact was made with the individual in question, and the necessary assessments were conducted in collaboration with federal partners. Authorities confirmed there was no immediate threat.”

The Secret Service separately confirmed to Fox News Digital that it was aware of the online statement. The Haverhill Police Department referred inquiries to the FBI, which declined to issue a comment.

In a follow-up statement, the university emphasized its stance on violent rhetoric. “UMass Lowell takes seriously any threat of violence involving our community. Statements such as the post in question are inconsistent with the values of our democracy and our university,” the school said. “The individual in question has since resigned from his volunteer role at WUML and removed the post from his Bluesky account.”

University officials also disclosed that the individual responsible for the post is a graduate of UMass Lowell.

A review of the Bluesky account shows that multiple posts, including the one targeting Vice President Vance, have since been deleted.

President Trump warned on Monday that the United States could face massive financial consequences if the Supreme Court invalidates his reciprocal tariff program, saying the country would be forced to return enormous sums collected under the policy and could be exposed to additional claims tied to business investments.

“[I]f the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He said a negative ruling would not only require the government to refund tariff revenues already collected, but would also open the door to further financial obligations stemming from investments made by foreign governments and companies seeking to avoid the tariffs.

“The actual numbers that we would have to pay back if, for any reason, the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States of America on Tariffs, would be many Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and that doesn’t include the amount of ‘payback’ that Countries and Companies would require for the Investments they are making on building Plants, Factories, and Equipment, for the purpose of being able to avoid the payment of Tariffs,” he wrote.

Trump argued that once those private-sector investments are factored in, the total exposure could reach staggering levels.

“When these Investments are added, we are talking about Trillions of Dollars! It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay. Anybody who says that it can be quickly and easily done would be making a false, inaccurate, or totally misunderstood answer to this very large and complex question.”

He continued by saying that even determining the scope and mechanics of any repayment would be extraordinarily difficult.

“It may not be possible but, if it were, it would be Dollars that would be so large that it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay. Remember, when America shines brightly, the World shines brightly.”

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision as soon as Wednesday on whether Trump had the authority to invoke emergency powers to implement the tariff framework announced last April. That plan included a 10 percent baseline tariff on most imports, along with steeper rates imposed in August on countries running trade surpluses with the United States.

Trump relied on those authorities to pressure major trading partners into making concessions, including commitments to invest in the United States and to reduce barriers facing American exports, while maintaining elevated tariffs on their goods.

Even if the justices strike down the reciprocal tariffs, several other trade measures would remain in place, including tariffs of up to 25 percent on automobiles and 50 percent duties on copper, steel, and aluminum.

Administration officials have said that if the Supreme Court rules against the emergency powers justification, Trump would look to reimpose the reciprocal tariffs using alternative legal grounds.

{Matzav.com}

Hessy Levinsons Taft, a Jewish woman whose baby photograph was once promoted across Nazi Germany as a supposed model of Aryan perfection, died last week at her home in San Francisco, according to a report by The New York Times. She was 91.

Taft was just six months old in 1934 when her parents, Latvian Jewish opera singers living in Berlin, brought her to a studio for a professional portrait. The photographer, Hans Ballin, later submitted the image to a Nazi-sponsored competition seeking the ideal Aryan infant.

The photograph was ultimately chosen by Joseph Goebbels, the regime’s propaganda minister, and featured prominently on the cover of Sonne ins Haus, a publication aligned with Nazi ideology.

From there, the image was reproduced extensively, appearing in magazines, advertisements, postcards, and private homes throughout Germany as a visual endorsement of Nazi racial doctrine.

According to Taft’s obituary in The Times, when her parents confronted Ballin after discovering what had happened, he told them that he was fully aware the child was Jewish and had entered the photo deliberately, intending it as a subversive act to ridicule Nazi racial theories.

In a 2014 interview with Reuters, Taft said she later expressed gratitude to the photographer for taking that risk, even though he himself was not Jewish. “It was an irony that needed to be exposed.”

For her parents, however, the episode was terrifying. Afraid that the truth could lead to their execution, they kept their daughter largely confined indoors and avoided public outings, determined to prevent anyone from uncovering her identity.

Taft eventually made the story public in 1987 through the book Muted Voices: Jewish Survivors of Latvia Remember by Gertrude Schneider. Over time, she came to view the incident with a sense of defiance, describing it as an act of “good revenge.”

Reflecting on it years later, she told Tablet magazine in 2022: “I can laugh about it now, but if the Nazis had known who I really was, I wouldn’t be alive.”

Although the Levinson family was living in Berlin when the photograph was taken, they were not initially subject to Nazi anti-Jewish laws because they were Latvian citizens rather than German nationals.

As the Nazi grip on Germany tightened, the family chose to leave in 1937. Their journey took them through Latvia, Paris, Nice, and Cuba before they ultimately made their way to New York City in 1949.

Taft later pursued a career in science, earning degrees in chemistry from Barnard College and Columbia University. She spent more than three decades at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, where she supervised Advanced Placement chemistry exams for high school students.

At 66, she began a new chapter as an adjunct professor at St. John’s University in Queens, where she taught chemistry and conducted research focused on water sustainability.

In 1959, she married Earl Taft, who died in 2021. She is survived by her sister, Noemi Pollack; her two children, Nina and Alex Taft; and four grandchildren.

{Matzav.com}

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the federal government is bleeding hundreds of billions of dollars every year due to waste, fraud, and abuse — money he argues could be redirected to national priorities without increasing taxes or debt.

In an interview with journalist Christopher Rufo that aired Sunday, Bessent said the annual cost of federal mismanagement ranges from $300 billion to $600 billion. He explained that the estimate is grounded in figures from the Government Accountability Office, which has calculated that fraud alone accounts for roughly 10% of the federal budget and between 1% and 2% of gross domestic product.

According to Bessent, even a partial reduction of those losses would unlock significant funding for national defense, aligning with President Donald Trump’s push to rebuild the U.S. military after what the administration views as years of neglect.

“If we can get rid of this waste, fraud, and abuse, we can finance a safer, sounder U.S. … without taking on more debt,” Bessent said during the Rufo interview.

The GAO analysis Bessent cited estimates that fraud costs the federal government between $233 billion and $521 billion each year, based on data collected from fiscal years 2018 through 2022.

Beyond outright fraud, the GAO has also warned about the enormous cost of so-called “improper payments,” a category that includes mistakes, overpayments, and other errors. Over time, those losses have added up to trillions of dollars, underscoring what watchdogs describe as deeply flawed oversight mechanisms in Washington.

Bessent also discussed the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which aims to rein in federal waste. While he said he shares Elon Musk’s objective of eliminating inefficiency, he made clear that his strategy differs sharply.

Rather than Musk’s well-known Silicon Valley ethos of “move fast and break things,” Bessent said his philosophy is “move deliberately and fix things,” indicating that Treasury-led probes will focus on meticulous investigations designed to withstand legal scrutiny.

That enforcement-oriented approach is spreading across the administration.

At a White House briefing on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance announced the establishment of a new assistant attorney general position dedicated to pursuing fraud involving taxpayer funds, with authority extending nationwide.

Vance’s remarks came amid growing attention on alleged large-scale fraud operations in Minnesota, which has emerged as a focal point in the national conversation about oversight and accountability in blue-state governments.

Bessent said Minnesota will serve as a testing ground for broader enforcement efforts, adding that the administration plans to “take this … map to the other 49 states,” signaling an aggressive expansion of federal investigations.

The interview also highlighted another major fiscal problem: unpaid taxes.

Internal Revenue Service estimates indicate that the net “tax gap” — the difference between taxes legally owed and those actually collected on time — reached approximately $606 billion for the 2022 tax year.

Bessent’s broader argument is that before Washington looks to raise taxes or increase borrowing, it must first demonstrate that it can clamp down on fraud, inefficiency, and weak enforcement — and then channel recovered funds into essential priorities such as national defense and border security.

{Matzav.com}

A surprising discovery in a kosher poultry package has set off widespread discussion across the kashrus world after a consumer found what appeared to be a gallbladder embedded inside the thigh of a chicken. The unusual finding prompted confusion and concern, raising a fundamental question: How could an organ normally located near the liver end up in the leg and does such a chicken remain kosher?

Rav Yochanan Reichman, a well-known kashrus expert who fields halachic questions from around the world, said he never anticipated the reaction the image would generate. “I never imagined what kind of storm this picture would cause in the rabbinic world in general and in the kashrus world in particular,” he said.

The incident began when a woman opened a package of mehadrin-certified chicken legs in preparation for a Shabbos meal and was startled to find a greenish sac attached inside the thigh. She photographed the finding and sent it to Rabbi Reichman for clarification.

“At first glance, it was very puzzling,” Rabbi Reichman explained. “The gallbladder in a chicken is attached to the liver and sits right next to it, toward the front of the body. The thigh is located at the back, near the pelvis. The distance between the liver and the thigh can be several inches. So how did it get there?”

Recognizing the seriousness of the question, Rabbi Reichman consulted leading experts in shechitah and kashrus systems in Israel and abroad. Among those he turned to was Rav Shaul Askel, a senior shochet and bodek at the Oif Oz slaughterhouse in Shegev Shalom, which operates under strict mehadrin supervision.

What followed was an unexpected wave of inquiries. Rabbonim from Europe and North America—including the Netherlands, Antwerp, Chicago, and New York—requested to see the image themselves. Many noted that they had never previously encountered such a case.

After extensive halachic research and a close examination of the industrial poultry-processing process, a clear explanation emerged.

According to Rabbi Askel, the gallbladder does not grow in the leg. Rather, during automated processing, the internal organs are removed by machines. In many chickens, the gallbladder remains attached not only to the liver but also to ducts that connect to the intestines, which run close to the thigh area. When the machinery pulls the organs free, the gallbladder can detach from the liver while remaining connected to intestinal tissue and fat near the leg, causing it to appear embedded in the thigh.

“There is no change in the organ’s natural location,” Rabbi Askel explained in his written halachic response. “It is a result of the mechanical separation process. The gallbladder is pulled along with surrounding fat and connective tissue and can remain lodged near the thigh.”

From a halachic standpoint, the ruling was unequivocal: the chicken is kosher. There is no concern that the gallbladder changed its place of growth, nor is this a case of an additional gallbladder, which could raise halachic problems. Salting, cooking, or roasting the chicken does not create an issue, provided the gallbladder itself is removed, as usual, to avoid bitterness.

Rabbi Reichman emphasized that while the sight may be unsettling to consumers unfamiliar with poultry anatomy, there is no halachic reason for concern. “This is not a defect, not a sign of treif, and not a reason to discard the chicken,” he said. “Once the facts are understood, the ruling is clear and reassuring.”

{Matzav.com}

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It’s the kind of impact that doesn’t need explaining, because a thousand words would never do.

This year’s KSH Auction invites you to be part of those moments. To give, to enter, to win, and to rewrite the stories of countless families.

Be part of what doesn’t need to be said.

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Dear Matzav Inbox,

We love talking about kids and screens. Phones are ruining them. Screens are destroying their attention. Technology is poisoning the next generation.

And then we check our phones.

We tell teens to put their devices away while answering messages during supper. We complain about boys zoning out while scrolling through WhatsApp. We warn about addiction while saying, “I just have to check something quickly,” ten times an hour.

Children learn more from what they see than what they’re told. And what they see is very simple: Adults who can’t sit still without a screen.

A father tells his son to focus while his phone buzzes on the table. A mother lectures about limits while reading messages late into the night. A therapist speaks about self-control while glancing at updates between sessions.

Then we’re shocked when kids don’t take us seriously.

We banned phones. We made rules. We gave speeches. But we never looked in the mirror.

Teenagers aren’t inventing this behavior. They’re copying it. They see adults who are anxious without their phones, distracted during conversations, and irritated when interrupted from scrolling. They hear complaints about “this generation,” while watching the previous one refresh group chats over and over.

We say kids can’t handle responsibility. But how responsible do we look when we can’t leave our phones in another room for an hour?

The problem isn’t that teens love screens. It’s that they grew up watching adults love them first.

If we want our children to have boundaries, we need to show them what boundaries look like. If we want them present, we need to be present. And if we want them to believe that phones are tools—not lifelines—we have to prove it with our own behavior.

Otherwise, all our warnings sound hollow. And kids don’t rebel against hypocrisy. They tune it out.

Dovid Nachman

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{Matzav.com}

Amar’e Stoudemire, the former NBA star who has embraced Orthodox Judaism, met Monday night with Rav Dovid Yosef, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, during the Rishon L’Tzion’s trip to Miami.

During their meeting, Rav Yosef offered Stoudemire a warm bracha, encouraging him to persevere in his spiritual path and public example, telling him: “Continue to strengthen yourself and sanctify God’s name in the world of sports.”

The Chief Rabbi also bestowed a special bracha upon Stoudemire’s newborn son, expressing the hope that the child should be raised to a life of Torah, chupah, mitzvos, and maasim tovim.

Stoudemire, who enjoyed a long and accomplished career in professional basketball, has in recent years undergone a personal journey of geirus and growth in Yiddishkeit. He is now known by his Hebrew name, Yehoshafat ben Avraham.

That journey culminated in August 2020, following years of Torah learning in yeshiva, when he formally completed his geirus through the Beis Din Tzedek in Bnei Brak founded by Rav Nissim Karelitz.

He now spends most of his day learning Torah.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said in a recent interview that certain civil rights measures designed to combat racial discrimination ended up unfairly disadvantaging white Americans, particularly in college admissions and hiring, even as he acknowledged that those policies also achieved positive outcomes.

Speaking with The New York Times, Trump argued that some initiatives born out of the civil rights era produced unintended consequences that harmed people who were otherwise qualified for opportunities. “White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well and they were not invited to go into a university to college,” he said, pointing to affirmative action practices in higher education. “So I would say in that way, I think it was unfair in certain cases.”

Trump added that while those policies helped address historical injustices, they also created new inequities. “I think it was also, at the same time, it accomplished some very wonderful things, but it also hurt a lot of people — people that deserve to go to a college or deserve to get a job were unable to get a job. So it was, it was a reverse discrimination.”

Those comments come as the administration presses forward with a broad effort to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across government and the private sector, framing the push not as an erosion of civil rights protections but as a restoration of equal treatment based on merit.

That approach is increasingly reflected in federal policy decisions.

Last month, the Justice Department announced a final rule revising regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, eliminating the use of “disparate impact” liability, a legal theory that allows penalties based on unequal statistical outcomes even without evidence of intentional discrimination.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the move is intended to reaffirm the constitutional requirement that individuals be treated the same under the law, arguing that prior regulations effectively encouraged race-based decision-making by institutions receiving federal funds.

“For decades, the Justice Department has used disparate-impact liability to undermine the constitutional principle that all Americans must be treated equally under the law,” Bondi said in a statement. “No longer. This Department of Justice is eliminating its regulations that for far too long required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race.”

{Matzav.com}

Leading rabbinic figures addressed the issue of yeshiva students and the draft on Sunday night at the “Levaker Beheichalo” chinuch conference in Yerushalayim, delivering sharp remarks in support of Torah learners facing increasing pressure from state authorities.

Speaking at the conference, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yitzchok Yosef called for strengthening those immersed in Torah study, particularly at a time when yeshiva students are being targeted. He stressed that Torah learning provides spiritual protection to the Jewish people, especially in times of war.

Referring to recent attacks in southern Israel, Rav Yosef said that terrorists had managed to seize 12 communities, but were stopped from advancing further due to the merit of Torah study. He said that without the protection generated by yeshivos and kollel families, additional cities would have fallen, asserting that the spiritual defense of Torah learners played a decisive role.

Also speaking at the gathering was Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah member and Porat Yosef Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shmuel Betzalel, who shared a personal story about a detained yeshiva bochur from Ponovezh.

Rav Betzalel said that the young man regularly discussed Torah learning with him at the Kosel and was exceptionally knowledgeable in the entire Shas. According to Rav Betzalel, the bochur’s father later informed him that his son had been jailed after arriving three days late to his initial draft summons. “Do you understand what this means?” Rav Betzalel said. “Shas is sitting in prison.”

The conference was organized at the initiative of Yerushalayim Deputy Mayor Tzvika Cohen and was attended by senior members of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, including Rav Moshe Maya and Rav Avraham Salim, along with numerous roshei yeshiva and rabbonim

Among those present were Rav Chaim Cohen of Be’er HaTalmud, Rav Shmuel Beitan of Daas Chaim, Rav Zvi Cohen of Avnei Nezer, Rav Yitzchak Lasri of Eish HaTalmud, Rav Chaim Suissa of Torah V’Daas, and Rav Yisrael Rokach of Mishkan Chaim.

Earlier in the evening, Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri also addressed the conference.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said Sunday night that he is unaware of any investigation targeting Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, even as the Fed chief disclosed that the Justice Department has subpoenaed the central bank and warned that Powell could face indictment for allegedly misleading Congress.

“I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed, and he’s not very good at building buildings,” the president told NBC News during a brief interview.

Powell, 72, sent markets reeling late Sunday after issuing a statement acknowledging the subpoenas and confirming that prosecutors have raised the possibility of criminal charges tied to his congressional testimony.

The controversy centers on a massive renovation of the Federal Reserve’s Washington headquarters, a project estimated at $2.5 billion that was first reported by The Post in April. During a June appearance before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell faced pointed questioning over the overhaul, which one former Fed board member derided as “the Palace of Versailles on the National Mall.”

At that hearing, Powell rejected claims that the renovation involved extravagant amenities described in internal planning documents approved in 2021.

“There’s no VIP dining room, there’s no new marble. There are no special elevators,” the Fed chair said under oath June 25. “There are no new water features, there’s no beehives, and there’s no roof terrace gardens.”

In July, Trump and Powell toured the construction site together, appearing side by side in business attire and hard hats as they fielded questions from reporters. During the visit, the two clashed publicly over the true cost of the project, with Powell disputing Trump’s assertion that the price tag had reached $3.1 billion and saying the president was counting expenses related to a separate building.

On Dec. 29, Trump complained that the renovation would exceed $4 billion and threatened legal action against Powell, accusing him of “gross incompetence.”

Trump has repeatedly faulted Powell for moving too slowly to cut interest rates. On Sunday night, Powell suggested the investigation was politically motivated, calling it “a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president.”

“This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions — or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation,” Powell said.

Trump dismissed that characterization in his NBC interview. “I wouldn’t even think of doing it that way. What should pressure him is the fact that rates are far too high. That’s the only pressure he’s got,” the president said.

“He’s hurt a lot of people,” Trump added. “I think the public is pressuring him.”

Powell’s term as Fed chair expires in May, and Trump is expected to name a successor in the coming weeks. Powell is slated to remain a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors through 2028 after stepping down from the top post.

{Matzav.com}

Israel and Iran narrowly avoided direct military confrontation on two occasions in recent weeks amid mutual misjudgments and Israeli concerns over a potential surprise attack, according to Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

Speaking in an interview Monday with 103FM, Hayman said Iranian military preparations created what he described as a “coordination imperative” between Israel and the United States. He explained that the recent close calls stemmed from heightened risks of miscalculation, a dynamic that has pushed the IDF and U.S. forces into deeper operational coordination.

Hayman said American moves against Iran are already in progress and could expand in several directions, depending on how the situation evolves. These measures, he said, might include information and influence campaigns, cyber operations, covert actions, or, if tensions spiral, open warfare.

“There is no zero action at the moment,” Hayman said, indicating that U.S. pressure efforts are already underway.

He pointed to a surge of unexplained reports, rumors, and circulating videos inside Iran, suggesting they may reflect a coordinated cyber and influence campaign combined with internal disruption and subversion. While conceding that not every incident is necessarily connected, Hayman said the cumulative effect has been growing confusion within Iran’s domestic information environment.

Turning to Iran’s political future, Hayman said developments previously viewed as far-fetched can no longer be ruled out. He cited possibilities ranging from heightened nationalist messaging to more dramatic scenarios, such as an extended revolutionary phase led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, potentially including a temporary ruler under a military dictatorship.

As long as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains in charge, Hayman said, Iran is unlikely to launch a full-scale attack on Israel, given Khamenei’s historically cautious approach. That assessment could change, he warned, if a more aggressive, IRGC-backed figure were to rise to power.

Hayman also reviewed Tehran’s handling of domestic unrest, arguing that attempts at economic relief have failed and that harsh security crackdowns have not succeeded in restoring stability. Under those conditions, he suggested, talks with Washington could become the regime’s only realistic path to easing economic pressure through sanctions relief.

Negotiations, he said, were “not an absurd scenario,” especially if Iran were to offer a dramatic concession on uranium enrichment that might draw the United States into serious talks.

“If the US conducts only a symbolic strike and we are attacked, we will not contain it,” Hayman said. “If Washington mounts a heavy response and our added value is marginal, we should act wisely.”

He stressed that any Israeli military response would be shaped by the scale and character of American action.

On the military front, Hayman said Iran has rebuilt its missile production lines following the Israel–Iran war but has not yet implemented the upgrades it had originally planned. He added that Tehran is now seeking Chinese assistance to significantly expand its manufacturing capacity.

Arguing against launching a new war with Iran at present, Hayman said such conflicts exact a heavy price and force large numbers of Israelis from their homes. Strategically, he said, Israel faces a choice between pursuing regime change or, if conflict becomes unavoidable, reaching a limited arrangement to constrain Iran’s capabilities—though he emphasized that “right now, an agreement is a mistake.”

He closed by outlining scenarios he described as unlikely but plausible, including a harsh IRGC-dominated military regime or a leadership change backed by outside actors. More probable, in his view, are internal reforms designed to reassert control over Iranian society.

The Iranian leadership, he added, continues to portray domestic unrest as the result of U.S. and Israeli interference, urging citizens to rally against external enemies. “There are two million people there whose identities are unclear and who are violent,” he warned, while noting that the regime still retains significant leverage.

{Matzav.com}