Matzav

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing growing criticism over a proposal to open a $30 million city-owned grocery store in East Harlem after it emerged that the same location had already secured $25 million years ago for a separate taxpayer-funded redevelopment project — creating what critics describe as an extraordinarily expensive and confusing overlap of public spending, the New York Post reports.

The proposed supermarket would be built at La Marqueta, the longtime food market stretching beneath the elevated Metro-North tracks along Park Avenue between East 111th and East 119th Streets. Mamdani announced last month that the city intends to establish a government-run grocery store there that would be able to undercut surrounding businesses because it would not be responsible for paying rent or taxes.

But city officials confirmed that La Marqueta had already been approved nearly a decade ago for a separate $25 million overhaul through the city’s New York City Economic Development Corporation, meaning the total public investment tied to the site could balloon to $55 million.

“The $30 million is an outrageous number” by itself, said Stephen Zagor, an adjunct associate professor of food studies at Columbia Business School. “You’d expect the doorknobs and cash registers to be solid gold.”

“And to think there is another $25 million allocated years ago for the rest of La Marqueta, which is well past its prime, I’d think they would have to revisit that,” Zagor added.

Under the original 2017 redevelopment blueprint, which EDC officials recently presented to local business leaders, La Marqueta was slated for major upgrades that included a playground, outdoor dining areas, a dog park, and a revamped market space featuring fresh produce, groceries, prepared foods, and communal seating in a food hall-style setup.

Anthony Pena said Mamdani failed to mention the earlier EDC redevelopment plan when unveiling the city-run grocery proposal last month.

City officials have “not been transparent and open about anything they are doing,” Pena said of the La Marqueta plans.

One aspect of the proposal that has drawn particular criticism is a planned parking lot equipped with electric vehicle charging stations.

“Electric vehicles tend to be more expensive so are they catering to a higher-income market?” Zagor said. “It sounds like they aren’t focused on what they are trying to do in serving East Harlem residents.”

Mamdani has earmarked a total of $70 million for five city-operated grocery stores — one in each borough. With the remaining four stores averaging roughly $10 million each, critics say the East Harlem project’s $30 million price tag appears especially difficult to justify.

Pena pointed to another recently announced city grocery project in the Bronx as an example of the discrepancy. On May 18, Mamdani revealed plans for a 20,000-square-foot public supermarket in Hunts Point, located within a residential redevelopment at the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center site, which closed in 2011.

Industry executives say a typical 9,000-square-foot grocery store in Manhattan would normally cost only a fraction of what the city is proposing for the East Harlem location. The concerns are heightened by the fact that the neighborhood already contains more than a dozen grocery stores.

“They are going to spend $10 million on a 20,000-square-foot store and $30 million on a 9,000-square-foot store],” Pena said. “There is a massive disconnect right now and there are more questions than answers.”

Responding to inquiries from The New York Post, the Economic Development Corporation acknowledged that Mamdani’s proposed $30 million grocery store and the previously approved $25 million La Marqueta redevelopment are entirely separate projects.

According to the agency, the $30 million allocation would fund “the ground-up construction and fit-out of the public grocery store as well as back-of-house needs and parking with EV charging capability,” though officials declined to provide a more detailed breakdown of the costs.

The EDC also clarified that none of the original $25 million redevelopment funding would go toward the grocery store itself. Officials said the supermarket and adjoining parking lot are expected to occupy the northern end of La Marqueta between East 117th and East 119th Streets.

Earlier this month, city officials met with a grocery industry trade organization and presented a redevelopment proposal that had originally been drafted before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to presentation materials reviewed during the meeting, funding for the project “have already been committed” through the EDC, the City Council, and the city’s Neighborhood Redevelopment Fund.

Sources familiar with the planning process said the redevelopment stalled for years because of pandemic-era suspensions of nonessential projects and later due to a major Metropolitan Transportation Authority infrastructure project above La Marqueta that began in 2023.

“NYCEDC is working with the East Harlem community and relevant stakeholders including small businesses to help inform how La Marqueta’s public grocery store can help strengthen neighborhood food access, provide quality jobs and make New York City more affordable for everyone,” the agency said in a statement.

“NYCEDC is also working on the redevelopment of La Marqueta’s retail market and looks forward to sharing more information soon.”

Meanwhile, many current tenants at the historic market say they still have little understanding of the city’s long-term intentions for the property, which was first opened in 1936 by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as a marketplace for pushcart vendors.

“The EDC’s plans for the spaces have changed so many times,” said Bella Karakas, whose shared commercial kitchen business Eterra opened at La Marqueta four years ago between East 113th and East 114th Streets.

Another longtime tenant, the Urban Garden Center, now faces growing uncertainty as the project evolves.

The business was relocated several blocks south in 2023 from its original 20,000-square-foot location between East 116th and East 118th Streets because of the MTA’s Park Avenue Viaduct reconstruction project.

Its owner, Dimitri Gatanis, said the relocation cut his space in half and severely damaged sales. He remains unsure whether he will ever regain access to his former location and fears additional competition from the city-owned grocery operation.

“Are they going to start selling potted herbs or plants as most grocery stores in the city do?” Gatanis told The Post. “It’s all very murky.”

Chareidi members of the Knesset launched a fierce public assault Wednesday against the Religious Zionist Party after the party refused to support legislation aimed at preserving daycare subsidies for yeshiva families affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling on draft exemptions.

Despite opposition from the Religious Zionist Party, the proposed law succeeded in passing its preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich reportedly ignored repeated requests from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu to back the measure, insisting that until the chareidi factions cooperate on military conscription legislation, his party would not assist them.

“The Religious Zionists are not participating,” Smotrich declared, according to the report, referencing the ongoing dispute surrounding a draft law.

In response to the backlash, the Religious Zionist Party issued a statement defending its position and accusing parts of the chareidi political bloc of undermining coalition unity while simultaneously resisting compromise on enlistment legislation.

“While some of the chareidi parties are politically flirting with the left-wing bloc and simultaneously opposing a serious conscription framework, you can’t demand the Religious Zionists to be the sucker on call,” a statement on behalf of the party read.

The party further argued that Israelis serving in the reserves and bearing the burden of the war effort would not tolerate a situation in which chareidi parties reject a conscription arrangement while still expecting financial benefits from the government.

Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel Hatorah, fired back sharply at his coalition partners, accusing them of acting out of hostility toward the chareidi community.

“The hatred against the chareidi public drives them crazy and also hurts the working and weak public.”

Gafni escalated his criticism further, accusing the Religious Zionist Party of betraying the very coalition that helped strengthen its political standing.

“Their partners in their worldview in the Religious Zionist Party act with distortion and ingratitude. We gave them everything, with settlements, funding, and positions, and when it comes to issues that are important to the chareidi public, they turn their back and work against us. They lack integrity and values. We will take that into account from now on with anything concerning religious Zionists.”

Yitzchok Goldknopf also joined the attacks, targeting Smotrich directly over his failure to support the bill.

“Bezalel Smotrich’s absence from the vote on the daycare bill exposes his true face. When he tries to get votes from the chareidi sector, the public will remember that at the moment of truth, he couldn’t care less about chareidi families. As far as he’s concerned, the chareidi children are another tool in the political game to pass the electoral threshold.”

Meir Porush likewise condemned both the vote and the broader legal campaign surrounding the daycare subsidies.

“It’s shameful that opposition MKs, along with individuals from the coalition, chose to hurt little children. I call on the judicial system to stop this persecution of innocent children. United Torah Judaism will continue to fight with all means available to protect Torah students.”

{Matzav.com}

Iranian state-linked media outlets claimed today that President Donald Trump could soon independently declare the completion of a major agreement between the United States and Iran, despite mounting signs that negotiations between the two countries remain deadlocked.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that Trump may move ahead with a unilateral announcement regarding a deal, while Iranian state television simultaneously claimed that officials in Tehran and Washington had already drafted a memorandum of understanding.

According to the Iranian report, the proposed framework would require the United States to pull all military forces out of the region and fully lift the naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. In return, Iran would guarantee the restoration and long-term security of international shipping traffic through the strategic waterway.

The White House quickly pushed back on the reports, dismissing the claims coming from Iranian media outlets.

“No one should believe what was published in the Iranian media. The facts are what matter.”

Iranian outlets went even further, publishing details of what they described as an agreed structure governing the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping corridor through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply travels.

Under the reported arrangement, authority over the strait — including the management of shipping lanes and maritime navigation routes — would allegedly be handled solely through joint coordination between Iran and Oman, effectively eliminating American involvement in the area.

The sudden flood of reports from Tehran comes only days after The Wall Street Journal reported that direct talks between Washington and Tehran had slowed dramatically, with both sides hardening their positions as negotiations dragged on.

Sources familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that talks have effectively stalled for the time being because of major disagreements surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the scale of sanctions relief the regime is demanding.

The United States has reportedly insisted on firm and independently verifiable commitments from Iran to halt its nuclear activities and sharply curb uranium enrichment.

Inside the Trump administration, officials are said to be increasingly worried that Tehran could exploit negotiations as part of a broader delaying tactic. According to those concerns, Iran may seek immediate economic concessions and sanctions relief early in the process, while later dragging out talks over dismantling its nuclear infrastructure — all while preserving the ability to rapidly produce a nuclear weapon if it chooses.

President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to Iran on Wednesday, signaling growing frustration with ongoing negotiations and cautioning that the United States could “finish the job” if Tehran fails to agree to acceptable terms.

During a Cabinet meeting, Trump cast doubt on reports circulating in Iranian media claiming that a major diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran was close at hand. Earlier in the day, the White House had already denied the reports outright.

“Iran is very much intent. They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there,” Trump said. “We’re not satisfied with it. But we will be. Either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

Trump also pointed to what he described as the near destruction of Iran’s military capabilities following recent hostilities.

“Their Navy is gone, as I’ve said a thousand times. Their air force is gone. Everything’s gone, and they’re negotiating on fumes,” he said. “Maybe we have to go back and finish it.”

According to reports carried by Iranian state media, the proposed arrangement under discussion would involve Iran restoring commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels within one month. In exchange, the United States would reportedly remove military forces from areas near Iran and end its naval blockade operations.

Iranian state television claimed the framework was still incomplete and said military vessels would not be included in the Hormuz agreement. The report also stated that Iran and Oman would jointly oversee commercial maritime traffic through the strategically vital shipping lane.

Tehran reportedly insisted that it would not implement any agreement without what it described as “tangible verification” that the United States had fulfilled its obligations.

Iranian outlets further claimed that if negotiators finalize an agreement within 60 days, the deal could ultimately be codified through a binding resolution at the United Nations Security Council.

Despite the wave of reports from Tehran, the White House forcefully rejected the claims, dismissing the alleged agreement as fiction.

Officials described the Iranian account as “not true” and labeled the supposed memorandum “a complete fabrication.”

{Matzav.com}

Pam Bondi is recovering after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after President Trump removed her from her role as attorney general, according to an Axios report.

Bondi, 60, underwent treatment for the illness and is now said to be recuperating, Axios reported.

The disclosure surfaced as reports emerged that Trump plans to appoint Bondi to a new advisory panel focused on artificial intelligence initiatives.

According to Axios, Bondi — who was dismissed from the Justice Department the same day she joined President Trump at the U.S. Supreme Court for oral arguments in a major birthright citizenship dispute — is expected to serve on the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, known as PCAST.

News of Bondi’s diagnosis prompted an outpouring of support online, with many praising the way she handled the health crisis away from the public spotlight.

“Pam has been quietly kicking cancer’s …. the last few weeks,” podcast host and former White House official Katie Miller wrote on X.

“[Bondi] has a heart of gold,” Miller added.

Medical experts say the vast majority of thyroid cancer cases can be successfully treated. According to the Cleveland Clinic, most forms of the disease are considered highly curable.

Doctors note that patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer generally face an “excellent” outlook, with survival rates exceeding 98% after five years.

Bondi is not the only figure tied to Trump’s orbit to confront the disease. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, later disclosed in his memoir that he quietly battled thyroid cancer while serving in the White House during Trump’s first administration.

Kushner underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his throat while overseeing Middle East policy efforts for Trump, and later had an additional thyroid-related procedure in 2022 after leaving government service.

Following her removal as attorney general, Bondi publicly pledged to remain loyal to Trump and continue supporting his agenda.

“Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history,” she posted on X last month.

“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”

President Trump has since selected Todd Blanche to serve as interim attorney general while a permanent replacement is considered.

{Matzav.com}

Years after leading the Republican charge to impeach President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the effort backfired because the public came to see it as a personal scandal rather than a serious legal matter involving perjury and obstruction of justice.

Speaking during an interview on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One,” Gingrich said Republicans made a strategic error in how they handled the impeachment proceedings tied to Clinton’s scandal.

“I think it was a mistake because the real problem wasn’t [the person involved],” Gingrich said when asked whether impeaching President Bill Clinton had been the wrong move. “The real problem was he had committed perjury in a case involving … harassment while he was governor.”

Gingrich argued that the public focus drifted away from accusations that Clinton lied under oath and obstructed justice and instead centered almost entirely on the affair itself, weakening Republican arguments.

“In fact, he was stripped of his law license in Arkansas after he left the presidency, and for five years couldn’t practice because he clearly committed a felony,” Gingrich said.

The impeachment case grew out of an investigation overseen by independent counsel Ken Starr, who had originally been appointed in 1994 by Attorney General Janet Reno to examine the Clintons’ involvement in the Whitewater land deal.

Over time, Starr’s inquiry expanded into allegations connected to Clinton’s personal relationships as well as testimony tied to a harassment lawsuit.

During sworn testimony, Clinton denied certain behavior, leading Starr to determine that the president had lied under oath.

That conclusion prompted House Republicans to impeach Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, making him only the second president in American history to face impeachment proceedings.

“I always argued the question, ‘Is he allowed to commit felonies?’” Gingrich said. “But by allowing it to be about [the relationship], it trivialized it.”

Gingrich also reflected on a moment during the 1998 impeachment fight when he realized the country — especially younger Americans — viewed the controversy very differently from how Republicans did.

“I realized at that point I had completely misunderstood how the culture was evolving,” he said, recalling a discussion with his daughters at an Atlanta restaurant. They warned him that younger voters would blame Republicans if the impeachment battle hurt the economy or retirement accounts “because of some stupid intern.”

Throughout the scandal, Clinton aggressively fought the allegations.

A federal judge later held Clinton in civil contempt for giving misleading testimony in the Jones case. His Arkansas law license was suspended for five years, and he also lost his privilege to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Despite the impeachment vote in the House, the Senate acquitted Clinton on both counts in 1999, allowing him to remain in office through the end of his second term.

Gingrich himself stepped down as speaker shortly before the Senate trial concluded, following disappointing Republican results in the 1998 midterm elections and growing scrutiny tied to ethics allegations against him.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration is preparing to establish a new Ebola quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans exposed to the deadly virus, bypassing the need to transport patients directly back to the United States, according to an administration official familiar with the plan.

The facility, being organized jointly by the War Department, the State Department, and the Department of Health and Human Services, is intended to serve Americans who may contract Ebola while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Officials say the goal is to provide rapid treatment closer to the outbreak zone while avoiding lengthy emergency evacuation flights to the U.S.

An administration official speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity said the new center would handle Ebola patients requiring urgent medical attention after leaving Congo. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the exact location of the facility inside Kenya, and it remains unclear whether the Kenyan government has formally approved the project.

According to the official, the center is expected to be equipped to treat every stage and severity of Ebola, which remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. The official added that patients could still be transferred elsewhere if more specialized treatment becomes necessary.

The move comes as health officials in Congo struggle to contain a rapidly worsening Ebola outbreak that the World Health Organization says is spreading faster than response teams can control. The crisis intensified after the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was identified only weeks after infections had already been spreading, due in part to early testing being focused on a more common Ebola variant.

Suspected Ebola infections in eastern Congo are now approaching 1,000 cases, with at least 220 suspected deaths reported so far. Congo’s Health Ministry announced Tuesday that 101 cases have already been officially confirmed, while authorities are currently monitoring more than 3,000 possible contacts tied to the outbreak.

Containment efforts have been complicated by severe instability throughout eastern Congo, including armed militias operating in the region, widespread displacement of civilians, and crumbling infrastructure that has made medical response efforts far more difficult.

A heavy pall descended this week over the Boyaner chassidus and the broader Ruzhiner Dynasty court in both Eretz Yisroel and the United States following the passing of three prominent chassidim and talmidei chachamim who were deeply connected to the late Boyaner Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Shlomo Friedman.

The three men — Reb Nochum Halevi Schorr zt”l, Reb Chaim Dovid Ullman z”l, and Rav Eliyahu Shmuel Heftler zt”l — were regarded as remnants of an earlier generation of devoted chassidim who remained unwaveringly attached to the rebbes of the Ruzhiner dynasty throughout their lives.

Reb Nochum Halevi Schorr zt”l Passes Away Suddenly on Shavuos

The first heartbreaking news came on Motzoei Chag HaShavuos with the sudden passing of the esteemed chossid Reb Nochum Halevi Schorr zt”l, son of Reb Chaim Yehoshua zt”l and son-in-law of Reb Shraga Feitel Kahana zt”l.

Those who knew him described him as a refined and noble individual whose entire life reflected humility, sincerity, and quiet devotion. A talmid chacham with broad Torah knowledge, he was known for conducting himself with simplicity and purity, never seeking recognition or honor for himself.

He greeted every person warmly and radiated joy and kindness. Deeply connected to Torah, avodas Hashem, and all matters of kedusha, he maintained a lifelong bond with the rebbes of the Ruzhin-Boyaner dynasty.

Reb Nochum was especially attached with complete devotion to the Boyaner Rebbe zt”l and later to his son, the current Boyaner Rebbe shlit”a, beginning from the start of the latter’s leadership in 1988.

He passed away suddenly during Shavuos. His levayah was held Sunday afternoon from Shamgar Funeral Home to Har Hamenuchos, where he was laid to rest.

A Pillar of the Boyaner Kloiz in Beitar: Reb Chaim Dovid Ullman z”l

On Sunday, word spread of the passing of the distinguished chossid Reb Chaim Dovid Ullman z”l of Los Angeles and Beitar Illit, one of the elder and respected members of Boyan chassidus. He was the son of Rav Moshe Naftali zt”l and son-in-law of Reb Simcha Bunim Schatz z”l.

Reb Chaim Dovid was admired as an upright and G-d-fearing Jew who dedicated fixed times to Torah study and devoted himself wholeheartedly to Torah and chassidus. He was known for his acts of kindness, generosity, and constant efforts on behalf of Torah institutions and communal causes.

Those close to him recalled his warm smile and welcoming demeanor, along with his complete humility and bitul before his rabbeim — the late Boyaner Rebbe zt”l and the current Boyaner Rebbe shlit”a — from whom he drew tremendous inspiration.

After relocating from Los Angeles to Beitar Illit, he became one of the founders and primary supporters of the Boyaner kloiz “Tiferes Aharon” in the city, helping establish it as a central makom Torah and tefillah for local chassidim.

His levayah took place Tuesday evening from Shamgar Funeral Home, proceeding through the central Boyaner kloiz on Malchei Yisroel Street before continuing to Har Hamenuchos for kevurah.

Holocaust Survivor and Veteran Rav of Manhattan: Rav Eliyahu Shmuel Heftler zt”l

On Tuesday, the Boyaner community in America was shaken by the news of the passing of Rav Eliyahu Shmuel Heftler zt”l, av beis din of Dukla on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and one of the most respected rabbinic figures in Boyaner circles in the United States. He was in his nineties.

Rav Heftler was counted among the dwindling survivors of the prewar Torah world. A Holocaust survivor who endured the horrors of the war and rebuilt his life afterward in America, he established his home and led the Dukla kehillah in Manhattan with warmth, righteousness, and grace.

For decades, he stood as one of the most distinguished figures in Boyaner chassidus in America. He also maintained exceptionally close ties with the courts of Skulen Hasidic Dynasty, Ruzhin, and numerous revered tzaddikim and rebbes who held him in the highest esteem.

He was especially beloved as a veteran mechanech who taught generations of students as the cherished rebbi of a third-grade class at Bobov Yeshiva, where he left a lasting impact of Torah and Yiras Shomayim upon countless talmidim. His brother, Rav Avrohom Heftler zt”l, was likewise a renowned talmid chacham and longtime fourth-grade rebbi in Bobov.

The levayah departed from the Boyaner kloiz in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, where many accompanied him on his final journey.

T’hei Nishmasam Tzerurah B’Tzror HaChaim.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s ambitious postwar Gaza initiative is facing mounting questions after donor money promised to the newly created Board of Peace has yet to arrive through its official funding channel, leaving reconstruction plans stalled and the organization’s legal status under scrutiny.

The initiative, unveiled by Trump in January, was designed to reshape Gaza after the war through a massive international funding campaign. The plan called on world leaders to contribute $1 billion for “lifetime membership” in the Board of Peace, while participating countries reportedly pledged another $7 billion for Gaza-related humanitarian and rebuilding projects. Trump also vowed an additional $10 billion in American support.

But according to a report published Wednesday by the Financial Times, the World Bank-managed account established to oversee the board’s finances still has not received donor money, despite the passage of four months since the organization’s launch.

Instead, the report said, contributions have been routed to a separate JPMorgan account overseen directly by the board itself. A spokesperson for the organization told the newspaper that donors were offered several different contribution methods, including the World Bank mechanism, and chose to use alternative channels.

The spokesperson also said the board would disclose financial information to its executive board “at a time deemed appropriate.”

The report said Morocco has already transferred roughly $20 million, which has reportedly been used to finance the office of Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s appointed “high representative” for postwar Gaza affairs, along with salaries for the Palestinian technocratic committee selected to oversee governance in the territory.

According to the Financial Times, the United Arab Emirates separately allocated $100 million intended for the creation and training of a new Gaza police force. However, that program has not moved forward, and the funds remain inaccessible.

At the same time, the US State Department is reportedly attempting to redirect approximately $1.2 billion in existing aid funds toward projects tied to the board’s mission, though none of that money has yet been spent. Another proposal that would send roughly $50 million directly to the organization for administrative expenses is still awaiting approval.

Members of Congress quoted in the report said lawmakers remain uncertain about the board’s legal classification and the mechanisms governing its finances. Officials are reportedly questioning whether the organization legally qualifies as an international institution permitted to receive direct American funding.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained the organization to him as functioning under a structure similar to a UN-affiliated body dedicated to humanitarian aid and reconstruction work in Gaza. Schatz said, however, that Trump himself has characterized the organization differently at various times, adding to the confusion surrounding its official status.

The Board of Peace has reportedly started issuing tenders connected to Gaza security and rebuilding operations, but no agreements have been finalized so far. A spokesperson for the organization said activity inside Gaza could not begin until Hamas agreed to disarm.

The report added that the broader objectives outlined in Trump’s Gaza blueprint — including Hamas disarmament, an Israeli military withdrawal, and large-scale reconstruction — have shown little or no progress.

Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman involved in communications with Hamas on behalf of the Trump administration, said the Palestinian administrative committee created by the board has remained inactive inside Gaza because funding has not materialized.

“They know that if they go to Gaza, people are going to flood to them to ask for assistance, and they have no tools, no means,” Bahbah said, according to the report.

{Matzav.com}

Any final agreement between the United States and Iran would reportedly require approval from Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, through clandestine courier channels while he remains concealed as a “designated target,” according to counterterrorism analysts who say the unusual situation is reshaping the nature of the negotiations.

Experts told Fox News Digital that the arrangement effectively leaves Washington negotiating with a leadership figure who cannot appear publicly and whose communications allegedly depend entirely on secretive intermediaries.

“Khamenei is a designated target, and every confirmed sighting is a coordinate,” Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.

He further stated:

“The courier system used for messaging is not transitional. It is the operating system of his rule.

“Any deal the United States signs will have to be designed for a permanently invisible counterparty whose enforcement depends on his continued survival. That is not arms control as it has been conventionally understood. It is a memorandum signed under American military pressure, with a regime whose leader cannot show his face.”

Mohammed’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed reporters in India regarding delays surrounding the ongoing negotiations.

“It’s just the response,” Rubio said. “I mean, when you get down on some of these things, you’ve got to hear back, and it takes the Iranians — takes them a little while longer to get back,” he explained.

Mohammed argued that Rubio’s remarks amounted to a public acknowledgment of the communication difficulties involved in dealing with Iran’s hidden leadership structure.

“That is Secretary Rubio confirming the courier latency on the record,” said Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University. “Rubio is describing a structural feature of negotiating with a supreme leader no one can locate.

“Mojtaba is in hiding, messages are moving by courier, and responses are arriving days late.

“Rubio just confirmed the symptom, and the administration is being honest about the problem. The question is whether the framework can be designed to survive it,” Mohammed claimed.

According to the report, Khamenei has allegedly remained underground for nearly three months as tensions with the United States intensified.

The report claims he disappeared from public view following a Feb. 28 strike that killed his father amid reports he himself was seriously wounded.

The article states that he was hit during “Operation Epic Fury” and was described by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “wounded and likely disfigured.” His wife and son were also reportedly killed in the strike.

“Officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government do not know where he is,” Mohammed said, adding that any intelligence or communication reaching him is “dated, and his responses come with significant latency.”

The developments come as Washington and Tehran continue negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that erupted on Feb. 28.

“If there’s going to be a deal, we’re going to have to work through that. But this is, you know, it’s either going to be a good deal or there isn’t going to be one,” Rubio said Tuesday.

According to a senior administration official, the United States is prepared to consider sanctions relief if Iran agrees to substantial concessions regarding uranium enrichment. The status of frozen Iranian assets has reportedly also become a major sticking point in the talks.

Iran indicated Monday that no final agreement with the United States is expected immediately, despite what officials described as progress toward a broader framework.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said discussions remain focused on ending the war across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, and noted that any proposed memorandum of understanding currently lacks detailed provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

Mohammed said the larger issue for the United States goes beyond simply reaching a signed agreement.

“The real question for Washington is not how fast the framework can be signed,” Mohammed added.

“It is also what enforcement looks like when the counterparty’s signature comes through a courier.”

{Matzav.com}

In an unusual and dramatic move, Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni instructed the party’s representatives in municipalities across Israel to immediately suspend cooperation with the Israel Police, including municipal policing frameworks, until further notice.

The directive comes amid mounting outrage in the chareidi community following a recent change in police policy under Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy, under which Israeli police have begun transferring yeshiva bochurim detained during encounters with law enforcement to the military police over draft-related issues.

“We must not, chalilah, become partners in harming the holy Torah and those who learn it,” Gafni wrote in a sharply worded letter sent to Degel HaTorah representatives throughout the country.

The move follows a wave of arrests involving yeshiva students over the past several days. During the last night alone, at least three yeshiva bochurim were reportedly handed over to military authorities after being detained by Israeli police.

Among those arrested was Reuven Lemanztach, a bochur from Yeshivas Kibbutz Givat Zev, who was reportedly detained on Route 1 before being transferred to the military police.

As previously reported, the rosh yeshiva of the detained bochur, Rav Dovid Baron, delivered an emotional shmuess in response to the arrest.

“We are living through the darkest periods, like the era of the Romans,” Rav Baron said. “I saw the bochur at the end of third seder, and in the morning they woke me to tell me he had been arrested.”

The growing tensions have also spilled into the Knesset, where members of United Torah Judaism sharply criticized Religious Zionist coalition partners over their boycott of a vote on the daycare subsidy bill.

UTJ faction chairman MK Uri Maklev said, “The fact that Likud cannot even assemble a majority for the most elementary and humane matter — daycare for innocent babies — proves that there is no real bloc.”

Gafni himself lashed out at what he described as increasing hostility toward the chareidi public.

“The hatred against the chareidi community is causing them to lose all sense and is also harming the working and weaker segments of the population,” Gafni said, emphasizing that the daycare legislation had long been considered a basic and widely accepted measure intended to assist women entering the workforce.

MK Yoav Ben Tzur also addressed the matter during a Knesset speech, questioning the treatment of yeshiva students by authorities.

“Who exactly are you arresting?” Ben Tzur asked. “Outstanding bochurim who have never encountered police because they are law-abiding citizens? The chareidi public and its leadership respect IDF soldiers.”

Israeli police, however, defended their actions, claiming that one of the bochurim transferred to military custody had first been stopped after allegedly driving recklessly on Route 60, weaving between lanes and seriously endangering himself and others on the road.

According to police, a background check revealed that the suspect was absent from military service obligations, leading to his transfer to IDF authorities.

Police also stated that following the arrest, dozens of protesters arrived at the Binyamin police station and launched what authorities described as a violent disturbance that included overturning a police trailer, setting cardboard boxes on fire, and bending security fences. Officers, together with riot police and Border Police forces, acted to disperse the crowd.

Members of the Park Slope Food Coop voted Tuesday night to ban Israeli-made products from the shelves of the iconic Brooklyn grocery collective, capping off a deeply divisive dispute that has roiled the organization for years and intensified sharply in recent months.

More than 7,000 of the co-op’s roughly 15,000 members logged into the meeting, which organizers moved entirely online after Jewish members reported “explicit fears” about attending in person.

Many longtime participants said the turnout was likely the biggest gathering in the co-op’s 53-year history, reflecting the intensity of a conflict that has spilled beyond meetings and into the streets surrounding the progressive Brooklyn institution.

The final boycott measure passed overwhelmingly, with 67 percent supporting the proposal, 31 percent voting against it, and 2 percent abstaining.

The controversy centered on whether the co-op should formally align itself with the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement by removing a small number of Israeli items — including hummus and matzo — from store shelves.

The battle over the issue had already sparked explosive confrontations in recent weeks, including accusations that Jewish members were complicit in genocide and what attendees described as openly antisemitic rhetoric during a prior meeting.

The co-op previously held a vote on boycotting Israeli goods in 2012, but that meeting drew only about 2,000 participants. Ordinary meetings generally attract between 50 and 200 people, according to longtime member Ramon Maislen.

“The coop used to feel like Brooklyn’s living room; now every meeting feels like judgment day at noon,” Maislen said.

“Whatever our politics, we should be able to disagree without condemning one another.”

Although the meeting agenda also included routine organizational matters such as elections for internal committees, the focus of the evening quickly shifted to two crucial votes tied to the boycott issue.

The first centered on whether the co-op should reduce the approval threshold required for product boycotts from a 75 percent supermajority to a simple majority vote. The second dealt with the actual proposal to remove Israeli products from the store.

Under the co-op’s structure, all members are permitted to cast ballots, though the board ultimately retains final authority, Maislen explained.

“They’re supposed to be influenced by membership votes, but they are technically not required to be.”

The lengthy Zoom session became disorderly at times after technical failures disrupted online polling. Multiple voting attempts had to be redone, and at one stage members introduced a motion to delay the meeting entirely.

Still, after the gathering stretched beyond three hours, attendees voted by a show of hands to continue.

Shortly after 9 p.m., members approved the procedural measure lowering the boycott threshold. The proposal passed with 61 percent support, while 38 percent voted against it and 1 percent abstained. The new rule took effect immediately and directly affected the boycott vote that followed.

The subsequent vote approving the boycott succeeded with 67 percent backing.

Had the previous 75 percent supermajority rule remained in place, the boycott effort would have failed.

Following the vote, numerous Jewish members voiced anger over another procedural motion approved earlier in the evening that eliminated further debate before the final boycott vote.

“The motion was proposed after only the pro BDS group spoke,” one attendee, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Post. “It’s horrible.”

“This is the first time in 15 years an item has been voted on without discussion,” a disgusted attendee at the meet noted.

“I definitely see a lawsuit coming,” another told The NY Post. “Especially if you change voting rules the same night a vote is set to occur.”

Before the meeting began, co-op general coordinators Ann Herpel and Matt Hoagland circulated a message urging members to maintain civility amid the escalating tensions surrounding the vote.

“Members may hold deeply different views on these issues but personal attacks, inflammatory language, or any comments directed at anyone’s identity such as religion, ethnicity, or national origin are unacceptable,” the email read. “Recording the meeting is prohibited.”

Despite the outcome, some members lamented that the battle left the organization fractured rather than united.

“Here we are getting all this publicity, and we could be using it to amplify the voices working for co-existence and a shared future,” said member Barbara Mazor.

“But instead we are just rehashing the same stuff that doesn’t help anybody.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s chareidi political world is facing one of its most dramatic upheavals in years as the battle over the draft law threatens to fracture the longstanding alliance between the chareidi parties and the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu.

In a wide-ranging interview on Kikar FM, “Bavli” political commentator Itzeleh Katzburg spoke with Eli Guthelf about the growing tensions inside the coalition, the possibility of new political alliances, and whether chareidi parties would ultimately be willing to sit alongside secular or left-wing politicians in exchange for preserving exemptions for yeshiva bochurim.

Even Israelis who normally avoid politics, Katzburg said, are finding it difficult to ignore the mounting pressure and uncertainty surrounding the current crisis.

At the center of the turmoil is a dramatic letter issued by Rav Dov Landau, which many interpreted as effectively dissolving the traditional “right-wing bloc” partnership between chareidi parties and Netanyahu.

For years, parties such as Shas and Degel HaTorah largely moved in lockstep with Likud and the broader right-wing coalition.

But the ongoing fight over the draft law has significantly strained those relationships.

Netanyahu himself acknowledged at the opening of the Knesset summer session that the coalition currently lacks enough votes to pass a draft law acceptable to the chareidi parties.

The response from the chareidi political world was swift — though not unified.

According to Katzburg, Degel HaTorah has increasingly directed blame squarely at Netanyahu.

He pointed to unusual interviews and sharply worded articles published in Yated Ne’eman, including comments from MK Moshe Gafni signaling that Degel HaTorah no longer feels bound to the right-wing bloc and may even consider future cooperation with longtime political rivals such as Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Lapid.

Shas, however, has taken a very different approach.

While continuing to fight against military conscription of yeshiva students, Shas has publicly maintained its commitment to Likud and the right-wing camp.

Its party newspaper, HaDerech, has largely directed criticism toward military and bureaucratic officials rather than Netanyahu himself.

Katzburg argued that the divide stems largely from electoral strategy.

According to him, Degel HaTorah appeals primarily to a more traditional yeshiva-oriented electorate and therefore has greater flexibility to break politically with the right.

Shas, by contrast, depends heavily on traditional and peripheral voters who strongly support Netanyahu even if they are less aligned with the chareidi position on military service.

“Shas relies on a pool of traditional, peripheral voters who may want to see chareidim enlist, but what matters most to them is Bibi,” Katzburg explained. “If Shas declares today that it is severing ties with the right-wing bloc, it could lose between two and four mandates.”

As a result, Katzburg said, chareidi politicians are often sending different messages to different audiences.

Internally, rabbinic leaders continue firmly opposing any cooperation with military draft efforts, while publicly some politicians adopt softer language in broader Israeli media so as not to alienate traditional right-wing supporters.

The interview also explored the growing political battle over the timing of Israel’s next election.

According to Katzburg, Shas is pushing strategically for elections to take place on the Fast of Gedaliah, shortly after Rosh Hashanah during the height of Selichos season.

He argued that Shas believes elections during that period could energize large numbers of traditional voters visiting the Kosel for Selichos.

At the same time, such timing could significantly hurt right-wing turnout because thousands of Breslover chassidim and right-wing voters would still be returning from Uman and unable to vote.

Katzburg suggested that Degel HaTorah is less concerned about weakening the right-wing bloc because many in the Litvishe chareidi camp increasingly believe the alliance with the right has effectively collapsed anyway.

Toward the end of the interview, the discussion turned to perhaps the most explosive question of all: whether chareidi parties would truly be willing to sit in a coalition alongside left-wing figures such as Yair Golan or openly secular activists if it guaranteed passage of a draft exemption law.

Katzburg answered unequivocally that they would.

“We will swallow that frog. We are not Zionists and we have no connection to this state and this government. We play the game in order to preserve the Torah world. If they promise us ‘Yavneh and its sages’ (an exemption from military service for yeshiva students), as far as we are concerned the minister of religion can be Naor Narkis or a Reform rabbi. The Knesset is full of clowns anyway.”

According to Katzburg, when the decisive political moment arrives, even left-wing leaders such as Yair Golan may suddenly display surprising “pragmatism” on the issue of equal military service if it enables them to topple Netanyahu and form a government.

The interview painted a picture of a rapidly shifting chareidi political landscape, where the once-solid partnership with the Israeli right may be giving way to a new political reality centered almost entirely around preserving the yeshiva world and preventing the military draft of Torah students.

{Matzav.com}

Senator Cory Booker launched a blistering attack on President Donald Trump during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s “The Briefing,” accusing the president of unprecedented corruption and warning that Republicans who continue supporting him will eventually be judged harshly by history.

Booker made the remarks while discussing Trump’s leadership and the response from Republicans in Congress, arguing that many privately oppose the president but refuse to criticize him publicly.

“What President Trump is doing is a moral outrage from his corruption, his crypto schemes, his ballroom, the monuments to his ego, to all the kleptocracy he’s doing and many of the incompetent people he’s putting in very important places,” Booker said.

The New Jersey Democrat claimed that dissatisfaction with Trump extends beyond Democratic circles and suggested many Republicans quietly share similar concerns.

“Now, it’s not just a democratic thing that believes that many of us have private conversations with folks who will express their disdain, their outrage in private, but do nothing in public,” he added.

Booker then escalated his criticism further, predicting that Trump’s presidency would ultimately be remembered as historically corrupt.

“We know five years from now, ten years from now, when people look back at the most corrupt president in American history that torched our democracy and did outrageous things, the question is going to be, who were the people so complicit that they allowed these things to happen?”

He also argued that Republicans understand they may eventually face political consequences for remaining aligned with Trump.

“And Republicans know they’re going to be held accountable. They’re going to be on the record.”

Booker went on to claim that cracks are beginning to emerge within Republican ranks as Trump continues to dominate the political landscape.

“So I’m starting to see more people as Donald Trump continues to strain our democracy and push every sense of decency. I’m starting to see some wobbly knees amongst Republicans who for too long have been doing that advanced form of yoga and bending over backwards, contorting themselves to do what Donald Trump wants. We’re starting to see weakening in that.”

A third consecutive night of unrest unfolded Tuesday night in Shaar Binyamin and Kiryat Ata following the arrests of three yeshiva bochurim who were transferred to military police custody amid Israel’s intensified crackdown on draft evaders.

The arrests sparked confrontations between protesters and police, with officers deploying stun grenades in an effort to disperse crowds that gathered outside police facilities.

Emergency alert systems operated by activist organizations — including networks known as “The Captors Have Arrived” and “Black Alert,” which monitor arrests of draft evaders — issued overnight warnings about attempts to transfer two bochurim being held at the Binyamin police station in the Shaar Binyamin industrial zone and at a community police center in Geva Binyamin.

Dozens of demonstrators rushed to the scene to protest the detentions.

During the clashes, police used stun grenades to break up the crowds, but the two bochurim — Yaakov Esban and Yaakov Eliasaf of Yeshivas Mishkan Dovid — were ultimately transferred to military police custody.

According to the “Black Alert” system, activists were unable to prevent the transfer because emergency reports reached protest organizers too late.

Meanwhile, Kol Barama radio reported that another bochur, Reuven Lamenatzeiach of Yeshivas Kibbutz Givat Zev, was also transferred to military police after being detained at a police station in Beit Shemesh.

At the same time, activists affiliated with the Peleg Yerushalmi faction traveled to Kiryat Ata and demonstrated outside the home of Chai Deri, the security officer at Military Prison 10, protesting the arrests of yeshiva bochurim and chareidi draft evaders.

The latest incidents mark the third straight night in which yeshiva students and chareidi draft evaders have reportedly been arrested and transferred to military authorities.

The organization Am Kadosh, which assists detainees, sharply condemned the arrests in a statement issued overnight.

“The authorities are perfecting their methods of hunting and persecuting yeshiva students with extraordinary diligence. It is becoming increasingly clear to all that according to the State of Israel, Torah study and adherence to the chareidi Jewish way of life are considered the greatest crimes. Israel is becoming the only country in the world persecuting Torah learners and faithful Jews and throwing them into prison like common criminals!”

The tensions follow an arrest Monday night in which a yeshiva bochur was detained during a police checkpoint inspection on Highway 383 and transferred to military police after authorities determined he was classified as a draft evader.

Following that arrest, leaders within the Peleg Yerushalmi warned that additional protests and demonstrations are expected in the coming days.

The bochur arrested Monday was identified as Meir Sabag, a talmid at Yeshivas Darchei Ish in Moshav Tirosh.

According to reports, Sabag arrived late at night at a police checkpoint set up on Highway 383 between the Shaar Avraham interchange and the Masmiya junction.

Three yeshiva bochurim were turned over overnight Tuesday to Israel’s military police and transferred to a military prison after being detained by Israeli police under a newly announced enforcement policy targeting draft evaders.

The arrests took place as part of a directive issued this week by Police Commissioner Dani Levy ordering officers to detain any individual classified as a draft evader and immediately transfer them to military authorities.

One of the arrests occurred in Beit Shemesh, where a bochur from Yeshivas Kibbutz Givat Zev was detained at the local police station.

The bochur, who had been designated a draft evader for failing to report to the military draft office, was later handed directly to military police for further proceedings.

At the same time, two additional bochurim from Yeshivas Mishkan Dovid were arrested by officers from the Shaar Binyamin police district and likewise transferred to military custody.

All three were reportedly detained because they had ignored draft notices and failed to appear at military induction offices.

Representatives of the organization Nosnim Gav, which assists detained yeshiva bochurim, said emergency alerts regarding the arrests arrived too late for activists to intervene effectively.

“As a result, public activists did not manage to arrive in time and prevent the transfer,” the organization stated.

The group added that the bochurim and their families are receiving legal assistance and full support.

The arrests come amid mounting tension surrounding the new policy announced this week by Commissioner Dani Levy.

According to the directive issued to senior police commanders, “every draft evader encountered will be detained, military police will be notified, and the individual will be transferred to military police for further handling.”

The policy marks a sharp reversal from previous police practice.

Until now, Israeli police had generally refrained from actively arresting draft evaders and in many cases reportedly instructed local districts not to involve themselves in such matters.

The new approach has sparked fierce backlash throughout the Torah world and among chareidi public officials.

MK Michael Malkieli of Shas sharply attacked Commissioner Levy on Tuesday, accusing him of targeting Torah learners for political reasons.

“Instead of dealing with rising crime and murderers roaming freely, you are sending Israel Police officers to harass Torah learners,” Malkieli wrote.

He added: “Commissioner Dani Levy — a hero against the weak! Suddenly before elections you decided to join forces with the attorney general in hopes of flattering her so they won’t remove you after the elections.”

{Matzav.com}

A growing dispute has erupted between the Pentagon and SpaceX after Elon Musk’s satellite company reportedly raised Starlink connection fees fivefold for U.S. military drone operations during the war with Iran, underscoring concerns inside Washington over the company’s expanding control over critical defense systems.

According to a Reuters report, tensions escalated after American kamikaze drones operating against Iran relied heavily on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network for communications and targeting.

As the military campaign intensified, SpaceX informed Pentagon officials that the pricing structure being used for the drone operations no longer reflected the level of service being consumed.

Sources familiar with the negotiations and Pentagon documents said SpaceX executives argued that the military had been paying approximately $5,000 per terminal while effectively utilizing a service tier valued closer to $25,000.

The disagreement centered largely around the use of Starlink aboard LUCAS suicide drones, low-cost American unmanned aircraft designed similarly to Iran’s Shahed drones.

The drones are capable of loitering above target zones before crashing into their targets and detonating.

SpaceX maintained that the drones’ operational profile more closely resembled the company’s aviation-level subscription service rather than its cheaper land-based or mobility plans.

Pentagon officials pushed back, arguing that the $25,000 monthly aviation pricing was intended for traditional aircraft and not kamikaze drones that may only remain connected to the network for short periods of time.

Despite those objections, the Pentagon ultimately accepted the higher pricing arrangement.

The increase reportedly nearly doubled the total cost of each LUCAS drone, which had originally been priced at roughly $30,000 per unit.

The pricing battle is only one part of a broader series of disagreements between the Pentagon and SpaceX.

Defense officials have also reportedly clashed with the company over proposals to provide civilians inside Iran with direct-to-cell Starlink communications access similar to 5G service, allowing users to bypass internet and communications shutdowns imposed by the Iranian regime.

The disputes have highlighted how increasingly dependent the U.S. military has become on SpaceX infrastructure, giving Musk and his company growing leverage over major national security operations.

The issue comes as SpaceX reportedly prepares for a possible initial public offering next month that could become one of the largest IPOs ever.

Unlike consumer-facing Starlink systems, the Pentagon operates a military-specific platform known as Starshield under a 2023 agreement with SpaceX.

Starshield terminals are capable of connecting both to the commercial Starlink network and to a separate secure satellite constellation also known as Starshield.

Clayton Swope, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said SpaceX’s leverage stems partly from the fact that it is not solely dependent on government contracts.

In addition to its military work, the company maintains major commercial operations involving satellite internet, rocket launches, and artificial intelligence technologies.

According to SEC filings, approximately 20 percent of SpaceX’s total revenue comes from the U.S. government.

“SpaceX certainly has the U.S. government over the barrel,” Swope said.

Frictions reportedly surfaced almost immediately after military operations against Iran began on February 28.

On March 1, Elon Musk responded on X to an image showing a LUCAS drone apparently equipped with a Starlink terminal.

“It is a violation of commercial Starlink terms of service to use the terminal for weapon systems. This applies to all users and is shut down when discovered,” Musk posted. “There is a separate network called Starshield, which is operated by the US government.”

{Matzav.com}

A new federal watchdog report has revealed that during the height of the Biden administration’s border policies, nearly 90 percent of migrants encountered at the southern border were released into the United States through the use of parole authority.

The report, issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), details how the Department of Homeland Security under then-Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas dramatically expanded the use of humanitarian parole between early 2021 and January 20, 2025, as part of what critics described as a sweeping catch-and-release strategy.

According to the GAO findings, parole authority had historically been used only sparingly by previous administrations prior to 2021.

The report states that the Biden administration’s broad interpretation of so-called humanitarian parole fundamentally transformed the scale of migrant releases into the country.

“Specifically, our analysis showed that OFO and Border Patrol granted relatively few paroles during fiscal years 2019 and 2020,” the GAO report states:

“During this time period the proportion of southwest border encounters resulting in parole ranged from about 3 percent to 28 percent. The number of paroles granted increased beginning in the summer of 2021 and peaked in December 2022, when 89 percent of encounters resulted in parole. Paroles granted declined substantially after December 2022 and again after January 2025.”

The GAO report also warned that the massive volume of parole releases strained federal immigration enforcement systems to the point that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now struggling to properly track many migrants who were released.

“… without readily accessible information about noncitizens’ parole status, ICE does not have the information it needs to identify and monitor these noncitizens, or to take enforcement action, as appropriate,” the GAO report states.

Although the Biden administration is no longer in office, several officials connected to its immigration policies are reportedly lobbying Democrats to revive similar border strategies if the party regains congressional majorities and wins back the White House in 2028.

Among them is Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former DHS official who served under Biden and also worked during the Obama administration as well as briefly during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Trickler-McNulty recently received favorable coverage in The Seattle Times tied to a new podcast project.

During her time at DHS, she reportedly pushed for a system in which millions of illegal immigrants would simply check in annually with ICE, creating what critics described as a European-style border monitoring system.

Many of those check-ins, according to the proposal, would occur electronically rather than through in-person reporting.

In 2023, former acting ICE Director Tom Homan accused Trickler-McNulty of working within DHS to eliminate detention centers and move large numbers of illegal immigrants into Alternatives to Detention programs instead of keeping them in federal custody.

“Trickler-McNulty is the epitome of an ideological, corrupt bureaucrat,” Homan wrote.

The issue of amnesty for illegal immigrants also remains central to Trickler-McNulty’s broader immigration proposals.

“What I’m proposing is what I’m calling ‘immigration probation,” Trickler-McNulty told The Seattle Times. “That is the ability for an adjudicator — like USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) or an immigration judge — to place somebody in a two-year program. If they pay taxes, they comply, they report in, they show they’re basically willing to interface with the government, they can ameliorate their immigration violations. That would allow them to move into a lawful status.”

Senator Lindsey Graham sharply criticized Pakistan on Tuesday after the country’s defense minister rejected normalization with Israel, arguing that recognizing the Jewish state would contradict Pakistan’s “fundamental ideologies.”

In a social media post, Graham questioned Pakistan’s role as a mediator in ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations, pointing to Islamabad’s close ties with Tehran and longstanding hostility toward Israel.

“It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long standing,” Graham wrote.

He continued by raising concerns about military cooperation between Pakistan and Iran.

“It is undeniable that Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases and past rhetoric from the highest Pakistani officials against Israel is disturbing.”

Graham also pressed Pakistan to respond publicly to President Donald Trump’s push for additional countries to join the Abraham Accords.

“it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords.”

The senator’s comments came one day after Trump disclosed on Truth Social that discussions surrounding the Abraham Accords had become part of broader negotiations connected to Iran.

Trump said he had urged several nations to join the diplomatic agreements originally brokered during his first term in office.

According to the report, the countries involved in discussions with the United States include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.

Pakistan’s defense minister has previously issued harsh attacks against Israel, at one point calling the Jewish state “evil and a curse for humanity” while accusing it of committing genocide in Lebanon.

Pakistan officially supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has maintained for decades that it will not formally recognize Israel until an independent Palestinian state is established.

At the same time, Israel and Pakistan are believed to share several strategic interests behind the scenes, and speculation about a possible diplomatic breakthrough between the two countries has circulated for years.

In 2022, reports surfaced that an unofficial delegation of Pakistani citizens had visited Israel, fueling additional rumors about quiet contacts between the two nations.

A tense radio interview on Kan Reshet Bet turned awkward for Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben Ari after Religious Zionist Party MK Tzvi Sukkot confronted her with evidence that she had previously submitted legislation nearly identical to the very bill she was attacking on air.

The clash broke out during a joint interview focused on political maneuvering ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections.

During the discussion, Ben Ari criticized a proposed law granting tax benefits to residents of Judea and Samaria, arguing that the legislation was simply part of the Religious Zionist Party’s election strategy.

“Why should someone living in Judea and Samaria receive a tax benefit?” Ben Ari asked during the debate.

Sukkot, who is promoting the current bill, then asked whether she would support the legislation.

After Ben Ari repeatedly insisted she opposed the proposal, Sukkot stunned her by revealing live on air that the wording of his bill was virtually identical to legislation she herself had submitted earlier in the current Knesset term.

Sukkot further noted that Ben Ari’s original version had itself been based on legislation initially introduced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Ben Ari attempted to defend herself by arguing that the current bill contained changes and differences from the version she had filed.

As she struggled to explain those distinctions during the interview, Sukkot pressed the issue further and proposed an unusual compromise.

He suggested live on air that he would simply bring Ben Ari’s original version of the bill up for a vote instead — while demanding that Yesh Atid publicly support it.

{Matzav.com}