President Donald Trump slammed China’s “unfair trade practices” during a White House briefing, accusing Beijing of exploiting past U.S. administrations and warning of a 100% tariff hike if no deal is reached by November 1.
Trump vowed to protect American industries and farmers, declaring, “We’ll thrive together — or not at all.”
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Rudy Giuliani, the onetime New York City mayor, threw his full support behind Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the city’s mayoral race, delivering a fiery endorsement that simultaneously blasted both front-runner Zohran Mamdani and independent contender Andrew Cuomo.
“Here’s my choice: 100% Curtis Sliwa,” Giuliani, 81, announced during his America’s Mayor Live podcast, where Sliwa appeared as a guest.
The program, which also streams on Newsmax2, gave Giuliani a platform to rally conservatives and law-and-order voters while taking aim at his political adversaries.
Giuliani’s endorsement comes as a potential game-changer in a tightly contested race. The nod is expected to pull right-leaning and centrist voters away from Cuomo, who has been attempting to appeal to those blocs after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America assemblyman from Queens.
With Election Day set for November 4, the endorsement injected fresh energy into Sliwa’s campaign. Giuliani, who governed New York from 1994 to 2001 and later served as President Donald Trump’s attorney, described Sliwa as a “fighter for law and order” while skewering Cuomo as a leader who had failed his constituents.
“Cuomo ran a terrible campaign. He lost to a 33-year-old socialist, and let’s not forget — this is a governor who resigned in disgrace,” Giuliani said, referencing Cuomo’s 2021 resignation following harassment accusations, which Cuomo has denied.
Giuliani also reignited outrage over Cuomo’s COVID-era nursing home directive from March 2020 that required facilities to admit COVID-positive patients.
“That policy led to the deaths of many, many elderly people who were put in nursing homes and didn’t belong there,” Giuliani charged. “He’s tried to blame others, but blame it on him.”
He further criticized Cuomo for approving criminal justice reforms that he said endangered public safety.
“The guy who passed these laws is Andrew Cuomo,” Giuliani said. “He’s made this city and state less safe.”
Giuliani then turned his attention to Mamdani, unleashing his most heated rhetoric of the night. He called the Queens assemblyman an “avowed communist” and claimed that Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America “stand for everything evil.”
He accused Mamdani of showing sympathy toward “Islamic extremism” and harboring “hatred for America.”
Giuliani said Mamdani’s repeated denunciations of the NYPD as “racist” crossed a line.
“You better get on your knees and apologize for calling them racists! You bum,” Giuliani fumed. “He doesn’t belong in America — even if he’s a citizen.”
Despite urging from some Republican strategists to rally behind Cuomo as the only candidate who could stop Mamdani, Giuliani said he refused to compromise his beliefs.
“I’ve been told, ‘Support Cuomo, he’s the only one who can beat Mamdani.’ But I’m not going to betray my principles,” he said.
The endorsement gives Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and longtime Republican activist, a much-needed boost in a city where GOP candidates face steep odds. Giuliani’s enduring influence among older and conservative voters could lend critical momentum to Sliwa’s campaign and complicate Cuomo’s attempt to court the same demographic.
Sliwa celebrated the endorsement with gratitude and admiration, calling Giuliani “New York’s greatest mayor” and promising to emulate his approach.
“Rudy built this city back from chaos,” Sliwa said. “I’m honored to have his support and to continue his mission of law, order, and common sense.”
The development further highlights the bitter divides defining this year’s race. While President Trump has not endorsed Sliwa — reportedly dismissing him as “not exactly prime time” — Giuliani’s stamp of approval gives Sliwa a powerful ally with deep roots in New York’s political landscape.
“I know this city,” Giuliani said. “Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who will protect New Yorkers, restore safety, and bring pride back to City Hall.”
{Matzav.com}
U.S. Peace Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law, recounted an unexpected moment of connection with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya during an interview that aired Sunday night on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”
Witkoff described how, while meeting in Egypt as part of the ongoing peace efforts, he and the Hamas figure found themselves sharing a deeply personal exchange about loss. Witkoff’s son had tragically died at 22 from an opioid overdose, while al-Hayya’s son was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted him in Doha, Qatar.
“We expressed our condolences to him for the loss of his son. He mentioned it. And I told him that I had lost a son, and that we were both members of a really bad club, parents who have buried children,” said Witkoff.
Kushner, reflecting on that encounter, said it offered a rare glimpse of humanity in a setting otherwise defined by hostility and grief. “What I saw at that moment was very interesting. You had– we go into a room and you have the Qataris, the Turks, and the Egyptians. And then we meet the four representatives of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization. And I’m looking at these guys and I’m thinking these are hardened guys who have been through two years of war. They’ve obviously, you know — they — they green-lit an assault that raped and murdered and did some of the most barbaric things. They’ve been holding hostages while Gaza’s been, you know, bombed. And they’ve withstood all the suffering.”
“But when Steve and him spoke about their sons, it turned from a negotiation with a terrorist group to seeing two human beings kind of showing a vulnerability with each other,” Kushner added.
The conversation, though brief, underscored the rare moments of empathy that can emerge even in the midst of relentless conflict and pain.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump engaged in an awkward exchange with an Australian ambassador at the White House during a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
After a reporter asked Trump about previous comments that the ambassador had made, Trump asked if he was still working for Albanese. The Australian Prime Minister then pointed out that the ambassador was sitting at the table in the room, before Trump spoke directly to him.
“I don’t like you, either. I don’t, and I probably never will,” the president said.
WATCH:
President Donald Trump issued a stern warning Monday to Hamas, saying the group must “be good” or face total destruction, as his administration works to preserve the fragile ceasefire he brokered between Israel and the terrorist organization.
“They’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent, but they don’t have the backing of Iran anymore,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“They don’t have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated.”
Trump’s comments came as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and senior advisor Jared Kushner continued high-level talks in Israel with regional leaders aimed at keeping the president’s 20-point peace framework intact.
Witkoff and Kushner met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, whose government halted movement into the region the previous day after two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza.
Following the deadly attack, Israel’s military carried out airstrikes in response, with Hamas claiming 26 people were killed.
Trump’s envoys are racing to maintain stability following the unexpected diplomatic breakthrough orchestrated by Witkoff and Kushner earlier this month, which ended weeks of bloodshed.
Vice President JD Vance is set to arrive in Israel on Tuesday to reinforce the administration’s message and bolster the momentum behind Trump’s peace initiative.
Just one week ago, Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire deal, prompting Trump to visit both Israel and Egypt to mark what he called a “historic achievement.”
Since then, Washington has sought to hold the peace together—Trump through his blunt warnings to Hamas, and his envoys through quiet diplomacy and efforts to resolve accusations of ceasefire breaches.
As tensions rose over Hamas’s delay in returning the bodies of fallen hostages, U.S. officials announced a plan for Turkish disaster recovery teams to work alongside Israeli intelligence to help locate and recover remains. Speaking at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Witkoff said he was “confident” that every body would eventually be recovered.
Witkoff and Kushner have continued to portray the peace agreement as a monumental win for Israel, arguing it could dramatically expand on the Abraham Accords—Trump’s earlier diplomatic success that brought four Arab nations into normalization with the Jewish state.
Still, major questions remain unresolved, including when and how Hamas will disarm, and which entity will assume authority under a proposed interim Palestinian government.
According to U.S. officials, several nations—among them Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia—have volunteered troops for a potential stabilization force, with others such as Azerbaijan signaling interest in joining.
Trump has said that energy-rich Arab states are prepared to fund the reconstruction of Gaza, describing them as eager partners in rebuilding the coastal enclave of two million people.
{Matzav.com}
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed an invitation from President Donald Trump to reopen nuclear talks, flatly denying the claim that Washington has eliminated Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
In recent months, Tehran and Washington held five indirect negotiation rounds, which ultimately collapsed following a 12-day aerial offensive in June when Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear installations.
“Trump says he is a dealmaker, but if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal but rather an imposition and bullying,” Khamenei declared through Iranian state outlets.
Trump had told the Knesset last week that the United States would welcome the chance to broker a “peace deal” with Tehran now that a truce between Israel and Hamas had taken hold in Gaza.
“The U.S. president proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran’s nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!” Khamenei scoffed, rejecting Washington’s claims.
He went on to question America’s involvement altogether, saying, “What does it have to do with America whether Iran has nuclear facilities or not? These interventions are inappropriate, wrong and coercive.”
Western nations continue to accuse Tehran of secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program through uranium enrichment, while Iranian officials maintain the initiative is entirely for civilian power generation and not for building bombs.
{Matzav.com}
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana pushed back hard against what he described as a coordinated media effort to portray the recent “No Kings” demonstrations as peaceful gatherings. He accused the movement’s organizers and participants — including groups identifying as “anti-fascists” — of promoting violent rhetoric under the guise of political protest.
Johnson displayed posters featuring signs carried by demonstrators referencing former FBI Director Jim Comey’s “86 47” phrase. The term “86” — restaurant slang for “to eliminate” — has been widely interpreted as a veiled threat toward President Donald Trump, the nation’s 47th president.
At his daily shutdown press briefing, Johnson denounced what he called a dangerous escalation of language that could easily turn into action. “They’re not just protesting — what they’re doing is different – they’re trying to incite violence,” he warned, adding that federal officials are tracking potential threats linked to the rallies. “You don’t mock a president that has already had two failed assassination attempts on his life. This is not a game.”
While some argue the slogans were meant only as political criticism of Trump, Johnson’s remarks reflected a growing Republican alarm about the increasingly hostile tone of anti-Trump demonstrations — especially as the government shutdown drags on and election tensions rise. “When they go the next step and call for violence on political officials in an environment that’s already heightened threat environment, it’s dangerous stuff,” Johnson said.
He sarcastically acknowledged that the protests did not devolve into destruction, saying, “They had a right to do it. Congratulations, they didn’t burn any buildings down. That’s a big achievement for the left to have some kind of gathering where they don’t have some kind of looting, and riots, and burning a building down. But you need to look past that and look at what they’re actually advocating for openly.”
Johnson also indicated he would recall the House into session if the Senate approved a bill to restore pay for federal employees, possibly setting up a Tuesday vote.
When asked about President Trump’s Truth Social post featuring a meme that depicted protesters being airdropped with excrement, Johnson defended it as symbolic commentary rather than incitement. “He is using satire to make a point,” the Speaker explained. “He is not calling for the murder of his political opponents, and that’s what these people are doing. It’s unconscionable.”
{Matzav.com}
Moscow has brushed aside President Trump’s new proposal to halt the war in Ukraine by freezing both sides at their current positions, insisting that “Russia’s stance doesn’t change.”
Responding to Trump’s weekend call for an immediate end to the fighting — one that would effectively leave each side in control of the land it presently holds — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked the idea that Kyiv would be allowed to retain portions of the Donbas region.
“This topic was repeatedly raised in various forms during contacts between Russia and the US. The Russian side answered every time, this answer is well known: The consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change,” Peskov told local outlets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long maintained that Ukraine must fully relinquish the Donbas before Moscow will consider any cease-fire arrangement.
At present, Russian forces occupy most of the Donbas region — holding all of Luhansk Oblast and roughly three-quarters of Donetsk Oblast, according to open-source tracking and military analysts.
Still, Moscow’s army has been unable to seize Donetsk’s heavily fortified “fortress belt,” which has successfully pushed back Russian offensives for over three years.
Kyiv has steadfastly refused to entertain any proposal that involves surrendering the region, warning that doing so would allow Moscow to regroup and more easily overrun the rest of the country once the Donetsk defenses are dismantled.
According to the Washington Post, Putin told Trump in a recent phone call — which took place before Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — that Russia expects Kyiv to yield Donetsk as part of any truce.
Following that conversation, Trump sat down with Zelensky for a three-hour discussion in which he outlined his plan to end hostilities and “stop where they are.”
“So what I say is they should stop right now at the battle lines. Go home, stop killing people and be done,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
Trump rejected claims that the session with Zelensky turned heated or that he pressured the Ukrainian leader to cede the entire Donbas or face destruction at the hands of Russia.
Despite dismissing Trump’s cease-fire suggestion, Peskov noted that the Kremlin remains open to a face-to-face between Trump and Putin to continue negotiations.
The two leaders are reportedly planning to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks, though it is unclear whether Zelensky will take part.
Trump and Putin last conferred during a summit in Alaska earlier this summer.
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday evening that it has taken possession of the body of an Israeli hostage, handed over by the Red Cross after being collected from Hamas operatives earlier in the day.
“The IDF requests that people act with sensitivity and await the official identification that will first be given to the families of the hostages. Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and to make all necessary efforts to return the fallen hostages,” the military said in a statement.
A short time later, the army clarified: “According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages.”
Following the arrival of the coffin to Israeli forces, the Chief Military Rabbi is expected to lead a brief service, which will include the recitation of Tehillim and the draping of the Israeli flag over the coffin.
{Matzav.com}
The federal government shutdown has now stretched into its twentieth day, officially marking it as the longest full closure in American history — and the third-longest overall, surpassed only by the 35-day partial shutdown of 2018–19 and the 21-day standoff of 1995–96.
The Senate is preparing for another vote on the continuing resolution already passed by the House, scheduled for Monday evening. Lawmakers, however, are bracing for what would be the eleventh failed effort to end the standoff.
“Since the Democrats recklessly shut down the United States government, the Democrats are making some very costly history here: Don’t lose that in all that’s happening,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday at his daily briefing. “This is now the third longest shutdown in history. And when you look at it carefully, it is now already the longest full shutdown of all time. You had an example in 2018, and you had one back in 1995 that were longer, but they were partial shutdowns because they only affected a part of the federal government. This is everything.”
Republicans plan to advance a separate measure this week that would allow federal workers to receive pay during the shutdown. Democrats, however, are dismissing the effort as a political stunt meant to benefit President Donald Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought — and have indicated they will not support it, according to Punchbowl News.
Trump and Vought have pledged to hold firm until Senate Democrats agree to reopen the government under spending limits below those set by President Joe Biden. The two have argued that the shutdown is an opportunity to trim federal programs that favor Democratic priorities.
While most Democrats are united in opposing the House measure, a handful have begun to break ranks. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his colleagues for refusing to take responsibility for the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire later this year.
“It’s also important for us to note this is the first time in history that any party has had the audacity to shut down the government over a totally clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution,” Johnson said again at his briefing. “This is a political stunt, and it’s the first time it’s been done. It is the most costly, most selfish, most dangerous political stunt in the history of the United States Congress.”
As the shutdown enters its third week, the consequences are deepening. Federal workers will go without their first full paycheck this week, prompting some banks and credit unions to extend emergency loans to affected employees. Air traffic controllers have warned that staff shortages could soon disrupt flights nationwide.
Meanwhile, the USDA’s loan and grant programs for farmers and small businesses have ground to a halt, leaving many without critical funding.
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans are expected to meet with Trump in the newly renovated Rose Garden. The gathering, largely symbolic, underscores the party’s continued solidarity with the White House as the standoff drags on.
With essential programs faltering and the November 1 funding deadline looming, lawmakers face mounting pressure to end the crisis — or risk cementing this episode as one of the most damaging shutdowns in modern U.S. history.
According to USA Today, here’s how this shutdown compares to the longest in U.S. history (ranked by duration):
2019 under Trump – 35 days
1996 under President Bill Clinton – 21 days
2025 under Trump – 20 days
1978 under President Jimmy Carter – 17 days (tied)
2013 under President Barack Obama – 17 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 12 days
1976 under President Gerald Ford – 11 days (tied)
1979 under Carter – 11 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 8 days (tied)
1977 under Carter – 8 days (tied)
1995 under President Bill Clinton – 5 days
1990 under President George H.W. Bush – 4 days
2018 under Trump – 3 days (tied)
1982 under President Ronald Reagan – 3 days (tied)
1983 under Reagan – 3 days (tied)
1981 under Reagan – 2 days (tied)
1984 under Reagan – 2 days (tied)
1982 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1984 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1986 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
1987 under Reagan – 1 day (tied)
2018 under Trump – several hours
“The Senate Democrats have zero shame about this,” Johnson said. “They don’t have any shame at all about the pain that they’re inflicting upon hardworking families, upon soldiers and law enforcement officers and veterans, the elderly and the disabled, women, infants, and children. Services to all those categories and paychecks to those folks are being stalled because Democrats are playing games today.”
{Matzav.com}
A surprising new poll shows that Andrew Cuomo could come within striking distance of left-wing frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race — but only if Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa steps aside.
According to results from Gotham Polling and AARP New York, 44.6% of voters said they would support Mamdani if Sliwa exited the race, compared to 40.7% who would back Cuomo. With the survey’s 4-point margin of error, Cuomo would be nearly neck-and-neck with the Queens assemblyman.
When all three candidates remain on the ballot, Mamdani still leads decisively, drawing 43.2% of the vote to Cuomo’s 28.9% and Sliwa’s 19.4%, the poll revealed.
The data also indicates that undecided voters skew older — with nearly 78% of them aged 50 or above — a demographic that could significantly benefit Cuomo, while Mamdani continues to dominate among younger voters.
“The decisive factor in this race may be the older voters who haven’t yet made up their minds,” said Stephen Graves, president of Gotham Polling & Analytics. “If the contest narrows to two leading candidates, the 50-plus electorate — by far the most reliable voting bloc — will likely determine who becomes the next mayor of New York City.”
The survey was modeled after 2021 general election turnout, when fewer than 40% of voters were under 50. Analysts cautioned that this may undercount Mamdani’s strength, as his campaign has since registered tens of thousands of younger voters, potentially shifting turnout to an even split between age groups this November.
Despite the poll’s projections, both Cuomo and Sliwa have vowed to stay in the race. Cuomo, running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Sliwa, representing Republicans, have each dismissed suggestions that they should step aside.
Researchers surveyed 1,040 likely voters over two days last week. Across all age groups, respondents cited the cost of living as their top concern, with 63.6% naming it their primary issue. Public safety followed at 48.6%, while 38.9% pointed to housing affordability as their main worry.
Nearly 43% of voters identified as very liberal or somewhat liberal — a clear advantage for Mamdani — while just over 23% described themselves as somewhat or very conservative.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, shocked the political establishment when he defeated Cuomo and outgoing Mayor Eric Adams in June’s Democratic primary. Born in Uganda and raised in New York, Mamdani calls himself a proud socialist.
His progressive positions have sparked controversy in political and Jewish circles alike, particularly due to his sharp criticism of Israel and his refusal to denounce Hamas.
Cuomo, age 67, who previously served as New York’s governor and as U.S. housing secretary, took aim at Mamdani’s inexperience during the first of two recent mayoral debates. On Sunday, he again targeted Sliwa, labeling him a “spoiler” and urging him to withdraw.
“The problem is Curtis Sliwa is a spoiler in the race,” Cuomo said on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable.” “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Mamdani.”
Sliwa, 71, founder of the Guardian Angels and a longtime radio host, fired back during last week’s debate, insisting that Cuomo should be the one to step aside instead.
The Gotham/AARP poll concluded that older New Yorkers could once again tip the balance.
“Once again, New York’s older voters are poised to decide this election,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director. “These are issues that matter not only to older adults and to New Yorkers of every generation.”
{Matzav.com}
After several months of quiet, the IDF Military Police have resumed their controversial operations targeting yeshiva students who have not reported for military service. The renewed effort began overnight with an attempted arrest in the chareidi neighborhood of Neve Yaakov in northern Yerushalayim.
The incident, which occurred shortly after midnight between Sunday and Monday, saw Military Police investigators attempt to detain a yeshiva student at his home on Edmond Fleg Street. Within minutes, large crowds of local residents gathered in protest, leading to a major confrontation that forced the police to retreat from the area without completing the arrest.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as residents poured into the streets, chanting and blocking police vehicles. The Peleg Yerushalmi issued a statement claiming responsibility for the resistance. “The masses who arrived prevented the arrest, and the police withdrew,” the statement read. “Eyewitnesses reported that the Military Police used force in an attempt to break down the door.”
The dramatic standoff marks the first such attempt in months. Until now, the Military Police had largely confined their operations to airport arrests — detaining yeshiva students identified as draft evaders when attempting to leave or return to the country.
The renewed activity comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the draft issue and ongoing debates within the government over the future of the draft law. Community leaders in Neve Yaakov condemned the incident, warning that any attempt to arrest yeshiva students from their homes risks inflaming already fragile relations between the religious community and the state.
For now, the yeshiva student remains free, and police sources say the operation will be reviewed, though indications suggest that further arrest attempts could follow in the coming weeks as enforcement intensifies.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s governing coalition is reportedly considering a dramatic political move: lowering Israel’s electoral threshold, a step that could reshape the upcoming elections and determine the fate of several parties currently hovering near the cutoff.
According to a report by journalist Amit Segal on Channel 12 News, discussions are underway within the coalition to reduce the threshold from its current 3.25% (equivalent to four Knesset seats) amid growing concern over polls showing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party struggling to cross it. Such a scenario could lead to the loss of thousands of right-wing votes and potentially shift the balance of power in the next election.
The talks come as the political establishment begins to gear up for elections expected sometime within the coming year, though the exact date remains unclear due to ongoing coalition disputes and legislative uncertainty.
MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee — the body that would oversee any such legislative amendment — has reportedly been holding meetings with representatives from multiple factions to gauge support for the proposal. Among those he has met with is Hadash-Ta’al chairman MK Ayman Odeh, signaling an effort to secure a broad parliamentary majority for the change.
Sources within the coalition believe that lowering the threshold could garner significant support across party lines. However, one major opponent has already emerged: Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who is said to oppose the idea out of concern that it could pave the way for the return of a rival Sephardic party led by Eli Yishai, potentially siphoning off votes from Shas’s traditional base.
Segal reported that “Shas, which enjoys a monopoly over the Sephardic chareidi electorate, currently opposes the proposal, fearing the emergence of new parties that could threaten that dominance.”
In light of this opposition, coalition officials are reportedly holding quiet talks with Shas to win its backing. One idea under discussion is to establish a broad surplus-vote agreement among right-wing parties — a strategy aimed at reassuring Deri that lowering the threshold would not endanger Shas politically.
If approved, the change could have far-reaching implications not only for Smotrich but also for centrist factions such as Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which has also seen fluctuating polling numbers in recent weeks. The move, supporters argue, would prevent wasted votes and ensure greater political representation — but critics warn it could open the door to a proliferation of small, unstable parties in the Knesset.
{Matzav.com}
The Knesset’s 25th assembly opened its winter session on Monday with an official ceremony in the plenum, but behind the formality lies a looming political showdown that could determine the government’s survival. The upcoming session is expected to be one of the most volatile and decisive in recent years, a season that will test whether Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s coalition can maintain stability or face another election.
At the center of the storm is the long-simmering debate over the draft law. Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Boaz Bismuth is preparing to unveil a new draft proposal, based on a framework developed after extensive talks with defense officials and representatives of the chareidi community. The bill aims to find a delicate balance between the manpower needs of the IDF and the preservation of the world of Torah — a formula that could ultimately decide the coalition’s fate.
Another critical challenge is the 2026 state budget. Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich has already instructed his ministry to begin drafting it immediately, aware that it will serve as a key political and economic survival test for the government. The budget must address Israel’s ongoing security challenges, rehabilitation efforts in the South, and economic growth — all while navigating internal coalition pressures.
Simultaneously, the government is seeking to advance several structural reforms. Chief among them is a proposed Basic Law on Appointments, initiated by Netanyahu, which aims to regulate senior appointments in the public sector and streamline governance. Justice Minister Yariv Levin and MK Simcha Rothman are also expected to reintroduce portions of the controversial judicial reform package, while attempting to avoid renewed coalition turmoil.
Adding to the tension, Otzma Yehudit is pressing for the advancement of a bill instituting the death penalty for terrorists. Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has warned that he has given Netanyahu a deadline to move the legislation forward, threatening to break up the coalition if it stalls. The specific deadline remains undisclosed.
Meanwhile, discussions are intensifying over the formation of a governmental commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre. The panel would examine the chain of failures that led to that day’s devastating events. Disputes are already brewing over the commission’s establishment, leadership, and powers — all of which could spark further political friction in the weeks ahead.
{Matzav.com}
Kamala Harris took aim at Joe Biden’s judgment this week, calling his 2021 decision to exclude Elon Musk from a high-profile White House electric vehicle summit a “big mistake.” Her remarks came as the 82-year-old ex-president continues treatment for prostate cancer.
Speaking Tuesday at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., Harris said the move — widely viewed as a gesture to organized labor — backfired politically and alienated one of America’s most influential innovators. “I write in the book that I thought it was a big mistake to not invite Elon Musk when we did a big EV event,” Harris told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell.
“I mean, here he is, the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space,” Harris said, referring to Musk’s role in transforming the global electric vehicle industry.
Harris has been on a media tour promoting her memoir 107 Days, in which she faults Biden for what she describes as “recklessness” in seeking re-election despite declining health.
In August 2021, Biden hosted executives from General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis to celebrate a push for half of all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be zero-emission — but Tesla, the nation’s leading EV maker, was conspicuously left off the guest list.
At the time, White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the invitees as “the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers,” a pointed reminder that Tesla’s workforce is nonunion. When pressed about whether Tesla’s exclusion was deliberate, Psaki replied, “I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.”
Musk, who had sold more electric cars than all three automakers combined, expressed his irritation in real time, tweeting: “Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited.” A month later, he accused Biden’s team of being “not the friendliest” and “controlled by unions.”
The administration stood by its outreach to Detroit’s Big Three, calling them essential to Biden’s goal of creating union-backed green jobs. Musk, meanwhile, mocked the president online, especially after SpaceX’s historic civilian spaceflight went unacknowledged by the White House.
At the Fortune event, Harris argued that national leaders should rise above partisan allegiances when recognizing innovation. “So, I thought that was a mistake, and I don’t know Elon Musk, but I have to assume that that was something that hit him hard and had an impact on his perspective,” she said.
Her comments mirrored a section of her new book, where she writes that the episode alienated Musk and helped push him toward President Donald Trump’s orbit. Musk went on to contribute nearly $300 million to Republican-aligned political groups during the 2024 election cycle.
Harris also used the platform to question the administration’s early policy priorities. “When we made the decision as an administration to put the infrastructure bill and the CHIPS Act first, I actually think that was a mistake,” she said.
“Very important work, no question, but we did that before putting the immediate needs ahead of anything else.” She argued that the administration should have prioritized child care and paid family leave sooner, saying Americans felt neglected as inflation rose. “If we can’t meet the basic needs of the people, there will be this backlash, which is going to resonate and sound like it is about ‘blame the rich’,” she said. “It’s about, ‘we need help for our basic needs, and please prioritize those needs’.”
Reports from the time revealed that Tesla officials repeatedly requested meetings with the White House but were ignored, partly due to union pressure. When Musk learned Tesla wouldn’t be invited to the EV event, White House officials reportedly called to apologize.
Tensions escalated further when Biden publicly praised GM CEO Mary Barra for having “electrified the entire automobile industry” — a claim that infuriated Musk, whose company had sold more than 115,000 EVs that quarter compared with GM’s 26,000.
Although Biden aides later sought to repair the relationship, arranging calls between Musk and top officials, the rift persisted. Musk increasingly aligned himself with conservatives, railing against “the woke mind virus” and backing Trump’s comeback campaign through his super PAC, America PAC.
{Matzav.com}Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, said in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that he believes Hamas is genuinely attempting to locate the remains of Israeli hostages, not deliberately stalling their return.
As of early Monday, Hamas had still not handed over 16 of the 28 bodies of deceased hostages believed to have remained in Gaza when the ceasefire began on October 10.
Hamas has claimed that the devastation across the Gaza Strip has made it difficult to find the bodies quickly, while Israeli officials have accused the group of deceit, insisting that it knows where most of the remains are and could release them immediately.
Addressing the contradictory reports and Washington’s involvement in resolving them, Kushner said there has been “a very intense effort on behalf of our joint center with Israel and with the mediators in order to convey whatever information Israel has on the whereabouts of the bodies to the mediators and to Hamas– in order to retrieve them.”
He added that the U.S. is actively working to “push both sides to be proactive in terms of finding a solution instead of blaming each other for breakdowns.”
When pressed on whether he believed Hamas was “acting in good faith — seriously looking for the bodies,” Kushner responded affirmatively. “As far as we’ve seen from what’s being conveyed to us from the mediators, they are so far,” he said. “That could break down at any minute, but right now– we have seen them looking to honor their agreement.”
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Israel needed to begin supporting the Palestinian population and investing in their wellbeing if it hoped to achieve lasting acceptance in the Middle East, Jared Kushner said in a televised interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Kushner, who served as an adviser to President Donald Trump and is also his son-in-law, said the message to Jerusalem was clear.
“The biggest message that we’ve tried to convey to the Israeli leadership now is that, now that the war is over, if you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better,” he said, sitting beside U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Kushner noted that he and Witkoff had only begun the process of communicating this message to Israeli leaders and regional partners, saying that the two were “just getting started” in their efforts.
Elaborating on his long-term vision for the Palestinian people, Kushner said the administration’s goal was to ensure that both sides could live safely and prosper together. He explained that the U.S. approach focused on security and economic stability for both populations. “We’re focused on creating a situation for joint security and economic opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians so that they can live side by side in a durable way,” he said.
When asked whether this plan pointed toward Palestinian statehood, Kushner avoided setting labels, saying the final status should be determined by the people themselves. “What you end up calling it over time, we’ll allow the Palestinians to determine that themselves,” he said.
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Vice President JD Vance downplayed the latest outbreak of violence in Gaza on Sunday, telling reporters that occasional flare-ups were to be expected as part of the fragile ceasefire process. “Hamas is going to fire on Israel. Israel is going to have to respond,” he said.
Vance emphasized that while setbacks were inevitable, the administration still believed the truce could hold and eventually lead to lasting calm. “So we think that it has the best chance for a sustainable peace. But even if it does that, it’s going to have hills and valleys, and we’re going to have to monitor the situation.”
The vice president also urged cooperation from Arab partners in the region, calling on Gulf states to take a more active role in enforcing the terms of the agreement and ensuring that Hamas is fully disarmed. “The Gulf Arab states, our allies, don’t have the security infrastructure in place yet to confirm that Hamas is disarmed,” he said.
Vance added that the administration would soon send representatives to Israel to oversee developments and assess progress on the ground. He did not specify who would make the trip, saying only that “a member of the Trump administration was ‘certainly’ going to visit Israel ‘in the next few days’ to monitor the situation.” He added, “it might be me.”
According to a U.S. official quoted by The Times of Israel, special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner were scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday, with Vance expected to follow a day later on Tuesday.
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President Donald Trump assured reporters that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains secure, dismissing speculation that it may unravel. Speaking aboard Air Force One as he flew back from Mar-a-Lago to Washington, Trump attributed the most recent flare-up to individuals acting independently. “Rogue elements, not Hamas leadership,” were responsible for the latest attack on Israel, Trump claimed. “We’ll handle it tough but fair. The ceasefire will hold.”
Vice President JD Vance, who had just returned to Andrews Air Force Base after attending the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th-anniversary celebration in San Diego, also commented on the situation. When asked if he planned to visit Israel soon, Vance said, “Maybe. We’re trying to figure it out. Of course, we want to go and see how things are progressing.”
“I think someone from the administration will definitely be there in the coming days. It might be me, but we’re still working out the logistics,” he continued, hinting at an imminent high-level visit to the region.
Addressing questions about whether he believed the truce would endure following renewed violence, Vance struck a cautious but optimistic tone. “Look, it’s going to be complicated. Even in the best-case scenario, if this process leads to a sustainable, long-term peace, as the president and I hope, there will still be bumps along the way.”
He acknowledged that tensions were inevitable, saying, “There will be instances where Hamas fires on Israel, and Israel will of course have to respond. There will be moments when it’s unclear who exactly is acting inside Gaza. But we believe this is the best chance for stable peace, and even if it succeeds, there will be ups and downs, and we’ll have to monitor it closely.”
Vance also underscored the ongoing challenges to lasting stability in Gaza, warning that “there is currently no existing security infrastructure to guarantee Hamas’s disarmament.”
Reports over the weekend suggested that the vice president is likely to visit Israel next week — his first trip there since assuming office. At the same time, U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff is preparing to return to the Middle East to advance discussions on the next phase of the peace framework and to coordinate efforts to recover the remains of hostages still held by Hamas.
Earlier this year, in May, Vance had considered traveling to Israel but ultimately postponed the visit due to active Israel Defense Forces operations in Gaza, a senior American official told Walla.
{Matzav.com}Democratic socialist mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani spoke out Sunday for the first time about his connection to Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has long faced accusations of ties to terrorism, dismissing the uproar as an attack on his religion.
Earlier in the day, Mamdani had smiled and waved off questions about the issue, refusing to respond. But when he finally did address the controversy, he claimed that the criticism stemmed from anti-Muslim bias rather than his own actions.
“The same imam met with Mayor Bloomberg, met with Mayor De Blasio, campaigned alongside Eric Adams, and the only time it became an issue of national attention was when I met with him,” Mamdani told reporters at an unrelated press event.
“That’s because of the fact of my faith and because I’m on the precipice of winning this election,” the Democratic front-runner continued, before taking aim at his opponent, Andrew Cuomo.
“Andrew Cuomo joins a list of those who would cheer threats to blow up my car, those who would call me a jihadist – Laura Loomer, Elon Musk, the vice president and he would rather seek to smear my plans to support queer New Yorkers across the five boroughs than speak about his own, and that’s because he has none,” Mamdani said.
When questioned earlier in the day about Wahhaj, Mamdani refused to offer any explanation.
“Mr. Mamdani, anything to say about the imam? He said some nasty stuff, does it bug you?” a New York Post reporter asked. “Anything?”
Mamdani simply smirked and walked away without responding, entering a waiting SUV. Later that afternoon, he again grinned but avoided answering further questions about the Brooklyn imam, who has been accused of anti-gay rhetoric and alleged extremist connections.
The controversy began Friday after Mamdani met with Wahhaj and praised him online.
“Today at Masjid At-Taqwa, I had the pleasure of meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders and a pillar of the Bed-Stuy community for nearly half a century,” Mamdani wrote on X.
That post immediately sparked backlash because of Wahhaj’s controversial history.
According to The New York Times, Wahhaj was named an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people, after investigators learned that several suspects had attended his mosque.
Though Wahhaj was never charged and denied any wrongdoing, he later defended the perpetrators and publicly labeled the FBI and CIA as “the real terrorists.”
His family has also been tied to disturbing events. In 2018, his son was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison after authorities discovered he had been training a group of teenagers in a New Mexico desert to carry out terror attacks. Wahhaj had homeschooled his son but later called him mentally ill and claimed he was the one who contacted police to stop him.
Both of Mamdani’s main rivals — Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa — condemned his association with the imam, calling it unacceptable for anyone seeking the city’s highest office.
“New York needs a mayor who protects New Yorkers from terrorism, not embraces terrorists,” Sliwa said.
{Matzav.com}