Matzav

Officials in Skokie, Illinois, have extended the automatic pedestrian crossing time at a major intersection on Shabbos, addressing a safety concern for Orthodox residents who do not press electronic crossing buttons on Shabbos.

Mayor Ann Tennes said she became aware of the problem after visiting a shul last fall and seeing firsthand the difficulty Orthodox pedestrians faced when trying to cross the busy intersection. Without activation of the pedestrian button, the signal eventually allowed people to cross, but provided considerably less time.

“Without someone pressing the button, it will eventually go to a walk signal, but it’s a shorter walk signal—not as long of a walk signal as when the button is activated,” she told JNS.

Tennes said the shorter interval was particularly difficult for families, elderly residents and others who could not move quickly through the intersection.

“There were people trying to cross pushing wheelchairs and with small children, and it was difficult,” she said. “They just didn’t have enough time.”

After becoming mayor in April 2025, Tennes made addressing the crossing time one of her priorities. The intersection is located along Dempster Street, which she described as a “major thoroughfare” and which is near several shuls.

The modification has now been implemented. Ordinarily, pedestrians who do not press the crossing button receive approximately 30 to 40 seconds to cross the large intersection. During the automatic Shabbos cycle, however, pedestrians will now receive between 60 and 65 seconds.

According to Tennes, the village manager informed her that Skokie officials had discussed the issue with the Illinois Department of Transportation on several occasions in previous years, but those efforts had failed to produce a solution.

“There was just never a change, modification to the system at that particular intersection that was acceptable to the Illinois Department of Transportation that was also acceptable to the leaders of the Jewish community in terms of what types of activity were allowed on the Sabbath,” she told JNS.

When Tennes took office, she said she decided to approach the longstanding issue with “fresh eyes” and search for a solution that could satisfy both safety requirements and the religious needs of the community.

The approach that appeared most practical, she said, was to have the full pedestrian crossing signal operate automatically from late Friday afternoon through early Saturday evening, eliminating the need for Shabbos-observant pedestrians to activate the button.

“We were able to get to the right people at the Illinois Department of Transportation, and they made the change in late April,” Tennes said. “It’s been well received by the community. It’s certainly safe.”

“I’m very, very pleased that we persisted and we were able to put this change in for the community,” she said.

For now, the automatic extended crossing time is scheduled specifically for Shabbos. Tennes said it would be “ideal” to eventually have the same system operate on other Yomim Tovim, when Orthodox residents similarly refrain from using the crossing buttons and families, children and elderly residents are walking to and from shul.

Tennes also hopes the accommodation can eventually be introduced at “several other intersections in the community that are proximate to different observant synagogues,” she told JNS.

The pedestrian-signal change comes as Skokie, home to a substantial Jewish population, has also been confronting a series of antisemitic incidents. In April, three incidents, including some involving Jewish children, left members of the community “on edge,” the Chicago Jewish Alliance told JNS at the time.

Tennes acknowledged that the incidents were part of a broader problem the village has been working to address.

“There indeed was a series of hate incidents that included antisemitism in our parks starting last fall that involved children.”

In response, Tennes established the Skokie Faith Leaders Council, which has been working alongside the village’s Human Relations Commission to address antisemitism and other incidents of hate.

“Our public safety has been working with our schools. We have been working with our park district,” she said. “I’ve used my office to convene countless community discussions about how we, as a village, need to come together and address this.”

According to Tennes, combating antisemitism has been the Human Relations Commission’s primary focus since October 2025.

During the summer, the commission organized antisemitism training for local community leaders, with training provided by representatives of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.

The village also held a community unity basketball clinic in July for Skokie children between the ages of 10 and 14. The event was held with the Chicago Bulls in cooperation with the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“We’re working on many, many fronts with our community partners to bring the community together,” she told JNS. “Hate has no home in Skokie.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency effort to put new restrictions on mail-in voting into effect ahead of November’s midterm elections, leaving in place a lower-court injunction that prevents the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing the new requirements.

The decision means states can continue using their existing procedures for distributing mail ballots as voting for the 2026 midterms gets underway. The justices declined the administration’s request to lift the injunction, though the order does not amount to a final Supreme Court ruling on the underlying constitutional and legal questions surrounding the policy.

The dispute centers on a new Postal Service rule stemming from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March. Under the plan, states would have been required to provide information about voters receiving mail ballots through a new federal online portal and obtain approval for ballot-envelope designs. The Postal Service had said it would not deliver certain mail ballots from states that failed to comply with the requirements.

The administration argued that the measures were intended to safeguard elections and ensure that mail ballots were sent only to eligible voters. State election officials and voting-rights groups challenged the requirements, arguing that the President and Postal Service lacked the legal authority to impose them and warning that implementing an entirely new system shortly before the election could prevent legitimate ballots from being delivered or counted.

The Supreme Court’s action comes after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Postal Service from enforcing the rules. A federal appeals court subsequently refused the administration’s request to lift that injunction.

The appeals court said the administration had not made a sufficiently strong showing that Talwani was wrong in concluding that the Postal Service rule was likely unlawful.

“Appellants have not made a strong showing that the district court erred in determining that the Final Rule is likely unlawful,” the appeals court wrote.

The court also pointed to warnings from election officials that attempting to introduce the requirements so close to Election Day could create significant disruptions, particularly because some states have already begun distributing mail ballots.

The administration then turned to the Supreme Court, asking the justices on an emergency basis to allow the Postal Service regulations to take effect while litigation over their legality continued. The high court declined that request Monday, keeping the restrictions blocked for now.

The ruling followed another setback for the administration over the weekend. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C., a Trump appointee, separately blocked implementation of the Postal Service rule in a different lawsuit.

Nichols concluded that the Postal Service had not been granted authority by Congress to perform key aspects of the proposed ballot-screening system, including creating a database through which states would provide information on voters eligible to receive mail ballots.

He also found that allowing the regulations to take effect posed a risk that legitimate mail ballots would not be counted.

“Plaintiffs have demonstrated that, absent an injunction, there is an increased risk that a significant number of otherwise appropriate absentee or mail-in ballots will ultimately not be counted in the upcoming elections,” Nichols wrote.

“The public has a strong interest in ensuring that doesn’t happen.”

The Supreme Court had previously intervened in an earlier phase of the dispute and lifted a block on Trump’s executive order, but that decision was procedural. At the time, the justices concluded that the states challenging the policy had gone to court prematurely because the Postal Service had not yet finalized its regulations. The Court did not decide whether the proposed mail-ballot restrictions themselves were lawful.

After the Postal Service formally issued its rule in August, challengers returned to court, resulting in the new injunctions now at issue.

Monday’s Supreme Court decision therefore does not necessarily end the broader legal fight over the administration’s authority to regulate the handling of mail ballots. For the immediate 2026 election, however, the ruling prevents the Trump administration from implementing the challenged Postal Service restrictions under the injunction currently before the Court.

The decision comes less than two months before the November midterms, which will determine control of Congress, and after mail voting has already begun in several states.

President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his pledge to provide a $5,000 “dividend” to adult Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, using a new Truth Social post to insist that the promised payments will become a reality.

“$5,000 DIVIDEND TO ALL AMERICAN ADULT CITIZENS, IF REPUBLICANS WIN THE MIDTERMS. IT WILL HAPPEN!” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

The post marked Trump’s latest effort to emphasize a proposal he first unveiled last week at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where he promised a $5,000 payment to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans maintain control of both the House and Senate.

“Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000” if Republicans win both chambers, Trump said at the convention.

Trump has repeatedly doubled down on the pledge in the days since, arguing that the federal government will have sufficient revenue to finance the payments. The President has pointed in particular to tariff revenue and broader economic gains as justification for the proposal, although a detailed funding plan has not yet been released.

The proposed payments would be significantly larger than the $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” provided to approximately 1.45 million members of the U.S. military in December 2025. Trump has cited those payments while promoting his new proposal for the broader American public.

The scale of a nationwide $5,000 payment would be enormous. Census figures indicate that there are roughly 245 million adult U.S. citizens, meaning payments of $5,000 apiece would carry a price tag of approximately $1.2 trillion.

Questions also remain about how the payments would be authorized. Under the Constitution, federal spending generally requires congressional authorization, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has said Congress would have to act on the proposal.

Trump, however, has expressed confidence that the money will be distributed if Republicans prevail in November. His emphatic Truth Social declaration Monday — “IT WILL HAPPEN!” — appeared intended to dispel doubts about whether the proposal was merely an idea floated during his convention speech.

The President has also said that recipients would be required to spend the money inside the United States, though the administration has not explained how such a requirement would operate or be enforced.

Trump has framed the dividend as one of the tangible benefits Americans would receive if Republicans retain their congressional majorities. The proposal has quickly become a prominent element of the political debate surrounding the midterm elections, with questions focusing on its cost, funding and the legislation that would be required to implement it.

For now, Congress has not authorized the payments and the administration has not released a complete legislative or financing plan. But Trump’s message Monday was unequivocal: if Republicans keep Congress, he says adult American citizens will receive $5,000.

Former hostage Sasha Trufanov has opened up about the profound spiritual transformation he experienced during his 498 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, describing how the ordeal led him, a previously secular Israeli, to recognize the presence of Hashem in his life.

Trufanov and his wife, Sapir Cohen, who herself spent 55 days in captivity, spoke about the role that emunah and tefillah came to play in their lives following the October 7 massacre and during their captivity. The couple shared their experiences on the first episode of “Thirsty Souls,” hosted by Eden Harel on Israel’s Channel 14.

Trufanov, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, said that he entered captivity without a religious background. When the life and future he had built for himself were suddenly ripped away, he discovered that he did not possess the tools he needed to cope with his terrifying new reality.

“When I got into the situation of October 7,” he recalled, “I didn’t have the tools to deal with this challenge.”

One of the most difficult moments came after he had already spent months as a hostage. Following what he described as “hell in Khan Yunis,” Trufanov said he was transferred to Rafah, where he was placed inside a small wooden cage surrounded by armed, masked terrorists.

It was precisely under those circumstances, he said, that something within him began to change. Trufanov tried to come to terms with the realization that he had no control over what would happen to him. The only thing he could control was how he responded to the situation in which he had been placed.

“If God gives you this life, then you’ve won,” he recalled telling himself. “If not, that’s your portion. You had 27 good years, a few bad months, overall it’s okay.”

Sapir revealed that even before October 7, their relationship had been going through a difficult period. She had asked Hashem for a sign as to whether Sasha was the man with whom she was meant to build her life.

Then Sasha returned from captivity.

According to Sapir, one of the first things he said after his release stunned her.

“Mom, I know there is a God,” Sasha said.

“It was really among the first sentences,” Sapir recalled. “I said, ‘Wow.’ I sat there and… like, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe this was happening.”

Sasha’s mother later told him that she herself had become religious. Sapir said that she was apprehensive about how Sasha would react to the news, but his response was very different from what she had feared.

“Mom, I’m happy. I’m happy to hear it, you’re on the right path,” he told her.

Sasha’s mother, Yelena, has previously related that while her son was being held captive in Gaza, she, her mother and Sapir accepted upon themselves the observance of Shabbos and additional mitzvos as a zechus for his release.

Following Sasha’s return, Yelena said that her son had come to understand during captivity that his life was not in his own hands, but “only in the hands of the Holy One, Blessed be He.”

Sapir, who was freed after 55 days as a hostage, also described the central place that tefillah assumed in her own life. She said that even before October 7, she had begun to daven as she struggled with difficult feelings. During captivity, she continued to daven every day and repeatedly recited a perek of Tehillim.

“I didn’t even ask to be released tomorrow,” she said. “I asked that I be released at the time that was right for me.”

Sasha’s connection to emunah continued after his release from Gaza. Just one day after returning to Israel, he was photographed putting on tefillin alongside Russia’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar.

He later traveled with Sapir to the Kosel, where the couple participated in a tefillas hoda’ah, giving thanks for his return.

During the visit, Sasha said that after the period he had spent in what he called “the dark tunnels of Gaza,” he could feel the holiness of the Kosel. He also learned of the countless tefillos that had been recited on his behalf during his captivity and appealed to Klal Yisroel to continue davening for the hostages.

Now, as he looks toward the future, Trufanov says that alongside his hopes of building a family and becoming a person who makes a meaningful contribution to the world, he wants to preserve the lessons he learned during the ordeal that transformed his life.

“I have many dreams,” he said. “Some of them are practical, like starting a family, like developing myself and being something meaningful in this world. And some of them are more private, like developing myself, my soul and preserving what I learned.”

“I also truly have a very strong faith that everything will be okay in the end,” he added. “Like, as long as I do my part, everything will work out.”

{Matzav.com}

The public is asked to daven for Rav Mordechai Auerbach, rav of Kehillas Abir Yaakov in Tel Aviv and nosi of Taharas Hamishpacha, who has been hospitalized at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after suffering from pneumonia.

Rav Auerbach was admitted to the hospital following a bout of pneumonia that came after an extended period of general weakness.

Despite his weakened condition, Rav Auerbach participated in the first night of Selichos and served as shaliach tzibbur at his bais medrash in Tel Aviv. However, last Wednesday, shortly before Rosh Hashanah, his condition necessitated that he be taken to the hospital, where he remained throughout Rosh Hashanah.

Family members and talmidim who had traveled to spend Rosh Hashanah in Rav Auerbach’s presence at his bais medrash instead spent the days of Rosh Hashanah at his side in the hospital.

Those close to Rav Auerbach are asking the public to increase their tefillos for his complete recovery and for his health to be strengthened.

All are asked to daven for Rav Mordechai ben Chaya Rivka.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is prepared to return to negotiations with the United States, including over its nuclear program, but conditioned renewed diplomacy on Washington lifting sanctions, abandoning what he described as unilateral policies and ending efforts to pressure Iran militarily. His comments came as President Donald Trump separately indicated that Washington remains open to possible negotiations with Tehran.

“We are ready for dialogue,” Pezeshkian told India Today, while maintaining that negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear activities must take place within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and international law.

Pezeshkian questioned why Washington was seeking a new round of negotiations instead of proceeding on the basis of an understanding that he said had previously been formulated through diplomatic efforts involving Pakistan.

“I don’t know what was wrong with what we wrote in Pakistan that the United States now wants us to talk again from scratch,” he said. “What was illogical there? What did we say that was outside the logical, legal and scientific frameworks recognized in the world?”

The Iranian president praised Pakistan for what he described as extensive efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. He said Qatar had also played a role in attempting to advance the understanding that had emerged through the Pakistani diplomatic effort.

Pezeshkian said Tehran’s conditions for moving forward had not changed, insisting that Washington would have to alter its approach toward Iran before meaningful negotiations could take place.

“Our position is the same as what we said before: the United States should lift its sanctions, abandon unilateralism, not speak to us through force, and open the way so that we can live like the rest of the world,” he said.

The Iranian leader also said Tehran was uncertain about which of President Donald Trump’s various public statements should be viewed as representing Washington’s ultimate position.

“We don’t know which of the things Trump says we are ultimately supposed to accept and stand by,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian additionally rejected assertions that Iran had initiated the current conflict, portraying Tehran’s military actions as defensive.

“We did not attack anyone. They attacked us, and we defended ourselves,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, said Monday that Iran was urgently seeking an agreement and suggested that the United States remained receptive to the possibility of renewed engagement, while stressing that he would decide whether Washington ultimately enters negotiations.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – the concept of which we are open to.”

Washington and Tehran have participated in several rounds of negotiations during the ongoing conflict, but those diplomatic efforts have so far failed to produce an agreement. The continued deadlock has coincided with additional military exchanges and attacks on interests and targets throughout the region.

The tensions escalated further last week when U.S. forces struck several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles toward American military bases in Jordan.

A day later, Trump predicted that the fighting would come to an abrupt conclusion following the U.S. midterm elections in November, arguing that Tehran could not sustain the conflict indefinitely.

Iran “can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said.

The President also accused Iranian leaders of intentionally prolonging the war in hopes of influencing the outcome of the American elections and ultimately dealing with a U.S. government that would take a less confrontational approach toward Tehran.

“They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Pezeshkian’s latest comments nevertheless provided another indication that both Tehran and Washington are publicly leaving open the possibility of returning to the negotiating table, even as major disagreements remain over sanctions, Iran’s nuclear activities, the terms of any future talks and the continuing military confrontation.

Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the U.S. Capitol on Monday and cast his first Senate vote in three months, ending a lengthy absence that began after the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican suffered a serious fall at his Washington home and was subsequently treated for pneumonia.

McConnell, who appeared at the Capitol in a wheelchair, acknowledged that his recovery remains incomplete and said he is continuing physical therapy as he deals with the lingering effects of childhood polio. His return comes as Senate Republicans face a series of closely contested votes in the coming weeks.

In a statement released Monday, McConnell said he would “cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June.”

“I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues. My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said. “I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

McConnell also thanked those who had sent messages and expressed concern during his recovery.

“Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,” he continued.

McConnell had not participated in Senate votes or committee work since June, when he fell at his Washington home. He later disclosed that the fall had left him “briefly unconscious.” His recovery was further complicated when he developed a mild case of pneumonia, after which he spent time in a rehabilitation facility.

The lengthy absence prompted questions about McConnell’s condition and whether he would be able to return to Washington before his Senate term concludes. For weeks after the fall, relatively little information was publicly available about his health before McConnell eventually released additional details about the incident and his recovery.

McConnell has said that his childhood bout with polio has made recovering from the fall more difficult. He contracted polio as a young child and has dealt with lasting effects from the illness throughout his life.

His return could prove important for Republicans because of the party’s closely divided Senate majority. Fox News reported that GOP lawmakers are preparing for another attempt to advance a major farm aid and funding package this week after a previous effort failed without McConnell’s vote.

The Kentucky senator has experienced a series of health issues and falls in recent years. His health attracted particular attention in 2023 after he twice appeared to freeze while speaking publicly. He also suffered a concussion and fractured rib after a fall at a Washington hotel that year and has had several subsequent falls.

Despite those difficulties, McConnell indicated Monday that he intends to participate when his vote is particularly important, even as he continues his rehabilitation.

McConnell has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985 and is the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, having led Senate Republicans from 2007 until stepping aside from the leadership position in 2025. He is not seeking another term and is scheduled to leave the Senate when his current term expires in January 2027.

His appearance Monday marked his first time back at the Capitol since the June hospitalization and brought an end, at least for now, to months of uncertainty over when he would be physically able to resume his Senate duties. McConnell made clear, however, that his recovery is continuing and that he has not yet returned to full strength.

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An Israeli animal rights organization has launched a renewed campaign urging municipalities across the country to prohibit the use of live chickens for kapparos ahead of Yom Kippur, with several additional local authorities reportedly agreeing this year not to permit the longstanding minhag in public areas under their jurisdiction.

According to Israeli sources, the organization Let the Animals Live, known in Hebrew as Tnu L’Chayot Lichyot, contacted dozens of mayors and heads of local authorities throughout Israel, asking them to refrain from granting permits for kapparos involving chickens.

The campaign is being conducted for the second consecutive year as the organization seeks to persuade more municipalities to restrict the traditional practice.

Four municipalities — Tel Mond, Yerucham, Mevaseret Zion and Yavne — reportedly joined the initiative this year and said they would not allow kapparos with live chickens. Kiryat Bialik and Rishon Lezion, which responded positively to the organization’s appeal last year, renewed their commitments this year.

According to the organization, those municipalities join several others that have already barred chicken kapparos in areas under their authority for a number of years. The list cited includes Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon, Ramla and Petach Tikva.

Let the Animals Live has argued that municipalities have the legal authority to prevent public kapparos ceremonies involving chickens. According to the organization, procedures issued by Israel’s Veterinary Services allow individual local authorities to prohibit the use of live chickens for kapparos within their jurisdictions.

Even in municipalities where the practice is not prohibited, organizers of chicken kapparos are required to receive authorization from the local veterinary department, according to the report. That requirement applies whether or not the actual shechitah is performed at the location where the kapparos take place.

The animal rights organization maintains that the handling and transportation of large numbers of chickens for kapparos can cause suffering to the birds and has called upon municipal leaders to use their authority to prevent the ceremonies from taking place in public areas.

{Matzav.com}

Federal immigration officers working on the Trump administration’s expanding investigation into possible noncitizen voting may have violated state laws by using voters’ personal information to access restricted state election databases while effectively posing as the voters themselves, according to a new whistleblower complaint.

The allegations concern an initiative being carried out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, as the administration intensifies efforts to identify noncitizens who may have illegally registered to vote or cast ballots ahead of November’s midterm elections.

According to the whistleblower, USCIS directed personnel in its Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate to examine individual voter-registration and voting records on state election websites. In some states, however, access to those records is restricted to the voter or someone specifically authorized by the voter.

The whistleblower alleges that officers raised concerns internally that entering personally identifiable information into those state websites could violate state law. According to the complaint, supervisors nevertheless instructed personnel to proceed with the searches.

The allegations were detailed in a report prepared by the Democracy Defenders Fund and provided to lawmakers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., subsequently wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow demanding that the searches be stopped and that DHS provide Congress with information about the program. Padilla said the directive could result in “thousands of violations of state laws.”

One example highlighted by the report is Virginia. To access an individual voter’s information through the state’s online portal, a user must provide identifying information and certify that he is either the voter or has been authorized by that voter.

“I certify and affirm that the information provided to access my voter registration is my own or I am expressly authorized by the voter to access this information. I understand that it is unlawful to access the record of any other voter, punishable as computer fraud under Va. Code § 18.2-152.3,” the certification states.

The whistleblower did not specifically allege that federal officers improperly accessed Virginia voter records. However, Virginia’s portal was reportedly among the state election websites included on an internal FDNS resource designed to help officers conduct the voter-record searches.

Florida’s voter portal was also reportedly included. That website states that it “is intended for use by a registered voter to determine his or her voter registration and voting status.” Other states, including California, similarly require personal identifying information before providing access to an individual voter’s records.

The whistleblower also raised concerns about the accuracy of the information federal officers are being told to use. According to the complaint, USCIS personnel were directed to examine voter records using DHS data that officers had been warned could be incomplete or unreliable.

Despite those concerns, the complaint alleges, officers were required to create federal law-enforcement records known as TECS records for people identified through the initiative, including individuals who may already be naturalized American citizens.

“The whistleblower’s claim states that officers must create TECS records against a U.S. citizen even when DHS-provided voting data appears unreliable, such as uncertain naturalization dates, multiple entries, or other mismatches,” Padilla’s office said.

“Naturalized U.S. citizens who are falsely flagged as ‘unlawful voters’ are likely to be referred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for potential criminal investigation. Targets of this initiative have no knowledge or ability to correct data errors,” it added.

The whistleblower further alleged that hundreds of FDNS officers were assigned to the operation after receiving a single training video lasting approximately one hour and 45 minutes. Officers were reportedly expected to review 40 individuals per day, requiring them to resolve potentially complicated questions involving identity, citizenship, naturalization dates and voting history within minutes.

The allegations come amid a broader Trump administration effort to examine state voter rolls for possible noncitizen registrations and voting. Earlier investigations have involved DHS comparing voter-registration information with federal immigration and citizenship records. An August investigation by ProPublica found that Homeland Security Investigations had been pursuing thousands of leads around the country as part of that effort.

The new whistleblower allegations do not establish that federal agents committed crimes, and the legality of particular searches would depend on the state involved, the information accessed and the circumstances under which officers obtained it. They do, however, raise a new legal question over how federal investigators are obtaining state voter information as the administration presses its investigation into potential illegal voting.

Schumer and Padilla are now demanding an accounting from DHS of how the searches were authorized, what information officers accessed and whether federal personnel complied with state privacy and computer-access laws while conducting the investigation.

The allegations are particularly significant because the administration’s voter-fraud investigation has expanded rapidly just weeks before the November elections, placing increased scrutiny on both the evidence of noncitizen voting being uncovered and the methods federal investigators are using to find it.

Sen. Mitch McConnell is expected to return to the U.S. Capitol this week after a three-month health-related absence, with Republican lawmakers anticipating that the 84-year-old Kentucky senator will be back in time for a critical committee vote on the stalled farm bill.

McConnell’s office has not publicly confirmed his precise return date since announcing last month that he had left rehabilitation and returned home. Still, expectations of his imminent return have increased among Kentucky Republicans and McConnell’s Senate GOP colleagues.

According to people familiar with private discussions, McConnell’s staff has informed senior Republicans that he plans to be at the Capitol for a Wednesday meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where lawmakers are expected to make another attempt at advancing the farm bill. The legislation failed to clear the committee earlier this summer while McConnell was absent.

McConnell’s presence could prove decisive. Republicans hold 12 seats on the 23-member Agriculture Committee, but his absence prevented the GOP from mustering enough in-person support to advance the Republican-written legislation during the previous markup. Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has said he intends to bring the measure up for another vote.

Asked Sunday about reports that McConnell was preparing to return, a spokesperson referred back to an August statement saying the senator would undergo physical therapy at home during the Senate’s five-week summer recess. The spokesperson did not immediately provide additional comment about whether McConnell would participate in the Agriculture Committee meeting.

McConnell has not cast an in-person Senate vote since his office announced on June 14 that he had been hospitalized. The limited public information surrounding his condition and lengthy absence prompted speculation online and calls from several political figures, including Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, for additional information about the senator’s health.

In July, McConnell issued a detailed update explaining that his hospitalization began after a fall and that he subsequently developed pneumonia. He said at the time that he planned to return to Washington and complete the remainder of his Senate term, though he did not specify when he expected to resume his duties at the Capitol.

By Monday morning, attention surrounding McConnell’s possible return had intensified. Reporters and social media personalities gathered outside his Capitol Hill residence, watching for signs that the longtime Kentucky senator would leave for the Capitol ahead of an evening Senate vote.

Apple released iOS 27 on Monday for compatible devices, delivering a broad collection of new features and upgrades to iPhones, iPads and other eligible Apple products.

The release is the second major iOS version to use Apple’s revised naming convention. The company departed from its previous sequential numbering system last year, calling that update iOS 26 instead of iOS 19, which otherwise would have been the next number in the series.

As with previous major operating-system releases, iOS 27 is a sizable download that can require several gigabytes of available storage. Users without sufficient free space may therefore have to clear room on their devices before installing the update.

Those who successfully install iOS 27 may notice another change afterward: Their iPhone or iPad could need charging more often than it did before the update.

That temporary increase in battery drain is generally expected following a major software installation.

Apple has previously cautioned users that installing a substantial iOS update can temporarily reduce battery performance while also affecting how warm the device becomes.

“Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance,” the company says on a support page. “This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.”

The additional battery usage generally subsides within several days as the device finishes performing those background tasks. How an owner uses the phone or tablet can also affect battery consumption, however. Users who spend significant time trying out iOS 27’s new features immediately after installing it could contribute to the faster battery drain.

Users are also generally advised against routinely charging an iPhone all the way to 100% if maximizing the battery’s long-term lifespan is the goal. Experts and smartphone manufacturers commonly recommend limiting charging to around 80% when practical, which can help reduce battery aging over time.

Migrants held at Florida’s now-shuttered “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center were confined in cramped metal enclosures, given substantially less living space than federal standards require and, in some cases, provided only limited opportunities to shower, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog. The Office of Inspector General said the use of the small cages was unlike anything its inspectors had previously encountered at an ICE detention facility.

The report released Monday marked the first federal inspection of the controversial facility, formally known as the Florida Soft-Sided Facility, or FSSF.

Inspectors identified a range of problems involving conditions at the facility, including concerns about food and drinking-water practices, personal hygiene and the amount of space available to detainees.

At full capacity, according to the inspector general, detainees were allotted approximately 28 square feet of living space apiece. Federal detention standards call for 75 square feet per detainee, meaning those held at the facility had considerably less than half the required amount of space.

Investigators also discovered that ICE personnel were placing detainees in metal enclosures measuring roughly four feet by four feet. Officials at the facility characterized the cages as “‘calming areas’ for detainees to deescalate and have time alone.”

“FSSF confined 79 detainees in small metal enclosures — each offering about 18 square feet of floor space — for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly 2 hours, a practice unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities. The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” OIG wrote.

Investigators found documentation showing that, on at least one occasion, one of the enclosures was used to punish a detainee.

The findings quickly drew condemnation from immigrant and refugee advocates, who particularly objected to officials’ characterization of the enclosures as calming areas.

“There is no euphemism that can sanitize caging human beings. Calling a metal box a ‘calming area’ is an affront to the English language and to human dignity alike,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of refugee settlement agency Global Refuge, said in a statement.

“The stark reality is that human beings, many of whom came to this country seeking protection, were crammed into spaces unfit to accommodate them, denied adequate medical care, food, and basic hygiene — and in at least one case locked in a cage as punishment. That is not immigration enforcement. It is cruelty, carried out in our name and on our dime, to the tune of more than a million dollars a day.”

At the same time, the inspector general said its investigators could not substantiate every allegation previously made about conditions at the center. OIG said investigators were unable to “independently confirm or refute ICE officials’ assertions regarding their use of the enclosures” or verify other claims, including allegations in an earlier Amnesty International report concerning deprivation of food and water. Detainees interviewed during the OIG inspection did not report experiencing those particular conditions.

“Use of these small metal enclosures for any reason is unprecedented among ICE facilities inspected by OIG. Confining individuals in small metal enclosures for any reason presents significant risks to detainee health and well-being,” the watchdog wrote.

ICE and DHS did not immediately provide responses to requests for comment following the release of the report.

In their formal response included with the report, however, federal officials emphasized Florida’s role in establishing the detention center, even though federal funding helped finance the facility and ICE personnel were involved in its operation.

“While FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] provided funding for the Florida Soft-Sided Facility (FSSF) under the Shelter and Services Program, DHS did not have a contract with Florida to manage the detention space within the facility. The State of Florida authorized the repurposing of the center from the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport into a state detention center,” DHS officials wrote in a letter in response to the report.

Inspectors also highlighted problems involving detainees’ access to drinking water and showers.

Several detainees told investigators they lacked reliable access to clean drinking water because the self-service water stations were dirty. Detainees said they were issued a drinking cup but had no means of washing it.

Some detainees were scheduled for showers only three days each week, according to the report. Photographs included by investigators also showed insects covering portions of the shower facilities, adding to the watchdog’s concerns about sanitation and living conditions at the center.

House Republicans are preparing a new attempt to enact key provisions of President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act by using the budget reconciliation process, a maneuver that could allow voter ID and citizenship-verification measures to advance through the Senate without overcoming the chamber’s usual 60-vote filibuster threshold.

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, has been a major priority for Trump and congressional Republicans but has remained stalled in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has resisted bringing the legislation up when there are not enough votes to overcome a filibuster.

Republicans would need Democratic support to reach 60 votes under regular Senate procedure. Democrats have strongly opposed the legislation, arguing that its documentation requirements could make voting more difficult for eligible citizens, while Republicans say the measures are necessary to strengthen safeguards around federal elections.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now advocating an alternative strategy: putting major elements of the legislation into a budget reconciliation package. Reconciliation can pass the Senate by a simple majority, although its provisions generally must have a sufficient connection to federal spending, revenue or debt. House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., is working on how the election provisions could be structured to fit those requirements.

“I’d rather pass the SAVE America Act. But recognizing that the Senate might not be able to get that done with the 60-vote threshold, let’s leverage the parliamentary procedure, bring that threshold down to 50, and get some really commonsense reforms done,” Steil told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I’ve been having great conversations with my colleagues in the administration as well as the Senate.”

Steil said he would like Congress to complete the reconciliation package in time for the November midterm elections, although he acknowledged that “the clock is ticking down pretty quickly.”

Reconciliation itself can be a lengthy process. Republicans spent roughly six months using the procedure to enact Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act last year. The House and Senate first must approve budget frameworks instructing relevant committees to produce legislation that meets specified spending or savings targets.

Once those committees complete their portions of the legislation, they send them to their respective budget committees, which combine the pieces into larger packages. Ultimately, the House and Senate must approve identical legislation before it can be sent to President Trump.

Steil’s House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal election law, is looking to incorporate two of the SAVE America Act’s central provisions into reconciliation: requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship during voter registration and establishing a nationwide photo-identification requirement for voting in federal elections.

“The House can go as fast as the Senate. And so the frustration that I and others have is the Senate’s not moving as fast as we would like on this. I actually think there’s 50 votes in the Senate for some of these really commonsense provisions,” Steil said. “I’d like to be sooner rather than later, but I don’t control them.”

A significant obstacle remains the Senate parliamentarian, who advises the chamber on whether provisions comply with reconciliation rules. Provisions whose effects are primarily policy-related rather than budgetary can be removed from reconciliation legislation, potentially creating problems for an election-law bill.

Steil believes Republicans may be able to establish the necessary budgetary connection through federal money distributed to states under the Help America Vote Act, the 2002 law that provides funding for election administration.

“We could free up those funds or enhance those funds for states to do those post-election audits, which is a really important part of election integrity. You can do the same in regards to photo ID,” he said, adding that making Real ID the standard could also effectively impact the citizenship mandate. “Effectively, when an individual gets REAL ID, they’re proving their citizenship.”

The Trump administration has backed the effort to use reconciliation. Earlier this year, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Republican lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that the White House supported pursuing SAVE America provisions through reconciliation and viewed the procedure as a potential path for advancing the election legislation.

“The White House is engaged. We’ve had good conversations,” Steil told Fox News Digital.

The House approved its version of the new reconciliation package earlier this summer, with a $95 billion budget framework focused on additional military funding and election security.

Progress has been slower in the Senate. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., unveiled his chamber’s framework shortly before senators departed for their August recess, but the timetable for moving it through the committee and onto the Senate floor remains uncertain.

The Senate proposal would authorize as much as $150 billion in spending, creating a sizable difference between the two chambers’ approaches.

Speaker Johnson acknowledged the disparity during an interview with Fox News Digital last month, while arguing that expanding the package could make an already complicated reconciliation process even more difficult.

“I mean, the idea was, in keeping it skinny, is to move it quickly. And so the more you add to it, the more complex it gets, the more in the Senate — not to get too deep in the weeds — but procedurally, it involves more committees of jurisdiction in both bodies. And that’s where things start to get weighted down. So we’re very close to an election, the stakes are very high, the timing is short, and if you’re going to do election integrity measures, you need to do it, like, yesterday,” Johnson said. “We passed the SAVE America Act four times in the House. This is the last best effort to get it through the Senate, so I’m for doing it as quickly as possible.”

Steil said he believes Republicans in the two chambers can ultimately resolve their differences over the reconciliation package.

“I think, broadly, we’re aligned. I think obviously the total numbers are different,” he said. “I think everyone recognizes the importance of making sure that our men and women in uniform have the resources needed to not only defend themselves but to defend our country… And also that we have the resources needed to make sure that we’re protecting our election.”

President Donald Trump on Monday sharply rejected mounting warnings that artificial intelligence could eventually threaten humanity, calling such concerns a “HOAX” as some of the technology industry’s most prominent executives push for slowing the development of increasingly powerful AI systems.

Trump addressed the issue in an afternoon Truth Social post, questioning why executives running some of the world’s leading AI companies would advocate restrictions that, in his view, could damage their own businesses and weaken the United States in its technological competition with China.

“When, in the History of Business, did anyone see the Leaders of an Industry call for Regulation that, if strongly implemented, will drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy?” Trump wrote.

The president compared warnings that AI could ultimately pose an existential danger to humanity to other controversies that he has repeatedly characterized as hoaxes, including the investigations involving Russia and his two impeachments.

Trump’s comments came as several major figures in the AI industry publicly called for greater caution in the race to develop more advanced models. The debate intensified over the weekend after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a lengthy proposal urging the industry to deliberately moderate the speed at which frontier AI capabilities are advancing.

Amodei argued Saturday that AI capabilities are developing so rapidly that safety research may not be keeping pace. His proposal called for slowing the advancement of the most powerful models sufficiently to give researchers and companies more time to understand and address potential dangers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk subsequently expressed support for the broader push for additional safeguards, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis also backed greater caution surrounding the development of increasingly capable AI.

Among the dangers identified by Amodei are the possibility of humans losing control of highly advanced AI systems, the technology being misused for cyberattacks or bioterrorism, and widespread economic disruption. He has also raised concerns about increasingly capable AI systems being used to develop subsequent generations of AI.

As part of his proposed approach, Amodei called for independent evaluators to receive greater access to frontier AI systems and development processes, allowing outsiders to assess whether companies are adhering to their safety commitments.

Trump has taken a markedly different approach to the emerging debate, repeatedly emphasizing that AI development is an international technological race in which the United States cannot afford to fall behind China.

“AI, and Data Centers, will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History — Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet,” Trump wrote.

Trump also took aim at Google over its recently announced expansion in Finland, arguing that permitting difficulties in the United States were pushing the company to invest overseas. He said he wanted Google to “change their thinking.”

Google announced last week that it intends to invest at least €13 billion — approximately $15 billion — in Finnish digital infrastructure, energy projects and related partnerships during 2027 and 2028. The investment, Google’s largest single investment in Europe, includes new data-center infrastructure.

Google said the expansion builds upon more than 15 years of operations in Finland and is intended to accommodate increasing demand for services including Gemini, Search and Maps, as well as other Google services.

The company’s announcement did not say that difficulties securing permits in the United States were responsible for its decision to expand in Finland. Instead, Google cited Finland’s digital infrastructure, energy system, workforce and its existing operations in the country.

Earlier Monday, Trump described opposition to AI development and the construction of data centers as a “sick conspiracy,” contending that excessive regulation of the rapidly developing industry could ultimately strengthen China’s position in the global AI competition.

“WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Trump wrote.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is leading a coalition of cities and counties in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to block a new immigration policy that would make it easier for federal officials to deny green cards and certain visas to immigrants who receive government assistance.

The lawsuit puts Mamdani directly at odds with President Donald Trump over the administration’s new “public charge” rule, which is scheduled to take effect Friday, September 18. The rule broadens the types of public benefits immigration officials can consider when deciding whether certain immigrants should be permitted to obtain permanent residency in the United States.

Mamdani made clear in announcing the lawsuit that his administration wants immigrants in New York to continue using government programs for which they are legally eligible without fearing that doing so could jeopardize their immigration status.

“The new public charge rule seeks to push immigrant families away from the programs that have kept people fed and healthy for decades. New Yorkers will be afraid to see a doctor or ask for help they are legally entitled to. That fear will not stop at the families that the federal government is targeting. Families who remain fully eligible for benefits will feel a chilling effect, and all New Yorkers will pay for it,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani continued: “New York City is proud to lead a coalition of cities and counties — Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Seattle, King County and the Public Rights Project — standing firmly against this cruel and unlawful rule. Our immigrant communities are not a burden. They are the people who make New York City and country great. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure they can continue to live here with dignity and without fear.”

The New York City lawsuit is separate from another legal challenge filed Monday by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James is leading a coalition consisting of 22 states and the District of Columbia seeking to stop the same Trump administration policy.

At issue is the federal government’s “public charge” test. Immigration law has long allowed officials to consider whether certain immigrants seeking admission or permanent residency are likely to become dependent on government assistance. The Trump administration’s new rule gives immigration officers broader discretion to consider an applicant’s use of means-tested benefits, including assistance involving food, health care and housing.

The policy represents a significant departure from the narrower approach put in place during the Biden administration. Under the 2022 policy, the public-charge determination generally focused on direct cash assistance and long-term institutional care rather than programs such as Medicaid and food assistance. President Trump’s administration rescinded that approach and moved to expand the benefits that may be considered.

The Trump administration says the policy is intended to enforce the principle that immigrants seeking permanent status should be self-sufficient and should not depend on American taxpayers for their support. The Department of Homeland Security responded to Monday’s lawsuits by accusing “sanctuary states” and “left-wing leaders” of fighting the policy because they fear losing federal funding as noncitizens withdraw from public-assistance programs.

Mamdani’s administration is taking the opposite position. Its lawsuit argues that immigrants who are legally eligible for government assistance should not have to choose between using those programs and protecting their prospects of remaining permanently in the United States.

The city also argues that the policy could have consequences extending beyond the immigrants directly subject to public-charge determinations. City officials contend that confusion and fear surrounding the rule could prompt immigrants and members of mixed-status families to avoid medical care, food assistance and other benefits even when those benefits would not affect their immigration cases.

New York City officials further maintain that the policy could ultimately cost local governments money. If immigrants avoid preventive health programs and other federally supported benefits, the city argues, more of the financial burden could shift to hospitals, emergency services and local government.

The separate lawsuit brought by James and the states raises similar arguments, including the claim that the Trump administration has exceeded its authority under federal immigration law and violated federal administrative law in implementing the expanded policy.

James said families should not have to sacrifice assistance for which they qualify because they fear immigration consequences.

“Working families should not be forced to go without the support they need because they fear that seeking assistance will lead to their deportation. This rule exploits that fear and causes families to forgo food assistance, healthcare services, and other public benefits to which they are legally entitled,” James said.

The legal fight therefore goes beyond the technical definition of a “public charge.” The Trump administration is seeking greater latitude to consider immigrants’ reliance on government assistance when determining whether they should receive permanent status, while Mamdani and the governments joining his lawsuit are seeking to preserve immigrants’ ability to use legally available public benefits without those benefits broadly counting against their immigration applications.

Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in Manhattan. Unless the courts intervene, the Trump administration’s new public-charge policy is scheduled to take effect on September 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu warned Hezbollah on Monday that any renewed attack on Israel would trigger an even more powerful Israeli response, issuing the message after the IDF completed its takeover of the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and destroyed major Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

Netanyahu pointed to the operation on the Ali al-Taher and Beaufort ridges as another significant Israeli success against the terror organization.

“We have achieved another massive victory over Hezbollah: We have destroyed its major terrorist stronghold on the Beaufort Ridge and the Ali al-Taher Ridge,” Netanyahu opened.

Netanyahu said Israel has no intention of easing its campaign against Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon and would continue acting against threats emerging from the area.

The Prime Minister declared, “Our policy is clear: We will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the security zone in Lebanon. We will continue to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu then directed an explicit warning at Hezbollah and Israel’s other enemies, saying that another attack would result in a still harsher Israeli military response.

“And from here, I say to our enemies: If you haven’t learned the lesson by now, and you choose to attack us again, you will suffer even heavier blows. There is still work to complete, and with G-d’s help, we will complete it,” he concluded.

A coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday in an effort to stop a new immigration policy that would give federal officials broader authority to deny green cards to immigrants who use — or are deemed likely to rely upon — certain government benefits.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, challenges a new Department of Homeland Security approach to the longstanding “public charge” provision of immigration law. The policy is scheduled to take effect Friday, September 18, and would broaden the factors immigration officers may consider when determining whether an applicant is likely to become dependent on government assistance.

New York, California and Illinois are leading the multistate challenge. They are joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia.

A separate lawsuit was filed Monday by a coalition of local governments led by New York City and also including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Clara County in California and King County in Washington.

At the center of the dispute is the meaning of “public charge.” Federal immigration law has long permitted the government to deny admission or permanent residency to certain immigrants deemed likely to become primarily dependent on the government for support. The controversy is over which government benefits immigration officials may consider when making that determination.

Under regulations adopted during the Biden administration in 2022, officials could consider an applicant’s receipt of certain forms of cash assistance, including Supplemental Security Income, but generally could not count non-cash programs such as Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

The Trump administration rescinded that regulation in July. DHS said the change would allow immigration officers to examine a broader range of relevant circumstances on a case-by-case basis when deciding whether an applicant is likely to become a public charge. USCIS said the move was intended to restore the principle that immigrants should be self-reliant rather than dependent on taxpayer-funded benefits.

The new approach echoes a broader public-charge policy adopted during President Trump’s first term that allowed non-cash benefits, including Medicaid and food assistance, to play a greater role in immigration determinations. That policy faced extensive litigation before the Biden administration abandoned it and adopted the narrower 2022 standard.

The states challenging the new policy contend that DHS has gone too far and has failed to clearly spell out which benefits could ultimately jeopardize an immigrant’s green card application. They argue that the resulting uncertainty could cause immigrants and their families to stop using health care, food assistance and other programs for which they are legally eligible.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the states’ lawsuit, said the policy could force families to choose between obtaining assistance and protecting their immigration status.

“Hardworking families should not be forced to go without the support they need because they fear asking for assistance will get them deported,” James said.

The states also argue that the rule could impose significant financial costs on state and local governments. They contend that immigrants avoiding Medicaid and other health programs could instead turn to emergency rooms for treatment, while reduced participation in federally funded food-assistance programs could also affect local economies.

The Trump administration has defended the change, saying it is intended to enforce federal immigration law and ensure that people seeking permanent residency can support themselves.

DHS, responding to Monday’s lawsuits, accused the plaintiffs of being “sanctuary states” and “left-wing leaders” who were “terrified they will lose federal funds because hundreds of thousands of illegals and noncitizens might remove themselves from American welfare programs.”

USCIS similarly defended the underlying policy when it announced the rescission of the Biden-era regulation in July.

“The Trump administration is upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers from subsidizing aliens who may become dependent on public benefits. USCIS is committed to safeguarding the safety, security, and financial well-being of Americans,” USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler said.

The states’ lawsuit argues that DHS exceeded the authority granted to it by Congress and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the federal law governing how agencies issue and implement regulations. The plaintiffs maintain that the administration’s interpretation departs from the established meaning of the public-charge provision.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose administration is leading the separate local-government lawsuit, said the policy would discourage immigrant families from seeking services for which they qualify.

“The new public charge rule seeks to push immigrant families away from the programs that have kept people fed and healthy for decades. New Yorkers will be afraid to see a doctor or ask for help they are legally entitled to,” Mamdani said.

Unless a federal judge intervenes, the new public-charge policy is scheduled to take effect on September 18. USCIS has also announced that a revised version of Form I-485, the application used by many immigrants seeking permanent residency, will take effect that day, with older versions no longer accepted for applications submitted on or after the effective date.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus found himself near the scene of a Russian drone attack in Ukraine on Sunday, shortly after a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior European security officials had departed the same station.

Petraeus, a retired U.S. Army general, was traveling aboard a different passenger train at Yahodyn station, close to Ukraine’s border with Poland, when a jet-powered Russian drone slammed into the locomotive of another train nearby, according to multiple reports.

Passengers aboard Petraeus’ train could hear drones flying overhead, he said. After clearing Ukrainian customs, they were ordered off the train, and a powerful explosion was heard soon afterward.

“For those who have not been under fire, this was terrifying,” Petraeus said, The New York Times reported, calling the strike the work of a “truly barbaric leader trying to terrorize Ukrainian civilians.”

The timing of the strike drew particular attention because a diplomatic train carrying Johnson and security officials from several European countries had left the station shortly beforehand.

Ukraine’s government-owned railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the diplomatic train may have been the intended target of the attack.

According to the Kyiv Post, the Russian drone instead hit a Kyiv-to-Warsaw passenger train approximately 1.2 miles from the Polish border. Poland is a member of NATO.

There were 206 people aboard the targeted train, but no injuries were reported. Railway monitoring personnel detected the approaching drone and warned the train crew in time for the passengers to get off before the strike.

Johnson, who had been traveling home following a security conference in Kyiv, denounced the attack afterward.

“What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day – even on civilian railways,” Johnson wrote on X.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, another passenger on the diplomatic train, said the passenger train that was ultimately struck had been traveling only minutes behind his train.

Bildt’s train was itself briefly placed under an evacuation alert before authorities gave permission for it to resume its journey.

The Yahodyn strike was one component of a wider Russian attack in the area along Ukraine’s frontier with Poland.

A separate drone hit a truck less than a mile from the Polish border, forcing a temporary disruption at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing.

Polish authorities raised the country’s military readiness in response to the attacks, although officials said none of the Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces had attacked infrastructure being used to move military cargo into Ukraine from Europe.

The train hit in Sunday’s drone strike, however, was a civilian passenger train.

Petraeus, who has been a supporter of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, said there was “no military justification” for attacking the train.

After the immediate danger had passed, Petraeus returned to his train and continued across the border into Poland.

“This is just part of a campaign to exhaust the Ukrainian population, which is not going to work,” Petraeus said. “They are tired. But they are unbreakable.”

A major memorial gathering marking the yahrtzeit of Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, which had been scheduled to take place next month at Binyanei Ha’Umah in Yerushalayim, has officially been canceled following a directive from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara barring the event from being held before Israel’s upcoming elections.

The Ministry of Religious Services formally announced the cancellation after weeks of controversy surrounding the annual gathering, which commemorates the life and legacy of the longtime Sephardic chief rabbi and spiritual leader of Shas.

In a letter sent by Religious Services Ministry Director-General Yehuda Avidan to Yerushalayim Municipality Director-General Ariella Rajuan and Yaakov Cohen, who heads the ministry’s senior division for religious projects and events, Avidan said that the attorney general’s directive, combined with the resulting scheduling difficulties and a notice from the event producer, made it impossible to proceed.

The gathering had been scheduled to take place at Binyanei Ha’Umah from October 6 through October 8.

Avidan said that should officials decide to organize an alternative event, the Ministry of Religious Services would hold discussions with the Yerushalayim Municipality about the possibility. He concluded his letter by thanking the mayor and the municipality’s director-general “for the willingness to hold an event in memory of Maran zt”l.”

The cancellation follows a controversy that erupted approximately two weeks ago, when Baharav-Miara instructed officials to postpone the gathering until after the elections. During each of the past two years, the Ministry of Religious Services and the Yerushalayim Municipality organized memorial events for Rav Ovadia at a reported cost of NIS 4 million.

This year, ministry officials sought to settle the event’s arrangements well in advance because Rav Ovadia’s yahrtzeit, 3 Cheshvan — October 14 — falls close to the date of Israel’s general election. Another issue involved the ministry’s desire to hold the gathering with separate seating for men and women.

As part of an effort to resolve the concerns, the ministry reportedly offered to move the event forward by one week and hold it without the participation of Shas representatives. The attorney general’s office rejected that proposal as well, directing that the event instead be held after the election — approximately a week and a half after Rav Ovadia’s yahrtzeit.

Shas reacted furiously when the directive was initially issued, calling it “the brazen and outrageous demand of the dismissed attorney general.”

Party officials said the decision to postpone what they described as a prayer and memorial gathering on the grounds that it constituted “election propaganda” amounted to “a serious affront to the memory of Maran and to the enormous public in the State of Israel that follows the light of his legacy.”

Shas further argued that the directive represented “a blatant trampling of the law, which was unanimously approved by the Knesset plenum and requires the gathering to be held.”

The party vowed to challenge the decision through the courts, declaring: “We will not allow an attorney general who serves the left to harm the memory of Maran, and we will use every legal tool to overturn the decision.”

With the Religious Services Ministry’s latest notification, however, the planned October gathering at Binyanei Ha’Umah has now been formally canceled, leaving any alternative commemoration dependent on new arrangements between the ministry and the Yerushalayim Municipality.