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President Donald Trump blasted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as “weak and pathetic,” warning that he is ready to send federal troops into Chicago if the governor cannot get the city’s crime wave under control.

Pritzker has accused Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis” in Chicago, where at least 35 people were shot over the Labor Day weekend, four of them fatally.

Trump’s latest remarks on Truth Social followed another violent stretch in the city between August 22 and August 25, when six people were killed and more than two dozen others were injured in shootings.

“Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn’t need help in preventing CRIME,” Trump wrote.

“He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming! MAGA. President DJT,” the president continued.

The White House has noted that Chicago has recorded the highest number of homicides in the country for 13 straight years, and reports indicate that officials have been preparing for months to potentially deploy up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the city as early as September.

At the same time, statistics show Chicago’s murder rate is still lower than that of Washington, DC.

Trump has previously dispatched the National Guard to Los Angeles to protect federal agents during immigration enforcement operations, and to Washington, DC as part of an anti-crime push. He has also cited New York City, Baltimore, and Oakland as places where federal troops might be used in the future.

In recent days, Trump and Pritzker—seen as a possible Democratic contender in 2028—have repeatedly clashed, with Trump hammering him over Chicago’s persistent violence.

“Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP,” Trump wrote earlier in the week.

Trump has also ridiculed Pritzker’s weight, remarking that the governor “ought to spend more time in the gym, actually.”

“It takes one to know one on the weight question,” Pritzker responded on Monday.

The governor has also called Trump’s talk of deploying the military to Chicago “unconstitutional” and “a dangerous power grab.”

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President Donald Trump announced that he plans to sign an executive order making voter identification mandatory for all voters.

“Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military,” he added.

Trump has long argued for eliminating electronic voting machines, urging instead a return to paper ballots and hand counts. Election officials, however, maintain that such methods are slower, more expensive, and less reliable than machine tallies.

At the beginning of August, Trump said he would issue an executive order banning both voting machines and mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Still, since elections are run by the states, there is uncertainty about whether a president has the constitutional authority to enforce such a directive.

The upcoming November 3, 2026, elections will be the first major test of Trump’s policies at home and abroad since he returned to office in January. Democrats are hoping to reclaim control of at least one chamber of Congress in order to limit Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda.

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The Shin Bet and the IDF announced Sunday night that Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, was eliminated in an Israeli strike in Gaza City.

Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Israel Katz had posted on social media that Obeida had been killed, but the military typically waits to confirm until all intelligence is verified. In the past, political leaders have declared deaths prematurely, only for the army to later correct them.

In this case, officials explained that the Shin Bet directed the mission from its headquarters while working hand in hand with the IDF to carry out the operation.

There are occasions when the IDF executes airstrikes solely based on its own surveillance and data. The fact that this strike was coordinated with Shin Bet suggests that pinpointing Obeida required more advanced intelligence work of the type usually handled by the security agency.

According to Al Arabiya, the Israeli military targeted the apartment where Obeida was hiding, killing him along with everyone else inside. Reports said both his relatives and senior Qassam Brigades figures confirmed that he had been killed.

On Saturday, the IDF and Shin Bet had already issued a statement acknowledging that they had carried out a strike in Gaza City aimed at “a senior Hamas terrorist.”

The military added that, ahead of the attack, it employed careful measures to reduce civilian casualties. These included precision-guided weapons, close aerial monitoring, and intelligence assessments before the strike.

Throughout the current conflict, Israeli officials said Obeida had been at the forefront of Hamas’s propaganda efforts, issuing boasts of the group’s so-called “victories” on October 7, 2023, and in subsequent months.

He became a key figure in Hamas’s psychological warfare against Israel, using his messaging to sway public opinion abroad and foster sympathy for the terror group.

In recent months, Hamas has also effectively spread the narrative in the West that Israel was deliberately starving Gaza.

In reality, Israel had been carefully calibrating food deliveries, trying to ensure there was just enough supply to prevent widespread hunger while still applying pressure on Hamas by limiting its control over aid distribution. Even when shortages peaked last month, there was no actual famine in Gaza.

On Friday, Obeida declared that Israeli captives were being held in the same battle zones as Hamas fighters and subjected to identical dangers.

“We will preserve the lives of the captives to the extent that we can,” Hamas stated. “They will remain with our fighters in the places of confrontation, exposed to the same risks.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

President Donald Trump took to social media to release security footage showing damage in the White House Rose Garden, blaming a subcontractor for leaving a deep crack in what he described as “the most beautiful marble and stone available anywhere.”

On Truth Social, Trump said he recently found a “huge gash” stretching over 25 yards across the limestone just three days earlier.

“Surfaces are very important to me as a Builder,” Trump wrote. “As everyone knows, I built many GREAT Buildings, and other things, over the years. … [The limestone crack] was deep and nasty! I started yelling, ‘Who did this, and I want to find out now!’—and I didn’t say this in a nice manner.”

Trump explained that he initially questioned whether the cause was vandalism or simply “stupidity,” and he praised White House security cameras for uncovering the truth.

“They brought back the stupid people, with their boss watching (in sunglasses!),” he wrote. “It was a subcontractor that was installing heavy landscaping on a steel cart that was broken and tilting badly, with it rubbing hard against the soft, beautiful stone.”

The video clip he shared depicted two workers maneuvering a yellow cart holding what appeared to be a shrub, rolling it over the freshly installed stone.

The recording also showed at least two other individuals nearby observing the scene as it took place.

Although stressing his “love and respect” for laborers and contractors, Trump emphasized that such damage could not be excused and confirmed the stone would have to be replaced.

“Now, I’ll replace the stone, charge the contractor, and never let that contractor work at the White House again—But, how great is the video equipment? We caught them, cold,” Trump added. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

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Rabbi Evyatar Amrani, rav of Kehillas Neiro Ya’ir, has issued a sharply worded open letter to Rabbi Dovid Leibel, president of Achvas Torah, taking aim at his approach to resolving the longstanding issue of army conscription for yeshiva students.

In his letter, published on August 30, Rabbi Amrani acknowledges that Rav Leibel has invested “hours upon hours and vast resources” over the years in seeking a formula that would settle the debate over the draft. He notes that Rav Leibel has engaged in countless meetings, written letters and articles, toured military bases, and even gone into the field during times of war to speak with soldiers and propose initiatives. Recently, legal experts have been retained, and claims have been made of preliminary understandings reached with the army, all with the hope that such agreements could withstand Supreme Court scrutiny.

However, Rabbi Amrani argues that “in the test of results, the facts speak for themselves. The chareidi public—its leadership and its many segments—has not adopted your approach.” He adds that even within Rav Leibel’s own circle, “no significant movement toward enlistment can be seen.”

The letter suggests that the reason may not only lie with opposition from the government or military establishment, but also with Rav Leibel himself: “Perhaps you are simply not acting in the right direction.” Rabbi Amrani urges Rav Leibel to take his ideas to the highest rabbinic authorities: the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisroel, and Shas. “If they express support, you could approach the army as a true representative, not as a lone voice. But as long as your proposals are not accepted by the gedolim, who lead the community and to whom over 95% of it adheres, they have no public standing.”

Rabbi Amrani warns that without rabbinic backing, Rav Leibel’s initiatives appear not as balanced compromises but rather as “one-sided concessions.” He goes further, charging that Rav Leibel himself seems aligned with a worldview that sanctifies the state and the army: “You yourself stand on one side of the debate, the side that views the state and the army as almost holy and seeks to integrate into them as an ideal. But the chareidi public, across its spectrum, does not see this as an ideal!”

He stresses that the struggle is not merely over military service conditions but over identity and belief: “Our battle is not only about the terms of service, but about the very consciousness. It is not about how one serves, but about whether at all. Not out of arrogance, but out of deep faith in a spiritual mission that cannot merge with another ideology and way of life.”

Rabbi Amrani concedes that Rav Leibel’s efforts may provide some benefit for individuals who already chose to enlist, provided that any frameworks created remain under proper supervision and agreements are honored. But on the larger question of preserving the independent character of the chareidi community, he argues, Rav Leibel’s approach “misses the core.”

He concludes by acknowledging Rav Leibel’s sincerity but delivers a pointed caution: “I have no doubt you are acting with good intentions. But sometimes, precisely when good intentions are detached from an understanding of the community you seek to represent, they can push people further away instead of bringing them closer.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

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A complete work that has never been published: Commentary on Torah, Nevi’im, and Kesuvim in the handwriting of the Maggid Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lessla, author of Kli Tiferes.

With a handwritten approbation by the Gaon Rabbi Yaakov of Lissa, author of Chavas Daas and Nesivos HaMishpat. The approbation is dated Elul 1819 and consists of seven full lines in his holy handwriting. It was originally written for his sefer Kli Tiferes, though it was not printed there due to the printing costs, as mentioned at the beginning of the sefer.

At a mass demonstration held outside Military Prison 10, thousands of members of the Yishuv HaYashan gathered to protest the imprisonment of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim who were recently arrested in Yehud and transferred to military custody.

The central address was delivered by Rav Yehoshua Dovid Turchin, who drew on the posuk, “Re’eh anochi nosien lifneichem hayom… See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” He declared that those who connect themselves with the Zionist establishment transform the curse into a supposed blessing, calling this “the greatest curse of all,” as it destroys separation from secularism and uproots the most basic foundations of Jewish identity.

Rav Turchin emphasized repeatedly the principle of havdalah—maintaining separation—and said that without it, there is no continuity of the mesorah. He sharply criticized those who have strayed from this path, charging them with bringing the current decrees upon Klal Yisroel. In contrast, he lauded the yeshiva students and avreichim who are sacrificing themselves, calling them the ones who “declare the truth, sanctify Hashem’s Name, and thereby save all of Klal Yisroel, the Torah, and the mitzvos.”

In a lengthy and impassioned speech, the rosh yeshiva painted the present crisis as a fulfillment of the verse, “And the land was chaos and void, and Hashem separated between light and darkness.” He argued that those who blur the distinction between holiness and secularism bring only confusion and destruction, while those who remain steadfast in separation preserve the light of Torah.

Turning to the imprisoned yeshiva students, whom he referred to as Asirei Tzion, Rav Turchin praised them as the true saviors of Klal Yisroel. “Those who stand firm in the test are saving themselves, saving the Jewish people, and saving everyone,” he proclaimed, adding that “a little bit of light pushes away much darkness.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

A dramatic scene unfolded in Beitar Illit on Motzoei Shabbos when hundreds of residents rushed to a residential building following the activation of the “Tzeva Shachor” alert system. The alarm was triggered after the military police attempted to detain a yeshiva student classified as a deserter.

According to sources, military police arrived at the home of the bochur‘s parents on Elazar Hamodai Street. However, they did not find him there, as he does not reside in that location. The arrest attempt was therefore unsuccessful.

The “Tzeva Shachor” emergency network, which alerts activists and local residents of arrest attempts, quickly spread word of the military police’s arrival. In response, large crowds of locals converged on the scene.

Eyewitnesses reported that the military police ultimately withdrew without carrying out an arrest. Organizers of the alert system informed residents to remain on heightened alert in case of further attempts.

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Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, delivered a fierce message to the prime minister at Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, declaring that if her son comes back in a coffin, she will hold him personally accountable for murder, the Jerusalem Post reports.

“According to a senior security official, my Matan could have been home already last week,” Zangauker said. “The government of Israel and its leader put a partial outline for a deal on the table and decided to torpedo it at the last minute a month ago. Every time we face a new false spin from Netanyahu.

“If Matan returns in a bag, I will ensure Netanyahu is charged with murder,” she said.

Later that evening, Israelis planned to rally against the IDF’s looming operation in Gaza City, demanding a ceasefire deal without delay. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum warned that intensifying military actions endanger captives. “History is repeating itself! Forty-two of our brothers and sisters were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity – we must not reach hostage number 43,” the forum said.

At the end of July, Hamas informed mediators it would not pursue further talks until the humanitarian conditions in Gaza were addressed. Communication was then cut off, according to an Israeli source cited by The Jerusalem Post. Around the same time, the Post reported that Israel had officially replied to a Hamas position paper, making it clear the government rejected Hamas’s demand to release prisoners still alive in exchange for the remains of hostages. In mid-August, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated at a press conference that Hamas had been deceitful in the negotiations. He said Hamas demanded the release of Nukhba terrorists, insisted on international guarantees to prevent renewed fighting, and called for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu said that such conditions were unacceptable to any Israeli government. Although Hamas later signaled openness to a limited arrangement, Israel has maintained that it will only accept a full agreement that secures the freedom of all 49 hostages still held.

“Hamas is interested in a deal. More than a week ago, it gave its consent to Witkoff’s terms, and only Netanyahu refuses to send a negotiating team and sign a deal,” said Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, at Begin Gate. “Why hasn’t Israel discussed the proposal yet since Hamas’ response? There is one person who stands against the will and interest of the people – his name is Benjamin Netanyahu, and he is afraid of two things: the extremists in his government and public pressure.”

“While my son is fighting for his life in captivity and an entire nation is struggling to bring him out of there, the government intends to conquer the Strip and gamble on his life and on the lives of the living hostages, to erase the fallen forever, and to gamble as well on our heroic soldiers,” Itzik Horn, father of hostage Eitan Horn, said at Begin Gate. “Sitting in the government and the cabinet is a group of deranged people, and every citizen in Israel must ask whether these people are worthy of making decisions about their fate.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defense minister, disclosed in a televised interview that the Mossad’s initial plan for striking Iran had been abandoned before October 7. He explained on Meet the Press that the strategy was ultimately set aside.

According to Gallant, the proposed operation was “too complex and not lethal enough.” He added that in March 2023 he had advanced an alternative strategy, which he described as a “100 day paper,” focused on concentrated aerial attacks against the Iranian regime.

The shelved proposal, he explained, would have cost the state billions of shekels and required an enormous amount of intelligence to implement effectively. Gallant said repeated delays meant it would not have been operational in time for Israel to respond when needed.

“Anyone going to war with Iran must assume Hezbollah will be drawn in,” he continued, while criticizing Naftali Bennett and Benny Gantz for failing to expand Israel’s military stockpiles when they were in government. “200,000 shells were taken from us for Ukraine. Did they order a single new shell to be produced? The answer is no.”

Gallant expressed admiration for the IDF’s role in Operation Rising Lion, stressing that while the Mossad played a small part, the Air Force executed most of the mission with intelligence gathered by the military.

He said Iran’s nuclear program has been pushed back “by years,” though he cautioned that Tehran will eventually rebuild and Israel must be ready for the next confrontation on that front.

Gallant also outlined that at the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, five objectives were defined. Of these, three have already been realized: dismantling Hamas’ organizational capacity, eliminating much of its leadership, and securing unrestricted military freedom for the IDF inside Gaza.

“To achieve the two remaining goals, returning the hostages and replacing Hamas’ rule with an adequate alternative, requires a political arrangement,” Gallant said on the program. He argued that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich currently wield “veto power” within the government.

He pressed them, and the rest of the cabinet, to accept the ceasefire and hostage-release proposal put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

“We do not leave anyone behind: Not wounded soldiers and definitely not civilians,” Gallant said. “I believe that we must bring all the hostages home and if we can bring home ten hostages, half of those who are still alive, and the remains of the deceased hostages in the first stage of the deal, then we must take it.”

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The White House has confirmed it is moving forward with a plan to rebrand the Pentagon, with officials saying the Department of Defense will once again be called the Department of War, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The original Department of War was created in 1789 to oversee the country’s armed forces. Its name was altered after World War II to the National Military Establishment, before being changed again to the Department of Defense.

Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly explained to Fox News that the move reflects an effort to bring back traditional American military principles.

“As President [Donald] Trump said, our military should be focused on offense — not just defense — which is why he has prioritized warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology,” Kelly wrote in a statement. “Stay tuned!”

This announcement followed comments from Trump earlier in the week, where he indicated the adjustment was coming soon.

“You know, we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” the president said at the White House earlier in the week. “You want to know the truth, I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon.”

He also pointed to the legacy of the department’s original name, stressing its association with decisive victories.

“We won World War I [and] World War II. It was called the Department of War. To me, that’s really what it is,” he said. “I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”

Since Congress is responsible for authorizing executive departments, a legal change would require an amendment, although Trump suggested he may not see that as necessary.

“I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that. But, if we need that, I’m sure Congress will go along,” Trump said. “Defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. So, it just sounded to me like a better name.”

At this stage, the president could either push legislation to formally establish the new title or move ahead with an unofficial rebranding on his own.

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared that it had detained eight people accused of trying to provide Israel’s Mossad intelligence service with details about senior Iranian commanders and sensitive military coordinates, according to Reuters.

The arrests are tied to Israel’s aerial offensive in June, which struck Iranian nuclear facilities and left both senior officers and civilians dead.

Officials in the Revolutionary Guard claimed the suspects had undergone virtual training sessions led by Mossad. The group was reportedly caught in Iran’s northeast before they could carry out their mission, and authorities say they confiscated equipment designed for building bombs, launch devices, and booby traps.

Tehran has long alleged that Israel is behind sabotage and covert actions inside Iran, and frequently announces arrests or executions of people it says spied for Mossad.

Last year, Iran announced the execution of a man it called a “terrorist” who had been accused of working with Mossad in connection with a drone strike against a defense ministry facility in central Iran the previous year.

One month earlier, Iranian officials claimed they had executed four individuals for spying for Mossad, asserting that the group had been in contact with Mossad director David Barnea, received training in Africa, and slipped into Iran through Iraq’s Kurdish region.

In December 2023, Tehran further reported that it had executed what it described as an “Israeli Mossad spy” in the country’s southeast.

Over the last several months, Iran has carried out executions of at least eight people on espionage charges. Among them was nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, who was put to death on August 9, accused of passing intelligence to Israel concerning another scientist killed in Israeli strikes.

Just days after Vadi’s death, Iranian authorities revealed they had taken 20 more people into custody, claiming they too were tied to Mossad. Officials have warned that those found guilty will receive the harshest penalties.

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman shows how Galus Bavel foreshadowed the good and bad times in the Jewish diaspora.

Chapter Thirty-five: The Babylonian Exile

Unlike the Assyrians, the Babylonians were astute victors, and the ten thousand captives carried off from Yehudah eleven years before the destruction of Yerushalayim had been treated well. Nevuchadnezzar recognized the nobility of the Jewish core element that had maintained its high moral standards in the face of adversity, and he sought to integrate this elite group into the multiethnic Babylonian tapestry, along with the elites of other communities in the far-flung empire.

As part of this program, the king invited the best and brightest young men from the various communities to live in the royal palace where they would be educated and trained for service. Among these apprentices were four young Jewish prodigies named Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and in order to integrate them better, Nevuchadnezzar gave them the Babylonian names Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel’s rise in the imperial government was meteoric, and he became governor of Babylon. The others also rose to high positions.

At this point, there was a religious crisis. Nevuchadnezzar erected an enormous golden idol on the plain of Dura near Babylon, and he decreed  that at specific times everyone had to bow down to it. All who refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. This was not a religion decree. Those who bowed down were free to practice their own religion any way they saw fit. Rather, it was a political decree. Honoring the king included honoring his god. Failure to do so disrespected the king. Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah refused to comply and were thrown into the furnace. When they emerged safely, Nevuchadnezzar declared, “Praise be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants … for no other god can save in this way.”

Protected by royal sanction, the Jewish exiles began to lay the foundations of the great Babylonian Jewish community that would endure for a thousand years.

The immediate concern of this first group of exiles was the preservation of the Torah, especially the Oral Law without which the Torah cannot be understood. From the beginning, the Oral Law had been passed down by a system of transmission supervised by the leading Torah sage of each generation. After Yehoshua, this task had been shouldered by the Judges, the Torah sages who were also the unofficial political leaders. With the rise of the monarchy, the stewardship of the Oral Law had been assumed by the unbroken succession of Prophets, which ran parallel to the royal succession. But now the kingdom was on the verge of collapse, and the dispersion had already begun. Yirmiyahu had prophesied that the exile would end after seventy years, but what form would the restoration assume? Would there always be prophets to teach the people? And if not, how would the special bond between the Jewish people and God and His Torah be sustained?

Paradoxically, exile and captivity had brought the core element of the Jewish people more freedom than it had enjoyed in a century. In Babylon, there were no corrupt monarchs and pagan enthusiasts to battle for the Jewish soul. Confined to this distant land but breathing the heady air of spiritual freedom, these elite exiles, among whom there were a thousand sages, understood that the future of the Jewish people rested on their shoulders. They knew that it was their mission to form the nucleus of a rejuvenated Jewish nation, and they poured all their energies into creating a solid bedrock of Torah for the future. They established numerous yeshivahs in all the cities and towns where they settled, and the intense study of the Torah flourished …

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

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The Torah world has been stirred by an extraordinary discovery: The handwritten signature of Rav Avrohom Dov of Avritch zt”l, author of the Bas Ayin, has been uncovered on a rare document.

Last week, the rare treasure was presented to Rav Elimelech Biderman: the original signed document of the Bas Ayin.

Rav Avrohom Dov, who lived in the holy city of Tzefas, was famed already in his lifetime as a source of salvation, with countless stories told about his deeds, especially his heroism during the great earthquake that struck Tzefas in 1837, when he saved many Jewish lives from destruction.

For over a decade, Rav Biderman has been closely attached to the teachings and path of the Bas Ayin, organizing the annual hilula gatherings at his resting place and encouraging young people to learn his holy works, which are regarded as a segulah.

The newly revealed handwritten note is of immense rarity, as very few documents survive from the Bas Ayin.

This particular manuscript confirms the sale of a designated place of tefillah in the Arizal’s ancient shul, verified and signed by him.

At the bottom of the document, beneath the signatures of the gabbaim, it is written: “And for greater strength and confirmation, it is further signed by the holy rov.” Indeed, on the reverse side of the page appears the Bas Ayin’s sacred signature: “The transaction detailed above is valid and binding. Signed, Avrohom Dov of Avritch, residing in the holy city of Tzefas, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our days, Amen.”

Reacting emotionally to the document, Rav Biderman declared: “If in his lifetime he brought about yeshuos, then surely, as Chazal say, tzaddikim are greater in death than in life. To hold a sacred object connected to him is a most elevated and wondrous segulah.”

He was particularly moved by the date inscribed on the contract: “Twelve days into the month of Elul, in the year 5600 (1840)”—exactly 185 years ago, in the very days leading into the Yamim Nora’im.

Rav Biderman concluded with deep emotion: “Even just to gaze upon the handwriting of the Bas Ayin inspires the heart and serves as a wondrous segulah for teshuvah and good deeds.”

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Local officials in a Bergen County borough are accusing the operators of a major shopping complex of violating long-standing restrictions on Sunday sales, labeling the property a “public nuisance” and taking the matter to court.

The lawsuit, filed by leaders in Paramus, a community located just a few miles from Hackensack, was reviewed by USA TODAY. According to the filing, Mayor Christopher DiPiazza and the entire borough council authorized the action, their attorney Richard Malagiere confirmed on August 29.

In the complaint submitted to the Superior Court of New Jersey on August 25, the borough asserts that American Dream Mall, a 3-million-square-foot complex, has ignored Bergen County’s “blue laws.” These rules forbid Sunday sales of items such as apparel, lumber and construction materials, furniture for homes or offices, and both residential and commercial appliances.

Officials in Paramus maintain that the blue laws are binding only if county residents vote to keep them in effect. In Bergen County, voters chose to uphold the rules. Yet, the lawsuit claims that businesses inside American Dream have chosen to ignore them.

“These businesses, with the encouragement and support of the mall’s ownership and the acquiescence of the other defendants here, have violated the law hundreds if not thousands of times since January of this year,” the filing says.

The lawsuit explains that although the mall initially followed the prohibition, stores began trading on Sundays in 2024. According to reporting by The Bergen Record, which is part of the USA TODAY network, the mall had already been opening on Sundays for at least a year by January 2025.

Paramus officials argued in the complaint that businesses violating the law could face fines or even forced closures if the practice continues. They also noted their intent was to pressure the mall’s management to return to compliance.

Mayor DiPiazza said that American Dream had “promised on record” it would abide by Bergen County’s blue laws when opening its doors, according to the Associated Press.

The legal action lists several defendants: Ameream LLC, which owns the mall, the Borough of East Rutherford where the property is situated, Bergen County itself, and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), which owns the land American Dream sits on.

“The lawsuit is a meritless political stunt driven by private competitors’ interests,” American Dream said in a statement obtained by the AP.

On August 29, USA TODAY reached out to Mayor DiPiazza along with the other defendants named in the case. The NJSEA and a Bergen County official replied, though the NJSEA declined to comment, citing active litigation.

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, in a statement to USA TODAY, defended the importance of the blue laws, saying they safeguard quality of life for county residents and provide retail employees with needed rest. He emphasized that the matter comes down to “fairness.”

“When American Dream was preparing to open, its operators personally assured me and the State that they would honor the Sunday closing law and keep their retail doors shut,” Tedesco said. “They broke that promise.”

Tedesco added that operating on Sundays not only violates the statute but gives the mall “an unfair advantage” over local retailers that continue to comply.

American Dream, located in East Rutherford, is the second-largest retail and entertainment destination in the country, surpassed only by the Mall of America in Minnesota. According to Visit New Jersey, the complex contains more than 400 shops.

The mall’s official website lists its Sunday hours as 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for retail and dining, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for The Avenue, a luxury wing featuring brands like Gucci and Balenciaga.

The roots of blue laws trace back centuries. The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association notes that as early as 1617 in Virginia, residents were required to attend church, with militia tasked to enforce the rule. In the 1800s, reformers advocated bans on commercial and “immoral” activity on Sundays.

The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue, finding in some instances that Sunday restrictions are constitutional. In McGowan v. Maryland (1961), the justices upheld a ban on Sunday sales, reasoning the law’s aim was to promote health, rest, and general welfare rather than advance a particular religion.

The Bergen Record, also part of the USA TODAY Network, has noted that Paramus’s blue laws date back to colonial times and were first adopted in 1704, later codified in 1798. The rules once prohibited leisure activities and even nonessential travel, far stricter than today’s targeted sales bans.

According to Wyckoff Township’s municipal clerk, Bergen County residents voted to continue the laws in 1980. More than a decade later, in November 1993, county voters once again rejected a proposal to repeal the restrictions, with a two-to-one margin in favor of keeping Sunday closures.

The complaint against American Dream cites evidence that the mall has defied those rules, including a sign inside the complex stating, “All stores open Sundays.”

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Yerushalauyim witnessed a powerful scene on Motzoei Shabbos as thousands flocked to participate in the historic first tisch of the five sons of the late Kretchnif-Sighet Rebbe zt”l.

The event, held in a massive tent at the Pinsk Karlin Bais Medrash in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood, was arranged as part of a joint Shabbos announced by the chassidus in the wake of the Rebbe’s passing last week.

At midnight, the five sons—each now serving as admorim—entered together, with the eldest son leading. The gathering began with the singing of Kol Mekadesh, and the atmosphere was so crowded that organizers were forced to add additional bleachers to accommodate the throngs.

Chassidim described a remarkable display of mutual respect, as each of the brothers honored the others throughout the night. The tisch continued with song and divrei Torah until 4:00 a.m.

Earlier, during seudah shlishis, the Rebbes had also conducted a joint tisch, which likewise drew a vast crowd of participants.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Bill Clinton is once again drawing questions about his health after he and his wife, Hillary, were seen leaving the Hamptons this week with a portable defibrillator bag — just two months after the 79-year-old was spotted stumbling on a Manhattan sidewalk.

On Thursday, the pair was photographed boarding a private jet while carrying what appeared to be a Propaq MD Air Medical Bag, a defibrillator and monitoring device typically used in emergency situations.

Clinton wore a blue jacket and tan hat as he was escorted by his security detail, while Hillary, the former secretary of state and two-time presidential candidate, covered her blue outfit with a black sweatshirt for the flight.

The sight of the bag quickly fueled speculation about the former president’s declining health, especially given his long record of heart disease.

Clinton has contended with major health issues for over 20 years, undergoing a quadruple bypass and multiple hospital stays.

Though Clinton has never said publicly that he needs a portable defibrillator, his medical challenges have been well documented.

In 2004, just three years after leaving office, he had emergency quadruple bypass surgery at Presbyterian Hospital in New York to repair severe artery blockages. Doctors said at the time he had narrowly avoided a massive heart attack.

A year later, he returned to the hospital for surgery to fix a collapsed lung caused by scar tissue from his earlier bypass.

In 2010, Clinton was hospitalized again after experiencing chest pains, and doctors placed two stents in one of his arteries.

Following those events, the Arkansas native changed his lifestyle, adopting a mostly vegan diet, shedding pounds, and saying it gave him a “second chance.”

But the health scares didn’t end. In October 2021, Clinton was hospitalized in California with a urological infection that turned into sepsis. He was treated with IV antibiotics and released after several days.

His most recent incident came last December, when he spent Christmas Eve at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, with a fever. After tests, he was discharged the following day.

Clinton was also caught on video stumbling while walking in New York City during a book tour appearance. He clutched a pole for support, and his left leg appeared to give way.

The emergence of the defibrillator bag is now expected to intensify debate about whether his condition is worsening. Such devices are typically used to deliver life-saving shocks and to monitor patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Although gossip outlets have speculated about possible degenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s, no reputable source has verified such claims. Clinton’s doctors and staff have only acknowledged his previous heart and infection-related medical treatment.

The Clintons have also remained in the headlines this summer for reasons beyond health.

Earlier this month, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed both Bill and Hillary in connection with its investigation into the government’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein.

Neither has been accused of criminal conduct, but both are scheduled to testify in the fall — Hillary on Oct. 9 and Bill on Oct. 14.

In his 2024 memoir, Clinton admitted to taking flights on Epstein’s plane but insisted he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes.

“The bottom line is, even though it allowed me to visit the work of my foundation, traveling on Epstein’s plane was not worth the years of questioning afterward,” Clinton wrote.

“I wish I had never met him.”

The renewed focus on his health comes as Clinton remains active in Democratic politics, appearing at fundraisers and Clinton Foundation gatherings even as his physical stamina seems diminished.

At 79, Clinton is the third-oldest living president, behind Joe Biden, now 82, and George W. Bush, who is slightly older than Clinton.

Jimmy Carter, the nation’s longest-lived president, passed away in December at the age of 100.

{Matzav.com}

A federal appeals court issued a major setback to President Trump’s trade policy on Friday, ruling that the bulk of his worldwide tariffs are unlawful.

The decision, however, is not yet final. The three-judge panel allowed the tariffs to remain active until Oct. 14, giving the administration time to bring the case before the Supreme Court.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit determined that the statute Trump used as justification for his broad tariff program did not actually give him the power to impose them.

Both Trump and the White House confirmed Friday that the case will be appealed to the high court, setting up a new clash over the president’s authority to impose duties on imported goods.

Late Friday, Trump blasted the ruling on Truth Social, slamming the “Highly Partisan Appeals Court” and stressing that “ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT!”

“If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country,” Trump wrote. “It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong.”

The ruling undermines the centerpiece of Trump’s trade strategy, which dramatically altered America’s economic relations with countries worldwide.

The case began when a coalition of small businesses and a dozen states filed suit against Trump’s 2025 tariff initiative, a package of executive orders enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The program included “trafficking tariffs” of up to 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10–20% on imports from China, which Trump said were necessary to combat fentanyl and drug trafficking. It also established “reciprocal tariffs” — a 10% duty on nearly all imports, with additional surcharges on certain countries.

Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border the day he took office on Jan. 20, later extending it to Canada and China by Feb. 1, before unveiling the global tariff regime in April.

In May, the Court of International Trade struck down those orders, ruling that IEEPA does not authorize blanket tariffs, and the Federal Circuit upheld that conclusion on Friday.

The appeals court stated explicitly that IEEPA does not empower presidents to impose duties.

“The power to ‘regulate’ has long been understood to be distinct from the power to ‘tax,’” the panel wrote, stressing that the statute’s language is insufficient to support Trump’s tariff program.

“IEEPA’s grant of presidential authority to ‘regulate’ imports does not authorize the tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders,” the judges said, echoing the lower court’s decision.

The court emphasized that IEEPA has historically been used for sanctions, embargoes, and asset freezes — not the kind of sweeping duties Trump imposed.

“Whatever the policy justifications may be, they cannot override Congress’s choice of statutory limits,” the opinion added.

Responding online, Trump said the US “will no longer tolerate enormous Trade Deficits and unfair Tariffs and Non Tariff Trade Barriers imposed by other Countries, friend or foe, that undermine our Manufacturers, Farmers, and everyone else.”

“Now, with the help of the United States Supreme Court, we will use them to the benefit of our Nation, and Make America Rich, Strong, and Powerful Again!” he declared.

In a separate statement, the White House maintained that Trump “lawfully exercised the tariff powers granted to him by Congress to defend our national and economic security from foreign threats.”

“The President’s tariffs remain in effect, and we look forward to ultimate victory on this matter,” the statement said.

Trump wasted little time restoring his aggressive tariff program after returning to office.

On April 2, he declared a national emergency and introduced broad “reciprocal tariffs,” imposing a 10% baseline duty on almost all imports.

Soon after, he levied a 25% tariff on foreign cars and doubled steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%.

The moves sent relations with top trading partners into turmoil, particularly China.

Tariffs on Chinese goods climbed as high as 145% before a July truce lowered them to 30%.

Trump has also targeted other nations, imposing tariffs of 50% on India, 35% on Canada, and 25% on Mexico.

He ended the longstanding “de minimis” exemption for low-value online imports, ensuring that even inexpensive foreign shipments are subject to tariffs or fees.

Additional sector-specific duties were also introduced, including a 100% tariff on foreign films and a 25% “fentanyl tariff” aimed at countries, primarily China, accused of enabling opioid smuggling into the US.

{Matzav.com}