Matzav

A new analysis of airline water systems is raising concerns about what passengers may be drinking in the air, with researchers advising travelers to avoid tap water on planes and opt instead for sealed bottled beverages.

The review, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity, examined more than 35,000 water samples collected over a three-year period from 10 major airlines and 11 regional carriers. Based on its findings, the group also recommends skipping coffee and tea made onboard and avoiding washing hands with aircraft sink water, suggesting the use of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol instead.

While water quality is not typically top of mind for most travelers, the organization said it remains an “important public health consideration.” The group warned that consuming contaminated aircraft water can expose passengers to pathogens and lead to gastrointestinal illness.

Among the largest U.S. airlines reviewed, Delta and Frontier received the highest marks, each earning an “A” grade. At the other end of the spectrum, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit were all assigned “D” ratings based on the study’s scoring system.

The findings showed that 2.7% of the samples tested positive for total coliform bacteria, a category of microorganisms commonly found in the digestive systems of humans and animals, as well as in soil and vegetation. According to the researchers, such results are used as an indicator of broader contamination risks.

“Testing for coliform bacteria is important because their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system,” the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity said in its report.

The study also detected E. coli on 32 occasions across the 21 airlines evaluated.

U.S. carriers with onboard drinking water systems are subject to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule, known as the ADWR, which has been in place since 2011. The regulation requires airlines to routinely test for coliform bacteria and potential E. coli contamination, as well as to disinfect and flush each aircraft’s water tanks four times annually. The researchers noted, however, that the EPA rarely issues civil penalties to airlines found to be out of compliance.

Several airlines responded to the report. American Airlines said it is reviewing the findings and emphasized that its water program meets federal standards.

“American’s potable water program is fully in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR),” the airline told CBS News. “A recent EPA audit showed there were no significant findings with our program, and we have not received any violations for any potable water cabinets or trucks that we use.”

JetBlue said it follows guidance from multiple federal agencies, including the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration, and noted that it provides bottled water to passengers. Spirit said it maintains a testing and maintenance program that complies with EPA requirements.

“The well-being and comfort of our guests is very important to us,” the company told CBS News in a statement. “Our data shows we have made progress in this area in recent years, and we continue to evaluate and refine our procedures as necessary.”

Southwest Airlines, which received a “C” grade, said it regularly inspects onboard water quality, adheres to EPA standards, and sources water from local municipal systems that already meet public health requirements.

On its website, the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity describes its mission as “creating a more equitable food system that will improve health outcomes.”

The study ranked airlines using a five-point scale, with deductions for violations such as contaminated water samples.

Major airlines, ranked best to worst:

1. Delta Air Lines Incorporated (5.00, Grade A)

2. Frontier Airlines Incorporated (4.80, Grade A)

3. Alaska Airlines Incorporated (3.85, Grade B)

4. Allegiant Air Limited Liability Company (3.65, Grade B)

5. Southwest Airlines Company (3.30, Grade C)

6. Hawaiian Airlines Incorporated (3.15, Grade C)

7. United Airlines Incorporated (2.70, Grade C)

8. Spirit Airlines Incorporated (2.05, Grade D)

9. JetBlue Airways Corporation (1.80, Grade D)

10. American Airlines Incorporated (1.75, Grade D)

Regional airlines, ranked best to worst:

1. GoJet Airlines Limited Liability Company (3.85, Grade B)

2. Piedmont Airlines Incorporated (3.05, Grade C)

3. Sun Country Airlines (3.00, Grade C)

4. Endeavor Air Incorporated (2.95, Grade C)

5. SkyWest Airlines Incorporated (2.40, Grade D)

6. Envoy Air Incorporated (2.30, Grade D)

7. PSA Airlines Incorporated (2.25, Grade D)

8. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (2.15, Grade D)

9. Republic Airways Incorporated (2.05, Grade D)

10. CommuteAir Limited Liability Company (1.60, Grade D)

11. Mesa Airlines Incorporated (1.35, Grade F)

Airlines for America, the industry trade group, said U.S. carriers comply with federal requirements governing onboard water systems.

“The top priority of the airline industry is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” the group said in a statement to CBS News. “U.S. airlines follow the guidelines of several government agencies — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols for testing drinking water, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements to routinely check water systems and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements applicable to water systems — to ensure the water onboard an aircraft is safe and reliable for consumption.”

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky made clear Wednesday that he intends to oppose any effort by the Trump administration to use force in connection with Greenland, saying such a step would not be acceptable under any circumstances. Speaking on CBS Mornings, Paul said he would actively work to prevent a military scenario involving the territory.

During the interview, CBS Mornings co-host Vladimir Duthiers pressed Paul on comments coming from the White House. Duthiers said, “Senator, the president of the United States has said that the United States needs to acquire Greenland for national security reasons.The president’s press secretary says that the president and his team are discussing a range of options. And I’m quoting her here. Caroline Leavitt to CBS news. Utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal. That is a close quote from Caroline Leavitt. My question to you, sir, is do you imagine a scenario where young American soldiers, airmen, Guardsmen, Marines are actually training a weapon on a NATO ally of the United States?”

Paul responded by saying that such a situation would be unprecedented and unacceptable. “We’ve never been in a position, to my recollection, or to my knowledge of something like that. What would you say to the president’s team, when they talk about acquiring Greenland, even though Marco Rubio has told, other members of the Gang of Eight that, the president wants to buy Greenland. But using military forces, Caroline Leavitt says, is clearly an option on the table and won’t happen under my watch.”

The senator went on to argue that if the United States were to pursue Greenland at all, it would have to be done through diplomacy and consent, not force. “I will do everything to stop any kind of military takeover of Greenland. What I can tell you, though, is if you want to purchase Greenland, the best way would be to try to have goodwill with the people. So first, it would probably require a vote of the people to be independent of Denmark, which I think the people of Greenland are inclined to do. And then it would have to be some sort of offer of something that makes it better to be part of the United States. We have acquired territory. I mean, half the United States came to us through the Louisiana Purchase. Alaska came to us through a purchase. But you didn’t get to those purchases. Like any deal or diplomacy, by insulting your opponent, you get there by actually, trying to please and get your opponent to agree to this because it would have to be done voluntarily. So I see no scenario in which militarily I or really for that matter, any of my colleagues in the Senate would support a military takeover of Greenland.”

WATCH:

A federal inquiry is now underway into the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. currency that for years passed through Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport packed inside passenger luggage on outbound international flights.

According to accounts from airport personnel, travelers departing Minnesota legally transported enormous sums of cash—often totaling $1 million or more per bag—to Somalia and other destinations in Africa and the Middle East. Transportation Security Administration agents reportedly documented the discoveries and escalated them internally after encountering the money during routine screening.

Despite repeated alerts by TSA staff, officials during Joe Biden’s administration took no action to examine or halt the transfers, witnesses say, even as the scale of the cash shipments continued to grow.

A former TSA agent, now acting as a whistleblower, said she personally observed numerous suitcases crammed with U.S. currency moving through the Minneapolis airport without obstruction. “I saw suitcases filled with millions of dollars of cash and the couriers were always Somali men traveling in pairs and they got through the checkpoint. And it just — it just really absolutely blew my mind,” she said.

Concern over the reports has drawn congressional attention. Arizona Republican Rep. Eli Crane reacted sharply after TSA warnings about cash-filled bags were highlighted in a social media post by Libs of TikTok. Crane said Congress must scrutinize how such vast sums were able to leave the country unchecked.

Crane has also pressed Minnesota officials in recent hearings, questioning them about money flows from Somali migrant communities in the state to the Africa-based terrorist organization Al Shabab.

Reporting by Just the News indicates that the appearance of these cash-laden bags at U.S. airports began after Democrat Tim Walz took office as Minnesota’s governor in 2018. The outlet detailed the scale of the transfers, noting, “Minneapolis travelers alone had $342.37 million in their luggage in 2024 and $349.4 million in 2025, and the totals nationwide are likely to be much higher,” Just the News reported.

Sources familiar with the matter say TSA agents consistently flagged the unusual cash loads, but no investigation was opened at the time, allowing the shipments to continue uninterrupted until federal officials recently moved to examine the long-standing practice.

A new push from President Donald Trump aims to curb the growing role of large corporate investors in the U.S. housing market, with the stated goal of preserving homeownership opportunities for American families.

In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said he is taking steps to stop corporations and large institutional investors from purchasing additional single-family homes, a practice that has expanded rapidly in recent years and has been blamed by many analysts for worsening affordability and straining neighborhoods.

Trump also urged lawmakers to turn the policy into permanent law, arguing that congressional action is needed to ensure future administrations cannot reverse the restriction and reopen the market to large-scale investors.

“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing,” Trump wrote in the post, “but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans.”

He expanded on that position in the same post, writing:
“It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations. I will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks.”

Recent data highlight the scale of investor activity in the housing market. In one quarter last year alone, investors bought more than 345,000 homes nationwide, accounting for roughly one-third of all residential purchases during that period.

In certain regions, the concentration is even higher. Following last year’s wildfires in parts of Los Angeles County, California, real estate figures show that investors are purchasing close to 40 percent of available properties, as many homeowners struggle to afford rebuilding costs.

Academic research has also pointed to long-term community effects. A study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business examined property and neighborhood records in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and found that institutional investors acquired nearly seven percent of all single-family homes sold there between 2011 and 2021.

According to the researchers, the trend carries broad negative consequences for neighborhoods, from stability to overall quality of life.

“When institutional investors start purchasing at this scale, the effects really start to compound, leading to broader declines in these neighborhoods. As these areas grow and become more concentrated with investor-owned properties, the overall decline becomes even more noticeable,” said Stephen Billings, the study’s lead author.

He added that frequent turnover and absentee ownership alter the fabric of communities. “It’s not surprising that the character of the community changes,” Billings said. “When people are constantly moving in and out, it’s hard to expect anyone to truly invest in the long-term well-being of the neighborhood.”

{Matzav.com}

Following the deadly incident at yesterday’s anti-conscription protest, Israeli authorities reported that the bus driver involved continued traveling roughly 500 meters after the impact, with 14-year-old Yosef Eisenthal trapped beneath the vehicle.

During a heated Knesset plenary session on Wednesday, Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar of the Likud turned his fire on opposition lawmakers, arguing that persistent hostility toward the chareidi public had real-world consequences and culminated in the killing of the teenager at the rally.

“Your incitement against the chareidi public is what led to this tragedy. You have permitted the blood of the haredi public. Shame on you,” Zohar charged from the podium of the Knesset.

He continued by accusing critics of portraying the chareidi community as a national threat. “Daily, you present them as the enemy of the nation. Calm down. They are valuable, important, and beneficial to Israeli society. Stop attacking them from morning to night until you turn them into an enemy.”

Zohar pressed the point further, warning that language carries weight and can incite violence. “You authorized their deaths so that a driver allows himself to drive at a crazy speed into a protester and to kill a boy. So think what you’re saying. Every word has meaning. Be responsible for what you say.”

{Matzav.com}

The BBC has acknowledged errors in a recent broadcast after criticism erupted over the way it portrayed the Kindertransport, following a December 26 episode of its program The Repair Shop that failed to mention the Jewish identity of the children rescued in the operation or of the episode’s central figure.

The controversy stems from a segment focused on a damaged 19th-century cello once owned by theater producer Martin Landau, who escaped Nazi Germany for Britain at the age of 14 aboard a Kindertransport train. Nazi guards had smashed the instrument shortly before his departure, leaving it broken for decades until it was brought to the show for restoration.

Although the program devoted a substantial portion of the episode to the cello’s backstory and the wider historical setting of the Kindertransport, it never stated that Landau was Jewish or that the rescue effort was primarily designed to save Jewish children from Nazi persecution. The Kindertransport historically facilitated the evacuation of roughly 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia between 1938 and 1939, with assistance from Jewish and humanitarian groups.

During the episode, British actress Helen Mirren introduced the cello to the restoration team. Luthier Becky Houghton carried out the repair, and the restored instrument was later played on screen by Jewish cellist Raphael Wallfisch. Despite these elements, viewers noted the absence of any explicit reference to the Jewish nature of the rescue operation.

According to The Jewish Chronicle, the word “Jew” was allegedly cut during editing from a line spoken by Mirren, which aired as, “…children were sent by the Kindertransport,” without further clarification.

After public criticism, the BBC added a correction to the episode’s iPlayer page, stating that “the Kindertransport was the organized evacuation of approximately 10,000 children, the majority of whom were Jewish.” Even so, as of early this week, the episode’s description on the broadcaster’s official website still did not mention Landau’s Jewish background or the Jewish focus of the Kindertransport.

This episode is the latest in a series of controversies involving the BBC. The broadcaster has drawn repeated criticism in recent years over what critics describe as anti-Israel bias, a charge that intensified following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In November 2023, the BBC issued an apology after incorrectly reporting that Israeli forces were deliberately targeting medical teams near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Earlier, the network wrongly suggested Israel was responsible for a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, later conceding that “it was false to speculate” after evidence showed the blast was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket.

The corporation also faced scrutiny last year for featuring the son of a senior Hamas official as the narrator of its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. In response to the backlash, the BBC admitted there were “serious flaws” in the program.

Most recently, the broadcaster announced that all staff will be required to undergo mandatory anti-discrimination training, starting with modules addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia.

{Matzav.com}

A woman was shot this evening in the West Gate apartment complex, Lakewood, NJ’s largest housing development, prompting a major emergency response from police and local volunteer organizations.

The woman was declared dead.

The shooting occurred at an apartment located on Hillside Boulevard in the West Gate neighborhood.

Details regarding the circumstances of the incident are being withheld as police conduct their investigation. Matzav was asked to withhold details out of respect for the family.

Askanim are working to ensure kavod hameis.

Lakewood police responded in force, with at least a dozen patrol cars converging on the scene within minutes.

Members of Hatzolah provided assistance as well, while Shomrim volunteers were also present.

Authorities cordoned off the immediate area as officers began an investigation, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Hundreds of concerned residents gathered in and around Hillside Blvd.

{Matzav.com}

Rabbi Uri Lupolianski z”l, the renowned baal chessed, founder and longtime chairman of Yad Sarah, and former mayor of Yerushalayim, passed away late Wednesday night at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center after a serious illness. He was 74.

The levayah will take place Thursday at 11:00 a.m., departing from his home in the Sanhedria HaMurchevet neighborhood of Yerushalayim, and proceeding to Har HaMenuchos for kevurah.

Rabbi Lupolianski was born in Haifa to his father, Rav Yaakov who immigrated from Poland on the eve of World War II, and to his mother, Mrs. Malka, of the Rosenblum family. In his youth, he learned at Yeshivas Torah Ore in Yerushalayim under Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg zt”l, and later at Yeshivas HaNegev in Netivot.

The idea that would ultimately grow into Yad Sarah was born out of personal necessity. When Rabbi Lupolianski once needed to borrow medical equipment for his young son, he encountered the significant logistical difficulties involved. What began as a single small humidifier loaned to neighbors eventually developed into one of Israel’s largest volunteer-based chessed organizations, providing medical equipment and vital services to countless families across the country.

He was a close confidant of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l and, in the later years of Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, played a central role for an extended period in coordinating and hosting meetings between Rav Shach and Rav Elyashiv at the offices of Yad Sarah.

Rabbi Lupolianski was among the leaders of Degel HaTorah and holds the distinction of being the only chareidi to have served as mayor of Yerushalayim. His tenure was marked by quiet dedication, humility, and an unwavering commitment to the city’s residents.

He is survived by his wife and their 12 children.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

In a surprising development, Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed the Israeli High Court of Justice on Wednesday that it should cancel the interim order freezing nearly NIS 1 billion earmarked for chareidi educational institutions.

In a letter submitted to the court, the attorney general wrote that “the interim order freezing the transfer of additional funds to chareidi education should be canceled,” explaining that the issue can be examined within the framework of earlier petitions that are still pending before the court.

The move comes a week after the High Court temporarily accepted a petition opposing the transfer of the funds. At that time, Justice Yael Wilner issued an interim injunction halting the disbursement, effectively freezing state funding for chareidi education.

In her decision, Wilner wrote: “After reviewing the request for an interim order, the responses, and the petitioners’ reply, an interim order is hereby issued according to which no financial transfers shall be carried out pursuant to the decisions of the Finance Committee that are the subject of the petition, until a further decision is made.”

Despite the freeze, the opposition party Yesh Atid said it intends to seek additional relief, including a demand that chareidi teachers return funds that were already transferred before the interim order took effect.

The court’s original decision sparked sharp reactions across the chareidi political spectrum. Knesset Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, accused the judiciary of waging “war on the chareidi public and Torah institutions,” claiming the court acted with unprecedented speed to disqualify funds that had been approved according to law.

The Shas party issued a blistering statement, calling the ruling “antisemitic harassment” and accusing the court of “cruelly running over the chareidi public,” from harming young children to undermining Torah education for tens of thousands of students.

Knesset member Moshe Arbel said the ruling exemplifies a system in which “a party that lost a parliamentary vote manages, within a single day, to overturn a Knesset decision through a judicial ruling that harms teachers’ salaries,” adding that such disputes should be settled at the ballot box.

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf warned that the decision fuels societal division and deepens public mistrust in the legal system, describing the funding freeze as a direct blow to chareidi children and an extension of what he called longstanding budgetary discrimination.

MK Meir Porush also condemned the court, saying the judiciary is “at war against anything sacred” and vowed that no legal process would prevent the transmission of Torah education from one generation to the next.

The High Court has not yet ruled on the attorney general’s request to lift the interim injunction.

{Matzav.com}

A chilling emergency call made in the immediate aftermath of the deadly bus-ramming incident in Yerushalayim has come to light, capturing the chaos and fear at the scene just moments after the tragedy unfolded.

The recording, obtained by Matzav.com, documents the first contact between a civilian eyewitness and the emergency dispatch center of Magen David Adom, in the minutes following the incident in which 14-year-old Yosef Eisensthal z”l was killed during the protest against the draft law in Yerushalayim.

LISTEN:

In the call, the shaken caller can be heard telling the dispatcher, “There are several injured here, the bus ran over several children… I don’t know what this is — I fled.” His voice reflects panic and confusion as he struggles to provide clear details.

The MDA dispatcher attempts to assess the situation and dispatch ambulances to the scene, repeatedly asking about the condition of the injured. However, the caller explains that he is unable to get closer. “I can’t see. I’m not approaching,” he says, underscoring the fear and disorder in the immediate aftermath of the ramming.

Additional voices heard on the recording confirm that multiple teenagers were struck by the bus, though at that stage the precise number of victims and the severity of their injuries remained unclear.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Avrohom Schindler zt”l was niftar on Tuesday in Lakewood, NJ, just shy of his 98th birthday, bringing to a close a life devoted entirely to Torah, talmidim, and unwavering avodas hakodesh.

For decades, Rav Schindler was known as a beloved and deeply respected rebbi, first at Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway and later at Yeshiva Ohr Hameir of New Rochelle (Peekskill). Generations of talmidim remember his warmth, clarity, and steady dedication, as well as the personal care he invested in each bochur who passed through his shiur.

An early talmid of Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l, Rav Schindler carried the mesorah of his rebbi throughout his life.

Rav Schindler resided in Crown Heights for much of his life, where he was a central pillar of the well-known Minyan HaKollel of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin. That minyan, sustained by a small group of dedicated bnei Torah, continued functioning faithfully for many years, up until around the time Rav Schindler moved to Lakewood some 20 years ago.

In Lakewood, Rav Schindler continued to live a life of Torah and dignity, serving as a model of lifelong learning and yiras Shamayim. Even in advanced age, he remained deeply connected to Torah.

His levayah took place on Tuesday in Lakewood.

Rav Schindler is survived by his children and grandchildren, who continue his legacy of Torah and avodas Hashem.

The family is sitting shivah until Monday morning at 1187 Idalia Avenue in Lakewood, NJ>

Yehi zichro baruch.

[COMMUNICATED]

It’s midnight in the holy city of Yerushalayim, and a group of exalted and illustrious mekubalim stream in, one by one, into the Beis Medrash overlooking the Makom HaMikdash—the site of our destroyed Beis HaMikdash—where they will spend the night immersed in holiness.  

Each and every one of these carefully selected Yidden has already spent years in the study of the Zohar and the writings of the Arizal and his talmidim. Their faces radiate holiness and holy purpose, and they exude humility and piety.  

They are the Avreichim of Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos—a project of Torah-24 which is founded and led by HaGaon Rav Avrohom Eisen, shlit”a, Pozna Rov, a confidant of gedolei Yisroel.  

The night begins at midnight, when the avreichim tearfully and mournfully recite Tikkun Chatzos, along with other tefillos, lamenting what has been lost, and storming the Heavens for its restoration.  

Following this, they will delve into the deepest secrets of the hidden Torah—until the sun comes up over Yerushalayim. For the entire night, hour after hour, they chase sleep away, and remain immersed into the Kabbalah that has been handed down to us by the most exalted tzaddikim that Klal Yisroel possessed.  

Gedolei Yisroel who have become aware of the Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos phenomenon have expressed awe and admiration for these illustrious men.  

Hagaon HaMekubal Rav Abish Zenwirth, who has attested that he knows these men up close, has attested that “they are humble tzaddikim who prepare themselves for their holy nights by immersing in the mikveh, and study the secrets of Torah all night amid ahavas Hashem and deep fear of Heaven.”   

In his letter of endorsement for Kollel Kabbalah B’Chatzos, Rav Zenwirth writes: “Fortunate are all those who take part in this great and holy endeavor. They will surely merit all the Heavenly blessings and illuminations. They will be pursued by goodness and kindness all their lives, and in their merit we will soon hear the great blast of the shofar of Mashiach. Amen.”  

Partner in this incredible and holy endeavor today, and be joined with these holy mekubalim of Yerushalayim who will daven for you and your family to indeed merit the many Heavenly blessings that come to those who spend their nights immersed in Torah.

A new survey suggests the public leans in favor of President Donald Trump’s decision to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, while revealing deep divisions along party lines.

The Daily Mail poll, released Tuesday, indicates that the military action is broadly viewed as effective. A majority of respondents said the operation went well, while only a small minority labeled it a failure; a sizable share remained undecided.

Support and opposition varied dramatically by political affiliation. Republicans were overwhelmingly supportive of the move, while most Democrats rejected it. Independents were closely split, with backing and opposition nearly even.

The survey also probed reactions to Trump’s remark that the United States would be “running” Venezuela for the immediate future. That comment drew strong concern from Democrats, whereas Republicans were more divided, with just over half expressing little to no worry and a significant minority voicing unease about U.S. involvement in “running” the country.

Overall toplines showed that more registered voters supported the action than opposed it, with a notable portion still unsure. Specifically, 43% favored the decision to capture Maduro, compared with 36% who opposed it.

The poll was conducted by J.L. Partners among 999 registered voters on January 5–6, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump said an ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis narrowly escaped death and remains hospitalized after being struck by her vehicle during a confrontation that unfolded amid rising tensions over immigration enforcement.

In a post on Truth Social, the president described what he said led to the shooting and shared video footage of the encounter. “The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense,” he wrote.

Trump emphasized the severity of the agent’s injuries, noting how close the incident came to ending differently. “It is hard to believe he is still alive, but is not recovering in the hospital,” he said, before turning his criticism toward what he described as an increasingly hostile climate toward immigration officers.

Blaming political rhetoric for fueling violence, Trump argued that law enforcement personnel are being placed in danger nationwide. “The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis,” he wrote.

He added a call for public support of officers carrying out immigration enforcement.
“They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!”

The shooting set off demonstrations across Minneapolis, with crowds gathering near the scene. The location is less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed in 2020 by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was later sentenced to 21 years in prison for murder.

{Matzav.com}

The Chassidishe Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel convened Wednesday evening in Yerushalayim to deliberate its position on the proposed draft law, amid heightened tension within the governing coalition and intense anticipation over whether a formal decision will emerge.

One by one, senior chassidic rebbes arrived at Beis Malka Hall, the Belzer venue on Brandeis Street, for the high-level meeting.

Among those present were the rebbes of Gur, Belz, Vizhnitz, Sanz, Boyan, Seret-Vizhnitz, and Modzitz.

The Slonimer Rebbe was absent, while the Biala Rebbe is currently abroad.

At the instruction of the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Pinchas Friedman also arrived and appeared before the Moetzes to present and clarify the Belzer Rebbe’s position regarding the draft law.

Behind the scenes, sources told Matzav.com that in the 24 hours preceding the meeting, messages were conveyed from Degel HaTorah to Agudas Yisroel in an effort to prevent the adoption of a decision opposing the draft law.

On Tuesday, a conversation reportedly took place between Rav Aharon Hirsch, son of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and Yaakov Veltz, secretary of Agudas Yisroel’s Moetzes. The message conveyed was a request that no decision be taken at this stage against the draft legislation.

Following that discussion, Veltz met with the Gerer Rebbe and relayed Degel HaTorah’s position. The Gerer Rebbe did not dismiss the argument and even raised a far-reaching proposal: to cancel Wednesday’s Moetzes meeting and instead convene a joint council of chassidishe and Litvishe gedolim in the coming days to reach a unified stance on the law.

The Moetzes meeting proceeded as scheduled, but it remains unclear whether a clear ruling against the law will be issued or whether the pressure from Degel HaTorah will ultimately shape the outcome. Coalition leaders are watching developments closely.

Present at the Moetzes meeting are Knesset members Yitzchak Goldknopf, Meir Porush, and Yisrael Eichler, as well as Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert. MK Yaakov Tessler is not attending, as he is currently abroad for a family simcha.

{Matzav.com}

Federal civil rights officials are closely monitoring New York City following a warning from the Justice Department that City Hall may be veering into unlawful discrimination.

The caution from Washington centers on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to appoint Cea Weaver, a far-left housing activist, as the city’s new tenant advocate, a role that influences housing policy and tenant protections across the city.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon publicly raised alarms after an old video of Weaver resurfaced online, reviving concerns about the ideological direction of the administration’s housing agenda and whether it aligns with equal protection under the law.

In that video, Weaver argued that the United States should abandon the idea of property as an individual right and instead reframe it as a “collective good,” promoting what she described as “shared equity.”

During the same remarks, Weaver said such a shift would require families — “especially white families” — to have a “different relationship to property” than the one they currently have.

Those comments quickly drew backlash on social media and from legal observers, who said the language raises red flags about racial bias being baked into policy discussions.

Dhillon responded directly on X, making clear that the Justice Department views discrimination as illegal regardless of who it targets.
“New York: Consider this your official notice from @TheJusticeDept,” Dhillon wrote, adding, “We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color. It is ILLEGAL.” She also said the Civil Rights Division is “paying very close attention.”

The warning was reinforced in a subsequent interview on OANN’s “Fine Point with Chanel Rion,” where Dhillon said civil rights protections apply equally to all Americans and that federal intervention is possible if New York City crosses legal lines, according to the Washington Examiner.

“Just because you’re white doesn’t mean you have fewer rights in this country,” she said, adding that the administration is “on high scrutiny.”

Additional scrutiny intensified after the New York Post published a report highlighting Weaver’s past online activity, including posts that were later deleted. In those posts, Weaver urged supporters to “seize private property” and labeled homeownership “a weapon of white supremacy.”

The Post also reported that Weaver called on voters to “elect more communists” and sharply criticized law enforcement during the unrest that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd.

Weaver has been affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America and previously worked with Housing Justice for All, according to the report.

The Post further noted that she served as an adviser to Mamdani’s 2025 campaign and was heavily involved in pushing for stricter rent stabilization measures in 2019.

Opponents of the mayor warn that the appointment reflects a broader housing strategy they say could harm landlords and property owners, including Mamdani’s proposal to freeze rents on approximately one million rent-regulated apartments across the city.

Humberto Lopes, founder and CEO of the Gotham Housing Alliance, told the Post that such policies repeat the mistakes of government-run housing, which he described as a long-term failure.

For critics on the right, the controversy reaches beyond housing policy. They argue it raises fundamental questions about whether the nation’s largest city is moving toward race-based decision-making and anti-property ideology — and whether federal authorities will step in before those ideas are translated into law.

{Matzav.com}

Drivers inching along Route 9 may not be surprised, but new federal estimates now make it official: Lakewood, NJ contains the most heavily populated ZIP code in the United States.

Fresh rankings drawn from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates place ZIP code 08701 at the very top nationwide, with a population exceeding 140,000 residents, cementing Lakewood’s position ahead of every other ZIP code in the country.

The margin is not close. The second-place ZIP code, 92336 in Fontana, is home to 103,393 people.

The top 5 most populated ZIP codes in the U.S. are:
• 08701 (Lakewood, NJ): 136,784
• 92336 (Fontana, CA): 103,393
• 90650 (Norwalk, CA): 100,808
• 94565 (Pittsburg, CA): 99,933
• 77573 (League City, TX): 97,871

For decades, Newark and Jersey City have alternated as the state’s most populous cities, each hovering between roughly 300,000 and 317,000 residents. Lakewood’s total township population is about half that size, yet its concentration of residents is closing the gap with major cities at a rapid pace.

Current estimates place Lakewood’s population density at approximately 9,500 to 9,800 people per square mile. Although that remains below the “hyper-density” of Jersey City, which exceeds 17,000 residents per square mile, and Newark, which tops 12,000 per square mile, it dwarfs New Jersey’s statewide average of 1,263 people per square mile.

{Matzav.com}

As demonstrations across Iran stretched into an eleventh consecutive day, Senator Lindsey Graham issued a blunt message to the country’s leadership, suggesting that continued bloodshed against protesters could trigger the most severe response imaginable from Donald Trump.

Speaking during an interview on Fox News, Graham addressed Iran’s clerical rulers directly, urging them to halt the violent suppression of demonstrations that have spread nationwide. He framed the moment as a critical test of resolve, emphasizing that the current administration should not be underestimated.

Graham argued that Tehran’s leadership must “take Trump seriously,” warning that the use of lethal force against civilians demanding improved living conditions would provoke retaliation aimed at the very top of the regime.

The senator sharpened his remarks by issuing a direct threat toward the country’s highest authority, declaring, “If you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.”

Turning to recent events elsewhere, Graham cited Venezuela as a lesson for Iran, describing the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro as “a prime example of America at her best.” He said decisive American action abroad should serve as a clear signal to Tehran that Washington will not look the other way when governments open fire on their own citizens.

He further cautioned that allowing Maduro to stay in power after such a dramatic U.S. operation would be a “fatal mistake to our standing in the world,” portraying the Venezuela episode as a model for reestablishing global deterrence.

On the ground in Iran, unrest continued to widen. In the western city of Abdanan, video footage showed massive crowds filling the streets and chanting “Death to Khamenei,” a slogan aimed at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Online reports also suggested that some local police officers may have broken ranks and aligned themselves with demonstrators.

International observers highlighted the momentum building in the streets. The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee pointed to what it described as protesters “claiming entire cities,” sharing footage of the Abdanan marches and the escalating anti-regime chants as evidence of the growing challenge to Iranian authorities.

According to circulating reports, the crackdown has already taken a heavy toll, with at least 34 protesters killed and 2,076 people detained across the country. The unrest has reportedly reached 92 cities spanning 27 provinces.

U.S. Coast Guard teams carried out near-simultaneous predawn boardings of two suspected “ghost fleet” tankers in international waters, a move the Department of Homeland Security says sends a warning to criminal networks worldwide.

In a social media post Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the actions underscore heightened enforcement at sea. “are on notice,” she wrote, referring to criminals globally, after the operations targeted “two ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ships.”

The vessels identified were the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Tanker Sophia. Noem said both ships had ties to Venezuela, noting that they “were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it,” and that one was intercepted “in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean.”

The two seizures occurred just hours apart and followed extensive coordination across the federal government. Noem credited the outcome to leadership at the top, calling the actions the product of “President [Donald] Trump’s bold and visionary leadership,” with Coast Guard units working alongside the Justice Department and State Department during the back-to-back interdictions.

Noem emphasized that the operation was intended to send a clear message. “You can run, but you can’t hide,” she wrote. “We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.”

According to Noem, one of the tankers — the Bella I — had actively tried to evade U.S. authorities over several weeks. She said the ship switched its flag and even repainted its name on the hull while under pursuit, describing the effort as “in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.”

The pursuit was carried out by the crew of the USCGC Munro, which tracked the vessel across vast stretches of ocean and through severe weather before executing the boarding. “The heroic crew … pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms,” Noem wrote, citing their “determination and patriotism.”

She added that the service members involved merited public appreciation. “These brave men and women deserve our nation’s thanks for their selfless devotion to duty,” she said.

U.S. European Command later confirmed that the Munro followed the Bella I — which had been renamed the Marinera — prior to the seizure, saying the boarding was conducted “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”

Noem said the takedown of the two tankers was meant to go beyond routine maritime enforcement, framing it as a direct blow to international networks that finance narco-terrorism and corruption.

The Department of Homeland Security did not disclose what cargo, if any, was discovered on the ships, nor did it say whether arrests resulted from the boardings.

The maritime actions followed closely on the heels of another high-profile operation, coming just days after U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a nighttime raid in Caracas.

Summing up the significance of the interdictions, Noem wrote, “This is our country’s greatest fighting force at their best.” She added, “This is America first at sea.”

{Matzav.com}

[Videos below.] Federal immigration agents shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis after authorities say she tried to ram officers with her car during a confrontation tied to immigration enforcement activity, an incident ICE labeled an act of domestic terrorism.

According to officials, the shooting occurred Wednesday morning at the intersection of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The City of Minneapolis confirmed the location and timing in a post on X, noting reports of gunfire in the area.

The Department of Homeland Security described a rapidly escalating situation that unfolded while ICE officers were carrying out what it called targeted operations in the city. DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the encounter turned violent when protesters interfered with officers on the scene.

“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism,” McLaughlin said in a statement.

She added that officers responded after perceiving an immediate threat.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”

Video footage from the scene captured a heavy law enforcement presence and a large crowd gathered behind yellow police tape. Protesters could be heard chanting anti-ICE slogans, with some throwing snowballs toward officers stationed in the street.

Additional video livestreamed by Fox 9 showed federal agents standing shoulder to shoulder as demonstrators filmed them at close range, occasionally shouting insults. The footage also appeared to show the aftermath of a collision involving three vehicles — a plum-colored SUV, a white sedan, and a dark-red sports-style car.

Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the front end of the white sedan as police officers and FBI agents surrounded the vehicle. Other photographs taken by journalists depicted protesters winding up to hurl snowballs at officers, while another image showed a police officer deploying pepper spray against a small group of demonstrators who had linked arms to block the roadway.

The confrontation took place amid what authorities describe as the largest deployment of federal immigration enforcement personnel to Minneapolis since the start of the second Trump administration.

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez wrote on the social media platform Bluesky that U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino responded to the scene following the shooting.