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Kamala Harris pushed back against criticism of her well-known laugh during a podcast appearance, arguing that the ridicule stems from old-fashioned expectations placed on women, while also offering advice to young women navigating relationships.

Speaking on the “Rich Little Broke Girls” podcast, Harris recalled being questioned by a reporter about claims that she lacks humility. She said the premise of that criticism misses a larger point about how women are expected to behave.

“I don’t aspire to be humble. Humility, yes, is very important,” Harris said. “[It’s] a very dated perspective on who women should be. To say, women should be humble. Women should be quiet. Women should laugh quietly,” she said as she covered her mouth and raised her eyebrows.

She continued by listing the types of behavior she believes critics implicitly discourage. “Women should not have a sense of humor. Women should not raise their voice,” she said.

Harris added that she has never felt constrained by those expectations. “I have never felt burdened by those very dated, and I think out-of-touch standards.”

During the same conversation, Harris shifted to sharing guidance aimed at young, single women and emphasizing everyday compatibility over appearances.

“Choose to be with someone who allows you to laugh at yourself and them,” she said. “Choose to be with someone who you know you like, going to the grocery store together, taking a walk together.”

She noted that priorities can change over time and that not every relationship fits neatly into one mold. “There are different phases in your life, and you may not know what phase you’re in,” Harris said.

{Matzav.com}

The Supreme Court declined to intervene in the Trump administration’s effort to immediately deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, leaving intact a lower court order that halted the move and marking a setback—at least for now—for President Donald Trump’s broader push to federalize Guard units nationwide.

The justices refused an emergency appeal seeking to undo a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that blocked the deployment. A federal appeals court had already declined to step in, and the high court took more than two months before issuing its decision.

In its unsigned order, the Court said the administration had not shown it possessed the legal authority to proceed at this stage. “At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the majority wrote.

Three members of the Court—Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch—publicly dissented. The outcome stands out as an uncommon loss for Trump, who has frequently prevailed in emergency appeals since returning to office in January.

Following the decision, the White House emphasized that the administration would continue pursuing its public safety goals. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration plans to keep working “day in and day out to safeguard the American public.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson echoed that message in a statement, stressing that the ruling does not alter the president’s priorities. “The President promised the American people he would work tirelessly to enforce our immigration laws and protect federal personnel from violent rioters. He activated the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers, and to ensure rioters did not destroy federal buildings and property,” Jackson said. “Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda.”

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul welcomed the Supreme Court’s action, framing it as a reaffirmation of constitutional limits on federal power. “Nearly 250 years ago, the framers of our nation’s Constitution carefully divided responsibility over the country’s militia, today’s U.S. National Guard, between the federal government and the states – believing it impossible that a president would use one state’s militia against another state,” he said. “The extremely limited circumstances under which the federal government can call up the militia over a state’s objection do not exist in Illinois, and I am pleased that the streets of Illinois will remain free of armed National Guard members as our litigation continues in the courts.”

The ruling follows a request filed by the Trump administration last week asking the justices to pause the lower court’s order while the case proceeds.

Civil liberties advocates also praised the outcome. Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said the decision underscored how unusual domestic troop deployments are. “This decision reinforces that domestic deployment of troops is rare and exceptional, and it was absolutely unjustified in Illinois,” she said. “With each court decision against the President’s domestic troop deployments, it becomes clearer that his version of American cities as hellscapes, and protest against his policies as requiring troops, is plain false. We’re glad that the Supreme Court has upheld the order blocking this blatant abuse of presidential power because there’s no reason for any troops policing civilians in our streets.”

In its appeal, the administration argued that the lower court rulings interfered with presidential authority. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Court that the decisions “improperly impinges on the president’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.”

Sauer further warned that stopping the deployment could put federal officers at risk, saying it could “jeopardizing the lives and safety of DHS officers” and block what he described as “reasonable and lawful measures” to shield agents from what the administration characterized as “violent resistance” in Chicago.

Lawyers representing Illinois and the city of Chicago rejected those claims, telling the justices that the administration’s arguments “rest on mischaracterizations of the factual record or the lower courts’ views of the legal principles.”

They pointed to Judge Perry’s findings, which concluded that the government’s descriptions of protests in Chicago and nearby Broadview were “unreliable” and exaggerated both the level of violence and the challenges facing law enforcement.

“As the district court found, state and local law enforcement officers have handled isolated protest activities in Illinois, and there is no credible evidence to the contrary,” attorneys for Illinois said Monday.

The Chicago dispute is part of a wider legal battle as Trump seeks to send hundreds of National Guard troops into several Democratic-led cities, often over objections from governors and mayors.

Some federal courts have pushed back. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut described Trump’s actions in a restraining order as “untethered to reality” and inconsistent with conditions on the ground, though a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit later put her order on hold, allowing the administration to move forward with a deployment to Portland.

In Washington, D.C., another federal judge is scheduled to hear updates Friday on the status of National Guard troops in the capital, after the city’s attorney general said in a new filing that the deployment could extend through at least summer 2026. It remains unclear whether that timeline reflects the administration’s plans or how many of the roughly 2,500 Guard members sent to D.C. in August would remain.

Administration officials maintain that the deployments are needed to counter rising violent crime and protect federal personnel from protesters, including anti-ICE demonstrations.

Democrats counter that the president has not met the statutory requirements for federalizing the Guard under USC § 12406, which permits such action only in cases of foreign invasion, a “danger of a rebellion,” or when state authorities are unable to enforce the law. They argue that Trump’s descriptions of conditions are exaggerated and amount to a pretext for asserting federal control over Democratic-led states and cities.

{Matzav.com}

El Salvador’s president escalated his public dispute with Hillary Clinton by issuing a sharp rebuttal to her criticism of the country’s highest-security prison, CECOT, which has held migrants deported from the United States.

The exchange began after Clinton shared an 11-minute PBS Frontline video on X titled “Surviving CECOT,” highlighting the experiences of three Venezuelan men who were sent to El Salvador after being removed from the U.S. by the Trump administration. In her post, Clinton wrote: “Curious to learn more about CECOT? Hear Juan, Andry, and Wilmer share firsthand how the Trump administration branded them as gang members without evidence and deported them to the brutal El Salvadoran prison.”

According to the film’s description, the documentary centers on Juan José Ramos Ramos, Andry Blanco Bonilla, and Wilmer Vega Sandia, all Venezuelan nationals who say they were wrongly labeled as members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The men deny any affiliation with the criminal organization, despite U.S. government determinations that led to their deportation.

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Armando Bukele, responded online by saying El Salvador would cooperate fully if Clinton or others believe abuses have taken place inside the prison. He went further, proposing a sweeping and unusual offer involving the entire inmate population.

“We are willing to release our entire prison population (including all gang leaders and all those described as ‘political prisoners’) to any country willing to receive them,” he wrote. “The only condition is straightforward: it must be everyone.”

Bukele argued that such a move would also satisfy journalists and advocacy groups seeking testimony critical of his government. “This would also greatly assist journalists and your favorite NGOs, who would then have thousands of former inmates available for interviews, making it far easier to find additional voices critical of the Salvadoran government (or willing to confirm whatever conclusions are already expected),” he added. “Surely, if these testimonies reflect a systemic reality, a much larger pool of sources should only reinforce the claim, and many governments should be eager to offer protection.”

He concluded that until any such offer is accepted, his administration will continue focusing on public safety at home. “Until then,” Bukele said, “El Salvador will continue prioritizing the human rights of the millions of Salvadorans who today live free from gang rule.”

Bukele’s comments come amid deepening cooperation with President Donald Trump, whose administration has arranged for certain migrants deported from the U.S. to be housed at CECOT. Venezuelan nationals accused of gang ties have been sent to El Salvador after Venezuela declined to accept their return.

Meanwhile, the deportations have drawn legal scrutiny in the United States. On Monday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide due process to a class of Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador in March, giving the government two weeks to explain how it will comply—setting the stage for another significant confrontation between the White House and the federal courts.

{Matzav.com}

Eli Feldstein, who previously served as a spokesman to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, is claiming that the prime minister was fully aware of, and actively supported, the leaking of a sensitive intelligence document in September 2024 as part of an effort to influence public sentiment surrounding hostage negotiations.

In remarks made during the second installment of a two-part interview with Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Feldstein directly contradicts the prime minister’s denials. “He knew everything,” Feldstein says. “He is the one who was ultimately behind the leak to Bild.”

Feldstein goes further, asserting that Netanyahu’s statements denying knowledge of the affair are a “lie,” and insisting the leak was not a rogue action carried out without political backing.

According to Feldstein, he maintained continuous contact throughout the episode with Netanyahu aide Jonatan Urich, beginning when Feldstein first received the classified material from military intelligence reservist Ari Rosenfeld and continuing through the document’s eventual publication in the German newspaper Bild.

The document at the center of the controversy was described as an internal message from the Hamas terror group. Its release had been explicitly barred by Israel’s military censor due to fears that publication could expose and endanger an intelligence source operating inside Gaza.

Law enforcement authorities are now probing the affair. Feldstein, Urich, and Netanyahu confidant Yisrael (Srulik) Einhorn are all subjects of a criminal investigation tied to the leak. Netanyahu himself has not been named a suspect.

Describing Urich’s role, Feldstein said there was no gap between what he knew and what Urich knew. “Where [the document] came from, why it wasn’t put out in Israel, all of it,” Feldstein told Kan, stressing that nothing was hidden.

Challenging investigators to scrutinize his communications, Feldstein said, “Read all my texts [with Urich]. I don’t conceal anything,” adding that a review would show that “other than asking him if I can go pee, he knew everything. Everything. Everything, everything, including everything, including everything.”

Feldstein also maintains that by the night before the article appeared, Urich had already updated Netanyahu about the plan to leak the document. He points to text exchanges that he says reference the prime minister directly, including a message from Urich stating: “The boss is pleased.”

After the article was published, Feldstein says he participated in a conference call with Urich and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to coordinate how they would publicly address the report. According to Feldstein, the discussion quickly shifted to clarifying — and containing — what Netanyahu was said to have known.

During that call, Feldstein claims, the group agreed to publicly maintain — despite knowing it to be untrue — that the prime minister had not been informed of the leak. At the same time, they decided to highlight claims that the military was withholding crucial information from Israel’s political leadership.

{Matzav.com}

Rabbi Yaakov Menken sharply criticized Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, arguing that the media figure’s words and actions have crossed a line into promoting dangerous antisemitic falsehoods that have historically fueled violence against Jews.

Speaking on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America,” Menken said Carlson’s conduct has earned him an infamous distinction recently bestowed by the Jewish civil rights group StopAntisemitism, which named Carlson its 2025 “Antisemite of the Year.” The group described the label as a “distinct dishonor” that “is reserved for the most bigoted and hateful individual.”

Menken, who serves as executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, said the designation reflects a growing body of evidence rather than a single incident. He pointed to Carlson’s repeated decisions to give airtime to extremists and to Carlson’s own commentary. “I think the evidence for this is overwhelming,” Menken said, citing “the amount of times that Tucker Carlson has brought an avowed antisemite on the show to spout lies … and then he himself spreading traditional antisemitic tropes.”

According to Menken, those tropes are not harmless opinions but accusations with a long history of deadly consequences. He referenced one of the most enduring claims used to justify persecution of Jews throughout history. “The rivers of blood have been shed on the idea that Jews of today are responsible for the Jewish Council that said that Jesus deserved to be put to death,” he said, stressing that “it was the Romans that did it.”

Menken contrasted that reality with what he described as a persistent double standard applied to Jews. “Nobody thinks today that Italians should be slaughtered because of that, because they were the ones who actually put him to death,” he said. “But no, we’re going to go after the Jews.”

He said such narratives continue to circulate because some people are willing to accept conspiratorial thinking despite a lack of evidence. Menken argued that antisemitism thrives when individuals “find excuses to believe the Jews are stealing, that the Jews are conspiring against everybody else.”

Menken also criticized Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts for what he described as an inadequate response after Carlson interviewed white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He said that failure had real consequences within organized efforts to combat antisemitism. “We were one of the first organizations to leave the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which began as a project of the Heritage Foundation,” Menken said.

He added that the controversy quickly undermined the initiative itself. “The task force itself, a week later, had to withdraw because they realized if they didn’t, they would lose all credibility,” he said.

Carlson has faced mounting backlash in recent months over statements about Jews and Israel that many critics view as antisemitic. Among the claims attributed to him are assertions that Jews control America’s banking system, Congress, the Pentagon, and even President Trump.

More recently, Carlson suggested that Israel was somehow connected to the death of Charlie Kirk, tying the allegation to Kirk’s opposition to striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. Critics have said such remarks further illustrate the pattern Menken described, warning that rhetoric rooted in conspiracy and collective blame carries consequences far beyond words.

{Matzav.com}

A well-known matzah bakery in Boro Park was completely destroyed in a major fire last week, drawing an extraordinary response from its owner that has since resonated across the neighborhood and beyond.

The blaze tore through the famous Boro Park Matzah Bakery on 14th Avenue, reducing the facility to ashes.

Firefighters battled the flames for nearly seven hours before finally bringing the inferno under control, according to local reports.

As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, the bakery’s owner, R’ Chaim Bru, a chossid of Vizhnitz, stood nearby watching his livelihood go up in flames. Rather than reacting with anger or despair, he distributed sheets of paper to onlookers bearing the words “Ein Od Milvado,” and repeatedly called out the phrase, expressing his firm belief that everything comes from Hashem and is ultimately for the good, even amid enormous financial loss at the peak of the matzah-baking season.

In footage recorded at the scene, R’ Chaim can be heard explaining his outlook with striking clarity. When one bystander asked whether a malfunctioning oven may have sparked the fire, he replied that it was Hashem Above who caused it. “When Hashem gives a person a slap,” he said, “you don’t ask questions.”

True to his word, R’ Chaim later took his message a step further. A massive banner bearing the words “Ein Od Milvado” was hung prominently on the remains of the bakery, serving as a public declaration of faith and acceptance. The sign, now impossible to miss along the busy avenue, has become a powerful symbol of emunah.

{Matzav.com}

A weeklong search ended with the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect accused of carrying out a violent antisemitic attack in Crown Heights during Chanukah. Armani Charles is charged in the stabbing of 35-year-old Elias Rosner, who was wounded in the chest outside a Chabad shul on the third night of the Yom Tov.

Rosner later recounted that the assailant was shouting threats and spewing antisemitic hatred moments before the attack. “I’m going to kill Jewish people, I’m going to kill a Jew today, I don’t give a ….,” the attacker allegedly said. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Holocaust had happened.”

According to Rosner, he was targeted after confronting the attacker rather than backing away. He said his belief in “standing up to bullies” drew the attacker’s focus amid a group of Yidden who were outside the shul at the time. Rosner added that his background in martial arts helped him avoid a fatal wound when he was stabbed.

Charles was taken into custody and is facing hate crime charges in connection with the incident.

The Crown Heights stabbing followed closely on the heels of another disturbing antisemitic episode in New York City, though police emphasized the two cases are not believed to be linked. One day earlier, a group of Jewish students were threatened on a subway train after participating in a Chanukah gathering in Union Square.

The students had spent several hours in Manhattan engaged in Chanukah outreach, sharing the light and message of the Yom Tov, before boarding a No. 3 train back toward Crown Heights. While riding the train, two men allegedly entered the car and began hurling antisemitic insults at the visibly Jewish group.

According to testimony from the students, the verbal abuse quickly escalated. One student began filming the encounter to document it for police. “That’s when everything changed,” the student said. “As soon as the younger one realized I was filming, he attacked me.”

Video taken by another member of the group shows the assailant striking the victim inside the subway car, while no other passengers appear to step in during the confrontation.

{Matzav.com}

Americans could be headed for what administration officials are describing as a historic tax windfall next year, with top economic leaders projecting unusually large refunds and higher take-home pay in 2026.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said recently that working households should expect a significant influx of cash early in the year. “There are going to be substantial refunds to working American households in the first quarter,” he told Maria Bartiromo. “We’re going to see very substantial, $100 to $150 billion of refunds in the first quarter go directly to Americans’ pockets.”

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett offered a similar forecast, calling the coming season unprecedented. “We are going to see the biggest refund cycle ever in the history of America, and people are going to get massive refund checks,” Hassett said during an appearance on “Varney & Co.” “We’re expecting just that part of it alone to be worth a couple-thousand-dollar refund,” he added. “The numbers are striking.”

The optimism follows President Donald Trump’s end-of-year address last week, when he predicted “the largest tax refund season of all time” next spring and said many families could save between $11,000 and $20,000 annually.

Backing up those claims, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said the agency is preparing to deliver exactly what the president promised. “We should expect exactly what the president said, as always happens,” Bisignano said Tuesday on “Mornings with Maria.” “And the great leadership of the Treasury secretary has positioned us to be able to deliver in a whole bunch of ways for America.”

Bisignano, who also serves as commissioner of the Social Security Administration, said the benefits will be widespread. “You’re going to look at probably 94%—plus of middle-class Americans getting a boost, your tax rates coming down and getting the benefit going forward,” he said.

He added that seniors would also see major relief tied to changes in how benefits are treated. “You’ll see all our Social Security recipients getting up to a $6,000 benefit as [Trump] committed to the benefits of Social Security not being taxed,” Bisignano said. “It will be the biggest refunds that we’ve ever seen, and it’s all because of the president’s leadership and the Treasury secretary’s under ‘One [Big] Beautiful Bill,’ which is unparalleled.”

Beyond refunds, Bisignano highlighted a long-term savings initiative aimed at younger Americans. He said the newly branded “Trump accounts,” designed to help children build wealth over time, will open for contributions on July 4, 2026. Calling the plan transformative, he said, “It’s one of the most amazing pieces of tax work ever done. And if you think about it, $1,000 today will be worth $500,000 at age 60.”

The push comes as administration officials acknowledge that many Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices, even as economic indicators show cooling inflation and rising real wages. Hassett and Bessent have both told FOX Business that the coming tax season is expected to deliver tangible relief, with larger refunds and stronger paychecks intended to ease ongoing affordability concerns.

{Matzav.com}

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said congressional investigators are pressing ahead with an examination of alleged fraud in Minnesota, arguing that state leaders failed to act despite years of warnings and insisting that accountability must extend beyond those who carried out the abuse.

Comer said the committee is focused on determining how much taxpayer money was lost, who benefited, and whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison were aware of the situation and allowed it to continue. He said the probe could lead to criminal referrals, not just for individuals accused of fraud, but also for officials he believes enabled it. Comer dismissed Walz’s call for Republicans to halt their inquiry. “For Governor Walz to say Republicans on the Oversight Committee should stand down, he’ll fix it — I don’t think anybody in America believes that,” Comer said. “He’s not going to do anything.”

Appearing Tuesday on Newsmax’s “National Report,” Comer said he has no faith that Walz is prepared to confront what he described as a long-running and expansive scheme involving federal assistance programs. He accused the governor of disregarding internal alarms and shielding a politically significant Democratic constituency.

Comer said whistleblowers inside Minnesota’s government have been raising concerns for years. He emphasized that many of those sounding the alarm are Democrats themselves and state employees who tried repeatedly to get intervention from top officials. “Fortunately for us, we have whistleblowers,” Comer said. “These are good state employees of the state of Minnesota who have been begging for assistance from the attorney general and the governor of Minnesota for years to step in and prevent this fraud.”

According to Comer, those appeals went nowhere because Democratic leaders feared the political consequences of taking action. He said Minnesota’s Somali community plays a central role in the state’s Democratic electoral math. “This Somali population has become a massive part of the Democrat base in Minnesota,” Comer said. “It’s the whole key to the business model of success for the Democrat Party in Minnesota — and on the presidential scale to win the state of Minnesota and get those Electoral College votes.”

Comer alleged that Walz and Ellison ignored the problem as it spread across multiple programs. “They allowed this fraud to continue,” Comer said, adding that state workers witnessed the misuse of funds “every day.”

He also challenged Walz’s attempts to minimize the scale of the losses, saying the numbers remain staggering even under the governor’s own framing. “The governor wants to say, ‘Well, we don’t think it was billions,’” Comer said. “Let’s say it was hundreds of millions — that’s still too much.”

Comer accused Democrats of trying to shut down scrutiny by branding questions about fraud as bigotry. “Anyone like me who tries to question that is a racist or whatever,” he said. “We’re not going to be bullied in this.”

He further argued that early data reviewed by the committee points to unusually high levels of government dependency tied to Minnesota’s Somali population. Comer said the figures suggest roughly three-quarters are receiving full government assistance. “That’s full welfare,” Comer said. “The overwhelming majority of that population is on Medicaid and other types of government programs.”

Comer linked those figures to broader Democratic arguments on immigration and labor, saying Minnesota contradicts claims that expanded migration would primarily address workforce shortages. “You’ve got a massive population in that one state, and the overwhelming majority of that population is on government assistance,” Comer said, adding that assertions that there are no illegal immigrants on Medicaid “are going to be proven false in Minnesota.”

As the investigation continues, Comer said the committee intends to follow the money and the decision-making that allowed the alleged fraud to persist, insisting that ignoring whistleblowers and delaying action should carry consequences just as severe as committing the fraud itself.

{Matzav.com}

Federal officials say a sweeping new border initiative will soon reshape large sections of the Rio Grande, with plans calling for hundreds of miles of floating barriers aimed at blocking illegal crossings and strengthening enforcement along Texas’ southern border.

The project, expected to cost roughly $500 million, is financed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in July. Administration officials argue the funding reflects a broader strategy that is already producing results, pointing to sharp drops in illegal crossings this year. The Department of Homeland Security has highlighted historically low encounter numbers, while outside reports have described unlawful crossings as falling to levels not seen in more than half a century.

According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, the buoy system would stretch from near the Gulf of Mexico by Brownsville and continue westward along the Rio Grande. He said the barriers will not be placed in shallow portions of the river and can be repositioned as water levels and river conditions change.

Banks said construction is slated to begin in early 2026. The initial phase would cover about 500 miles of the river, with a follow-up phase expanding the system by another 400 miles. The buoys, he explained, are designed to serve as both a physical deterrent and a technological tool, incorporating detection systems that alert agents to movement in the water.

Banks described the effort as a critical security layer. “I have never seen this much support from a president and a secretary,” Banks said in an interview. “The support is even greater than it was in his first administration, as he’s continued to learn and grow in his understanding and knowledge on the border.”

The White House echoed that message in a statement defending the administration’s broader border record. “There’s no doubt that President [Donald] Trump has expeditiously delivered on his promise to secure our border,” a spokesperson said. “While Biden let criminal illegals pour into our country and complained he couldn’t do anything to stop it, President Trump immediately proved him wrong, and the American people are safer for it. It’s amazing what happens when you have a President who believes in empowering Border Patrol to do their job.”

Floating barriers in the Rio Grande are not a new concept. Texas first drew national attention to the approach in 2023, when Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a shorter buoy system installed near Eagle Pass as part of the state’s own border operation. That move quickly triggered legal action from the Biden administration, which argued that Texas lacked federal approval to place an obstruction in a navigable waterway and had not obtained authorization tied to international boundary oversight.

The legal fight moved through federal court and intensified debate over both jurisdiction and safety. Opponents raised alarms about the risk of drownings and questioned whether states or the federal government ultimately control such measures along an international river.

Republican leaders have largely applauded the federal expansion of the buoy system, calling it a long-overdue deterrent. Abbott and other GOP officials have said that a combination of river barriers, fencing, and surveillance technology is necessary to disrupt smuggling networks and discourage dangerous crossings.

Critics, however, argue that water barriers can drive migrants toward even more hazardous routes and say the funding would be better directed toward domestic priorities, including healthcare, asylum processing, and expanded border facilities. Civil rights groups and some local officials have also urged greater attention to humanitarian protections and coordination with Mexico, noting that the Rio Grande serves as a shared international boundary.

Federal officials maintain that the buoy barriers are intended to work alongside other enforcement tools, including expanded surveillance and tougher penalties for illegal entry. Opponents counter that the plan underscores what they see as an ongoing focus on physical infrastructure and deterrence rather than comprehensive, long-term immigration policy changes.

With immigration expected to remain a central political issue in the years ahead, the administration’s decision to move forward with the buoy project is likely to further intensify national debate as the 2028 election cycle approaches.

{Matzav.com}

Amid renewed attention on the so-called “QatarGate” affair, Naftali Bennett released a sharply worded statement on Tuesday, directing his criticism at Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and questioning how the situation has been handled at the highest levels of government.

Opening his remarks, Bennett declared: “These days, the people of Israel are being exposed to the most serious security affair: from the innermost sanctum of Israel’s security, the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu’s closest advisors operated on behalf of the enemy state of Qatar, for money from Qatar, and all this during a time of war against Hamas, the organization Qatar serves as patron for.”

He went on to say that “the materials present a detailed and horrifying picture: how these advisors worked diligently to promote Qatar’s interests, exploiting their special status as representatives of the Prime Minister. After every such action, they sent reports of the results of their actions to their Qatari operators.”

Bennett escalated his rhetoric further, stating: “I’ll be clear: Qatar is Hamas. While our brave soldiers fight and fall in battles against Hamas in the alleys of Khan Yunis, these advisors work for pay on behalf of Qatar, which finances Hamas militants. This betrayal is a knife to the hearts of our brave soldiers, and a knife to the heart of all of Israel. This is the most severe betrayal in the history of the State of Israel because, unlike previous traitors like Mordechai Vanunu and Udi Adiv, this comes from the most senior and powerful people in Israel. We must honestly admit that implanting agents in the Prime Minister’s Office is a significant intelligence-security success for our enemies, Qatar,” Bennett emphasized.

Turning his focus directly to Netanyahu, Bennett posed a series of pointed questions. “I am not claiming, at this stage, that Netanyahu gave the order to act on behalf of Qatar, or even that he knew his advisors were receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels from the enemy. But I definitely ask a simple question: why is Netanyahu silent? Why does he continue to cover up the betrayal in his office? After he became aware of the affair, he should have been the first to cry out and take action!”

Drawing on his own experience in office, Bennett said: “I was Prime Minister. I know the weight of responsibility and the sanctity of Israel’s security. In such a situation, I would- and every one of you would-immediately fire the errant advisors, urgently summon the head of the Shin Bet and the police commissioner, and demand they launch a thorough security investigation to expose the entire network of agents, ensuring that my office and my staff are completely clean. But Mr. Netanyahu does exactly the opposite: from the moment the affair was exposed, he and his people have taken every action to obstruct the investigation of the truth, as we saw even in last night’s publication.”

Bennett also appealed directly to Israel’s security agencies. “In the current situation, where a heavy cloud of suspicion looms over us, I appeal to the Shin Bet and the Israeli police: your national duty is to pursue this investigation to the fullest. All of Israel expects this, and you have our full support. This is a defining moment for our existence as a nation. I trust our security and law enforcement agencies to act quickly and not abandon the security of the state.”

The Likud party responded forcefully, rejecting Bennett’s accusations outright. “Srulik Einhorn and Eli Feldstein were never part of the Prime Minister’s office. In all the materials that have been exposed, there is not a shred of involvement from the Prime Minister’s office or its representatives; on the contrary. From the start of the war, the Prime Minister’s office and the Prime Minister have attacked Qatar, and Qatar has repeatedly attacked the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has also faced severe criticism from the Israeli media and senior security officials for attacking Qatar, claiming it jeopardizes the hostage deal.”

Likud then turned its fire on Bennett personally. “It would be better for Bennett to look at himself when using the word ‘betrayal.’ Bennett betrayed his voters when he formed a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Bennett himself described as a sister movement to Hamas. Bennett will betray again, just as his partners Yair Golan and Gadi Eisenkot said. He will try again to form a far-left government dependent on the Muslim Brotherhood. Bennett brought thousands of Gazan workers into Israel, laying the groundwork for 10/07. Bennett, the arch-liar, is fabricating blood libels. Even though Bennett knows that the court has already ruled that QatarGate is a ‘Qatar fake’ and there is no crime, he recycles lies to divert attention from the serious materials exposed in the hacking of his phone, which are being kept hidden from the public,” the statement concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Emergency crews rushed to a nursing home northeast of Philadelphia after a gas explosion sent thick black smoke into the air and left people unable to get out of the building, officials said.

Authorities reported that the blast occurred shortly before 3 p.m. at Silver Lake Healthcare Center in Bristol Township, roughly 20 miles outside the city, prompting an immediate response from local and state agencies.

“We understand that there are people trapped inside,” said Ruth Miller, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

State Rep. Tina Davis, whose district includes the facility, described a chaotic scene as emergency vehicles poured in from across the area. “I saw smoke and I saw car after car after car was a fire truck or ambulance from all over the city, from all over,” Davis said. She added that she approached the area by car but stayed back to avoid disrupting rescue efforts.

Davis noted that officials were discussing the possibility of relocating residents to a nearby school if evacuations became necessary. According to a state report, the nursing home has 174 beds.

Plans were put in motion to assist displaced residents if needed. Jim Morgan, president of the Bristol Township School Board, said school district buses were prepared to transport people from the nursing home to a reunification site at Truman High School. He said crews were arranging beds, water, and other essentials at the school, though as of 4 p.m., no residents had yet arrived. “As of 4 p.m. no one had showed up at the school,” Morgan said.

Expressing concern over the incident, Davis reflected on the timing and impact of the emergency. “It’s just so sad — it’s that hopeful time of year. This is just something that is sad for everybody and the families and the workers that are there. I hope there’s positive results from this. We don’t know at this point,” she said.

{Matzav.com}

Chicago is staring at the possibility of an unprecedented municipal shutdown after a bitter clash over the city’s 2026 budget, as Mayor Brandon Johnson considers rejecting the spending plan approved by the City Council.

The mayor has sharply criticized the package that cleared the council over the weekend, blasting it as “morally bankrupt” because it omits his preferred per-employee corporate “head tax.”

If Johnson exercises his veto power, council members would be forced back to the drawing board to assemble a revised budget that could win the mayor’s signature before the December 30 deadline. Failure to do so could leave city government without an approved spending plan.

The standoff is unfolding entirely within the political left. Chicago’s City Council has no Republican members, consisting of 48 Democrats and two independents, making the dispute an intraparty fight rather than a partisan one.

One of the mayor’s Democratic critics is Alderman Gilbert Villegas, who represents Belmont-Cragin on the city’s Northwest Side and is closely aligned with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Reacting to the veto threat, Villegas said he would “work hard to see if we can get 38-40 votes to override the veto,” noting that the budget initially passed by a 30–18 margin.

At the heart of the disagreement is Chicago’s looming fiscal problem. The city is facing a projected $1.2 billion deficit for 2026. Johnson has argued that policies under the Trump administration tilt the scales toward corporations and away from working families, insisting that businesses should “put more skin in the game.”

Not all Illinois Democrats are on board with that approach. Governor JB Pritzker has spoken out against Johnson’s proposed $33-per-worker, per-month head tax, warning that it would “penalize the very thing that we want, which is more employment.”

Johnson has also pushed back against national media criticism. He took aim at The Washington Post after it published a harsh editorial titled, “Chicago Has Lost Its Mind,” which warned that the head tax and other business-related measures could choke off economic growth. Responding to the paper, Johnson remarked that it “wouldn’t be the first time a publication got something I’ve done wrong.”

The council-approved budget attempts to close revenue gaps through a mix of new and expanded levies. Proposals include allowing video-gambling machines in restaurants and at Chicago-Midway Airport, increasing the city’s shopping-bag tax, and creating a first-of-its-kind tax on social media companies. That plan would charge platforms $0.50 per active Chicago user above 100,000 users, a move expected to generate $31 million if enacted.

Although a full-scale shutdown would be unprecedented, Chicago has seen budget brinkmanship before. In the 1980s, Democratic Mayor Harold Washington vetoed multiple budgets, often triggering tense, last-minute negotiations that ultimately produced agreements.

Washington, the city’s first Black mayor, rejected four budgets during his four-and-a-half years in office before his sudden death in 1987, shortly after winning re-election at age 65.

Within the current council, a key Johnson ally is Alderman Pat Dowell of the South Side, who is spearheading efforts to rally support for the budget, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Dowell acknowledged the plan’s shortcomings but said it is “not perfect but is a good budget and one we can work with.”

Progressives aligned with the mayor have been far more caustic. West Side Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez backed Johnson’s head-tax proposal and condemned the council’s alternative as an “immoral, bankrupt, ‘Michael Sacks’ budget.”

Sacks, a billionaire financier who heads asset manager GCM Grosvenor, has ties to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and donated to several aldermanic campaigns ahead of the budget fight, according to WGN.

Defending Sacks, Alderman Bill Conway III — a former military intelligence officer who represents the Loop — told WGN, “Michael is someone who cares about the future of the city, and he tries to work with those who are like-minded.”

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Shlomo Weisberg zt”l, a noted talmid chochom whose life was devoted entirely to Torah and avodah.

Rav Shlomo z”l was a distinguished talmid muvhak of Rav Nochum Partzovitz zt”l, from whom he absorbed not only vast iyun and clarity in learning, but a deep reverence for mesorah. Those who learned alongside him or heard him speak recall a mind of precision and depth, coupled with an innate humility that defined his bearing.

He came from a home steeped in Torah greatness. His father, Reb Yaakov Weisberg, was among the early talmidim of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l at Beth Medrash Govoha, part of the founding generation that helped establish Lakewood as a world center of Torah. Rav Shlomo carried that legacy forward with dignity and constancy, forging his own path as a true talmid chochom whose every step reflected the values he had inherited.

Rav Shlomo was named after his father’s rebbi, Rav Shlomo Heiman zt”l, a name he honored throughout his life through his unyielding commitment to Torah lishmah and integrity.

He leaves behind a family that continues his legacy. His son, Rav Yosef Weisberg, serves as the rav of Bais Medrash of Pine Lake Park in Manchester.

The levaya is taking place at Beth Medrash Govoha’s Bendheim Bais Medrash. Kevurah will be in Eretz Yisroel.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

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Five days after Lebanese officer Ahmad Shukr vanished, investigators say they have found no physical or technological evidence showing that he remains inside Lebanon, a gap that officials believe supports the possibility that he was taken out of the country.

A senior Lebanese legal source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that one working theory under examination is that Shukr was seized by Israel as part of an “intelligence entrapment operation.” The assessment stems from suspicions tied to his alleged links to the 1986 abduction of Israeli airman Ron Arad in southern Lebanon.

According to reports circulating within Lebanese intelligence circles, Shukr, who previously served in the Lebanese General Security apparatus, may have been abducted by Mossad after “falling victim to a sophisticated recruitment operation” in the Bekaa Valley.

Investigators also disclosed that two Swedish citizens — one of them of Lebanese origin — had traveled to Lebanon shortly before Shukr disappeared. One of the two reportedly departed the country on the same day Shukr went missing, a detail now being scrutinized as part of the inquiry.

Shukr was last seen after visiting the town of Nabi Sheet in the northern Bekaa region, after which all contact with him was lost.

Family members have pointed to Shukr’s background and relatives as relevant context. He is the brother of Hassan Shukr, a Hezbollah operative killed during the IDF’s “Law and Order” operation in 1988, a period marked by Israeli raids on Hezbollah and other militant bases. Hassan Shukr belonged to the group that carried out Ron Arad’s abduction and later transferred him to an unknown location, after which his trail vanished.

Ahmad Shukr is also related to Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, who was killed in an Israeli strike approximately a year and a half ago.

{Matzav.com}

British authorities revealed that a terror plot described as potentially catastrophic was narrowly stopped, following the conviction of two men who had spent months preparing an attack inspired by the ISIS organization.

Deputy Police Commissioner Robert Potts said the planning stretched over a long period and had reached an advanced stage, noting that the suspects were alarmingly close to putting their plans into action.

Prosecutors and police warned that the scheme, had it been carried out, could have resulted in “one of the deadliest terror attacks in the history of the UK, if not the deadliest.”

The men, identified as Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty of plotting a terrorist assault in Britain. Testimony showed that they intended to launch a mass killing spree, using automatic weapons with the explicit aim of murdering as many Jews as possible.

{Matzav.com}