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Before they can name their next presidential nominee, Democrats will have to decide which state will weigh in first. In 2022, President Joe Biden forced a shake-up of the 2024 election calendar, moving South Carolina’s primary ahead of contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Officials in those traditionally four early-voting states are now positioning themselves to get top billing nearly two years before the Democratic National Committee solidifies the order. Others may make a play, too. It’s a fraught choice for a party already wrestling with questions about its direction after losing November’s White House election to Republican Donald Trump. Each state offers advantages to different candidates and elevates — or diminishes — different parts of the Democratic base. For now, 2028 prospects are making early-state visits, giving a glimpse into what they may see as their own path to the nomination. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was the keynote speaker at a dinner last month for New Hampshire Democrats, visiting a majority white state known for its engaged electorate and independent streak. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor, will appear later this month at a similar party event in South Carolina, where Black voters are the party’s most influential voting group. Pete Buttigieg will join a VoteVets Action Fund gathering in Iowa on Tuesday, marking the former presidential candidate’s first public in-person event since leaving his post as Biden’s transportation secretary. Buttigieg performed well in the 2020 caucuses, which were marred by technical glitches that prevented the declaration of a winner. Iowa looks past snub for ‘fair’ shot in 2028 Biden and others pushed to open the 2024 cycle with a more diverse state than traditional leadoff Iowa, which is 90% white, according to census data. Gone was a five-decade institution of Iowa Democrats engaging in a one-night spectacle where community members publicly signaled their support for a candidate. Last year, they held caucuses eight days before any other state’s contest, as is required by Iowa law. But Democratic voters had cast their 2024 presidential preference ballots by mail, with results released that March on Super Tuesday alongside other states. Biden “picked the calendar that worked for him,” said Scott Brennan, who serves on the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee and previously chaired the Iowa Democratic Party. “When you’re the president, you can do those things. But I don’t know that people in Iowa thought it was very fair.” For now, Iowa Democratic leaders emphasize that their focus is on the 2026 election, when two of Iowa’s four congressional districts will be competitive opportunities to unseat Republicans. Democrats have recently struggled on all electoral fronts in Iowa and have significantly diminished party registration numbers, which some blamed on the loss of the caucuses. But Brennan said many Iowa Democrats continue to believe that the presidential nominating process is well served by Iowa’s early role in it, even if the 2028 format is up in the air. “We took everyone at their word that all bets are off for 2028,” Brennan said. “We expect that there will be a fair process and that we will be given every consideration to be an early state.” Former U.S. Rep. Dave Nagle was more blunt in proposing that the state party commit to first-in-the-nation status regardless, as he did as chair in 1984 when the national party threatened to upend Iowa and New Hampshire’s delegate selection […]

Close to 80 flights were scrapped and over 40 others delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport today after another technical failure struck the airport’s operations, adding to recent disruption at the busy tri-state area travel center.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ground stop lasting 45 minutes in the morning hours, according to information provided to WABC by officials. The disruption was linked to a problem at the air traffic control center serving Newark.

This latest mishap followed a separate radar issue on Friday that also forced a temporary shutdown of operations at the airport.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that flight volume at Newark would be scaled back for “the next several weeks,” citing ongoing issues stemming from a critical shortage of air traffic personnel.

“We want to have a number of flights that if you book your flight, you know it’s going to fly, right?” he said.

Duffy mentioned that a summit is scheduled for this week involving all airlines that operate from Newark Liberty to finalize how many flights will be trimmed from the schedule.

United Airlines accounts for three-quarters of all traffic passing through the airport, making it the primary carrier affected by the changes.

{Matzav.com}

Statements that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during a closed-door discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday were leaked to the press. “The law that the committee decides on is the law that will be,” he said. “Within two years, we’ll draft 10,500 Chareidi recruits. This is the number that the army can absorb.” “We will also implement heavy personal sanctions against individuals and institutions. At the same time, we will ensure that whoever enters Chareidi – leaves Charedi.” Netanyahu also denied recent reports of tensions between Israel and the Trump administration, saying:  “I speak with Trump every few days – at least once every two weeks. They have their interests, but we are working together.” “There are no gaps between us and the Americans. [Strategic Affairs Ron] Dermer is there every few days, and all the talk about gaps between us and the Americans regarding Iran or the Houthis is a campaign that comes from a certain channel, guess which one? It’s all in the media.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In a highly unusual diplomatic move, the royal family of Qatar is preparing to give the United States a Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which will temporarily be used as Air Force One for President Donald Trump, according to ABC News.

Sources speaking to ABC News revealed that this luxury jet—often referred to as a “flying palace”—will be officially presented to Trump during his upcoming trip to Qatar. The jet will then be transferred to the U.S. Air Force, outfitted with the necessary upgrades for presidential travel, and eventually donated to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation prior to the end of his term.

Legal experts from both the White House and the Department of Justice have reportedly determined that the acceptance of the plane complies with American law, including the Constitution’s emoluments clause, as long as it is not linked to any specific governmental action.

The aircraft is estimated to be worth about $400 million in its current condition, though it will undergo extensive modifications to align with Air Force One specifications. These upgrades will be paid for by the U.S. military. Both Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington are said to have reviewed and approved the legality of the deal.

News of this extraordinary gift surfaces amid apparent growing tensions between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. NBC News reported that while the two leaders once had a unified stance against threats from Hamas and Iran, they’ve recently diverged in their strategies. The report also highlighted differences in opinion regarding U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and Trump’s decision to end military actions against Houthi forces in Yemen.

Qatar is widely viewed as unfriendly toward Israel and maintains ties with several of Israel’s adversaries. This includes groups with whom the Trump administration has recently adopted a less confrontational posture, such as the Houthis and Iran.

{Matzav.com}

The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname’s capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the synagogue’s volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was. The operation to digitize the birth records, land sales and correspondence has been overseen by Dutch academic Rosa de Jong, who had used the archive as part of a PhD study on how Jewish refugees fled the horrors of World War II to the Caribbean, including the tiny South American country of Suriname. “I felt that my work comes with an obligation to preserve the past that I’m building my career on,” De Jong told The Associated Press. When she finished her academic research, at the University of Amsterdam, last year, De Jong saw an opportunity to return to Suriname and safeguard the files that had been crucial to her work. She raised the financing for cameras, hard drives and travel expenses and returned to Suriname with the aim of making high-quality scans of the hundreds of folios held by the synagogue. The result is more than 600 gigabytes of data stored on multiple hard drives. One will be donated to the National Archives of Suriname to be included in their digital collections. The archived documents show how Suriname was a hub of Jewish life for the Americas. The British who colonized the region gave Jews political and religious autonomy when they first moved to Suriname in 1639 to manage tobacco and sugar cane plantations. When the Dutch took control of the colony, they continued this practice. When Jewish people were forced out of other places in the Americas, they often fled to Suriname. In 1942, more than 100 Dutch Jewish refugees, fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust, arrived in Paramaribo. Liny Pajgin Yollick, then 18, was among them. In an oral history project for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, she described the relief she felt when she arrived in Suriname to the sound of a familiar song. “I remember it was morning and they played Dutch National Anthem for us when we arrived, and everybody was crying. We were very emotional when we heard that because many of us never thought we would ever hear it again,” she said. When the Netherlands was freed from Nazi German occupation three years later, Teroenga, the magazine published for the Jewish congregations in Suriname, ran with the headline “Bevrijding” (“Liberation”). The archive at Neveh Shalom has a copy of every edition of Teroenga. Key to De Jong’s preservation project has been 78-year-old Lilly Duijm, who was responsible for the archive’s folders of documents for more than two decades. Born in Suriname, when she was 14 she moved to the Netherlands where she eventually became a […]

Rep. LaMonica Mclver said it was part of her job to push, shove and scream at law enforcement outside the ICE detention facility on Friday in an effort to get illegals released back onto New Jersey streets.

Sec. Sean Duffy shuts down reports of cutting FAA staff: “In the safety mission of the FAA like air traffic controllers, no one was cut. We actually have staffed up. We hired more air traffic controllers during this time.”

The IDF’s Nahal Brigade has been withdrawn from the West Bank after three months of operations, ahead of an upcoming major offensive in the Gaza Strip, the military says. “Now, the Nahal Brigade is preparing as part of the 162nd Division for additional missions in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expansion of the fighting in the Strip,” the army says

Presidential adviser Dick Morris revealed to Newsmax that he had recently been in touch with President Donald Trump and affirmed that Trump has no intention of increasing taxes.

As GOP lawmakers work through ongoing budget negotiations, the topic of potential tax hikes has surfaced, particularly in response to the revenue impact of tariffs that Trump implemented on the majority of imported goods.

“I spoke with him yesterday and today, and he’s not going to do that,” Morris stated during his appearance on “The Count.”

“He’s not going to increase the top bracket or raise taxes at all. … He was saying, ‘Why do I have to even look at doing all of this when bringing in … $400 billion with this 10% tariff and billions more with these land sales? Why do I have to even think about raising taxes?’” Morris said.

{Matzav.com}

Q: What is the Torah view of Mother’s Day? And should we consider it a halachic problem of chukos akum, of going in the ways of the non-Jews?

A: There’s no question that the American public has been sold an item that was created for the purpose of filling the pockets of businessmen. The American public is the real proverbial sucker. No matter what you’ll say about Mother’s Day, it’s a day when people make money. Not only florists! Jewelers and bakers and caterers – everybody is lining his pockets because of Mother’s Day.

Now, Mother’s Day doesn’t have any significance based on historical reasons or some religious grounds. A President didn’t think it up. It didn’t begin as an act of Congress – legislators didn’t get together and decide that there must be a day to honor mothers. It was nothing but a ploy of the businessmen. That’s all it is. Now, you mothers will have to forgive me for being so crass and vulgar but that’s the plain truth.

So you’ll say, “But now that Mother’s Day already exists; now it’s here, it’s real – we can’t ignore it.” That’s a different question, what to do now that it’s here. But it’s important to realize where it came from – that makes a difference too.

Now, I’m going to say something that’s going to be fifty percent unpopular. The authenticity of Mother’s Day will depend on how much you celebrate Father’s Day. Because Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, is not genuine. The truth is that Father’s Day was just an afterthought by the businessmen. That’s all. They thought, “If we’re going to cash in on the mothers, so what about the fathers too?” But it turned out to be a flop. Father’s Day is a very small business item. So they sell a few cufflinks, a few cheap things to give the old man; but it’s Mother’s Day – that’s the big day! Oooh and ahhhh!

And you’re taught that you’d better observe it – or else. And how many fights have arisen between husbands and wives because of insufficient appreciation of Mother’s Day! “My Mother’s Day!” she says to him. “That’s how you’re going to celebrate my day?!”

Now, whether observing Mother’s Day or Father’s Day is a transgression of walking in the ways of the goyim, I’m going to leave to the gedolei Yisroel – because I always do that when it’s a halacha shailah. And therefore I’m going to limit myself merely to this overview of the origin of these days.

Now, it’s important for us to realize that as Jews we have days that are really important. לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב ויום הכיפורים. If you want to celebrate, the fifteenth day of Av is a beautiful opportunity. So many good things happened on that day. On that day the generation ceased dying in the Wilderness; the sentence to perish in the wilderness came to an end. Isn’t that a glorious occasion to celebrate? Now, let’s see all the Mother’s Day participants gather and get drunk on Chamisha Asar b’Av. That’s not the proper procedure by the way, but at least something you should do. All of us skip tachanun on the fifteenth of Av because that’s a day you should celebrate.

Now, if you really want to do something, what about Purim? Some people show lip service to Purim; shalach manos and so on. But Purim is a very big day – you should make a big banquet on Purim! That’s the time to summon all the relatives – spread out good foods; make it a big expense! We have days! In the Torah calendar there’s a plentitude of happy occasions. Lag Ba’omer is a glorious occasion. And there are plenty of them.

So why do you have to go shopping for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? And not only are you shopping among the gentiles but we swallow the bait that the storekeepers and the Chamber of Commerce are hanging out for us. We’re silly suckers and because they say “Boo,” so we say “Ooh.” We’re impressed by what they say even if it’s meaningless. All these things are meaningless.

Now, if you’ll go out and say, “Rabbi Miller made Mother’s Day into nothing,” – it’s the truth. But whether we actually should ignore it? That’s a different story because there’s such a thing as darkei shalom. Sometimes for the sake of harmony it pays to do certain things. But this I’m going to leave to bigger men than me. I just want to emphasize that we shouldn’t be slaves to the mode of the day.

Listen to me. There will come a day in America when Mother’s Day will be forgotten. I can guarantee that. It’s not a chok v’lo ya’avor, a statute that will last forever. It’s not in the Constitution by the way, Mothers Day. So it’s possible that it’s some day going to be forgotten.

So people are going crazy because of things that not gentiles, but that businessmen invented!

(May 1976)

Toras Avigdor / 732-844-3670 / info@torasavigdor.org / 1273a 46th Street, Brooklyn NY 11219

Sec. Sean Duffy on the air traffic control issues at Newark airport: “The system is old. This is a system that is 25 — at best — sometimes 50 years old … We HAVE to fix this.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: “If you want to build overseas, okay, you’ll pay tariffs and be less competitive in America so build here…Open your markets. Let our exporters sell to you. Finally get some fair trade.”

Another air traffic control equipment outage caused the FAA to implement another ground stop for Newark flights this morning. FAA advisories show the ground stop lasted for about 45 minutes. This comes after 90-second-long radar and radio outages twice in the past 2 weeks.

During Friday night’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time,” ABC News Contributor and past Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile addressed President Joe Biden’s claim that Kamala Harris’ loss in the 2024 election was due to racism and sexism. While acknowledging racial issues in the country, Brazile emphasized that the United States had twice elected Barack Obama and said she remains “proud” to be part of a nation that did so.

“Kamala Harris, there were many reasons for her defeat, but I think among the first was the fact that the six or seven million Americans who voted for Biden-Harris in 2020 did not come out because they didn’t feel that the administration was doing enough,” Brazile stated. She continued, “And maybe when Kamala was on ‘The View’ and they asked her, what would you do differently? She should say, I’m going to lower costs, I am going to keep faith with the American people, I’m going to create jobs, I’m going to work for you. And if I’m not working hard enough, you take me out in four years. But, look, we know why Kamala lost.”

Brazile also pushed back on the focus on race as the dominant factor, pointing to Obama’s electoral success. “And one last thing, I know people talk about racism, we elected Barack Hussein Obama not once, but twice. So, America may have problems with race, but I’ll tell you one damn thing: I am proud that I live in a country that elected Barack Hussein Obama.”

She concluded with a confident prediction about the future of women in politics: “[W]e are going to have a woman president, y’all just mark my word on that, too.”

{Matzav.com}

Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, announced during an appearance on Channel 12 News that he plans to campaign for the role of prime minister in the next national election, which is currently scheduled for 2026.

When asked directly if he would run, Lieberman replied without hesitation, “Absolutely yes.” He added, “We are running as Yisrael Beytenu, and anyone who wants to join me is welcome to reach out.”

Addressing the proposed legislation to formalize draft exemptions, Lieberman was blunt in his disapproval: “It must not be passed. There must be one draft law for everyone. In my government, we will draft everyone. It’s unacceptable that 60,000 reservists are drafted and sent to the front while draft dodgers are sent home. Anyone who deserts or evades service should have their voting rights revoked.”

Lieberman also weighed in on the U.S.’s recent diplomatic dealings with the Houthis, describing it as a major blow to ties between Washington and Jerusalem. “An unprecedented low. I believe this period could have been handled much better. I won’t analyze it, but the result is that instead of preventing a nuclear Iran, Netanyahu is becoming the father of the bomb—both Iranian and Saudi.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start. Zelenskyy, writing on X, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.” He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire,” in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said. Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations. Putin’s counter-offer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for the truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and U.S. President Donald Trump. In a social media post several hours after Putin’s overnight remarks about peace talks, Trump said it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” “I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added. Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions. “An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media. Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday spoke to Macron and Putin and told them in separate phone calls that Turkey was ready to host the peace talks. He also said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office. Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired. Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures. The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating […]

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of the commemorations marking eight decades since the defeat of Nazi Germany.

During the meeting, as reported by the official PA outlet Wafa, Abbas blamed Israel for what he described as ongoing acts of aggression in both Gaza and the regions of Judea and Samaria. He accused Israel of launching targeted assaults on civilians, including children and the elderly, as well as destroying essential infrastructure and exacerbating famine conditions.

Abbas emphasized the importance of an immediate halt to hostilities in Gaza, referring to Israel’s military campaign as a “war of extermination.” He demanded the swift delivery of humanitarian supplies—such as medicine, fuel, food, and water—and urged a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Additionally, he called for an end to IDF activity in Judea and Samaria and demanded a cessation of Israeli actions in areas of Jerusalem considered holy to both Muslims and Christians.

According to Wafa’s account, Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s backing of Palestinian national aspirations. He reiterated Russia’s stance in favor of halting the conflict, ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need, and rejecting any forced relocation of residents from Gaza.

At the same time, Wafa noted that “Deputy President of the State of Palestine” Hussein al-Sheikh was in Cairo, where he conferred with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. In that meeting, al-Sheikh underlined the Palestinian Authority’s firm position advocating for a ceasefire, the opening of humanitarian corridors, a pullout of Israeli forces, and the handover of Gaza’s governance to the Palestinian Authority.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Trump administration is preparing to accept a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet — dubbed a “flying palace” — as a gift from the royal family of Qatar. The aircraft, valued at nearly $400 million, will reportedly be used as an interim Air Force One during President Trump’s term and then transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation before he leaves office. Sources familiar with the arrangement told ABC News that the gift will be formally announced during Trump’s upcoming visit to Qatar — his first overseas trip of his second term. The highly customized plane, which Trump personally toured in February at West Palm Beach International Airport, features ultra-luxurious interiors and will be retrofitted by the U.S. Air Force to meet presidential transport requirements. While administration lawyers have concluded the arrangement is legally permissible, the plan raises serious questions about ethics, legality, and transparency — including whether this constitutes a form of influence peddling or circumvents the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars U.S. officials from accepting gifts from foreign states without congressional approval. According to sources, legal analysis provided by White House Counsel David Warrington and Attorney General Pam Bondi argues that because the jet is first being donated to the U.S. Air Force, and later to the Trump library foundation, it does not violate anti-bribery statutes or the Emoluments Clause. The rationale hinges on the claim that the gift is not offered in exchange for any official act and ultimately benefits a nonprofit entity, not Trump personally. Still, critics note that the optics of the deal are troubling. The jet — which the U.S. military will modify at taxpayer expense — will serve the president personally before transitioning to his post-presidency institution. The arrangement effectively grants Trump exclusive use of one of the world’s most expensive aircraft, provided by a foreign monarchy, and ultimately transfers it to a foundation bearing his name. “It’s hard to see how this doesn’t raise the specter of foreign influence,” said one legal expert not affiliated with the case. “When a foreign power gives the sitting president a $400 million aircraft that he gets to keep in some form after leaving office, the distinction between public benefit and personal enrichment becomes dangerously blurred.” Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice responded to requests for comment. The Qatari embassy also declined to provide a statement. The transfer comes as the U.S. faces ongoing delays in replacing its aging fleet of Air Force One jets. Boeing’s newest models are not expected to be ready before 2029. Trump, reportedly frustrated by the timeline, has tasked Elon Musk with assisting the Air Force in speeding up delivery, though progress has been limited. Under the current plan, the gifted Qatari aircraft will be used by Trump and the Air Force until the new planes arrive. It will then be handed over — along with any remaining costs — to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than January 1, 2029. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi firmly stated on Saturday that Tehran will not compromise on its nuclear rights, particularly if ongoing discussions with the United States are geared toward limiting those rights, according to a Reuters report.

Araghchi, speaking from Doha just before the next round of indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Oman, emphasized that the Iranian government sees its nuclear program as untouchable and not open for bargaining.

“If the goal of the negotiations is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

He also reiterated Iran’s stance that the country’s nuclear agenda is centered on peaceful energy production and not weaponization. “In its indirect talks with the United States, Iran emphasizes its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and clearly declares that it is not seeking nuclear weapons,” he stated.

Araghchi stressed that Tehran remains committed to diplomatic efforts, but warned that any effort to curtail Iran’s nuclear sovereignty would be a dealbreaker. “Iran continues negotiations in good faith, and if the goal of these talks is to ensure the non-acquisition of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to limit Iran’s nuclear rights, Iran will never retreat from its rights,” Araghchi stated.

Iranian officials have repeatedly maintained that enriching uranium is a fundamental right of the nation and have resisted calls—especially from Washington—for a full stop to enrichment, a concept known as “zero enrichment.”

Just a day earlier, Steve Witkoff, the special envoy on Iran appointed by President Donald Trump, told reporters that any pact with Tehran must include a complete shutdown of Iran’s enrichment operations. He said, “Iran’s enrichment facilities have to be dismantled.”

Trump, while expressing a preference for diplomatic resolution, has consistently signaled that military intervention remains a viable option.

Earlier this week, Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Iran regarding its nuclear program. “I would much prefer a strong, verified deal where we actually blow them up… or just de-nuke them,” he said, referring to Iran’s centrifuges.

“There are only two alternatives there, blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously,” Trump stated.

{Matzav.com}

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to reduce the number of flights in and out of the Newark Liberty International Airport for the “next several weeks,” as New Jersey’s largest airport struggles with radar outages and numerous flight delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Duffy said he will convene a meeting with all the airlines flying out of Newark this week to determine the reduction, adding that it will fluctuate, with a larger reduction coming in the afternoons when international flight arrivals make the airport busier. “We want to have a number of flights that if you book your flight, you know it’s going to fly, right?” he said. “That is the priority. So you don’t get to the airport, wait four hours, and then get delayed.” The Federal Aviation Administration said radar at the facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of Newark airport went black for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. Friday, similar to an April 28 incident. There has been an average of 34 arrival cancellations per day since mid-April at Newark, according to the FAA, with the number of delays increasing throughout the day from an average of five in the mornings to 16 by the evening. They tend to last 85 to 137 minutes on average. The Trump administration proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the U.S. air traffic control system Thursday that includes six new air traffic control centers and technology and communications upgrades at all of the nation’s air traffic facilities over the next three or four years. Duffy said Sunday that he also plans to raise the mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers from 56 to 61, as he tries to navigate a shortage of about 3,000 people in that specialized position. He plans to give those air traffic controllers a 20% upfront bonus to stay on the job. However, he says many air traffic controllers choose to retire after 25 years of service, which means many retire around the age of 50. “These are not overnight fixes,” Duffy said. “But as we go up — one, two years, older guys on the job, younger guys coming in, men and women — we can make up that 3,000-person difference.” Adding more air traffic controllers is in contrast to a top priority of the Trump administration — slashing jobs in nearly all other federal agencies. However, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Duffy deserves credit for putting “caution tape” around FAA safety functions and separating those personnel from DOGE cost-cutting. Kirby said United has already reduced its schedule at Newark, and will meet with Duffy later this week. He expects a deeper cut in capacity to last until June 15 when construction to one of Newark’s runways is expected to be complete, though he thinks some reductions will last throughout the summer. “We have fewer flights, but we keep everything safe, and we get the airplane safely on the ground,” Kirby said. “Safety is number one, and so I’m not worried about safety. I am worried about customer delays and impacts.” (AP)