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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled the airstrike information he posted into Signal chats with his wife, brother and dozens of others from a secure communications channel used by U.S. Central Command, raising new questions as to whether the embattled Pentagon head leaked classified information over an open, unsecured network. NBC News first reported that the launch times and bomb drop times of U.S. warplanes that were about to strike Houthi targets in Yemen — details that multiple officials have said is highly classified — were taken from secure U.S. Central Command communications. A person familiar with the second chat confirmed that to The Associated Press. The information posted in the second chat was identical to the sensitive operations details shared in the first chat, which included members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity of out fear of reprisal for speaking to the press. It’s the second chat involving Hegseth to be called into question This is the second chat group where Hegseth posted the Yemen airstrike information. The first leaked Signal chat accidentally included the editor of The Atlantic and has caused an inspector general investigation in the Defense Department. Hegseth has not directly acknowledged that he set up the second chat, which had more than a dozen people on it, including his wife, his lawyer and his brother Phil Hegseth, who was hired as a senior liaison to the Pentagon for the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, the secretary blamed the disclosure of the second Signal chat on leaks from disgruntled former staff. Hegseth has aggressively denied that the information he posted was classified. Regardless of that, Signal is a commercially available app that is encrypted but is not a government network and not authorized to carry classified information. “I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans,” Hegseth told Fox News on Tuesday. “I look at war plans every day. What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things. That’s what I’ve said from the beginning.” Former defense secretary calls it a ‘serious’ breach Based on the specificity of the launch times, that information would have been classified, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the AP in a phone interview. “It is unheard of to have a Secretary of Defense committing these kind of serious security breaches,” said Panetta, who served during the Obama administration, and who also was director of the Central Intelligence Agency during Obama’s term. ”Developing attack plans for defensive reasons is without question the most classified information you can have.” The news comes as Hegseth has shaken up much of his inner circle. He is said to have become increasingly isolated and suspicious about whom he can trust, and is relying on an increasingly smaller and smaller circle of people. In the last week he has fired or transferred six of his inner support circle, including Hegseth aide Dan Caldwell; the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, Colin Carroll; and Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, Darin Selnick. Those three were escorted out of the Pentagon as the department hunts down leaks of inside information, and in his “Fox and Friends” interview Tuesday, an agitated Hegseth accused those staff — whom he […]

President Donald Trump is set to travel to the Middle East from May 13 to May 16, with confirmed stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, according to an announcement released by the White House.

Although Israel is not currently listed on the president’s travel schedule, Trump noted that “it’s possible other stops could be added,” leaving room for potential changes.

This upcoming tour marks Trump’s inaugural visit to the Middle East during his second term in office.

While Saudi Arabia had initially been selected as Trump’s first international destination following his return to the presidency, he revealed yesterday that he would instead begin his overseas engagements by attending Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome later this week.

{Matzav.com}

A divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigrants who agree to leave the country are allowed some deadline flexibility in a case that was argued before President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. In a 5-4 decision, the court sided with a man who came from Mexico illegally as a teenager and had lived in Colorado for nearly two decades before he was ordered to leave in 2021. The case was argued in November 2024, days after Trump won re-election. Several other new immigration cases have since come before the court on its emergency docket. In the case of Hugo Abisai Monsalvo Velázquez, the Supreme Court majority found that a Saturday deadline to voluntarily leave should have been extended to the following Monday. “Here, as elsewhere, the term ‘days’ operates to extend a deadline that falls on a weekend or legal holiday to the next business day,” conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion, which was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts as well as the court’s three liberal justices. The other four conservatives disagreed, finding that the justices should have sent the case back to a lower court to decide whether federal courts have jurisdiction over this kind of dispute. Justice Samuel Alito also wrote in a dissent joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh that the majority’s opinion amounts to an unwarranted two-day extension. “The Court is sympathetic to petitioner’s plight, but the relevant statutory provision sets a deadline, and no matter how such a deadline is calculated, there will always be those who happen to miss it by a day or so,” Alito wrote. Monsalvo Velázquez was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. in 2004, according to court papers. He settled in the Denver area, where he played high school varsity soccer, attended community college and worked for local businesses. He got married, and the couple bought a house and had two children. He had recently opened his own auto-detailing service shortly before he was ordered to leave the country in 2021. He was allowed to “self deport,” and an immigration judge set a 60-day deadline to leave that fell on a Saturday. Monsalvo Velázquez filed a motion to reopen the proceedings late the Friday before the deadline that was docketed the following Monday. It was rejected by the Board of Immigration Appeals and a federal appeals court. Immigrants who do not leave within the required period face removal, fines and ineligibility for most forms of immigration relief for 10 years. (AP)

CLOSE CALL! Manhole explosion in New York narrowly misses passing family.

For the past year, Dan Hoffman, of Hollywood, Fla., has watched his 11-year-old daughter Nessa train several hours a day, five days a week for the 2025 USA Gymnastics Florida Xcel women’s championships.

The Hoffmans, who are frum Jews, planned each of Nessa’s meets around Shabbos and Yomim Tovim, but it turned out that the Florida championships were to be held over the first days of Pesach.

“This has been a tremendous part of her life for the last year, and then literally, two weeks before, it was ripped away,” Hoffman told JNS. “We considered scootering the 8.2 miles to the Florida Convention Center on the Sunday between seders, which would have been a disaster.”

Months before the competition, the Florida arm of USA Gymnastics told the family that Nessa would be able to compete in the state championship on April 11, the Friday before Pesach. But the private body told the family two weeks prior to the competition that Nessa’s performance scores wouldn’t count toward medals or regional qualification.

Hoffman told JNS that the policy felt punitive. “They told us she could compete on Friday with the same judges, same equipment, same everything, but that her scores wouldn’t count,” he said.

“The only reason not to count the scores was to penalize Jewish athletes for choosing to be religious,” he said. “Everything about it just seemed wrong.”

Hoping to preserve his daughter’s opportunity to compete after so much hard work, Hoffman sought help from the Christian Legal Society and the Orthodox Union.

Nathan Diament, executive director of Orthodox Union Advocacy, told JNS that when he learned of Nessa’s situation he partnered with the Christian Legal Society.

“We knew we had to reach out to the decision makers to urge and press them to accommodate Nessa’s Sabbath observance and still enable her to qualify for regionals,” he told JNS.

The two groups sent a joint letter to Florida Gymnastics urging it to reconsider its policy and allow Nessa’s scores to count.

Steve McFarland, director of the Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom, told JNS that Florida Gymnastics changed its policy.

“To say ‘We’ll score her but the scores can’t count’ is just mean-spirited or just brain-dead,” he told JNS. “They recognized that and rectified it, which is a real pleasant turnaround.”

“We didn’t have to spend a quarter-million dollars in legal fees and have somebody say what any rational human being could conclude: let the 11-year-old get scored and try to reach her childhood dream,” he said. “You don’t need lawyers for that. Just common sense and a heart.”

On April 11, Nessa competed and qualified for the 2025 Florida Xcel Gold Regionals.

It’s rare for youth sports organizations to accommodate religious beliefs of young athletes, according to McFarland.

“There are things worth sacrificing for and obviously, Nessa is willing to sacrifice countless hours to perfect her athletic ability,” he told JNS. “She also realizes that, apparently, there are things even worth more than athletic success and in our society, athletics can be a religion, with all the fervor and passion and emotion and sacrifice that one used to associate with religion.”

“It’s only appropriate that we realize that religious conscience should be celebrated and accommodated wherever possible,” he added.

A fifth grader at Brauser Maimonides Academy, a Modern Orthodox day school in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Nessa told JNS that she is grateful to the two groups for their intervention and for helping her achieve her dream of making it to the regionals.

“Almost not being able to go was really horrible,” she told JNS. “Steven and Nathan helped me get to that goal of regionals and they were super powerful. They helped a lot.”

The gymnast told JNS that Orthodox Jewish athletes should never feel that their religious observance will hold them back.

“Everyone who is having a hard time just has to keep going and push yourself,” she said. “Practice really hard and you’ll get there if you set your mind to it.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

U.S. military airstrikes in Yemen have killed at least 500 Houthi fighters, including several senior commanders, over the past few weeks, according to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani and U.S. officials cited in a report by Saudi daily Al Arabiya. Al-Eryani confirmed that the American strikes targeted key Houthi military infrastructure, including command centers, weapons depots, training camps, and communication hubs. Among those killed, he said, were high-ranking figures involved in maritime attacks and Iranian arms smuggling operations. “This is not just Yemen’s war,” al-Eryani told Al Arabiya. “It is a battle for the international order, for freedom of navigation, and to protect the region from the expansion of the Iranian regime and its terrorist militias.” The strikes come in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes and Israel. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) recently confirmed it had destroyed a Houthi fuel facility in western Yemen in a bid to cut off logistical and financial support. According to Yemeni officials, the air campaign has crippled Houthi air defense systems and significantly degraded their capacity to launch drone and missile strikes, particularly in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis have not publicly acknowledged the reported losses, while Yemeni officials accuse the group of suppressing casualty figures to maintain internal cohesion. Al-Eryani praised the Trump administration’s “precise and justified” response, calling continued American pressure “essential” to containing Iranian influence in the region. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Three key Mossad operatives—R., D., and N.—have been informed by Minister Miri Regev that they will jointly light a torch at the upcoming Independence Day ceremony on Mount Herzl. The honor recognizes their leadership in the high-level “pager operation” conducted in Lebanon.

R., age 49 and based in central Israel, oversaw the mission as the lead commander within the Mossad’s operations division. Her responsibilities spanned all active components of the mission, including deploying agents, creating support infrastructure, and coordinating tightly with other internal Mossad units focused on intelligence, tech, and logistics.

D., a senior technologist within the Mossad’s technology operations unit, led a specialized team that tackled major technological hurdles during the operation. His group engineered breakthrough solutions to preserve the mission’s secrecy and ensure flawless coordination during execution.

N., who serves in the Mossad’s intelligence division, was the driving force behind the intelligence arm of the initiative. He guided the mission from its inception through the planning phase and all the way to operational completion, spearheading dozens of intelligence efforts targeting Hezbollah.

Minister Regev emphasized, “The three Mossad members R., D., and N., together with their colleagues in the Mossad, are behind the seminal operation that will go down in history as operational activity throughout the world. Their complete surprise explosion of thousands of pagers throughout Lebanon, along with thousands of additional radios the following day, led to the breaking of the spirit of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”

She continued, “The pager operation was a dramatic turning point in the northern sector and contributed to Israel’s achievements against the axis of evil led by Iran. The choice of the men and women of the Mossad is how the people of Israel thank you and all the figures in the shadows who stand guard day and night.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a massive overhaul of the State Department on Tuesday, with plans to reduce staff in the U.S. by 15% while closing and consolidating more than 100 bureaus worldwide as part of the Trump administration’s “America First” mandate. The reorganization plan, announced by Rubio on social media and detailed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is the latest effort by the White House to reimagine U.S. foreign policy and scale back the size of the federal government. “We cannot win the battle for the 21st century with bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce resources,” Rubio said in a department-wide email obtained by The AP. “That is why, under the leadership of President Trump and at my direction, I am announcing a reorganization of the Department so it may meet the immense challenges of the 21st Century and put America First.” Plans include consolidating 734 bureaus and offices to 602 as well as transitioning 137 offices “to another location within the Department to increase efficiency,” according to a fact sheet obtained by The AP. It is unclear if the reorganization would be implemented through an executive order or other means. The plans come a week after The AP learned that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50% and eliminating funding the United Nations and NATO headquarters. The budget proposal was in still in a highly preliminary phase and not expected to pass muster with Congress. Ahead of the changes at the State Department, the Trump administration has slashing jobs and funding across agencies, from the Education Department to Health and Human Services. On foreign policy, it’s already dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and moved to defund so-called other “soft power” institutions like media outlets delivering objective news, often to authoritarian countries, including the Voice of America, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia and Radio/TV Marti, which broadcasts to Cuba. (AP)

WH PRESS SECRETARY: The President has made it quite clear that it’s Harvard who has put themselves in the position to lose their own funding by not obeying federal law. We expect all colleges and universities who are receiving taxpayer funds to abide by federal law; it’s quite simple.”

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar implicated himself in the affidavit he submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday, in which he accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the government of various misdeeds, such as telling Bar he must heed the democratically elected government over the Supreme Court Speaking in an interview with Arutz Sheva, Karhi said: “I think that Ronen Bar filed an indictment against himself today in court. He writes there that for the first time, at 1:33 AM (the night before the Oct. 7 massacre), he sent a team of operatives to the Gaza border area. He understood that something terrible was happening, sent a team of operatives five hours before the massacre, but did not wake up the soldiers or call the Prime Minister. He did not do what was required of him as the head of the Shin Bet. He violated the trust that the head of government and the citizens of Israel placed in him. This was not included in the Shin Bet investigation.” Netanyahu’s office released a response to Bar’s affidavit, saying that it was full of lies and slamming Bar, not for the first time, for not waking up Netanyahu the night before October 7, asserting that if he had done so, the massacre could have been avoided. The statement noted that Bar’s affidavit confirmed that he failed on October 7, reason enough for his ouster. The statement also noted that Bar confirmed in his affidavit that Netanyahu expressed his wish to fire Bar in November 2024, contradicting Bar’s claims in February that Netanyahu fired him due to the Qatargate affair. Karhi continued by saying: “There was a government decision, and everything was done according to the law. The Supreme Court order is clearly illegal and against democracy. There is a shadow government here that is trying to neuter the powers of the elected government. The most fundamental thing in a democracy is that the security of the State of Israel is in the hands of the elected officials. We have seen many statements from the Supreme Court saying that they do not interfere in security issues, but it leaves a Shin Bet chief in office whom the government doesn’t trust. This paradox and the extremely hypocritical conduct have no equal in any democracy in the world. It is our job to come and put things in order. The people gave us the mandate.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

President Trump is reportedly weighing a new executive order that would prevent nonprofit organizations from distributing grant money to entities outside the United States, a source familiar with the matter revealed to The NY Post today.

The proposed directive would specifically apply to organizations categorized under “501(c)(3),” the federal tax code classification for nonprofits that are exempt from paying federal income tax.

Some of the most prominent 501(c)(3) entities potentially impacted by the move have been established by major figures often critical of Trump, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Open Society Foundations — the latter founded by progressive billionaire George Soros.

Although the measure has not yet been finalized, the source said internal conversations within the administration are ongoing, with staffers divided on whether to proceed.

“There’s definitely an effort to limit and scrutinize federal tax dollars being shipped overseas, ramp up scrutiny of foreign acquisitions, protect research and [intellectual property], along with critical supply chains. And we’re seeing it across all the different departments,” a source close to the White House told The Post.

The Trump administration has already made moves to cut back international financial outflows. USAID, a major channel for global aid, was effectively dismantled, and AmeriCorps programs were significantly downsized following an internal review by the Department of Government Efficiency.

As things currently stand, nonprofits in the 501(c)(3) category are legally allowed to make donations to overseas groups, provided the funds are used for charitable activities. These donations benefit from a tax-exempt status, allowing American donors to channel their money through U.S.-based nonprofits to support global causes.

For instance, DirectRelief — one of the top ten American nonprofits in terms of annual donations — delivers large quantities of medical supplies and support to nations facing war and disaster.

Similarly, Americares, which receives over a billion dollars annually in donations, extends healthcare-related grants to foreign partners in locations such as Ukraine, Haiti, and areas governed by the Palestinian Authority.

The Gates Foundation alone disbursed $3 billion in grants to 135 countries in 2023, tackling issues such as “gender equality” and “global health.”

Meanwhile, Open Society Foundations distributed funds to recipients in more than 100 nations last year, and as of 2022, it held $130 million in active investments aimed at achieving social impact.

Faith-based charities would also be affected by the proposed order. In 2023, the Christian humanitarian group World Vision International allocated over $70 million to aid efforts in Ukraine, $11 million to programs in Mexico, and another $25 million to support Colombia.

The potential crackdown on international philanthropy comes on the heels of Trump’s move to reconsider Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. That action was prompted by Harvard’s resistance to his call for faculty and student audits focused on “viewpoint diversity” and institutional reforms addressing campus antisemitism.

{Matzav.com}

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “We’re doing very well in respect to a potential trade deal with China… We feel everyone involved wants to see a trade deal happen — and the ball is moving in the right direction.”

The WH Press Sec. said that the administration has received 18 trade proposals from foreign countries so far — and that officials have trade meetings with 34 countries this week alone.

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “They were Pentagon employees who leaked against their boss to news agencies in this room, and it’s been clear since Day One from this administration that we are not going to tolerate individuals who leak to the mainstream media… the Secretary of Defense is doing a tremendous job.”

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “No student loan has been referred to collection since March of 2020. That comes to an end. On May 5th, the Department of Education will resume involuntary collections for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans.”

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest point since his return to the White House, with just 42% of Americans approving of his performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday. The six-day survey, which concluded on April 21, marks a decline from 43% three weeks earlier and a fall from the 47% approval he enjoyed shortly after his January 20 inauguration. The dip in public support comes as Americans express growing unease over Trump’s tariffs and aggressive efforts to expand executive power. A striking 83% of respondents, including 73% of Republicans, said the president must obey federal court rulings, even when he disagrees with them. This sentiment follows recent legal clashes, including a federal judge’s order halting deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members, which some Trump administration officials may have violated. Such actions have raised concerns about the rule of law, with 57% of respondents—including a third of Republicans—opposing Trump’s push to withhold funding from universities. Trump’s handling of key issues also drew mixed reviews. On immigration, long a cornerstone of his political platform, 45% approved of his performance, while 46% disapproved. His ratings were notably weaker on inflation, taxation, and foreign policy, where disapproval outpaced approval. Only 34% approved of his handling of foreign policy, down from 37% in late March, with 59% of respondents saying the U.S. is losing credibility on the global stage. The poll also captured public resistance to Trump’s more unconventional proposals. A majority—66%—opposed the idea of the president controlling cultural institutions like the Smithsonian or the Kennedy Center, where Trump has sought to exert influence by ordering the removal of “improper” ideology and installing himself as board chair. These moves have sparked criticism that Trump is overreaching his authority, a concern echoed by 49% of Americans who, in a separate survey, said they believe Trump wants to be “king of the United States.” Economic concerns continue to weigh heavily on Trump’s approval. Despite his campaign promises to combat high prices, 70% of Americans expect his tariff policies to drive up the cost of groceries and other essentials, a sentiment that has intensified as the White House imposes steep levies on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. The S&P 500 has lost over $3 trillion in value since its peak last month, reflecting market jitters over a potential global trade war. “Trump’s early actions seem to be alienating even some of his base,” said Kyle Kondik, an analyst with the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “While his immigration policies still resonate with many supporters, the broader public is skeptical of his economic moves and power grabs.” Trump’s approval rating, while low, remains higher than much of his first term (2017-2021), when it dipped to 33% in December 2017, and outperforms his predecessor Joe Biden’s lowest rating of 35% in late 2024. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “Thanks to President Trump’s America First economic approach, investments continue to pour into our country… it’s a top priority for President Trump to ensure that we are producing critical medicines and pharmaceutical drugs right here in America.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that as of 4 PM EST today, the use of artificial dyes in food products is officially banned in the US.

Efforts to locate the diver who disappeared following a shark attack in Chadeira on Monday have been suspended, according to an announcement by ZAKA.

The search was called off after authorities discovered what are believed to be human remains near the area where the diver went missing.

“From the moment we received the report, we went to the scene with large forces from the Israel Police, the Marine Police Unit, the Fire and Rescue Flame Unit, volunteers from the rescue units and other forces,” ZAKA stated.

They described the situation as both rare and highly challenging, noting that it required significant coordination and a high level of expertise from all those involved in the response effort.

ZAKA’s professional diving team conducted thorough underwater sweeps with the help of advanced sonar equipment. The organization noted that these divers are highly trained and experienced in aquatic search-and-rescue missions.

Material recovered from the location was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir for analysis and identification. Officials close to the investigation indicated that a decision on whether to resume the search will be made after the forensic results are reviewed.

ZAKA added that “we are prepared to bring the findings found at the scene to the Israel Grave and are accompanying the family during their difficult time.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called for enhanced engagement with India and said that the South Asian country should buy more defense equipment and energy from the U.S. and allow Washington greater access to its market, lending momentum to an expected bilateral trade deal. Vance, who is on a four-day visit to India, said that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made progress on trade talks during their discussions on Monday, and confirmed that both sides had finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiation — a vital step towards setting the road map for the final agreement. India and the U.S. hope to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year and have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between both countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well. “I believe there is much that India and America can accomplish together,” Vance said at an event in the western city of Jaipur, where he, his wife Usha Vance and their three children were on a sightseeing tour. Vance’s first visit to New Delhi came amid the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s partially-paused tariff program against most countries, including India. Earlier this month, Trump announced a 90-day pause in which imports from most countries would face a baseline 10% tax so that there was time to hold talks and possibly structure broader deals. The trade negotiations are especially urgent for India and could help New Delhi avoid sharp U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has portrayed its strategy of tariffs as forcing negotiations that could limit the reach and influence of China, the world’s dominant manufacturer and New Delhi’s main rival in the region. At the event, Vance sought to assuage fears over Trump’s tariff decisions and said his administration was seeking to rebalance global trade so that the U.S., with friends like India, can build a better future. He said that trade relations must be based on fairness. “I come here with a simple message,” Vance said. The Trump administration “seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and shared national interest. We want to build relationships with our foreign partners who respect their workers.” Vance said that he was in India to strengthen ties between both nations, and criticized previous governments for looking at New Delhi as a cheap source of labor. “I believe that if India and the United States work together successfully, we are going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful,” he said, adding that if this didn’t happen, it would mean a “dark time for all humanity.” Washington has long sought to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi, which is seen as a bulwark against China. Modi has established a good working relationship with Trump, and the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries. Modi was also among the first leaders to visit the U.S. and hold talks with Trump that kickstarted a negotiation process to minimize the possible fallout of Trump’s tariffs. The two leaders also said they planned to grow their defense partnership. India is a close partner of the U.S. and is part of the Quad, which is made up […]