President Donald Trump presided over a momentous diplomatic breakthrough on Thursday as he joined Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in signing a comprehensive peace pact known as the Washington Accords. The agreement, finalized at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, formally brings an end to one of the bloodiest and longest-running regional conflicts on the globe.
During the ceremony, Trump framed the moment as both historic and deeply significant, noting the timing amid the holiday season. “In this holy season we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we have come to the U.S. Institute of Peace, to sign a historic agreement that will end one of the longest-running conflicts anywhere in the world, with far more than ten million people killed,” he said. He continued by declaring, “Today, we commit to stopping decades of violence and bloodshed and to begin a new era of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. I want to thank the two courageous leaders. They are courageous leaders.”
Prior to the formal signing, Trump met privately with Tshisekedi and Kagame in the Oval Office. He later described their discussion as focused on the implementation and durability of the deal. “We discussed the importance of upholding this new agreement — very detailed, powerful agreement,” he said.
A host of regional and international dignitaries were present for the ceremony, and Trump offered warm thanks to each. These included Angolan President João Lourenço, Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Kenyan President William Ruto, Togo’s President of the Council of Ministers Faure Gnassingbé, Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, and senior diplomats from Qatar. He also expressed appreciation to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, adding, “All of these people, every one of them, were indispensable in forging this agreement.”
Trump emphasized that the Washington Accords go far beyond a cessation of fighting. They mandate a “permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state forces, provisions for refugees to return to their homes, and justice and accountability for those who have committed illegal atrocities,” but they also establish a long-term economic partnership. According to Trump, “Very importantly, this agreement also creates a new framework for economic prosperity. There’s tremendous wealth in that beautiful earth… but it was stained badly with blood, tremendous amounts of blood. But in the region that will support a lasting peace.”
He went on to note that the two nations have agreed to integrate their economies more closely. “The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda have agreed to more closely integrate their economies with each other rather than fighting, and they’ll be doing that,” he said.
Trump added that the United States would soon deepen economic ties with both nations. “We’ll be involved with sending some of our biggest and greatest companies over to the two countries, and we’re going to take out some of the rare earth, and take out some of the assets and pay, and everybody’s going to make a lot of money,” he said.
Following Trump’s remarks, Kagame addressed the audience, offering a pointed tribute to the president’s leadership. “The biggest word of thanks goes to President Donald Trump. No one was asking President Trump to take up this task. Our region is far from the headlines, but when the President saw the opportunity to contribute to peace, he immediately took it,” Kagame said. He noted that previous attempts at mediation had repeatedly failed over three decades, but Trump’s style created meaningful traction, explaining that his “forward-looking approach,” “even-handed” posture, and “pragmatic” involvement enabled “breakthroughs.” Kagame also acknowledged Rubio and Boulos for their roles.
Tshisekedi echoed those sentiments, offering his “deep thanks” to Trump and extending gratitude to the administration and the American people. Through a real-time translation, he stated that the Washington Accords “provide to the peoples of the region a new perspective, a new outlook, namely, to finally overcome the cycle of violence, of forced displacements, of mistrust, defiance, in order to begin a new era of friendship, cooperation, and prosperity, all shared together.”
With the signing of the Washington Accords, the Congo–Rwanda conflict — responsible for staggering loss of life and decades of instability — enters a new chapter, anchored by commitments to peace, accountability, regional integration, and economic revival.
{Matzav.com}
[COMMUNICATED]
Over the last few weeks, as the remaining living hostages returned home after two unbearable years in captivity, something became clearer than ever before. Healing isn’t one emotion or one chapter. It’s a journey made up of contrasts – grief and gratitude, darkness and unexpected moments of light, pain and the quiet reappearance of joy.
Listening to the stories these hostages have begun sharing has shown us how much can coexist at once. We heard how Omer Shem Tov made Kiddush every Friday night from a single bottle of grape juice that somehow never ran out. How Yosef Chaim Ohana and others managed to say Selichos in Elul and fast on Yom Kippur. How Matan Angrest and Gali Berman spent their days reviewing Chumash until they knew it by heart. And when those hostages were finally reunited with their families, the relief was overwhelming – a moment touched by joy, even as the horror that preceded it still lingers.
That mix of truth and emotion is something we see every day at Amudim as well. When someone comes to us facing abuse, addiction, trauma, or a mental health crisis, the beginning is often filled with pain. But that’s never the whole story. Over time, new chapters begin to unfold – chapters where strength appears, where hope starts winning, where the possibility of joy becomes real again.
We see it in the father in recovery who tells his sponsor he spent two uninterrupted hours playing ball with his son, and didn’t once think about drinking.
We see it in the survivor who walks into our office after years of sorrow and, for the first time in a long time, laughs – really laughs – as their smile fills the room.
These moments don’t erase what came before. They honor it. They remind us that healing is not the absence of pain – it is the emergence of life on the other side of it. And they remind us of something profound: we’ve become a community that doesn’t only respond to crisis. We build towards hope. We create space for people to rediscover joy. We help rewrite endings.
This year’s Unite to Heal embraces that truth. It is informative, impactful, and yes – uplifting. It highlights the light that can break through even the hardest chapters, and celebrates the resilience of those who are still writing their own stories. Join the thousands of people who will be taking part in Unite to Heal on December 7th and 8th to support those whose stories are still being written, giving them the opportunity to really start living again, knowing that now more than ever, they are never alone, and that happy endings don’t just happen in storybooks.
Zvi Gluck is the CEO of Amudim, an organization dedicated to helping abuse victims and those suffering with addiction within the Jewish community and has been heavily involved in crisis intervention and management for the past 24 years. Click HERE for more information.
The administration is moving ahead with plans for a sprawling new White House ballroom, and officials are preparing to deliver the project details to federal planners before the end of the month. Will Scharf, who leads the National Capital Planning Commission, told attendees at Thursday’s meeting that his panel expects to review the proposal soon. “Once plans are submitted, that’s really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin,” Scharf explained.
The proposed structure — a 90,000-square-foot event hall — would be nearly twice the size of the historic White House itself. President Donald Trump has already described the space as capable of hosting 999 people, a capacity far larger than any current venue on the grounds. The estimated budget for the project has climbed to roughly $300 million, exceeding early cost assessments.
Trump addressed financing questions directly on social media, insisting the massive expansion will not fall on taxpayers. He said the ballroom is being paid for entirely through private contributions from “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”
{Matzav.com}Federal prosecutors suffered another blow on Thursday after a newly convened grand jury declined to approve fresh mortgage-fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to information confirmed by The NY Post. The development marks the second time authorities have tried — and failed — to advance a criminal case tied to a loan James secured five years ago.
The allegations stemmed from a 2020 transaction in which James, now 67, obtained a substantial loan to purchase a second residence in Norfolk. Interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan previously brought two counts against her in the Eastern District of Virginia, accusing her of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Those accusations initially resulted in an indictment handed up in Alexandria on Oct. 9. However, the case was abruptly halted on Nov. 24 when US District Judge Cameron Currie dismissed the charges entirely, concluding that Halligan was improperly installed in her role and therefore possessed “no lawful authority” to pursue the prosecution.
Following that ruling, federal prosecutors in Norfolk attempted to revive the matter by presenting a revised version of the case to a new jury on Thursday. Despite empaneling jurors specifically to reexamine the allegations, the panel declined to issue an indictment, a source with knowledge of the proceedings said.
While the jury’s refusal once again leaves the government without a case, prosecutors still have an opening. Under procedural rules tied to Judge Currie’s dismissal, authorities are afforded a six-month window in which they may attempt to refile charges should they choose to try yet again.
{Matzav.com}
The New York Times has taken the Pentagon to court, filing a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to dismantle the restrictive media rules implemented by War Secretary Pete Hegseth — rules that prompted the mass exile of major mainstream outlets from the building. The paper argues that the policy violates constitutional protections for free speech and due process by granting Hegseth unilateral authority to decide which journalists may be barred. Rather than submit to the revised credentialing requirements, organizations such as the Times walked out.
With those outlets gone, the Pentagon briefing room now consists almost entirely of conservative-leaning publications that agreed to Hegseth’s terms, and their reporters were present at a briefing earlier this week led by his press secretary. Charles Stadtlander, speaking for the Times, condemned the policy outright, saying, “The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes.” The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington.
Pentagon officials did not immediately comment when asked about the litigation.
Even without credentials, the barred news organizations have continued covering defense matters. Over the past week, they led reporting that scrutinized Hegseth’s involvement in a series of U.S. strikes on boats allegedly used by drug smugglers — including one in which a second attack followed after survivors were observed.
Still, the Times maintains that exclusion from the Pentagon undermines its ability to operate effectively. The lawsuit argues that the new system chills reporting by allowing Hegseth to remove journalists whose work he disfavors, even if the reporting contains no classified material. Attorneys for the paper also warned that similar restrictions could spread to other agencies if left unchecked.
For its part, the Pentagon insists the guidelines are nothing more than reasonable safeguards aimed at preventing disclosures that might endanger military personnel. At Tuesday’s briefing, press secretary Kingsley Wilson dismissed the legacy outlets altogether, saying, “The American people don’t trust these propagandists because they stopped telling the truth. So, we’re not going to beg these old gatekeepers to come back and we’re not rebuilding a broken model just to appease them.”
Several major organizations — including CNN, The Associated Press, and The Washington Post — attempted to join that same briefing and were told access was restricted to credentialed press only. The Times is now using Wilson’s “propagandists” remark as proof that the policy discriminates against journalists because of their viewpoints. That is the same legal theory the AP is using in its separate effort to stop President Donald Trump from excluding its journalists from Oval Office and Air Force One events; that case is ongoing in federal court.
The Times’ attorneys argue that their claim is even stronger because their reporters are barred entirely from the Pentagon, whereas AP staff can still enter the White House — albeit not all events. The suit was brought on behalf of the Times and reporter Julian E. Barnes, naming the War Department, Hegseth, and chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell as defendants.
The Pentagon Press Association responded by praising the challenge, calling it a necessary stand. The group said it was heartened by the Times’ willingness to act, stating that the Defense Department’s efforts to control access and limit what accredited reporters may publish “is antithetical to a free and independent press and prohibited by the First Amendment.”
The Times noted that while it moved forward alone to expedite the case, it welcomes other outlets to join the fight as it continues.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump is preparing to head to Pennsylvania in the coming days, with aides saying he intends to spotlight his economic program as the country moves toward the 2026 midterm cycle. A White House spokesperson confirmed the plan to Newsmax, stating, “Can confirm the President will be traveling to PA to discuss how he and the Administration continue to focus on delivering on his Day One priority of ending Joe Biden’s inflation crisis.”
Reports circulating across several media outlets indicate that Tuesday is expected to mark the start of a broader national tour. Those stories come as political opponents and commentators attempt to paint a picture of Trump being distracted by world affairs rather than focusing on household economic burdens.
According to Axios, someone familiar with internal planning suggested that Trump may squeeze in an additional event later this month, with more scheduled after New Year’s. Officials argue that his economic policies are pulling the country out of the downturn they say Joe Biden created, though they acknowledge the administration’s messaging hasn’t yet landed with the force they hoped for.
NBC News quoted a White House official who said the Pennsylvania stop — slated for the northeastern region of the state — reflects an effort to clarify the narrative, even if the underlying policies haven’t changed. The official explained, “It’s more of a narrative thing than it is a substantive thing,” adding, “With the trip coming up here, it’s more to reiterate or underscore, ‘Guys, we’ve been working on this since Day One.’ That’s not changing anytime soon.” The official requested anonymity to offer a frank evaluation of the administration’s strategy.
With inflation shifting slightly from 2.8% to 3% since February based on Consumer Price Index data, Trump has been aggressively challenging Democratic messaging on the cost of living. He has repeatedly dismissed their warnings about affordability as a political stunt. While announcing an end to Biden-era Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules — which mandated a 50-mpg standard by 2031 — Trump declared, “Just about everything is down.”
He went on to argue, “They use the word ‘affordability.’ It is a Democrat hoax,” insisting, “They’re the ones that drove the prices up. … Biden had — because of his stupid ways and between his energy policies and his spending policies — the worst inflation in the history of our country. And now prices are coming down.”
Continuing his critique, Trump said: “Remember, when they use that word ‘affordability,’ they never say anything else. This election is about affordability, and they go on to the next subject.” He labeled the Democrats’ framing “a con job,” stating, “They caused the highest prices in the history of our country, the worst inflation in the history of our country. We are getting those prices down. They are coming down rapidly.”
He assured the public, “You will see those results very soon.”
Axios reported that Biden administration officials have privately conceded that they have failed to ease the financial pressures felt by many families. Those same officials — speaking off the record — suggested Trump’s upcoming Pennsylvania message will serve as an early preview of the more assertive, practical economic agenda he intends to bring back to Washington.
{Matzav.com}
