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As part of their big tax bill, Republicans in Congress are pumping billions of dollars into President Donald Trump’s mass deportation and border security plan with nearly 20,000 new officers, stark new $1,000 in fees on migrants seeking asylum and $46.5 billion for a long-sought border wall. Tuesday launched the first of back-to-back public hearings as House Republicans roll out the fine print of what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill ” — which is focused on $5 trillion in tax breaks and up to $2 trillion in slashed domestic spending. But it also pours some $300 billion to beef up the Pentagon and border security as the Trump administration says it’s running out of money for deportations. House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to have the bill wrapped up by Memorial Day and then send it to the Senate, which is drafting its own version. “We are on track,” Johnson, R-La., said at his weekly press conference. This was always expected to be the hard part, where Republicans who have control of the House and Senate begin to fill in the difficult details of what, until now, has simply been a framework for Trump’s tax package at the cornerstone of the GOP’s domestic agenda. As Trump rounds his 100th day in office, the GOP’s stiff immigration provisions come as Americans are showing unease with the president’s approach, with just half saying he’s focused on the right priorities. The White House is battling high-profile court cases after it mistakenly deported a Maryland man to El Salvador and, over the weekend, Trump’s team rounded up countless immigrants, including foreign-born parents who were deported with their American-born toddlers and small children in tow. Democrats are fighting back in the House and Senate, and the halls of public opinion, but as the minority party in Congress, they have little ability to stop the forward march of the package. Instead, they used Tuesday’s hearings to try to shame Republicans into rethinking their approach. “Do a little soul searching before you vote for this,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, at one point during the debate. Building the US-Mexico border wall and hiring bonuses for officers Central to the Homeland Committee’s section of the legislation is $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, with some 700 miles of “primary” wall, 900 miles of river barriers, and more. There’s also $4 billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as well as 5,000 new customs officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses. Democrats kept the committee in session for hours, submitting some three dozen amendments to change the package. They all failed. Among the first Democratic amendments offered was from Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana to prohibit the use of funding to deport American children. Another from Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island would stop the money from being used to send Americans to foreign prisons. “What world are we living in?” Magaziner asked. He said allowing Republicans to “keep trampling on rights, soon everyone’s rights” will be under threat. Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., as he gaveled the committee open, said, “It is critical that the Republican majority do what the people elected us to do.” The committee approved its bill on a party line vote. GOP goals: 1 million deportations, 100,000 detention beds […]

In the wake of the public uproar surrounding the World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections — and amid recent shocking revelations that the Conservative movement covertly ran a campaign within the chareidi community to undermine the Eretz HaKodesh slate — a recording has now surfaced documenting Rav Gershon Edelstein’s explicit directive encouraging American talmidim to vote for Eretz HaKodesh. Matzav.com has obtained this exclusive recording.

The publication of this recording comes just as the window to vote in the WZO elections is closing. Its release also follows revelations that Conservative figures Yizhar Hess and his assistant Eyal Ostrinsky financed a large-scale operation, allegedly compensating chareidi go-betweens to stir opposition to the Eretz HaKodesh slate within the chareidi world.

The individual who had been in possession of the recording told Matzav.com, “All this time, I chose not to share the recording, even as tensions around the issue escalated,” he said. “I kept it to myself out of deference to the directive from the gedolim that any encouragement to support Eretz HaKodesh be handled privately — passed discreetly from one person to the next, rather than promoted through public campaigning. But now that it’s evident that outside players have intentionally created turmoil and dragged this into the public arena to harm our efforts, I was given direct instruction, rooted in daas Torah, to release the recording openly.”

The recording opens with a brief introduction by Rav Gershon’s grandson, Motty Paley, who presents the matter to his grandfather.

Here is the full audio with sub-titles, followed by a transcription:

Grandson: “There’s a question — there’s this matter of the World Zionist Organization in America.”

The rosh yeshiva expresses surprise at the very existence of this body, which for years was not publicized and operated far from public view, and asks: “There is still such a thing?”

The grandson answers and explains why the issue is significant despite the fact that the body itself is almost irrelevant to any public matter.

Grandson: “There is still such a thing. It’s not active in anything significant, but there’s one thing — there is a lot of money there. Their annual budget is a billion dollars.”

Rav Gershon: “What do they do with it?”

The grandson answers and explains in detail all sides of the issue.

Grandson: “Over time, control over this body and its money lies in the hands of 250 people who are elected once every five years. It is divided — 150 of these people are from America. According to the rules, that’s how it’s set up. Anyone who wants can vote online — just one click, and he votes. Now, what’s happening is that Reform Jews have taken over this body, and they are taking this money and channeling it into battles over issues like giyur, the Kosel, and various matters against Yiddishkeit. They are investing the money for these purposes.

“Now, this issue came up among the American rabbanim because there are elections for this body, and there’s an opportunity to get our people into it. It’s simply a matter of two parts — there’s the sur meira [turning away from evil], and there might also be an aseh tov [doing good].
It involves several organizations — there’s the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemet L’Yisroel, various bodies that are involved. And of the 150 people, they form the majority of the American representatives. Every American citizen can vote. Now, the question is like this: that’s on one hand. On the other hand, it’s the Zionist Organization — are we telling our people to vote for the Zionist Organization? They have to pay membership dues — five dollars — and become members of the Zionist Organization, and then they can vote. That’s how it works.

“This question was actually brought to the rabbanim in America — whether to do it or not to do it. And they said very clear words — that it’s halacha v’ein morin kein [the halacha is yes, but it should not be publicly disseminated]. They would not issue a public letter to the public to go and vote, but they themselves send emissaries — including Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky — all of them quietly send people to vote and act on it.”

The grandson continues: “There was someone here a year ago — Yisrael Friedman (editor of Yated Ne’eman in Eretz Yisroel) — who came to speak to Saba [grandfather] about the issue, regarding the many Americans here in Eretz Yisroel, what to do with them, whether to tell them to vote or not to tell them, to remain silent or not. In practice, Saba said that it is forbidden for an official instruction to come out from the gedolim of Eretz Yisroel on the matter. Because we… Saba and Rav Chaim [Kanievsky] are not in favor of the Zionist Organization, to become members in the Zionist Organization? Even though it doesn’t have real significance for anything nowadays, nevertheless, the Zionist Organization was once a problematic body. I don’t know exactly what it was — Saba surely knows it from many years ago — the Zionist Organization and what it represented.”

The grandson then poses the immediate question: “Now the question is like this: They are avreichim, he [Rabbi Nechemia Malinowitz] is managing all the English-language advocacy for Degel HaTorah. They are asking whether they really need to help and act in this matter quietly — without a real formal instruction — quietly to work on it. Is it permissible for them?”

Rav Gershon: “Do they have a ruling (hora’ah) from America?”

Grandson: “Yes.”

Rav Gerson: “So what’s the problem? They are Americans.”

Another speaker participating in the conversation details and explains that the talmidim in Eretz Yisroel are asking for an answer from the gedolim in Eretz Yisroel and not to rely solely on the ruling from the gedolim in America, since this is Eretz Yisroel and there are American bochurim learning in yeshivos like Mir and Brisk.

To this, Rav Gershon responds: “There is benefit (to’eles) in this. There is benefit in this.” (He repeats this a number of times.)

The grandson tries to summarize the response.

Grandson: “The rosh yeshiva is saying that since they have an instruction from their rabbanim in America, that is sufficient.”

Rav Gershon: “And there is benefit in this. There is spiritual benefit in this.”

Rav Malinowitz: “Indeed there is benefit — one can save the Kosel, and save giyur, and save other things…”

The Rosh Yeshiva again repeats (in a soft voice): “There is benefit in this. There is benefit.”

The grandson requests a bracha for success for their activities in the election campaign.

Grandson: “They want a brachah.”

Rav Gershon: “Amein.”

{Matzav.com}

The Beersheva District Court on Tuesday sentenced Moti Maman, a 73-year-old Ashdod resident, to 10 years in prison for collaborating with Iranian intelligence and discussing plans to assassinate Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli leaders. Maman, convicted in December of contact with a foreign agent and unauthorized entry into an enemy state, traveled twice into Iran, where he met with Iranian security officials and plotted attacks targeting Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant. Judge Benny Sagi, president of the court, said the sentence was intended to send a warning. “The punishment must reflect a significant element of deterrence and convey a clear and distinct message regarding the severe price of maintaining illicit and unlawful ties with Israel’s enemies,” Sagi wrote in the verdict. The court emphasized the context: Maman’s offenses were committed amid an ongoing war against Hamas, a terror group backed by Iran, and at a time when Israel was under assault on multiple fronts — from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Despite expressing regret and admitting to the charges, Maman’s persistence in meeting Iranian officials for a second time, knowing the nature of the discussions, showed a “willing and dangerous commitment” to the relationship, the court said. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence, while Maman’s defense attorney, Eyal Besserglick, blasted the 10-year term as “completely disproportionate” and vowed to appeal. Besserglick argued that other Israelis awaiting trial for Iranian-linked espionage had engaged in even more serious acts, making Maman’s punishment unjustly severe. Maman’s arrest last August, only disclosed a month later, marked one of the first visible cracks in an alarming wave of Iranian recruitment efforts targeting ordinary Israelis. According to investigators, Maman — a businessman with long-standing ties in Turkey — was lured into Iran under the pretense of business opportunities. In May 2024, he was smuggled across the Turkish-Iranian border inside a truck and introduced to Iranian operatives who quickly pivoted discussions toward espionage and assassination. The Shin Bet revealed that Iranian agents proposed various missions: planting weapons and cash at designated locations in Israel, photographing crowded public areas, intimidating Israeli operatives working for Iran, and even plotting to murder Israeli leaders as revenge for the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Maman was also asked to help locate Russians or Americans willing to assassinate Iranian dissidents abroad and to attempt recruiting a Mossad double agent. Maman reportedly demanded a $1 million advance, but ultimately received just 5,000 euros before returning to Israel, where he was promptly arrested. The case is part of a broader, disturbing pattern. In just the past year, dozens of Israelis have been arrested — including IDF reservists and civilians — for alleged spying, intelligence gathering, and planning attacks under Iranian direction. Israeli authorities have issued repeated warnings to citizens about the dangers of contact with foreign agents, promising aggressive prosecution against anyone who conspires with enemy states. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Since IDF forces resumed military activities in Gaza after the collapse of the ceasefire, there have been almost no face-to-face battles between IDF forces and Hamas terrorists. Instead, the terrorists ambush IDF forces, emerging from tunnel shafts, hiding in dense fields, and then jumping out and opening fire on IDF soldiers. Sadly, these ambushes recently led to several IDF fatalities. The army is tackling the issue with an original solution: clearing and exposing all agricultural areas adjacent to the border fence, Channel 12 reported. According to the report, the operation involves burning the agricultural areas in the northern Gaza Strip and locating tunnel shafts, explosives, and even terrorists in the exposed area. It is a large area of ​​thousands of dunams, and the goal is to scan the areas, among other methods, via drones. Several tunnel shafts have already been revealed during the operation, and various weapons and intelligence materials were found. An IDF source quoted in the report said that the goal of the operation, among other things, is to ensure the security of the residents of the Gaza border area by exposing the areas hidden by vegetation. “Clearing the area allows us to see the terrorists and the enemy’s weapons through drones and other means,” the source said. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron, opened this afternoon with a solemn ceremony at Yad Labanim, honoring fallen soldiers and victims of terror.

During the event, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed the audience, stating: “My brothers and sisters, members of the family of the bereaved, this is also my family, close to the anniversary of my brother’s death. Each fallen person was a unique personality that we remember on this sacred day. How do we get through the day? How do we breathe? Because at the moment we receive the news, the most bitter of all, there is no air left. Everything is empty. And this is the great meaning of the embrace of the people. The people and the country for which our heroes fell. It is only thanks to our standing together, shoulder to shoulder, that we learn to walk again, and we walk in the path of our loved ones to ensure the eternity of Israel.”

Netanyahu shared the moving story of Shaul Moyal, saying: “Six months ago, Shaul Moyal, 47, a reserve soldier in the Alon Brigade, went on operational activity. His wife Smadar stayed behind, as did their 10 children. Shaul was asked many times, ‘Why are you doing this? At your age and your family situation – 10 children – you can be exempted.’ He would reply: ‘I have a mission to complete. I was called to duty on October 7th for the most just war possible. To return the residents of the north safely to their homes. So said Shaul, a wonderful educator, who fell in the operation to destroy a Hezbollah terror compound,” Netanyahu said.

He continued by recounting the powerful message Smadar Moyal shared with her children after the mourning period: “At the end of the shiva, Smadar gathered their 10 children and told them this: ‘We will rise from the crisis, we will live with the crisis. Right now, there is a deep hole in our lives, but we will build bridges over it. We will continue to give of ourselves to the state and the people because this is a huge privilege. It is the spirit of the 25,000 fallen soldiers of Israel. Jews, Druze, Christians, Circassians, Muslims, Bedouins. We have been given a historic opportunity to renew our national independence, and I tell you – we will not get another chance. Therefore, we must guard the State of Israel with all our might, and that is what we are doing.”

The prime minister also praised the younger generation for rising to the challenge in these difficult times, saying: “We have learned that the screen generation, the TikTok generation as they called it, this generation knows how to step away from the screen and connect with reality. After the October 7 massacre, the IDF soldiers revealed themselves in their full glory. They are attacking those who seek to meet us on all fronts, fighting like lions to achieve victory. They are giving their lives to create the conditions for the return of our precious hostages, who are constantly before our eyes. Bringing them home is a sacred mission and one that we will not relent from. We all understand who we are fighting against and what we are fighting for.”

{Matzav.com}

QUEENS: Earlier today, Queens Shomrim responded to a missing person incident on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills. With the help of Hatzolah of Queens & Great Neck, the NYPD’s 107th Precinct, and fellow Shomrim members from other divisions, the individual was quickly located and safely reunited with their family.

A newly released medical report from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a grave warning on Tuesday, stating that the bodies of many deceased hostages could soon be lost forever, eliminating the possibility of recovering them for burial.

The document highlights two central dangers. The first is a critical loss of knowledge: many of the deceased hostages’ burial sites are known to only a handful of people who may die or vanish amid the fighting, leaving behind no trace or record. With each day that passes, this gap in intelligence grows, making it increasingly unlikely that reliable, first-hand information can be secured to support recovery missions.

The second danger involves physical degradation: the extreme environmental conditions in Gaza—such as intense heat, flooding, and structural collapses—are rapidly destroying the condition of the bodies. This damage makes it harder not only to retrieve the remains but also to identify them and determine how these individuals died, a step that may be necessary in any future investigative efforts.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum emphasized that this situation is especially poignant on Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, a day set aside to remember the nation’s lost lives. They said the occasion should reinforce the national responsibility to ensure that even the deceased hostages are brought back and laid to rest with honor.

The report stresses that time is not on Israel’s side. The longer action is delayed, the more evidence disappears, the fewer clues remain, and the lower the chances become of recovering the bodies. This delay, the Forum argues, not only harms the grieving families but also obstructs a broader process of healing and reconciliation. The authors call on leaders to act swiftly to recover all 59 hostages still held in Gaza, including the 35 confirmed dead.

Prof. Hagai Levine, who heads the Health Team within the Forum, said: “There is a real danger to the deceased hostages, one that could impair the ability to return them for proper burial. The dignified return of the fallen hostages for burial, alongside the return of the living for rehabilitation, is a fundamental condition for healing the personal, social, and national wound. It is a moral and national obligation of the State of Israel toward its citizens, part of the unwritten covenant upon which Israeli society rests. Without the return of the deceased hostages and in the absence of certainty, the families become the living-dead, and the fallen remain the dead-alive. This wound undermines the very trust upon which the social fabric relies.”

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli military is reportedly preparing to ramp up its ground operations in Gaza, according to a report from Kan News on Tuesday.

This escalation comes as a result of ongoing frustration over stalled efforts to reach a deal for the release of hostages, prompting both military and government leaders to chart a more aggressive course of action.

Thousands of reservists have already received advance notice of impending activation. Most of those contacted are part of infantry and armored divisions expected to take part in new combat deployments. However, this is not being classified as an emergency mobilization.

In addition, part of the operational expansion reportedly includes an overhaul of how humanitarian aid is distributed within Gaza. Under the updated plan, the IDF will assume control over the aid process.

While actual distribution will still be handled by civilian contractors, the logistics and organization will now take place under military coordination, with the infrastructure managed by the army.

Israeli officials reportedly believe that Hamas may choose to avoid conflict with the civilian population by refraining from interfering with the new aid system, thereby reducing the likelihood of direct clashes over the supplies.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Trump administration has started firing Biden-era appointees from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board.

After military buildups from both Pakistan and India in the past week, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will call his counterparts in both nations and will be “urging them to not escalate the situation…as early as today or tomorrow.”

Executives at some of the world’s biggest companies are faced with the tricky task of explaining how President Donald Trump’s tariffs are impacting their business as they discuss the latest financial results. Some are making their best estimate based on what they know at the moment; others are pulling their outlooks altogether. The only certainty is that they’ll use a variation of the phrase “uncertain times” at least once as they speak with analysts. Trump has imposed tariffs against key U.S. trading partners, while also postponing other tariffs to give companies a chance to negotiate. The process has left business and consumers uncertain amid a constantly shifting landscape. Over the last few months, tariffs have been announced and in some cases withdrawn within days. Here’s what some of those companies are saying: Kraft Heinz Kraft Heinz is cutting its earnings forecast for the year, citing a volatile environment. The maker of food staples, including its namesake ketchup and boxed macaroni & cheese, is under pressure along with other food companies as inflation continues squeezing consumers. Tariffs could force companies to raise prices on consumer staples and food products, further fueling inflation. “We’re closely monitoring the potential impacts from macroeconomic pressures such as tariffs and inflation,” said Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera, in a statement. JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways pulled its financial forecast for the year over worries about slowing travel demand as consumer confidence weakens. The travel sector, including airlines, faces an indirect impact from tariffs. Tariffs threaten to raise prices on a wide range of consumer goods, worsening inflation and squeezing consumers. Discretionary spending on travel is often among the first budget items that households consider trimming or cutting completely in order to deal with higher costs elsewhere. “In the first quarter we saw booking strength from January deteriorate into February and worsen into March,” said Marty St. George, JetBlue’s president, in a statement. JetBlue said it is considering capacity reductions, fleet retirement and other costs savings to help boost profits and preserve cash. A report from the Conference Board Tuesday showed that Americans’ confidence in the economy slumped for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the COIVD-19 pandemic. Coca-Cola Coca-Cola said the impact of tariffs on its business is likely to be “manageable.” Still, the beverage giant moderated expectations for its full-year profit. It now expects full-year adjusted earnings to grow 7% to 9%, down from 8% to 10% previously. Coke earned $2.88 per share in 2024. Coke and other beverage makers are facing a 25% tariff on the aluminum they use for cans, among other items. The company has said that it could shift aluminum suppliers, rely more heavily on plastic or glass bottles and take other measures to counteract the tariffs. Last week, rival PepsiCo lowered its full-year earnings expectations due to the impact of tariffs. General Motors General Motors is reassessing its expectations for 2025 due to auto tariffs. The automaker is pushing back its conference call to discuss its guidance and quarterly results until Thursday, so that it can assess potential changes to the Trump tariffs. On Tuesday, the White House said Trump will sign an executive order to relax some of his 25% tariffs on autos and auto parts. GM’s current forecast for earnings of $11 to $12 per share doesn’t consider the potential impact of tariffs. […]

[COMMUNICATED]

Confident. Emotionally grounded. Rooted in Torah. That’s the kind of child every parent dreams of raising — and in this powerful course, renowned psychotherapist and best-selling author Dr. David Lieberman gives you the tools to make it happen.

Confident. Emotionally grounded. Rooted in Torah. That’s the kind of child every parent dreams of raising — and in this powerful course, renowned psychotherapist and best-selling author Dr. David Lieberman gives you the tools to make it happen.

President Trump on his first 100 days in office: “Either we’ve done everything or it’s in the process of being done.”

President Trump on auto tariffs: “We just wanted to help them during this little transition. Short term… It has to do with a very small percentage. If they can’t get parts, we didn’t want to penalize them.”

Reporter: “How did you call with Jeff Bezos go?” President Trump: “Great. Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing. He’s a good guy.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at Amazon on Tuesday, accusing the online retail giant of siding with Beijing after it was reported that the company plans to mark items with a surcharge label due to new tariffs. She condemned the decision as politically motivated and confrontational.

“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt stated during a White House press briefing, as reported by Fox News. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”

Leavitt mentioned that she had “just got off the phone” with President Trump regarding Amazon’s latest move, though she declined to discuss his personal dealings with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, saying, “I will not speak to the president’s relationships with [company founder] Jeff Bezos.”

The proposed label, which would notify shoppers that certain product prices include surcharges stemming from the newly announced tariffs on Chinese goods, has stirred debate amid a fresh wave of trade friction between Washington and Beijing.

Leavitt’s pointed remarks follow President Trump’s early April announcement of a sweeping tariff package targeting Chinese imports, which the administration described as a correction of long-standing trade disparities.

In the aftermath of that decision, many third-party Amazon sellers have responded by increasing the prices of popular consumer products — ranging from household items to gadgets and clothing.

According to tracking data, almost 1,000 items listed on Amazon have experienced price increases since the middle of April, as the new tariff structure reverberates across the marketplace.

The analytics company SmartScout reported that the average hike among affected items is close to 30%, reflecting a broad and immediate impact.

These price jumps have touched numerous categories, with notable brands such as Anker — a major supplier of charging gear — adjusting prices on about 25% of its product listings.

“It’s one of the first concerted efforts I’ve seen where nothing explains the price hikes other than tariffs,” said SmartScout CEO Scott Needham, speaking to CBS MoneyWatch.

This clash with Amazon comes shortly after President Trump offered unexpected praise for Jeff Bezos, marking a dramatic shift from their previously combative dynamic.

In a conversation with The Atlantic, Trump described how his once-contentious relationships with Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have turned into ones rooted in “respect.”

He credited both tech leaders for realigning their companies’ internal policies to better reflect the principles of his administration.

“They’ve been great,” Trump said of the tech moguls.

“It’s just a higher level of respect. I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”

{Matzav.com}

Pakistani and Indian forces clash along the international border in Jammu’s Pargwal-Akhnoor sector.

PEARL RIVER NEAR MONSEY: Firefighters and other personnel are on the scene of a second-alarm structure fire at 38 Griffith Place. EMS is on the scene treating multiple patients for smoke inhalation. Updates to follow.

House Republicans propose $80 billion for mass deportations, including $45 billion for detention and $8 billion to hire 10,000 new ICE agents.