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Consumer confidence sank 7.9 points in April to a reading of 86 – the lowest level since May 2020, during Covid lockdowns.

President Donald Trump has reportedly deported 139,000 illegal aliens in his first 100 days and is outpacing deportations under Former President Barack Obama in his first term.

Karoline Leavitt goes off on Amazon for announcing they will display tariff costs to consumers: “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden admin hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”

Secretary Bessent announces that President Trump will allow companies who move their manufacturing back home will have their factory costs fully expensed! “The other thing that we are looking to add is full expensing for factories. So bring your factory back! You can fully expense the equipment and the building!”

DEVASTATING: During a meeting between Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu and this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut torch-lighters on Monday, Sara Netanyahu was heard whispering that fewer than 24 hostages in Gaza remain alive, a video released by the Prime Minister’s Office shows.

A major fire broke out at an electrical substation on Aberdeen Place, in the Maida Vale neighborhood of northwest London. Evacuations were carried out as a precaution, and the government issued emergency warnings.

Canada’s incoming Prime Minister Mark Carney: “America Wants to Control Canada. That Will Never Happen.”

Druze forces from the Suweida Military Council head to the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, after clashes erupted overnight between local Druze and Syrian government forces, killing at least 12 people. Convoys of Syrian government forces have also reportedly been sent to the area.

Sen. Bill Hagerty: “This has been the most effective, most impactful in a positive sense 100 days in my lifetime… In November of last year, 75% of the American public felt that this nation was on the wrong track… We’re moving in the right direction and I think the Democrat Party is imploding as a result of it.”

BREAKING: Authorities are investigating after a suspicious package was received by the Bais HaVaad. Multiple suspicious packages have been received by Lakewood residents since Shabbos.

Kristi Noem on her purse being stolen by an illegal immigrant: “This is what Americans shouldn’t have to live with.“

The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle ten assault rifles into Israel from Egypt last night, using a drone. The drone had been identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel, before it was downed by troops of the Border Defense Corps’ Caracal Battalion.

Amid rising tensions, the Pakistan Army has release footage showing strikes on two Indian Army posts in Kashmir’s Leepa sector during today’s border clashes.

The IDF is preparing to significantly expand the military operation in the Gaza Strip, including a large-scale mobilization of reserve brigades. The decision was made by the government following demands by senior cabinet ministers and due to the lack of progress in hostage deal negotiations.

The IDF and Shin Bet eliminated three senior terrorists in Gaza, including Sa’id Abu Hasnan, who led the October 7 Kissufim massacre, and Ali Naddal Husni Sarfiti, a PFLP member and former prisoner jailed for planning a suicide bombing, the IDF announced Tuesday.

President Trump indicated he is open to backing Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, despite his personal misgivings about President Volodymyr Zelensky, while Vice President JD Vance offered a stark assessment that Ukraine is unlikely to win the conflict if it continues along its current path.

During an extensive interview with the Atlantic magazine, Trump, 78, was asked if there was anything Russian leader Vladimir Putin could do that would push him to support Zelensky’s cause.

“Not necessarily on Zelensky’s side, but on Ukraine’s side, yes,” Trump responded, according to the transcript. “But not necessarily on Zelensky’s side. I’ve had a hard time with Zelensky. You saw that over here [Feb. 28] when he was sitting right in that chair, when he just couldn’t get it.”

Pressed on whether he would ever offer Ukraine full-throated support through additional arms shipments, Trump left the door open but remained noncommittal.

“Doesn’t have to be weapons. There are many forms of weapons,” Trump said. “It can be weapons with sanctions. It can be weapons with banking. It can be many other weapons.”

Trump and Zelensky recently had a brief 15-minute meeting at St. Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, their first encounter since the Oval Office clash years earlier that had ended with a blowup involving Vance.

Following that encounter, Trump turned his ire on Putin, criticizing Russia’s recent bombardments.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

Meanwhile, Vice President Vance, 40, defended Trump’s recent diplomatic efforts during an interview with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, arguing that Trump has made more headway toward ending the war than previous administrations.

“Have the Russians and Ukrainians stopped fighting? No, but have we made more progress in three months than we made the previous three years? Absolutely,” Vance said.

“And you have even the Ukrainians, the Europeans, the Russians, all sort of simultaneously admitting, sometimes begrudgingly, that Donald Trump’s diplomacy has advanced the ball there.”

Vance warned, however, that although he couldn’t guarantee a peaceful resolution, he was confident that Ukraine is not on track to win if the fighting drags on.

“I think there’s this weird idea among the mainstream media that if this thing goes on for just another few years, the Russians will collapse, the Ukrainians will take their territory back, and everything will go back to the way it was before the war,” he said. “That is not the reality we live in.”

He also cautioned that if the war continues, both Russia and Ukraine could face a devastating demographic crisis, and the world could be pushed closer to the brink of nuclear conflict.

Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both floated the idea that the White House might eventually pull back from the Russia-Ukraine war, though Trump himself has not set a hard deadline.

“We’ll have to see what happens over the next period of pretty much a week,” Trump told the Atlantic. “We’re down to final strokes. And again, this is [former President Joe] Biden’s war. I’m not gonna get saddled — I don’t wanna be saddled with it. It’s a terrible war. Should have never happened. It would’ve never happened, as sure as you’re sitting there.”

In the meantime, Putin declared a temporary three-day ceasefire beginning May 8 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

“For some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” Zelensky said angrily on Monday. “We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8.”

“[A cease-fire] must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy. We reaffirm this proposal,” he continued. “The American proposal also remains on the table.”

{Matzav.com}

During a gathering with this year’s Independence Day torchlighters, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu stated that “there are up to 24 hostages alive.” In a moment captured on video and released Tuesday, his wife, Sara Netanyahu, appeared to quietly mouth the word “fewer” in Hebrew as he made the remark.

Netanyahu then clarified, “I say up to. The rest, of course, are unfortunately no longer alive.”

The tragic backdrop to these statements dates back to the horrific events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed communities in southern Israel, abducting more than 250 individuals and taking them into Gaza. As of now, 59 people are still believed to be held by Hamas.

“Until today, we have returned 196 of our hostages, 147 alive,” Netanyahu stated, referencing the total number of captives released or recovered so far.

An Israeli official engaged in the ongoing negotiations confirmed that Netanyahu’s estimate was accurate. “The number of living hostages mentioned by the Prime Minister during the meeting with the torchlighters is indeed the correct official number, and it is also the official number submitted by the Coordinator for the Hostage and Missing Persons Affairs to the mediators during the negotiations,” the source said.

Meanwhile, conflicting reports about the state of negotiations with Hamas have added to the public confusion. On Tuesday, an Israeli official denied claims that progress had been made in the talks, contradicting a report from the previous day suggesting discussions were heading in a more pessimistic direction.

Sara Netanyahu’s offhand remark has sparked a firestorm, especially among the families of hostages. Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among those still unaccounted for, took to social media to demand answers. “If the prime minister’s wife has new information about kidnapped people who were killed, I demand to know whether my Matan is still alive or was he murdered in captivity because your husband refuses to end the war,” she wrote on X/Twitter.

The Hostage Families’ Forum also issued a sharply worded response, accusing Sara Netanyahu of stoking fear during a particularly emotional time for families. “Do you know something we don’t? We demand that the Prime Minister clarify his and his wife’s statements. If there is intelligence or new information regarding the condition of our loved ones, we demand full disclosure,” the forum stated.

{Matzav.com Israel}

According to statements from victims and witnesses, Hernandez-Sanchez had allegedly made multiple threats to kill, including a statement that authorities categorized as bias in nature, all while brandishing an object that resembled a firearm. Read the full story on Lakewood Alerts. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz convened a meeting with members of the IDF’s General Command Forum, delivering a firm warning that Israel will not permit Iran to become a nuclear power.

The gathering, which also included IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, took place in advance of Israel’s Memorial Day.

“The security of the State of Israel and the Jewish nation rests on your shoulders,” Katz began. “On this Memorial Day eve as well, we are in the midst of a war. We remember the fallen, we thank them for their sacrifice, for their dedication, and for all of their action, bravery, and dedication with which they commanded and command us to continue life in this Land.”

Katz spoke about the ongoing war efforts, highlighting the courage and perseverance shown by enlisted troops, career soldiers, and reservists fighting across multiple fronts. He emphasized Israel’s highest priority, stating, “We are at the peak of a war with heroic actions, determination, and dedication, and with the enlisted, career, and reservist soldiers who fight on all fronts. The central task – first and foremost – is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Israel will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and we are preparing – obviously in close coordination with the US.”

He continued by outlining Israel’s immediate goals: “Secondly, right now, foremost in the action and fighting, are the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas in Gaza. We will act to ensure that a murderous terror group like Hamas does not exist from the other side [of the border] – this is a situation which cannot continue.”

In addition, Katz reiterated Israel’s broader defensive strategy: “Alongside this, we have a policy of protecting the borders and the towns in Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, and obviously, Gaza. We will not allow enemies of this type to stand opposite our towns and opposite our residents. The IDF will stand and act as a barrier between any threat from these types of bodies, extremists, whose goal is to destroy the State of Israel and the Jewish nation. We will never leave the towns in the western Negev standing alone and facing an enemy on the other side [of the border].”

He made it clear that Israel is prepared to act decisively when necessary: “We know that we have those who we can rely on, and we know that when we are asked later to make decisions, we know that there are those who will carry them out. That is how it is in every place, and when fighting Iran as well. If we need to act – we have those who will do it. I am convinced that with the help of G-d, we will win, with the help of our amazing soldiers and commanders, and I see a better future for this region.”

Wrapping up his address, Katz paid tribute to Israel’s fallen heroes and expressed gratitude to the IDF’s forces: “I respect and bow my head in honor of the memory of those who fell, and I express my appreciation and praise the commanders and soldiers of the IDF for all of their actions for the sake of the State of Israel’s security.”

{Matzav.com Israel}