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Jabalia in northern Gaza has been left in ruins after intense Israeli bombardment destroyed much of the city.

President Donald Trump has embarked on a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea—his longest foreign visit since taking office—aiming to secure trade, mineral, and ceasefire deals before meeting China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday, where he hopes to strike a major agreement despite lingering tensions over his trade policies.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel’s main goal in Gaza is to destroy Hamas’s remaining tunnels and dismantle its weapons, calling this key to securing victory. He said the IDF is prioritizing tunnel demolition while coordinating with U.S. officials to fully implement President Trump’s plan to eliminate Hamas’s military infrastructure.

A Channel 12 evening report on Friday relayed that a large portion of Hamas’s tunnel system was left intact after the Gaza fightingm with more than 60% still undestroyed, Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz told U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Many of those subterranean routes reportedly run on both sides of the yellow line, meaning some lie inside zones currently under IDF control as well as inside Gaza.

The same coverage said one of the remaining tunnels was the route used by the militants who killed two IDF soldiers during last week’s Rafah operation. Taken together, the figures imply that, across the past two years, Israeli efforts have eliminated under 40% of the tunnel network.

In his conversation with Vice President Vance, Katz emphasized the strategic priority: “The destruction of the tunnels is the most important joint mission in the demilitarization of Gaza, in accordance with the Trump plan, and preparations must be made to carry it out.”

He added a broader objective: “We must bring back all the hostages and fallen, eliminate all the tunnels, take the weapons from Hamas, and ensure it is not a governing force in Gaza.”

{Matzav.com}

A German manufacturer has turned this week’s Paris art heist into an unexpected marketing moment.

The company behind the furniture elevator used by the thieves in the dramatic Oct. 19 Louvre robbery — in which priceless Napoleonic jewels valued at roughly $102.63 million were stolen — is now capitalizing on the global attention with a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign.

Husband-and-wife team Alexander Böcker and Julia Scharwatz, who head Böcker Maschinenwerke in Werne, western Germany, immediately recognized the equipment featured in photos of the crime scene circulating worldwide. The lift, an Agilo model produced by their firm, had been used by the burglars to haul away their loot through a museum window.

Once they confirmed that no one had been injured in the theft, the couple decided to seize the publicity opportunity. They purchased the rights to one of the now-famous images and published an ad the following day, Oct. 20. The campaign slogan read: “When you’re in a hurry, the Böcker Agilo carries your heavy treasures.”

Böcker told The New York Times that the company had no plans to actively promote the ad in France, but the reaction elsewhere was immediate. Speaking to Reuters, he said, “We have even had feedback from abroad saying, ‘Hey, you Germans do have a sense of humor after all.’”

Ironically, Böcker revealed that the Agilo elevator in question had itself been stolen — taken from a Paris-based company that had originally purchased it from Böcker Maschinenwerke in 2020.

The daring heist, which has left France reeling, continues to dominate headlines — and now, inadvertently, serves as an unorthodox showcase for German engineering and gallows humor.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that trade discussions with Canada have been suspended following outrage over a Canadian political advertisement that featured a manipulated recording of late President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. The video, Trump said, was a “fraudulent” distortion of Reagan’s words.

“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

Earlier this year, Trump had imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, leading to retaliatory measures from Ottawa. Despite that, both governments had continued working toward a deal addressing the metals sectors — until the controversy over the advertisement brought talks to an abrupt end.

The ad, released by Ontario’s provincial government more than a week ago, was designed to criticize protectionist trade policies. It featured Reagan’s voice saying tariffs trigger “trade wars and economic disaster.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford later confirmed that the clip had drawn Trump’s attention. “I heard that the president heard our ad. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy,” Ford said Tuesday.

The advertisement used segments from Reagan’s 1987 Presidential Radio Address, editing and rearranging several sentences to create a message opposing tariffs. “When someone says, Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs,” Reagan says in the clip. “And sometimes for a short while it works — but only for a short time.”

He continues in the same recording, warning that “over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer,” and that trade wars make “markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.”

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation quickly objected to the ad, calling it a distortion of Reagan’s message. “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address [by Reagan in 1987], and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the foundation said in a statement, adding that it was exploring legal options.

According to the foundation, the video spliced together five complete sentences from the five-minute address but presented them out of context. Reagan’s speech, they noted, was actually meant to defend temporary tariffs his administration had placed on Japanese imports, calling them an unfortunate but necessary exception to his broader support for free trade.

While the Canadian federal government did not issue an immediate response, the controversy quickly escalated into a diplomatic headache.

Trump, a staunch defender of his tariff policy, has described tariffs as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and has repeatedly used them as leverage in global trade negotiations.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed reporters Thursday, saying that Canada “will not allow unfair U.S. access” to its domestic markets if negotiations on various trade agreements falter.

The timing of the dispute is particularly sensitive. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are scheduled to review their 2020 continental free trade pact next year — a process that could be overshadowed by the latest breakdown in trust between Washington and Ottawa.

{Matzav.com}

Chelsea Clinton has come out swinging against President Donald Trump’s plans for a massive renovation of the White House, accusing him of transforming the historic building into what she called a personal monument rather than preserving it as a national treasure.

In a USA Today opinion piece headlined “Trump is Wrecking the People’s House,” Clinton denounced the project — a $250 million privately funded overhaul that includes replacing part of the East Wing with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. “What was dismantled today isn’t just marble or plaster,” she wrote. “It is a reflection of how easily history can be erased when power forgets purpose.”

Clinton described her criticism as rooted in respect for tradition and civic duty, noting her own years growing up in the White House during her father Bill Clinton’s presidency. “Although I spent many of my formative years living in the White House, I always knew it wasn’t my house,” she wrote. “It was my home, absolutely, but not my house. The White House belongs to the American people.”

She contrasted Trump’s plans with those of earlier presidents who made renovations with historical sensitivity. “When Mrs. Kennedy restored and renovated the White House, she did so with historians, landscape architects and preservation experts,” Clinton said. “It is unsettling that such substantial alterations to the 225-year-old People’s House are being undertaken without a historic-preservation review and seemingly without the involvement of any historians.”

According to the Trump administration, the new ballroom will be completed in time for America’s 250th anniversary next year. Officials say the gold-trimmed space, designed to accommodate 650 guests, will feature bulletproof glass and cutting-edge broadcast equipment. Aides insist the expansion “will not interfere with the building’s original design.”

Clinton, however, called the project a symbol of what she described as the administration’s “disregard for history.” She accused Trump’s team of erasing cultural and historical references from government resources. “Our greatness doesn’t come because we ignore our history,” she wrote, “it comes because we acknowledge it, we learn from it and build a better future on it.”

Her essay also cited examples of what she views as cultural neglect under Trump, including the “censoring of museum exhibits” and the removal of content about women’s and LGBTQ history from federal websites. She charged that the White House renovation was part of the same pattern — “taking a wrecking ball to our heritage.”

Not everyone agreed with her critique. Social media users quickly mocked Clinton for what they saw as hypocrisy, given her own family’s history with the presidential residence. “You might want to sit this one out, Chelsea,” one user on X wrote. “…your mom ripped off the furniture and fine china when she left.”

Another user fired back, saying Clinton’s outrage was misplaced: “You should really rethink this post. Your parents did renovations all over the White House and used private funds to do so. The history of presidents leaving their make on the White House is long and available online in the public archives. Please stop treating the American people like we are dumb.”

{Matzav.com}

After months of speculation, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries officially threw his support behind Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor, ending the suspense surrounding his long-delayed decision.

The Brooklyn lawmaker, in a statement given to the New York Times, said that while he and Mamdani share “areas of principled disagreement,” unity within the Democratic Party was essential when facing what he called the “existential” threat posed by President Trump.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries wrote in his endorsement statement.

Jeffries’ backing arrived just under two weeks before the November 4 election. The move followed months of hesitation by national Democratic figures to embrace the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist, whose surprise primary win in June sent shockwaves through the party establishment.

Hints that Jeffries’ stance was shifting came Thursday during an appearance on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio program Keepin’ It Real. Jeffries told Sharpton that his endorsement would “likely come Friday,” saying, “I do hope to talk to the Democratic nominee either late today or tomorrow, in advance of early voting.”

He went on to praise Mamdani’s decision to reappoint NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch if elected, calling it “a positive step in the right direction.” Jeffries explained that keeping Tisch signaled a balanced approach: “while he is going to of course focus on affordability — and that is the number one concern of the people in the communities I represent.”

Speaking later with Bloomberg Television, Jeffries expanded on his praise, describing Mamdani’s intention to keep Tisch, whose leadership of the NYPD has been widely commended, as “a strong step toward community trust and public safety.”

“Zohran has demonstrated a real partnership with local communities and a willingness to work with all New Yorkers to make the city more affordable and inclusive,” Jeffries added.

Throughout the campaign, Jeffries, known for his pragmatic style and centrist instincts, maintained open lines of communication with Mamdani, focusing on affordability and housing policy.

Sharpton, who appeared with Mamdani at a rally in Harlem earlier this year, has lauded the candidate publicly but has not yet issued a formal endorsement. When Mamdani’s opponent, Andrew Cuomo, met with Sharpton in September, rumors swirled that the meeting was meant to secure Sharpton’s backing.

Cuomo did, however, gain a nod from Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday. Governor Kathy Hochul, who initially withheld her endorsement after Mamdani’s primary upset, followed a trajectory similar to Jeffries’ — ultimately announcing her support in a New York Times op-ed last month.

“We’ve had our disagreements,” Hochul wrote, acknowledging divisions over taxation and fiscal policy, while emphasizing shared priorities such as making New York “more affordable and safe.”

Her endorsement, which came after months of conversations with Mamdani, was seen as a breakthrough moment that helped close ranks between the party’s establishment and its progressive wing. It also underscored the growing legitimacy of the Democratic Socialist’s candidacy within the broader party coalition.

Still, some influential Democrats remain silent. Among them is U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has yet to publicly endorse Mamdani, leaving a few final pieces of the party’s unity puzzle unresolved as Election Day approaches.

{Matzav.com}

At a recent gathering marking the yahrzeit of the Chasam Sofer, leading posek Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern delivered a forceful address condemning the growing trend of antiquities dealers who cut apart holy manuscripts for profit.

The rov, known as one of the foremost transmitters of the Chasam Sofer’s teachings, decried those who have taken the great tzaddik‘s original writings and sliced them into separate pages to sell individually at exorbitant prices. “Lo yinakeh mi she’asah es zeh — one who committed such a wrong will not be absolved,” Rav Stern declared, warning that “certainly, the Chasam Sofer, z’chuso yagen aleinu, is greatly pained and offended by this.”

To illustrate the magnitude of the desecration, Rav Stern offered a powerful analogy: “Imagine if someone were to take the Sefer Torah of the holy Baal Shem Tov, z’chuso yagen aleinu, and cut it into pieces just to earn a few more dollars.”

{Matzav.com}

At Israel’s Civil Military Coordination Center, Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured the complex and addressed reporters, describing it as “an impressive place” that represents a critical step forward. “This is the journey to get through the 21-point plan. I am here to get an understanding of the needs. We are starting to see more of the US military presence. A lot of progress is being made,” he said, noting the growing American role in ensuring stability and coordination on the ground.

Rubio emphasized that the task remains far from complete, warning that “on the other side of the yellow line there is still a terrorist group that is brutalizing Palestinians.” He urged global partners not to allow obstacles to stall progress. “In addition to that, we have to focus on points that shouldn’t derail the entire process. We have to coordinate between many organizations around the world. This is a massive undertaking,” he said.

He stressed the need to build a sustainable structure for the future, explaining that “behind the yellow line, the areas are safe, secure. We have to ensure an international force, we have to see what it will look like, we have to get the right international mandate, to ensure that that entity can exist, is funded. Then is the rebuilding, so that we will never see again October 7th. That’s a longer term plan. But before we can get to that goal we have to ensure that we secure a ceasefire, while creating conditions to provide stabilization in the area.”

Rubio reiterated that American support for Israel remains unwavering. “We are very committed to Israel’s security. We want to ensure that there is no Gaza that is a risk to Israel. We want people to live in Gaza without Hamas, so that they won’t be terrorized by Hamas.”

He outlined Washington’s expectations of Hamas under the ceasefire framework. “Hamas will be fully demilitarized. That is the agreement they signed on. We don’t want to see any threats coming out against Israel from the areas where Hamas is still in control.”

Turning to the ongoing hostage arrangements, Rubio said, “Israel should have received all its live and dead hostages within 72 hours – we are going to ensure that this is going to happen. If not it’s a breach of the agreement.” He added that every country involved in the talks agrees that “Hamas has to commit to its side of the agreement.” Acknowledging the challenges ahead, he said, “There are still terrorists in Gaza, behind that yellow line. This is a long-term plan. The progress that has been made in 14 days, there is nothing to compare this to. This is very difficult, but will be something historic. It will change Israel’s security. There are going to be bumps along the road, but we are committed to making it work.”

Rubio also confirmed that discussions continue regarding the creation of an international task force to operate in Gaza. “I will not reveal the list, but there are many countries that want to take part,” he said. However, he cautioned that much remains unresolved: “Many gaps must be closed, such as what the mandate of the force is, what its authority is, who will be responsible for it and what are its sources of funding.” He underscored that any such multinational force “must be one that is acceptable to Israel.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Once derided as an embarrassment, New York’s LaGuardia Airport has now claimed the title of America’s best airport. The stunning turnaround was made official in Forbes Travel Guide’s second annual Verified Air Travel Awards, which spotlighted excellence in air travel across multiple categories.

The awards recognized 18 winners spanning first- and business-class cabins, airport lounges, and dining experiences. For the second year running, LaGuardia took home the crown for Best U.S. Airport — a remarkable achievement for a facility that President Biden once compared to “some third-world country.”

Nearly $8 billion in renovations have transformed the Queens travel hub into a modern showpiece. The Forbes report praised the airport for its “spacious gate areas, state-of-the-art architecture and food from New York culinary institutions,” highlighting local favorites like H&H Bagels and Junior’s.

The accolades didn’t stop there. Earlier this year, the Skytrax rankings also declared LaGuardia the Best Airport in North America for 2025, calling it the top choice for domestic and short-haul international travel.

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton reflected on the transformation with pride. “A decade ago, the suggestion that LaGuardia Airport would one day be recognized on the world stage as the best regional airport in North America would have been laughable,” he said. “But the Port Authority and our private partners have built what we promised – a world-class airport, with inspiring architecture, public art, iconic concessions and state-of-the-art technology that has propelled LaGuardia from worst to best in the nation in the eyes of the critics and passengers alike.”

While LaGuardia celebrated its national victory, Singapore’s Changi Airport once again reigned supreme globally, taking home the award for Best International Airport. The travel hub’s unmatched amenities include a 10-story shopping complex, multiple indoor gardens, a butterfly sanctuary, a rooftop swimming pool, a museum, a 24-hour movie theater, a dinosaur-themed park, and the breathtaking Rain Vortex — the tallest indoor waterfall on the planet, standing at 130 feet.

For the airline categories, Emirates was named Best International Airline, while Delta Air Lines captured the title of Best U.S. Airline for the second consecutive year.

Delta had a particularly strong showing, earning five 2025 Verified Air Travel Awards — more than any other carrier. The Atlanta-based airline, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, was also recognized for Best U.S. First Class for its A321neo recliners and for Best U.S. Business Class through its Delta One service.

Passengers flying Delta One enjoy exclusive access to the Delta One Lounge, and its flagship location at JFK International Airport was singled out as the Best U.S. Airline Lounge.

Opened in 2024, the JFK Delta One Lounge is a sprawling, upscale retreat offering full-body massage chairs, fine dining options, private shower suites with robes and slippers, and soundproof work pods — setting a new standard for premium travel comfort.

Capping its list of achievements, Delta was also awarded Best Airline App for its seamless interface that offers real-time flight updates, personalized notifications, luggage tracking, and easy access to global upgrade certificates — reinforcing its place as the standout U.S. airline of 2025.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. national debt has soared to a staggering new high, crossing the $38 trillion threshold for the first time — a grim reminder of Washington’s relentless borrowing spree. Treasury Department figures released Wednesday put the total at $38,019,813,354,700.26 as of October 21.

It marks yet another rapid climb, with the country adding another trillion dollars in debt just two months after breaching the $37 trillion mark in mid-August, and less than a year since it first crossed $36 trillion last December. The speed of the increase highlights a troubling trend: America’s debt is ballooning at a rate never before seen in peacetime.

Much of the surge stems from demographic pressures. As America’s population ages, spending on Social Security and Medicare continues to climb, driving entitlement costs ever higher.

But it’s not only social programs fueling the problem. A growing share of federal spending now goes toward servicing the debt itself. Higher interest rates — imposed by the Federal Reserve to tame inflation — have made borrowing dramatically more expensive, creating a feedback loop that compounds the problem.

Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, told FOX Business that “reaching $38 trillion in debt during a government shutdown is the latest troubling sign that lawmakers are not meeting their basic fiscal duties.”

He added that the pace of borrowing is accelerating beyond historical norms. “If it seems like we are adding debt faster than ever, that’s because we are. We passed $37 trillion just two months ago, and the pace we’re on is twice as fast as the rate of growth since 2000.”

Peterson warned that the exploding cost of interest payments is draining resources that could otherwise be used for public investment. He noted that over the past decade, interest expenses cost the U.S. about $4 trillion — a figure projected to skyrocket to $14 trillion in the next ten years. Those mounting costs, he said, “crowd out important public and private investments in our future, harming the economy for every American.”

In the fiscal year that ended on September 30, the federal deficit hit roughly $1.8 trillion. Analysts expect that figure to worsen as entitlement spending and debt-servicing obligations continue to expand.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that by 2035, debt held by the public — the metric economists often use to gauge fiscal health — will surge from around 100% of GDP in 2025 to about 120% of GDP. Over that same period, annual deficits are forecast to reach $2.6 trillion, with a staggering $22.7 trillion added to the national debt over the next decade.

A major factor driving those deficits is the steep rise in interest payments. The CBO estimates that net interest costs will climb from $1 trillion this year to $1.8 trillion by 2035.

By then, total federal spending is projected to reach $88 trillion — about 23.6% of the nation’s GDP — while revenue will hover around $65 trillion, or 17.5% of GDP. That spending level is far above the 50-year average of 21.1% of GDP, while revenue is only slightly above its long-term norm of 17.3%, reflecting a widening gap between what Washington takes in and what it continues to spend.

{Matzav.com}

New York Attorney General Letitia James was arraigned at a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, Friday, where she pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The charges against James stem from her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors allege that James misled a bank about the nature of the residence in order to obtain more favorable loan conditions. The indictment states that James misrepresented the financial institution in claiming it would be her secondary residence, and instead rented it out to a family. According to the indictment, the lower interest rate would allow James to save nearly $19,000 over the course of the 30-year loan. James entered the not guilty plea herself to U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker. She is being represented in the case by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, and by Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney based in Norfolk who formerly headed up the office’s criminal division. James’ arraignment is the latest in a string of prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political foes, despite objections from career prosecutors — some of whom have since been fired or resigned. James, a Democrat, has long-drawn Trump’s ire after she campaigned for attorney general in 2016 largely on vows to investigate Trump’s actions and businesses. She also successfully secured a $450 million civil fraud case against him last year, though an appeals court later tossed the financial penalty portion of the case. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a statement after she was indicted. “These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added. Her indictment, like the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump installed as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month. Trump, in September, said he would install Halligan as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to indict both Comey and James. “No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said in a statement. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.” After the arraignment, it is likely that she will file a motion to dismiss her case for vindictive and selective prosecution, following similar steps taken by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.

British Airways has confirmed it will restart daily flights between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, joining a growing list of European carriers restoring scheduled service to Israel. Spain’s Iberia will relaunch its Madrid–Tel Aviv route, rejoining Air Europa which recently resumed operations on the same city pair. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will resume its Copenhagen–Tel Aviv route next week after a nine-year hiatus. Germany’s low-cost carrier Eurowings and Swiss International Air Lines are also resuming flights, while Italy’s ITA Airways and Air India are expected to restore service by year-end. The return of major European airlines is beginning to ease the surge in fares that followed months of reduced capacity. Winter ticket prices on key routes have already fallen sharply as seat supply improves. U.S. carriers are also returning. American Airlines announced it will resume daily nonstop flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport beginning March 28, deploying Boeing 777-200ER aircraft; tickets go on sale October 27. The move follows United Airlines’ resumption of Newark–Tel Aviv service in July and Delta Air Lines’ restart of JFK–Tel Aviv service on September 1, which now operates seven times weekly. The coordinated return of transatlantic and European services signals a broader normalization of air links with Israel after months of disruptions, offering travelers more capacity and downward pressure on fares ahead of the winter season. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen has offered an account of his agency’s global intelligence operations—revealing that the widely-publicized sabotage of Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure in September 2024 is only part of a far broader espionage campaign. In an appearance on the The Brink podcast, Cohen said the now-notorious “pager operation” — in which operatives within Hezbollah were duped into activating explosive-laden devices — reflected a strategic paradigm he developed more than two decades ago. The method, he said, is known within Mossad as the “manipulated equipment method” or “pager method,” and it was implemented across “virtually every potential theatre of operation.” “You know how many equipment I mean treated equipment that we have in these countries? You can’t. You don’t. I do,” Cohen said of the scale of the campaign. “In all the countries that you can imagine,” he added when pressed for geographic specifics. Cohen traced the origins of the scheme to the early 2000s, saying it was developed in the period 2002-2004 while he led Mossad’s Special Operations division under former chief Meir Dagan. According to Cohen, the logic was simple: if adversaries are purchasing equipment, Israel should intervene by embedding itself into their supply chain and exploiting it. “If I know that … Iran or other countries … are buying something that I can be part of their supply chain, I will do,” Cohen said. He pointed to the 2006 Second Lebanon War — in which Israel fought Hezbollah — as the initial battlefield where this “manipulated equipment” tactic was tested. Cohen says that the strategic method was then scaled and refined for global use. Perhaps most striking, Cohen admitted that the system had not been deployed effectively in the Gaza Strip, identifying the region as a “critical shortfall” in Mossad’s intelligence architecture. “Not Gaza. Not enough,” he told the podcast host. He suggested that had the system been operational there, Israel’s readiness in the run-up to the October 7th 2023 attack might have been very different. Cohen didn’t restrict his critique to foreign targets. He also took aim at Israel’s internal security agencies. He said that when he sought to take responsibility for intelligence operations in Gaza prior to the October 7 attack, he was met with stiff resistance from both Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) and the IDF Intelligence Directorate. Cohen claimed the agencies treated Mossad’s proposals with institutional arrogance: “We’re the IDF… we’re Shin Bet… we don’t need you.” He maintained that his warnings about a deficiency in intelligence coverage were regularly voiced, but went unheeded: “I have told and written that they ‘have nothing sufficient on the level of intelligence’ prior to October 7th.” And he challenged those agencies for failing to publicly dispute the claim. The revelations raise fundamental questions about how far Israel’s covert operations have extended—and where vulnerabilities remain. By describing a system that is global, meticulously engineered and highly embedded in adversary logistics, Cohen’s account sheds light on the evolving nature of intelligence warfare in the 21st century. But the admission of a gap in Gaza may fuel renewed scrutiny of Israel’s strategic posture along its southern border. Critics may argue that if Mossad’s capabilities were so advanced elsewhere, why were they unable—or perhaps unpermitted—to deploy them where they were arguably most needed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Democratic Socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani tried to deflect mounting criticism Thursday after a bruising mayoral debate in which his rivals painted him as untested, unproductive, and missing in action in Albany. Speaking at a press conference in Murray Hill, Mamdani accused former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa of running on empty rhetoric rather than ideas for the city. “I spent 90 minutes on stage with Andrew Cuomo and I, like many here, could tell you his critiques of me, his critiques of Curtis Sliwa, but I could not tell you what he was actually running on to deliver for this city,” Mamdani said. But the Queens lawmaker, 34, refused to answer questions from reporters about his legislative record — or his absence from the state Capitol — even as critics continued to pounce on his threadbare résumé. Cuomo, running as an independent, accused Mamdani during Wednesday night’s Spectrum NY1 debate of “never accomplishing anything,” blasting him for passing just four bills in five years. “You never even proposed a bill on housing or education,” Cuomo charged. “You don’t know how to run a government. You don’t know how to handle an emergency. You had the worst attendance record in the Assembly… Shame on you!” Sliwa, the perennial GOP contender, was even more cutting. “Your résumé could fit on a cocktail napkin,” he told Mamdani, drawing laughs from the audience. Mamdani, who entered the Assembly in 2020, has struggled to shake criticism that his legislative record is thin and his time in Albany fleeting. The New York Post reported in June that he missed roughly half of all Assembly votes this year while campaigning for mayor. After collecting his paycheck when the state budget passed in April, Mamdani didn’t return to Albany for the remainder of the session. He passed just one bill in 2024 — the same number as an 88-year-old Republican lawmaker from Nassau County who was homebound with health issues. Even some of Mamdani’s colleagues have expressed frustration. “I show up! I’m there every day doing my job,” said Assemblyman Chris Tague (R-Schoharie). “He should be an actor in Hollywood — everything is theatrics and acting with him.” While the number of standalone bills passed isn’t always the defining measure of a legislator’s influence, Mamdani has also struggled to shape the state’s sprawling budget process. His flagship free-bus pilot program, briefly included in the 2023 budget, was axed by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie the following year after Mamdani voted against the spending plan. Cuomo, 67, used the debate to turn Mamdani’s signature issues against him, mocking his complaints that Albany hasn’t delivered funding for juvenile offender programs. “If Zohran thought that there was money locked up in Albany, maybe he should have gone to Albany and proposed a bill to release it,” Cuomo quipped. The former governor, who’s styled his independent bid as a centrist alternative to both Mamdani’s democratic socialism and Sliwa’s hard-right populism, sought to portray the Assemblyman as an unserious protest candidate. “There’s no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for 8.5 million lives,” Cuomo said. Mamdani fired back from the stage, accusing Cuomo of rewriting history. “We just had a former governor say, in his own words, that the city has been getting screwed by the state,” he […]

A sweeping surge of cold air from Canada is set to plunge much of the central and eastern United States into an early taste of winter, with more than 50 million Americans expected to face frost and freeze alerts. Meteorologists warn that the deep chill could bring temperatures as low as the 20s in some regions this morning.

FOX Weather meteorologist Dylan DeBruyn explained to The New York Post that the sweeping freeze warnings will stretch from southern Minnesota all the way to central New Jersey. “Frost and freeze alerts are posted for over 50 million Americans, who could see frosty conditions on Friday morning,” he said.

The cause of the frigid plunge, DeBruyn noted, is a powerful front sweeping down from the north. “A powerful cold front is allowing cool Canadian air to filter in behind it. Temperatures will drop 5–10 degrees below average and could drop below freezing into Friday morning,” he said.

He added that calm winds and cloudless skies will make conditions ripe for frost to settle overnight. “The drop below freezing, coupled with calm winds & clear skies, will allow frost to develop,” DeBruyn said.

In New Jersey, the National Weather Service has issued frost advisories for nine counties, including western Monmouth, Mercer, Salem, Gloucester, Burlington, Ocean, Cumberland, and Atlantic, where temperatures are expected to dip into the mid- to upper 30s by dawn, according to NJ.com.

Such plunging temperatures mark the likely close of the growing season across much of the affected region, as frost and freezing conditions can destroy crops and harm sensitive plants.

While the cold front will touch much of the East, New York City itself will be spared any official frost warnings. Even so, the city will feel the chill as the mercury falls heading into the weekend. “While New York City is not included in any alerts, lows into Friday and Saturday morning will be in the mid-40s,” DeBruyn added.

Weather experts note that the first frost in the city usually doesn’t arrive until around mid-November—meaning this cold snap, though brief, is arriving weeks ahead of schedule.

{Matzav.com}

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