A sweeping redesign of America’s currency for the nation’s 250th anniversary has ignited fresh controversy, with a proposal now circulating that places President Donald Trump at the center of a commemorative $1 coin.
According to the online materials tied to the Mint’s semiquincentennial planning, new illustrations of Trump have been drafted for the obverse of a potential 2026 dollar coin. At the same time, concept art for earlier “America 250” quarters—once built around themes such as abolition, women’s suffrage, and civil rights—has reportedly been shelved in favor of a return to more traditional, founding-era motifs.
The Mint’s broader 2026 redesign calls for all coins to bear dual dates honoring both the birth of the nation and its 250-year milestone. As part of this shift, officials have previewed imagery steeped in Revolutionary-era symbolism, including iconic documents and scenes tied to America’s founding. These new directions come after the abandonment of concepts initiated during the Biden years that placed greater emphasis on later chapters of American social progress.
A series of five quarters is expected for 2026, each tied to a pivotal historical text or event: the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, the U.S. Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.
Treasurer Brandon Beach has acknowledged that a Trump-themed dollar is being weighed, and several reports describe mock-ups portraying Trump’s profile on one side and, on the other, an image of him thrusting his fist upward following the 2024 assassination attempt, accompanied by the words “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT.”
The idea, however, runs directly into federal restrictions prohibiting living presidents—current or past—from appearing on U.S. coinage. Advocates of the new coin insist that special semiquincentennial authorities could offer legal leeway, while opponents argue it would violate long-established practice and risk politicizing the nation’s money.
Within conservative circles, the controversy is framed as part of a larger cultural battle over how America’s 250th birthday should be told: whether through the nation’s founding ideals and foundational texts or through what they see as the left’s negative reinterpretations of American history.
Alongside these debates, the Mint is also preparing updates to long-standing circulating coins for 2026. Even the dime—whose appearance has been unchanged for eight decades—is scheduled for a refresh. And although the penny exited daily circulation in 2025, collectors will still be able to obtain it in annual Mint sets, complete with the commemorative “1776 ~ 2026” dual date.
{Matzav.com}
The man accused in the killing of Charlie Kirk returned to court this week, and a newly analyzed off-mic exchange revealed disturbing remarks that shed light on his mindset in the months since the shooting, the NY Post report. A professional lip-reading review of the courtroom footage suggests that Tyler Robinson repeatedly referenced the attack and even brought up Kirk’s widow, Erika, in a chilling aside to his attorney.
As Robinson entered the Provo, Utah, courtroom on Thursday—his first in-person appearance more than three months after the shooting—he appeared composed, even sharing a quiet laugh with his lawyer. Yet the lip-reading analysis captured a far darker tone beneath the surface. One portion of the footage shows him saying, “I think about the shooting daily,” a remark attributed to a private moment before the hearing began. He went on to add, “Every morning … all the time.”
The analysis indicates that Robinson then shifted to the subject of Kirk’s family, referencing the activist’s widow, who is raising their two young children alone. At one point, the lip reader caught him saying, “So, he had a wife….”
Other snippets appeared to show Robinson speaking about his own state of mind. According to the review, he confessed privately to his lawyer that he’s been “smoking a lot … Not sleeping at night … it’s driving me mental.” He continued with, “Unfortunately, it’s doing my head in. I’m not good for anything.”
Despite those alleged comments, Robinson displayed little visible distress while standing before the judge, wearing a plain blue button-down shirt paired with an argyle tie. Prosecutors say he opened fire on the 31-year-old conservative activist on September 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, attacking in front of thousands of attendees.
Thursday’s proceedings were expected to address two issues: whether cameras would be permitted in the courtroom and whether portions of an earlier October phone-hearing transcript—regarding Robinson’s right to appear in street clothes—would be released to the public. Robinson’s defense opposed both. Judge Tony Graf spent more than two hours behind closed doors considering arguments, ultimately postponing any decision.
A new hearing was set for December 29, when the judge is scheduled to issue rulings on the outstanding matters.
Robinson remains held on multiple serious charges, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
{Matzav.com}
A moving memorial ceremony was held this morning at the Herzliya cemetery marking two years since the death of Gal Eisenkot, the son of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who was killed in Gaza during an operation to recover the bodies of kidnapped Israelis.
Standing before family, friends, and soldiers, Eisenkot spoke with raw emotion about the profound void left by his son’s loss. “Gal is missing from every second of my day, and he walks with me always,” he said. “What defined Gal more than anything was his deep friendship.”
He reflected on the bond between Gal and his close friend Eyal, who fell alongside him during the same mission. “They shared an enormous love for the country, a sense of camaraderie and commitment,” Eisenkot said. “In their deaths—like so many young men and women whose lives have been cut short—there remains a duty and a command: to advance the State of Israel with a spirit of responsibility, mutual responsibility, excellence as a way of life, and the principle of ‘Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha,’ not in words, but in actions.”
Eisenkot continued by describing the spirit in which his son and his comrades went to battle: “Gal and his friends went out to a just and difficult war, after a very serious national failure, and they demonstrated remarkable resilience that teaches us something about Israeli solidarity and the strength found within Israeli society.”
In his closing words, the former chief of staff emphasized what he sees as the essential message of his son’s legacy. “The final point, which in my eyes is the central one, is mutual responsibility and solidarity. If there is something that defined Gal from childhood—and this was echoed by his friends who spoke here—it is mutual responsibility. And if something is deeply troubling today, it is the enormous gap between the talk of solidarity, unity, and shared purpose, and the practical reality.”
{Matzav.com}
A deep pall of grief has fallen over Yerushalayim after the passing of 13-year-old Nosson Tzvi Reizfeld z”l, a child with special needs who succumbed to injuries sustained in a catastrophic fire last week. He died at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, despite a week of intensive medical efforts. His levayah was held at midnight at the Shamgar Funeral Home, followed by burial at Har Hamenuchos.
The heartbreaking incident occurred last Wednesday. According to initial reports, the boy left a therapeutic program in the Ramat Shlomo area and made his way to a residential building on Yaakov Elazar Street in the Ramot neighborhood. There, he accidentally ignited a blaze that quickly engulfed two floors of the building, posing a grave risk to the residents inside.
Fire and rescue teams rushed to the scene within minutes, battling the flames and evacuating residents from the smoke-filled building. Firefighters found Nosson Tzvi unconscious, suffering from severe smoke inhalation and extensive burns.
The drama intensified during the emergency transport to the hospital. Shuki Baker, a United Hatzalah paramedic, described the life-or-death struggle inside the ambulance. According to Baker, the child’s heart stopped en route, forcing the medical crew to initiate advanced resuscitation.
“After administering an electric shock from the defibrillator, his heart began beating again, and we transported him to the hospital in critical condition,” Baker said.
For a full week, hospital teams fought tirelessly to stabilize him. Tragically, his condition deteriorated and doctors were ultimately forced to declare his passing.
{Matzav.com}
