This week, the city of Beitar Illit has been abuzz with a remarkable story of faith, perseverance, and reward. An avreich from the Boyaner community, who for more than a decade after his wedding had not merited children, welcomed a firstborn son—after taking upon himself a quiet but demanding commitment to protect the sanctity of Shabbos.
The yungerman, Reb Chaim Yosef Brandwein, a member of the Boyaner kehillah, had endured over eleven years without zera shel kayama. During that time, he received a promise from the city’s rav, Rav Chaim Weiss: If he would ensure that the city’s entrance gates were closed before shkiah on Friday afternoon, he would merit children.
In Beitar Illit, following rabbinic directive, the city gates are closed twenty minutes before shkiah to prevent last-minute vehicle traffic that can lead to chillul Shabbos. Cars arriving at the final moments often rush through at high speed in an attempt to beat the onset of Shabbos, creating both spiritual and physical risk.
Heeding the rov’s guidance, Reb Chaim Yosef took it upon himself to be present at the city entrance each Friday afternoon. He reminded the guards to close the gates on time and stood his ground despite harassment, verbal abuse, and at times even physical aggression from fringe youths and others angered by being turned away and forced to enter the city on foot.
Those who pass the city gates on Friday afternoon have grown accustomed to the sight: Reb Chaim Yosef standing there in full Shabbos attire, wearing a shtreimel, quietly and steadfastly ensuring that the gates are closed and the sanctity of Shabbos is preserved.
Only recently, he suffered a personal loss with the passing of his father, Reb Yisrael Mordechai Brandwein, a prominent member of the Boyaner community, who was niftar this past Elul. He continued his weekly vigil undeterred.
This week, on Tu B’Shevat, eleven years after his wedding, Reb Chaim Yosef and his wife were blessed with a baby boy, b’chasdei Shomayim. The shalom zachar is scheduled to take place this coming Shabbos, Parshas Yisro at the Boyaner kloiz on Rechov Rabi Akiva in Beitar Illit.
{Matzav.com}
Cabinet member and minister Ze’ev Elkin said that threats by chareidi parties to block the state budget over the draft law would ultimately harm the chareidi public more than anyone else, during a wide-ranging interview with Kikar HaShabbat.
In a comprehensive conversation with journalist Yishai Cohen, Elkin addressed a series of security and political issues, including violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the serious wounding of an IDF officer, tensions with Iran and the possibility of a wider conflict, the battle over the draft law and the status of yeshiva students, and concerns that Agudas Yisrael could derail the legislation and destabilize the budget.
Elkin opened by responding to the ceasefire violation in Gaza and the severe injury sustained by an IDF officer. “He was wounded during an operation, which shows that activity is continuing all the time, and it is clear that this is a violation of the ceasefire. For every such violation, we exact a significant price from Hamas, both by eliminating senior operatives and by dismantling infrastructure as they try to rebuild,” he said.
Addressing the reopening of the Rafah crossing for the first time since the surprise Hamas attack on Simchas Torah, Elkin explained, “Opening the crossing was part of the plan. I cannot accept a situation where people say they support Trump’s plan and then start qualifying it. It is written clearly in the plan. Why wasn’t it opened earlier this week? Because Hamas did not meet all the conditions, and we insisted that until the fallen hostage is returned to us, the crossing would not be opened.”
Elkin also spoke about moving to the next phase of the campaign in Gaza and the dismantling of Hamas’ military capabilities. “I am glad that Trump says this in every speech. They understand that nothing can be done in the Gaza Strip without Hamas being disarmed. I do not believe Hamas will change its nature and disarm, and I also do not believe an international force will be found that is willing to endanger its soldiers against Hamas. That means that sooner or later Israel will have to return to fighting in Gaza and finish the job. Trump knows this as well,” he said.
On the growing tension with Iran, Elkin urged restraint in public rhetoric. “On the Iranian issue, all the talk is unnecessary and only harmful. There is a process being led by the United States. If there is a need, and certainly if we are attacked, the State of Israel will know how to defend itself and strike Iran. Right now, we need to let the United States go through its process,” he said.
Turning to the draft law, Elkin argued that change is unavoidable and that chareidi leadership must recognize this reality. “I think the situation has to change, and the chareidi leadership must understand that. There has to be enlistment among the chareidi community as well. How do you do it? Through legislation that creates both positive and negative incentives, and at the same time through chareidi leadership itself. When this stops being a culture war, there is a chance it can work,” he said.
Elkin, who previously led negotiations on the draft law, warned that Agudas Yisrael is now putting the legislation at risk. “I am afraid that this time as well, just like in previous cases — I have been involved with the draft issue since 2012 — I have seen again and again proposals placed on the table that part of the chareidi leadership was prepared to accept, while another part radicalized and said no. Years later, they told me in closed conversations, ‘It’s a shame we didn’t accept it then, we regret it.’ This mistake repeats itself time and again,” he said.
He continued, “I am concerned that this time too, the insistence of Agudas Yisrael will bring down the law and will also harm the chareidi public itself. A majority will not be achieved because of Agudas Yisrael. According to my count, this entire law is hanging by a single vote because of Agudas Yisrael. There is therefore a real risk that a majority will not be reached. That can absolutely happen, and Agudas Yisrael will only have itself to blame. If they go headfirst into a wall, they will hit a wall. What is happening now is exactly that — they are going headfirst into a wall and leading a line of opposition to the law.”
Elkin also addressed threats by Shas and Degel HaTorah not to support the state budget if the draft law does not pass its second and third readings. “I think they are wrong. They are making a big mistake. What will happen if the draft law gets stuck and does not pass, and the budget is not approved? Who are they punishing? Clearly the state will be harmed, but which public will feel it the most? The chareidi public. So what is the logic? To say that we will harm our own public in order to blame others,” he said.
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump is planning to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds, according to three people with knowledge of the pending move, in his latest effort to remake the presidential campus and celebrate the famed and controversial explorer.
The statue is set to be located on the south side of the grounds, by E Street and north of the Ellipse, two of the people said, although they cautioned that plans could change. The three people spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak on private discussions. The piece is a reconstruction of a statue unveiled in Baltimore by then-President Ronald Reagan and dumped in the city’s harbor by protesters in 2020 as a racial reckoning swept the country.
A group of Italian American businessmen and politicians, working with local sculptors, obtained the destroyed pieces and rebuilt the statue with financial support from local charities and federal grant funding.
Bill Martin, an Italian American businessman who helped recover the remnants of the original sculpture and organize a campaign to rebuild it, said the statue is expected to be transferred from a warehouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Trump administration in coming weeks.
The White House declined to comment on its plans but praised the 15th-century explorer.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
As Columbus statues became something of a battleground in the broader tug-of-war over the nation’s history, Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as a staunch defender of a legacy he says has been dishonored by “left-wing arsonists.”
Trump included Columbus in a 2021 executive order of historical figures for his proposed National Garden of American Heroes, showcasing those who embody “the American spirit of daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love.”
The Italian explorer is long celebrated for his voyage in 1492 to the Americas, opening up trade routes with Europe and setting the stage for colonization and enslavement. Some U.S. states now recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day; Joe Biden in 2021 became the first president to mark the holiday.
Trump campaigned in 2024 on promises to celebrate Columbus Day, and in October he signed a presidential proclamation to recognize Columbus as “the original American hero” and mark the annual holiday.
“We’re back, Italians. Okay? We love the Italians,” Trump said after signing the proclamation. He later said the move should help the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The Italian people are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day,” Trump told reporters at the White House last month.
Meanwhile, his administration pushes to scrub federal institutions of “corrosive ideology” recognizing historical sexism and racism and to leave its mark on the nation’s capital in a sweeping effort that has drawn complaints and lawsuits. The president rapidly demolished the East Wing annex last year to build his planned $400 million ballroom; paved over the Rose Garden to make room for a patio; and has imposed his vision on numerous internal fixtures and rooms, including the Lincoln Bathroom.
Historic preservationists have called on Trump to go through federal review panels before making further changes to the White House grounds.
In his first term, Trump decried the destruction of Columbus statues across the country. After administration officials learned about efforts in 2020 to rescue and preserve Baltimore’s statue, they asked to obtain it for possible installation on federal grounds, but the statue was not yet ready, said Martin, the businessman.
Martin estimated that he and his allies raised and spent more than $100,000 for their recovery and restoration efforts, which he said represented inspiration to the Italian American community.
“It’s not about Columbus ‘discovering America’ … it’s about the Italian immigrants who came here and looked to Columbus as a hero,” Martin said.
Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, also was involved in efforts to recover the statue, and he praised Trump’s plan to install it at the White House.
“It is such an honor for the Italian American community,” Mangione wrote in an email. “This proves that gangs, thugs, and people of that ilk don’t control things by mob rule. … in America the people rule and our voices are heard.”
Columbus’s planned D.C. arrival comes on the heels of the administration’s reinstallation last October of a Confederate general that protesters had toppled and torched five years prior.
Albert Pike is now back on his plinth in a small federal park about a mile east of the White House, the only Confederate leader memorialized with an outdoor statue in Washington.
(c) 2026, The Washington Post
{Matzav.com}
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed for now a new California voting map that could help Democrats gain up to five seats in Congress, the latest twist in a national fight between liberals and conservatives seeking advantage in this year’s midterm elections.
The justices cleared the state to use a map pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and approved by voters that was intended to offset a redistricting effort by Republicans in Texas sought by President Donald Trump. The Texas map could net the GOP up to five additional seats.
The high court’s ruling will remain in effect while a lawsuit challenging California’s map works its way through the courts. The Supreme Court ruled in December that the Texas map was constitutional, so many legal experts expected the justices to approve the California map as well.
The justices did not provide a rationale for their decision in the brief order. There were no noted dissents.
Democrats and Republicans in nearly two dozen states have taken or explored the unusual step of redrawing congressional voting maps mid-decade to try to secure partisan advantage during the 2026 elections. The high-stakes efforts could determine control of the narrowly divided House of Representatives.
Typically, states alter congressional boundaries only after the census, once every 10 years; the mid-decade push this year is the largest since the 1800s.
The Supreme Court’s majority rejected an argument by California Republicans that the state improperly relied on race to draw the map, in violation of the Constitution. The state GOP claimed Democrats tried to increase Latino voting power in the Central Valley to curry political support.
The landmark Voting Rights Act prevents states from drawing maps that dilute the power of minority voters, but states also can’t draw maps explicitly based on race because that would violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause. It can be a tricky needle to thread.
Republicans urged the court to rule quickly because candidates can begin submitting their paperwork to run in California’s new districts this coming Monday. They said the court should require the state use a 2021 map drawn up by the independent, nonpartisan Citizens Redistricting Commission that is normally tasked with drawing maps in the state. That map already yielded a heavily Democratic congressional delegation, but Republicans were able to win nine of the state’s 52 districts in 2024. The new map was designed to yield a 48-4 split.
“Even when a state claims it is engaged in a partisan rather than racial gerrymandering, it may not use race as a ‘proxy’ for politics,” California Republicans wrote in a court filing. “Regrettably, California has done precisely that.”
The state countered that its gerrymander was strictly a political move to gain Democrats more seats, which is allowed by law. They said state Republicans had no evidence that race was a motivating factor in drawing the map. Texas made almost identical arguments about partisanship versus race in successfully defending its map.
It would be “strange for California to undertake a mid-decade restricting effort with the predominant purpose of benefitting Latino voters and then enact a new map that contains an identical number of Latino-majority districts,” state officials wrote in a Supreme Court filing.
After Texas lawmakers approved that state’s new map in August at the urging of Trump, Newsom announced California would try to counter the effort.
“California will not sit idle as Trump and his Republican lapdogs shred our country’s democracy before our very eyes,” Newsom said in a statement at the time.
In November, the state’s voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which allowed the state to temporarily bypass the redistricting commission. The move was seen as a major political victory for Democrats and Newsom, who could run for president.
Republicans sued. A divided panel of district court judges refused to block the new map, before the state Republicans appealed to the Supreme Court. The Trump administration backed California’s GOP.
Other states have also jumped into the redistricting fray, including Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina and Utah, which enacted new maps favoring Republicans. Blue states, including Virginia, Maryland and Washington, are working on their own redistricting plans.
In late January, a Virginia judge ruled the process Democrats used to create a constitutional amendment to increase Democratic seats in Congress was illegal. Democrats vowed to appeal.
The redistricting war is only one legal factor that could influence the outcome of the this year’s midterms. The Supreme Court is also considering the legality of the last remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act, which requires states to draw maps under certain circumstances that allow minority voters to elect candidates of their choice.
The justices seemed inclined to limit or strike down Section 2 during arguments in the case in October. Such a ruling could touch off a nationwide redistricting scramble that could result in roughly a dozen Black legislators losing their seats, mostly in the South.
The case is also part of a busy term at the Supreme Court, which is dealing with election- and voting-related issues. The justices are weighing whether to restrict laws that allow states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after polls close as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
In another case, the justices cleared the way for an Illinois congressman to challenge the state’s mail-in ballot law. Trump supporters have targeted mail-in ballot rules in a number of states after the president falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of voting fraud.
In a third case, the justices will decide whether to knock down restrictions on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and federal candidates.
(c) 2026, The Washington Post
{Matzav.com}
The Trump administration is considering a policy change that could effectively bar large cities from operating fare-free bus programs if they rely on federal transit funding, a move that could directly clash with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to eliminate bus fares citywide, Newsmax reports.
According to a draft proposal from the Department of Transportation obtained by Politico, the idea is being floated for inclusion in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill, which would require approval from Congress before taking effect.
The proposal would apply to transit agencies serving populations of more than 200,000 people and operating bus fleets larger than 100 vehicles.
Those thresholds could affect jurisdictions that currently offer free bus service, including parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Richmond, Virginia, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kansas City, however, is reportedly planning to bring fares back in the near future.
In New York City, the issue has taken on added political weight, as Mamdani made affordability a central theme of his campaign and vowed to “permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus.” On Tuesday, however, Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber dismissed that promise as a “campaign bumper sticker” while testifying at a budget hearing in Albany.
Under the draft language, transit agencies that receive funding from the Federal Transit Administration would be required to charge passengers. Jurisdictions that decline to comply could risk losing federal support.
“This policy would help ensure the largest federally supported systems are safer and more adequately funded by users,” the document says.
The proposal would still permit free rides for certain populations, including seniors, people with disabilities, children, students, and veterans.
It would also allow exceptions for special circumstances, such as major international events like the World Cup or the Olympics. That provision is notable given that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place across several U.S. cities with large transit systems, including Kansas City, Philadelphia, and the New York–New Jersey region.
Even so, Politico reported that the surface transportation legislation is unlikely to be completed before the World Cup begins. The next Summer Olympics are slated for Los Angeles in 2028.
The DOT’s argument centers largely on funding stability and safety concerns. The draft warns that fare-free transit “can result in unsustainable finances for the agency and potential safety issues,” and notes that some systems that eliminated fares experienced an increase in disruptive behavior.
Advocates of fare-free transit counter that eliminating fares boosts ridership and lowers barriers for working families trying to reach jobs and essential services.
Joel Mendez, an assistant professor of transportation planning at the University of Kansas who researched Kansas City’s experiment with free bus service, said the data points to wider mobility benefits.
“If more people are using the bus, which the evidence suggests across a broad range of demographics, we could be significantly improving their mobility and enhancing access to services and resources throughout the region, including jobs, and that can have a positive impact on their quality of life,” Mendez told Politico.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats sharply criticized the proposal from the Trump administration’s Transportation Department.
“This proposal makes no sense,” Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, said in a statement. “Transit agencies are pretty good at making their own decisions about how to operate to meet local needs.”
“The FTA should be in a position to support them, not undermine them,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
A man found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during a 2024 incident at a Florida golf course was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence to Ryan Routh in a Fort Pierce courtroom that was the same venue where proceedings descended into chaos last September, when Routh attempted to stab himself shortly after a jury convicted him on all charges.
Federal prosecutors sought a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, arguing that Routh has shown no remorse and has never expressed regret for his actions. A lawyer representing Routh at sentencing urged the court to impose a 27-year term, pointing out that Routh is approaching his 60th birthday.
In addition to the life sentence, Routh was also given a consecutive seven-year prison term tied to one of his firearms convictions.
Sentencing was originally set for December, but Judge Cannon agreed to postpone it after Routh chose to retain legal counsel for this phase of the case, rather than continue representing himself as he had throughout much of the trial.
In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors wrote that Routh has refused to accept responsibility for his actions and argued that federal guidelines support keeping him incarcerated for the rest of his life. The convictions included attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm to further a crime, assaulting a federal officer, illegal possession of a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” the memo said.
Routh’s newly retained attorney, Martin L. Roth, requested that the court depart from the sentencing guidelines and impose 20 years in prison in addition to the mandatory seven-year sentence for the gun charge.
“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”
Prosecutors detailed that Routh spent weeks planning an attack on Trump before positioning himself in shrubbery and aiming a rifle toward the Republican presidential candidate as he played golf on September 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
During the trial, a Secret Service agent assigned to Trump’s protection testified that he noticed Routh before Trump came into the agent’s line of sight. According to the testimony, Routh pointed his rifle at the agent, who then fired his weapon, prompting Routh to drop the gun and flee the scene without firing a shot.
In a motion seeking legal representation, Routh proposed exchanging his life in a prisoner swap for individuals he claimed were unjustly detained abroad and said the offer remained open for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”
“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything (par for the course),” Routh wrote.
When granting Routh’s request for an attorney, Judge Cannon sharply criticized what she called the “disrespectful charade” reflected in his filing, saying it undermined the seriousness of the proceedings. Still, she said she preferred to err in favor of ensuring legal representation.
Cannon had approved Routh’s request last summer to represent himself at trial. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that defendants may do so, provided they demonstrate to a judge that they are competent to waive their right to counsel.
Routh’s former federal public defenders remained involved as standby counsel and attended the trial.
Court records showed that Routh had multiple prior felony convictions, including possession of stolen property, and maintained an extensive online presence expressing hostility toward Trump. In a self-published book, he urged Iran to assassinate Trump and at another point wrote that, as a Trump voter, he bore some responsibility for helping elect him.
{Matzav.com}
