Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that Democrats in the Senate will take action to stop President Trump’s newly announced tariffs on European countries, arguing the move would further harm the U.S. economy and strain relations with key allies.
“Donald Trump’s foolhardy tariffs have already driven up prices and damaged our economy and now he is only making things worse,” Schumer said in a statement. “It is incredible that he wants to double down on the stupidity by imposing tariffs on our closest allies for his quixotic quest to takeover Greenland.”
“Senate Democrats will introduce legislation to block these tariffs before they do further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe,” he said.
Trump unveiled the new 10 percent tariffs earlier Saturday, tying them directly to his demand that the United States acquire Greenland. Writing on Truth Social, the president warned that “World Peace is at stake!” and said the tariffs would remain in place “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
“China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it,” Trump wrote, reiterating his argument that the territory is critical to U.S. national security. “They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that!”
Trump has previously suggested the United States could take control of Greenland through military force, a notion that has drawn broad opposition from lawmakers in Washington and skepticism from much of the American public.
The tariff announcement also prompted criticism from members of Trump’s own party. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both condemned the move, with Tillis saying the tariffs are “bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.”
Murkowski warned that the policy risks alienating European partners at a critical moment.
“We are already seeing the consequences of these measures in real time: our NATO allies are being forced to divert attention and resources to Greenland, a dynamic that plays directly into Putin’s hands by threatening the stability of the strongest coalition of democracies the world has ever seen,” she wrote on X.
In Europe, leaders signaled that the tariffs were already affecting broader economic relations. Officials announced that a major U.S.–European Union trade agreement celebrated last year by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been put on hold. Von der Leyen said Saturday that tariffs “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” she wrote on X. “They are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole. We have consistently underlined our shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through NATO. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise, conducted with allies, responds to the need to strengthen Arctic security and poses no threat to anyone.”
It remains uncertain whether European governments will respond with countermeasures. Karin Karlsboro, a Swedish member of the European Parliament, told Politico that lawmakers could consider deploying an anti-coercion instrument to impose penalties in response to Trump’s latest tariffs.
{Matzav.com}
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has increasingly trained her fire on Vice President Vance, a potential rival in a 2028 presidential contest, as speculation builds over whether she might seek the White House, The Hill reports.
Over the past week, Ocasio-Cortez has highlighted what she describes as a deep divide between her worldview and Vance’s, pointing to their sharply different reactions to the recent Minneapolis shooting. She has argued that Vance’s defense of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent involved reflects a vision of America she rejects.
“I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not,” she told a gaggle of reporters earlier this month.
“And that is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I. I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.”
The congresswoman, widely known as AOC, is weighing her next political move. According to sources familiar with her thinking, she has not yet decided whether to pursue a Senate bid in New York — which could put her in a primary against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2028 — or to mount a national campaign for president. Still, her rhetoric and posture increasingly resemble that of a White House hopeful.
Democrats have taken note that Ocasio-Cortez is now regularly addressing issues that extend well beyond her district, touching on domestic and foreign matters alike, from developments in Venezuela to debates over health care subsidies. Many in the party see that as a sign she is positioning herself for a presidential run.
“The mini primary for 2028 has already begun and she’s in it. And people want her to be in it,” said Democratic strategist Hyma Moore. “She knows she has a chance to potentially run for president and be president so she doesn’t want to be caught unprepared.”
Her critiques of Vice President Vance, in particular, have moved to the forefront of her public messaging.
Earlier this week, she intensified those attacks after being asked about remarks from Vance suggesting that the woman killed in Minneapolis was a victim of her own ideology.
“As far as what a person like that believes, you have to start right there with the person you’re dealing with,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent’s Washington bureau chief Eric Garcia.
Last month, she also amplified attention around a poll conducted by The Argument/Verasight indicating she would narrowly defeat Vance in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, 51 percent to 49 percent, among registered voters.
“Bloop!” the congresswoman wrote on X, the social media platform, while sharing the poll.
Asked later about the survey, Ocasio-Cortez brushed off the question with humor.
“Let the record show: I would stomp him. I would stomp him!” she said, laughing, before walking away outside the Capitol.
Vance is widely viewed as the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, though some within the party have floated Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a possible alternative. Last summer, President Trump said he would “most likely” back Vance with his endorsement.
At a Turning Point USA conference, Vance also received an early nod of support from Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Moore said Ocasio-Cortez is deliberately employing multiple lines of attack as she goes after the vice president.
“He’s the early GOP/MAGA frontrunner [and] no one else has formed a salient anti-Vance message,” Moore said. “She has to show she can really jump into the high-stakes political arena.”
Another Democratic strategist echoed that view, saying it is “pretty clear that there is a particular clarity that AOC speaks with when she is going after JD Vance.”
“She’s not just disagreeing with a political opinion, she’s offering a countering vision of the country,” the strategist said. “Hard to miss the foreshadowing of what 2028 could look like.”
Within Democratic circles, many believe Ocasio-Cortez would have a viable path if she entered a presidential primary.
She would likely emerge as the leading standard-bearer for the progressive wing of the party, a role previously occupied by Sen. Bernie Sanders during his challenges to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez appeared together before large crowds across the country last year.
“It’s going to be a different cycle than the ones we’ve seen before because it’s not clear there will be strict [ideological] lanes,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, co-host of the Politicon podcast “Trailblaze,” which is dedicated to the 2028 race.
“However, the AOC-Bernie lane may be the most distinctive lane that exists,” Simmons said.
“If she runs, she will be a factor the same way Bernie was a factor because there is populist progressive hunger in the electorate,” he added. “And if Bernie passes the torch to AOC, she will be a phenomenon.”
At the same time, Democrats acknowledge that her toughest competition in a primary could come from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who many in the party already regard as the leading contender for 2028.
Newsom has recently strengthened his standing with Democrats by aggressively challenging President Trump and by championing Proposition 50, the redistricting initiative that won voter approval in California in November.
Since that victory, Newsom has expanded a nationwide email list of Democratic supporters and continued to demonstrate his fundraising prowess, two assets that would immediately boost any presidential campaign.
Party insiders say Newsom currently stands in a class by himself in the 2028 field, though some privately speculate that Ocasio-Cortez could join him in that top tier.
“There is no one else on the list besides Newsom who has that x-factor, name ID, an ability to draw crowds, a natural communication style, a fundraising draw,” said a second Democratic strategist. “She is the only Democrat I can think of right now who has a path out of the primary.”
Even so, a presidential run would not be without hurdles for the 36-year-old lawmaker. Among the challenges frequently discussed is her age, as well as lingering unease among some Democrats about nominating another woman after the party’s defeats in 2016 and 2024, when Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris respectively headed the ticket.
“It’s something that comes up all the time,” one Democratic strategist said. “It’s very real.”
Before any of that, Ocasio-Cortez must first choose which race, if any, she will enter.
“I’ve always believed she’s far more likely to challenge Schumer for the Senate in 2028 than to run for president, but she obviously has the national profile for either,” said Democratic strategist Christy Setzer.
Setzer pointed to President Barack Obama, who faced criticism early on from skeptics who argued he lacked sufficient experience for a presidential run.
“As Obama’s advisers told him, you’re never fully ready to run for president, but if there’s an opening, you just have to grab it.”
As Moore summed it up, “She’s starting to lay the seeds.”
“She’s being very smart about positioning herself well,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
A longtime Israeli pastry chef was killed early Friday morning in a workplace accident at a South Florida kosher bakery, authorities said.
Mordechai Grunberger, 71, died after falling into an industrial dough-kneading machine at the bakery. Police said the circumstances are still under review, but investigators have found no evidence suggesting foul play.
Grunberger had made his home in Miami for more than two decades, where he was known for his work in the kosher baking industry.
His wife, Inna Gastman Moar, shared a heartfelt tribute on Facebook, mourning the sudden loss. “Today, my beloved husband Miki, my closest person in my life my best friend, and father of my two beautiful sons, tragically passed away!” she wrote. “I lost myself. I love him so much. He’s the love of my life!”
In an official statement, police said: “Police are investigating the death of a man at the South Florida Kosher Market. At this time, there are no indications of criminal activity, and the incident has been classified as an accident involving an industrial dough-mixing machine.”
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Yaldei Teheran became a world wide cry for the abuses of secular Zionist officials in charge of the religious Orthodox Polish children who were smuggled to Israel through Teheran and placed in secular co-ed camps.
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MK Oded Forer of Yisrael Beiteinu spoke out sharply in an interview, declaring that there should be no exemptions from military service, including for elite talmidim of leading yeshivos such as Ponevezh Yeshiva and Chevron Yeshiva.
Speaking with Yossi Sergovski on the Davar Rishon program, Forer made clear that his party will not join a coalition with the chareidi parties, accusing them of promoting what he described as an anti-Zionist agenda. He also launched a harsh attack on Shas, branding it a “racist party,” and reiterated his demand that talmidim of Chevron and Ponevezh be drafted without quotas or caps.
“Medinas Yisrael is in a war over its very existence,” Forer said. “Every citizen holding a blue ID card must take part. It makes no difference whether he is chareidi or secular, Jewish or Muslim. Anyone fit for military service must serve.”
Forer rejected claims that the enlistment drive constitutes an attack on the Olam HaTorah. He acknowledged that Torah learning is a core value, but insisted it cannot replace participation in the national burden. “Anyone who thinks there are people who are more important than others is mistaken,” he said. “Talmidim in the Hesder yeshivos paid with their lives while learning Torah. That is a real kiddush Hashem.”
Responding to arguments that limited enlistment quotas would suffice, Forer dismissed the entire concept. “The whole discussion of quotas is wrong,” he said. “If anything, we should be talking about quotas for exemptions. Tzahal needs 15,000 soldiers right now. People are doing hundreds of days of miluim. This cannot go on.”
Addressing recent enlistment figures in the chareidi sector — including a single draft day in which more than 500 young men were inducted — Forer said the increase was the direct result of sanctions. “The rise in numbers comes from pressure,” he said. “But these are still very mild sanctions, and the government is avoiding full enforcement.”
Forer also sharply criticized the leadership of the chareidi parties, accusing them of failing to condemn extremist incidents. “When chareidi soldiers are attacked in Bnei Brak and there is no condemnation, it’s unacceptable,” he said. “They send them to fight, but don’t defend them at home.”
On the issue of canceling daycare subsidies for avreichim, Forer said economic policy based on incentives and sanctions has proven effective. “People respond to benefits and to limitations,” he said. “That was true in 2003, and it’s true today. This isn’t against the chareidim — it’s in favor of partnership.”
According to Forer, many younger chareidim already understand that change is needed. “After October 7, I saw young chareidim who wanted to take part,” he said. “The ones who aren’t there are the leaders, who prefer to preserve weakness.”
Later in the interview, Forer described United Torah Judaism and Shas as non-Zionist parties. “Parties that promote an anti-Zionist agenda cannot be partners in government. I do not sit with non-Zionist parties,” he said.
In closing, Forer emphasized that Yisrael Beiteinu will not join a government led by Bibi Netanyahu or by the chareidi factions. “There is a large Zionist majority in this country,” he said. “I hope the next government will be formed on the basis of a clear Zionist agenda.”
{Matzav.com}
