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President Donald Trump used a nationally televised primetime address Thursday night to announce the immediate declassification of intelligence files that he said reveal extensive vulnerabilities in America’s election system, while directing multiple federal agencies to investigate what he described as years of concealed security failures and foreign interference.

Trump began his speech by contrasting the current state of the country with what he described as an “economic and social disaster” inherited by his administration. He pointed to what he called a booming economy, declaring that “more Americans are working today than ever before” and noting that “inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years.”

The president also highlighted key provisions of his signature tax package, emphasizing the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. He further cited declining prescription drug prices and the creation of tax-free investment accounts for children as major accomplishments.

Shifting to national security, Trump said illegal border crossings had effectively fallen to zero over the past 14 months. He also referenced developments involving Venezuela and Iran, declaring, “We are winning big in Iran. You will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly”.

Trump then argued that none of the administration’s accomplishments would matter without public confidence in the electoral process, warning, “If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. And that’s very simple: no trust, no greatness.”

Announcing what he described as a major transparency initiative, Trump said, “Tonight I’m announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” explaining that the material—compiled by the White House Government Transparency Task Force together with intelligence advisers—had been posted on the White House website.

According to the president, the newly released records contain five major findings concerning election security.

Trump asserted that intelligence reports indicate the Chinese government obtained approximately 220 million American voter records beginning during the 2020 election cycle, including names, addresses, and party affiliations. He characterized the alleged breach as an “unprecedented election security nightmare.”

The president also accused elements within the intelligence community of concealing information about Chinese election-related activities from both the White House and Congress. Referring to CIA documents from 2018 and 2019, Trump claimed Beijing sought to influence the political landscape by exploiting American business relationships and financing unfavorable media coverage, saying, “The Chinese government wanted US president to lose the next election, and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them.”

Trump went on to cite FBI records that he said detail Chinese efforts to produce fraudulent ballots. He alleged intelligence analysts “deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities” and pointed to one FBI official who allegedly wrote that she was operating “a shadow government” to keep the intelligence from being disclosed.

The president further claimed intelligence assessments compiled between January 2020 and June 2026 found that centralized election databases and voting machines remain “extremely exposed to attack” by foreign governments. He specifically referenced reported electronic vote manipulation methods allegedly developed in Venezuela.

Trump also discussed FBI files relating to a 2020 Michigan State Police raid involving a voter registration operation in Muskegon. He alleged evidence of fraudulent voter registration applications purchased with gift cards was “slow walked” and later suppressed by the Biden Justice Department.

Turning to voter registration rolls, Trump cited a Department of Homeland Security review that he said identified roughly 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections. He further asserted that the actual total is likely much higher because, according to the administration, some states have declined to provide complete voter registration data.

The president also criticized major television networks that chose not to air the speech live. “In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech,” Trump said, adding that “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses” for utilizing public airwaves while concealing election vulnerabilities.

As part of the administration’s response, Trump announced that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA have been instructed to investigate the alleged intelligence cover-ups, dismiss any officials found responsible, and pursue criminal charges where warranted.

He also said the Department of Homeland Security would notify states about noncitizens identified on voter rolls and provide technical briefings on election system security updates before the upcoming midterm elections.

Concluding his address, Trump criticized California’s lengthy vote-counting process, calling the state’s month-long tabulation period “worse than any third world country.” He also argued that “mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt” and urged Americans to press Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship for voter registration while limiting mail-in voting to cases involving illness, disability, military service, or travel.

“These reforms are urgently needed to stop the vulnerabilities that I’ve mentioned,” Trump concluded. “Together we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

WATCH:

The Baltimore Jewish community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a one-year-old child who died Thursday after being accidentally left inside a hot vehicle. The toddler was a member of a respected and well-known family in the community.

In the wake of the tragedy, local rabbanim organized a special gathering for women in the community to offer words of chizuk and support. Rabbinic leaders were joined by representatives of Chai Lifeline, who are providing emotional assistance to the grieving family and helping them cope with the devastating loss.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal hot-car tragedies that claim the lives of young children across the United States each year, particularly during the summer months. Community leaders are urging parents, drivers, and those involved in carpools to adopt preventive safety measures, including placing a personal item in the back seat as a reminder, confirming that every child has exited the vehicle upon arrival, and using child safety seat alarm systems designed to prevent such heartbreaking incidents.

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic standoff unfolded in the Knesset Thursday evening after Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri ordered his party’s lawmakers to walk out of the plenum, declaring that the party would not support a controversial campaign finance bill unless opposition factions also backed the legislation.

The bill, which would increase public funding for political parties ahead of the upcoming elections, requires the support of at least 61 Knesset members to pass. After learning that opposition parties did not intend to vote in favor of the measure, Deri instructed all Shas MKs to leave the chamber, effectively jeopardizing the bill’s chances of securing the necessary majority.

Explaining his decision, Deri accused the opposition of attempting to benefit from the legislation while allowing the coalition—and particularly the Chareidi parties—to absorb the political criticism.

“I will teach the opposition a lesson. They are always saying the Chareidim only want money. We don’t need this money. Shas is the most organized party and has no debts,” Deri said during conversations in the Knesset. “They want this law more than we do, but they want us to pass it, take all the criticism, and then they will receive the money.”

Officials in Shas said they view the opposition’s position as an attempt to reap the financial benefits of the legislation without publicly supporting it. As a result, the party has made clear that it will not provide the votes needed to pass the bill unless opposition lawmakers are also willing to vote in favor.

With the Knesset’s 25th term rapidly drawing to a close ahead of new elections, it remains uncertain whether supporters of the measure will be able to assemble the 61-vote majority required to approve the legislation before the current session ends.

{Matzav.com}

A heated dispute over Chareidi education is unfolding in Netanya after local authorities reportedly sought to move girls’ Chareidi preschools into the state-run Chareidi school system. In response, leading rabbinic figures in the city, joined by Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, have issued a strongly worded letter urging parents not to enroll their daughters in the new framework.

The letter was signed by Rav Moshe Dov Broida, the rabbinic leader of the central Chareidi community in Netanya, and Rav Aharon Aryeh Waldenberg, rabbi of the city’s Minyan Avreichim synagogue. The two rabbanim warned parents against what they described as the dangers of the state-run Chareidi preschool system.

In their letter, the rabbanim wrote, “There must be no surrender and no temptation whatsoever to send our daughters to this framework under any circumstances.”

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch added his signature to the letter and personally wrote an additional handwritten message stating, “The public, G-d forbid, should not be enticed by their words, and they should stand firm—very firm—in continuing pure Torah education.”

The letter has sparked considerable discussion throughout Netanya’s Chareidi community and beyond. It comes in addition to a separate, detailed letter sent by Rav Moshe Dov Broida to parents of preschool children, in which he warned that unless the situation changes, the upcoming school year will not open under the proposed arrangement.

The controversy marks the latest chapter in the ongoing debate over the expansion of the state-run Chareidi education system, a move that has faced strong opposition from many leading Torah authorities, who have repeatedly called on parents to preserve the traditional model of Torah-based education.

{Matzav.com}

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen personally apologized Thursday to a Chareidi man who was allegedly attacked because of his appearance while waiting at a city bus stop. In addition to sending a letter expressing regret over the incident, the mayor also delivered a cake to the victim as a gesture of support.

The apology followed a report by Kol Berama Radio detailing the assault. In his letter, Shama-Hacohen wrote that he was “deeply shocked to hear about the display of violence and threats that were made at you in the streets of our city. Such an incident is in complete contradiction to Ramat Gan’s fundamental values. There is and will not be any place for expressions of hatred or discrimination in the city.”

The mayor added that “the fact that you are a resident of the neighboring city of Bnei Brak who visited our city, makes the incident even more painful and upsetting.”

According to the victim, the attack took place Wednesday afternoon on Herzl Street in Ramat Gan as he waited for a bus back home. He told Kol Berama that while speaking with his brother-in-law by phone, he stepped to the side of the bus stop so as not to disturb the other passengers waiting there.

It was then, he said, that a man riding a bicycle while holding a beer bottle approached him and began shouting, “Haredi, what are you doing on this street? Go to Bnei Brak.”

The victim said he tried to walk away and avoid any confrontation, but the attacker got off his bicycle and allegedly began striking him repeatedly with the beer bottle. He said he was hit in the face and stomach before the assailant allegedly attempted to smash the bottle while threatening him, saying, “If I see you here in another 10 minutes, I will come back and murder you.”

Before the attacker fled, the victim said he was able to record him on his cellphone.

Reflecting on the ordeal, the victim said the physical assault was not the most painful part of the encounter. Rather, he said, the anti-Chareidi abuse directed at him because of his appearance left the deepest emotional scars.

“The hardest moment was hearing the shout, ‘Haredi, don’t step on this street, go to Bnei Brak. If you stay here, I’ll murder you,'” he said.

The victim also expressed disappointment that, despite the attack taking place on a busy street near a bus stop filled with people, no one stepped forward to intervene or attempt to stop the assault.

He further criticized the way police handled his complaint, saying investigators refused to immediately accept the photograph he had taken of the suspect on his phone. Instead, he said, they insisted he upload it through a designated online portal—a process he explained was especially difficult because he uses a kosher cellphone.

The victim said he hopes Israel Police will conduct a thorough investigation and use security camera footage from the area, along with any other available evidence, to identify and arrest the suspect.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., to remain in place through the conclusion of his presidency, extending the deployment for more than two additional years as the administration argues the operation continues to play a key role in reducing crime in the nation’s capital.

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that the mission has officially been extended until Jan. 20, 2029, stating in an email that the deployment will remain active until that date, “or until terminated by the President.” The operation had previously been scheduled to conclude at the end of this year following an earlier extension.

The deployment has remained a source of political debate ever since Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 declaring a crime emergency in Washington and authorizing the activation of approximately 2,500 National Guard troops alongside additional federal law enforcement personnel. Administration officials maintain the initiative has contributed to a sharp decline in crime, while city leaders contend crime rates were already trending downward before the federal operation began.

Since arriving in the capital, National Guard personnel have taken part in a variety of public safety and community support efforts, including responding to medical calls, assisting law enforcement during arrests, clearing snow, and participating in neighborhood beautification projects.

“Taxpayers are paying more than a million dollars a day to have them walk around,” Phil Mendelson, chairman of the District of Columbia Council, said in April, adding that “the presence of armed soldiers on American streets is not a good look.”

While similar National Guard deployments have been halted or limited through court action in states such as California and Illinois, smaller federal missions continue in several cities, including New Orleans. In Washington, however, Guard members remain highly visible, patrolling Metro stations, tourist destinations, public parks, neighborhoods, and other areas throughout the city.

The mission has also carried significant risks. In November, a National Guard soldier was killed and another injured when authorities say a gunman traveled from Washington state to the nation’s capital and opened fire outside a Metro station just three blocks from the White House. The victims were identified as Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, both of whom had been deployed from West Virginia.

Because Washington, D.C., is a federally created district rather than a state, Trump has direct authority over both the city’s National Guard and significant aspects of its law enforcement structure. That unique arrangement has allowed the administration to continue the mission without encountering many of the legal obstacles that have challenged similar deployments elsewhere.

Although Guard troops themselves do not have arrest powers, administration officials insist their presence has strengthened broader law enforcement efforts by allowing police agencies to focus more resources on fighting crime.

According to the White House, a joint federal task force has made roughly 12,000 arrests since the operation began. Officials also said those arrests included 62 identified gang members and led to the seizure of thousands of illegally possessed firearms.

Despite those figures, disagreement continues over how much of Washington’s improving public safety can be credited to the Guard deployment. Critics argue crime had already been declining before the federal intervention, though those statistics later became the subject of an investigation following allegations that local police data may have been manipulated.

{Matzav.com}