President Donald Trump shifted his attention westward on Tuesday, training his fire on California and Gov. Gavin Newsom just a day after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would abandon his reelection campaign amid a growing fraud scandal in his state.
Reacting to Walz’s sudden decision to step aside, Trump used Truth Social to argue that Minnesota’s problems are not isolated, contending that corruption is even more deeply rooted in California. In one post, he declared that scrutiny has now expanded beyond the Midwest.
“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,” Trump wrote.
Walz, a Democrat who served as his party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024, said the political climate surrounding Minnesota’s child care fraud investigation had become untenable. He explained that the constant pressure made it impossible to balance governing the state with mounting a reelection campaign.
The outgoing governor dismissed the controversy as politically motivated, accusing Trump and Republican allies of exploiting the issue to turn Minnesota into what he described as “a colder, meaner place.” Republicans, however, have rejected that characterization, saying the allegations point to serious and systemic failures in oversight and governance.
Trump, in a separate Truth Social message responding to Walz’s withdrawal, escalated his accusations, charging that the Minnesota governor was “caught, redhanded” in what he described as a massive scheme involving “tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.” He added that Walz’s situation was emblematic of a broader pattern among Democratic leaders.
Trump extended that argument to California, asserting that Newsom and other Democratic governors have done “an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” while stressing, “No one is above the law!”
The president’s focus on California echoes long-standing conservative criticism that the state operates under lax oversight, spiraling costs, and entrenched bureaucratic waste, even as Sacramento seeks additional funding from taxpayers. Those claims were reinforced by a recent report from California’s nonpartisan state auditor, which placed Newsom’s administration and several major agencies under elevated “high-risk” scrutiny.
According to the auditor, chronic deficiencies span a wide range of systems, including public benefit programs, unemployment insurance, financial reporting, cybersecurity protections, and water infrastructure. The report warned that continued failures could saddle the state with billions of dollars in additional costs and pose serious public safety threats.
Among the most notable findings were a nearly 11% payment error rate in California’s CalFresh program, which the auditor said could expose the state to as much as $2.5 billion in losses by 2028 if left uncorrected. The review also identified roughly $1.5 billion in improper unemployment payments during 2023 and 2024, well after pandemic-era fraud had already shaken confidence in the system.
The assessment further cited weak financial controls that undermine transparency, cybersecurity vulnerabilities across multiple agencies, and concerns about dam infrastructure that could endanger lives and property if failures occur. Whistleblower probes detailed wasteful practices as well, including millions of dollars spent on state-issued mobile devices that were never used.
Trump has repeatedly argued that prolonged one-party Democratic control leads to expansive government with minimal accountability. Speaking recently aboard Air Force One, he pledged to tighten oversight, reestablish law-and-order standards within federal agencies, and protect taxpayers from what he described as being treated like an “endless ATM” for states that mismanage public funds.
{Matzav.com}
Dear Matzav Inbox,
I would like to share an observation regarding shidduchim that I believe many in the community have noticed. This is not meant for everyone, and certainly not for those who put real thought into the shidduchim they suggest.
At the same time, there are cases where shidduchim are suggested without enough thought, or without really knowing the boy or the girl. Often, the person suggesting the idea does not actually know either side at all. For example, they may know the boy’s mother and the girl’s grandmother, and based on that limited connection, the shidduch is suggested. While well-intentioned, this often does not lead anywhere.
Many of us see that some ideas are clearly way out of the ballpark. I have also heard people say they took on a kabbalah to suggest one shidduch a day. While the desire to help is admirable, shidduchim are not daf yomi, and not everything works with a daily quota.
Beyond that, when too many unrealistic ideas are suggested, it can take away from the value of more serious shidduchim. It also takes up time and energy that could be better spent checking into good, solid ideas that actually have potential.
Before presenting a shidduch to an already overwhelmed parent, perhaps it would help to make two or three phone calls to people who actually know both the boy and the girl. A little checking can save a lot of unnecessary information, phone calls, and follow-ups.
This is not meant to discourage good shidduchim. If someone truly has a solid, well-thought-out idea, they should not hesitate to suggest it. Even if a person is not completely sure, but has done some basic checking and others who know the situation also feel it is a reasonable idea, it is certainly appropriate to suggest the shidduch. The point is simply not to suggest shidduchim as a way of checking off an item on a to-do list.
Shidduchim involve real people and real lives. A bit more seichel and a bit less pressure to “have an idea” can only help everyone involved.
Thank you for providing a platform for this discussion.
Sincerely,
A concerned member of the community
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{Matzav.com}
Israel’s United Torah Judaism has taken a dramatic step in support of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, announcing that it is removing all previous limitations and reservations it had placed on judicial and legal legislation.
The decision came shortly after a forceful speech by Netanyahu in the Knesset in which he reiterated his determination to advance the draft law. Following the address, UTJ faction chairman Uri Maklev formally informed Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz that, effective immediately and until further notice, the party will support all coalition-backed legal and judicial bills.
Maklev conveyed that the move stems from deep and growing frustration within the chareidi parties over what they view as persistent legal targeting of the Torah world and the chareidi public. According to party officials, recent developments — ranging from the handling of the draft law to delays in funding for daycare centers and yeshivos — have convinced UTJ that the legal establishment and the courts have marked the chareidi community as a central target.
Under the new directive, United Torah Judaism will provide blanket and unconditional backing to every coalition-sponsored judicial bill, legislative initiative, or procedural motion dealing with legal matters. The party stressed that all prior constraints it had imposed in this area have been fully lifted.
Coalition sources say the decision effectively gives the government a green light to revive and advance controversial legal legislation that had been frozen for months, potentially setting the stage for a significant wave of lawmaking during the current Knesset session.
The immediate political impact is a substantial strengthening of the right-wing bloc within the government and a renewed consolidation of the chareidi parties within the coalition framework.
Senior coalition officials welcomed Maklev’s announcement, signaling that any further attempts by the legal system — including High Court of Justice involvement — to intervene in chareidi religious life will now be met with swift and coordinated legislative responses.
“This is a genuine strategic shift in the relationship between the chareidi parties and the legal system,” coalition insiders said. “It is a move that is expected to influence the government’s stability and shape the political battles of the coming weeks.”
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu delivered an impassioned speech Monday night in the Knesset, forcefully defending the centrality of the Torah world to Jewish survival while trading sharp barbs with opposition leader Yair Lapid during a heated 40-signature debate.
Speaking after Lapid renewed his attacks, Netanyahu chose to respond directly, combining pointed political criticism with an emotional defense of Torah study. Addressing the draft law, Netanyahu accused the opposition of taking what he called a “narrow, extreme, and divisive” stance, while his government, he said, is pursuing broad national consensus.
“We are advancing a historic framework that will lead to the enlistment of 23,000 chareidim over the next three and a half years,” Netanyahu said. “This is a real revolution, with an enormous number of recruits. The law we formulated includes personal and institutional sanctions, but I believe they won’t be needed, because the chareidi public will meet the enlistment targets we set.”
The prime minister went on to contrast the government’s proposal with what he described as Lapid’s previous legislation. “We quadrupled the number of recruits. Which law is better, your draft-evasion law or our enlistment law? Our law serves the state; your law serves you politically. You’re not interested in chareidi enlistment. You want to throw obstacles in the way of the historic law we are bringing. Your fear is that we will succeed — that the draft law will pass and tens of thousands of chareidim will enlist in the IDF.”
Lapid responded by citing the pain of bereaved families, describing testimony given in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by the widow of fallen IDF officer Emanuel Moreno. “Bereaved families are falling apart when they see attempts to give chareidim exemption from sacrifice,” Lapid said, accusing the government of moral failure. He further claimed that a senior chareidi minister compared calls for chareidi enlistment to forcing Jews to wear a yellow badge.
After Lapid’s remarks, Netanyahu returned to the podium for a second speech, rejecting the opposition’s claims and reaffirming his support for both national security and Torah learning. “We are now passing a real draft law, as opposed to your evasion law,” he said. “I stand behind everything I said about what is in our law and what was not in yours. I understand that there are people who are unhappy about this. You certainly are, because you want it to fail.”
Netanyahu strongly condemned the comparison to the yellow badge. “I denounce with complete force the talk about the yellow patch,” he said. “Enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces is not a yellow patch. It is good that hundreds of young chareidim came yesterday. But at the same time, we will preserve the Torah world, because without the Torah world we would not have survived here and we would not have reached where we are today.”
In one of the most emotional moments of the debate, Netanyahu linked Jewish continuity throughout history to Torah study. “We would not have endured, we would not have reached this time, and we would have no future without it,” he said. “If you follow Jewish history — exile after exile, slaughter, plunder, horrific acts — throughout all of that, Torah learning and the preservation of Jewish heritage remained. Without it, we would not be here. I respect this. I do not scorn it, and I am not trying to eliminate it. I want coexistence: there will be Torah scholars, and there will also be those who enlist. Thank God this is beginning to happen, and soon it will happen on a much larger scale. If you care about the future of the state, this is something you should encourage.”
Netanyahu concluded with a sharp personal jab at Lapid, tying the opposition leader’s political standing to his priorities. “You know why you’re polling at four seats today,” Netanyahu said. “A year and a half ago you told me there wouldn’t be a fountain named after me, there wouldn’t be a square named after me. Do you really think that’s what interests me? I’m here to ensure the existence of the Jewish people. That’s what interests me, not you. And that’s why the polls give you four mandates.”
{Matzav.com}
