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President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on Sen. Mitch McConnell on Thursday, portraying the retiring Kentucky Republican as embittered, disloyal, and undeserving of the praise he has received over the years for reshaping the federal judiciary.

Trump made the remarks during an Oval Office question-and-answer session following the signing of a proclamation rolling back fishing regulations enacted during the Obama administration. The exchange was broadcast live on Newsmax and the network’s streaming platform, Newsmax2.

The President was asked about the possibility that Senate Republicans could pursue a third budget reconciliation package, a proposal that has been floated as a vehicle for additional funding tied to the conflict with Iran, election-security measures connected to the SAVE America Act, and restrictions on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

Earlier this week, McConnell, who is stepping down at the end of his current term and will not serve in the next Congress, cast doubt on the idea during a Senate hearing.

“I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill, so it’s really not an option.”

Trump responded with a lengthy criticism of the former Senate Republican leader.

“McConnell is an angry man,” Trump said. “You know, he got thrown out of his position [as Senate GOP leader]. He’s an angry guy. You know, he should be very thankful to me because if I didn’t win, he wouldn’t have gotten to a point … I appointed the judges. He didn’t.

“He gets credit for appointing judges. He didn’t appoint anybody. I did. You know how I did? I won the election and then I picked judges, and the judges ended up getting approved and they said, oh, didn’t he do a good job?

“He didn’t do a good job. What the hell did he do? I won the election.”

The President also accused McConnell of undermining Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who succeeded him as Republican leader in the upper chamber.

“He’s an angry man who’s very disloyal to John Thune,” Trump said. “John Thune is a good man. He was a loyal worker for Mitch McConnell. He worked very hard. He was very loyal to him.

“I disagree with him a lot because Mitch McConnell gave so much money to Democrats. He gave them money. I had to go get the [border] wall money from the military [in Trump’s first term]. I just took it out of the military because that guy wouldn’t do anything.

“No, Mitch McConnell’s a bad guy. And I thought he was lousy at his job. But the only thing they gave him a lot of credit was for judges.

“But I’m the one that got the judges. You know why? I won the election. If I didn’t win the election, he wouldn’t have had any judges.”

The conversation then shifted to reports that the White House is preparing a supplemental funding request for Congress. While the Pentagon initially discussed a package approaching $200 billion to replenish weapons stockpiles and maintain military readiness, recent reports indicate the administration may ultimately seek between $80 billion and $100 billion.

Rather than address the details of the funding proposal, Trump turned his attention to Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, criticizing the Republican senator over her voting record.

Last month, Murkowski joined Sens. Susan Collins and Rand Paul in voting alongside Democrats to advance a measure aimed at preventing U.S. military action against Iran without congressional approval.

Trump argued that despite efforts by his administration to benefit Alaska, Murkowski has consistently opposed his agenda.

“But you have him. You have Murkowski,” Trump said. “I’ve done so much for Murkowski. And Murkowski is terrible. Terrible to us, terrible to the country. I almost feel guilty.

“I [have] probably done more for Alaska than any other state, not because of her, because it’s the right thing to do. She’s just an impediment. But she’s there. She probably will be a negative vote.”

{Matzav.com}

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Today, the New Jersey State Assembly removed language from a bill that would have jeopardized religious rights. The legislation had allowed individuals to sue anyone accused of interfering with their decision to obtain reproductive or gender-related health care services and seek damages for harm to their business or personal reputation, financial harm, or pain and suffering, mental anguish, and emotional harm.

Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey Office led opposition to the language, warning that its broad and undefined terms could expose rabbis, educators, counselors, schools, and parents to costly litigation for providing guidance or expressing views regarding gender-related medical procedures. In addition to working with legislators in both chambers, the Agudah issued an action alert urging residents across the state to contact their Assembly members and oppose the bill.

“We are grateful to the bill sponsors and legislative leadership for recognizing the serious concerns included in this provision and for addressing them,” Shlomo Schorr, Director of Legislative Affairs for Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey Office, said.

“The removal of this language is an important victory for religious liberty, free speech, and parental rights.

We especially thank the thousands of New Jersey residents who responded to our action alert and contacted their legislators to make their voices heard. Their advocacy helped ensure that constitutionally protected speech and religious expression will not be subjected to vague and potentially far-reaching civil liability.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sharply condemned UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Thursday after she reportedly responded to the grieving mother of a victim murdered during Hamas’s October 7 massacre by telling her to “change medication.”

Danon highlighted the exchange in a public statement, accusing Albanese of displaying shocking insensitivity toward a bereaved parent.

“The mother of Carolin Bohl, a young German woman brutally murdered by Hamas on October 7, has posted about the extreme anti-Israel hostility she encountered at a film premiere in Berlin, where Francesca Albanese, the UN ‘Special Rapporteur,’ was the guest of honor,” Danon wrote.

According to Danon, Bohl’s mother shared the emotional pain she experienced at the event and described the atmosphere she encountered. He said Albanese’s response only deepened the hurt.

“After the bereaved mother shared her pain and experience, Albanese’s outrageous response was: ‘Change medication,’” he added.

Danon said the remark reflected what he described as a continuing pattern of conduct by the UN official.

“There seems to be no limit to Francesca Albanese’s moral decline,” said Danon.

Albanese has long faced criticism from Israeli officials and others who argue that her statements demonstrate a consistent anti-Israel bias. Most recently, several European foreign ministers rebuked comments she made during an Al Jazeera conference.

During that event, Albanese stated: “The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support … We who do not control large amounts of financial capitals, algorithms and weapons, we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy.”

After the remarks generated controversy, Albanese denied that she had characterized Israel as humanity’s common enemy.

In a subsequent interview, she insisted that she “never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity,'” and dismissed the criticism as “completely false accusations.”

Questions surrounding Albanese’s views on Israel have persisted for years. In 2022, previously uncovered social media posts drew widespread attention after she asserted that the “Jewish lobby” exerts control over the United States.

Albanese rejected claims that those comments were antisemitic, arguing that her words had been “mischaracterized.” Nevertheless, critics have continued to point to similar statements as evidence of longstanding hostility toward Israel.

Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, scrutiny of Albanese intensified after she argued that the massacre should be viewed within a broader “context” and described it as a response to Israeli “aggression.”

More recently, in late March, Albanese leveled additional accusations against Israel, claiming the international community had granted the country “a license to torture Palestinians.” She further alleged that “torture has effectively become state policy” in Israel.

Her latest clash with the family of an October 7 victim has now sparked fresh outrage, with Danon and others arguing that the comments cross a line of basic human decency and further undermine her credibility as a UN official.

{Matzav.com}

The United States was reportedly only hours away from launching military strikes against Iran on Thursday night before President Donald Trump abruptly pulled back the operation, announcing instead that a new agreement with Tehran had been reached, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to NBC News.

Sources told NBC News that the military had already received direct orders to carry out the mission and was fully prepared to proceed. With roughly three hours remaining before the planned attack, forces were in position, Navy assets had adjusted their flight operations, and weapons had been loaded in anticipation of the strike order.

Despite Trump’s public warnings aimed at Kharg Island, officials said that strategic oil terminal was never included among the designated targets for Thursday’s operation. While the Pentagon has spent months developing extensive plans for possible strikes against, or even an invasion of, Kharg Island, those scenarios remained contingency options and were never approved for execution by the President.

Kharg Island has previously been targeted by American forces during earlier military conflicts. On Thursday morning, however, Trump escalated his rhetoric on Truth Social, declaring that the United States would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” while also stating that American forces would soon be “taking Kharg Island” along with additional Iranian energy facilities.

One U.S. official told NBC News that Trump’s public comments regarding Kharg Island did not align “with any of the planning or action” that military commanders were actually preparing to carry out that evening.

Although defense planners had multiple military options available, officials said the precise targets and operational details for Thursday night’s mission were not finalized until after Trump’s morning social media post. Following that message, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed military leadership to craft a strike package that differed from the standard retaliation plans he had previously reviewed.

According to the officials, the final plan approved for Thursday bore a strong resemblance to the precision attacks American forces had already conducted the night before.

Several hours after publicly announcing the agreement with Iran, Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office and indicated that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had signed off on the arrangement.

“I understand the answer is yes,” Trump replied when asked if Khamenei had given his approval to the agreement.

When questioned about why he believed the negotiations would succeed this time, Trump pointed to the pressure Iran had endured in recent weeks.

“Because they’ve taken a pounding. They’ve taken a pounding like very few people could take. And they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”

The President also reiterated a key condition of the agreement, declaring, “Iran will, in no way, shape, or form, build a nuclear weapon or purchase a nuclear weapon.”

Additional details of the emerging agreement were reported by Al Arabiya, which said the framework includes a minimum 60-day extension of the ceasefire, efforts to clear naval mines, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international maritime traffic within 30 days.

The reported understandings would also permit Iran to resume oil exports while sanctions relief is reviewed in stages. The proposal further calls for continued nuclear negotiations during the ceasefire period and an end to hostilities across all active fronts.

At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that the proposed Memorandum of Understanding is in advanced negotiations and is “nearly finalized.”

Iranian officials said mediating nations have spent recent hours attempting to resolve the remaining issues separating the two sides. Nevertheless, Tehran stressed that the agreement has not yet been formally completed or officially ratified.

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Islamic Republic has demonstrated that it will not retreat from what it considers its “red lines.”

The report added that Iran has not yet made a final decision on whether it will ultimately accept the agreement.

{Matzav.com}

A day after the Knesset advanced the Basic Law on Torah Study, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri launched a blistering defense of the legislation, accusing Israel’s attorney general and Supreme Court justices of waging a campaign against the Torah world and forcing lawmakers to enshrine what he described as self-evident truths into law.

Speaking at a public event on Thursday, Deri argued that the new legislation, which recognizes the significance of Torah study to the Jewish people, should never have been necessary in the first place.

“The Basic Law on Torah Study that we passed yesterday states that Torah learners make a significant contribution to the Jewish people. Isn’t that obvious? Isn’t that self-evident?” Deri said.

He compared the need for such legislation to passing a law affirming the practice of bris milah.

“We never dreamed that we would have to legislate this. It’s like legislating a law about bris milah. It’s something so basic. What is our existence in this land if not because of the Torah? What sustained the Jewish people? Every child understands this.”

Deri reserved some of his harshest criticism for opponents of the legislation and for those who criticized his recent visit to yeshiva students being held in military detention facilities.

“There were those who attacked me: How dare I go visit the ‘draft dodgers’? Hashem have mercy! ‘Afra l’fumayhu’ (dust upon their mouths). Torah learners who sacrifice themselves for Torah study are ‘draft dodgers’? It’s all because of the wicked attorney general and the ‘supreme’ High Court judges who are persecuting the Torah world,” Deri charged.

Addressing criticism that Shas has neglected the needs of Israeli soldiers, Deri rejected the accusation and pointed to the large number of Sephardic families with relatives serving in the military.

“We don’t need anyone to teach us what soldiers are. How much we daven for them. Among us Sephardim, there isn’t a single person who doesn’t have a soldier somewhere in his family. Our movement, Shas, ranks third or fourth, if I’m not mistaken, in the number of double-envelope votes.”

Deri recounted a recent visit to a military prison, saying the experience reinforced his belief that support for Torah learning remains widespread among traditional Sephardic Israelis.

“When I visited the detainees in the military prison this week, I saw the staff of the soldiers there. I don’t need to guess how they vote. They’re all G-d-fearing, all Sephardim, lovers of Torah, people who respect Torah. You can see it on them.”

The Shas leader also expressed astonishment that some religious Zionist figures have become leading advocates for sanctions and enforcement measures against yeshiva students.

“I am amazed by those who wear a kippah on their heads and are leading the sanctions and persecution against the Torah world. Hashem have mercy! It’s impossible to understand. There is no explanation for it. How do they not understand what Torah learners are? As for the secular public, I am not surprised—they don’t know what Torah is.”

Deri said the passage of the Basic Law was intended as a public statement against what he views as growing hostility toward Torah scholars and yeshiva students.

“Therefore, yesterday we were obligated to make this protest. We passed the Basic Law on Torah Study, and with Hashem’s help we will pass it in the first reading, the second reading, and the third reading as well.”

He concluded by describing the arrests of Torah students as a spiritual danger for the Jewish people at a time when Israel faces threats on multiple fronts.

“The arrests of Torah learners are a great prosecution against the Jewish people,” Deri said. “When we are surrounded by enemies, when the Iranians and Hezbollah spend every day thinking about how to destroy the Jewish people, we need tremendous merits. We must stop all of this drift. We see so many miracles, and unfortunately there are those who do not appreciate Torah learners and instead persecute them.”

As Israel’s political system gears up for another election season and candidates position themselves as the country’s would-be saviors, Rav Tzemach Mazuz used his weekly shiur to deliver a pointed message about ambition, honor, and the limits of human effort.

Drawing on the lessons of this week’s parshah (in Eretz Yisroel), Parshas Korach, the Rosh Yeshiva connected the political maneuvering of the present day with timeless Torah teachings, offering a sharp critique of the relentless pursuit of power and what appeared to be a veiled jab at those determined to unseat Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at all costs.

“There is nothing better than peace,” Rav Mazuz began. “Soon the election season will be here, and everyone wants to ‘save’ the country. Everyone wants to be prime minister. But Shlomo Hamelech already taught us in Koheles: ‘Hevel havalim, amar Koheles, hevel havalim, hakol havel.’”

The Rosh Yeshiva then cited the words of Chazal in Maseches Yoma, “Bimkomcha yoshivucha, u’mishelcha yitnu lach,” along with the verse in Mishlei, “Al tiga l’ha’ashir.” The message, he explained, is that a person is obligated to make only a reasonable effort and then place his trust in Hashem.

“There is no need to exhaust oneself and struggle excessively,” Rav Mazuz said. “A person must make some hishtadlus, but beyond a limited amount of hishtadlus, nothing more is required. This is the tradition we have received from our rabbeim.”

To illustrate the dangers of chasing status and honor beyond what Heaven has allotted, Rav Mazuz cited a famous parable from the Gemara in Sanhedrin.

“This is what people say: ‘The camel went to ask for horns, and in the end they cut off the ears that it already had.’”

The Rosh Yeshiva elaborated on the Gemara’s imagery with a smile.

“Anyone who has seen a camel knows that it is a tall and impressive animal, but it has one deficiency—its ears are small. The camel said to itself, ‘I am much taller than the ox. If the ox has horns, then I deserve even larger and more beautiful horns.’ In the end, not only did it fail to receive the horns it wanted, but even the ears it already possessed were taken away.”

He then applied the lesson directly to human behavior.

“What is the lesson? A person thinks that what he has is not enough. He fights and struggles for more and more. What does he gain in the end? Not only does he fail to receive what he sought, but even what he already had can be taken from him.”

Rav Mazuz pointed to Korach as the classic example of someone whose ambition led to ruin. Although Korach was already enormously wealthy and held a position of great distinction as one of those entrusted with carrying the Aron, he was not satisfied.

“That tremendous greatness was not enough for him,” Rav Mazuz said. “He set his sights on the Kehunah Gedolah and sought to overthrow Moshe and Aharon. But what happened in the end? Not only did he fail to become Kohen Gadol, not only did he cease being among those who carried the Aron, he did not even remain alive. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed him, his family, and all his possessions. Nothing remained. In the end, Korach lost everything.”

Concluding his remarks, Rav Mazuz delivered what many listeners viewed as a timely message for politicians and public figures caught up in the current political climate.

“From here we learn that a person must be happy with his portion and with what he has,” he said. “A person should remember: If something truly belongs to you, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will bring it to you on a golden platter. One may—and indeed should—make hishtadlus. But one must not wage war for it.”

Thousands of Satmar chassidim gathered this week in Williamsburg for a major emergency assembly led by Rav Aharon Teitelbaum of Satmar, who delivered an impassioned address warning of what he described as a troubling decline in standards of kedusha and tznius and a widening cultural gap between generations.

The gathering, titled “Shemirah L’Doros,” was held at Eden Palace and attended by thousands of chassidim, along with the community’s rabbanim and dayanim. Organizers said the event was convened to strengthen religious standards and reinforce long-standing traditions within Satmar homes and institutions.

Before the arrival of the Rebbe, the keynote address was delivered by his eldest son, Rav Menachem Mendel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Av Beis Din of Williamsburg. He spoke at length about issues of tznius, emphasizing the importance of proper hair covering for married women, concerns surrounding contemporary wigs, the dangers of technology, and other areas he said require immediate attention and stronger communal safeguards.

When the Rebbe entered the hall, he began his remarks with the pasuk, “V’hayah b’achalchem milechem ha’aretz tarimu terumah laHashem.” Drawing on Midrashic teachings, he explained that “lechem” alludes to a wife, while “terumah” signifies separation. He said the message is that when building a Jewish home, one must consciously separate oneself and one’s family from prevailing societal influences and worldly trends.

The Rebbe then turned to what he described as a growing problem in contemporary Jewish communities.

“We live in Williamsburg alongside various groups and communities that are meticulous regarding different stringencies and customs, yet in matters of tznius they are not careful at all,” he said. “Our holy fathers and rabbeim were extraordinarily strict regarding kedusha and tznius, viewing them as among the most serious matters. Chas v’shalom for any of us to treat these issues lightly. We have a clear mesorah regarding how to conduct ourselves, how to dress, and how to educate our children, and it must not be altered to accommodate the spirit of the times or changing fashions.”

During his address, the Rebbe related a story about the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. According to the account, a prominent Torah leader once asked the Sanzer Rav for the halachic source of a particular practice and questioned where it was written. The Divrei Chaim famously responded, “It is written within me, and I am the Torah.”

The Rebbe became emotional as he applied that lesson to the teachings of his uncle, the Satmar Rav, author of Vayoel Moshe.

“These matters are written and firmly established in the teachings of our uncle, the Vayoel Moshe, and he is the Torah,” the Rebbe declared. “No one should, chas v’shalom, dismiss them with questions and confusions of ‘Where is it written?’”

In one of the most striking moments of the evening, the Rebbe lamented what he sees as a dramatic erosion of traditional standards from one generation to the next.

“The difference in dress between the grandmother and the children and grandchildren is terrible and frightening,” he said. “There is an alarming yeridas hadoros. We must live according to the concept of ‘tarimu terumah’—a language of elevation. A chassidishe Yid must conduct himself with dignity and upliftedness, not be pulled along by neighbors and friends, but stand proudly with the traditions that have been entrusted to us.”

The Rebbe also identified what he believes is one of the root causes of the phenomenon: the growing practice of sending young men to study in yeshivos outside the Satmar community.

“A large part of this weakening comes from sending boys to study in outside yeshivos,” he said. “There they are exposed to foreign outlooks and become cooled off in matters of Chassidus and yiras Shamayim. Later on, they see nothing wrong with their wives becoming lenient regarding standards of dress and tznius.”

The Rebbe expressed strong support for the remarks delivered earlier by his son, describing them as “words that come from the heart” and therefore destined to enter the hearts and minds of those who heard them.

Addressing the audience directly, he urged every participant to view the message as a personal responsibility.

“These words are directed to you personally,” he said. “Every individual must ensure that within his own home, among his children and grandchildren, proper standards are maintained and that as many protective boundaries and safeguards as possible are established.”

Toward the conclusion of the event, the Rebbe praised students of the Satmar Bais Rochel schools who, in recent weeks, voluntarily cut their long hair as an expression of commitment to the community’s standards. He commended them for what he described as a courageous step taken in the interest of preserving the sanctity of the Jewish home.

The gathering concluded with the Rebbe offering brachos to the assembled chassidim that they succeed in upholding the community’s sacred standards and traditions.

He ended by invoking the well-known teaching: “In the merit of righteous women our ancestors were redeemed, and through them may we soon merit redemption in our days, Amen.”