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New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office responded forcefully to President Donald Trump’s new executive order aimed at cutting federal funds from states that have implemented “cashless bail,” criticizing the move as “reckless” and accusing the president of having “no concept of how the law works in New York.”

The statement came shortly after NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch met with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at NYPD headquarters. During their discussion, Tisch assured Bondi that the National Guard was unnecessary in the city and that the NYPD had the situation under control. The two also reportedly spoke about the department’s recently launched Quality of Life division and highlighted this year’s historic drop in shooting incidents.

On Monday, Trump indicated he may deploy the National Guard to additional U.S. cities to combat crime and signed an executive order that threatens to withhold or rescind federal funding from local and state governments that maintain cashless bail systems, saying they put public safety at risk.

“No cash. Come back in a couple of months, we’ll give you a trial. You never see the person again,” Trump said just before signing the order.

The directive instructs Bondi to provide a list within 30 days of jurisdictions that have “substantially eliminated cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release from custody for crimes that pose a clear threat to public safety and order.”

New York is one of the states potentially affected, having passed legislation in 2019 eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanors and certain nonviolent felonies. Since then, the law has been revised several times following concerns that judges lacked an important tool for detaining individuals considered likely to reoffend.

“President Trump has no concept of how the law works in New York,” Hochul spokesperson Jen Goodman said in a statement.

“New York has not eliminated cash bail,” the statement continued. “His reckless threat to withhold federal funds would only undercut law enforcement and make our communities less safe. The fact is Governor Hochul changed New York’s bail laws so violent offenders are held accountable, and as a result rearrests are down. New York now has one of the lowest violent crime rates in six decades. The Governor also gave judges more discretion to keep dangerous individuals behind bars, and she encourages them to use it.”

Meanwhile, on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams — a vocal critic of bail reform — said he had reviewed Trump’s executive order and reiterated his longstanding concerns about the current system. “I’ve always made it clear that our revolving-door system of dealing with violent offenders must be addressed. I think the former governor [Cuomo] made a terrible mistake on how they did bail reform,” Adams said.

{Matzav.com}

Trump: “This slob of a governor you have in Illinois … Chicago is the worst. These places are really bad.”

Trump: “The governor of Illinois should be calling me and he should be saying, ‘Could you send over the troops please? It’s out of control.’ In New York it’s out of control.”

Trump: “The line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, ‘You know, if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.'”

POTUS: “We’re putting America First and we’re going to be putting the American worker first. The Republican Party has picked up 4 million new people. The Democrats have lost 2.5 million… they’re very depressed.”

The first day of the Elul Zman on Sunday at Ponavezh Yeshiva.

President Herzog visits a Chareidi Cheder in Beitar as the school year begins. He is greeted with Shofar blowing.

Hagaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch to bochur arrested by the army: “Tell your mother that with Siyata Dishmaya it will be good, we are working on this through various means.”

The Palestinian Authority condemned Jewish groups for blowing the shofar on Har HaBayis during Elul, calling it a “dangerous tool” meant to assert Israeli sovereignty in Yerushalayim and alleging that what is traditionally a millennia-old call to teshuvah has become an attempt to impose control over the Makom HaMikdash, describing the soundings as a “direct assault” on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and holding the Israeli government fully responsible for any repercussions.

President Trump has drawn criticism from some within his own support base after announcing his intention to permit 600,000 students from China to study in the United States.

“It’s a very important relationship. We’re going to get along good with China,” Trump told reporters on Monday during a meeting with the president of South Korea.

He elaborated further, saying, “I hear so many stories about, ‘We’re not going to allow their students,’” before clarifying, “We’re going to allow their students to come in. We’re going to allow it. It’s very important — 600,000 students. It’s very important.”

This approach represents a shift from the administration’s earlier stance earlier this year when Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he intended to “aggressively” revoke visas from Chinese students, particularly those “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

The president’s willingness to open the door to hundreds of thousands of Chinese students sparked frustration among some conservatives, who argued it clashed with Trump’s long-promoted “America First” philosophy.

“We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted on X.

“Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American student’s opportunities?” she added. “We should never allow that. And we need more trade school graduates.”

Laura Loomer, a vocal Trump supporter and right-wing activist who has previously influenced administration policy and staffing decisions, voiced sharp opposition to the announcement as well, posting multiple reactions online.

“Nobody, I repeat nobody, wants 600,000 more Chinese ‘students’ aka Communist spies in the United States,” Loomer wrote on X.

“China murdered 1.2 million Americans,” she added, referencing COVID-19. “Now they get to replace us? This cannot happen.”

Michael Flynn Jr., the son of Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, also weighed in, writing online that Trump’s announcement was “Not what I voted for.”

The topic reached Fox News on Monday night, where host Laura Ingraham pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on her program, The Ingraham Angle.

“Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, how is allowing 600,000 students from the communist country of China putting America first?” she asked, highlighting the long-standing concern among many conservatives.

Lutnick defended the administration’s decision, arguing that without the influx of Chinese students, American students would be able to fill spots at more competitive schools, but “the bottom 15 percent of universities and colleges would go out of business in America.”

Trump’s remarks come as he continues to highlight his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid ongoing trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing. Earlier this year, the two countries imposed significant tariffs on each other’s goods, though both sides have since agreed to ease rates during continued talks.

The president also revealed on Monday that he hopes to travel to China later this year or “shortly thereafter.”

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Zeida Eliezer Zev Rosenbaum zt”l, the Kretchnif-Sigeter Rebbe. The Rebbe was 75 years old.

The rebbe was niftar on Tuesday at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim after suffering a severe stroke this past Shabbos. Despite fervent tefillos from thousands and the addition of the name Baruch as a segulah for his recovery, his neshamah ascended to Shamayim.

Born in Kiryat Ata (then Kfar Ata) on Pesach, 5710 (1950), the Rebbe was the second son of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Rosenbaum, widely known as Reb Hershele of Kretchnif, and his mother, Rebbetzin Shifra, daughter of the Dvar Chaim of Nadvorna. From his earliest years, he was steeped in the ways of kedushah and avodas Hashem, growing up under the influence of two illustrious dynasties, Kretchnif and Nadvorna.

He began his learning in the local cheder in Kiryat Ata and later continued at the Satmar cheder in Haifa. As a young bochur, he studied in his father’s yeshiva in Kfar Ata and subsequently attended Yeshivas Kochav MiYaakov-Tchebin in Yerushalayim, where he became known for his extraordinary diligence and yiras Shamayim.

He married Rebbetzin Frimet, daughter of Rav Yechezkel Shraga Meretz of the United States. Following her passing in 1998, the Rebbe remarried to a daughter of the gaon and tzaddik Rav Ephraim Fishel Brauch, Av Beis Din of Meda.

The Rebbe initially settled in Williamsburg, where he served as rov of the Kretchnif-Sighet kehillah. Upon the passing of his father, Rav Hershele, in 2006, he was crowned as Rebbe alongside his brother, the Kretchnif Rebbe of Yerushalayim. In 2009, he inaugurated a new beis medrash in Williamsburg, establishing a strong makom Torah and tefillah for his chassidim there.

In addition to leading the kehillah in the United States, the Rebbe expanded the Kretchnif-Sighet presence in Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh, opening additional batei medrash and cultivating vibrant Torah communities. In 2016, the Rebbe returned to Yerushalayim permanently, setting up his court on Rechov Rappaport in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood. In 2018, he founded the Masmidim Yeshiva Nachlas Tzvi in memory of his father and established the Amud HaYomi initiative, promoting daily structured Gemara learning across the kehillah.

The Rebbe was renowned for his fiery avodah and uplifting tishen, following the traditions of his illustrious father. His Shabbos tishen, held deep into the night — often until after alos hashachar — drew hundreds who came to bask in the light of his Torah and kedushah. His divrei Torah, especially during seudah shlishis and the special weeks of Shovavim, were legendary, often extending for nearly an hour and inspiring his chassidim to new heights in their avodas Hashem.

His Torah was collected and published in Raza D’emuna — an acronym formed from his name — and additional weekly compilations titled Lehavos Eish included his teachings alongside those of his father.

Each year during the Nine Days, the Rebbe would travel to Ukraine to daven at the kever of Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna in Bistritz, connecting deeply to his ancestral roots.

The Rebbe is survived by a distinguished family of bnei Torah, including his sons:

• Rav Naftali Hertzkah Yitzchok Rosenbaum, Rav of Beis Medrash Kretchnif-Sighet in Beit Shemesh

• Rav Yechezkel Shraga Rosenbaum, Rav of the Kretchnif-Sighet Beis Medrash in Williamsburg

• Rav Nissan Chaim Mordechai Rosenbaum, a prominent Breslover mashpia

• Rav Meir Aryeh Leib Rosenbaum, son-in-law of the Shendishover Rebbe

• Rav Yoel Zusman Rosenbaum, son-in-law of the Bistritzer Rebbe in Canada

Among his sons-in-law are leading rabbanim and dayanim, including:
Rav Dovid Tzvi Kahn of Toldos Aharon Beis Shemesh, Rav Aharon Kahn of Toldos Aharon Monsey, Rav Chaim Eliyahu Yoel Ilowitz of Williamsburg, Rav Chaim Meir Schneiblag, Av Beis Din Strelishk, Rav Shmuel Halevi Rottenberg of Salkah Monsey, and Rav Aharon Teitelbaum.

He is also survived by his brother, the Kretchnifer Rebbe of Yerushalayim, and his sister, Rebbetzin Reitza Bracha Rabinowitz of Biala Bnei Brak, wife of the Biala Rebbe.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The IDF has released the preliminary findings from its investigation into the strike near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, which took place on Monday, August 25, 2025. The report was presented on Tuesday to IDF Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir by Southern Command leader MG Yaniv Asor.

According to the findings, soldiers from the Golani Brigade, operating in the Khan Yunis region to dismantle Hamas infrastructure, identified a camera that had been placed by Hamas close to the Nasser Hospital. The IDF determined that the camera was being used to monitor IDF troop movements in order to assist in launching attacks. The conclusion was based on both intelligence pointing to Hamas’ use of the hospital for operational purposes since the start of the war and broader documentation of hospitals being used by terror groups during the conflict.

In response, the soldiers targeted and destroyed the camera to remove the threat. The inquiry confirmed that the operation’s objective was to neutralize the surveillance device and prevent it from being used to facilitate future attacks.

After reviewing the report, LTG Zamir directed the investigation to continue and stressed that Hamas and other terror groups have repeatedly exploited civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities such as Nasser Hospital, for intelligence-gathering and operational activities.

Zamir added that six of those killed in the strike were confirmed terrorists, including one individual who had participated in the October 7th infiltration into Israeli territory. He expressed sorrow over any unintended civilian casualties resulting from the operation.

The inquiry will now move into a deeper review of two main areas: the process of approving the strike—including the authorization timeline and the type of ammunition used—and the decision-making on the ground by the troops involved.

The Chief of Staff emphasized once again that the IDF’s policy remains focused on targeting only military objectives while taking steps to minimize harm to civilians.

{Matzav.com}

Israel Police confirmed on Tuesday that a Yerushalayim resident was arrested on suspicion of spray-painting the words “There is a Holocaust in Gaza” on one of the walls of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Yerushalayim.

The incident comes just a few weeks after the same phrase was discovered spray-painted on the Kosel. Authorities believe the two events may be connected and suspect that the 27-year-old detainee could be responsible for both cases.

According to the police report, officers noticed a suspicious individual roaming near one of the Old City entrances. The man was later detained close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where police found a can of spray paint in his possession.

Authorities added that security footage from Yerushalayim’s surveillance cameras helped confirm that the suspect was the person who had sprayed the graffiti inside the church, which read, “There is a Holocaust in Gaza.”

The suspect was taken into custody and is facing a pending court case as the investigation continues.

Initial findings from the investigation indicate that this same 27-year-old individual is also responsible for the graffiti found on the Kosel earlier this month.

During that earlier case, a judge at the Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court denied a police request to keep the suspect in custody for an extended period in connection with the vandalism at both the Kosel and the Great Synagogue.

The judge ruled that there was no justification to delay the investigation by keeping the suspect detained.

Police had originally sought an additional five days of detention, arguing that the suspect posed a potential risk and could interfere with the inquiry. However, a statement from authorities confirmed that the 27-year-old, a Ramot resident, would instead be released under restrictive conditions.

Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and mekomos hakedoshim, strongly condemned the incident. “A holy place is not a place to express protests,” he said, calling on police to locate those responsible and take proper action.

{Matzav.com Israel}

One of the nation’s leading operators of automated license-plate reading systems announced Monday it has paused its operations with federal agencies because of confusion and concern — including in Illinois — about the purpose of their investigations. Flock Safety, whose cameras are mounted in more than 4,000 communities nationwide, put a hold last week on pilot programs with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and its law enforcement arm, Homeland Security Investigations, according to a statement by its founder and CEO, Garrett Langley. Among officials in other jurisdictions, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised concerns. He announced Monday that an audit found Customs and Border Protection had accessed Illinois data, although he didn’t say that the agency was seeking immigration-related information. A 2023 law the Democrat pushed bars sharing license plate data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants. “This sharing of license plate data of motorists who drive on Illinois roads is a clear violation of the state law,” Giannoulias said in a statement. “This law, passed two years ago, aimed to strengthen how data is shared and prevent this exact thing from happening,” Flock Safety’s cameras capture billions of photos of license plates each month. However, it doesn’t own that data. The local agencies in whose jurisdictions the cameras are located do, and they’re the ones who receive inquiries from other law enforcement agencies. Langley said the company had initiated pilot programs with Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations to help combat human trafficking and fentanyl distribution. The company is unaware of any immigration-related searches the agencies made, but Langley said parameters were unclear. “We clearly communicated poorly. We also didn’t create distinct permissions and protocols in the Flock system to ensure local compliance for federal agency users,” Langley said. The revelation comes two months after Giannoulias announced that police in the Chicago suburb of Mount Prospect had shared data with a Texas sheriff who was seeking a missing woman. The woman’s family was worried because she had undergone a self-administered abortion. Although the sheriff in Johnson County, Texas, said he was simply trying to help the family locate the woman, Giannoulias demanded more vigilance from Flock Safety because of the abortion connection. In addition to halting the pilot programs, Flock has tweaked its system so that federal inquiries are clearly identified as such. And federal agencies will no longer be able to make blanket national or even statewide searches, but only one-on-one searches with particular police agencies. Asked when the federal agency had accessed Illinois data, a Giannoulias spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing. After the June incident, Flock Safety responded to Giannoulias’ request that its system reject searches that includes terms such as “abortion,” “immigration” or “ICE” (for Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Those flag terms have been in effect since late June, a Flock Safety spokesperson said. (AP)

The Yerushalayim branch of the Palestinian Authority issued a statement warning about what it described as “the dangers inherent in blowing the shofar in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound” as the month of Elul begins.

According to the official announcement, shofar blowing is “not merely a religious ritual,” but rather “a dangerous tool through which Israel seeks to impose its sovereignty and alter the historical and legal status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The statement further accused “extremist Temple Mount loyalist organizations” of organizing these actions with the support of Israeli police, calling it “a direct attack on the Islamic identity of the mosque and a blatant violation of international law.”

The district’s statement also highlighted the symbolic meaning of the shofar in Jewish history, claiming it represents victory and dominance. It referenced the shofar blown by Rabbi Shlomo Goren following the liberation of the Old City of Yerushalayim during the Six Day War as an example.

According to the Palestinian Authority, the current shofar blowing is part of an effort “imposing a new reality that undermines the Islamic identity of the compound” and is intended to pave the way for dividing the Har Habayis area by both time and space. The statement warned that this is connected to broader attempts to Judaize the site, establish it as a place of Jewish worship, and eventually construct the Bais Hamikdosh.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo torched Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, branding him “dangerous” and warning his agenda would be the “death knell” for New York City. “New York City was built on capitalism,” Cuomo told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. “To be anti-corporate, anti-business — that’s a death knell for New York City. And he is dangerous, frankly, for New York City.” Mamdani, backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, stormed through the Democratic primary on a wave of far-left enthusiasm. His platform includes free buses, universal healthcare, and city-run grocery stores — all funded by raising corporate taxes to 11.5% and slapping a new levy on the city’s wealthiest 1%. Cuomo, now running as an independent, said New Yorkers won’t buy it in November. “New York City people are not socialists. They want jobs. They want growth,” he said. The ex-governor laid out his own plan: lure businesses back after an exodus of nearly 160 firms since 2020, add 5,000 cops citywide (including 1,500 to patrol subways), and build 50,000 new affordable housing units a year. “Crime is a real problem,” Cuomo warned. “The socialists pushed this ‘defund the police’ movement — and it made things worse.” Watch the latest video at foxnews.com (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

There has been a recent wave of antisemitic incidents in the coastal resort town of Bournemouth in the UK, which has a Jewish kehilla with about 2,000 members. This past Shabbos, a Jewish boy was shot with an air rifle from a passing car in the East Cliff area. A police spokesman said, “At around 2:50 pm on Saturday, August 23, two people were walking on Manor Road in Bournemouth when the driver of a car stopped and made offensive remarks to them. One of them, a child, was then shot with an air rifle. He suffered a minor head injury. The incident is being treated as a hate crime.” “Officers are working in cooperation with the local community and are conducting patrols in the area. We encourage anyone with information or concerns to speak to an officer.” In addition, swastikas have begun appearing on buildings throughout Bournemouth, according to The Times. The popular seaside resort is experiencing a sharp rise in Nazi symbols on walls and houses. Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz, who runs the Chabad house in Bournemouth, found a swastika on the wall of his house on his way to the shul on Shabbos morning with two of his five children. Rabbi Alperowitz said, “I was born and raised in Bournemouth, and this is not the Bournemouth I know. Bournemouth is a beautiful place, and I feel that it is still like that for the vast majority of people here.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The Palestinian Authority condemned efforts by Jewish groups to blow shofar on Har HaBayis during Elul, absurdly describing it as a “dangerous tool” used to show Jewish sovereignty in Yerushalayim. In a statement, the P.A.’s Jerusalem Governorate alleged that the shofar — which Klal Yisroel has used for millennia as a call to teshuvah — is “no longer a passing religious ritual,” but rather a supposed attempt by Israel to “impose its sovereignty” on the Makom HaMikdash. The statement went so far as to label the soundings of the shofar as a “direct assault” on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and held the Israeli government “fully responsible for repercussions.” Ramallah claimed that tekias shofar is tied to “declaring victory and control,” and accused Israel of trying to turn Har Habayis into a “center for Talmudic rituals.” The P.A. called on the United Nations to intervene to “protect” Islamic and Christian sites in Yerushalayim. Separately, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry joined in the condemnations, blasting what it called “provocations, including blowing the shofar,” and denouncing Israel for allowing “extremists” onto the site. The shofar has been a central part of Yiddishkeit since the days of Avrohom Avinu. Most well-known as the mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, its piercing blasts are a clarion call to teshuvah. Throughout the month of Elul, in kehillos worldwide, the shofar is sounded daily after Shacharis to arouse Yidden to prepare for the Yemei Hadin. That being said, rabbanim across the spectrum have stated unequivocally that going on the Har Habayis is an issur kareis and is assur gammur. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Patients using Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications are reporting a dental issue that isn’t listed among the drugs’ commonly known side effects.

Dentists are warning about a condition being referred to as “Ozempic teeth.” According to Adam Taylor, an anatomy professor at Lancaster University, who wrote about the topic for The Conversation, medications like Ozempic and Wegovy can cause dry mouth because the active ingredient, semaglutide, impacts the salivary glands. These drugs can also reduce thirst, leading people to drink less water.

The combination of reduced saliva production and lower water intake raises the likelihood of cavities and gum disease, explained Dr. Rajpal Anjali, a cosmetic dentist at Beverly Hills Dental Arts.

Complicating matters further, some individuals experience additional side effects such as vomiting and acid reflux, which can erode tooth enamel over time. “Most users tolerate GLP-1 medications like Ozempic without serious oral health issues, but a subset experience notable side effects such as dry mouth, nausea, or vomiting, which can indirectly affect teeth and gums,” said Anjali.

Anjali noted that warning signs of dental problems may include increased tooth sensitivity, dry mouth, visible enamel erosion, gum irritation, receding gums, and slower healing after dental work. She advised that anyone taking a GLP-1 drug should inform their dentist so they can receive specialized care if necessary.

“Dentists should also be aware of these potential risks and monitor patients accordingly, especially in the first few months after starting the medication,” Anjali added.

Unlike other side effects associated with GLP-1 medications, the dental damage caused by “Ozempic teeth” may not be reversible even if the medication is discontinued.

To lower the risk, Taylor suggests increasing water intake and chewing sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production for those experiencing dry mouth as a result of the medication.

{Matzav.com}

A senior Breslover Rav warned that chassidim will hold large protests and disrupt the operations at Ben Gurion Airport if the plan being advanced by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to allow “draft dodgers” to travel to Uman is declared illegal. The report comes after Israeli media reported that the IDF is preparing a large-scale arrest operation of Breslover “draft dodgers” at Ben-Gurion Airport. “We are talking about hundreds and thousands who will stop the activity at Ben Gurion Airport and seek to leave in any way,” the Rav said. “No one will succeed in preventing a chassid from reaching his Rebbe.” The Rav emphasized that “even the Rabbanim won’t have control over these young people. Protests will take place at Ben Gurion Airport and in front of the Attorney General’s house.” Yisrael Porush, the chairman of the Magen U’Moshiah organization, said in an interview with Kol Chai that “if necessary, we will bring 20,000 people to the airport and block the place. If we don’t fly, no one will fly. What is permissible for the left is permissible for us. Right now, the Gedolei Yisrael have asked us not to do this, but it may still happen. Solutions are being worked on, but all options are still on the table.” A source in Agudas Israel says, “I remind you that these are people who, during the COVID pandemic, when there were no flights, went through forests on foot or crossed frozen rivers with an inflatable boat. They are willing to invest a lot to reach the tzaddik. For them, it is a great mitzvah for which they are willing to give their lives, and they will shake the country if they try to stop them from flying.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)