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Harvard Law School placed a visiting professor on administrative leave after police say he fired a pellet rifle steps from a Boston-area synagogue as people arrived for the start of Yom Kippur. Carlos Portugal Gouvea, 43, was arrested Wednesday night after two shots rang out near Temple Beth Zion on Beacon Street. He later told authorities he had been “hunting rats,” according to a police account cited by local outlets. Investigators said there is no indication the synagogue itself was targeted, but the gunfire triggered a heavy police response as security guards and people scrambled at the scene. Gouvea was charged in Brookline District Court with illegally discharging a pellet gun, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and malicious destruction of property after officers found a shattered car window with a pellet lodged inside, according to the police report. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday, was released on personal recognizance, and is due back in court in early November. Harvard Law School spokesperson Jeff Neal said Gouvea “has been placed on administrative leave as the school seeks to learn more about this matter.” The law school has not announced additional disciplinary action. Two private security guards stationed at Temple Beth Zion told police they heard “two loud shots” and saw a man holding a pellet rifle. When they approached, the man set the gun down, a brief struggle ensued, and he fled into a nearby residence before reemerging and being taken into custody, according to the police narrative. Harvard has been a flashpoint in the national fight over campus antisemitism, facing political and legal pressure from Washington over whether it adequately protects Jewish and Israeli students. The university has sued to challenge federal funding freezes it says are punitive and politically motivated, even as both sides inch toward a potential settlement. Gouvea is a Harvard Law alumnus who earned his doctorate in 2008. He also serves as an associate professor at the University of São Paulo Law School and leads a Brazilian policy institute focused on social and environmental issues. Neither he nor an attorney listed in court records responded to requests for comment from local media. Brookline police said additional details would be released as the investigation progresses. Gouvea’s next court appearance is scheduled for November. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Bashar al-Assad, the deposed Syrian ruler living in exile, was reportedly hospitalized in Russia after being poisoned, according to a human rights monitoring group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that al-Assad, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was rushed to an intensive care unit on September 20 in critical condition. After receiving treatment, he was discharged nine days later, the group said in its report released Thursday.

According to the watchdog, al-Assad fell ill while residing in a secure villa located near Moscow, where Russian authorities are said to maintain a heavy security presence around his residence.

Although his movements are reportedly limited, al-Assad has continued to receive numerous visitors at the villa, the report noted.

“Whether the poisoning was a result of confusion or more, no one knows,” reads the report. “When Bashar al-Assad was admitted to the hospital, he was admitted in an emergency room and in critical condition in intensive care in a private hospital in or near the Moscow suburbs.”

“Only the party that carried out the operation knows whether it was to kill Bashar al-Assad or to embarrass the Russian government,” the report adds.

Citing anonymous sources, the watchdog said that Russian officials were not involved in the incident, suggesting instead that “it may have been intended to implicate the Russian government,” and to portray “that President Putin is incapable of protecting him.”

Moscow has not issued any official response regarding the claims.

Al-Assad was overthrown last December after the Islamist militant faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured Damascus and forced his regime from power.

As rebel forces closed in, al-Assad reportedly told his generals that reinforcements from Russia were on their way.

Less than a day later, he fled the Syrian capital with his wife and three children aboard a flight bound for Moscow.

{Matzav.com}

Maj. Gen. (res.) David Zini is set to formally take over as head of the Shin Bet today (Sunday), following the Supreme Court’s decision to reject petitions seeking a temporary freeze of his appointment late last week.

Due to the backlash that surrounded the selection process, no public ceremony will be held either at the agency’s headquarters or in the Prime Minister’s Office to mark the transition.

At the outset, Zini will collaborate closely with Deputy Shin Bet chief S., who has been serving as acting director since Ronen Bar’s departure, to ensure a smooth and professional transfer of responsibilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu released a statement on Sunday morning expressing support for the incoming security chief. “I congratulate the incoming Shin Bet chief, Maj. Gen. (res.) David Zini, and wish him success in the enormous task that lies ahead of him. Special thanks to S., the outgoing Deputy Shin Bet chief, for his dedicated service that has contributed greatly to maintaining the security of Israeli citizens.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

WATCH:

In this episode, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman describes the early origins of Greek culture, its eventual arrival at atheism and the development of Greece as a powerful imperial force.

WATCH:

Who were the Greeks? The Greeks call themselves Hellenes after a mythological figure named Hellen from who they believe they are descended. The Romans called all of them Greeks after the Graikos, a small tribe who lived in southern Italy, and that name stuck with them. According to Jewish tradition, they are called Yevanim, descendants of Yavan, one of Noach’s grandsons. The Ionians, one of the major Greek tribes, still carry that name, Yavan being expressed as Ion in the vowel-rich Greek language.

The Greeks were late to join the civilized societies of the Imperial Quadrant. After they emigrated from Mesopotamia in very deep antiquity, they established settlements on the numerous Cycladic islands of the Aegean Sea, on the Greek mainland and along the western coast of Asia Minor on the fringes of the Hittite Empire. The settlements grew into independent city-states governed by minor kings. The city-states sometimes fought each other and sometimes joined forces against common enemies …

The seminal event of Greek civilization and culture was the Trojan War, which loomed large in the Greek collective memory. For a long time, modern scholars believed there was no place called Troy, that there had never been a Trojan War. Archaeologists in the nineteenth century, however, discovered the incinerated ruins of the city of Troy dating back to about 1200 b.c.e. Apparently, there had been a city called Troy, and apparently, there had been a war that devastated it. But without contemporaneous written records, the memory was preserved only by oral repetition, and as it was told and retold over the centuries, it acquired many layers of myth.

In about 800 b.c.e., at about the time Shlomo was ascending the throne of the Kingdom of Israel, a Greek teller of folk tales named Homer appeared on the stage of history. The Greeks had recently adapted the Phoenician alphabet to their own language, and Homer used it to write an epic poem describing the conquest and destruction of Troy. The book was called The Iliad, and it turned out to be one of the most influential books in history.

According to the Homeric story, a Trojan prince named Paris carried off Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. In outrage, a group of minor Greek kings, headed by Agamemnon, King of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus, organized an expedition to rescue Helen and take vengeance upon the Trojans.

The climactic events described in The Iliad are set in the tenth and final year of the siege of Troy. The cast of characters is almost equally divided between members of the human race and members of the god race; some characters are offspring of cohabitation between humans and gods, further blurring the line of demarcation between the human race and the god race. All these characters maneuver and fight against each other on and off the battlefields, and the result is a sweeping tale of bravery, prowess, courage, cowardice, loyalty, passion, treachery, adultery, pride, greed, honor and disgrace.

Homer’s story was a work of genius, a literary masterpiece remarkable for its style, poetic forms, imagination, characterization and close examination of the human experience in the realm of the gods. It was such a rich mother lode of literary material that it formed the basis for much of future Greek and Roman literature. Most notably, Aeschylus and Euripides drew on it for their tragedians in later periods, and Virgil, the leading Roman dramatist, wrote a sequel in Latin called The Aenid …

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

{Matzav.com}

LISTEN:

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​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

 

LISTEN:

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Associates of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir indicated today that he plans to vote against the proposed hostage agreement, arguing that the deal’s inclusion of convicted terrorists makes it unacceptable.

“From the outset, we’ve said that leaving anyone behind is unacceptable, and partial deals are a disaster,” the sources said.

According to those close to him, Ben Gvir maintains that the only effective way to bring the hostages home is by ramping up military operations and completely halting humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Although the latest proposal reportedly calls for the release of all remaining hostages, the minister remains firmly opposed because of what he views as excessive compromises.

The sources also noted that Ben Gvir has no intention of quitting the coalition at this stage. His primary condition, they stressed, is the total elimination of Hamas. If the group is permitted to survive in any political, military, or civilian form, they said, Ben Gvir would be unable to stay in the government.

“Ben Gvir is expected to tell the Prime Minister during their meeting: If Hamas continues to exist, in any form, that’s a red line. We will not remain in the government,” his associates said.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem today blasted the American-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza, calling it “full of dangers” and accusing Israel of using diplomacy to secure the objectives it failed to achieve through warfare.

Addressing mourners at a memorial for two senior Hezbollah members slain in last year’s conflict with Israel, Qassem—quoted by AFP—asserted that the plan advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump was merely a façade for Israeli ambitions.

“In fact, this plan is a plan full of dangers,” Qassem claimed. “It is Israel’s project, which it seeks to achieve through politics after failing to achieve it through military action, aggression, genocide and famine.”

Qassem noted that while Hamas had expressed openness to the proposal a day earlier, the ultimate decision belonged to the various Palestinian factions. “Ultimately, the Palestinian resistance, Hamas, and all the factions are the ones discussing and deciding what they see fit,” he said, stressing that he would not “interfere in the discussion of the details.”

The Hezbollah figure also cautioned against what he labeled the “Greater Israel project,” which he said envisions Israeli sovereignty extending beyond its recognized borders to encompass Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and parts of neighboring states. “We must confront the Greater Israel project,” he declared. “The project will reach him sooner or later, according to Israel’s planning.”

Qassem’s remarks came amid mounting domestic pressure for Hezbollah to lay down its arms. Lebanon’s government recently instructed the army to draft a comprehensive plan to disarm the group by the end of 2025.

Following that decision, the Lebanese cabinet informally endorsed a military proposal for Hezbollah’s disarmament, though no official vote was taken and no firm timetable established.

Qassem denounced the government’s effort, reiterating that Hezbollah has no intention of relinquishing its weapons and will continue to resist any attempt to force its disarmament.

{Matzav.com}

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Cairo today to lead high-level discussions aimed at implementing the first phase of President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan — beginning with what officials described as “the immediate release of all hostages.”

“Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Egypt later today to finalize the technical details of the hostage release and discuss the lasting peace deal,” a White House official confirmed.

President Trump praised Israel for pausing its military campaign to allow the negotiations to move forward. “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”

According to Axios, the Cairo summit marks the formal launch of Trump’s 21-point Gaza peace initiative, which both Israel and Hamas have cautiously welcomed. Trump gave the terror group until Sunday at 6 p.m. to accept the plan, warning that if it refused, “all HELL” would break loose.

Israeli officials told Channel 12 News that of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, about 20 are believed to be alive and could be released “within a few days.” The plan envisions a simultaneous exchange involving Palestinian prisoners, alongside a gradual IDF withdrawal under a temporary ceasefire.

Witkoff, who has served as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, previously helped negotiate the release of all surviving American hostages. He will be joined by Jared Kushner, who played a central role in brokering the Abraham Accords in 2020, normalizing Israel’s relations with several Arab nations.

“In light of the Hamas response [to the Trump peace plan], Israel is making preparations for the immediate implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan which is the immediate release of all of the hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office said in a statement.

“We will continue to fully cooperate with the president and his team in order to end the war in accordance with the principles that Israel laid out and which are in line with President Trump’s vision.”

Trump reaffirmed his optimism on Friday, declaring that he believed Hamas was “ready for a lasting PEACE.” He added in a video statement, “This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents.”

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina expressed doubts that Hamas would honor the terms of the plan. “No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems,” Graham wrote on X. “This is, in essence, a rejection by Hamas of President Trump’s ‘take it or leave it’ proposal.”

From Doha, Mousa Abu Marzouk, who heads Hamas’s foreign-relations office, told Al Jazeera that the Trump plan’s requirement for the release of all Israeli captives within 72 hours was “theoretical and unrealistic under current circumstances.”

Among those still held are the bodies of two slain Americans, Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 21.

Omer’s father, Ronen Neutra, said Friday that his family remained hopeful. “We’re hopeful that this is the beginning of the end, that Hamas gave a serious answer, that the threats of President Trump have echoed and they understand they have to give the hostages back and they’re not going to start fooling around with ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that’ later on,” he said.

“But in general that’s the direction we hoped things would go, and we’re just going to sit and wait and hope for them to lay out the agreement together with Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. And hopefully we can see our son back with the other 47 hostages,” he added.

Hamas stated that it would free the captives once “field conditions are met,” meaning after Israel halts deeper incursions into Gaza City. However, the group stopped short of agreeing to disarm or relinquish authority in Gaza to an international peacekeeping body headed by Tony Blair, the former British prime minister.

The proposed framework includes the deployment of an Arab-led stabilization force to maintain order as Israeli troops withdraw from the enclave.

According to Army Radio, Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to reduce its activity in Gaza City “to a minimum” and to restrict operations to defensive measures only.

Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera that while Hamas had accepted the general outline of Egypt’s proposal, further talks were needed to define the details. “All details related to the peacekeeping force need understandings and clarification,” he said, adding that Hamas had agreed “in principle” to transfer administrative control of Gaza to an independent body backed by broad Palestinian support.

“The priority is to stop the war and massacres,” he said, while stressing that the group “would not accept threats or dictates.”

{Matzav.com}

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic frontrunner in New York’s mayoral race, called for the immediate release of the activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla who were detained by Israeli forces while attempting to bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

“This week, the Global Sumud Flotilla tried to deliver life-saving aid to Gaza. Instead, 461 people — including New Yorkers — have been detained by the Israeli military,” Mamdani wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

He further condemned Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation, saying that the “intentional starvation of Palestinians must halt.”

If elected in the upcoming November 4 election, Mamdani would make history as New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor.

The Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail with the stated mission of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to residents of the besieged enclave.

On the night of October 1, as the flotilla neared Gaza’s coastal waters, the Israeli military intercepted and boarded multiple vessels, detaining hundreds of activists and confiscating their ships. Activist organizers and human rights groups have called the operation an unlawful act of aggression against a civilian humanitarian mission.

{Matzav.com}

The days of seeing ads only on your phone or TV may be over — they’re now coming to your refrigerator. Samsung confirmed it will begin displaying advertisements and promotional content on the screens of its Family Hub smart fridges in the United States.

“Samsung is committed to innovation and enhancing every day value for our home appliance customers,” a company spokesperson told Fortune. “As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen that value, we are conducting a pilot program to offer promotions and curated advertisements on certain Samsung Family Hub refrigerator models in the U.S. market.”

The Family Hub refrigerator, which starts at $1,799, features a built-in touchscreen display designed for entertainment, meal planning, and smart home management. Under the new pilot program, advertisements will appear on certain models’ display panels when the refrigerator is idle.

According to Samsung, users will be able to dismiss individual ads, preventing them from reappearing for the remainder of a campaign. The company added that no ads will be shown when the display is set to Art Mode or photo albums.

The move reflects a broader trend of advertising encroaching into daily life. While Americans were exposed to roughly 500 ads per day in the 1970s, by 2023 that number had skyrocketed to over 5,000. More than 90% of those ads come from automated, AI-driven marketing systems designed to target specific users — systems that have raised growing privacy concerns, especially with smart home devices capable of gathering data from inside households.

Samsung emphasized that in this initial test phase, the Family Hub refrigerators will not collect any data related to user engagement with the ads. The company said the main goal of the pilot was to “gather consumer feedback” on new software features, rather than monetize user activity.

Still, the strategy marks another step in Samsung’s long history of experimenting with aggressive marketing placements. In 2015, the company faced backlash after reports emerged that its smart TVs were inserting advertisements into locally stored videos, including content streamed from third-party services such as Plex and Foxtel. Some users also complained of pop-up banners for “Yahoo Business Interactivity” while watching streaming platforms. Samsung said at the time that those ads were intended to be optional but did not respond to Fortune’s latest inquiries about its current ad practices.

Over the past year, Samsung has accelerated its “screens everywhere” initiative — expanding digital displays and AI-powered interfaces across its home appliance lineup, including washing machines and dryers.

Jeong Seung Moon, executive vice president and head of research and development for Samsung’s Digital Appliances Business, told The Verge earlier this year that the purpose behind integrating more displays was to streamline household efficiency.

“First, carrying out household tasks often involves the use of multiple appliances located in different areas of the home,” Moon said. “Managing these different tasks across multiple devices can waste time, but the screen resolves these issues by acting as a central control hub that seamlessly connects the home’s appliances. For users, this means they get to control their home environment from wherever they are, saving time and effort.”

At that time, Moon stated that Samsung’s smart displays did not include advertising and that there were “no plans regarding the inclusion of advertisements on AI Home screens.”

“Any future policies will be guided first and foremost by what best serves our customers’ needs,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

Zohran Mamdani, the Muslin socialist state assemblyman who is the frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race, donned a white yarmulka and sat between Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and state comptroller Brad Lander during Kol Nidrei services on Yom Kippur.

The services, held at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, were run by Lab/Shul, which self-identifies as an “artist-driven, everybody-friendly, God-optional, pop-up, experimental community for sacred Jewish gatherings.”

Mamdani, who had no speaking role, reportedly received a standing ovation.

Nadler, the dean of the Congressional Jewish Caucus who recently said he doesn’t intend to seek re-election, has backed Mamdani’s campaign. The congressman’s non-denominational congregation, B’nai Jeshurun, emailed congregants last week stating that Mamdani would not attend services there, after a New York Times article suggested that he would.

“Yom Kippur is a holy day of deep spiritual significance, of introspection and prayer,” the congregation wrote. “Not a time for political campaigning.”

Major Jewish groups oppose Mamdani, who has said that he would have Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu arrested if the premier were to visit New York City, and who declined to say that the essence behind the phrase “globalize the intifada” incites violence against Jews.

David May, research manager and senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, responded on social media to a picture of Mamdani at the service and wrote, quoting from the Hebrew prologue to Kol Nidrei, “we allow praying with sinners.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Rite Aid, once a cornerstone of American pharmacy retail, officially shut down its last 89 locations this week, bringing an end to the company’s six-decade run. The closures followed its second bankruptcy filing in less than two years, after years of mounting debt and fierce competition from larger rivals.

“All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support,” the company said in a farewell statement posted on its website.

Though the website remains active, it now functions solely as a portal for former customers to retrieve prescription histories or find nearby alternative pharmacies. All other services have been removed following the chain’s liquidation.

Founded in 1962, Rite Aid grew into a nationwide brand and became known not only for its pharmacy services but also for its signature Thrifty Ice Cream, a nostalgic favorite for generations. The beloved ice cream line, however, was sold off during bankruptcy proceedings.

The company first entered bankruptcy protection in October 2023, burdened by more than $4 billion in debt and a series of costly lawsuits alleging it had filled improper opioid prescriptions. Despite shedding $2 billion in debt and securing $2.5 billion in financing to keep operations running, Rite Aid again fell into financial distress, filing for bankruptcy once more in May 2025.

By that point, the chain had reduced its footprint from over 2,400 stores in 2023 to around 1,250. This spring, Rite Aid completed the sale of most of its remaining pharmacy operations to competitors including CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Albertsons, and Kroger, transferring prescription files from over 1,000 stores.

The sale provided relief for many of Rite Aid’s long-time customers, who otherwise would have been left without easy access to essential medications. Experts note that widespread drugstore closures — a growing trend across the U.S. — have forced many patients, especially seniors, to travel longer distances for prescriptions, heightening risks to their health.

Rite Aid’s downfall reflects broader challenges in the retail pharmacy industry. CVS announced in 2021 that it would shutter 900 stores by 2024, having already closed 244 between 2018 and 2020. Meanwhile, Walgreens revealed that roughly a quarter of its stores were unprofitable, and in October 2024 it confirmed plans to close 1,200 locations nationwide.

With Rite Aid’s final stores now closed, the once-prominent chain that helped define the American corner drugstore era has officially come to an end.

{Matzav.com}

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the Department of Justice will challenge what she described as an overly lenient sentence handed down to the individual who plotted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

“The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual,” Bondi wrote on X. “@TheJusticeDept will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.”

The decision came after U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, appointed by President Joe Biden, sentenced the would-be assassin, Nicholas Roske, who later identified as a transgender woman named “Sophie,” to eight years in prison and lifetime supervised release — the exact sentence requested by the defense.

Federal prosecutors had sought a 30-years-to-life prison term, calling Roske’s actions a calculated effort to undermine the nation’s highest court. Roske was arrested in June 2022 outside Justice Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after traveling from California armed with a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, zip ties, pepper spray, and burglary tools.

According to investigators, Roske arrived at the Chevy Chase neighborhood by taxi but walked away after spotting deputy U.S. Marshals guarding the property. Moments later, he called 911, reported suicidal thoughts, and asked for psychiatric help, effectively turning himself in.

Federal documents revealed that Roske, then 29, became enraged after the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was leaked, signaling an impending overturn of Roe v. Wade.

“The thought of Roe v Wade and gay marriage both being repealed has me furious,” Roske later admitted to authorities, adding that he had planned to target multiple justices and “carry out an assassination that could alter decisions on the nine-member court for decades to come,” according to statements and encrypted messages recovered by the FBI.

Prosecutors described the plot as a direct threat to judicial independence, writing in their sentencing memo, “The defendant’s actions and intent — which were determined, focused, and undeterred for months — were extremely dangerous to the lives of multiple sitting judges, their family members, and the Constitutional judicial order.”

They urged the court to impose a punishment that would deter similar acts, stating, “The sentence imposed in this case must send the powerful message, both to the defendant and to others who contemplate committing assassination to obstruct judicial independence, that these ends never justify the means and that the consequences are not worth engaging in these acts.”

In court, Roske apologized to Justice Kavanaugh, his family, the rest of the Supreme Court, and the American public, saying he regretted “contributing to a trend of political violence in American politics.” He told the court, “This tragic mistake that I made will follow me for the rest of my life.”

“I can see now how destructive and misguided such acts are, and am ashamed to have not recognized these things sooner,” Roske wrote separately in a statement submitted to the court.

The defense argued for leniency, emphasizing Roske’s “voluntary disclosure of the offense, peaceful surrender, and post-arrest cooperation with law enforcement.” They also pointed to a history of mental illness, including suicidal tendencies, and claimed that prison conditions had worsened under Trump-era policies governing the treatment of transgender inmates.

Attorneys referred to their client using female pronouns in filings but acknowledged that Roske had not legally changed names. “The plan to kill [Kavanaugh], which included her purchasing burglary tools and firearm, was secondary to her months-long desire to kill herself,” the defense memo said, noting Roske had privately come out as transgender in 2020.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Boardman expressed sympathy for Roske, describing her as “a transgender woman” seeking hormone therapy but still being “assigned to a facility according to the gender of their birth” because of a Trump-era executive order, according to The Daily Caller.

Roske, who has been incarcerated since mid-2022, has reportedly begun undergoing gender-transition treatments while serving time. The Department of Justice’s appeal is expected to focus on whether the eight-year term adequately reflects the seriousness of attempting to assassinate a sitting Supreme Court justice.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration moved Friday to federalize hundreds of Illinois National Guard troops after Democratic Governor JB Pritzker refused a directive from Washington to send state forces into Chicago amid mounting violence and unrest.

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker posted on X. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

“In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard,” he continued. “I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois.”

Hours later, the White House confirmed that the deployment had been approved.

“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

The federal move came just hours after a tense confrontation on Chicago’s South Side, where U.S. Border Patrol agents reportedly opened fire on ten vehicles that had surrounded them during a patrol in the Broadview neighborhood.

“Agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

“Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed US citizen who drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.”

According to McLaughlin, the woman had been identified in a Customs and Border Protection bulletin the previous week for allegedly “doxing agents and posting online ‘Hey to all my gang let’s f— those mother f—ers up, don’t let them take anyone.’”

No other injuries were reported in the incident.

“Pritzker’s Chicago Police Department is leaving the shooting scene and refuses to assist us in securing the area,” McLaughlin added. “There is a growing crowd and we are deploying special operations to control the scene.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller later described the confrontation as an act of “domestic terrorism and seditious insurrection.”

The Department of Homeland Security had launched Operation Midway Blitz in September as part of a wider federal effort to detain illegal immigrants and curb crime in Chicago after city officials rebuffed the Trump administration’s earlier offers of assistance.

The operation followed a deadly crash involving Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal migrant accused of killing a 20-year-old Illinois woman and her friend in a drunk-driving hit-and-run.

President Trump alluded to the ongoing federal operation in a social media post featuring an “Apocalypse Now”-themed meme.

“‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” the post read — a play on Robert Duvall’s iconic line from the Vietnam War film: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

“Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” the post added.

Officials pointed to a similar military intervention in Washington, D.C., in August that, according to the White House, reduced violent crime in the capital by nearly half.

Governor Pritzker denounced the latest action, accusing the administration of weaponizing federal forces for political gain.

“Federal immigration authorities have been engaged in unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents,” he said. “This is not a serious effort to protect public safety.”

“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” Pritzker added.

He said state and local authorities were already working together “to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Illinois on Friday to visit Chicago’s federal detention center — a site of repeated anti-ICE protests — but was reportedly blocked by local officials from entering a municipal building.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday released a preliminary design for a new $1 coin that would feature President Donald Trump in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026.

According to images shared by U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach on X and later confirmed by the Treasury, the front of the draft coin depicts Trump in profile, with the word “liberty” engraved above his likeness and the years “1776–2026” inscribed below.

The reverse side of the proposed design shows Trump raising a clenched fist, surrounded by the phrase “fight, fight, fight” — a reference to the words he shouted moments after surviving an assassination attempt last year. Behind him, the American flag forms the backdrop.

“While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.

Beach noted on X that additional details about the design would be shared once the government shutdown ends. The ongoing budget deadlock has temporarily paused several federal operations, including Treasury communications related to the semiquincentennial coin program.

Congress authorized the creation of commemorative $1 coins in 2020, allowing the Treasury Secretary to issue designs that “emblematize the U.S. semiquincentennial.”

The unveiling sparked immediate debate online, with critics pointing to a clause in the 2020 legislation that prohibits “any head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person” on the reverse of coins commemorating the U.S. anniversary.

However, the Treasury’s draft depicts a full-figure image of Trump, a design choice that legal analysts said might technically avoid violating the “head and shoulders” restriction.

Another potential legal question stems from an 1866 statute barring portraits of living individuals on U.S. currency — a rule that applies to paper money printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, not to coins struck by the U.S. Mint.

Additionally, a separate provision in the 1792 Coinage Act, later amended by Congress, forbids using the likeness of a living current or past president on the presidential $1 coin series. But experts noted that this rule applies specifically to the presidential coin program, not to coins issued for national commemorations like the semiquincentennial.

The last time the U.S. marked a major anniversary was in 1976, when the Treasury held a nationwide design competition for the bicentennial dollar. The winning design — a Liberty Bell superimposed on the moon — was featured on one side, while the opposite side carried the image of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had passed away in 1969.

Asked whether President Trump had personally reviewed the new draft design, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “I’m not sure if he’s seen it, but I’m sure he’ll love it.”

{Matzav.com}

After months of postponements due to the ongoing security situation, two major European airlines — British Airways and Spain’s Iberia Express — have announced the resumption of their flight operations to Israel later this month.

British Airways, the United Kingdom’s flagship carrier, confirmed that it will restart its daily Tel Aviv–London route on October 27. The outbound flight from Ben Gurion Airport to London’s Heathrow will depart in the morning, with the return leg to Israel scheduled for the evening.

Iberia Express, a subsidiary of Spain’s national airline Iberia, will return one day earlier, on October 26, operating a daily service between Tel Aviv and Madrid. Until full operations resume in December, the airline said flights will initially take place each morning.

{Matzav.com}

Religious Zionism lawmaker MK Simcha Rothman voiced strong opposition this evening to the emerging ceasefire framework, cautioning that releasing convicted terrorists as part of the agreement would come at an unacceptable cost to Israel.

In an interview with Kan News, Rothman stated, “250 terrorists with blood on their hands that walk free – that’s one huge price.” He argued that no political or diplomatic gain could justify such a concession, saying that Israel must not compromise its security principles for short-term results.

“This deal is not good, but I am not going to give [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu a performance assessment right now,” Rothman continued. “The very fact that we are sitting here now and [US President Donald] Trump and Netanyahu are saying that we are waiting for Hamas’ answer – that is a problem.”

Rothman emphasized that Israel has made painful compromises in the past through similar deals and must now stay focused on achieving total victory. “We swallowed many frogs with the previous deals. Now we have our eyes on the ball, to ensure that the goals of Israel’s war are achieved in their entirety,” he said.

On Friday, President Donald Trump responded publicly to Hamas’s partial acceptance of his peace proposal for Gaza. Although Hamas did not agree to every element of the plan and requested further negotiations, Trump hailed its response as a “positive one,” expressing optimism that it signaled readiness for a broader peace agreement and urging Israel to halt its bombardment of the Strip.

“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added, “We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

Following Trump’s remarks, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the Israel Defense Forces to pause offensive operations in Gaza and shift to a defensive posture.

“Following Hamas’s response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team in order to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with President Trump’s vision.”

{Matzav.com}

As the countdown to Sukkos continues, a string of construction-related injuries was reported in recent hours in several cities, including Bnei Brak, Ramat Shlomo, and Neve Yaakov. The rush to complete sukkahs before the Yom Tov has led to multiple incidents requiring emergency medical care.

In Bnei Brak, United Hatzalah medics were dispatched on Motzaei Shabbos to Wolffson Street, where a 57-year-old man fell from a ladder while building his sukkah.

United Hatzalah volunteers Shalom Rafaeli, Shlomo Katzin, and Yehuda Hildesheim reported from the scene: “We were told that he suffered a head injury after falling from a ladder during sukkah construction. We provided initial medical assistance and transported him to Beilinson Hospital in moderate condition.”

A similar incident occurred in Yerushalayim, where United Hatzalah medics treated a man in his 30s who fell from a ladder while putting up a sukkah on Gedud Mikhmas Street. He sustained injuries to his limbs and was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. His condition was described as mild to moderate.

In another case on Rav Fattal Street in Yerushalayim, a 50-year-old man was injured by an electric disc saw while working on his sukkah. He was treated at the scene by United Hatzalah responders and later transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital with moderate wounds.

Later, a 21-year-old man was also hurt while building a sukkah on Rav Zevin Street in Yerushalayim after cutting himself with a sharp knife. He, too, was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem for treatment.

United Hatzalah issued a public reminder urging all residents to exercise extreme caution when constructing their sukkahs and preparing for the upcoming Yom Tov. “We call on everyone to follow safety guidelines to prevent unnecessary tragedies,” the organization said.

{Matzav.com Israel}