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SEE IT: Security footage captures the horrifying moment a dead tree falls and crushes an SUV with a woman inside. Luckily, she walked away unharmed.

Trump plants a beautiful new magnolia tree in the White House Lawn, replacing a recently uprooted tree that Andrew Jackson had planted.

Israel and Turkey have been holding direct talks to establish a deconfliction mechanism in Syria to avoid the risk of military clashes, the Middle East Eye reported, citing two Western officials. The talks come in the wake of Israel’s airstrikes last week on airbases in Syria at the same time that Ankara was preparing to deploy a team to begin preparations for taking over the bases. “Netanyahu believes there has been progress in the talks with Turkey,” the report claimed. “Turkish and Israeli officials made similar statements at the same time that seem to have been coordinated, saying they were not looking for confrontation over Syria. The U.S. remains the final arbitrator on Syria and it seems that the administration wants Israel and Turkey tensions de-escalated.” During the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday, Trump said that he has excellent relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and he could work out a deal between Israel and Turkey if there are tensions in Syria. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Less than one hour before the stock market closed on Monday, journalists gathered in the Oval Office for their only chance of the day to ask President Donald Trump about the turmoil caused by his tariff plans. Are the new tariffs, scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, a bargaining chip to reach better trade deals? Or are they etched in stone in a mission to revamp the global economy? Investors around the world were hanging on Trump’s every word, but he did little to clear up the situation. “It can both be true,” he said. “There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations.” The markets skidded to a close. At a time when foreign leaders and business executives are desperate for clarity, the White House is sending mixed messages as it pursues conflicting goals. Advisers have tried with some success to tamp down a days-long stock selloff by talking up tariffs as a starting point for negotiations, which could mollify Wall Street and jittery Republicans in Congress. But the president continues to insist that he can raise hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue with his new taxes on foreign imports, and he’s shown no willingness to back down from an agenda that he’s advocated for decades, even before entering politics. The ongoing paradox could erode confidence in Trump’s leadership at home and abroad after he promised a booming economy and tax cuts, not depleted retirement accounts and fears of a recession. For now, as the tariffs are set to kick in, there’s no clear resolution for what could be the most significant overhaul of international trade in a generation. As a result of the dueling goals, the U.S. stock market has been extremely volatile over the past few days. The S&P 500 stock index initially posted gains on Tuesday morning on the possibility of negotiations, only to close down 1.57% as the White House said that the combined tariffs on China under Trump would be 104% starting on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, urged the White House to “settle the situation.” He said the “perception as to whether or not there’s an end game is very important.” Tillis said he is “giving the administration the benefit of the doubt” for now. But he added that “you’ve got to get it done as quickly as you can get it done.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Trump was causing economic chaos with the back-and-forth over tariffs. “Who makes long term investments based on that?” she said. “Who hires people and trains workers based on the hope that Donald Trump will not change his mind again and again and again?” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump met with his team on Tuesday morning and “he directed them to have tailor-made trade deals with each and every country that calls up this administration to strike a deal.” The administration has yet to articulate its goals for any talks with trading partners, other than to suggest that negotiations could take several months and that nations might also need to dramatically overhaul their tax systems and regulations to satisfy Trump’s demands. Canadian and European officials are unsure about how to proceed, even as Trump administration officials insist that as many as 70 nations are […]

Another significant win for Trump 2.0…

President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE crew racked up another SCOTUS win on Tuesday as the nation’s highest court blocked a lower court ruling ordering the administration to rehire thousands of federal employees.

The vote was 7 to 2. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have kept the firings paused while the case played out in the lower courts.

From NPR:

The court’s narrow ruling applies only to the nonprofits in Tuesday’s lawsuit, and it did not decide on the case as a whole. Nonetheless, the court’s decision makes it more difficult for groups affected by government layoffs to challenge mass firings systematically.

In that sense, the court’s action is a victory for the Trump administration and its effort to dramatically shrink federal agencies and programs, concentrating executive power in the White House.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called the decision a big win for Trump 2.0.

“Two big SCOTUS wins in two days! The Court just overturned another far-left lower court order, this one an attempt to force the rehiring of 16,000 terminated federal employees. Trump is winning and DOGE is winning,” Kirk said on X.

Watch the clip of CNN reporting the news below:

 

 

The Trump administration is touting a Supreme Court ruling allowing it to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act as a major victory, but the immigration fight is far from over. The divided court found that President Donald Trump can use the 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador, a finding Trump called a “GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” in a social media post. But the justices also decided people accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang have to get a chance to challenge their removals — a finding their lawyers called an “important victory.” The legal landscape could be more challenging, though, since it appears the people being held will have to file individually and in the district where they are detained. For many, that’s in Texas. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is also weighing another case against a Maryland man deported by mistake that could shed light on the fate of more than 100 men accused of being gang members who have already been sent to prison in El Salvador. Here’s a look at what’s next: The ruling doesn’t let the deportations under the law resume right away The Supreme Court’s ruling lifted a restraining order from a judge in the nation’s capital that had blocked the Trump administration from deporting people under the law. But it doesn’t allow those deportations to start right away. The court said that the accused have to be given notice and reasonable time to try and convince a judge that they shouldn’t be deported. The families of multiple people who have already been deported under the Alien Enemies Act say they are not gang members, and should not have been deported under the law. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News that she expected future hearings to be held in Texas, and for judges to deal with each case individually rather than issue orders about the group as a whole. “It will be a much smoother, simpler hearing,” she said. Texas may not be the only venue, though. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of two immigrants who are currently held in New York and say they have been wrongly labeled as members of Tren de Aragua, or TdA, putting them at risk of deportation to the prison. Many questions about Trump’s use of the act remain unresolved The Supreme Court’s ruling did not address the constitutionality of the act or the migrants’ claim that they don’t fall within the category of people who can be deported under the law. It’s also not clear how this ruling affects the more than 100 people who have already been sent to the El Salvador prison under the Alien Enemies Act without being given an opportunity to challenge their removals before the flights, which the court now says is necessary. The ruling didn’t address what kind of recourse, if any, those migrants may be entitled to. In another case involving a man mistakenly deported to the El Salvador prison, the administration has said it has no way to get him back. That man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was not deported under the Alien Enemies Act, but the administration has conceded that he shouldn’t have been sent to El Salvador because an immigration judge found […]

Rochel and Aizik never imagined that their lives would take a violent turn when they took their 3-year-old Brachi to the doctor.  They expected to get a prescription, maybe a blood work-up. But they were sent to an urgent battery of tests which resulted in the words parents dread most of all: Little Brachi has a rare form of cancer – myeloid leukemia.  Rochel and Aizik started treatment, devoting all to their sick child and her baby brother. But the treatments did not help.  Brachi is deteriorating fast, her anemia worsening rapidly, and her parents were helpless. Then a ray of hope came: in Michigan there is a trial treatment that includes young children, with promising results. This innovative biological treatment, though very new, has already been proved successful in adults, and now there is a chance that little Brachi might be saved. But Brachi’s young parents have no resources to fly her to the USA, much less to pay for this advanced treatment.  They both had to give all they had already, and they can’t afford this venture. Broken hearted, they must turn to you! Help Rochel and Aizik save their little girl – they cannot do it without our help! Donate now

The Israeli High Court of Justice has issued a temporary order mandating that Ronen Bar remain in his role as head of the Shin Bet for the time being, as the government and the attorney general’s office work toward resolving the legal controversy surrounding his planned removal.

Along with its ruling, the court has formally proposed that both the government and the attorney general try to reach a mutual understanding on the issue and has given them until April 20, the day following the end of Passover, to come to terms.

During the court proceedings, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, along with officials representing the Attorney General’s Office, appeared open to engaging in discussions on how to move forward. This came after Justice Noam Sohlberg put forth the idea of referring the dispute to the advisory committee that oversees senior civil service appointments to obtain its input.

The justices also instructed the government that it must refrain from taking any steps to oust Bar while the interim order remains active. This includes avoiding any announcement of a replacement and ensuring that Bar’s authority as the head of the Shin Bet is not compromised, nor should there be any alterations in how the agency interacts with the government.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Trump administration is working toward an arrangement with Iran that would let the country keep a civilian nuclear energy program, according to a report by i24NEWS on Tuesday evening. The outlet cited an individual familiar with the negotiations.

“Iran will be able to maintain a civilian nuclear program for electricity production, such as the reactor in Bushehr, even if it has to completely dismantle its nuclear [weapons] program,” the source stated.

According to the same source, “Trump said that Iran will not have nuclear weapons; military nuclear facilities no, but civilian nuclear yes. Therefore, even if the facilities that contain the centrifuges and enable uranium enrichment have to be destroyed, Iran will be able to retain a civilian nuclear program.”

Officials from Israel told i24NEWS that there is little likelihood that Tehran will agree to a deal modeled after the one that led to the disarmament of Libya’s nuclear program.

In a separate development, President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the United States plans to launch direct negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear weapons ambitions over the coming weekend, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We are having direct talks with Iran. On Saturday we will have a very big meeting and we will see what can happen. I think everybody agrees that a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious, and the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly that anyone here wants to be involved with,” Trump said. He warned of escalating tensions, saying, “The situation is getting to be very dangerous territory. Hopefully, those talks will be successful, and I think it would be in Iran’s best interests if they are.”

As he wrapped up his trip to Washington, Netanyahu emphasized his shared stance with Trump that Iran must never acquire nuclear arms. “This can be done by agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan style: They go in, blow up the installations, dismantle all of the equipment, under American supervision and carried out by America – this would be good.”

Netanyahu added, “The second possibility, that will not be, is that they drag out the talks and then there is the military option. Everyone understands this. We spoke about this at length.”

{Matzav.com}

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in mass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government. The justices acted in the administration’s emergency appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees be reinstated while a lawsuit plays out because their firings didn’t follow federal law. The effect of the high court’s order will keep employees in six federal agencies on paid administrative leave for now. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have kept the judge’s order in place. A second lawsuit, filed in Maryland, also resulted in an order blocking the firings at those same six agencies, plus roughly a dozen more. But that order only applies in the 19 states and the District of Columbia that sued the administration. The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order. At least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since Trump took office, the lawsuits claim, though the government has not confirmed that number. U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director. He ordered rehiring at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury. His order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit organizations that argued they’d be affected by the reduced manpower. Alsup, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations by firing probationary workers with fewer legal protections. He said he was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier. The administration has insisted that the agencies themselves directed the firings and they “have since decided to stand by those terminations,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court. (AP)

Hamas’ official media outlets have issued statements labeling Jewish religious activities on the Har Habayis as a desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In a message shared via the group’s Telegram channel, Hamas reiterated that Islamic teachings consider the entire area of the Har Habayis to be “an indivisible component of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” As such, “any Jewish presence or religious observance at the site”—particularly korbanos, or offerings—is viewed as a “profound breach of the sanctity of the location.”

The message further pointed to past Jewish religious practices—such as shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah, taking the arba minim during Sukkos, kneeling and bowing, and bringing sacred objects into the site—as “calculated efforts,” in Hamas’ view, “to disrupt the long-standing status quo.”

Hamas went on to assert that even a “symbolic sacrificial act,” like the bringing of a symbolic Korban Pesach, on the Har Habayis would, in their opinion, “symbolically transform Al-Aqsa into a Temple,” thus laying the groundwork for what they described as a broader plan to construct the Third Bais Hamikdosh. The group warned that the first phase of this alleged plan would involve dividing areas of worship at the site—comparable to the current arrangement at the Meoras Hamachpeilah—followed by actual construction.

It should be noted that all leading poskim of this and previous generations have said that it is halachically forbidden to go on to the Har Habayis today.

{Matzav.com Israel}

From Kosher.com  Prepping for Pesach? With so much to do before Yom Tov, having a few freezer-friendly dishes ready to go can make all the difference. These five freeze-ahead favorites from Kosher.com are perfect for lightening the load without compromising on taste. Whether you’re hosting a crowd or just looking to stay one step ahead, these Pesach-friendly recipes will help you breathe a little easier—and eat a lot better. Fork Tender Brisket By Chanie Nayman My mother has been making second-cut brisket with loads of onions for years. I firmly believe that with this and salad, I am good to go for a week. The most important components of this recipe are onions, salt, and a well-marbled brisket! The rest is just to add some additional layers of flavor to an already good thing. So if you have no patience for all the dehydrated spices below, you can really omit them. Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/fork-tender-brisket-8740/ Sweet and Sour French Roast By Fleishigs Magazine  This roast is tender, the perfect balance of sweet and savory, a real crowd-pleaser. It tastes even better when made in advance and reheats incredibly well. Second cut brisket or top of rib work just as well.  Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/sweet-and-sour-french-roast-8520/ Seder Ribs  By Naomi Nachman These sticky and sweet ribs are sure to please by shulchan orech, or even for a yummy chol hamoed dinner. Easy recipe + crowd pleaser? Check! Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/seder-ribs/ Yom Tov Roast with Chestnut Chutney By Brynie Greisman A roast with sweet and savory components. The flavor is epic! The chutney adds a mélange of taste and texture. You’ll appreciate the creative presentation as well. Get the full recipe here: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/yom-tov-roast-with-chestnut-chutney/ Pesach Chuck Eye Roast  By Yussi Weisz Yussi Weisz is keeping it simple but spectacular with a chuck eye roast that practically melts in your mouth. Get the full recipe here on the latest episode of BHIS: https://www.kosher.com/recipe/pesach-chuck-eye-roast/ Explore hundreds of recipes for Pesach at https://www.kosher.com/recipes/passover/.

Donald Trump has made good on his promise to impose “additional 50 percent tariffs” on Chinese imports starting Wednesday. According to a White House announcement, this move pushes the total U.S. tariff rate on Chinese goods to a staggering 104 percent, a level never seen before.

Trump had issued an ultimatum to China, demanding it reverse the 34 percent retaliatory tariff it had slapped on American exports within a 24-hour window. If Beijing didn’t comply, he warned, Chinese imports would face massive penalties. China defied the warning, and by day’s end, Trump followed through with his threat.

Until recently, Chinese goods faced a 10 percent tariff when entering the U.S., a rate Trump claimed had “robbed and ripped off” the American economy of untold billions. That changed when the president unveiled his “reciprocal tariff” strategy — a policy under which the U.S. would impose tariffs that mirrored, or partially mirrored, those of other countries. With China’s new 34 percent levy on U.S. products, Trump matched it with an additional 34 percent on Chinese goods, raising their total tariff burden to 44 percent.

Shortly after the president’s latest move, the White House revealed that the U.S. would also be levying a 10 percent non-reciprocal tariff on all imports from other nations. Officials said the purpose of the broader surcharge was to bolster the U.S. federal reserves. Meanwhile, the total duties applied to Chinese goods jumped to 54 percent.

With the newest hike targeting only China, the tariff rate on its exports to the U.S. now stands at an extraordinary 104 percent — nearly double what it was just days ago. Still, Trump indicated that a diplomatic resolution was not out of the question. On Truth Social, he wrote, “China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call.”

In the hours before the latest escalation, Beijing had pushed back against Trump’s demand that it abandon its retaliatory tariffs, calling the move a form of coercion.

“The US threat to escalate tariffs against China is a mistake on top of a mistake, which once again exposes the US’s blackmailing nature,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that “If the US insists on having its way, China will fight to the end.”

As the trade conflict between the two economic superpowers intensifies, global markets are caught in the crossfire. With neither side showing signs of backing down, investors are witnessing the most significant market downturn since the early days of the COVID-19 crisis.

{17}

In the early days of the Great Depression, Rep. Willis Hawley, a Republican from Oregon, and Utah Republican Sen. Reed Smoot thought they had landed on a way to protect American farmers and manufacturers from foreign competition: tariffs. President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, even as many economists warned that the levies would prompt retaliatory tariffs from other countries, which is precisely what happened. The U.S. economy plunged deeper into a devastating financial crisis that it would not pull out of until World War II. Most historians look back on Smoot-Hawley as a mistake that made a bad economic climate much worse. But tariffs have a new champion in President Donald Trump. Like Trump, Hoover was elected largely because of his business acumen. An international mining engineer, financier and humanitarian, he took office in 1929 like an energetic CEO, eager to promote public-private partnerships and use the levers of government to promote economic growth. “Anyone not only can be rich, but ought to be rich,” he declared in his inaugural address before convening a special session of Congress to better protect U.S. farmers with “limited changes of the tariff.” Instead, the 31st president got the Great Depression. Trump, now championing his own sweeping tariffs that have sent global markets into a tailspin, argues that the U.S. was founded on steep import taxes on goods from abroad. But the country began abandoning them when it created a federal income tax in 1913, the president says. Then, “in 1929, it all came to a very abrupt end with the Great Depression. And it would have never happened if they had stayed with the tariff policy,” Trump said in announcing his tariff plan last week. Referring to Smoot-Hawley, he added, “They tried to bring back tariffs to save our country, but it was gone. It was gone. It was too late. Nothing could have been done — took years and years to get out of that depression.” America’s history of high tariffs actually continued well after 1913, however, and Trump’s take on what sparked the Great Depression — and Hoover-era Washington’s response to it — don’t reflect what actually happened. Gary Richardson, an economics professor at the University of California, Irvine, said the U.S. long maintaining high tariffs “helped to shift industry here. But we’ve gotten rid of them because, as the country at the cutting edge of technology, we didn’t think they were useful.” “When we were at our most powerful, right after World War II, we forced a low tariff regime on most of the world because we thought it was to our benefit,” said Richardson, also a former Federal Reserve System historian. “Now, we’re going back to something else.” Tariffs date to 1789 George Washington signed the Tariff Act of 1789, the first major legislation approved by Congress, which imposed a 5% tax on many goods imported into the U.S. With no federal income tax, the policy was about finding sources of revenue for the government while also protecting American producers from foreign competition. After the War of 1812 disrupted U.S. trade with Great Britain, the U.S. approved more tariffs in 1817 meant to shield domestic manufacturing from potentially cheaper imports, especially textiles. High tariffs remained for decades, particularly as the government looked to increase its revenue and pay down debt incurred during the Civil […]

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sends direct message to China from the Panama Canal: “I want to be very clear: China did not build this canal, China does not operate this canal, and China will not weaponize this canal.”

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “I do just want to point out one thing. Everybody in Washington, whether they want to admit it or not, knows that this president is right when it comes to tariffs and when it comes to trade.”

The organization StopAntisemitism has urged New York Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch an investigation into a popular YouTube personality who has come under fire for allegedly promoting narratives aligned with Hamas, according to the New York Post.

Rachel Griffin Accurso, widely known as Ms. Rachel, has gained massive popularity through her children’s content series, Songs for Littles, and has even drawn comparisons to Mr. Rogers. In recent months, however, she has made several social media posts referencing supposed child casualties in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

According to StopAntisemitism, Ms. Rachel has echoed casualty figures and other information originating from Hamas sources—claims which, the organization asserts, have been either disproven or questioned by Israeli officials. The group is calling for Bondi to determine whether the content creator received compensation in exchange for sharing “Hamas-like propagated images and stories.”

In a formal appeal to the attorney general, Liora Rez, director of StopAntisemitism, wrote, “Given the vast sums of foreign funds that have been directed toward propagandizing our young people on college campuses, we suspect there is a similar dynamic in the online influencer space.”

Rez further emphasized, “We urge you and your office to investigate whether or not Ms. Rachel is being remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers, as this may violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).”

The group also pointed out that while Ms. Rachel has repeatedly highlighted the suffering of Palestinian children, she has remained silent on the trauma endured by Israeli children. They specifically mentioned the Kfir brothers, who were kidnapped from their home—one just nine months old—and were later murdered by their abductors.

Following backlash to her commentary after the October 7 attacks, Ms. Rachel issued a statement saying, “I care deeply for all children. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US – Muslim, Jewish, Christian children – all children, in every country. Not one is excluded.”

{Matzav.com}

OVERNIGHT IN FLATBUSH: Around 4 a.m., while patrolling near East 9th Street between Avenues U and V, Flatbush Shomrim members witnessed an intoxicated driver crash into a parked car. Both vehicles quickly went up in flames. When the NYPD arrived and began questioning the driver, he fled on foot. After a two-block chase, Shomrim members apprehended him, and he was ultimately arrested by the NYPD.

White House Press Secretary on Elon Musk calling Trump’s trade advisor “dumber than a sack of bricks”: “Boys will be boys”

WH PRESS SECRETARY: “Countries like China, who have chosen to retaliate and try to double-down on their mistreatment of American workers are making a mistake. President Trump has a spine of steel and he will not break.”