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Minister Kisch blasts Olmert: He should be ashamed

<p>Education Minister Yoav Kisch sharply criticized former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert following his statement that "what Israel is doing in Gaza is very close to war crimes."</p><p>"The released prisoner Ehud Olmert joins Yair Golan and the choir of the extreme left that slanders the State of Israel on the international stage. While IDF soldiers risk their lives against murderous terror that seeks to destroy us, he chooses to incite and stab them in the back. He should be ashamed," Kisch said.</p>

Olmert lashes out: What Israel is doing in Gaza is very close to a war crime

Former PM Olmert blasts Israel's Gaza operation on the BBC, calling it "very close to a war crime" and a war "without purpose."

'More advanced than Israel': Trump unveils plans for 'Golden Dome' defense system

President Trump announces plans for a "Golden Dome" missile shield to protect the US, inspired by Israel's Iron Dome. Costing an estimated $175 billion, the system is projected to be operational by the end of his second term.

US Ambassador to Israel: 'America is your friend—we stand with Israel against evil'

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee declares unwavering US support for Israel at a high-level economic reception in Tel Aviv, affirming, 'Your enemies are our enemies.'

'I had to survive for them': Edan Alexander recounts harrowing Hamas captivity

In first meeting with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, freed hostage Edan Alexander reveals source of his strength: Knowing his Golani brothers were fighting for him.

Report: decades later, Eli Cohen’s possessions come home

Decades after his execution, Israeli spy Eli Cohen’s belongings are sent back to Israel by Syria in a goodwill gesture directed at President Trump.

Tortured, starving, alone: Matan Zangauker’s dire condition in Hamas captivity

Shocking new details paint grim picture of Matan Zangauker’s life in Hamas captivity: severe weight loss, physical decline from a degenerative disease, psychological torture, and isolation. 'I don’t know if he can hold on,' his mother says.

Chief of Staff to Gazans: We are not the ones who started this war

In bold message from the battlefield, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reminds Gazans that Hamas — not Israel — is to blame for Gaza’s suffering, adds that Hamas can release the hostages or face the consequences.

Chief of Staff in Gaza: Hamas will pay the price for its obstinance, until it is defeated

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir assessed the situation in Gaza and declared: 'We will destroy the terrorist infrastructure until it is defeated. If there is an agreement, the IDF will know how to adjust its maneuvers.'

Berlin declares BDS Movement unconstitutional: 'Aimed at Israel’s destruction'

In a sweeping move, Berlin’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution outlaws BDS movement, branding it a direct threat to peaceful international order and noting that it crosses a red line into anti-constitutional extremism.

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Candle lighting: 7:56pm on Friday, May 23
This week’s Torah portion is Parshas Behar-Bechukosai
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Candle lighting: 7:54pm on Friday, May 23
This week’s Torah portion is Parshas Behar-Bechukosai
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Yeshiva World News

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TREASON! Trump Accuses Biden’s Advisors of Treason, Claims They Controlled White House Due to President’s Cognitive Impairment

In a fiery social media post on Tuesday, President Donald Trump labeled Joe Biden’s advisors as “treasonous thugs” who seized control of the White House, asserting that Biden was “cognitively impaired.” Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump argued that Biden’s immigration policies did not reflect the former president’s intentions. “Joe Biden was not for Open Borders, he never talked about Open Borders, where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will. It wasn’t his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now. It was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen,” Trump stated, referencing the device presidents use to sign documents. Trump accused these advisors of orchestrating a takeover, claiming they “stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger. This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country.” He further argued that Biden’s White House policies were inconsistent with the former president’s character. “The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record. Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn’t, because I came along,” Trump wrote. The post concluded with his signature rallying cry: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Goyim Defense League Targets Pittsburgh Neighborhood Again With Antisemitic Flyers

Fliers laced with virulent antisemitic rhetoric were scattered across Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where the 2018 Tree of Life massacre took place. According to Pittsburgh Police, the offensive materials were tossed from a moving vehicle in plastic bags weighed down with corn kernels. One flier read: “Every single aspect of the Jewish Talmud is satanic,” alongside out-of-context excerpts misrepresenting Jewish teachings. Corey O’Connor, Allegheny County Comptroller and a candidate for Pittsburgh mayor, shared a photo of one such flier. “Despicable antisemitic acts like those taking place in Squirrel Hill today have no place in our city,” he commented. No arrests have yet been made, but the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has linked the incident to the Goyim Defense League (GDL), a white supremacist group known for propagating antisemitic hate across the country. Federation officials said the driver responsible for distributing the fliers also shouted antisemitic slurs at Jewish residents. The Goyim Defense League was responsible for a staggering 94% of antisemitic propaganda incidents in the U.S. in 2024, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League report. This is not the first time Squirrel Hill has been targeted by the Goyim Defense League. In July 2024, a red inverted triangle—an emblem adopted by Hamas and some pro-Palestinian protesters—was spray-painted on the local Chabad center, located near the site of the 2018 synagogue shooting that left 11 Jews dead. The wave of antisemitic intimidation appears to be national in scope. Just last week, Jewish organizations in Las Vegas received threatening letters filled with hateful rhetoric. One of the letters, sent to Friendship Circle Las Vegas, a nonprofit supporting individuals with special needs, warned: “We will destroy your synagogues. Hamas lives on. You all burn in hell.” Rabbi Levi Harlig, the organization’s executive director, posted the letter on Instagram, writing: “The irony of this hateful letter? It was sent to our nonprofit—an organization built on inclusion, love, and friendship. But we’re not afraid. We won’t be silenced. We will double our efforts to spread light, kindness, and unity. Goodness will always be louder than hate. Am Yisrael Chai.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Trump Unveils $175 Billion ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense Program with Space-Based Weapons

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the concept he wants for his future Golden Dome missile defense program — a multilayered $175 billion system that for the first time will put U.S. weapons in space. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he expects the system will be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which ends in 2029, and have the capability of intercepting missiles “even if they are launched from space.” It’s likelier that the complex system may have some initial capability by that point, a U.S. official familiar with the program said. Trump also announced that Gen. Michael Guetlein, who currently serves as the vice chief of space operations, will be responsible for overseeing Golden Dome’s progress. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities that are able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target. For the last several months, Pentagon planners have been developing options — which a U.S. official described as medium, high and “extra high” choices, based on their cost — that include space-based interceptors. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been made public. The difference in the three versions is largely based on how many satellites and sensors — and for the first time, space-based interceptors — would be purchased. The Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years. Trump has requested an initial $25 billion for the program in his proposed tax break bill now moving through Congress. The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary. Golden Dome’s added satellites and interceptors — where the bulk of the program’s cost is — would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight. The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome “represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations,” Gen. Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday. China and Russia have put offensive weapons in space, such as satellites with abilities to disable critical U.S. satellites, which can make the U.S. vulnerable to attack. Last year the U.S. said Russia was developing a space-based nuclear weapon that could loiter in space for long durations, then release an burst that would take out satellites around it. Trump said he had not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the program, “but at the right time, we will,” he told reporters at the White House. But there’s no money for the Golden Dome project yet, and the program overall is “still in the conceptual stage,” newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told senators Tuesday. While the president picked the concept he wanted, the Pentagon is still developing the requirements that Golden Dome will need to meet — which is not the way new systems are normally developed. The Pentagon and U.S. Northern Command are still […]

Noem Misstates Habeas Corpus Powers, Says Trump Can Use It to Expel Migrants

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the constitutional provision that allows people to legally challenge their detention by the government is actually a tool the Trump administration can use in its broader crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. She called habeas corpus “a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their rights.” Noem, testifying before a congressional committee Tuesday, gave that response when asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan to define the legal concept. “That’s incorrect,” the New Hampshire Democrat swiftly interrupted Noem, defining the “legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people.” Hassan, a former attorney who practiced in Boston, went on to call habeas corpus “the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea.” The back and forth follows comments by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who said earlier this month that President Donald Trump is looking for ways to expand his administration’s legal power to deport migrants who are in the United States illegally. To achieve that, Miller said the administration is “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus. What is habeas corpus? The Latin term means, literally, “you have the body.” Federal courts use a writ of habeas corpus to bring a prisoner before a neutral judge to determine if imprisonment is legal. Habeas corpus was included in the Constitution as an import from English common law. Parliament enacted the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, which was meant to ensure that the king released prisoners when the law did not justify confining them. The Constitution’s Suspension Clause, the second clause of Section 9 of Article I, states that habeas corpus “shall not be suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it.” Has it been suspended previously? Yes. The United States has suspended habeas corpus under four distinct circumstances during its history. Those usually involved authorization from Congress, something that would be nearly impossible today — even at Trump’s urging — given the narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate. President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus multiple times during the Civil War, beginning in 1861 to detain suspected spies and Confederate sympathizers. He ignored a ruling from Roger Taney, the Supreme Court ‘s chief justice. Congress then authorized suspending it in 1863, which allowed Lincoln to do so again. Congress acted similarly under President Ulysses S. Grant, suspending habeas corpus in parts of South Carolina under the Civil Rights Act of 1871. Also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, it was meant to counter violence and intimidation by groups that opposed Reconstruction in the South. Habeas corpus was suspended in two provinces of the Philippines in 1905, when it was a U.S. territory and authorities were worried about the threat of an insurrection, and in Hawaii after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor but before it became a state in 1959. Writing before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Amy Coney Barrett co-authored a piece stating that the Suspension Clause “does not specify which branch of government has the authority to suspend the privilege of the writ, but most agree that only Congress can do it.” What has the Trump administration said about suspending it? Miller has said the administration is considering trying. “The Constitution is clear, and that […]

Home Depot CFO: No Price Hikes Despite Tariffs, Sticks to Guidance Amid Housing Slowdown

Home Depot CFO says retailer doesn’t plan to raise prices due to tariffs Home Depot stuck by its full-year guidance, even though it missed Wall Street’s first-quarter earnings estimates. CFO Richard McPhail said the home improvement retailer has diversified where it sources its merchandise and doesn’t plan to raise prices because of higher tariffs. As higher interest rates slow the housing market, the retailer has attracted more business from home professionals and acquired SRS Distribution, which sells supplies to roofing, pool and landscaping professionals.

MONSEY: Benny Gantz Has Steak Dinner With Local Philanthropists, Meets With Skvere Rebbe [PHOTOS]

On Monday evening, National Unity party chief Benny Gantz, made a quick stop at RSVP Steakhouse in Monsey, where he met with local philanthropists. During the informal gathering, Gantz spoke about the importance of strengthening U.S.-Israel relations and the ongoing fight against global antisemitism. Gantz, who currently heads the National Unity party and previously served as IDF Chief of Staff as well as a Defense Minister, emphasized the critical alliance between the United States and Israel—particularly in matters of security, diplomacy, and combating hate. He thanked the local Jewish community for their continued support of Israel and acknowledged the unique role diaspora communities play in maintaining strong bilateral ties. Following the dinner, Gantz traveled to New Square, where he held a private meeting with the Skvere Rebbe at his home. Gantz also had a chance encounter with world-renowned Jewish singer Yaakov Shwekey, who was dining at the restaurant. CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE MONSEY SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF MONSEY NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senate Unanimously Passes Trump’s “No Tax on Tips Act” with 100-0 Vote

BREAKING: The Senate has unanimously passed President Trumps “No Tax on Tips Act.” 100-0 vote.

Trump Blames Biden’s Autopen Handlers for Open Border, Accuses Them of Treason

President Trump says opening the border wasn’t Biden’s idea, blames the autopen handlers and accuses them of treason.

Trump: Golden Dome to Integrate with Defenses, Fully Operational by Term’s End

President Trump: “The design for the Golden Dome will integrate without existing defense capabilities and it should be fully operational by the end of my term.”

WATCH: FM Gideon Sa’ar Slams Macron; Reminds Him Of France’s Colonial Past

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday slammed the joint statement by the UK, Canada and France on Monday threatening to implement sanctions on Israel if it doesn’t stop its war in Gaza. Speaking at the 17th Plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem,” Sa’ar said: “The declaration from yesterday is totally connected to Macron’s initiative for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state in June.” Sa’ar accused Macron of using the current reality to push for his agenda of the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state and added that, in any case, Macron already implemented sanctions on Israel when he banned Israel from participating in an arms exhibition in Paris. Sa’ar continued by saying: “What I want to tell every country, mainly those who had a colonial past. This is a proud nation, an independent nation, fighting on its existence, and we will not get any dictates from outside with regard to our national security. This should be very understood.” What Sa’ar did not mention is the fact that Amnesty International revealed last year that at the same time that Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel due to “harm to innocent people” in Gaza, France was supplying weapon systems to rebels in Sudan who have committed unspeakable war crimes and massacres amid a civil war in the African country. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Senate to Vote on Blocking California’s Ban on Gas-Powered Cars

The U.S. Senate will move this week to block California from enforcing a series of vehicle emissions standards that are tougher than the federal government’s, including first-in-the-nation rules phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday that the Senate will begin to consider three House-passed resolutions that would roll back the standards. Final votes could come as soon as this week. His announcement came despite significant pushback from Democrats, questions from some Republicans and the advice of the Senate Parliamentarian, who has sided with the U.S. Government Accountability Office in saying California’s policies are not subject to the review mechanism used by the House. The resolutions would block California’s rules to phase out the gas-powered cars, along with standards to cut tailpipe emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and curb smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. Like the House, Senate Republicans are using the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California’s ability to enforce its own emissions standards, but Biden later restored the state’s authority. Republicans have argued that the rules effectively dictate standards for the whole country, imposing what would eventually be a nationwide electric vehicle mandate. Around a dozen states have already followed California’s lead. Thune called it an “improper expansion” of the federal Clean Air Act that would “endanger consumers, our economy and our nation’s energy supply.” California for decades has been given the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the federal government’s. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced plans in 2020 to ban the sale of all new gas-powered vehicles within 15 years as part of an aggressive effort to lower emissions from the transportation sector. Plug-in hybrids and used gas cars could still be sold. The Biden administration approved the state’s waiver to implement the standards in December, a month before President Donald Trump returned to office. The California rules are stricter than a Biden-era rule that tightens emissions standards but does not require sales of electric vehicles. Biden’s EPA said in announcing the decision that opponents of the California waivers did not meet their legal burden to show how either the EV rule or a separate measure on heavy-duty vehicles was inconsistent with the Clean Air Act. Newsom has evoked Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who signed landmark environmental laws, as he has fought congressional Republicans and the Trump administration on the issue. “The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or follow decades of precedent and uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for,” he said in a statement after Thune’s announcement. Senate Democrats have strongly pushed back on the GOP effort. California Sen. Alex Padilla said Tuesday that he will place holds on four pending EPA nominations over the “reckless attempts” to roll back the rules. Democrats charge that the Trump administration skirted the law and submitted California’s waivers to Congress in a way that would allow majority Republicans to try and block them. “If this attempt is successful, the consequences will be far-reaching, not only for our […]

Murdered Baby’s Father Responds To Yair Golan

Itzik Pass, the father of the baby Shalhevet Pass, H’yd, who was murdered by an Arab in Chevron 23 years ago when she was only 10 months old, responded to Yair Golan’s outrageous lies earlier in the day by posting two photos and one sentence. He attached a picture of Shalhevet, z’l, along with a picture of himself holding her body before the levaya. He wrote: “The identifier of processes and hobbies is invited to me for a short historical lesson on the truth behind killing babies as a hobby.” During the Second Intifada, a Palestinian sniper murdered Shalhevet, H’yd while she was lying in her stroller near her home in Chevron. An investigation showed that the sniper deliberately aimed for the baby. Shalhevet’s mother grabbed her after the gunfire, only to discover that she was already dead. Minutes later, the sniper fired again, seriously wounding Itzik, who had been pushing the stroller. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

ICE Signs Hundreds of New Agreements With Local Police to Enforce Immigration Laws

As part of the Trump administration’s push to carry out mass deportations, the agency responsible for immigration enforcement has aggressively revived and expanded a decades-old program that delegates immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies. Under the 287(g) program led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police officers can interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has rapidly expanded the number of signed agreements it has with law enforcement agencies across the country. The reason is clear. Those agreements vastly beef up the number of immigration enforcement staff available to ICE, which has about 6,000 deportation officers, as they aim to meet Trump’s goal of deporting as many of the roughly 11 million people in the country illegally as they can. Here’s a look at what these agreements are and what critics say about them: What is a 287(g) agreement and what’s the benefit to ICE? These agreements are signed between a law enforcement agency and ICE and allow the law enforcement agency to perform certain types of immigration enforcement actions. There are three different types of agreements. —Under the “jail services model,” law enforcement officers can screen people detained in jails for immigration violations. —The “warrant service officer” model authorizes state and local law enforcement officers to comply with ICE warrants or requests on immigrants while they are at their agency’s jails. —The “task force model” gives local officers the ability to investigate someone’s immigration status during their routine police duties. These agreements were authorized by a 1996 law, but it wasn’t until 2002 that the federal government actually signed one of these agreements with a local agency. The first agreement was with Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement. “The benefit to ICE is that it expands the ability to enforce immigration law across multiple jurisdictions,” said John Torres, who served as acting director of ICE from 2008 to 2009. Earlier in his career, he said, he was assigned to the Los Angeles jail and would interview any foreign citizen who came through the jail to see if they were in the country illegally. But if a jail has a 287(g) agreement with ICE it frees up those agents at the jail to do something else. What’s going on with these agreements under the Trump administration? The number of signed agreements has ballooned under Trump in a matter of months. In December of last year, ICE had 135 agreements with law enforcement agencies across 21 states. By May 19, ICE had signed 588 agreements with local and state agencies across 40 states, with an additional 83 agencies pending approval. Roughly half of the pacts are in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced the arrest of more than 1,100 immigrants in an orchestrated sweep between local and federal officials. Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has also allied himself with Trump on immigration, comes in second. Other states topping the list are Georgia and North Carolina. A majority of the agreements are with sheriff’s departments, a reflection of the fact that they are largely responsible for running jails in America. But other agencies have also signed the agreements including the Florida and Texas National Guard, the Florida Department of Lottery Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The expansion of agreements “has […]

Hawaiian Airlines Flight from San Diego to Honolulu Diverted Off Tarmac Due to Bomb Threat

A Hawaiian Airlines flight bound for Honolulu from San Diego International Airport was redirected off the tarmac this morning due to a reported bomb threat linked to the flight.

DRAMATIC FOOTAGE: Yoav Unit Officers Nab Arms Dealer After High-Speed Motorcycle Chase

DRAMATIC FOOTAGE: Yoav unit officers in Israel’s Southern District apprehended an arms dealer following a high-speed motorcycle chase. An officer shot at the suspect’s tires while riding, halting the pursuit.

Envoy Kellogg: Trump’s Golden Dome Fulfills Campaign Pledge to Protect Americans with U.S. Tech

Special Envoy to Russia & Ukraine Keith Kellogg on the Golden Dome: “This is what he said he was going to do on the campaign trail. We’re going to protect the American people and that is what he’s doing… American technology can get there.”

Hegseth Launches Full Probe into Biden’s Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched a full investigation into the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal under President Biden.

NYC: Pro-Hamas Supporters Fueling Radical Mamdani’s Mayoral Campaign With Thousands In Donations

A flood of donations from anti-Israel campus agitators and radical protesters — including individuals arrested during violent demonstrations — has helped bankroll the surging mayoral campaign of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, according to a New York Post exclusive that first revealed the controversial donor base. The Post uncovered that Mamdani has received more than $48,000 from 676 donors affiliated with CUNY, NYU, and Columbia University, including professors and employees, many of whom have been involved in pro-Hamas or anti-Israel activism. Another 1,351 contributions from college students totaling $46,200 were also documented — all eligible for New York City’s generous eight-to-one public matching funds program. The revelations have triggered a wave of backlash, particularly from Jewish community leaders and alumni of the schools involved, who say Mamdani’s support from individuals linked to antisemitic rhetoric and disruptive campus occupations should alarm New Yorkers. “These are not just random students,” said Dr. Yael Halaas, a Columbia graduate and founder of the American Jewish Medical Association. “These are people who have been front and center in protests filled with Jew-hatred, and now they’re helping fund a campaign for the highest office in our city. Voters should take notice.” The Post named several high-profile individuals among Mamdani’s donors: — Johanna King Slutsky, a Columbia doctoral student and teaching assistant branded “Keffiyeh Karen” by the Post, became infamous for demanding water and aid for protesters who violently seized an academic building. She gave $25 to Mamdani’s campaign in January. — Eva-Quenby Johnson, a Barnard College employee who was among 80 masked protesters arrested for storming Columbia’s library in early May, donated $25 in March. Johnson, who calls herself a “paranormalist,” has reportedly been fired following her arrest. — Gabrielle Wimer, a Columbia medical student, was suspended and arrested after joining an aggressive protest at Barnard College in March. She donated $25 to Mamdani in January. — Naomi Schiller, an associate professor at Brooklyn College (CUNY), was arrested during a recent protest that erupted in violence and gave five separate donations totaling $128. She was also arrested last fall during a union demonstration that blocked a CUNY Board of Trustees meeting. — Jennifer Koonings, a nurse practitioner from Astoria who recently heckled Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a town hall over Gaza, contributed $50 last December. Koonings has openly referred to Israel as “the Zionist colony” and took part in last year’s Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The Post investigation underscores how deeply Mamdani’s campaign is intertwined with far-left, pro-Palestinian circles, many of which have faced growing scrutiny for veering into antisemitic territory during recent nationwide protests. Though Mamdani has not commented on the donor revelations, the financial support from controversial activists has helped push his campaign toward the city’s fundraising ceiling — with millions in public funds supplementing the grassroots contributions. Critics say the donations raise serious questions about the ideological forces backing Mamdani’s bid for City Hall. “This goes beyond politics,” Halaas said. “It’s a moral issue. The people funding Mamdani have cheered on hate, disrupted learning, and even endangered students. We can’t be silent while this becomes the new normal in our city.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Agudah’s Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel Appointed To White House Religious Liberty Advisory Board

President Donald Trump has appointed Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America, to the White House Religious Liberty Commission’s new Religious Leaders Advisory Board. The appointment follows an executive order signed by the president earlier this month establishing the Religious Liberty Commission, aimed at promoting and protecting religious freedom across the United States. The commission will be supported by three advisory boards made up of religious leaders, legal scholars, and lay experts. Three other Orthodox Jews were also appointed along with Rabbi Zwiebel: Mark Gottlieb, chief education officer of the Tikvah Fund; Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, the largest rabbinic public policy organization in the US; and Eitan Webb, co-founder of the Chabad House of Princeton in 2002 and a chaplain at the university. Rabbi Zwiebel’s appointment places him among a select group of 11 religious leaders from across the country who will advise the administration on issues related to religious liberty, public policy, and faith-based rights. As a longtime leader of Agudath Israel, Rabbi Zwiebel brings decades of experience advocating for religious communities on issues ranging from education and civil liberties to religious accommodations in the workplace and public life. Before joining Agudath Israel in a professional capacity, Rabbi Zwiebel worked for 30 years at a private law firm. The advisory board’s formation comes at a time of renewed national focus on religious expression, with President Trump stating in his executive order that Americans must be “reacquainted with our nation’s superb experiment in religious freedom in order to preserve it against emerging threats.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Rubio to Sen. Hollen’s Regret Over State Vote: “Confirms I’m Doing a Good Job”

SEN. HOLLEN: “I regret voting for you for Secretary of State.” SEC. RUBIO: “Your regret for voting for me confirms I’m doing a good job.”

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