Thursday, April 30, 2026
Public rejects Trump’s ballroom by wide margin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/30/washington-post-poll-trump-ballroom/
Americans reject President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, and they appear largely unmoved by the intensified calls from the president and his allies in Congress to allow the project to go forward.
The president’s planned 250-foot arch and a Treasury Department plan to put Trump’s signature on paper money are also unpopular.
Fifty-six percent of Americans oppose Trump’s decision to tear down the White House’s East Wing to make way for his planned ballroom, funded by about $400 million in private donations, while 28 percent support the project. That is the same division found in an October poll. Reactions are split among partisan lines; about two-thirds of Republicans support the project, while 61 percent of independents and 87 percent of Democrats oppose it.
“It’s astonishing what’s going on,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), who has criticized the ballroom and arch projects, as well as Trump’s efforts to brand his name across the government. “He has no respect for anybody, any memory, any history. It’s all about him.”
Stabbing spree in London's Jewish neighborhood leaves 1 fighting for life
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/29/ntisemitic-stabbing-golders-green-london-shomrim/
Shomrim security volunteers apprehended the attacker near the Sadigur synagogue in Golders Green; British PM Starmer calls the attack "deeply concerning."
Two Jewish men badly wounded in terrorist stabbing attack in London’s Golders Green; assailant arrested
Two Jewish men — one in his 70s and the other in his 30s — were stabbed and seriously wounded on Wednesday in the heavily Jewish London neighborhood of Golders Green in an antisemitic terror attack, the latest in a spate of incidents targeting British Jews.
The assailant, a 45-year-old man who also tried to stab police officers in the attack, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said, later identifying him as UK national born in Somalia without naming him. “Specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with the Metropolitan Police to establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism,” the statement said.
The newly formed terror group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) claimed one of its “lone wolves” committed the attack, the SITE Intelligence Group reported. The group is believed to have links to Iran and has claimed credit for some of the recent antisemitic incidents in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
The local Shomrim emergency response organization, which serves Jewish areas, made the first public report of the incident, saying it had responded immediately and detained the suspect.
Shortly thereafter, it said, police arrived and assisted in subduing him.
“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”
Shomrim volunteer who helped subdue London attacker: 'I wanted to protect community' - interview
https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-terrorism/article-894621
North West London Shomrim volunteer Yonaton El-Kouby's only thought was protecting the community when he received a report about an incident in the Golders Green neighborhood.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, El-Kouby recounted how he helped Metropolitan Police officers subdue a man who stabbed two Jewish residents earlier that day.
Incitement against Jews in the UK had become commonplace, with weekly anti-Israel protests seeing participants calling to “globalize the intifada.” Eventually, someone was going to act on that call to action, Zimmerman explained.
Instead of tackling the incitement against Jews, the Jewish community was expected to hide its identity and retreat from public life.
London attacker is a Somali-born British national, police say
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426304
London Metropolitan Police say suspect in the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green is a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia, He has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody.
Israel's ultimatum to Trump on Lebanon deal
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426305
Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday that Israel’s political echelon has conveyed to the United States that it is requesting that negotiations with the Lebanese government be limited to a strict two-to-three-week period, with the goal of reaching a final agreement by mid-May.
Jerusalem argues that Hezbollah’s continued attacks - including the launching of attack drones and firing toward IDF forces and northern communities - are “eroding" the chances of reaching an agreement.
The Israeli position holds that the current situation, in which the IDF is operating under severe restrictions, is severely damaging both Israel’s deterrence and the security of its residents.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
8647 row: Old 86’ing posts by Pete Hegseth and Posobiec
MAGA supporters have erupted in anger over a recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, which they interpreted as a threat against former President Donald Trump. The controversy has reignited a wider debate about the use of coded language in politics after old posts from prominent MAGA figures, including Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and influencer Jack Posobiec, resurfaced and went viral.
Matt Gaetz insists his use of ‘86’ is ‘distinct’ from Comey’s ‘threat’ as MAGA accused of hypocrisy over term
MAGA world erupted in fury on Thursday night over a social media post from former FBI Director James Comey, claiming that his image of seashells spelling out the numbers “8647” constituted a “threat” on President Donald Trump’s life.
Yet, while the Trump administration is investigating Comey and members of the president’s cabinet are even saying he “should be behind bars,” many of the same people raging that this was a call for assassination had previously used the same term to refer to their political opponents – including Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, just last year, Gaetz proudly tweeted that he’d “now 86’d” former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Sen. Mitch McConnell from their leadership posts, adding that “better days are ahead for the Republican Party.”
“I was speaking in the past tense about things that had already happened,” Gaetz said. “Comey was putting out a call for future action. These are distinct.”
“During Biden's presidency, MAGA sold ‘8646’ t-shirts and bumper stickers and decals. No one thought that meant they were calling for Biden to be killed,” he noted, adding an eBay link to an “8646 In Distressed US Flag Anti Biden Decal Bumper Sticker” for sale.
Trump Portrait to Be Added to US Passports in Unprecedented Move
https://www.newsweek.com/us-passport-changes-donald-trump-portrait-11889486
The U.S. State Department is finalizing plans to include President Donald Trump's portrait on new passports, in what would be the first time a sitting president has been featured on official travel documents.
The new passport design features the president on the inside cover to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, the State Department told Newsweek. One design included Trump's signature in gold.
A tzadik decrees and G-d fulfills
Michtav M’Eliyahu (2:184) A tzadik decrees and G-d fulfills – It is obviously true that this does not mean that a tzadik can decree something which G-d doesn’t want. The explanation is that there are tzadikim for whom the whole world exists in their merit. That all that happens in the world is merely a means for us to learn from the conduct of these tzadikim how to elevate our service of G-d. What we learn from them is what preserves all of us from the lowest to the highest. That is what it means that because of their merit we live because we are mere utensils for the tzadik which enables us to see G-d’s great kindness in that \He freely sustains the entire world .So when a tzadik who is at this exalted level sees an issue which hides an aspect of G-d’s honor it is appropriate for him to ask G-d to withhold it even if it involves a change in G-d’s normal actions. This is what is meant by “a tzdik decrees and G-d fulfills."
White House makes ‘two Kings’ post with photo of Trump, King Charles
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5854013-white-house-kings-trump-charles/
The White House posted a picture of President Trump and King Charles III with the caption “two Kings” amid the monarch’s visit to the U.S. on Tuesday.
White House Finally Lets Slip Trump’s Crazed Thirst for Power
https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-finally-lets-slip-trumps-crazed-thirst-for-power/
The official X account for the White House posted a photo of President Donald Trump and King Charles III on Tuesday with the caption: “TWO KINGS. 👑
US intel agencies examining how Iran would react if Trump declares victory in war
US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war that has killed thousands and become a political liability for the White House, two US officials and a person familiar with the matter said.
The intelligence community is analyzing the question along with others at the request of senior administration officials. The goal is to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that some officials and advisers worry could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year, according to the sources.
Opinion polls show the war is overwhelmingly unpopular with Americans. Only 26 percent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week said the military campaign has been worth the costs, and only 25% said it has made the US safer.
Three people familiar with White House discussions in recent days have described Trump as keenly aware of the political price being paid by him and his party.
US spy agencies examining how Iran would react to Trump declaring victory
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-894510
US intelligence is analyzing the question to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that could contribute to Republican losses in the midterm elections.
United States intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if US President Donald Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the two-month-old war that has become a political liability for the White House, two US officials and a person familiar with the matter said.
The intelligence community is analyzing the question along with others at the request of senior administration officials. The goal is to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from a conflict that some officials and advisers worry could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year, according to the sources.
While no decision has been made - and Trump could easily ramp back up military operations - a quick de-escalation could ease political pressure on the president, even as it could leave behind an emboldened Iran that could eventually rebuild its nuclear and missile programs and threaten US allies in the region.
In the days following the initial bombing campaign in February, intelligence agencies assessed that if Trump were to declare victory and the US drew down its forces in the region, Iran would likely view it as a win, one of the sources said.
Haredi anti-draft rioters break into Military Police chief’s home with family inside; 25 arrested
Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators belonging to the extremist Jerusalem Faction protested across the country on Tuesday, blocking Route 4 near the central city of Bnei Brak and breaching the home of the head of the IDF’s Military Police in Ashkelon in protest of the arrest of yeshiva students who have evaded military conscription.
The military said the extremists broke into Military Police commander Brig. Gen. Yuval Yamin’s home “while his family was inside.” Police said in a statement that the rioters “trespassed into the yard, acted violently, and disrupted the routine of life in the area.”
Police later announced that 25 suspects, among them minors, were arrested.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Faction declared that the arrest of yeshiva student Nehorai Bachar “from within the walls of the yeshiva in Herzliya” and his incarceration in military prison crossed a “red line” and that faction’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Azriel Auerbach, has “instructed the public to take part in a mass ‘protest of rage’ Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the entrance to Jerusalem.”
The funniest thing about Jimmy Kimmel
The funniest thing about Jimmy Kimmel is how President Donald Trump keeps saving his career.
This is the second time in seven months the Trump administration has tried to jawbone Disney in a bid to get Kimmel off the air. It backfired last time, boosting Kimmel’s ratings and getting his contract renewed through May 2027. This time, more than 4 million people who might have otherwise missed the bit that angered Trump have sought it out on YouTube.
It’s easy to see why the president would be annoyed. Even a lousy joke can feel like a threat, especially when crazed people keep trying to kill him. But Kimmel’s speech is clearly protected, and no one can reasonably interpret what he said as incitement to violence. Nor does it justify the president telling a Fortune 50 company how to run its business.
The government retaliating and discriminating against viewpoints the president doesn’t like is plainly unconstitutional under the First Amendment. Administration officials claim the timing of the early license review is coincidental and stems from the probe he launched last year into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But the FCC licenses for the eight ABC stations owned by Disney aren’t supposed to come up for renewal until between 2028 and 2031.
Comedy is often edgy. The more taboo it becomes, the more people want to watch. Trump’s latest comments play right into Kimmel’s hands.
US presses Israel to maintain Lebanon 'ceasefire'
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/29/us-presses-israel-to-maintain-lebanon-ceasefire/
Israel's response to Hezbollah violations remains measured, in part due to an explicit US request conveyed as part of talks between Washington and Jerusalem, including between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
For now, Jerusalem is being forced to balance US demands with the growing pressure from northern Israeli communities and the ongoing attacks on IDF troops. On the ground, the ceasefire remains more fragile than ever.
James Comey indicted over 2025 social media post allegedly threatening Trump TDS paranoia
Former FBI director James B. Comey has been indicted on allegations that a photo he posted on social media in 2025 constituted a dangerous threat to the president.
The two charges stem from a photo that Comey posted online showing seashells on a beach that were arranged to write out “86 47.” Trump is the 47th president; “86” can mean banning or removing someone, but it can also be slang for killing a person. Comey quickly removed the post after receiving criticism that the phrase could be used to communicate the threat of violence.
The three-page indictment states that the seashells were “arranged in a pattern making out ‘86 47’, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.”
Comey has suggested that he stumbled on the shell formation during a walk along the beach and did not arrange the shells himself. There is generally a high legal threshold to charge someone with threatening a person based on their language, and legal experts said it would be tough for the Justice Department to build a strong case with just the seashells.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, acting attorney general Todd Blanche sidestepped questions about what evidence prosecutors have that Comey intended to actually hurt the president — an aspect of a threat case that prosecutors would typically need to prove to secure a conviction.
When Erik S. Siebert, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney who led the office before Halligan, concluded that the evidence was insufficient to charge, Trump forced him out of his job.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
DOJ cites attack, ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ in seeking ballroom approval
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/28/trump-ballroom-filing-national-trust-lawsuit/
The Justice Department’s motion — which is unusually written for a government legal filing and resembles Trump’s Truth Social posts — was one of several documents filed to the court late Monday night. The motion also criticizes the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nonprofit that brought the lawsuit, writing that the group’s “name is FAKE” and claiming that “they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS.”
It is not clear whether the White House Correspondents’ Association, a private organization, would seek to hold its annual celebration in the White House ballroom.
Trump has prioritized the ballroom for months, sometimes mentioning the project more frequently than other major policy priorities. But his efforts have ramped up since Saturday’s incident, and a growing number of GOP lawmakers and allies are now touting the need for a secure space, too.
Trump has also repeatedly mocked Leon and his ruling, calling him a “Trump Hating Judge” in social media posts.
Did Leavitt say there would be 'shots fired' before White House correspondents' dinner shooting?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/karoline-leavitt-shots-fired/
Claim:
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there would be "shots fired" ahead of a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 25, 2026.
Correct Attribution
Leavitt made the comment while speaking to comedian and Fox News host Jimmy Failla about the expected content of U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming speech at the correspondents' dinner. The phrase "shots fired" is a common figure of speech that refers to someone making jokes or jabs at another person. There was no evidence Leavitt's remark referenced the shooting before it happened.
Jimmy Kimmel Speaks Out After Melania Trump ‘Widow’ Joke Criticism
https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/jimmy-kimmel-melania-trump-widow-joke-fired-response/
He noted, facetiously, that if the Trumps really believe his remarks could have induced violence, they should also look into a remark made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt before the dinner. “It will be funny. It will be entertaining,” Leavitt had told Fox News. “There will be some shots fired tonight.”
While Kimmel said he understands that the incident may have been particularly “stressful” for the Trumps and agreed to reject “hateful and violent rhetoric,” he argued that the First Lady should first speak to her husband about dialing back inflammatory language against his critics and the press.
“Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I, as are all of us, because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech,” Kimmel said, while noting that he’s a vocal advocate against gun violence. “I am sorry that you and the President and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am,” he said. “Just ’cause no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn’t traumatic and scary, and we should come together and be best.”
Kyiv summons Israeli envoy, EU warns of sanctions after 2nd ‘stolen’ grain ship incident
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Israel’s ambassador had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was “stolen.” He accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.
In his response, also on X, Sa’ar said the issue would be examined, but that allegations were not evidence and no evidence had been provided.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to maintain a neutral stance between Moscow and Kyiv, even though Russia has been providing critical intelligence to Iran in the US-Israel war against Iran.
Trump Called Cole Allen Anti-Christian. His Manifesto Suggests the Opposite
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-cole-allen-anti-christian-manifesto-opposite-11884524
In a message sent to family members minutes before attempting to breach the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, suspect Cole Tomas Allen thanked his church family and invoked Christian theological traditions to justify the violence that was about to occur.
"Hello everybody," the message began. Over more than 1,000 words, Allen wove together apologies to loved ones, political grievances, and religious reasoning. He cited Scripture throughout and argued that Christians have a moral obligation to resist unjust authority through force.
Iran’s Ships Sneak Past US Blockade As Navy Hunt Goes Global
https://www.newsweek.com/irans-ships-sneak-past-us-blockade-as-navy-hunt-goes-global-11872848
Shipping specialists say more than two dozen oil tankers have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports since it began on April 13.
While the U.S. military says it has turned around scores of ships leaving Iranian waters, at least some of Iran’s “shadow fleet” has made it past the dense web of warships, surveillance planes and possibly satellites to reach loading areas in the Persian Gulf and trade routes on the high sea.
Trump's Lebanon gamble could undermine effort against Iran
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/27/trumps-lebanon-gamble-could-undermine-effort-against-iran/
Under pressure from the US president, the IDF has stopped strikes on Hezbollah's power centers. The terrorist organization, for its part, continues to violate the ceasefire. Israel must stop playing by Hezbollah's rules in order to disrupt its operations. In Gaza, too, greater sophistication is needed in the face of Hamas' military buildup, which could begin targeting IDF forces at any moment.
In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, the White House blames the left — and the media
President Donald Trump, standing at the White House briefing room podium in his tuxedo hours after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting Saturday night, called for peace.
By Monday, the tone had changed.
Administration officials shifted to a more combative stance, insisting that the chaos that erupted at the dinner is a potent justification for a range of Trump initiatives — from his new White House ballroom, to the stalled fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and even the ouster of late night provocateur Jimmy Kimmel.
It was a stark contrast from the president’s remarks Saturday evening, when he called for “Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives” to resolve their differences peacefully.In a room packed with journalists and high-ranking Cabinet officials, Trump observed Saturday, “there was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together.”
Political violence jolts the US once again - with a familiar response
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje4eeyq27lo
For many in the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, the scene was painfully familiar. Shots fired, confusion and panic, and a sense that the normal order of things had been violently interrupted.
Trump, reflective, calls for unity and a cooling of political rhetoric. News coverage speculates about a "new tone" from the president. Ultimately, partisan divisions reassert themselves – often with Trump leading the way.
On Sunday evening, in a sit-down with CBS' 60 Minutes programme, Trump blamed Democrats for creating an atmosphere that encouraged the shooting, then derided interviewer Norah O'Donnell as "a disgrace" and "horrible" after she asked about the manifesto written by the alleged assailant.
A ballroom by itself will not fully address safety concerns raised by Saturday's incident. Those concerns include how a man was able to bring weapons into a building hosting a president and top government officials, whether the security perimeter set out by the US Secret Service was sufficient, and whether guests in other parts of the hotel should have been screened.
Jeffries calls Karoline Leavitt a ‘stone-cold liar’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday called White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt a “stone-cold liar” after she blamed Democrats for the Saturday shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
“This so-called White House press secretary wants to lecture America and lecture us about civility. Get lost. Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol on Monday,
“The notion that any of us are concerned with so-called criticism from these phony Republicans as it relates to anything that has been said — certainly as it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection to the redistricting battle that Republicans launched — I stand by it,” Jeffries said Monday.
Trump’s hypocritical crusade on violent rhetoric — and the country’s emerging split reality
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/27/politics/trump-violent-rhetoric-analysis
A month ago, President Donald Trump unabashedly celebrated the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” Trump said. “He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
On Monday, Trump and his White House responded to a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend by decrying Democrats’ supposedly beyond-the-pale rhetoric and labeling them a “cult of hatred.”
Their chief example of this kind of rhetoric? ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel telling a joke that made light of Trump’s potential demise. Days before this weekend’s shooting, Kimmel joked that first lady Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.”
Apparently, it’s OK for Trump to celebrate a public servant’s death; it is not OK for Jimmy Kimmel to joke about Trump’s.
IDF strikes Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley for first time in 3 weeks as some towns in north cancel school
The IDF said it launched a wave of airstrikes Monday against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon as a fragile ceasefire appeared to be rapidly unraveling just days after it was extended.
The strikes came following repeated recent attacks by the Iran-backed terror group on IDF troops and Israel during the truce, including a deadly drone attack in Lebanon the previous day that killed an IDF soldier and wounded six.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Israel’s freedom to strike Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon on Monday, while Lebanon’s president, whose government is holding historic direct talks with Israel amid the ceasefire, condemned Hezbollah for attacks it has launched.
Monday, April 27, 2026
Correspondents’ dinner lacked highest security level despite presence of top officials
The Trump administration provided a lower level of security for the White House correspondents’ dinner than it has for other gatherings of high-ranking officials, even though the president and many Cabinet members were in attendance, according to officials familiar with the plan.
When so many officials gather in one place for official functions such as an inauguration or State of the Union address, the secretary of homeland security typically puts the Secret Service in charge of coordinating all security through a formal designation known as a “National Special Security Event.”
The Simple Security Flaws That Exposed Trump to Another Gunman
Dinner guests said getting into the hotel was remarkably easy; “What the hell is the Secret Service doing?”
At the same hotel where then-President Ronald Reagan was shot 45 years ago, it was remarkably easy for a shooter to charge toward a ballroom where President Trump—along with his cabinet members and the reporters who cover his administration—were dining Saturday night.
The sprawling Washington Hilton, located about 1½ miles north of the White House, for decades has been home to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner because of its capacity to host a large crowd and the Secret Service’s familiarity with securing it. More than 2,500 people attended the event, including five of the top six officials in the presidential line of succession. Hundreds more gathered for parties that media outlets hosted on site before the main festivities began.
Tzadikim try to deceive G-d
Tehilim (19:13) Who can discern his errors? Clean me from hidden faults.
Yalkut Shimoni (677) Who will understand the errors? Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, "The righteous are mighty, they know how to praise their Creator, and they know how to deceive their Creator. See how David praised. He began to praise in the heavens. The heavens tell of the glory of God. The heavens said to him, "Do you need anything?" He said And the skies tell of the work of his hands. The skies said to him, "Do you need anything?" He began to sing and began to praise the Torah, the Torah of the Lord is perfect. G-d said to him, "David, what do you need? He replied, Who will understand the errors?The errors done before You do you permit?
Vayikra Rabbah (05:08) David was a clever tenant. He commenced a Psalm with an expression of praise, saying, The heavens declare the glory of God. Said the heavens to him:Do you require anything? And the firmament showeth His handiwork. Said the firmament to him: ‘Do you require anything?’ He went on with his Psalm: Day unto day uttereth speeches, etc.. Said G-d to him: ‘What do you require?’ Said David: Who can discern errors?, meaning, ‘What of the sins I have committed before Thee in error?’ G-d answered: ‘For unintentional transgression you are forgiven, for that you are granted remission.’ David continued: Clear Thou me from hidden faults i.e. from sins which I have committed before Thee in secret. He answered: ‘For transgression committed in secret you are forgiven, for that is remission granted you.’ David went on: Keep back Thy servant also from such as are presumptuous, i.e. from deliberate transgressions. That they may not have dominion over me; then shall I be faultless. This speaks of the gravest of transgressions.-And I shall be clear from great transgression. David said before G-d: ‘O Master of the Universe! Thou art a great God, and my sins are great. It is only the great God who is fitted to forgive great sins.’ This is indicated bywhat is written, For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.
Midrash Tehillim (19:16) Who will understand mistakes? Give me Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who the righteous are that know how to entice their Creator and know how to rebuke. See how David rebuked his Creator, he started by rebuking the heavens, as it says "The heavens tell of the glory of God." They replied, "Do you need anything?" "No," he said, "but the work of His hands proclaims the firmament." Then he began to rebuke with the Torah, as it says "The fear of the Lord is pure." God said to him, "David, what do you want?" He replied, "Who will understand mistakes? Your servant has committed many sins." God said to him, "I forgive you, and leave your sins." Even willful sins, which are the worst kind. They shall not rule over me. These are sins of passion. As it is said, "Let not those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me." This is the sin of the great transgression. Rabbi Levi said that David said to God, "Master of the Universe, You are a great God, and I owe a great debt to You. Help me pay my debts." As it is said, "For Your Name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great." Rav Acha the Kutite said of these sinners, that they know how to go around doors. At first, they say, "Give the poor man a little water." When they change their mind, they say, "Give him one onion," and they give it to him. Then they say, "Give him an onion without bread," and they give it to him. The righteous also know how to please their Creator, as it says, "The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing." This refers to Moses. But the wicked have twisted lips, because they do not know how to please God.
Sanhedrin (107a) Unto whom may David be likened? Unto a heathen merchant. David said before G-d Sovereign of the Universe! Who can understand his errors? He replied, They are forgiven thee. Cleanse thou me from secret faults he pursued I grant it thee. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins! Tis granted. Let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright: so that scholars may not discuss me.Granted.And I shall be innocent from the great transgression: so my sins may not be recorded.He replied, That is impossible. If the single yod which I removed from Sarai continuously cried out in protest for many years until Joshua came and I added it to his name, as it is written, And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua: how much more so a complete section! And I shall be innocent from great transgression. He pleaded before Him, Sovereign of the Universe! Pardon me that sin completely as though it had never been committed. He replied, It is already ordained that thy son Solomon should say in his wisdom, Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. He lamented, Must I suffer so much He replied, Accept thy chastisement, and he accepted it.
The Trump Staged Shooting Conspiracies Need to Stop
https://www.newsweek.com/the-trump-staged-shooting-conspiracies-need-to-stop-opinion-11881629
A lone gunman stormed the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner and was quickly detained after injuring a Secret Service agent. Almost immediately, people on both sides of the conspiracy spectrum claimed this was another staged assassination attempt orchestrated by President Donald Trump, this time to divert attention from embarrassing headlines tied to his failure to negotiate with Iran.
This same bipartisan conspiracy culture also believes Trump and his allies orchestrated the previous assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania—an attack that killed a person in the crowd, seriously injured two others, and resulted in the immediate killing of the would-be assassin after Trump himself was struck in the ear.
The Only Cure by Mark Solms review – has modern neuroscience proved Freud right?
I read The Only Cure through the lens of its bold – perhaps too bold – title. It contains two claims. First, that psychoanalysis is a cure in the sense that its benefits are lasting and may continue after treatment has been completed. Second, it is the only cure since rival treatments – notably drugs – may lose their effect when they are discontinued because they do not address underlying causes. Solms cites overviews of clinical trials that he believes support these claims. The story he tells seems extremely encouraging – unless, like me, you are obsessional enough to read the papers to which he refers.
When Solms homes in on the evidence for what he calls “good old-fashioned psychoanalysis”, he cites the positive findings of an authoritative systematic overview, but omits reference to the final lines of the paper, which warns against drawing hasty conclusions and calls for “larger studies of higher quality”. A more recent systematic review published in the Lancet Psychiatry was similarly cautious. Admittedly, the treatment schedule was brief. More relevant, perhaps, is an examination of the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy (at least 50 sessions over a year). This seems to show clear benefit, but again the authors counsel caution “given the low quality of available evidence”.
The jury is still out, therefore, as to whether psychoanalysis is a cure, never mind the only cure. At best one can conclude it is as effective as other psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which are, however, less labour intensive.
Netanyahu cancels Lag Ba’Omer Meron celebrations over mass-casualty concerns
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426118
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Monday morning ordered the cancellation of the annual Lag Ba’Omer celebrations in Meron, citing the fragile ceasefire with Lebanon. The decision was made following several security assessments chaired by the Prime Minister.
It was stressed that the directive stems from “concerns over a potential mass-casualty event due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon, the site’s proximity to the Lebanese border, the possibility of rocket fire toward the area, and the difficulty of carrying out a large-scale evacuation of participants within the necessary timeframe."
Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration
All 22 members of the advisory board that advises and oversees the US National Science Foundation (NSF), a leading funder of basic science, were fired on 24 April without explanation. Each member of the NSF’s National Science Board (NSB) received an email Friday afternoon saying that “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” their positions were “terminated, effective immediately”.
Zoe Lofgren, a member of the US House of Representatives from California and the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, criticized the move. “This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” she said in a statement. “It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the Foundation.” House science committee chairman Brian Babin, a Republican from Texas, did not respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has ousted federal science advisors en masse. Last year, the administration fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which played a critical part in US vaccine policy, and eliminated 14 advisory committees at the NSF. Also last year, Trump issued an order eliminating several advisory committees, including one on long COVID, to reduce government spending and “promote American freedom and innovation.”
Senior IDF officials: Netanyahu shifts blame for Lebanon failures onto military
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he had instructed the IDF to respond forcefully against Hezbollah in Lebanon, but senior IDF officials made clear that in practice, there has been no change in the rules of engagement.
The officials added that Netanyahu's statement was no coincidence and was intended, as they put it, "to shift the blame" onto the IDF, portraying the military as the party failing to deliver. In reality, they added, the activity is being carried out precisely according to the directives of the political echelon and, in effect, according to the guidelines dictated by President Donald Trump in Washington, who announced the ceasefire in Lebanon and, this past weekend, its extension by another three weeks.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
PM instructs IDF to strike Hezbollah targets ‘with force’ after repeated truce violations
Smoke billows from explosions in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam on April 25, 2026 (AFP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to go after Hezbollah targets “with force” on Saturday, as the terror group and the Israeli military continued to trade fire in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, despite the extension of the tenuous ceasefire between the warring sides by several more weeks.
The premier’s order to “strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon by force” was published in a terse statement by his office after two rockets and a drone were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel on Saturday afternoon, activating sirens in several towns.
The incidents came despite an ongoing ceasefire in Lebanon, which US President Donald Trump said Thursday night would be extended by three weeks, while noting that Israel could carry out strikes in Lebanon in self-defense
After 20th Hezbollah ceasefire breach, Netanyahu orders strikes in Lebanon
After 20th Hezbollah ceasefire breach, Netanyahu orders strikes in Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the Prime Minister's Office said Saturday night.
The incident was not the first: At around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, sirens sounded in the western Galilee following a UAV infiltration. The IDF said, "Following the sirens that were sounded in several areas in northern Israel, the Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that was launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. Contact with an additional suspicious aerial target was lost. No injuries were reported.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Friday, April 24, 2026
Reality of Magic and Astrology
Rav S. R. Hirsch (Letter to R. Hile Wechsler,published by Mordechai Breuer in Hama’ayan 16:2 (Tevet 5736/1976) p. 6) A related topic is the question of the nature of magic, astrology, demons, and suchlike... Who dares get involved in a dispute between Rambam and Ramban,following whom the camp of Israel is split in two on such matters? ...And if so,every intelligent person is entitled to adopt either view in the absence of either being ruled out. Alternatively—and in my view, this is the more correct approach—he can admit that he has no clarity in the matters.And I will admit without shame that I have never bothered to investigate and analyze the nature of these things, just as I have never been curious to investigate and inquire as to the nature of the World-to-Come, the world of the resurrection,and so on. For the truth of these things is concealed from everyone, and it is impossible to attain clarity on these things with decisive proofs... What difference does it make if with regard to matters of witchcraft and suchlike, the truth lies with Rambam or Ramban? Either way, we have to distance ourselves from such things, whether they are genuine or nonsensical. (
Greater potential for good is Potential for Bad
Rav Tzadok (Resisei Layla #3): According to the degree of perfection that a person has, there is a corresponding potential for imperfection. From the time of the sin of Adam, good and evil have become intertwined and there is a direct correspondence of one to the other. Whoever has a great imperfection has the means to acquire a great perfection - if he merits it. We see this in the words of the Zohar (3 216a) that in generation of the Flood - that was destroyed because of their sin - they had the potential to be the ones to receive the Torah. Similarly Sukka (51a) states that proportional to one’s greatness is his lust which is called foolishness… Thus the greater the person’s wisdom is also the greater is his potential for foolishness. Consequently, at the time when idol worship existed we find that prophecy also existed. Just as there were revelations of the light of prophecy to see spirituality with the eye there was a lust for other gods that were visible to the eye.
Repeatedly deferring to Trump, Netanyahu subjects Israeli security to US president’s whim
“The fact that it is the president of the United States who is the one announcing a ceasefire only highlights how disconnected the prime minister of Israel is from the people, and from the reality of the residents of the north,” said Metula Mayor David Azoulay. “Your basic duty as prime minister of Israel is to provide security to the citizens of the state. In practice, you fail at this time after time.”
Five years after Netanyahu’s June 2021 Knesset speech, he is now the one being pilloried for being unable to stand up to a US president when needed.
“A pattern is developing where a ceasefire is being forced upon us,” said Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces. “In Gaza, in Iran, and now in Lebanon.”
Netanyahu may not be willing to challenge Trump, but Iran certainly is. After securing a ceasefire extension by refusing to even show up for talks being led by no less than US Vice President JD Vance, it then seized container ships trying to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump has insisted it reopen to free trade.
Have the extremists won? Light rail work halted on Geula route
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/425993
Israel’s Ministry of Transport decided last night (Wednesday) to halt work on the Jerusalem light rail lines in the Geula and Bar-Ilan Street corridors and redirect the budget to other locations, following exceptional security costs caused by violent protests against the project. The report was published today in Israel Hayom.
To date, the state has spent more than 326 million shekels on securing the construction work and repairing vandalism damage in those areas. The protests, which take place almost every time work is carried out in the area, include road blockages, clashes with security forces, and damage to equipment and infrastructure.
LevinAt11: Diabolical Deviance
Linked below is this week's LevinAt11 radio broadcast Apr. 23, '26
Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
Executive Director,
Help Rescue Our Children
845.642.1679
Direct: 771.215.8892
Israeli Helpline: 03.721.3337
Tomim Tih'yeh [countering "New-Age" infiltration]:
Presentations on New-Age dangers: 605-313-6831 ext. 2
Heard weekly on New Jersey's WSNR Radio 620AM, co-hosting the renowned Levin At Eleven program, every Thursday evening, 11pm to midnight (ET).
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