Lake Kinneret reaches dangerously low water levels as Israeli authorities decide to pump in water

 https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-870841

Lake Kinneret's (the Sea of Galilee) water level was measured at 213.19 meters below sea level on Wednesday, one of its lowest points in years. 

Such a low level in mid-October is not unusual; in nine of the past 25 years, the Kinneret’s level on this date was even lower.

A few weeks ago, Fares Talhami, director of the Kinneret and Northern Water Sources Conservation Division at the Water Authority, told Walla that “indeed, in previous drought periods there were lower levels compared to this year, but what is exceptional this year is the intensity of the drought we experienced. We went through a winter with only 40% of the average rainfall in the North, so the Kinneret’s level rose last winter by just 15 centimeters.”

Hamas returns bodies of two hostages as US State Department issues warning against breaking ceasefire

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/18/middleeast/hamas-gaza-israeli-hostage-latam-intl

The truce in Gaza appears to be largely holding as it entered its second week, but has come under pressure from the delayed return of the remaining hostage bodies from Gaza, the initially slow entry of aid into the enclave, and Israel’s continued deadly strikes.

The US State Department said Saturday that “credible reports” indicate that Hamas is planning an “imminent ceasefire violation” against Palestinians in Gaza.

Millions rally against the Trump administration at ‘No Kings’ events across the country

 https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/no-kings-protests-trump-news-10-18-25

• Nationwide protest: Huge crowds marched in major cities and smaller gatherings were held across the country for “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump’s administration. Organizers said there were nearly 7 million people at than 2,700 events in all 50 states, which police said were mostly peaceful, with many large cities reporting no protest-related incidents or arrests.

A month after international Palestinian state recognition, where is Israel’s response?

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bk684hwalg#autoplay

Nearly a month has passed since a group of countries, led by France, recognized a Palestinian state during a session of the UN General Assembly. Even before the recognition, Israeli officials held extensive discussions about how to respond to the diplomatic wave, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised ahead of his recent trip to the United States: “The response to the latest attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States. Stand by.”

However, current assessments suggest that the response has been shelved and may not materialize at all, after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly vetoed any Israeli annexation of the West Bank or parts of it—a step that had been floated in Israel as a potential response. The American position has sparked concern in Israel that the lack of an official response could embolden additional countries to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.

Senior Hamas official: Terror group can’t commit to disarm, is open to 3-5 year truce

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-hamas-official-terror-group-cant-commit-to-disarm-is-open-to-3-5-year-truce

 Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding he could not commit to the terrorist group disarming — positions that reflect the difficulties facing US plans to secure an end to the war.

Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the terror organization was ready for a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given “horizons and hope” for statehood.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview from Doha, where Hamas leaders have long resided, Nazzal defended the terror group’s crackdown in Gaza, where it carried out summary public executions on Monday. There were always “exceptional measures” during war and those executed were criminals guilty of killing, he claimed.

Witkoff says he and Kushner ‘felt a little bit betrayed’ by Israeli strike in Qatar

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/witkoff-says-he-and-kushner-felt-a-little-bit-betrayed-by-israeli-strike-in-qatar

US President Donald Trump felt the “Israelis were getting a little bit out of control” after Israel’s botched September 9 strike on Hamas’s leadership in Doha, his son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner said in comments broadcast Friday.

The comment came during a joint interview with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on CBS’s 60 Minutes. The interview with the two architects of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal will air in full on Sunday.

“I think both Jared and I felt, I just feel we felt a little bit betrayed,” said Witkoff of Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders gathered in the capital of Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire negotiations.

MAGA Rages at ‘No Kings’ Protests: ‘Sponsored by Communists’

 https://www.newsweek.com/maga-rages-at-no-kings-protests-sponsored-by-communists-10900155

Prominent figures within President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have reacted with anger ahead of anti-Trump "No Kings" demonstrations that are taking place across the country on Saturday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, dubbing it the “Hate America rally.”

Over 3,000 demonstrations have been organized as part of "No Kings" on Saturday, which organizers say were called to show that “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.”

According to CNN, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed the "No Kings" demonstrations were “part of Antifa,” a loose antifascist coalition that Trump recently designated as a terrorist organization. The outlet also quoted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as claiming the demonstrations would contain the “most unhinged in the Democratic Party.”  

George Santos Reacts To Prison Release

 https://www.newsweek.com/george-santos-reacts-to-prison-release-10899787

Former Representative George Santos, who was jailed for fraud, has spoken out about President Donald Trump commuting his sentence, saying “the U.S. is back.”

His conviction stemmed from a series of criminal schemes, including submitting false campaign finance documents, misusing donor identities to route funds for personal and campaign use, and providing fraudulent information to the New York State Department of Labor and the House of Representatives.

Santos was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in federal prison and began serving his term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, in July. His release came less than three months into his sentence.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X: "Donald Trump has time to free serial fraudster George Santos from prison. But he can’t be bothered to address the Republican healthcare crisis crushing working class Americans. The extremists are insulting you every single day."

Good and bad tzadikim

 Netziv (Introduction to Bereishis): Bereishis was called Sefer HaYoshor (the Book of the Upright) by the prophets. The praise of Uprightness is to reinforce G‑d’s judgment in destroying the Second Temple which as a generation of tzadikim and chassidim and those devoted to learning Torah - however they were not Upright in the mundane world. Therefore, because of the baseless hatred in their hearts to each other, they suspected that whomever they saw who did not conduct himself according to their opinion in Yiras Shamayim - must be a heretic. Consequently, this led to much killing and all the evils in the world until the Temple was destroyed. Thus, there was an acknowledgement of the Uprightness of G‑d’s judgment in that He would not tolerate tzadikim like these. Rather He wanted tzadikim who were upright in the world. Because even if the non‑upright tzadikim were motivated by religious consideration - such conduct destroys the world.

Wife as Mashgiach

Netziv (Bereishis 4:19) We have already explained  regarding the wife being an Ezer Kenegdo that there are two aspects 1) To be available to fulfill all the husbands's wishes and desires even though they might be mistaken or unhelpful and thus by fully complying with his requests she is actually impeding him 2) she is controlling  and opposes his harmful desires and thus she ends up helping him. Lemech picked two wives for these two goals. The first wife was Aidah who blocked his attemot to do foolish things. The second was Tzila who agreed and encourage everything he wanted. Similarly Dovid had two wives Avigail and Michal. Avigail was for this world while Michal was concerned about the next In other words Avigail kept him frim sinning

Trump claimed India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil. New Delhi says it knows nothing about it

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/17/india/india-us-trump-russia-oil-intl-hnk

Trump on Wednesday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured me today that they (India) will not be buying oil from Russia,” which is subject to US sanctions, describing it as a “big step.”

But on Thursday India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters he was “not aware of any conversation” between Trump and Modi, or any assurance from the Indian leader that he would stop purchasing Russian oil.

Venezuela Mobilizes Troops and Militias as U.S. Military Looms Offshore

 https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/venezuela-military-movement-militia-c59ca9ef?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Venezuela is moving troops into position on the Caribbean coast and mobilizing what President Nicolás Maduro asserts is a millions-strong militia in a display of defiance against the biggest American military buildup in the Caribbean since the 1980s.

The strongman’s regime has cranked up its propaganda machine. On state television, radio and social media, announcers are telling Venezuelans that the U.S. is a rapacious Nazi-like state that wants to dig its claws into the country’s oil wealth but that the Venezuelan military, the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, are positioning to repel any invasion

‘Political opposition is not rebellion’: Appeals court rejects Trump’s rationale for Chicago troop deployment

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/16/trump-national-guard-chicago-ruling-00612918

A federal appeals court has extended an order blocking President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Chicago, saying the administration is unable to show that there is an organized rebellion nor that officials are otherwise unable to uphold law and order in the city.

The panel — which consisted of a Trump appointee, an Obama appointee and a George H. W. Bush appointee — also rejected the administration’s argument that federal courts have no power to review a president’s underlying determinations in deciding to federalize troops. That question of judicial authority has cropped up in several similar lawsuits challenging deployments in Democrat-run cities.

A protest does not transform into a “rebellion” just because protesters are well-organized, advocate to overhaul the structure of government or use civil disobedience, Judges Ilana Rovner, David Hamilton and Amy St. Eve wrote. Nor do isolated incidents of criminality or violence convert a protest into a rebellion or generalized lawlessness, they added.

Inside the FBI hunt for the online predators who persuaded a 13-year-old to die

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2025/white-tiger-764-fbi-search/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f013

At first, local police treated Jay Taylor’s death on Jan. 17, 2022, as a suicide. Within days, however, a recording surfaced that revealed something more sinister. Jay’s hanging had been live-streamed on Instagram while online users watched.

The case would thrust investigators into the darkest corners of the internet — forums where groups of online predators manipulate vulnerable children, extorting them to share nude photos, mutilate their bodies and, in the worst cases, kill themselves. As the case dragged on, the FBI would come to view these groups as a terrorist threat, estimating that their members have targeted thousands of children. The agency is now investigating almost 300 people suspected of preying on children and other vulnerable people, cases that involve all 55 of its field offices.