We are heading towards Hamas staying in power

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416618

The Arab affairs commentator, Zvi Yehezkeli, warns that the Trump administration - together with the mediators in the hostage deal - is about to bring about a situation in which Hamas will remain in power in the Gaza Strip.

"The mediators' working assumption is that you cannot remove Hamas from power. They are assuming that it will simply return rebranded. You can include Hamas in any government and they know how to operate in a 'quiet jihad.' The mediators tell Hamas, 'Give Israel all the bodies and then you will see Gaza's rehabilitation and your return to power. You will benefit from it'," explains Yehezkeli.

Blood test 95% accurate in spotting suicide risk in bipolar patients, says Israeli scientist

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/blood-test-95-accurate-in-spotting-suicide-risk-in-bipolar-patients-says-israeli-scientist

A researcher from the University of Haifa says that she has developed a new method to predict a high suicide risk among patients with bipolar disorder through a simple blood test.

Prof. Shani Stern of Haifa’s Sagol Department of Neurobiology, who worked on the study with researchers from Canada and Italy, said the team developed an artificial-intelligence algorithm based on genetic changes in the white blood cells of patients with bipolar disorder.

The groundbreaking study, published in the peer-reviewed Translational Psychiatry, achieved more than 95% accuracy.

Republican nominee’s ally draws outrage with remarks about Jews, gay marriage

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/ciattarelli-new-jersey-jewish-lgbtq-00617399

Jack Ciattarelli affirmed his support of same-sex marriage and the Jewish community, but did not condemn the comments.

An unpaid adviser to the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey advocated for a ban on same-sex marriage and insisted he personally isn’t “taking money from Jews.”

Ibrar Nadeem, the Muslim relations adviser to Jack Ciattarelli, hosted an event Saturday where he delivered a wide-ranging, 20-minute speech that included a call to ban same-sex marriage. Toward the end of his remarks, Nadeem, who is Muslim, said that people in his community accuse him of “taking money from Jews,” to which he replied: “I check my bank account every day, brother, it is not there.”

Ciattarelli has sought to garner support among the Jewish community throughout the race, including by visiting Israel. The Vaad — an influential group of leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood and nearby towns that backed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 — is reportedly poised to endorse Ciattarelli.

Trump says he ‘could be’ seeking $230 million from his own Justice Department

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/21/politics/justice-department-trump-compensenation

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he “could be” seeking $230 million from his own Justice Department as compensation for past investigations into him, though he professed to have little knowledge of the specifics and said he would give the money to charity.

“With the country, it’s interesting, because I’m the one that makes the decision,” Trump said Tuesday.

“It’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself. In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages?” he said.

A settlement to Trump would come from taxpayer funds.

Asked to confirm the $230 million amount, a spokesperson for Trump’s outside legal team said only that “President Trump continues to fight back against all Democrat-led Witch Hunts, including the ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ hoax and the un-Constitutional and un-American weaponization of our justice system by Crooked Joe Biden and his handlers.”

The return of Hamas: With wave of executions, terror group reasserts control in Gaza

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-return-of-hamas-with-wave-of-executions-terror-group-reasserts-control-in-gaza

Hamas does not announce these actions on its official social media accounts. But every few days since the ceasefire began and the Israel Defense Forces partially withdrew, Telegram channels linked to Hamas have been publishing footage showing violence against Gaza residents — people being shot in the legs or hit with stone blocks in ostensible punishment for alleged crimes including stealing aid, using drugs and collaborating with Israel.

At least two public incidents of multiple executions were filmed on October 13 and subsequently acknowledged by Hamas-affiliated media. The footage provoked an uproar online and increasing anger from US President Donald Trump, who is adamant that Hamas must and will disarm. It was also followed by a warning from the US State Department that Hamas was planning further attacks against the people of Gaza, and that these attacks would constitute “a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

Trump: Hamas could be taken care of in two minutes

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416607

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Hamas could be “taken care of very quickly”, but stressed he would rather give the terrorist organization a chance to honor the ceasefire deal.

“They're pretty violent people, I would say, that we could put that out in two minutes. We're giving them a chance,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

He added, “You know, they agreed that they'd be very good, very straight. They wouldn't be killing people, and they have killed people. That wasn't the deal we made.”

If they don't honor the deal, they'll be taken care of very quickly, but I'd rather not have to do that,” said Trump. “But we have total peace in the Middle East. We have levels of friendship with everybody, and countries that hated each other now love each other.”

Donald Trump Reacts to Report He’s Seeking $230 Million from DOJ

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-doj-230-million-settlement-investigation-government-10916432

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the federal government owes him “a lot of money” for past Justice Department investigations and declared that he would ultimately decide whether to award himself compensation because “that decision would have to go across my desk.”

Trump’s remarks at the White House came in response to a New York Times report that he had filed administrative claims before his reelection, seeking about $230 million in damages.

Although the Justice Department follows an established process for reviewing such administrative claims, Trump asserted that he, as president, would have the final say. “It’s interesting, ’cause I’m the one that makes the decision, right?” he told reporters. “That decision would have to go across my desk.”

Trump Pick for Special Counsel Pulls Out Amid Racist Text Scandal

 https://www.newsweek.com/ingrassia-withdraws-trump-special-counsel-racist-text-scandal-10916824

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday after a series of racist and inflammatory text messages attributed to him became public, prompting a backlash from Senate Republicans.

Paul Ingrassia, nominated to head the Office of Special Counsel, had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee later this week. But his confirmation bid unraveled after Politico reported on messages in which he described the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as belonging in “the seventh circle of hell” and referred to himself as having “a Nazi streak.”

Witches are dangerous

 Netziv (Shemos 22:17) A witch should not remain alive According to the simple meaning that means even a non Jewish one even according to the view that goyim were not prohibited from witvchcraft. Nevertheless because they are considered.life threatening they are to be killed like  a rodef 

Argentina Beef: Trump’s New Plan Sparks Fury After Bailout

 https://www.newsweek.com/argentina-beef-trump-plan-sparks-fury-bailout-10908176

President Donald Trump's new plan to purchase additional beef from Argentina to lower prices for consumers in the United States has sparked backlash from critics and alarm from some American producers—as the administration already faces questions and criticism for its recent $20 billion bailout of the South American nation.

Meriwether Farms, a beef producer based in Wyoming that said it supports and loves Trump, described the plan as an "absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher" in an X post Monday. "The continued manipulation and betrayal by the very people who claim to support them [cattle ranchers], needs to end immediately," the producer said.

Meriwether Farms on X: "Why is it that members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, and other senior government officials continue to call farmers and ranchers the 'backbone of the country' while simultaneously screwing them with disastrous policy decisions? Do they even believe what they are saying or do they think we are stupid?"

Vance visits Israel as Trump administration officials worry ceasefire could fall apart

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/21/politics/israel-vance-trump-administration-ceasefire

Vice President JD Vance’s arrival in Israel on Tuesday comes as some Trump administration officials are concerned that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could fall apart, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Vance’s presence in the region is meant, at least in part, to ensure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains committed to the US-negotiated deal as some Trump administration officials worry he could work to thwart it.

One US official characterized it as “Bibisitting.” Another framed it as a “show of force from the highest-ranking person after the president himself” to make the administration’s view clear that the ceasefire needs to be durable enough to “outlast inevitable skirmishes.”

All of this comes as Trump himself has argued both privately and publicly that Sunday’s attack on IDF soldiers wasn’t the work of Hamas leaders but part of a “rebellion.” He has said that some members of Hamas “got very rambunctious,” but he believes the group is still committed to the truce and negotiations, the sources said.

Vance lands in Israel as US said to fear Netanyahu could collapse Gaza ceasefire

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/vance-lands-in-israel-as-us-said-to-fear-netanyahu-could-collapse-gaza-ceasefire/

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday as part of efforts to advance and bolster the Gaza ceasefire, amid reports that Washington is concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could collapse the truce and return to war.

Officials in Washington fear Netanyahu could end the Gaza ceasefire and return to the war against Hamas, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

There is growing worry in the administration that Netanyahu could actively work against the deal, the report said, citing several unnamed US officials. Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner are planning to pressure Israel not to undermine the accord as they visit the country, it said.

White House Secret Group Targeting Donald Trump’s Enemies

 https://www.newsweek.com/white-house-secret-group-targeting-donald-trumps-enemies-report-10910951

The Trump administration has created a new multiagency body to investigate President Donald Trump’s perceived enemies, according to an investigation by Reuters.

During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump told his supporters “I am your retribution.” In recent weeks, criminal charges have been filed against former national security adviser John Bolton, former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. All three have either been involved in investigations of Trump or been highly critical of him.

According to Reuters, the new body—called the Interagency Weaponization Working Group—has been active since at least May and includes dozens of personnel from the White House, FBI, CIA, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Justice, Defense and Homeland Security departments.

Fox News Digital confirmed the group’s existence, quoting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as saying, “I stood up this working group to start the important work of interagency coordination under President Trump’s leadership to deliver accountability.”

Citing officials, Fox reported that the group had been meeting twice a week since April to “share information, coordinate, and execute.”

Trump's plan: Deja vu all over again

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416567

On its face, the Trump plan is a caricature. Israelis should finally learn that the core requirements of a genuine peace must always be analytic and intellectual. Simplistic remedies concocted by well-meaning but unrealistic politicos can never rise above parody.

“It’s like déjà vu all over again.” - Yogi Berra.

New York Yankee philosopher Yogi Berra, the creator of the tautology quoted above, would have understood. Long after Israel’s grievously failed Oslo agreements with Palestinian authorities and recent US disclosures of a Qatari military facility going up at an Air Force base in Idaho, American president Donald Trump added a special enhancement to his “20-Point Plan for Peace in the Middle East.”

This addendum orders the US Department of State to provide SWAT training of “Palestinian security forces.” More precisely, the American objective is to provide “advanced tactical courses” - including “live-fire and urban combat simulations” - for these "peacekeepers" in Judea/Samaria (aka "West Bank").

There is more. Reassuringly, the State Department solicitation includes the following specific demand: “Proposals must include a work plan, liability insurance, team details, prior project experience, and a plan for compliance with anti-human trafficking regulations.”

Credo quia absurdum said the ancient philosopher Tertullian: “I believe it because it is absurd.” How comforting it must be for Israelis to know that the next batch of US-trained Palestinian Arab terrorists will be properly insured and also opposed to human trafficking.