Trump's 'unhinged' phone call to foreign leader leaves critics stunned: 'Brazenly illegal'

 https://www.rawstory.com/trump-phone-call-2677071112/

President Donald Trump's account of a phone call he says he had with Iranian officials, in which he reportedly threatened to wipe out their country, take over the Strait of Hormuz, and more, has set off a wave of disbelief, ridicule, and alarm across the political spectrum.

The threats were relayed by Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, who said he spoke with Trump for more than 20 minutes and came away with what he called "new insight" into the president's posture as nuclear talks opened in Switzerland. According to Yingst, Trump described what he told the Iranians about the strait in blunt terms. "You close it and you won't have a country," Trump said he warned them. "You won't even make it back to your f------ country." Yingst added that Trump said, "We may take over the Strait, if we have to."

The threats were also amplified, approvingly, by right-wing accounts. Commentator Nick Sortor, whose post was boosted by conservative legal activist Mike Davis, framed the same language as a triumph. "HOLY CRAP! President Trump issued a DIRECT THREAT to Iranian negotiators in Switzerland," Sortor wrote, presenting "You close [the Strait] and you won't have a country" as evidence of strength rather than instability.

Italy’s prime minister says Trump made up a story about her supposedly begging him for something. She wouldn’t be the first

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/19/politics/trump-italy-prime-minister-begged

After an Italian media outlet reported that President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit this week, Meloni quickly posted a response on social media. Trump, she said, had “completely fabricated” the story, and she was “shocked.”

One prominent case: the controversial one-on-one dinner Trump had with then-FBI director James Comey in January 2017. After firing Comey in May 2017, Trump said, “I think he asked for the dinner. And he wanted to stay on as the FBI head.” But Comey testified to Congress that Trump had invited him to the dinner, forcing him to cancel a planned date with his wife, and that Trump had brought up Comey’s future in the director job and demanded “loyalty.”

Who was right? Comey, according to evidence from Trump’s own White House. Special counsel Robert Mueller found that “substantial evidence corroborates Comey’s account of the dinner invitation and the request for loyalty” – and noted that the “President’s Daily Diary confirms that the President ‘extend[ed] a dinner invitation’ to Comey.”

'We don't serve genocide enablers': Brooklyn cafe cancels Jewish lawmaker’s order

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429043

Brooklyn coffee shop facing allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations after refusing service and refunding the order of Rep. Dan Goldman.

A Brooklyn coffee house has targeted pro-Israel Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY) by canceling his recent transaction, returning his money, and declaring that the business refuses to accommodate "genocide enablers", reports The New York Post.

“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund - we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica."

CNN was right about the war, and I was wrong

 https://thehill.com/national-security/5930898-iran-strait-hormuz-us-surrender/

Conservative media often direct a lot of ire at the “mainstream press” for getting it wrong — and they are often right. But it is only fair to acknowledge that conservative media get it wrong, too.

And when it comes to President Trump’s disastrous attempt this year at playing war chief, a whole lot of conservatives got it wrong, this author included.

Following the president’s signing last week of his “Memorandum of Understanding” with Iran — an agreement good for 60 days until Washington and Tehran strike a “final deal” — there’s nothing left except to concede that the U.S. was done in by a few mines. Iran actually forced a desperate White House to the negotiating table simply by flexing what muscles it has left over the Strait of Hormuz.

At least three dead in Montreal shooting near Jewish sites, one in critical condition

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-900180

Michael Moshe Mizrahi, a Jewish local and member of the local Chabad center, was declared dead at the hospital after emergency surgery.

A Montreal Police officer (SPVM) was killed, and others were wounded in a shooting attack in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Montreal, Canada, on Monday.

Initial reports also stated that a civilian, identified as Michael Moshe Mizrahi, a Jewish local and member of the local Chabad center, had been killed, possibly by crossfire during a shootout between police officers and the attacker.

Conflicting reports emerged later on Monday regarding Mizrahi’s status, with ZAKA saying claims he had died were incorrect and that he was undergoing emergency surgery, and a Chabad source confirmed ZAKA’s claims to The Jerusalem Post.

Trump’s new Versailles: The Iran deal built on dangerous illusions

 https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/bk3eoruffg

In 1919, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, an agreement was signed that was meant to seal the horrors of war. In practice, it planted the seeds of disaster that helped lead to World War II.

More than a century later, U.S. President Donald Trump, seemingly without any deep historical awareness, dares to sign an agreement in the same symbolic space with a vengeful regime of ayatollahs.

Then as now, behind the ink, or more precisely behind the digital signature, lie gaps, illusions and political pressures that could make the memorandum of understanding dangerously fragile. It may be signed with a click, but it could accelerate negative regional trends and transformations ignited by the war in the Gulf.

A capricious decision-making process driven by personal and political considerations, failed management and the absence of balance between the military tool and the diplomatic component have eroded Israel’s standing in the United States and distanced us from a position of influence on the most fateful issue for our existence.

Majority of Israelis see MoU as win for Iran, loss for Israel's security, Hebrew University finds

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-900161

The majority of Israelis view the recently finalized US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a win for Tehran and a loss for Israel’s long-term security, according to a survey conducted by the Agam Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The survey, published on Saturday, asked 3,644 Israeli citizens aged 17 and over from a variety of religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds for their opinions on the deal.

The results of the survey show that the overwhelming majority, approximately 86%, of the Israeli public views the agreement negatively.

Over 90% of individuals surveyed believed that under the terms of the MoU, Iran has emerged victorious. 

Approximately 83% see the agreement as a long-term loss for Israel's security, with nearly 3/4 of participants believing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims of the IDF having removed an "existential threat" as inaccurate.

Impurity of a Dead NonJew

 Or HaChaim (Bamidbar 19:02) Let us assume that we have two containers inside a house, one full of honey, the other full of refuse. If you take both these containers outside it will be observed that the container full of honey attracts swarms of flies whereas the number of flies which are attracted to the container full of refuse is insignificant by comparison. Similarly, when a Jew dies, the fact that he was full of holiness while alive -i.e. sweet as honey,- now attracts all kinds of spiritually negative elements seeing the soul has departed from that body. These are the forces of impurity which always attempt to attach themselves to anything sacred as they wish to benefit from the physical sweetness of holiness. This is the reason that the body of a dead Jew confers impurity on any other Jew who is under the same roof. This is so even if 1000 houses attached to each other surround the room in which the dead body is kept. As long as one door opens into those houses the impurity is spread throughout the airspace in all these houses. The same does not occur if the dead body is not that of a Jew. This is because the Gentile never possessed holiness while alive so that the spiritually negative elements have no reason to think they would benefit by attaching themselves to it. The body of a dead Gentile confers ritual impurity on a Jew only if the Jew touches it, etc., not if he merely shares the same roofed-over airspace with it. The only impurity which does cling to the body of a dead Gentile is that which is capable of killing on contact. The root cause for all these rules is the Torah which was given to the Jewish people.

The Haredi Draft Crisis Is only part of the story

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428990

The battles over the draft, national identity, Judea and Samaria, against terrorism, and against international pressure are all part of the struggle over whether the Jewish people will continue embracing their national revival or retreat from it. 

Reserve soldiers from all sectors are furious that they continue to carry the burden of war while an entire sector remains largely exempt from military service. Families are exhausted after multiple rounds and hundreds of days with a husband, father, or brother serving on the front lines. They resent the lack of uniform rule of law and that they bear the burden while others do not.

These issues are all connected. The battles over the draft, national identity, Judea and Samaria, against terrorism, and against international pressure. At their core, they are all part of the same struggle over whether the Jewish people will continue embracing their national revival or retreat from it.

Trump Calls New York Times Story ‘Treasonous,’ Vows to Add to Lawsuit

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-calls-new-york-times-iran-story-treasonous-vows-add-lawsuit-12101843

President Donald Trump called reporting by The New York Times on the war against Iran "treasonous" and said he would add the report to his lawsuit against the newspaper.

"The way the Corrupt and Failing New York Times is covering stories on a very battered and beat up Iran, through FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS' is, in my opinion, ‘TREASONOUS,’" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night.

Trump's new remarks came after he criticized a Times analysis suggesting months of conflict had changed little strategically, while Trump claimed Iran’s military and economy had been severely damaged. The Times has previously said Trump’s lawsuit is without merit and an attempt to stifle independent reporting.

Rav Sternbuch after Trump win 2 years ago

Murdoch Outlets Turn on Trump Over Iran Deal

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-iran-deal-criticism-murdoch-fox-news-wsj-new-york-post-12096724

Rupert Murdoch-controlled outlets, including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, are breaking with President Donald Trump over his Iran deal, in a rare instance of sustained criticism from influential conservative media.

Across those outlets, hosts, commentators and editorial pages have questioned the deal’s terms and broader strategy, marking a notable shift from their frequent alignment with Trump’s agenda. The criticism underscores the outsized role these platforms play in shaping conservative opinion and political messaging.

Within Fox News and conservative commentary, some voices have directed criticism at Vance or other negotiators involved in crafting the deal, suggesting that Trump himself may not have been deeply involved in the details.

Iran Deal is a Big Mistake

G-d controls everything?

I was challenged  recently for questioning the claim that G-d controls everything that happens in the world. Please produce where Chazal or Rishonim make such a claim  Where does Ramchal or Rav Dessler state such  an idea?