After Iran says nuclear issues aren’t part of current talks, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo compares terms to 2015 Iran deal, says it will let Tehran ‘terrorize the world’
Sunday, May 24, 2026
‘Nightmare for Israel’: Senior GOP senators criticize alleged terms of emerging Iran deal
Why Gaza’s civilian rule cannot begin while Hamas still holds weapons and power
https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/rkqxtpylzg
Four months after the Trump administration unveiled its most ambitious postwar framework for Gaza, the civilian governance architecture at its center has effectively ceased to function.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the technocratic body tasked with replacing Hamas as the strip's administrative authority, remains stranded in Cairo, unable to enter the territory it was designed to govern.
What's inside the Iran deal Trump is close to signing
https://www.axios.com/2026/05/24/iran-deal-strait-hormuz-sanctions-nuclear
The agreement the U.S. and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program, according to a U.S. official.
The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease the pressure on the global oil supply. However, it's unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses President Trump's nuclear demands.
Trump Has Lost the Governing Plot
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-has-lost-the-governing-plot-4879dd64?mod=hp_opin_pos_1
His personal obsessions and campaign of retribution are damaging his Presidency and his party.
That’s the backdrop to the GOP revolt this week in Congress on war powers and funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Trump’s unrelated priorities are handing Democrats gift after gift and forcing Republicans to take difficult votes that could cost them in November. His desire for political revenge is also alienating Members of Congress he will need this year.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Tulsi Gabbard resigns as director of national intelligence
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from the Trump administration, she said Friday, after her husband was diagnosed with an extremely rare bone cancer.
Her departure ends a stormy 15-month tenure in which the former Democratic congresswoman was largely excluded from President Donald Trump’s inner national security circle, even as she pushed his political priorities on election security, declassification and Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential contest.
A person familiar with the situation said that Williams’s diagnosis notwithstanding, Gabbard had been pressured to depart by White House officials increasingly unhappy with her actions, which had brought unwelcome publicity or diverted attention from Trump’s messages. The person, like some others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration dynamics.
Returning A Goy's lost Property
Sanhedrin (76b) One who marries his daughter to an old man or takes a wife for his infant son, or returns a lost article to a Cuthean, concerning him Scripture sayeth, that he bless himself in his heart saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkedness to thirst: The Lord will not spare him.
Rashi (Sanhedrin 76b) והמחזיר אבידה לכותי - השווה וחבר כותי לישראל ומראה בעצמו שהשבת אבדה אינה חשובה לו מצות בוראו שאף לכותי הוא עושה כן שלא נצטווה עליהם:
Sinai Source of Religious Hatred
Shabbos (89a) One of the Rabbis asked R. Kahana: Hast thou heard what the mountain of Sinai [connotes]? The mountain whereon miracles [nissim] were performed for Israel, he replied. Then it should be called Mount Nisal? But [it means] the mountain whereon a happy augury [siman] took place for Israel. Then it should be called, Mount Simanai? Said he to him, Why dost thou not frequent [the academy of] R. Papa and R. Huna the son of R. Joshua, who make a study of aggadah. For R. Hisda and Rabbah the son of R. Huna both said, What is [the meaning of] Mount Sinai? The mountain whereon there descended hostility [sin'ah ] toward idolaters. And thus R. Jose son of R. Hanina said: It has five names: The Wilderness of Zin, [meaning] that Israel were given commandments there; the Wilderness of Kadesh, where the Israelites were sanctified [kadosh], the Wilderness of Kedemoth, because a priority [kedumah] was conferred there; the Wilderness of Paran,because Israel was fruitful [paru] and multiplied there; and the Wilderness of Sinai, because hostility toward idolaters descended thereon. Whilst what was its [real] name? its name was Horeb. Now they disagree with R. Abbahu, For R. Abbahu said: its name was Mount Sinai, and why was it called Mount Horeb? Because desolation [hurbah] to idolaters descended thereon.
Rashi (Shabbos 89a) Hatred for idolaters (the nations of the world): Since they did not accept the Torah.
Derashos HaRan (7) All of our quarrels with the nations stem from our difference in faith, as our sages stated (Shabbath 89a):The meaning is that because the Blessed One separated us from all the nations, not to intermarry with them and not to eat forbidden foods, this furthering and separation from them has inevitably caused this hatred. This is the intent of "When I liken you, I shall console you." That is, when I liken you with the other nations, so that they will all be of the same faith with you, I will console you. For then the consolation will be complete, with no subsequent worry of war or of the hatred of the aforementioned nations against us
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Iran is winning by losing: how Tehran turned Gulf victims into its biggest lobbyists
https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/bj5yw3c1ml
Trump said Monday evening he had planned a very major attack but put it off, for a little while, hopefully maybe forever, after receiving requests from Gulf leaders to give negotiations more time. He said the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had each personally urged him to delay the planned strike, citing ongoing negotiations with Tehran and expressing confidence that a deal would be reached. Trump, framing the concession as deference to allies rather than weakness, agreed to stand down.
'Bibi's hair was on fire:' Inside the call between Trump, Netanyahu on Iran ceasefire talks - Axios
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-896906
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had a difficult conversation on Tuesday about ceasefire talks, Axios reported on Wednesday.
Trump reportedly called Netanyahu on Tuesday to inform him that mediators were working on a "letter of intent" to end the war and launch a month-long period of negotiations, which would include matters such as Iran's nuclear program and opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Two Israeli sources stated that the two leaders were in clear disagreement about how to deal with Iran moving forward. One US source briefed on the call told Axios that "Bibi's hair was on fire after the call."
Trump says Netanyahu will ‘do whatever I want’ on Iran after pair said to hold tense call
US President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do “whatever I want” when it comes to a potential military strike on Iran, in remarks made a day after the pair reportedly held a tense call on the subject.
The two leaders disagreed on the path forward during the call, as Netanyahu was highly skeptical of the framework, believing the US should continue applying military pressure on Iran to further weaken the regime by destroying its critical infrastructure, two Israeli sources said.
The US source said that Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire after the call,” though Israeli sources noted that Netanyahu “is always concerned” about how negotiations with Iran will go, even during stages that previously failed.
Iran Sticks to Its Guns as Trump’s Threats Begin to Lose Power
https://www.newsweek.com/iran-sticks-to-its-guns-as-trumps-threats-begin-to-lose-power-11967826
Almost three months into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and nearly five weeks since President Donald Trump announced a blockade of the Islamic Republic, a defiant Tehran shows little sign of budging in the face of the White House's fiery threats.
Rather, the conflict appears thus far to be emboldening Iranian leadership. Despite the loss of their supreme leader, the killing of other key commanders and decision-makers and the destruction of considerable firepower, Iranian officials have largely put domestic divisions aside and closed ranks to maintain a hefty set of demands to end the war on their own terms.
It's a costly bet. Yet the price for the White House, the region and the world is adding up as well.
"I think that the Trump administration has led itself into a very tight corner," Saikal said. "It has kept changing its goalposts and doesn’t really know how to end the war. President Trump has pathologically never been able to accept defeat. He has now narrowed his objective to ‘no nuclear weapons’, despite the fact that Tehran has always said that it won’t produce nuclear weapons."
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Trump national Shabbat divides America’s Jews ahead of National Mall prayer rally
As part of a 250th anniversary celebration of the United States, President Donald Trump is calling on Americans to pray together in a nine-hour marathon on the National Mall Sunday featuring a host of Christian speakers — and one rabbi.
But first, Trump is calling on Jews to mark Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday, and encouraging other Americans to consider embracing the ritual as well.
The exhortation has received mixed reviews from the American Jewish community. Some Jews have said they appreciate the gesture and recognition of a central tradition to Judaism, and even are promoting their own Shabbat services as part of “Shabbat 250.”
Others say Trump is appropriating Judaism to promote conservative political goals and Christian nationalism, a movement backed by a portion of Trump’s base that scholars say could push the country in a direction that is less hospitable to Jews.
Support for the initiative has been strongest among Orthodox Jews, who tend to be more politically conservative. Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, endorsed Trump’s call soon after it was made
Trump announced a national Shabbat — and a giant celebration of Christianity the very next day
https://forward.com/culture/824974/shabbat-250-rededication-trump-christianity/
To celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, President Trump has announced several religious ceremonies. This weekend is Shabbat 250, in honor of Jewish Heritage month, beginning Friday night and carrying into Saturday.
“We celebrate the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our way of life, we honor their role in shaping the story of our Nation, and we remember that religious devotion, learning, and service to others are enduring pillars of a thriving culture,” the announcement says.
But that recognition of Judaism is followed the very next day by Rededicate 250, a celebration “about the history and the foundations of our nation, which was built on Christian values,” as Paula White-Cain, Trump’s senior faith advisor, said in a webinar earlier this month for the National Faith Advisory Board, adding that attendees shouldn’t worry the event might include “praying to all these different Gods.”
“The vast majority of the speakers are Christian,” Baldwin said. “If you do see another religion represented, it would probably be in a modest way, talking about religious freedom.”
All this is certainly mixed messaging as far as the place of Jews in the nation’s celebrations is concerned.
Rededicate 250 will feature dozens of Christian speakers including pastors; figures such as Dr. Larry Arnn, the founder of Hillsdale College, a private, conservative Christian school; members of the Trump administration including Pete Hegseth, who has openly voiced support for Christian nationalism; Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus on the hit Christian show The Chosen; and a selection of Christian musical performers. Rabbi Meir Soleveichik is the sole non-Christian slated to participate.
Cassidy becomes fourth GOP senator to back Iran war powers measure limiting Trump
https://thehill.com/homenews/5886024-bill-cassidy-iran-war-powers/
Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost his bid for a third term in Saturday’s Louisiana Senate Republican primary, on Tuesday became the fourth Republican senator to vote to advance a war powers resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. armed forces deployed against Iran.
“Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the January vote.
US, Israel planned to install Ahmadinejad in Iran and helped him escape country
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bka4o351fx
The New York Times reported overnight Tuesday that the United States and Israel had an unexpected candidate for that “someone from within” — perhaps the last person anyone would have imagined as suitable, or willing: former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, long considered one of Israel’s bitterest enemies.
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
A GOP primary has become a costly battle over Israel. Will it matter in the long run?
Pro-Israel groups are spending millions to unseat Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, but even if he loses, it may not be dead end for his fellow Republican opponents of Israel, whose numbers seem to be growing
Yeshiva is artificial institution - Rav Hutner (translated)
Click here for Yiddish - © Translation by Daniel Eidensohn
Yeshiva represents a failure of ideal state of father to son Torah teaching. Discusses two aspects of Matan Torah - 1) Father to son 2) Direct from G-d
Trump tries to take $1.7B from taxpayers for allies
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ggy1B7aJFs4
Huge unprecedendented corruption scandal
GOP Sen. Cassidy calls out Trump DOJ’s $1.8 billion compensation fund as ‘slush fund’
https://thehill.com/homenews/5884237-cassidy-calls-out-trump-fund/
“I don’t actually see any legal precedent for that. We are a nation of laws, you can’t just make up things whole-piece,” Cassidy told reporters when asked about the legal compensation fund for Trump allies who were prosecuted or investigated by the Biden Justice Department.
The administration announced the creation of the compensation fund after Trump withdrew his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service demanding $10 billion in damages for an IRS contractor leaking his tax returns to media outlets.
“Somebody explained it to me this way, an attorney. … It is as if somebody sued themselves and agreed upon a settlement with themselves that’s going to be funded by the rest of us. If that’s the case: What?!” he said.
The only Iran deal Trump can get is no better than Obama’s ‘horrible’ JCPOA
The US president pulled out of his predecessor’s 2015 agreement, saying it didn’t address Tehran’s ballistic missiles or proxies. Neither will any conceivable deal, even after weeks of bombing and a month of threats
Fake AI ‘rabbis’ spread antisemitism on TikTok
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426641
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has released a major new report uncovering a coordinated network of fake, AI-generated "rabbis" flooding TikTok with antisemitic content, in what experts warn is a dangerous escalation in the weaponization of artificial intelligence to spread hate.
The study, conducted by CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), identified at least 49 TikTok accounts posing as Jewish religious figures while disseminating conspiracy theories and classic antisemitic narratives to a vast global audience. Collectively, these accounts have amassed more than 950,000 followers and generated over 10 million likes, demonstrating both the scale and effectiveness of the operation.
Among the accounts identified were profiles such as @rabbirothstein and @rabbi_silverstein, which presented themselves as authentic rabbis while promoting harmful and misleading claims about Jews. By framing these messages as so-called "insider truths," the network attempts to normalize antisemitism and make it more digestible for mainstream audiences.
Monday, May 18, 2026
The Greatest Threat Facing the Jewish People Isn't Antisemitism
https://aish.com/the-greatest-threat-facing-the-jewish-people-isnt-antisemitism/
There is a threat far more pernicious than antisemitism, one that is causing greater damage to our people at a faster pace than any external enemy ever could. It's called assimilation.
The real issue is not the Draft
At this time approaching Shavuos it is time to think about the future of Religious society. I think the real concern is not the draft but the loss of control of the new generation. The post regarding arson caused by frum youth is indicative of the problem. The youth are attatched to Torah not by values and ideology but rather culture and pleasure. Our young students expect to be entertained and to have fun. The army provides a realistic alternative platform. The demonstations have trained a generation to disrespect authority which is not limited to secular ones. Similarly the tremendous social pressures for wealth collides with the difficult reality of earning a living wage. The failure of rabbis to solve the marriage crisis and other things also caueses disrespect
There have been a number of historic periods when Jews assimated Such as WWI The Communist takover. America until the 1960's. the reurn to Israel after Babylonian Exile The Golden Age of Spain. In Israel assimilation is a real problem and explains the resistance to secular and vocational training. Even in fanatic Mea Shearim there is often zero or negative growth due to assimilation. I was told that Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was the only one of his Cheder that stayed frum. Among the Religious Zionists and Modern Orthodox it is fairly common to lose religion. While in America there was Reform and Conservative and in Europe the Haskala and Reform. The loss of Jewish women before Beis Yakov or the loss of German and Hungarian Jews before Rav Hirsch.
I think a significant reason for the long time ignoring of abuse was the feeling that the resolution would undermine religious authority the same for marital problems and feministic issues
Eastern European Jews were told to stay in Europe and starve or face the Nazis rather than possibly assimilate in America or Israel
Bottom line the draft is resisted primarily because of the real concern that the 'youth will give up observance
Mass DC prayer event with top White House officials seeks to reclaim US Christian roots
Thousands of people gathered Sunday in downtown Washington DC, for a mass prayer festival featuring speeches by top Trump administration officials — an event critics see as an overt display of Christian nationalism undermining the US’s separation of church and state.
Attendees sang and swayed to Christian music blared out on the National Mall, along with addresses by Christian pastors. One rabbi is also included in the lineup for the event, called “Rededicate 250,” which came one day after a “Shabbat 250” that was promoted by US President Donald Trump and received mixed reactions from Jewish leaders.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson were listed as guest speakers. Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio were set to address the crowd via video.
The gathering was organized by the White House as part of a program of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary and, in a video message inviting Americans to attend, Hegseth said it was an opportunity to “rededicate this republic to God and country.”
Sunday, May 17, 2026
גל הצתות של ילדים חרדים ברחבי ירושלים; מפקד הכיבוי פונה במכתב מיוחד: "זה שובר אותי לעמוד שם"Wave of arson attacks by ultra-Orthodox children across Jerusalem;
https://www.kikar.co.il/haredim-news/jerusalem-forest-arson-haredi-children
ירושלים מתמודדת בתקופה האחרונה עם גל של הצתות, בשכונות פסגת זאב ונווה יעקב, כשלמרבה הבושה מתברר כי האחראים לכך - הם דווקא ילדים חרדים, שאחדים מהם אף מתנכלים לכבאים שבאים ומחרפים את נפשם | אחד המפקדים בכיבוי אש, דוד סרור, פונה במכתב להורים ולילדים בניסיון לעצור את הגל המסוכן שעלול חלילה לעלות בחיי אדם: "יום אחד", הוא כותב, "חס ושלום, כבאי לא יחזור הביתה - ואתם תדעו למה" | המכתב המלא (אקטואליה)
Thom Tillis Warns Pete Hegseth Against Ousting Another Top US General
https://www.newsweek.com/thom-tillis-warns-pete-hegseth-ousting-top-us-general-11960084
Republican Senator Thom Tillis issued a warning to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that he plans to sideline another top general.
Tillis, who is retiring after his tenure in the Senate ends in January 2027, posted a lengthy statement on X, warning that Hegseth continues to "disrespect our greatest allies and some of our best military professionals with impulsive decisions not grounded in reality or good judgment."
"Hegseth would do well to surround himself with more patriots like General Donahue and to get his henchmen, who are not qualified to carry Donahue's bag, out of the Pentagon," the senator added. "Keep your word, Mr. Secretary: choose meritocracy over your mediocre yes-men."
Women with this condition are often misdiagnosed. Its new name could help.
Women with this condition are often misdiagnosed. Its new name could help.
A global panel of experts and patient advocates published a paper in the Lancet to announce that PCOS has been renamed to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS, to more accurately reflect that it’s a whole-body endocrine and metabolic condition and that many people who have it never develop ovarian cysts.
PMOS is more comprehensive. “The new name, PMOS, highlights the complex nature of this syndrome and the involvement of multiple systems, including metabolic, reproductive, psychological and dermatological concerns,” said Nair, of OSU.
Bill Cassidy and America’s increasingly broken primary system
Sen. Bill Cassidy’s defeat in Saturday’s Republican primary in Louisiana will be covered as evidence of President Donald Trump’s grip over the party. Cassidy voted to convict Trump after his second impeachment following Jan. 6, 2021, and this was payback.
But the state legislature voted to get rid of that “jungle” system, partly to get rid of Cassidy. And it worked. In a state as red as Louisiana, the GOP primary is tantamount to the general election.
Bosses in both parties have been working to change the rules the last few years to make it harder for more moderate politicians like Cassidy to survive.
The Iran-Backed Militia Behind a Terror Plot Against American Jews
https://time.com/article/2026/05/16/kataib-hezbollah-terror-plot-synagogue/
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi national, is accused of having “directed and urged others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews” on behalf of Kata'ib Hezbollah, a powerful Iraqi Shiite militia backed by Iran, according to the criminal complaint.
Federal authorities say Al-Saadi, a Kata'ib Hezbollah commander, planned to attack a New York City synagogue and two Jewish centers in Los Angeles, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The complaint alleges that Al-Saadi provided an undercover law enforcement officer, who was posing as a Mexican cartel member, with photographs and maps showing the locations of his targets. He is also charged with conducting attacks in Canada and Europe.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Friday that Al-Saadi was “targeting the heart of our Jewish community.”
Al-Saadi, who was transferred into United States custody overseas before being brought to the U.S., appeared in Manhattan federal court on Friday, as his arrest was announced to the public. He faces charges including conspiracy to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, conspiracy to bomb a place of public use, and attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosives. He was arrested in Turkey and brought to the United States to face charges.
