Anger in Israel at US special envoy Steve Witkoff

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421404

Israeli official claims: “Witkoff pushed to bring our major rival Turkey to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey."

Officials in Jerusalem have expressed anger toward US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is pressuring Israel to open the Rafah crossing before the return of the final hostage, Ran Gvili.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, sharply criticized Witkoff in a conversation with Ynet: “Witkoff pushed to bring our major rival, Turkey, to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey, which would pose a real danger to our security."

AGUDACOLYPSE: Timing is not everything, but it is a statement about how unimportant Assisted Suicide in NY is on the Aguda Totem pole.

 Rabbosai,

Note the irony of this latest bout of Aguda fundraising, prominently featuring the "CEO" of Assisted Suicide in NJ, now Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D).  It is Schnall, performing as the Aguda lobbyist in NJ, who in early 2018 single-handedly ensured that R. Heshie Hirth didn't restrain the single vote in the Assembly (Passaic's own then-freshman Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese) to push Assisted Suicide over the threshold, as evident from the recording we publicized at the time Schnall initially ran for his current seat in the NJ Assembly.

Now, just as NY faces a looming specter of passage of similar Assisted Suicide/ Stealth Euthanasia legislation early this week [unless the oncoming snowstorm BE"H disrupts their evil designs] - Aguda's Schnall issues this fundraiser.

This diversionary schnorr hits Klal Yisroel just when attention and money is desperately needed to save countless lives -- by rallying enough opposition to pressure two key state senators and four key Assemblymen to switch to voting NO [on the Chapter Amendments (S8835/ A9515) - the "safeguards improvement" bill which would enable Gov. Hochul to sign the Assisted Suicide bill the legislature passed on June 9, '25, S138/A136].

And this - as Aguda has lately been eerily silent in combating the Assisted Suicide bill, leaving the heavy lifting to those far less endowed with resources needed to combat the Cannibal Lobby.

בס"ד

מוצ"ש בא תשפו

January '25, '26

AGUDACOLYPSE: Timing is not everything, but it is a statement about how unimportant Assisted Suicide in NY is on the Aguda Totem pole.

Rabbosai,

Note the irony of this latest bout of Aguda fundraising, prominently featuring the "CEO" of Assisted Suicide in NJ, now Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D).  It is Schnall, performing as the Aguda lobbyist in NJ, who in early 2018 single-handedly ensured that R. Heshie Hirth didn't restrain the single vote in the Assembly (Passaic's own then-freshman Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese) to push Assisted Suicide over the threshold, as evident from the recording we publicized at the time Schnall initially ran for his current seat in the NJ Assembly.

Now, just as NY faces a looming specter of passage of similar Assisted Suicide/ Stealth Euthanasia legislation early this week [unless the oncoming snowstorm BE"H disrupts their evil designs] - Aguda's Schnall issues this fundraiser.

This diversionary schnorr hits Klal Yisroel just when attention and money is desperately needed to save countless lives -- by rallying enough opposition to pressure two key state senators and four key Assemblymen to switch to voting NO [on the Chapter Amendments (S8835/ A9515) - the "safeguards improvement" bill which would enable Gov. Hochul to sign the Assisted Suicide bill the legislature passed on June 9, '25, S138/A136].

And this - as Aguda has lately been eerily silent in combating the Assisted Suicide bill, leaving the heavy lifting to those far less endowed with resources needed to combat the Cannibal Lobby.

Moreover, it's one thing to leave the heavy lifting to others.  However, to actively cause the tzibbur to move on - by insinuating that it's over (as Aguda did in their defeatist and deceptive Press Release in wake of the announcement of Gov. Hochul on Chanuka, Dec. 17, '25), and to distract attention with their PR (as they do here, and as they did in their self-adulatory promotional of Jan. 20, '26 - see further*), as if this crisis is altogether not an issue to us, is unforgivable.

And Schnall appears front and center... right where he belongs.

כל המיצר לישראל נעשה ראש...

וע' יחזקאל לד - כפשוטו ממש.

NSL

~~~~

* Here's the NY State segment of the Aguda promotional of Jan. 20th:

Fair Use - all emphasis added by me - NSL

"Agudath Israel Welcomes Governor Hochul’s State of the State as Legislative Session Begins

Agudath Israel of America applauds several positive priorities for our community outlined by Governor Kathy Hochul today at her 2026 State of the State address.  

The governor’s proposal to significantly expand childcare to include statewide Universal Pre-K, grow 3-K (childcare for 3-year-olds) support, and offer free childcare for 2-year-olds in conjunction with New York City, will be most helpful to our growing families. 

Agudath Israel has long advocated for programs to assist parents with childcare and notes Governor Hochul and the legislature’s landmark boost to the Empire State child tax credit last year, a priority for Agudah and its constituents.  

The Agudah also thanks Governor Hochul for supporting legislation introduced by Senator Sam Sutton and Assemblymember Micah Lasher to protect houses of worship from the type of protests and intimidation that has, sadly, been occurring around our shuls. The proposal would make it a crime to intimidate or interfere with someone seeking to enter a house of worship, and would introduce a buffer zone within which two or more individuals may not protest. Our shuls cannot be allowed to devolve into political flashpoints for opportunistic antisemites.  

The Agudah will be advocating for the fruition of these and many other priorities as the legislative session begins, including protecting the rights of parents with special needs in nonpublic schools; enhancing security for our schools; ensuring our yeshivas are fully reimbursed for mandated services; and other measures to protect our constituents and combat antisemitism.  

Agudath Israel looks forward to working with both the governor and the legislature to enact these legislative priorities. "

NSL: Note blatant absence of looming Assisted Suicide legislation... unless it is somehow alluded to via remez of a Gematria or Asmachta herein ...

Minnesota officials at odds with DHS over account of man killed by federal agent as new videos emerge

 https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/ice-minneapolis-shooting-01-24-26

• Deadly shooting: Video appears to show a federal officer had taken a gun away from a Minneapolis man prior to a Border Patrol agent fatally shooting him today. The man has been identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old who sources say worked as an ICU nurse. Police said he’s believed to have been a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.

• Clashing narratives: The Department of Homeland Security has said the agent killed Pretti in self-defense — a narrative Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called “nonsense” and “lies.” Minnesota authorities also sued the Trump administration, claiming its officials “took from the scene” of the shooting and prevented state officials from inspecting.

US immigration officers kill man in Minnesota, apparently falsely saying he brandished a gun

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-immigration-officers-kill-allegedly-armed-man-in-minnesota-sparking-protests/

Video shows ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was holding a phone, not a firearm, when officers accosted him and then shot him dead; local cops describe him as a lawful gun owner

Several bystander videos of the shooting emerged soon after. Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand, but none appears to show him with a visible weapon.

New video of federal agent shooting appears to go against DHS claim

State, federal officials offer starkly different accounts of Minneapolis shooting

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/24/federal-agents-minneapolis-shooting-investigation/

One of the officers pushes a person who appears to be a bystander or protester down onto the sidewalk. Pretti steps between them, and the officer pepper sprays him in the face.

Pretti begins to interact with the person who was pushed, but the exchange cannot be heard. An officer appears to try to pull him away, leading to the scuffle in which Pretti is fatally shot.

An unnamed witness to the shooting said in a sworn affidavit that they did not see Pretti with a gun.

Trump rages at NYT survey, says ‘fake’ polling should be criminal offense?

 https://thehill.com/homenews/5703471-trump-attacks-poll-voter-disapproval/?tbref=hp

This week, The New York Times and Siena University released a poll showing a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling the economy, immigration, foreign policy and affordability. A full 51 percent say his policies have made life less affordable. Nearly half of voters — 49 percent — believe the country is worse off than a year ago.  

But instead of addressing the substance of the concerns, Trump took to Truth Social to attack the poll itself.  

Trump argues Republicans are fixing an economy damaged by President Biden. But Americans don’t live in talking points, they live in monthly bills. Inflation is up 2.7 percent year-over-year. The typical household is spending $184 more per month than last year, and $590 more each month than they did three years ago, according to Moody’s Analytics. Grocery prices haven’t meaningfully come down. Energy, medical care, coffee and ground beef all cost more.  

Suing pollsters and attacking the press won’t lower grocery prices, won’t stabilize energy costs, and won’t make life more affordable. Governing will. And right now, voters are saying — clearly  — they want less outrage and more results

Spiral! Mental decline, losing Nobel, "Iceland" debacle: Trump slumps amid Epstein, ICE revolt

Americans grow more OUTRAGED as Trump's ICE grows more outrageous

Polling Trump's Popularity

Trump Backs Down on Greenland After Global Defiance, Claims NATO “Deal” Is “Infinite”

<

Trump sparks anger over claim Nato troops avoided Afghanistan front line

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr444j671vo

Donald Trump has sparked fresh outrage in the UK after saying Nato troops stayed "a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, called it an "absolute insult" to the 457 British service personnel killed in the conflict, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "How dare he question their sacrifice?"

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Afghanistan, said it was "sad to see our nation's sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply".

The US president told Fox News on Thursday that he was "not sure" the military alliance would be there for America "if we ever needed them".

"We've never needed them," he said, adding: "We have never really asked anything of them."

"They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan," he said, "and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines".

He said the US had "been very good to Europe and to many other countries", adding: "It has to be a two-way street."

What’s Going on With the Epstein Files? A Month After Deadline, the Vast Majority of Materials Remain Unreleased

 https://time.com/7355932/epstein-files-release-doj-independent-monitor-house-investigation/

More than a month has passed since the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all its files related to the investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And while the department has publicly shared thousands of documents since that date, those releases account for only a fraction of the materials it has in its possession—leaving the vast majority of the so-called “Epstein files” still unreleased.

In a letter to Comer, the Clintons’ lawyers said that the subpoenas they received “are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.” Their lawyers said that the couple has “already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the committee.”

Trump makes a FOOL of himself on world stage; pretends to solve crisis of his own making