OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is a medical diagnosis that gets thrown around a lot in colloquial speech, especially around Pesach time. We take Hilchos Pesach seriously, and rightfully so! OCD is not the same as being careful in Halacha, and it’s crucial to distinguish between the two. Because the term is so misused and misunderstood, it can be helpful and important to distinguish between what is and isn’t OCD. Many people will say things like “I’m so OCD” when referring to being hyper-organized or particular about the way they do things. (You line up your clothes in your closet in order of color? You’re so OCD!) This is not OCD and can be both invalidating to people who are truly struggling and just generally misinform the public about what to be aware of.

One evening in May 2024, in the city of Västerås, Sweden, 90 kilometers from the capital city of Stockholm, a 15-year-old boy waited for his mother to fall asleep. Shortly before midnight, the boy quietly got out of bed, slipped outside, and got into an Uber, which drove him to the Israeli embassy to murder Israelis. On the way to the embassy, the teen picked up a gun from a certain location according to instructions he received on his cell phone. As he approached the embassy, blue lights flashed behind the Uber. The police had thwarted his plan. Just over 24 hours later, a younger teen, 14 years old, did succeed. He picked up a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the location he was instructed to go and fired several shots near the Israeli embassy at 2 a.m. He was later arrested.

Federal prosecutors revealed this week that Ryan Routh—the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump in September 2024—had sought to acquire anti-aircraft weapons from Ukraine just weeks before his failed attack at Trump’s Florida golf course. Prosecutors allege that in August 2024, Routh tried to buy rocket launchers and stinger missiles via encrypted messaging, expressing interest in shooting down Trump’s plane. “Send me an RPG or stinger and I will see what we can do,” Routh allegedly told a contact he believed had access to Ukrainian military stockpiles. “Trump is not good for Ukraine.” The explosive revelation was included in a motion filed Monday, as the DOJ seeks to introduce the weapons discussions as direct evidence of Routh’s alleged assassination plot.

For the first time in the IDF’s history, all soldiers will be allowed to grow beards without the need for special exemptions as the IDF prepares to approve several changes to its dress code for soldiers on Wednesday. The move was led by the Torat Lechima organization, Likud MK Keti Shitrit, and Gilad ‘Mezukan,” one of the prominent activists in the struggle for granting a blanket exemption for soldiers to grow beards. The new arrangement allows soldiers to grow a beard regardless of religious identity as long as it is neat and in accordance with proper military appearance [no stubble]. “The IDF is a Jewish army,” stated the Torat Lechima organization.

As President Donald Trump faces some defections from some of his most steadfast supporters over his tariffs, he can still rely on one group to sing his praises: Russian state media. According to Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis, who closely follows Russian state-sponsored outlets, analysts on the popular program “The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov” recently expressed enthusiastic approval of Trump’s tariff policies. Political scientist Dmitry Kulikov, a guest on the show, commended Trump’s apparent desire “to break everything,” suggesting that the president’s actions signal “the end of the global system” that has existed for roughly fifty years.

During the joint press conference of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu following their meeting on Monday, Trump said: “I don’t understand why Israel ever gave up Gaza.” Responding to a reporter’s question about Gaza, Trump said: “You know how I feel about the Gaza Strip. I think it’s an incredible piece of important real estate. I think it’s something that if we were involved in, having a peace force like the US there controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing. Because right now, for years and years, all I hear about is killing and Hamas and problems.

Iran has shifted to maritime routes to smuggle funds and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, a Western security official told Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath on Tuesday. According to the official, Iran’s Quds Force developed a sea transfer method that bypasses Syria. “After the fall of the Assad regime and increased air restrictions, Hezbollah began using the sea to transport weapons,” he said. According to the report, the maritime smuggling operation is possible due to Hezbollah’s control of the Port of Beirut, which was almost completely destroyed in 2020 due to Hezbollah’s large stores of ammonium nitrate at the site which caught on fire, creating a huge explosion that killed hundreds.

An Israeli political source admitted on Tuesday morning that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not receive advance notice of the step announced by President Trump during the joint press conference on Monday—the initiation of direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program. The source noted that while the possibility that Trump would renew contacts with Iran was taken into account, it was evident at the joint press conference between the US President and the Prime Minister that Netanyahu was not aware of the move in advance and was surprised by the announcement. The source added that the fact that Trump promised that Israel would receive reports on any developments that arise from the negotiations is very positive.

A Gaza-based news outlet tied to Hamas found itself the butt of global mockery recently after it tried to spotlight a humanitarian mission — and instead highlighted its inability to tell fiction from reality. The Palestinian Information Center, an advocacy arm linked to Gaza’s terrorist rulers, posted a breathless update about a heroic “French doctor” arriving in Gaza to treat wounded Palestinians. The catch? The “doctor” was none other than an actress, Katherine Heigl, better known as Dr. Izzie Stevens from Grey’s Anatomy — a fictional TV show.

Nearly 7,000 Jewish voters in New York City have newly registered as Democrats since January — a surge that could have a huge influence on the outcome of June’s high-stakes mayoral primary and pose a challenge for far-left candidates seen as soft on antisemitism. According to the Jewish Voters Action Network (JVAN), 6,695 Jewish voters have joined the Democratic rolls in recent months, including more than 4,130 who switched from Republican, independent, or other party affiliations. An additional 2,564 are first-time registrants. “We think this registration drive is a big deal. Jewish voters are a sleeping giant in New York politics,” JVAN founder Maury Litwack told the NY Post. “And they are awake. Jews are showing up to play. We’re not ignoring this election.