Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon launched a blistering critique of the Trump administration’s Justice Department during an interview Monday with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec, warning that inaction against entrenched political enemies could spark a major backlash from the MAGA base. Bannon, a longtime Trump ally and one of the leading voices of the populist right, expressed frustration over what he sees as the administration’s failure to deliver on promises of accountability, particularly against high-profile figures tied to past controversies. “We’re not doing anything over at the Justice Department,” Bannon fumed.

Barnegat, NJ – A rapidly spreading wildfire, dubbed the “Jones Wildfire,” erupted in Barnegat Township, Ocean County, on Tuesday, afternoon, consuming 1,200 acres in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area and prompting mandatory evacuations, road closures, and the shutdown of a significant portion of the Garden State Parkway. As of 5 p.m., the blaze remained 0% contained, threatening 16 structures and casting thick smoke across the Jersey Shore region, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The Garden State Parkway, a major artery along the Jersey Shore, is closed in both directions between Exit 63 in Stafford Township and Exit 80 in South Toms River, with additional closures at Exit 69 in Waretown.

In an appearance on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pushed back against mounting criticism over the turmoil engulfing the Pentagon under his leadership, blaming the fallout on political enemies and “deep state forces” intent on undermining the Trump administration’s agenda. The embattled Defense Secretary, a former co-host of the morning program, took to the airwaves just days after a damaging stretch of headlines that included the abrupt dismissal of several of his top aides, a scathing Politico column written by one of the ousted staffers calling his tenure “total chaos,” and a New York Times report alleging Hegseth improperly shared classified information over the encrypted messaging app Signal with his wife, brother, and attorney.

In a powerful and impassioned address delivered on the last day of Chol Hamoed Pesach at his home, HaGaon HaRav Meir Tzvi Bergman, Rosh Yeshivas Rashbi and Zakein Chevrei Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, issued a resolute call to action against the looming threat of a mandatory draft for yeshiva students. His words were delivered amidst growing concerns over recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim and stalled efforts to formulate a conscription law acceptable to the Torah community. Speaking to a gathered audience, the Rosh Yeshiva opened by acknowledging the gravity of the current situation: “Everyone knows that Klal Yisroel is in great danger today.

A shocking video published by Channel 14 on Monday reveals one of the terrorists released in one of the recent prisoner release deals describing his enjoyable 22-year imprisonment in Israel, saying it was just like “summer camp.” Islamic Jihad terrorist Iyad Jaradat was sentenced to life imprisonment for dispatching the terrorists who infiltrated Moshav Gadish in 2003 and opened fire, murdering Eli Biton, H’yd, and wounding four others. Jaradat’s “life imprisonment” ended earlier this year when he was released to his hometown of Jenin. In an interview immediately after his release, he publicly praised the Nukhba terrorists who carried out the October 7 massacre.

As tensions between Israel and Egypt are at a boiling point amid Cairo’s buildup of military forces in the Sinai, Egypt and China launched an unprecedented joint Air Force exercise in recent days on Egyptian soil. The joint exercise, named “Eagles of Civilization 2025,” began on Shabbos and will continue until the beginning of May. According to a statement by China’s Ministry of National Defense on April 16, China deployed an extensive detachment to Egypt, including J-10C and J-10S fighter jets, a KJ-500 early warning aircraft, a YY-20A aerial refueling aircraft, as well as at least five Y-20 transport aircraft, which delivered the aircraft and soldiers to Cairo on April 15.

A Hamas supporter was seen wearing a mock suicide vest at an anti-Israel protest in Manhattan. The vest is reminiscent of the suicide vests worn by terrorists to murder and maim Israelis during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. And of course, the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City were also carried out by suicide attackers. The video shows the would-be suicide bomber with other pro-Hamas supporters arguing with counter-protesters. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

An AI-generated video envisioning the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash on Har HaBayis has prompted outrage from Qatar, which accused Israel of planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque, despite the video being entirely conceptual and produced by a fringe activist group. The video, released by a group calling itself the “Temple Mount Activists,” depicts the Dome of the Rock engulfed in flames, followed by the sudden appearance of the Third Beis HaMikdash. After the rebuilt Bais Mikdash appears, the words “Next year in Yerushalayim, Moshiach now” are displayed, while “Shema Yisrael” is heard in the background.

The newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, arrived in Israel on Friday and began his diplomatic mission with a moving visit and prayer at the Kosel. The highlight of the visit was the placement of a special note sent by President Trump, who entrusted Huckabee with the note before his departure for Israel and requested that it be placed on his behalf. On the note, Trump wrote briefly and movingly: “For peace in Israel – Donald Trump,” an extraordinary and deeply meaningful gesture that reflects the strong friendship between the two nations. Ambassador Huckabee was received by the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mr.

In a startling revelation, a bag of Kosher L’Pesach lentils (kitniyos, permissible for Sephardim during Pesach) was inspected by a mashgiach at a hospital in Northern Israel, only to uncover numerous kernels of wheat. The lentils, certified by Badatz Beit Yosef and another kosher supervisory body for Pesach, were intended for use during Yom Yov. The Mashgiach says he checked the lentils five times. The Badatz Eidah Chareidis, which provides year-round certification for the product, explicitly states that the lentils are not certified for Pesach and must be thoroughly checked before use. This is why people do not eat Kitniyos and helps you understand why many people use almost no processed products to ensure strict adherence to Kosher for Pesach standards.