Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), whose vote proved pivotal in confirming Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense earlier this year, says he now regrets the decision, sharply criticizing Hegseth’s performance and calling him “out of his depth.” Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper on The Lead, Tillis delivered a blunt assessment of Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon, citing recent missteps and a broader lack of managerial competence. “With the passing of time, I think it’s clear he’s out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization,” Tillis said. Asked specifically about the so-called Signalgate controversy — in which Hegseth temporarily suspended secure communications between certain NATO-aligned commands — Tillis dismissed the episode as symptomatic of a larger problem.

In a major shift to airport security procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes at security checkpoints, beginning July 7, 2025. The change applies to all passengers, regardless of TSA PreCheck status, and marks the end of a nearly 20-year policy widely criticized as inconvenient and outdated. The original shoe removal rule was introduced in August 2006 in response to the 2001 attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid on a transatlantic flight. Until now, only PreCheck members, children under 13, and seniors over 75 were exempt from the requirement.

A new psak from Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein is making waves, particularly among yeshiva bochurim and others who have adopted the popular practice of enjoying cholent on Thursday nights. In a sharply worded response, the prominent posek rules that eating Shabbos foods during the week — especially cholent, a dish traditionally prepared for Shabbos day — is inappropriate and undermines the honor due to Shabbos Kodesh.