President Trump has set a firm two-week window for Russian President Vladimir Putin to demonstrate whether he’s genuinely working toward ending the conflict in Ukraine — a move that comes even as the Kremlin announced there are no plans for a meeting between the two leaders.
“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks,” Trump said Wednesday during a press briefing in the Oval Office.
When asked if he believed Putin was sincerely aiming to bring the war to a close, Trump responded, “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks.”

In a candid interview with CNN on Wednesday, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert stated that he can no longer justify Israel’s actions in the face of allegations of war crimes.
Olmert said his intensifying disapproval of Israel’s leadership stems from its failure to articulate any plan for what lies ahead. “A lack of any vision for what comes next. What are we going to do in order to end the war, release the hostages, and start to move it towards some kind of political horizon?” he said.
Pointing to controversial statements made recently by members of Israel’s government, Olmert highlighted remarks such as, “We should starve Gaza.”

A federal judge has stepped in to stop the U.S. Department of Transportation from cutting off funding to New York as part of the Trump administration’s effort to derail the city’s congestion pricing initiative. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued a preliminary injunction, following his earlier temporary restraining order, that blocks federal officials from denying funds or necessary approvals for New York infrastructure projects.

President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that if the “One Big Beautiful Bill” fails to pass, Democrats will be responsible for a massive 65 percent hike in taxes. He laid the blame squarely on their shoulders during remarks from the Oval Office following a swearing-in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro.
“You know, if it’s up to the Democrats, they’ll take the 65 percent increase. If that doesn’t get approved, this country is going to have a 65 percent increase in taxes and lots of other problems, big problems, almost bigger than that,” Trump said, stressing that the legislation would deliver “the largest tax cut in the history of our country.”

In a searing address delivered Wednesday from the Knesset plenum, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Almog Cohen of the Otzma Yehudit party lashed out at Democratic Party chairman Yair Golan and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, calling them “disgraceful” and “lowly” individuals.
Cohen, speaking forcefully from the podium, slammed Golan for past remarks made about IDF soldiers: “The message I’m sending,” he said, “to Yair Golan, who described our soldiers as baby killers for sport — see under: sadists — is that you should be ashamed of yourself. You are a lowly person. You are a disgraceful person.”

In a powerful and emotional interview broadcast Wednesday night on Channel 12’s Uvda, Ori Megidish—the first hostage successfully freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza—shared her gripping account of survival, unwavering emunah, and the harrowing experiences she endured during her time in enemy hands.
“I had faith that God was by my side, watching over me and would get me out of there,” Megidish stated, describing how her belief in divine protection never wavered. “I would ask a question, like if I’m supposed to get out of here, let there be a boom. And then there was a boom. There were all sorts of signs.”

During a heated Knesset debate on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of alienating the Trump Administration and diminishing Israel’s standing with its most critical ally.
“I once told you that you no longer understand the new America. That you’re stuck in the 1980s. You argued with me and said you’re still in the loop. That argument is over. There has never been such a low point in the relationship. Ever,” Lapid said in his opening remarks.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Shavuos may be the shortest of the Shalosh Regolim but its impact is immeasurable. For on this one day (or two, in chutz la’aretz), we remember and relive the special occasion which defines us: the giving of the Torah. This is the day for which the world was created, when Heaven touched Earth and a nation found its purpose. While our footsteps once led to the Beis Hamikdosh, our hearts still ascend year after year toward that same sacred encounter at Har Sinai.

Elon Musk, billionaire tech mogul and founder of multiple ventures, revealed on Wednesday that he has concluded his tenure as a key adviser to President Donald Trump. Musk had been tapped to lead efforts aimed at curbing government inefficiencies and cutting down on unnecessary expenditures.
Using his social media network X to make the announcement, Musk wrote, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
An official from the White House, speaking on condition of anonymity, later confirmed Musk’s exit to The Associated Press.

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