Vice President JD Vance pushed back Monday against a report from Axios claiming he had scrapped a trip to Israel due to the Israel Defense Forces stepping up military operations in Gaza.
Before boarding a flight from Rome, Vance addressed the media and was asked if the report was accurate.
“Well, I think there’s a lot of overstatement there. I haven’t seen the story, to be clear, so I don’t want to speak to the details,” the Vice President replied.
Vance explained that while a trip to Israel was under consideration, it wasn’t the only destination being discussed.

Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday pushed back against U.S. criticism of the country’s nuclear program, saying that Tehran won’t seek permission from anyone to enrich uranium and calling American statements “nonsense.” “They say, ‘We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium.’ That’s way out of line,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a memorial for late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last year. “No one in Iran is waiting for their permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies and direction — and it will stick to them.” Khamenei’s remarks came as indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. reportedly continue, though he expressed doubt about their outcome. “Yes, indirect negotiations were held during Raisi’s time too, just like now,” he said.

Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen was forced into a draw Monday by more than 143,000 people worldwide playing against him in a single, record-setting game. Billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs. The World,” the online match began April 4 on Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website, and was the first-ever online freestyle game to feature a world champion. The mega-match ended after Team World checked Carlsen’s king a third time, a stunning outcome after Chess.com had predicted Carlsen would win by a wide margin. Members of Team World — anyone around the globe could sign up — voted on each move and each side had 24 hours to make their play. Carlsen played the white pieces.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Prime Minister Benjam

Two Jewish Israelis were arrested for allegedly spying for Iran, including installing cameras near the home of Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, the Shin Bet and Israel Police announced on Tuesday in a joint statement. Roi Mizrachi and his friend Almog Attias, both 24 and residents of the northern city of Nesher, were arrested at the end of April 2025, on suspicion of committing security offenses after being suspected of collecting intelligence in the Kfar Achim moshav, where Katz resides. The investigation by the Shin Bet and the police revealed that Roi was in contact with Iranian terrorist elements and carried out a large number of various security tasks for them, some of them together with his friend Almog.

In the latest of a series of incidents, an envelope containing a suspicious powder was sent to the office of Health Minister Ariel Busso (Shas) on Tuesday. The Knesset Spokesperson stated: “The Knesset Guard is examining an envelope containing a suspicious powder that was sent to the office of Minister Ariel Busso in the Knesset. In accordance with the Guard’s procedures in such events, an update has been forwarded to the Israel Police, and the envelope and the suspicious material it contains will be transferred for further examination by the authorities.” According to initial assessments, there is no immediate danger, but all security agencies continue to handle the incident with the utmost caution.

Democrats Party chairman and former IDF Chief of Staff Yair Golan sparked nationwide outrage on Tuesday over outrageous and false statements he made in an interview. Speaking on Kan Reshet Bet, Golan said: “Israel is on its way to becoming a pariah state among nations, like the South Africa of the past, if we don’t go back to acting like a sane country.

By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
In Vayikra 25:2, the Torah tells us that the land should rest in the seventh year as a Shabbos laHashem. In 25:4, the pasuk states that one may not plant or harvest. From here, we see that Shmitta consists of two mitzvos: one positive and one negative.