Fewer than 20% of Israelis rate the country’s overall situation as “good” or “very good,” according to the 2024 Israeli Democracy Index published by the Israel Democracy Institute. Despite this, two-thirds of Israelis still view the country as a good place to live. The survey reveals a strong sense of belonging to the state among a majority of Jewish respondents, while a smaller majority of Arabs share similar sentiments, albeit with lingering challenges. The survey was first conducted in May 2024 and revisited in October, meaning it does not reflect more recent developments such as the Lebanon ceasefire or the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.

Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been charged with conspiring to export sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other service members, the Justice Department said Monday. The pair were arrested after FBI specialists who analyzed the drone traced its navigation system to an Iranian company operated by one of the defendants, who relied on parts and technology funneled into the country by his alleged co-conspirator, prosecutors said. “We often cite hypothetical risk when we talk about the dangers of American technology getting into dangerous hands,” U.S.

FBI Director Christopher Wray personally handed a diploma to a graduate from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, identified as hailing from “Ramallah, state of Palestine.” The incident, which occurred on December 12, has sparked outrage and renewed accusations that the FBI is undermining U.S. policy and emboldening anti-Israel sentiments. Husham Abu-Aisha, the graduate in question, was identified as a member of the Palestinian Authority’s Preventive Security Organization. Troubling details emerged shortly after, with Front Page Magazine reporting that Abu-Aisha had previously “liked” a video praising Saddam Hussein on social media. In a stinging rebuke, the outlet wrote: “The FBI used to fight terrorists.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he may reverse President Joe Biden’s recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump called the decision made by Biden last month “stupid.” He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the U.S. to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border. “I don’t think that should have been allowed, not when there’s a possibility — certainly not just weeks before I take over,” Trump said during at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

A disturbing new poll has revealed that a huge percentage of young voters believe the recent killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City was “acceptable”—a finding that should spark shock and concern about crumbling moral attitudes among younger generations. The Emerson College poll found that 41% of voters aged 18-29 said the killing was acceptable, compared to 40% who deemed it unacceptable. Within this group, 24% described the act as “somewhat acceptable,” while an alarming 17% labeled it as “completely acceptable.” These numbers stand in stark contrast to the views of older voters, 68% of whom condemned the murder as unacceptable.

Senator Josh Hawley is making a bold push in the upcoming 2025 tax debate with a proposal to increase the child tax credit from $2,000 to $5,000 per child, Axios reports, a measure that would provide substantial financial relief to large families, particularly Orthodox Jewish households, which often have many children. Hawley’s plan, if passed, would dramatically reshape how families access the child tax credit. In addition to increasing the credit to $5,000 per child, the proposal would allow parents to claim the credit for the tax year in which a child is born, starting during the year of the pregnancy itself. This change would help parents manage the significant upfront costs of welcoming a new child into their home.

Senior U.S. officials say that Turkish forces and those of its militia allies are gathered along the border with Syria, raising concerns that Ankara is preparing for a large-scale invasion of territory held by US-backed Syrian Kurds, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday night. The forces, including militia fighters, Turkish uniformed commandos and artillery in large numbers, are concentrated near Kobani, a Kurdish-majority city in Syria on the northern border with Turkey, the officials said. One of the US officials said that a Turkish cross-border operation could be imminent. The buildup, which began after the fall of the Assa regime, is similar to Turkish military steps before it invaded northeast Syria in 2019.

Scientists have spotted what appear to be two stars whipping around each other near the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Nearly every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its heart. The one in the middle of the Milky Way, called Sagittarius A(asterisk), is about 4 million times more massive than our sun and is relatively quiet, occasionally swallowing gas or dust that comes its way. Scientists know stars can form near and even orbit these black hole behemoths, but they’ve never seen a pair of stars survive so close by. The research was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Syrian residents of border villages where IDF troops are currently stationed have been collecting weapons, including chemical weapons, left over from the Assad regime and handing them over to the IDF for controlled destruction, Channel 12 News reported on Monday evening. According to the report, the rebels are assisting the villagers in collecting the weapons and transferring them to the IDF. “We found several weapons filled with chemical warfare agents,” one of the IDF soldiers told Channel 12.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure to resign from his own Liberal Party after his top minister abruptly quit and criticized his handling of the budget. Trudeau has led the country for nearly a decade, but has become widely unpopular in recent years over a wide range of issues, including the high cost of living and rising inflation. There is no mechanism for Trudeau’s party to force him out in the short-term. He could resign, or his party could be forced from power by a “no confidence” vote in Parliament that would trigger an election that would very likely favor the opposing Conservative Party. If his party were to survive a vote in Parliament — which seems increasingly unlikely — Trudeau could choose to stay on as prime minister until there is an election.