A highly decorated Army soldier who fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck just before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes saying the New Year’s Day explosion was a stunt to serve as a “wake up call” for the country’s ills, investigators said Friday. Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, also wrote in notes he left on his cellphone that he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.” Livelsberger served in the Army since 2006 and deployed twice to Afghanistan. “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence.

The State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel, U.S. officials say, as the American ally presses forward with its war against Hamas in Gaza. Some of the arms in the package could be sent through current U.S. stocks but the majority would take a year or several years to deliver, according to two U.S. officials Saturday who spoke on condition of anonymity because the notification to Congress hasn’t been formally sent. The sale includes medium-range air-to-air missiles to help Israel defend against airborne threats, 155 mm projectile artillery shells for long-range targeting, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, 500-pound bombs and more. The weapons package would add to a record of at least $17.9 billion in military aid that the U.S.

Interpol recently issued an international arrest warrant for Lev Tahor leader Jonathan Emanuel Cardona Castillo on charges of human trafficking, assault, and child abuse. The Interpol notification was approved by the prosecution in Guatemala and the national civil police. Castillo, who was born in El Salvador and was “megayeir” via the Lev Tahor cult, is accused of severe child abuse. Sources familiar with the matter say that he is known for his cruelty and is essentially the one doing all the dirty work of the cult. Last August, several survivors of the Lev Tahor cult arrived at the cult’s compound in Guatemala to try to meet their family members still in the cult and were confronted by Castillo and other cult members.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz held high-level discussions on Tuesday with senior IDF officials to address the integration of more Charedim into military service. Katz met with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, Personnel Directorate Chief Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, and Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi to review proposals aimed at increasing enlistment within the Charedi community. “We must create a framework that respects the values of the Charedi community while ensuring their contribution to national defense,” Katz said.

A growing rift within the MAGA movement has emerged over the issue of skilled foreign worker visas, exposing sharp divisions between President-elect Donald Trump and some of his most vocal supporters, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon. The internal feud has spilled into public view, with tech billionaire Elon Musk at the center of the controversy. Trump expressed his support for the H-1B visa program, which allows American companies to hire skilled workers from abroad. His comments put him at odds with Bannon and a significant portion of the MAGA base that views such programs as detrimental to American workers. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump wrote on social media.

A wave of public outrage has swept across social media after T-shirts glorifying Yahya Sinwar were discovered for sale on Walmart’s online marketplace. The revelation has left many consumers aghast at the retail giant, with some calling it a staggering lapse in judgment. StopAntisemitism, an organization dedicated to combating anti-Jewish hate, led the charge, expressing indignation that the world’s largest retailer would allow the sale of merchandise they say promotes terrorism. “Does Walmart understand that it sells clothing that glorifies terrorism and violence against Jews?” the group asked. Although internet sleuths pointed out that an independent third-party vendor was responsible for the offending merchandise, critics argue this does little to absolve Walmart of responsibility.

The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded inappropriate favors from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted the resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey Friday night, effective immediately, according to an emailed statement from the department Saturday. John Chell, the department’s chief of patrol, will take over as interim chief of department and Philip Rivera will assume Chell’s duties as the head of the patrol division, the department said.

In a segment brimming with wild speculation and eyebrow-raising leaps of logic, the hosts of The View turned their attention to Elon Musk’s political influence, weaving an elaborate tale of intrigue involving Musk, JD Vance, and Donald Trump. The discussion, if it can be called that, spiraled into borderline paranoia, with the panel questioning whether Musk and Vance might be plotting to oust—or worse, eliminate—President-elect Trump. The segment opened with Whoopi Goldberg lamenting Musk’s alleged sway over House Speaker Mike Johnson after Johnson admitted consulting Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy before opposing a continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown. Goldberg, with characteristic hyperbole, declared, “I think Elon Musk believes he’s president.

As we edge closer to Inauguration Day, a chilling scenario looms that could throw the democratic process into chaos—and hand Kamala Harris the presidency indefinitely. Imagine this: President Joe Biden resigns, making Harris the new President. She then declines to nominate a Vice President, exploiting a constitutional loophole that could prevent the certification of election results and deny Donald Trump his rightful victory. According to Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution and the 25th Amendment, when the Vice Presidency is vacant, the President must nominate a replacement, subject to majority approval by Congress. But what if Harris simply refuses?

Sunni Sheikh Hassan Mourab, who is considered a supporter of Hezbollah, acknowledged in an interview with Lebanese television that the terrorist organization is in a very difficult situation – in fact, “Israel has left nothing of Hezbollah.” Referring to the series of assassinations of senior Hezbollah figures, he said: “The organization has suffered severe blows at the high command levels, the lower levels, and in the infrastructure in southern Lebanon. What else is left that the enemy has not achieved? What else is left for them to do?” he wondered. “What is left for us? Tell me.” “Southern Lebanon has been completely destroyed. And at the end, Hezbollah was also forbidden from operating weapons inside Lebanon and outside it. Okay? So what is left of Hezbollah? Nothing.