Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that he prefers Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to lead the war rather than his former partners in the opposition. In an interview with Maariv, he said: “Netanyahu is the prime minister; he was elected by the people. When I look at the options today, I can clearly say that it is much better that Netanyahu is leading, with all the criticism I had of him, than Gantz or Lapid. That’s my inner truth and I can’t tell myself another story.” He admitted that he made a mistake when he resigned from the emergency government during the war together with Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party.

Working structure fire on East 4th Street between Quentin Road and Kings Highway. Heavy flames showing from the home. Heavy smoke throughout the entire area.  

At least 26 enslaved people died on the Tennessee plantation of President Andrew Jackson between 1804 and the end of the Civil War in 1865. Where they were laid to rest is knowledge that had been lost to time. But on Wednesday, the Andrew Jackson Foundation announced a discovery: They believe they have found the slave cemetery at The Hermitage, the home of America’s seventh president. An old agricultural report from the 1930s had given them an idea: It mentioned an area that was not cultivated because it contained tall trees and graves. They also suspected the cemetery would be near the center of the 1000-acre (405-hectare) plantation, and on land of low agricultural value.

In a striking address to the Iranian people delivered on Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke directly to the citizens of Iran, highlighting the failures of their government and expressing hope for a future of peace and freedom in the region. Netanyahu began by reflecting on the recent collapse of regimes and organizations financially and militarily supported by the Iranian government. “Your oppressors spent over $30 billion supporting Assad in Syria,” he said. “Today, after only 11 days of fighting, his regime collapsed into dust.” He pointed to similar defeats in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hamas and Hezbollah suffered devastating losses. The Prime Minister criticized Iran’s rulers for mismanaging national resources.

A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning and left his wife and three children and was believed to have been in Eastern Europe willingly returned to the U.S. after roughly four months and is in custody, a sheriff said Wednesday. Ryan Borgwardt “came back on his own” because of his family, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said during a brief news conference. “We can stand here feeling relieved,” Podoll said. Borgwardt, 45, landed Tuesday and was being held at the county jail pending an afternoon court appearance. The sheriff said his office has recommended a number of charges, including obstruction. A message seeking information on potential charges was not immediately returned by the county prosecutor. Last month, Podoll said Borgwardt began communicating with authorities on Nov.

Canada’s central bank lowered its key interest rate by half a percentage point on Wednesday and called President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada “a major source of new uncertainty.” The Bank of Canada’s decision marked the fifth consecutive reduction since June and brings the central bank’s key rate down to 3.25%. Forecasters were widely expecting a big rate cut after the November labor force survey showed the unemployment rate rose to 6.8%. Governor Tiff Macklem said in his prepared statement that the central bank opted for two large rate cuts in a row because inflation and economic growth don’t need to be restricted anymore. With inflation back at the 2% target, the central bank is now focused on keeping it there.

During an interview with Time Magazine for its 2024 Person of the Year feature, President-elect Donald Trump says he may consider altering childhood vaccination programs in the United States, raising questions about vaccine safety and efficacy. Trump’s comments, paired with his appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have reignited debates around a theory linking vaccines to autism. In the interview, Trump stated he plans to have a “big discussion” with Kennedy about the future of vaccination programs. While Trump did not explicitly claim vaccines cause autism, he expressed concern. “The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible,” he said.

TikTok has challenged a Canadian government order to shut down the Chinese video-sharing app’s business operations in the country that was imposed over national security concerns. The company said Tuesday that it filed an application for a judicial review with the Federal Court in Vancouver on Dec. 5, which seeks to set aside the order for TikTok to wind-up and cease its business in Canada. The Canadian federal government last month announced it was ordering the dissolution of TikTok Technology Canada Inc. after a national security review of its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. The government is not blocking access to the TikTok app, which will continue to be available to Canadians. TikTok said it has 14 million users in Canada, which is about a third of the population.

Excitement is building as tens of thousands of Amud HaYomi learners prepare for a historic siyum on Masechta Shabbos, one of the most important masechtos in Shas. Adding to the anticipation, HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, has written a heartfelt letter urging Klal Yisrael to join the Amud HaYomi program for Masechta Eiruvin, which begins on Thursday, 25 Kislev/December 26. This handwritten letter by Rav Landau has inspired widespread enthusiasm, leading to the establishment of new night kollelim dedicated to the Amud HaYomi program. Dirshu has also reported a surge in enrollment, spurred by the upcoming siyumim celebrating this milestone.

Efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages are gaining momentum as Hamas has reportedly agreed to two major Israeli conditions, Arab mediators revealed to the Wall Street Journal. The developments mark a potential breakthrough after months of stalled negotiations, raising the possibility of hostages being released within days. For the first time, Hamas has signaled it would accept a deal allowing Israeli forces to temporarily remain in Gaza during a ceasefire. Additionally, the group has provided a list of hostages it is willing to release, including U.S. citizens. This marks a big shift in Hamas’s position, which previously rejected these demands. The proposed plan, backed by the U.S.