As previously reported by Chaim V’Chessed, a significant travel update took effect at the start of 2025: all travelers to Israel are now required to complete an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before departure. Without an approved ETA, airlines will not permit passengers to board flights to Israel—with the exception of Israeli passport holders. Even Israeli citizens need an ETA – if traveling on a foreign passport. With the conclusion of the busy Pesach travel season, many are now returning to Israel after the holiday, while others are arriving for the first time. Whether you’re a seasoned visitor or a newcomer, it is absolutely vital to confirm that you have a valid ETA in hand before traveling. Do Student Visa Holders Need an ETA?


George Santos, once a rising figure in New York politics who rapidly fell from grace, was sentenced on Friday in his wide-ranging federal corruption case—and broke down in tears as the judgment was delivered.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Santos, the ex-congressman from Long Island, to seven years and three months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $373,000 in restitution. Santos had built his campaign on a foundation of fabrications and deception, and his lies eventually caught up with him in court.

A long-serving judge in Wisconsin has been taken into custody for allegedly assisting a Mexican national in the U.S. illegally to elude federal immigration officers inside her courtroom, the FBI chief said on Friday.
Judge Hannah Dugan, who has presided in Milwaukee County courts for close to ten years, faces an obstruction charge for allegedly preventing the arrest of Eduardo Flores Ruiz during an incident last week.
“We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in an X post.

BREAKING: George Santos, a former U.S. Representative for New York’s 3rd district, was sentenced to 7 years in prison on April 25, 2025, for fraud, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, following a 13-count indictment unsealed in 2024 by the Eastern District of New York.

Crown Heights activist Yaakov Berman blasts Hamas protestors who gathered in Crown Heights on Thursday night.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met this morning with United States CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla. Katz’s office says that the meeting focused on “several security and regional issues.”

DNI Tulsi Gabbard following the referral of Intelligence leakers to the DOJ for prosecution: “I made it very clear… we will not allow this… what you’re seeing here is me carrying out the promise and the mandate the American people gave Trump.”

President Donald Trump said the United States would “willingly” join Israel in launching a military assault on Iran if nuclear negotiations collapse, though he still holds out hope for a diplomatic resolution. Speaking to Time Magazine in a wide-ranging interview reflecting on the first 100 days of his second term, Trump addressed mounting tensions with Tehran, his recent diplomatic outreach, and the growing pressure from Jerusalem to take action. “If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack,” Trump said, making it clear he’s not afraid of confrontation should Iran fail to come to terms. The interview follows reports that Israel recently proposed a series of coordinated strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Munition being loaded onto F-35Cs with Strike Fighter Squadron 97, onboard the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, as strikes continue against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Western Yemen.

WATCH: A car bomb explosion in the town of Balashikha to the east of Moscow, eliminated the Deputy Head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Yaroslav Moskalik.

REPORTER: Have you spoken to President Xi since the tariffs? POTUS: “I’ve spoken to him many times.”

India has now completely cut off water flow to Pakistan from the Salal and Pakal Dul hydroelectric projects on the Chenab River. This action according to Pakistan, is an act of war.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addresses the Trump 2028 Hat: “It’s just a hat…though I her the hats are flying off the shelves!”

During operations in Gaza, a terrorist cell fired an anti-tank missile at IDF troops from a window of a building where they were hiding. Responding rapidly, an IAF aircraft eliminated the terrorist cell. The incident concluded without any casualties to IDF troops.

A Wisconsin judge was arrested for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest by funneling him through a jury door to avoid the ICE agents waiting for him.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep.

The National Weather Service is set to restart its language translation services for those who don’t speak English, beginning Monday. This move marks a reversal of a widely criticized decision made earlier this month to halt the service.
The suspension happened after the agency’s agreement with an artificial intelligence vendor ended. That AI system had replaced human translators in 2023, with the NWS arguing that relying on people for the task had proven too demanding.
The AI firm had been handling translations for languages including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Samoan.
Census figures show that there are 42 million Spanish speakers in the United States, in addition to 26 million residents who primarily speak a language other than English at home.

Hamas issued a fierce statement on Thursday in reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s remarks during Holocaust Remembrance Day, drawing a highly inflammatory comparison between Gaza and a Nazi concentration camp.
“Gaza today is the ‘Auschwitz’ of the 21st century, where the ashes are Palestinian and the perpetrator is Zionist,” the terror organization declared in its statement.
“Those who weep for the victims of Nazism are now the masters of genocide in our time,” it added.
The message appeared to be a direct rebuttal to Netanyahu’s speech at Yad Vashem, where he drew stark parallels between Hamas and the Nazi regime responsible for the Holocaust.

Pages