Today is Yom Hazikaron, Israel's memorial day. the day began Monday evening with a nationwide one-minute siren in memory of 25,648 fallen soldiers. A two-minute siren sounded across the country at 11 a.m., followed by memorial ceremonies at cemeteries nationwide.
The state memorial ceremony for victims of terror was held on Tuesday at the monument on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The somber day will transition into Israel's Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut, tonight, celebrating 78 years of statehood in the Holy Land.
Israeli forces are currently deployed in a security zone in southern Lebanon extending up to 10 kilometers from the border,(6.21 miles) from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the foothills of Mount Hermon in the east.
Michael Issa is a Lebanese-American diplomat and businessman who is serving the United States ambassador to Lebanon since 2025. As of April 2026, Mike Huckabee is the United States Ambassador to Israel, having assumed the role on April 21, 2025. Based in Jerusalem, Huckabee is the 29th person to hold this position, serving as an appointee of President Donald Trump.
The ambassadors to the U.S. from Lebanon and Israel, Michael Issa and Mike Huckabee will meet for the second time in Washington on Thursday to continue direct talks.
Let's take a moment today to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend Israel and the Jewish People and to ensure that the State of Israel will continue to celebrate its Independence Days for generations to come.
January 14, 2026 with woman shouting and wearing the Iranian lion and sun flags during a protest outside Iran's embassy.
The Iranian Revolution that was said to have started yesterday greeted me at 8:30am this morning by Tousi's station. According to him, the main TV stations were told of it but don't seem to want to announce it. Tousi's station is showing how the streets are full of revolutionaries and about 10 policemen in a group here and there are on motorcycles.
They are shooting at the street people. The people are begging them to join them.
The Central Bank resigned and is no longer there and the money is worthless. Another has taken his place.
The Prince, now referred to as the King sends his support.
Touse pointed out that Israel has been given permission from Trump to fight in defense if it is fighting against Iranian missiles and also anything nuclear.
This makes 2 things Iran has to be concerned with right now. Tousi was quite happy about Israel possibly joining in the fight, which they have all along in certain ways.
I may be easily shocked these days, not agreeing with what I'm seeing on a few programs now and then being I'm 91. I was watching The View and and an Arab comic was introduced to the group. A section of SESAME STREET was shown and he slipped in some statements swiftly such as FREE PALESTINE in his comedic program that were shown, and to me that wasn't funny at all.
He's a young Arab, married, can't wait to have a child. Do young Arabs or any people in the audience have a clue as to what is meant by FREE PALESTINE?
As a Jew who writes about our history every day along with the current affairs of Israel and everyone involved in their present-day story, I take the term meaning what Arabs decided in their meeting in Kartoum, Africa in 1967 and that hasn't been changed or been erased, and that's to drive the Jews our of what was named, Palestine, and into the sea.
"At the Khartoum Conference in September 1967, following the Six-Day War, eight Arab heads of state formulated a unified stance against Israel known as the "Three Noes". The resolution formally decided against peace,recognition, or negotiations with Israel, focusing instead on reclaiming occupied territories through diplomatic, nonviolent efforts."The problem was that according to them, most all of Israel to them were occupied territories!"
What is this comic seeing as freeing Palestine? From Who? What?
First of all, The Roman Emperor Hadrian is generally credited with formally applying the name "Syria Palaestina" (Syria-Palestine) to the region in 135 CE. Following the suppression of the Bar Kokhba Jewish revolt, Hadrian aimed to break the Jewish connection to the land by renaming Judea after the ancient Philistines, the historic enemies of the Jewish people.
Up until 1917-1918, Jews and Arabs were living in the land of which the British held a 30 year mandate over. Jews also have "Palestine" written on their Passport if they were born there.
The British held a roughly 30-year administrative mandate and military rule over Palestine (including the area that became Israel) from 1917–1918 (military occupation) until May 14–15, 1948.
While military rule began after capturing the region in 1917-1918, the official League of Nations Mandate was formally assigned in 1920 and took effect in 1923, lasting until the British withdrawal in 1948.
This all brings to my mind of the children's programming in Arab countries that have shown terrible Jews, anti-Semitic drivel indoctrinating people like this comic when little as well.
"Certain children's programs, particularly on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV, have historically used puppet characters and live-action shows to promote violent anti-Semitism, urging children to kill Israelis and hate Jews. Shows like Tomorrow's Pioneers (2007-2009) portrayed Jews as murderers and dishonest, fostering hatred and encouraging martyrdom among young viewers."
Pioneers of Tomorrow (Al-Aqsa TV): This show featured characters like Farfur (a Mickey Mouse look-alike) and Nahoul (a bee) who were portrayed as teaching children to resist with violence, with characters often dying as "martyrs" and being described as killed by "the enemies of Allah, the Jews".
The show is hosted by a young Saraa Barhoum and a largecostumed character, who perform skits and discuss life in Palestine in atalk showfashion with call-ins from young children. Presented in a children's educational format similar to shows likeSesame StreetandMister Rogers' Neighborhood,Tomorrow's PioneersteachesIslamistmorals and values, periodically quoting theHadithandQuran. According to various news outlets and western sources, the show also containsantisemitic,anti-American,and otheranti-Westernthemes.Palestinian Media Watchhas characterised the show's messages as "hostile", while others have argued that criticism of the show adds to negative stereotyping of Muslims in general.
According to the comic, he did hear about sneaking in the Free Palestine bit as not being acceptable to some of us, but here it was again and laughed about.
The Pope Visit:Ramy Youssef is a renowned Egyptian-American comedian and actor who was among the many international comedians to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in June 2024.
The Context: He discussed his experiences visiting the Vatican on various shows, sometimes in connection with Stephen Colbert, who was also present, and has often shared humorous anecdotes about his Muslim faith in conversation with Catholic figures. The View: Whoopi Goldberg, a co-host on The View, was part of the same delegation and discussed the event on the show, sharing that the Pope told them their work makes God smile.
For your information: Approximately 2.1 million Palestinians (often referred to as Arab citizens of Israel) live in Israel as of late 2023, making up roughly 21% of the country’s population. These citizens are largely descendants of those who remained during the 1948 war and hold Israeli citizenship, although they face systemic disparities.
Example: we Jews make up 2% of the USA population.
Willamette Week tells us that All-Star forward Deni Avdija had missed several games earlier in March with a lower back injury that had plagued him throughout the season, and most members of the rotation had been on the shelf at some point throughout the season. As such, it seemed likely that the team would shut it down and play for next season, as they had done for the previous four, and await the return of Damian Lillard, who spent the year selling Toyotas as he recovered from a torn Achilles.
Shaedon Sharpe
Instead, the team rallied behind interim coach, Tiago Splitter, and has now gone 11–4 since the loss to Philadelphia, with Avdija regaining his form and Sharpe unexpectedly returning to the lineup with two games left in the regular season. Portland’s second-leading scorer, Shaedon Sharpe, had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left fibula and was widely assumed to miss the rest of the season.
Everything culminated with their win Tuesday night in Phoenix, which saw the Blazers erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit behind the dominant play of Avdija, who finished with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds.
The Blazers are a better team than their record would suggest. They have young, high-upside talent just starting to hit its stride, plus a core of battle-tested veterans, most of whom are plus defenders. They’re also playing with nothing to lose, and will have at least two home games in front of a rabid home crowd that hasn’t seen true, full-capacity playoff basketball since 2019. Betting against them may be ill-advised.
Yes, the Portland Trail Blazers last played the Phoenix Suns, winning 114-110 on April 14, 2026, in the 7/8 matchup of the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. Led by Deni Avdija's 41 points, Portland secured the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and will next face the San Antonio Spurs.
The Portland Trail Blazers played the Denver Nuggets four times during the 2025-2026 NBA regular season, with the most recent game taking place on April 6, 2026(a 137-132 Nuggets overtime win). Other matchups in that season occurred on October 31, 2025, February 20, 2026, and March 22, 2026.The Denver Nuggets (51-28) are a top-tier Western Conference contender dominating the 2025-26 season, while the Portland Trail Blazers (40-39) are a rebuilding team fighting for a lower playoff spot. Denver has dominated the 2026 season series, including a 54-point win, behind Nikola Jokić's MVP-level play.
The Portland Trail Blazers are playing the San Antonio Spurs tonight, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs. The game takes place at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post. He has been a columnist for Newsweek, editor of Newsweek International, and an editor at large of Time.
Fareed Zakaria on CNN this morning asked another about the fate of Iran's Democracy ! That's a conundrum. There is no Democracy in Iran. There hasn't been any Democracy since the first Ayatollah took over the country when they forced the Shah of Iran out! That's been 47 years of going without Democracy !
"Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control of Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with his definitive return from exile on February 1, 1979, marking the shift in power. He was formally confirmed as the first Supreme Leader of Iran following a national referendum on December 3, 1979, which approved a new constitution".
It's still under the Ayatollah regime only harsher with those next in line. They are 10 times tougher-minded. For example, they believe not in an eye for and eye but an eye for an arm, leg, and head.
Reza on right side of picture
The people of Iran have rebelled and want a new regime. The former Shah of Iran's son, Reza Pahlavi (born October 31, 1960), was the Crown Prince before the 1979 revolution. He resides in the United States as an exiled political activist and is leading calls for a secular democracy in Iran. He has been in touch with them all along, and was even allowed time on CNN. He wants to return and help the people create a democratic voting process for their chosen leader.
Background: Iranian-born, he came to Britain as a child with his mother, who was a refugee fleeing the Iranian regime. Channel: Operates a popular daily news show, often discussing UK politics, the Middle East, and Israel. I have watched daily the scenes he shows of life in Iran, and is advocating for the people's resistance to the government today.
This young man,MahyarTousi, Iranian now living in England, has video-taped all the action in Iran to let us see the people in the streets at night, and what is happening since Iran has turned off all electricity, meaning lights, computers, etc, all ways of communicating with anyone.
The problem is that Trump has not recognized him or helped him in any way. He seems to be backing the STRONGEST HORSE, an old expression of Arabs and how they feel about leadership. It still is showing up in Syria with a former terrorist, Jolani, presiding as President with Trump's approval.
There will continue to be havoc in the Middle East caused by Iran if not replaced with Reza Pahlavi, and Trump, therefore, will have to see the light and help somehow. That's my forecast.
There are many people still calling Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel that he is a war criminal ! Benjamin Netanyahu has been described as a "war criminal" by a variety of political figures, human rights organizations, international legal bodies, and protesters in response to the Israeli military action in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Yes, on October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched a major, coordinated terrorist attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. This surprise attack involved rocket barrages, infiltration of armed militants, and resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people—mostly Israeli civilians—and the taking of over 240 hostages on a Jewish holiday.
October 7, 2023, fell on Simchat Torah (and the concluding day of Shemini Atzeret), a joyous Jewish holiday marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. The attack occurred during the morning celebrations, as noted on Hebcal, transitioning the day into a moment of deep mourning.
Holiday Details: Simchat Torah is the final holiday in the High Holiday season, often celebrated with dancing and singing.
It is a high-joy holiday meant for spiritual renewal, which was disrupted by the Hamas attack.
It was also the day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
That's when Israel was attacked unmercifully by Gazans who brought on the worst killings of Jews since the Holocaust.The kibbutzim were the first attacked, murdered in ways of causing he most pain of which the ID was slow in retaliation.
If these accusators of Netanyahu could have seen the scene before the IDF that got to Netanyahu and his government, youwould have passed out. It was horrendous!
Infiltration & Tactics: Militants breached the border at multiple points, targeting border communities (kibbutzim) and a music festival.
War Initiation: The assault resulted in Israel formally declaring war and initiating a large-scale military operation in Gaza.
The world’s top war crimes court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court said they committed crimes against humanity for intentionally depriving Gazans of food and directing attacks against civilians.
Israel called it an anti-semitic attack on democracies trying to defend themselves from terrorism. Nick Schifrin reports. This statement left out the fact that they did not intentionally deprive Gazans of food, or that Hamas was stealing the food off Israel's trucks and re-selling it to Gazans at high prices. Hamas kept food for themselves. They kept working on their starvation theory to harm Israel's reputation !
This statement also left out the facts that Israel always does everything possible to avoid killing civilians. They use loud speakers, drop pamphlets from planes, telephone the families, everything to notify them to move to a safer place.
It is so disgusting that our general population, even some of my own family may be one of those accusers; all from not being in the line of hearing what the truth has been.
By the way; where are the charges against Hamas of Gaza who surprise attacked as if all were high on some halucinatory drugs to have been so blood-thirsty in their attack? To have attacked in the first place? Many were Gazans who had found work in these outlying Jewish communities. They had been treated like friends! Never will those surviving Jews trust them again.
Why isn't Hamas up for being war criminals?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted with intense defiance and fury to accusations of war crimes and the subsequent issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling the actions as a " "modern-day Drifus trial"" and an act of "pure antisemitism".
Rejection of Equivalence: Netanyahu expressed "disgust" at the ICC prosecutor's comparison of "democratic Israel" with the "mass murderers" of Hamas, stating that the move targets the entire State of Israel and its soldiers.
Accusations of Antisemitism and Bias: He has repeatedly accused the ICC of bias and antisemitism, alleging that the court is a political body attempting to "shackle Israel's hands" and prevent it from defending itself.
Attacks on the Prosecutor:Netanyahu has labeled ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan as a "corrupt" official trying to "cover his own crimes".Khan temporarily stepped down as chief prosecutor in May 2025 due to allegations of sexual misconduct, but was cleared.
Denial of Jurisdiction: Netanyahu's office stated that Israel "denies the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants".
Vow to Continue War: He has pledged that no pressure or international decision will prevent Israel from "striking those who seek to destroy us" and completing its war objectives.
Legal Challenges: Netanyahu announced that Israel would submit an appeal against the warrants, demanding a delay in their execution.
Based on March 2026 reports surrounding the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, all five Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—have indicated they would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters their territory. While they are legally bound as ICC members, reports of a "coordinated, total air blockade" of their airspace are unconfirmed.
The reaction from Israeli political leaders across the spectrum was united, with many echoing the charge of antisemitism. The US government, not a member of the ICC, also rejected the allegations, with then-President Biden calling the move "outrageous".
