Senate

Political standoff causing DHS shutdown delays security grants for synagogues

The grant program has become a cornerstone of security planning for Jewish institutions across the United States, especially in the wake of sometimes deadly attacks.

|ByASAF ELIA-SHALEV/JTA
Security cameras hang across the street from the Park East Synagogue, NY, 3, 2017, Illustrative.
A VISITOR holds an AIPAC folder in an elevator in Rayburn House Office Building on March 12, 2024 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

AIPAC targeting US congressional candidates who want to condition aid to Israel

“We are going to have a focus on stopping candidates who are detractors of Israel or who want to put conditions on aid,” Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for AIPAC’s super PAC, said in an interview.

|ByJOSEPH STRAUSS/JTA
US President Donald Trump speaks during a remembreance ceremony in the East Room at the White House, February 23, 2026; illustrative.

Trump 'willing to use lethal force' against Iran, White House says

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt made her statements during the buildup to Trump's State of the Union address, scheduled for 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

|ByREUTERS
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, attends a press conference about the situation in Iran and the need to support Iranians, in Paris, France, June 23, 2025.

Pahlavi or Khamenei: Iran is at a crossroads - opinion

The West keeps mistaking regime survival tactics for reform; the Iranians know better and have paid with their lives.

|ByMANI BASHARZAD, MIKE SALEM

Trump withdraws State Department Middle East nominee, source says

Trump withdraws Joel Rayburn's nomination as assistant secretary of state after concerns over his role in US troop deployment discussions in Syria.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByREUTERS
Joel Rayburn, then-US deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 29, 2019.

Trump nominee for Kuwait ambassador grilled at confirmation hearing, loses support on Israel views

Amer Ghalib faces tough questioning from Republicans over past anti-Israel stances at his confirmation hearing for Kuwait ambassadorship, putting his nomination at risk.

OCTOBER 24, 2025ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Hamtramck, Michigan, mayor Amer Ghalib at his Senate confirmation hearing to become President Trump's ambassador to Kuwait, October 23, 2025

Sanders-backed Democrat who accuses Israel of 'genocide' has Nazi 'Totenkopf' tattoo

Graham Platner, a military veteran and Maine Senate candidate, faces backlash after revealing a Nazi tattoo and denying knowledge of its meaning.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner sports a Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, in an archival video released by Platner himself. The skull-and-crossbones symbol is commonly associated with the Nazi SS.

Trump nominee Paul Ingrassia withdraws after rare Republican pushback over 'Nazi streak' text

Ingrassia also denounced the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in private text messages, according to a report in Politico.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByREUTERS
Paul J. Ingrassia

US Senate confirms former Trump security adviser Waltz as ambassador to UN

The tally was 47 to 43 in the 100-member chamber, with several senators missing the vote.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025ByREUTERS
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025.

Enablers, accomplices, and America’s unhealth: How RFK Jr. makes the US sick - opinion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could become America’s greatest mass killer as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the senators who confirmed him are his accomplices.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2025ByDOUGLAS BLOOMFIELD
US HEALTH and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

DNC blocks resolution calling for recognition of Palestinian statehood, halting Israel arms sales

A Democratic National Committee panel blocked a resolution calling for the suspension of military aid to Israel, reflecting growing divisions within the party.

AUGUST 27, 2025ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
Allison Minnerly, a new Gen Z DNC member from Florida, speaks about a resolution she proposed seeking to block arms sales to Israel and recognize a Palestinian state.

Jewish Democrat Jamie Raskin joins lawmakers backing bill to restrict arms transfers to Israel

Raskin’s backing of the Block the Bombs Act last week comes amid a marked decline in Democratic support for Israel, as the war in Gaza wages on for its 22nd month.

AUGUST 19, 2025ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speaks to the media after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025.

Trump judicial nominee Bove clears Senate panel despite Democratic protest

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the nomination of Emil Bove for a lifetime appointment, while many Democrats left the hearing.

JULY 17, 2025ByREUTERS
Attorney Emil Bove looks on as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appears remotely for a sentencing hearing in front of New York State Judge Juan Merchan in the criminal case in which he was convicted in 2024, January 10 2025

Mike Waltz testifies before Senate, defends use of Signal amid scandal

While being intensely questioned by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Waltz allegedly sought to downplay the scandal over leaked military information.

JULY 16, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025.