New York
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced his candidacy for New York governor, launching a contentious Republican primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a rising Trump ally who entered the race last month.
The 70-year-old Long Island Republican, re-elected in November with 58 percent of the vote, positioned himself as a pragmatic “MAGA” leader capable of defeating Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul by appealing to moderates and suburban voters frustrated with high taxes and crime. In a campaign video, Blakeman touted his record on fiscal restraint, public safety, and controversial policies like banning transgender athletes from county facilities, while criticizing Hochul’s “liberal failures.” Stefanik’s campaign dismissed the bid as ego-driven, stating Blakeman has “lost just about every race he’s touched” and lacks statewide viability. Hochul’s team labeled him a “bootlicker” echoing Trump’s tariffs that raise costs for families. President Trump, when asked about the matchup, praised both as “great people” but withheld endorsement, saying, “We’ll think about it.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that she will not support an increase in the state’s personal income tax rates during the 2026 budget process, reaffirming her commitment to protecting middle-class families amid economic pressures. In an interview, Hochul highlighted her administration’s recent achievement of reducing middle-class taxes to the lowest level in 70 years through the 2026 executive budget. However, she left open the possibility of other “revenue raisers,” including a potential corporate tax hike, to address fiscal shortfalls and support priorities like universal child care. Hochul emphasized that such options would be evaluated during negotiations, stating, “Anything else has to go into our budget process. So we are not there yet. We don’t know what our needs are.” The remarks follow New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory, whose progressive agenda includes raising the corporate tax rate from 7.25% to 11.25% to fund initiatives like free bus service and rent freezes.
New York State lawmakers introduced legislation to establish a 25-foot buffer zone around entrances, driveways, and parking areas of houses of worship and abortion clinics, restricting demonstrations that impede access. The proposal, sponsored by Assemblymember Micah Lasher and Sen. Sam Sutton, responds to a November 19 anti-Israel protest outside Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, where demonstrators chanted “Death to the IDF” and surrounded attendees, creating intimidation amid heightened antisemitic incidents. Violations would constitute a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and fines, providing law enforcement clearer tools to protect religious freedoms without broadly curtailing speech.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed two executive orders aimed at combating antisemitism and reinforcing ties with Israel, directly challenging the agenda of incoming Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Executive Order 60 prohibits agency heads, chief contracting officers, and mayoral appointees from engaging in procurement practices that discriminate against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens, or entities associated with Israel based on national origin. This measure extends to pension investments, mandating that decisions prioritize financial interests over political boycotts like the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which Mamdani supports. The second order, Executive Order 61, directs NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to review and potentially revise patrol guidelines for regulating protests near houses of worship, proposing buffer zones of 15 to 60 feet to protect worshippers’ access while upholding free speech.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appointed rapper and activist Mysonne Linen to his transition team’s criminal justice advisory group, drawing sharp criticism for elevating a convicted armed robber to influence policy. Linen, 47, served seven years in the late 1990s for two Bronx taxi robberies involving a firearm, charges he admitted while maintaining they stemmed from youthful desperation amid poverty. Released in 2006, Linen has since advocated for violence prevention through his “Hoodie Movement” and Hip-Hop for Respect, collaborating with figures like Jay-Z on reform initiatives. Mamdani praised Linen’s “lived experience and dedication to rehabilitation” as essential for equitable justice reforms, including alternatives to incarceration.
U.S.
A northern Virginia man, Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested in connection with placing two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 5, 2021, the eve of the U.S. Capitol riot. Federal authorities charged Cole with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosives, based on surveillance footage, cellphone records, and purchase histories tracing bomb components like galvanized pipes and timers to him. Cole, who works in a bail bonds office, confessed during interrogation, admitting he supported President Trump but held anarchist views and doubted the 2020 election outcome.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations under state authority. The directive, effective immediately, directs all state agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol, to undertake lawful measures to prevent their activities, such as denying contracts, funds, or benefits to entities providing material support. DeSantis cited the Muslim Brotherhood’s history of supporting violence, including ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, and CAIR’s founding by individuals linked to the Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee to aid Hamas operations in the U.S. The order mirrors Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s November action and aligns with President Trump’s federal review of Brotherhood chapters.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed that over 800,000 individuals have been removed from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program since President Trump took office, citing extensive fraud uncovered through data audits in cooperating states. The removals targeted 500,000 duplicate recipients collecting benefits in multiple states and 186,000 deceased individuals still enrolled, among other irregularities like illegal electronic benefit transfer card misuse. Rollins described the program as “bloated, broken, dysfunctional, and corrupt,” noting the administration’s review of $100 billion in spending led to hundreds of arrests and the identification of thousands of fraudulent claims. The effort, initiated in February with data requests to all states, has faced resistance from 21 Democratic-led states, including California and New York, prompting threats to withhold federal funds until compliance. USDA data shows fraudulent claims cost over $102 million in the first quarter of 2025 alone, up from $31.9 million the prior year.
Republican Matt Van Epps secured victory in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District special election, defeating Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn by 8.9 percentage points with 53.9 percent of the vote to her 45.1 percent. The race, triggered by former Rep. Mark Green’s July retirement to pursue private sector opportunities, drew national scrutiny as a test of Democratic enthusiasm in a Trump +22 district ahead of the 2026 midterms. Van Epps, a West Point graduate, Army veteran, and former Tennessee Department of General Services commissioner, benefited from President Trump’s late endorsement and tele-rallies, framing the contest as a referendum on GOP priorities like economic security and border enforcement. Behn, a progressive organizer dubbed Tennessee’s “AOC” for her advocacy on grocery tax elimination and marijuana legalization, overperformed 2024 results by 12.6 percent, energizing turnout in urban Nashville and suburban counties despite low overall participation typical of off-year specials.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 allowing Texas to use its newly redrawn congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, pausing a lower court’s finding that the boundaries likely constituted racial gerrymandering in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The map, enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature in August and championed by President Donald Trump, is projected to secure up to five additional GOP seats in the state’s 38 districts, bolstering the party’s slim House majority.
A 54-year-old man with an extensive criminal history was arrested after throwing multiple Molotov cocktails at security officers outside the Los Angeles Federal Building, which houses U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices, while shouting derogatory remarks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities identified the suspect as Jose Francisco Jovel of Los Angeles, who arrived at the downtown Civic Center site armed with several incendiary devices, including a lighter and five additional bottles found in his possession. Jovel, who had set his Koreatown apartment ablaze hours earlier following an eviction notice, yelled anti-ICE sentiments before hurling two unlit bottles through open doors—one at an employee entrance and another at the public entrance where visitors waited in line. Protective Security Officers immediately detained him, and he reportedly described his actions as a “terrorist attack,” expressing intent to “blow up the building and spray down all the officers.”
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a prominent Trump ally and 2020 election denier, filed paperwork to form the “Mike Lindell for Governor” committee, enabling fundraising for a potential 2026 Republican bid against incumbent Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Lindell, 64, said he is “98% sure” about entering the race and plans to announce his decision on December 11, joining a crowded GOP field. The move, registered amid a scandal over alleged fraud in Minnesota’s human services programs, positions Lindell to capitalize on voter frustration with Walz.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett filed paperwork on Monday to enter the Democratic primary for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat, challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 contest. The Dallas Democrat, known for her sharp clashes with Republicans and national profile as a Trump critic, announced her bid hours before the filing deadline, shaking up the field. Crockett, 44, who represents Texas’s 30th District, framed her campaign as a fight against “politics as usual,” vowing to prioritize affordability, voting rights, and reproductive freedom for all Texans.
Israel
The Israel Defense Forces announced that the Hasmonean Brigade, its pioneering unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers, has graduated its inaugural squad commanders’ course, with approximately 70 troops certified as leaders. The brigade commander, Col. A., presided over the Tuesday night ceremony attended by families and senior officers, emphasizing the milestone in fostering Charedi military integration. Graduates underwent rigorous training in urban and open-terrain combat, nationwide navigation exercises, and brief operational participation in Gaza, building on the brigade’s establishment in January 2025 to accommodate Charedi youth while preserving religious observance.
Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old American-Israeli dual citizen who endured 584 days in Hamas captivity, has reenlisted in the IDF, donning his uniform for the first time since his May release in a U.S.-brokered deal. Speaking Wednesday at the Nova festival victims’ memorial near the Gaza border before over 1,000 Christian leaders and influencers at the Ambassador Summit 2025, Alexander vowed to leverage his intimate knowledge of Hamas tactics—gleaned from prolonged isolation in tunnels, safe houses, mosques, and schools—to combat the group. “I know the language, I know their culture, I know a lot of things about these demons,” he said, adding that his ordeal was a “present” he refuses to waste. In a direct message to his captors, Alexander declared, “You gave me hell. I’ll give you hell back,” emphasizing his unbreakable resolve and intent to serve “until victory.” The former Golani Brigade soldier, who lost a quarter of his body weight during captivity, announced his return to service in September at a Friends of the IDF gala.
The Israel Defense Forces reported that five soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were wounded in an ambush in eastern Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 3, when several Palestinian terrorists emerged from a tunnel and opened fire. One soldier sustained serious injuries, three moderate, and one light, with all evacuated for medical treatment and their families notified. Troops killed two assailants during the exchange, but a third escaped back into the tunnel after firing an RPG at an armored personnel carrier, which caused the casualties. A search of the area uncovered additional explosives in the terrorists’ vehicle, which were neutralized. The IDF responded with targeted airstrikes and artillery in Rafah and Khan Younis, eliminating a senior Hamas commander in the Rafah Battalion and several operatives. The incident marked the first direct attack on IDF forces since late October, violating the fragile ceasefire under President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, with up to 80 Hamas fighters believed trapped in Rafah tunnels.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, his military secretary since 2023, as the next director of the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, succeeding David Barnea whose five-year term ends in June 2026. Gofman, 46, a career intelligence officer with expertise in covert operations and cyber warfare, has served in elite units including Sayeret Matkal and Unit 8200, earning commendations for his role in thwarting Iranian nuclear threats and Hamas plots. Barnea, appointed in 2021, oversaw operations like the targeted killing of IRGC commanders and intelligence sharing with the U.S. on October 7 warnings. The transition, approved by the security cabinet, follows Barnea’s tenure marked by successes in dismantling ISIS networks in Syria. Gofman will assume office in July 2026, pending Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee review.
Israel completed delivery of its advanced Arrow 3 missile-defense system to Germany, fulfilling a €4 billion agreement signed in September 2023 that represents the largest defense export in the nation’s history. The handover ceremony at Holzdorf Air Base, south of Berlin, was attended by Israeli Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram, U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials, and German Air Force leaders, including Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who hailed the system as a “unique strategic capability” for early-warning and exoatmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles. This marks the first deployment of Arrow 3 outside Israel and the United States, with initial batteries integrated into Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative to counter threats like those from Russia.
Israeli forensic experts confirmed on Thursday that the remains returned from Gaza on Wednesday belonged to Sudthisak Rinthalak, a 42-year-old Thai agricultural worker murdered during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Be’eri. Rinthalak, who had worked on the kibbutz since 2017, was killed near his residence, and his body was abducted by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants who handed it over to Hamas. The Red Cross facilitated the transfer from northern Gaza, where the body was located earlier in the week, before delivering it to IDF custody for processing at the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv. Israel Police and IDF Rabbinate notified Rinthalak’s family in Thailand, who had been informed of his death in May 2024. Arrangements for repatriation to Thailand are underway through the Thai Embassy in Israel. This marks the return of all 31 Thai nationals abducted on October 7, with 28 freed alive and three bodies recovered.
The European Broadcasting Union cleared Israel to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after a decisive vote at its General Assembly in Geneva, where 738 members supported adopting new safeguards without a separate exclusion referendum, 264 opposed, and 120 abstained. The outcome, announced December 4, upholds the event’s neutrality while implementing reforms to curb government influence on voting and promotional campaigns, following allegations of coordinated efforts favoring Israel’s 2025 entry.
WORLD
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Costa Rica will open a diplomatic-status trade and innovation office in Jerusalem in the first quarter of 2026, enhancing bilateral economic ties. The decision follows a meeting with Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister Manuel Tovar, where both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in technology and investment. Concurrently, Israel and Costa Rica are set to sign a free trade agreement this week, attended by Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Tovar, eliminating over 90 percent of tariffs and boosting exports in high-tech and agricultural sectors.
Guinness World Records has suspended processing of new record submissions from Israel and the Palestinian territories since November 2023, citing the “sensitive” regional situation, according to a spokesperson. The policy was revealed after Jerusalem-based nonprofit Matnat Chaim, which facilitates voluntary kidney donations, sought certification for an event gathering 2,000 altruistic donors in Jerusalem to mark a global milestone. Matnat Chaim, meaning “Gift of Life,” began the application process in August, paying required fees, but received no response until informed of the halt. CEO Sharona Sherman stated, “We deeply regret the decision to involve politics in a purely life-saving effort.” Israel leads worldwide in per capita altruistic kidney donations, with Matnat Chaim enabling over 2,000 transplants since 2009. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the exclusion “inexcusable,” tweeting, “2,000 Israeli kidney donors are making the largest donation ever, yet they are being denied the Guinness World Record simply because they are from Israel.”
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was released from a U.S. federal prison on Monday after President Donald Trump granted him a full pardon for his 2024 conviction on drug trafficking charges. Trump announced the pardon on November 28 via Truth Social, stating Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly” based on advice from “many people that I greatly respect,” including Honduran officials.
The European Commission imposed a €120 million fine on Elon Musk’s platform X—the first major penalty under the Digital Services Act—citing violations of transparency rules that exposed users to scams and misinformation. Regulators determined X’s blue-check verification system, revamped in 2023 to allow paid subscriptions without meaningful identity checks, constituted “deceptive design” by misleading users on account authenticity. The investigation, launched in December 2023, also faulted X for inadequate data access for researchers studying systemic risks and insufficient transparency in its advertising repository, which delayed public scrutiny of targeted ads.