MAGA friendly New York Post – 9.30.2026The morning after The Hill – 9.30.2026The New Republic – 9.30.2026
Did a clueless MAGA senator think he could humiliate veteran war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith by calling him a “dirt bag” after thoroughly embarrassing himself and the Republican party on national television?
Jack Smith is the man who brought Federal charges against Donald Trump only to have his work torn apart after Trump returned the White House in January 2025.
Now Trump’s toady MAGA allies in Congress have used their power to discredit Jack Smith. It’s not working.Jack Smith is familiar with criminals of all types,. Kosovo war criminals included.
Jack Smith at the Senate Judiciary Committee – 9.29.2026
Excerpted from The Daily Beast 9.29.2026
MAGA Senator Eric Schmitt dramatically accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury and being a “dirtbag” on Tuesday—only to learn he got his reveal entirely wrong.
Smith appeared confused at first by the line of questioning, but it turned out that Schmitt completely mixed up the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the Hawkeyes from the University of Iowa.
Instead Schmitt was publicly humiliated, just as D.C. was gossiping that he could be a running mate for JD Vance in 2028.
The cringeworthy exchange came when the Missouri Republican started asking Smith about attending a basketball game in Atlanta in 2024.
He appeared to be trying to tie the former special counsel to the separate election interference case with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The blogger has not owned a car for 60 years and never must visit the gas stationexcept to occasionally use the restroom.
I am also well aware that I pay the price when I go shopping.
I am well aware of the logistics of transportation. I worked in this sector nearly 25 years negotiating contracts and being responsible for shipments foreign and domestic.
The current seemingly unending inflationary spiral is due in large part to the sharp rise in gas prices. Responsibility for this is undeniable. Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran.
One of the groups hardest hit are his supporters. The farmers, ranchers and transportation companies mostly in Red State America, whose owners have been Trump’s biggest MAGA supporters. Until now.
Wall Street Journal – 9.26.2026
Trump’s war against in Iran seven months and counting awash in exploding gas prices will bring him down
Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal 9.26.2026
It’s costing more and more to get stuff in the hands of American shoppers.
Trucking expenses are at their highest level since the Covid pandemic snarled operations around the world. Diesel prices are up 77% in the past year. Freight railroads are adding surcharges. And the nation’s busiest port is the busiest it’s ever been.
There’s virtually no way for businesses to avoid paying more, and they’re passing on the pain to consumers. It all adds up to extra inflationary pressure on a U.S. economy that has been wrestling with rising prices for years.
Among the key drivers is the soaring price of diesel fuel. It hit a record of $6.53 on Sept. 22, according to AAA.
Also contributing to the rise in trucking costs, companies say, is a shortage of truck drivers, a byproduct of the Trump administration’s tightened enforcement of rules on who can qualify for a commercial driver’s license. Tens of thousands of immigrants—often the ones most willing to handle the less popular long-haul trucking routes—have lost their certifications.
Diesel fuel $8.59 gallon in San Francisco – 9.21.2026 – photo Lee Heidhues
Transport costs are rising because diesel prices have hit record highs (up to $6.40 per gallon in 2026), truckload spot rates have surged to $3.83 per mile, and capacity shortages, labor constraints, and insurance spikes are pushing all freight modes upward.
What’s Driving the Increases
1. Fuel Prices Are at Historic Highs
Diesel averaged $6.40 per gallon in the U.S. in 2026 — a 70% increase year‑over‑year. americanactionforum.org
Geopolitical tensions (e.g., Strait of Hormuz crisis) pushed diesel to $5.50 per gallon earlier in the year. keynnectlogistics.com
Fuel is 15–20% of trucking operating costs, so spikes immediately raise freight rates.
San Francisco Chronicle – 9.19.2026(article attached)
It’s dangerous and indicative of the true feelings of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD).
Now that the AfD has gained power in Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany this Nazi Curious party is moving quickly to implement its perverse anti semitism agenda.
Nazi Curious AfD is cracking the foundation of Germany
Top on the list for AfD is banning Stolpersteine ‘stumbling stones’ in Heidenau near Dresden.
In 2015, it became known for riots by local far-right forces against the arrival of refugees.[3]https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34038557In August 2015, authorities were forced to impose a temporary ban on assemblies in Heidenau due to continuous harassment of asylum-seekers.[4]Heidenau – Wikipedia
With the collaboration of the rightist CDU. German politics is in a sorry state when the establishment Christian Democratic Union (CDU) collaborates with the AfD. A political party German security services deem a national security threat.
The town of Heidenau, near Dresden, has banned new Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) on public streets, with the center-right CDU and the far-right AfD voting together to stop the installation of new memorial plaques bearing the names of Holocaust victims.
On Friday, one of the top two leaders of Germany’s Green Party, Felix Banaszak, described the move as “a scandal.”
Banaszak pointed to the current debate on right-wing extremism and the rise of the AfD, saying that everything must be done “to keep alive the memories of those who were persecuted and killed.”
The Stolpersteine are comprised of a concrete cube with a metal plaque on top that bears the victim’s name. They are often seen in German streets, installed just slightly higher than the surrounding walking surface, often near the houses of people targeted by the Nazi regime.
Many others also responded with outrage to the CDU’s decision to join forces with the AfD to pass the motion. The move comes with Chancellor Merz already facing a political crisis over his party’s poor electoral performance, and raises questions about the political “firewall” against the far right which mainstream political parties in Germany have maintained to keep the AfD out of power.
German artist Gunter Demnig started the project in the early 1990s. While most of the 128,000 such paving stones were installed in Germany, they have also been placed in 30 other countries affected by the Nazi regime, making them the largest decentralized monument in the world.
On Deutsche Welle veteran CNN reporter and now university professor Frank Sesno articulated the ramifications for the press, the White House and the viewing public of Trump’s censoring White House media coverage.
Wednesday afternoon a Federal judge in Washington DC heard the argument for a restraining order from three networks banished from the White House. The judge, a Trump appointee, appeared skeptical of Trump’s action. But took the matter under submission and expects to make ruling soon.
Excerpted from The New York Times 9.23.2026
The judge hearing a challenge to President Trump’s attempt to block three news outlets from the White House said on Wednesday he would consider the argument offered by both sides and issue his ruling as soon as possible, leaving in place — at least for now — the president’s block on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The judge, Timothy J. Kelly of U.S. District Court in Washington, seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments but did not immediately rule on the request by the three outlets to restore their access to the White House complex.
Meanwhile, coverage of Trump by the Press ‘Pool’, which includes Trump reliable Fox News has ceased which means Trump, by his own action, no longer receives the blanket media coverage he craves.
Fox News’s bond with President Trump is undeniable. Prime time stars like Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters cheerlead his policies, the president’s daughter-in-law hosts a weekly show on the network, and Fox’s founder, Rupert Murdoch, attended Mr. Trump’s nominating convention in 2024.
Nonetheless, this week Fox News has joined other networks in standing up for the rival media outlets that Mr. Trump decried as “fake” and banned from the White House — and two senior Fox journalists emerged as lead actors in the White House press corps’ standoff with the administration.
Fox News did not hesitate to go along with the plan. On Tuesday night, for instance, Fox was the scheduled pool crew for Mr. Trump’s Air Force One arrival at Joint Base Andrews, but it declined to film the event.
A Fox News spokeswoman referred an inquiry on Wednesday to a joint statement from the five networks, which Fox co-signed: “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
Donald Trump is in the wrong country in his dangerous attempt to stifle a free press.
The banishment of CNN, Politico and MSNOW from the White House has unleashed a firestorm.
The most transparent response came today when five networks who share a “pool” to report on Trump pulled the plug. No longer will Trump be able to enjoy unfettered media coverage. The video and audio have been disconnected.
The media organizations have gone into Federal Court seeking a Temporary Restraining Order to block Trump’s childish and petulant action. The hearing is Wednesday.
This is a moment when the American media on all sides of the political spectrum need to stand up and fight and uphold the First Amendment of The Constitution.
PBS News Hour with Committee to Protect Journalists Jodie Ginsberg – 9.21.2026
News outlets Trump banned from White House seek Restraining Order
POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW are seeking a restraining order to restore reporters’ access – 9.21.2026
Three news organizations whose journalists were banned from the White House last week are suing President Donald Trump and three top advisers, calling the abrupt lockout a “direct assault on the First Amendment.”
The organizations filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, which assigned the case to Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee. The news outlets are asking Kelly to quickly rule Trump’s ban unconstitutional and prevent his aides from enforcing it.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the news organizations said. “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
Die Linke is on its way to securing the Mayoralty in one of the world’s largest cities. Berlin. Its candidate, Elif Eralp was born in Germany. Her parents emigrated from Turkey following persecution from its government, The result of their political activities.
Eralp, a 45 year old attorney, is being compared to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Eralp and her The Left party which gained 25.6% of the vote will now have to resolve outstanding issues and negotiate a power sharing agreement with The Greens (14.3%) and the Socialists (12.1%).
One of outstanding issue will be to placate Berlin’s Jewish community which feels threatened by The Left Party’s criticism of Israel and its three year onslaught in Gaza. (See Below)
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 9.20.2026
With the socialist Left Party securing the largest share of the state parliamentary vote in Berlin, the party’s mayoral candidate Elif Eralp celebrated the victory of “love and justice over hate.”
“Starting today, we are changing Berlin together and make it a better place,” said Eralp, who hopes to become the first female mayor of Berlin with immigration background.
Eralp was born in Munich in 1981 to a family of Turkish refugees. While her victory speech was mostly in German, she also shouted out “We wrote history, friends” in Turkish during her address.
The Left Party has big plans for Berlin, including tackling its housing crisis by expropriating real estate own by large corporations. In order for Eralp to become the mayor of Berlin and the head of its state government, however, her party would need to form a coalition, with the center-left SPD and the environmentally friendly Green Party being the most likely contenders for a power-sharing deal.
“We are fighting in Berlin to turn the city red,” read the lead motion presented to the delegates at the Left Party‘s federal party convention. Red is the color of the Left Party, but also of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). According to latest polls, a three-way coalition of both alongside the Greens could secure a majority in the September election for the city state’s parliament.
Berlin has been “red” in the past. From 2016 to 2023 it was governed by such a three-way coalition — under the leadership of successive SPD mayors. This time, the Left Party is dreaming of winning the election and taking over the mayoralty itself with its candidate Elif Eralp. The 45-year-old has a remarkable background: Her parents were active in politics and trade unions in Turkey before fleeing to Germany in 1980 as asylum-seekers following a military coup, just weeks before Eralp’s birth.
Excerpted from The Times of Israel 9.18.2026
First they take Manhattan? Looking to mimic Mamdani, far left’s Elif Eralp eyes Berlin City Hall
Jewish community wary as Die Linke party’s mayoral candidate vows to fight antisemitism ahead of September 20 election; critics claim she can’t even control it within her own party
Participants display placards of Germany’s Die Linke (The Left) party reading ‘Freedom for Palestine – End the Occupation and Genocide’ during a demonstration under the motto ‘Draw the red line with us: Together for Gaza!’ in Berlin on September 27, 2025. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
BERLIN — Last November, Germany’s far-left Die Linke party sent a delegation to New York City to study Zohran Mamdani’s successful mayoral campaign. Inspired by his approach, Die Linke launched a Berlin street campaign focused heavily on housing and affordability
With charismatic 45-year-old Elif Eralp as its lead candidate, Die Linke has a strong chance of winning Berlin City Hall. But that would not be the only parallel to Mamdani: Just as in New York, the relationship between the political left and Berlin’s Jewish population — the largest in Germany, with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 Jews — is deeply strained.
Elif Eralp, mayoral candidate for Die Linke in the upcoming regional elections, addresses supporters during a campaign stop in Berlin, August 29, 2026. (Ralf Hirschberger/AFP)
Tensions worsened sharply in late August following a controversial performance by rapper Dahabflex at a Die Linke rally in the Berlin district of Neukölln. His song “Stop the Genocide” included lyrics such as “Yalla, yalla intifada,” “Death to the IDF,” and “Intifada like the PFLP,” a reference to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist organization.
In the ensuing debate over antisemitism within Die Linke, Eralp sought to contain the fallout. She condemned the rapper’s performance, saying she stood “clearly for the protection of Jewish life and against any form of antisemitism.” She also placed responsibility on the party’s Neukölln district branch, which had invited the musician.
. Sometimes to an outsider the modern day feels likeBabylon Berlin – Wikipedia. The series is set in Berlin during the latter years of the Weimar Republic, beginning in 1929. It follows Gereon Rath, a police inspector on assignment from Cologne, who is on a secret mission to dismantle an extortion ring, and police clerk Charlotte Ritter, who aspires to become a police inspector.
Then civilian Trump leaves a New York City Courthouse after being charged with multiple felonies. He was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying records on May 30, 2023
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have a lot in common. One continuous thread in their insidious relationship is their loathing of a free press.
Donald Trump is certainly constrained by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution – Wikipedia. But this has not stopped Trump from his ongoing threats and assaults on the American media. The latest being the banishment of established news organizations from the White House: CNN, Politico and MSNOW.
The American media has always been aggressive in protecting its rights to broadcast and publish. This is no exception and wannabe dictator Trump’s latest outrage will fail.
Trump will be long banished to the history books and the American free press will carry on.
Excerpted from The New York Times 9.19.2026
“He (Donald Trump) thinks that he can bully anyone or any entity into doing whatever he wants and he’s seen it work out for himself with the entire Republican Party bending the knee to him,” said Sarah Matthews, a deputy press secretary in Mr. Trump’s first term. “He is facing pushback from the courts, the Fed, people in his own party, and he’s lashing out.”
The White House on Saturday moved ahead with Mr. Trump’s surprise announcement banning journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, an escalation in Mr. Trump’s long battle with the press.
But it also fits a pattern for Mr. Trump when he faces a political quagmire, according to former government officials and civil rights organizations: He seeks to change the narrative by mobilizing the government to crack down on those willing to question his power.
Excerpted from Committee to Protect Journalists 2.17.2026
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its media has experienced an unprecedented crackdown. Hundreds of journalists have been forced into exile, where they continue to face transnational legal persecution, and their families have been harassed back home. Meanwhile, reporting from inside Russia has become increasingly difficult, with journalists and media outlets often silenced by laws criminalizing independent coverage.
Evan is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in Russia on March 29, 2023, while doing his job as a journalist. He was freed Aug. 1, 2024, as part of the largest and most complex East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. He is the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S. Evan learned Russian from his parents and built a career as a journalist focused on the region. He joined the Journal in January 2022 and before that reported from Moscow for Agence France Press and the Moscow Times.
Since February 24, 2022, CPJ has documented:
27 journalists imprisoned on criminal charges: 15 Russian, 10 Ukrainian, and 2 American. Of these, 4 released, 2exiled, and 1 killed.
Charges against those jailed: 9 for “fake” news; 14 for terrorism, extremism, and other anti-state crimes; 4 were undisclosed.
President Nixon tried to stop publication of the Pentagon Papers, the history of the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court said NO in a historic validation of the First Amendment. Cartoon by Herblock in The Washington Post. June 1971
Where is the outrage??!! How can the American public sit idly by while Trump sends the most destructive weaponry in the arsenal to Israel knowing these messengers of death will continue to slaughter the peoples of Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon?
A war crimes level slaughter which has been ongoing for nearly three years with no end in sight.
Excerpted from Al Jazeera 9.16.2026
US set to approve 60,000 heavy bombs for Israel: What that means
The US taxpayer-funded package of 2,000-pound bombs comes amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and its occupation of southern Lebanon.
United States President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to sell 60,000 highly destructive, 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs to Israel in a multibillion-dollar package which will be funded by American taxpayers.
US media has reported that the Trump administration has approved the sale, which features some of the most destructive munitions in Western arsenals, and has informally notified Congress.
This is one of the biggest US munition packages to Israel and comes after nearly three years of genocidal war on Gaza, ongoing pogroms by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and a mighty assault on southern Lebanon – which together have killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in the region.
The three types of bomb are:
MK-84: The largest among the Mark 80 series of bombs, this unguided, 2,000-pound (907kg) general-purpose bomb is designed primarily for maximum blast and fragmentation against buildings and moderately protected targets. It can destroy buildings and kill or injure people hundreds of metres from the bomb site.
BLU-117: A 2,000-pound (907kg) general-purpose bomb which looks very similar to the MK-84 but has a different explosive filler and can also be fitted with precision-guidance kits. It also has a thermal protective coating, designed for safer storage, particularly by the US Navy.
I-2000 Penetrator: Also referred to as a “bunker buster”, this roughly 2,000-pound-class, hard-target penetrator is designed to punch through hardened structures before detonating; its casing is substantially thicker and harder than an MK-84.
The Washington Post described the MK-84 as “among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals,” noting that the munition can penetrate through metal and thick concrete.
Israel has faced criticism for using the MK-84 in its efforts to combat terrorist organizations, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
When probed on the potential humanitarian concerns that could result from the sale and use of the munition, a senior Trump administration official told the Washington Post that “all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process,” adding that they would not elaborate on any pending arms sales.
Excerpted from Jewish Telegraphic Agency 9.16.2026
U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, is obstructing a Trump administration proposal for a $2.8 billion bomb sale to Israel.
Meeks, a longtime supporter of Israel from New York, said he would not clear the transaction due to concerns that these 2,000-pound munitions would not be used in accordance with U.S. and international law.
Despite his concerns, Meeks said in a statement that he remains “firmly committed to Israel’s security and its ability to defend itself against serious regional threats.”
The 15-term congressman, known for his pragmatic and moderate stances, voiced concern about the potential sale of 40,000 of these bombs, which he described as “some of the most destructive munitions in our arsenal.”
It’s fair to say that Americans are ignorant about the geopolitics of the Middle East.
The blogger is belatedly following the Houthis though my attention was there when Trump launched his air campaign in 2025. Now the problem is more serious and the MSM is paying attention.
It should be evident that the average American news consumer is out to lunch when it comes to matters outside the USA. Trump’s war of choice against Iran only got attention because of prices at the pump. Perhaps now the Houthis taking over Bab-al Mandeb through which 11 percent of global oil passes will be another Strait of Hormuz in the American body politic.
Trump’s war of choice against Iran nearing the seven month mark has woken up the geopolitically clueless American public. If only because prices at the pump have skyrocketedsince February 28th 2026.
In the past couple of days another Middle East hot spot has bubbled to the surface which is further inflaming the cauldron and willescalate energy pricesas the following Al Jazeera report illustrates.
The group known as the Houthis, well known in the Middle East, have captured the country of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. Giving them effective control of 11 percent of the World’s global oil trade. This comes on top of the Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz with control of 27 percent of the global oil trade. A combined 38 percent total. A lot of barrels of oil.
The Houthis and the Iranians have a deep ideological bond, one that their soldiers willingly die for. And the Houthis do not need to win every battle. As long as they can sink an occasional oil tanker, they will hold a whip hand over their Saudi neighbors, and over the rest of the world too.The Atlantic – Robert Worth9.11.2026
Excerpted from Al Jazeera 9.11.2026
Houthi forces Houthi-controlled Yemen – Wikipedia have captured the whole of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, reaching all the way to the critically important Bab al-Mandeb shipping gateway, as the group’s rapid offensive continued on Friday.
On Thursday, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha, Mokha – Wikipedia dealing a heavy blow to the Yemeni government backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Mokha (Arabic: المَخا, romanized: al-Maḵā), also spelled Mocha or Mukha,[1] is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until Aden and al Hudaydah eclipsed it in the 19th century, Mokha was the principal port for Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Long known for its coffee trade, the city gave its name to Mocha coffee.[2]
Analysts are calling the Iran-backed Houthi group’s victories the most significant regional development since the US and Israel declared war on Iran in February.
The offensives could be particularly damaging for Saudi Arabia and its oil exports. The Houthis, who declared a blockade of Saudi-flagged ships in the Red Sea earlier in the year, now have a much firmer control of the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, which Riyadh increasingly relies on for oil exports following blockades of the the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, experts say.
But can the Houthis control the Red Sea?
Here’s what we know:
In July, amidst the US-Israel war on Iran, the Houthis announced a complete maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began launching attacks on Saudi-linked ships passing through the important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The narrow strait is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes connecting the Suez Canal and Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Roughly 12 percent of global trade passes through daily.
Even more vessels have used it since Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s energy supplies used to transit annually before the war began in February.
Shiite Houthi rebels chant slogans after taking over a government military compound in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September. The group forced the country’s president to resign on Thursday, plunging Yemen into uncertainty.
It’s scary to think that Benjamin Netanyahu condoned and is criminally liable for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on his own people so he could unleash the Israeli Defense Forces fury on GazaPalestinians. Something to consider, eh?
Trump and Netanyahu are kindred souls in at least one respect. When they don’t like the news, what do they do? Go out and make some of their own.Go to Court and try to beat down the individual, organization or media outlet which has exposed their lies and illegal activities.
The Haaretz report Trumps anything that the American President has gone to Court for seeking relief. Netanyahu is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people; his own Israeli citizens included.
What the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is claiming goes right to the gut of Benjamin Netanyahu’s three year assault on the Peoples of Gaza following the Hama attack on Israel October 7, 2023.Had Netanyahu been paying attention and taken the “threat seriously” the calamity of October 7 and the past three years may have been avoided.
Revealed: Netanyahu Received an Explicit Warning Days Before Oct. 7. He Didn’t Brief Israel’s Security Chiefs – published in Haaretz
Benjamin Netanyahu says he will sue over claims he ignored an advance warning about October 7 attack – published in The Daily Mail
Jerusalem Post 9.8.2026
In September ’23, UAE President bin Zayed called Netanyahu to deliver a harsh warning. Netanyahu did nothing. An extensive investigation, conducted for a new book, reveals the PM’s failures surrounding Oct. 7. Netanyahu: ‘This is an absolute lie’
UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel days before the October 7 massacre, a Haaretz investigation published Tuesday said.
Netanyahu reportedly dismissed the warning despite MBZ urging him to take the threat seriously, the report said, citing three senior foreign sources familiar with the contents of the conversation.
During a 45-minute conversation held 10 days before the massacre, MBZ reportedly warned Netanyahu that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel. The United Arab Emirates leader expressed concern that an attack could lead to significant bloodshed, destabilize the region, and undermine the Abraham Accords, according to the report.
Excerpted from The New Yorker 9.8.2026
An Israeli news article on Tuesday morning managed to roil even a war-weary and jaded public. Published in Haaretz, its headline read: “Netanyahu Received an Explicit Warning Days Before Oct. 7. He Didn’t Brief Israel’s Security Chiefs.”
No event has shaped recent Israeli history more than the October 7th attacks and their aftermath. Netanyahu has refused to take responsibility or issue an apology for the failures in intelligence and policy that led to the worst attacks to ever take place on Israeli soil.
But his government, for all of its equivocating, cannot deny that it was in power when they occurred. Ynet, a popular news site, echoed the Haaretz report on its home page on Tuesday—an unusual tribute to a rival newspaper;
Channel 12 opened its evening-news edition with the story, calling it “jaw dropping.”
The article, drawn from a new book by the journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, reveals that, a week and a half before Hamas led the October 7th attacks on Israel, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the President of the United Arab Emirates, called Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, with a specific warning. During a forty-five-minute conversation, according to the report, bin Zayed cautioned that Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza, was “preparing a major event” in the near future. Sinwar was quoted in the article as telling an official from the rival Fatah faction that he was planning a “zilzal”—an “earthquake.”
Netanyahu seemed untroubled, a close adviser to the Emirati ruler told the journalists.
He didn’t update the heads of Israel’s security establishment about the conversation. Instead, he assured bin Zayed that Israel was “prepared for any scenario.” If anything, he said, the “volatile” area was not Gaza but the West Bank. Bin Zayed was so startled that Netanyahu was making light of the situation that he expressed concerns to the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns.When the article appeared, Netanyahu denied that such a conversation had ever taken place. But the U.A.E.’s foreign ministry appeared to confirm Eldar and Yuval’s reporting, saying in a statement reported by Haaretz that the two countries maintain “open and direct communication,” exchanging intelligence “when necessary.”
Eldar told Israel’s Channel 12 that he and Yuval had based their story on talks with three independent sources and on “a recording and documents” of the conversation between Netanyahu and bin Zayed.Newsbreaks in Haaretz, a liberal paper with strong investigative reporting, are often met with silence by much of the country, or brushed off as leftist propaganda by Netanyahu and his mouthpieces in the media. This story seemed to land differently.
Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post – 9.10.2026. Did you expect anything else?😵💫
