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Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is once again at the center of controversy — and this time, critics say, his efforts to portray himself as a misunderstood progressive are collapsing under the weight of his own record. During Wednesday night’s debate against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani indignantly denied accusations that he has ever supported “global jihad.” But a review of his public statements, musical career, and long association with radical figures tells a far more complicated story — one that is increasingly unsettling Democrats and alarming Jewish and moderate voters across the city. “I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad,” Mamdani declared on stage, framing the criticism as a racist attack on his faith. “This is being ascribed to me because I am Muslim.” But his record suggests otherwise. Mamdani has praised controversial Islamist figures, echoed their rhetoric, and repeatedly refused to condemn violent anti-Israel slogans, even as he insists that his critics are motivated by Islamophobia. Among those Mamdani has embraced is Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the most controversial clerics in the United States, who once served as a character witness for the “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman — the man convicted of orchestrating the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Wahhaj has repeatedly described America as a “garbage can” and once called for raising an “army of 10,000 men” to “declare jihad.” Far from distancing himself, Mamdani spoke at Wahhaj’s Brooklyn mosque last week, calling him “one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders.” Wahhaj, in turn, told his congregation, “Allah has blessed us. We have a very, very good candidate — his name is Zohran Mamdani.” For Mamdani, who has also cultivated ties with activist Linda Sarsour, the self-proclaimed “unapologetic pro-BDS, one-state solution supporting, resistance supporter,” such alliances appear to be a feature, not a flaw. Both figures have long drawn accusations of antisemitism for their support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and incendiary comments about Israel. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist massacre in southern Israel, Mamdani has accused Israel of “genocide” dozens of times on social media — but has repeatedly avoided condemning Hamas. The day after the attack, his statement made no mention of the terror group that murdered and kidnapped civilians, instead blaming “Netanyahu’s declaration of war.” Even his attempts at clarification have been evasive. Asked on Fox News earlier this month whether Hamas should disarm, Mamdani dodged: “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety.” He later backtracked at a mayoral debate, claiming, “Of course I believe that they should lay down their arms.” Before entering politics, Mamdani dabbled in rap — releasing a 2017 song that sent “love” to the Holy Land Five, Hamas financiers convicted in 2008 for funneling millions of dollars to the terrorist organization. He’s also repeatedly tweeted support for the “Globalize the Intifada” slogan — a rallying cry for violence against Jews — and has defended it as a mere call for “struggle.” The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum condemned that defense as “outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,” calling on all leaders to “condemn its use and the abuse of history.” Republicans have seized on the controversy — but concern is also growing among Democrats. “Zohran Mamdani […]

Israeli military prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Palestinian man accused of orchestrating a failed bombing attack targeting public buses in central Israel earlier this year, a case that officials say could have caused mass casualties had the plan succeeded. The suspect, Abed al-Karim Snober, was detained in July following months on the run and now faces multiple charges related to the February 20 explosions that rocked parking lots in the Tel Aviv suburbs of Bat Yam and Holon. According to the indictment, Snober was part of a cell that sought to “harm a large number of civilians” by placing shrapnel-packed explosive devices in crowded urban areas. Investigators say Snober manufactured several improvised bombs filled with nails and screws before entering Israel to plant them on public buses. On the evening of February 20, three empty buses exploded in quick succession, while two additional devices were discovered and defused before detonating. The blasts, which occurred after the buses had completed their routes, caused no injuries but set off panic in the surrounding communities and triggered a large-scale security response. Military officials said Snober fled back to the West Bank immediately after the failed attack, hiding in multiple locations until his capture five months later. During his time in hiding, prosecutors allege, Snober began planning a second attack — a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv — and was in the process of assembling new explosive devices when he was arrested. The indictment, filed in a military court, also names several alleged accomplices, including an Israeli resident of Holon accused of transporting Snober to one of the bombing sites in Bat Yam. Prosecutors said additional indictments are expected as the investigation continues. The IDF said Snober will remain in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings. “This case underscores the continued efforts by terror elements to strike inside Israel’s civilian centers,” the IDF said in a statement. Although the February incident caused no casualties, Israeli officials described it as one of the most serious attempted attacks in recent years, given the scale of planning and potential for mass fatalities. The case comes amid heightened security concerns following a series of attempted infiltrations and foiled bomb plots in central Israel this year. The indictment also reflects a shift in terrorist tactics, officials say — from lone-wolf stabbings and shootings to coordinated bomb plots reminiscent of the attacks that defined earlier decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Aboard Air Force One after meeting with Qatar’s Emir, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the Middle East is now enjoying an era of “great peace,” attributing the breakthrough to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and the broad coalition of nations now cooperating in the region.

“We talked about peace. We have peace in the Middle East. That’s all we have. Great peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. “[The Emir] thinks it’s enduring. He’s never seen anything like it. And he’s very happy that I got involved. And he helped, and we had a lot of help. We have 59 countries. We have a lot of countries that are signed on. This should be an enduring peace.”

He emphasized that the decisive shift came once Iran’s nuclear ambitions were neutralized. “I think the big thing was when we took out the nuclear power of Iran, when we took out that nuclear capability, which would have happened over the next month to two months, that made a whole big difference in the Middle East. It made it possible to do the deal.”

Trump named an array of regional and global partners who are now aligned behind the peace framework. “Everybody’s on board. It’s pretty amazing,” he said, listing Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan, and Egypt among those backing the initiative.

Discussing the Gaza ceasefire, Trump said he was optimistic that it would endure. “I think it’ll hold, yeah. Well, if it doesn’t hold, that would be Hamas. Hamas will be not hard to take care of. It’ll be very quickly. But I hope it holds for Hamas, too, because, you know, they gave us their word on something.”

He noted that Hamas recently “took out gang members,” claiming it was part of their effort to maintain order, but cautioned that breaking the agreement would lead to “a very big problem.”

Turning to the deployment of the multinational stabilization force entering Gaza, Trump said the operation was already in progress. “Pretty soon. Pretty quickly. A period of time. You know, I don’t want to give you… We’re doing it right now. They’re actually picking leaders right now.”

“You’re going to have peace in the Middle East. This is real peace. It’s never happened before. 3,000 years, it’s never happened,” he continued, portraying the development as a historic milestone.

Trump confirmed that peacekeeping troops would move into Gaza when circumstances required. “Israel will go in there very easily. You know that, right? So right there, you have a country. But you have the Arab countries or everybody, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, everybody’s on board. It’s been really an amazing thing. It’s a great success. And it’s going to be a long-lasting, hopefully everlasting, but long-lasting.”

{Matzav.com}

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil announced that a large fire at the Zubair warehouse of a Basra oil company left one employee dead and four others injured.

WATCH: Stunning video captures the eruption of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, whose remains are being held by Hamas.

Freed hostages Evyatar David, Eitan Mor, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal have been discharged from the hospital.

Military prosecutors have indicted Abed al-Karim Snober, a Palestinian terrorist accused of orchestrating a failed bus bombing attack in central Israel on February 20. That day, three empty buses exploded in Bat Yam and Holon, while two more bombs were found and defused, causing no casualties. According to the indictment, Snober and accomplices aimed to kill civilians using shrapnel-filled explosives placed on crowded buses. After the attack failed, Snober fled to the West Bank, where he later planned a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv before being captured in July. He will remain in custody until the end of legal proceedings, and indictments have also been filed against additional suspects.

TRUMP: “We meet, as you know, in South Korea with President Xi. I think we’re going to have a good deal with China. They want to make a deal, and we want to make a deal… I think we’re going to have a very fair meeting with China.”

President Trump joins leaders for a group photo at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after signing a Cambodia–Thailand peace treaty, a major trade agreement with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, and a historic trade deal with the Malaysian Prime Minister.

A Qatari news outlet has released images that it says shows members of Hamas’s so-called “Shadow Unit” — the secretive wing tasked with guarding hostages — alongside a Red Cross vehicle in southern Gaza, raising new questions about the terror group’s coordination with humanitarian agencies amid the fragile post-war environment. The video, published Sunday by the Qatari network Al-Araby, depicts Hamas fighters standing near a Red Cross-marked vehicle in the al-Mawasi area west of Rafah — territory that remains outside Israeli military control. According to the report, the group and Red Cross personnel were jointly searching for the body of an Israeli hostage believed to have been buried in the area. The “Shadow Unit,” a small and secretive contingent within Hamas’s armed wing, gained notoriety during the war for overseeing the captivity and movement of Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks. Neither the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) nor Israeli officials immediately commented on the footage. The Red Cross has previously said it operates in Gaza solely to deliver humanitarian aid and facilitate the transfer of released hostages under agreements brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. On Friday, there were indications that Hamas was also preparing to return remains; however, the terror group did not. Hamas could return eight more hostages to Israel; however, there are another five whose whereabouts are unknown, a senior Israeli official told Ynet. There have not been any remains of hostages returned since Tuesday night. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, with the possibility of intensifying to a Category 5 storm Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately. “I urge Jamaicans to take this weather threat seriously,” said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “Take all measures to protect yourself.” Melissa was centered about 120 miles (195 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 280 miles (450 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) and was moving west at 5 mph (8 kph), the hurricane center said. Melissa was expected to drop torrential rains of up to 30 inches (760 millimeters) on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to the hurricane center. Some areas may see as much as 40 inches (1,010 millimeters) of rain. It also warned that extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities in Jamaica were to be expected. Melissa should be near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it could bring up to 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain, before moving toward the Bahamas later Wednesday. The Cuban government on Saturday afternoon issued a hurricane watch for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin. Storm’s slow progress The erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. “Unfortunately for places along the projected path of this storm, it is increasingly dire,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said earlier on Saturday. He said the storm will continue to move slowly for up to four days. Authorities in Jamaica said on Saturday that the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will be closed at 8 p.m. local time. It did not say whether it will close the Sangster airport in Montego Bay, on the western side of the island. More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages prepositioned for quick distribution if needed. River levels rise Haitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast. “The storm is causing a lot of concern with the way it’s moving,” said Ronald Délice, a Haitian department director of civil protection, as local authorities organized lines to distribute food kits. Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes. The storm has damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters. The Bahamas Department of Meteorology said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to islands in […]

A new book reveals that Joe Biden brushed off repeated attempts by Barack Obama to reach him in the tense days before the president ended his re-election campaign — and didn’t speak to his onetime boss for nearly a month afterward. According to Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America by ABC’s Jonathan Karl, “Obama had been trying to get in touch with Biden for about two weeks, but his calls had not been returned.” Even after Biden bowed out of the race, Karl writes, “Obama reached out again after Biden suspended his campaign, but the two men would not end up speaking until shortly before the Democratic National Convention four weeks later.”

The revelation underscores how strained the relationship between the two presidents had become, despite their eight years together in the White House. Biden, now 82, reportedly grew resentful of Obama, 64, as speculation mounted that his old ally had quietly encouraged George Clooney’s blistering July 10, 2024, New York Times op-ed urging Biden to withdraw from the race. Clooney’s essay came less than a month after co-hosting a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser that netted $30 million for the campaign — an event marred when Biden appeared confused onstage and had to be guided away by Obama.

Neither Biden’s team nor Obama’s representatives offered comment about Karl’s account. But insiders told The Post that the tension between the two men was well known inside the administration. “Obama caused tension when he would visit the White House because he operated as if he still ran it,” one Biden White House official said. “He made Biden feel secondary in the room even when staffers were present.”

Karl’s reporting paints a picture of an increasingly isolated president in the days leading up to his withdrawal. Biden stopped taking calls not only from Obama but also from Nancy Pelosi, who at the time was leading congressional Democrats urging him to exit the race. Rather than consult party leaders, Biden relied almost exclusively on his family and a handful of senior aides as grim polling numbers and internal revolt made his candidacy untenable.

The book also sheds light on Vice President Kamala Harris’s cautious maneuvering as Biden’s campaign collapsed. According to Karl, she deliberately avoided phoning members of Congress to rally support for her boss. “Calls to lawmakers, Harris believed, could be misinterpreted as the early stages of an effort to secure the nomination for herself. If she called Democratic members, those members could later disclose that they had spoken to her and misrepresent the purpose of the call,” Karl writes.

When Biden finally announced he was ending his campaign, he wasted no time backing Harris — issuing his endorsement just 27 minutes later. Karl explains that Harris herself urged the quick move, fearing that any delay might plunge the party into chaos. “It needed to come immediately,” he writes. “Otherwise, she argued, Biden would be opening the door to an ugly fight for the nomination.”

In the end, Harris’s campaign fared no better. She went on to lose to Donald Trump in a landslide, both in the Electoral College and the popular vote — the first time in two decades a Democratic nominee had failed to win the national tally. Karl’s Retribution is set to be released on October 28, promising more behind-the-scenes details of the bitter 2024 campaign that upended Democratic politics.

{Matzav.com}

A high-stakes chase ended last night when French authorities arrested two men accused of pulling off one of the most audacious thefts in recent memory — the $100 million Louvre crown jewel heist.

According to Le Parisien, one of the suspects was intercepted at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport just as he was about to board a flight to Algeria. Both men, said to hail from the tough suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, are now in custody as police pursue charges of “organized gang robbery” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.”

Investigators received a key tip earlier in the day suggesting that one of the culprits was preparing to flee to North Africa. That alert led to his dramatic airport arrest, followed soon after by the capture of the second suspect within Paris itself.

Authorities believe the duo are part of a larger network of career criminals who carried out the museum raid on commission. Le Parisien reported that both men have prior records for theft and are known to the police.

The crime itself played out like a Hollywood script. A four-man crew disguised in yellow safety vests and motorcycle helmets used a cherry picker to reach the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery. In front of stunned tourists, they revved up chain saws to shatter glass cases and seize priceless gems.

In just under four minutes, they vanished — escaping with eight treasures from France’s royal collection, valued at roughly $100 million. Among the missing pieces were a sapphire diadem, necklace, and single earring linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense of the 19th century.

Their getaway was as reckless as it was fast. The thieves descended via the same cherry picker, then torched the bucket truck before racing off on scooters waiting nearby.

Included in their haul were Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her magnificent corsage-bow brooch — an opulent set once admired across Europe. Her emerald-studded crown, encrusted with over 1,300 diamonds, was later discovered outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.

Police have yet to identify the remaining two suspects or the mastermind believed to have orchestrated the theft. Forensic teams have collected around 150 samples of DNA, fingerprints, and hair across Paris as they piece together the gang’s movements.

One key clue came from hair believed to have fallen from the first burglar to enter the gallery, discovered inside an abandoned motorcycle helmet and safety vest left near the scene.

The two captured men are now being held at Paris police headquarters, where French law allows for up to 96 hours of detention before formal charges are required.

In response to the sensational heist, French museums have ramped up security. The French Crown Jewels have been transferred to a high-security Bank of France vault while authorities assess vulnerabilities in other institutions.

A forthcoming audit by France’s Court of Auditors reportedly faults the Louvre for outdated surveillance and sharply reduced security budgets compared to twenty years ago, according to El País.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez praised the swift police work on Sunday, urging continued diligence. “I extend my warmest congratulations to the investigators who have worked tirelessly as I requested and who have always had my full confidence,” Nuñez wrote on X.

“The investigations must continue while respecting the confidentiality of the inquiry under the authority of the specialized interregional jurisdiction of @parquetdeParis. It will be with the same determination!! We keep going!!”

{Matzav.com}

After nearly two years away, American Airlines will soon be flying to Israel again, marking the full return of major U.S. carriers to Tel Aviv. The airline said Friday that it will relaunch its route in March, aligning with renewed stability in the region following the ceasefire in Gaza.

Flights between New York and Tel Aviv will officially restart on March 28, with daily non-stop service departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The return leg from Israel will begin operating three days later, on March 31.

American had grounded all service to Israel immediately after the Hamas-led atrocities of October 7, 2023, when the war first broke out. While United Airlines and Delta Air Lines resumed flights months ago, American chose to wait longer before re-entering Israeli airspace.

The JFK–Tel Aviv connection remains one of the most lucrative and in-demand international routes, serving a steady flow of business travelers, families, and tourists eager to visit Israel.

{Matzav.com}

Suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewel s from Paris’ Louvre museum, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday, a week after the heist at the world’s most visited museum that stunned the word. The prosecutor said that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men taken into custody was preparing to leave the country from Roissy Airport. French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests and did not say whether jewels had been recovered. Thieves took less than eight minutes to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) last Sunday morning. French officials described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled. The museum’s director called the incident a “terrible failure.” Beccuau said investigators from a special police unit in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and art thefts made the arrests. She rued in her statement the premature leak of information, saying it could hinder the work of over 100 investigators “mobilized to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators.” Beccuau said further details will be unveiled after the suspects’ custody period ends. French Interior minister Laurent Nunez praised “the investigators who have worked tirelessly, just as I asked them to, and who have always had my full confidence.” The Louvre reopened earlier this week after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century stunned the world with its audacity and scale. The thieves slipped in and out, making off with parts of France’s Crown Jewels — a cultural wound that some compared to the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019. The thieves made away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. They also took an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, as well as a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot. One piece — Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds — was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable. (AP)

Gunfire erupted during outdoor festivities at Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University late Saturday, killing one person and wounding six others as students and alumni celebrated homecoming at the historically Black school, authorities said. A person who had a firearm was detained, and officials are investigating the possibility that there was more than one shooter but don’t believe there is any active threat to the campus, Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said during a brief news conference early Sunday. “We don’t have a lot of answers about exactly what happened,” he said. “What I will tell you is that today we’re operating as if this is not an incident where someone came in with the design to inflict mass damage on a college campus.” Authorities say the shooting took place at around 9:30 p.m. outside a large building called the International Cultural Center, where tents and tables were set up for tailgating and socializing after a football game earlier in the day. “It was a chaotic scene, and people fled in every direction,” the district attorney said. He urged anyone with video from the scene or other information that could help the investigation to contact the FBI. Authorities weren’t sharing details about the victims, including their conditions or where the injured were being treated. The campus is about 45 miles (70 kilometers) southwest of Philadelphia. Chester County detectives are leading the investigation, with support from state police and the FBI. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on X that he was briefed on the shooting and offered the support of his administration and family. “Join Lori and me in praying for the Lincoln University community,” he said. Lincoln University Police Chief Marc Partee said the shooting devastated the school’s community on what was supposed to be a joyous day focused on the school’s legacy. “If there was another word to describe that, that’s more impactful, I would use it,” he said, “but ‘devastated’ is a start.” (AP)

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