An official with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been charged in a plot to kill an Iranian American author on U.S. soil, according to a rewritten indictment filed on Tuesday. Ruhollah Bazghandi and three other men were charged in the updated indictment against those accused of trying to kill Masih Alinejad. Bazghandi is not in custody. The Iranian opposition activist and journalist has been living in exile in New York City. Her identity is not in court papers, but she confirmed to The Associated Press that she was the intended target. Alinejad fled Iran following the country’s disputed 2009 presidential election. Bazghandi is described in court papers as a brigadier general who previously served as chief of the Revolutionary Guard’s counterintelligence department. In October, 2017, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a wing of the U.S. Department of Treasury, designated the Revolutionary Guard as a global terrorist group, saying it has played a key role in supporting Iran’s involvement in international terrorism. In April 2023, the office said Bazghandi was involved in assassination plots against journalists, Israeli citizens and others deemed enemies of Iran, along with his participation in the detention of foreign prisoners held in Iran and involvement in operations in Syria by the Revolutionary Guard’s counterintelligence department, the indictment noted. (AP)
South Korea warned Tuesday it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia, as both North Korea and Russia denied the movements. NATO’s secretary general said that would mark a “significant escalation.” South Korea’s statement was apparently meant to pressure Russia against bringing in North Korean troops for its war against Ukraine. South Korean officials worry that Russia may reward North Korea by giving it sophisticated weapons technologies that can boost the North’s nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea. In an emergency National Security Council meeting, top South Korean officials condemned North Korea’s alleged dispatch of troops as “a grave security threat” to South Korea and the international community. They described North Korea as “a criminal group” that forces its youths to serve as Russian mercenaries for an unjustifiable war, South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement. The officials agreed to take phased countermeasures, linking the level of their responses to progress in Russian-North Korean military cooperation, according to the statement. Possible steps include diplomatic, economic and military options, and South Korea could consider sending both defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine, a senior South Korean presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity in a background briefing. The official said North Korea could attempt to get high-tech Russian technologies to perfect its nuclear missiles. The official said Russia’s possible help for North Korea’s efforts to modernize its outdated conventional weapons systems and acquire a space-based surveillance system would pose a serious security threat. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, South Korea has joined U.S.-led sanctions against Moscow and shipped humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv. But it has avoided directly supplying arms to Ukraine in line with its policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflicts. South Korea’s spy agency said last week it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said later Tuesday that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is sending experts to Brussels soon to brief ambassadors at the 32-nation military alliance. “That will now happen early next week, and then we will see whether North Korea is indeed, or not, supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” Rutte said. “If that would be the case, if they would be sending troops to Ukraine, that would mark a significant escalation.” North Korea and Russia intensify cooperation North Korea and Russia have been sharply boosting their cooperation in the past two years. In June, they signed a major defense deal requiring both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked. South Korea said at the time it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a similar statement that it made Tuesday. South Korea’s spy agency said that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other conventional arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles. North Korea and Russia have denied the North Korean troop deployment as well as the purported weapons transfer. At a U.N. Security Council meeting Monday, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the South Korean assertion as well as Western allegations of Iran supplying Russia with missiles and China providing arms components. […]
Mexico’s new president announced an agriculture plan Tuesday that could make the country’s food production and distribution look a lot more like it did in the 1980s, when meals in Mexico were dominated by tortillas, beans, instant coffee and cheap hot chocolate. Four decades ago, the ingredients for those meals were often bought at government stores that stocked a few basic goods. President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged Tuesday to revive those often shabby, limited government stores and continue efforts to achieve “food sovereignty.” “It is about producing what we eat,” Sheinbaum said of her policy, whose main focus will be on increasing bean and corn production. Sheinbaum appears to have a deep interest in boosting beans. On Monday, she said, “It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips.” Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said the focus would be on guaranteeing prices for farmers who grow corn used for tortillas and lowering tortilla prices by 10% after prices jumped a couple of years ago. The government aims to boost bean production by about 30% in six years to replace imports of beans, and will set up research centers to supply higher-yielding bean seeds. “Self-sufficiency in beans is a goal the president has set for us,” Berdegué said. The government will also focus on supporting coffee production, but mainly for instant coffee, which it claims is used by 84% of Mexican households. The plan will also seek to support cocoa production, but mainly for powdered baking and hot chocolate, not fine chocolate bars. The policies appear to run counter to market trends and what Mexican food sales look like today, when consumption of most of the old basics has fallen. Most Mexicans today shop at modern grocery stores, and consumption of fresh ground coffee, not instant, has increased enormously, accompanied by a boom in specialized coffee chains and shops. Meanwhile, bean consumption has been dropping precipitously for decades in Mexico. According to the government’s “2024 Agricultural Panorama” report, Mexicans consume only about 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms) of beans annually. That’s less than half of the 35.2 pounds (16 kilograms) consumed per year in 1980. A combination of factors, including the time it takes to cook dried beans, may be behind this. Amanda Gálvez, a researcher at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, wrote that “we look down at beans because it is considered ‘the food of the poor,’ and we are making a serious mistake,” because beans are a good source of protein. However, the health benefits aren’t clear: The most common bean recipe in Mexico — refried beans — often contains a considerable dose of lard. Tortilla consumption has also fallen from nearly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) per capita annually in 2000 to about 165 pounds (75 kilograms) in 2024. Consumers have increasingly taken to buying bread and other bakery products instead of tortillas. Apart from the challenge of trying to change consumer habits, the policy also runs counter to market trends. While some countries are trying to encourage high-value varietal and specialized chocolate strains, Mexico is focusing on the cheapest products. While chocolate was first exported to the rest of the world from Mexico, Mexico’s own production has fallen dramatically because of plant diseases and a lack of investment. It dropped from almost 50,000 tons in 2003 […]
A worldwide initiative has been launched for this Simchas Torah to garner zechusim for the neshamos killed in last year’s Simchas Torah attack by Hamas, as well as for those still being held hostage, and for soldiers battling against both Hamas and Hezbollah. Endorsed by Rav Yitzchok Berkowitz, the initiative encourages men in America to gather in shuls and learn Torah for 45 minutes, from 11 PM to 11:45 PM on Leil Shemini Atzeres. In Israel, the learning starts 45 minutes before Shacharis. Participants in this initiative can enter a raffle for $1,000 by emailing their details (see flyer below).
President Joe Biden tore into his predecessor on Tuesday, suggesting that global leaders are terrified of what Donald Trump’s return to the White House could do to democratic rule around the world. “Every international meeting I attend,” Biden said, specifically referencing his whirlwind trip to Germany last week, “They pull me aside — one leader after the other, quietly — and say, ‘Joe, he can’t win.’ My democracy is at stake.” His voice rising, Biden then asked if, “America walks away, who leads the world? Who? Name me a country.” The comments came during what was supposed to be a rather staid speech on health care in New Hampshire. They were a dose of unfiltered politics at an event otherwise focused on Biden’s policy legacy with the race to replace him just two weeks from concluding. And they made clear that the president also sees not having Trump succeed him as an important piece of how he might go down in history. After the speech, Biden went to a campaign office to support New Hampshire Democratic candidates and continued his broadsides against Trump, even saying at one point, “We’ve got to lock him up.” Some supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris — who replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in July — have yelled that during her rallies. That line drew applause from those assembled at the campaign office, but Biden quickly corrected himself: “Lock him out, that’s what we have to do.” Biden didn’t mention Harris much during his comments, though he noted that she’d been endorsed by some high-profile Republicans. That includes former Rep. Liz Cheney, the GOP’s onetime No. 3 in the House and daughter of ex-Vice President Dick Cheney. Instead, Biden continued to focus on Trump, slamming him for being proud about being friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and joking that Trump “believes in the free press like I believe I can climb Mt. Everest.” He said Trump and supporters of his “Make America Great Again” movement have “anti-democratic” attitudes toward the way the Constitution functions and “virtually no regard” for it. “Think about what happens if Donald Trump were to win this election,” Biden said, adding, “He’s not joking about it, he’s deadly earnest” and “It’s a serious, serious problem.” “We must win,” Biden said. Biden was in New Hampshire’s capital of Concord with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the last candidate he beat to win the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. They both appeared at Concord Community College to trumpet the Department of Health and Human Services finding that almost 1.5 million Medicare enrollees saved nearly $1 billion on prescription drugs during the first half of the year. Much of those savings came as a result of a cap on out-of-pocket drug costs created by the sweeping climate and health care law that the Biden administration helped carry through Congress in 2022. It put an annual maximum of $3,500 that recipients of Medicare, the government’s health insurance coverage plans for seniors, pay for their prescriptions while making recommended vaccines for older Americans, like immunization for shingles, free. Biden said that seniors aren’t the only ones benefitting from the savings: “It’s also saving taxpayers billions of dollars.” Next year, the drug cost cap for Medicare recipients falls to $2,000 per year, which will […]
Rudy Giuliani must turn over sports memorabilia and other prized possessions to two Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him, including his New York City apartment, more than two dozen luxury watches and a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, a judge ruled Tuesday. But U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan also said Giuliani does not have to give the election workers three New York Yankees World Series rings or his Florida condominium — for now — noting those assets are tied up in other litigation. The property Giuliani must relinquish is expected to fetch several million dollars for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. They won the $148 million judgment over Giuliani’s false ballot fraud claims against them related to the 2020 presidential election. They said Giuliani pushed Donald Trump’s lies about the election being stolen, which led to death threats that made them fear for their lives. Under Tuesday’s order, Giuliani must turn over within seven days his Manhattan apartment, estimated at more than $5 million, as well his interest in about $2 million that he says Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign owes him for his services. Also on the list of assets that must be given to Freeman and Moss are a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 previous owned by Bacall, a shirt and picture signed, respectively, by Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio and Reggie Jackson, a signed Yankee Stadium picture, a diamond ring, costume jewelry and 26 watches, including a Rolex, five Shinolas, two Bulovas and a Tiffany & Co. In court documents filed earlier this year, Giuliani estimated the worth of the Mercedes at about $25,000, and the watches, World Series rings and costume jewelry at about $30,000. He said the value of his sports memorabilia was unknown. One of those watches was given to Giuliani by his grandfather and he asked that he be allowed to keep it because of its sentimental value. But Liman rejected the request, saying Giuliani could have had it exempted if he proved it was worth less than $1,000 but he did not do so. The judge added, “However painful the circumstances, a party cannot claim that every family heirloom should be exempt.” Liman wrote that Giuliani’s surrendering of the assets to Freeman and Moss would “ensure that the liquidation of the transferred assets is accomplished quickly and consistently by the Plaintiffs’ chosen counsel, maximizing the sale value of the unique and intangible items and therefore increasing the likelihood of satisfaction of the Plaintiffs’ judgment.” Lawyers for Giuliani did not immediately return email messages on Tuesday. To date, Giuliani has not paid Freeman and Moss anything. “We are proud that our clients will finally begin to receive some of the compensation to which they are entitled for Giuliani’s actions,” Aaron Nathan, a lawyer for Freeman and Moss, said in a statement. “This outcome should send a powerful message that there is a price to pay for those who choose to intentionally spread disinformation.” Giuliani had asked the judge to bar Freeman and Moss from selling any of his assets until after his appeal of the $148 million judgment is completed. Liman also turned down that request, saying Giuliani could have asked the federal court in Washington, D.C., where Freeman and Moss […]
The IDF has released intelligence documents uncovering that six journalists from the Al Jazeera network in Gaza are affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations. The named individuals are Anas Jamal Mahmoud Al-Sharif, Alaa Abdul Aziz Muhammad Salama, Hossam Basel Abdul Karim Shabat, Ashraf Sami Ashour Saraj, Ismail Farid Muhammad Abu Omar, and Talal Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Aruki. The documents, found in Gaza, include personnel records, terrorist training lists, contact directories, and salary information, providing evidence that these journalists also serve as military operatives. One of the journalists, Ismail Farid Muhammad Abu Omar, was injured in Gaza months ago. The IDF claims the evidence reaffirms his involvement in terrorist activities, despite Al Jazeera’s attempts to distance itself from his actions. According to the IDF, most of these journalists play a key role in promoting Hamas propaganda, particularly in northern Gaza, through their positions at Al Jazeera. The disclosure is presented as proof of the integration of Hamas operatives within the Qatari news network. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A man in his 50s suffered a head injury from shrapnel during a Hezbollah rocket barrage targeting the Nahariya area. Initially described as moderately wounded, his condition has now deteriorated to serious. The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service transported the victim to a hospital, where he remains unconscious. The IDF reported that approximately 25 rockets were launched in the attack, with the majority intercepted. It remains unclear whether the shrapnel was from a direct hit or debris from an interception. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Kamala Harris said Tuesday that her team is prepared to challenge Donald Trump if he tries to prematurely declare victory in the 2024 election — but she’s first focused on beating the Republican nominee. Harris spoke to NBC News just two weeks before Election Day. She said the Democrats “have the resources and the expertise” should Trump try to subvert the election. “This is a person, Donald Trump, who tried to undo the — a free and fair election, who still denies the will of the people, who incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol and some 140 law enforcement officers were attacked. Some — were killed. This is a very serious matter,” she said. Trump has been criminally charged with trying to overturn the 2020 election, and refuses to admit he lost to President Joe Biden. After a failed legal effort to overturn the results, a mob of Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, attacking law enforcement in an effort to stop the certification of the race. At Harris’ rallies, some of her supporters chant “Lock him up,” something Trump often said about his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Harris often replies: “The courts will take care of that. We’ll take care of November.” At a campaign stop Tuesday, Biden said, “We’ve got to lock him up,” but quickly added, “Lock him out, that’s what I mean.” “No president has ever been like this guy,” Biden said. “He’s a genuine threat to our democracy.” While partisan battles over voting rules have long been part of presidential campaigns, election litigation has soared in recent years. With money pouring in for legal fights and the number of outside groups involved in election litigation proliferating, the disputes are not likely slow down anytime soon. (AP)
A recreational drug called “pink cocaine” is getting attention and causing confusion since it doesn’t typically contain cocaine. The pink powder — really a grab bag of different drugs dyed pink — has turned up in drug seizures, prompting warnings from law enforcement. Pink cocaine is also known as “tusi,” but both nicknames for the powder are more about marketing than reality. Experts say it rarely contains cocaine and is more likely to contain ketamine, a drug with very different effects. Why is it pink? Pink cocaine is pink thanks to food coloring or dye, said Joseph Palamar, who studies drug trends at NYU Langone Health in New York. “Sometimes it has cocaine in the mix, but it’s typically more of a ketamine concoction,” Palamar said. Studies have found batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine and opioids. “It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have a couple of drugs and a pink dye,” Palamar said. The word “tusi” may have been coined to mimic 2C-B, a recreational drug used on the rave scene in the 1990s and known for euphoric effects, according to a paper Palamar published last year. Drug analyses that Palamar reviewed showed tusi didn’t typically contain 2C-B. Today, young people may not know the history of the name tusi and they may be confused by the name pink cocaine, he said. “It’s just some pretty powder that their friends are using. They probably have no idea what it’s supposed to be,” he said. Why is pink cocaine dangerous? The danger is tied to not knowing what’s in it. Users could wind up with undesired effects or take a larger amount than past experience tells them they can handle. Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved for use during surgery but in recent years it has been used recreationally and as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. It can cause hallucinations and can impact breathing and the heart. “Ketamine is not a fun drug to most people,” Palamar said. “It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very alien when you’re on it, especially in large doses.” Someone who’s drunk at a party and thinks cocaine might counter alcohol’s effects is going to be unpleasantly surprised by pink cocaine that’s actually mostly ketamine, he said. “If you’ve been drinking, it’s going to make you sick to your stomach and the dissociative effects are not going to be very pleasant,” he said. Where is pink cocaine coming from? In May, the U.S. Coast Guard reported seizing pink cocaine among other drugs off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. “That was the first time that I heard of large batches being imported into the U.S. as tusi,” Palamar said. It could just as easily be made by drug dealers in the United States, who mix their own, he said. (AP)
Federal regulators gave a strong push to electric-powered air taxis Tuesday by issuing a final rule for operating the aircraft and how pilots will be trained to fly them. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mike Whitaker, said the rule recognizes air taxis as an entirely new type of aircraft that will soon join airplanes and helicopters in the sky. These aircraft take off and land vertically, like helicopters, but fly like fixed-wing planes. Many companies are working to get them on the market, but they have been held back by the lack of clarity over regulations to govern their use. Whitaker said the FAA is stressing safety as it works to fold the new aircraft into the nation’s airspace. He said “powered-lift aircraft” are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years, since the dawn of helicopters, and the rule will allow for their widespread operation. Air taxi supporters call them a cleaner alternative to passenger planes that burn jet fuel. So far, however, current technology limits their size and likely means that they will be used most often in urban areas. Companies envision carrying people and cargo. One of the companies in the new field, California-based Joby Aviation, praised the FAA regulation. CEO JoeBen Bevirt said the rules “will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight.” Airlines see air taxis as a way to deliver passengers to airports. Delta Air Lines said in 2022 it would invest $60 million in Joby, and this month Toyota announced a $500 million investment. United Airlines is backing another California-based company, Archer Aviation, with an order for 200 aircraft that Archer said could be worth $1 billion with an option for $500 million more. (AP)
Palestinian civilians attempting to flee the intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip are reportedly being shot at by Hamas terrorists trying to stop their escape. Cpl. Shai Gilboa, a medic in the IDF’s 9th Battalion, told Israel’s Channel 12 that Hamas terrorists are resorting to gunfire to prevent civilians from following Israeli evacuation orders to safer zones. Gilboa described how wounded civilians approached her unit for medical help after being fired upon while trying to flee. “Our battalion was sent to apply military pressure on Hamas, who were holding the civilians and stopping them from evacuating,” said Gilboa. During the clashes, terrorists opened fire on Gazans attempting to flee, leading the IDF to provide emergency medical care to the injured, mostly stopping the bleeding before evacuating them to further treatment. Despite the dangers, the IDF reported that thousands of civilians have managed to evacuate, despite Hamas’ efforts to prevent them from leaving. The terror group has been accused of using civilians as human shields throughout the conflict. Last week, the IDF released an audio recording of a Gaza resident confirming that Hamas terrorists were beating civilians who tried to evacuate Jabaliya, in a bid to force them to stay and hinder Israeli military operations. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Hezbollah officially claimed responsibility for the drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, and warned of future strikes. Speaking at a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday, Hezbollah media chief Mohammed Afif took “full, complete, and exclusive responsibility” for the attack, stating that it was only the beginning. “If we did not reach you this time, we will reach you the next time,” Afif warned, emphasizing that no ceasefire negotiations would take place while fighting persisted. The attempted assassination involved three drones, with one reportedly hitting the residence, though Netanyahu and his wife were not home at the time. Netanyahu quickly responded, blaming Iran, Hezbollah’s chief backer, for the attack. “The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake,” he said, vowing that Israel’s military efforts would continue without hesitation. Netanyahu’s warnings included a direct message to Iran and its proxies: “Anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price.” Security measures for Israeli officials have been heightened in the wake of the incident. Hezbollah’s comments appeared aimed at deflecting blame away from Iran while asserting its own responsibility for the strike. Hezbollah has been launching near-daily attacks on northern Israel since Hamas initiated its war with Israel last month. The ongoing assaults from southern Lebanon have forced 70,000 Israelis to evacuate their homes in the north, prompting Israel to intensify its military response in recent weeks. The IDF stated that Hezbollah’s military capacity has been severely diminished, with less than 30% of its firepower remaining. Since Israel’s ground operation began in southern Lebanon, approximately 1,200 Hezbollah fighters have reportedly been killed. In a new development, Hezbollah acknowledged that Israel had captured some of its fighters. While the group denied capturing any Israeli soldiers, Afif hinted that such a scenario could happen soon, saying, “It won’t take long before we have captives from the enemy.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Hoshana Rabba our judgment is completed. It is also the final sealing of the judgment of every person for a good sweet year. We are all looking for extra Zechusim on Hoshanah Rabba to ensure a Gmar Chasima Tova. As we all seek to increase our zechusim so that we may be zocheh b’din, YWN would like to inform our readers of an incredible opportunity to help tip the scales in our favor. As Hoshanah Rabba approaches and we all seek to increase our zechusim so that we may be zocheh b’din, YWN would like to inform our readers of an incredible opportunity to help tip the scales in our favor. YWN has only once before promoted a specific tzedakah, but our team is now raising funds for two families – one of whom is very close to the YWN family. We have personally and exhaustively verified the authenticity and urgency of their respective plights. HaRav Elya Brudny, the Rosh yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva, personally knows one of them, and knows the situation first hand. Both of these families truly require our assistance, and providing them with it will surely present a powerful zechus for us in Shamayim. We know that we all have a ton of Tzedkaha requests, but YWN doesn’t charge for our service, providing breaking news 24 hours a day for 21 years. In turn, please open your generous hearts for this cause! The first family is one in which the father, an incredible talmid chochom, is suffering from a multitude of serious health issues. Due to his illness, he has been unable to provide sufficient income for his family. The second family is one that has been a close friend of YWN for many years. The father has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and is unable to work. His wife had to quit her job to take care of her husband and home full of young children. The situation is desperate, as they are facing eviction from their home – and literally have no money for basic necessities. Their bills are in the tens of thousands, and they are long past their credit line! Hundreds of thousands of people trust YWN to deliver them the news – appropriately, sensitively, and free-of-charge. Now, we are simply making one request: Please help us help these two pure families who are silently suffering. Please open your hearts before Yom Kippur and provide them with much-needed reprieve. In doing so, we have no doubt that the Ribono Shel Olam will make our lives easier and better, as well. The words of U’nesaneh Tokef call to us: U’Teshuva U’Tefillah U’Tzedakah Maavirin Es Roah Hagezeirah. Let us not let this opportunity pass us by. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO HELP THESE TWO PEOPLE Wishing you all a Gutten Kvittel!
An appellate court in Missouri ruled Tuesday that a lower court was right when it decided to overturn the murder conviction of a woman who spent 43 years behind bars for a killing that her attorneys argue was committed by a discredited police officer. Sandra Hemme was freed in July while the decision to overturn her conviction was reviewed — at the insistence of Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who argued she should remain imprisoned. Presiding Judge Cynthia Martin wrote in the scathing 71-page ruling that some arguments raised by Bailey’s office bordered “on the absurd” and gave prosecutors 10 days to refile charges. “It is time for this miscarriage of justice to end,” Hemme’s attorneys said in a statement following the ruling in the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District. Hemme had been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project. A spokeswoman for Bailey didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Hemme was being treated with heavy doses of antipsychotic drugs when she was first questioned about the 1980 murder of 31-year-old library worker Patricia Jeschke in St. Joseph. One of Hemme’s attorneys, Sean O’Brien, likened the drugs to a “chemical straightjacket” in an October hearing and said they raised questions about her ultimate confession. “It makes her compliant,” he said. “It makes her subject to susceptibility.” O’Brien also outlined evidence that was withheld that pointed to Michael Holman — a former police officer, who died in 2015. Evidence showed that Holman’s pickup truck was seen outside Jeschke’s apartment, that he tried to use her credit card, and that her earrings were found in his home. The appellate court’s ruling said the record “strongly suggests” that police buried their investigation into Holman. The same conclusion was reached in June when Judge Ryan Horsman in Livingston County overturned her conviction. He found that Hemme’s attorney had established “clear and convincing evidence” of “actual innocence.” But Bailey asked the appellate court to review that decision, arguing that Horsman had exceeded his authority and that Hemme failed to present sufficient evidence on some of her claims. What ensued was a month-long fight over whether she should be freed while that review took place. A circuit judge, an appellate court and the Missouri Supreme Court all agreed Hemme should be released, but she was still held behind bars as Bailey argued that she still had time to serve on decades-old prison assault cases. Hemme walked free only after Horsman threatened to hold the attorney general’s office in contempt. At the latest hearing in October, Andrew Clarke, an assistant attorney general, faced tough questioning. One of the appellate court judges noted particular concern about what happened when Holman, the discredited police officer, couldn’t be ruled out as the source of a palm print detected on a TV antenna cable found next to the victim’s body. The FBI asked for clearer prints, but police didn’t follow up. Jurors never heard about that or other evidence because the police never informed prosecutors. “The court,” Clarke said in response to questions about the significance of suppressed evidence, “has to consider what its value is at a future trial, what it would look like. And if it undermines confidence in the prior verdict.” […]
Iraq’s prime minister announced Tuesday that the Islamic State militant group’s leader in Iraq was killed in a military operation along with eight of the group’s other senior leaders. U.S. officials said two American service members were injured in the joint raid overnight Monday that was conducted by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Jassim al-Mazroui Abu Abdul Qader was killed in an operation by counterterrorism forces and the national security service under the Joint Operations Command in the Hamrin Mountains in Salahuddin province. “There is no place for terrorists in Iraq, and we will pursue them to their hideouts and eliminate them,” al-Sudani said in a statement. The two U.S. troops are in stable condition, said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. He and other U.S. officials said the raid targeted senior Islamic State group leaders, but he could not confirm that Abdul Qader was killed. He and a second U.S. official said the Pentagon is awaiting final test analysis before confirming who was killed. The second official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation, said the two U.S. troops were being treated in Baghdad. The Joint Operations Command said in a statement that the operation was carried out “with technical support and exchange of accurate intelligence information by the international coalition forces.” The identities of the others killed in the operation along with Abdul Qader will be announced after they are confirmed by DNA tests, it said. The statement also indicated that “large quantities of weapons, ammunition and equipment were seized.” Last month, the U.S. announced an agreement with the Iraqi government to wrap up the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by next year, with U.S. troops departing some bases that they have long occupied during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. A coalition of more than 80 countries, led by the United States, was formed to fight the group, which lost its hold on the territory it controlled in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, although sleeper cells remain in both countries and abroad. For years, Iraqi officials had periodically called for a withdrawal of coalition forces, and formal talks to wind down the U.S. presence in the country were ongoing for months. Iraqi officials have maintained that Iraqi security forces are able to deal with the remaining sleeper cells and prevent the group from staging a resurgence. (AP)
Shock and mourning has struck the Kiryas Joel kehilla and beyond on Tuesday night as word spreads of the tragic petirah of 37-year-old yungerman Avrohom Yaakov Moskowitz z”l, who was killed in a horrific accident. R’ Avrohom Yaakov z”l was changing a tire on a vehicle outside his home on Lemberg Court when the vehicle suddenly began rolling, striking the yungerman and causing critical injuries. KJ Hatzolah, police, and firefighters responded to the scene, finding R’ Avrohom Yaakov in traumatic arrest. He was rushed by Hatzolah paramedics to Good Samaritan Hospital, where doctors valiantly, but tragically unsuccessfully, fought to save his life. Levaya details will be published when available. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Tourists once again climbed the steps of Manhattan’s beehive-shaped Vessel sculpture after it reopened Monday for the first time in three years, now with netting aimed at decreasing the risk of suicides like the ones that forced its closure. Around 75 visitors had bought tickets and lined up to enter the metallic honeycomb design as it opened Monday morning. Within minutes, they passed through a security checkpoint and buzzed about the stairways and vista platforms, the highest of which is around 150 feet (45 meters). Flexible netting allowed visitors to stick out their phones, but not their bodies, to capture views of the sculpture’s interior and the surrounding cityscape. “The pictures you can take from downstairs and upstairs, they are so beautiful,” said Alexandre Paes, a software engineer from Rio de Janeiro. This isn’t the first time the site has closed and reopened with new safety features. The climbable sculpture’s zigzagging stairs drew crowds of tourists when it opened in 2019. It closed after three people died after jumping from the structure, and reopened with security guards and an unusual rule: nobody could visit it alone. Despite those safety measures, another person died in 2021, and it was closed again. The Vessel reopened Monday with floor-to-ceiling mesh barriers on all the walkable sections, partially obstructing some views, and closing off much of the higher levels from visitors. The sculpture was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and fabricated in Venice. But its backers were taken off guard by the safety issues. “We wanted people to come here and have fun,” said Andy Rosen, COO of Related Companies, which owns Hudson Yards. On Monday, tourists did just that, taking selfies and chasing the ever-changing light that bounces off adjacent skyscrapers and filters through the hexagonal openings. “It’s a little bit of turning the page,” Rosen said, adding that even the narrower set of views allows visitors to interact with the sculpture and create a unique experience. “The netting is good, not only for safety but for people like myself that are afraid of heights,” said Daniel Palumbo, of Pennsville Township, New Jersey. The Vessel rises from the ground like a stretched basket, hollow in the center with scalable staircases on the lower levels in every direction. The reopened portions of the structure allow visitors to scale the highest level at a single section at the exit of the structure’s elevator, facing the tallest chrome and glass skyscrapers of Hudson Yards. “This view in particular I don’t think it’s the best one that we can take pictures of. I think if you could go over there and take one of the river, it would be nice,” said Paes, adding that he had already seen a more glorious view of the Hudson River from the nearby Little Island park. The elevator wasn’t working Monday morning, preventing some people from reaching the top and leading at least one patron to get a refunded ticket. “I came two years ago and it was closed,” said Andrea Niño de Guzmán, of Milwaukee, who posed for photos with one of her cousins, who were visiting from Guadalajara, Mexico. She said a third cousin, visiting from Sweden and using a wheelchair due to a temporary injury, left after the elevator outage was discovered, and operators refunded the woman’s $10 ticket, […]
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday upgraded its economic outlook for the United States this year, while lowering its expectations for growth in Europe and China. It left its forecast for global growth unchanged at a relatively lackluster 3.2% for 2024. The IMF expects the U.S. economy — the world’s largest — to expand 2.8% this year, down slightly from 2.9% in 2023 but an improvement on the 2.6% it had forecast for 2024 back in July. Growth in the United States has been led by strong consumer spending, fueled by healthy gains in inflation-adjusted wages. Next year, though, the IMF expects the U.S. economy to decelerate to 2.2% growth. With a new presidential administration and Congress in place, the IMF envisions the nation’s job market losing some momentum in 2025 as the government begins seeking to curb huge budget deficits by slowing spending, raising taxes or some combination of both. The IMF, a 190-nation lending organization, works to promote economic growth and financial stability and reduce global poverty. In its latest forecast, it expects China’s economic growth to slow from 5.2% last year to 4.8% this year and 4.5% in 2025. The world’s No. 2 economy has been hobbled by a collapse in its housing market and by weak consumer confidence — problems only partly offset by strong exports. The 20 European countries that share the euro currency are collectively expected to eke out 0.8% growth this year, twice the 2023 expansion of 0.4% but a slight downgrade from the 0.9% the IMF had forecast three months ago for 2024. The German economy, hurt by a slump in manufacturing and real estate, isn’t expected to grow at all this year. Worldwide inflation has been cooling — from 6.7% in 2023 to a forecast 5.8% this year and 4.3% in 2025. It’s falling even faster in the world’s wealthy countries, from 4.6% last year to a forecast 2.6% this year and 2% — the target range for most major central banks — in 2025. The progress against inflation has allowed the Fed and the European Central Bank to finally reduce rates after they had aggressively raised them to combat the post-COVID-19 inflation surge. “The battle against inflation is almost won,” IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told reporters Tuesday. ”In most countries, inflation is hovering close to central bank targets.” But just as lower borrowing costs aid the world’s economies, the IMF warned, the need to contain enormous government deficits will likely put a brake on growth. The overall world economy is expected to grow 3.2% in both 2024 and 2025, down a tick from 3.3% last year. That’s an unimpressive standard: From 2000 through 2019, before the pandemic upended economic activity, global growth had averaged 3.8% a year. The IMF also continues to express concern that geopolitical tension, including antagonism between the United States and China, could make world trade less efficient. The concern is that more countries would increasingly do business with their allies instead of seeking the lowest-priced or best-made foreign goods. Still, global trade, measured by volume, is expected to grow 3.1% this year and 3.4% in 2025, improving on 2023’s anemic 0.8% increase. Gourinchas also said that economic growth could be lower if countries take steps to reduce immigration, which has helped reduce labor shortages in […]
The Navy identified on Monday the two crew members who died last week in a jet fighter crash near Mount Rainier as two 31-year-old aviators from California. Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator, died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as “Zappers,” crashed east of Mount Rainier last Tuesday during a training flight, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Evans of Palmdale, California, made history as part of a team of female pilots who conducted the first-ever all-female flyover of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, to celebrate 50 years of women flying in the Navy, Steve Fiebing, a Navy spokesperson, told The Associated Press. The first female candidates entered the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973. “I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans told the Los Angeles Times. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.” Wileman was commissioned in 2018 and joined the Zapper squadron on Washington state’s Whidbey Island in 2021. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon. An aerial crew located the wreckage the day after the crash at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, officials said. Navy officials declared the aviators dead on Sunday and said they’ve switched from search and rescue to recovery operations. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.” Personnel are recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort, the Navy said. Gov. Jay Inslee said the Navy asked the Washington state National Guard to “provide 24/7 security at assigned traffic control points.” Inslee granted the request Sunday. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. In the past 15 years, the Growler has operated around the globe supporting major actions, the Navy said. The plane seats a pilot in front and an electronics operator behind them. “The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne Electronic Attack and stands as the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each aircraft costs about $67 million. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said said she was heartbroken to learn of the passing of Evans, whom she had met at the Naval Air Station last year. “I am deeply grateful for her courage and sacrifice in service to our country,” Murray said in a statement. “She was a leader who broke barriers and made history.” “Similarly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lt. Serena Wileman,” she continued. “I am so proud of both of these women for their trailblazing careers — their service has no doubt made a difference, clearing a path for the women who will come after them.” (AP)
