On the night before October 7, an IDF intelligence unit gathered information indicating that Hamas was preparing to fire rockets at Israel and also observed unusual activity among Hamas’ aerial forces that indicated they were preparing for activity, Ynet reported on Thursday. These signs were discussed in IDF consultations in the following hours but no officials made a decision to raise alerts over a possible Hamas attack or cancel the Nova party which was being held with thousands of attendants in an open area near the Gaza border. Contrary to earlier reports, during these consultations, senior IDF officials had seriously considered the possibility that Hamas was about to launch an attack on Israel. Previous reports said that the IDF only considered the possibility that Hamas was preparing for a military exercise. At 2 a.m., Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelman, the commander of the IDF’s Southern Command, who resigned from his position on Tuesday immediately after IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Levi announced his resignation, held a phone consultation with other senior officers, Shin Bet operatives, and an Air Force representative about warnings of “unusual activity” in Gaza. Finkelman said that there were three possibilities, the third being an assault. A summary of the Southern Command’s consultations was delivered to the head of the IDF Operations Directorate, Gen. Oded Basyuk, who made several phone calls. “After consulting the deputy head of Shin Bet, the commander of the Southern Command, the operations commander, and the intelligence research department chief, there are three possible scenarios,” he wrote. “A Hamas drill, increased preparedness to defend against an Israeli attack, preparations for an operation against Israel in the coming hours including an incursion from the sea or a strike on the gas rig, breaching the border, abductions, shooting attacks, rocket attacks and an incursion from the air.” He ordered a limited number of actions, including a review of Israel’s aerial defenses around the gas rig but although he understood that there was a risk of a rocket attack or “an unusual terror attack, the conclusion was that there must be careful preparation to protect sensitive sources and coordinate actions with military intelligence.” Halevi held consultations with Basyuk and Finkelman at 4 a.m. and ordered an aerial intelligence flight over Gaza, saying that if Hamas was conducting a drill, it was an opportunity to gather information. The consultation then ended with the decision that barring significant developments, further consultations will be held in the morning. All orders issued by Halevi and Finkelman were limited ones that protected intelligence sources and prevented Hamas from realizing Israel was aware of its unusual activities. An official close to the government said the Southern Command was aware of the Nova festival and had approved it. “If the information, not about the assault but about possible rocket fire, didn’t meet the standard to stop the party, what would have?” “Protecting sources was prioritized,” a senior officer said, explaining the gap between the indications in the report and the general belief that there was a low probability of an assault. “If someone would have thought that there was really a danger, preventing it would have been prioritized over any of the intelligence sources and that’s why a limited group was involved in the discussions.” The head of the IDF’s military intelligence and the Commander […]
Seven San Antonio police officers were shot while responding to a “suicide in progress” call and the suspect was later found dead inside an apartment after a standoff, the city’s police chief said. The officers were shot Wednesday night and a SWAT team was called to the Stone Oak neighborhood, San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus said early Thursday. After several hours, the suspect was dead but it wasn’t immediately known how he died, McManus said. He described the suspect as a man in his 40s and said the original call to police came from a family member. Earlier, McManus had said four officers were wounded and none of those officers’ injuries were believed to be life-threatening. In his later remarks, he didn’t address the specific conditions of the officers. (AP)
“Telling your wife your needs and wants” is a complete waste of time for married men who want happiness and I’ll tell you why. So many marriage experts claim they have the secret to a happy marriage and that it all comes down to communication, boundaries and bringing in more money. They tell you to help out more at home, talk about the past, go together to a marriage professional but never stop to take inventory of whether ANY of these methods are actually WORKING in creating happiness and joy! I am not saying those strategies don’t work at all, but they are the long… slow… painful way of having a happy home. And for the few that make it with these strategies, they’ve done it while he doesn’t get what he needs, and she doesn’t get what she needs. Meanwhile, we’re helping our clients connect with their wives on the highest level, living lives full of happiness and excitement and it gets more and more joyful by the day where both husband and wife feel happiness and excitement… … all without needing their wife to meet them halfway! To check out how they do this, click below to watch my free presentation where I share all the details … you’re going to thank me for it! 5 Steps Married Men Use to Get Rid of Friction and Create Happiness and Excitement… Without Needing Their Wife to Meet Them Halfway!
As promised, President Donald Trump began reversing the country’s energy policies his first day in office with a spate of orders largely favoring oil, gas and coal. But there is one renewable energy that did find favor: geothermal. Energy experts say that makes sense — geothermal energy makes electricity 24/7. Many people working in the field came from the oil and gas industry and they use much of the same technology for drilling wells. Trump strongly supports and gets support from the oil and gas industry. And there’s bipartisan support in Congress for geothermal. “The embrace of advanced geothermal under this new administration, I’d say is not a giant surprise,” said Alex Kania, a managing director at Marathon Capital. “It’s reliable, it’s efficient, and frankly their ties to the more conventional forms of energy production, I think, is probably not lost on some people.” Geothermal creates electricity cleanly by making steam from the Earth’s natural heat and using that steam to spin a turbine. It’s a climate solution because it reduces the need for traditional power plants that burn fossil fuels and cause climate change. Trump declared an energy emergency on Monday, and included geothermal heat as one of the domestic energy resources that could help ensure a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy. Solar, wind and battery storage were omitted, and wind was singled out in a separate order with measures intended to slow it down. “Geothermal is heating up and the Trump administration is going to empower the industry over the next four years to achieve its potential,” said Bryant Jones, executive director of the geothermal trade association, Geothermal Rising. It’s a vibrant business right now. New geothermal companies are adapting technology and practices from oil and gas to create steam from ubiquitous hot rock. That would make this kind of electricity possible in many more places. The Energy Department estimates the next generation of geothermal projects could provide some 90 gigawatts in the U.S. by 2050 — enough to power 65 million homes or more. Former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm supported geothermal as a climate solution. Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is a fossil fuel executive who values geothermal, too. His company, Denver-based Liberty Energy, invested in Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal company. Wright said at his confirmation hearing that he’s excited about geothermal as an “an enormous, abundant energy resource below everyone’s feet.” Wright’s appointment is a clear signal that this administration will support geothermal, said Terra Rogers, a program director who focuses on the technology at the nonprofit Clean Air Task Force. “He’s well-informed of its risks and opportunities, and continues to be a strong advocate for what it could be,” Rogers said. The United States is a world leader in electricity made from geothermal energy, but it still accounts for less than half a percent of the nation’s total large-scale generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The big states are California, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho and New Mexico, where reservoirs of steam, or very hot water, lie close to the surface. In its first actions this week, the new administration also indicated support for nuclear power and removing obstacles to mining uranium, which can be refined into nuclear fuel. Like geothermal, nuclear power does not cause climate change. […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come to the defense of Tesla CEO Elon Musk as Democrats accuse him of performing a Nazi salute during a public event celebrating Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States. Netanyahu rejected the accusations against Musk, calling them a “false smear.” “Elon is a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state. I thank him for this.” Musk responded to Netanyahu’s support with a brief “thank you” on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The controversy arose on Monday during an event at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., where Musk addressed a crowd of Trump supporters. After thanking the audience for what he described as a pivotal moment for human civilization, Musk made a series of gestures that Democrats dishonestly claimed resembled a Nazi salute. The sequence included slapping his hand on his chest and extending his arm at an angle with his fingers together. Responding to the backlash, Musk dismissed the accusations, saying, “The radical leftists are really upset that they had to take time out of their busy day praising Hamas to call me a Nazi.” Musk’s Wikipedia page was even updated to describe his gesture as a “Nazi” or “fascist” salute. Musk lashed out at Wikipedia, accusing the platform of being biased, and urged his supporters to “defund Wikipedia until balance is restored.” Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales pushed back against Musk’s claims, stating, “I think Elon is unhappy that Wikipedia is not for sale. I hope his campaign to defund us results in lots of donations from people who care about the truth. If Elon wanted to help, he’d be encouraging kind and thoughtful intellectual people he agrees with to engage.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Ukraine is in the final stages of drafting recruitment reforms to attract 18- to 25-year-olds who are currently exempt from mobilization as it looks for ways to bolster its fighting force, the battlefield commander recently appointed to the President’s Office said. In his first interview with foreign media since taking up his new position last fall, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Colonel Pavlo Palisa said Ukraine is exploring new recruitment options because the current drafting system inherited from Soviet times is hindering progress. While Ukraine passed a mobilization law last spring and lowered the age of conscription from 27 to 25 years old, the measures have not had the impact needed to replenish its ranks or replace battlefield losses in its war with Russia. One initiative is what Palisa described as an “honest contract,” a plan that includes financial incentives, clear guarantees for training, and measures to ensure dialogue between soldiers and their commanders. The plan is aimed at attracting mainly 18- to 25-year-olds who are currently exempt from mobilization, and will also target Ukrainians who have the right to deferment or were discharged after the mobilization law was passed. “To secure the unit commander and the contract soldier, establish open and professional relations between them, and set clear boundaries that are understandable to both,” he said Wednesday. “In my opinion, this is essential for effective dialogue.” The effort, which Palisa said is in its final stages, could help respond to calls aired by both the Biden and Trump administrations that Ukraine could expand its manpower by lowering the conscription age. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been adamantly opposed to implementing obligatory mobilization starting from 18 years old, saying doing so would radically affect the future prospects of the war-weary country. “As of now, my view is that we need to start an open dialogue with society,” Palisa said. “Because the defense of the state is not only the responsibility of the Armed Forces. It is the duty of every Ukrainian citizen, and it is their obligation.” Palisa said his office, in collaboration with the Cabinet and the Ministry of Defense, is reviewing why mobilization efforts have fallen short. “We actually have a huge mobilization resource. In my opinion, at the moment, it is greater than what we currently need to address certain tasks on the frontline,” he said. “The mechanism we currently have does not allow us to be as effective as we could be.” Palisa was taken straight from the battlefield to the president’s office, and he sees his appointment as an attempt to tackle systemic issues within the military. Part of a new generation of Ukrainian military leadership, he was studying at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. He graduated remotely in the summer of 2022 while fighting on the frontline. He then commanded the 93rd Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar,” during the grueling nine-month battle for Bakhmut. “This is a unique opportunity to bring pressing military issues to the attention of the country’s top leadership,” he said, adding that he intends to return to his battlefield role once his mission is complete. With Russia continuing to make incremental advances in the Donetsk region, some analysts have pointed to structural weaknesses in Ukraine’s command system and faltering communication […]
Seven San Antonio police officers were shot while responding to a “suicide in progress” call and the suspect was later found dead inside an apartment after a standoff, the city’s police chief said. The officers were shot Wednesday night and a SWAT team was called to the Stone Oak neighborhood, San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus said early Thursday. After several hours, the suspect was dead but it wasn’t immediately known how he died, McManus said. He described the suspect as a man in his 40s and said the original call to police came from a family member. Earlier, McManus had said four officers were wounded and none of those officers’ injuries were believed to be life-threatening. In his later remarks, he didn’t address the specific conditions of the officers. (AP)
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said Thursday the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, comments that came after President Donald Trump earlier put a price tag on returning to the kingdom as his first foreign trip. Trump’s 2017 trip to Saudi Arabia upended a tradition of U.S. presidents first heading to the United Kingdom as their first trip abroad. It also underscored his administration’s close ties to the rulers of the oil-rich Gulf states as his eponymous real estate company has pursued deals across the region as well. The comments from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reported early Thursday by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, came in a phone call with Trump. It marked Trump’s first call with a foreign leader since his inauguration Monday. “The crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that,” the report said. The readout did not elaborate on where those investments and trade could be placed. The U.S. in recent years has increasingly pulled away from relying on Saudi oil exports, which once was the bedrock of their relationship for decades. Saudi sovereign wealth funds have taken large stakes in American businesses while also looking at sports as well. Saudi Arabia does, however, rely predominantly on U.S.-made weapons and defense systems, which could be a part of the investment. The White House on Thursday issued a statement acknowledging the call, saying the two leaders “discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security and combat terrorism.” “Additionally, they discussed the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s international economic ambitions over the next four years as well as trade and other opportunities to increase the mutual prosperity of the United State and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement said, without elaborating. The crown prince, the de facto ruler of the oil-rich kingdom, also spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio early Thursday. On Monday after his inauguration, Trump talked about possibly heading to the kingdom again as his first foreign trip, as he did in 2017. “The first foreign trip typically has been with the U.K. but … I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of our products,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office. “If Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 — we’ll up it for all the inflation — I think I’d probably go.” On a potential trip to Saudi Arabia, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists Thursday: “I’m not aware of any plans at this time.” Trump’s 2017 visit to the kingdom set in motion a yearslong boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations, including the kingdom. Trump maintained close relations with Saudi Arabia, even after Prince Mohammed was implicated in the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. The kingdom also had been talking for years with the Biden administration about a wider deal to diplomatically recognize Israel in exchange for U.S. defense protections and other support. The $600 billion pledge, which dwarves the gross domestic product of many nations, also comes as the kingdom faces budgetary pressures […]
Israel transferred a message to Hamas on Wednesday demanding that hostage Arbel Yehud, 29, be released on Shabbos together with the four other female hostages. Hamas has refused to release Yehud in the first phase or provide information about her condition to Israel, claiming that she is held by terrorists from a Salafi organization linked to Islamic jihad. However, Israel is demanding that Hamas fulfill the conditions of the agreement, and ensure that Arbel, as a female hostage, is released together with the other female hostages. According to the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is expected to transfer two lists on Friday afternoon: the first – the names of the four female hostages to be released on Shabbos, and the second – a list of the status and condition of the remaining 26 hostages to be released in the first phase, including how many are alive. The number of terrorists that Israel will release will be determined based on this information. According to the agreement, the living civilians are supposed to be released first, and Israel is demanding full compliance in implementing the agreement. Yehud was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where she grew up. Her brother Dolev, H’yd, was murdered while defending the kibbutz on October 7. His remains weren’t found until eight months later on the kibbutz. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Google expedited access to its artificial intelligence tools, Vertex and Gemini, for Israel following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Tuesday. The report highlights that Google provided direct support to Israel’s Defense Ministry and the IDF, even as the company publicly sought to distance itself from Israel’s national security operations. This followed employee protests over Google’s multibillion-dollar Nimbus cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Internal documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal that a Google staff member warned the company that Israel might turn to Amazon, a competitor in the cloud services market, if Google failed to quickly increase access to its AI capabilities. Amazon also works with the Israeli government under the Nimbus contract. Google has faced significant internal backlash over its involvement with Nimbus, firing over 50 employees who protested the contract. Despite criticism, Google has maintained that the contract does not involve “highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.” The documents reviewed by The Washington Post do not clarify how Israel’s military utilized Google’s AI tools. These tools can perform a variety of tasks, including automating administrative processes that are not directly connected to front-line operations. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF confirmed on Wednesday that Hussein Fayyad, the commander of Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion, is still alive, despite earlier “confirming” that he was killed in a targeted operation in May. The acknowledgment came after footage released today showed Fayyad alive, prompting the IDF to re-examine its previous assessment. “In May, the IDF and Shin Bet determined with a high level of probability that Fayyad had been eliminated,” the IDF said in a statement. “This conclusion led to an official announcement at the time.” However, the IDF admitted that subsequent examinations revealed flaws in the intelligence that informed their earlier assessment. “After further examination, it emerged that the intelligence findings upon which the Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet relied were not accurate enough,” the statement added. The IDF has not indicated whether it plans to target Fayyad again following this revelation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
What’s in a name change, after all? The water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba will be critical to shipping lanes and vacationers whether it’s called the Gulf of Mexico, as it has been for four centuries, or the Gulf of America, as President Donald Trump ordered this week. North America’s highest mountain peak will still loom above Alaska whether it’s called Denali, as ordered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, or changed back to Mt. McKinley as Trump also decreed. But Trump’s territorial assertions, in line with his “America First” worldview, sparked a round of rethinking by mapmakers and teachers, snark on social media and sarcasm by at least one other world leader. And though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put the Trumpian “Gulf of America” on an official document and some other gulf-adjacent states were considering doing the same, it was not clear how many others would follow Trump’s lead. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America “Mexican America.” On Tuesday, she toned it down: “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.” The politics of maps are undeniable Map lines are inherently political. After all, they’re representations of the places that are important to human beings — and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world where multiple nations often share the same maps. There’s no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features across the Earth. “Denali” is the mountain’s preferred name for Alaska Natives, while “McKinley” is a tribute to President William McKinley, designated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. China sees Taiwan as its own territory, and the countries surrounding what the United States calls the South China Sea have multiple names for the same body of water. The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. Many Arab countries don’t recognize Israel and instead call it Palestine. And in many official releases, Israel calls the occupied West Bank by its biblical name, “Judea and Samaria.” Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo. Trump’s executive order — titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” — concludes thusly: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.” But what to call the gulf with the 3,700-mile coastline? “It is, I suppose, an internationally recognized sea, but (to be honest), a situation like this has never come up before so I need to confirm the appropriate convention,” said Peter Bellerby, […]
Once a year, Edmunds’ car experts gather to decide on the best new vehicles on sale. The annual Edmunds Top Rated Awards are given to the cars, trucks and SUVs that beat out the rest of the competition according to Edmunds’ rigorous vehicle testing program. To win, each vehicle must have been tested at the Edmunds test track and thoroughly evaluated in real-world use as well. There are six main categories: best car, SUV and truck, and electric versions in the same categories. This year, there are some new champions, while others are repeat winners. The starting prices listed below include destination charges. Edmunds Top Rated Car: Honda Civic Hybrid The 2025 Honda Civic isn’t just this year’s best car; it might be the best Honda Civic ever. A big reason why is the newly available hybrid powertrain. The EPA estimates that it helps the hybrid versions of the Civic get up to 49 mpg in combined city/highway driving, a stellar result that Edmunds confirmed in its real-world testing. Pleasingly, this doesn’t come at the expense of power; indeed, the hybrid’s acceleration is on par with that of the sporty Civic Si. All Civics also provide ample passenger space and many easy-to-use technology features. Starting price for a Civic sedan with the hybrid powertrain: $30,100 Edmunds Top Rated Electric Car: Tesla Model 3 Tesla made significant updates to its popular Model 3 last year, propelling this electric sedan to the Top Rated podium for 2025. It has affordable pricing, plenty of range, and a more premium and better-assembled cabin than before. It’s well suited for daily commuting as well as longer trips. The Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive version went 338 miles on a single charge in the independent Edmunds EV Range Test. If it’s excitement you’re after, the Performance version easily satisfies with its capability to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in an Edmunds-tested 3.0 seconds. Starting price: $43,880 Edmunds Top Rated SUV: Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Great fuel economy is key to why the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid won the SUV category. The potential to get an EPA-estimated 36 mpg in combined city/highway driving is what you’d typically expect from a compact sedan. For a three-row SUV, 36 mpg is outstanding. The Grand Highlander Hybrid also has a roomy interior, a smooth ride, and many standard technology and driver assist features. If you’ve got a bigger family and want SUV-based utility to go along with hybrid gas savings, there’s nothing better than the Grand Highlander. Starting price: $46,830 Edmunds Top Rated Electric SUV: Kia EV9 The Kia EV9 is the Edmunds Top Rated Electric SUV two years in a row. It’s an ideal vehicle for people wanting an EV with more space and utility than most other electric SUVs. It has three roomy rows of seating that you can use to schlep your kids to school or fold down to bring home your haul from Costco. It’s also enjoyable to drive. The dual-motor versions of the EV9 have no problem getting up to highway speeds quickly or passing slow traffic. Other EV9 highlights include plenty of standard features, more than 300 miles of Edmunds-tested range, a long warranty and distinctive styling. Starting price: $56,395 Edmunds Top Rated Truck: Ford Ranger There are plenty of capable […]
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. Trump had previously designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization days before leaving office in 2021. However, the decision was reversed days later by the Biden administration due to “humanitarian concerns.” “The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade,” the White House said in a statement. “The President will direct USAID to end its relationship with entities that have made payments to the Houthis, or which have opposed international efforts to counter the Houthis while turning a blind eye towards the Houthis’s terrorism and abuses,” the White House said. Israel has been the main target of the Houthis’s attacks. Trump’s move against the terror group is the latest in a series of executive orders Trump signed on his first day in office that benefit Israel and the Jewish people. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
IDF forces overnight Wednesday eliminated two of the three terrorists who carried out the deadly terror attack in the village of Al-Funduq near Kedumim about two weeks ago, killing three Israelis and injuring nine. IDF forces are currently in the Jenin area as part of Operation Iron Wall, which is focused on rooting out terrorism in the area. Under the direction of intelligence information from the Shin Bet, the forces surrounded a building in the village of Burqin and implemented the “pressure cooker” technique using explosives and gunfire. B’Chasdei Hashem, after a prolonged battle of about four hours, the IDF forces eliminated the terrorists. One IDF soldier was moderately injured and was evacuated to the hospital. The two terrorists, Mohammed Nazal and Qutaiba al-Shalabi, were members of the Jenin-based Islamic Jihad terror group. The Shin Bet arrested several other terrorists who aided the perpetrators of the deadly attack during the operation. The hunt for the third terrorist is ongoing. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The Pentagon will begin deploying as many as 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, U.S. officials said Wednesday, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration. Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses was expected to sign the deployment orders on Wednesday, but it wasn’t yet clear which troops or units will go, and the total could fluctuate. It remains to be seen if they will end up doing law enforcement, which would put American troops in a dramatically different role for the first time in decades. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made. The active duty forces would join the roughly 2,500 U.S. National Guard and Reserve forces already there. There are currently no active duty troops working along the roughly 2,000-mile border. The troops are expected to be used to support Border Patrol agents, with logistics, transportation and construction of barriers. They have done similar duties in the past, when both Trump and former President Joe Biden sent active duty troops to the border. Troops are prohibited by law from doing law enforcement duties under the Posse Comitatus Act, but that may change. Trump has directed through executive order that the incoming secretary of defense and incoming homeland security chief report back within 90 days if they think an 1807 law called the Insurrection Act should be invoked. That would allow those troops to be used in civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. The last time the act was invoked was in 1992 during rioting in Los Angeles in protest of the acquittal of four police officers charged with beating Rodney King. The widely expected deployment, coming in Trump’s first week in office, was an early step in his long-touted plan to expand the use of the military along the border. In one of his first orders on Monday, Trump directed the defense secretary to come up with a plan to “seal the borders” and repel “unlawful mass migration.” On Tuesday, just as Trump fired the Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Linda Fagan, the service announced it was surging more cutter ships, aircraft and personnel to the “Gulf of America” — a nod to the president’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Trump said during his inaugural address on Monday that “I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came.” Military personnel have been sent to the border almost continuously since the 1990s to help address migration. drug trafficking and transnational crime. In executive orders signed Monday, Trump suggested the military would help the Department of Homeland Security with “detention space, transportation (including aircraft), and other logistics services.” There are about 20,000 Border Patrol agents, and while the southern border is where most are located, they’re also responsible for protecting the northern border with Canada. Usually agents are tasked with looking for drug smugglers or people trying to enter the country undetected. More recently, however, they have had to deal with migrants actively seeking out Border Patrol in order to […]
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser has sidelined about 160 National Security Council aides, sending them home while the administration reviews staffing and tries to align it with Trump’s agenda, administration officials told The Associated Press. The career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned Wednesday for an all-staff call and told they will be expected to be available to the council’s senior directors but would not need to report to the White House. The council provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president. Trump, a Republican, is sidelining these nonpolitical subject matter experts on topics that range from counterterrorism to global climate policy at a time when the United States is dealing with a disparate set of complicated foreign policy matters, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Such structuring could make new policy experts brought in to the NSC less likely to speak up about policy differences and concerns. Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, had signaled before Inauguration Day that he would look to return holdover civil servants who worked in the council during President Joe Biden’s administration to their home agencies. That was meant to ensure the council is staffed by those who support Trump’s goals. By the end of the review, Waltz will look to have a “more efficient, flatter” NSC, one official said. The officials declined to comment on the ultimate number of personnel — nonpolitical detailees as well as political appointees — whom Trump and Waltz would like to see as part of the council once the review is completed. Officials said they have already begun bringing detailees from agencies with expertise that the new administration values, including some who had served during the first Trump administration. Some directors have made decisions to inform detailees they will be sent back to their home agencies. For example, multiple holdover detailees assigned to the counterterrorism directorate were told on Tuesday that their assignments were being cut short, according to two people familiar with the move who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. At least some holdover detailees sent home Wednesday had their White House emails turned off soon after the call ended, but were told to remain reachable on their personal cellphones. It is unlikely they will be assigned any substantive work during the review. Waltz “promised and authorized a full review of NSC personnel,” council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement. “It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Waltz to ensure NSC personnel are committed to implementing President Trump’s America First agenda to protect our national security and wisely use the tax dollars of America’s working men and women. Since 12:01 pm on Monday personnel reviews and decisions based on the evaluations are being made.” The dozens of staff members affected by the decision are largely subject matter experts from the State Department, the FBI and the CIA on temporary duty that typically lasts one year to two years. Incoming senior Trump administration officials this month also had questioned some career civil servants about which 2024 candidate they voted for, their political contributions and whether they have made social media posts that could be considered incriminating by Trump’s team, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. That person spoke on the […]
China’s relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House. The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could be an opportunity for China, which has long railed against Biden’s strategy of building partnerships with “like-minded countries” to counter its growing influence. Biden reinvigorated a grouping known as the Quad — the United States, India, Japan and Australia. China’s relations with all three of those U.S. partners are improving, as are its ties with Britain. The durability of Biden’s legacy is now in question. During his first term, Trump didn’t hesitate to challenge traditional U.S. partners. “It is possible that Trump may drift away from U.S. allies, making them pay more attention to China’s role, and in fact it has provided a chance for China’s diplomacy,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “I think we should grasp the chance.” But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said that Trump “has a record of rallying the world toward a more competitive stance with China.” Trump agreed to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that Japan introduced during his first term and he backed excluding Chinese companies from telecom networks in the U.S. and many of its partners. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — hours after he was sworn in — met with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan in Washington, a move that suggested engaging the Quad countries and countering China’s influence will remain a priority for Trump. Fence-mending with China has limits Beijing’s rapprochement with the U.K. and Japan is in its early stages, and major differences remain that limit and could derail it. India turned the page with China on a bitter border dispute last October, but protested when Beijing created two new counties in an area claimed by both nations. Still, new leaders in Australia, the U.K. and Japan have shown a desire to warm relations with China, the world’s largest manufacturer and a source of strategic minerals. The government in Beijing has reciprocated in part because it wants foreign investment to help revive its economy, which could be set back if Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs. Chinese President Xi Jinping told European Council President Antonio Costa in a phone conversation last week that both sides could bring more “stability and certainty” to the turbulent global situation. China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks after a six-year hiatus when the U.K. Treasury chief visited Beijing this month. “From China’s point of view, improving relations with American allies and increasing economic cooperation will offset the shock to China-U.S. economic relations,” Wu said. Trump’s statements agitate U.S. allies In Washington, there’s a strong bipartisan consensus that the U.S. must prevail in its economic and tech rivalry with China to maintain its global leadership. During his confirmation hearing, Rubio called China “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.” Biden kept the tariffs Trump levied on China and imposed more on Chinese electric cars and solar cells. But unlike Biden, Trump has irked U.S. allies and partners with his recent remarks on possibly annexing […]
A Delta flight from Miami to New York on Sunday night became the backdrop for a remarkable display of kindness, professionalism, and human compassion, and overall – a Kiddush Hashem! Midway through the flight, an elderly non-Jewish man of Asian descent suffered a medical emergency, prompting an urgent call for assistance. Responding to the crisis, Dr. Yuval Hiltzik, a pulmonologist from Long Beach, NY, and a non-Jewish nurse immediately stepped in to provide critical care. With expertise and composure, the two medical professionals worked together to stabilize the passenger, ensuring his safety until the plane landed in New York, where emergency medical services took over. The extraordinary effort – a shining kiddush Hashem – moved many passengers on board, who were deeply moved by the calm demeanor, respect, and professionalism displayed by Dr. Hiltzik throughout the ordeal. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
