FLATBUSH – BREAKING UPDATE: Sources tell Flatbush Scoop that a preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect who carried out an armed robbery at a Western Union in the confines of the NYPD 63rd Precinct just minutes after the USPS Post Office shooting on Coney Island Avenue may be the same individual. The NYPD is awaiting evidence to confirm whether the firearm used in the robbery matches the one used at the post office. Flatbush Scoop will provide further updates as they become available.
The International Criminal Court has been targeted by a “sophisticated” cyberattack and is taking measures to limit any damage, the global tribunal announced Monday. The ICC, which also was hit by a cyberattack in 2023, said the latest incident had been contained but did not elaborate further on the impact or possible motive. “A Court-wide impact analysis is being carried out, and steps are already being taken to mitigate any effects of the incident,” the court said in a statement. The attack happened last week. “All necessary measures have been taken to ensure the business continuity,” court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told The Associated Press. The incident happened in the same week that The Hague hosted a summit of 32 NATO leaders at a conference center near the court amid tight security including measures to guard against cyberattacks. The court declined to say whether any confidential information had been compromised. The ICC has a number of high-profile investigations and preliminary inquiries underway in nations around the world and has in the past been the target of espionage. In 2022, a Dutch intelligence agency said it had foiled a plot by a Russian spy using a false Brazilian identity to work as an intern at the court, which is investigating allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. Arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, over Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza have also drawn ire. U.S. President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in February and earlier this month also sanctioned four judges at the court. The court is still feeling the effects of the last cyberattack, with wifi still not completely restored to its purpose-built headquarters. (AP)
WH PRESS SECRETARY: “It was a mistake for Canada to vow to implement that [Digital Services Tax] that would’ve hurt our tech companies here in the United States… and the Prime Minister called the president last night to let the president know that he would be dropping that tax.”
An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in a Molotov cocktail attack on demonstrators in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza has died, prosecutors said Monday. Karen Diamond died as a result of severe injuries she suffered in the June 1 attack in downtown Boulder, Colorado, the local district attorney’s office said in a statement. Prosecutors have listed 29 victims, including 13 who were physically injured. Mohamed Sabry Soliman already faced dozens of counts in state court on charges including attempted first-degree murder, using an incendiary device, and animal cruelty because a dog was hurt in the attack. He has not been arraigned on the initial charges that now include first-degree murder. The Associated Press left a voicemail Monday for Soliman’s public defender in the state case. The office generally bars its lawyers from commenting on their cases to the media. A preliminary hearing to determine whether there’s enough evidence to move forward with the case is set for July 15. Separately, Soliman has been indicted on 12 federal hate crime counts. He entered a not guilty plea to those charges during a hearing Friday in federal court. Leaders of the Boulder Jewish Community announced in an email Monday that Diamond died June 25 and said she will be deeply missed “Karen was a cherished member of our community, someone whose warmth and generosity left a lasting impact on all who knew her,” executive director Jonathan Lev and board chair David Paul said. Prosecutors said Diamond’s family has asked for privacy as they grieve. “Part of what makes Colorado special is that people come together in response to a tragedy; I know that the community will continue to unite in supporting the Diamond family and all the victims of this attack,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the statement. During the demonstration, Soliman posed as a gardener and wore a construction vest to get close to the group before launching the attack, prosecutors allege. Investigators say Soliman told them he intended to kill the participants at the weekly demonstration. He yelled “Free Palestine” as he threw just two of more than two dozen Molotov cocktails he had prepared. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted because of their perceived or actual national origin. An attack motivated by someone’s political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law. Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a “legal citizen.” Federal authorities have said the Egyptian national has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family. (AP)
Mayor Eric Adams just released a blistering statement criticizing the State Education Department’s refusal to approve special education services to students at six yeshivas. Those schools were deemed non-equivalent by SED earlier this year, and on May 15 SED issued a statement declaring that these yeshivas are no longer schools and are therefore ineligible for the protections contained in the legislation enacted to protect yeshivas. Ten days ago, after the New York Court of Appeals held that SED does not have the authority to close schools that are non-equivalent or to direct parents to unenroll their children from those schools, the Adams Administration informed SED that those children should now receive the services they need. SED refused to engage, or to issue written guidance. In its statement, the Adams Administration pledged to take legal action in order to protect the rights of these yeshivas and children. The complete statement given exclusively to YWN is below: “No family in New York City should ever have to worry about whether their child with special needs will receive the education and services they need to thrive. With tomorrow’s deadline approaching for nonpublic school students to receive approval for special education services, the Adams administration is deeply concerned by the New York State Education Department’s continued refusal to update its guidance. As a result, the department has directed New York City Public Schools to stop providing special education services to students in six yeshivas. Let’s be clear: the State Education Department is misinterpreting a recent decision by the New York State Court of Appeals and, in doing so, is denying these schools even the opportunity to comply. We are committed to supporting the affected families and schools with any legal challenges that may arise.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Senators hunkered down Monday to consider proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid challenges including the weekend announcement from one GOP senator that he won’t run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts. The potential changes were being considered in what’s called a vote-a-rama, though most are expected to fail. With Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it, the voting could take all day and churn into the night. “It’s time to vote,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota as the session opened. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come. Democrats, he said, are bringing “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.” The day will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing against Trump’s July Fourth deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it’s formally titled, has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership team has recalled lawmakers back to Washington for voting in the House as soon as Wednesday, if the legislation can first clear the Senate. But the outcome remains uncertain. As the first few amendments came up Monday — to strike parts of the bill that would limit Medicaid funds to rural hospitals or shift the costs of food stamps benefits to the states — some were winning support from a few Republicans. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined Democrats on the rural hospitals amendment, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats on both votes. But none of the amendments won majority support to substantially change the package. Senators to watch Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him over his opposition to the package, said he has the same goals as Trump: cutting taxes and spending. But Tillis said this package is a betrayal of the president’s promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close. “We could take the time to get this right,” he thundered. At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — have pushed for steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own warning from Trump. “Don’t go too crazy!” the president posted on social media. “REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected.” What’s in the big bill All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. The Senate package would roll back […]
Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary has jolted the political establishment, but what’s even more surprising is the degree of Jewish support he secured despite his openly anti-Zionist – and arguably antisemitic – record. Mamdani, a Muslim progressive who has championed boycotts of Israel and made no secret of his sympathies for Palestinian activism, nonetheless attracted an estimated 20% of the city’s Jewish vote — a stunning figure given New York’s reputation as a global center of pro-Israel advocacy. Mamdani, whose platform includes plans to dramatically expand housing access and slash transit costs, positioned himself as a champion of social and racial justice. That message, combined with his promise to boost funding for anti-hate initiatives by 800% and to protect the independence of Jewish religious schools, resonated among a younger generation of Jewish voters skeptical of Israel’s policies but focused on bread-and-butter city concerns. “He talks about rent, he talks about fairness, he talks about safety — and that’s what people want,” said Jeremy Feldman, a Reform Jewish voter in Harlem. “I might not share his Middle East views, but he’s honest about what he believes.” Mamdani’s wife, Rama Dawaji, has drawn her own share of headlines. An artist with a long record of provocative pro-Palestinian imagery, she has been unapologetic in her criticism of Israel, going so far as to showcase images of keffiyeh-wearing demonstrators trampled by riot police. Yet Jewish voters seemed more focused on Mamdani’s domestic priorities than Dawaji’s art. Lest you think this is just a Reform issue: It isn’t clear how many Orthodox Jewish voters cast a ballot for Mamdani, but voting records make it clear that the number is far from zero. With the general election approaching, Mamdani appears well positioned to defeat independent incumbent Eric Adams. But observers say the true test will come during moments of crisis, such as a new wave of protests over Gaza or a high-profile Israeli visit. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
WH Press Secretary on the “One Big Beautiful Bill”: “This is one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation that has ever made its way through Capitol Hill… It will cut taxes, putting more money back into the American people’s pockets.”
President Donald Trump’s big bill to cut taxes and reduce federal spending on some social safety net programs could have large implications for states, but for many it’s too late to do much about it this year. Tuesday marks the start of a new budget year in 46 states. Though some legislatures are still working, most already have adjourned and finalized their spending plans without knowing whether federal funding will be cut and, if so, by how much. “The ebb and flow of rumors and reality have created great uncertainty and some anxiety in state governments,” said David Adkins, executive director of The Council of State Governments. Several states have taken preemptive steps, setting aside money in reserves or tasking committees to monitor the impact of federal funding reductions. Others are tentatively planning to return in special sessions this year to account for potential funding cuts to joint federal-state programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Others will have to wait until their legislatures are back in session next year. What’s at stake for states? “If there are significant cuts, states wouldn’t be able to fully absorb those,” said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies at the National Association of State Budget Officers. Nationally, the Medicaid health care program for lower-income residents accounts for 30% of total state expenditures, according to the health policy research organization KFF. That makes it the costliest program in many states, ahead of even K-12 education. The bulk of Medicaid money comes from the federal government, meaning any changes in federal policy can create big ripples for states. Legislation pending in Congress would affect Medicaid in several ways. New work requirements are expected to reduce enrollment by millions of people, while other proposed changes also could reduce federal payments to states. Until now the federal government also has covered the full cost of SNAP benefits and half the administrative costs. Trump’s bill would shift more of those costs to states, leaving them to either divert money from other purposes or trim back their food assistance programs. The Medicaid and SNAP changes are just the latest in a series of Trump policies affecting state finances, including the rollback of grants for transportation and high-speed internet projects and attempts to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some legislatures are stocking up on savings A surge in federal aid and state tax revenue during the coronavirus pandemic led to booming budgets and historic cash surpluses in many states. As revenues slow and those surpluses get spent, some states now are trying to guard against federal funding reductions. New Mexico enacted a law this year creating a Medicaid trust fund gradually stocked with up to $2 billion that can be tapped to prop up the program if federal funding cuts would otherwise cause a reduction in coverage or benefits. Hawaii lawmakers, in crafting the state’s budget, left an extra $200 million in the general fund as a contingency against federal funding uncertainty. They plan to return for a special session. And Vermont’s budget sets aside up to $110 million in case federal funding is cut. That includes $50 million that can be spent while the Legislature is not in session and up to $60 million that could be appropriated in the future to address federal funding shortfalls. Though not necessarily tied to federal cuts, […]
REPORTER: “What is the White House’s response to Sen. Tillis’ criticism articulated from the Senate floor yesterday…?” WH PRESS SECRETARY: “He is just wrong and the president and the vast majority of Republicans who are supportive of this legislation are right. This bill protects Medicaid…”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is under fire for her carefully crafted “Bronx girl” image, even after new revelation of her comfortable suburban upbringing. After a Yorktown High School yearbook photo went viral, Ocasio-Cortez took to X on Friday to defend herself, insisting her background is still rooted in struggle. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped,” she posted, claiming she exchanged chores for tutoring help and that splitting time between the Bronx and the suburbs shaped her views on inequality. But critics say the congresswoman is twisting her personal story to fit a political brand that never matched the facts. “She’s embarrassing herself doing everything possible to avoid admitting she grew up in the suburbs instead of the Bronx,” said state Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) on Sunday. “She’s gone from visiting extended family to commuting, and now she’s trying to land somewhere ‘in between.’ It’s clearly desperate attempts to protect the lie.” Ocasio-Cortez, who was born in the Bronx but left at age five for the leafy comfort of Yorktown Heights, graduated from Yorktown High School in 2007. Yet she regularly refers to herself as a “Bronx girl,” selling an image that helped propel her 2018 primary upset over then-Rep. Joe Crowley. Last week, the self-styled progressive firebrand reignited the branding machine, sparring with President Trump after she called for his impeachment over Iranian airstrikes. When Trump called her “one of the dumbest people in Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez tried to flex Bronx pride with a bizarre jab: “I’m a Bronx girl. You should know we can eat Queens boys for breakfast.” The line fell flat. While Ocasio-Cortez portrays herself as a scrappy outsider, her carefully polished biography leaves out years of suburban privilege. Yorktown Heights, where she spent her formative years, is one of Westchester County’s more comfortable communities, with above-average schools and median home values north of $700,000. Still, Ocasio-Cortez refuses to let reality puncture her narrative, doubling down on the notion that growing up “between” the Bronx and Yorktown gives her a unique claim to hardship. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
WH PRESS SECRETARY: “We are truly coming off a historic week of President Trump racking up win after win on behalf of the American people.” Obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities— and brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Traveled to the Netherlands and got our NATO allies to commit 5% of their GDPs to military spending.
WH Press Secretary previews The Presidents upcoming trip to “Alligator Alcatraz”: “The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”
For reporters, it’s hardly unusual to call sources on the phone to learn details or get quotes that will enliven their stories. Sometimes people will talk, sometimes they won’t. But the president of the United States? In an almost unfathomable level of access, reporters who call President Donald Trump on his personal cell phone often get an answer — and an interview — from the leader of the free world on the spot. There’s evidence that this is happening more frequently. Paradoxically, it’s the same president who popularized the term “fake news” and has battled against the press for years on multiple fronts. Just this week, Trump’s lawyers threatened to sue CNN and The New York Times over their reporting on an initial government assessment of damage caused by bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. On the day of the June 21 bombing, Trump gave phone interviews to Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Kristen Welker at NBC News, Reuters’ Steve Holland, Axios’ Barak Ravid and both Bret Baier and Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel, according to an independent database of the president’s media appearances. The next day, Trump spoke with Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal — for all of 38 seconds, Dawsey noted — enabling the reporter to include a fresh presidential quote in the newspaper’s story about the bombing. “I find it utterly remarkable,” said Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush. “It’s classic Trump. It defies tradition.” Who’s calling? This spring, when he was denied an interview with Trump for an Atlantic magazine cover story, Michael Scherer dialed Trump’s number on a Saturday morning. “Who’s calling?” Trump answered. When the reporter identified himself, Trump berated him for past stories he’d written. But he didn’t hang up. Scherer explained the story he was doing. Trump answered his questions, and was gracious about it, he said. “The president likes speaking,” he said. “He wants to share his story. I think he feels that the more he shares his story, the better off he is. He just has a totally different approach to the press than any president I’ve covered.” In a subsequent story, Scherer and colleague Ashley Parker explored how the telephone is like a lifeline to the president. Many other people besides reporters know the number. Trump has kept using it even after being told around Election Day of the likelihood that Chinese spies had the ability to listen in on his conversations, The Atlantic reported. Dealing with the press — and by extension, the American public — is a significant part of a president’s job. But the interactions are generally much more formal and structured. That was the case with Trump in his first term, too; Scherer said the times he talked with Trump then, it was mediated by the White House communications office. That wasn’t the case when they talked this spring, nor when Scherer called Trump’s phone for an interview the day of the military parade in Washington. “There have been multiple times that people who work for the president have made clear that they weren’t happy he was talking to me,” Scherer said. “But they don’t get to make the decisions. It’s his decision.” The president’s most frequent callers Asked about the calls, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump “is the most transparent president in history, […]
Two Jewish students have launched a blistering lawsuit against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accusing the prestigious university — and a tenured professor — of enabling a climate of antisemitic harassment so severe it forced one student to abandon his PhD. Filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the 71-page complaint outlines how linguistics professor Michel DeGraff allegedly waged a public campaign of intimidation and defamation against the students, while MIT administrators stood by in silence. One plaintiff, IDF veteran and postdoctoral student Lior Alon, claims DeGraff doxxed him twice — publicly posting his name and photograph on social media and tagging Al Jazeera — after describing Alon as part of “Zionist propaganda.” DeGraff further singled out Alon in a Le Monde article, accusing him of working to erase “anti-Zionist Jewish students.” Alon says he was later harassed by strangers in public, including at his child’s daycare. Alon emailed MIT President Sally Kornbluth pleading for help, warning that the doxxing had left him and his family fearing for their safety. Kornbluth never responded, the lawsuit states. “Not only did President Kornbluth’s silence and MIT’s inaction cause harm to Alon, but MIT’s failure to act also emboldened Prof. DeGraff, and his harassment of Jews escalated as a result,” the suit claims. DeGraff, a tenured faculty member, later launched a seminar titled “Language and Linguistics, from the River to the Sea in Palestine,” and circulated posts referring to Jewish “mind infection.” The second plaintiff, PhD student William Sussman, says he raised concerns about the hateful rhetoric, only to be subjected to even more abuse. According to the lawsuit, DeGraff sent department-wide emails — copying in MIT’s president — describing Sussman as a living example of a “Jewish mind infection.” On the same day, flyers using Hamas-inspired color schemes and directly targeting Sussman were slipped under dorm doors. Unable to endure the threats and bigotry, Sussman ultimately left MIT before completing his PhD. When Sussman filed a formal complaint, MIT’s investigations manager responded that the school would not pursue a discrimination case. The official concluded that DeGraff’s references to “mind infection” were not about Sussman being Jewish, but rather about his supposed views on Israeli propaganda. Sussman was told there would be no appeal. The Brandeis Center said MIT’s failure to protect Jewish students amounted to a wholesale betrayal of its legal and moral responsibilities. “Jews and Israelis on campus were prevented from fully engaging in their studies, their research, and the full spectrum of campus life,” the organization argued in a statement. “They have been forced out of their programs, off campus, and even out of the university entirely.” Sussman, whose academic dreams were shattered, described Kornbluth’s leadership as part of a broader failure that echoes last year’s congressional hearings, where Kornbluth infamously testified that calls to eliminate the Jewish people could be antisemitic “depending on context.” Unlike her counterparts at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who resigned, Kornbluth kept her position. “That tells you everything you need to know,” Sussman said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan had some complications while fundraising on his own website last fall. Several friends wanted to help Cadogan reach his $28,000 goal as he crowdfunded for a Los Angeles area wilderness rescue team. But they tried to donate through a lesser-known wealth management tool called a donor-advised fund, or a DAF, a no-frills investing vehicle for money earmarked as eventual charitable gifts. After cutting checks and waiting three weeks, Cadogan said, the money finally arrived. “It was just a bit of a thing,” he added. “If they were using a Giving Fund, it would take ten seconds.” Giving Funds are GoFundMe’s latest in a flurry of product rollouts with the purported goal of moving stagnant U.S. charitable contributions beyond the 2% GDP mark where totals have long hovered. But the for-profit company’s DAF, announced Monday, enters a crowded market of more than a thousand providers — products often with older, wealthier clienteles that are often criticized for warehousing gifts. To transform the way that everyday users plan their donations, Cadogan will have to widen the appeal of DAFs beyond the likes of the technology entrepreneur’s circles. And he wants to change public perceptions of his company as just a crowdfunding site. “We’re also hopeful that more people will start using GoFundMe for a broader set of things in their lives: not just that one fundraiser they’re supporting, not just that one nonprofit. But they’re coming in and they’re managing their giving portfolio with us and through us,” Cadogan said. “That connects directly to our mission, which is we want to help people help each other.” A DAF boom — but for whom? Donor-advised funds grew popular over the last decade among ultra-high net worth individuals as a tax-efficient instrument for grantmaking without the hassle of a more sophisticated charitable foundation. Donors can immediately write the contribution off on their taxes but face no deadline for giving the money to a nonprofit. The idea: account holders could invest money they wanted to ultimately donate, let the funds grow tax-free while they sit and give themselves time to identify the recipients best aligned with their giving goals. There’s since been a rush to court average givers. Legacy financial services firms such as Fidelity Charitable lowered the minimums to open accounts. Fintech startups such as Daffy contrast their flat fees with the hidden expenses they allege their competitors charge. All that traction brought IRS proposals last year to impose penalties on those who abuse DAFs and Congress has considered legislation that would require some deadlines for disbursements. GoFundMe’s Giving Funds will have no minimum balances, zero management fees and donations starting at $5. Users can load their DAF through their bank accounts or direct deposits for free. Credit card payments will be covered through the end of the year and then face the company’s standard transaction fee of 2.2% plus 30 cents. Contributions can then be invested in a choice of exchange traded funds from managers including Vanguard, Blackrock and State Street Global Advisors. Cadogan pitches Giving Funds as a way to be more intentional about giving — something he said user feedback suggests more people want. As he sees it, widespread adoption hasn’t occurred because DAFs have been framed as “wealth management products.” “This is a giving product,” Cadogan said. “It’s something […]
