Hundreds of Israeli soccer fans were lynched by Arabs in the Netherlands where they had gathered to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team play against Ajax in Amsterdam on Thursday evening. The attack was coordinated beforehand, with hundreds of Arabs waiting to attack Jews after the match at train stations, hotels, and casinos. About 3,000 Israelis had flown to the Netherlands for the game. Israeli security officials had warned Dutch authorities about a planned attack and were ignored. Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry revealed on Friday morning that Dutch security officials had received three separate warnings about the possibility of attacks against Israelis, including a warning about violent protests, harming an individual fan who is an Israeli Border Police officer, and a warning that Arabs were planning to raid the Leonardo Hotel where Israelis were staying. Jews were run over by cars, stabbed, beaten, and coerced into shouting: “Free Palestine” in Arabic – “Frei Palestine.” In at least one case, an Israeli was thrown into a canal and forced to yell “Free Palestine” before he was extracted from the water. Many of the Arabs filmed their attacks and posted them on social media, showing Jews being beaten and humiliated. Photos of stolen Israeli passports are also circulating on social media. A number of Israelis are reporting their friends as missing and unreachable – with Arabic-speaking men answering their phones. Other Israelis reported that Arabs tried to abduct Jews. The Duch police were nowhere to be found. One Israeli told Kan News: “There were no police around at the end of the game and Arabs were waiting near the train station to attack Israelis. The police began intervening only 30-45 minutes after the attacks began and only after Arabs began throwing firecrackers at people and into buildings.” An Israeli who identified himself as Dan said that as Israelis walked from the central train station on the main street, they were attacked by groups of 10 to 15 Arabs waiting on every block, who beat them with sticks. The situation continued for over an hour before the police arrived. “They were waiting on every street corner, some on motorbikes and after asking us where we were from, tried to block our way or run us over,” another Israeli said. “If you diddn’t answer them, they start beating you up. Within seconds more people join in. Me and my friend were captured a number of times, I can barely walk.” “No one offered to help us but we will not go to hospital. I don’t trust anyone here,” he said. “The police beat us with their batons because they were afraid of the pro-Palestinians. We are now in the hotel and outside, cars and motorbikes drive by taking pictures.” Ynet quoted an Israeli as saying: “I finished a four-month reserve in Gaza, and what I experienced here is no less scary. There is a war out here. They ran over me and pulled a knife on me. I am slightly injured, but I am not ready to receive treatment here, only in Israel. We were ambushed. I saw with my own eyes children who were caught in explosions. They are everywhere. No police, complete chaos. Everything was pre-planned. The police here abandoned us. Every fourth person walking the street is a Muslim who came […]
A former health care worker who illegally accessed the health records of Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg before she died was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison. Trent Russell, 34, of Bellevue, Nebraska, who worked at the time as a transplant coordinator for the Washington Regional Transplant Community and had access to hospital records all over the region, was convicted earlier this year of illegally accessing health care records and destroying or altering records at a jury trial. He was also charged with publishing that information on the internet in 2019, at a time when public speculation about Ginsburg’s health and her ability to serve as a justice was a matter of public debate. Prosecutors said he posted the information along with a false claim that Ginsburg had already died. But the jury acquitted Russell on that count. Ginsburg served on the court until her death in 2020. Prosecutors said Russell disclosed the health records on forums that trafficked in antisemitic conspiracy theories, including conspiracy theories that Ginsburg was dead, but Russell’s motivations for his actions were unclear. Indeed, Russell himself never admitted that he accessed the records, at one point suggesting that perhaps his cat walked across the keyboard in a way that mistakenly called up Ginsburg’s data. Russell’s excuses and refusal to accept responsibility prompted blistering critiques from prosecutors, who sought a 30-month sentence. “He offered completely implausible excuses with a straight face,” prosecutor Zoe Bedell said. Russell’s lawyer, Charles Burnham, sought a sentence of probation or home detention. He cited Russell’s work saving lives as a transplant coordinator and his military record which included a deployment to Afghanistan as mitigating factors. “Mr. Russell has lived a quietly heroic life,” Burnham wrote in court papers. He chalked up the criminal conduct to “being stupid.” U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff’s 24-month sentence , calling his crime “truly despicable conduct.” “You have made it extremely difficult to understand what motivated you,” Nachmanoff said. He said Russell made matters worse by lying to investigators and on the witness stand. “You chose to blame your cat,” Nachmanoff said. The court records in the case are carefully redacted to remove any reference to Ginsburg, but during the trial and at Thursday’s sentencing hearing, all sides openly acknowledged that Ginsburg was the victim of the privacy breach. Her status as a public figure, in fact, prompted a debate about the severity of Russell’s crime. Prosecutors said her high public profile, in addition to her age and illness, made her a particularly vulnerable victim. “He went with the Supreme Court justice who was old, who was sick, and whose sickness was a public concern,” Bedell argued. Russell’s lawyer, on the other hand, argued that Ginsburg’s high office and the power that comes with it is the opposite of vulnerability. Nachmanoff, in issuing his sentence, said he took into account the fact that Russell has a sick step parent who might need care. The judge noted “with some irony” that the details of the stepparent’s health problems are under seal. “Why? Because it is sensitive health information — a benefit you did not provide to Justice Ginsburg,” he said. Russell and his lawyer declined to comment after Thursday’s hearing on whether they plan to appeal. (AP)
Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidance comes after blood tests for 115 farmworkers in Michigan and Colorado showed that eight workers — or 7% — had antibodies that indicated previous infection with the virus known as Type A H5N1 influenza. “The purpose of these actions is to keep workers safe, to limit the transmission of H5 to humans and to reduce the possibility of the virus changing,” Shah told reporters. The CDC study provides the largest window to date into how the bird virus first detected in March in dairy cows may be spreading to people. It suggests that the virus has infected more humans than the 46 farmworkers identified in the U.S. as of Thursday. Nearly all were in contact with infected dairy cows or infected poultry. Outside experts said it’s notable that the study prompted the CDC to take new action. Previous recommendations called for testing and treating workers only when they had symptoms. “This is a significant move towards the assessment that these H5N1 viruses are a greater risk than the CDC estimated before,” said Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Every additional infection in animals or humans gives the virus the chance to change in potentially dangerous ways, said Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “It shows yet again that we are not responding effectively to the H5N1 cattle outbreak in humans or animals and if we continue to let this virus spread and jump from species to species, our luck will eventually run out,” Rasmussen said in an email. The CDC study included 45 workers in Michigan and 70 in Colorado tested between June and August. Of the eight workers with positive blood tests, four reported no symptoms. All eight cleaned milking parlors and none used respiratory protection such as face masks. Three said they used eye protection. High levels of the virus have been found in the milk of infected cows, increasing the risk of exposure and infection, researchers said. Researchers said that efforts to monitor dairy workers for illness have been hindered by several barriers including the reluctance of farm owners and farmworkers to allow testing. Rasmussen and others have criticized the federal response to the outbreak as too slow and “lackluster.” “These studies should have been performed months ago and should have been prioritized,” she said. The virus has been confirmed in at least 446 cattle herds in 15 states. Last week, the Agriculture Department said a pig at an Oregon farm was confirmed to have bird flu, the first time the virus was detected in U.S. swine. (AP)
Caroline Ellison, a former top executive in Sam Bankman-Fried ’s fallen FTX cryptocurrency empire, began her two-year prison sentence Thursday for her role in a fraud that cost investors, lenders and customers billions of dollars. Ellison, 30, reported to the federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She had pleaded guilty and testified extensively against Bankman-Fried, her former boyfriend, before he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Ellison could have faced decades in prison herself, but both the judge and prosecutors said she deserved credit for her cooperation. At her sentencing hearing in New York in September, she tearfully apologized and said she was “deeply ashamed.” Ellison was chief executive at Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency hedge fund controlled by Bankman-Fried. FTX was one of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, known for its Superbowl TV ad and its extensive lobbying campaign in Washington, before it collapsed in 2022. U.S. prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried and other top executives of looting customer accounts on the exchange to make risky investments, make millions of dollars of illegal political donations, bribe Chinese officials and buy luxury real estate in the Caribbean. (AP)
In a blistering critique, Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Julie Roginsky called out her party on Thursday, saying Democrats have lost their way and no longer represent “common sense” values. Roginsky’s comments came as she responded to questions about President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, making it clear she believes the party’s issues go far deeper than any single candidate. “This isn’t Joe Biden’s fault. It’s not Kamala Harris’s fault. It’s not even Barack Obama’s fault,” Roginsky declared. “The Democratic Party simply doesn’t know how to talk to real people anymore.” Roginsky argued that Democrats are so focused on pandering to niche groups and politically correct language that they’re alienating everyday Americans. One of Roginsky’s sharpest criticisms was directed at the use of terms like “Latinx,” a label that she argues makes Latino voters feel the party is completely out of touch. “When we address Latinos as ‘Latinx,’ it makes them think we don’t live on the same planet,” she said, adding that the party’s obsession with identity politics and language alienates vast portions of its own base. She also took aim at Democrats’ unwillingness to criticize extreme campus protests, calling the party out for its silence on issues that bother mainstream voters. “When parents see their kids’ colleges turning into chaos, they don’t want to hear silence from us,” she said. “They want to know that we’re a party that values learning and order, not lawlessness.” Roginsky pointed to the party’s overemphasis on virtue signaling, such as putting pronouns after names, which she believes comes off as out-of-touch posturing rather than genuine communication. “Instead of trying to talk to people like they’re human beings, we’re constantly focused on pandering to small groups based on polls and focus groups,” she added. In her most scathing remarks, Roginsky called on Democrats to “stop blaming everyone else” and look in the mirror. “Joe Biden isn’t the problem. Neither is Kamala Harris. The problem is the Democratic Party’s refusal to speak like normal people,” she said, noting that Democrats need to become “the party of common sense” again if they want to regain the trust of American voters. Roginsky, who has reportedly been frustrated with her party’s messaging for over a decade, warned that Democrats won’t win back voters until they abandon what she sees as divisive, disconnected rhetoric and start addressing issues in a straightforward, relatable way. “Until we do that,” she concluded, “we’re only hurting ourselves.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A Gazan teenager who identified himself as an Al-Qassam Brigades operative boasted in a live video call that all residents of Gaza participated in the Hamas attack on October 7. He recounted an incident in a conversation with a person sitting in front of an Israeli flag about a soldier who was abducted on October 7: “I brought my seven-year-old brother and I let him spit in his face and step on his neck, a living soldier.” The Gazan bragged: “We fed him and you with dirt on October 7 and during the war. All of Gaza participated, we are not afraid, yes we participated.” The man he spoke to responded: “You are actually helping me here, we learned from you that even ‘innocent civilians’ participated in crimes against Jews on October 7.” After the Gazan realized the damage his words could cause, he tried to qualify his statement: “Listen, not everyone, some didn’t participate. If the people had the opportunity to participate, they would have, but they weren’t able to.” He continued bragging: “We, the Al-Qassam Brigades, were in control. We broke through and humiliated you and took soldiers.” Dr. Michael Ben Ari, a former MK who predicted the October 7 assault but was recently indicted of incitement to racism by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office due to statements he made against Arab terrorism, responded to the video by stating: “The State Attorney indicted me of saying that we are dealing with a murderous nation; the reality is not possible in their view.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Amsterdam erupted in violence Thursday night as Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were assaulted following the team’s match against Ajax. Hundreds of attackers reportedly targeted Israelis across the city, resulting in multiple injuries. Witnesses described an organized ambush waiting for fans outside the stadium, where stabbings, car rammings, and beatings occurred across several streets. At least five Israelis sustained injuries, with others forced to seek refuge in nearby shops and buildings. Local police intervened to escort some of the fans safely back to their hotels amid escalating tensions. Videos are way too graphic to post other than the attached video: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose for the sixth straight week, returning to its highest level since early July. The rate ticked up to 6.79% from 6.72% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from a year ago, when the rate averaged 7.5%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate, also edged higher this week. The average rate rose to 6% from 5.99% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.81%, Freddie Mac said. When mortgage rates increase they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing homebuyers’ purchasing power at a time when home prices remain near all-time highs even though the housing market remains in a sales slump going back to 2022. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans. Bond yields have been rising following encouraging reports on inflation and the economy. This week, bond yields surged on expectations that President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for higher tariffs, lower tax rates and lighter regulation could lead to bigger economic growth, inflation and U.S. government debt. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was at 4.36% at midday Thursday. It was at 3.62% as recently as mid-September. The average rate on a 30-year home loan hasn’t been this high since July 11, when it was 6.89%. In late September, the average rate got as low as 6.08% — its lowest level in two years. (AP)
Israeli government officials are concerned that the Biden administration will “take revenge” on Israel in the remaining two months of its term following former President Trump’s win, Ynet reported According to the report, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu believes he will know how to get along with Trump and that the people influencing him “are on the right side.” He is sure that Trump is the right choice for Israel after suffering for four years from the Democratic administration that despised him and sought his downfall. However, until Trump’s inauguration on January 20, President Biden is the president and has full authority to do as he wishes, including possibly settling scores with Netanyahu. Israeli officials’ greatest fear is a repeat of the Security Council resolution on December 23, 2016 – when Barack Obama, less than a month before Trump’s entry into the White House – made a rare decision to refrain from using the US veto in the council, letting a resolution against Jewish settlements to pass. The move was not without consequences as it posed legal problems for Israel and opened the door for lawsuits in international courts at The Hague. It was Obama’s revenge on Netanyahu, who now has to fear a similar scenario. Additionally, it seems that Biden will take advantage of the last two months of his term to pressure Israel to reach a hostage deal and demand concessions from Netanyahu such as withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor and similar steps. Biden will also probably try to advance a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Lebanon, a move Netanyahu may support under the right circumstances. The issue of Iran is also a factor. If Iran attacks Israel, Tehran risks a sharp response from Biden, who is now free from any political pressures. Iran may also not want to escalate tensions with Israel just before Trump takes office due to the aggressive stance he took against the Islamic Republic during his previous term. Trump’s victory may also decrease the likelihood of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and outgoing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant since Trump could threaten to reimpose sanctions against the Hague that Biden blocked. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
In a tight Pennsylvania Senate race, Republican David McCormick has emerged victorious over incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey, flipping a crucial seat for the GOP. The Associated Press called the closely contested race on Thursday, adding to Republican gains in the Senate, where the GOP now holds a 53-seat majority. McCormick’s win is the fourth Senate seat flipped by Republicans in this election cycle, a development that could greatly benefit Donald Trump when he retakes the White House in January. Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto commented on the implications of McCormick’s victory, noting that a Republican-controlled Senate could ease the path for conservative Supreme Court nominations and other legislative priorities favored by Trump and the GOP. “David McCormick in Pennsylvania has just flipped Bob Casey’s seat. He is out. That means 53 Republicans will control the United States Senate,” Cavuto announced on Fox News. “It is looking like a Senate that will be not only very much helpful to Donald Trump … but even more so than many people thought.” As of Thursday, two Senate races remained uncalled in Nevada and Arizona, but the GOP majority in the Senate is secure. Nevada’s Democratic incumbent, Senator Jacky Rosen, was declared the winner by the Decision Desk HQ, though other major networks, including Fox News, had yet to confirm. In Arizona, Democrat Ruben Gallego is holding onto his lead over Republican Kari Lake, but with many votes still to be counted. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives appears to be leaning toward a Republican majority as well, with the GOP optimistic about retaining control. Fox News correspondent Chad Pergram reported that the House GOP could secure a majority similar to its current standing, possibly reaching 221 seats. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved in stone for centuries. Observers see stories in the plaster casts later made of their bodies, like a mother holding a child and two women embracing as they die. But new DNA evidence suggests things were not as they seem — and these prevailing interpretations come from looking at the ancient world through modern eyes. “We were able to disprove or challenge some of the previous narratives built upon how these individuals were kind of found in relation to each other,” said Alissa Mittnik of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. “It opens up different interpretations for who these people might have been.” Mittnik and her colleagues discovered that the person thought to be a mother was actually a man unrelated to the child. And at least one of the two people locked in an embrace — long assumed to be sisters or a mother and daughter — was a man. Their research was published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. The team, which also includes scientists from Harvard University and the University of Florence in Italy, relied on genetic material preserved for nearly two millennia. After Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the Roman city in 79 A.D., bodies buried in mud and ash eventually decomposed, leaving spaces where they used to be. Casts were created from the voids in the late 1800s. Researchers focused on 14 casts undergoing restoration, extracting DNA from the fragmented skeletal remains that mixed with them. They hoped to determine the sex, ancestry and genetic relationships between the victims. There were several surprises in “the house of the golden bracelet,” the dwelling where the assumed mother and child were found. The adult wore an intricate piece of jewelry, for which the house was named, reinforcing the impression that the victim was a woman. Nearby were the bodies of another adult and child thought to be the rest of their nuclear family. DNA evidence showed the four were male and not related to one another, clearly showing “the story that was long spun around these individuals” was wrong, Mittnik said. Researchers also confirmed Pompeii citizens came from diverse backgrounds but mainly descended from eastern Mediterranean immigrants – underscoring a broad pattern of movement and cultural exchange in the Roman Empire. Pompeii is located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) from Rome. The study builds upon research from 2022 when scientists sequenced the genome of a Pompeii victim for the first time and confirmed the possibility of retrieving ancient DNA from the human remains that still exist. “They have a better overview of what’s happening in Pompeii because they analyzed different samples,” said Gabriele Scorrano of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, a co-author of that research who was not involved in the current study. “We actually had one genome, one sample, one shot.” Though much remains to be learned, Scorrano said, such genetic brushstrokes are slowly painting a truer picture of how people lived in the distant past. (AP)
Women of Valor, Who Can Find Them? Their husbands r”l fell in battle in battle defending Israel. Now they struggle with basic needs for their children. How will they survive? *Can we leave them alone with their children to fend for themselves?* We know their husband’s bravery but they have been left behind facing poverty, debt, and lacking basics. We cannot let these brave almanos and yesomim collapse. Support the families and wives of our fallen soldiers. _We know who they are. We know where they are. We know what they need._ Your participation can make all the difference. Please donate generously. _It’s what their husbands HYD would want most._ Click here to Donate
President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to ever hold the influential role. Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouted it. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement. “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.” Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — during his first administration, part of record-setting personnel churn in his administration. Successful chiefs of staff serves as the president’s confidant, help execute a president’s agenda and balance competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends their time and whom they speak to — an effort Trump chafed under inside the White House. The chief of staff is “absolutely critical to an effective White House,” said Chris Whipple, whose book “The Gatekeepers” details how the White House chief of staff role shaped and defines a presidency. “At the end of the day the most important thing is telling the president what he doesn’t want to hear.” Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaign in the state in 2016 and 2020. Before that, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly served as the manager of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign. Chris LaCivita, who along with Wiles served as a co-manager of the campaign, posted on X, “So Happy and proud of one of the fiercest and most loyal warriors i’ve ever had the pleasure of working with !!!” (AP)
Carbon pollution from private jets has soared in the past five years, with most of those small planes spewing more heat-trapping carbon dioxide in about two hours of flying than the average person does in about a year, a new study finds. About a quarter million of the super wealthy — worth a total of $31 trillion — last year emitted 17.2 million tons (15.6 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide flying in private jets, according to Thursday’s study in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment. That’s about the same amount as the 67 million people who live in Tanzania, Private jet emissions jumped 46% from 2019 to 2023, according to the European research team that calculated those figures by examining more than 18.6 million flights of about 26,000 airplanes over five years. Only 1.8% of the carbon pollution from aviation is spewed by private jets and aviation as a whole is responsible for about 4% of the human-caused heat-trapping gases, the study said. It may seem like a small amount, but it’s a matter of fairness and priorities, said the study’s lead author, Stefan Gossling, a transportation researcher at the business school of Sweden’s Linnaeus University. “The damage is done by those with a lot of money and the cost is borne by those with very little money,” Gossling said. The highest emitting private jet user that the team tracked — but did not identify by name — spewed 2,645 tons (2,400 metric tons) of carbon dioxide in plane use, Gossling said. That’s more than 500 times the global per person average of either 5.2 tons (4.7 metric tons) that the World Bank calculates or the 4.7 tons (4.3 metric tons) that the International Energy Agency figures and Gossling cites. “This report presents further proof that billionaires are causing the climate crisis,” said Jonathan Westin, executive director of the advocacy organization Climate Organizing Hub. “They are clinging to their private jets and oil profits while regular people see increasing floods, hurricanes and wildfires.” Earlier this year the International Energy Agency calculated that the world’s top 1% of super-emitting people had carbon footprints more than 1,000 times bigger than the globe’s poorest 1%. Gossling’s study counted more than 35,600 tons (32,300 metric tons) of carbon pollution from just five global events — 2022’s World Cup in Qatar, 2023’s World Economic Forum, 2023’s Super Bowl, the 2023 Cannes film festival and the 2023 United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai. That came from 3,500 private jet flights. “It’s a grim joke that the billionaire class is flying private jets to the annual climate conferences, and the United Nations should crack down on this hypocritical practice,” said Jean Su, energy justice director for the Center for Biological Diversity. Researchers also examined more than 1,200 flights by celebrity actors, singers and directors, but Gossling declined to give the public figures’ names. Many private flights aren’t even for business “nor are they necessary,” Gossling said. “They are very often lifestyle related.” While the study “does shine a bright light on some of the most gluttonous emitters, i.e. the very wealthy,” University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann said the focus shouldn’t be on individual behaviors and someone’s carbon footprint. He called that “a distraction from the primary task at hand, which is decarbonizing our […]
A spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump stressed on Wednesday that Trump wants to see Israel secure “decisive victories” in its current conflicts. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, Elizabeth Pipko, a representative for Trump, addressed concerns following Trump’s victory speech, in which he said, “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars.” Pipko clarified that Trump’s comments were not meant to suggest any limitations on Israel’s military actions, which include ongoing operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “He wants the wars to end as soon as possible, but he wants it to end with a decisive victory [for Israel],” Pipko said, aiming to ease concerns in Israel that Trump might push for a ceasefire without Israel meeting its objectives. She went on to criticize the Biden administration’s approach to Israel, describing it as insufficiently “decisive” in its support. When asked about Trump’s stance on a potential Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Pipko declined to provide details, stating that Trump would express his views on the matter after taking office in January. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A pro-Palestinian protest is set to take place tonight, November 7, at 6:30 p.m., in front of a Bergenfield, NJ home. Social media posts indicate that the protest is directed against a private event in the residence, where attendees will discuss real estate opportunities in Jerusalem. Local community members are encouraged to gather at 102 Spring Ave., Bergenfield, starting at 6 p.m., to show support and prevent protestors from nearing the home where the event will be held. Participants are urged to bring flags and avoid interacting with the pro-Palestinian protestors. Police and CSS will be present to ensure safety.
A pro-Palestinian protest is set to take place tonight, November 7, at 6:30 p.m., in front of a Bergenfield, NJ home. Social media posts indicate that the protest is directed against a private event in the residence, where attendees will discuss real estate opportunities in Jerusalem. Local community members are encouraged to gather at 102 Spring Ave., Bergenfield, starting at 6 p.m., to show support and prevent protestors from nearing the home where the event will be held. Participants are urged to bring flags and avoid interacting with the pro-Palestinian protestors. Police and CSS will be present to ensure safety. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
After Germany’s government coalition collapsed in a dramatic fashion when Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats, Scholz said he would lead the country with a minority government, despite calls from opposition leaders on Thursday for early elections. The chancellor said the minority government would be made up of his Social Democrats and the Greens until early next year — even as the leader of the biggest opposition bloc in parliament, Friedrich Merz from the center-right Christian Democrats, called for an immediate no-confidence vote and new elections. Scholz stressed again on Thursday, that he does not want to call a vote of confidence before Jan. 15. “The citizens will soon have the opportunity to decide anew how to proceed,” the chancellor said, according to the German news agency dpa. “That is their right. I will therefore put the vote of confidence to the Bundestag at the beginning of next year.” A meeting with Merz and Scholz at the chancellery around noontime Thursday about a possible date for the next election ended after less than an hour with Merz leaving without commenting on the talks. Later on Thursday, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave fired Finance Minister Lindner and two other Free Democrats officials who had resigned — Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann — their certificates of dismissal. Transport Minister Volker Wissing, who is also with the Free Democrats, said that after talks with Scholz, he had decided to stay in office and instead leave the party. Scholz asked him to add the justice ministry to his portfolio. Steinmeier also appointed Jörg Kukies, an economic adviser to Scholz, as finance minister. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir from the Greens agreed to take on the research ministry. Scholz had announced late Wednesday that he would seek a vote of confidence on Jan. 15 that he said might lead to an early election, perhaps as soon as March. The vote had otherwise been due next September. After firing his finance minister, the chancellor had accused Lindner of breaching his trust and publicly calling for a fundamentally different economic policy, including what Scholz said would be tax cuts worth billions for a few top earners while at the same time cutting pensions for all retirees. “That is not decent,” Scholz said. The chancellor hopes that his minority government — Scholz’s left-leaning Social Democrats with the remaining coalition partner, the environmentalist Greens — will get the support from Merz’s Christian Democrats in parliament in the coming weeks, to pass important legislation and plugging the billion-euro hole in the 2025 budget. However, Merz on Thursday vehemently rejected Scholz’s plan to wait to hold a vote of confidence until January. “The coalition no longer has a majority in the German Bundestag, and we therefore call on the chancellor … to call a vote of confidence immediately, or at the latest by the beginning of next week,” Merz said. “We simply cannot afford to have a government without a majority in Germany for several months now, and then campaign for several more months, and then possibly conduct coalition negotiations for several weeks,” Merz added. Since Scholz’s government doesn’t have a majority in parliament any longer, he would likely lose the vote. In that scenario, Germany’s president could dissolve parliament within 21 […]
An accident occurred on 59th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues in Boro Park, where a nearly two-year-old child was struck by a vehicle, Boro Park Scoop reports. Boro Park Hatzolah paramedics responded swiftly, transporting the child to Maimonides Medical Center. Sources tell YWN that the child is in critical condition. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is actively investigating the incident. Please say Tehillim for Aryeh Leibish Ben Toba. THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON THE BORO PARK SCOOP STATUS CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE BORO PARK SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF BORO PARK NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
