The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to uphold his order restricting birthright citizenship, which declares that children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not citizens. The appeal, shared with The Associated Press, could lead to a high court ruling by early summer, though lower courts have blocked the restrictions from taking effect and the administration is not seeking to enforce them before a decision.
Four people died after heavy rain caused flooding in Arizona, including three in a rural 19th-century mining town where floodwaters forced people to seek safety on their rooftops and washed out a propane distributorship, scattering about 1,000 tanks downtown. About 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of rain fell in Globe, a city of about 7,250 people about 88 miles (142 kilometers) east of Phoenix, on Friday, and another storm moved in Saturday, temporarily halting the search for people possibly missing in the flood. The bodies of two people were earlier found in a vehicle and another person was found in the floodwaters in Globe, Carl Melford, emergency manager in Gila County, said. They were not immediately identified by authorities. Another person was found dead Saturday morning near a vehicle caught in floodwaters in suburban Phoenix the night before. The vehicle appeared to be empty after it was spotted partially submerged in about 8 feet (2.4 meters) of fast-moving water on Friday evening in a greenbelt park area, the Scottsdale Fire Department said. After the water dropped a bit overnight, crews found the body of a person pinned underneath a walkway bridge, the department said. In the rural community of Globe, one of Arizona’s oldest mining towns, sheriffs’ officials were looking into reports of people who may be missing, Melford said, but could not specify a number. “We now have a massive search and rescue underway,” he said. Rain poured down and quickly flooded the downtown area Friday, Melford said. One of the first areas hit was a propane tank distributor, sending about 1,000 residential-sized tanks throughout the community, he said. “There’s propane tanks everywhere through downtown Globe,” he said, adding that hazmat workers have been sent to the scene. “Luckily none of them ignited or exploded.” The area previously experienced flooding in 2021 after a wildfire, but it didn’t happen like this, Melford said. The city is near canyons that can funnel water from the mountains into the community very quickly. “This was an extremely heavy amount of rain in an extremely short period of time,” he said. Videos shared on social media show vehicles in Globe being swept away by rushing, muddy water, with some smashed up against poles and large propane tanks scattered around. Authorities are asking residents to not go out searching in the floodwaters because search and rescue officials are accompanied by dogs who might pick up the scent of aspiring volunteers instead of possible flood victims. If people want to help, they should start by assisting friends and neighbors in need, Melford said. Globe city council members declared an emergency, saying they have never seen anything like the flooding. Scores of people have stepped up to volunteer, said Mayor Al Gamero, adding that many buildings in the community’s downtown have been damaged. Officials asked people to stay away from the area until they could ensure it is safe to go in there. “Our primary, again, is search and rescue,” Gamero said Saturday. (AP)
President Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at the FBI and its former director Christopher Wray following a report alleging that the bureau deployed 274 plainclothes agents in the crowd during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do. That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray.” The claim, first reported by The Blaze on Thursday, contradicts findings from the Justice Department’s inspector general, which concluded last year there was “no evidence” that undercover FBI employees were embedded in protest crowds or inside the Capitol. That same report, however, acknowledged that 26 confidential human sources were present on Jan. 6, including four who entered the building without authorization. Trump demanded the identities of the alleged agents and accused Wray of misleading Congress. “I want to know who each and every one of these so-called ‘Agents’ are, and what they were up to on that now ‘Historic’ Day,” he wrote. The FBI has not commented on the new report. Wray previously testified that the bureau did not instigate the riot, telling lawmakers last year: “If you’re asking if the violence at the Capitol was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources or agents, the answer is no.” The report comes as House Republicans intensify scrutiny of federal law enforcement’s role in the events of Jan. 6. Earlier this month, the GOP-led House approved a new subcommittee to investigate the Capitol attack. Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said last week the latest revelations raise new questions. “With that many paid informants being in the crowd, we want to know how many were in the crowd, how many were in the building, but I also want to know, were they paid to inform or instigate?” Loudermilk said. The timing of the controversy is notable. Just days earlier, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress over whether he authorized leaks regarding investigations into Trump and Hillary Clinton. Trump has leaned heavily on Jan. 6 in his campaign messaging, casting convicted rioters as “Great American Patriots.” On Saturday, he tied his attack on Wray and the FBI to those cases. “Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country,” he wrote. “I owe this investigation of ‘Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians’ to them!” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Mossad issued an internal assessment just two weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that downplayed the risk of an imminent attack, according to a Channel 12 report. The position paper, cited by the network, stated that Hamas leadership in Gaza “is not interested in military conflict with Israel at the present time, but will not be deterred if it is forced upon them.” The document also noted that Hamas was maintaining “a high degree of readiness out of concern for Israeli countermeasures,” but assessed that the group’s overall interest was to avoid escalation. The attack on October 7 left roughly 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage, making it the deadliest assault in Israel’s history. In response to Channel 12’s reporting, Mossad said it was not responsible for intelligence collection or operational activity in Gaza. “According to the distribution of responsibilities between the intelligence services… the Mossad has no responsibility for strategic alerts about the use of force in the Palestinian arena,” the agency said in a statement. It added that the paper was given “low significance” and clarified that it did not deal “operationally in the Gaza Strip — neither in intelligence gathering, nor in running agents, nor in conducting special operations.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said it is investigating a wave of suspicious phone calls targeting Israeli citizens with prerecorded Hebrew messages that appeared to come from Iranian intelligence operatives. According to Ynet, one recording introduced itself as a direct pitch from Tehran: “Iranian intelligence is looking for official agents — competitive salary, comprehensive security. Find us on Telegram and the internet.” One man told the outlet that both he and his wife received a call offering financial compensation if they agreed to enlist as agents for Iran. The cyber directorate urged the public not to answer calls from numbers beginning with 03-6817 or 03-3067, and to hang up immediately if connected. Officials stressed that simply answering the call would not compromise a device. Police instructed recipients to block the numbers and file reports with law enforcement. The calls add to a string of documented Iranian recruitment efforts in recent years, many of them run through the encrypted messaging app Telegram. Investigations have shown that Israelis drawn in online are often asked to perform simple, seemingly harmless tasks before being directed to gather intelligence or, in some cases, participate in assassination plots. The surge in arrests has been significant enough that Israel has opened a new wing in Haifa’s Damon prison to house suspected Iranian agents. Most operatives are ordinary Israeli civilians targeted by Iranian officers online. Israeli officials say the campaign is designed to build a grassroots spy network capable of collecting intelligence on nuclear and military facilities and tracking senior figures in the defense establishment and scientific community. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad declared that the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel — one of the bloodiest days in the nation’s history — was a “benefit” to the Palestinian cause, even as the devastating war it triggered continues to grind on nearly two years later. In an interview aired Thursday on CNN, Hamad said the cross-border rampage, which left some 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage, created a “golden moment” for Palestinians by putting what he described as Israel’s “brutality” on display before the international community. “You know what is the benefit of October 7 now?” Hamad asked. “If you look to the [UN] General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people opened their eyes and looked to the atrocity, to the brutality of Israel, and all of them, they condemned Israel.” Hamad went further, claiming: “We waited for this moment for 77 years. I think this is a golden moment for the world to change history.” The remarks come as Gaza reels from unprecedented destruction and loss of life. According to figures released by Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in response to the October 7 attack. Pressed by CNN on whether Hamas bears responsibility for the staggering death toll — given that the group instigated the war with its assault — Hamad rejected the premise outright. “I know the price [is] so high,” he said, “but I’m asking again, what is the option?” Hamad also dismissed the insistence by the U.S. and other Western powers that Hamas must play no role in any future Palestinian state. He argued that the world cannot “exclude” the terror group, asserting it is “playing a positive role” in advancing Palestinian aspirations. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Emirati media released footage of last night’s meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Yisrael Porush, son of United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush, was arrested by police on Motzei Shabbos during a protest outside Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in Tel Aviv. Porush, a member of the Elad city council for the Shlomei Emunim movement, a former mayor of the Chareidi city, and leader of the Magen u-Moshi’a anti-enlistment group, was protesting against the detention of Chareidim for refusing to report to IDF draft notices. A video posted on an official Shlomei Emunim WhatsApp group shows Porush, wearing a Tallis, entering a police vehicle. He states, “I am being arrested for blowing the shofar in the Land of Israel while there are a hundred young men in detention.” There are around 100 Chareidim in military prison as of last week. In a statement, Shlomei Emunim called the arrest “an outrageous violation of the right to protest,” while MK Porush stated that his son’s detention reveals the “hypocrisy” of those protesting the government. “That cannot be considered democracy,” he said, adding, “when people demonstrate against the attorney general, who demands mass arrests with governmental violence and the denial of the right to study Torah…that is forbidden, and the demonstrator must be arrested.” Porush strongly criticized authorities, saying, “Rabbi Porush exposed this hypocrisy tonight. Thanks to him, everyone now knows that the State of Israel is not a nation of law, but a dictatorship hostile to democracy. There are unelected rulers in the legal system against whom it is forbidden to protest.”
TRUMP: “I am pleased to report that we are having very inspired and productive discussions with the Middle Eastern Community concerning Gaza. Intense negotiations have been going on for four days, and will continue for as long as necessary.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed President Donald Trump for attending Ryder Cup golf matches just days before a possible government shutdown, as Republicans push for a “clean” stopgap funding bill while Democrats demand it also extend ACA tax credits set to expire before 2026.
The Shin Bet and IDF say an airstrike in Gaza killed Hamas terrorist Muhammad Ahmad Yousef al-Jamal, who shot and killed Israeli officer Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora during the June 8, 2024, Nuseirat hostage rescue. Also killed in the strike was Sari Idris Muhammad al-Aqrab, another Hamas terrorist linked to the October 7 attacks.
The IDF says its troops demolished the home of one of the two Palestinian terrorists behind the Yerushalayim shooting attack earlier this month that left six people dead.
The IDF released footage of a drone strike in Gaza City targeting Hamas terrorists who were spotted attempting to plant bombs. The terrorists, seen digging while trying to conceal themselves under blankets, were identified by troops of the 188th Armored Brigade, who then called in the Israeli Air Force to carry out the strike, killing them, according to the military.
On the one-year anniversary of his assassination by Israel, the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Mayadeen network broadcast what it claims is the final image of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
NETANYAHU: “The long-suffering Iranian people will regain their freedom. They will make Iran great again…Our two ancient peoples. The people of Israel. And the people of Iran will restore a friendship that will benefit the entire world.”
