NETANYAH: ‘One week they say that Israel controls the United States. A week later they say the United States controls Israel’ ‘This is hogwash. We have a partnership’
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office releases footage of him and his wife Sara greeting US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance at his office in Jerusalem.
Tucker Carlson is facing widespread backlash after he gave airtime to a baseless and antisemitic conspiracy theory claiming Jewish people were genetically immune to COVID-19. During Monday’s episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, the former Fox News host echoed and expanded on an earlier claim by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that COVID-19 was “tailored” to harm certain ethnic groups more than others. Carlson’s guest, author and self-styled whistleblower Andrew Huff, told Carlson the claim was “scientifically true,” referencing a “finding” that people of Jewish ancestry were affected differently by the virus. “There was a finding in a scientific publication that two different populations … of people of Jewish ancestry — depending on which line they’re from — one was more heavily impacted than the others,” Huff said. Carlson replied, “You mean Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews.” The claim that Jewish people were immune to COVID-19 — a theory first spread by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2023 and discredited by scientists worldwide — has its roots in a long history of antisemitic myths that falsely cast Jews as both the cause and the cure for global calamities. Historians note that similar rumors fueled deadly pogroms in medieval Europe, where Jews were accused of poisoning wells during outbreaks of plague. Public health experts have repeatedly emphasized that no scientific evidence supports the idea of COVID-19 being genetically “targeted” toward or against any ethnic group. The exchange triggered immediate outrage across the political spectrum, with Jewish groups accusing Carlson of legitimizing age-old antisemitic tropes — and even conservative commentators blasting him for reviving conspiracy theories once used to justify persecution and violence against Jews. The Anti-Defamation League called Carlson’s remarks “dangerous and disgraceful,” warning that framing Jews as genetically distinct or biologically protected from disease “feeds directly into centuries-old antisemitic myths that fueled massacres and pogroms.” Arynne Wexler, a right-wing commentator, drew the historical parallel even more sharply. “Europeans blamed the Jews for the Black Death,” she wrote on X. “That led to massacres. We’re talking thousands of Jews slaughtered, burned alive, entire communities annihilated. Tucker isn’t creative — he’s recycling blood libel.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) mocked the notion that “the Jews were running the Wuhan Institute for Virology,” calling it absurd. RedState columnist Bonchie dismissed Carlson’s segment as “clownish,” writing that “anyone still peddling the idea that COVID was engineered to spare Jews should be laughed out of public life.” The controversy marks the latest in a string of incidents in which Carlson has been accused of promoting antisemitic or extremist ideas. Just last month, Israeli outlets and U.S. Jewish groups condemned Carlson for promoting conspiracies surrounding the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
An Israeli military official said Tuesday that Hamas retains between 10,000 and 20,000 trained fighters, despite losing roughly 20,000 during the war, according to a report by NBC News. The official added that Israel has destroyed as much as 90 percent of the terrorist group’s rocket arsenal and crippled its ability to rebuild heavy weapons. “The manufacturing sites and smuggling routes that Israel struck are extremely important,” the official said. “It’s not just taking away the fish — it’s taking away the rod.” Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told NBC that while Hamas has absorbed heavy losses, the group remains capable of reasserting control in the Gaza Strip. “It is easy for Hamas to regain power and very easy for them to recruit more and more people to replace those who were killed,” Eiland said. “Although they’re younger and have less military experience, there’s no doubt Hamas still has a lot of capability and enough personal weapons like small arms and RPGs.” Eiland estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of Hamas’s tunnel network in Gaza remains intact, including many tunnels still undiscovered by the Israel Defense Forces. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that following the ceasefire, Israeli forces are focusing operations on dismantling the remaining tunnels as part of efforts to disarm Hamas. In one such operation, Maj. Yaniv Kola and Sgt. Itay Yavetz were killed by Hamas anti-tank fire. Since the IDF’s partial withdrawal to the so-called “yellow line,” Hamas operatives have begun to reemerge in parts of Gaza, attempting to signal a return to normal life. Israeli intelligence assessments also indicate that Hamas has publicly executed several Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported Tuesday that Hamas is quietly participating — with the awareness of Arab mediators — in forming a technocratic government that would administer Gaza once the war ends. According to the report, Hamas handpicked about half of the proposed cabinet members, choosing individuals aligned with its ideology, while the Palestinian Authority selected the remainder under an informal arrangement allowing Hamas to influence the process. Egyptian mediators reportedly shared the full list of candidates with Hamas before final approval, a move that analysts say could help the group retain indirect control over Gaza even after a new governing framework is in place. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Good morning. A few days ago we had a historic visit by President Trump that will be etched in the annals of our nation’s history. We’re fortunate today to have a visit by the Vice President, JD Vance. And I want to tell you a few things about that. First, in the last year we’ve had an unmatched alliance and a partnership with the United States. That is changing the Middle East, and it’s also changing the world. It creates opportunities not only for security, but for the expansion of peace, which we’re working on very, very diligently. And it’s just unmatched. I’ve been here a few years. I’ve been through several administrations. I welcome the partnership and the assistance we’ve had. But there’s never been anything like it. When President Trump said that, it’s a partnership that’s never happened before. Well, that includes a close circle, both on our side and on the American side. And President Trump knows who he picks for that circle. One of the members, to put it mildly, is the Vice President. And we’ve had the opportunity to make decisions jointly in a very tight-knit and trusting partnership. And I was impressed. I was impressed with your clarity, with your incisiveness, with your solidarity for our common cause, and just a genuine friendship that I saw both in conference meetings and also in our private meetings. And it’s in that spirit that I very much welcome you to Jerusalem in these days of destiny. We’re changing the face of the Middle East. And I have to say, I was going to say, bring your family ‘next year in Jerusalem,’ but welcome this year in Jerusalem, our great friend, JD Vance”. US Vice President JD Vance: “Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and thanks to your entire team for your hospitality and for having us. As the Prime Minister said, these are days of destiny, and we’re very excited to sit down and work together on the Gaza peace plan. We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people in Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel. That’s not easy. I think the Prime Minister knows that as well as anybody, but it’s something that we’re committed to in the Trump administration. And I think we’ve, even in the past 24 hours, had a lot of good conversations with our friends in the Israeli government but also, frankly, with our friends in the Arab world who are stepping up and volunteering to play a very positive role in this. So we’re going to keep working at it. I didn’t know what to expect, honestly. The President was here a week ago to welcome the hostages home and actually sign a deal. A week into it, there’s a lot of work to do, but I feel very optimistic about where we are. So thank you for the partnership. Thanks for your willingness to continue to work on this, and I think we’re going to do great things here. It’s not going to be easy. I know that there are some folks in the media who […]
Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner is facing intensifying backlash after a video surfaced showing what appears to be a Nazi-era SS symbol tattooed on his chest — the latest in a string of disturbing revelations that have thrown his campaign into crisis and raised questions about his fitness for public office. Platner, a self-styled anti-establishment Marine veteran backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has already come under fire for past online posts containing racist and misogynistic remarks. But the newly surfaced video — which appears to depict the Nazi Totenkopf, or “death’s head” skull worn by Hitler’s SS units — has pushed the controversy into new territory, fueling bipartisan outrage and eroding confidence among Democratic operatives. The footage, which Platner’s own campaign provided to Pod Save America in what appears to have been a preemptive damage-control attempt, shows the candidate shirtless and singing while a dark skull tattoo is clearly visible. The Republican National Senatorial Committee immediately labeled it a “Nazi tattoo,” accusing Platner of “trying to whitewash hate.” In an interview released Monday, Platner insisted the tattoo was a “drunken mistake” from his time overseas. “I am not a secret Nazi,” he told host Tommy Vietor. “I got the tattoo in Croatia while very inebriated. We just picked a terrifying-looking skull.” His explanation has done little to calm the storm. Extremism experts note that ignorance is no excuse for wearing a symbol so closely tied to one of history’s most violent regimes. The Anti-Defamation League said the tattoo “appears” to depict the Totenkopf and called it “troubling if true,” while reminding that the image is “synonymous with the Nazi SS and genocide.” The Army bans tattoos deemed extremist or racist — a rule that makes Platner’s past military service under such a mark even more controversial. Pentagon officials have not commented on whether the tattoo was ever flagged during his enlistment. The tattoo controversy follows another scandal over Platner’s resurfaced Reddit posts in which he wrote that Black people “don’t tip” and that assault victims should “take some responsibility for themselves.” Platner has apologized for the comments, attributing them to “a period of personal turmoil” after his deployment. Yet his explanations have not quelled the backlash. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler blasted Platner’s remarks as “unacceptable and disqualifying,” while other Democrats privately questioned why Sanders continues to stand by him. “This isn’t opposition research — it’s who he is,” one Democratic strategist said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
During a hearing held Sunday at the Petach Tikva Magistrate’s Court on the arrest of one of the settlers who participated in a protest outside a Shin Bet facility, Judge Zohar Dibon-Segal sharply rebuked representatives of the Shin Bet after they made an especially unusual request—to bar attorneys from the right-wing Honenu legal aid organization from representing more than one suspect in the same case. Judge Dibon-Segal did not mince words. She described the Shin Bet’s request as a step that severely undermines the integrity of due process, stating, “This could compromise the fairness of the legal proceedings and, at best, is an attempt to obtain a contradictory judicial ruling. When such a drastic measure is requested—namely, to prevent a person from being represented by an attorney—the investigating authority must provide substantial justifications for it, and that must come before any other discussion takes place.” “The court expressed deep astonishment at the request in itself, which is, by all accounts, extraordinary. To the best of my knowledge—and I say this with all due caution—I am unaware of any similar request ever being made, even in far more serious cases that have come before this court, including cases involving terrorists who harmed Israeli civilians after October 7.” About two months ago, around 20 settlers were arrested after demonstrating outside a Shin Bet facility to protest what they described as “the organization’s persecution of the settler community.” The detainees were held under harsh conditions, and some were even denied access to legal counsel for several days. Following legal action by the Honenu organization, all the detainees were eventually released without indictments being filed. At the same time, a gag order was issued on the details of the incident in which the settlers were suspected, and the Shin Bet took the extraordinary step of issuing an order barring Honenu lawyers from representing more than one suspect. That order was ultimately rejected by the Petach Tikva Magistrate’s Court. Attorney Avichai Hajbi of the Honenu organization, who represented one of the detainees at the hearing, welcomed the judge’s remarks, saying, “The court has said out loud what we have all known for a long time—that when it comes to Jewish detainees, the Shin Bet plays by its own rules. It’s time someone reminded the Shin Bet that no organization is above the law—not even one that claims to act in the law’s name.” This is not the first time that the Shin Bet has targeted the Honenu organization. Last month, Shmuel Meidad, the head of the Honenu legal aid organization, revealed that he was warned by a senior official that the Shin Bet had collected personal information about him after a senior official in the agency decided to “take Honenu down.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Trump administration’s new “Make America Healthy Again” plan could soon rewrite decades of nutrition advice — encouraging more butter, cheese, milk, and red meat. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says fats have been “unfairly demonized” and blames refined carbs and processed foods for obesity instead. Critics, including the American Heart Association, warn the move could raise heart disease risks.
Trump special counsel nominee Paul Ingrassia withdraws after racist texts flap • Paul Ingrassia withdrew his name for consideration by the Senate to lead the Office of the Special Counsel after acknowledging he did not have votes of enough senators to be confirmed. • President Donald Trump had nominated Ingrassia to that job, which investigates retaliation against federal government whistleblowers and alleged violations of the Hatch Act. • Politico reported on Monday that Ingrassia in texts to other Republicans had written that “every single one” of several holidays related to Black people “needs to be eviscerated.”
Myanmar’s military says it has dismantled a massive online scam operation near the Thai border, detaining more than 2,000 people and seizing dozens of Starlink satellite terminals used to run the scheme. State media reported troops raided “KK Park,” a notorious cybercrime hub near Myawaddy, as part of a wider crackdown on online fraud and illegal gambling. The compound allegedly held trafficked workers forced to conduct scams targeting victims worldwide.
JPMorgan Chase has officially opened its new 60-story global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, a $3 billion skyscraper that will reshape the Manhattan skyline and mark one of the first major post-pandemic office projects. The bronze-and-steel tower, designed by architect Norman Foster, replaces the Union Carbide Building and will house about 10,000 of JPMorgan’s 24,000 New York employees. At 1,388 feet tall, it’s now the fourth-tallest building in Manhattan.
A California man has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while serving as a campaign advisor for a local politician in Los Angeles County. Yaoning “Mike” Sun admitted to working with Chinese officials between 2022 and 2024 to promote pro-Beijing content and influence a local election, according to a plea deal filed in federal court. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors say Sun secretly followed directives from Chinese government officials while advising a successful city council campaign in Arcadia.
President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve to serve as the Army’s second-highest-ranking officer, according to congressional records. Gen. James Mingus is currently vice chief of staff and has not publicly said he plans to step aside. He has been in the job less than two years, and it’s typically a tenure that lasts at least three years. The move, which was posted in congressional records Monday, is the latest in a series of surprise and unexplained firings, reassignments and promotions that have been transforming the senior ranks of the military under Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Officials in the Army and Hegseth’s office would not offer any details on Mingus’ apparent ouster and the effort to promote LaNeve, who is now Hegseth’s top military aide. Maj. Peter Sulzona, a spokesman for Mingus, told The Associated Press by email that he would not comment on pending nominations but that Mingus “will continue to execute the duties & responsibilities of his position, focusing on warfighting and the wellbeing of our Soldiers.” Before taking up the vice chief post last year, Mingus was at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, starting in 2020 under then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. Milley, though appointed by Trump in his first term, would later anger the president and become a target for significant criticism in his second term. The nomination and replacement come less than a week after Adm. Alvin Holsey, the Navy admiral who is overseeing military operations against alleged drug boats off Venezuela, announced a surprise, early retirement in December. About a month ago, Gen. Thomas Bussiere, head of the Air Force’s Global Strike Command, also suddenly announced his retirement, citing “personal and family reasons.” That came a little over a month after the head of the Air Force, Gen. David Alvin, also announced a surprise early retirement. Those retirements come after a spate of unexplained firings in August that included Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, then the head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency; Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve; and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversaw Naval Special Warfare Command. Kruse’s agency produced an initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites that leaked to the press and contradicted claims from the Trump administration. In April, Hegseth also abruptly fired Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, who was leading the National Security Agency and an admiral who held a top NATO post. Early in the administration’s time in power, Trump also fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Navy’s top officer, the Air Force’s second-highest-ranking officer, and the top lawyers for three military service branches. (AP)
A new AP-NORC poll finds that most Americans are deeply worried about rising health care costs as a government shutdown leaves future coverage uncertain. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they’re “extremely” or “very” concerned about health costs going up next year — fears shared across age groups and income levels. Nearly 4 in 10 worry they won’t be able to afford care or medications at all.
OpenAI just launched its own web browser — Atlas — putting the ChatGPT maker in direct competition with Google Chrome. Atlas launches today on Apple laptops, with Windows, iOS, and Android versions coming soon. The AI-powered browser replaces the traditional search bar with a chatbot interface — and even features an “agent mode” that browses and clicks the web for you.
Dr. Rahmeh Aladwan, a viciously antisemitic NHS doctor in the UK, was arrested by the police on Tuesday for her outrageously pro-terror and antisemitic statements. The arrest comes after last month’s outrageous decision by the British Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPTS) Service to allow her to continue practicing medicine while they continued an investigation into her statements, including calling a UK hospital “a Jewish supremacy cesspit.” The British “Campaign Against Antisemitism” X account stated in response to the report about her arrest, “We have submitted numerous complaints to the General Medical Council (GMC) regarding this doctor, who is a prolific poster of the most deranged material and claims about Jewish people and is self-evidently unfit to serve as a regulated professional. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) inexplicably disagreed, allowing her to continue to practice as a trainee pending further investigation, and we have threatened legal action. “But now even the Met Police—hardly the most proactive institution in the fight against antisemitism—believes that her conduct is so incendiary as to have potentially crossed the criminal threshold. “What an absolute embarrassment to our medical regulator, and what a disgrace that it cannot see what ordinary people and even the Met Police can. “Clearly, the GMC and the MPTS are unfit for purpose.” Dr. Aladwan has made numerous rabid antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements, calling for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel and stating that “the UK is occupied and controlled by Jewish supremacy—in fact, most Christian countries.” Aladwan also wrote, “I don’t condemn Hamas. I don’t condemn October 7. I don’t condemn armed resistance to the Occupation. I condemn ‘Israel.’” She wrote, “Not trying to be unreasonable, but every ******** settler will leave Palestine. It’s not for liberal Jewish supremacists (Zionists) or their enablers to decide that Palestinians must live with their land thieves, murderers, and rapists. Algeria did it. So will Palestine.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Trump administration has agreed to resume student loan forgiveness for an estimated 2.5 million borrowers who are enrolled in certain federal repayment plans following a lawsuit from the American Federation of Teachers. Under the agreement reached Friday between the teachers union and the administration, the Education Department will process loan forgiveness for those eligible in certain repayment plans that offer lower monthly payments based on a borrower’s earnings. The government had stopped providing forgiveness under those plans based on its interpretation of a different court decision. The agreement will also protect borrowers from being hit with high tax bills on debt due to be forgiven this year. “We took on the Trump administration when it refused to follow the law and denied borrowers the relief they were owed,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. “Our agreement means that those borrowers stuck in limbo can either get immediate relief or finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.” The Education Department said the Trump administration is reviewing forgiveness programs to identify ones that were not affected by court rulings that blocked much of the Biden administration’s efforts to cancel student debt. “The Administration looks forward to continuing its work to simplify the student loan repayment process through implementation of the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the department said in a statement. Several forgiveness programs are included According to the deal, the Trump administration must cancel student debt for eligible borrowers enrolled in the following plans: income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, income-contingent repayment plans, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) plans. If borrowers have made payments beyond what was needed for forgiveness, those payments will be reimbursed. The Education Department must also continue to process IDR and PSLF “buyback” applications. Balances forgiven before Dec. 31 will not be treated as taxable income, as they will in 2026 due to a recent change in tax law. The administration must also file progress reports every six months with the court to show the pace of application processing and loan forgiveness, according to the AFT. How many borrowers are waiting for forgiveness? An estimated 2.5 million borrowers in IDR plans will be affected by the agreement, and another 70,000 are waiting for forgiveness through the PSLF program. Even with the agreement in place, mass layoffs at the Education Department could factor into processing times for forgiveness, said Megan Walter, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. If borrowers continue to make payments while their application is pending forgiveness, that will be refunded to them if they are successful, Walter said. “But keep really good records,” she said. What are the PSLF and buyback forgiveness programs? Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which has been in place since 2007, forgives federal student loans for borrowers who have worked at non-profit organizations or in public service after 120 payments, or 10 years. The Biden administration also created an option for borrowers to “buy back” months of payments they missed during forbearance or deferment in 2023, to allow more people to qualify for that forgiveness. To determine if you qualify for a buy-back under the PSLF program, consult this page at the Education Department. (AP)
