A U.S. district court judge has sentenced Abouzar Rahmati, 43, of Great Falls, Virginia, to one year in prison followed by three years of supervised release for spying on behalf of Iran, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. Rahmati, a U.S. citizen who worked as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration, pleaded guilty in April to providing Iranian government officials with at least 172 gigabytes of classified information related to U.S. solar energy in 2022. Prosecutors said Rahmati used his position to gain access to sensitive material that was then secretly transferred to Tehran. He had faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison under federal law. In a statement, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Rahmati’s conduct represented a profound breach of trust. “By secretly doing the bidding of the Iranian government, Mr. Rahmati violated the trust placed in him as a U.S. citizen and as a federal contractor with access to sensitive information,” Pirro said. She added that preventing classified material from reaching hostile intelligence services is “one of our highest priorities.” Court records show that Rahmati admitted to maintaining contact with Iranian officials and sending them files tied to solar energy research and infrastructure, a sector the U.S. government has identified as critical for both national security and energy independence. Investigators said the scale of the leak was significant, though they did not disclose details on whether Iran had put the information to use. The case adds to a series of prosecutions in recent years involving U.S. citizens accused of providing assistance to the Iranian regime, which remains under heavy U.S. sanctions and is often accused by Washington of directing espionage and influence operations inside the United States. Rahmati will begin serving his sentence immediately, after which he will remain under federal supervision for three years. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
There’s a well-known teaching from Chazal: טב למיתב טן דו מלמיתב ארמלו — better to live as two than to live alone. It’s a truth that has guided generations in building Jewish homes. Yet in today’s shidduch world, this simple wisdom is too often pushed aside in favor of an unhealthy fixation on “what will people say?” I recently experienced this firsthand. Under unusual but fortunate circumstances, I met an eligible woman. We spoke for a few minutes, and the interaction was pleasant — enough that she expressed interest in meeting again. Later, while checking with a reference, she inquired of my age. Once she learned the number, she quickly withdrew. What struck me was that my appearance hadn’t been an issue when we met, nor my personality or demeanor in conversation. The only thing that changed was the discovery of my age — as if a number on paper suddenly outweighed all else. Not long after, I invested considerable time and thought into researching another potential shidduch. I weighed the facts carefully, even noting several factors that, objectively, were to her detriment. Still, I saw enough good to give a “yes,” hopeful that the essentials of middos and compatibility could make it work. Within a very short time, however, her answer came back as a firm “no” — again, not for any issue of values, health, or personality, but solely because of the age difference. In earlier times, age gaps were not an obstacle when the fundamentals aligned. There are countless examples, even of the converse with women older than men, where mutual respect, shared values, and a commitment to building a life together mattered far more than the date on a birth certificate. Age could be a secondary consideration — perhaps relevant if health, looks, or energy level came into play — but it wasn’t a non‑starter. When we reject potential shidduchim solely because of how it might look to others, we lose sight of the priorities our mesorah sets for us. Decisions of such importance should be guided by daas Torah, not by imagined whispers from the sidelines. If we truly value building strong, enduring homes, we must be willing to look past arbitrary social norms and see the person in front of us — not just the number attached to their name. Sincerely, An Alter Bochur trying to navigate to the next chapter The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
An Amish woman who told authorities she was testing her faith when she threw her 4-year-old son into an Ohio lake was charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated murder in the boy’s death. Authorities said Ruth R. Miller, 40, of Millersburg, Ohio, told investigators she believed she was acting at the direction of God when she allegedly killed her son Vincen at Atwood Lake early Saturday. The lead investigator with the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, Capt. Adam Fisher, said Wednesday that Ruth Miller repeatedly said in interviews with police that she threw the boy off the dock and into the water to give him to God. “It did not appear that the gravity of the situation had sunk in,” Fisher said. The woman’s husband, Marcus J. Miller, 45, had apparently drowned while attempting to swim to an offshore sandbank hours earlier in another test of faith, Sheriff Orvis Campbell told reporters at a news conference Monday. Their other children, a 15-year-old girl and twin 18-year-old boys, were also directed to perform water-based trials of their belief but survived, Campbell said. New Philadelphia Municipal Court online records indicate Ruth Miller was also charged with domestic violence and child endangerment regarding the older children. Authorities said Ruth Miller was receiving treatment at a secure mental health facility and had not been arrested by late Wednesday afternoon. A message seeking comment was left for her attorney, Scott Fromson. Family members and the Millers’ church said in a statement that the deaths “do not reflect our teachings or beliefs but are instead a result of a mental illness. The ministry and extended family had been walking with them through their challenges, and they had also received professional help in the past.” Campbell said Ruth Miller told investigators she believed she could walk on water but when she tried doing so off the end of the dock, she simply fell into the water. “She and her husband went to this dock and they jumped in the water because God was speaking to them and telling them to do things, things to prove their worthiness to God,” Campbell said. Marcus and Vincen Miller were apparently both dead when authorities were called Saturday morning for a report of a golf cart having gone into the lake. Campbell said Ruth Miller had driven it at a high speed into a stone wall on the lake shore with the three older children on board. The cart ended up fully submerged but visible, and her three children stood on it before getting out of the water. When a rescuer tried to get Ruth Miller out of the water, she told them to “just pray for her,” Campbell said. Park rangers heard “concerning type statements” from Ruth Miller, the sheriff said: “There was a pretty immediate statement made that she had given her son to the Lord.” Authorities soon realized her husband and 4-year-old son were missing. “She began to express more that she had thrown the child in the water to give that child to God,” Campbell said. “But we didn’t know where in the water — it’s a big lake.” He said Ruth Miller was in mental crisis. Searchers focused near the dock where authorities said the Millers had apparently tried to walk on water the night before. […]
CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted weeks after being sworn in • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez has left the role just weeks after being sworn in, the Health and Human Services department said. • Monarez, a longtime federal government scientist, was sworn in on July 31. • Her departure comes at a tumultuous time for the agency, which is reeling from a gunman’s attack on its Atlanta headquarters on Aug. 8.
NISSIM IN SPRING VALLEY: A frightening incident unfolded on Dr. Frank Road when an emergency exit door on a TOR bus unexpectedly opened while driving, causing three children to fall out. Hatzoloh EMS and Spring Valley Police responded to the scene, and thankfully only minor injuries were reported. The three children were transported by Hatzoloh EMS to Hackensack Medical Center.
POLICE CHIEF: “The coward that shot these victims took his own life in the rear of the Church.” “We are also aware of a manifesto that the shooter had timed to be release on YouTube.”
WATCH: Boy says his friend was laying on top of him to shield him from gunfire during the Annunciation Catholic School shooting “He was making sure I was safe & he got hit. That was really brave of him.”
A video posted to YouTube by the Minneapolis gunman shortly before the attack shows his guns with the names of previous mass shooters – and one on which is scrawled “Kill Donald Trump”
The Minneapolis gunman has reportedly been identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who allegedly showed off his guns – marked with the names of past mass shooters – on YouTube shortly before the attack.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has grown into a powerful force within the country’s theocracy, answering only to its supreme leader and overseeing its ballistic missile arsenal and missions overseas. The force was in the spotlight Tuesday when Australia accused Iran of organizing two antisemitic attacks in the country. The allegation recalls earlier attacks and attempted assaults linked back to the Guard’s Quds Force, its expeditionary arm. “Quds” is a word in both Arabic and Farsi for Jerusalem and reflects one of the force’s key missions: confronting Israel. Here’s more to know about the Guard. Born out of a revolution The Guard was born from Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as a force meant to protect its Shiite cleric-overseen government and later enshrined in its constitution. It operated parallel to the country’s regular armed forces, growing in prominence and power during a long and ruinous war with Iraq in the 1980s. Though facing possible disbandment after the war, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei granted it powers to expand into private enterprise, allowing it to thrive. Foreign operations key for the Guard The Guard’s Quds Force was key in creating what Iran describes as its “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and the United States. It backed Syria’s former President Bashar Assad, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and other groups in the region, growing in power in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. U.S. officials say the Guard taught Iraqi terrorists how to manufacture and use especially deadly roadside bombs against U.S. troops there. The Quds Force, as well as Iranian intelligence agencies, are believed to have hired criminal gangs and others to target dissidents and Iran’s perceived enemies abroad. Since the Israel-Hamas war, Israel has arrested citizens who received orders from Iran to surveil targets or conduct vandalism. The Guard is also believed to be heavily involved in smuggling throughout the Mideast. Guard’s intelligence arm tied to arrests of foreigners The Guard also operates its own intelligence services and has been behind a series of arrests and convictions of dual nationals and those with Western ties on espionage charges in closed hearings. Western nations and others described Iran as using those prisoners as bargaining chips in negotiations, particularly over its nuclear program. After making its announcement about Iran, Australia warned its citizens in Iran to immediately leave if they were able, noting they closed their embassy and that “foreigners in Iran, including Australians and dual Australian-Iranian nationals, are at a high risk of arbitrary detention or arrest.” Guard under new pressure after 12-day war with Israel The Guard’s carefully laid “Axis of Resistance” has faced its greatest challenge in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Hamas was one of the groups backed by Iran. Israel launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip, which rages on today. Meanwhile, Israel began targeting other Iranian-backed groups, decimating Hezbollah and repeatedly targeting the Houthis in Yemen. In Syria, Assad’s government fell in December, taking away a key ally for Tehran and the Guard. Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire, something overseen by the Guard. But in June, Israel launched a massive airstrike campaign targeting Iran. In its first day, those strikes killed top generals in the Guard, throwing the force into disarray. Israeli attacks also destroyed […]
Minneapolis police chief confirms the shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol: “This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children… The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.”
Authorities say two children – ages 8 and 10 – were murdered in the mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. The gunman was killed in a subsequent shootout.
Sec. Duffy: “Today, we’re announcing that we’re going to take Union Station back under DOT control… We want to make this place beautiful and the premier train station not just in America, but the premier train station in the world.”
