Earth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record. But after this summer registered as the hottest on record — Phoenix sweltered through 113 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) — scientists were anticipating that 2024 would set a new annual record as well. In November, global temperatures averaged 14.10C (57.38F). Last year’s global average temperature was 14.98C (59F). Through November, this year’s average global temperature is 0.14C (32F) above the same period last year. Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, who wasn’t involved in the report, said the big story about November is that “like 2023, it beat out previous Novembers by a large margin.” This also likely will be the first calendar year in which the average temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, the report said. The 2015 Paris Agreement said human-caused warming should be limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and ideally below 1.5. In the following years, the world’s top scientist said limiting to 1.5 was crucial to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, such as increasing destructive and frequent extreme weather events. Scientists say the main cause of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. That “does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever,” Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess said in a news release. Francis said the new records are “terrible news for people and ecosystems.” “The pace of warming is so fast that plants and animals cannot adapt as they always have during previous changes in the Earth’s climate. More species will go extinct, which disrupts natural food webs they’re a part of. Agriculture will suffer as pollinators decline and pests flourish,” she said, also warning that coastal communities will be vulnerable to sea-level rise. Heat waves over the oceans and a loss of reflective sea ice and snow cover probably contributed to the temperature increase this year, experts said. Copernicus said the extent of Antarctic sea ice in November was 10% below average, a record. Oceans absorb about 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases, later releasing heat and water vapor back into the atmosphere. Last year’s record heat was caused partly by an El Nino — a temporary natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide. But that ended earlier this year and a cooling effect that often follows, called La Nina, failed to materialize, leaving the scientific community “a little perplexed by what’s going on here … why temperatures are staying high,” said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. One explanation is that an El Nino releases more heat to the atmosphere because of warmer ocean waters, then “we’re not getting the cooling effect that often in decades gone by helps bring the temperature back down,” Overpeck said. “So it does look like this could be contributing to the acceleration of global warming. But this […]
Authorities say a gunman who opened fire at a private Christian school in northern California on Wednesday left behind a note blaming U.S. policies toward Israel and the Middle East for his actions. The attack at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville has left two young boys critically injured. Police identified the shooter as 56-year-old Glenn Litton, who allegedly shot six-year-old Roman Mendez and five-year-old Elias Wolford with a handgun. Both victims remain in critical condition and may require surgery, according to law enforcement. Litton died shortly afterward, with authorities describing the fatal wound as likely self-inflicted. On Thursday, investigators released a statement that Litton had written before the shooting. In it, he claimed to be part of a group called the “International Alliance,” and cited grievances involving U.S. involvement in what he called “Genocide and Oppression of Palestinians” and American “attacks towards Yemen.” “Countermeasure involving child executions has now been imposed at the Seventh Day Adventist school in California, United States by The International Alliance,” the statement read. “I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the Alliance carried out countermeasure in necessitated response to America’s involvement with Genocide and Oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen.” Litton’s criminal record, according to police, dates back to the 1990s and includes convictions for identity theft, fraud, and forgery. Investigators are examining whether mental-health issues played a role in Wednesday’s events. They also disclosed that the handgun used in the attack was a “ghost gun”—an untraceable firearm assembled from various parts. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not disclosed any further details regarding the alleged “International Alliance” or how Litton may have become involved with such a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF on Monday announced that four IDF reserve soldiers were killed in a tunnel collapse in southern Lebanon on Sunday afternoon. The fallen soldiers, who all served in the 9263rd Battalion’s 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, were named as Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, H’yd, 28, from Beit Shemesh; Cpt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, H’yd, 31, from Kibbutz Lavi; Sgt. First Class. (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, H’yd, 25, from Ramat Gan; and Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, H’yd, 43, from Zichron Yaakov. An initial investigation revealed that on Sunday afternoon, the reservists had entered an underground tunnel that contained a large cache of Hezbollah weapons in a dense area of Labbouneh where the IDF has been operating for several months. Their entry into the tunnel triggered an IDF explosive device set by IDF forces several months ago. As a result of the explosion, Hezbollah weapons inside the tunnel also detonated, causing a fire and the collapse of the tunnel onto the soldiers. Some of the soldiers were trapped under the rubble. Rescue operations lasted about 12 hours and included forces from the Home Front Command’s rescue unit and Fire and Rescue Services. The IDF has begun a thorough investigation of the incident. The main focus of the investigation is the apparent failure in coordination between the forces, leading to the soldiers entering a tunnel that had been booby-trapped by the IDF. As of now, the IDF has defined the tragic incident as an operational accident. It is the first time [and hopefully the last] since the announcement of the ceasefire that IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon and the surrounding area have been killed. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House. Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who takes the seat through the remainder of Rubio’s term, which expires in 2026. “It is something I would seriously consider,” she told The Associated Press in an interview. “If I’m being completely transparent, I don’t know exactly what that would look like. And I certainly want to get all of the information possible if that is something that’s real for me. But yeah, I would 100% consider it.” Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key player in the Republicans retaking the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority. What she does next could shape Republican politics, given her elevated political profile and her ties to the incoming president. The idea of placing a Trump family member in the Senate has been lauded in some Republican circles. Among the people pushing for her to replace Rubio is Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “The Senate is an old man’s club. We desperately need a smart, young, outspoken woman who will reveal their secrets,” she posted on X. Lara Trump is 42. Elon Musk, who was with Lara Trump on election night at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, responded to his mother’s post: “Lara Trump is genuinely great.” Led by chairman Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, the RNC invested heavily in recruiting roughly 230,000 volunteers and an army of lawyers for what it called its “election integrity” effort, four years after Donald Trump lost his reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden. Outside groups such as Turning Point Action and Musk’s America PAC took a greater responsibility for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts. While Whatley will remain RNC chairman, Lara Trump said she felt she had accomplished her goals in the co-chair role. “With that big win, I kind of feel like my time is up,” she said. “What I intended to do has been done.” Lara Trump praised Musk’s new endeavor, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a nongovernmental task force headed by Musk and and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. They’ve been tapped to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations as part of Trump’s “Save America” agenda for his second term. “I really don’t think we’ve seen movement like this in our federal government since our country’s founding in many ways,” she said. “And I think if they are successful in what they plan to do, I think it is going to be transformative to America in a great way.” She said she expects a different presidency this time, beginning with the structure of the administration: While Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner served as White House advisers in his last administration, Lara Trump said she doesn’t see any family member taking any position in the White House this time around with her father-in-law. “He really wants to get in there and do a good job for the four years, and […]
A drone fired from Yemen struck the balcony of the penthouse apartment of a 15-story residential building in the central city of Yavne on Monday morning. In a neis, although no sirens sounded before the drone hit, no one was injured. However, several apartments sustained significant damage. Residents reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after 9:15 a.m. and smoke was seen rising from the building. Footage shared on social media shows the aircraft moments before the explosion. An IDF spokesperson stated that “a strike by an unmanned aircraft has been identified, which apparently crossed from Yemen in the vicinity of the city of Yavne. No reports of casualties have been received so far.” The IDF said it will investigate why no sirens were sounded. The IDF later stated that according to an initial probe of the incident, the drone had flown into Israeli airspace from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea after making a long detour apparently over Egypt. It crossed into Israeli territory near the southern cities of Sderot and Ashdod, close to the Gaza Strip, and headed north along the coast toward Yavne. The IDF detected the drone at several locations after it entered Israeli airspace but it was not a continuous detection. Because of this, the military was unable to predict the drone’s route and sound warning sirens. A fighter jet was scrambled to intercept the drone but it was too late and the drone struck the building. MDA paramedic Israel Weingarten and emergency medical technician Roi Ben Shushan said: “We arrived at the scene quickly with large forces and saw thick smoke rising from a balcony on the top floor of the building. We entered the apartment from which the smoke was coming and saw destruction on the balcony. We conducted a search in the apartment and in additional apartments in the building, and at this stage, no casualties were found.” “We urge residents to remain in protected areas, avoid going to the sites, not to approach or touch the remnants of rockets that may contain explosives, and to report this immediately to the 100 hotline of the Israel Police,” the police stated. “Additionally, we emphasize to the public to continue to act responsibly – to avoid spreading false messages (“fake news”) about landing sites and casualties, and as mentioned, to stick to official updates and life-saving guidelines from the spokespersons of the Israel Police, IDF, and Home Front Command only.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Hamas submitted an initial list of hostages who would be released in a potential hostage deal, the UK-based Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Monday. The list includes elderly and ill hostages and four hostages with US citizenship. According to the report, Hamas also submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the deal. The report claims that hostage deal negotiations, which are being carried out in Cairo, are at an “advanced stage” and that an Israeli delegation will arrive in Egypt on Monday to finalize details. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has instructed the IDF to seize additional points in the buffer zone in Syria along the Iraeli-Syrian border. Katz also ordered the establishment of a security zone “free from heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructure” beyond the buffer zone that could threaten the State of Israel. IDF troops have also been instructed to establish contact with the Druze communities in the area and other populations in southern Syria. At the same time, the army is working to prevent and thwart “the renewal of the arms smuggling route from Iran to Lebanon via Syria, in the Syrian area, and at border crossing points.” Karz also ordered the IDF to continue bombing targets in Syria to destroy strategic weapons throughout the country including “surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coast-to-sea missiles.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a bid Friday to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, the latest example of generational shakeup that is beginning to ripple across the Democratic Party in the wake of their election losses this year. The New York lawmaker, who at 35 would by far be the youngest to serve in the post, threw her hat in the ring in a letter to colleagues, saying this “is not a position I seek lightly.” “The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one,” she wrote. “Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life.” It’s just the latest example of a generational reckoning within the party as leadership and rank-and-file members seek a new approach to governing ahead of Trump’s return to the White House. Earlier this week Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland took on senior New York Rep. Jerry Nadler to lead the House Judiciary Committee. Nadler, 77, abandoned his bid a day later. Other top committee posts are also being contested The Oversight position, in particular, is prized because the committee is among the most high-profile in Congress, with sweeping jurisdiction over the government and subpoena power to conduct investigations. Republicans returning to the majority next year are pledging to open investigations into Democrats they believe are part of the “weaponization” of the federal government. To win the job, however, Ocasio-Cortez will have to defeat Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who is vying for the top spot after serving on the Oversight Committee for the past 16 years. The 74-year-old told reporters this week that he feels comfortable about his chances. “We must expose and dismantle bad faith Republican efforts to promote conspiracy theories, intimidate witnesses, and undermine democratic processes,” Connolly wrote in a letter to his colleagues, announcing his bid for the job. House Democrats are expected to begin the selection for ranking members and committee assignments next week. The party has traditionally honored the seniority system, allowing veteran members to remain in top committee posts without limit. But the Democrats’ adherence to the seniority system has started to crack. And it will certainly be put to the test in the race between Connolly, the seasoned investigator, and Ocasio-Cortez, a national star who often goes viral for her questioning of GOP witnesses. (AP)
President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus. “We think we can get him back,” Biden told reporters at the White House, while acknowledging that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. “Assad should be held accountable.” Biden said officials must still identify exactly where Tice is after his disappearance in August 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus. “We’ve remained committed to returning him to his family,” he said. Tice, who is from Houston and whose work had been published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him. The United States has no new evidence that Tice is alive, but continues to operate under the assumption he is alive, according to a U.S. official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. will continue to work to identify where he is and to try to bring him home. His mother, Debra, said at a news conference Friday in Washington that the family had information from a “significant source,” whom she did not identify, establishing that her son was alive. “He is being cared for and he is well — we do know that,” she said. The Tice family met this past week with officials at the State Department and the White House. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Debra Tice said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media Sunday. “We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed & he’s going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!” (AP)
The Supreme Court announced Friday it will consider upholding a 2019 law enabling Americans injured in terrorist attacks to seek justice by suing Palestinian leadership groups—the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)—in U.S. courts. The law, enacted by Congress in response to court rulings dismissing similar lawsuits for lack of jurisdiction, specifically aimed to hold the PA and PLO accountable for providing payments to terrorists or their families who carried out attacks that injured or killed Americans. At stake in the case is whether the law violates the Fifth Amendment’s due process protections by forcing the PA and PLO to submit to U.S. federal jurisdiction. Among the cases being considered is an appeal by the family of Ari Fuld, an Israeli American who was fatally stabbed by a terrorist at a shopping mall in the West Bank in 2018. Fuld, a father of four and a staunch advocate for Israel, was attacked while shopping but managed to chase down and shoot his attacker before collapsing. The Fuld family’s lawsuit is one of many targeting the PA and PLO for their financial support of terrorists. These lawsuits argue that the Palestinian leadership incentivizes violence against Americans and Israelis by rewarding attackers and their families with payments. Fuld’s case has drawn bipartisan support, with lawmakers from both parties submitting briefs urging the Supreme Court to uphold the law. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) joined forces to support the victims’ families, emphasizing the importance of ensuring accountability for those who fund terrorism. The Biden administration has also backed the law, with U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar calling a lower court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuits a “misconceived application” of the law. “That due-process holding is incorrect and undermines Congress’s judgment that the [law] is an important measure to further U.S. interests and protect and compensate U.S. nationals,” Prelogar wrote. The Justice Department highlighted the PA and PLO’s ongoing financial support for terrorists as justification for allowing U.S. courts to exercise jurisdiction over the groups. In one landmark case, 11 American families sued the Palestinian leadership two decades ago for a series of terrorist attacks in Israel, securing a $650 million judgment in 2015. The PA and PLO argue that the law violates their due process rights, claiming the financial and operational conditions outlined by Congress do not amount to legitimate jurisdiction. Their attorney, Gassan Baloul, dismissed the lawsuits as based on “fiction,” asserting that holding the groups accountable would “make a mockery of the Due Process Clause.” Victims’ families and their supporters, however, see the Palestinian arguments as an attempt to escape accountability for their direct role in incentivizing and rewarding terrorism. The Supreme Court will hear the consolidated cases during its current term, with a decision likely by summer 2025. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Russia announced today on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have received political asylum in Russia and arrived in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier issued a statement indicating that Assad left Damascus and “ordered a non-violent transfer of power.” A few minutes before the Russian announcement, a Russian transport plane took off from the Russian base in Latakia, Syria. Kan News reported that according to Ukrainian intelligence, Assad’s escape operation from Syria to Russia was meticulously planned by Russian intelligence, including carrying out a deceptive operation during which the plane carrying Assad disappeared from radar. Following the operation, Reuters published a report suggesting that Assad may have been killed in a plane crash. In reality, Russian intelligence officials were managing the flight and issuing instructions to the pilots. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
By Israeli law, citizens of Israel must enter and exit the country using their Israeli passports — a rule that applies even to dual citizens. However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an exception was introduced allowing dual citizens to enter and exit the country using their foreign passport instead of an Israeli one. This policy was initially implemented due to processing backlogs at the Interior Ministry and the temporary closure or limited operation of Israeli embassies and consulates worldwide. It was extended several times, but the dispensation was set to end on December 31, 2024. We are pleased to share that the Population Authority has announced an extension of this policy. Dual citizens will be permitted to enter and exit Israel using their foreign passports until December 31, 2025. This extension provides continued flexibility and relief for those facing challenges with Israeli passport renewals.
Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire in Russia’s war with Ukraine and the president-elect renewed warnings that he was open to pulling the United States out of NATO. Trump made his cease-fire proposal after a weekend meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders, claiming in a social media post that Kyiv “would like to make a deal” to end the more than 1,000-day war. The Kremlin responded that it was open to negotiations, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that any deal would have to pave the way to a lasting peace. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Russia and Ukraine have each lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a war that “should never have started.” “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed,” Trump said. He urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to act to bring an end to the fighting. Trump’s remarks came after the meeting Saturday with Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron that Zelenskyy described as “constructive.” In a post Sunday on the Telegram messaging app, Zelenskyy cautioned that Ukraine needs a “just and robust peace, that Russians will not destroy within a few years.” “When we talk about an effective peace with Russia, we must talk first of all about effective peace guarantees. Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. Russia brought war to our land,” Zelenskyy said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s long-standing message that it is open to talks with Ukraine. He referenced a decree by Zelenskyy from October 2022 that formally declared the prospect of any talks “impossible” as long as Putin was the Russian leader. That decree came after Putin proclaimed four occupied regions of Ukraine to be a part of Russia, in what Kyiv and the West was a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, and despite Moscow lacking full military control over the areas. For most of the war, Kyiv’s official position has been to call for a full withdrawal of Russian troops from internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, as a condition for peace talks. In a separate social media update, Zelenskyy asserted that Kyiv has so far lost 43,000 soldiers since Moscow’s all-out invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, while 370,000 have been wounded. Both Russia and Ukraine have been reluctant to publish official casualty figures. Western officials have said that the past few months of grinding positional warfare in eastern Ukraine have meant record losses for both sides, with tens of thousands killed and wounded each month. Trump has said before he would like to see a quick cease-fire in Ukraine. Sunday’s proposal was more pressing, and the quick responses from Ukraine and Russia demonstrated the seriousness with which they regarded the idea from the incoming American president. The Biden administration and other supporters of Ukraine in the United States and abroad have made a point of not being seen to press Ukraine for an immediate truce. Ukraine’s allies fear a quick deal would be largely on the terms of its more powerful neighbor, forcing damaging concessions on Ukraine and allowing Russia to potentially resume the war again once it has rebuilt its military. Separately, Trump in an NBC News interview that aired Sunday renewed his […]
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The Israeli government is considering deepening the IDF’s control over the Syrian Ramat HaGolan in order to prevent Syrian rebel forces from entering the area, Kan News reported on Sunday evening. A source familiar with the matter said that a decision will soon be made whether to further expand the buffer zone “before someone else enters the vacuum that has been created.” Meanwhile, a source close to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Channel 13: “In the coming days, we intend to further intensify attacks against strategic targets in Syria before they fall into the hands of the rebels.” Sources close to the Prime Minister also said that “it has not yet been decided which areas exactly will be taken by Israel along the Syrian border, and for how long these areas will be held.” Earlier on Sunday, IDF forces captured the Syrian Chermon outpost following the withdrawal of Assad’s army amid concerns that jihadist rebel groups could invade Israeli yishuvim in Ramat HaGolan. The dramatic step was taken after the IDF observed rebels capturing Syrian military positions on the Syrian-Israeli border. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Boro Park Hatzolah welcomed Mordechai Kollman (B304), Yitzchok Isaac Steinberg (B305), Yossi Dembinsky (B306), and Meir Hersh Klein (B307) to its team. Their addition bolsters Hatzolah’s commitment to providing swift and lifesaving care to the community.
An IDF force arrested a 36-year-old Palestinian on Sunday morning in a village near Ramallah on suspicion of impersonating an IDF soldier, with the intention to use the uniform during a terrorist attack. The Palestinian was caught after he published posts on social media showing photos of himself in IDF uniforms. In the wake of the posts, investigators from the Modiin Illit police station acted quickly in order to trace his identity and place of residence. The IDF force who arrested him carried out a search of his home which revealed IDF uniforms and military equipment. The IDF force transferred the suspect to the police for further investigation. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The picture of who will be in charge of executing President-elect Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration and border policies has come into sharper focus after he announced his picks to head Customs and Border Protection and also the agency tasked with deporting immigrants in the country illegally. Trump said late Thursday he was tapping Rodney Scott, a former Border Patrol chief who’s been a vocal supporter of tougher enforcement measures, for CBP commissioner. As acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Trump said he had chosen Caleb Vitello, a career ICE official with more than 23 years in the agency. They will work with an immigration leadership team that includes South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security; former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement head Tom Homan as border czar; and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff. Here’s a closer look at the picks: Rodney Scott Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Scott led during Trump’s first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country’s borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he joined the agency, San Diego was by far the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. Traffic plummeted after the government dramatically increased enforcement there, but critics note the effort pushed people to remote parts of California and Arizona. San Diego was also where wall construction began in the 1990s, which shaped Scott’s belief that barriers work. He was named San Diego sector chief in 2017. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump’s policies. “He’s well known. He does know these issues and obviously is trusted by the administration,” said Gil Kerlikowske, the CBP commissioner under the Obama administration. Kerlikowske took issue with some of Scott’s past actions, including his refusal to fall in line with a Biden administration directive to stop using terms like “illegal alien” in favor of descriptions like “migrant,” and his decision as San Diego sector chief to fire tear gas into Mexico to disperse protesters. “You don’t launch projectiles into a foreign country,” Kerlikowske said. At the time Scott defended the agents’ decisions, saying they were being assaulted by “a hail of rocks.” While Trump’s focus may be on illegal immigration and security along the U.S.-Mexico border, Kerlikowske also stressed the other parts of CBP’s mission. The agency is responsible for securing trade and international travel at airports, ports and land crossings around the country. Whoever runs the agency has to make sure that billions of dollars worth of trade and millions of passengers move swiftly and safely into and out of the country. And if Trump makes good on promises to ratchet up tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada, CBP will play an integral role in enforcing them. “There’s a huge amount of other responsibility on trade, on tourism, on cyber that take a significant amount of time and have a huge impact on the economy if it’s not done right,” Kerlikowske said. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been […]
New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears open to switching parties to become a Republican, as he declined to rule out a future change in political allegiances during a pair of interviews Friday that came as he has increasing warmed to President-elect Donald Trump. The comments from Adams, the top Democrat in one of the country’s most liberal cities, riled critics who have grown concerned over the mayor’s increasing willingness to throw his support behind Trump and his hardline immigration policies. Adams, who faces federal corruption charges, was a registered Republican in the 1990s and early 2000s but has spent his political career as a Democrat. In a Friday morning interview with the local cable news station NY1, Adams was asked if he would consider a return to the GOP. The Democrat appeared to leave open the possibility of a switch. “The party that’s the most important for me is the American party,” he said. “I’m a part of the American party. I love this country. This is the home of the free, the land of the brave.” In another interview about a half-hour later on PIX11, Adams said he would run for reelection as a Democrat but still appeared to leave some wiggle room for his future. “So no matter what party I’m on or vote on, I’m going to push for the American values,” he said. “And I think America has told us, stop the squabbling, leaders, and start leading us out of the crisis that we’re facing.” Adams won office on a centrist platform and has spent significant time as mayor quarreling with the progressive wing of his party. But his rhetoric has taken a noticeable rightward turn in the weeks since Trump’s election victory, particularly on immigration, with Adams boosting the president-elect’s platform and appearing enthusiastic about the incoming administration. Rather than restricting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as he once promised, Adams recently expressed a willingness to roll back the city’s so-called sanctuary policies, and he plans to meet with Trump’s top border official over concerns about what the mayor said was the “rising illegal alien crime rate in New York City.” He has also praised those in Trump’s orbit, including Elon Musk, who has claimed falsely that Democrats are illegally “importing” migrants to garner votes. “This is a racehorse that wanted to run its right pace and we’ve been holding back that racehorse out of fear of being canceled,” Adams said of the country Tuesday. “And now you have a bunch of people who are not afraid of being canceled.” The shift comes as Adams is trying to fight off an indictment on federal corruption charges while governing the city and gearing up to run for a second term. Adams has pleaded not guilty in his criminal case, in which he has been accused of accepting free or discounted overseas trips and illegal campaign contributions from people looking to gain his influence, including people connected to Turkey or the Turkish government. Adams’ critics have seized on his recent comments about the Trump administration as a move toward self-preservation, accusing the mayor of cozying up to the next president in an effort to secure a pardon in his corruption case. “Eric Adams continues to sound more like he is auditioning for a job in […]
Twice in modern history, Israel has spared the world from the horrors of nuclear proliferation in the hands of rogue regimes. Twice, it has acted decisively where others hesitated, dismantling nuclear threats that could have led to unimaginable global catastrophe. And twice, the world has ultimately benefited from Israel’s courage, even if it wasn’t quick to thank them. In 1981, Israel launched Operation Opera, a daring airstrike that obliterated Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. At the time, Saddam Hussein’s regime sought to develop nuclear capabilities, a goal that would have dramatically altered the balance of power in the Middle East. When Iraq descended into chaos in the early 2000s, and later fell to ISIS’s reign of terror, the absence of nuclear weapons saved the region—and the world—from a nightmare scenario. Fast forward to 2007. Syria, under the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, was on the verge of activating a nuclear reactor constructed with North Korean assistance. When U.S. President George W. Bush declined to intervene, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear: Israel would act. On September 6, 2007, the Israeli Air Force executed a precise and devastating strike, eliminating the reactor before it could become operational. Years later, when Syria descended into a bloody civil war and became a hub for terrorism, the importance of Israel’s preemptive action became painfully clear. Imagine the chaos if Iraq or Syria had nuclear weapons today. The world owes Israel gratitude for these bold actions—actions that were criticized at the time but proven right by history. Now, the world faces an even greater threat: Iran. The regime in Tehran, with its apocalyptic ideology and unrelenting pursuit of nuclear weapons, represents not just a regional danger but a global one. A nuclear-armed Iran would embolden its proxies, destabilize the Middle East, and pose an existential threat to Israel and beyond. This moment presents a unique opportunity. Iran is weakened. Its proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, and others—are crumbling under the weight of military pressure and regional backlash. The regime itself is destabilized, reeling from internal dissent and external challenges. If ever there were a time to act decisively, it is now. Israel must once again do what the world hesitates to do. The Israeli Air Force has the expertise, the precision, and the resolve to dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The destruction of Iran’s nuclear program would not only ensure Israel’s survival but would also shield the world from the specter of a nuclear holocaust. The international community must do more than silently applaud from the sidelines. It must actively support Israel in this endeavor, providing diplomatic, strategic, and moral backing. This is not just Israel’s fight; it is the world’s fight. A nuclear-free Iran is a safer future for everyone. History has shown that Israel’s bold actions against nuclear threats benefit the entire world. The world must not wait for hindsight to confirm what we already know. Israel has twice saved the world. Now, it has the chance to do so again. Help Israel finish the job. Josh Shapiro – Seattle The views reflected in this letter 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)
