Nearly 24 years after the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history, the remains of three more victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks have been formally identified, New York City officials announced Thursday. The newly identified victims include Ryan Fitzgerald, 26, of Floral Park, New York, and Barbara Keating, 72, of Palm Springs, California, as well as an adult woman whose family requested that her name not be released. The identifications bring the total number of victims identified to 1,653, out of the 2,753 people who died at the World Trade Center. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the identities through advanced DNA testing and sustained outreach to victims’ families — part of a decades-long effort to provide closure to loved ones still waiting for answers. Fitzgerald was working as a foreign currency trader at Fiduciary Trust International on the 94th floor of the South Tower when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building. After the first tower was hit, he called his family to say he was safe and preparing to evacuate. Tragically, he never made it out. According to past interviews, Fitzgerald had recently moved into Manhattan, spent the summer traveling with friends, and had been planning a future with his partner. “It made me feel good that he enjoyed the summer because it was the last summer of his life,” his mother, Diana Parks, told The New York Times in 2001. Keating was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which originated in Boston and was the first plane to strike the Twin Towers. A grandmother and devoted family woman, Keating’s son once reflected on the lost time: “I’m sure she misses her grandchildren, and all the moments they could have had,” he told MetroWest Daily News in 2011. Fitzgerald’s identification was confirmed through remains recovered in 2002, while the identifications of Keating and the unnamed woman were made from remains found in 2011. Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged the emotional impact of the announcement, saying, “The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day.” “As a former law enforcement officer who served our city on 9/11,” Adams added, “I understand deeply the feeling of loss so many families have experienced. We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.” Despite the passage of time, the mission to identify all victims continues. Approximately 1,100 victims — or about 40% of those who died at the World Trade Center — remain unidentified. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham reaffirmed the city’s commitment to that mission: “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
High-level secret meetings were held this week in Bnei Brak between an American envoy representing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior Gedolei Eretz Yisroel. The back-to-back meetings took place quietly at the homes of Harav Dov Landau, shlit”a and Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a. At the center of the discussions was a single, urgent issue: American intervention to halt the arrests of yeshiva bochurim who refuse to report to the IDF. According to sources close to the gedolim, the meetings were initiated in light of the growing distress in the Olam Hatorah over the government’s increasing aggression toward yeshivaleit. Chareidi leadership pointed to a precedent in Ukraine, where the U.S. previously intervened to oppose the lowering of the draft age — a move that threatened religious students in that country. The urgency was underscored earlier Thursday, Rav Dov Landau personally traveled to Beit Lid Military Prison to visit Refael and Baruch Itzhakov, two yeshiva bochurim from Tel Aviv’s Yeshivas Me’oros HaTorah who were arrested after refusing to report to the IDF draft office. Despite his advanced age and delicate health, the Rosh Yeshiva insisted on visiting the imprisoned bochurim, a sign of the grave concern and kavod haTorah the Torah leadership feels for the bnei yeshiva who are being treated as criminals for their commitment to Torah. Close confidants of the Rosh Yeshiva revealed that he has been unable to sleep at night, deeply tormented by the idea of young bnei Torah sitting in prison cells — not for theft or violence, but for staying true to Limud Torah. “He is carrying the burden of all of Klal Yisrael on his shoulders,” a person in Rav Landau’s orbit said. “Every bochur behind bars is a dagger in his heart.” The meetings with the U.S. envoy mark a significant shift in strategy among chareidi leadership — turning to international diplomatic pressure as the Israeli government doubles down on its attempts to criminalize Torah learning. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
POTUS: “I look forward to hosting the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, at the White House tomorrow for a Historic Peace Summit.”
AG Pam Bondi announces the DOJ and State Dep. are offering a $50 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro.
On National Purple Heart Day, President Trump honors Purple Heart recipients at the White House: “Today, we give our everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families.”
Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth on the shooting that took place at Fort Stewart: “Praise God that all five (soldiers), we believe, will be okay! We commend the absolute courage of soldiers that acted in the moment.”
The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers. President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which can precisely show where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed and how well crops are growing. NASA said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the missions were “beyond their prime mission” and being terminated “to align with the President’s agenda and budget priorities.” But the missions — a free-flying satellite launched in 2014 and an instrument attached to the International Space Station in 2019 that include technology used in the Hubble Space Telescope — still are more sensitive and accurate than any other systems in the world, operating or planned, and a “national asset” that should be saved, said David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who led their development. They helped scientists discover, for example, that the Amazon rain forest emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, while boreal forests in Canada, Russia and places where permafrost is melting absorb more than they emit, Crisp said. They also can detect the “glow” of photosynthesis in plants, which helps monitor drought and predict food shortages that can lead to civil unrest and famine, he said. “This is really critical,” Crisp said. “We’re learning so much about this rapidly changing planet.” The decision to end the missions is “extremely shortsighted,” said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. “The observations provided by these satellites … (are) critical for managing growing climate change impacts around the planet, including in the U.S.,” he said. Looking to Congress Crisp and others hope Congress will vote to preserve funding for the missions, which are funded through the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. A bill in the House closely aligns with the president’s request and would eliminate the missions, while a Senate version preserves them. But with Congress in recess, it is unclear whether a budget will be adopted before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. If it doesn’t, Congress could adopt a resolution to continue current funding until a budget is passed, though some lawmakers fear the Trump administration could try to delay or withhold that money. Congressional Democrats warned acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy last month that it would be illegal to terminate missions or impound funds already appropriated by Congress. Experts said the administration’s move to eliminate funding aligns with other actions to cut or bury climate science. “The principle seems to be that if we stop measuring climate change it will just disappear from the American consciousness,” said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann. Backup plan Crisp and others also are trying to put together a coalition of outside partners — including from Japan and Europe — that could fund and operate the instrument attached to the space station. NASA said it will accept outside proposals through Aug. 29. The free-flying satellite, though, is at risk of being brought down, meaning it would burn up in the atmosphere. National Public Radio first reported that NASA employees were making plans to end the missions. Crisp said advocates are hoping NASA also allows outside control of that satellite, which covers more of the globe, but there are legal hurdles to […]
At a protest in Yerushalyim, a driver of a motorcycle got into a violent situation with protestors after trying to drive through the crowd. He began throwing rocks at the Chareidim.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the Justice Department was considering the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, who was indicted on several counts related to the deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Milgrim and Lischinsky were killed on May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
Two men have been arrested after viral footage showed Orthodox Jews being targeted with water pistols in a drive-by stunt. One suspect, Jestem Kamil Galanty, is a UK resident originally from Poland and part of a group behind similar videos mocking religious Jews. The men, aged 26 and 36, are being held on suspicion of racially aggravated assault.
Knesset Member Meir Porush, chairman of the Shlomei Emunim faction in Agudas Yisrael, launched a protest in front of the office of (dismissed) Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara in the wake of the arrest and imprisonment of three yeshivah bochurim this week. It should be noted that although the government officially ousted Baharav-Miara from her position earlier this week, the Supreme Court froze the dismissal until hearings are held on petitions filed against the move. Porush left his office in the Knesset on Thursday and went to the Justice Ministry complex, where he issued a video statement. “I am standing here at the entrance to the Justice Ministry,” he said. “I left my office in the Knesset. I decided that I am settling here—every day, from 9:30 in the morning until 6:30 in the evening. I am not going to eat or drink here.” “If the public I represent is being hauled to prison only because they are learning Torah, it is my duty as a public representative to protest against the Attorney General. She is the one who is driving everyone else; she is the one that won’t give up [her campaign against Chareidim]. Porush cynically referred to the possibility of further decisions by the Attorney General against the Chareidi public: “I think she intends to issue some announcement next week that Chareidi people are forbidden to travel on the roads, because the roads are subsidized by the Ministry of Transportation with asphalt.” Porush warned: “If the persecution of lomdei Torah does not stop, it will bring disaster upon Am Yisrael.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Two men have been arrested following a widely condemned video showing Orthodox Jewish men being targeted in a drive-by water pistol attack. The men, aged 26 and 36, remain in police custody on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault, according to Greater Manchester Police. The arrests came less than 24 hours after footage went viral online showing the pair laughing as they drove through Manchester spraying visibly Orthodox Jews — including children — with water. One of the men inside the vehicle has been identified as Jestem Kamil Galanty, a UK resident originally from Poland. Galanty is associated with a group that operates multiple social media accounts across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The now-private Instagram account that posted their latest prank had previously posted several other videos targeting Orthodox Jews, including staged pranks in an airport and a supermarket, all set to the Jewish folk tune Hava Nagila — a musical choice many interpreted as mocking and intentionally provocative. The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism across the UK, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday and praised the rapid response of law enforcement. “Following on from the appalling antisemitic videos, which were widely shared yesterday, two males have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault,” CST wrote on Twitter/X. “CST would like to thank Greater Manchester Police for their support and swift action in this case.” Jewish leaders and advocacy groups have expressed deep concern over the incident, warning of a dangerous rise in hate-driven content being disguised as online “humor.” “This was not a harmless prank,” said a CST spokesperson. “This was targeted, racially motivated harassment. We’re grateful that police are treating it as such.” The Instagram account — now set to private — has been linked to a string of so-called prank videos that appear to single out members of the Orthodox Jewish community. In one video, the perpetrators confront Jewish men at an airport while playing the Apple Pay sound effect and falsely accuse them of stealing. In another, they film inside a supermarket while making offensive insinuations. The group did not respond to media requests for comment. Online, the videos amassed hundreds of thousands of views and triggered a wave of antisemitic comments before public backlash forced the perpetrators to add a disclaimer claiming the content was “purely for humorous purposes.” Jewish groups rejected the statement as disingenuous. Police have not yet confirmed whether further charges will be filed or if additional suspects are being investigated. Meanwhile, advocacy groups are calling on social media platforms to take stronger action against accounts that promote or profit from hate-based content. “This case is a reminder that antisemitism is alive and evolving — often cloaked in viral ‘content,’” said a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism. “We cannot allow it to go unchecked.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Although President Donald Trump has not directly said he thinks JD Vance should be the heir to his “Make America Great Again” base of support, he acknowledged this week that his vice president is probably the favorite to succeed him “at this point.” But even as he promoted Vance, Trump also made sure to mention Secretary of State Marco Rubio, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday that his administration’s top diplomat is “somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form” on a future political ticket. The remarks reflect the massive influence the Republican president currently has over his party. They also serve to promote two of Trump’s top advisers without telegraphing the president’s singular preference for a successor. Not definitively anointing Vance, or any other Republican, keeps those hoping to succeed Trump vying for his favor, both inside his administration and in the wider Republican field of possible contenders. It’s early for the 2028 presidential field to begin forming, and other contenders will ultimately emerge. A challenge for anyone wading into the race, even with strong Trump connections, will be staying in the president’s good graces for the duration. Speaking with reporters following an executive order signing at the White House, Trump was asked if Vance were the “heir apparent to MAGA.” “I think most likely, in all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump said. “I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. … It’s too early obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job and he would be, probably favored at this point.” When Trump selected the then-39-year-old Vance over other more established Republicans — including Rubio — as his running mate last year, many theorized that Trump was planning for the future of his political movement, angling for a vice president who could carry MAGA forward. Vance has embraced the role at every turn, doing the president’s bidding on everything from his relationship with Ukraine to the fight over records related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal. Trump, meanwhile, has not hesitated to give Vance high-visibility assignments. As the White House promotes mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas — and acknowledges it would like the notion to expand to other states — Vance is expected Thursday to discuss redrawing district lines with Gov. Mike Braun during a trip to Indiana. While there, Vance will also headline a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, which he serves as treasurer. In June he traveled to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command center amid clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting following immigration raids across Southern California. And earlier this year, Vance was in swing congressional districts in his role as lead cheerleader for Trump’s signature tax cut and spending law, an assortment of conservative priorities that Republicans dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” He also lobbied senators on Capitol Hill, working to swing GOP holdouts to support the legislation, and in July cast a tie-breaking vote to get the measure passed in the Senate. He’s also taken on a robust role related to foreign policy, holding meetings of his own with world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a […]
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays. Trump’s Republican administration is accusing colleges of using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which conservatives view as illegal discrimination. The role of race in admissions has featured in the administration’s battle against some of the nation’s most elite colleges — viewed by Republicans as liberal hotbeds. For example, the executive order is similar to parts of recent settlement agreements the government negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money. The universities agreed to give the government data on the race, grade point average and standardized test scores of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. The schools also agreed to an audit by the government and to release admissions statistics to the public. Conservatives have argued that despite the Supreme Court ruling, colleges have continued to consider race through proxy measures. The executive order makes the same argument. “The lack of available admissions data from universities — paired with the rampant use of ‘diversity statements’ and other overt and hidden racial proxies — continues to raise concerns about whether race is actually used in admissions decisions in practice,” said a fact sheet shared by the White House ahead of the Thursday signing. The first year of admissions data after the Supreme Court ruling showed no clear pattern in how colleges’ diversity changed. Results varied dramatically from one campus to the next. Some schools, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Amherst College, saw steep drops in the percentage of Black students in their incoming classes. But at other elite, selective schools such as Yale, Princeton and the University of Virginia, the changes were less than a percentage point year to year. Some colleges have added more essays or personal statements to their admissions process to get a better picture of an applicant’s background, a strategy the Supreme Court invited in its ruling. “Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in 2023 for the court’s conservative majority. It is unclear what practical impact the executive order will have on colleges, which are prohibited by law from collecting information on race as part of admissions, says Jon Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, an association of college presidents. “Ultimately, will it mean anything? Probably not,” Fansmith said. “But it does continue this rhetoric from the administration that some students are being preferenced in the admission process at the expense of other students.” Because of the Supreme Court ruling, schools are not allowed to ask the race of students who are applying. Once students enroll, the schools can ask about race, but students must be told they have a right not to answer. In this political climate, many students won’t report their race, […]
