Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss the ongoing crisis in Gaza, the State Department said Tuesday. According to a U.S. readout of the call, the two officials addressed the latest developments in the region, with Rubio recognizing Egypt’s role in brokering the hostage-ceasefire agreement and facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza. During the conversation, Rubio stressed the need to hold Hamas accountable and underscored the importance of post-conflict planning. “The secretary reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning to ensure Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again,” the statement said. The call comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt consider housing Palestinians from Gaza, a proposal that has drawn significant international attention. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A yearlong outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City, Kansas area has taken local experts aback, even if it does not appear to be the largest outbreak of the disease in U.S. history as a state health official claimed last week. “We would expect to see a handful of cases every year,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Kansas Health System. But the high case counts in this outbreak were a “stark warning,” he said. The outbreak has killed two people since it started in January 2024, Kansas state health department spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh said. Health officials in Kansas say there is no threat to the general public. What is tuberculosis? TB is caused by bacteria that lives in the people’s lungs and spreads through the air when they talk, cough or sing. It is very infectious, but only spreads when a person has symptoms. Once it infects a person, TB can take two forms. In “active” TB, the person has a long-standing cough and sometimes bloody phlegm, night sweats, fever, weight loss and swollen glands. In “latent” TB, the bacteria hibernates in the person’s lungs or elsewhere in the body. It does not cause symptoms and does not spread to others. Roughly a quarter of the global population is estimated to have TB, but only about 5% to 10% of those develop symptoms. How big is the tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas? As of Jan. 24, 67 people are being treated for active TB, most of them in Wyandotte County, Bronaugh said. Another 79 have latent TB. The state’s provisional 2024 count shows 79 active TB cases and 213 latent cases in the two counties where the outbreak is happening, Wyandotte and Johnson. Not all of those are linked to the outbreak and Bronaugh did not respond to requests for clarification. The situation is improving, though: “We are trending in the right direction right now,” Ashley Goss, deputy secretary at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told the state Senate’s Committee on Public Health and Welfare Jan. 21. Is the Kansas tuberculosis outbreak the largest in U.S. history? Kansas health officials called the outbreak “the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history” since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began counting cases in the 1950s. But a spokesperson for the CDC on Tuesday refuted that claim, noting at least two larger TB outbreaks in recent history. In one, the disease spread through Georgia homeless shelters. Public health workers identified more than 170 active TB cases and more than 400 latent cases from 2015 to 2017. And in 2021, a nationwide outbreak linked to contaminated tissue used in bone transplants sickened 113 patients. How is tuberculosis treated? TB is treated with antibiotics over the course of several months. A vaccine is available, but generally not recommended in the U.S. because the risk of infection is low and getting the vaccine can interfere with the test doctors use to diagnose the disease. TB is a much bigger problem outside of the U.S. TB is a leading cause of infectious disease death worldwide, and has been on the rise. In 2023, the bacteria killed 1.25 million people globally and infected 8 million, the highest count since the World Health Organization started keeping track. While tuberculosis was a […]
New York AG Letitia James throws a fit over ICE raids targeting dangerous illegals. In Midtown Manhattan, illegals account for 75% of arrests for crimes…
U.S. Marines from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, part of the 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV), were observed setting up razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border fence near San Ysidro, Southern California, in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
X is teaming up with Visa to soon offer a system for real-time payments on the social media platform — signaling some progress in a yearslong vision from billionaire owner Elon Musk to create an “everything app.” Visa is the first partner for the platform’s “X Money Account” service, which is set to launch later this year, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a Tuesday post announcing the news. The offering, Yaccarino noted, will support an in-platform digital wallet and peer-to-peer payments connected to users’ debit cards, with an option to transfer funds to a bank account. According to Visa, which also posted about the partnership on X Tuesday, these services will be powered by Visa Direct — the payment giant’s instant money transferring service — and will be available to X Money Account users in the U.S. Whether X Money will become available to consumers in other countries, and perhaps through additional payment partners in the near future is still known. And an exact date for the U.S. launch has also not been announced yet. In her post Tuesday, Yaccarino called the partnership with Visa a “milestone for the Everything App” and the “first of many big announcements about X Money this year.” The prospect of San Francisco-based X, formerly known as Twitter, becoming an “everything app” has been floated around for some time. Before officially closing the deal to purchase the platform for $44 billion back in 2022, Musk expressed interest in creating his own version of something similar to China’s WeChat — a “super app” that does video chats, messaging, streaming and payments. And his fascination with such a platform began long before the Twitter deal was on the table. Musk has been toying with the idea of an “everything app” since the late 1990s when he launched a startup called X.com that was later merged into what became X.com. He continued to push for PayPal to diversify but was rebuffed by company CEO Peter Thiel and other executives. PayPal was sold in 2002 to eBay for $1.5 billion — providing Musk with a windfall that he funneled into the creation of SpaceX and an investment in Tesla in its early days. The landscape is far more competitive today — with a handful of companies making similar efforts to expand their in-platform offerings. Other social media giants, such as Facebook parent Meta, have added shopping, games and even dating features. Consumers now have different platforms at their disposal for communications, payment services, entertainment and more. How X’s coming “everything” features will fare has yet to be seen. Since Musk’s 2022 takeover, the platform has already alienated many users and advertisers over reports of rising hate speech and misinformation. X’s ambitions could also thrust the company into the crosshairs of other powerful tech giants trying to fend off a perceived competitive threat. U.S. regulators have alleged that Apple, for example, has been illegally using its market power to stifle so-called super apps from making their way onto its iPhone since 2017. As part of an antitrust lawsuit filed last year, the U.S. Justice Department said it had uncovered evidence showing that Apple believed a super app would lessen consumers’ usage of the iPhone’s own software and services, including payment processing. The Cupertino, California, company has vehemently denied the […]
The average number of daily encounters with illegal migrants dropped dramatically from 2,087 during the last 19 days of Biden’s term to only 148 in the first 7 days of Trump’s presidency.
A Venezuelan illegal immigrant from the Tren de Aragua gang, wanted for an Aurora, Colorado apartment complex takeover, was arrested in the Bronx for kidnapping, assault, and burglary.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz convened with newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth today to address matters of both domestic and foreign policy.
Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX will retrieve two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station at the earliest opportunity, following a request for assistance from President Trump. Musk criticized the situation, stating, “It’s terrible that the Biden administration left them there for so long.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to declare that he is ‘immediately withdrawing’ the personal security detail and security clearance from retired General Mark Milley. Additionally, Hegseth has instructed the acting Inspector General to establish a review board to assess whether there is sufficient evidence to demote Milley by removing one of his stars
Calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “predator” who is addicted to power, Caroline Kennedy urged the U.S. Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of her cousin to be President Donald Trump’s health secretary. In a letter to Senators, Ms. Kennedy, who previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Australia and Japan and is the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, etched a damning sketch of her cousin, the latest condemnation Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has received from members of his own, prominent Democratic family. Several denounced her cousin’s bid for the presidency last year. The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, was first reported by The Washington Post. Ms. Kennedy said in the letter that her cousin’s views on vaccines are disqualifying. She offered senators personal details from their lives growing up together that she said pose an even greater concern. She described her cousin’s basement, garage and dorm as being an epicenter for drug use, where he would also put baby chickens and mice in blenders to feed to his hawks. “It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence,” she wrote. She also read the letter in a video recording, sharing it on social media. Attempts to reach Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for comment were not immediately successful. He has openly talked about his heroin use and he pleaded guilty for bringing it on an airplane in 1984. Kennedy now “preys on the desperation of parents of sick children,” she told senators, noting that he has vaccinated his own children while discouraging others from vaccinating theirs. She also pointed out that Kennedy plans to still profit off a lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Merck over Gardasil, its human papillomavirus vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Last year, he made over $850,000 from the arrangement. “In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer and which has been safely administered to millions of boys and girls,” she wrote. She had previously not spoken about his candidacy or nomination for health secretary. Her father was assassinated in 1963 when she was a young girl. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign event. “Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father – but I am certain that he and my uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public services, and my uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving health care, would be disgusted,” Ms. Kennedy wrote. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday in his bid to become Trump’s health secretary. Another hearing for his nomination will be held on Wednesday in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, the panel his uncle, Ted Kennedy, once chaired. (AP)
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has issued a stark ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening to bring down the government if a conscription law exempting yeshiva bochurim from military service is not passed within two months. Speaking on Charedi radio station Kol Baramah, Deri declared, “If the status of lomdei torah isn’t regulated, we’ll go to elections in two months.” Deri expressed outrage at the current discourse surrounding yeshiva bochurim, lamenting, “Who would have dreamed that Torah scholars would be called criminals?” He also accused members of the national-religious camp of joining what he called a “hate campaign” and warned that their actions could lead to the collapse of the right-wing government. Deri’s threat comes as Netanyahu’s coalition faces mounting instability. Shas’ support for the 2025 state budget—required by the end of March to prevent early elections—is now in question. This follows the recent resignation of Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir over the hostage ceasefire deal with Hamas and similar threats from Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich, who demands a return to fighting in Gaza. The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is currently debating legislation on Charedi enlistment, with pressure mounting from both Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). However, committee chairman Yuli Edelstein (Likud) has indicated that any bill must significantly increase IDF enlistment, which runs counter to Charedi parties’ demands. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has proposed a gradual plan to draft 50% of the eligible Charedi cohort by 2032, but Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon has stated that this fails to meet the High Court’s mandate for fair enlistment. Shas MK Erez Malul criticized the committee discussions, calling them “unserious and full of incitement.” Meanwhile, opposition leader Avigdor Liberman took to social media, urging immediate elections: “There’s no point in waiting two months—we need to go to the polls now.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that the “Mona Lisa” will get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre museum under a major renovation and expansion of the Paris landmark that will take up to 10 years. The renovation project, branded “Louvre New Renaissance,” will include a new entrance near the River Seine, to be opened by 2031, and the creation of underground rooms, Macron said in a speech from the Louvre room where Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece is displayed. Macron did not disclose an exact amount budgeted for the project to modernize the most visited museum in the world, plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities. But it is estimated to reach up to 800 million euros ($834 million). The Louvre’s latest overhaul dates back to the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled. Now, the museum is not up to international standards anymore. A look at what’s at stake: Mona Lisa to get its own room? Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the “Mona Lisa” to be moved to a new, dedicated room accessible to visitors through a special ticket. That will make the visit simpler for those who want to see the painting and ease the life of other visitors in the rest of the museum, he said. The “Mona Lisa” is now being shown behind protective glass in the museum’s largest room, overcrowded with long, noisy queues of visitors eager to take a selfie with Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. That makes some other paintings in the room by the greatest Venetian painters like Titian and Veronese go unnoticed by many. The museum’s latest big renovation in the 1980s was designed to receive 4 million annual visitors. Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, over three-quarters being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighboring countries Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain. A costly and complex overhaul Macron said a new entrance for the Louvre will be created near the River Seine by 2031, to be financed by ticket sales, patronage and licensing money from the museum’s Abu Dhabi branch. A design competition is to be staged in the coming months, he said. In addition, some new underground rooms will be created to expand the museum. A French top official said the cost of the renovation is estimated at 700 to 800 million euros ($730 to 834 million) over the next ten years, including half for the creation of the new entrance. The official could not be named in line with the French presidency’s customary practices. Macron said ticket prices will be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from 22 euros ($23) now. He promised the museum will be safer and more comfortable for both the public and the staff. Half the Louvre’s budget is currently being financed by the French state, including the wages of the 2,200 employees. The other half is provided by private funds including ticket sales, earnings from restaurants, shops and bookings for special events, as well as patrons and other partners. Water leaks and other damage The renovation announcement comes after Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns in a note to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this month saying the museum is threatened by “obsolescence.” According to the document first released by French […]
