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NYPD investigating antisemitic assault of 11-year-old Jewish girl

By World Israel News Staff

The New York City Police Department are searching for a suspect who physically assaulted a young Jewish girl in an unprovoked attack.

According to an NYPD statement, the police are investigating the incident – which occurred in the heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn – as a hate crime.

Video of the assault captured by a nearby security camera showed an African-American approaching the girl from behind, grabbing her hair, and slamming her to the sidewalk.

“[A]n 11-year-old female victim, wearing traditional Jewish attire, was approached by an unidentified individual who pulled the victim’s hair and dragged her to the ground,” the police said in a media release “The individual fled location to parts unknown.”

The police said that the girl had suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.

Police released two images of the attacker and said they are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

Since the October 7th Hamas terror onslaught, there has been a major uptick in violent attacks against Jews in New York City.

NYPD statistics indicate that 55 percent of hate crimes reported in the city target Jews, despite making up about 10 percent of the overall population.

Additionally, hate crimes targeting Jews grew by 7 percent from 2023 to 2024.

In June 2024, two Jewish parents were violently attacked by an Arabic-speaking family at their child’s fifth grade graduation ceremony.

Speaking to the New York Post, the mother said that the assailants taunted them with antisemitic slurs, which escalated to physical violence.

“They targeted my family because we are Jewish,” said the mother.

“A graduation event that was supposed to be joyous and memorable turned into a violent and traumatizing one.”

In March 2024, an adult man punched a Jewish teenage girl who was waiting at a bus stop.

Hamas calls for ‘solidarity marches’ worldwide to protest Trump Gaza plan

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters carried Palestinian flags and yelled pro-Hamas slogans outside Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, N.J., in response to an event promoting the purchase of real estate in Israel, March 10, 2024. Credit: The Jewish Link.

“We … call on the masses of our people, our Arab and Islamic nation, and the free people of the world to go out in massive solidarity marches” to denounce “the plans to displace our Palestinian people from their land,” the terrorist group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Trump said that the United States will “take over” Gaza, speaking during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 4.

Initially, Trump said Palestinians could return to Gaza, but he reversed himself on Feb. 10, telling Fox News host Bret Baier that Palestinians who leave the Gaza Strip would not return under his plan “because they’re gonna have much better housing” elsewhere.

Trump has suggested that the current population of Gaza would be moved to one large site or various locations. In an unverified report, Israel’s Channel 12 claimed that three areas being considered are Morocco, Somaliland and Puntland, a region in northeast Somalia that declared itself an autonomous state in 1998.

Netanyahu expressed support for the plan and a poll found that most Israeli Jews did so as well.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel struck on Jan. 19 appears to be disintegrating. Mediators Egypt and Qatar are attempting to resuscitate it as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for talks, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Netanyahu said on Tuesday that unless Hamas returns all Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, the ceasefire will expire and the Israel Defense Forces will resume fighting until it totally defeats Hamas.

Netanyahu’s ultimatum followed an “in-depth, four-hour discussion” by the Cabinet.

“We all expressed outrage at the shocking state of our three hostages who were freed last Saturday. We all also welcomed President Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages by noon on Saturday,” the prime minister wrote.

Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to amass forces in and around the Gaza Strip “in light of Hamas’s statement about its decision to violate the [ceasefire] agreement,” Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas’s announcement that it would delay the release of hostages until further notice.

The statement by Netanyahu announcing the ultimatum followed remarks by Trump on Feb. 10, who suggested Saturday noon as a deadline after which “all hell will break loose” unless Hamas frees all hostages.

Report: Israel to settle for return of 3 hostages in exchange for ceasefire

Hamas hands over captives to the custody of the International Red Cross in Rafah, November 28th, 2023. (Flash90)

By World Israel News Staff

The impending collapse of the Gaza ceasefire may have been averted this week, after Israel and Hamas both reportedly expressed a willingness to return to the original terms of the deal, after the Islamic terror group threatened on Monday to delay the return of three Israeli hostages, scheduled to be released on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Walla outlet reported that Jerusalem has indicated to Hamas, via Egyptian and Qatari mediators, that Israel is willing to continue the Gaza ceasefire if Hamas releases three Israeli hostages on Saturday, as originally planned.

Multiple Arabic media reports have stated that Hamas has also signalled its willingness to implement the latest hostage release on schedule.

Citing an unnamed source, AFP reported that the Egyptian and Qatari interlocutors have secured Hamas’ assurance that the Saturday hostage release of three captives will be carried out as planned.

“Hamas has confirmed to Egyptian officials its commitment… to conducting the sixth exchange of prisoners on time, on Saturday, as soon as Israel honors its commitment,” one source said.

Another source told AFP that “there is progress” towards resolving the crisis, adding that Israel has vowed to “put in place a humanitarian protocol starting this morning.”

“Prefabricated units, tents, fuel, heavy equipment, medicine, materials for repairing hospitals and everything linked to the humanitarian protocol” will be brought into the Gaza Strip, the source continued.

President Donald Trump threatened earlier this week that “all hell” will break loose if Hamas does not return all the remaining hostages this Saturday by noon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened a full resumption of war if “our hostages” were not returned by Saturday at noon, without specifying how many hostages would have to be released to keep the truce in place.

Israel’s New Smart Traffic System Revolutionizes Emergency Medical Evacuations

Israel’s New Smart Traffic System Revolutionizes Emergency Medical Evacuations

Edited by: TJVNews.com

A groundbreaking initiative is underway in Israel, with Magen David Adom (MDA), the Ministry of Transportation, Netivei Ayalon, and Sheba Medical Center joining forces to transform emergency medical response times. According a recently published report on Matzav.com, the project utilizes cutting-edge technology to grant MDA’s emergency vehicles priority access through intersections by integrating GPS tracking with interconnected traffic lights. This pilot program represents a major leap forward in reducing delays for ambulances en route to hospitals, a development that could have life-saving implications.

The system operates autonomously, a crucial factor in ensuring seamless execution. As an MDA ambulance approaches an intersection, advanced sensors detect its presence and immediately relay the data to both MDA’s command center and Netivei Ayalon’s traffic management system, reported Matzav.com. This prompts the system to manipulate the traffic signals, creating a synchronized “green wave” that clears the ambulance’s path. By eliminating unnecessary stops, the technology drastically reduces travel time, improving patient outcomes in critical situations.

Initial data from the pilot program demonstrates promising results, with an average reduction of 40 seconds per trip, according to Matzav.com. While this may seem minor, in medical emergencies where every second is crucial, this improvement could determine whether a patient receives treatment in time. Whether dealing with cardiac arrests, traumatic injuries, or other urgent cases, these precious moments could be the difference between life and death.

Encouraged by these early successes, officials are considering expanding the system to additional regions across Israel, with the objective of creating a nationwide network of smart intersections, as was indicated in the Matzav.com report. By integrating more roads into the system, emergency medical teams will be able to respond faster and navigate more efficiently, ultimately enhancing Israel’s emergency infrastructure.

As discussions progress, Matzav.com highlighted that this initiative stands as a model for other nations seeking to modernize emergency response frameworks. The combination of AI-driven traffic control, GPS tracking, and real-time data synchronization showcases Israel’s leadership in leveraging technology for public health and safety. If successfully implemented on a larger scale, this system could redefine urban emergency response worldwide, setting new standards for saving lives.

Hollywood Stars Denounce Kanye West for Anti-Semitism in AI-Generated Video; Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out

Rapper Kanye West is now claiming, “Somehow our country has been taken over by, you know, maybe about 300 Zionists.” Farrakhan and Kanye have actually been publicly connected for years, with West referring to him as “sensei” in one of his songs. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Hollywood Stars Denounce Kanye West for Anti-Semitism in AI-Generated Video; Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out

By: Donny Simcha Guttman

Actress Scarlett Johansson recently reacted to a gone-viral AI deepfake, which included famous Hollywood Jews responding to Kanye West’s recent anti-Semitic publicity stunt on the video. During the Super Bowl this past Sunday, West in an ad, showed his fake teeth and directed viewers to go to Yeezy.com, his clothing brand. While the ad showed a variety of clothing being sold, those that accessed the website discovered only a plain, white shirt, with a large swastika in the middle, being sold.

According to People.com, in the AI-made video, Jewish celebrities including Drake, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Black, Mila Kunis, Lenny Kravitz, and Adam Sandler wear a similar white shirt with a picture of a middle finger directed at the letters, “Kanye”. Johansson said on the deep fake, “I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for anti-Semitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality.” Johansson has been a victim of deepfake-related controversies, as multiple companies were accused of using her voice for their products, and subsequently, legal action was threatened against them.

On the rising incidents with deep fakes, she remarked, as reported by People.com, “I have unfortunately been a very public victim of A.I., but the truth is that the threat of A.I. affects each and every one of us. There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding AI that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of A.I. I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting A.I. use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”

West’s behavior has been part of a string of anti-Semitic episodes. In 2023, he tweeted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”

 In recent days after his viral Super Bowl ad, he has also been posting vile, hateful messages against Jews including, “I AM A NAZI,” “I LOVE HITLER NOW WHAT B*****S.” “IM NEVER APOLOGIZING FOR MY JEWISH COMMENTS I CAN SAY WHATEVER THE F**K I WANNA SAY FOREVER WHERES MY F***ING APOLOGY FOR FREEZING MY ACCOUNTS SUCK MY D**K HOWS THAT FOR AN APOLOGY.” “’So funny how N****** rapping about killing N****** is not hate but posting a swastika is hate,” as reported by the Daily Mail. West blamed the rash incidents on autism, as reported recently by CBC News, “I went to this doctor.… My wife took me to do that because she said, ‘Something about your personality doesn’t feel like it’s bipolar, I’ve seen bipolar before.’ … And I’ve come to find that it’s really a case of autism that I have.”

Despite the trend, other actors in the deep fake, including Isla Fisher responded to Kanye, “Hey friends, can you please unfollow Kanye? Did you know this is the only thing for sale on his website after placing a Super Bowl commercial? F–k this monster forever. No Tolerance for this s–t.” The Anti-Defamation League as reported by the Hollywood Reporter commented, “As if we needed further proof of Kanye’s antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website — a T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika.

The swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis. It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to threaten and instill fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy.” West has also received backlash from his agent, 33&West agent Daniel McCartney, “Effective immediately, I am no longer representing YE (F/K/A Kanye West) due to his recent harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for. Peace and love to all.”

The threat anti-Semitism has significantly escalated since October 7th, with the FBI finding a 63% increase since 2023. Celebrities like West, are part of a trend of spreading Jewish hate due to Israel’s defensive war against Hamas

USAID Funds Tied to Extremist Groups Linked to Terrorist Organizations, Report Finds

AP

USAID Funds Tied to Extremist Groups Linked to Terrorist Organizations, Report Finds

By: Fern Sidman

A new investigative report published by the Middle East Forum has revealed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups with ties to designated terrorist organizations and their allies. According to a report that appeared on Tuesday on the Fox News web site, the findings expose alarming gaps in the federal government’s oversight of foreign aid distribution, with USAID and the State Department allegedly approving at least $164 million in grants to radical organizations. The report further states that of this total, $122 million directly benefited groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.

The conservative think tank, Middle East Forum, conducted a multi-year investigation into USAID and State Department spending. As was reported by Fox News, the report alleges that billions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated to leading American aid charities that have repeatedly failed to vet their local partners for terror ties. These organizations, according to the findings, continue to collaborate with radical groups with little to no accountability, while the federal government appears indifferent to the potential consequences.

One of the most concerning discoveries highlighted by the Middle East Forum is USAID’s financial support of Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a Gaza-based organization that received over $900,000 in funding. According to the information provided in the Fox News report, Bayader operates in close cooperation with the Hamas-controlled regime in Gaza. The organization, founded in 2007 shortly after Hamas took control of the region, describes itself as an NGO committed to building civil society. However, the Middle East Forum’s investigation discovered that Bayader has a history of coordinating and meeting with Hamas government officials, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture.

Fox News further reported that USAID funding for Bayader began in 2016 and continued until as recently as October 2023—mere days before Hamas launched its brutal terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. The report alleged that these funds were funneled through intermediary organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and medical groups, but USAID has also directly engaged with Bayader. According to the report at Fox News, USAID officials publicly praised the NGO’s work on social media, and a senior USAID official, Jonathan Kamin, was even presented with an award by Bayader at its offices.

Another deeply troubling revelation from the Middle East Forum’s report is USAID’s approval of a $12.5 million grant in 2024 to the American Near East Refugee Agency (ANERA), a long-standing partner of Bayader. Established in 1968 to assist refugees from the Arab-Israeli conflict, ANERA has received significant U.S. government funding over the years. However, Fox News reported that Middle East Forum investigators found numerous instances of ANERA staff publicly expressing support for violence. Social media posts from ANERA employees allegedly include calls for God to “erase the Jews,” expressions of solidarity with “brave prisoners” in Israeli jails, and the description of October 7, 2023, as a “beautiful morning” in reference to Hamas’s terrorist attack.

According to the information contained in the Fox News report,  these findings raise serious concerns about USAID’s vetting process and its failure to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not being directed to entities that support or have links to terrorism. The Middle East Forum asserted that USAID’s lack of oversight enables radical organizations to exploit international aid channels, providing financial and ideological support to extremist groups while maintaining a facade of humanitarian work.

According to Fox News, the findings, published by the Middle East Forum’s counter-extremism project, Islamist Watch, expose deep flaws in USAID’s oversight of its grant distribution, raising concerns about how American taxpayer dollars are being spent.

Sam Westrop, the director of Islamist Watch, described the report’s findings as “horrifying” in a social media thread, highlighting some of the most alarming examples.  The report at Fox News indicated that USAID refused to disclose the total amount of funding allocated to the Unlimited Friends Association, an NGO operating in Gaza with alleged Hamas ties. The head of the organization reportedly made public statements about his intent to “cleanse” the land of “impure Jews.” These revelations, as reported by Fox News, have led to further scrutiny of the agency’s funding mechanisms and its apparent lack of due diligence in ensuring that federal money does not end up supporting terrorist-affiliated groups.

Additionally, the Fox News report revealed that USAID provided millions of dollars to Islamic Relief, an organization whose Gaza branch allegedly maintains direct ties with Hamas leaders. The report specifically points to Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad, who openly declared that Hamas would carry out the October 7 terrorist attack “time and again until Israel is annihilated.” The funding of such an organization by USAID, according to Fox News, raises significant concerns about whether U.S. taxpayer dollars are indirectly supporting entities that promote violence and terrorism.

USAID’s failure to properly vet its funding recipients dates back several years. According to the information included in the Fox News report, USAID directed $125,000 in funds to the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) in 2015, despite the fact that the U.S. Treasury had officially designated ISRA as a global terrorist organization in 2004 due to its ties to Osama bin Laden. The Middle East Forum’s report states that USAID was fully aware of ISRA’s extremist activities, noting that in 2010, the executive director of ISRA’s U.S. branch, known as the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA-USA), pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, theft of public funds, and conspiracy. The plea agreement was even listed on USAID’s own website, yet funding continued to flow to ISRA.

Further complicating the situation, Fox News also reported that USAID channeled money to ISRA through the evangelical charity World Vision, which operates humanitarian programs in Sudan. When questioned by Fox News Digital about its association with ISRA, a World Vision official responded that the organization takes “compliance obligations seriously” and had suspended the grant upon learning of ISRA’s designation as a banned organization. The official further stated that World Vision would “never knowingly put those we serve or our staff at risk” by working with an organization on the U.S. sanctions list. However, as the Fox News report pointed out, this response does not explain why due diligence was not conducted before funding was distributed.

Despite repeated inquiries from Fox News Digital, the organizations Bayader, the American Near East Refugee Agency, and Catholic Relief Services failed to respond to requests for comment regarding their alleged connections to extremist groups or their role in distributing USAID funds. This lack of transparency has only fueled further skepticism about how USAID oversees its grant recipients and the level of accountability within the agency.

The investigation comes at a time when USAID is facing intense scrutiny from the Trump administration, particularly from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), chaired by Elon Musk. According to the report at Fox News, DOGE is actively investigating USAID’s spending practices and considering significant reforms, including the potential shutdown of the agency. USAID is currently led by interim director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has made it clear that major changes are on the horizon.

As Fox News reported, USAID announced on February 4 that nearly all of its personnel would be placed on leave by the end of the week, except for those in mission-critical roles. Its overseas offices were reportedly instructed to shut down operations as the agency undergoes a sweeping reorganization. Lawmakers, media outlets, and policy experts have since been reviewing USAID’s past spending records, uncovering numerous instances of questionable expenditures. Some of the more frivolous projects funded by the agency include a localized version of Sesame Street in Iraq and pottery classes in Morocco.

Founded in 1961 under the Kennedy administration, USAID has historically operated as an independent agency working alongside the State Department to allocate foreign aid. However, with Rubio at the helm, the future of the agency remains uncertain. According to Fox News, Rubio informed bipartisan lawmakers on February 3 that USAID may soon be abolished entirely, as the administration seeks to overhaul U.S. foreign aid policies and eliminate wasteful spending.

The revelations from the Middle East Forum’s investigation raise pressing questions about the effectiveness of USAID’s funding oversight and whether American taxpayers have unknowingly contributed to organizations with extremist affiliations. Whether the federal government will take decisive action to address these concerns remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: USAID’s future hangs in the balance.

Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago Real Estate Market Soars as $200M Deal Goes on Market

Palm Beach, in Florida’s Atlantic coast, boasts some 2,500 homes, and has already attracted famous buyers including software billionaire Larry Ellison, casino mogul Steve Wynn, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and financial executive Charles R. Schwab. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago Real Estate Market Soars as $200M Deal Goes on Market

By: Donny Simcha Guttman

Since the 2024 election, the real estate market in Palm Beach, near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, has skyrocketed. Dozens of millions of dollar deals ranging from $5 to $10 million as reported by the New York Post have been closed in recent months. Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties told Mansion Global, “We have undoubtedly seen a huge bump after the election. Some international buyers now have their sights set on Palm Beach, so we’ve expanded the buyer pool majorly. Palm Beach is on the world stage now; it’s the center of the universe.” A week ago, billionaire William Lauder, known for his large price tags for his property, bought a property in the area for millions. The Wall Street Journal reported that the property was bought for $170 million.

 In another record-breaking deal, a property at 1980 South Ocean Boulevard, which is five minutes away from Mar-a-Lago has in recent days been put up on the market for $200 million. Not only is the price a record, but the property is currently the only one vacant located between the ocean and the beach. Shelly Newman of the Corcoran Group explained to the Post, “In Palm Beach proper, there are only approximately 20 properties that expand from ocean to intracoastal, and this property is one of those few exclusive parcels. … this is basically the last [large] undeveloped parcel of residential land in Palm Beach … with both oceanfront and intracoastal access, and the only one to be available for sale [developed or not].”

Michael Cantanucci’s property in Palm Beach (Instagram)

 Another exclusive aspect of the property is that buyers wouldn’t have to wait for approval to demolish or remodel, since architect Richard Sammons of Fairfax & Sammons has drafted plans to be submitted to the Architectural Commission. Newman commented to the Post on this feature that “The footprint and site analysis provide substantial time savings for the new owner when preparing the final ARCOM submission.”

 Another recent notable deal in the area includes a $14.9 million two-bedroom townhome that Fox News host Sean Hannity recently bought. In December, he bought an 8-bedroom house for $23.5 million also in the area, as reported by Mansion Global. In response to his acquisitions in Florida, Hannity said on his radio show that he was “done” with New York and was looking forward to making Florida his home, “For the first time that I can think of in my adult life, I actually have representatives in the state that I’m living in that share my values.” As a result of the boom of sales in Palm Beach, other areas including Broward and Miami-Dade counties, former real-estate competitors to Palm Beach, have seen luxury sales and condo sales drop. As reported by the Post, there was a 37% decrease in Miami-Dade and a 46% downward spiral in Broward in the condo market, while Palm Beach County has increased its sales by 11%.

Trump estate -Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on November 22nd. . (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

 In a recent report in House Beautiful, experts discuss the drastic changes throughout the country that could occur as President Trump vows to stop “unnecessary” regulations. One of the experts quoted, McKenzie Ryan a real estate agent predicted on the new president, “A new administration always has an impact on the confidence or lack thereof that people have in the real estate market and their timing of when you buy or sell.

Right now, there is naturally an air of uncertainty as we wait to understand what Trump’s priorities are that may impact real estate before making any big moves.” She also blames the changes in the market not only on deregulation but also the Covid pandemic, “It has been a long journey of uncertainty since 2020.” Changes in the market will speed up as President Trump’s vows to deregulate, as he recognized about the housing crisis in the US in an executive order last month, “many Americans are unable to purchase homes due to historically high prices, in part due to regulatory requirements that alone account for 25 percent of the cost of constructing a new home according to recent analysis.” Deregulation will affect the markets, the consequences will play out as time moves forward.

Nearly Everyone in the World Breathes Bad Air. This Is What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk

An autorickshaw driver covers his face to protect himself from the pollution in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

(AP) — Everyone loves a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, too often our air is anything but fresh.

While air quality varies dramatically from place to place and day to day, nearly the entire world — about 99% of the global population — is exposed to air at some point that doesn’t meet the strict standards set by the World Health Organization. Polluted air, laden with noxious gasses or tiny, invisible particles that burrow into human bodies, kills 7 million people prematurely every year, the U.N. health agency estimates.

And for the millions living in some of the world’s smoggiest cities — many of them in Asia like New Delhi; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Bangkok; and Jakarta, Indonesia — bad air might seem inescapable.

But there are things that people can do, starting with understanding that the air isn’t only polluted when it looks smoggy, said Tanushree Ganguly of the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago in India.

“Blue skies can’t guarantee you clean air,” she said.

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What are the most dangerous kinds of air pollutants and their sources?
Air pollutants often come from people burning things: Fuels such as coal, natural gas, diesel and gasoline for electricity and transportation; crops or trees for agricultural purposes; or as a result of wildfires.

Fine, inhalable particles, known as particulate matter, are among the most dangerous. The tiniest of these — known as PM 2.5 because they are less than 2.5 microns in diameter — can get deep into human lungs and are mostly created by burning fuels. Coarser particles, known as PM 10, are linked to agriculture, roadways, mining or the wind blowing eroded dust, according to the WHO.

Other dangerous pollutants include gases like nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide, which are also produced from burning fuels, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi.

The sources and intensity of air pollution varies in different cities and seasons. For instance, old motorbikes and industrial boilers are major contributors to bad air in Indonesian capital Jakarta while burning of agricultural waste is a major reason for air pollution spikes in cities in Thailand and India. Brick kilns that burn coal adds to pollution in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. And seasonal forest fires cause problems in Brazil and North America.

What health problems can air pollution cause?
Air pollution is the second-largest risk factor for early death globally, behind high blood pressure, according to a recent report by the Health Effects Institute.

Short-term exposure can trigger asthma attacks and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke, especially in the elderly or people with medical problems. Long-term exposure can cause serious heart and lung problems that can lead to death, including heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung infections.

A recent analysis by the U.N. children’s agency found that more than 500 million children in East Asia and Pacific countries breathe unhealthy air and the pollution is linked to the deaths of 100 children under 5 every day. June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia, said the polluted air compromises growth, harms lungs and impacts cognitive abilities.

“Every breath matters, but for too many children every breath can bring harm,” she said.

What’s the best way to tell if air is safe?
Over 6,000 cities in 117 countries now monitor air quality, and many weather mobile apps include air quality information. But trying to gauge how bad the air is by looking at these numbers can be confusing.

To help people understand air quality levels more easily, many countries have adopted an air quality index or AQI — a numerical scale where larger numbers mean worse air. They are also often assigned different colors to show whether the air is clean or not.

But different countries have different air quality standards. For instance, India’s daily PM 2.5 limit is more than 1.5 times higher than that of Thailand and 4 times higher than WHO standards.

This means that countries calculate AQIs differently and the numbers aren’t comparable. This is also why sometimes AQI scores by private companies using stricter standards may be different from those calculated by national regulators.

What are the best ways to protect yourself from air pollution?
The goal, of course, is to limit exposure when air quality is bad, by staying inside or wearing a mask.

Staying inside however, isn’t always possible, especially for people who must live or work outside, noted Danny Djarum, an air quality researcher at the World Resources Institute, an environmental advocacy group. “They can’t really afford not going out,” he said.

Pakaphol Asavakomolnant, an office worker in Bangkok, said that he wears a mask every day and avoids riding to work on a motorbike. “I get a sore throat when I come to work in the morning and I forget to wear a mask,” he said.

People also need to be aware of indoor air pollution which can often be caused by common household activities like cooking or even burning an incense stick.

What are the benefits — and limitations — of air purifiers?

Air purifiers can help reduce indoor air pollution, but they have their limitations. They work by pulling air from a room, pushing it through a filter that traps pollutants before circulating it back.

But they’re are most effective when used in small spaces and when people are nearby. Air purifiers can only clean a certain amount of air, said Rajasekhar Balasubramanian, who studies urban air quality at the National University of Singapore. “If we have a tiny air purifier in a large room, it won’t be effective,” he said.

Air purifiers are also too expensive for people in many developing countries.

“The majority of people who are affected by air pollution can’t really afford air purifiers,” said WRI’s Djarum.

Trump Says He and Putin Have Agreed to Begin ‘Negotiations’ on Ending Ukraine War and Will ‘Work Together, Very Closely’

(AP) — President Donald Trump says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin “negotiations” on ending Ukraine war.

The Republican said in a social media post Wednesday disclosing a call between the two leaders that they would “work together, very closely.”

The call followed a prisoner swap that resulted in Russia releasing American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, of Pennsylvania, after more than three years of detention.

Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian criminal, is being freed as part of a swap that saw Moscow’s release of Fogel, two U.S. officials confirmed Wednesday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the swap.

Western Women Converts to Islam: Yvonne Ridley Delivers a Shameful, pro-Hamas Performance on British Talk TV

Phyllis Chesler

Recently, Julia Hartley-Brewer, a British journalist, interviewed Yvonne Ridley, a convert to Islam, an Islamist, and a pro-Hamas True Believer. Long ago, when I debated Ridley on Al-Hurrah, she dressed like either Lawrence of Arabia or like a male member of the Taliban. Here is Hartley-Brewer’s interview.

Hartley-Brewer lambasted her with the truth, often reducing Ridley to silence.

Yvonne Ridley, a convert to Islam, an Islamist, and a supporter of Hamas, really went too far in this interview. She seemed obtuse, became speechless; was no longer a firebrand ranter. If Ridley were capable of shame, she would or should be mortified by her performance.

Ridley insisted that Hamas had been “kind” to the Israeli hostages and had even given them “goodie bags;” that if anyone had ever been tortured or murdered it was innocent Palestinian Arabs in Israeli prisons and in mass graves. Ridley also focused on one—only one—prisoner whom the Israelis returned to Gaza, a man who also looked as “gaunt” as the three Israeli hostages who have just been freed, the three who looked as if they’d just been released from Bergen-Belsen or Auschwitz. Hartley-Brewer pointed out that this lone former prisoner was actually a cancer patient, whom the Israelis had been treating in a first-rate hospital.

If you don’t believe this, please watch the interview. Enjoy it. I certainly did.

Some Middle Eastern, Arab, Muslim women have been forced into becoming human homicide bombers: either the particular Arab Islamist terrorist group would threaten to expose the woman’s alleged sins to her family who would honor kill her and shame her children forever—or, she could go out in a cloud of glory by killing Jews, Israelis, or other Muslim women and children at prayer. Her family might also receive good money for her murderous act. Read Anat Berko, the Israeli criminologist, about this.

Some Western women, lured by the wild, wild East, have donned burqas, worn hijab, married ISIS fighters—or, like Ridley, or British journalist Jan Goodwin, have dressed like Lawrence of Arabia, or like a member of the Taliban, turbanned headscarf and all. Goodwin actually posed with the mujahideen in full Taliban dress for the cover of her book. (She was not kidnapped or held for ransom). Both Ridley and Goodwin, are extreme anti-Zionists.

Some Western women flee the obligations of freedom or are, like Keats, more than “half in love with easeful death.” Some are just plain crazy.

For example, there’s the case of Margaret Marcus, aka Maryam Jameelah, a mentally unstable Jewish-American woman who converted to extreme Islam. Jameelah left America in the 1960s to become a chief propagandist (in English) for radical Islam in Pakistan. Mawdudi was her mentor and protector. (Maulana Mawdudi was a founder of Jama’at-i Islami in India and in Pakistan). Jameelah wore niqab and/or a burqa. As Margaret, she had done serious time in a psychiatric asylum, and as Jameelah it also became clear that she was a difficult, “crazy,” and impossible woman. Like other converts she was also an anti-Zionist. Deborah Baker has written a very fascinating biography of this unusual woman.

Here’s what you need to know.

When an infidel is held captive in a Muslim country, they usually convert in order to save their life, to please their captors, or because they are lost or unstable to begin with and find that Islam offers the kind of rigid discipline and communal support that may lead to greater (more regimented) stability and social approval.

In 2001 after 9/11, British journalist Yvonne Ridley was captured by the Taliban on September 28th and held for ten or eleven days. She had entered Afghanistan illegally clad in a burqa but was discovered and viewed as a spy. The British High Commissioner to Pakistan negotiated for her release with the Taliban Ambassador, Mullah Abdul Saleem Zaeef, in Islamabad. She promised her Taliban captors that after her release she would read the Koran. And when she did—she found it to be a document of “liberation for women” and she converted. Instantly famous, Ridley continued to receive attention for her conversion and for her strong anti-Zionism and defense of Muslim causes around the world, especially in Palestine.

However, Ridley is not an accurate recorder of facts. When I debated her on Al-Hurrah, she tried to intimidate me with a formulaic rant about how the “blood of our Muslim brothers (is) flowing in the streets of Palestine,” etc. She was all decked out à la Lawrence of Arabia, with vaguely male, not female, Muslim attire. Said I: the gravest problem is that of Muslim-on-Muslim violence, but she ranted on.

As the author of An American Bride in Kabul, which recounts my five months in captivity in a harem—a captivity which began as a romance with a very westernized Afghan man whom I eventually married—I have been accused of a) only being held captive for five weeks; b) being an utter, non-feminist fool for ever having anything to do with the man who once held me against my will even if it was for “love.”

For the record, I wore American jeans and sneakers when I was in Kabul and sometimes, very fashionable tailor-made suits. I refused to don even the long, filmy headscarves that my mother-in-law left in our bedroom for me. Unlike my sisters-in-law, I did not wear a long coat or gloves. I guess I’ve always been something of a badass.

And yet: in my years of subsequent work with dissident, feminist, and religious Muslims, perhaps, just perhaps, I am still captive to my kinship with the wild, wild East; still under its uncanny and forceful spell; still carrying out my Afghan husband’s mission to modernize and elevate his people.

Kidnappings are a permanent way of life in the Islamic world; they are undertaken for ransom and revenge, out of lust, when one is in need of a domestic or sexual slave, and as a form of communication with one’s enemies, be they intimate or foreign. In short, one violently takes what one covets or requires. There is no prohibition against doing so.

Westerners and other infidels have, notoriously, been captured, albeit by strangers and not by husbands, in the Wild East before. Barbary Pirates attacked shiploads of Europeans and sold the male captives into slavery and the female captives into harems. The blonde French-Caribbean mother of a future Sultan was brought to Turkey in chains. Such kidnappings were so commonplace that both Mozart and Rossini featured the theme in their respective operas, Abduction from the Seraglio and An Italian in Algeria.

I pray for the release of all the Israelis taken hostage and held far below the earth in dark and airless tunnels. I fear what might be the beginning of World War Four—but I hope that President Trump merely makes a deal of some kind that we all thought was impossible.

Senate Confirms Gabbard as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence

(AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence after Republicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination.

Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was confirmed by a 52-48 vote, with Democrats opposed in the sharply divided Senate where Republicans hold a slim majority. The only “no’ vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

She will take over the top intelligence post as Trump works to reshape vast portions of the federal government. Intelligence agencies including the CIA have issued voluntary resignation offers to staffers, while cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency gaining access to sensitive government databases containing information about intelligence operations.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to address intelligence failures exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001. Republicans have increasingly criticized the office, saying it has grown too large and politicized. Trump himself has long viewed the nation’s intelligence services with suspicion.

WATCH: Shocking footage shows Australian nurses vowing to kill Israeli patients

Two medical professionals in Australia were suspended from their work at a hospital after they were filmed speaking about not treating and killing Israelis at work, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation identified the two as Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, both health workers from Bankstown Hospital in the southwestern part of Sydney in New South Wales.

The incident occurred amid an unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents in Australia in recent months, which some critics have attributed in part to inaction or hostility to Israel by the Labor-led federal government.

Max Veifer, a vlogger from Israel, connected with the pair on the app Chatruletka, which links users at random.

“Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to Jahannam [Hell], inshallah,” Nadir told Veifer after he identified himself as Israeli.

Abu Lebdeh, wearing a Muslim headscarf, comes into the frame of the video and tells Veifer: “It’s Palestine’s country, not your country, you piece of shit.” She then said: “When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand you will die the most disgusting death.

“I won’t treat them, I will kill them,” she added.

Nadir, who initially falsely self-identified as a physician, told Veifer, “You have no idea how many Israeli dog[s] came to this hospital and I send them to Jahannam.”

A lawyer for Nadir, Mohamad Sakr, told ABC that his client had sent a “very sincere apology to not only that individual, but to the Jewish community as a whole.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a statement called the footage “sickening and shameful” and welcomed the removal of Nadir and Abu Lebdeh from the NSW health system.

NSW Premier Chris Minns told 2GB Sydney radio that both employees “have been immediately stood down pending a full investigation.”

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park called the video “one of the most vile, shocking and appalling videos I’ve ever seen.”

He added: “I say to the people of New South Wales, but in particular the Jewish community, I as the New South Wales health minister am so very sorry that you’re having to deal with this this morning.”

Australia Medical Association President Kathryn Austin said the association condemned “in the strongest possible terms today’s antisemitic commentary within the health system” and that “there is no place for hatred or division in the health system and this behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Many among Australia’s Jewish population of about 115,000 are feeling uneasy following a series of antisemitic attacks in the country’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne—including arson attacks on synagogues and a childcare center, as well as swastikas defacing buildings and vehicles.

In late January, authorities reported foiling a potential “mass casualty” attack after discovering a trailer loaded with explosives in northwest Sydney, with “some indications” it was intended to target the Jewish community.

Authorities are investigating more than a dozen “serious allegations” among more than 166 reports of antisemitic attacks received since mid-December, when police launched a special operation to curb antisemitic attacks.

Australia‘s parliament last week enacted stringent laws to address hate crimes, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for terrorism offenses and the display of hate symbols.

CULTURE SHOCK: Why Super Bowl LIX Was More Significant Than Met the Eye

Taylor Swift screenshot of the moment she was booed at the Superbowl

Elise McCue (Daily Signal)

In what turned out to be hardly a showdown at all between the triumphant Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl LIX still surprised audiences with its pro-America themes throughout.

Here is your cultural rundown of what happened during the big game Sunday night:

Player and Prayers

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The two biggest players in Sunday night’s game directly attributed their successes to their faith. When sideline reporter Erin Andrews asked Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts how it felt to win, he replied:

“God is good. He’s greater than all the highs and lows.”

Even Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes on X thanked God for “every opportunity he has given me” after his team’s devastating loss, which he took responsibility for.

Patriotism Is Back

Christian singer Lauren Daigle got her “moment of vindication” while performing “America the Beautiful” at Sunday night’s game just five years after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell attempted to cancel her New Year’s Eve performance in the same city.

Why? In 2020, Daigle gave an impromptu performance at an outdoor prayer service and concert that also served as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions on churches.

During jazz singer Jon Batiste’s rendition of the national anthem, some players were moved to tears. Moreover, The New York Times reported that not a single player took a knee during the anthem in protest of racial inequality this year.

Also during the national anthem, the crowd roared with applause and cheers when the jumbotron showed President Donald Trump.

He is the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, and he came flanked with an all-star crew of congressmen and prominent conservative voices.

But not all celebrity attendees were feeling the love, as Taylor Swift was met with boos when she appeared on the jumbotron. Bad night for “Miss Americana” as her “Heartbreak Prince” and Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce gave credence to her lyrics, “My team is losing.”

The NFL removed the “End Racism” messaging from the end zone. Maybe with the woke scolds gone from the White House, people realize we aren’t the racist nation they told us we were.

‘Trad’ Ads

Instead of forcing wokeness down our throats between plays, this year’s Super Bowl advertisements promulgated traditional (trad) values, much to the surprise of everyone.

One category of ads in particular promoted creating healthy, women-only sports spaces. An NFL ad advocated for making “girls flag football” a varsity sport rather than inserting girls into the more dangerous, male-geared version, football.

Nike also ran an advertisement with the theme of female empowerment, and not a single male transgender-identifying athlete was featured.

Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Performance

Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show has conservatives divided on whether his performance was just alright or the worst of all time.

I will let you make up your own mind on this one. From where I’m standing, there were no indecent wardrobe malfunctions, vulgar dances, or obviously woke messages thrown in our faces. A win is a win.

Lamar also performed his Grammy award-winning song “Not Like Us,” in which he calls out rapper Drake for allegedly being a “certified pedophile” on the national stage—a bold choice that should strike fear in the hearts of his fellow entertainers who conceal this kind of behavior.

Regardless of which team you were personally rooting for—if either at all—this Super Bowl indicated a shift in American culture. The oddly apolitical messaging of the big game cannot be ignored considering its past inclination for the woke, and we should embrace these small wins as potential indicators of a much larger move back to sanity.

Taxpayer-Subsidized College Tuition For Illegal Aliens… But Not For US Citizens

Authored by Hans von Spakovsky and Cully Stimson via The Daily Signal

Did you know that 25 states offer in-state college tuition to illegal aliens? Probably not.

And did you know that there is a federal statute that prohibits states from offering in-state tuition to illegal aliens unless a state offers the same tuition break to students from other states? Didn’t think so.

One of the flaws of that statute is that it didn’t provide for a private right of action for individuals or organizations to sue, and the U.S. Justice Department has never enforced it.

There are two ways to close that loophole.

Some History

As we discussed in detail in 2011 in a Heritage Foundation legal memorandum, in 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which was signed into law by Bill Clinton. That act contained a provision, now codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1623, that specifically prohibits states from providing in-state college tuition rates to “an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States” unless ”a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national” is a resident of the state.

Note that federal law doesn’t prevent states from allowing illegal aliens to attend their colleges or to charge them in-state tuition rates as residents of the state. But if they do, they can’t discriminate against American students by providing illegal aliens with better benefits than out-of-state citizen students.

Texas and California, both at the extreme ends of the red state/blue state political dichotomy, are two of the 25 states blatantly violating federal law by providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens while making out-of-state citizen students pay higher rates. Twenty of them also provide illegal aliens with state financial aid.

The only states that actively block not only in-state tuition but also enrollment of illegal aliens are Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Seven other states block access to state financial aid and/or in-state tuition breaks, including Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.

Since there is no private right of action in the statute, states haven’t followed the law, because they realized that private citizens won’t succeed in lawsuits against them and, at least to date, the federal government hasn’t filed any enforcement proceedings against them either.

We are not talking about small change here. According to a report by U.S. News & World Report, the average cost of tuition for out-of-state students at public colleges in the 2024–2025 school year was almost $25,000, compared to only $11,000 for in-state residents.

In the few cases in which outraged parents have tried to sue states because their U.S. citizen kids were being charged higher tuition rates than illegal aliens, the courts have almost uniformly held that they don’t have standing to pursue litigation because there is no private right of action to enforce the statute.

Take, for example, a 2007 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Day v. Bond, a case that was filed against Kansas by out-of-state citizen students. The court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit.

Or consider the 2010 class action decision by the California Supreme Court in Martinez v. Regents of the University of California. The case was brought by citizens who lived outside of California who were forced to pay nonresident tuition for enrollment at California’s public universities. The court held that a state law that allows public universities to offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens did not violate Section 1623 and also did not violate the rights of nonresident students under the privileges and immunities clause of the 14th Amendment.

In another recent case, Young Conservatives of Texas Foundation v. Smatresk, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit did find that out-of-state students attending the University of North Texas had standing to challenge the Texas law granting in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. But then the court ruled against the students, holding that the Texas law doesn’t violate federal law because it supposedly imposes no duty on Texas “related to U.S. citizens.”

According to the court’s logic (that is hard to follow), the Texas law only grants in-state tuition to Texas “residents” regardless of whether they are citizens or aliens and, therefore, it does not violate federal law. In other words, since out-of-state illegal aliens would be charged the out-of-state rate and the in-state rate would only be available to illegal aliens who reside in Texas, the law is fine.

Enforce the Law

As we wrote in 2011, there are at least two ways to enforce this federal statute.

First, while the statute does not contain a private right of action, it is the responsibility of the federal government to enforce federal laws. The Trump Justice Department could decide to weigh in and finally enforce this provision against the 25 states that are blatantly violating the law, something prior administrations have failed to do.

Even if the Trump administration acts, however, there is no guarantee that any subsequent administration will do so. In fact, given the history of nonenforcement of past administrations, it is highly likely future administrations won’t take up the cause, which leads to our second suggestion.

Congress could amend the statute to add a private right of action. In doing so, Congress would empower parents who are paying exorbitant out-of-state tuition costs for their kids at state institutions to sue to get in-state tuition if the state violates the statute. And since there are almost 2,000 public colleges in the United States, that’s a lot of litigation.

And Congress should make it abundantly clear that states are absolutely barred from providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens, regardless of where they reside, unless they provide the same benefit to all American students, regardless of where they reside.

American citizens should not be forced to subsidize the education of aliens who broke—or whose parents broke—the law to enter our country. Period.

Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.

Trump Says FEMA Should Be Terminated

President Donald Trump has called for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be abolished, saying that states should manage disaster response independently for greater efficiency and cost savings.

He accused FEMA of mismanaging disaster relief funds, disobeying orders, and favoring Democratic-led areas.

“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry,” Trump said in a Feb. 11 post on social media, adding that the agency under the previous administration was a “disaster” and “should be terminated.”

The agency has faced mounting scrutiny from Republicans over its handling of recent disasters, including hurricanes Helene and Milton, which struck the southeast United States in 2024.

FEMA has also been accused of political bias, with a former worker alleging that during relief efforts, staff were directed to avoid homes displaying Trump signs. Additionally, the agency has been criticized for allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to fund plane tickets for illegal immigrants, further fueling Republican concerns over its priorities and effectiveness.

Trump said on Jan. 24 that he might reform or abolish the agency over alleged inefficiencies, bias, and misuse of funds.

Los Angeles Mayor Says Fire Recovery Chief Will Work for Free After Backlash Over Salary
He then signed an executive order establishing a council to carry out a “full-scale review” of FEMA. The order alleged that the agency had “lost mission focus, diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Feb. 10 that the U.S. government should “get rid” of the agency “the way it exists today.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversees FEMA. Noem said on Feb. 9 that disaster relief funding should remain in place but that local officials, not FEMA, should control deployment for a faster and more efficient response.

“We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California,” Noem told CNN on Feb. 9. “But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed so it can be deployed much quicker.”

FEMA did not respond by publication time to a request for comment on Trump’s call for the agency to be abolished.

A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some FEMA employees lacked proper certification or authorization to oversee disaster-related contracts, violating FEMA and DHS policies.

A review of 15 contracts across three disasters (floods in Kentucky, Hurricane Ian, and wildfires in Maui) revealed that eight had oversight issues, including unqualified FEMA housing specialists assessing contractor performance.

 

The GAO warned that using unqualified personnel increases the risk of inadequate contract oversight and failure to ensure that goods and services align with agreements. The report also found that FEMA failed to properly document contractor performance, making it difficult to verify service quality.

The report put forward seven recommendations, including urging FEMA to ensure that oversight staff are properly certified and to improve documentation.

DHS agreed with all recommendations, pledging corrective action.

We Are All Zionists Now

Yellow Star of David with shadow on black background. Credit: Ausra Barysiene/Shutterstock.

By Rabbi Sanford Olshansky (Times Of Israel, Blogs)

“Haman then said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people…” (Esther 3:8, JPS 2000 translation)

We all know the story from childhood: Wicked Prime Minister Haman persuades King Ahasuerus of Persia to order the killing of all the Jews in his empire. Queen Esther courageously gains permission for the Jews to defend themselves and they survive.

Just as the king was persuaded, by a trusted advisor, that the Jews didn’t belong in his empire and should be eliminated, today, a lot of impressionable college students are persuaded, by professors whom they trust, that Jews – all Jews — are oppressive colonizers. On college campuses in the US and elsewhere, Jews who wear a kippah or a Star of David are attacked as “Zionists,” regardless of how they feel about Israel’s democratically elected government and its conduct. Even students who don’t wear Jewish symbols but attend events at Hillel or Chabad are attacked as “Zionists.”

In 2003, Dr. Phyllis Chesler, a lifelong liberal feminist, published The New Anti-Semitism (San Francisco, Josey Bass). She said that liberal intellectual “elites,” in the US and overseas, often react viscerally to any mention of Israel, calling it an apartheid state and oppressor of local Arab Muslims. Some try to say they aren’t antisemitic, only anti-Zionist. Chesler quoted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “When approached by a student who attacked Zionism [King] responded, ‘When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism.’” Dr. King was murdered in 1968. Apparently, “the new Antisemitism” isn’t quite so new. Chesler called it “the last acceptable prejudice.”

Today we see a rise in antisemitism among “progressives,” especially at elite universities, as Chesler predicted. She said it would result from the narrative of Jews being white European colonizers oppressing indigenous “people of color” – not Jews of all skin tones returning from exile to their ancestral homeland. This would resonate with the “intersectional” grievances of all oppressed racial or sexual groups – no matter how many Israeli Jews are “people of color,” and no matter how badly some of these groups, such as LGBTQ people, are treated in majority Muslim societies. Many returning Jews, since 1948, were expelled from Muslim countries where their families lived for centuries.

Chesler wrote, “What’s new about the new anti-Semitism is that…it is being perpetrated in the name of antiracism, anti-imperialism, and anticolonialism…. The new anti-Semites do not view themselves as anti-Semites or racists because they view themselves as speaking out on behalf of all oppressed people.” Chesler said, “there’s no question that today’s new anti-Semite hides behind the smoke screen of anti-Zionism.” Thus, this new anti-Semite uses anti-Zionism to express his/her actual Jew hatred. These words are as true today as 22 years ago. Today’s anti-Semites, including “progressive” college faculty and administrators, really do hate Jews and have found that “anti-Zionism is a popular and politically respectable way” to express their hatred.

While Dr. Chesler said she was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about the future of anti-Semitism, I find it hard to be optimistic. Before a recent visit to London, England, I already knew not to wear Jewish symbols and to be careful when going to synagogue. An American Jewish friend, who has lived there for 20+ years, told me not even to wear a ball cap, from any US college or sports team, because it would identify me as an American – meaning a citizen of the country that most supports the “Zionist colonial enterprise.” I seethed with anger but complied, knowing that we are all Zionists now.