Jewish communities throughout the United States are strengthening security protocols and sharpening emergency response plans as Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays approach.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, has joined with the U.S.-based Community Security Service to train synagogue security volunteers in communities nationwide. Senior paramedic Aryeh Myers told News Media that many Jewish Americans are increasingly uneasy amid a reported rise in antisemitic incidents.

“There is this heightened sense of concern, of worry that these attacks are now a question of when rather than if,” Myers said in an interview.

Myers has conducted First 7 Minutes trainings in the United States and abroad for Jewish, Christian and secular organizations. The program focuses on preparing volunteers to take critical action in the immediate aftermath of an attack, before police, firefighters or emergency medical teams arrive.

His trainings focus on first aid, how to communicate most effectively with first responders and how best to assist them once they do arrive.

“Our expertise is in response to mass casualty events…. We respond on the national level to everything from delivering babies, to terror attacks to war situations,” Myers said.

“The advantage that Magen David Adom brings is unfortunately having that level of experience, that we have seen multiple mass casualty attacks and multi-casualty attacks and have learned from those,” he added.

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Jewish communities across the globe have faced increasing levels of antisemitism in the years since the October 7 terror attacks in Israel.

Many U.S. universities became hotbeds for anti-Israel and antisemitic attacks amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

A new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that Jewish teachers have also faced rampant antisemitism from teachers unions.

The organization surveyed 307 Jewish members of teachers unions, many of whom admitted to censoring themselves and being disappointed with how unions handled concerns about antisemitism.

“What we found is not the work of a few bad actors. It is a structural and cultural failure,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “Jewish educators deserve to feel safe and protected in their union spaces. And instead of that, they are self-censoring and fearing backlash for raising concerns.”

Sydney Altfield, CEO of Teach Coalition, an organization that advocates for Jewish schools, said the report was particularly concerning because teachers unions were meant to represent and protect all educators.

“What strikes me is that these unions are supposed to be homes for everyone, and [they’re] not being that,” Altfield told News Media.

One of the key findings of the report was the high rate at which Jewish educators were self-censoring out of fear of retaliation. According to the ADL, 70% of respondents “somewhat or strongly agreed” that bringing up concerns about how Jews were treated in union spaces “could lead to reputational or professional consequences.”

The Athletic has completed its review into former reporter Dianna Russini, concluding that she failed to comply with the outlet’s standards while finding only limited evidence of biased reporting related to Mike Vrabel.

Russini left the New York Times-owned publication after photos surfaced in March showing her with New England Patriots coach Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Arizona.

Additional material emerged in the following weeks, intensifying scrutiny over the nature of their relationship and raising broader questions about journalistic ethics, particularly given Russini’s role as an NFL insider covering the league.

The investigation did not determine the exact nature of Russini and Vrabel’s relationship. Both denied having an affair or being unfaithful to their partners, although Vrabel later issued an apology for his “actions.”

The report said: “Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.

‘Specifically, when it comes to The Athletic’s standards, Russini was noncompliant.’

Per The Athletic, Russini declined to be interviewed but insisted: ‘I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career.’ 

The report added: ‘We neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini, but the totality of the public photographs are enough to conclude a violation of company policy.’ 

The five-month-long inquiry was conducted by Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality.

He ‘reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos’ that carried Russini’s byline as well as reviewing ‘204 episodes of the Scoop City podcast’, her show with the company. He also interviewed ‘approximately 14’ of her colleagues and tried ‘to evaluate how The Athletic’s coverage of certain events involving Vrabel or his teams compared to coverage in other publications.’

The report claims that ‘when first confronted with the photos by The New York Post, Russini waited two days before telling her editors and managers. She then told a story to explain the photos that did not align with facts, raising issues of trust.’ 

However, Semel found limited evidence of favoritism towards Vrabel, stating: ‘Most of what Russini wrote about Vrabel or the Patriots was transactional and newsy. In addition, I’ve not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic.’

He added: ‘That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable.’

The report points out that ‘One story in particular likely would not have happened were it not for the connection between Russini and Vrabel,’ an article regarding the year between him being fired by the Tennessee Titans, then hired by the New England Patriots.

However, the story idea came from another reporter at The Athletic, and while they ‘asked Russini to broker a meeting with Vrabel’, she was not present and ‘had nothing to do with the journalism’. As a result, the report found: ‘The story itself meets Athletic standards, even if the access is questionable.’

The report also noted that ‘Russini’s work was seldom reliant on Vrabel as a source or subject’ and said that Athletic staffers ‘did not suspect she was closer with Vrabel than anyone else’. 

Just last month, one of Russini’s former colleagues spoke publicly about the saga and defended her reporting, calling her a ‘really good friend’ and stating he was ‘really, really proud of the journalism we did together’.

‘I don’t think people understand the level of elite that she was performing at in terms of keeping in touch with the really important people around the league,’ Mike Silver said. 

‘And I don’t mean just agents and transactional, like players, coaches, owners, all of it, talking, having real conversations with them every day and really knowing what was going on and competing at a very high level.’

Silver added:  ‘And I do think she’s going to be back, probably not as an insider, at least in the short term. But I think she’ll be back in this realm, probably talking about football and other things pretty soon.’

Russini’s next move has not yet been revealed, but she has been tipped to return to the NFL world in the coming months.

The release of The Athletic’s investigation would appear to pave the way for a potential return to employment, with no ongoing probe looming over her.

Silver revealed: ‘I do think she’s going to be back, probably not as an insider, at least in the short term. But I think she’ll be back in this realm, probably talking about football and other things pretty soon.’

Silver went on to comment on the wellbeing of Russini and her family after the fallout. She is married to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, with whom she has two young sons. The couple has put on a united front, having been pictured kissing in May as they were seen for the first time since the scandal.  

‘I do know her family,’ Silver said. ‘She’s got a great family. And so, you know, a lot of people have had a lot of thoughts about it. 

‘I’m not really getting into that, but I would say she is doing a lot better and her family’s doing well.’

Maria Bartiromo has left Fox News after more than 12 years with the cable news network, the company confirmed Thursday.

“Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media,” the company said in its announcement.

In a statement, Fox News Media added, “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12-and-a-half years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”

Bartiromo’s weekday Fox Business Network program, “Mornings with Maria,” aired its final episode Thursday morning. Beginning Friday, the time slot will be filled by “Mornings with FOX Business,” which will use a rotation of anchors.

Her weekly program, “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” is also being renamed “FBN’s Wall Street.” Cheryl Casone will host this week’s edition before the show moves to rotating anchors.

Bartiromo also hosted Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” Jason Chaffetz will host the program this Sunday, while Fox said a permanent replacement will be named later.

Fox Business also plans to unveil a new weekday programming schedule in the coming weeks.

Fox News and Fox Business are subsidiaries of Fox Corp — sister company to The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.

– Democratic attorney general draws backlash over appeal to Jewish voters on humanity, safety and antisemitism
– Trump signals openness to Christian-backed proposal aimed at helping Canadian Jews facing antisemitism relocate to the U.S.
– Hollywood figure faces accusations of antisemitism from industry insiders following comments tied to the Paramount merger

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is under intense scrutiny after remarks to Jewish Democrats at a closed-door event sparked outrage among critics. Invoking the biblical story of Queen Esther, Nessel framed the moment as a moral test for Jewish voters, urging support for Democrats even as concerns over antisemitism and community security remain deeply felt. Opponents described the appeal as an alarming demand that Jewish voters place broader political goals ahead of their own safety.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has warned that antisemitism remains an “age-old plague” with consequences far beyond Jewish communities, arguing that Holocaust denial and distorted narratives spreading across social media are worsening the threat.

A group of Christian lawmakers is pressing President Trump to support a plan that would help Jewish Canadians facing antisemitism pursue legal immigration to the United States, and Trump has indicated he is open to the idea. Supporters say more than 2,000 Jewish Canadians are seeking a way out amid rising antisemitic violence north of the border, with the proposal designed to fast-track relief for families who say they are being targeted by hate.

RELATED: Investigation Finds Dianna Russini’s Ties to Mike Vrabel Violated The Athletic’s Newsroom Standards

Marvel superstar Mark Ruffalo is facing after slamming Paramount’s massive $111B merger, accusing executives of fueling genocide through tech tied to Israel. Heavyweight producers and studio brass fired back, accusing Ruffalo of peddling “simple antisemitism” and hateful tropes about Jewish wealth. The furious actor blasted the claims as “appalling.”

: Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is facing fresh fury after campaign records revealed he Dan Bilzerian. Bilzerian made national headlines with vile, AI-fueled antisemitic attacks against his Republican primary opponent. The common link? Both candidates took tens of thousands from anti-Israel donors pushing to slash U.S. aid.

: Veteran diplomat Shahar Azani writes that the attack on an NBC News crew by Israeli settlers should be condemned, but so should the press’s fixation on West Bank violence. The “” approach deliberately feeds an anti-Israel pipeline that misinforms the public and fuels outrage, Azani argues.

“For generations, America has served as a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution. We urge you to ensure that, consistent with federal law and the security interests of the United States, that door remains open to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Canada who need it today.” – National Association of Christian Lawmakers in letter to President Trump.

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Lindsay Clancy’s reaction to the jury

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Views of the White House from Lafayette Square could soon be limited for good, as the Trump administration advances a security plan that would place a tall permanent fence around one of Washington, D.C.’s most recognizable and historically significant public parks.

The proposal, scheduled to go before the National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday, outlines a black metal barrier measuring roughly eight to 10 feet high surrounding the full eight-acre park, which sits directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

If built, the new Lafayette Square security fence would replace the mix of temporary fencing, bicycle racks, bollards and other protective measures that have been used at various times around the presidential complex.

According to The Washington Post, the plan also features large gates at the park’s key entry points, giving authorities the ability to shut down access to Lafayette Square whenever security concerns call for it.

The commission’s review was focused on the fence’s design and placement, rather than serving as a final green light for construction to begin.

The push came as Trump has faced an unprecedented series of threats to his personal security, including three assassination attempts.

He was targeted twice during the 2024 presidential campaign, including the July shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a separate alleged assassination attempt at his Florida golf course in September.

In April, a gunman opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, while Trump was present.

And security concerns were heightened again in May when Secret Service officers fatally shot a man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint.

Trump has since supported beefing up security around the White House and himself.

Asked about his support for the Secret Service’s security projects, Trump said last month: “It’s only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do.”

The White House has argued that the changes are necessary to strengthen security around the 18-acre White House complex while improving the appearance and functionality of the surrounding area.

“The White House and the Secret Service are always looking for ways to improve the security apparatus of the White House Complex,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Post, adding that Trump was “uniquely positioned” to advance the area toward a “21st century security posture.”

Secret Service spokesman Nathan Herring similarly said the proposed fencing and a planned White House visitors center would “enhance security” while maintaining public access.

The proposal came as Lafayette Square had already spent nearly eight months behind fencing.

The park was closed in January for an America 250 renovation project that the National Park Service originally expected to finish by May 31.

Yet by September, the fencing remained despite the renovation work reportedly having been completed weeks earlier, according to The Washington Post.

In July, Secret Service officials argued that permanent security infrastructure could make it easier to secure the park than repeatedly installing temporary barriers during major security events.

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The administration has also argued that the permanent gates would allow Lafayette Square to remain open under normal circumstances while giving officials the ability to quickly shut it down if a security threat emerged.

But critics have warned that making the infrastructure permanent could make it easier for the government to restrict access to a park that has long served as one of Washington’s most prominent locations for protests and demonstrations.

The current proposal was the latest chapter in a debate that has resurfaced repeatedly over whether the park should remain an open public gathering place or become part of the White House’s permanent security perimeter.

The idea of permanently fencing Lafayette Square was discussed during Trump’s first administration, particularly after protesters flooded the area during the George Floyd demonstrations in May and June 2020.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the White House following Floyd’s death, and temporary fencing and concrete barriers were erected around Lafayette Square as tensions escalated.

On June 1, federal law enforcement cleared protesters from the park shortly before Trump walked across the area to St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Trump had also been briefly taken to a secure underground bunker beneath the White House as protesters gathered outside the complex.

A tall fence went up around the northern edge of Lafayette Square the following day, with additional fencing and concrete barriers soon blocking access to the park and other nearby public spaces.

The park remained fenced for much of the following year before reopening in May 2021.

The history of fencing the park goes back much further.

Lafayette Square was enclosed by a wooden fence as early as 1826, followed by an iron fence in 1853.

That iron fence was removed in 1888 and 1889 and sent to Gettysburg for use at the national cemetery.

The Clinton administration later faced its own debate over White House security following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

President Bill Clinton closed Pennsylvania Avenue to vehicular traffic in front of the White House but deliberately kept it open to pedestrians.

“It should be seen as a responsible security step necessary to preserve our freedom, not part of a long-term restriction of our freedom,” Clinton said at the time.

Past administrations also considered more extensive fencing around the White House and Lafayette Square but ultimately resisted making the park’s security perimeter permanent because of concerns over public access.

The Obama administration, for example, moved to increase the height of the White House fence after a man scaled the existing barrier and entered the White House grounds. A 13-foot-high fence was ultimately installed during Trump’s first administration.

Now, more than a century after Lafayette Square’s last permanent perimeter fencing, Trump’s administration is once again proposing to enclose the entire park.

For preservationists, historians and civil liberties advocates, the question is no longer simply how to protect the president.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Cultural Landscape Foundation and Washington residents are expected to speak against the fencing proposal at Thursday’s National Capital Planning Commission meeting, warning that the changes could permanently alter both the historic landscape and the public’s ability to gather directly across from the White House.

Indian professionals seeking permanent residency in the United States are facing an almost unimaginable wait: up to 179 years for a green card, according to a new analysis, as tighter immigration processing policies and long-standing annual caps continue to strain the system.

The employment-based green card backlog has climbed to roughly 1.2 million people, the National Foundation for American Policy reported. Under federal immigration law, only 140,000 employment-based green cards can be issued each year, and no single country may receive more than 7% of the total.

That country-by-country limit has created especially severe delays for applicants from populous nations such as India and China, where demand for U.S. permanent residency far exceeds the number of green cards available annually.

The report found that a Chinese national applying in the EB-2 category — typically used by professionals with advanced degrees, including many workers with master’s degrees — could face an estimated wait of about 25 years.

For Indian professionals in the same immigration pipeline, the projected delay is far longer: 179 years, according to the National Foundation for American Policy, a Virginia-based nonprofit that researches immigration, trade and related economic policy.

Workers from the Philippines, meanwhile, have a wait of just a few months.

The longest wait times for coveted EB-1 green cards — reserved for those with “extraordinary ability” — sit around four to five years for Indian nationals and five years for applicants from China.

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The NFAP argues that the long wait times makes it harder for US-based employers to hire and retain foreign-born workers, and burdens immigrant families.

“Many Americans don’t realize how challenging it can be to immigrate legally to the United States, even for the most highly skilled and innovative people in the country,” Stuart Anderson, executive director of the NFAP, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“These are people who want to become Americans and are willing to wait years for the chance.”

For those holding temporary H-1B work visas, which are most often given to those in the tech sector, pending green card applications keep them mired in so-called “H-1B limbo,” requiring them to stay in specialty professions where their employer sponsors their application.

If an H-1B worker is laid off, they have just 60 days to find another job or leave the country, according to the outlet. The Trump administration says it intends to impose a $103,000 administrative fee for H-1B visa applications, complicating matters further as the federal government has curtailed the number of H-1B holders in the country.

Kevin Lynn, executive director of the D.C.-based Institute for Sound Policy, who opposes the H-1B visa system, claims the current setup allows US companies to hire foreign workers and pay them less than their US counterparts, arguing it negatively impacts American jobseekers.

“We don’t need these tech workers,” he told the Chronicle.

“These employment visa programs that have led to this logjam have negatively impacted American innovation and inventiveness. … If you don’t want to be in that backlog, don’t come to the United States, don’t participate. That’s a choice someone makes.”