In a surprising twist, San Francisco is emerging as a leader in reducing crime rates, despite its reputation as a progressive stronghold.

Last month, officials proudly announced that the city is experiencing its lowest crime levels in two decades. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins attributes this remarkable decline to the departure from her predecessors’ lenient approaches to crime.

Between 2024 and 2025, significant reductions were observed across all major crime categories: burglaries decreased by 26%, robberies by 23%, larceny theft by 22%, homicides by 15%, assaults by 13%, and motor vehicle thefts saw a significant drop of 44%, as reported by the San Francisco Police Department.

When compared to the same period in 2025, this year’s figures show a 35% decrease in car thefts, along with a 33% decline in both robbery and burglary incidents, and a 29% reduction in larceny theft, according to the data.

Jenkins’ achievements are particularly noteworthy when contrasted with 2022, during which Chesa Boudin served as the city’s district attorney. Under Jenkins’ leadership, larceny theft has plummeted by 68%, car thefts have fallen by 51%, homicides have decreased by 38%, and robberies have been reduced by 31%, as the data indicates.

“We know what happens when prosecutors refuse to do their jobs — we have seen those results and I will not let us go backwards,” said Jenkins, who was elected in 2023 after Boudin, who was backed by leftist Democratic kingmaker, billionaire George Soros.

In his two and a half years in office, Boudin deprioritized prosecutions for drug crimes, increased alternatives to jail such as drug treatment and restorative justice programs, and ended cash bail.

Boudin’s parents, Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert, were members of the leftist terrorist group the Weather Underground and were convicted of murder and robbery for their roles as getaway drivers in the 1981 Brink’s robber.

“Since taking office three years ago, my office has worked closely with San Francisco Police to drive crime down, by ensuring that those who break our laws and commit crimes are not only identified and arrested, but also prosecuted,” Jenkins told The Post

The San Francisco Police Department credits the turnaround to use of new technology like license plate readers, drones, and even “bait cars” — which are trap vehicles equipped with tracking devices, cameras, and occasionally remote locking or engine-disabling systems used to trick and capture car thieves.

It helps that Jenkins is actually going after the criminals, too.

In her first full year in office in 2023, Jenkins raised the city’s conviction rate from 37% in 2022 to nearly 43% in 2023 — the first such uptick in San Francisco in eight years, Mission Local reported.

She redoubled efforts from 2023 to 2024 when prosecutions for petty theft increased 156%, narcotics skyrocketed 709%, trespassing shot up 238% and other theft prosecutions rose 138%, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tourists said the city now feels safer.

“We visited San Fran a week ago. It was a huge improvement over the last time I was there around 5 years ago,” X poster Mark Fraas commented. “We saw few homeless and the streets were relatively clean. We never felt unsafe. The Tenderloin was the only area that we visited that looked rough.”

“Who would’ve thought? Enforcing laws + prosecuting repeat offenders actually reduces crime,”@unwiredtourist wrote on X.

Local Frank Noto, who has lived in the city since 1976 and co-founded the group Stop Crime SF in 2017, says San Francisco has got its groove back.

“The difference is very, very clear. Crime has gone down exponentially. One of the changes is we’ve got a new DA in town,” Noto said, adding, “The perception of public safety has improved a lot.”

“The other big difference in the very dramatic reduction of crime is the passage by the voters of Measure Eight…which allowed  for use of technology like speed cameras and license plate readers and especially the drones,” added the longtime local.

Even New Yorkers are impressed — and a bit jealous.

“Well, done, San Francisco. Asked your district attorney was possible because you have a recall mechanism, something we do not have here in New York. This is another reform. We desperately need here,” Maria Danzilo, who ran and lost against soft-on-crime Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in 2021, wrote on X.

Jenkins, who is up for reelection in 2029, isn’t resting on her laurels.

“There is still much more work to be done,” Jenkins said.

A Frontier Airlines aircraft narrowly avoided a serious collision with two trucks at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week. Unlike last month’s tragic incident in New York, where a plane crashed while landing, this situation unfolded on a taxiway as the plane was moving slowly.

The pilot, visibly shaken, communicated his alarm to the control tower, using an expletive to express the urgency of the situation. He reported having to brake suddenly to prevent an accident late Wednesday night. “It was real close. The closest I have ever seen,” he stated in audio shared by ATC.com.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported from this incident, which is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the agency, several vehicles crossed in front of the aircraft on a service road at approximately 11:25 p.m. that evening.

Frontier Airlines expressed gratitude for the crew’s quick thinking and professionalism in a statement following the incident.

In contrast, the March 22 incident involved an Air Canada plane carrying 76 passengers that collided with a fire truck during its landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, resulting in the tragic death of both pilots and injuries to numerous passengers.

In that crash, an air traffic controller cleared the fire truck to cross the runway less than 20 seconds beforehand. Then seconds later the controller frantically called for the fire truck to stop.

The incident in Los Angeles appears to have happened in an area of the airport where the planes are communicating with air traffic controllers about their movements, but ground vehicles are simply supposed to yield to any planes, which are typically moving only about 15 mph (24 kph). Airport officials didn’t respond immediately to questions about what happened and what procedures are in place to prevent collisions.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who was a longtime United Airlines pilot, said these kind of incidents happen daily on taxiways across the country, but don’t normally get any attention because the collision is avoided. The issue will undoubtedly get more attention now.

“Multiple incidents, accidents happening, just in March alone, I think it’s time to put some serious eyes on what’s going on on the ramp,” Arroyo said.

In Chicago, a significant shift in school instruction caught many parents off guard this week, stemming from a funding issue involving both Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Archdiocese.

Due to a shortage of federal funds, more than 800 students in Chicago are set to lose their specialized tutoring services. The exact party responsible for this funding lapse remains unclear.

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Javi Perez, a five-year-old who attends a Catholic school, relies on tutoring from specialists to support his autism diagnosis. This essential academic help has been funded by federal resources.

“It not only allows him to integrate with his regular class but also ensures he receives the necessary additional support,” explained Kinberlyn Esparza Perez, Javi’s mother.

Earlier this week, the family learned that the funding supporting the program had been exhausted. As a result, starting Monday, Javi will have no access to tutoring for the remainder of the year. Javi and his siblings have all been students at Saint Ann School in Pilsen.

While the funding for the instructional support services comes from the federal government, it is administered by Chicago Public Schools.

“We don’t run the program. We don’t receive the funds for the program,” Archdiocese school superintendent Greg Richmond said. “We try to stay in touch with CPS to be helpful and know what’s going on.”

Richmond says the cost for the program for the two months until the end of the school year is about $1.2 million. It affects 833 students who will lose their special instruction.

The Archdiocese says CPS is singling them out by cutting their funding, but not other private schools. But CPS says in a statement that it is the archdiocese that has overspent the funds budgeted for the program.

In a statement CPS sas, “Throughout the current fiscal year, District officials repeatedly alerted Catholic school administrators that their spending trajectory was outpacing the funding allocation; they were on track to exhaust their allocated share of federal funds before the end of the school year.”

“They told us March 25,” Richmond said. “The services would continue through the end of the year. And then out of the blue we were told they were ending today.”

Meanwhile, Kinberlyn says the tutoring makes it possible for Javi to be in a regular classroom. She says now going to be difficult for her son to finish the school year.

“I believe it’s going to have a big impact on his learning, his behavior. So it’s very concerning,” she said.

Archdiocese officials say they are prepared to do what they need to do to try to restore funding, and if necessary, that means going to court.

Newly released video captures the Artemis II astronauts grappling to find their footing after an intense re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of their groundbreaking lunar mission.

The spacecraft blazed through the atmosphere at astonishing speeds of up to 25,000 miles per hour before executing a precise landing near San Diego, California, at 8:07 p.m. ET.

The mission’s crew—comprised of NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—completed a ten-day journey that took them around the moon and farther into space than any human has ventured before.

NASA declared the Artemis II mission an unequivocal triumph, as the capsule touched down exactly as planned, fulfilling all mission objectives.

After being retrieved from the Orion crew module and airlifted to the USS John P. Murtha, the pioneering astronauts were met with jubilant applause from those aboard the ship.

But as they exited the choppers, it was clear they struggled to walk normally due to their time spent in microgravity.

All four members of the team were supported by a person on each side, while a third assistant pushed a wheelchair behind them in case it was needed.

While a couple of the astronauts appeared to lean more heavily on the support than others, no wheelchair was required and one even walked unaided, waving triumphantly at staff on the ship.

All four members of the Artemis II crew were supported by a person on each side, while a third assistant pushed a wheelchair behind them in case it was needed, after arriving back from their moon mission

Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, is supported to walk as she arrives aboard USS John P Murtha

Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P Murtha

The astronauts were all able to walk under their own power, but struggled with balance and appeared to stagger slightly

Astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P Murtha

The crew appeared unsteady on their feet and staggered from the helicopters as their bodies adjusted to Earth’s gravitational pull after a little over nine days in space.

But reassuringly for the world to see, all were able to proceed under their own power. 

Previous space flights, including the ten-month saga of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, required medical personnel to carry the astronauts because they were unable to walk well from their time in microgravity. 

The longer someone spends in space, the harder it is for their brain to readapt to gravity upon their return to Earth.

In the first few hours, astronauts typically experience dizziness and even fainting spells, as well as balance issues and problems walking.

This is compounded by astronauts seeing their feet becoming more sensitive due to days spent without standing.

As the vestibular system – that of the inner ear – has become used to relative weightlessness, they also become nauseous, have motion sickness and a loss of sense of their limbs.

Longer term impacts including muscle mass and bone density loss are less likely to affect the Artemis II crew due to their relatively short time away from Earth. 

Victor Glover, left and Jeremy Hansen, right, after they and fellow crewmates were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown

Victor Glover, left, and Christina Koch, right, after successfully splashing down following their historic moon mission

Pilot Victor Glover is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha 

Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 after a ‘perfect’ reentry, according to NASA officials

Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch were seen waving and hugging NASA chief Jared Isaacman after being pulled from the water

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the moon mission ‘perfect’ and declared America’s intention to begin the work on a successful moon landing and construction of a lunar base by 2028.

Isaacman said: ‘We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This is just the beginning.’

Following their recovery from the Orion crew module and transfer to the naval vessel John P Murtha, the astronauts were seen in good spirits, waving to cameras and hugging Isaacman before heading for a standard medical checkup after the flight.

The voyage home started just after 7.30pm ET Friday night, with the Orion crew module blasting away from the spacecraft’s service module.

The separation exposed the craft’s heat shield, which protected the four-member crew as they plunged through Earth’s atmosphere, experiencing temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the capsule angled in for the perfect trajectory into the atmosphere, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft for six minutes just before 8pm as Orion collided with the upper atmosphere, causing what scientists called a ‘plasma buildup.’

Once the radio blackout cleared as planned, Orion successfully deployed its parachutes and safely landed in the Pacific without incident.

A slight communications glitch between the astronauts waiting in the water and the US Navy recovery teams delayed the crew’s exit from the craft, but once flight surgeons were able to board the capsule, they were able to give all four astronauts a clean bill of health.

Dr Lori Glaze, NASA’s deputy administrator, said her team was ‘thrilled’ to have the four astronauts home safely.

‘We accomplished what we set out to do,’ added Shawn Quinn, manager of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program. ‘It’s good to be NASA, and it’s good to be an American today.’

President Donald Trump added his congratulations Friday night and invited the crew to the White House, posting on Truth Social: ‘I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!’

Pictured: US Navy recovery crews arrived at the Orion space capsule minutes after the pod landed in the Pacific at 8.07pm ET

US Navy personnel work to recover the NASA Orion capsule which returned the Artemis II crew to Earth

Pictured: The NASA Artemis II crew, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover

Pictured: The Artemis II spacecraft seen returning to Earth from its ten-day mission to circle the moon and break the distance record for human space flight

The Artemis II mission began back on April 1 with a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A day later, the crew set off on a four-day trip to the moon, where they would travel around the dark side and break the decades-old record of Apollo 13 for the farthest distance from Earth humans have ever travelled.

While the Apollo crew travelled 248,655 miles from Earth in 1970, Artemis II reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles on day six of their mission.

While conducting their lunar flyby, the astronauts also named two new craters discovered on the lunar surface, including naming one after the late wife of Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman, Carroll.

Amit Kshatriya, the associate administrator of NASA, said Artemis II was the ‘most important human space exploration mission in decades’.

‘Hopefully, history is kind to us,’ he added.

NASA administrators confirmed that the Artemis II flight crew was ‘happy and healthy’ Friday night. They added that the astronauts would be headed to the NASA space center in Houston on Saturday before spending time with their families.

The space agency’s focus will now turn to reviewing the data from Artemis II before beginning on the plans for Artemis III, which will also involve a lunar flyby but no landing.

Currently, NASA’s revamped plan for the moon includes sending an additional space flight, Artemis IV, as soon as 2028. That mission is expected to land on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.

According to Isaacman, that mission will also begin the work of building a permanent US moon base which will facilitate future human space travel and a manned mission to Mars.

In a significant development, French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were freed by Iran on Tuesday, marking the end of “three and a half years of detention,” as announced by President Emmanuel Macron.

The couple, apprehended in May 2022 during a visit to Iran, faced accusations from Iranian state media of espionage aimed at inciting unrest, as reported by Reuters. France had consistently described these allegations and their detention as baseless and unjustified.

“Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are now free and en route to French soil after enduring three and a half years in Iranian detention. This is a great relief to us all, especially their families,” Macron expressed on X.

He further extended his gratitude, saying, “Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts, to the State services, and to the citizens who tirelessly mobilized to ensure their return.”

A woman walks past posters of Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens held in Iran, during support rallies outside the National Assembly in Paris on May 7, 2025, marking their three-year detention and demanding their release. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)

The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran described Kohler as the head of a federation of teachers unions in France, with Paris being her partner. 

France’s foreign ministry said last May that Kohler and Paris were being detained as “state hostages by the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference on July 10, 2025, in London, England. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

“They are being held in shameful conditions and have been able to receive only four consular visits, under very restrictive conditions,” the ministry said at the time. 

Iranian authorities freed the pair from prison in November but didn’t let them leave the country, according to The Associated Press.

Noemie Kohler, sister of Cecile Kohler, and Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques Paris, attend a press conference in Paris, France, on June 27, 2025. Both are relatives of French citizens held in Iran. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

French officials said they were then being kept safe at the French Embassy in Tehran, until their departure from Iran on Tuesday. 

The Artemis II mission team from NASA has triumphantly concluded their groundbreaking lunar journey, as the Orion spacecraft made its dramatic return to Earth on Friday night. The spacecraft marked its re-entry with a spectacular descent through Earth’s atmosphere.

Traveling at an astonishing speed of up to 25,000 miles per hour, the Orion capsule made its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego, California, at precisely 8:07 p.m. ET.

The mission featured a crew of four: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They completed an ambitious ten-day voyage that took them on a path around the moon, reaching distances farther into space than any humans have before.

NASA proudly reported the mission as an unqualified success, with the capsule landing spot-on in the pre-determined location as planned.

Jared Isaacman, NASA’s Administrator, lauded the mission as ‘perfect’ and emphasized the United States’ commitment to establishing a lunar base, aiming for a successful moon landing by 2028.

Isaacman said: ‘We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This is just the beginning.’

Following their recovery from the Orion crew module and transfer to the naval vessel John P Murtha, the astronauts were seen in good spirits, waving to cameras and hugging Isaacman before heading for a standard medical checkup after the flight.

All four astronauts were also able to walk under their own power. Previous space flights, including the ten-month saga of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, required medical personnel to carry the astronauts because they were unable to walk well from their time in microgravity.

Victor Glover, left, and Christina Koch, right, after successfully splashing down following their historic moon mission

Victor Glover, left and Jeremy Hansen, right, after they and fellow crewmates were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown

Pilot Victor Glover is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha 

Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 after a ‘perfect’ reentry, according to NASA officials

Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch were seen waving and hugging NASA chief Jared Isaacman after being pulled from the water

The voyage home started just after 7.30pm ET Friday night, with the Orion crew module blasting away from the spacecraft’s service module.

The separation exposed the craft’s heat shield, which protected the four-member crew as they plunged through Earth’s atmosphere, experiencing temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the capsule angled in for the perfect trajectory into the atmosphere, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft for six minutes just before 8pm as Orion collided with the upper atmosphere, causing what scientists called a ‘plasma buildup.’

Once the radio blackout cleared as planned, Orion successfully deployed its parachutes and safely landed in the Pacific without incident.

A slight communications glitch between the astronauts waiting in the water and the US Navy recovery teams delayed the crew’s exit from the craft, but once flight surgeons were able to board the capsule, they were able to give all four astronauts a clean bill of health.

Dr Lori Glaze, NASA’s deputy administrator, said her team was ‘thrilled’ to have the four astronauts home safely.

‘We accomplished what we set out to do,’ added Shawn Quinn, manager of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program. ‘It’s good to be NASA, and it’s good to be an American today.’

President Donald Trump added his congratulations Friday night and invited the crew to the White House, posting on Truth Social: ‘I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!’

Pictured: US Navy recovery crews arrived at the Orion space capsule minutes after the pod landed in the Pacific at 8.07pm ET

Pictured: The NASA Artemis II crew, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover

The Artemis II mission began back on April 1 with a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A day later, the crew set off on a four-day trip to the moon, where they would travel around the dark side and break the decades-old record of Apollo 13 for the farthest distance from Earth humans have ever traveled.

While the Apollo crew travelled 248,655 miles from Earth in 1970, Artemis II reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles on day six of their mission.

While conducting their lunar flyby, the astronauts also named two new craters discovered on the lunar surface, including naming one after the late wife of Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman, Carroll.

Amit Kshatriya, the associate administrator of NASA, said Artemis II was the ‘most important human space exploration mission in decades.’

‘Hopefully, history is kind to us,’ he added.

Pictured: The Artemis II spacecraft seen returning to Earth from its ten-day mission to circle the moon and break the distance record for human space flight

NASA administrators confirmed that the Artemis II flight crew was ‘happy and healthy’ Friday night. They added that the astronauts would be headed to the NASA space center in Houston on Saturday before spending time with their families.

The space agency’s focus will now turn to reviewing the data from Artemis II before beginning on the plans for Artemis III, which will also involve a lunar flyby but no landing.

Currently, NASA’s revamped plan for the moon includes sending an additional space flight, Artemis IV, as soon as 2028. That mission is expected to land on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.

According to Isaacman, that mission will also begin the work of building a permanent US moon base which will facilitate future human space travel and a manned mission to Mars.