– 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.

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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.”

A newly reported 911 call placed shortly after a 5-year-old girl with autism vanished from a South Carolina rental home records her father telling dispatchers she was missing and that he needed to search the water nearby.

The extensive search for Saylor Hayes came to a tragic end Monday when authorities recovered her body from waters near Pawleys Island, South Carolina. One day later, her parents were taken into custody in Tennessee.

According to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested Tuesday evening in Tennessee and booked into the Carter County Jail on fugitive-from-justice charges.

Under South Carolina law, the pair is accused of placing their daughter in danger or abandoning her.

John Hayes called 911 just before 11:40 a.m. Aug. 30 from a rental home on Old Waccamaw Drive in Pawleys Island.

“I need help,” Hayes told the dispatcher. “My little 4-year-old, 5-year-old girl, she’s very autistic, just escaped.”

Hayes described Saylor as white with brown hair and green eyes and said he thought she was wearing a bluish bathing suit. The dispatcher asked whether Saylor responded when called by name.

“She doesn’t talk,” Hayes said. “She’s nonverbal.”

“This is bad,” he later said. “This is real bad.”

Hayes said the family had been preparing to go to the beach and that Saylor had been buckled up in a vehicle. He said he went inside to get juice and other items before returning to find her gone.

“We had her in the car, buckled in,” Hayes said. “And I went inside to get her juice and some more stuff. And to leave, I came back out. She’s gone.”

As the call continued, Hayes began searching the property and said he needed to check the water.

“Yeah, I need to go look at the water,” he said. “I’ve got to look around. I’ve got to find her.”

Georgetown County dispatch records show a deputy arrived within minutes. Dispatchers noted that the caller was near water and later recorded that Hayes was searching the house because he could not stay on the phone while looking for Saylor.

The records show officials also sought information about a Project Lifesaver tracking device. A caller reported that Saylor had the device, but Washington County, Virginia, had the code needed to use it. Dispatchers contacted Virginia authorities and worked to obtain the equipment and the device’s frequency.

Search crews also moved quickly into the water. Dispatch notes say command was established outside the home with personnel watching the water. The response included a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources dive team, drones, a marine unit and a helicopter.

That early search activity is notable because arrest warrants allege that John Hayes and Geordyn Hayes directed search efforts toward a tracking device they knew Saylor was not wearing and away from a nearby body of water. The warrants allege the device had been removed before the family left Virginia.

The dispatch records do not establish what the parents knew about the device or what instructions they may have given searchers. They do show that law enforcement pursued both the tracking technology and the water during the initial response.

Saylor wandered from a rental home in the Hagley Estates community of Pawleys Island late Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office said. More than 200 residents searched nearby properties and guarded local docks while deputies, firefighters, state agents and other agencies joined the effort.

Department of Natural Resources agents found Saylor’s body at about 9:45 a.m. Monday in waters near where she was last seen, the sheriff’s office said. A later entry in the call-for-service record noted that the child had been found and directed DNR personnel to take her to the morgue.

The warrants do not state Saylor’s cause or manner of death.

The sheriff’s office said John and Geordyn Hayes will be returned to South Carolina after extradition proceedings.

Meghan Markle has honoured her “friend and mentor” Gloria Steinem, sharing a previously unseen photograph of Prince Archie with the late activist in her first social media post since returning to the UK.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, marked the “life and legacy” of the celebrated American journalist, who died yesterday aged 92, by posting three images of “GLO” on Instagram and reflecting on the close bond they had built over five years.

Among the pictures was a moment from 2020, when Meghan and Gloria sat down at the duchess’s Montecito home for what was described as a “historic backyard chat” about women’s rights and voter representation, after learning they lived just 45 minutes apart.

The sunlit image showed the pair seated in wooden deck chairs, deep in conversation, with Meghan’s much-loved beagle Guy — who died in 2025 — resting at her feet.

Meghan also included a framed photograph of Gloria with a barefoot Prince Archie, now seven, whose face was covered by a white heart, as she remembered the feminist icon for loving both Archie and Princess Lilibet “with her whole heart”.

In the picture, Gloria can be seen reaching over to Archie, who would have been around two at the time, during one of her visits to Meghan and Prince Harry’s mansion in California. 

The final photo was taken during Meghan’s trip to New York last March, as the Duchess shared her favourite memories with Gloria over the years – from ‘spending Thanksgiving’ together and ‘counselling me during hard times’. 

‘Publicly, we did interviews together, called young voters to encourage them to have their voices heard, attended award ceremonies, and brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable,’ Meghan wrote. 

‘But privately, she was even better than you would imagine – spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit.’ 

The mother-of-two also recalled her ‘very favourite story about GLO’ as she wrote: ‘She was out one day in NY, and a woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was).

‘Gloria replied: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is”.’

Renowned feminist activist and writer Gloria died peacefully at her home in New York City surrounded by ‘some of the many who loved her’, according to her and her foundation’s social media pages.

The co-founder and consulting editor of Ms Magazine championed the feminist movement from the Sixties onwards and inspired generations of women.

In 1963, she rose to fame after working as a Playboy bunny for 11 days undercover. Her two-part groundbreaking expose A Bunny’s Tale detailed the poor pay and sexist treatment that Playboy bunnies, originally waitstaff, endured.

Much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centres, at rallies and marches, with her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses adding to her recognisable presence.

The announcement on her social media this morning said: ‘Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her. Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.

‘Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour.’

‘Gloria loved the tradition of lighting signal fires on hills to light the way to the other side of the mountain. Lighting your own candle for Gloria makes you part of this global and celestial community circle.

‘In lieu of flowers, Gloria has asked that those wishing to honour her with a gift, may make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation.’

Gloria founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 with former US Representatives Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm and writer Betty Friedan, whose 1963 book The Feminine Mystique ushered in the second wave of feminism, 

The experience affected Gloria’s views on social injustice and marriage, which she believed robbed women of choices and many of their civil rights.

Among other groups, she also created the Coalition of Labour Union Women, the Women’s Media Centre, Voters for Choice, and the Ms. Foundation for Women.

In 2013, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour.

Meghan’s friendship with Gloria first blossomed when the pair sat down together to film a video on the Makers Women channel about women’s rights and voting rights. 

As the duo sat on wooden chairs in the garden during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Gloria opened the conversation by telling her pal: ‘Welcome home.’

The duchess responded that she was pleased to be back in the US ‘for so many reasons’.

When the conversation kicked off, Meghan praised Gloria for her decades of work in advancing women’s rights, saying that ‘people forget’ the amount of hard work activists like Gloria put in to improve the lives of future generations of women.

At one point, the pair were even joined by Meghan’s beloved dogs, black Labrador Pula, and rescue beagle Guy, who happily wandered into the camera shot during the chat, and lay down at the Duchess’s feet while she continued chatting with Gloria.

‘[The dog] wants to be on camera,’ Gloria joked while gesturing at Pula, who Meghan and Harry adopted together in 2018, shortly after they tied the knot. The Duchess of Sussex rescued Guy the beagle before she met Prince Harry and moved the pup to London with her back in 2017, leaving her other rescue dog – Bogart – behind.

The black-and-white clip – which was shot by filmmaker and photographer Matt Sayles – shows the two women sitting in the shade of a large tree, with a wooden table placed between their chairs, which appeared to have been spaced in order to comply with social distancing regulations.

She also did not attempt to hide her admiration for Gloria, gushing happily about how ‘great’ it was to be chatting with the famed feminist.

‘Today is a pretty great day, for me it’s a pretty great day,’ Meghan said to the activist, who shared her opinions about the 2020 election – and the importance of every vote – with the Duchess.

At the end of the chat, Gloria gifted Meghan with a bracelet which was engraved with the words: ‘We are linked, not ranked.’ Upon receiving it, Meghan said it ‘means everything to me on every level’.

While sharing the clip on Instagram, Makers Women described the conversation between the two women as a ‘historic backyard chat’, while sharing a few details about what Gloria and Meghan discussed.

Since this first meeting, Meghan and Gloria maintained a close friendship and gave a joint interview to Vogue US in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, putting abortion rights at risk for women around the US.

During the interview, the Duchess called on men to be more vocal about their anger at the decision to add their voices to the growing number of women who objected to the Supreme Court’s move. Meghan also revealed that her husband, Prince Harry, had been devastated by the decision.

A few weeks after the interview, Meghan and Gloria were spotted arm in arm as they left the swanky Crosby Hotel in Soho, New York after having lunch together.

As they said goodbye before Gloria hopped in a taxi, they shared a hug.

The political activist recruited Meghan in her fight to get Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment – a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex.

Speaking to People, just weeks before the Duke and Duchess’s $100 million Netflix docuseries landed, Gloria said of Meghan: ‘I’m not an expert on the media, but it seems to me that she is different from the picture of her in the media.

‘She’s smart and funny and devoted to social issues.’

 Steinem added that Meghan was a ‘great human being’.

Three years ago, Meghan received the Women of Vision award from Gloria, as she was pictured giving the feminist activist a warm hug before accepting the gong. 

Meghan also met up with Gloria during a visit to her home in New York last October. 

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Kim Zolciak’s 15-year-old son, KJ Biermann, is seeking release from juvenile detention, with his legal team pointing to his character, academic record, football success and reported scholarship opportunities.

An attorney for Biermann filed paperwork Wednesday in Fulton County Superior Court asking for a bond hearing. The teenager has been held at Atlanta’s Metro Regional Youth Detention Center since his Aug. 17 arrest on charges of aggravated sodomy and aggravated sexual battery.

“The accused turned fifteen years old in May. He is a high school student in good standing who has demonstrated strong academic achievement and regularly participates in extracurricular and community-based activities,” the lawyer wrote in the filing, which was obtained Thursday by Page Six.

The filing also highlighted Biermann’s athletic background, stating, “He is an accomplished football player who has received scholarship offers based upon his athletic ability.”

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His attorney further argued that Biermann has “substantial” roots in his “family and community,” noting that he “maintains a home and relationship” with both his mother, Zolciak, 48, and his father, Kroy Biermann, 40.

He also has “five siblings” as well as “an established community of extended family, friends, coaches, teachers, and others who remain actively involved in his life and continue to support him and his family during the pendency of these serious allegations.”

According to the attorney, the aforementioned “are not merely favorable attributes” but rather “ties that [KJ] to his home, his school, his family, and this community,” providing “structure, supervision, accountability, and compelling reasons for him to remain here and comply with every condition imposed by this Court.”

This story is developing…