The Simon Wiesenthal Center has released its annual list of the worst anti-Semitic statements or actions of the past year and Iran’s Supreme Leader is at the top of the list.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel was the “rabid dog” of the Middle East and that “its leaders look like beasts and cannot be called human.” The anti-Semitic rhetoric continued as the U.S. was conducting secret talks with Iran over that country’s nuclear program.
Others on the list included the American Studies Association which voted to called for a boycott of Israel because of their refusal to give away their land for a Palestinian state while refusing to acknowledge terrorism against Israel by Palestinian groups.
An American school district also made the list. Pine Bush School District in New York has reportedly taken no steps to stop abuse of Jewish students which included their being forced to dive into garbage cans to retrieve coins, the beating of a Jewish boy with a hockey stick and a Jewish girl who was held down and had a swastika drawn on her face.
A New York police officer is being hailed after literally giving the shirt off his back.
Officer Carlos Ramos, a member of the NYPD transit bureau’s anti-terrorism unit, was searching for suspicious packages or activity in Manhattan when he found a homeless man shivering and ripping up his T-shirt to wrap his bare feet.
The man, Robert William, had gotten his boots wet on a morning with temperatures well below freezing.
Ramos took off his sweatshirt and handed it to the man so he could warm up. Police officials say it’s not the first time the 29-year-old has taken extra steps to help those in need in the community.
“I’ve helped out other people, especially when it’s cold,” Officer Ramos told the New York Daily News. “A nice cup of coffee, a tea, whatever seems appropriate… always wanted to help those that need help, protect the city, protect the country.”
The site of 2014’s Super Bowl will have security that could remind visitors of a militarized zone.
The New York Police Department announced huge security measures that will surround the NFL’s biggest game of the year. Parking at the stadium will be limited to people who apply for a parking permit and get approved in advance. No one will be allowed to walk into the area of the Super Bowl. If you are not approved for a parking permit, you will have to ride an official transportation vehicle approved by the NYPD.
Helicopters with radiation detectors will be flying around and scanning the area before, during and after the game. The helicopters will also patrol the area of the stadium and New York during the week prior to the game.
Counter terrorism cars with 360 degree cameras, bomb dogs and video cameras mounted on buildings and electrical poles will be monitored 24/7.
The NYPD will also lock down Times Square, prohibiting auto traffic for the week before the game. Portions of Broadway and 41st street will be blocked off as well.
Six people were arrested and charged Monday for stealing $45 million in a worldwide ATM heist.
The five men and one woman were accused of being members of an international cybercriminal organization that targeted prepaid debit cards issued by Middle Eastern banks. They deleted withdrawal limits from compromised accounts then sent teams of “cashers” to make synchronized withdrawals from ATMs worldwide. The six that were arrested visited over 140 ATMs in New York City and withdrew approximately $2.8 million.
“This case is another example of the ability of cybercriminals to inflict significant damage to world financial systems,” said Steven Hughes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service New York field office.
Five of the defendants have pleaded not guilty in federal court. The sixth defendant is expected to be arraigned Tuesday. Each person faces up to 7.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
At least six people are confirmed dead after a Sunday outbreak of tornadoes across the Midwest.
The town of Washington, Illinois was devastated by a massive tornado that tore an 1/8th mile wide track through the entire town. Mayor Gary Manier said that up to 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed and that some neighborhoods are completely destroyed.
“How people survived is beyond me,” Manier said.
The tornadic storms are considered unusual for mid-November. Damaging winds and tornadoes were reported in 12 states: Michigan, Iowa, Illnois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
The storms moved so fast at times that weather forecasters were warning people to see shelter even before they could see a change in the weather.
The storm threatened the Chicago area forcing the game between the NFL’s Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens to be delayed for two hours as teams and spectators huddled under the stadium.
Newly elected New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says that he is going to target pro-life crisis pregnancy centers saying they are “sham” centers because they do not kill babies via abortion.
De Blasio also promised to partner with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to expand services and increase the number of abortions taking place in New York City.
He even said that he would offer city sponsored space for abortionists to open clinics.
De Blasio also said he would continue to appeal a court order striking down a law aimed at driving any pregnancy care center out of the city. He said if the appeal fails, he will create new laws aimed at preventing any center that does not provide abortions as being a legitimate health care provider.
He also said all doctors in the city will be forced to perform abortions as part of their training and will not be allowed to object on religious grounds.
The Supreme Court is considering a case that involves prayers at the opening of government meetings.
An anti-Christianist in Greece, New York sued the town because they had opened their meetings with prayers that the resident considered “overtly Christian.” They claimed that the prayers violated their Constitutional right to not hear prayers.
A federal appears court ruled the city was violating the Constitution. Observers at the court noted the questions and tone of the judges indicated the Court would likely not agree with the lower court’s ruling as it stands.
The case has surprised some observers in that along with the usual social and religious conservative groups backing the town’s position what they’re doing is legal, the Obama administration has joined in support of the town.
The potentially decisive vote in the case, analysts believe, could be Justice Anthony Kennedy who seemed dissatisfied with the positions of both the town and the resident.
The New York City council has taken steps to raise the age for someone to purchase cigarettes to the same level as those wanting to purchase alcohol.
The bill’s sponsor, City Councilman James Gennaro, said that the move by the Council will “save many, many lives.” Gennaro’s father and mother died from tobacco-related illnesses.
Critics of the measure say that teenagers will turn to the black market to get cigarettes.
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has expressed his support of the bill and has 30 days to sign it. The measure would enter into law 180 days after the mayor’s signature.
“We know that tobacco dependence can begin very soon after a young person first tries smoking so it’s critical that we stop young people from smoking before they ever start,” Bloomberg wrote in a statement.
An accused al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Anas al-Liby has been brought to New York to face charges.
Al-Liby, whose real name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, was questioned on a Navy ship while being transported to New York. He is facing charges connected to bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Over 220 people were killed in the two terrorist attacks.
Al-Liby has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for over a decade and had a $5 million bounty on his head.
U.S. prosecutors have evidence stretching back decades of al-Liby’s work conducting surveillance of terrorist targets and planning attacks on Western targets in Africa.
Al-Liby was captured by U.S. special forces in a raid inside Libya on October 5th.