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Colin P. Clarke: How jihadist groups are using the Israel-Hamas war to inspire and recruit lone wolf extremists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

It didn’t take long after the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7 for terrorist groups to flood the internet with praise for the killings. The next step for entities such as al-Qaida and Islamic State is to capitalize on raging antisemitism to fuel homegrown violent extremist attacks in the West, perpetrated by lone wolves and small cells of jihadist sympathizers. All cities and nations should be bracing for that.Despite historical enmity between Hamas and the jihadist groups with broader ambitions, numerous al-Qaida-linked groups heaped praise upon Hamas, while also taking the opportunity to celebrate the death of Israelis.Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, an al-Qaida offshoot, celebrated the Oct. 7 attack, saying it “exposed the cowardice of Israeli soldiers.” Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen praised Hamas’ actions and spoke about the “myth” of Israeli military might, prodding its supporters in the Muslim world to harness the momentum ...

Leonard Greene: MLK rightly said Israel has a right to exist, but it’s not anti-Semitic to seek peace in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Usually, when Martin Luther King’s words are misappropriated, the culprits are misinformation mercenaries trying to advance some right-wing idea that is light years away from King’s ideology,Their favorite is King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, in which King said people should be judged by “the content of their character” and not “the color of their skin,” poetic phrases perversely twisted to pretend that King would have fought against something as righteous as affirmative action.So when video of King surfaced online last week denouncing antisemitism and backing Israel’s right to exist, the source and the timing put a lot of people on edge.For weeks, after the terrorist group Hamas launched a bloody attack against Israel, comedian Amy Schumer has expressed support for Israel’s retaliation effort, and has even hinted that calls for a ceasefire are antisemitic.Her social media posts included a video of King standing up for ...

Bobby Ghosh: No, Gazans can’t just rise up against Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

“They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog ought to know better than to have said that. But those who don’t — those who had no call to pay attention to Palestinian politics until a month ago — might be forgiven for asking why Hamas has never faced a serious uprising from within their Gazan redoubt in the 17 years it has ruled the strip.That it has not allows some, in Israel and elsewhere, to suggest that the majority of the 2.3 million Palestinians who are confined to the 139 square miles of Gaza must approve of the terrorist group’s actions, including the horrific attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. To follow this line of reasoning is to conclude that all Gazans are complicit in terror. “It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible,” Herzog told reporters a few days after the attack. “This rhetoric about civ...

Parental rights group scores victories but falls short in a number of metro school board races v. union-endorsed candidates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Metro school board candidates backed by a parental rights group clinched some victories in Tuesday’s elections, but most faltered in the face of a large slate of union-supported candidates in competitive suburban races.About a quarter of the 44 candidates backed by Minnesota Parents Alliance prevailed, and they won a 5-2 majority on the Hastings School Board. They also won two seats in highly competitive races for the Anoka-Hennepin School Board, meaning three of six members of that body are now supported by the group.The MPA also had members elected in South Washington County, Minnetonka, Spring Lake Park, Hopkins, and Wayzata.But candidates backed by the state teachers’ union, Education Minnesota, won the vast majority of their races Tuesday night. Of the 53 union-endorsed candidates, 85% won the seats they competed for, according to union president Denise Specht.“I think what it says really is Minnesota voters want public schools where children have the freedom to read age approp...

11/8/23: Improvements Thursday Afternoon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Latest Forecast Update from Meteorologists Steve Caporizzo, Rob Lindenmuth & Kevin Appleby:A chilly afternoon across the Capital Region as clouds raced in early this afternoon which helped to hold temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s. Cold air is in place for some wintry mix overnight tonight, winter weather advisories for areas outside the Hudson Valley for minor snow accumulations along with some sleet and up to a glaze of freezing rain.The storm system responsible for bringing the wintery weather is back to the west and will be tracking into the Great Lakes overnight tonight. As it does this it will push a band of moisture into the region. A brief period of sleet and some snow will be possible overnight tonight, but temperatures will rise overnight behind a warm front and will change any moisture back to rain by Thursday morning. Drier air will move in for the second part of Thursday and into early Friday with some sunshine possibly by Thursday late afternoon. This sunsh...

Klay Thompson on Nuggets’ 2023 NBA playoff run: “That’s pretty dominant”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Before the NBA’s two most recent champions clashed for the first time of the 2023-24 season, Klay Thompson paid his respects to the team that dethroned his Warriors.The four-time champion Golden State guard, asked if he was surprised by the Nuggets’ 16-4 playoff record last season, marveled, “that’s pretty dominant.”Thompson would know a thing or two about dominant championship runs. The Warriors set an all-time standard by going 16-1 in 2016-17, then they went 16-5 in the playoffs to repeat the next season. Even the 2021-22 Golden State team, regarded as far weaker than the franchise’s other title-winning rosters, went 16-6 and never played an elimination game.“Yeah, it was surprising the way (the Nuggets) swept the Lakers,” Thompson said. “But give them credit. They have a great team. Nikola (Jokic) is a great player. … Jamal (Murray) had an incredible run in the playoffs. The whole team did, really. They all knew their r...

Colorado Department of Transportation project aims to reduce I-70 closures near the tunnels this winter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Every hour the Interstate 70 mountain corridor is closed the state’s economy takes an almost $2 million hit, according to Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew.Related ArticlesTransportation | I-70 westbound reopened at Vail Pass Summit after crash closed roadway Transportation | Eastbound I-70 reopens at Floyd Hill after sun glare closure Transportation | I-70 in Aurora reopened after man seen in median “with a gun” taken into custody Transportation | Potential for Floyd Hill sun glare closures on eastbound I-70 resumes Transportation | I-70 eastbound reopens in Wheat Ridge after late-night crash But that’s only part of the reason why the opening of a new, updated operations center at the Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnels — where I-70 crosses beneath the Continental Divide — is so important to the transportation department as winter approaches.“Not onl...

Tarzana home linked to woman's torso found in dumpster: LAPD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

The gruesome discovery of a woman's torso in a dumpster led detectives to a home in Tarzana Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.A man scavenging for recyclables discovered the woman’s remains at about 6:15 a.m. in a parking lot near Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue in nearby Encino, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.“Officers responded and they were able to verify that there were human remains inside a black [plastic] bag,” said LAPD homicide detective Efren Guttierez.Only a torso was found with no other body parts. The black bag had been placed inside a duffel bag and tossed into the dumpster, police said. “If a murder suspect is dismembering a body, it’s to delay identification,” said Guttierez.A woman's torso was found in a dumpster in Encino in Nov. 8, 2023. (KTLA)Detectives are seen at a home on Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana on Nov. 8, 2023. Detectives are seen at a home on Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana on Nov. 8, 2023. A woman's torso was found in a dumpster...

Teens allegedly sex trafficked through San Bernardino County massage parlor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

Three suspects were charged with allegedly running a sex trafficking ring involving teen girls out of a San Bernardino County massage parlor.The trio are accused of trafficking teen girls to “engage in commercial sexual activities” at Ace Care Massage Parlor in Redlands, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.The suspects were identified as:-Ji Ryang Chae, 54, a.k.a. “Chae Yu” and “BB” - The parlor’s manager and a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado-Jasmine Dakota Beverly, 24, a.k.a. “Bbybegirl” - The manager-in-training at Ace Care. Currently lives in Costa Mesa-Earnest Akindele Teamer, 26, a.k.a. “Scooby,” “Splash,” and “$koobystacks” - Acted as a recruiter for Ace Care. Lives in RedlandsBeverly would allegedly provide transportation to two victims – a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl.As recruiters, Beverly allegedly took $10 from the 15-year-old girl for each customer she saw while Teamer allegedly took $200 per week from that victim.Three suspects were charged with al...

California has been declared drought-free for the first time in years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:37 GMT

California has been declared drought-free after the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows most of the Golden State is free from any drought classification.Drought conditions across the state have retreated after last year’s winter season brought heavy rain and historic snowfall to multiple regions. Tropical Storm Hilary brought even more rain during the summer. Humans to blame for about 90% of wildfire ignitions, report finds About 94% of the state is free from any drought classification, data released on Nov. 2 shows.Siskiyou, Modoc and Del Norte counties in Northern California are still classified as “abnormally dry,” the U.S. Drought Monitor’s least severe classification. Small portions of Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties have the same classification.The "abnormally dry" classification indicates that a region is "going into or coming out of a drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.No area in the Golden State is considered to be in an “extreme...