News of the World
11-30-2025, 12:57 AM
USA
Quote:An Afghan national admitted to the United States under President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome resettlement program was arrested this week after posting a TikTok video in which he appeared to be building a bomb and referenced Fort Worth as a target, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLauglin reported the arrest of Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, saying he allegedly posted a video on TikTok threatening to blow up a building in Fort Worth, Texas, area with a bomb. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force teamed up to make the arrest on charges of making terroristic threats.
Alokozay is an Afghan national who was pardoned into the U.S. by the Biden administration. His arrest came one day prior to the vicious attack on two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. by another Afghan national.
WFAA ABC6 in Dallas reported that Alokozy was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on November 25.
On November 28, President Donald Trump declared he was going to end all migration from Third World countries, Breitbart Texas reported. Trump’s action came in response to the assassination of West Virginia National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and the wounding of Guardsman Andrew Wolfe.
“This heinous assault was an act of evil, and an act of hatred, and an act of terror,” Trump said in a video on Thanksgiving night. “It was an act against our entire nation; it was a crime against humanity.”
“This attack underscores the single-greatest national security threat facing our nation,” the president continued. “We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary action to remove any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
“We’re not going to put up with these kinds of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country,” Trump added.
In a Truth Social post on Thanksgiving, Trump stated that his administration will “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
“These goals will be pursued with the aim of achieving a major reduction in illegal and disruptive populations, including those admitted through an unauthorized and illegal Autopen approval process. Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” he concluded.
Quote:The White House blasted Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) after the prominent Democrat tried to blame President Trump for the shooting of two National Guard members in DC this week — noting it was the policies of the previous administration which allowed the alleged shooter into the country.
Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal ambushed West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe Wednesday, mortally wounding Beckstrom, 20, and leaving Wolfe, 24, critically injured, authorities said.
“This animal would’ve never been here if not for Joe Biden’s dangerous policies which allowed countless unvetted criminals to invade our country and harm the American people,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Post of suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
“The Trump Administration is taking every measure possible – in the face of unrelenting Democrat opposition – to get these monsters out of our country and clean up the mess made by the Biden Administration. Instead of defending terrorists, the Democrats should join us in protecting the American people,” she fumed.
Lakanwal entered the United States as part of the Biden Administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, which brought tens of thousands of migrants from war-torn Afghanistan to the country after 2021.
Jackson’s blistering remarks came after Wasserman Schultz — a south Florida lawmaker who previously chaired the Democratic National Committee during Trump’s 2016 race against Hillary Clinton — slammed the president Friday during an appearance on CNN.
“The president looks everywhere excerpt inward to blame his own policies. We need to make sure that we don’t have our military deployed in our cities handling law enforcement responsibilities,” she said.
The shooting “begs the question, would an individual have flown across the country to target law enforcement officers in Washington, DC? And, I mean, the answer is likely no. So, why wasn‘t the president‘s first thought, ‘Wow, you know, maybe I should reconsider deploying military troops in the nation‘s capital or in any city?’” she told host Sara Sidner.
“Particularly not when they haven‘t coordinated closely with the leadership of these cities and when we have law enforcement that are quite capable of handling the criminal justice issues that are — that we need law enforcement to focus on, and not our military.”
Authorities have said Lakanwal drove to DC from Bellingham, Washington to carry out the shooting, but have revealed little about his motive. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said he fought alongside US forces in Afghanistan.
Quote:The brother of alleged DC gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal was a platoon leader in the same elite CIA-backed “Zero Unit” as his sibling, an ex-official in that squad said Thursday.
Lakanwal, 29, and his brother both served in the southern province of Kandahar, said a resident of the eastern province of Khost who identified himself as a cousin of the accused shooter, according to The Associated Press.
While Lakanwal began as a security guard for the unit in 2012, he later ascended to a team leader and GPS specialist, said the cousin who did not want to be publicly identified.
The former official from the unit, who also did not want to be identified, said Lakanwal’s brother was a platoon leader, AP reported.
Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News Lakanwal has a brother in the United States.
He has not been officially identified and has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Lakanwal came to the US with his wife and five kids during the hasty withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
Lakanwal, who relocated to Washington state, allegedly drove across the country to Washington, DC, where he opened fire on two West Virginia National Guard members, killing Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounding Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, according to authorities.
The suspect was shot and wounded when another National Guard member returned fire. He’s facing first-degree murder and related federal charges.
The Zero Unit that Lakanwal was in received backing from the CIA and was involved in clandestine operations during the war in Afghanistan.
While known for covert missions, the paramilitary units also faced allegations of human rights abuses and were dubbed by activists as “Death Squads.”
Quote:More than 5,000 Afghans brought to the US after American forces withdrew from the country got flagged for “national security” issues, Department of Homeland Security data obtained by The Post reveals.
In all, the feds uncovered “potential derogatory information” on a total of 6,868 people who came from Afghanistan as part of President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
Of that number, 5,005 came up with a national security concern, while 956 people had “public safety” concerns and 876 were flagged for fraud, according to the data.
DHS provided the information to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after he posed a series of questions to the Homeland Security Department in May 2024.
While various US agencies were able to resolve many of the red flags, as of September there were still 885 people with potentially negative national security information – posing a possible threat.
Following Wednesday’s shocking ambush of two National Guards members in Washington DC, President Trump ordered a review of security and vetting protocols for migrants from 19 “high-risk” countries, along with all asylum cases approved by the prior administration.
The startling data comes to light just days after suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly killed National Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, hospitalized in critical condition.
For years, Grassley has been pressing the FBI and DHS about “glaring red flags” in the program that brought more than 70,000 Afghans to the US following the botched 2021 troop withdrawal.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided the information in a Sept. 9 letter to the lawmaker, three days after the agency’s Inspector General reported it found DHS “encountered obstacles to screen, vet and inspect all evacuees.”
“I spent years calling attention to the weak vetting standards in Operation Allies Welcome, despite considerable pushback from the Biden administration and many of my colleagues in Congress,” Grassley told The Post.
“Sadly, this past week’s tragedy in Washington only validates my concerns further. I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to respond to my oversight and restore order in the wake of the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos that followed,” he said.
Another Department of Homeland Security IG report found the agency had a “fragmented process” for dealing with potential security risks in the program.
Quote:WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday night that it is seeking to pause 2.2 million pending asylum cases in response to an Afghan asylee’s Thanksgiving eve attack on National Guard members near the White House.
The announcement follows the Trump administration launching a review of more than 720,000 current green-card holders from 19 “countries of concern” — after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, fatally gunned down Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the White House.
Lakanwal, evacuated from Afghanistan in 2001 after working with the CIA as part of a “Zero Unit,” was granted asylum in April — which would have made him eligible for a green card 12 months later.
The State Department on Friday also paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports “in the wake of a horrific terror attack against the National Guard.”
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans and has launched a whole-of-government effort to defend America’s national security,” Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson, said.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said on X that his agency “has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
It was not immediately clear how the pronouncement would impact people arriving at ports of entry claiming persecution in their homelands, or people with pending court dates before immigration judges, who make decisions on their claims.
Edlow previously announced Thursday that “[a]t the direction of [Trump], I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
Trump, who did not immediately release his own statement on either development, wrote Friday that “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”
A senior White House official told The Post that plans for the green-card review in particular are “being worked on,” with the “details under discussion.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear if a particular nation will be prioritized for scrutiny — or if the green-card holders will be asked to sit for interviews.
Quote:President Donald Trump spoke with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro last week and discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing multiple people with knowledge of the matter.
The newspaper added that there were no plans at the moment for such a meeting, which – if it occurred – would be the first-ever encounter between the authoritarian Venezuelan leader and a US president.
The revelation of the phone call comes as Trump continues to use bellicose rhetoric toward Venezuela, while also entertaining the possibility of diplomacy.
Trump had previously indicated he would be open to speaking with Maduro, though the Times report indicates that such a conversation has already happened.
The Trump administration has described Maduro as an illegitimate leader, who leads a drug trafficking organization known as Cartel de los Soles, an allegation Caracas denies.
Many independent experts say that while narco-corruption in the Venezuelan government is a major issue, there is little proof of an organized grouping of officials that could be traditionally called a cartel.
Since early September, the US government has been bombing alleged drug boats originating in Venezuela and other Latin American nations, a practice that Democrats, scholars and human rights experts have described as extrajudicial executions.
On Thursday, Trump repeated his previous threats to begin bombing land-based targets.
“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” Trump told reporters.
Neither the White House nor the Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, responded to requests for comments.
White House officials have said that Trump does not see pursuing military and diplomatic tracks as mutually exclusive in Venezuela.
A major military buildup in the Caribbean has been underway for months, and Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in the South American nation.
On Sunday, Reuters reported that the US was about to enter a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, which could include the deployment of covert options.
Quote:President Trump is shutting down Venezuelan airspace “in its entirety” amid a surge in drug trafficking from the South American nation, he announced Saturday morning.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Trump wrote in a morning Truth Social post.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The measure comes just two days after the president said he would begin bombing land-based drug trafficking targets.
“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” Trump told reporters.
The US has been conducting a sea-focused campaign since September, bombing alleged drug boats originating in Venezuela and other Latin American nations.
Trump claims “poison” trafficking via sea has dropped by 85% since the bombings started, a practice Democrats, scholars and human rights experts have described as extrajudicial executions.
The administration has since carried out at least 21 fatal strikes on the boats.
In one such bombing, the US allegedly killed survivors after bombing a drug boat near Trinidad in a so-called “double tap” strike under orders from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to “kill everybody” — which the former Fox News contributor called “fake news.”
Trump spoke with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro last week and discussed a possible meeting between them — which would mark the first-ever encounter between the authoritarian Venezuelan leader and a US president, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Quote:President Donald Trump said Friday that he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The president explained his decision on social media by posting that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”
In March of last year, Hernandez was convicted in US court of conspiring to import cocaine into the US.
He had served two terms as the leader of the Central American nation of roughly 10 million people.
Hernandez has been appealing his conviction and serving time at the US Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Hernández’s wife and children gathered on the steps on their home in Tegucigalpa and kneeled in prayer, thanking God that Hernández would return to their family after almost four years apart.
It was the same home that Honduran authorities hauled him out of in 2022 just months after leaving office. He was extradited to the United States to stand trial.
García said they had just been able to speak with Hernández and tell him the news.
“He still didn’t know of this news and believe me, when we shared it his voice broke with emotion,” she said.
García thanked Trump, saying that Trump had corrected an injustice, maintaining that Hernández’s prosecution was a coordinated plot by drug traffickers and the “radical left” to seek revenge against the former president.
She said they had not been told exactly when Hernández would return, but said “we hope that in the coming days.”
A lawyer for Hernandez, Renato C. Stabile, expressed gratitude for Trump’s actions.
“A great injustice has been righted and we are so hopeful for the future partnership of the United States and Honduras,” Stabile said. “Thank you President Trump for making sure that justice was served. We look forward to President Hernandez’s triumphant return to Honduras.”
Quote:President Trump claimed Friday that he was repealing all documents signed by former President Joe Biden using an autopen — and threatened to have his predecessor “brought up on charges of perjury” if he asserts that staffers were acting on his orders when using the mechanical.
Trump, 79, has for months characterized Biden, 83, as AWOL during his four-year term and claimed that unelected aides were running the country without authorization.
“Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect. The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.”
Trump added: “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The president already has repealed many of Biden’s executive orders and suggested that many of his pardons are invalid, though Biden told the New York Times in an interview this year he authorized the use of his name for controversial last-minute pardons.
Auto-penned signatures carry full legal force so long as aides were operating under the directive of the president and have been used by chief executives for decades, including for everything from routine proclamations and constituent letters to — in rare cases — actual legislation.
A 2005 analysis by the George W. Bush administration’s Justice Department determined that “the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law.”
“Rather,” that Office of Legal Counsel assessment found, “the President may sign a bill within the meaning of Article I, Section 7 [of the Constitution] by directing a subordinate to affix the President’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen.
A House Republican-led investigation this year of the autopen’s use under Biden produced no direct evidence that aides acted without presidential approval, but generated circumstantial evidence that he rarely interacted with many key West Wing officials.
Internal emails showed some record of documents being authorized for signature, but also concern among subordinates about how to implement orally communicated instructions on end-of-term clemency actions.
A Biden spokeswoman declined to comment.
Quote:During the 37th eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii, video captured a massive ‘volnado’ next to the lava fountain.
A volnado is a column of ash, dust and smoke that picks up during a volcanic eruption and swirls around.
In circumstances not involving volcanoes, spin-ups like this one would be called a dust devil.
‘Volnado’ is not a scientific term, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but it’s a fun term that’s cool to say.
Lava fountains during this episode reached between 500 and 600 feet.
Video of the volnado showed it towering above the huge lava fountain.
“Look at the size of that tornado thing,” said Alyssa Lee, the recorder of the video. “That one’s as big as the eruption.”
In addition to being as tall as the eruption, the volnado was a similar width to the eruption.
The volnado spun on for as long as the video was recorded.
“I’m at least a mile away from the eruption; this is a zoomed-in video. Fascinating to see Mother Nature put on a show, and so safely,” Lee told Storyful.
Kilauea’s 37th eruption kicked off on Tuesday afternoon and stopped after nine hours, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Quote:A powerful winter storm barreling through the Midwest sent Chicago’s airports into chaos Saturday, with more than 600 flights wiped out at O’Hare before the heaviest snow even arrived.
O’Hare logged 627 cancellations by 9:45 a.m., along with 331 delays, according to FlightAware.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said delays were averaging 37 minutes as fliers packed terminals trying to escape the mess.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay at O’Hare that stretched to roughly five hours.
A brief ground stop earlier in the morning had been lifted by 9:45 a.m.
Midway fared better but still saw major disruptions.
The airport reported 76 cancellations by 9:50 a.m. and delays under 15 minutes.
That amounted to 29% of flights canceled at Midway and 46% at O’Hare.
The storm was expected to dump up to 10 inches of snow across the region, snarling Thanksgiving return travel on the roads as well.
Illinois State Police urged drivers to slow down, expect slick pavement and give extra space as conditions deteriorate.
The National Weather Service warned travel could become “very difficult to impossible,” with heavy snow and strong winds threatening scattered outages.
Quote:Airbus grounded over 6,000 of its widely used jets for an urgent software update after one suddenly lost altitude mid-flight — a decision that could throw the global holiday travel season into chaos.
The aerospace giant said Friday its A320 fleet will be kept off the runway after uncovering a software flaw that could leave pilots unable to steer during solar storms — and urged all worldwide airlines using the jet to immediately update their systems to guard against radiation interference.
About 3,000 A320s were airborne when the grounding was announced.
“Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the function of flight controls,” the company said in its bulletin.
“Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted. Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers.”
The dangerous glitch came to light after the Federal Aviation Administration investigated an Oct. 30 JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, that suddenly plunged in altitude, injuring 15 passengers and forcing an emergency landing in Florida.
The investigation found that intense solar radiation corrupted the plane’s flight control computers, causing it to lose positioning data and drop from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet.
Airlines across the US, South America, Europe and India warned the emergency fixes could trigger widespread flight delays and cancellations.
American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, said about 340 of its 480 aircraft will need the update, with each plane requiring roughly two hours and repairs are expected to be completed by Saturday.
Lufthansa, IndiGo and easyJet said they would briefly take planes out of service to perform the repairs.
Colombian carrier Avianca warned the recall will affect more than 70% of its fleet, prompting the airline to halt ticket sales for travel through Dec. 8.
Airbus’ latest recall marks the largest ever in the company’s 55-year history.
“Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly,” the company said.
Quote:Three people were wounded during a shooting inside a California mall on Black Friday as shoppers barricaded themselves inside stores and fled for safety during the “complete chaos.”
The shooting began outside a Macy’s store at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara at around 5:40 p.m, according to KRON4.
The victims – a 16-year-old girl, a man, and a woman – were found at the scene and rushed to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
The shooting was described as an “isolated incident,” and there was no active threat to the public, the San Jose Police Department said.
A motive behind the shooting was not revealed, but officials believe it happened during an argument between the suspected gunman and the male victim.
The two female victims were caught in the crossfire, KRON4 reported.
The gunman fled the scene and police have not revealed a description of the suspect.
Westfield Valley Fair sits between the cities of Santa Clara and San Jose, 50 miles south of San Francisco in the Bay Area.
Frightened shoppers recalled “complete chaos” while others posted photos and videos across social media as they hid inside stores when the gunfire erupted in the busy mall.
“The moment I see people running, the three of us just started sprinting,” one mall visitor named Daniel Chen told the outlet.
“There were crowds and swarms of people. I was terrified. We were freaking out. Everyone was just screaming. It was complete chaos — it was crazy. I was making sure that the three of us were together and that we weren’t leaving each other behind, and we were making sure that we’re not going where the shooter was. We were making sure we were following the crowd and making sure we could find an exit and get out.”
Police evacuated the mall an hour after the shooting. The mall was scheduled to close at 10 p.m. before the shooting.
“Officers are evacuating and clearing the mall to confirm there is no ongoing threat to public safety,” the police department shared.
Quote:WASHINGTON — New York Attorney General Letitia James was hit with a bar complaint from a right-leaning group on Friday, days after having her federal mortgage fraud charges tossed by a judge in a temporary procedural win.
The Center to Advance Security in America submitted a request with the Manhattan and Bronx-focused Attorney Grievance Committee for the state to investigate James’ potentially “illegal and dishonest conduct” leading to the criminal charges.
“Fraud, misrepresentation, honesty and trustworthiness are all factors that the Rules of Professional Conduct expressly factor when weighing whether to discipline an attorney,” wrote Curtis Schube, the group’s director of research and policy, in the four-page complaint.
“The Committee, therefore, should immediately investigate the allegations against James and, if by ‘preponderance of the evidence’ the allegations are substantiated, she should be disciplined accordingly.”
Senior US District Judge Cameron Currie on Monday dismissed the federal charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution brought against James brought in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Currie ordered that Lindsey Halligan, who is serving as a special attorney in US attorney’s office for that district, “had no lawful authority” to secure the two-count indictment since she had not been confirmed by Congress or an appropriate judicial panel.
Former President Bill Clinton had appointed Currie to the federal bench in 1994 and she was confirmed the same year.
“I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country,” James said in a statement Monday, the day the charges were tossed. “I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day.”’
The indictment — along with two more charges brought by Halligan against former FBI Director James Comey — was dismissed without prejudice, allowing President Trump’s Department of Justice to appeal the ruling and refile charges against James.
The five-year statute of limitations in Comey’s case, meanwhile, has expired.
Quote:More than 150 anti-ICE protestors descended on a lower Manhattan government building Saturday and clashed with cops amid reports that federal agents are rounding up illegal migrants in the area this weekend.
Cops responded to the chaotic scene near the U.S. General Service Administration building on Centre Street after receiving a 911 call about protestors blocking access to a nearby garage that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly entered, the NYPD said.
Multiple protesters were arrested for obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct after ignoring multiple warnings by police to clear the area.
Some were spotted trying to climb the garage’s grated windows – only to be dragged off by cops – while others chanted “ICE out of New York! ICE out now!”
“There were people climbing up trying to see who ICE had inside,” recalled one protestor. “They were arresting people for no reason.”
Some overly agitated protestors lifted and threw planters and police barricades toward police, sources said.
Protestors also shouted expletives at authorities and screamed “you are corrupt!” — ignoring NYPD officers’ many pleas to “back up” behind the barricades they set up.
Protestors were also seen lifting and pushing the barriers toward cops.
A few stood along Centre Street trying to block traffic.
Some screamed “f—k you!” and gave the middle finger to a person in a van trying to drive along the strip. They ran away after being confronted by cops.
Still, some passersby blamed cops for not letting the protestors do what they wanted.
“It’s not right what they’re doing,” said Peter Suh of New Jersey, who was visiting NYC with his family. “People should be left alone to protest.”
Quote:A Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy allows illegal immigrant students excused absences if they or their family members are afraid of federal immigration enforcement activities in the area.
A document called Chicago Public Schools’ Attendance Coding for Safety Concerns Related to Federal Representative Activity, obtained by education watchdog Defending Education, affirms that illegal immigrant students can be marked as “excused” if a parent conveys to the school that they fear federal immigration authorities.
Immigration enforcement actions are dubbed “federal representative-related procedures” in the school’s policy, which was reaffirmed by the school board in February.
“If a parent/guardian reports an absence and attributes it to fear of federal representative-related procedures, schools CAN excuse the absence under ‘concern for student health and safety,'” the policy says. “In the memo box, ‘concern for student health and safety’ should be written.”
No specific details about the absence are required — just that a student’s health and safety might be in jeopardy — and the policy explicitly states that “CPS policy does not provide a time limit” on how long fear of federal immigration enforcement can be used to obtain excused absences.
The reason for a student’s absence must be communicated via one of the district’s approved methods to be considered an “excused absence.”
Further, if a parent is “impacted by federal representative-related procedures,” he or she can designate a guardian to inform the school that the child needs an excused absence.
Another provision in the policy allows students an excused absence if they want to attend a “Civic Event,” defined as “an event sponsored by a non-profit organization or governmental entity that is open to the public” that “includes, but is not limited to, an artistic or cultural performance or educational gathering that supports the mission of the sponsoring non-profit organization.”
“Chicago Public Schools is effectively telling families that fear of federal law enforcement is a standing excuse to keep children out of class with no time limit and no paper trail,” said Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter at Defending Education.
“CPS should not be turning attendance policy into a sanctuary immigration tool. Instead, public schools should be focused on getting kids to school and keeping accurate records, not quietly encouraging truancy and obstructing cooperation with federal authorities. This policy undermines both student learning and the rule of law.”
Quote:A Florida landscaper accused of murdering the mother of his young child had tried to persuade people she was missing because she was picked up by ICE, according to authorities.
Mexican native Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, came up with the ruse after he allegedly shot Nerida Martel, 37, in the head and dumped her body in a Miami canal last month, according to a police report obtained by WPLG.
Realizing her friends and family would be panicked about her whereabouts, he told them “that he believed the victim was possibly in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the report said.
However, when Martel’s name did not show up in custody records, friends persuaded him to report her missing, which he did on Oct. 9, three days after he claimed to have last seen her dropping their 2-year-old daughter off at daycare.
Two days after he finally reported her missing, Martel’s body was found in a canal close to their home — with a gunshot to the head.
Investigators soon found inconsistencies with the boyfriend’s story — and were told the murdered mom “reached out to a friend seeking a place to stay for only her and her daughter,” the report stated, adding that relatives knew Gonzalez to be verbally abusive.
Phone records tracked Gonzalez to the canal around the time she disappeared, according to police.
Gonzalez, a Mexican-born landscaper, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder.
He was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday where he’s being held without bond. It was not clear why he had suggested his murdered ex would be picked up by ICE or if she was in the US illegally.
Quote:The Trump administration announced a sweeping federal civil-rights agreement Friday with Northwestern University, requiring the school to pay $75 million and protect students and staff from any “race-based admissions practices” and a “hostile educational environment directed toward Jewish students.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement the agreement was intended to safeguard Northwestern from “unlawful discrimination” and calls for the university to “maintain clear policies and procedures relating to demonstrations, protests, displays, and other expressive activities,” as well as the implementation of mandatory antisemitism training.
“Today’s settlement marks another victory in the Trump Administration’s fight to ensure that American educational institutions protect Jewish students and put merit first,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Institutions that accept federal funds are obligated to follow civil rights law — we are grateful to Northwestern for negotiating this historic deal.”
Northwestern will pay its $75 million to the United States through 2028.
The new agreement comes after the Trump administration previously secured a $221 million settlement with Columbia University to resolve multiple federal civil rights investigations.
That deal includes a $200 million payment over three years for alleged discriminatory practices and $21 million to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel.
DOE Secretary Linda McMahon called the Northwestern agreement “a huge win for current and future Northwestern students, alumni, faculty, and for the future of American higher education.”
“The deal cements policy changes that will protect students and other members of the campus from harassment and discrimination, and it recommits the school to merit-based hiring and admissions,” she said in a statement. “The reforms reflect bold leadership at Northwestern and they are a roadmap for institutional leaders around the country that will help rebuild public trust in our colleges and universities.”
Northwestern directed Fox News Digital to a statement made by university president Henry Bienen reacting to the agreement, saying it would restore hundreds of millions of dollars in critical research funding.
“This is not an agreement the University enters into lightly, but one that was made based on institutional values,” Bienen stated. “As an imperative to the negotiation of this agreement, we had several hard red lines we refused to cross: We would not relinquish any control over whom we hire, whom we admit as students, what our faculty teach or how our faculty teach. I would not have signed this agreement without provisions ensuring that is the case.”
Bienen added, “Northwestern runs Northwestern. Period.”
First former Prince Andrew was despised by people up to a point they don't want a street to be named after him and now it's another Andrew's turn.
Quote:In the latest humiliation for Andrew Cuomo, an effort is gaining steam that would undo his decision to christen the reconstructed Tappan Zee Bridge after his late father.
A petition launched Nov. 23 — just weeks after Cuomo was soundly defeated in the New York City mayoral race — seeks to return the historic “Tappan Zee Bridge” moniker to the heavily-trafficked span, which runs 1,200 feet over the Hudson River, connecting Rockland and Westchester counties.
“For nearly six decades, New Yorkers knew this critical Hudson River crossing by its traditional name: Tappan Zee — a name that honored both the Indigenous Tappan people of the region and the Dutch heritage of early New York settlement (‘zee’ meaning sea),” reads the petition.
It claims then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s vain 2017 move to rename the span “bypassed longstanding naming norms and erased a meaningful part of the region’s cultural and linguistic history.”
Cuomo’s decision was met with vocal opposition by residents in Nyack and Tarrytown, with more than 100,000 people signing a petition at the time to keep the original name of the bridge, which first opened in 1955.
“The renaming was pushed through during a moment of concentrated political influence and has remained unpopular with residents ever since,” the petition adds. “Today, public sentiment has only grown clearer: New Yorkers want the original name back.”
The petition, with over 1,000 signatures, requests the state Senate and Assembly introduce new legislation to change the name. Gov. Hochul would have to sign off on the bill.
“Restoring the historic name is a nonpartisan correction, not a political statement,” the petition reads. “Bridges and place names form part of a community’s shared identity. Changing such a significant name for political reasons sets a poor precedent.”
The petition claims renaming the bridge would “cost the state virtually nothing” and “reflect the will of the residents who use the bridge daily” while restoring “an important Indigenous and regional name.”
Despite the 2017 renaming, people continue to refer to the span as the Tappan Zee Bridge.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:Ukraine and Russia traded deadly blows Tuesday, firing hundreds of drones in overnight assaults that came just hours before Washington officials met with their Kyiv and Moscow counterparts to discuss a new proposal to end the war.
Moscow fired 460 drones and 22 missiles at Ukraine during the exchange, killing seven people and wounding 21 others in the second major attack on the Ukrainian capital this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“The main Russian attack overnight targeted the capital and the region, causing extensive damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The Russian assault knocked out water, electricity and heating services across Kyiv, with Ukrainian officials condemning Moscow’s repeated strikes against civilian energy facilities as winter approaches.
At least one major energy facility was hit in the overnight attack, which left six people wounded, including two children, according to Kyiv’s energy ministry.
The strikes ultimately disrupted electricity supplies to more than 102,000 people within five Ukrainian regions, according to the energy ministry.
Ukrainian officials also said port and energy facilities were damaged in the Black Sea port of Odessa, with the attack leaving six people injured.
The large-scale assault led NATO to scramble its jets when Russian drones reportedly entered Romanian airspace yet again, in what officials described as the furthest the UAVs have gone into the country since the incursions began earlier this year.
At least six drones also entered into neighboring Moldova, which is not a NATO member, according to local authorities.
Ukraine retaliated with its fourth-largest drone attack of the war so far, firing more than 249 UAVs overnight across the border, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The assault killed at least three people in the city of Taganrog, leaving eight other injured, according to regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar.
The assault also struck an aviation repair plant, a drone production facility, an oil refinery and an oil terminal, all key targets for Ukraine to slow down Russia’s war machine.
Despite the large-scale fighting, President Trump has insisted that both sides are getting closer to agreeing to a cease-fire deal after meetings with American negotiations in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
Quote:Russia on Wednesday shot down President Trump’s claim that the Kremlin had already agreed to some concessions on ending the war in Ukraine — as Moscow blasted innocent Ukrainians with fresh drone strikes overnight.
Multiple Russian officials insisted it was too premature to speak about accepting any peace plan and that Moscow wouldn’t agree to anything that didn’t fully meet its demands.
“There can be no talk of any concessions or surrender of our approaches to the key aspects of resolving the problems facing us, including in the context of the special operation [in Ukraine],” said Sergei Ryabkov, a Russian deputy foreign minister, according to the Times.
It comes after Trump on Tuesday said US negotiators had made progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine — and that the Kremlin had agreed to some concessions.
Trump stopped short of detailing what those concessions were.
Asked if a peace deal was close, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday: “It’s premature to say that yet.”
Meanwhile, Russian forces staged a mass drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late Tuesday that left 19 people wounded.
The attack triggered fires and severely damaged scores of apartment buildings, setting fires, injuring 19 people and badly damaging buildings and vehicles, said the regional governor, Ivan Fedorov.
“A rescue operation is currently underway at 12 locations,” Fedorov said in a video posted online.
“The maximum number of units from the State Emergency Services, national police and our medical teams has been deployed.”
Images on social media showed firefighters battling blazes at high-rise apartment buildings and gutted vehicles on city streets.
Quote:A leaked phone call revealed a top aide of President Trump helped coach the Russians on how to win the commander in chief over with flattery while navigating negotiations on a Ukraine peace deal, according to a report.
The call between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Oct. 14, discussed the possibility of Putin and Trump hopping on a phone call to discuss a peace plan, according to the transcript of a recording obtained by Bloomberg.
On the five-minute call, Witkoff advised Ushakov to instruct Putin to congratulate Trump and open the conversation with some complimentary remarks.
“I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported it, supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace, and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen,” Witkoff said.
“Hey Steve, I agree with you that he will congratulate, he will say that Mr. Trump is a real peace man, and so and so. That he will say,” Ushakov said, appearing to take the suggestion.
Witkoff also laid out how he believed the peace deal would be accomplished, maintaining he thought that land concessions were necessary.
“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff told Ushakov.
“But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here,” he continued.
Witkoff, who helped broker the 20-point Gaza peace plan, suggested to Ushakov that Moscow and Washington emulate that deal.
“We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace, and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you,” Witkoff said.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Russian dictator Vladimir Putin threatened President Trump not to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in a phone call set in motion by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
With Zelensky scheduled to visit the White House the next day, Putin made the Oct. 16 call just as Trump was giving serious consideration to arming Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles to ramp up the pressure on Moscow to end its nearly four-year war on the country.
The critical Putin-Trump call came after Witkoff suggested to Yuri Ushakov, Russia’s top foreign policy aide, that Putin ingratiate himself with the US president by stroking his ego on achieving the Gaza cease-fire deal about a week before, according to a transcript published by Bloomberg of an Oct. 14 call between the US envoy and Kremlin chief foreign policy advisor.
“I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen. So I would say that,” Witkoff suggested to the Russian. “I think from that it’s going to be a really good call.”
Ushakov responded: “OK my friend. I think that very point our leaders could discuss. Hey Steve, I agree with you that he will congratulate, he will say that Mr. Trump is a real peace man and so and so. That he will say.”
A readout of the Oct. 16 call from Russia says Putin indeed congratulated Trump about his “successful efforts” in Gaza and said Trump’s “peace work has been duly appreciated … around the world.”
Putin then told Trump that arming Ukraine with Tomahawks would “inflict substantial damage to relations between our countries, to say nothing of the prospects for a peaceful settlement,” according to Russia’s account of the call.
Witkoff did not tell the Kremlin to threaten Trump — and made no mention of Tomahawks in the exchange, but said he believed Russia was ready to make a peace deal.
Putin was able to use the call to successfully talk Trump out of sending the long-range weapons — after Witkoff coached Ushakov on what Putin should tell the US president to convince him that Russia was ready to end its war on Ukraine, despite Moscow’s unwillingness to make any concessions.
“Maybe he says to President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to peace and that could be something that we think might move the needle a little bit, we’re open to those sorts of things — to explore what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done,” Trump’s envoy said.
Witkoff then told Ushakov to ensure that Putin did not mention his intent to demand Ukraine give up land Russia has been unable to take in more than 11 years in the Donbas — which others in the Trump administration have dubbed a red-line “maximalist” demand — though he acknowledged that would be the long-term goal.
“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” he said, referring to the Donbas territory. “But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here. And I think Yuri, the president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal.”
Quote:Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Thursday repeated his demands that Ukraine pull out of the Donbas region in the east of the country, days ahead of a scheduled visit by a US delegation for peace talks to end the ruthless war.
“Ukrainian troops will withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the fighting will cease,” the Russian leader told reporters.
“If they don’t withdraw, we’ll achieve this through military force,” he said, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Moscow has illegally occupied the eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia since September 2022, when it held sham referenda in the territories.
The Donbas, or “Donets Coal Basin,” is a heavily industrialized region made up of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Putin also confirmed a US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to the Russian capital early next week.
Witkoff came under pressure after a leak reportedly caught him coaching a Russian official on how to win over President Trump with flattery during the peace talks.
On Thursday, Putin claimed that the culprits could face criminal charges for leaking the call between Witkoff and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, while also not ruling out that it could be a hoax.
He said those targeting Witkoff were trying to sabotage the talks and wanted “to fight until the last Ukrainian,” just like Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin stressed that recognition of Russian rule over Donbas and Crimea — a southern Ukrainian peninsula illegally occupied by Russia since 2014 — is a key point in the US talks.
He also ruled out signing any other documents with Ukraine, calling Zelensky’s government illegitimate due to the postponement of elections.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, declared at the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, holding elections is prohibited.
Putin said that after the talks, the peace plan had been divided into four parts, but did not elaborate.
He added that the US peace plan still needed further discussion.
The rhetoric follows President Trump’s unveiling of a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine last week.
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump dashed Kyiv’s hopes of a peace summit this week to end the nearly four-year war with Russia – in an instant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief advisor, Andriy Yermak, was in the middle of an interview with Post on Tuesday when Trump posted on Truth Social that he was sending Army Sec. Dan Driscoll to meet Ukrainians and sending Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to continue talks for peace deal – effectively slowing down his previous goal of ending the killing by Thanksgiving.
Yermak had just spent the past half-hour telling The Post that he hoped the 19-point proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war hammered out on Sunday would be adopted as a joint US-Ukraine plan, ideally with Trump and Zelensky signing the deal at Mar-a-Lago over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages,” Trump wrote, adding “let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!””
Upon reading the full post, Yermak’s face dropped, apparently gutted by the news. Asked for his reaction, Yermak asked to speak again in 24 hours to assess the new reality.
“It’s necessary to wait and to understand with which position Driscoll will come, and to talk with Witkoff to understand which position he is going with to Moscow,” Yermak said. “What is good with President Trump is that he can change his position very quick.”
Kyiv had wanted Zelensky and Trump to meet soon — not for symbolism but because every day brings more Russian missile strikes and civilian deaths, he said.
“Every day it’s a risk to lose best people, children. We have no time,” Yermak said.
On the table is a 19-point proposal hammered out between Washington and Kyiv officials on Sunday that Yermak had hoped could be adopted by the US as a joint peace plan for Ukraine by the end of the week and push on the Kremlin.
Russia, however, had not committed — and was unlikely to do so after rejecting an earlier version deal more favorable to Moscow dubbed “the 28-point plan.”
Quote:Anti-corruption units have raided the home and office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, in an unwelcome distraction for Kyiv officials as they battle to defeat Russia’s invasion and persuade US officials to accommodate their concerns in peace proposals.
Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine said they searched Yermak’s office. Yermak, a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in talks with the United States, confirmed they also searched his apartment.
“The investigators are facing no obstacles,” Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram. He added that he was cooperating fully with them and his lawyers were present.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs. They are behind a major investigation into a $100 million energy sector corruption scandal involving top Ukrainian officials.
Two of Yermak’s former deputies — Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma — left the government in 2024 after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing. A third deputy, Andrii Smyrnov, was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Yermak.
The scandal has heaped more problems on Zelensky as he seeks continued support from Western countries for Ukraine’s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding. The European Union, which Ukraine wants to join, has told Zelensky he must crack down on graft.
Zelensky faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators published details of their energy sector investigation.
Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing, several senior lawmakers in Zelensky’s party said Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in order to restore public trust.
Some said that if Zelensky didn’t fire him, the party could split, threatening the president’s parliamentary majority. But Zelensky defied them.
Zelensky urged Ukrainians to unite and “stop the political games” in light of the US pressure to reach a settlement with Russia.
Yermak met Zelensky over 15 years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the TV production business and Zelensky was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor.
He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelensky’s first presidential team and was promoted to chief of staff in February 2020.
Quote:WASHINGTON — The former top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday told The Post he is headed to the frontlines — hours after he submitted his resignation from the position in the wake of a raid on his home by Kyiv’s national anti-corruption bureau.
“I’m going to the front and am prepared for any reprisals,” Andriy Yermak told The Post in an impassioned text message Friday night. “I am an honest and decent person.”
He then apologized if he no longer answers calls. He did not say when or how he intended to go to the frontlines of the war against Russia.
“I served Ukraine and was in Kyiv on February 24, 2022,” he wrote, referencing the day Russia launched its full-scale war. “Maybe we’ll see each other again. Glory to Ukraine.”
Yermak did not give further details about how he would go to the frontlines and whether he would be joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“I’ve been desecrated, and my dignity hasn’t been protected, despite having been in Kyiv since February 24, 202[2],” he said. “Therefore, I don’t want to create problems for Zelensky; I’m going to the front.
“I’m disgusted by the filth directed at me, and even more disgusted by the lack of support from those who know the truth,” he added.
The messages came after a day of upheaval for Yermak, who had led Ukraine’s delegation negotiating for Kyiv on Ukraine’s peace plan. The raid on his apartment and his resignation came just before he was scheduled to meet with the US team leading talks to end Russia’s war.
A Ukrainian delegation is still coming this weekend to the US to meet with Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for continued peace plan talks.
Zelensky has already shuffled his negotiating team tasked with working on the peace plan with the US.
Remaining on the team is Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, who convinced Witkoff that Ukraine would capitulate to a heavily Russia-leaning 28-point peace plan that later proved unacceptable to Zelensky, senior US officials said.
Umerov, who has denied giving initial approval to the plan and swapping out the provision, spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel ahead of his meeting with Witkoff. It is unclear why that meeting took place, or whether he intends to do so again when he returns with the delegation this weekend.
The raid on Yermak came after Ukraine’s anti-graft watchdog spent 15 months digging into a brazen shakedown dubbed “Operation Midas,” uncovering a scheme that allegedly forced Energoatom contractors to cough up 10 to 15 percent kickbacks — or risk getting blacklisted.
Quote:Half of Kyiv was plunged into darkness Saturday, following an enormous Russian attack on Ukraine’s capital city that killed at least two people and wounded 37 others.
Explosions were heard throughout the night during the hours-long barrage that began shortly after 1 a.m. local time and continued for roughly 6 hours, as Russia launched 596 Shahed-type drones and 36 missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
“While everyone is discussing points of peace plans, Russia continues to pursue its “war plan” of two points: to kill and destroy,” slammed Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha on X Saturday.
A 10-year-old boy was among the wounded in the strikes that burned down at least six high-rise apartment buildings.
He was taken to the hospital with burns, local officials said. Meanwhile, his 42-year-old father was pulled from rubble, but died.
A woman was killed in the strikes, regional police said.
“The Russians are demonstrating clearly directed terror on our residential areas,” said Kyiv Oblast Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
A total of 360 rescuers were dispatched to the capital, the State Emergency Service said, and the attacks sent many fleeing for underground shelters.
“When it started, it was obvious right away that this would be a serious attack,” Oleksandr, a Kyiv resident, told the Kyiv Independent.
“We’ve been spending nights in the subway almost since 2022 … but today it was very loud, and the station was packed with people.”
More than 600,000 households were left without power after strikes on the war-torn nation’s electric grid.
Quote:Two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers burst into flames and exploded in the Black Sea after being hit by Ukrainian underwater drones in devastating blasts.
The ships are part of the hundreds of vessels used by the Kremlin to export oil while evading Western sanctions — flying flags from other countries to avoid detection.
The pair of tankers, which were empty when they were struck, could have transported nearly $70 million worth of oil, a Ukrainian security service source told the Kyiv Independent.
“This will deal a significant blow to Russian oil transportation,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday.
“After being hit, both tankers sustained critical damage and were effectively taken out of service.”
Footage shared by the security service shows a rapid explosion in the front of one of the tankers Friday, followed by a large bright orange ball of flames erupting from the water and thick billowing black smoke rising several feet into the air.
The fire and smoke continued to spread higher and wider, engulfing the tanker.
The ships, identified as the “Kairos” and “Virat” — trageted in a joint operation with Ukraine’s navy — have been heavily sanctioned by Western powers.
The 900-foot Kairos was returning to Russia after delivering crude oil to India, Bloomberg reported.
It was sailing under the flag of Gambia, after being sanctioned by the EU and UK.
“The shadow tanker fleet continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the Kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners,” the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said about Kairos.
The explosion happened 28 nautical miles off the Turkish shore, and emergency staff were immediately dispatched to rescue the 25 crew members on board, Turkey’s Ministry of Transport said.
The second tanker, Virat, was also reportedly traveling toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk — a major oil terminal — for loading.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
