News of the World

[kyonides]

USA

US Citizen Arrested for Attempted Firebombing Attack on Embassy in Israel

FBI special agents on Sunday arrested dual U.S.-German citizen Joseph Neumayer at JFK International Airport in New York in connection with an attempt to destroy the Branch Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Sunday press release.

Why It Matters

Tensions remain high following the deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members who were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last week.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the suspect "a vile antisemitic murderer," and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called him "depraved" for his act.

This occurs as Israel has launched a new campaign in Gaza targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas, reigniting tensions across the Middle East. Israel's campaign in Gaza since Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the Associated Press reported, citing local health authorities. In Hamas' attack on Israel, 1,200 people were killed and some 250 were taken hostage.

What To Know

According to a complaint unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, Neumayer is alleged to have left a dark-colored backpack next to the embassy building on May 19, having arrived in Israel in April. He was initially arrested in Israel and transferred to U.S. custody on Sunday.

"This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law."

Neumeyer is alleged to have spit on a security guard as he walked past, left a backpack, and fled as the security guard failed to detain him. Inside the backpack, authorities discovered three Molotov cocktails, which contained flammable fluid.

Authorities tracked Neumeyer to his hotel where he was arrested.

Neumeyer's social media revealed that earlier on May 19, he posted, "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f--k the west."

Other social media posts from an account believed to be used by Neumeyer revealed his threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, the DOJ wrote in its press release.

If convicted, Neumeyer faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine in the amount of $250,000.

CVS Closing 270 Stores Nationwide: List of Locations Impacted

Amid its ongoing restructuring efforts, CVS plans on closing hundreds more stores in 2025, which the company says will streamline operations and help it adapt to shifting consumer needs.

Why Is CVS Closing Locations?

In its recent annual report, filed in February, CVS announced that it would be closing 271 retail stores in 2025 as part of its "enterprise-wide restructuring plan intended to streamline and simplify the organization."

This follows the closure of around 900 locations between 2022 and 2024. A spokesperson for CVS told Newsweek that these closures will enable the company to optimize its "existing stores and pharmacies."

The spokesperson said that the closures were based on several factors, including "population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access, and community health needs." This will enable the company to better meet customers' needs and was not a response to industry pressures.

Where Are CVS Closing Locations?

CVS has not released a list of locations that will be closed amid this strategic realignment, and declined to provide any details of which states or cities may be affected.

However, according to consumer-focused website The Krazy Coupon Lady, citing local news sources, 34 CVS locations have either already closed or announced scheduled closures in 2025:
...

Marco Rubio Announces New Plan to Revoke Chinese Student Visas

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new plan on Wednesday to "aggressively revoke" student visas issued to international students from China.
...
The Trump administration has cracked down on Ivy League institutions and sought to revoke the student visas of several international students since Trump took office.

Among other things, President Donald Trump and other officials have accused Harvard University and Columbia University of not doing enough to combat antisemitism on campus grounds amid student demonstrations protesting Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Trump's administration also tried to pull approval for Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows the university to enroll international students. A judge later halted the administration's efforts.

The administration has also temporarily paused all new student and exchange visitor visa interviews at U.S. consulates and embassies. Amid the pause, the White House is considering implementing a new policy that would require foreign student visa applicants to go through a social media vetting.

New York Gun Violence Hits Record Low: What To Know

Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that gun violence in the state has reached its lowest level since 2006, when the state began tracking this data.

In communities participating in the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) reported a 15 percent decline in shooting victims and a 9 percent decline in shootings resulting in injury from January 1 to April 30 compared to the same period last year, the governor's office said in a press release.

Why It Matters

The data comes from 28 police departments outside of New York City participating in the GIVE initiative. These police departments report around 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms outside New York City.

The initiative aims at reducing shootings and other firearm-related crimes by providing state funding to local law enforcement agencies for equipment, overtime and personnel. It also provides training and technical assistance to those agencies.

What To Know

The police departments involved in the GIVE initiative include Albany Police Department, Binghamton Police Department, Auburn Police Department, Jamestown Police Department, Elmira Police Department, Poughkeepsie Police Department, Amherst Police Department and Buffalo Police Department.

Cheektowaga Police Department, Lackawanna Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Greece Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Hempstead Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and Niagara Falls Police Department also participate in the GIVE initiative.

Other law enforcement agencies following the GIVE initiative are Utica Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Middletown Police Department, Newburgh Police Department, Troy Police Department, Spring Valley Police Department, Schenectady Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Ithaca Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department and Yonkers Police Department.

Nearly 'Gargantuan' Hail Hits Texas

Massive hailstones, described as "DVD-sized" and edging close to "gargantuan" in magnitude, battered parts of Texas as severe thunderstorms ripped through the region over Memorial Day weekend.

Reports confirmed hail reaching nearly 6 inches in diameter in locations including Afton and Menard, Texas, putting the area at the center of a rare and dangerous weather event.

Why It Matters

This outbreak of exceptionally large hail posed significant risks to residents, property, and infrastructure across Texas, a state already accustomed to severe weather.

The event coincided with the busy Memorial Day weekend, disrupting holiday plans and triggering warnings across the Plains and South.

What To Know

On Monday, MyRadarWX senior meteorologist Matthew Cappucci posted some of the hailstone measurements on X, formerly Twitter.

"When it comes to GIANT hail, there's no place like Texas! Texas got MELON-SIZED hail both yesterday AND today!" Cappucci posted. "Anything over 4.72 inches is considered 'DVD-sized.' Anything over 6 inches is a rare category called 'gargantuan.' Yes, that's the real term!"

Researchers with the In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Northern Illinois University, traveled alongside storm chasers to document and measure hail.

Andrew Cuomo's Fundraising Compared to Top Rivals in New York Mayor Race

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is among the top fundraisers in New York City's mayoral race despite the loss of some matching funds, according to the latest campaign finance data.
...
New York's mayoral primary will be held in June, and whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be heavily favored ahead of the November general election, as the city is reliably Democratic. Still, some of the city's Hispanic and Asian communities drifted toward Republicans in last year's presidential race. This year's city elections will test whether Democrats are able to win back those voters, or if Republicans can build off of President Donald Trump's gains.

Fundraising can be a major indicator of how viable a campaign is—as running a citywide campaign in New York isn't cheap. Candidates are hoping to leverage their fundraising to topple Cuomo's polling lead with less than four weeks until the primary.

What to Know

Cuomo has so far received the most money in terms of private donations but has not received as much in public matching funds as some of the other candidates in the race.

He has received about $3.9 million in private donations and $1.5 million in public funds, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

State Representative Zohran Mamdani, who has emerged as a favorite among the city's most progressive voters, has the highest total fundraising with $1.7 million in private funds but $6.7 million in public matching funds. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has raised $1.7 million in private funds and received nearly $4.6 million in public funds.

White House Slams 'Unelected Judges' After Court Blocks Trump Tariffs

The White House slammed "unelected judges" after a federal court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that President Donald Trump does not have "unbounded authority" to levy sweeping global tariffs under an emergency-powers law.

The Context

Wednesday's ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade came in response to two groups of plaintiffs who sued the Trump administration over the tariffs, saying he violated the Constitution by sidestepping Congress to impose the duties.

The federal court's three-judge panel said in its summary judgment: "The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 ('IEEPA') delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world."

"The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder," the panel said.

One of the judges on the panel is a Trump appointee. The other two were appointed by President Ronald Reagan and President Barack Obama.

What To Know

A White House spokesperson reiterated Trump's criticisms of other countries' "nonreciprocal treatment" of the U.S. in a statement responding to Wednesday's ruling.

"These deficits have created a national emergency that has decimated American communities, left our workers behind, and weakened our defense industrial base – facts that the court did not dispute," the spokesperson told Newsweek.

San Francisco Public Schools Convert F's to C's, B's to A's in Equity Push

San Francisco's public high schools will implement a sweeping change to their grading system this fall, replacing traditional methods with a policy that allows students to pass with scores as low as 41 percent.

The initiative, part of a broader "Grading for Equity" push, is stirring concern among educators, students and parents over academic standards and college readiness.

The Context

Similar policies across other Bay Area districts—such as Dublin, Oakland and Pleasanton—have seen mixed results and strong community reactions. Dublin Unified attempted a pilot of equity grading in 2023, which included removing zeros for missed assignments and awarding a minimum of 50 percent for any "reasonably attempted" work.

That pilot, however, was met with outrage and resistance. Parents created petitions, formed WhatsApp groups and filled school board meetings to protest what they saw as a lowering of standards for their children. The Dublin school board eventually suspended the initiative, though individual teachers were still allowed to use the methods at their discretion.

The experiment in San Francisco comes amid — or despite — a broader rethinking of DEI initiatives after the election of Donald Trump, who ran on a platform of excising what he and many others said were "unfair" equity practices in the government and private sectors.

What To Know

Superintendent Maria Su's plan in San Francisco was not subject to a public vote by the Board of Education, drawing criticism for lack of transparency. The new policy, set to affect more than 10,000 students across 14 high schools, significantly changes how academic performance is measured.

Homework and classroom participation will no longer influence a student's final grade. Students will be assessed primarily on a final exam, which they can retake multiple times. Attendance and punctuality will not affect academic standing.

The plan was first revealed in the fine print of a 25-page agenda and reported by The Voice of San Francisco, a local nonprofit. The outlet reported that the district is hiring Joe Feldman, an educational consultant known for his book Grading for Equity, to train teachers this summer.

"If our grading practices don't change, the achievement and opportunity gaps will remain for our most vulnerable students. If we are truly dedicated to equity, we have to stop avoiding the sensitive issue of grading and embrace it," Feldman said in a 2019 blog post for the School Superintendents Association (AASA).

Feldman's book outlines how traditional grading can reinforce socioeconomic disparities and proposes alternative strategies for more equitable assessment. According to The Voice of San Francisco, the new system will be modeled in part on the San Leandro Unified School District, where students can earn an A with a score as low as 80 percent and pass with a D at just 21 percent. Under the forthcoming San Francisco policy, a score of 41 percent will qualify as a C.

UKRAINE WAR

Putin's Helicopter Targeted in Drone Strike, Commander Says

Vladimir Putin's helicopter was targeted by Ukrainian drones as he visited the Kursk region in a surprise visit last week, a Russian military official has claimed.

The alleged attack took place as the Russian president visited the border region for the first time since Moscow claimed it had repelled Ukrainian forces from the area last month.

Putin's helicopter was "at the epicenter" of a "large-scale" Ukrainian drone attack on May 20, Yury Dashkin, commander of a Russian air defense division, said, according to Kremlin newswire Tass.
...
This is the first known instance in which the Russian president is reported to have flown through an active drone attack.

What To Know

Russia's defense ministry was forced to shoot down dozens of drones during the incident, according to Dashkin, who said in an interview aired by the state-run Rossiya-24 TV channel that the intensity of the assault escalated significantly as the presidential aircraft flew over Kursk.

He said Russian air defense systems engaged the drones to ensure the safety of the presidential helicopter.

NATO Army Chief Sounds Alarm: 'The Threat Is Real'

The "threat is real" to NATO, the chief of the British Army has said, warning of "serious challenges" to the alliance as worries swirl that Russia could launch an attack on NATO in the next few years.

"We really have got some serious challenges to deal with collectively," General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the British Army, said during an address at the U.K.-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on Wednesday.

"The biggest challenge we face, of many, is simply a lack of time," Walker said, adding a "sense of urgency" is needed to "respond to the threats we face."

NATO officials have been increasingly ringing alarm bells over how much of a threat Russia will pose to the alliance in the next few years, particularly after inking a possible ceasefire deal in Ukraine that would free up hundreds of thousands of soldiers bogged down along the frontlines.

Assessments vary, but one judgment from Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service, published in February, said it believed Russia would be able to wage a "large-scale war" against NATO in the next five years if the U.S. declines to be involved.

Oleh Ivashchenko, the head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, said earlier this week Russia would be able to mount some form of attack on Europe two to four years after the end of the Ukraine war—but could be ready to do so much quicker if sanctions are lifted.

The more than three years of full-scale war in Ukraine has wreaked havoc on Moscow's land forces, but other swathes of its military, like its air force and much of the navy stationed away from Ukraine, have been largely unscathed.

Ukraine Sounds Warning Over Russian Troops Massing at Front Line

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 50,000 Russian troops were massing at the border near the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and Moscow may be preparing for a large-scale summer offensive.

Kyiv's forces have been battling in Russia's Kursk region since a cross-border offensive last summer, but they have been forced back by Moscow's recent advances. Russia has hailed the recapture from Ukrainian forces of a number of Russian towns and villages.

"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front to push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region," Zelensky said on Tuesday ahead of his visit to Germany, Sky News reported.

Trump 'Not Happy' With Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed increasing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him "CRAZY!" on Sunday after deadly missile strikes hit Ukrainian cities. President Trump also expressed annoyance with Zelensky's rhetoric.

Trump is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, but progress is slow, and he has said he would walk away if he saw that no deal could be made.

"I'm not happy with what Putin is doing," the president said on Sunday.

"He's killing a lot of people, and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.

"We're in the middle of talking, and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all."

Further direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are due after their first set of negotiations in more than three years on May 16 produced only a mass prisoner swap and vague statements from the Russian delegation about working towards a ceasefire.

Russia has said it will only agree to a peace deal that addresses what it calls the "root causes" of the conflict, namely Ukrainian ambitions to join the U.S.-led NATO defensive alliance and policies that restrict the expression of Russian culture inside Ukraine.

But Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to seize control of the country and remove its sovereignty in an imperial war of aggression.

Zelensky Makes Trump, Putin Proposal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a trilateral meeting between himself, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock on ending Moscow's invasion.

Fighting continues between Russia and Ukraine, and Trump has expressed increasing frustration with the lack of progress towards peace, threatening to walk away from brokering the process entirely if he does not see a deal ahead.

"We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this," Zelensky said on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Germany on Wednesday.

Zelensky said he is open to any configuration of talks. "If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format," he said.

Trump Blasts Putin Over Strikes

Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to continue soon after their first set of negotiations in more than three years took place in Istanbul on May 16, resulting in a mass prisoner swap.

The low-level delegation sent to meet Ukraine's group of high-ranking officials in Turkey had cooled hopes of a major breakthrough on a ceasefire. Zelensky was also in Turkey, offering to meet Putin personally, but the Russian president declined the invitation.

Russia's 'General Armageddon' Seen in Algeria Years After Failed Mutiny: UK

A Russian military officer once key to Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine who had not been seen in public in an official capacity for nearly two years, has been spotted in Algeria, according to U.K. intelligence officials.

In a post on social media, U.K. intelligence reported Sergei Surovikin attended a military parade in the North African country.

Surovikin, whose reputation for acting brutally earned him the nickname of "General Armageddon" had largely disappeared from public view following a failed June 2023 mutiny and march on Moscow by Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, with whom he was closely associated.
...
Reports of Surovikin's arrest following the failed mutiny were never confirmed by Russian authorities but his appearance in Algeria raises questions about his current role in the military and Moscow's footprint in Africa.

What To Know

In its update on Tuesday, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said that a "notably thinner" Surovikin appeared in Russian embassy photographs at a Victory Day event in Algeria on May 9.

This was probably his first public appearance in an official role since 2023 and he is likely in the North African country as head of military specialists at the Russian embassy there, U.K. defense officials said.

Surovikin is a former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine and served as commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. He had been linked to Prigozhin, who had been a vehement critic of Moscow's conduct in the war in Ukraine.

Prigozhin led his Wagner group of mercenaries in a mutiny which saw them stop short of Moscow in a move denounced as "treason" by Putin. U.K. intelligence said Tuesday Russian authorities were probably suspicious of Surovikin's association with Wagner dating back to Moscow's intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2017.

Russia To Add 'Drone Studies' to School Curriculum

A Russian school textbook on how to operate drones has been published and will be studied by teenagers as part of the country's educational curriculum.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: 8th and 9th Grades will be taught in technology classes in schools in Russia which has made great leaps in its production of the devices used in Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
...
As part of Russia's war effort in Ukraine, Moscow has used drones supplied by Iran to target civilian infrastructure. At the same time, Russia has significantly developed its domestic production of drones, as has Ukraine.

The course is a sign of the growing militarization of Russian society and is the latest attempt by the Kremlin to expose children to government messaging.

What To Know

Russia's education ministry approved on April 30 the textbook produced by drone maker Geoscan, which is under U.S. sanctions, in partnership with Prosveshcheniye, Russia's largest schoolbook publisher.

A foundation for intellectual development headed by Putin's youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, acquired a 10 percent stake in Geoscan, Russian outlet Verstka reported in November 2023.

The textbook is part of a national plan to train 1 million drone operators at more than 500 schools and 30 universities by the end of the decade, Moscow Times reported.