By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
We encourage our readers to follow the links below to the stories that attract their interest.
INTERNATIONAL
Haaretz — Ronen Bar, former head of the Shin Bet, called for the creation of a professionally-staffed state commission “that takes the whole picture, knows how to tell the whole story and decide what to do so it won’t come again.”
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The Times of Israel – The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports that he backed out of an agreement with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while both attended a September meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. “There were contacts and meetings under US auspices, but matters were never brought to the point of agreements or understandings with Syria,” a spokesman said.
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The Washington Post – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his nation will not surrender territory to Russia, citing Ukrainian, international and moral laws.
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Mexico News Daily – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country’s failure to deliver an agreed amount of water to Texas is not because of ill will, but because of “the amount of water there is and the amount of water that can be taken by pipeline.” Her comments on Tuesday came a day after President Donald J. Trump set an end-of-year deadline for the water delivery or he would boost by 5 percent the tariff the U.S. charges on Mexican goods. Trump threatens 5% tariff over water owed to Texas farmers
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NATIONAL
The New York Times – Supreme Court Justices seem likely to side with President Donald Trump in his bid to fire appointees to so-called “independent” agencies. Associate Justice Elena Kagan said such a ruling would “put massive, uncontrolled, unchecked power in the hands of the president.”
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Associated Press: U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in New York City agreed to a Justice Department request for the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the sex trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell, but cautioned they won’t shed much more light on the activities of the late Jeffrey Epstein or his guests.
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Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Nassau County Chief Executive Bruce Blakeman announced on Tuesday his Republican candidacy for New York governor, setting up a primary battle with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who has campaigned on her credentials as an opponent of antisemitism and supporter of Israel.
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Press Release: Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, testifying to a U.S. Senate subcommittee on a bill authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) requiring corporate owned AM/ FM radio stations to pay musicians whose recordings they broadcast, said. “…if you work hard, the American way is you must get paid. You cannot verbally or otherwise ethically, morally, and perhaps, once this bill is passed, legally validate the notion that somebody who works hard is going to get nothing, while a corporate entity, well-meaning thought it may be, is receiving $14 billion just this last year.”
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Jewish Insider: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has followed the lead of fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations.
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The Algemeiner Journal – Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said he has vowed to stop antisemitism in Philadelphia’s public schools. Spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky told Fox News Digital, “Governor Shapiro takes a back seat to no one on these issues and he has repeatedly spoken out about antisemitism. This kind of hateful rhetoric is unacceptable and has no place in Pennsylvania.” The statement came after the U.S. House Education Committee began its investigation of antisemitism in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP).
STATE & LOCAL
Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) – Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and his partners in the Wilkie Farr & Gallagher law firm – Alex Weingarten and Matthew Gurvitz – have filed an amicus brief against a legal challenge in federal court to AB 715, the bill signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Gavin Newsom to guard against antisemitism in California’s K-12 schools. David Bocarsly, JPAC’s executive director, said: “California schools must be places where every child, including Jewish students, can learn without fear of harassment or bias.” The challenge was filed by teachers and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
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EdSource: Professors across the 22-campus California State University system say an investigation into campus antisemitism may violate their rights to privacy and lead to harassment on a broad range of social issues.
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City News Service: Before an 8-0 vote to reelect City Councilman Joe LaCava as president of the San Diego City Council, Sean Elo-Rivera, who had proceeded him in the post, asked “Is it as glamorous and easy as you envisioned?” to which LaCava replied, “Oh yeah.” Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Campbell was absent.
Press Release: Elo-Rivera voted in the minority when the Council decided 5-3 to retain cameras at traffic lights. “Everybody deserves to feel safe,” said Elo-Rivera. “Protecting public safety is one of our most sacred responsibilities. But safety depends on trust, and we cannot maintain trust when a surveillance system has a documented pattern of abuse and when we cannot control who ultimately accesses this data.” He added:
“These are not hypothetical risks. They have already happened elsewhere, and there is no meaningful safeguard preventing them from happening here—especially given the current federal posture toward immigrant communities, women seeking reproductive healthcare, and communities of color.”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World