Washington, D.C
Gallant heads to US as Washington weighs in IDF strike on Iran
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to visit Washington on Tuesday as the United States seeks to weigh in on the scope of Israel’s anticipated retaliatory strike against Iran.
“Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action, should take a look at [our achievements] in Gaza and Beirut,” Gallant said Sunday, less than a week after Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles.
“We are powerful in both defense and offense, and this will be reflected in the manner of our choosing, at the time and place of our choosing,” he said as he visited the Nevatim Air Force base.
US President Joe Biden has been blunt about his opposition to an Israeli strike that would target either Iran’s oil fields or its nuclear facilities. KAN News reported on Sunday that the US had offered Israel monetary incentives to modify its attack plans.
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew spoke of the issue at the annual Shabtai Shavit World Summit of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University on Sunday.
“What we’ve made clear publicly is that it’s important for this not to escalate [Israeli-Iranian violence] into a regional war.
“The president has made some public comments that suggest the things that we think create the greatest risk of things spiraling.
“On the other hand, we haven’t said that Israel should just tolerate having 200 ballistic missiles shot at it in a little over an hour, even if it was two hours,” Lew said as he underscored how serious those attacks were.
He cautioned that a decision to destroy Iran’s nuclear program was not a decision to make because Israel has had a successful few weeks in its military exchanges.
Khamenei speaks
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned Israel and the US not to respond, in a post he placed on X/Twitter.
“What our armed forces did was to inflict the minimum punishment on that usurping Zionist regime in response to its appalling crimes. It’s a bloodthirsty regime, a wolf-like regime, and the US’s rabid dog in the region.”
“The brilliant Operation True Promise 2 of our armed forces was completely legal and legitimate. And if necessary, this will be done again in the future,” he wrote.
In advance of the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, President Issac Herzog gave a rare interview to the Saudi news organization Al Arabiya in which he called on the people of the Middle East to unite in peace and for those who oppose Iran to create a military alliance against it, akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“We are all the children of Abraham, and I call upon the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran, the people of all of the oppressed nations in the region to rise up and understand that if we move this empire of evil, if we confront it and be tough together, we surely can hope for a better future and create a NATO-like structure in the region that blocks radicalism,” he said.
“Iran is the only country in the world who calls for the eradication of another member state of the United Nations – that’s Israel,” Herzog said.
“I saw the speech of the supreme leader. There was no message of accommodation, of extending a hand or saying, let’s move together, two great historic nations to help change the lives of people in the Middle East. Rather, you see Iran spending billions of dollars of their own citizens’ money on a huge war machine aimed at creating pain and havoc. So either we offer hope for hope, or we go for destruction. Iran offers destruction. We are offering hope,” he stated.
The United States, France, and Britain have stood behind Israel in its battle against Iran. Their armies, along with those from Israel and Jordan, took to the skies in April and again last week to defend the Jewish state against the direct strikes from Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Saturday for an arms embargo against Israel with regard to offensive munition used by the IDF in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Macron in a phone conversation Sunday that an arms embargo against Israel as the IDF is fighting Iran and its proxies would only strengthen the Islamic Republic.
“Iran supports all parts of its axis of terrorism. Israel expects its friends to stand behind it and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen the Iranian axis of evil,” the Prime Minister’s Office said as it paraphrased the message Netanyahu delivered to Macron.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will be in Israel on Monday to stand in solidarity with the country as part of a regional visit he is making this week in light of heightened regional tensions.
Washington, D.C
DC Navy Yard shooting: What happened in Washington? ‘Targeted attack’ feared as scary visuals emerge
A shooting reportedly took place in Washington DC’s Navy Yard on Thursday, and visuals from the scene were shared online. Independent journalist Nick Sortor shared a clip saying “Heavily armed US Capitol Police officers are RACING to a reported shooting in the vicinity of a high-ranking US government official in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard.”
Sortor noted that US Capitol Police were rushing to the scene. He noted that the black SUV seen in the clip was an armored Chevrolet Suburban which was used by members of the Congress and members of the President’s cabinet. Sortor further reported that it was ‘unclear’ if the attack was targeted.
The alleged shooter is reportedly not in custody yet and police are searching the area. “I personally witnessed that official be EXTRACTED via undercover Capitol Police officers, protected by uniformed officers carrying long rifles. I will not name the official without their express permission, as I don’t want to dox their home. Other officers can be seen sweeping the area for evidence like shell casings,” Sortor further said.
Also Read | Towson University: Shooting reports on campus in Maryland spark fears; first details
The DC Police Department and the US Capitol Police are yet to comment on the matter.
Navy Yard shooting: Reactions and fears
Several people wondered about the politicians who live in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Grok, the AI chatbot, helped out, saying “Publicly reported ones include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—she’s been living in a Navy Yard apartment for years. The area’s also drawn younger congressional staffers and some Trump admin folks in the past for the modern housing near the river. Can’t list “all” though—most officials’ exact homes aren’t public for obvious security reasons.”
It added “No, no current Trump cabinet members are publicly reported as living in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. Several senior officials (SecState Marco Rubio, SecDef Pete Hegseth, AG Pam Bondi, ex-DHS Sec Kristi Noem) have moved into secure military housing at Fort McNair or Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for safety. Noem previously rented in Navy Yard but relocated. Exact private residences aren’t public record.”
To be sure, the name of the official has not been released yet, so Grok’s answers are only guesses based on public record or past information. One wild claim was made on X that the shooting ‘targeted Donald Trump’. However, this came from an unverified profile and no corroboration was provided. President Trump is not publicly known to be in the Navy Yard area, rather remaining in the White House when he is in Washington.
The news of the DC Navy Yard shooting comes days after a takeover by a teen mob. The unruly incident saw four teenagers charged with disorderly conduct, reports on April 12 noted.
Washington, D.C
Federal agency approves concept for Trump’s plan for a Triumphal Arch in Washington
President Donald Trump’s design for the Triumphal Arch he wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital moved a step forward Thursday after a key agency reviewed the proposal for the first time. One commissioner suggested changes, including losing the Lady Liberty-like statue and pair of eagles that would sit on top of the arch and add to its height.
The arch is one of several projects that the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his lasting imprint on Washington.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve the concept design for the arch. Its members, all appointed by Trump, will review an updated design before taking a final vote at a future meeting.
Trump said last week on social media that the arch “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”
President Trump proposed the installation of a large arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge, on the D.C.-Virginia border. “Something’s supposed to be here,” he said he’s been told. News4’s Joseph Olmo reports.
The commission also approved design concepts for two other projects: Trump’s plan to paint the gray granite exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is next to the White House, white, and construction of an underground center to conduct security screenings of tourists and other guests. It will review updated designs for both at a future meeting.
Triumphal Arch
The arch would stand 250 feet tall (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure atop the structure. That figure would be flanked up top by two eagles and guarded at the base by four lions — all gilded. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.
The commission’s vice chairman, architect James McCrery II, said he preferred the arch without the figure and eagles on top. McCrery also objected to the lions on the base.
The arch would be built on a human-made island managed by the National Park Service on the Virginia side of the Potomac River at the end of Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and be close to half the height of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the arch’s 250-foot height will honor America’s 250 years of existence.
A group of veterans and a historian has sued in federal court to block construction on the grounds that the arch would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, among other reasons.
Underground screening center for White House visitors
The U.S. Secret Service, Interior Department, National Park Service, and the Executive Office of the President want to start construction in August on a 33,000-square-foot (3,066-square-meter) center to screen tourists and other visitors to the White House.
It would be built beneath Sherman Park, federal land southwest of the White House, to provide a more secure place to screen those going on White House tours or attending events. The new facility would have seven lanes to ease processing and reduce wait times.
Officials want it operating by July 2028, six months before Trump’s term ends.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building paint job
Trump said the Executive Office Building is beautiful, but he does not like its gray exterior.
“It’s one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere in Washington,” Trump said in August. “I think it’s just incredible, but you have to get past the color because the stone they used was a really bad color.”
Two proposals were given to the commission: Cover the entire building in bright white or paint most of it white while leaving untouched the granite on the exposed basement and subbasement.
In written materials, the White House said the building has been largely neglected since its construction. It said the building’s color, design and massing do not “align visually with the surrounding architecture” and lack ”any symbolic cohesion with the White House.”
The paint job is also the subject of litigation in federal court.
The building sits across a driveway from the West Wing. It was completed in 1888 after 17 years of construction, and its granite, slate, and cast iron exterior makes it one of America’s best examples of the French Second Empire style of architecture.
It originally housed the departments of State, War and Navy. It currently houses offices for the vice president and the National Security Council, among others.
The building is a National Historic Landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Washington, D.C
Person hit by 3 people on scooters at Washington Monument after discussion over marijuana
WASHINGTON (7News) — A person was struck by three others on scooters near the Washington Monument on Wednesday evening, according to the U.S. Park Police.
Officials said the person was on a walk when they confronted the trio for smoking marijuana near the monument. Shortly after, the three people struck the victim from behind with their scooters.
The victim received minor cuts but turned down medical treatment, officials said.
Officials said a search for the victims is ongoing. Smoking or possessing marijuana on federal land, like the National Mall, is not allowed according to federal law.
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