As grim as the political scene is in Israel today – with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition bulldozing through contentious and damaging legislation on the final days of the Knesset before the October election – the view on the other side of the world in Washington regarding Israel is just as worrisome.
Washington
Since trade to Dallas Mavericks, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford raise postseason hopes
An ecstatic P.J. Washington immediately forgot about his meal, jumped up from his table, and ran out of the restaurant in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, screaming with joy.
Washington learned he was traded from the Charlotte Hornets. He was departing a long rebuilding franchise to join his hometown Dallas Mavericks. His new teammates were NBA stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and he was going to be coached by his childhood hero, former Mavericks guard Jason Kidd.
“I remember I just got off the phone with my agent who was like, ‘Be ready, something could happen,’ ” Washington told Andscape recently. “So, I was sitting next to my wife and she was like, ‘What would you do if you got traded?’ And I was like, ‘I would just get up and just run out the restaurant.’ She did not think I was going to get traded. So, not two minutes later, I get the call and I ran out the restaurant screaming, excited, just full of joy. Just ready to get here [Dallas].
“I was so excited because I was coming home and had a chance to finally get to the playoffs. There was a lot of emotions and excitement for me.”
For Washington, a forward with the Hornets and then-Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford, the first half of the NBA season created little excitement, fanfare or hope with two rebuilding franchises. But on Feb. 8, their NBA lives dramatically changed as both were sent to the Mavericks in separate deals.
“With the position we were in, we weren’t looking to be doing anything postseasonwise,” Gafford told Andscape recently about Washington. “But coming to another team [in Dallas] that is in [playoff] position playing for something in the postseason, you have to come in with a whole different mindset. I could be lazy with the team before. Now, I have to come in with my big boy pants on.”
Vernon Bryant/Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks had a 28-23 record at the time of the trade and were in the eighth spot/play-in tournament territory in the Western Conference standings. While Dallas had two stars, Dončić and Irving, the team needed rebounding, rim protection and improved defense. Gafford added rebounding and shot-blocking and Washington is uniquely able to defend any position and can score.
“We look at them on both ends, defense and offensively,” Kidd said. “We’re trying to use their strengths. Gafford has ability to roll, he has great hands … P.J. is getting great looks at the 3. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor, to playmake, also score. And then defensively, the physicality that [Washington] brings to the team with also Gafford’s physicality. We’re asking P.J. to guard one through five and he’s doing that at a high level for us.”
According to NBA.com, before the trade deadline Dallas was 22nd in defensive rating (117.4) in the NBA, 26nd in defensive rebound percentage (69.4), 21st in opponents field goal percentage (48.6) and last in opponents field goal percentage at the rim (70.6). Post-trade deadline, the Mavs are seventh in the NBA in defensive rating (110.4), seventh in defensive rebounding percentage (73.6), third in opponents field goal percentage (45.3) and first in opponents field goal percentage at the rim (61.3).
In 27 games for Dallas, Gafford has averaged 11.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Washington is averaging 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
The newcomers also seem to be accentuating the Mavericks’ offense alongside Dončić and Irving. Gafford has called the fit with the two stars “easy.”
Since the trade deadline, Dallas has been one of the NBA’s hottest teams, going 21-7 with wins in nine of its last 10 games. Dallas also entered Wednesday in the fifth playoff seed in the Western Conference standings. The Mavericks were also 12th (117.6) in the NBA in offensive rating prior to the trade deadline and have been fourth (118.3) since.
“They said I got one job, ‘Set screens, pick and roll and pass it,’ ” Gafford, who began his career with the Chicago Bulls, said. “It’s pretty much the job I’ve had on all the teams that I’ve been on. I’m just trying to be better as the days go by.”
Washington, who scored a season-high 32 points against Golden State on April 5, said: “They make it easy. They draw a lot of attention every time they come on the court. So, somebody is going to be open as they create an open shot.”
Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
The last time the Hornets made the playoffs was in 2016 when Washington was completing his junior year at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. The Hornets drafted Washington out of the University of Kentucky with the 12th overall pick in 2019. While there was one winning season with 43 victories during the 2021-22 campaign, the Hornets have been mired in losing, injury woes and rebuilding for eight consecutive seasons.
The losses took their toll on Washington in Charlotte. At the time of his trade on Feb. 8, the Hornets were 10-40 and on a nine-game losing streak. Charlotte entered Wednesday with a 19-60 record and its head coach Steve Clifford is stepping down at season’s end.
“It’s been tough,” Washington said about losing in Charlotte. “Obviously, my whole [NBA] career, I have not been to the playoffs where you can get the best from me. I’m excited to have an opportunity to fight to be in the playoffs.”
The outlook was equally dire for Gafford in Washington, but he tried to be as positive and professional under the circumstances.
Under a new front office, the Wizards traded Bradley Beal, their second all-time leading scorer, to the Phoenix Suns in June 2023. Washington hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2021. The thought of the playoffs were laughable with the Wizards’ 9-41 record at the time of the Gafford trade. Washington entered Wednesday with a 15-65 record.
“The biggest challenge on a day-to-day basis was staying locked-in and staying professional, having a mindset that every game is important,” Gafford said. “You’re fighting for something and trying to rebuild. You really had to be professional in the sense that it didn’t matter what was going on. You had to come in and be happy.
“Every day is not promised. Just because of what the record was doesn’t justify not coming out and playing hard. That was the atmosphere and vibe around the team, for sure.”
Gafford said matters were made more challenging in Washington for him and his wife, DaShundra, when their home in Alexandria, Virginia, was burglarized and “left in shambles” about a week before the trade. His wife’s jewelry and purses were among the valuables stolen along with Gafford’s gaming equipment. The good news was the Gaffords weren’t home at the time.
With the losses in Washington and mental anguish from the burglary, the timing for the move to Dallas was perfect for the Gaffords.
“Everything can be replaced as long as we have our lives and are in good spirits,” Gafford said. “Of course, I was a bit bent out of shape at the time. But I realize I play in the league and I’ve got a little bit of money, so I could get my stuff back. I looked at it that way positively. In some form of fashion, we are going to get a blessing out of this.”
Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images
Another plus of the trade to Dallas for Washington and Gafford was moving close to home. Washington grew up in Frisco, Texas, 25.9 miles from the Mavericks’ American Airlines Center in Dallas. He attended Mavericks games during his childhood using a family friend’s season tickets sitting next to the Mavs ManiAACs (nicknamed “The Big Boys of Dance,” they are the NBA’s original male performance squad). His favorite Mavericks players as a kid were Kidd and forward Dirk Nowitzki.
Washington takes a lot of pride in wearing the Dallas jersey, but getting tickets for friends has been a challenge.
“I grew up there second grade to 10th grade,” Washington said. “For me, being home is great. All of my friends have been hitting me each and every day asking for all of my tickets. They are definitely on my [phone] line bugging me about every single game. I tell them to talk to the wife because she is probably going to all of them. Figure out the ones she is not going to …
“For me, there isn’t pressure playing at home. It’s just exciting. I just look at it as an opportunity to come out here, be aggressive, get a win and be me. There is no pressure at all for me. It’s a dream come true. I’m excited to be here.”
Gafford is from El Dorado, Arkansas, 268.5 miles east of Dallas. A lot of the former University of Arkansas star’s family members have been attending games, too, to his delight.
“I am only about four or five hours from my house,” Gafford said. “So, being so close now is something special to me. I can have my family and my people from my hometown come down and be around me. It’s something I always wanted to have, them come in and experience everything around me playing in the NBA.
“We’ve watched the NBA all our lives on TV, and they get to see a relative on TV. But now they get to see me in person playing with some of their favorite players, playing against some of their favorite teams. It’s something dope for me to have my people experience this on a daily basis.”
Two events overnight Wednesday emerging from the US Capitol, one a vote and the other an interview, exemplified the rockslide – turning into an avalanche – of anti-Israel sentiment that has taken hold in the hallowed halls of decision-makers.
The degree to which both the Republican and Democratic parties are sharpening their claws against Israel and hyper-focusing on it to the exclusion of critical issues indicates that the long-standing US-Israel bond is in a real crisis.
Nearly half of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, 103, voted for an amendment to cut off aid to Israel. The amendment was defeated 314-104. It was sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), whose disagreement with his party on Israel is his signature issue. He recently lost the GOP primary to run for reelection in the November midterms.
Lest we breathe a sigh of relief that Republicans en masse voted against the amendment, US Vice President JD Vance demonstrated that Israel has just as much to worry about from the Right in the US.
Vance claims Israeli ‘influence campaigns’ affect US political decisions
In an interview with highly popular America First podcaster Joe Rogan, who has labeled Israel’s war efforts in Gaza as “genocide,” Vance suggested that shadowy Israeli “influence campaigns” exist in the US.
“I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal,” he told Rogan.
An article in Time magazine on Tuesday was “worth reading because it lists a bunch of people who have quite literally been paid by a former Trump campaign person, who was himself paid by certain elements within the Israeli government,” Vance said. “And those people are attacking me viciously for quite literally trying to accomplish the negotiation objective that the president set for the country.”
“Many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways,” he said. “You know, my response to that is: ‘Go to hell.’ I’m going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first.”
Vance shares claim spread by far Right influencers linking Jeffrey Epstein to Israeli intelligence
Vance, who is seen as a prime contender to be the Republican nominee for president in 2028, also waded into the conspiracy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. Epstein “clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence,” he said, reiterating a claim that has been refuted and discredited.
The embrace by such a senior Trump administration official of conspiracy theories about Epstein’s ties to Israeli intelligence, which have proliferated in the years since his death and often have veered into antisemitism, is part and parcel with Vance’s increasing alignment with the far Right base populated by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, and Candace Owens.
Taken separately, the vote in the House of Representatives and the Vance interview are worrisome signs that the “special” relationship between Israel and the US is on life support at best. Taken together, they should be an alarming wake-up call that the days of the “kishkes” identification test with Israel – as exemplified diversely by the late Lindsey Graham and former president Joe Biden – are long gone.
Although it’s easy to place the blame elsewhere – and there are a plethora of strong arguments to be made in retort to both Democratic and Republican detractors of Israel – we must also look inward and see what can be done to reverse the tide of sentiment against us.
We can surely criticize the headline-provoking gambit by US Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) last week, who chose to only hear and see the Palestinian side of life in the West Bank. But we can also acknowledge that vigilante Jewish groups are patrolling the area in a heavy-handed and lawless fashion that creates potentially lethal friction points and does irreparable damage to Israel’s image.
We can criticize Rahm Emmanuel for haughtily coming to Israel and warning us about what needs to be done to repair the US-Israel relationship, while acknowledging that some of his points were spot-on and unfolding before our very eyes in the House vote and Vance interview.
Jerusalem can no longer ignore or downplay the growing trends in the US of having to endorse the “Israel is genocide” trope to become a candidate, or of blaming Israel for getting the US entangled in Iran. The unsettling news this week demonstrates that with stark clarity.
Washington DC air quality could deteriorate Friday
Wildfire smoke from Canada may push DC to Code Red Friday (AQI 151–200); even healthy people may feel effects.
Washington DC’s air quality has worsened this week as wildfire smoke from Canada traveled hundreds of miles south, prompting air quality alerts and creating hazy skies across the region.
There’s belief by some forecasters that the worst is yet to come.
Here’s what they say about Friday’s forecast, which Capital Weather says could feature “the worst air quality in years” in DC.
Could air quality reach Code Red levels in Washington DC?
Washington DC’s air quality reached Code Orange this week, meaning conditions are unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease.
Forecasters warn conditions could deteriorate further Friday as a thicker plume of wildfire smoke settles over the region. The Maryland Department of the Environment’s forecast suggests parts of the DC metro area could reach Code Red — an AQI of 151 to 200 — if the heaviest smoke reaches the surface.
“A weak cold front will move south Thursday night and Friday morning, ushering in a significant amount of smoke into Maryland that will persist all day Friday due to weak, recirculating winds,” officials said.
Capital Weather Gang reported that smoke concentrations are expected to peak Friday afternoon into Friday evening, when air quality could deteriorate to levels not seen in three years.
Other forecasters indicate the highest concentrations of smoke are expected late Friday before conditions gradually improve over the weekend.
What do Code Red air quality levels mean?
Many areas north of DC are already in a Code Red, meaning anyone could experience health effects from the air quality, not just sensitive groups.
On the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale, Code Red represents levels between 151 and 200. At those levels, even healthy people may experience eye or throat irritation, coughing or difficulty breathing after prolonged exposure.
If the DC area were to reach that level, residents should limit their time outdoors. If you must spend an extended period outdoors, DC Health recommends wearing a well-fitting N95 or KN95 mask.
People with asthma, heart disease or other respiratory conditions, as well as children, older adults and pregnant people, may be especially vulnerable to wildfire smoke and should take extra precautions. Anyone who develops symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain or difficulty breathing should move indoors and seek medical attention if symptoms become severe.
SEATTLE – President Donald Trump fired a newly appointed federal prosecutor in Seattle less than an hour after he was named to the position.
What we know:
Former King County judge Roger Rogoff was assigned to take over as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington on Wednesday. The seat has remained empty since Charles Neil Floyd was appointed as First Assistant U.S. Attorney back in February, though he kept running the office as western Washington’s U.S. District Attorney.
Rogoff was named to the position by Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo, but soon after the judicial order was posted, the White House blocked the move and fired Rogoff.
The backstory:
The Trump administration made similar moves in the firings of two other U.S. attorneys — Donal Kinsella of New York and Desiree Grace of New Jersey — the same day they were sworn in. Both were set to replace Trump-appointed interim judges, but were fired shortly after getting the job.
Local perspective:
Western Washington is not a typical case though, as the district hasn’t had a permanent U.S. Attorney since now-Attorney General Nick Brown left the position in 2023. Since then, there’s been several interim U.S. attorneys, which only allows them to serve for a limited time.
Rogoff was set to serve as acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington until President Trump selected a replacement. Instead, the position remains unfilled.
What they’re saying:
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote the following in response to Rogoff’s firing:
“District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them. WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration. Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.”
However, Senator Patty Murray criticized the decision, saying Rogoff was qualified for the position and appointed legally. She issued the following statement:
“Roger Rogoff’s is eminently qualified—throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington. He should have never been fired, but the President wants to appoint an out-of-touch extremist who will put Trump over the rule of law. This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent—they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda. The people of Washington state deserve someone in this role who will enforce the law fairly and responsibly—not some Trump administration sock puppet. The President needs to understand that DOJ works for the American people—it’s not his personal law firm to enforce his mob-style politics.”
What’s next:
A federal lawsuit could be in order challenging Rogoff’s dismissal, however no immediate announcements were made by state leaders.
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The Source: Information in this story came from order filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington, statements from acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Senator Patty Murray, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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