Trump says he's shortening the 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine
His announcement came as Russia fired an overnight barrage at Ukraine of more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said.
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Their families fled the Nazis. Facing Trump, US Jews are making Germany ‘Plan B'
Germany is making it easier for the descendants of victims of Nazism to obtain German citizenship, and an increasing number of American Jews are applying. While some are seeking citizenship for practical reasons or as a form of reparation, others see it as a way to escape an increasingly anti-Semitic America under US President Donald Trump. Joe Sacks, a high school science teacher in Washington, DC, has begun the process of obtaining German citizenship. He is one of hundreds of Jewish Americans looking to reclaim German citizenship after their families fled the Nazis. "You click 'Yes, I'm Jewish' on the German form and send it to the German government,' he told NPR in an interview last month. 'It's wild.' Among the hundreds of Jewish-American applicants seeking German citizenship, many cite practical reasons like easier travel or opportunities in Europe. Others say they want to have a 'Plan B' in today's tense political climate. But for many, it is a decision taken with a heavy heart. A growing trend Trump's attempts to demonize and scapegoat segments of the population – notably immigrants, 'elite' institutions like universities as well as the media – are uncomfortable echoes of 1930s prewar Germany. His insistence on abject loyalty and taking control of state, independent and cultural institutions to serve his own ends have drawn comparisons to fascist and autocratic regimes. And more than one former Trump adviser has publicly made a Nazi salute – in one case, prompting a French far-right leader to cancel a planned US speech. Read moreWhat parallels do historians see between the Trump administration and the Nazi regime? The United States is also experiencing a surge in hate crime and xenophobic speech. "This rise of authoritarianism just parallels the rise of Hitler,' Eric Podietz, a retired, Philadelphia-based IT consultant who has applied for German citizenship, told NPR. "The squelching of speech and the academic institutions being compromised. The signs are there. It's happening." Podietz's mother fled Germany when she was a child in the late 1930s. Like Sacks, he isn't planning to move, but is increasingly worried by the political rhetoric in the United States that he says harks back to that heard in Germany before his family was forced to flee. At a ceremony held in July 2024 at the German consulate in New York, 82 Holocaust survivors, along with their children and grandchildren, became German citizens. "We've seen an upward trend since 2017, when Donald Trump [first] became president,' David Gill, Germany's then consul general in New York, told the German news program Tagesschau, which covered the event. And the numbers only continue to increase. The New York consulate received 350 applications in 2016 versus 1,500 in 2024, which resulted in 700 naturalizations, according to the German Consulate General NY Instagram account. Streamlined procedure The German constitution granted citizenship to former German citizens who were persecuted by the Nazis and their descendants back in 1949. But for years, difficult legal requirements prevented many applicants from taking advantage. Some were denied German citizenship because their ancestors had adopted another nationality before their German citizenship was officially revoked. Individuals born before April 1, 1953, could only obtain citizenship if they were able to prove that their father had been stripped of German nationality – citizenship having been stripped from the mother was not enough. Germany addressed these problems and others beginning in 2021, significantly simplifying the citizenship process. Anyone applying now can rely on proof obtained on the maternal side, and no longer need to prove they can support themselves financially. Applicants just need to prove that their ancestors were persecuted in Germany between 1933 and 1945, or that they belonged to a targeted group like Jews or Roma, political dissidents or the mentally ill. Although the application process is free of charge, finding old documents to prove family links can be a major hurdle, said Marius Tollenaere, a partner at Frankfurt-based immigration law firm Fragomen, in comments to CNN. The applications must also be submitted in German. Reluctance from some families All four of Scott Mayerowitz's grandparents were forced to flee Germany in the 1930s. He grew up in New Jersey with parents who refused to buy any German-made products or drive a German car. The decision to apply for citizenship from the country that had caused his family so much pain was a weighty one. His mother Susan agreed to gather the necessary documents, albeit reluctantly. 'My parents must be turning over in their graves,' she told CNN. Mayerowitz convinced his mother by pointing out the practical benefits, including the work and educational opportunities the EU could offer his own daughter. 'And finally, I said if for some reason she one day needed to flee the US for persecution, this opened up a lot more doors,' he told the network. Arlington resident Anne Barnett had a similar experience with her mother, who was initially upset that she wanted citizenship from the country that had exterminated so much of her family. She came around eventually, Barnett told CNN. Unfortunately, what convinced her was the increasing anti-Semitism in the United States. Travel writer Erin Levi of Connecticut also made the move to obtain German citizenship after she found her grandfather's US alien ID card, which was stamped '1942' and had Germany as his country of citizenship. Eighty years after the end of World War II, Levi told CNN she feels safer in Germany than in other countries where anti-Semitism is on the rise. 'I think Germany has become such a strong ally and supporter of Israel. It's incredible to see the responsibility they've taken for the atrocities they committed. There aren't that many other countries that have,' she said. Turning the Page Steve North made the decision to apply for German citizenship in 2020 out of fear that Trump would be re-elected. North, a writer for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, recalled an emotional exchange with former consul general Gill, who handed him his naturalization papers. To his surprise, Gill said that giving him his papers 'feels wonderful, because we Germans get part of our history back', North wrote for the agency. ''It reminds us how much knowledge and wisdom was lost by expelling and murdering the Jews.' Gill went on to describe handing naturalization papers to a 97-year-old woman from Hamburg who said the process gave her closure, and of repatriating a 95-year-old man who told him, 'the Germany of today is a Germany I feel comfortable with'. While North isn't planning on leaving the United States just yet, he is keeping his options open. '[T]he unthinkable happened in a supposedly civilized country in modern times, and it would be foolish to disregard the possibility of history repeating itself here, given the Jew-hatred we constantly see expressed on both the extreme right and left of the American political spectrum,' he wrote.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
France halts Gaza evacuations over antisemitism row involving Palestinian student
France has suspended all evacuations from Gaza following an antisemitism controversy involving a Palestinian student recently admitted to the country. The move comes after it was revealed that Nour Atallah, a 25-year-old woman from Gaza, had posted antisemitic content on social media before being accepted into a prestigious French university. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the decision in Paris on Thursday. 'She must leave the country. She does not have a place in France,' Mr Barrot said in an interview with radio station france">France Info, without naming the student. He did not specify whether the student would be sent back to Gaza. He added that no new visas will be issued, and no new admissions from Gaza will take place until an investigation is conducted. The French and Israeli vetting of her before she arrived in France did not reveal the 'antisemitic and unacceptable' posts, Mr Barrot said. The temporary suspension will also see a review of all Gaza evacuees who have arrived in France so far. The scandal has triggered strong condemnation across France's political spectrum. Ms Atallah, who had been awarded a scholarship to study at Sciences Po Lille, faces expulsion from France after her university withdrew her accreditation. Her social media posts surfaced recently, containing antisemitic rhetoric and praise of Adolf Hitler. French authorities say a criminal investigation has been opened on the grounds of 'justifying terrorism and crimes against humanity'. French interior minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X that he has requested legal action to be taken. 'Hamas propagandists have no place in our country,' he added. Since October, France has evacuated more than 500 people from Gaza, including children, journalists, and artists, as part of its ongoing humanitarian efforts. The incident has placed renewed scrutiny on the vetting procedures coordinated with Israeli authorities. A statement from Sciences Po Lille said the content of the student's post was 'in direct contradiction' with its values. '(Sciences Po Lille) fights against all forms of racism, antisemitism, and discrimination, as well as against any type of call to hatred, against any population whatsoever,' the university said on X on Wednesday. The French government has not said when evacuations might resume, promising a thorough review and strengthened protocols before any further admissions from Gaza will be considered.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US president Donald Trump sacks jobs data chief after dismal employment report
US President Donald Trump on Friday fired the head of the government agency in charge of monthly jobs data after a report showed hiring slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported. In a post on his social media platform, Trump alleged that the figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were manipulated for political reasons, saying Erika McEntarfer, the director of the agency who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' The US leader later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' While Trump provided no evidence, the charge that the data was faked was seen as an explosive reaction that threatens to undercut the political legitimacy of the US government's economic data. For decades, Wall Street investors and economists have mostly believed the data to be free from political bias. McEntarfer's removal condemned After Trump's initial post, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Chavez-DeRemer said. But condemnation soon followed. A group that included two former BLS commissioners, including William Beach, who was appointed by Trump to the position, berated McEntarfer's firing. They particularly objected to the charge that the data was altered for political reasons. 'This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers,' the statement from the group, the Friends of BLS, said. Beach and former President Barack Obama's BLS commissioner, Erica Groshen, signed the letter. 'Firing the Commissioner ... when the BLS revises jobs numbers down (as it routinely does) threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics,' Arin Dube, an economist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said on X. 'I can't stress how damaging this is.' Report shows 73,000 jobs were added in July Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report indicated that the US economy has weakened significantly under Trump, following a slowdown in economic growth in the first half of the year and a spike in inflation in June, which appeared to be a result of the pressure on prices brought on by the president's tariffs. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate job numbers,' Trump wrote. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate; they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' Related Fed's Powell leaves interest rates unchanged despite Trump demands Trump administration partners with Big Tech to launch health data tracking programme Trump has not always been so suspicious of the monthly jobs report and responded enthusiastically after the initial May figures came out on 6 June, when it was initially reported that the economy added 139,000 jobs. 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' Trump posted at the time. That estimate was later revised down to 125,000 jobs, and then further revised to just 19,000.
