The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes seeking regime change in Iran, killing an undisclosed number and triggering Iranian retaliation against American interests in Bahrain and beyond. Despite the Trump administration’s shifting e…
Following the joint American and Israeli strikes on Iran, the FBI—under director Kash Patel—has bumped up its terror alert, with homeland security agencies and local police, particularly in New York, dusting off their most robust protocols. While Kristi Noem and the Secret Service talk coordination and constant vigilance, we note that global saber-rattling tends to be good for the siren business, if little else.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, claims Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, perished in an Israeli-American strike on his Tehran residence—though Iranian officials remain sphinx-like, declining to confirm anything beyond their devotion to sovereignty. While Israeli leaders trumpet a new phase targeting “thousands” of hostile sites, state media in Iran insist Khamenei is running the show; crises, as ever, bring out everyone’s inner showman.
Iran’s state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, after US and Israeli strikes on Tehran and other cities reportedly left over 200 dead, including much of his immediate family. While the Revolutionary Guard called for national unity and Donald Trump extolled the “justice” served, we suspect Iran’s next 40 days of mourning may feel rather longer for all concerned.
Israel has launched strikes on Tehran, prompting Iran to lob missiles toward Israel and several Gulf Arab states, just days after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death—an act Tehran pins squarely on Washington and its regional ally. We wait to see if this fresh volley of tit-for-tat will prompt more regional actors off the sidelines, or if, as so often, reality will outmaneuver rhetoric.
Donald Trump announced that the United States has launched military strikes on Iran, vowing from Mar-a-Lago to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and calling for regime change. With talks brokered by Oman apparently close to a compromise, timing seems less about “imminent threats” and more about Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu sensing Iranian weakness—a classic case of seizing the diplomatic hour, perhaps with a little creative urgency thrown in.
In a feat of logistical ballet, PATH riders around Newark and Manhattan will juggle five weekends of patchy service starting February 27th, as operators test a new rail-switching system under federal oversight. Bus shuttles and reduced trains will make up for closed segments, with a break for football fans and Red Bulls games. At least, by the World Cup’s kick-off, PATH hopes its signals—and passengers—are all in sync.
Hundreds gathered in Manhattan, marching from Times Square to Columbus Circle, to protest sweeping U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—a turn of events that prompted both demonstrations and cheers outside the United Nations. As the NYPD deployed officers near Midtown’s diplomatic missions, we await Sunday’s larger Iranian-American rally, mindful that New York traffic remains impervious to global tumult.
After a high-profile student arrest at Columbia University, we note that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have no special remit on campus grounds; in fact, their powers here are no greater than on city streets. Nevertheless, federal agents employed a legally dicey maneuver to detain a student this week—proving that when it comes to boundaries, government officials occasionally skip the reading assignments.
