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Governor’s Race Preview? Ritchie Torres Holds Higher Approval Rating Than Mike Lawler Among NY Jews: Poll
US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) speaks during the House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, Sept. 30, 2021. Photo: Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS
A recent Siena College poll found that Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) holds a higher approval rating among Jewish registered voters in New York State than Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), setting the stage for an expected race for the governor’s mansion in 2026 between the two US lawmakers.
Torres enjoys a 41 percent approval rating among New York Jews, compared to an 8 percent disapproval rating, the poll showed. Comparatively, Lawler, who is Jewish himself, holds a 31 percent approval rating and 24 percent disapproval rating among Jews in the state.
Both Torres and Lawler are widely expected to throw their hat in the ring for the 2026 New York gubernatorial election.
While the Siena College poll found that about half the electorate either didn’t know the lawmakers or didn’t have an opinion of them, only 33 percent of New Yorkers stated that they plan on voting for incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in 2026, indicating her vulnerability.
Torres, whose district represents large swaths of the Bronx, has been increasingly critical of Hochul, lambasting her for supposedly being a political “insider” who lacks the fortitude to combat corruption within The Empire State. He has also called Hochul a “hypocrite” for switching her positions on gun rights and congestion pricing.
Moreover, since his arrival in Congress, Torres has been highly outspoken against antisemitism, oftentimes criticizing fellow liberals over their unwillingness to combat bigotry against the Jewish community. He has relentlessly criticized local universities such as New York University (NYU) and Columbia University for fostering campus environments which condone antisemitic conduct from faculty and students. He has called on local universities to amend their non-discrimination policies to include “Zionist” students as a protected identity.
Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, has also been floated as a potential contender for the New York governorship. Lawler slammed Hochul after the governor announced an “inflation check” program, which would send $300 dollars to New Yorkers making up to $150,000 per year and $300 to families making $300,000 per year. The lawmaker has also criticized Hochul over her refusal to aggressively tackle surging crime and violence within the state.
“It should come as no surprise that the most incompetent Governor in New York’s history isn’t capable of reading a balance sheet,” Lawler said recently. “But it is sad that Governor Hochul feels the need to lie to New Yorkers about how her political ‘vote-for-me’ checks are being paid for.”
Like Torres, Lawler has positioned himself as a stalwart ally of Israel since entering Congress, oftentimes spearheading bills to combat antisemitism both domestically and abroad. Lawler has also sponsored legislation to target countries and entities that treat Israel unfairly, such as the “Stand With Israel Act,” which would defund United Nations agencies that “expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.”
The post Governor’s Race Preview? Ritchie Torres Holds Higher Approval Rating Than Mike Lawler Among NY Jews: Poll first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.
Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
The post Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
Mass prayers were later held in the square.
State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
TRUMP THREAT
Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.
According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.
Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
The post Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival
Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.
One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.
This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.
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