Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
U.S. Intelligence Briefly Curtailed Information Sharing With Israel Amid Gaza War Concerns 
International Outcry Grows Over Re-Arrest of Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran 
New Epstein Photos Surface Showing Trump as Lawmakers Near Document Release Deadline 
Brazil Arrests Former Peruvian Foreign Minister Augusto Blacker Miller in International Fraud Case 
Trump Claims Thailand-Cambodia Ceasefire After Intense Border Clashes 
Preservation Group Sues Trump Administration to Halt $300 Million White House Ballroom Project 
Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Targets Senior Hamas Commander Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
International Stabilization Force for Gaza Nears Deployment as U.S.-Led Planning Advances 
Bolivia Orders Pre-Trial Detention of Former President Luis Arce Over Embezzlement Probe 
Global Leaders Condemn Deadly Antisemitic Shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach During Hanukkah 
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs 
US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against the recent hostage-taking that occurred at a synagogue in Texas. Harris condemned the attack and reiterated the need to combat antisemitism.
Over the weekend, Harris issued a statement commenting on the hostage-taking that took place in a synagogue in Coleyville, Texas. Four people were kept hostage for more than 10 hours. The hostages were ultimately set free, and law enforcement apprehended the hostage-taker.
Harris affirmed the support for the Congregation Beth Israel community and the entire Jewish community in her statement. Harris also thanked the authorities for responding to the incident.
“This morning, we are grateful that four people held hostage in a synagogue in Coleyville, Texas are safe and going home to their families. We thank the brave men and women in federal, state, and law enforcement, and we stand in solidarity with the Congregation Beth Israel community and the entire Jewish community. While we will learn more about the hostage taker’s motivation, we know this: What happened yesterday at Congregation Beth Israel is a reminder that we must speak up and combat antisemitism and hate wherever it exists. Everyone has a right to pray, work, study, and spend time with loved ones not as the other – but as us,” said Harris in the statement.
President Joe Biden also condemned the hostage-taking incident, pledging to continue fighting against antisemitism and extremism. Biden also thanked the law enforcement officials for saving the hostages.
In other related news, Harris reiterated the importance of passing voting rights legislation in her remarks in honor of Martin Luther King day. Harris delivered remarks from Washington at an event hosted by the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and called for the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Harris’s speech follows a week in which two Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin, and Kyrsten Sinema, reiterated their stance of refusing to carve out or bypass the filibuster in order to get voting rights legislation passed. Senate Republicans have also unanimously opposed the voting rights bills and have blocked debate on the bills four times through the filibuster.
“We must not give up and we must not give in. To truly honor the legacy of the man we celebrate today, we must continue the fight for the freedom to vote, for freedom for all,” said Harris.
