USA

FBI thwarts potential terrorist attack inspired by ISIS on New Year's Eve, DOJ releases

The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack planned for New Year's Eve, the US Justice Department released on Friday.

 The FBI logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, D.C., July 5, 2016.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

FOZ founder Mike Evans tells Netanyahu evangelicals are ‘overwhelmingly united’ in Israel support

A member of the Iraqi security forces stands by a destroyed vehicle that was carrying rockets amdist sacks of flour, in the district of al-Baghdadi in al-Anbar province on July 8, 2021.

Iraq moves to reclaim Ain al-Assad as US-led coalition ends mission

New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani  (2nd R) celebrates alongside his wife Rama Duwaji (2nd L), his parents Mahmood Mamdani (L) and Mira Nair during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025.

How Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani’s politics shaped New York City’s new mayor


King tides to return to the Bay Area, possibly exposing ocean treasures

A natural phenomenon that typically occurs once or twice a year, a king tide is the highest predicted tide of the year at coastal locations and brings unusually high water levels to these regions.

King tides to return to the Bay Area, possibly exposing ocean treasures

Norway to extradite ‘Ashkelon hacker’ Michael Kadar to US despite severe mental health concerns

Israeli-American Michael Kadar was arrested in 2017 after sending a series of bomb threats to Jewish community centers and institutions in multiple countries.

An US-Israeli teen who was arrested in Israel on suspicion of making bomb threats against Jewish community centers in the United States, Australia and New Zealand is seen at a remand hearing at Magistrate's Court in Rishon Lezion, Israel on March 23, 2017

Colorado’s color-changing wildlife face new risks as snow vanishes

Four of them live in Colorado: snowshoe hares, white-tailed ptarmigan, short-tailed weasels and long-tailed weasels.

A white-tailed ptarmigan in a snowy meadow in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Orthodox rabbi Julius Berman, who influenced secular and observant Jewish institutions, dies at 90

His extensive leadership at some of the largest Jewish communal organizations in the United States defined his broader legacy.

Prominent Jewish communal leader Rabbi Julius Berman dies at 90.

‘Last Christmas, I gave you Iran’: Trump, Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago love fest on Eretz Nehederet

The sketch mocked the contentious relationship between the two, where the prime minister is often subservient to the president but pretends not to be.

‘Last Christmas, I gave you Iran’: Trump and Bibi in Mar-a-Lago love fest on Eretz Nehederet

Iran opens dialogue with protest leaders after demonstrations over plunge in currency value

President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post late on Monday that he had asked the interior minister to listen to "legitimate demands" of protesters.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during an interview in Tehran, Iran, August 28, 2025.

Haibat al-Halbousi elected Iraq’s parliament speaker as new legislature convenes

Iraq continues to face challenges as it navigates between the Iranian influence on the country and a push by the US and others to roll back Iranian-backed militias.

Adnan Faihan, nominated by the Coordination Framework for the position of first deputy speaker, speaks to the media on the day of the first session of the newly elected parliament, where members are set to be sworn in and begin the process of electing a speaker and two deputies, in Baghdad, Iraq Dec

Grading Trump-Netanyahu meeting on Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria - analysis

Iran was Netanyahu's and Israel's best spot by far from the summit. Trump said almost everything that the Israeli defense establishment would have wanted to hear.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival for meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025.

Veteran Jazz ensemble cancel New Year’s show over Trump Kennedy Center renaming

"Jazz was born from struggle and from an insistence on freedom: freedom of thought, of expression, and of the full human voice," the group said, justifying the decision over Kennedy's renaming.

The newly added lettering for US President Donald Trump's name is displayed at the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, US, December 19, 2025

China encircles Taiwan with bombers, warships in largest-ever series of military exercises

Due to the simulations, 76 domestic flights have already been cancelled in Taiwan's offshore islands, affecting around 6,000 passengers.

A military equipment of the ground forces takes part in long-range live-fire drills targeting waters north of Taiwan, December 30. 2025.

In honor: 13 influential Jewish New Yorkers who passed away in 2025

As the year concludes, the New York Jewish Week remembers 13 Jewish New Yorkers who died in 2025. Among them are people who left an indelible mark on New York City.

13 notable Jewish New Yorkers we lost in 2025