A suspect has been arrested following an arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, that heavily damaged the historic synagogue early Saturday morning, according to chief fire investigator Charles Felton. The fire, reported shortly after 3 a.m., destroyed two Torah scrolls and damaged five others while reducing the library and administrative offices to charred ruins, Mississippi Today reported. The Jackson Fire Department, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the arrest Saturday night after investigators ruled the blaze arson. No congregants were injured in the fire, which erupted during Shabbat, the weekly Jewish day of rest. The synagogue has suspended services indefinitely, according to congregation president Zach Shemper.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute said the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked, following remarks by Venezuelan opposition leader Mara Corina Machado suggesting she might give her 2025 award to U.S. President Donald Trump. read more
The Kennedy Center will host the Jan. 29 premiere of "Melania," the eponymous documentary focused on First Lady Melania Trump, making it the latest event linked to the president's interests to make its way to the newly Trump-branded performing arts center. read more
Reports of a dramatic escalation in the use of deadly force by Iranian security forces have begun to trickle out of the country despite a severe communications blackout as authorities struggle to contain mass protests. The Center for Human Rights in Iran, based in New York, said it received eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed in Iran since the government cut off the country's access to the internet on Thursday night.
The National Portrait Gallery swapped out President Donald Trump's official presidential portrait on display this week and changed his biography while they were at it. The New York Times reported Saturday that the language on the wall about Trump and his history "removed wall text that referred to President Trump's two impeachments " language that had upset the White House." The official painting of Trump was recently replaced in the "America's Presidents" exhibition, and the biography was as well. Previously, the language read: "Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials."
Does Darrell Issa have an alibi?