Free Republic

Portland reporter Mike Bivins was arrested on Saturday over alleged attacks of vandalism and arson at houses of worship, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Michael E. Bivins, 34, of Portland, Oregon was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center early Saturday. Bivins was charged with multiple counts of criminal mischief in the first degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, and arson in the first degree. On April 30, Bivins allegedly broke windows to Congregation Shir Tikvah, a Jewish Synagogue, located at 2420 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland. On May 2, Bivins allegedly graffitied the Jewish Synagogue Congregation Beth...

President Biden on Sunday called the hostage situation at a Texas synagogue on Saturday an "act of terror." "This was an act of terror," Biden told reporters. "This was an act of terror [that was not only related to someone who had been arrested I might add 15 years ago and had been in jail for 10 years."

The FBI is facing backlash on social media after an official said that the Texas synagogue hostage taker’s demands were "not specifically related to the Jewish community." "The FBI is now an organization solely focused on destroying the domestic enemies of the Democratic Party," conservative talk radio show Jesse Kelly tweeted Sunday morning. "Any Republican Congress or Presidential candidate who doesn’t loudly proclaim his intention to massively reform or disband this organization should not be considered. Kelly’s tweet came in response to the Associated Press reporting that FBI officials said "the Texas synagogue hostage taker's demands were specifically focused on...

A man entered the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, a suburb of 26,000 people about 17 miles northeast of Fort Worth, on Saturday morning during services. He took four people inside the synagogue hostage and claimed to have bombs in unknown locations; one, a man, was released around 5 p.m. Around 9:15 p.m., Star-Telegram reporters at the scene heard a bang and what sounded like gunfire at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing increased police activity around the synagogue. At 9:30 p.m., Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, “All hostages are out alive and safe.” The hostage-taker is dead, Rep. Beth Van Duyne...

But in one sense, it doesn’t matter. Any complaint he has about the U.S. government, the case in question or even Israel doesn’t involve the individuals whose lives he has violated. Throughout the tense hours, the priority was the safe rescue of the hostages. Officers heroically stormed in and rescued them late Saturday, for which we should all be grateful. Now, it’s important to reflect with righteous anger, to acknowledge the evil done, name it and identify where it comes from. The innocent Colleyville congregants have nothing to do with the case of Aafia Siddiqui, whom the hostage-taker reportedly mentioned....

On March 30, a major Harvard-affiliated hospital in Boston, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), expelled a well-respected urologist from its medical staff because he voiced concerns about the unhealthy nature of homosexual behavior and objected to the hospital’s aggressive promotion of “gay pride” activities. Dr. Paul Church has been a urologist on the BIDMC staff in Boston for nearly 30 years. He is a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty. He has done research on diagnosing prostate and bladder cancer, and has been a frequent volunteer for medical mission projects in Mexico and Africa. He has also spoken...

A healthcare workers' union is urging Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to investigate stockbroker Robert Jaffe, a member of the hospital's board of overseers who helped direct investor funds to accused Ponzi artist Bernard L. Madoff. The union group, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, said in a press release that it sent a letter to the hospital's board of directors yesterday, urging them to "investigate Jaffe’s conduct and remove him from the board of overseers if appropriate." Beth Israel had no immediate comment on the letter. Spokesman Jerry Berger said the hospital's 300-member board of overseers - which is distinct...

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Suicide car bombers attacked two synagogues in downtown Istanbul at almost the same time Saturday, killing 23 people, the interior minister said. One explosion went off outside the Neve Shalom synagogue, the city's largest. The other severely damaged the Beth Israel Synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, three miles away. An outlawed Turkish radical group called the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front claimed responsibility, the semi-official Anatolia news agency said. Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said 23 people were killed, while Anatolia said more than 80 were wounded. He said both attacks were suicide car bombings. Television...