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The accused gunman in the deadly shooting at a San Diego-area synagogue pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder. In addition to entering pleas on Thursday in a San Diego court for firing an assault rifle inside the Chabad of Poway synagogue, John Earnest, 20, also pleaded not guilty to arson charges for a fire a month earlier at a nearby mosque, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, 10 News reported. One woman, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, was killed and three people were wounded, including an 8-year-old girl and the synagogue’s rabbi, who lost a finger, in the...

The accused gunman in the deadly shooting at a San Diego-area synagogue told a 911 operator in the moments after the attack that he did it to save white people from Jews. The recording was played Thursday at a preliminary hearing in San Diego to determine if the case should proceed to trial, the Associated Press reported. One woman was killed and three people were wounded in the April 27 shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue. “I’m defending our nation against the Jewish people, who are trying to destroy all white people,” John Earnest told the operator, adding that...

The FBI revealed on Monday that it had received a warning about the Poway synagogue shooter five minutes before he carried out a deadly shooting attack. On Saturday, during morning services, John T. Earnest opened fire on worshippers at the Chabad of Poway, killing one and wounding three, including the synagogue's rabbi and an eight-year-old girl. The FBI had received a warning about Earnest minutes before the attack, but did not have enough time to locate the suspect. .....

A military veteran praying at the Chabad of Poway just north of San Diego on during the shooting attack Saturday was instrumental in putting an end to the deadly attack which left one member of the congregation dead and three more wounded. When 19-year-old John T. Earnest opened fire on worshippers at the Chabad of Poway Saturday, 51-year-old Oscar Stewart, a veteran of both the US Army and Navy, dashed to the synagogue foyer and charged Earnest, forcing him to flee the scene – effectively ending the attack. Earnest, who according to an online manifesto published in his name just...

Police are investigating a manifesto apparently posted online by the suspect in a San Diego synagogue shooting that left one dead and several others injured. John T. Earnest, 19, was taken into custody without incident following the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Jewish congregation around 11.30am PT on Saturday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Killed in the attack was Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, according to a family friend. The three injured victims were identified as: Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was shot in the fingers; an eight-year-old girl visiting from Israel; and the girl's 34-year-old uncle Almog Peretz,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyMKZIThxK8 Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein spoke out Sunday on the deadly attack on his synagogue in the San Diego metropolitan area which left one woman dead and three people wounded over the weekend. Speaking with NBC News, the 57-year-old rabbi and spiritual leader of the Chabad of Poway synagogue recalled the moment he stood face to face with the gunman, John T. Earnest, before being shot and losing two of his fingers. “As soon as I walked in through the banquet hall, I heard a large bang, a large noise, and I didn’t know what it was. I thought that maybe...

Harrowing reports of a shooter at a synagogue emerged as victims called 911 in Poway, California at roughly 11:30 am local time this morning. San Diego Police quickly responded to the scene where at least four injured were transported to local hospital. ABC10 reports that, "The incident was reported at the Congregation Chabad located at 16934 Chabad Way sometime before 11:30 a.m., the San Diego County Sheriff's Office twitter account reported. "Deputies investigate reports of a man with a gun. Please stay clear of the area and allow deputies to safely do their job. Thank you for your patience and cooperation,"...

Former President Barack Obama's final press secretary, Josh Earnest, was named an NBC News and MSNBC political analyst on Monday morning. Earnest, a Kansas City native, served as White House Press Secretary from 2014 to 2017. Axios obtained an internal memo from NBC New President Noah Oppenheim and MSNBC President Phil Griffin. "A native of Kansas City, Josh graduated from Rice University with a degree in political science and policy studies. With his wealth of experience and insight, Josh will be a great addition to our roster of contributors and will be an asset for our two networks as we...

They line up near the Oval Office, down the hallway toward the Cabinet Room, with their spouses and young kids in tow. When it’s their turn, the White House staffers enter for a few private moments with President Barack Obama, a photo and a farewell hug from the boss. There’s a mass exodus underway this week at the White House, as Obama and his staff pack up their offices and turn in their BlackBerrys. Some joined Obama’s team right out of college and this is the end of the only professional experience they’ve ever known. […] As White House press...

(snip) White House press secretary Josh Earnest says the beating demonstrates 'a level of depravity that is an outrage to a lot of Americans.'

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania — President-elect Donald Trump went after White House spokesman Josh Earnest during a rally here Thursday, calling him a "foolish guy." "This foolish guy Josh Earnest, I don't know if he's talking to President Obama. You know, having the right press secretary is so important because he is so bad, the way he delivers a message. He can deliver a positive message and it sounds bad," Trump said during a stop on his post-election "Thank You Tour." While Trump never mentioned Russia specifically — he mentioned China and Mexico over the course of his speech — the slam...

On the day after Americans chose Donald Trump over a woman who promised to defend and “build on” Barack Obama’s policies, a White House spokesman said he doesn’t know what message the voters were trying to send. “[T]he results of the election are not even 12 hours old, and I think it is far too early, at least for me, to discern exactly what message the voters were trying to send last night,” Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday. “There certainly is a lot of speculation about what that may have been. Most of that speculation emanates from people who...

The Russian government is ratcheting up warnings – on Twitter – to the U.S. government not to interfere with its military operations in Syria, even suggesting American aircraft could be targeted by its “air defense systems.” In a provocative tweet Wednesday, the Russian embassy in Washington posted a side-by side photo of White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest and the Russian S-300 missile system. With the military apparatus pointed toward the image of Earnest, a caption says Russia wants the system because they “never really know what kind of assistance terrorists might get.” The tweet says Russia will take “every...

After embracing the notion that gender is as much mental as it is physical, the Obama White House on Tuesday rejected the suggestion that it has been particularly aggressive on transgender issues. “This is a confrontation that Republicans have sought out rather cynically, because they are seeking a political advantage,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at Tuesday's briefing. Earnest said Republicans in North Carolina started the controversy by passing legislation (HB2), which negated a Charlotte city ordinance allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. …

Obama administration officials tried to reassure dozens of wary governors in a closed-door meeting that President Obama's proposal to relocate Middle Eastern refugees in their states is safe, two governors said Monday. The briefing by senior administration officials last weekend was an effort to "find solutions to some misunderstandings and apprehensions that are out there," said Gov. Gary Herbert, Utah Republican and chairman of the National Governors Association. Asked whether the meeting eased states' concerns about accepting refugees from crisis areas such as Syria and Iraq, Mr. Herbert replied, "We still have work to do." After Mr. Obama announced his...

The White House said Wednesday that President Obama "regrets" his filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito in 2006, but insisted the situation was different than Republicans' current vow to block any nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. "These are two different things," said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. "The president's objections to then-President Bush's nominee were based in substance." In 2006, then-Sen. Obama and 23 other Democrats -- including Hillary Clinton -- tried to filibuster Justice Alito's nomination. He was confirmed for the high court anyway.

Konnichiwa! I am from Japan.

White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest News Briefing Video

The White House on Tuesday said Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's call for the United States to ban Muslims from entering the country disqualified him from becoming president and called on Republicans to reject him immediately. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Trump's campaign had a dustbin of history quality to it and said his comments were offensive and toxic.

Reports that the female attacker in the California mass shooting pledged her allegiance to the Islamic State are surfacing just two days after President Obama said he believed the U.S. was safe from a Paris-style attack from the extremist group. "ISIL will not pose an existential threat to us," Mr. Obama told CBS News, using an acronym for the group. "They are a dangerous organization like al Qaeda was, but we have hardened our defenses. The American people should feel confident that, you know, we are going to be able to defend ourselves and make sure that, you know, we...