Investigators have not ruled out arson in the fire that destroyed a historic Brooklyn church last month, the latest in a series of recent incidents involving New York City churches.  The June 19 fire destroyed the steeple of South Bushwick Reformed Church, causing it to collapse. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage of a person seen leaving the area shortly before the fire,  according to the New York Post.  The church, which was built in 1853, sustained extensive damage, complicating investigators’ efforts to determine the cause of the blaze.   On July 8, a man was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at two different houses of worship in Queens, according to ABC News. Around 11:35 p.m., the NYPD 102nd Precinct received a call about a man throwing an “incendiary device” at the Iglesia Bautista El Mesias Church in Ozone Park.  A man has been arrested for allegedly firebombing two New York City churches late Wednesday night. The suspect, identified only as a 36-year-old male, was caught on video throwing Molotov cocktails at the Iglesia Bautista El Mesias church and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s… pic.twitter.com/mvAkurXU7R — D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) July 10, 2026 Authorities arrested a 36-year-old man after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at two Queens churches and another nearby building.  In April, a 138-year-old church in Astoria was destroyed by a five-alarm fire that remains under investigation.  The recent incidents have prompted criticism on social media from users who questioned why Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not publicly commented on the fires.  Another post again highlighted Mamdani’s silence over the church fires adding, “I wonder why.” Not a single word from Mayor Mamdani on 4 recent “church fires” in NYC I wonder why pic.twitter.com/I6QgjLhI5r — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 12, 2026

An Obama-appointed federal judge sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s IRS settlement Monday, reviving controversy over the administration’s abandoned $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund and referring several Trump-aligned attorneys for possible discipline. In a 56-page order, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams sanctioned lawyers involved in the case and barred both sides from citing the agreement as a judicially recognized settlement in future proceedings.  “The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law,” Williams wrote. The ruling also revives scrutiny surrounding the now-abandoned $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which the Justice Department withdrew after bipartisan criticism. Williams repeatedly cited the provision as evidence that the settlement was driven by political branding rather than a legitimate calculation of damages. The decision also comes two days before Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing, where Democrats are expected to grill him about the settlement and its remaining provisions.  Williams concluded the lawsuit never presented a genuine legal dispute because Trump ultimately controlled the agencies defending the case. “In sum, the facts before this Court demonstrate there was never adverseness between the Parties; there was never a case or controversy; and there was never a question as to who would prevail,” she wrote. Williams referred Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to their respective bar associations, where disciplinary proceedings are already pending. She also referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar and barred America First Legal Vice President Daniel Epstein from appearing before her court for one year. A spokesman for Trump’s legal team defended the lawsuit, arguing the IRS failed to protect the president’s confidential tax information after a government contractor leaked tax returns to several news organizations. “The IRS wrongly allowed a rogue, politically-motivated employee to leak private and confidential information about President Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization,” the spokesman said. “President Trump continues to hold those who wrong America and Americans accountable.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released new details after a federal immigration agent fatally shot a man in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday. The agency, which waited nearly 12 hours after the shooting to release any details, said that the incident took place around 7 a.m. local time when agents were “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal.” An illegal immigrant left the residence in a vehicle before ICE agents “attempted to conduct a vehicle stop.” When the driver “attempted to flee,” an officer “fearing for public safety” then fired his weapon, ICE said. “The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries,” ICE said. The Biddeford Police Department and the FBI responded to the scene, ICE said. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was also “notified,” and an investigation is pending. “This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information is available,” ICE said. Initial statements claimed that the Colombian man was trying to flee “in the direction of the officer” when he was shot, according to CNN, citing the Office of the Maine Attorney General. ICE’s statement did not allege that the man shot and killed by officers tried to hit them with his vehicle. Local officials earlier identified the suspect as a 26-year-old Colombian man, but did not reveal his name. Maine Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him that the man who was shot was not their intended target, according to CNN. King made the statement while walking back an earlier claim he said Mullin made that the deceased man was the intended target. “Senator King continued to emphasize the need for a full, comprehensive, and transparent investigation,” his office said in a statement. The shooting comes just days after an ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican illegal immigrant, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, in Houston. Both shootings have sparked protests in both Texas and Maine. Anti-ICE demonstrators quickly assembled at Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins’ office Monday, shouting “Vote her out.”

President Donald Trump formally notified Congress that the United States has resumed military operations against Iran, restarting the War Powers Act clock after a months-long ceasefire collapsed. In a July 10 letter dated obtained by CBS News, Trump said military operations resumed on July 7 following Iranian attacks on neutral commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which the administration said violated a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries last month. The notification, required under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, gives the administration another 60 days to continue military operations without additional congressional authorization. Under the law, the president may extend that period by an additional 30 days before congressional approval is required. “As previously communicated to the Congress, I ordered a two-week ceasefire on April 7, 2026. The ceasefire was then extended,” Trump wrote. “Despite this commitment, Iran again attacked several neutral-flagged commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz between July 6-7, 2026.” Trump argued that Tehran’s attacks effectively ended the ceasefire and reset the statutory timeline governing military operations. According to the letter, U.S. forces responded with strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites, air defense systems, military maritime assets, command and control facilities, and other military infrastructure. “United States ground forces are not involved in these strikes,” Trump wrote. “These strikes are limited, measured, planned and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties.” The president said the military campaign is intended to protect American forces in the region, secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, defend U.S. allies, and degrade Iran’s ability to threaten American interests. The notification comes as the administration has significantly escalated pressure on Tehran. U.S. Central Command has carried out three consecutive nights of strikes against Iranian targets, while Trump announced Monday that the United States would reimpose a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz and require commercial vessels to pay transit fees for U.S. security operations. The new notification also complicates congressional efforts to limit Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran. Both the House and Senate approved resolutions last month seeking to restrict further hostilities without explicit authorization from Congress, though the measures carried limited legal force and would almost certainly face a presidential veto if enacted through binding legislation. The administration has maintained that the previous War Powers clock ended when the ceasefire took effect in April. Critics on Capitol Hill disputed that interpretation, arguing the United States maintained military operations throughout the truce and that the statutory deadline never actually stopped. Trump rejected that argument, writing that the renewed strikes constitute a separate military action following Iran’s violation of the ceasefire agreement. “I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests, both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests,” Trump wrote. The letter concludes by stating that U.S. forces “remain postured to take further action, as necessary and appropriate,” to respond to additional Iranian attacks and eliminate threats to the United States and its allies.

A black historian is no longer employed at Tufts University after it was revealed that her prize-winning book cited sources that didn’t exist.  Initial reviews praised Kerri K. Greenidge’s book — titled “The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery In An American Family” — for her focus on the slaveholding Grimke brother fathering children with an enslaved woman. Previous histories had focused more on the Grimke sisters — Sarah and Angelina — who had rejected their heritage and become prominent abolitionists, also championing women’s rights. The book retold the story through the sisters’ biracial nephews, citing letters from the University of Michigan’s archive that apparently are not there. But when Greenidge was confronted with that information, she suggested that her work was only under scrutiny because she was black. “I am heartbroken that a field I have given my life to can treat me this way,” Greenidge said in an interview on Friday. “The attack on black women academics is real.” She claimed she has never fabricated anything, but admitted some citations could be misattributed. “Are there citations that were misattributed? Probably.”  Myra C. Glenn, a retired professor of American history at Elmira College, first raised concerns about the book’s credibility in a March 2024 review. “All too often Greenidge lacks the evidence to substantiate many of her major claims. Her work is also riddled with factual errors and repeatedly omits needed endnotes.” Glenn alleges that Greenidge negatively portrayed the two abolitionist sisters as being “alternately cruel and relentlessly judgmental” toward their bi-racial nephews without evidence. Glenn argues the negative portrayal of the sisters ultimately “serves a larger purpose” by laying the foundation for the book’s central narrative.  Another allegation claims Greenidge fabricated a dramatic scene by writing that the Grimké sisters “led thousands of antislavery women through prayer” and helped them escape the burning Pennsylvania Hall during an anti-abolitionist mob attack in 1838. Glenn said that numerous sources had previously documented that no one was in the building as it burned.  After Glenn expressed her doubts, other scholars followed. The book, labeled one of the 10 best books of 2022 from Publishers Weekly, is no longer listed on Greenidge’s author page. Patrick Collins, a spokesman for Tufts University, told the New York Times that Greenidge was no longer employed by the university on Thursday. While the email did not specify whether Greenidge left the university or was terminated, Collins said the university had recently become aware that the book “contained multiple errors of fact and failed to give appropriate credit to the work of another.”  Like Collins, Greenidge declined to detail the nature of her departure but did criticize Tufts’ peer review panel. Greenidge claimed two of the panelists were hostile toward black women in academics and that the university’s review was prompted by a white female scholar. Greenidge said that she plans to get a restraining order against that woman. Collins responded saying, “The independent review by outside experts in the field was fair, fact-based, thorough, and objective. We stand by the review and strongly deny any allegations of bias.” Problems with Greenidge’s “The Grimkes” ultimately led to questions about her book “Black Radical.” Stephen Fox, a historian who wrote a book on the same story, said, “It seems well done, except when you look at the footnotes. I started to think maybe it wasn’t just sloppy,” before adding “I think it’s something deeper.”