Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is holding firm in his choice not to label the arson attack that targeted the governor’s mansion on Passover as antisemitic or a hate crime, saying in a Friday interview on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that he will leave that question to the prosecutors. 

“I think that’s a question for the prosecutors to determine. They’re going to determine motive,” Shapiro said. “I recognize when you’re in these positions of power, there are people out there that want to do you harm, but I try not to be captive to the fear, and I try not to worry or think about why people want to do that harm.”

A group of pro-Israel Jewish House Democrats wrote to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday warning that Iran must restore International Atomic Energy Agency access to its nuclear sites before any deal can move forward in earnest.

Under a reported proposal put forward by Iran, Iran would not allow such inspections to resume until well into the implementation of a nuclear agreement.

Two House Republicans are traveling to Syria for meetings with new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other senior Syrian officials. Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) are the first known American lawmakers to travel to the war-torn country and meet with al-Sharaa since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

The two will also meet with Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Asaad al-Shaibani during their visit, which was organized and funded by the Syrian American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity. The delegation is not sponsored by the U.S. government.

A yearslong debate in a California school district over ethnic studies education culminated on Wednesday night with a unanimous vote to renew a contract with a controversial consultant whose curriculum has sparked antisemitism allegations among local Jewish leaders. 

The move has fueled concern by some of those leaders that the vote could potentially lay the groundwork for other school districts to follow suit. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pressing the Department of Justice to investigate whether the arson attack on Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence constituted a federal hate crime, suggesting in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that the federal government’s response has been insufficient thus far. 

But Shapiro himself is deferring to local and federal prosecutors and said Schumer’s letter was unhelpful.

Israel will ensure Iran does not attain a nuclear weapon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday, following a report that President Donald Trump blocked an Israeli plan to strike the Islamic Republic in May.

According to The New York Times report, Trump rejected the Israeli plan, which would have required American support, amid disputes within his administration as to whether to attack Iran’s nuclear program or negotiate with the Islamic Republic. The president informed Netanyahu of his position when the latter visited Washington last week.

The Overseas Press Club is facing scrutiny over its decision to bestow a prestigious award to The Washington Post that recognizes its reporting on the Israel-Hamas war, even as the paper has drawn criticism for major factual errors and accusations of institutional bias related to its handling of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The newspaper is set to be honored at the Overseas Press Club’s annual awards dinner in New York City on Thursday, when it will receive the organization’s Shireen Abu Akleh Award, named for the Palestinian journalist mistakenly killed by Israel while on assignment in the West Bank in 2022.

Faced with fault lines inside his own administration over Iran policy, President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan, which would have required American backing and potential U.S. involvement, to strike Iran’s nuclear program as soon as May, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The Times reported that Trump chose instead to pursue diplomatic talks with Iran, which began last Saturday and have fueled concerns among Iran hawks in both the U.S. and Israel that the U.S. may make concessions on key issues that would allow Iran to retain some of its nuclear program. He reportedly told Israeli officials he would not back a military strike while talks are ongoing.