US Vice President JD Vance met with representatives of the Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan to offer support to the Jewish community following the attack on the synagogue last March.
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According to the synagogue clergy, the meeting was held at Vance's request, where he met with the synagogue's rabbi and the security officer who managed to stop the attacker and prevent him from harming any of the children in the kindergarten that was open at the time.
Rabbi Gene Lader confirmed that the meeting was an important opportunity to request the Vice President's support in combating anti-Semitism and to obtain additional security funding through the American Jewish Security Act, noting that they had made the same requests to elected officials from both parties.
Later that same day, Vance traveled to Las Vegas, where he met in a closed session with members of the Republican Jewish Coalition and sought to distinguish himself from his Democratic rival, Abdul Sayed, the Michigan Senate candidate, who had faced sharp criticism for his earlier comments about the attack, in which he appeared to describe the attack as a response to the Israeli incursion into Lebanon, prompting more than 400 Jews in the state, including prominent figures, to sign a petition pledging to vote for Republican candidate Mike Rogers in the Senate race.
At a rally in Sterling Heights, Vance described the synagogue attack as a "horrific anti-Semitic terrorist attack," praised the security guards who prevented a greater catastrophe, and criticized Mr., calling him "evil" and accusing him of sympathizing with the perpetrators rather than the innocent children. Mr. apologized for his remarks during the Democratic National Convention, admitting his mistake, but his apology did not convince many Jewish voters, who continued to sign the petition.
These developments come at a time when the Michigan Senate race has caused a sharp division within the Jewish community, with the state's Jewish Attorney General, Dana Nessel, urging Jewish voters to put the party's interest above their personal feelings of safety, a move that has drawn criticism from prominent Jewish figures who argue that Jewish safety is non-negotiable.
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Venezuela's parliament approves oil deal with the United States
Venezuelan parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez announced that parliament had approved the oil deal with the United States by a majority vote.
Rodriguez said in a post on Telegram on Tuesday: "During an extraordinary session, we discussed issues of vital importance to the country, and we unanimously approved the partial reform of the Supreme Court Law, and we endorsed the bilateral energy agreement between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the United States."
On August 28, US President Donald Trump announced a deal with the Venezuelan side under which the United States would take control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves. Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez announced that the agreement is for 25 years and includes investment in 17 oil fields in Venezuela.
