Wildfires Sweep Across Texas Panhandle, Forcing Evacuations

A series of wildfires swept across the Texas Panhandle early Wednesday, prompting evacuations, cutting off power to thousands, and forcing the brief shutdown of a nuclear weapons facility as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the blazes. 

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as the largest blaze, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, swelled and burned through hundreds of square miles (square kilometers). The main facility that disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal paused operations Tuesday night but said it was open for normal work on Wednesday.

Authorities have not said what might have caused the blaze, which tore through sparsely populated counties set amid vast, high plains punctuated by cattle ranches and oil rigs.

In Borger, a community of about 13,000 in Hutchinson County, Adrianna Hill said she and her family were terrified as fire encircled the entire town until the winds shifted.

“It was like a ring of fire around Borger, there was no way out ... all four main roads were closed,” Hill, 28, said. The flames came within about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the home she shares with her husband and 20-month-old son.

What saved our butts was that northern wind ... it blew it the opposite direction,” Hill said. “We were scared, but every night I pray ... and that’s all I can do.

The weather forecast provided some hope for firefighters — cooler temperatures, less wind and possibly rain on Thursday. But for now, the situation was dire in some areas.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County burned nearly 470 square miles (1,200 square kilometers), according to an update early Wednesday from the Texas A&M Forest Service. That is more than twice its size since the fire sparked Monday.

As the evacuation orders mounted Tuesday, county and city officials live-streamed on Facebook and tried to answer questions from panicked residents. Officials implored them to turn on their cellphones’ emergency alerts and be ready to evacuate immediately.

An unknown number of homes and other structures in the county were damaged or destroyed, local emergency officials said.

The Pantex plant, northeast of Amarillo, evacuated non-essential staff from the site on Tuesday night out of an “abundance of caution,” Laef Pendergraft, a spokesperson for National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office at Pantex, said during a news conference, adding that firefighters remained in case of an emergency.

The plant, long the main U.S. site for both assembling and disassembling atomic bombs, completed its last new bomb in 1991 and has dismantled thousands since.

Pantex tweeted early Wednesday that the facility “is open for normal day shift operations” and that all personnel were to report for duty according to their assigned schedule.

As the fires raged Tuesday, evacuations were ordered in several towns in a swath northeast of Amarillo, and officials across the border in the area of Durham, Oklahoma, also encouraged people to flee.

Texas state Sen. Kevin Sparks said an evacuation order was issued for Canadian, a town of about 2,000 about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Amarillo. Later Tuesday, the Hemphill County Sheriff's Office urged anyone who remained in Canadian to shelter in place or at the high school gym because roads were closed.

At least some residents in the small city of Fritch in Hutchinson County were also told to leave their homes Tuesday afternoon because of another fire that had jumped a highway.

“Everything south of Highway 146 in Fritch evacuate now!” city officials said on Facebook.

On Tuesday evening, the fires were 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 kilometers) from Amarillo, and wind was blowing wildfire smoke into the city, which could affect people with respiratory issues, weather service officials said.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings and fire danger alerts for several other states through the midsection of the country, as high winds of over 40 mph (64 kph) combined with warm temperatures, low humidity and dry winter vegetation to make conditions ripe for wildfires.

In central Nebraska, a mower sparked a prairie fire that has burned a huge swath of grassland roughly the size of the state's largest city of Omaha, state officials said Tuesday.

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Associated Press reporters Ken Miller in Oklahoma City, Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, and Stefanie Dazio from Los Angeles contributed.

Zelenskyy Hosts Western Leaders in Kyiv as Ukraine Marks 2 Years Since Russia's Full-scale Invasion

Zelenskyy posted a video from the Hostomel airfield together with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as the the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here,” Zelenskyy said at the airport just outside of Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war.

The Western leaders arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on a residential building Friday evening, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors.

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the G7 will meet virtually on Saturday with Zelenskyy and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine.

“More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition.

“When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. ... We are sitting here with nothing,” said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery.

“In order to protect our infantry ... we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now,” said Oleksandr, 45, a commander of an artillery unit. The two officers only gave their first names, citing security concerns.

In a message on the war’s second anniversary, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their sacrifices and Western allies for their support, saying, “Every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle is, first The Western leaders arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one. 

Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on a residential building Friday evening, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble looking for survivors.Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the G7 will meet virtually on Saturday with Zelenskyy and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine.“More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition.“When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. ... We are sitting here with nothing,” said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery.“In order to protect our infantry ... we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now,” said Oleksandr, 45, a commander of an artillery unit. The two officers only gave their first names, citing security concerns.In a message on the war’s second anniversary, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their sacrifices and Western allies for their support, saying, “Every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle is, first of all, saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier.

”

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Earlier this month, replaced him with Syrskyi, marking the most significant shakeup of top brass since the full-scale invasion.Authorities also pointed to successes, including the downing of a Russian early warning and control aircraft Friday.If confirmed, it would mark the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month. The Ukrainian military says Russia uses the aircraft to direct missile attacks.The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia Saturday, causing a large fire, regional Gov. Igor Artamonov said, adding there are no casualties. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel plant in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the plant, and an explosion could be heard.

CLIPPERS: Los Angeles lays egg in crucial Western Conference battle against OKC

In a tight race for the West’s top seed, the Thunder have won the season series against Los Angeles 2-1.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) prepares to shoot against Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP/Nate Billings,(Usnewslivetoday24)

LOS ANGELES — With All-Star weekend in the books, the push for the number one seed in the western conference continues for the Los Angeles Clippers.

LA’s first game out of the All-Star break was a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the teams the Clippers are competing against in a close-fought race for western conference supremacy.

The last time these two teams matched up, it was Paul George who stole the show with 38 points and the Clippers won the game 128-117. The Thunder returned the favor this time around and in the final regular season meeting between these two teams, Oklahoma City claimed both the victory and the season series against the Clippers in a 129-107 home win.

In a game that featured former Thunder players Russell Westbrook, George and James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who started his NBA career as a Clipper — was the best player on the court, pouring in 31 points on 12-19 shooting from the field. On a night where the Clippers’ leading scorer was Kawhi Leonard with 20 points, LA’s stars could not keep up with Oklahoma City offensively in the second half.

It was a back and forward first half between the two teams, as the Clippers entered the locker room down 61-59. However, Oklahoma City began to separate themselves from the Clippers in the third quarter. Late in that period, the Thunder secured a defensive stand on a Terrence Mann layup attempt and Oklahoma City pushed the ball down the court to convert that stop into a Josh Giddey three-pointer. From there, the Thunder increased their lead to 12 and  the Clippers found themselves trailing 91-79.

The Clippers’ deficit remained at 12 entering the fourth quarter and Oklahoma City only saw their lead grow to close out the game, ending with a 33-25 run to seal the victory.

The Thunder ended up out-shooting the Clippers from the perimeter, an area where Los Angeles has usually excelled all season. Oklahoma City now leads the league in three-point percentage at 39.5% and against the Clippers, the Thundershot 48.6% from three against the Clippers, making 17 out of 35 attempts. Being second in three point percentage currently, the Clippers did not have a bad three-point shooting night themselves, going 12-32 from distance, good for 37.5%.

If the Clippers are going to fulfill their championship-or-bust expectations this season, their stars will have to play much better than they did against the Thunder. Particularly, they are going to need more consistent performances from George and Westbrook. The pairshot a combined 7-25 from the floor and George’s shooting woes have been a theme recently. In the month of February, George has shot just 42.1% from the field and is averaging 19 points per game, well below his All-Star expectations. In January, George shot 49.3% from the field and averaged 23.4 points per game.

With the loss, the Clippers remain third in the Western Conference standings.  Oklahoma City’s young guns ran the Clippers off the floor and next game, the Clippers will stay on the road and take on a scrappy Memphis Grizzlies team with players who can get up and down the floor. If the Clippers don’t want to suffer a similar fate to the Milwaukee Bucks, who underestimated this severely depleted Grizzlies squad, they will need to be locked in and ready to go for Friday’s 5 p.m. tip off.

Prince bhandari

Founder of Usnewslivetoday24 

Donald Trump, under fire over abortion rights, calls on Alabama to protect IVF.

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Facing political attacks on the Republican Party's opposition to abortion rights, former President Donald Trump called on Alabama lawmakers Friday to reverse a state Supreme Court decision that has nearly halted in vitro fertilization.

"We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!" Trump said on his Truth Social website, commenting on an Alabama Supreme Court decision that ruled frozen embryos are children.

Speaking a day before the South Carolina primary, Trump said "that includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America."

The state court decision has paralyzed IVF in Alabama, Trump said, adding that the state - and the Republican Party - 

DonaldTrumpand NikkiHaley,  Usnewslivetoday24 

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is opposing Trump in Saturday's primary, initially told NBC News about the Alabama Supreme Court decision: “Embryos, to me, are babies ... When you talk about an embryo, you are talking about, to me, that’s a life. And so I do see where that’s coming from when they talk about that.”Thursday on CNN, however, Haley said she disagreed with the ruling's impact on IVF, noting that “I had artificial insemination; that’s how I had my son."

She added: “I think that the court was doing it based on the law, and I think Alabama needs to go back and look at the law."                                            Trump spoke out on the Alabama embryo ruling as Democrats hammer him and other Republicans over their opposition to abortion rights.

The Alabama ruling, they said, is the natural result of the 2022 Supreme Court decision reversing Roe vs. Wade, giving states the rights to set abortion rights.

Campaign aides to President Joe Biden and other Democrats scoffed at Trump's comments.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)"Donald Trump created this reality," said Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign. "He brags about it. He's running campaign ads on it. He can't run away from his record."

Trump and other Republicans have expressed concern that issues of abortion and reproductive rights will work against them in the fall elections.

Trump has said Republicans should be careful in how they address the abortion issue. Other times, however, he has bragged about how he appointed three justices to the Supreme Court who backed the reversal of Roe v. Wade.The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party's Senate campaign arm, said in a memo released Friday that GOP candidates should "clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government" to restrict in vitro fertilization.

In his statement, Trump said most Republicans "strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby. Today, I am calling on the Alabama Legislature to act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama."Trump spoke out a few hours before a get-out-the vote rally in Rock Hill, S.C. On Friday night, he is scheduled to address a group of Black conservatives in Columbia, S.C.

Around noon on Saturday, as South Carolina Republicans head to the polls, Trump will be in the Washington D.C., area speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Trump is a heavy favorite in South Carolina. He is polling at nearly 62% in the state while Haley is at 32.5%, according to an average of recent polls compiled by Real Clear Politics.

Prince bhandari      

Founder of Usnewslivetoday24

 

Biden Meets With Navalny’s Widow and Daughter in San Francisco

President Joe Biden met on Thursday with the widow and daughter of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a prison in the Arctic. The White House stated that the meeting took place in San Francisco, where the president is holding campaign events for his reelection.

“President Biden met with Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya today in San Francisco to express his heartfelt condolences for their terrible loss following the death of Aleksey Navalny in a Russian prison,” the White House stated.

“The President expressed his admiration for Aleksey Navalny’s extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone.”President Biden repeatedly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for being responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death.

“Russian authorities are going to tell their own story. Make no mistake. Putin is responsible for Alexei Navalny’s death,” President Biden told reporters last week following Mr. Navalny’s death.

He added that “there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”Mr. Navalny, 47, was a Russian opposition activist who has been the most prominent critic of Mr. Putin’s government for the past decade. He collapsed and died in jail on Feb. 16, according to Russian officials.

He has been incarcerated since January 2021, following his return to Moscow from Germany. He received three prison sentences totaling more than 30 years.

Russian authorities reported that Mr. Navalny felt unwell after a walk at the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, one of 700 labor camps currently operating in Russia. It’s located about 1,900 kilometers (1,181 miles) northeast of Moscow in the Arctic Circle. He lost consciousness almost immediately, the authorities reported.

IVF supporters are 'freaking out' over Alabama court decision treating embryos as children

Frantic calls to fertility clinics. Plans to move frozen embryos to states with more liberal reproductive laws. Heartbreaking decisions about when and where to get pregnant.

A religious-tinged Alabama court ruling last week regarding frozen embryos has sparked panic across the in-vitro fertilization community nationwide as patients, practitioners and attorneys grapple with the decision's implications.

Advocates said they expect the decision to force some IVF clinics to halt operations. On Wednesday, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System paused all IVF procedures, pending review.

"People are really freaking out," said Lindsay Heller, a New Jersey-based family law attorney and mother of two IVF children. "I thank whoever is up there (in heaven) every day for my beautiful happy children. And the idea that someone could be deprived of that because of some government decision, well, I could cry. It's devastating that this is the world we're living in right now."

Nationally, about 2% of births a year involve IVF, an emotionally and physically exhausting process by which multiple eggs are harvested, fertilized and implanted to create a pregnancy. In most cases, doctors create more embryos than are implanted, allowing patients to store those embryos in liquid nitrogen for future use, donation or destruction.

IVF families have often struggled for years to get pregnant, and undergoing expensive IVF treatment typically requires the administration of powerful fertility drugs and invasive medical procedures for the chance to have a baby. People turn to IVF for many reasons, including fertility loss after cancer treatments, or military members heading out on long-term deployments who want to delay having children.The Alabama court ruling raises questions about whether the donors have the right to destroy stored embryos or whether the embryos have an independent right to be implanted and gestated to birth. Experts also say they worry that the ruling could make doctors liable for homicide for destroying an embryo during the IVF process, which could ultimately dissuade people from even trying to have children via IVF.

Scientists say the decision also could halt important research done with donated embryos.The ruling came in a court case in which two couples sued after their frozen embryos stored in liquid nitrogen were accidentally destroyed. The court acknowledged its decision could reshape or even halt IVF in Alabama and potentially nationally, but it said law and faith required the finding. More than 20 states require some form of fertility-assistance coverage by health insurers. Alabama is not among them."In summary, the theologically based view of the sanctity of life adopted by the People of Alabama encompasses the following: (1) God made every person in His image; (2) each person therefore has a value that far exceeds the ability of human beings to calculate; and (3) human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself," Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker, an elected Republican, wrote in an opinion attached to the ruling.

IVF is responsible for nearly 100,000 babies born every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because IVF was developed after Roe became the law of the land in 1973, embryos have typically been treated as private property that donors could implant, give away or have destroyed without consequence.

"This feels like a tremendous leap backward," said Dr. Beth Malizia, 49, a partner at Alabama Fertility, which has fertility clinics in Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery. "What I'm telling folks right now is to sit tight and give us some time ‒ this is a very fluid situation."Malizia said that her clinics store their embryos and other tissue in a purpose-built vault with three monitoring systems and that so far no patients have asked to destroy any stored embryos.

"In the short term, which is all I can deal with right now, we are continuing to provide care," said Malizia, who read the court's 131-page decision Saturday afternoon before calling her partners to share the news. "Fertility care involves a lot of stress to begin with, and when you have something like this, it creates a lot of questions for the patients and is tremendously adding to their stress and anxiety."UAB said in a statement Wednesday that it would pause egg fertilization and embryo development as it considered the implications of the court's decision.

"We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through IVF, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for IVF treatments," spokesperson Hannah Echols said.Robin Marty, executive director of the West Alabama Women’s Center, said she hopes the Alabama Legislature steps in. She said the state already has draconian anti-abortion laws but predicted lawmakers might create a narrow exemption for IVF patients.

The court's decision “is going to be both legally and financially daunting for providers, but also for patients who are going to try to start families,” Marty said. “I think that it could quite frankly be the end of any sort of reproductive assistance out here at all.”The uncertainty has shaken the IVF community, which had worried the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and permit states to ban abortion would lead to rulings like this, particularly in states like Alabama where anti-abortion laws say life begins at conception.

"When you declare that a fertilized egg is a person, it calls into question a number of things that happen in the IVF process," said Barbara Collura, CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association. "Can we freeze people? If every single fertilized egg is a person, what happens if they don't develop into a person?"Tara Harding, 38, a North Dakota-based nurse practitioner and fertility coach, had her son, 6, though IVF, and she hopes to get pregnant again soon. But she'll go to Colorado for the treatment and egg harvesting, she said, because it's a strongly Democratic state unlikely to adopt a stance like Alabama's. She said she's also going to focus on educating North Dakota lawmakers about the importance of legally protecting the IVF process.

"We're all up in arms," Harding said. "When something happens in one state, it bleeds over to the rest of us."

Some federal lawmakers have been pushing to protect the IVF process from rulings like this one, and have filed the "Access to Family Building Act" that would protect Americans' right to use IVF and dispose of any embryos as they wish.

"This weekend’s ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court − effectively labeling women who undergo IVF as criminals and our doctors as killers − proves that we were right to be worried," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois who had two daughters via IVF, said in a statement urging Congress to pass the act she sponsored. "No one looking to start or grow their family, in any state, deserves to be criminalized."Customers have been calling international IVF storage facility service TMRW Life Sciences, asking to move their embryos and eggs to New York and Colorado, states with strong protections for abortion and reproductive rights, said Lindsay Beck, the company's chief impact officer. TMRW has more than 200,000 eggs and embryos stored in multiple facilities.

Show her the money: Did Donald Trump’s threat deter Nikki Haley donors?

Sumter, S.C. – When Republican rival Nikki Haley refused to exit the 2024 presidential race after losing the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump came after her. His move: Put a chokehold on her money.

Anyone who gave Haley a dime, the former president warned, would be "permanently barred from the MAGA camp."But so far, those donors have refused to kowtow to the GOP front-runner’s demands, which they say exemplifies why Republicans should go in a different direction.

Instead, donors continue refilling Haley’s coffers, allowing her to spend heavily in South Carolina ahead of the state’s contest Saturday.

Every time (Trump) opens his mouth, he offends someone," said Munir Lalani, a Haley donor and Pakistani immigrant who attended a fundraiser for Haley in Dallas last Thursday.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Lalani, a registered Republican who voted for Trump in 2016, and his wife have forked over $30,000 combined to the Haley campaign and two pro-Haley groups in 2023, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Trump’s gauntlet shows how this year’s election has been tinted by his grievances as much as any policy differences with President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

And it is one conservative-leaning Haley donors large and small feel is a preview of how the former president plans to retaliate against anyone who dares oppose him should he return to the White House. Haley’s campaign has eagerly put a spotlight on the threat as further proof that if Trump targets diehard GOP voters, he will alienate independents and moderates in the general election.

"I have no fear of Trump's retribution," Haley said Tuesday at an event in Greenville, S.C. "I'm not looking for anything from him."

Part of how Haley has been able to withstand Trump's onslaught is tied to the job she filled in the former president's administration.

Her stint as United Nations ambassador served as a sturdy bridge for her presidential campaign by giving her a powerful New York base and access to events with wealthy bankers, corporate executives and deep-pocketed philanthropists.She was not known to hobnob at the U.N. – but she went on to make millions delivering private speeches, working as a consultant and serving on corporate boards.

The financial backing from Wall Street, including from some Democrats, has become fodder for her political opponents.

Cruise Ship, Charter Flights Aid Evacuation of Americans from Israel

In just a week, the conversation has shifted from, “Should Americans still go to Israel?” to “How can we get Americans out of Israel?” Cruise ships are part of the answer

The U.S. government is organizing a large-scale evacuation of American citizens from Israel as the Oct. 7 massacres conducted by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has triggered a full-scale military mobilization in the Jewish state.

On Oct. 17, several hundred Americans boarded the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas in Haifa, bound for Cyprus on a trip chartered by the U.S. government.

Americans seeking to flee Israel were invited aboard on a first-come, first-served basis. Approximately 150 Americans departed Israel on the cruise ship, which has a capacity of more than 2,500.

A number of U.S. airlines suspended flights to Israel in the wake of the terrorist attacks, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines. That has restricted the ability of U.S. citizens to leave the country, although other airlines, including British Airways and El Al, continue to fly to and from Tel Aviv.

Charter Flights Out of Israel

The U.S. government also has been organizing charter flights for Americans to get out of Israel. The flights, which depart out of Ben Gurion International Airport and are bound for Cyprus, Athens and other destinations, will continue through at least Oct. 19, according to the U.S. State Department. More than 5,000 seats have been made available to evacuees.

Evacuees must be U.S. nationals or an immediate family member of a U.S. national and have a valid passport. Family members who are not U.S. citizens must be eligible for entry to the destination.  Each traveler is allowed one carry-on bag and one checked bag. Pets are not allowed.

Whether they travel by cruise ship or plane, evacuees also must promise to repay the U.S. government for the cost of the trip.

Some other charter flights also have been organized to evacuate Americans from Israel. In Florida, the emergency rescue group Project DYNAMO organized an El Al charter flight to evacuate 270 state residents from Israel. The flight to Tampa International Airport was paid for by the Florida Department of Emergency Management under an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A Message from the Israel Ministry of Tourism

The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) is deeply saddened by the events that took place at our southern border with Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

As a result of the events, the government has declared a state of emergency.

The safety and security of our visitors is our top priority, and we are working to ensure their well-being in every way possible. IMOT, in collaboration with relevant authorities, is working to assist those who wish to depart from Israel. While US carriers have suspended flights to Israel, Ben Gurion International Airport remains open, and many flights are still departing Israel. Travelers should continue to check the status of flights and the status of Ben Gurion International Airport