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Community advocates gathered at Brooklyn’s Coney Island Stillwell Avenue subway station on Thursday afternoon to mourn a woman who was burned to death in the station on Sunday morning.
The prayer vigil, hosted by activist Rev. Kevin McCall, was held to commemorate the yet-to-be-identified woman who died after being set on fire while she was sleeping aboard a stationary F train at the Stillwell Avenue station early on Dec. 22.
The group held hands and prayed both at the station’s entrance and on the F Train platform near where the woman was killed.
McCall, who founded the Crisis Action Center, and the other advocates also called on elected officials to do more to keep New Yorkers safe on the subways.
“We are here today because of this horrific crime that has taken place. This crime should not have happened,” McCall said. “The slogan in this city is ‘if you see something, say something.’ But no one said something. No one did nothing. They just watched this young lady burn on fire alive.”
‘The slogan in this city is ‘if you see something, say something.’ But no one said something. No one did nothing,’ Rev. Kevin McCall said. ‘They just watched this young lady burn on fire alive.’Photo by Erica Price
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office on Tuesday charged Sebastian Zapeta-Calil — the man suspected of committing the heinous act — with first-degree murder. Zapeta-Calil, 33, allegedly set the woman ablaze using a lighter; cops say he then allegedly attempted to keep the fire going by fanning the flames with a shirt.
Parts of the incident were caught on videos that have gone viral on social media.
The alleged perpetrator, who did not enter a plea on Dec. 24, is a migrant who entered the country illegally in 2018, according to US Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE). He reportedly lived in a city shelter, although the Department of Homeless Services has refused to confirm that, citing privacy reasons.
The group held hands and prayed both at the station’s entrance and on the F Train platform near where the woman was killed.Photo by Erica Price
While McCall commended the authorities for catching Zapeta-Calil, he blamed Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul for not doing enough to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place.
“Thank God they caught the person that did this,” McCall said. “But it’s not just the person’s fault. It’s the system’s fault. The system failed. The death of this young lady is on the hands of the mayor. It’s on the hands of the governor. Because they are supposed to be providing resources.”
McCall also questioned why there were not more available fire extinguishers on the train.
A passenger waits to board an F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Dec. 26, 2024.Photo by Erica Price
Evangeline Byars, who attended the vigil representing the group Stronger Together, said that there is a clear disparity between how the city mobilized to respond to the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and how it treats everyday New Yorkers who get attacked on the subways.
She further charged the mayor has “done nothing” to address the city’s mental health crisis thought to have fueled many recent violent incidents on the subways.
“We just saw the UnitedHealthcare CEO murdered and there was an immediate response and call to action and protocols being put in place to ensure that that never happens again,” Byars said. “What about us? We’re constantly being attacked, assaulted, thrown in front of trains, accosted by the mentally ill.”
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site amNewYork Metro
A Russian missile crew in Chechnya is the top suspect in the air disaster. Chechen boss Ramzan Kadyrov called for a “secret” investigation, but Baku nixed the idea.
The Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow are experiencing an upsurge in the destruction of industry by Russian exiles, ethnic cleansing, and the confiscation of property.
Syria’s feared intelligence services launched an investigation into ICIJ’s Syrian media partner, Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism, after it reported on Damascus’ business links with Europe, internal documents reveal.
The documents, a cache of memos obtained from a state security office in Damascus after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, show how intelligence officers sought information about SIRAJ’s funding and the identities of its journalists after the media outlet published an article detailing how the Syrian army procured European-made trucks to fuel its war effort. The article spurred an effort by Swedish policymakers to convince the European Union to tighten sanctions on Syria to stop these sales.
The surveillance effort was launched in October 2024 by the intelligence services’ Branch 279, which monitors Syrians living abroad. The memos from the security office illustrate the Assad government’s paranoia regarding any journalistic efforts: The intelligence officers describe SIRAJ as “a suspicious front for espionage,” accusing it of collecting information about Syrian security agencies and then sharing it with “a network of international Western organizations linked to U.S. and European intelligence agencies.”
Branch 279 called on Syria’s “stations abroad” to gather information about SIRAJ, including details about “the operatives running the suspicious platform under the cover of being journalists.” At the same time, the Syrian government’s internal enforcers showed up at the Damascus workplace of the father of one of SIRAJ’s journalists, ICIJ member Mohammed Bassiki, seizing his phone and interrogating him about his son’s current location and work.
The decision to gather information about SIRAJ was signed by the director of the General Intelligence Directorate, who at the time was Maj. Gen. Hussam Luka, one of Assad’s most brutal enforcers. Luka, who is nicknamed “the spider,” has been sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for his alleged involvement in the massacre of Syrian civilians and the torture of prisoners.
Feras Dalatey, a Syrian investigative journalist, found the documents on Dec. 20 in the State Security headquarters in downtown Damascus. The office was in a chaotic state, Dalatey told ICIJ, as it had been raided by civilians after Assad’s fall. But by the time he arrived, it had been secured by fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the organization that led the effort to topple the regime, who were checking journalists’ permits and ensuring that nobody took documents out of the office. The folder holding these documents, which was marked as holding memos forwarded to that branch, was untouched.
SIRAJ, which was incorporated in France in 2019, specializes in training Syrian journalists and conducting investigations into corruption and human rights abuses inside the country. The journalists publicly affiliated with SIRAJ escaped from Syria during Assad’s rule, but other journalists worked for the outlet anonymously while still in the country. Some SIRAJ journalists were threatened by Assad’s regime before fleeing the country, and one journalist was imprisoned by the Islamic State in 2013. SIRAJ has collaborated with ICIJ on several projects, including Cyprus Confidential and The Ericsson List.
The documents mention the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Lighthouse Reports, the Global Investigative Journalism Network, Middle East Eye, The Guardian and Der Spiegel as news outlets with which SIRAJ collaborates. These collaborations are done “under the pretext of shedding light on corruption and human rights violations in Syria,” the documents state, but are in reality an espionage effort aimed at “collecting sensitive information about Syria.”
Journalists carry photos of journalists killed due to Bashar al-Assad regime and its supporters’ attacks during a demonstration on World Press Freedom Day in Idlib, Syria on May 3, 2024. Image: Izettin Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images
As part of its surveillance effort, Branch 279 wrote to several other Syrian intelligence branches to request further information about SIRAJ, specifically urging them to provide detailed information about the outlet’s journalists.
These documents provide a window into the security apparatus that sought to repress any independent activism or journalism in Syria. Reporters Without Borders ranked Syria in 2024 as the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists. It found earlier in the year that dozens of journalists were imprisoned or held hostage in the country, and that the Syrian regime and its supporters had killed 181 journalists since the start of the uprising against Assad’s rule in 2011.
In a statement, Reporters Without Borders said that it “welcomes the end of one of the most oppressive regimes in modern history.” It called for the prosecution of Assad, saying that his crimes “must not go unpunished.”
Additional reporting by Feras Dalatey.
Correction Dec. 27, 2024: This story was amended to reflect that the Syrian government’s internal enforcers questioned Mohammed Bassiki’s father at his workplace, rather than Bassiki’s parents at their home.
Authorities say Zapeta-Calil approached the woman on the subway and lit her clothing on fire. Zapeta-Calil then fanned the flames using a shirt, prosecutors said.
The state charges Zapeta-Calil faces are one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and one of first-degree arson.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said he believes the case belongs in state court as the charges are more serious there than in federal court. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole, Gonzalez said, making it the most serious statute in New York state law.
“I want to assure the people of this city that this office will do everything in our power to hold (Zapeta-Calil) accountable,” Gonzalez said.
Zapeta-Calil waived his appearance in court Friday, but he will be required to be present on Jan. 7. The indictment will also be unsealed that day.
“This was a malicious deed,” Gonzalez said, calling the victim, who has not yet been identified, a “sleeping, vulnerable woman on our subway system.”
In court Tuesday, Zapeta-Calil stood before the judge in a white jumpsuit and black hoodie. Zapeta-Calil did not speak and was surrounded by a dozen NYPD officers the entire time.
The crime was caught on camera. Body-worn cameras on responding officers caught the suspect’s face and his image was blasted on social media. Three teenagers in a different part of the city recognized him and called the police.
Video footage shows an NYPD patrolman passing the scene casually. At one point, someone appears with a blanket to fan the flames, while another person is filming. Gonzalez said that the officer was securing the scene and looking for a fire extinguisher.
The New York Police Department is still trying to figure out the victim’s identity. Gonzalez said the extent of her injuries, as well as the fact that she appears to have been homeless, makes this challenging.
Investigators are working on advanced fingerprinting and advanced DNA to help identify the victim, Gonzalez said, but could not go into specifics on progress they have made.
At the time of the incident, Zapeta-Calil was living at a homeless shelter that provides outpatient services for substance abuse and mental health. A source close to the investigation tells NewsNation that Zapeta-Calil’s attorney wanted his client to have a psychiatric evaluation, possibly setting the stage for an insanity defense.
Federal immigration officials said Zapeta-Calil entered the U.S. illegally. He has been jailed at New York City’s Rikers Island complex.
(NewsNation) — President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar” told NewsNation the administration will aggressively enforce immigration laws in sanctuary cities and may seek prosecution of officials who “knowingly harbor” undocumented immigrants.
“Sanctuary jurisdictions aren’t going to stop what we’re going to do,” Tom Homan said in a NewsNation interview Thursday. “If they don’t want to protect their communities, then the Trump administration will.”
Homan said immigration officers would focus on “public safety threats” and emphasized that sanctuary jurisdictions could face legal consequences if they actively interfere with federal enforcement efforts.
“They can stand by and watch us do it, but they cannot impede us,” Homan said. “They cannot knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal from ICE. Those are crimes.”
He warned that forcing immigration agents to make arrests in communities rather than jails would likely result in more “collateral arrests” of undocumented immigrants who are not primary targets.
Regarding sensitive locations such as churches and hospitals traditionally considered off-limits to immigration enforcement, Homan indicated the policy is under review. He said there are already exceptions for “significant public safety threats” or national security issues.
Homan dismissed sanctuary city officials’ claims that their policies help protect crime victims and witnesses, calling it “a stone-cold lie.”
“The victims and witnesses of crime certainly don’t want the bad guy released back into their neighborhood,” he said.
Republican strategist Katie Frost said that given the crisis along the U.S. southern border, “all options need to be on the table” when it comes to enforcement.
“We have to do whatever is necessary to find people who broke our laws, came into this country illegally and have overstayed their visas, ” Frost told NewsNation.
Frost pointed to the case of the woman who was set on fire on a New York City subway by a man that police said entered the U.S. illegally. She said that the question that has to be answered is, “When is enough be enough?”
Frost said that one of the reasons Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November was because Americans are sick of how the Biden administration has handled securing the southern border.
However, Democratic strategist David Carlucci, says that the details of how the incoming Trump administration handles mass deportations become a critical part of the issue.
Carlucci told NewsNation that based on what he has heard from Homan, the “border czar” does not have a concrete plan for carrying out mass deportations. Instead, Carlucci believes Homan just going to try to catch illegal immigrants.
He said Homan needs to specify how he plans to carry out zeroing in on convicted criminals who entered the country illegally as he proposed when he first announced mass deportations.
Homan said that if illegal immigrants who do not have criminal convictions are found with those who do, they run the risk of being arrested as Homan said that immigration officials and agents will not “turn a blind eye and walk away” to anyone who is in the country illegally.
“More agents have to come into communities and more people are going to be arrested,” Homan told NewsNation. “That’s not a threat. That’s just the reality.”
Carlucci said that could have dangerous ramifications.
“Is this going to be some sort of government state where we’ll all be questioned and audited for harboring illegal immigrants?” Carlucci said. “At what ends do we go to? The incoming Trump administration should be working with local officials instead of trying to make some sort of scapegoat.”
(WASHINGTON) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll.
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In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson.
Despite that, some have cast Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged with Thompson’s murder, as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest, which gave rise to an outpouring of grievances about insurance companies. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition investigators found at the scene, echoing a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
UnitedHealthcare has said Mangione was not a client.
About 7 in 10 adults say that denials for health care coverage by insurance companies, or the profits made by health insurance companies, also bear at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for Thompson’s death. Younger Americans are particularly likely to see the murder as the result of a confluence of forces rather than just one person’s action.
Americans see a wide range of factors contributing to UHC CEO’s killing
The poll finds hat the story of the slaying is being followed widely. About 7 in 10 said they had heard or read “a lot” or “some” about Thompson’s death.
Multiple factors were seen as responsible. About half in the poll believe that at least “a moderate amount” of blame is rooted in wealth or income inequality, although they did not think other factors like political divisions in the U.S. held the same level of responsibility.
Patients and doctors often complain about coverage denials and other complications interfering with care, especially for serious illnesses like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Insurance industry critics frequently point to company profits in questioning whether the interests of patients are their top focus.
UnitedHealthcare made more than $16 billion in profit last year, before interest and taxes, on $281 billion in revenue. Insurers frequently note that most of the revenue they bring in goes back out the door to pay for care. UnitedHealthcare said this month that it pays about 90% of medical claims when they are submitted. The insurer has not provided details about how many claims that involves.
For young people, blame is spread equally between insurers and the killer
Americans under 30 are especially likely to think a mix of factors is to blame for Thompson’s death. They say that insurance company denials and profits are about as responsible as Thompson’s killer for his death. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults between 18 and 29 say “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility falls on profits made by health insurance companies, denials for health care coverage by health insurance companies or the person who committed the killing.
Young people are also the least likely age group to say “a great deal” of responsibility falls on the person who committed the killing. Only about 4 in 10 say that, compared with about 6 in 10 between 30 and 59. Roughly 8 in 10 adults over 60 say that person deserves “a great deal” of responsibility.
About two-thirds of young people place at least a moderate level of blame on wealth or income inequality, in general.
People under 30 are more likely to place blame on the media, with 54% saying that compared with about one-third of older adults.
About 3 in 10 struggled with coverage from health insurance in the last year
Frustrations with health insurers, coverage and the complicated U.S. health care system have been simmering for years among patients.
About 3 in 10 Americans say they have had a problem getting coverage from their health insurer in the last year, whether those involved problems finding a suitable provider in-network, a claim getting denied or issues getting prior authorization or insurer approval before care happens. These struggles are more prevalent among Americans under 60.
Insurers say prior authorizations help eliminate waste in the system and let people know whether care will be covered before it is delivered.
Roughly 3 in 10 in the poll say immediate family or close friends have experienced problems getting coverage from their health insurer in the last year. Americans under 30 are among the most likely to say they don’t have health insurance.
Most Americans get health coverage through their job or by purchasing individual policies. Separate, government-funded programs provide coverage for people with low incomes or those who are age 65 and over or have severe illnesses or disabilities.
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The poll of 1,001 adults was conducted Dec. 12-16, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
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Associated Press writer Tom Murphy reported from Indianapolis.
If the title of this article caught your eye, that’s a good start—it might even help you reflect on where your eyes typically focus and where they don’t. Eye contact, once a cornerstone of human connection, is becoming increasingly rare in our screen-dominated lives. The beeps, alerts, and endless digital distractions have shifted our gaze away from the eyes of others and into the glow of our devices.
And it’s not just adults who are losing touch with this fundamental skill. A recent survey revealed that 62% of educators believe children are worse at making and maintaining eye contact than in years past. This decline reflects a cultural shift away from face-to-face engagement, one that has profound implications for how we communicate and connect.
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It’s hard to overestimate the seismic changes screens have wrought in our day-to-day, from the minor to the massive. Our attention spans, tolerance for boredom, and curiosity about the real world around us have been hijacked by the digital revolution.
But devices are only one of the challenges surrounding this lost art.
Let’s say we manage to put our phones aside for a moment and truly engage with our listener. What’s the next barrier? It begins with the very term we use: “eye contact.” This phrase frames eye contact as a static object, something you either “have” or “don’t.” We often hear it described in these terms: “She has great eye contact” or “He has poor eye contact.” But this view oversimplifies the concept, reducing it to a mere possession rather than recognizing it as a dynamic and interactive process that requires intention and awareness.
Eye contact is not a possession; it’s an activity. It’s not something you simply “have” or “don’t have.” In fact, one can experience both good and bad eye contact at any given moment. Viewing it as a static attribute is reductive, and it ironically shifts the focus onto the speaker, rather than the interaction itself.
Instead, I suggest we consider eye contact as an art form. Great artists—no matter their medium—are tasked with honing their sensitivity to the world around them in order to interpret and reveal it. They use all their senses to absorb information and deepen their connection with their environment. Similarly, your eyes give you an opportunity to connect more deeply and vividly with those around you, allowing you to notice the subtleties of human interaction that enrich your day-to-day experiences.
Is it really that simple? Yes! Eye contact is the result of earnestly and actively trying to decipher the communication of the other person and ensure that your communication is received.
But executing is far from simple sometimes. It’s a snap to have great eye contact when you’re completely at ease and engrossed in a thrilling topic with a fascinating partner.
But what about when the tables have turned and self-consciousness rears its ugly head?
When you’re feeling self-conscious, just the mindset shift of striving to focus on the other person may not be enough. In those situations, you need to be able to draw on muscle memory from effective practice. Which reveals the third culprit that prevents people from unlocking powerful eye contact: not knowing how to improve it.
In 15 years leading a communication training firm and coaching everyone from presidential candidates to high school freshmen, I have helped thousands of people cultivate better eye contact —even when feeling self-conscious—by doing physical exercises that rely on embodied cognition to unleash positive behaviors.
To start, try a fun exercise I developed called “Silent Storytelling.” As the name suggests, you’ll tell a story—but without sound. Think of it like lip-syncing: you’ll mouth the words expressively, but you cannot vocalize. Recruit a friend or two and use your eyes, face, hands, and body to convey your message. The goal is for your audience to fully understand the story, even without hearing a word. Keep in mind, this isn’t charades; you’re not acting out individual words. Instead, focus on expressing your narrative as vividly as needed to make it clear.
Pay close attention to your audience’s reactions—raised eyebrows, widening eyes, or nodding—these subtle cues will indicate whether they’re following along. What you’ll discover is that “good eye contact” comes naturally when you need to gauge their understanding without the help of sound. This exercise trains you to observe reactions and engage with others in a deeper, more intentional way, even when the experience feels unfamiliar.
The second exercise involves a ball. To start, gather a couple of audience members and practice speaking to each person one at a time. Begin by sharing one idea with the first person, and at the end of that idea, toss them the ball. They should hold it briefly before tossing it back to you. Once you’ve received the ball, look to the next person and share your next idea, passing the ball to them once you’re done.
As you alternate between speaking to each person, you’ll quickly realize why you must maintain eye contact: you need to ensure they’re ready to catch the ball. If you’re not looking at them, you risk them missing the catch. This simple exercise trains you to make purposeful eye contact to gauge your audience’s readiness, reinforcing the importance of connection in communication.
These exercises are incredibly effective because they make eye contact feel natural and even enjoyable, rather than a chore. Rather than fixating on whether you have “good” or “bad” eye contact, these techniques help you tap into the skills you already possess but may not yet be fully aware of. Through practice, you can build muscle memory for confident, meaningful eye contact that doesn’t require perfection, just presence. So, let go of the self-criticism and embrace the fun of improving your communication—one glance at a time.
