Natalie Apsell

News Producer/editor in NYC & DC...political junkie and celebrity wrangler. Guilty pleasures include The Good Wife and Teen Mom. Retweet ≠ endorsement

[The Fifth Column 🖐 @wethefifth]

“Genocide” is not a synonym for "war I don't like."

From our recent episode with Bret Stephens, available on Substack.

[FDNY @FDNY]

After more than 33 years of service with the FDNY, Captain Edward Martin, of Ladder 152, worked his final tour on Saturday and now heads into a well-earned retirement.

Capt. Martin was appointed on Oct. 25, 1992, and was assigned to Ladder 110 in Brooklyn. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2004 and then to Captain in 2021. He was cited for bravery in 1996 for rescuing a woman from a fire in a multiple-dwelling and also responded to New Orleans in 2005 to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"Once I got to Ladder 110 as a proby, I was hooked to the greatest job in the world," Capt. Martin said. "The work that we get to do and the people you get to work with is second to none. Not too many people get to wake up in the morning and can't wait to get to work. It was a privilege to have this job, and I will be forever grateful for having it."

The Department thanks Capt. Martin for his more than three decades of service to New York City. Enjoy retirement!

[Michael Oren @DrMichaelOren]

The United States has one—and I stress one—military ally willing to fight shoulder to shoulder with America, with military and technological capabilities equal to, if not surpassing, its own. Why would anyone who cares about American security weaken that alliance?

[Mark D. Levine @MarkLevineNYC]

Live view of Lower Manhattan.

There has been a significant deterioration of air quality in NYC in the last two hours. AQI now over 200, considered “very unhealthy”.

NYC health dept is advising all NYers to take precautions, not just those with sensitive health conditions.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

The Coalition of the Willing. I thank every leader who stands with Ukraine and our people today. Everyone who understands that Russian aggression can be stopped only through collective pressure. And everyone who is ready to affirm this unity not only in words, but also through real decisions and assistance. There is no alternative to peace. And peace must prevail – thanks to our joint support and actions.

[Dovi Safier @safier]

Lindsey Graham never sent an email in his life and once executed his flip phone with a sword, a blender, and a golf club on camera after @realDonaldTrump read his private number aloud at a rally.
A man from a different time. He will be deeply missed.

[CSPAN @cspan]

3/16/22 - Sen. Graham on call to have Putin assassinated: "Yeah, I hope he'll be taken out. One way or the other. I don't care how they take him out...If John McCain were here he'd be saying the same thing...the world is better off without Putin."

[Howard Mortman @HowardMortman]

#RIP Lindsey Graham ...
He set up Elena Kagan's famous "Like all Jews I was probably at a Chinese restaurant" on Christmas line that slayed her 2010 SCOTUS nomination hearing ...

[Cindy McCain @cindymccain]

My heart is broken but I am comforted that the three amigos are together again. I am grateful beyond words for Lindsey’s years of friendship with my family, his undying service to his country and his defense of freedom around the world.  He loved his country deeply and devoted himself to it every day. He faced every challenge with determination, conviction, and an unwavering belief in America. He will be missed more than words can express.

[Dovi Safier @safier]

Lindsey Graham’s tribute to his dear friend Joe Lieberman broke every rule—because laughter was the only way to hide his broken heart. If you’ve never seen this before, it’s mush-watch material 👇🏻👇🏻

[Henshi @HenshiG]

A German soldier stopped at the front of the line and stared. He knew that face.

It was Janusz Korczak — the beloved Polish-Jewish doctor and writer whose books he had grown up reading.

The soldier quietly offered him a way out: “Step aside. Disappear. Live.”

Korczak shook his head. He took the hands of the two smallest children beside him… and kept walking toward the train.

There had been many such offers. He refused them all.

Born Henryk Goldszmit, Korczak was a renowned pediatrician, author of children’s books, and radio voice beloved across Poland.

He could have lived a comfortable life. Instead, in 1912 he founded Dom Sierot — an extraordinary orphanage in Warsaw where children ran their own parliament, court, and newspaper.

His one sacred rule: A child is not someone who will matter one day. A child matters now.

He lived among them for thirty years as their father.

When the Nazis sealed the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, Korczak moved the orphanage inside. Friends begged him to escape — he looked Polish, he was famous, he could pass. He refused. “I will not leave my children.”

Inside the starving ghetto, he begged for food, carried heavy sacks on his failing back, and tracked every child’s heartbreaking weight loss by candlelight. He was starving too.

On August 5, 1942, the soldiers came. Korczak calmly told the 192 children they were going to the countryside for fresh air.

He had them dress in their best clothes. Each carried a small bag with a favorite book or doll.

Then the old doctor led them out — 192 children walking in calm rows behind him, holding his hands, the smallest in his arms. No crying. No panic. Just quiet dignity as they marched three miles through the ghetto to the Umschlagplatz.

At the platform, the final offer came.

Once more, Korczak refused. He climbed into the cattle car with his children and staff.

They were murdered upon arrival at Treblinka.

He could not save their lives. He knew it. So he saved the only thing left: their dignity and their sense of not being alone.

In the darkest place on earth, Janusz Korczak gave those children the one thing the Nazis could not take — a hand to hold until the very end.

Today at Treblinka, among 17,000 stones, one bears the name: Janusz Korczak and the Children.
He had none of his own. He died with 192 of them.

May their memory be a blessing.

[9/11 Memorial & Museum @Sept11Memorial]

Born in New York City, Erik Isbrandtsen grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and attended Babson College in Boston. Isbrandtsen played soccer on Babson’s team and continued to play after graduation, when he settled in New York City. He also enjoyed golf and basketball. Isbrandtsen worked as a trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. On 9/11, he was in his office on the 104th floor of the North Tower. He was 30 years old. #911Museum #NeverForget911

[Jessica S. Tisch @NYPDPC]

This video of a rescue last night on the Brooklyn Bridge will take your breath away.

High above the East River, NYPD ESU officers climbed onto the Brooklyn Bridge to reach a woman in crisis who was threatening to jump.

For nearly an hour, they stayed with her, spoke with her, and waited for the moment they could safely pull her back from the edge.

The care, courage, and compassion these officers showed was just extraordinary. May God bless them.

[Israel in New York @IsraelinNewYork]

Their memory lives on. 🧡

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee joined Yarden Bibas and his sister, Ofri, at My Tree in Israel to dedicate a memorial olive tree in honor of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and later murdered in captivity in Gaza.

We will never forget. May their memories be a blessing.

📸: @USAmbIsrael

[Mark D. Levine @MarkLevineNYC]

Important updates on structural problems at the former Pfizer building in Midtown:

The building is at risk of a localized collapse due to two structural (load-bearing) columns buckling on the 21st floor. There are also multiple cracks and sagging floors. The building remains unstable, and city officials have witnessed continued movement of the building since around 8am this morning aided by the use of FDNY drones.

A frozen zone has been established from 40th to 45th streets and from First to Third avenues. Avoid the area. Luckily, everyone in the building has been evacuated and accounted for, and no injuries have been reported.

FDNY, DOB and NYCEM, including inspectors and engineers, are closely monitoring the evolving situation and looking for an opportunity to enter the building to shore up the 21st floor by installing beams to spread out the load. That opportunity would only be possible once the building has been deemed stable.

This is a steel-frame building, meaning a collapse would not be a total one, but more localized, according to FDNY. This is an active office-to-residential conversion project, and there will be an investigation into what caused this dangerous situation.

[Reuven Goldstein @curatorWH]

Founded in 1889 on New York’s Lower East Side by Hungarian Jewish immigrant Morris Modell. Modell’s Sporting Goods grew from a small shop into a beloved East Coast chain known for “Gotta Go to Mo’s.” After 130 years and 150+stores,the family run retailer closed in 2020.

[Reuven Goldstein @curatorWH]

The British Jewish graphic designer Ivan Chermayeff designed the modern NBC logo. One of most recognizable television visuals worldwide.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today marks the 250th anniversary of one of humanity's brightest, strongest, and most influential dreams – the American Dream of an independent, free, and prosperous nation that defends people's freedom, faith, and the pursuit of happiness.

That dream has endured many trials. It did not merely survive – it has, for two and a half centuries now, served as an example for other nations and helped the entire humanity stand firm and become freer. This was especially important in the 20th century, when America helped save the world from the rule of tyrants and built the alliances and partnerships that, for the first time, gave a large part of humanity lasting peace and the opportunity to develop in freedom.

Now, in the 21st century, America's influence and importance are certainly no less. And we see that particularly clearly in Ukraine, which is fighting for its independence, freedom, and our people's right to happiness with much the same hope, the same purpose, and the same determination with which Americans won and defended their own independence.

We deeply value the support of the United States, especially now, during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. American weapons – from the Javelins that President Trump decided to give to Ukraine to the Patriots that most reliably protect the lives of our people – everything the United States has provided to help us defend our country demonstrates the strength of the American spirit, American resolve, and American technology.

And we know the value of all these words better than anyone. When we ask America for Patriots, we believe that the values of respect for life and for people that prevailed 250 years ago will prevail again today. The world needs the kind of leadership that guarantees protection for freedom and for life.

I wish America a happy Fourth of July, the President of the United States and all Americans every success, and all of us around the world who value America – fruitful cooperation. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That is what unites all of us – all who respect America and thank America today.

May the dreams of free people always triumph over the evil and hatred of those who seek to destroy freedom. America, thank you! I am confident that if we're in it together, we'll definitely achieve peace! Congratulations on your Independence Day!

[Jessica S. Tisch @NYPDPC]

Sending a MASSIVE thank you to the members of the New York City Police Department who outdid themselves today.

What an honor it is to work alongside them.

[Kateryna Lisunova @KaterynaLis]

Very emotional moment from the interview with Zelenskyy. You should watch this.

JOURNALIST: Do you miss being an actor?

ZELENSKYY:?I miss being a good father.

JOURNALIST: When your children were little, what did you tell them the most? What was the thing that you told them the most when they were small?

ZELENSKYY: I love you.

JOURNALIST: And what do you tell them now that they're older?

ZELENSKYY: Oh, I miss you.

JOURNALIST: When was the last time you cried?

ZELENSKYY: I will try to do it after our interview. No, I mean this, between us. I'm a normal man and then there are a lot of different moments, between us, almost each day, a lot of losses on the battlefield and civilians, and there are absolutely crazy attacks on our people.

And I'm just, it's… I mean, It's very difficult really, when I give orders (medals). I said about it. It's always difficult for me when I give orders (medals) to the mothers and fathers, who lost their children. In such moments, really, I often cry.

JOURNALIST: Are you a hero?

ZELENSKYY: No.

JOURNALIST: So who is your hero?

ZELENSKYY:?My hero? My children, my army, our army, and Ukrainian people. So I'm a part… I'm also a Ukrainian, so I'm a part of our nation. But now our nation, I think, that our nation is absolutely heroic.