British counterterror police are investigating whether suspected Iranian proxies are behind a wave of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in London, as a chief rabbi warned that such attacks are escalating.

The Metropolitan Police said specialized counterterror officers are probing fires at synagogues, Jewish-linked facilities and a Persian-language media company critical of Iran’s regime.

The latest incident caused minor damage to a north London synagogue Saturday night. No injuries have been reported in any of the blazes, which all happened within a few miles of each other.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said investigators are examining claims by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which has taken responsibility for several attacks. The group’s name means Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.

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“We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran. As you would expect, we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves,” she said.

“I’ve spoken previously about the Iranian regime’s use of criminal proxies, and we’re considering whether this tactic is being used here in London,” Evans added.

Authorities say the group — which Israel has described as a possible Iranian proxy — has also claimed synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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Police have flooded northwest London with additional officers after a series of incidents in recent weeks, including the torching of four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood on March 23.

Several suspects, ranging from teenagers to people in their 40s, have already been arrested and charged.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”

“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he added.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling the attacks “abhorrent” and vowing those responsible “will be found and brought to justice.”

The threat level rose further after the group released a video claiming it would target Israel’s embassy in London with drones carrying hazardous substances. Police shut down nearby Kensington Gardens while investigating suspicious items but said no dangerous materials were found.

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British officials have long warned that Iran uses criminal networks to carry out attacks in Europe. MI5 says it disrupted more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-linked plots in the past year.

Police issued a blunt warning to any “thugs for hire” involved in such attacks.

“Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game,” said Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes. “That’s what people who are now serving long prison sentences have found out, and the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes.”

Investigators say the probe remains ongoing as authorities work to determine whether the attacks are part of a coordinated foreign-backed campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A defining story of the past decade or so has been the collapse of trust in the credibility of legacy media institutions.

The latest survey data from Gallup found that just 28 percent of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media to report accurate or complete information. That’s the lowest number in the poll’s history. Conversely, a whopping 70 percent of respondents have “not very much” confidence or “none at all” in those same institutions. In 1972, that was flipped, with nearly 70 percent of Americans saying they trusted media outlets.

Among Republicans, those numbers are far worse. Just 8 percent of those on the right trust the media to report information fairly. That figure represents a 62 percent decline on the right even from 2015.

And that decline is very well deserved. The latest example of an obvious partisan bias being the reporting around accusations levied at now-former California Congressman Eric Swalwell. Swalwell over the last five to seven years turned himself into one of the most prominent voices on the left. Always outraged, committed to whatever progressive talking points were at a given moment, always with an expression on his face that seemed to imply he couldn’t believe he was getting away with gaslighting, lying, and extreme hypocrisy.

Well, that all came crashing down in less than a week. And in the process exposed not just the Democrat Party yet again, but its most willing and helpful partners: legacy media.

Before diving into Swalwell, it’s important to back up. Starting around the time when Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, legacy media quite obviously made a collective decision about its news coverage and reporting. Instead of attempting to present stories or information and let readers or viewers interpret for themselves, it would put its thumb on the scale. Pew Research, for example, found in 2025 that 55 percent of journalists don’t believe that both sides do not deserve equal coverage. In reality, that number is likely far higher.

Impartiality and fairness among ostensibly unbiased journalists has all but evaporated. This only got worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. While prior generations of journalists believed that their mandate was to hold powerful people accountable, COVID was the exact opposite. The powerful, people like Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, or local public health officials, were treated with awe, reverence, and deference. Instead of questioning their statements, decision-making, or mandates, virtually every legacy media outlet promoted them.

Holding the powerful to account turned into holding the public to account. It was your fault for not wearing enough masks, or not wearing the right kind of masks, or for wanting your kid to go to school and have class without wearing a mask. It was your fault for not getting COVID vaccines based on inaccurate promises of efficacy and the disinterest in side effects legacy media demonstrated.

Why did they handle the pandemic this way? Because they do not view journalism as their primary goal or outcome. They are ideologues first, reporters second. And what their ideology said and believed during the pandemic was that Fauci and “health experts” must not be questioned, no matter how absurd their views were, or how quickly they were disproven. Criticism of Fauci, or coverage of his failures would be a betrayal of their political party and the “In this house” messaging it depends on.

There are many more examples of legacy media “missing” stories that would hurt Democrats. The Hunter Biden laptop story undoubtedly impacted the 2020 election, as mass media downplayed, ignored, or in some cases, helped ensure that the story was censored from the internet lest it hurt Joe Biden’s campaign. The lab leak explanation for the pandemic was labeled as a “racist conspiracy,” before evidence became overwhelming that it was the most likely source of the coronavirus.

Joe Biden’s cognitive and physical decline was dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy, with “cheap fakes” becoming one of CNN’s most popular terms before his atrocious debate performance. Russiagate was another. And news this week on the first Trump impeachment has exposed yet another media failing.

Now we have Swalwell as yet another shining example.

After the allegations about years of improper behavior surfaced, several reporters took to social media to explain that they’d long heard rumors or reports of Swalwell’s actions and simply…did nothing about them.

One Democrat strategist posted on X Thursday morning that “…A reporter with Politico was working on verifying the rumors on Swalwell when he was running for President.” He continues, “Two days before he was scheduled to sit down with this reporter Swalwell dropped out of the race. The energy disappeared to potentially take him out, the victims if they were even willing to go on the record never did.”

Another reporter, Bethany Allen, said she heard information on Swalwell’s behavior in 2020 when at Axios, but because it wasn’t her beat, simply passed it along and never reported it. A journalist based in California posted this, saying that “shortly after being elected to Congress in 2013, [Swalwell’s] behavior towards women was known by all levels of our local government and the Alameda County Democratic Party.”

The executive editor of American Prospect, David Dayen, wrote “The truth, which will be available for all to see before long, is that Swalwell’s conduct with interns, young staff, and female fans was an open secret for a long time, and yet the party…had been supporting him and raising money for him.”

There are many more examples of those on the left admitting that Swalwell’s treatment of women was an open secret among Democrats, which would, of course, trickle down to their partners in mass media outlets. So why did it take until now for it to come out?

Well, the legacy media’s primary objective is to help and protect its “side.” Which is why a majority of these people openly admit in surveys that they don’t feel the need to treat both sides equally. Reporting does require those who are making the allegations to come forward. But apparently some did, then interest in the story fizzled as Swalwell stopped running for president. But that’s not an acceptable excuse.

Swalwell was a sitting congressman from the country’s largest state. He started a campaign for governor, and in some polls, was the leading candidate. He was a relentless force against Trump and the right, with sneering, smirking social media videos, predictable #Believeallwomen hashtags, and was seen as one of the primary leaders of the “resistance” in appearances with good buddy Jimmy Kimmel.

He was prominent enough to deserve scrutiny, particularly in light of the “everyone always knew” messaging we now see. They knew, they just didn’t care enough because Swalwell was on the left. And those on the left are never treated with the aggressive mentality journalists take when they can hurt a member of the opposition. Fauci is still viewed as a hero because they never cared enough to point out how many lies he told, or facts he got wrong. All the Democrat Party partners now talking about how it was so obvious Swalwell was engaging in inappropriate behavior were happy to support his candidacy. Until now.

Some look at ~20 percent trust ratings for mass media and wonder how we got here. The real question is why it isn’t lower.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sidestepped questions Sunday about whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer, declining to take a position amid growing debate over Democratic leadership.

“I have to be honest with you,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “This is another question that gets into the future,” Mamdani said when asked if Schumer should step aside as Senate Democratic leader.

The exchange unfolded as divisions within the Democratic Party have intensified over generational change, with progressives increasingly raising the prospect of Ocasio-Cortez mounting a primary challenge against Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats for years.

When pressed directly on whether he supported such a challenge, Mamdani avoided endorsing the idea while praising Ocasio-Cortez.

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“I will tell you this, that I have had the privilege of being represented by Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez,” he said. “Now it’s an honor to work with her as an incredible congresswoman, and I’m excited to see whatever it is that she decides to do next.”

Welker noted Schumer did not endorse Mamdani in his own mayoral race and asked whether that influenced his view, but the mayor emphasized cooperation.

“I’ll tell you that right now my focus is on working with everyone, and that includes Senator Schumer,” Mamdani said.

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“You know, recently I worked with Senator Schumer to deliver on a hub of relief for delivery workers right here across from City Hall.”

Mamdani expanded on his broader view of the party, suggesting the issue was not simply about age.

“I think it’s time for a party that reflects the urgency that we’re seeing across this country,” he said. “We know very well what we oppose. What are we for?”

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He also declined to weigh in on former Vice President Kamala Harris and her potential political future, despite repeated questioning.

“I have to be honest, I haven’t thought about the candidacies for president this time,” Mamdani said.

“I think that New Yorkers are tired of politicians pontificating about other politicians. What they want to see are results.”

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Harris has hinted at another presidential run, placing her at the center of early discussions about the Democratic field. Party leaders have emphasized the importance of focusing on the 2026 midterms as Democrats look to regain momentum.

Mamdani signaled he planned to stay focused on governing rather than engaging in national political debates.

“And here in 2026 I want to be delivering for New Yorkers,” he said.