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Two people were killed when a small plane crashed onto a California neighborhood before dawn Thursday, destroying a home and setting more than a dozen cars on fire.At least 10 houses were hit by debris and cars on both sides of one street went up in flames when the Cessna 550 slammed into the ground spewing burning jet fuel everywhere in a part of San Diego that is home to military families.San Diego Fire Department Assistant Chief Dan Eddy told reporters one house had been badly damaged, but that no one on the ground had been seriously hurt, with the two dead aboard the plane.”When (the plane) hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” he said.”We have jet fuel all over the place.”Yasmine Sierra told AFP how she had helped her neighbors escape their burning house in the middle of the night after being awakened by what she initially thought was an earthquake.”It looked like all the homes were on fire because I could see the smoke and the flames, it looked like the trees were on fire,” she said.Moments later she heard screams from her neighbors who were trapped in their back garden.”Me and my son grabbed the ladder, we jumped on our trampoline, and we tried to bounce as much as we possibly could, to throw that ladder over so that they can climb onto the ladder into our backyard,” said Sierra, 35.A woman, two children and two small dogs climbed to safety over the ladder.”She was very distraught when she came over. I brought her to the front of the house, and I told her that, you know, we needed to leave.”Jeremy Serna, 31, who is in the Navy, said he and his wife had been awoken by a loud bang.”We looked outside, and the sky was orange. And then I came running outside to see what it was, and everything was on fire over here,” he told AFP.”I saw the corner house was just engulfed in flames. And then came back over here and told my wife, hey, we have to get out of here.”It was pretty scary.”Footage of the immediate aftermath of the crash showed a line of burning fuel linking cars that were entirely in flames.- Thick fog -Investigators were combing the scene Thursday, picking through the scattered debris of the plane, which appeared to have broken into hundreds of pieces.Bits of fibreglass were scattered among the twisted and charred remains of cars, and the smell of fuel hung in the air.The accident happened in thick fog when the plane, which had come from Kansas, was nearing the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.It was not immediately clear what had happened, but the fire department’s Eddy said a nearby power line appeared to have been clipped.The plane, which can carry up to eight people, went down around 3:45 am (1045 GMT), according to the Federal Aviation Administration, striking the Murphy Canyon neighborhood.The residential area it hit is largely military housing. San Diego is home to US Navy facilities, Marine Corps bases and Coast Guard stations.The accident came at a time of heightened tension in the skies above America, with a number of incidents rocking public confidence in flying.Air traffic control outages have struck the busy Newark airport on the East Coast at least twice in recent weeks, and in January there was a mid-air collision over Washington between a passenger plane and a military helicopter.This month two people died when their small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood northwest of Los Angeles.

International tensions over anti-Semitism erupted Thursday after two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead at a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine” as he was arrested.Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar blamed European criticism of his country’s stepped-up Gaza offensive, claiming “a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder.””This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organizations, especially from Europe,” he said.French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine called the accusation “completely outrageous and completely unjustified.”The killings took place just outside the Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday as the venue, a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the White House, hosted a social event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited “the terrible price of anti-Semitism” and decried “wild incitement against the State of Israel.”Soon after the shooting, President Donald Trump — who spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday — posted on social media that the attack was clearly anti-Semitic and such killings had to stop.Israel identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a US employee of the embassy, and said they were a couple planning to marry.Police detained the shooter, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, at the scene.- ‘Free Palestine’ -Video footage on social media showed a bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away.The attack came days after the museum was awarded a grant to boost security, as anti-Semitism surges worldwide in the wake of Israel’s devastating invasion of Gaza, prompted by the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.Tensions have risen in the United States and many other countries over the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, with pro-Palestinian activists decrying what they say is the intolerable human cost of the military offensive.Britain and France — who have stepped up their criticism of Israel’s actions — were among those condemning the shooting, as well as Germany and the United Arab Emirates.But Netanyahu on Thursday accused France, Britain and Canada of emboldening militants, saying “they want Israel to stand down and accept that Hamas’s army of mass murderers will survive, rebuild and repeat the October 7 massacre.”They “think that they’re advancing peace. They’re not,” he said in a video.Israel’s consul in New York City also sought to draw a link between the shooting and US student protests against the war in Gaza, which he painted as “unprecedented riots organized by terrorists.”- ‘Anti-Semitism, I feel it every day’ – On Thursday, mourners gathered at the museum in Washington to sing and pray.”We have to find a better way to a better future for Israelis, for Palestinians, for American Jews, for Muslims, for all of us,” said Hadar Susskind, head of the progressive New Jewish Narrative group.”Obviously the war is awful,” mourner Gil Livni told AFP. “(But) anti-Semitism, I feel it every day…  people that I thought were my friends showing that they are anti-Semitic. It’s become the norm.”Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told reporters at the scene Thursday that he rejected any “insinuation that anti-Semitism is rising because of Israel’s defense of its country. Hamas declared war, Israel is responding.”Witnesses said security personnel appeared at first to mistake the gunman for a victim of the shooting and allowed him into the museum, where he was initially comforted by bystanders.”They sat him down. ‘Are you OK? Were you shot? What happened?’ And he’s like ‘Somebody call the cops’,” Yoni Kalin, who was in the museum, told US media.Police said the suspect was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting around 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Thursday).The targeted event was an annual reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for young Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.Lischinsky was a researcher at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles.Lischinsky was Christian, according to The Times of Israel, for whom he had previously worked as a blogger. He also held a German passport.

A man sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of his wife and her two sons was executed in Tennessee on Thursday, according to the state’s Department of Correction. Oscar Smith, 75, was the third death row inmate to be executed in the United States this week, all of which were carried out by lethal injection.Smith was pronounced dead at 10:47 am local time (1547 GMT) at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee. He was convicted of fatally shooting and stabbing his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett, in 1989.Mike Robirds and Terri Osborne, Judy’s siblings, said in a statement that the pain of losing their sister and nephews “is something we will continue to carry.””Through our heartbreak, we are reminded of the devastating consequences of domestic violence,” the statement said.”This tragedy is not only a personal loss — it is part of a much larger issue that affects countless families across our society.”There have been 19 executions in the United States this year: 15 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”

G7 finance leaders played down their differences Thursday, despite turmoil from US President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs, and sought common ground on Ukraine as talks in Canada entered the final hours.The Group of Seven advanced economies are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of their three-day gathering, a diplomatic source told AFP, but all eyes are on whether they can overcome tensions sparked by Trump’s trade wars.”The mood in the meetings was positive and constructive,” EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis told AFP early Thursday.He said officials made progress on many issues, including the global economy, in addressing imbalances but also with regards to a response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”All in all, we are making good progress,” added Dombrovskis, the European Union commissioner for the economy.Leaders opened a final morning of talks early Thursday, with sessions on financial crimes and artificial intelligence on the agenda at the session, held in western Canada’s spectacular Banff National Park.But tensions among the finance ministers and central bank governors from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States remained.- ‘Joint solutions’ -“On tariffs, obviously that remains a concern,” Dombrovskis said, adding that the G7 partners were working together, as well as bilaterally with Washington, “to address this tariffs situation and to find a negotiated solution.” German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told reporters Thursday it was crucial to “resolve the current trade disputes as quickly as possible.”He stressed that higher tariffs place “a heavy burden on the global economy, unsettle the financial markets and ultimately reduce global prosperity.” “Our hand is extended,” Klingbeil added, noting that US tariffs threaten jobs and economic strength on both sides of the Atlantic. A European official told AFP that while the trade issue is not resolved with this week’s talks, “we see the positive side.”French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told AFP: “The atmosphere was warm. We spoke as friends and allies.””We don’t agree on everything, but we talked about everything,” he said.Ministers also held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the gathering. Klingbeil noted his “intensive and constructive discussion” with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whom he plans to meet again in Washington.Bessent has been expected to face pushback on the US tariffs policies’ effects, though he told reporters that Wednesday’s talks were “very productive.”The week’s meetings come ahead of the G7 Summit next month, and are seen as a litmus test of how the leaders’ gathering — which Trump is to attend — will proceed.One topic where consensus could prove easier to achieve is China, with the G7 broadly aligned on addressing Beijing’s trade practices. – ‘Clear progress’ -Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko attended the talks in Banff and has urged the G7 to maintain pressure on Russia.France’s Lombard welcomed “clear progress” on support for Ukraine and the issue of increasing pressure on Moscow.While Trump’s return has rattled the G7, German finance minister Klingbeil told public broadcaster ARD that “there are always conflicting signals.”While there may be US statements that cast doubt on the extent of support towards Ukraine, “in the end, the United States has always been on Ukraine’s side,” he said.Wednesday’s session on Ukraine was chaired by UK finance minister Rachel Reeves, who said “pressure on Russia’s war machine is needed now more so than ever,” according to a government statement.She charged that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has “failed to engage in good faith with proposals”, and attempts to broker a ceasefire from his “illegal and brutal war.”Reeves also aired an ambition to move fast in lowering the $60 price cap on Russian crude oil, the UK statement said.

Entertainment giant Disney has placed at least 45 Venezuelan employees on unpaid leave, the company told AFP Thursday, following the US Supreme Court’s decision to allow the revocation of a special legal status that shielded them from deportation.Shortly after returning to office, President Donald Trump revoked temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, which shields foreign citizens from deportation who cannot safely return home — affecting about 350,000 people.The US Supreme Court has allowed that revocation to stand pending an appeal in a lower court.”As we sort out the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement, however noting the leave is “unpaid.””We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families,” the statement added.The entertainment giant informed workers placed on leave that their employment will be terminated if they do not find an alternate work permit within 30 days, according to the Miami Herald.It was not immediately clear where all of the employees worked, but the newspaper said it had spoken to several who work at Disney World in Orlando. One Venezuelan Disney employee, a woman in her 40s, told the Herald she was “very distressed” by the suspension.”We have bills, we just renewed our apartment lease, my son goes to college,” she told the publication.Former president Joe Biden had extended TPS for Venezuelans for 18 months just days before Trump returned to the White House in January, citing ongoing crises in the South American country under longtime ruler Nicolas Maduro.But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to revoke the protections, leading to the ensuing court battle.

US rapper Kid Cudi on Thursday described having his home broken into and his car set on fire amid music mogul Sean Combs’s rage over his one-time girlfriend Casandra Ventura’s relationship with the rapper.The highly anticipated testimony from the famous rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, follows last week’s bombshell testimony in Manhattan federal court from Ventura, who said she was physically and psychologically abused for years by Combs.The once-powerful music industry figure is on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering.Mescudi described one day when Ventura called him sounding “scared” and “nervous” as she told him that Combs had found out about their fling.Mescudi said he had thought Ventura and Combs weren’t together any longer when he started seeing her, but took her to the Sunset Marquee hotel for her safety.”I just wanted to put her somewhere she’d be off the radar,” testified Mescudi, who told jurors he knew that Combs abused Ventura.As the pair hid out, Mescudi said they received a call from Combs’s assistant Capricorn Clark, who said she had been forced to ride along to Mescudi’s home where Combs had gone inside.Mescudi called Combs who said “I’m over here waiting for you.”When he arrived, he didn’t see Combs, but he did find his dog, which was usually allowed to roam free around the house, locked in a bathroom.Mescudi said his impulse was to fight Combs but instead he called the police.Shortly thereafter in January 2012, Mescudi said he received a call from his dog sitter who said the rapper’s car was on fire.Jurors were shown six photos of the mangled, ruined car that was found next to a Molotov cocktail.Asked by prosecutors how he reacted to the discovery, Mescudi, who took the stand in a black leather jacket and white tee, said simply “what the fuck.”Ventura previously testified that in his fury over the love triangle, Combs had threatened to blow up Mescudi’s vehicle.- ‘Just so angry’ -Prosecutors say Combs was the kingpin of a criminal enterprise for decades, a ring that wielded its power including through arson, bribery and kidnapping.Combs, 55, is also on trial for sex trafficking; if he is found guilty of the alleged federal crimes, he faces an effective life prison sentence.Ventura told jurors that Combs — who she says coerced her into “freak-off” sex marathons with male prostitutes for years — flew into a violent rage after he learned of her romance with Mescudi, lunging at her with a wine corkscrew and threatening to make public sexually explicit footage of her.”He was just so angry,” she said during her four days on the stand. “He told me about videos that he had that he was going to release, and how he was going to hurt Scott and I.”Mescudi corroborated testimony from Ventura saying that when confronted about the scorched car, the powerful music mogul played dumb.”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mescudi said Combs told him.Asked by prosecutors what Mescudi took that to mean, the rapper replied: “That he was lying.”

US senators on Thursday blocked California’s landmark mandate phasing out gas-powered cars, dealing a blow to the state’s move towards electric vehicles in a pointed rebuke of Democratic climate change policies.The Republican-led Senate revoked a waiver instituted under then-president Joe Biden that allowed the Golden State to set aside national pollution standards for cars and set its own more stringent regulations.But the Senate’s rubber stamp of a House-passed bill is likely to be challenged in court, setting up a battle royale between California’s left-leaning government and President Donald Trump.California Governor Gavin Newsom warned Trump’s Republicans ahead of the vote against action that would “cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children.”The West Coast state’s San Joaquin Valley and its biggest city, Los Angeles, historically tolerated persistent smog before decades of efforts to clean up the worst air pollution in the country.Part of that push was a mandate ensuring that a third of new 2026 model cars sold in the state must be zero-emission, rising to two-thirds in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035. Republicans in Washington argue that this is costly, unworkable and anathema to consumer choice.”California got special permission from the Biden administration to ban gas-powered cars. Because of their market share, this would impact the entire nation,” said right-wing Utah Senator Mike Lee.”But Gavin Newsom doesn’t get to ruin 49 other states.”Republicans argue that the Congressional Review Act gives them the right to overturn California’s carve-out on a simple majority vote.But Democrats say Thursday’s move was illegal, as nonpartisan watchdogs including the Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian said the CRA could not be applied to waivers.The Senate has only overruled its parliamentarian a handful of times in since the role was launched in the 1930s.Trump harshly criticized electric vehicles (EVs) as he sought reelection, despite significant federal funding allocated to projects in Republican districts, where thousands of jobs are expected to be created.He took aim at the sector as part of his flurry of executive orders on his first day in office in a bid to ensure what he called a “level” playing field for gasoline-powered motors.But he has not been consistent in his opposition — even taking time out of his schedule to promote former right-hand man Elon Musk’s prestige EV company Tesla at the White House.  US EV sales reached 1.3 million units last year, up 7.3 percent from 2023, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book, but automakers have recently scaled back investments, pointing to slowing demand growth. 

A small private jet crashed into a military housing complex in San Diego in the middle of the night, killing several people and igniting a fierce blaze that destroyed cars and homes, officials said Thursday.The plane went down around 3:45 am local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), striking the Murphy Canyon neighborhood — an area filled with low-rise homes and known as one of the largest military housing communities in the world.Flames engulfed rows of parked vehicles, leaving behind blackened husks, while more than 10 homes sustained damage or were destroyed.”There are more than one fatality that we found so far, but we’re waiting to get the registered numbers that were on the plane itself,” Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy told reporters. He added that, “miraculously,” no deaths or serious injuries had been reported among residents on the ground.The Cessna 550 jet had originated from the Midwest, where it was also registered, Eddy said. The aircraft, which can carry eight to 10 people, crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.”We had some possible minor injuries from the scene,” but no one was transported from the scene, from any of the housing units, he noted.Emergency crews were continuing to search the wreckage with the aid of drones.”There are multiple homes — upwards of 10 — that are affected,” Eddy said. He added that the jet fuel took out cars on both sides of the street that went up in flames.”That’s why you have the wisps of smoke, because we have one car fire that just will not go out no matter what we put on it.”A power line was also damaged in the incident, and investigators are working to determine whether it played a role.San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressed condolences to those affected and praised first responders for their swift actions.

The Republican-led US House of Representatives voted Thursday to approve President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax relief and spending cuts mega-bill that critics warn would decimate health care while ballooning the debt.The “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” — which now moves to the Senate — would usher into law Trump’s vision for a new “Golden Age,” led by efforts to shrink social safety net programs to pay for a 10-year extension of his 2017 tax cuts.”Legislation of this magnitude is truly nation shaping and life changing,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson ahead of the largely party-line vote, which capped a marathon debate that went through the night.”It’s the kind of transformational change that future generations will study one day. They’ll look back at this day as a turning point in American history.”The mammoth package passed along party lines — 215 votes to 214 — after Republican leadership quelled a rebellion on the party’s right flank that threatened its passage.It is the centerpiece of Trump’s domestic policy agenda that could define his second term in the White House, and he took to social media to celebrate “arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed.”But the package had faced skepticism from Republican fiscal hawks who say the country is careening toward bankruptcy, with independent analysts warning it would increase the deficit by as much as $4 trillion over a decade.The White House has made ambitious projections, well outside the mainstream consensus, that the package will spur growth of up to 5.2 percent, ensuring it adds nothing to the $36 trillion national debt.But investors were unconvinced as the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note surged to its highest level since February on Wednesday, amid worries over the budget-busting bill’s bottom line.- ‘Devastating’ -Democrats called the bill “devastating” for the middle class, pointing to CBO estimates that its cuts to public health insurance for low-income Americans would deprive around eight million people of coverage. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the bill “the largest cut to health care in American history… in order to enact the largest tax breaks for billionaires in American history.” Trump has seen his polling numbers plummet since his White House return, but success in uniting the normally polarized House Republicans underlined his continued sway over the party.The president had pressured lawmakers to back his signature legislation in a rare Capitol Hill visit Tuesday after it hit a series of roadblocks pitting conservative fiscal hawks against moderate Republicans. The hawks were unhappy that cuts shaving $700 billion from the Medicaid health insurance program did not go deeper — a red line for moderates and possibly for Trump, who told the party in coarse terms not to touch the social safety net.To appease his right flank, Johnson moved up the enforcement of work requirements for Medicaid recipients by two years to the end of 2026, and agreed to phase out clean energy tax credits earlier.Meanwhile a group of moderate northeastern Republicans pushing for huge increases in the state and local tax write-off secured a compromise of a four-fold hike, from $10,000 to $40,000.But the bill is likely to undergo at least a month of significant rewrites in the Senate, which plans to get the package to Trump’s desk by July 4.Trump’s iron grip in the House does not always extend to the upper chamber, where members only face reelection every six years and are less susceptible to the president’s cajoling.”In the House, President Trump can threaten a primary,” Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson told Punchbowl News as he railed against cuts he considers too shallow.”Those guys want to keep their seats, I understand the pressure. He can’t pressure me that way.”Fellow Senate conservative Rand Paul told the publication: “Once the Republicans vote for this, Republicans are going to own the deficit.”

Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead at a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine” as he was arrested, sparking new international tensions over anti-Semitism.The killings took place just outside the Capital Jewish Museum, a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the White House, late Wednesday as it held an event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited “the terrible price of antisemitism” and what he called “wild incitement against the State of Israel.”US President Donald Trump echoed this, posting on social media: “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!”Israel identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a US employee of the embassy, and said they were a couple who had been hoping to marry.Police said they detained the shooter, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, from Chicago, at the scene.Video footage showed the bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away.The attack came days after the museum was awarded a grant to boost security, as anti-Semitism surges worldwide in the wake of Israel’s devastating invasion of Gaza, prompted by the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas.- Tensions over Gaza, anti-Semitism -Tensions are high in the United States and in many other countries over the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.Britain and France — who have stepped up their condemnation in recent days of Israel’s actions — were among those condemning the shooting, as well as Germany and the United Arab Emirates. But Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, put blame on European governments, claiming there was “a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder.””This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organizations, especially from Europe,” he said.French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine called the accusation “completely outrageous and completely unjustified.”Israel’s consul in New York City sought to draw a link between the shooting and US student protests against the Israeli war in Gaza, which he painted as “unprecedented riots organized by terrorists.”Trump has gone on the offensive against campus protesters, also claiming they are “pro-terrorist,” with punitive measures to slash university funding and deport foreign student activists.-  ‘Call the cops’ -In an incredible mix-up, witnesses reportedly said that security personnel appeared to mistake the gunman for a victim of the shooting and allowed him into the museum, where he was initially comforted by bystanders.”Some of the people at the event brought him water. They sat him down. ‘Are you OK? Were you shot? What happened?’ And he’s like ‘somebody call the cops’,” Yoni Kalin, who was in the museum, told US media.Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that the suspect was seen pacing back and forth outside the museum before the shooting around 9:00 pm on Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday). “He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire,” she said.Smith confirmed the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by security, and said he told them where he discarded the gun. – Marriage plans -The targeted event was an annual reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for young Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles.Lischinsky was Christian, according to The Times of Israel, for whom he had previously worked as a blogger. Germany’s foreign minister said he also held a German passport. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, who said he spoke with Trump by telephone, told reporters the young staffers were a couple about to get engaged.”The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” Leiter said.”They were a beautiful couple.”