The Arab American News
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Lebanese anger at economy grows as political deadlock persists
March 6th, 20210 BEIRUT — Protesters blocked some roadways in Lebanon for a second day on Wednesday, after the currency’s fall to a new low further enraged a population long horrified by the country’s financial meltdown. In the past year, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the state and...Pope Francis departs Rome for risky, historic Iraq tour
March 5th, 20210 ROME – Pope Francis left Rome on Friday to start a four-day trip to Iraq, his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012 and the first visit by a pontiff to the country. An Alitalia airplane carrying the 84-year-old pope, his entourage, a security detail and about 75 journalists left Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport for the...Senate delays debate on Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill while it is read aloud
March 5th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to take up President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, but put off the start of a contentious debate until the full text of the 628-page bill is read aloud. The party-line vote of 51-50, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie, illustrated that...Rockets land on base hosting U.S. forces before pope’s visit to Iraq, contractor dead from “cardiac episode”
March 3rd, 20210 BAGHDAD — At least 10 rockets landed on Wednesday at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base that hosts U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces, the Iraqi military said, two days before Pope Francis is due to visit the country. Wednesday's attack is the second rocket attack in Iraq this month. The attack caused no significant losses, Iraqi’s...Yemenis reel from poverty, hunger as U.N. pleads for funds and war’s end
March 1st, 20210 SANAA — Unable to find work, Ahmed Farea has sold everything, including his wife’s gold, to feed and house two young daughters in one small room. Elsewhere in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, widow Mona Muhammad has work, but struggles to buy anything more nutritious than rice for her four children amid high prices. And in a nearby...Pentagon: U.S. carries out airstrikes against Iraqi militia facilities in eastern Syria
February 26th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, President Biden ordered U.S. military airstrikes in eastern Syria, on the border with Iraq, against facilities belonging to what the Pentagon described as "Iran-backed militia", in a calibrated response to recent rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq. The strikes appeared to be limited in scope,...Schools might be opening back up too soon
February 25th, 20210 From Younes Bazzi: Schools are set to reopen for in person learning as early as March for Dearborn Public schools, but this is quite concerning. As of right now teachers are getting the new COVID-19 vaccine, However there is no vaccine officially authorized for people under the age of 16. The soonest we can expect a possible vaccine...U.S. Supreme Court paves way for release of Trump’s tax returns
February 22nd, 20210 NEW YORK — Donald Trump suffered a major setback on Monday in his long quest to conceal details of his finances as the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to obtain the former president's tax returns and other records as part of an accelerating criminal investigation. The justices without comment rebuffed...Lebanese court removes investigator who charged politicians over Beirut blast
February 19th, 20210 BEIRUT — On Thursday, a Lebanese court dismissed a judge who had charged top politicians with negligence over last year’s Beirut port explosion, infuriating families of victims who said it showed that the state would never hold powerful men to account. Judge Fadi Sawan had led the investigation into one of the largest non-nuclear...Effort underway to involve underrepresented communities in redistricting
February 18th, 20210 LANSING — The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) is leading an effort alongside a coalition of partners to provide training and resources to help underrepresented communities give testimony and legislative maps to the new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC). The MNA is a statewide membership organization...Trump, Giuliani accused in lawsuit of conspiring to incite Capitol riot
February 16th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Democratic congressman accused former president Trump, his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and two right-wing groups of conspiring to incite the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol in a lawsuit on Tuesday. The civil lawsuit accuses the duo of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act, an 1871 law passed to crack down on the...Warren’s Imam Steve Mustafa Elturk to receive interfaith award
February 15th, 20210 WARREN — Imam Steve Mustafa Elturk, president of the Islamic Organization of North America, will receive the Robert A. Bruttell Interfaith Leader Award on Feb. 22. Elturk is a leader of Warren's faith community, where his mosque, the Islamic Organization of North America, is based. He co-chairs the Imams Committee of the ...Arab Americans continue their efforts for Little Arabia designation in Anaheim
February 13th, 20210 ANAHEIM, CA — There is a roughly four-to-five-mile stretch in Anaheim where you can get Egyptian food, Syrian ice cream, Lebanese cuisine and many flavors from Arab-speaking countries — it is an area that business owners and organizers are hoping to get a special designation. One of the businesses on Brookhurst owned by an......
New options for COVID-19 vaccine sign-up in Michigan
February 12th, 20210 MICHIGAN - Residents who don’t have access to the internet or who struggle to use a computer can now call the Michigan COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136, available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for up-to-date information about vaccine eligibility, safety information, and clinic locations Local health departments and hospitals...UAE’s Hope Probe enters orbit in first Arab Mars mission
February 12th, 20210 DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million-km (307 million-mile) journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate. The Mars program is part of the UAE’s efforts to develop its scientific and......
Blinken stops short of endorsing Trump’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israel
February 12th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped short of endorsing the Trump administration’s recognition of the occupied Golan Heights as part of Israel, instead noting that the territory was important for Israel’s security. Former President Trump officially granted U.S. recognition of the Golan as Israeli...Help is available for young people struggling with addiction during the pandemic
February 11th, 20210 In the midst of a pandemic, the drug epidemic persists as health experts say fentanyl is still the leading cause of drug overdoses in Wayne County, while the number one drug of choice for teens is marijuana, followed by alcohol and heroin. As most of us know, substance use is still very prevalent among young people in the country and...Democrats focus Trump trial on mob’s threat to his fellow Republicans
February 10th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Democrats prosecuting Donald Trump’s impeachment trial for inciting the deadly siege of the Capitol highlighted through video on Wednesday how members of the pro-Trump mob searched the building for his vice president, chanting: “Hang Mike Pence!” Previously unseen security videos showed the view from...Harvard Law Review elects first Muslim president
February 8th, 20210 BOSTON — The Harvard Law Review has named a Los Angeles-born Egyptian American as what it believes is the first Muslim president in its 134-year history, elevating him to the top of one of the most prestigious U.S. law journals. Harvard Law School student Hassaan Shahawy said he hoped his election represented “legal academia’s......
Paul M. Abbate named FBI deputy director
February 6th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – FBI Director Christopher Wray has named Paul M. Abbate as deputy director. As deputy, he oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities. Abbate most recently served as the associate deputy director. Abbate joined the FBI as a special agent in 1996 and was assigned to the...International Criminal Court rules it has jurisdiction over Palestinian Territories
February 5th, 20210 AMSTERDAM - The International Criminal Court ruled on Friday that it has jurisdiction over war crimes or atrocities committed in the Palestinian Territories, paving the way for a criminal investigation, despite Israeli objections. Judges said their decision was based on jurisdictional rules in the Hague-based court’s founding......
Biden ends U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen, says war “has to end”
February 4th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, President Biden declared a halt to U.S. support for a Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen, demanding that the more than six-year war, widely seen as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, “has to end.” Biden also named veteran U.S. diplomat Timothy Lenderking as the U.S. special...‘He invited us’: Accused Capitol rioters blame Trump in novel legal defense
February 2nd, 20210 Emanuel Jackson, a 20-year-old Washington area man, was caught on video using a metal bat to strike the protective shields wielded by police officers as they tried to fend off rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Jackson, awaiting trial in federal court on assault charges, is now adopting a novel legal defense: Seeking to pin......