The Arab American News
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Nowhere to go: Displaced Iraqis desperate as camps close
November 14th, 20200 MOSUL — Iraq has started closing camps housing tens of thousands of people, including many who fled their homes during the final battle against ISIS, but aid groups warn this could create a second wave of displacement with dire consequences. Among those having to leave are 50-year-old Umm Ahmed and her two sons, who have lived at...
U.S. government partners with pharmacy chains to increase COVID-19 vaccine access
November 12th, 20200 The U.S. government is partnering with regional pharmacy chains and independent community pharmacies to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines whenever they are made available, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday. The partnership will cover about 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 U.S. states,...
Republicans urge Trump to allow Biden access to briefings as U.S. election challenges sputter
November 12th, 20200 On Thursday, more Republican lawmakers said the Trump administration should allow Joe Biden to receive intelligence briefings, in a tacit acknowledgement the Democrat may soon occupy the White House despite the president's refusal to concede. Most Republican officials and lawmakers have publicly supported President Trump's effort to...
Trump presses on with uphill legal struggle hoping to overturn Biden victory
November 11th, 20200 On Wednesday, President Trump’s campaign took another step in its long-shot legal strategy to upend his election loss with a Michigan lawsuit while Georgia announced a recount and President-elect Biden worked on laying the foundation of his administration. Trump’s team went to federal court to try to block Michigan, a U.S....
Rules for recounts in presidential battleground states
November 9th, 20200 Georgia will go through a recount of the votes in the presidential race due to a narrow margin, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on Friday. Below is a roundup of recount laws in some battleground states. Note that many of these states have been called already, though official results take time to be finalized after...
Lebanon’s president seeks evidence behind U.S. sanctions on son-in-law
November 9th, 20200 BEIRUT — President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon would seek evidence and documents from the United States that led Washington to impose sanctions on his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, a prominent Christian politician. On Friday, the United States blacklisted Bassil, leader of Lebanon’s biggest Christian political...
Vote counts push Biden closer to victory as Trump falsely claims election being “stolen”
November 6th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — With his re-election chances fading as more votes are counted in a handful of battleground states, President Trump launched an extraordinary assault on the country’s democratic process from the White House on Thursday, falsely claiming the election was being “stolen” from him. Offering no evidence, Trump...
U.S. Supreme Court may not have final say in presidential election, despite Trump threat
November 4th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — While President Trump wants the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on a presidential race that is still too close to call, it may not be the final arbiter in this election, legal experts said. They said it was doubtful that courts would entertain a bid by Trump to stop the counting of ballots that were received...
U.S. Election Day unfolds smoothly, so far defying fears of disruption
November 3rd, 20200 DETROIT/ATLANTA — Americans by the millions waited patiently to cast ballots at libraries, schools and arenas across the country on Tuesday, in an orderly show of civic duty that belied the deep tensions of one of the most polarizing presidential campaigns in U.S. history. The face masks worn by many voters and the sight of...
Polarized electorate, mail-in ballots could spark post-election legal “fight of our lives”
November 2nd, 20200 WILMINGTON, DEL — U.S. Election Day on Tuesday has all the ingredients for a drawn-out court battle over its outcome: A highly polarized electorate, a record number of mail-in ballots and some Supreme Court justices who appear ready to step in if there is a closely contested presidential race. The only missing element that would...
Poll shows Arab American voters favor Biden in 2020 presidential election
October 31st, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A poll conducted by the Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington, D.C. shows that Arab American voters prefer Joe Biden over incumbent Donald Trump for the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election. The Yalla Vote Tracking Poll, released earlier this week, shows that a majority of likely Arab American voters...
Our endorsements: Vote for Biden, but hold him responsible
October 30th, 20200 Donald Trump has given Arab Americans no real choice in this election. Since the launch of his political career in 2015, he has denigrated and harmed Arabs and Muslims at every turn. He said, "Islam hates us." He proposed a "complete and total shutdown" on Muslims entering the country. Then, in his first week in office, he signed an...
MDHHS reduces max gathering for indoor weddings, parties to 50 people
October 29th, 20200 LANSING — Due to rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources (MDHHS) has revised and extended its epidemic order. Now, the agency has reduced the maximum size of indoor gatherings such as weddings, parties and banquets, which occur in nonresidential settings without fixed seating, from...
Record-breaking early voting in U.S. election tops 80 million
October 29th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 80 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, according to a tally on Thursday from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in more than a century. The record-breaking pace, more than 58 percent of the total...
Exclusive: Q&A with Kamala Harris ahead of election
October 28th, 20200 DEARBORN — Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris visited Metro Detroit last Sunday, making a notable, unannounced stop in Dearborn to grab dinner at the Khalaf Grill. The visit by Joe Biden's running mate was just one of several visits by both prominent Democratic and Republican candidates in the......
In Beirut port, all of Lebanon’s ills are laid bare
October 28th, 20200 BEIRUT — The first of many warnings about a deadly cargo in Beirut’s port came in February 2014, about three months after its arrival. It was made by Colonel Joseph Skaf, described by his family as a diligent customs official. Skaf, then the head of the anti-narcotics and money laundering division, informed the customs authority...
Viability of Arab American candidates, like Brian Mosallam, shows importance of the Arab vote
October 27th, 20200 MICHIGAN — Michigan could be the most important swing state in the country. And the Arab American vote could make the difference. Though Metro Detroit has its large concentration, Arab Americans have been an integral part of the historic and cultural fabric of the entire country. More so, Arab Americans enjoy a variety of......
Grants available for Michigan teachers, support staff, for additional time and costs during COVID closures
October 27th, 20200 LANSING — On Tuesday, Governor Whitmer and State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks announced that eligible Michigan teachers and support staff who worked additional time and incurred additional costs during the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic can receive a grant through two new grant programs. Eligible teachers can...
“Baptism by fire” for newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Barrett
October 27th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly confirmed conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett faces a barrage of politically fraught cases in her first days on the job, as the court weighs election disputes and prepares to hear a challenge to the Obamacare healthcare law. On Monday, the Republican-controlled Senate pushed through...
Tlaib, AOC, Omar and Pressley call for international investigation into DHS human rights abuses
October 26th, 20200 WASHINGTON D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) sent a letter to calling for an international investigation into ongoing alleged human rights abuses by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The letter was sent to United...
U.S. early voting tops 60 million as historic pace continues
October 26th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 60 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election with eight days to go, a record-breaking pace that could lead to the highest voter turnout in over a century, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project on Monday. The tally is the latest sign of intense interest in the......
Israeli delegation travels to Sudan to discuss normalization, Sudanese PM ready for ties with Israel
October 23rd, 20200 KHARTOUM – On Thursday, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok indicated he was ready to proceed with normalizing relations with Israel once a yet-to-be-formed transitional parliament has approved the step, two Sudanese government sources told Reuters. The comments are the clearest sign that Hamdok, under pressure from the United...
Trump and Biden clash sharply over pandemic in less chaotic final debate
October 23rd, 20200 NASHVILLE – President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden offered sharply contrasting views on the still-raging coronavirus pandemic at Thursday’s final presidential debate, seeking to persuade the few remaining undecided voters 12 days before the Nov. 3 election. Trump, a Republican, adopted a more restrained tone than he did......
Senator Sanders endorses Brian Mosallam for MSU trustee
October 22nd, 20200 LANSING — Michigan State University (MSU) Trustee Brian Mosallam has been endorsed by progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for his 2020 re-election bid. Mosallam has been on the Board of Trustees since January 2013. He announced his reelection campaign in June, saying that he had decided to run after “careful...
Trump rejoices as Senate panel approves Barrett while Democrats boycott
October 22nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the Republican-led U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime Supreme Court seat despite a Democratic boycott, clearing the way for a final Senate confirmation vote planned for Monday. By a 12-0 vote, the panel approved Barrett with......
