The Arab American News
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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...
Lawsuit stops Trump cuts to SNAP food assistance for 700,000 unemployed Americans
October 22nd, 20200 LANSING – Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Thursday that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has permanently blocked an effort by the Trump administration to revoke Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for more than 700,000 unemployed Americans. A lawsuit filed in January by...
Parents not found for 545 children separated at U.S.-Mexico border
October 21st, 20200 NEW YORK — Lawyers and non-profit organizations seeking to reunite immigrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration have not been able to locate the parents of 545 children so far. A federal judge ordered thousands of families separated at the border in 2017 and 2018 to be reunited after a 2018......
Pelosi aide: U.S. coronavirus aid talks moving closer to deal
October 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House and Democrats in the U.S. Congress moved closer to agreement on a new coronavirus relief package on Tuesday as President Trump said he was willing to accept a large aid bill despite opposition from his own Republican Party. With just two weeks to go until the U.S. presidential election, Trump...
Free COVID-19 testing in Lincoln Park this weekend
October 20th, 20200 LINCOLN PARK — The Wayne County Public Health Division, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, will host free drive-through COVID-19 testing Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lincoln Park Middle School on 2800 Lafayette Street in Lincoln Park. Tests will be administered by Michigan......
Wall Street climbs on optimism over stimulus deal talks
October 19th, 20201 NEW YORK — Wall Street’s main indexes inched higher at the open on Monday on hopes of a coronavirus vaccine by the year-end, while investors were also encouraged by signs an agreement in Washington on a fiscal package could be reached soon. Last week the White House proposed a $1.8 trillion stimulus package, but House Speaker Nancy...
Yemen’s warring parties start prisoner swap, raising peace prospects
October 17th, 20200 SANAA – On Thursday, planes carrying prisoners exchanged by the warring parties in Yemen took off from three airports in an operation to return about 1,000 men home and help build the trust to enable fresh talks to end a devastating war. The Saudi-led military coalition and Yemen’s Houthi movement agreed last month in Switzerland to...
“An evening of unity” with a fascist criminal is shameful
October 16th, 20201 This Sunday, Michigan's top elected officials will be addressing and attending the virtual event, "An evening of unity", sponsored by Yeshiva Beth Yehuda, the self-described "oldest and largest Jewish educational institution in Michigan." Governor Whitmer, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Gary Peters, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan...
Not all is lost after Census count stops, civil rights advocates say
October 16th, 20200 After a Supreme Court ruling this week allowed the Department of Commerce to stop Census enumeration efforts by Friday, Oct. 16, advocates point to other pending rulings and to the Nov. 3 elections as important determinants of what happens with the data that has been collected by the Census Bureau. Arturo Vargas, executive director of......
In split-screen town halls, Trump and Biden squabble over coronavirus response
October 16th, 20200 MIAMI/PHILADELPHIA — On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized what he called President Trump’s “panicked” response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Trump defended his handling of a crisis that has killed more than 216,000 Americans. The rivals spoke in simultaneous town halls broadcast on separate...
U.S. pauses Eli Lilly trial of antibody drug Trump touted as COVID-19 ‘cure’ over safety concern
October 14th, 20200 (REUTERS) — Eli Lilly and Co. said on Tuesday that the government-sponsored clinical trial of its COVID-19 antibody treatment similar to one taken by President Trump has been paused by the U.S. government because of a safety concern. Trump touted the Lilly drug, along with the antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.......
Nearly 1 million ballots cast in Michigan; voters can check status online
October 14th, 20200 LANSING — Three weeks out from the Nov. 3 election, nearly 1 million citizens have already returned absentee ballots, and more than 2.8 million have requested them, according to the Michigan Department of State (MDOS). A breakdown by jurisdiction of this week’s absentee ballot data is available here. “Michigan citizens can be...
Trump’s Supreme Court pick says she is not “hostile” to Obamacare, dodges on abortion
October 13th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) — President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, said on Tuesday at her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing she is not hostile to the Obamacare law, as Democrats have suggested, and declined to specify whether she believes landmark rulings legalizing abortion and gay marriage were properly......
