Between deportation and war: The plight of Yemeni asylum seekers
October 2nd, 20260 When H.K. first came to the U.S. more than eight years ago, her native Yemen was mired in civil war. Today, that war threatens to become a second front in President Trump’s conflict with Iran, further straining global oil supplies and the broader economy. But for H.K., a beneficiary of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) until the Trump...
While Gaza dominates the U.N., these are the people keeping it alive
October 2nd, 20260 When I first saw footage of Gaza doctor Munir al-Bursh and his family kneeling beside the white-shrouded body of his son, surrounded by mourners, I thought it was an old video. It was not. My conclusion, however, was understandable. In December 2023, only months after the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, the al-Bursh family was...
Detroit consulate becomes first U.S. stop for Lebanon’s biometric passport rollout
September 25th, 20260 SOUTHFIELD — As part of Lebanon’s broader digital transition to make official documents easier to obtain, reduce forgery and ease the burden on Lebanese expatriates, the Consulate General of Lebanon in Detroit completed the procedures for issuing the first Lebanese biometric passport in the United States on Monday. Major General...
Bachir Gemayel: 44 Years of mythology, not leadership
September 18th, 20260 Monday, September 14, marked 44 years since the assassination of Bachir Gemayel, and I have to admit I was amused sitting and listening to speaker after speaker praise his extraordinary “leadership”, “vision”, “courage” and supposed dream of a strong and sovereign Lebanon. Listening to these tributes, one might think Lebanon...
Mayor Hammoud invites rapper Macklemore to perform in Dearborn after removal from Ed Sheeran tour over “Free Palestine” remarks
September 18th, 20260 DEARBORN — The removal of rapper Macklemore from British singer Ed Sheeran’s tour after he chanted “Free Palestine” onstage during one of its New Jersey concerts has sparked widespread outrage in artistic and public circles across the United States, reaching Dearborn, where Mayor Abdullah Hammoud invited Macklemore to perform in...
U.S. war on Iran costs Americans more than $100 billion extra at the pump, as diesel hits record
September 11th, 20260 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Day after day, the Iran war is tightening the financial squeeze on American consumers through sharply higher energy prices, with the cumulative increase in U.S. gasoline and diesel spending reaching an estimated $100 billion since the conflict began in late February. The national average price of diesel reached a...
Netanyahu’s fatal illusion: You cannot occupy your way to security
September 11th, 20260 There comes a point when military strategy stops being strategy and becomes obsession. Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have reached that point. For years, Netanyahu has presented himself as the indispensable guardian of Israel’s security, insisting that overwhelming military force is the only language Israel’s enemies understand. Yet...
The siege of Qusra reveals Israel’s blueprint for the West Bank
August 28th, 20260 If you want to understand the bleak future awaiting the occupied West Bank, do not look away. Just pay attention to the events unfolding in the small Palestinian town of Qusra, south of Nablus. The story of the future of the West Bank begins here. While much of the media is treating reports emerging from the area as simply another...
ACRL, Lebanese Americans sue Rubio, U.S. defense companies over destruction of homes and properties in Lebanon
August 14th, 20260 DETROIT — The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) held a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Detroit on Tuesday to announce a proposed class-action lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and three American companies accused of helping enable the Israeli military’s destruction of properties belonging to...
The meaning of Tell: Why the West Bank may be nearing a breaking point
August 7th, 20260 The events in Tell, southwest of Nablus, were not an isolated act of violence. They were a warning. For years, Israel has treated Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank as open spaces for military raids, settler invasions, land theft and collective punishment. The expectation was that Palestinians would endure the violence, bury...
The death count trap: Why tallying victims won’t stop Israel’s genocide
July 31st, 20261 The words "killed", "injured", "maimed" and the like often lose a great part of their meaning when they are repeated so relentlessly. Take, for example, a headline like: "13 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Others Wounded." Though many of us can still feel a deep sense of sadness over such a tragedy, the news itself becomes less shocking...
Trump embraces Iraq’s new prime minister, presses Baghdad to curb Iranian influence
July 17th, 20260 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just two months after taking office as Iraq's prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi received one of the strongest endorsements yet from President Trump during a White House meeting Tuesday, underscoring Washington's growing investment in Iraq's new leadership as it seeks to reduce Tehran's influence over Baghdad. Trump, who...
Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb raise stakes as U.S.-Iran conflict escalates, MOU near collapse
July 17th, 20260 Although the United States and Iran continued exchanging military strikes this week, with growing talk that the bilateral memorandum of understanding is effectively dead, several developments suggested that Washington remains eager to avoid sliding into a full-scale regional war. The concern centers on the possibility that the conflict...
Poll: Mamdani enjoys higher favorability than Netanyahu among American Jews as views on Israel continue to shift
July 10th, 20260 NEW YORK — A new national survey suggests that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is viewed more favorably by American Jews than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscoring the growing complexity of political attitudes toward Israel within the American Jewish community. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs...
Millions bid farewell to Sayed Khamenei as Washington and Tehran edge back toward war
July 10th, 20260 While millions of mourners participated in a six-day funeral procession honoring Iran's late Supreme Leader Sayed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week came under immediate strain as Washington and Tehran exchanged new military strikes amid a growing dispute over the future control of the......
Israel debated: Why Palestine is rewriting the rules of domestic U.S. politics
July 9th, 20260 A major showdown on the House floor seemed imminent. An amendment, advanced by the Rules Committee, was poised to force a rare and telling record vote on stripping Israel of $3.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid. Brought forward by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and drawing support from key progressive Democrats like...
189 members of Congress follow Tlaib’s lead to block unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Lebanon
July 3rd, 20260 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) that sought to limit President Trump's authority to involve American forces in military hostilities in Lebanon without explicit congressional approval. The revised War Powers Resolution failed by a......
A garden of resilience
July 2nd, 20260 Death, destruction, loss and grief in Lebanon The neighborhood bully is at it again. He tore up our garden— recently replanted, tender and bursting with color Why would he rip the deep roots of my sturdy Poppy? It brightened our community spring, the crimson foundation of this ancient land held by our family for...
U.S., Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement as Hezbollah rejects direct talks and demands unconditional Israeli withdrawal
June 27th, 20260 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States, Israel and Lebanon announced Friday that they have signed a framework agreement aimed at ending months of fighting along the Israeli-Lebanese border, marking what officials described as the first step toward a permanent ceasefire and a broader peace agreement. The announcement came as Hezbollah...
The Hezbollah excuse: Why Lebanon really collapsed
June 27th, 20260 Every time I listen to some Lebanese news programs, political commentators or popular podcasts, I keep hearing the same explanation repeated like a broken record: that Hezbollah's arms are what keeps Lebanon backward, paralyzed and economically bankrupt. According to this narrative, if Hezbollah simply disarmed, Lebanon would suddenly...
Trump told Netanyahu everybody, including “all the Jews”, is sick of him
June 26th, 20260 Regime Change is a devastating new book from two New York Times reporters; an extraordinary account of American chaos and decline at the hands of a madman and his enablers. Read it and weep. By Martin Pengelly There are shocking headlines to be drawn from Regime Change, the new blockbuster by New York......
U.S.-Iran memorandum opens 60-day window for peace, but Lebanon remains a dangerous test
June 19th, 20260 One hundred and ten days after the failed U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, a historic memorandum of understanding was signed remotely on June 17, between the United States and Iran to end the conflict between the two countries. President Trump signed the agreement during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles in France...
UAW delegates vote to divest union funds from Israel bonds, a victory for pro-Palestinians
June 19th, 20260 DETROIT — Delegates attending the 39th Constitutional Convention of the United Auto Workers voted Thursday to prohibit the union from investing in Israel Bonds, marking a major victory for pro-Palestinian activists within the labor movement and signaling a significant shift in the political direction of one of the nation’s most......
“Wall of Tears” memorial honoring Gaza’s children opens in Dearborn
June 12th, 20260 DEARBORN — Community members, elected officials, faith leaders and activists gathered at Dearborn PEACE Park East on June 11 for the opening of the “Wall of Tears”, a large-scale public art installation created by American artist Phil Buehler that memorializes thousands of Palestinian children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7,...
The Mladenov distraction: Behind the screen, Netanyahu is annexing Gaza “step-by-step”
June 12th, 20260 Gaza requires urgent international attention. What is happening in the besieged and devastated Strip at the moment by far exceeds an unfolding humanitarian disaster; it is a calculated geopolitical reshaping. Israel is actively executing a plan to permanently occupy the vast majority of Gaza, with consequences that require little......
