As Washington retreats, Eastern Mediterranean conflict further marginalizes NATO
September 11th, 20200 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering. The current Turkish-Greek tension is only one facet of a much larger...
Israel’s friends at the RNC: “Christian Zionists” dictate the agenda of the Republican Party
September 3rd, 20200 It is difficult — and futile — to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other U.S. administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political...
Nuclear weapons remain an existential threat
September 3rd, 20200 Seventy-five years ago, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing an end to World War II and sounding a warning about the devastating power of nuclear weapons. Remarkably, we have managed to avoid using these weapons in warfare again. But nuclear arms still present an existential threat and it is...
Republican ex-lawmakers back Biden on first day of Trump convention
August 24th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) — More than two-dozen former Republican U.S. lawmakers, including former Senator Jeff Flake, endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president on Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention, in the latest rebuke of President Trump by members of his own party. The 27 former members...
Trump administration classifies teachers essential workers during pandemic
August 21st, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) – On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security classified teachers as essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic as the Trump administration presses schools nationwide to bring students back to class. The move comes as new COVID-19 infections have fallen for four weeks in a row in Texas and...
Tlaib, Dingell lead effort to urge temporary deportation protections for Lebanese nationals after Beirut blast
August 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) are co-leading an effort to put pressure on the Trump administration to use its powers to defer deportation of Lebanese nationals in light of the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion. The relief effort for the people of Lebanon comes after the Beirut...
Five defining features of American foreign policy
August 20th, 20200 American foreign policy goes back to the late 1700s, when Benjamin Franklin lobbied France to support the colonies in their fight for independence from the British. Over 200-plus years, our foreign policy evolved essential features that helped make the United States the world’s indispensable nation. Robert Zoellick, a former World...
Trump must give his tax returns to NY prosecutor, judge rules
August 20th, 20200 NEW YORK (REUTERS) — Donald Trump cannot block a prosecutor’s subpoena for eight years of his tax returns, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, in the latest setback in the U.S. president’s longstanding effort to keep his finances under wraps. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan rejected Trump’s claims that the...
Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join UAE-Israel deal
August 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, President Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship. “I do,” Trump replied when asked at a White House news conference if he expected Saudi Arabia to join...
Subdued atmosphere dominates protest in front of the Lebanese embassy in Washington, D.C.
August 18th, 20200 By Laura Albast WASHINGTON, D.C. — Between 50 and 60 individuals from the Lebanese diaspora gathered in front of Lebanon’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon. They demonstrated to show solidarity with, and demand justice for, the victims of the Beirut blast. Compared to the demonstrations held last year at the...
Tlaib casts vote for Sanders, single-payer healthcare, as DNC gets set to nominate Biden
August 17th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats kicked off a four-day virtual convention on Monday that is set to end in the official presidential nomination of Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the party to overhaul its planned, in-person convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event will instead be...
Trump defends U.S. Postal Service changes as Democrats mount pressure
August 17th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) — On Monday President Trump denied trying to undermine the Postal Service’s ability to handle a flood of mail-in ballots ahead of the November election, as Democrats prepared to move against changes his administration has set in motion. “No, we’re not tampering,” Trump said in an interview with...
Pandemic opportune time for Trump to pursue aggressive immigration policy
August 14th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C — A new report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) shows the breadth of changes to immigration policy enacted during the Trump administration. The report collects for posterity and analysis of broad sweeping changes and technical adjustments to the immigration system in the U.S., with more than 400 executive...
Palestinians call Israel-UAE normalization deal treason and stab in the back
August 13th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a "historic" deal on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two nations in an agreement that President Trump helped broker. Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West...
Researcher launches survey to assess and improve national Arab American health
August 12th, 20200 BOSTON — A new survey seeks to assess the health of Arab Americans in the U.S. The Survey of Arab Health in America, or SAHA, aims to bridge gaps in the knowledge of the population that is historically underrepresented in health research, often due to its non-existence as a category on official documents like the......
Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate
August 11th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden has chosen former prosecutor and current California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, Biden's campaign announced Tuesday. If elected, she would be the nation’s first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president. "You make a lot of...
WHO director: Half of daily 100,000 COVID-19 cases in Americas are in the U.S.
August 11th, 20200 BRASILIA (REUTERS) — More than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 are being reported daily in the Americas, half of them in the U.S., and there are worrisome spikes in countries that had outbreaks controlled, such as Argentina and Colombia, World Health Organization Regional Director Carissa Etienne said on Tuesday. “Our region remains......
Trump says coronavirus vaccine possible around Nov. 3 election
August 6th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — An optimistic President Trump told a radio talk show on Thursday it was possible the U.S. would have a coronavirus vaccine around the time of the Nov. 3 election. Trump's own White House experts have not been this positive about the timeline of a supposed COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, many around the world have...
White House seeks deal this week with congressional Democrats on coronavirus bill
August 4th, 20200 WASHINGTON — White House negotiators vowed on Tuesday to work “around the clock” with congressional Democrats to try to reach a deal on coronavirus relief by the end of this week, as the pandemic takes a heavy toll on American life. Following an afternoon meeting of the four main negotiators, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin...
Tlaib’s opponent Brenda Jones gets support from pro-Modi Indian nationalists, Detroit’s big money construction
August 3rd, 20200 DETROIT — In the congressional race between popular Detroit congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and her Democratic primary opponent, Brenda Jones, powerful interests have backed Jones' campaign, records reveal. Representing one of these interests is an influx of supporters of Indian nationalist Prime Minister, and friend of President...
Trump threatens to sue the state of Nevada over mail-in ballots
August 3rd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More drama over mail-in ballots on Monday as President Trump threatened to sue the state of Nevada over its mail-in ballot initiative. The threat came after Democratic lawmakers in the state passed a bill on Sunday that ensures every Nevada resident would receive a ballot in the mail ahead of the November......
Congressional Democrats, White House still at impasse over coronavirus bill
August 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. (REUTERS) — The top Democrats in Congress are not close to a deal with the White House to pump more money into the U.S. economy to ease the coronavirus’ heavy toll, both sides said on Saturday, after an essential lifeline for millions of unemployed Americans expired. “This was...
Federal agents headed to Detroit as “Operation Legend” targets violent crime
July 31st, 20200 DETROIT – Federal law enforcement agents and other resources are headed to Detroit to fight a surge in violent crime, according to U.S. government officials. The plan, dubbed Operation Legend, is a Trump administration anti-crime initiative targeting several major cities. Detroit-based U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said......
Michigan’s August 4 primary: Things you need to know
July 31st, 20200 Michigan holds its primary next Tuesday, Aug. 4, amid an unprecedented pandemic and significant changes in state law that have brought a flood of requests for absentee ballots. Polling places will be open, however, for those who want to vote in person. What is at stake? At stake this fall: All 14 of Michigan's U.S. House seats, one...
Herman Cain, ex-presidential candidate who refused to wear mask, dies after COVID-19 diagnosis
July 30th, 20200 ATLANTA, GA— Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and supporter of President Trump who pointedly refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, has died after contracting COVID-19, his website and Facebook page said on Thursday. Cain, 74, learned of his diagnosis on June......
