U.S. House rebukes Trump on Saudi Arabia, backs measure to end Yemen involvement
April 5th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution on Thursday that would end all U.S. involvement with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rebuffing President Trump’s policy of continued support for the kingdom. As the resolution had already passed the Senate, the vote in the Democratic-led...
Four Americans of Lebanese heritage to be honored for achievements at ATFL gala
April 5th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Celebrating 30 years of strengthening the American-Lebanese relationship, the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) will honor four exceptional American leaders of Lebanese heritage who have made significant contributions in their fields at its annual Gala Awards Night held April 10 at the Fairmont Hotel in...
Rep. Tlaib proposes legislation to block use of consumer credit scores in auto insurance rates
April 4th, 20190 WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) introduced new legislation in Congress that would block insurers from factoring in consumers' credit history to set auto rates. She said credit scores have nothing to do with how people drive, resulting in discrimination against low-income consumers. "It's a new form of...
Historic victory in Chicago as city elects first-ever Black, female mayor
April 4th, 20190 CHICAGO — The third-most populous city in the United States elected its first Black, female mayor on Tuesday, as Lori Lightfoot beat out Toni Preckwinkle, who is also an African American woman. A former U.S. assistant attorney, Lightfoot, 56, will also become the first lesbian mayor in the history of the Windy City. “Together,...
Israeli elections: Bibi channels Trump
April 3rd, 20190 TEL AVIV — As Israel's April 9 elections approaches with a possible indictment on corruption charges, Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu's advisers are channeling President Trump's use of social media to sway the opinions of millions of his social media followers. His young campaign advisers are sending out a steady supply of...
U.S. Census to collect responses in Arabic for first time ever, among 13 other languages
April 3rd, 20190 SUITLAND, MD — Arabic speakers will be allowed to submit responses to the 2020 U.S. Census in their native language for the first time ever, along with speakers of 13 other languages. The federal government announced that it will begin collecting the responses as part of the next head count, along with French, Haitian Creole,...
Political and policy skills are merging
April 2nd, 20190 Here’s a surprise: The skills that can be used to win in politics are increasingly the skills needed to produce good policy. I know. You look at the policy stalemates in Washington and wonder how this could be. The people who arrived there by winning elections haven’t shown much in the way of policy-making prowess. But let me...
Office Depot computer scans gave fake results
April 2nd, 20190 Most of us manage basic computer safety on our own. We keep security software and firewalls up to date and ignore pesky pop-up ads about computer health. Many of us would gladly take advantage of a free computer tune-up from a big-name retailer. We wouldn’t suspect the tune-up might be a tech support scam. But according to a recent...
Presidential candidate Booker reveals shockingly close ties with AIPAC in newly leaked recording
April 1st, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presidential candidate Cory Booker has been revealed as a strong supporter of the American-Israel Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as well as controversial anti-BDS legislation, according to a leaked recording obtained by The Intercept. During the recording, which was confirmed by a spokesperson from the Booker...
Community Foundation announces funding for U.S. Census engagement programs
March 31st, 20190 DETROIT — The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced its “Southeast Michigan Counts” initiative to support local organizations to promote U.S. Census participation in April 2020. The Community Foundation plans to provide grants of $5,000-$30,000 to organizations across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, working...
Facebook bans white nationalism, separatism on its platforms
March 28th, 20190 MENLO PARK, CA — The Facebook social media platform decided to ban all praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white supremacism on Wednesday, a move that drew messages of support from New Zealand, where a terrorist attack in two mosques that left 50 people dead occurred earlier this month by suspected white...
Jerusalem’s Bishop Attallah Hanna visits Metro Detroit next week
March 27th, 20190 LIVONIA — The Palestine Aid Society of America will be hosting Jerusalem's Bishop Atallah Hanna on Sunday, March 31 at St. Mary's Cultural Center in Livonia. Hanna will serve as a keynote speaker during the Day of the Land Commemoration. Born in the Galilean village of Al Rameh, Theodosius (Atallah) Hanna attended Thessalonica...
Ivy League university passes divestment referendum in favor of Palestinians
March 22nd, 20190 PROVIDENCE, RI —The student coalition at Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school with an enrollment of nearly 7,000 students, has passed a landmark divestment referendum. The coalition, Brown Divest, garnered around 69 percent of the vote in favor of divestment, according to an article from the Brown Daily Herald. The...
Community leaders reflect on meeting with Senator Gary Peters over vote on Anti-BDS bill, “terrorist watchlist”
March 15th, 20190 DEARBORN — A March 4 meeting between Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Arab American community leaders at the La Pita restaurant ended with the senator failing to mollify participants regarding his vote on the anti-BDS bill. At the meeting, Peters addressed his choice to vote "yes" on Bill S.1, which includes the controversial Combating...
Trump vows ‘VETO!’ after bipartisan Senate rebuke on wall
March 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — On Thursday, the Senate rebuked President Trump by voting to end his border emergency declaration, as 12 Republicans joined Democrats to deliver a second blow in as many days to the president, who quickly pledged a veto. The 59-41 vote was a bipartisan repudiation of Trump’s decision to circumvent Congress and......
Senate votes to pull U.S. aid for Saudi war on Yemen
March 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate voted 54-46 on Wednesday to end America’s involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, potentially setting the stage for President Trump to use veto powers for the first time. The resolution to end American aid in a war that has been largely invisible to most U.S. taxpayers places the president in a...
Hillary Clinton rules out run for president in 2020
March 9th, 20190 WASHINGTON D.C. — Hillary Clinton announced she won’t run for president in 2020, but said she’s “not going anywhere.” The former secretary of state, senator and first lady ruled out a presidential campaign during an interview posted Monday by a New York TV station. “I’m going to keep on working and speaking and......
After heated debates, House passes resolution condemning both anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim hatred
March 7th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House overwhelmingly passed a large-scale resolution condemning anti-Semitism and bigotry on Thursday, including anti-Muslim statements and “White supremacist attitudes,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The final vote was 407-23, with all “no” votes coming from Republicans and Iowa Republican...
Omar fires back at latest attack: “Being opposed to the occupation is not anti-Semitism”
March 4th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just days after lawmakers nearly came to blows in West Virginia over a poster linking her to the 9/11 attacks solely because of her religion Democratic state rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is once again fending off an attack from a colleague. On Friday, March 1, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House...
West Virginia lawmakers nearly come to blows over GOP display linking Rep. Omar to 9/11 terrorist attacks
March 2nd, 20193 CHARLESTON, WV — A photo of the former World Trade Center on fire from the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York along with an inciteful picture of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D- MN) was displayed at the state capitol building Friday, increasing tensions and leading to anger-fueled arguments that nearly came to blows, the resignation of one key...
Summit between Trump, North Korean leader ends without a deal
March 1st, 20190 HANOI, VIETNAM— A summit between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un was cut short on Thursday after no agreement was reached. Kim reportedly asked for an end to all U.S. sanctions on his country. The two leaders canceled a planned signing ceremony and departed after what White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called......
Civil rights activist, local attorney speak out against “terror watch list”
March 1st, 20190 DETROIT — A recent admission by the Department of Homeland security that the federal government has shared names of people on the private terror watch list with more than 1,400 private groups has brought the controversial issue back into the spotlight. While the federal government insists that the list is necessary for protecting...
U.S. Senate weighs blocking Trump’s border emergency gambit
March 1st, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — Congressional efforts to end President Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border emergency declaration — an attempt by him to fund a border wall without approval from Congress — intensified on Thursday with the introduction of a bipartisan resolution to block him in the Senate. The measure faces an uphill path to passage,......
Man who spent nearly 40 years in prison for crime he didn’t commit awarded $21 million settlement
February 26th, 20190 SIMI VALLEY, CA — A federal lawsuit involving a man who spent 39 years in prison has been settled on behalf of 71-year-old Craig Coley in what has become the longest prison term ever overturned in the state of California, CNN reported. The city announced on Saturday that it would settle the lawsuit, giving Coley a $21 million award...
The first rule of AIPAC: You do not talk about AIPAC
February 22nd, 20190 Washington's political establishment went berserk when U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) publicly noted that U.S.-Israel relations are "all about the Benjamins" — slang for $100 bills, referring to money shoveled at American politicians by the American Israel Public Affairs Group (AIPAC). Omar was accused of antisemitism —......
