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 —...
Arab American women’s group working to change stereotypes through nationwide outreach program
February 22nd, 20190 FAIRFAX, VA — Stereotypes are a challenge for minorities and immigrants of all backgrounds, but they can be especially daunting for Arab American women. One of the best ways to dispel them is to become more engaged with others according to the National Arab American Women's Association, which recently announced plans to help change...
Sanders chooses Muslim American to manage his presidential campaign
February 22nd, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chose Faiz Shakir, a Muslim American, to serve as his campaign manager for his second run for president. Shakir previously served as national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union since early 2017. Before his position at the ACLU he worked as a senior advisor to...
Number of hate groups increases amid rise in White supremacy
February 21st, 20190 The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that the number of hate groups active in the U.S. rose to its highest level in two decades last year, according to an annual survey released Wednesday. Just from 2017 to 2018, the percentage has gone up by 7 percent, the survey reports. The groups range from White supremacists to Black...
Palestinian lawsuit reopened in U.S. court against billionaire Israeli American donor Sheldon Adelson
February 20th, 20190 Jewish-American mogul Sheldon Adelson faces a billion-dollar lawsuit that the U.S. appeals court has reopened, seeking to hold him and other Israeli donors and supporters (more than 30 people) liable for war crimes and support of Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the...
Feds share private watchlist with over 1,400 private groups, report says
February 20th, 20190 FALLS CHURCH, VA — The federal government shares its terrorist watch list with over 1,400 different private groups, a report from the Associated Press said on Tuesday. According to the AP, Timothy Groh, the deputy director of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), said in a written statement that 1,441 companies total can...
American politics’ great divide
February 15th, 20190 One of the more striking political developments of the last few years has been the partisan sorting of American voters. It used to be that both the Republican and Democratic parties covered some ideological ground. Now, it’s so habitual for conservatives to make their home in the GOP and liberals in the Democratic Party that party and...
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar fires back at Trump as AIPAC controversy continues
February 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following in the footsteps of her colleague, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MINN) sparked controversy this week with stark comments about the country's most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “It's all about the Benjamins...
Alabama executes Muslim inmate, denies his request for an imam’s presence
February 15th, 20190 MONTGOMERY, Ala — On February 7, a Muslim man was executed in Alabama as originally scheduled, after the U.S. Supreme Court voted five-to-four to allow the execution and denied his request for an imam's presence in the execution chamber. Dominique Ray was convicted of killing a 15-year-old in 1995. Ray, 42, was put to death by...
Report: U.S. negotiating multibillion-dollar fine with Facebook
February 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. government and Facebook Inc. are negotiating a settlement over the company’s privacy lapses that could require the online social network to pay a multibillion-dollar fine, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The newspaper said that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Facebook had not agreed on an...
House backs measure to end U.S. support for Saudis in Yemen war
February 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution on Wednesday that would end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, as many lawmakers sought to push President Trump to toughen his policy toward the kingdom. It was the first time the House of Representatives has...
Arab American professor alleges racial discrimination on Delta flight bound to Atlanta
February 15th, 20190 NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — An Arab American associate professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law has claimed that he was discriminated against by Delta Airlines and assaulted by a pilot at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. Khaled Beydoun said he was moved out of first class on his Northwest Arkansas flight to Atlanta on...
Thousands of mourners lined up to pay tribute to ‘a true hero’ former Congressman John D. Dingell
February 11th, 20190 DEARBORN — Mourning her husband, John Dingell Jr.’s death, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell waited tearfully on Monday as his flag-draped casket received thousands of mourners who came to pay tribute to the veteran hailed as a "true warrior" for the people. The mourners lined up for the visitation at the Ford Community and Performing Arts...
The shameful senate vote that endangers our free speech
February 8th, 20190 On Tuesday, the Senate passed S.1, the "Middle East bill" that included the “Combating BDS Act of 2019”, a measure that encourages state and local governments to enact legislation that bars state agencies from contracting with individuals or companies who support boycotts of Israel, more commonly known as the Boycott, Divestment and......
Arab American community leaders meet with Stabenow over anti-BDS bill, protest her ‘yes’ vote
February 8th, 20190 DEARBORN — Arab American community leaders held an urgent meeting with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) on Monday, Feb. 4, to discuss her decision to vote in favor of Senate Bill S.1, which includes the controversial Combating BDS Act. The act, which has been condemned by civil rights organizations including the ACLU for its...
Senator Sanders asks why drug, once free, now costs $375k
February 4th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals on Monday asking it to justify its decision to charge $375,000 annually for a medication that for years has been available to patients for free, according to Reuters. The drug, Firdapse, is used to treat Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS),......
Study: Religious engagements key factor to happiness and health
February 4th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, participation in a religious congregation is a key factor to civic engagements, happiness and health. People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members...
Former NYC principal’s book focuses on backlash against Muslim American leaders
February 4th, 20190 BROOKLYN, NY — Debbie Almontaser stopped by Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene as she promoted her first book, “Leading While Muslim.” She said the backlash she received as the founding principal of the country’s first Arabic language public school inspired her to write it. “I was targeted big-time both individually and...
Poll: Most Americans aren’t fans of Trump as a person or president
February 2nd, 20190 WASHINGTON — A new poll has found that most people in the U.S. aren't fans of Donald Trump as either a person or president. The survey, conducted by Langer Research Associates for ABC News and the Washington Post, found that only 32 percent of Americans viewed the president favorably, while 59 percent viewed him...
Thousands sign petition to recall Nike shoes that appear to have “Allah” written on soles
February 1st, 20190 The Nike shoe and sports apparel company is being asked to recall an Air Max sneaker that appears to include the symbol for God, or Allah, written in Arabic on the sole. The controversy gained national attention after Saqia Noreen started a petition on Change.org calling for the brand to remove the Air Max 270 trainers from its......
Bipartisan lawmakers seek end to U.S. support for Saudi military action in Yemen
February 1st, 20190 WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is expected to seek an end to U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, a report from Reuters said, with a greater chance of success than a similar attempt that passed the Senate in December. The measure is being led by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Democratic Senator...
America’s first Muslims were slaves
February 1st, 20191 WASHINGTON, DC — In 1807, a wealthy 37-year-old scholar was captured in West Africa, in what is now Senegal, and transported to the United States to be sold into slavery. That man, Omar Ibn Said, lived the remainder of his life enslaved in the American South, and his story might have been forgotten if not for the handwritten......
Senate advances measure opposing troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan
January 31st, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - In a rebuke of President Trump, the Republican-led U.S. Senate advanced largely symbolic legislation on Thursday opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The Senate voted 68-23 in favor of a non-binding amendment, drafted by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying it...
Concerned with waning support, Democrats are forming a new pro-Israel lobbying group
January 30th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm and former Clinton administration housing secretary Henry Cisneros are among a group of Democrats planning to create a new pro-Israel political action committee later this year, in hopes of turning the tide of waning support from young progressives. The number of Democrats......
