Israel Lobby and American Policy conference offers counterpoint to national AIPAC conference
March 31st, 20170 WASHINGTON, D.C.— Days before AIPAC’s national policy conference, a wide coalition of groups assembled for a counter-conference in Washington to address Israel’s ongoing P.R. ploy of mobilizing support for its policies and quelling dissent through Congress. The counter-conference, called “the Israel Lobby and American...
U.S. ambassador to U.N.: Washington no longer focusing on removing Assad
March 30th, 20171 NEW YORK - The United States is no longer making removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a focus of its policy in the war-torn country, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Thursday. "Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Ambassador Nikki Haley told a small group of reporters. "Our...
Seattle sues Trump over threat to sanctuary cities
March 29th, 20170 SEATTLE ― The city of Seattle sued President Trump's administration on Wednesday over its executive order seeking to withhold federal funds from "sanctuary cities," arguing it amounted to unconstitutional federal coercion. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray told reporters the Constitution forbade the federal government from pressuring cities,...
House votes to overturn internet privacy protections
March 29th, 20170 WASHINGTON, D.C.-On Tuesday, Congress moved forth in finalizing its overturn of some of the most significant online privacy protections in a 215-2015 vote drawing itself along party lines. The vote marked a victory, however, for telecommunications companies, such as Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast, of regulations passed last year that...
Florida man kills one, wounds five in ‘horrific’ shooting spree
March 27th, 20170 FORT LAUDERDALE ― A Florida man killed his girlfriend and wounded five others, including her two young sons and a high school student during a shooting spree with an AK-47 rifle on Monday, police said. The shootings started around 6 a.m. inside a home in Sanford, about 30 miles north of Orlando. Police said Allen Cashe, 31, opened...
Lebanon’s proposed tax hikes, stagnant wages estrange expatriates
March 24th, 20170 DEARBORN — Amid proposed tax hikes in Lebanon that have citizens in a fury and the parliament paralyzed over clashes about finding an antidote to commonplace inadequate public services, local Lebanese Americans are increasingly becoming disenchanted with reconnecting to their homeland. This reluctance prevails despite an ongoing...
U.S. embassies ordered to profile demographic groups for special screening
March 24th, 20170 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recently called upon U.S. diplomatic missions to hunt for "populations warranting increased scrutiny" through heightening screening for visa applicants for them." Tillerson has also called for social media scans for applicants who have had any presence in countries that have...
White man who wanted to kill blacks arrested in New York stabbing
March 23rd, 20170 NEW YORK- A white man who police said traveled to New York City to harm black people turned himself in with knives in his pocket at a Manhattan police station on Wednesday, a day after authorities say he fatally stabbed a black man on a city sidewalk. James Harris Jackson, 28, told police he left his home in Baltimore on Friday and...
New Jersey man goes viral for breaking up fight-‘I am a Muslim’
March 23rd, 20171 Atlantic City, NJ-A New Jersey man went viral earlier this week for stopping a fight between two teens, intervening "because it was the right thing to do." 26-year-old Ibn Ali Miller was lauded this week for settling a quarrel between the two young men engaged in a fist fight through an effort that resulted in a reconciliatory...
Zaatar brand issues recall for excessive levels of lead
March 21st, 20171 Dearborn Heights-Aroma Imports, Inc. is recalling 450 g and 4.5 kg packages of Nabelsi brand thyme due to potentially high levels of lead. The distributor is headquartered in Dearborn Heights, and the recalled thyme was distributed from Nov. 7, 2016 until Feb. 22, 2017 to retailers, food service establishments, and wholesalers in...
Islamophobic hate group leader to meet with White House
March 21st, 20170 Washington, D.C.-Brigitte Gabriel, founder and leader of ACT for America, an organization whose mission is to "protect America from terrorism," plans to meet with the White House, according to reports. Gabriel also tweeted that she was "In D.C., preparing for my meeting at the White House. What topics would you like me to...
US crime rates decrease in areas of high immigration, studies find
March 21st, 20170 According to separate studies by the Cato Institute and The Sentencing Project, increased numbers of immigrants in the US may contribute to a monumental decline in crime rates. The Sentencing Project, a criminal justice group focused on advocacy, reported that "foreign-born residents of the United States commit crime less often than...
US bans electronics on flights from eight Middle Eastern and North African countries
March 21st, 20170 Washington, D.C.-Large electronics such as laptops, tablets, e-readers, and portable video players are among the devices that will be banned from flights from eight-majority Muslim countries. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared any electronic device larger than a mobile phone would be banned from airlines from these...
Imad Fadlallah changed Dearborn for the better
March 17th, 20172 Imad Fadlallah left us too early. His 57 years in this life were too few, but the impact of his actions during those years will certainly be felt for generations to come. Most aspects of Imad's life, personality and accomplishments are widely known in our community, but other aspects may not be as well known. While many will recall Imad...
Groups from Amnesty International U.S.A. urge action on Middle East
March 17th, 20170 ALBUQUERQUE — Issues affecting the Middle East continued to be brought to light at the 2017 annual general meeting of Amnesty International U.S.A. members, which gathered human rights advocates from around the nation. The plight of refugees worldwide was commemorated in the #NoBanNoWall campaign— a slogan in defiant response to......
Trump refuses to shake Angela Merkel’s hand
March 17th, 20170 WASHINGTON, DC - On Friday, President Trump greeted German chancellor Angela Merkel with a handshake upon her arrival to the White House, but appeared to ignore requests to do so as the pair sat together in front of cameras. The pair had an awkward meeting that could help determine the future of the transatlantic alliance and shape...
Hawaii judge halts Trump’s new travel ban before it can go into effect
March 15th, 20170 HONOLULU ― A U.S. federal judge in Hawaii dealt another legal blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, issuing an emergency halt to his revised travel ban just hours before it was set to go into effect early on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson put out an emergency stop on Trump's executive order, which aimed to......
Lebanese consulate moves to accomodate community growth
March 15th, 20170 SOUTHFIELD — A vast, green vista, dotted with skyscrapers and notable landmarks, unfolds below the large windows of a contemporary office – a landscape reminiscent of millions' homeland of Lebanon. Bilal Kabalan, consul general of Lebanon, looks through binoculars from his office and points out the several observable towns where...
Republican plan to repeal Obamacare would leave millions uninsured
March 14th, 20170 Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare that would also reduce the budget deficit, a nonpartisan congressional research office said on Monday, throwing President Donald Trump and Republicans on the defensive as they press forward with replacement...
Trump’s revised travel ban dealt first court setback
March 12th, 20170 A federal judge in Wisconsin dealt the first legal blow to President Donald Trump's revised travel ban on Friday, barring enforcement of the policy to deny U.S. entry to the wife and child of a Syrian refugee already granted asylum in the United States. The temporary restraining order, granted by U.S. District Judge William Conley in...
Republican health care plan moves forward
March 10th, 20170 WASHINGTON, D.C. —After the GOP organized together to oppose former President Obama's Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare), Democrats organized to delay a replacement plan's advancement. The Republican-dominated House Ways and Means Committee required 18 hours to become the first panel to approve the Republicans' Obamacare repeal......
Washington restaurant sues Trump over alleged unfair hotel competition
March 10th, 20170 WASHINGTON D.C. - A Washington restaurant has sued President Trump and the company that operates his landmark Washington hotel, claiming that patrons have shifted business there to curry favor with his new administration, the owners said on Thursday. The suit, which was filed on Wednesday, does not seek monetary damages, but wants...
Secretary of Homeland Security releases statement on hate-inspired attacks
March 10th, 20170 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly released a statement in response to an onslaught of hate crimes against individuals and attacks against communities. "I strongly condemn any violent acts to perpetuate fear and intimidation not only against individuals, but entire communities," said Kelly......
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade quitting at Trump’s request
March 10th, 20170 DETROIT — Barbara McQuade says she's stepping down as U.S. attorney for eastern Michigan at the request of President Donald Trump. McQuade has been head of the U.S. Attorney's Office since 2010. But it's common for the job to change hands when a new president takes office. She said Friday it's been an "incredible privilege" to work...
U.S. to lead 68 nations in anti-ISIS effort
March 10th, 20170 WASHINGTON D.C. — A Trump administration official reported Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host a counterterrorist meeting on March 22. The meeting, to which 68 countries are invited, will coordinate the next moves in combating ISIS. It will be the first assembly of the full coalition since the last similar......
