International

Trump administration now officially requesting bids to build border wall

President Trump’s new border wall is supposed to be 30 feet high and should look imposing to potential illegal immigrants, Homeland Security officials said in documents Friday that officially requested the first bids to begin building the barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. But U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency overseeing the project, hasn’t yet […]

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International, USA

Refugees Nearly Evenly Split Among Muslims, Christians

Just more than 7,500 refugees entered the United States during Donald Trump’s first seven weeks as president, with almost the same number of Christians as Muslims, according to a study released this week. Of the 7,594 refugees who resettled in the U.S. between January 21 and March 10, 3,410 (45 percent) were Muslims, with 3,292

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International, Middle East, USA

Trump and Merkel seek common ground on NATO and trade

WASHINGTON — In their first face-to-face meeting, President Donald Trump told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday that he fully supports NATO but will insist that member states, including Germany, pay their “fair share” to continue the crucial security alliance. Merkel and Trump met in private, spoke to reporters, and then had lunch in a

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International, USA

Pentagon denies airstrike hit mosque in Syria, says target was al-Qaida militants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military killed dozens of al-Qaida militants in an airstrike in northern Syria, the Pentagon said Friday, but it denied local reports that a mosque had been struck and dozens of civilians were killed. “We are not aware of any credible assessment of civilian casualties,” said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon

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Middle East, USA

Donald Trump jokes that he has ‘something in common’ with Merkel on wiretapping

Addressing his claims that President Obama wiretapped his campaign, President Trump told German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday with tongue in cheek that they have “something in common.” When a German reporter asked Mr. Trump about his allegation at a White House press conference, Mr. Trump glanced at Mrs. Merkel and replied, “As far as wiretapping,

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International, USA

Charges filed against Arab MK accused of smuggling phones to prisoners

Basel Ghattas likely to go to prison for two years and resign as lawmaker under plea deal By Times of Israel staff and Raoul Wootliff Joint List MK Basel Ghattas arrives for a court hearing at the Rehovot Magistrate’s Court, January 5, 2017. (Avi Dishi/Flash90) Prosecutors on Friday filed charges in the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court

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Middle East

Justice Department tells court Trump should be able to fire consumer watchdog

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department told a federal court on Friday that President Donald Trump should be able to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, arguing the structure of the controversial independent watchdog is unconstitutional. The brief, filed in a case in which a New Jersey mortgage company is challenging the bureau’s

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USA

Will the next generation of Irish Jews have a touch of Hebrew to their brogue?

For the first time in generations, the Emerald Isle’s Jewish community is growing — from Israelis seeking greener pastures By Michael Riordan DUBLIN — The one-way traffic of young Jews out of the country in search of partners and careers may be over. According to Dublin-based Israeli lawyer Mattan Lass, the Emerald Isle now has

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International, Middle East

Under pressure, Mexican-owned Cemex says it won’t help build border wall

MEXICO CITY — Mexico-based Cemex, one of the world’s largest suppliers of building materials, says it will not participate in construction of President Donald Trump’s border wall. The company has been viewed as a potential beneficiary as the U.S. presses forward with plans to build a barrier along 1,600 miles of unfenced terrain on the

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International, USA

Donald Trump stuns the Middle East by sending an honest broker

Despite administration’s unprecedented pledge of allegiance to Netanyahu, Jason Greenblatt’s carefully calibrated visit shows US peace bid will take all sides into account By Raphael Ahren Something unusual happened on the White House’s homepage the day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump for the first time in the Oval Office. Netanyahu

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Middle East, USA

Mayim Bialik disputes Linda Sarsour’s claim that Zionists can’t be feminists

“The Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik has fired back at a recent claim by Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour that Zionism and feminism are contradictory ideals. Ms. Bialik wrote a piece Wednesday saying the political left “should reexamine the microscope they use to look at Israel” and stop blaming all of Zionism for the bad

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

When the White House envoy made a minyan with the Prime Minister

White House special envoy Jason Greenblatt met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for three hours Thursday evening, the second time the two had face-to-face talks since Greenblatt arrived in Israel for a fact-finding mission earlier this week. Greenblatt also met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin this week, and traveled to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA