International

Obama defends Affordable Care Act as Republicans look to take first step in repeal

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama marked the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act with a robust defense of the law Republicans sought to begin repealing Thursday. In a lengthy written statement, Obama made no explicit mention of the action pending in the House. But he clearly contrasted the grueling process that ended with his […]

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Charles Schumer says Democrats will filibuster SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Thursday that Democrats will attempt to filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination, saying he would tilt the Supreme Court too far away from what Democrats want to see. “After careful deliberation I have concluded that I cannot support Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court,” Mr. Schumer said,

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USA

Mom, I might be Jewish

Sara Renee Miller Growing up in an evangelical home while toddling between three locations (Maui, Missouri, Maine), there was a surprising lack of ethnic diversity and outside information available. By this, what I really mean is that I didn’t meet my first Jewish person until just two years before grad school at Hebrew University, nor

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International, Middle East, USA

Trump asked Israel to stop building outside ‘blocs’

President Donald Trump”s envoy Jason Greenblatt asked Israel to cease building in communities in Judea and Samaria located outside of the so-called “settlement blocs”, an Israeli source privy to Greenblatt”s talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Haaretz on Wednesday. According to the source, during the talks, which took place in Israel last week, Greenblatt

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Middle East, USA

Jewish group slams ‘specious accusations of anti-Semitism’

The Coalition for Jewish Values, an Orthodox Jewish advocacy group, today harshly condemned “specious accusations of anti-Semitism” coming from sectors of the Jewish community, directed at US government officials and the Trump Administration as a whole, dismissing these allegations as “unfounded, damaging and embarrassing.” CJV Senior Rabbinic Fellow Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer remarked, “these recriminations are

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USA

Erdan: We hope arrest will shed light on threats against JCCs

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan (Likud) commented on the arrest by Israeli Police of a suspect believed to have been involved in the recent wave of threats against Jewish centers and other institutions: “I congratulate the Israeli Police on leading a complex international investigation, together with law enforcement agencies from around the world, which

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International, Middle East, USA

Israeli arrested in wave of bomb threats against US Jewish centres

This story updates previous one Tel Aviv (dpa) – An Israeli teenager was arrested Thursday as part of a internationally coordinated investigation into a wave of bomb threats against US Jewish centres, according to Israeli police. Israeli authorities and foreign law enforcement, including the FBI, worked together over the last few months to track down

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International, Middle East, USA

Frenchman arrested in Belgium’s Antwerp after trying to drive into crowd

Police in the northern Belgian city of Antwerp detained a French national on Thursday after he tried to drive a car into a major pedestrian shopping street at high speed. “At about 11am this morning a vehicle entered De Meir at high speed due to which pedestrians had to jump away,” a police spokesman told

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International

Twitter users denounce Donald Trump Jr for criticizing London mayor

Washington (dpa) – Twitter users on Wednesday denounced Donald Trump Jr, the US president’s eldest son, after he criticized London mayor Sadiq Khan in the wake of a terrorist attack in the British capital which left three civilians and one police officer dead. “You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living

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International, USA

Teacher fired over allegedly ‘bullying’ student into standing for Pledge

CHICAGO — A second teacher has been disciplined at Eisenhower High School in suburban Chicago over a student’s refusal to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Vince Ziebarth, who has worked in District 218 since 2009, and was a full-time driver’s education teacher at the Blue Island, Ill., school since January 2014, said he was

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USA

Baltimore Cardinal William Henry Keeler dead at 86

BALTIMORE — Cardinal William Henry Keeler, the longtime leader of the Archdiocese of Baltimore whose influence in the Catholic Church spanned international borders over nearly six decades, died Thursday. He had turned 86 this month. The retired archbishop of Baltimore, who led the region’s nearly 500,000 Catholics from 1989 until 2007, died while under the

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Obituaries & memorials, USA

Israeli cop suspended after beating Arab truck driver

Public security minister hails decision after footage emerges showing police officer assaulting Arab man, seemingly unprovoked By Jacob Magid An Israeli police officer was suspended on Thursday after a video emerged showing him assaulting an Arab truck driver and a number of others in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood of East Jerusalem, apparently unprovoked. The video

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Middle East

Former President Obama sends a heartfelt message to the victims of the London terrorist attack

On Wednesday, the world was rocked again when London, England, came under attack from an assailant that first plowed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer inside the gates of Parliament. The attack resulted in five deaths, including the assailant, and more than 40 injuries. British Prime Minister Theresa

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International, USA