International

FBI’s Russia Probe Expands to ‘PizzaGate’ Threats

The FBI’s widening investigation into Russian subversion is now looking into continuing threats against a Washington, D.C. pizza shop targeted by right-wing conspiracy mongers. Comet Ping Pong Pizza, a popular, family-oriented shop in an upscale northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood, came under relentless online attack last year because of its owner’s friendship with senior members of

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International, USA

Cal State trustees approve controversial tuition hike

LONG BEACH, Calif. — After a heated morning of debate and impassioned statements from students, professors and lawmakers, California State University’s Board of Trustees voted 11 to 8 Wednesday to increase tuition as a way to fill a looming gap in state funding. “I don’t bring this forward with an ounce of joy,” said Cal

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Probe into French presidential candidate Fillon widens, Putin ties revealed

French conservative presidential candidate François Fillon’s legal problems deepened on Tuesday, with financial prosecutors expanding a probe into payments to his family to suspected “aggravated fraud, forgery and use of forgeries”, a source said. Investigators are probing whether Fillon and his wife Penelope forged documents to try to justify around 700,000 euros ($757,000) she earned

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International

Archaeologists uncork 100-year-old liquor stash left by British troops

Aside from bottles of gin and whiskey knocked back by World War I soldiers, excavation near Ramle also turns up silver tip of swagger stick, medallion with face of Egypt’s King Fuad By Ilan Ben Zion After battling their way up through Ottoman Palestine 100 years ago, British soldiers garrisoned in Ramle took a break

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Middle East, Travel and Food

Troubles, rivals multiply for Netanyahu

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel’s vibrant democracy is at another testing point of holding itself together. However, these times have occurred often enough over the course of 70 years to suggest that the country will survive, more or less as is. The current uptick of political squabbles is occurring along with several police investigations into

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International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Bill passes first test to fund education program on WWII Japanese-American internment

SACRAMENTO (Press Release) — Assembly Bill (AB) 491, to appropriate $3 million over three years for education programs about Japanese American incarceration during World War II, on Wednesday passed the Assembly Education Committee on a unanimous vote of 7-0, according to its author, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance). “The incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans without due

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USA

Supreme Court justices in the pews and on the bench – and where Neil Gorsuch fits in

By Steven K. Green, Professor of Law, Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University. On Jan. 31, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court occasioned by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The Senate hearing

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Jewish History, USA

Pilots Can’t Fly, Ships Can’t Sail & Trump’s Budget Is DOA, Say McCain & Thornberry

Sen. John McCain and Rep Mac Thornberry WASHINGTON: As Defense Secretary Jim Mattis prepared to appear before the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee to defend President Trump’s first defense budget, GOP stalwarts Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mac Thornberry were telling reporters it was dead on arrival. “We’ve got planes that can’t fly, ships that can’t

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International, USA

In rebuff to Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, justices rule for children with autism

WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court strengthened the rights of nearly 7 million schoolchildren with disabilities Wednesday, and did so by rejecting a lower standard set by Judge Neil Gorsuch. The ruling, one of the most important of this term, came as President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee was wrapping up his third day of testimony

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USA

Trump transition officials ‘unmasked’ by intel community

Multiple Trump transition officials were “unmasked” by the intelligence community in what could be repeated violations of federal secrecy laws, the chairman of the House intelligence committee said Wednesday. The information was all gathered legally, Rep. Devin Nunes said, but at some point multiple Trump officials’ names were attached to the information gathered by the

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International, USA

Chuck Barris, creator of ‘The Gong Show’ and ‘The Dating Game,’ dies at 87

Chuck Barris, “The Gong Show” creator and host who claimed — though never too seriously — that he doubled as a CIA assassin during the height of his game show popularity, has died at his home in Palisades, N.Y. He was 87. The popular game show creator, producer and host died Monday of natural causes,

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Dallas Green, first Phillies manager to win the World Series, dies at 82

Dallas Green, the bearish, blustering, boom box-throated manager who in 1980 whipped a talented but complacent Phillies team to the franchise’s first world championship, died Wednesday at 82, a team official confirmed. Green spent most of his long baseball career with a Phillies organization that signed him as a Delaware high-schooler in 1955. Over the

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Sports & Competitions, USA

Scotland’s Sturgeon seeks approval for second independence referendum

London (dpa) – Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday asked the devolved parliament to approve her plans to hold a second referendum on Scotland’s independence from Britain. Sturgeon said she believes a referendum is needed after her efforts to seek a compromise over Britain’s exit from the European Union were met with a “hardline

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International

In Britain, protesters shut up Falk

After tumultuous event at one college, former UN special rapporteur who accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ sees premature curtailment of London book tour By Jenni Frazer LONDON — A British campus speaking tour came to an abrupt end on Tuesday for Professor Richard Falk, when Middlesex University canceled his appearance scheduled for Wednesday.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East