International

Palestinian leaders reject new Israeli measures at Jerusalem holy site

Israel’s removal of metal detectors from Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site has failed to appease Palestinians. Thousands prayed outside on Tuesday night, heeding a call not to enter in protest at Israel’s actions. Earlier Israel said it had decided to replace the detectors with what it calls “smart checking devices” at the site known to

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Middle East

His frustrations public, Tillerson tries to tamp down resignation speculation

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held his first public event in five days Wednesday — a meeting with the visiting Lebanese prime minister — as aides try to quell speculation over whether he is considering resigning. Speculation about the possibility of a Tillerson resignation has been mounting as the secretary’s frustrations with life

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Middle East, USA

Lawmaker suspended from committee for boycott over gay adoption

Openly gay Likud MK Amir Ohana punished for skipping key Knesset votes in protest at government’s discriminatory policy By Times of Israel staff Likud Knesset Member Amir Ohana leads a House committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 26, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Likud’s first openly gay lawmaker was suspended from a powerful Knesset

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Middle East

Wasserman Schultz hit with criticism over aide arrested while trying to leave US

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is once again at the vortex of controversy, this time over a suddenly fired staffer who was arrested while at an airport preparing to leave the country. The latest imbroglio is unfolding exactly a year after the biggest crisis of Wasserman Schultz’s political career, the disclosure of massive volumes

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USA

YouTube to Start Redirecting Searches for Terrorist Content to Anti-Hate Videos

Youtube is rolling out a new feature that will hopefully prove effective in fighting terrorism online. If anyone uses YouTube to look up search terms matching extremism, supremacy, or terrorist recruiting videos, the Redirect feature will automatically send them to a playlist of videos that debunk hateful narratives. style=”display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px” data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8420654331411867″ data-ad-slot=”1313712966″> The Redirect feature was

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International

Trump: Immigrants ‘Slice and Dice’ Beautiful Girls

President Donald Trump compared America to a nation under wartime occupation that needs to be liberated from illegal immigrants during a “Make America Great Again” rally in Ohio Tuesday night. Trump said illegal immigrant gang members are like “animals” and that they’re not using guns to kill people “because it’s too fast and it’s not

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International, USA

Dick Van Dyke apologizes for his ‘atrocious’ cockney accent in ‘Mary Poppins’

There are some epic public apologies out there: the church’s apology to Galileo, for instance, or Tiger Woods’ apology to his wife. This one, below, is a personal favorite. But even with the Bill Clinton lower-lip bite, this one pales in comparison to the historic mea culpa issued this weekend. More than 50 years after

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International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Missouri governor signs new abortion law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s new governor checked another box on his political resume Wednesday, signing legislation to tighten regulations on abortion clinics. Republican Eric Greitens, a newcomer to elected office, ended the second special session he called in his first six months as governor by approving a law that abortion opponents say will protect

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Finds in Jerusalem shore up biblical account of Babylonian conquest

On the eve of the Hebrew commemoration of the destruction of the Temples, archaeologists discover remnants of a blaze indicating the city was grander than thought By Amanda Borschel-Dan The structure in which shattered jugs were found during the summer 2017 Israel Antiquities Authority dig, attesting to the destruction. (Eliyahu Yanai, Courtesy of the City

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Border Wall Tied to Trump Transgender Ban: Report

The reasoning behind President Donald Trump’s sudden Twitter announcement Wednesday that upended Capitol Hill, the military and LGBT rights activists—that transgender people would be banned from military service—reportedly came down to one factor: funding for the billionaire’s much-hyped idea of constructing a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. In order to boost that funding,

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USA

Trump taps Brownback for ambassadorship focused on religious freedom

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Donald Trump has appointed Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback to an ambassadorship, a little more than a month after the Kansas governor saw his signature tax policy dismantled by the state’s Legislature. Trump announced Brownback’s appointment as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Wednesday evening. Brownback had long been expected to be

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USA

Former Fox News executive files $48 million lawsuit over sexual assault scandal

NEW YORK — A former Fox News executive fired after settling a claim that he attempted to sexually assault a female on-air commentator is suing parent company 21st Century Fox for going public with the matter. Francisco Cortes, who ran Fox News Latino, was fired in February after Tamara Holder, a Fox News on-air contributor,

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA