New House foreign affairs chief eyes resuming US aid to Palestinians

The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Tuesday he would look to resume humanitarian aid to the Palestinians as part of a push by President-elect Joe Biden for a two-state solution. In an interview with AFP, Representative Gregory Meeks also supported the return of a diplomatic presence following outgoing President Donald Trump’s […]

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Middle East, USA

OpEd: Power versus Duty in American politics

To anyone paying attention the last four years, Trump’s refusal to accept that he lost the 2020 presidential election fair and square could not truly come as a surprise. That he would never concede was practically a given. What we could not know (and still do not know) with any certainty is just how far Trump will go to maintain his grip on power. [Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Why Trump’s Senate supporters can’t overturn Electoral College results they don’t like – here’s how the law actually works

[Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images] On Jan. 6, the United States Congress will gather in a joint session to tally the votes of the Electoral College, which cast its ballots in state capitols last month. In his role as president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence is slated to officially announce Joe Biden as the

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USA

Pence: Man in the middle as Trump seeks unlikely miracle

Washington (AFP) – For three years and 11 months Mike Pence has been Donald Trump’s most devoted footsoldier, but in the administration’s closing weeks the vice president faces intense pressure from his boss to thwart final certification of the election that they lost. US election law dictates that Pence preside over Wednesday’s joint session of

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USA

Former ‘Bond girl’ Tanya Roberts dies of infection aged 65

Los Angeles (AFP) – Former Bond actress and “That ’70s Show” star Tanya Roberts has died from a urinary tract infection at a Los Angeles hospital, her publicist said Tuesday, a day after premature reports of her passing were retracted. Roberts, 65, was best known for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in the James

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Lawson-Remer receives major committee assignments

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, in a demonstration of bipartisanship on Tuesday, Jan. 5, yielded the ceremonial board position of chairman pro tempore to County Supervisor Joel Anderson after she was nominated to the position by Supervisor Nora Vargas, who had also successfully nominated herself for vice chair and County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher as board chair. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Moses teaches us the need for compassion

Hashem appears to be saying “I will be one with you just as you are one with the people for whom you care so much.” Five times in the parasha, Hashem tells Moses that He feels the suffering of the Israelites. Moses, too, felt a tug to connect with his people. Hashem sees this and recognizes Moses’ special quality. We learn in this week’s Torah reading a most contemporary and timely lesson: We are not to simply see the suffering of others, but to experience it fully, as if it is our own–and act to reduce that suffering. As we reduce the pain in others, we then reduce our own. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

David & Sharon Wax Contribute $500,000 in Matching Funds to Seacrest Village

Seacrest Foundation is excited to announce that longtime supporters of Seacrest, Sharon and David Wax, have committed a beautiful matching gift of $500,000 to the Hearts of Gold gala. Sharon and David shared, “We are delighted to give this gift in honor and recognition of our dear friends and gala leadership, Cindy and Larry Bloch, Jean and Franklin Gaylis, Mary and Jon Epsten, and Esther Fischer, for their support and dedication to Seacrest.” The Waxes, who generously support many Jewish organizations and the San Diego community at large, are especially eager to help motivate the community to double their impact to support Seacrest during this time of crisis. They continued by saying “Seacrest Village residents are among the most vulnerable in our population, and it’s imperative that we provide as much support as possible to ensure their care and safety.” [Press Release]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County

Trump and Biden square off in Georgia on eve of epic Senate runoffs

ATLANTA — On the eve of high-stakes elections for control of the U.S. Senate, President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden staged dueling rallies Monday aimed directly at their most loyal supporters on the outskirts of downtown Atlanta and rocky, rural northwest Georgia. The disclosure of Trump’s extraordinary demand to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

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USA

Satire: The Medal of Free-Dumb

Every year the president of the United States awards the Medal of Freedom to people who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Honoring that tradition, President Trump is conferring this honor on Devin Nunes for “unearthing the crime of the century [the Russian hoax]” and “thwarting a plot to take down a sitting United States president.” Adhering to Trump’s elastic interpretation of what constitutes a “meritorious contribution” to the above criteria, I expect the following to be named as recipients of the Medal in the coming days. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire