British judge denies US extradition request for WikiLeaks’ Assange

A British judge has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to confront espionage charges, citing concerns about his mental health and the prison conditions he could face there. Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivered her verdict at London’s Old Bailey court on Monday, saying she was alarmed by the

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International, USA

Lawson-Remer tells ambitious agenda as new County Supervisor

Sworn in today (Monday, Jan. 4) as the 3rd District San Diego County Supervisor, Terra Lawson-Remer laid out an ambitious agenda for herself that included “an evidence-based” campaign against COVID-19, extending a financial “lifeline” to small businesses and workers in San Diego County; implementing a climate action plan; promoting racial justice; fighting homelessness; developing affordable housing; protecting the coastline; guarding against pollution-promoting urban sprawl; lessening the threat of wildfires; providing care for seniors, children, adults with mental or behavioral issues; assisting immigrants; and supporting the arts. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

The terror hub that is Lebanon

The government in Beirut is an accomplice to Hezbollah’s terrorizing of an entire nation. The Shi’ite Party of God has used the barrel of a gun, the bomb and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to take over the entire country. Hezbollah’s malignant hand touches every facet of life in Lebanon—from the banking system to the courts—and it has left the nation’s infrastructure economy teetering on collapse, endangering everyone who lives and visits the country. [Nitsana Darshan-Leitner]

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Middle East

GOP Sen. Ben Sasse Blasts Sen. Josh Hawley’s ‘Dangerous’ Decision To Object To Electoral College Vote

Following Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Missouri) announcement on Wednesday that he would be objecting to certifying the Electoral College vote count on January 6, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) blasted President Donald Trump and his allies on Facebook, writing that continuously pushing to reverse the election results is “playing with fire.”   WHAT HAPPENS ON JANUARY 6th In November,

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USA

Trump request to ‘find’ votes for him sparks political uproar

Washington (AFP) – The release on Sunday by US media of a stunning audio tape in which President Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn his election defeat there to Democrat Joe Biden sent shockwaves across Washington. The tape, a rebel push by scores of Republican lawmakers to challenge

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USA

Ex-Pentagon chiefs say military must stay out of US election

Washington (AFP) – All 10 living former US defense secretaries, including two Donald Trump appointees, warned Sunday against involving the military in the US presidential transition. In an essay published in The Washington Post, Ashton Carter, Leon Panetta, William Perry, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis and Mark Esper urged the

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USA

Iranian investigated in UAE for suspected terror plot against Israelis

On the anniversary of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Chief Qasem Soleimani assassination, Iran was suspected to plan revenge for the killing of one of its most senior officials, N12 reported.UAE intelligence agencies have arrested lately an Iranian squad in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on suspicion of plotting to carry out attacks in the

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Middle East

Newly Installed Congresswoman Sara Jacobs backs Nancy Pelosi’s successful reelection as House Speaker; Names 8 Members of Her Staff

Congresswoman Sara  Jacobs (D-San Diego)  cast her first vote in the 117th Congress on Sunday to reelect Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as Speaker of the House in a 216-209 victory over Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield).  With many members of the Progressive wing of the Democratic party, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) waiting until after the 7th and last group cast their votes, McCarthy was leading Pelosi 194-189.  Then Ocasio-Cortez and other members who had not yet voted were given another chance to do so, resulting in a surge of votes for Pelosi and her victory. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Sudan Deal Violates Rights of Terror Victims

A month after Israel reached agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the framework of the Abraham Accords — a truly historic moment for the future of the Middle East — US President Donald Trump announced that Sudan was joining the Accords and would establish full ties with the Jewish state. But, there was a catch. The Trump administration, eager to score a political win before the November 3 presidential elections, rushed the agreement. Sudan’s strongman Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made it clear that he wouldn’t sign the accords unless the United States removed the East African nation from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and Congress granted Khartoum full immunity from future claims in American courts of law for its role as a state sponsor of international terrorism. [Nitsana Darshan-Leitner]

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International, Middle East, USA

Good News from Israel (January 3, 2021)

NETANYA, Israel — In the January 3, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Israeli surgeons used Augmented Reality to repair a patient’s eye socket.
An Israeli NGO brought water and light to 200 African villages in 2020.
Israeli prize-winning technology for hydrogen production.
An Israeli startup is developing floating video phones to keep seniors safe.
The UAE-Israel Business Council now has over 3,000 members .
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 is the most successful new release in the pandemic.
Despite the pandemic, more than 20,000 people made Aliyah in 2020. [Michael Ordman]

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International, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

More violent protests in Jerusalem over death of 16-year-old settler

On Saturday evening, about a thousand right-wing Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem near a facility for internal police investigations, as protests continue after the death of a 16-year-old settler boy a month ago. Protesters have been demanding an official investigation into the incident. According to police, the demonstrators blocked a central street, threw stones at police

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Middle East

Next US Treasury sec. Janet Yellen made $7M from speaking fees in 2019-20

Janet Yellen, 74, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for Treasury secretary, earned more than $7 million in speaking fees during 2019-2020, according to financial disclosure forms released Thursday by US Office of Government Ethics and reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).The documents show that Yellen’s speaking engagements included the Bank of America, Google, UBS, Goldman

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USA