Can Pope Francis Bring Peace to the Middle East?
Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Israel and the West Bank is being met with hopes he’ll help resolve problems that thus far have flummoxed kings, presidents and Nobel Prize laureates.
Year: 2014
Pope Francis Kicks Off Mideast Trip in Jordan
Pope Francis arrived in Jordan urging an end to the civil war raging in Syria and a “just solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, during the first of what will be three days touring the Middle East.
Rev. Graham: ‘Christians Are Under Attack by Islam’
Rev. Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said “Christians are under attack by Islam” and that “radical” Islam has nothing to do with it because “it’s just what it is.”
Iran: UN report proves nuclear ambitions are peaceful
Iran on Saturday said the latest UN report on its nuclear activities, which calculated it had slashed its nuclear stockpile by around 80 percent, proved its atomic program was peaceful. However, past reports have also indicated Iran has grown better at hiding at least some of its nuclear activities.
USDA warns of sticker shock on U.S. beef as grilling season starts
The Department of Agriculture has warned of sticker shock facing home chefs on the eve of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the unofficial start of the U.S. summer grilling season.
Leader of Sinai jihadist group which fired rockets on Eilat killed in Egypt
Shadi al-Menei, the head of a Sinai Peninsula Islamist militant group, was shot dead on Friday by unknown assailants, security sources said, days before Egypt holds elections to vote for a new president.
Brussels fatal gun attack at Jewish museum
A gunman has shot dead three people at the Jewish Museum in the Belgian capital Brussels, officials say.
California Drought Threatens Food Supply of All Americans; Collapsing Aquifer Sinking the Land
Walk into any grocery store in America and there’s a good chance the fresh produce you see there was grown in California. Up to half of the nation’s fruit, nuts and vegetables are grown in the Central Valley, one of the planet’s most fertile growing regions, between Los Angeles and Sacramento. Now, for the first time this century, the entire state is in severe to exceptional drought.
Louisiana VA staff falsified documents; nurse claimed racial element
Twenty-three employees at a Department of Veterans Affairs center in Louisiana were placed on leave in 2010 as part of an investigation into document forgeries, a move revealed only in federal whistleblower lawsuits filed years later.
U.S. Steps Up Scrutiny of Americans Fighting in Syrian Civil War
The Justice Department has tapped a veteran prosecutor to probe the flow of foreign fighters including Americans who are joining Syria’s rebels, U.S. officials said, in a sign of heightened alarm over the threat of radicalized militants returning home.
Democrats threaten John Boehner on immigration reform
Democrats have a new message for House Republicans who have been reluctant to take up a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year: Pass a bill in six weeks, or watch the White House take action on its own.
Veterans Affairs whistleblowers face ‘long slog’ in fighting retaliation
Retaliation comes quickly to whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Those who have revealed potentially lethal lapses in health care say they have been ridiculed, transferred, demoted and sometimes fired by agency managers attempting to cover up wrongdoing and silence anyone who dares challenge their dangerous practices.
House passes curbs on NSA phone surveillance
In an overwhelming vote, the House moved the U.S. closer to ending the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records Thursday, the most significant demonstration to date of leaker Edward Snowden’s impact on the debate over privacy versus security.
FBI chief: ‘Be suspicious’ of government power
The head of the FBI says he understands why people worry about the scope of the government’s powers, and in fact, he agrees with them.
Poll: 47% of Unemployed Have ‘Completely Given Up’ Looking for a Job
A new poll suggests that finding employment, particularly for the long-term unemployed, continues to be a struggle for Americans. The poll, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals, asked questions of 1,500 unemployed adult Americans last month.
Dems Kill Key Pro-Israel bill to Appease White House on Iran
The fallout from a rushed, late night decision by a leading Democrat to scuttle key pro-Israel legislation in a bid to appease the Obama administration threatens to complicate efforts by Democrats to hold on to the Senate, according to sources on Capitol Hill and in the pro-Israel community.
Washington’s High Court Swears In First Openly Gay Justice
Mary Yu was sworn in as the newest member of the Washington state Supreme Court on Tuesday, marking the first time the high court has had an openly gay justice.
Israeli Arab Christians Joining Israeli Army in Greater Numbers
A group of Israeli Arab Christians led by a Greek Orthodox priest have roiled the Israeli Arab community by distancing themselves from their Arab identity and requesting that Christian Arabs be drafted into the Israeli army to show their support for the Jewish state.
Netanyahu: There is nobody to negotiate with in Ramallah
The Palestinian leadership is unwilling to make compromises for peace, calling into the question the efficacy of diplomatic negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published early Thursday.
US lawmakers vote to double funding for Iron Dome
US lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a $601 billion defense authorization bill that would almost double funding for the Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile program Thursday.