Israel airstrikes target Iran-linked military base in Syria, state media reports
Israel conducted an airstrike into Syria on Sunday night as air defenses in the country opened fire on missiles that had entered, state media reported.
PLO
Trump signs $738B defense bill creating Space Force
President Donald Trump signed a $738 billion defense bill into law, establishing the Space Force in a compromise with Democrats to grant federal employees 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Iran rolls out new line of advanced centrifuges
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced Wednesday his country would employ a new line of advanced centrifuges to speed up uranium enrichment, reducing the time it would take the Islamic Republic to acquire a nuclear weapon to under a year.
US Supreme Court Could Limit Job Bias Lawsuits Against Churches
The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider expanding protections for churches against job-discrimination claims.
Baghdad must ‘take actions’ after strikes on US interests, Washington says
The United States has called on Baghdad to ‘take actions’ to protect US interests in the country after a flurry of attacks that have been blamed on Iranian-backed groups.
Congress rejects White House request for $175 million to advance Mideast peace plan
The U.S. Congress rejected a request for $175 million to be spent on pushing ahead with President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, a bipartisan spending bill published Monday showed.
Senate sends Trump defense bill with federal parental leave, ‘Space Force’ authorization
The Senate on Tuesday voted to send to President Donald Trump an annual defense policy bill that combines a $738 billion Pentagon budget blueprint with legislation to provide federal employees with 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Turkey, Russia ‘Very Close’ to Second Missile Defense Deal
Turkey could finalize terms for delivery of a second consignment of S-400 advanced missile defenses from Russia by April when the first batch will be ready to operate, Ankara’s defense industry chief said on Friday.
Republicans aim to avoid war with White House over impeachment strategy
Senate Republicans are trying to avoid a high-profile fight with the White House as they plot their impeachment trial strategy.
IDF to begin major exercise in northern Israel
Today, the IDF will begin an extensive military exercise in northern Israel, which will include explosions and ‘intense movement’ of forces, vehicles and aircraft, the IDF wrote on its Twitter page.
Trump impeachment moves forward as President claims ‘coup’
Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump Friday on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump that the American President has referred to as “a perfect phone call.”
Two Chinese diplomats expelled from US after entering military base: report
Two Chinese diplomats have been secretly kicked out of the US after driving onto a sensitive military base in Virginia — the first such expulsions in more than 30 years, according to a report Sunday.
EU welcomes clear UK Conservative victory as clarity over Brexit
European diplomats on Thursday welcomed the clarity an apparently decisive election victory for the Conservative Party gave to Britain’s stalled withdrawal from the EU, but said it would be challenging to agree a trade deal by the end of 2020.
Undercover cops raid Christian wedding in Pakistan
Four policemen disguised as civilians attacked a Christian wedding in Punjab province, Pakistan, damaging homes, hurling abusive slurs at women guests, and registering a case against the Christians involved.
Trump changes federal definitions of Jewishness and anti-Semitism to combat anti-Israel college campaigns
The White House announced Wednesday that a new executive order targeting anti-Semitism on college campuses will be signed by President Trump, broadening the federal definition of Judaism to encompass ethnicity as well as religion.
Iran blamed for attacks on US security personnel in Iraq
Iran is thought to be behind 9 attacks near US forces and personnel in Iraq in recent weeks, the State Department now surmises, with the most recent injuring 6 Iraqi soldiers near an airport in Baghdad Monday.
Barr derides FBI’s Russia investigation, saying officials should have simply talked to Trump campaign
Attorney General William Barr said the Obama administration should have asked the 2016 Trump campaign about possible collusion with Russia, saying the investigation the FBI pursued instead was based on a ‘flimsy’ premise.
Vladimir Putin says Russia open to extending New START treaty with U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened the door to immediately extending the last nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia that is still active.
Unemployment at a 50 year low; 24th Record Breaker for Trump
he Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says the economy added a whopping 266,000 jobs in November; and for the sixth month in a row, a record number of Americans were counted as employed.
Manufacturing Jobs +54,000 in November; Up 510,000 Under Trump
Manufacturing jobs increased by 54,000 in November, climbing from 12,811,000 to 12,865,000, according to the numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.