Trump’s sanctions on Iran are hitting Hezbollah, and it hurts
The powerful Lebanese Hezbollah militia has thrived for decades on generous cash handouts from Iran, spending lavishly on benefits for its fighters, funding social services for its constituents and accumulating a formidable arsenal that has helped make the group a significant regional force, with troops in Syria and Iraq. But since President Trump introduced sweeping […]
While some states are restricting abortion, others move to bolster access
The abortion debate in America has lately been dominated by news that conservative lawmakers in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Missouri had approved sweeping new restrictions to abortion access. But meanwhile, several states with Democratic majorities have been pushing through bills that fortify abortion rights. While proponents of abortion rights had few outright victories, they say […]
ExxonMobil Employees Begin Evacuating an Iraqi Oil Field Amid U.S.-Iran Tensions
Employees of energy giant ExxonMobil have begun evacuating from an oil field in the southern Iraqi province of Basra but work at the field is still ongoing, Iraqi officials said Saturday. The evacuation comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. The U.S. has already ordered all nonessential diplomatic staff out of Iraq. As […]
CA parents not surrendering kids to sick sex-ed
More and more California parents are learning about their state’s mandatory sex-ed curriculum in public schools, and now many of them are engaging in civil disobedience to protest. Informed Parents of California has announced parents are keeping their children home as part of a sit-out day planned for today, May 17. Their target is the […]
House Democrats approve homosexual rights bill
Democrats in the House approved sweeping homosexual rights legislation Friday. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas. Called the Equality Act, the bill is a top priority of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The vote was 236-173. The legislation’s chief sponsor, David Cicilline, who is homosexual, said it affirms […]
Pope Francis tells the press: ‘The church is on your side,’ denounces fake news
“Freedom of the press and of expression is an important index of the health of a country,” Pope Francis told members of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, when he received them and their families in private audience in the Vatican on May 18. He reminded them that “one of the first things that dictators […]
Middle school invites drag queens to encourage students to be themselves
In middle school, it’s hard to be different. It’s even harder if a student identifies as LGBTQ. This week, a couple of teachers at Central Park School for Children in Durham, North Carolina, decided to enlist the help of some local drag queens to celebrate the unique differences between the school’s students. Taylor Schmidt, an […]
China’s new ‘social credit system’ is a dystopian nightmare
Imagine calling a friend. Only instead of hearing a ring tone you hear a police siren, and then a voice intoning, “Be careful in your dealings with this person.” Would that put a damper on your relationship? It’s supposed to. Welcome to life in China’s “Social Credit System,” where a low score can ruin your life […]
Saudi Arabia, Iran Say They Don’t Want War, but Are Ready to Fight If Provoked
De-escalation follows Trump administration’s move to ease tensions amid hostile rhetoric that followed attacks on tankers, kingdom’s oil interests many blamed on Tehran Middle East tensions appeared to ease over the weekend after the Trump administration moved to de-escalate two weeks of crisis, while Saudi Arabia and Iran toned down their threatening rhetoric in an […]
U.S. to reveal economic part of Palestine peace plan
U.S. announces June conference to encourage investment in Palestinians as first part of ‘deal of the century’ peace plan. The United States will co-host an economic “workshop” with Bahrain to encourage investment in the occupied Palestinian territories “that could be made possible by a peace agreement”, the White House said on Sunday. “Peace to Prosperity […]