Support for a two-state solution to the long Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fallen to a two-decade low among Israeli Jews and Palestinians alike, a new poll has found. Conducted jointly by Tel Aviv University and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, the poll found that just 43% of Israelis and Palestinians support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The survey says the reasons for the lack of support include doubts over the possibility of implementing a two-state solution and a lack of trust in the other side. It says support for the concept began to decline a decade ago. The poll, conducted in June and July, and released on Monday, interviewed 2,150 Palestinians and 1,600 Israelis. It had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points for the Pal...
The percentage of Americans who report feeling satisfied with the direction of the U.S. is near the highest levels since 2006, according to a new poll. A Gallup poll released Wednesday shows that 36 percent of Americans are satisfied with “the way things are going” in the U.S. That is slightly higher than the average so far for 2018, 34 percent, and is an increase from an average of 27 percent last year. Gallup noted that higher satisfaction ratings are historically linked to economic strength in the country, with the increasing numbers this year coming amid positive economic news, such as a lower unemployment rate. Read more at The Hill.
The New York Times has announced that it will be joining a coordinated effort with newspapers across the country to publish editorials taking a stand against President Trump’s repeated attacks on the media. “As of Tuesday, more than 200 newspapers, including The New York Times, had signed on,” Jaclyn Peiser, a reporter for the Times, wrote in an article announcing the paper’s move on Tuesday morning. “The Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it’s TRUE,” Trump wrote Twitter. “I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!” Read more at The Hil...
More than 300 people have drowned in Germany this year, with lifeguards attributing some of the deaths to phone-addicted parents who aren’t keeping an eye on their children when they’re in the water. “Too few parents and grandparents are heeding the advice: When your children and grandchildren are in the water, put your smartphone away,” Achim Wiese, a spokesman for the German Lifeguard Association, told The Guardian. Thus far this summer, 20 children under the age of 15 have died from drowning. Forty people between the ages of 16 and 25 have also drowned this year, as a heat wave in Germany rages on. Peter Harzheim, of the German federation of swimming-pool supervisors, told local media they’re seeing parents “treat[ing] swimming pools like a kindergar...
New York - Now that plastic straws may be headed for extinction, could Americans’ love of balloons be deflated? The joyous celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons will be among the products to get more scrutiny, even though they’re a very small part of environmental pollution. This year, college football powerhouse Clemson University is ending its tradition of releasing 10,000 balloons into the air before games, a move that’s part of its sustainability efforts. In Virginia, a campaign that urges alternatives to balloon releases at weddings is expanding. And a tow...
Portland, Oregon - A family of seven, including five young children, perished on a remote Oregon road in a head-on collision on their way to an end-of-summer vacation in Las Vegas, a family member said Wednesday. Erika Carter Boquet, 29, was driving her 2016 Toyota 4 Runner eastbound on Oregon Highway 78 when an oncoming vehicle veered into her lane, authorities said. Boquet, of Tacoma, Washington, and her children Isabella, 11; Elisabeth, 8; and Tytis, 6, were killed, Boquet’s brother, Jesse Tate, told The Associated Press. Another relative and her two children also perished in the crash. Tate declined to name them because of the wishes of their immediate family. “It’s a tragedy I wouldn’t wish on anyone else,” Tate, 30, of Spanaway, Washington, told The ...
New York - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sent subpoenas to Tesla Inc regarding Chief Executive Elon Musk’s plans to take the company private and his statement that funding was “secured,” Fox Business Network tweeted on Wednesday, citing sources. Subpoenas typically indicate the SEC has opened a formal investigation into a matter. The electric car maker’s shares fell 4 percent to $333.33. Tesla and the SEC declined to comment. Read more at Reuters
Washington - President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager said Wednesday Democrats need to nominate a Washington outsider to compete in 2020. Corey Lewandowski said he believes former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg would instantly become a serious challenger to Trump if he ran as a Democrat. Lewandowski, now an adviser to Vice President Mike Pence’s Great America PAC, said the billionaire media mogul has a personal narrative that mirrors Trump’s and is “an American success story.” Bloomberg is founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P., a global media company. He served three terms as New York City mayor and has variously been a Democrat, Republican and Independent. He twice flirted with running for president as an independent candidate, but ruled it out....
Berlin - A local official has discovered a forgotten remnant of the Berlin Wall close to the new headquarters of Germany’s foreign intelligence service. It’s the second long-lost piece of the barrier to be identified and given protected status this year. District councilor Ephraim Gothe said Wednesday he stumbled across the stretch of concrete wall, partly hidden by bushes, on a walk with locals in June. He says they puzzled over it then “guessed that it might have been part of the border security system.” Gothe said authorities gave the remnant protected status last week. Most of the wall, built in 1961 by communist East Germany, was demolished starting in 1990. Only a few preserved sections remain. Earlier this year, a remnant from its early days was identified...
Jerusalem - The Israeli military said on Wednesday its investigation into one of the bloodiest incidents of the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip found no criminal wrongdoing by Israeli forces and there were no grounds to prosecute any troops. The announcement drew condemnations from Palestinians and human rights advocates, who accused the military of a whitewash. The investigation focused on an Aug. 1, 2014, battle in the southern Gaza town of Rafah that erupted after an Israeli military officer was feared abducted by Palestinian militants during a cease-fire. Over 110 Palestinians were killed in daylong fighting, and Palestinian witnesses had complained of heavy and indiscriminate shelling by Israeli forces. Following what it called a comprehensive investigation, the army said its military a...
Alexandria, VA -Paul Manafort lied to keep himself flush with cash and then to maintain his luxurious lifestyle when his income dropped off, prosecutors told jurors Wednesday in closing arguments at the former Trump campaign chairman’s financial fraud trial. The government’s case boils down to “Mr. Manafort and his lies,” prosecutor Greg Andres said. “When you follow the trail of Mr. Manafort’s money, it is littered with lies,” Andres said as he made his final argument that the jury should focus on evidence the prosecutors have presented over the past few weeks and find President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman guilty of 18 felony counts. Attorneys for Manafort, who is accused of tax evasion and bank fraud, get their chance in fron...
Tel Aviv, Israel - African migrants in Israel have been detained, threatened with deportation and faced hostility from lawmakers and residents. Since last year, they face another burden: a de facto 20 percent salary cut that has driven them further into poverty. Israel’s roughly 35,000 African migrants and the groups that support them say the recent law — in which Israel withholds the money from their paychecks every month and returns it only if they leave the country — is yet another attempt by an anti-migrant government to force them out. “I feel that they started the ‘deposit law’ to make our life miserable,” said Salamwit Willedo, a migrant from Eritrea who came to Israel in 2010. “We suffer for eight years here. If I had a country, why...
Brooklyn, NY - Who let the goats out? It’s a question being asked in New York after nearly two dozen goats escaped from a truck headed to a Brooklyn slaughterhouse. The goats — apparently knowing their fate — busted loose when the driver pulled the truck over to take a nap. The New York Post reports that the driver was headed for a live-slaughter halal market. The goats enjoyed their taste of freedom before being converted to tasty meals — by hoofing it to a nearby bus stop and munching on grass. The newspaper says a neighbor woke up the driver and helped him wrangle the goats back into the truck.
Albany, NY - America “was never that great” and won’t be great until all Americans share true equality, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday in a speech blasting Republican President Donald Trump and his slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Cuomo, who is considered a potential White House contender in 2020, made the remarks at a bill signing event in Manhattan. He said Trump wants to return to a period of greater sexism, racism and intolerance toward immigrants. He said New York would strive to be a liberal alternative where people of all backgrounds are welcome. “We’re not going to make America great again — it was never that great” said Cuomo, who is running for a third term this November. “We have not reached greatness. W...
West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has lashed out at the United States over its proposals to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Abbas in a speech on Wednesday said of U.S. officials: “I swear to God, they are liars.” Abbas added that he believes the U.S. is trying to promote Gaza aid projects to serve its own interests. Palestinians have been split since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized Gaza in 2007, ousting Abbas’s forces. Abbas now governs just parts of the West Bank. Repeated reconciliation attempts failed between the bitter rivals. President Donald Trump has promised to pursue the “ultimate deal” between the Palestinians and Israel. The Palestinians have rejected the U.S. as peace broker following Trump’s reco...
President Trump on Wednesday revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan. "As the head of the executive branch and the commander and chief, I have a unique constitutional responsibility to protect the nation's classified information, including by controlling access to it," Trump said in a statement, read by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at Wednesday's press briefing.
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 15, 2018 –  At approximately 11:15 AM this morning, a hit & run accident occurred in front of Tov Pizza involving an older Burgundy Pickup truck with a  MD License tag beginning with ZCYA. If you see this vehicle, please call 911 and Shomrim 410.358.9999
TEL AVIV, Aug. 15, 2018 – The second Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah charter flight of the summer brought an array of experienced and emerging leaders to Israel, including 57 future Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Lone Soldiers, 27 medical professionals, and 13 Jewish community professionals. This specially chartered flight was generously sponsored by Denver, Colorado local, Heidi Rothberg in coordination with Jewish National Fund USA and was facilitated in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (KKL), JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar. The new Olim come from 24 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces, and include 30 families, 90 children, and three sets of twins....
Jerusalem - Israel on Wednesday opened its only cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip weeks after closing it amid a surge in violence with the Islamic militant group Hamas. The reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing came as Egypt was stepping up efforts to broker a lasting cease-fire. It was not clear if the move was part of a broader deal in the works. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the reopening of the crossing was “a clear message to residents of the Strip: Quiet pays and violence doesn’t pay.” Advertisement: Kerem Shalom is the main commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and serves as the primary avenue for food, fuel, construction materials and aid to enter the beleaguered Palestinian territory. Israel and Egypt have imposed...
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