Obama picks first Hispanic Supreme Court justice
May 30th, 20090 WASHINGTON — President Obama made history Tuesday by nominating the first Hispanic to the U.S. Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. U.S. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor (L) steps up to speak after U.S. President Barack Obama announced her as his choice of...Pelosi-CIA contretemps may spark wider probe
NEW YORK (IPS) — Congressional Democrats and many Washington journalists are predicting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's current dispute with the Central Intelligence Agency may ultimately hasten the push toward the last thing Republicans want — a comprehensive investigation of prisoner detention and interrogation during the...
Soldier rampage hints at stress of repeated deployments
May 16th, 20090 WASHINGTON — Military police on Tuesday charged Sgt. John Russell, a soldier on a 15-month tour to Iraq – his third deployment to the country – with murder in the shooting deaths of five soldiers at an American base. Sgt. John M. Russell, the Army sergeant accused of killing five fellow soldiers in Iraq, is seen in a...Gibran Award recipients honored for promoting cross-cultural understanding
WASHINGTON — Since 1999, the Washington-based Arab American Institute Foundation has honored groups and individuals working to foster cross-cultural understanding with an award named for the poet and philosopher Kahlil Gibran. The Lebanese-American is perhaps best known for his 1923 collection of poems titled "The Prophet." But he is...
Obama and “two states”: Seamless continuity from Bush time
May 9th, 20090 A false claim is wafting through the press: Obama is hanging tough with Benjamin Netanyahu, he's going to "twist Israel's arm" and at long last force the Jewish state into a two-state agreement, settling the Israel-Palestine question for good. There's even talk that Obama backs the Arab League's 2002 peace initiative, complete with its...Muslim group honors media stars
LOS ANGELES — The Muslim Public Affairs Council honored the makers of "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Simpsons" and journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! during the 18th Annual MPAC Media Awards gala dinner on Saturday, April 25. Democracy Now! co-founder and co-host, Amy Goodman. MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati...Senate report casts grim light on Bush era
NEW YORK — Pentagon interrogators continuously ramped up their abusive techniques against prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq and Afghanistan in a vain attempt to establish a link between the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. on Sep. 11, 2001. This is among the principal...Medicare Part D: Going the extra mile for America’s seniors
Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit for seniors, now offers an online service for beneficiaries. Called "Plan Finder," it allows seniors to find and compare prescription plans. This user-friendly online tool is just one of the ways Medicare Part D is helping seniors make informed decisions about their health care — and...
What you need to know about swine flu
May 2nd, 20090 The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency. CDC is...
Egyptian-born U.S. Muslim to advise White House
April 25th, 20090 The first Muslim woman appointed to a position in President Barack Obama's administration met with lawmakers this week and discussed her role on an interfaith advisory board the new administration hopes will broaden dialogue and understanding. Dalia MogahedDalia Mogahed's dimpled smile shone from under her hijab as she addressed...No warm welcome for American Muslim travelers
NEW YORK (IPS) — A Muslim legal advocacy group this week charged that federal agents routinely target American Muslim travelers — or simply those perceived to be Muslim — for "deeply intrusive, personal questions and searches about their politics, faith, finances, charitable giving and associations with lawful organizations, all...Wiretap catches another AIPAC scheme
U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful...National news briefs: Dennis Ross sidelined at State Dept. over foreign agent status with Israel
WASHINGTON — Former pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) director Dennis Ross, named by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as her special envoy for Iran, has been sidelined at the State Department by Clinton's special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke, according to informed sources at the...Don’t be an April fool when it comes to your economic recovery payment
No one likes being the target of an April fool's prank. If you're receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, don't let anyone fool you regarding your special one-time recovery payment of $250 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. To make sure no one does, we'll state this as...ADC challenges tax benefits to groups supporting Israeli settlers
WASHINGTON — The largest Arab American civil rights organization is petitioning the government concerning the tax benefits going to organizations actively aiding the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. This came after an influential Washington Post columnist observed the irony that tax breaks to these groups......
What young workers should know about Social Security
Retirement is probably the last thing on your mind if you're a young worker. But there are some basics you should know about Social Security and savings to plan for your retirement. Social Security is the foundation for a secure retirement, but was never intended to be your only source of income when you retire. While Social Security...
Detroit plots green future as its bailout plan
March 28th, 20090 WASHINGTON — Emergency federal loans to the U.S. auto industry are just the beginning of an emerging partnership between Detroit carmakers and the US government — a partnership that could shape the industry's future. Specifically, in seeking financial help General Motors and Chrysler have outlined a vision of greener product...
Veils of secrecy lifting in Washington
March 28th, 20090 NEW YORK (IPS) — As President Barack Obama's Justice Department issued sweeping new guidelines to reverse the secrecy policies of former president George W. Bush, a federal judge ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to produce unedited summaries of some 3,000 documents related to its admitted destruction of 92 videotapes of...U.S. Jews open to Palestinian unity government
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Contrary to the views of the likely incoming right-wing government of Israel, most U.S. Jews favor peace negotiations with a Palestinian unity government that would include Hamas, according to a new poll released here Tuesday by the year-old, pro-peace Jewish lobby group, J Street. The poll of 800 self-identified......
Moroccan born soccer coach realizes dreams in the United States
When Abdelali Alaoui left Casablanca, Morocco aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight headed to New York in the spring of 1995, he was a young man full of big dreams and solid ambition. He set his sights on becoming a Major League Soccer player in the United States. Abdelali Alaoui With a few dollars in his pocket and a smattering...Freeman affair puts Israel lobby in spotlight
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Although the successful campaign to keep Amb. Charles "Chas" Freeman out of a top intelligence post marked a surface victory for the pro-Israel hardliners who opposed him, the long-term political implications of the Freeman affair appear far more ambiguous. Charles "Chas" Freeman Freeman's withdrawal......
Immigrants face detentions, few rights
March 21st, 20090 America's detention system for immigrants has mushroomed in the last decade, a costly building boom that was supposed to sweep up criminals and ensure that undocumented immigrants were quickly shown the door. Instead, an Associated Press computer analysis of every person being held on a recent Sunday night shows that most did not...Economic recovery payments coming for people who receive Social Security and SSI benefits
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the President signed into law in February, provides for a one-time payment of $250 to people receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. President Obama signs The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 this past February. The......
