Iranian teen in critical condition after alleged hijab confrontation

A 16-year-old Iranian girl, Armita Geravand, was in critical condition Wednesday after human rights activists say she was confronted by authorities for violating laws concerning the hijab, a religious head covering. Reports about Geravand come just over a year after after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16, 2022 while in […]

Arizona to cancel Saudi farm leases

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said this week that her administration is terminating land leases that have given a Saudi-owned company virtually free access to pump groundwater in the state. The deal was signed in 2015 under then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R). It allowed the Saudi company Fondomonte to purchase nearly 10,000 acres of land for […]

Thousands of U.S. healthcare workers go on strike

Some 75,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities went on strike Wednesday morning in Virginia, California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and Washington DC. Members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions walked off the job over wages and staffing shortages. Kaiser Permanente provides health insurance coverage for nearly 13 million people and operates 39 hospitals […]

State Department warns of Chinese global disinformation campaign

An agency of the U.S. State Department has issued a 58-page report warning that a disinformation campaign by China could potentially sway global decision-making and undermine U.S. interests. According to the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which is tasked with combating foreign propaganda and disinformation, Beijing is spending billions of dollars to reshape the global […]

House votes in favor of motion to vacate McCarthy from Speakership

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted in favor of a motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his leadership position. The vote was 216 in favor and 210 against the motion. Several members did not vote, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was escorting the remains of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein back […]

Judge Engoron issues gag order in Trump civil fraud trial

New York State Supreme Court  Arthur Engoron on Tuesday issued a gag order in the business fraud trial of former President Trump. “Consider this a gag order on all parties with respect to posting or publicly speaking about any member of my staff,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said on the second day of […]

Procedural vote to table McCarthy motion to vacate vote fails in House

A procedural vote to table—or kill—an upcoming vote on a motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his leadership position failed in the House Tuesday afternoon. Its failure means that the House will move forward with a motion to vacate. The vote was scheduled after far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Monday evening made […]

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to gun charges

Hunter Biden, son of the President, pleaded not guilty Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, to charges he lied lied on a gun purchase application about his drug addiction.  The 53-year-old Biden was charged last month on three criminal counts brought by prosecutors in the office of Special Counsel David Weiss. Attorney General Merrick […]

Biden moves to assure allies of U.S. support for Ukraine

President Biden on Tuesday called several other world leaders to assure them of U.S. support for Ukraine, despite resistance from some hardline Republicans. The call was scheduled after a “clean” stopgap deal on Saturday, which excluded new aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia, passed in Congress in order to avoid a government shutdown […]

House to vote on motion to vacate McCarthy from Speakership

The House was scheduled Tuesday afternoon to vote on a motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his leadership position. The vote was set after far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Monday evening made good on a threat to file a motion to vacate McCarthy from the Speakership, hours after he had accused McCarthy […]

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