Kerry's plan: Core issues, then gestures, and finally Jerusalem
Senior diplomatic officials in Jerusalem say that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is set to unveil a gradual multi-step peace plan between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Defense chiefs Hagel and Yaalon to meet in D.C.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Yaalon, will meet this week. A Pentagon official told JTA that the two defense chiefs would meet in Washington on Friday, but did not provide further details.
Samantha Power gets early boost from pro-Israel voices The nomination of Samantha Power for America's UN envoy garnered significant support Thursday, and not just from Obama backers. Read Full Article
Israel hasn't given up on persuading Russia not to send air defense system to Syria
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/11/4287441/israel-hasnt-given-up-on-persuading.html#storylink=cpy
They're on their way. They're already there. They won't be there for months. They're on board ships soon to dock. They haven't been sent. They may never be sent. In the past few weeks all those descriptions have been used to say what has happened - or not - to the much-discussed but so far unseen, at least in Syria, S-300 anti-aircraft missiles that Russia has sold or deployed to 13 countries around the world.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/11/4287441/israel-hasnt-given-up-on-persuading.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/11/4287441/israel-hasnt-given-up-on-persuading.html#storylink=cpy
Read Full Article UN: Israel-Syria peace in danger, add Golan peacekeepers
A spillover of violence from Syria's civil war into the Israeli Golan Heights is jeopardizing a decades old ceasefire between Israel and Syria, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Read Full Article Israel warily watches Iranian election
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
Israel's leaders are watching Iran's upcoming presidential election with a mixture of resignation and dread, as top officials here say they have no reason to believe that a new government in Tehran will back away from a pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
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Obama administration will approve Plan B pill for women and girls of all ages
The Justice Department said it would stop fighting a court order requiring it to remove all age restrictions on the sale of Plan B One-Step without a prescription.
 Trent Franks: 'Incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low'
A House Republican pushing for a 20-week nationwide ban on abortions said Wednesday that the incidence of pregnancies resulting from rape is "very low" - then scrambled to clarify his comment after it went viral with comparisons to former GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/20/4133089/kansas-abortion-bill-is-cruel.html#storylink=cpy
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State laws restricting abortion are rampant this year Rachel Maddow highlights the most relentless anti-abortion crusade being pursued in states and federally since the decision of Roe v Wade. (The reproductive rights section begins after 1:34.)
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/20/4133089/kansas-abortion-bill-is-cruel.html#storylink=cpy
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Separation of Religion & State
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Expect a showdown over religious group meets in public schools
Since Mayor Michael Bloomberg began his administration in 2002, he has been trying to keep religious groups from renting public school properties for Sunday services. Recently, the City Council passed a resolution giving religious institutions permission to use school property for religious services. The vote was 38-11 against the mayor's position and in favor of the religious groups.
Read Full ArticleCourt rebuffs challenge to Brewer's Day of Prayer
The state Court of Appeals on Tuesday tossed out a bid by the Freedom From Religion Foundation to bar Gov. Jan Brewer from declaring a state Day of Prayer, saying the declarations haven't shown any real harm. Read Full Article
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State laws varied on gun, abortion laws
The U.S. Supreme Court says women in America can terminate a pregnancy and that every citizen has an individual right to own a firearm, but those rulings have done little to settle political arguments over abortion and guns.
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Five Signs Define the Direction of the 2014 Midterm Elections
In looking at any midterm election, observers should take into account several important considerations. First, will it be a "normal" election? That is, will the type described by the late Tip O'Neill as one in which "all politics is local"-the kind of election in which the natural voting patterns of that state or district, as well as the relative strengths of the candidates, campaigns, resources-determine the outcome? Read Full Article
Doblin: Christie made the logical political choice
Take all that in and there is no surprise that Christie did exactly what he did. He takes a short-term hit for wasting $12 million on another election; the $12 million for a primary is justified. A year from now, voters will not care about the political process. Voters don't care about much of this now. Read Full Article
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Six months since Sandy Hook: Newtown residents find their voice
The door to the shuttered mental hospital swings open onto a scene of decay: Chunks of fallen plaster and mold-infested insulation rest on the floor of a once magnificent room.
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Waze Deal Primes Israel's Silicon Wadi for Wave of Investment
Google Inc. (GOOG)'s acquisition of mobile map developer Waze Inc. marks one of the most lucrative outcomes for an Israeli technology startup, and is poised to fuel a wave of investment and entrepreneurship in the country.
Read Full ArticleAlicia Keys, Israel and Civil Rights Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has lately garnered more attention for her unhinged political views than for her writing. She has compared Fidel Castro to the Dalai Lama. She refused to allow her book "The Color Purple" to be translated into Hebrew. But perhaps nothing was more off-base-at least morally speaking-than the open letter Ms. Walker wrote in late May to singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. Ms. Walker, writing at the website of the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, urged Ms. Keys to cancel a July 4 performance in Israel. Read Full Article
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