Print Along with cutting funding for Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty the Trump administration has targeted Alhurra he said it would provide accurate news coverage in the Middle East and “cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda.” AMMAN Jordan — The message was contrite but direct I’m letting you go — effective immediately.” head of Middle East Broadcasting Networks,or MBN the nonprofit overseeing the U.S.-government-funded the cuts have disrupted the lives of journalists both in Alhurra’s Middle Eastern bureaus and its Virginia headquarters leaving them with no severance or compensation When news about Alhurra filtered out — along with talk that even MBN might shut down — many observers saw it as an own goal which is helping MBN with legal representation to restore its funding called the cutbacks “a betrayal of the U.S.’s historical commitment to press freedom.” president and chief executive of Legatum Institute speaks during a panel discussion at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills in 2012 (Patrick Fallon / Getty Images) In a statement “Media in the Middle East thrive on a diet of anti-Americanism It makes no sense to kill MBN as a sensible alternative and open the field to American adversaries and Islamic extremists.” But interviews with critics — including many from Alhurra and MBN’s own ranks — reveal a more complicated story Though many insist they believe in MBN’s mission to bring a pro-American perspective to the region Others say Alhurra withered under an unclear mandate that never allowed the channel to find its identity and therefore audiences Some even agreed with Kari Lake, the pugnacious advisor Trump appointed to oversee the Agency for Global Media, which provides funding for news programming abroad. Lake recently described her new workplace as “irretrievably broken,” where “waste, fraud and abuse run rampant.” Like many interviewed for this article, the former employee refused to have his name used to avoid reprisals. He accused MBN management of entering into needless, multimillion-dollar expansions of bureaus that went wildly over budget, all amid a culture of cronyism that often left the wrong people in place for too long. The April firings continued a downsizing that began in September, when Congress mandated a $20-million cut to MBN’s budget, forcing management to fire 160 employees and merge Alhurra with its Iraq-focused satellite news channel, Alhurra Iraq. In March, though Congress had approved MBN’s budget through the end of the 2025 fiscal year, Lake blocked the disbursement to MBN a few hours later. “I’m left to conclude that she is deliberately starving us of the money we need to pay you, our dedicated and hard-working staff,” he said in the email. Along with Alhurra, MBN supports other news outlets. Rather than shut down and declare bankruptcy, Gedmin decided to keep Alhurra on-air with a truncated schedule — mostly broadcasting evergreen content and reruns — and a skeleton staff of 30 to 50 people. It was a gamble, Gedmin said in an interview this week, that would “buy time for the courts.” “If we win this in court and eventually have funding, we would pay some severance and restore some staff,” Gedmin said. World & Nation President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR alleging “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting said in an article published on the National Press Club website last month she and her colleagues were fired before the courts decided if the Trump administration acted legally unlike staff at other U.S.-funded outlets which were put on leave An email sent in March from a former employee in the finance department to top management which was reviewed by The Times said MBN had $8 million in its accounts, including $4.7 million that could have been used to cover unused annual leave and partial severance. The employee also wonders why some bureaus continued to operate despite loss of funding. By April, according to a WhatsApp conservation between former employees reviewed by The Times, the balance had fallen to $4.2 million. MBN leadership, including Gedmin and the MBN board chair, former Ambassador Ryan Crocker, insist the networks will pay annual leave and end-of-service to all employees terminated last month. Many of those laid off resent the decision to continue broadcasting, saying Gedmin knew Lake was unwilling to deal with current management, and that he and his colleagues should have stepped down weeks earlier. “I consider that the money they used to continue [operating] was supposed to be for us, and we were neglected and our professional life destroyed so they could keep on broadcasting,” said one correspondent who worked in the Beirut bureau for six years. “We weren’t given a safe exit, to have one or two months to search for a new job. We were thrown out on the street — that’s how I see it.” Another correspondent who worked with Alhurra Iraq since 2008 characterized the firings differently. MBN managers “basically took us as hostages so they could face the Trump administration,” he said. Meanwhile, around 40 Alhurra employees in the U.S. on work visas must leave the country before May 12. All U.S.-based staff lost healthcare benefits at the end of April. When President George W. Bush began Alhurra in 2004, he said it would “cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda” and act as a counterweight to what U.S. officials considered the pernicious coverage of Al Jazeera. But launched one year after the disastrous invasion of Iraq, it faced an uphill battle. “It was tainted, in the first place, as the mouthpiece of the American administration, placed before audiences that are already skeptical of political affiliations of any media,” said Zahera Harb, an expert on Arab media at City University in London. “The idea you can win hearts and minds through propaganda and information by telling people how good the U.S. is — it was never going to work,” said Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland professor and an Arab polling data expert. “It was not a main source of news,” said Telhami, who served on a Bush-era commission evaluating Alhurra’s performance. “Our research showed that less than 2% of people watched it. And that’s probably charitable.” MBN claims Alhurra and its other outlets reach a combined 33.5 million people per week, but a 2023 study from the University of San Diego’s Center for Public Diplomacy found that it never exceeded 27 million weekly views for the last decade. The same study found Alhurra’s share of adult Arab audiences shrank by half, from 17% in 2005 to 8.8% in 2022. At the same time, complaints of corruption have long dogged the network. A 2009 ProPublica investigation found much of the hiring based on cronyism and office politics rather than on qualifications — a scenario all former employees interviewed for this article say still persists. Alhurra is subject to the same forces afflicting all TV networks, with audiences increasingly finding their news on TikTok and YouTube. But even during big news events, including the war in Gaza, Alhurra live broadcasts never managed more than 167 viewers, said one former employee in the Dubai bureau. “And 100 of those screens are people inside our studios. So who is really watching you, 20, 25 people?” she said. “And that’s probably the censors.” Directors, writers and actors who had to appease censors in the regime of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, now face a new uncertainty: Whether the Islamist-led government that overthrew Assad will seek more control on the programs they create. Gedmin, who became interim head of MBN last April and took the reins in October, acknowledges MBN’s defects, but said he believed the networks were on the path to a turnaround before Lake’s intervention. None of the former employees interviewed had faith MBN’s current leadership could improve. Others question the very premise of a government-funded channel being independent. James O’Shea, who served as chairman of MBN’s board between 2022 until 2024, said, “One of the things I walked away with is I don’t know if you can do this with government.” O’Shea, a former editor of The Times, remembered how at one news meeting, Alhurra journalists were chastised for talking to Hamas representatives, because such interviews drew the ire of congressional officials. “You can’t ignore a major part of the story. Alhurra was set up to be independent, but it wasn’t,” he said. He added that the “tragedy” of Alhurra was that “an Arabic-language news operation, with an objective, journalistic voice is really needed in the region.” “The best thing you can do is promote the American kind of journalism: Not controlled by any government, and which adheres to the principles of the 1st Amendment.” Nabih Bulos is the Middle East bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times. Since 2012, he has covered the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” revolution as well as the Islamic State’s resurgence and the campaign to defeat it. His work has taken him to Syria, Iraq, Libya, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen as well as on the migrant trail through the Balkans and northern Europe. A Fulbright scholar, Bulos is also a concert violinist who has performed with Daniel Barenboim, Valeri Gergyev and Bono. Politics California Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map 2025 7:44 pm IDTGet email notification for articles from Jack Khoury FollowMay 2 2025 7:44 pm IDTThe announcement by the Association for the Defense of the Rights for the Internally Displaced Persons in Israel to cancel the traditional Palestinian March of Return – held annually on Israel's Independence Day to mark the Nakba – reflects yet another symptom of the narrowing democratic space in the country expect our local designers' to command attention tonight Dubai: Arab designers have consistently delivered standout moments at the Met Gala over the years — and 2025 is likely to be no different As fashion’s biggest night returns tonight with the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” there’s every reason to expect designers from the region to make their presence felt once again The showcase will be telecast live on YouTube While this year’s Met Gala honours Black sartorial identity and culture and Georges Chakra remain red carpet favourites Their designs—known for precision tailoring and couture-level embellishment—have helped shape the Met’s most unforgettable fashion moments Rihanna chose Lebanese designer Georges Chakra gown for her Met debut in 2007 Jennifer Lopez made waves in a beaded Zuhair Murad creation in 2010 and Jasmine Tookes have all stepped onto the Met’s iconic stairs draped in Arab-designed gowns that turned heads and earned fashion headlines and Anna Wintour co-chairing this year’s event—and LeBron James joining as honorary co-chair—the gala also supports an exhibition inspired by Monica L celebrating Black dandyism and the creativity of the Black diaspora but they continue to be a key part of the Met Gala narrative expect their work to command attention once again on the most-watched red carpet of the year Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid are officially a couple Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox Why did Blackpink's Lisa spark outrage at Met Gala 2025 Kerala-made blue carpet turns heads at Met Gala Met Gala 2025: Will Blackpink's Jennie Met gala 2025: Top bizarre rules like no garlic/onion Books Saeed SaeedMay 04 If you would like to learn more about the IAEA’s work sign up for our weekly updates containing our most important news Nuclear desalination is offering countries in the Arab region and beyond a clean alternative to energy-hungry traditional desalination Freshwater scarcity is a persistent challenge across the globe especially in the Arab region where limited natural water resources and rapid population growth are placing increasing strain on supply countries in the region have relied on traditional desalination which removes salt from seawater but depends heavily on fossil fuels With growing energy demands and climate change concerns many countries are now exploring the cleaner alternative By using nuclear energy to power the desalination process countries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while producing a steady supply of fresh water several Arab countries are assessing the feasibility of nuclear desalination through technical studies training programmes and regional cooperation it is increasingly seen not only as a practical solution but also as part of a broader strategy to enhance water security amid complex development and environmental challenges the IAEA hosted a technical meeting on nuclear ‘cogeneration applications’ in April 2025 bringing together experts from around the world The meeting reflects the growing interest in the Arab region in advancing non-electric applications of nuclear energy nuclear desalination uses reactor-generated heat and electricity to separate salt from seawater reducing carbon emissions while providing a stable Jordan: Advancing SMR-Powered Desalination Jordan, where 75 per cent of the land is classified as arid desert, is taking significant steps toward nuclear desalination. The government is exploring Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), compact reactors that could power desalination plants. In 2023, an IAEA team evaluated Jordan’s studies on using SMRs to provide drinking water from the Red Sea to Amman “Desalination is considered the primary source of fresh water in Jordan to fulfil the expected demand and reduce the supply-demand deficit,” says Khalid Khasawneh Commissioner for Nuclear Power Reactors at the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) “It offers competitive prices for fresh water to end consumers in comparison with imported energy sources.” Saudi Arabia: The Desalination Leader Exploring Nuclear Saudi Arabia, already the world’s largest desalinated water producer, began exploring the use of nuclear energy for desalination in the late 1970s. As part of its strategy to move from an oil-based economy toward a diversified power production the country is now considering nuclear plants to achieve its net zero ambitions and meet its long-term water needs According to the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) “the Kingdom is planning a sustainable energy mix that includes atomic energy to meet the energy needs of the Kingdom to produce electricity desalinated water and thermal energy,” which aims to reduce reliance on hydrocarbons and support economic growth Egypt is also integrating nuclear technology into its water strategy. With the country’s first nuclear power plant, El-Dabaa discussions are underway about pairing nuclear energy with desalination in coastal regions According to the Egyptian State Information Service: “Nuclear energy contributes to enhancing energy security and achieving environmental balance and water security.” As “nuclear facilities can supply the energy required for desalination plants to produce potable water.” Kuwait: Exploring Nuclear Desalination for Sustainable Water Solutions aiming to further understand the impacts of changing ocean conditions on marine ecosystems which are directly tied to the effectiveness of desalination technologies regulatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement The IAEA is working closely with interested governments to advance its safe efficient and cost-effective implementation knowledge-sharing and regional partnerships between the Arab countries exploring nuclear desalination nuclear desalination could increase water security in the region for generations to come stated: “The IAEA support for Jordan's nuclear program is highly valued and plays a pivotal role in enhancing our capabilities and advancing our endeavors We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with the IAEA across all aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” IAEA Technical Lead for Nuclear Non-Electric Applications explains: “The non-electric applications powered by nuclear energy present sustainable solutions for a number of water-intensive endeavours — from the consumption needs of millions of households and the industrial applications of fresh water to agriculture and livestock rearing — that current and future generations will face.” At the IAEA’s recent cogeneration technical meeting participants discussed key infrastructure needs for nuclear cogeneration projects These discussions helped lay the groundwork for an upcoming IAEA document on ‘Specific Infrastructure Considerations for Nuclear Cogeneration Applications’ which will support countries in planning and implementing nuclear cogeneration more effectively especially those engaged in ongoing and planned nuclear desalination projects as both timely and important,” according to Maria Elena Domenica Urso The Use of Nuclear Power Beyond Generating Electricity: Non-Electric Applications Nuclear Energy for Non-Electric Applications Key for Climate Change Mitigation Current and Future Nuclear Desalination Opportunities Highlighted by IAEA Technical Working Group Jordan Advances Nuclear Power Programme with Support from IAEA SMR Platform IAEA Director General Visit Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Dynamic Nuclear Power Preparations RAMALLAH, Palestine, May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Arab Palestinian Investment Company convened its ordinary and extraordinary general assembly meetings on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Ramallah, Palestine. The meetings were chaired by Chairman and CEO Tarek Aggad and attended by members of the company's Board of Directors representatives from the Ministry of National Economy the legal counsel of the company and many of its shareholders the general assembly ratified the recommendation of APIC's Board of Directors to distribute stock dividends totaling five million shares representing approximately 3.22% of the current paid-in capital of the company of USD 155 million thus increasing it to reach the authorized capital of USD 160 million which will be distributed to registered shareholders on May 4 hold a market value of approximately USD 9 million the general assembly ratified the issuance of a five-year bonds in three tranches Jordanian dinars and euros with a total combined value exceeding USD 100 million In his remarks, Aggad acknowledged that 2024 was an exceptionally challenging year for Palestine marked by the ongoing devastating war in Gaza and the intensification of Israeli attacks in the West Bank These circumstances led to a sharp decline in commercial activity across multiple economic sectors adversely affecting most of APIC's subsidiaries Aggad emphasized that despite the considerable obstacles in Palestine and in other markets where the group operates—primarily in Turkey where it incurred non cash losses under International Accounting Standard No 29 due to the country's hyperinflationary classification—APIC still delivered acceptable profits for its shareholders The group recorded total revenues of USD 1.12 billion an EBITDA of approximately USD 64.5 million representing around 57% decrease compared to 2023 Aggad added that APIC expanded its operations in Palestine despite the harsh and challenging conditions by acquiring a 51% stake in Reema Hygienic Paper Company APIC's investment underscored its unwavering commitment to supporting local industries and employment in Palestine Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2679390/APIC.jpgLogo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/640722/APIC_Logo.jpg Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC) announced today that its secondary offering to shareholders was significantly oversubscribed by 81%,.. Arab Palestinian Investment Company announced its consolidated preliminary (unaudited) financial results for 2024 Computer & Electronics Banking & Financial Services Economic News, Trends, Analysis Accounting News & Issues Do not sell or share my personal information: To mark his one hundredth day in office - a milestone marked in every presidency - US President Donald Trump held a rally in the Detroit suburb of Warren thanks in large part to Arab Americans who were opposed to a continuation of the status quo: a Democratic candidate who expressed a willingness to support war in the Middle East.  Trump campaigned as a "peacemaker and unifier".  But today, with backing from his administration, Israel has resumed bombing Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and threatening to do the same in Iran. In Yemen the US has been carrying out nightly bombings since 15 March according to local health officials.  Immigrants from all of the aforementioned countries dominate the Arab demographic in Michigan which boasts up to half a million Arabs in the state While it can be easy to paint them with a broad brush and say foreign policy decides their vote, last year's election was a standout in that Israel had been carrying out what the United Nations called "acts of genocide" in Gaza for more than a year Palestinian and Lebanese Americans But some who staunchly backed Trump in November did not indicate to Middle East Eye on Wednesday that they regretted their vote and insisted that perhaps 100 days was not enough to judge a presidential performance They also vowed to hold him accountable and believe his general unpredictability means he can still change course All those MEE spoke to live just under an hour's drive southwest of the rally site The only presidential candidate known to have made a stop in this area on the campaign trail was Trump himself just four days before the November election given that no high-ranking official from the Biden administration paid this community mind "He's demonstrated that he's unconventional in his approach," Faye Nemer who runs the MENA American Chamber of Commerce and helped orchestrate that visit told MEE about the last three months of Trump's rule "There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of unknowns." 'We still need to continue to make America great again and the beautiful people of the Islamic community are part of that' The Trump administration has moved at breakneck speed since his inauguration on 20 January to reverse a plethora of Biden-era laws and introduce executive orders that have upended US political norms in their enforcement Chief among them is the crackdown on legal documented immigrants and students with no criminal records all because of their links to the pro-Palestine movement.  the vast majority of those detained for this reason are Arab and/or Muslim.  "When it comes to protecting Jewish students when you compare that to protecting Muslim and Arab students you know the administration has been unevenhanded," Nemer said "That is something that is very worrisome and concerning to us We have regular US citizens who are fearful of travelling abroad because they're worried about prolonged delays at the border when they're coming back." a conservative political analyst who has backed Trump since his first term expressed faith in the guardrails within the US government to do their job "You can attack a foreign government and that's not okay I think it's all going to go to the courts," she told MEE "I think this is just dangerous for not only us Arabs and Muslims because the majority of the people speaking against Israel are actually white Americans and Jews a project control analyst at the automaker Stellantis said freedom has always had its boundaries there is some unfair situation," he told MEE but don't do anything [that] bothers others or people's freedom or beliefs."  and Yousaf were all members of the Arab Americans For Trump (AAFT) initiative which gained momentum in the months leading up to the November election as community members turned their backs on the Biden administration for its unconditional support for Israel.  Soon after Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in early February and called for Gaza to become a beach resort without Palestinians and issued a swift condemnation of the president's remarks.  Not all those MEE spoke to remain part of the group.  because [if] you want to put American troops into another land we Arabs know what that means," Salama said While a ceasefire was underway in Gaza for Trump's first six weeks in office it had fallen apart entirely as Israel resumed its bombing of the enclave appears largely focused on talks between Russia and Ukraine as well as with Iran.  Yousaf believes the administration will not leave the war on Gaza on the back burner "It depends on the situation," Yousaf told MEE "If people don't want to let [him] stop the war this is not a school to stop the kids [from a] fight There's something [that] happened that they need to work on who lost family members to Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon said that there is now a "continuation" of what happened under Biden.  that's not something that we're willing to be patient with or wait for an adequate resolution," she told MEE "Trump received widespread support based on his commitment to put an end to endless wars." Nemer and other concerned Arab Americans in Dearborn have been reaching out to Republican representatives at the state and federal levels asking for meetings with administration officials "The promise to our community members was constant [and] open communication with our community And that has not been happening," Nemer said.  appointed the largest number of Arab Americans to major public roles of any administration the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) noted earlier this month.  a Lebanese-American businessman who is also the father-in-law of Trump's daughter was critical to the bridge-building that ultimately led to Trump's visit to Dearborn.  has a sister who is married to Trump's national security adviser And four other Arab Americans - two of whom are from the Detroit suburbs and whose endorsements of Trump were key to his election sweep among Arabs - are being awarded ambassadorships in the Middle East.  the ADC said that "while policy disagreements exist these appointments marked a significant step forward for representation and set a noteworthy benchmark for future administrations to consider" "If they want the community support moving forward truly understand the intricacies of the different ethnic makeups of the community." Part of the outreach Nemer is leading has come to involve pastor Mark Burns a self-described "deep MAGA" supporter of the president - referring to the Make America Great Again movement - and often referred to as Trump's spiritual adviser where he met members of the Muslim community and where Nemer said they are working towards an interfaith project to elevate anti-war voices as one of the ground zeroes or major hubs for the Islamic community," he told MEE my desire is to cut through the noise of fake news." Burns recently made headlines for his U-turn on pausing aid to Ukraine Burns returned to the US and said he "was wrong" and condemned Russia for its atrocities there.  he said he looks forward to visiting Lebanon after his experience in Dearborn "My goal is to stand on what is right and not what is popular," Burns said "We still need to continue to make America great again and the beautiful people of the Islamic community are part of that," he told MEE "The more that we spend time together and not apart from each other [we] realise where we can stand together." And Trump is open-minded enough to come around Responding to the vitriol from liberal voters being directed at Arab Americans who backed Trump Salama said that it was inevitable some of that would come out [you] fucked around and found out about Biden," she said.  "Biden did the damage that he's done in the Middle East I don't think he can ever match that."  Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      2025 2:25 pm IDTGet email notification for articles from Nagham Zbeedat FollowMay 5 2025 2:25 pm IDTWhile Israel's Druze community urges the state to safeguard Syria's Druze minority amid escalating threats the response across much of the Arab world has been sharply critical Many accuse the Druze in Israel of aligning themselves with the Israeli government with one Egyptian journalist even branding the Druze as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "servants." An article in Al Jazeera last weekend starts off this way:  Not long ago The Al Jazeera Media Network logo is seen on its headquarters building in Doha An article in Al Jazeera last weekend starts off this way: a group of young men died in a car accident in Jerusalem The people of Jerusalem rushed to console the families of the deceased and pray for them They all refused to pray for him or bury him in their cemetery This scene is the fruit of an awareness that has been sown for nearly 100 years about the ugliness and danger of the transfer of real estate to Jews in Palestine in general Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam founded a secret group called “The Black Hand.” This group’s primary mission was to track down Arab and Jewish land brokers who purchased and encouraged land ownership from Arabs to Jews Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was not just a scholar He was a revolutionary leader who built awareness in the face of confrontation and narrated his words with his spirit so that they would rise up among mankind and remain moving without tiring or boredom It goes on to discuss a conference in 1935 with Qassam and the Mufti of Jerusalem where they issued a fatwa that said “Anyone who sells land to the Jews in Palestine whether directly or through an intermediary should not be prayed over or buried in Muslim cemeteries is celebrating people who would murder anyone who sells land to a Jew but saying that you won’t sell land to Jews sounds similar to discrimination in the US until the mid-20th century that allowed private associations to refuse to sell property to minority groups Funny how the anti-racists are silent when they see a direct analogy to historic US racism but done by Palestinian heroes Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Film & TV William MullallyMay 05 WATE 6 On Your Side Arab Fest was held in Market Square in Knoxville, TN The future of Knox County School's Clothing Center will be voted on during a school board meeting on Thursday. This is a program that makes sure Knox County students have the clothing they need. A Knox County prosecutors has been fired and a review of all cases he was involved in has been ordered after a Knox News investigation revealed he posted racist and sexist messages on social media. In June, an inaugural golf tournament being held by the Knoxville Fire Fighters Association will raise funds to help two nonprofit organizations that benefit young burn victims and individuals with neuromuscular diseases, such as muscular dystrophy. Be careful when scrolling through social media, a new scam has surfaced in an East Tennessee Facebook group. The post claims to be promoting a food distribution event for families in need, but it is not what it seems. Fanboy Expo is set to take place at the Knoxville Convention Center on July 11-13. 6 News reported Molly O'Brien breaks down Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Some Tennessee state laws are being called into question following public outrage over the sentencing of a former Blount County teacher. Spam text messages have surged nationally over the last few years. There was one month last year in which 19 billion spam texts were received in just 30 days, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The more common ones we’re seeing in East Tennessee are text alert scams. Executives with TVA Credit Union said spoke with Don Dare about the scams they are seeing. A new department may be taking over the Knox County Schools Clothing and Resource Center as the Board of Education is set to consider their proposal. Road closures impacted McGhee Tyson Airport Irreconcilable visions among Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States, plus Israel and the US, condemn the Strip and its people to ruins The latest round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo encapsulates the agonizing paradox gripping the devastated enclave This stance is reinforced by far-right coalition partners pushing for mass displacement and the dissolution of the PA Egypt neverthless persists in mediation, seeking an elusive intra-Palestinian deal but its leverage is constrained by regional rivalries and its own economic fragility Despite Dahlan's minimal popularity among Palestinians leveraging its financial muscle and Washington connections aid (already partially frozen) to Jordan's compliance While more open to Hamas's inclusion in the broader Palestinian political landscape compared to the UAE or Jordan Qatar’s primary role remains that of a facilitator constrained by the conflicting demands it mediates particularly after provocative remarks from Netanyahu and Trump regarding displacement This media shift, while not a formal policy change, suggests tactical flexibility. The Kingdom endorsed the Egyptian-led Arab League plan as a counter to Trump's proposals and maintains that lasting peace requires a two-state solution Its position remains pragmatic: recognizing Hamas's spoiling power while insisting on its eventual disarmament and PA governance as part of a comprehensive settlement tied to Palestinian statehood This deep Fatah-Hamas schism prevents the emergence of a unified leadership capable of commanding broad support further complicating any "day after" scenario The endgame in Gaza is thus gridlocked by these competing Egypt and Qatar mediate within tight constraints Jordan defends its red line against displacement while now cracking down on Islamists at home signaling disapproval of a future role for Hamas in Gaza Hamas-free outcome aligned with its anti-Islamist drive Meanwhile, Israel, under a leadership perhaps politically invested in perpetual conflict pursues military dominance and indefinite control The United States under Trump offers inconsistent signals while failing to impose a coherent path forward where irreconcilable visions condemn Gaza to ruins and its people to a future trapped between destruction and despair The election of U.S. President Donald Trump changed U.S. policy toward Ukraine from “as long as it takes” to seeking a negotiated peace settlement These negotiations will be driven by the battlefield reality The side holding the biggest advantage gets to dictate the terms This gets more complicated if there is no ceasefire during the negotiations and the battlefield remains dynamic Belligerents may conduct offensive operations while negotiations are progressing to improve their bargaining position such as during the Korean and Vietnam wars losses and quality of strategic leadership are critical to the outcome of negotiations They have staked their reputation on this conflict and with it The Global South and the multipolar world order is waiting in the wings to take over Failure to achieve victory has the potential to fatally undermine that order and remove the West from global leadership which it has enjoyed for the last several centuries The war in Ukraine is now attritional. These types of wars are won not by capturing terrain, but by careful management of resources preserving one’s own while destroying the enemy’s The exchange rate of losses must not only be favorable to one side but it must also account for the total reserves available to the enemy The path to victory lies in the ability to replace losses while fielding new forces and sustaining the civilian economy and morale Replacing losses isn’t simply putting men into uniforms and providing basic training Army units must be collectively trained at multiple levels Losing too many soldiers resets the unit cohesion until it's incapable of any maneuver except defending a trench Fighting is often centered on the same patch of ground with only a little movement until one side is no longer able to sustain the conflict The Spanish Civil War and World War I are prime examples These wars were mostly stationary right up to the last moment when one side capitulated The Ukrainian war is running along the same trajectory Strategic leadership is vital because it guides the resource management of the conflict Failure to identify strategic goals and wasting resources on irrelevant objectives causes the odds of victory slip away Below is a brief summary of each side’s resource losses and capacity to maintain the conflict to date Once the initial blitzkrieg failed to deliver regime change in Kyiv in the first two months Russian political and military leadership appears to have grasped the attritional nature of the conflict and the importance of preserving resources They have gone out of their way to preserve their combat capabilities and on three occasions in 2022—at Kyiv Kharkiv and Kherson—gave up land to save soldiers These defeats were public relations nightmares who were used to form the core of the new army the system provides a year of basic training to every qualified male in Russia he only needs a few months of individual refresher and collective training Ukrainian soldiers must be trained from scratch This gives Russia a massive advantage in forming new units The challenge would come if volunteers ran out as there is very little political appetite in the country for another round of mobilization These kinds of situations likely doubled the casualty rate inside the Russian Army expending valuable resources in a self-inflicting wound Congress and did not want to deal with the optics of losing this symbol it is impossible to militarily justify this colossal waste of men and resources The Ukrainian army has had some successes where military objective was put first The Kharkiv offensive was masterfully planned and executed The careful planning and preparation allowed the Ukrainian army to achieve the element of surprise the “Antiseptic” Telegram channel has one of the few databases that compare current and prewar satellite photos of select Ukrainian cemeteries The limited nature of cemeteries may result in undercounting; for example the city of Kharkiv has multiple cemeteries Soldiers buried in other city cemeteries are not counted The chart below averages out the percent of prewar population lost by locality and then compares it to the total population of Ukraine likely another 769,000 wounded who will never recover enough to go back to the front This matches the Jamestown Foundation’s estimate another 400,000-600,000 wounded recovering in hospitals leaving 1 million to 800,000 still in the field Without a miraculous source of experienced the Ukrainian army may collapse in the next six to 12 months but it won’t solve the problem of motivation These are unlikely to make an impact where Storm Shadows failed Ukraine has the technology but does not appear to produce in sufficient numbers to match the Russians With mounting manpower and equipment shortfalls it is difficult to see how Ukraine can hold on without the direct intervention of Western Especially with Ukrainian political leadership continuing to prioritize PR instead of military objectives This could help to explain why Trump’s team is so keen to end the war in Ukraine Ukraine still holds cards at the negotiating table But time is running out for the Ukrainians Ukraine has significant problems with manpower The balance of power is shifting in Russia’s favor Ukrainians will start facing the collapse of the front This outcome is more likely given the negative trend in decision making by Ukrainian political leadership Unless they begin to conserve combat power Ukraine needs a ceasefire now to gain breathing room for restoring its combat power and improving its standing at the peace negotiations The current trends on the battlefield are more supportive of the U.S a chance to contain the fallout from the Ukrainian war to Europe and to preserve its global leadership buying off select NATO members with territories to split the unity of alliance This will reduce Ukraine to a landlocked rump state based around Kyiv The real question is: Can Ukraine gain an acceptable risking a military collapse and a far worse Russian dictate later This article was republished with permission from Russia Matters Today, there are only three global naval powers: the United States, China, and Russia able occasionally to deploy further afield If Donald Trump wants European states to look after their own collective security Britain might be better off keeping its handful of ships in the Atlantic although still able to inflict severe damage on Ukraine few people talk about the real Russian naval capacity to challenge Western dominance how this will increasingly come up against U.S That is an incredible message to our adversaries It is an incredible show of unity to our allies and our commitment to NATO.” almost half of Britain’s fighting ships embarked from Portsmouth and Devonport to much fanfare “the world’s most advanced air defense destroyer,” has been in the dry dock since 2017 I’ve just finished reading “The Royal and Russian Navies, Cooperation, Competition and Confrontation,”written by Britain’s former Naval Attache to Moscow retired Principal Lecturer at the Defence Centre for Languages & Culture at the UK’s Defence Academy The authors argue that while we have focused most of our attention on Russia’s army in Ukraine And thinking about Russia as a relic of its Cold War self is a huge mistake laboring under sanctions and the tight fiscal constraints of the war in Ukraine Russia’s naval yards have built new vessels non-stop for the past decade Russia has taken delivery of 27 submarines Many more are under construction and will arrive by the end of this decade The Royal Navy, on the other hand, has continued to shrink in the teeth of defense cuts, and each new efficiency drive makes it smaller. The two Albion-class landing vessels and negotiations about their sale to Brazil are at an advanced stage The increase in defense spending to 2.5% of GDP will mostly be swallowed by the MoD’s bloated procurement programs that are typically delayed and always over budget It will not produce a rapid conveyor belt of ship-building that has seen Russia overtake Britain at a rapid pace since the Ukraine crisis started The book also underlines the importance of dialogue as a key component of deterrence and reminds the reader of the significant naval cooperation that took place between the two navies after the Cold War When HMS Battleaxe sailed into Baltiysk in 1992 the first Royal Navy ship visit to modern-day Russia it discovered the remnants of the Soviet Navy The Russian Navy had become the main beneficiary of Russia’s state armament program and a Russian admiral was saying the UK’s decision to give up the Nimrod Maritime Patrol Aircraft in 2010 made his “life easier.” practically all direct engagement between the Royal and Russian navies was cut at the instigation of the UK government the UK and Russia have no serving military attachés in their respective embassies in London and Moscow for the first time since 1941 Our modern generation of seafarers are now only able to view Russians through binoculars Britain has literally watched a modernizing Russian navy sail off into a distant horizon as we’ve criticized Russia from an ivory conning tower From his ridiculous photo op on the deck of HMS The Prince of Wales, it’s not clear that Keir Starmer has understood that the world now contains just three global naval powers: the United States of America Russian naval ambitions have now grown in the High North (Arctic) and in the Pacific While Britain’s modest Carrier Strike Group steams east, Russia has already been active in joint naval exercises with China and Iran as well as ship visits to Myanmar and other locations Britain has practically no scope to control Russia’s increasingly assertive naval posture in Asia This decade-long lack of engagement — not just by Britain but by America pre-Trump — has left us sailing blind on how Russian doctrine and tactics have shifted in the forge of war in Ukraine It's clear to me that in this new world order of military burden sharing between America and Europe Britain would be better placed keeping its handful of ships in the Atlantic while America increasingly comes into contact with the Russian Navy in the Pacific In President Donald Trump’s first 100 days his administration has arrested and detained visa holders and other non-citizens in the U.S for speaking out against Israel’s military actions in Gaza That’s not how the administration frames it but that is the connective tissue in each of the cases “We’re either a free society governed by the Constitution Paul was specifically addressing the Antisemitism Awareness Act which would codify a Trump-era executive order declaring that antisemitism is a prohibited form of discrimination in schools and universities and would use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in assessing cases of antisemitic discrimination through the Department of Education Critics say that it would allow the government to conflate criticism of Zionism and the Israeli government with antisemitism and serve as a dangerous tool to shut down free speech Paul wondered aloud if campus police would be used in enforcing new speech rules As The Jewish Chronicle reported after the vote was postponed Paul was part of “a testy hearing on Wednesday that covered objections to the bill ranging from whether a Christian would be barred from saying that Jews killed Jesus to the acceptability of making contemporary political allusions to Nazi Germany and even the comedy of Jerry Seinfeld and Joan Rivers.” Paul cited the landmark 1969 Brandenburg v. Ohio case in which Ku Klux Klan member Clarence Brandenburg was convicted under two Ohio laws of allegedly inciting violence against Jews and African-Americans with his speech Brandenburg claimed that his punishment violated the First Amendment “Brandenburg was a Nazi and an antisemite and he said horrible things,” Paul said the Supreme Court ruled that you can say terrible things.” The senator compared the American concept of free speech with Europe’s recent crackdowns on speech “That’s unique about our country,” Paul said. “In Europe if you call a boy who thinks he’s a girl a boy If you say something about the Holocaust in Europe Do we want to replicate Europe’s speech laws in the U.S. “We’re codifying what Europe did to speech The Congressional debate is taking place as non-citizen students have been snatched away ostensibly for what they said or wrote about Israel the former co-president of Columbia University’s Palestinian Student Union of using “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” against Jewish students during a protest on campus in 2024 A 34-year-old permanent resident of the U.S who was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank before moving to the U.S Mahdawi was detained by ICE agents while at his naturalization hearing in Vermont on April 14 He was never formally charged with a crime We don't know if the other non-citizen students detained by immigration authorities in the last month have actually been involved in threats or intimidation because the administration has been deliberately vague about its reasons for detaining them Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the administration has the right to deport non-citizens when their "presence and activities in the United States would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S He is invoking a little-used clause in the Immigration and Nationality Act which stipulates that the Secretary of State can determine what kind of activity rises to the level of having “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the country Others are still in detention awaiting hearings Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil claims he was arrested on March 8 for a speech he gave during campus protests, though he too was never charged with anything. A judge has said the administration’s attempt to deport him will be decided in court He has been accused by Department of Homeland Security officials of spreading Hamas propaganda something his family and supporters vehemently deny the detainees’ support for the Palestinians’ plight and criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza appear to be the primary reasons behind their arrests But if America did ignore the First Amendment and allowed rigid UK-style speech laws instead Do the purveyors of the new antisemitism speech legislation on Capitol Hill know that this could boomerang on them when their ideological opponents someday get back into power Carving out one country in the world and making it forbidden to criticize its government is the complete antithesis of the Constitution’s protections and a betrayal of the American tradition. The First Amendment allows anyone on American soil to critique the U.S. government, but now condemning a foreign government could land you in jail or deported to another country? On what grounds? By what logic? By whose laws? Rand Paul is right. One would think that putting America first might include putting its First Amendment first, too. About UsPrivacy PolicyPitchRS@quincyinst.org©2025 Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft ©2025 Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters It looks like nothing was found at this location '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" 2025 (SPS) – The Arab Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People announced in a statement issued today its joining of the international campaign demanding the immediate release of Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan jails the committee condemned all forms of oppression and arbitrary detention endured by the Sahrawi people for half a century under the watch of the international and Arab communities—with no regard for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination a right enjoyed by other nations that have achieved independence and freedom worldwide The committee also called on the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council to take urgent action to enforce international laws guaranteeing the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination horrifying chapter in Jewish and Israeli history Nearly two decades before the founding of the state incited by Haj Amin al-Husseini-the pro-Nazi Mufti of Jerusalem-rampaged through the holy city of Hebron on August 24 the Hebron massacre sheds light on the motivations behind the Hamas invasion and the carnage of October 7 is revered as the site of the Machpelah Cave-the burial place of biblical patriarchs and matriarchs Jews and Muslims lived side by side in relative peace conducting business and celebrating together until the violence of 1929 shattered that coexistence came into possession of a box of letters written by David Shainberg a spiritually inclined American yeshiva student who moved to Hebron in 1928 to study Torah His correspondence with his family in Memphis chronicles his religious aspirations and the tranquil life he found among likable The letters also eerily foreshadow the massacre as Shainberg was among those brutally murdered in the riots Schwartz expertly weaves Shainberg’s personal story with broader historical context Israel did not yet exist; Shainberg and his fellow students were focused on religious study many indifferent or even opposed to political Zionism fueled by Arab fears that religious Jews were seeking to pray at the Western Wall and by growing Jewish immigration which sparked suspicions of dispossession among Arab residents Unfounded rumors that Jews planned to rebuild their ancient Temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque-a site holy to both Jews and Muslims-further inflamed passions claiming Jews intended to destroy Muslim holy sites while a few courageous Arabs risked their lives to protect Jewish neighbors The Hebron massacre ended the Jewish community’s centuries-long presence in the city and Jews did not return in significant numbers until after the Six-Day War in 1967 The violence of 1929 galvanized Jewish self-defense efforts Schwartz’s narrative extends beyond the massacre itself exploring the emergence of Palestinian nationalism and its efforts-diplomatic and military-to halt Jewish immigration and presence in the land and the ultimate rejection of the United Nations partition plan culminated in the 1948 War of Independence-known to Arabs as the “Naqba,” or catastrophe Schwartz was nearly finished with her manuscript when Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 The parallels between the Hebron pogrom and the Hamas-led attack-were impossible to ignore and the refusal to accept Jewish claims to the land Hamas named its operation the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” echoing the religious rhetoric of a century earlier The brutality of the attacks-targeting civilians and the elderly-underscores the enduring nature of the conflict Schwartz’s book is not only a history but a warning and interviews with survivors and descendants from both sides accessible account brings depth and humanity to a complex if there is one book to read to understand the current Middle East tragedy timely exploration of the roots of the Arab Israeli conflict Schwartz’s masterful storytelling and meticulous research illuminate how the past continues to shape the present and why the search for peace remains so elusive who was born in Israel and served in its army This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2222Saudi Arabia has raised the official selling price (OSP) for its flagship Arab light crude it sells to Asia in June to $1.40 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average, according to a pricing document seen by Reuters on Monday. The OSP premium for May was $1.20 a barrel. Copyright © 2025 FactSet Research Systems Inc.© 2025 TradingView Israeli officials have not yet determined cause of fires As wildfires continued to burn across Israel messages on Arab social media called on Palestinians and Israeli Arabs to burn fields in revenge for Gaza Israel Police also announced the arrests of three suspects for arson and attempted arson in the Jerusalem area after receiving reports of the suspects attempting to ignite fires The three were arrested after inciting posts were distributed on Arab social media calling for more fires to be ignited One suspect in his 50s was reported to be a resident of the Um Tuba neighborhood in East Jerusalem He was arrested after he was observed trying to ignore a fire in an open field south of Jerusalem The suspect tried to flee from the police and was arrested after a chase and other combustible materials were found He was transferred to a police station for interrogation Some of the inciting posts showed images of the fires along with comments like "Let the settlers be ashes under your feet," or calls to "burn forests near settlements" and "ignite rage and flames of revenge in their homes The Jenin News Network Telegram channel called on Palestinians to "burn the groves near the settlements" in a post earlier in the day along with an illustration of a person wearing a keffiyeh setting fires to fields near a burning town A Palestinian account posted on 𝕏: “A call to the revolutionary youth and all the heroes of the West Bank...Settlers' homes and the surrounding areas are your target Burn them with your Molotov cocktails and set fire to the grass near the settlement outposts,” along with the hashtag “Burn settlers' houses.”  A post from a Hebron resident appeared to claim that the fires were all incidents of nationalistic arson We would like to raise the issue because as of this moment terrorist squads are roaming around arson and burning unhindered throughout our country Multiple arrests have been made in connection to the horrible fires spreading across the Jerusalem hills. 16 injured and dozens of cars were abandoned on route 1 where traffic built up. People fled their vehicles led and ran. Meanwhile, Arabic social media is filled with… pic.twitter.com/VcqbzwQLzR the Israeli authorities have not declared a definite cause for any of the fires although are reports that arson is suspected in some of the cases Channel 14 military correspondent Hillel Biton Rosen pointed to the large number of fires in different areas of the nation the Israel Police will have to deal with this matter.”   The Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) announced it is investigating the fires for possible nationalistic arson after receiving reports that several of the blazes were manmade many Independence Day events across Israel have been canceled due to the fires and the need for fire and rescue services to be dedicated to helping those affected The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel WASHINGTON — Harvard University is promising to review its academic offerings and admissions policies in response to a pair of internal reports on antisemitism and anti-Arab prejudice at the Ivy League campus commissioned in the aftermath of last spring's pro-Palestinian protests Harvard released the reports on Tuesday while the university simultaneously battles the Trump administration over demands to limit campus activism — reforms the government says are necessary to root out campus antisemitism The administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding and Harvard responded with a lawsuit in a clash that is being watched closely across higher education Harvard President Alan Garber said Harvard has made "necessary changes and essential progress" over the past year but promised further action "We will redouble our efforts to ensure that the University is a place where ideas are welcomed entertained and contested in the spirit of seeking truth," Garber wrote Garber convened two panels to study campus antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias last year with an initial round of recommendations released last June The final reports total more than 500 pages and include dozens of recommended changes Harvard said it will begin implementing at least some of the recommendations chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee said Harvard's internal reports suggest it tolerated antisemitism "Harvard's president said the school will not abide bigotry yet that's exactly what the school's feckless leadership did," said Walberg In a list of "actions and commitments," Harvard said it will review admissions processes to make sure applicants are evaluated based on their ability to "engage constructively with different perspectives show empathy and participate in civil discourse." It pointed to a recently added application question asking students about a time they strongly disagreed with someone The antisemitism task force called for that kind of questioning saying Harvard should reject anyone with a history of bias and look unfavorably on "exhibitions of hostility it appears to fall short of the Trump administration's demands around admissions which called on Harvard to end all preferences "based on race or proxies thereof" and implement "merit-based" policies by August The Supreme Court has rejected the use of race in college admissions but many colleges look at factors including students' family income and geography to bring a diverse class to campus Responding to complaints that Harvard's instruction had become too politicized and anti-Israel the university said it will work to hold professors to new standards of "excellence." Deans will make sure faculty promote intellectual openness and refrain from endorsing political positions "that may cause students to feel pressure to demonstrate allegiance," the university said Courses and curriculum will also be reviewed to reflect those standards Other changes include required antisemitism training for students and staff along with expanded academic offerings on Hebrew Harvard will put money toward a research project on antisemitism along with a historical overview on Muslims Garber said Harvard will accelerate a campus-wide effort to promote viewpoint diversity Viewpoint diversity is among the top concerns of the White House which demanded that Harvard hire an external auditor to make sure the student body and every academic department represent diverse views Harvard is the first university to openly defy the Trump administration as it uses its hold on colleges' federal funding to press its political agenda The administration has argued that universities did not do enough to check antisemitism at campus protests last year Garber has said Harvard will not bend to the demands calling it a threat to academic freedom and the autonomy of all universities Become an NPR sponsor It has been abundantly clear for years that Trump is obsessed with tariffs seeing them as a silver bullet that will magically bring back the manufacturing jobs he so nostalgically yearns for the US has been losing manufacturing jobs for about 50 years—a process that is essentially beyond the control of any administration It is also abundantly clear that Trump is no great friend of Arab countries having instituted a travel ban against Muslims entering the country soon after assuming the presidency in 2017 So I wonder how Trump would react if someone told him that tariff is an Arabic word. Corey Robin, in an article in the Sidecar columns of New Left Review ‘is the most beautiful word in the dictionary’ He won’t be pleased to learn that it comes from Arabic Ta‘rīf is a notification; ‘arrafa means to make known Trump hasn’t really made known why he’s imposing the tariffs – or why I find it more than a little ironic that the word Trump loves more than any other comes from Arabic given his general attitude toward Arab countries seems to think that only English should be spoken in the United States the GOP in general seems to have an obsession with English I sometimes wonder if this is because Donald has such a poor command of it a language study found that Trump uses the most primitive language of any president in the last 90 years (Thomas B ‘The Whole of Liberal Democracy Is in Grave Danger at This Moment’ Trump presumably made English the “official” language in order to disadvantage the many Spanish-speaking people living here—whose command of English might words from many other languages have become part of the English vocabulary over time Tariff is just one example out of thousands I’m thinking particularly of the Spanish we use in English despite so many nativists like Stephen Miller insisting that everyone speak “English only.” Spanish words in English include for example adobe So in that sense we already speak Spanish quite often I was smoking a cigarette and enjoying the summer breeze while relaxing in a hammock on the patio of my ranch In addition to disadvantaging those for whom English is a second language Trump’s desire that everyone speak English only could have negative ramifications in other respects Being able to speak more than one language is useful and beneficial in countless different ways multilingual ability is known to improve thinking as well as slow down mental aging Ellen Bialystok and colleagues at York University in Toronto found that “bilingualism helps to offset age-related losses in certain executive processes.” Trump’s executive order making English the official language could also subtly discourage the learning of other languages A perhaps not-undesirable side effect from the Trump GOP point of view Apparently it’s better to narrow the mind rather than broaden it—so much the easier to keep the population dumbed down and manipulable Not signed up for Daily Kos yet? Create a free account Hamas has issued a statement condemning the governments of Arab and Muslim countries for not fulfilling "their expected duty to stop the open massacre and famine” in Gaza The group called on governments “to pressure the US administration and the countries supporting the Zionist aggression”