Author: Reporter

The risk of a slogan: Why “from the river to the sea” sparks fury and passion over the Israel-Hamas war

The Jordan River is a winding, 200-plus-mile run on the eastern flank of Israel and the occupied West Bank. The sea is the glittering Mediterranean to its west. But a phrase about the space in between, “from the river to the sea,” has become a battle cry with new power to roil Jews and pro-Palestinian activists in the aftermath of Hamas’ deadly rampage across southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” pro-Palestinian activists from London to Rome and Washington chanted in the volatile aftermath...

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Purple Heart: Veteran of Korean War still seeking recognition of combat wound after seven decades

Earl Meyer remembers in vivid detail when his platoon came under heavy fire during the Korean War, he still has shrapnel embedded in his thigh. But over 70 years later, the 96-year-old is still waiting for the U.S. Army to recognize his injury and to award him a Purple Heart medal, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat. Meyer has provided the Army with documents to back up his assertion that he was wounded in combat in June 1951. Doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs agreed that his account of the shrapnel coming from a mortar...

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Milwaukee Brewers fans grapple with the stinging reality of Craig Counsell managing the Chicago Cubs

The first sign of discontent regarding Craig Counsell’s decision to leave the Milwaukee Brewers to manage the Chicago Cubs appeared in his hometown at the Little League field that bears his name. The word “ass” was spray-painted across Counsell’s name on the sign outside the ballpark at Whitefish Bay, the Milwaukee suburb where Counsell grew up and still lives. The sign was covered up on November 7, one day after the Cubs landed Counsell with a five-year deal worth over $40 million. The Brewers now must try to keep winning in Major League Baseball’s smallest market without the manager...

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Gulf widens between Netanyahu and U.S. over future Palestinian government for Gaza and West Bank

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on November 8 for a united and Palestinian-led government for Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, as a step toward Palestinian statehood. That vision sharpens U.S. differences with ally Israel on what the future should look like for the Palestinian territories once Israel’s military campaign against Hamas winds down. Blinken’s outline of what Americans think should come next for Gaza also serves as a check on the postwar scenarios floated by officials of Israel’s hard-right government and its supporters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on November 6 that Israel’s military...

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Artists inspire outrage after creating “kidnapped” posters as public reminder of hostages held by Hamas

Making the posters, they said, came out of a desire to feel connected, and to do something to help. Artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid would normally have been at home in Tel Aviv with family and friends, but were instead in New York City to take part in an art program when Hamas fighters massacred more than 1,400 people in Israel on October 7. They channeled their anguish into creating posters bearing the names and faces of the more than 200 people taken hostage during the attack, each page blaring “KIDNAPPED” across the top. The goal was to...

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Forced removals from elected office emerge as a political weapon of choice in Wisconsin and Red states

Republicans in Wisconsin are threatening to impeach a recently elected state Supreme Court justice and raised the possibility of doing the same to the state’s election director. A Georgia Republican called for impeaching the Fulton County prosecutor who brought racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump. Republicans in the Pennsylvania House have already impeached the top prosecutor in Philadelphia. None of the targets met the bar traditionally set for impeachment — credible allegations of committing a crime while in office. Their offense: staking out positions legislative Republicans didn’t like. As Republicans in Congress begin their impeachment inquiry into President...

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