Future sees positive signs in Nasrallah speech

BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Monday extended an olive branch to the Future Movement, offering to cooperate with his Sunni rivals to shield Lebanon as it faces mounting security threats linked to regional turmoil.

In rare praise of his rivals, Nasrallah said the national stances of the Future Movement as well as Sunni political and religious leaders during last month’s fighting between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants in the northern city of Tripoli had spared Lebanon “a big disaster.”

He also publicly announced for the first time that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is Hezbollah’s presidential candidate, while voicing his party’s support for the extension of Parliament’s mandate.

Nasrallah’s conciliatory remarks toward the Future Movement drew a quick response from the group.

“No doubt, Nasrallah’s remarks are positive with regard to reducing Sunni-Shiite tension,” Future MP Ammar Houri told The Daily Star Monday night.

However, he said the Future Movement would need some time to make “a careful reading” of Nasrallah’s speech before taking a final stance.

Houri recalled that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri had launched an initiative three months ago for dialogue with the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance to break the political deadlock that has left Lebanon without a president for more than five months.

“Nasrallah responded to Hariri’s initiative today,” Houri said.

Referring to a long-simmering political feud with the Future Movement that had sometimes erupted into street violence between supporters of the two parties, Nasrallah, making a rare public appearance in Beirut’s southern suburbs, told a roaring audience: “We disagree on a lot of issues, and we disagree with our local and regional analyses. Sometimes we become enemies and rivals, but our ethics teach us that we must thank and praise those who regard the national good.”

He was speaking on the last night of Ashoura commemorations which reach a climax Tuesday.

Nasrallah lauded the Future Movement and its leadership for helping bring an end to the deadly four-day clashes in Tripoli and other parts of the north last month that pitted the Army against militants inspired by ISIS and Nusra Front.

“If we want to neutralize and shield the country, then we need to talk to each other. During the last few weeks, allied and friendly factions have told us that the time has come for dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah. We said we have no objection,” he said. “From this position, I announce that we are ready for this dialogue.”He lauded the Army as “the only true guarantor” of cohesion and civil peace in Lebanon.

“The resistance will never present itself as a security institution. A political institution, yes. But not a guarantor of internal security and stability like the Army.”

At least eight civilians, 11 soldiers and 23 militants were killed in the Tripoli clashes, the worst bout of internal violence since the five-day battle with ISIS and Nusra Front militants in the northeastern town of Arsal in early August.

“Lebanon has been spared a big disaster. It is clear now the magnitude of what was being planned for Lebanon and the north,” Nasrallah said, thanking the residents and Sunni religious and political authorities of Tripoli and the north for their solidarity with the Army.

He also publicly announced for the first time that Aoun is Hezbollah’s presidential candidate in the face of the March 14-backed candidate Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

Lebanon has been without a president since former head of state Michel Sleiman’s term ended in May, with rivals squabbling over a successor.

Aoun has said he is ready to be a consensus candidate, but has yet to officially declare his candidacy.

“In the country every faction blames the other for the stalemate. I believe that no one in the country wants a void in the presidential post,” Nasrallah said. “We all want a president at Baabda Palace as soon as possible.”

Nasrallah said it is time for the country to reclaim its right to choose a leader without the interference of regional powers, but insisted that neither Iran nor Syria is complicating the situation for Lebanon to elect a president.

“Syria has said that it would support any candidate that is approved by Hezbollah and the resistance,” Nasrallah said. “Iran, has said that the presidency is an internal file and we will not intervene, and it approves any candidate that makes the resistance comfortable.”

As Parliament is set to vote Wednesday on the extension of its mandate for two years and seven months despite opposition by the country’s major Christian blocs, Nasrallah said he supported the move to avert a parliamentary vacuum, that would add to the 5-month-old vacuum in the presidency.

“If you want elections, we are ready. And if you want an extension, we are also ready, but what we are not at all ready for is an institutional void,” he said.

Nasrallah said that Iran’s recent offer of military aid to Lebanon would benefit the Army, but added the decision to accept it or not was ultimately that of the government.

March 14 rivals have cautioned the government against accepting the aid, saying it would violate international sanctions against Tehran and compromise Lebanon’s relationship with the West.

“We don’t want to make a problem in the country over the acceptance of the aid. It’s the Lebanese government’s decision, not mine. But this aid would help the Lebanese Army and no strings are attached,” Nasrallah said.

The Hezbollah chief urged the families of the 27 soldiers and policemen being held hostage by Nusra and ISIS militants on Arsal’s outskirts to show more patience and cooperation to reach a “viable solution” to end the three-month-long hostage crisis.

Kahwagi off to Riyadh for signing of $3B arms deal

BEIRUT: Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi will attend a signing ceremony Tuesday to close a long-awaited $3 billion weapons deal financed by Saudi Arabia and to be delivered by France, a security source said.

The source told The Daily Star that the Army chief, at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, left Beirut for Riyadh Monday.

The final deal between France and Saudi Arabia to provide Lebanon’s Army with $3 billion in arms comes after a nearly one-year delay.

The deal, first announced in December, comes as the poorly equipped Lebanese Army battles jihadists in the north and along its border with war-torn Syria.

“This battle requires equipment, material and technology that the Army doesn’t have,” Kahwagi told AFP in August, urging France to speed up the promised arms supplies.

Pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat reported Monday that the agreement would be signed at the royal palace in Riyadh, citing unidentified French sources.

A source quoted by AFP said the deal would be “rapidly implemented” with the first arms shipment to be delivered “within a month.”

The Saudi aid was announced late last year, but Riyadh has reportedly held back on finalizing the deal over concerns that the weapons could benefit its archfoe Hezbollah.

Lebanon has been engaged in a war against jihadists along the border with Syria after Islamist militants briefly overran the northeastern town of Arsal in early August.

The Army has received batches of weapons and military equipment from the U.K. and the U.S.

Lebanon is also waiting on another Saudi military donation worth $1 billion announced in August.

Iran has also pledged military aid to Lebanon, and Defense Minister Samir Moqbel last month visited Tehran to discuss the terms of the offer.

Sidon starts building national museum

SIDON, Lebanon: Sidon began Monday the construction of a museum that will preserve and showcase precious ruins from the various civilizations that lived in the southern city over a period of 6,000 years. Sidon’s national museum will be established beside the old city’s Freres archaeological site to give visitors easy access.

The space is being designed to accentuate the site’s natural attributes, with pathways connecting to old and modern Sidon.

The museum will span 1,600 square meters and will house all the city’s ruins that are currently dispersed haphazardly between many sites, including the National Museum of Beirut and the storage houses of the Directorate General of Antiquities.

According to design plans, a footbridge will be built at the basement level of the museum to provide visitors with a view of the ruins once they enter the site. The roof of the museum will span 2,000 square meters. The museum is part of a broader project that also aims to refurbish a 19th century house, also present at the site.

The government’s Development and Reconstruction Council, with a grant from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, will oversee the implementation of the project.

The Kuwaiti Fund has contributed $4 million for the project, while the Arab Fund has committed $850,000. Together, both pledges amount to half of the total projected cost of establishing the museum. About $5 million more is needed to fully implement the project.

The museum will also showcase the archeological findings made by a delegation from the British Museum, which this year concluded 16 years of work at the Freres site. The British Museum began its work at the site in 1998, with the approval of the Directorate General of Antiquities.

With their findings dating back to before the fourth millennium B.C., the delegation’s findings reveal previously unknown eras of Sidon’s old history. They reflect on urban development as well as the vital role the Mediterranean Sea played in connecting countries, cities and various civilizations. In particular, the excavations unveiled the important connection between Sidon and other neighboring areas, mainly the Aegean Sea, the Canaan region and Egypt.

The main discoveries found by the British delegation at the site date back to the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman period. For instance, a memorial statue was proven to have been of significance in the middle and late Bronze Age (2100-1200 B.C.), as well as the Iron Age (1200-539 B.C.) and into the Roman period.

More than 1,000 artifacts were discovered by the British delegation, among them 98 objects from the early Bronze Age and the third millennium B.C., 434 objects from the middle Bronze Age, 41 from the late Bronze Age, 104 from the Iron Age, 100 from the Roman period, as well as other statues made of stone and mud of historical significance.

The findings have been classified into three categories: items that can be displayed in open air or at their original area of discovery at the site, those that can be displayed inside the museum under the appropriate internal conditions and those that can be displayed inside glass boxes under the right conditions. Despite delays, most of them are a result of the British delegation’s protracted work, the project is entering its implementation phase.

Those responsible for the project believe it will boost much needed economic and social development in south Lebanon. About 50 job opportunities are expected to be created by the project, in an area with endemic unemployment.

Local authorities and those involved in the project both expressed their hopes that its implementation would have positive implications for the city, and one day make it into a major touristic site.

Beirut southern suburbs closed by police for Ashoura

BEIRUT: All the entrances to the predominately Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut were closed at midnight Monday to help prevent militant attacks against worshippers observing Ashoura Tuesday.

No one will be able to enter the suburbs until the end of the religious ceremonies, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement.

Reports Monday said security forces were carrying out extra searches of vehicles entering the suburbs on the eve of the holiday, creating heavy traffic jams.

Dozens of police and Army checkpoints sprung up throughout the southern suburbs and at its entrances last year during a series of car bomb and suicide attacks targeting neighborhoods seen as sympathetic to Hezbollah.

Many of the attacks in the southern suburbs and eastern Bekaa Valley were carried out by jihadists affiliated with the Nusra Front and ISIS, which are holding 27 Lebanese policemen and soldiers hostage near the northeast border town of Arsal.

The municipality of Hermel said Monday that a 24-hour curfew on Syrians would be imposed for Ashoura in order to prevent violence.

The Ashoura marches have been an issue of great concern due to the risk of bombings by jihadists, who say Hezbollah invited the attacks after intervening in Syria on the side of government forces.

Ashoura marches are particularly vulnerable because of the massive participation in the events.

Extremists have carried out a number of attacks on Shiite targets during the 10 days of Ashoura in other parts of the region. A bomb killed 14 Shiite pilgrims in the Sadr City area of Baghdad Sunday, after two similar deadly explosions had killed 20 people in the Iraqi capital.

The day of Ashoura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and is commemorated by Shiites as the day when Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, was killed.

His death came during a battle in the city of Karbala, 100 kilometers southwest Baghdad, in A.D. 680.

Millions of Shiites are expected to march in Karbala Tuesday, while the Iraqi authorities have stepped up security measures to prevent any jihadist threat.

Beirut southern suburbs closed by police for Ashoura

BEIRUT: All the entrances to the predominately Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut were closed at midnight Monday to help prevent militant attacks against worshippers observing Ashoura Tuesday.

No one will be able to enter the suburbs until the end of the religious ceremonies, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement.

Reports Monday said security forces were carrying out extra searches of vehicles entering the suburbs on the eve of the holiday, creating heavy traffic jams.

Dozens of police and Army checkpoints sprung up throughout the southern suburbs and at its entrances last year during a series of car bomb and suicide attacks targeting neighborhoods seen as sympathetic to Hezbollah.

Many of the attacks in the southern suburbs and eastern Bekaa Valley were carried out by jihadists affiliated with the Nusra Front and ISIS, which are holding 27 Lebanese policemen and soldiers hostage near the northeast border town of Arsal.

The municipality of Hermel said Monday that a 24-hour curfew on Syrians would be imposed for Ashoura in order to prevent violence.

The Ashoura marches have been an issue of great concern due to the risk of bombings by jihadists, who say Hezbollah invited the attacks after intervening in Syria on the side of government forces.

Ashoura marches are particularly vulnerable because of the massive participation in the events.

Extremists have carried out a number of attacks on Shiite targets during the 10 days of Ashoura in other parts of the region. A bomb killed 14 Shiite pilgrims in the Sadr City area of Baghdad Sunday, after two similar deadly explosions had killed 20 people in the Iraqi capital.

The day of Ashoura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and is commemorated by Shiites as the day when Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, was killed.

His death came during a battle in the city of Karbala, 100 kilometers southwest Baghdad, in A.D. 680.

Millions of Shiites are expected to march in Karbala Tuesday, while the Iraqi authorities have stepped up security measures to prevent any jihadist threat.

Hospital ranks change with new ministry standards

BEIRUT: The Health Ministry has shaken up its list of hospital rankings after adding patient satisfaction and financial integrity to the criteria list, Minister Wael Abu Faour announced Monday.

Six hospitals slipped from rank A to rank B after dozens of Lebanese hospitals were examined under the new standards, Faour said in a televised news conference.

Three hospitals experienced a more severe drop, falling from A to C, while 23 others were pushed down from B to C.

Only four hospitals went up in ranking, jumping from class B to A, Abu Faour said.

Hospitals with higher ranks receive more government subsidies.

The new rating system came after Abu Faour announced a reform proposal for the health sector, saying that hospital violations could no longer be tolerated. The plan included a new classification criteria list in which patient satisfaction and an audit of hospital bills were introduced for the first time.

Abu Faour introduced a new, electronic system to audit 100 percent of hospital bills, after an old, manual method could only examine 10 percent of the records.

Hospitals that showed a significant difference between the bills they submitted to the ministry and the services they were actually offering will be punished with a lower rating.

The minister explained that the differences, or what the policy calls “reductions,” occur either when the hospital sets higher prices for the services, or when it illegally increases the bills submitted to the ministry.

Apart from the two main elements, the criteria also included the extent to which a hospital receives a wide range of cases and whether or not they have an intensive care room.

Hospitals that did not score high in this study will have another chance, as the ministry will collect the data again in six months and issue new classifications.

Families hope Nusra swap deal will end crisis

BEIRUT: Officials tasked with following up on the matter of the hostages will not meet until Wednesday or Thursday to discuss a list of demands issued Saturday by the Nusra Front, ministerial sources told The Daily Star Monday.

Relatives of the 27 kidnapped servicemen hope their imminent meeting with the head of the Higher Relief Committee will provide a window into the secret negotiations between the Lebanese government and the jihadist captors.

The families were supposed to meet Maj. Gen. Mohammad Khair Monday afternoon but the meeting was adjourned for unknown reasons, the relatives said.

After months of protesting, blocking roads and sleeping in tents, the soldiers’ families appear to have lost all faith in the government, but remain hopeful that Nusra’s prisoner swap proposal might be considered to end the crisis.

“We understood that all they care about is their private interests, and that the lives of our sons do not have any value to them,” said Jawdat Jaber, father of kidnapped Lance Cpl. Maymoun Jaber.

Several other family members gathered around Jaber near his blue tent in Downtown Beirut’s Riad al-Solh Square where they have been camping out through rainstorms over the past several weeks to remind the government they cannot be ignored.

Pointing at the Grand Serail, which is protected from the angry citizens by barbed wire and barricades, Jaber made a call to the politicians he insisted were failing to carry out their duties.

“Accept the demands, and let us have our sons back. Enough playing with our nerves, and enough making a huge deal out of it. Make a decision,” he urged as others nodded their heads in agreement.

Nusra Front militants, who along with ISIS are holding 27 servicemen hostage in Arsal’s outskirts, announced Saturday their new demands for releasing them.

The government was given three choices: either to release 10 Islamist detainees from prison for each captive; to release seven detainees and ask the Syrian government to release 30 women from its prisons for each captive; or to release five men from Lebanon and 50 women from Syria for each captive.

Jaber said that representatives of the families were waiting to meet with Khair, hoping to receive new information about the government’s internal discussions.

As for the crisis cell, which is a small committee responsible for the negotiations on behalf of the government, its next meeting will take place Wednesday, the soldiers’ parents were told.

But ministerial sources told The Daily Star the meeting might take place Thursday, as Prime Minister Tammam Salam returns to Beirut from abroad Wednesday afternoon.

The Cabinet Thursday will have its weekly meeting, during which the ministers may make a decision over the hostage crisis.

Jaber and those standing around him could not hide the anger and frustration accumulated over the past three months, powerless to help their children as they fed off bits of often contradicting information.

Jaber explained that their anger is being exacerbated by their awareness that the Islamists in Roumieh’s prison were enjoying better lives than their sons, while the government hesitates to make any real decision.

“If they believe that keeping the Islamist detainees in prison is more important than getting back our sons, then see what I’ll do [to the Roumieh prisoners] if the captors injure my son,” he warned.

Al-Jadeed editor trial delayed to spring 2015

BEIRUT: The trial of a top editor of Al-Jadeed for contempt of court was delayed to the spring of 2015, a judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon said Monday, and will be a “swift” trial that lasts a little over a month.

The trial was originally scheduled for late November in The Hague, but was delayed after defense lawyers for Karma al-Khayyat, the deputy head of news at Al-Jadeed, said they needed more time to prepare their case.

“I consider that a date in 2014 for the start of the trial is now really unrealistic,” said Contempt Judge Nicola Lettieri, at a pretrial conference with prosecutors and Khayyat and Al-Jadeed TV’s lawyers. “The defense simply requires time to investigate.”

“We cannot begin the trial this year,” he said.

Lettieri said an appropriate trial date would be in the second half of March, but said he would arrive on a final date soon, and that the trial would be “swift and concentrated.”

The STL is tasked with prosecuting those responsible for the Valentine’s Day bombing in 2005 that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and plunged Lebanon into turmoil.

The U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted five members of Hezbollah in connection with the attack and their trial in absentia is ongoing in The Hague.

Khayyat and her parent company are accused of contempt of court and obstruction of justice in connection with a TV news report aired by Al-Jadeed that allegedly disclosed personal details of secret witnesses in the Hariri case.

If convicted, the accused face a maximum of seven years in jail, a fine of 100,000 euros, or both.

Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper, faces similar charges.

The case has aroused widespread opposition in Lebanese civil society. Opponents say the court is stifling freedom of the press in Lebanon and is singling out Al-Jadeed and Al-Akhbar. Western news outlets have disclosed sensitive Hariri investigation details without facing prosecution. They also say the court ought to focus on its core mandate of trying Hariri’s assassins.

Officials, MPs and academics have written to the court opposing the trial.

The STL argues that a trial is necessary to preserve public confidence in the tribunal and to protect witnesses from intimidation. It also argues that freedom of expression has limits and cannot be used to undermine the integrity of legal proceedings.

Defense lawyers had argued that they need more time to study the evidence disclosed to them by the prosecutor, including expert reports and witness statements that will be used in the trial.

They said that any trial before February would undermine the rights of the accused, saying the proper administration of justice was “critically important for the good name of Karma al-Khayyat and Al-Jadeed.”

Lawyers on both sides pledged to make the trial as focused as possible. Prosecutors said they plan on calling 12 witnesses and would need about two weeks to complete their presentation of evidence, totaling between 15 and 20 hours of courtroom time.

Defense lawyers said that their case would not be longer than that of the prosecution.

Getting Out The Vote A More Challenging Task In The Midterms

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Political campaigns are intensely focused on voter turnout in the final hours before Tuesday's midterm election day. And with good reason — overall voter participation is always down in non-presidential years.

Disappointment With Both Parties A Major Factor In Midterm Elections

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

General disgust with both parties and the president have been key ingredients in this year's midterm elections.

In North Carolina, Sen. Kay Hagan Runs Stronger Than Expected

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Republicans thought it would a prime target to win back. But single-term Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan is running stronger than expected, partly because of her ability to engage the African-American vote.

La. Has Become Redder Since Sen. Mary Landrieu Took Office

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The battle for control of the Senate is coming down to fewer than a dozen states around the nation, with Republicans hoping that leads in pre-election polls last through Tuesday. One key potential pickup for Republicans is Louisiana, where Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu is facing a tough challenge.

Recreational, Medical Pot Initiatives On Ballots Across Country

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Three states and the District of Columbia are considering marijuana referenda in Tuesday's election. Washington, D.C., Oregon and Alaska could legalize recreational pot while Florida's ballot includes a constitutional amendment that would legalize medical use of marijuana. Despite legalization in 2012 in Colorado and Washington, the landscape this year looks more difficult for the pro-marijuana camp. Audie Cornish talks with Ricardo Baca, editor of the Denver Post's website, The Cannabist.

Kansas No Longer A Reliably Red State

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Kansas, a reliably red state, is not so reliable anymore. Veteran Sen. Pat Roberts is trying to fend off a serious challenge from an independent candidate, businessman Greg Orman.

Future bloc urges creation of development council for north Lebanon

BEIRUT: The Future bloc said Monday that it is set to submit a law that calls for a developmental council and a special fund dedicated to north Lebanon in light of last week's clashes, while also condemning the widespread deployment of armed forces in Beirut’s neighborhoods on the occasion of Ashoura.

"We are going to deliver an urgent law that calls for the formation of a development council and the creation of a special development fund for Akkar and north Lebanon," read a statement published after the bloc's weekly meeting.

In light of the extensive damage the clashes have caused in north Lebanon, the area has witnessed “economic recession, unemployment, poverty and deprivation,” the bloc said.

According to the bloc, the only viable solution to this crisis would be the formation of a development council for both north Lebanon and Akkar that would oversee the acquisition of funds needed for developmental and economic projects.

The bloc also lauded the citizens of Tripoli for foiling a plot that aimed to pit area residents against the state.

“The city of Tripoli has proven once again that it is a city of moderation and a city of respect for the rule of law,” the statement read.

It also hailed the Cabinet for its LL30 billion ($20 million) pledge to rehabilitate Tripoli, while also praising Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri for matching the donation to help the north.

The bloc called for a swift transfer of the aid, and urged a quick implementation of developmental projects planned for north Lebanon.

The Future bloc denounced the "armed partisan presence” in some neighborhoods of the capital and Beirut’s southern suburbs, who were deployed “under the pretext” of maintaining security during Ashoura, the statement read.

These measures, according to the bloc, increased tensions and “further marginalized the role of the state and its military and security forces, since security measures must be solely and exclusively the responsibility of official military and security forces.”

The Lebanese Army killed 23 militants during a four-day battle last week with Islamists in Tripoli and other parts of the north. Eight civilians and 11 soldiers were also killed in the violence.

The Army later issued a statement warning militants to surrender, or be hunted down. More than 300 suspects have been arrested so far during military raids in various parts of north, east and south Lebanon.

5 Widgets And Apps For Election Day

i i

Laney Barroll Stark, of Savannah, Ga., took a picture with her cell phone as Rep. Jack Kingston, who ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia, addressed supporters at his primary runoff election night party in July. David Goldman/AP hide caption

itoggle caption David Goldman/AP

Laney Barroll Stark, of Savannah, Ga., took a picture with her cell phone as Rep. Jack Kingston, who ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia, addressed supporters at his primary runoff election night party in July.

David Goldman/AP

Election Day is closing in, and time's running out to brush up on the candidates and issues that matter this year. Worried you don't know the essentials for the 2014 midterm elections? Fear not: we've compiled a list of some apps, widgets, and websites that will arm you with knowledge at the ballot box come Nov 4.

Search "My Ballot" (Google+)

Have an Android? You can now ask Google for an overview of the candidates and initiatives. Just say, "Okay Google, what's on my ballot?" or, "Okay Google, who's on my ballot?" and enter your address to get personalized election information. It's one of a number of new tools Google has launched to simplify the voting process. You can also ask Google questions like "what is my registration deadline?" and "what forms of identification do I need?"

Sample Ballot Lookup (Ballotpedia)

What's a ballot initiative and where can you find one? The iVoter sample ballot lookup will find any ballot measures state by state, explain them in detail, and describe the support and opposition arguments for each.

Find Your Polling Place (Rock The Vote)

Plug in your address on the Rock The Vote website, and the form will find the nearest polling places, as well as information on the candidates and ballot initiatives for this election.

Election Collection (Southern Coalition for Social Justice)

Data collection is used in modern campaigning to help volunteers canvass more effectively. But how about an app that can monitor voting problems on Election Day? This mobile data collection app reports, tracks, and responds to voting irregularities and instances of voter suppression at polling places. It uses GPS or wireless to plot each contact report, so volunteers at polling places and the SCSJ can relay the status of Election Day events in real time to both in-house legal response teams and volunteers on the ground.

Voting Information Project White Label App (Voting Information Project)

The VIP is a partnership of state election officials and leading tech companies working to develop open source tools for government officials, campaigns, and voters alike to have access to the same information. The mobile app was developed to inform registered voters of ballot initiatives, candidates for all the relevant offices open for election, and where to vote. You can download the app at the App Store or Google Play Store under the name "Voting Info Project."

Hezbollah ready for dialogue with Future Movement: Nasrallah

Aoun is Hezbollah's presidential candidate: Nasrallah

Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is Hezbollah's presidential candidate, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah...

Nasrallah praises Future Movement pro-Army position in Tripoli clashes

Lebanese Army announces more arrests in Tripoli

The Lebanese Army arrests seven people in its ongoing crackdown on Islamist militants in the northern city of Tripoli.

Ensuring Economic Equality and Opportunity for Women and America’s Working Families

President Barack Obama holds a women's roundtable discussion prior to remarks on the economy at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island, Oct. 31, 2014. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez attends at right. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last week, in Providence, President Obama delivered remarks on the importance of empowering women and girls in our economy. “When women succeed, America succeeds, and we need leaders who understand that,” he told the audience at Rhode Island College (RIC).

But before delivering those remarks, I had the pleasure of joining the President and Labor Secretary Tom Perez, for a roundtable with the President of Rhode Island College, local woman business owners, working moms, and an RIC student to discuss what we need to do to ensure that 21st century workplaces meet the needs of our 21st century workforce -- which is increasingly being led by women.

read more

Hezbollah's candidate for the presidency is FPM leader Michel Aoun: Nasrallah

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Hariri, Sleiman helped secure Saudi $3B Army deal: Jumblatt

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Hezbollah Syria withdrawal no longer demand for hostage release: Nusra

BEIRUT: Nusra has dropped its demand for Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria before freeing the 27 captives being held in northeast Lebanon because the jihadists would now prefer to beat them on the ground, a commander said Monday.

"We want to kick [Hezbollah] out [of Syria] through a military defeat,” the unnamed Nusra commander was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency.

He also said Nusra did not want to be accused of making impossible demands.

Nusra and ISIS have been holding 27 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captives since they clashed with the Lebanese Army in the northeastern town of Arsal three months ago.

The militants originally abducted more than 30, but seven have been released, and three executed.

A Qatari-appointed Syrian mediator met with the captures last week near Arsal and received a list of demands for the release of the hostages.

Nusra announced after the visit that it gave the Lebanese government three choices: either to release 10 Islamist detainees from prison for each captive; to release seven detainees and ask the Syrian government to release 30 women from its prisons for each captive; or to release five men from Lebanon and 50 women from Syria for each captive.

The crisis cell, which is a small committee responsible of the negotiations on behalf of the government, is meeting Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the demands of Nusra. The Cabinet will have its weekly meeting Thursday, during which the ministers may make a decision over the hostage crisis.

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Bab al-Tabanneh fighter killed in Kobani

BEIRUT: A Lebanese ISIS fighter was reportedly killed in Kobani Monday, media reports and local sources said.

The militant, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Mujahid al-Lubnani, is from the embattled Tripoli neighborhood of Bab al-Tabanneh, sources told The Daily Star.

Abu Mujahid is not the first Lebanese man to have been killed abroad fighting for ISIS.

Last month, two Lebanese nationals who pledged to the jihadist group were killed, one in Iraq, and the other in Syria.

The Tripoli resident, Khaled Ahmed Ahdab, better known by his nom de guerre “Abu Hamza,” was killed fighting in Iraq, security sources said.

Abed al-Rahman al-Sayyed, a native of the village of Fnaydeq in Akkar, was allegedly killed in the Syrian province of Raqqa.

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What If The Senate Isn't Decided On Election Day?

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It's a longshot, but there's a scenario where control of the Senate might not be known until January 6 — three days after the start of the next Congress. That's when Republican David Perdue and Democrat Michelle Nunn would face each other in a Georgia runoff if one of them fails to win 50 percent on Tuesday. David Tulis/AP hide caption

itoggle caption David Tulis/AP

It's a longshot, but there's a scenario where control of the Senate might not be known until January 6 — three days after the start of the next Congress. That's when Republican David Perdue and Democrat Michelle Nunn would face each other in a Georgia runoff if one of them fails to win 50 percent on Tuesday.

David Tulis/AP

If you've enjoyed the battle for control of the Senate over the past many months, here's some good news: the drama could well spill over into next month – or even next year.

While Republicans are increasingly optimistic — and Democrats, pessimistic — about their prospects Tuesday, there are plausible scenarios that could have America waiting well beyond Nov. 4 to know which party will have a Senate majority.

Alaska is a key state for Republican hopes for a takeover and is also potentially a close race, meaning the result of its election "night" might not be clear until all the ballots in the far-flung state are tallied. "Alaska could take a week or more to get their votes in," said Justin Barasky, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Even with Alaska settled, there's still the matter of Louisiana and Georgia. Both states require a runoff election if no candidate wins a majority on Election Day, and polling suggests runoffs are more likely in those states than not.

Louisiana's runoff would be Dec. 6, but Georgia's runoff isn't until Jan. 6. That would be three days after the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3.

Apart from the prospect of both parties focusing massive television ad campaigns and voter turnout drives on just two states, the timing raises this unusual prospect: Kentucky GOP Senator Mitch McConnell rising to Senate majority leader – for exactly one day, before losing it back to Democratic Leader Harry Reid.

It's a longshot, but it's not completely far-fetched. For it to happen, Republicans would have to have a disappointing election night, yet wind up on New Year's Day with a 50-49 advantage with the Georgia runoff outstanding. [McConnell also has to win re-election, of course.]

The Constitution says each new Congress is to begin on Jan. 3, but with it falling on a Saturday next year, leaders will more than likely agree to push it to Jan. 5 or 6. The senators would convene, get sworn in to their terms but what happens next wouldn't be known until polls closed in Georgia on the evening of Jan. 6.

At that point, if Republican David Perdue has won, McConnell would have 51 senators and become majority leader. But if Democrat Michelle Nunn were to win, the 50-50 tie would give the deciding vote to Democratic Vice President Joe Biden – and the majority leader title back to Reid.

Republicans are confident that their candidates will prevail in both runoffs, should it come to that, because their supporters are more used to turning out, even in typically low-turnout contests like runoffs.

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Hermel imposes curfew on Syrians during Ashoura

HERMEL, Lebanon: Hermel municipality has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Syrians ahead of Tuesday's Ashoura processions.

The curfew starts at 5 p.m. Monday in the northeastern district, the municipality announced.

Shiites will gather in city squares Tuesday to commemorate Ashoura, the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the prophet Mohammad, at the Battle of Karbala in the year 680.

The decision was made during a tense situation in Lebanon where the hunt for Islamist militants, many of them Syrians, is ongoing.

Tensions were exacerbated after last week's deadly four-day battle between the Army and militants in Tripoli and other parts of the north.

On Sunday, explosives were discovered near Hezbollah’s Sayyed al-Shuhada complex in the southern town of Haret Saida.

The complex hosts daily events to mark Ashoura.

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Sen. Mitch McConnell Has A Lot Riding On Midterm Elections

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

If the GOP takes over the Senate, the man expected to become majority leader is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But first, he has to win a sixth term in a state where his popularity's been sagging.

Politics In Colorado Shift With Demographics

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Days before Tuesday's midterm elections, NR's Steve Inskeep has been meeting with voters in Colorado. It's the scene of an intense Senate race — and also mirrors the way the nation is evolving.

Colorado Voters Cite Immigration As A Hot Button Issue

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Colorado is the scene of a close Senate race — one of several that may decide control of the chamber. That's why NPR's Steve Inskeep traveled to the flatlands around Denver to knock on voters' doors.

Iowa Senate Candidates Get In Last-Minute Campaigning

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Over the weekend in Iowa, candidates in one of the nation's hardest fought U.S. Senate races crisscrossed the state. Some big names joined in, urging their supporters to get to the polls on Tuesday.

Obama's Low Approval Rating Casts Shadow Over Democratic Races

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President Barack Obama stands with Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy in Bridgeport on Sunday. Malloy is in a tough re-election battle with Republican Tom Foley. The president spent the weekend trying to energize the Democratic base to get out and vote in Tuesday's middterm elections. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images

President Barack Obama stands with Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy in Bridgeport on Sunday. Malloy is in a tough re-election battle with Republican Tom Foley. The president spent the weekend trying to energize the Democratic base to get out and vote in Tuesday's middterm elections.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

It's crunch time for campaign workers across the country. With the midterm elections just one day away, Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to turn out every possible vote.

President Obama spent the weekend rallying supporters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

The last-minute swing was unusual for a president who's kept a relatively low profile on the campaign trail this year. But whether he wants to or not, Obama is playing an outsized role in shaping the political landscape.

The rock-star rallies of years past are a distant memory. But President Obama can still energize die-hard Democrats. He delivered a pre-election pep talk in Bridgeport, Conn., where Democratic Governor Dan Malloy is locked in a tight battle for re-election.

"Make some phone calls," Obama began. "Knock on some doors. Grab everybody you know. Get them out to vote. Don't stay home. Don't let somebody else choose your future for you."

This year many Democratic candidates find their future is in somebody else's hands — namely Barack Obama's.

Handicapper Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report says Obama's sagging popularity is casting a long shadow over his fellow Democrats.

"If the president's job approval rating was 5 or 10 points better, I think we'd be talking about a very different election," Gonzales says.

There was a moment, during the government shutdown last year, when it seemed as if this year's midterms might be a referendum on congressional Republicans. But then came the disasterous rollout of the government's health insurance website.

Gonzales says that was followed by a steady drip, drip, drip of problems for the president at home and abroad, including mismanagement of VA hospitals, Russia's takeover of Crimea and the rise of the Islamic State also known as ISIS.

"I think right now we've reached a point in the president's term where voters are skepitcal," Gonzales says. "I don't think they're giving him the benefit of the doubt any more."

That's created a toxic environment for Obama's fellow Democrats, no matter how much they try to distance themselves from the president.

"I'm not Barack Obama. I disagree with him on guns, coal, and the EPA," says Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, who's challenging Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.

Grimes refused to even say whether she voted for Obama. But even as Democrats try to assert their independence from the president, Republicans have tarred them with a broad Obama brush.

Obama himself unwittingly played into Republican hands, with a speech in Illinois last month that gave Democratic stategists fits.

"I'm not on the ballot this fall," Obama said. "Michelle's pretty happy about that. But make no mistake these policies are on the ballot."

Many of the issues Obama was talking about — such as raising the minimum wage, pay equity, and immigration overhaul — are more popular than he is. But by suggesting Democratic Senate candidates would be carrying water for his agenda, Obama made their campaign challenge that much harder.

Democrats have tried to counter the president's low approval numbers by highlighting unpopular positions of their Republican opponents, such as support for personhood amendments that would outlaw some forms of birth control. But unlike years past, when some Republicans made it easy for Democrats to paint them as extremists, political analyst Gonzales says this year, the GOP has largely managed to avoid self-inflicted wounds.

"As a whole, Republicans have managed to stay out of the spotlight and keep the spotlight on President Obama," Gonzales says. "And that's the way they'll have a better midterm election."

To be sure, Republicans always had some built-in advantages this year. Most of the contested Senate races are in deeply red states. And Democratic voters are traditionally less reliable in non-presidential years. The political playing field could be very different two years from now. But Gonzales warns unless Obama is able to win back some skeptical voters, some of the same headwinds Democrats face this fall could still be blowing in 2016.

"If the president leaves office with 40 percent job approval rating, maybe a bit lower, I think that opens the door for any number of Republican candidates to win. If the president leaves office with 45, creeping closer to 50 percent job approval rating, I'm not sure there's a Republican in this country who could win that type of race," Gonzales says.

Both parties will soon be looking ahead to that presidential contest, and deciding whether it's to their advantage to keep highlighting differences or find some areas where they can work together.