As part of the “Let Girls Learn” initiative to open the doors of education for girls around the world, First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Tokyo, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; and Siem Reap, Cambodia from March 18 to March 22, 2015. Take a look at her trip in pictures:
“Educating girls is the best investment we can make, not just in their future, but in the future of their families, their communities, and their countries.” — The First Lady in Tokyo, Japan
We lose too many of our fellow Americans to drug overdoses. Especially alarming is the high rate of prescription drug overdose and the rising rate of overdoses due to heroin use. In 2012 alone, 259 million opioid prescriptions were written -- enough for every American adult to have a bottle.
Rural America, including my home state of West Virginia, knows this issue all too well. Opioid injuries and overdoses are very real and affect many families. The situation is urgent – but there is reason for optimism: There are targeted actions we can take to save lives and turn these trends around. But we need all stakeholders at the table.
Therefore, I am asking federal, state and local government officials, doctors, treatment providers, drug companies, individuals and family members to work together to address this nationwide crisis.
People tend to tune out when they hear the phrase "consumer protection," and that's probably because we don't really think about ourselves as "consumers." But we do think about ourselves as a "mom," or "dad," or "student borrower," or "employee."
So with that in mind, if you're someone who wants to buy a house, pay for school, get solid retirement advice that actually leaves you with more money in your pocket, avoid hidden credit card fees, and generally avoid getting unfairly trapped in a cycle of debt, we've got good news: The Wall Street reforms the President has put in place are working for you.
One of the core beliefs of this Administration has always been that good government ought to look out for American consumers and protect them from abusive and unfair practices, and that's why in 2010, we created a new independent agency responsible for doing exactly that: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
As a now fully operational, independent watchdog, the CFPB is responsible for cracking down on bad actors like unscrupulous lenders, or fraudulent debt collectors, and giving you the information you need to take charge of your financial future. And today, they took another huge step toward protecting working families against abuses in payday and similar types of lending.
Read on to learn more about what the CFPB announced today, and how it builds on the reforms you might not have realized the President put in place to protect you (and your money).
BEIRUT: The ongoing dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah will remain on track despite sharp differences over the conflict in Yemen, a March 8 source said Thursday.
“The Lebanese arena is still kept neutral [regarding the Yemen conflict],” the source told The Daily Star.
The Saudi-led airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the Gulf state, has drawn mixed reactions from Lebanese leaders, reflecting their loyalty to rival regional powers which support opposing sides in Lebanon and the region.
While former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised Saudi King Salman for his “wise” decision to launch a military offensive against the Houthi rebels, Hezbollah denounced the “Saudi-U.S. aggression” on Yemen as an “unwise adventure.”
“King Salman’s decision to intervene militarily in Yemen is wise and brave,” Hariri wrote on his Twitter account. “Iranian meddling in Yemen necessitates an Arab reaction,” he added, predicting that Yemenis would support the airstrikes.
Apparently seeking to avoid a split within its ranks, the Lebanese Cabinet did not comment after its weekly session Thursday on the developments in Yemen. Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said Prime Minister Tammam Salam would announce Lebanon’s position on the crisis in Yemen during the Arab summit scheduled to be held in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Saturday.
In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya channel, Hariri said Saudi Arabia could not leave “legitimate authority in Yemen facing alone a militia trying to dominate the Yemeni people.”
“They [Houthis] tried to stage a military coup with the force of arms against the Yemeni people. There were hostile attempts against Saudi Arabia,” he said. “What we are witnessing today will gain international support. No doubt, international legitimacy will support what Saudi Arabia did because it is the right decision to protect the Yemeni people.”
Hariri said the developments in Yemen were the results of the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and other countries. “Saudi Arabia cannot leave its neighborhood, especially Yemen, to be controlled by some militias,” he said.
The head of the Future Movement blamed Iran’s intervention in regional conflicts for the current turmoil in the region.
“Saudi Arabia has united the Arabs by the action it is carrying out in Yemen. I don’t think that anyone in the Arab world is against Iran but against its actions in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and throughout the Arab world,” Hariri said. “We all want good relations with Iran, but when it intervenes in Yemen in the flagrant manner it is doing with the Houthis, this will entail a realistic Arab reaction to deter Iran from meddling in Yemeni affairs.”“What is happening is more Iranian influence than Shiite influence. In the end, it is an attempt by Iran to take control of the region,” he said.
Hariri expressed hope that Lebanon, which is very far from Yemen, would not be affected by the dramatic developments in that country.
For its part, Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran and backs the Houthis, condemned as “unwise” and “illegitimate” the military intervention in Yemen, calling for an immediate halt to the airstrikes.
“Hezbollah strongly condemns the Saudi-U.S. aggression targeting the brotherly people of Yemen, its national army and its vital installations,” the party said in a statement.
It also denounced the participation of some Arab and non-Arab countries in “this aggression and providing it with political cover.”
“This Saudi-led adventure, which lacks wisdom and legal and legitimate justifications, is taking the region toward increased tension and risks the future and the present of the region,” the statement said. “We see that this aggression secures U.S. interests and does a great favor for the Zionist enemy.”
But Hezbollah said “this treacherous aggression” might offer an opportunity for the Yemeni people to close ranks with a view to reaching a political solution to the conflict.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah is expected to address the developments in Yemen during a televised speech Friday night. Nasrallah has in past speeches voiced support for the Houthis in their struggle to gain power in Yemen.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt joined Hariri in voicing support for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.
Jumblatt said the fast-moving developments in Yemen posed a serious threat to the Gulf’s security and blamed the Houthis and their Iranian backers for scuttling Gulf efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully.
“In short, the Houthis, along with [former Yemeni President] Ali Abdullah Saleh and their Iranian allies, have foiled the Gulf initiative toward a solution in Yemen,” Jumblatt said in his Twitter account. “We stand by Saudi Arabia because the events in Yemen constitute a threat to its national security and the security of the Gulf as well as a threat to the interests of the Lebanese who have been working for decades in these [Gulf] countries.”
Jumblatt stressed that stability in Yemen and the region could only be restored through a return to dialogue and the Gulf initiative.
BEIRUT: There has been no improvement in the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon over the past year, experts from the Palestinian Association for Human Rights said at a news conference Thursday. Palestinians suffer from poor education and health services and battle legally sanctioned discrimination, according to a report released by the association, also known as Witness, in an event at the Press Federation.
Refugees are also subjected to political and economic scrutiny, which affects their daily lives.
“In brief, the humanitarian situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is becoming more fragile,” the report said.
Its conclusions are drawn from the association’s evaluation of progress made over the past year by the Lebanese government, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the international community.
Witness, an independent association working to improve the lives of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, releases annual reports evaluating living conditions and services.
There are more than 400,000 registered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, according to UNRWA, distributed across 12 refugee camps, the largest of which is Sidon’s Ain al-Hilweh camp.
Palestinians in Lebanon have long been subjected to discrimination, exacerbated by the volatile situation in the region. There have been fears that spillover from the Syrian war could stimulate extremist activity in the camps, which has brought increased scrutiny and pressure from the government.
“The Ain al-Hilweh camp has come under especially strict security measures following every [security] incident [in the country],” the report said. “Such measures leave a deep impact on the lives of the Palestinian refugees residing in the camp.”
Even the deployment of a 150-member elite Palestinian force to preserve security could be undermined by the actions of the Lebanese Army, the report said.
“Camps became the focus of military and political interest ... residents fear that [if there is] a security incident, that they will pay the price, similar to what happened in Nahr al-Bared.”
The Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon was reduced to rubble in 2007 following three-month-long battles with militants from Fatah al-Islam, who took over the camp.
Last year also brought no changes in the legal prohibition on Palestinians working in various professions. Palestinians are confined to jobs in agriculture and construction.
“We should be allowed to work [...] our capital is here, we are present here and we contribute to this country,” Mahmoud al-Hanafi, Witness’s managing director, told The Daily Star.
Refugees are denied the right to own property or receive inheritance and do not receive free medical services in governmental hospitals. Except in rare cases, Palestinian students are prohibited from attending public schools, the report said.
Building materials aren’t allowed into the camps, and despite overcrowding, their geographic limits are fixed. The ban on construction materials is driven by government fears that full-fledged houses would be built, which it sees as a sign of permanent settlement in Lebanon.
The association put forward a set of recommendations for the government, saying it should deal with the Palestinian refugee camps with a humanitarian approach rather than a military one, particularly with regard to checkpoints. It argued that most of the residents are refugees, who have no intention of destabilizing the country.
The report also recommended that the government issue “PVC magnetic ID cards and passports for Palestinian refugees, similar to those issued for Lebanese citizens, in compliance with international standards.”
The report was heavily critical of the aid provided by UNRWA, which offers health and education services in the camps and is responsible for helping improve living conditions there. The agency was also given a mandate to rebuild the Nahr al-Bared camp at the 2008 Vienna Conference.
The report claimed that no “significant development” has been recorded in health services, despite the dire need for better care. X-rays, MRI machines and modern lab equipment are reportedly lacking at UNRWA health centers and there is a problem with underqualified staff.
“[There is a] need to train the staff – namely nurses – to practice a more effective role, including the stitching, cleaning and treatment of injuries.”
The report also decried the state of schools in the camps. “UNRWA’s educational institutions remain, at the date of this report, inadequately equipped and staffed.”
Although the U.N. organization has a scholarship program for Palestinian refugees, funded by an external budget, the organization reportedly provided only 39 scholarships in 2014, compared to 90 in 2010.
After seven years, just over half of Nahr al-Bared has been rebuilt and the report cited a number of issues with the new construction.
“Residents have complained of the poor reconstruction standards, namely water leakage, cracks in the buildings and poor painting,” the report added.
“We’re not claiming that this report will push the Lebanese government to change its policy toward Palestinian refugees,” Hanafi said. “[It] is part of a cumulative work and a continuous fight.”
BEIRUT: At SESOBEL center in Aintoura, Dina meticulously strokes her green paintbrush on a cardboard tree, only pausing to take a picture. “Cheese!” she says with a mischievous grin. Sixteen-year-old Dina has autism. She has been afflicted with the neurodevelopment disorder since birth and has been at SESOBEL for eight years. “Painting is a way to express themselves,” Maggie Mdawar, head of the autism program at SESOBEL, told The Daily Star.
SESOBEL is a social service center for the welfare of children afflicted with motor and intellectual disorders, as well as autism. The center was founded in 1989 and was the first in Lebanon to address issues of autism.
SESOBEL is now in the process of building a new $9 million center adjacent to their current buildings that specializes in treating children with autism. While the center is already under construction, they are still over $3 million short of the funds required to build the structure.
The new center will allow SESOBEL to accept more children and offer a new range of programs.
It will include a family reception for 220 families, an early intervention center for 50 children up to 6 years old, and a daytime center for the support and socialization of 30 young adults.
“The new center will allow us to take more babies and adults,” Fadia Safi, the president of SESOBEL, told The Daily Star. “We are the first ones to make a program for adults.”
Safi stressed the importance of recognizing autism at an early age to combat its impact on children, as well as continuing therapy for autistic patients throughout their lives.
The center will also include rooms for speech, occupational and psychomotor therapy, as well as physiotherapy and psychotherapy.
Safi and Mdawar both highlighted that the center will also include sleeping rooms for the children to stay overnight. An important part of a child’s growth in autism is to become comfortable staying away from home and putting trust in people other than one’s parents.
It also relieves the parents who may have other children that require attention, as having an autistic child may sometimes cause parents to divert attention from their siblings.
SESOBEL has employed a range of techniques in order to raise funds for the new center.
Frida Chammas, a member of the board of directors, organized a fundraising dinner in Dubai a few weeks ago to help raise funds.
With the help of her family, Chammas managed to organize a last-minute fundraiser which was attended by over 500 people, including Lebanese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Hassan Saad.
At the event, attendees had the option of sponsoring rooms for $20,000-$150,000, and they could also purchase symbolic bricks for $500 or a symbolic wall for $5,000. The event was a huge success and they managed to raise $1 million.
Some of the paintings from SESOBEL’s children were also on offer. “One day I went up to the atelier where they do the paintings ... and I saw a huge painting 2 meters by 2 meters. I said I have to take this painting and [put it up for auction],” Chammas recalled. “Then I thought I’m taking this huge painting, I have to ship it anyway [and] I ended up with 18 paintings.” All the paintings were sold for $50,000.
According to a study conducted last year by the American University of Beirut, the prevalence of autism is found in one in 65 children, which is similar to figures in the United States.
Safi said that there is a lack of structural help for people with autism when they are no longer in their parents’ care.
“We solve one problem, but we don’t solve all the problems,” Safi said. “We prepare them to live autonomously but are not with them after they leave [the center].”
She said that in adulthood there is a need to provide housing, nursing and psychotherapy among other things.
While there is still a lack of cultural understanding in Lebanon on the issue of autism, awareness is growing, thanks to more discussion on autism in film and the media, Safi said.
“They give awareness to let the people see that there are people with autism, and they are in our society, and we have to be embrace them,” Safi said.
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Cabinet Thursday referred the case of a Christian couple murdered by fugitives from the Jaafar clan in eastern Lebanon last year to the Judicial Council.
Unlike last week, when a session was marred by a dispute between Future and Hezbollah ministers, Thursday’s meeting did not witness any heated arguments.
Referring the crime to the Judicial Council signifies that the November killing of Nadimeh and Sobhi Fakhri in the eastern village of Btedaai was considered a crime against state security. Verdicts by the Judicial Council cannot be appealed.
Members of the Shiite Jaafar clan who were being pursued by the Lebanese security forces entered the Fakhri family home in mid-November and shot the couple dead.
Prior to making a final decision, conflicting points of view emerged among ministers over the issue and whether it was a sectarian killing which jeopardized civil peace or simply a normal crime whose perpetrators happened to be from different sects.
The Jaafar clan has apologized for the killings, which threatened to ignite sectarian tensions in the Bekaa Valley. But the family has refused to hand over the shooters.
One member of the clan suspected of involvement in the murders was shot dead by the Army last month. Other suspects remain at large.
The Cabinet decision was announced after the end of its weekly meeting Thursday by Information Minister Ramzi Joreige.
Joreige also said the Cabinet approved a donation to the Defense Ministry, a tourism-related agreement with Tunisia and the renewal of an EU-funded garbage collection project for municipalities.
The Cabinet also agreed to return land to the southern town of Bint Jbeil’s municipality after it was handed to the Education Ministry to build a public school.
Other minor decisions included approving funds for the continuation of a project to rehabilitate the road between Kfar Roummane and Marjayoun in the south, and requesting a budget plan from the Public Works and Transportation Ministry.
Joreige said the ministers did not discuss the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen that was launched Thursday and dominated international headlines.
“We only discussed the preset agenda in the session, and we have full confidence in the prime minister, who will take the necessary stand toward this dangerous issue,” Joreige said.
He added that Prime Minister Tammam Salam would announce Lebanon’s position on the Yemen crisis during his participation in an Arab summit in Egypt this weekend.
When asked about their stance regarding events in Yemen, some ministers quipped, “But what happened in Yemen?”
Separately, Walid Jumblatt’s Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc announced Thursday that it backed what it called “necessary legislating.”
A statement released after the bloc’s meeting at Jumblatt’s residence on Clemenceau called for the swift election of a president, saying this would lead to constitutional institutions resume functioning normally.
“But while this goal could not be achieved [now], the bloc supports necessary legislating according to an agreement reached between political factions,” the statement said.
It said this would facilitate the endorsement of a number of necessary draft laws and at the same time preserve the Constitution.
While all factions have expressed their support for “necessary legislating” only during presidential vacuum, they have yet to agree on draft laws which fall under this category.
Speaker Nabih Berri Tuesday distributed a preliminary agenda for an upcoming legislative session to members of Parliament’s Secretariat who are discussing it with their blocs.
BEIRUT: Lifting economic sanctions on Iran would embolden it to intervene in the affairs of Middle Eastern states and lead to more sectarian tensions and extremism, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said.
“We support and encourage any initiative that aims at saving the Middle East from the danger of nuclear and chemical weapons,” Machnouk said in a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., according to remarks issued Thursday.
“But what concerns us in Lebanon and the Arab world is not the existential threat posed by a nuclear Iran; the concern is that Iran continues its current behavior even after reaching an agreement,” added the minister, who is on an official visit to the U.S.
Machnouk, who criticized the Islamic Republic for using extremism to confront extremism, said easing economic pressure on Iran would harm the surrounding countries.
“We are concerned that lifting the sanctions would spare more money and resources for the Iranian government to increase its interventions and influence in the region, and contribute to escalating sectarian tension and extremism,” he said. “Iran considers Lebanon today part of its area of influence, and its policies in Lebanon shake stability and fragment our country,” the Future Movement minister said.
Iran is the main sponsor of Hezbollah, which enjoys high popularity in certain parts of Lebanon, but is fiercely opposed by the Future Movement and its allies.
“The worrying news from Yemen today remind of Iran’s real intentions,” he said, referring to the Houthi advances across the country. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have overrun large parts of the country.
Saudi Arabia and allied forces Thursday began airstrikes on Yemen to halt Houthi advances. The kingdom was reportedly contributing 100 warplanes to the operation – dubbed “Storm of Resolve” – and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
BEIRUT: Testifying at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Thursday, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denied any direct involvement in the arrest and subsequent release of four Lebanese generals who were charged in 2005 in connection to Rafik Hariri’s assassination.
The generals were arrested amid a fierce campaign by March 14 officials who accused them of involvement in the blast, which killed Hariri and 21 others in February 2005.
Siniora, who was prime minister at the time the generals were detained, said that he was informed by the judiciary when the decision had been made, brushing off rumors that he had consulted with foreign officials before signing off on the arrests in late August 2005.
On the morning of Aug. 30, 2005, Siniora says he was visited by a United Nations investigator and by the Lebanese prosecutor in charge of the file. It was only that morning, Siniora told the court, that he learned that the generals would be arrested and their houses searched.
The generals remained in prison for four years without charges. A United Nations working group deemed the detention of two of the generals “arbitrary.” Almost immediately after The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was opened in 2009, judges ordered the release of Jamil al-Sayyed, Raymond Azar, Ali al-Hajj and Mustafa Hamdan as there was “no cause to hold them.”
Siniora told the court that he had made no effort to interfere with the release of the generals and that the Lebanese judiciary had acted free from political influence. The generals “remained behind bars until a decision was made to release them,” Siniora told the court. “If the Lebanese judiciary thought ... it was necessary to release the generals prior to when they were released, they would have done so.”
Defense attorney Antoine Korkmaz, who represents Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, cited a leaked American diplomatic cable detailing a meeting between Charles Rizk, the justice minister in Siniora’s government, and then-U.S. Ambassador Jeffery Feltman.
Rizk, according to the cable, spoke to Feltman about the legal maneuvering required to deflect blame from Siniora’s government should the generals be released. Their release, Rizk said, would have a “chilling effect” on the March 14 movement.
Siniora told the court that he “was not aware of that meeting.”
When pressed by Korkmaz on how he could have been ignorant of a meeting between a member of his own Cabinet and a high-ranking diplomat, Siniora scoffed.
“Do you think that we live in a totalitarian regime and no one can breathe without taking the approval of the prime minister?”
Siniora did not complete his testimony before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and will be called back to The Hague at a later date.
The Trial Chamber will resume on April 9.
House Speaker John Boehner takes the gavel from Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Jan. 6 at the start of the 114th Congress. Mark Wilson/Getty hide caption
House Speaker John Boehner takes the gavel from Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Jan. 6 at the start of the 114th Congress.
They said it couldn't be done. And for more than a decade they were right.
But on Thursday, staring at a deadline that could have disrupted health care to millions of seniors, the House got something done.
It voted to fix the flawed formula for compensating doctors who provide services to patients under Medicare. But this time it wasn't just a patch for a few months or years — like the ones Congress has done 17 times since 2003.
This time it was permanent, if the Senate gets on board in a timely manner. If the Senate goes along, as expected, it would eliminate one of the most painful, recurring embarrassments afflicting Congress — the "Doc Fix."
And that would prove that doing a deal can still triumph over dysfunction.
There will still be lots of other deadlines: for the budget and the Highway Trust Fund and the debt limit and borrowing authority. But at least Congress will not be coming to the brink of breaking Medicare, session after session.
"This is the work of a collaborative body," said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the bill's lead sponsor.
And maybe, just maybe, that collaborative thing could catch on.
"I hope this bipartisan approach is contagious," said veteran Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a sentiment heard from many throughout the day from both sides of the aisle.
And here's the really amazing part. When the deal got done, the House gave it 392 votes of approval. Only a handful of budget hawks held out for fuller funding (and less reliance on deficit-funding). By far, the majority of the House Republicans saw the fiscal wisdom of a permanent fix.
When a vote is that lopsided, it usually means the issue at hand is both non-controversial and cost-free. This still happens fairly often on commemorative resolutions and other ho-hums.
What has been rare (to the point of extinction) is this kind of huge margin on a live and longstanding point of partisan contention.
To get to 392 on something as battle-worn as the "Doc Fix" requires some accommodation, some give and take. The leaders of both parties must de-fang the issue and disarm their respective hard-rock partisans.
The leaders and members must, in a word, compromise. And on this occasion, Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi did just that, with skill and savvy.
Republicans were brought on board in part by the physicians and other health care professionals within their ranks, starting with Burgess. Democrats were also eager to vote for community health centers and for two more years' funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The two parties are the farthest apart they have been in American history. Brookings Institution hide caption
So it turns out that House members can cross the proverbial aisle, which in recent years has become more of a DMZ. Study after study has shown that the current Congress has historically high levels of partisanship, driven by ideologues and factions, especially in the House.
Sub-caucus groups proliferate to the right of the Republican leadership (the newest being the House Freedom Caucus, a Tea Party rival to the Republican Study Group and Heritage Action), while the Democrats' centrist group known as the Blue Dogs has dwindled since 2010 from 54 members to just 14.
The Senate too has become more partisan, with filibusters and other procedural maneuvers making the legislative gantlet more perilous than ever. And the Senate will need to sign off on the House's "Doc Fix" before it goes to President Obama (who has pledged to sign it).
But on this occasion, at least, the House has shown the way.
BEIRUT: Lifting the economic sanctions on Iran would embolden it to intervene in the affairs of Middle Eastern countries and lead to more sectarian tensions and extremism, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said Wednesday
“We support and encourage any initiative that aims at saving the Middle East from the danger of nuclear and chemical weapons,” Machnouk said in a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., according to remarks issued Thursday.
“But what concerns us in Lebanon and the Arab world is not the existential threat posed by a nuclear Iran, the concern is that Iran continues its current behavior even after reaching an agreement.”
Machnouk, who criticized the Islamic republic for using extremism to confront extremism, said easing economic pressure on Iran would harm the surrounding countries.
“We are concerned that lifting the sanctions would spare more money and resources for the Iranian government to increase its interventions and influence in the region, and contribute to escalating sectarian tension and extremism,” he said.
Machnouk is a member of the Future Movement, which is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
“Iran considers Lebanon today part of its area of influence, and its policies in Lebanon shake stability and fragment our country,” the minister said.
Iran is the main sponsor of Hezbollah, which enjoys high popularity in certain parts of Lebanon, but is fiercely opposed to by the Future Movement and its allies.
“The worrying news from Yemen today remind of Iran’s real intentions,” he said, referring to the Houthi rebel advances across the country. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have overrun large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia and allied forces Thursday began launching airstrikes on Yemen to halt Houthi advances. The kingdom was reportedly contributing 100 warplanes to the operation - dubbed "Storm of Resolve" - and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
Machnouk's remarks were made before the Saudi airstrike began, but other Future Movement officials have offered them their support.
Moderated by Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the center, Machnouk’s talk was titled “Facing Terrorism: A Lebanese Perspective.”
The minister explored the terrorist threats on Lebanon, Iraq and Syria and the rise of the fundamentalist group ISIS.
“The international coalition’s airstrikes are undoubtedly essential to weaken and defeat ISIS, but these airstrikes alone are not enough,” he said. “Defeating ISIS and other terrorist groups require depriving these organizations of the ability to recruit supporters.”
Machnouk detailed a three-fold strategy that Lebanon had been following to counter terrorism, based on strengthening national unity, training security forces and spreading religious moderation.
He said there was a need of a “religious revolution” to restore the spirit of peace and the true essence of Islam, emphasizing the importance of focusing on preventing young generations from drifting into extremism.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence holds a news conference at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, on Thursday, where he signed into law a bill that would allow business owners with strong religious convictions to refuse to provide services to same-sex couples. Michael Conroy/AP hide caption
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence holds a news conference at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, on Thursday, where he signed into law a bill that would allow business owners with strong religious convictions to refuse to provide services to same-sex couples.
Indiana business owners who object to same-sex couples will now have a legal right to deny them services after Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law.
The legislation, approved by Indiana's GOP-controlled House and Senate, prevents state and local governments from "substantially burdening" a person's exercise of religion unless a compelling governmental interest can be proved.
"The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action," Pence said in a statement after signing the bill.
Democratic lawmakers, civil liberties groups and LGBT advocates opposed the measure as opening the door to legal discrimination.
"This is a sad day for Indiana. Over the past month, Hoosiers who want our state to be open to everyone filled the halls at the Statehouse. We wrote letters and delivered them in person. We called until they stopped answering the phones. We made it clear that this law will only be used to harm other Hoosiers, and that's not the Indiana way," Freedom Indiana campaign manager Katie Blair said in a statement.
But Gov. Pence insists the bill is not about discrimination.
"If I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it." he said.
Religion News says: "Supporters of the law say it will keep government entities from forcing business owners — such as bakeries and florists who don't want to provide services to gay couples — from acting in ways contrary to strongly held religious beliefs. Gay marriage became legal in Indiana last year following an appellate court ruling."
However, the law's application could go beyond same-sex couples. During debate on the legislation, State Rep. Bruce Borders, cited the example of an anesthesiologist who objected to putting under a woman who was preparing to undergo an abortion.
According to The Indianapolis Star: "The proposal is modeled on a 22-year-old federal law known as the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act. That law played a key role in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that allowed Hobby Lobby and other closely held corporations with religious objections to opt out of an Affordable Care Act requirement that they cover certain contraceptives for women."
A similar state law was passed by Arizona's legislature last year but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Jan Brewer.
"Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term but few faced as many defeats in his personal, business and public life as he did," Rep. Schock said on the House floor Thursday. Kris Connor/Getty Images hide caption
"Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term but few faced as many defeats in his personal, business and public life as he did," Rep. Schock said on the House floor Thursday.
Once a fast-rising star in the Republican Party, Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock gave his final speech on the House floor Thursday.
Schock, who was elected to Congress in 2008, will resign his House seat at the end of the month. His resignation comes after weeks of questions about his judgment, lavish lifestyle and spending.
Little of the scandal that plagued Schock's final weeks on Capitol Hill was evident Thursday though, as his farewell speech focused less on his quick fall and more on his rise.
"I've done my best to contribute constructively to the process and to serve the people of my district and my country," Schock said. "My guiding principle has always been rooted in the belief that Washington should only do what people cannot do for themselves."
Over the last few weeks, a series of reports by Politico, the The Washington Post, and other news organizations raised questions about Schock's financial practices. Reports indicate that Schock spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on office renovations, used both taxpayer and campaign funds on private jets and concerts and did not report lavish gifts on financial disclosure funds as required by House ethics guidelines. His resignation ultimately came on March 17 as Politico raised questions about tens of thousands of dollars in mileage reimbursements Schock claimed for his personal vehicle.
Schock, 33, was elected to Congress as a 27-year-old. He said he was never more excited than the day he stepped onto Capitol Hill for the first time. He was a youthful face in the chamber who posted shirtless photos of himself on Instagram and posed for a photo showing his abs on the cover of the fitness magazine Men's Health.
"I leave here with sadness and humility," he said. "For those whom I've let down, I will work tirelessly to make it up to you."
Even in his final floor speech, Schock seemed to leave the door open for a future — though he didn't specify what kind — comparing himself to former President Abraham Lincoln, who Shock has a bust of in his office.
"Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term but few faced as many defeats in his personal, business and public life as he did," Schock said. "His continual perseverance in the face of these trials, never giving up is something all of us Americans should be inspired by, especially when going through a valley in life."
Only the two situations aren't exactly parallel. Lincoln did, as Schock noted, serve just one term in Congress. In fact, he promised while campaigning in 1846 that he would serve just one term if elected. He won, did just that, and declined to run for re-election in 1848.
Schock's troubles on Capitol Hill began after The Washington Post published an article last month about his lavish office renovations, which were inspired by the popular PBS drama "Downton Abbey."
In an unrelated coincidence, PBS announced today that the show's upcoming sixth season will be its last.
UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano called on Israel and Lebanon Thursday to cooperate with peacekeepers as...
Every year about this time, after a Washington winter of inactivity, I notice my pants have grown a little tighter. Years ago, I resolved to address this by cutting back on burritos and beer.
But the (ever more abundant) flesh is weak. And burritos are soooo tasty. So instead, every spring I simply let out my waistband a bit, while promising to redouble my dieting efforts next year. I call this, "The belt fix."
Sound familiar?
Nearly two decades ago, Congress made a similar promise to rein in the growth of Medicare's spending on doctors' services. But as soon as the formula — known in Washington as the "sustainable growth rate," or SGR — began to pinch, lawmakers loosened the belt.
You may (or may not) have heard this described as "The Doc Fix." Since 2003, Congress has acted 17 times to prevent a cut in Medicare doctors' payments. But the "fix" has always been temporary, maintaining the fiction that pay cuts would eventually kick in. It's sort of like that pair of jeans with the 32-inch waist you keep in your closet, trusting someday they'll fit.
By now, it would take a crash diet. Under current law, doctors are facing a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments on April 1.
So lawmakers are planning to throw out the old blue jeans and start over.
A bipartisan bill negotiated by House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — and backed by President Obama — would permanently replace the sustainable growth rate with a new formula, estimated to cost $175 billion more over the next 10 years.
Fiscal watchdogs complain that previous "Doc Fixes" have usually included offsetting cuts elsewhere in the health care budget. In contrast, most of the extra spending this time will be added to the federal deficit.
Lawmakers are making modest dietary changes, though. The new formula includes financial incentives for doctors who participate in a new, alternative payment system designed to reward value, not volume of care.
The proposal also includes slightly higher Medicare premiums for wealthy seniors. And it limits "first-dollar" Medigap plans, so seniors have an incentive to use health care services more wisely.
All of this probably means doctors won't be squeezing into the skinny jeans of the SGR next week. But if the reforms work as intended, our expanding Medicare waistline should include less flab, and more lean, medical muscle.
BEIRUT: Lebanon supports any decision or action that unifies Arab countries, even when it is to some extent wrong, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said Thursday at an Arab ministers meeting overshadowed by Saudi strikes in Yemen.
Bassil is not known for his oratory skills, but his speech at the Arab foreign ministers conference in Sharm el-Sheikh was particularly tangled and, perhaps intentionally, vague.
“We believe that any stand that unites Arabs, even if on some wrongness, is much better that any position that is a bit wrong but does not unify [Arabs],” Bassil told the conference.
The conference precedes the annual Arab League summit that will be held this weekend in the Egyptian resort town.
The speech did not clearly state Lebanon’s official position on the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen launched overnight, but Bassil said that there was more agreement than disagreement in the case.
Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched strikes against Houthi rebels fighting to oust Yemen's president.
The kingdom was reportedly contributing 100 warplanes to the operation - dubbed "Storm of Resolve" - and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
Egyptian officials have also said that Saudi Arabia is planning a ground invasion of its southern neighbor with coalition troops.
Iran has denounced the assault on the Houthi militia group, which it backs, and warned that the move would worsen the sectarian tensions fueling wars around the Middle East.
Bassil said the problem in Yemen, and other Arab countries, was that authority was often claimed by groups separate from the state, and many of these groups are affiliated with foreign powers.
Bassil said Lebanon would always support any Arab unanimous decision because it shows strength and unity, but would abstain from taking a stand on matters where Arabs were divided.
He said a basic common principle should be supporting the legitimate forces in any Arab country.
“Yemen has many projections on our countries, including Lebanon, which means that when the idea of supporting constitutional legitimacy in any country is let go, any other Arab country will be subject to similar threats,” Bassil said.
However, Bassil also said he believed in the policy of non-intervention in the affairs of any Arab country, as is stipulated in the Arab League’s charter.
The minister highlighted the need to adopt peaceful dialogue and political solutions rather than war to solve internal conflicts, saying the experience of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq prove that violence only delays the inevitable political compromise.
He said any collective Arab action, including military action, is welcome when it meets the standards that “assure everyone... and respect the unity of countries and their sovereignty.”
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader had offered their support to military action against the Houthi rebels, while Hezbollah strongly condemned the intervention as an aggression.
Hezbollah Thursday condemned the "unwise" and "illegitamate" Saudi-led intervention in Yemen launched overnight...
BEIRUT: Hezbollah Thursday condemned the "unwise" and "illegitimate" Saudi-led intervention in Yemen launched overnight against Houth rebels.
"Hezbollah strongly condemns the U.S.-Saudi aggression targeting the brotherly people of Yemen and the national army and vital installations," a statement from Hezbollah's media office said.
The groups "also condemns the participation of some Arab and non-Arab countries in this aggression."
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Medical staff and administrators shut down Sidon’s government-run hospital Thursday to protest against unpaid salaries.
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Cabinet Thursday declared that the case of the Christian couple murdered by fugitives from the Jaafar clan in eastern Lebanon last year would be referred to the Judicial Council.
The move signifies that the November killings of Nadimeh and Sobhi Fakhri in the eastern village of Btedaai was considered a crime against national security.
Members of the Jaafar clan who were being chased by Lebanese security forces entered the Fakhri family home in mid-November demanding to use their car as a getaway vehicle.
The family refused, so the fugitives shot the couple and one of their sons. The woman died immediately, while the husband succumbed to his wounds later. Their son, Romeo, survived.
The Jaafar clan has apologized for the killings, which threatened to ignite sectarian tensions in the region. But the family has refused to hand over the shooters.
One member of the clan suspected of involvement in the murders was shot dead by the Army last month. Other suspects remain at large.
The Cabinet decision was announced after the end of its weekly meeting Thursday by Information Minister Ramzi Joreige.
Joreige also announced that the Cabinet approved a donation to the Defense Ministry, a tourism-related agreement with Tunisia and the renewal of an EU-funded garbage collection project for municipalities.
The Cabinet also agreed to return land to the southern town of Bint Jbeil’s municipality, after it was handed to the Education Ministry to build a public school.
Other minor decisions included approving funds for the continuation of a project to rehabilitate the road between Kfar Roummane and Marjayoun in south Lebanon, and requesting a budget plan from the Public Works Ministry.
Joreige said the ministers had not discussed the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen that was launched Thursday and dominated international headlines.
“We only discussed the preset agenda in the session, and we have full confidence in the prime minister, who will take the necessary stand towards this dangerous issue,” he said.
He added that Prime Minister Tammam Salam would participate in the Arab League summit during the weekend, where he will announce Lebanon’s position on the Yemen crisis.
In this Aug. 14, 2013 file photo, former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandra, arrive at federal court in Washington to learn their fates when a federal judge sentences the one-time power couple for misusing $750,000 in campaign money. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption
In this Aug. 14, 2013 file photo, former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandra, arrive at federal court in Washington to learn their fates when a federal judge sentences the one-time power couple for misusing $750,000 in campaign money.
Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has stepped out of a federal prison in Alabama and now goes to a halfway house to complete a 2013 sentence for spending hundreds of thousands in campaign money on personal items.
WLS in Chicago reports: "The Jackson entourage, consisting of his father, Reverend Jesse Jackson; his wife, Sandi Jackson; and the former congressman's two children, arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base around 4:15 a.m. Thursday."
The 50-year-old Democrat, pleaded guilty in Nov. 2013 to using some $750,000 from his campaign on luxury items for personal use. Jackson's wife was sentenced to one-year in prison for filing false joint federal income tax returns.
The Associated Press quotes his father as saying Jackson Jr. is doing "very well" after his release from the minimum security facility at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., and that the occasion was a "joyous reunion."
After 17 months behind bars, his family is driving him to halfway house in Washington, D.C., where he is expected to serve the remainder of his 30-month sentence. He must also complete another three years on supervised release over which time he's required to do 500 hours of community service, according to the AP.
WLS quotes Delmarie Cobb, Jackson's former campaign manager, as saying that although he is unlikely to serve again in public office, he might still be a voice on public policy.
"His time has been served and he's headed to a halfway house. I mean, it gives me hope that he's well on his way to starting a new chapter in his life," Cobb said, according to WLS.
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Communist Party denounced Thursday the "sectarian" intervention by a Saudi-led alliance in Yemen, after the force launched deadly airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.
“While all Gulf countries participate in this sectarian war and mobilize armies and resources for it, and while intimidation is rising from every corner, especially between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Yemeni people live ... in great tragedy that will only result in more disasters and fragmentation,” the party said in a statement.
Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched strikes against the Shiite Muslim rebels fighting to oust Yemen's president.
Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported that the kingdom was contributing 100 warplanes to the operation - dubbed "Storm of Resolve" - and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
Iran denounced the assault on the Houthi militia group, which it backs, and warned that the move would worsen the sectarian tensions fuelling wars around the Middle East.
By creating deeper divides between religious groups in the Middle East, the new developments “allow the success of imperialist-Zionist plans,” the LCP said.
“The flames of this new shattering war... are nurtured by reactionary Arab and regional states to serve their dreams of expansion and control,” the party added, calling on the leftist groups in the Arab world to take to the streets.
“The Arab peoples and their leftist and democratic factions, especially in the Gulf, are called on to take to the streets and act in all allowed forms to stop the war,” the statement added.
The party said the solution to the crisis was to “open the door of dialogue between Yemeni political powers independently from foreign intervention, be it Saudi or Iranian, Arab or foreign.”
A group of NGOs has replaced tents in a refugee camp in north Lebanon with portable cabins donated by Bahrain, the...
Maranda Brooks stands in January outside a payday loans business that she used to frequent. Troubled by consumer complaints and loopholes in state laws, federal regulators are proposing expansive, first-ever rules on payday lenders, aimed at helping cash-strapped borrowers from falling into a cycle of debt. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption
Maranda Brooks stands in January outside a payday loans business that she used to frequent. Troubled by consumer complaints and loopholes in state laws, federal regulators are proposing expansive, first-ever rules on payday lenders, aimed at helping cash-strapped borrowers from falling into a cycle of debt.
For millions of cash-strapped consumers, short-term loans offer the means to cover purchases or pressing needs. But these deals, typically called payday loans, also pack triple-digit interest rates — and critics say that borrowers often end up trapped in a cycle of high-cost debt as a result.
Now, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is preparing to unveil a framework of proposed rules to regulate payday lenders and other costly forms of credit. The federal watchdog agency is showcasing those proposals Thursday, the same day that President Obama is in Alabama for a speech defending the agency and its work.
The new rules would likely affect consumers like Trudy Robideaux, who borrowed money from a payday lender in California to help cover an $800 car repair. When she couldn't repay the money right away, the lender offered to renew the loan for a fee.
"Ka-ching," Robideaux said. "You're hooked. You can feel the hook right in your mouth. And you don't know it at the time, but it gets deeper and deeper."
Before long, Robideaux was shuttling to other payday lenders, eventually shelling out thousands of dollars in fees.
"I was having to get one to pay another," she said. "It's a real nightmare."
When Robideaux first spoke to NPR back in 2001, payday lending was a $14 billion industry. Since then, it has mushroomed into a $46 billion business. Lenders have also branched into other costly forms of credit, such as loans in which a car title is used as collateral.
"What we want is for that credit to be able to help consumers, not harm them," said Richard Cordray, director of the CFPB. "What we find is that consumers who get trapped in a debt cycle — where they're having to pay again and again, fee after fee — is actually quite detrimental to consumers, and that's what we're concerned about."
Cordray suggests that one solution is to require lenders to make sure borrowers can repay a loan on time, along with their other monthly expenses.
That kind of review was a "bedrock principle" of traditional lending, Cordray said in remarks prepared for a Richmond, Va., field hearing. But many payday lenders "make loans based not on the consumer's ability to repay, but on the lender's ability to collect."
Because payday lenders have automatic access to a borrower's bank account, they can collect even when a borrower is stretched thin.
"If you're behind on existing bills, for any legitimate lender that's a red flag," said Michael Calhoun, president of the Center for Responsible Lending, a consumer advocacy group. "For the payday lenders, that's often a mark of a vulnerable and profitable customer, because they will be stuck."
Payday lenders say they might be willing to live with an ability-to-pay test, so long as it's not too costly or intrusive.
"It only makes sense to lend if you're getting your money back," said Dennis Shaul, CEO of the Community Financial Services Association of America, a payday industry trade group. "Therefore the welfare of the customer is important. Now, so is repeat business."
In fact, repeat borrowers are the heart of the payday business. Government researchers found that 4 out of 5 payday borrowers had to renew their loans, typically before their next paycheck. And 1 in 5 renewed at least seven times, with the accumulated fees often exceeding the amount originally borrowed.
Regulators are also considering alternatives to the ability-to-pay standard, including limits on the number of loan renewals, as well as mandatory repayment plans. Other proposed rules would crack down on costly collection practices, requiring lenders to notify borrowers three days before taking money out of their bank accounts and limiting the number of withdrawal attempts.
Wynette Pleas of Oakland, Calif., ended up with hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees after a payday lender repeatedly tried to collect from her account.
"They make it seem like it's so convenient, but when you can't pay it back, then that's when all the hell breaks loose," Pleas said.
The proposed regulations are still at an early stage, and there will be plenty of pushback. The industry managed to evade earlier efforts at regulation, so Cordray says that he wants the rules to be free of loopholes.
"We don't want to go through all the effort of formulating rules and then find people are working their way around them," he said.
