In The News

Reuters: Turkey Warns US of Blowback From Decision to Arm Kurds in Syria

Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu May 11, 2017
The US will supply arms to Kurdish forces to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State in Syria. “Turkey warned the United States on Wednesday that a decision to arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Syria could end up hurting Washington, and accused its NATO ally of siding with terrorists,” report Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu for Reuters. Both Turkey and the US are members of the North...

Bloomberg: Comey’s Firing Helps Demean the US Globally

Leonid Bershidsky May 10, 2017
US intelligence officials maintain that Russia interfered in the US presidential election with false news spread over social media to discredit Hillary Clinton. The inexpensive campaign succeeded beyond Russians' wildest expectations. The US Russia scandal is “eating the U.S. from the inside, undermining the country's global role at least as much as President Donald Trump's erratic...

Washington Post: Israeli Settlers Wait for New Home

Ruth Eglash May 10, 2017
In the West Bank, a group of religious Jews who were forced to leave their homes in Amona, an illegal Israeli settlement, have been waiting months for the Netanyahu government to construct a long-awaited settlement that may never come. After the Israeli Army removed these settlers from their homes, Netanyahu promised to build a new “legal” home – although the international community views all...

Reuters: Liberal Moon Jae-in Wins South Korean Election

Ju-min Park and Se Young Lee May 9, 2017
Moon Jae-in, a progressive in a field of 13 candidates, decisively won the presidential election in South Korea with more than 40 percent of the vote including many young supporters. “A decisive win by Moon would end months of political turmoil stemming from a parliamentary vote in December to impeach former President Park Geun-hye over an extensive corruption scandal,” reports Reuters. “Moon,...

The Washington Post: US Life Expectancy Varies by More Than 20 Years From County to County

Joel Achenbach May 9, 2017
Life expectancy at birth reflects the overall mortality level of a population, but the fragmented nature of US health care – with state oversight of health insurance and regulation – contributes to a 20-year gap among some counties. Life expectancy in some places like Kentucky is in decline while rising in parts of New York, California and Alaska. A report from the University of Washington’s...

DNA: Iran Warns Will Hit Militant “Safe Havens” Inside Pakistan

May 8, 2017
Iran, a largely Shiite nation, and Pakistan, largely Sunni, share a border of just over 2900 kilometers. To the north is Afghanistan. “The head of the Iranian armed forces warned Islamabad on Monday that Tehran would hit bases, safe havens and cells inside Pakistan if the government does not confront Sunni militants who carry out cross-border attacks,” reports Daily News & Analysis. Iran...

The Local: Six Challenges Facing France’s New President Emmanuel Macron

Elisabeth Beretta May 7, 2017
Emanuel Macron, 39, won the French presidential election over Marine Le Pen, 65-35 percent. Macron, a former banker, supports France’s membership in the European Union, maintaining that globalization can be embraced and controlled. Le Pen is a fierce opponent to EU integration and immigration. Neither candidate represents mainstream political parties, offering voters a distinctive choice that...