At this point it looks like there's virtually no chance that the so-called "Cromnibus" funding measure will be able to pass the House. John Boehner clearly doesn't have the votes to pass it along party lines, and Nancy Pelosi and many Democrats have come out hard against it. At issue, as we learned yesterday, is … Continue reading Shutdown Countdown III: in the home shutdown stretch

Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a bit of a bullet today when a former Likud MK, Gideon Sa'ar, announced that he would not run against Netanyahu for leadership of the party in its December 31 primary. Sa'ar was being pushed by Likud's far right to challenge Netanyahu, who is somehow too moderate for them. But a potential … Continue reading Has Benjamin Netanyahu made a major mistake?

Last night's agreement on the so-called "cromnibus" bill may have already collapsed, and at this point we're about 33 hours from the deadline to avoid a shutdown. ThinkProgress is reporting that the $1.01 trillion deal reached last night is taking serious heat from both Democrats, unhappy that it guts a key part of the 2010 … Continue reading Shutdown countdown II: the budget deal may be imploding

We don't talk much about the Philippines here, but the cleanup from Typhoon Hagupit is just getting started, and if you're of a mind to contribute please do so. The storm destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and may have killed 35 or more people (that number could have been far higher if it weren't … Continue reading Typhoon Hagupit: where to donate

The World Food Program received the money it needed to resume providing aid to displaced Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt, and then some (they needed $64 million and have reportedly received $80 million). It's not much, but for people who have lost everything it's not nothing either. I'd like to also … Continue reading A little bit of good news for Syrian refugees

The World's Worst Bicameral Legislative Body cut a deal this evening to hopefully avoid that looming government shutdown I mentioned the other day. The two Appropriations Committee Chairs, Barbara Mikulski in the Senate and Hal Rogers in the House, announced a $1.01 trillion deal to keep the government running probably until sometime next September. That's … Continue reading Shutdown countdown

The idea that the information contained in the SSCI report is so volatile, so outrageous, so intolerable that it could actually inspire attacks on Americans and American interests overseas is, if true, an argument not to do the things mentioned in the report. It's not an argument for burying the report and pretending we never … Continue reading One more thought on torture

Pretty slow news day, huh? Yep, not too much to talk about today I guess. Well, I guess there is that report the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released about some program or another, enhanced something something? I guess I could Google that and see if it's gotten any attention... (Hours pass) Well, uh, I … Continue reading Tortured report

Over the weekend, as you've undoubtedly heard by now, an attempt to rescue U.S. photojournalist Luke Somers from Yemen, where he was being held hostage by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, failed. Somers was kidnapped in September 2013 and appeared in a recently released video in which AQAP pledged to murder him within three … Continue reading Real life is not an episode of “24” (Yemen)

Colum Lynch's mysteriously disappeared "U.S. Accuses Iran of Secretly Breaching U.N. Nuclear Sanctions" exclusive is once again online this morning, with no explanation why it was posted and then pulled on Friday. The obvious explanation is that Foreign Policy wanted to run a juicy exclusive like this on Monday, when lots more people are reading … Continue reading Foreign Policy’s disappeared Iran article reappears