Another ceasefire is under threat from Trump – the precarious deal between Lebanon and Israel | Mohamad Bazzi

Israel, seemingly with the US president’s blessing, has kept troops inside Lebanon. Renewed conflict with Hezbollah is looming As global attention remains focused on the hostage-prisoner swaps between Hamas and Israel, another ceasefire in the region hangs in the balance. The 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim militia which has been the … Read more

New York Yankees announce change to longstanding facial hair policy

Yankees will allow players to wear ‘well-groomed beards’ Strict policy was imposed by George Steinbrenner in 1976 The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards Friday, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner. Current owner Hal Steinbrenner, son of The Boss, announced the change Friday before the team’s spring training opener. … Read more

AG Bondi says violent anti-Israel student protesters in US on visas ‘need to be kicked out’

Attorney General Pam Bondi said anti-Israel student protesters who are in the United States on visas and threatening American students “need to be kicked out of the country.” “All of our students deserve to be safe,” Bondi said on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, D.C., while joining the stage with … Read more

Can baby bonds reduce childhood poverty? California thinks so

A new initiative targets 58,000 kids who lost a caregiver or were in the foster system during the Covid pandemic During the pandemic, tens of thousands of children in California lost a caregiver due to Covid. Since then, these kids, who are predominantly Black, Latino and Indigenous, have experienced instability, economic precariousness and grief that … Read more

Caesars Palace, MLB stadium, an ice cream truck: DOGE reveals how schools spent billions in COVID-relief funds

Schools spent hundreds of billions of COVID-relief funds on expenses that had “little” impact on students, such as Las Vegas hotel rooms and the purchase of an ice cream truck, according to the Trump administration’s cost-cutting department. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk to purge wasteful government spending, revealed on Thursday … Read more

Noem makes aggressive new move to ramp up arrests, deportations of illegal immigrants

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem signed a memo this week deputizing up to 600 State Department officials as immigration officers, as part of a government-wide push to ramp up deportations and secure the border. Noem signed an order that deputized up to 600 special agents in the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service … Read more