Pompeo: Ending ‘Catch and Release’ Will Lead to ‘Truly Historic Drop in Illegal Immigration’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday predicted that a new plan to send illegal aliens back to Mexico to await the outcome of U.S. asylum applications will result in “a truly historic drop in illegal immigration,” since the prospect of being able to disappear into the U.S. will no longer be an incentive. Read

Mattis’ Resignation Letter Cites Loyalty to Allies, Resoluteness With Foes

Defense Secretary James Mattis’ startling resignation on Thursday came amid reports that President Trump plans a 20 percent reduction in troop numbers in Afghanistan, following his decision to withdraw all troops from Syria. Read

Invoking Fallen Soldiers, Trump Says it’s Time For US Troops in Syria ‘to Come Home’

Despite blistering reaction from some senior Republican lawmakers, President Trump said Wednesday his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria now that “we have won against ISIS” would be what American warriors who have been killed in action would have wanted. Read

Russia Threatens New Mid-Range Missiles If US Exits Arms-Control Treaty

The Kremlin is stepping up threats to deploy land-based intermediate-range missiles if the U.S. goes ahead with plans to withdraw from a Cold War-era arms-control treaty. Read

Accused War Criminals Meet in Damascus as Arab Bloc Moves Away From Snubbing Assad

A surprise visit to Damascus by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir made headlines this week because both he and his host are accused of war crimes. The visit may mark a grudging acknowledgment by Arab states that it’s time to resume business with Bashar al-Assad. Read

Pakistan Gov’t Minister Caught on Tape Pledging Support for US-Designated Global Terrorist

Three months after Pakistan complained about a U.S. decision to withhold funding over a failure to tackle terrorism effectively, a government minister has been caught on camera evidently pledging to support a global terrorist who is the subject of a $10 million U.S. reward offer. Read

As CAIR Challenges Texas Ban on Boycotting Israel, Governor Retorts, ‘Texas Stands With Israel. Period’

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced a lawsuit Monday challenging legislation in Texas which prohibits government agencies from contracting with or investing in companies that boycott Israel. Read

US Pushes Back Against ‘Reproductive Rights’ Language in UN Texts

The United States waged a lonely struggle at the United Nations on Monday as it opposed language that some advocacy groups have used to promote abortion – and even a global “right” to abortion. Read

Iran’s Zarif Boasts About Regime’s Ability to Evade Sanctions – ‘And We Can Teach it to Others For a Price’

The Iranian regime has perfected “the art of evading sanctions” and is willing to teach other countries to do the same – “for a price,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said at the weekend. Read

‘A Church Without Putin’: Ukraine’s Orthodox Christians Declare Independence From Moscow

In a development that may receive little attention in the West, but could have important geopolitical implications, three Orthodox Church bodies in Ukraine united at the weekend to choose a new head, cementing a split from Russian oversight that Ukraine’s president characterized as the righting of a wrong going back more than three centuries. Read

Iranian Officials Called ‘Hypocrites’ for Sending Their Families to Study and Work in ‘Great Satan’

Denouncing the “hypocrisy of the regime” in Tehran, the State Department’s special representative for Iran says it is “working on” the issue of relatives of senior regime officials living and studying in the country which the mullahs deride as the “great Satan.” Read

US Senate Unanimously Holds Saudi Crown Prince Responsible for Khashoggi’s Murder

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution declaring that it believes the heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia “is responsible for the murder" of the Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. It was a striking show of bipartisan disdain for the de facto ruler of a longstanding ally. Read

Russian Strategic Bombers Fly Over Caribbean With Venezuelan Jets

Two Russian strategic bombers, which held joint exercises with Venezuelan fighter jets over the Caribbean Sea this week, will end their visit on Friday, according to the White House. Read

Pakistan, With Its Severe Blasphemy Laws, Says It’s ‘A Multi-Religious and Pluralistic Society’

Pakistan – whose prime minister said recently there was “no mention of Jesus in history” while calling for greater global awareness of how much Muslims revere Mohammed – said Wednesday it was “a multi-religious and pluralistic society.” Read

Incoming Muslim Congresswomen Mock Pence’s Christian Faith

One of the first two Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress took a snide dig on Twitter at Vice President Pence for sitting with eyes closed during a heated Oval Office meeting, posting a photo with the caption, “Jesus take the wheel!” – and the other incoming Muslim congresswoman applauded the insult. Read

Religious Freedom Envoy: China One of the ‘Worst Human Rights Situations in the World’

The administration’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom painted a bleak picture Tuesday of the landscape in China, and called the communist regime’s suppression of Uighur Muslims one of the “worst human rights situations in the world.” Read

Under Trump, U.S. Finally Blacklists Pakistan for Religious Freedom Violations

For 16 consecutive years, the State Department under three administrations has rejected advice from an independent statutory watchdog to blacklist Pakistan for religious freedom violations – until now. Read

Russian Nuclear-Capable Bombers Return to Venezuela

For the third time in a decade, Russian strategic bombers have landed in Venezuela, amid stepped-up tensions between Washington and Moscow, and continuing allegations by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of U.S. plotting against his regime. Read

Invoking Otto Warmbier, Administration Sanctions 3 Top North Koreans, Including Kim’s No. 2

Six months after President Trump’s historic summit with Kim Jong Un, his administration marked international Human Rights Day on Monday by imposing sanctions on three of the North Korean dictator’s top officials – including the man viewed as his number two – for human rights abuses and censorship. Read

Days After Dodging UN Condemnation, Hamas Hails ‘Heroic’ Shooting Attack Seriously Wounding Pregnant Israeli

Three days after a U.S. bid to get the U.N. General Assembly to condemn Hamas for the first time ever failed, the terrorist group on Sunday night praised as “heroic” and “blessed” a drive-by shooting in which seven Israelis were wounded – one of them a pregnant 21-year-old. Read

U.S. Opposes U.N. Effort to Advance a Global Framework on Migration – Including Illegal Immigration

Representatives of more than 150 countries are meeting in Morocco on Monday to formally adopt a “compact” on migrants – an initiative which the Trump administration calls an attempt to “globalize migration governance at the expense of state sovereignty.” Read

As U.S.-Sponsored Censure of Hamas Fails at U.N., Haley Asks Arabs, ‘Is the Hatred [of Israel] That Strong?’

A U.S. attempt Thursday to have the U.N. General Assembly pass a first-ever resolution condemning Hamas was stonewalled when Arab states insisted on a two-thirds majority vote for adoption – a step U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said was designed “purely to disrupt” the U.S. initiative. Read

6,000 Miles Apart, Trump and Netanyahu Mark Hanukkah on Anniversary of Historic US Jerusalem Policy Shift

In two ceremonies 6,000 miles apart, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday marked the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, each noting that the occasion fell a year to the day since Trump in a historic policy shift recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Read

New Report: UN Should Investigate Secret Execution of Thousands of Iranian Dissidents 30 Years Ago

The Iranian regime’s refusal to come clean about the secret executions of thousands of dissidents 30 years ago amounts to an ongoing crime against humanity, a global human rights group says in a new report. Read

Up to Two Million Uighurs Incarcerated in Chinese Camps; Islamic Bloc Silent

Over the past 20 months Chinese authorities have incarcerated between 800,000 and two million Uighurs in internment camps, according to U.S. intelligence estimates cited by a senior State Department official on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Read

US Warship Sails Near Disputed Waters to ‘Challenge Russia’s Excessive Maritime Claims’

Amid simmering U.S.-Russia tensions over missiles and Ukraine, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer on Wednesday sailed near disputed waters between Russia and Japan, in an operation designed “to challenge Russia’s excessive maritime claims” in the area. Read

UN Peacekeeping Force Silent About Hezbollah’s Cross-Border Attack Tunnels

Israel’s discovery of a sophisticated tunnel dug by Hezbollah to breach the Lebanon-Israel border has brought a bland reaction – and no condemnation for the terrorist group – from the U.N. peacekeeping mission deployed there. Read

With NATO’s Backing, US Gives Putin 60-Day Notice to Comply With Missile Treaty

Accusing Russia of deploying missiles threatening Europe in violation of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, the Trump administration on Tuesday gave Russia 60 days to return to compliance, failing which the United States will itself withdraw. Read

Hostages’ Families Urge Gov’ts to Make ‘Political Cost’ for Iran So High That It Releases Them

The families of seven Americans and others incarcerated or missing in Iran urged the international community Monday to apply pressure on the regime to secure their release and to end what they said amounts to hostage-taking. Read

State Dep’t Scorns Iran’s Claim That Missile Tests Are Defensive

The State Department on Monday urged the European Union to join the U.S. in imposing sanctions in response to Iran’s ballistic missile program, rejecting the regime’s claims that its launches are “defensive.” Read

Putin: Movie Depicting US Military Rescuing Russian President ‘Sounds Like a Bad Film’

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a dig at America’s military prowess – and filmmaking abilities – at the weekend, calling a movie scenario farfetched because it portrays U.S. military personnel penetrating a Russian naval base. Read

Haley Pushes Ahead With First-Ever UN Resolution Condemning Hamas

Weeks before she leaves her post at the U.N., Ambassador Nikki Haley is driving a concerted push to have the world body, for the first time ever, adopt a resolution condemning Hamas by name. Read

Gore Calls Trump ‘The Face of Climate Denial,’ Predicts 2020 Voters Will Want to Get Back to ‘The Real America’

President Trump has become “the face of climate denial,” global warming activist and former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday night, telling The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah that the 2020 election will provide the opportunity for voters to “make a statement – that we want to get back on the track to the real America.” Read

Fired CNN Contributor Denied He Called For Israel’s Destruction. He Also Endorsed ‘Resisting’ by Palestinians

Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill, who was fired as a CNN contributor on Thursday, had earlier rejected criticism that his endorsement for “a free Palestine, from the river to the sea” amounted to a call for an end to Israel. Read

John Kerry Says He's 'Going to Think About' Running for President in 2020

Former Secretary of State John Kerry, asked about the possibility of a 2020 presidential run, said this week he was “not taking anything off the table” and was “going to think about it.” He added that while he was also prepared to endorse another candidate he had yet to find someone he’d be willing to back. Read

Defying Administration, Senate Votes to Advance Measure Ending US Support for Saudi War in Yemen

Hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis urged U.S. senators not to move ahead with what Pompeo called a “poorly timed” resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the Senate voted 63-37 to advance the measure. Read

Trump on Russia-Ukraine Black Sea Clash: ‘I Don't Like That Aggression’

President Trump indicated Tuesday he may call off a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, saying he did not like the “aggression” Russia displayed during a naval clash with Ukraine in the Black Sea early this week. Read

UN Envoy Dissociates ‘Caravan’ From Upcoming Global Migration Pact

The U.N. official overseeing a controversial international migration pact up for formal adoption next month drew a distinction Tuesday between what is happening on the U.S.-Mexico border and what the document is designed to deal with. Read

Pompeo Says Iranians Have Suffered Under Rouhani’s Tyranny for ‘Far Too Long’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday criticized Iran’s purportedly “moderate” president for calling on Muslims around the world to unite against America and for describing Israel as a “cancerous tumor.” He said the Iranian people have lived under the Islamic regime’s tyranny for far too long. Read

US-Russia Gulf Widens After Naval Clash in Disputed Black Sea Waters

Monday’s emergency U.N. Security Council session on a Russia-Ukraine naval clash revealed a deepening gulf between permanent members, with the U.S. saying Russia’s actions were “no way for a law-abiding, civilized nation to act,” and Russia telling the West that Crimea belongs to Russia, “whether you like it or not.” Read

Airbnb Delists ‘West Bank’ – But Not Tibet, South Ossetia, Northern Cyprus …

As Airbnb’s decision to delist hundreds of properties in the territories disputed between Israel and the Palestinians makes waves, the company continues to carry listings located in other areas under dispute around the world, among them Tibet, Western Sahara, Abkhazia and Northern Cyprus. Read

Ukraine’s President Calls For Martial Law, Citing Russian Aggression at Sea

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said late Sunday he would seek parliamentary approval to impose martial law, characterizing the move not as a declaration of war but as a defensive action in response to a clash between Ukrainian and Russian naval vessels near Russian-occupied Crimea. Read

Democracies Hope Russia’s INTERPOL Presidency Candidate Defeated

Amid deepening alarm at the prospect of a Russian police general being elected on Wednesday to head INTERPOL, the Trump administration on Tuesday threw its public support behind the other candidate in the running, warning that Moscow has abused INTERPOL procedures for political ends. Read

Detroit Judge: Federal Statute Outlawing Female Genital Mutilation is Unconstitutional

For 22 years, female genital mutilation has been a federal crime in the United States, but on Tuesday a judge in Detroit declared the 1996 law to be unconstitutional, dismissing most of the charges faced by two doctors and seven other people – including four victims’ mothers – accused of subjecting at least nine girls through the widely-condemned practice. Read

Pakistan’s PM Hits Back at Trump, Saying His Country Has ‘Suffered Enough Fighting U.S.’s War’

President Trump’s renewed criticism of Pakistan’s record in tackling terrorism in its region drew a sharp response – and a note of defiance – Monday from the country’s new prime minister, who dismissed the billions of dollars Pakistan has received in U.S. military aid since 2001 as “minuscule.” Read

EU Considers Sanctioning Iran Over Terror Plots – But Wants the Nuclear Deal Protected

An alleged Iranian plot to carry out an assassination in Denmark was “completely unacceptable” and European Union member-states are exploring an appropriate response, but that is a separate issue from the Iran nuclear deal, which the E.U. remains committed to keeping afloat. Read

Farrakhan Denies He Likened Jews to ‘Termites’ – Then Insults Jews Again

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Sunday repeated his provocative recent remarks about being “anti-termite,” suggesting the controversy was trumped up because “I never used the term ‘Jew’” – and then disputed that “Ashkenazi” Jews were Semites at all. Read

INTERPOL Presidential Election Brings Concerns About Kremlin Interference

A top Russian law enforcement official is in line to take the helm of INTERPOL, at a time when the international policing agency is already reeling as a result of another repressive regime’s interference. Read

After Abstaining For 22 Years, US Will Vote Against ‘Useless’ Annual UN Resolution on Golan Heights

A U.N. General Assembly committee will on Friday endorse nine resolutions critical of Israel, but – for the first time in more than two decades – the United States will change its position from “abstain” to “no” when a resolution on the Golan Heights is put to the vote. Read

‘Great Things Are Taking Place Whether The Media Tells Us Or Not’: Christian Musicians Hold Spontaneous WH Worship Session

A “faith briefing” at the White House this week saw Christian music artists hold an impromptu worship session, singing songs of praise near the Oval Office. Read

Should the US Grant Asia Bibi Refuge? Some Prominent Americans Say Yes

President Trump should invite the imperiled Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi to come to the United States and request asylum, Foundation for Defense of Democracies President Clifford May said Wednesday, arguing that the move would be “just, moral and wise.” Read

Lawyer ‘For the Palestinian People’ Filmed in Cursing Rant on Flight Over Withheld Wine

In an obscenity-laden rant caught on video, a passenger on an Air India flight told aircrew she was a human rights lawyer “for the Palestinian people” and a “leader of the f---ing boycott movement,” and she threatened to call for a boycott of the airline because staff wouldn’t give her more wine. Read

Women’s March Movement Under Fire Again for Anti-Semitism

The Women’s March movement is under fire again, following a liberal German non-governmental organization’s decision not to present its annual human rights award to its organizers, who have been criticized for associations with Louis Farrakhan and anti-Israel sentiment. Read

Women’s March Leader Linda Sarsour Slams Israel Over Gaza Rocket Attacks

Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian American activist and Women’s March leader facing accusations of anti-Semitism, suggested on Tuesday that the firing of hundreds of rockets from Gaza into Israel was a legitimate response to an earlier firefight between Hamas gunmen and undercover Israeli troops. Read

Haley: There Are Times ‘Multilateralism Has Been a Bad Deal’ for the US

With just weeks to go until she leaves her post as ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has challenged the world body’s devotion to multilateralism, calling it merely “a means to an end” and raising questions about how much U.S. taxpayers are paying for it. Read

Israeli Killed in Mass Rocket Barrage, As Terrorists in Gaza Threaten to Target ‘a Million Zionists’

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired more than 300 rockets towards Israeli communities on Monday – killing at least one Israeli – and as Israel retaliated with airstrikes Hamas threatened to use more advanced projectiles, to bring “about a million Zionists” within range. Read

French President: The US Does Not Ask Europe to Finance its Security at Home

French President Emmanuel Macron at the weekend sought to patch up a rift with President Trump over recent remarks on European defense, pointing out that the U.S. does not expect Europe to cover the costs of a security challenge at home. Read

US Should Offer Refuge to Asia Bibi, Say Supporters of Christian Accused of Blasphemy

Calls are growing for the United States to offer refuge to the Pakistani Christian incarcerated for nine years for “blaspheming” Mohammed, amid uncertainty over her future following her recent acquittal and release from death row. Read

Farrakhan to Trump: Your Mideast Policies Will Lead to War and ‘End America As You Know It’

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, continuing his controversial visit to Iran Thursday, warned President Trump that U.S. policies in the Middle East, at the behest of Israel, “will end America as you know it.” Read

Pakistan Launches New Bid to Have U.S. Return Imprisoned Female Terrorist

A Pakistani woman serving a lengthy prison term in the U.S. for attempting to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan is back in the headlines in her native country, as its new government vows to secure a deal for her return. Read

Ocasio-Cortez For House Speaker? ‘I Don’t Want to Bite Off More Than I Can Chew’

Democrat socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was still celebrating her victory in New York’s 14th Congressional District Tuesday night when she was asked her thoughts on becoming speaker in the Democratic-controlled House. Read

Asia Bibi, Acquitted of Blasphemy But Threatened With Death, Reportedly Flown Out of Pakistan

Asia Bibi, the Pakistan Christian on death row acquitted a week ago of blasphemy charges, was reportedly flown secretly out of the country overnight, in defiance of Islamic radicals who threatened to kill her. Read